The Odisha government issued a notification naming senior IAS officer Anu Garg (IAS:1991:OR) as its next Chief Secretary on Wednesday. With this appointment Garg secures a place in the bureaucratic history of the state as the first woman Chief Secretary of Odisha.
The General Administration & Public Grievance (GA & PG) Department of the Odisha government issued a notification in this connection. Garg was selected for this post, superseding at least two other senior IAS officers.
She will take charge on January 1, 2026, succeeding Manoj Ahuja (IAS:1989:OR), who is retiring on December 31.
Garg is currently posted as a Development Commissioner and Secretary of the Planning and Convergence Department with the additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department.
A 1969-born bureaucrat, Garg holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College of Delhi University, a master’s degree in Sociology from Lucknow University, and a master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA.
After becoming an IAS officer at the young age of 22, this 1991-batch officer brings with her a wealth of administrative experience. Becoming Odisha’s first woman Chief Secretary is not the only feather in her cap; she scripted history in February 2023 by becoming the first woman to be appointed as the Development Commissioner, the second-highest-ranked bureaucrat in the state administration.
Before becoming the Development Commissioner, she served as Principal Secretary in the Departments of Labour and ESI and Women & Child Development under the Odisha government.
During the initial phase of her career, between 1992 and 2003, Garg served in various districts in various capacities, including Collector and District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, and Sub-divisional Magistrate.
Her career as a bureaucrat got extensive exposure after her posting at the central level, where she served in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as Joint Secretary. She also worked in the Ministry of Textiles and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the capacity of Joint Secretary.
Garg is credited with playing a crucial role in taking several flagship schemes to the grassroots level, including Subhadra Yojana, the new input subsidy scheme, and health insurance card initiatives. Her role in implementing policy decisions into on-ground execution has been considered a major strength.
Besides being Odisha’s first woman Chief Secretary, Garg also becomes the 47th civil servant overall to hold this post.
Join Us on WhatsApp