Graft graft go away…

Corruption in the country is as common as anything one could imagine. But there is a ray of light. The civil society is on an effective march against the menace

Amitabh Shukla / New Delhi

Anna Hazare and his movement against corruption has caught the imagination of the nation. Never before had the civil society forced the government to act so decisively against graft and in favour of a Jan Lokpal Bill which threatens to eat into the vitals of corruption and make the country rid of the menace once and for all.

Not surprisingly, after Anna launched the movement from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the government was in a “moral pressure” and forced to act decisively against top corporate honchos, involved in the 2G scam, Suresh Kalmadi, who is seen by many as the man responsible for the loot of public exchequer in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games and even the prominent functionaries of the UPA allies like the DMK by getting its members charge sheeted.

Many see the swift action as a direct fallout of Anna’s movement and the zero tolerance which the people have now developed towards corruption – a cancer which has thwarted the development of the country for decades.

The anti-corruption movement has been criticized, even lampooned and trivialized by the vested interests. We feel that some of the personalities associated with the movement against corruption could have indulged in some aberrations and should not be spared if found guilty of any wrong doing. However, we should never lose sight of the bigger picture – the drafting of the Jan Lok Pal Bill. Personalities are not important the issues are and corruption is definitely such an issue.

Attempts have been made to derail the bill by the political class and a section of the media by following a policy of selective amnesia. We clearly believe that this is a diversionary tactics to deflect from the issue of corruption. The critics of Anna and those against the Bill can make their “learned assessments” after the draft Bill comes in the public domain, discussed in Parliament and then passed. We do not believe in anarchist theories which do not give solutions but merely pose questions, one after the other. Let the doubting Thomases eat a humble pie on this question.

The attempts to discredited and underestimate the genuine anger of growing sections of the public against widespread corruption at various levels of the political leadership and bureaucracy is a knee jerk reaction to the popularity of Anna, a Gandhian of immense stature. The mud-slinging went to comic extent to sow the seeds of confusion amongst the people. But ultimately, the political leadership of the country saw the futility of bringing in CDs, land deals, character assassination, funding of NGOs into the larger picture of the fight against corruption.

Soon after starting, the movement threatened to spread far and wide across the country and attracted the support of growing sections of the youth, which had till now shown little interest in the campaign against corruption. The participation of the youth, though not comparable to the JP movement of the 70s, forced the government to accede to the demands of framing a Jan Lokpal Bill.

The demand for the creation of a position like the Jan Lokpal has been there since 1969 and ironically, none of the governments in power since then took it seriously, including the Janata Party government in 1977 and the Janata Dal government in 1989, both of which made corruption a national issue, mobilized the youth of the country and won elections on this count.

In the last two years, people of the country have seen what shape and form corruption has taken place - a monster out to gobble everything in sight. A series of scandals relating to the loot of public funds, or the twisting of rules to benefit high and mighty, broke in the country late last year. These included the Commonwealth Games, 2G spectrum allocation, Adarsh society scam in Mumbai, a series of corruption cases against ministers in Karnataka etc. These are mere indicator and the tip of iceberg of how widespread corrupt practices are, in the states and at the Centre.

This is the reason why people are now asking questions relating to discretionary powers enjoyed by ministers and senior officials, and the creation of a Lokpal, or ombudsman, at the Centre. When there is no hope for the citizens, Anna emerges as the beacon at this point of time, catching the imagination and the thought process of the country.

Some want the Prime Minister kept out of the purview of the Lokpal. But the question which we ask is whether this is acceptable in a democratic system? Why does the office of the PM needs to be shielded from vexatious and motivated quarters? Similarly when there have been insinuations against the judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court, wouldn’t it be prudent to bring them too under the Lok Pal. After all how many judges of the country have been impeached since Independence for their acts of commission and omission? None. Is there anyone in the country who can stand up and say with confidence that all the Judges are honest to the hilt? If not, then bring them also under the purview of the Bill.

Even though the main target of attack on corruption and the Lokpal Bill has been the ruling UPA, all political parties are aware that they are under attack as very few have shown the will to fight against the menace in the states where they are in power or at the Centre when they were in office at some point of time. Anna’s movement has clearly shown that they can no longer afford to ignore the mood of the nation. If they do so, it will only be at the cost of their own political fortunes.

