Oommen Chandy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oommen Chandy
10th Chief Minister of Kerala
In office 18 May 2011 (2011-05-18) – 20 May 2016 (2016-05-20)
Governor	R. S. Gavai M. O. H. Farook H. R. Bhardwaj Nikhil Kumar Sheila Dikshit P. Sathasivam
Preceded by	V. S. Achuthanandan
Succeeded by	Pinarayi Vijayan
In office 31 August 2004 (2004-08-31) – 12 May 2006 (2006-05-12)
Governor	R. L. Bhatia
Preceded by	A. K. Antony
Succeeded by	V. S. Achuthanandan
Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly
In office 1970 (1970)–2023 (2023)
Preceded by	E. M. George
Constituency	Puthuppally
Minister of Home Affairs, Government of Kerala
In office 18 May 2011 (2011-05-18) – 13 April 2012 (2012-04-13)
Chief Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
Succeeded by	Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan
In office 31 August 2004 (2004-08-31) – 12 May 2006 (2006-05-12)
Chief Minister	Himself
Preceded by	A. K. Antony
Succeeded by	Kodiyeri Balakrishnan
In office 28 December 1981 (1981-12-28) – 17 March 1982 (1982-03-17)
Chief Minister	K. Karunakaran
Preceded by	T. K. Ramakrishnan
Succeeded by	Vayalar Ravi
Minister for Finance, Government of Kerala
In office 10 November 2015 (2015-11-10) – 20 May 2016 (2016-05-20)
Chief Minister	Himself
Preceded by	K. M. Mani
Succeeded by	T. M. Thomas Isaac
In office 2 July 1991 (1991-07-02) – 22 June 1994 (1994-06-22)
Chief Minister	K. Karunakaran
Preceded by	V. Viswanatha Menon
Succeeded by	C. V. Padmarajan
Leader of the Opposition, Kerala Legislative Assembly
In office 18 May 2006 (2006-05-18) – 14 May 2011 (2011-05-14)
Governor	R. L. Bhatia R. S. Gavai
Preceded by	V. S. Achuthanandan
Succeeded by	V. S. Achuthanandan
General Secretary of the AICC for Andhra Pradesh
In office 6 June 2018 (2018-06-06) – 18 July 2023 (2023-07-18)
President	Rahul Gandhi Sonia Gandhi (Interim) Mallikarjun Kharge
Personal details
Born	(1943-10-31)31 October 1943 Puthuppally, Kingdom of Travancore, British India (present day Kottayam, Kerala, India)
Died	18 July 2023(2023-07-18) (aged 79) Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Mariamma Oommen
Children	3
Residences	Puthuppally, Kottayam Thiruvananthapuram
Alma mater	CMS College Kottayam St. Berchmans College, Changanassery (Bachelor of Arts) Government Law College, Ernakulam (Bachelor of Laws)
As of 9 April 2014 Source: [1]

Oommen Chandy (31 October 1943 – 18 July 2023) was was the 10th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.

He represented Puthuppally constituency as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the State Assembly from 1970 until his death in 2023, making him the longest-serving MLA of any state legislature in India. He received an award for public service from the United Nations in 2013.

On 6 June 2018, he was appointed as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, in charge of the state of Andhra Pradesh. He was also member of the Congress Working Committee member at the time of his death.

Early life and education

Oommen Chandy was born on 31 October 1943 in Puthuppally, Kottayam district. Chandy ventured into the political arena as an activist of Kerala's largest student organization Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Indian National Congress party. He was the unit president of the KSU at St. George High School, Puthupally, and went on to become the state president of the organization.

Chandy completed his pre-university course from CMS College, Kottayam and received a B.A. in Economics from St. Berchmans College, Changanassery. Later, he earned a bachelor's degree in law (LL.B) from the Government Law College, Ernakulam.

Political life

Chandy started his political career through the Kerala Students Union (KSU), in which he served as president from 1967 to 1969. He was elected as the president of the State Youth Congress in 1970.

Chandy represented the Puthuppally constituency for five decades, having been elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021. During his legislative career, he also served as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 1996–1998.

Oommen Chandy with the prime minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister A. K. Antony at Emerging Kerala summit, 2012

Minister

Chandy was a minister in the Government of Kerala on four occasions. He was the minister for Labour from 11 April 1977 to 25 April 1977 in the first K. Karunakaran ministry and continued holding the same portfolio in the succeeding first A. K. Antony ministry until 27 October 1978. He was in the charge of Home portfolio in the second K. Karunakaran ministry from 28 December 1981 to 17 March 1982. He was sworn in again as a minister in the fourth K. Karunakaran ministry on 2 July 1991. He was in charge of the Finance Portfolio and resigned from the cabinet on 22 June 1994 as a protest against Karunakaran's denial of a Rajya Sabha ticket to a factional leader.

