Two senior IAS officers in race for Chief Secretary post

Amaravati: The issue of appointment of next Chief Secretary to Andhra Pradesh government has led to a discussion among the government and political circles. Reportedly, two senior IAS officers are in the race for the post.

As the present Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar has been on medical leave until July 1, Chief Commissioner of Land Administration and Special Chief Secretary Anil Chandra Punetha is continuing on full additional charge (FAC) to the CS post.  Highly placed sources in the government told The Hans India that Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar may continue his leave for some more days. Dinesh Kumar will retire on August 30, 2018.

However, in-charge CCLA A C Punetha is confident of securing the Chief Secretary post after conclusion of the tenure of Dinesh Kumar. Special Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Satish Chandra is also in the race for the Chief Secretary’s post. According to information from General Administration Department, there are 13 IAS officers (of AP cadre) that have below 3 years of service. 

Of them, 7 officers are in Central service. L V Subramanyam (date of birth 22-4-1960 and 1983 batch), Anil Chandra Punetha (10-5-1959 and 1984 batch), Manmohan Singh (2-10-1959 and 1985 batch), D Sambasiva Rao (4-1-1960 and 1986 batch), Satish Chandra (20-11-1961 and 1986 batch) and JSV Prasad (20-12-1961 and 1987 batch), all are working as special chief secretaries for various departments in Andhra Pradesh Secretariat. As per the speculations in the government and political circles, the government may consider the names of Anil Chandra Punetha and Satish Chandra for the chief secretary post.

Satish Chandra is working in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) as Special chief Secretary to the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister has good faith in him. If the government chooses L V Subramanyam, Punetha and Manmohan Singh will lose the opportunity as Subramanyam has around two years of service while the other two have just one year service.

“As the senior officers, who have experience in Revenue, Panchayat Raj, Health and education departments, are selected for the Chief Secretary post by the governments in general, the in-charge Chief Secretary Punetha has more chances for being picked up for the Chief Secretary post,” said a senior officer at Secretariat.

However, if the government chooses Punetha now, Satish Chandra may be the next option for the government after retirement of Punetha in May, 2019, he said. As the Chief Secretary, who will be appointed after Dinesh Kumar, will oversee the next general elections in the State, the Chief Minister would definitely be more cautious in appointing the next Chief Secretary.  

Being a straightforward officer, Dinesh Kumar has a good reputation among the employees while Punetha maintains cordial relations with all because he is down-to-earth. However, the Chief Minister may maintain suspense till the last minute on selection of the Chief Secretary.