)
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka is understood to be one of the top contenders for chairman at the Telecom Regulatory and Authority of India (Trai).
According to sources, Julka is among the shortlisted candidates for the top post. However, the information could not be confirmed from the telecom ministry.
Information technology Secretary Ram Sevak Sharma is another shortlisted candidate. Others are Power Secretary P K Sinha, Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher, former telecom secretary M F Farooqui, and former Reserve Bank of India deputy governor Subir Gokarn.
Julka, a 1979-batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, was widely expected to be made defence secretary. But last week, the government appointed G Mohan Kumar, defence production secretary, as defence secretary. Set to retire in September, Sharma, a 1978-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, is being seen as a probable choice because of his familiarity with the telecom and information technology sector. Sharma had worked closely with Nandan Nilekani on the Aadhaar card project.
Rahul Khullar, chairman of Trai, retired in mid-May. The post of chairman assumes importance in the wake of the recent debate over net neutrality. The telecom regulator had called for a consultation paper on the issue but Khullar retired before the recommendations were made.
