Bhubaneswar: The Government of Odisha has appointed former 5T Secretary VK Pandian, who took voluntary retirement, as the Chairman 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and Nabin Odisha in the rank of Cabinet Minister.
According to a notification signed by the Governor, Pandian shall work directly under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
It is worth mentioning here that the Centre approved Pandian’s request for voluntary retirement on Monday.
Pandian, who has been in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) since 2011, is considered a close confidante of Naveen Patnaik.
He hails from Tamil Nadu and was recently under severe attack from the Opposition for directly hearing grievances from the people at meetings on behalf of the Chief Minister. Opposition parties had been accusing him of undertaking political activities of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
