New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the empanelment of Odisha-cadre IAS officer Shalini Pandit for Additional Secretary or equivalent-level posts at the Centre.
The 2001-batch officer is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Department of Financial Services under the Ministry of Finance. She assumed the role in September 2025 for a five-year tenure. In addition, she has been nominated by the central government as a Director on the boards of premier financial entities, including the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) and the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
The ACC decision, conveyed through an official note, makes her eligible for consideration for senior central assignments at that level, subject to standard appointment procedures.
According to reports, she is one of two officers cleared in the recent round. Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Sufiyah Faruqui Wali (2009 batch), who serves as General Manager (Region) at the Food Corporation of India in Bhopal, has been empanelled for Joint Secretary or equivalent positions.
A graduate in Botany from Miranda House, University of Delhi, Pandit holds an MSc in Wildlife Science from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Before her central deputation, she held several senior roles in the Odisha government, including Commissioner-cum-Secretary in the School and Mass Education, Health and Family Welfare, Mission Shakti, and Odia Language, Literature and Culture departments. She also served as Mission Director of the National Health Mission, Labour Commissioner, and District Collector in multiple districts, including Sundaragada and Boudh.
She earned widespread recognition for implementing crucial reforms in the public education sector and leading the state’s healthcare response during the COVID-19 pandemic.