Anu Garg Shatters the Glass Ceiling; Appointed Odisha’s First Woman Chief Secretary

In a landmark administrative decision, the Government of Odisha has appointed senior IAS officer Ms. Anu Garg as the state’s new Chief Secretary. A 1991-batch officer of the Odisha cadre, Ms. Garg becomes the first woman to hold the top bureaucratic post in the state’s history. The official notification was issued on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, by the General Administration and Public Grievance Department. She is set to succeed the incumbent Chief Secretary, Shri Manoj Ahuja (1990 batch), who will retire from service on December 31, 2025. Ms. Garg will officially assume her new responsibilities on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026