Former Union Health Secretary Keshav Desiraju died at a private hospital in Chennai on Sunday morning. He was 66.
He died due to acute coronary syndrome. Mr. Desiraju was the grandson of former President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
After retirement, Mr. Desiraju remained involved in issues of public health, particularly on mental health, primary health care and community health. He has also authored and co-authored books.
Recently he wrote a book on M.S. Subbulakshmi, “Gifted Voice: The Life and Art of M.S. Subbulakshmi”. He had co-edited with Samitan Nundy and Sanjay Nagral a book on corruption in healthcare system in 2018.
In a tribute the IAS Association on its twitter handle said, "@ias_tn expresses heartfelt condolences on the untimely and sudden demise of Thiru Keshav Desiraju IAS Retd, who has dedicated his life to the service of the Society."
Mr. Desiraju has been on the board of several organisations, including Auroville.