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{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| name = Raju Narayana Swamy | | name = Raju Narayana Swamy | ||
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'''Raju Narayana Swamy''' (born 24 May 1968) is | '''Raju Narayana Swamy''' (born 24 May 1968) is a 1991-batch [[Indian Administrative Service]] officer belonging to the Kerala cadre, who is presently posted as the Principal Secretary to the State Government. He was the [[District Magistrate|District Magistrate and Collector]] of five districts in [[Kerala]]. He also served as an Agriculture Production Commissioner, and as a Principal for Secretary Agriculture to the [[Government of Kerala]]. In March 2019, the Government of India prematurely repatriated Swamy from the post of Chairman of the [[Coconut Development Board|Coconut Development Board (CDB)]], because he had detected multiple instances of corruption.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://m.telegraphindia.com/india/anti-graft-kerala-ias-officer-raju-narayanaswamy-in-govt-axe-cry/cid/1692928|title=Anti-graft Kerala IAS officer Raju Narayanaswamy in govt axe cry}}</ref> He is widely known as an anti-corruption crusader and as the "[[Ashok Khemka]]" of Kerala. He has been transferred over 20 times in the past 22 years.<ref name=":0" /> He is a prolific writer and won the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award]] for Travelogue for Santhimantram Muzhangunna Thazvarayil. He has also won the prestigious [[Homi J. Bhabha|Homi Bhabha]] fellowship (in [[cyber law]]). He was awarded the 2018 [[Satyendra K. Dubey Memorial Award]] by [[Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur|IIT Kanpur]] for his professional integrity in upholding human values. | ||
He was [[District Magistrate|District Magistrate and Collector]] of five districts in [[Kerala]]. He also served as Agriculture Production Commissioner and as Principal Secretary Agriculture to the [[Government of Kerala]]. In March 2019, Government of India prematurely repatriated Swamy from the post of Chairman of the [[Coconut Development Board|Coconut Development Board (CDB)]], | |||
He has also won the prestigious [[Homi J. Bhabha|Homi Bhabha]] | |||
==Early life and education == | ==Early life and education == | ||
Raju Narayana Swamy attained his [[School|school education]] at [[Sacred Heart High School, Changanacherry]] and [[Pre-university course|pre-degree]] at [[St. Berchmans College]], [[Changanacherry]]. He obtained his computer science graduation from the [[Indian Institute of Technology Madras]]. He stood first rank in the state of Kerala in Class 10 examination [[Secondary School Leaving Certificate|SSLC]] (1983), pre-degree examination (MGU-1985) and [[Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering|Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)]] (1990 – in terms of percentile) conducted for admission to postgraduate engineering courses in India. He attained 10th rank in [[Joint Entrance Examination – Main|IIT Joint Entrance Examination]] for admissions into the [[Indian Institutes of Technology]]. In 1991, he obtained the first rank in [[Civil Services Examination (India)|Civil Services Examination]] and entered the [[Indian Administrative Service]]. | Raju Narayana Swamy attained his [[School|school education]] at [[Sacred Heart High School, Changanacherry]] and [[Pre-university course|pre-degree]] at [[St. Berchmans College]], [[Changanacherry]]. He obtained his computer science graduation from the [[Indian Institute of Technology Madras]]. He stood first rank in the state of Kerala in Class 10 examination [[Secondary School Leaving Certificate|SSLC]] (1983), pre-degree examination (MGU-1985) and [[Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering|Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)]] (1990 – in terms of percentile) conducted for admission to postgraduate engineering courses in India. He attained 10th rank in [[Joint Entrance Examination – Main|IIT Joint Entrance Examination]] for admissions into the [[Indian Institutes of Technology]]. In 1991, he obtained the first rank in [[Civil Services Examination (India)|Civil Services Examination]] and entered the [[Indian Administrative Service]]. | ||
