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.

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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.

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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.

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The Intelligence Bureau is pitted against the CBI?This is the most dangerous trend introduced by the Congress to further its short term political gains.Its implications on the Congress will be disastrous particularly when the next General Elections are around the corner.It may no longer receive the foolproof input against the Opposition parties.The traditional rivalry between the Congress and BJP is reflected in the rivalry between the investigative and intelligence arm of CBI and IB arms of GOI,sorry,the Congress party.Both organisations have on their rolls officers owing allegiance either to the Congress or BJP.Both are spying against each other.The CBI and the IB have been planting stories in the media,both print and electronic, that has a voracious appetite for scoops.The country does not benefit from such splits with two key government organisations working at cross purposes against the mandates assigned to them.Bad days are ahead for India.

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The ongoing spat between Amratya Sen and Jagdish Bhagwati has degenerated into a slanging match. The differences widen when intellectuals allign themselves with political parties. Sen was ill-advised to condemn Gujarat model of development in favour of Bihar model. As a Nobel laureate and a Bharat Ratna awardee,he should not have made uncharitable comments on Modi’s candidature for Prime Ministership. Bhagwati’s diatribe against Sen was also degrading. Indian polity is already full of paradoxes. Why increase the confusion ?

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Public reprimanding of a lady IES officer ( JS level) by lady Secretary of WCD ministry at senior officers’ meeting (TIO July 27) forced the junior to slash her wrists in office. Too serious a matter to be brushed under the carpet. All civil servants have, to suffer under impossible bosses who crowl before political masters but maltreat their subordinates ,abuse and misuse them as general factotum.The Conduct Rules refers to “insubordination” as a misconduct, an act unbecoming of a government servant. But,there is no penalty for seniors’ bashing their juniors, some sort of “reverse insubordination”.It is high time to reform the Conduct Rules. The Cab Secy must step in to protect the interests of subordinates against reprehensible behaviour of Secretaries. The Prime Minister, in-charge of DOP&T and ARPG wing ,must introduce Performance Appraisal for Secretaries along with 360 degree feedback practice. It is for general information that Secretaries to GOI are exempted from APRs.

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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.

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The spat between Amratya Sen and Jagdish Bhagwati has degenerated into a slanging match between two giants. Fighting like Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan.Reasons are not far to seek.Two celebrities seldom agree. The problem aggravates when the intellectuals turn into politicians and take sides. Sen was ill-advised to condemn Gujarat model of development in favour of Bihar model. He merely fuelled the hate war between them. Bhagwati’s diatribe against Sen, has been vitriolic,causing irreparable damage. Why indulge in personal attacks?Sen,in the first place, should not have made uncharitable remarks about Modi’s candidature for Premiership.He had no business imposing his opinion. He is a Bharat Ratna awardee.Was he expressing his gratitude to the Congress supremo,one wonders?His likes and dislikes are private,not for public consumption.Why is Sen shying away from an open debate with Jagdish Bhagwati?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Frequency of Chinese incursions betrays India's weak response mechanism to save India's territorial integrity.We are assured every time by Antony the weakest ever defence minister that every thing is hunky dory at the border. This is simply disgraceful.We are ashamed of all this.Is this a prelude to a forthcoming war with China? Have we learnt lessons from the mistakes leading to 1962 Sino-Indian war? Retaliation, not the flag meetings ,is the need of the hour.Our Armed forces must be feeling demoralised and demotivated due to lack of political leadership in the country. Could the Congress headed by Sonia Gandhi be called nationalist by any standard ?Let Sonia Gandhi prove her loyalty to the country.Is she really feeling let down by China,one wonders?The PM and his so-called National Security Advisor seem helpless. The public is feeling cheated and insulted due to India’s inaction.

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Frequency of Chinese incursions betrays India's weak response mechanism to save India's territorial integrity.We are assured every time by Antony the weakest ever defence minister that every thing is hunky dory at the border. This is simply disgraceful.We are ashamed of all this.Is this a prelude to a forthcoming war with China? Have we learnt lessons from the mistakes leading to 1962 Sino-Indian war? Retaliation, not the flag meetings ,is the need of the hour.Our Armed forces must be feeling demoralised and demotivated due to lack of political leadership in the country. Could the Congress headed by Sonia Gandhi be called nationalist by any standard ?Let Sonia Gandhi prove her loyalty to the country.Is she really feeling let down by China,one wonders?The PM and his so-called National Security Advisor seem helpless. The public is feeling cheated and insulted due to India’s inaction.

