What people say about us!

Your website is a very good and reliable source is not only for me but for thousands others like me. Keep up the good work Sir.

Vikram Kapoor

Mallya's airline business model has flopped!!!
Now this 'back door blackmailing by KF' needs to be stopped!!

Passenger harassment is being used as a tool to get relief!!!
Passengers are Voters is Mallya's belief!!

Bird lovers could sue Mallya for giving Kingfisher a bad name!
Kingfisher Airline has brought on this majestic bird shame!!

Mallya had got a very good offer and should have sold out!!!
His ego got the better of him without a doubt!!

I think this time minority baiters will realize!!
That minorities see through 'their lies'!!

Be it SP, Congress and BSP all will be given the sandesh!!!
And this will be the 'game changer in Uttar Pradesh'!!!

Even when it comes to direct inducers like cash and booze!!!
Voters will accept the inducements and then apni marzi se candidate they will choose!!

Voter has realized ' my choice could cause me for five years pain'!!!
They've realized Politics is the 'art of personal gain'!!

Voters say 'challo let them make money but at least do our work'!
Now this 'all money making and no work' Voter ko karta hai irk!!

Rahul had started on the right track!!!
But then funnily into 'caste and religion' politics he was pulled back!!

Advani by saying 'only LS MP will be eligible to be PM' has set the bar!!!
RS MPs ko kiya from becoming PM bar!!

What paintra will he do to bar Modi?????
Some ditch definitely Advani ne Modi ke liye hai khodi!!!

BJP has the potential to make a 'win into loss'!!!
Maybe a crucial role will have to be played by BJP's Boss (RSS)!!!

A few days back in Amravati Presi's son was caught with 1 cr in cash!!!
Seems because he is Presi's son he thought he could be rash!!

His excuse... money was for distribution to poor candidates!!
Philanthropist of the Political type will now bhugto (face) EC Show Cause Notice dates!!!

Ajit Singh's son too has been caught taking cash!!
Knowing Ajit Singh EC ko karre ga Ajit verbally bash!!

He'll say politics is a continuous process and money is an integral part of it!!
Like a glove politics and money do fit!!

Mamtha is going to meet PM on Bengal Package!!!
As a 'lollipop' package PM will try to package!!

She's not going to accept a lollipop!!!
Now TMC and Congress alliance is like a bubble that Didi is aching to pop!!

She is aching for a General Election at the soonest .... like aaj!!!!
Lagh gayi hai Didi ko election ki khaaj (khujli)!!

Bharat Kumar
aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

Why CMs strongly react to NCTC?
Most CMs fear about the possible misuse of the powers of arrest and searches by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) against political opponents by branding them as associated with terrorism. During the Emergency of 1975-77, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had many of her political opponents arrested by having them branded as threats to national security says people close to development.

FDI nod for aviation sector is going to help one airline?
A beleagured airline which got Ajit Singh as aviation minister is soon going to get a nod for FDI clearance.

PMO's gaffe pulling up Coal India for mistake of Railways
'PM's initiative will help power plants with an estimated capacity of more than 50,000 mw. A two-year roadblock is cleared for power sector', says a tweet from the PMO. Thermal power plants commissioned in financial years 2010 and 2011 totalled 11,600 megawatt. They would need 48.8 million tonnes of coal annually. Coal India has over 70 million tonnes stacked up in its inventory, waiting to be evacuated. But there are no rakes to pick up the coal . Will someone in the PMO please tell the alliance partner to do something about providing rakes?.

Churning to take place in Maharashtra Congress
It is heard that a detailed report being made about the reasons why the Congress lost to Shiv Sena in the civic body elections. Much of the study is being devoted to improve the image of the party so that it wins the 2014 elections.

Is one more Thackeray member entering politics?
It is heard that Uddhav Thackeray is most likely to see his hand strengthened in the near future with the addition of one more family member in the political arena.

No wrong in elected representative addressing a bureaucrat as "Sir"?
There is nothing wrong in an elected representative addressing a bureaucrat as "Sir" . The above conclusion has been drawn from the responses received during a debate conducted by whispersinthecorridors.com, to elicit whether it is appropriate for an
elected representative to address a bureaucrat as "Sir"?

The issue came to the fore when, recently, Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik asked his Cabinet Ministers to maintain dignity of the office. Patnaik conveyed his mind when a Minister addressed "Sir" to an IAS officer in his presence. "You are Cabinet Minister and should maintain your dignity" the Chief Minister was reported to have said.

