What people say about us !

Wish you a very happy New Year. I am a regular reader and there is not even a line of praise about Stenographers and Private Secretries in your site. This tribe is the real watch-dog and according to a famous American Columnist, the success of one's boss lies in getting a good Secretary.
K Raghuraman
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TOP BRASS

Young, dynamic and dashing Jeh Wadia is scion of the famous Industrialists family of Wadias' for whom the dream is to see all 600000 villages in India turn self reliant. Though, age and opportunities are on his side, he is quite busy, yet he obliged us by sharing his frank views in an interview with the "whispersinthecorridors.com".

He emphatically said "innovation and premium quality service have always been the hallmark of the Wadia Group. As part of restructuring the Group, we plan to capture various sunrise businesses in India."

As Managing Director of the of the low cost carrier (LCC) i.e. the "GoAir" he said "we are aiming at expanding our fleet to 33 aircrafts by end 2008.Nanaji Deshmukh has been a mentor for me and under his leadership I started to volunteer for the Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) in Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh).President APJ Dr. Abdul Kalam's project, PURA focuses on connectivity of villages primarily and one of its goals is also to provide vocational training to villages, while DRI focuses on making villages self sufficient.

He listed various measures of making LCCs in India more viable while stating the "GoAir" aims to be the premium low-cost airline in India and will provide passengers a comfortable and affordable option to popular holiday and business destinations in India. We have a market share of 4% and plan to increase the same to 10% by second year of operations."
Unveiling expansion plans he said, "we have also made strategic investments in the healthcare, retail and real estate arena. We are now looking at setting up GoCargo and GoEngineering."

To chill he loves three things sun, sea and surf which are available at his one of the favourite holiday spots in Thailand. Jeh Wadia as well said "I enjoy adventure sports. I'm also a complete beach person and love to spend time with my family in Goa. Here goes his interview:

1/What are your expansion plans? As a low budget airline how are you surviving?

GoAir's first service on 4th November 2005, started with 4 destinations with 6 scheduled flights a day - today we service 13 destinations with 385 flights per week. We have just added one more aircraft to our fleet making it a total of 7 aircraft which will go up to 8 by December 2006. We are aiming at expanding our fleet to 33 aircrafts by end 2008.

GoAir aims to be the premium low-cost airline in India and will provide passengers a comfortable and affordable option to popular holiday and business destinations in India.

We are currently at a 30-35% cost advantage compared to full fare carriers due to the low turn around times, higher utilisation, no interlining principles, sale of meals on board, more efficient staff utilisation etc. We have a market share of 4% and plan to increase the same to 10% by second year of operations.

In terms of Distribution, GoAir too has reduced its distribution costs with internet booking, E-ticketing etc. With the increase in internet connectivity and the realisation that the cheapest fares are available directly on the net, more and more passengers are now opting to book their tickets online.

As a low budget airline, one of the key concerns today is infrastructural support. The LCCs abroad have the support of fantastic subsidised infrastructure and are not at par with the Full service carriers. However, in India, the LCCs have to pay the same as the Full service carriers for infrastructure, fuel subsidies, parking costs, etc, which can be quite a hindrance to becoming a true LCC in every sense.

Also, certain other policy changes like the option to outsource areas like Security, Ground Handling and the ability to hedge ATF prices will make LCCs even further competitive.

2/What are the disadvantages of being born with a silver spoon in the mouth?

The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. I've always had a lot of leeway in what I wanted to do and have tried out new business ideas.

But I haven't exactly had it served on a platter to me. My parents wanted me to start right from the shop floor and not directly inherit a comfortable position at the top. Hence my work with the Wadia Group started on the shop floor as a Spinning Manager in Bombay Dyeing textile mills where cotton used to go in my ears and get stuck to my clothes. This initial start up helped me in the long run as regards discipline, understanding my employees and appreciating the privileges in life. Also, the understanding of the production process enhanced my knowledge and helped me deal with clients.

3/Any further plans for diversification?

The Wadia group has just signed a Term Sheet to form a Joint Venture Company (JVC) with SIA Engineering Company Limited to offer maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services in India. They would operate as separate entities.

We have also made strategic investments in the healthcare, retail and real estate arena. We are now looking at setting up GoCargo and GoEngineering.

4/What's your favourite food? How do you like to chill out?

One of my favourite restaurants is Nobu in London, a Japanese fine dining restaurant and my favourite dishes are Salmon and Caviar tartare, Black Cod, Snow Crab, Lobster Wasabi and Spicy Prawn Tempura.

I enjoy adventure sports. My stint with a car dealer in London during my student days saw me speeding in Ferraris and Bentleys. I also have pleasant memories of having piloted the MIG29 aircraft a few years back.

