What people say about us !

This is to congratulate you for the wonderful site that you have been running for a long time now. I teach Journalism in Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. Recently I gave example of your site in the class while teaching one of the papers related to government information systems.

Vartika Nanda

Aaj Ki Aawaz

On FDI what was the hurry????
Maybe 'order' from Obama to PM caused all the flurry!!

First Opposition is livid by the 'executive order' route the Congress took.... Parliament was in session and usually such a route is taken when there is an emergency and Parliament is not in session! Wal-Mart and likes treat Indian Market as extremely lucrative!!! First they know the gap between farm to shop shelve to consumer....... they know how MRP is played about with....... they know the manpower costs in India are low...... they know Indian Government can be manipulated as and when required.....they know they'll squeeze Indian SMEs citing Chinese prices!!!!! If Government feels Wal-Mart and likes will set up basic infrastructure then Government has got it all wrong!!! Seems PM is all out to short change Indians.... hope you remember his literally evaluating Indian lives as dirt cheap in the Nuclear Civil Liability draft? Anand Sharma is too small a fry to be the 'soul' behind this Bill.... he got orders.... orders he could not refuse!!! Government's ads mislead on all three counts...... prices will not come down...... employment .... seems our Government is oblivious about how ruthless Wall-Mart and likes are and Government refuses to look at the numbers that will be jobless because of Big Ticket retail.......creation of infrastructure too is grossly overrated!! As the limerick at the start indicates.... seems Obama 'ordered' PM and PM informed Madam about the urgency and 'or else' in Obama's statement on retail to him!!! Why doesn't Government fix the profit permissible in essentials, veggies and fruits…. MRP…..Maximum Retail Profit?????

Rahul says politics is a mug's game!!!!
But 99% of Indians will say his call to fight corruption is 'lame'!!!!

Congress has perfected the 'art of making money'....... it was the one that exposed India to corruption...... and the work started post Independence has continued and has literally snowballed during UPA's stints!!! I wish Rahul called for an end to corruption by first giving an Affidavit to the Swiss Government saying that he waived the Client- Banker secrecy clause which bound Swiss Banks from revealing info on its accounts and permitted Swiss Banks to reveal any Bank Accounts held by him directly or indirectly.... at present I'm sure most Indians call his call to fight corruption 'as empty'.....in fact this should be the prerequisite for any Neta demanding corruption be exposed!!!! I think Rahul feels Indians are gullible.... like besotted college girls who would fall for his dimples as he raised a war cry, though fake, against corruption!!! Rahul has not denied reports about Vajpayee bailing him out in USA when NDA was in power!!!! Rahul seems to be making the same error his Dad committed.... raised war 'empty' cry against corruption!!!! If he feels 'dehati India matters and there he'll be able to wishy-washy his way out'...... he's got it wrong.... dehati India is very well informed and livid with prices and corruption!!! In fact if BJP, BSP and SP are able to link prices with corruption then Congress is in for a lot of trouble in the upcoming State elections!! Again I feel Rahul is being wrongly advised.....on corruption he should have followed the yesteryear song.... pardhe mein rehne doh pardaa na ootaho , parda joh utt gaya toh bhed khul jayega…… many say he cannot afford to talk on corruption!!! And Rahul should by now know better...... we cannot be made ullu of us all the time!!!

Pawar they say is still hurting from the slap!!!!
And he's even more hurt when he heard on his slapping majority of India did clap!!!

Today Pawar epitomizes all that is wrong with politics in India!!!! Okay he has friends in all political parties..... but in his two stints in UPA he's made enemies with We The People!!!! Ask anyone and for prices they blame Pawar..... they say he's really raked it in!!!! Though slapping is wrong but then how do people who are shooed away from meeting Netas express their views or objections???? Okay they can do this via their votes..... but that opportunity comes after five years!!! As many put their kids to bed on empty of half full stomachs they must be burning from inside...... slapping and shoe hurling usually is the last resort of the desperate… or the mad!!!!

