The Mohan Charan Majhi government on Friday appointed 1990-batch IAS officer Manoj Ahuja as the new chief secretary of Odisha.
He will succeed Pradeep Kumar Jena, who will retire on June 30. Jena had been given a six-month extension after retirement by the Naveen Patnaik government.
Ahuja was on central deputation. Only three days ago, the appointments committee of the Union cabinet approved the Odisha government’s proposal to send him back to Odisha. At the Centre, he was serving as secretary in the ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare.
He holds a BE (Mechanical) degree from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala; an MBA from Punjab University, Chandigarh, and a master’s in public administration (international development) from Havard University, US.
His appointment came on a day when chief minister Majhi and two deputy chief ministers, K.V. Singhdeo and Pravati Parida, were on a visit to Delhi. They have met President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union minister Amit Shah, and several other Union ministers and discussed issues pertaining to the state’s interest.
Sources said that after new chief secretary Ahuja takes charge, the entire administration will undergo a revamp, with massive changes in the IAS, IPS, and IFS cadres.
