Major Administrative Reshuffle in Odisha: 49 IAS Officers Transferred, 16 Districts Get New Collectors

In a sweeping administrative overhaul, the Odisha government on Tuesday effected a major reshuffle, transferring 49 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers across various ranks, including Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, and District Collectors.

According to the official notification issued by the General Administration and Public Grievances Department, the reshuffle is part of the government’s efforts to bring in administrative efficiency and strengthen governance at both state and district levels.

Among the major changes, sixteen of Odisha’s thirty districts will witness new leadership at the collector level. The districts receiving new collectors are Jajpur, Sonepur, Boudh, Jharsuguda, Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Koraput, Ganjam, Sundergarh, Dhenkanal, Malkangiri, Puri, Khurda, Nabarangpur, and Gajapati (mentioned twice in the notification, possibly indicating changes in multiple key posts within the same district).

In the senior bureaucracy, Hemant Sharma, a 1995-batch IAS officer, has been entrusted with additional charge as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Department. He will continue as Chairman of the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (IPICOL).

Consequently, Sanjay Kumar Singh’s additional charge as Principal Secretary of I&PR has been terminated, as per the government order.

This reshuffle comes at a time when the new state government, under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, is actively working to streamline governance and expedite development initiatives across the state.

The full list of the transferred officers and their new postings is expected to be available on the official website of the Odisha General Administration Department.

Such a large-scale bureaucratic reshuffle is being seen as a decisive step by the administration to ensure efficient service delivery and policy execution at both macro and micro levels across Odisha.