Ex-bureaucrat Navneet Kumar Sehgal appointed new Prasar Bharati chairman

Retired bureaucrat Navneet Kumar Sehgal has been appointed as the new Prasar Bharati chairman, a post that had been vacant for four years.

Sehgal succeeds A Surya Prakash, whose term ended in February 2020 after he turned 70, the upper age limit for a person holding the post.

"...the President, on the recommendation of the Selection Committee, is pleased to appoint Shri Navneet Kumar Sehgal, IAS (retd) as the Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board with effect from the date of his assuming charge of the post for a term of three years or until he attains the age of seventy years, whichever is earlier," an order dated March 15, 2024, issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday chaired a meeting to select the chairman of the country's public broadcaster.

The vice president, who is also the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, heads the selection panel for the post of the Prasar Bharati chairman. The chairperson of the Press Council of India and a nominee of the President complete the three-member panel.

The meeting was attended by Press Council of India chairperson Justice Ranjana Desai (retd) and Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju.