Two senior IPS officers from the Odisha cadre — Sanjay Kumar and Rekha Lohani — have been empanelled for central deputation at the Additional Director General (ADG) level. Both officers belong to the 1997 IPS batch.
The empanelment, approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), is part of a broader move to allow 38 senior IPS officers from various state cadres to take up key roles in central police organisations and security agencies.
Sanjay Kumar, known for his extensive experience, notably served a seven-year tenure with the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), where he rose from the rank of Inspector General to a senior leadership post. After returning to Odisha in 2022, he was appointed as ADG (Modernization) in the state police.
Rekha Lohani has also made history, becoming the first woman IPS officer from the Odisha cadre to hold a long-term central posting at the ADG rank. She has served as Inspector General and Director at the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. In Odisha, she held prominent roles such as IG (Modernization) and Additional Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack.
The empanelment of Kumar and Lohani is not just a personal milestone but also highlights the growing influence and recognition of Odisha cadre officers in the national policing and administrative ecosystem.
