A close aide of CM Naveen Patnaik for over a decade, Pandian was given the rank of a Cabinet minister in the state government, after his voluntary retirement as an IAS officer.
Former bureaucrat VK Pandian on Monday officially joined Odisha’s ruling party-Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, over a month after taking voluntary retirement as an IAS officer. A close aide to Patnaik for over a decade, Pandian was appointed as chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiative) and 'Nabin Odisha' in the rank of Cabinet Minister under the ruling government, in October this year.
This move comes a day after the Centre approved the voluntary retirement of the IAS officer, who had been serving as private secretary to the Odisha Chief Minister since 2011.
Who Is VK Pandian?
Belonging to Tamil Nadu, VK Pandian is a 2000-batch Punjab cadre IAS officer, who shifted to Odisha cadre after marrying his batch mate Sujata Rout. He began his bureaucratic career in 2002 as the sub-collector of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district. Then from 2005, he served as the collector of the Mayurbhanj district, and in 2007 he was appointed as the collector of Ganjam.
Gradually, Pandian rose to prominence and became a close aide of Chief Minister Patnaik during his posting in Ganjam. In May 2012, Pandian gained Patnaik’s trust when the CM faced a rebellion by political advisor Pyarimohan Mohapatra.
In the last ten years, Pandian has played a decisive role in many key decisions of the Patnaik government. Before seeking Voluntary retirement, he served as 5T Secretary to the State Government.
He also played a significant role in mega projects such as Sri Jagannath Heritage Corridor. Also, he supervised the Odisha government's initiative of renovation and restoration of ancient and respected temples throughout the state.
Pandian is also responsible for the Odisha government's flagship program ‘Mo Sarkar’, aimed at bringing professionalism and behavioural change in public offices and functionaries through a feedback mechanism that directly connects the government and citizens.
However, he has been embroiled in numerous controversies, with the opposition parties alleging that he was misusing his position for political advantages. Recently, he was in the spotlight for taking a tour of various districts using the state chopper.
In September, this year, Pandian completed his six-month-long tour of all 147 assembly constituencies in Bihar. During the tours, he discussed with the locals about their issues, and visited heritage sites to review the development of infrastructure under the 5T programme.
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 "VK Pandian and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik at an event")
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