Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Five of the 69 IAS officials appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) to top roles at the Center are from Odisha. The official statement states that 28 officers have been empanelled for extra secretary or equivalent-level positions, while 41 officers have been appointed as secretaries or on similar-level roles. An Odisha cadre officer from the 1995 batch, Sushil Kumar Lohani, has been assigned to the secretary-equivalent position. He is now working as the Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s Additional Secretary while on central deputation.
Similarly, Dodda Venkata Swamy and Santhanagopalan R from the 2001 batch, as well as Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma and Shubha Sarma from the 1999 class, have been appointed to additional secretary or equivalent-level positions.
Recently, Bhaskar Jyoti Sharma assumed leadership of the Forest Environment & Climate Change department as Principal Secretary. In addition, he holds the positions of Chairman, OSBCL, and CMD, OPTCL. Shubha Sarma, who is currently the Principal Secretary of the Women & Child Development Department, has been given the position of Principal Secretary for the Water Resources Department.
At the moment, Dodda Venkata Swamy is the Chairman of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA). Santhanagopalan serves as both Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and the ex-officio Principal Secretary to Home (Elections). On December 31, 2025, the state government elevated him and Dodda Venkata Swamy to the position of Principal Secretary.
