Amrapali Kata selected as aide to G Kishan Reddy, awaits Telangana nod

Hyderabad: Leaving behind strong contenders for the post of private secretary to Union minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy, IAS officer Amrapali Kata’s name has been approved by the Centre for the post. The ball is now in the court of the Telangana state government which has to give a No Objection Certificate and only after that, will she be able to proceed on her new assignment.

Though IPS officer Ambar Kishor Jha was among the front runners for the post, the Centre decided to go with Ms Kata after receiving positive feedback from her fellow IAS officers about her professional strengths.

Ms Kata is the wife of Sameer Sharma, a 2011 batch IPS officer. He is a native of Delhi and is posted in the national capital itself. They married in January last year. Ms Kata who previously worked as collector of Warangal Urban district is a native of Visakhapatnam.

Deccan Chronicle had reported earlier that Ms Kata, a Telangana cadre IAS officer, was one of the contenders.

“It is too early to comment on it,” Ms Kata, posted as additional commissioner in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), told this newspaper. She added that the state government has to give the NOC.

Sources said that though quite a few officers were in the race, only the names of Mr Jha, an IPS officer of the 2009 batch, and Ms Kata, IAS officer of 2010 batch were shortlisted. The other contenders were Bhadradri Kothagudem collector Rajath Kumar Saini and State Inform-ation Commission secretary K. Illambarthy.

“Issuing the NOC could take quite some time and unless it is issued by the state government she cannot proceed to take charge of her new assignment in Delhi. The minister might use his good offices to get the NOC issued as early as possible.

 Even the Union home ministry is in a hurry to appoint the PS at the earliest so that the regular day-to-day work of the MoS Home continues without hasle,” sources said.

As PS to Mr Kishan Reddy, Mr Kata is likely to have a very busy schedule. Having emerged as a key person in the administration and the “blue eyed boy” of Union home minister Amit Shah, Mr Kishan Reddy has been allotted key divisions in the MHA including Jammu and Kashmir, Left wing extremism and cyber information security.

Besides, on top of Mr Kishan Reddy’s agenda is to motivate the cadres in Telangana state, which the BJP has set its eyes on and wants to form government in 2023. Ever since he was made MoS, Home, Mr Kishan Reddy has been visiting Hyderabad on a regular basis.