COVID-19 Cases In Tamil Nadu Surge, Health Secretary Dr Beela Rajesh Transferred

Following the increase in the number of coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu, special Nodal officer for Chennai and senior IAF official J Radhakrishnan replaced Dr Beela Rajesh as Health Secretary. Dr Beela has been now transferred and posted as Secretary to Government, Commercial, Taxes, and Registration Department.

Tamil Nadu is the second worst-hit state in India in terms of novel coronavirus infections after Maharashtra. On Thursday alone, the state witnessed 1,875 fresh COVID-19 cases, with 23 deaths. The state has 17,659 active cases while 20,705 discharged and a total of 349 deaths. The total number of people affected by COVID-19 stands at 38,716 in the state, according to Livemint.

Radhakrishnan Was Health Secretary Of Tamil Nadu Till February 2019

Radhakrishnan was the health secretary of Tamil Nadu before Dr Beela Rajesh, till February 2019. He is from the 1992 batch of the IAS. After Dr Beela took over as the Health Secretary a year ago, Radhakrishnan was appointed as the Transport Secretary.

Tamil Nadu has tested nearly 655,675 samples by Thursday. Chennai is the worst affected city in the state with more than 27,000 COVID-19 cases.

"J Radhakrishnan, IAS, Principal Secretary/Commissioner of Revenue Administration is transferred and posted as Principal Secretary to Government, Health and Family Welfare Department vice Dr Beela Rajesh, IAS. He will continue to hold the post of Principal Secretary/Commissioner of Revenue Administration in full additional charge until further orders," a notification released by the government stated, Zee News reported.

"Dr Beela Rajesh, IAS, Secretary to Government, Health and Family Welfare Department is transferred and posted as Secretary to Government, Commercial, Taxes and Registration Department vice Thiru N. Muruganandam IAS, holding an additional charge," the notification added.

Also Read: Class 11 Tamil Nadu Girl Who Gives Tuition And Sells Cashews To Visit NASA

Who Is Dr Beela Rajesh?

Dr Beela Rajesh is the daughter of Rani Venkatesan, a senior Congress leader and former MLA, and S N Venkatesan, a retired DGP. She cleared the UPSC exam in 1997. Chennai Port Health Officer, Dr S Senthilnathan, had recently praised her, saying, “It was after her appeal that people started coming forward to get tested. Instead of ordering, she appealed to them and it is a very sensible approach.”

She is married to Rajesh Das, an IPS officer, currently serving as an Additional Director General of Police in the State.

J Radhakrishnan was the Tamil Nadu Health Secretary before Dr Beela Rajesh, till February 2019. He is from the 1992 batch of the IAS.

As per Livemint, Tamil Nadu has tested nearly 655,675 samples till Thursday. Chennai is the worst affected city in the state with more than 27,000 COVID-19 cases. Following the surge in the number of cases, the state government has decided to recruit an additional 2,800 plus medical personnel, including over 1,200 doctors. Health Minister C Vijayabaskar announced an appointment of 574 post-graduate doctors at a monthly salary of ₹75,000. These doctors are Non-Service Postgraduates which means those not in government service. He said Chief Minister K Palaniswami had also ordered the appointment of 665 more doctors (graduates), 365 lab technicians, and 1,230 multipurpose health personnel.

Also Read: The Story of Beela Rajesh, Health Secretary Handling COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu