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Tripathi to head ARC ?
Grapevine has that number two man in the RAW S C Tripathi is being appointed Chief of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC).He is 1972 batch RAW cadre officer.
Is IPL starved of funds?
Is the BBCI backed Indian Premier League(IPL)starved of funds?IPL is seeking sponsorship from media world.So it is anybody's guess that what is the position of the IPL.
Bishnoi to be Joint Secretary Defence
Anuj Kumar Bishnoi is being tipped to be Joint Secretary Defence in the Government of India. He is 1981 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Cabinet reshuffle on cards
Reshuffle of the Manmohan Singh cabinet is expected to take place either this week or next week.
Ms.Meera Dutta to be Member
As the grapevine has it Ms.Meera Dutta is going to be the next Member with the department of Posts when present incumbent Mrs.Anju Dasgupta retires this month end .At present she is Chief Post Master General(CPMG)of the Karnataka Circle.
Demand to return farewell !
Since Vrinda Swarup has returned in the HRD as Joint Secretary even after she was accorded a farewell, people in the department have now started saying , jokingly, that she should return the farewell.
Minj to get ACS rank in Chhattisgarh
1978 batch IAS officer S Minj has been cleared for the promotion to the rank of Additional Chief Secretary in Chhattsgarh.
Chhatar Singh to go to Delhi
Chhatar Singh Additional Principal Secretary to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Huda is poised to go to the Government of India (GOI)on deputation.He is 1980 batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre.
Yudhvir Malik to get assignment
Yudhvir Malik ,a Haryana cadre IAS officer is likely to be made CEO of the Rajiv Gandhi Education city(RGEC),Sonepat(Haryana).
Will Sankaralingam get extension as NTPC chief?
Will T.Sankaralingam Chairman cum Managing Director(CMD) of the National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC)get extension?As the grapevine has there are chances of his getting extension for three months.He is supposed to superannuate on April 30,2008.
Ashwani Kumar is Director Home
Ashwani Kumar has joined the Government of India as Director Home. He is 1992 batch IAS officer of UT cadre.
Major bureaucratic reshuffle in Meghalaya next month
A major bureaucratic reshuffle is expected to take place in Meghalaya next month.
Special Director required for Enforcement
Some posts of Special Director in the Directorate of Enforcement are vacant.Officers in the pay-scale of 18,400 -22,400 can go on deputation.
Vilasini Ramachandran to join GoI this month
Vilasini Ramachandran is likely to join the Government of India this month as Additional Secretary. She is 1977 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.
Rajesh Agrawal to move from US
Second Secretary in the United States Rajesh Agrawal has been moved to Tripoli to succeed N U Avirachen who is retiring.
Prasar Bharti CEO pulled up !
Prasar Bharti CEO B S Lalli was reportedly pulled up by the Members of the Prasar Bharti on Monday.Members at a board meeting accused Lalli of working arbiterarily .
V.K. Jairath to be a freelance consultant
V.K. Jairath former Industries Secretary to Maharashtra government who had sought voluntary retirement (VR) is going to be a free lance consultant.He is not joining anywhere,as reported earlier. Jairath, an IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, belongs to the 1982 batch.
IPS changes in MP
The Madhya Pradesh Government has appointed T.K.Ghosh on his return from deputation as IG Narcotics.He is an MP cadre IPS officer of the 1986 batch.Meanwhile two IPS officers of 1989 batch on promotion have got new postings.Rajesh Chawla will continue as IG,MPSEB,Jabalpur & Sanjay V Mane has been posted as IG in PHQ.
Jasbir Singh Chauhan going on deputation
Services of of Jasbir Singh Chauhan Director Bhopal National Park have been transferred on deputation to the MP Forest Development Corporation.He is an ndian Foerest Service(IFS)officer of the 1987 batch who belongs to the MP cadre.
Secretaries to be reshuffled in Gujarat
A Secretary level reshuffle of IAS officers is on the anvil in Gujarat.
Rahul Singh at IIM-Ahmedabad
Rahul Singh has joined the IIM-Ahmedabad for one year MBA programme.Singh who was earlier Collector Madhubani is an IAS officer of the 1996 batch & belongs to the 1996 cadre.
Ahmad Wasi is DDG Switching,BSNL
S.W.Ahmad Wasi is new DDG Switching with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd(BSNL).He has succeeded Y.P.Katariya who demitted office from the said position on March 31,2008,following his superannuation.Ahmad was earlier with the MTNL.
