What people say about us!

Commendable work

On recommendation of one of my Friends I have today visited your website Whispers in the Corridor. I really appreciate the commendable work being done to keep appraised all concerned people with regard today to day developments. Congrats and keep it up

K K Khanna New Delhi

Aaj Ki Aawaz

Modi's got a clean chit from SIT!!!
As Sangh Investigative Team Congress will now decipher SIT!!!

Sanjeev Bhat who positioned himself as 'Modi baiter'!!!
Who was the toast of every Modi hater!!

Has been labelled by SIT as unreliable!!!
Label will stick as it is undeniable!!

The Report says Modi Government did its best!!!
Though Modi baiters say during riots Modi chose to rest!

Now for the record...Congress and Rajiv still stand in the dock!!!
Instigated 1984 Genocide and also attempts to quell kiya block!

Funny thing is Gujarat Riots keep getting attention!!!
1984 Genocide does not even get a mention!!!

And also Gujarat riots pale in front of Genocide of 1984!!!
Literally inhumanness ne kiya Congress ko gore!!

BJP's door to the South is now BJP's door to shame!!!
Karnataka has given BJP the wrong kind of fame!!

The Ministers caught watching porn should be sacked from Party too!!
But seems this BJP will not do!!

Well for one its Karnataka Government will fall!!!!!
So BJP will not 'take the call'!!!

I think our Netas generally are not concerned about character!!
But in Public every Neta character ke maamle mein is a first class actor!!

First class act to cover up their third rate 'side' (facet) !!!
One of the areas where they take us for a ride!!

Political Parties are giving their spins to the high voter turnout!!
Maybe it is just the Public's vow 'now let us get things sorted out'!!!!

Parties want to show that they're getting the people's mandate!!
Say 'with the gadhi it's going to be 'our date'!!

In UP Public want development and better quality of zindagi!!!!
They say 'gandh' mein one cannot even do bandage!!

Now it's caste and religion politics with a development spin!!!!
With only either now Votes in UP Parties will not be able to pin!!

In Punjab they say credence should be given to post 1 PM voting 'burst'!!!!
They say now it depends if ' Dera edict or money came first'!!!

Amrinder has already formed his Cabinet .... in hawaa!!!
It's like trying to cook rotis on a cold tawaa!!

Abhishek Singhvi in his servility has equated Rahul to divinity!!!
Seems with his mouth with his head had lost connectivity!!

This kind of servility makes India look like Republic de Kela!!!
Seems for Congressis this is all one big 'khela' (drama)!!

Bharat Kumar
aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

Re-alignment of political forces after results
Re-alignment of political parties is expected to take place soon after the Vidhan Sabha poll results. There are indications of Mamta Banerjee's joining the NDA.

Who was lobbying for Euro fighters in India?
It is heard that a politician's son in law has been lobbying for the Euro fighter deal.

Is there unhappiness in Congress over Rahul's NREGS statement?
It is heard that there is a great deal of heartburn in the Congress over Rahul Gandhi making a show of his idea of NREGS.

BUREAUCRACY

Arvind Virmani ED, IMF to return earlier?
As the grapevine has it, Arvind Virmani Executive Director (ED), International Monitory Fund (IMF) is likely to return to India earlier.

Gopalan to go to IMF or ADB?
R Gopalan Secretary, DEA poised to be either, new Executive Director (ED), International Monitory Fund (IMF) or ED, ADB in Manila. His meeting with the Cabinet Secretary early this week has fuelled speculations to this effect. He is an IAS officer of 1976 batch who belongs to the Tamil Nadu cadre.

Anoop Mishra to succeed Gopalan?
Anoop Mishra is likely to succeed R Gopalan on May 1 as Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. 1978 batch IAS officer Mishra who is presently UP Chief Secretary is all set to join the Government of India after the Vidhan Sabha elections. He is well acquainted with the economic affairs because of his earlier foreign assignment. Gopalan is scheduled to retire on April 30.

