Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee is a senior officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), belonging to the 1996 batch of the Odisha cadre. He is presently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Odisha, and also holds the prestigious position of Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple, Puri.
Dr. Padhee holds a Ph.D. degree from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He has further undertaken advanced programmes in public policy and governance at reputed institutions in India, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Japan, strengthening his expertise in policy design, institutional reforms, and development management.
Over the course of a distinguished administrative career spanning nearly three decades, Dr. Padhee has held several key assignments in both the Government of Odisha and the Government of India, and has also served as Country Director of a CGIAR organisation.
Prior to his current assignment, Dr. Padhee served as Principal Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, Government of Odisha, where he led a series of transformative initiatives that contributed to the robust growth of the agriculture sector in the State. His work focused on climate-resilient farming, farmers’ income enhancement, food and nutrition security, and strengthening rural livelihoods.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Padhee served as Collector and District Magistrate in five districts of Odisha, and later as Divisional Commissioner, Cuttack, where he gained extensive experience in revenue and field administration, and disaster management.
Dr. Padhee is the recipient of several recognitions for his contributions to public service and agricultural development. These include the National Award for Humanitarian Service from the Indian Red Cross Society and the AIASA National Award for Outstanding Leadership in Agriculture, among other honours.
A known voice in public policy and development, Dr. Padhee has served as a member of the World Bank’s India Agriculture Policy Advisory Group and the National Advisory Panel on Agriculture and Nutrition under POSHAN Abhiyaan. He regularly contributes scholarly articles and opinion pieces on agriculture, food policy, nutrition, climate change, and rural development, and has been invited to deliver lectures at leading universities and institutions in India and abroad. He has also participated in several international forums, including conferences convened by the United Nations.
