The Centre has approved Odisha cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sujata R Karthikeyan’s request to be relieved from service.
Known for her influence in policy and interventions in higher education and sports during the erstwhile BJD government in Odisha, Ms Karthikeyan opted for voluntary retirement (VRS) two weeks ago. She is married to former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s associate VK Pandian.
A graduate in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College and Delhi University topper, Ms Karthikeyan is a 2000-batch IAS officer. She also has a Masters degree in International Politics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is also a gold medallist in the IAS Academy.
Ms Karthikeyan served as a collector in Maoist-affected Sundargarh district. She is known to have started the cycle scheme for highschool students through sponsorships offered through a bank, under the motto, “Mobility is Empowerment”.
This initiative that improved the enrolment of girls in schools was taken up by the state government for all schools across Odisha. She is known to have used sports such as football to wean away young people from Maoist influence in violence-prone districts of the state, and later setting up hostels for girls and boys interested in pursuing hockey.
In 2006, she introduced eggs in the midday meals scheme in all government schools of Sundergarh. Inaugurated by Mr Patnaik, this too was later scaled up across the state.
Ms Karthikeyan was the first woman collector of Cuttack district. She then joined as Director of Social Welfare in the state government. She steered the flagship initiative of Mr Patnaik’s ‘Mission Shakti’ for years, connecting 70 lakh women.
Centred around credit linkages to women-run self-help groups (SHGs), this scheme is believed to have pushed women’s enterprises across the state. The thrust of Mission Shakti was identity and empowerment.
Women SHG members were routinely taken on exposure visits to Dubai and Singapore. To encourage marketing of SHG products, ‘Mission Shakti’ bazaars were set up across Odisha. An iconic boutique store was also set up in Bhubaneswar. This scheme came under the spotlight when Microsoft founder Bill Gates visited one of the stores and appreciated the marketing of agricultural products to an urban consumer base.
Ms Karthikeyan also served as Culture Secretary, a post she held for a brief period of five months. It was during her time in office that the state hosted the first world Odia language conference in Bhubaneswar. It was attended by language enthusiasts from across the world, Odia diaspora and thousands of college students and was a big success.
During the election last year, Ms Karthikeyan was transferred to a less influential post following the direction of the Election Commission (EC). The transfer was initiated after the BJP filed a complaint accusing her of being a “BJD agent”. The BJP came to power in the state, defeating the BJD that had governed the state for two decades.
Following this, Mr Pandian quit active politics. Ms Karthikeyan first took child care leave for six months, and rejoined duty at the end of last year after the state government run by the BJP declined her application to extend her leave by six more months.
She was serving as the special secretary in the state finance department at the time of her retirement.
