19 candidates to appear for CMD post in 8 banks tomorrow

Nineteen candidates will appear before three sub-committees tomorrow for selection of heads of 8 PSU banks and the applicants include an incumbent CMD.
The candidates include Dena Bank CMD Ashwini Kumar, IDBI Bank Deputy Managing Director B K Batra and Andhra Bank Executive Director S K Kalra. These three have been called for interview at the last moment following their vigilance clearances, while 16 others were shortlisted earlier.
This is first time when an incumbent CMD would be appearing before the panels, constituted for selecting bank heads.
Usually only Executive Directors with requisite experience appear before the selection panels.
Bank chiefs eligible for lateral transfer to a bigger bank would now have to appear before the sub-committees as per new norms, which have come into place as per recommendations of a high level panel headed by Expenditure Secretary R P Watal.

Watal panel was set up to review and suggest changes in the selection process of PSU bank heads and EDs.

At present, CMD posts are vacant in Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, United Bank of India, Syndicate Bank. The post of Vijaya Bank will also fall vacant next month.
Earlier this month, the government had decided that each sub-committee will have two members and all candidates will have to go through all three screening panels separately.
The sub-committees have three outside experts. These experts are former Managing Director of State Bank of India S Viswanathan, IIM Indore Director Rishikesha T Krishnan and former Chairperson and Managing Director of Allahabad Bank S Panse, sources said.

Besides, other three members of screening committees are Department of Financial Secretary, Additional Secretary and an RBI Deputy Governor.
The final selection of candidates would be made by the appointment board chaired by RBI Governor and it will be based on the weighted average marks given by each sub-committee to ensure objectivity and transparency.
The selection process for Chairman and Managing Director of the public sector banks was changed following government scrapping the selections made by previous UPA regime.
Last month, the government cancelled selection of heads of six PSU banks and 14 executive directors made during the UPA tenure following a government-appointed panel finding irregularities in the process.

Following shortlisting by the high level panel, the names of the candidates would be sent to Finance Minister and subsequently to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). In the mean time, the process for vigilance and other necessary clearances would be undertaken.