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Raghu Menon, CMD, Air India unveils his agenda
For Raghu Menon-newly inducted Chairman cum Managing Director (CMD) of National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL), i.e. Air India, top priority is to turn "challenges into opportunities." At the same time make Air India an airline comparable to the best in the world. "Every passenger, domestic or international, should feel like a Maharaja and have a wonderful travelling experience on Air India," said Raghu Menon in his exclusive E-interview to <whispersinthecorridors.com> Improving financial health of the company as well tops his agenda. For this, CMD Air India Raghu Menon has two-pronged strategy in mind. According to him it could be done both by enhancing revenue through imaginative marketing and sales strategies and through cost cutting measures.
Menon acknowledged the fact that he is now sitting on other side of the fence, in the senses earlier he was working as the Special Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation while as CMD Air India he felt "buck stops at my table." He is a 1974 batch IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre. According to Raghu Menon "unfortunately, what is hitting us most is the high cost of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), which accounts for nearly 35% of our operating costs. To compete effectively, we have to ensure high quality in all areas and raise our performance levels across the board. We cannot afford to be complacent." Replying to a question Raghu Menon said, "The personnel of Air India are highly professional, talented and committed. I can confidently say that the standards set by our employees are the benchmark for the aviation industry in India."
Here are excerpts of Menon's interview who had worked for a brief while as a journalist with The Hitavada newspaper, before joining the civil services:
1/What are your priorities after having assumed the charge of CMD, Air India?
My first priority is to make Air India an airline comparable to the best in the world. Every passenger, domestic or international, should feel like a Maharaja and have a wonderful travelling experience on flights of Air India. In a service industry like aviation, the customer comes first and the emphasis has to be on customer satisfaction. Every employee of Air India has to work towards achieving this through high levels of performance and productivity. This includes ensuring on time performance, high quality maintenance; ground handling and in-flight service and sensitivity to passenger grievances. All of us in the company have to think out of the box and come up with innovative ideas to attract customers and enhance performance.
Secondly, we have to strategize and come up with solutions to improve the financial health of the company. This has to be done both by enhancing revenue through imaginative marketing and sales strategies and through cost cutting measures. Unfortunately, what is hitting us the most is high cost of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), which accounts for nearly 35% of our operating costs. This is affecting our profitability significantly but it is a factor outside our control. However, there are also issues that are internal to us and I plan to formulate and implement measures to turn around the financials to the extent possible. This will need the cooperation of each and every employee.
Thirdly, resolving the integration issues following the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines will be high on my agenda. While some work has already been done in this direction, I would like to put the remaining critical areas on the fast track so that we put these issues behind us at the earliest, become a fully integrated company and concentrate on reaping the benefits available through the merger.
The other priorities include operationalising our entry into Star Alliance, operating on more regional routes with smaller aircraft, using our international entitlements fully, opening new routes both on domestic and international sectors and making our IT platform more effective and user friendly.
2/What steps you intend taking for the staff?
The personnel of Air India are highly professional, talented and committed. I can confidently say that the standards set by our employees are the benchmark for the aviation industry in India. The people working for Air India are our greatest strengths and assets. It is true that there has been some apprehension among employees after the merger, but it is our policy and intention that all employees are treated fairly so that the merger does not willfully place anyone at a disadvantage. HR problems are generally the most difficult to resolve in a merger scenario, but if the management is fair and objective it is possible to overcome this issue to the satisfaction of the majority of employees.
3/What steps will you take to overcome the cut throat competition that has cropped up in the aviation sector due to a boom of private players on the Indian horizon?
Competition is here to stay. Competition is always healthy for any industry and I have no problems with it. In this sector, competition has brought down fares, increased connectivity, ensured multiple choices for passengers and enhanced service levels. All this directly benefits the customer. To compete effectively, we have to ensure high quality in all areas and raise our performance levels across the board. We cannot afford to be complacent. Passengers have become very discerning and will not settle for anything but the best. They demand value for money and it is for us to deliver to their satisfaction. Our new aircrafts, which have already started arriving, should also give us an edge.
