Hon’ble @TelanganaCMO Sri @revanth_anumula garu,
Dear Sir,
I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits.
I am writing via @X prompted by the second extension in service beyond superannuation granted to Sri K. Ramakrishna Rao garu, Chief Secretary to the Government of Telangana.
As a retired IPS officer, I raise this matter with genuine concern for the long-term health and morale of the civil services in our State.
Every civil servant joins with a natural and legitimate aspiration: to advance steadily through the ranks and reach the highest positions before superannuation. This ambition drives officers across all services (IAS, IPS, IFoS, and State cadres) to perform consistently, maintain integrity, and contribute meaningfully throughout their careers.
However, extensions beyond the prescribed superannuation age disrupt this progression and send a deeply demoralising signal across the bureaucracy.
Such extensions foster the perception that certain individuals are “indispensable,” even though civil servants are not irreplaceable specialists or scientists possessing unique innovative capabilities. In a well-functioning system, no single officer is indispensable. There are always several equally competent contemporaries ready to assume key roles with the same efficiency and dedication.
While I have no personal acquaintance with Sri K. Ramakrishna Rao garu and absolutely no reason to doubt his competence or integrity, the principle involved is far larger than any individual. The Telangana IAS cadre undoubtedly has other senior officers who are equally capable and fully deserving of the Chief Secretary’s post. Overlooking them in favour of an extension risks breeding resentment, stagnation, and a widespread sense of injustice among serving officers.
I therefore urge you to adopt, as a matter of clear policy, a consistent position: extensions of service beyond superannuation in any civil service cadre (IAS, IPS, IFoS, or State services) should be granted only in the most extraordinary and rare circumstances.
These might include acute emergencies, national security needs, or genuine situations where no suitable alternative exists. But such cases should remain exceptional, fully transparent, and publicly justifiable, never routine.
A firm policy along these lines would:
(i) Restore confidence in merit-based progression and timely career advancement;
(ii) Boost morale and motivation among mid- and senior-level officers;
(iii) Prevent perceptions of favouritism or arbitrariness;
(iv) Strengthen institutional discipline and effective succession planning.
I sincerely hope you will consider this suggestion in the right spirit and take appropriate steps to safeguard the morale of civil servants who remain indispensable to effective governance and development.
With warm regards
M. Nageswara Rao IPS (Retired)
Former Director, CBI
