Bhubaneswar: Putting all speculation to rest, the Odisha government on Friday appointed Manoj Ahuja, a 1990-batch IAS officer, as the next Chief Secretary.
He will succeed Pradeep Kumar Jena, whose term following six-month extension ends on June 30.
Ahuja will hold additional charge of Secretary, General Administration and Public Grievance Department, the official notification said.
These appointments came three days after Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet approved his repatriation to his parent cadre on the request of the state government, leading to speculation about his possible elevation to the post of Chief Secretary. He was then serving as Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Ahuja is due for superannuation in December 2024 and there is a strong possibility that the state and central governments would give him an extension as was in the case of his predecessors Suresh Mohapatra and P K Jena.
The IAS officer has held several portfolios like Joint Director (Personnel Training/Personnel & General Administration) at the Centre and Commissioner and Secretary, Steel & Mines and Sports & Youth Services in Odisha. He also served as the Chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education.
Ahuja holds a BE (Mech) degree from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, MBA from Punjab University, Chandigarh and Masters in Public Administration (International Development) from Harvard University, USA.