Subhash Chandra Khuntia, a 1981-batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer and former Karnataka Chief Secretary, has been appointed as the chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Khuntia’s appointment for three years. The post was vacant for more than two months after TS Vijayan’s tenure came to an end on February 21.
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The Karnataka-cadre officer is a native of Jagatshingpur, Odisha. He has served in various government departments including as Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Special Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and held positions in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Indian Oil Corporation.
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He took over as Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka in October 2016 and held the position till last year.
Apart from Khuntia, several industry officials including Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) Chairman VK Sharma and New India Assurance Chairman and Managing Director G Srinivasan had applied for the post. The final interviews were held during the first week of March.
Vijayan was the first industry official to be appointed as Irda Chairman. Prior to him, all heads of IRDAI were former bureaucrats.