Sam Pitroda, S Ramadorai others yet to resign from PM advisory posts

NEW DELHI: Top technocrats like Montek Singh Ahluwalia, C Rangarajan and Nandan Nilekani may have quit, but not all of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s top advisors are relinquishing their duties that come with a cabinet rank. For instance, Sam Pitroda, S Ramadorai and V Krishnamurthy, who heads a manufacturing advisory council set up by the UPA, are yet to resign from their posts.

Tata Consultancy Services vicechairman S Ramadorai, who holds a cabinet minister’s rank as advisor to Singh on skills, is learnt to have decided to stay on as the chairman of the National Skill Development Agency (a position that subsumed his advisory role to the PM) and the finance ministry-backed NSDC.

Similarly, the Congress’ first family’s confidante, Sam Pitroda, too has not resigned from his post as the PM’s advisor on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation, by virtue of which he heads the National Innovation Council. After a long absence, Pitroda met his team at Yojana Bhawan on Tuesday, according to officials.

V Krishnamurthy, who was given a cabinet rank in 2004 as the chief of a National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council set up by Singh, is also learnt to be staying put, with officials close to him saying that he has made no move to quit and is unlikely to do so. Apart from being a part of myriad councils chaired by Singh on trade, industry and energy, Krishnamurthy was also awarded membership of Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council in UPA-I.