Whispers Forum

I don’t understand that why a Senior Bureaucrat like Sri R K Srivastava (retd IAS) made a survey between a roaring lion and a sick horse. He should have made a survey between the lion and a strong & healthy horse. As a fan of WIC, I would like to see a Survey between the roaring Lion and a Horse either from outside or within.
Akula
Mastery of Hindi essential
For a successful career in Indian politics, mastery of Hindi language is very useful. Numbers aside, it captures the real ethos of India. Hindi largely touches the Indian ethos, culture, values, ideals, vision and sense of unity. Even aspirants for the highest office in India from other language backgrounds acquire proficiency in Hindi for success. It can be deduced from failures of many non-Hindi speaking background politicians that proficiency in spoken Hindi alone did not help them become party president or Prime Minister. One needs to live India. India means one has to live what one professes. Hindi helps achieve that much for any sincere person. It is no wonder that the ruling dispensation possessing very high proficiency in English has all along been transacting business in English (official and personal too) but never used it for electioneering. It has been Hindi in more than 70% territory and other Indian languages in the rest of India (largely areas so far underserved). It is sinking into the ideology of political parties to resort to more and more use of Hindi for party work and elections. Party leaders of national political parties from non-Hindi speaking areas going for election work and public rallies in Hindi areas use Hindi to garner votes for their candidates. When they use Hindi, their appeal increases due to a new flavour to the language their pronunciation adds naturally. Sometimes a word or a metaphor uttered by them may impress the audiences. Hindi is such a big market that no manufacturer, distributor or seller can afford to ignore. It was 20 years ago that I had predicted the entry of big MNCs in the market using Hindi for reaching out to the consumers and market research. I am happy to see foreign sellers using Hindi, surveys specially conducted for market research to serve consumer taste. Foreign films are now available in Hindi. The point is Hindi has the potential for enormous economic growth, profitable business and vast employment. This potential of Hindi has so far gone unnoticed. It ought not have been. The entire focus has remained on the language aspect, especially around the question whether it can replace English in transaction of official work, education in professional branches like engineering, technology, medicine and law. Had this diffidence been shed with the determination to make it possible to use Hindi with the same felicity we use English for transaction of official work and business, we would not be asking/answering this question. The politics around language apart, no Indian language has been able to develop to that level in the last 75 years. What purpose does such language politics serve? It harms the people generally. It divides the people as the ruling class and the ruled class. English serves that objective. The ruling class corners all the benefits through a single instrument of absolute power of the English language in their hands. It makes the difference between poverty and affluence in our society. It concentrates the national wealth and other assets in the hands of a few who own all political power and control of the economy. Now that harm has been done by such language politics, let us decide to turn the tables on them by making every Indian proficient in English. Those who discourage people from acquiring proficiency in English do so for unlawful gains for self or siblings. English is easier to learn in comparison to Hindi: it has 26 letters in its alphabet in comparison to Hindi which has 52. Our teachers and examinations have made it difficult. Just like mathematics, English has been made difficult and frightening to promote the private coaching industry. High proficiency in English will only strengthen Hindi. Afterwards it will not take more than two years to demolish the myth that Hindi can’t replace English. The process of enrichment of Hindi will only empower it to assimilate knowledge in this information revolution era and digital world. Luckily, Hindi can draw on such a valuable treasure of ideas, expressions and content from Sanskrit and all other Indian languages. It is not because of Article 343 or Part XVII of the Constitution of India or any emotional reason or historic role of Hindi in the Freedom Movement but because it is the right time to give the language its due for economic and developmental vision for the improvement of the conditions of people of India that the need for accelerated development of Hindi is being re-emphasised this Hindi Day 14th September 2022.
M L Gupta

I eagerly look forward to the posts on the whispers in the corridors as you are amongst the first to give a breaking news on bureaucracy. Specifically, Monday is important for the RTI article. The RTI Act had come with a lot of expectations which remain unfulfilled. It is sad to see the gradual decline in the implementation of the RTI Act. The Information Commissioners hardly seem to be fulfilling the role they are expected to play. Even when there is a lapse on the part of the public information officer, they prefer to let him go with just a warning. The RTI Act must be implemented effectively if a significant change is expected. The fear of penalty is necessary if the timelines are to be followed.
Pramod Agrawal
Dignity of retired bureaucrats
This is how retired bureaucrats' dignity is recognized by Modi Govt. What a sad commentary! Seems like India is hurtling towards an unabashedly autocratic regime.
Deepak Gupta

