What people say about us!

Great Mr. Mehrotra you are keeping us abreast of the changes in Indian Corporate/bureaucracy & politics- Very fast & sabse tej and sabse aage- Keep it up- Great going-Best Wishes

Mrs Pushpa Kumar London UK

Will Mamta's no trust fail?
Mamata's no-trust will fail because only a handful of parties want an election, despite overwhelming sentiment against the Congress. Both Congress and BJP do not want an election now since they do not see themselves benefiting much from it.

Gujarat BJP crafting an active strategy for Muslims
BJP slogan in Gujarat, 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' (Participation and progress for all). The Gujarat BJP's strategy will be for all six crore Gujaratis, including Muslims, as they have demography and delimitation. Muslims can influence the outcome of the elections in at least 35 of Gujarat's 182 constituencies. There are 25 other constituencies where the Muslim component is more than 15 percent. Of these, seven have more than 20 percent Muslim vote: Godhra, Wankaner, Abdasa, Mandvi (Kutch), Siddhpur, Somnath and Surat (East).

Is BJP working towards poll preparedness?
BJP top brass has asked its state in-charges and general secretaries to furnish details of poll preparedness in the state units. Details by the party high command have been sought about the preparedness regarding the coming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi. Sources disclosed state units chiefs have been asked by the party top brass to initiate the task of candidates selection for the general polls.

Will Kamal Nath be able to make a difference?
This is going to be the toughest winter session for the UPA, the real test for the Congress minus Pranab Mukherjee. It remains to be seen how the Congress fares in the absence of its most experienced trouble-shooter in the winter session. It is believed that Kamal Nath with his political acumen will be able to salvage the UPA.

Its Rahul tum kab aoge in Gujarat?
Disha Badlein, Disha Badlein (Change the direction, Change the direction) is the slogan of Gujarat Congress. But the two faces most conspicuous by their absence are Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Forget being present for campaign they are not there even in the posters of the party. Whispers have learnt that the ground level workers are totally dejected and are saying how do we work when our political masters are not by our side?.

All are watching keenly about SBI Chief
All are keenly watching that as to what will happen to the fate of SBI Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri in SBI's loan of Rs. 2000 crore to King Fisher Airlines. In last quarter SBI's nonperforming assets (NPA) touched mark of five per cent.

BUREAUCRACY

Sushma Swaraj says "No" for CBI Chief's new assignment?
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj is believed to have said "No" to the appointment of CBI Director A P Singh as Member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).The file of his appointment had been moved by the Government .

CAT to hear CBI Director's panel
The Central Administrative Tribunal is going to hear the case of scrapping of the panel of the new CBI Director on Friday. Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar is reported to have moved to the CAT for scrapping the panel.

Justice Roy to move to Rajasthan High Court in December?
Senior Judge of the Guwahati High Court Justice Amitava Roy is likely to be transferred from Guwahati High Court to Rajasthan High Court as Chief Justice next month.
(We said this on Oct. 23, 2012)

Mohanty on his way out?
Satyanarayan Mohanty, CEO, Safety and Standard Authority of India, Department of Health and Family Welfare is reportedly on his way out. He is a 1980 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.

V N Gaur to be Member of CAT
V N Gaur is being tipped to be Member of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). He is a retired 1978 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre.

IAS officer unlikely to be appointed Dy Governor, RBI
IAS officer is unlikely to be appointed Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Ashwani Kumar to be CMD of Dena Bank on January 1
Executive Director of the Corporation Bank, Ashwani Kumar will join the Dena bank on December 17 before taking over as CMD on January 1.
(We said this on Sept. 5, 2012)

Punglia to be JD, ED?
Joint Commissioner Income Tax in Chennai Sanjay Punglia is likely to be appointed Joint Director Enforcement Directorate.

Who will be new Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu?
With a month to go for the superannuation of Debendranath Sarangi, the current Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu who retires on December 31, 2012, the race for the post has started. The general expectation is that T S Sridhar, Secretary, Higher Education, who belongs to the same Iyengar Brahmin community as Ms Jayalalitha and who has the backing of the all powerful Private Secretary to the Chief Minister K N Venkataramanan, a retired IAS officer who also belongs to the same Iyengar Brahmin community will take over as the next Chief Secretary. However, keeping the possibility of early elections to the Lok Sabha in mind, there is thinking to recall the recently empanelled Machendranathan, IAS of 1979 batch, from central deputation as the next Chief Secretary of the State. Mrs Sheela Balakrishnan of 1976 batch and a former Private Secretary to Ms Jayalalitha is also a possibility as she is not only the senior most officer of the cadre but loved by the entire bureaucracy in the State. Sridhar is a 1978 batch IAS officer.

