In a significant bureaucratic overhaul, the General Administration & Public Grievance Department of the Government of Odisha has issued a series of transfer and posting orders affecting more than a dozen senior Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers.
The notifications, dated 25 August 2026, aim to strengthen key departments ranging from Home and Planning to education, municipal administration and tribal development.
Among the high-profile moves, Babita Mohanty, OAS (SS), currently Special Secretary in the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department, has been transferred as Special Secretary to the GA & PG Department itself.
Anuj Kumar Das Pattanaik, OAS (SS), Director of Information & Public Relations, will now serve as Special Secretary in the Planning & Convergence Department.
Himansu Sekhar Behera, OAS (SS), Additional Secretary to the Lokayukta, has been posted as Special Secretary in the Home Department.
Kalpataru Behera, OAS (SS), Additional Commissioner of Kataka Municipal Corporation, takes charge as Director of Estates and Ex-Officio Special Secretary in the GA & PG Department.
Santoshi Sahoo, OAS (SS), Registrar of Odisha University of Health Sciences, moves as Special Secretary to the Skill Development & Technical Education Department.
Manaswini Sahu, OAS (SAG), has been posted as Additional Secretary in the Odia Language, Literature & Culture Department.
Further changes include Prakash Chandra Mohanty, OAS (SAG), shifting from Planning & Convergence to the post of Secretary, Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OUSSSC).
Debabrata Mallick, OAS (SAG), Additional Secretary in GA & PG (with additional charge related to the Odisha Administrative Tribunal), will now serve as Additional Secretary in the Commerce & Transport Department.
Jayashree Senapati, OAS (S), moves from Water Resources to Joint Secretary, OUSSSC, while Paresh Kumar Nayak, OAS (S), Joint Secretary in Higher Education, has been posted as Additional Commissioner of Kataka Municipal Corporation on foreign service terms.
Swarupananda Sahu, OAS Gr-A (SB), OSD in Sports & Youth Services, becomes Deputy Secretary at OUSSSC.
In a separate notification, Dayasindhu Parida, OAS Gr.A (SB), Sub-Collector of Karanjia, has been given additional charge of Project Administrator, ITDA, Karanjia.
Chittaranjan Mohanta, OAS (SB), currently PA, ITDA, Karanjia, has been transferred as Additional Sub-Collector, Subarnapur.
The department has directed controlling authorities to relieve the officers within seven days of the notification. Failing this, the officers will be deemed centrally relieved with effect from the afternoon of 1 September 2026. All relieved officers must join their new assignments without availing any joining time or leave.
The orders have been forwarded for publication in the next issue of the Odisha Gazette.
This large-scale reshuffle is expected to bring fresh energy and coordination across critical government wings as the state administration gears up for the coming months.