Arvind Virmani to be new CEA
As the grapevine has it, Arvind Virmani Executive Director (ED), International Monitory Fund (IMF) is likely to be new Chief Economic Advisor (CEA). As it is, existing CEA, Kaushik Basu is serving his extended tenure till August 2012. Earlier, Basu was a Professor of Economics and the C Marks Professor of International Studies Department of Economics and Director, Centre for Analytic Economics, Department of Economics, Cornell University; Ithaca, New York. Kaushik Basu will start teaching at the Cornell University from the session commencing in fall.

Ratnaprabha to go to GoI as Additional Secretary, IT?
K Ratnaprabha is likely to join the Government of India as Additional Secretary, Information Technology. Ratnaprabha is a 1981 batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre.

Meena to be Ambassador to Guyana
1983 batch IFS officer Meena is being tipped to be new Indian Ambassador to Guyana.

Sibal is new JS, Animal Husbandry
Rajni Sekhri Sibal has been appointed Joint Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry in the Government of India. She is a 1986 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

IRS officer A K Verma, Addl. CIT, Kolkata resigns
A K Verma, IRS (IT), Additional Commissioner, IT (OSD), Kolkata, has resigned from the service.

A K Singh appointed Joint Director, CBI
A K Singh, IPS (SK-90), has been appointed as Joint Director in the CBI for a period of five years.
(We said this on December 9, 2011)

Rajinder Singh to be DGP, Punjab?
It is widely believed that in the event of Amrinder Singh's return to power in Punjab, Rajinder Singh is going to be new Director General of Police (DGP). He is an IPS officer of 1982 batch who belongs to the Punjab cadre. Though, he is yet to be elevated as DG. However, his elevation as DG is a certainty because DPC has already cleared his promotion as DG.

IPS officers of 1987 batch to be promoted as ADGs
IPS officers belonging to 1987 batch are to be promoted as ADGs in Punjab. However, it has been stalled due to last month's assembly polls.

IPS officers of 1994 batch to be promoted as IGs
IPS officers belonging to 1994 batch are to be promoted as IGs in Punjab. However, it has been stalled due to last month's assembly polls. Those officers who will be elevated as IGs are: V.Neerja, Sudhanshu Shrivastava, Amardeep Singh Rai, Ms.Anita Punj, Naresh Kumar, Praveen Sinha & B Chandrashekhar.

Uncertainty hampers working of PS banks
Normal working of Public Sector (PS) banks has been hit owing to uncertainty about a decision regarding new Chairman & Managing Directors (CMDs) & Executive Directors (EDs).

24 contenders for slot of CIL's Chairman
There are 24 contenders for the post of Chairman in the Coal India Ltd (CIL).

5 IAS officers in fray for slot of CIL's Chairman
As many as five IAS officers are in fray for the post of Chairman in the Coal India Ltd (CIL). They are: Rajpal Kahlon, Ms. Nandita Chatterjee (both from West Bengal), Shreemat Pande (Rajasthan), Narsingha Rao (Andhra Pradesh) & Sudhir Kumar (Bihar).

6 insiders in fray for slot of CIL's Chairman
As many as six officers are of different coal companies are in fray for the post of Chairman in the Coal India Ltd (CIL). They are: Mohan Das Director (Personnel & IR), T K Lahiri CMD BCCL, D C Garg WCL, V K. Singh CMD-NCL, M K Sinha CMD- ECL & A N Sahay CMD- MCL.

Chhabra proceeds on a long leave
Manoj C Chhabra who was IG (Modernization), BPR&D, has proceeded on one year's leave. He is an IPS officer of 1988 batch who belongs to the Odisha cadre.

Brig Bisht poised to DIG (OPs) in NSG
As the grapevine has it, Brig. Bist is poised to be DIG, Operations (OPs) in National Security Guard (NSG).

DGIT Vigilance, Delhi office facing shortage of officers
The office DGIT Vigilance, Delhi is facing shortage of officers. DGIT Ms. Sudha Sharma on elevation had recently joined as a Member of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Two Additional Commissioners have been promoted. On promotion they have been posted out. They are: Amitabh Shukla & Adarsh Kumar Modi. Likewise, two Deputy Commissioners have been promoted. On promotion they have been posted out. They are: Saroj Kumar Dube & Ms. Shubhrata Verma (continues in the same office). A Deputy Commissioner by the name of P S Krishnamoorthy had retired on superannuation.

