Struggle Continues: Finding Leadership for India's NTPC

The Public Enterprise Selection Board's (PESB) ongoing challenge in appointing leaders to public sector undertakings (PSUs) came to the fore again, as it failed to recommend any candidate for the chairman and managing director position at India's large power producer, NTPC. Despite interviewing a dozen candidates, including several directors from NTPC and other state-run firms, none were found suitable to replace the current head, Gurdeep Singh, who is set to retire on July 31.

PESB's failure to fill critical leadership roles extends beyond NTPC, having previously been unable to find replacements for top positions at prominent enterprises such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) since 2021. In the absence of suitable internal candidates, a search-cum-selection committee has often been used to widen the selection pool and include candidates from outside the PSU ecosystem.

In its recent notice, PESB suggested that the Administrative Ministry consider forming a search-cum-selection committee, or take another appropriate action, with requisite approvals, to identify suitable candidates for NTPC. Moreover, PESB remains responsible for recommending candidates based on merit, seniority, and experience through its structured but limited selection process. This ongoing situation underscores a significant challenge within governance structures to identify qualified leadership for key positions in India's public sector.

(With inputs from agencies.)