Whispers Forum

DEBATE (1)
I think IAS ministers are doing good job as compared to the IFS officers. IAS is always number one in the services.
P K Rao
Don’t underestimate the pandemic, Wear Masks properly
In view of the rising number of Coronavirus cases in Delhi, it is very necessary that masks be worn properly over nose and mouth at all times outside home. Face to face meetings must be avoided as per government guidelines. Social distancing must be practised very carefully, as per government guidelines, by all. Regular hand washing is also necessary. No one should underestimate the pandemic. Maybe government can also consider restricting the attendance in private offices to 50% in order to reduce the mixing of people.
Vijay Kumar Ganguly

Debate (1)
Jaishankar is doing well because he knows the subject well. Hardeep Puri has no experience in Civil Aviation and Urban Development. IAS Ministers can work in any department
H K Jain
Why is Jinping Paranoid ?
The Chinese President for Life Xi Jinping is so paranoid these days that he wants to throw the Chinese masses in to an uncalled-for war with so many countries at the same time. He is not able to choose the theatre of war at the moment. He is not able to convince his people about the reason for going to a war at this juncture when the Chinese masses do not have minimum food or shelter or employment. In war, he seems to imagine an opportunity to stoke patriotism and win popular support which he is losing fast. He is afraid of his enemies within ! Why is Xi Jinping afraid of his enemies ? It is because the Chinese propaganda to fool its masses does not hold anymore. The mouthpiece of Xi Jinping and government, the Global Times, evokes ridicule ! The Chinese masses are disillusioned with the communist model of governance and demand democratic form of government from Xi Jinping. So far, the China Communist Party and Xi Jinping have been able to suppress it but won’t be able to retain their hold on the people for long; certainly not if a war breaks out now. The enemies of Xi Jinping are friends of the Chinese masses, whom they treat as their leaders instead of Mao. Democracy is a word that sends Xi Jinping into paroxysm of war with its neighbours. He gets relief from his anxiety in the delusion of scoring easy victory knowing well that nothing more than destruction awaits him. The leaders of other countries represent open societies practicing democracy. The myth of Maoism stands blasted. It is no more a panacea for poverty and other ills of a country like China. No other country admires Mao. In contrast, most of the 202 countries of the world are either practicing democracy or are agitating for it, some even in civil war for democracy. The Chinese people have access to all this information, which was withheld from them by the Chinese Communist Party and its government for more than 70 years. Instead the masses were fed disinformation, misinformation and fake news, epitomised by the Global Times and other electronic media controlled by the government. Xi Jinping could not stop this valuable exposure of the Chinese masses, especially the educated youth, to the world scenario. They are more intelligent than Xi Jinping and the CCP consider them. As China wanted to beat capitalist countries by registering higher economic growth, it had to interact with people from other countries and that brought the Chinese in contact with different societies globally. The Chinese industrial products reached world markets and the world of electronics brought world leaders to their homes. Products, ideas and a variety of thoughts from foreign countries also arrived in China. India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a sizable following of the Chinese people on Twitter etc. There are millions of young Chinese admirers of Narendra Modi who love and dream to have democracy in China. By creating war hysteria against India Xi Jinping wants to win back the youth by arousing patriotism though he is clearly on a path of self-destruction. He miscalculated his chances of winning a war against India. He was repeatedly cautioned not to even think of any misadventure. He was reminded that it was not 1962 but 2020, but Xi allowed himself the delusion of the communism of the 1962. In 1962, India was in a friendly mindset towards China, USSR, Vietnam, Korea and other countries struggling to free themselves from the yoke of colonial power and gain freedom. Such noble sentiments were abused by the Chinese leadership in 1962 which became an enemy country instantly. The charm of communism was gone in a moment. The Indian Communist party had to take the severest hit: it was split first and decimated later. Xi Jinping is getting misguided by the Communists of India pursuing their own self-interests in cahoots with the Indian National Congress Party (controlled from outside by the Communists, Evangelists and Jehadis). Driven to craziness, the Chinese President has been seeking friendship with dictators and military regimes like Pakistan as the entire Chinese Communist Party is mortally afraid of democracy. It will be proved in the very first free and fair democratic election in China if it is ever held. Xi Jinping likes Pakistan particularly because both practice dictatorship and treat their masses most inhumanely. People in Pakistan are poor and hungry but the military rulership feeds only illusions of winning the war against India fooling them about Kashmir. It is so funny that Pakistan military had successfully manipulated Xi Jinping to fight their war against India (like a bully in primary school instigating others to pick up a fight and then complain to the class teacher). China was humiliated in Galvan so much that it never revealed the exact number of casualties suffered by it, never publishing their details in the electronic media or Global Times. Xi Jinping’s government humiliated their dead soldiers by cremating them in the dead of the night far away from their homes where no family member was allowed to participate in the last rites of the soldiers. Such inhuman conduct of the Jinping government exhibits the flawed Maoism which is for the prosperity of the Communist Party Leaders and not for the masses. Watching the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the official visit of Xi Jinping to India in October 2019 the Chinese people have adopted the Indian PM’s slogan of SABKA VIKAS, SABKA SAATH, SABKA VISWAS (Development for all, support to everyone, trust of all). That has created so much stress in Xi Jinping that he seeks to destress it by starting a war against India, but Galvan has compelled him to think twice before taking the risk of a sure defeat and economic disaster. China should forget about BRI- it is as good as dead. Xi Jinping had committed the blunder of taking India for granted. He made the same mistake which his predecessors had made in 1962- abusing the warm hospitality of India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hosted a very successful official visit to India by Jinping, his wife and a delegation. He perhaps thought that the Indians were the same 1962 kind (foolish) sentimental people and started acting funny after returning to China. In 2017 Xi Jinping had tested the resolve of Indian people to put some sense in his mind in Doklam. He succumbed to the charming instigations of Pakistan Military Generals to score a winning victory against India and fulfil his dream of BRI by engaging India in Galvan in East Ladakh. Xi Jinping alone is personally responsible for the consequences in the region if it leads to an all-out war. It is costing China millions of Dollars every day for maintaining a huge force of 60,000 soldiers and equipment in the region. India has maintained alertness at its borders and was ready for any situation. China’s instigator Pakistan loses nothing but gains lots of free funds and military equipment from China. It is in illegal occupation of Indian territory in Kashmir and knows that it will lose it soon- it makes business sense to sell it to China instead of India capturing it. Pakistan retains the option of blackmailing Xi (or next President of China) when the kidnapping of prominent workers engaged on BRI projects in Pakistan is engineered by them in collusion with the terrorist forces whom they would like China to use to fill the vacuum created by the withdrawing American forces in the region. The case of Osama Bin Laden who was provided a safe sanctuary in the Army Cantonment in Pakistan should be remembered. The Pakistan Army blackmailed America and received billions of Dollars in aid from them to search and catch Osama Bin Laden. Will they act different with China? China is not ideologically closer to the Pakistan military but is merely a rich customer to be fleeced by seductive rhetoric. It will shift loyalty to America when it gets paid better. China stands severely punished economically after Xi Jinping tried to bully a bold Narendra Modi and a brave India. It has lost more than 40% export trade due to Xi Jinping’s crusades in all fronts against democracies and the affliction of COVID-19 cultured in Wuhan! Xi Jinping fears Indian democracy and by forcing a war dreams of deterring the Chinese masses from starting the second Tiananmen Protests against Xi Jinping and win the civil war over the communist party dictatorship to establish democracy in China.
M L Gupta

