Retired Air Marshal Mishra picked as first CEO of Ram Temple trust

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Wednesday appointed retired Air Marshal Jeetendra Mishra as its first chief executive officer, former treasurer Govind Dev Giri as its new general secretary and Mahesh Bhagchandka as treasurer at a meeting held in Ayodhya. Mishra, who headed the Western Air Command during Operation Sindoor, was selected from a shortlist of three candidates after the trust's selection committee scrutinised 5,585 applications. The other shortlisted candidates were Major General Sanjay Pratap Singh Bisht and Shruti Hardwari. The trust also inducted Madan Mohan Pandey of Ayodhya, Bhagchandka of Delhi and Dr Nirmala Yadav of Shikohabad as new trustees. The meeting was held in two sessions, with the newly inducted trustees joining the second session online, interim secretary Krishna Mohan said.
A three-member selection committee comprising retired Justice Pramod Kohli, Lt Gen (retd) Vishnukant Chaturvedi and nuclear scientist Dr Suresh Haware was set up to evaluate the 5,585 applications received in response to its advertisement. The committee held a preliminary round of online interviews with 108 candidates and a second round of in-person interviews with 16 of them.
The committee submitted its final report, a shortlist of three names, to the temple trust’s treasurer Govind Dev Giri, on Tuesday. Committee secretary Sameer Panda said the panel had recommended "three highly qualified professionals" after assessing their leadership, management expertise, integrity and vision. 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. 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.