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Debates, reader views and sharp takes on the issues shaping governance — a new conversation every week, archived by date.

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Forum & RTI 3,232 posts · page 259 of 270

Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 11 Oct 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
I once again stress as said earlier, if Congress wants to win next elections, must project Dr Man Mohan Singh as next Prime Ministerial candidate. Also must come with a vision document for poor Indians especially farmers, jawans, poor and downtrodden.
Harish Kumar
DEBATE (2)Congress
Congress can easily revive because the experience counts of 49 years heading the central government. It is a very tough challenge for BJP to beat congress after having so many failures.
Devesh Barai
DEBATE (3) Congress
people still have a faith in congress, something they will do in the public interest other than inflicting unplanned schemes on people like GST.
Atul Sharma
DEBATE (4) Congress
BJP is simply a Gujarat Centralised Govt. Modi wants his fellows to appear in all streams, that will be not acceptable by public. Congress atleast need a chance to clean all these conspiracies.
Ali Farooqui
DEBATE (5) Congress
Congress need to work on ground level, connect to people and should know their problems. What actually public want from the government. Then also they have to make a strong team to stand out in polling booth.
Alina Chaudhary
If not NDA, who else ?
The few people who are against government, for whatever reasons have taken to criticising the government, without proper understanding of issues, and parroting what congis and leftists are saying, ably backed by the presstitutes. If even for arguments sake, we presume that the NDA government is not doing well, what is the alternative ? Do we want a buffoon as pm or a so called great intellectual, who ably ruined this country or any of the regional leaders who apart from appeasement policy, are thoroughly corrupt . Is there any alternate leader who can lead this country better? This govt has earned the respect of all world leaders, foreign govt and world bank etc are praising Mr. Modi, perhaps they are all fools, and only the corrupt and communal elements in this country ,including presstitutes are the know all. Today their role has been reduced to shouting on TV channels, drowning out others, and believe the ordinary people are fools to support them. Well good luck to them. The NDA should however realise that people voted them for action against corrupt and appeasement free governance. The NDA would do well to expedite all criminal cases launched and prosecute all the corrupt in a time bound manner, including those who laundered money during demonetisation and get them exemplary punishment,which will restore the peoples faith in government.
S Chhatterjee
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
Forum

