Whispers Forum

DEBATE (1)
The 21st century reorganisation of our police force is overdue. Chanakya in his ARTHASASTRA clearly defined the need for law and order in the country. To achieve the same he wriote extensively on the need for field intelligence , security of citizens on the roads and highways throughout the country. Law and Order is successful in the land if the common man / woman is secure and can proceed with livelihood matters in a environment of safety. The External Environment is controlled by the Armed Forces against invaders and the internal backup is provided by the police in support of the Armed Forces Logistic Lines of Support. A very crucial requirement which is written in our Constitution. The Indian Central Armed Police Forces must be directly placed under the Home Ministry as our Indian Armed Forces are in the Ministry of Defence. Recruitment of officers and jawans must be organised by the UPSC. Training syllabus must be absolutely the same in all police training establishments for officers and jawans. Leadership must be taught as done in NDA / IMA / OTA of the Indian Armed Forces. Modern police forces today recruit a policeman for 10,000 people in a city / town . India should adopt this methodology.
Devindra Sethi
Parliament's sessions
Due to continuous disruptions in both Houses of Parliament, many Bills concerning the nation's economy, banking, trade, commerce, finance etc are awaiting clearance. To ensure that these Bills are passed in time the following suggestion is made. Both Houses can meet in two sessions i.e pre and post lunch. In the pre-lunch session these Bills can be taken up for consideration. From all parties members who have some awareness, familiarity, knowledge and experience on these matters can participate in the discussions in a calm atmosphere and pass these Bills . The post lunch session can then be devoted to purely political matters." Generalist" members with adequate lung power and oratorical skills can outshout each other and vent out their anger. There need be no adjournment and the session can go on till Members get tired and go out. This way both legislative work and political work will be done.
R. Subramanian

The appellant alleged that there were irregularities in the dividend distributed to the beneficiaries by the ITI Colony Welfare Committee (Gas Agency) and sought information about the dividend distribution. The PIO submitted that the information sought by the appellant cannot be given as the disclosure of the information sought may cause a breach of commercial confidence. He further submitted that the dividends are paid as per the decision of IOC and there is possibility of unrest among different unions if this information is made public. The CIC ruled that disclosure would not breach commercial confidence of respondents and the third parties.
Comments
Any process should be transparent to ensure fairness in the system. It is the responsibility of the public authorities to pro-actively disclose information to ensure faith of the citizens in the system.
Citation: Ramkaran Singh v. CPIO ITI Limited in Decision no.: CIC/ITILT/A/2018/146255/02498, Date of Decision: 02/01/2020
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)
I fully agree. Combined force will be too big to manage efficiently.
S Gopal
Black Economy, Art Market, Award Wapasi
Only a quick learner can master the skills of Lutyens Delhi in a few decades. It demands knowledge and super-speciality skills to enter the Lutyens fraternity as admission is strictly restricted. Even a person emulating Gandhi’s three monkeys is unlikely to gain trust of the boss who never comes in the open in person. In the Lutyens world virtue and vice are merely illusions depending on how one looks at it: growth can be seen as black economy depending who is evaluating. Art has played a valuable role in enhancing financial worth. If M.F.Hussain has gone for Rs. 2 Crores, it makes news. Actually it is no news because Lutyens has carried out domestic and export operations in art making the ordinary painter an artist of high stature. Even in the UK, it has been reported that Steve Bell, an award winning left-wing British political cartoonist, has drawn a cartoon published in the Guardian newspaper, showing Priti Patel a cow by the side of Prime Minister Johnson as the bull (artistic bullying? No, misogyny and racism of the liberal human rights secularist kind). Hussain is in the company of a few others. It is a closed group which worked for mutual benefit. Public sector companies and banks had been “advised” orally and/or in writing to buy many useless paintings for crores. The artist (s) honoured by giving Lalit Kala Akademi award first and Padma awards later. Publicity is given by the media. Corporate houses buy their works to appear as patrons of art. They build bridges through the artist to get huge bank loans giving paintings as collateral security. Loan defaulted they escape to foreign countries leaving the ED and IT with the works of art to calculate the seizure amount based on the book value. If the government does not help them, it gets flak. Even the artists join the opposition against the government as it boasts of transparency in Lutyens! Artists raise the banner of revolt against the government and threaten to return (some even actually return) the awards. Can the government place in public domain the amount spent by each PSU/Bank in buying such useless art works at unbelievable prices from 1980 till end 2019 and do the people a great favour?
M L Gupta