S S Mundra soon to be CMD, Indian Bank
S S Mundra who is currently Executive Director (ED) of Union Bank is poised to take over as Chairman cum Managing Director (CMD) of the Indian Bank.

Sharma to go as IG, Chandigarh?
J K Sharma , IGP(Acting DGP) Arunachal Pradesh is likely to be transferred as IGP Chandigarh in place of P K Srivastava. He is a 1982 batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre.

Approval of Chief Commissioners received from ACC
Approval for promotion of Chief Commissioners in CBEC has been received from ACC. In the first lot, 15 Commissioners are going to be promoted but given the pulls and pressures some more vacancies may arise by the time approval for postings and transfers are received.

Race for new Member CBDT between 2 CCITs
Now Race for new Member of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is between 2 Delhi based CCITs. They are Mrs Deepa Krishna CCIT-II and N K Virani CCIT-IV.

Orders of M A Bhaskarachar not issued
M A Bhaskarachar, Deputy Chairman, KPT, who was selected as CMD, Ennore Port Limited (EPL), has not received appointment orders as present incumbent S Velumani, CMD, EPL is due to retire on November 30. The vacancy will arise after December 1, 2012.

Sahu appointed GM, FCI, Gujarat
Bhupendra Sahu has been appointed General Manager, Food Corporation of India (FCI) in Gujarat. He is a 1999 batch IPS officer of Rajasthan cadre.

Will Krishna join CBI?
A Y V Krishna, DIG, Assam Police, is likely to join as DIG, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He is a 1995 batch IPS officer of Assam Meghalaya cadre.

Maj Gen Narsimhan promoted
Major General Narsimhan has been promoted to the rank of Lt General in the Indian Army.

18 IAS officers in Andaman & Nicobar?
It is said that altogether 18 IAS officers of UT cadre are presently serving in the Andaman & Nicobar administration.

1988 batch IAS to be PS in Maharashtra
A 1988 batch IAS officers are being promoted to the rank of Principal Secretary in Maharashtra next month.

Nine posts of Inspector vacant at DG, C&EC, Mumbai
Nine posts of Inspector are lying vacant in Directorate General of Systems & Data Management of Customs & Central Excise, Mumbai. Those willing to apply can send their applications to this Directorate General at the earliest.

Reshuffle in bureaucracy in Bihar on anvil
A minor bureaucratic reshuffle is expected to take place in Bihar in a week or two.

IPS changes likely in Rajasthan with a focus on Jaipur?
Amid the speculations of IPS changes in Rajasthan, expected to take place soon, whispers in the power-corridors suggests that Jaipur is poised to get focus in the reshuffle.

Bachchawat is new Secretary, Industries in West Bengal
C M Bachchawat has been appointed Secretary, Industries in West Bengal. He is a 1983 batch IAS officer. Krishna Gupta will be the MD of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) in place of Nandini Chakravorty. Alpan Bandopadhyay will continue as Secretary of the Municipal Affairs department while Chakravorty will continue to be the Secretary in charge of Information and Cultural Affairs.

Aarti Ahuja is Chairperson in Orissa
Aarti Ahuja has been appointed Chairperson of the State Women Commission in Orissa. She is a 1990 batch IAS officer.

IPS changes likely in Haryana
As the grapevine has it there is going to be a reshuffle of IPS officers in Haryana.

M S Ravindranath selected as Director (Mines), NLC (UPDATED)
M S Ravindranath, CGM, NLC, has been selected for the post of Director (Mines), Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited (NLC) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting. As many as nine persons were interviewed for the same.

R Vijaykumar empanelled in GoI (UPDATED)
Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved the empanelment of R Vijaykumar for appointment at the Additional Secretary level as well as for the Secretary level posts in Government of India to the final outcome of the SLP filed in the Supreme Court. He is a 1978 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

Richa Rastogi posted as Under Secretary, CBDT (UPDATED)
Indian Revenue Service-Income Tax (IRS-IT) officer, Ms Richa Rastogi has been appointed as Under Secretary (ITA-II), in the Central Board of Direct Taxes under the Department of Revenue, New Delhi.

V K Gaur selected as CMD, NSC (UPDATED)
V K Gaur, CMD, SFCIL, has been selected for the post of CMD, National Seeds Corporation Limited (NSC) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting held on November 21, 2012. As many as 12 persons were interviewed for the same.

