Doing good service to India. Keep it up.
Upendra Joshi.
Singapore.

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For Arun Balakrishnan newly-the new Chairman cum Managing Director of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd(HPCL) -one of India's leading Fortune 500 companies, welfare of the staff & thereby ensuring progress of the company are of paramount importance.Politeness,sharpness coupled with dedication are major strengths of Balakrishnan who after assuming the post of CMD of HPCL on April 1, 2007 gave an exclusive interview to <whispersinthecorridors.com> .Hitherto he was Director (Human Resources) with the HPCL--one of the India's leading Fortune 500 companies.

He started his career with HPCL over three decades ago. He has handled various portfolios in Marketing, Corporate and HR of the oil major and possesses a rich experience in the oil sector. He also had a 5 year stint with the Oil Coordination Committee as Director - Planning.

In his capacity as Director - Human Resources, Balakrishnan introduced a number of contemporary People Management initiatives. As a result the Corporation came to be acknowledged as one of the 'Best Employers in India -2004' in the study conducted by Hewitt Associates and CNBC- TV 18. Under his leadership, HPCL was also the recipient of 'Award in Best Work Place Practices' by Asian Forum for Corporate Social Responsibility, Philipines in 2004. HPCL also received the Golden Peacock National Training Award for 2005 and an award for Commitment to Building and Learning Organisation by Peter Senge in 2006.

In the recent past, the All India Management Association has conferred a fellowship and the Institute of Engineers (India) have presented a Scroll of Honour for recognition 'of his outstanding contribution to the profession of Chemical Engineering'.

Arun Balakrishnan feels "current ceilings on product pricing are not very helpful. Hence Finance will be a key focus area." His mind has many innovative ideas which he would share with the concerning authorities & world at an appropriate time. A relaxed but confident CMD of the oil major unfolded his aims and roadmap for steering the company to newer heights.Here goes his interview:

1/Will you please list your at least two priorities?

I have taken over the mantle of HPCL from April 1. The transition itself was uneventful as the HP top team has always been well knit and professional. My predecessor M. B. Lal who superannuated on March 31, 2007, has bequeathed me a well managed Company with well thought out strategic objectives and proven processes. I am thankfull for that.

2/What are your expansion plans?

As the months roll by, challenges will come by. The first and major one would be attracting and retaining talent. It takes about two to three years to train a fresh engineer on the intricacies of refinery operations.Same is applicable for ERP, Finance and HR.

And someone comes and offers him/her three times what he/she gets. Luckily PSU salaries are due for a revision effective January 2007. But even if the salaries are doubled, it would be difficult to match the market. So high levels of recruitment and attrition are going to be part of life.

The second challenge would be project management. We have nearly Rs. 5000 crores of projects to be carried out in the next two years. This is in addition to the huge investment in our Bhatinda Refinery project. Needless to say, some innovative thinking is required to get things done as per schedule.

Third challenge would be managing cash flow. Large projects have large incubation periods. Current ceilings on product pricing are not very helpful. Hence Finance will be a key focus area.

3/What are other issues that need to be addressed?

Taxes and duties are another area of concern. Maybe we need to consider reduction of duties on petrol so as to bring its price in line with that of diesel. This can deter the shift to diesel for cars in India. And probably, more appropriate use of our refinery products

M K Sinha is DG RPF

M K Sinha is new DG of the Railway Protection Force (RPF). He is 1971 batch IPS officer of Bihar cadre.
( We said this early this year)

Appointment of Tejinder Khanna stalled ?

Appointment of Tejinder Khanna as Lt Governor of Delhi is believed to have been stalled at the behest of Ten Janpath.

Who will be DG CISF ?

Who will be the new DG of the CISF ? It is now certain that 1970 batch Maharashtra cadre IPS officer former Punjab DGP S S Wirk , 1972 batch UT cadre IPS officer Kiran Bedi and 1972 batch J & K cadre IPS officer Gopal Sharma are out of the race.

Rajendra Babu is new Chairman of NHRC

Former Chief Justice of India S Rajendra Babu is taking over today as new Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission ( NHRC).

