Somesh Kumar gets Cabinet rank in rehabilitation, appointed Telangana CM’s chief advisor

HYDERABAD: In a significant move, the Telangana Government led by K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) on Tuesday appointed former chief secretary Somesh Kumar as the Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister. The retired IAS officer will be in the position for a period of three years and in the rank of a cabinet minister, according to a Government Order (GO Rt. No. 676) issued by Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari. Following his appointment, Somesh Kumar met KCR at Pragathi Bhavan and expressed his gratitude to the latter.

“(The) Government hereby appoint Sri Somesh Kumar, IAS (Retd), former Chief Secretary to Government, as Chief Advisor to Chief Minister, in the rank of a Cabinet Minister, for a period of three (03) years. The terms and conditions of his appointment will be issued separately,” the GO stated.

The appointment of Somesh Kumar in the highest advisory role for the Chief Minister came on predicted lines in the wake of intense speculation that the senior bureaucrat’s services would be appropriately utilised by the BRS government post his retirement. The appointment also marks a homecoming of sorts for the former chief secretary who had to relinquish his position in January 2023 amid dramatic circumstances following the Telangana High Court verdict annulling his allocation to the Telangana cadre and repatriating him to the Andhra Pradesh cadre, as per post-bifurcation division of officers.

A month after reporting to duties in Andhra Pradesh in January 2023, Somesh Kumar opted for voluntary retirement, which was subsequently accepted by the YS Jaganmohan Reddy government.