HYDERABAD: Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao has issued a stern memo directing all officers, including All India Services (AIS) officers, to refrain from acts and gestures deemed unbecoming of public servants during public meetings and gatherings.
Sources stated that the directive followed Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s disapproval of a recent incident where Tribal Welfare Secretary Sharat attempted to touch his feet during a public meeting at Macharam village in Amrabad mandal. The CM reportedly took serious note of the act and instructed the CS to issue a formal warning.
In the memo issued on Tuesday, the CS wrote, “Such acts and gestures reflect poorly on officers, damage public trust, and harm the reputation of both the individual and the government.” He added that negative publicity around such behaviour undermines the integrity of the service.
Citing Rule 3(1) of the AIS (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rao reminded officers that they must maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and avoid conduct unbecoming of their position. For state service officers, he referred to Rule 3 of the Telangana Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, which outlines similar expectations.
“All India Services officers are expected to maintain a high level of professionalism, integrity, and decorum,” the memo emphasised. Any officer found violating these norms will face disciplinary action, it warned.