Some of the former and present Members of National Advisory Council ( “Jholawalas” in colloquial parlance ) have been running NGOs and pocketing government grants, year after year, without producing the requisite expenditure and receipt statements, Performance-cum-achievement reports and audited statements of expenditure.

Some prominent Members connected with NGOs, have been: Farah Naqvi is one of the founders of Nirantar (a Delhi-based NGO working on gender & education),  Deep Joshi---NGO guy, Mirai Chatterjee--director of SEWA, Ashis Mondal--NGO guy.

The "brilliant" scams-cum- schemes like MNREGA are NAC’s mastermind. The Council headed by Sonia Gandhi, as the extra-Constitutional  body, has been trying to emerge as an alternative  to the union Council of Ministers. It is the de facto PMO. All ministers owe allegiance to the Chairman NAC who enjoys the status and privileges of a Cabinet Minister with Z+ security to boot.
During the NDA regime, the PM House was all powerful,at least, more than the then PMO. Under the UPA regime,10 Janpath is more powerful than the PMO-PM House-24 Akbar Road combine.Worse,with zero accountability for the Congress supremo. There are layers of  shields comprising of Ministerial, Prime Ministerial,and the Congress "Chaatukars" to protect her. The so-called Steel frame of bureaucracy has failed ,and failed irreparably.

DURGA SHAKTI'S INITIATIVE THOUGH ADMINISTRATIVELY EXPEDIENT AND LEGALLY SUSTENABLE , WAS POLITICALLY INCORRECT. UNFORTUNATELY, SUSPENSION IS NOT TREATED AS A PENALTY UNDER CONDUCT RULES.

THE UP IAS OffICERS ASSOCIATION ,ONCE KNOWN FOR GRIT AND COURAGE FOR SAFEGUARDING ITS MEMBERS FROM POLITICAL AGGRESSION,HAS SUFFERED A GREAT SETBACK DUE TO ITS INACTION AGAINST CORRUPTION. IT IS SPINELESS.

EVEN THE UP CHIEF SECRETARY SHUDDERS TO BOLDLY ADVISE THE POLITICAL EXECUTIVE ABOUT INFIRMITIES IN POLITICAL DECISION MAKING.

DURGA'S SUSPENSION AND POSSIBLE TRANSFER IN THE NEAR FUTURE BY THE STUPID CM OF A MAFIA-RIDDEN STATE , SMACKS OF VENGEANCE. LET SOME SOCIAL ACTIVIST PETITION THE ALLAHABAD HIGH COURT.

Public  reprimanding of a lady IES officer (JS level) by the lady Secretary of Women &Child Development (WCD) ministry  forced a junior  to slash her wrists in office.This is  too serious a matter to  be brushed under the carpet. While some senior civil servants do not hesitate in prostrating  before their political masters ,they have the audacity to maltreat their subordinates by using foul language. Ironically, while the CCS(Conduct Rules) treat  ‘insubordination’ as a misconduct, an act unbecoming of a government servant,there is no punishment  prescribed for seniors’ misbehaving with  their juniors.The Cabinet Secy must  step in to protect the subordinates  against the autocratic  behaviour  of seniors.

THE DIRTY TRICKS DEPARTMENT OF THE CONGRESS IS ALLEGEDLY BEHIND THE VISA CONSPIRACY. RAJNATH SINGH'S NAIVETE IN SEEKING A VISA FOR MODI FROM US ADMN WAS COMPOUNDED BY A JOINT LETTER ALLEGEDLY SIGNED BY 65 MPs ON OFFICIAL LETTER HEAD. AS WAS EXPECTED, 29 OUT OF 65 MPs ARE REPORTED TO BE FROM THE CONGRESS,THE PRINCIPLE CONSPIRATOR.WORSE, 12 LETTERS ARE ALLEGEDLY FORGED.THE PARLIAMENT WILL WITNESS NOISY SCENES, PRIVILEGE MOTIONS AND WALK-OUTS. INDIA'S IMAGE HAS BEEN BADLY HIT IN THE PROCESS. WHY SHOULD HON'BLE MPs ADDRESS THEIR DOMESTIC POLITICAL AGENDA TO OBAMA? THE SILENCE OF ADVANI-SUSHMA-JASWANT-YASHWANT, IS BAFFLING. ARE THEY SORE WITH MODI’s GROWING POPULARITY? THE CONTROVERSY WILL BE SET AT REST ,ONCE THE VISA IS GRANTED BY THE USA,HOPEFULLY BEFORE THE MONSOON SESSION OF PARLIAMENT.