Chandy was a minister in the following ministries:

First term as chief minister, 2004–2006

The results of the parliamentary elections in May 2004 saw the Indian National Congress not winning a single seat in Kerala. The sitting chief minister, A.K. Antony, was forced to resign and accept responsibility for the poor results. On 30 August 2004, Chandy was elected as the Congress Legislature Party leader at the end of a meeting by AICC observers and clearance by the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. In what may be seen as a reflection of his work as chief minister, the Congress-led alliance was defeated but managed to retain 42 out of 140 seats in the assembly and boost its vote-share by nearly 10% after the general election rout. He resigned as chief minister on 12 May 2006 following the defeat of his party in 2006 Assembly Elections.

Leader of opposition

Chandy was the leader of opposition in the twelfth Kerala Legislative Assembly. Under his leadership, UDF marked victories in Lok Sabha Election 2009, gaining 16 out of 20 parliament constituencies in Kerala. UDF also got an upper hand in local body elections.

Leader of Congress Parliamentary Party

After winning the closely contested 2011 assembly election, Congress's legislative party unanimously elected Chandy as its leader. At the Congress Legislature Party meeting, Chandy's name was proposed by Ramesh Chennithala and seconded by Aryadan Mohammed. The election process was formally launched after Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Mohsina Kidwai and AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry, who was in charge of Kerala, held a one-to-one meeting in their capacity as observers with the 38 elected MLAs.

Second term as chief minister, 2011–2016

Oommen Chandy with Narendra Modi

UDF, led by Chandy, secured a slender margin of majority in the assembly election held on 13 April 2011 by winning 72 seats against the 68 seats of the LDF. He took the oath on 18 May 2011 with six other ministers of his cabinet. Later, thirteen other ministers were also inducted into his cabinet.

Awards and honours

Chandy received the 2013 United Nations Public Service Award for the Asia-Pacific region, for "Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service." The award was presented on 27 June 2013, in Manama, Bahrain, by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Wu Hongbo. The award was based on the theme "Transformative e-Government and Innovation: Creating a Better Future for All."

Achievements

The inauguration of Complete E-literacy project at Thiruvananthapuram (2014)

Chandy first took charge as chief minister on 31 August 2004 and adopted the motto Athivegam Bahudooram (Fast and far). Sanctioning of unemployment allowance, and welfare measures for labourers were some of the measures introduced by his government. Chandy attended the 35th World Economic Forum held at Davos, Switzerland, in 2006. The Karunya benevolent scheme was implemented in 2011–2012, allowing free treatment of patients with cancer, haemophilia, and kidney and heart diseases. Forty-three Cochlear implant surgeries were performed under a Cochlear implant scheme for hearing impaired children. More organ implantation surgeries were done through Mruthasanjeevani project. Chandy also received the United Nation's Public Service Award for his Mass Contact Programme (Jana Samparkka Paripadi), for hearing and solving the complaints of citizens. In 2005, Information Technology was made a compulsory subject for the school-level students, making Kerala the first Indian state to do so. Victers TV, which is India's first public edutainment channel broadband network on EDUSAT for schools, was inaugurated by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on 28 July 2005 at Thiruvananthapuram. The Hill highway project, a massive highway project that connects the eastern hilly areas of the districts of Kerala first proposed in 1960, was approved by the First Chandy ministry in 2005. The Government of Kerala approved the project and allocated funds on 17 January 2005, Chandy inaugurated the first phase of the project between Kasaragod and Palakkad at a function held in Payyavoor.

Kochi metro was the fastest completed metro project in India on its inauguration

The Second Chandy ministry (2011–2016) adopted the motto Vikasanavum Karuthalum (Development and Care). Chandy's regime was instrumental in beginning the construction of several massive infrastructure projects as well as some human-welfare schemes in Kerala which included the Kannur International Airport in Kannur, the Kochi Metro at Kochi, the Vizhinjam International Seaport at Thiruvananthapuram, and the Smart City project. The projects for Thiruvananthapuram Light Metro and Kozhikode Light Metro were approved in 2012. A suburban rail project was initiated in 2013.

The Technopark at Thiruvananthapuram became the largest Information Technology park in India with the inauguration of its third phase in 2014. The Taurus Downtown at Technopark was commenced during the period 2011–2016. The second phase of InfoPark, Kochi was inaugurated in May 2015. Phase two of InfoPark Thrissur was completed during the same period. The Park Centre of Cybercity at Kozhikode was formally opened by IT Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty on 15 February 2014. UL Cyberpark at Kozhikode was inaugurated in January 2016.