PS...... this is the real value of the Indian Rupee.... band of 50-52...... no external support!! Joke is if Big Ticket retail comes in it will alter the eating habits of Middle Class India.....and if Montek is to be believed that it is our eating habits that are causing inflation then inflation should ebb!! Because Big Ticket retail will ensure Middle Class eats less.... but pays the same price ... like you used to buy a dozen bananas and very soon you will be buying 3 and that too by weight... or you used to buy whole musk melon's ... very soon you will be buying two cut pieces hygienically packed... you will pay more for less....will improve supply..... but despite improvement in supply prices will not fall.... this is Big Ticket Retail for you!!! Shahid Balwa's got bail… he'll dive into work straight after he gets out of jail…. meter is running for the money he holds of a very famous Neta!!
Bharat Kumar
aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

Now PM to solve industry problems
After having made a mess of policy decisions and dragging feet on every issue the government ministries mostly now look at the Prime Minister(PM) to solve industry issue. First, it was airlines, now power sector many more badly hit sectors are likely to come to meet the PM asking for solutions to crisis which is creation of bad and ad hoc policies. Many players are miffed with the so called top down approach, saying we have been holding regular interactions with respective ministries to clear the air over many issues but to no avail and when we are stuck deep in the mess ministries have held their hands up now we have no choice but to approach the PM.

NRI deposits to add to banks woes
Short term NRI deposits worth Rs 49000 crs is coming for maturity by June 30, 2012. This is nearly 9.61 percent of the total networth of Indian banks.

BUREAUCRACY

Final round -only Gairola and Satyanarayana?
Now it is certain that the Department of Information & Technology will not remain headless. New Secretary is likely to be appointed in December. Now tie is said to be between DG NIC Dr B K Gairola and 1977 batch Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer J Satyanarayana. Presently Secretary Telecom R Chandrasekhar is holding additional charge of the Department of IT.

30 Joint Secretary level officers to face inquiry in GoI?
There are strong rumours that the Government of India has accorded the permission to initiate inquiry against about 30 Joint Secretary and above levels.

Who will be new Additional Secretary, Law?
In the wake of N.K. Nampoothiry, ILS, having been promoted from Additional Secretary, to Special Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice against a newly created post a vacancy at the Additional Secretary level has arisen. New incumbent will be selected by search & selection committee.

D K Mehrotra's file reaches ACC
File relating to the appointment of Dinesh Kumar Mehrotra as full time Chairman of the LIC has reached the ACC. He has been holding charge as acting Chairman of the LIC since May 26, 2011.Meanwhile, his appointment as acting Chairman has been extended by another three months. It may stated here that Mehrotra has been associated with state-run firm LIC since 1977.He was taking care of foreign operation as Executive Director (ED) before he became a Managing Director (MD) in 2005.In his 34 years' career, Mehrotra has occupied several pivotal positions spanning three zones and the corporate office.

Dept. of Posts considering new transfer policy
Dept of Posts is reportedly reconsidering the new transfer policy introduced in a hurry as seen from the fact that they have called for the views of the officers. The new policy which led to severe heart burn among officers led to a few officers taking VRS and others very unhappy. The policy apparently was apparently done by the then Member (personnel) of the board without any consulting with officers bypassing even the Secretary of the Department. Since the policy will have a retrospective effect, it will adversely hit the prospects of officers moving to their home state or neighbouring state at a time when they desire the same for their Children's education, marriage etc. The policy which has not taken into consideration some of the practical aspects of the Postal service and blindly copied such policies existing in Services like Customs, Income Tax etc was very adversely commented by all officers which mainly favours officers who hang around most of their career in Delhi. The Union Communication Minister seems to have been very unhappy about it and has ordered for its review.

G. Asok Kumar is Joint Secretary, Civil Aviation
G Asok Kumar has joined as new Joint Secretary Civil Aviation in the Government of India. He is an IAS officer of 1991 batch who belongs to Andhra Pradesh cadre.Hitherto, he was Director, Power in GoI.
(We said this on July 14, 2011)

Rajeev Sharma is REC's Chief
Rajeev Sharma has assumed charge as new Chairman and Managing (CMD) of the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) on November 29,2011. Interviews for the post were held on September 9, 2011. Hitherto, Rajeev Sharma was Director (Projects) in Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC). Sharma also served as Executive Director of APDRP, Human Resources and Administration of Power Finance Corporation Limited. He has been Chairman of Chhattisgarh Surguja Power Limited since December 31, 2009 and Coastal Tamil Nadu Power Limited since May 26, 2009. He has been a Director of Power Finance Corporation Limited since March 9, 2009. Sharma holds a B.Tech in Electrical from GB Pant University, Uttarakhand, a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Delhi University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Electronics and Communication and a Masters in Engineering with specialization in System Engineering and Operations Research from the Indian Institute of Technology.
(We said this on September 5 & 9,2011)

Chhiber gets extension in deputation tenure
V Chhiber Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways has been granted a six month extension. He is 1978 batch IAS officer of MT cadre.

