KOLKATA: Senior IAS officer Dushyant Nariala has been appointed chairman of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBCSSC), according to an official notification.
A 1993-batch IAS officer, Nariala is currently serving as the Principal Resident Commissioner of the state in New Delhi. He also holds additional responsibilities as Director General of the Netaji Subhas Administrative Training Institute (NSATI) and Chairman of the State National Tobacco Control Cell Steering Committee.
As per the notification issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department on Saturday, he will take on the additional charge of WBCSSC chairman alongside his existing duties until further orders.
The appointment was announced amid the state government’s push to strengthen transparency in recruitment processes. Officials said the decision is aimed at insulating the commission from political influence and aligning its functioning more closely with the standards of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
It was also noted that the government had earlier stated that no political figures would be appointed to recruitment commissions, with merit and administrative expertise being the guiding criteria.
The school service commission is responsible for recruiting teachers and non-teaching staff for state-aided secondary and higher secondary schools in West Bengal.
The body has previously been at the centre of a major recruitment controversy involving allegations of irregularities in appointments, which triggered investigations by central agencies and led to significant legal and administrative action, including the cancellation of thousands of appointments.
(With inputs from PTI)