AlejandroQkj at 23:25, 18 April 2026

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{{Short description|Indian bureaucrat (1955–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Keshav Desiraju
| image = Keshave Desiraju P padmanabhan.png
| caption = Desiraju delivering the inaugural P. Padmanabhan memorial award, 2015
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1955|5|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|9|5|1955|5|11|df=y}}
| death_place = Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| occupation = Bureaucrat
| known_for = Public health, mental health, disability, primary and community healthcare
}}
'''Keshav Desiraju''' (11 May 1955 – 5 September 2021) was an Indian bureaucrat who served as the union health secretary of the country. He was known for his contributions to mental health and community healthcare and was the architect of the country's [[Mental Healthcare Act, 2017|Mental Healthcare Act of 2017]].

== Early life ==
Desiraju was born on 11 May 1955 and grew up in [[South Bombay]], where he attended the [[Cathedral and John Connon School]]. He was the grandson of former Indian President [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]] and the nephew of Indian historian [[Sarvepalli Gopal]].<ref name=":2"/><ref>{{Cite book|last=Guha|first=Ramachandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hslnO7LGdRMC&dq=Keshav+Desiraju&pg=PA48|title=An Anthropologist Among the Marxists and Other Essays|date=2001|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-7824-001-5|language=en|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907002754/https://books.google.com/books?id=hslnO7LGdRMC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA48&dq=Keshav+Desiraju&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

He completed his [[Master's degree]] in Economics from the [[University of Cambridge]] and also had a [[Master of Public Administration]] from the [[John F Kennedy School|John F. Kennedy School of Government]] at [[Harvard University]]. He was a member of the [[Indian Administrative Service]] belonging to the 1978 [[Uttarakhand]] cadre.<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 September 2021|title=Former Union health secy Keshav Desiraju, grandson of S Radhakrishnan, passes away|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/keshav-desiraju-radhakrishnan-grandson-death-7490542/|access-date=5 September 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en|archive-date=5 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905132709/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/keshav-desiraju-radhakrishnan-grandson-death-7490542/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Career ==
Desiraju was a member of the [[Indian Administrative Service]] and served as the union secretary with the Ministry of Health. He had earlier served as the health secretary for the state of [[Uttarakhand]]. As a bureaucrat, Desiraju focused on public health, primary health care, disability, mental health, and community health.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=5 September 2021|title=Keshav Desiraju, former Union Health Secretary, passes away|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/keshav-desiraju-former-union-health-secretary-passes-away/article36301689.ece|access-date=5 September 2021|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=5 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905100632/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/keshav-desiraju-former-union-health-secretary-passes-away/article36301689.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> During his term as the additional secretary with the [[Ministry of Health (India)|Ministry of Health]], he initiated the ban on [[gutka]] and [[Chewing tobacco|chewable forms of tobacco]], an act that was later adopted and replicated by many states.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Ghosh|first=Abantika|date=6 September 2021|title=Erudite, articulate, soft-spoken -- bureaucrat Keshav Desiraju was not afraid to speak his mind|url=https://theprint.in/india/erudite-articulate-soft-spoken-but-keshav-desiraju-was-not-afraid-to-speak-his-mind/728499/|access-date=6 September 2021|website=ThePrint|language=en-US|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906030121/https://theprint.in/india/erudite-articulate-soft-spoken-but-keshav-desiraju-was-not-afraid-to-speak-his-mind/728499/|url-status=live}}</ref>

