The Government of West Bengal has appointed senior IAS officer Manoj Pant as the new Chief Secretary, succeeding IAS Bhagwati Prasad Gopalika, whose tenure ended on August 31st. Pant, a 1991-batch IAS officer, was appointed less than 24 hours after being assigned the responsibility of the Irrigation and Waterways Department. Prior to this, he served as the state’s Finance Secretary.
Dr Pant’s extensive bureaucratic career includes his roles as District Magistrate of Murshidabad and North 24 Parganas and as Private Secretary to then Union Finance Minister, later President of India, Pranab Mukherjee from 2009 to 2011. His international experience includes a three-year tenure as Senior Adviser at the World Bank, overseeing affairs in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Sri Lanka.
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Known for his deep understanding of political and economic matters, Pant was also empanelled for appointment to the rank of Secretary in the Government of India, though the state government retained his services.
