Naveen Patnaik aide VK Pandian gets Odisha cabinet minister rank after retiring

A day after his voluntary retirement, VK Pandian – who served as the private secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik – has been given a new role as the Chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and ‘Nabin Odisha’ in the Odisha government.

According to a statement issued by Additional Chief Secretary Surendra Kumar, Pandian has been appointed to the rank of a cabinet minister and will report directly to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

A 2000-batch Odisha cadre IAS officer, Pandian took voluntary retirement from service and received the Central government’s nod on the same Monday (October 23). Speculations were rife that he might foray into politics.

Seen as Patnaik’s ‘Man Friday’, Pandian has been accused by the opposition of operating the Odisha government on behalf of the Chief Minister. Pandian, who held the position of Patnaik’s aide since 2011, recently came under the spotlight for his whirlwind tour to various districts using the state chopper. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress in the opposition had aimed Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu, for flouting service condition norms.

Pandian played a vital role as Patnaik’s aide in framing Odisha government initiatives, including the Mo Sarkar, the Srimandir Parikrama project, and Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojna (BSKY), among others. He has also been involved in government projects around transforming hospitals and high schools, and restoring ancient and revered temples across the state.

Congress jabs Pandian over voluntary retirement

Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh took a jibe at Pandian on Monday after news of the Centre’s approval of his voluntary retirement emerged. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Ramesh said that what was so far unofficial will now become official.

He further said that the situation in Odisha was “strange” since Patnaik was an “absentee landlord” while his “chief aide functioned as the state’s CEO”.