4/So far you were in the Government & now you are heading AI independently, so what difference do you notice?
Being in the Government and being in the Management are very different. In the Ministry I did not have to take day-to-day decisions about running Air India, except broad policy decisions at Board level. Now, the buck stops at my table. It's a heavy responsibility as many decisions have to be taken quickly and risk factors can be high, but it is also exciting and a great challenge. It is for me to convert these challenges into opportunities and make Air India the preferred choice of customers. I welcome everyone on board!
Will there be two posts of Secretary in Commerce ?
There is a serious proposal to create one more post of Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce.
Additional Secretary level postings soon
Additional Secretary level postings in the Government of India are being made in a week or two.
Four of Five IAS officers of 1988 empanelled
Four of Five IAS officers belonging to the 1988 batch have been empanelled in the Government of India during the last review meeting .They were left out earlier due to their incomplete dossiers.
Ms.Madhulika Sukul is Joint Secretary Personnel in Finance
Ms.Madhulika Sukul is new Joint Secretary (Personnel) in the Finance Ministry. She is an IDAS officer .
Bishnoi unlikely to join Defence Ministry
Anuj Kumar Bishnoi is unlikely to join the Defence Ministry. Name of 1981 batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer Bishnoi had been cleared for the posting in the Defence Ministry.
Vibha Puri to join GoI
Vibha Puri is all set to join the Government of India as Additional Secretary this week. She is 1976 batch IAS officer of Uttarakhand cadre.
Names of seven HC Judges cleared
Names of seven new High Court Judges for the Delhi High Court are believed to have been cleared.
Three posts of Director vacant in Shipping Ministry
As many as three posts of Directors are vacant in the Indian Ministry of Shipping.
SK Kaul to be Secretary JNPT
SK Kaul is poised to become Secretary of the Jawahar Lal Nehru Port Trust(JNPT).
Education- a matter of top priority for Narendra Modi
In the reshuffle of 40 secretary rank officers yesterday, Narendra Modi has given top importance to Education Department. Heading the department now is Hasmukh Adhia as principal secretary, Education. Adhia, a gold medallist from IIMB, was CM's Principal Secretary before going on two year of study leave to do Ph.D. To help him in these departments are four other supertime scale IAS officers- Anita Karwal (Primary Education), Jayanti Ravi (Commissioner, education), R. K Pathak (Chairman SSC Board) and Sanjay Nandan (Commissioner Mid Day Meals). This postings show that Modi wants to give a lot of importance to Education.
Will A.Raja allocate work to Jyotiraditya Scindia ?
Will A.Raja Indian Minister for Communication & IT allocate any work to newly inducted Indian Minister of State for Communication & IT Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia?This question is doing rounds in corridors of power.
Cabinet reshuffle leaves youngsters unhappy.
As the grapevine has it, the recent cabinet reshuffle by Indian Prime Minister Dr.Man Mohan Singh has left the younger lot of MPs unhappy.They are:Kanimozhi daughter of DMK patriarch and Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi & Sachin Pilot.On ther hand Shibu Soren is also quite unhappy.
Suresh Pachouri scores a point
Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee(MPCC) Suresh Pachouri who quit the cabinet being headed by Indian Prime Minister Dr.Man Mohan has scored a point.He was able to get V.Narayansamy & Jitin Prasad inducted into the cabinet.
M.S.Gill benefits due to a feud
Newly inducted Indian Minister of State for Sports &Youth Welfare M.S.Gill has benefited due to an ongoing tussle between Mani Shankar Aiyar & Suresh Kalmadi.
Gopalaswamy to be a Minister in the NDA regime ?
Induction of M.S.Gill former Chief Election Commissioner(CEC)in the Indian cabinet has paved the way for N.Gopalaswami -present CEC to get a berth in the cabinet,if NDA is voted to power in next general elections.It may be mentioned here that Gopalaswami was Home Secretary at the Centre while NDA's Prime Ministerial nominee & the then Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani held the portfolio of Home Ministry during previous NDA regime.
