At dawn, senior bureaucrats, including the Chief Secretary, in tracksuits, briskly converge at project sites to review progress and set completion targets — a distinctive routine during past years in Odisha. As the project executors stand ready with their briefings, all eyes fall on an IAS officer positioned at the forefront. His presence is considered pivotal in ensuring that projects meet their targets and advance rapidly.
Meet V.K. Pandian, the Tamil Nadu-born aide of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, and a force behind the swift implementation of several projects. He now holds the rank of a Cabinet Minister as Chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and Nabin Odisha.
Until recently, he served as the longest-standing private secretary to the Odisha CM, earning both Opposition scrutiny and the ruling Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) admiration.