R.S. Pandey bags PM's award

R.S. Pandey Secretary in Indian Ministry of Steel (Former Chief Secretary of Nagaland) has won the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2005-06. He is the first ever bureaucrat to have been selected for the good work that he did as Chief Secretary of Nagaland.This 1972 batch IAS officer has won the award for his initiative in enabling participation of the user community in the management of public institutions and services in the State of Nagaland. Pandey conceptualized and implemented the programme to involve user communities in fields like education, health and power. The increased attendance and enrolment at schools, improved availability of doctors and increase in treatment of patients and improved collection of electricity revenues as well as reduced power theft testified to the efficacy of the initiatives taken.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had announced the institution of the Prime Minister's Awards for excellence in Public Administration on Civil Services Day, April 21, 2006. R.S.Pandey will be conferred the award on 21 April, 2007, Civil Services Day.

On his selection as the winner of the Award he thanked all those cooperated in implementation of his idea.He told <whispersinthecorridors.com>

"It will go a long way in improving governance & service delivery at grassroots and can be replicated in different situations.In fact it's a unique process of investing social capital which is richly available in our society, but scarcely used in improving critical areas."

Three new ADGs in BSF

Three new ADGs have been appointed in the Border Security Force. They are Mssrs A P Singh Delhi, A S Gill Chandigarh and U C Bansal.

Will Duggal be Governor of J & K

Now Delhi rumour mill says that outgoing Home Secretary V K Duggal is being appointed Governor of J & K.

Goel is new JS Culture

N C Goel has joined the Government of India as Joint Secretary Culture. He is 1982 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre.

Madan is Additional DG ASI

Vijay Shankar Madan has joined the Government of India as Additional DG of the Archaeological Survey of India. He is 1981 batch IAS officer of UT cadre.
( We said this on March 20)

Kalyani Chaudhri is ACS Forests in West Bengal

Kalyani Chaudhuri is new ACS Forests and Environment in West Bengal. Kalyani is 1973 batch IAS officer.

IAS and IPS reshuffle on cards in Uttaranchal

A major IAS and IPS reshuffle is on cards in Uttaranchal either this week or next week.

Meera Pande is PS Food in West Bengal

Meera Pande has succeeded Kalyani Chaudhri as Principal Secretary and Commissioner Food in West Bengal. She is 1974 batch IAS officer.

Bureaucratic reshuffle in AP likely

A major bureaucratic reshuffle is expected to take place in Andhra Pradesh in a week or two.

Kaila takes over as CGA

V.N. Kaila has taken over as Controller General of Accounts on 1st April, 2007. He is a member of the 1971 batch of the Indian Civil Accounts Service. A hardworking and innovative officer, he has several important projects(e.g.National Institute of Financial Management) to his credit. As Controller General of Accounts he will be responsible for maintaining a technically sound accounting system.

Rajendra Darda is Chief Editor of Lokmat Group

Rajendra Darda has taken over as Chief Editor of the Lokmat Samachar Group.

Is Rajasthan CM not available after 8 PM ?

It is talked about in Rajasthan that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia doesn't pick up phone calls after 8 pm.

Cabinet reshuffle in MP on April 9

Cabinet reshuffle cum expansion is expected to take place in Madhya Pradesh on April 9.

IAS reshuffle in Bihar

There is IAS reshuffle in Bihar. New postings are:- Mssrs Ajay Kumar Secretary and Commissioner Science and Technology, Phool Singh Commissioner Mining,Jai Ram Lal Secretary SC and ST Welfare, Vijay Prakash Secretary Social Welfare, Dr Deepak Prasad Secretary RD, Rameshwar Singh Secretary Planning, Atul Prasad Director Training, D Negi Secretary Administrative Reforms. Naveen Kumar will get additional charge of IT.

Ranjan Chatterjee is Meghalaya Chief Secretary

Ranjan Chatterjee has taken over as new Chief Secretary of Meghalaya. He is 1976 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
( We said this on March 21 )

IAS shake-up in Punjab

There is IAS shake-up in Punjab. New postings are :- Mssrs B R Bajaj Principal Secretary Higher Education and IT, G S Cheema Chairman State Board of Technical Education, Romila Dubey Financial Commissioner Revenue, Vijay Kain Principal Secretary Defence Services Welfare, R N Gupta Financial Commissioner Forests, S C Agrawal Financial Commissioner Fisheries and Animal Husbandry, D S Jaspal Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare, J R Kundal Principal Secretary Water Supply, Kusumjit Sidhu Financial Commissioner Cooperation, A R Talwar Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce, D S Bains Principal Secretary Local Government, Suresh Kumar Secretary Power ad Irrigation, N S Kalsi Secretay Employment Generation, Mandeep Singh Sandhu MD PUNSUP, Dharamvir Commissioner Appeals, Patiala, D P Reddy Secretary Revenue, A S Chhhatwal MD PIDB and Commissioner NRI Affairs, M P Singh Secretary Environment and Science-Technology, Narinderjit Singh Secretary Social Secretary and Chile -Women Welfare, R Venkat Ratnam Transport Commissioner, Jagjit Puri Secretary Information and Public Relations plus MD Tourism Development Corporation, A Venu Prasad Commissioner Excise and Taxation, Iqbal Singh Sidhu Special Secretary Health and Family Welfare, R K Verma MD Punjab Information and Communication Technology Corporation and Gurdev Singh Sidhu Secretary Medical Education.

