" Khulla Khel Farrukhabadi "

In a move to increase private sector participation in key regulatory appointments, the Centre, as per media reports (IE dated Sept 12,2023) is contemplating amendment of the TRAI Act, 1997. The essential and desirable qualifications will now be suitably tailor-made to suite senior corporate executives to become Chairperson of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The purported decision would  be unjust and unfair due to involvement of Conflict of interests and consequent biases in decision making in a sensitive organisation like the TRAI. Are the government / public sector deprived of professional experts from telecom sector to locate a competent successor to  the present incumbent ?

The suspicion of loyalty of the new incumbent towards their former employers in the corporate sector, bypassing public interests, cannot be soft-pedalled. Selections cannot be arbitrary, based on pick and choose.

A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)