In a significant career milestone, 30 senior officers from the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) have now been promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). This decision was officially approved by the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, based on existing vacancies in the IAS posts for Odisha.
Let’s break this down.
What Exactly Happened?
The Government of India, in consultation with the Odisha state government, reviewed how many IAS posts were vacant in the state for the years 2023 and 2024. Based on that review:
- 15 OAS officers were promoted to IAS against 2023 vacancies (from January 1 to December 31, 2023).
- Another 15 officers were promoted against 2024 vacancies (January 1 to December 31, 2024).
These promotions were done as per rules laid down in several government regulations such as:
- IAS Appointment by Promotion Regulations, 1955
- IAS Recruitment Rules, 1954
- IAS Probation Rules, 1954
So essentially, these rules allow state civil service officers like those from OAS to be promoted to the IAS when suitable posts are open and they meet all the criteria.
What Does This Promotion Mean?
Being promoted from OAS to IAS is a big leap in the career of a bureaucrat. IAS officers are part of India’s elite administrative services and get to:
- Handle more important posts and responsibilities,
- Take part in major decision-making roles at the district, state, and national level,
- Get better pay, perks, and career growth opportunities.
These promoted officers will now be on probation (a trial period) until further orders and will be officially added to the Odisha IAS cadre.
Who Got Promoted?
Here’s the list of officers selected under the respective years:
Select List for 2023
- Dharam Hansdah
- Rina Mohapatra
- Niyati Pattnaik
- Maheswar Swain
- Mrunal Kanti Das
- Srikanta Tarai
- Birendra Korkora
- Laxman Kumar Mallik
- Upama Kalo
- Lily Kumari Kullu
- Kabindra Kumar Sahoo
- Aradhana Das
- Pradeep Kumar Nayak
- Madhusudan Dash
- Premjit Nayak
Select List for 2024
- Narahari Sethy
- Jugaleswari Dash
- Madhumita Rath
- Debasis Singh
- Subrat Kumar Panda
- Pratap Chandra Hota
- Nibedita Mishra
- Rega Geetarani Patnaik
- Archana Das Pattanaik
- Anjana Panda
- Nivedita Prusty
- Swayam Prava Mohanty
- Indramani Nayak
- Sudam Charan Mandal
- Girish Chandra Singh
Background: Recent Promotions Within OAS
Interestingly, this isn’t the only recent reshuffle in Odisha’s administration. Back on November 26, 2024, the Odisha government promoted another set of 15 OAS officers to Grade A (Senior Branch). One of them, Mrunal Kanti Das, has now also been promoted to IAS and has been appointed as the Chairman of the Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE).
Why This Matters
- Strengthens the IAS cadre in Odisha by bringing in experienced state service officers.
- Recognizes the hard work and service of long-standing OAS officers.
- Helps maintain smooth governance and administration by filling up top positions with capable personnel.
