Government trying to censor blogging?

By R Shankar, India Syndicate, 22/03/2011
Govt trying to censor blogging?
Is the Indian Government snooping on bloggers? Is a worried and nervous government trying to censor what bloggers write? Will the government snip uncomfortable opinion or comments?

Coming soon after the infamous Radia tapes where the government eves-dropped on corporate communication in hotel rooms and other private spaces, the issue was raised in the Rajya Sabha by Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday during the Zero Hour.

Said Chandrasekhar: "Indian bloggers are vibrant stakeholders of democracy, they represent young thoughts and their initiatives play an important role in the Indian political system. Youth rely on the phenomenon called blogging for news, to exchange ideas, thoughts and there should no censorship or control of thought on the Internet".

He urged the Government "to prevent any form of censorship, any form of control over blogs, bloggers and Internet"

A member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, Chandrasekhar pointed out to media reports that said that the Government was proposing to block or shut down blogs as well as bloggers if the opinions posted in them do not suit Government, institutions or individuals.

He said the move is one sided as the Government was planning to publish new rules in the Official Gazette under the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2009 without inviting public opinion.

The rules, if they come into force, "will infringe upon the Right to Freedom of Expression of the bloggers and users of the internet - as the internet has become an essential part of our daily life," said the MP.

The new rules are ready to be notified in the Official Gazette and then these rules will come into force, he said.

The rules require intermediaries such as service providers not to host or publish any information, which in the context of the internet, does include bloggers.

Additionally, the rules propose to authorise the intermediaries to remove access to 'infringing' material if they themselves gave actual knowledge or are asked to do so by a mandated authority.

"The execution of these rules in its existing form will be a blow to the vibrant blogging community and bloggers. It could result in a shutting down of the internet, which is the main form of expression for growing Indians, if the information posted is found inconvenient to Government, institutions or individuals. This is certainly against our basic democratic principles," he added.

Chandrasekhar urged the Government to be transparent by inviting public opinion and involve the blogging community before finalising and implementing these rules.
Source: India Syndicate
Govt trying to censor blogging?
Comment: Success of Citizens movement like in Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunsia, Bahrain and other ME Nations ruled by dictators/ Shiekh Royal Families is directly derived from the power of the Internet Social Networking medium. Is our country choosing to curb the Freedom of Speech or is it getting nervous? Are we heading towards a full fledged banana/ fake republic/ democracy in totality? Should it not focus on Governance and enable Democracy? It is not Governance deficit but total lack of Governance that is breeding criminals. What about Electoral/ Police/ Judicial reforms? What about passing Lok Pal Bill without dilution? Does every village have access to clean drinking water? Do we have 24 hour assured electricity in all the villages? What about implementation of RTE in all the states? The Bureaucrats seem to be misleading the Nation and misguiding the Politicians to suppress Citizen Movements working for a vibrant democracy.

Denigrating the Armed Forces: A Dangerous Agenda

(Published in Indian Defence Review Sep 2010). Need to subscribe to read the full article: click here
Denigrating the Armed Forces: A Dangerous Agenda
While watching TV on 03 June 2010, viewers were shocked to read breaking news – “Army shamed by sex scandal.” Another channel informed viewers that a serving Lieutenant General had been forced to resign for molesting another officer’s wife while on an official tour to Israel. Every channel tried to outdo each other by sensational headlines. Reputation of the military leadership in general and that of the General Officer concerned was torn to shreds. Most e-papers reproduced the news item released by PTI. The furor got somewhat dampened when the Army Headquarters (AHQ) issued a denial. It said that preliminary investigations had shown that there were a number of loopholes in the account of allegations and that further investigations were in progress. It also clarified that the General Officer had neither resigned nor had been asked to submit his resignation.

It is learnt that the high level Court of Inquiry (C of I) convened by the Army Headquarters has found the allegations to be totally baseless. Apparently, either the concerned PTI correspondent had erred in not confirming the veracity of the report with AHQ or was a willing party to the slander campaign. It is doubtful if he would ever be taken to task for his transgression. Predictably, PTI did not consider it necessary to apologise for its senseless blunder. Similarly, it is unlikely that other over-enthusiastic media players can muster enough moral courage to regret their mistake publically.