In August 2011, he was awarded a doctorate degree by [[Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham]]. He is currently in the process of securing his second PhD from the [[Gujarat National Law University]]. He is the first bureaucrat to complete all ten courses conducted by the [[National Institute of Disaster Management]],New Delhi in association with the [[World Bank Institute]] in first rank. He has completed almost 16 post graduation courses in first rank. | In August 2011, he was awarded a doctorate degree by [[Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham]]. He is currently in the process of securing his second PhD from the [[Gujarat National Law University]]. He is the first bureaucrat to complete all ten courses conducted by the [[National Institute of Disaster Management]], New Delhi in association with the [[World Bank Institute]] in first rank. He has completed almost 16 post-graduation courses in first rank. | ||
He has undergone training at prestigious institutions both in India ([[Indian Institutes of Management|IIMs]] etc.) and abroad (ENA; [[Paris]], [[France]]; [[Canada]]; etc.). Narayana Swamy al holds a [[diploma]] in [[cyber law]] (from [[Government Law College, Mumbai]]) as well as a PG in cyber law, a PG diploma in environmental law and two PG diplomas each from the [[National Law University, Delhi]] and the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He has also published more than 150 research papers in national and international journals of repute in areas as diverse as e-governance to intellectual property rights and is a recognized PhD guide of many universities. | He has undergone training at prestigious institutions both in India ([[Indian Institutes of Management|IIMs]] etc.) and abroad (ENA; [[Paris]], [[France]]; [[Canada]]; etc.). Narayana Swamy al holds a [[diploma]] in [[cyber law]] (from [[Government Law College, Mumbai]]) as well as a PG in cyber law, a PG diploma in environmental law and two PG diplomas each from the [[National Law University, Delhi]] and the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He has also published more than 150 research papers in national and international journals of repute in areas as diverse as e-governance to intellectual property rights and is a recognized PhD guide of many universities. | ||
His father, who was a professor of mathematics, played a key role in shaping him up. | His father, who was a professor of mathematics, played a key role in shaping him up. His mother was a college professor. | ||
== Career == | == Career == | ||
A Kerala-cadre officer of the 1991 batch<ref name=":0" /> he has held several posts including [[District Collector]] of five districts, [[Fisheries in India|Director of Fisheries]] and of Collegiate Education, Managing Director, Kerala State Co-operative Marketing Federation (MarketFed) and Commissioner in [[Civil Supplies Department of Kerala]] before being removed allegedly for trying to expose corruption. 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 a huge price for his war against corruption. He was made to go on forced leave as managing director of | A Kerala-cadre officer of the 1991 batch<ref name=":0" /> he has held several posts including [[District Collector]] of five districts, [[Fisheries in India|Director of Fisheries]] and of Collegiate Education, Managing Director, Kerala State Co-operative Marketing Federation (MarketFed) and Commissioner in [[Civil Supplies Department of Kerala]] before being removed allegedly for trying to expose corruption. 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 the last 22 years. He had to pay a huge price for his war against corruption. He was made to go on forced leave as managing director of 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.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
As District Collector of [[Thrissur]], he single-handedly widened the Pattalom Road and the Inner Ring Road. | As District Collector of [[Thrissur]], he single-handedly widened the Pattalom Road and the Inner Ring Road. | ||
| Line 37: | Line 45: | ||
He once 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. | He once 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. | ||
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 ₹80 million came up before Narayana Swamy. 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 he created a lot of enemies for saving ₹80 million public money. | 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 ₹80 million came up before Narayana Swamy. 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 he created a lot of enemies for saving ₹80 million public money. | ||
