In last week’s appointment of seven additional secretaries in various ministries it was the shifting of U.P. Singh, the all-powerful additional secretary in the petroleum ministry to the water resources ministry that raised the most eyebrows. Even the intra-ministry transfer of Gujarat-cadre IAS officer and Narendra Modi-confidante Girish Murmu from expenditure to the financial services department within the finance ministry is seen as a minor “adjustment”.
But in the case of Mr Singh, many in Dilli suspect there is more than meets the eye behind his transfer. Mr Singh is somewhat of an expert in the petroleum sector having been joint secretary exploration, interim chairperson of Oil India. Buzz has it that his transfer may be related to the recent outing of the Comptroller and Auditor-General report.
In its report, the national auditor has pulled up the Gujarat government-run Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Ltd (GSPC) for mismanaging its exploration — and development-related activities in its KG basin and overseas assets, leading to higher costs and financial losses. It is suspected that Mr Singh was looking into the questions raised against the state government-run company and may have trodden on a few toes in the process, hastening his departure from the petroleum ministry.
