Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has asked ministers and other key persons in his government not to hire personal assistants, personal secretaries and PROs who had worked with previous governments.
Mr Rao, who has gone for fresh faces in the CMO, put IT minister K.T. Rama Rao, irrigation minister T. Harish Rao and other ministers in a quandary since they have recently hired PAs and PSs who had worked with previous ministers. Sources said that these ministers will now have to let their assistants and secretaries go.
“KCR garu wants a clean, transparent and corruption-free administration. We have been asked not to hire PAs and PSs of previous ministers since many were hit by scams. KCR does not want to carry the old legacy and asked us to go for new faces,” said a minister.
There has been intense lobbying for the posts of PAs, PSs and PROs with ministers and other key functionaries in the government. Some of the applicants were recommended by previous ministers. “It has come to the notice of the Chief Minister that there is intensive lobbying for the posts. He was furious and asked all ministers to shun the old faces immediately. In fact, many of us have hired people after going through their personal records as well as information from other sources to check their antecedents,” another minister disclosed.
The CM himself has been scouting for fresh faces with clean images for the CMO. He has appointed Coal India chairman, Narsinga Rao, as principal secretary, former PF commissioner, Rajasekhar Reddy, as OSD and Medak Collector, Smita Sabharwal, as additional secretary in the CMO.
Besides the CM, there are two deputy Chief Ministers Md Mahamood Ali and Dr T. Rajaiah and ministers Nayani Narasimha Reddy, Etela Rajender, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, T. Harish Rao, T. Padma Rao Goud, P. Mahender Reddy and K.T. Rama Rao who need the services of PAs and PS.
There are several government officials on deputation who were PAs and PSs to ministers in the Congress government for long. “There is a huge demand for such posts since it carries a lot of influence. In fact some previous ministers recommend names to the new ministers. Some carry the legacy of corruption, wheeling dealing and fixing,” a senior officer said.
