Rao is currently serving as Special Chief Secretary in the finance department
Hyderabad: Senior bureaucrat K. Ramakrishna Rao was on Sunday appointed Chief Secretary of Telangana. Presently special chief secretary, finance, Ramakrishna Rao will take charge on April 30, when incumbent Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari retires from service.
The government also effected a major reshuffle of bureaucrats and created, for the first time, a metropolitan area and urban development department on the lines of Karnataka to oversee urban affairs within the Outer Ring Road limits.
Accordingly, the MA&UD ministry, which is held by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, was split into two and the residuary department will oversee urban affairs in the rest of the state. Sources said the Chief Minister would retain the metropolitan portfolio, leaving the rest of the MA&UD to another minister whenever the Cabinet is reshuffled. Sources also said there would be another rejig of IAS officers in May, involving senior officials and collectors of several districts.
Senior bureaucrat, Jayesh Ranjan, who has been contributing to the industrial and IT growth for more than a decade, was inducted into the Chief Minister’s Office, a clear indication of Revanth Reddy rewarding efficiency. Ranjan was made chief executive officer of the industries and investment cell in the CMO which will also oversee Revanth Reddy’s brainchild, Smart Proactive Efficient and Effective Delivery (Speed).
E.V. Narasimha Reddy, who served as TGIIC managing director during the BRS regime and is director of school education, will be Ranjan’s deputy as additional CEO of the newly created industry, investment and Speed cell. He will also be heading the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation.
Sarve Sangeetha Satyanarayana, who was reportedly taken into the CMO as part of maintaining social equilibrium, was transferred and posted as director of health and family welfare and was given additional charge of Aarogyasri Health Care Trust.
The axe had fallen on controversial bureaucrat Smitha Sabharwal following her social media posts on University of Hyderabad land row. She was shunted out from the tourism department and sent back as member-secretary in the TG Finance Commission where she served in the initial days of the Congress regime. Jayesh Ranjan, a task master, was given additional charge of tourism in view of the prestigious Miss World pageant scheduled from May 7.
The Chief Minister also shunted senior bureaucrat M. Dana Kishore from the MA&UD department to labour and employment.
Information and public relations commissioner Dr S. Harish was given the important portfolio of chairman and managing director of Telangana Genco. He will continue to hold his I&PR and revenue (disaster management) assignments. GHMC commissioner K. Ilambarithi was moved out of the corporation and posted as secretary to the newly-created metropolitan area and urban development department. R.V. Karnan, who left his mark with a massive hygiene drive against erring food establishments, was made GHMC commissioner.
Other postings included Sanjay Kumar (special CS, industries and commerce), T.K. Sridevi (secretary, MA&UD) K. Shashanka (commissioner Future City Development Authority and director, mines and geology), K. Nikhila (secretary, Telangana Human Rights Commission), S. Venkata Rao (director, endowments), P. Katyayani Devi (additional CEO, Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, SERP), Bhorkhade Hemant Sahadeorao (zonal commissioner, GHMC), G. Phaneendra Reddy (managing director, Telangana Medical Services Infrastructure Development Corporation), P. Kadhiravan ( joint commissioner, PR & RD), K. Vidya Sagar (additional collector (Local Bodies), Hyderabad) R. Upender Reddy (secretary, HMDA).