The whispersinthecorridors.com , thus, asked its surfers "How far it is appropriate for an elected representative to address a bureaucrat as "Sir". And the majority respondents said - There is nothing wrong in an elected representative addressing a bureaucrat as "Sir".

While some said that Orissa Chief Minister Navin Patnaik's advisory to his Cabinet colleagues to refrain from addressing the bureaucrats as 'Sir', was unwarranted, others said that it reflects his feudalistic and hierarchical mindset .

While K Y Dasu, DIG/Retd. (CISF) said, "An elected representative addressing a bureaucrat as 'Sir', is neither a crime nor political taboo and there is nothing wrong in it", TVS Narayan said "Politicians calling Bureaucrats 'Sir' is perfectly in order. Not every politician need do this. It is a relative equation, where the Politician might be giving value to the person and not to the position. The politician must be a person of propriety and stature who wanted to give due respect to another individual. Nothing wrong in the salutation. I do not say everybody should do it".

Yet another respondent A K Saxena who is a retired civil servant asserted that Patnaik's advisory to his Cabinet colleagues to refrain from addressing the bureaucrats as 'Sir', was unwarranted. "He owns a feudalistic and hierarchical mindset . Ego massage is an important aspect of Communication skill. If an elected representative addresses a bureaucrat as 'Sir', his job is completed quickly and without bribe", he said.

Others like J B Sinha, NVK Prabhakar, S K Tewari were also of the opinion that there was nothing wrong in elected representative addressing a bureaucrat as "Sir".

However, those who feel that a Minister addressing a bureaucrat as 'Sir' is not appropriate said that it was incorrect because though 'Sir' is just an addressing word, in India, it is invariably associated with seniority and superiority. "Therefore in Indian context the minister calling a bureaucrat as 'Sir' is not appropriate", claimed Nandan.

"Bureaucrats are public servants and elected representatives represent the people. Therefore it is inappropriate for an elected representative (of the public) to address a bureaucrat (a public servant) as Sir", says Ajay adding "But this is India, Sab Chalta Hai, Sir"

For details : Read February issue of the Whispers In The Corridors

BUREAUCRACY

Is the batch of 1972 in key control of the GoI?
D Subbarao RBI Governor, Vinod Rai Comptroller & Auditor General, Pradeep Kumar Central Vigilance Commissioner , Ms. Sudha Pillai Secretary Planning Commission, Pramod Deo Chairman Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, C Phonsog Chairman PESB, A K Singh Member PESB, Badal Das Chairman of AAIFR, R S Pandey Interlocutor Nagaland, Sandeep Khanna Advisor to Lok Sabha Speaker and M N Prasad ED IMF are the luminaries of the 1972 batch who are at key places in the Government of India (GoI).

A K Mathur to get extension?
Director Enforcement A K Mathur is likely to get one months extension in service beginning March 1. He is 1977 batch IAS officer of UT cadre.

Sharad Gupta to be Secretary, Official Languages?
Sharad Gupta is being tipped to be new Secretary Official Languages in the Government of India.It means 1977 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre will not retire without becoming Secretary.

21 IPS officers of 1980 batch empanelled
Out of the total 55, as many as 21 IPS officers belonging to 1981 batch are reported to have been empanelled to the rank of ADG in the Government of India. At least following officers reportedly figure in the list- K Durga Prasad and Vivek Dubey (AP), Aditya Arya (UT), S C Jha and A R K Kini (Bihar), Rajiv Kumar (Jharkhand), R K Dutta (Karnataka), A K Dhasmana and Dr Anand Kumar (Madhya Pradesh), S C Mathur (Maharashtra), C Bala Subramanian (MT) and Dr Mahmood Alam (TN), Kamlendra Prasad and Y P Singh (UP) and Dr Nazrul Islam and K L Meena (West Bengal).

C P Singh is new Chairman, NPPA
1981 batch TamilNadu cadre IAS officer C P Singh has been appointed as Chairman of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority in the grade of Additional Secretary.
(We said this on February 15)

Empanelment of 1992 batch of IPS to take place after Holi
As the grapevine has it, empanelment IPS officers of 1992 batch in the Government of India (GOI) as Joint Secretaries will take at least three weeks more.

R Gopalan is not moving out of the country?
Latest information says that Secretary DEA R Gopalan is neither moving to Manila nor Washington on foreign assignment. He is 1976 batch IAS officer of TamilNadu cadre.

