Commissioners

Shri Pradeep Kumar Jena, Chairperson

Shri Pradeep Kumar Jena belongs to 1989 batch of Indian Administrative Service Officer of Odisha Cadre. He has 35 years of working experience in Administration. Since then, he has worked in diverse sectors from Agriculture and Natural Resources Management to Rural Development, Transport, Tax Administration, Industrial Development, Information Technology, Science & Technology, Panchayati Raj, Electricity, Water Resources Management and Disaster Management. He started his career as Sub-Collector, Dharmagarh Sub-Division in Kalahandi District. He has served as Collector of Cuttack District during Super Cyclone 1999 and as Collector Kalahandi District where he had initiated several path breaking initiatives in poverty reduction, natural resources management and decentralized and participatory development policies. He was Principal Secretary of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, Department of Water Resources and Department of Energy. He was Assistant Country Director-cum-Team Leader, UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme looking after sixteen States of the Country.

Shri Jena was the Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary to Govt. with additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary to Govt., Rural Development Department, Special Relief Commissioner and Managing Director, OSDMA. He was instrumental in managing several cyclones of very high severity and has ensured Zero Human Casualty in each of the eight cyclones of severe intensity between July 2019 and June 2024.

He has implemented several programmes maintaining Disaster Risk Reduction, particularly in power sector. He is a veteran in Disaster Management (Pre, During and Post Disaster) including response, recovery, rehabilitation, mitigation and adaption. Further, he had significant contribution in designing Just Transition in the state of Odisha.

He had taken up the responsibility of Chief Secretary & Chief Development Commissioner from 01.3.2023 to 30.6.2024. Shri Jena has taken oath as the Chairperson, Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission on 08th April, 2025.

Shri Biswajit Mohanty, Member

Born on 17th January, 1965, Shri Biswajit Mohanty initially engaged himself in the Legal profession as an Advocate in the year 1989 at Jajpur Town in the District of Jajpur. Shri Mohanty then joined the Odisha Judicial Service on 17.11.1997 as a Probationary Munsif at Puri and then worked as a Judicial Officer in different capacities at Baripada, Kodala, Bissam-Cuttack, Nayagarh, Bhubaneswar, Raygada, Cuttack, Berhampur, Anandpur, Keonjhar and finally retired on superannuation as District and Sessions Judge of Kendrapara. During his service career spanning for more than 27 years from 17.11.1997 to 31.01.2025, Shri Mohanty apart from working as the District and Sessions Judge of Kendrapara performed his duties as Registrar (Vigilance), Registrar I/c (Administration), Deputy Secretary and Member Secretary of Odisha State Legal Services Authority and Director I/c at Odisha Judicial Academy, Cuttack.

Shri Mohanty joined the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission as its Member (Legal) on 05.06.2025.

Former Commissioners