What people say about us -

Your Site is a novel concept.

M K Taran

FIRST CHOICE OF OPINION MAKERS IN THE COUNTRY

ADVERTISE ON-WHISPERSINTHECORRIDORS.COM
Contact-sureshmehrotra@yahoo.com

A K Singh is Secretary Textiles

A K Singh will be new Secretary Textiles in the Government of India.He is 1972 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre. Singh is presently Special Secretary Agriculture. He will succeed D P Singh who is superannuating on September 30.

G K Pillai is new Secretary Commerce

Gopal Krishna Pillai has been appointed new Secretary Commerce. He is 1972 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre. Pillai is presently Special Secretary Commerce.He will succeed S N Menon who is retiring by this month end.
( We said this on September 5 and again on September 11)

Viswanathan promoted in GoI

N A Viswanathan has been promoted and posted in the rank of Secretary in the Government of India as DG National Productivity Council (NPC).He is 1972 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.
( We said this on July 19 )

Manoharan is Additional Secretary Water Resources

S Manoharan has been promoted to the rank of Additional Secretary in the Government of India.1975 batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer Manoharan has been posted in the Ministry of Water Resources.

Sinha promoted in GoI

B K Sinha has been promoted to the rank of Additional Secretary in the Government of India. 1975 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer Sinha will now be Additional Secretary Panchayati Raj .
( We said this on September 14 )

Lalitha Kumar gets promotion

Lalitha Kumar has been promoted to the rank of Additional Secretary in the Government of India and posted in the Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation. She is 1974 batch IAS officer of TamilNadu cadre.
( We said this on September 4 )

Dr Sarat Chandran to join GoI

Dr U Sarat Chandran has been appointed as Adviser in the Planning Commission .He is 1974 batch IAS officer of Orissa cadre.

Avay Shukla to join GoI

Avay Shukla is joining the Government of India as Additional Secretary Agriculture and Cooperation. He is 1975 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre.

Chakravorty to join Inter-State Council

A M Chakravorty will join the Inter-State Council.He is 1974 batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre.

Dr Sugathan promoted

Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Dr K S Sugathan has been promoted to the rank of Additional Secretary in the same Ministry. He is 1973 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.
( We said this on August 29 )

Mahapatra is new DGP of Jharkhand

Jagat Bandhu Mahapatra has been appointed new DGP of Jharkhand.He is 1972 batch IPS officer.Present DGP V D Ram has been moved as DG Reforms.

Sukhdeo Singh is PS to CM in Jharkhand

Sukhdeo Singh will be new Principal Secretary to the Jharkhand Chief Minister. He is 1987 batch IAS officer.

Meena joins MEA

P M Meena (IFS 82) has joined as Joint Secretary(CPV-II) in MEA after his return from London. He replaces A K Nag (IFS 84) who is joining as Joint Secretary (Welfare).

Vanlalvawana is Under Secretary in MEA

Vanlalvawana (IFS '98) has been posted as Under Secretary (GA & Cadre) in MEA after his return from Shanghai.

Nirupama Rao appointed Envoy to China

India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao has been appointed new Ambassador to China.She is 1973 batch IFS officer.
( We said this on September 16 )

Nalin Surie to be Secretary (East) in MEA

Indian Ambassador in China Nalin Surie is returning to the MEA headquarters as Secretary (East) in place of Rajiv Sikri who quit after being superseded by S S Menon.
( We said this on September 19 )

Alok Prasad to succeed Nirupama Rao

Alok Prasad has been appointed India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. He will succeed Nirupama Rao.

Two new Ambassadors

Deepak Bhojwani and A Ramesh will now be India's Ambassador to Columbia and Peru respectively.

IPS changes in Orissa

There is IPS reshuffle in Orissa.New postings are:-Mssrs Himanshu Lal SP Malkangir,Pratik Mohanty SP Dhenaknal,Dayal Gangwar SP Behrampur,Diptesh Patnaik Spl Intelligence Wing,Yatinder Koyal SP Intelligence Cuttack and Rajesh Kumar SP Nayagarh.

FORUM

Collegium should appoint DGP and CS

In view of the fact that Chief Secretaries/DGPs are often appointed by the political masters for their own ends, it would be desirable that a collegium comprising of the CM, leader of opposition in the Assembly, Chief Justice of the High Court, the Lokayukta/Lokpal and the outgoing Chief Secretary/ DGP make these appointments. The Governor may have the right to be consulted during the process of appointment.

sridharsriram

IAS should get top posts

The proposal to have IAS officers as Commissioners of Police, Customs Excise, Income Tax etc may not be as outlandish as it seems. ICS and IAS officers have held these posts earlier also. In view of the deterioration and corruption in these services and the rot that has set in, this will have a most salutary impact.

