Bhubaneswar: Following the recent appointment of senior bureaucrat Nikunja Bihari Dhal as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, another Odisha-cadre IAS officer is set to join Central deputation.

In a communication addressed to Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) stated the appointment of Ashish Thakare, a 2011-batch IAS officer, as Director in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities has been approved. This appointment falls under the Central Staffing Scheme.

Thakare will serve in his new role for a period of five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever comes earlier.

The DoPT also instructed the State Government to relieve Thakare from his current responsibilities immediately so that he may take up his new assignment in New Delhi without delay.

As per the directives of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), officers are required to join their Central deputation posts within three weeks from the date of the appointment order. Failure to do so may result in debarment from future consideration under the Central Staffing Scheme.

In a related development, Nikunja Bihari Dhal, a 1993-batch Odisha-cadre IAS officer, was appointed as Secretary of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in April. He succeeded IAS officer Umang Narula, who retired on June 30.