Whispers Forum

The UPSC Prelims 2024 is re-scheduled from May 26 to June 16, 2024.Fair enough. But, according to Islamic lunar calendar, the festival of Bak-Eid could be dependent on the conclusion of the month of Ramzaan,which could be either June 16 or June 17,2024 (Source; Google).Let us hope, it falls on June 17,2024.One hopes, the UPSC has taken this fact into consideration before planning new schedule. Normally, the UPSC does not hold examinations clashing with dates of religious festivals. Consider another point. As the Commission has not announced any change in the dates of the Civil services (Mains)2024 ,one assumes the date of commencement notified earlier remains unchanged. As per UPSC’s current annual calendar,the Mains exams will commence on Sept 20 and conclude within five days, possibly by month end. Simple calculation reveals a clear reduction in the time lag between the Prelims and the Mains from erstwhile 117 days to present 96 days. Twenty days time-loss means an awful lot to the aspirants. It would hit them severely and adversely in the Mains preparations in the truncated time frame .It would be just and fair to consider postponing the Mains examination appropriately and make good the loss of time. The civil services exam is the mother of all exams. The ripple effect of its deferment on other exams is inevitable. The UPSC is urged to take the call and remove the uncertainty looming over the aspirants.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

Just before the last elections to Gujarat Assembly in 2022-end, the State Government reduced the period of restoration of the commuted value of pension of their employees from 15 years to 13 years. It was done in the home State of Hon'ble Prime Minister. Also, 15 years is a very long period considering the prevailing compound rate of interest on fixed deposits in which money gets doubled even after 12 years even at the rate of six per cent per annum (compound) by applying the rule of 72. In the above analogy, the period can also be reduced in the case of Central Government employees.
D.P. Hura

The 6th phase of elections for 57 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha, UP, West Bengal and Delhi, has been fixed on May 25, 2024.Coincidentally, the UPSC Prelims for202 (notified on Feb 13,2024)are already fixed on May 26,2024.Needless to mention, any change of dates of elections and examination, is not possible. General permission by the Election commission to UPSC, States PSCs, SSC etc to go ahead with recruitment process, is appreciated. But, it throws up other issues connected with logistics and aspirants’ right to vote. The venues for polling and the prelims on consecutive days would be largely same along with administrative staff and the police force, deployed on special duties. Both events would involve massive logistic operations for addressing security concerns. The authorities will, no doubt, take appropriate steps to ensure smooth conduct of elections by ECI and examination by UPSC, the following day. It is unfortunate that lakhs of aspirants would have to forego their right to vote for being unable to reach the examination venues, the next day in a different city. A large number of CS aspirants from States, who choose Delhi as their centre, will be discriminated against. This would cause their unintended disenfranchisement? The aspirants of other exams held by States’PSCs, SSC and other recruitment bodies will face similar predicament. Some States may contemplate changing dates of their exams.
A K Saxena ( A former civil servant)

The appellant asked the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to inform in how many High Courts, a separate advocate was appointed to present its case apart from apart from the Additional Solicitor General of India, and the amount paid by PCI to the advocate from the year 2020 till now. The PIO informed that such list is not available. On second appeal, the Respondent stated that the relevant information from their official record has been duly furnished to the Appellant within stipulated time frame. The CIC held that an appropriate response as per the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005 has been provided by the Respondent since only such information that is held and available with a public authority can be provided to the information seekers. Hence, no further intervention of the Commission is required in the instant matter.
Comments
The quantum of payment made to the advocates has often been argued as personal information held in the fiduciary capacity. In most organisations, there would be a legal head for making the payments which would contain the details of the expenditure incurred during the financial year. Further, such information can be found after inspection of the individual files.
Citation: Shri Arvind Kumar v. Pharmacy Council of India, CIC/PHRCI/A/2023/646736; Date of Decision: 27.02.2024
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Visakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books, RTI Right to Information - Law and Practice and PIO’s Guide to RTI. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and Third party audit. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at the link www.rtifoundationofindia.com

