FORUM

ACC system : "A Sham and a Scam !"

The present system is anything but just and fair! It is called ’time consuming’ as it has to go through procedural formalities to camouflage the mind-boggling irregularities in the appointment process. It is corrupt as the DOP&T (Establishment Officer’s office sells information) does not trust its data bank carrying the experience profiles of eligible officers. Nominations in respect of favourites( perceived No:1 in a panel of three) are received by DOP&T from the de facto power through the PMO, Cabinet Secretary. An officer in the PMO owing loyalty to 10- Janpath, acts as the conduit . This "informality" is "formalized" in the EO’s office by adding names of two "less fortunate officers" who can’t pull the strings. Ordering of nominations panels is finalized by the Screening committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary ,who ensures the needful. No transparency, no benchmarking, no comparison of bio-data to identify the "right person for right job". Selections are hush hush, arbitrary based on pick and choose. On some occasions, in my Secretaries’ absence, I attended the Screening Committee’s meetings only to get disillusioned by its unidirectional deliberations to formalize the pre-determined ! During NDA’s régime, the PM’s House grew hugely powerful. The Center has now shifted to 10-Janpath!

All things considered, the present system has always been a sham, market-driven mechanism . The corporate lobbyists, wheelers and dealers, big industrial houses have a free run to oblige all those who matter and get their favourites planted at key positions. The virtues like honesty, competence, commitment to public good, are "virtual realities". One wonders why same set of officers ( of Indian Arrogant Service)spend more time at the Centre than their cadres. They are good at "boundary management" with political clouts. They are rehabilitated with post-retirement placements to build bridges with the power that be. The households of a majority of Joint Secretaries and Secretaries (honourable exceptions apart) are maintained by business houses for handsome returns. All this, as their credentials are not verified by the IB before appointment by the ACC. P J Thomas is the case in point. What is the way forward ?

Consider these: (a)Shortlisting of candidates by tapping DOP&T data bank after IB’s verification;(b) Introducing screening through interviews by an independent board that should associate Management experts, and psychologists;(c)Availability of 360 degree feedbacks about the interviewees and vigilance clearance;(d) The ACC must give valid reasons for rejecting the recommendations of independent boards; (e)The ACC must also give ’speaking directions ’for Board level appointments in Central PSUs, while over turning PESB’s recommendations.

A K Saxena (A retired civil servant)

There is no doubt that Anna Hazare’s fast and the subsequent total capitulation by the Government to his demands is unprecedented by any standards. It smacks undemocratic and unconstitutional to allow a bunch of unelected persons to dictate terms to a democratically elected Government. Perhaps unprecedented malice that is eating away our democracy requires an unprecented remedy. Though many say that it is not unprecedented as Gandhi had used it in free India. Was it not Gandhi who by fasting unto death forced the Government to give away the partition debt to Pakistan when that country was invading us knowing fully well that the money will be used by Pakis to buy weapons for killing our soldiers? During the freedom struggle though he was not a member of the Congress, Gandhi used Satyagraha as a weapon to oust his opponents like Jinnah (Jinnah was a true secularist at that time. He opposed Gandhi’s mixing of religion with politics like supporting Ali brothers (in their Khilafat movement), C. Sankaran Nair and Bose.

Our fore fathers who drafted our constitution perhaps never imagined the depth of decadence our political system can sunk in. A foreign woman is ruling this nation by proxy. Many consider her as the fulcrum of corruption in India. She is trying to scuttle the Lokpal bill through her henchmen since she knows that she will be the first casuality in any independent investigation. With mass political illiteracy it is very difficult free India from these corrupt elements.

Then what remedial measures can be taken to arrest the malignant disease of corruption which is a direct cause of lack of governance?

One option is to have an Army take over which looking at our neighbour most will not recommend. The one and only next option is to use moral power that Gandhi used and that is what Anna is doing. He did it at the correct time when the entire nation was disgusted with the series of corruption charges against the elected Government. Even PAC and JPC will come to nothing since it is a political body and ruling party with support from corrupt political elements like DMK,BSP,RJD and SP will scuttle any investigation. So let us not split hairs on the constitutionality of the agitation, but support it.

Navnith

Creation of dirty politics

Andhra Affair is all creation of dirty politics violating procedure for appointment of DGP.

Hstanwar

It is against protocol

This is against protocol. The expression ’Sir’ is otherwise also a colonial hangover. It would be better if the Govt. officers address one another by name.

