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A day after the new Chief Secretary took charge, the Odisha government carried out a significant reshuffle at the senior IAS level, triggering intense discussion within administrative and political circles. The reshuffle has seen several top officers being entrusted with multiple key departments, raising questions about workload distribution and governance effectiveness.
Senior IAS officer Satyabrata Sahu, who was serving as Additional Chief Secretary in the Home Department, has been moved out of Lok Seva Bhawan and appointed as Member, Board of Revenue, Cuttack. Meanwhile, 1993-batch IAS officer Deoranjan Kumar Singh has been appointed as the new Development Commissioner, widely regarded as the second-most influential administrative post in the state. He has also been given additional charge of the Revenue Department as Additional Chief Secretary and formally assumed charge on Thursday.
Another major development in the reshuffle is the expanded role of Hemant Sharma. Already serving as Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department and Information & Public Relations Department, and Chairman of IPICOL, Sharma has now been entrusted with the additional charge of the Home Department.
The reshuffle reflects Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s apparent confidence in a select group of senior officers. Speaking after assuming charge, Deoranjan Kumar Singh said Odisha is on a new development trajectory and expressed his commitment to contributing towards the vision of making the state developed by 2036. Hemant Sharma, meanwhile, said efforts would continue to strengthen infrastructure and recruitment processes in the Home and Police Departments.
Several other senior IAS officers have also been assigned multiple responsibilities. Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma will continue as Principal Secretary of the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department along with his existing roles in the Excise Department and public sector undertakings. Shubha Sharma has been given additional charge of the Water Resources Department alongside her role in the Women and Child Development Department.
Rajesh Prabhakar Patil has been appointed as Special Relief Commissioner and Managing Director of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) as an additional charge, while continuing to hold multiple positions in the Cooperation, Housing and Urban Development departments and state corporations.
Notably, several other senior officers are already handling multiple key portfolios. While the government maintains that the reshuffle aims to energise the administrative machinery, concerns persist over whether assigning several departments to individual officers may affect efficiency and timely decision-making.
Senior journalist Prasanna Mohanty questioned whether the concentration of responsibilities could dilute administrative focus, especially when the government is aiming to accelerate governance and development outcomes.