DEBTE (1) Congress

Revival of opposition is automatic in view of the commitment of the NDA Govt only to mutiple taxes and a corrupt taxation department .
ARC Kumar
DEBATE (2) Congress
Surprised that there are people who are seeing hope of any revival of congress. Haven't they had enough scams already. The party is full of sycophants & jokers. No comparison with honest & hardworking Modi. Like it or not, he is going to be around for a very long time.
Arun Sharma
Cheats On The Prowl
“Start Your Own Business…” reads one big ad in big newspapers. Enough inducement for Modi’s Start Ups/ Stand Ups/ Entrepreneurs, who are eligible for loans under MUDRA, various Finance & Development Corp (Women, Minority, SC, ST, Handicapped a.k.a. Divyaangjan & Safai Karamchari) and other schemes up to Rs. 10 lakhs. Without reading the fine print and ignorant of the large scale cheating going on in the name of ‘Franchisee Opportunities For Reputed Brands”, the youth walk into the trap innocently. Not realizing the legal connotations and implications of the term “investment” or ROI (In 3 Years), s/he invests the money borrowed for the business development or personal capital hoping to get the assured ROI by way of doubling of the investment in three years. The ad carries further guaranty on legal document assuring that the investment is secure. Can the investor get back her/his money if s/he wants to terminate the contract? It only says in smaller print that if you want your investment back any time within a year, it will be returned to you (T&C apply). It means it is not meant to be returned before 3 years and if insisted, it would be subject to terms and conditions. These T&C are not known and always subject to change without prior notice just like the change of their address. What is hidden is the processing/administrative expenses/front charges of no less than 10% of the “investment”. Crores are looted from the startup ventures of the youth in this manner and nothing can be done to them. The Ad ends with a mobile phone number. Their location can be traced if they publish their landline number. The fraud and cheating that has been going on in the name of Franchising needs to be checked urgently. The money taken from the young entrepreneur/start up/MSME unit is lost as it is never returned. Once paid, the ownership of the collecting company goes on changing so that they can’t be traced. It is a con NBFI kind of operation where money is collected without any interest (it is termed “investment”). In fact, you can lose your investment if the business of the company/firm/unit you invested fails or declared bankrupt. These cheats are aggressively advertising on commercial TV channels too. The M/o Commerce & Industry, MSME, SFIO, Corporate Affairs, Law & Justice and NITI Ayog etc. all are obligated to stop this open cheating. They need to read only the several cases against some of these people, the latest one in which a company with a big brand name has been declared PO (Proclaimed Offender) by a Chandigarh court as reported by The Tribune of 19th Sept 2017, should stir them to prompt action.
M L Gupta
IAS scuttle promotion in CSS!
On account of the designs of IAS, there has been no promotion in CSS for the last one year at US, DS and Director level. The politicians are also giving a blind eye to the problem. The ruling party is also not realizing that these type of development/amongst government servants leads to their becoming unpopular. The government servants spread a lot about the functioning of the government in market. They should realize that they are being taken for a ride by the feudalistic mentality people . Not all but a majority of them are.
BBS
Monday, 9 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 9 Oct 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
I am a regular reader of your article 'Whispersinthecorridors'. I can forget my breakfast but not your article. Regarding revival of Congress Party, my frank and bold opinion is given as under, as desired:
In my opinion, there are a few very senior and experienced Politicians in Congress Party who have been ignored in the past. They deserve the higher responsibilities and have the capabilities as President or Vice President of Congress Party and can lead and revive the Party a grand success but the Gandhi family must quit for a couple of years.
Rahul Gandhi may be ready to accept the challenge of responsibilities as President of Congress Party but same problem of Gandhi Family - lacking an immediate requirement of a rival candidate. It is widely felt and whispered among public that the Congress Politicians want an alternative choice but the question is that by doing so who is going to suicide himself in Congress Party - Nobody.
Party High Command of Congress must sit and discuss and forget their egos to revive their future and for the welfare of our great Nation.
H.R.Ahuja
DEBATE (2) Congress
Only PM Narendra Modi will revive the Congress Party
Dr Shanta
DEBATE (3) Congress
Very difficult question.
P K Gupta
Deport Rohingyas immediately
There appears to be no concern about immediate deportation of Rohingya illegal migrants from Mynmar. One has to just read the historical background of their militant activities as reported in the media, by Brahma Chellaney, to gauge the threat they pose to the country. The more the Government of India delays in this respect, the more difficult it would be to oust them. Why wait for the Supreme Court decision ? There is no legal point involved in that. The security of the country should be paramount and the fact of the matter is that by taking no action on this, we are compromising with that.
Aarti Khos;la
Post proper police officers
Proper police officers, who can take action against criminals and take complaint of local people seriously, must be posted in police stations and zones. They must use ‘mukhbars’ for removing criminals and not for some others matter.
Ghaus Mohd
RTI

