Odisha CM’s aide Pandian gets Cabinet minister rank

Bhubaneswar : Less than 24 hours after taking voluntary retirement from government service, V K Pandian, close aide of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has been appointed Chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) with the rank of a Cabinet minister, an official notification said on Tuesday.

"Shri V K Pandian is hereby appointed as Chairman 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and Nabin Odisha in the rank of Cabinet minister. Pandian shall work directly under the Chief Minister," the General Administration and Public Grievance department said.

Pandian joined the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in 2011. Since then, he has been Naveen's Private Secretary.

After Naveen became the Chief Minister for the fifth time in 2019, Pandian was given additional responsibility of '5T Secretary' to implement some transformational initiatives in government departments.