The Odisha administration executed a sweeping bureaucratic reconfiguration on Thursday, shuffling senior IAS officials into new roles across pivotal government wings. This move, detailed in an immediate-effect gazette notification from Bhubaneswar, is poised to streamline operations in high-priority areas.
Retaining continuity, Devarajan Kumar Singh remains Additional Chief Secretary at Steel and Mines. Surendra Kumar’s portfolio expands to include Additional Chief Secretary positions in General Administration, Public Grievances, and Parliamentary Affairs.
In a dual role enhancement, Bishnupada Sethi now chairs the Odisha Forest Development Corporation while administering KBK. Chitra Arumugam adds Training Coordination Director duties at Gopalbandhu Academy to her responsibilities.
Dr. Arvind Kumar Padhee advances to Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, alongside his ongoing stewardship of Puri’s Shree Jagannath Temple. The leadership at Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation shifts to Usha Padhi, succeeding Sanjeev Kumar Mishra’s interim stint.
New principal secretaries include Suresh Kumar Vashisth for Social Security and Differently-Abled Empowerment, Shubha Sharma for Water Resources, and NBS Rajput for Commerce, Transport, and OSRTC CMD.
Girish S.N. assumes extra duties as Odisha Mining Corporation Chairman. In Women and Child Development, Dr. Mrinalini Darswal is the new Commissioner-cum-Secretary, as Rajesh Prabhakar Patil steps down from Housing and Urban Development’s Special Secretary role.
Agriculture sees Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav as Commissioner-cum-Secretary. Rashmita takes dual leadership in Bhubaneswar Development Authority and Smart City initiatives. Mission Shakti welcomes Mansi Nimbalkar, and Fisheries & Animal Resources gains Prem Chandra Chaudhary.
Experts view this as a proactive step to address sectoral challenges, fortifying Odisha’s administrative backbone for upcoming developmental milestones.