Whispers Forum

DEBATE
The IAS from MP cadre who voiced that there are several bureaucrats who serve the politicians for their selfish needs is absolutely true. This has been happening since decades without a sign of it being stopped. Their education means nothing and they become shameless during their service so much that they stoop to any level to please their political masters. In Maharashtra, there are many such officers who have been rewarded with post retirement postings which ultimately costs the exchequer. Shameless people.
Ashok K Menon, Mumbai
Interference unwarranted
Interference by DM is unwarranted. It is not in the spirit of the Apex Court judgement which prescribes internal autonomy to the police.
Somesh Goyal
Rita Teotia is ideal person
Ms Rita Teotia is the ideal candidate. She is the chosen Commerce Secretary. Any IAS officer of Gujarat cadre would be able to handle CCI effectively.
V Kumar

Does this gentleman, by the name of AK Saxena, know the working of Deepali Rastogi? By treating Deepali and Faisal differently, after allegedly committing the same offence, the government may deepen the differences between Kashmir with the rest of the country.
ABC
Waistline of Natraj
It was during the Governor's rule in the turbulent Punjab ,some decades back, that a very prominent classical dancer was invited to perform at Jalandhar. Jalandhar kalasangam,a society headed by the divisional commissioner, often painstakingly organized such cultural shows at grand scale. In the first meeting, almost all the district heads of the various important departments, were made to participate. Sub- committees, as usual, were constituted to make arrangements for the success of the show. I was made member of some of the committees and immediate job assigned to me was to select the venue. It was felt that the show must be held inside a cinema hall, where ready-made stage would be available for the performance. At the time of site selection visit, only district public relations officer, was left to accompany me, as others had very plausible excuses for better works. Though the city had about ten cinemas, only Sant cinema, had reportedly the stage for such performance. Most of the new cinemas had slanting structures near the screen. It was an old cinema hall, which did not have the curtains in front of the screen and most of the front-line chairs were broken. The flooring etc was also shabby. All these shortcomings were duly reported to the deputy commissioner and the the commissioner. A meeting of the officers was convened immediately in the cinema hall. The owner was also called. Each item was discussed threadbare as the chief secretary was to be the chief guest of this function. The owner agreed to get the first three rows of chairs repaired. The fixing of the curtain was entrusted to the lucrative departments .The cleanliness and repairs of flooring was also entrusted to the municipal corporation and the PWD respectively. It was also decided that the portrait of Natraj, the God of dancing, would be prominently displayed in the lobby of the cinema
On the day of the performance, it was decided that in the morning wives of Commissioner, deputy commissioner and some other prominent ladies would inspect the arrangements. All officers were present during their visit. The team of ladies stood around the portrait of Natraj. Most of them appreciated the painter ,who had prepared it. Suddenly, all started looking at the face of one very well known person. This handsome man was prominent member of all the cultural committees of the district and performed repeatedly at the Doordarshan and the All India Radio. He was very politely and artistically telling the wife of the Commissioner,''Mam,please look at the waist of the deity,is not it protruding conspicuously.He added in punjabi also 'Natraj da lakk mota lagda hai (Natraj has a bulging waistline).''The lady looked critically at the portrait and very empirically and impetuously remarked, ''Yes, yes, of course! who has brought this ugly portrait ? ''I looked at the district public relations officer and he very worryingly at me. I timidly ventured to say, ''Mam, Natraj has a standard portrait and its waistline is always like this''. I was already very tired because all burden of the function had been put on me and many a times ,i was made to answer midnight jittery calls of the worried officers. My gentle words made the lady more angry and she said, ''It has to be replaced and must be done forthwith.'' I could say, ''mam, the function is to start at 6pmand it is already 1 pm. It will be impossible to replace it''. ''You will have to do it, I will tell my husband''. She put me under the threat of person, whom we knew as a very unreasonable person. I felt like leaving this job, which was considered a premier service of the state. After half an hour , i got a call at cinema manager's number from the PA of the commissioner, who told me that commissioner had desired that the Natraj portrait must be changed. I discussed the matter with the district public relations officer. He told me something in my ear. At 3pm, I rang up the commissioner and told him that the Natraj's portrait has been changed as per madam's directions. We told a blatant lie and incidentally it saved me from the wrath of two robots. Till day , whenever i come across that cultural czar, who pointed out Natraj's bulging waistline, I look the other way.
Surinderjit Singh Sandhu, Amritsar

