Pradip Baijal, whose house was raided by the CBI on Wednesday, retired as the chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and is being accused of possible involvement in the 2G spectrum issue.
Baijal is a retired Officer of the Indian Administrative Service. He is a 1966 batch officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre.
During his tenure in Trai, Baijal pushed consumer-friendly regulatory practices and made important recommendations on the growth of telecom services in rural India to the Government of India.
Baijal also pressed for unified licensing, under which an operator can offer telecom and broadcasting services on a single licence and next generation networks.
His most visible stint in the government was, however, as secretary in the ministry of disinvestment, when he presided over several big-ticket strategic sale of state-run companies such as aluminum company BALCO and ITDC-run Centaur Hotel in Mumbai and Kanishka Hotel in New Delhi.
An engineering graduate from Roorkee College of Engineering - now IIT, roorkee, Baijal is an avid golfer, loves Chinese food and is accessible.
He joined Noesis, a firm owned by corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, a year after he retired.
{{/usCountry}}He joined Noesis, a firm owned by corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, a year after he retired.
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