Corruption in the Armed Forces- an open letter to COAS

Dear Colleagues,
Having spent 33 very fruitful and fulfilling years in the Army, I feel empty after reading the open letter by Col Rajinder Singh to COAS. Access the letter here along with comments of Air Cmde Raghubir Singh (Retd)
I have come across such officers but their number is minuscule. We were 20 odd COs in an infantry division, all open to 14000 soldiers. I recall only one CO who probably fits in the scenario as he escaped and became a Major General. My technical boss at the Corps HQ, who fitted in absolutely was court- martialed and sentenced severely. The latter also took some innocents along, one of whom was so honest that you could not find office stationery in his home but he signed some routine supply orders which got him in.
I am now 7 years in retirement. I do not think rot is as deep as the long letter says. Yes, it is getting worse and it needs to be arrested. And I think it will get arrested by the Internet era not by this or that COAS. They are products of the same system. There is no place left to hide now. If you think IAS etc are better, think again... If you think Corporate world is better, think Raju of Satyam. Every family owned business is a potential Raju Story...
Indian Armed Forces continue to be on the top of honesty charts in the public mind. I hope it continues.
Best Regards,
Brig KS Bhoon (Retd)



The Sukhna Land Scam: Corruption in army: Dent in the brass

China 'overtakes Germany as world's largest exporter'

Customs officials said China had come through a weak trading period. China's exports rose 17.7% in December, state media has reported, suggesting the country has overtaken Germany as the world's largest exporter.

The rise, compared to a year earlier, breaks a 13-month decline in trade as a result of the global downturn. Xinhua said total exports for 2009 were $1.2tn (£7.5tn), but that total foreign trade over the year was down 13.9%. Correspondents say the figures will lead to new demands from China's competitors that it devalue the yuan.

Last year saw a continuing decrease in China's trade as the global economic downturn led to a fall in demand for its products.

But in the last few weeks of the year, there was a far greater rise than forecasters had expected, with foreign exports reaching $130.7bn, up 17.7% on the previous December.

China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) said exports overall in the year were $1.2tn, down 16% from in 2008, while imports were 11.2% down from a year earlier at $1.01tn.

The politically sensitive total trade surplus was down 34.2% to $196.1bn, a fall of almost a third.

The figures suggests China will surpass Germany's export total for the whole of 2009, although this will not be confirmed until Germany's full-year data is published in February.
China 'overtakes Germany as world's largest exporter'

India's Export Performance
Indian Exporters Witness Worst of Times in 2009
NEW DELHI - India’s exports were swept into rough seas in 2009 owing to a sharp contraction in demand from Western consumers, whose household budget cuts to survive recession killed millions of jobs and eroded growth in emerging economies.

Exporters bled all through the year, with their woes peaking in May when consignments dropped 40 per cent, the most in 13 years, but hope appeared by way of 18.3 per cent growth in exports in November.

The year also saw unveiling of five-year Foreign Trade Policy that sought to incentivise exports to new markets - ones that haven’t been hit as hard by recession as the West.

Exporters have been heavily dependent on the traditional markets of the US and Europe -almost contributing one-third to their kitty. India’s exports in the last fiscal of 2008-09 were $185 billion, according to revised official data.

Engineering goods, textiles and textiles products, gems and jewelery and petroleum products fill the major portion of the country’s export basket and most of it is destined to the western markets of the US and Europe. All these sectors which account significantly for 80 million employment in the export units were hit badly. However, the pace of decline in some of the segments seemed arrested since August after peaking in May. Their troubles started since October 2008.

According to a recent presentation by Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, the decline in exports has “mellowed down”. Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma is hopeful of better future for the segment. Allaying concerns of law-makers, Sharma said he expects the situation to improve in the next few months. For the fiscal 2010-11, he would bet on 15 per cent growth. Joshi of IIFT, said going forward by June, 2010, “situation will be somewhat optimistic”.
Source : indiajournal.com
Indian Exporters Witness Worst of Times in 2009
Comments: The commerce and Industry Ministry should be wound up for its very poor performance and replaced by the Chinese Model if we intend to compete with China in the World Market.

Gymkhana Club Chembur honours Mafia Dons and associate Police Officers

The Chembur Gymkhana is a Leading Sports institution in the North east suburb of Mumbai - Chembur. Now under the able leadership of Shri Surinder Sharma who succeeded the eminent Shri Shadilal Chopra, it has blossomed into a multi-faceted sporting and social facility to serve the residents of Chembur. Spread over an area of 4 acres this club boasts of a semi olympic swimming pool, three billiards tables, a card room, squash court, two flood lit tennis courts, indoor badminton courts, two restaurants and bars, and 16 rooms for outstation guests to stay.

Five Mumbai cops caught on tape at mafia party at Gymkhana Club Chembur
Mumbai, Jan 2 : A day after eight Indian Police Service (IPS) officers were served with notices, Mumbai police faced another embarrassment Saturday after five officers, including one from the IPS, were caught on tape attending a Christmas-eve party thrown by the underworld.

A police enquiry into the incident has recommended suspension of Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishwas Salve, Assistant Commissioner of Police Prakash Wani, head of Chembur police station, Senior Police Inspector R.S. Khakale, Crime Branch Inspector Praful Phadke and Crime Branch Assistant Sub-Inspector T. Salunkhe for attending the bash.

The party was thrown in a private club in Chembur, a northeast Mumbai suburb, in which the cops were seen eating, drinking and dancing with the underworld men.

The party was ostensibly to celebrate the release of D.K. Rao, a mafia don belonging to the Chhota Rajan gang, from 31 serious cases earlier last year.

Video-clips of the party, telecast by a Mumbai TV channel Friday evening, showed the policmen celebrating in gay abandon with the criminals even as a huge contingent of cops maintained law and order all over the city on the night of Dec 24-25 Dec 2009.

"Police have gathered sufficient evidence in the matter to recommend suspension of these policemen," a crime branch officer said on condition of anonymity.

Taking serious umbrage at the unprecedented incident, Home Minister R.R. Patil had last week ordered Mumbai Police Commissioner D. Shivanandhan to enquire into the matter. --IANS
Five Mumbai cops caught on tape at mafia party
5 cops caught partying with mafia dons suspended

Caution to all Gymkhana Club Members
There is recent trend of Rich Criminals becoming members of prestigious Gymkhana Clubs which are chiefly controlled by Civilian Bureaucrats and Industrialists who cleverly undermine the governing body based on paying heavy bribes and colossal membership fees. Gentlemen Members are cautioned against nefarious activities in the club premises like the above mentioned incident. It is pertinent to note that ex- DGP SPS Rathore of Haryana was a Gymkhana club member whose membership has been cancelled recently in view of his molestation case of a teenage girl leading to her suicide.