Food Security Bill cannot be sustainable as it will have adverse impact on fiscal deficit in coming years. The government of future will bear the brunt along with the tax payers. Hard times are ahead for all of us The programme aims at giving the nation's two-thirds population the right to highly subsidised rates of Rs 1-3 per kg. This would require 62 million tonnes of food grain for implemention costing the public exchequer Rs 1,25,000 crore annually.The programme cannot ensure nutrition and quality of food grains. Absence of adequate storage facilities in the country, will pose challenges to its successful implementation.

According to the NSSO 68th Round of survey , poorest of the poor in India survive on barely Rs.17 per day in villages and Rs.23 a day in cities.

Two years ago, the Planning Commission drew flak for setting the poverty line at Rs.26 per capita per day in rural areas and Rs.32 per capita per day in urban areas.

Seems to be true. Members of Parliament survive on a THALI in Parliament House costing Rs 10.The UPA-II ensures food security for MPs

Who cares for declining GDP and galloping inflation and record-breaking corruption ?Every thing is hunky dory.

The Chairperson and Members UPSC enjoy the status and privileges equivalent to that of Cabinet Secretary. The Chairperson is first among equals.Member UPSC A P Singh’s (IPS 74, Jharkhand) visit to union Home Secretary (IAS 75,Bihar ) was Constitutionally inappropriate. Raising suspicion was natural as he had served as  Director,CBI for two years  till relinquishment of  charge on Nov 30,2012. Prior to becoming Member UPSC in Feb 2013,Singh handled several high profile  sensitive cases.He must be often meeting the Home Secretary to take instructions  as  Director CBI. Old habits die hard.He ,surely, did not visit the Home Secretary for a chat or courtesy call.One wonders whether views on sensitive cases were shared between them. But, he did certainly compromise his position as Member UPSC. Ironically, both officers were selected by the UPSC. Are we to blame the Commission for selecting such brilliant officers? Ignorance of protocol cannot be an alibi for violating the oath of secrecy and upholding the dignity of UPSC.Having served in UPSC as Joint Secretary in early nineties,I have some knowledge of its internal functioning.I did not hear of any Chairperson and Members having visited any one except the President or the Prime Minister. I trust the same practice continues till date. I feel that calling on the Prime Minister should be considered inappropriate as he could influence the UPSC. In this context, I would share an actual episode narrated by a civil servant  in his autobiography.Sh R N Banerjee ICS who served as Chairperson UPSC from 1949 to 1955, was summoned by Pt Nehru for recommending a candidate for selection by interview into IAS. Banerjee’s outright refusal carried the desired message to the then PM. Such officers are an extinct specie.

Would the Commission take the call to avoid recurrence of similar faux pas in future, overtly or covertly ?

The Supreme Court  while hearing the case of alleged irregularities in coal blocks   allocation had indicted the premier investigating agency for being a "caged parrot" of its political masters and directed it to make an effort to come out with a law to insulate CBI from external influence. As per newspaper report (IE, June 25), the GOI now proposes to constitute an  “Accountability Committee” of retired Judges to oversee CBI’s investigations. GOM’s report,it is understood, will be submitted to  Cabinet on June 27 and the affidavit to Supreme court on July 6. It is to be seen whether the govt’s proposal would stand the judicial scrutiny of the Apex Court  on July 10,2013,the date of next hearing.

