The 1988-batch retired IAS Officer of UP cadre, Mr Navneet Kumar Sehgal has been appointed as the new Prasar Bharati Chairperson. He will hold his tenure as the head of Prasar Bharati, the country’s public service broadcaster, for three years.
He is the successor of A Surya Prakash who completed his term as Chairman in February, 2020, after reaching the upper age limit of 70 years for the position. Since then,the post had been vacant for four years.
The appointment was made by the President upon the recommendation of a Selection Committee.
In an order issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on March 15, 2024, it was stated, “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.”
#Watch | Navneet Kumar Sehgal, IAS (retd.) takes charge as the Chairman of Prasar Bharati Board@prasarbharati pic.twitter.com/GsH4GQeUu8
— DD News (@DDNewslive) March 16, 2024
BACKGROUND
Mr Sehgal is a very popular IAS officer and retired last year, after being in service for 35 years. He was working as Additional Chief Secretary in the Sports and Youth Welfare Department.
He has long experience of working with many Chief Ministers. In which he has gained expertise in the information and public relations department.
Now, the Government of India has entrusted him with a big responsibility related to the same field.
He played an important role in all the three governments, BSP, SP and BJP. He has worked in the core group of Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. No matter whose government it was, Sehgal remained influential in every government.
During Mayawati’s era, he was very influential as her secretary. He is also known for building the Lucknow-Agra Expressway in record time. In Yogi Adityanath government, he was made Principal Secretary Information.
Born in Faridkot, Punjab in 1963, Mr Sehgal had his early education in Haryana. His father used to work there. He passed 10th class from Ambala and passed intermediate examination while staying in Bhiwani. At the age of 19, Sehgal passed B.Com.
After this he got enrolled in the Chartered Accountancy (CA) course. In 1986 he completed CA course. Next year, he also completed the Company Secretaryship course. After doing CA, in the year 1986, Mr Sehgal started practicing and also preparing for civil services.
NEW CHAIRMAN
The appointment followed a crucial meeting chaired by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday to select the new chairman of the country’s public broadcaster. As the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar led the selection panel responsible for this decision. The three-member panel comprised Dhankhar, Justice Ranjana Desai (retd), the Chairperson of the Press Council of India, and Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju.
Prasar Bharati is India’s largest public broadcasting agency. It was established by the Prasar Bharati Act of 1990, which came into effect in 1997. The agency includes Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio, previously part of the information and broadcasting ministry. On March 13 this year, Prasar Bharati launched PB-SHABD, a news-sharing service for registered entities to access news feeds from its network of reporters.
