In the cabinet meeting of the Kerala Government today, Sheikh Darvesh Sahib was appointed as Director of General Police (DGP) of Kerala. Dr V Venu has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary.
Thiruvananthapuram: In the cabinet meeting of the Kerala Government on Tuesday (June 27), Sheikh Darvesh Sahib was appointed as Director of General Police of Kerala. At the same time, Dr V Venu was appointed as Chief Secretary and is currently the Additional Chief Secretary (Home). After current Chief Secretary VP Joy and State Police Chief Anil Kant retire on June 30, they will take over those positions.
Darvesh Sahib is currently the head of the Fire and Rescue Services in the state. He has worked with the Crime branch chief and the ADGP in charge of law and order.
Sahib has a clean track record free from controversies. He hails from Andhra Pradesh and is known as the face of gentleness in the police department. Sahib is a 1990 IPS batch cadre and started his services as an ASP of Nedumangad, Thiruvananthapuram. He has also assumed the office of district police in the Wayanad, Palakkad, Kasaragod and Kannur districts. He was the ADGP in charge of law and order in the Vigilance department. Sheikh was also appointed as Crime Branch Chief twice before. He has served as Governor's ADC and as part of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. He also worked as Kochi City Police Commissioner in SP rank.
Sahib has received many pieces of training including from America. A graduate in agriculture, he went on to earn a doctorate in agronomy and an MBA in finance. He was awarded the President's Police Medal in 2016 for distinguished service and the Indian Police Medal in 2007 for meritorious service. He has won Ati Utkrishta Seva Pathak and United Nations Peace Keeping Medal.
Dr. V Venu was once the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India and the Secretary of the Department of Cultural Affairs in Kerala. During his time as Director General of the Museum, the National Museum in Delhi witnessed a structural and organisational transformation. While working for the Indian government's Ministry of Tourism, Dr. Venu was also a key contributor to the Incredible India campaign. Many of the projects for rural and responsible tourism have benefited from Dr. Venu's vision. His tenure saw the beginning of IT initiatives for the state's tourism promotion since he was also the former director for tourism. A 1990 batch IAS officer, he started as a Sub-Collector of Pala, Kottayam. He was a secretary in various departments of the state.