Hyderabad: The 1991 batch senior IAS officer K Ramakrishna Rao has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Telangana. Currently serving as the Special Chief Secretary of the Finance and Planning Department, Rao will succeed incumbent Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari, an IAS officer of 1989 batch, who is set to retire on April 30.
The General Administration Department (GAD) issued formal orders on Sunday, with Rao expected to take charge on May 1. In addition to his new responsibilities, he will continue to hold the post of Special Chief Secretary (Finance) as full additional charge.
Mr Rao is the third senior-most bureaucrat in the state. Known for his financial acumen, he has been instrumental in preparing 14 state Budgets and has played a pivotal role in mobilising resources during both the BRS regime and the current Congress government.
As Finance Secretary, he prepared 14 budgets of the State, including two vote-on-account budgets during his decade-long tenure in the department. Mr. Rao as the new Chief Secretary will also hold full additional charge (FAC) as Special Chief Secretary of Finance.
Mr Rao, an engineering graduate from IIT Kanpur, also holds a master’s degree from IIT Delhi and an MBA in Investments. Over his distinguished career, he has served as the Collector in Adilabad and Guntur, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and worked with multilateral agencies during a six-year sabbatical. He has successfully introduced various financial systems in the state, leading to enhanced financial control and transparency. In addition, he has handled the charge of the State Reorganization Department, overseeing matters related to the formation of the new state of Telangana.
He also served as the Director General of the Centre for Good Governance (CGG), where he played a key role in several reform programs, primarily based on IT, across various states in India. He has held leadership positions in the fields of education and healthcare. As the Collector and District Magistrate of Adilabad and Guntur in the united state of Andhra Pradesh, Rao contributed significantly to the administration.
Mr Rao is scheduled to retire in August this year.