CORPORATE

R S Sharma appointed as Chairman of Southwest Asian Operations

Lloyd's Register has appointed R. S. Sharma, the former Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of India's high-profile Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), as Chairman of Operations for South West Asia.

Sharma, whose appointment was effective from November 1, has joined Lloyd's Register at a time when it is committed to double both its revenue and workforce in India by 2015.

"We are committed to growing our business in India -- organically and inorganically - to expand the independent technical support we can offer to the owners and operators of the critical assets that Indian society depends on. I feel a great sense of support having the experience of Mr Sharma to guide us in achieving our ambitious plans for South West Asia," said Richard Sadler, CEO of Lloyd's Register.

During his 56-month tenure as CMD of ONGC, Sharma greatly improved the multinational's operating performance, while emphasising the importance of ethical practices and strong corporate governance. This approach culminated in a wider international recognition for the state-owned ONGC - not least, in 2007, when it became the first Indian corporate to be listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies - and numerous personal and professional accolades for Sharma.

He said he was delighted to be associated with Lloyd's Register, which was established in 1760 and has been operating in India since 1874.

"l feel privileged to be associated with an organisation like Lloyd's Register, which prides itself with more than 250 years of tradition," Sharma said. "It has a highly value-based work culture and the organisation allocates a portion of its annual earnings surplus to the promotion of education, training, professional development and socially responsible activities. 'Promoting the safety of life, property and the environment' is its core business philosophy. Whilst LR has stated its ambition to double its business in the area, I believe we can achieve these targets and much more."

Since its inception in 2004, The Lloyd's Register Educational Trust has allocated £55 million to academic, educational and vocational institutions throughout the world to promote engineering and technology.

"Mr Sharma has a wealth of experience in the Indian market place and has a desire to work with organisations which genuinely deliver public benefits by helping to protect lives and the environment. I believe we will make an excellent partnership," said John Rowley, President, Lloyd's Register Asia.

Known for its origins as a marine classification society, today's Lloyd's Register has a diversified technical-service portfolio across four main business divisions: Marine, Energy, Management Systems and Transportation (mostly rail).

The energy division has been the primary focus of its recent acquisition activities; in the past four years Lloyd's Register has spent £170 million acquiring offshore-drilling and risk-management specialists such as ModuSpec, Scandpower, WEST Engineering Services and India's Reltech Consulting

Infosys Chairman K V Kamath inducted in Panel
Infosys Chairman, K V Kamath has been inducted in Panel set up by Government of India to suggest ways to improve business in country.

Ratan Tata steps down as Chairman of Tata Global Beverages Ltd
Ratan N Tata has stepped down as Chairman of Tata Global Beverages Ltd.

Cyrus Mistry takes over as Chairman of Tata Global Beverages Ltd
Cyrus P Mistry has been appointed as Chairman of Tata Global Beverages Ltd.

Ratan Tata to continue as Director on Board of Tata
Ratan Tata will continue as Director on the Board of Directors of Tata Global Beverages Ltd till his retirement next month.

Kothari quits Tricom India Ltd
Hiren Kothari has resigned as Non Executive Director of Tricom India Ltd.

Bansal appointed Non Exec. Independent Director, Matra Realty Ltd
Matra Realty Ltd has appointed Anil Kumar Bansal as Non Executive Independent Director of the company.

Mallick appointed ED, Matra Realty Ltd
Dipak Mallick has been appointed as Executive Director of Matra Realty Ltd.

Krishnan appointed Govt. Nominee Director, Canara Bank
The Central Government has nominated Ms Sudha Krishnan, Joint Secretary, Department of Expenditure as Government Nominee Director on the Board of Directors of Canara Bank with immediate effect

Kamat ceases to be Director, Sanathnagar Enterprises Ltd
Bhaskar Kamat has ceased to be Director of Sanathnagar Enterprises Ltd.

Two Nominee Directors on Board of ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd
B Ramesh Babu, Regional Head, EXIM Bank, Kolkata and Parmod Kumar Sharma, Field General Manager, Punjab National Bank, Kolkata have been appointed as Nominee Directors on the Board of Directors of ARSS Infrastructure Projects Ltd.

Sial appointed President & MD, India, Textron?
Textron has appointed Inderjit Sial as President and Managing Director (India).

