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Sathi Nair, a senior IAS officer of the 1966 batch, has been appointed as the new chief secretary of Andhra Pradesh.
Nair (59) is the first woman to be appointed to the top administrative post in the state's 46-year history. She replaces K Swaminathan who has been appointed chairman of the state-owned AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation.
The necessary orders were issued on Saturday, September 21.
Prior to her new assignment, Nair was Chief Commissioner of Land Administration, with the rank of special chief secretary. Her other notable assignment in the state was as principal secretary, in the women's development and child welfare department.
She is credited with making significant contributions in the areas of good governance, anti-corruption drives and file disposal drives.
In her 36 years of service, she has had a long innings at the Centre, including a stint as additional secretary in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation.
She is due to retire on March 31 next year.
Official sources said that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who had reviewed the functioning of officials at various levels, felt that Swaminathan was not able to cope with the work pressure though others claim that Swaminathan had sought a change on 'health grounds'.
According to the grapevine, Swaminathan's undoing was his 'inept handling' of the Food for Work programme controversy involving the Centre.
The Prime Minister's Office had sought a report from the chief secretary on the allegations of widespread irregularities in the implementation of the Food for Work programme in the state.
Swaminathan's forthright report was allegedly not to Naidu's liking.
Swaminathan, who took over as chief secretary in April 1 this year, is due for retirement on January 31, 2003. He is the second incumbent chief secretary to be eased out thus. Earlier, V Ananda Rau had made way for P V Rao who held the post till his retirement in March 2002.
Incidentally, Ananda Rau was also made APIIC chairman after being replaced as chief secretary.
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