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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

Who will be CCIT I Mumbai ?

Who will be new Chief Commissioner of Income Tax Mumbai I? Tie is said to between P K Dubey and P C Chhotray.

IPS reshuffle in Rajasthan

In a major IPS reshuffle in Rajasthan 26 District SPs have been transferred.

1993 batch is DIG in TamilNadu

Two 1993 batch IPS officers A Arumugam and Shailesh Kumar Yadav have been promoted to the rank of DIG in TamilNadu.

1981 batch IPS is ADG in Rajasthan

1981 batch IPS officers have been promoted to the rank of ADG in Rajasthan. They are Mssrs Jaswant Sampat Ram,Navdeep Singh, and Manoj Bhatt.

1982 batch IAS is PS in Rajasthan

1982 batch IAS officers Mssrs Malovika Pawar,Vipin Chandra Sharma,Vinod Zutshi,Damodar Sharma,Bharatram Meena ,Sohan Lal,B K Meena and Parvindra Singh have been promoted to the rank of Principal Secretary.

Vijayanunni Adviser for GoI Project

Dr M Vijayanunni, (IAS 1969), former Chief Secretary of Kerala & former Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, has been engaged to advise on the formulation of a new and innovative GoI project to assign unique ID for all the people of India. This is a mammoth scheme to cover the one thousand one hundred million people inhabiting the country with a unique identification for each and the Prime Minister himself is understood to have evinced keen interest in its implementation. The Information Technology Department is looking after the project.

1991 batch IAS gets super-time scale in Rajasthan

All the three 1991 batch IAS officers S C Derashree,Manoj Sharma and Sudhansh Pant have been given super-time scale in Rajasthan.

Amar Ujala Gorakhpur Edition from today

A New edition of Hindi Daily Amar Ujala is being launched from Gorakhpur today.

Anil Kumar transferred to RDSO

Anil Kumar, SG/IRSME/South Western Railway, has been transferred to RDSO, and posted in the cadre.

Runwal is IG Hoshangabad in MP

Pradip Runwal has been appointed IG Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. He is 1988 batch IPS officer.

1990 batch IAS gets super-time scale in Rajasthan

Mssrs Sanjay Malhotra,Shivaji Ram Parthihar,Jagdish Chandra,R K Jain and W R Yadav have been given super-time scale in Rajasthan. They all belong to 1990 batch IAS.

Energy Secretary in Sikkim gets re-employment

D D Pradhan, PCE - Cum-Secretary, Energy and Power Department has been re-employed as Pr. Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary, Energy and Power Department for a period of six month in Sikkim.

1989 batch IPS gets IG rank in Rajasthan

1989 batch IPS officers have been promoted to the rank of IG in Rajasthan. They are Mssrs Umesh Mishra,N Morris Babu,Neena Singh and R K Chauhan.

Anil Gulati gets award

Anil Gulati has been awarded an 'Outstanding photographer contributor award' for the year 2006 by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, for his contribution of photographs to photoshare web site. He is the first one from the state of Madhya Pradesh to get this honour. He has contributed more than 30 photographs on honorary basis to this site from across the state of Madhya Pradesh covering its various districts. Many of his photographs have been picked up by International agencies like John Hopkins, UNESCO, UNIFEM, Population institute, Packard foundation, USAID, Engender health etc.

S K Mishra re-elected

Retired IAS officer S K Mishra has been re-elected Chairman of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach).

Anuradha Prasad gets posting

Anuradha Prasad who was Director in the Department of Economic Affairs on return to the parent cadre IDAS has been posted as Joint CGDA, New Delhi.

PS to Union Minister posted in Meerut

PS to Union Science and Technology Minister, Avinash Dixit, has been posted in Meerut as CDA Army. He is an IDAS officer.

Tejendra Khanna appointed Lt. Governor,Delhi

Tejendra Khanna will be new Lt. Governor of Delhi with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office.Orders in this regard have been issued.He is expcted to take oath on April 9,2007.

( We said this on March 31 )

B.L. Joshi is new Governor of Meghalaya

B.L. Joshi, Lt. Governor of the Delhi will be the Governor of Meghalaya.His appointment would be effective from the date he assumes charge of his office.
( We said this on March 31)

K. Sankaranarayanan to hold addl charge of Arunachal Pradesh

Katteekal Sankaranarayanan Governor of Nagaland has been assigned the additional charge of the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.This arrangement would be in force till Shilendra Kumar Singh Governor Arunachal Pradesh is on leave.

