Respected Sir/Ma'am,
The following report -- released by the United News of India news agency on July 16, 2011 -- is for your kind perusal.
With regards
Abhi
DEFENCE-KARGIL-IESM ACTIVITIES (ATTN SRINAGAR) Kargil anniv: Veterans' activities to start on July 20
Bhopal, July 16 (UNI) Pride and grief form a heart-rending cocktail as veterans of the Indian Armed Forces prepare for a bouquet of programmes as tribute to the indomitable courage of the nation's military officers and men who made the supreme sacrifice during the Kargil conflict whose 12th anniversary will be observed on July 26.
The Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement (IESM) commemorates the valour of these brave-hearts on that day each year through countrywide activities. This time round the activities start in the week preceding Kargil Vijay Diwas.
"Amongst all military actions since Independence, Operation Vijay was not only the longest but the ferociousness brought about heavy casualties. As many as 527 personnel were martyred and 1,363 severely wounded. Four Param Vir Chakras (PVCs) were awarded, two posthumously and nine Maha Vir Chakras were awarded, six posthumously besides 55 Vir Chakras," narrated IESM Vice-Chairman Major-General (Retd) Satbir Singh, Sena Medal.
The tenacity with which Indian Army units precariously negotiated the razor-edged mountain ridges in darkness -- for daylight spelt doom from the machine-gun-swept mountain slopes bereft of vegetation -- is testimony to the leadership, training and professionalism of the best Army in the world.
heir officers -- two of whom deserve special mention -- led the valiant soldiers from the front in true Indian Army ethos.
Captain Vikram Batra (IC-57556) of the 13 JAK Rif (the 13th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment) was martyred while dragging injured Lieutenant Naveen towards cover. Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey (IC-56959) of the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles said "Na chhornu" (Do not leave them) to his jawans before succumbing to wounds caused while leading his platoon through a hail of gunfire during the capture of Khalubar. Both officers were decorated with PVCs posthumously.
DEFENCE-KARGIL-IESM ACTIVITIES BHOPAL
"The years since Independence have seen an ever-declining interest in matters military. Kargil happened just a decade plus back and was confined to history within 365 days! Our forces entering Dhaka in December '71 and the heroes of the Kargil conflict are oft forgotten," alleged IESM Member Colonel (Retd) Rakesh Prasad Chaturvedi.
Rather than being confined to cantonment commemorations, IESM feels that participation by the citizenry would spread awareness a lot better. Starting on Wednesday, veterans will give lectures in schools. Taking the conflict as the backdrop, they will talk on inculcation of intrinsic qualities like values and camaraderie that characterise the Armed Forces fraternity.
On July 24, homage will be paid from 1100-1300 hrs to martyrs at the Shaheed Smarak in Sector 29, New Okhla Industrial Development Authority Area. Blood donation and organ-pledging are planned on site for those who volunteer. Over 500 persons are expected.
Several households -- both military and non-military ones -- have appreciatively adopted the poignant ceremony of lighting candles at home in the past two years. At 2000 hrs on Kargil Vijay Diwas, citizens across India are requested to light a candle each at their residences' entrances and lay a marigold each by its side after saying a prayer for those who did not come back. This may additionally be done at offices.
A university students' group will conduct a theatrical poetry performance at the Vivekananda International Foundation, Chanakyapuri, Delhi. IESM appeals to media and the people of India to join in commemorating Kargil Vijay Diwas in a befitting manner to generate the spirit of Bharat. UNI AC 0832
Saturday, July 16, 2011
The Black Money trail vanishes: Politicians Vs Civil Society
special article 4 July 2011
When Government Is Of The Thieves, By The Thieves And For The Thieves
mg devasahayam
A DEBATE is on over the role of civil society and popular movements in influencing government policies and laws. Politicians of the beleaguered UPA government are increasingly trying to discredit mass movements against corruption by declaring that civil society cannot usurp the right to legislate ~ a right which, according to them, is the exclusive preserve of ‘elected representatives’. Congress veterans seem to be in competition over offering their gems of wisdom.
Home minister P Chidambaram, facing fraud charges over ‘getting himself elected’, set the ball rolling when he said, “Elected members cannot yield to civil society since this might undermine parliamentary democracy.” As a wag promptly retorted, “Yes, Chidambaram is right. Elected members should yield only to Niira Radia and corporate plunderers and not to those who elected them.” Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has charged civil society with weakening the democratic institutions.
The Congress spokesperson, Manish Tewari, almost went berserk: “If this country and democracy has any threat, it is from the unelected tyrants. If democracy faces its greatest peril, it is from the tyranny of the unelected and unelectable.” True, for those steeped in corruption, people who raise their voice are indeed ‘tyrants’! But, the fact is that it is not democracy or its institutions that are in danger, but the ‘kleptocracts’ who run the government of the thieves, by the thieves and for the thieves who are facing the heat!
