Pro -India Ex-President Nasheed's arrest in Maldives was scripted by China?

Nasheed was anti-China which was rattled by pro-India development in SriLanka.

President Nasheed allowed India to establish radar facilities across the country. 

It was a strategic victory for India,though ephemeral.

The present President of Maldives (Pro-China and Pakistan) is on visit to Pakistan to bolster ties.

Modi is scheduled to visit the archipelago in March 2015.

The World is awaiting India's retaliatory action.Its prestige is at stake ,particularly in the south-east Asia.

Some argue ,India should annex Maldives as a State of Union of India to thwart Chinese hegemony.

Will Modi take it lying down ?

The cutting edge of judicial system for aam aadmi in India, is the lowest judge in the judicial hierarchy. 

Can judges make it a practice to visit subordinate courts to see how frequent adjournments are given on flimsy grounds and how justice delivery system functions. Litigants' faith has been badly shaken in indian judiciary.

Should not the Hon'ble Supreme court ask judges of higher courts to regularly watch the proceedings in lower courts through surprise checks?

This will help the litigants. Let the practice be replicated in all courts across the country.

The indian Railways provide six privilege passes annually to each officer and four passes to lower workers, along with concessional travel, allowing them a free ride.

Cost to  public exchequer is : Rs 2,000 crores per annum.

LTC is a separate facility.

Can the country afford this iniquity ?

Is this discrimination legally tenable ?

Modi was to visit the Maldives in March 2015.

Will he restore normalcy before his visit or cancel it The world is watching India's reaction.

Maldives's ex-President Nasheed, a former human rights campaigner was Maldive's first democratically elected leader.

The incumbent President Abdullah Yameen arrested his defence minister, accusing him of plotting a coup besides sacking the chief justice.

The Islamic State has opened a recruiting centre in the Maldivian archipelago.

India must intervene militarily for the sake of democracy and peace in the region.

The non-interventionist approach of Manmohan Singh created all problems.

The following questions merit clarifications :--

(a) Why was Goswami not proceeded against for grave misconduct under law of the land ?

(b) Why was he not sacked through premature termination of contract of extension ,instead of being asked to resign ?

(c)Why was he given a dignified exit by present dispensation despite dubious credentials ?

(d) As a UPA-II appointee by the de facto PM ( Sonia Gandhi), he is reportedto have misused official position by influencing appointments at key positions in collusion with top MHA officers.

(e) Is there no Rule of Law for treating officers by same yardsticks ?

(f) Why did Modi ji turn a blind eye to all these goings on without batting an eye lid ? He is known by his disciplined and straightforward approach towards bureaucracy.

It is absurd to brush off the offence as arising out of the theory of IAS-IPS rivalry.This has sent wrong signals to one and all.

Dr Suresh Mehrotra’s  (Editor -in-Chief,  WIC )silence on Saradha scam,is baffling.

Former union Home Secretary Anil Goswami’s influencing  CBI investigation and arrest of  Matang Sinh in connection with Saradha scam, was a grave misconduct. 

The following questions merit clarifications :--

(a) Why was Goswami not proceeded against for grave misconduct under law of the land ?

(b) Why was he not sacked through premature termination of  contract of extension ,instead of being  asked to  resign ?

(c) Why was he given a dignified exit by present dispensation despite dubious credentials ?

(d) As a UPA-II appointee by the de facto PM ( Sonia Gandhi), he is reportedto have  misused official position by influencing appointments at key positions in collusion with top MHA officers.

(e) Is there no Rule of Law for treating officers by same yardsticks ?

(f) Why did Modi ji turn a blind eye to  all these goings on without batting an eye lid ? He is known by his disciplined and straightforward approach towards bureaucracy.

It is absurd to brush  off the offence  as arising out of  IAS-IPS rivalry.This has sent wrong signals to one and all.

Kiran Bedi has a strong propensity to hog the limelight by virtue of her straight forward approach.This angered her bosses and peers,while in service.

The subordinates were scared of her style of functioning – upright , abrasive, no-nonsense and corruption-free. If, she is not  in controversy, controversy will chases her. She was not promoted as Delhi's Police Commissioner by previous dispensation due to her non-pliability and boldness to refuse illegal orders from the poltical class. Such IPS officers are rare to find. Though a novice to politics, she has the potential to be Delhi’s CM. Endowed with  administrative acumen,she is capable of  disciplining Delhi Police, Delhi’s bureaucracy and the corrupt officers, staff  and engineers of  municipal bodies.Let Delhi not miss the opportunity.

A K Saxena (A retd civil servant)

BEAT CONSTABLES are the most corrupt creatures in Police hierarchy. 

Consider National capital.

In a scuffle between two vendors ,the beat cop took 2000 rupees from each for reconciliation.

They were threatened with lock-up for failing to pay bribes.

The beat constables and PCR vans regularly extort haftas from vendors.

The Municipal Corporation engineers controlled by BJP and Delhi Police controlled by MHA ,take protection money from encroachers on public land.

Complaints fall on deaf ears.

Who will be a better choice for NCT Delhi, Delhi Police,NDMC and MCD ?

Kiran Bedi, Kejriwal or Kiran Walia ?

I am a BEDI fan

What are your preferences ?

Compare it with the final outcome on Feb 10,2015.

