T. K. Ramachandran is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1991 batch (Tamil Nadu cadre), currently serving as Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India. He was appointed to the position in June 2023 and is expected to retire in September 2025.
Education & Background
Ramachandran holds a Bachelor of Technology (Honours) degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and a Master of Technology in Computer Science from IIT Delhi. He also earned a Master’s in Public Policy from Princeton University as a World Bank–Robert McNamara fellow.
Career and Appointments
State and Port-Level Roles
Ramachandran has held multiple administrative positions in the Government of Tamil Nadu, including:
- District Collector and Magistrate of Ramanathapuram and Villupuram
- Secretary (Highways and Minor Ports)
- Principal Secretary for Information Technology
- Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Newsprint & Papers Ltd.
- Managing Director of AAVIN
- Director General of Training
- Deputy Commissioner of the Corporation of Chennai
- Project Director for the Tamil Nadu Road Sector Project and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
Central Government Positions
In January 2019, he was appointed as Chairman of V. O. Chidambaranar Port Trust. He was subsequently promoted to Additional Secretary and later to Secretary in the Government of India in October 2022.
In June 2023, Ramachandran was appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. He also held additional charge as Chairperson of Visakhapatnam Port Authority from April 2023 for six months and was given additional charge as Chairman of Dredging Corporation of India from April 2023.
Key Initiatives or Focus Areas
As Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Ramachandran has led several key initiatives, including:
- Advancing the landlord port model, with a target of achieving 80 percent privatization of operations at India’s major ports by 2030
- Promoting the development of transshipment hubs, coastal shipping corridors, and inland waterways to reduce logistics costs
- Leading sustainability efforts to transition to green shipping, with goals to adopt electric, methanol, hydrogen, and renewable-powered vessels within five years
- Engaging in international maritime diplomacy, including hosting high-level discussions with the International Maritime Organization to advance maritime technology, decarbonization, and port modernization
Summary
T. K. Ramachandran is a senior IAS officer with more than three decades of experience across technical, administrative, and policy-making domains. With a strong academic background and diverse roles in both state and central governments, he has played a central role in modernizing India’s maritime infrastructure. His leadership focuses on public-private partnership models, sustainable maritime practices, and globally aligned policy frameworks.