The CrPC confers sufficient autonomy for unfettered investigation to the CBI. It is a different thing that successive Directors of CBI chose to  kowtow to politicians instead of exercising their legitimate authority. There is no systemic fault. A serving IPS officer who,as a deputationist, had investigated several high profile cases in CBI ,confided in me that there was no institutional or legal hindrance in conducting fair investigations provided the top echelons in CBI did not succumb to extraneous pressures. The need for reinforcement is now felt due to persistent misuse of investigating  agency by successive ruling dispensations. Situation has now reached a flashpoint.

All things considered, the ongoing autonomy exercise will prove futile unless: (a) the issue of CBI Director’s initial appointment is taken out of clutches of GOI and (b) the deputation policy  for induction of  IPS officers into CBI at the level of SP and above, is reviewed-lock,stock and barrel- to improve better promotional avenues  of home grown, in –house cadred officers of CBI. This is a frustrated lot.The deputationists from the States could be susceptible to political pressures and that of  MHA as their Cadre Controlling Authority.

Discrimination based on  castes is an electoral fraud. While, atrocities against SC/ST is common in rural areas, there is  reverse discrimination against Non-SC/ST employees in urban areas.

Consider the flip side.Coteries of SC/ST  employees have sprouted in  govt. offices,hospitals, teaching institutions in full view of  authorities. By misusing the “Brahmaastra”  of caste card, the coteries, at times,slap fabricated charges against others, supported by fake witnesses. The authorities have turned a blind eye to resultant frustration simmering across the board. The GOI has fuelled mistrust among different communities .For instance,  DOP&T’s guidelines on Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) envisage the mandatory presence of an SC/ST officer to participate in DPC’s meetings.The doubting Thomas acts as a watchdog on DPC’s decision making and forces his/her subjective opinions on the outcome.Reservation is an electoral fraud for political parties. Mayavati is desperately trying to woo the “Brahmins” while demanding at the same time reservations in promotions. What extraordinary paradoxes.Baba Bheem Rao Ambedkar would never have approved of  the present condescending approach towards SC/ST that makes them dependent on the government. It is high time the law makers rose above vote bank politics and  took legislative measures to stop further division of Indian society

After Union Home Minister’s  googly on Bastar carnage, comes a bouncer from his Home Secretary whose missive is a serious indictment of DG CRPF. This is a case of : “Passing the Buck”. True to his genre, R K Singh  enjoys making thoughtless statements without application of mind. His fault-finding outburst must have  demotivated the CRPF officers.The federal States police forces are ill-equipped,ill-trained to take on the Maoists.That explains why the MHA decided to deploy CRPF that is beleaguered by its own problems of  “performance anxiety”.If the CRPF troops are killed in the maoist violence,they are proceeded against departmentally for disciplinary actions.This robbed them of initiative in carrying out anti-insurgency operations for fear of losing its troops.R K Singh is being unfair in setting the agenda for his successor.The motive is clear: To cover his own failures . His accolades to Delhi’s Police Commissioner in the wake of infamous Delhi bus gang rape was unjust,unfair  and undeserved. He is a loose cannon, who does not make sense. Why did he fail to address the problems and take remedial steps instead of playing blame game at the fag end of his career? Whom is he trying to please by his senseless statements? Why did he fail to plug the supply lines to the Maoists who are reportedly receiving funds and weapons from China and the ISI?

Sushil Kumar Shinde,the union Home Minister is incapable of  making a statement without putting his foot into the mouth. His casual approach to work is considered an asset  by his political class that renders him subservient to the Congress supremo. The guy has the audacity  to justify his overstay in the US for consulting his “eye specialist” far beyond  the Maoists’carnage  in Chhattisgarh.Who ran the home ministry,in his absence? The State does not learn lessons from history and the same ,therefore, is repeated. Salva Judum has failed to controle the maoists’ threat. To say that the Naxalism has been wiped out from Andhra Pradesh by the Greyhound forces, is  misplaced perception. The naxalites were not liquidated by the Greyhound forces bur were forced out to adjoining States.The threat is now  returning to AP with vengeance.Against this background, HM’s suggestion of launching  joint action by the Central and State’s Police forces ,will further fuel the crisis in Chhattisgarh.It might lead to a backlash across the country.IB’s input is not based on intelligence gathering but common sense.One wonders why no attempt has been made so far by the Home ministry and State administration ,to target the supply lines of arsenals and terror funds to the Maoists?The ISI and China are sending funds and weapons to Maoists spread all over the country. One theory,though sounding incredible, is that the huge funds earmarked in the Central and States’ budgets for fighting the maoists’, is a permanent  industry being exploited by the   unscrupulous politico- police-bureaucratic nexus. Some people might lose their jobs,if the Maoists.

