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Tamil Nadu government transfers home, health secretaries in admin reshuffle
J Radhakrishnan, who was brought in as the Tamil Nadu principal health secretary to handle the pandemic in June 2020 by the erstwhile AIADMK and retained by the DMK government given his role in the Covid control and management, was transferred and posted as principal secretary for co-operation, food and consumer protection department.
The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday announced an overhaul in the administration with transferring more than 30 IAS officers including the home and health secretaries.
J Radhakrishnan, who was brought in as the principal health secretary to handle the pandemic in June 2020 by the erstwhile AIADMK and retained by the DMK government given his role in the Covid control and management, was transferred and posted as principal secretary for co-operation, food and consumer protection department.
Radhakrishnan served a six-year stint as health secretary from 2012 to February 2019. P Senthil Kumar, who was an officer on special duty for the health and family welfare department, was transferred and posted as the new health secretary.
SK Prabhakar, who was the home secretary during the previous AIADMK regime, who continued to hold the post under the DMK government as the commissioner of revenue administration, was replaced by commissioner of commercial taxes Phanindra Reddy as the home secretary.
A senior bureaucrat, who did not wish to be identified, said this overhaul was done since the DMK government completed one year in May. “When the government took over, no major reshuffle was possible because we were battling the peak of the second wave,” he said. “There has also been criticism against the law and order situation.”
Shilpa Prabakar Satheesh is placed at the National Health Mission for its appointment as Mission Director while she will continue as Special Officer of “CM in your constituency” (which deals with solving basic amenities). Darez Ahmed, who was serving as Mission Director, National Health Mission, has been appointed as commissioner of rural development and panchayat raj.
Jacintha Lazarus, who held the post of commissioner for non-resident Tamils welfare and rehabilitation, who was one of the point person in bringing back students from Ukraine and overseeing Sri Lankan Tamils who fled to Tamil Nadu, was made the new commissioner for the welfare of the differently-abled. She replaces R Lavlena, who was posted as commissioner of food safety.
New appointments have been made for officers – K Santhi, Pradeep Kumar, Johny Tom Varghese and P Akash who will be district collectors of Dharmapuri, Trichy, Ramanathapuram and Tenkasi, respectively.