Santosh Bagrodia's induction creates a flutter in the Ministry of Coal.
Induction of Santosh Bagrodia as Indian Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal has created a flutter.However,the Ministry has got "Harish Chandra" as the Secretary .And really 1971 batch UP cadre IAS officer Harish Chandra is "Harish Chandra".So one has to wait & watch.
No takers for new ministers
As the grapeviner has it there are hardly any officer keen on becoming private secretary(PS) to newly inducted Ministers because now tenure of UPA Government being led by Prime Minister Dr.Man Mohan Singh has narrowed down.
Prithviraj Chavan's Madhya Pradesh link
Though Suresh Pachori is no longer Minister Personnel his successor Prithviraj Chavan Indian Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has a link with the state of Madhya Pradesh.His wife is sister of Karan Singh Pawar -the scion of erstwhile princely ruled state of Dhar in Madhya Pradesh.
Siddique is Dy Secretary Expenditure
M A Siddique is Deputy Secretary Expenditure. He is an IAS officer of the 1995 batch who belongs to the Tamil Nadu cadre.
Deshpande is back from Afganistan posting
Shrikkant M Deshpande has returned from his Afghanistan posting . He is 1991 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.
Maj Gen Langer takes over
Major General Sanjiv Langer has taken over as General Officer Commanding, Golden Katar Division, Ahemadabad.
Kamath moves to Delhi
Major General PG Kamath has been moved from Ahemadabad to Army HQ, New Delhi as the Additional Military Secretary.
Three new Judges in Rajasthan HC soon
Mssrs Mahesh Chandra Bhagwati,Chandmal Totla and K S Chaudhry are being appointed new Additional Judges of the Rajasthan High Court in a week or two.
IAS changes in TamilNadu
J. Radhakrishnan, Special Secretary (Finance) will be new Commissioner of Excise and Prohibition. Rajeev Ranjan, Commissioner of Industries and Director of Industries and Commerce, has been given additional charge of the Officer on Special Duty, 13th Finance Commission.
B.P.Mohapatra promoted as IG in Orissa
Bishnu Prasad Mohapatra has been promoted to the Rank of IG Police. Mohapatra is now the DIG Police, Eastern Range , at Balasore.On promotion,he is likely to be posted as IG Police in the same Range.He is an IPS officer of 1989 batch & belongs to the Orissa cadre.
New Vice Chancellor of HP University
Dr Sunil Gupta has been appointed new Vice Chancellor of the Himachal Pradesh University.
IPS changes in Madhya Pradesh ( UPDATED)
M K Roy has been appointed Principal Secretary Backward Class Welfare and Minority Affairs. Commissioner Food and Civil Supplies K P Singh will now also be Secretary Food. M K Goyal will be Member -Secretary Finance Commission.
Sukhbir Singh is Member Railway Board (UPDATED )
Sukhbir Singh has been appointed new Member (Electricals) in the Railway Board.He is presently General Manager of the Gorakhpur Division.
( We said this on December 12, 2007 )

Of Race and Casteism
Senator Obama recently made a remarkable speech on race and brought out dormant issues in American Public Life.
2. There is a need for similar discussion in India to bring out Caste issue out in the open. The fact that caste is an issue in India is evident from matrimonial columns in Newspapers especially among the educated middle class.
3. Thereby reservation or post mandal era and such comments smack of patrimony. Reservation in government jobs is not the benefaction of upper castes. It is the right of people of backward classes.
4. We must talk about clear reservation by Upper castes in important positions in government by favoring their brethren. It is open secret that officials in PMO are there not because of 'merit' but because they are from a specific linguistic group or caste or community. Similarly if you are Bengali in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then you are made. Similar examples can be cited for other Ministries
There is need to end such reservation and discuss these issues. But alas we lack a leader of the stature of Barrack Obama
A Government Servant
Pay Commission and IAS
_______________________
Most of the comments posted on your website are from IAS baiters. It is necessary to put the other side of the case too.
