29 OAS Officers Promoted to Special Secretary Rank in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Friday promoted at least 29 officers of the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) in the Superior Administrative Grade to the rank of Special Secretary on an ad hoc basis.

A notification issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance (GA&PG) Department stated that the promotions have been made “pending finalisation of the selection list on the advice of the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).” The officers have been promoted to Level-17 of the Pay Matrix under the Odisha Revised Scales of Pay (O.R.S.P.) Rules, 2017.

The promotions will remain valid for a period not exceeding one year, or until the receipt of recommendations from the OPSC, or till the officers’ retirement, whichever comes first. The notification also clarified that these promotions were made without prejudice to the claims of other eligible officers.

Among those promoted, Kahnu Charan Dhir, currently serving as the Private Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Women and Child Development, Mission Shakti, and Tourism, has been allowed to continue in his current role.

The decision is seen as part of the government’s ongoing administrative restructuring aimed at strengthening governance and service delivery across departments.