The Ram Temple trust appointed new officials on Wednesday months after a donation theft row shook the management of the iconic temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust named Air Marshal (retd) Jeetendra Mishra as first full-time chief executive officer (CEO) of the Ram temple. His name was chosen from a shortlist of three candidates picked from 5,585 applications by a high-powered committee.
List of latest appointees of the Ram temple trust:
- Jeetendra Mishra as first full-time chief executive officer (CEO)
- Govind Dev Giri as the new full-time General Secretary. He has also been appointed as the Treasurer of the trust.
- Mahesh Bhagchandka as the new Treasurer of the Trust
Interim secretary of the Trust Krishna Mohan said that Madan Mohan Pandey, Mahesh Bhagchandka and Dr Nirmala Yadav have been inducted into Ram temple trust.
Also read: Ex-Ram Temple official Champat Rai gets clean chit in donation theft case weeks after resignation
Deep Dive
Who has been appointed as the CEO of the Ram Temple trust and what is his background?
What responsibilities will the new CEO of the Ram Temple trust have?
Why were new officials appointed to the Ram Temple trust recently?
Giri also said the Ram temple trust may appoint joint CEO or deputy CEO, if needed in coming days, news agency PTI reported, adding that SOPs for CEO specifying duties and responsibilities will be made in coming days.
Fresh appointments after donation row
The appointments came amid a raging controversy over the alleged embezzlement of temple donations that led to the arrest of eight people and the resignation of Champat Rai as general secretary in June.
The decision was taken at a meeting that was attended by Trust president Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, Swami Kamalnayan Das, interim general secretary Dr Krishna Mohan, trustee Mahant Dinendra Das and treasurer Swami Govind Dev Giri among others.
The three-member selection committee comprised retired Justice Pramod Kohli, Lt Gen (retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi and nuclear scientist Dr Suresh Haware. Between July 11 and 18, the selection panel received 5,585 applications. The selection process involved AI-assisted screening as well as manual assessment, trust officials werw quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Of the 5,585 applications received, 3,577 candidates submitted details for evaluation under a 600-mark framework. The process subsequently narrowed to 108 candidates who scored 470 marks or more for virtual interactions, followed by 16 candidates being interviewed in person in Ayodhya on August 11 and 12.
According to the Trust, the CEO will have the responsibility to develop systems, procedures, and operational practices appropriate to the nature and scale of the organization, build and strengthen the organisational structure in accordance with the objectives, nature, and size of the institution, HT reported earlier.
Among other responsibilities, the CEO will serve as the highest executive authority responsible for the officers, functionaries, employees, and staff of the organization.
The CEO will ensure efficient management of the trust’s current activities and future development and ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory, and Trust Deed requirements.
(with inputs from Pawan Dixit)