ONGC Executive Committee interacted with the new Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) Ranjan Prakash Thakur on 2 May 2022. In his first formal interaction with ONGC CMD and Directors after joining on 29 April 2022, Mr. Thakur evinced keen interest in the operations of the Energy major.

Appreciating the gesture of the Executive Committee in extending a very warm and cordial welcome to him, the CVO talked briefly about himself and his work in recent years. “I was in J&K for a transformational mission before this transfer to ONGC. I am more of an operations side rather than on the critique side. Work is more important than anything else and all of us need to push our boundaries to achieve our mission,” he added.

CMD Dr Alka Mittal welcoming CVO Ranjan Prakash Thakur (left)

Mr Thakur, who served as Executive Director in NTPC, said that he believes in results and also stands strongly with people who deliver results. “My approach is not to find faults. The organizational cost, of one employee wrongly charge-sheeted, is big. So, we should err on the liberal side. However, intentions are vital; if the intent is wrong, procedures should take care of it. For that, we will institute strong systems. I am in favor of new and enabling systems,” he said.

CVO Ranjan Prakash Thakur interacting with the Executive Committee

The CVO stressed that any progressive organization needs to protect its people. “Everyone has a right to be heard. So, please feel free to approach me. I will play my role as constructively as possible. We will support you in taking bold decisions,” he underscored.

Earlier, welcoming Mr Thakur on board, CMD and Director (HR) Dr Alka Mittal said that it is good to have a person of his approach and the Executive Committee looks forward to his advice on corporate governance. “All of us in the EC have witnessed the fact that the office of CVO has always been there to strengthen a preventive approach to vigilance. The idea is to have fewer D&A cases coming so that only our officers working in the toughest of situations can take timely decisions. Our approach will be to reassure that support if intentions are not malafide,” Dr Mittal added.

Dr Mittal addressing the gathering on the occasion

Dr Mittal shared her happiness that Mr Thakur believes mistakes can be there and the same should be considered as learning opportunities. “The idea is to be transparent and responsible in our decisions. Hence, we expect Mr Thakur to bring new perspectives to our policies,” she said further.

Mr Thakur felicitated with a shawl by Director (Onshore) Anurag Sharma

Welcoming Mr Thakur to ONGC, Director (Onshore) Anurag Sharma informed Mr Thakur that nearly 50 per cent of ONGC’s employees are involved in onshore production, “We have a list of issues for interaction with you in near future”.

Director (Offshore) Pankaj Kumar joined the welcome ceremony of Mr Thakur via video call from Mumbai

Director (Offshore) Pankaj Kumar He said that a majority of ONGC’s high-value materials and services related to offshore production. “We look forward to your (Mr Thakur’s) association with our operational processes,” he said.

Director (Finance) Pomila Jaspal presenting a bouquet to CVO

Greeting Mr Thakur, Director (Finance) Pomila Jaspal said that ONGC is a diverse group. “Your exposure in technical issues will be very value-additive to ONGC in various spheres,” Ms Jaspal said.

Director (Operations) of ONGC Videsh Limited ON Gyani welcoming Mr Thakur

Director (Operations) of ONGC Videsh Limited ON Gyani gave the new CVO further insights on the Maharatna’s operations abroad. “ONGC Videsh is currently there in 35 properties in 15 countries, delivering around 15 million tons of production. Your diverse experience is going to be handy for the Group. For technical people like us, we sometimes tend to focus on results more than processes. But intentions matter,” Mr Gyani opined.

ED-Corporate Strategy & Planning Rajarshi Gupta presented a detailed overview of ONGC and its history. The Group’s synergies and the roadmap ahead were presented. A couple of corporate films made by Corporate Communications were also shown on the occasion, bringing out the operational and social outreach of the national oil company of India.

The event was aptly compered by GGM (HR) AK Bahuguna.