Producer: Mehak Pal Editor: Nisha Dubey
VK Pandian, Biju Janata Dal leader and a close aide of outgoing chief minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, on Sunday quit active politics.
Here are a few things you need to know about Naveen Patnaik.
VK Pandian, a former bureaucrat, was appointed as chairman of 5T (transformational initiatives) after he opted for voluntary retirement from his civil service career.
His appointment granted him the rank of cabinet minister and allowed him to work directly under Naveen Patnaik.
He had earlier served as the private secretary to Naveen Patnaik.
The Odisha government’s 5T governance charter was formerly spearheaded by VK Pandian as its secretary.
A 2000-batch IAS officer, he commenced his public service as a sub-collector in Dharmagarh and later took on the roles of district collector in Mayurbhanj and Ganjam.
Naveen Patnaik's contributions have led to the Odisha government’s flagship programme, 'Mo Sarkar.'