Rajeev Ratan

Talent of the IAS

The 'talent' of indecision of the officers in question could not have been detected all of a sudden. Diffidence, indecisiveness and pushing the file are virtues which are acquired over a period of time in service. It takes roughly 20 years for an I.A.S. officer to become Joint Scretary in the G.O.I., though in the states they manage to get the supertime scale after 15 years. While promotion in the parent cadre is by seniority, empanelment for central deputation is not easy. It is surprising that the indecisive officers were able to charm their bosses at various places and positions of their posting into reporting them as so outstanding that they could have smooth passage not only in central government but also land in the Ministry of Finance which a dream of every I.A.S. officer. Should not the officers who decorated the ACRs of these officers be asked to state the traits of leadership the found in them? Obviously, shuffling intra-ministry or even reversal to parent cadres is not a solution in that such officers will not become decision making commodity by such an action. Each person even in the I A S has a certain peak level of competence and allowing such persons to go above that level amounts to putting premium on inefficiency and incompetence.
S P Singal

Aaj Ki Aawaz

SEZs ……. Haryana and Punjab Governments have taken Farmers for a ride,
Now hope by Sonia's order Hooda and Amrinder abide!!!

Both Punjab and Haryana Governments have grabbed land at a pittance from Farmers….. the land has been sold at exorbitant rates to Companies or doled out to Companies!!! Imagine in the bread basket of India, Haryana and Punjab, thousands of acres of fertile land is being converted to concrete jungle!!!!! Surprising that the Agriculture Ministry has not raised any objection at so much land being taken out of the ambit of agriculture…… if someone digs up the cricket pitch in Mohali or Wankhade Pawar will be jump into action……but when it comes to Farmers lands being dug up for concrete structures Pawar's not even raised a finger!!!! SEZ……… Seized Economic Zones!!!!

Humpty Dumpty sat in a helicopter and helicopter came down,
Pawan Hans should realize that with weight you simply cannot clown!!!

What else could be expected when 'Dill leh gayi kuddi Gujarat di' Bajwa and Humpty Dumpty Amrinder sat in the same helicopter!!! The helicopter took off but could not gain height because of the weight inside… and so the helicopter had to fall… with all the lard around them both Amrinder and Bajwa were well cushioned for the fall…… what a funny coincidence ……it was their lard that brought the helicopter down and it was the lard that protected them in the fall!!!!

Deora is bajaoing Refining Companies murli,
No reduction in petroleum prices as yet says Murli!!

He says that reduction will only be feasible after Oil prices touch $60……he's not clarified if he means the Indian Basket or Brent Crude????? Only the naïve would have expected a reduction in prices!!!! So now the Refining Companies will be making a neat profit and the problem is that in such an eventuality they splurge…….. buy properties, refurbish Offices, buy paintings etc. Hope the good Minister , as he has Administrative control over the Refining Companies, keeps them in check!!!

In fact Big B should not get any Sarkaari Security cover,
Around him his own paid Security should hover!!!

Item Boy Amar Singh says that he will request Telgi to put in a good word for Big B with NCP!!! Amar knows that Telgi would take up his request as Telgi and he ' are birds of the same feather'!!!! Of course there is no denying Telgi's links with NCP…….. Nails Chagan and Pawar!!!! In fact now if a review of the Security for Big B is done then it would be obvious that Telgi's put in a good word for Big B!!!!

Forgot that Manmohan shares his birthday with Dev Anand…. Manmohan ji belated Happy birthday,
Hope and pray that in PM's chair for many years you stay!!!

And if you take a reality check you will agree that this should happen!!! With Rahul not wanting to enter the Cabinet at this stage and with Congress's electoral sitara going up and up seems Manmohan will keep the PM's chair warm for more years to come!!! India is lucky to have such a man at the helm…….even though there is a lot of backseat driving but he's in the driver's seat and the driving wheel is in his honest, experienced and competent hands!!! Laghe raho Manmohan Bhai!!!

Bharat Kumar

aaj_ki_aawaz@rediffmail.com

WHISPERS .... CORPORATE WORLD

Foreign banks to rule India

If the Mumbai Corporate World is to be believed, Foreign banks are going to have their say in India.

Justice Dwivedi is Chairman of MRTPC

Justice Om Prakash Dwivedi, a retired Judge of the Delhi High Court has taken over as the Chairman of Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC).

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 Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC)is poised to take a quantum leap in the power sector by almost doubling its power generation capacity from existing 26,194 MW to 51,000 + MW Company by the year 2012.Even the NTPC is going to make forays into coal mining sector.
These views were expressed in a free and frank interview to "whispersinthecorridors.com"by NTPC chief T Sankaralingam.

Here is his interview

Questionnaire from 'Whispers'

Q.1 What are your expansion plans?

