Telangana Shifts 13 IAS Officers in Major Reshuffle; N Sridhar Becomes Principal Secretary to CM

The Telangana government on Friday shifted 13 IAS officers in a significant reshuffle, the most consequential move being the posting of N Sridhar, a 1997-batch officer, as Principal Secretary to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, while B Ajith Reddy, who was serving in that position, moves to head Invest Telangana as Chief Executive Officer.

The Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister is one of the most sensitive administrative postings in a state government. This officer manages the Chief Minister's secretariat, screens files, coordinates between the CMO and other departments, and serves as the de facto interface between the political executive and the IAS. The replacement of B Ajith Reddy — who held an IDES (Indian Defence Estates Service) background — with an IAS officer of the 1997 batch signals a deliberate restructuring at the CMO to bring in someone with more direct IAS seniority and domain familiarity in Telangana's administrative structure.

Sridhar moves from his posting as Principal Secretary (Mines and Geology) in the Industries and Commerce Department — a role that placed him at the centre of Telangana's mineral revenue administration and sand policy implementation. His appointment to the CMO gives the Chief Minister an officer with specific revenue and industrial administration experience alongside the general secretariat management functions that the PS-to-CM role demands. Ajith Reddy's transfer to Invest Telangana as CEO places him in charge of the state's primary investment promotion agency, which interfaces with domestic and international investors on project clearances and industrial land allotment.

Sabyasachi Ghosh, a 1994-batch officer and Special Chief Secretary, has been given the full additional charge of Special Chief Secretary (Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts) in the Industries and Commerce Department. Shailaja Ramaiyer (1997 batch), previously Principal Secretary (Endowments), moves to Principal Secretary, Environment, Forests, Science and Technology, while retaining additional charge of the Endowments department. Ahmad Nadeem (1997 batch) takes charge as Principal Secretary to Government (Political), GAD, relieving M Raghunandan Rao from the post.

Rahul Bojja (2000 batch) returns from leave to take charge as Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, in the Revenue Department. M Raghunandan Rao (2002 batch), as Secretary (CT and Excise), picks up additional charge of Secretary (Mines and Geology) in the I&C Department — the post vacated by Sridhar's move to the CMO. Md Musharraf Ali Faruqui (2014 batch) transfers from CMD of Telangana Rythu Power Distribution Company to VC and MD of TGREDCO, the state's renewable energy development corporation.

At the junior end of the IAS postings, P Katyayani Devi (2017 batch) moves from Joint MD, State Finance Corporation, to Special Secretary (Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts) while retaining charge of her previous post. K Gangadhar (2021 batch) shifts from Executive Director, TGRERA, to Special Secretary, R&B, TR&B Department. Below the IAS level, T Venkanna moves as Municipal Commissioner to Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation, K Vidyasagar takes charge as Director, Tourism and State Nodal Officer, Prajavani, and K Chandrakala moves as Joint Metropolitan Commissioner, HMDA, covering Core Urban Region, Land Pooling, and Metro Rail.

The reshuffled officers span five batches from 1994 to 2021, reflecting a layered reconfiguration of the Telangana government's administrative structure across departments and PSUs.