Major revamp in Kerala bureaucracy as Chief Secretary, other top officials retire today

Thiruvananthapuram: A major transition is underway in Kerala’s administrative machinery, with several top bureaucrats, including Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan and the head of the Forest Department, Ganga Singh, retiring from service on April 30.

The officials stepping down from service on Wednesday include senior Indian Administrative Service officers Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan (1990 batch) and  KSEB Chairman and Managing Director Biju Prabhakar (2004 batch), IPS officer and Director General of Fire and Rescue Services K Padmakumar (1989 batch) and Indian Forest Service officer and Head of the Forest Department Ganga Singh.

Sarada Muraleedharan, who had led the Kudumbashree Mission for six years, also served as Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj between 2014 and 2016. She held the post of Director General at the National Institute of Fashion Technology and assumed charge as the Chief Secretary of Kerala in August 2024.

Biju Prabhakar, who served as Chairman and Managing Director of KSRTC from June 2020 to February 2024, also held top positions in the Medical Services Corporation and various departments including Agriculture, Lotteries, Horticorp, PWD, Social Justice, Women and Child Development, Industries, Transport and Urban Development.

Ganga Singh, who started his career in the Indian Forest Service in 1991, has held key positions including Joint Director at the National Zoological Park in Delhi and the Project Tiger Directorate under the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. He also served as Forest Conservator at ICFRE, Dehradun, Chief Conservator in the Social Forestry Wing in Kozhikode and Chief Wildlife Warden.

A Jayathilak to take over as Chief Secretary
A Jayathilak will be sworn in as the state’s 50th Chief Secretary at 4.30 pm today. Meanwhile, DGP Manoj Abraham is set to assume charge as the new head of the Fire and Rescue Services tomorrow.

With Jayathilak’s elevation, the crucial post of Finance Secretary, currently held by him, will need to be reassigned. Similarly, with Manoj Abraham moving to Fire and Rescue, a successor for the Law and Order wing is expected to be announced today.

ADGP MR Ajith Kumar, who previously held the Law and Order portfolio, is reportedly eager to return. He was removed from the post in October last year following a controversial secret meeting with RSS leaders and was subsequently appointed as the head of the Police Battalion.

The government is also considering Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Rajesh Raveendran to succeed Ganga Singh as the new head of the Forest Department. The selection board, chaired by the Chief Secretary, has already recommended his name for the post.

Dr Thomas Mathew, Director of Medical Education, is also retiring from service today. Although the Health Department has formed a committee to identify his successor, a final decision is yet to be made.

Marking yet another major departure from the state’s top bureaucracy, Rani George, Secretary of the General Education Department, is set to retire next month.