Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister has directed Tobacco Board Chairman Koothati Gopal to “proceed on leave with immediate effect” after he was found to be outside the country at a time when tobacco farmers, ridden in crisis, were taking their own lives.
The Chairman has been asked to proceed on leave with immediate effect as of 15th September until further orders. Gopal, a 1992 batch IAS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed by the previous UPA government on March 1, 2013 with a five-year tenure.