Several police stations in Delhi boast of ISO-9001  certifications. The claims are out of sync with ground realities.  There is nothing on record to substantiate their claims to fame.Reason: The stake holder ie the public is deliberately kept out of loop by the government-recognised  private rating agencies. This is a serious flaw in the appraisal system. The lower cadres in the police apparatus are reluctant to register FIRs despite Hon’ble Supreme court’s directions. The  investigating officers (IO), encourage mutual settlements between disputing parties to extort quick bucks in the bargain and  suppress crime statistics . Senior officers are helpless .Beat constables are busy extorting haftas from private persons as protection money for wrongdoings.

This epitomizes the position all over the country.The political class remains unconcerned and unfazed.

A police constable  in UP before committing suicide in Nov,2014, informed his father that he was forced to do Begaar (non-professional) duties  at the residence of a DIG and was depressed.This epitomizes the position across India. Police officers’ blatant misuse of  group D staff  as general factotum for performing menial jobs at private residences,is well known. These include : dish-washing , floor mopping , pets- walking, escorting , gardening, cloth-washing, cooking , tea-serving , shoe- polishing , vegetables purchasing etc. The staff  work illegally as domestic servants  for 14 to 15 hours a day-- all at tax payers’ cost. One can see scores of  security guards  living in tents pitched outside police officers’ residences. Discontentment is simmering in lower cadres. They resent malpractice of running personal errands for  their seniors. There is no option.Refusal to follow seniors’ diktats is taken as  “insubordination”, threats of transfers, suspensions, non-sanctioning  of leaves besides spoiling the ambience.One can see hordes of  security guards  living in tents pitched outside officers’ residences. Orders issued and reiterated by MHA do not serve any purpose in absence of supervision  by seniors who have vested interests. Seniors are indebted to their juniors.Cascading effect of corruption emboldens beat constables/PCR vans to extort haftas/bribes as protection money for wrongdoings.Police is a State subject. State govts. must take initiatives to control corruption in States’ police forces.MHA must act in respect of all CPOs and Delhi Police.

As a post-independence born, I used to read about India being labelled as a "under-developed country".

In my youth, it acquired the sobrequet " Less-developed country" .

This was very humiliating till India moved up the latter to become a "Developing country".

I have since retired but India is still " developing".

When ,will it become a "developed" country?

We are assured India will be a " super power" by 2020.

Will it skip the "developed" country status?

Double promotion.

Pakistan is reportedly planning to ban 10 terror outfits, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Haqqani network.

What are implications on India ?

Will Pakistan hand over Hafiz Sayeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, and Mullah Fazlullah to India?

And, what about the most dreaded Dawood Ibrahim -- The most suitable boy of ISI?

A paradigm shift in Pak's security policy or just an eyewash ?

200 Pak-trained terrorists are already waiting to infiltrate into India.

Can India take Pak at face value ?

iS ANOTHER TERROR ATTACK ON iNDIA IN THE OFFING ?

Modi sarkar merits appreciation  for its initiative  in disciplining the police and para-military forces. MHA's directive ( as Cadre  controlling authority) to IPS officers had been long over due. Senior police officers misuse the junior staff including security uards as general factotum to forcibly perform  menial jobs at seniors' homes like : gardening, cloth-washing, cooking food, serving tea, shoe- polishing ,buying vegetables,doubling as servants etc.Senior officers have to merely give oral orders to the  HOs for bigger favours, leading to domino effect of corruption.This explains why IPS officers were reluctant in UPA regime to submit property returns to their cadres.The anti-corruption  agencies were in hibernation. The subordinates resent the practice  of running personal errands for seniors. But, they have no option.Refusal to follow seniors' diktats means "insubordination" followed by transfers, suspensions and arm twisting.The menace is alarming in para-militar y forces. One can see dozens of  constables living in tents pitched outside officers' residences getting free cooked food but without  productive functions.It would be appreciated if Modi sarkar puts in place a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of  of MHA's orders on removal of

orderlies and escort staff.

Modi sarkar merits appreciation  for its initiative  in disciplining the police and para-military forces. MHA's directive ( as Cadre  controlling authority) to IPS officers had been long over due. Senior police officers misuse the junior staff including security uards as general factotum to forcibly perform  menial jobs at seniors' homes like : gardening, cloth-washing, cooking food, serving tea, shoe- polishing ,buying vegetables,doubling as servants etc.Senior officers have to merely give oral orders to the  HOs for bigger favours, leading to domino effect of corruption.This explains why IPS officers were reluctant in UPA regime to submit property returns to their cadres.The anti-corruption  agencies were in hibernation. The subordinates resent the practice  of running personal errands for seniors. But, they have no option.Refusal to follow seniors' diktats means "insubordination" followed by transfers, suspensions and arm twisting.The menace is alarming in para-militar y forces. One can see dozens of  constables living in tents pitched outside officers' residences getting free cooked food but without  productive functions.It would be appreciated if Modi sarkar puts in place a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of  of MHA's orders on removal of

orderlies and escort staff.

