​​​​​​​Bhubaneswar, January 31: Senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer K Murugesan has been appointed as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force (HoFF) in Odisha, as announced by the state government on Saturday.

Murugesan, an IFS officer of the 1994 batch, will now serve in the Apex Scale (Level-17 in the Pay Matrix), the highest position within the Indian Forest Service cadre. The appointment has been made in accordance with Note 2 of Rule 3(2) of the IFS (Pay) Rules, 2016.

The official notification was issued by the General Administration & Public Grievances Department, with the order signed by Additional Secretary Debasis Singh on behalf of the Governor.

As the new PCCF, Dr. Murugesan will lead Odisha's forest administration, overseeing vital areas such as conservation, afforestation, wildlife protection, and the state's climate change efforts