Badu to be Member of OERC

Krushna Chandra Badu who sought VRS is joining this week as Member of the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission. He is 1988 batch IAS officer.

Raja is IG Traffic in J & K

Aijaz Ali Raja has been appointed new IG Traffic and J & K. He is 1987 batch IPS officer.

Kerala cadre IAS officer joins Jharkhand Govt

Kerala cadre IAS officer Rabindra Kumar Agrawal has joined the Jharkhand Government on deputation.1997 batch IAS officer Agrawal has been appointed Director of Social Welfare.

IFS officer is Director Toursim in Jharkhand

Indian Forests Service officer Deepak Singh has been appointed Director Tourism in Jharkhand.

Excellent PROs of Rahul Baba

Media watchers are wondering at the efficiency of Rahul Gandhi's network.Rahul's PROs are active 24 X 7 .They are able to transmit photographs and gist of his speech within a few minutes of his public meetings,from remotest corner of the country to all media groups around the country.Will Rahul Baba like to organize a training camp for media cell of AICC in Delhi?

Major Reshuffle in Pakistan Bureaucracy

Masood Alam will be new Cabinet Secretary.Secretary Textiles Alam has replaced Kamran Rasul. Kamran Rasul will take over as Secretary Defence. , Kamran Rasul has become Pakistan's first civilian defence secretary in many years. Sohail Safdar was appointed as the first inter-provincial coordination secretary.

IAS postings in J & K

There are changes in IAS in J & K. New postings are :-Mssrs Sheikh Rafiq Ahmed DC Rajouri, B S Jamwal DC Samba, A D Shanas DC Ramban, Shahid Inayatullah DC Kishtwar, Sourabh Bhagat DC Doda, Farooq Renzu DC Kupwara,Sheikh Mushtaq DC Bandipora, G M Bodha DC Ganderbal, Asfandiyar Khan DC Budgam, Abdul Hamid DC Shopian, Abdul Latif Deva DC Kulgam, R K Bhagat DC Kargil, Sanjeev Verma DC Reasi,Ravi Thusoo Secretary Labour and Employment,G N Sofi MD SRTC,A M Khandey MD Handicrafts Corporation, Charanjit Singh District Development Commissioner Jammu, Parvez Malik Director Mining, Shafat Noor Additional Secretary Power and Dr Pawan Kotwal Secretary to the Chief Minister. Zaffar Ahmad, Special Secretary to Chief Minister shall hold additional charge of Director Information.

Air Marshal Gupta is DGMS

Air Marshal J.K. Gupta has been appointed Director-General Medical Services (Air).He succeeds Air Marshal H.K. Maini at

FORUM

Go into details of SEZ

The famous SEZ Units/EoUs are projected as one of the major foreign exchange earners for the country. Would some body go into their actual FE earnings as compared to their actual imports? I am sure, you will be surprised.
Ravi

25 percent posts of DM should go to PCS

Posting of senior and experienced State Civil Service Officers as District Magistrate is a welcome move. It is suggested that 25% of the post of District Magistrates should be excluded from the IAS Cadre in the state. Other states should also follow this . It will generate competition between IAS DMs and SCS DMs and result will be performance based which will be good for the state and its people. WB government deserves to be praised for this.
Keshav Prasad

What happened to restructuring of NHAI ?

What has happened to MUCH HYPED restructuring of NHAI which is going on and on since Jan. 05. It is learnt that Minister of Transport, TR Baalu is not in favour of it. Is PM and FM listening.. they had declared this time and again on 15th August speech and FM in his last budget speech. Is Minister of Transport supreme than FM and PM collectively... only time will tell...........

How come 2004 batch IAS is collector

It is shocking and at the same time horrifying to see a 2004 batch IAS officer being given charge of collector. Normally an officer from the IAS is institutionally trained for a period of two years and then he is posted in the field as SDM or Assistant Collector in the junior scale. Again after completion of four years he is promoted to the senior scale and the post of collector is always in the senior scale irrespective of any state or joint cadre. Posting of an officer who is three years old in the service as collector proves beyond doubt the abyss our governance has slipped upto.