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I was shocked to see two contrasting news items on TV portraying ground realities of mid-day scheme in Bihar and Gujarat.First Bihar. The scheme is implemented there without supervision. Food is cooked under the most unheigenic conditions near the toilets and cow sheds with no seating arrangements for the poor children who looked emaciated and malnourished. Did the DM and Commissioner ever conducted surprise checks? Bihar’s administrators and the political class must hang their heads in shame.They must explain ,how public funds are being siphoned off. On the contrary, Gujarat government is funding a Karnataka-based NGO in procuring State-of-the- art equipment for cooking meals and serve them to students,across the board.The children in Gujarat looked contented.

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The CBI,while opposing Centre’s Accounability Panel”, has in its affidavit filed in Supreme court on July 16, has sought a three years term for its Director with enhanced status of Secretary to GOI. One woners whether the suggestions would succeed in insulating the head of premier investive agency from extraneous influences?These demands are of tertiary importance. Instead, it will be meaningful to locate an officer, who could withstand political pressures. Hon’ble Supreme court’s frequent indictments of the agency, is a wake up call. Considering the moral degeneration of the political class, personality takes precedence over Status. The likes of former Directors of CBI : D P Kohli ( 1963-68), F V Arul (1968-71) and D Sen (1971-77) –all from Indian Police (IP), have become extinct species. The political Executive could never approach them for favours. M G Pimputkar ICS could send shivers down the spines of the political and bureaucratical class One hopes the law makers take a holistic view , while debating the draft Bill on CBI’s autonomy in Parliament.

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The CBI in an affidavit to Supreme court on July 16, has sought a three year term for its head with a raise in his status to that of Secretary. This has sent shock waves across all civil services. Will this,one wonders, insulate the head of premier investive agency from extraneous influences? Is this not an exercise in self-promotion and self-perpetuation.For appointing the head of CBI, it would be meaningful to look for someone who is not pliable and could stand his ground before the political Executive. No purpose will be served by enhancing the tenure from 2 to 3 years and raising the status to that of Secretary. Worse, the suggestions will have far reaching repercussions on the posts of Director (IB), Director RAW, CVC etc. This will open a pandora's box of similar demands from other quarters that the government will find difficult to resist.These are absurd propositions to perpetuate oneself. One hopes the law makers will take the entire scenario into consideration while discussing the draft Bill on CBI’s autonomy in the Parliament.

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Used to taking orders from its political masters ,the CBI does not seem interested in getting total autonomy in investigating corruption cases. The infamous ‘single directive’ rule contained in the CVC Act 2003 remains undisturbed,courtesy the political executive. This draconian rule is being misused by the politians in power, as a tool to protect favourite civil servants who have acceded to irregular executive demands.This single factor is at the root of all corruption scams in the country.

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One wonders whether the cabinet’s decisions would succeed in insulating CBI from political interferences. These need to be re-visited due to following reasons : (i) PM’s inclusion in the collegium for selecting Director, CBI, would be meaningless,he being a “caged parrot” himself.Similarly, LoP (LS) is a politician. Why have politicians in the collegium ? The ruling dispensation as well as the party represented by LOP (LS) would prefer a “pliant” officer as Director CBI. In this regard, the observation of Justice P Sathasivam,CJI-designate (TOI dt July 1,2013)is timely. He is opposed to re-employing retired judges to head inquiry panels. Thus, in order to thwart political interference in appointing Director ,CBI ,having a panel of two serving judges of SC headed by CJI ,would be a better option. For the same reasons, getting CBI’s investigations overseen by the “oversight panel” of three serving (instead of the proposed retired) judges would be more appropriate.(ii)Also, the existing practice of giving post-retirement assignments to former Directors of CBI as Members of UPSC, NHRC, Inquiry commissions, Governors etc , must be given a good- bye . This gives the ruling government draconian powers to manipulate the retiring CBI Directors by holding out hopes of future rewards of coveted assignments, provided they fall in line. (iii)Law officers must be appointed with great care after consulting the bar and verifying their credentials.Some Law Officers, appointed by the Congress-led UPA, seriously compromised the dignity of their offices. They are liable to be politically managed.The clash between the Attorney General and a former ASG (since resigned) in 2G scam, became a free-for-all.(iv) Since the MHA will continue to remain the Cadre controlling authothority for all IPS officers in CBI, their maneuvering by politicians and bureaucrats,could not be ruled out. s Unless the above issues are first addressed through debates in Parliament,the cabinet decisions will remain a ruse to fool the gullible public. The situation will be far worse than present with the “cadged parrot”, instead of getting independence,will have its wings clipped.No jumping out of frying pan into fire !

