Whispers Forum

DEBATE(1)
Very true Rajsekhar. But why should we compare them at all? Modi is today the tallest leader in India. Rahul Gandhi is a non entity.
AK
DEBATE (2)
In the present political scenario, the debate topic has no relevance.
R D Bajpai
Who will be new Chairman of CERC?
Hope a technocrat becomes the Chairman of the Authority. There are very many eminent electrical engineers in the country and they should get the opportunity without fail.
K Srinivasa Rao

DEBATE (1)
Whether it is Rahul, or Mamata or Kejriwal against Modi or all of them collectively against Modi result will remain the same Modi returns in 2024. How can anyone think of such a comparison ?
Madhu
DEBATE (2)
Opposition is very strong but Congress is scattered due to the leadership crisis. The Modi government is a big failure in so many ways.
Harpal Singh
In praise of new LG of Delhi
For the first time the Modi government appointed a man V K Saxena with proven capability outside the traditional coterie of people from politics and bureaucracy to the post of Lt Governor of Delhi. I do not know him personally but he has shown his capabilities in abundance in Khadi turn over. In my book ‘Quest for Civility’ which I sent to the Prime Minister, I have requested the Prime Minister if India wants to progress we need reforms and break the ring that surrounds the power centre and thus prevent use of a vast talent available in the country.
V K Bahuguna

Off late, protesters all over the country are blocking national/state highways to highlight their grievances. Yesterday, Delhi-Gurgaon roads were blocked by protestors seeking to raise an AHIR regiment in the Army. This caused a lot of inconvenience to thousands of commuters. Last year farmers blocked highways connecting Delhi-Gurgaon and Delhi-UP for nearly a year. While people have the right to protest against the Government(s) policies, they have no right to block roads etc and cause inconvenience to others. The Government of India should make a Law to regulate such protests. No protest on national/State highways, important roads within capital cities etc. should be permitted.
S Gopal

Adding to the post of K Srinivasa Rao, I would like to add that all extensions beyond superannuation should not be encouraged as it would not give a more deserving person a chance to serve the Government in a better way. On the date of superannuation, the person should be retired honourably and the new incumbent should be given a chance. If the Government wishes to give him some benefit, they can give them the freedom to join their political party and to contest elections. But post retirement continuation in the same post should be avoided.
Pradeep Kuma

In the Nav Sankalp camp, the Congress leaders tried to give a successful message of 'all is well' by showing solidarity, which was not expected as the party has seen resignations by key leaders and infighting in recent times. The leaders of Group 23 also tried to do 'damage control' by giving meaningful suggestions for the betterment of the organization while showing ideological solidarity despite the difference of opinions. The members of Group 23 tried to send a message by taking the middle path. But the poster war between Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot definitely made headlines.
Vinod Singh

Appellant sought details regarding number of lapsed policies and amount involved in the early stages of the policy such as after the payment of first premium, first year premium etc. The PIO of LIC contended that the information sought by the appellant does not exist as a record as defined under section 2 (i) of the RTI Act. The requested information will have to be created by 2048 Branches of LIC spread all over India and then to be collected and collated and compiled merely to reply to the RTI queries of the appellant. It will disproportionately divert the limited resources of the Corporation, which is strictly forbidden under section 7 (9) of the RTI Act. The CIC held that the queries of the appellant are non-specific, unclear as information related to all the lapsed policies and seeking such voluminous data is not maintainable under the provisions of the RTI Act. The CIC noted that the LIC has provided a categorical reply vide their written submission dated 06.04.2022 which clarifies some of the issues raised in the RTI Application and upheld the same. Further, the CIC admonished the LIC for not providing the specific reply ab initio as per their written submission and cautioned them to be more diligent in future while dealing with the matters related to the RTI Act..
Comments
The PIO is not expected to compile information under the RTI Act. Further, the initial reply to the RTI Application should be proper as the onus of denial of information is on the PIO.
Citation: Mr. Ajamuddin Taher Khairatkhan v. Life Insurance Corporation of India in Second Appeal No. CIC/LICOI/A/2020/680978, Date of order: 21.04.2022
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