CHENNAI: Senior IAS officer Beela Venkatesan, the secretary of the energy department in Tamil Nadu, passed away on Wednesday. She was 55. Beela was on leave for the past three months for treatment of her illness. She is survived by her two daughters.

The 1997-batch IAS officer was the face of the state during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020. She was serving as the health secretary during that time and got big praise for her work in containing the disease in the state.

A native of the Kanyakumari district, Beela was the daughter of former DGP L.N. Venkatesan and former legislator Rani Venkatesan.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin expressed shock over the death and recalled her efforts during the pandemic time while facing unprecedented challenges.

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