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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.

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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 ?

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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.

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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

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Reservation policy is an electoral fraud due to its sociological implications. The benefits of reservation have been cornered, by the dalits belonging to affluent class. Instead of reviewing the reservation policy, the political class , under garb of “social re-engineering”, has created the sub-category of Maha-dalits” covering the poorest among the dalits. Worse still, under compulsions of vote bank politics, it created sub-castes of : “Normal”, “Hyper” and “Super” Maha-dalits depending on level of poverty. Creation of artificial silos has led to inter- and intra-castes conflicts. The Indian bureaucracy is also impacted adversely. For instance, the practice of giving out-of-turn promotion for superlative performance has been scrapped by government. There is no level playing field in appraising the performance of government bureaucrats and public sector executives. While,”Good” performance is considered “Good enough” for one category of candidates ,it is “Good for nothing” for others. Good and poor performers are treated at par. How could the govt achieve “Responsive Administration” and “Good Governance” in such a scenario? Against this background, extending reservation policy to promotion matters, as demanded by the BSP, will lead to a tsunami of administrative disasters as seniors will become junior to their juniors.

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 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”?

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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.

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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.

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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”?

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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.

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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.

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Constituting a GOM for bringing autonomy to CBI is a charade of GOI (Read as the Congress party). It would be appropriate to call for an all parties meeting to deliberate upon the draft Bill.The Congress cannot decide unilaterally on this sensitive matter in the context of severe indictment by the Supreme court calling the CBI as a caged parrot.The Congress should feel ashamed of it and advise Digvijay Singh to shut up and not cast aspersions on SC’s wisdom.The Congress must also stop deciding cases on political considerations. Who prevented the CBI from going slow in pursuing DA cases against Mayavati, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav? They are all extending outside support to the Congress-led UPA-II. A CBI-designated court exonerated former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in a DA case. Despite the CBI having a strong case against him, the law ministry did now allow the CBI to appeal. Also, the CBI cannot initiate investigations against a government officer of the rank of Joint Secretary and above without the concurrence of the Central government. There are 30 such cases pending with the GOI. Even for prosecution, the CBI needs to seek GOI’s permission . A CBI officer cannot go out of India for investigations without the permission of the Central government. Investigators need to travel in today’s world, even if only to track black money or unaccounted money in foreign banks. The CBI needed to chase Quattrocchi, once the prime accused in the Bofors case. The law ministry recommended closure of the case, because the investigations could not be completed due to political interferences. Quattrocchi escaped in the process.There was deliberate delay in MOF in sanctioning the foreign tour of CBI team.The case was closed.

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The DNAs of dalits and non-dalits,are made of same nucleotides.What hurts me is the discriminatory privileges permanently reserved for one category in the name of “Affirmative Action”. This creates heart burnings and helps Indian politicians to exploit caste-based vote banks. Let us make a beginning by abolishing the menace of casteism in a phased manner. For instance,instead of thinly spreading the benefits of reservation in SC/ST categories across the board, it would be meaningful to focus these to the really disadvantaged groups at the lower echelons by extending the principle of creamy layer to SC/ST categories,too .

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WHILE GOING TO THE UNION ACADEMY ,NEW DELHI IN CLASS 5, I PAID BRIBE TO TRAFFIC CONSTABLE, MANY TIMES OVER FOR DOUBLE RIDINGS ON A RICKETY BICYCLE. THERE WAS NO ANTI-GRAFT MOVEMENT THEN. WE DID NOT KNOW THAT BRIBE GIVING WAS AS MUCH A SIN AS BRIBE TAKING. THAT WAS AGE OF INNOCENCE. ESCAPING SHARP EYE OF TRAFFIC CONSTABLE WAS CONSIDERED AN ACHIEVEMENT.

