Rama Mohan Rao is Tamil Nadu's chief bureaucrat

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday appointed P. Rama Mohana Rao as the Chief Secretary. The incumbent K. Gnanadesikan has been transferred as additional Chief Secretary, CMD, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), a government order said.

The 58-year-old Rao was earlier Additional Chief Secretary / Secretary-I to the Chief Minister before he was named as the chief secretary. The 1985 batch officer would also hold full additional charge as vigilance commissioner and commissioner for administrative reforms, the order added.

Rao, a native of Prakasam district in Andhra Ptadesh, was recently elevated as Additional Chief Secretary and his name was making the rounds in Secretariat corridors for the top post  after the AIADMK retained power in the May 16 polls.

The police department had witnessed some changes last week with a few seniors shuffled.

 Another government order by K. Gnanadesikan said K.N. Venkataramanan (retired IAS officer), Shiv Das Meena, S Vijayakumar and A Ramalingam have been designated as Secretaries I to IV in the office of the Chief Minister. Retired bureaucrat Santha Sheela Nair has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty in the CM's Office.

 Pradeep Yadav, Principal Secretary, Sports Development Authority, has been posted to act as Secretary to Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection in place of Shiv Das Meena. Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Secretary, rural development and panchayat raj has been posted as Agricultural Production Commissioner and Secretary to Agriculture department in place of S Vijayakumar elevated to CM office. Hans Raj Verma, Secretary, Environment and Forests will now head Rural Development replacing Bedi while Atulya Misra will be new Forest department Secretary.