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Senior IAS officer Anu Garg has been named the new Chief Secretary of Odisha, becoming the first woman to hold the state’s top bureaucratic post as she prepares to take charge following the retirement of incumbent chief secretary.
Garg will replace outgoing chief secretary Manoj Ahuja.
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has appointed senior Indian Administrative Service officer Anu Garg as the new Chief Secretary of the state. The appointment was announced on December 24 through an official notification. Garg will formally assume office in the new year following the retirement of the current chief secretary Manoj Ahuja on December 31. Her appointment marks a significant milestone in the administrative history of Odisha.
IAS Anu Garg, (OD:91) will be new Chief Secretary of Odisha pic.twitter.com/MmNYsduCqP
— Dynamite News (@DynamiteNews_) December 24, 2025
With this decision, Anu Garg becomes the first woman Chief Secretary of Odisha. She is the forty seventh officer to hold the position since the formation of the state. Her elevation to the top bureaucratic role is being viewed as a landmark moment for women in public administration and governance in Odisha.
Anu Garg is a 1991 batch IAS officer belonging to the Odisha cadre. At present, she is serving as Development Commissioner cum Additional Chief Secretary in the Water Resources Department. She is also holding additional charge as Development Commissioner cum Additional Chief Secretary in the Planning and Convergence Department. Her current responsibilities place her at the center of policy planning, development initiatives and resource management in the state.
Born on March 1, 1969, Anu Garg has a strong academic background spanning multiple disciplines. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lady Shri Ram College under Delhi University. She later completed a master’s degree in Sociology from Lucknow University. In addition, she holds a masters degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, reflecting her deep engagement with social development and public health policy.
Over the years, Garg has held several key positions within the Odisha government. She has previously served as Principal Secretary in the Departments of Labour and Employees State Insurance, as well as Women and Child Development. She also served as Commissioner cum Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare in Odisha between 2008 and 2012, where she played an important role in strengthening healthcare administration and service delivery.
Anu Garg has also had a distinguished career at the national level, serving in multiple ministries under the Government of India. Her roles included Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles, Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. These assignments provided her with wide exposure to policy formulation, inter ministerial coordination and national level governance.
In the early phase of her career from 1992 to 2003, Garg served in various districts of Odisha in several administrative capacities. Her roles included Collector and District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate and Sub Divisional Magistrate. This grassroots experience helped shape her understanding of district level governance, public service delivery and local administration.
Beyond her administrative assignments, Anu Garg has also contributed to policy development at the national level. She was a member of the High Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage constituted by the Planning Commission of India. The group played a key role in shaping long term health policy recommendations for the country.
Anu Garg succeeds Manoj Ahuja, who assumed charge as Chief Secretary of Odisha on July 1, 2024. Ahuja was the 46th Chief Secretary of the state and also held additional responsibility for the General Administration and Public Grievances Department. His tenure, originally scheduled to end in December last year, was extended by one year.
