VK Pandian, a former aide of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has been appointed chairman of ‘5T’ (Transformational Initiative) with the rank of cabinet minister. This information was given in a notification on Tuesday (24 October). His appointment comes a day after Pandian took voluntary retirement (VRS) from government service. VK Pandian has been appointed Chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and Nabin Odisha with the rank of Cabinet Minister, the General Administration and Public Grievances Department said. He is directly the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Will work under. He will also be in charge of the state government’s new scheme ‘Ama Odisha, Nabin Odisha’ (Our Odisha, New Odisha). This is an initiative prepared by Pandian. Party sources said the former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer is likely to join the ruling Biju Janata Dal.
Pandian has been the personal secretary of Naveen Patnaik since 2011.
Pandian joined the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in 2011 and has been Patnaik’s personal secretary since then. After Patnaik became the Chief Minister for the fifth time in 2019, Pandian was given the additional responsibility of ‘5T Secretary’ to implement some transformational initiatives in government departments.