Action initiated to fill CIL's CMD post at earliest: Goyal

CMD's post has been lying vacant at the company since the resignation of Narsing Rao in June

The process has been initiated to fill up the post of Chairman and Managing Director of state- owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) at the earliest, the government said today.

"The post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Coal India has fallen vacant due to resignation of the previous incumbent. Necessary action has been initiated to fill up the post at the earliest," Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

The CMD's post has been lying vacant at CIL since the resignation of Narsing Rao in June. Additional Secretary A K Dubey had been given the additional charge of the company's CMD on June 26 for three months.

"The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has interviewed and then recommended candidate(s) to fill up the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) in three subsidiaries of CIL viz. Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL), South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) and Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL), Goyal said.

He had earlier said that the government is open to hiring CMD of CIL from the private sector.

"I have also initiated a dialogue to see if we can attract talent going beyond the routine selection process, to attract talent from the private sector, of well meaning people of high integrity and proven management skills who are willing to sacrifice a few years may be for less pay," Goyal had said, adding that there is a need to look for the larger talent pool available in the the private sector.

Amid fuel shortages, CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production, is drawing flak from across the quarter for missing the output target.

Last fiscal, the company produced 462 million tonnes coal as against the target of 482 MT.