CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday transferred 14 senior IAS officers heading various departments, including T Udhayachandran, secretary 1 to Chief Minister MK Stalin, home secretary K Phanindra Reddy, and Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi. P Amutha has been named the new home secretary of the state.
While Udhayachandran, an all-powerful secretary in the CMO who is said to have had a say in several important government decisions, will assume charge as finance secretary, N Muruganandam, the incumbent finance secretary, will be the new secretary 1 to the CM. Udhayachandran’s appointment to the key post comes just days after Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan was divested of his finance portfolio.
Another important transfer is that of home secretary K Phanindra Reddy. A gentle and firm officer who handled several crises situations with sagacity will take over as transport secretary. Rural development secretary P Amutha will be the new home secretary. For Amutha, known for her straightforwardness, it is a promotion of sorts. The government has chosen her to the sensitive post considering her past service record, sources said.
Amutha had served as a joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office for 14 months from July 2020. Earlier, she was a professor at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. Recently, she was appointed as high-level inquiry officer to probe into complaints against IPS officer Balveer Singh in a custodial torture case.
Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi, who headed various departments in the past, will be taking over as health secretary in the place of P Senthilkumar who will be the new rural development secretary.
J Radhakrishnan, another senior IAS officer who was food and cooperation secretary, will be the new Chennai Corporation Commissioner. Interestingly, Radhakrishnan had served as deputy commissioner of health and solid waste management of Chennai Corporation between 1996 and 2001 when MK Stalin was Chennai's Mayor. B Chandramohan, Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Secretary has been appointed as PWD Secretary. Incumbent public secretary D Jagannathan will take over as food and cooperation secretary.
While transport secretary K Gopal has been appointed as vigilance commissioner and commissioner of administrative reforms, K Manivasan, PWD secretary, will assume charge as new tourism, culture and HR&CE secretary. K Nanthakumar, commissioner of school education, will take over as human resources management secretary. Mythili K Rajendran, the present HRM secretary has been appointed as commissioner of Indian medicine and homoeopathy. S Ganesh, incumbent director of Indian medicine and homoeopathy will be new director of economics and statistics.