“He was known for his honesty and straightforwardness, and it did not go well with some of the ministers in the (Stalin’s) cabinet, leading to friction. And that led to this transfer,” a source at the secretariat told ThePrint.

Udhayachandran, an IAS officer from the 1995 batch, passed the UPSC exam at 23 on his first attempt. Beginning his career as a sub-collector of Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram district in 1997 and over his roughly 30-year-tenure since, he has been noted not only for his honesty but also for his numerous contributions to public service, a friend of Udhayachandran said.

While Udhayachandran has been key in implementing various schemes for the present government, senior IAS officers told ThePrint that the morning breakfast scheme, under which the TN government provides breakfast to government school children studying in classes I to V, particularly endeared him to Stalin.

“This was one of the flagship projects of the Tamil Nadu government—which received a positive public response. The chief minister was happy and overwhelmed with the outcomes—which strengthened his bond with Udhayachandran,” an IAS officer from the state secretariat told ThePrint.

However, others who have worked with Udhayachandran pointed out that his relationship with Stalin was not based on a single but multiple contributions, particularly in policy formulation and the successful launch of new schemes during the early days of the DMK government.

“When the DMK regained power in 2021, expectations were high, and Udhayachandran played a crucial role in strategically placing IAS officers to implement policies and initiatives. He is known for getting things done without excuses,” said an IAS officer at the joint secretary level, speaking anonymously to ThePrint.

According to the officer, Udhayachandran formulated the process for the monthly financial aid of Rs 1,000 for women in the state.

“To avail of this benefit, women need not depend on any village administration officer, tehsildar or other revenue officials. Under this, money gets distributed to the beneficiaries without the interference of any government official—which avoids bribery at the ground level,” the officer joint secretary said.

The contributions of Udhayachandran are not limited to the times of the DMK government. Under the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government, he received recognition for significant reforms, including the cessation of the state- and district-level rankings for Class X and XII students.

“He was also pivotal in revising the state’s educational curriculum, meticulously choosing 100 experts to craft a new syllabus,” an official involved in the curriculum change process remarked.

Despite his contributions to governance, Udhayachandran has faced political backlash from both the Dravidian parties due to his outspoken stance against corruption.

“Whether it was DMK or AIADMK, he has faced repercussions for not tolerating corruption,” an IAS officer, now a collector after serving in the state secretariat, said.

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Political backlash from AIADMK & DMK

In October 2011, under the AIADMK government, Udhayachandran, then serving as Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission secretary, flagged recruitment irregularities. Although the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption department launched an inquiry, he was soon transferred.

During the AIADMK’s second term, he made significant educational reforms during his stint as the education department secretary but was shifted then to the archaeology department.

Under the current DMK government, his move to the finance department was due to ministers’ discontent with him.

“He operates with his unique style, which not everyone accepts and appreciates. He managed a bureaucratic government alongside the CM—which some ministers found exclusionary,” a senior IAS officer, now in the central services, told ThePrint.

The senior IAS officer also said it was not one particular issue that made Stalin move Udhayachandran to finance.

“There were several incidents where he did not budge before a minister’s request. For instance, a minister from the southern district demanded an IAS officer of his choice. Udhayachandran, who knows the political connection of that particular IAS officer, rejected the request and appointed a young IAS officer to the particular district. It did not go well with the minister,” the senior IAS officer said.

The senior IAS officer also shared an incident where another minister had a rift with Udhayachandran over recruitment to temporary posts. “During the academic year 2022-2023, without even asking ministers, he finished the recruitment, which irked the minister since he had a list of recommendations,” the senior IAS officer added.

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Education as a priority, interest in archaeology

Sometime in the late 1980s, a young man from the Namakkal district in the western region of Tamil Nadu secured admission at the Institute of Road and Transport Technology at Erode, only to be rejected the sanction of an education loan by the banks to pursue the course.

However, after running from pillar to post, the family of the then-18-year-old Udhaychandran admitted him to college. In 1993, he completed his engineering at 21, only to become an IAS officer in another couple of years in his first attempt.