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A. A. Sayed to be Addl judge of Maharashtra HC

Amjad Ahtesham Sayed will be an Additional Judge of Bombay High Court.His appointment would be for two years from the date he assumes charge of his office.

Justice Virender Singh to go J & K HC

Justice Virender Singh Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been transferred to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.He has to assume his new charge before April 20, 2007.
( We said this on March 31 )

Rajiv Shukla for stakes in Aaj Tak

Noted journalist Rajiv Shukla & a top executive of Aaj Tak have reportedly approached the management of Living Media group for a stake in the Company.As the grapevine has it they are looking for 26 per cent stakes in the said company.It may be mentioned that top industrial group being led Mukesh Ambani had recently denied having evinced any interest to have stakes in "Aaj Tak", whereas Anil Ambani group already has 11 per cent stakes in "Aaj Tak". The last valuation of Living Media group was done Citigroup(Citibank).

Repreive to Arunachal Pradesh CM

Beleagured Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang has got a breather.As the grapevine has it ,the Congress party High Command has given him one month's time to either contain the dissidence or step down.

E Ahmad returns to India

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs,E.Ahmad has returned to India from Manama(Bahrain)where he had sustained multiple fractures three days ago.He came back with his medico daughter.

UP polls & Congress chief's endeavour

Congress chief Mrs. Sonia Gandhi is leaving no stone unturned to secure minority votes in Uttar Prasdesh where assembly polls would conclude by May 7,2007.Muslim businessmen from Mumbai & clergies from Northern and Western India are frequently being given appointments at 10 Janpath,through Ahmad Patel.This is aimed at ensuring embloc voting by muslims in favour of the Congress.Yesterday's judgement by Allahabad High Court to defranchise muslims as aminorities has come as a shot in the arm of Congress.

IPS reshuffle in Orissa

There is IPS reshuffle in Orissa. New postings are :-MssrsK D Sambhaji SP Jaipur,S Panda SP Bargarh,N B Bharathi SP CID,Vinaytosh Mishra goes to Transport,G S K Ishwardas SP Malkangiri,H K Lal SP Bolangir,N Bhol SP Kandhamal,P S Ranpise SP Kendrapara,Ravi Kant SP Rourkela,Prateek Mohanty SP Angul,K Kaushal SP Jaharsuguda,S K Singh SP Mayurbhanj,Patil A. Bhagwatrao SP SP Balasore,A K Srangi SP Sonepur and B K Sahoo goes to Vigilance .

Virk Suspended

Former Punjab DGP S S Virk has been suspended on the charge of purchasing land in violation of service rules.He is likely to move to the CAT against suspension.

FORUM

Look at the case of West Bengal

Industries do need land but what is remarkable about Indian Industry is their effort to give the impression that the society needs them more than they need the society. The Indian establishment (at least in some states) too seems to have been taken in by such propaganda. Just look at the ease with which the Govt. of West Bengal joined the chorus with Tata in selling the idea that it is Bengal that needs Tata and what a disaster it would be if Tata decided to opt out of Bengal. What is most bemusing in the entire process is the sudden new twist given to the concept of 'public purpose' for invoking the States' power of inflicting compulsory deprivation of the citizens' private property by invoking the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. If setting up of industry by a private entrepreneur is a business proposition, let it start in a business like manner by the entrepreneur approaching the owners of the land for a sale out at mutually agreed terms and rates rather than riding piggy back on the State apparatus and securing the primary resource (land) for a song in the name of 'public purpose' leaving the poor citizen horrified and helpless in the face of such open loot. Indian industry crying hoarse for 'level playing field' vis-a-vis MNCs must practice agree for a level playing field vis-a-vis poor land owning peasants on the issue of payment of open market value for the land on which they want to start their factories and workshops. Level playing field like charity must begin at homer.
N N Ojha

Aaj Ki Aawaz

How can prices be reigned in….. Sarkaar's hands working against each other??
If prices have to be reigned-in hands have to work together!!

One hand is trying to reduce prices and other is slyly working the other way,
One hand is banning exports and the other slyly tells exporters 'you may'!!!

