Odisha Government Transfers 15 IAS Officers in Major Reshuffle; Manish Agarwal Appointed Registrar of Cooperative Societies
In a significant administrative overhaul, the Government of Odisha has announced the transfer and posting of 15 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including several from the 2022 batch. The reshuffle, issued by the General Administration and Public Grievance Department, reflects the state’s focus on strengthening governance, improving efficiency, and providing young officers with greater field responsibilities.
Manish Agarwal Appointed Registrar of Cooperative Societies
Senior IAS officer Manish Agarwal (2012 batch) has been appointed as Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Odisha.
Prior to this posting, he was serving as Additional Special Relief Commissioner with additional charge as Additional Secretary in the Planning and Convergence Department.
His new role places him at the helm of cooperative institutions across the state.
Smruti Ranjan Pradhan Gets Industrial Role
IAS officer Smruti Ranjan Pradhan, earlier Additional Secretary in the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, has been appointed Managing Director of the Odisha Small Industries Corporation.
He will also continue as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Startup Odisha.
With this change, the additional charge of CEO, Startup Odisha previously held by Rashmita Panda has been withdrawn.
Siddhartha Das Posted as Director of Fisheries
IAS officer Siddhartha Das, who was earlier serving as Registrar of Cooperative Societies, has now been appointed Director of Fisheries.
Madhusmita Sahoo Assigned to Education Sector
IAS officer Madhusmita Sahoo, who was Additional Secretary in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department with additional charge as Director of the Revenue Officers’ Training Institute, has been appointed Director of Teachers’ Education and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (TE & SCERT).
She will continue to serve as Additional Secretary in the School and Mass Education Department.
Other Key Administrative Changes
Upama Kalo, Additional Commissioner (Settlement and Consolidation) in the office of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Sambalpur, will continue to hold additional charge as Secretary to the RDC (Northern Division).
Lily Kumari Kullu, earlier Additional Secretary in the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, has been appointed Additional Secretary in the Public Enterprises Department.
District-Level Transfers
Several changes have also been made at the district administration level:
Somesh Kumar Upadhyay, Collector and District Magistrate of Malkangiri, has been appointed Director of Textiles and Handlooms.
Prathamesh Arvind Rajeshirke, Commissioner of Berhampur Municipal Corporation with additional charge as Vice Chairman of the Berhampur Development Authority, has been posted as Collector and District Magistrate of Malkangiri.
2022-Batch IAS Officers Get Key Postings
The reshuffle prominently features officers from the 2022 IAS batch, who have been assigned important roles across districts:
Akavaram Sasya Reddy, Sub-Collector of Jeypore → Commissioner of Berhampur Municipal Corporation, with additional charge as Vice Chairman of the Berhampur Development Authority.
Akshay Pillay, Sub-Collector of Bonei → Additional District Magistrate of Paradeep, Jagatsinghpur district.
Arugula Sneha, Sub-Collector of Padampur → Chief Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer (CDO-cum-EO) of Zilla Parishad, Mayurbhanj.
Samir Kumar Jena, Sub-Collector of Talcher → CDO-cum-EO of Zilla Parishad, Ganjam.
Soumyaranjan Pradhan, Sub-Collector of Rairangpur → CDO-cum-EO of Zilla Parishad, Kalahandi.
Objective Behind the Reshuffle
According to the state government, the reshuffle aims to:
Strengthen governance across departments,
Improve administrative efficiency at the district level,
Ensure better coordination in development programmes,
Provide young IAS officers with greater field responsibilities.
Officials emphasized that such periodic reshuffles are part of ongoing administrative reforms designed to optimize governance and enhance service delivery across Odisha.
