Bhubaneswar: Senior IAS officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal has been appointed as Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister of Odisha.
A 1993-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, Dhal is presently serving as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha. He was appointed as CEO in March, 2023.
“Nikunja Bihari Dhal, chief electoral officer, Odisha and ex-officio additional chief secretary, Home department, is appointed as additional chief secretary to chief minister, Odisha,” said a notification, issued by General Administration and Public Grievance department on Sunday.
Dhal has been working in several responsible positions of the state government. He was the Additional Chief Secretary, Energy Department and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) before being appointed as CEO.
The simultaneous elections to Assembly and Lok Sabha were peacefully conducted in the state recently under the supervision of Dhal.
It may be noted that senior IAS officer Manoj Ahuja assumed charge as Chief Secretary of the state on Sunday. He took charge from outgoing Chief Secretary Pradeep Jena, whose tenure was extended by six months due to the elections.