Arun Sharma is working at the World Bank as Senior Digital Development Specialist, based in New Delhi. He is working with national and sub national governments in the South Asia Region on digital infrastructure, inclusion, and service delivery. Prior to joining the World Bank, Arun was a part of the Indian civil services for over two decades and worked in various Ministries such as Finance, Housing & Urban Affairs, the Cabinet Secretariat and MEITY, where he was Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Hon’ble Minister of State.
Arun was instrumental in setting up the Direct Benefits Mission in the Cabinet Secretariat, responsible for driving the world’s largest identity linked social benefits delivery program across the country. He has also worked with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in the payments practice in South Asia.
Arun’s professional interests include digitization, public financial management, government payments systems, digital ID, and financial inclusion. He holds an MBA from Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, India.