E&P staff at ONGC sidelined for promotions
Bitterness is growing among low to middle-level ONGC managers who fear missing out on career opportunities, particularly following the latest delay in GM to CGM promotions.
Multiple ONGC officers tell this report that despite Narendra Modi’s focus on more E&P, technical and experienced staff are increasingly sidelined at ONGC. On March 7 (2025), 110 promotions from GM to CGM ranks were announced, plus 10 postings which were not linked to promotions.
"The entire promotion list neglects the foundational pillars - exploration and production staff," says an ONGC source. "There is no rational succession planning at ONGC; take the director exploration, there are only two eligible candidates from ONGC."
Only 22% of drilling GMs eligible for promotions were successful, while only 20% of eligible production GMS made the cut, and a shockingly low 19% of eligible exploration GMs were elevated. Just 27 of the eligible 145 exploration GMs succeeded.
Worst affected was the chemistry department within exploration, with only three of 40 eligible candidates winning promotion. Engineering saw a low 16% of eligible people rising in rank, and for other support services, the figure was just 17%.
Only three of 17 eligible candidates in surface geophysics were promoted. However, the story is entirely different for HR managers: of the 31 eligible candidates, 13 received promotions or 42%.
A source claims that even among HR officers, only those with influence in Delhi or Dehradun win promotions. Senior managers and engineers see a bleak future, particularly for those working in the field.
Many experienced staffers working offshore have also been ignored. "In his January 1 (2025) speech, chairman (Arun Singh) admitted that exploration people are very few at the E9-E8 (ED-GGM) levels compared to other disciplines," says a source.
"He has dropped hints at a meeting that the new chairman will be from outside ONGC given that the current officers with in-depth knowledge don’t have the broad base of experience for the top job."