Pramod Agrawal, a 1991 batch IAS from Madhya Pradesh cadre has taken over the charge of Coal India Ltd (CIL) as the company’s new Chairman and Managing Director. He is currently principal secretary for urban development and housing department in Madhya Pradesh. He has replaced Mr. Anik Kumar Jha who had a tenure of two years as CIL’s fulltime chairman.
Mr.Jha, had took over in May 2018, eight months after his predecessor, Bhattacharya, retired in August 2017. For the interim eight months, Coal India was steered by government officials and a chairman of a subsidiary company holding additional posts as the company’s chairman.
Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had selected Pramod Agrawal as the successor of Mr. Jha in August last year. The board had made its decision about CIL’s chairman six months back as the centre wanted to have Mr. Jha’s successor well in advance so that India’s biggest coal miner does not have to run headless at a time when the company is pursuing a target of producing one billion tonnes by 2025-26. According to the selection criteria external candidates were to have three years of residual service while internal candidates needed to have two years of service left.
Coal India had two IAS officers as its chairman in entire history. The first being, S. Narsing Rao, who took over in April 2012. He was succeeded by Sutirtha Bhattacharya, also an IAS officer, who retired in August 2017.
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