T. V. S. N. Prasad

T. V. S. N. Prasad
Chief Secretary, Haryana
In office 16 March 2024 – 31 October 2024
Governor	Bandaru Dattatreya
Chief Minister	Nayab Singh Saini
Preceded by	Sanjeev Kaushal
Succeeded by	Vivek Joshi
Additional Chief Secretary Revenue, Haryana
In office 3 September 2023 – 1 August 2024
Succeeded by	Anurag Rastogi
Home Secretary, Haryana
In office 3 August 2022 – 4 July 2024
Succeeded by	Anurag Rastogi
Personal details
Born	(1964-10-14) 14 October 1964 Razole, Andhra Pradesh, India
Alma mater	Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Harvard Kennedy School

T.V.S.N. Prasad (Prasad V.S.N. Tallapragada) (born 14 October 1964) is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer, who served as the Chief Secretary of the Government of Haryana with temporary charge from 16 March 2024 and regular charge from 2 August 2024 till 31 October 2024. Prior, he served as the State's Additional Chief Secretary, revenue, disaster management and consolidation.

Early life and education

Prasad was born in a Telugu family from East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. He obtained his graduation in Bacherlors in Electrical Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. Much later in his life, he took a career break to pursue a degree Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School. He completed his PhD in Economics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in August 2024.

Career

Prasad joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1988, serving in the Haryana Cadre. As an IAS officer, he has held numerous positions, such as Deputy Commissioner, Rohtak and Kurukshetra, Chief Administrator, Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, and Principal Secretary, Department of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs, Government of Haryana. During his stint in the Central Government between 2014 and 2018, Prasad served as Mission Director in the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Joint Secretary (later as Additional Secretary) in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

He was one of the six authors of Monitoring Performance of Electric Utilities - Indicators and Benchmarking published by the World Bank in 2009.

Controversies

In October 2024, the Supreme Court of India summoned Prasad and warned issuing a contempt against him, in response to what it termed his “non-compliance” with its earlier orders to implement measures to curb stubble burning. The court lambasted the state’s ineffective approach, highlighting that, despite prior directives, Haryana had resorted to “merely imposing nominal fines” without prosecuting violators. This inaction, the court asserted, was contributing to the region’s escalating air pollution crisis, raising severe concerns over the government’s commitment to enforcing environmental regulations and calling attention to what the court described as “significant lapses” in Haryana's governance. The court further questioned Prasad's independence as chief secretary, remarking that if he was “acting at somebody's behest,” it would be an alarming breach of duty."

In September 2024, Prasad, as chief secretary, issued an unconditional apology to the Punjab and Haryana High Court over a matter involving the delay in providing post-retirement benefits to State Information Commissioner (SIC) S S Gulia. A contempt petition had been filed against Prasad and the Haryana government for failing to comply with the High Court’s August 2023 orders on the timely release of these benefits. Prasad's apology came after concerns were raised about his inaction on this issue, reflecting poorly on the state's administrative handling of straightforward cases.

In March 2024, Prasad simultaneously held multiple positions — chief secretary (during leave period of Sanjeev Kaushal’s leave), home secretary, and financial commissioner — sparking considerable controversy. This accumulation of roles, just ahead of India's Lok Sabha elections, drew sharp criticism for its potential impact on transparency and administrative propriety. Advocate Hemant Kumar appealed to the Election Commission, urging it to take corrective action to safeguard administrative efficiency. Though the Election Commission ultimately refrained from intervening, Prasad was later removed from his home secretary and financial commissioner roles.

In October 2023, a Haryana Indian Police Service (IPS) officer lodged serious allegations against Prasad, accusing him of harassment and discrimination after being reassigned to a non-cadre role, which the officer claimed was retaliatory. The complaint, filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, cast a stark light on Prasad’s approach to leadership and raised pointed questions about his fairness and integrity as a public official.