Whispers Forum

DEBATE (1)
Now the debate. As it is there is enough rivalry among several services specially the IAS and others. Why add to this. Induction of these civil servants in the cabinet itself is rather unusual. The Prime minister would have found talent in them to assign their respective portfolios to them. Some portfolios like External Affairs and Civil aviation have more visibility than Power. The number of portfolios also matters. It also depends upon the individual. Aggressiveness does not necessarily mean good performance.
Aarti Khosla
Cutoff year for spineless bureaucrat
As reported in Whispers there is a consensus that the cutoff year was 1980. This happened because UPSC changed the exam patter starting with 1979 examination (called IAS etc. examination upto 1978 exam 1979 batch). A careful observer can sense the difference between pre-1980 batches and 1980 batch. The age limit was increased as also the number of attempts. The distinction between higher and lower subjects was abolished and proficiency in English was deemphasised. In the IFS it has posed a challenge for training: How to teach Spanish, German or French to the new recruits who are not good in English. In all services, it meant loss of idealism. Middle aged people with persistence to appear in the examination again and again started entering the civil services. UPSC became Union Public Surprise Commission. There are instances of inspectors who were caught taking bribes (but acquitted being given benefit of doubt) later got into IPS and class 1 central services. The new system was meant to counter elitism in civil services; which it may have done to some extent. But the idealism that one saw in young recruits (upto 1979 batch) has been lost. Many in the pre-1980 batches became spineless and corrupt mid-career. But 1980 batch onwards, many have such tendencies while in junior scale. Journalists including MJ Akbar after meeting officer trainees have reported that for some entrants to class 1 service prime reason was to make (illicit) money. Their choice of the civil service also depended on this factor. This was not the case earlier. There is a wide variation between individual officers; but we are talking about the averages and thereby the cutoff year is rightly assessed as 1980. There have been attempts to revert to the earlier system; but such proposals are either classified as elitist and rejected or get lost in committees.
Prof. N. C. Saxena

DEBATE (1)
Debate It is disheartening to note that leadership development in the country is given a very low priority as retired bureaucrats are inducted laterally as MPs/ministers or governors. We had suffered lack of leadership during 2004-14 as the office of the prime minister was held by a former civil servant who was controlled 100% by an unconstitutional contraption called the NAC. The council was filled with persons with questionable credentials. The BJP with 303 seats in parliament has exhibited complete lack of top-grade leaders to hold charge of various ministries. It has missed a golden opportunity. Politics poses threat to any good leader as others too aspire to reach the top slot at the earliest. That might be the reason for unduly over-dependence on retired officers. What India needs is world class leaders in all parties. What is on offer is duds, dudes, docile and born to remain imbecile leaders already conducting themselves as the next prime minister of India or chief minister of UP! He who said that politics is the last resort of scoundrels was wrong because if it were to be true no Mahatma Gandhi would have been born to lead a freedom movement like him. When leadership development is ignored for selfish reasons it affects the long-term vision of the nation and people oriented mission such as Cancer treatment in India which costs 4X the Ayushman Bharat aid of Rs.5 Lakhs annually. In which century the aam Indian will be able to afford it?
M L Gupta

DEBATE 1
Visionary- To be visionary, person need not be IAS/IFS. Example Late Sri Kamraj, then CM of TamilNadu. His vision in field of Education, PDS, Construction of Dam, concept of linking rivers-Garland concept.
R K Upadhyay
DoP to engage retired Government employees as Consultants
I think instead of engaging retired officers as consultants, Government of India should tie up with IIMs and get the services of students of IIMs as consultants. This has helped Gujarat Government to overcome the problem of water scarcity.
Pradeep
Cut-Off year of spineless bureaucrats !
Not necessarily. I know atleast one IAS officer of the 1973 batch in UP,who was utterly spineless.
Amitabh Agrawal

