About Me

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    Name

    D.Santhosh Babu, IAS

    Date Of Birth

    12/03/1968

    Schooling

    Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, Trivandrum

    College

    • Mar Ivanios College, Trivandrum (Pre-degree)
    • Government Medical College, Trivandrum (Degree)
    • London School of Economics & Political Science
    • Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore
    • Harvard Kennedy School of Government

    Qualification

    • M.B.B.S
    • Chevening Gurukul Scholar, London School of Economics & Political Science
    • M.P.M (Master in Public Management) (LKYSPP, NUS and Harvard Kennedy School of Government)

    Occupation

    Civil Servant belonging to the 1995 batch of the Indian Administrative Service, Tamil Nadu Cadre, currently serving as the Chairman cum Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, Government of Tamil Nadu (www.poompuhar.org, www.tnhdcltd.com).

    Scholarships

    • Underwent the British Chevening Gurukul Scholarship in “Leadership & Excellence Programme 2004” of the British Council, at the London School of Economics & Political Science in 2004. My dissertation topic was “ Role of the State in health planning and delivery – Equity issues in India compared to OECD countries”
    • OObtained a full scholarship of US$120,000 from LKYSPP, NUS to pursue a one-year MPM (Master in Public Management) degree programme as an LKY Fellow, at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore (NUS), and Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS) in 2013-2014.

    Awards

    • Was the recipient of the Best Collector Award of the Govt. of Tamil Nadu for Child Labour Eradication in Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu, in 2008,for using an innovative IT based “Out of School Children Tracking & Monitoring System” created within www.baack2school.in
    • Was the recipient of the Dataquest E-Governance Champion Award, South India, for 2006

    Recognition

    • Was recognized by the reputed newspaper publication “Indian Express” in its annual publication 2007 the “Pride of Tamil Nadu “ as one of the five persons in Tamil Nadu who had made a difference in various aspects of public life
    • Was recognized by the Ananda Vikatan, a Tamil Magazine as one of the“Top Ten people in Tamil Nadu” in 2008
    • My work as District Collector, Krishnagiri, was mentioned by His Excellency, Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam, Former President of India during his speech on the occasion of Civil Services Day at New Delhi on 21/4/2012. The speech can be accessed at the following URL:
      http://www.abdulkalam.com/kalam/jsp/display_content_front.jsp?menuid=28&menuname=Speeches / Lectures&linkid=68&linkname=Recent&content=2063&columnno=0&starts=40&menu_image=-&contentsForum=Address to the Civil Service Officers 7th Civil Service Day

    Passion

    Make Government World Class using technology and by taking advantage of modern Management theories & Practices worldwide

    Paper presentation

    Presented a paper on ‘Change Management’ at the 7th National e-Governance Conference at Chennai in November 2003

    Paper publication

    Wrote a paper on e-Governance in the Malayala Manorama Year Book 2012

    Editor

    • “Mutram” monthly magazine for SHGs with circulation of one hundred thousand copies a month
    • Conceived and edited “Kuruthu” Child Labour monthly Magazine
    • “UzhaipporUlagam” monthly Labour magazine
    • “Mullai” IAS Association quarterly magazine
    • Conceived and edited “ECzITe”” e-Governance monthly magazine
    • Conceived and edited”ENHANS” Horticulture monthly magazine
    • Horticulture Coffee Table Book
    • Conceived and edited MPM 2013/2014 batch Year Book

    Invitations

    I have been invited to speak at numerous fora :

