Suman Billa, a 1996 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Billa has replaced 1993 batch Punjab Cadre IAS officer Rakesh Kumar Verma who served as Joint Secretary of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, before being promoted to Additional Secretary in the same department. Verma has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.
Billa will likely look after international cooperation, events, Swadesh Darshan, niche tourism. Information technology, overseas marketing, hotels and restaurants, among others. This will be Billa’s second stint at the Union Ministry of Tourism. In his previous sting between 2014 – 2019 at MoT he was Joint Secretary, before being transferred to United Nation World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), now UN Tourism, as Director, Technical Cooperation and Silk Road. Billa’s tourism experience also encompasses stint at Kerala Tourism.