Administrators v/s Ambassadors
First, consider their hands-on experiences.
The IAS officers have large public interface and can successfully manage the political class and have cosy relationships with them. They have huge discretionary authority that is liable to be misused. Excellent chances of getting post-retirement assignments by encashing political contacts.
The Indian Foreign Service, for several decades, has been under-rated,even though the IFS officers have more legitimate income by virtue of better pay scales and handsome foreign allowances. But , their authority is confined to their domain. Being academically inclined,they have better oratorial skill.
Conclusion :
Equipped with wide administrative experience and project monitoring ,the IAS officers have the advantage of having a more result-oriented approach.
Attaching IFS officers with ministers is waste of their talent. They are not cut out for such jobs.
This is not to be-little the IFS officers.
If the IFS officers are considered worldly-wise, the IAS officers can be considered street- smart.
A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)
Low filing of ITRs
Possible reasons and solutions Only 1.5 crore pay income tax in the country with population of 130 crore is worrisome for the growth of the country. There may be number of reasons for not paying tax and low filing of tax returns. Whether our tax implementation system is complex or mind set of people to escape taxes, this needs to be analysed. Without any prejudice: from SSR case it is evident that there is excess flow of cash in the market. It is reported by media that 70-80% of any contract value is paid in cash and rest 20-30% by cheque or digital transfer. So it is clear that tax is paid only on 30% amount and after that taking all possible expenses as deductions and effective tax paid is much less. In result, there is amazing wealth accumulation and assets with such system. It can be judged by the fact that when they travel, it is by chartered plane. When any function such as marriage, award functions etc. it is outside the country like Italy, Dubai, Singapore, London and so on. They try to find the ways to spend the money. The other part is when money is paid in cash, it is outside the Govt. financial system and form parallel economy in the country. This trend is common in other sectors also but percentage may vary and is not uncommon in other professional services. Traders, businessman, shopkeepers, professionals etc. who deal large part in cash, avoid paying taxes and also do not file returns as they are outside the financial system of Govt. The root cause of low filing and escaping taxes seems to be perhaps excess flow of cash. Excess cash in the system gives rise to other ill side effects like generation of black money, corruption, drugs dealing etc. It is not something a new thing is being disclosed, it is well known to everyone. So from layman point of view to increase tax payers base as well as revenue, banning cash transaction after putting some threshold limit say Rs.10,000/- may be one of the solutions.. When Govt, can transfer as little as Rs. 500/- to Jan Dhan Accounts using digital technology. Why others cannot do it? Rs.10,000/- seems to be good reasonable figure to allow cash transactions and consider ban above this limit. There may be some compulsion to put ban on cash transaction but we have to start the process of banning cash transactions after certain limits. Automatically most of the people will be in Govt. financial system after implementing cash ban. At the same time high denomination notes i.e. Rs.500/ and Rs.2000/- needs to be withdrawn in specified time frame with full public knowledge and announcement. Simultaneously it also requires push to digital India so it can take care of excess transactions generated due to cash transactions limit. Banning cash transactions after certain limit will reduce the work load of banks at least by 50% and banks may utilize their valuable time for other banking activities effectively and efficent;y. Banning of cash transaction may be deliberated in appropriate forum to arrive at logical conclusions. Our income tax implementation system still to be made easier and seamless so a ordinary person can also understand it. In summary to increase tax payers base and revenue, the following points are worth considering: 1. Banning cash transactions above Rs.10,000/-. Let it be electronic or cheque.. 2. Withdrawing Rs.500/ and Rs.2000/- notes with full public knowledge. 3. Reducing Cash withdrawal limit in FY to Rs..10 lakhs from all accounts above that TDS to be deducted which can be adjusted in ITR 4. Giving aggressive push to Digital India as it was in 2015-16 to take care of increased digital transactions. 5. Issuing plastic cards to all account holders for their transactions and dealings. 6. Simplifying the tax system and easy implementation not like ITR2 schedule 112A which is still being debated among tax payers. 7. Income tax department may take SSR case as study case and understand implication of cash transaction on tax system. It is humbly submitted that Govt. may like to consider the above points in the interest of country which may achieve the desired results. Good Luck.
Naveen

