The Centre on Friday extended by three months the services of Rajiv Sharma as the Chief Secretary of Telangana.
The Directorate of Personnel and Training (DOPT) issued the necessary orders following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nod.
Sharma's tenure was to come to an end on May 31, but he will now continue as Chief Secretary till August 31.
Informed sources said that the Centre was reluctant to give an extension to Sharma, but yielded to the appeal of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. KCR reportedly urged Modi to give a one-year extension to Sharma to have continuity in the team working to develop the State and to benefit from Sharma's vast experience in administration. The Centre however has for now given only a three-month extension, and is said to have promised to extend the tenure by another three months as per the norms of the DOPT.