KATHAM️
Dr. Rathan Kelkar is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 2003 batch. With over 16 years of experience and penchant for serving the society, he truly believes in contributing his best with an approach to cater to the last man and the last mile in the line of service.
Education
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) | Bangalore Medical College (BMC), Bengaluru, India | 1995 - 2000
Training
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officers Training | LBSNAA, Dehradun, India | 2003 - 2005
India Flagship Course on Health System Strengthening and Sustainable Financing | LBSNAA in association with Harvard T.H CHAN School of Public Health | Mumbai, India | Aug 19 - 23, 2019
Leading Excellence in Urban Healthcare | Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad [IIM(A)], India | Apr 17 -19, 2017
Career History / Assignments
Special Secretary | Dept. of Agriculture | Govt. of Kerala, India | Jan 2019 - Present
Formulating policies in the Department of Agriculture and implementation of the schemes for the benefit of farmers in the State of Kerala
Ensuring effective utilization of the federal and state government funds in the implementation of various schemes in the agriculture department
Achievements
The department could incur expenditure of more than 85% of the budget during the Financial year 19-20
Commissioner Food Safety | Dept. of Health & Family Welfare | Govt. of Kerala, India | Jan 2019 - Present
Efficient implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, thereby ensuring discipline in the food business industry
Achievements
Kerala was adjudged the leader state in India after analysis of Food Safety and Nutrition Index
Special Officer | Ayushman Bharat | Govt. of Kerala, India | Mar 2019 - Present
Implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Karunya Arogya Suraksha Paddhathi (AB-KASP), a health insurance scheme for the below poverty line people of the State of Kerala.
Over the four months of implementation of the integrated scheme, Kerala stood out as the top state in terms of number of target beneficiary families who have been registered, reaching 98% of the eligible families under PMJAY, with at least one member of each family being provided a Golden Card
Mission Director National Health Mission | Govt. of Karnataka, India | Jun 2016 – Dec 2018
The role of the State Mission Director of National Health Mission is to co-ordinate with various stakeholders and ensure efficient health care delivery to the citizens through the planning and implementation of the State Programme Implementation Plan of NHM.
The Mission Director has to implement the national programs, communicable and noncommunicable disease control programs in close association with the Health Department officials and other stakeholders like relevant Government Departments / PPP partners/ Private Sector
The Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) which are a part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme of the Govt of India were operationalized at 438 locations in the State. This ensured an effective health care delivery at the doorsteps of the citizens and subsequent reduction in OOPE. Action was also initiated to convert all sub-centers into HWCs to ensure comprehensive health care at the first point of contact. The state was the first in the country to roll out HWCs at this fast pace and efforts were well appreciated by one and all.
As an Executive Director of Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust, I was able to ensure convergence of state schemes under Arogya Karnataka and operationalization of the integrated scheme along with the recently launched PMJAY.
During the period, the Government of India directed the state to implement "Measles Rubella Campaign" and ensure maximum coverage. Due to a good team effort, the Health department could achieve 98.83% of coverage which is the highest in the country. This campaign was the first of its kind in the country and a learning experience for many states. The state was specifically appreciated for its innovative IEC interventions. This activity, though a team effort was possible only due to the unstinting support of the state government. This has now led to the state adopting a very aggressive stand to ensure 100% immunization in the State of Karnataka. The state of Karnataka stood 1st in the country in the performance of the National Urban Health Mission due to constant followups with the districts and the corporations/ municipalities. This is a positive step for Karnataka in urban health as we were successful to bridge the gaps between the Health Department and the urban local bodies.
CEO, Centre for e-Governance | Govt. of Karnataka, India | Dec 2013 - Jun 2016
Facilitating the use of IT for the benefit of the common man, conceiving and implementing various e-Governance projects in the state, supporting departments technically in their IT projects and promoting Kannada usage in computers. The tasks included the following: Executing and operating the core IT infrastructure of the state like the State Data Center, KSWAN, SECLAN, managing core applications like HRMS, e-procurement, MobileOne and DSS, capacity building of the departments, Aadhar enrolment as Registrar, assisting departments in their e-Governance projects.
During the period, in addition to working towards furthering the objectives of important projects like MobileOne, HRMS, KSWAN, and e-procurement, I was able to envisage and put into action a project for increasing the computational capabilities of government employees in Kannada called "Kannada Computing.”
With the mandatory use of Unicode, Centre for eGovernance in association with the Department of Kannada and Culture along with the state and district ATIs, have been able to train more than 4500 government employees across the state. This has brought about uniformity in the utilization of the Kannada fonts. The project generated a lot of enthusiasm amongst the officers and also streamlined their office work.
