Wanted: Financial experts

​Hyderabad: The Telangana State Government is facing severe crunch of financial experts to deal with regular economic issues. Barring two or three senior officials and an Advisor to state government, the Finance department is short of at least a dozen experts. As a result, the decisions taken by the government are being implemented at snail’s pace.

Even though the government issued orders for the appointment of financial advisors three months ago, it remained on the paper as the department is yet to find suitable persons to fill the consultant posts.

At present, the department is administered by a single senior IAS official and Principal Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and one Additional Secretary and four Joint Secretaries. Another IAS official Siva Sankar has been asked to look after Institutional Finance.

Top officials said that only two of the joint secretaries are experts in the financial matters and the other two are looking after services and administration. The recent transfer of financial expert and Joint secretary Sai Prasad to his parent department – CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) in New Delhi plunged the department into big crisis in addressing the financial matters.

The state government has been requesting the CAG to send expert officials in the finances on deputation to Finance department. 

The government did not receive any positive response from the CAG for four months. “The major challenge before the government is to prepare the statistical data on the utilisation of funds and prepare a detailed report on the state fiscal maintenance every month. The government has already tasted bitter experience when the CAG nailed the state on projecting wrong figures in the management of finances,” a senior official said.

After the transfer of another senior official Sandeep Kumar Sultania, finance secretary Ramakrishan Rao was given additional charge. Sultania looked after fund raising through the banks for various infrastructure programmes taken up by the government. 

While, state Advisor (Finance) GR Reddy is busy with preparing reports to seek more funds from the Centre under 15th Finance Commission and is pursuing with central departments for the timely release of funds.

Officials said that the government is scouting for financial experts within the state government and also central agencies like CAG and other wings in Union Finance ministry to address the shortage. 

The government has already issued orders to fill four advisors in the category of Deputy Secretary and another four in Assistant Secretary to the government.