CDB & MSSRF join hands for sustained coconut development

Dr. Raju Narayana Swamy IAS, Chairman, Coconut Development Board, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India Kochi had a meeting with the renowned Agricultural Scientist and Father of Indian Green Revolution, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan at Chennai on 18-09-2018.  They had a detailed discussion on the potential areas to be addressed for the expansion of coconut in nontraditional areas of the country.  Further, they had a detailed interaction on the sustained transformation of value addition in coconut in a systematic manner in India.  Dr. M.S. Swaminathan endorsed the view of the Dr. Swamy that ‘Value addition is the key to income generation in Agriculture’.   

    

      

 As an initiative to this remarkable task, at the outset, to increase the productivity of coconut in Tamil Nadu, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) have submitted a project proposal viz.,  “Providing Knowledge based information and  enhancement of coconut production in Tamil Nadu state  through   various digital support based  tools  for  sustainable  development“.  The aim of the project is that  Information & Communication Technology (ICT) shall be involved to deliver selection of soil and varieties of coconut, crop management, pest and disease management, soil health advisories, nutrient management, post harvesting techniques and market information and locations to the coconut farmers of Tamil Nadu.  This pilot project is proposed to be implemented covering Coimbatore, Dindigul, Theni  and Thoothukudi districts of Tamil Nadu.  Based on the success of this project, this module could be expanded to the coconut growing regions of the Country.  The budget outlay for this project would be around Rs. 70.00 lakhs, which could be shared between CDB and MSSRF. Chairman, CDB would also be delivering a lecture on CDB and its activities, in the proposed Millennia lectures to be organized by MSSRF, Chennai.  Shri Rajeev Bhushan Prasad, Director, CDB, RO, Chennai, Dr. N. Parasuraman, Coordinator, Youth & Development, MSSRF and Shri A. Jeyapandi, Deputy Director (Mktg.), CDB, RO, Chennai were present during the meeting.

Implementing Technology for Doubling Farmer’s Income:
Dr. Raju Narayana Swamy IAS

 

 

CDB Chairman Dr. Raju Narayana Swamy is on his way exploring Artificial Intelligence Application in Coconut Plantation Crops Sector. Expert Systems can be of great help to the farmers. Their efficiency of diagnosing the right disease and treatment can enhance the productivity and reduce the losses. Expert systems and decision support systems are widely used in developed countries. The need of expert systems for technical information transfer in agriculture can be identified by recognizing the problems. By developing an expert system for coconut farmers in their mother tongue helps them to know the facts and truths in increasing the production. Mr. Swamy was inaugurating a 2 day workshop (5^th-6^th October 2018)  on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for plantation crops at the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI).

Chairman CDB participates in Innovators Meet &
Agri-Exhibitions at CPCRI

An Innovator’s meet and Exhibition of Innovators was organized at ICAR-CPCRI on 6^th October 2018. The event was inaugurated by Shri P. Sathasivam, Hon’ble Governor of Kerala. Dr. P. Chowdappa, Director, ICAR-CPCRI, welcomed the chief guests and highlighted the technologies of CPCRI. Dr. Raju Narayana Swamy, IAS, Chairman, CDB, Kochi offered his felicitations at the event. 

Hon'ble Governor called upon the farmers to increase farm level income through product diversification by value addition of coconut to produce Virgin Coconut Oil, coconut chips, coconut sugar etc. He wished that Govt. interventions for organized processing be successful to process and bring wealth from waste, ideas into tangible products and improve the environment for agri-business. Dr. Swamy emphasized the relevance of CPCRI in saving the farmers from distress. He stressed for organic farming culture, face-lifting the sector from mere farming for production of the commodity, to a new horizon of entrepreneurship for development. Successful entrepreneurs in the coconut sector were felicitated at the event.

Coconut Development Board to set new office at Puducherry

Dr. Raju Narayana Swamy IAS, Chairman, Coconut Development Board informed that the Board is planning to set up a new office in Puducherry for the sustained development of the coconut sector. He explained the enormous potential for value added coconut products, which possess both nutritive and health attributes. He informed that concerted efforts are being initiated by the Board to promote and market value added coconut products such as coconut chips, packed tender coconut water, desiccated coconut powder, flavoured coconut milk, virgin coconut oil, coconut cookies, coconut biscuits and coconut milk powder. In this regard, Dr. Swamy had approached Shri. R. Kamalakannan, Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture, Electricity & Education, Government of  Puducherry for the construction of outlets at Puducherry at vantage points to popularise and promote value added products of coconut. The objective is to develop market for diversified coconut products and promote sale among the local public. Puducherry being a popular tourist location, the sales outlets promoted by CDB are expected to receive a very good response from the tourists coming from different countries, apart from the local public. The Board also has plans to impart trainings to women Self Help Groups on projects related to production of various value added product of coconut.   The Hon’ble Minister offered all support from the Government of Puducherry for promotion of value added products of coconut. Dr. Swamy added that CDB is also in the process of developing a special design for the retail outlets. 