2 more contenders for DGIT Vigilance, Delhi
As the grapevine has it, there are two more contenders for the post of DGIT Vigilance, Delhi. They are: Ms. Anita Kapur & Ms. Pramila Bhardwaj. However, Ms. Punam Dutt is front runner for the post.

R Ramchandran is COO, Bina Oil Refinery
R Ramchandran who was earlier Senior Vice President (SVP) of Bina Oil Refinery Ltd (BORL) has been elevated as Chief Operating Officer(COO) of the BORL.

J Ravichandran is CFO, Bina Oil Refinery
J Ravichandran who was earlier Executive Director (ED) Finance in the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Bina Oil Refinery Ltd (BORL).

Conflict in Osho Ashram in Pune over gifting land
As the grapevine has it, a conflict is brewing between the Osho International Foundation and Osho followers over the former giving away free land to an unknown Delhi based trust.

Was an ex CVC involved in transferring 2G money abroad?
It is heard that an ex CVC had given a nod for transfer of funds in the case of 2G spectrum.

IPS officer to return to parent Jharkhand cadre from Maharashtra
Sanjay A Lathkar DIG (ATS) Pune was on an Inter-Cadre Deputation to Maharastra, is returning to the parent Jharkhand cadre. He is an IPS officer of 1995 batch who belongs to the Jharkhand cadre.

Ish Kumar to get extension in deputation tenure
Ish Kumar, (IG) Director BPR&D New Delhi is likely to get an extension in his Central Deputation tenure for one year. He is an IPS officer of 1985 batch who belongs to the AP cadre.

Srivastava promoted in Delhi police
S N Srivastava, Joint Commissioner Training in Delhi Police, has been promoted (Grade of ADGP) as Spl. CP Delhi Police. He is an IPS officer of 1985 batch, who belongs to the AGMU Cadre.
(We said this on 25December 2011)

Two new posts in DoPT to monitor corruption
To monitor corruption deeply and take actions accordingly two new posts are being created in the Department of Personnel in the Government of India.

CBI wants to prosecute sitting judge of High Court
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is waiting for sanction from the Union Ministry of Law to prosecute sitting High Court judge .

Bureaucratic reshuffle likely in Chhattisgarh
After taking over of Sunil Kumar as new Chief Secretary, a bureaucratic reshuffle is likely to take place in Chhattisgarh soon.

Kaushal transferred in Delhi Government
A K Kaushal, Director Admin, LNH NCT, Government of Delhi has been transferred as additional commissioner, (T&T). He is a DANICS Cadre Officer.

Post of Secretary vacant in National Jute Board, Kolkata
The post of Secretary has been advertised lying vacant in National Jute Board, Kolkata under the Ministry of Textiles. Those willing to apply can send their applications to the Department of Personnel & Training before March 3, 2012.

Five short-listed for UGC Chairman
Five academicians are believed to have been short-listed for the post of Chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC).They are Prof Ved Prakash, Acting Chairman, Prof Syed E Hasnain former VC of Hyderabad University, Prof Surabhi Banerjee, VC Central University Orissa, Prof Pankaj Chandra, Director, IIM Bangalore and Prof A. Jaikrishnan, V-C of the University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.

Reshuffle of IAS officers in MP
There is minor reshuffle of IAS officers in Madhya Pradesh. Accordingly, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest, Swadeep Singh has been posted as OSD, Mantralaya (Ministry) while Principal Secretary, ST, SC Welfare Dr. Devraj Birdi will now be Principal Secretary Forest and Principal Secretary GAD Mrs. Vina Ghanekar is Managing Director, MP ST Finance and Development Corporation. Besides, Additional Chief Secretary, Medical Education Indranil Shankar Dani has been assigned additional charges of Departments of SC, ST and Nomadic, Semi-Nomadic, De-notified Communities' Welfare. Similarly, Public Health and Family Welfare, Secretary, Mrs. Suraj Damor, has also been given additional charges of Departments of SC, ST and Nomad Communities Welfare. M P Agriculture Marketing (Mandi) Board, Director, Ajatshatru will now be Commissioner at the same place. However, he has also been given additional charge of Secretary to Chief Minister. Indore, Industrial Development Corporation, Managing Director, Manish Singh is now being posted as Managing Director of Bhopal Industrial Development Corporation.

