Odisha Government Transfers 7 IAS Officers: Birendra Korkora Gets Home Department, Jugaleswari Dash to Head Secondary Education
The Odisha government has ordered a fresh administrative reshuffle involving seven IAS officers, bringing changes across several important departments, including Home, Secondary Education, Forest and Environment, AYUSH, Excise, Information and Public Relations, and transport-related infrastructure. The transfer and posting orders were issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance Department on August 25, 2026, with several officers being shifted to new responsibilities.
The latest reshuffle comes with changes at both departmental and directorate levels, giving new officers charge of key areas of the state administration. Among the prominent appointments, Jugaleswari Dash has been named Director, Secondary Education, while Archana Das Pattanaik will take over as Director, AYUSH and Sanjay Kumar Biswal has been appointed Director, Information and Public Relations in Bhubaneswar.
Birendra Korkora Shifted to Home Department
Birendra Korkora, IAS (SCS:2014), has been moved from the education sector to the Home Department. Korkora was serving as Director, Secondary Education, and has now been appointed Additional Secretary to the Government in the Home Department.
His new assignment places him in a crucial administrative department responsible for a wide range of matters concerning internal administration, law and order coordination, police-related affairs and other important aspects of state governance. The transfer also creates a vacancy at the Directorate of Secondary Education, which has now been filled by another senior officer.
Korkora’s movement is among the more significant changes in the latest order because the Home Department handles several sensitive areas of the state administration. His experience in the state government will now be utilised in a completely different administrative domain.
Jugaleswari Dash to Head Secondary Education
Jugaleswari Dash, IAS (SCS:2015), has been appointed Director, Secondary Education, replacing Birendra Korkora. Before this posting, Dash was serving as Director, OBC.
Her new assignment puts her at the helm of an important education directorate dealing with secondary-level education administration and the implementation of various government programmes and initiatives. The department also plays a key role in coordinating educational policies, institutional administration and programmes aimed at improving access and delivery of secondary education across Odisha.
Dash’s appointment comes at a time when the education sector continues to require close administrative coordination between the state government, schools and other implementing agencies. She will now take charge of the responsibilities previously handled by Korkora.
Aradhana Das Moves From Home to Forest and Environment
Another important change involves Aradhana Das, IAS (SCS:2014), who has been shifted from the Home Department to the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department.
Das was serving as Additional Secretary in the Home Department and has now been appointed Additional Secretary in the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department. The move transfers her administrative responsibilities from an important internal governance department to an area that covers forest management, environmental protection and climate-related policy matters.
Her new posting is significant for Odisha, a state with extensive forest resources and a wide range of environmental and ecological priorities. As Additional Secretary, Das will be involved in the administrative work of the department and its coordination with various government agencies.
Archana Das Pattanaik Appointed Director, AYUSH
The state’s AYUSH administration has also received a new head as part of the reshuffle. Archana Das Pattanaik, IAS (SCS:2015), has been appointed Director, AYUSH.
Das Pattanaik was previously serving as Additional Secretary in the Excise Department and will now move into the health and traditional medicine sector. The AYUSH directorate is responsible for the administration and promotion of traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda and other recognised streams covered under the AYUSH framework.
Her appointment represents another key change at the directorate level, with the government assigning an officer with administrative experience to oversee the functioning of AYUSH-related programmes and initiatives in Odisha.
Anjana Panda Moves to Excise Department
Anjana Panda, IAS (SCS:2015), will move in the opposite direction, shifting from AYUSH to the Excise Department. Panda was serving as Director, AYUSH and has now been appointed Additional Secretary in the Excise Department.
The change effectively creates a swap in responsibilities between the two officers, with Panda moving into Excise while Das Pattanaik takes charge of AYUSH. The Excise Department is responsible for the administration and regulation of excise-related matters in the state and is an important source of government revenue.
Panda’s new assignment as Additional Secretary will place her in a department with substantial regulatory and administrative responsibilities. She will now take over her new role as part of the government’s latest restructuring exercise.
Sanjay Kumar Biswal Gets IPR Responsibility
Sanjay Kumar Biswal, IAS (NSCS:2015), has been given charge of the state’s Information and Public Relations machinery. Biswal, who was serving as Additional Secretary in the Commerce & Transport Department, has been appointed Director, Information and Public Relations (IPR), Bhubaneswar.
The new assignment moves Biswal from commerce and transport administration to the government’s public communication setup. The IPR Directorate has an important role in disseminating information about government decisions, policies, welfare programmes and administrative initiatives to the public and the media.
His appointment comes at a time when government communication has become increasingly important, with departments required to communicate policies and public initiatives across traditional and digital platforms. Biswal will now oversee the responsibilities associated with the Directorate of Information and Public Relations.
Sundara Madhaba Padhi Gets Maritime Board Charge
The latest order also makes a significant appointment in Odisha’s maritime and transport sectors. Sundara Madhaba Padhi, IAS (NSCS:2020), who was serving as Deputy Secretary in the Works Department, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Odisha Maritime Board.
Padhi will also hold additional charge as General Manager of the Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC). His new responsibilities therefore span two important areas – maritime administration and public road transport.
The Odisha Maritime Board has responsibilities connected with the state’s maritime infrastructure and related development activities, while OSRTC plays a major role in public road transportation. Padhi’s dual assignment means he will now have to coordinate administrative responsibilities across both sectors.
Seven IAS Officers Get New Assignments
The August 25 transfer order has resulted in a broad redistribution of responsibilities across several departments. The complete list of postings is as follows:
- Birendra Korkora, IAS (SCS:2014) – Additional Secretary, Home Department
- Jugaleswari Dash, IAS (SCS:2015) – Director, Secondary Education
- Aradhana Das, IAS (SCS:2014) – Additional Secretary, Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department
- Archana Das Pattanaik, IAS (SCS:2015) – Director, AYUSH
- Anjana Panda, IAS (SCS:2015) – Additional Secretary, Excise Department
- Sanjay Kumar Biswal, IAS (NSCS:2015) – Director, Information and Public Relations, Bhubaneswar
- Sundara Madhaba Padhi, IAS (NSCS:2020) – Chief Operating Officer, Odisha Maritime Board, with additional charge as General Manager, OSRTC
Reshuffle Covers Education, Home, Health and Infrastructure
The latest Odisha IAS reshuffle touches a surprisingly wide range of administrative areas, rather than being confined to one particular department. Education gets a new director, the Home Department receives a new Additional Secretary, and the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department also gets a change at the Additional Secretary level.
The health and traditional medicine sector sees a leadership change through the appointment of Archana Das Pattanaik as Director, AYUSH, while Anjana Panda moves to the Excise Department. At the same time, Sanjay Kumar Biswal’s appointment strengthens the administrative leadership of the state’s public relations machinery.
The changes also extend to infrastructure and transport. Sundara Madhaba Padhi’s appointment as COO of the Odisha Maritime Board, along with his additional charge as GM of OSRTC, gives him a wide administrative portfolio involving two distinct but strategically important sectors.
Taken together, the August 25 orders represent another round of bureaucratic realignment by the Odisha government, with officers being moved across departments to take up new responsibilities. The reshuffle is expected to bring fresh administrative leadership to key areas including secondary education, home affairs, environmental governance, AYUSH, excise administration, public communication and maritime and road transport operations.