Reasons behind the blast that occurred in INS Sindurakshak (S 63) Submarine

Appellant stated that he wanted to know the reasons behind the blast that occurred in INS Sindurakshak (S 63) Submarine as he inferred from media reports that the cause for the blast was attributed to some human error. The PIO submitted that the information was denied under Section 8(1)(a) and 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. Upon Commission’s instance, the PIO elaborated that the Board of Inquiry is a vast elaboration of the events which runs into almost 16 Volumes and entails description of the specifications of the Submarine; details of its deployment, where it was headed, why it was deployed and will even have sensitive details like missile fitting specifications. Disclosure of these details will be prejudicial to national security as similar class of submarines exist in present day which are used for deployment and if specifications are revealed, it will not be conducive to the strategic interest of the State. In the interim decision on 30.08.2017, the CIC directed the PIO to appear in person before the bench alongwith relevant files for the in-camera hearing. The PIO produced 16 volumes of relevant Board of Inquiry (BOI) report before the CIC. After perusing the relevant extract pertaining to findings of the Inquiry leading to mishap in INS Sindhurakshak , the CIC directed the PIO to provide to the Appellant, the extract of para 85(a) of page 46 of Volume XIII of 4 BOI, after suitably blacking out technical details.
Comments
Section 18 of the RTI Act grants the power to the CIC to requisition any public record or copies thereof from any court or office. In case of documents which are of confidential nature, the Commission has asked for the files to inspect such documents in terms of the suitability of disclosure.
Citation: Rahul Sehrawat v. Integrated HQ MoD(Navy) in File No. CIC/DODEF/A/2017/110171/SD, Date of Final Decision:06/10/2017
Dr. Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is the co-author of the books: RIGHT TO INFORMATION – LAW AND PRACTICE and PIO’s guide to RTI. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/
Saturday, 7 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 7 Oct 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
Yes, it is not the new face which is required for reviving but it needs proper planning and proper advisor. The Congress has to be tight-lipped in telling public the wrongs committed by other parties. Congress needs to disclose as to what had been done during its reign. People facing the music of ruling party need not to tell more. The wearer of shoe knows where shoe pinches. Congress leaders need to forgive childish habits of joking criticizing opposition. Nobody has time to hear such things which one is facing daily. Public needs something new. Politeness and proper planning will lead to success. I can assist the High command as wise advisor if needs.
Harsh Mehta
DEBATE (2) Congress
Unity among Congress leaders will turn the tables in the next elections. The Congress itself has bright chances in the next Lok Sabha polls as there is palpable swing in the mood of the public in favour of the party. Ups and downs in a party’s fortunes are a part of democratic polity and, while the Congress had been on a downswing for some time, I personally see strong signs of its revival provided leadership takes the challenge with full force.
Manoj Vajpayee
DEBATE (1) Congress
Strong leadership is required for revival of Congress. Leaders connected to grass-root like Digvijay Singh in Madhya Pradesh, if given a chance, can do wonders. Things are not good in the country at the moment… the effects of GST, of demonetization etc. etc. Voters have now understood that BJP leaders can only talk but they have nothing to deliver. No vision except one point agenda to create Hindu-Mulim rift and make attempts to finish Nehru-Gandhi legacy. Now people have come to know their game plan. Look at the recent elections – the student union elections in Rajasthan, Delhi or the Punjab University. It is all indicative of how things are changing. I think Congress has a real good chance everywhere. By the 2019 general election, certainly, the Congress is very much in the run.
Irfan Ali
Vacancies of Under Secretaries a serious issue
Vacancies of 200 Under Secretaries from the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) in Government of India are a serious issue. How can Government of India meet its objective “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” in the absence of officers? Govt should first fill the vacancies by promoting the officers to get desired results.
Sunil Kumar
Friday, 6 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 6 Oct 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
Only Rahul Gandhi can revive the Congress because it is only he who can pose a credible challenge to Narendra Modi in the 2019 election ? Not only is he capable of leading the Congress but he is the best choice of the opposition to take the lead in the 2019 election. He has proved himself time and again as a man of stature and an astute politician. BJP gang may continue to project him as ‘Pappu’ but who cares now ? Youth will not be befooled again. His performance at (University of California,) Berkeley was par excellence. What has Modi done for us except creating panic in our lives ?
Sanjeev Goswami
DEBATE (2) Congress
AICC General Secretary Digivijay Singh is the most ideal mass leader who can revive the Congress party at this juncture.
Ashok Singh
DEBATE (3) Congress
Loss of confidence in the ruling leadership could automatically lead people in favour of the Congress party. The leaders just need to make sure they don’t promise anything they can’t deliver during the next Lok Sabha polls campaigning.
