Thiruvananthapuram: NORKA Roots chief executive officer K.N. Raghavan has resigned from the post. Mr. Raghavan, who is an Indian Revenue Service officer, rejoined his parent department as commissioner of GST and Central Excise in Mumbai on Monday. He was appointed by the present LDF government for three years as NORKA Roots CEO. But his exit hardly after seven months of service has raised may eyebrows, especially since NORKA Roots was making arrangements for holding the first edition of the much-hyped Loka Kerala Sabha and launch the Pravasi Chitty to pool Rs 10,000 crore from NRKs.
Mr. Raghavan told DC that he decided to rejoin his parent department as he was offered a crucial post concerning GST. He denied the existence of any differences with the state government or other issues for his resignation. However, NORKA Roots sources said that bureaucratic hurdles in the smooth running of NORKA Roots as well as certain allegations against the ongoing appointments at NORKA Roots could have prompted him to quit. He was reportedly handpicked by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan for the post. “The frequent changes of officers in NORKA secretary post have affected the smooth functioning of NORKA Roots, especially since government nod was required for any initiatives. Moreover, there were allegations regarding the ongoing appointments at NORKA Roots.
These factors could have compelled Mr. Raghavan, who has an unblemished track record, to opt out,” sources said. NORKA Roots had recently come under a shadow after its directors, including noted businessmen like M.A. Yusuff Ali, Ravi Pillai and Azad Moopen, were disqualified by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs citing delay in filing the financial statements of NORKA Roots. Mr. Raghavan swiftly acted to rectify it citing time relaxations given to government-owned companies in filing financial statements.