Similarly, media coverage of the Sukhna land case is characterised by unrelenting campaign to tarnish the image of the armed forces by targeting its senior officers. Facts of the case were totally and intentionally ignored to justify allegation of gross misappropriation. The case was nonchalantly termed as a scam despite the fact that the land in question was privately owned and did not belong to the Army; no transfer took place and no money ever exchanged hands. The civilian owner wanted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Army before investing resources in the construction of a school on the said land, lest there be objections subsequently. The total case revolved around an act of indiscretion by a General Officer when he recommended issuance of NOC to the incumbent Corps Commander. Incidentally, no pressure can be exerted by a Military Secretary as Corps Commanders do not report to him.

Not one media personality cared to find out as to what the scam was. The coverage dealt with the case as if it were another fodder scam or Chhattisgarh loot. As most TV channels thrive on sensationalism, speakers from various fields were invited to air their views. Without understanding the real nature of the case, they took stands as per their own prejudices and mindset. A rare sane voice was invariably silenced by an aggressive anchor carrying the mandate to steer discussion as per the channel’s agenda. Objectivity was the inevitable casualty. One self-proclaimed military writer of suspect credentials went to the extent of stating that the accused officers should be publically shot dead. He forgot that Indian governance works purely on recommendations – every political leader and bureaucrat issues numerous letters of recommendations every day. Should they all be shot dead or is the law of the land different for the services?... subscribe to IDR to read full article...
Major General Mrinal Suman, AVSM, VSM, PhD (Retd)

National Security: Can structures of babudom meet the challenges of the future?

Kanchan Gupta

As National Security Adviser MK Narayanan prepares to exit the Prime Minister’s Office and spend the coming years in the splendid isolation of a Raj Bhavan, it would be appropriate to review his tenure as Mr Manmohan Singh’s top aide. Given his unimpeachable loyalty to the first family of the Congress if not to the party (it would be facetious to suggest that one is concomitant to the other) it did not surprise anybody when he was inducted into the PMO after the UPA came to power. Nor was it surprising that his initial assignment was that of Internal Security Adviser. Having served as Director of Intelligence Bureau (when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister) and a ‘National Security Adviser’ of sorts to VP Singh during his brief stint in office, he was a natural choice for the job. Known as a ‘tough-though-thinking cop’, apart from excelling at gathering ‘political intelligence’, his presence in the PMO, it was felt, would be a perfect counterfoil to the soft approach of the Government to issues linked to internal security as well as help shore up a regime dependent on unreliable allies by working the back channels with parties like the DMK.....

It would have been an uninterrupted run for Mr Narayanan had nemesis not struck by way of the November 26, 2008 fidayeen attacks on multiple targets in Mumbai and the resultant outrage followed by the sacking of Mr Patil. Both the National Security Adviser and the Home Minister should have been unceremoniously dumped after the July 11, 2006 Mumbai commuter train bombings in which more people were killed than in the carnage two years later. But then, 26/11 was telecast live while 11/7 wasn’t; more than 200 Indian commuters died in the first attack and six Americans were among the 166 who perished in the second massacre. So, Mr Patil made an ignominious exit, Mr P Chidambaram took charge as Home Minister and Mr Narayanan found his remit severely curtailed. Over the past year, national security has been the preserve of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Mr Chidambaram has done a commendable job.

We are now told that the Government proposes to have two separate Security Advisers— one for homeland security and the other for external security. That’s an excellent proposal and merits immediate implementation. If that happens — and it’s a very big ‘if’ — the defunct National Security Council (when was the last time it met to discuss strategic security, political, economic and energy concerns?), the Strategic Policy Group (comprising babus not known for coming up with scintillating ideas) and the Joint Intelligence Committee should be immediately disbanded. Structures of the past cannot meet challenges of the future. We need a brand new system with the right people for whom India matters more than America, not loyal bureaucrats who will blindly do the Prime Minister’s bidding.
Read the full article
India matters, not America

Our Harmed Forces

Who will give better leadership? Political Class! The political Class, the one which has been selected by the Indian Public at large. The public needs to be educated and they should not be worked upon as mere vote banks which unfortunately they are and thus they go wrong in selecting the candidate while voting. The basis of proper education of the public must start at the very basic Education System in the country so that the generation next is adequately and properly educated and made wiser to run our country. The political parties themselves are more to blame as at the core of their election strategy lies in the hunger for power and not the welfare of the Society and State/ Country at large; they will do well only when their basic approach under goes change, the one which should be a 'Thorough Nationalistic Approach'. The Political Class has to wash out their dirty linen and come clean into the public domain and that too with patriotic approach. For this we do need a Great Revolution in our country, the one comparable with the might of 'Shahid Bhagat Singh' of pre-Independence era. Do we find people of such stature anywhere?