Along with the Lokpal Bill, more measures are needed to weed out corruption and usher in development. If money, which goes into the pockets of politicians, bureaucrats, corporate houses etc due to corruption and then finds its way in the Swiss banks, benami deals, hawala trade and is routed back to the country through questionable means is stopped, a lot of money would remain available to remove curses like poverty, illiteracy, hunger, malnutrition and other maladies which affect our society.

Besides, grant of genuine autonomy to the CBI and the CVC would be a move in right direction along with the creation of a similar and effective institution at the state level. Both these institutions have been suffering at the hands of whoever is in power. Genuine autonomy would shield these institutions and help in the fight against under the table deals.

There could also be a case of state funding for elections to root out the malady. A separate debate should begin on state funding, holding elections only once in five years and removing the aberrations which have crept in the electoral system over the years. The resent Assembly election in some of the states indicated how ill-gotten money is used indiscriminately to influence the voters.

But above all, there has to be an institutional mechanism in the country to fight graft. A national consensus has to be built around such a mechanism and we are sure when the Parliament takes up the Jan Lokpal Bill for discussion and passing and the draft Bill comes in the public domain, such a consensus would emerge. (March 30, 2011)

ashukla.mail@gmail.com

NGOs : Crisis of credibility

CAPART has not funded new projects for NGOs for over a year now. It will not do so till new norms for the voluntary sector are finalised

Amitabh Shukla / New Delhi

February 1, 2011

The institutions of democracy are facing a serious crisis of credibility and confidence. 2G scam, disruption of an entire session of Parliament, role of media in lobbying, insinuation against judges, appointment of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner and the Radia tapes dominated the headlines in the recent weeks leaving none of the pillars of democracy sacrosanct.

Is the voluntary sector far off from the crisis? Isn’t the sector too facing serious crisis of credibility and challenge? Have the NGOs come out clean in the entire episode.

This does not seem to be so. A Chennai based NGO had to face the ignominy of CBI raids as its name cropped up in the 2G scam and was said to be the beneficiary of funds from the state government and lobbied for interest groups. The NGO is not alone. The nodal agency of the government, responsible for giving grants to the NGOs, CAPART blacklists hundreds of NGOs every year for fund embezzlement and irregularities.

The acts of transgression of the Chennai based NGO is quite common and is replicated elsewhere in the country as the malaise has been found to be deep and widespread. With a whopping 3.3 million registered NGOs, India's nonprofit sector raises up to $16 billion in funding every year. Foreign funding to Indian NGOs has only increased over the years. According to the figures of the Home Ministry, in 2008, the total official foreign aid to India was $2.15 billion.

It is actually the fight for these funds. Whoever presents a better picture, does a good social marketing and brings a sob value to their projects, gets a lion’s share, particularly from the international donors. Those for transparency say that a large amount of that money is misused, mostly to support high administrative costs of running organizations rather than on actual projects which are intended for the target beneficiaries. Transparency is an exception rather than a norm in a large number of NGOs and very few submit themselves for account audits and come clean on where and how the funds they receive as donations are spent.

While groups like Credibility Alliance, are working toward increasing NGO accountability through accreditation, field visit to scrutinize the records and membership, they have been able to rope in only a handful of NGOs so far. In the year 2009-10, 147 VOs applied for accreditation with Credibility Alliance. Out of these, 23 VOs were accredited under desirable norms and 10 were accredited under minimum norms. The total number of VOs accredited till October 2010 was a mere 115, suggesting that a large number of organisations do not want any scrutiny and would prefer to operate in an opaque, arbitrary manner as per the whims and fancy of the person who founded it and got it registered.

Not surprising as many as 833 NGOs were blacklisted by CAPART at the end of 2009 after they were found indulging in misappropriation of funds. Andhra Pradesh had the highest number of such blacklisted organisations followed by Bihar and Tamil Nadu. Of the 833 NGOs and voluntary organisations which were blacklisted, 192 were from Andhra Pradesh, 125 from Bihar, 83 from Tamil Nadu, 75 from Karnataka, 72 from Uttar Pradesh, 42 from Rajasthan and 35 from Kerala. In 2008, out of the 34,803 registered associations, only 18,796 filed their reports.

