Dr. Santhosh Babu IAS
| Dr. Santhosh Babu IAS | |
|---|---|
| File:TN-IT-SEC-Dr-SANTHOSH-BABU RESIZED.jpgTN-IT-SEC-Dr-SANTHOSH-BABU RESIZED.jpg | |
| Born | |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Indian |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Government Medical College, Trivandrum (Degree), Kerala University |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 📆 Years active | 21 years |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Dr.Beena DS |
| 🏅 Awards | Dataquest E-Governance Champion Award, South India |
| 🌐 Website | www.santhoshbabu.org |
Santhosh Babu (born on 12 March 1968) is a retired Indian Civil Servant and a medical professional who has served with Indian Administrative Services for 21 years. He served in multiple positions in Tamil Nadu and various ministries of the Central Government. Santhosh Babu was empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary or equivalent to Government in 2015. Known for his reforms in governance and initiatives to create positive change in the administrative system, he was awarded the Disruptor of Tamil Nadu 2019-Governance Awards and also the Best Collector Award of the Government while he served as the district magistrate of Krishnagiri District due to his arduous effort to bring more than 6800 children back to school by using an innovative IT-based method in 2008. Currently, he is the Chief Mentor and Teacher at Officers IAS academy situated in Anna Nagar, Chennai. He was the pioneer of numerous development projects in Tamil Nadu and also in the country, like the first paperless government office in Tamil Nadu at TNCDW (Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women Ltd) in 2001, and as a collector in Krishnagiri District, he pioneered the country's first rural BPO (Business Process Outsourcing). He joined Kamal Hassan’s Makkam Needhi Maiam on 1st December 2020 by taking voluntary retirement from the service with 8 years remaining until his retirement. During the state assembly elections in 2021, he contested the Velachery Assembly Constituency.[1]
Early Life and Education
Santhosh Babu was born on 12 March 1968 in Trivandrum, Kerala, into a middle-class family. His father was a government teacher, and his mother was a homemaker. He is the youngest of two siblings and has one elder sister. He completed his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya Pattom, Trivandrum. Later, he went to Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram, for further studies. He earned his medical degree from Government Medical College, Trivandrum, but eventually became an Indian Civil Servant. In 1993, he joined Indian postal services. A year later, he qualified for Indian Administrative Services. He received a degree in Leadership and Excellence (2004-2005) from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He also attended Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He completed his Masters in Public Management and received a fellowship from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policies and the National University of Singapore. He received a full scholarship from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policies to pursue his course.
Career
Santhosh was appointed as an IAS officer trainee for a year at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. He joined the Coimbatore district as an Assistant Collector for another year of training. Santhosh Babu was first appointed Sub-collector at Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu. He moved to the Collectorate for the position of Additional Collector (Development) and Project Officer at DRDA at Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu. For a year, he was a Special Officer at the Chief Minister’s Special Cell Secretariat, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was further designated Executive Director for Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women Ltd, Chennai and District Collector at Sivaganga District in consecutive years. He was Additional Commissioner of Labour at State Child Labour Rehabilitation cum Welfare Society, Chennai. He served as Joint Secretary to Government at ADW & TW Department, Chennai, (2004-2005) and at Rural Development Department, Chennai (2005-2006). Babu served two years as District Collector at Krishnagiri District. He was further appointed as a Managing Director of Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT), Chennai (2008-2011). During the same period, he was the CEO of Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA), Chennai. For the next few months, Babu was Secretary to Government for the Information Technology Department, Secretariat, Chennai. He was designated as Commissioner for Directorate of Horticulture & Plantation Crops, Chennai and Directorate of Indian Medicine & Homeopathy, Chennai, respectively, until 2013.
Santhosh Babu was Chairman and Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, Chennai, between 2014 and 2018. Further, he was appointed to an honorary position of Officer on Special Duty for Chief Minister’s Special Cell, Secretariat, Chennai, in 2015. He became the Principal Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu for the Information Technology Department. He held the position of Managing Director at Tamil Nadu Fibrenet Corporation (TANFINET) and Director at Tamil Virtual Academy, Chennai, almost during the same time between 2018 and 2020.[2] He was designated to Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, Chennai, as a Principal Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu/ Chairman & Managing Director. Presently, he is the Chief Mentor and Teacher at Officers IAS Academy, Anna Nagar and continues his duty as Special Officer at Chief Minister’s Special Cell, Secretariat.[3][3]
Awards and Recognitions
● 2006, the Dataquest E-Governance Champion Award, South India
● 2008, the Best Collector Award of the Govt. of Tamil Nadu for Child Labour Education in Krishnagiri District of Tamil Nadu
● 2016, the Skoch Smart Governance Award for 'Grievance Redressal through AMMA call centre' and 'Transformation of TNHDC using Information Technology[4]
● 2017, the 'Changemaker Award' from the Rotary Club of Madras Metro
● 2018, Excellence In Promotion of Traditional Artefact Award
● 2018, Recognized as Disruptor of Tamil Nadu by Yourstory
● 2019, 5th Jeppiaar Award
● Recognized as the 'Pride of Tamil Nadu' by the 'Indian Express' in its 2007 annual publication. He was one of the five persons chosen for the category 'made a difference in various aspects of life'
● 2008, recognized as 'Top Ten people in Tamil Nadu' by Ananda Vikatan[1]
● Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam the former President of India acknowledged his work as District Collector, Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu
Published Works
Santhosh Babu presented a paper on 'Change Management' in November 2003 at the 7th National e-Governance Conference at Chennai and wrote a paper in Malayala Manorama e-book 2012 on e-Governance. He also played the role of editor for-
● Monthly magazine 'Mutram' for SHGs publishing one hundred thousand copies a month for circulation
● 'Kuruthu' a monthly magazine on Child Labour was conceived and edited by him
● 'UzhaipporUlagam' a monthly magazine on Labour
● IAS Association quarterly magazine ' Mullai'
● Horticulture Coffee Table Book
● 'ECzITe' monthly magazine on e-Governance
● 'ENHANS' Horticulture monthly magazine
● Edited and conceived MPM 2013/2014 batch Yearbook
Personal Life
Santhosh Babu married Dr Beena DS in 1988. She is an Immunoheamatologist and presently positioned as an assistant professor at Madras Medical College. They have a son Nitin Santhosh who is a BE IT graduate.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Reporter, Staff (2020-12-02). "Former IAS officer Santhosh Babu joins MNM". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ↑ "IAS officer Santhosh Babu joins Officers' Academy in Chennai as Chief Mentor after quitting TN Govt service". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "From hospital room, MNM's Santhosh Babu runs 'hyper-digital' poll campaign". The Indian Express. 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ↑ "Keralite civil servant Santhosh Babu, known for key IT innovations, seeks early retirement for teaching". OnManorama. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
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