Senior IAS officer Saswata Mishra appointed Principal Secretary to Odisha CM

Senior bureaucrat Saswata Mishra, a 1996 Batch IAS officer, presently Finance Department Principal Secretary with additional charge of IDCO Chairman has been appointed as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Odisha, on Sunday.

Also Read: Puri stampede: Odisha govt cracks whip, transfers Collector and SP; ex-gratia announced

“Saswata Mishra, IAS (RR-1996), Principal Secretary to Government, Finance Department with additional charge of Chairman, IDCO is appointed as the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Odisha,” a notification issued in this regard by General Administration & Public Grievance (GA&PG) Department mentioned.

The bureaucrat was allowed to remain in additional charge of the Principal Secretary to Government, Finance Department and Chairman, IDCO, the official communiqué stated.

Earlier in the day, in the wake of the tragic stampede that led to the death of three devotees at Saradhabali near Gundicha Temple during the grand Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri, the Odisha Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) announced a series of swift actions.

Accordingly, Puri District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinit Agarwal were transferred with immediate effect. The decision aimed to restore public trust and improve crowd management during upcoming events.

Following this transfer, Khordha District Collector and senior bureaucrat Chanchal Rana was appointed as the new Collector of Puri.

Hours after the tragic stampede during Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha Government appointed senior bureaucrat Aravind Agrawal as in-charge of overall supervision of the 9-day annual sojourn of the sibling deities in Puri pilgrimage town.

In addition to his current role as Secretary of Higher Education Department, Agrawal will oversee the festival management. “He is allowed to remain in charge of overall supervision of the Car Festival, Puri in addition to his own duties,” another notification read.