Hyderabad, December 31: Andhra Pradesh’s senior bureaucrat S.V. Prasad Thursday took over as the new Chief Secretary.
Prasad, who was Chief Commissioner of Land Administration prior to his elevation to the top post, succeeded P. Ramakanth Reddy, who retired from service.
An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of 1975 batch, Prasad will remain in office till September 2011.
One of the most respected bureaucrats, he previously served as Principal Secretary to Chief Ministers N. Janardhana Reddy, Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy and N. Chandrababu Naidu.
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, Prasad began his career as a sub-collector at Gudur in Nellore district.
Known for his grip over administrative matters as well as his sound knowledge of political affairs, Prasad takes charge at a time when the state is embroiled in an emotive campaign over a Telangana state.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government Thursday transferred 17 IAS officers.
–Agencies