A.K.Bhalla is back to the Meghalaya
A.K.Bhalla who so far was on deputation to the Government of India is back to Meghalaya.He is an Assam-Meghalaya cadre IAS officer of the 1984 batch.Earlier he was Joint Secretary Shipping.
P.B.O.Warjiri is PS,Planning in Meghalaya
P.B.O.Warjiri has joined the Government of Meghalaya on deputation as Principal Secretary Planning.Warjiri is an IAS officer of the 1978 batch who belongs to the Manipur-Tripura(MT) cadre.
Sikkim CM pleads,PM approves
On the plea of Dr.Pawan Chamling Sikkim Chief Minister,Indian Prime Minister Dr.Man Mohan Singh has ordered for relieving Arvind Kumar ,without any embargo .Kumar who is an Indian Forest Service (IFS)officer of the 1985 batch who belongs to the Sikkim cadre. Kumar who was earlier PS to T.R.Baalu Indian Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways will be shortly joining as Resident Commissioner,Delhi for the Sikkim Government.
Two Orissa cadre IPS officers Awarded
Two IPS officers have been awarded with prestigious DGP Disc for their meritorious services on the occasion of "Utkal Diwas" and "Orissa Police Formation Day". G.C.Nanda ,DG Police felicitated2004 Batch of IPS officer Nitinjeet Singh who is SP , Berhampur and 1997 Batch IPS officer Sanjaya Kumar who is SP Sambalpur.They were given the Medal in presence of Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during the Police Day ceremonial parade held at the State Police Head-quarter, Cuttack on April 1,2008.
Vidyashankar is new CEO Karnataka
M .N. Vidyashankar has taken over as Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka .He is 1982 batch IAS officer.
IPS changes in TamilNadu
S.P. Mathur will now be Director General of Police/Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation.N. Rajasekaran has been made Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Tiruchi. He replaces A. Kaliyamoorthy, who has been posted as Superintendent of Police, Tiruchi district.
IAS officer is no more in Rajasthan
Bharat Ram Meena has passed away in Jaipur on Tuesday. He was 1982 batch IAS officer.
Krishan Mohan gets new posting in Haryana
Krishan Mohan, awaiting posting orders, has been appointed financial commissioner and principal secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Department.He is 1977 batch IAS officer.
Rao is Secretary of MP IAS Association
Hariranjan Rao, an IAS officer of 1994 batch has been elected secretary of the Madhya Pradesh IAS Association. The post fell vacant after Pankaj Rag went on deputation to the GoI..

INJUSTICE TO CSS OFFICERS BY 6TH cpc
1. Irrational Pay Band Ranges for PB2 and PB3.
2. PB1 starts at Rs. 4860/- against pre-revised scale of 2750-4440/-. The total pre-revised emoluments drawn on 1.1.2006 were Rs 5115/-. But the new pay Band starts at Rs. 4860/- only.
3. Similarly, PB-2 starts at Rs. 8700/- which is replacement of the Scale of Rs. 5000-8000. The incumbent was drawing pre-revised emoluments of Rs. 9300/- as on 1.1.2006.
4. The pay scales of Assistant were revised after a long betel fought by the service and with the intervention of Hon. PM which has been undone by the pay commission by merging Group 'B' pay scale of Assistants (Rs. 6500-10500) with the Group 'C' Pay Scales (Rs. 5000-8000 and Rs. 5500-9000) and recommended Grade Pay of Rs. 4200 for all these.
5. Similarly, the pay Scale of Rs. 8000-13500 was granted by the Govt. to the Section Officers of CSS as result of Cadre Review conducted after 40 years as well as on the analogy of DANICS/ DANIPS after completion of 4 years. The Pay commission has reversed the decision by creating a separate Pay Scale as entry level grade for Group 'A' Officers and has given a higher starting Pay Band (PB-4). An officer, who was drawing Rs. 8000/- basic Pay was drawing total pre-revised emoluments of Rs. 13920/-. He has been given starting revised pay of Rs. 15600/- (with a different parameter).
6. In the 5th CPC the ratio between the salary of lowest Group C and the Cabinet Secretary was 1:10; between Group C and Joint Secretary was 1:6. Whereas, as per 6th CPC these are 1:14 and 1:8 respectively. Hence the disparity between the lowest and highest grade has been increased.
