From space to coconut, new Andhra chief secretary Minnie Mathew dealt with all

NEW Andhra Pradesh chief secretary Minnie Mathew is an MBA from University of Hull in UK and has a rich experience in dealing with variety of issues ranging from space to coconut. Yet, after assuming as chief secretary in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, only the second woman to hold the top bureaucratic post in the state, Ms Mathew knew it well her eight months-long tenure won’t…
be a cakewalk. The on-going multi-agency probes against a number of top bureaucrats in the state, read Jagan Mohan Reddy’s assets trail, has resulted in slowdown in key decisions-making. As she came out of her office on Saturday afternoon to see off her predecessor Pankaj Dwivedi, she told reporters that improving administration and pursuing welfare and developmental schemes would be her priority.
In mid-1980s, she was Hyderabad’s collector. Then she had moved to New Delhi on deputation and worked under Union ministry of commerce and industry. In her 36 years old eventful career as an administrator, Ms Mathew had worked for department of space, mineral development board and coconut development board among others.
At a time when no woman could become cabinet secretary, technically speaking (Read: How no women could be cabinet secretary for years), Ms Mathew’s appointment as chief secretary of administratively challenging state of Andhra Pradesh is an inspiration for many top-rung and ambitious women bureaucrats in the country.

Reviving UP IAS Association
The efforts are being made to revive over 100 years old Uttar Pradesh IAS Association which has not organized its annual meet for the last six years. Many IAS officers were not comfortable with former chief minister Kumari Mayawati bestowing unusual powers to pilot-turned cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh forcing the IAS organization itself remaining low profile. Now, with cabinet secretary and 1978 batch IAS Jawed Usmani at the helms, things are beginning to change.

Action and Appointments
a) The tenure of Dr Ashok K Lahiri, as Executive Director of  Asian Development Bank, has been extended for a period of one year beyond June 30, 2012. Lahiri had served as additional director of Electrotherm (India) Ltd. from October 26, 2010 to February 4, 2011, and also served as Director of Export-Import Bank of India and UCO Bank.
b) Anil Goswami, a 1978 batch Jammu and Kashmir cadre IAS, is the new secretary in department of social justice and empowerment in place of KM Acharya.