Who will be the new NTPC CMD?

NTPC, the Maharatna PSU will soon get a new boss. The chairman of Rural Electrification Corporation, Rajiv Sharma, is the frontrunner for the post of chairman of state-run NTPC, the country's largest thermal power producer, according to people aware of the development. The committee set up to select NTPC's chairman has shortlisted...
eight candidates from a list of 24 applicants, they said. Some of the others on the list are Praveer Sinha, the chief executive of Tata Power Delhi Distribution Company, Aman Singh, principal secretary to the chief minister of Chattishgarh, and NTPC's finance director, K Biswal.
The post of chairman at NTPC has been vacant for almost three months now. The search committee has been asking officers of the Indian Administrative Services if they are ready to resign and take up the NTPC post.
"The government has realised that the post needs to be filled up fast and has hastened the process. We expect procedures to be completed soon," a senior official was quoted as telling a daily newspaper.
The post fell vacant after Arup Roy Chowdhury, who served as the chairman for five years, retired on August 31.
Earlier, the government was keen to have an engineering graduate to take over as the next chairman.
A search committee constituted for the job, led by power secretary Pradeep Kumar Pujari, was entertaining applications only from candidates holding engineering degrees.
The committee was also scouting for candidates from the private sector and names of a few large private power company executives are also doing the rounds.
Arup Roy Chowdhury, who served as the chairman of NTPC for the last five years, retired on August 31 after the NDA government denied him an extension. A K Jha, director, technical, at NTPC, has taken over additional charge of the post of chairman and managing director.
Roy Chowdhury was the second PSU head who was not allowed to continue till retirement after completing a five-year term. Earlier on June 11, the government had denied extension to CS Verma as head of Maharatna PSU Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).
Roy Choudhury completed his five-year term on August 31 but he was due to retire in December 2016.
AK Jha, director technical at NTPC, has been temporarily holding the CMD's charge for the past three months. If the search panel is not able to select a candidate for the post soon, Jha's tenure may be extended by another three months.