KOCHI: S Subramanian, a 2001 batch civil service officer who served as the Director of Regional Outreach Bureau, Kerala Region, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, has assumed office as Public Relations director under the Ministry of Defence at the Defence Headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday.
A native of Thodupuzha, Subramanian has held various responsibilities such as regional director of the Directorate of Field Publicity, Director (News) at Doordarshan Thiruvananthapuram. He also headed the Press Information Bureau in Thiruvananthapuram and was chairman of the Censor Board for a while.
He was deputed as the Election Commission’s observer for media monitoring and paid news in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir during the assembly and general elections.
As director, Subramanian will be in charge of publicity and media management of the Defence Ministry, Departments of Defence, Defence Production and Ex-Servicemen Welfare.
The directorate is the authorised channel for communication mandated with the task of disseminating information about policies, programmes and activities of defence and other establishments of the Ministry of Defence. The Directorate of Public Relations has a country-wide network with regional units, serving as defence spokesperson at 25 locations.
Subramanian is the son of late Shanker and Saraswathy Ammal of Karottumana Madom in Thodupuzha.