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ONGC without regular chairman since April 2021. Congress's 'Then came Modi' jibe
Earlier this week, ONGC's senior-most director on company's board was given an additional charge of chairman and managing director for a period of four months.
Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “deliberately” destroying India's top oil and gas producer ONGC so that one of the “humare do”, an apparent reference to Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, the two richest Indian industrialists, takes it over. Earlier this week, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation got a record third interim chairman in Rajesh Kumar Srivastava as the government has not made a full-time appointment yet.
An oil ministry order said Srivastava has been entrusted with an additional charge of chairman and managing director "for a period of 4 months with effect from September 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022 (i.e the date of his superannuation) or till the appointment of a regular incumbent to the post, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest."
ONGC is without a regular chairman and managing director since April 2021.
Subhash Kumar, the then senior-most director on the company board and the director for finance, was named interim head after Shashi Shanker superannuated on March 31, 2021. Alka Mittal, Director for Human Resources, was given the additional charge after Kumar retired on December 31, 2021. Mittal superannuated on Wednesday.
Opposition has also been criticising ONGC's acquisition of 80 per cent stake in Gujarat State Petroleum Corp.’s KG basin gas block over what it said was “pressure” exerted on the Maharatna company to bail out the debt-laden GSPC.
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh said that the public sector undertaking and one of the 10 Maharatna companies was India's crown jewel a few years ago but “then came Mr. Modi”.
“Just a few years ago ONGC was a crown jewel. Then came Mr. Modi. He forced ONGC to absorb GSPC, a scam-ridden company castigated by the CAG. ONGC is without a regular CMD since April '21. It’s being deliberately destroyed so that one of the ‘Humare Do’ takes it over. Atrocious!” Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
(With PTI inputs)