Nobody would have thought that the same man would become a collector of a district one day and would arrange educational loans to the tune of Rs 110 crore for the students of the Erode district, where he studied his engineering course.

“Thanks to the bank manager who rejected my education loan,” recalled Udhayachandran in his book, Maaperum Sabaithanil (In the Grand Conference).

During his stint as the Erode district collector, Udhayachandran arranged for a grand education loan mela and appointed an officer to monitor the process to ensure that not even one deserving student was left out.

“The total worth of loans issued during the previous decade in the district was only Rs 92 crore, but we issued loans of Rs 110 crore in one academic year,” he recalled in his book.

At least four IAS officers who worked with Udhayachandran shared with ThePrint that he has always prioritised education for children over other projects and schemes.

“Being born and brought up in a middle-class family, he had understood the importance of education at a young age, and he did everything that he could do to win over the politicians to implement schemes for the children,” a principal secretary told ThePrint, adding that the Naan Mudhalvan scheme launched by the DMK government was one such initiative, pitched by Udhayachandran.

The Naan Mudhalvan scheme aims to identify, train and offer career and academic guidance to students in government-run and state-aided education institutes. Moreover, the scheme provides hands-on training to engineering and art college students across the state during their final year with help from industry experts.

The officers shared how Udhayachandran’s ideas have translated into reforms that benefit underprivileged students. Tamil Nadu Textbook and Education Services Corporation translated Gray’s Anatomy, a reference book of human anatomy by Henry Gray, and the Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology for students.

“That was a brainchild of Udhayachandran, making Tamil the first Indian language to which those medical science textbooks were translated. It allows underprivileged students and students from Tamil medium to understand the subjects easily,” an IAS officer remarked.

Since starting his career, Udhayachandran has been known as a pathbreaker in several aspects. He was the go-to man of any government to get work done.

Some of the senior DMK leaders with whom ThePrint spoke recalled how late DMK leader M. Karunanidhi put Udhayachandran’s skills to use in 2006 to conduct local body elections in three Madurai villages, where elections had not occurred for a decade due to caste issues.

“This was one of Kalaignar’s first decisions upon taking charge as the chief minister. Udhayachandran, then Madurai collector, managed to quell opposition, encouraged Dalits to file nominations, and conducted the election peacefully after a gap of 10 years,” a senior DMK leader from southern Tamil Nadu, wishing to remain unnamed, shared with ThePrint.

The leader also shared that Udhayachandran, when he was relatively young during his first stint as sub-collector of Paramakudi, had handled caste clashes better than an experienced IAS officer.

Another district collector, mentored by Udhayachandran, shared the principal finance secretary’s interest in archaeology. “Apart from student education, he is very interested in literature and archaeology. Despite being the finance secretary, he additionally holds the commissioner of archaeology post, which shows his interest in the department,” he said.

The Keeladi excavations in Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu took place under the supervision of Udhayachandran. “If not for him, nobody would have cared to send the samples to so many countries only to scientifically prove that the Sangam Age is older than previously thought,” the collector added.

Earlier, the Sangam Age was considered between 300 BC and AD 300. However, the Keeladi excavations and the subsequent test results of the carbon dating of unearthed samples showed that the Sangam period could have been between 600 BC and AD 100. The state archaeology department documented the excavation results and brought it out as a book for the first time in 2017. Reports also said that during the excavations, no symbol of worship was found, showcasing the secular identity of Tamils.

According to the secretariat source quoted earlier, in the current DMK government, Udhayachandran was the brain behind three successful schemes, which had not even been in the party’s election manifesto. These include the Pudhumai Penn scheme, under which the Tamil Nadu government provides Rs 1,000 per month to girls till they complete their UG degree, diploma, ITI, or any other recognised course.

“The Pudhumai Penn scheme, Naan Mudhalvan scheme and the morning breakfast schemes were the brainchild of Udhayachandran, and the government is now hailed for these three schemes,” the source said.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)

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