I am one of the government employees working at Jawahar Vyapar Bhawan (STC Building), Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi-110001. Various offices of the Government of India have been housed in this building on different floors. For the past few months, it has been noticed that some senior officers of the various offices located at this building are misusing their muscle power (DADAGIRI) by reserving Lifts specifically for their convenience, which is causing heartburn among other employees of the building. These poor employees have no other option but to wait for another 15-20 minutes for their turn to use the Lifts and, hence, getting delayed in adhering to office timings. It is sheer wastage of power as well as misuse of electricity by these senior officers, which should immediately be stopped.
Hemant

As per RBI’s details shared by the Ministry of Finance in Lok Sabha in December 2023,India’s public sector banks have reportedly written-off loans amounting to Rs 10.42 lakh crore during the past nine years ( FY2015 to FY2023). Worse, out of the non-performing assets, the PSU banks reportedly recovered a mere 10 % of bad loan to the extent of Rs 1.61 lakh crore. Was any inquiry conducted into the lapses? How many banking executives were show-caused or charge-sheeted for causing loss of revenue to public exchequer? Are the criteria for granting unsecured loans flawed? Could this be attributed to the laid back attitude of bankers? Has the responsibility for dereliction of duty, been fixed as required under the law of the land? If not, why? Does it not call for a comprehensive audit by the Constitutional body like the C&AG into the lapses by scheduled banks, which are accountable to the shareholders.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

All private hospitals where land is allotted on concessional rate or nominal lease are supposed to keep a certain percentage of beds for poor or EWS patients and provide treatment free but this all on paper. The Government is aware of this but we all know corruption is rampant. Recently this testing scam and fake medicines in Mohalla clinic but nothing happened. Previous health minister of the AAP govt is still in jail. Problem is more severe in small towns and villages. There is another big scam in health cards for aadhar based poors where Universal Health Insurance Policies were purchased by State Governments. Where a lot of money was made by three stakeholders. The list is long.
S K Saxena

The self-styled political observers should first of all know that India and Pakistan political scenario and the society at large are entirely different from each other. To say that the so-called international lobby is trying to play politics in the internal affairs of us like what it might have done in Pakistan is simply absurd and the majority of our countrymen simply reject such outlandish theories. Let these gossipers wait till the results and they will realise how the self styled lobby has bit the dust very badly once for all and never ever poke their noses into our internal affairs.
K Srinivasa Rao

The appellant sought to know whether Madhusudan Law University, Cuttack, Odisha is affiliated to Bar Council of India (BCI) and sought the correspondence details about its affiliation along with the inspection reports. The Respondent stated that the inspection reports of colleges are not uploaded on the site of BCI but the facilities, campus, faculty etc. details are displayed on the website of the concerned College/University. Such inspection reports contain photographs and other details pertaining to the University/College shared in confidence with the BCI, hence, the inspection reports are not put in public domain by the BCI. However, the Respondent conceded that inspection report containing generic information can be provided to the Appellant if so directed by the CIC. In exercise of its powers under Section 25 (5) of the RTI Act, the CIC gave a recommendation to the BCI to make endeavour to disclose as much information as possible on its website in terms of the mandate laid down under Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act, particularly voluntarily disclose every inspection report of the colleges/universities recognised/affiliated under BCI in order to enhance transparency in the process of recognizing law colleges.
Comments
There have been complaints about the manner in which recognition / grading of the institutions is done by the regulatory bodies. Such disclosure would aid in putting an end to such complaints. It would be keenly watched what kind of mechanism the BCI adopts for disclosure.
Citation: Shri Shashwata Sekhar Baral v. Bar Council of India, CIC/BCOIN/A/2023/616519; Date of Decision: 20.02.2024
Dr Anuradha Verma (dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in) is a RTI Consultant currently working with IIM Visakhapatnam. She has co-authored the books, RTI Right to Information - Law and Practice and PIO’s Guide to RTI. She offers consultancy on RTI matters and Third party audit. Her other articles can be read at the website of RTI Foundation of India at the link www.rtifoundationofindia.com