Government receives 101 applications for post of chairman and managing director at NTPC

KOLKATA: The government has received 101 applications for the post of chairman and managing director at NTPC, the country's largest power generation company. The last time the post fell vacant, there were 10 applications and prior to that there were about a dozen.

"In an effort to attract candidates from the private sector, the government has relaxed a few requirements, including the necessity of an engineering degree, which might have resulted in such a large number of candidates applying for the post," a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

The search committee will shortlist 10 candidates and call them for interviews. NTPC is at a key juncture in its history, said the official. "The post has been lying vacant for more than two months at a time when the company has embarked on amega expansion plan and the government has promised affordable and quality power for all by 2020," the person said. There is speculation about some of the front runners. From the private sector, they include Praveer Sinha, managing director of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL). Sinha could not be reached on his mobile.

Others said to be in contention are ICP Keshari, a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, and Aman Kumar Singh, principal secretary in the IT and electronics department in Chhattisgarh. Keshari is currently a special commissioner of joint secretary rank in Madhya Pradesh. They couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

According to sources, almost all NTPC board members except the finance director have also applied for the post. A large number of executive directors have also done so. "Earlier, the government had insisted on an engineering degree for candidates intending to enter the race for the new NTPC chairman's post," another official said. The subsequent relaxation of this requirement has opened up the field to IAS officers, he said. Arup Roy Chowdhury, who served as chairman and managing director of NTPC for five years, retired on August 31. AK Jha, director, technical, then took additional charge of the post of chairman and managing director.

Jha, 58, is a graduate in mechanical engineering and a law graduate from Delhi University. He joined NTPC in 1977 as executive trainee and was associated with its flagship Singrauli project.

Jha, 58, is a graduate in mechanical engineering and a law graduate from Delhi University. He joined NTPC in 1977 as executive trainee and was associated with its flagship Singrauli project.