We are blaming the Armed Forces and trying to fish out something most undesirable and creating a bad impression and not allowing the them to take their own action within the bounds of the well respected discipline which it is ingrained with from the very concept of its existence and every soldier is proud of. The media has of late gone into a bingo attitude and approach of exploitation and sensationalism which is mostly counter productive when Armed Forces are concerned. Self restraint is absolutely essential when of speech is guaranteed in our State. The
case of 26/11 should never be forgotten when this approach helped the Adversary on the contrary. Apparently we have not learnt our lesson yet.

When it comes to grant of pension benefits to the Armed Forces, all those in power, the political class and the bureaucracy and Media are virtually silent. No one is willing to take up the cause of Veterans of the Armed Forces. Their just demand of OROP remains unfulfilled as merely not feasible on administrative grounds. The men in uniform can not raise this issue as they are bound by discipline. Nevertheless, this approach will have repercussions in the entire set-up of the Armed Forces. It is time to wake up. Oh! Our country-men when will you wake up??!!!!

I Jairath
Gp Capt(Retd)
Read Shekhar Gupta's article in Indian Express
Our Harmed Forces

CJI under RTI Act

The Supreme Court of India building in New Delhi. The Delhi High Court has held that the office of the Chief Justice of India comes within the ambit of RTI. Photo: R.V. Moorthy Read Full Story

Dear Veterans,
This refers to the report CJI under RTI Act in Hindu on 12 Jan 2009.
The CJI's office was under the purview of RTI Act was never in doubt to those who knew how to read and write and could read the Act for themselves. The question remains why did and how could the CJI make such absurd claims? And now that the Central Information Commission, and two benches of the Delhi High Court have held him wrong isn't it time our representatives in parliament thought of impeaching him? Having lowered the image of the judiciary to such an extent he doesn't even deserve the honourable option of resigning.
It is pertinent to highlight here the fact that while the apex court had filed its appeal against the decision of the Central Information Commission with the Delhi Court in the judges' assets case, it has opted to go on appeal to the apex court directly against the orders of the Central Information Commission in the case of appointment and posting of judges. It is also necessary to ask at this moment what is the role of the judiciary? While it is tasked and empowered to sit in judgement over disputes between citizens, between citizens and govt and between govts, can it sit in judgement over disputes involving itself? Natural justice and common sense would dictate an unambiguous NO. But with the only option of impeachment available to prevent the CJI from perpetuating a devastating fraud, will our law-makers measure up to their responsibilities?
Your's truly
Veteran P M Ravindran

RTI Activist murdered in Talegaon
Dear All,
Reference TOI Report: click here.
In these difficult hours, we RTIns together express our solidarity with the family of Satish Shetty and convey our heartfelt condolence. We resolve with all our might that we will not let the sacrifice of Satish Shetty, a brave citizen of India go in vain. In October 2009, I had sent a comprehensive paper ‘4 Year of RTI’ which also contained “Major Impediments and Suggestions for effective implementation of the RTI Act” The very first issue raised in my Paper is reproduced below: Quote Protection of Whistle Blowers: While the RTI Act is meant “to contain corruption and to hold Governments and their instrumentalities accountable to the governed”. The act does not have any provision to protect ‘Whistle Blowers’ for RTI users. This anomaly needs urgent attention. Unquote. It is high time Government comes out of its slumber to face the reality on the ground. But why will they? It is Government functionaries who are being exposed by RTIns. Time we raised this issue in a big way.
In Grief,
Commodore Lokesh K Batra (Retd)
Social and RTI Activist

IAS churning Indian Democracy to Autocratic Feudal Aristocracy

Dear Sh KK Punchhi,
This matter/ message- click here is based from following inputs:

World Development Report 2009

The book" Breaking Free of Nehru- let's Unleash India by an Ex IAS officer available in Oxford Book Stores click here for synopsis

My discussion with CEC of India and consequent enquiry

My dealing with district IAS officers as President of Residents Welfare Association

The way IAS officers have played with Natural Justice by tempering with 6th CPC Report for their vested interests and consequent flooding of cases in Courts/ Tribunals and many other inputs where IAS officers play the game of shuttle cock to avoid taking decisions, etc

Army Jawans/ officers going on fast unto death and returning service gallantry awards/ medals are bad signals for India. In the last 25 years IAS officers have done nothing to solve this major issue troubling Defence forces (serving and retired) inspite of all financial and administrative data supplied to them.