Setting up of Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is the landmark achievement of Modi ji. The Constitution  empowers the President to appoint judges in higher judiciary  in consultation with CJI and  other judges of the Supreme court and High Courts. The existing collegium system ( not a creature of the Constitution) created  through SC's judgements, is mired in controversies due to  appointment of several "inappropriate" judges in higher judiciary. JAC is the remedy to overcome the deficiencies of Collegium system.Headed by

CJI with  two senior-most judges of Supreme Court, Union Law Minister, two eminent persons  nominated jointly by PM, CJI and LOP ( Lok Sabha) and another from SC/ST/OBC or woman category as members , the JAC  will ensure collective participation of Judiciary, the Executive and legal luminaries besides infusing   greater transparency, accountability and objectivity into selection process. The JAC Bill, passed by the Parliament in August 2014, is to be ratified by at least half the State legislatures before it gets the Constitutional status.As many as 15 States' legislatures have reportedly ratified the Bill. Formalities over, the Rajya Sabha will soon recommend the Bill to the President for enactment. Another  point. Selections by JAC,will, no doubt, be largely  insulated from subjectivity and extraneous influences, there is a lobby opposing its formation,terming the same as   being "Unconstitutional.Though,the SC had rejected the PILs ( filed by the lobby )due to absence of concrete cause of action,there is every possibility of someone again approaching  the highest court  for seeking cancellation of Gazette notification or praying for a stay on its operation.This will have to be defended stoutly and legally by the Modi sarkar.

Prof Upendra Buxi : "Enacting National Judicial Appointments Commission',without consulting the Supreme court of India, would be unconstitutional".

Does the Professor refer to " Unanimous opinion" or just " Majority opinion" of SC ?

Both are elusive propositions,anyway.

Erudition and Unanimity are invariably poles apart.

Is Prof''s suggestion an attempt at maintaining the status quo of Collegium approach?

What is unconstitutional in the proposed dispensation?

Several legal luminaries support creation of National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)on ground of transparency and as part of Good governance The NJAC will have the Chief Justice of India (CJI) as chairperson and two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court as members, apart from the Union Law Minister and two eminent personalities, of which one of them would be nominated from among the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, minorities, Other Backward Classes or women.

Ratifications from 15 States have been received. It has to be ratified by at least half the State legislatures before the Bill, passed by the Parliament in 2014, got the Constitutional status

Mani Shankar Aiyer, sidelined by the Congress, tries to hog the limelight through his outlandish off-the-cuff remarks justifying terror attacks in France as a backlash of US attacks on jehadis in Af-Pak and Iraq. No wonder, he would by same logic, justify 9/11 terror attack on US and 26/11 on Mumbai.

If Quereshi of BSP ( Meerut) can be booked for announcing a reward of Rs 51crores to French terrorists, why not Iyer for similar offence ?

Why should one assuage the religeous bigots?

In one case, a union Cabinet Secretary went to the extent of spreading a rumour of a junior officer( holding a high profile job) being terminally ill.

The motive was to get him transferred. His fault: Unpliable. The move failed.

The same Cabinet Secretary sent a concealed threat to me through same officer while I was serving as Secretary (PESB) in the Nineties of the last millenium. He pressured me to do a job,that was invalid.

The retired Cabinet Secretary is now lecturing on importance of Ethics and Probilty in public life.

What an irony ?

(Names concealed for obvious reasons)

Hypothetically, if , the on-going proxy war between India and Pakistan, turns into a full-scale war, with China- backed Pakistan, what will be the outcome ?

Will Russia join the fray from indian side ?

What will be US's stand ? And,of course that of NATO powers ?

Whose sides,will countries like Bangla Desh, Myanmar, South Korea, Sri-Lanka, the Maldives, take ?

I am often haunted by these imaginary questions.

And, who knows,this could be a reality,in case, there is another terror attack by Pakistan ?

Both are nuclear weapons states.

Prof. N C Saxena's views on "Why are Indian diplomats ineffectual'( Jan5,2015) are thought provoking.His views are,however, IFS specific. Let us consider all civil  services, across the board.Compare the vintage civil services : the ICS and Indian Police with their distant cousins ,the present civil service.  All old-time bureaucrats  privately agree that there has been a gradual decline in quality of civil services ,over the  decades leading to poor governance .Whom to blame?  UPSC and DOP&T. Change in UPSC format is necessary. Laidback bureaucracy will fail to tap India's demographic dividend phase ( 2020- 2045) .One suggestion. As in the past, appearing in interviews after CS (Mains)mustbe made compulsory with  minimum cut-off prescribed for qualifying.The argument that  this will adversely impact candidates from  rural sector ,is fallacious  and misleading.Interviews can be taken in any  scheduled Indian language. Having served in UPSC, I recall cases when  some candidates got high ranks in  final merit order lists despite their abysmally low performance in interviews.How could India boast of an assertive and unpliable  bureaucracy   in 21st   century with poor oral communication skill ? Weightage for interviews must be raised.

May I urge the Prime Minister to consider the suggestion ?

Manmohan Singh's performance resulted in Congress' s disgraceful defeats in State Assembly polls was considered below average. Analyze the reasons :--

(a) Manmohan Singh, the unelected PM, failed to lead the political and permanent Executive from the front. Unconnected with the masses and usually

reticent, he never engaged with the grassroots. Bureaucracy always looks forward to an assertive CEO, which he was not.

(b) Dual centres of power. Sonia Gandhi retained charge of politics while leaving governance to Manmohan Singh

(c) As ministers owe allegiance to Sonia Gandhi and their parties Supremo, the PM is divested of all authority. The PMO is ruled by the Congress High Command). A "bureaucratic caucus " in the PMO transforms all Congress s orders into Cabinet decisions.

