Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Anu Garg was appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Odisha on Wednesday, 24 December.
Garg, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, will replace outgoing chief secretary Manoj Ahuja. Garg will join the new position in the new year as Ahuja retires on 31 December, as per the Odisha government notification.
With her appointment, Garg becomes the first woman Chief Secretary of Odisha and the 47th officer overall to hold the post.
Who is Anu Garg?
Garg is presently serving as Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department, in Odisha . She currently also holds charge as Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary in the Planning and Convergence Department.
Born on 1 March 1969, Garg holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lady Shri Ram College of Delhi University, a master’s degree in Sociology from Lucknow University, and a masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, United States of America.
Ahuja, Garg's predecessor, had assumed charge as Chief Secretary of Odisha on 1 July 2024, succeeding Pradeep Kumar Jena. He was the 46th Chief Secretary of the state and also held charge of the General Administration and Public Grievances Department. His tenure, which was set to end on 31 December last year, was extended by a year.
Served in Govt of India too
Prior to her present assignment as Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary, Water Resources Department, in Odisha, Anu Garg had served as Principal Secretary in the Departments of Labour and ESI, and Women & Child Development, Government of Odisha.
Anu Garg has also served in different capacities in various Ministries under the Government of India namely Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Joint Secretary to Prime Minister, and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Anu Garg has also served as Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Odisha during 2008-12.
Between 1992 and 2003, Garg had served in various districts of Odisha in various capacities including Collector and District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, and Sub-divisional Magistrate. She was one of the members of the High Level Expert Group (HLEG) for Universal Health Coverage instituted by Planning Commission, Government of India.
