New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The Centre has approved inter-cadre deputation of Deputy Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar Sahoo, allowing him to serve in his home state, Odisha.
Sahoo is a 2006-batch IAS officer of Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Department of Personnel & Training for curtailment of central deputation tenure of Manoj Kumar Sahoo, waiving of the cooling off period and inter-cadre deputation from AGMUT cadre to Odisha cadre for a period of three years,” the November 16 official release said.
A native of Singapur village of Balikuda block in Jagatsinghpur district, Sahoo did his BSc from Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar.
The senior Odia IAS officer was appointed as Deputy Election Commissioner in November 2022. He was the first Odia to hold the position.
From 2016 to 2019, he was private secretary to Jual Oram, when the latter was Union Minister for Tribal Affairs in Narendra Modi’s first term as the Prime Minister. He also served in the Ministry of Jal Shakti in different positions. He was the the DC in districts of West Siang and Kurung Kumey in Arunachal Pradesh. He was the District Magistrate of Dadra Nagar Haveli, Daman and ADM in Diu.
Sahoo is expected to be assigned a crucial assignment in the Odisha administration.
