Manoj Ahuja

Residency Dates: April 20–29, 2026

Manoj Ahuja is a senior Indian Administrative Service officer and a distinguished public policy leader with over three decades of experience in governance at both the state and union levels in India. He retired as chief secretary to the government of Odisha in December 2025, after leading the state’s administrative system through a phase of institutional strengthening and economic expansion.

He has held key leadership roles in the government of India, including secretary of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare (2022–2024), where he contributed to national policy on agricultural productivity and farmer welfare. As chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (2020–2022), he led one of the world’s largest school systems through major academic reforms, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahuja has also been closely associated with the advancement of Public Digital Infrastructure in governance, contributing to the use of digital platforms for service delivery, transparency and large-scale program monitoring. His work reflects a broader emphasis on technology-enabled governance and institutional efficiency.

He has held senior roles at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration and in the government of Odisha, across departments such as finance, industries and agriculture, in addition to field-level experience as district magistrate. Widely regarded for his systems-oriented approach, his work lies at the intersection of policy design, institutional reform and implementation.

He holds degrees in mechanical engineering from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, an M.B.A. from Punjab University, and a master of public administration from Harvard University.