After the [[V. S. Achuthanandan]]-led [[Left Democratic Front (Kerala)|LDF]] government came into power in Kerala, Narayana Swamy was appointed as the collector of [[Idukki district|Idukki]] district. When Kerala [[Chief minister (India)|Chief Minister]] {{nobr|V. S. Achuthanandan}} wanted encroachers in [[Munnar]] driven out, Narayana Swamy was one of his three handpicked men. Even senior [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPM]] leaders objected to his choice, but Achuthanandan stood his ground. | After the [[V. S. Achuthanandan]]-led [[Left Democratic Front (Kerala)|LDF]] government came into power in Kerala, Narayana Swamy was appointed as the collector of [[Idukki district|Idukki]] district. When Kerala [[Chief minister (India)|Chief Minister]] {{nobr|V. S. Achuthanandan}} wanted encroachers in [[Munnar]] driven out, Narayana Swamy was one of his three handpicked men. Even senior [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPM]] leaders objected to his choice, but Achuthanandan stood his ground. | ||
| Line 47: | Line 55: | ||
"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", he said. Since 2007, he has been shunted to various insignificant posts and has thereafter been consistently been picked up by the [[Election Commission of India]] for 31 election duties in 16 states across the country. During the [[2012 Uttar Pradesh Elections]], he was roll observer for all six districts in [[Kanpur division]]. | "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", he said. Since 2007, he has been shunted to various insignificant posts and has thereafter been consistently been picked up by the [[Election Commission of India]] for 31 election duties in 16 states across the country. During the [[2012 Uttar Pradesh Elections]], he was roll observer for all six districts in [[Kanpur division]]. | ||
Narayana Swamy was appointed as the chairman of the CDB in August 2018, where he unearthed alleged corruption involving the CDB's Bangalore regional director and technical officer. Both were suspended on the basis of Narayana Swamy's findings. Eventually, he was transferred out on 7 March, after which he went to the [[Central Administrative Tribunal]], where his case is pending. In June 2019, it was reported that a high-level committee of state and central officials had taken the decision to terminate Narayana Swamy. "There are people who are afraid of me", said Narayana Swamy. Responding to the reports, he said he suspected some "serious moves" against him at the meeting. "They know I will unearth corruption and put many behind bars", Narayana Swamy added.<ref name=":0" /> In fact,the public outcry that followed the Kerala government’s decision to take punitive action against the | Narayana Swamy was appointed as the chairman of the CDB in August 2018, where he unearthed alleged corruption involving the CDB's Bangalore regional director and technical officer. Both were suspended on the basis of Narayana Swamy's findings. Eventually, he was transferred out on 7 March, after which he went to the [[Central Administrative Tribunal]], where his case is pending. In June 2019, it was reported that a high-level committee of state and central officials had taken the decision to terminate Narayana Swamy. "There are people who are afraid of me", said Narayana Swamy. Responding to the reports, he said he suspected some "serious moves" against him at the meeting. "They know I will unearth corruption and put many behind bars", Narayana Swamy added.<ref name=":0" /> In fact, the public outcry that followed the Kerala government’s decision to take punitive action against the whistleblower bureaucrat Raju Narayana Swamy put the state’s unflappable chief minister on the back foot and the government had to backtrack. | ||
== Literary career and awards == | == Literary career and awards == | ||
Narayana Swamy has twenty-six books to his credit, the latest being one on popular science – ''Nano Muthal Nakshatram Vare''. He won the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Travelogue]] for ''Santhimantram Muzhangunna Thazvarayil''. He has also won the Bhima Gold Medal and Kunhunni Award (both for children's literature). His other works include ''Niram Mangiya Vazhithara'', which is a translation of ''The Road of Lost Innocence'', the English version of the French [[memoir]]s by [[Somaly Mam]]. At present, he handles two columns for children - one in ''Balarama'' (popular science) and the other in ''Digest'' (Indian Constitution for Children). | Narayana Swamy has twenty-six books to his credit, the latest being one on popular science – ''Nano Muthal Nakshatram Vare''. He won the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Travelogue]] for ''Santhimantram Muzhangunna Thazvarayil''. He has also won the Bhima Gold Medal and Kunhunni Award (both for children's literature). His other works include ''Niram Mangiya Vazhithara'', which is a translation of ''The Road of Lost Innocence'', the English version of the French [[memoir]]s by [[Somaly Mam]]. At present, he handles two columns for children - one in ''Balarama'' (popular science) and the other in ''Digest'' (Indian Constitution for Children). | ||
