Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel, a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1991 batch, formally assumed charge as the new Chief Secretary of Manipur on Monday. The charge-taking ceremony was held at the Chief Secretary’s office located at the Old Secretariat in Imphal, where he was welcomed by outgoing Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh and other senior officials of the state administration.
Present on the occasion were Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Vivek Kumar Dewangan, Principal Secretary Arunkumar Sinha, Principal Secretary R.K. Dinesh, Commissioner (Home) N. Ashok Kumar, and several other high-ranking bureaucrats.
Dr. Goel’s appointment was made following an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (Department of Personnel and Training) on July 15. As per the notification, he will serve as the Chief Secretary of Manipur until August 31, 2026.
Born in August 1966 in Delhi, Dr. Goel entered the Indian Administrative Service after clearing the UPSC Civil Services Examination at the age of 24. He began his career in the IAS on September 15, 1991, and has since held numerous important administrative positions, most notably as the Chief Secretary of Goa before being appointed to Manipur.
The outgoing Chief Secretary, Prashant Kumar Singh, has been appointed Secretary to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, according to the same government order. He is expected to leave Imphal on Tuesday to take up his new assignment.