Andhra Pradesh Transfers 22 IAS Officers in Major Reshuffle; Syamala Rao, S.S. Rawat Get Key Assignments
Andhra Pradesh transfers 22 IAS officers in a major reshuffle. Syamala Rao gets School Education, S.S. Rawat Tourism, while Ravi Subash gets APTDC and additional APPSC charge.
Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government has carried out a wide-ranging reshuffle of its senior administrative machinery, transferring and assigning 22 IAS officers to important departments, corporations, development authorities and special assignments across the state.
The latest round of postings touches several crucial areas, including School Education, Tourism, Transport, Roads and Buildings, Housing, Health, Urban Development, Sanitation, Archaeology and religious administration. The changes also bring fresh leadership to institutions such as the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA), Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) and the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA).
Among the most significant appointments, 1997-batch IAS officer J. Syamala Rao has been made Principal Secretary of the School Education Department, while 1992-batch IAS officer S.S. Rawat has been appointed Special Chief Secretary of the Tourism Department. Pattanshetti Ravi Subash has been given charge as Managing Director of APTDC and will also hold Full Additional Charge as CEO and Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC).
The reshuffle also includes several officers being moved to the General Administration Department (GAD) without immediate fresh assignments, suggesting that more consequential postings could follow as the government finalises its administrative arrangements.
J. Syamala Rao Takes Charge of School Education
One of the prominent changes in the latest exercise is the appointment of J. Syamala Rao, a 1997-batch IAS officer, as Principal Secretary of the School Education Department. The assignment puts the senior bureaucrat at the head of one of Andhra Pradesh’s most important social-sector departments.
The School Education Department handles a wide range of policy, administrative and implementation responsibilities involving government schools, educational programmes and initiatives aimed at improving learning outcomes and access to education.
Syamala Rao’s new role is therefore expected to involve close oversight of the department’s ongoing programmes as well as its broader administrative priorities.
S.S. Rawat Gets Key Tourism Responsibility
The government has appointed S.S. Rawat, a 1992-batch IAS officer, as Special Chief Secretary of the Tourism Department. The move gives Rawat a senior role in a sector that has been receiving considerable attention in Andhra Pradesh.
Tourism involves coordination across infrastructure, destination development, promotion, investment and visitor facilities, making the department’s administrative leadership particularly important. Rawat’s appointment is among the key changes made in the latest reshuffle and marks a fresh allocation of responsibility at the senior-most level of the tourism administration.
Kona Sasidhar Gets Transport and Roads & Buildings
Kona Sasidhar, a 2003-batch IAS officer, has been posted as Secretary of the Transport and Roads & Buildings Department. The assignment brings two major areas of state administration under his responsibility.
Transport is central to mobility and public connectivity, while the Roads & Buildings portfolio deals with important infrastructure and construction-related functions across the state. The posting comes as part of the government’s broader restructuring of responsibilities among senior officers.
Hephsiba Rani Appointed Special Principal Secretary, Housing
Hephsiba Rani has been appointed Special Principal Secretary of the Housing Department.
Her new assignment places her in charge of an important area of government policy, particularly given the role of housing programmes in the state’s social welfare and urban development framework.
The posting forms part of the wider exercise through which the Andhra Pradesh government has redistributed responsibilities across several major departments and institutions.
Ravi Subash Gets APTDC and Additional APPSC Charge
Another major appointment involves Pattanshetti Ravi Subash, who has been made Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. Alongside his APTDC responsibilities, Ravi Subash has also been given Full Additional Charge as CEO and Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission.
The combination gives him responsibility for a tourism development corporation as well as an important state-level constitutional recruitment institution. His appointment follows the government’s decision to relieve Amrapali Kata from the post of APTDC Managing Director.
Amrapali Kata Relieved From APTDC
Amrapali Kata has been relieved of her responsibilities as Managing Director of APTDC and directed to report to the General Administration Department.
She has not been given another posting in the latest order. Her movement to GAD is one of the notable aspects of the reshuffle, particularly because two other officers, Tej Bharat and B. Anil Kumar Reddy, have also been directed to report to the department without immediate fresh assignments.
Prakhar Jain Appointed VMRDA Commissioner
Prakhar Jain has been appointed Commissioner of the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority. The VMRDA plays a key role in metropolitan-level planning and development in and around Visakhapatnam. Jain’s appointment comes as the state continues to focus on urban planning, infrastructure development and coordinated growth in the region.
Changes in Archaeology, Sanitation and Tirupati Administration
The reshuffle has also brought changes to several specialised administrative areas. Mutyala Raju has been appointed Commissioner of the Department of Archaeology, giving him responsibility for the state’s administrative framework relating to archaeological and heritage matters.
B. Sunil Kumar Reddy has been appointed Managing Director of the AP Swachh Andhra Corporation. The organisation is associated with sanitation, cleanliness and related initiatives across Andhra Pradesh.
