Three Odisha IAS Officers Get Top Central Appointments

Bhubaneswar: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Friday approved central deputation and new appointments for three senior IAS officers from the Odisha cadre.

Nikunja Bihari Dhal, a 1993-batch IAS officer currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister of Odisha, has been appointed as the new Secretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. He will succeed Umang Narula, who is set to retire on June 30, 2025.

The Centre has also extended the central deputation of Santosh Kumar Sarangi, a 1994-batch Odisha-cadre IAS officer. Currently serving as the Director General of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Sarangi has now been appointed as Secretary of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

In another key appointment, the ACC approved the in-situ upgradation of Ranjana Chopra, also a 1994-batch Odisha-cadre officer, to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. Chopra, who was serving as the Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Culture, will continue in the same ministry with her upgraded designation.

These appointments reflect the increasing prominence of Odisha-cadre officers at the central level, with key responsibilities in policy-making and governance across various sectors.