Thiruvananthapuram: Once all-powerful Kerala bureaucrat M Sivasankar has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over his alleged role in an international gold-smuggling racket.
From having complete control over the state's administrative machinery by virtue of being the close confidante of Kerala chief minister Pinaryi Vijayan, Sivasankar ended up becoming a name synonymous with the controversial gold smuggling case.
Sivasankar was the man in control of most dream projects of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Even though he came under a series of serious allegations in connection with the Sprinklr controversy, the chief minister did not dump him but came out in his full support.
Sivasankar had earned the distinction of being a highly efficient officer in the administrative set up, a brilliance that he showed even during his student days. The officer who secured a rank in SSLC exams later did his graduation in engineering and business administration. As a bureaucrat, he was an excellent administrator.
But things turned upside down after he reached the chief minister’s office and received unbridled powers. Pinarayi Vijayan had chosen him as his principal secretary considering his proven track record as a bureaucrat.
He was the guardian of various dream projects of the chief minister including K-FON. However, these responsibilities also marked the beginning of his downfall. The additional charge of the IT department only advanced his nemesis.
It may be noted that the serious lapses on the part of the bureaucrat happened at a time when he had a tenure left in Indian Administrative Service till January 31, 2023.
A resident of Thiruvananthapuram, Sivasankar passed the SSLC exams with the second rank. Thereafter he did his B Tech from the NSS Engineering College, Palakkad, where he was also the college union chairman.
Subsequently, he took the Post-Graduate Diploma in Rural Management from IRMA in Gujarat. He received accolades from teachers and fellow students alike for being a brilliant student.
After completing his education, Sivasankar worked as an officer in the Reserve Bank of India. Subsequently, he was posted as deputy collector in the revenue department. While being in this post he was conferred IAS in 1995 and got confirmed in the all-India service on March 1, 2000.
As Malappuram collector, he performed exceedingly well. His administrative excellence was also on display while holding the posts of tourism director, general education director, general education secretary and a public works department secretary. As general education secretary, Sivasankar put an end to many unhealthy practices in the general education sector.
During his stint as KSEB chairman, Sivasankar signed long-term power purchase agreements which helped the state in avoiding power cuts. This is considered one of his major achievements as chairman.
Moreover, the state-organized the national games successfully while he was the sports secretary.