    • First TEDx conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Chennai www.tedxchennai.com/speakers.php
    • Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) , Mussoorie, India
    • National Police Academy, Hyderabad
    • CII Connect Chennai (Confederation of Indian Industry)
    • Federation of India Chamber of Commerce (FICCI), Chennai
    • The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), Chennai
    • The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India ASSOCHAM, New Delhi
    • CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) Education Summit, Chennai
    • Hindustan Chamber of Commerce of Commerce, Chennai
    • Sindhi Chamber of Commerce, Chennai
    • Indo-Australian Chamber of Commerce
    • BILL Conference, Chennai
    • Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai
    • Anna University, Chennai
    • Anna Institute of Management, Chennai
    • Manufacturers Association for Information Technology ( MAIT)
    • Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2010 (National Conference of Non Resident Indians)
    • Madras Institute of Development Studies
    • Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
    • WIPRO
    • e-India Forum
    • Gujarat Government
    • National Institute of Smart Governance (NISG), Hyderabad
    • Accountant Generals Office, Chennai
    • Techno Park, Trivandrum
    • MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
    • United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), New Delhi
    • Society for Electronic Transactions (SETS), Chennai
    • NDTV Hindu (English News Channel)
    • Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai
    • Chennai FM
    • All India Radio, Chennai
    • Radio One FM, Chennai
    • “The Hindu” Newspaper
    • Dinamalar Newspaper
    • Future Gov Magazine, Singapore
    • Transforming Health Care through IT 2011 (Summit by Apollo Hospitals)at Hyderabad
    • Executive Recruiters Association, Mumbai
    • Information Communication Technology Academy of Tamil Nadu (ICTACT) Chennai
    • India Vision-2020 Group
    • Red Cross, Chennai
    • SRM University
    • Project Management Institute (PMI)
    • CeTIT Chennai (Citizen Empowerment through Information Technology)
    • Numerous Schools & Colleges in and around Chennai
    • Was Chief Guest for the convocation ceremony at Hindustan College of Arts & Science, Chennai
    • Was Chief Guest for the convocation ceremony at the Asan Memorial College of Arts & Science
    • Speaker at TEDx organized by Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering on 21/7/2012
    • Speaker at SAM Youthopia at Saveetha Dental College on 9/1/2013
    • Numerous Programs conducted by Malayalee Associations
    • Speaker at TEDx organized by Hindustan University, Chennai on 06/06/2015
    • Guest speaker at SCOPE International, Chennai on 22/09/2015
    • Was Chief Guest at DAV Boys Senior Secondary School Annual Day celebrations on 08/10/2015

    Countries visited

    USA, UK,France, Spain,Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam.