7. The benefit of merger of DA granted by the NDA Govt. from 1.4.2004 has been withdrawn. As a result the revised pay as on 1.1.2006 has been calculated by adding 74% DA in the Basic Pay which is less than the total emoluments actually drawn by the employee. For example: The employee getting basic pay of Rs. 10750 in the scale of Rs. 8000-13500 was drawing emoluments of Rs. 19995/- as on 1.1.2006 (including 50% merged DA and 24% Additional DA). As per 6th CPC report his revised pay would be fixed at Rs. 18710/-.No benefit has also been given for the increments drawn in the previous pay scale.
8. At present, on promotion an employee get benefit approx. equivalent to 2 increments (As per FR 22 I (a) (i) alongwith higher rate of increment. Whereas as per 6th CPC it is only for 1 increment.
9. The rate of increment is also very low. At present the rate of increment is approx 3.25-3.50% of the minimum of the scale Rs. 275 in the scale of 8000-13500 and 325 in the scale of 10000-15200). The impact of Rs. 275 was 511; and impact of Rs. 325 was 604 as on 1.1.2006. Whereas, as per 6th CPC is will be 525 and 587 only.
Analysis of benefit granted to various grades
GRADE/ Pre-revised Pre-revised emolument Revised emolument Increase benefit
SO-6500/- 12090 16110 1.332506 33%
SR. SO-8000/- 14880 19320 1.298387 30%
US-10000/- 18600 23500 1.263441 26%
DS-12000/- 22320 27480 1.231183 23%
DIR-14300/- 26598 32482 1.22122 22%
JS- 18400/- 34038 52200 1.53358 53%
SECY-26000/- 48360 80000 1.65426 65%
CAB SECY- 30000/- 55800 90000 1.612903 61%
MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED
1. Pay Bands should be restructured restoring 50% merger of DA effected from 1.4.2004 and bifurcating the same with reduced span as under:
PB Grade Pre-Revised Scale Pay Band Starting Grade Pay Total
PB-3 Asstt. 6500-10500 13000 5000 18000
PB-3 Section Officer 6500-10500 13000 6000
PB-3 Sr. Section Officer (4 years) 8000-13500 13000 7000
PB-4 Under Secretary 10000-15200 25000 8500 33500
PB-4 Deputy Secretary 12000-16500 25000 10000
PB-4 Director 14300-18300 25000 12000
2. Proposed merger of CSS and CSSS cadres should not be implemented as both the cadres have different functional requirements.
3. The parity of Section Officers with 4 years of service granted 8000-13500/- with others including Group 'A' entry level of 8000-13500/ should not be again disturbed which was granted to the CSS after an overdue cadre review (after 40 years).
4. The status of Group 'B' of the Assistant of CSS should be maintained and reflected in the revised Pay Band as well as Grade Pay with revised quantum.
5. Bunching benefits should also be provided as 1 increment for every 3 increments drawn in the previous scale as provided while implementing recommendations of 5th CPC.
6. Fitment benefit @ of 40% should be provided.
7. Rate of increment should be 5% on board for all categories/ grades. No different parameter for rate of increment be implied.
8. Minimum benefit of 2 increments should be ensured on promotion.
9. The Span of Pay Scales should not be more than 20 years in PB 2 & 15 years in PB-3 and 10 years in PB-4.
10. JS and above can be kept in PB-5 by maintaining the ratio of lowest and highest pay at 1:10.
11. Restricted holidays (if Gazetted holidays are abolished) should be increased to minimum 12 in addition to 2 RH to be declared by the HODs
S K Gupta
The Sixth Pay commission and promotion of efficiency
1.It is said in bureaucracy you rise to your level of inefficiency.I have experienced this with myself and with all my colleagues , most of whom are and were very brilliant at the time of joining service.Fact remains that there is no incentive for good work and no punishment for sloppy performance.
2.Unfortunately pay commission has done very little to promote efficient.Sadly its report is cadre based.So and so cadre will get this pay irrespective of efficiency or lack of it by indivisual officers.
3.It is also amusing to see various service associations behaving like TRIBES and asking for the betterment of their own Cadre(TRIBE).
4.I only wish there was a way to promote merit and not tribalism as has been demanded by various service associations.
5.We must promote lateral entry and exit from private sector to wake the bureaucracy out of slumbers.But all these tribal heads will oppose this suggestion because all of them will feel threatened.
