PANAJI
The Union Home Ministry has appointed Dr V Candavelou, a 1997-batch IAS officer, as the new Chief Secretary of Goa.
Candavelou takes over from 1991-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer Puneet Kumar Goel, following his transfer to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes earlier this month.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order in this regard on Wednesday.
Candavelou, who was Principal Secretary to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, was transferred to Goa in 2022 and, since then, has been holding charges as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Secretary of Finance, and Mines and Geology. He is also the chairman of the three-member Goa Staff Selection Commission.
“Consequent upon the appointment of Dr Puneet Kumar Goel, IAS, as Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Dr V Candavelou, IAS, is hereby appointed as Chief Secretary of Goa with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders,” the order stated.
Goel is currently facing charges of alleged land conversion and the purchase of 1,800 sq m of land in Aldona village. The matter is currently pending before the High Court.
