Arun Singh keeps promotions on tight leash
ONGC chairman Arun Singh continues to stamp out rampant favouritism in company promotions.
This was most clearly evidenced by the whittled-down list of promotions announced on April 10 (2023). ONGC has promoted 22 group general managers (GGMs) to executive director (ED) rank - less than half compared to 2022 when it promoted 51 officers to EDs.
On April 12 (2023), ONGC also announced promotions from chief general managers (CGMs) to group general managers (GGMs) or ranks E7 to E8 in ONGC's hierarchy. Here only 68 were promoted, barely half of the 115 promoted in 2022.
All promotions are backdated to January 1 (2023). Among those promoted to EDs, 17 received so-called 'substantive' promotions for those with over a year of service left before retirement.
Only five executives got so-called 'supernumerary' promotions given to officers just before their retirement. By contrast, in 2022, 31 officers received 'substantive' promotions to ED and 20 received 'supernumerary' promotions.
"This is perhaps the first time that only those who tick all the seniority requirement boxes have been promoted," says a source. Among those who will soon be posted in positions with enhanced financial and managerial powers (L1) are Ravi (no last name), Ravindra Madhav Patil, Vinnakota Narasimha Rao, Pavan Agarwal, Pragati Partha Mitra, Pradeep Kumar Goel, Bhagwan Singh Bora who took over as chief geophysical services in Mumbai in June (2022), Ratnesh Kumar, chief of engineering services onshore, Vinod Hallan from the finance department, Satyan Kumar, Vinod Kumar Chaudhary, Priya Ranjan Mishra, who has been Western Onshore basin manager since September 2022, and Umesh Kumar Rana, a surface manager at Mehsana.
According to the order, Madhukar Mohan, a production specialist with OVL and posted in Cambodia, and Krishan Gopal Goel, will be promoted on June 1 (2023) when the post falls vacant. Amit Balwantray Desai from the drilling department and Uday Paswan will take over as EDs from July 1 (2023) when their post fall vacant.
"Had the chairman not joined in December, there would probably have been some 'family list' (promotions of favoured officers)," adds another ONGC source, repeating allegations of favouritism against the HR department. Among the notables who did not figure in the list are GGMs Divya Capoor, the HR department chief in Delhi, and ASTO president and chief risk officer Amit Kumar, say sources.