(The views expressed in this column are of the contributors. We do not owe any responsibility, whatsoever, of the views of our surfers as they are their personal opinion. However, we would also request our contributors not to be personal, directly or indirectly, in presenting their views. Instead of countering the views which ‘X’ has already expressed, our contributors are advised to present their own views. Also be brief, say about 200 words at the most since any views longer than that if eliminated at our end would carry the risk of the contrbutor’s item losing its original essence)

Senior most officers be made CBI Chief

CBI is the most prestigious police organisation of India, like the FBI in USA. The post of D.G. should only go the senior most officer who is competent professionally and who enjoys the reputation of being fair, impartial and fearless in taking right decisions and refuses to submit to any pressure from any quarter. There should be no lobbying for the post, nor should any business house and political party lobby for any individual as it would send a wrong signal. The country needs a very fair and honest and independent investigating agency for serious crimes to ensure probity and integrity in public life.

S C Agrawal DG (Retd) M P

Why leave them out?

M N Buch's comments may apply equally to corrupt Corporates, Judges and Leaders and even those running NGOs! Why leave them out?

Arjun Mallik

Who will do it?

This is with reference to MN Buch's post about cleaning up the bureaucracy. (WIC Forum 20-11-2012) Theoretically one can't disagree with Buch's suggestion that if 10% of the most corrupt officers are hanged publically and 50% are dismissed for being unfit to serve the remaining will be 'true elite of the services'. But the problem is who shall select the ones to be hanged and / or dismissed? A PM who thinks Kalmadi or Raja had done no wrong? A Law Minister who sees nothing wrong in Robert Wadra's (un) corporate deals with DLF ? A Lokpal aspirant lady civil society activist who finds nothing wrong in charging business class fare for discounted economy class tickets? Or a Digvijay Singh who is sad for the water burial given to OSAMAJI but who invokes Manusmriti to see Baba Ramdev drowned with a stone tied round him? If you leave the decision to the present regime or leadership rest assured they will hang the 10% who are honest beyond doubt, dismiss the 50% who are suspected to be honest and what remains shall be the roof and crown of corruption. You can simply imagine what a gorgeous elite it shall be.

NN Ojha

"More Autonomy in CPSEs

1. CPSEs are controlled by Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries & Under Secretaries.No board, CMD or Directors can act according to their consciousness. You must believe this to see how the CMD/Directors bent to please them & red carpet welcome they get when these bureaucrats visit; otherwise their performance will at jeopardy & they can loose their jobs, incentives, bonus etc. PRP sword is hanging over their head & these bureaucrats are to judge them. Unfortunately we do not have persons like Dr V K, K C Khanna & other similar caliber persons. Incidentally, they exited unceremoniously. Government should bring in change in the mind set of bureaucrats which is also difficult.

2. Mode of Selection of CMDs/Directors requires to be re-looked into so that more of persons like Dr VKs/Khannas are only selected. Now if you want to be selected one has to be a chela of the Minister or Senior politician and oblige them later. Unfortunately efficiency or performance is not the criteria.

3. If autonomy is given, the problem is CMDs/Directors can become autocratic. Performances of these persons should be done by a team of ex-CMDs of known caliber & independent thinking".

Subramanian.V

Guns out against SBI, Chairman

The 'politics' section of WIC (Nov19) revealed tip of the iceberg. The reality is far graver and does not end with SBI, Chairman. I give some facts and posers for GoI to share public concern. The Kingfisher owes Rs 7,000 crores (in principal alone) to 17 lenders (all banks) including public sector banks without exercising due diligence and are now contemplating writing off the irrecoverable losses. Recall the farmers dying elsewhere for their inability to pay back. Banks bleed many small industries to death by freezing their assets in case of loan default. No such action is being taken against the KFA. Surely, the banks lent too much to the airlines, owned by a Member of Parliament, without verifying its credit worthiness and despite borrower's inability to pay salaries to staff and officers and large outstanding due to airports. The absence of collateral to back even a third of the total 7,000-crore loans makes it nearly impossible to recover the debt by 17 lenders i/c ICICI,IDBI. Let us restrict ourselves to public sector banks. The moot point is: Could the Chairmen of government banks alone be held responsible for the scam? Are government directors and independent directors not equally partners in the boards? Decision making process ? There must be a transparent inquiry and responsibilities fixed on defaulters for violating RBI guidelines. The bank management , GoI officers and independent directors ,involved in the lending decisions must be show caused and slapped with major penalty of dismissal after due statutory inquiries. Needless to say that without collusion of the politicos, it is impossible to take funny and bizarre decisions and give bail out packages to the KFA whose owner enjoys lavish lifestyle in the company of 'calendar girls'. It is suggested that the scam is jointly investigated by the RBI and C&AG.

A K Saxena (A retired civil servant)