The 6thCPC did not argue for giving an edge in pay scales to the IAS on the ground that IAS officers in the early stages of their careers, are posted in small places alone. This is as much true for the IAS the other two All India Services. The main reasons advanced by CPC for maintaining the slight edge in favour of IAS is the integrative role the IAS officers have to play in the discharge of their duties and the multiplicity of functions they have to perform.
At all levels of the Governmental hierarchy ie the District, State and Central Governments, the IAS officers have to handle multifarious functions and responsibilities and also co-ordinate the activities of various departments and functionaries. At the district level the DC/Collector/DM is the supervisor and co-ordinator for all departments of the Executive at the State level the various departments at Secretariat and field level are handled by the IAS officers, be it Industries, Agriculture, Co-operation, Revenue, Home and all departments. Dealing with development etc. The situation is also replicated in respect of departments and Ministries in the Central Government.
This is not something new, but has been the tradition since independence and even before, when the predecessor service of the IAS, the ICS, used to have the same primacy.
For reasons of performing multifarious functions and duties the IAS officers, in the scheme of things of the Government, gain experience and expertise in adapting to roles and meeting challenges of diverse nature, something which is not available to other services that are nonfunctional in nature, almost by definition.
It is also worth emphasizing that in this matter the 6th CPC has only reiterated what all the its predecessor Commissions have said. It is not creating any new differentials as seems to be made out.
Another point made by some is that very often candidates ,with higher rank in the Examination, opt for IPS, IRS etc. rather than the IAS. I am personally aware that this is incorrect. It can be verified from UPSC records that that some 80% of the candidates opt for the IAS as their first preference. The remaining few give the Indian Foreign Service or IPS or IRS, and, in stray cases some other service, as the first option. They may have different reasons for doing so such as glamour of foreign postings for IFS, wearing of uniform for IPS or aptitude for IRS or Railways. Nevertheless, the fact remains that a vast majority of the candidates choose the IAS and, consequently it attracts the candidates who are high on the list in merit. It would be unjust to virtually retroactively devalue their prospects, if all the services are now placed at par.
May this debate continue, but one would like to see objectivity rather than long held prejudices and imagined grievances being aired.
P K Lahiri.
Orissa is ignored

The reshuffle reveals that there is no fresh induction from Orissa. There is only one MOS representing state of Orissa. There are women MPs who are educated and hail from ST category. Why so much of negligence to Orissa?.
Suresh
Every service is important
This is in reply to what one IAS officer has written about some officers opting for IRS over IPS, and that the other services should seek parity, etc. Let me make ourselves very clear. What IPS officers are proposing is not parity with IAS officers to the detriment of other services. We are proud Government Servants and we want to work where none gets any 'special edge'. Every service is important, and we want all to get the same benefits.
The 'edge' argument for the IAS officers is flawed for the following reasons:
1. Empirically, this intra-service edge for the IAS is unique in the GOI. In other contexts, similar services have identical pay structures IN SPITE OF a clear history of preferences among candidates. The armed forces are an example. Traditionally the Air Force enjoys high priority among NDA candidates. Reasons include better locations of postings and some "glamour". The navy receives lower priority for reasons including long durations of separation from family. Now of course, given this well-known hierarchy of preferences, the Air Force can formally justify a "slight edge" to their service by arguing for the "great need" of air superiority in Indian defense and therefore ask for a "slight edge" in pay vis-a-vis the army or navy. But there is no pay distinction in the Defence forces across services. A Colonel gets the same pay as a Group Captain. If there is no pay difference in the defence forces, and they do fine, why a pay difference among All-India-Services?
2. Another example is UGC pay scales. In India, it is quite well known that parents and students have a fairly standard hierarchy of preferences for subjects in college. However, UGC pay scales for all Assistant Professors are the same, irrespective of subject. Again, if the entire government run educational system in the country can run smoothly without a "slight edge" for the sought-after disciplines, why a "slight edge" for a specific AIS? There are numerous such examples in the Government service, like Indian Engineering Service, Assistant Commandant, where the 'edge' isn't there.
