https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

From Flood Victims to Under-Privileged Children, He Takes Care of them All

A look on IAS Vinay Goyal’s achievements in the service – From facing devastating floods, to protecting people in the Sabarimala shrine and bringing a positive change in the life of economically backward children.
Indian Masterminds Stories

IAS officer of the 2016 batch ( Kerala cadre), Dr. Vinay Goyal’s achievements are not only limited to his work during Covid-19. In the second part of his exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, he talked about facing the worst floods in Kerala, maintaining law and order in the Sabarimala shrine, and his time with the ‘Shehenshah of Bollywood’, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.

IAS officer, Dr. Vinay Goyal

ON THE HOT SEAT

On 10th October 2017, the famous game show `Kaun Banega Crorepati’, hosted by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan telecasted its 32nd episode of season 9 which featured Mr. Goyal. Doing so, he became the first IAS officer to take part in this show.

Mr. Goyal in the game show

“I had been trying for the show since I was a kid while watching KBC Junior. I tried around 4 to 5 times, and somehow I got lucky and got selected for the ‘fastest fingers first’ round. Spending quality time with Mr. Bachchan is something that I will cherish my entire life” he said gushingly

Meeting with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is his most cherished moment

Mr. Goyal won Rs.12.50 lakh from the show, and this prize money he spent on the education of economically weak students.

FACING THE WORST FLOODS IN HISTORY

In 2018, after receiving academic training from Thrissur, Mr. Goyal received his first independent posting as the Sub-Collector of Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, when the worst floods in centuries hit the place. It spared neither life nor property. Mr. Goyal immediately got involved in the rehabilitation work in the district, as the region was more or less devastated. He was deputed from his post of Assistant Secretary in cultural ministry to the Kerala house, New Delhi where he was seeing the movement of all the relief material that was being sent, via trains and flights.

Mr. Goyal talking with the police and public

“We worked continuously for 10 days and nights, and as soon as I was sent to Thiruvalla, I started with the rehabilitation work of reconstructing all the houses which were damaged in the floods. All the pending work had to be finished quickly before the next monsoon struck,” he recalled.

Mr. Goyal formed a team and set out to work. He came up with the idea of giving two kinds of compensations for loss. “Government could build their houses for them, or they could take the money from the government and build their houses by themselves, in whatever way they were comfortable in,” he told Indian Masterminds. The swift work by Mr. Goyal and his team was also appreciated by the Chief Minister.

His work was swift and satisfying

They were one of the first districts to implement the Incident Response System (IRS) based disaster preparedness plan. Mock drills were conducted at all talukas with the participation of all departments and especially panchayats and local youth clubs. “This was felt necessary after the 2018 great floods. As a result of our mock drills we were able to manage the floods of 2019 and 2020 very effectively without a single casualty” says Mr. Goyal

Mock drills for flood management

FIRST RESPONDERS TRAINING PROGRAM

It was initiated in Thiruvalla with the help of medical and pharmacy colleges. Under this, training regarding dos and don’t in case of a roadside accident was imparted to line departments like police and MVD. Auto unions, truck unions, highway shop owners, and local youth were also involved in the training.

Mr. Goyal with his team of first responders

“Also we initiated one Basic Life Support training program including Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation for school and college students of Thiruvalla and for my revenue staff. Thiruvalla is like an educational hub as there are so many colleges. We took the help of all the medical colleges there and launched this program. It was a big success and we were able to train a large number of youth in simple life-saving procedures like CPR”, he recalled.

CONTROL ROOM FOR SABARIMALA SHRINE

In 2018, when Sabarimala temple in Kerala faced disturbances, its law and order came under the SDM of the region, Mr. Goyal, who was also the nodal officer-in-charge of emergency operations. Sabarimala pilgrimage is about two months long, starting from mid-October to end-January. Around 14 th January, around 1 lakh pilgrims gather on the top of the shrine for a festival, to see ‘Divya Jyoti.’

Disaster preparedness training for all departments in Sabarimala

“We needed to make sure that it went on smoothly, without any stampede or issues, and to ensure that we opened a control room, under my charge, to coordinate with all the departments, such as the police, fire team, medical team, etc. We operated three emergency centers and the entire ‘darshan’ and other ceremonies went really smooth” stated Mr. Goyal.

Emergency Operation Center at Sabarimala

BRIGHTENING THE FUTURE OF ECONOMICALLY BACKWARD CHILDREN

Mr. Goyal has a soft corner for little children who, because of their economic conditions, are deprived of their right to education. He believes that each and every child should get a chance to study, no matter what because only then will they be able to brighten up their future. He even donated part of his money that he won from KBC for the betterment of such children.

Mr. Goyal at his office

“I am planning to develop a kind of system, maybe through online platforms, where we could prepare these kids for the future. I have like-minded friends who wish to support me in this initiative. This is one area, apart from my work, where I would like to bring a positive impact on the society” he said.

CHEVENING SCHOLARSHIP

Mr. Goyal brought laurels to the nation when he received the extremely prestigious ‘Chevening Scholarship’ which is a fully-funded scholarship provided by the U.K. Government. Through the scholarship, Mr. Goyal will be going to the London School of Economics to pursue his Master’s in Public Health. He got the scholarship for pursuing Masters in Public health Policy jointly from LSE and London School of hygiene and tropical medicine. London School of hygiene and tropical medicine is the 3rd best in the world and the first in Europe in public health after Harvard and John Hopkins.

Chevening Scholarship received by Mr. Vinay Goyal

Public health is my area of interest. Also, naturally being a doctor I’m more inclined towards Public health. More often during my tenure in IAS, I have come across public health issues many times.

Very few scholars are selected every year for the scholarship and Mr. Goyal happens to be one amongst them!


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Bombay High Court
Decentralising Justice: Bombay High Court Bench Set to Start Functioning in Kolhapur from August 18
Ministry of Coal
Coal Power Trio: CIL, NLCIL & SCCL Achieve 114% of Q1 Capex Target, Signalling Aggressive Growth
Indian Forest Services IFS officer
Uttarakhand Forest Department Set for Major IFS Reshuffle Post Election Code Lift - Details Inside
UPPSC_UPPCS_resized
UPPSC BEO Recruitment 2025: Rules Amended, Legal Hurdles Cleared for 134 Vacancies - Details Inside
Former CJI DY Chandrachud
Former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud Vacates Official Bungalow, Shifts to Teen Murti Marg
Dr Mayank Sharma
Seasoned IDAS Officer Dr. Mayank Sharma Assumes Role of Financial Advisor to the Defence Services
Raj Kumar Arora
Defence Finance Leadership Strengthened: IDAS Officer Raj Kumar Arora Takes Charge as Controller General of Defence Accounts
IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma
Real-Life Hero Honoured Onscreen: IPS Manoj Kumar Sharma Applauds ‘12th Fail’ After National Award Triumph
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Bombay High Court
Decentralising Justice: Bombay High Court Bench Set to Start Functioning in Kolhapur from August 18
Ministry of Coal
Coal Power Trio: CIL, NLCIL & SCCL Achieve 114% of Q1 Capex Target, Signalling Aggressive Growth
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT