Gandhinagar, May 21, 2025: In a key administrative move, the Gujarat government on Tuesday appointed Vikrant Pandey (IAS:2005:GJ) as Secretary to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Pandey, who is currently serving as the state’s Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, will assume charge at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in Gandhinagar.
He replaces Avantika Singh Aulakh (IAS:2003:GJ), who had held the post since September 2021. Aulakh has now been promoted and re-designated as Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.
With this change, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) will now have three senior IAS officers, including Additional Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Das (IAS:1990:GJ), the senior most among them, who has been serving in CMO since August 2024.
Pandey is an experienced officer who has previously served as Collector of Ahmedabad, Bharuch, and Valsad. He was also conferred the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration during his tenure as Bharuch Collector.
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