Dr Raju Narayana Swamy IAS 
wins Homi Bhabha Fellowship

Dr Raju Narayana Swamy, an Indian IAS official and Kerala's anti-corruption crusader, has been awarded the prestigious Homi Bhabha Fellowship. Dr Swamy, who is on a brief visit to Kuwait currently, was intimated yesterday about the decision of the council to award him a Homi Bhabha Fellowship.

Dr Swamy has a post graduate certificate in Cyber Law, a PG Diploma in Environmental Law and a PG Diploma in Urban Environmental Management and Law from National Law University Delhi.

An honest bureaucrat with backbone, Dr Swamy became a crusader against corruption in Kerala who gave numerous headaches to corrupt politicians and government officials alike. He was the commissioner in the civil supplies department of Kerala until January 2013 before being removed for exposing  corruption.

"The canker of corruption is unfortunately eating into the moral fabric of India. Need-based and greed-based corruptions have become the order of the day," Dr Swamy said. Dr Swamy was one of the three officers handpicked for the 'Operation Munnar' in 2007, which saw a number of unauthorized resorts being pulled down.

"I genuinely feel that it is the duty of the civil servants to fight corruption tooth and nail so that the 'tryst with destiny' does not turn into a tryst with destitution," he said. However, he is not complacent about the task he has undertaken. "I'm fully aware that I'm only a drop in an ocean and a cog in the hierarchy, but millions of drops do make an ocean," he said talking about his crusade against corruption.

Following vigilance 

probe against minister, 

Raju Narayana Swamy loses chair

Following vigilance probe against civil supplies minister Anoop Jacob, civil supplies commissioner Raju Narayanaswami was removed from the post. The opinions and views of the commissioner on the files regarding the same hold importance in the vigilance probe. If Raju continues in the post it is learnt that he might not give a report favorable to the government. Hence he was removed. It is also stated that minister Anoop too wanted the same. Raju has been shifted to a comparatively less important post as secretary of army welfare department.But Narayanaswami has not taken charge. Though he is being considered in more important role, the cabinet meet on Wednesday has not taken any decision.Civil supplies director Srijaganath has been promoted as civil supplies commissioner and was also given extra charge of director too.Though vigilance director will be holding the probe, the files regarding the same would be presented before the civil supplies commissioner. The Commissioner needs to give information on how the ration shops were alloted. In an informal probe held by the CM, it was clear that there were misappropriations. Raju Narayanaswami, who is a sincere officer and who can't be influenced, might give a report against the government if he continues in the post.A Vigilance probe has been ordered against minister Anoop Jacob and Kerala Congress (J) Group working chairman Johnny Nellore alleging sanctioning of ration shops illegally.It was the All India Ration Dealers Association national secretary Babychan who filed a petition before the Thrissur Vigilance Court alleging that several lakhs of rupees were taken as bribe in sanctioning wholesale ration depots and in aiding transfer to the post of district Supply Officer and Taluq Supply Officer.

I fought against corruption  and i paid the price for it: Raju Narayanaswamy

A Class X topper -- also Class XI, Class XII, IITJEE and, finally, the Civil Services Exam in 1992 -- Raju Narayanaswamy’s career started unravelling after he initiated a probe into a land deal in which a minister’s son and daughter were allegedly involved. The minister eventually had to resign.

Raju Narayanaswamy started his career as the Sub-Collector of Alleppey. He was later posted as the district collector in Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Kasargod. It was when he worked as the district collector in Thrissur that Raju Narayanaswamy decided to take up a road widening project. Though the project cleared some major traffi c bottlenecks in Thrissur, there were many in the government who thought that his move was ill advised. It was the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) ministry headed by VS Achuthanandan that made him the district collector of Idukki. Achuthanandan handpicked three offi cials, Narayanaswamy, Suresh Kumar and Rishi Raj Singh for his Operation Munnar, a major exercise for the eviction of encroachment.But Raju Narayanaswamy courted controversy in Idukki also through an enquiry into the land deal in which a minister’s son and daughter were involved. The minister had to resign but Narayanaswamy was shifted out of the district. He later became the Commissioner, Civil Supplies Department, but was removed from the post when a vigilance enquiry was ordered against the concerned minister. The commissioner’s opinions are important during the inquiry. It is widely perceived that Raju Narayanaswamy was removed due to the fear that he might give a report that is unfavorable to the minister. Raju Narayanaswamy was offered a scholarship by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). But he opted for the Civil Service to serve the country. Though successive governments in the state have been sidelining him, the crusade against corruption will continue, he said.