3. The CPC is rather ad-hoc in justifying these "slight edges". For the IAS, it says - pressures, postings etc (how equally true for IPS, IFS, if not more!!!) For the IFoS it basically says, "traditionally enjoyed". Looks like arguments are being created to justify the status quo.
4. The CPC says as much - "slight edge will attract good officers". Now, the question is the following - how many IAS officers are "attracted" to the service because of this "slight edge"? Will the officers who currently choose the IAS prefer something else if that edge of Rs 700/month is taken from them? My guess is that no IAS officer prefers the service because of that "slight edge". Put differently, if this "slight edge" is taken away, is it really likely that the IAS will start attracting an inferior quality of officers? Anyway the IAS has a 'slight edge' built in their system due to larger number of vacancies at the highest level than other services, and hence faster promotion. Incidentally there are 246 Secretary level posts for the IAS compared to just 5 for the IPS - for almost the same cadre strength.
5. In any case, even after the "slight edge", the AIS/Central Service pay is still generally lower than what people of the caliber of these officers would make in the private sector. This proves that it is not the pay that attracted the officers to the Civil Services in the first place. If a pay hit of thousands of rupees a month did not deter officers from joining the Civil Services in the first place, now all of a sudden a "slight edge" will attract the best ones towards a service? Does this mean that the job content of the IAS job is not attractive enough and the best and brightest have to be paid more to do that job?
6. If 'slight edge' is justified because of the merit in an examination and the 'informal hierarchy' of choice of services, then isn't it logical that this 'slight edge' should go down for all services. There is an informal hierarchy of other services also. So IPS/IRS/IAAS etc officers should be given a 'slight edge' over other services. Also it is well known that Indian Foreign Services in no longer the preferred service over other services, especially IPS. Then why has IFS got the 'same edge' as the IAS? 'Slight edge' is a colonial hangover. Can we get out of it?
7. I have yet to see competent IAS officers who derive their satisfaction from the job content and its impact, being smug about this issue. It is those 'unfortunate' ones, who derive their status from being in the IAS, who are most vociferous supporters of the edge argument.
8. Lastly, the demand of other Civil Service officers to remove this 'slight edge' is not for a mere sum of Rs 700 per month. It is for their dignity and to respect each services' importance in the scheme of things. 28 IPS officers have died fighting insurgency and left-wing extremism, compared to just one or two IAS officers. Almost a thousand policemen get killed saving the country from internal unrest and turmoil. Can we give them their due respect? Pay is one of the managerial tools for defining 'respect'.
In sum, my thinking is that, the "slight edge" is not buying the government anything useful, but it is certainly earning it the extreme dissatisfaction of all other services.
Ashish Gupta
Supremacy of IAS as per pay commission report
From the discussion on IAS v/s non IAS, it seems that the whole emphasis is being given only for the marks obtained in UPSC exams. This logic is based on the assumption that there comes no change in the caliber of an officer over the period of time which is not correct. In this regard, I will like to quote the engineering entrance examination where best always goes to IIT next to RECs and so on. But once an engineer works in the industry for about 5 years everything depends on his individual caliber and not on the institute. In fact degree is only an entry ticket to the industry (person having a degree from abettor institute gets a better company to start his career) but as the time passes, it is only the individual performance which matters whereas presently in the government once the person in inducted into IAS, he can get assured for all the superior promotions and facilities for rest of his life. Hence the government should evolve a system so that best brains from all the services can be identified after fixed intervals and these officers should be given preference. Further nowadays many of the group-A officers at the entry level have to work in small places but the facilities available for these officers are no where comparable as to what available to IAS officers of the same rank (housing, vehicle, servants etc,). In fact cost of an IAS officer to the government is many fold higher that cost of a group-A officer at any level. Hence to keep IAS officers on a higher pay band is again principally wrong and due to this most of the deserving officers of other services are leaving the government at an early stage which is again a big loss to the government.
