Manoj Ahuja Appointed as New Chief Secretary of Odisha

Manoj Ahuja, currently serving as the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Secretary, has been named the new Chief Secretary of Odisha, effective July 1. Ahuja, a 1990-batch IAS officer from the Odisha cadre, will succeed Pradeep Kumar Jena, whose extended term concludes on June 30. This appointment marks Ahuja as the first Chief Secretary under Odisha’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Additionally, Ahuja will take on the role of Secretary for the General Administration and Public Grievance Department, as per an official notification.

The decision follows the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet approving Ahuja’s return to his parent cadre at the state government’s request. Although he is set to retire in December 2024, there is speculation that he may receive an extension, as was the case with his predecessors Suresh Mohapatra and P. K. Jena.