The malaise has reached such proportions that for many NGOs symbolize a ‘dirty word’ which is best avoided. They are seen as a tool of laundering money, embezzling donations and presenting a lofty-ideal picture to the outside world. No wonder the private trusts, corporate foundations, corporate social responsibility projects etc prefer to have their own set-up, own staff, their own model of projects, development and disburse funds through them rather than through the NGOs. For instance the Azim Premji Foundation, which got a whooping over Rs 8000 crore from its founder, has its own organization to conceive and execute the educational programmes.

“We are facing a severe crisis. Some NGOs have brought in a bad name for the voluntary sector. The image of those doing genuinely good work is also tarnished in the process,” said Abhay Pandey who runs Nav Srijan Sansthan in Bihar’s West Champaran district, a project to teach 20 children every year which he is doing in his individual capacity with the help of some well-wishers.

Wasn’t it time that all VOs and NGOs, which are registered under the Societies Registration Act undergo mandatory scrutiny of funds and subject themselves to something like the Right to Information. Making transparency mandatory is the need of the hour rather than hiding behind a cloud of secrecy.

A change in the institutional structure is taking place in the country, particularly in the developmental field where the move is to decentralize down to the lowest levels of panchayat. The panchayats at the village level are gradually becoming more important in all decision and policy making and development at the grassroots. They are deciding the developmental agenda and governments at the Centre and the states are also giving them control over financial resources to meet the objectives.

It is here that the NGOs have the big task of facilitation and also build capacities. The involvement of VOs in implementing development programs in partnership with the government has become key to this agenda. The involvement of local community, local activists, those who are well entrenched in the society is a must for any positive outcome. If funds for these grassroots organisations, those who understand the nerves of the local community dry up, hundreds of thousands of people living below poverty line will lose all hope.

Undoubtedly, there are hundreds of VOs, NGOs and individuals who have and continue to contribute effectively in the development process. They work with commitment, transparency, vision and a set goal. Why should they suffer from the deeds of the black sheep who are mushrooming all over. Wasn’t it time to separate the rice from the husk. Wasn’t it time to get our act together and bring in a system wherein regulation and control is transparent and effective.

The country may not need 3.3 million registered organisations. Even a few thousand would do. They needed to be weeded out on the basis of parameters set up in consultation with the voluntary sector itself, policy makers and government agencies. The stench has to be removed to make VOs and NGOs more vibrant and effective and restore the confidence of the common people and the donor agencies in them. (February 2011)

Premji shows the way, will others follow?

Philanthropy by captains of industry is picking up but a lot remains to be done for the downtrodden

Amitabh Shukla / New Delhi

January 2, 2011

Corporate philanthropy in India has taken a giant leap with the decision of Wipro chief Azim Premji to donate a whopping Rs 8,846 crore for charity. Never before in the country has any industrial house or an industrialist shown such a gesture of profound magnitude for the have nots of the society.

What makes Premji's gesture all the more important is that the donation has been made from personal wealth and not as part of the much-hyped corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the industrial houses. He could have used the money to buy a cricket team or a private jet but he did not. Moreover, there is a clear vision and direction on what is to be done with the funds to the tune of Rs 8846 crore unlike many examples in which the industrialists merely donate for a specific work like calamity relief, get a photo shoot done for publicity and then forget their responsibility towards the more unfortunate brethren of their country.

Even though India has a tradition of charity - all religions preach this, big time corporate charity is picking up only now. For most personal aggrandizement, stashing money in foreign banks, living a luxurious lifestyle, building a magnificent house, acquiring jets, yachts and limited edition automobiles is the order of the day. Though wealthy people in the past - the Sheths, some industrialists – had been contributing to religious institutions, very few had a vision of what needs to be done with the funds beyond the short term and how to create a lasting impact on society.

If a hungry person is given fish to eat, it will solve a temporary problem of hunger. But if you teach him how to fish, it will be a permanent solution to the woes, goes the saying. Teach him and empower him. This is what Premji has done. Premji in his statement said, "We believe that good education is crucial to building a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. We want to contribute significantly towards improvement of education in India, and through that towards building a better society." The philanthropist said, "All our efforts, including the University that we are setting up, are focused on the underprivileged and disadvantaged sections of our society. Our experience of the past 10 years has motivated us to significantly scale up our initiatives, across multiple relevant dimensions."

