Indianmandarins has reliably learnt that SR Samuel (IPS:1999: JK) was one of the two officers shortlisted for the post of Secretary-General of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), the country's apex body for apparel exporters. But his life came to a tragic end following a cardiac arrest on 16 March while exercising at CSOI in Delhi. It is further learnt that the other or second officer shortlisted for the job has opted for a pre-mature repatriation to the parent cadre. This has made the critical post to remain vacant for another 2-3 months. The post, much sought after, has to be readvertised and officers shortlisted for the final selection. AEPC, which functions under the Ministry of Textiles, provides assistance to exporters as well as importers who choose the country as their preferred sourcing destination for garments. The country's apparel exports account somewhere between USD 13-17 billion.