Since I also retired in the rank of Special Secretary to Government of India (former Controller General of Defence Accounts), and my son and daughter-in-law both were in IAS as SDM, DRDA, Deputy Commissioner, Commissioner/ Secy etc. I have seen their functioning at various levels from the lowest to the highest.

My fear is if we delay in winding up this rusted steel frame of bureaucracy/ modifying/ overhauling to suit our Freedom, Swaraj (self rule), we shall soon be declared as a Failed State.

If there is any positive improvement in India, it is all due to Private Sector. Both IAS officers and political leaders are failing us in attaining Freedom (Independence is not called Freedom), Security, Justice, Accountability, making cities after cities as urban nightmare (Thank God People of Jamshedpur are refusing IAS officers/ Political leaders to take over their local government) and almost in all social, economic, secular and other areas.

People of India should think over this serious matter before it is too late. The moment we cross the rating of 90, we shall be failed State. Bell is ringing very loud.
with regards,
Prem Sabhlok

Is India a failed State?
Audio has been disabled

Failed State, INDIA, will soon FALL to NAXALITE Insurgents - India is DOOMED!


India's deplorable human rights record may get a free pass from the western media, but not from its own people who suffer directly from the brutual oppression. You can just tell them to stay poor and be happy, while the rich get richer. 450 Million Dalits, Untouchables and Scheduled classes are enslaved as indentured classes in the inhuman caste system. 150 Million Muslims are marginalized as 2nd class citizens. 50 million Widows are incarcerated in temples as prostitutes. Almost every state has an insurgency. The Naxalite militancy rages from the Nepal border deep into Andhra Pradesh and to the Tamilnadu border.

Footpaths vanishing in Indian cities

Footpaths, an Utopian dream in India
My ordeal to reach office and return home five days a week has become a curse as I happen to live in a big city like Hyderabad without owning a vehicle.

While the developed nations have separate lanes for pedestrians and bicycle peddlers, in most Indian cities governments invest money and effort in cutting trees and removing pavements to widen roads. This has resulted in two types of roads. First, there are roads where pedestrians occupy almost the entire breadth and cars and bikes constantly honk to find their way out. Secondly, there are roads that are completely occupied by vehicles leaving little or no space for pedestrians. While the first kind is a pain for the vehicle drivers or owners, the second one is the pedestrian’s agony, the one that I face everyday.

In this second kind of roads, the pedestrian is treated like an illegal intruder who does not have any right to be on the street. The vehicles which always seem to be in haste keep honking behind him/her, even if he/she is on the left limit of the road with a part of the body brushing against the leftmost wall bordering the road. They, it seems, would not mind crushing her beneath their wheels. A solution is just a separate lane for the pedestrian, a footpath.

Yes, there are footpaths, footbridges and zebra crossings at quite a few places. It’s just that, the footpaths are less for man and more for manholes. They become the street dwellers’ accommodation, the street vendors’ outlet, the public garbage dumping ground and a lot more except a pedestrian’s freeway. The height and the number of steps in a footbridge are such that an arthritis patient or a senior citizen would prefer risking his life crossing the road to climbing up the footbridge. The ever fading stripes of the zebra crossings reveal their plight of being under the wheels of massive vehicles all throughout rather than the shivering feet of a terrified pedestrian.

As population increases, as the standard of living of the middle class Indian rises, as vehicles become more and more affordable, the traffic problem is only destined to aggravate. How far can the government accommodate the ever-increasing number of vehicles by clearing forests, widening roads and building flyovers? And where shall we finally end up by this approach of green murder and a devastated ecological balance? Isn’t it time to realise that a solution lies somewhere else? Encouraging car pooling, discouraging the unnecessary use of vehicles, developing better public means of transport, and building footpaths free of manholes, garbage, roadside dwellers and street vendors are not so difficult to implement given their huge positive impact.