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GOI announcing end of face-off with withdrawal of forces by India and China from Daulat Beg Oldi sector in Ladakh, is fallacious.How could India withdraw from its own territory?If India’s sovereignty does not extend to DBO sector,how could we treat this as Chinese incursion? This is not a victory of Indian diplomacy but capitulation.

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BJP’s offer for supporting the Congress sponsored Food Security Bill in return for sacking its Coal and Law ministers, shows former’s impish humour.While the Railgate is a scam, the proposed Food security Bill will promote corruption and enhance inflation.How could GOI turn a blind eye to C&AG critique of MNREGA? How will funds be raised to operationalise the scheme,perceived by the Congress as its game changer?

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The attempt by a Delhi Police SHO at bribing parents of a 5 year old rape victim in return for not filing the FIR, an ACP slapping girl protestors in Delhi and the Supreme court’s strictures of “ Delhi Police having gone berserk”, have jolted the conscience of every thinking indian.The insensitive and rapacious Central and State Police forces with exploitative lethargy, have failed to discharge their legitimate duties.They do it only when paid, what is euphemistically called the “Speed Money”. Police is a State subject.Here are some suggestions to overcome the problem. (a) Filling of vacancies at officers level and lower cadres,on fast track basis; (b) Restricting security covers to VVIPs excluding the ineligibles , extra-Constitutional and private persons; (c) Bringing pressures through political interference in service matters must attract conduct rules for defaulters.This is never done,at present; (d ) DCPs, ACPs and SHOs must be held personally responsible for failure of law and order machinery. They must be show-caused for their failures and appropriate penalties imposed for dereliction of duties; (e)Policing the police by strengthening preventive vigilance and speeding up disciplinary proceedings against the corrupt is necessary; (f ) Installing CCTVs at all police stations to be monitored by seniors; (g) Corruption in Police starts with the ‘duty officers’ for resisting registration of FIRs. Refusal against registration of FIRs , must attract severe punishment on defaulters in terms of Supreme court’s directions as reproduced in MHA’s circular; (h) Uplifting the investigative and crowd management skill of policemen and expose them to gender sensitization. (i) Withdrawing services of all constable and orderlies deployed by senior police officers for performing domestic chores. This is a legacy from colonial rule.

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Recent incidents in Delhi Police like : The SHO bribing daily wager parents of a 5 year old rape victim for not filing FIR, mass transfer of DCPs, the Supreme court while taking suo motu cognizance of an ACP slapping a girl in the outrage against 5 year old’s rape, being forced to observe that “ Delhi Police has gone berserk” are shocking and have jolted the conscience of every Indian. The insensitive and rapacious Delhi Police (reporting to MHA and LG ) richly endowed with exploitative lethargy, has failed to discharge even its legitimate duties.They do it only when paid, what is euphemistically called the ‘speed money.’ Corruption in DP is not considered ‘anti-social’ but a way of life. One wonders whether India could ever be cleansed. The present system does not focus on individual accountability. The problem is “intra- Delhi Police” due to its unholy nexus with the political, business and criminal class. “Duty Officer” is the starting point of corruption. Despite MHA’s orders, registration of FIRs is invariably resisted by SHOs, SIs/ASI’s, all acting as “dalals”. Investigations are carried out by SIs who are liable to be influenced.The beat constables maintain close links with criminals disguised as “Informers”.The criminals roam freely and browbeat the innocents . They extract protection money from unauthorized encroachers, extortionists, illegaltransporters, builders et al to pay haftas to their “Mai Baap”. Decriminalise DP and upgrade its professional skill, things will fall in line. Its Grievance redressal and the justice delivery mechanism are slow. As a result, the aam aadmi is usually at the receiving end of police apathy. How to overcome the problem? Solutions :-- (a)Fast track filling of vacancies in Delhi Police; (b) Restrict security covers to genuine VVIPs excluding fake VIPs, ineligibles,extra-Constitutional persons; (c) Size of security covers to be truncated; (d)Additional re-deployment of forces for guarding security of general public; (e) Insulate the police from political interferences; (f)Instil fear of police into criminal minds by breaking their nexus; (g) Officers of Delhi Police like DCPs, ACPs and SHOs must be held personally responsible for failure of law and order machinary and discharge of legitimate duties; (h)Policing the police is impotant by strengthening preventive vigilance and speeding up disciplinary proceedings ; (i) Instal CCTVs at all police stations to be constantly monitored by DCPs concerned; (j)Penalties for non-registration of FIRs must be invoked; (k ) The public, as stake holders, must be associated with performance appraisal of Delhi Police; ( l) For political interferences in service matters, conduct rules must be invoked; (m)Upgradation of minimum educational qualification for recruitment of constables from 10+2 to graduation will improve the investigative skill and professionalism of DP officers; (n) What is the propriety of utilising the services of constable /orderlies on domestic chores ? Some IPS officers of DP ,with colonial mindsets ,are reportedly having as many as 8 to 10 orderlies (some taken from para-military forces) deployed on domestic duties. Is this justified against the present shortage of manpower in DP? Let a beginning be made from Delhi and experiences replicated elsewhere.

