Sahadeva Sahoo, a distinguished academician and a former Chief Secretary, Government of Orissa is known for his exceptional contributions to public administration and higher education. After two brief tenures in Benaras Hindu University and Viswa Baharti at Shantiniketan he joined the IAS cadre of Odisha reaching 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 Chancellor of a short lived Supreme University at Raipur.
Born on 09 April 1941 in the village Rekabibazar, (PIN code 755009), Jajpur, Odisha, Sahoo now resides at D-3, (Saswat Kottage, House Nos. 102-103), B. J. B. Nagar, Bhubaneswar, (PIN 751014) Odisha. Now a modern village, his village in 1941 was in the flood plain of The Kharsuan and the Brahmani doab and its approach road was muddy except in the hot month of May.
Education:
A brilliant scholar, he 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 the Jajpur Educational District, in the Middle English School Scholarship Examination i.e. Class VII level (Gandhi Middle English School, Sujanpur) in 1953 in the Cuttack educational District. He stood first in High School Certificate Examination in the 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.
Sahoo started writing for the juvenile magazine for school students ‘Sansar’, edited by Shri Ramakrishna Nanda of school-morning-prayer ‘Ahe Dayamaya Biswabihari…’ fame, a regular column on IQ test, ‘Buddhi Pariksha’, in Odia from 1957 to 1999 when he could not spare time for literary activities. It is strange that students at the time used to think that Sahoo must be a very senior Professor in some College: a student-Sahoo in 1960s was mistaken for a teaching professor-Sahoo.
An interesting incident occurred when Sahoo after topping in the Intermediate Science Examination, was roped in by Prof. Shriramchandra Das to write a text book on General Studies (Science) for the Graduate students while he was himself a student of the 3rd year of the Bachelor of Arts Degree (with Pol. Sc. Honours). The Utkal University introduced in 1961-62 academic session a new paper ‘General Studies’, with the intention of broadening the horizon of Arts Students in general science and of Science Students in humanities. Prof. Sriram Chandra Dash of Political Science Department of the Ravenshaw College found Sahoo, a topper of the immediate past I.Sc. Examination, as eminently suitable to write a treatise on general science for the Arts Students. Dr. Dash got it published in his name with a small thanks-giving sentence of thanks to Shri Sahoo in the Forward to the book on General Studies (science) text book. Some students bent upon defaming Sahoo went on spreading a message that Sahoo, a 1st class 1st in the I.Sc. course, is the real author of the text book though Shriram Dash was shown as the author. As a result Sahoo was apprehensive of the wrath of Dr. Dash and had to leave the Utkal University for Allahabad University for his MA degree. There also Mr. Nilamadhav Mohanty, a senior batch student, introduced Prafulla Kumar Das as the best student from Odisha to the Head of the Department to persuade the Head of the Department Shri A B Lal to give him higher marks in viva voce than he gave to Sahoo in MA (Previous) class. Sahoo had to toil hard to turn the result in MA Final in his favour and got the 1st position in MA (pol. Sc., old course).
It needs no mention that Sahoo has been offered many honorary doctorates the highest being Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) from IBC, Cambridge.
Professional Experience
Sahoo was during his service career 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 the 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 regularly underwent Refresher Courses for IAS Officers, conducted by the Government of India.
Prof. Sahoo used the 6-month interval between the announcement of results of the postgraduate examination and the letter of 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. For reasons of lack of money Sahoo refused to face interview for lecturership unless TA and DA were paid to him. He was recruited without interview as the University Grants Commission (UGC) had made a rule that in lecturer (adhyapak) recruitment a thorough First Class (from Matriculation to Postgraduation) would be preferred over any other postgraduate, even with a PhD.
The UPSC (IAS and Allied Services) Examination results were out in April and Sahoo was asked to join the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration by 23 June 1964. But the lecturership (pradhyapak) at Viswabharati required a 3 months’ notice or payment of compensation equal to 3 months’ salary for being relieved of his duties. As he did not have enough money he had no choice but to wait for 3 months and asked the LBSNAA to allow him to join on 5 July. Why 5th July? Because 3 months’ notice was expiring on June 30, the end of the summer vacation of the University and July 1 was the University opening day. Sahoo had to show at least a day of working before he resigned as otherwise the whole period of 3 months of holidays would be treated as on leave and therefore not entitled to any pay. It became a boon for the poor Sahoo as the 3 months’ salary he drew could meet the cost of his new dress as indicated in the dress code of the LBNSAA. Sahoo worked on July 1, got papers ready and drew salary on July 2 and took the next train journey from Sealdah railway station on 3rd reaching LBSNAA on Sunday the 5th July and the Academy allowed him to join on Sunday. [For Sahoo’s career in the IAS, please see after this paragraph]. The same haste was noticed when the State Government asked Sahoo to join as the Vice Chancellor of the Orissa University of Agriculture & Technology (OUAT), which needed an Officer of Chief Secretary’s rank for its revival after the Super-Cyclone of October, 1999. Sahoo was to retirefrom the IAS on 30th April, 2021, but the Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik wanted Sahoo to take up the job of the Vice Chancellor of the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, (VC, OUAT) immediately. Sahoo who began service life in teaching job ended his service life as a VC (Nov 2000- Oct.,2003). Sahoo immediately swung into action to restore and renovate the 1999 October-end super-cyclone battered University. He coaxed the Software Technology Park of India (STPI) to have a tower in the University campus, recreated the Computer consoles in the College of Engineering and Technology and completed the buildings of the College of Engineering and Technology (CET), which later became the Biju Pattnaik University of Technology (BPUT). To facilitate financial transactions of the students and the staff, Sahoo got the SBI branch in the campus upgraded to an A Grade branch and ensured establishment of an ATM, which was then rare in academic institutions. For more than three years the University held no convocation and the distribution of certificates and degrees were in arrears. Old students were holding their jobs temporarily till they produced their original degrees and certificates. Sahoo cleared the backlog and ensured annual Convocations as well as teachers’ promotions. He restored all collapsed laboratories in the colleges and rebuilt experimental agricultural fields to their prime levels. Sahoo detected and broke the system of money-for-marks scandal and conspiratorial pre-release of question papers by placing a Dean under suspension and taking the Heads of Departments and the Controller of Examination to task. Sahoo had a year’s stint as the Chancellor of the Supreme University, Raipur, in 2004, (the Supreme Court declared the Chhatisgarh Private Universities Act ultra vires in 2005).
In the Indian Administrative Service
Sahoo joined the training course for Indian Administrative Service on 05.07.1964 with a monthly salary of Rs.350.00, which later on in December was raised to Rs.400 a month. He was allotted 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 whimsical 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 IAS boy for the girl). He was posted to Kalahandi district for district training under Shri J P Das, IAS.