PAKISTAN WHISPERS
High Court restrains government from appointing new defence secretary
A constitutional petition filed by Pakistan's former Defence Secretary, Khalid Nadeem Lodhi against his sacking has been admitted in the Islamabad high court. Justice Azim Khan Afridi has issued an interim order restraining the government from appointing a new Defence Secretary during the pendency of the petition. The acting Defence Secretary, Nargis Sethi will however continue to hold the additional charge of the post of defence secretary till further orders. Lodhi considered close to the army chief was summarily removed after an affidavit was filed in the context of the 'memogate' in apex court to the effect that the MoD had no operational control over the army or the ISI

Sender of Anthrax Parcel to PM Identified?
Investigative agencies are believed to have zeroed in on the person responsible for sending a pocketful of Anthrax to Prime Minister Gilani's official residence in Islamabad. The sender is reportedly a lady who is Associate Professor at the Sindh University Jamsheru who obtained the powder from one of the labs in the university and despatched it to the PM by registered parcel. Police has however been instructed not to take any further legal action as the lady's brother is a senior cop.

PM files appeal against contempt indictment
An intra-court appeal has been filed on Wednesday by Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan Counsel for the Prime Minister of Pakistan against the apex court's order dated 2nd February whereby the PM was asked to be present in the court on 13the February for framing of contempt of court charges against him for his alleged failure in complying with the court's order in the NRO case. A larger 8 member bench headed by CJ Iftekhar Chjowdhary has been formed to hear the appeal. Main grounds of the appeal are that the PM was not given an opportunity to defend himself directly and the order for indictment contains no specific reasons. Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has cited numerous case laws on the subject from the courts in Britain, France and India. Counsel Ahsan will argue the case of the PM on Friday, February 10, 2012.

Pankaj Saran appointed Ambassador to Bangladesh (UPDATED)
Pankaj Saran presently Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh in succession to Rajeet Mitter.
( We said this on August11, 2011)

IFS lobby got ACS Forests changed ? (UPDATED)
It is widely believed in the bureaucratic circles in Madhya Pradesh that the IFS lobby got shifted ACS Forests Swadeep Singh.1979 batch IAS officer Swadeep Singh who was ACS Forests has been moved to the Secretariat as OSD on Thursday.

IFS officer to be Principal Secretary in Rajasthan (UPDATED)
For the first time IFS officer is being appointed Principal Secretary in the Government of Rajasthan. 1988 batch IFS officer Sankatha Prasad will be Secretary Environment.

Arun S Shenoy is Director (Admn. & Fin.), MERC, Mumbai (UPDATED)
Arun S Shenoy, IRS, has been appointed as Director (Administration & Finance) in Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), Mumbai.

Gen Bikram Singh to be new Army Chief ? (UPDATED)
Now the Government is going to announce the name of Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Bikram Singh as successor to Gen V K Singh as new Army Chief.

S Jagadeesan's mother no more (UPDATED)
S Jagadeesan, Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited lost his mother in Chennai in the evening of February 10, 2012. Jagadeesan is a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of 1980 batch

DEBATE - Should bureaucrats alone be held accountable for policy decisions ?

Bureaucrats now feel that Ministers and Politicians also be held responsible for 'policy decisions' taken by the government. They also want that entire cabinet should be held accountable for policy decisions. How far they are correct in their thinking ?

Mail your to the point views to suresh.mehrotra@yahoo.com or mehrotra.suresh@gmail.com

CORPORATE

Is a telcom company lobbying against excess spectrum?
After having suffered a loss of licenses in 2 G spectrum there is a sense of vengeance between various telecom companies. Sources in telecom ministry say that there is one telecom company which is lobbying against Vodafone, Idea and Bharti for holding excess spectrum. The company has been lobbying from a long time though it's coincidental to recent events that the matter is being taken up now by the telecom ministry says an insider of the company.