Ram Niwas

Never question the system

I will share one secret with all readers which one of my friends told me. He said best thing is to be posted under corrupt Reporting Officer if you allow him free hand to eat money you will get outstanding APAR. If you working under honest, hard working officer, then work very hard & show results he will not spoil your ACR & assess according to work done but rest assured will give you above benchmark. If you work under the type who talk all day, boast & brag & make you sit whole day in his room & tells same story everyday about how dynamic he is etc then you must sit in his room no matter if you are dieing of boredom & will collapse, listen to him, praise him never be impatient to leave. Never mind the work is never important for this kind just listen & praise him you will get outstanding APAR. If you had fight with boss on some issue go to his house on Diwali, take your wife because he will not insult you if your wife & children accompanying you and take expensive gift & say it is small token of remembrance. Another method is many officer now taking money for promotion. Since now promotion is entirely in hand of Reporting and Reviewing Officer and three members of DPC or ACC are there to give stamp of approval only & cannot go against the orders of Reporting and Reviewing Officer, therefore do not do mistake of saying no to this pooling of money. One Reporting Officer had 20 officers reporting to him. Each contributed Rs. 20, 000 each which coming to Rs. Four lacs. The Reporting Officer kept one lacs for himself & gave three lacs to Reviwing Officer who kept one lacs for himself & gave two lakh to his Reporting Officer. In this cycle each officer earned huge income, everyone got minimum very good & those officers who did house work of boss & taking boss wife for shopping got Outstanding. This arrangement saved headache of deciding representation, replying to Court cases etc because everyone happy, everyone got promoted & the free time available was used for devising more schemes for generating money. This is a win win arrangement because one Court case requires at least expenditure of two lacs. Therefore never question the system, try to learn its ways & adjust to it. There is so much for everyone.

Ranjeet Sadasivam

Healthy humour !

Today’s WIC carries a wonderful piece of wit: healthy humour, bitter facts, mirror to the reality of administration. There is another piece almost dropping down. Dropping from where? You never ask for such explanations. Have you ever asked how arms simply "drop" in Purulia or dropped in Purulia in 1995? Today’s breaking news carries interviews with Kim & Peter about the drop and they are invoking the intelligence of multinational(including Indian)intelligence agencies. It seems, intelligence only means fooling not one person but a whole nation. The operator’s "intelligence" lies in locating the right word, which connotes nothing or rather everything that the operator imparts it whenever the situation demands. Now, smuggling would have pointed an accusing finger at lot many government agencies like the customs or police or intelligence or RAW or IB or CBI. Hence the intelligent use of the word drop. Something simply dropped over Purulia! Great!! When something drops, you can not proceed against anybody. In the serendipity the arms remained in India but the arms (Kim & Peter & co) were honourably escorted out intelligently. The spell cast by our Intelligence agencies is such that all our media continues to call it "drop" rather than "smuggling" or more challenging to national security "supply" by foreign countries inimical to India. The arms came from Pakistan, by air, the defence radar were switched off for many hours to provide a window to the operators, 3rd and 4th country persons flew the aircraft and the 5th or 6th countries were in constant communication to safely execute the operation. The most hilarious part of the entire episode is that Kim & Peter have been working long time in India as Catholic missionaries in poor areas of India in West Bengal(Mother Teressa territory), Orissa (Staines tragedy range)& NE states. What kind of NGO work people do to alleviate poverty in India? So long as we continue to term it merely arms drop, the truth will not surface, even as two parliamentary committees have examined the matter. Who says a word can’t do what two parliamentary committees have failed to do? Drop it!

M L Gupta

Ms Khandelwal is outstanding

Ms Khandelwal is an outstanding officer of the Govt. of Haryana. But we didn’t know about her this talent hidden in her, which has come in open in the public with the release of her this book of poems. We wish her all the best and pray to the god to give her power to think to write many more books of this kind.

Dr Anoop Mittal

Pillai has to be rewarded !

Government could not select CMD for NTC during the last two years or K.R. Pillai has to be rewarded for making NTC poorer by some hundred crores as per CAG report for the year 2005 and 2009.

U C Sharma

Chandrashekhar deserves extension

Cabinet Secretary Chandrashekhar must be given an extension which is co-terminus with UPA govt. He is the best Cabinet Secretary ever. He is decisive, honest, and enjoys the confidence of the civil service and the political system...a rare combination.

Singh

Whether the hurry was to accommodate people ?

This is in reference to the orders issued by the CBDT. While the order being issued in March deserves commendation, what intrigues is whether the hurry was to accommodate people. For instance, there is one person in the list of CITs who has not been shifted out of Delhi since 1989. Worse instead of giving him an innocuous post he is given a corporate charge. Will this matter be investigated? If law is to be followed or the transfer policy needs to be pursued, it has to be done equally.

Rakesh FORUM