Devinder Kumar Saxena
DEBATE (4) Congress
Congress party needs a mass leader like Digvijay Singh who needs to travel across the country and start preparing for the next Lok Sabha polls immediately.
Bhushan Chouhan
Thursday, 5 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 5 Oct 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
Can congress revive itself ? Yes , why not. If BJP with only 2 seats in1984 get to 282 in 2014, Congress too can do it. The process is long and requires total transformation in the mindset of Congress.
Minimum period is two to three years. Following steps need to be taken.......
(1) A charismatic anddynamic new leader for the party is must.
Ofcourse Mahatma Gandhi is impossibility to find again yet some one approximate to him should guide the course of the party. Truth ,simplicity. Sheer doggedness and fixity of purpose, honesty, and farsightedness should be the guiding Mantra of every step congress takes for revival.
(2) The Micro and Macro management of the party, atleast 50 lacs of hardened cadre of workers imbued with un flinching patriotism, a revolutionary manifesto for the youth of the country, no appease ment of any cast or religion or section of society and missionary zeal for have nots and power to impoverished sections of people have to be ruling Mantras for the new Congress.
(3) Lastly the present Leadership of Congress must admit acts of commissions and omissions in last governance and seek pardon of Janta and give solemn pledge never to commit those follies again. The culture of flattery in the party must end and boldness and courage should be reinforced. All this is easily said than done but the party men have to realise that path to CROWN is not a bed of Roses but of thorns and horney bushes to be negotiated skilfully.
S.M.Shukla.
( Retired 1 st DGP and 1 st Chairman of state of Chhattisgarh.)
DEBATE (2) Congress
The biggest advantage with Congress party is that seniority is hugely respected which means that experience is available in plenty for young leaders to gain for reviving the party’s prospects in the next Lok Sabha polls.
Mohan Mehta
Rajnitika aur Rajnaitik?
Criticism is always welcome. It benefits the target immensely at zero cost. It helps the wise improve. It exposes the enemy within the group sending timely alert to the leader. It renders the rival an object of public ridicule. Honest criticism carries a lot of weight. Bereft of honesty(Rajnaitik), it turns into vilification or maligning (Ninda in Hindi). Both Ninda and stuti are abominable, for they do no public good. The persons indulging in vilification or flattery invite public derision in equal measure. The bane of Indian politics is rajniti. There is no limit to base attacks and foul language. The political leaders making fun of the rich want creation of jobs in millions at the same time. Can the poor create jobs? Our Socialists, middle path waders and leftist contributed to the maximum to slow GDP and creation of jobs. Their wisdom is exemplified by Mamata Banerjee throwing out the Tata’s Nano Car project and her predecessors destroying the number one industrial state of India. One can laugh away the Congress leader making fun of suitboot ki Sarkar as it does not suit them to take orders from an Indian coming from a humble working-class background. However, it becomes a comedy of errors when someone from the BJP shares his angst. The critic has resorted to sharp language reserved only for the enemy for issues which could have helped the government improve. He had done so to fail the Modi victory in 2014. It also carries an open threat of losing the 2019 election. That is the reward Narendra Modi gets from his party leaders, whose frustration has been used by the Congress and the Communists, Mamata and others to justify their misplaced criticism. Demonetisation hurt the BJP supporters to some extent as it hurt the Congress and others to the maximum. Even today, it enjoys the highest public appreciation. People want Modi to display greater harshness towards the black economy, which is raising its hydra head once again. There is no decline in GDP. Have manufacturing industries closed down? No. But non-manufacturing sectors have suffered a temporary setback because the black money is not supporting them, e.g. real estate operations, mining, private hospitals, high cost lawyers & doctors’ private practice, ministers & bureaucrats not earning bribes and not investing in benami properties and many such activities. If Modi does not get distracted by ill-founded criticism and remains positive, he can obtain much better GDP. Election 2019 is going to be fought fiercely, with BJP fellows acting like the Congress leaders did during their journey from Nehru to Shashtri to Indira to Rajiv to MM Singh. BJP’s journey by comparison is limited to ABV to Narendra Modi only. The PM will need a lot of patience as developmental results can’t be produced in a short span of 5 years. If someone is selling him Sheikhchilli’s dreams, he should overcome the illusion. The people of India will give him a second term happily, irrespective of the Ravan ridiculing Hanuman by asking his sepoys to wrap his tail with cloth, dip it in oil and ignite it because the monkey loves its tail the most. Ravan ki mooncch aur Hanuman ki punch. Jan Sevak Hanuman, proceeded to destroy Ravan’s Lanka and secured safe release of Sita, the poor masses of India, kept in captivity in the luxurious Askok Vatika by the black economy for 70 years now. Remember: Seva Dharma is the most difficult of all dharmas.
M L Gupta
Wednesday, 4 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 4 Oct 2017