| Line 53: | Line 62: | ||
In August 2011, he was awarded a doctorate degree by [[Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham]]. He has also won the prestigious [[Homi J. Bhabha|Homi Bhabha]] Fellowship (in [[cyber law]]). | In August 2011, he was awarded a doctorate degree by [[Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham]]. He has also won the prestigious [[Homi J. Bhabha|Homi Bhabha]] Fellowship (in [[cyber law]]). | ||
He was one of the recipients of the fourth IRDS Award for public service, awarded by the Lucknow-based [[Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences]] (IRDS). He has been awarded the 2018 [[Satyendra K. Dubey Memorial Award]] by [[Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur|IIT Kanpur]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iitk.ac.in/dora/sda|title=SDA|website=www.iitk.ac.in|access-date=2019-07-05}}</ref> for his professional integrity in upholding human values. | He was one of the recipients of the fourth IRDS Award for public service, awarded by the Lucknow-based [[Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences]] (IRDS). He has been awarded the 2018 [[Satyendra K. Dubey Memorial Award]] by [[Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur|IIT Kanpur]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iitk.ac.in/dora/sda|title=SDA|website=www.iitk.ac.in|access-date=2019-07-05}}</ref> for his professional integrity in upholding human values. In December 2021 Raju Narayana Swamy was selected for the prestigious 'Leonardo Davinci Fellowship' by [[George Mason University]], [[Virginia]], [[United States|USA]]. This fellowship is being awarded to do research in the field of the Intellectual Property Rights Act using [[Artificial intelligence|Artificial Intelligence]] and [[blockchain]] technologies. | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* [[Ashok Khemka]] | * [[Ashok Khemka]] | ||
* [[Satyendra Dubey|Sateyendra Dubey]] | * [[Satyendra Dubey|Sateyendra Dubey]] | ||
| Line 62: | Line 70: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist | {{reflist}} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120110102603/http://persmin.nic.in/ersheet/MultipleERS.asp?HiddenStr=01KL019100 Executive Record Sheet of Raju Narayana Swamy] | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120110102603/http://persmin.nic.in/ersheet/MultipleERS.asp?HiddenStr=01KL019100 Executive Record Sheet of Raju Narayana Swamy] | ||
<!-- (Commenting this out because we generally don't keep lists of external articles like this, but if someone wants to use them to improve the article, or incorporate them as citations, that would be great.) | |||
* [http://www.marunadanmalayali.com/news/special-report/will-pinaray-govt-consider-raju-narayana-swamy-as-revenue-secretary-45468 Will Pinaray govt consider Raju Narayana Swamy as revenue secretary] | * [http://www.marunadanmalayali.com/news/special-report/will-pinaray-govt-consider-raju-narayana-swamy-as-revenue-secretary-45468 Will Pinaray govt consider Raju Narayana Swamy as revenue secretary] | ||
* [http://www.bhaskar.com/news/CHH-RAI-HMU-ias-divorced-her-wife-on-honesty-5299147-PHO.html IAS divorced her wife on honesty] | * [http://www.bhaskar.com/news/CHH-RAI-HMU-ias-divorced-her-wife-on-honesty-5299147-PHO.html IAS divorced her wife on honesty] | ||
| Line 85: | Line 94: | ||
* [http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/an-upright-officer-pays-the-price/34/3513/ An upright officer pays the price] | * [http://www.thesundayindian.com/en/story/an-upright-officer-pays-the-price/34/3513/ An upright officer pays the price] | ||