“I lead an ordinary life and have no problem in traveling by bus or by boat”, he said adding that he would be happy if he is known as someone who fought against corruption. He firmly believes that a civil servant is answerable to the constitution and the people.

“Hats off to Durga”, he said for showing that the “tryst with destiny” has not turned into a “tryst with destitution”.

Meet Raju Narayanaswamy, an IAS Officer victimised for exposing Corruption

The Case of Durga Shakti Nagpal might have gone viral, but there have been several cases of penalization of Honest Bureaucrats by the Political Bosses in past. The saga of Raju Narayanaswamy is one of them.

Raju Narayanaswamy is an 1991 batch IAS Officer and a Computer Science Graduate from IIT Madras. He held several posts including District Collector and Commissioner in Civil Supplies Department of Kerala before being removed allegedly for trying to expose corruption.

He was born at Changanassery, Kottayam, Kerala on 24 May 1968 to a middle class Iyer family. His father was a mathematics teacher while his mother was a college professor. Swamy obtained his bachelors degree in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He also secured the first rank in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), conducted for admission to postgraduate engineering courses in India. In 1991, he obtained the first rank in Civil Services Examination and entered the Indian Administrative Service.

His Anti Corruption Campaign started from the very first day of his Service, which earned him flaks from Political Bosses and led to 20 transfers in last 22 years. He had to pay huge price for his War against Corruption.

He was made to go on forced leave as managing director of the state Marketing Federation (MARKETFED) after refusing to play ball with the chairman, a senior politician. He was shunted to sinecure assignments, even posted to work under junior officers.

When Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan wanted encroachers in Munnar driven out, Narayanaswamy was one of the CM’s three handpicked men. Even senior CPM leaders objected to his choice but VS stood his ground.

Once he refused permission to a real-estate businessman to fill up a large paddy farm — it would have deluged some 50 poor village homes nearby with waste from the adjacent government hospital. And when he refused to sanction payment for a badly built earthen bund costing several crores meant to help poor farmers — he was proved right when the bund dissolved and vanished in the rains.

To his honesty, he didn’t even spare his  Father in Law,who was a Contractor.  His Father in Law, wanted to block off a public road to a poor neighbourhood of Scheduled Castes to wall up land for himself. “I requested my father-in-law not to misuse my position as the local Sub-Collector, but he wouldn’t listen. I invoked the Criminal Procedure Code and served orders on him, called in the police and carried out the demolition”. This even led to his Divorce with his Wife

When  Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan wanted encroachers in Munnar driven out, Narayanaswamy was one of the CM’s three handpicked men. Even senior CPM leaders objected to his choice but VS stood his ground.

In 2007, Kerala Minister T U Kuruvilla was forced to resign following an Investigation by Raju Narayana Swamy. Kuruvilla’s children had taken Rs 6.5 crore from an NRI businessman promising to sell him some prime land, soon suspected to be encroached. The sale did not happen, the NRI went public while Kuruvila maintained everything was above board. Narayanaswamy probed the land the Minister’s children were to sell: he reported that a good part of the land they purveyed was government land, some suspectedly benami. Kuruvila could only agree to quit.He also proceeded against a former minister P. J. Joseph and his relatives regarding their alleged illegal landholdings

“In my service life I have always fought corruption. We could be sidelined but officers should not get demoralized.The public applause we get for taking strong stand on issues is what keeps us going’’ says Raju.

Since 2007 he has been shunted to various insignificant posts. Presently he is a Joint Secretary in the Sainik Kalyan Department, Kerala.

Swamy has 25 books to his credit. He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for a travelogue, Santhimantram Muzhangunna Thazvarayil.  His other works include Niram Mangiya Vazhithara, which is a translation of The Road of Lost Innocence, the English version of the French memoirs by Somaly Mam.

He was one of the recipients of the fourth IRDS awards for public service, awarded by the Lucknow based Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS).  In August 2011, he was awarded a doctorate degree by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.

