Whispers Forum

Anganwadi workers can become elected public representatives in India under certain conditions. An Anganwadi worker is not considered to hold an "office of profit" under Article 191(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, hence she can contest the election for MLA or Member of Legislative Council (MLC).[1] The Supreme Court of India has also clarified in various judgments that Anganwadi workers are not government employees and do not hold offices of profit, making them eligible to contest elections [1, 2, 3]. However, it is important to note that if elected, they will have to follow the Model Code of Conduct and relevant government rules.
Aditya Kumar
Same 2012 batch CAPF ACs in CRPF are still assistant commandants with no promotion till date, while the same batch IPS officers have gotten 4 promotions to DIGP rank. Wow !
A Visitor

1. Election result
BJP won 207 of 294 seats, ending 15 years of TMC rule. Suvendu Adhikari became Chief Minister. Mamata Banerjee lost her own Bhabanipur seat to Suvendu, and even her home ward Kalighat flipped to BJP.
2. TMC’s internal trouble
After the rout, TMC faces reports of defections. Political circles in Delhi and Kolkata are discussing that 8 of TMC’s 10 Rajya Sabha MPs may join BJP, following a pattern seen with AAP earlier. Many TMC MLAs skipped party meetings, and there’s open questioning of Mamata’s leadership after the Bhabanipur loss. CPI(M) leaders say TMC is “melting down faster than ice” and aim to fill the opposition space.
3. Current clashes
- Mamata’s line :She’s aggressively targeting BJP and the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls. She’s threatened to bring down the central BJP government if any genuine voter’s name is deleted, and accused BJP of trying to “loot Bengal’s land and erase its identity”.
- BJP’s response: BJP has filed complaints against Mamata for alleged MCC violations and blamed TMC workers for attacks on BJP workers. Suvendu Adhikari has said Mamata is “unfit to hold a constitutional post”.
4. Violence and accusations
Clashes broke out in Shibpur, Howrah right after results. BJP claimed victory came from “unity of Sanatanis,” while TMC accused BJP of using 5-star vehicles and rallies to dominate politics.
5. National angle
Post-election, Mamata has revived calls for opposition unity, saying parties should act like “free birds.” She didn’t rule out a merger with Congress, fueling further speculation.
In short: BJP is in power in Bengal for the first time, TMC is in damage-control mode, and the fight now centers on voter-list revisions, law and order, and political defections.
Aditi

PM is setting a bad example in leadership …. In a business or corporate or any system if a person is not performing repeatedly then he is removed. Here he has created more than enough damage to kids' futures!
Girishkj
Incorrect facts
The facts of the case demonstrate that incorrect facts were provided by IOCL, especially as the SDM's certificate was also on records. The CIC is the principal body entrusted with ensuring transparency and accountability. It should take upon itself the verification of the facts. The IOCL vigilance branch should have been directed to examine the facts instead of making the RTI applicant do the work.
Udham Singh

The appellant filed a complaint with Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) regarding an un-authorized building pointing out violation of Map Sanction, Fire N.O.C., safety norms, illegal use of basement for academic tuition center, International Restaurant, Banquet Hall and meeting hall etc. He filed an application under the RTI Act seeking action taken report. For most of the information, the PIO replied that the information does not pertain to Building Department. The First Appellate Authority held that the PIO, should have transferred the RTI application to the concerned department and directed to transfer the RTI application to whom the information is more closely related within 07 days from the receipt of this order. The CIC observed that the issue raised by the Appellant is not merely a private grievance but one of serious public concern. The Appellant appears to have attempted to draw the attention of the MCD towards rampant unauthorized construction, illegal commercial activities, unsafe use of basements, congestion, and violations of fire and safety norms and such applications are in the nature of public alerts. The CIC noted with concern that neither Section 6(3) nor Section 5(4) of the RTI Act, 2005 has been properly invoked within time frame by the Respondent. The replies furnished are evasive in nature. The PIO was duty-bound either to transfer the RTI application promptly under Section 6(3) at the initial stage or to seek assistance from the concerned officers under Section 5(4) of the RTI Act and thereafter provide a consolidated and meaningful reply to the Appellant. Merely shifting responsibility by repeatedly stating “information does not pertain to this department” defeats the spirit and mandate of the RTI Act and cannot be countenanced by the Information Commission. The CIC directed the PIO to obtain the requisite information from the concerned departments/offices by invoking Section 5(4) of the RTI Act and to provide a revised, clear, and point-wise reply to the Appellant on all the queries raised in the RTI application, strictly in accordance with the provisions of the RTI Act. The CIC strongly advised the MCD to introspect, streamline inter-departmental coordination, and ensure that complaints and RTI applications highlighting potential public hazards are treated with the seriousness they deserve.
Comments
Illegal commercial activities and unsafe use of basements has led to loss of life in many accidents. As rightly pointed out by the CIC, such RTI applications are in the nature of public alerts and municipal corporations should introspect and streamline inter-departmental coordination failing which such incidents would recur.
Citation: Arvind Kumar v. Municipal Corporation of Delhi, File No: CIC/MCDND/A/2024/118670; Date of Decision: 22.01.2026
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com

