RAMAKRISHNA RAO’S BUDGET MARATHON NEARS THE FINISH LINE

Finance Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao has the rare distinction of preparing eleven Budgets for Telangana, a feat that no one else in the state bureaucracy or country can claim. Yours truly has always kept track of how he outdid himself year after year, setting his own records. But now, the streak may finally come to an end. With his retirement set for later this year, this could very well be his last Budget. For the uninitiated, Ramakrishna Rao took charge as Finance Secretary on February 29, 2016. Since then, governments have changed, leaders have come and gone, but when it came to drafting the Budget, no one knew the system better than him. Through revenue booms and crises like Covid and demonetisation, through election years and welfare splurges, he has been the man behind the numbers. Now, the question remains – will he truly hang up his boots post-retirement, or will there be a new role waiting for him? Because let’s be honest, if there’s one person who understands Telangana’s finances inside out, it’s him.