Telangana Transfers 13 IAS Officers as N Sridhar Named Principal Secretary to CM

On Friday, the Telangana state government executed a major administrative reshuffle in Hyderabad, transferring 13 senior IAS officers across various departments. Under the new orders, 1997-batch IAS officer N. Sridhar was appointed as the principal secretary to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. Concurrently, the Chief Minister's special secretary and former CEO of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board, B. Ajith Reddy, was transferred to serve as the chief executive officer of Invest Telangana, the state's investment promotion agency.

N. Sridhar, a native of Metpally in Karimnagar district, brings nearly 29 years of administrative experience to his new role. He has previously served as the district collector for Anantapur, Krishna, Warangal, and Rangareddy districts. Between 2010 and 2014, Sridhar worked as the secretary to the then Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Following the state's bifurcation, he served as the chairman and managing director of Singareni Collieries Company Limited from 2015 to 2023. Most recently, he held the post of principal secretary in the social welfare, panchayat raj and rural development, and mines departments.

B. Ajith Reddy, an officer of the Indian Defence Estates Service, had assumed charge as special secretary in the Chief Minister's Office in December 2023. Prior to that, he had served in Secunderabad.

As part of the reshuffle, M. Raghunandan Rao, the secretary for commercial taxes and excise, was given full additional charge as secretary for mines and geology, industries and commerce, taking over the portfolio from Sridhar.

Several other senior officials received new postings and additional charges. Sabyasachi Ghosh was given full additional charge as special chief secretary for handlooms, textiles, and handicrafts, among other roles. Shailaja Ramaiyer was transferred as the principal secretary for the environment, forests, science, and technology department.

Additionally, Ahmad Nadeem was posted as principal secretary (political) in the general administration department, and Rahul Bojja was posted as principal secretary for disaster management in the revenue department. Other transfers included Md. Musharraf Ali Faruqui, P. Katyayani Devi, K. Gangadhar, T. Venkanna, K. Vidyasagar, and K. Chandrakala, who was appointed to a key role in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority.