DD News: Friday 17 June, 2011.
Union Minister for Rural Development and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Friday said the Adarsh Society land belonged to the state and was never reserved for defence personnel or Kargil war heroes.
In an affidavit filed before the two-member Adarsh Commission, set up to probe irregularities in scam-tainted Adarsh Society, Deshmukh said, "The records maintained with the office of the Collector of Mumbai clearly show that the land belonged to the state government. The ownership of the land was never an issue at any stage so far I am concerned."
Deshmukh further said that there was no reservation on the Adarsh Society land for housing of Defence personnel or Kargil war heroes either under the Development Plan for Greater Mumbai or under any of the policies of the state government.
Deshmukh's statement is similar to that of Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who filed an affidavit in this regard last week.
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Adarsh plot never reserved for defence, war heroes: Deshmukh
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Friday, June 17, 2011
Britain Helps WWII Indian Veterans
Britain funds WWII veterans' well being By Vinod Kumar Menon Date: 2011-02-21 Place: Mumbai
Organisation set up to help veterans from the Commonwealth who fought for England has sent more than Rs 16 crore to India in the last decade alone
MORE than 50 years after the end of World War II, the British haven't forgotten the soldiers from India who fought as part of their army against the Germans and other Axis powers.
Ex sepoy Balu Davlu Dhabhole with his wife Bhagirati outside their house in Kolhapur
Following MiD DAY's sustained reportage of the pathetic state of these veterans and their widows (we broke the story with 'Republic of neglect' on January 26), a former British officer based in the city informed us of the existence of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL), which has been sending funds for these soldiers since the end of the war.
Surprisingly, even though the League has disbursed more than Rs 16 crore in the last 10 years alone (see box), officials from the Sainik Welfare Board and even some veterans themselves were unaware of its existence.
Lt Colonel (Retd) Graham Tullet, a former British Army officer who is part of the RCEL, said the League provides welfare support for ex-servicemen and women of Common-wealth countries who served the British Crown at some point in time and reside overseas.
Earl Haig founded the charity in 1921 and its scope increased following the Second World War. Today, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is the grand president of the League, which has 56 member organisations across 48 countries. It covers the Caribbean, West, East and Southern Africa, the Indian subcontinent, South-East Asia, the Pacific and Australasia.
RCEL acts as a link throughout the Common-wealth for local organisations set up to help these veterans. Financial support is also given to small self-help projects that can generate local income.
"The objective is to ensure that no eligible ex-serviceman or woman is without help in their time of need. When Britain was facing a bleak future, help arrived from all corners of the Commonweal-th. Now the people who helped us at such a critical time need our help and support. It is our turn to give," said Tullet.
'Show us the money'
Colonel (Retd) Shankarrao Nikam (91), who fought for the British Army and now lives in Kolhapur, was surprised to learn about the existence of the fund. "I have never heard of any such money coming into the country. And, if it is true, why do war veterans and their widows have to beg for a decent living even today? Where has the money gone?"
Colonel (Retd) Suhas Jatkar, director at the state department of Sainik Welfare HQ at Pune, too, admitted that he was unaware of the RECL and the help that it extends.
"We have a total of 9,183 beneficiaries under the World War II category. Of this, 1,396 are veterans and 7,787 are widows," said Jatkar.
Colonel (Retd) Akhil Sharma, general secretary, Indian Ex-Servicemen League (IESL), Delhi, said the organisation has been receiving money from RECL. As per their records, around 8,000 World War II veterans and their widows are alive across India, of which 463 are from Maharashtra, and they are given a monthly pension of Rs 300.
When informed about the discrepancy in the figure maintained by them and the Sainik Welfare Board, Sharma said that they go by the records maintained by their office in Mumbai, which takes care of Maharashtra.
Commenting on the discrepancy, an official from IESL's Mumbai said, "That may be because we do not advertise and ask people to come forward and register.
All those who voluntarily approach us and satisfy us with documents and records proving that they served the British Army in World War II are enrolled and their details are sent to our headquarters in Delhi. The monthly pension amounting to Rs 300 is sent to them from there."
Sharma said they receive approximately Rs 2 crore a year from RECL and the account of the fund is audited and a copy is sent to the UK.
1,396- Total World War II veterans alive today in Maharashtra
7,787- Total widows of World War II Veteran in Maharashtra
9,183- Total beneficiaries as on December 31, 2010
Britain Helps WWII Indian Veterans
Sad commentary on the Veteran Welfare of Soldiers in India indeed!
Organisation set up to help veterans from the Commonwealth who fought for England has sent more than Rs 16 crore to India in the last decade alone
MORE than 50 years after the end of World War II, the British haven't forgotten the soldiers from India who fought as part of their army against the Germans and other Axis powers.
Following MiD DAY's sustained reportage of the pathetic state of these veterans and their widows (we broke the story with 'Republic of neglect' on January 26), a former British officer based in the city informed us of the existence of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League (RCEL), which has been sending funds for these soldiers since the end of the war.
Surprisingly, even though the League has disbursed more than Rs 16 crore in the last 10 years alone (see box), officials from the Sainik Welfare Board and even some veterans themselves were unaware of its existence.