(d) Backseat driving by extra-Constitutional authorities subverted legitimate, competent authorities in central government. All top appointments were made ,on quid pro quo basis, on the recommendations of business houses , builders mafia.

Mediocrity was encouraged at the cost of Merit. Honest civil servants  were either marginalized or punished.

(e) The PM embroiled in scams, had lost moral authority to question his

ministers who had direct access to the " high command".

(f) The Congress had been  a past master in making compromises with UPA allies in the name of electoral adjustments in exchange of protection from its caged parrot.

(g) Supremely  arrogant, insensitivity and incapability.  The Congress and its economist PM failed to check inflation . That led to Congress s defeat in assemblies polls.

WIC's report (Dec 22,2014)on  Sushma Swaraj's surprise at noticing large number of  Addl /Joint secretaries in MEA,is revealing.Nothing unusual.The monopoly is enjoyed by  cadre controlling authorities of other central and All India  services. Their sole objective  is to increase the number of posts at higher echelons by making proportionate reductions at lower echelons to meet the euphemistic financial requirement of  achieving " matching savings". Worse, with provision of " chopping off the dead ood",lying unused since independence and race for one-up-manship among organised Services for accelerated career progressions,the bureaucracy has became top heavy, lethargic,under-utilised and pliant, inspired by "Mai- baap culture".The villain is MOF- its Cadre-review division and the financial advisors having "open mindsets", falling in line under ministerial pressures.Prominent Services that have unduly benefitted from cadre reviews include : IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS (Custom, IT),Railway services ,Postal,Economic , Statistical services etc. Creation of additional posts with high sounding designations,instead of improving the service delivery mechanism, has merely demoralized the subordinate services.

Delhi University's ( Chemistry deptt)'s  negligence in 2010 involving sale of Gamma irradiator  containing radioactive Cobalt-60 to  run-of-the-mill junk dealers on highest bidder basis,  prompted the Congress- led UPA  to frame guidelines in 2011. But, ironically, no system was put in place to ensure that guidelines are  followed in letter and spirit . The  punitive steps to be taken against defaulters, were also not thought of. Public safety,as a shared responsibility,was ignored.

To know  ground realities, Modi sarkar should  re-visit UPA's  e -waste management policy to promote public safety by overcoming  the following deficiencies  :--

(a)  Govt deptts / autonomous bodies/ electronic industries  and the common Indian households are still   approaching the  illiterate ,untrained and callous  junk dealers   for disposal of hazardous e - wastes (ICs/computer hardware /mobile phones , icro-ovens etc. The scrap contains carcinogenic and radioactive  components/ chemicals;

(b) Due to absence of  status check mechanism , no one knows,in how many cases, penalties  have been  imposed for non-compliance of safety guidelines?

(c) There is no method  to know  whether electronic industries,both in private and public sectors, have any e-waste management plan for conducting target and accountability checks?

(d ) Has the DOE  conducted  impact assessment studies and safety audits of its policy ? If so,with what results ?

Delhi Universaties ( Chemistry deptt)'s  negligence in 2010 involving sale

of Gamma irradiator  containing radioactive Cobalt-60 to  run-of-the-mill

junk dealers on highest bidder basis,  prompted the Congress- led UPA  to

frame guidelines in 2011. But, ironically, no system was put in place to

ensure that guidelines are  followed in letter and spirit . The  punitive

steps to be taken against defaulters, were also not thought of. Public

safety,as a shared responsibility,was ignored.

To know  ground realities, Modi sarkar should  re-visit  the  UPA's  e

-waste management policy to promote public safety by overcoming  the

following  deficiencies  :-- (a)  Govt deptts / autonomous bodies/

electronic industries  and the   common Indian households are still

approaching the  illiterate ,untrained and callous  junk dealers   for

disposal of hazardous e - wastes ( (ICs/computer hardware /mobile phones ,

micro-ovens etc. The scrap contains carcinogenic and radioactive

components/ chemicals; (b) Due to absence of  status check mechanism , no

one knows,in how many cases, penalties  have been  imposed for

non-compliance of safety guidelines? (c) There is no method  to know

whether electronic industries,both in private and public sectors, have any

e-waste management plan for conducting target and accountability checks? (d

) Has the DOE  conducted  impact assessment studies and safety audits of its

policy ? If so,with what results ?

Modi's decision to scrap the Planning Commission ( PC) is a welcome step.

Set up in 1950 by a GOI's resolution, the PC had lost its relevance and

utility. It was a drain on non-Plan expenditure. No wonder, the commission

was permitted by MOF to renovate the  washroom of Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia,

its Dy Chairman in Yojana Bhavan costing  Rs 35 lakhs (non-Plan). Later,

under Media pressure,it was thrown open to public.The Congress-led UPA

misused the Commission   to rehabilitate its favourites as Members ,enjoying

status and privileges of MOSs.The quality of deliberations in PC leading to

allocation of Plan  resources, had become  lacklustre, arbitrary and

irresponsible. Decisions were taken on personal and political

considerations.Discussions were a charade and merit became the

casualty.Sheer waste of manpower. Empowering States with more say in Plan

allocation,will strengthen country's  co-operative federalism.

The PMO should  now spell out the  format, Vision and Mission statements of

the replacement  body .

