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Pradip Kumar is new Chairman NHAI
Finally Special Secretary Coal Pradip Kumar has been appointed Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).He is 1972 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.
( We said this on September 20 )

Malti Das is Chief Secretary of Karnataka
Dr Malti Das has been appointed new Chief Secretary of Karnataka . She is 1970 batch IAS officer. She has succeeded B K Das.

Menon is new Foreign Secretary
Shiv Shankar Menon, seasoned diplomat has taken over as the new Foreign Secretary. 1972 batch IFS officer, Menon, has succeeded Shyam Saran.

Vice-Chief of Army is PSC Chairman in HP
Vice -Chief of the Army Staff Bhupindra Singh Thakur has been appointed new Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission. He will succeed Arvind Kaul. Earlier the name of Chief Secretary S S Parmar was in circulation for the job.

Will Borge be IC in Maharashtra ?
Secretary Roads in Maharashtra, Borge, is likely to be appointed Information Commissioner in Maharashtra.

Nirmal Singh to retire
Haryana DGP, Nirmal Singh, is superannuating by this month end. He is 1968 batch IPS officer.

Former IPS officer is now Producer
Former DGP of Maharashtra T K Chaudhry has now become a Film Producer. He is retired IPS officer.

Junior becomes DG in Jharkhand
While RR Prasad of 1970 batch has been left, J B Mahapatra of 1972 batch has been made DG in Jharkhand. Any specific reason?

Kochar goes to Women and Child Welfare
With the Child Welfare being separated from Social Justice department, now Director (Child Welfare) in Social Justice dept, JS Kochar, has also shifted to Women and Child Welfare department.

Dulat elected President of Delhi Gymkhana again
Former Raw Chief A S Dulat has been relected President of the Delhi Gymkhana .This year nobody had come forward to contest the prestigious election of the President of the Delhi Gymkhana.
( We said this on September 18)

Dua elected President of Delhi Golf Club
Secretary Industrial Policy and Promotion in the Government of India, A K Dua, has been elected President of the Delhi Golf Club. He defeated Admiral Kohli.

Dhirendra Singh elected Member
Former Home Secretary in the Government of India, Dhirendra Singh, has been elected as Member in the Executive Committee of the Delhi Gymkhana.

IAS officer is Media Advisor to Azad
Secretary Agriculture, K B Jandial, has been appointed Media Advisor to J & K Chief Minister Gulam Nabi Azad. He is 1996 batch IAS officer.

Kulkarni is VC in Karnataka
J H Kulkarni has been appointed new Vice Chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences.

FORUM

Why this clamour ?

Suddenly there is a clamour for seeking pardon for Afzal convicted in the conspiracy to bomb the parliament. Is it the same Ghulam Nabi Azad who was himself a parliamentarian at the time, though not a minister or chief minister, who is now seeking pardon. Is his proximity to the Gandhi family and the nation undergone such a rapid change in view of public opinion, guided or misguided as it may be !
And, is it the same Ms. Mehbooba Mufti who was kidnapped by militants when her father Mufti Mohd. Sayeed was the Home Minister in VP Singh government. And who had to bend for the sake of family of a key member of the cabinet like Muftiji and accept the conditions laid by the kidnappers, compromising the integrity of the nation.
Does Ms. Mehbooba forget the "ransom" paid for her release from the hands of her kidnappers !
Never mind the above luminaries. For once as a common person of the nation, one is glad that politicians are being forced to forgive perpetrators of attacks on them, as we citizens have suffered in 1993 bomb blasts, the July 11, 2006 train blasts, the attack on Akshardham temple, the killing of our security forces from East to North, and earlier in Sri Lanka. Let them have a taste of their own medicine for once, and by their own tribe, to say the least.
Our neighbour's policies have only hurt us continually, yet the peace process cannot be derailed. Why then we not encourage similar action in their home base, and then argue for peace.
Let our dispaced Kashmiri Hindus be returned their properties, including their neighbours who seek this pardon and argue for the peace process.
Terrorists and criminal rights, and advantage of benefit of doubt, or pardons, not encroaching on the civil liberties and rights of other law abiding citizenry of the country ! Or should silent majority subjugate their rights to a vocal and argumentative minority !

