The government is finally close to appointing a new chairman of Oil India, the nation’s second biggest state-owned oil exploring venture. The previous chief, S.K. Srivastava, retired in June last year. Since then three selection attempts were made through the Public Enterprise Selection Board (PESB), but did not turn up a suitable candidate. According to sources, though oil director (finance) Rupshikha Borah was selected for the top job by the PESB, her name was reportedly rejected by the Prime Minister’s Office. Finally, it’s a search committee headed by Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha, which has short-listed 10 candidates for interviews.
Among those in the fray are four senior Indian Administrative Service officers. Two of them, Anil Kumar Jain, who is currently adviser at Niti Aayog, and Ravi Kapoor, joint secretary in the department of commerce, have served in the oil ministry earlier. The other candidates are from other state-owned oil and gas companies. Interestingly, there is one candidate from the private sector, too. Will the Modi sarkar lean towards the IAS or the sector specialist, remains to be seen.
Transfer politics in Gujarat
It’s not just the Patel community’s agitation for reservation that the Gujarat government currently has to deal with. The appointment of senior Indian Police Service officer P.P. Pandey, who is currently on bail in the Ishrat Jahan case, as the director-general of police of Gujarat has also raised a lot of dust. Though the government says that this is merely an additional charge, the appointment of an officer who is under a cloud, has further roiled the waters.
Mr Pandey replaces former DGP P.C. Thakur who was suddenly transferred to Delhi as director-general of fire services and home guards. It’s no secret that Mr Thakur was upset with his transfer order. In response, the miffed cop has gone on leave, claiming that his wife’s ill health prevents him from taking up his new posting. Observers say that this could be Mr Thakur’s way of making his displeasure known to the powers that be in Gandhinagar as well as Delhi.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the government sticks to its stand of Mr Pandey holding the additional charge of DGP or will eventually confirm him in the post.
Court battles rage in UP
The three-month extension of service given to Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Alok Ranjan by the Centre has run into trouble. Mr Ranjan was to retire in March-end but was granted an extension on the recommendation of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
It has now been challenged in the Allahabad high court’s Lucknow bench by a civil activist Nutan Thakur. She claims that Mr Ranjan did not fulfil the eligibility criterion for extension of service. Apparently, a retiring officer needs to be of “outstanding merit” to claim an extension, which is not the case here, the petitioner clearly seems to imply. Though the court will take on call on the petition, it does make matters more difficult for Mr Yadav.
Meanwhile, a former Uttar Pradesh chief secretary, Neera Yadav, too is appealing against an Allahabad high court order of 2010 upholding her conviction in a Central Bureau of Investigation court in the Noida plot scandal. She was sentenced to four years imprisonment but has now challenged the order in the Supreme Court. The apex court has reportedly served notice to the CBI to respond.
