Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his episode of Mann Ki Baat praised Parameswaran Iyer for emptying a public toilet pit in Warangal as part of Swachh Bharat. The new exercise of emptying toilet pits is convenient without any strings attached to it. Prime Minister also said that everyone noticed an IAS officer cleaning toilet pit. Who is this IAS officer? A year ago an unconventional handpick by Modi, Iyerwas appointed as the secretary of the drinking water and sanitation ministry on contract for two years. Here are five amazing facts about Param Iyer –

Fondly called as Param by his associates abroad, he is a 1981 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS who worked in the union ministries of Defence and Textiles. He was collector and district magistrate in UP’s Bijnor district.

On his eight year-long foreign assignment for Jal Suraj programme, Iyer developed expertise in water and sanitation in United Nation’s World Food Program

He took voluntary retirement from IAS in 2009 and continued working abroad as program manager and lead water and sanitation specialist.

Heplayed a key role in Vietnam’s sanitation drive. Vietnam has set the target of making it an open defecation free nation by 2025.

Iyer is a key architect of the framework of the $1,500 million proposed loan from World Bank for the Swach Bharat Mission.