    A few out of about 150 plus initiatives and innovations that I have personally undertaken in Government
    • For the first time in India, Citizens can apply for certain Government services like Community certificate, Nativity certificate etc (10 certificates)from the confines of their home, Common Service Center or Browsing center, and receive digitally signed certificates from wherever they want, without ever having to visit a Government office. This was conceived and implemented by me in Krishnagiri district as CEO, Tamil Nadu eGovernance Agency under the e-District project. About 1,00,000 such certificates have so far been issued so far.
    • Created the first paperless Government office in Tamil Nadu at Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women Ltd (TNCDW) in 2001. Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT) and Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency (TNeGA) are also ERP driven offices. ELCOT is the first ERP driven Govt. office in the State of Tamil Nadu.
    • Fully computerized the public grievance redressal system at the Chief Minister’s Special Cell while serving as the Special Officer, Chief Minister’s Special Cell, Secretariat, Chennai.
    • Created the infrastructure for spreading the use of information technology as a developmental tool by launching the RASI project (rural access service through the internet) in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu in 2003 using the Wireless in Local Loop (WLL) technology for last mile connectivity, while Tamil Nadu, India.
    • Personally designed and launched the following websites:
    1. www.sivaganga.tn.nic.in
    2. www.ias-tn.org
    3. www.tnchldlabour.tn.gov.in
    4. www.baack2school.in
    5. www.vasathi.in
    6. www.uzhavarsanthaihosur.in
    7. www.krishnagiri.tn.nic.in
    8. www.elcot.in
    9. www.tnega.in
    10. www.tnhorticulture.tn.gov.in
    11. www.tampcol.in/Tampcol/index.html
    12. www.dimh.tn.gov.in
    13. www.poompuhar.org
    • Was instrumental in installing computers and computer accessories in all 12,618 village Panchayats (Rural Local Bodies) of Tamil Nadu
    • Assisted National Informatics Centre (NIC), Chennai, in developing the Tamil software for National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA)
    • Created India’s first all Women Courier Service “Thinamthorum Couriers” in Sivaganga district in 2003, while serving as the District Collector
    • As Collector Krishnagiri developed a web based Out of School Children Tracking & Monitoring system www.baack2school.in This is the first such tracking software in the country. Brought back about 10,000 Out of School Children, back to school employing innovative methodologies and convergence of schemes, funds and functionaries.
    • As District, Krishnagiri, I developed India’s first web-based grievance redressal system at Krishnagiri www.vasathi.in This application software has now been rolled out for use by all the District Administrations in Tamil Nadu
    • As District Collector, Krishnagiri, I Created the Country’s first Rural BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) Unit, FOSTeRA (Fostering Technologies in Rural Areas), at Hosur for Naxal affected youth.This has since become a movement, and I was instrumental in drafting the Rural BPO Policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu
    • Developed and launched a web based application software for Uzhavar Sandai (Farmer’s Market) (First time in Tamil Nadu) www.uzhavarsanthaihosur.in
    • Developed and launched a web based application software for VarumunKappom Scheme (Village medical camps) (First time in Tamil Nadu) www.varumunkappom.in
    • Developed a Vision Hosur 2015 document. Hosur is an industrial township in Krishnagiri District.
    • Conceived and implemented an e-District project to GoI at Krishnagiri District in Tamil Nadu, India, at a cost of INR 26.70 Million in 2008.
    • Conceived and developed a “Virtual Employment Exchange” for the Department of Employment & Training, Government of Tamil Nadu
    • .Was instrumental in co -developing an “Agrisnet” portal for the Department of Agriculture, Government of Tamil Nadu
    • Developed 8 IT SEZs for ELCOT involving an investing of approximately INR 5000 Million.
    • Proposed and led the drafting of the e-Security Policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu
    • Proposed and led the drafting of the e-Waste Policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu
    • Proposed and led the drafting of the e-Governance Policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu
    • Proposed and led the drafting of the New ICT Policy of the Government of Tamil Nadu
    • Created an Infrastructure Development Corpus (Fund in Perpetuity) of INR 10 Million from 100 people. The concept is called “Fund in Perpetuity” to maintain the Krishnagiri District Stadium. This has allowed the Public to become Life members of the Krishnagiri Sports Development Society by paying INR 0.1 million by cheque, for which they are issued with a receipt which explicitly states that this is a refundable contribution and can be withdrawn after a lock in period of 1 year. Only the interest portion is used on a monthly basis.
    • A similar INR 10 Million corpus was raised for the professional maintenance of Govt. Hospital Krishnagiri.
    • Created 3 smart classrooms in 3 rural schools in Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Nilgiris districts.
    • Developed an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application for Secretariat, called “ASSIST” (Automated Software Suite for Integrated Secretariat Transactions) along with NIC Delhi. Implemented it in IT Department from November 2011.
    • Has totally transformed the Department of Horticulture, Government of Tamil Nadu using the tools offered by Information Technology.
    • Has totally transformed the Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy, and TAMPCOL, using modern management and IT tools.
    • Implemented the creation of 7 eco parks in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs.70 Crores
    • Initiated a people’s movement for household sanitation in Krishnagiri District in 2008 that won 79 Nirmal Gram Puraskars in the year 2010,from the President of India.
    • Has developed an e-Commerce portal for Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation www.poompuhar.org

    Served as

    • Assistant Collector (Training), Coimbatore (1996-97)
    • Sub Collector, Chidambaram (1997-98)
    • Additional Collector, DRDA, Tiruvallur District (1998-2000)
    • Special Officer, Chief Minister’s Special Cell (2000-2001)
    • Executive Director, Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women
    • Ltd (2001-2003)
    • District Collector, Sivaganga (2003-2004)
    • Additional Commissioner of Labour (Child Labour) (2004-2005)
    • Joint Secretary to Government, Dept. of Rural Development (2005-2006)
    • District Collector, Krishnagiri (2006-2008)
    • MD, ELCOT (Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu, Director eGovernance and CEO, TNeGA (Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency) (2008-2011)
    • Secretary to Government, Information Technology Department, Government of Tamil Nadu (2011-2011)
    • Commissioner, Horticulture & Plantation Crops (2012-2013)
    • Commissioner, Indian Medicine & Homeopathy (2013-2013)