Odisha CM’s aide VK Pandian takes voluntary retirement

Bhubaneswar: In a sudden development, V K Pandian, the Private Secretary of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has taken voluntary retirement from government service. Pandian, who rose to prominence as the close aide of the Chief Minister, has often landed himself in controversies, with the Opposition parties alleging that he was misusing his position for political gains. Pandian is a 2000-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre.

In a letter to the Odisha government’s General Administration department, the Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training said his voluntary retirement has been accepted ”with the waiver of the notice period as recommended by the State government”.

The Opposition BJP and Congress had asked him to resign and ”officially join the BJD”, after he went on whirlwind tours across the State during which he held 190 meetings to hear public grievances.