ITANAGAR, Nov 2: Senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Debendra Dalai has assumed charge as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of NHPC Limited, the country's premier hydropower company, on Monday, November 2.
A 1999-batch AGMUT cadre officer, Dalai previously served as Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) in Arunachal Pradesh. As the state's nodal officer for the Forest (Conservation) Act, he was involved in evaluating and advancing key infrastructure and power sector proposals, including the Subansiri Upper Hydroelectric Project, Dibang Multipurpose Project and Etalin Hydroelectric Project.
Dalai holds a Master of Science degree and has over 27 years of experience in public administration, environmental governance and regulatory affairs.
During his tenure with the Chandigarh Administration as Chief Conservator of Forests and Director of Environment, he was associated with initiatives including the rooftop solar project and establishment of the Chandigarh Bird Park. He also served as Vice-Chairman of the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee.
His other assignments include serving as Senior Deputy Director at the Survey of India and as Conservator/Chief Conservator of Forests in Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Dalai has also participated in international capacity-building programmes in New Zealand and Australia on organisational management. He represented Chandigarh at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties in Katowice, Poland, and Madrid, Spain, where he presented the administration's initiatives to address climate change.
As NHPC's CVO, Dalai will lead the company's Vigilance Division, focusing on preventive vigilance, transparency, corporate integrity and strengthening governance across the organisation.