Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government aims to become the number one in the country in the IT sector, but is not able to appoint a permanent secretary for this department. In the last two years, six secretaries were changed for this department. No secretary was allowed to continue for more than four months.
Uncertainty of IT secretaries has affected IT exports in this financial year. In the previous financial year, the state government had done Rs 2,450 crore of IT exports. The current financial year, till end of December 2016, it has done only Rs 590 crore of IT exports, raising concern about the growth of this segment in the state.
After state bifurcation, Sanjay Jaju was appointed as IT secretary. In the end of 2014, he went in for central government service on deputation. Later, Kona Sashi-dhar was appointed as IT secretary. Within four months, he was transferred and B. Sridhar was appointed. He was also transferred within four months, and Phani Kishore was appointed in his place.
Suddenly Phani Kishore was also transferred and joint-secretary in the CMO P. Pradyumna was appointed as IT secretary, giving him full charge. The differences with IT adviser led to moving Pradyumna from the IT department. CMD of AP Transco K. Vijayanand was given additional charge as IT secretary.
Freequent changes of IT secretaries is affecting the department and they are not able to concentrate on departmental activities. In the present financial year, the AP government has fixed a target of Rs 2,875 crore in IT exports. But in the nine months period, the AP government has only Rs 590 crore in exports — meeting 19. 83 per cent of the target.
A senior official said that, in the previous year, some IT companies which have their headquarters in Hyderabad have made billings from their units located in AP, expecting some benefits from the AP government.
He said that in the current financial year, they stopped billing from AP since they did not get any encouragement from the state government and this has affected IT exports from the state. Despite having two IT advisers, the department is facing problems.
