P Amudha, an IAS officer from Tamil Nadu known for her stellar work in the state, has been appointed as a Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office. Her appointment comes as part of a reshuffle involving 16 officials of elite services from different departments.
The 1994 batch IAS officer is currently working as a professor in public administration in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. The IAS officer is known for her dedication and the slew of initiatives in all the roles she has handled. In over 25 years of service, she has worked in 15 different departments and has served under both former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa.
Her last posting before joining as a professor was as the Commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration. In this posting, she focused on reducing the use of artificial pesticides and fertilisers by farmers to increase agricultural productivity.
Amudha was also in the media limelight in August 2018, when she ensured the smooth conduct of Karunanidhi’s last rites, following controversy over allocation of burial land for him. Several reports noted the manner in which the bureaucrat discharged her duty, displaying empathy and ensuring that the family of the deceased politician was made comfortable.
She had reportedly been informed of the task only at 8 on the morning of the burial and yet work had already begun by 10.30 am.
In 2015, the year of the Chennai floods, she reportedly came down heavily on encroachments on canals and waterways. She is also known for her work to increase female literacy and fight female infanticide while she was the Collector of Dharmapuri district.
Another official, Keshav Chandra, was appointed Director of Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), as part of the senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle affected by the Centre on Monday.
Chandra, a 1995 batch IAS officer from the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, has been appointed Director, SFIO, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, up to December 17, 2022, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.
Chandra’s batchmate Varsha Joshi has been appointed Joint Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, for a tenure of five years. She was transferred from the post of Commissioner, North Delhi Municipal Corporation, in May this year.
With inputs from PTI