# T. V. S. N. Prasad

T.V.S.N. Prasad (born 14 October 1964) is a distinguished professor of economics and public policy at NALSAR Law University, Hyderabad. He is a retired civil servant who served as Chief Secretary of the Government of Haryana. He also served as additional chief secretary, revenue, disaster management and consolidation, and state finance and home secretary. His tenure in these roles was marked by several controversies that attracted public and judicial attention.

## 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 in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Earlier, he worked as a senior economist at the World Bank. 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 December 2024, Prasad came under scrutiny for proposing a plan to secure extensive post-retirement benefits for bureaucrats at the Chief Secretary level just days before his retirement in October 2024. The proposal, which included a personal assistant, medical aide, domestic help, and generous allowances, was submitted to the chief minister for approval. Observers noted that such proposals appeared designed to channel public funds toward personal luxuries for senior officials, further eroding trust in the system. Prasad defended himself by stating that the proposal was routed through the chief secretary’s office to the chief minister as part of routine administrative processes and was never approved by him as he lacked the authority to do so. He justified the proposal by citing similar practices in other states.
In October 2024, the Supreme Court of India warned Prasad about contempt, citing his “non-compliance” with its previous directives to implement measures to curb stubble burning. The court criticized Haryana's approach, pointing out that, despite clear instructions, the State had limited itself to "merely imposing nominal fines" without taking meaningful action against violators. The court described Prasad’s attitude as one of "complete defiance". This inaction was exacerbating the region’s worsening air pollution crisis and raised serious questions about the government’s resolve to enforce environmental regulations. The court also warned Prasad that if he was "acting at somebody’s behest", it would constitute a dereliction of duty.
In September 2024, Prasad unconditionally apologised 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.
In March 2024, Prasad simultaneously held multiple positions — chief secretary (during leave period of Sanjeev Kaushal, Prasad's predecessor), home secretary, and financial commissioner. Hemant Kumar appealed to the Election Commission, urging it to take corrective action to safeguard administrative efficiency. The Commission refrained from intervening; Prasad was later removed from his home secretary and financial commissioner roles.
In October 2023, a Haryana Indian Police Service officer alleged that Prasad had accused him of harassment and discrimination after being reassigned to a non-cadre role, which the officer claimed was retaliatory.