The IT czar said that the Foundation's significant increase in scale and its clear focus on social purposes will require a substantial long term financial commitment, which is the purpose this endowment will serve."

Premji's initiative was followed by Ajay Piramal's Piramal Healthcare which announced spending of up to Rs 200 crore in charity, primarily on healthcare and education. The money will be given to different organisations in phases to optimize the benefits. The company also clarified that such contributions will not directly relate to the business of the company or the welfare of its employees and forms a part of its CSR.

Interestingly, it is the Indian IT industry, their founders, leaders, IT entrepreneurs and spouses, most of whom who have made their fortunes themselves instead of inheriting it, who are spearheading corporate philanthropy in India in true sense of the term. The traditional captains of industry still lag behind in the initiative. Not surprising, IT majors Infosys, MindTree, TCS and HCL have been launching and supporting ventures that create social equity, better lives for the have nots and creation of opportunities for the downtrodden for whom there is nothing to look forward to except government support and to God. The top professionals and entrepreneurs in the IT sector have already set aside chunks of their wealth for charity, most of which are already functioning and changing lives at the grassroots.

While Infosys cofounder Naryana Murthy's family recently gave $5.2 million to Harvard University and its press for a series on Indian literary heritage, Tata Group also gave $50 million to Harvard Business School. Murthy and his wife Sudha Murthy are also understood to have set up a venture capital fund to give credit to the poor. Sudha also leads the Infosys Foundation that works in villages in education, healthcare and other projects. Coming back to Infosys, CEO and President Kris Gopalakrishnan donates around Rs 4 crore a year. Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, now with the government on the National Identification Number project and wife Rohini have gifted $5 million for the Yale India Initiative. Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL, too has not lagged behind and pledged a tenth of his $4 billion wealth for charity.Sunil Mittal, the telecom czar, is not behind as Bharti Foundation primarily runs on his donations and is doing an excellent work in education in several parts of the country and bridging the gap between government effort and the needs of the community.

The Tatas and the Birlas, the traditional industrialists, are in philanthropy in a big way, often without any publicity, doing it silently and effectively. The Tata Sons, holding company of the group, uses the money earned on charity. Likewise, the Birlas run hundreds of institutions catering to education, medical help, grants to religious institutions amongst others. The Godrej family too has contributed in its own way from the beginning and so have the Sarabhais from Ahmedabad. But is it enough? Indian billionaires can do much more for charity than they are doing. Thousands of cooperatives, NGOs at the grassroots and institutions doing brilliant work are perpetually starved for funds. Their impact could have multiplied many fold had they got the funds which they deserved due to the sheer volume of work they undertake. The outreach and impact of these organisations would only grow and create the desired social impact at the grassroots if they get more funds.

Reports had it that by western standards Indian charity amounts to peanuts and a lot needs to be done by industrialists here. A recent report suggested that in India individual and corporate donations make up only a tenth of charitable giving. While 65 per cent comes from the government through various schemes to the NGOs, the remaining comes from abroad. Clearly, government, both at the centre and the states, remains one of the biggest donors to the projects in the voluntary sector. It has perhaps realized that the NGOs, cooperatives, civil groups and communities have played a major role in rural development, through catalysing people's initiatives for change, as well as through direct implementation of interventions around specific issues and therefore addressing the needs accordingly.

Formal recognition of the role ofvoluntary organizations came in the Seventh Plan document. This led to the formation of the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) in 1986, as a nodal agency for catalysing and coordinating the emerging partnership between voluntary organizations and the Government for sustainable development of rural areas. An autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860, CAPART is functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. Even though there have been charges of irregularities and corruption, today, this agency is a major promoter of development activities in India with focus on grass-root. It assists over 12,000 voluntary organizations across the country in implementing a wide range of development initiatives.

The country is presently going through a change in its institutional structure in the developmental field where the move is to decentralize down to the lowest levels of panchayat. The panchayats at the village level are gradually becoming more important in all decision making and development at the grassroots. They are deciding the developmental agenda and governments at the Centre and the states are also giving them control over financial resources to meet the objectives. It is here that the NGOs have the big task of facilitation and also build capacities within the panchayat institutions to enable them to discharge their responsibilities in a better and inclusive manner.

