Special Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, a 1989 batch IAS officer (Andhra Pradesh), was appointed as the fifth Chief Secretary of Telangana by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Somesh was preceded by SK Joshi.
Joshi had to step down on Tuesday after attaining superannuation. Somesh Kumar had earlier served as the Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation until 2015. He hails from Bihar, and is serving as the Special Chief Secretary for Revenue, Commercial Taxes and Excise departments. Somesh’s tenure will end on December 31, 2023.
Somesh Kumar had played a crucial role during the talks between the Telangana government and striking workers of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) in November.
Somesh enjoys the confidence of Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, and was entrusted with several responsibilities. Proving his efficacy, Somesh successfully saw that the Commercial Taxes department generated more revenue. He is well-known for introducing the Rs 5-per-meal scheme in Hyderabad. Besides, he has a clean-record without any controversial history.
Meanwhile, SK Joshi has been appointed as Irrigation advisor to the state government. The outgoing Chief Secretary bidding farewell, wrote on Twitter, “I bid adieu to all of you as I am getting superannuated today. Journey shared with you was memorable. Wish all of you a happy new year and pleasant yatra ahead.”
After Telangana was formed in 2014, the state has had four Chief Secretaries. They were: Rajiv Sharma, Katti Pradeep Chandra, SP Singh and SK Joshi.