The appellant sought the names of all beneficiaries including pregnant and lactating women at Anganwadi Centre situated at a particular village but did not get any response from the public authority. The CIC directed the PIO of Ministry of WCD to issue necessary guidelines for voluntary disclosures as per the mandate under Section 4 of RTI Act for the guidance of all Child Development Project Officers, ICDS Project to provide complete information voluntarily on their websites, which would eventually benefit the appellant also. The CIC directed that all CDPOs of ICDS project all over the country to voluntarily publish the month-wise expenditure incurred for functioning and maintenance of Anganwadi centres, names of the beneficiaries, details of benefits regularly on their website and display the printed copies conspicuously on notice board.
Comments
Though the State Governments directly monitor and supervise the functioning of Anganwadi centres, this massive programme receives around 50% of the funds (Rs. 16,000 crores approximately) from the Central Government. Section 4(1)(b) of RTI Act, clause (xii) mandates voluntary disclosure of the manner of execution of subsidy programs, including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programs; and under clause (xiii) the particulars of recipients of concessions, permits or authorizations granted by it. Therefore, it is the mandatory duty of the every public authority to disclose complete details of money spent on subsidy program like that of the ICDS on Anganwadies including the details of each individual beneficiary of this program.
Citation: : Myathari Janardhan v. PIO, MOWCD in CIC/MOWCD/A/2017/166012 Date of Decision – 10.07.2018
Dr. Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is the co-author of the books: RIGHT TO INFORMATION – LAW AND PRACTICand PIO’s guide to RTI. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at - http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/

DEBATE
“Have the bureaucrats become slaves of their political masters for petty gains?”
The motion is partially correct. But, a sweeping generalization would be unjust and unfair. There are outstanding officers in civil services, who are worthy of inspiring emulation. Criticism of senior bureaucrats of MP by one Deepali Rastogi, a 1994 batch IAS officer, is well-deserved. In another recent instance, one Shah Faesal, IAS ( 2009 , J&K) lambasted his seniors and the system for not exercising freedom of conscience. His offence is far graver as he labelled India as “Rapistaan”. The Govt of India is within its right to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the two officers by invoking the statutory Conduct Rules. These emotional outbursts arise out of intolerance and impulsive nature.
The pliability and malleability of senior bureaucrats to please politicians has been there all along. The tendency gathers pace as bureaucrats approach retirement. They please corrupt politicians during service period in order to get coveted post-retirement assignments like governorships, nomination to legislatures, memberships UPSC, CEC, ambassadorial assignments, heads of superfluous committees and commissions etc. No one is willing to come out of comfort zone. They get addicted to a particular life style and they can go to any extent to maintain it. Such Politico-bureaucratic- nexus exist both at Centre and the States. All bureaucrats are unanimous on this. The retired ones, who are academically inclined, prefer to pen down their unsavoury experiences with politicians. They open their third eye and write memoirs cursing politicians.
Whatever one may say, the civil servant must learn to say no to politicians and take all precautions to effectively defend their career interests instead of blindly carrying out orders. Sudden outbursts by relatively junior civil servants, will pass off with time. They will be show-caused and awarded penalties invoking Conduct Rules. Politicians are incorrigible and will always remain supreme. All things considered, we require a strong political Will to cleans the “Animal farms” of all sorts of dodgy characters. There is a need to do away with all discretionary powers enjoyed by the political masters and bureaucrats in collusion with big business houses.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

