Govt prescribes timeline in filling up board level appointments in PSUs; wants “strict compliance”

CALLING the delay in filling up board level vacancies in PSUSs “a matter of serious concern”, the secretariat of Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in an office memorandum dated October 22, prescribed strict timeline for PESB, ministries concerned, CVC and ACC itself, asking all for “strict compliance”. Accordingly, the PESB or Public Enterprises Selection Board which advises the government on appointments to PSUs’ top management posts, will initiate the process for…
filling up of board level vacancies at least one year prior to the date on which the vacancy arises, according to the order. The ministry concerned shall be responsible to intimate all anticipated vacancies to the PESB well in time for this process to commence, it further added.
The new order says, the PESB will complete the selection process and send its recommendations to the ministry at least six months prior to the date of vacancy. And then the ministry concerned will forward the recommendation with vigilance profile of the selected individual to Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) within 10 days from the receipt of PESB recommendation.
Even CVC can’t sit on the proposal for long. CVC will complete the vigilance clearance process within two months and send it to the ministry. This period of two months will include consultation with CBI, reference to the CVO of the ministry for any report, clarification etc.
The ministry concerned will, with the approval of the minister, forward the proposal to ACC secretariat (Establishment Office) within the next 10 days. The ACC will thereafter take a decision on the proposal within six weeks of its receipt by the ACC secretariat.
The order further said that in case vigilance clearance is not denied by CVC within the two months period stipulated above (which would include consultation with CBI/CBI clearance, reference to the CVO of the ministry for any report, clarification etc.), the ministries shall proceed with the appointment process, without waiting any further.
Will this end the emergence of headless PSUs? Probably yes.