Bhubaneswar, Dec 24 The Odisha government on Wednesday appointed Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department, Anu Garg, as the new Chief Secretary of the state, as per an official notification issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance (GA&PG) department on Wednesday.
The 1991 batch Odisha cadre IAS officer Garg will replace incumbent Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, who is set to retire from the services on December 31, 2025.
“Smt. Anu Garg, IAS (RR-1991), DC-cum-ACS and Secretary to Government, Planning and Convergence Department with additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Water Resources Department, is appointed as Chief Secretary, Odisha and Secretary to Government, General Administration and Public Grievance Department vice Shri Manoj Ahuja, IAS retiring on 31.12.2025(ΑΝ),” reads the GA&PG dept notification.
Garg, who is reported to be the first woman Chief Secretary of Odisha, is likely to assume the office on January 1, 2026. It is worth noting that she has also served as the Collector of Sambalpur and Bargarh districts and has held various positions across multiple departments in the state and union governments during her decades-long career.
Political experts said that Garg, as the woman Chief Secretary, is expected to place special focus on the empowerment of women in the state and ensure their safety amid rising cases of atrocities against women across Odisha.
Similarly, issues such as problems faced by farmers due to paddy procurement mess and the long-pending Mahanadi water dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh, etc will remain major challenges for Garg.
Garg was selected by the Odisha government for the top administrative position from among several senior IAS officers.
It is also argued that her wide-ranging experience across various departments of the state administration is understood to have weighed in her favour during the selection process.
The experts indicated that the decision reflected the government’s confidence in her administrative capabilities.
The incumbent Chief Secretary, Manoj Ahuja, who assumed office on July 1, 2024, had his service extended by one year through December 31, 2025.
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