How much more can Hindustan Unilever spend to sustain growth?
Hindustan Unilever has spent nearly 7 percent of its income on advertisement, going ahead there is tremendous pressure on the company to sustain growth through advertising while competing with Dabur and Marico. Will this aggressive spend be able to sustain the company's growth?

Will India Cement see moderation in prices?
With new cement capacity addition likely to come on board by 2012 there could be a moderation of cement prices in the southern region leading to a drop in prices for India Cement.

Saldhana quits Talwalkars Better Value Fitness
Glen Saldhana has ceased to be independent director of Talwalkars Better Value Fitness.

Two appointed director of Simplex Trading Agencies
Nilang Vaidya and Ankit Savla have been appointed as directors of Simplex Trading and Agencies.

Chaturvedi appointed non executive director Royal India Corporation
Ravikant Chaturvedi has been appointed on the board of Royal India Corporation as non executive director.

Verma appointed Executive Director Finance of JSL Stainless
Jitender Pal Verma has been appointed as the Executive Director Finance of JSL Stainless Steel.

Panchal appointed advisor Majestic MRSS
Sarang Panchal has been appointed as the principal advisor of Majestic MRSS.

Batra re-appointed MD, Jindal Saw Ltd
The Board of Jindal Saw Limited has approved the re-appointment of Indresh Batra as Managing Director for the period of five years w.e.f. April 28, 2012.

Raju ceases to be Nominee Director, Oil India Ltd
D N Narasimha Raju has ceased to be Government Nominee Director of Oil India Ltd w.e.f. January 05, 2012 following completion of his tenure as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Verma appointed ED (Finance), JSL Sainless Ltd
JSL Stainless Ltd has appointed Jitender Pal Verma as Executive Director (Finance) by inducting him as an Additional Director on the Board of the company.

Kasturi appointed Addl. Director, Va Tech Wabag Ltd
Va Tech Wabag Limited has appointed Ms. Revathi Kasturi as an Additional Independent Director on the Board of the company with immediate effect.

Gautam appointed Asst. Company Secy., Orient Abrasives Ltd
Orient Abrasives Limited has appointed Ankush Gautam as an Assistant Company Secretary w.e.f. January 17, 2012.

Nanda appointed Addl. Director, Take Solutions Ltd
N S Nanda Kishore has been appointed as Additional Director of Take Solutions Ltd.

Latupalli resigns as Director, Take Solutions Ltd
Bala Latupalli has resigned as Director of Take Solutions Ltd.

Vora resigns as Company Secy., Goldiam International Ltd
Ms. Rachana V. Vora has resigned as Company Secretary of Goldiam International Ltd w.e.f. February 9, 2012.

Kate appointed Company Secy., Goldiam International Ltd
Ms Anita Kate has been appointed as the Company Secretary of Goldiam International Ltd w.e.f. February 9, 2012.

Berczely re-appointed Alternate Director, Blue Dart Express Ltd
Blue Dart Express Ltd has re-appointed George Berczely as an Alternate Director to Jerry Hsu w.e.f. February 6, 2012.

Dandekar resigns as Company Secy., Phoenix Mills Ltd
Ms. Minal Bhate Dandekar has resigned as the Company Secretary of Phoenix Mills Ltd w.e.f. February 8, 2012.

Akermann resigns as Non Exec. Promoter Ambuja Cements Ltd
Markus Akermann, a Non-Executive Promoter of Ambuja Cements Ltd has resigned from the Board of the company.

Fontana appointed Addl. Director, Ambuja Cements Ltd
Bernard Fontana has been appointed as an Additional Director of Ambuja Cements Ltd.

Two directors nominated on Board of PTL Enterprises Ltd
V P Joy and Alkesh Kumar Sharma have been inducted on the Board of PTL Enterprises Ltd on behalf of Kerala Government in place of Dr A K Dubey and T Balakrishnan with immediate effect.

Lamba is new Chairman BOC India
Sanjiv Lamba is taking over taking over as new chairman of BOC India.

Revankar to be MD, Sriram Transport Finance
Umesh Revankar will take over as Managing Director of the Sriram Transport Finance.