As a part of the in-service training Sahoo worked as Additional BDO of Karanjia Block and Additional Tahsildar of Baripada in 1966. With Shri 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. No wonder Sahoo has two sons, Subrat and Sujit, no less brilliant in academic career than Sahoo.
His first regular posting was Sub Divisional Officer, Kaptipada (also known as Udala) 26 April 1967 to 22 March 1968. Here he learnt that without giving a proper hearing to the affected person no action should be taken against any person even if he was a lawbreaker. Show of power like (1) scolding a truck driver for not letting his jeep pass or (2) removing an encroacher’s betel shop from the front of his (SDO’s) office landed him in a court of law. He also witnessed how the then Chief Justice of Odisha High court Shri Satya Bhusan Burman (reruited as IAS he later chose to join Judiciary), who had come to Udala to inaugurate the newly built Court building, pleading with him that CJ’s return journey should not face the ire of the affected villagers who lost some fowls under his car. Amplifying an SDO’s power Shri S B Burman, the CJ of Orissa (6.4.1967 - 30.4.1969), narrated how as an SDO in Khulna in East Bengal he had stopped a train by imposing Section 144 of the IPC (now Section 189 of BNS- Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita). Shri Burman was afraid of bad publicity if the affected villagers would be waiting to obstruct his return and to demand compensation.
Sahoo on promotion to the senior scale of the IAS was posted as Additional District Magistrate, Keonjhar, (25 Mar 1968-12 June 1970). He also officiated as the District Magistrate and Collector when the then Collector Mr Mohapatra took leave following a heart attack, (perhaps he was afraid of facing a big crowd as announced by the opposition Janata Party leader Mr Biju Pattnaik to protest against bus-fare rise). The protesters threatened to break the compound wall of the SP’s office, intending to damage to his office. Sahoo thought his presence would calm down the crowd, but they raised a new issue that the SP had insulted them. The Magistrate put in charge of a section of armed police was advised not to permit the police on guard duty to open fire even though the armed constables were bombarded with stones. Sahoo banked upon the rule that no police firing is allowed after the night fall. Repeated use of tear gas shells, often replenished by a constable in a woman’s dress from the Police Lines kept the crowd at bay. As an ambulance’s siren passed by the next street a rumour spread that some agitators had twisted the testicles of the two traffic constables at the nearby Traffic Crossing at Keojhargarh and that the twosome had fainted, the police went berserk. The Magistrate in charge ordered lathi charge nearby and teargas shells on the crowd threatening to pull down the compound wall. The crowd dispersed as the night fell, but some angry and indisciplined police personnel went around the town and lobbed a few teargas shells through windows of some identified lawyer-agitators. There was an enquiry by the RDC, Sambalpur, as ordered by the State Government, who exonerated the District Magistrate Shri Sahoo and his SDO Shri D P Bagchi. However Shri Raj Ballav Mishra, a Cabinet rank Minister of Keonjhar District got angry at Sahoo on some advocates’ pleading and got Sahoo transferred to the Danadakaranya Refugee Rehabilitation Project, as Zonal Administrator, Umarkote. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s party had won the absolute majority in the Pakistani General Election and wanted to form the Government in Pakistan but the Punjabi-dominated Pakistan Government and the Pakistan army did not want the country’s power to go to the hands of the East Pakistanis took Mujibur to the West Pakistan and kept him under house arrest and clamped military law in the East Pakistan to suppress their demand for a separate state of Bengalee speaking East Pakistanis. The military killed many intellectuals of the East Pakistan. The freedom fighters of the East Pakistan were called Muktee Bahini. There was a mass exodus of refugees to India, particularly to West Bengal and the Government of India earmarked the Dandakaranya area for their resettlement. Sahoo’s 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. Sahoo demitted his office at Keonjhargarh on 12 June 1970 and, arranging transport of his belongings, he drove his Standard Car with his wife and the baby son to join at Umerkote on 19 June. With the intervention of the Indian army the East Pakistan became Bangladesh on 16 December 1971. Sahoo used to sit with the local Revenue Inspector to get Record of Rights over land allotted to the refugees in their name. Nevertheless the Chief Administrator, Dandakaranya Project (a Bengali speaking IAS officer from the Bihar cadre) made an adverse entry in Sahoo’s Confidential Character Roll (CCR) that Sahoo displayed anti-Bengali attitude. Sahoo approached the Government at Bhubaneswar and was brought back to Odisha Government and posted as DM and Collector, Balasore. His tenure (05 Feb 1973 - 11 Apr 1974) included a period of President’s Rule (3 March, 1973- 6 April 1974) in Orissa. There was an unprecedented rainfall of 24 inches in 20 hours in the Similipal / Meghason Hills in October, 1973, resulting in a high flood which washed away the so-called High Level Bridge over the Budhabalanga river at Baripada and a fissure developed in the earth’s crust at Baripada town. As the North-South National Highway in the Balasore coastal area was acting like a check-dam on the west-east flowing rivers, thereby damaging life and property on the river banks, it caused a wide breach near Jhamjhadi cutting off Balasore from the Capital Bhubaneswar. Sahoo managed the the flood-relief operations deftly. He also pleaded with the Central Irrigation Minister Rao to announce a road bridge on Kansbansa river, almost dead due to encroachment on its bed by farmers for ages. There was need for more bridges along North-South National Highway. Shri Rao agreed for more bridges on the NH 5. There was a standing order of Government that officers of coastal districts must be at their headquarters during the flood seasons, that meant cancellation of the Durga Puja holidays.. The RDC of the Central Division, Shri A K Majumdar had gone to Calcutta for Puja holidays, he had suddenly returned on road but was stranded at Jharpokharia, about 30 kms before Baripada. Lest he should be caught absent at his headquarters he pleaded with Sahoo to report to the Government that RDC was supervising flood works around the Subarnarekha. Small wonder that sometimes a high ranking officer was thriving under the cloak of his junior officer.
An interesting incident brought Sahoo face to face with the Governor B D Jatti in managing the flood situation. On a flight from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar Mr Jatti saw the Brahmani- Baitrani estuary under sheets of water and bullocks tethered to trees amidst a sea of waters. He sent an angry message to Sahoo asking him to reply what was he doing in such a high flood. Sahoo replied calmly: when the Governor flew over Balasore district he saw the Baitarani-Brahmani estuary under a high tide which comes twice a day (roughly within 24 hours 50minutes), people/farmers are used to such situations to meet which they tie their bullocks to nearby tree and wait till tide withdraws and take up cultivation with saline-resistant paddy varieties. The Collector, Cuttack, Shri Ashok Mubayi, who hailed from Jammu-Kashmir, as such was ignorant of tides, copied my explanation. Sahoo later heard from Shri S M Pattanayak the then Chief Secretary that his reply was like a slap on the face of the Governor as it exposed the geographical ignorance of a Governor.
