VIJAYAWADA: Former chief secretary Nilam Sawhney on Friday resigned as the Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister after her name was cleared by Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan for the post of State Election Commissioner (SEC). Her resignation was accepted by the State government on Saturday, allowing Sawhney to assume office as the SEC after the end of the tenure of incumbent Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar on March 31.
In her resignation letter, she said it was an honour to serve the Government of Andhra Pradesh as the Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister. After her retirement as Chief Secretary on December 31, 2020, the government appointed Sawhney as the Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister.
Sawhney, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, worked in various capacities in the combined State. She worked as Secretary of the Central Vigilance Commission and in the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on Central deputation before taking charge as the Chief Secretary of AP in November 2019. Though she was supposed to retire on June 30, 2020, she got extension twice (three months each) and retired on December 31, 2020.