The need to revamp the Civil Services from a single exam entry to a system of periodic merit based organisation is long overdue for India. The Agniveer System currently in progress for the Indian Armed Forces needs to be emulated. A NITIVEER recruitment program is necessary for all AIS services of India. Successful candidates on joining the Civil Services need to be reviewed for performance after 5 years, 10 years and 20 years intervals. As in the Agniveer program a process of merit based performance needs to be tested for each person recruited in the NITIVEER program. A 25 % retention basis of the best candidates should be implemented. The candidates who are not successful should be given a chance to enter States Civil Services. The State Civil Services today are languishing from lack of people properly trained at top institutions like LBS. The New India revival launched in the country needs candidates from Young Indians in each state of our country. NITIVEER trained youngsters will be the backbone of this new thinking. A time to revamp the Civil Services of India has arrived.
Devindra

I am in complete agreement with AK Saxena about his views on ‘Narcissistic civil servants’ bragging in social media about their achievements etc in social media on various platforms. I fail to understand why GOI is silent on this issue. The officer can't brag or take full credit of his achievements as it is the collective effort of the team he leads. Also it is in violation of the CCS conduct rules too, entering social media for official achievements is exactly like meeting the press, print media, TV media etc, as per provisions contained in the CCS conduct rules you need specific permission from head of department, sometimes even Minister in charge. It seems either the dispensation has closed the eyes or it is being promoted by the dispensation itself, if so, then CCS conduct rules provisions in this regard need be amended, failing which today senior officers, tomorrow juniors too will start posting or bragging their contributions on social media, a never ending process. In the long run it would damage the provisions of the Official Secrets Act too. The Government of India must act fast before it is too late. We need clearly defined guidelines and laws for government servants about their contributions to social media, before it is too late
Harish Kumar

The representative of the Complainant submitted that he has received the information and he further expressed his satisfaction with the same. The respondent submitted that earlier at the time of filing of the RTI Application, the averred information was not found therefore, the same was not furnished to the Complainant, but the same was later on found and provided to the Complainant on 04.05.2022 in another case bearing CIC file no. CIC/NIOPS/A/2021/696773. The CIC observed that though the Respondent has provided adequate information to the Complainant, the same was heedlessly denied on the first instance, which raises a doubt of existence of malafide intention in denial of averred information by the Respondent. Taking a grave exception to such unmindful and heedless approach of the Respondent while dealing with the instant RTI Application, the CIC admonished such conduct directed the Respondent to furnish a written explanation regarding the above conduct in the instant matter within a time frame of 21 days from the date of receipt of this order.
Comments
The RTI Act, 2005 provides a strict timeline for providing the reply to the applicant failing which penal action can be initiated against the PIO.
Citation: Jatinder Singh v. National Institute of Open Schooling in Complaint No. CIC/NIOPS/C/2021/622506, Date of Decision: 01.09.2022
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

