Who Is Sujata Karthikeyan, Top Odisha IAS Officer Who Got Early Retirement

Senior Odisha cadre IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan has taken voluntary retirement, after the Centre approved her application, instructing the Odisha government to issue the necessary notification.

On March 13, 2025, the Central Government officially approved her request for voluntary retirement, waiving the mandatory three-month notice period.

Who Is Sujata Karthikeyan:

1. Ms Karthikeyan, a 2000-batch IAS officer, graduated in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. She later obtained a Master's Degree in International Politics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
2. Ms Karthikeyan's career began in the Maoist-affected Sundargarh district of Odisha, where she spearheaded several social initiatives. In 2005, she launched a bicycle distribution scheme for high school girls under the motto 'Mobility is Empowerment.' 
3. In 2006, she introduced eggs into the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme in Sundargarh. Instead of increasing dal or oil quantities, eggs were added to students' meals. This initiative was later scaled up across the state.
4. Ms Karthikeyan was also known as the "Football Collector" in Sundargarh. She promoted sports, particularly football and hockey, among youth in Maoist-prone areas, distributing equipment and setting up hostels for aspiring athletes. 
5. One of Ms Karthikeyan's most notable contributions was her leadership of 'Mission Shakti,' Odisha's flagship women's empowerment programme. Under her guidance, the programme grew to support 70 lakh women, with credit linkages for women's self-help groups (SHGs) increasing from Rs 500 crore to Rs 15,000 crore over seven years.
6. As the first woman Collector of Cuttack district , Ms Karthikeyan launched the 'Mamta' scheme, a conditional cash transfer programme for pregnant women. 
7. During her brief tenure as Secretary of Culture, Ms Karthikeyan played a key role in organising the first World Odia Language Conference in Bhubaneswar. T
8. Before her retirement, Ms Karthikeyan served as Special Secretary in Odisha's Finance Department.
9. In May 2024, the Election Commission ordered Ms Karthikeyan's transfer from her role as Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Mission Shakti, citing allegations of office misuse. Following the BJD's defeat, she took six months of leave, which was later denied an extension by the state's BJP-led government.
10. She is marred to VK Pandian, a former bureaucrat-turned-politician and close aide of ex-Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Mr Pandian also took voluntary retirement in 2023 to join the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). He later withdrew from active politics following the BJD's electoral defeat in 2024.