Who is Sujata Karthikeyan, Top Odisha IAS officer who received early retirement

Senior Odisha Cadre IAS Officer Sujata Karthikeyan voluntarily took pension, after the center approved its application and instructed the Odisha government to issue the necessary notification.

On March 13, 2025, the central government officially approved its request for voluntary retirement, apart from the mandatory notice period of three months.

Who is Sujata Kartikeyan:

1. Mrs. Karthikeyan, an IAS officer of 2000-Batch, graduated in the political sciences at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. Later she obtained a master’s degree in international politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
2. Mrs. Karthikeyan’s career began in the Sundargarh district of Odisha affected by Maoist, where she led various social initiatives. In 2005 she launched a bicycle distribution schedule for high schoolgirls under the motto ‘Mobility is Empowerment.’
3. In 2006 she introduced eggs in the Mid -Day Meal (MDM) schedule in Sundargarh. Instead of increasing the valley or oil rates, eggs were added to the meals of students. This initiative was later scaled up in the entire state.
4. Mrs. Karthikeyan was also known as the “football collector” in Sundargarh. She promoted sports, in particular football and hockey, among young people in Maoist areas, spreading equipment and setting up hostels for aspiring athletes.
5. One of the most striking contributions from Mrs. Karthikeyan was her leadership of ‘Mission Shakti’, Odisha’s flagship Women’s Empowerment Program. According to her guidance, the program grew to support 70 Lakh women, with credit connections for self-help groups for women (SHGs) that increase RS 500 Crore to RS 15,000 crore for seven years.
6. As the first female collector of Cuttack District, Mrs. Karthikeyan launched the ‘Mamta’ schedule, a conditionally cash transfer program for pregnant women.
7. During her short term as Secretary of Culture, Mrs. Karthikeyan played a key role in organizing the first World Odia Language Conference in Bhubaneswar. T
8. Before her retirement, Mrs. Karthikeyan served as a special secretary in the financial department of Odisha.
9. In May 2024, the election committee ordered the transfer of Mrs. Karthikeyan of its role as commissioner-cum secretary of Mission Shakti, stating allegations of office abuse. After the defeat of the BJD, she took six months of leave, which was later denied an extension by the state of the State led by the BJP.
10. She is marred with VK Pandian, a former bureaucrat who became a politician and close to the assistant of former chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Mr. Pandian also took a voluntary pension in 2023 to become a member of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He later withdrew from active politics after the election defeat of the BJD in 2024.