DoPT persists with 'colonial' system for empanelment

This is with reference to your survey on 'empanelment process in GoI is unfair'. I want to draw your attention to the following extracts from the final report of sixth central pay commission.

Selection to Senior Administrative Grade and Higher Administrative Grade 6.1.9 The Commission recommends opening up of all the deputation posts under Central Staffing Scheme or outside it to all the eligible officers whether belonging to AIS or Group A Central Civil Services.

The Commission is fully aware that in the theory these posts are already open to all AIS as well as Central Group A Services. However, in practice, the selection procedure for these posts has been made so non-transparent that the credibility of the entire selection procedure is now being questioned. The pressing need is to ensure a selection
process that is open, transparent and gives equitable chance to all the eligible officers. To attain this end, all the posts filled by deputation in the Senior Administrative Grade and Higher Administrative Grade should be filled through an open selection process conducted by an independent agency. The function of the independent agency should be done by the UPSC by involving few outside experts in the relevant field. For selection to SAG/HAG levels posts, all Group A officers who are already in the SAG/HAG levels respectively in their own cadre including those who have been given the scale non-functionally on personal basis would be eligible.

6.1.10 Additionally, for officers belonging to AIS, appointment of any one officer of the service in any State cadre in the scale attached to the posts in SAG or HAG, as the case may be, would be a sufficient condition for consideration of all the officers of a particular year of allotment. This is in consonance with the extant provisions.

6.1.11 The procedure for applying to these posts, whether in SAG or HAG, will also be transparent with eligible officers applying for these posts directly through a central official website, which would host all the upcoming vacancy circulars for such posts specifying the eligibility criteria. The format of the application should be such that it brings out the core competence of the aspirant. There shall be no separate empanelment for selection to these posts. All the applications for any specific post (s) shall be considered by the independent agency, which will shortlist few candidates for every
upcoming vacancy on the basis of pre-defined transparent parameters.

All the names of the candidates found to fulfill prescribed criteria will then be sent to the concerned administrative
ministry/department/organization who may thereafter select any candidate from that list.

Benefits 6.1.12 The scheme recommended in the preceding para will have the following benefits:

(i) It will ensure widest range of suitable candidates for filling any of the SAG or HAG (other than those relating to core
governance) level posts in the Centre.

(ii) It will ensure that domain expertise is the major criteria for selection to a post.

(iii) It will facilitate infusion of younger persons that have excelled in their field and break the nexus between seniority and
selection to such posts with high emphasis on performance.

(iv) It will ensure a level playing field for members of different services/AIS cadres and will afford an equal opportunity to the high performers irrespective of the service to which they happen to belong.

(v) The scheme will be transparent, equitous and assure the applicants of the fairness and impartiality of the selection process.

The recommendations of the sixth central pay commission were accepted by the Central Government 'as a package' wide Gazette notification No. 1/1/2008-1C dated August 29, 2008 (subject to certain modifications which were expressly mentioned in the said Gazette notification). Since no modification/exception was made in respect of the above
recommendation concerning empanelment for deputation, this means that the same have been accepted by GoI. Yet the same have not been implemented and DoPT persists with the system which has rightly been described by you as 'colonial'.

Having taken up the issue through your widely red and respected website, it is hoped that you will find it worth pursuing further.

A bureaucrat who prefers to anonymity

Why Minister and Secretary can't be from one state?

Why they cannot be from same state. It is far easier to make wealth in local language. See the case of TRAI ( Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or Total Ruining of India). The Chairman is from AP, Previous Secretary was from AP, new Secretary is from AP and so is the new member who was also earlier in AP.

Ram Kumar

Yes, it should be challenged without delay. This rule will prove to be another whip in the hands of Politicians and Senior officers to get any kind of work done from subordinates. The system of setting targets and performance appraisal is very much flawed in Govt of India.

A K Sanghi

Neither officers know nor BSNL...

