Bhubaneswar: Two senior IPS officers from the Odisha cadre, Sanjay Kumar and Rekha Lohani, have been empanelled for central deputation at the level of Additional Director General (ADG). Both the officers belong to 1997-batch of IPS.
The approval in this regard has been accorded by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which has cleared the deputation of 38 IPS officers from various state cadres across India.
Sanjay Kumar has held several key positions in Odisha and also at the Centre. He served a seven-year stint with the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), where he was elevated from Inspector General to a top leadership role. After returning to state service in 2022, he was posted as ADG (Modernisation) in the Odisha Police.
Similarly, Rekha Lohani happened to be the first woman ADG-ranked officer from the Odisha cadre to hold a long-term central posting. She was appointed as Inspector General and Director at the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) by the Ministry of Home Affairs in late 2022. Prior to that, she had served in various important roles within Odisha, including as IG (Modernisation) and Additional Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack.
Their empanelment for central deputation signifies not just personal achievement but also reflects the rising prominence of Odisha cadre officers in the national administrative and policing landscape.
The two officers are now eligible for appointment in central police organisations and security agencies under the Union Government at the ADG level.
