Telangana Major IAS Reshuffle: N. Sridhar Appointed Principal Secretary to CM

Hyderabad: In a major reshuffle of senior IAS officers, the state government on Friday appointed 1997 batch IAS officer N. Sridhar as principal secretary to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, while transferring the Chief Minister's special secretary B. Ajith Reddy as chief executive officer of Invest Telangana, the investment promotion agency created under the industries and commerce department.

Overall, the government transferred 13 IAS officers across various departments.

A native of Metpally in Karimnagar district, Sridhar has nearly 29 years of administrative experience. He has served as district collector of Anantapur, Krishna, Warangal and Rangareddy districts. Between 2010 and 2014, he worked as secretary to then Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Following the formation of Telangana in 2014, then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao appointed Sridhar chairman and managing director of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), where he served for a record nine-year tenure from 2015 to 2023. After the Congress assumed power in December 2023, Sridhar was appointed principal secretary in the social welfare, panchayat raj and rural development, and mines departments.

Ajith Reddy, an officer of the Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES), had taken charge as special secretary in the Chief Minister's Office soon after Revanth Reddy assumed office in December 2023. Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive Officer of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board.

M. Raghunandan Rao, secretary, commercial taxes and excise, has been given full additional charge of secretary, mines and geology, industries and commerce, replacing Sridhar.

Among the other transfers, Sabyasachi Ghosh has been given full additional charge (FAC) as special chief secretary, handlooms, textiles and handicrafts. He has also been entrusted with additional charge as director of handlooms and textiles, vice-chairman and managing director of Telangana Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited, and managing director of TGCO. Ghosh will continue to hold additional charge as special chief secretary, tribal welfare, and the welfare department.

Shailaja Ramaiyer has been transferred as principal secretary, environment, forests, science and technology department. She will continue to hold FAC as principal secretary, endowments, and has also been given an additional charge as Director-General of the Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI).

Ahmad Nadeem has been posted as principal secretary (political), general administration department, relieving Raghunandan Rao of the additional charge. He has also been entrusted with FAC as principal secretary for minorities welfare.

Rahul Bojja, on his return from leave, has been posted as principal secretary, disaster management, revenue. He will continue to hold an additional charge as principal secretary, Backward Classes welfare department.

Md. Musharraf Ali Faruqui has been given full additional charge as vice-chairman and managing director of TGREDCO.

P. Katyayani Devi has been transferred as special secretary, handlooms, textiles and handicrafts. She will continue to hold additional charge as joint managing director of the State Finance Corporation.

K. Gangadhar has been transferred and posted as special secretary, roads and buildings. T. Venkanna has been transferred as municipal commissioner of the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation. K. Vidyasagar has been appointed director of tourism. He has also been given FAC as state nodal officer for Prajavani.

K. Chandrakala, GHMC Shamshabad zonal commissioner, has been given FAC as joint metropolitan commissioner (Core Urban Region, land pooling and Metro Rail) in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority.