Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is reportedly considering a major reshuffle of senior bureaucracy in a day or two, after a gap of two years, to address a slew of issues.
Sources said that the CM was keen to form an ‘election team’, with efficient officials leading key departments for speedy and effective implementation of developmental programmes and welfare schemes ahead of the Assembly polls in 2023.
Official sources said that the CM had decided to fill five vacant conferred-IAS officer posts from non-revenue services for the first time since the formation of Telangana in 2014.
Usually, deputy collector-level Group-I officers in revenue departments are promoted and accorded ‘conferred IAS’ status. But for those from non-revenue departments, the government has to send a list of five senior officers from each department to UPSC, which will decide on the same after holding interviews.
Since there was no vacancy for ‘conferred IAS’ status for non-revenue categories since the formation of the state, the government had not sent a list to the UPSC.
The Chief Minister reportedly directed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to prepare a list of five senior officials from non-revenue departments by December 3 and refer it to the UPSC.
E.V. Narsimha Reddy, vice chairman and managing director of TSIIC, and finance minister T. Harish Rao's personal secretary K. Ashok Reddy are reportedly among the probables.
Sources said the Chief Minister held a series of meetings with the Chief Secretary at Pragathi Bhavan to discuss transfers and administrative issues. Kumar reportedly drafted the list of officers for transfers and suggested key postings for CM's approval.
A reshuffle of IPS officers is also expected either simultaneously or soon after IAS transfers.
The last major reshuffle was on February 3, 2020, when the government transferred 50 IAS officers at one go, including collectors to various districts. The CM is now planning to undertake a similar reshuffle in the run-up to the 2023 Assembly polls.
At present, several key departments have no full-time secretaries, commissioners or directors. These positions are held by incharges.
Chief Secretary Kumar is handling the additional responsibilities of all the key revenue-earning departments, such as revenue, registration, stamps, excise and commercial taxes. Somesh also has the full additional charge of chief commissioner of land administration (CCLA) in addition to the post of chairperson of the TS Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
Besides, there are no district collectors for four districts. They are governed by incharge collectors of other districts. A few IAS officers are continuing in the same positions for the last eight years since the formation of Telangana state in 2014.
The CM wants to address all these issues by undertaking a major reshuffle of IAS officers.
