New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance government has appointed independent directors at public sector undertakings. The NDA’s Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed 10 Bharatiya Janata Party leaders as independent directors on the boards of top public sector companies.
They offered positions on the boards of the Engineers India Ltd, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and the National Aluminium Company Ltd, among other PSUs.
Shazia Ilmi the BJP’s Delhi unit Vice President, a mass communication graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia University, has been appointed as independent director at Engineers India Ltd; Rajika Kacheria,Gujarat IT cell convenor who is a cosmetologist, has been named the head of Cotton Corporation of India Ltd; and Bihar MLA Kiran Ghai Sinha has been listed as an independent director of the National Aluminium Company.
Asifa Khan, a teacher-turned-politician and BJP’s minority chief in Gujarat will serve on the board of HPCL. Surama Padhy, former BJP MLA candidate from Odisha has been given a position on the board of Bharat Heavy Electricals; and BJP’s Karnataka unit secretary Bharathi Magdum is appointed for the State trading board.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in 2014, had made amendments to Clause 49 of the listing agreement for all companies, stipulating that a board should have at least 50 per cent of directors as non-executive or independent directors with at least one woman director.