Manipur Gets New Chief Secretary: Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel Replaces Prashant Kumar Singh
GENERAL
Imphal: In a In a significant administrative reshuffle, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has appointed Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel, a 1991-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT cadre, as the new Chief Secretary of Manipur. Dr. Goel succeeds Prashant Kumar Singh, a 1993-batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre, who held the post for exactly six months before being reassigned.
Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel, IAS
Dr. Puneet Kumar Goel, IAS, appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Manipur.
Dr. Goel, who previously served as the Chief Secretary of Goa, brings a wealth of administrative experience across Union Territories and northeastern states. His posting to Manipur was facilitated through an inter-cadre deputation from AGMUT to the Manipur cadre, as per the Ministry of Home Affairs order dated July 16. His appointment comes at a time when the state is grappling with ongoing ethnic unrest and complex rehabilitation efforts, and is being seen as a strategic move to ensure stability and effective governance.
PK Singh, IAS
Outgoing Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh has now been appointed Secretary of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, the position formerly held by Dr. Goel. Singh's short tenure in Manipur was marked by sensitive handling of socio-political challenges and his public commitment to rehabilitate all inmates of relief camps by December 2025.
This high-level administrative change comes as Manipur awaits a critical decision from the Centre on whether to extend President’s Rule beyond August 13. The state remains under central administration due to persistent ethnic tensions that erupted in May 2023.
Sources suggest that the replacement of Singh is part of a wider bureaucratic realignment aimed at bolstering Manipur’s fragile administrative framework. Dr. Goel’s reputation for steady leadership and policy execution is expected to be crucial in managing the state’s volatile landscape and delivering on urgent development and humanitarian commitments.
As Manipur navigates one of the most delicate phases in its recent history, Dr. Goel steps into the role with the task of not only restoring administrative normalcy but also winning public trust in the state machinery.