BHUBANESWAR: Sudhanshu Mohan Patnaik, the first Odia IAS officer to be Chief Secretary of the State, passed away here on Monday night. He was 94.
An alumnus of Allahabad University, Patnaik had started his career as a Lecturer in History at SCS College in Puri.
In 1950, he cleared the Indian Administrative Service and became part of the first batch to serve the country post-Independence. Prior to that, it was called the Indian Civil Service.
After serving various assignments with the State Government during his career as a bureaucrat, he was appointed as Chief Secretary of the State in 1980 and continued till 1983.
An avid sportsman, Patnaik represented his university both in hockey and football. He was a good tennis player too and his passion for sports continued till his demise. Patnaik, who led a very healthy life till the end, is survived by a son and two daughters.