DEBATE (1)
1. Same exam conducted by same board under same government yet those in ITBP and SSB got early promotion
2. Lots of vacancies in those two whereas stagnation in BSF and CRPF
3. All serving same govt and same border with different counterparts but similar pattern of duties. The little differences can be easily adjusted as it would not be more different than going from border duty to internal security duties against insurgents and naxalites.
L Haolai
Rationalisation of structure in CBSE-NTA
Government of India has taken a pragmatic decision to have a common Secretary for School and Higher Education. This will enable the Department to have a better picture of the entire gamut of Education from School to College and accordingly take objective decisions. Similarly it would be desirable that both National Examination bodies ,CBSE and NTA have a common HEAD. This not only help in better coordination between the two but also SAVE MONEY as the staff requirement (both academic and examination) can be shared and optimised.
S Gopal
Crude oil crash
Crude coming down is going to be very beneficial for India as USD will come down against Rupee & foreign reserves will be saved. Overall India is going to be benefited both from oil downturn & Corana-virus scare. Looks like big fall for China & Gulf oil export countries. New business moves can be seen this year
Vivek Dhawan

DEBATE (1)
It will not be feasible because all para military forces have different approach and duty and certainly this decision will boomrang.
Deepika Agrawal
DEBATE (2)
It’s very important not just for country security and response to national challenges emerging from border to international security as well as in case of internet disturbances and war situations ..it is also in line of one country one civil services
Rahul Singh
Independent inquiry against Bank of India required
I request reference to my registered grievance number DPG/B/2018/00579(2)DEAB Seated 10 July 2018 requesting honorable Prime Minister to hold an independent inquiry against Bank of India. In my letter I have specifically requested to investigate the subject matter under the Transparency & Personal Accountability Policy as there are gross violations of declared policies by the higher authorities but the grievance is closed without holdings any inquiries. It is totally breach of trust by the Department of Financial Services which needs immediate attention from all responsible for protecting consumers right. I sincerely request you kindly extend your valuable support to get justice. With due respect.
Vimlesh Chandra Joshi

