Hyderabad, April 28 : The Telangana government on Monday appointed Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari as Vice-Chairman of Dr Marri Channa Reddy Human Resources Development (MCR HRD) Institute of Telangana upon her superannuation on April 30.

"In exigency of administration, Smt.Santhi Kumari, IAS, Vice Chairman, Dr MCR HRD Institute, is placed in full additional charge of the post of Director General, Dr MCR Human Resource Development Institute, until further orders," reads a Government Order issued on Monday.

Dr MCR HRD Institute is the premier administrative training institute of the Telangana government to create and sustain a dedicated workforce for the government.

The GO appointing Santhi Kumari as Vice Chairman of Dr MCR HRD came a day after the government named senior IAS officer K. Ramakrishna Rao as the new Chief Secretary.

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1991 batch is currently the Special Chief Secretary, Finance Department.

Ramakrishna Rao is the first Chief Secretary to be appointed by the Congress government since assuming office in November 2023.

The government, through a separate order, also placed Ramakrishna Rao in full additional charge of the post of Special Chief Secretary, Finance Department, until further orders.

Known for fiscal expertise, Ramakrishna Rao was the front-runner for the coveted post. The government is understood to have picked him in view of the financial constraints faced by the state.

Meanwhile, a day after his appointment as Chief Secretary, Ramakrishna Rao called on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.

In January 2023, Santhi Kumari was appointed as Chief Secretary after the then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar was sent to Andhra Pradesh following the Telangana High Court order.

An IAS officer of the 1989 batch, Santhi Kumari was the first woman Chief Secretary of Telangana.

She was holding the post of Special Chief Secretary, Forest Department, prior to her appointment as Chief Secretary.

A post-graduate in marine biology, she pursued an MBA in the United States and also worked in the United Nations programmes for two years. During three decades of her service, she served in various positions in the departments of Education, Health, Poverty Alleviation, Skill Development, and Forests.

/IANS