In a major bureaucratic move, the Telangana government has picked senior IAS official Ramakrishna Rao as the state’s new Chief Secretary. He will be succeeding Shanti Kumari, who is to retire by April end.Sources say Shanti Kumari is expected to assume the position of Chief Commissioner under the Right to Information (RTI) Act after her retirement.
Winning the Chief Secretary position is a milestone in the career of an IAS officer, but very few make it to this point. While Ramakrishna Rao is the present senior-most IAS officer in Telangana, he has only four months remaining before his official retirement — a significant departure from the usual practice of appointing officers with a minimum of two years of service left.
Though the tenure is short, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy apparently selected Ramakrishna Rao on account of his thorough knowledge in financial administration and his ability to mobilise funds from the Centre. Rao’s stint will expire in August 2025; however, officials say that the state may approach the Centre for a six-month extension to maintain stability in the leadership.
Other top-ranking officers, such as Jayesh Ranjan and Vikas Raj, were also in the fray for the number one position. Jayesh Ranjan, the current leader in spearheading investment promotion activities, has around two and a half years of tenure left and remains one of the top contenders to assume the highest position in the future. Vikas Raj’s fate is still unclear on the next step.
Along with the hiring of Chief Secretary, the government of Telangana also appointed a big IAS reshuffle. One among the state’s top bureaucrats, Smita Sabharwal, has been posted as the Member Secretary Finance Commission, biggest change to her portfolio.
