A big sorry to all my frnds for playing this waiting game with u.. actually i'm just a bit too busy with some other activities.. but promise to catch on with u guys very soon, possibly in the 2nd week of the next month..
thanx 4 bearing with me..
regards
Deep
8 Oct 2007
19 Apr 2007
ARE YOU SMILING TODAY?
If you are then possibilities are high that you are a Civil Services aspirant (no prizes for guessing the reason though). Like the thousands others I too was anxiously waiting for the outcome of a particular judgement regarding the disclosure of various facts by the U.P.S.C. Though fully aware that the judgement would arrive only by the mid-day (of 17th April) my anxiousness knew no bounds and led me switch on the T.V. set tens of times since the early morning. Among others, the curiosity of finally having a peek into the heavily guarded dark alleys of a system so powerful kept me up. My repeated encounters with the television set finally bore fruit and upon knowing the outcome my happiness knew no bounds...
Even if you are not a Civil Services aspirant- you still have a reason to smile. Smile for an evolution, a (+)ve change and a triumph of openness and transparency. Every knowledgeable person will definitely agree that for better governance lashed with a corruption free and an egalitarian environment access to information emanating out of a regime marked by openness and transparency is an absolute necessity. The movement towards transparency and accountability has a fairly long history. What began as a struggle against a secrecy centered colonial administration has come to be a struggle against our own democratically elected ‘sarkar’. The Supreme Court judgement way back in 1978 in the Meneka Gandhi v/s U.O.I. case conferring Right to Information(RTI) as a fundamental right was a shot in the arm for the movement which went on to see a major milestone with the enactment of the RTI Act in the year 2005...
Since then powered with the newly acquired statutory right the movement picked pace and slowly but steadily has lit up numerous secrecy prone dark alleys in the administrative sphere of our country. The latest being the foray into the administrative secrets of ‘the mother of all examinations in India’-the Civil Services examination (better k/a the IAS exam). History stands witness that when ever the people try claiming their rights- the (mighty) system hits back, but usually it’s the people, armoured with a strong determination and a ‘never say die’ attitude, have the last laugh. In the case in hand a number of C.S. aspirants filled petitions under the RTI Act seeking disclosure of certain facts regarding the exams. Even though the CIC threw its weight behind the candidates it got dragged up to the Delhi H.C. where the Court ruled in favour of the candidates and ruled that the desired information viz., individual scores, cut-off marks, answer sheets, model answers and scaling methods(?) needs to be published within a fortnight. The contentions of the U.P.S.C. that the aforesaid revelations will do it irreparable damage and hit at its efficiency and efficacy stands rejected...
What does this mean to the candidates? Candidates now will have clearer targets before them, they no longer need to shoot in the dark and above all learn from their past mistakes and try improving their skills to the desired levels. Moreover it will usher in a reign of openness and transparency in the U.P.S.C. administration and hopefully will help revive its of-late dwindling credibility. This landmark judgement will surely have a domino effect and will definitely percolate down to numerous other spheres of administration in our country. The U.P.S.C. has always been a model of uprightness and professionalism in recruitment related services, albeit the few hiccups, this landmark judgement will surely raise its head again with pride and this time round pride not only about its traditional uprightness and professionalism but also for its overall open and transparent functioning...
Even if you are not a Civil Services aspirant- you still have a reason to smile. Smile for an evolution, a (+)ve change and a triumph of openness and transparency. Every knowledgeable person will definitely agree that for better governance lashed with a corruption free and an egalitarian environment access to information emanating out of a regime marked by openness and transparency is an absolute necessity. The movement towards transparency and accountability has a fairly long history. What began as a struggle against a secrecy centered colonial administration has come to be a struggle against our own democratically elected ‘sarkar’. The Supreme Court judgement way back in 1978 in the Meneka Gandhi v/s U.O.I. case conferring Right to Information(RTI) as a fundamental right was a shot in the arm for the movement which went on to see a major milestone with the enactment of the RTI Act in the year 2005...
