Page 7 - Insurance Times August 2019

IRDAI

News

IRDAI nullifies unequal recruitment process
Ganesh K to take charge
IRDAI has invalidated the recruitment process for different posts after allegedly
as Whole Time Member- being alarmed over perceived
Life of IRDAI anomalies. It has also made a
decision of sprucing up internal
The appointment committee of the
governance practices pertaining
cabinet (ACC) to issues like whistle blowers
has notified that and sensitive posts.
LIC Executive Di-
rector Ganesh K Under the leadership of its
will take charge chairman Subhash Chandra
as the new Khuntia, IRDAI is also weighing
whole-time options to order an inquiry into
member (life) at alleged abnormalities in recruit-
IRDAI. ment in the past that involved relaxations, corrigendum on eligibility criteria
and cancellation of recruitments in deviation from the personnel and training
Ganesh has worked across several department’s (DoPT) instruction.
departments including customer re-
lations, zonal manager, claims settle- IRDAI will also be looking into a wide range of complaints it received from within
and outside pertaining to alleged discriminatory clauses in some recruitment
ment, corporate communications
notifications in order to favour certain candidates, including some working with
and health insurance among others.
the IRDAI on deputation.
He has also been the executive di-
rector for customer relations man- “There was ambiguity in interpreting some of the eligibility criteria as mentioned
agement since April 2016. in the recruitment notification,” said Khuntia. “So, it was felt advisable to can-
cel the process,” he added.
In October, 2018, the finance minis-
try had invited applications for the Overall, the IRDAI wished to fill 18 posts of managers, assistant general man-
whole-time member for life and agers, deputy general managers and general managers through a February 2018
non-life at IRDAI. The applicants notification. “The recruitment process for various posts notified vide notifica-
were required to have at least 25 tion ref. no: HR/ Recruitment/ Feb 2018 dated 16.02.2018 stands cancelled,”
years experience in the area of life said a notification issued by IRDAI executive director M Pulla Rao.
insurance with a minimum of three Several instances of violations existed pertaining to the CVC and DoPT instruc-
years experience at a senior level tions, as per which the hiring process should be shelved and the posts must be
not below the rank of an executive re-advertised if the response for any recruitment advertisements was poor, said
director in a public sector insurer or a senior IRDAI officer.
equivalent. The applicant was also
“There were complaints in the past of the hiring process being unfair and dis-
required to have a minimum of two
criminatory with age relaxations of up to 55 years to suit certain people. In some
years of residual service for being
recruitments, written tests were cancelled and the candidates were directly
eligible for the post.
invited for personal interviews,” the person cited above said.
The Insurance Times, August 2019 7