Seven MLAs reappointed as chairmen of state PSUs in Puducherry

Seven MLAs, whose extension of tenure as chiefs of government corporations had been rejected by Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi in July this year, have been reappointed as chairmen of the PSUs and companies.
The Union Home Ministry had issued the order yesterday giving its nod to the decision of the Congress government to enable the MLAs resume office as chairmen of the undertakings.
Following this, the Puducherry government issued an order, restoring the MLAs to the posts.
The MLAs had been appointed to function as heads of the Public Sector Banks in 2016 after the Congress came to power, subject to condition of their performance and were restricted to one year only.

While granting approval for their appointment, Bedi had stipulated that the performance of the statutory body under the leadership of newly-appointed chairpersons should be reviewed before considering their continuance.
She had also stipulated that a mid-term measurable performance appraisal of the institution should also be done engaging professionals in the field after six months.

When the terms of the MLAs expired in July 2017, the government decided to extend their tenure and the relevant files were sent to Bedi for approval.
She, however, declined to extend the tenure beyond one year on the ground thatthe mid-term appraisal report of the undertakings and also report of the year end review were not available as the appointment was subject to this condition.

Bedi had then forwarded the proposal to the Union Home Ministry.
The MLAs reappointed are -- T Djeamoorthy (Puducherry Planning Authority), M N R Balan (Road Transport Corporation), E Theepainthan (Slum Clearance Board), V Vijeaveny (Puducherry Distilleries Limited) and N Dhanavelu (Civil Supplies corporation-PIPDIC) (all Congress) R Siva (PIPDIC) and A Geetha (Power Corporation) are the DMK legislators.