Manoj Kumar Das appointed as Chief Secretary of Gujarat

GANDHINAGAR : Manoj Kumar Das (IAS: 1990: GJ) has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of the state. He will take charge on October 31, 2025 succeeding Pankaj Joshi (IAS: 1989: GJ) who is superannuating on the same day. Currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Home Department of the Gujarat government, Das is set to retire on December 20, 2026.

Sources indicate that Joshi, who has led the state bureaucracy since 2023, is likely to be given a special advisory role post-retirement, marking a smooth transition at the top of Gujarat’s administrative hierarchy.

The formal announcement came through an official state notification on Tuesday, confirming what had been widely speculated in bureaucratic circles for months.

Currently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Home Department of the Gujarat government, he is set to retire on December 20, 2026.

Notably, he is the only officer to make a return to the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office.

Das will formally assume office on October 31, 2025, taking over from Pankaj Joshi, who is due to retire the same day. Sources indicate that Joshi, who has led the state bureaucracy since 2023, is likely to be given a special advisory role post-retirement, marking a smooth transition at the top of Gujarat’s administrative hierarchy.

Das has long been viewed as one of the most influential officers in the Chief Minister’s Office. He is known for his technical acumen and administrative command.

His presence alongside Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel at nearly every major event–from cabinet meetings to development reviews–had signaled his rising profile and inevitable elevation to the state’s top bureaucratic post.