A relatively simple step like building a separate pedestrian lane shaded by trees would serve more than one purpose. First, it would save the lives and ordeal of pedestrians. Second, it would provide relief to the vehicles which are constantly irritated by presence of the pedestrian on the roads. This would also reduce noise pollution marginally as drivers would stop honking. Third, it would contribute towards cooling and refreshing the atmosphere, playing its part in global cooling and climate restoration. Fourth, it would encourage more people to walk, especially in a tropical country like India where without tree shade walking causes more harm than benefit. This would not just reduce fuel consumption and air pollution, but would also assist in the creation of a healthy India.
Aparajita Banerjee
Footpaths, an Utopian dream in India

Stretches of Chennai Roads- sans footpath
Construction materials and encroachment of the roads- sans foot-path in Chennai

Comments
Bangalore and Chennai cities are twice as worse than Hyderabad. The footpaths are filled with building materials, used as toilets, occupied by vendors, used for vehicle parking, proliferation of footpath idols (annual increase is over 100% in suburban localities), paths dug up by telecoms, electricity and other utilities and footpaths are generally built over covered storm drainage which also carries sewer from residential colonies, overflowing and stinking due to drain blockages. It implies that footpaths only exist for namesake but no pedestrians can ever use the footpath so citizens need to walk on roads at their own peril. Greater question: Is there any citizen safety in India?

Here babus are billionaires

A Tribune Exclusive by Chitleen K Sethi Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 26
Mirror mirror on the wall…who is the richest of them all? Forced to make their assets public under the Right To Information Act, the property returns filed by the 151 IAS officers serving in Punjab have revealed an eclectic mix of billionaires, millionaires and some with nothing at all.

Many have been “allotted” properties by the government agencies. Some managed these through discretionary quotas, making use of their official positions to the hilt.

Then there are some who have been so lucky that every time they applied for a property in the draw of lots they got it. Many of them own several properties in the periphery of Chandigarh.

The richest IAS officer in the state is SS Channi, Principal Secretary (Industries). The man, who owned just a 10-marla plot in Mohali in 1982-83, now has several acres of agricultural land, a 50 per cent share in a filling station in Bathinda, a transport company in Bathinda, a house in Sector 18, Chandigarh, a flat in Delhi, a plot in Gurgaon, another in Noida and a two-kanal plot in the IAS PCS House Building Society, Mohali.

“Most of the land and businesses were inherited by Channi. The flats and plots he has bought have been shown as purchased after selling other properties,” said advocate of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, HC Arora, who had sought the information under the RTI Act.

Arora has now received the details of the property returns following orders of the Punjab State Information Commission.

Another smart investor has been Shivinder Singh Brar, Financial Commissioner (Excise and Taxation). Apart from ancestral property, he has two houses in Delhi, a commercial flat in Delhi, a house in the Punjab State IAS Cooperative Housing Society at Chandigarh, agricultural lands in village Kansal and Giddarbaha and also a godown in Giddarbaha.

The “allottees” include Varun Roozam, who was allotted a 500-sq yard industrial plot in Phase VI Mohali. He later sold off the property. Priyank Bharati was allotted 220 sq yards of commercial property by PSIDC in 1995. Dr Avinder Singh states in his return of 2004 that the chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board allotted him a residential plot from a “discretionary” quota.

Sujata Das was allotted a residential plot in Sector 8, Panchkula, from the discretionary quota of the then CM. She was again allotted a residential flat in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, from another discretionary quota.

Surinderjit Sandhu was allotted a corner plot in discretionary quota by the then Director (Housing) in Jalandhar. P. Ram was allotted a 500-sq yard residential plot from the minister’s quota in Mohali.

IAS officers also seem to get property at very comfortable rates. Rakhi Gupta Bhandari purchased a 288-sq yard residential plot on Dhanola Road, Barnala, in 2008 for Rs 2.40 lakh. Sarup Singh Dhillon purchased agricultural land at Bassi Pathana at “collector’s rate” where he is growing vegetables in a green house. He purchased a house in Sector 34, Chandigarh, at a rate fixed by the estate officer in March 2005.