DEBATE (1)
No harm in merger of para military forces.
N K Gandhi
Who Incites, Who Provokes, asks Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has remarked that “The way the events happen and unfold, who incites, who provokes, the courts are not equipped to handle such situations”. The courts need to allow the police and the government to do its duty to watch the agents provocateurs, as it’s their primary duty. The government is aided and advised by an elaborate infrastructure of institutions assigned specific roles. For executing their duty properly, these institutions employ professionals. Law & order situations develop when either the professionals abdicate their duties or fail to advise the government properly in real time or hide sensitive information from the government. Such situations also arise when government ignores such advice or refuses to grant permission to the institution or the professional on duty to take appropriate action. The reality is that every public service has been rendered ineffective in the last 50 years. The way police is subjected to whipping and tongue lashing by the politician, press, parliament and the judiciary does not inspire the force to be honest, lawful, sincere, dutiful and unalarmed. Every public servant doing honest duty needs their support and protection to perform faithfully. If the political parties organise, finance and lead assault on democracy or democratic institutions and promote violence inciting people to make qurbani, it becomes impossible to handle such situations peacefully. Peace is established only when masses are prepared to be reasonable and amenable to co-operate to establish peace. When they are paid to commit large scale violence, policing becomes impossible. Democracy in India is fragile. These agents provocateurs threaten even the very survival of India. The Indian youth indulging in violence suffers deficit of world history to understand the complex nature of threats. Knowledge of one or more world languages e.g. English, Latin, Greek, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin and Japanese is useful. STEM is necessary, but so is geography. It surprises me least “who incites, who provokes” because Indian education has ignored these subjects at school and graduation level. The result is even the Ld. Judges of the higher/highest judiciary express opinions on sensitive issues injudiciously, raising the doctrine of independence of the judiciary to a level of a super-legislature or super-executive (as Sir Alladi Krishnaswami Iyer cautioned long ago). Such opinions put the seal of approval on activities of those who incite, who provoke and who implement. It shows all the three organs of the state as a massive failure. The only remedy lies in respecting the boundaries laid down by the constitution of India and ensuring that it works honestly. The Election Commission of India must be given the power and duty to disenfranchise any politician making unlawful and provocative speech to incite violence and to de-recognised/de-registered instantly the political party doing so. The mission of such organised violence is to destabilise a lawfully elected government. The real target of such missions is not the ruling party or the opposition but all of them severally (not jointly). There was no Pakistan or Bangladesh in 1942. The poor, backward, hungry Indians then had issued the writ to the empire to “QUIT INDIA”. The mission to reclaim the “colonies” with the help of technology is the real agenda of the invisible “who”, superior skills are required to meet the challenge thrown by them. Only the government can do so. Hence the government should be allowed to work assiduously to build the nation. The makers of the Indian constitution knew it well. It was for this reason that the Indian Constitution was unitary in nature. The SR Bommai case fiddled with it and the events and situations after it have promoted adversarial centre-state relations. Technological colonization will be different from the physical colonization of the past, without any free infrastructure development like rail, road, ports, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, police, civil administration, military, specialized institutions like the ASI etc. All these will be commercial activities which will create millions of locals as agents who will control all levers of power for their masters. Isn’t India a digital colony already? The sagacious Indians are already giving up their YouTube, FB, Google, Twitter account because citizens can’t access public service sites like the Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha TV to watch the budget debate live without accessing them through one of these platforms. Online editions of newspapers or Live TV can be accessed only through them. They control, influence and mould public opinion on important issues. These invisible giants know precisely who, what, where about their users and can watch them from space wherever they go or do anything.
M L Gupta
Good initiative
Very good initiative from your part for our youth and society. Because I am a recovery addict so that I feel all the pain if addiction is very close. But now I am working with a NGO drug d addiction and rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol abuse. If I can help someone in this noble cause, I will consider it my pleasure.
Neeraj Bhandari

DEBATE(1)
Unified CPOs may not be a good idea as every force has its task well defined and a unique history. I don’t think this will be good for the officers as well.
B K Sinha
Irony of RTI Act
It is the irony of the RTI Act that there is no mechanism to ensure the implementation of the Act. In case of section 4 of the RTI Act, there is no formal mechnaism or penalty for proactive disclosure. The CPIO, SPIO and the FAA are poorly trained and biased. The appeals take too much time and on the top of it, the Information commissioners are retired bureaucrats with no incentive for disclosure. Such lop sided implementation of the RTI act would kill it
Aakar
Modi's attention required
Modi's attention also needs to be drawn towards rampant misuse of office perks & facilities by the Ministers and Bureaucrats for bringing an end to the practice. This will go a long way in boosting his image. Ministers/Bureaucrats are using vehicle facilities at the cost of the exchequer much more than their entitlements. Some of the officials including those posted in the Minister’s cell are exploiting the Government from two side on one hand they are taking Transport Allowance and on the other hand they are using the vehicle facility on daily basis at the cost of exchequer or PSUs, Attached/Subordinate Offices etc. Modi's repeated plea to his Ministers/Officials for staying in Government Guest Houses is receiving deaf ears. For a foundation stone laying ceremony of Indian Institute of Skills in Mumbai the Union Minister along with his troupe stayed in suite accommodation of five star Trident Hotel. One of the Union Minister got the Invitation Card of his daughter's marriage printed through National Institute of Smart Government (NISG) at the latter’s cost. Subsequently the cards were also distributed at the cost of the NISG. R.K. Singh has been given the charge of three Ministries. Three chambers have been occupied along with a battalion of private staff and scores of vehicles. The current MoS PMO has got installed 10 televisions at the cost of exchequer at his residence. Ministry of North Eastern Region Development has hired 4 cars for use of his personal office. Plan funds worth Rs.1.00 crore meant for the development of North Eastern Council, Shillong has been spent for renovation of his residence in Kushak Road, New Delhi. A number of Senior Bureaucrats are using more than one vehicle for their personal purpose either at the cost of exchequer or at the cost of PSUs, Attached/Subordinate Offices.
BBS