Why was Rana shifted?
Why the most honest and upright Member (Investigations) of the CBDT S S Rana was shifted ?.This question is being discussed in the entire IRS (IT) circles. General consensus -he was proving inconvenient to the power brokers. And one comment was - who would like to work honestly for the Government?

Will Madhavan Nair toe the line?
Will the successor of S S Rana, Madhavan Nair be pliable for the Government and the power brokers ? Those who know Nair say that new DG (Investigations) is going to be equally tough like Rana.

No chances of changing list of CMDs in banks
As the grapevine has it, the list of incumbents selected with allocation of public sector banks cannot be changed. Reason for this is Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Dr. Duvvuri Subbarao, who heads the selection committee, had signed minutes of the earlier related process i.e. interviews of senior bankers who will be elevated as Chairman & Managing Directors (CMDs).

D K Mittal's hallmark is efficiency coupled with speed
Hallmark of Secretary Financial Services, i.e. Banking, to the Government of India (GoI), D K Mittal is efficiency coupled with speed. He is an IAS officer of 1977 batch who belongs to Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Extension for Dr. K C Chakrabarty DG, RBI on the anvil
As the grapevine has it, extension on the anvil for Dr. K C Chakrabarty who is one of the four Deputy Governors (DGs) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is due to retire in June 30, 2012.

Two JS level vacancies in Agriculture Ministry
There are presently two Joint Secretary level vacancies in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Shahid Absar to be Director, Police Academy
Mohd. Shahid Absar, Commandant 25th Batallion, SAF, Bhopal, is likely to be appointed as Director, Central Academy for Police Training, Bhopal. He is an IPS officer 1996 batch who belongs to the Madhya Pradesh cadre.

Did a batchmate of Pulok Chaterji ignore him?
Did a 1974 batch IAS officer who is batch mate of Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pulok Chaterji refuse to clear later's file?

Man Singh to get extension?
Man Singh, Deputy Director, Intelligence Bureau is likely to get extension to his Central Deputation for the next 3 months. He is an IPS officer of 1994 batch who belongs to the West Bengal cadre.

Debnath Shaw to be Indian Ambassador to Tanzania
Debnath Shaw, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, will be India's Ambassador to Tanzania.

Patne and Rashmi Agrawal get exploration desk in Petroleum Ministry
Two Directors in the Petroleum Ministery Atul Patne and Rashmi Agarwal have now been given exploration desk.

Tenure of Chairman IIM Ahemdabad ends next month
Tenure of the Chairman of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Vijaypath Singhania is coming to an end on march 20.

Three 1985 batch IAS officers have retired
Three 1985 batch direct recruit IAS officers in the country have retired this year.

Sharda Prasad to get promotion
DG Employment in the Ministry of Labour Sharda Prasad is being promoted to the rank of Additional Secretary in the Government of India. He is 1981 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

S Narsing Rao attains a turnaround in SCCL
S Narsing Rao Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the state controlled the "Singareni Collieries Company Limited" (SCCL) of Andhra Pradesh had been able to achieve a major turnaround in the said company that he has been heading since September 2006.He is going to be the maiden IAS officer who will be Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Coal India Ltd. He is an IAS officer of 1986 batch who belongs to the Andhra Pradesh cadre. As against traditional Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of two to three per cent, he was able to attain CAGR of 8.12 per cent in SCCL. In the CIL it is 4.9 per cent.

What about extension in service to Mizoram CS?
Recommendation of Mizoram Chief Minister for an extension to his Chief Secretary Vanhela Pachuau is still lying with Home Minister P Chidambaram. 1976 batch IAS officer of UT cadre Pachuau us scheduled to retire on February 29.

Who will be ACS (Home ) in Maharashtra?
Who will succeed U C Sarangi as ACS (Home) in Maharashtra on March 1? A couple of names are already in circulation.

G S Negi, IES, promoted as Economic Adviser, Food & Public Distribution
G S Negi, Additional Economic Adviser, Economic Affairs, has been promoted to Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) and posted as Economic Adviser, Food and Public Distribution. He is an Indian Economic Service (IES) officer of 1985 batch.

M Muthu, GM, (ATM), WR, Mumbai shifted to BIAL, Bangaluru in AAI
M Muthu, General Manager (ATM), WR, Mumbai, has been shifted to BIAL, Bangaluru in Airport Authority of India (AAI).

