Salute! This IAS officer worked like labor at Kerala floods relief camp hiding his identity; what he did will make you feel proud
At a time when India’s one of the most literate states Kerala was in dire need of help from everywhere as the state faced the devastating deluge, an IAS officer devoted himself to minimize the severe pain of people through his tireless working.
Kannan Gopinathan, a 2012 batch IAS officer, worked like labor at the relief camps. Gopinathan, who is serving as district collector in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, spent 8 days at relief camps. He carried large packages on shoulder and offloaded relief material from trucks in the port city of Kochi.
He was working quietly and discreetly, on the ninth day, he was recognized that he is an IAS officer. Gopinathan reached Kerala on August 26 when he came as an official visit to hand over a cheque for Rs one crore for the Kerala chief minister’s relief fund.
Expressing his feelings over the Kerala flood, Gopinathan was quoted by thenewsminute.com as saying “The most haunting feeling was that I was not there when my state was suffering. I just wanted to come. I told this to my superior officer who also took a very positive stand. When I applied for leave, he said that since it was for a particular mission, it could be considered as the duty, not as leave”.
After the engagement was over in an area, the 32-year-old went to Kerala’s worst-affected areas, Chengannur. He visited from one camp to another camp to help the displaced people.
Talking to Hindustan Times, he said “I didn’t do anything great. I was just a visitor. You have to talk to officers who live in the midst of the affected since the flood hit the state. They are real heroes”.
People clamored to click selfies as soon as the officer was recognized. He was recognized at a relief camp at the Kerala Books and Publications Society office by a senior currently posted in Kerala.