I'm also a complete beach person and love to spend time with my family in Goa. As far as holidays destinations go, Thailand remains one of my favourite holiday spots for the sun, sea and surf.

5/Since age and opportunities are with you, how would you like utilise innovations for a better industrial growth?

Innovation and premium quality service have always been the hallmark of the Wadia Group. Today only those who combine a great vision with a strong operational capability, resulting in higher growth and higher profitability are termed as successful organisations. As part of restructuring the Group, we plan to capture various sunrise businesses in India.

GoAir is a brilliant example of innovation in the current travel and aviation sector. The concept of a low cost airline is relatively new in a country like India. With GoAir we have commoditised air travel by offering fares at affordable prices which are at par with train or bus fares.

Going forward we will continue to ensure that there is innovation in everything we do, in all departments where human resources are deployed, including planning, development, marketing and also at the delivery end point.

6/Who is your role model & why?

Nanaji Deshmukh has been a mentor for me and under his leadership I started to volunteer for the Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) in Chitrakoot. You see, he started this development in 1973 and his vision was that the reform of rural India cannot come through politics and hence he chose to opt out of politics in '73 when his government came into power and decided to take up this cause through private initiatives. That's how the DRI was born, with the very simple objective: Making people self-reliant.

DRI's core competence is to develop working models for villages in rural India adopting models of Health & Hygiene, Education, Entrepreneur training, Agriculture development etc. Nanaji Deshmukh's dream was to distribute the knowledge to 6,00,000 villages making them all self-reliant and it his dream which I wish to fulfil during my lifetime.

7/Is there any possibility of launching a nation wide drive for villagers' upliftment,on the lines of your contribution at the Chitrakoot located Deendayal Shodh Sansthan(popular as the DRI)?

As mentioned above, currently we are looking at making 6,00,000 villages self-sufficient through the Chitrakoot project which is quite a significant number. It will take us some time to achieve this mission after which we will evaluate the options of extending this to other areas of the country.

8/How is it different from President Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's concept of providing urban amenities in rural areas (PURA)?

President APJ Dr.Abdul Kalam's project, PURA focuses on connectivity of villages primarily and one of its goals is also to provide vocational training to villages, while DRI focuses on making villages self sufficient.

The similarity between both the projects is that of helping villages with regards to the betterment of their economy and standard of living, but the difference is that while PURA looks at the connectivity angle, DRI aims at making them self reliant.
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NAME THE NAMELESS

Who is the Super Boss & Super Cop-name the nameless.

For a change, this is not a whisper. In fact, it's a yell from the housetop. A yell for the year 2007.If our patrons endorse it, this yell from the WHISPERS should reverberate in corridors of all state capitals, besides of course the heart of India-that Delhi has always been and shall so remain all times to come.

These are happening times. You don't do things. They happen. Or you make them happen. Everywhere on the eve of or at the advent of New Year, people were or are busy looking for their Man of the year. Politicians, businessmen, moviemen, sportsmen and social activists are hogging limelight. The civil servants continue to remain the self-effacing names behind the supposedly big names. They run the Rails and the rustic humour of someone Read gets Qudos and Credits. Thats the funny way democracy goes. Interesting, isn't it?

We thought on the New Year Day we should attempt doing the hitherto unattempted and un-done. You and us will make it happen. We are going launch you this year on a thrilling voyage of a discovery. We are declaring that in the Year 2007 all of you would help us discover the Bureaucrat of the Year and also the Super cop of the Year in each of our major states. Besides, New Delhi's 'Supers' which will happen in December 2007.Every month we will be looking for a Super Boss and Super Cop of the Year in a particular state.

We request all those who are interested in our WHISPERS and visit us frequently to send us the names of such individual officers whom they consider as a Super Bureaucrat and a Super Cop in their state. We are putting forth no yardsticks. You judge entirely on your own. The nominations will rest entirely and exclusively on your wisdom. Just E-Mail the name of Super Boss and Super Cop of your state. This flow of nominations will end on the last day of the month.
We will announce the winner on the 7th day of next month. Seven, the numerologists say, is the number of mystery. Therefore, a good day to unfold it.

And Uttar Pradesh is the first state, we are beginning with. Arguably the most appropriate state to discover the undiscoverable or to name the perennially nameless. There is no territorial bar. You can nominate even for an incumbent outside your state. You can be brief or elaborate. As you choose. You don't even have to disclose your identity. We will trust you.
So, here we begin. Just E Mail us on <sureshmehrotra@yahoo.com>A very Happy New Year.

Three new SC Judges this month
Three new Judges of the Supreme Court of India are likely to be sworn in this month. They are Justice V S Sirpurkar Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Justice H S Bedi Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and Justice B S Reddy Chief Justice of the Assam High Court.

