Thiruvegapura (Palakkad): There is no need to be surprised if you see a 23-year-old seated in the secretary’s chair at the Thiruvegapura panchayat office. The new panchayat secretary here is NN Dhanaraj. A native of Irinjalakuda in Thrissur, Dhanaraj joined service last month, with Thiruvegapura being his first posting. He is also the youngest panchayat secretary in the district.

Dhanaraj secured the 28th rank in the PSC list published in July, and his appointment followed soon after. He completed his graduation from Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, and later joined civil service coaching in Thiruvananthapuram. Alongside his preparation, he continued studying for PSC exams — and in his very first attempt for the panchayat secretary post, he landed the job.

“My ultimate goal is the civil services,” says Dhanaraj, who is currently learning about the functioning of local self-government institutions. He underwent training at KILA (Kerala Institute of Local Administration) and has already attended two panchayat committee meetings. Dhanaraj says he aims to work by treating everyone with equal importance.

He is son of Narayanan Embranthiri and Savithri of Nedumpal Math, Irinjalakuda. His sister’s name is Dhanashree.