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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seems to have taken some interest in the functioning of the power ministry. According to sources in the Power Trading Corporation (PTC), Singh has intervened in the affairs of the ministry on two occasions recently.

Sources said CP Jain, the outgoing chairman of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), had been given a seven-month extension at the instance of the Prime Minister, on the eve of his retirement.

"Jain is an honest officer and the Prime Minister, in the interest of maintaining a favourable status quo, seems to have interceded with Power Minister PM Sayeed to get the extension," said a source.

Also, top sources have said the Prime Minister has indicated that TN Thakur, chairman-cum-managing director of the PTC, should also continue in his post. But while the NTPC is a public sector undertaking, the PTC is a public-private company and will require its board's approval for Thakur's continuation.

In fact, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation is also looking for a chairman-cum-managing director and it is expected that the Prime Minister will back RS Sharma, who has been on the shortlist for the post for sometime.

"The power ministry is in a state of chaos with the minister and Power Secretary RV Shahi having been at loggerheads for sometime. Even though they seem to have resolved their differences, it is a fact that the ministry is not working at it's optimum level," said a source.

The prime minister has repeatedly stressed the need for power reforms for enhancing India's development potential.