Sri C. S. Rao (Chellapilla Satyanarayana Rao) of the 1967 batch of the IAS (Andhra Pradesh cadre) passed away on June 28, 2018. He had served as the Chairman of the IRDAI (2003-2008), Revenue Secretary, and Expenditure Secretary to the Govt. of India, He succumbed to a lung-related illness. Most recently, between 2014-2016, he was Financial Advisor to the Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, until he declined an extension due to his deteriorating health.

Over his career as a civil servant, he developed a deep interest and specialization in dealing with public finances. His association with finance departments began early on in his career with his posting as Deputy Secretary, Budget (Government of Andhra Pradesh) and continued through his career. Upon retirement from the IAS, he was appointed Chairman of the IRDAI where he steered the newly opened up industry. Areas of focus during his tenure were detariffing non-life insurance,  promoting health insurance, and nurturing  the micro-insurance sector. He was also actively engaged with international forums. The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) recognized his contribution to the organization by naming him Distinguished Fellow in the year 2009.

His years in the IAS also saw him serve in a wide variety of roles. He served as Principal Secretary in the Chief Minister’s office and Irrigation Department. He also served as Collector in Krishna and Visakhapatnam districts. His tenure at Krishna district saw him deal with the tidal wave of 1977. Very early in his career he worked as Project Officer, Girijan Corporation at Srikakulam and as Sub-Collector Chandragiri.

He was born in May 1943 at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. His father was Sri C. Sita Ramamurti, a college lecturer of English, and his mother was Smt. C. Suryakantam. He had his school education at Kakinada, collegiate education at Rajahmundry, and obtained a Masters’ degree in English literature (with specialization in American literature) at Sagar University. He joined the English faculty of Sri Venkateswara College at New Delhi in 1963. He entered the Indian Revenue Service in 1966 and the Indian Administrative Service in 1967.

In the final years, he turned his attention to helping several charitable and religious institutions.

[We respectfully invite you to navigate to the Reminiscences section and leave your thoughts and remembrances of our father, Sri C.S. Rao]