It was also during his administration that 12 new Taluks, 28 new Municipalities, and the Kannur Municipal Corporation were formed for more effective decentralisation and proper utilisation of resources in the state, It was the largest Taluk delimitation in the state of Kerala since 1957. A number of state highways were constructed under Chandy government, and the final decision to widen the national highways of the state to 45 metres (148 ft) were taken in 2014. During his tenure, 227 road bridges costing nearly Rs 1,600 crore were built across Kerala, the most ever in the state. The Kozhikode bypass was completed and the works of Kollam Bypass and Alappuzha Bypass roads were restarted during 2011–2016. The Karamana-Kaliyikkavila and Kazhakootam-Karode bypasses for the city of Thiruvananthapuram were initiated and started. The Kochi-Mangalore GAIL pipeline was commissioned by the Second Chandy ministry in 2013.

Oommen Chandy in September 2015

Chandry's administration also made the decision to build at least one government medical college in each district without one, to ensure the presence of the public medical college in all 14 districts of Kerala, which was instrumental in the public health infrastructure of the state. As a part of the project, new medical colleges were established in the state starting in 2013, after a gap of 31 years. The National University of Advanced Legal Studies at Kochi was founded in 2005 and the Indian Institute of Technology at Palakkad was established in 2015. The universities founded during 2011-2016 period include the Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University at Tirur (2012) and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University at Thiruvananthapuram (2014). The K. R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts at Kottayam was inaugurated in January 2016. In 2015, the Cochin International Airport became the world's first fully solar-powered airport with the inauguration of a dedicated solar plant. The airport won the Champion of the Earth award in 2018, the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations. The airport was awarded The Best Airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 (with 5-15 million passengers per annum) by the Airports Council International. The Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) was formed under KSRTC in 2015 to manage affairs related to urban transportation. It was inaugurated on 12 April 2015 at Thevara. Works on the last phase of Kollam Bypass was started on 27 May 2015.

Cochin International Airport is the first airport in the world to be fully powered by solar energy

Social welfare pensions were doubled during Chandy's second ministry, increasing to Rs.600. The government distributed pensions ranging from Rs 800 - Rs 1,500. Social welfare pensions which had been distributed to 12.9 lakh people until 2011 were extended to 34.43 lakh during 2011–2016. Pensions for the disabled and widows were increased to Rs 800. Old-age pensions were increased to Rs 1,500 for those above 75 years and Rs 1,100 to those above 80 years. Other social welfare measures included free rations for those who lost their employment, and 4,14,552 houses for those who hadn't homes before. Free rice was given to those who were below the poverty line. Food kits were distributed during Onam, Ramdan, and Christmas. A rubber Subsidy to ensure a minimum price of Rs 150/kg was implemented in 2015. The Kerala Public Service Commission filled vacant posts during 2011–2016, appointing as many as 1,67,096 job candidates, setting a record; 46,223 posts were created in the same period. The second Chandy ministry had also made the decision to prohibit liqueur in the state by discouraging bars. The number of political killings were relatively low (eleven) during 2011–2016. Kerala was declared as the first complete digital state of India on 27 February 2016.

Twenty-six sectors were identified for showcasing in the Emerging Kerala summit of 2012 held at Kochi. The event was organised by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), to highlight investment opportunities available in Kerala and advertise to the world its state of readiness to receive investors. Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the three-day event. Goals for the event included bringing in 45 specific project proposals with an investment of over Rs.40,000 crore, including Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd's Kochi Refinery expansion and another joint venture project of Rs.18,000 crore, Volkswagen’s engine assembly unit (Rs.2,000 crore), a hospital and pre-cast concrete structure manufacturing unit (Rs.570 crore), and a solar energy plant (Rs.500crore). A number of projects were conceptualized and developed in the tate following the summit, the most prominent of which included the Kochi-Mangalore GAIL Pipeline, Vizhinjam International Seaport, Kochi Metro, Thiruvananthapuram Light Metro and Kozhikode Light Metro, Petroleum Chemicals & Petrochemical Investment Region, Kochi-Palakkad National Investment and Manufacturing Zone, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram–Kasargode Semi High Speed Rail Corridor, Kerala Seaplane, Electronic hub at Kochi, Titanium Sponge Plant Project at Kollam, Oceanarium project at Kochi, Bio 360 Life Sciences Park at Thiruvananthapuram, a gas-based powerplant at Cheemeni, Kasaragod, and Kochi LNG Terminal.

Death

Oommen Chandy died in a private hospital in Bengaluru on 18 July 2023 at the age of 79 from complications from throat cancer.