The civil servants mostly retired or re-employed after superannuation, belonging to 1950's, 60's and 70's batches of the last millennium share the perception that there has been a downslide in the quality of civil services over the last several decades. The much hyped “steel frame of civil services", Patel's favourite expression, is losing its sheen. The steel frame is totally rusted and tin-twisted. Public remains the worst sufferer. What has gone wrong? Is the pattern of recruitment flawed? Selection, a number game. Cut off is vacancy-based. Weightage of interviews (PTs in UPSC parlance) is low. No minimum qualifying cut-off for PTs. It was prevalent when I wrote the IAS etc exam in 1971. In other words, an aspirant under existing dispensation, could still top the UPSC merit list despite low marks in PT. The general impression has been that intra- and inter- services animosity among organised services increased due to multi-layered hierarchy, based on inter se seniority. The issue became more pronounced in the elite services especially, the IAS and IPS. Are they public servants or masters? The veterans ( belonging to 1950's, 60's and 70's batches) share the perception of increasing deterioration in the quality of civil services. Corruption, it is believed by veterans, started increasing during the 1980s,of course in collusion with the corrupt, notorious politicians with little or no respect for bureaucracy and endowed with massive, vague discretionary powers. No transparency, no accountability. The present bureaucrats instead of imbibing the rare qualities of ICS, their distant cousins, discovered it more fruitful to be politically pliable for getting plush postings, protection from punishment for indulging in unethical practices. So, instead of squarely blaming the politicians,70% bureaucrats must also own the responsibility for poor governance. This is the view expressed by a senior IAS officer of 1960 vintage in his memoirs. I wrote the IAS etc examination in 1971. Things were quite different, then. Having served in UPSC at a critical position, I had tendered evidence to a high -powered committee in UPSC for reforms. I am not aware of what happened thereafter. But, corruption continues to grow with vengeance. The spineless, pliant bureaucrats and their political masters have vested interests in maintaining the status quo. Another shocker. While interacting with some veteran IAS officers( retired as States' Chief Secretaries and Addl Chief Secretaries), I found their main grievance was that they have no powers and that all powers vest with the IPS officers ,of course, with political support. Mutual admiration club! Addl chief secretaries enjoy more powers than their chief secretaries. Worse, SHO, SP, SSP enjoy huge powers due to close proximity with politicians. I say it with malice towards none. So,in ultimate analysis, the spineless, politically pliant, corrupt, ambitious bureaucrats and their political masters are responsible for poor performance of the State they are encadred with. DOP&T and UPSC are helpless in reforming the system. Decisions are taken without a consultative mechanism. Media is self-seeking. No option. We have to stoically learn to live with the system.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

Some UPSC toppers have been habitually uploading personal videos on You Tube, either in self praise of their beauty, pride in getting salutes from IPS, for name and fame. Some take pride in slapping their poor official juniors in full public view. As I write the column, the personal videos of the elite bureaucracy continue to get viral, attracting " viewers' likes" resulting in undeserved and unearned income. Arrogance, snobbery, conceit, deeply rooted in their psyche. For some reasons, officers in DOP&T, their incompetent seniors ,even ministers, turn a blind eye. Worse still, no one in the PMO bothers to inform PM Modi. There is an immediate need for psychiatric intervention for such wayward behaviour of bureaucrats. All at government cost for treating their mercurial temperament, especially the arrogance of the elite bureaucracy. One wonders to what extent the introduction of 360 degree performance appraisal, will help? Should the elites be addressed as civil servants, public servants or public masters ? Sevaks,sevadaars or Maliks? Is the recruitment process flawed or the training modules at LBSNAA and other dedicated training institutes? How could the DOP&T overlook the ongoing non-stop nonsense?
A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)

I can't add more to it on views expressed by Sandeep Shukla regarding recruitment scams in various states, unluckily political leaders who really create a womb to these scams to lay eggs of mountain money, walk Scot free, government servants who out of compulsion submit to verbal instructions of political leaders, suffer infinite. The only solution to this is exams online with a laid down standards & quality. The exam should not have any date, it should be a continued process, you score the required percentage and wait in queue for employment. It should be like GRE, GMAT, SATI SATII lines, no of chances be dispensed with, only age be defined for all posts. It should be uniformly applied in States and Centre, even for preliminary examination of civil service too be done on similar lines. Certainly it would improve quality and standards, provided, of course online exam is based on face recognition system. We need revolutionary reforms in recruitment.
Harish Kumar

INS Vikrant was part of the Indian Navy from 1961 to 1997 when it was phased out as it had outlived its normal life. Its process of scrap & research for Indian made started. RDSO Defence Ministry and Indian Navy made all out efforts to achieve this feat from 1997 to 2013. It took another one years from 2013 to 2022 to fully bring it into actual shape. Hats off to all involved and salutes to each team member. Mind it India has walked this wonderful journey in 75 years where all of us small elements of largest democracy as a voter contribute.
Harish Kumar