Chander Kanta Gariyali
Education
1997-98: Visiting fellow at Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford. Worked on the political empowerment of women in Common Wealth Countries under the supervision of Ms Shirley Ardener, the founder Director of Cross-Cultural-Centre for Research in Women. This work has been published in 1999 as a book, Inching Forward - political empowerment of women on Commonwealth countries.
1985: Underwent a course in Poverty Alleviation Programme at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, and UK. At Sussex she looked at population limitation and Family Welfare as a means of reducing poverty and empowering women. During this period she studied the family Welfare Programmes in China, Indonesia, Africa and Latin America and went to Kenya to do her fieldwork.
1990: Attended International course in Population and family planning at Indian Institute of Management Ahmadabad.
1972-1974: Trained at National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, India in Development Administration.
1970-1972: Masters in Social work from Delhi University. Specialised in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work. Stood first in the University.
1964-1968: Bachelor of Arts (History - Political Science) from Delhi University.
Professional
Joined Indian Administrative Service in 1972 and since then has held various administrative positions predominantly in Social Sector. Has been focussing on mainstreaming family planning and gender issues in all area of government work. Her areas of interest are women’s well being, their Family Welfare, reproductive health and health and their all round empowerment. She has also been responsible for creating Women Scientists Forum in Madras and she has created a gender cell to look into the situation of women scientists.
Work Experience
Held Various posts in Government including Secretary to Governor of Tamil Nadu, Secretary to Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Collector of Madras and South Arcot and headed Departments of Health and Family welfare, Social welfare and various national and international heath and family welfare projects promoting women’s health and well-being and economic empowerment of families. Acted as Founder, Vice Chairperson of Science City . Presently working as Secretary in the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Government of Tamilnadu.
Work Experience with international agencies
Associated with the Danida Assisted Primary Health care project and created a lot of innovations in health sector for women from 1880 –1987. Acted as project Director from 1984 – 1987.
Acted as Director of State Family welfare programme and worked intensively on reproductive rights, health and well being of women 1987-1990
Simultaneously acted as the Director of World Bank Assisted India Population Project Five Madras from 1987-1990 and focussed her attention on Slum women in 1700 slums in Madras City .
Acted as country co-ordinator for the CIRDAP (Centre for Integrated Rural Development for Asia and Pacific) assisted action research project by the National Institute of Rural Development in Andhra Pradesh, India for four years from 1991 –1995. Established women’s groups and thrift societies.
Acted as Chairperson of IFAD (International Food and Agricultural Development Agency) assisted women’s development programmes in Tamilnadu under which thousands of women'’ groups were formed under her leadership in Tamil Nadu, 1995-1996.
Acted as Chairperson of the World Bank Funded Integrated Nutrition Project in Tamil Nadu - The largest World Bank Nutrition Project so far in the world aimed at improving the health and nutrition status of women and children.
Popularisation of Science & Technology
As the first Vice-Chairperson of the Science City, she promoted greatly the Science and Technology for children and youth by way of conducting :
- Meet the Scientist Programme for school children
- Web quiz for children on various science and technology topics
- Established the children’s science Academy and instituted Child Scientist Awards with special emphasis on Rural students
- Started weekly Science Demonstration programmes for the school children in Science Centre
- Science camps for school and polytechnic students
- Popular Science Lecture for school and college students
- Workshops and symposiums for research scholars
- Created Women Scientists Forum and ‘gender cell’ in Science City and instituted life time achievement awards and young women scientist's awards.
- Started Entrepreneurship development programmes for young professionals.
Work experience in Environment and Preservation of Ecology
Formation of Madras naturalistic Society
Was Secretary to Governor in which capacity while living on Guindy Forest campus of Raj-Bhavan got deeply involved in environment preservation and conservation and this eventually lead to the formation of Madras Naturalistic Society.
