“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” the oft-quoted satirical statement from George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ mirrors disparities that exist in society, regardless of titles, designations, and pious proclamations. In Telangana, some circles are clueless about which of the two Advisors to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao — Dr Rajiv Sharma and Somesh Kumar — is the chief. A little bird told yours truly that Rajiv is the one for policy decisions and Somesh is the go-to person for administrative decisions related to bureaucrats, Dharani, and land, among others. For newbies, two months ago, Somesh Kumar was appointed as Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister. This happened nearly seven years after Rajiv Sharma had been appointed as Advisor. Regardless of hierarchy between them, both the advisors are currently staying away from media. And that’s the way CM likes it!
Smita at beach becomes talk of the town
It is quite natural for even demure dames to let their hair down and have some fun while on a vacation. Pictures of Smita Sabharwal shot at Goa beach have gone viral in WhatsApp. They are currently among the most circulated snapshots in bureaucratic and political circles. Most of the reactive messages read “wow” and are often followed by “why”. What is interesting to note is how people’s reactions differ based on their age cohort. While the Gen Z find it “cool”, Gen X and Millennials question “But why?”. Instagram is largely filled with the viewpoints of Gen Z and Millennials who had only sweet words for the bureaucrat in the comment’s section. Even the officer is aware of the kind of audience on Twitter; so, she did not share the snapshots on Twitter. All told, she is definitely ageing in reverse.
Foreign trips at last
Foreign trips and study tours abroad act as buffer for bureaucrats who take stress as add-ons of their portfolios, especially if there is none to step into their shoes. In Telangana, go-getting babus are finally getting a chance to take the much-needed break from their routine, if not official work. Following in the footsteps of Jayesh Ranjan are Arvind Kumar, Rajat Kumar, R V Karnan, and Tourism MD Manohar who are currently out of the country, of course on official work. While Jayesh was in the US as well as the UK and Arvind in London, the other officials have gone to South Korea and Singapore ostensibly to learn about riverfront development projects. The buzz in official circles is over officials going on foreign trips not far ahead of the Assembly elections. The million-dollar question among aspirants-in-waiting is: Who’s next?
Pleasing the Finance Secretary
It pays to keep the Finance Secretary in good humour. Cash-strapped states know it better. Sajjan Singh Yadav, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Finance, wrote a book ‘India’s Vaccine Growth Story: From Cowpox to Vaccine Maitri’. The job of translating the book into certain Indian languages was given to the respective states. Andhra Pradesh bureaucrats diligently translated the book into Telugu in no time. The Telugu version of the book, brought out by Alaknanada Publishers, was launched by Dr Jawahar Reddy, Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.
Neither CS nor Advisor
In Telangana, it appears that there is no retirement for ace IAS officers. A little before retirement, they get extension or even reappointment in the same position. Special Chief Secretary Rani Kumudini is the latest to join the list of retired IAS officers who have been reappointed by the Telangana government. Rani retired on 30th June 2023 as a Special Chief Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department. However, she was reappointed in the same position from 1st July for a period of two years. As a senior Special Chief Secretary, Rani Kumudini had missed the Chief Secretary post recently. Since she then had only six months’ service left, the government zeroed in on Santhi Kumari for the coveted post. Observant IAS circles point out that when Special Chief Secretary cadre IAS officers retire, they tend to get reappointed in the same position. But when Chief Secretaries retire, they get Advisor posts. In a way, Rani missed not only Chief Secretary post but also Advisor post. At the end of the day, Rani is happy to get a chance to serve for two more years.
