The Telangana government today issued orders appointing IAS officer Burra Venkatesham as the new Chairman of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).
Venkatesham, who is 56, will serve as the Chairman for a term of six years (while the retirement age in the IAS is 60, the TSPSC Chairman's retirement age is 62).
Venkatesham hails from the Backward Classes (BC) community.
Ganta Chakrapani, belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) community, was appointed as the first Chairman of the TSPSC after the formation of Telangana, and was succeeded by Janardhan Reddy.
Subsequently, amidst allegations against Janardhan Reddy after the spectacular Group 1 paper leaks, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy replaced him with ex-DGP M Mahender Reddy. With Mahender Reddy's tenure set to end on December 3, the State government has now appointed Venkatesham to the position.
The selection process for the TSPSC Chairman began with a notification issued on November 20. Applications were accepted until 5 pm the same day, with approximately 45 applications received, including those from retired IAS officers and professors from various universities. The Chief Minister finalized the appointment of Venkatesham, who is serving as the Principal Secretary of the Education Department.
Following his appointment, Venkatesham is expected to resign from his current roles. As part of this transition, he has already applied for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), which has been approved by the government. As a parting gift, the State government has made him a Special Chief Secretary.
He will officially assume charge as the TSPSC Chairman on December 2, a day before Mahender Reddy's tenure ends.