The period Sahoo was in Balasore was a period of scarcity of essential commodities which encouraged smuggling of coal from running trains, particularly from the goods train. Smugglers were standing aloft some braches showing 5 rupee note in a split bamboo stick, a passing train driver used to take away the note and throw down two or three shovels of coal which were sold to households and restaurant-owners. 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. Sahoo informed the Railways and also made personal efforts to curb the menace. Police seemed hand-in-gloves in this nefarious affair. In an early morning watch at the Subarnarekha Raj Ghat, he apprehended a jeep carrying bags of rice and some packets of sugar to Bengal and asked the Inspector of the Civil Supplies to book a case of smuggling. Lo and behold the jeep belonged to the district Congress Party, its President, Shri Nandi, and its Secretary, Shri Dasmohapatra were named ‘accused’ in the FIR. As the Governor’s rule ended and Mrs. Nandini Satpathy resumed Chief Ministership on 6.4.1974 the 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 arrived at Balasore on 10th April 1974 with his posting order and demanded to join immediately. Sahoo handed over the charge of the DM on 11 Apr 1974. One of Senapati’s eccentric behaviours was well publicized when he could not manage to prevent his car from being pushed into the roadside drain at Soro by a group of people demanding donation for the local Durga Puja.
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 of a house building loan to construct his house. Coming to know of it Shri Mishra asked Rs.10,000.00 to help him finish his house he was constructing, with a promise that he would return it soon. Sahoo could not refuse for fear of a bad CCR (confidential character roll) entry, but he could not get back his money, after almost 2 years, until he got hold Mishra’s eldest son who was a stamp collector and as such was used to be chummy with Shri Sahoo.
Sahoo was posted as Secretary, Board of Revenue, (27 APR 1976 - 23 FEB 1977) where his superior, Member of the Board of Revenue, was a semi-mad IAS officer, Raghupati, who was known as the son-in-law of K M Munshi of Bharatiya Bidya Bhavan fame. 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 happened 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 pm. He represented but Shri R K Rath, IAS, Special Secretary, GA Dept., rejected it. When Shri P C Hota, IAS, on reversion from the post of the Town Administrator, Rourkela, to the post of Secretary, Board of Revenue he was given the usual allowance of Rs.250. 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 favouritism. (Another example of caste bias shown by Shri Rath when he was the Chief Secretary: he refused Sahoo permission to avail CL to attend a seminar at Simla on Sarala Das’ Mahabharat, while Rath himself had the CM’s permission to become the President of Kendriya Sahitya Akademi. (Sahoo never showed any such bias, e.g., against the office note to refuse Shri D N Padhi’s request to travel abroad on a Rotary Club assignment on the plea that it would impinge on his official work, Sahoo as the Chie Secretary permitted Shri Padhi, IAS, to attend a Rotary Conference abroad on his own expenses.)
Sahoo held the post of Registrar of Cooperative Societies of Orissa (24 Feb 1977- 17 Jan 1979). He directed every government agency to deposit their surplus with the Orissa State Cooperative Bank Limited (OSCB) whose working capital then exceeded Rs. 100 crores and OSCB was declared a Scheduled Bank qualifying to receive the central government guarantee on the depositors’ savings accounts if ever the Bank faces a liquidation proceedings. He also ordered OSCB to open a convention hall for meetings and conferences, first ever in Bhubaneswar, for which he was warned by Shri Rammurthy the then Agricultural Production Commissioner (APC) not to allow the Building Funds of OSCB for such buildings. [Strangely the same Ram Murthy praised the same convention hall in a meeting there when he as the Member, Board of Revenue was the chief guest.] 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 Inspectors of Cooperatives was not honoured by Sahoo. Further, Sahoo had earlier rejected the appointment of a Director to the Kendrapada Central Cooperative Bank on the Minister’s direction as it was within the Registrar of Cooperative Societies’ power to approve of such appointments. Angry at such actions of Sahoo, Shri Singh pressured the General Administration Department to remove from the posts and send him out of Government. Sahoo was sent on deputation to Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) as Deputy General Manager (29 Jan 1979 - 11 June 1982). Sahoo’s representation that he could not be sent on foreign (not State nor Central Government) deputation without consent was not heard, because Sahoo did not have a father-in-law among the politicians who mattered. Sahoo’s two sons’ education and health were disturbed. Yet while at Rourkela the State politicians and journalists used Sahoo as the mediator to get things done in the RSP. Shri Nilamoni Routroy as the CM used to ring up Sahoo to pressurize the MD, RSP, to release the controlled quota of steel to a shop at Mangalabag, Cuttack. But when someone among the crowd attending a meeting of Biju Pattanaik as the Minister of Steel at Rourkela asked Biju babu why the DGM was not given enough power to look into the interests of the Odias, Biju babu responded ‘don’t you feel that as the Minsiter of Steel at the Centre could not look into the interests of the Odias OK
A curious incident encouraged Sahoo to seek amendment to GENERAL FINANCIAL RULES (GFR) s a result of Sahoo’s insistence India Government General Financial Rules were amended to include a new proviso was added “Provided further that in case of women employees the in-laws would be treated as family members.” One Patnaik, who worked as the Director, Town Planning, in the Urban Development Department did not allow plot no. 6F in Kalpana area (which Sahoo won through official lottery) to be divided into two halves so that Sahoo could afford to so much) as a result Pattanaik withdrew the plot and lo! And behold! Allotted in favour of Smt Nandini Satpathys, the CM, who later exchanged it for a plot near the Raj Bhawan. did not approve the plot in the name of Sahoo. The selfsame Pattanaik once came to Sahoo as the DGM, RSP, to plead for his widowed sister’s dues. In 1970s the male dominated governance had a provision in General Financial Rules that on death of an employee his dues would be made to his family, ‘proved that family does not include in-laws’. That was OK in case of male employee, as his inlaws were not supposed to partake of income. The same proviso operated in case of Pattnaik’s sister. Government failed to appreciate that a compassionate appointment has been made just to allow the window to maintain her husband’s family, i.e., in-law’s family. The Rules needed amendment in the changed circumstances. Mr Andley the FA of RSP did not agree with Sahoo’s opinion and advised Sahoo to take up the matter with the Ministry of Finance at the Centre. Sahoo argued that as the RSP has given an appointment to that lady on compassionate grounds on untimely death of her husband she should get the dues to support her husband’s family, which was her family then. What else a compassionate appointment means if the object of compassion –the lady’s family which was her husbannd’s family before his death- did not get the fruits of compassion! It took almost a year’s arguing with the Ministry of Finance at the Central Government to add another proviso to the GFR that ‘provided further that in case of ladies the above proviso does not apply’. Sahoo softly reminded him how Pattnaik had refused the partition of was not able to defray the cost of the whole plot of almost an acre at a premium of Rs.51,000.00 in 1973 On repatriation to the State Government Sahoo was offered Secretary, Health, but Harihar Karan the Minister sat with JBP to get it cancelled because he feared that his purchase of truck loads of marble for his house at the cost of some private hospital was known to Sahoo. JBP wanted to please K P Singdeo Minister at the Centre wanted Bolangir Raja’s Kala Vikas Kendra land to be returned to the Bolangir Raj family, which Sahoo as RDC was the Chairman the Kalavikas Kendra refused to yield. As a result the land at Bolangir is still available for public functions. 