Ms. Uma Mahadevan, IAS

Uma Mahadevan is a senior Indian Administrative Service officer (1992 Batch), Karnataka cadre, with over three decades of experience in public administration, governance, and development. She currently serves as the Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Development Commissioner for the Government of Karnataka, where she oversees key line departments driving the state's strategic development sectors.

She holds a postgraduate degree in English Literature. She frequently writes on development, culture and the arts.

Over her career, she has worked in various key departments such as Rural Development, Women and Child Development, Planning, Agriculture, Education, and Health and Family Welfare, and has also served with the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research on deputation. She was a member of the Working Group that prepared Karnataka’s First Human Development Report. Her public policy work has included early childhood care and education, rural development and local governance, with a particular focus on strengthening public institutions and enhancing access to learning and social services.

Areas of Expertise:

Her areas of expertise include public administration, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Decentralised Governance, Women and Child Development, Early Childhood Care and Education, skill development and livelihoods, and social policy and human development.

Key Contributions / Achievements:

She played a key role in transforming Karnataka’s rural public library network, supporting the redevelopment of more than 5,600 libraries across Gram Panchayats into community spaces for learning, digital access and public participation. She has also contributed significantly to strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), including efforts to improve Anganwadi services and integrate ECCE within the ICDS framework. She served as Chairperson of the Government of India Committee for Strengthening Service Delivery at the Grassroots in 2025 and was a member of the Government of India ECCE Taskforce.

Publications / Research:

Mahadevan, U. (2022). Current status of women in Karnataka with special reference to effects of the Covid-19 pandemic: Need for improvement through select policy interventions. Aarthika Charche - FPI Journal of Economics & Governance, 7(1).

She has also written policy-oriented articles for The Indian Express on early childhood care, education, women’s well-being, and development.