Parliamentary panels pull up DPE, PESB for failure to fill Director-level vacancies in PSUs

• The committee is unable to understand as to how PESB is functioning without the chairperson and a member, one of the panels said in its report

• DPE should undertake an introspection of their working with a view to identify the factors responsible for abnormal delay in this case & fixation of responsibility, said the other report

New Delhi: Two separate parliamentary panels have pulled up the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) and the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) for their failure to fill up Director-level vacancies in public sector undertakings (PSUs). Since the PESB, which is the organisation responsible for top appointments in the public sector, has been functioning without a Chairman and a Member since mid of 2020, over 100 Director-level vacancies at some of the top PSUs of India have been lying vacant. The PESB panel, which is responsible for finalising top-level PSU appointments, must consist of one part-time or fulltime Chairperson and three full-time members.

In a report, a Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, said, "The committee is unable to understand as to how PESB is functioning without the chairperson and a member."

Parliamentary panel seeks report from PESB in 3 months

"The Committee recommends PESB to furnish the details of PSUs coming under its purview where top managerial posts are lying vacant. PESB may also indicate against each vacancy, whether the vacancy is due to lapse on the part of concerned PSU in informing the PESB about likely vacancies or due to delay on the part of PESB in advertising vacancies and holding selection committee meetings. PESB may furnish a status note on this in three month's time," it said.

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Separate report raps DPE for delay in Director-level appointments

In a separate report tabled by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Undertakings, the panel has urged the DPE, which is a department under the aegis of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, responsible for watching over the entire public sector, to undertake an introspection of their working, particularly with respect to the filling up of vacancies of Directors in CPSUs. "DPE should undertake an introspection of their working particularly about the filling up of the vacancies of Directors in CPSUs with a view to identify the factors responsible for abnormal delay in this case and fixation of responsibility."

"DPE should immediately develop a system of digital dashboard to maintain database of the positions of Independent Directors in all CPSUs with a view to suo-moto initiate the process of new appointments at least 06 months before occurrence of the vacancies," the report said. 

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