Bhubaneswar, June 6: Three Chief Advisors of Special Initiatives in the Odisha government, holding the rank of Chief Secretary, resigned following the departure of outgoing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The advisors, R. Balakrishnan, Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, and Upendra Tripathy, submitted their resignations effective June 5.

Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, a senior IAS officer (now retired), had served in several key state government departments and was appointed Chief Secretary. After his term ended, his tenure was extended by one year, and he later took charge of the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC). Similarly, Balakrishnan served as the Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary (DC-cum-ACS) in the Planning and Convergence Department before being appointed as an advisor in the CMO post-retirement.

Upendra Tripathy, previously the Chief Secretary of Tripura, returned to Odisha after completing his tenure and was appointed as an advisor in the outgoing CMO.

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