After 31 years at Indian Oil Corporation, I discovered a rule many PSU employees confront only at exit:
Resign — and post-retirement medical benefits end entirely.
Retire normally or take VRS — and they continue for life.
Same employee. Same service. Different treatment based only on mode of exit.
This structure exists across several Maharatna and Navratna PSUs. It belongs to an era of lifetime employment, when leaving a PSU was viewed as disloyalty. That world no longer exists.
Today’s professionals move between government, PSU and private sector roles through their careers. But PSU benefit structures still discourage mobility.
The unintended consequences are significant:
• Senior employees delay exits even when growth has plateaued.
• Younger talent finds promotion pipelines blocked.
• Employees become risk-averse and reluctant to challenge poor decisions.
• Weak management survives because exit costs are too high.
• Institutions lose long-term goodwill from experienced alumni.
A simple reform can change this:
Link post-retirement medical eligibility to years of service, not mode of exit.
Employees who have served decades should not lose all medical security merely because they resigned instead of superannuating.
The fiscal impact would be modest if actuarially planned. The institutional gains — better mobility, healthier leadership renewal, and stronger employer credibility — would be far larger.
PSUs spend heavily on leadership programmes and employer branding. Yet one outdated rule quietly undermines both.
The wall around the PSU exit door may be invisible, but it is costing institutions some of their best people.
— Pradeep Chhabra
Just merging demerging
Nowadays politics have become a joke. Nothing about development just merging demerging for their own development
Shweta

Let Sunetra merge with BJP then the NCP(SP) will become the real NCP. Let Shinde merge his SS with BJP. Then SS(UBT) will become the real SS. At the end, the ECI will look like a waste paper basket .
HT
Reject proposal
I think bjp must reject this proposal. Otherwise bjp will lose lot of votes
Anupam
BJP’s mastermind plan
This is BJP’s mastermind plan — to break all regional parties and then merge them into the BJP. In the future, only BJP will remain as the single party, and no one will be left to oppose it.
Keshav

I would love to see Sanyal as the Finance Minister of West Bengal.
A Dasgupta
Good economist
Yes Bengal needs good economist to revive it's industrial base
AGK
Excellent choice
I think that would be excellent choice and he should be there for longer period
AHK
Mix of both worlds
No, coz he doesn't understand the rural dynamics of Bengal. Bengal needs someone who can bring me a mix of both worlds: the business world, coupled with an agriculture-driven economy. He would be better as minister of trade, commerce and industries. He hasn't travelled to rural Bengal. Kolkata is Bengal through his lens.
Saha

The appellant sought information about proximity of proposed retail outlet of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) with respect to other buildings. Referring to the SDM's investigation report mentioning the existence of residential buildings within the proximity of the proposed petrol pump, he claimed that the map submitted by IOCL to various government bodies indicates the presence of 100 meters of open land around the site. This contradiction raises concerns about the accuracy and integrity of the information provided by IOCL. The respondent submitted that the RTI application is in the nature of a grievance and the appellant has not disclosed any public interest for seeking the information. The respondent submitted that the appellant has raised complaints with them and they have duly replied to his complaints. The CIC observed that the respondent did not give an appropriate reply to the appellant and directed to provide a revised point-wise reply. Further, the CIC directed to provide information such as the Vigilance Inquiry Procedure for willful misrepresentation of facts or willful concealment of material facts in the drawing and documents.
Comments
The PIO should be careful while replying to an application and must ensure that the information provided is strictly as per records. Contradictory information indicates malafide intent and defeats the objective of transparency.
Citation: Anirudha Dhanik v. Indian Oil Corporation Limited, File No: CIC/IOCLD/C/2024/641662/A; Date of Decision: 23-01-2026
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Vishakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books PIO’s Guide to RTI and Right to Information – Law and Practice. Her weekly article is being published since 2008 on this site. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and third party audit to individuals / organisations. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation at the link https://www.rtifoundationofindia.com