Govt raises ONGC chief entry age to 59
New Delhi: The government has relaxed the eligibility conditions for appointing the next chairman of state-owned ONGC by raising the maximum entry age to 59
New Delhi: The government has relaxed the eligibility conditions for appointing the next chairman of state-owned ONGC by raising the maximum entry age to 59 years and offering the successful candidate a fixed three-year term extendable by up to two years, widening the pool of eligible contenders to head India's largest oil and gas producer.The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), the government's headhunter for appointments to state-run firms, has invited applications for the post, which will fall vacant on December 7 when incumbent Arun Kumar Singh completes his extended tenure.Under the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), candidates should not have attained the age of 59 years on the date of occurrence of the vacancy, December 7, 2026. The selected candidate will initially be appointed for three years, with the tenure extendable by another two years after a performance review.Read More: India eyes oil exploration expansion after Middle East war shortages"Any employment or extension of tenure beyond the age of 60 shall be on a contract basis," the said.The selection will be made by a search-cum-selection committee constituted by the oil ministry instead of the normal PESB selection process.The revised age limit marks a departure from the norms followed for most board-level appointments in Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).While recent appointments have largely been governed by a residual service criterion rather than fixed age limits, the prescribes a maximum entry age of 59 years, allowing both internal and external candidates who would otherwise have been ineligible to be considered.The tenure conditions are also a departure from the prevailing practice of appointing PSU chiefs until the age of superannuation, which is generally 60 years.Under the revised framework, a chairman may continue beyond that age on a contractual basis.The government had made a similar relaxation when appointing Singh in 2022.Read More: Iraq approves preliminary agreements to study strategic oil export pipeline projectsA search-cum-selection committee constituted by the oil ministry picked him in August that year, barely two months before he turned 60, making him the first executive of that age to be appointed chairman of a blue-chip state-run company.Singh, who retired as chairman and managing director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd in October 2022, took charge of ONGC on December 6, 2022, after the government relaxed the eligibility criteria.Last year, the Centre granted him a rare one-year extension, allowing him to continue as ONGC chairman until December 6, 2026, by which time he will be over 64 years old.The government had initiated a search for a regular chairman last year.PESB invited applications in April 2025, and more than a dozen candidates, including Oil India Ltd Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath, applied. However, no interviews were held, and the selection process remained inconclusive without any official explanation.ONGC had remained without a full-time chief between April 2021 and December 2022, during which the company was headed by three interim chairmen before Singh's appointment.Applications will close on July 21, while the deadline for forwarding applications through the prescribed channels is July 30, the said.According to the job description, the chairman will be responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the company, including driving growth in revenue and profitability, leading ONGC's exploration and production business, overseeing expansion into new energy and petrochemicals through acquisitions and joint ventures, and steering technology adoption across the organisation.
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