He also advanced the Mental Healthcare Bill, 2012, that later went on to become the [[Mental Healthcare Act, 2017]]. The bill was considered path-breaking and introduced provisions that allowed for a person to call out the nature of treatment that one should be provided if they were to develop a mental illness later in their lives.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sachan|first=Dinsa|date=27 July 2013|title=Mental health bill set to revolutionise care in India|journal=The Lancet|language=English|volume=382|issue=9889|pages=296|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61620-7|issn=0140-6736|pmid=23901410|s2cid=5568192|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Sharma|first=Pranav J.|date=24 June 2017|title=Too soon to celebrate Mental Healthcare Act|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/too-soon-to-celebrate-mental-healthcare-act-117062400734_1.html|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907002241/https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/too-soon-to-celebrate-mental-healthcare-act-117062400734_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An editorial in the ''[[British Journal of Psychiatry]]'' read "The drafters of India's new legislation have demonstrated wisdom and vision in articulating a legally binding right to such care despite the inevitable challenges and complexities of such a bold move. The rest of the world should watch, listen and learn."<ref name=":2"/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Duffy|first1=Richard M.|last2=Kelly|first2=Brendan D.|date=1 February 2019|title=The right to mental healthcare: India moves forward|journal=The British Journal of Psychiatry|language=en|volume=214|issue=2|pages=59–60|doi=10.1192/bjp.2018.250|pmid=30681053|issn=0007-1250|doi-access=free}}</ref> His approach was described as a pragmatic middle of the ground approach trying to draw a fine balance protecting patients from potentially exploitative care providers and also family members while guaranteeing "[[right to health]]" in emergencies.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a5YnDwAAQBAJ&dq=Keshav+Desiraju&pg=PA23|title=The Caravan: June 2017|publisher=Delhi Press|language=en|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907003624/https://books.google.com/books?id=a5YnDwAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA23&dq=Keshav+Desiraju&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> He also led actions from India on getting the [[World Health Organization]] to pass a special resolution on mental health and led to the development of the organization's ''Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan'' in 2013.<ref name=":2"/>

During his service with the health ministry, he also advanced efforts that resulted in the [[National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences]] being designated as an institute of national importance.<ref name="indianexpress.com">{{Cite web|date=6 September 2021|title=Keshav Desiraju (1955-2021): 'New Mental Health Act was his baby… country's psychiatrists owe a lot to him'|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/keshav-desiraju-1955-2021-new-mental-health-act-was-his-baby-countrys-psychiatrists-owe-a-lot-to-him-7491102/|access-date=6 September 2021|website=The Indian Express|language=en|archive-date=5 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905223936/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/keshav-desiraju-1955-2021-new-mental-health-act-was-his-baby-countrys-psychiatrists-owe-a-lot-to-him-7491102/|url-status=live}}</ref> He also led the establishment of the [[National Immunization Technical Advisory Group|National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization]] (NTAGI), an expert group that examined linkages between vaccination and immunization and determined the vaccines to be included in the national health program for administration across India. He was also noted to have strengthened the governance systems in the [[National Health Mission]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 September 2021|title=Desiraju's initiative in developing mental health policy stands out|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/desirajus-initiative-in-developing-mental-health-policy-stands-out/articleshow/85964752.cms|access-date=7 September 2021|website=The Times of India|language=en|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907043347/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/desirajus-initiative-in-developing-mental-health-policy-stands-out/articleshow/85964752.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> His stint with the health ministry, however, was cut short in February 2014 when he was moved away from the health ministry and over to the [[Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution|Ministry of Consumer Affairs]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2 March 2014|title=Union health secretary: Desiraju ousted for making goof or showing bias?|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/desiraju-ousted-for-making-goof-or-showing-bias/articleshow/31237089.cms|access-date=6 September 2021|website=The Times of India|language=en|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906190731/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/desiraju-ousted-for-making-goof-or-showing-bias/articleshow/31237089.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> The move was believed to be due to his dissent with the leadership at the [[Medical Council of India]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Dey|first=Sushmi|date=24 February 2014|title=Corporate stalwarts show resentment over Desiraju's transfer|work=Business Standard India|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/corporate-stalwarts-show-resentment-over-desiraju-s-transfer-114022401053_1.html|access-date=7 September 2021|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907000016/https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/corporate-stalwarts-show-resentment-over-desiraju-s-transfer-114022401053_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He continued to maintain his focus on the healthcare space addressing topics of mental health and corruption in the healthcare space even after moving away from the ministry.<ref name=":1"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=INX Media case: 71 retired bureaucrats write to PM Modi, express concern over prosecution of four officials|url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/inx-media-case-71-retired-bureaucrats-write-to-pm-modi-express-concern-over-prosecution-of-four-officials|access-date=6 September 2021|website=Free Press Journal|language=en|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906190732/https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/inx-media-case-71-retired-bureaucrats-write-to-pm-modi-express-concern-over-prosecution-of-four-officials|url-status=live}}</ref> He also co-wrote a book, ''Healers or Predators'',<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Nundy|first1=Samiran|title=Healers or Predators?: Healthcare Corruption in India|last2=Desiraju|first2=Keshav|last3=Nagral|first3=Sanjay|date=2018-06-29|id={{ASIN|0199489548|country=in}}}}</ref> which focused on corruption in the healthcare industry in India.<ref name=":1"/><ref name="indianexpress.com"/> As a bureaucrat he was widely recognized for his "impeccable honesty and integrity".<ref name=":3"/>

