Shillong, Sept. 6: A former IAS officer and a former director of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) have been inducted as members of the North Eastern Council (NEC) recently.

Madan Prasad Bezbaruah, a former IAS officer, and Ashoke K. Dutta, former director, IIM Shillong, have been nominated by President Pranab Mukherjee as the non-official members of the council upon completion of the tenure of P.P. Srivastava and I.K. Barthakur.

According to an NEC official, Bezbaruah has assumed charge as member with effect from September 3 while Dutta is expected to assume charge shortly.

Bezbaruah had served in various positions, including in the council, during his tenure as an IAS officer.

From 1997 to 2001, he had served as secretary to the Union tourism ministry, besides serving as the principal adviser in the Planning Commission and banking ombudsman for the Reserve Bank of India.

The council is the nodal agency for the economic and social development of the northeastern region consisting of the eight states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.