Interestingly, there are some officers who seem to have “nothing at all”. According to their current returns, Vijay Janjua, Sundram Krishna, Vivek Partap Singh, Rajat Aggarwal, Manisha Trighatia, Ajoy Sharma, Pradeep Agarwal and Manjeet Singh don’t own any immoveable property.
Here babus are billionaires

Military’s mechanism

The military draws its manpower from within the country, where moral standards have fallen, corruption is rampant and there is a climate of loot and plunder, right across the national landscape.

The main difference is that this fall in standards is unacceptable in the military. That is how military’s internal mechanism picks out such black sheep (liquor, ketchup,
moral turpitude and land scams, etc types) and dishes out exemplary punishment.

As against this what happened to all those DCs in Punjab who had misappropriated Red Cross and Kargil funds, etc and put these to private and personal use? There are unlimited numbers of other cases which are pushed under the carpet. What of SPS Rathore of Ruchika case: 19 years later, a farce!

The self-correcting mechanism is what distinguishes the military from the general rot in the country.
Brig Harwant Singh,(Retd)

Ruchika case: System has failed
Rape of the law: State machinery has failed to act by Kuldip Nayar

Defense Pensioners divided and discriminated- OROP

Lt Col (Retd) KL Jaspal, of Haryana, who is an active GConnector is the author of this guest article. We feel he has presented his views on One Rank One Pay very cogently. We solicit guest articles on any topic from the readers which can be mailed to admin@gconnect.in or ramrag2001@gmail.com.

In accordance with the contents of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, this piece of writing is to throw light on similarly circumstanced countrymen who cannot be and must not be arbitrarily divided or categorized or classified by the state for debarring some of them from the benefits whenever announced by the Govt. Efforts are made to explain that already existing classifications/ categories of pensioners are founded on an intelligible differential which distinguishes pensioners that are grouped together. Whenever and wherever, the state has ever made any deceptive efforts to further classify the pensioners for its own financial or any other interest, but that was against pensioners in financial or in any other manners, it was checked by the Law of the Land. Many of the courts of the country including the Apex court of India always stood by Article 14, which forbade the Govt. from doing so. Article 14 is therefore specifically incorporated in the constitution to ensure fairness and equality of treatment to all the countrymen of the nation, so that all of them are treated alike both in privileges conferred and liabilities imposed by the state or any of the state’s authorities.
click here to read the full article published in gconnect

How close are we to OROP?: Check out what babus mean by bridging the gap!
Reduce the gap in the pensionary benefits to officers and jawans, bringing it as close to OROP as possible
Over One Year ago
One-rank-one-pension demand accepted: Antony

Armed Forces Tribunal

The Armed Forces Tribunal is now functional from 16 Nov 2009 at Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur and Chandigarh and has jurisdiction over both service as well as court-martial issues concerning the three services.

The Chandigarh Bench of the Tribunal was inaugurated by Justice T S Thakur, Chief Justice of the Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court who is going to be elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court today. The bench having jurisdiction over Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, J&K and HP was notified with effect from 16 Nov 2009.

A comprehensive news report on the same can be accessed by clicking link below.

It was also a good day for civilian retirees. The applicability of a new stipulation on encashment of leave has been taken back to 01 Jan 2006 instead of the earlier cut-off date of 01 Sept 2008. The letter issued yesterday evening by the Govt of India to this effect can be accessed and downloaded by clicking here.
Posted by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh
Armed Forces Tribunal to overcome HC limitations

The Bureaucracy and the Armed Forces in India

THE BUREAUCRACY AND THE ARMED FORCES IN INDIA– A CASE OF PENIS ENVY? (see the article below).

How very true! Do all States have a Lok Ayukth??

Karnataka Lok Ayukth is presently headed by an ex Chief Justice of the Supreme Court the Hon'ble Justice Santosh Hegde. Both he and his predecessor have investigated hundreds of cases of big corruption against babus running into, I dare say, thousands of crores of rupees. No actions whatsoever, except for suspension or transfer of the corrupt officials, have ever taken place!!! Not a single charge has been brought about against anyone, not a single case has reached any Court of Law.

Compare this with the completed court martial that have taken place against corrupt Officers of the Armed Forces in the last few decades. The Press goes ballistic over corrupt "Colonel Ketchups" and the like, but are not vocal against corrupt babus except when reported by the Lok Ayukth.

When my older grandchildren tell me of the distorted history that is being taught in schools of how the British and the Rajas looted the country for 200 years, I have to bring them up to date with the fact that the present day rajas (babus and politicians) continue to do so everyday with impunity and without any restraints!!