1982 saw a very high flood in the Mahanadi and as the RDC, Sahoo asked the Chief Minister for permission to open as many as 42 gates of Hirakud reservoir as the flood waters were lapping onto the top of the dam which might breach the dam and the consequences would be disastrous for people at Hirakud, Sambalpur, Sonepur, Boud, Cuttack (Ravenshaw College might be submerged) and all the areas down to the Mahanadi delta. That warning forced JBP to agree and the result was a wash-away of a portionopening of a stream to the Chilika lake via Nayagarh and the Kuakhai, a branch of the Kathajodi, overflowed a sand dune and created a wide breach in the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar national highway, disrupting the traffic for 7 days. People blamed JBP because he allowed opening of 42 gates at Hirakud when Naraj barrage near Cuttack was already discharging 9 lakh cusecs, because as they said the 14 lakh cusecs 42 gates released would raise the volume to 23 lakhs and that flooded the entire coast north of Ganjam. JBP asked Sahoo to write a rejoinder. Sahoo’s article in the Utkal Prasanga (mouth organ of Odisha Government) gave an analogy of midday meal being added by night meal not swelling the stomach argued that the release of 14 lakh cusecs at Hirakud took about a day to reach Naraj when the level there must have been reduced. Much of water at Naraj would have gone lower towards the sea. Nevertheless the flood waters breached Kuakhai bank and swept away Cuttack Bhubaneswar NH 5 before Pahal, disconnecting Cuttack from Bhubaneswar for abut a fortnight. During the floods of 1982 Sahoo supervised the relief work in Bolangir district, his trip to Bolangir involved a walk on rails below the iron girder railways bridge over the Tel river received so much publicity that he was chosen under the British Commonwealth Scholarship Programme for a 12 week-workshop in Oxford polytechnic on Disaster Mitigation Workshop. 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 at Delhi 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 by the UK Government there was no fear of missing the journey. Mrs Sahoo said she would stay till the eldest son, Subrat (who later became an IAS officer) completed his secondary school examination, though he missed National Talent Search test. Mrs Sahoo tolerated the unsavoury behaviour of a senior IAS 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 Printing Press at Madhupatana as it was a political work and as such 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.
The Orissa State Road Transport Corporation under the Banner Scheme operated in six districts of Cuttack, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Ganjam, Puri and Phulbani, where the owners of privately operated transport buses were to appoint and engage their own drivers and helpers, whereas the Corporation engaged its own conductor in each bus to collect bus fare from passengers and deposit it with the Corporation. The owners of buses under banner were paid hire charges at the rate of Rs. 2.80 per kilometre in respect of standard transport buses and at the rate of Rs. 1.87 per kilometre in respect of mini transport buses. The Corporation created 460 employees for the purpose. The owners of banner buses bribed the conductors in ensuring that they did not bother to take passengers en route. It became a regular feature and there was public uproar that passengers waiting to board the buses at important stoppages like Pahal had to put up bamboo barricades to stop the buses in order to board them. The bus-owners colluded with the Corporation-appointed Conductors in showing a few or nil passenger and thus deprived the Corporation of full income while they claimed full hire-charges of running KMs. The State Government was paying annually about Rs.600 crores as the hire-charges. For the Odisha people pronunciation of ‘banner’ meant monkey, they termed the banner scheme as ‘monkey business’. Buses just ran from destination to destination without halting on the routes or carrying one or two passengers, to make a show that they were in the transportation business. The Ruing political party was collecting 50% of their claim from the Corporation’s counter when the bus-owners received their hire charges. The loss was reimbursed by the Planning Commission as the scheme was maintained at their behest. Sahoo wanted to change such a lackadaisical public transport system. As Chief Minister JBP insisted on keeping the name of the scheme as Banner, Sahoo put up a memorandum to the Cabinet suggesting a revised Banner Scheme in which the owners of privately operated transport buses were to pay to the Corporation a Banner fee of 1, 2, and 5 Paisa per km of running on Village road, District Road and State Highways respectively, while Route permits and supply of printed tickets were to be supplied by the Corporation. Thus the new scheme involved no element of employee support like a conductor for each bus. The Corporation would retrench staff rendered surplus and use its Printing Press to print tickets. The Corporation would its tag of an industry by rationalizing its vehicle repair and servicing establishment. No sooner the Cabinet decision was known than the bus-owners and their cohorts in the ruling political party met JBP and aired their grievances at losing a sure source of income and consequent political contribution(?). The Ruling Party was rumoured as ‘collecting its share at the counter’ of the OSRTC and the officers who handled payment also collected their percentage. Lo and behold JBP as the CM issued a warning to Sahoo that he misled the Cabinet and caused a loss of 12 crores to the State. (Perhaps CM added the Planning Commission’s extra grant of Rs.600 crores and augmentation of the State’s annual plan size by 600 crores). Sahoo wondered at the use of words ‘you misled the cabinet’ implying that the Cabinet was devoid of any intellect both collectively as well as individually. Indicating this, Sahoo replied through the Chief Secretary that rather he should get a reward of Rs.300 crore, half of what the Govt. were saving (i.e. subsidy of about Rs.600 crores would not be given to the bus-owners and the State’s Plan size would increase by Rs.600 crores). Besides, the state government could save a lot by dismantling OSRTC Ltd’s industrial character and retrenching surplus manpower.
Earlier Sahoo as the Secretary, Commerce, was asked to procure Oriya (sic) type writers as a part of JBP’s policy 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 Visakhapatna Port. JBP’s plan to use Odia as the medium of correspondence in Odisha was put in the cold storage, because Sahoo did not oblige the Company that had bribed JBP’s cohorts..
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 current affairs in Chalantika. A column on Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test in the magazine Sansar continued since Saho’s class 7 till he was the Chief Secretary in 1999.
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 nod to GoI’s proposal to use Baliapal coast as the most suitable site for a Test Range site in the popular science column of the Prajatantra Saptahiki . 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 its Lifelong Chairmanship. 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 from Nandini Satpathy, Shri Biswal placed Sahoo as Secretary, Home, (02 Jan 1990 to 07 July 1991, out of which ‘5 March 1990 to 07 July 1991’ was under the chief minister, Shri Biju Patnaik. Sahoo faced the whims of Biju Patnaik stoically. Two examples may suffice.