After his retirement from the administrative services, he was appointed the chairperson of the governing board of the [[Population Foundation of India]], a non-profit organization focused on community health and population strategies for the country.<ref name="The Hindu">{{Cite news|date=5 September 2021|title=Obituary {{!}} Keshav Desiraju was known for his keen engagement with public health and clean governance|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/obituarykeshav-desiraju-was-known-for-his-keen-engagement-with-public-health-and-clean-governance/article36301715.ece|access-date=6 September 2021|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=5 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905123438/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/obituarykeshav-desiraju-was-known-for-his-keen-engagement-with-public-health-and-clean-governance/article36301715.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> He was on the board of directors of many organizations, including [[The Banyan]], [https://latikaroy.org Latika Roy Foundation], [[Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy]] in Washington D.C., and the [[Auroville]] foundation.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Board of Directors of Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy |url=https://cddep.org/about/board_directors/ |website=CDDEP |access-date=7 December 2021 |archive-date=6 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006003824/https://cddep.org/about/board_directors/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Desiraju was a follower of [[Carnatic music]] and wrote a biography, considered definitive, of Indian Carnatic music singer [[M. S. Subbulakshmi]], titled ''Of Gifted Voice''.<ref name="The Hindu"/> At the time of his death, he was working on a book on Carnatic music composer [[Thyagaraja]] and mastering [[Telugu language|Telugu]] for the project.<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 September 2021|title=In the passing of Keshav Desiraju, India has lost a public health icon|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/in-the-passing-of-keshav-desiraju-india-has-lost-a-public-health-icon/2324760/|access-date=7 September 2021|website=The Financial Express|language=en-US|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907022621/https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/in-the-passing-of-keshav-desiraju-india-has-lost-a-public-health-icon/2324760/|url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:The Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing the inaugural session of the National NCD Summit, in New Delhi on June 07, 2013.jpg|Desiraju addressing the inaugural National NCD Summit, New Delhi, 2013
File:The Special Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing the meeting of the release of report of National Initiative for Allied Health Sciences (NIAHS).jpg|Desiraju on the release of the National Initiative for Allied Health Sciences (NIAHS) report, New Delhi, 2012
File:The Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing the India-UK Health Policy Forum - Bilateral Workshop, in New Delhi on February 21, 2013.jpg|Desiraju addressing the India-UK Health Policy Forum, New Delhi, 2013
File:The Addl. Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing at the launch of the media campaign of National Tobacco Control Programme, in New Delhi. The WHO Representative.jpg|Desiraju at the launch of the media campaign of the National Tobacco Control Program, New Delhi, 2012
File:The Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Keshav Desiraju and the Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Ms. Margaret A. Hamburg.jpg|Desiraju exchanging an MOU with the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, [[Margaret Hamburg|Margaret A. Hamburg]], New Delhi, 2014
File:The Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Shri Keshav Desiraju addressing at the Standards Conclave 2015 on "Role of Standards in International Trade Challenges, Opportunities & Issues".jpg|Desiraju addressing a [[Confederation of Indian Industry|CII]] standards conclave, New Delhi 2015
</gallery>

