Three decades of diverse administrative experience
Shri Garg brings more than 30 years of administrative experience across agriculture, defence industry promotion, industrial policy, finance and social sectors. His portfolio includes senior roles at both state and central levels, giving him a blend of policy and implementation experience that BIS can leverage.
Recent roles and digital initiatives
Before joining BIS, Shri Garg served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Research and Education (DARE) and as Secretary of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). At DARE and ICAR, he led digital transformation efforts, applying IT to research management and administration. He also helped scale the Kisan Sarathi portal, which connects farmers directly with agricultural scientists to improve outreach and advisory services.
Sectoral experience relevant to BIS priorities
Garg’s background includes managing World Bank-funded projects, supporting industrial promotion initiatives and working on deregulation in the defence sector. This experience is directly relevant to BIS’s mandate to set and harmonise standards across manufacturing, defence supplies, consumer goods and critical infrastructure.
Role at BIS and international responsibilities
As DG of BIS, Shri Garg will lead India’s national standards body, responsible for standard formulation, certification and testing regimes that safeguard consumers and enable industry competitiveness. He will also serve as India’s national committee president in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), strengthening India’s voice in global standards for electrical and electronic technologies.
What to expect under the new leadership
Observers expect the new DG to prioritise digitalisation of standards processes, industry outreach for faster adoption of Indian Standards (IS), and closer coordination with ministries to align standards with Make-in-India and export competitiveness goals. Given his prior digital work in agriculture research, stakeholders anticipate renewed emphasis on data-driven standards development.
Statements and official notices
The appointment was notified by the Government of India and reported on 3 November 2025. For the official release and full text of the notification, readers may refer to the Press Information Bureau. More details about BIS and its mandate are available on the Bureau’s official website.
