Role of Media

Mr M.Katju, Chairman, Press Council of India is a strong personality and known for his frank views on different topics. While delivering the Anna Endowment Lecture at Anna University on Monday, Sepember 10,2012, Katju advised the students to have love marriages and not listen to the parents because they are indulging in casteism, communalism, superstition and astrology.

He accused the media of dverting attention from real national economic issues like poverty, unemployment, education nad  health care saying that they were more interested in covering the lives of actors and garnering TRPs by showing "astrology, half-naked women and ghost stories".

One should fully agree with his statements and ideas. Atleast someone from the establishment side is speaking the truth boldly and openly without any fear or favour.

Sir, Kudos to your explicit and encouraging views on contemporary topics.

Procurement Price Up as Paddy Production Falls

Paddy was raised in about 13500 acres only as against the total cultivated area of 90000 acres under paddy due to non-release of water from Lower Bhavani Project dam (although promised to do so from August 15) in the ayacut of Tadapalli-Arakankottai canals forcing the traders from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh to buy paddy at a price higher than the official procurement price. In a way it helps the farmers to sell at their doorsteps but the state as a whole stands to lose in terms of normal production this year due to drought condition.

Paddy production is bound to decline in such circumstances and the state may be forced to import rice from other countries very soon, thanks to our inadequate planning, nature’s and the neighbor’s cooperation in terms of water and irrigation rights.

A Super Cop at the helm of TNPSC

A few months ago Mr R.Nataraj, the former DGP of Fire Services took over as the Chairman of Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission mainly with a view to setting right the beleaguered and mismanaged organization with his rich experience as the super cop in the state. But the way it has been managed in recent days reveals its pathetic nature.

Question paper has been leaked with large scale collection of money at different levels. Therefore the paper for Group II exam has been cancelled and the re-exam ordered.

The result of Group IV exam has been stayed by the High Court on the basis that in some centres question paper contained only 105 questions instead of 200 in number and nobody could help the candidates in getting the remaining questions in the examination hall.

Another news item: “Wrong address on hall ticket foxes TNPSC candidates”. The helpline numbers on the hall tickets were also not in use. Many aspirants tried in vain to locate the correct venue by dialing the numbers. Hundreds of aspirants for the Group II services conducted by TNPSC had to return without appearing for the examination as the hall tickets had wrong address of the examination centre.

One is not sure what and why everything went wrong with a good-intentioned and experienced hand at the helm of affairs. He is perhaps not aware of the intricacies involved in maintaining secrecy and executing the work correctly and efficiently or he is quite casual in approach which has landed him in deep waters. The candidates are the sufferers and wastage of the time & money is the result.

Instead of writing long articles in a daily called Dinamani as usual and presiding over functions every now and then, he can very well focus his attention on the working of TNPSC for a while.

21st Century Hero

One is simply aghast at the extraordinary prowess exhibited by a human being called Michael Phelps in our midst and had created history in 30th London Olympics. By August 5, 2012 when the Swimming Event came to a close we had no other option but to salute Phelps, the legend of USA. With one last gold that took his tally to 18 gold and 22 medals, he has, with his extraordinary feats, inspired a generation.

India, the great and largest democracy on the globe, has not bagged so many medals in the Olympic movement so far! Imagine his power!!

Paddy fields missing fast in India

Thanks to large-scale migration of the villagers to the urban centers throughout the length and breadth of this nation in the last one decade or so, the pressure on the lands near and around the existing towns and cities in the country is so enormous that the realtors have swallowed so much of fertile agricultural land, mainly paddy fields that we are bound to face rice-shortage in a few years time. Anybody travelling on the major highways, state and district roads will easily realise the meaning of this apprehension and statement.

Wherever I have travelled in Tamil Nadu, I felt this phenomenon and compelled to plead before the authorities to kindly understand this reality and do something for correcting this trend urgently. All over the routes you would find several housing plots marked and being advertised aggressively. God knows which authority has been so liberal for such a development. Lakes and fields are being converted into small and big plots for sale. 

“How the political class has looted India”

     A.G Noorani, a lawyer and commentator says in his article on the above topic ( The Hindu of Monday, July 30, 2012) that the media performs its duty, each time, of comparing the latest figures with the ones disclosed only a few years earlier marveling each time at the talent our political class has of amassing money in a short time with none to demand that they account for the dramatic increase. He also refers to the observations of Dr Ambedkar on disclosures by candidates and the efficacy or the usefulness of such unaccountable disclosures on the eve of elections. Wonder of the wonders is the “absolute silence observed and practiced by the courts and the election commission on this issue”

He further narrates how bribery and corruption in public life existed in India even during pre-independence days. Motilal Nehru bitterly complained to Jawaharlal that “heavy bribing of the voters was the order of the day. I am thoughly disgusted and am now seriously thinking of retiring from public life. The Malviya-Lala (Lajpat Rai) gang aided by Birla’s money are making frantic efforts to capture the Congress.” Oh my God! Purchase of votes by the politicians with the money of business men was prevalent even during the early days of our freedom struggle in our country. No wonders, the chief ministers are repeating the same gestures to capture power in modern India.

High Court’s suo motu action?

The tragic death of six-year-old Sruthi in Mudichur near Chennai on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 on the spot, when she slipped through a gaping hole on the seat floor of her own school bus and got crushed, drew the attention of the high court and the first bench comprising Chief Justice M.Y.Eqbal and Justice T.S.Sivagnanam was compelled to question the state authorities concerned by registering a case suo motu after reading a news item.

It is pathetic to know that the bus was given clearance of road-worthiness just fifteen days earlier. It speaks volumes of the callousness on the part of road transport authorities. Such a murderous neglect and dereliction of duty is not only condemnable but fit for prosecution under I.P.C as a criminal. High Court deserves all the praise and we expect that it ensures a deterrent action and instills fear in the minds of regulatory authorities for better governance.