1986 Batch IAAS Officers get promoted to HAG
Eight officers of the 1986 Batch of Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IAAS) have been promoted to the Higher Administrative Grade (Rs. 67000-79000). The officers are Ms. Parveen Mehta, Govind Bhattacharya, C Gopinathan, Jagbans Singh, Jayanti Prasad, M K Biswas, L Tochhawng and L V Sudhir Kumar.

ITS officers seek for immediate relieving
In the wake of repatriation of all Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officers belonging to ranks of junior administrative grade (JAG), senior administrative grade (SAG) and higher administrative grade (HAG) who were serving in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) & Mahanagar Telecom Ltd (MTNL), the ITS association has for immediate relieving of all its officers. Regional secretaries of the ITSA have also urged higher ups to act promptly in this regard.

Radheshyam soon to be GM, CLW Chittaranjan
As the grapevine has it, Radheshyam is poised to be GM of Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) Chittaranjan. His proposal after ACC clearance has moved to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Government of India (GoI). Presently, he is Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)-construction North -Frontier (NF) Railway.

UP DGP Brij Lal may be changed
As the grapevine has it, DGP to the Uttar Pradesh Government Brij Lal will be changed by the Election Commission of India as soon as election to the state assembly were announced.

Empanelment of 1992 batch of IAS in next CSB
Empanelment of IAS officers belonging to 1992 batch for posting in the Government of India (GoI) is expected in a meeting of CSB. However, date is yet to be fixed. There are 127 officers of which only 60 per cent will be empanelled.

Will Sharma join CBI?
B.B Sharma, IGP (Complaint) PHQ, is likely to be inducted as (JD) Joint Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He is an IPS officer of 1990 who belongs to the MP cadre.

Non insurance sector to see a reshuffle at top
As the grapevine has it, there is going to be a reshuffle of top level in non-life PSU Insurance companies.

Rajeev Gupta to assume charge of MPT chief on Dec.5
Rajeev Gupta who has been appointed the post of Chairman Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) is going to assume his new charge on December 5, 2011.Presently, Rajeev Gupta is a Joint Secretary in the Shipping Ministry. He is an IRSME officer of 1980 batch.
(We said this in March 2011)

P K Padhy promoted & posted as Labour & Employment Adviser
P K Padhy, Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) officer of Indian Economic Service, has been accorded HAG-plus (apex level) promotion and posted as Labour and Employment Adviser in the Labour and Employment Ministry.

Puri gets extension in tenure

IFS officer Manjeev Singh Puri, DPR in New York, PMI, has been granted extension in tenure till December 2012.

Neelmani tipped be Member Bihar, SHRC
Neelmani, a 1975 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, and ex Director General of Police (DGP) of Bihar is tipped to be
appointed as a Member of the Bihar State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

Vasudeva likely to be posted in Civil Services Board
Srishti Pal Vasudeva Project Director National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Home Affairs likely to be appointed as in Civil Services Board Republic in Cabinet Secretariat. He is IFS officer of 1982 batch who belongs to the HP cadre.

Gowda replaces in Siddaiah in BBMP
1986 batch IAS officer M?K?Shankarlinge Gowda has replaced his batch mate Siddaiah as Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner.

Mugdha Sinha likely to be shifted as Dy Secretary
Ms. Mugdha Sinha, OSD to Anand Sharma Union Ministsr Commerce is likely to be shifted as Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Commerce. She is an IAS officer of 1999 batch who belongs to the Rajasthan cadre.

Sudhir Kumar to return to Bihar
Sudhir Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power Government of India is likely to return to the parent Bihar cadre soon .He is an IAS officer of 1982 batch who belongs to the Bihar cadre.

Raghuvanshi to join GoI!
KP Raghuwanshi, Addl. DGP in Maharashtra, is likely to go on central deputation. He is an IPS officer of 1980 batch who belongs to the Maharashtra cadre.