Ans. Today, NTPC is a 26,194 MW Company (including 1054 MW in joint ventures) and has been working towards achieving the target of additional 3210 MW during the current financial year.
We plan to add 21, 941 MW during the 11th Plan which would make us a 51,000 + MW Company by the year 2012. This amounts to nearly doubling our capacity by the year 2012. We also have plans to become a 75,000 + MW Company by the year 2017.
This will include hydro capacity of about 9,000 MW by the year 2017. Nuclear power generation is also being considered as a long-term option and we are looking at this option seriously.
Our strategy for capacity addition will include expanding the existing stations, developing greenfield projects and bidding for projects under the competitive route.
We are diversifying and expanding our business by way of backward and forward integration such as coal mining, coal washery, fuel sourcing, power trading, etc. covering the entire energy value-chain.
The Government of India has allocated 8 coal mine blocks to NTPC, 2 of them to be developed through JVs with Coal India Ltd. By 12th Plan period, we expect to meet nearly 20 to 25% of the coal requirement from the Company's own mines. Thus, NTPC is poised to become the second largest coal producer in the country, next to Coal India Ltd.

NTPC has won an oil/gas exploration field in Arunachal Pradesh in partnership with Canaro Resources & Geo Petrol under NELP Round V through competitive bidding. The production sharing agreement with the Government of India has been signed. Encouraged by this success, we have decided to bid under NELP Round VI. Acquisition of oil/gas exploration blocks will further strengthen the fuel security and economics of our operations.

Q.2 What is your view about the nuclear power? How will thermal power match cost effectiveness vis-à-vis the nuclear power?

Ans. Nuclear is, in fact, one of the conventional sources of power and countries like France have over 70% of their power generation coming from the nuclear source. Some other countries have substantial share of their power generated from the nuclear source. India is also planning to increase the share of nuclear power in its power mix.

Some recent developments are likely to open up opportunities and give a boost to nuclear power generation in India. NTPC would like to utilize such new opportunities and be a part of the efforts for achieving country's energy security.

Q.3 Please tell us your opinion about the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Ans. This is a very important step. The Governments of both the countries are engaged at the highest levels to finalise the details. Any initiative which promotes civil nuclear program of the country in line with our stated national policies and priorities is a welcome step.

Q.4 The Planning Commission's documents has sought for increasing coal efficiency in thermal power plants from 30 percent to 39 percent. Where does the NTPC stand and by when do you think that this target can be achieved?

Ans. The conversion efficiency of NTPC power stations today is around 36%. NTPC is introducing super critical parameters in several new units like in Sipat and Barh. These units will have conversion efficiency of 38-39%. In super critical units with higher steam temperature parameters, the conversion efficiency may go up to 40% and is achievable.

We strongly advocate and support the Planning Commission's policy directives and we are moving towards achieving this goal.

In addition to adoption of super critical parameters, continuous efficiency improvement of the existing units will also result in efficiency gains. Various groups within the company such as engineering, operation services, R&D are working towards the goal of continuous improvement in reliability of operation and efficiency. All this will lead to higher conversion efficiency in the near future.

Q.5. Under the 'Bharat Nirman' scheme, how many villages the NTPC has taken for rural electrification. Please give details.

Ans. Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana takes care of the rural electrification component of 'Bharat Nirman' scheme, a time bound plan for rural infrastructure development undertaken by the Government of India, in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions. The scheme is to be completed by the year 2009.

Under the Scheme, the Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the 125,000 villages which have remained uncovered by electrification. In addition, 23 million rural households are to be provided electricity.

NTPC has been making significant contribution to this Yojana through its involvement in projects for electrification of over 40,000 villages in about 30 districts spread across 5 States namely West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa.

Now fly Indian, redeem points on partner brands

Flying on India's leading airline Indian is now more attractive than before. Passengers can accrue points by flying Indian and redeeming them on other leading brands and vice-versa, under the new coalition loyalty program called i-mint. The other five program partners, who have come together on a single platform to create a reward based value program for the customer are ICICI Bank, Airtel, HPCL, Lifestyle Stores and Make-my-trip.com.
The i-mint coalition loyalty program has been initially launched for membership at Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad and will be subsequently extended to cover the entire country. Under the program, i-mint members can earn points by buying petrol at HP outlets, paying Airtel mobile bills, buying clothes at LifestyleStores, buying a hotel package through Make-my-trip, buying an Indian ticket or using ICICI credit card. He/she can then add up all the rewards points accrued to get a product from any of the above partners.
An i-mint member buying an Indian ticket will get 6 points against every Rs.100 spent. Points can be earned only on the basic fare portion of tickets purchased on domestic or international sectors of Indian or Alliance Air. Cardholders can earn points on both existing FFP program of Indian as well as i-mint. For more details about the program, catalogue of rewards, etc. passengers may log on to www.imintpoints.com.