Vishwanath Pratap Singh, (2 December 1989 - 10 November 1990) implemented in 1990 Mandal Commission report on the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), recommending 27 per cent quota for OBCs in government services and in public sector bodies operated by the Union Government , and also in admissions to institutes of higher education. There was a mass agitation by higher caste students against the implementation of the Mandal Commission’s report. As an example of how high placed were the OBC people in Orissa Shri Pyarimohan Mohapatra Secretary to the CM gave a report that an OBC Shri Sahoo had occupied the position of Secretary, Home, in Biju Patnaik’s government. But Shri Pyari Mohan Mohapatra was wrong as Sahoo had topped the list of Orissa candidates of 1964 batch of the IAS. During Sahoo’s tenure as Secretary, Home, there was a lot of journey to Odisha by the then Prime Minister Shri Chandra Shekhar who spared a seat to Rajiv Gandhi in his official plane journey to Orissa. (Chandra Shekhar’s Government was, during his 7 months rule, running with the outside support of the Congress. The last visit of Rajiv Gandhi ending in his death at Perambudur was in Chandra Sekhar’s plane in the latter’s official trip to Bhubaneswar. Rajiv refused special protection when he visited Nandini Satpathy and Surendra Dwivedi in their houses at Bhubaneswar (citing the visits as private and political); but Sahoo had deployed the police in plain clothes. The last visit ended with Rajiv’s death and Sahoo had to awaken the Prime Minister asleep in the Raj Bhavan at 1030 PM to give the message of Rajiv’s death. He also informed CM, Biju Patnaik. The politicians who had accompanied Rajiv Gandhi were yet to return from Sambalpur requested Sahoo to attempt delay in departure of the plane so that they could get the lift. Sahoo had to ask the Director, Aviation to feign traffic clearance delay till 1130 PM when the team arrived and the PM’s plane took off for Delhi.
As JBP managed to grab the CM’s post in 1995 even though he was not given a ticket in 1995 Assembly elections (he won the seat vacated by one Sahu in Bolagarh by-election) and again got involved in sexual escapade of his Government Advocate Indrajit Ray. JBP's CM’s term was cut short by more than a year when Shri Gomango was asked to take over in April 1999.
Four short-lived governments—Atal Bihari Vajpayee from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 13 days in 1996, a year each under United Front prime ministers H. D. Deve Gowda and Inder Kumar Gujral, and Vajpayee again for 13 months in 1998–1999. In 1999, Vajpayee's National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won the general election, the first non-Congress alliance to do so, and he served a full five-year term as prime minister. The Congress, and its United Progressive Alliance won the general elections in 2004 and 2009, Manmohan Singh serving as prime minister between 2004 and 2014. The BJP won the 2014 Indian general election, and its parliamentary leader Narendra Modi formed the first non-Congress single party majority government. The BJP goes on to win the 2019 Indian general election with a bigger margin than last time, granting a second term for the incumbent Modi government. In 2024 Indian general election, incumbent BJP losses majority but remains the single largest party in the country, and BJP and its National Democratic Alliance forms the government. Modi becomes the prime minister for the third consecutive time, second only to do so after the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
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 did not relish as he wanted his batch-mate Mrs. Narayanaswami, IAS of 1963 batch, to man that post. Sahoo was shunted out 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 of Minor Irrigation Shri Saharai Oram’s whimsical allotment of Minor Irrigation contracts to his henchman who was not the lowest bidder overriding the Expert Committee of Engineers’ recommendations. Shri Prasanna Acharya pleaded with the CM Shri Biju Patnaik that in case of conflict between an officer and a minister the officer should be removed. On return from the Durga Puja holidays Sahoo saw his transfer order. Sahoo was Secretary, Public Enterprises Department, (18 Oct 1994 - 06 Apr 1995). There he objected to his additional secretary Shri Siddhartha Pradhan, an Indian Revenue Service officer’s proposal to appoint as a son of well-known erstwhile Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Shri G K Mishra (1 May 1969 – 30 October 1975) and twice Acting Governor, Odisha (1 July 1972 – 8 November 1972, and 21 August 1974 – 25 October 1974), as the Managing Director of the Orissa Films Development Corporation. The junior Mishra had earlier taken voluntary retirement under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) which prohibited reappointment to any Government post. Sahoo was shunted out as the Principal Secretary of Revenue & Excise Deptt (07 July 1995 -1 5 Oct 1995) on his pointing out in a file a provision in the Land Reforms Act that no agriculture land could be used for nonagricultural purposes whereas the Land Reforms Act has been amended by the State Assembly under the JBP govt just to benefit land-grabbers in the Pahal area where twice irrigated patch of lane between the Kuakhai and the National Highway were occupied by the people who had provided enough money to JBP and the Congress Paty under JBP’s hegemony. Sahoo was relieved of the Revenue Department. In the meanwhile a landgrabbing allegation came up against the advovate-son of SC Justice Ranganath Mishra and the Revenue Minister Shri K C Lenka asked Sahoo to enquire how the land of a washerman in Bidanasi side of the Mahanadi and its branch Kathjodi had been settled by Settlement Authority in favour of shri Mishra Advocate and Shri R N Das IAS even though transfer of land to a non-SC person was illegal. On the basis of Sahoo’s report the deal was cancelled and the affected advocate and IAS officer went to the court where the Government Advocate, then infamous, Indrajit Roy never contested their appeal and never availed any occasion to argue on behalf of the State. behalf of the Government, the duo could get compensation from the CDA as the impugned land was taken over by the CDA. 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 the CM’s office wanted Sahoo to join immediately as the Vice Chancellor of the 1999-super cyclone affected Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (1 Nov 2000 - 31 Oct 2003).
Circumstances leading to the post of the Chief Secretary
There was dearth of Odia IAS officers till 1960s, all top posts were filled up by non-Odisha IAS officers. Gradually Odias came up but they were of higher-castes and reserved classes. Though Brahmins and Karans were hardly 12% of population they occupied 88% of posts in the State Secretariat (reference book Odisha Garib kahinki (Why Odisha Continues to be Poor). The top political dispensation of the state was alternating between Brahmins and Karanas. In the 80s and 90s the voice of other backward classes (OBCs) became louder in politics while the high command of the Congress party its foundation lay in the listed classes i.e., the Scheduled Classes and the Scheduled Tribes. But as the posts of Party Chief and the Administration Chief was combined in one person, his choice mattered in selection of Administrative Chief and Police Chief. While in case of non-Odisha officers the sole criterion was seniority, in case of Oriya officers it was favouritism and pliability. While with an eye on capturing the tribal population votes (almost 24% of population) the Congress High Command wanted Shri Giridhar Gomang as the candidate for the Chief Minister in 1996 elections. Lo and behold! the Congress Party won a thumping majority. It had been a tradition that the central leadership of the national party sends a representative to oversee the process of selection of the candidate as the leader of the Legislature Party: all elected members form ‘the Legislature Party’, a term used in the 10th Schedule of the Constitution [Section 1.Interpretation: (b) ‘legislature party”, in relation to a member of a House belonging to any political party xxx ‘means the group consisting of all the members of that House for the time being belonging to that political party’].