Col Cyrus Dalal (Retd)

THE BUREAUCRACY AND THE ARMED FORCES IN INDIA– A CASE OF PENIS ENVY?
Imagine two branches of service in the Government of India. The two branches are different in substance and in the perception of the citizens. One branch has its halo effect and is considered both glamorous and praiseworthy in public perception. The other branch is often pejoratively titled “babudom”.
Now consider the following points:

The armed forces have their uniforms and shiny medals. The bureaucrats have none.

Generals, Admirals and Air Marhsals sport three stars on their vehicles, and sometimes four stars. Even officers of the rank of Brigadier sport a star. The bureaucrats of similar seniority have to make do with just a red or blue light. Lest you consider this a trivial matter not worthy of the attention of a senior bureaucrat, consider this – when my brother, an Air Commodore, was posted as India’s Air Attache in Washington, he was entitled to put a single star – the US Army’s designated insignia for a brigadier level officer – on his vehicle. This gave him certain parking and other privileges in specified buildings. His administrative superior – an officer belonging to the Indian Foreign Service – actually urged my brother to remove the star from his car since he, the senior officer, was not entitled to it.

The armed forces, with their bemedalled heroes guarding our boundaries, and their fighter pilots, navy commanders etc. garner favourable publicity in the media and are viewed as services with an air of professionalism and macho. They carry an aura of glamour. The bureaucrats, on the other hand, do not have such an image – in fact, they are widely considered to be working in musty offices, surrounded by files and aided by often sloppy staff, who the average citizen encounters in his or her daily life.
If professions could be said to have sexes, the armed forces would definitely be considered masculine and the bureaucrats, their civilian counterpart, feminine. In saying this I do not mean to slight the feminine aspect. I am just stating the obvious – the aggressive, protective, outgoing principle vis a vis the protected, home-bound civilian bureaucrats.
This dichotomy between the two appears to have affected the bureaucratic wing adversely as far as their attitude towards the defence wing is concerned. The closest we can express this attitude in psychological terms is by saying that they suffer from penis-envy.
Sigmund Freud introduced the concept of a little girl's envy of the penis in his 1908 article "On the Sexual Theories of Children," and developed the idea later in his work “On Narcissism”. Subsequently, his theory has been overtaken by more accurate theories of female sexuality by psychologists such as Eric Ericson ad Jian Paget. It has also been criticised by feminists and others. However, here we are not dealing with the girl child’s psychological development. We are concerned with a similar emotion amongst India’s bureaucrats vis a vis our Armed Forces where this theory does appear to apply rather closely.
The bureaucrats subconsciously appear to wish that they had more glamour in their profession, that they had smart, uniformed assistants and starred vehicles and be-medalled uniforms. Acquiring these appears as difficult as the girl’s covert wish to acquire a penis. However, unlike the girl child, the bureaucrats can do something about it. They may not be able to acquire a penis for themselves, but they leave no occasion to try and castrate the armed forces.
The recent sixth pay commission controversy is only one factor in the ongoing struggle for supremacy which the bureaucrats have tried this castration. In pursuance of this effort, the bureaucrats have not permitted even a single representative of the armed forces – India’s largest employer – in the Pay Commission. An indicative incident of the feeling of animosity can be judged by he incident where the military attaché in one of our embassies overheard one of the senior-most bureaucrats visiting that country make a pejorative comment in reference to the noise being made by the armed forces about the Sixth Pay Commission award anomalies. The senior bureaucrats comment was that on his return to India “We will fix the bastards”.
Another indication of this castration is the order of precedence. This is the official order in which dignitaries are seated at formal functions and the ceremonial importance given to each relative to the others. At the time of independence, the senior most general was second in the Order of Precedence. Now the Army Chief is 12th in this list. The Cabinet Secretary is 11th, as is the Attorney General. At the 23rd position are “Officers of the rank of full General or equivalent rank” on par with Secretaries to the Government, Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities , Secretary, Minorities Commission, Secretary, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes , Members, Minorities Commission , Members, National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Members, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and a host of others.
There are many other areas where no opportunity is missed by the bureaucrats to show the armed forces down.
The overt reason one hears for maintaining the supremacy of the bureaucrats over the armed forces is that we should adhere to the principle of “the civilian control of the army”. However, civilian control does not mean the Chief of India’s Army, who commands 1.3 million officers and soldiers, apart from 1.4 million reserve and territorial army personnel, waiting at the pleasure of the bureaucrats manning the Ministry of Defence. So long as he obeys the orders of a civilian Minister of Defence, it would ensure the principle of civilian control adequately. However, the bureaucrats will never agree to this because this argument will take away one more tool which facilitates the castration mentioned above.
These attempts at castration of the armed forces by the bureaucracy are resulting in the demoralisation of our armed forces at all levels. The retired officers speak about this openly and the serving ones in hushed tones. This complex of the bureaucrats needs to be recognised for what it is and, then, needs to be addressed firmly and fairly by the political masters, Unless this is done, we will continue devaluing the spear and shield of the country to satisfy the castrative instinct of the bureaucrats. If a further devaluation of the tools of India's defence happens, we should not be surprised that, when we need a steely response to danger on our borders, we will get a wooden one. Then, paradoxically, the bureaucrats will get one more reason to castrate the armed forces further and the vicious spiral will continue making holes in our national defence shield.

