In the hot seat

The much-awaited Pulok Chatterji is back at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as principal secretary to the Prime Minister. Though familiar with the corridors of power, Mr Chatterji has returned at a time when the UPA sarkar is reeling under

various crises. Dilli knows this is no ordinary change of guard. Unlike when his predecessor T.K. Nair (who incidentally has been elevated to adviser to the Prime Minister with a Cabinet rank) took over, Mr Chatterji faces practically no competition. After all, when it comes to enjoying proximity to both 10 Janpath and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (he was private secretary to Dr Singh in 2000-2004), he is unparalleled.
He is expected to smoothen communications between the PMO (as opposed to the Good Doctor) and the Congress president’s office (as opposed to Mrs Sonia Gandhi), which are rumoured to have suffered in recent months.
Naturally, there is much speculation about what else Mr Chatterji brings to the table and on the nature of his role in what is clearly perceived as a “hot seat”. But since a change at this level usually indicates a new direction, keep your compasses ready for direction.

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A Lesson learnt
Following the painful episode involving B.S. Lalli, former chief executive officer of Prasar Bharati, the government is mulling the idea of limiting the powers of the public broadcaster’s next CEO. It also proposes to reduce the eligibility age of Prasar Bharati board members from 62 years to 55 years.
According to the Prasar Bharati Act, the CEO cannot be removed without the consent of the President of India and the Supreme Court. The general view is that Mr Lalli took advantage of this provision and executed controversial decisions, despite the presence of an oversight committee. The proposed amendments will ensure that no CEO can take unilateral decisions. Now who in babudom would contend that!

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The Guessing game
With Satya Prakash Nanda, member of the Orissa Board of Revenue and senior-most bureaucrat in the state, taking over as chairman of the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) early this month, the race to replace him has begun in earnest.
Among the frontrunners to replace Mr Nanda are development and agriculture production commissioner R.N. Senapati, Aurobindo Behera, G.C. Pati, additional secretary in the Union ministry of agriculture, among others. Mr Pati is currently in Delhi but reportedly keen to return to the state. Among these, Mr Behera’s chances, sources say, depend on whether Mr Pati returns from his Central deputation. However, another strong contender, according to sources, is Jugal Kishore Mahapatra, now principal secretary of finance, but who’s considered close to chief minister Naveen Patnaik. The guessing game is on, and we’ll know soon enough.