He was the nodal officer for Tamil Nadu’s Global Investors’ Meet 2015. Months ahead he set up a countdown clock at the office of the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu. On the forenoon of every Monday he used to conduct meetings of dozens of officials/institutions involved in the conduct of GIM; with clock-like precision, he used to handle these with PERT and CPM charts.
In close coordination with his boss, Additional Chief Secretary, CV Sankar, Dr Vijay Pingale made a significant contribution to the success of the first GIM.
Pingale belonged to the TN cadre of IAS. In his earlier tenure as deputy commissioner (works) of the Corporation of Chennai, he boldly tried to tackle the corruption and shady work of civil contractors. With the use of technology, he closely monitored the quality of civil works and took penal action on the corrupt contractors. Of course, the contractor-lobby succeeded in getting him shifted from the Corporation. The institutionalised system of corruption is so deep-rooted that it defies attempts at reforms.
In a meeting IE organised to feli-citate the GIM team, I expressed the wish for Pingale getting shifted to Delhi. This happened! Pingale worked as the private secretary to the then Minister of Railways, Suresh Prabhu. With Prabhu, he moved to Udyog Bhawan when the Minister’s portfolio changed to commerce and industry. In my visit to Delhi, I admired the long hours of efficient work put by Pingale in meeting the exacting demands of his office. The load increased further with Prabhu entrusted with the additional portfolio of civil aviation.
This qualified MBBS doctor is quitting the IAS to join a NGO. His wife is a practising doctor. Pingale’s rich experience is bound to be of even higher value to society as an efficient, conscientious leader.
