Bhubaneswar: Manoj Kumar Sahoo, a 2006 batch IAS officer, was appointed as private secretary to chief minister Mohan Majhi on Saturday. Arindam Dakua, a 2011 batch IAS officer, who held the post since July, was shifted from the chief minister’s office on Thursday and appointed director of municipal administration.
Sahoo, who belongs to the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, was brought to the CMO last month and appointed special secretary. There was speculation that he would get a crucial position in Majhi’s team. He is the second most senior officer in the CMO after Nikunja Dhal, additional chief secretary.
On Nov 17, the appointments committee of the Union Cabinet approved the inter-cadre deputation of Sahoo to Odisha, his home state. At the time, he was serving as deputy election commissioner at the Election Commission in Delhi.
Prior to this, Sahoo served as private secretary to tribal affairs minister Jual Oram from 2016 to 2019. His previous roles included district magistrate in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman, as well as collector of West Siang and Kurung Kumey districts in Arunachal Pradesh.