Rahul
This is real hypocrisy of India
6th pay commission report does not satisfy even the basic requirements of the officers. Still there was lot of media reporting on the report, saying that "babus" got a high increase in pay. This is real hypocrisy of India. An increment worth pittance after 10 years, and get publicised as millionaires.
The usual bureaucratic opinion is to shelve the present report and get it revised or written afresh from a group comprising officers other than from Civil Services, especially IAS. A commission comprising of MPs would probably do more justice.
Arun
Is this going to happen with Pay Commission report ?
Late Dr. A.N.JHA I.C.S.(Retd.) was not only a great administrator, he had also an uncanny wit. He used to say that a committee is like a person sitting on a commode. First there is a report then the 'matter' is dropped. Is this going to happen with the Pay Commission's report?
S P Singal
All starts from the top
Sunil has struck the correct point. The biggest reason for the failure of our country's governance is that everybody is concerned about themselves and their own welfare & interests. All this starts from the Top. If people who are the leaders of the Government machinery make their interest first and the interest of their followers secondary the nation/ organisation is bound to go down. First the leaders i.e. Top bureaucrats & Politicians must sacrifice their interest then only they can help the country & its people.
Anil
Publishing the voice of I.P.S. association of M.P.
In furtherance of the earlier view point, one more conspicuous issue is forwarded for the perusal by the people who matter in taking decision:
The D.I.G Rank officers of I.P.S. have been the victim of grave injustice inherent in the 6th Pay Commission Recommendations.
That is, the Pay Scale of D.I.G. has been placed in an inferior Pay Band.
Presently the Pay Scale of D.I.G. is Rs.16400-450-20000 and according to the 6th Pay Commission Recommendations stands out as Rs.15600-39000.
It would cause an untold injustice to the officers of D.I.G. Rank.
In fact, in the interest of the Fundamental Principles of Right to Equality, The D.I.G. rank officers should be placed in the Pay Band of Rs.39200-67000, which is P-4 in this case. "Like should be treated alike and not unlike should be treated alike."
D.C.SAGAR, IPS. (DIG CHAMBAL RANGE, GWALIOR., M.P.)
Dear Friends in all the services,
My friends in IPS are demanding for parity and stating the fact that more number of IPS officers are posted in naxalite affected and disturbed districts.
Let us make a comparison--
1. Number of IAS officers posted in inaccessible, disturbed, naxalite & terrorist infested district vis-a-vis IPS officers
2. Number of IAS officers covered & guarded by police personnel( numbers of police personnel guarding ) vis-a-vis IPS
3. Number of IAS officers getting domestic help & other sort of help in non-field postings vis-a-vis IPS officers.
Ruchi
My dear Gopi,
I am sorry. It was never my intention to say that one service is inferior to any other in any respect. The only point was that it was known that IAS is offers better promotional avenues and hence most persons like to join it if found fit by merit. There are still some who have other preferences. Money may be major item for happiness but not the only item. Khan has agreed with me that one should not be forced to join a notionally better (? , IPS) service only by merit list. The two bright and young ladies chose to join IPTF7AS despite being eligible for IPS. So choice must be included in cadre allotment process.
Ram Kumar
TAIL-PIECE
The I.R.S. says we will each receive a tax rebate to
> 'stimulate' the economy.
>
> Spend that money at WalMart and it goes to China.
> Spend it on gasoline and it goes to Arabs.
> Spend it on fruit and vegetables and it goes to
> Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.
> Purchase a good car and it goes to Japan, Germany, or
> Sweden.
> Purchase good suits or purses it goes to UK or Italy.
> Purchase good perfume or wine it goes to France.
> Purchase useless junk and it will all go to Taiwan.
>
> Keep that money in America.
> Spend it on prostitutes and booze! Those two
> businesses are still in the USA
>
Contributed by-Anita Saxena