Former Additional Chief Secretary P H Kurian passes away

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Additional Chief Secretary and senior IAS officer P H Kurian died on Wednesday at the age of 67. A native of Pampady in Kottayam, Kurian was residing at Muttada in Thiruvananthapuram. His funeral will be held in Pampady on Saturday.

Kurian held a postgraduate degree in chemistry and was pursuing research at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru when he was selected for the civil services.

During his career in the Kerala administration, he served as Principal Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary in key departments, including Revenue, Industries, IT and Water Resources. As Revenue Secretary, he played a key role in coordinating disaster management efforts during major disasters, including Cyclone Ockhi and the devastating floods of 2018.

Kurian also served in the Central Government as the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks from 2009 to 2012. His decision to issue a compulsory licence against international pharmaceutical companies to make cancer medicines more affordable, along with his efforts to facilitate the production of generic medicines, attracted international attention.