Six posts of Judges vacant in Chhattisgarh HC
As many as six posts of judges have been lying vacant in Chhattisgrarh High Court against an approved strength of 18. The vacant posts include one post of Permanent Judge against approved strength of six and five of Additional Judges against an approved strength of 12.

Suspension of IAS officer in U P revoked
The Government of India has revoked the suspension of senior most Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer Ms Promilla Shankar. Mayawati Government had suspended 1976 batch IAS officer Ms Shankar. This is considered to be a big blow to the Mayawati Government.

Sarangi to be CIC in Maharashtra?
ACS Home in Maharashtra U C Sarangi is being tipped to be new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) in the state.1977 batch IAS officer Sarangi is scheduled to retire on February 29.

Gujarat Tourism prepares ground for hosting Gujarat Travel Mart from Feb 22
Gujarat Tourism has prepared the ground for organizing second consecutive edition of 'Gujarat Travel Mart' from February 22, 2012 in Gandhi Nagar. The event will be inaugurated by Jaynarayan Vyas Minister for Tourism with the Government of Gujarat at 6.00 pm at Exhibition Hall No. 2, Mahatma Mandir Exhibition Centre, Gandhinagar. According to Principal Secretary, Tourism, Vipul MIttra, the second edition of 'GujaratTravel Mart' which is set on a B2B platform with over 200 registered buyers fromover 30 countries exploring business opportunities for discerning travel and tourism products, will make the event one of the most sought after travel events in the country. Gujarat contributes to 16% of the industrial production of the country and has also mobilised the highest share (12.7%) of the investments in the country. As a cheer to the hotel industry, as many as 37 hotel-resorts have been given approval by the government. It is the biggest ever inbound travel event in Gujarat. The hosted buyers are from the following countries: Australia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Fiji Islands, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zimbabwe. Vipul Mittra, who is an IAS officer of 1986 batch and belongs to the Gujarat cadre, said "the event has support of major travel - trade and hospitality association in India such as 'Association of Domestic Tour Operators Association of India (ADTOI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators, etc. The event is being managed by 'Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. The Mart will last till February 24. Mittra said that the added advantage in this year's exhibition is that there will be exhibition of airlines, adventure, travels and tourism, new circuit for road and railway package, water transportation, hotel resort etc. Around one lakh visitors are expected to visit this event. A special attraction of FAM tour is an integral part of the exhibition. The travel community will get an opportunity to discover and experience the colourful and exotic tourist destinations of Gujarat. This event is supported by major travel-trade and hospitality association in India i.e. ADTOI, ATOAI and IATO. A real attraction in the exhibition will be 'Gujarat Pavilion' which will showcase the different facets of Gujarat such as festivals of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi oriented tours, heritage hotels, Buddhist trails in Gujarat, wild life resorts etc. GTM will showcase 'Gujarat' as India's key travel source market, Mittra added.

10 senior IAS officers assigned additional charges in Haryana (UPDATED)
As many as 10 senior IAS officers of Haryana have been assigned additional charges as the present incumbents are on election duty. Accordingly, Ajit M Sharan (HY:79), has been given the charge of Principal Secretary, Renewable Energy while Sarban Singh (HY:83) will be holding the charge of Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs and Roshan Lal (HY:84) is Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry & Dairy. Similarly, S S Dhillon (HY:84) has been given additional charge of Principal secretary, Housing Department; S S Prasad (IAS:84) gets charge of Principal Secretary, Science and Technology; Mrs Surina Rajan (HY: 85) of Principal Secretary, Archives Department; P Raghavendra Rao (HY:85) of Principal Secretary, Printing & Stationery and Archaeology and Museums Departments; Sanjeev Kaushal (HY: 86) of Principal Secretary, Industrial Training Department; Vineet Garg (HY:91) of Special Secretary, Administrative Reforms and Anurag Agarwal (HY:94), has been assigned additional charge of Special Secretary, Personnel, Training, Vigilance and Parliamentary Affairs departments.

Know Dr Hari Om Tripathi :DM Kanpur (UPDATED)
Dr. Hari Om Tripathi District Magistrate (DM) Kanpur City, who has taken action against AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi & others is Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer of 1997 batch. This is his 10th district as DM. Earlier, he had served in Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Koshambi etc. Dr. Tripathi may have shot into limelight now but he is a well known literary figure. Having studied at Allahabad University & Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr. Tripathi has to his credit three books. As the grapevine has it, the action against Gandhi was taken due to security constraints on account of the Mahashivratri festival. He told whispersinthecorridors.com that it was purely an administrative decision.

