THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The top echelons of Kerala bureaucracy will witness a major generation shift this year. In a first-of-its-kind happening, nine top officials of the Kerala IAS cadre, majority belongs to the Chief Secretary rank, will demit office in 2017. Eight of the nine are with the state government whi le one is on Central deputation. The list of top bureaucrats to retire this year begins with Additional Chief Secretary and CIAL MD V J Kurian who will bid adieu by the end of February.
However, he may continue to be the CIAL CMD. Chief Secretary S M Vijayanand and ACS (GAD) Sheela Thomas will retire in March. ACS (Taxes) P Marapandiyan will complete his tenure in May. Nalini Netto, now ACS (Home) and CMA’s Secretary and the next Chief Secretary in line, will be in service till August. ACS (Planning) V S Senthil too retires in the same month. Principal Secretary (Fisheries) James Varghese, who will soon become an ACS, is due to retire in November along with Dinesh Sharma who is on Central deputation as the Special Secretary, Economic Affairs, to the Government of India.
The last in the line is ACS (Finance) K M Abraham. Provided the LDF Government toes the seniority list, he could be the Chief Secretary once Netto retires. He is due for retirement in December. “Some junior bureaucrats who are currently on Central deputation are expected to come back to state service by the end of their deputation,” said Vijayanand. Sources said there was a probability of Sharmila, Manoj Joshi, Manoj Kumar and Sharada Muralidharan, who are currently on Central deputation, returning to serve the state.