Who Is D. Muralidhar Reddy? Andhra Pradesh IAS Officer Appointed Tribal Welfare Secretary After 120 Weeks
Andhra Pradesh IAS officer D. Muralidhar Reddy has finally received a regular posting after waiting nearly 120 weeks, or around two years and four months, following the change of government in the state in June 2024. The 2006-batch promotee IAS officer has been appointed Secretary of the Tribal Welfare Department by the Chandrababu Naidu-led government, bringing an end to an unusually long period without a regular assignment.
The posting order was issued on October 19, 2026, as part of a broader administrative reshuffle in which the state government assigned responsibilities to nine IAS officers who had been awaiting postings. Reddy had remained attached to the General Administration Department (GAD) since the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power, replacing the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) government headed by former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Reddy’s case has attracted attention because his prolonged wait was not reportedly linked to a vigilance case or departmental inquiry. According to an account published by India Today, perceptions about his association with the previous political establishment contributed to the delay in his receiving a regular assignment. His appointment as Tribal Welfare Secretary now gives him a defined administrative responsibility after more than two years on the sidelines.
D. Muralidhar Reddy Appointed Tribal Welfare Secretary After 120 Weeks
The Andhra Pradesh government has appointed D. Muralidhar Reddy as Secretary of the Tribal Welfare Department, replacing M. M. Nayak, who had been holding the post under full additional charge. The decision forms part of the latest administrative changes aimed at assigning regular responsibilities to officers who had remained without postings.
Reddy, a 2006-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, had been attached to the General Administration Department since June 2024. His wait began after the TDP-led NDA government assumed office following the electoral defeat of the YSRCP administration.
In the months following the political transition, several IAS and IPS officers were reportedly left without regular assignments. While some were gradually accommodated in different departments and administrative positions, Reddy’s case remained unresolved for an extended period.
The India Today report cited in the source noted that no vigilance or departmental inquiry had been identified as the reason for keeping Reddy without a regular posting. His appointment therefore brings an end to a long period of uncertainty about his administrative responsibilities.
Why Was D. Muralidhar Reddy Kept Without a Posting?
Reddy’s prolonged wait followed a wider administrative reshuffle after the TDP-led NDA government came to power in Andhra Pradesh in June 2024. During the second half of that year, around a dozen IAS officers and two dozen IPS officers were reportedly left without regular postings as the new administration reorganised the bureaucracy.
The situation was widely perceived in political and administrative circles as being linked to suspicions that some officers had been closely associated with the previous YSRCP government. Some officers were alleged to have acted in accordance with the previous administration’s directions while disregarding established rules and procedures. These were allegations and perceptions surrounding the transition, rather than proof of misconduct by every officer who remained without an assignment.
As the new government began distributing responsibilities, the number of officers awaiting postings gradually declined. Some were assigned positions considered less prominent, while others continued to wait for regular responsibilities. Reddy was among those whose cases remained unresolved for an unusually long time.
According to sources quoted in the India Today report, perceptions surrounding Reddy’s association with the previous political establishment contributed to the delay. The report cited sources who suggested that perceptions created by one or two officers who had earlier served in the Chief Minister’s Office affected the way his case was viewed.
Reddy hails from Kurnool district and is related to former YSRCP Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy. He is also distantly related to former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. These family connections were mentioned in reports discussing his prolonged wait, but they do not establish any wrongdoing on his part.
The report also stated that Reddy met Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on several occasions over the preceding two years, seeking a posting. Despite those efforts, he remained without a regular assignment until the latest government order appointed him Tribal Welfare Secretary.
D. Muralidhar Reddy’s Career Before the Long Wait
D. Muralidhar Reddy entered public service through the Andhra Pradesh State Civil Service before being promoted to the IAS in 2006. His administrative career began after he qualified for the Andhra Pradesh Group-I examination in 1996, securing Rank 2.
Before his induction into the IAS, he worked in state administration in positions including Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) and Deputy Collector. These assignments gave him experience in revenue administration, implementation of government programmes and handling administrative matters at the sub-district level.
Over the years, Reddy moved into a wider range of responsibilities, including agriculture, ports, district administration, healthcare infrastructure and rural development. His career has spanned nearly three decades in public administration, with assignments across several important sectors of the Andhra Pradesh government.
His promotion to the IAS represents the route through which experienced State Civil Service officers can enter the country’s premier administrative service. His subsequent postings expanded his responsibilities from revenue and district-level administration to sectoral leadership and management of state-level institutions.
Education, Early Life and Family Background
D. Muralidhar Reddy was born on July 1, 1969, in Balapanur village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. His father, Ravikumar Reddy, is a retired Executive Engineer in the Irrigation Department.
Reddy holds a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree and a Master of Technology (M.Tech) degree. He is married to Hema, and the couple have two children.
