10 senior IAS officers who were given additional responsibility of managing COVID-19 related work have been relieved

Bhubaneswar:5/6/20: As many as 10 senior IAS officers who were given additional responsibility of managing COVID-19 related work have been relieved from the duty and asked to attend to their primary administrative responsibilities.

“Some of the senior officers engaged in COVID duty have been spared to attend to their original administrative responsibilities. They performed very well under trying circumstances. We thank them for their dedication,” Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy tweeted.

The officers are:

Surendra Kumar, Principal Secretary in the Water Resources Department was entrusted with the responsibility of Nodal Officer for supply and movement of essential commodities.

Vishal Kumar Dev, Sports & Youth Services department commissioner-cum-secretary was given the responsibility of OSD to chief secretary and special secretary to Health and Family Welfare Department.

Dr Krishan Kumar, SJTA chief administrator and Works department commissioner-cum-secretary was in-charge of COVID-19 Digital Response System for operation of 104 call center and the website for mandatory registration of foreign returnees to Odisha.

Aravind Agarwal, Director of WCD Department and Mission Shakti was assisting principal secretary of Health and Family Welfare department in COVID-19 related matters.

Tourism Director Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav was given additional responsibility for OSD to the chief secretary.

OSEPA State project director Bhupendra Singh Poonia was also assisting principal secretary of Health and Family Welfare department in COVID-19 related matters.

Odisha Skill Development Authority CEO Rashmita Panda was also assisting principal secretary of Health and Family Welfare department in COVID-19 related matters.

Similarly, Principal Secretary to Labour & ESI Department Anu Garg was given the responsibility of IEC activities and COVID-19 related training. OMC MD and Sports Director R Vineel Krishna was given the responsibility of OSD to Chief Advisor of CMO.

Earlier in the day, senior bureaucrat Hemant Sharma who is currently serving as the Principal Secretary of Industries Department with additional charge of MSME Department Principal Secretary was removed from COVID-19 related purchase job.