DEBATE(1)
In my opinion IFS is good. IAS becomes more influential person and arrogant and egoist due to direct dealing with the public sentiments under the influence of corrupt politicians and becomes habitual to ignore the gentleness of society.
VV Vergese
ISTM : retired employee as consultant for faculty should be avoided
ISTM to engage retired Government employees as Consultants A retired employee as consultant for Administration is perhaps OK. but a retired employee as consultant for faculty should be avoided. Instead an organisation like ISTM should invite visiting faculty from other training institutions. It would be best if some new IIM graduates are brought in, if possible, so that they give the latest knowledge/ information.
Pradeep Kumar
An apt choice
Saroj Punhani: An extremely competent and upright officer. An apt choice.
Surinder Pal

The appellant sought the proceedings and action taken report on his letter dated 12/08/2018 addressed to Sh. Prakash Keshav Javadekar, the then MHRD Minister. The representative of the CPIO submitted that it was only after the receipt of the CIC’s hearing notice that they came to know about the present RTI application. They thoroughly searched all their records but were not able to trace the RTI application, first appeal and even the representations mentioned by the appellant in his RTI application. The appellant submitted that it has been 02 years since he has filed his representation and the RTI Application and after such a long delay, merely stating that the RTI application and the representation are not traceable is making a mockery of the grievance redressal mechanism and also of the RTI Act.
The CIC held that the justification of the representative of the CPIO is not acceptable in toto as it was the fault of the RTI Cell who have failed to attach the relevant documents with the given FTS and it was left blank. The CIC expressed its extreme displeasure at the conduct of the respondent organisation as a whole for such poor handling of the RTI applications and negligence towards the implementation of the RTI Act. The appellant was directed to e-mail the copies of all the relevant documents as referred to in his RTI application to the representative of the CPIO. The CIC also instructed the Secretary, Ministry of Education to relook at the delivery mechanism in vogue in respect of the implementation of the RTI Act and take necessary steps to streamline the system of receiving RTI Applications and First Appeals.
Comments
All public authorities must ensure that the records relating to the RTI Applications and their replies are maintained properly.
Citation: Naresh Mokate v. Ministry of Education in File no.: CIC/MOHRD/A/2019/108482, Date of Decision : 26/10/2020
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 Ministers look graceful but IAS will always remain supreme in this country.
R P Verma
Entrance Examinations
The results of entrance examinations like IIT-JEE main and advanced, NEET2020 for admissions to medical and dental courses have been announced. The results have no doubt made a minority of students and their parents very happy but would have left a large majority shattered and perhaps poorer by a few lacs of rupees. Many coaching centers all over the country are releasing front page ads with photos of their students who have secured top ranks. Certainly felicitations are due to these children.
However, time has come to review the efficacy of these entrance tests. They seem to test only the memory and not the aptitude of the students to pursue such courses. Also very large number of children who cannot afford the high fees charged by the coaching centers or live far away from them are totally denied the opportunity to try their chances. Due to policy of reservation many high scoring children will not be able to gain entry to courses and institutions of their choice, especially Government institutes, And they will not be able to afford the very high fees charged by private institutes, especially in the medical field. Here is a suggestion to cut through all this. Scrap all the entrance tests. Admit all eligible students to courses and institutes of their choice by a computer-run lottery system, keeping of course reservation policy etc. This will at least give an equal and fair chance to every student. No need to attend coaching classes.
Once admitted, treat the first year as a foundation programme and the Institutes should conduct basic courses to bring all the students on par. Children should be regularly assessed through tests, exams etc. and fairly high qualifying levels should be set including for regular attendance. Children not having the aptitude or application should be asked to leave which they may willingly do once they realise that their interests could be elsewhere. Parents also will reconcile to the reality and won’t pressure their children unnecessarily. The remaining ones can pursue the programme. This arrangement will be fair to all aspirants, rich and poor, from urban or rural areas.
S.Raghavan