Politicians and their cronies had become so paranoid that one of them even went to the Supreme Court with an absurd plea that ‘it was impermissible under the Constitution to involve civil society in the drafting of a Bill, which was the sole prerogative of the legislative department of the government.’
And Man Friday Kabil Sibal put his imprimatur on that: ‘Civil society won’t be involved in future for drafting the law’. That is it. If only these worthies had an elementary understanding of society and democracy!
It would be useful to quote Wikipedia’s definition of civil society: “It is composed of the totality of voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state and the commercial institutions of the market. Together, state, market and civil society constitute the entirety of a society, and the relations between these three components determine the character of a society and its structure.”
Democracy is a form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. This includes participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law. People’s sovereignty is the founding principle of such a system. A parliamentary system is nothing more than representative democracy in which citizens do have a right to tell their elected representatives what kind of laws they want enacted and what laws they want changed or scrapped. Mass movements for doing so strengthen democracy; they don’t weaken it as apprehended by our ‘intellectually arrogant’ Home minister.
The Special Economic Zones Act is a case in point. This law was drafted without the citizens’ consent and enacted by Parliament without a word of dissent. But when implemented, those most affected by this law ~ farmers ~ did not accept it. This has led to massive resistance all over the country. Indeed, there is virtual civil war in the tribal heartland of Dandakaranya.
A series of laws have been opposed because they were enacted without the involvement of citizens when India was under colonial administration. Notably, the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The first provides that fertile farm land can be acquired for a song to build super-luxury malls and bungalows by invoking the urgency clause of Section 17 of the Act. It deprives the aggrieved persons the right to object. Even the Supreme Court has come down heavily against this Act. The Indian Penal Code still has the sedition clause under which British rulers arrested patriots and freedom fighters. This section is now being used against citizens fighting against corruption and injustice. Our ‘elected representatives’ have not bothered to amend these draconian laws even six decades after Independence.
The BJP enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, without any consultation, consensus or consent. It goes against the concept of freedom. The same party’s government issued ‘The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Ordinance, 2002’, conferring draconian powers to bank managers to take possession and sell the properties mortgaged with them by genuine borrowers. Parliament confirmed the Ordinance without debate, thereby depriving small and medium entrepreneurs their basic right and livelihood in the most arbitrary and autocratic manner.
Because the views and inputs of civil society are not taken into consideration, there are several impractical Central and state laws that are sources of corruption and black money.
In the reckoning of politicians, civil society undermines parliamentary democracy. On the contrary, it is the politicians who are undermining parliamentary democracy through feudal and dynastic political outfits. Indeed, they are indulging in large-scale electoral corruption and thuggery. Certain parties are calling the shots. They are dominating over governments without any constitutional sanction. Our Constitution, which has provision for all institutions/instruments of governance, has nothing for ‘politicians’ or ‘political parties’. The charge that civil society activists are seeking to replace Parliament does not hold water. In the context of the Jan Lokpal Bill, civil society activists are seeking to shape the draft, mobilise opinion on the content, and hold elected representatives accountable to such opinion. The common people are better informed and closely involved than ever before. But the actual task of enacting the law still rests with MPs. The debates within Parliament are likely to be closely scrutinised by citizens. This is a process that is essential for the growth of democracy. Politicians and the government only expose their authoritarian streak by trying to discredit such participatory processes. The writer is a former IAS officer
Politicians Vs Civil Society
Related action to negate court ruling!
Govt moves SC for recall of order for setting up SIT on black money
When Government Is Of The Thieves, By The Thieves And For The Thieves
mg devasahayam
A DEBATE is on over the role of civil society and popular movements in influencing government policies and laws. Politicians of the beleaguered UPA government are increasingly trying to discredit mass movements against corruption by declaring that civil society cannot usurp the right to legislate ~ a right which, according to them, is the exclusive preserve of ‘elected representatives’. Congress veterans seem to be in competition over offering their gems of wisdom.
Home minister P Chidambaram, facing fraud charges over ‘getting himself elected’, set the ball rolling when he said, “Elected members cannot yield to civil society since this might undermine parliamentary democracy.” As a wag promptly retorted, “Yes, Chidambaram is right. Elected members should yield only to Niira Radia and corporate plunderers and not to those who elected them.” Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has charged civil society with weakening the democratic institutions.
The Congress spokesperson, Manish Tewari, almost went berserk: “If this country and democracy has any threat, it is from the unelected tyrants. If democracy faces its greatest peril, it is from the tyranny of the unelected and unelectable.” True, for those steeped in corruption, people who raise their voice are indeed ‘tyrants’! But, the fact is that it is not democracy or its institutions that are in danger, but the ‘kleptocracts’ who run the government of the thieves, by the thieves and for the thieves who are facing the heat!
