Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday appointed former chief secretary of Pradeep Jena as Chairperson of Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC).
According to the Energy Department’s notification, the order will come into effect from the day he assumes office.
The post of OERC chairperson was lying vacant since November 2023 when incumbent Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, also a former Chief Secretary, resigned after being appointed as chief adviser to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Jena, a 1989-batch IAS officer, had served as secretary of the Energy department for a period of over six years, during which he handled the crucial energy infrastructure that had crumbled post Super Cyclone.
A postgraduate in applied geology, he was appointed as Chief Secretary of Odisha on February 26, 2023, and continued in the post till June 30, 2024. Though the officer was slated to retire from service on December 31, he got a six-month extension in view of the general and assembly polls in April-May 2024.
Jena had also served as secretary in Panchayati Raj and Information Technology departments and principal secretary in the Rural Development department. He was one of the longest serving principal secretaries of the Water Resources department and quick response during natural calamities was the hallmark of his service as the Special Relief Commissioner.
Notably, OERC is a quasi-judicial body and it regulates power tariff in the state. Besides, it promotes competition, efficiency and economy in the power sector. The OERC chief’s job has been of much interest to the powers that be in the government following the takeover of all four distribution companies by Tata Power.
