Hon'ble Chancellor
Shri Kateekal Sankaranarayanan assumed the
charge as Governor of Maharashtra on 22nd January 2010. He brings with him a vast
and varied experience in public life. A venerable personality, Shri Sankaranarayana
has dominated the political firmament of Kerala for nearly five decades. Born on
15th October 1932 in Kerala, Shri Sankaranarayanan’s initiation into politics started
early when in 1946 he became a member of Students’ Organization.
Thereafter from 1957 to 1964 and from 1964 to 1968
he was respectively the General Secretary and President of the District Congress
Committee, Palghat. Between 1968 and 1972, he served as General Secretary of the
Undivided Congress. In 1972, he was appointed as President of the Kerala Pradesh
Congress Committee, the post he held till 1977. Shri Sankaranarayanan also served
as the Working Committee Member of the AICC and the All India Parliamentary Board
Member of the Organization Congress. Sankaranarayanan was elected to the Kerala
Legislative Assembly several times as a candidate of the Indian National Congress
(INC). He was first elected to the
5th Kerala Legislative Assembly (KLA)
from Thrithala, thereafter to the 6th KLA from Sreekrishnapuram, to the 8th KLA
from Ottappalam and to the 11th KLA from Palghat Constituency. Between 1974 and
1978, Shri K. Sankaranarayanan was a Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry
& Dairy Development and Community Development in the Ministry headed by Shri K Karunakaran
and later in the Ministry of Shri A. K. Antony. He was again the Cabinet Minister
for Finance & Excise in the Ministry headed by Shri A. K. Antony during 2001 - 2004.
Shri Sankaranarayanan was Chairman of the Committee on Government Assurances from
1980 to 1982, and from 1989 to 1991 served as the Chairman of the Committee on Public
Accounts. From 1985 to 2001, for 16 (sixteen) years, he was the Convener of the
United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala. Shri K. Sankaranarayanan was appointed
as the Governor of Nagaland on 3rd February 2007 and held the post till 25th July
2009.
He guided the destiny of the State during the brief
spell of President’s Rule in early 2008 and later oversaw the smooth conducting
of the General Elections and elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. He
also held the additional charge of the post of
Governor of Arunachal Pradesh and Governor
of Assam for brief periods. On 26th July 2009, he was appointed as Governor
of the State of Jharkhand that was under President’s Rule. Here again, he oversaw
the free and fair conduct of elections to the Legislative Assembly leading to the
appointment of a popular government in the State. Since coming to Maharashtra, the
Governor has taken a number of decisions in as diverse areas as development, higher
education, environment conservation and citizens welfare. As Chancellor of Universities
in the State, the Governor appointed Vice Chancellors to 12 universities in the
State based purely on merit. Using his powers under Article 371(2) of the Constitution,
the Governor has decided to constitute a committee of experts to ascertain levels
of development of the backward regions based on a fresh set of indicators.
In a farsighted move towards environment protection,
the Governor has ordered creation of a biodiversity park on the huge expanse of
the Raj Bhavan in Nagpur. The biodiversity park showcasing the rich plant diversity
of the Gondwana region of Central India will be open for public viewing shortly.
A man of the masses, Shri Sankaranarayanan is keenly interested in welfare and developmental
issues.