Girija Vaidyanathan taks over as new TN chief secy

Chennai: Girija Vaidyanathan, the new Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, is a surprise choice by the AIADMK government. She is considered a professional and a hard-working officer who has a sharp mind of her own, capable of taking quick decisions.

Her appointment follows the removal of P Rama Mohana Rao, former Chief Secretary, on Thursday morning following Income Tax raids at his premises with seizure of over Rs 30 lakh worth new currency, five kilogram gold and documents revealing undisclosed assets worth Rs 5 crore.

Daughter of S Venkitaramanan, who was Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor from 1990 to 1992, Vaidyanathan is a native of Nagercoil in southern Tamil Nadu, where her father was born to a Tamil Iyer family. Girija, who served as the principal secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department in the Government of Tamil Nadu, and was instrumental in pushing through many health, education and transportation projects. She also headed the Mission Director post of the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) besides being a key policy advisor in several wings of the government.

The AIADMK governments did not as much use of her as the DMK governments, officers close to her said.