Youth for environment
As Deputy Secretary in Education Department where she tried to develop the love of environment in youth through organising environment awareness programmes since 1979, through NSS, NCC and Nehru Yuvak Kendras like forestation, desilting of channels and repair of watercourses and sources.
Improving the quality of life in Slums
She worked closely with a large network of NGOs to help in improving the quality of life of the slum dwellers. Apart from successfully implementing sites and services programme to give ownership of land to the residents so that they become stake holders and improve their dwellings. She worked with WWF (Working Women’s forum) to improve the quality of life of the women and gave them not only gave them contraceptive cover but also micro level credit and gainful economic activity and reduce their poverty and drudgery.
Developing eco-tourism
Worked as Tourism Secretary for the State and tried to develop eco-tourism. Started drive to clean Ooty lake through youth Volunteers. Convinced Government and District Administration to make Ooty, Yercaud and Kodaikanal plastic free. Took up the drive to clean the Marina Beach and Besant Nagar Beach and the heritage towns of Mahabalipuram, Kanyakumari and Rameshwaram.
Cleaning of temples and temple tanks
As Commissioner of Religious Endowments started the cleaning and preservation of temple tanks.
Water Harvesting
As Vice-Chair Person of Science City, she started the campaign for Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) in the State, which has been slowly catching up.
Experience in Tourism Art and Culture
1. She was the state culture officer (1978-80)
The founder Director of the South Zone Culture Centre 1986
The Secretary in the Department of Tourism and Chairperson Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation
The Commissioner of Art and Culture
Achievements in the area of art and Culture
She has created the dance festivals in Chidambaram and Mahabalipuram
Started the District Art Councils in TamilNadu
Ensured unprecedented growth in Tourism Sector while she was Tourism Secretary and more than 100 hotels came up in Tamilnadu during that period.
Made more than twenty films on Tamil Nadu.
Brought out several publications on Tamil Nadu including ‘Splendor of Tamil Nadu’ and ‘Tamil Nadu The Splendor of India’.
Prepared a report for Government of India to advise on improving the City of Varanasi and its tourism facilities.
Prepared a report for promotion of ‘Royal Orient’ the luxury train for the Government of Gujarat.
Established the South Zone Culture Centre in Tamil Nadu
Lead a Government of India delegation to the Snow Festival In Japan and for the first time sculptors from Mahabalipuram participated in the festival.
Organised a folk festival in Singapore for fifteen days.
Participated in Tourism seminars to promote India in Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Berlin.
Sent two Cultural delegations from India to Mauritius
Helped in organising 5 th and 8 th World Tamil Conference.
Awards and Prizes Won
NABARD Award for excellence in Self Help Group – Bank Linkage in Tamil Nadu for the year 2002-03.
Science City State Award for Promotion of Science and Technology –2003
Sadguru Gnanananda National Award 2003 for social service consciousness and delivery of welfare programmes.
Rotary India Award 2000 for highest humanitarian Service for Population Stabilisation and Development.
Stree Ratna Award given by Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan on the eve of fiftieth year of Independence of India for outstanding social contributions made as an administrator in 1998.
Government of India awards for excellence in Family Planning obtained continuously during the year 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 while acting as the Director of the Family Welfare programme & Director of World bank Assisted India Population Project V.
Maharishi Karve prize for standing first in the University of Delhi in Masters in Social Work, 1972.
Durga Bai Desh Mukh Award, (instituted by Delhi University women’s association) for being out standing student social worker, 1971.
Publications
She has written extensively on women’s health and family planning and attended conferences related to women’s issues in Pakistan, Srilanka, Nepal, and Thailand. She has represented India on several Government of India tourism, cultural and health delegations and represented India in various meetings in over twenty-two countries.
She has written a book ‘Inching ForwardPolitical Empowerment of Women in Common Wealth Countries
Recently she has also written a book titled ‘Women’s Own – The self Help Movement of Tamil Nadu’
She also writes a weekly column for Chennai Online, a Chennai based Internet Magazine, under the title “ An Officers Dairy “.
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