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Why decision making in PSU fails to impress: case ONGC

Directors and CEOs of Indian PSUs traditionally are fond of good looking, smart, though no doubt efficient, youngsters to crowd around them in their MSGs ( Management services groups, executive assistants etc). This is long held tradition. These youngsters spend years in head offices of PSUs in Delhi offices, particularly in HR, becoming seniors and they decide on postings of those who are working hard day in and out in remote areas of NE , Karailkal, Offshore, Kakinada, Agartal at core business unites of say ONGC. Some of these MSG youngsters spend 20-25 years in head quarters and later manage to rise to higher positions of EDs and even Directors without or at the best with very brief stint of year or two outside in field offices. If one assess out profiles of MSG in CEOs and Directors’ offices of a typical PSU like ONGC for past 30 years, one will find 60 to 70 percent same persons continuing for decades. Directors change but these high profile file movers at MSGs remain firmly there.Sometimes they themselves become directors being well known to higher authorities or even ministries. Worst part they play for making PSUs inefficiently managed is that these assistant executives have influence in decision making. Being always around providing comfort of continuity and experience to shaky top leadership of PSUs which is already under daily threat from controlling ministries, they carry ability to put words in the mouth of directors and CMDs defeating very attempt to infuse new ideas of managing fresh challenges. 

That’s core reason why a PSU like ONGC could stagnates or could avoid stagnating and become more efficient!!

Chief Justice’s comments on same sex marriage

Though CJ made only cursory comments on sidelines, his opinion must be read in the context he is dealing with. I don’t think anyone, least of all CJ would mean to overlook ‘feminineness’ of biological women which governs present privileges, protections and associated legal frameworks. Though one needs uncluttered mind free of political and moral prejudices to make meaningful inference. 


Understanding that giving ‘marriage’ status to ‘same sex marriage’ would be challenging traditions, and will have serious ramifications impacting proven and accepted family and social norms, courts or lawmakers should consider to redefine same sex social unions as different legal entity and set up similar or new rules which govern these relations without calling it ‘marriage’. 


Same sex relations had been known to exist since eternity but only had surfaced overground so popularly now due to changing ethical and also communication norms of the society. 


If same sex persons intend to live together and want society or state to recognise their relation by giving it some legal recognition and binding making participating couples look forward to a legal fallback framework for protection, it is a fair expectation of consenting adults. State must accept it though can consider to give this relation a new legal name and a definition and avoid calling it ‘marriage’ which can be continued to be between opposite sex persons.

Tatas and success

We just heard WhatsApp/ fb going berserk on Tatas building New Parliament at cost of Rs 1, gifting it to nation literally.

New parliament is being built at enhanced cost of 1300 crore ( ealier 861 crore) by Tata Projects. The other bigger project of Central Vista at 13000 crore is being built by another of their relatives Shapoorji Palonji who doesn’t go well along with Ratan we all know. They are all professional traditional businessmen having survived one and half centuries now by building good public support and also keeping govt in power happy with their sometimes questionable support, who so ever they might had been British, Congress or BJP.
Tatas have always meticulously and smartly built their reputation of great philanthropist and nationalist with pronounced backend professional public advocacy. We keep hearing these kind stories about how great Tatas are, very regularly. They are great businesses but are usual, opportunists towards their goals, business family which have excellent public reputation built on such stories to ensure no one questions their acumen of succeeding.