Virk Empanelled
Punjab DGP S S Virk has been empanelled to the rank of DG in the Government of India during the last review meeting. He is 1972 batch IPS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

Ajay Prasad to retire
Secretary Civil Aviation Ajay Prasad is retiring by this month. He is 1969 batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre.

Three new members of the CBDT
Three new Members have been appointed in the CBDT.They are Mssrs- Prasanna Kumar Misra CC, New Delhi, S Majumdar-DG Jaipur and R.N.Upadhyay CC.All three of them have been instructed by Finance Minister to join immediately.

CCIT Transfers today
A list of the appointment of altogether 33 Chief Commissioners of Income-Tax is being issued on Thursday.

Jyotiraditya complains against Digvijay Singh
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia is said to have complained to the AICC President Sonia Gandhi against Digvijay Singh. Guess what?.

Kapoor is State Election Commissioner in Gujarat
K C Kapoor has been appointed State Election Commissioner in Gujarat. He is retired 1973 batch IAS officer.

ISS TV Soap in the making
Sardar Patel Bhavan is the house of "Big Boss". With each order issued by ISS CCA, there is emotion, drama, anger, hope, frustration, happiness amongst the officers -- essential for a successful TV Soap. Another order has been issued by the CCA on last Jumma at the level of Additional Secretary. Considering the hue and cry their earlier order of 11/2 created, all the seven officers have been adjusted in Delhi. Two important organisations at Kolkata have been left headless on the mercy of almighty. An officer having no experience in a field organisation or administration has been posted in FOD to man about 160 offices throughout India with a staff of about 5000. Grapevine has been that there is systematic attempt to kill the organisation. What is important is the language you speak! And "Big Boss" is smiling.

CAT Results and IIM-G
Many IIM Graduates have left lucrative careers in the private sector to join public service. However, while the nation is agog with CAT results, there is not much thinking on appropriate placement for such IIM Grads in Government, even though they have reached fairly senior levels. Airports Authority of India talks of inducting IIM Grads from the market as CEOs of its proposed SPVs, when such IIM Grads, already in Government, irrespective of the service they belong to, could fulfil the need much better. To discuss how they could contribute together to making governance better, an egroup is operational for such MBAs from top-notch Institutes who then joined public service. There are 32 members already. Interested officers could send an email with their details to iimg-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.in

Bhatnagar is GM SWR
Girish Bhatnagar General Manager Rail Wheel Factory, Bangalore, has taken over as General Manager, South Western Railway.He has replaced T N Perti.

IAS changes in Andhra Pradesh
There is IAS reshuffle in Andhra Pradesh. New changes are :-MssrsG N Rao Commissioner Civil Supplies, Mohammad Shaffiquzzaman MD State Warehousing Corporation,N Narsimha Rao Commissioner Fisheries,P Sundar Kumar Commissioner Endowments,P V Ramesh Secretary Medical Education,D Sambasiva Rao Commissioner Toursim,Sabyasachi Ghosh Director Small Savings and N Srikanth Executive Officer Tirupati Devsthanams.

Bhan is acting DG of CSIR
Biotechnology Department Secretary M.K. Bhan will now be acting Director- General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

IFS changes in Madhya Pradesh
Over one dozen IFS officers have been transferred in Madhya Pradesh.

NTPC man is Chairman of Jharkhand EB
NTPC Man B N Pandey has been appointed new Chairman of the Jharkhand State Electricity Board.

Wilson to be VC of HP University
Principal of St Stephens College, New Delhi, Anil Wilson is being appointed the next Vice-Chancellor of the Himachal Pradesh University.

FORUM

Compensation for delay in air travel
Recently, Delhi Consumer Forum gave a judgment for compensation for delayed flights to each air traveler. It recognizes the fact that compensation is not limited to the quantum of fees paid for a service or price for a product, but can be practically unlimited in scope. It is a very laudable step in protecting the rights of consumers, while taking into consideration the limitations of nature or mechanical failure that any machine or logistic chain suffers despite best plans.
I think this should also be extended to other forms of business like telecom operators, electricity suppliers and generation, farmers, members of the police and governance, and even for judiciary. After all justice delayed is justice denied, so expedient timeframes for all court cases are mandatory. This may require radical changes in the way cases are presented and argues, to make very precise and concise written arguments at every stage essential, rather than the prosaic form followed historically. The second change is to limit written arguments and counter arguments in 2 steps mandatory, and postponement only once for a hearing. US is a good example of speedy disposal of cases, with most disposed in single crisp hearing….viz. guilty or not, and mounting penalties levied for timewasters, with rare adjournments for petty civic matters like fines, tax issues etc. Laws and rules are equally simple and direct, avoiding ambiguity or reinterpretation. Even criminal cases take short time as compared to Indian system, and
Appeal gets over in 2 steps.
The Indian system allows multiple side points, Notice of Motions, Appeals etc. In an unending maze, rather than taking the case in totality and in holistic fashion, besides emphasis on technicalities, rather than the spirit of the law. Occasionally the Supreme Court shows the spirit more than the technicality in their judgments or directions.
It is another matter that their directions are dissected while opinions are totally ignored by the law makers, aided by the same officers charged with upholding the law.
The Indian penchant for convoluted long-drawn argument must have good historical basis, and past practice to have survived without review and redressal towards a more direct, short, concise, and piercing, structured once and for all argument style that is followed in Egypt and others following their jurisprudence. Good things towards brevity must be a priority.