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The CBI’s coalgate fiasco in sharing the draft affidavit with the Law minister, the two Law officers and one Joint Secretary each from M/ Coal and PMO, could be a watershed moment for the anti-graft movement in the country.The court may consider it appropriate to lay down ground rules for infusing independence and functional autonomy into the CBI. It could lay down ground rules for the CBI’s functioning, in future.For the present misdemeanours, the SC could summon the Law minister, the two Law officers and two Joint Secretaries belonging to M/ coal and the PMO and record their statements. One possibility is that notices could be issued to them. It could also punish Director,CBI for his “sharing blunder” in contravention of Supreme court’s directions.This attracted contempt of court proceedings. It could also give due credit to DCBI for acknowledging ( in the affidavit) that the draft report was shared with the political executive and others, “as desired”, before submission to the court. Bureaucrats allowed themselves to be misused and abused as conduits,ostensibly for out-of-turn favours in their careers. This was a breach of Apex court’s directions.The Opposition holds enough ammunitions for slamming the ruling dispensation. The undertaking by Dir ,CBI that it would not be sharing the affidavit, in future, could be institutionalized as general practice despite implementational problems. All things considered, the above views are within the realms of possibility. Considering the Congress’s adamence and confrontationist approach, the defaulters could be let off with simple warnings and advisories with no sacking ,as demanded by the Opposition. The World would be earnestly watching Supreme court’s pro-activism in the case. Justice Markandey Katju is conspicuous by his silence.This is indeed baffling. What do you feel ,does the future hold for India? Will the entire sequence pass off as a Non-event ?

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The coalgate scam is becoming murkier. The Law Minister Ashwani Kumar did not summon senior officers of CBI to his office for Bhagwati Jagran or a tea party. His motive was quite clear. Since the CBI works under the Prime Minister, the PMO and through it the Congress party , must have been in the loop. This would be reasonable assumption. Any denial by the CBI in its affidavit proposed to be submitted to the Supreme court, would be a sham. Facts of the coalgate scam can't be twisted this way. The CBI has no option except denial of charges . It was precluded from ministerial intervention or consultation by the Apex court. Non-compliance would attract contempt of court proceedings.

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All indian parents are overpowered by a sense of helplessness whenthey hear about incidents of rapes of minor girls particularly those of tender age.The paedophiles are moving freely across the country in search of preys. There have been five rapes in the country in the firstthree weeks of April,2013 itself.The police ,as always, is pro-criminals,never ready to file the FIRs from the victims.This is the position in the national capital. Conditions in rural India are far more horrendous. Filing FIRs attract reprisals from the accused.Tha law will remain toothless without death penalty.The law makers are insensitive to the public demand for death sentence to rapists and no distinction between major anminoroffenders.The recommendations of Justice J S Verma committee need to be re-visited and the punishment for rape must be made more stringent .This is out of sync with the worsening crime situation in the country.

