Mr. L. K. Atheeq, IAS (Retd.)

L. K. Atheeq is a 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in the Karnataka cadre, with over three decades of experience in public administration, public policy, development, public finance, education, and governance reform.

He holds an M.A. in Public Administration from Syracuse University, USA, and an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru.

Over his career, he has held senior positions at the district, state, national, and international levels. At the district level, he served as Chief Executive Officer of a Zilla Panchayat and as District Magistrate in two districts. At the state level, he served as Director of Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation and as State Project Director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. He also served in the Prime Minister’s Office as Director and later as Joint Secretary in charge of the social sector. He represented India on the Board of the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C.

In Karnataka, he served as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, advising on government policies and programmes. He also served as Principal Secretary and subsequently Additional Chief Secretary of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department and Finance Department. He has been associated with the governance of major public-sector undertakings such as  Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd., Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd., Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., Information Technology Parks Ltd., and various irrigation companies.

He currently serves as Financial Advisor to the Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka, and Chairman of Bengaluru Business Corridor Ltd. His experience spans fiscal policy, rural development, Panchayati Raj, infrastructure, education, health, public finance and administrative reform. He has also contributed to major social-sector policy initiatives, including work related to the Right to Education, expansion of higher education, strengthening of Integrated Child Development Services, the National Health Mission and the Food Security Law.

Areas of Expertise: His areas of expertise include public finance and fiscal policy, public administration and governance, rural development and Panchayati Raj, infrastructure and urban development, agricultural economics, education and health policy, social-sector policy, and institutional and governance reform.

Key Contributions / Achievements:

• Led and contributed to major public-sector programmes and reforms across rural development, drinking water and sanitation, education, health and social protection.
• Played a role in significant national social-sector policy initiatives, including the implementation of the Right to Education, expansion of higher education, strengthening of Integrated Child Development Services, the National Health Mission and the Food Security Law.
• Served as India’s representative on the Board of the World Bank Group, bringing international development and public policy experience to his work in government.
• Contributed to the governance and oversight of major Karnataka public-sector institutions through Government-nominated board positions.