Karnataka MobileOne, a revolutionary project which brings governance to the fingertips of citizens, was launched by the then Hon'ble President of India in Dec 2014. I was able to spearhead the launch and the roll-out of the project. This to date continues to be the biggest mobile services platform in the world that delivers G2C, G2G, G2E, and B2C services at the fingertips of the citizens thereby bringing governance closer to people and empowering the masses. The project involved coordination with various stakeholders like the departments, telecom operators, VAS providers, banks, etc which made the project very interesting and challenging. But with the support and guidance of the e-Governance team and co-operation of all stakeholders, we could implement this revolutionary project which makes a difference to the lives of the common man, especially those in the rural areas. This has not only resulted in better accessibility of government and private services but paved the way for the masses to save time and energy for better use elsewhere.
The project has received wide appreciation through several national and international awards. The project was able to get more than 15 million hits and transact more than Rs.136 million in addition to getting about 4.2 million IVR calls in the year of launch itself. This project is being emulated by the Government of India and various other State Governments.
District Collector and District Magistrate (DC and DM) | Kannur District, Kerala, India | Mar 2012 - Dec 2013
DC and DM is the Head of the District Administration in the State. The collection of land revenue and maintenance of Law and order are the primary functions. The coordination of various departments in the implementation of the central government and state schemes are the other important functions. The DC and DM is chair of various high-level committees in the district and utilizes the position for effective implementation of the schemes for the benefit of the people.
Was able to maintain effective control over the law and order thereby ensuring no political assassinations occurred during the period.
With a good mix of administrative and magisterial powers, I was able to handle the Iritty floods and Chala tanker blast relief work to the utmost satisfaction of the people. The efforts also prevented the outbreak of communicable diseases during the disasters.
Kannur declared as the first “Zero Landless District” in the country, wherein all landless people were given minimum land for constructing homes.
Introduced Information Technology in the Collectorate to disseminate information to the citizens on their entitlements, pending files and also ensure attendance through biometric attendance and CCTVs.
Implemented a new program called “Valsalyam” to make Kannur district child-friendly and the project was replicated by others.
Introduced a new program called “Colony Darshanam” to reach-out to the unreached especially the tribals wherein the issues pending were resolved on the spot.
Additional Director | Dept. of Tourism | Govt. of Kerala, India | Aug 2011 - Mar 2012
To market Kerala as a tourist destination to the world and recommend to the government various schemes to boost the tourism potential in the State
I was in-charge of Grand Kerala Shopping Festival (GKSF) season 5, an innovative project to promote Kerala as a shopping destination alongside the tourism industry. I could implement innovative schemes and introduced fairs At various districts through which GKSF became a household name.
As MD, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), I was required to run a chain of resorts and hotels professionally.
Director, Urban Affairs | Dept. of Local Self-Government , Kerala | Dec 2010 - Jul 2011
Implementing the policies of the government in the urban areas and bringing efficiency in the local self-government
Addressing the urgent needs of the urban local bodies through efficient administration.
Could ensure good expenditure of the allocated funds for the implementation of the projects across the State
MD, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) | Dept. of Health and Family Welfare | Govt. of Kerala, India | Sep 2010 - Nov 2010
Director IT | Kerala State IT Mission (KSITM) | Jul 2008 - Sep 2010 To head a team of professionals from the govt and private sector and ensure effective and citizen-friendly government interface by implementing e-governance projects.
To bridge the digital divide and assist IT implementation in the various government departments, thereby improving the delivery of citizen services.
Promoted development of IT content in local language by launching Malayalam computing in all the districts of the state.
Akshaya, the e-learning centers, were converted into self-sustainable entities by the introduction of commercial services like e-payment and extended throughout the state.
Started e-district project which provided e-services to the citizens thereby bringing services to the doorsteps of the citizens
Sub-Collector and Sub-Divisional Magistrate | Devikulam, Idukki District, Kerala | Aug 2005 - July 2008
As a sub-collector, the primary duties were to collect land revenue, assignment of land for various needs, collection of land tax and other taxes for the govt. and eviction of land encroachments.
As an SDM, I was responsible for maintenance of law and order, peace and public tranquility as per various provisions of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC).
Removed encroachments in my subdivision as part of the “Munnar Operations” thereby protecting government land and preventing others from encroachments. I was the only revenue officer in the district not to be transferred out before, during and after the operations thereby highlighting the neutrality of my operations, intended for a public cause.
Probationary Period in the IAS & Assistant Collector | Kannur, Kerala | Sep 2003 - Aug 2005
During this period, I was trained in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), which included foundation course and professional training on various facets of public administration. I was posted in the district of Kannur, Kerala as an Assistant Collector under training to get hands-on experience.
Other relevant information
Co-published an article in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine, about the performance of an innovative public mental health program called “Manochaitanya program” (MCP).
Completed Level 9 of ToastMasters International.
Gold Medal winner - Snooker championship at LBSNAA, 2004.
Active participation in treks, sports, music, and drama.
