New Delhi (31.01.2021): As Indianmandarins had reported first Rajeev Ranjan (IAS:1985:TN) is the new chief secretary of Tamil Nadu. Last week, he was repatriated from the center. On this sudden development, Indianmandarins had reported that he might be appointed the CS. There was a reason for this: as fisheries secretary, he had been instrumental in shaping, directing, and implementing the Rs 20,000 crore PM's Matasya Yojna, and thus earned the confidence of the PMO.
Another added advantage he is said to have enjoyed was that he had earlier worked first as Principal Secretary and later as Additional Chief Secretary (Highways) between 2013 and 2018 under current Chief Minster Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who has been handling the state Highways Ministry since May 2011.
So, it was but natural that the state CM, who knew the officer's ability, 'requested' for Ranjan's repatriation. Perhaps the request was necessitated and speeded by the forthcoming assembly election as well as the fact that K Shanmugam, also from the 1985 batch, had completed two extensions of six months each as CS and therefore, his continuation in the top bureaucratic post of the state, in view of the forthcoming election, would have raised the eyebrows of the Election Commission.
To avoid any controversy, Shanmugam had been retained as an adviser to the CM.
Ranjan has had a distinguished service record of 35 years as a civil servant and is scheduled to superannuate in September 2021.
New Delhi (31.01.2021): As Indianmandarins had reported first Rajeev Ranjan (IAS:1985:TN) is the new chief secretary of Tamil Nadu. Last week, he was repatriated from the center. On this sudden development, Indianmandarins had reported that he might be appointed the CS. There was a reason for this: as fisheries secretary, he had been instrumental in shaping, directing, and implementing the Rs 20,000 crore PM's Matasya Yojna, and thus earned the confidence of the PMO.
Another added advantage he is said to have enjoyed was that he had earlier worked first as Principal Secretary and later as Additional Chief Secretary (Highways) between 2013 and 2018 under current Chief Minster Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who has been handling the state Highways Ministry since May 2011.
So, it was but natural that the state CM, who knew the officer's ability, 'requested' for Ranjan's repatriation. Perhaps the request was necessitated and speeded by the forthcoming assembly election as well as the fact that K Shanmugam, also from the 1985 batch, had completed two extensions of six months each as CS and therefore, his continuation in the top bureaucratic post of the state, in view of the forthcoming election, would have raised the eyebrows of the Election Commission.
To avoid any controversy, Shanmugam had been retained as an adviser to the CM.
Ranjan has had a distinguished service record of 35 years as a civil servant and is scheduled to superannuate in September 2021.
