Jumbo Scam Surfaces.

Nitin Sethi reports in Sunday Times of India on March 10, 2013 that the Chhattisgarh government fudged records, concealed facts, changed policy and altered decisions while the union environment ministry overlooked all such illegalities to open up 1,899 hectares for mining in Hasdeo Arand, one of the best patches of forests. It is strange that when a tug of war was going on between forest department and the mining department of Chhattisgarh, the State Government claimed that the patch containing the coal blocks at Parsa East and Kante Basan in Sarguja District was rarely visited by elephant herd and maintained that the forest patch had no particular wild life species of value and accordingly had recommended the case to the union environment ministry for handing over the forest patch to the miners for getting forest clearance. It is reported that the region’s Divisional Forest Officer, on a site visit held just four days before this recommendation, noted that the area had not just elephants but also other protected species such as bear, wild boar, cheetah, barking deer, Sāmbhar and leopards. Such reporting and recommendations contrary to each other resorted to under political or bureaucratic pressure are a common development in Chhattisgarh for the last few years. If a probe is ordered and the same is taken up in right earnest many skeletons would emerge out of State Secretariat’s cupboard.
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History Scripted by British Queen

After 1781 is for the first time the British Monarch attended a cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street, London as a participant in the capacity of a listener and observer without taking part in deliberations. This happened on Tuesday, December 18, 2012. There has been an exception of course during World War II when her father George VI attended a similar cabinet meeting. This event also has been arranged as a special occasion during the Diamond Jubilee of her ascension to the throne.


At times, though rarely, conventions are broken and new trends are set for the working of the world’s oldest Parliamentary democracy. One should hail the British Monarch on this occasion!
19-12-12
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Humiliated 13 year-old girl kills self for not paying school fees!

After returning from school M.Pooja hanged herself at home located near Manali in Chennai on Friday, March 21, 2014 due to humiliation heaped on her by the teacher who made her stand outside the classroom.

Looking to the inability of parents and the inhuman behaviour of the teacher made this young girl commit suicide. Who is responsible for this murder in the society?
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Shunned for years, Vrindavan widows returned ‘home’ last puja.

When Air India flight AI 20 from New Delhi landed in Kolkata on Sunday afternoon, it had on-board an unusual group of first-time flyers - women who were forced out of Bengal decades ago under tragic circumstances. But their return, though for a week, turned up to be a happier one. They were welcomed at the Kolkata airport by a group of dhakis and women blowing conch shells.



For the group of 50 widows from Vrindavan being flown to Kolkata by an NGO to witness and participate in the Durga festivals, the trip held the promise of a lifetime. This was the first time they were returning ‘home’ after being cast away by their families. This was also the first time they were participating in any kind of festivity. Naturally on the eve of their trip, they were agog with child –like excitement.
[The times of India, Chennai. Monday, October 7, 2013]
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5 crore moved out of poverty: Government

The times news network reported on march 20,2012 that as per data released by the Planning Commission showed that the poverty level had significantly declined between 2004–05 & 2009-10. The new estimates are based on the poverty line that averages RS.672.8 per month (RS.22.43 per day) in rural areas and RS.859.6 per month (RS.28.65 per day) in urban areas for 2009-10. In a state like Delhi, the urban poverty line translated to RS.34.67 per person per day in the Supreme Court, the government had earlier submitted that the updated poverty line was likely to be RS.26 per day in rural areas & RS.32 per day in the towns in June 2011. As things stand, a lot of centrally sponsored social security schemes for the poor exclude those above these poverty lines from availing of the benefits under the scheme. By the lowered bench marks, poverty across the country declined by 7.3%. That Bihar under Nitish Kumar grew at over 10% between2004-05 & 2009-10 is now well known.
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Government messed up, admits Pitroda.

Sam Pitroda, who advices the Prime Minister on innovation, on Wednesday March 19, 2014 admitted that UPA Government “messed up” and took some wrong decisions, including on Vodafone. It is amazing to see an insider and the confidante of the Manmohan Singh government and Congress Party talking in such terms.




Speaking at a meet organized by Congress in Mumbai, Pitroda pointed out that the needed administrative, labour, political and legal reforms – couldn’t be implemented because of a “lack of political will”. Hell with such a man who exploited the perks of office all these years and trying to pass on the blame to the head of the government at the end of his tenure! Who prevented him from advising the PM on this or leaving the job earlier on his failure of carrying conviction with the powers that be?



Pitroda also lamented and referred to how the bureaucrats get shuffled at frequent intervals, before they can get a chance to settle in and be held accountable. A great discovery from a system’s man! This gentleman had no courtesy of acknowledging the letters suggesting innovation in administration from senior and sincere citizens of this country despite personal reminders. Better we recover the perks enjoyed by him in office after an enquiry into his omissions and commissions.
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Long Wait for Govt. Jobs?

The number of the applicants who registered their names and kept alive on the live register in the state of Tamil Nadu as on March 31, 2011 were about 67 lakhs including 36 lakhs women. The number of post-graduates stood at 3 lakhs. In the last quarter (October-December) of the year 2010 only 7096 persons could be placed. A random enquiry from the applicants reveals that almost 40-50 per cent of them are already employed in the private sector but the reason for the renewal of their registration for years is to get a government job – may be due to the attraction of security of the job and the surety of the full and fair pay & perks.



But then what is the big use of keeping an entire machinery of National Employment Service? - just meant to register only the aspirants and being unable to serve as the sole source of employment to govt. jobs both in the central and state governments as well as the public undertakings except of course for recruitment to All India Services through U.P.S,C and class One services for state governments through State P.S.Cs.



The Directorate General of Employment and Training, New Delhi had directed the employment exchanges in the country to sponsor candidates @ 5:1 to the vacancies notified by the employers till the year 1983 but due to the initiative taken by the Directorate of Employment and Training, Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh headed by the undersigned, the DGE & T revised the formula and enabled the agency to sponsor as many as 20 candidates to every one vacancy reported by the employers. But the heavy load of aspirants is ever on the increase.



If at all this employment service is to serve as not only a registering authority but also a recruiting agency, it should be made compulsory for all the employers both in the private and public sector to notify their vacancy to the exchanges first and utilize the service before advertising in the media. Only a few exceptions could be permitted by the Governments as and when necessary. Or else the government can wind up this net-work and entrust the work of registration to some other wing of government already under-utilised.

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