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| '''Pradip Baijal''' is a |
'''Pradip Baijal''' is a controversial retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service. He is a 1966 batch officer from the ] cadre. He is part a long list of IAS officers who have spent time at ] for specialised training{{Citation needed|reason=what special training and when?}}. ], in an article in 2003 called him a storm-raiser. On one hand, He is seen as one of the most successful officers, and has several accomplishments across multiple sectors, while on the other hand, he is seen as a controversial bureaucrat who colluded with politicians and corporate lobbyists to caus loss to the exchequer. | ||
| In his distinguished career, '''Pradip Baijal''' held senior administrative positions in the Ministry of Finance and industries at state level but he first came into prominence as the disinvestment secretary in the BJP Govt on 1999 and was part of the team that was involved in the disinvestment of various Govt companies like BP, VSNL, IPCL and Maruti. | |||
| He retired as the Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in March 2006. He was appointed chairman of TRAI in a critical phase in 2003 when Arun Shourie of the BJP was minister, and then for a brief time with ]. His term lapsed in 2006. | |||
| == Education == | |||
| ⚫ | He was trained as an engineer before he joined the ]. Baijal earned his BE (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee. He took part in a one year visiting fellowship at ] on the Privatisation of Public Enterprise. | ||
| == Accomplishments == | |||
| ⚫ | During his tenure, TRAI articulated and adopted allegedly pro-development and consumer-friendly regulatory practices and made important recommendations on the growth of telecom services in rural India to the Government of India. TRAI has also urged the industry to think of next generation telecom networks. Baijal, directly dealt with a variety of key issues impacting the telecom industry in India, including changes to the Access Deficit Charge (ADC) that punctured mobile phone bills. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| In fact, it was he who is credited with suggesting a reduction in ADC, a fee that private operators pay ] for compensating its rural operations, and its eventual withdrawal by 2009. This was by no means a small decision given the clout and might<!-- OK here: don't correct it--> of BSNL and the support of department of telecom to continue with the levy, which works out to not less than Rs 5,000 crore. | In fact, it was he who is credited with suggesting a reduction in ADC, a fee that private operators pay ] for compensating its rural operations, and its eventual withdrawal by 2009. This was by no means a small decision given the clout and might<!-- OK here: don't correct it--> of BSNL and the support of department of telecom to continue with the levy, which works out to not less than Rs 5,000 crore. | ||
| Another step of far-reaching implications was Baijal's continued thrust on ], under which an operator can offer telecom and broadcasting services on a single licence and next generation networks for Indian telecom sector that would bring down the network costs significantly. As a result of his incredible work in the sector, the sector grew remarkably - from adding 0.2 million subsribers a year, the sector was adding close to 20 million subscribers monthly by the time he retired. | Another step of far-reaching implications was Baijal's continued thrust on ], under which an operator can offer telecom and broadcasting services on a single licence and next generation networks for Indian telecom sector that would bring down the network costs significantly. As a result of his incredible work in the sector, the sector grew remarkably - from adding 0.2 million subsribers a year, the sector was adding close to 20 million subscribers monthly by the time he retired. | ||
| Before taking over chairmanship of TRAI, he held senior administrative positions in the Ministry of Finance and industries at state level. Before his current assignment in TRAI, he was the first Secretary of Disinvestment, from 1999 to 2003, and laid down the entire gamut of rules and regulations for privatization. | |||
| == Controversies == | |||
| ⚫ | He was trained as an engineer before he joined the ]. Baijal earned his BE (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee. He took part in a one year visiting fellowship at ] on the Privatisation of Public Enterprise. | ||
| His tenure in that position coincided with multiple policy flip-flops that are alleged to have caused huge loss to the exchequer and directly benefitting telecom companies like ] and ], that was sold to ]: one of the companies that formed the client base of alleged scam-kingpin ], whose firm he later joined. His houses and offices were recently raided by the ] as part of their investigations into the Telecom Scam<ref>CBI conducts raids; swoops on DMK associates, Niira Radia & Pradip Baijal http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/CBI-conducts-raids-swoops-on-DMK-associates-Niira-Radia--Pradip-Baijal/articleshow/7108883.cms</ref>. | |||
| == Post-Retirement == | |||
| He recently co-founded a strategy consulting firm . Noesis was established to provide strategic advisory services based on a blend of experience, foresight, a deep understanding of the economic and business landscape, and the ability to take a holistic view. | He recently co-founded a strategy consulting firm . Noesis was established to provide strategic advisory services based on a blend of experience, foresight, a deep understanding of the economic and business landscape, and the ability to take a holistic view. | ||
| He also took a consultancy assignment with the lobbying firm run by ], whose clients are among the beneficiaries of the policy flip-flops taken when he was part of the Government. | |||
Revision as of 16:14, 28 December 2010
Pradip Baijal is a controversial retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service. He is a 1966 batch officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He is part a long list of IAS officers who have spent time at Oxford University for specialised training. Business Standard, in an article in 2003 called him a storm-raiser. On one hand, He is seen as one of the most successful officers, and has several accomplishments across multiple sectors, while on the other hand, he is seen as a controversial bureaucrat who colluded with politicians and corporate lobbyists to caus loss to the exchequer.
