Manipur is set to get its fifth chief secretary in the last three years since the ethnic conflict started in May 2023, as chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday hosted chief secretary Puneet Goel, who is superannuating this month.
Goel took charge as the state top bureaucrat on July 21, 2025. Though the government is yet to announce the new chief secretary, people familiar with the matter said that Rajeev Singh Thakur, a 1995 batch IAS officer, was likely to be appointed to the top post.
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Thakur is currently programme director of the administration, governance and reforms, infrastructure connectivity in the Niti Aayog.
The department of personnel and training (DoPT), in an order dated August 28, issued a notification changing Thakur’s cadre from Rajasthan to Manipur. The notification said, “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Personnel and Training for the inter-cadre transfer of Rajeev Singh Thakur, IAS (Rajasthan 1995) from Rajasthan cadre to Manipur cadre, on curtailment of central deputation tenure for a period up to 30.6.2029 ie till the date of his superannuation in relaxation of the policy.”
Before Goel, Manipur has had Rajesh Kumar, Vineet Joshi, Prashant Kumat as the state’s top bureaucrat.
{{/usCountry}}Before Goel, Manipur has had Rajesh Kumar, Vineet Joshi, Prashant Kumat as the state’s top bureaucrat.
{{/usCountry}}The new chief secretary will take charge amid heightened tension between the Naga and Kuki communities over recent incidents of violence. On Wednesday, four Naga civilians were killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in the Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi district.