India Brand Equity Foundation CEO Aparna Dutt Sharma resigns

NEW DELHI: The Chief Executive Officer of the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), Aparna Dutt Sharma, today said she has quit the organisation after "hints and steady pressure on her to step down".

Sharma also alleged that despite her resignation, the Commerce Ministry sent a letter conveying the government's decision to end her services "without following the terms of employment/rules of the IBEF Trust".

According to sources, she resigned following differences on some issues with the Commerce Ministry, the nodal agency for the Foundation.

India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) is a trust established by the Department of Commerce. Its primary objective is to promote and create international awareness of the Made in India label in markets overseas and to facilitate dissemination of knowledge of Indian products and services.

When contacted, Sharma said in a statement, "There have been hints and steady pressure on me to step down. In anticipation of the circumstances, I preferred to resign. Even today despite my resignation, the Ministry has sent a letter conveying the government's decision bringing my services to an end without following the terms of employment/rules of the IBEF Trust. No reasons have been assigned in the said letter.

"Even till Friday, I was receiving letters of appreciation from Government Offices for the excellent work at Davos, my recent assignment. There has been similar appreciation of our works at Davos by the Finance Minister, Power Minister and Chief Minister(s) of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. It is a pity when professionals with established track record at work are put in the crossfire of politics and bureaucracy," she said.