Rise of Odia officers! Two Odia bureaucrats now Principal Secretaries to PM Narendra Modi

The elevation of former RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday elicited positive response as it indicates rise of officers from Odisha in the PMO.

This creates a dual leadership structure in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) alongside PK Mishra (1972-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer from Odisha), who continues as Principal Secretary-1. This marks the first instance of two Odisha-born officers simultaneously holding top bureaucratic positions in the PMO.

Also Read: Former RBI Governor and retired Odia IAS officer Shaktikanta Das appointed Principal Secretary-2 to PM Narendra Modi

Career Trajectories and Policy Contributions

Shaktikanta Das brings six years' experience as RBI Governor where he navigated COVID-19 economic challenges and implemented key reforms like GST.

Mishra, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's long-time aide since his Gujarat CM days, has been instrumental in coordinating central policies since 2019. Their combined expertise covers monetary policy (Das) and administrative governance (Mishra), creating complementary leadership in economic management and implementation of central schemes.

Impact on Odisha Development Agenda

The appointments coincide with increased focus on Odisha's development. Economist Rajiv Sahu said, “It is well known fact that Shaktikanta Das is an efficient officer and proved his mettle as the RBI Governor. When he was the Economic Affairs Secretary, his role in handling the demonitisation was appreciable. Similarly, during the Covid pandemic, Das was also instrumental in overseeing things and roll out of economic package.”

Sahu said that through monetary and banking systems, India has seen several reforms during Shaktikanta Das’ tenure.