Rajkumar Dhoot takes over as new president of ASSOCHAM (UPDATED)
Rajkumar Dhoot, Member of Parliament and Managing Director of Videocon Industries, today took over as president of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) while Rana Kapoor, founder, Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of Yes Bank will be the Senior Vice-president and Sunil Kanoria, Vice-chairman of SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited is the Vice-president. Dhoot said that the ASSOCHAM established in 1920 would continue to play a leading transformational role nationally and globally. "The lead chamber will empower Indian enterprises by focusing on the most critical and relevant issues in a highly impact-oriented manner." Outgoing president, Dilip Modi, Managing Director of Spice Mobility, said it was a memorable experience and a great learning curve to head the organisation representing four lakh members across the country. Dhoot was first elected to Rajya Sabha in June 2002 and served the parliamentary standing committee on finance, consultative committees for the ministry of commerce and industry, and the ministry of urban development and poverty alleviation. He has been consultative committee member for the ministry of finance and permanent special invitee at the consultative committee for the ministry of petroleum and natural gas. In May 2008, Dhoot was re-elected to Rajya Sabha and is currently member of the committee on information technology. Born on September 11, 1955 at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, Dhoot is also involved in social work which includes promoting education, running a multi-specialty charitable hospital and constructing roads in Gangapur and Aurangabad.

S P Singh moves to Delhi from Mizoram (UPDATED)
S P Singh has been moved from Mizoram to Delhi .He is 1984 batch IAS officer of UT cadre.

Reena Ray goes to Mizoram (UPDATED)
Reena Ray has been transferred from Delhi to Mizoram.She is 1984 batch.

P K Sinha to be Secretary, Shipping (UPDATED)
P K Sinha is being appointed as Secretary, Shipping. He is a 1977 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

A K Banerjee selected as Director (Fin.), ONGC Ltd (UPDATED)
A K Banerjee, GGM, ONGC, has been selected for the post of Director (Finance), ONGC Limited. As many as 12 persons were interviewed for the same.


44 IAS officers of 1992 batch empanelled as Joint Secretary (UPDATED)
As many as 44 IAS officers of 1992 batch and various cadres have been empanelled as Joint Secretary or equivalent in Government of India. The officers include: Ashish K Bhutani of Assam-Meghalaya cadre; Jayesh Ranjan, K Vijayand, Sanajay Jaju, Vikas Raj of AP cadre; Dipak Kumar Singh, Chanchal Kumar, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, Hukum Singh Meena, Ravi Manubhai Parmar of Bihar cadre; Dinesh K Srivastava of Chattisgarh cadre; Nidhi Khare of Jharkhand cadre; K Ellangovan of Kerala cadre; Vimlendra Sharan, Om Prakash N Gupta, Manisha Arun Patankar of Maharashta cadre; Kailash Chandra Gupta, Ashish Srivastava, Neelam Shammi Rao, V L Kantha Rao, Kalpana Srivastava, Ravindra Kumar Pastore, Seema Sharma of Madhya Pradesh cadre; Sriram Taranikanti, Shashi Ranjan Kumar, Rakesh Ranjan, Vulunmang Vualnam of Manipur-Tripura cadre; Sanjay Kumar of Nagaland; Sarvjit Singh, Raji Pramod Srivastava, K A P Sinha of Punjab cadre; Rajat K Mishra of Rajasthan cadre; Rajendra Kumar, Neeraj Mittal, Rajesh Lakhani, Mangat Ram Sharma, Pradeep Yadav of Tamil Nadu cadre; Rakesh Kumar of UK cadre; Narendra Bhooshan and Anurag Srivastava of Uttar Pradesh cadre; Rajeev Verma, Ashwani Kumar, Sanjiv Kumar of AGMUT cadre and Barun Kumar Ray of West Bengal cadre.

PAKISTAN WHISPERS
Planning Commission for lowering down macroeconomic targets
According to national growth framework (NGF) paper prepared by pakistan's planning commission some of the macroeconomic targets particularly in the public sector development projects (PSDP) set in last year's budget are showing to be unachievable and have to be considerably lowered down. Total expenditure in social sector development projects will now (during fiscal ending June 2012) be Rs 850 billion instead of Rs 1150 billion. In terms of percentage of GDP it would be 3.6 instead of 5% estimated earlier. Annual rate of economic growth too is likely to be reduced from 5.5 to 5% and inflation set to be 10%. Target of revenue collection (tax as well as non tax) which was expected to be 15.9% of GDP is now likely to be at 14.5% only.

