Overview

• The Department of Personnel and Training approved his tenure through March 31, 2026 by relaxing AIS DCRB Rules via AIS (CS‑RM) provisions.
• Rao was set to retire on August 30 after assuming charge on April 30, and he is the first in Telangana to receive seven months at one go.
• Officials said the Chief Minister formally sought his continuation on July 30, citing his experience and capacity to steer key policy matters.
• The decision breaks from the usual three- or six-month extensions, with the only prior Telangana precedent being Rajiv Sharma’s six months in two phases in 2014.
• Rao, a 1988-batch IAS officer credited with drafting 14 state budgets, is seen as ensuring administrative continuity, while observers also read the move as a sign of the CM’s clout with the Union government.