Imphal, July 16 (IANS) The Centre has appointed senior IAS officer Puneet Kumar Goel as the new Chief Secretary in Manipur on Wednesday, replacing incumbent Prashant Kumar Singh, officials said.

A Manipur government official quoting a notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Goel, 1991 batch Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre IAS officer.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed outgoing Manipur Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh as the Secretary of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.

Singh, an IAS officer of the 1993 batch Manipur cadre, was appointed Manipur Chief Secretary in January this year replacing Vineet Joshi, who was then appointed as Union Higher Education Secretary.

Singh was then working as the New and Renewable Energy Secretary.

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, the official said.

Goel’s appointment comes at a time when the state is grappling with ethnic unrest and complex rehabilitation efforts of violence-hit displaced people, and is being seen as a strategic move to ensure stability and effective governance.

Incumbent Chief Secretary Prasant Kumar 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.

The senior official said that 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.

More than 260 people have been killed and around 70,000 people of different communities rendered homeless in the ethnic violence between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zo-Hmar communities since May 10.

Manipur has been under President’s Rule since February 13, four days after the resignation of N. Biren Singh from the Chief Minister’s post.

–IANS

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