Digital communications policy architect Aruna Sundararajan retires

In 1998, Aruna Sundararajan set up Kerala’s first ever department of information technology (IT). The exercise, which laid the foundation for the state’s digital journey, was a result of her incessant efforts in convincing the then chief minister E K Nayanar that the IT revolution was inevitable and needed a dedicated separate department.

That was 21 years ago.

After an eventful career, Sundararajan retires on Wednesday after helming the central government’s department of telecommunications through the choppy seas left in the wake of Reliance Jio’s entry in September 2016.