The involvement of voluntary organisations in implementing development programs in partnership with the government has become key to this agenda. Such a role for the panchayats in the government scheme of things of decentralization will only likely to increase in the future due to its sheer impact. But government contribution is not enough and the corporate houses need to chip in a big way to have a social transformation by involvement of the panchayats and the voluntary organisations working at the lowest pyramid of society.

There is still an amount of indifference to this crucial issue as several e-mails sent by Sopan-Step to some prominent industrial houses on their social contribution and endowment for charity evoked little response. Most of them remained unanswered. Not surprising that fund-raisers for social causes continue to complain about their problems and how the industrialists and the industrial houses keep rejecting their proposal on one pretext or the other. These fund raisers say that a lot of effort and paper work is required here in the country even to raise a small fund for social causes. Moreover, the corporate funding agencies look for short term deliverables which cannot be the exact measurement of the success of a scheme run by an NGO or a cooperative. The huge middle class too is largely tight-fisted despite the prosperity brought by economic boom and is hardly known to contribute towards any non-religious charity. The bar has to be raised.

However, after the global efforts of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, urging the captains of industry to donate at least half their wealth to charity (see box) and the largest endowment in Indian history made by Azim Premji, the debate has been stirred in a way which had never been done in the past. The arrow has hit the target- the Bull’s eye. It has raised the consciousness on the issue and underlined the point that industrialists do have a role on solving the ills plaguing the society, the same society from where they have made their fortunes. They are gradually realizing the importance of leaving a lasting contribution and a legacy to the society. But, the Corporate Social Responsibility of the organizations has to be seen with a pinch of a salt.

For many it is simply propaganda and public relations exercise with a watchful eye on the stock market. If these industrial houses are seen to be doing something for the society through CSR, they believe that it would increase the acceptability of their products. Many simply consider it as an excellent brand promotion and marketing strategy thinking that such acts would also raise the value of their stocks. Corporate houses and the captains of industry have to see development from the prism of creating empowerment, long term capacity building, and creating awareness in the larger community - all of which take time, effort and gradual realization.

The short term mechanism of calamity relief - flagging trucks carrying relief material, though necessary, is not the solution to the larger issues plaguing the society. The involvement of local community, local activists, those who are well entrenched in the society is a must for any positive outcome. The flow of CSR funds has to be through these organisations and cooperatives at the grassroots and individuals to have any meaningful and lasting impact and not necessarily through the corporate foundations which by and large function for short term results rather than the long but fruitful and lasting long term route.

In March, 2010, the Indian dollar billionaires numbered 69, compared to 52 last year, second only to USA, which has 403. The recent economic fortunes of India have brought untold wealth to some individuals. According to Forbes, the combined net worth of India’s 100 richest people rose to $300 billion this year from $276 billion last year, driven by the country’s booming economy and a rally in the stock market. The Indian economy is galloping towards the double digit figures of economic growth. Rate of growth at 8 to 9 per cent has become the order of the day in the country in the era of booming economy and rising stock prices. While several business leaders are gradually waking up to the importance of philanthropy, time has come to build a greater momentum in order to make terms like hunger, illiteracy, malnutrition, ignorance redundant words in this century. (January 2011)

Delhi denizens celebrate New Year with Bacchus

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, December 31

Delhiites prefer to celebrate New Year saying “cheers” to the year gone by. Preliminary estimates by the liquor selling corporations and private shops suggests that booze worth Rs 10 crore was sold on Saturday – the last day of 2005. This, despite a hike of 5 to 10 percent on almost all the major brands of hard liquor.

On an average, the people of the city consume booze worth Rs three crore everyday. This does not include the figures of the restaurants, bars, hotels etc. The figure has shown an increasing trend for the last several years. “The collection jumps three to four fold on festive occasions like Holi, Diwali and New Year,” said an official of the Excise department. He said that last year, the figures for New Year eve was over Rs nine crores.

“The collection of Excise in the last six years has almost doubled. This means the increasing acceptance of liquor in social functions and growth in the number of consumers. The opening of liquor shops – over 500 now – has also helped,” said the official.

Even as the city witnesses a growth in the number of those who love their evening peg, the government has developed a cold feet on lowering the drinking age to 21 and permitting a restaurant in a five-star hotel to serve alcohol round the clock.

