PESB recommends PM Prasad for Chairman, Managing Director of Coal India

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has recommended the name of P M Prasad for the post of Chairman and Managing Director of Coal India Limited, an official said on Wednesday.

Prasad is currently the chairman cum managing director of the Ranchi-based CIL arm - Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL).

The PESB on Wednesday recommended Polavarapu Mallikharjuna Prasad's name for the post of CIL chairman and managing director, the official said.

Prasad was among seven officials interviewed for the post, as per minutes of the PESB meeting.

Those interviewed for the post included Ambika Prasad Panda, CMD Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL), Manoj Prasad, CMD, Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL), Amitava Mukherjee, Director (Finance), NMDC, Prabhu Dayal Chirania, Senior GM, BSNL, Ashok Burnwal, IAS and Alok Singh, IRS.

Coal Ministry has set an ambitious roadmap for 2023-24 that covers a variety of areas including a total coal production target of 1012 MT.

Prasad joined as Central Coalfiled Ltd CMD in September 2020.

"The company has grown to new heights under his leadership. In the fiscal year 2022-23, CCL achieved its highest-ever production, shipment, and over burden removal," CCL said.

Prasad, an Osmania University mining engineering alumnus, earned his MTech from ISM Dhanbad.

He began his career in 1984 as an executive trainee with Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), and rose through the ranks to become General Manager of the Lingaraj area under Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL).

He joined NTPC in May 2015 as Executive Director (Coal mining) and Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) in 2018 as Director Technical (P&P). Under his direction, NCL was recognised for exceptional environmental conservation activities at the World Environmental Conference in June 2018.

In August 2019, he was appointed CMD of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).