Protestors demand defence minister's resignation
Protestors belonging to the Difa e Pakistan Council (DPC) on a sit in in Islamabad are demanding the resignation of Pakistan's defence minister Chowdhary Ahmed Mukhtar for allowing NATO supplies to Afghanistan through Pakistan's airspace. It was only the other day that the army chief Gen kayani had on being questioned by some journalists on the subject had advised them to direct the question to the defence minister. Office bearers of the DPC have also petitioned the apex court against a ban imposed by the government on the entry of three of their leaders including JuD (LeT) chief Hafeez Saeed on entering Islamabad for participating in the protest sit in.

No UK Visa for Haqqani counsel
Barrister Zahid Bukhari counsel for former Pakistani Ambassador to US Hussain haqqani in the memo case hasn't got visa for visiting UK for attending the video link statement of Mansoor Ijaaz from Pakistan's High Commission in London. Barrister Bukhari had wanted to be present at the time of recording of Ijaaz's statement and also cross examine him. However another advocate Rashid Rizvi Counsel for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is the petitioner in the case has got the visa and has already left for UK.

Elaborate preparations for Ijaaz statement via video link from London
With recording of the statement of US businessman of Pakistani origin and central character in the memo case Mansoor Ijaaz due on 22 February via video link from London massive preparations are on for the event inthe Pakistan High Commission in London as well as the Islamabad High Court. Distt & Sessions Judge Islamabad who is also secretary to the supreme court appointed judicial commission for probing the memo case has already reached London to be present during the recording and also to take possession from Ijaaz of documentary and physical evidence for the commission's record. In Islamabad two giant screens have been installed in the high court building where the commission along with concerned advocates shall be sitting to hear and if necessary to cross examine Ijaaz via video link. Notwithstanding the elaborate preparations the Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq has already expressed his reservation about the legal adequacy of the video link statement as it is not possible to see and interpret the 'body language' of the witness and consequently to properly cross examine him on the video link.

Nature losing out to security
The serene Margala Hills adjoining Islamabad which once used to be the favourite haunt of the capital's nature lovers are fast losing their serenity to intrusion by a variety of installations in the name of security. A rest house owned by the capital development authority in the hills was allowed temporary occupation by the Rangers for securing the city against militants in the aftermath of the 'lal masjid' episode way back in 2007 is yet to be vacated. In fact the rangers have in due course occupied more area around the rest house. In the adjoining area Pakistan Navy have expanded their golf course and sundry other defence installations have surfaced shrinking the space nature had originally provided primarily for trekkers and hikers; all in the name of making the capital more secure.

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

Oil at $120 : will it mean recovery postponed?
Will the crude oil touching $120 per barrel mean that India will have to pay more from its pocket ? It could very well mean that all hopes of fiscal recovery are over, say economist.

Will RBI cut rates?
RBI's advisory panel of external members have suggested a rate cut of 25 basis points. Will the RBI Governor oblige?

M&A activity to be on the rise in 2012
Grant Thornton India LLP in its annual survey on Indian Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As)and Private Equity (PE) found that there is continued and strong optimism about both M&A activity and PE investments. Pharma followed by Manufacturing are the most promising sectors for 2012 both in terms domestic and cross border deal activity, while Private Equity investments are expected to focus on Pharma, Healthcare and Biotech followed by manufacturing and BFSI sectors.

Nahata appointed Additional Director of Essar Securities
Dhanpat Nahata has been appointed as the Additional Director of Essar Securities.

Goyal appointed Additional Director of Modern Dairies
Krishan Kumar Goyal has been appointed Additional Director of Modern Dairies.

Hem Sandeep appointed statutory auditor of PG Electroplast
Hem Sandeep & Co have been appointed as statutory auditor of PG Electroplast.

Ganzu resigns as Director of Crew B.O.S. Products
Naveen Ganzu has resigned from the directorship Crew B.O.S. Products.

Garg appointed CFO of Tulip Telecom
Umesh Garg has been appointed as new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tulip
Telecom.

R. Ramakrishnan has resigned as Director of Bajaj Electricals Ltd
Shettigar appointed Spa Manager, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa Dr Manjula Shettigar has been appointed as the Spa Manager at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa.

