K.J. Alphons is from the 1979 batch of the Indian Administrative Service. He rose to national prominence as an effective administrator and anti-corruption crusader. He was the commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority and a pioneer of the literacy movement in India. The mass contact programme he started as a district collector won the highest UN award for innovation in governance. He was featured in the list of 100 Young Global Leaders by Time magazine. In 2006 Alphons left the civil service and joined politics. During his tenure as tourism minister, India was third in global tourism. He was also the minister of state for electronics and information technology. He was an independent MLA in Kerala , after quitting the IAS in 2006. He also won the best MLA award  and was Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan, 2017-22. He is also a motivational speaker and the best-selling author of Making a Difference.