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The NSG ,a police- army hybrid force under MHA, is a neglected and mis-used lot, divided against itself. It is a police force dominated by IPS officers who have to rub shoulders with deputationists from the armed forces. The two factions seldom agree. Funds are not a problem . But,the arbitrary deployment of NSG guards on odd jobs is questionable.They are often misused on ˜personal rather than ˜national’ security. Black commandos are often witnessed (on TV screens) as body guards to tainted politicians like Mayavati,Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jayalalitha et al.They also protect the PM, the de facto CEO at 10-Janpath,her son,daughter and son-in- law along with HM ,FM etc. They all enjoy multi-layer security cover under NSG/SPG umbrella.Thanks to MHA’s incompetent and inefficient officialdom, the equipment upgradation process in NSG ,is far from satisfactory. The force uses vintage equipment. Shortage of choppers adversely impacts the para dropping by NSG commandos.

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We are living in a land of contradictions. This has caused us depression and insomnia. The Indians need an anti-Stress pill every day. Consider the following sample of events :-- (a) Pakistan PM Ashraf visits India , Ajmer Sharif Dargah chief boycotts him and India’s Foreign Minister hosts a lunch for him; (b) BJP predicts early parliamentary polls stating that the UPA may collapse any time ,the Congress assures a full term of “ bad” governance; (c) NIA sought custody of Hizbul terrorist Liaqat Shah due to contradictions in claims of Delhi Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police; (d) Mulayam Singh praises Advani, SP general secretary Azam Khan calls Advani a "politician with weak values"; (e)DMK alligns with its arch enemy AIADMK on Sri lankan Tamils against Congress that helped SL army with IPKF during Rajiv Gandh’s regime; (f) SP and its adversary BSP support Congress-led UPA for common return gifts ie protection from raids; (g)While, PM claims growth slump to b e temporary, its growth rate has been showing a continuous downward trend , inflation rate rising exponentially and disparity between the rich and the poor increasing. A K Saxena (A retired civil servant)

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Having received hate mails accusing me of being casteist, I am to clarify that I am an anti-caste junkie. I believe the DNAs of dalits and non-dalits,are made of same nucleotides.No caste can be genetically programmed to be more enterprising than others.What hurts me is the discriminatory treatment and privileges reserved for one category in the name of “Affirmative Action”. This creates heart burnings and helps Indian politicians to exploit vote bank politics.

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One wonders, why is India suffering diplomatic setbacks in quick succession at the hands of its neighbours like China Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Srilanka and even the Maldives? India’s persistent insults by China for staking audacious claims on Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladhak,its infamous string of pearls encircling India , South-China sea debacle etc have sent India into a tizzy. Pakistan sponsoring terror attacks with alarming regularity, returning beheaded soldiers,cold-blooded extra-Judicial killing of Sarbjit Singh in collusion with prison guards.A spineless foreign policy and candyfloss diplomacy

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The National Security Advisor (NSA) is Advisor to PM and the Indian Cabinet. India’s Intelligence Agencies ,RAW and IB, report to NSA. The post of NSA, created in 1998, was initially headed by Brajesh Mishra (1998-2004) followed by J N Dixit (2004-2005), M K Narayanan ( 2005-10) and Shiv Shankar Menon (2010-till date). While M K Narayanan belonged to IPS, others were career diplomats . The IFS officers by virtue of their job profile do not have hands-on experience in matters of internal and external security. They rely excessively on candyfloss diplomacy. This explains why India is facing diplomatic setbacks in quick succession at the hands of China, Pakistan and even Maldives? China is brazenly staking audacious claims on Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Ladhak besides encircling India with its string of pearls.This calls for some institutional overhauling.Blindly relying on the NSA,is inadviseable.There is need for collective wisdom in such sensitive matters. The mandate of NSA should be entrusted to the triumvirate,a three member body consisting of officers from the IFS, IPS and the Armed forces. Handling rogue neighbours like Pakistan and China requires holistic approach based on aggressive foreign policy, coercive diplomacy, enhanced security threat perception and assessing implications of waging a limited or full-scale war or even psychological warfare on enemies.

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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.

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About A.K.Saxena

A K SAXENA, an Indian national, is a retired civil servant from Government of India He is also a freelance journalist with several published investigative articles and columns in various fields to his credit. His writings are a reflection of his interest in writing on divergent themes and making the topics relevant to a wider audience. A post graduate in Chemistry from University of Delhi,he could not sustain his interest in pursuing research and instead chose to enter the government service through the IAS etc exam held by the UPSC. “KALASAVYA” that brought out several publications besides organizing cultural shows.


You can contact me at

aksaxena1947@gmail.com

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