Satish Chandra is special chief secy to higher education

Ending his five-month-long wait, Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday finally posted 1986 batch IAS officer Satish Chandra as special chief secretary to Higher Education and Skill Development. Chandra, who was special chief secretary to the previous Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, was transferred on May 30, the day Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy took over the reins, and was kept without a posting till date.

In a minor reshuffle of bureaucrats on Saturday, his name finally found place. J S Venkateswara Prasad (1987) has been transferred as special chief secretary to Higher Education and Skill Development department but not given a fresh posting.

Prasad was asked to report to the general administration department for further posting, according to an order issued by principal secretary (Political) Praveen Prakash. Also, 1987 batch IPS officer N V Surendra Babu has been given posting as director-general of Special Protection Force.

Babu has been given additional responsibilities for enforcement against illegal sand-mining and issues related to prohibition and excise, according to the Principal Secretarys order. Babus batch-mate T A Tripathi, who was holding the post of director general, special protection force, has been directed to report to the Director General of Police.

The state government created a new department of Grama Volunteers and Ward Volunteers under the Village and Ward Secretariat system and gave additional charge of it to 2006 batch IAS officer K Kanna Babu, who is currently the Special Commissioner of Disaster Management. Meanwhile, Director-general rank IPS officer A B Venkateswara Rao, Principal Secretary-rank IAS officer G Sai Prasad were still left out of new postings.

Rao was state Intelligence head during Chandrababus tenure while Sai Prasad was the Chief Minister's Principal Secretary..