Know Rathan Kelkar: Man behind Kerala’s Elder-Friendly Office Certification

Spearheading India’s first Elder-Friendly Office Certification (EFOC) is senior IAS officer Dr. Rathan U. Kelkar, Secretary to the Government for the Department of Senior Citizens’ Welfare. Tasked with overhauling public delivery systems for an aging demographic, Kelkar has operationalized a rigorous framework to make administrative spaces barrier-free and dignified. The initiative directly eliminates common physical hurdles for seniors—such as exhausting queues, multi-flight staircases lacking handrails, inaccessible service counters, and official forms printed in illegibly small fonts. By establishing standardized evaluation protocols and independent audit mechanisms across public offices, Kelkar’s administrative push transforms routine bureaucratic visits into an empathetic, responsive experience, establishing a new national benchmark for inclusive governance.