Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Manoj Kumar Mishra’s contract employment as a principal secretary has been accepted by the Odisha cabinet following the Ministry of Railways’ approval of his resignation from the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) cadre. A day after the IRTS officer’s resignation was accepted by the Ministry of Railways in December of last year, he was hired on a contract basis to serve as the department’s chief secretary.
Mishra, a member of the 2000 batch, was the department’s secretary while on central deputation to the state. The BJP had demanded the cancellation of his appointment in January and had asked for an explanation as to why an outsider had been chosen for an IAS-cadre position, alleging that this had violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution as well as the business rules established for the Odisha government under Article 166.
The saffron party had criticized Mishra’s employment, calling it illegitimate and unconstitutional, and had questioned why the hiring process had not been transparent and open to the public.