Since then powered with the newly acquired statutory right the movement picked pace and slowly but steadily has lit up numerous secrecy prone dark alleys in the administrative sphere of our country. The latest being the foray into the administrative secrets of ‘the mother of all examinations in India’-the Civil Services examination (better k/a the IAS exam). History stands witness that when ever the people try claiming their rights- the (mighty) system hits back, but usually it’s the people, armoured with a strong determination and a ‘never say die’ attitude, have the last laugh. In the case in hand a number of C.S. aspirants filled petitions under the RTI Act seeking disclosure of certain facts regarding the exams. Even though the CIC threw its weight behind the candidates it got dragged up to the Delhi H.C. where the Court ruled in favour of the candidates and ruled that the desired information viz., individual scores, cut-off marks, answer sheets, model answers and scaling methods(?) needs to be published within a fortnight. The contentions of the U.P.S.C. that the aforesaid revelations will do it irreparable damage and hit at its efficiency and efficacy stands rejected...
What does this mean to the candidates? Candidates now will have clearer targets before them, they no longer need to shoot in the dark and above all learn from their past mistakes and try improving their skills to the desired levels. Moreover it will usher in a reign of openness and transparency in the U.P.S.C. administration and hopefully will help revive its of-late dwindling credibility. This landmark judgement will surely have a domino effect and will definitely percolate down to numerous other spheres of administration in our country. The U.P.S.C. has always been a model of uprightness and professionalism in recruitment related services, albeit the few hiccups, this landmark judgement will surely raise its head again with pride and this time round pride not only about its traditional uprightness and professionalism but also for its overall open and transparent functioning...
28 Mar 2007
HONESTY & INTEGRITY: A SET-BACK & THEN A REINFORCEMENT
A gruesome murder in November ’05 shook the consciousness of the entire nation- Manjunath Shanmugham was no more. He an official of the IOC, known for his infallible honesty and integrity fell trap to a notorious petrol mafia and was most disgustedly eliminated. It was another bolt on the face of moral uprightness and a definite set-back for those principled- who intends to change the face of our nation by their hard work, efficiency and honesty...
Given the extent of the poisonous tentacles of corruption prevailing in the system, the few uncompromising have to face day in and out a lot of heat. Instead of the much needed reinforcement they were in fact vicariously punished. The corrupt were found rejuvenated and the incorruptible subjugated. The set-back was so strong that every principled citizen began to introspect and reconsider the very usefulness of his/ her dearly held values of honesty and integrity. Very sadly virtues and principles (an integral part of our Indian culture) were found being sacrificed at the altar of greed and corruption...
11 Mar 2007
THROUGH THE BACK DOOR: A LALU’S WAY TO SURPLUS!!
The rail budget ’07 by Lalu Prasad received kudos from all and sundry. It has been made out be a 'heroic fete' as opposed to Chidambaram’s 'cowardice/ villainous fete' (budget ‘07). But a few days back I happened to watch an IBN-7 story that made me think otherwise and question the very credibility of Lalu’s budget. A brief discussion below will certainly be an eye-opener...
The 20,000 crore surplus of the railways has taken the country by awe and a promise to increase it further is fascinating. But the question is where will the surplus come from? The front door management techniques are- using the excess capacity in freight loads, reducing wagon and bogie turn around time, mid term hikes through rationalisation of fares and efficient use of existing track capacity. Primarily on the passenger business side there has been no increase in fares- but Lalu has almost cunningly adopted a few back door techniques like upgrading of 283 trains as ‘super fast’ calling for an additional burden of Rs. 20 as surcharge from every passenger- and in view of the dismal time keeping by these trains the real intentions behind it is questionable. The meals served by the pantry car, in spite of their renowned poor quality, are going to cost more (veg- Rs. 30 & non-veg- Rs. 35) but we are already been forced to shell much more than that (albeit illegally) and any further increase is only going to burden the ‘Aam Admi’ heavily. A laudable initiative of providing lower berths on a priority basis to senior citizens and women above 45 yrs. is not without its own share of blames as in reality even for this humanitarian welfare measure the beneficiaries are being forced to spend extra...