Shyam Saran to be Independent Director IOC!
Former Secretary Shyam Saran is being appointed Independent Director of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

Vacancies in benches of ITS Commission
Various posts are lying vacant in the benches of Income Tax Settlement Commission at Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. The posts include: Senior Private Secretary is vacant at Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, Private Secretary level post at Mumbai, Superintendent at Mumbai, Enquiry Officer at Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, Technical Assistant at Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Stenographer Grade II level post at Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai.

Vacancies in CCSCSB
Posts of Junior Game Supervisor and Office Assistant are lying vacant on contract basis in Central Civil Services Cultural & Sports Board (CCSCSB).

Four states to have two Secretaries each in GoI
Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar and Jharkhand will have two Secretaries of 1978 batch each in the Government of India.

Who will be new DGP of Karnataka?
Decision of new Karnataka DGP is likely to be taken today .Tie is said to be between A R Infant and Shankar M Bidari. UPSC is going to suggest three names.

IPS changes in Uttar Pradesh
Ram Pal will go to PAC Sitapur.Aparna will move to PAC Gorakhpur.Shachi Childyal will go to Moradabad and D K Rai PHQ Allahabad.

Jharkhand Judge dies
Judge of the Jharkhand High Court Justice Pradip Kumar has passed away in Delhi.

IPS changes on cards in Orissa
IPS changes are expected to take place in Orissa in a week or two.

Sikri appointed Secretary Justice (UPDATED)
D K Sikri has been moved as Secretary Justice in the Government of India. He is 1975 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.
( We said this on November 28 )

Neela Gangadharan is new Secretary Child and Women Welfare (UPDATED)
SecretaryJustice Ms Neela Gangadharan has been appointed Secretary Child and Women Welfare in the Government of India . She is 1975 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre.
( We said this on November 28 )

Kaushik is new JS Justice (UPDATED)
Atul Kaushik will succeed S C Srivastava as new Joint Secretary Justice. Both are CSS officers. Srivastava is retiring today.

NERAMAC makes foray into lucrative Delhi market (UPDATED)
The Second Mall Festival of the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC) slated to be held from Dec 15 to 21, 2011 at EDM Mall, Kausambi, Ghaziabad, would surely increase visibility of the products of the (Neramac) and attract customers to the naturally grown organic produce of the North Eastern region. According to NERAMAC Managing Director (MD) S Bhattacharjee, "This initiative is aimed at showcasing produce of the Northeast in the country's prime market." The corporation, according to him, will in all be organising weeklong launch events, The Great North East Sunshine Festivals, at six Delhi malls - Shipra Mall, EDM Mall, Centre Stage, DLF Place, Ambience and Sahara. The events which, according to him, are being sponsored by North Eastern Council (NEC) and organised with the help of National Skills Foundation of India, got under way at the Ghaziabad-based Shipra Mall on Nov 10 and would continue till February 2012. It will also set up retail outlets in select malls in the capital to sell select produce of the region. Besides a series of four events namely North East Connect, Conference cum Exhibition is also being organized by NERAMAC during this financial year with the sponsorship of the North Eastern Council. First such initiative is planned on December 22 to 23, 2011 at India Habitat Centre at Delhi followed by January 27 and 28 at Mumbai, February 19 and 20 at Kolkata and March 3 and 4 at Bangaluru.

IAS changes in Sikkim (UPDATED)
B.K.Kharel has been posted as Comm-cum-Secretary, Social Justice, and Empowerment&Welfare Department. R.Telang will now be Comm-cum-Secretary, Tourism&Civil Aviation Department. Ms.Nim Yethenpa has been made Secretary, Excise Department. K.N.Bhutia has been appointed Comm-cum-Secretary, Finance, and Revenue Expenditure Department. S D Basi will now be Advisor.

Dr. M K Bhan appointed Secretary, Biotechnology (UPDATED)
Dr. M K Bhan has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India on contract basis for a period of one year.