Politicians and their cronies had become so paranoid that one of them even went to the Supreme Court with an absurd plea that ‘it was impermissible under the Constitution to involve civil society in the drafting of a Bill, which was the sole prerogative of the legislative department of the government.’
And Man Friday Kabil Sibal put his imprimatur on that: ‘Civil society won’t be involved in future for drafting the law’. That is it. If only these worthies had an elementary understanding of society and democracy!
It would be useful to quote Wikipedia’s definition of civil society: “It is composed of the totality of voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state and the commercial institutions of the market. Together, state, market and civil society constitute the entirety of a society, and the relations between these three components determine the character of a society and its structure.”
Democracy is a form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. This includes participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law. People’s sovereignty is the founding principle of such a system. A parliamentary system is nothing more than representative democracy in which citizens do have a right to tell their elected representatives what kind of laws they want enacted and what laws they want changed or scrapped. Mass movements for doing so strengthen democracy; they don’t weaken it as apprehended by our ‘intellectually arrogant’ Home minister.
The Special Economic Zones Act is a case in point. This law was drafted without the citizens’ consent and enacted by Parliament without a word of dissent. But when implemented, those most affected by this law ~ farmers ~ did not accept it. This has led to massive resistance all over the country. Indeed, there is virtual civil war in the tribal heartland of Dandakaranya.
A series of laws have been opposed because they were enacted without the involvement of citizens when India was under colonial administration. Notably, the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The first provides that fertile farm land can be acquired for a song to build super-luxury malls and bungalows by invoking the urgency clause of Section 17 of the Act. It deprives the aggrieved persons the right to object. Even the Supreme Court has come down heavily against this Act. The Indian Penal Code still has the sedition clause under which British rulers arrested patriots and freedom fighters. This section is now being used against citizens fighting against corruption and injustice. Our ‘elected representatives’ have not bothered to amend these draconian laws even six decades after Independence.
The BJP enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, without any consultation, consensus or consent. It goes against the concept of freedom. The same party’s government issued ‘The Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Ordinance, 2002’, conferring draconian powers to bank managers to take possession and sell the properties mortgaged with them by genuine borrowers. Parliament confirmed the Ordinance without debate, thereby depriving small and medium entrepreneurs their basic right and livelihood in the most arbitrary and autocratic manner.
Because the views and inputs of civil society are not taken into consideration, there are several impractical Central and state laws that are sources of corruption and black money.
In the reckoning of politicians, civil society undermines parliamentary democracy. On the contrary, it is the politicians who are undermining parliamentary democracy through feudal and dynastic political outfits. Indeed, they are indulging in large-scale electoral corruption and thuggery. Certain parties are calling the shots. They are dominating over governments without any constitutional sanction. Our Constitution, which has provision for all institutions/instruments of governance, has nothing for ‘politicians’ or ‘political parties’. The charge that civil society activists are seeking to replace Parliament does not hold water. In the context of the Jan Lokpal Bill, civil society activists are seeking to shape the draft, mobilise opinion on the content, and hold elected representatives accountable to such opinion. The common people are better informed and closely involved than ever before. But the actual task of enacting the law still rests with MPs. The debates within Parliament are likely to be closely scrutinised by citizens. This is a process that is essential for the growth of democracy. Politicians and the government only expose their authoritarian streak by trying to discredit such participatory processes. The writer is a former IAS officer
Politicians Vs Civil Society
Related action to negate court ruling!
Govt moves SC for recall of order for setting up SIT on black money
Friday, July 15, 2011
One Rank One Pension- A CNN-IBN TV Presentation on 16 July 2011
Dear friends,
CNN - IBN is televising a show on OROP at 2230 (1030PM) on Saturday 16 July 2011 on their English News Channel. The show will be repeated at the same channel at 1200h on Sunday morning and again at 2130h on Sunday evening 17 July 2011.
IESM has contributed a lot in preparation of the show. Any comments and reaction about the show should please be sent to undersigned. I will prepare a brief of the comments and forward congratulations and the brickbats to the channel. Please do not write directly to the channel.
All veterans are requested to inform their friends so that maximum number of veterans/servicemen can watch the program. The program will also be available on the website of the channel after Sunday.
Regards,
Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM
Gen Sec IESM
CNN - IBN is televising a show on OROP at 2230 (1030PM) on Saturday 16 July 2011 on their English News Channel. The show will be repeated at the same channel at 1200h on Sunday morning and again at 2130h on Sunday evening 17 July 2011.
IESM has contributed a lot in preparation of the show. Any comments and reaction about the show should please be sent to undersigned. I will prepare a brief of the comments and forward congratulations and the brickbats to the channel. Please do not write directly to the channel.
All veterans are requested to inform their friends so that maximum number of veterans/servicemen can watch the program. The program will also be available on the website of the channel after Sunday.
Regards,
Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM
Gen Sec IESM
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