Unknown facts about IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan

Kannan Gopinathan, a dedicated IAS officer shot up to fame in 2018 for how he responded to the Kerala Floods. His rescue and relief operations during the 2018 Kerala floods secured a wide appreciation for him. Presently, he has quit his position as the Secretary of Power, Urban Development and Town and Country Planning Departments of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, claiming that he resigned his position on dissatisfaction over the Central Government’s stand on the J&K issue saying, “I wanted my freedom of expression back”. Here are some interesting facts about Kannan Gopinathan you might not have known so far.

Schooling and becoming an IAS officer

Kannan Gopinathan entered IAS as part of the 2012 batch AGMUT cadre IAS. He pursued his schooling from Kottayam of Kerala and did his engineering from the BIT Mesra, Ranchi. He worked for Freescale Semiconductors (previously Motorola) at Noida, joining the firm in 2007. He later quit the company to appear for the IAS exams. His first posting was in September 2014 as the SDO (Civil) of the Hnahthial sub-division.

Hobbies and interests

His hobbies and other special interests are playing drums, football, badminton, cricket, and djembe. When he stayed in Noida, he worked hand in hand with an NGO to teach slum children in the community. Later he joined the civil services.

How he prepared for IAS

He opted for the subjects sociology and public administration while preparing for IAS. He was an avid reader and collected study materials from diverse range of books. He fondly read a number of dailies and magazines to update himself with the current events and news.

Volunteering for Kerala flood relief

When unforeseen floods ravaged the state of Kerala, Kannan Gopinathan was at the relief camp for about eight days. For over two days during this period, he carried large packages of relief materials over his head to be distributed to the affected masses. He did so without revealing his identity. Only when the Ernakulam Collector visited the KDPS press collection enter, she recognized him and said the others that he was in fact a collector.

Commendable services at Mizoram

When Kannan Gopinathan served in the IAS cadre in the region, he got the first accessible ATM machine installed in a very remote place called Hnahthial of Lunglei district in Mizoram. He also launched a disaster management app for the people of Mizoram.

An expert in disaster management

He was sharp and quick when it comes to combating natural disasters from his position. During earthquakes the entire Northeastern region was placed upon red alert for the high seismic activity. Disaster management became a major responsibility for him which he did in an expert and dedicated manner.

Why he resigned

Kannan Gopinathan said he was quitting from his job as he was highly disturbed over the restrictions put in place in Jammu and Kashmir. He said lakhs of people in Jammu and Kashmir are denied of their fundamental rights after the special status was scrapped for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said, “I joined civil service with the hope that I can be the voice of those who have been silenced. But here, I lost my own voice.”