Rajesh Kumar Singh

Nikita

Aaj Ki Aawaz

Manmohan Ji's praise of Rao sure got some astonished,
His detractors rubbing their hands in glee say that for this he's going to be punished!!!

Please do keep the occasion in mind,
This was a Conference arranged by Rao's bro and Manmohan was just being kind!!!

Manmohan worked with Rao and just mentioned the good points in Rao that he saw,
Speaking on the bad points is against gentleman's law!!!!

But there is no doubt vested interests will try to make us read a lot into this,
An opportunity to drive a wedge between Sonia and Manmohan some will not miss!!

Dal mein hai kaala,
And in Channa too there's a ghotala!!!

Kamalnath is in a fix,
Power and greed sure make a heady mix!!

He now has a question mark against his name,
Understand that now he's in Sonia's book of shame!!

Now what will HRD Ministry do ???
For one SC's verdict they are going to boo!!!

Maybe a Judicial review,
But by the looks of it review too will have the same view!!!

Basically HRD ministry has not been able to quantify the basis for reservation,
As per SC its just Sarkaar's mental creation!!!

Brinda says ' Mums the word on Nandigram'… too painful to comment,
Now days Commies Nandigram ko silently karthe hai lament!!!

They say on Nandigram silence is 25 Karat gold for Brinda….mein chupp rahoongi,
'Karat ji naraaz ho jayenge agar kuch kahoongi'!!!!

Rajnath says BSP and SP are like Sole Proprietorships…. Party mein sabh ka maalik ek,
Maalik aap ko Party mein raktha/rakthi hai and jabh dill karre bahar detha/dethi ha fekk (throw)!!

Rajnath says that Mayawhati has put her Party's tickets for sale,
And Mulayam by helping SIMI activists fight against terrorism ko karr raha hai fail!!

Mayawathi is selling tickets because BSP tickets are in demand,
Mulayam's wants to get back on the Muslim Vote Bank his command!!!

Because Mulayam's vote bank has sprung a huge leak,
And leaking is not at its peak!!!

Amrinder now says that flights are overbooked and he's not getting a seat,
Basically whenever he goes to book his return ticket he starts feeling the heat!!!

He goes to the Airline Office and then comes back without making a booking,
And then he rings up his cronies and tells them into flight schedules he's looking!!!

Chahal is looking into Medical Journals for diseases that he can use,
So that from appearing in Court ho jaye woh excuse!!!

Punjab's FM will have to find a cure for Punjab's critically ill Exchequer,
Fiscal revival plan he will have to chequer !!!

For starters how about curbing wasteful expenditure and enforcing fiscal prudence,
Stop with Punjab's rarest recourse's wastage.... wasteful impudence!!

Our World Cup Cricket team should be sentenced to one year of 'galli cricket',
Everyday , even on Sunday, they should be play on a dusty and pebbly wicket!!!

Companies have withdrawn ads starring cricketers…. negative ads,
Nobody wants to star in their ads our 'fallen lads'!!!

So now our lads spend time at home,
They do not feel it safe to roam!!!

Indian Cricket Team should be a young one….. out with the old,
Basically this old lot was oversold!!!

Bharat Kumar

Aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

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CORPORATE

Narayanan to be ED of United Bank !

General Manager of the Bank of India G Narayanan is being appointed ED of the United Bank.

Who will be Member of TDSAT ?

Who will succeed Vinod Vaish as Member of the TDSAT? Seven candidates are reported to have been short-listed for the post.

CMD of Hindustan Salts arrested

CMD of the Hindustan Salts K Ponnu Samy has been arrested by the CBI.

Rear Admiral Chary is new Director

Rear Admiral S V S Chary has taken over as Director (Ship Building) of Mazagon Dock Ltd..

Anil Khanna is Blue Dart MD

Anil Khanna has been appointed as managing director of the Blue Dart Express Ltd..company. Anil replaces Malcolm Monteiro who has moved to DHL Express Asia Pacific.

Phadke is MD of KAPL

.L. Phadke has taken over as Managing Director of Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited (KAPL) .

Deepak Bagla joins "3 I"

Deepak Bagla has taken over as country head of "3 I " the largest private equity fund in the World.He is son of ex bureaucrat and was formerly with the Citibank.