T’puram: Anju K S, a 2017-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, assumed charge as the new district collector of Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. She was serving as director of the state lotteries department before taking up the new assignment.As district collector, Anju will also oversee rehabilitation activities linked to the Vizhinjam Port project.Anju holds a BTech degree in instrumentation and a postgraduate degree in public management. She has previously served as sub-collector of Perinthalmanna, district development commissioner of Alappuzha and staff officer to the chief secretary.She has also served as managing director of Kerala State Backward Classes Development Corporation and as director of the scheduled caste development department, agriculture and farmers’ welfare department.A native of Palakkad, Anju is married to Navarosh and has a son, Atharv.Meanwhile, outgoing collector Anu Kumari will take charge as special commissioner of the state GST department.A farewell was accorded to Kumari at the Civil Station. The function was organised by collectorate staff welfare and recreation club. Revenue minister A P Anilkumar presented her with a memento and praised her contribution as district collector, saying she had earned the appreciation of employees and the public through her work.In her reply, Kumari recalled her experiences during her tenure and thanked the staff for their support. She said she had tried to approach employees and the public with empathy and that the cooperation of colleagues helped her learn the local language and complete assignments smoothly without controversies.