The touts, moneybags, fixers, builders mafia -call them what you will-- are

back in action for facilitating  Board level appointments in public sector

units, both industrial and banking. Country's Maharatnas/nav-Ratnas and

mini-Ratnas  are available for auction to highest bidders. The Coal, Steel,

Oil  and Power sectors are the worst affected. Merit is the obvious

casualty. And,the fixers don't serve gratis.It is on Quid Pro Quo basis.

Now ,there is no Congress Hq,nor an effete PMO of Manmohan Singh's vintage.

Modi ji is trusted as a No-nonsense man and so is the present PMO.

Then, where do orders for manipulating/ touting  appointments to the

inefficient and tainted officers ,come from ?

Who is pulling the srings ?

Things are not hunky dory,elsewhere,too.

Candidates are shortlisted for interviews on considerations other merit.

Let Modi ji instruct  the new Director,CBI (Anil Sinha) to keep all crucial

officers under its radar.

It is not possible to give proofs as the deals are clandestine.Let the CBI

identify the touts and government officers by sending decoys, conducting

raids, search and seizures operations.

A farfetched  question  to form an authoritative opinion on PM's choice in

2024 . Arun Jaitley's  exclusion seems justified as he never won any

elections. A similar debate on : "After, Nehru,who", was initiated by  Nehru

loyalists  to push Indira Gandhi's candidature as next PM after 1962

debacle.But, Lal Bahadur Shastri emerged out of the blue as the ultimate

choice.Perhaps, none out of 13 probables could be in the shortlist for PM's

post  in 2024. Even, BJP's chief Amit Shah, a Modi's favourite, seems out of

question. Modi belongs to a different class. Even, Obama  praised him for

shaking India's bureaucratic inertia. If things go well, Modi could gear up

the country to face challenges in 2024. Considerations of religions,

castes,regions would become irrelevant. Due to paradigm shift in ethical

values and moral standards , the benchmark  criteria for leadership could be

far stricter.

Against this background, it would be unfair, unjust and too pre-mature  to

hazard  a  guess about  the PM's choice in 2024 .

There are  strong indications  that  GOI is planning to reduce  retirement

age from 60 to 58 years. This will   result in  :- (a)attracting

technically savvy, multi-skilled  professionals into public services; (b)

reducing  unemployment; (c) having a smarter  bureaucracy; (d)reducing

fiscal deficit ; (e) reducing  non-Plan expenditure through job outsourcing

and have fixed salary contractual appointments instead of creating permanent

liability and ,most importantly, (f)  in tackling  challenges of the

demographic dividend phase, which India is entering now, while China is

exiting.Even the western world is ageing.

 In order to meet the burden of  pensionary liability , GOI should mobilize

funds by speeding up   tax recoveries, repatriate  black money from  tax

havens  abroad as well as from  within  the country by  carrying out income

tax raids  on realtors , Estate agents, big business  houses  etc .

SAARC has  eight members : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the

Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan's  lobbying for upgrading the status of China (and South Korea) at

the SAARC must be stymied. This will make the organisation multi-polar ,

starting a cold war within.

SAARC should serve as  an anti-dote against China's growing hegemony in the

region.

This must be thwarted by India with co-operation of other members.

China is not a part of south-Asia.

It should be happy with its "observer" status.

There is no stage between "observer" and "membership". The question of

upgradation should not arise.

Why China is obstructing India's entry into UNSC as a permanent member ?

India's bilateral relations with Russia will never be as warm  as they once were.

After Crimean crisis, Russia got isolated and is now gravitating towards China for diplomatic support.

But, will  Russia  ever trust China  bypassing India and other  SAARC countries?

Sino-Russia disputes led to  serious border  clashes  in the not too distant past till some agreement was reached in 2004.

But, China's expansionist policy and growing nationalism within , will never let it live in peace.

China is uncomfortable with India's growing proximity towards the US and

their joint  naval exercises.

India must counter China's "string of pearls" threat by strengthening its

ties with SAARC countries.China's induction will be a permanent headache for

India.

Venkaiah Naidu, the UD  minister as per media reports ( ET, Nov 11,2014)  is

busy lecturing his officers to bring about  attitudinal changes. Focus is on

stereotypes: Punctuality, discipline, dedication, righteousness, initiative

,innovation, team spirit, domain knowledge, speedy decision making ,

delegation of responsibilities, transparency, accountability, work

environment etc.  DOP&T andAdm. Reforms  headed by PM has already issued

guidelines  on these aspects.Modi ji is stressing their importance from time

to time. His 19 points charter of Dos and Donts has also been included  in

the Conduct Rules. All ministers must now translate Modi's plan into action.

Babus need exhortations, not lectures. UD Minister is urged to focus on

priorities like: Corruption in  CPWD, DDA, L&DO,Dte of Estates , their poor

service delivery mechanism , unauthorized colonies, rampant encroachments

etc.

Public disenchantment with the ruling dispensation is complete. It is entitled to seek change in bureaucratic attitude and response mechanism to public grievances. Moily Committee report on administrative reforms ignored ground realities. High sounding jargon is meaningless. The UPSC has introduced a paper on ‘Ethics’ in civil services exam. Is this enough to change people’s mindsets and produce the likes of ‘ Ashok Khemkas’, Durga Shakti Nagpals’ etc ? Feet touching is not prohibited under “Conduct Rules”. Will the next central Government take the call and declare the medieval practice as “Misconduct”.

