VIJAYAWADA: Five days after taking charge as the Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy overhauled key departments to drive his vision for Andhra Pradesh forward.
With ‘Navaratnalu’ and corruption-free governance being on the top of the government’s priority, Jagan, who exuded confidence to win people’s trust as a ‘good CM’ within six months to a year’s time, seemed to have quickly identified officials who could ably revamp the administrative system left in place by the Chandrababu Naidu government.
The heads of the major departments, Water Resources, Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), Health and Medical, Excise, Energy, Social Welfare, and Agriculture, which are crucial to implement YSRC’s poll promises, and who have their work cut out already, have been replaced. As the State’s finances are in the red, Jagan seemed to have preferred officials who could effectively lead his pet projects including ‘YSR Pension Kanuka’, ‘YSR Arogyasri’, ‘YSR Rythu Bharosa’, liquor ban, Irrigation projects and others.
KS Jawahar Reddy, who was at the helm of affairs at Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (PR and RD) department, has been appointed as the Principal Secretary of Medical and Health, the department which would implement the ‘YSR Aarogyasri’, one of the flagship schemes of the new government.
During Jawahar Reddy’s tenure as the Principal Secretary of PR and RD, the department was able to draw the highest amount of funds from the Centre.
After Jagan announced that he would go for reverse tendering for the works of several irrigation projects, the government removed Shashibhushan Kumar as Secretary of Water Resources and asked him to report to the GAD.
In his place, Special Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das, who was among the key officials to implement ‘Jala Yagnam’ during YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s tenure, has been tasked with heading the Water Resources department.
The department has come under scanner as project works worth close to Rs 21,000 crore made it to the list of projects, which would either be cancelled or reviewed again, after the Jagan government issued an order to stop works recently.
The chief and the second-in-command, Cherukuri Sreedhar and Sagili Shan Mohan, of APCRDA, which is the nodal agency executing Amaravati, have also been shunted out. While Jagan, who dubbed Amaravati as a sensational scam and called it a ‘Catch 22’ situation, is keeping cards close to his chest — if the project would be scaled down or if the lands would be returned —, he appointed P Lakshminarasimham as its new boss.
Lakshminarasimham was previously holding the post of Secretary (Services and Human Resource Management). K Vijaya, the CEO of AP Tourism Authority, will now be the additional commissioner of APCRDA. Both Sreedhar — who has been the CRDA commissioner for almost three years — and Shan Mohan have been transferred to the General Administration Department, pending posting.
Similarly, to look after planning and distribution of pensions and other welfare initiatives, Mukesh Kumar Meena, the incumbent Prohibition and Excise Commissioner, has been made Social Welfare department’s Secretary with a Full Additional Charge (FAC) of Tribal Welfare’s Principal Secretary.
In his place, Mudavat M Nayak, the Chairman and Managing Director of APSPDCL, is set to take charge. Nayak becomes a key person as the government proposed to remove all the belt shops, estimated to be close to 40,000 in number, and ban liquor sale, estimated to generate revenue of over Rs 17,000 crore, in three phases.
Another department in which Jagan alleged irregularities is Energy. Right after winning the polls, the CM has been repeatedly alleging that the government was purchasing power at higher rates, burdening the exchequer.
Aimed at plugging these loopholes, K Vijayanand, Managing Director of APGENCO and Chairman and MD of APTRANSCO, is removed and has been directed to report to GAD. Nagulapalli Srikant, who has been posted as Energy Secretary, will now lead the APTRANSCO, while B Sreedhar, the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Secretary, will head the APGENCO as its MD.
Interestingly, the CEO of Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS), which infamously fed former CM Chandrababu Naidu with data on satisfaction levels among the public, which always remained high but led to the TDP’s rout, has remained untouched.
However, sources said that another round of IAS and IPS transfers could be expected in the near future.
Last week, the CMO has been rejigged, along with the appointment of SS Rawat as the Principal Finance Secretary.
The rejig comes just three days ahead of the constitution of the new council of ministers (on June 8).
While most of the key positions have been replaced, all eyes would now be on who would make it to Jagan’s dream team to “bring back the Rajanna rule”.
New postings:
KS Jawahar Reddy appointed as the Principal Secretary of Medical and Health, the department which will implement the ‘YSR Aarogyasri’, one of the flagship schemes of the new govt.
Special Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das has been appointed as the head of the crucial Water Resources department.
P Lakshminarasimham has been appointed the chief of APCRDA, nodal agency executing Amaravati works.
Mukesh Kumar Meena appointed Social Welfare department’s Secretary to look after planning and distribution of pensions and other welfare initiatives.
Mudavat M Nayak is set to take charge as the head of the Prohibition and excise dept. The post is a significant one as the govt proposed to remove all the belt shops, estimated to be close to 40,000 in number, and ban liquor sale in three phases.
Nagulapalli Srikant, who has been posted as Energy Secretary, will now lead the APTRANSCO, while B Sreedhar, the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Secretary, will head the APGENCO as its MD.