Kerala govt appoints ex-IFS officer on special duty for external cooperation

The Kerala Government on Wednesday appointed retired Indian Foreign Service official Venu Rajamony as its Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to interact with the central government, foreign and Indian diplomatic missions and agencies.

The Kerala government in its order said that Rajamony has been appointed on a part-time basis for a period of one year in the rank equivalent to Chief Secretary and he will initially be based in New Delhi.

His job description includes liaising with the Ministry of External Affairs, foreign missions in New Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, and diplomatic missions abroad on various matters including those pertaining to the Kerala diaspora and opportunities for external cooperation in diverse sectors and follows up of matters arising out of the official visits by Chief Minister abroad.

Rajamony will also be monitoring the progress of proposals received from foreign diplomatic missions and proposals initiated from the state government and will advise the state government on rules and regulations governing all engagements with foreign governments and other entities, and 'pravasi' issues.

He will be also responsible to explore collaboration and cooperation opportunities for Kerala in educational, cultural, financing, skill development and employment and support the state government in its interaction with foreign officials and business delegations visiting Kerala.

The state government on his appointment said that the large Kerala diaspora spread across the world has many general issues which need to be raised with the central government and diplomatic missions in a timely manner for expeditious redressal.

"The state government has to implement various programmes in collaboration and cooperation with foreign entities for the holistic development of the state and public welfare. A need has been felt to appoint a senior expert on a part-time basis to interact with the Government of India, Foreign and Indian diplomatic missions, agencies on these matters and to explore collaboration opportunities in various sectors such as academic, cultural, financing, investment etc.," the statement reads.

The government said such an officer with in-depth knowledge and experience on diplomatic matters would suitably advise the state government on various aspects of international cooperation.

( With inputs from ANI )