Sahadeva Sahoo, a distinguished academician and former Chief Secretary, Government of Orissa and Vice Chancellor, OUAT (Odisha University Agriculture and Technology), is known for his exceptional contributions to public administration and higher education. After a brief tenure in Benaras Hindu University and Viswa Baharti at Shaniniketan he joined the IAS cadre of Odisha and reached the highest post of the Chief Secretary in 1999. He was the Vice Chancellor of the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar 2000-2003. He was briefly the Channcellor of a short live Supreme University at Raipur.
Sahadeva Sahoo, born on 09 April 1941 in the village Rekabibazar, (PIN code 755009), Jajpur, Odisha, now resides at D-3, (Saswat Kottage, House Nos. 102-103), B. J. B. Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. His village in 1941 was usually flooded and had a dry road only in May (hot summer).
Education:
A brilliant scholar, he has topped in almost all academic examinations, having stood first in the lower primary Scholarship Examination, (Rekabibazar Urdu Lower Primary School) in 1951, and upper primary Scholarship Examination (Kujahala UP School) in 1953, both in Jajpur Educational District, in the Middle English School level i.e. Class VII in Cuttack educational District (Gandhi Middle English School, Sujanpur) in 1953. He stood first in High School Certificate Examination in Odisha state (Purusottampur High School, P.O. Kabirpur, district Jajpur) in 1957,
He topped in the Intermediate Science examination of 1959 in the Utkal University, from Ravenshaw College, Cuttack, First Division in B.A. (Hons) in Political Science with Distinction in Economics in 1961. He completed his M.A. (Pol. Sc.) in 1963 First Class First from Allahabad University.
He has been offered many honorary doctorates the highest being Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) from IBC, Cambridge.
Professional Experience
Prof. Sahoo has during his service career been a Professional member of All India Management Association (MIMA). He participated training/workshop programmes like (1) Project Management, conducted by National Productivity Council of India at Shimla in October 1975, (2) Programme in Leadership, conducted by SAIL, in October1979, and (3) Disaster Management and Mitigation at the Oxford Polytechnic of the U.K. (30 Apr.- 06 Jly 1984) in which he was awarded the best Workshop participant, (4) Computer interactions with NEC 1000 at Bhubaneswar by NIC, 1986, (5) National Policy Analysis Workshop on Natural Disaster Reduction conducted by GOI in December 1991, and (6) Information Technology in Government conducted by NIC, Planning Commission in 1993. He has regularly undergone Refresher Courses for IAS Officers, conducted by the Government of India.
Prof. Sahoo used the interval between the result of the postgraduate examination and the appointment to the IAS for a stint in teaching, viz., Lecturer in International Affairs, Benares Hindu University, Oct. 1963 - Jan1964, and (2) Pradhyapak, Public Administration, Viswabharati University, Shantiniketan, at Shriniketan campus, Jan-June 1964.
He joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on 5 July 1964 and took voluntary retirement in Oct. 2000 to again enter the academic sphere when he was appointed the Vice Chancellor of the Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT), in 2000 November, ostensibly to renovate the 1999 October-end super-cyclone battered infrastructure of the University. He got the STPI to have a tower in the University campus, recreated the Computer consoles in the College of Engineering and Technology. He got the SBI to establish an ATM for the students, a unique achievement for any university campus in India. Soon after he retired from OUAT in 2003, he was appointed Chancellor of the Supreme University, Raipur, in 2004, by the State Government of Chhattisgarh (the Supreme Court declared the Chhatisgarh Private Universities Act ultra virus in 2006).
In the Indian Administrative Service
Prof. Sahoo joined the training course for Indian Administrative Service on 05.07.1964 with a monthly salary of Rs.350.00, later on in December it was raised to Rs.400 a month. He was allotted to the Orissa State cadre as he was the topper in the state list in 1963 UPSC (IAS etc. Recruitment) Examination. After foundational course in Mussorie in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, and an all-India tour to get acquainted with local administrations in the country, his services were placed at the disposal of Odisha (then Orissa) State Government on 25 June 1965 afternoon. There was a stint at Administrative Officers Training School at Hirakud where all the IAS probationers including Shri Sahoo boycotted the farewell dinner hosted by the Principal Shri Ghose (a senior IAS officer) as a protest against his injudicious award of marks to the trainees. However the GA department did not take action against the IAS Probationers. Before the District training the GA department asks every Probationer if they have any choice of a district. Sahoo wished a district having a direct recruit IAS as the Collector, (his reason: a promotee-IAS officer may have a daughter of marriageable age and would poach any young for the girl). He was posted to Kalahandi district for district training under Shri J P Das, IAS.