5.There is a need to reduce the size of bureaucracy by half if not more.And double the salary.
6.Unfortunately there are very few takers for this kind of out of box thinking.Even though everybody will agree to this in private.
Ravi Agrawal
All about Pay Commission
My memories reminds me the pious Constitution of India, in which the Preamble states:
" We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political,,
LIBTERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship,
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all
FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;………and the concluding phrase. The Part IV of the Directive Principles of State Policy under clause 38 states that the State to secure a social order for the promotion of welfare of the people.---(1) The state shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of the national life. (2) The State shall, in particular, strive to minimize the inequalities in income, and endeavour to eliminate inequalitities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only among individuals but also amongst groups of people residing in different areas or engaged in different vocations.
39. Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State.- The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards security- (a) that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood: (b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good; (c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common deteriment; (d) that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women; (e) that health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age of strength."
The framers of the constitution had ensured that citizens rights are protected at all costs. And our great leaders had the vision to adopt a pattern of mixed economy for just and equivitable growth of the society keeping in view the structure of the economy and the nature of population.
India embarked on Reforms process in 1991 - There is no doubt that the growth has taken place and ecnonomy grew by leaps and bounds and also that large scales reforms are needed to improve the lot of the people, but as hon'ble PM once said if my memory don't fail and as also the Nobel Laureate and economist Amartya Sen that the "reform should have humane face" - but the facts are far from reality - benefits to the poor and needy are yet to come. In this rush for reforms and growth - the rehabilitation of the poor should not be ignored. Fruits of the growth should not be allowed to be cornered by high and mighties. Are we not heading for capitalism fogetting the mixed pattern of economic growth propounded by our great leaders. The Five Year Plans are the glaring example for progress and grwoth for all.
The disparities in incomes should not be allowed to divide the society in haves and have-nots. In a population of over a billion, now we boast many billionaires among top 10 in the world and many more are in the race to achieve the distinction. It is true that businesses have grown and so the economy and every citizen has the right to share the benefits of growth and not a particular section of the society.
Even in the recent takeover by TATA of Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford UK, the employees interests were first safeguarded even when the company was suffering losses. Ok, it is understood that flab is to be knifed to reduce the deficit but why only underprivileged should be sacrificed. It would be worthwhile if reforms offer effective mechanism for rehabilitation of lower strata than their systematic destruction and demolition. It can have long-term consequences for social growth and equal society. So it is the responsibility of the system to safeguard the interests of servants not only in government but elsewhere. Reforms may have changed the policy and outlook and the working conditions with computerization and advancement, but in any scenario the equal rights guaranted to the citizens under the constitution cannot be overlooked. Can this be ensured that there are no wide disparities of income among cadres in government vis-a-visa private sector. You cannot compared two because of different objectives - profit and service. Both are inter-dependent and cannot function without the help of other.
In 10 years since the last Pay Commission, the inflation has gone many fold up and this 15% to 20% hike in salaries cannot offset the hardship faced over the years, because this is not benefit but compensation for the past hardships. If you divide the quantum of hike given in 10 years compared to prices then and now you will see that it is just marginal increase. In the private sector the salaries have gone up by 134% with 12 to 14% increase per year. While the private sector is the growth engine, the Government set up must also be sustained in keeping with the growing responsibilities and role of India in the changed world realities and shift of theatre from West to the East where world is looking upto India as a world Power or a permanent member of UNSC. Don't we need extra personnel to commensurate with the increased responsibilities world over. The present 6th Pay Commission indicate towards the general thinking about the support staff.
Moreover, while the private sector is making profits with the help of government organizations, Ministries, Department, Customs and Export Warehousing and large Corporations and Trade boties etc and by government's favourable policies, why not the private sector should also shoulder some responsibility to share the burden of government's expenditure by a making suitable mechanism to offset the pay hikes etc and other contingencies in the government. They should contribute to some corpus fund to offset such expenditures and pay hikes of the government which would help improving the lot of people so that hard decision like hike and waving of loans to farmers do not burden the exchequer and there is equitable overall growth for every citizen. You will agree that the reforms helped the business houses and mighty to a great extent. Government servants at lower levels have been denied the benefits when the country was not economically strong and now also when the things are improving again these minian workers are being denied the fruits of growth and the powerful want a larger share of the cake while overlooking the responsibility toward society. It should not be like that a few grow out of bounds and majority remains poor and left to fend for themselves. Presume, if the Government want that they don't need subordinate and support staff now and the machinery can function without them, and they burden on resources then they should take suitable measures to rehabilitate than to systematically prune and reduce them. There are so good brains who can make appropriate policies in this regard so that down-trodden can fulfill their social responsibilities like education of children, their marriages, repayment of loans and many other social liabilities etc towards their families. Morever in government job a person's hands are tied due to rules and are not allowed to grow and neither growth is dispensed. What a government severant will do if he has chose to serve in Government? There should also be reforms in Conduct Rules to give the poor some space to grow honestly by hard work. This scenario leads to social problems. But Justice need will power. A sincere plea to the Government.
