PM’s infra target meet was a Pulok Chatterji show; coal added later

Pulok Chatterji

PRIME Minister-convened meeting to set new infrastructure targets for FY 2012-13, was actually a Pulok Chatterji show. During the last few days, Chatterji, principal secretary to PM had a series of informal, and also formal, meetings to arrive at a consensus on what should be the government’s investment targets in the backdrop of dismal GDP number of 5.3 percent for the country which often packages itself as the second fastest growing large economy in the world.

In fact, Planning Commission first proposed a set of targets for five sectors: power, railways, roads, shipping and civil aviation. But the targets were substantially...

enhanced in the second round of meeting in PMO which was chaired by Chatterji. According to official statement, PMO included the coal sector in the target setting exercise as coal has a direct relation with the power sector’s performance.

Railway minister Mukul Roy was not present in the power meet, but Roy said he had informed the Prime Minister about his inability to attend the meeting because of his engagements in by-polls.

For Chatterji, however, the challenges begin only now. After all, setting ambitious targets are easier than achieving those.

Action and Appointments

a) Shumsher Sheriff, secretary to the Vice President and Delhi chief secretary PK Tripathi are key contenders for the newly vacated post of election commissioner. Both are 1977 batch IAS officers.

b) Ms EP Nivedita, a 1993 batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service officer and director in urban development ministry has been shifted to UIDAI, Bangalore.

c) Puneet Agarwal, a 1998 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS officer and deputy secretary in the department of economic affairs has been re-designated as director in the same department.