Indian bureaucracy serves as a lapdog to the political class. Feet touching and prostrating before political deities reflects the medieval mindset of politicians. This is rampant in the States  that helps in forging the unholy alliance between politicians and bureaucrats.Those who do not fall in line, fall out of favour. This self-degrading practice is a form of corruption that got maximum fillip during UPA’s rule. As a result of this, the bureaucracy has been under political lockdown? 

Feet touching and prostrating before political masters, are not prohibited under “Conduct Rules”. It is high time, the issue is addressed by DOP&T&AR by enlarging the list of misconducts that are considered unbecoming of government bureaucrats, compromising  their amour pro pre.

Similarly,  holding  “ darbars “ by Prime Minister, ministers and extra-Constitutional  authorities  at  official bungalows, is reminiscent  of medieval practice .Far from redressing grievances, it is a political fraud.  Kejriwal also tried to hold darbar , but made a hasty retreat  after  the stampede.

Archana Ramasundaram (IPS-TN-76) is restrained from discharging duties as Additional Director in CBI as she neither informed  nor took  permission of the State government before joining the investigative agency. She now stands suspended for this mis-conduct.The GOI decided her appointment unilaterally in haste by  over-ruling the selection committee’s recommendations   and in  absence of  CVC’s clearance. What happened to PM’s exhortations on “Good governance” and  “Transparency “?

Why did the Cabinet Secretary (who is Secretary to the Appointments committee of the Cabinet) not advise the PM about the  embarrassment that the decision would cause to  GOI?

Was there political pressure from 10-Janpath to hurry up the appointment? The Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to PM have a lot to explain on this and several other scams.

Let the new Govt at the Centre apply its mind to this politicization of  CBI.

It is high time that the GOI cut its umbilical cord with the colonial past. Let the GOI Ministers no longer, be treated like Indian princes receiving fat privy purses (Read as salaries), a large number of freebies and a still larger complement of Personal Staff, to boot. Annual expenditure on Ministers’ personal staff runs into crores of rupees with no matching benefits. On the contrary, it facilitates corruption. Ghost man-power is ‘employed’ by ministers and salaries due to them pocketed. These are hard realities of the present political Executive of the Union of India and the federal states. Ministers heading economic and social sector ministries like Coal, Petroleum, and Heavy Industries, Banking, Finance, Commerce, Agriculture, HRD, Rural Development etc mis-use public utilities (including PSUs and PSBs) as personal fiefdoms utilizing their unlimited manpower, transport facilities etc. Their personal staff are deployed to facilitate misuse of powers. A minister who is confident enough to attend to official work, does not require any PS or PA. He /She is free to summon his ministerial officers for briefing or seeking clarification on any point. The fact that a large number of officers belonging to organized services vie for appointment as Private Secretaries to richly endowed ministers bear testimony to the lucrative business that it is! Honestly and seriously speaking, the requirement of a Minister in GOI can be met by engaging at the most three persons instead of the existing over ten. This includes a peon who should also be an Usher. The Prime Minister as the Cabinet Minister-in-charge of DOP&T must put a full stop to the existing practice of Ministers poaching ministries’ officers/ staff for deploying in personal section on informal basis, while pocketing the salaries earmarked for the regulars! This secret, I bet, may not be known to many Civil servants!

Provision of the pernicious "single-point-directive", that exempts senior bureaucrats of the rank of Joint Secretary and above from direct probe by CBI in corruption cases, without prior prosecution sanctions of GOI, must be revisited. The Apex court in 1997 had quashed the exemption clause incorporated in the executive resolution of 1964 that created the CVC. The GoI, however, decided to restore it with statutory force through incorporation in the CVC Act.

According to reply by DOP&T to a Parliament question, the GoI during the last four years, denied sanctions in respect of 15 officers of the level of JS and above, against whom the CBI had solid evidences of graft charges. Worse, 14 cases, filed by CBI had to be closed for want of prosecution sanctions.

 The law cannot inhibit probe against senior bureaucrats and public sector executives and cover merely junior officers and PSU executives. Restoration, based on discrimination, is bad in law.ItsConstitutional validity must be examined by the Law commission, legal luminaries in the light of principle of "Equality before law”. Need it be mentioned that the level of JS and above is the cutting edge level for policy decision making and the scope of corruption is high.

My visit to Urology deptt of RML hospital, Delhi revealed open misuse of discretionary powers by doctors. One doctor carries out perfunctory examination of patients and advises  several pathological tests . The technician of  a private diagnostic laboratory , sitting in the same chamber ,  collects the sample of blood  on the spot along with  photocopies of CGHS card and prescription. The cost of tests is calculated and a suitable cut  earmarked for doctor. Similar malpractices have been going on in other departments. 

The appointment of new Naval chief superseding the claim of a senior, could have been averted by leaving the decision to incoming govt.

May it be known that there is no written promotion policy for officers in indian army. Several amendments to a (non-existing) promotion policy, have been inserted by successive service chiefs to retain undesirable control and subjectivity. Now, an attempt is being made by the political masters to announce the successor to Gen Bikram Singh the present army chief,who is reportedly related to PM.

EC must step in due to on-going elections.