In his distinguished career, Pradip Baijal held senior administrative positions in the Ministry of Finance and industries at state level but he first came into prominence as the disinvestment secretary in the BJP Govt on 1999 and was part of the team that was involved in the disinvestment of various Govt companies like BP, VSNL, IPCL and Maruti.
He retired as the Chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in March 2006. He was appointed chairman of TRAI in a critical phase in 2003 when Arun Shourie of the BJP was minister, and then for a brief time with Dayanidhi Maran. His term lapsed in 2006.
Education
He was trained as an engineer before he joined the Indian Administrative Service. Baijal earned his BE (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee. He took part in a one year visiting fellowship at Oxford University on the Privatisation of Public Enterprise.
Accomplishments
During his tenure, TRAI articulated and adopted allegedly pro-development and consumer-friendly regulatory practices and made important recommendations on the growth of telecom services in rural India to the Government of India. TRAI has also urged the industry to think of next generation telecom networks. Baijal, directly dealt with a variety of key issues impacting the telecom industry in India, including changes to the Access Deficit Charge (ADC) that punctured mobile phone bills.
In fact, it was he who is credited with suggesting a reduction in ADC, a fee that private operators pay BSNL for compensating its rural operations, and its eventual withdrawal by 2009. This was by no means a small decision given the clout and might of BSNL and the support of department of telecom to continue with the levy, which works out to not less than Rs 5,000 crore.
Another step of far-reaching implications was Baijal's continued thrust on unified licensing, under which an operator can offer telecom and broadcasting services on a single licence and next generation networks for Indian telecom sector that would bring down the network costs significantly. As a result of his incredible work in the sector, the sector grew remarkably - from adding 0.2 million subsribers a year, the sector was adding close to 20 million subscribers monthly by the time he retired.
Controversies
His tenure in that position coincided with multiple policy flip-flops that are alleged to have caused huge loss to the exchequer and directly benefitting telecom companies like Reliance Telecom and [[Tata Teleservices who were clients of a lobbying firm that he later, post retirement joined as a consultant . Incidentally, Pradip Baijal was also part of the team that was involved in the disinvestment of Govt owned telecom agency VSNL, that was sold to Tata Teleservices: one of the companies that formed the client base of alleged scam-kingpin Niira Radia, whose firm he later joined. His houses and offices were recently raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation as part of their investigations into the Telecom Scam.
Post-Retirement
He recently co-founded a strategy consulting firm Noesis. Noesis was established to provide strategic advisory services based on a blend of experience, foresight, a deep understanding of the economic and business landscape, and the ability to take a holistic view.
He also took a consultancy assignment with the lobbying firm run by Niira Radia, whose clients are among the beneficiaries of the policy flip-flops taken when he was part of the Government.
External links
- Did Pradip Baijal make a mistake in joining Niira Radia's firm? http://m.economictimes.com/PDAET/articleshow/7108777.cms
- CBI conducts raids; swoops on DMK associates, Niira Radia & Pradip Baijal http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/CBI-conducts-raids-swoops-on-DMK-associates-Niira-Radia--Pradip-Baijal/articleshow/7108883.cms