Whispers Forum

The Hindi language deficiency of the three Gandhi claiming the hereditary right to rule has ruined the congress Party’s chance of ever coming to power in the Centre on its own. They have uttered words and expressions which are abuses so low that the speaker uttering those words is considered uncultured, uncouth and lowly bred. The Congress leaders of no consequence cheered them loudly every time one of them uttered those words. There are more than 90 such words and one such expression earned Rahul Gandhi jail term for two years besides disqualification as Member of Parliament (stayed by the Supreme Court but not exonerated).
M L Gupta

Why has the opposition lost massively in the recent elections? The opposition has no vision. All it has done is to try to dent the "sabka saath sabka vishwas sabka prayas" model of the BJP by resorting to divisive tactics of minorityism and rabid casteism. In the new India, these Stone Age issues have no traction with the voters. The opposition is not setting its house in order. The new India does not like the corrupt dynasts period. If the opposition wishes to retain the corrupt dynast model, they have only themselves to blame. The opposition cannot match the strategy, energy and hard work of the well oiled machinery of the BJP. The reason is that the opposition parties do not have any inner party democracy. No one can rise in the rungs of these corrupt dynastic parties on talent, merit, effort. The opposition does not have any ideology except inanely bashing the top leadership of the BJP. So what does the future hold? 400+ in 2024.
Vijay Kumar
Appointment of first woman officer as DG, ICFRE
She is an excellent officer with high values. I wish madam a successful tenure as DG, ICFRE.
Sudhir Kumar

The voices of all Indians have been clearly stated in the current elections this year. No surprise at all especially from our women folk in rural and urban India. They want their desires to be fulfilled now and not empty vacant promises tomorrow. They want: a pucca home in their villages fitted with a modern toilet; a gas connection in their kitchen; a water tap in their homes; an electricity connection for 24/7 supply; a school for their children; a medical hospital nearby; a proper road to their villages; ration shop in each village to distribute PM food program; the Ladli Behena Scheme by the current government in MP came close to fulfilling their demands. The silent female voters of India voted with their feet and gave full support to their MLAs who delivered the PM’s programs. The complete story came to the fore December 3, 2023. All India and even foreign governments overseas watched the results as promulgated by our Election Commission of India. The Opposition Alliance is in tatters today. Currently the BJP controls 16 States independently/ with allies. These States have around 275 Lok Sabha seats for General Election 2024. A SWOT analysis shows that the current NDA Alliance led by the BJP will build on the results of the current State Assembly Elections. Anything less would be extremely disappointing. We still have poor people in our country and they should be priority one in the manifesto of the NDA Alliance. Economically India is at around $ 4 trillion as an economy with $ 600 billion dollars in our forex reserves. We also hold about 25000 tonnes of Gold as reported by World Gold Council, both privately and in RBI. That is excellent news but needs building on. Our adversaries in Pakistan and China are totally stunned by the State Assembly Elections results. We need to build our military strength too as we lost $ 45 trillion in loot by invaders from overseas. Strength respects Strength only. Our country needs a firm guiding leader for the decade ahead ie 2024 and 2029 General Elections. A few days of rest and the NDA Alliance has hard work ahead to fulfill the expectations of the people of India before 2024 General Elections.
Devindra Sethi
Small space in forum for political thoughts
Sometimes I feel your forum space is too small for political thoughts and Supreme Court and CAT reportable judgments concerning government servants. If in addition to forum and RTI another two weekly columns can be introduced as National politics and Judgments concerning government officials where some relevant articles and reportable judgments can be posted.
S K Saboo

While, Modi-led BJP's triple victory in assemblies' polls is a landmark achievement, it brings demeaning setbacks for I.N.D.I.A bloc in succession. Who, in the Congress will own the responsibility for its dismal performance? Sadly, Rahul/Priyanka Gandhi, the dynastic scions, were being subtly projected during the election campaign as future Prime minister, sidelining senior leaders. On this reckoning, the ruling dispensation's victory in 2024 Lok sabha election, is anybody's guess. A weak Opposition is a sure threat to democracy. Hence, it is time for introspection for all.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