Jai Hind !

Ms.Astra

Aaj Ki Aawaz

Mulayam says that this is not a Law and Order matter,
Words of looniness from a mad hatter!!!

This is worse than a Law and Order problem!!! These macabre murders show the total bankruptcy in Law and Order!!! Had the Police taken cognisance of the complaints many lives could have been saved!!! And Amar Singh tries to gloss over by saying that the Noida Police were hot on the trail and had been tracking girls trafficking all over India….. and this Ripper Moninder was on the job in the Noida Police's own backyard…… bagall mein murderer aur poore India mein dhandhora!!!

Amrinder's choice for Sainik Board Chief sure stinks,
Like the appointer the appointee acts and thinks!!!!

Punjab's Sainik Board Chief Brig. Jaswal is facing allegations of harassment from quite a few employees!!! Employees of Punjab Sainik Board swear that Jaswal is a bully and he's been trying all kinds of tricks!!!! But, then this should not be surprising …… he's Amrinder's handpicked man!!! Antony has asked Chief Ministers to tone up Sainik Boards…… hopefully the Akalis will do this!!!

After being interviewed by Ivy League …….. Laloo now feels he has a Wharton MBA degree,
'I want a Wharton Blazer', Laloo ne karra hai decree'!!!

Very soon you may get to see Laloo wearing a Wharton Blazer over his Pringle 'chitkabra' sweaters!! Also on his Visiting Cards and on the Plaque outside his Office and House his so called achievement will be mentioned…. Laloo Prasad Yadav, Interviewed by IIM , Interviewed by Ivy League..... as if these were degress!!! And now Laloo is scouting for a Doctorate…… feels this will be the crowning jewel …….. understand that in Sicily , Cosa Nostra does give Doctorates in Thuggery…….suitable for Laloo as he just wants the 'Dr.' prefix before his name …… the Awarder or the kind of Doctorate do not matter!!!

Continuing the Saddam story,
Hollywood movie…. Saddam returns to USA and makes Bush feel sorry!!!

Another story for Hollywood….. the duplicate is hung and the real Saddam undergoes a face and voice job and with his $ 23 Billion Treasure enters USA and gets into US Politics and ultimately becomes the US President and runs the Bush clan into the ground!!! Or enters USA and starts an Arab Mob ……… and you have three parts of the Arab Godfather!!!!

Stripping of a young Lady at Gateway Of India shows the pits drunks can fall,
And they were all supposed to be having a ball!!!

A young couple was at Gateway of India to celebrate the New Years….. its estimated that there were 2000 people present!!!! Some amongst them went out of their heads and set their eyes on this couple……the stripped the girl……..the man tried to stop them but to no avail!!! Besharmi and depravity seems to be outdoing the Sensex!!!

Bharat Kumar
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CORPORATE

Interviews for bank' EDs from 8th
Interviews for the Executive Directors in nationalized banks are slated to be held on the 8th and 9th of January. As many as 88 aspirants are trying their luck for 14 posts.

Rafat is MD Seeds Corporation in AP
Mohammad Ali Rafat has been appointed MD of the Seeds Development Corporation in Andhra Pradesh. He is 1994 batch IAS officer.

Standard Chartered Ban man to join Ask Raymond
Standard Chartered man Rajesh Saluja has been appointed CEO of the Ask Raymond James.

Venkitaramanan resigns
Former Governor of the RBI S Venkitaramanan has resigned from the Board of Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation.

Pradhan appointed CIO
Tushar Pradhan has been appointed by the AIG Global Asset Management Company as Chief Investment Officer - Equity.

Biju is new CIO of DMA Branding
Biju Domnic is new CEO of brand and design consultants DMA Branding. Prior to this he was vice-president at Mudra.

Chakravarty to head ARF
Chanakya Chakravarty, one of the founding members of Cushman and Wakefield Inida, has joined private equity fund Actis. He will head the real estate fund and will be designated MD.