As a part of the inservice training Sahoo worked as Additional BDO of Karanjia Block and Additional Tahsildar of Baripada in 1966. With Satya Ranjan Pal, his batch-mate IAS from village Sirsha under Baripada tahasil, negotiating marriage proposal as per Mr. Sahoo’s condition that she must have been a First Division student throughout her academic career, he married Sumitra Sahoo.
His first regular posting was Sub Divisional Officer, Kaptipada (also known as Udala) 26 Apri 1967 to 22 Mar 1968. He was promoted to the senior scale of the IAS and posted as Additional District Magistrate, Keonjhar, where he joined on 25 Mar 1968. For a few days he officiated as the District Magistare and Collector as the then Collector Mr Mohapatra suffered a heart stroke and took leave. It seems he was frightened at the news that Mr Biju Pattnaik who was then the leader of Opposition (Janata Paty) would lead a protest procession right into the premises of the SP’s office, demanding withdrawal of the newly increased Bus-fare. The agitation grew in intensity and the agitators were pushing on the compound wall in an attempt to pull it down and then march into District Police office. Shri Sahoo thought his presence would calm down, but the they found a new allegation that the SP had onsulted them. It was a war on nerves. Knowing that the police would not resort to fire Sahoo directed the Magistrate in charge of the Police squadron with guns ready to go on using tear gas shells till the evening in spite of constant stone throwing at them. As an ambulance’s siren passed by the next street a rumour spread that some agitators have twisted the testicles of the two traffic constables at the nearby Traffic Crossing at Keojhargarh. That made the police go berserk, the Magistrate in charge of the police squadron ordered lathi charge along with tear-gas shells. Continuous supply of tear-gas shells could be ensured through police disguised as ladies who made 2 to 3 sorties before it was the sunset. Agitators dispersed in the darkness fearing the pursuing police men’s lathicharge. Unfortunately some of the indisciplined police lobbed a few teargas shells through windows of some known lawyer-agitators, There was an enquiry by the RDC, Sambalpur as ordered by the State Government. Though the connected officers were exonerated the Minister of the cabinet rank Shri Raj Ballav Mishra got Sahoo transferred to the Danadakaranya Refugee Rehabilitation Project, as Zonal Administrator, Umarkoe, His plea that his one-year old son’s orthopaedic operation had been fixed within a month at SCB Medical College and Hospital fell into deaf ears. He handed over his position at Keonjhargarh on 12 June 1970 and joined his new office at Umerkote on 19 Jan AN 1970. He was in charge of resettling the refugees from the East Pakistan, subsequently Bangladesh (created on 16 December 1971). On his repeated pleading for a transfer out of the Dandakaranya Project Shri Sahoo was transferred as DM and Collector and his tenure (05 Feb 1973 - 11 Apr 1974) included a period of President’s Rule (3rd March. 1973- 6th April 1974) in Orissa. In those days West Bengal was going through a period scarcity of essential commodities like paddy and sugar, and there was rampant smuggling from Balasore district to West Bengal. Shri Sahoo had personally, in an early morning watch at the Subarnarekha Raj Ghat, apprehended the zilla Congress party’s jeep carrying bags of rice to Bengal and asked the Inspector of the civil supplies section to book a case of smuggling. As the impugned jeep belonged to the district Congress, the President, Nandi, and the Secretary, Dasmohapatra, of the District Congress Party were accused of smuggling in the FIR. As Mrs. Nandini Satpathy resumed Chief Ministership on 6.4.1974 Balasore Congress leaders lobbied for Sahoo’s transfer. Contrary to the principle that an IAS officer should not be posted as DM of his/her home district Shri R. M. Senapati was posted and he unannounced arrived at Balasore on 10th April 1974 and demanded to join immediately. Sahoo handed over the charge of the DM on 11 Apr 1974.