Appellant sought copy of nomination form E2 and F2 allegedly executed by her late father with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited raising concerns regarding the authenticity of a document, executed by her late father. The said document is crucial for the reconstitution of an LPG distributorship associated with BPCL. The respondent stated that the requested information could not be disclosed under the provisions of Section 8(1)(e) and Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. The CIC observed that the appellant is the daughter and heir of the late Shri Bharatkumar Mohanlal Suchak and has been unwittingly included in the indemnity clause of Annexure E2, which was supposedly executed by her late father. Holding that this clause effectively makes her a party to the document, the CIC directed that she is not considered as third party, and is entitled to request and receive a copy of the same.
Comments
The RTI Act has often been used by individuals in commercial disputes to obtain certain information to build a case. The applicant has to show either the information is not personal or has to establish that there is larger public interest in disclosure.
Citation: Ms. Sharmila Bharatkumar Suchak v. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, CIC/BPCLD/A/2022/117952 –UM; Date of Decision: 02.11.2023
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

The work on Silkyara Tunnel Project in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, spanning four and a half kilometers, is set to resume. The tunnel made headlines after 41 workers were trapped when the tunnel collapsed on Diwali day. According to the Ministry of Road and Transport this is a crucial segment of the government's extensive 900 km 'Char Dham Yatra All Weather Road' project. The pause in construction is to facilitate a safety audit and repair of damaged sections. Needless to say this safety audit will only be eyewash and the government has in the past ignored the genuine concerns of the environmentalists in building this road.
Aditya Malviya

I support the views in a matter of urgent public interest published on the WIC on November 20, 2023. The WHO reported 11,60,000 new cancer cases in India in 2018 and 7,84,800 deaths due to cancer. Treatment cost between Rs.5 to 20 lakh. It said that “cancer patterns in India are dominated by high burden of tobacco-related head and neck cancers…”. The government collects annual revenue of approximately Rs.20,000 crore. It might have spent many times more in primary health care of neck and mouth cancer patients. At an average of Rs. 8,00,000(eight lakhs) as cost of treatment for a cancer patient, the total cost of treatment for all the 11,60,000 is huge business (8,00,000x11,60,000=928,000,000,000- Perhaps nine hundred twenty eight billion). Efforts to ban tobacco products have failed so far in the name of more than 45,00,000 farmers and workers employed in the industry. Where should the devastated families (widow, children, aged parents penniless with no assets at all and one of the 80 crore getting free ration) go for justice? To the government, supreme court (PIL), parliament’s standing committee on Health? Justice needs to be done to the heart-rending cries of the victims.
M L Gupta

The reimbursement of appellant’s cataract surgery raised with Insurers was restricted to Rs. 30,000 by TPA. The appellant submitted that he is entitled to Rs 50,000/- i.e. 10% of sum insured but the insurers restricted as per GIPSA whereas no such restriction was in the policy and also the insurers failed to share complete details of GIPSA which apparently had lenses of lower specifications than the ones actually installed by the doctor in the surgery. The CIC observed that the Appellant's claim of entitlement to Rs. 50,000 for the cataract surgery as per their insurance policy is a significant matter that deserves immediate attention. Further, it is essential to recognize the larger public interest in this matter. The transparency and accuracy of information related to medical insurance claims and expenses are of great concern to the general public. In an age where healthcare costs are rising, individuals rely on their insurance policies for financial support during medical procedures. The lack of transparency and potential discrepancies in the process can significantly affect public trust in the insurance system. The CIC directed the PIO of United India Insurance Company Limited to furnish the requested information including a detailed breakdown of the medical expenses incurred during the cataract surgery, along with all relevant documents and justifications for the decisions made, free of cost, to the appellant.
Comments This order would pave the way for the transparency in the processing of the insurance claims. Hopefully, the insurers would provide the detailed breakdown to the
Citation: Mr. Ajay Kumar Gupta v. United India Insurance Co. Ltd., CIC/UIICL/A/2023/632292-UM; Date of Decision: 01.11.2023
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