Kishore Asthana
asthana1@yahoo.com
THE BUREAUCRACY AND THE ARMED FORCES IN INDIA– A CASE OF PENIS ENVY?

Do Retired Generals of the Armed Forces as Governors perform better than the rest?

Generals as Governors and Lt Governors of Indian States
1. Arunachal Pradesh Gen J.J. Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM(Retd)
2. Assam Lt Gen Ajai Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd)
3. Mijoram Lt Gen M.M. Lakhera, PVSM,AVSM,VSM (Retd)
4. Punjab Gen S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM (Retd)
5. Andaman & Nicobar Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd)

In the dominion of the Indian Constitution, the Governors have appraised powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at the capital. In this regard, it should be noted that like the governors at the National Capital of New Delhi and the lieutenant Governor in the union territories enjoys the same power and position as the President of the nation. On the other hand, it should be observed that in conformity with the measures of the Indian Constitution, the governor acts as the nominal head whereas the real power remains within the periphery of the Chief minister and with the council minister of the Chief minister.

In general, a Governor is elected for a term of 5 years. Different types of powers including the Executive Powers (all the executive powers of the state government), Legislative Powers and also the Discretionary Powers are also given to the Governors. In the appointment of the Chief Minister of a State the Governors performs as the main person. In the appointment of the Council of Ministers, the instrumental role player is the governor. The Governor also plays a cardinal role in the appointment of the judges of the District Courts.

In contrast the Governor writes the sessions of both houses of the State Legislature and holds over them. The governors are entrusted with the power to dissolve the State Legislature or the Vidhan Sabha. A bill that has passed by the State Legislature will not be eligible until and unless the Governor gives his/her assent to it. The Governor has the power to earmark certain bills for the President.

At certain situations the Governor can act according to own judgment. Though it is very important on the part of the Governors to act in accordance with the recommendation of the Council of ministers that is headed by the Chief Minister, and thereby to take decisions. These are enforced at the critical situations, and are called the discretionary powers of the Governor.
Governors of Indian States

Performance Audit: Apex ESM Organisations should evolve a rating system based on the following parameters:

Is their governance exemplary?

Are they trend setters?

Do they set high standards?

Exude personal example and leadership in improving development works?

Is interaction with citizens friendly and approachable?

Do they denigrate their status by VIP treatment given by the Administration?

Greed and Corruption is a erupting volcano in India in comparison to dormant USA

Will Bharka Dutt of NDTV fame come out with a similar video as applicable to "We the People" of India who are objects subject to Political Terror?

Dear Sir,
Your Post July 16 "We the people stimulus package" is superb. I played and watched it more than ten times. In fact I want to take down the text and convert it to our situation and publish it on the Kargil Diwas day. Let me see whether I can do it or not. But I will try. Thank u very much for enlightening the readers of your blog.

When Americans can do it. We can also do. But it will take min 50 years. We must make our children to make a new India. Because India is in their hands. But unfortunately most our children fly out to USA and apply for green card, and creating more and more Classic Homes in India. Anyhow let us see what happens. I wish our dream for a corruption free new India should emerge soon.
Jai Hind.
With kind regards,
C Muthukrishnan