DEBATE
The particular MP cadre officer has written about IAS officers and not civil servants...please make amends...​
Not that the other civil servants are without blemishes, but they get no opportunity to bare their souls before the political masters of the country to prove their love for them ! As a result -They get no perks either !!
The benign Assistant Secretary- to the DM -to the Secretary -the pilgrims' progress runs through the crevices of the Nation's destiny!
God in the heavens and IAS officers on the bosom of our beloved motherland ensure that the their "will" be done no matter what!
Our country must hold on to the caste, class and stratified social structures including its' civil service edifice, that have lasted generations, despite a Buddha, Mahavir, Kabir, Gandhi and other beacons of compassion and humanitarianism embedded in the bedrock, we participate in Democracy as vote banks!
The entire civil services and IAS at its apex is another citadel of the patriarchal structure-it is marked by chauvinism, parochialism and regimentation beautifully woven together!
We have learnt to live with such systems, so much so, that there is no yearning to change...
The French Revolution decimated the monarchy and reinforced the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity...
Our Independence movement consolidated the hold of Macaulay over the hearts and minds of Indians for generations -a regressive civil services and an education system that does not enlighten but enslaves us...
The benevolent Indian assimilates the invader and the tyrant-we accept ignominy and injustice as a portion of our "prarabdh" akin to the phenomenon of accidental birth as destiny!!
The question to be asked is-why does an Engineer, a Doctor, a Scientist abandon her/his stream to become an IAS?
Chinmayee

DEBATE
I am of the view that IAS officers should be permitted to express social conscience. An elite group of IAS officers should express their views in country's interest from time to time instead of stifling the freedom of conscience. There is nothing wrong if any IAS officer raises misdeeds and misconducts at upper level.
Rajesh Kumar
Banks should act clean
Haircut means Mundan for the taxpayers 9,00,000 Crores is a huge sum of NPAs. It means the loss is to be borne by the taxpayers through direct and indirect taxes. This is not the last liability. Defaulters, really international conman like Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, will be born time and again. The market slogan seems to be: Tum do pakdoge, to do sau paida ho jaayenge; Hum banko ko lootenge, Tum hamko pakad nahi paoge. Banks are obliged to act clean. They can’t join the looters by sanctioning loans to the unviable projects without doing complete scrutiny. The fact that these looters don’t go to private banks should raise the hackles of the bankers and demand thorough scrutiny of all the project parameters rather than taking on face value the projections of investment, return, employment, viability and profits. The background of the borrowers must be checked by the bank staff rather than private agencies.
M L Gupta

DEBATE
So far, no one has succeeded in challenging the might of the IAS. They are a formidable behemoth-the other civil servants feel timid before them. The political bosses also feel incapable of turning the tide -it serves them to be status quo-ist! Efficient networking, frequent training sessions in Mussoorie and a well planned strategy of keeping their ilk on all the crucial positions in the Bureaucracy ensures that they behave like a syndicate! If they are at the STS level or JAG level, they get posted not as Director but as a PS to a Minister-be it housing, foreign training, accolades for good work done by others, awards on Civil Services day, deputations to International institutions-all so called "privileges" are for the twice born Brahmins of Bureaucracy. How can officers at the helm of affairs inspire confidence in the system if they themselves perpetuate feudal mindsets, a system of patronage and unfair rules of the game !
Mrigank Puneet

DEBATE
I reckon that the article penned by an MP cadre IAS officer, Mrs Dipali Rastogi and carried by a national daily is praiseworthy. She raises the misdemeanours of IAS officers during their service periods. Mrs Rastogi rightly says that the officers, who join India’s apex Indian Administrative Service (IAS), keep the nation’s interest at bay and pay more attention to their own welfare. Besides, they also buckle under political pressure and act at the whims of politicians. The article serves as a timely reminder of how political and bureaucratic scenario would be in coming years. It is a wake-up call for the government and people.
Sunil Kumar
Time for taking strong action against those who disrespect India
The time is now for taking strong action against all those elements, who disrespect India in some form or other. The students of Kashmir University who kept sitting, should be identified, prosecuted and their degrees should be cancelled , with a strong message that such things anywhere will not be tolerated, notwithstanding the shouting bout by tukre tukre gang and their supporters, political and others. If no action is taken, it will demoralise those who are law abiding, and their faith in the government will also diminish, as the government will be perceived to be weak, and unable to stand up to bullying. This is not what the supporters of the government had voted for.
S Chatterjee