THE NAC,ON ITS LAST LEG,WILL BE SCRAPPED BEFORE THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTIONS.

THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS IS WRIT LARGE ON THE WALLS OF 10-JANPATH.SOME PROMINENT CONGRESS POLITICIANS WILL BE BITING THE DUST IN THE COMING ASSEMBLY AND GENERAL ELECTIONS

SOME MAY FLEE THE COUNTRY WITH TONS OF DOLLARS STASHED IN FOREIGN TAX HEAVENS.WATCH MY WORDS.

ARUNA ROY, SENSING THE MOOD OF THE PEOPLE,HAS CONVENIENTLY, NOT GRACEFULLY, DECIDED TO LEAVE THE NAC.THE NAC  FUNCTIONS AS A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT HEADED BY SONIA GANDHI( WITH ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY) AND  WHOSE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE VIRTUALLY BINDING ON THE PLIABLE PM ,WHO MERELY HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DOT THE " Is" AND CROSS THE " Ts".

THE EXPENDITURE ON THE NAC ALL THESE YEARS WOULD BE PHENOMENAL. THIS IS MET OUT OF PUBLIC EXCHEQUER.

Comparison is apt when there is a level playing field.Not so in case of new C&AG V/s his predecessor.A PIL has been filed in the Hon’le Supreme court questioning the selection criteria, rather their absence, in the Constitutional appointment. Did the GOI exercise due diligence and took into account the totality of circumstances,in the given situation.Let us come straight to the point.

Defence procurement deals have been under C&AG’s radar.Would it be possible for new C&AG as the National Auditor, to scrutinize his own decisions,fairly and independently, that he took during his long stay of ten years in MOD in different capacities as Joint Secretary /DG (Acquisitions)/ Addl Secretary and  Defence Secretary.His brilliance is not in question. But, will he be in position to uphold the highest standards of probity in public life.

Is this an example of Good Governance that the Congress-led  depleted UPA-II took pride of ,in its achievement report?

What could be  the interim advice to new C&AG till  the court’s verdict is delivered? Could he, on high moral ground, recuse himself from handling such  cases, due to involvement  of  “Conflict of Interest” so that his impartialit not undermined? This seems to be the only option.

The Economic Advisory Council ( EAC)in the PMO headed by  C Rangarajan , was set up  to implement quid pro quo deals of the Congress with private sector giants. No doubt,  fixation of   existing gas price @$4.2/million British thermal units (mBtu), from the erstwhile price of $2.34  mBtu ,was steeped in controversy ab initio. It was allegedly linked to installation of a pre-selected private sector-turned public sector executive as CMD of a Maha Ratna PSU.The unit cost of gas from  KG Basin is reported to be around $0.6 per mBtu. Against this background, further reviewing the existing gas price of $4.2/million British thermal units (mBtu), causing a gain of $313 million to Reliance Industries Limited (  Read it as an equivalent loss to public exchequer) without any additional investment or value addition   by the private company, will stir up a hornet’s nest for the Congress . The appointment of a pliable C&AG,it seems,  has  emboldened the ruling dispensation to resort to misadventure without realising  the loss to public exchequer. All things considered, the EAC  seems to be a subterfuge to dupe the gullible public and loot the country. It must be scrapped forthwith. Let its recommendations be put in public domain for an open debate.

