A Hindi maxim goes: “Upar wala jab bhi deta hai tho chappar phaad ke deta hai (Whenever God gives, he gives abundantly)”. KS Sreenivasa Raju, who was sent to Telangana from Andhra Pradesh on inter-cadre deputation in April 2020 and subsequently posted as Secretary to Government, R&B Department, in October 2021, has got another extension! For newbies, he was on deputation for a period of three years. A little bird told us that Sreenivasa Raju managed to get another extension, though several other similarly placed babus are anxious over the probability of being sent back to Andhra Pradesh from Telangana. Sreenivasa Raju, 2001 batch IAS officer, who was TTD JEO during the TDP regime in AP, “got an extension in Telangana due to the ‘extended’ blessings of Lord Venkateswara”, say his peers, who believe his shift to Telangana too was a blessing in the first place. R&B Department, which is on a roll with the execution of the new Secretariat, Martyrs Memorial, and Ambedkar Statue, among others, continues to have a pile of work in its kitty. Tenders for the super speciality hospitals coming up across the state and works relating to roads are keeping the R&B Department officials on their toes.
Bureaucrats divided over ‘BRS agenda’
An interesting discussion has been initiated among bureaucratic circles as to who might have given inputs for the ‘BRS agenda’ concerning babus. The agenda in question calls for reforms in DOPT policies to suit the needs for leveraging India’s strengths. On the one hand, TS Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has proposed that officers need to be prepared to work in other states on need basis. Inter-cadre changes have hurt Telangana most as Somesh Kumar himself had to relinquish his post as the Chief Secretary. Besides, there are a dozen bureaucrats who are always on tenterhooks since they don’t know what decision the Court would take about sending them to Andhra cadre. On the other hand, KCR says officers should be allowed to give preference to work in their home state. This took many by surprise as the current administration prefers non-home cadre officers in top positions. For once, bureaucrats agree that reforms are overdue.
Santhi spreading shanti
Santhi Kumari stands out as a much-liked Chief Secretary in recent times. Most of the babus are glad that they are now having a boss who is easy to work with. They aver Santhi is spreading shanti in the life of bureaucrats. A little bird told us: “The CS has brought huge relief across the administrative machinery”. It is attributed to the trickle-down effect. Interestingly, even some politicians vouch for her endearing nature. To be fair, there also a few in the administration who give a left-handed compliment, saying say she is goody-goody. But then we all know that when it comes to bosses, there are people who like them and those who dislike them.
KCR praising babus but one
Bouquets and brickbats are an essential part of administration. But praises from the Chief Minister at public functions count because of the compounding effect of the accolades in terms of the ‘interest’ others would show in him or her subsequently.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao is going all-out in praising his team, often taking the names of babus in his speeches. Rajiv Sharma, Priyanka Varghese, Bhupal Reddy, and certain others have been through this limelight on different occasions. While giving ‘credit’ wherever it is due, KCR has no qualms about publicly sharing the negative feedback he gets from various quarters. Recently, he shook the greenery programme by its roots by amplifying that both former PCCF S.B. Mishra and the current head of forests Rakesh Mohan Dobrial had raised doubts on the success of the ‘Telanganaku Harita Haram’ movement. Curiously, a bureaucrat pointed out that KCR acknowledged everyone’s contribution publicly but for the one heading a key department. Noticeably, neither at the Secretariat inaugural nor at any of KCR’s recent speeches that name found a mention.
Awards and motivated ‘recognition’
Good work is always recognized. The larger question is: Who is recognising it? And with what motive? Recently, the Union government issued guidelines for All India Service officers concerning acceptance of awards from government bodies private organisations. The guidelines require the officer concerned to obtain the permission of the state government or the Union government based on their service. Further, the award should not carry any monetary component. The whole idea is that it is not appropriate for an AIS officer to accept an award from a private body. The Centre stepped in because some AIS officers are falling into the trap of private institutions and individuals that ‘reward’ particular officials to get their pending or future work done smoothly. The peeve among babus is why is the Union government not allowing at least outsiders to ‘reward’ their work.
