Jena appointed as Land Resources Department Secretary

Senior IAS officer Vandana Kumari Jena has been appointed as the Secretary in the Department of Land Resources.
Jena, a 1979-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre, is presently the Principal Adviser in Planning Commission.
The Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development is responsible for sustainable development of rain-fed cultivable and degraded lands, and enhancement of productivity of wastelands.
The vacancy necessitated following the superannuation of B B Srivastava, a 1978-batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, an official release issued by the Ministry of Personnel stated.
Another IAS officer Binoy Kumar has been appointed as the Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Kumar is a 1983-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. He is at present serving in his cadre.

The vacancy had come up following the transfer of A R Sihag. Sihag, a 1983-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the Director General (Acquisition) in the Defence Ministry.