I don’t intend to advocate that making profits is wrong or that user charges are always bad. But what we should protest against is the ‘dhokha’ that has been done to our country men and a sheer lack of transparency in the entire process. While the positive features were highlighted with much fan-fare the facts regarding the additional charges imposed were relatively concealed. It proves that the Lalu’s budget is nothing but populist in nature and can be very well termed as a ‘back door entry into surplus’...
It’s high time that the largest public mode of transport stands up tall as a model for others to emulate and dwell with issues of utmost urgency- such as the high rate of rail accidents, need for greater transparency, lack of effective accountability, and dismal condition of in-train services. All this and more can in real usher the Indian Railways into a truly ‘world class’ service and in the long run make every Indian proud, happy and satisfied...
The 20,000 crore surplus of the railways has taken the country by awe and a promise to increase it further is fascinating. But the question is where will the surplus come from? The front door management techniques are- using the excess capacity in freight loads, reducing wagon and bogie turn around time, mid term hikes through rationalisation of fares and efficient use of existing track capacity. Primarily on the passenger business side there has been no increase in fares- but Lalu has almost cunningly adopted a few back door techniques like upgrading of 283 trains as ‘super fast’ calling for an additional burden of Rs. 20 as surcharge from every passenger- and in view of the dismal time keeping by these trains the real intentions behind it is questionable. The meals served by the pantry car, in spite of their renowned poor quality, are going to cost more (veg- Rs. 30 & non-veg- Rs. 35) but we are already been forced to shell much more than that (albeit illegally) and any further increase is only going to burden the ‘Aam Admi’ heavily. A laudable initiative of providing lower berths on a priority basis to senior citizens and women above 45 yrs. is not without its own share of blames as in reality even for this humanitarian welfare measure the beneficiaries are being forced to spend extra...
I don’t intend to advocate that making profits is wrong or that user charges are always bad. But what we should protest against is the ‘dhokha’ that has been done to our country men and a sheer lack of transparency in the entire process. While the positive features were highlighted with much fan-fare the facts regarding the additional charges imposed were relatively concealed. It proves that the Lalu’s budget is nothing but populist in nature and can be very well termed as a ‘back door entry into surplus’...
It’s high time that the largest public mode of transport stands up tall as a model for others to emulate and dwell with issues of utmost urgency- such as the high rate of rail accidents, need for greater transparency, lack of effective accountability, and dismal condition of in-train services. All this and more can in real usher the Indian Railways into a truly ‘world class’ service and in the long run make every Indian proud, happy and satisfied...
2 Mar 2007
BUDGET ’07-’08: A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY MISSED OR GAINED?
The silver-foil package presented by Mr. P. Chidambaram has started to unpack, lending us all a rightful peak into its real contents. Under the microscopic observation of the argumentative Indians, it has caused varied reactions and has been variously termed as “a disappointment”, “a betrayal of common man”, “timid” & of course in some quarters “a success”. Arguably the most important annual presentation made in India, holds the destiny of a billion plus population under its sway. Hence an enlightened & a serious discussion is called for…
A soaring inflation & maintaining the high growth rates are thee twin primary concerns of today’s Indian economy. Budget this year could have been the right opportunity to address both the issues well, but appears to have sadly failed on both the counts. Apart from a few tinny-winy steps it has largely failed to bring about any relief from the clutches of the soaring inflation. Even on the 2nd front it has failed to take along the Indian Inc. and has in the real sense delivered no goods for boosting up the performance of the economy. A few provisions like hiking the dividend tax (by 2.5%), bringing the IT sector under MAT (Minimum Alternative Tax), extending the clutches of FBT (Fringe Benefits Tax) & Service Tax and even the hike in Education Cess (on all taxes) are only steps in the opposite direction. Even the higher tax compliance, instead of being rightfully rewarded, has brought no tangible gains (in the form of some major tax concessions) for the complaints. Missing the golden opportunity the Fin. Min. has failed to focus on the rising unemployment & other major issues of concern. The outlay of women specific progs. stand at a pathetic low of just 0.01% of the total budget. The emphasis on reduction of import duty on the food of cats and dogs, when millions are starving, says it all…
