Breaking: Dr Beela Rajesh Transferred Out; Dr J Radhakrishnan, the New Health Secretary!

The Tamil Nadu government on Friday announced that Dr. Radhakrishnan IAS will be taking over as the Health Secretary of Department of Health and Family Welfare, Tamil Nadu. Dr Beela Rajesh, the former Health Secretary of the state is now the Secretary of Commercial Taxes and Registration Department. As per media reports the decision was taken in view of Dr. Radhakrishnan’s expertise in crisis management. 

He was appointed as the Special Nodal Officer of Greater Chennai Corporation recently. 

Dr J Radhakrishnan IAS was earlier the Principal Secretary of the Revenue Administration, Disaster Management and Mitigation Department. He was an IAS officer of the 1992 Cadre. He is well known for tackling catastrophic disasters bith natural and manmade in the state. He is especially lauded for his handling of the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami. He was closely involved in the relief and rehabilitation work in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts. 

“Known in political circles as a trusted officer of late Chief Minister J Jayalaithaa, in 2012, Radhakrishnan was appointed Health Secretary— a post he continued to hold even after the demise of the AIADMK supremo in December 2016,” The News Minute cited in its report. 

Dr. Beela Rajesh, the former health secretary who has been in the limelight ever since the virus outbreak in Chennai, is a doctor by qualification. 

She completed her MBBS from Madras Medical College (MMC). She got married to Rajesh Das, who is an IPS officer from the Odisha batch, in 1992. Rajesh Das is currently serving as an Additional Director General of Police in Tamil Nadu. 

There are other members of the family who are as influential as the couple. Dr Beela's mother, Rani Venkatesan, a native of Nagercoil, was a senior Congress leader and a former MLA. Her father, SN Venkatesan is a retired Director General of Police.

According to The News Minute’s report, “she has held the posts of Sub-Collector of Chengalpattu; Commissioner of Fisheries; and Commissioner for Town and Country Planning.”

Before becoming the Principal Secretary of Health, she was posted as the Commissioner for Indian Medicine and Homeopathy.