KG heads RERA
Tamil Nadu set up the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TNRERA) a year ago. K Gnanadesikan (KG) has been appointed Chairman. S Manohar, Engineer-in-Chief of Buildings at PWD and V Jeyakumar, an advocate, have been appointed Members and retired district judge N Balasubrmaniyam as a judicial member and Leena Nair IAS (Red) as an administrative member of the tribunal. KG, due to retire in April as the Additional Chief Secretary – Industry, will hold office for five years.
This is a welcome recognition for the excellent record of service put-in by this senior bureaucrat. KG as the then CMD of ELCOT was among the architects who built the Tidel Park in the late 1990s. His long term as the Chairman of the Electricity Board/TANGEDCO witnessed the transition of Tamil Nadu from a huge power deficit state to a power surplus one. KG also functioned as the chief secretary. In the past couple of years, KG headed the industry department. The high-point is the Global Investors’ Meet 2019. KG and his team did extensive campaigns and road shows across the globe. The GIM attracted over Rs. 3 Lakh crore of investment commitments including attractive investments from Central public sector undertakings.
The real estate sector has been through difficult times. Unregulated for long, the sector was seething with corruption and unfair trade practices with a lack of accountability to its trusted customers. Use of black money was also widespread. Post-demonetisation and tax reforms like GST, governments at the Centre and the state have sought to regulate the sector. The RERA Act is a major and welcome development to rear the sector on healthy lines. An upright and efficient officer KG at the helm, along with a full-fledged board, augur well for the healthy growth of the realty sector.
JR imparted health to the state
After seven long years as Principal Secretary – Health, J Radhakrishnan (JR) has been shifted as Principal Secretary – Transport. In his tenure, the state evolved as the model for healthcare emulated by other states; it was expanded as Ayushman Bharat Yojana (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) by the Centre. The Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme provides health coverage to over 60 per cent of the population. Since the scheme started in 2011-12, so far 28.34 lakh have been extended Rs 5527 crore worth of medical treatment in hospitals of their choice to undergo surgeries to a limit of Rs 2.25 lakh each. The state has provided the insurance cover for implementing the scheme. For the coming year, the budget has provided Rs 1363 crore as premium.
The remarkable strides made by the state in maternal and infant mortality rates, reduction in mortality rates and the comprehensive and pioneering assistance extended to pregnant and lactating mothers, have kept Tamil Nadu far ahead of other states. The evolution of Tamil Nadu as a medical tourism capital, with large number of patients availing quality services and the provision of quality drugs and pharmaceuticals free of cost to the primary, secondary and tertiary government hospitals are also great examples of quality governance.
JR brought with him a reputation for his wide social concerns, especially in providing succour to people affected by natural calamities such as tsunami, the extensive cyclone havoc caused in 2015 and the recent Gaja cyclone. JR, along with several other committed senior officers, spent weeks and months in providing succour to the affected people.
Adverse comments made against JR before the Justice Arumugaswamy Commission on the medical treatment provided by the Apollo Hospitals to the former chief minister J Jayalalithaa led to unfair criticism by opposition parties as also by a couple of ministers of the ruling party. The IAS Officers’ Association was prompt in taking its concern to the Chief Minister. I found JR maintaining his equanimity and philosophical detachment and continuing with his work. It is not common to retain an officer unchanged as the head of the department for so long. Doing this for seven years is the best recognition of his rich contribution to the state in public health and welfare.
I recall an instance of the commitment and integrity of JR: a couple of years ago, JR’s mother needed some critical treatment. With his high position, JR could have commanded getting his mother admitted to any of the private star hospitals with state-of-the-art facilities. JR preferred to admit her at the super specialty hospital at Anna Salai. The elderly lady recovered in quick time.
He helped improve finances of Chennai Corporation
Managing the municipal affairs of the large metro like Chennai is beset with innumerable problems. From managing conservancy to maintenance of roads, public health, street lightings, schools to multiple other civic services, the interface with the public is vast and continuous. Dr D Karthikeyan has expertly headed the corporation not once but twice. The responsibilities were much higher in his recent tenure with the absence of an elected body.
A welcome shot in the arm relates to the steep revision in property taxes after 20 years. This promises to improve its finances substantially. Karthikeyan and his team have also been endeavouring to take resort to technology and systems to improve the quality of services. His swapping the post with the Commissioner, Municipal Administration G Prakash will help continue utilise his experience in civic administration.
Dr Kalpana Sankar, honoured
President Ramnath Kovind presented the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Kalyan Puraskar to Dr Kalpana Sankar, Chairperson, Hand in Hand India. HiH has been rendering yeoman services in eradicating child labour. HiH has so far enrolled over 3 lakh children in government schools and also runs transit schools, where it enables 10th standard failed students to get passed in the board examinations. HiH also provides academic support to around 1.5 lakh slow learners in classes 2 – 5 in government schools.
HiH operating over 17 states is active in 1142 child-friendly panchayats; covered 540,831 households under solid waste management; conducted 7154 medical camps, imparted skills and training to 138,426 women under Skill Development and Technology Centre and created jobs under self-help groups to 3,597,381. HiH conducts comprehensive business-oriented workshops for women entrepreneurs across the country helping them expand their income and employment in their organisation. Kalpana was conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2016 for her contribution to the empowerment of vulnerable and marginalised women.
Chennai Demo Day 2019
The IIT Madras Research Park (IITM RP) The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) jointly organised the Chennai Demo Day 2019. Over 100 startups displayed their products and services in the day-long event at the sprawling research park. Dr. Ashok Jhunjhunwala described the rich infrastructure and vast range of facilities provided at the Research Park to incubate and mentor a vast array of start-ups in emerging and frontier areas of technology. He pointed to the three-tier support-of the private industry, strong faculty and young students-coming together to innovate. He also pointed to the TiE providing invaluable support for start-ups and entrepreneurs. V Shankar of TiE expressed hope that the pioneering work done by IITM RP will get expanded manifold and that such demos will become regular events.
The display ranged from vast applications in electric vehicles to agriculture, healthcare, engineering and other sectors. There were also seminars and discussions on the vital issue of the application of information technology to agriculture. Interesting presentations and suggestions were made on the effective use of ICT.
I pointed to a significant structural weakness-of inexorable fragmentation of landholdings with average farm sizes at less than two acres in Tamil Nadu and most other states. This results in keeping the number of farms fallow and the inability to apply science, technology and mechanisation resulting in poor/average productivity. There is the urgent need to agglomerate land holdings permitting lease of land over 15 years or more without alienating ownership, backed by enforceable contracts and safeguards. The farmer producers organisations mooted five years ago are still slow in taking shape.
New incumbent at TN Industry Department
N Muruganandam (NM) from the 1991 batch of Tamil Nadu cadre IAS has assumed charge as Principal Secretary, TN Department of Industry. He succeeds K Gnanadesikan.
For nearly a decade from 2010, NM was working at Delhi at the Ministries of Environment & Forests and Shipping and as Principal Resident Commissioner, Tamil Nadu House. NM brings with him rich contacts with policymakers and other institutions of Delhi.
Taking charge after the successful conduct of the Global Investors Meet in January, NM has his task cut out: to ensure the promised investments and commitments taking off the ground in quick time. His considerable experience as Joint Secretary, Ports should also be of value in leveraging the 1000 km plus long coastline of Tamil Nadu and the unique endowment of the state having four large ports.
NM is married to his batch mate in the IAS, Supriya Sahu, presently Director General, Doordarshan.
