Ex-IAS officer Pandian who joined BJD is committed to CM Patnaik: Odisha Minister

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], November 27 : Odisha Minister Pratap Keshari Deb on Monday said that former IAS officer VK Pandian, who joined the Biju Janata Dal today, is committed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and has been tirelessly working for the progress of the state.
"VK Pandian is totally committed to Naveen Patnaik and has been tirelessly working on the progress and the economic agenda of the state," Minister Pratap Keshari Deb told ANI.
The Minister said that Pandian had committed to work in tandem with the Biju Janata Dal's ideals without any condition.
"After resigning, the chief minister formally inducted him into the party as a primary member. He has committed that he'll work in tandem with the party's ideals, without any condition and a wholehearted work for the progress of Odisha, and we'll work under the aegis of Chief Minister and Party President Naveen Patnaik," Deb further said.
Pandian officially joined the Biju Janata Dal at the Naveen Nivas in the presence of party supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.
"Today our party supremo and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik officially inducted VK Pandian into the BJD. Pandian took Naveen Patnaik's blessing after this. Speaking to the senior leaders Naveen Patnaik said that just like Pandian had served the people of Odisha as a bureaucrat he would continue to do the same while in the BJD. He will work towards taking forward Naveen Patnaik's vision for the development of Odisha forward" Debi Mishra senior leader of the BJD told ANI.
In October this year, VK Pandian was appointed as chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiative) and 'Nabin Odisha' in the rank of Cabinet Minister under the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led government.
This came a day after the Centre approved the voluntary retirement of the IAS officer, who had been serving as private secretary to the Odisha Chief Minister.
VK Pandian is a 2000-batch Odisha cadre IAS officer. He started his career as a civil servant as a sub-collector in Dharmagarh, located in Kalahandi district. Pandian subsequently served as a collector in the Mayurbhanj and Ganjam districts before transitioning to his role in the Chief Minister's office.
In the last 10 years since joining, Pandian has played a key role in many crucial decisions of the Patnaik government.
Prior to seeking Voluntary retirement, VK Pandian served as 5T Secretary to the State Government. 5T is a charter of governance that emphasises Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, and Time leading to Transformation. This the state government said ensures the speedy completion of many projects.
Pandian also played a key part in mega projects such as the Sri Jagannath Heritage Corridor. The Srimandir Parikrama project which is likely to be completed this year will create an unobstructed 75-metre corridor around the outer wall of the Shree Jagannath Temple. Upon completion, devotees will get an obstructed view of the temple from a distance. The corridor will also provide amenities for devotees and strengthen security around the complex.
Along with Srimandir Pandian also supervised the Odisha government initiative of renovation and restoration of ancient and revered temples throughout the state.
In September, Pandian had completed his tour of all 147 assembly constituencies in the state bringing an end to his six-month-long visit to all the districts in the state.
During the tours, he discussed with the local people their pressing problems, and visited heritage tourism sites to review the development of their infrastructure under the 5T programme.
Pandian is also said to be the man behind the Odisha government's flagship program Mo Sarkar. Mo Sarkar is aimed at injecting professionalism and a sustained behavioural change in public offices and functionaries through a random feedback mechanism that directly connects the government with the citizens. The Odisha government says it has enabled closer scrutiny of the services being delivered to the citizens by the government.
With his formal induction into the BJD, Pandian is expected to play a key role as the BJD will seek an unprecedented 6th term in office when elections are held in the state in 2024. Naveen Patnaik has been the Chief Minister since the year 2000.