 Several defence procurement deals are already under C&AG’s scanner.Would it be ethical for new C&AG to scrutinize, without bias, his own decisions on defence procurement  during his long stay of ten years in MOD, as Joint Secretary /DG (Acquisitions)/ Addl Secretary and  Defence Secretary.His brilliance is not in question. But, the existing process of selecting C&AG  is arbitrary, discretionary,based on pick-and-choose. It does not have elements of  “due diligence” and consideration of “ totality of circumstances”, to guard against possible misuse of unfettered discretion by the ruling dispensation. Is this an example of Good Governance that the Congress-led depleted UPA-II took pride in its achievement report? What is the solution?Could the new C&AG recuse himself from handling all such controversial cases (Read as Scams) due to “conflict of interest”?

The CBI  betrays  its own  infirmity  while  demanding functional  autonomy .The  existing dispensation of rules including CrPC, bestows sufficient autonomy on Director CBI to exercise its  unfetterd authority for  investigating  high profile cases of malfeasance against politicians , businessmen and top bureaucrats.All former Directors of CBI discharged their duties  freely and without interference by the political class. The evil raised its head, of late, more particularly under the  present political dispensation .Successive Directors could not insulate themselves from political interference. This had a cascading effect on the morale and efficiency of the otherwise professional disciplined forces. This is a personality –related problems. Director ,CBI is finding it difficult to resist pressure from the political class  as he expects  to be rewarded with gubernatorial  or Commissions’ appointments immediately  after expiry of  his  two year tenure in CBI. This could be overcome by enhancing the tenure of  Director CBI to five years by making the upper age limit as flexible.Consider another problem.There is a perennial war going on within the CBI between the IPS deputationists and CBI’s  in-house professionals, encadred with the Bureau. Officers of the latter category hate to serve under superiors who are usually IPS deputationists from different State governments, encadred with the union Home ministry. Their  cases of  deputation under central staffing pattern, are processed by DOP&T. The deputationists are thus  vulnerable to political pressures and their acolytes in bureaucracy. It is understood that,at present,officers , inspectors and sub-inspectors etc from from paramilitary security forces  like the  ITBP, CRPF, CISF etc  with no  effective  investigative  skills ,are being taken on deputation into  CBI ,blocking the career prospects of the “sons of the soil”,the original natives of the Bureau. The  has also adversely impacted  the quality of investigation in the CBI.The IAS officers are considered Manusmriti’s highest varna. There is a perennial undeclared war between the IAS and the IPS for One-upmanship.The IAS coterie is always finding  justification  for
controlling the IPS through cadre control, processing deputation,  finalizing  selection of Director and his team of officers in the
CBI etc. Granting  Constitutional  status  to CBI will be disastrous as we would be creating a Frankenstein with unbridled power that could arrest anyone. Making the CBI a  Statutary body  like the CVC ,could be considered provided it is taken out of CVC suprindence .What supervisory controle was exercised by the CVC when the Director CBI shared the draft affidavit  with the PMO, Coal ministry and the Law ministry?The selection of Director CBI may be carried out by a collegium of  the CJI, PM and  LOP ( Lok Sabha) and after considering  a shortlist of names  recommended  by  a body of DGs Police in the country. The peer group is the best source to certify the credentials of the fellow IPS officers.

Bhakshak  cannot be Rakshak.This is how one would like to term the appointment of former Defence Secretary as the new C&AG. The intelligence of Shashikant Sharma is not underquestion.His pliability and loyalty to the ruling dispensation,certainly raise questions about the fairness of his selection as C&AG.The  opaque selection mechanism  grants unfettered discretion to GOI to select any Tom,Dick and Harry for the august office of C&AG without regard to his/her credentials.Having served in MOD for eleven  years as Joint Secretary/ DG (Accquisition)/Addl Secretary and finally as Defence Secretary, is sufficient ground to develop vested interests.Why was he exempted from the normal rule of rotational transfer?Was there a lobby to protect him? What was St Antony doing in his chamber in South Block  except dotting the  “i ” and dashing  the “ t” of defence procurement policy?How would Shashi Kant .the new C&AG summon the scams files from MOD which have been processed and approved by him? He would defend all GOI’s decisions and get himself shielded in the process.His appointment is reminiscent of the selection of P J Thomas as the CVC, which was quashed by the Supreme court, leading to his unceremonious exit and embarrassment to GOI. Will the history be repeated due to direct involvement of “clash of interests”? At least,so it seems.

