Governance / Major OAS reshuffle in Odisha: 42 officers transferred in fresh government notification

Bhubaneswar, Oct 30: The Odisha Government on Friday effected a major reshuffle of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS), transferring and reassigning 42 officers across various departments and districts, officials said.

The General Administration and Public Grievance Department issued a notification in this regard.

The reshuffle covers senior secretariat positions, district-level administrative posts and field assignments, including Additional District Magistrates (ADMs), Sub-Collectors, Chief Development Officers-cum-Executive Officers (CDO-cum-EOs) and Block Development Officers (BDOs).

Among the key changes, Bidhan Chandra Ray, OAS (Super Time Scale), Special Secretary to the Commerce and Transport Department, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary to the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department.

Aniruddha Pradhan, OAS (SAG), Additional District Magistrate of Boudh, has been transferred as ADM of Subarnapur. He has also been appointed as ADM under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

In another significant change, Ramesh Chandra Sethi, OAS (SAG), Additional District Magistrate of Dhenkanal, has been transferred and posted as Additional Commissioner of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on foreign service terms and conditions.

Dr Bijayananda Sethy, OAS (Senior), has been posted as CDO-cum-EO of Zilla Parishad, Puri. His earlier posting as General Manager of OB & CC in Bhubaneswar has been cancelled.

Biranchi Narayan Darwan, OAS (Senior), who was serving as CDO-cum-EO of Zilla Parishad, Nabarangpur, has been transferred as ADM of Boudh. He has also been appointed as ADM under BNSS provisions.

Dillip Kumar Pradhan, OAS (Senior), Additional Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad, Debagarh, has been transferred as ADM of Jharsuguda and appointed to the post under BNSS, 2023.

At the district level, Jyotikanta Bhujabal, OAS Grade A (Senior Branch), Deputy Administrator (Revenue) of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri, has been transferred as Sub-Collector of Kendrapada. He has also been appointed as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Kendrapada.

Pushpak Kumar Pradhan, OAS Grade A (Senior Branch), BDO of Bamra, has been posted as Sub-Collector of Kendujhar and appointed as SDM of the district.

Arun Kumar Nayak, OAS Grade A (Senior Branch), Sub-Collector of Kendrapada, has been transferred as Additional Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad, Puri. Uma Shankar Dalai, Sub-Collector of Kendujhar, has been posted as Deputy Secretary of the Odisha Sub-Ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC), Bhubaneswar.

The notification also transfers Manoj Patra, OAS (Senior), from his post as Additional Commissioner of Sambalpur Municipal Corporation to General Manager (Administration) of the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd., Bhubaneswar, on foreign service terms. His earlier posting has been cancelled.

Saroj Kumar Behera, OAS (Senior), Joint Secretary to the Health and Family Welfare Department, with additional charge as Administrative Officer of Odisha University of Health Sciences, has been transferred and posted as Special Land Acquisition Officer for the Mega Steel Plant at Patna in Kendujhar district.
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Other changes include transfers of officers to the Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development, Higher Education, Commerce and Transport, and other departments. Several officers have also been assigned to Project Administrator posts in Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs) across the state.

The government has also cancelled certain earlier transfer and posting orders while allowing some officers to continue in their existing assignments.