The Kerala government has revised its previously established policy, which set the upper age limit for managing directors of public sector undertakings at 65 years, to accommodate the extension of a retired IAS officer’s term for the sixth time.
The relaxation of the age limit was specifically made to appoint P I Sheik Pareeth, a former IAS officer, as the Managing Director of the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation (KSCADC). Pareeth has been serving in this capacity since 2018, following his retirement from civil service.
Despite the government’s policy introduced on March 18 last year, which imposed a maximum age limit of 65 for managing directors and chief executive officers of autonomous bodies and government-controlled PSUs, Pareeth’s tenure had been extended five times before. However, when his latest term concluded on August 22 of the current year, the corporation requested a three-year extension, triggering a reconsideration of the age limit policy.
Having turned 65 in November 2021, Pareeth’s reappointment faced scrutiny due to the age restriction. The matter was referred to the chief minister, who decided to grant him an additional one-year extension, bypassing the age criterion.
It’s noteworthy that other public sector undertakings such as KMRL, KSINC, KIAL, ASAP, KIIFB, among others, are also led by retired bureaucrats. In an intriguing move, the recent appointment of former chief secretary V P Joy as the head of the newly created Public Enterprises Selection Board (PSEB) was in violation of another government order that had delegated the authority to select CEOs of PSUs to the PSEB.