Raju Narayana Swamy with the poor

Narayanaswamy never looked at IAS as a money spinner, as his later life bears testimony. After a decade of meritorious service in IAS, Narayanaswamy has been forced out of the IAS profession. Do you know why? A real estate agent wanted to fill up a paddy field which is banned under law. An application came up before Narayanaswamy who was sub collector for an exemption from this rule for this plot of land. Upon visiting the site he found that the complaint from 60 poor families that they will face water logging due to the waste water from a nearby Government Medical College if this paddy field was filled up was correct. Narayanswamy came under intense political pressure but he did what was right - refused permission for filling up the paddy field. That was his first confrontation with politicians. Soon after Narayanaswamy's marriage, his father-in-law closed down a public road to build compound wall for his plot of land. People approached Narayanaswamy with complaint. When talking with his own father-in-law did not help, he removed the obstructing wall with police help. The result - Narayanaswamy's marriage broke up. As district Collector, he raided the house of a liquor baron who had defaulted Rupees 11 crores payment overdue to the government and Narayanaswamy carried out revenue recovery. A Minister directly telephoned and ordered him to return the forfeited articles to the the liquor baron. Narayanswamy politely replied that it is difficult. The minister replied that Narayanaswamy will suffer. In his district it was a practice to collect crores of rupees for earthen bunds meant for poor farmers, but which were never constructed. A bill for rupees 8 crores came up before Narayanaswamy. He inspected the bund. He found it very weak and said that he will pass the bill after the rainy season to ensure that the bund served the purpose. As expected the earthen bund was too weak to stand the rain and it disappeared in the rain. But this created a lot of powerful enemies for him, for saving 8 crores of public money. The net result of all such unholy activities was that he was asked to go on leave by the government. Later such an illustrious officer was posted as "State Co-Ordinator, Quality Improvement Programme for Schools". This is what the politician will do to a honest officer with backbone - post him in the most powerless position to teach him a lesson. Since he found that nothing can be achieved for the people if he continued with the State Service he opted for central service in Delhi. But that too was denied on some technical ground. What will you do when you have the option for a brilliant technical career anywhere in the world you choose, supported by several advanced technical papers published in international journals to your credit? When you are powerless to do anything for the people, why should you waste your life as the Co-Ordinator for a Schools Programme? Mr. Narayanaswamy is leaving IAS and India and going to France to take up a United Nations assignment. 

The politicians can laugh thinking another obstacle has been removed. But it is the helpless people of India the loser, not Narayanaswamy. But you have the power to support capable and honest bureaucrats like Narayanaswamy, who have suffered a lot under self seeking politicians who rule us. You have even the power to replace such politicians with the kind of people dedicated to the country. 

Steady and stoic

Raju Narayana swamy is not the kind who sulk in the face of adversity. After being shunted out from important portfolios and given a token responsibility as the secretary of parliamentar

Raju Narayaa swamy is not the kind who sulk in the face of adversity. After being shunted out from important portfolios and given a token responsibility as the secretary of parliamentary affairs department, Narayanaswamy has moved back to his childhood passion — studies. His mission is to prepare papers on subjects as varied as e-governance to nanotechnology and present them in international academic seminars.

Courting controversies

Narayanaswamy hogged the limelight by stepping into territories where angels feared to tread. Controversies followed him because he refused to deviate from the path of truth as wished by the political bosses. Naturally, he got transferred to almost all parts of Kerala. “If I rate my work as a collector, the road widening undertaken in Thrissur will top the list. I had to demolish a series of unauthorised buildings to widen the busy Pattalam road in Thrissur. Even today, I feel a sense of pride when I travel along that way,” he recollects. As district collector, Kottayam, he conducted a massive raid in food grain godowns, which unearthed a big scam orchestrated by a nexus of officials and businessmen.But, the greatest controversy involving Raju Narayanaswamy was ‘Operation Munnar’ launched by the then chief minister VS Achuthanandan in 2007. The operation, which saw the demolition of several unauthorised buildings including a party office, naturally earned him the wrath of political bosses. Finally, succumbing to pressure from his party, VS dismantled the three-member brigade that led the drive and Narayanaswamy was posted in Pathanamthitta. But, it was his falling out with the state education minister MA Baby that turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Narayanaswamy. He was shunted out of the education department as he refused to obey the minister’s directive to protect a corrupt official. As there were no takers for him, the government posted him at the parliamentary affairs department where there is little work for a senior civil servant.