DEBATE (1)
IAS officers are visionary. They know their subject very well. How can an IFS see the subject of public interest ?
I D Khatri
Politics of thriving on the crime must stop
I sincerely follow Saxena's messages and find it very crisp and to the point but differ in the context of present Hathras case. Isn’t he also greatly influenced by the 'verdict' already delivered by few channels ? Going by today's report, it appears a failed affair going horribly wrong. Some tinge of old enmities also surfaced. Shouldn't one wait before using such narratives against the crime one has not committed at all. Seeing present scenario, it is falling in 85% category in which Victim and the criminal is known to each other. Though I'm not expert on such matters, I feel it is very difficult to prevent crime against women in such case because known person is least expected to commit crime, though it being done rampantly. Crime should be treated as crime without giving a grading like heinous, more heinous, less heinous etc on the basis of its caste, creed, religion or whether committed in the state ruled by the opposition. Politics of thriving on the crime must stop. We must also find a way to stop the tendency of some group of taking it to international level or UN because they don't like the face of people selected with majority. USA or UK or most advanced countries are no better than India in terms of crime against women.
V K Pandey
A secretary : 1000 watt bulb
Humorous but real.
R K Upadhyay

During the hearing by video conference, the manner in which the PIO was making her presentations was not at all acceptable and it appeared that she was running the hearing. Despite repeated requests she failed to maintain the decorum of the CIC and continued to speak without listening to the questions raised by the CIC. The Commission was, therefore, constrained to disconnect the audio-conferencing and she was asked to file her written submissions to decide the case. The Commission noted that complete information was provided to the appellant and the appellant is also satisfied with the same. However, the appellant requested the Commission to instruct the concerned PIO to supply the information within the time limit prescribed under the RTI Act. The CIC cautioned the PIO to remain careful while handling the RTI applications in future and to ensure that timely replies are provided to every RTI application handled by her. The CIC also observed that it is necessary to maintain decorum at all times during the hearing and even when the contention is justified, it must be in a language of utmost restraint, always keeping in view that the person making the comment is also fallible.
Comments
It is the duty of the PIO to behave cordially with the applicant and maintain good behaviour. The PIO should be humble and polite when addressing a Judicial or Quasi-Judicial body.
Citation: Dr S Garg v. University Grants Commission in File No.: CIC/UGCOM/A/2019/639673, Date of Decision: 09/09/2020
Dr. Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is an expert on RTI matters and has co-authored the books RIGHT TO INFORMATION - LAW AND PRACTICE and PIO’s guide to RTI. Apart from her weekly article here, her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at the link: www.rtifoundationofindia.com

DEBATE(1)
IFS seems to be better result oriented ministers.
A K Chaturvedi
Is it not bizarre ?
The Curious Case Of NTC Air India (a strategic asset) is being offered for privatization but not the NTC. Doesn’t it look somewhat bizarre ? Everybody reveres the Mahatma but ignores his economic logic: popular consumer product, millions of direct and indirect jobs on recurring basis and soothing for our tropical climate. Khadi is now Netas’ official robe, like Saffron for the Mandarins (mantrigan), and hence out of reach of even the middle-income groups, what to talk of the poor, but cotton is in huge demand from the consumers of all income groups. People admire prime minister Narendra Modi’s attire, which is some of the best cotton textile. If the NTC is simply closed down and new private cotton mills encouraged, India will cope-up with the loss of jobs due to COVID-19 in less than 1 year and become the biggest exporter once again.
M L Gupta

Agree with A.K.Saxena. I do not think there is anything seriously wrong with UPSC"s recruitment process or DOP&T training methods. What is required is change in conduct rules to hold officials personally responsible for such incidences and levy of heavy monetary punishment on officials for such lapses. Also ,as recommended by various committees Government should set up boards in each state (consisting of at least 7 persons including two/three from outside the Government ) to decide postings and transfers of all officials(gazetted). Probably this may reduce the influence of Politicians on officials.
S Gopal