Lt Colonel (Retd) Graham Tullet, a former British Army officer who is part of the RCEL, said the League provides welfare support for ex-servicemen and women of Common-wealth countries who served the British Crown at some point in time and reside overseas.
Earl Haig founded the charity in 1921 and its scope increased following the Second World War. Today, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is the grand president of the League, which has 56 member organisations across 48 countries. It covers the Caribbean, West, East and Southern Africa, the Indian subcontinent, South-East Asia, the Pacific and Australasia.
RCEL acts as a link throughout the Common-wealth for local organisations set up to help these veterans. Financial support is also given to small self-help projects that can generate local income.
"The objective is to ensure that no eligible ex-serviceman or woman is without help in their time of need. When Britain was facing a bleak future, help arrived from all corners of the Commonweal-th. Now the people who helped us at such a critical time need our help and support. It is our turn to give," said Tullet.
'Show us the money'
Colonel (Retd) Shankarrao Nikam (91), who fought for the British Army and now lives in Kolhapur, was surprised to learn about the existence of the fund. "I have never heard of any such money coming into the country. And, if it is true, why do war veterans and their widows have to beg for a decent living even today? Where has the money gone?"
Colonel (Retd) Suhas Jatkar, director at the state department of Sainik Welfare HQ at Pune, too, admitted that he was unaware of the RECL and the help that it extends.
"We have a total of 9,183 beneficiaries under the World War II category. Of this, 1,396 are veterans and 7,787 are widows," said Jatkar.
Colonel (Retd) Akhil Sharma, general secretary, Indian Ex-Servicemen League (IESL), Delhi, said the organisation has been receiving money from RECL. As per their records, around 8,000 World War II veterans and their widows are alive across India, of which 463 are from Maharashtra, and they are given a monthly pension of Rs 300.
When informed about the discrepancy in the figure maintained by them and the Sainik Welfare Board, Sharma said that they go by the records maintained by their office in Mumbai, which takes care of Maharashtra.
Commenting on the discrepancy, an official from IESL's Mumbai said, "That may be because we do not advertise and ask people to come forward and register.
All those who voluntarily approach us and satisfy us with documents and records proving that they served the British Army in World War II are enrolled and their details are sent to our headquarters in Delhi. The monthly pension amounting to Rs 300 is sent to them from there."
Sharma said they receive approximately Rs 2 crore a year from RECL and the account of the fund is audited and a copy is sent to the UK.
1,396- Total World War II veterans alive today in Maharashtra
7,787- Total widows of World War II Veteran in Maharashtra
9,183- Total beneficiaries as on December 31, 2010
Britain Helps WWII Indian Veterans
Sad commentary on the Veteran Welfare of Soldiers in India indeed!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Lokpal morphs to Jokepal Bill: Final destiny the Graveyard?
Jan Lok Pal bill: UPA’s great political coup
Comment: UPA manages to send the Jan Lok Pal Bill where it thought it belonged – the graveyard
The UPA government has just managed a political coup that will be envy of governments everywhere in the world.
Despite fasts, virulent protests and a countrywide nausea against corruption, it has managed to pivot the full circle and shepherd the Jan Lok Pal bill to where it thought it belonged - the graveyard.
Or, as Arvind Kejriwal, one of the members of the drafting panel from the civil society said, "government has killed the bill even before its birth".
That's what the 'one bill, two drafts' to be sent to the Union Cabinet proposal of the UPA government essentially amounts to.
The Union Cabinet, in other words, the government itself, will sit in judgment on the two drafts. And it's a no-brainer as to which draft - the civil society's or its own - the government will deign to chose.
Through the use of calumny, innuendoes, and by painting the spectre of threat to democracy by "unelected" players, the government has managed to confuse and obfuscate the issue.
The media and the public have swallowed the government's antics largely without protest or seeing through the attempts to shoot the messengers - the representatives of the civil society.
Jan Lok Pal bill: UPA’s great political coup
Related Reading
16/06/2011 Govt Lokpal bill is Jokepal: Team Anna
Anna to fast again from Aug 16; Govt. tells Hazare it will not succumb to threats
Comment: UPA manages to send the Jan Lok Pal Bill where it thought it belonged – the graveyard
The UPA government has just managed a political coup that will be envy of governments everywhere in the world.
Despite fasts, virulent protests and a countrywide nausea against corruption, it has managed to pivot the full circle and shepherd the Jan Lok Pal bill to where it thought it belonged - the graveyard.
Or, as Arvind Kejriwal, one of the members of the drafting panel from the civil society said, "government has killed the bill even before its birth".
That's what the 'one bill, two drafts' to be sent to the Union Cabinet proposal of the UPA government essentially amounts to.
The Union Cabinet, in other words, the government itself, will sit in judgment on the two drafts. And it's a no-brainer as to which draft - the civil society's or its own - the government will deign to chose.
Through the use of calumny, innuendoes, and by painting the spectre of threat to democracy by "unelected" players, the government has managed to confuse and obfuscate the issue.
The media and the public have swallowed the government's antics largely without protest or seeing through the attempts to shoot the messengers - the representatives of the civil society.
Jan Lok Pal bill: UPA’s great political coup
Related Reading
16/06/2011 Govt Lokpal bill is Jokepal: Team Anna
Anna to fast again from Aug 16; Govt. tells Hazare it will not succumb to threats
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