Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh government has completed the exercise of downsizing the departments by merging some departments together.
After state bifurcation, the departments remained same, though the number of IAS officers came down.
At present, there are about 50 departments and about 60 IAS officers are working as principal secretaries and secretaries.
AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had said in his first press conference it is necessary to downsize the government departments by merging some of them as IAS officers will be divided between both the states.
Later, the AP government appointed an official committee on downsizing the departments. The committee has submitted its report to chief secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao recently. The total number of departments in the report is said to be 30.
At present the revenue department has three secretaries. After downsizing, only two secretaries will look after the department. Finance department has four secretaries now, but it will have only two secretaries.
Municipal administration and medical and health departments have two secretaries each, but now it will have only one secretary each.
The report also suggests to merge the co-operation department with the forest and environment department.
All welfare departments are to be merged with the social welfare department and it will have one secretary.
The new departments will come into force after the IAS officers are reshuffled, which is expected to be over by this month end or by the first week of October.
