Sujatha Rao takes over as new health secretary
October 1st, 2009 - 10:24 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Kanuru Sujatha Rao, who was heading the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), took charge as the new health secretary Thursday.
A 1974 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from Andhra Pradesh cadre, she succeeded Naresh Dayal, who retired Thursday.
Rao was secretary of the AIDS control department in the health ministry before heading NACO.
At NACO, an apex government agency to monitor and check HIV/AIDS in India, she was instrumental in further strengthening the support, care and prevention programmes. It was Rao who highlighted the need to address the gay community in India and favoured striking down the Indian Penal Code’s (IPC) controversial section 377, a relic from the British Raj era that held homosexuality to be a criminal act.
“She steered NACO during its most transformative and challenging phase,” a statement issued here by the ministry said.
Rao has hands-on experience as she has worked in the ministry for a long time at various levels and been involved in many key initiatives that the ministry took, according to the statement.
A postgraduate in history, Rao also holds a postgraduate degree in Public Administration from Harvard University where she was a Mason Fellow.
She was also Takemi Fellow for International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health.
- K. Sujatha Rao new secretary of Health and Family Welfare Ministry - Oct 01, 2009
- K. Chandramouli is new health secretary - Dec 01, 2010
- Verdict decriminalising gay sex welcome: AIDS control body - Jul 02, 2009
- 'NACO merger with NRHM not insensitive' - Apr 27, 2012
- Health ministry wary of merging AIDS department with NRHM - May 03, 2012
- Don't decriminalise gay sex: Home ministry - Feb 23, 2012
- Gay sex is no crime, says court, religious leaders protest (Roundup) - Jul 02, 2009
- No Red Ribbon Express in Delhi on World AIDS Day - Dec 01, 2011
- Court ruling on gays will help fight AIDS, say experts (Lead) - Jul 02, 2009
- 'India's AIDS control mission a successful model' - Feb 06, 2012
- Activists slam government's stand on gay sex - Feb 23, 2012
- India undeterred by global donors' pullout for AIDS control (Dec 1 is World AIDS Day) - Nov 30, 2011
- Introduce HIV/AIDS bill in parliament, demand affected people - Jul 04, 2011
- MSM is unnatural: Ghulam Nabi Azad - Jul 04, 2011
- Activists, patients protest delay in tabling AIDS bill - Nov 22, 2011
Tags: aids control, british raj, controversial section, criminal act, dayal, harvard school of public health, harvard university, health ministry, health secretary, hiv aids, indian administrative service, indian penal code, international health, naco, national aids control organisation, new health, postgraduate degree, rao, school of public health, section 377