Indian Government Extends Telangana Chief Secretary's Tenure by Three Months

The Union government on Wednesday, March 18, approved the Telangana government’s request to extend the tenure of Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao by three months. Rao’s tenure was scheduled to end on March 31. However, he will now serve till June. This continuation is due to the recently launched 99-day Praja Palana-Pragathi Pranalika, which is slated to conclude in June. Local reports suggested a new appointee could delay the program. This is not the first time the extension has happened. In August last year, the Centre extended Rao’s tenure for another seven months, upon the request of the state government. Ten officers have been shortlisted; one of them is likely to succeed Rao. Among the names are special chief secretaries Jayesh Ranjan and Vikas Raj. Ranjan is the head of the Municipal Administration Department, and Raj heads the Transport, Roads and Buildings department.