Manoj Kumar Das appointed new Chief Secretary of Gujarat, replaces Pankaj Joshi

The Government of Gujarat has appointed senior IAS officer Manoj Kumar Das the new Chief Secretary to the Government of Gujarat, effective October 31, 2025, following the retirement of Pankaj Joshi, IAS, on the same date.

According to an official notification issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) on Tuesday, Das, who is currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, will assume charge as Chief Secretary upon Joshi’s superannuation.

A 1990-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, Das served as the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister in Gandhinagar. Born on December 20, 1966, Das holds a BTech (Hons) in Computer Science and Engineering and is proficient in Bengali, English, Hindi, and Gujarati. Over the course of his distinguished 30 years of career, he has been recognised for his leadership, administrative acumen, and commitment to public service.

In the past, he was assigned the additional responsibilities as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Ports & Transport Department. He has held several key positions, including Director and Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Municipal Commissioner of Vadodara and Surat, Joint Managing Director of GSPC, and Additional Chief Secretary of Industries and Mines. 

Known for his reform-driven leadership, he has earned multiple accolades, including felicitation by the Governor of Gujarat for his contributions to rural development and eight national awards for his exemplary work as Municipal Commissioner.

This comes after the Gujarat government got its new cabinet on October 17. It marked the first major reshuffle since CM Bhupendra Patel assumed office. Harsh Sanghavi, state’s home minister was sworn-in as  the new deputy CM of Gujarat.