The note of the Excise Department suggesting the lowering of age to 21 from 25 was negated by the Delhi Cabinet recently. “The Cabinet felt that it would be politically incorrect to lower the age. It would be construed as if the government wants to promote liquor in the younger generation,” said an official. He said that the issue might be taken up at a future date when there are no problems for the government to tackle.

Revenue collection from Excise

2000-01: Rs 560 crore

2001-02: Rs 606 crore

2002-03: Rs 725 crore

2003-04: Rs 740 crore

2004-05: Rs 903 crore

2005-06 Estimated collection over Rs 1000 crore

(2005)

"Gupta uncle" ad generates controversy

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, November 17

Is the surname Gupta synonymous with the trading community? The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) thinks so. It has taken umbrage on an advertisement of the Custom and Excise Department of central government which carries the word “Gupta uncle” as being tax evader.

“Why didn’t the government use the first name of a person like Ramesh, Mahesh, Sohan etc. to make the advertisement instead of using the surname of a trading community. Today it is the Guptas who have been targeted, tomorrow it could be some other community,” said Praveen Khandelwal of the CAIT.

The ad, part of the revenue generation exercise of the government, shows a school kid informing his father that as suggested by him, he wrote an essay on 'honesty is the best policy' and that won him the award. Then he hears his father advising one Gupta for not declaring some tax related information. And then the son questions his father, "Papa, aap to kahate the 'Honesty is the best policy'. Phir Gupta Uncle ko yah salah kyo?" And the father is forced to think over. His son’s question haunts him.

“This is derogatory and should be immediately withdrawn,” the letters of several chambers of commerce and industry have said to the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

Following the representations, the ad was withdrawn on Thursday. An official of the Finance ministry said that the said ad and the representations came to the notice of the FM and he has directed to remove it with immediate effect. “The ad for revenue generation will appear but it will have changes and the reference to Gupta uncle would be definitely put out of it,” the official said.

The ad was not prepared by the DAVP, the government body which regulates and releases advertisements. It was a private advertisement agency. “We have not yet thought of any action against the said agency,” the official said.

DAVP Director, Swagata Ghosh told HT that the ministries are free to get the ads designed by private agencies or the DAVP. “This particular ad was designed by a private agency and only released through us,” he said.

The apex body of the trading organisation had given a deadline of November 30 to the government for withdrawing the controversial ad. They would now have to applaud the government for the timely action instead of a nationwide agitation which was planned earlier.

Khandelwal said that they would have objected even if some other community had been named and targeted by the ad. “Our Constitution forbids this kind of discrimination on the basis of caste,” he asserts. (2005)

Ministers to write ACRs of IAS?

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, December 25

Giving powers to the ministers of the Delhi government to write the annual confidential reports (ACRs) of the IAS officers serving in departments under them, is the latest bone of contention between the politicians and the bureaucracy.

As Delhi is, for all practical purposes, a Union Territory instead of a full fledged state, only the chief minister and the chief secretary write the ACRs of the officers. The Lt. Governor then approves or disapproves it. Due to this discrepancy, the IAS officers prefer to ignore the ministers in several cases and instead have developed their allegiance to either of the two centres of power – the chief secretary or the chief minister.

After verbal protests by several Congress MLAs, chief minister Sheila Dikshit assured the Delhi Assembly in the Winter Session that the government was willing to write to the Centre for a change in rules to allow the ministers to write the ACRs. Dikshit said that according to the All India Service Rules, the government decides the reporting, reviewing and accepting authority for the IAS officers. In Delhi’s case, government means central government and not the state government. She said only the CM has been given powers to write such a report.

Some of the ministers in the government frankly admit that the officials, supposed to work under them, hardly bother about their advice and in some cases completely neglect their orders. “Getting an IAS officer transferred takes months after approaching the CM,” admitted a minister.

The bureaucracy, on the other hand, says that giving such powers to ministers would be counter productive. “We work in accordance with the laid down rules, law and procedures. Due to political compulsion, the ministers often give orders which violate the administrative and legal principles,” said a senior IAS officer. He said that Delhi is unlike any other full fledged state like UP or MP. “If ministers get powers to write the ACRs, it would violate the very foundations of the UT cadre and make things messy. (2005)

Ban on interstate transfers of IAS and IPS?

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, December 9

Central government is considering a proposal to ban the interstate transfers of IAS and IPS officials to their home states. The proposal, if approved, would deprive a large number of officials who were allotted a different cadre than their home states but somehow managed to serve for long periods in their home states.