Regards,
Ajit S. Chauhan
Former Secretary (IFS) Stenographers' Association.
IFS in great demand in Sikkim
IFS officers in great demand in Sikkim. They are given preference over other officers in appointment on administrative cadre posts.
Aman
Forest Service and Pay Commission
Reacting to the comments given for the anomaly in pay grades for Indian Forest Service as stated by Shri R.C.Gautam, I am to add that all forest officers, starting from a forest guard to a Principal Chief Conservator of Forests lead such a hard life and they all work in such tough conditions, which other can't even believe. Has anyone taken any notice of a guard working indside a dense forest area with no facilities, fighting all odds to protect forest wealth and forest land of millions of rupees, leave aside his contribution to indirect benefits from the forest he help to provide to the society, country and the entire world, which no amount of money can match. Has anyone ever noticed how many forest officials and their families loose their lives every year inside forest aress because of the non avialbility of medical facilities to them and other factors owing to hostile conditions. It is a great pity that the forest services, which should have been the highest paid due to the difficuties faced by the officials managing it, that too in a very efficient manner with tooothless laws and negligible funding, is overlooked time & again. I am to request with this column to all concerned in the Govt. to assess the actual condition of the officers / officials of forest services and the quantam of benefits provided by them to the entire earth and their service to the nation and mankind, which if evaluated properly, will find no match in any of the services. I am also to request the IFS association of New Delhi and of other States to represent the case of IFS and other junior grades of forest services before the Govt. much earlier than the pay commission's report is accepted. If disparity in service continues, I am afraid that it will lead to a lowered morale resulting in lowered performance at all level, results of which can very well be imagined.
R.K.Singh, New Delhi
The Sixth Pay commission and promotion of efficiency
The IAS is the only service which has reason to be happy with the 6 th pay Commission Report. The reason is not that they are getting the right deal, the reason is that the others are getting a worse deal than they!
Vijay Kumar
Anamoly due to UPSC recruitment system
IAS -NON-IAS anamoly is due to lacunae in UPSC recruitment system.
The allotment of services should be rank based and not preference based.for ex.candidates ranked 1-50 will join IAS.50-70...IFS...70-120....IPs and so on
since it calls for an option by individual candidate which allows candidates ranked above IAS officers to join other services with less grade pay and increment till retirement.this creates dissatisfaction throught the cadres.
Gopi Krishna
There is no charm
I am absolutely agree with the views of Mr.Rajesh. The charm of getting new pay scale after promotion has been completely overruled and has not been taken care of. On promotion one will get just slight monetary gain; will remain in the same Pay Band, but will not get any inner satisfaction after appearing in competitive exams and doing lot of extraneous efforts. The tendency of workohalism will be shattered completely.
Ravinder Kumar
Important questions not considered
The Pay Commission missed out on the all important question of officers pay being protected when they come to GOI in lower scale post. Also, the Commission clearly went beyond its mandate to discuss the retirement age. The Government should consider these 2 issues afresh.
A Civil Servant
Designation issue was ignored
This 6th PC has not taken into account about the designations but simply has tried to reduce the pay scales. For ex., a Grade 'D" steno who has been rotting for more than 20 years has got nothing to benefit as no importance has been paid to promotion aspects. But in the same line, these persons are posted with very senior officers along with PPS/Sr.PPs only to be exploited by both; as is forced to sit late and do extraordinary works irrespective of his designation and without any remuneration. But the PPS/Sr.PPPs is not affected because of the scale which they get and inturn they refuse to take dictation and do typing work also. This is an additional burden for Steno Grade "D" for the meagre salary which they get. Earlier there was no such post of PPS/Sr.PPS. This post was created only to remove stagnation at Grade "D" level; but on the contrary, these two posts have become a nuisance to Gr."D" stenos. When we 20 years Grade"D" stenos are equated with them when it comes to work, it is better that these two designation be scrapped and a new scale be given to Steno Grade "D"
Ravi

CORPORATE

God blesses MukeshAmbani
Has God really blessed Mukesh Ambani. It seems so. Richest person in India Ambani, himself has recently said that "It is all Maya".
