Sushil Kumar Lohani IAS appointed as Officer on Special Duty- Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying
Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani IAS (Odisha 1996), presently Additional Secretary- Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty, Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, in the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India.
The officer will take over as Secretary- Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying vice Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar IAS (RJ:94) upon his appointment as Secretary- Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani, IAS, is a senior civil servant with a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades across rural development, Panchayati Raj, finance, excise, commercial taxation, elections, energy, labour and district administration. His professional journey reflects a broad range of administrative experience, from field-level governance in difficult and diverse regions to senior responsibilities in the Government of India and the Government of Odisha.
He is currently serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India. He has also held responsibilities as Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Ministry, with his work involving administration and financial oversight related to the Panchayati Raj sector. His current role builds on his long experience in grassroots governance and decentralised administration.
Before joining the Central Government, Shri Lohani served as Principal Secretary in the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water sectors in Odisha. He also served as Principal Secretary to the Government in the Panchayati Raj Department. These assignments placed him at the centre of policies concerning rural local governance, community-level institutions and the strengthening of Panchayati Raj systems.
His career also includes significant experience in election administration. He served as Chief Electoral Officer and ex-officio Principal Secretary in the Elections Department of Odisha. The assignment involved important responsibilities in the coordination and administration of the electoral process.
Shri Lohani has held several important positions in the finance and revenue sectors. He served as Commissioner of Sales Tax in Odisha and as Commissioner of Commercial Taxes. He also served as Principal Secretary in the Excise Department. These assignments gave him extensive experience in taxation, revenue administration and excise policy. He also held additional charge responsibilities in the Excise Department and Commercial Taxes administration.
At the Central Government level, Shri Lohani served as Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation under the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Earlier, he served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Fertilizers under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. He also served as Executive Director in the Rural Electrification Corporation, gaining exposure to the power and energy sector.
His career in Odisha has been marked by a strong focus on local governance and rural development. He served as Director in the Panchayat and Rural Development Department and later as Director in the Panchayati Raj Department. These assignments involved the implementation of programmes and institutional strengthening at the grassroots level.
Shri Lohani has also held important urban administration responsibilities. He served as Municipal Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation in Cuttack, gaining first-hand experience in urban governance and municipal administration. Prior to this, he served as Mission Director in Bhubaneswar in the health and family welfare sector.
His extensive field experience includes serving as District Collector and District Magistrate of Kendujhar, Balangir and Sambalpur. These assignments involved district administration, land and revenue management, law and order, development programmes and public service delivery. He also served as Additional Magistrate in Sundargarh and Project Director in Bhadrak, where he was associated with rural development responsibilities.
His early career included assignments as Additional Deputy Commissioner in Manipur and Sub-Divisional Officer in Ukhrul. He began his administrative service as Assistant Commissioner, gaining foundational experience in field administration and public governance.
Shri Lohani has a strong technical and multidisciplinary academic background. He completed his B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering with First Division. He has also undertaken an online certificate course in Economics from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and a certificate course in Information Technology from the University of Michigan. This combination of engineering, economics and technology has complemented his wide-ranging administrative career.
Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani’s career reflects a strong blend of field administration, rural governance, financial management and central policy experience. His long association with Panchayati Raj and rural development, combined with expertise in taxation, excise, elections, energy and public administration, has shaped a career marked by versatility and extensive institutional experience.
Indian Bureaucracy News wishes Shri Sushil Kumar Lohani the very best.