The Odisha government has extended the tenure of Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena by six months, putting an end to all speculations regarding his successor.
As per the notification issued by the General Administration and Public Grievance Department of the Government of Odisha on Friday, the service of Pradeep Kumar Jena has been extended for a period of six months from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024.
He was scheduled to retire on December 31, 2023.
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The 1989-bathc IAS officer, Jena had assumed the charge as the Chief Secretary of Odisha on March 1, 2023. He took the charge of the office from Suresh Chandra Mahapatra.
Prior to assuming the office of the Chief Secretary, Jena had served as the Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary and Secretary, Planning and Convergence with additional charge of Agriculture Production Commissioner, Special Relief Commissioner and MD, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA).
Jena had also held the post of the Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and secretary in the Water Resources, Rural Development, IT and Energy departments.