Appointment of Shashikant Sharma as C&AG has all the ingradients of a scam . His brilliance is not in question. But,his pliability and loyalty to the political executive have  been rewarded despite involvement of  “conflict of interests”.Several defence procurement scams are under probe by the CBI.Critical observations have been made by former C&AG in various cases of defence procurements. Would it be ethical on part of new C&AG to scrutinize his own decisions on defence procurement that were earlier processed and approved by him as Defence Secretary?His long stay of ten years in MOD, as Joint Secretary /DG (Acquisitions)/ Addl Secretary and  Defence Secretary is questionable. These questions are  doing the rounds in the corridors of power. Strangely, there is, presently, no mechanism in place to finalise the selection of C&AG or such Constitutional appointees with due diligence and after taking into account the totality of circumstances so as to guard against possible misuse of unfettered discretionary powers by the ruling dispensation. Is this called Good Governance; the Congress-led UPA-II is taking credit for? Could the new C&AG recuse himself from handling such cases due to “conflict of interest”?

One wonders how could such unethical practices go on in the cricketing world without the knowledge of BCCI and IPL team owners.They should all be put under CBI radar. The politicians, businessmen heading the two sports bodies and their corrupt officials must be forced to resign for their incompetence and ineffective monitoring.Instead of owning their responsibilities, they are indulging in blame games.
The Law minister ,Kapil Sibal, insists on bringing new Bill to fight betting in sports as though this is the  panacea for all evils. Despite several laws, murders  and rapes have not stopped. Delhi’s Police Commissioner takes pride in trumpeting his achievement as though he has caught three dreaded terrorists. Does he hold similar press conferences when children and women are raped in Delhi with uncanny regularity.
And, why does  the union Home Minister shower accolades on him for the job he is supposed to perform, any way.

As per common perception, while, Manmohan Singh is the de jure head of GOI, Sonia Gandhi continues to be its de facto CEO occupying the only power centre in the present dispensation. As undisputed leader of the Indian national Congress, she deftly controls all Ministers as also the permanent Executive of the union of India, but,  without an iota of accountability. The Congressmen shudder to stand before her. Is this not due to her charismatic (Read as authoritarian ) personality? Against this background, why should she need the tag of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty? Unfortunately, she listens to her “Chaatukars” and treats  her detractors as enemies.This is inadviseable.

The language war controversy in the Civil Services (Main) Exam in Lok Sabha recently, reflected on UPSC's failure in advising GOI in carrying out radical changes in the format and syllabus of Civil Services (Main) Exam 2013 purportedly to make it mor e relevant with the present day, global as well as internal scenario. The changes were recommended by a committee constituted by UPSC under Prof Arun S Nigavekar, former chairman, UGC. It gave more weightage to the two General Studies papers and the English language by making it competitive. Regional languages were totally ignored. Neither did the Committee nor the UPSC nor the GOI visualise the repercussions of the proposed changes .This smacked of intellectual bankruptcy with complete disregard for regional languages included in Schedule VIII of Constitution. The inclusion of regional languages is an emotive issue and needed to be handled carefully. The UPSC's suggestions were approved by the Prime minister in Feb 2013,as Cabinet minister for DOP&T, before being put in public domain by UPSC on March 5,2013. This is clarified in fairness to UPSC as in Lok Sabha debate, both PM and MOS (Personnel) drew blank face feigning ignorance about their close involvement.The Chairman UPSC became the fall guy to face MPs attacks in Parliament. For diffusing the crisis,the PM had no option but to put the notification on the hold. The civil services aspirants suffered the suspense they had to pass through. The March 5 notification has been put on hold by UPSC on the basis of PM's assurance to Parliament. The notification will not impact CS (Main) Exam, 2013. But, as it has not been withdrawn, the GOI is free to operationalise it from CS (Main) 2014. The arguments adduced by the MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha would be relevant for all times and the GOI must learn lessons from history. The author served in UPSC on a sensitive portfolio and had handled the issues in the past.