New CEO Surendra Kumar
Bhubaneswar: State energy principal secretary Hemant Sharma took over as state information and public relations(I & PR) principal secretary in addition to his present assignment. The principal secretary I & PR and ST & SC welfare department, Surendra Kumar, has joined as the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Odisha in place of DN Gupta.
As the CEO incumbent wanted to relieve himself from the post, the state government had recommended three names for the post of CEO. Besides Surendra Kumar, the names of food and consumer welfare secretary Vir Vikram Yadav, and revenue divisional commissioner(northern division) DV Swami were in the panel. However, the election commission of India (ECI) selected the 1993 batch IAS Surendra Kumar for the post, which wears importance as the commission is holding by-elections to the Bijepur assembly constituency.
