BHUBANESWAR: In an interesting development, former IAS officer and BJD leader VK Pandian visited the earthquake-hit Venezuela and had a meeting with President Delcy Rodríguez with whom he had discussions on disaster management.
During the meeting, Pandian apparently shared Odisha’s successful disaster management model and its best practices. He is believed to have explained Odisha’s zero casualty mission during cyclones and natural disasters which earned global recognition.
The matter came to light when the former BJD leader posted a video on his Instagram handle in which he was seen visiting the earthquake-affected people and interactions with them on rescue, relief, and rehabilitation operations along with senior officials of the government of Venezuela. Sources said, the government of Venezuela had apparently invited him.
A 2000-batch IAS officer, Pandian took voluntary retirement in October 2023 to join BJD but quit active politics in June 2024.