ADS- B Working Group meeting concludes at Chennai (UPDATED)
The seventh meeting of the South East Asia & Bay of Bengal Sub- regional ADS-B Implementation Working Group (SEA/BOB ADS -B WG/7) concluded on November 30 at Chennai. The objective of the meeting was to develop sub- regional ADS-B Implementation Plan for the Bay of Bengal area based on confirmed national plans and the Work Programme of the Working Group to progress the implementation of ADS-B in the south East Asia and Bay of Bengal sub regions. Review of sub-regional implementation plans, near term implementation plan in Bay of Bengal, update on near-term implementation plans in South China Sea, identification of potential projects in eastern part of South China Sea area, harmonzation of ADS- B regulations, rules and procedures were deliberated at the meeting held between November 28 and 30. At APANPIRG 22 in September, 2011 India announced plans to install ADS-B at 14 locations viz. Jaipur, Lucknow, Calicut, Agartala, Trivendrum , Ahemdabad, Guwahati ,Port blair , Nagpur, Managlore, Coimbatore, Cochin, Varanasi and Amritsar. The ADS-B station at Port Blair in particular would cater to increasing en- route traffic in the Bay of Bengal area. As on date Airports Authority of India is in process of evaluating the global tenders for ADS-B. The first phase of ADS-B implementation plan is likely to be completed by end of 2012. For seamless ATM operations, States planning to implement ADS-B need to work closely with their neighbours to achieve the maximum benefits for international flights and the region as a whole. Neighbouring States need to harmonise their plans and in cases of overlapping surveillance coverage across the borders, sharing of ADS-B data and VHF communications should be done to enhance air safety and capacity and enable seam less airspace across the boundaries.

M K Sharma gets addl. charge of Health in Rajasthan (UPDATED)
Mukesh Kumar Sharma, Principal Secretary, Medical Education, has been assigned additional charge of Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department until the return of B N Sharma, Principal Secretary of these departments, from leave. Mukesh Kumar Sharma is an IAS officer of 1984 batch of Rajasthan cadre.

Ashok Kumar Garg tipped to be Chief of MTNL (UPDATED)
As the grapevine has it, Ashok Kumar Garg, who is presently Director, Human Resources in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), is tipped to be Chairman and Managing Director of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

(DEBATE)
EMPANELMENT IN GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Whether administrative procedure for empanelment of Additional Secretary and Secretary in the Government of India is fair and legally sound?
Mail your views to suresh.mehrotra@yahoo.com or mehrotra.suresh@gmail.com

CORPORATE

Bad time for IPO's?
With the stock markets on shaky footing and the mood still looking sullen going ahead 25 companies have called off their IPO's which were slated for December raising around Rs 31000 crs. BPTP, Lavasa, Raheja Universal, Sterlite Energy, Jindal Power, Avantha power, GSPC are some of the big names that were going to announce their IPO's. The worst hit are the private equity players who typically enter a company before and exit when the IPO hits the market.

Move to revamp mining regulator?
With the passage of Mining Bill in the current session of Parliament the mines ministry plans to revamp Indian Bureau of Mines. This would mean filling up vacant posts, and creating new posts .This revamp is important for the regulator who is key to giving clearances for valuable resources.

Pressure on government to open imports of firearms in bulk?
L&T, Reliance, Tata's, Mahindra's are all set to join the business of homeland security with tie ups with foreign majors. They are lobbying with the government to open gates for import of firearms in bulk to enhance and better security measures.

Foreigners can now become IIT directors
The IIT council, the top decision-making body of the premier tech schools, has agreed on a proposal to advertise "globally" to get the "best persons" for the post of director, so far confined to Indian nationals. The matter came up when the council met on September 14. "There was a consensus that the post of director of an IIT needs to be advertised globally so that not only greater transparency in the process of selection is maintained but (also) the best persons are nominated for the prestigious post," said the minutes of the meeting.

Ms. Neha Kohli joins Avian Media
Ms. Neha Kohli has joined Avian Media as Account Executive.

Nagi appointed Company Secy. SRG Infotec (India) Ltd
SRG Infotec (India) Limited has appointed Ms. Rajni Nagi as a Company Secretary of the company.

Agarwal appointed Company Secy. Blue Chip India Ltd
Ms. Anju Agarwal has been appointed as the Company Secretary of Blue Chip India Ltd w.e.f. November 21, 2011.

Gupta resigns as Joint MD & CEO, JSW Energy Ltd
Lalit Kumar Gupta will cease to be the Joint Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of JSW Energy Ltd with effect from November 30, 2011 consequent upon his resignation from the Board of Directors of the company.

