Prior to joining the BJP in 2018, Aparajita was an IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, having last served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development. She has earlier served as the Commissioner of the Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation and as a Secretary of the state’s mass education program. She is credited for changing the face of the city, getting Bhubaneshwar’s vendors under streamlined rows of shops and covering the city’s walls in traditional Saora-style paintings. She is also known for addressing teacher absenteeism in government schools, along with setting up a hotline for students to complaint against corporal punishments. She was also heavily involved in the rescue efforts in the aftermath of the 1999 super-cyclone.