* [http://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/3-ias-officers-who-walked-the-same-path-as-durga-shakti-have-suffered-worse/articleshow/msid-21737028,curpg-2.cms 3 IAS officers who walked the same path as Durga Shakti have suffered worse] | * [http://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/3-ias-officers-who-walked-the-same-path-as-durga-shakti-have-suffered-worse/articleshow/msid-21737028,curpg-2.cms 3 IAS officers who walked the same path as Durga Shakti have suffered worse] | ||
* [[Thrissur|Collector of Thrissur district]] | * [[Thrissur|Collector of Thrissur district]] | ||
*[http://digitalpaper.mathrubhumi.com/1565667/Ernakulam/MARCH-04-2018#page/5/Mathrubhumi: Tripura election] | *[http://digitalpaper.mathrubhumi.com/1565667/Ernakulam/MARCH-04-2018#page/5/Mathrubhumi: Tripura election] --> | ||
{{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} | ||
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[[Category:IIT Madras alumni]] | [[Category:IIT Madras alumni]] | ||
[[Category:Vazhappally]] | [[Category:Vazhappally]] | ||
[[Category:Indian Administrative Service | [[Category:Indian Administrative Service officers from Kerala]] | ||
[[Category:Civil Servants from Kerala]] | [[Category:Civil Servants from Kerala]] | ||
[[Category:District magistrate]] | [[Category:District magistrate]] | ||
Revision as of 05:26, 12 December 2021
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|
Raju Narayana Swamy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 May 1968 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | |
| Employer | Government of India |
| Organization | Indian Administrative Service |
| Known for | Actions as District Collector against illegal encroachments in Idukki district of Kerala leading to the resignation of a Minister |
Raju Narayana Swamy (born 24 May 1968) is a 1991-batch Indian Administrative Service officer belonging to the Kerala cadre, who is presently posted as the Principal Secretary to the State Government. He was the District Magistrate and Collector of five districts in Kerala. He also served as an Agriculture Production Commissioner, and as a Principal for Secretary Agriculture to the Government of Kerala. In March 2019, the Government of India prematurely repatriated Swamy from the post of Chairman of the Coconut Development Board (CDB), because he had detected multiple instances of corruption.[1] He is widely known as an anti-corruption crusader and as the "Ashok Khemka" of Kerala. He has been transferred over 20 times in the past 22 years.[1] He is a prolific writer and won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Travelogue for Santhimantram Muzhangunna Thazvarayil. He has also won the prestigious Homi Bhabha fellowship (in cyber law). He was awarded the 2018 Satyendra K. Dubey Memorial Award by IIT Kanpur for his professional integrity in upholding human values.
Early life and education
Raju Narayana Swamy attained his school education at Sacred Heart High School, Changanacherry and pre-degree at St. Berchmans College, Changanacherry. He obtained his computer science graduation from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He stood first rank in the state of Kerala in Class 10 examination SSLC (1983), pre-degree examination (MGU-1985) and Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) (1990 – in terms of percentile) conducted for admission to postgraduate engineering courses in India. He attained 10th rank in IIT Joint Entrance Examination for admissions into the Indian Institutes of Technology. In 1991, he obtained the first rank in Civil Services Examination and entered the Indian Administrative Service.
In August 2011, he was awarded a doctorate degree by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. He is currently in the process of securing his second PhD from the Gujarat National Law University. He is the first bureaucrat to complete all ten courses conducted by the National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi in association with the World Bank Institute in first rank. He has completed almost 16 post-graduation courses in first rank.
He has undergone training at prestigious institutions both in India (IIMs etc.) and abroad (ENA; Paris, France; Canada; etc.). Narayana Swamy al holds a diploma in cyber law (from Government Law College, Mumbai) as well as a PG in cyber law, a PG diploma in environmental law and two PG diplomas each from the National Law University, Delhi and the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. He has also published more than 150 research papers in national and international journals of repute in areas as diverse as e-governance to intellectual property rights and is a recognized PhD guide of many universities.