Gour appointed COO, Sodexo India
Sodexo has appointed Rishi Gour as the Chief Operating Officer for Sodexo India's Onsite Services Solutions.

Lall appointed Special Director, Mardia Samyoung Capillary Tubes Company Ltd
Mohan Lall has been appointed as a Special Director on the Board of Mardia Samyoung Capillary Tubes Company Ltd by the Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, New Delhi.

Suryavanshi appointed Director, HOCL
Hindustan Fluorocarbons Ltd has appointed J. N. Suryavanshi, Director (Marketing) of Hindustan Organic Chemicals Ltd as a Director on the Board of the company with effect from November 4, 2011.

Srinivasan resigns as Director, Southern Fuel Ltd
N. Srinivasan has resigned as Director of Southern Fuel Ltd with effect from November 1, 2011.

Saraf resigns as Company Secy. Metalman Industries Ltd
Ms. Priyanka Saraf has resigned as Company Secretary of Metalman Industries Ltd w.e.f. October 31, 2011.

Chirimar resigns as CFO, SMIFS Capital Markets Ltd
Vaibhav Chirimar has resigned as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SMIFS Capital Markets Ltd due to health grounds with effect from November 21, 2011.

Malhotra ceases to be Director, Competent Automobiles Company Ltd
Atul Malhotra has resigned as Director of Competent Automobiles Company Ltd and ceased to be Director of the company w.e.f. October 31, 2011.

Gogia appointed Addl. Director, Competent Automobiles Company Ltd
Rohit Gogia has been appointed as an Additional Director of Competent Automobiles Company Ltd w.e.f. October 31, 2011.

Dani appointed Director, Trade Wings Ltd
Trade Wings Ltd has appointed Rajan N. Dani as a Director of the Company.

Hammel to be Director, Clariant Chemicals (India) Ltd
Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs on November 29, 2011 has approved the appointment of Philipp Hammel as the Director of Clariant Chemicals (India) Ltd .

Entire global economy is in turmoil

Entire global economy is in turmoil and India is also affected by it. At this crucial time country should have a genuine economist as Finance Minister. There is a strong case for replacing Pranab Mukerji with a person like Mr Rangarajan or Mr Amartya Sen.

Raju

ITS alone cannot be blamed

ITS alone cannot be blamed for the mess in BSNL/MTNL. Wrong policies, lack of determination to implement the repatriation etc are some of the reasons. Everyone knows that BSNL mobile launch was deliberately held back to benefit private operators same like Air India. There are brilliant officers in ITS and their technical expertise can be used for ICT in Postal Dept, instead of mindlessly hiring outsiders who are unaware of the ground realities. It would be a pity to keep them idle and pay. Now is the right time to deploy these officers in Posts, it shouldn't be a problem as both Telecom & Posts are under the same Ministry.

B Prasad

Reduction in number of empanelled officers in an arbitrary manner unwelcome

Whosoever he or she may be, this drastic reduction in the number of empanelled officers in a totally arbitrary manner is sure to dampen the morale of a number of sincere and honest officers of the 1978 batch.It is interesting to note that a number of officers of the batch who were not empanelled as Additional Secretary in the first round and were included as such after review only are there in the panel whereas some of those who were empanelled as Additional Secretaries in the first round itself and have an impeccable record have been excluded raising a serious doubt about the whole process itself.

M.A.

Indian Telecom sector passing through most difficult phase

This is in response to Ms Virika's post in this forum yesterday regarding Indian Post and Telecom Accounts Finance Service (IP&TAFS).

Indian Telecom sector is passing through one of the most difficult phase ever since it gained prominence in Indian economic Infrastructure. In the overall analysis Telecom has been the most performing infrastructure in terms of changing lives of the common man and also speeding up economic growth. India now occupies the most prominent place among the community of nations as far as Telecom is concerned as the largest growing sector in the world-even faster than China.

In this success story IP&TAFS has played a prominent role. Govt. Of India in right earnest had created a specialized service in the year 1972 called the P&T Accounts and Finance Service to bring in the requisite professionalism in managing the telecom sector. This was also suggested by the International finance institutions like World Bank and IBRD etc. The service consisted of officers recruited from the Indian Civil Service exams and consists of highly professional officers who have been contributing there might for the growth of Indian infrastructure.