18 Air India foreign postings
Air India has made 18 foreign postings. Orders were issued on March 31.
S.K.Sibbal is VP Hotels,ITDC
S.K.Sibbal is Vice President Hotels.Sibbal who was so far General Manager Ashok Hotel Delhi was elevated on April 1,2008.He has succeeded M.S.Manchanda who retired from the post of Director Commercial & Sr Vice resident Hotels ,ITDC on March 31,2008.
SAIL sets new performance landmarks in FY '08
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)being headed by Chairman S.K.Roongta, which entered its golden jubilee year of production in February, ended the year 2007-08 with new landmarks in performance by producing 13.04 million tonnes of saleable steel for the first time. This was a consequence of several initiatives like utilising full potential of available assets and human resources, R&D interventions, implementation of de-bottlenecking schemes, etc. Production of hot metal and crude steel was also highest-ever at 15.2 million tonnes and 14 million tonnes, respectively. About 4.65 lakh tonnes of additional saleable steel were produced during the year by utilising 118% of rated capacity, an all-time best achievement, improving operational efficiency and bold innovative measures adopted by employees. The company also achieved highest-ever sales during FY '08 at 12.4 million tonnes. The financial results of SAIL for 2007-08 will be announced in May 2008.Highest-ever production of 1.2 million tonnes of saleable steel in March 2008 was the highlight of this record annual performance, matched by record March sales of 1.3 million tonnes.
During 2007-08, the component of finished steel in saleable steel went up to at 10.8 million tonnes (up 83%) with improved performance of finishing mills. Growth of 30% was recorded in production of special steels and value-added items during 2007-08 at 3.7 million tonnes. There was marked improvement in various categories of special steel: electrode-quality wire rods (22%), TMT HCRM wires & rounds (731%), LPG-grade HR coils/sheets/plates (11%), SAILCOR HR/CR coils (44%), among others. The company achieved highest-ever production of rails at 911,000 tonnes. Long rail production exceeded the 1 lakh tonne mark, higher by 58%.The captive mines of SAIL met 100% iron ore requirement of the company's steel plants by producing around 25.7 million tonnes of iron ore during the year. Coal production by the company's captive collieries almost doubled to 1.018 million tonnes.SAIL achieved lowest-ever values in specific energy consumption (6.95 giga calorie per tonne of crude steel), coke rate (535 kgs per tonne of hot metal) and metallic input (1,134 kgs per tonne of crude steel), among other efficiencies. Production through the energy-saving continuous casting route rose to 8.9 million tonnes, a growth of 7%, with capacity utilisation at a record 128% during the year. SAIL also recorded best-ever labour productivity at 213 tonnes per man during the year, with Bhilai Steel Plant reaching a level of 288 tonnes per man.
At 11.9 million tonnes, SAIL achieved highest-ever domestic sales during 2007-08. Sales of value-added products by SAIL showed substantial growth during the year: rails 54%, plates 8% and HR coils 7%, among others. Sales of steel products used by the common man also grew considerably, like TMT bars at 53% and medium structurals at 15%. Record supplies of 2.4 million tonnes - a growth of a whopping 32% - was made for projects of national significance to meet the critical requirements of key sectors like airports, railways, Metro Rail, highways, power projects, etc.During 2007-08, the company expanded its distribution network to every district of the country. With addition of 1,200 dealers during the year, the number of SAIL dealers in the country has gone up to 1,897. This resulted in sales through dealers increasing by 300% during the year in which the company also made 8 new warehouses operational for better customer service.
Gupta is Dy Chairman of IBA
P. K. Gupta chairman and Managing Director of Union Bank of India has been appointed new deputy chairman of IBA.
Ravi Sharma is CEO,Datacom
Ravi Sharma has joined the Datacom-Videocon group floated telecom company that has got Pan India licence.Earlier Sharma was Advisor to Alcatel Lencent for matters relating to Asian Regional operators.