Comments by Usha Agrawal is worth consideration... Repatriation of ITS started in Nov-11,with 400 Grp A Officers paid without work till Now ( 3 months?).Now why this Repatriation, When other Grp B/C/D officers(Thousands)are already in BSNL without being absorbed in PSU??? None in DoT is looking it.Agenda is to get all Grp A officers in BSNL through lateral RR as absorption date is over and NONE but 11 out of 1700 opted?? Various threatening methods being intimated for enforcing with the help of admn rules since independence!! Why is it so much necessary to repatriate ITS is beyond comprehension. Revenue report reflects 5-20% increase in all units of BSNL frm last

year. Moreover, what Government has decided for these ITS fellows who would be finally left out? Neither officers know nor BSNL...

Rajiv

Bent upon ruining the IIT entrance examination

For a long time now the HRD minister is bent upon ruining the IIT entrance examination, JEE, in the pretext of reducing stress on children. His hastily implemented CCE scheme for class X Boards is for all to observe that how class X exams have been converted to a mere 'sham'.

The entrance to IIT exams, JEE, has been immaculately conducted by IITs with the committed involvement of the Professors and that is why this exam has stood the test of time and has been feeding IITs with the best brains.

The HRD minister wants this exam replaced by a score which will be based on the following:

40% weightage to Class XII, remaining 60% to be considered on the basis of two Multiple choice questions exams, which would be conducted by the CBSE, may be in co-operation with the IITs.

The varied nature of different Boards and the sanctity of each of them is a big issue. So far IIts have been able to factor this out by using the Class XII marks only as a cut-off.

No formula has been worked out which will normalize the marks from the 42 state Boards. It has not even been checked if the State Boards will give the data and in time (as this is needed to work out the normalization).

No test or dry run has been carried out but the Minister wants to force this to start from 2013. We thought IITs were autonomous bodies but all the autonomy takes a backseat in front of the wishes of the minister. It is a sinister plan to downgrade the educational standards of the best institutions of India by hitting them at the very base: their input. What is the hurry to implement these ill proposed schemes?

HRD had already done something similar by opening 8 new IITs in 2008, without ensuring any infrastructure and staring the intake to these. It may be pointed out that when the 8 new IIS were started, they would not have passed even the basic requirements needed by AICTE to approve a private college.

Observer

"Law of Takallouf "

A husband found out his wife had cheated on him and in response murdered her paramour. Though both husband and wife were aware of what had happened, neither of them talked about it because of the "Law of Takallouf ".

A K Saxena ( A retired civil servant)

Rules be implemented with sincerity

The rules are good and should be implemented with sincerity. The positive contribution of an all India officer should be taken into consideration and poor performance must be punished. In addition to their annual dossiers, let public should also contribute their views for the IAS officer concerned.

Pt Ram Kanwar

Take utmost care

As per media reports, now there will be periodical screening to weed out corrupt and inefficient public servants of All India Services to tone up public administration. But utmost care will be required to ensure that whistle blowers or those considered inconvenient by the corrupt top bosses are not weeded out .To begin with this exercise must start from the top posts . In the present scenario scope for corrupt public servants occupying top posts is very bright

Sudhir Chopra

Process of appointment of Ambassadors to be disclosed

The applicant sought various information from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) like the budget allocated to various divisions; salary and allowances being paid to the staff in Indian embassies; appointment process of Secretary/ Joint Secretaries/ Ambassadors; minutes of meeting of the Committees in MEA dealing with the above appointments etc. The PIO suggested the applicant to refer to some information available on the website of the MEA. The PIO further
informed that the appointment is as per the procedure laid down by the Government of India and as it involves examination of the ACR records of the officers, it cannot be provided under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. The minutes of meeting of the Committees in MEA dealing with the above appointments was denied under section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act. The Commission accepted that it would not be in the national interest to disclose the quantum of allowances paid to the staff exemption under Section 8(1)(a) was upheld. The Commission, however, directed to provide the process of appointment. The PIO states that there are three boards for dealing with personnel and postings. The Commission directed to provide the information on these and minutes of the last three meetings of these board.

Comments

The process of appointment /posting at the senior level has been talked out in whispers in the power corridors. Officers from other services are also likely to use this order to remove the wall of secrecy surrounding such appointments.

[Mr. Kishanlal Mittal v. Ministry of External Affairs in Decision No. CIC/SG/C/2011/001204/17022]

- 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)