New Delhi: Manoj Kumar has assumed charge as Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) on January 1. He was earlier holding the charge of Director (Technical) in the company. According to an order from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Kumar has been appointed as CMD of WCL with effect from January 1, till the date of his superannuation i.e. January 31, 2024, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. With the new assignment, Kumar has succeeded Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, who superannuated on December 31.
Kumar is a mining engineer with distinction from the Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad, 1985 batch. He obtained first-class mine manager's certificate of competency in the year 1989. He also obtained an M Tech degree in rock excavation engineering from ISM, Dhanbad, in 1993-94 and is a recipient of gold medal. He started his career in the mining industry from WCL/SECL. He has been serving the coal industry for more than three decades. During that period, he has served in WCL, SECL and ECL in various capacities. He is known for his expertise in difficult underground mining methods and continuous miner technology. With his vast practical experience of underground and opencast coal mining, enriched with the experience of planning and contract management, he has been instrumental in the growth and sustainability of production at the places he has worked.
As the CMD of WCL, Kumar is the chief executive of the corporation and is accountable to the board of directors and the government. He is responsible for the efficient functioning of the corporation and for achieving its corporate objectives and performance parameters.
After assuming charge as CMD, Kumar paid floral tribute to Shaheed Smarak and addressed WCL employees. He called upon the team to gear up for achieving the target of 60 million tonnes with safety. He announced 'Mission GATI (Goal Achievement Task Implementation)' on the first day of assuming office, ie, from January 1 to March 31 and appealed to each and every employee to contribute actively to this mission.
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