Question being asked is what comes first murgi or andaa in the matter of inflation,
Are commodity prices rising on account of inflation or is inflation commodity prices ka creation???

And the ban put in place by Sarkaar has not reigned in prices because ban has leaked,
Vested interests are circumventing the ban….. ban has been tweaked!!

Why does BJP shoot itself in the leg???
Seems to get into one controversy or the other BJP karthi hai beg!!!!

Be pro Hindu ……no harm in being so!!!
But on the anti Islam road why does BJP have to go????

Offer the Hindus the World…… no harm in doing this!!!
But to positioning itself as anti Islam BJP should have given the miss!!!!

But BJP would say Muslims as it is look at it as anti them,
So BJP say would say that our anti Muslim rhetoric why should we stem!!!

Congress and SP are pro Muslims but on Hindus they just keep mum,
Why doesn't BJP do the same…. be mum on Muslims and apni Hindu tune karro hum!!!

BJP mein Uma ki waapasi……. Sanyasan coming back home,
Alone it was becoming painful to roam!!!

The initial euphoria went phuss….. and desertion was an every day affair,
Seems the isolation was becoming too difficult to bear!!!

Rahul Baba says he's not in the politics of power… politics of sewa,
He hopes that for his sewa he'll get power as mewa!!!

Ask him without power how will he do Sewa……. why not be frank???
Saying he does not hanker for power looks more like a prank!!!

Never position yourself against the obvious,
Don't ever thing that the people to the obvious are oblivious!!

What is UPA's stand going to be on the killings in Nandigram…killings most foul???
Will UPA shout and say that on CPM's part this is a heinous foul???

CPM will justify the killings…… in similar cases has done so in the past too,
CPM postions itself as pro people.... with what mooh!!!

Punjab stands at crossroads….make or break situation,
And this is successive Governments ki creation!!!

A wrong turn and Punjab could end up on a muddy and dusty road to doom,
A correct turn and Punjab would be on the highway to boom!!!

For Sarkaar money saved is money earned….. belt tightening is required in Punjab,
Treasury's haalath is pretty kharaab!!!!

Amrinder has applied for Anticipatory Bail,
Seems Punjab's VB has got Shere Kabab cum Shabaab cum Sharaab by the tail!!!

Though some say that he'll keep postponing his return on one pretext or the other,
Like now he's going to say he has to stay back to take care of his Mother!!!

Chappel says senior players interfered a lot,
Has opined from the top has set in the rot!!!

Sachin on the other hand has trashed what Chappel has said,
But Indians ke liye why is Sachin seeing red?????

Isn't it our adulation that has given him money and fame,
And now humm ko karr raha hai Sachin blame!!!

And as Indian Cricket is in its worst condition BCCI is contemplating a salary hike,
Whereas the Board and other Officials in BCCI should be told to 'take a hike'!!!

If Indian cricket has to pulled out of the doldrums it's in then BCCI mein sabh ko karro sack,
Its time to use the axe….. from BCCI sabh ko karro hack!!!

Give control to players let them start afresh……. Pawar and the likes of him ka karro ban,
BCCI ko Cricketers karre man!!!!

Bharat Kumar

Aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

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CORPORATE

Delhi's decision on SEZs and its fall out

Yesterday's decision by Empowered Group of Ministers(EGOM)on Special Economic Zones(SEZs) would have far reaching repercussions vis a vis the decision to cap the land at 5000 hectares from retrospective effect.Experts feel the maximum affect would be on the Mukesh Ambani led group whose SEZs are coming up in Navi Mumbai and Haryana.The latter would be worst hit due to the EGOM's decision.

New scheme of Maharashtra Tribal Development Corporation

Maharashtra State Co-op. Tribal Development Corporation Ltd. (Government of Maharashtra Undertaking ) has started ON-LINE shopping of genuine Tribal Products / Handicraft to boost Tribal families economy and to provide gainful employment to them at www.mahatdc.com . This venture is the brainchild of Paraag Jain Managing Director of the Corporation.

Chief Executives to meet on April 24

Reserve Bank governor YV Reddy will meet the chief executives of important scheduled commercial banks on April 24 at 11 am.

Thomas elected Vice-Chairman

J K Thomas has been elected Vice-Chairman of the Tea Board of India.

Shahani is President of Bombay Chamber of Commerce

Ranjit Shahani has been elected President of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce.