Odisha Reshuffles Key Posts: Anuj Kumar Das Pattnaik Appointed I\&PR Director

Bhubaneswar: In a recent administrative reshuffle, senior OAS officer Anuj Kumar Das Pattnaik has been appointed Director of the Information and Public Relations (I\&PR) Department. Previously, Pattnaik served as the State Nodal Officer for PM Poshan and MM Poshan schemes and held roles in the Steel & Mines and Women & Child Development departments.

He replaces Deb Prasad Dash, who had been handling the I\&PR Department as an additional responsibility. Dash has now taken charge as the Independent Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department.

In another key change, Surendra Kumar Panda, currently Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, has been appointed the new State Nodal Officer for the PM Poshan programme.

The I\&PR Director post had been vacant since Saroj Samal’s retirement in February. These strategic appointments aim to enhance governance, streamline public communication, and improve programme implementation across Odisha.