Sahoo joined as Addl. Registrar, Cooperative Societies on 17 Apr 1974, later shifted as Jt. Secy., P & C Dept on 26 May 1975, where Shri Bimal K Mishra was the Secretary. It was here he saw how senior officers prey on junior officers. Sahoo had availed a house building loan to construct a house. Coming to know it Shri Mishra asked Rs.10,000 to help him finish his house he was constructing. Sahoo had willy nilly handed over the amount which he could not recover for quite a long time. He had to use B K MIshra’s son who was a stamp collector and as such used to come to Shri Sahoo, to recover the amount after almost 2 years. Sahoo was transferred as Secretary, Board of Revenue (27 APR 1976 TO 23 FEB 1977) where he was under a semi-mad IAS officer as Member of the Board of Revenue. One example of his eccentricity: he would go to Bhubaneswar on official work, but would return from Kathjodi bridge, hardly 5 Kilometres from Cuttack, when Sahoo would ask ‘what happenend Sir you returned so quickly’ he would reply ‘to test if you people, officers of Board of Revenue, have gone home thinking that Raghupati would be absent the whole day’.
On completion of 9 years of service an IAS officer’s special allowance was raised from Rs. 150 to Rs.250, but Sahoo’s pay slip issued by the GA department showed the same old Rs.150 when he joined the Board of Revenue. He represented but Shri R K Rath, IAS, Special Secretary, GA Dept. rejected it. When Shri P C Hota on reversion from the post of the Town Administrator, Rourkela was given pay slip with Rs.250 as allowance Sahoo again represented and the same Rath replied that the allowance was personal to Hota and not to the post. Sahoo smelt an upper-caste nexus.
Sahoo held the post of Registrar of Cooperative Societies of Orissa (24 FEB 1977- 17 JAN 1979). Here Sahoo drew the ire of the Minister, Cooperation Department, Shri Adwait Prasad Singh (MLA from Angul) as his wish to get his men from the Angul Central Cooperative Bank selected as Inspector of Cooperatives was not honoured by Sahoo. He persuaded the General Administration Department to send me on deputation as DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER, Rourkela Steel Plant. Sahoo’s representation that he could not be sent on foreign (not State nor Central Government) deputation without consent was not heard. Sahoo’s two sons’ education and health were disturbed (29 Jan 1979 - 11 June 1982) till he joined the post of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner, Northern Division, at Sambalpur (11 June 1982-July 1984) during which (following his relief related work, particularly a news flash about his crossing on foot an over-the-river Railway line between Sambalpur and Bolangir districts) he was chosen under the British Commonwealth Scholarship Programme for a 12 week-workshop in Oxford polytechnic. The then CMO (Chief Minister’s Office) tried to obstruct Sahoo’s England trip. The CM’s office which included S B Mishra, Secretary to CM and P. C. Hota, the Secretary of Water Resources Dept., objected to Sahoo’s absence as the Chairman of Brahmani Multipurpose Project at Rengali, Sahoo thinks it was prompted by those officers’ envy, probably because none of them had ever been selected by any overseas Government. Sahoo approached then Chief Secretary Shri Gian Chand who advised Sahoo to put in one intimation to him and go ahead. While Sahoo was undergoing an orientation programme on how to conduct in England he received a phone call from Mrs. Sahoo that a substitute had been posted but she said she was not worried and that she wished Sahoo to proceed with his Oxford programme. As the first substitute, being a friend of Sahoo, delayed joining the CMO posted a senior IAS officer Shri N R Hota who immediately occupied the RDC’s residence while Mrs. Sahoo was still there. Humiliated Sahoo wished to cancel his trip but Mrs Sahoo insisted on his going ahead with Oxford trip. As the trip was funded was funded by the UK Government there was no fear of losing travel expenses. Mrs Sahoo said she would stay till the eldest son, Subrat (who later became an IAS officer) completed his secondary school examination. Mrs Sahoo tolerated the unsavoury behaviour of a senior occupying a half of the house where she stayed. Sahoo’s participation in the workshop was rated as the best by the Professor of Architecture in the Oxford Polytechnic. On return from Oxford Sahoo was asked to report to the GA department for a posting. Shri B R Patel, IAS, Member of Board of Revenue who was holding additional charge of the Special Relief Commissioner wanted a hand to help him. Sahoo was posted as Additional Relief Commissioner, but was shunted out by Basant Biswal, popularly known as the Super Chief Minister on the ostensible ground that he did not sign UCs (Utilization Certificates) for (1) Cuttack Ring road construction, (2) PWD building at False Point Light House and (3) repair of Athgarh roads and river embankments, as they were not damaged by floods and therefore not fulfilling the criteria of ‘Restoration Works’.