== Personal life ==
Desiraju was not married.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Pathare|first=Soumitra|date=6 September 2021|title=Keshav Desiraju (1955-2021) was much more than a bureaucrat and gentleman|url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/obituary/keshav-desiraju-1955-2021-was-much-more-than-a-bureaucrat-and-gentleman|access-date=6 September 2021|website=National Herald|language=en|archive-date=6 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906071933/https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/obituary/keshav-desiraju-1955-2021-was-much-more-than-a-bureaucrat-and-gentleman|url-status=live}}</ref> He followed [[Carnatic music]] and generally used to attend the annual [[Madras Music Season]]. As an art collector, he collected the works of [[Raja Ravi Varma]].<ref name=":2"/> Desiraju died from [[acute coronary syndrome]] on 5 September 2021, in [[Chennai]], in the Indian state of [[Tamil Nadu]]. He was 66.<ref name=":0"/>

== Published works ==

* {{Cite book|last=Desiraju|first=Keshav|title=Of Gifted Voice : The Life and Art of M.S. Subbulakshmi|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers India|year=2020|isbn=978-93-90327-54-6|oclc=1231547970}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Desiraju|first=Keshav|date=2021|title=Do we need more All India Institute of Medical Sciences - Type institutions?|journal=Journal of Medical Evidence|volume=2|issue=1|pages=71–72|doi=10.4103/jme.jme_32_21|s2cid=236727730|issn=2667-0720|doi-access=free}}
* {{Cite book|last=Desiraju|first=Keshav|title=Healers or Predators? : Healthcare Corruption in India|others=S. Nundy, Sanjay Nagral|year=2018|isbn=978-0-19-948954-1|edition=|location=New Delhi, India|oclc=1046567144}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Desiraju|first1=Keshav|last2=Minas|first2=Harry|last3=van Ginneken|first3=Nadja|last4=Dal Poz|first4=Mario R|last5=Kakuma|first5=Ritsuko|last6=Morris|first6=Jodi E|last7=Saxena|first7=Shekhar|last8=Scheffler|first8=Richard M|date=2011|title=Human resources for mental health care: current situation and strategies for action|url=https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61093-3|journal=The Lancet|volume=378|issue=9803|pages=1654–1663|doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(11)61093-3|pmid=22008420|s2cid=11901504|issn=0140-6736|url-access=subscription}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Barbosa da Silva|first1=Jarbas|last2=Desiraju|first2=Keshav|last3=Matsoso|first3=Precious|last4=Minghui|first4=Ren|last5=Salagay|first5=Oleg|date=2014|title=BRICS cooperation in strategic health projects|url=https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.14.141051|journal=Bulletin of the World Health Organization|volume=92|issue=6|pages=388|doi=10.2471/blt.14.141051|issn=0042-9686|pmc=4047817|pmid=24940008}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Desiraju|first=Keshav|date=1998|editor-last=Ashish|editor-first=Madhava|title=The scientific sadhu|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23005690|journal=India International Centre Quarterly|volume=25|issue=2/3|pages=167–169|jstor=23005690|issn=0376-9771}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Desiraju|first1=Keshav|last2=Jain|first2=Yogesh|date=2017|title=It is not enough to grieve; we must learn from Gorakhpur|url=http://ijme.in/articles/it-is-not-enough-to-grieve-we-must-learn-from-gorakhpur/?galley=html|journal=Indian Journal of Medical Ethics|volume=2|issue=4|pages=221–223|doi=10.20529/IJME.2017.080|pmid=28918380|url-access=subscription|doi-access=free}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* {{YouTube|id=mvLWoATkMLs|title=Keshav Desiraju discussing his biography of M.S. Subbulakshmi}}
* {{YouTube|id=RgyFLVLgC2Q|title=Keshav Desiraju at the Association of Family Physicians, New Delhi}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desiraju, Keshav}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian Administrative Service officers]]
[[Category:Uttarakhand cadre civil servants]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:Harvard Kennedy School alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from coronary artery disease]]

Keshav Desiraju - Revision history

AlejandroQkj at 23:25, 18 April 2026