Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday appointed former IAS officer Madhusudan Padhi as the State Election Commissioner.
His appointment was notified by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department within hours of Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati giving the approval.
The 1991-batch officer will replace Aditya Prasad Padhi, also an IAS officer of 1983-batch appointed to the post in August 2019.
An alumnus of Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, Madhusudan Padhi is an Engineering graduate in Metallurgy from Regional Engineering College (now NIT), Rourkela.
During his tenure as principal secretary to the then Governor Dr Ganeshi Lal, he initiated an online system for extending invitation for Governor’s programme and introduced e-despatch in Raj Bhavan. He later served as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Land Records & Settlement.
Padhi also worked as Principal Secretary, Rural Development, Commissioner-cum-Secretary in Information & Public Relations Department, Information Technology, Food Supply & Consumer Welfare Department and Higher Education Department. He was also the Chairman of Odisha Civil Supplies Corporation and Special Administrator, Kandhamal.
Padhi had also served as Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) of Northern Division, Director, Elementary Education and State Project Director, OPEPA, Director, Tourism & Managing Director, Odisha Tourism Development Corporation, Managing Director, Konark TV Ltd and Chief Executive, OREDA.
As Kandhamal Collector, he formed district-level marketing organization, KASAM- (Kandhmal Apex Spices Association for Marketing) to help tribal farmers in the marketing of their surplus agricultural produces ,which got international certification for organic farming.