Also, the PRESIDENT OF INDIA  as India's Commander-in-chief  , without whose approval ,no senior appointments could be made, must intervene to keep the morale of the Armed forces intact.  

After Gandhi ji's killing on Jan 30,1948 by a fanatic, people wanted to name roads, memorials after him.However, Jawaharlal Nehru, deploring the mania to name so many things after Gandhi added  that…"It would not contribute either to conveniences or to the glory of the father of the nation. Only confusion will result as well as a certain drab uniformity. Most of us will then live in Gandhi roads in Gandhinagars or Gandhigrams"

 Little did Nehru know  that after his death, there would be memorials in India  named after him ,his daughter and grandsons. What a way to perpetuate Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Indira Gandhi took no time to change her surname to "Gandhi" to identify with the father of the nation. Feroze's original surname was “Gandhe” and he was not related to Mahatma Gandhi.

I am totally disenchanted with the frenzy of the Congresswallahs to name 450 stadia, airports,hospitals,roads, bridges, flagship schemes, memorials named after the dynasty.

This  deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

Sudhir Krishna Secretary union Min of Urban Dev needs to learn Tamil as P Chidambaram is not impressed by former's communication skill in english. At a meeting, the finance minister asked him to speak in hindi (the official language of the union of India) that could be translated into english . This left the Secretary justifiably miffed by the high drama. Krishna’s protest to Cab Secy and Kamal Nath may not help due to high stature of Thiru Chidambaram Be that as it may, such ministerial shenanigans are on the increase, of late.

What has happened to the steel frame of bureaucracy?

Why are Cabinet Secretary and Pulok Chatterjee,Pr Secy to PM,sorry, super PM at 10 Janpath, reticent about this

Irked over suspensions of civil servants like Durga Shakti Nagpal, Ashok Khemka etc, the service associations of   IAS, IPS and IFoS have demanded changes in rules to check misuse/ abuse of power by state governments. Powers of Suspension of government officers lies with GOI as appointing authority. Transfer of officers regardless of merit, is not a punishment under disciplinary rules. Demands have been stoutly opposed by State govts. Constitution of Civil services boards (headed by Chief Secretaries )  in the States ,is not the solution.Chief Secretaries owe allegiance to Chief Ministers or the parties in power.

Milkha Singh’s fulmination that Late Dhyan Chand  deserved Bharat Ratna before Sachin Tendulkar, should not be brushed aside in the light of the following.

Sachin Tendulkar,no doubt, is a national icon.  He  received several honours  in the past like :  Arjuna Award( 1994); Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award (1997); Padma Shri (1999); Padma Vibhushan (2008).

He was the first sportsperson without aviation background to  have been  conferred the honorary rank of Group Captain in 2011.  Tendulkar was nominated  by the Congress as Member, Rajya Sabha in 2013.

Against this background, Sachin Tendulkar   posing for BMW 18 Hybrid car at the Auto Expo 2014 held in Feb 2014, was  astonishing. He has been regularly endorsing commercial products even after conferment of Bharat Ratna and getting paid for it.

 Is this not an affront to the highest civilian award of India?

Will Ministry of  Home Affairs  issue appropriate guidelines to  the awardees  to stop  the misuse ?

Manmohan Singh’s performance resulting in Congress’s disgraceful defeats in States assemblies’ polls, is considered below average. Analyse the reasons :--

(a) Manmohan Singh, the unelected PM, failed to lead the political and permanent Executive from the front. Unconnected with the masses and usually reticent, he never engaged with the grassroots. Bureaucracy looks forward to an assertive CEO,which he is not.

(b) Dual centres of power. Sonia Gandhi retained charge of politics while leaving governance to Manmohan Singh 

(c) As ministers owe allegiance to Sonia Gandhi and their parties’ supremo , the PM is divested of all authority. The PMO is ruled by the Congress  High Command). A “bureaucratic caucus ” in the PMO transforms all Congress’s orders into Cabinet decisions.  

(d) Backseat driving by extra-Constitutional authorities subverted legitimate, competent authorities in central government. All top appointments are made ,on quid pro quo basis, on recommendations  of  business houses , builders mafia. Mediocrity is encouraged at the cost of Merit. Honest civil servants are either marginalized or punished.

(e)The PM  embroiled  in scams , has lost moral authority to question his  ministers who have direct access to ” high command”.

(f)The Congress is a Past master in making compromises with  UPA allies in the name  of electoral adjustments in exchange of  protection from its  caged parrot. 

(g) Supreme arrogance, insensitivity and incapability of the Congress and its economist PM to check inflation also contributed to Congress’s defeat in assmblies’ polls.  

Archana Ramasundaram (IPS-TN-76) is restrained from discharging duties as Additional Director in CBI as she neither informed  nor took  permission of the State government before joining the investigative agency. She now stands suspended for this mis-conduct.The GOI decided her appointment unilaterally in haste by  over-ruling the selection committee’s recommendations   and in  absence of  CVC’s clearance. What happened to PM’s exhortations on “Good governance” and  “Transparency “? 

Why did the Cabinet Secretary (who is Secretary to the Appointments committee of the Cabinet) not advise the PM about the  embarrassment that the decision would cause to  GOI? 

Was there political pressure from 10-Janpath to hurry up the appointment? The Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary to PM have a lot to explain on this and several other scams.