Mind you, I come from a minority community myself, ad within that also a real rare minority, yet I feel that we as a nation have gone too far away from equal rights and civil law uniformity, that it threatens to alienate the majority and force injustice on them.
I hope Geelani can take initiative not just in lobbying for his friend and compatriot Afzal, but even more efforts to help unearth the dastardly plots against the nation, and prove his sincerity to the people of India, or maybe he is not obliged to, as are large populace of J&K residents today !

Astra

Rules be modified

Yes. Also CCA pension rules re commercial employment within 2 yrs of retirement be modified -no formal sanction if conditions are followed. Will be in conformity with this & will save administrative work. Moreover it will help honest GR A&B officers.

Anupam Advocate

Aaj Ki Aawaz

When will a Minister for External Affairs be appointed???
Will it be Shivraj 'Gunman' Patil and will Karan Singh be disappointed???

Shivraj is the frontrunner….. at the CM's conclave PM gave Shivraj a 'competent chit', but that was more for the gallery!!!! Fact is Shivraj has been a flop HM!!! Who will be appointed as HM???? Could Antony be the replacement???? Shivraj has this habit of breaking into lengthy speeches and he'll have to control this habit of his if he becomes MEA!!! Insiders say that Manmohan is enjoying being the Foreign Minister... he enjoys travelling..... his relaxation!!!!

Mulayam is extremely nervous…….. has read the writing on the wall,
In the Mulayam camp there is gloom ka pall!!!

Mulayam is at his nervous worst……. Amar no longer has that smug grin on his mug!!! Recently Mulayam despatched some of his cronies to go to Kamakhaya Temple and get buffalos sacrificed to turn the tide!!! I think the elections should be called immediately as there is a risk that to turn the tide Mulayam may go through the entire animal chain!!!! Big B's services have been requisitioned……. will prove to be a flop….. no Big B's not lost his popularity but its Mulayam who has become very unpopular!!!

Hitler Amrinder and his Gestapo are being booed in Punjab,
Punjabis say what transpired was very kharaab!!!

Hitler Amrinder's Gestapo saw that their Boss was angered by the Veterinary Students stopping him from inaugurating the Mela…. seeing this the Gestapo just went berserk!!! In both the print and electronic Media there is proof of the Gestapo molesting protesting girls!!!! Amrinder should have resigned as CM after this incident……. its alleged that it was he who got the Gestapo to go after the students and teach them a lesson!!! Like they say a Royal/ex Royal can never become a Democrat and in Democracy there is no place for Royalty!!!

Why is Praful Patel meddling in an area where he has no right to meddle???
High fares kyon kaar raha hai Praful Patel peddle!!!

The Low Budget Airlines are hurting Jet the most and so Praful has come to Jet's aid!! Praful has no business meddling in the fares!!!! His logic is that such fares will lead to high mortality of Airlines…. well high fares would also close many of the budget Airlines!!! Seems he's trying to get the Low Budget Airlines to close shop and we all know why he's doing this!!! In fact Praful ' meddling' Patel should keep an arms length distance from the Aviation Industry..... will keep the Aviation Industry healthy!!!

Venod Sharma is trying every trick in the book,
To get his son off the hook!!

A Lawyer called a Press Conference and tried to project that Rajput was his client and that on the day of the murder Rajput was in Hoshiarpur!!! When the Press started grilling him he just ran away!!! This was Venod's response to the stings which implicate Munshi and Rajput!!! High Command needs to step in and ensure that Venod resigns or is booted out!!! Venod's continuance as a Cabinet Minister is a blot on Democratic values and a bigger blot on Congress!!

Badhe Miya Pawar toh Badhe Miya Chotte Miya Bindra subhan Allah,
Chotte Miya Bindra is now sitting at the PCA gallah ( cash counter)!!!

