Idli, dosa & governance: Telangana IAS officers are getting insights & tips from CS Rao, over breakfast

The Print

14-07-2025

Informally referred to as 'Idli with Insights', the once-in-a-week, batch-wise huddle of Telangana IAS officers has become the talk of the bureaucracy there.
The menu for their breakfast, arranged at the Dr Marri Channa Reddy HRD Institute, a premier administrative training organisation located in the city's Jubilee Hills, includes dosa, paratha, bread-butter and so on, but the main purpose of the get-together is to relish the interaction with their head in the state, Chief Secretary (CS) K. Ramakrishna Rao.
Hyderabad: For the past several weeks, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers posted across Telangana are gathering in batches in the morning in Hyderabad, chatting while savouring some idlis, and then getting back to work—all very inconspicuously.
The meetings originated from Rao's idea to build a two-side rapport and understand each officer's background, education, interests, skills, capabilities, and potential, as well as allow the CS to play guide and mentor to the officers to steer them towards their best performance in public service.
Since he took over as the seventh CS of Telangana on 30 April this year, Rao, a 1991-batch officer, has met with nine batches of IAS officers from the Telangana cadre, beginning from the youngest batch, of 2024.
The latest to have met Rao for the informal conversation is the 2016 batch.
'As the head of the service in Telangana, I take it as my duty to mentor the officers, especially the younger ones, for them to contribute immensely in the state and to the nation's development. Thus, came the idea, and 'Idli with Insights', as some of us are calling it now, happened,' Rao told ThePrint.
The CS termed efficient human resource management in the government sector as his top priority.
In Telangana, for a population of 3.5 crore (2011 Census), there are about 3.5 lakh government employees while the all-India service officers, including the IAS, Indian Police Service and Indian Foreign Service, are just about 350, said Rao, stating the figures to emphasise on the enormous responsibility on these top officers in running the state.
'Except for the once in a while collectors' (meet) or such conferences, and that too briefly, we hardly get to converse with juniors posted in all corners of Telangana. As the CS, my role should not be confined to reviewing their annual performance reports. I wanted to have an actual understanding of the officer,' Rao explained.
Whenever such a meeting is scheduled, the CS's office informs the members of the particular IAS batch, typically two days in advance to give them enough time to plan and travel. The officers are expected to report back to their duties after the breakfast dialogue of an hour or so.
P. Gouthami (IAS 2021), who attended one such session in mid-May along with her batchmates, told ThePrint that the 'interactive session was actually very insightful'.
'It wasn't your boss lecturing you, it was like a team lead's pep talk; your senior sharing his wisdom, from his vast experience, and trying to help you in good earnest. I was consuming that knowledge and don't exactly remember if I had idlis or something else,' Gouthami, hailing from Hyderabad and now posted as Joint Managing Director, Musi Riverfront Development Corporation, said.
Uma Shankar Prasad (IAS 2022), hailing from Rae Bareli, said the CS, with a sharp development vision, appeared focused on tapping the potential of the young officers with fresh minds.
'We are in the initial, learning stage of our careers. Sir wanted us to adapt, and quickly, to AI etc., tools for a faster pace in administration, delivery of public services. His inputs will help me while dealing with land acquisition, civil supplies matters,' Prasad, now posted as sub-collector in Tandur, said.
Chekka Priyanka (IAS 2018), special commissioner, information &PR department, told ThePrint that 'the best aspect of the meeting was CS sir eagerly seeking feedback, opinion on different aspects in the state and governance'.
Also Read: K Ramakrishna Rao, the IAS officer behind every Telangana budget, is its new chief secretary
Tips on finances & books
Guidance in governance apart, Rao, who headed the Telangana finance department since the state was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 and is the man behind every budget presented till now, also gives valuable tips in managing personal finances and investment for financial stability from the hard-earned salaries, according to an officer.
Discussions also revolve around books, with reading suggestions from geo-politics to economics to fiction. One of the books the CS wanted his juniors to read was Arshia Sattar's Valmiki Ramayana, an abridged translation of the revered epic.
Rao said that he has plans to have similar sessions with IPS and IFS officers, along with the Director General of Police and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.
'I am looking forward to the breakfast interaction with CS sir… very much appreciate the effort he took to keep us officers encouraged, and more so after having seen some inaccessible and some not so inspirational CSs here,' a mid-level IAS officer told ThePrint.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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