DEBATE (2) Congress
The Congress party is on a revival stage automatically as the State-level leaders and workers have themselves worked out what went wrong in the past Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
B K Sinha
DEBATE (3) Congress
AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi is a far more matured leader today to lead the party compared to the last Lok Sabha polls. And this time he has the advantage of people taking him seriously when he talks.
Bharat Prabhakar
BJP cleverly projecting RaGa as principal opponent
Factors against NaMo on socio, economic, bilateral and multi lateral front is many but single factor RaGa can nullify all these negative factors and that is why BJP is cleverly projecting RaGa into the principal opponent slot against NaMo despite knowing well that only leader consistently opposing both BJP and Cong is Arvind Kejriwal and AAP.
Ettirankandath Krishnadas
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 3 Oct 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
Who is happy with NDA Government ?. Congress will be revived automatically.
Girdhar
Debate (Congress) 2
At this juncture a low profile Man Mohan Singh can revive the Congress Party.
Ranjit Singh
Used and Cheated !
Hello Suresh ji ,
I have seen your passionate and emotional coverage of Modi government in past and now seen a question on the website, One thought came to my mind that whenever journalists or any professional becomes emotional and does his work later, he feels used and cheated.
Vishal
Angry Yashwant
The recent spate of charges between YS and AJ has caused a serious dent in the current Government. In any case, one cannot deny the fact that a sense of arrogance has crept in the top echelons of the government. The Bureaucracy is mainly responsible for the ills of the country. We have Minister for State for personnel, who is week. He listens to everybody, gives commitment and does not honour. The result is that a lot of ill will is being developed. The Civil Servants are at a position wherein they make an image of the Government before the general public. They are the disgruntled lot and are spreading all ills in the market.. The arrogance of the current government is time and again being exposed. IAS is not the sole Civil Services in the country. They are not specialist in any field of governance. They try to project themselves as Mr. no all. There are many brilliants in other areas of governance and they are experts in their area. They can also come up with brilliant ideas for reviving the economy. Modi should rise from his wilderness and interact more out of the coterie or otherwise he is in for doom. As he is person of integrity and has the right intentions, we need him for more years. He needs to have a decisive Minister of State of Personnel, who ensures that all the Civil Servants are attended to fast in order to settle their grievance. His proposed inter action with Directors and Deputy Secretary should take place at the earliest.
Anurag
Monday, 2 October 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 2 Oct 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
Dissidence will lead to the revival of Congress.
A P Jain
Debate (2) Congress
Only Nehru-Gandhi family can revive
D C Nagar
Mainu samajh nahi aandi,ikk khokhe naal ki farak painda ae
Encroachment of govt lands by way of setting up of kiosks,illegal structures,static use of hand driven pushcarts and mule carts. for vending and permanent parking of vehicles on roadsides,have been a perennial source of irritation and nuisance for the top administration and also a source of regular illegal income for some some employees of the municipalities and Improvement Trusts etc.These are symbolic of the weak governance accompanied by failure of law and order.But it appears we will have to live with this mushroomed largesse of political heavy weights.
Some decades back the local govt minister had waived to Commissioner of a very important Corporation to stay back after the meeting for an important assignment.Incidentally i was also present during the entire conversation between the minister and the commissioner.'' commissioner sahib, i have been telling you for the last 6 months to allow Telu Ram to instal his kiosk on the Mall.He is our sincere and dedicated worker for more than 40 years.What is the problem?''By that time the minister had also called Telu Ram and some other persons.Commissioner looked around and was hesitant for a moment to speak.Anticipating commissioner's hesitation the minister said,''Koi gall nahi, eh saare aapne e bande ne.'' Commissioner started very diffidently, choosing the words discreetly,''Sir, there are already 50 applicants for the site,which is already under litigation.We have already initiated eviction proceedings,where we are sure to succeed.Only two kiosks are there presently,who have got stay orders, and if we allow another kiosk then there will be no end and the road in the poshest area of the city will be choked.''The minister's eyes bulged out a bit in anger on hearing this,''Eh dekhna tuhada kamm ae.Pehlan 2 kyon laggan dite?Eh vichara garib kitthe jave?''Commissioner was very cautious as he had got posting as commissioner after remaining parked in a very unimportant department as a special secretary at Chandigarh for more than a year. ''Sir, meri submission ae ai ji Telu Ram ji kitte hor jagah dekh lain, nahi ttan assin case haar jawange''.He suddenly remembered something and going near the minister he whispered in his ears,which was otherwise audible,''Sir the Pagri rate near the site is rupees 3 crores,the genuine shopkeepers around the area have already threatened to launch agitation if more kiosks are installed there.''''ki farak painda ae,main dekh lawanga je agitation karange,'' minister said and looked towards the ceiling and with small gestures of the hands pretending to be annoyed, he added,''Sawere main Bus stand walon aaya see, saara rasta khokhyan naal bharya hoya ae gandgi de dher lagge ne,mainu samajh nahi aandi ke ik garib da khokha laggan naal ki farak pai jaega.''
Commissioner tried to say that he would look into the matter, burt minister was not listening and started small whispers with Telu Ram.Not knowing what to say or what to do Commissioner said ,'' I will report back sir.''He sought permission to leave and then left without waiting for minister's nod.After 2 months i passed by that area and saw that Telu Ram had not yet set up his kiosk there.To commissioner's good luck ,the area was badly marooned because of the unprecedented rains and washing away of embankments of nearby canal,so he got riddance of this puzzle for two more months.After 5 months Telu Ram came to commissioner's office and while he was sitting in his office,minister rang up the commissioner,''Mainu pata lagga ae Majitha road te 200 khokhe lagg gaye ne,par mainu samajh nahi aandi Telu Ram lai khokhe e mukk gaye.''Saying this the minister banged the phone.Commissioner was visibly perturbed.I forgot about this khokha event for about a year.Presently that neat and clean area is full of kiosks ,Telu Ram having the biggest chunk.
Surinderjit singh sandhu, Amritsar
RTI

