Bhubaneswar, Nov. 13: The Odisha government today effected a large-scale shuffle among senior IAS officers by transferring 28 officers.

The rejig assumes significance prior to the winter session of the Assembly, scheduled to start from December 1.

Agriculture secretary Rajesh Verma has been appointed energy secretary in place of Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, who is now forest and environment secretary. Co-operation secretary Manoj Ahuja replaced Verma as agriculture secretary. He will also hold additional charge of the co-operation department.

Higher education secretary Gagan Kumar Dhal has been shifted to the tourism department with additional charge as the secretary of micro, small and medium enterprises department. General administration secretary G.V.V. Sharma will hold additional charge of the higher education department. Skill development and technical education secretary L.N. Gupta will be divested of the additional charge of tourism secretary.

Rural development secretary P.K. Mohapatra will hold charge as special relief commissioner and managing director of Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority over and above his own duty. Revenue and disaster management secretary Mona Sharma will be in additional charge of the excise department.

Industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra will hold additional charge of chairman-cum-managing director of Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation (Ipicol) and chairman of Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco).

Revenue divisional commissioner (south) Sanjay Kumar Singh has been appointed as the Idco managing director and chief executive officer of Odisha Computer Application Centre in place of Bhaskarjyoti Sharma.

Mission director of National Rural Health Mission Roopa Mishra has been posted as labour commissioner and director, Employees State Insurance, replacing Shalini Pandit.

Tourism director Anil Kumar Samal has been appointed the collector of Angul replacing J.S. Ramachandran.