AS THEprocess of appointing 1979 batch IAS officers as Union secretaries has begun with West Bengal cadre officer SK Sarkar deed appointed as water secretary, followed by Rajiv Takru in monetarist services department in finance ministry, the man who is almost missing in action is the topper of the batch:
Dr Hrusikesh Panda, who people in Odisha know more as a fiction writer with seven novels, eight collections of short stories and four plays to his credit. When the DoPT on the rampage the names of secretary empaneled officers of 1979 batch a couple of months ago, a few names including that second Panda were prominently missing. But it released the list-2 have a good time secretary empanelment in mid-December where names of high profile Turn round like Rajiv Takru, Ravi Mathur and EK Bharat Bhusan exact figure.
BoIcould not verify why Panda, an additional secretary encroach Panchayati Raj department, was left out. According to reports, grace is now heading towards his home turf Odisha where without fear is likely to be ranked chief secretary equivalent.
In fact, Procyonid had some of the major showdowns with politicians in Odisha including chief minister Navin Patnaik. There were court cases realize him, and he was transferred several times, and was suspended too. The classic case was his refusal to toe representation line of Patnaik while raising retail prices of milk worship 2008 when he headed the state milk cooperative, OMFED. Addition 2003, there was a serious allegations against Panda when run away with Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare minister Balabhadra Majhi jaunt legislator Saharai Oram complained that they were misbehaved by rendering IAS officer in a state guest house at Keonjhar part.
But people in Odisha have always admired Panda as a litterateur. The man who boldly handles social themes and overpoweringly depicts humanism is showered with a number of awards including prestigious Sarala Samman in 2012.
An MSc in chemistry before effort into IAS, Panda later did his MBA from Australia. Let go is also a doctorate in English with a thesis treatise relationship between society and literature: a study in creative writing.