Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: Senior IAS officer Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, who played a pivotal role in Odisha’s Mission Shakti and led several groundbreaking initiatives in women’s empowerment, education, and sports development, has taken voluntary retirement from service.
A 2000-batch IAS officer, Karthikeyan’s contributions spanned across multiple domains, including boosting school education in Naxal-affected areas, introducing zero-interest loans for women entrepreneurs, and strengthening Odisha’s social welfare programs.
Key Contributions of Sujata Karthikeyan
🔹 Mission Shakti: Under her leadership, Odisha’s flagship women empowerment program expanded to 70 lakh women, with credit linkage growing from ₹500 crore to ₹15,000 crore in just seven years. Government contracts were systematically tied to women’s self-help groups (SHGs), generating a ₹11,000 crore turnover over five years.
🔹 Women Entrepreneurship: She introduced zero-percent loans up to ₹10 lakh, leading to a surge in women-led enterprises. Mission Shakti bazaars and boutique stores were set up across the state, including an iconic outlet in Bhubaneswar, which even caught the attention of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
🔹 Education Initiatives: In Sundargarh (2005), she launched a cycle sponsorship program for schoolgirls to reduce dropouts, a model later adopted statewide by the Odisha government. She also introduced eggs in Mid-Day Meals (MDM), significantly improving school attendance.
🔹 Sports & Youth Development: Nicknamed “Football Collector”, Karthikeyan actively promoted football and hockey in tribal regions, encouraging youth to stay away from Naxal activities and drugs. She was instrumental in setting up hostels for women players and supporting astroturf fields in Sundargarh.
🔹 Social Welfare Programs: As Director of Social Welfare, she launched Mamta, a universal maternity benefit scheme that later inspired the Indira Gandhi Maternity Benefit Scheme (IGMBS). The program recognized the nutritional and rest needs of pregnant women and reduced bureaucratic hurdles.
🔹 Cultural Contributions: As Secretary of Culture, she organized the first-ever World Odia Language Conference, which drew global participation from language enthusiasts, the Odia diaspora, and college students.
Retirement & Future Plans
Sujata Karthikeyan is married to BJD leader VK Pandian, former Secretary of Odisha’s 5T department, who also opted for VRS before joining the BJD.
The Central Government approved her voluntary retirement application on Friday, directing the Odisha government to issue the necessary notification.
Her retirement marks the end of a remarkable administrative career, but her impact on Odisha’s social development, women empowerment, and education will remain significant.