Prasar Bharti Chairman Navneet Kumar Sehgal resigned from his post on Wednesday, a little over a year after he took charge of India’s public service broadcaster. Sehgal, a retired 1988 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He had been appointed for a three-year tenure on March 16, 2024, but decided to step down with more than a year of service still remaining, as reported by The Indian Express.
Ministry accepts resignation with immediate effect
A formal communication issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on December 3 confirmed the development. The letter, signed by AM Kumar, Director (BAP), stated that the competent authority had accepted his resignation with immediate effect. The resignation letter was also shared by journalist Rajdeep Sardesai on X, drawing attention to the sudden exit.
Sehgal, who retired from the civil services in 2023 as Additional Chief Secretary for Sports and Youth Welfare in Uttar Pradesh, was chosen for the role by a committee headed by then Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, as reported by the Indian Express.
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Before joining Prasar Bharti, Sehgal built a reputation as one of Uttar Pradesh’s most experienced administrators. The Prasar Bharti website describes him as a bureaucrat with “over 35 years of leadership experience.” He has experience in handling governance, information dissemination, infrastructure, and public policy at both the state and central levels.
A long career marked by major infra projects and policy reforms
Sehgal’s profile highlights several landmark projects. As Chairman and the CEO of the UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA). He has supervised the completion of the 302-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway in a record 22 months. He has later worked as Principal Secretary (Tourism) and been responsible for driving major development projects. Later joined the role of Principal Secretary (MSME). He has led the initiative of Uttar Pradesh’s flagship One District One Product (ODOP) scheme.
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He has also performed his duties for more than 15 years in major information and public relations roles, including Secretary to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Shegal was a major contributor to power distribution reforms and planning large-scale generation capacity as Secretary (Energy). He was also involved in metro rail planning, policy work with international agencies like the World Bank and water supply projects backed by JICA.
Sehgal’s abrupt resignation brings an early end to his tenure at India’s national broadcaster. The government is yet to declare the name of the successor. |