In another important urban posting, M. Jaya Krishna has been appointed Municipal Commissioner of Tirupati. Given Tirupati’s importance as a major urban centre as well as one of India’s most prominent pilgrimage destinations, the municipal commissioner’s role carries significant administrative responsibilities.
APSRTC, Health and Drug Control Get New Assignments
The state has also made changes in its transport and health-related administrative structure. Shiva Prasad has been appointed Joint Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, or APSRTC.
Meanwhile, K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu has been given additional responsibility as Commissioner of the Health Department. The additional charge comes amid the broader redistribution of responsibilities across the state’s administrative machinery.
Arun Babu has been appointed Director General of the Drug Control Administration. The position involves oversight of the state’s regulatory machinery relating to medicines, drug control and associated enforcement responsibilities.
Prabhala Gopinath Posted to TTD
Prabhala Gopinath has been appointed Joint Executive Officer of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. The TTD administers the affairs of the Tirumala temple and its associated institutions, making the JEO’s position an important administrative assignment. The posting comes as part of the government’s latest round of senior-level changes.
Padmavathi has also been appointed Executive Officer of the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust, which is associated with the implementation and administration of healthcare-related welfare initiatives in Andhra Pradesh.
Special Officers Appointed for Godavari Pushkarams
The government has made dedicated administrative arrangements for the upcoming Godavari Pushkarams as part of the latest reshuffle.
Suresh Kumar and Bharat have been appointed Special Officers for the event. Their responsibilities will involve overseeing and coordinating administrative arrangements connected with the major religious gathering. The appointments indicate that the government is putting a dedicated administrative structure in place for preparations associated with the event.
CRDA Gets Three Additional Commissioners
The Capital Region Development Authority has received a significant administrative boost, with three officers being appointed as Additional Commissioners. Kollabathula Karthik, G. Suryasai Praveen Chand and Dhatri Reddy have all been posted as Additional Commissioners of the CRDA.
Their appointments are expected to strengthen the authority’s administrative capacity at a time when development and coordination in the capital region remain major priorities for the Andhra Pradesh government.
Three Officers Moved to GAD Without Fresh Postings
The latest exercise also leaves three officers without immediate fresh assignments. Amrapali Kata, Tej Bharat and B. Anil Kumar Reddy have been directed to report to the General Administration Department. No new postings have been specified for them in the current order.
Such movements can sometimes be followed by separate posting orders once the government finalises the next stage of its administrative arrangements. For now, all three officers will remain under the administrative umbrella of GAD pending further orders.
Complete List of 22 IAS Officers in the Reshuffle
The latest Andhra Pradesh reshuffle covers departmental appointments, institutional responsibilities, special assignments and officers awaiting fresh postings.
J. Syamala Rao – Principal Secretary, School Education Department
S.S. Rawat – Special Chief Secretary, Tourism Department
Kona Sasidhar – Secretary, Transport and Roads & Buildings Department
Hephsiba Rani – Special Principal Secretary, Housing Department
Pattanshetti Ravi Subash – Managing Director, APTDC; also CEO and Secretary, APPSC on FAC
Prakhar Jain – Commissioner, VMRDA
Mutyala Raju – Commissioner, Department of Archaeology
B. Sunil Kumar Reddy – Managing Director, AP Swachh Andhra Corporation
M. Jaya Krishna – Municipal Commissioner, Tirupati
Shiva Prasad – Joint Managing Director, APSRTC
K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu – Additional responsibility as Commissioner, Health Department
Arun Babu – Director General, Drug Control Administration
Prabhala Gopinath – Joint Executive Officer, TTD
Padmavathi – Executive Officer, NTR Vaidya Seva Trust
Suresh Kumar – Special Officer, Godavari Pushkarams
Bharat – Special Officer, Godavari Pushkarams
Kollabathula Karthik – Additional Commissioner, CRDA
G. Suryasai Praveen Chand – Additional Commissioner, CRDA
Dhatri Reddy – Additional Commissioner, CRDA
Amrapali Kata – Relieved as APTDC MD and directed to report to GAD
Tej Bharat – Directed to report to GAD
B. Anil Kumar Reddy – Directed to report to GAD
A Wide Administrative Reset Across Andhra Pradesh
This is clearly more than a routine transfer exercise. The government has moved officers across a broad range of portfolios, from education and housing to tourism, transport, healthcare, urban development, sanitation, archaeology and temple administration.
The appointments at CRDA, the special arrangements for the Godavari Pushkarams and the movement of several officers to GAD without fresh postings add further weight to the reshuffle. They also indicate that the administrative changes may not end with this order.
For now, the latest decisions place several experienced officers in key positions across Andhra Pradesh’s administrative structure. As the new officers settle into their respective assignments, their immediate focus will be on taking charge, ensuring continuity and handling the priorities attached to their new departments and institutions.
Further posting orders could follow if the government decides to fill the positions of officers currently awaiting fresh assignments or makes consequential changes in other dep