Providing third party information without a notice

The appellant sought certified copies of TA claims, Professional Development Allowance (PDA) etc. filed by certain officials. The respondents stated that on points 1 to 4, 51 pages and on points 5 to 6, 88 pages of information had been provided to the appellant free of cost. The Commission observed that the PIO had provided voluminous information free of cost to the appellant including copies of TA/DA bills pertaining to third party. The Commission cautioned the PIO to be careful in future and not to divulge information to RTI applicants without invoking the provisions of Section 11(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.
Comments
There is a protection provided in the RTI Act to the PIO for the action done in good faith. Whenever a PIO intends to disclose any information which relates to or has been supplied by a third party and has been treated as confidential by that third party, the PIO is expected to give a written notice to such third party of the request and of the fact that the PIO intends to disclose the information. The third party should be invited to make a submission regarding whether the information should be disclosed and such submission of the third party should be kept in view while taking a decision about disclosure of information.
Citation: Shri Sarbjit Singh v. Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology (SLIET) in Case No. CIC/SLIET/A/2017/186226/MP, Date of Decision: 29th September, 2017.
Dr. Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is the co-author of the books: RIGHT TO INFORMATION – LAW AND PRACTICE and PIO’s guide to RTI. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/
Saturday, 30 September 2017
Forum

Debate: Congress — 30 Sep 2017

DEBATE (1) Congress
If the Congress wishes to win 2019 elections with thumping majority, it should project Dr Man Mohan Singh as Prime Ministerial Candidate, miracles will happen.
Harish Kumar