BHUBANESWAR: Senior Odisha cadre IAS officer Nikunja Bihari Dhal and additional chief secretary to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is set to proceed on central deputation.
The 1993-batch IAS officer has been posted as secretary in the ministry of Parliamentary Affairs after approval by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet (ACC). He will assume charge of his new post after the superannuation of Umang Narula on June 30.
Dhal was appointed as the additional chief secretary to the chief minister on June 30, 2024 after the BJP government came to power in the state. He had worked in several responsible positions of the state government earlier.
He was the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Odisha during the 2024 general elections. The simultaneous elections to the Odisha Assembly and Lok Sabha were conducted peacefully during his tenure. Before his appointment as the CEO, Dhal was the additional chief secretary in the Energy Department and Special Relief Commissioner.
Two other Odisha cadre IAS officers, Santosh Sarangi and Ranjana Chopra, have also got new postings. Sarangi, a 1994-batch officer who is now the Director General of Foreign Trade has been posted as secretary in the ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Chopra who was additional secretary and financial advisor in ministry of Culture has been appointed as special secretary and financial advisor in the same ministry.