His father, who was a professor of mathematics, played a key role in shaping him up. His mother was a college professor.
Career
A Kerala-cadre officer of the 1991 batch[1] he has held several posts including District Collector of five districts, Director of Fisheries and of Collegiate Education, Managing Director, Kerala State Co-operative Marketing Federation (MarketFed) and Commissioner in Civil Supplies Department of Kerala before being removed allegedly for trying to expose corruption. 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 the last 22 years. He had to pay a huge price for his war against corruption. He was made to go on forced leave as managing director of 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.[1]
As District Collector of Thrissur, he single-handedly widened the Pattalom Road and the Inner Ring Road.
He once 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.
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 ₹80 million came up before Narayana Swamy. 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 he created a lot of enemies for saving ₹80 million public money.
After the V. S. Achuthanandan-led LDF government came into power in Kerala, Narayana Swamy was appointed as the collector of Idukki district. When Kerala Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan wanted encroachers in Munnar driven out, Narayana Swamy was one of his three handpicked men. Even senior CPM leaders objected to his choice, but Achuthanandan stood his ground.
In 2007, Narayana Swamy inquired into an alleged illegal land deal by the son and daughter of the then Kerala Public Works minister T. U. Kuruvilla, who was forced to resign following an investigation.[1] Kuruvilla's children had taken ₹65 million from an NRI businessman promising to sell him some prime land, soon suspected to be encroached. The sale did not happen and the businessman went public while Kuruvilla maintained everything was above board. Narayana Swamy, the then Idukki District Collector, probed the land the Minister's children were to sell and reported that a good part of the land they surveyed was government land, some suspectedly benami. Kuruvilla could only agree to quit. It was the first time in the history of the country that a minister had to resign on the report of an IAS officer.
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", he said. Since 2007, he has been shunted to various insignificant posts and has thereafter been consistently been picked up by the Election Commission of India for 31 election duties in 16 states across the country. During the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Elections, he was roll observer for all six districts in Kanpur division.
Narayana Swamy was appointed as the chairman of the CDB in August 2018, where he unearthed alleged corruption involving the CDB's Bangalore regional director and technical officer. Both were suspended on the basis of Narayana Swamy's findings. Eventually, he was transferred out on 7 March, after which he went to the Central Administrative Tribunal, where his case is pending. In June 2019, it was reported that a high-level committee of state and central officials had taken the decision to terminate Narayana Swamy. "There are people who are afraid of me", said Narayana Swamy. Responding to the reports, he said he suspected some "serious moves" against him at the meeting. "They know I will unearth corruption and put many behind bars", Narayana Swamy added.[1] In fact, the public outcry that followed the Kerala government’s decision to take punitive action against the whistleblower bureaucrat Raju Narayana Swamy put the state’s unflappable chief minister on the back foot and the government had to backtrack.
Literary career and awards
Narayana Swamy has twenty-six books to his credit, the latest being one on popular science – Nano Muthal Nakshatram Vare. He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Travelogue for Santhimantram Muzhangunna Thazvarayil. He has also won the Bhima Gold Medal and Kunhunni Award (both for children's literature). 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. At present, he handles two columns for children - one in Balarama (popular science) and the other in Digest (Indian Constitution for Children).
In August 2011, he was awarded a doctorate degree by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. He has also won the prestigious Homi Bhabha Fellowship (in cyber law).
He was one of the recipients of the fourth IRDS Award for public service, awarded by the Lucknow-based Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS). He has been awarded the 2018 Satyendra K. Dubey Memorial Award by IIT Kanpur[2] for his professional integrity in upholding human values. In December 2021 Raju Narayana Swamy was selected for the prestigious 'Leonardo Davinci Fellowship' by George Mason University, Virginia, USA. This fellowship is being awarded to do research in the field of the Intellectual Property Rights Act using Artificial Intelligence and blockchain technologies.