S Ramadorai, former chief of IT giant firm TCS, has been appointed as an Advisor to Prime Minister on Skill Development, a move seen as part of the government’s efforts to rope in private sector professionals to assist on policy matters.

Ramadorai retired as CEO of the country’s largest software firm TCS in late 2009 and is currently on board of many private sector firms, including some Tata group companies.

As an advisor to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ramadorai would enjoy the rank equivalent to a cabinet minister, a top government official said here on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum summit.

Ramadorai holds a Bachelors degree in Physics from Delhi University, a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and a Masters degree in Computer Science from the University of California.

After Infosys former CEO Nandan Nilekani, Ramadorai is the second high-profile professional from the IT sector to have been brought on board by the government for assisting in policy matters.

Earlier in 2009, the government had appointed Nilekani, one of the founders and former chief of IT giant Infosys, as Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in the rank and status of a Cabinet Minister for an initial tenure of five years.

Subsequently, the Prime Minister’s Council of UIDAI Authority of India was set up on 30th July, 2009, to advise on UIDAI Programme, methodology and implementation to ensure co-ordination between Ministries/Departments, stakeholders and partners.

The Unique identification project was conceived as an initiative that would provide identification for each resident across the country and would be used primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare services.