Over a period of forty years the telecom backbone has grown significantly as the total optical fiber of more than 6lakhs Km has been erected and the capital formation of the sector has been impressive. Telecom has grown by earning its own revenue facilitated by the revenue collection and the efficiency of the collection process. It is a fact that the Telecom bills were collected and the revenue was ploughed back into the sector without seeking grants from the govt. of India. A part of the credit goes to the Telecom Finance professional created by the specialized service of the department. These professionals have worked behind the scene without much publicity and recognition. (This can be contrasted with the power sector in India; wherein due to the unpaid bills and financial mismanagement most of the State electricity boards became loss making and could not grow at the desired pace which was needed much more for the growth of Rural and Industrial India.)

The professional service also was the first to take up the challenges of liberalization and privatization of the sector. When MTNL was carved out from the Dept. Of Telecom; the finance function took the major pressure of converting the legacy system of accounts and Finance into a modern corporate law based accounts and finance system culminating with the most successful International equity issues of MTNL stock in the year 1997-rated as the most successful international IPO out of India when the whole Asian market had closed down due to Asian currency crisis. The seeds for the privatization of Indian telecom were initiated at that time and when the same was allowed to grow the fruits of liberalization is there for all to see and relish.

Ashish J oshi

Talking about bringing extra-constitutional authority?

Why nobody is talking about bringing the extra-constitutional authority who with her mafia henchmen are practically running this country with a puppet PM as a mask, under the Lokpal purview.

N Krishnan

Neither unwarranted nor desirable

Present situation in the mind of ITS officers and BSNL is neither unwarranted nor desirable in the interest of PSU and ITS officers. I think fair amount of deal is need to be given to the cadre who have played vital role in nation building exercise till date in the field of telecom. let govt have open mind to utilise well talented national pool. and leave BSNL and MTNL to decide to choose their managers.

N Murali Krishna

Merge BSNL & MTNL in DoT

The repatriation decision of about 1600 officers of the Indian Telecom Service (ITS) and some Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service, Group-'A' officers from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) & Mahanagar Telecom Ltd (MTNL) is bad from the public interest point of view. This may called a foolish decision taken by DOT. This will definitely hit the working of both the PSUs of Department of Telecom. The BSNL and MTNL balance sheets have gone in red after earlier repatriation decision taken in October, 2005. To utilise the experienced manpower, it would be better to merge BSNL & MTNL in DOT. Let there be one government player in addition to private players in operation of Telecom.

Hope Kapil Sibbal will take a lead in this regard.

Y. Mishra

Largest beneficiaries of Retail FDI in India will be workers

The largest beneficiaries of Retail FDI in India will be workers working in the stores getting at least the statutory minimum wages. In the unorganised sector in India, workers / labours never get statutory minimum wage. There is huge exploitation of labour on this amount. Labour inspectors hardly check whether statutory wage is paid or not by the contactors, whether in construction or service sectors. T he other benefit would be that the people will get quality goods from these stores and Indian retailer will become conscious about the sustaining need of providing quality products to the buyers as is available in the super stores. At least the quality of edible articles would be much more better than what Indian retailers keep and dispense through their stores. In the interest of people's health we need urgent creation of level playing field mechanism by way of establishing enough retail FDI in India. We hardly see any Kirana (retailer) providing worth the employment in terms of wage and stability to the hired labour.

A Visitor

Disclosure of financial information to wife

The appellant sought information about the salary certificate, details of amount of GPF, the name of the nominee of and other information with the Department regarding immovable proper of her husband. The FAA informed the appellant that information pertaining to monthly remuneration received by each of its officers and employees is available on its website of the Ministry and can be accessed by the general public. On remaining points the FAA denied information to the appellant u/s 8(1) (j) of the RTI Act holding it to be personal. The Commission upheld the order of the First Appellate Authority holding that the information sought is personal information of the third party and there is no public interest involved in the disclosure of this
information.

Comments

Information about the personal finances of a government employee are personal information of the concerned individual and cannot be shared with anyone else.

Smt. Lalitha Bahuguna v. Ministry of Mines in CIC/SS/A/2011/001191

- Weekly article by Dr. (Mrs.) Anuradha Verma
(dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in), RTI Consultant to IIM, Indore and Co-author of the book: RIGHT TO INFORMATION - LAW AND PRACTICE by Taxmann. (The views are Personal)