Gopal Krishna Pillai
Encyclopedia
Gopal Krishna Pillai or G. K. Pillai (born March 14, 1949) is an Indian Administrative Service
(I.A.S) officer and the former Home Secretary of India. He belongs to the Kerala cadre of the 1972 batch of I.A.S. He has worked in diverse fields in the state government of Kerala including as;
G. K. Pillai was born in 1949 in Kerala and grew up in New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. His father was also a civil servant as was his grandfather. He passed out of Bishop Cottons Boys’ School (Pope House) in 1964. He then did his B.Sc in physics and chemistry from St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore and by the time he appeared for his civil services exam, he had, also, an M.Sc from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras
(IITM).
He was involved in a controversy over his remarks on Pakistan.
When GK Pillai was named the home secretary in June 2009, he famously reacted with a smile, saying “bahut danda marega udhar” - referring to Home Minister P. Chidambaram as a stick-wielding hard taskmaster. Two years down the line, when the 1972 batch civil servant demits his office on Thursday he leaves behind a nickname for himself - “big stick with soft talk”.
He always wears a smile, speaks fearlessly, wants results and has been one of the most accessible home secretaries for the media. Pillai took over the home portfolio after a rather soft commerce job in June 2009 when the country was still bleeding from the wounds of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
Chidamabaram and his close lieutenant Pillai are said to be the brains behind the better coordination and intelligence-sharing among the security agencies. Pillai, a strong supporter of reform of the security forces, set out the priorities for himself soon after he took over: Kashmir, Maoist insurgency and the northeast. None of these have been accomplished fully but an acceptable headway has been made to resolve the Kashmir and northeast issues, even as the Maoist challenge remains.
Kashmir, one of Pillai's favorite subjects, has been totally peaceful this year with the government taking major initiatives like appointing interlocutors and announcing a major cut of 25 percent in the presence of security forces. Both ideas were Pillai's for which he battled serious opposition within and outside the government.
Talks with major insurgent groups in the northeast are also on as and the government is all set to open a peace dialogue with the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom. Pillai has long experience of the northeast, having held the post of joint secretary in charge of that division in the ministry from 1996-2001. Unlike most New Delhi-based officials, he is known to have extensively traveled in the northeast, met ordinary people and interacted with officials. And that is why the home ministry handled the talks with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M) directly after a no-nonsense, energetic officer from the Kerala cadre took over as the home secretary.
Still, Pillai is prone to criticism as some security experts feel that he has not done much. He also opted against running for the post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner and instead preferred to relax with his family. He is soon leaving for his post-retirement holiday in Scotland.
Indian Administrative Service
The Indian Administrative Service is the administrative civil service of the Government of India. It is one of the three All India Services....
(I.A.S) officer and the former Home Secretary of India. He belongs to the Kerala cadre of the 1972 batch of I.A.S. He has worked in diverse fields in the state government of Kerala including as;
- District Collector of Kollam from 1982 to 1985
- Special Secretary for Industries, especially the traditional industries of cashew, coir and handlooms
- Secretary of Health
- Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala.
G. K. Pillai was born in 1949 in Kerala and grew up in New Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai. His father was also a civil servant as was his grandfather. He passed out of Bishop Cottons Boys’ School (Pope House) in 1964. He then did his B.Sc in physics and chemistry from St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore and by the time he appeared for his civil services exam, he had, also, an M.Sc from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Indian Institute of Technology Madras
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras is an engineering and technology school in Chennai in southern India. It is recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the Government of India...
(IITM).
He was involved in a controversy over his remarks on Pakistan.
When GK Pillai was named the home secretary in June 2009, he famously reacted with a smile, saying “bahut danda marega udhar” - referring to Home Minister P. Chidambaram as a stick-wielding hard taskmaster. Two years down the line, when the 1972 batch civil servant demits his office on Thursday he leaves behind a nickname for himself - “big stick with soft talk”.
He always wears a smile, speaks fearlessly, wants results and has been one of the most accessible home secretaries for the media. Pillai took over the home portfolio after a rather soft commerce job in June 2009 when the country was still bleeding from the wounds of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
Chidamabaram and his close lieutenant Pillai are said to be the brains behind the better coordination and intelligence-sharing among the security agencies. Pillai, a strong supporter of reform of the security forces, set out the priorities for himself soon after he took over: Kashmir, Maoist insurgency and the northeast. None of these have been accomplished fully but an acceptable headway has been made to resolve the Kashmir and northeast issues, even as the Maoist challenge remains.
Kashmir, one of Pillai's favorite subjects, has been totally peaceful this year with the government taking major initiatives like appointing interlocutors and announcing a major cut of 25 percent in the presence of security forces. Both ideas were Pillai's for which he battled serious opposition within and outside the government.
Talks with major insurgent groups in the northeast are also on as and the government is all set to open a peace dialogue with the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom. Pillai has long experience of the northeast, having held the post of joint secretary in charge of that division in the ministry from 1996-2001. Unlike most New Delhi-based officials, he is known to have extensively traveled in the northeast, met ordinary people and interacted with officials. And that is why the home ministry handled the talks with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M) directly after a no-nonsense, energetic officer from the Kerala cadre took over as the home secretary.
Still, Pillai is prone to criticism as some security experts feel that he has not done much. He also opted against running for the post of Chief Vigilance Commissioner and instead preferred to relax with his family. He is soon leaving for his post-retirement holiday in Scotland.