PCA is Bindra's fiefdom…… don't know why the Government does not enquire into this scam??? PCA has jacked up the tickets exorbitantly for the ICC matches!!! With Pawar's advent in BCCI its just money that has taken centre-stag!!! Reasonability should be the yardstick!! However for Bindra cricket is a tamasha…… paisa pheko tamasha dekho is his slogan!!

Bharat Kumar

WHISPERS .... CORPORATE WORLD

Nair is CEO of Technopark
N Radhakrishnan Nair has been appointed CEO of the Technopark in Kerala.

Kore elected President
B Kore has been elected Director of the National Sugar Federation, New Delhi.

Natrajan gets award
CMD of the Bharat Earth Movers Ltd, V S Natrajan, has been conferred the Outstanding CEO Award by the IIIE.

Rajappa is new President of Everest
D. Rajappa has been appointed new President of the Advertising Agency Everest Brand Solutions. He has replaced Mahesh Chauhan.

Spot Fares, Unchecked Fares get extensions

Good news for the travelling public ! The increasingly popular low fares offered by national carrier Indian will continue to be around for some more time.
Unchecked Fares or "X" class fares presently available for travel on the domestic network till 30th Sept. 2006, have been extended for a whole year, with travel to be completed by 30th Sept. 2007.
Similarly, Spot Fares available for eleventh hour travel have also been extended till 31st December this year. Also, passengers travelling from three more stations -- Khajuraho, Varanasi and Srinagar - will now get the benefit of Spot Fares. With the addition of these three stations, Spot Fares will now available from 25 stations on Indian's network.

TOP BRASS- SPEAK

The National Building Construction Corporation(NBCC) is now venturing out to build power projects in collaboration with foreign companies.and state electricity boards,says its Chairman cum Managing Director Arup Roy Choudhury.In an interview with us he discusses different steps that he took to bring the NBCC out of the red and make it a solid competitor in the building construction sector within five years.

Here is his interview

Questionnaire from 'Whispers'

1. What are your expansion plans?
NBCC is a premier construction company in the country and is one of the largest public sector construction companies. It has grown up from the level of Rs.300 crore to Rs.1300 crore plus company during the last five years and registered a growth rate of approx. 60%. It has set the target of not less than Rs.5,000 crore for the year 2011. This is not going to be easy because of the mushrooming of many construction companies in the market in the private sector and also global companies making foray in India.
Besides expansion in real estate / infrastructure projects, NBCC has been looking up at new avenues and one of such avenue is to diversify into setting up of power projects, keeping in mind that it has already been executing the entire gamut of civil works of various power projects which is approx. 25% of the total cost of setting up of power plant. NBCC is, therefore, is taking lead of setting up of power project in association of State Electricity Boards and to contribute its mite into the country's goal of achieving self-sufficiency in power by generating additional 150,000 MW of power in the next five years.

2. What are the areas NBCC has been able to clinch foreign deals
NBCC entered the overseas market way back in early 1977 in Libya. With its development oriented activities it could secure number of prestigious projects in Libya and during 1980's entered Iraq in a big way. So far NBCC has successfully completed various projects in different countries namely Libya, Iraq, Nepal, Republic of Maldives, Mauritius, Yemen Arab Republic, Turkey, Botswana etc.
· International Airports
· Airport Terminal Buildings
· Hospitals & Health Centres
· Housing Complexes
· University, Schools & Public Social Security Buildings
· Road & Highway Projects
· Sewerage & Water Treatment Plants
· Flyovers
· Hotels
· Railways Project
NBCC has executed these works in foreign countries on contract basis as well as on project management basis. It has received immense appreciation from its esteemed clients where inspite of difficulties and hindrances, it has completed projects with efficiency and contributed effectively in transformation plan of these countries. It is now recognized as a "Leading" and the "Most" Efficient Construction Company" and is commanding a respectable position in this part of the globe.

