Ex-Telangana CS Somesh Kumar to take VRS

Amaravati: Somesh Kumar, the former chief secretary of Telangana, has applied for Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS) a month after joining the Andhra Pradesh government. Sources suggest that Somesh Kumar has approached the Chief Secretary, Dr KS Jawahar Reddy, for approval of his VRS request. The proposal is expected to be cleared after receiving the approval of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The Telangana government is reportedly considering appointing him as an advisor to the state government. As per the revised rules, the state government is authorized to approve the VRS applications of any All India Service (AIS) officer without seeking permission from the Centre. Somesh Kumar began working for the AP government following a High Court verdict on January 12, and after reporting to duty and meeting with Chief Secretary Dr. Jawahar Reddy, he also met with Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. However, the AP government has not yet assigned him any responsibilities since his appointment.