DEBATE
J Sundara Sekhar, 1983-batch officer - who was serving Bengal since 1985 - took voluntary retirement in November 2013, from the post of secretary, West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC), and joined politics as a member of YSR Congress.
Making Unnecessary Reference
Really complex and critical cases remain unresolved even after inter-ministerial consultations among the administrative ministry, personnel, finance and others which creates a situation of maximum confusion with minimum clarity. Ultimately Law ministry is consulted, which only adds to the complexity. Should the decision be not taken by the ministry required to decide the matter instead of roping others in the process under the misconception that they have all the answers to all the doubts? Should the parliament not decide constitutional matters, abnegating its mandate and throw everything at the doors of the courts? The court has done what the wise always do: sent it back to all stakeholders with a tick to some part and a cross to another. To make sense of it, the parties are free to go to the court on a case to case basis! How long will the legislature play such a game? It has to lay down in clear terms the powers and processes of all the layers in the hierarchy so that there is no abuse of authority by one or the other. Language of the political class needs great improvement unless chaos is the goal.
M L Gupta
A welcome step
If government is considering utilising the services of D K Mittal (ex Secretary Financial Services)'s for some post retirement job, it is a welcome step. On an absolutely objective assessment, Mittal is an outstanding officer. So is Anil Swarup, Secretary Education who is due to retire. An equally outstanding officer, he services could also be utilised.
Vijay Kumar

DEBATE (1)
Dr Amar Singh former Principal Secretary to Madhya Pradesh CM, Digvijay Singh has joined Congress in Punjab. He is former 1981 batch IAS officer.
Rajan Singh
Take officers from other services
If the number of empanelled officers from 1989 batch of IAS for Addl. Secretary are less, why not take officers from other services. Officers from 1987 and 1988 batch of other services are still to be empanelled. I am sure Government will find bright officers from these batches. On the other hand, promoting 1990 batch of IAS without considering 1987 & 1988 batches (having 3 & 2 years seniority over 1990 batch) will be demoralizing.
Raj
Will fight feudalistic mindset IAS officers
I am a CSS Officer of Deputy Secretary rank for the select list of 2012. I have been denied my due promotion on 01.07.2017 as Director on account of the whims of fancies of the then Secretary-DOP&T of IAS. I have obtained through RTI a lot of information about the misdeeds and corrupt activities of then officer. I have also obtained a lot of information through RTI about other IAS officers relating to misuse of office perks & facilities (especially misuse of vehicles). Very soon I am going to retire un-promoted. But I am not going to sit idle. I will break the 'reed ki haddi' of these feudalistic mindset IAS bureaucrats. I am ready to put my some personal money and life also at stake for that.
BBS

The appellant asked information regarding the procedure of inquiry against a bank official of Central Bank of India and other details etc from the PIO, Reserve Bank of India. On appeal , the FAA advised the appellant to file a fresh RTI application to the Central Bank of India. Before the CIC, the RBI stated that since the information pertaining to the procedure of inquiry against a bank official of Central Bank of India and other details of a particular bank employee was sought, the information ought to be available with the Central Bank of India. However, inadvertently the RTI application was not transferred to the PIO, Central Bank of India. The respondent tendered his unconditional apology for this lapse and requested the Commission to condone the same. The CIC counselled the PIO to be more careful in future, so that such lapses do not recur. The CIC also directed the PIO to transfer the RTI application along with a copy of the Commission’s decision to the PIO, Central Bank of India within a period of two weeks under intimation to the appellant.
Comments
As per Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, where an application is made to a public authority but the subject matter of the RTI application pertains to another public authority, the PIO of the public authority receiving the RTI application has to transfer the same to the public authority concerned.
Citation: : Riaz Ahmed vs. Reserve Bank of India in Decision No. CIC/RBIND/A/2017/195214, dated 18.06.2018
Dr. Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is the co-author of the books: RIGHT TO INFORMATION – LAW AND PRACTICand PIO’s guide to RTI. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at - http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/

