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Chairpersons

PESB Fails to Find Suitable Candidate for NTPC CMD Post, May Opt for Search-Cum-Selection Committee

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB) has failed to recommend any candidate for the post of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state-owned power company NTPC Ltd, with its current CMD Gurdeep Singh set to superannuate on July 31. This follows a similar pattern in the selection of leadership for various other public sector undertakings (PSUs), including ONGC, IOC, HPCL, and BPCL, where search-cum-selection committees were formed due to the lack of suitable candidates. The PESB has asked the Ministry of Power to explore other options for selecting a candidate, including a search-cum-selection committee.

Key Takeaways:

  • The PESB interviewed 12 candidates, including Shivam Srivastava, Director (Fuel), and Somes Bandyopadhyay, Managing Director, Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited, but failed to recommend any.
  • This is not the first time PESB has struggled to find a suitable candidate for a PSU, with similar issues in ONGC, IOC, HPCL, and BPCL leadership selections.
  • The post of CMD, BPCL remains vacant after the retirement of G Krishnakumar on April 30, as the PESB failed to find a suitable candidate in the interview conducted earlier in February.
  • The current CMD of NTPC Ltd, Gurdeep Singh, was appointed through a search-and-selection committee in 2016 and given an extension of five years in 2020.
  • PESB is a statutory body under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) responsible for recommending candidates for top management roles in central PSUs.
  • NTPC Ltd is diversifying from conventional sources, foraying into renewable energy sources like wind, solar, hydro, nuclear energy, and chemicals like ethanol and methanol.

Statistics:

  • Rs 10,000 crore raised by NTPC Ltd during the initial public offering of its subsidiary NTPC Green Energy in the last fiscal.
  • 12 candidates interviewed by PESB for the post of CMD, NTPC Ltd.
  • 5 years of extension given to Gurdeep Singh, current CMD of NTPC Ltd, in 2020.
  • 2 exchanges, NSE and BSE, where NTPC Ltd's equity shares were listed on November 27, 2024.

Sources:

  • PESB Notification
  • The Indian Express Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd. (Copyright 2025) distributed by Contify.com

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