3. What is the secret of NBCC's success under your leadership?
When I took over reigns of the NBCC Ltd. in the year 2001, the Corporation was collapsing because of its poor performance in all fronts - execution of works, financial management, general management & administration etc. Heavy interest burden on the borrowings, off-the-hook policies and strategies were constantly telling on its financial health. Each and every employee of NBCC had been counting doom for themselves with no salary for months together. The reputation of the company as a construction agency reached an all time low with clients, both existing and potential, turning their face with dissatisfaction and disgust.
My first task after joining the Corporation was to diagnose the ailments of the company, implementation of proactive approach and introduction of short-term & long-term measures for revival of NBCC which I did in quick time. Total transformation was brought about not only in financial terms but in organizational issues like corporate culture, belongingness to organisation, job satisfaction, productivity, industrial harmony to make NBCC a model PSU employer.
Based on the strengths and to get rid of its weaknesses on which the Corporation has fallen prey to, NBCC worked on the following core aspects

i) Re-organising / re-structuring the operation system of the Corporation -
Considering that the Sites & Units which actually execute projects and earn profit for the Corporation. Zones and Head Office provide only administrative, policy and management support, reversed the old working system of Top-Down line concept of Head Office-Zones-Units-Sites To Sites-Units-Zones-Head Office. This reversal brought in encouraging results for the Organisation in the first instance. The engineers and staff members posted at sites and units, for the first time probably, began enjoying their importance that was clearly spelt out. They were given free hand in handling the projects under them with only the commitment of targeted turnover and profit as per the MoU signed by them with their respective zones and so to say, the Head Office

ii) Securing the Govt. of India funded works where the funds are allocated and released in advance and ensuring delivery of these projects within time, cost and maintaining high level of quality and economy
It was a significant and successful initiative by the Corporation to manage securing the huge (around Rs.800 crore to begin with) Govt. of India funded projects in all the North-Eastern States including Sikkim & MPLADS funded Gujarat Earthquake Rehabilitation projects - a strategic move that has largely helped NBCC to come out of the severe resource crisis it had been suffering from since mid- 90s to early 2001.
iii) Selective tender works with certain ceiling value
Because of the high cost of manpower and also because comparative productivity not being the strength, NBCC re-read its strategy and restricted itself in this area. It became selective and started looking at large-value contracts with an assured profits in the initial CTC level. While executing these projects, it effected a strict control on the overheads and bottom lines. This step bore fruits and the Corporation started showing results.
iv) Customer Focus as the Corporation's USP
A clear message was sent across to NBCC Team Members that the Corporation sustainability adopts 'CUSTOMER SATISFACTION' as its USP that only would define success.
v) Bringing about changes with a Human Face
All possible counseling exercise for the employees was done to make them realise that they have to move to locations from where their salaries are earned and an open & transparent transfer policy of "first in first out" was implemented. Employees responded and moved to remote locations where NBCC had works.
The Corporation, on its part, ensured that such moves also carried along a 'Human Face' and adopted abundant Welfare Measures for the employees providing them with ex-gratia, uniform, attractive Corporate Medical Insurance facilities, 'Bachelors' accommodation, mess facilities, enhanced pay, special LTC package etc. apart from other perquisites from time to time "With the paradigm growth of the Organisation, fruits have to be distributed amongst the employees of the Organisation who, in a public sector concept, are the actual owners of the Company".

4. How is your esteemed PSU geared up to counter the escalation in prices of steel?
Normally the contracts secured by NBCC provide the escalation clause whereby NBCC receives the price rise during execution of the project. Further, at the time of tendering some provision is built in the costing towards escalation of steel and other materials during execution of work. Also NBCC goes in for bulk purchase well in advance which averts the financial implication due to subsequent price rise to great extent.
In addition, NBCC is taking following steps to safeguard itself from hike in steel and cement prices:
(a) Yearly rate contracts are signed directly with manufacturers of steel & cement viz. SAIL etc. to supply steel / cement at fixed prices throughout the year.
(b) In the areas, not covered by Annual Rate Contract, the requirement of steel & Cement in nearby projects is clubbed and bulk purchase is ordered, enabling NBCC to get discounted rates offered by vendors / manufacturers on bulk purchase.
It may be observed that last year there has been unprecedented rise in prices of steel & cement specially the prices of steel. Such unprecedented rise cannot be foreseen / forecasted and thus no provision can be done nor the escalation formulas in the contracts can absorb such unprecedented rise. As a result of the unprecedented rise the profitability of the project and thus NBCC during last year eroded considerably.
Due to impact of the unprecedented rise, CPWD has introduced a new clause in the contract which caters to payment of escalation on account of steel & cement on the basis of star price concept. Now, almost all contracts have this star price escalation formula, which will cover the escalation to a great extent on account of rise in prices of steel & cement.