The only light in the darkness appears to be the ‘better late than never’ focus on the farm sector and provision for wider credit net and a laudable insurance scheme (the ‘Aam Admi Bima Yojna’). The socialist in the fin. min. got ventilation in forms of highest priority to the social sector, extension of NREG to another 130 districts and a promise to provide 1,00,000 jobs for the physically challenged are laudable. A reduction in the peak rate of customs duty was also desired. Even a hike in spending in the health and education sector deserves applause. The scholarship schemes aimed at taming the high rate of school drop-outs and the above welcome measures however, sadly, appear to be a mere face saving exercise and are even being blamed to be populist in orientation…
The golden opportunity though seems to have been overall missed could have been gained. A few innovative and imaginative steps like use of a part of the huge idle forex reserves for infrastructure funding without monetary expansion (as reco. by Deepak Parekh committee) and even a long awaited reform by simplification of direct taxes structure could have helped. An incremental approach by the Fin. Min. seems to have largely failed to balance the social and economic priorities of the 21st c. India that could have added a few more steps towards our gr8 nation becoming a responsible ‘super power’ of tomorrow’s world…
**HISTORY BEHIND THE STORY:
Ø The term ‘budget’ was 1st used in the present sense for the first time in 1773, in a satire entitled ‘opening the budget’ directed against Walpole’s (England) financial plan of the year.
Ø The term ‘budget’ is derived 4m an old English word ‘Bougett’ which means a sack or a pouch.
Ø Railway and general budget in India was separated in 1921 on the reco. of Acworth Committee.
A soaring inflation & maintaining the high growth rates are thee twin primary concerns of today’s Indian economy. Budget this year could have been the right opportunity to address both the issues well, but appears to have sadly failed on both the counts. Apart from a few tinny-winy steps it has largely failed to bring about any relief from the clutches of the soaring inflation. Even on the 2nd front it has failed to take along the Indian Inc. and has in the real sense delivered no goods for boosting up the performance of the economy. A few provisions like hiking the dividend tax (by 2.5%), bringing the IT sector under MAT (Minimum Alternative Tax), extending the clutches of FBT (Fringe Benefits Tax) & Service Tax and even the hike in Education Cess (on all taxes) are only steps in the opposite direction. Even the higher tax compliance, instead of being rightfully rewarded, has brought no tangible gains (in the form of some major tax concessions) for the complaints. Missing the golden opportunity the Fin. Min. has failed to focus on the rising unemployment & other major issues of concern. The outlay of women specific progs. stand at a pathetic low of just 0.01% of the total budget. The emphasis on reduction of import duty on the food of cats and dogs, when millions are starving, says it all…
The only light in the darkness appears to be the ‘better late than never’ focus on the farm sector and provision for wider credit net and a laudable insurance scheme (the ‘Aam Admi Bima Yojna’). The socialist in the fin. min. got ventilation in forms of highest priority to the social sector, extension of NREG to another 130 districts and a promise to provide 1,00,000 jobs for the physically challenged are laudable. A reduction in the peak rate of customs duty was also desired. Even a hike in spending in the health and education sector deserves applause. The scholarship schemes aimed at taming the high rate of school drop-outs and the above welcome measures however, sadly, appear to be a mere face saving exercise and are even being blamed to be populist in orientation…
The golden opportunity though seems to have been overall missed could have been gained. A few innovative and imaginative steps like use of a part of the huge idle forex reserves for infrastructure funding without monetary expansion (as reco. by Deepak Parekh committee) and even a long awaited reform by simplification of direct taxes structure could have helped. An incremental approach by the Fin. Min. seems to have largely failed to balance the social and economic priorities of the 21st c. India that could have added a few more steps towards our gr8 nation becoming a responsible ‘super power’ of tomorrow’s world…
**HISTORY BEHIND THE STORY:
Ø The term ‘budget’ was 1st used in the present sense for the first time in 1773, in a satire entitled ‘opening the budget’ directed against Walpole’s (England) financial plan of the year.
Ø The term ‘budget’ is derived 4m an old English word ‘Bougett’ which means a sack or a pouch.
Ø Railway and general budget in India was separated in 1921 on the reco. of Acworth Committee.
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