Sahoo was on way to Bhubaneswar to see the place of his new posting on 31 Oct 1984 when he was told by friends that it was inauspicious as India Gandhi had been murdered (though by then it was officially not confirmed) by her body guards at about 9:20 AM at her residence. Sahoo delayed joining till 6th November as the Chairman, Orissa Road Transport Company Ltd (though its headquarters was at Berhampur) and ex-officio Secretary, Commerce and Transport Department (06 Nov 1984 AN - 23 June 1985). He was nominated as a Director of the Orissa State Commercial Transport Corporation Ltd, Cuttack, later nominated as its Chairman. He became on 12 Nov. 1984 the Chairman of the Orissa Road Transport Company Ltd. and on 11 Feb 1985 the Chairman of the Orissa Road Transport Corporation, vice Rasananda Sahoo resigned. Sahoo objected to his MD of ORTC Mr. Rath’s proposal to spare free use of ORTC buses to ferry men to Rajiv Gandhi’s election-propaganda meeting at Indira Gandhi Park as it was a Party function. Earlier Sahoo had objected to printing of Congress Party’s posters for Rajiv’s meetings at the Government Printisa State Road Transport Corporation ng Press at Madhupatana as it would be subject to audit-objections (though JBP got it done through Shri A N Tiwari IAS who was heading Information and Public Relations Department). Rajiv Gandhi’s 4-day (15 Feb 1984 onwards) tour in Orissa gave a much-needed boost to JBP’s sagging image.
To augment the public transportation system the state government had introduced a scheme of subsidizing private buses ‘per running kilometer multiplied by number of seats in the bus minus actual bus fare collected as certified by a conductor provided by the Orissa State Road Transport Corporation Ltd. As these private buses ran under the banner of the OSRTC Ltd it was popularly known as ‘Banner Scheme, rhyming with Odia word for monkey when the owners of buses just ran from destination to destination without halting on the routes, sometimes carrying two or three passengers, and drew subsidies from the State Government; with little comfort to passengers, often stranded. The annual outgo was about Rs. 600 crores to the pockets of bus-owners, with almost half of it as bribery to the Ruling Party and officers who handled payment. The Planning Commission of India used to reimburse the amount as a part of Annual Plan. Citing Planning Commission’s comments, Sahoo drew up a plan in which the Government would not pay a single paisa to Bus-owners, rather would receive one paisa per seat per running kilometer. State Government’s printed tickets and services of a government conductor would certify the accounts. Soon after news spread the bus-owners as a body met the CM to revert to the earlier system. The CM without applying mind issued a strong warning to Sahoo that he had misguided the Cabinet and caused a loss of Rs.12 crores to the Government. Sahoo wondered if the whole Cabinet which included the CM had lost their intelligence while approving his proposal! Sahoo rather claimed a reward of Rs.300 crore, half of what the Govt. are saving (i.e. subsidy of about Rs.600 crores would not be given, that amount could be addition to (not outgo from) the Annual Plan ceiling; further whatever the bus-owners would have to pay the Government even at the rate of a single paisa per seat per Km of run- a fact that would force bus-owners to take passengers to earn any profit. It was reported that even at Phulnakhra people used to lay bamboo barricades to stop a bus so that they could board it). In reply to the CM’s adverse remarks, Sahoo, requested as a prize, half of the sum of Rs.600 crores which would be immediate gain for the Government.
