Bhubaneswar: Odisha cadre IAS officer Gavali Parag Harshad, posted as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, has been prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre.
His premature repatriation has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). However, no specific reason has been cited for his premature repatriation.
A 2013-batch IAS officer, Harshad had proceeded on central deputation in July 2024 and assumed charge as the Private Secretary to Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram. He had been appointed to this post for a tenure of five years. However, in February 2025, he was relieved of this responsibility and appointed as a Deputy Secretary in the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
He had also drawn attention during his tenure at the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs. In February 2025, Minister Jual Oram wrote to the Chief Secretary of Odisha, requesting that Harshad be removed from his post and that disciplinary action be taken against him.
Prior to his central deputation, Harshad held several key positions in Odisha. He served as the Collector and District Magistrate of Sundaragada from June 2022 to July 2024. Before that, he had also discharged duties as the Project Director of DRDA, Malkangiri.
