Kannanthanam J Alphons, MoS Ministry of Tourism, IT - Profile

New Delhi: Here is the profile of Kannanthanam J Alphons, MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Alphons was a 1979 batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre. Alphons became famous as Delhi's “Demolition Man” when he headed the Delhi Development Authority, having cleared DDA areas of encroachment removing around 15,000 illegal buildings. This got him listed in Time Magazine's list of 100 Young Global Leaders in 1994. Born in Manimala village in Kerala's Kottayam district, he pioneered the literacy movement in India and as District Collector of Kottayam, he made it the first 100 percent literate town in India in 1989.

Kannanthanam had set up the NGO Janshakti in 1994 for social works. On retiring from IAS, he contested the Kerala assembly polls in 2006 to become an independent MLA from Kanjirappally. He was also a member of the committee to prepare the final draft of the National Education Policy 2017. He also authored the book "Making A Difference".