Blue-eyed babus and go-to madams: Multi-tasking or wilting under pressure?
When Full Additional Charge becomes thankless burden on IAS officials
Hyderabad: Multi-tasking sounds good as a badge to wear and is often true in the case of a working mom with kids and a home to take care of. If the concept is stretched to give ‘Full Additional Charge’ (FAC) to senior IAS officials, however efficient they may be, the results may not be positive always, going by the situation in Telangana, where several senior and efficient IAS officers, deemed to be cheerfully multi-tasking, are struggling to perform their duties at the optimum level due to allotment of FAC of other departments.
For instance, Special Chief Secretary to Municipal Administration and Urban Development (HMDA limits) Jayesh Ranjan was given the FAC of the crucial Tourism and Youth Development Department.
Of late, the Tourism wing has been holding a series of talks with global investors to develop the tourism sector at a fast pace. Jayesh Ranjan is already busy with finalization of the Master Plan for the Bharat Fourth City and the developmental plans for the CURE (Core Urban Region) along the Outer Ring Road. Officials said that the senior IAS officer could not pay enough attention to derive good results due to the allocation of two important departments to him.
Likewise, 2012 batch IAS officer D Krishan Bhaskar was struggling to handle key departments as CMD of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited and as the head of the TS Transco. Besides, the IAS official was serving as Special Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. As CMD of the Transco, the big task before Krishna Bhaskar is to monitor power supply keeping in view the upcoming summer season and coal supply to the thermal power units in the state as well as other states.
Similarly, 2002 batch officer M Raghunandan Rao is helming the key revenue-generating Commercial Taxes and Excise departments as the Secretary. The senior IAS Officer was officiating as Commissioner of the Commercial Taxes Dept, which had put a mountain of work on him. The rate rationalization of the GST and the targets set by the government to generate huge revenues from liquor sales in the last three quarters of the financial year put a heavy additional burden on Rao.
Special Chief Secretary to Labour & Employment M Dana Kishore is holding the additional responsibility of Secretary to Governor. His focus has since turned to the daily activities of the Lok Bhavan. Many key pending issues, including gig workers’ demands and other employment-related matters, are on the back burner in his department. Officials said that Bhavesh Mishra, Deputy Secretary to Government, ITE&C Department, was placed in FAC of the post of Additional CEO, Industry & Investment Cell & SPEED. The IAS officer is also Director of the Mines and Geology. He is also Vice Chairman and Managing Director (FAC), Telangana Mineral Development Corporation Limited (TGMDC).
State Secretary to Minority Welfare SB Shafiullah was placed in FAC of the posts of VC & MD, TG Minorities Finance Corporation and MD, Telangana Christian Minorities Finance Corporation.
Anita Ramachandran, Secretary to WCD&SC Department, was placed in FAC of the posts of Secretary to Government, Tribal Welfare Department and Commissioner, Tribal Welfare.