Rajan appointed Company Secy. Indo Tech Transformers Ltd
Indo Tech Transformers Limited has appointed Nambi Rajan as Company Secretary of the company.

Keskar gets additional role as Senior VP, Sales (Asia-Pacific and India), Boeing Commercial Airpanes
Dinesh Keskar who is currently President, Boeing India has been assigned additional role as Senior Vice President (Sales) Asia-Pacific and India for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Kumar appointed Addl. Director Venky's (India) Ltd
Venky's (India) Limited has appointed Colonel (Retd.) Surinder Kumar as an Additional Director of the company with immediate effect.

Joshi resigns as Director, Jain Studios Ltd
Ms. Tanuja Joshi has resigned as Director of Jain Studios Ltd w.e.f. January 30, 2012.

Mehdi appointed B2B & PR Support Executive, VisitBritain, India
Shuja Bin Mehdi has been appointed as B2B & PR Support Executive, VisitBritain for India.

Narayan resigns as Company Secy. Super Forgings & Steels Ltd
Ashish Narayan has resigned as Company Secretary of Super Forgings & Steels Ltd w.e.f. February 1, 2012.

Agarwal appointed Company Secy. Super Forgings & Steels Ltd
Ms. Khusboo Agarwal has been appointed as Company Secretary of Super Forgings & Steels Ltd w.e.f. February 1, 2012.

(DEBATE 1)

The IAS officers must be taught a lesson the ado meant lobby, the corrupted lobby cannot escape from their responsibility. IAS officers think they are lords and no body can question their actions. They should be made responsible for all their misdeeds.

D V Rao

DEBATE (2)

It is only the ministers and the cabinet who should be held responsible for policy decisions of the government, because the bureaucrats are not in the loop of decision-making at the policy-level. The very essence of democracy is that the elected
representative wields all power and hence should take the responsibility also instead of only shifting it and blaming it on the officials. The rules of business of the government clearly and unambiguously state that it is the minister who holds the portfolio who is responsible for the disposal of business in the departments assigned to him.

C K Najib

DEBATE (3)

Whether it is political master or officers (sr. & jr.), everybody has certain authority and responsibility. Therefore, if there is wrong, who ever is responsible for failing in its duty shall be responsible whether political master of bureaucrat.

Adarsha Gupta

FORUM

Criminal kidnapping racket

The BBC ran an interesting documentary on how , in Spain the NGOs, the Church and the State all colluded to kidnap children from the poor and from foreign immigrants in order to meet the growing demand from rich but barren American couples for children for adoption. Each such kidnapped child fetches 10,000 US dollars in the black market.
Everyone is happy with this criminal racket except the parents of the kidnapped children and the traumatised children themselves, who try to locate their real Spainish parents even after 35 years of the kidnapping. The kidnapping of Indian immigrant children in Norway has to be seen against this background. Norways NGOs too must be part of
this criminal kidnapping racket.

D Choudhury

Wide spread corruption

There is no question of CBI targeting IAS officers. This sub-continent (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) is known for wide spread corruption. Officials who have more opportunity for doing corruption are more often involved in corruption. Since IAS officers more often occupy vintage positions they are more corrupt. In fact because of their
strong contacts they often escape action.So what CBI catches is only a tip of the iceberg of corruption among IAS officers

J Sarkar

Evidence of corruption or human rights violation necessary for schedule II organisations

Theappellant filed an application under the RTI Act seeking certain information from the respondent organization. The Commission noted that the respondent is an exempted organization listed under Schedule II of the RTI Act and therefore, is not amenable to any provision contained in the Act by virtue of Section 24. Furthermore, the information sought by the Appellant does not pertain to any violation of human rights and allegation of corruption, and therefore, does not fall under Proviso (I) to Section 24 of the RTI Act. The Commission ruled that an 'allegation of corruption' does not mean mere conjectures and surmises. Allegations ought to be supported by cogent and sound evidence which can lead the Commission to frame a prima facie view about corrupt or malpractices being involved in any given case. The Commission rejected the appeal ruling that such element is clearly missing as no evidence or material has been placed by the Appellant to establish prima facie case of corruption or violation of human right.

Comments

In cases of organisations which are beyond the purview of the RTI Act, an applicant must put up evidence of corruption or human rights violation for his application to be considered as a valid RTI application.

Shri Anil Prasad v. Sashastra Seema Bal in No.CIC/SS/A/2011/001855

- 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)