As Janaki Ballabh Patnaik got more infamous for his sexual escapades there was a demand from within the party for his replacement which the Congress High Command was seriously considering, but JBP seemed to be buying time till the next election in March 2000, but the exit was quickened by the news of the murder of a Christian missionary, Graham Steins, followed by a report on burning of his two sons on 22 Jan 1999. That hardened the resolve of Mrs Sonia Gandhi, a Christian, who saw it as a gross failure of JBP’s control on administration. George Fernandes was sent to Bhubaneswar to allay the fears of the Christians of Odisha (almost 2% of Odisha’s population). She sent messages to JBP to get down. JBP had developed a very good rapport, as rumoured, through ‘money bundles and Sambalpuri sarees suitcases’, with Mr. George the PS to Mrs Gandhi, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Shri Madhav Rao Scindia and Shri Arjun Singh, as also Shri Ahmed Patel, all of whom had some influence over Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. But JBP’s all-India image had taken a beating. The last time he was rebuffed JBP announced it at a public meeting at Puri Singhadwar on 12th February that he might not come there as CM again. Confusion reigned almost ten days as a good number of Patnaiks in JBP’s Cabinet were appealing to JBP to hold on. Shri Giridhari Gomango took oath as CM on 17th Feb 1999. Shri Basant Kumar Biswal and Shri Kahnu Charan Lenka were more trusted by Shri Gomango and they saw to it that JBP’s vestige in the person of Sudhansu Bhushan Mishra as the Chief Secretary was removed. Sahoo then at Cuttack as Member of the Board of Revenue was called in to see the CM in the evening of 23rd Feb. 1999. Perhaps sensing the air the whole top tier of the GA dept including S B Mishra had closed office and left for home by the time Sahoo reached the CM’s office, though it is unusual for the CS and his deputies to go home while the CM was in the Secretariat. Sahoo had to join on 24 February as the formal Government order appointing him as Chief Secretary could be issued in the morning. The local press was pro-Janaki, therefore favoured SBM against Sahoo, sometimes saying Sahoo had no Secretariat experience and some like Gopal Mishra a senior Amrit Bazar Patrika special correspondent spread the message that Mishra was senior and had more experience than Sahoo. Gopal Mishra forgot that once he had asked Sahoo, the DGM of Rourkela Steel Plant to engage his son as an employee in the catering services of Rourkela Guest House and Sahoo had done it as a respect to Gopal Mishra, who was so ungrateful as saying Sudhansu Mishra was much senior in his experience to Sahoo . How ungrateful those journalists were! JBP got a PIL activist appointed as an officer in his office just to kill his PIL against JBP acquiring a ploat of land of a waherman in by wrongful means.
The popular assumption that a Brahmin or a Karan would be the CS was so great that when a bigwig from Berhampur called on him and queried which ward of Berhampur he hailed from, Sahoo smiled and replied he was from a Jajpur village. Sahoo was amused at observing how much caste-considerations had been fossilized in the sediments of Odisha Government posts.
Soon after Sahoo took over as the CS, Shri Basant Biswal had to go to England for the treatment of his kidney diseases. He had his relations in England. By the time he was back in Odisha it was the end of September. Soon he resumed his political job of the treasurer of the Odisha Congress Party and wanted the whole year’s allocation of Rs.300 crores given to the Water Resources department. It was known to the people of Odisha that Shri Biswal collected 15% of the allotment from the engineers for political funding of his Party. Those were the times when the controlling Chief Engineers given a letter of credit to the extent of allocation made by the Finance Department. ‘Letter of credit’ was a mechanism to bypass scrutiny of Finance Department every time an amount is released to a spending authority. Next election was scheduled in March 2000 and the model code of conduct might come into force before January ends. Shri Biswal was in a hurry to collect funds and wanted the whole year’s allotment for the water resources department released immediately. But Shri K B Verma IAS, Secretary of Finance Department had refused unless the Chief Secretary agrees. The State’s revenue collection till September (first two quarters of the financial year) was inadequate, even to meet the salary demand, let alone the construction activities. If Rs.300 crores were released before the 3rd quarter of the Financial Year began, other departments would be starved of funds even to run their field offices. But Shri Biswal was adamant – the result was a meeting of a mini-cabinet sans all Patnaiks on 8th October 1999. Besides Shri Gomang, Shri Biswal, Shri Lenka and Shri Bhupinder Singh were present. Sahoo explained how it was difficult to accommodate Shri Biswal’s request for advance release of the year’s allocation without bringing to halt all other Departments’ works in the middle of the Financial Year. Sahoo cited how in the year before there were press reports against Water Resources department’s efforts at throttling other departments’ share in the state’s budget. Shri Biswal used unparliamentary words including Odia equivalent of brother-in against the IAS officers and shouted at Sahoo that he had agreed to Sahoo’s posting as the CS hoping that he would help him and that his predecessor was a better man. Sahoo said he would go on leave but Shri Lenka relying on his days as a class mate in the Ravenshaw College persuaded Sahoo not to air his anguish before the press. Next day was a 2nd Saturday a holiday. The Congress Party had its meeting on the Sunday where Shri Biswal announced Shri Sudhansu Bhusan Mishra as the new Chief Secretary. It is unusual that such an announcement be made in a meeting of the political party and not from the Secretariate but the newspapers who owed their sustenance from the JBP days went agog with the news. JBP in his anger at being removed from the post had not proceeded to finalise the process of privatization of Electricity distribution . From a surplus state to a bankrupt one was JBP’s legacy in Odisha. Plentiful vast coal and ample hydro supply could make the state a “powerhouse of India,” Odisha was the first Indian state to take a World Bank package to design and implement reforms, including distribution