Odia Officers Who Play Key Role In India’s Administration

Bhubaneswar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu’s appointment as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has added to the long list of Odias who are now occupying top administrative posts in the country.

From Prime Minister’s Office to RBI to NCERT, the Odia officers are now heading several prestigious and highly responsible posts that determine India’s fortune.

Among them is PK Mishra, 1972-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, who is currently heading the position of Principal Secretary at PMO since September 2019.

Shaktikant Das is serving as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India since December 2018. A 1970-batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, Das was deputed to the Centre in 2014.

In fact, there are two more Odias in top posts of RBI. Michael Debabrata Patra and Bibhu Prasad Kanungo are deputy governors of the central bank of the country. There are four deputy governors of RBI.

Another Odia, Dr Hrusikesh Senapati is now holding the post of Director, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), since 2015.

Similarly, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra is the Director-General of India Meteorological Department (IMD). His precise forecast of several cyclones like Fani, Phailin, Amphan and Nisarga has earned him the title of ‘Cyclone Man of India’.

Complementing Mohapatra in natural disasters is another Odia Satyanarayan Pradhan, who is serving as the Director-General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the country’s frontline organisation that works in relief and rescue operations during the natural calamities.