Earlier Sahoo as the Secretary, Commerce, was asked to procure Oriya type writers as a part of JBP’s open announcement for using Oriya as official language. Sahoo had rejected one Company’s bid on the ground that their brand of type writer had a single key ‘I’ for both 1 and ‘I’ and another single key ‘0’ (zero) for both letter O and number zero ‘0’, thereby putting stenographers’ fingers in awkward position and causing typing mistakes. That Company perhaps pressured JBP who got an order issued asking Sahoo to hand over his charge to a nonOriya Shri Dey, a relation of Shri Pranab Mukherjee who had fallen foul at Bisakhapatna Port. JBP’s plan to use Odia as the medium of correspondence in Odisha was put in the cold storage.
Sahoo was posted as Commissioner, Land Records and Settlement with additional charge of Agricultural Census Commissioner (24 June 1985- 30 June 1989), a sort of banishment from the common line of administration. Sahoo utilized this period as a columnist in the Samaja (stamps as a source of knowledge), in the Prajatantra (topics in popular science) while continuing the monthly column on Intelligence test in the Sansar. The editor of the Utkal Prasanga Shri Champatiroy perhaps briefed JBP that Sahoo’s essays on Baliapal ITR were a sort of support to JBP’s support to GoI’s proposal to use Baliapal coast as the most suitable site for a Test Range site. JBP called back Sahoo to head the Department of Information and Public Relations, Tourism and Culture (01 July 1989- 01 Jan 1990). Sahoo was involved in setting up the rudiments for the establishment of ‘Orissan Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies’ but did not allow JBP as Lifelong Charmanship. In the meanwhile the Congress High Command felt JBP was becoming a liability for the Congress party and removed him from ChiefMinstership before ensuing elections and Hemananda Biswal was installed as the CM. But on suggestion fromNandini Satpathy, Shri Biswal installed Sahoo as Home Secretary Home (02 Jan 1990 to 07 July 1991, out of which ‘5 march 1990 to 15 mar 1995’ was under the chiefministership of Biju Patnaik. As Home Secretary Sahoo had to monitor Rajiv Gandhi’s last visit to Odisha. Rajiv takes off at 9 PM for Vijayawada onto Perambudur where he met his death at the hands of a SriLankan terrorist who blew herself up while face to face with Rajiv at 1030 PM on 21 May 1991. Sahoo was allotted the post of CARD (Commissioner, Agriculture and Rural Development) which Shri Pyari Mohan Mohapatra Secy to the CM wanted his batchmate Mrs. Narayan Swami IAS to man that post, placing Sahoo as the
Special Relief Commissioner & Rehabilitation Commissioner (14 Aug 1991 - 11 Nov. 1993). Sahoo subsequently manned the post of Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Minor Irrigation (12 Nov 1993 - 17 Oct 1994); because he always objected to Minister Saharai Oram’s whimisical allotment of Minor Irrigation contracts overriding the Expert committee of Engineers’ recommendations. Prasanna Acharya intervened on behalf of Shri Oram and got Sahoo transferred as Secretary, Public Enterprises Department (18 Oct 1994 - 06 Apr 1995). There he objected to Justice G K Mishr’s son who had taken Volunatry Retirement to be appointed as Director of Films Institute because voluntary retirement prohibited reappointment to any Government post. Sahoo was made the Principal Secretary of Revenue & Excise Deptt (07 July 1995 -1 5 Oct 1995) on return of the Congress Party to power. Later on JBP distributed the departments among three seniormost IAS officers Sahoo got the post of APC (Agriculture Production Commissioner) [16 Oct 1995 - 31 Oct 1996] As 1963 batch officer manning the post of the Member, Board of Revenue retired on 31 Oct 1996 Sahoo was promoted to the CS rank and posted as Member, Board of Revenue from 1 Nov.1996 and worked as such up to 05 March 1999 when the new CM Shri Giridhari Gomango called Sahoo to take over as the CS on 24 Feb 1999 AN and resigned from that post on 8 October as Basant Biswal made some unsavoury remarks for not allotting the entire budget allocation of Rs,312 croes which he required for the ensuing Assembly election in January 2000. He spent time as Chairman, IPICOL, (11 Oct 1999 to 30 Oct 2000) and took voluntary retirement when he was chosen as the Vice Chancellor of the 1999-super cyclone affected Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (1 Nov 2000 FN to 31 Oct 2003).