DEBATE (1)
This will require several years.Plus and minus points will only be known once it is officially known.
A R Wig
National security in South Asia
The recent agreement between USA and the Taliban, to end endless war in Afghanistan has changed the dynamics of National Security for India. Strength respects Strength in the 21st century amongst comity of nations especially Asia. The Economic shift in the Centre of Gravity to Asia has resulted in three countries , Japan, China and India , to become nodal multipoles of Military Regional Powers. USA and Russia are two other prominent actors in the continent of Asia. Jousting for prepositioning of military forces in Asia , has commenced between the aforementioned powers. The Americans are wedded to Mahan's Strategic thinking in the 21st century. India's Arthashatra and Nitishastra as written by Chanakya are guiding principles for us today. China foreswears by The Art of War written by Sun Tzu to guide it in the 21st century. Russia is focussed on Gorshkov Strategy as written in Sea Power and the State. Japan is recovering its Strategic mojo in the 21st century and has Clauswetzian thinking. The ultimate prize is the Asian Continent and the Indian Ocean's riches. The time to bring in deep thinking Strategic specialists into our Ministry of Defence has arrived. A new organisation is now required to be quickly formed. A good example is the Pentagon of the US. The NDA Alliance led by the BJP has taken the first step in bringing in the DMA as led by the CDS. The next step should be political revamp of the MoD under the current Raksha Mantri. He deserves Ministers of State with Military experience and Strategic thinking abilities . Why ? The changing dynamics of military force structures has commenced with USA leaving Asia and a likely vacuum in power leaving the field open to radical forces awaiting this opportunity. The Bells are Tolling for Asia.
Devindra Sethi
Matter of great pride for ISS fraternity
Congratulations to all the ISS officers for their empanelment as Joint Secretary in the Government of India. Issey Ko Kahten Hain Acchey Din. Hence, Good Luck for future endeavours.
H S Chauhan

DEBATE (1)
Unified service in CPO,s will go the Railways way.Still confusion prevails in the Indian Railways.
Rahul
“Time for Chintan ,Manthan by PM Modi ”
PM, at long last, has decided to quit Social Media accounts from the Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
A Non-news unduly hyped by the Media.
But, the initiative was long overdue in national interest.
Enough time was wasted with no concrete benefits to the country.
Sagging popularity rating of PM Modi was proved in the recent Assembly polls.
Let the matter not rest here.
Much more than this ,is expected from PM Modi.
People wish, he stops visiting temples and inaugural ceremonies wasting crores of rupees out of tax-payers money.
The practice of laying Foundation stones ceremonies must be scrapped. Sheer waste of time, scarce resources and manpower.
PM Modi has achieved great heights. He does not require more publicity. No TV crews .
People are getting bored. Excessive visibility and familiarity breeds contempt. And, this has started happening.
Let him lead the country by examples, not rhetorics.
He must keep his chatukaars at an arm's length.
The Congress must also learn to keep shut up and put up.
We do not pay taxes for providing security covers and unwarranted privileges to the dynastic dumbwits .
PM Modi must spend more time in the national capital and focus on providing Good governance and ensure effective service delivery mechanism.
Total implementation paralysis. Total lack of supervision.
Enough is enough. Public is getting restless, alienated and disillusioned. They have grown wiser with experience.
Time for political rhetorics is over.
Country wants PM Modi to take steps for countering joint threats from China-Pakistan. He, alone has the grit and risk-taking capacity to take over POK. No one else.
It will be foolhardy to expect Pakistan to return POK to India on a platter. Nothing short of War can solve the seemingly intractable issue.
India's army chief in a public statement while assuring his battle- readiness for war, is awaiting green signals from political masters.
Confusion abounds in the armed forces and among the civilians.
An Appeal to PM Modi.
I would like to be upfront. PM Modi's sagging image has started taking a sharp down-turn. He must immediately shun the company of his favourites and chaatukaars.
Instead, he must follow the advice of honest people ( Non- sychophants ) who have always stood against his detractors in times of crises and who have no axe to grind.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)