6-member panel to scout for BSNL, MTNL chiefs

The government on Thursday constituted a six-member panel, headed by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, to identify chief executives for telecom public sector units Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited.

Other members of the search panel are secretary (personnel) Shantanu Consul, telecom secretary P J Thomas, IIT Chennai professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, IIM Ahmedabad professor Samir Baruha and IISC Bangalore professor N Balakrishnan.

Telecom Minister A Raja approved the forming of the panel this morning, a senior department of telecommunication official said.

The panel has been formed in line with the Sam Pitroda committee's recommendation for selecting top executives of PSUs from various sectors, as part of a restructuring plan for BSNL.