His entry into government service followed his success in the Andhra Pradesh Group-I examination in 1996. He joined the State Civil Service and spent several years in state administration before his promotion to the IAS in 2006.
His career illustrates the promotion pathway available to eligible state civil servants who gain administrative experience and are subsequently inducted into the IAS under the applicable selection process.
Key Administrative Postings Held by D. Muralidhar Reddy
Revenue Divisional Officer and Deputy Collector
During the initial phase of his career, Reddy served as a Revenue Divisional Officer and Deputy Collector in different parts of undivided Andhra Pradesh. His responsibilities included revenue administration, implementation of government programmes and administrative coordination at the sub-district level.
These roles provided the foundation for his later assignments in district administration and other government departments. He remained in the State Civil Service for several years before being promoted to the IAS in 2006.
Special Commissioner in Agriculture and Director of State Ports
Reddy subsequently served as Special Commissioner in the Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Department and as Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Ports Department. These assignments expanded his administrative experience beyond revenue management and conventional district-level responsibilities.
The agriculture assignment involved work within a sector central to rural livelihoods and state development, while the ports role placed him in another specialised area of government administration. Together, these positions added sectoral experience to his background in public service.
East Godavari District Collector
In June 2019, Reddy was appointed Collector and District Magistrate of East Godavari district. The position placed him in charge of coordinating district administration and overseeing the implementation of government programmes.
His responsibilities included rehabilitation and resettlement associated with the Polavaram project, zero-budget natural farming, healthcare services and improvements in the quality of education. The work required coordination among different departments and attention to development and welfare issues affecting the district.
The Collector’s role also involved overseeing administrative operations and supporting the implementation of government policies at the district level. This assignment formed an important part of Reddy’s experience in coordinating public programmes and district governance.
Vice Chairman and Managing Director of APMSIDC
In July 2021, Reddy was transferred to the Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation (APMSIDC) as its Vice Chairman and Managing Director.
The corporation plays a role in the state’s healthcare infrastructure and medical services systems. His assignment involved responsibilities associated with healthcare infrastructure development and the organisation’s administrative functioning.
The posting broadened his experience into the health sector, following his earlier responsibilities in revenue administration, agriculture, ports and district governance.
CEO of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty
In early 2024, Reddy briefly held full additional charge as Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP). The organisation is associated with rural poverty alleviation and community-based development programmes in Andhra Pradesh.
His additional assignment came shortly before the change of government in June 2024. After the political transition, he was attached to the General Administration Department and remained without a regular posting until October 2026.
His appointment as Tribal Welfare Secretary now ends that period and places him in charge of a department dealing with tribal welfare administration.
Yerra Srilakshmi Also Waited for a Posting, but Her Case Was Different
Reddy was not the only IAS officer whose regular posting remained pending following the change of government in Andhra Pradesh. Yerra Srilakshmi, a 1988-batch IAS officer, also awaited a regular assignment after being attached to the General Administration Department on June 20, 2024.
Srilakshmi had served as Special Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department under the previous YSRCP government. Her case, however, differed from Reddy’s because it was associated with a long-running investigation into alleged irregularities involving mining leases.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) accused Srilakshmi of misusing her official position while serving as Secretary of Industries and Commerce between 2007 and 2009 to facilitate mining leases for companies associated with former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy and others in the Obulapuram mining case.
She was arrested in November 2011 and remained in jail in Hyderabad until October 2012, when she was released on bail. The allegations formed part of wider corruption-related and disproportionate-assets cases associated with Jagan Mohan Reddy and others. The allegations must be distinguished from a final judicial determination of guilt.
In December 2020, the Jagan government appointed Srilakshmi as Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department. She subsequently served as Principal Secretary and Special Chief Secretary.
TDP leaders accused her of helping undermine the Amaravati capital project during the previous administration. According to the India Today report, she also sought the intervention of Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan to secure a posting.
She was eventually appointed Special Chief Secretary in the General Administration Department in the last week of June 2024, just four days before her retirement on June 30. Her case was therefore different from Reddy’s, whose prolonged wait was not accompanied by a reported vigilance or departmental inquiry cited as the reason for withholding a posting.
What Lies Ahead for D. Muralidhar Reddy?
Reddy’s appointment as Secretary of the Tribal Welfare Department marks the end of nearly 120 weeks without a regular posting following the change of government in Andhra Pradesh. The 2006-batch promotee IAS officer brings experience in district administration, agriculture, ports, healthcare infrastructure and rural development to his new assignment.
He replaces M. M. Nayak, who had been holding the position under full additional charge. The government order gives Reddy a regular departmental responsibility after more than two years attached to the General Administration Department.
The available information does not specify any separate policy changes or immediate initiatives associated with his appointment. The confirmed development is his posting as Tribal Welfare Secretary, which closes a prolonged chapter in his administrative career.
