In the first occasion, a retired individual was appointed the head of a Maharatna PSU when Arun Kumar Singh, the former Chairman of the oil refining and marketing business BPCL, was named Chairman and Managing Director of ONGC. The request from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas for the appointment of Arun Kumar Singh, ex-CMD, BPCL, as Chairman, ONGC for a three-year term with effect from the date of his assumption of duty in the office, has been approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). India's top oil and gas producer is ONGC. A mechanical engineer from National Institute of Technology, Patna, Singh was Director (Marketing) of Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) from October 2018 to September 2021, following which he was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of the corporation. Singh retired as BPCL head 13 months later in October 2022. After speaking with six applicants on August 27, a search and selection committee appointed by the oil ministry decided on Singh. Before the interviews on August 27, Singh had already been chosen to lead the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). He has managed business units and entities in BPCL such as retail, LPG, pipelines, and supply chain optimization over his approximately 38 years of expertise in the oil and gas industry. He also held the position of President (Africa & Australasia) in Bharat PetroResources, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BPCL, engaged in exploration of oil and gas, largely overseas, according to information available on BPCL website. Also read: India slashes windfall tax on crude oil, diesel exportsEssar plans petrochem complex in Odisha with global player