Let the new Govt at the Centre apply its mind to this politicization of  CBI.

After Gandhi ji's killing on Jan 30,1948 by a fanatic, people wanted to name roads, memorials after him.However, Jawaharlal Nehru, deploring the mania to name so many things after Gandhi added  that…"It would not contribute either to conveniences or to the glory of the father of the nation. Only confusion will result as well as a certain drab uniformity. Most of us will then live in Gandhi roads in Gandhinagars or Gandhigrams"

Little did Nehru know  that after his death, there would be memorials in India  named after him ,his daughter and grandsons. What a way to perpetuate Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Indira Gandhi took no time to change her surname to "Gandhi" to identify with the father of the nation. Feroze's original surname was “Gandhe” and he was not related to Mahatma Gandhi.

I am totally disenchanted with the frenzy of the Congresswallahs to name 450 stadia, airports,hospitals,roads, bridges, flagship schemes, memorials named after the dynasty.

This  deserves a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

In case, Modi comes to power, will it impact India’s foreign policy. This question is being debated in diplomatic circles. Though, Modi never handled foreign affairs, his tough image will be a force –multiplier. He will not be an ignoramus on foreign policy front. The MEA’s mandarins will be consulted and will no longer be sidelined . 

Modi has declared that “ India cannot allow China to dominate in foreign policy matters”. Incursions by China will be dealt with sternly. Issues with Bangla Desh and Sri-Lanka will be resolved after consulting TMC and AIADMK keeping the national interests in view. Issues with Italy, will be dealt with firmly. No soft-pedalling with the USA. India’s image will get a boost in the comity of nations. India will have a new National Security Advisor.

Consultation ,not confrontation, will be the rule, rather than exception ,as at present.

Meira Kumar of the Indian National Congress ,is pitted against her niece from BSP in Saharsa , Bihar.

Is this a fratricidal strife or ideological conflicts, one wonders ?

The former grabbed a bungalow in Lutyene's Delhi in the name of Jagjiwan Ram memorial .The GOI ( Read as Congress) wrote off several crores as damages for unaurhorised occupation since Jagjiwan Ram's demise.

And,they call themselves dalits.

Go to UP, Bihar villages to see the actual plight of the dalits. 

This is an electoral fraud where the elite dalits,generations after generations, keep enjoying the benefits of reservations.

Indian bureaucracy serves as a lapdog to the political class. Feet touching and prostrating before political deities reflects the medieval mindset of politicians. This is rampant in the States  that helps in forging the unholy alliance between politicians and bureaucrats.Those who do not fall in line, fall out of favour. This self-degrading practice is a form of corruption that got maximum fillip during UPA’s rule. As a result , the bureaucracy has been under political lockdown?  

Feet touching and prostrating before political masters, are not prohibited under “Conduct Rules”. It is high time, the issue is addressed by DOP&T&AR by enlarging the list of misconducts that are considered unbecoming of government bureaucrats, compromising  their amour pro pre.

Similarly,  holding  “ darbars “ by Prime Minister, ministers and extra-Constitutional  authorities  at  official bungalows, is reminiscent  of medieval practice .Far from redressing grievances, it is a political fraud.  Kejriwal also tried to hold darbar , but made a hasty retreat  after  the stampede.

Why is Henderson Brooks report on Sino-Indian war of 1962still held de-classified?

It is shameful that we have to get the overview of it through a foreign journalist. 

For all I know, Nehru was trying for to grab Nobel Peace Prize, by hook or by crook. This hypocrisy held him back from army's modernisation plan.

He chose to portray himself as a non-violent ,peace-loving creature,at the cost of the country. 

Nehru appointed Gen B M Kaul, his close relative, as Chief of General Staff despite latter's total lack of field experience. Kaul ,all through, served in Service corps,never on the operations side. 

Kaul was expert in addressing Officers wife association during frequently held parties. This impressed Nehru. 

Immediately after Chinese attack, Kaul rushed to Delhi, never to go back .He sought refuge under Nehru's kinship.

All this is documented in contemporary newspapers of 1962. 

Nehru was keen to save himself of the ignominy and on Kaul's advice,he initiated the so-called " FORWARD POLICY" , without verifying the capability of the ill-equipped Indian army to push back China ,the aggressor. 

The 1962 debacle shattered Nehru and India' image in the comity of nations. 

Against this background, the Indian National Congress is now trying to restore the honour of Nehru-Gandh dynasty. 

R.S.V.P  in invitation cards , is a French phrase, "répondez, s'il vous plaît," that means "Please reply." The “invitor” wo¬uld like you to tell him/ her whether you will be coming or not? This helps him/her in assessing the food requirement.  

The westerners are more etiquette conscious than Indians. Do we ever convey our acceptance or otherwise? Not even on phone, let alone in writing. We trust hospitality. 

A meal in Delhi costs anything between 1000 to 2000 rupees per “plate”.  The baraat needs “food unlimited”. The number always remains a mystery till the end. Many ‘suited-booted “professional baratis, maintaining anonymity ,join as uninvited guests and enjoy the feast. Wasting food is sinful. 

The  ‘Puranik’prayer  “Atithi , Devo Bhava”  needs to  be replaced by the appeal : “ Atithi, Tum Kab Jaogey “.

Don’t pay 20,000 rupees to Kejriwal for a dinner. He will swallow Service tax and Service charges.