5. Do you think that you face any competition from India/Abroad?
There is stiff competition in securing the projects both in India and abroad. However, with the NBCC's experience over the years, NBCC is able to secure a good number of projects because of its winning edge over the others by way of professional service and economical offer. As a result, NBCC has secured many prestigious projects both in India and abroad. The housing project of Turkey was secured after participating in global and stiff competition from well established European, American and local firms.
Operations in the free market and competition go hand in hand. NBCC is fully geared for competition. Statistics collected in the last five years have indicated that NBCC has been able to save the national exchequer to the extent of Rs.350 crore + on account of works executed by NBCC in which it had been appointed on the basis of lowest competitive bids against the private operators. In the construction sector NBCC has an edge with the private sector players and presence of NBCC itself discourages any cartelisation among private players. NBCC has been able to utilise any kind of artificial inflation, thus creating value addition to the clients which are mostly large PSUs / Government Departments.
As far as infrastructure works against private players is concerned, NBCC does not have much chance because the method of award of contract in the private sector is not transparent and NBCC which is bound by the Govt. rules and under the purview of CVC / CAG guidelines is unable to negotiate on the line of private sector companies.
Regarding projects in overseas countries, NBCC is facing huge competition from the Chinese companies as the Chinese companies are able to generate low cost due to cheap labour and considerable amount of financial leverage support etc. being extended by the Chinese Govt. in terms of special loans etc.

6. Please list Landmark achievements
NBCC, under the aegis of Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India, today is one of the Premier Engineering Services and largest Public Sector Organization in the country. It is also ISO 9001 company for Project Management and Consultancy Services and its constant improved working parameters have been reiterated and substantiated by the recognition and accolades it has received from its various clients including Prime Minister's Merit Certificate for its performance.
In Real Estate which is one of the major thrust areas for the Corporation, besides developing commercial complexes, NBCC has recently launched Housing Project "NBCC VIBGYOR TOWERS" at New Township of Rajarhat, Kolkata. This is the first venture of its kind by any Central PSU.
With the implementation of various Chimneys / Cooling Towers & other Infrastructure Development Projects, NBCC has acquired excellence and expertise in the field resulting number of such projects now being awarded on nomination basis. NBCC is now foraying into taking up total construction of power projects in collaboration with foreign companies where NBCC's role will be of entire construction and supply of equipment etc.
Keeping in view its vast experience and strength in Engineering, Consultancy & Execution of works, NBCC entered the large market of Project Management Consultancy (PMC) jobs. PMC projects include preparation of estimates, CPR / DPR, approvals from various authorities, execution of works, handing over the projects etc. Today, NBCC has been working as an extended arm of the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Urban Employment & Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Textile and various State Governments & other Organisations.
Earlier NBCC executed some projects in the North Eastern States as a contractor for various State Govts. During the year 2001-02 NBCC had been called upon by the Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and other Central Govt. Departments to work as its extended arm as an "implementing agency" in facilitating development of North Eastern States including Sikkim. NBCC has now been working all over the North Eastern States as an extended arm of the Govt. of India and as an implementing agency for its various developmental projects and has already completed more than Rs.300 crore worth of projects in various North Eastern States. The role of NBCC is that of a consultant for doing design, preparation of detailed project reports, getting the reports sanctioned from the Ministries in the Govt. of India, get allocation of funds to the States against these projects and get the Projects "Implemented".