DEBATE
R G Nandi
Be not proud, dear Vanity!
She was a young teacher in a distant border village, where she had started feeling uncomfortable for the last three months, as the new Principal concentrated on discipline and dedicated teaching, by leading from the front. Earlier she would go to the school once in a while. The former principal, even used to send her salary to her house. All these liberties and so called privileges she enjoyed, were because of her husband's clout as a middle-rung officer and his resourcefulness. But the new principal went on doing his work nonchalantly, in spite of her having made abortive attempts to influence him, and also throwing veiled threats of the clout of her husband. Her husband had also intermittently met him and tactfully tried to intimidate him with the fear of his transfer to an inhospitable place, but without any fruitful results.
One fine morning she came to the school with a box of motichoor ladoos. Her husband had been selected in the provincial civil services with a very high merit. She went to meet the Principal last of all. More than distribution of the sweet, she was on the spree to influence the Principal for getting back her lost glory of absenteeism. Principal very smilingly congratulated her and continued doing his work ,as if nothing had happened. While sharing ladoos with her colleagues ,she repeatedly said, ''Now I will see him-this Hitler of a man. ''It took about a year for her husband to join the new service, but Principal remained entwined to his duty and discipline, not allowing anyone any undue liberty. In the meanwhile she had got her life lifestyle and hairstyle changed by trimming her hair, getting a scooter, distancing herself from her colleagues, and not speaking in punjabi. She got herself transferred to the station and school of her choice, when her husband got first appointment as executive magistrate. She resumed her old ways of getting salary at her house, without doing any work.
In those days it used to take five to eight years for a PCS officer to become sub divisional magistrate. Since we were friends, we used to meet very often. And on such occasions, she would invariably repeat that her husband was a very honest person and would never go to a politician for any favour and least for transfer etc. However, it may be a sheer coincidence that he got appointment as SDM much before his batchmates. During that period ,she had met my wife and said, ''Tusi vi apne husband nu kaho ke oh vi kite SDM lagg jaan, tusi apne aap sub division di first lady bann jaoge. ''My wife one day asked me, ''Eh first lady bann ke ki hunda a?'' Then she told me the context of this query. I told her, ''I know nothing of it except that we refer to wife of the President of the Republic and that of Governor of a state as first lady''. Later on we came to know that as president of the ladies' club of the sub division, she would be amused ,when she was addressed as 'first lady of the sub division'. This would often bring her in conflict with the wives of the deputy superintendent of police and sub divisional judicial magistrate. So, she became first lady of the district in her own way, when her husband was put as deputy commissioner of a district, after about two decades of service
A young officer was posted as divisional commissioner whose wife was very conscious of her status and wore it all over her as a perfume. She was president of the Officers' wives club there and on her first visit to the club, five officers were also kept standing around to match her ego. The secretary of the club was the wife of a highly learned and intellectually sound senior PCS officer, who was posted as settlement commissioner. She was cultured lady of very high dignity. In the welcome address to the divisional commissioner's wife, the lady secretary, addressed her by her name, without using prefixes and suffixes of proverbial bureaucratic sycophancy. Commissioner's wife did not hide that she was not amused and twisted her facial muscles furiously to make it known around. The ladies in the sycophancy semi- circle were alarmed. When the snacks were being served ,the secretary was called by the ladies in this semi- circle in utter timidity in front of the ferociously arrogant lady president. In a very angry voice, she confronted the secretary, ''Don't you know I am the wife of the youngest commissioner of India and the first lady of the Division . Why did you not mention it? What do you think of yourself? After all, I am commissioner's wife!'' The graceful secretary was taken aback as she was so aggressively, arrogantly and suddenly insulted. She spontaneously retorted with commensurate bravado, ''What is it if you are commissioner's wife, I am also settlement commissioner's wife''!It is another matter that after a few days her husband was posted as district officer removal of grievances in a equally unimportant district ,despite the fact that he had already worked as Additional deputy commissioner of a important district. This ladies' vanity fairs and self proclaimed hierarchy still continues with somewhat diminished intensity and ferociousness.
Surinderjit Singh Sandhu , Amritsar