IAS officer Santhosh Babu who had sought voluntary retirement last week, has been now posted as the chairman and managing director of Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (TNHDCL) by the state government. Among the many positions he was holding, he was also the additional in-charge of the Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (Poompuhar) since September last year.
It was speculated that Santhosh, who was the principal secretary and managing director of the Tamil Nadu Fibre Net Corporation in the Information Technology department, had been upset over undue pressure on him from the ruling party to approve a tender. His VRS came as a surprise to many with opposition leader MK Stalin demanding the Chief Minister’s response on the issue.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj secretary Hans Raj Varma will now hold additional charge of Information Technology.
In its reshuffling of IAS officers, the state government has also switched the postings of two officers - Apoorva and Mangat Ram Sharma - to take up the other’s posting. Apoorva, who was presently serving as Commissioner of Archives and Historical Research, will now be posted as Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, a post that was previously held by Mangat Ram Sharma, and the latter will now become the Commissioner of Archives and Historical Research.
IAS officer MS Shanmugam, who was presently serving as managing director, Tamil Nadu FibreNet Corporation Limited has been transferred to become Commissioner of Museums, a post that was being held as additional charge by T Udhayachandran, Principal Secretary and Commissioner, Department of Archaeology.
D Ravichandran, who is presently a Deputy Secretary at the Home, Prohibition and Excise Department, will replace Shanmugam as the Managing Director of Tamil Nadu FibreNet Corporation Limited. D Manikandan, who is on inter-cadre deputation, has been posted as Joint Secretary, Home, Prohibition and Excise Department.
KP Karthikeyan, previously Executive Director of TN Guidance Bureau, will now become Executive Director of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO). S Aneesh Sekhar, the present Executive Director, will take up Karthikeyan’s posting as Executive Director of GUIDANCE Bureau.