80 applicants vying to get into TRAI Chairman RS Sharma’s shoes
Ex-telecom secy and India’s former ambassador and permanent representative at WTO J S Deepak, former commerce secy Rita Teaotia and former steel secy Arun Sharma are some of the names doing the rounds
Dozens of former bureaucrats and domain specialists are eyeing the post of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairperson. The position, which has been held by RS Sharma for seven years, is now up for grabs as he is set to retire end of September this year.
The government is said to have received as many as 80 applications from interested candidates to fill the post.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) put up an advertisement seeking applications for the role in June. As per the notification by DoT, the post will be falling vacant on October 1, 2020.
As per media reports and industry sources, 35 out of the 80 applicants are Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers who are either retired or close to retirement. A lot of popular names have come up in the list of contenders for the post. Ex-telecom secretary and India’s former ambassador and permanent representative at the World Trade Organization J S Deepak, former commerce secretary Rita Teaotia and former steel secretary Arun Sharma are some of the names doing the rounds as top candidates who have applied for the post.
The chairperson, as per DoT, has powers of general superintendence and direction in the conduct of the affairs of the authority, and in addition to deciding over the meetings of the authority, exercises and discharges such powers and functions of the authority as may be prescribed.
The tenure of the post is for a term not exceeding three years or till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. RS Sharma, a 1978 batch IAS officer, was appointed in August 2015 and has been the only chairperson whose term was was extended by two years in August, 2018.
The qualifications for appointment to the post is derived from Section 4 of the TRAI and requires a person having special knowledge of, and professional experience in telecommunication, industry, finance, accountancy, law, management or consumer affairs.
However, while 80-odd applications have been received, as per DoT guidelines, in addition to applications received for the advertisement, the search-cum-selection will have the authority to consider any other means to the said post. But does that mean any exceptions can be made for Sharma for the second time as well? Only time will tell.
