Tobacco Board of India to be without chairman during critical few months

The Tobacco Board of India is expected to remain headless until at least February following the completion of the two-year term of the former chairman, G Kamalavardhan Rao, according to a Times of India story.

Rao, who has been named Revenue Secretary of Kerala, handed over to the board’s executive director, C V Subba Rao, last week.

The absence of a chairman comes at a difficult time. The board is currently in the process of introducing e-auctions, and while demand for some of India’s flue-cured is buoyant, steps are being taken to reduce production in response to the country’s obligations under the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Auctions are in progress in Karnataka and are due to start early next year in Andhra Pradesh.