Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Wednesday appointed Debal Ray as chairman of the state public service commission (PSC), the Lok Bhavan said in a statement.
The PSC had been without a full-term chairman since 2022, when the previous chairman retired, an education department official said. In the interim, it was headed by officials in an officiating capacity.
On Wednesday, Debashis Bandyopadhyay, Diganta Bagchi, and Barnali Mukherjee were appointed as members of the commission.
The PSC is responsible for conducting exams and recruitment for civil services and other government posts in the state.
“In the absence of a full-term chairman and members, the commission was not functioning at full capacity,” said the official.
“The commission’s tasks include holding recruitment tests to appoint teachers in government schools and colleges, among other responsibilities. The new appointments are expected to make the commission active,” said the official.
Saugata Basu, secretary of a government school teachers’ association, said the commission has not conducted any selection tests for teachers in government schools over the past 10 years. “While the education department sends the vacancy list to the commission, a full-term chairperson is needed to drive the recruitment process. We hope the new chairman will take steps to complete pending recruitments,” he said.
Around 1,000 teaching posts across 39 government schools are currently vacant, he said.
The appointments have been made under Article 316(1) of the Constitution, the Lok Bhavan release added.