NSDC top deck recast, new CEO named

NSDC appoints Manish Kumar as MD and CEO and Jayant Krishna as ED and Chief Operating Officer

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a PPP body under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship,announced appointment of Manish Kumar as MD and CEO and Jayant Krishna as ED and Chief Operating Officer (COO) on Monday.

NSDC's former MD and CEO Dilip Chenoy and former COO Atul Bhatnagar, both appointees of the previous UPA government, resigned last October after reports that the Modi government was not happy with the functioning of the corporation.

Even Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy is reported to have expressed displeasure at the way the NSDC was run in the past, who had spoken about its failure to meet the industry need for trained manpower.

"The NSDC came as a big idea where the private sector said it needs trained manpower... A private sector man with the highest salary in the country was given that job. No one asked what you are doing and the government gave Rs 2,000 crore to it," Rudy had said at an event last November.

"But there has to be degree of accountability on the public money and my biggest disappointment came when the whole mandate (of meeting the industry's requirement of trained manpower) was actually not achieved."

On the new appointment, NSDC Chairman S Ramadorai said: "The leadership team that is coming in brings rich experience in the government and the private sector. The Prime Minister has set an ambitious goal on Skilling India with allocation of funds. Policies and frameworks are in place. Now is the time for execution and with this team at the helm, I am confident we will reach our goals."

Kumar is a 1991 batch IAS officer who comes to the helm of NSDC with over 24 years of experience.

Krishna has an overall industry experience of more than 29 years and has worked with TCS and held various key positions.
"Manish Kumar will be joining NSDC as Managing Director

and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Jayant Krishna will take up the new role of the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at NSDC effective July 1, 2016," a release said.