privatization. The state utilities initially profited from selling cheap hydro power to neighbouring states, but the effect of reforms on citizen-consumers was negative: tariffs for existing consumers increased and rural electrification afailure The World bank package was to expire on 31 March 1999. got Cabinet approval to guarantee Orissa State Electricity Board to draw a loan of Rs.300 crores as its margin money to enable it to get the World Bank funding in furtherance of privatization of payment of They did not mention Sahoo’s achievement during his 6 months he was the CS: (1)overturning JBP’s financial profligacy into a regime of Financial discipline on signing an agreement with the GoI, (2) turning JBP’s lapses in putting Privatisation of Electricity , Lest people forget Sahoo had got notices issued to a number of newspapers who had been favoured with more than one government quarters to vacate the second and third ones (even PTI had three quarters, one for office, 2nd for the Representative and a 3rd for his daughter as the second representative . The then press people were happy that Sahoo was out. Mishra took over on Monday the 11th October to see a cyclonic weather in south Odisha on October 12-14, followed by the Super Cyclone a fortnight later. Early warning was lightly taken and the super cyclone struck Marshaghai 28th October, enroute to Bhubaneswar on 29th dissipating at Dhenkanal next day. The Congress Government of Shri Goamngo and Chief Secretary S B Mishra saw to it that Gomango gets a bad name for the disaster and in relief management in which the Congress leaders like Jena et al interfered and wanted purchases to be made at Delhi under their tutelage so that a commission woul go to them. Shri D. N. Padhi the special relief commissioner was not allowed a free hand in relief distribution. Sahoo informed Shri Padhi of a design by some Congress leaders to place Padhi under suspension as he did not toe the lines Jena et al’s’s wishes. Padhi ran to CM Gomango to stall it. Shri Gomango was forced to resign in December and Shri Hemananda Biswal the perpetual candidate for the interim CM. The next election saw Naveen Pattnaik’s Janata Party come to power and formed Government with cooperation from BJP. On reversion from the post of CS, Shri Sahoo was accommodated as the Chairman, IPICOL (11 Oct 1999 - 31 Oct. 2000) where he was asked to take over as the Vice Chancellor of the OUAT University even giving a short notice to take voluntary retirement. By that time Sudhansu’s henchman Mr Srinivasan, IAS, Secretary to the Governor, perhaps on Sudhansu’s instructions asked the CM’s office if Sahoo had given his consent as he was still in Government service. Shri Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, Secretary to the CM, who had forwarded Sahoo’s biodata to the Governor’s office explained, as Sahoo suggested, that he had given his consent. Sahoo suggested, the very fact that Sahoo shared his biodata with the CM’s office in relation to the selection of a VC proves he had no it presumed Sahoo’s consent. It was proposed to replace the ailing VC Shri R K Bhujabal in the dire times of the University suffering from the ravages of the Super Cyclone of 1999 October end. Sahoo restored the internet connections and set up a tower as a branch of the STPI at Bhbaneswar. Sahoo raised the SBI branch at OUAT campus to a grade one branch by allowing all deposits at that branch. Earlier the Finance Officer used to keep deposits at other banks which gave him some return with money or appointment to a relative of his. Sahoo got an ATM opened at OUAT for the benefit of students who used to carry cash in spite of fear of theft or loss during their admissions and monthly deposits in OUAT and its hostels. He took strong steps to stem the unusual markings in examinations in favour of students who gave heavy bribes, particularly from Bihar and give them not less than 8.5 percentile in CET College for immediate employment in IT sector. He suspended the Principal for collecting money in the name of annual meetings to which Bollywood stars were being called with heavy payments. He used his knowledge as a stamp collector to catch if the original question paper had been leaked before the packet was opened before the Examination begins, The fineness in which the flaps of packets had been opened with sharp cuts and rejoined by thin quickfix gum he showed when he opened the packets and saw the gauze-like clothing cut at the edges because the opened flap showed no continuity with the rest of the envelope. All concerned wer taken to task. It was a revelation that the night watchman was allowing thief to enter throough skylight, open the question papers and took a snap of the question paper and sealed as if nothing happened. When Sahoo proposed learning through internet as displayed on the white Board almost all teachers objected and some of them represented to Chancellor Rajendran to dismiss Sahoo for unacademic atmosphere. Governor Rajendran who used the University’s Dean of Horticulture for straightening the cocoanut plants in Rajbhawan. When he went on inaugurating websites on the basis of a CD, Sahoo said it was not an inaguration of a website unless it was really hosted on the internet. Berhampur University Vice Chancellor was given an extension on his flattery (naming a girls’ hostel in his university in Mrs Rajendran’s name and presenting her a gold necklace). Rajendran invited a scandal as he did not vacate Rajbhavan in the hope that Mrs. Mamata Banerjee’s intervention for his extension. Mamata was the minister under whom Rajendran was the secretary in Government of India. He questioned Sahoo when the University purchased a car. Sahoo explained that on the principle of next year’s budget being based on a 10% rise would become less if he did not use the funds earmarked for the purchase of a car. The last straw was when Sahoo refused to buy more than 10 copies of a book on his speeches saying that it contained the verbatim copies of write-ups Sahoo provided for the Governor’s speech. Under such a Chancellor Sahoo handed over his resignation on the day his term was over. The Secy-cum-cimmissioner, Agriculyure Department must have taken over subsequently.
Meetings of DPC on heads of deptt
[Cf Swami Laxmananda Saraswati murdered in August 23 – 2008]
Member Board of Revenue, Orissa, Cuttack on 1. 11.1996 without availing 7 days joining time which was added to EL at Rs.8000/- (fixed) in the scale of pay of Rs.8000/- (fixed) with effect from 1.11.96 (FN).
