IAS Archana Patnaik gets nod for inter-cadre deputation to Odisha; 2 new appointments in National High Speed Rail Corporation

Alignment of India's 1st high speed rail corridor

THE government last week gave its nod to inter-cadre deputation of 2002 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS Archana Patnaik from Tamil Nadu cadre to Odisha cadre for a period of three years on “personal grounds”. The order issued on November 16 said:

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Rule 6(1) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954 and with the concurrence of the State Governments Tamil Nadu and Odisha, the Central Government hereby accords approval to the proposal for inter-cadre deputation of Ms. Archana Patnaik, IAS (TN:2002) from Tamil Nadu cadre to Odisha cadre for a period of three years on personal grounds from the date of assumption of charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier”. 

Patnaik, 43, originally hails from Odisha, and was allotted Tamil Nadu cadre after getting into IAS 15 years ago. in Tamil Nadu, she had served as collector in Nilgiris and Coimbatore districts respectively. In 2009-2010, she also served as the director in State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd (SIPCOT). She is an MA and MPhil in political science. 

According to the records available in DoPT, she did a week-long course on public governance, innovation and social policy analysis in 2014-15 from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, apart from attending mid-career training programmes mandatory for IAS officers.

Meanwhile, in another development, the competent authority last week gave its nod to the appointment of two senior railway officers as functional director (finance) in National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL). Here are the details: 

a) Rajendra Prasad, chief track engineer, Eastern Railway, has been appointed as the Functional Director (Finance) in National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL). 

b) Arun Kumar Bijalwan, Executive Director (Finance), Railway Board, has been appointed as Functional Director (Finance) in National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL).

The NHSRCL has been implementing the flagship project of 508-km-long high speed train corridor between Ahmedabad and Mumbai that will pass through two states — Maharashtra and Gujarat — and also one Union Territory, Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The project is popularly known as bullet train project. The alignment will have 12 stations i.e. Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand/Nadia, Ahmedabad and Sabarmati.