New Delhi: R Vineel Krishna, the Malkangiri collector who shot into limelight after Maoists abducted him in February, has been appointed as the private secretary to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
"Vineel Krishna has been appointed. He will join the Ministry soon," a government source said, but declined to give the exact date of the Orissa cadre IAS officer`s joining.
Ramesh was impressed with Krishna`s track record as the collector of Malkangiri district where he took a lot of administrative measures for the welfare of tribals, the source said.
Orissa`s Special Secretary of General Administration Department UN Behera had said last week that the government had received a letter from the Centre proposing central deputation for Krishna, a 2005 batch IAS officer.
The 31-year-old official, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was shifted from Malkangiri after the abduction and was posted as the Director of Tribal Welfare in the Department of Scheduled Tribe and Schedule Caste Development, Minorities Backward Welfare Department at the state secretariat.
Krishna was abducted by Maoists on February 16 and subsequently released after more than a week on February 24 when the Orissa government fulfilled certain conditions of Maoists.
PTI