Chief Secretary 24 Feb 1999 to (9 Oct. and 10 Oct. did not come to office) On 10th at Congress Bhawan near Station Square (Master Canteen) it was declared that S B Mishra would be the CS and he assumed the Office on 11 Oct 1999 FN. Charman IPICOL 11 Oct 1999 to 31 Oct 2000 in charge of the office of the Member, Board of Revenue, Orissa, Cuttack, in addition to his own duties during the absence of Sri S. B. Mishra, IAS granted leave (to go to San Jose) from 9.5.2000 to 7.6.2000. Allowed voluntary retirement from service w.e.f. the afternoon of 31.10.2000 under Rule 16(2) of the AIS (DCRB) Rules, 1958 by relaxing the three months notice period as a special case to enable him to join as Vice Chancellor, OUAT., Bhubaneswar. Commuted Leave for a period 30 days with effect from 23.6.2000 to 22.7.2000 with permission to suffix Government holiday on 23.7.2000 under Rule13 of the AIS (Leave) Rules, 1955 to enable him to go to U.S.A. for his health check up Vice Chancellor 1 Nov 2000 FN to 31 Oct 2003
Awards and Honors
Sahoo has received too many Literary awards from different organizations, both Govt. and non Govt. Best Story writer of the year 1986 by the “Phalgu” of Berhampur, Special prize for story by Eenadu Group of Publications, Hyderabad (then capital of Andhra Pradesh) in All India short story competition- 1987, Honour by “Sansar”- 1987 for continuous writing since 1952, Honour by the Nilsaila of Odissa for popularising science in Oriya language- 1989, Pathani Samanta Pratibha Puraskar- 1990 for popularisation of science, Honour in Rajya Stariya Nikhil Utkal Lekhak Samabesh on 24.3.1991, Honour by Saraswata Sahitya Sanskrutik Parishad, Dasarathpur on 12.9.1992, for contribution to Oriya literature.Orissa Bijnan Prachar Samiti’s 44th Annual Day- Dr. Gopal Chandra Patnaik Prize for best Popular Science writer of the year 1993, Honour on 12th June’94 by Doctors International, Bhubaneswar for popularising Science in Oriya,Dr. Pranakrushna Bijnan Sahitya Puraskar, by Utkal Sahitya Samaj, 1995,Honour by Swara O Swakshar at Jajpur year 1995, Sahitya Sadhana honour by the Chinta O Chetana 1996, Adikabi Sahitya Samman 1998 by Baya Abdhuta College,Vishuv Samman 1998 by Mahanga Vishuv Milan Parishad, Orissa Sahitya Akademi award 1997, Sarala Samman 2000, Bagdevi Samman- 2002, Rashtriya Maitri Samman, Raipur – 2003, Bal Sahachar Bandhu- 2003, Sarat Chandra Prasashan O Seva Samman 2014
Other (life time) Honours as Titles were given by various organisiations: “Bidya Ratna” by ‘Shristi O Shrasta’ & ‘Kala Vinod’ of Cuttack on 7.12.1984,“Sajjana Sammana-1996” by Sanatan Samajvad Sanskriti Samsthan for practising social values to raise the moral standards of the people of India, Distinguished Leadership Award by ABI , USA 1997 and 2000, Man of the Year award for 1998 by American Biographical Institute, Hony. Advisor to the Research Board of Advisors of ABI year 1999, listed in 2000 Outstanding Scholars of the 21st Century for 1st edition International Biographical Centre of Cambridge at England 2000, listed as one of the 500 Leaders of Science by the Board of the ABI, "Insignia of Recognition" by International Biographical Centre of Cambridge at U.K. 2002, Honorary Colonel Commandant of NCC year 2003, Utkal Shree-2006, Kimbadanti Purusha- 2009 by Rationalist Association, Jajpur Zilla Samman 2012, Yugantar Samman 2012 by Yuganatar Sanskrutik Parishad, Odisha Gourab Samman 2014 by Bibhabana, Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) by International Biographical Centre, Cambridge - U.K. 2015, Bartika Puraskar 2015, Ame Odia Samman – 2016, Utkal Pathak Samman, 2017, Philatelic Ratna, 2021, by Philatelic Congress of India, PrajnaRatna Samman, 2023 by Sarala Sahitya Sansad
Literary activities :
In the field of Literary activates he is a columnist , in the daily “Samaj” on ‘postage stamp as a source of knowledge’, in the Prajatantra ‘Saptahikee’ on popular science, in the daily Samaya on current affairs Sampratikee, in the Dharitri daily on current affairs, in the Pragatibadi in a pen name,on comparative international affairs, IQ test in the monthly ‘Sansar’, current affairs in monthly ‘Prajatantra Pratibha’.
Oriya & English talks on Akashvani and Doordarshan; after 2007 on various TV channels, Contributions on management; acted as faculty member.
He has created (43 books in Odia, English and Hindi i.e. Stories, Essay, Travelogue, Poetry, Science and Computer (Three stories have been dramatized and telecast in ETV in its inaugural year 2000.)
His Magnus Opus is a Deluxe Edition of Sarala Das’s Mahabharat, in print and e-book editions: a labour of 7 years 2001-07.
Editor : English quarterlies (i)“Stamps & Stamps”, since 1980.(ii) "SIGNET", quarterly mouthpiece of Philatelic Congress of India. (iii) Oriya bimonthly “ Sadharan Gyan” on current affairs from 1977 to 1989.
Achievements:
Sahoo perfected his success in various fields as State Chief in many social and literary institutions, Immediate Past President now Chief Advisor Sarala Sahitya Sansad, President Samanta Chandrasekhar Smruti Parishad, Advisor to Chinta O Chetana. Sometime advisor to Jayadeva Sanskritik Anusthan. Participated in many seminars and workshops, as main speaker and/or Chief Guest e.g, the National Seminar on Mahakavi Sarala Das and the Fifteenth Century Indian Panorama, February 18-20-1995, in Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, International Seminar on e-Management at Bhubaneswar March, 2001. Addressed as Chief Guest in many Academic Seminars and workshops.
Legacy and Contributions
In the field of Philately, Numismatics, Writing, Reading, Multimedia works on Computer Prop. Sahoo contributed many thinks. He has edited two Quarterlies devoted to promotion of Philately (1) “Stamps & Stamps” since Jan. 1981 till 2003, (2) “SIGNET”, official organ of PCI, since 1998, He is the author of (3) “A Guide to Stamp Collecting” 1985 first edition, (4) ‘Postal History of Orissa:1803-73’ and (5) BAMRA- Postal and Fiscal History 2012. He was a member of the Philatelic Advisory Committee, Government of India, 1989-91 and 1998-2004, Prepared a teacher’s handbook on collecting stamps and coins for the secondary schools in Orissa.
Sahoo organised 2 National Philatelic Exhibitions in Bhubaneswar: Millipex 2000 and INPEX 2002, he was the National Commissioner for Prenfil ’88 (World Exhibition on Philatelic Literature and Press) at Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov.25- Dec.2, 1988; Montreal 1992, Canada World Youth Philatelic Exhibition, 25-29 March, 1992, Bangkok 2000 (Thailand), Apr.2000, China 3003 at Chengdu, Nov 20-24, 2003, Doha Cultural Festival (Qatar), March 9-15, 2004, Bucharest (Rumania) 2008, Jakarta (Indonesia) 2012, KualaLumpur, 2014, as India’s Representative ,FIAP and FIP judge in the world Stamp Exhibitions. Sahoo was awarded Large Vermeil medal with felicitation of the Jury at Beijing Exhibition 1996 on "Postal History of Orissa 1803-73, Vermeil on “Early Fiscal History of Bamra State” in INPEX-93, INDPEX-ASIANA 2000, 14th Asian Exhibition ,Large Silver in literature Book BAMRA- Postal and Fiscal History 2012, Silver Bronze in literature “Stamps & Stamps” in INPEX-93, and a host of medals in State level, National and International Level Exhibitions. As an International Judge in Philatelic (Stamp) Exhibitions, Sahoo has traveled abroad widely, e.g. in Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand Singapore, China, Bhutan, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, UK, and USA.
Family of Prof Sahoo.
Wife Sumitra, deceased in 1999, was a writer, philatelist, founder-publisher of the quarterly journal Stamps & Stamps. Two sons: (1) Subrat, IAS, (1992 RR), past Chief Secretary, now Principal, Administrative Training Scchool, Raipur, Chhatisgarh; (2) Sujit, a software engineer-cum-MBA (IIML), Vice President(HRD) of Trianz Consulting Group, Bengaluru.