The promotions in CSS are blocked due to various court cases being filed by different rival groups historically. This has adversely affected all. In most of the grades of CSS, the officers in feeder grade reach much above the starting point of higher grade and there is hardly any financial implication on account of their promotion but for the status. Rather the government has to loose huge manpower hours and a big amount in defending these cases in various courts across the country. In the given circumstances the best and practical solutions seems to adopt a time scale approach, meaning thereby that whenever, an officer in a grade completes the requisite residency period of service qualifying for promotion to next grade, he should be granted time scale of next grade without waiting for a vacancy to occur in next higher grade. When a vacancy occurs in the next higher grade such an officer may be adjusted against that depending upon his suitability. This will avoid in-fight amongst the members of the service on account of reservation, seniority issues etc. resulting in withdrawal of many court cases. This will not only save money to the exchequre but the energy of officers involved in defending the court cases will be much better used for other purposes in larger public interest. I am sure that by adopting such an approach, the government would not only be able to save huge money but also be able to content the rising dis-satisfaction in the members of the service.
SP
Seniormost serving ICS officer V M M Nair celebrates his 101st birth day today
Sir, Wish you very Happy Birthday and many more years good health and prosperous day to com Warm Regards
Col Khushwant Singh

Income tax department, like any other department of in Government of India, is no paragon of virtue. So it is preposterous to think that 100% corruption only exits in IT Department and by eliminating personal hearings corruption can be rooted out.On the contrary, dreaded by Modi fear, all faceless officers simply raise frivolous demands on tax payers and all tax payers need to engage tax lawyers to appear before ITAT. The corner stone of any quasi judicial proceeding is principles of natural justice, wherein opportunity of being heard is of paramount importance. By doing away with that the government is only creating a monster department. This is akin to burning the house to kill a rat.
Amit

Hathras gang rape case has jolted the conscience of every indian. Such heinous crimes could not have been possible without the tacit support of political class. After PM’s belated intervention , CM,UP woke up to enhance the quantum of compensation from Rs 25 to 50 lakhs.
What is this awful thing going on in Uttar Pradesh, one wonders ? The autocratic CM has a lot to explain. Incompetent administration and callous UP police fail to inspire confidence in lower castes. They are, more often than not, insensitive, incapable of taking decisions by defying political authority . Pliability to political masters, is considered a safe bet. Prized postings, no fear of transfers , suspension.
Haughty utterances by Hathras DM and the Police to victim’s family are simply shocking, unpardonable Who ordered forced cremation of the victim during the graveyard hours and in absence of victim’s family members. UP,CM feels his job is over once delinquent officers are transferred / suspended. His experts do not advise him that transfers and suspensions of officers cannot be treated as punitive steps.
Unable to defend the indefensible, Chief Minister, UP has now decided to refer the case to the CBI. But, the family of the deceased, is not satisfied. It demands a Judge-monitored, fast- track inquiry by the CBI. Is CBI losing credibility ? A deep conspiracy is alleged by the ruling party.
The public is outraged. The Opposition led by the Congis take pride in activating its dirty tricks department for adding to the chaos and confusion in UP and for gaining political brownie points.
Unequal society, Political interference, callous Administration &Police ?
We are living in an unequal society, hierarchical , castes-ridden and in artificial silos . Upper castes are treated as the privileged class. Gang rapes, murders, domestic violence, acid attacks, dowry deaths are the new normal? Macabre pre-occupation of goons and misguided elements in Police force. Egalitarian society is a myth.
Situation in all Indian States , is equally reprehensible.
Is there something seriously wrong with UPSC’s recruitment process and DOPT’s training module? Or, is the entire system flawed? Accountability and transparency are missing.
What steps have been taken to depoliticise the top appointments in the States and reduce political interference in day-to-day policing so as to improve the law and order situation in the states.
Will PM Modi please take the call?
A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)
Is sushant singh so important?
Yes it is. Because public mind is to be diverted from pressing and urgent issues like unemployment, rural distress, economic miseries etc.
Viswas