Team News Riveting
Kochi, November 18
Kerala-born retired bureaucrat Dr C V Ananda Bose was on Thursday appointed as the Governor of West Bengal.
The 71-year-old is a retired 1977-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Kerala cadre. “The President of India is pleased to appoint Dr C V Ananda Bose as regular Governor of West Bengal,” a Rashtrapati Bhawan communique said.
Born in Mananam in Kottayam district of Kerala, Bose had his higher education in BITs Pilani and St. Berchmans College, Changanacherry. He last served as an administrator in the National Museum here before superannuating in 2011.
Manipur Governor La Ganesan had been holding the additional charge of West Bengal since July this year after incumbent Jagdeep Dhankhar was nominated as the vice president candidate by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Bose had served as Secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala while he had been seen as the architect of Narendra Modi government’s flagship scheme of housing for poor. The Nirmithi Kendra (Building Centre) founded by him as District Collector of Kollam in 1985 to provide cost effective and environment friendly houses to the people.
It emerged into a national network and become part of the national housing policy. This unique initiative in affordable housing is seen as a trigger for the Prime Minister’s decision to provide affordable houses for all by 2022. Bose had the opportunity to meet and submit the proposal to Narendra Modi on 4 March 2014.
Dhanwanthari Kendras initiated by Bose as institutions that provide ancillary medical facilities in hospitals, have been replicated in all districts in Kerala. The first ever attempt in India to provide medicines at discounted rate was started as part of Dhanwanthari Kendra. Later on, Kerala government set up institutions to provide medicines at fair price on a regular basis. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana Kendra may be seen as a great culmination of a humble initiative in that direction taken 32 years back by Bose.
Bose has published 32 books in English, Malayalam and Hindi including novels, short stories, poems and essays.
The first house boat in the state was introduced in Kollam during Bose’s tenure and today houseboats are a major source of income in the tourism sector.