An official explained: “Some of the officers in these services lobby with the ruling party in their home state to get a posting. They invariably serve for long terms in districts or other important posts. The provision was being misused by certain officials with the help of the ruling party in their home state.

The idea behind the exercise is to maintain the sanctity of the cadre distribution mechanism and maintain the all India character of central services like the IAS and IPS. Normally two thirds of the sanctioned strength of either IAS or IPS is filled through officers who are from other states. For instance, if the annual intake in IAS is 9 for a big state, only 3 officers would be from the home state and the rest 6 from anywhere in the country. This has been judiciously maintained for more than two decades now.

The choice of cadre is normally done by a simultaneous method of choice, merit in the selection list and then random selection. The top 10 candidates in the civil services examinations are practically assured of a home cadre if they have opted for it. The rest can get any other cadre except their home state by a system of rotation.

In several states, serving in these two services is considered a matter of social prestige. This gave practice to lobbying with the politicians of the ruling party. If a state government agrees to avail of the services of an officer, it writes to the state concerned from where the officer has to be brought back and also the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. If both agree, the officer concerned is sent to his home state. The repatriated officer invariably acts on behalf of those who brought him back to the state compromising the administrative principles in the process.

Officials believe that if interstate transfers are banned, politicisation of the bureaucracy and police administration can be controlled to a great extent. (2005)

No thought for pedestrians

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, November 29

When Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf and other officials of his department went for a conference on Transport to San Francisco recently, they were in for a surprise. In most of the presentations on futuristic transport scenario, walking was considered a mode of transport. It was being planned along with other modes of public and private transport.

On a reality check, officials found that in Delhi, pedestrian traffic was never thought about by the policy planners. It is only the motorised means of transport and faster traffic which has been the main concern of the urban traffic and transport planners.

“For the traffic engineers, planners and others, the word pedestrian is not even in their vocabulary,” said Geetam Tiwari, traffic expert and professor at IIT Delhi. She said that Delhi has invested a huge amount in the last few years in upgrading road infrastructure – constructing flyovers and arterial roads. “No consideration was ever made for the pedestrians in these,” she says.

Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf admitted that pedestrian traffic is somewhat a neglected area. “We would like to promote easy movement of pedestrians and construct cycle tracks and efforts would be made in this direction,” he said. Yusuf informed that the High Capacity Bus corridor between Ambedkar Nagar and Ambedkar Stadium would have a separate corridor for cyclists and the pedestrians.

Officials in the department point out that the sanctity of the zebra crossing has to be maintained at all costs. “In foreign countries, when a pedestrian crosses the road, the entire traffic comes to a halt. Here, the pedestrians have to jostle with the motorised traffic for road space and often pay for their lives in the process,” said an official.

Tiwari suggested that suitable changes should be made in the signaling system so that it becomes pedestrian friendly. “The signal cycle should be shorter so that the pedestrians don’t cross the road in a hurry,” she said. Tiwari rubbished the idea of constructing subways, overhead bridges and even escalator driver foot over bridges. “While the first two are inconvenient, the escalator cannot be maintained in open areas,” she pointed out.

An officials, who went abroad for the conference summed up saying it all comes down to adherence of law. “If two American drivers drive in the city streets for a while, they too would become like the Indian drivers – careless and carefree with least concern for the pedestrians. On the other hand, if two Indian drivers drive in the streets in a US city, they too would follow the stringent rules and regulations in force there,” he said. (2005)

Dikshit as the "demolition" woman

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, December 25

In the ongoing demolition drive in the Capital, chief minister Sheila Dikshit has emerged as a new heroine of the middle class with a section of the RWAs even terming her as a “demolition woman”.

The new political image makeover for Dikshit comes in the eight year of her tenure of Dikshit. CM supporters say that this image would help her gain the status of an elder woman who is on the right side of the law. None of the dozen odd MLAs loyal to Dikshit, made any protest on the issue and praised her publicly. In fact, one of her MLAs even brought a delegation of builders saying that they were ready to “reform themselves” from now on.

Her detractors in the party, however, say that that she has no more political stake left in the city. “She cannot hope to become the chief minister for a third time in a row and therefore has taken a tough stand on the demolitions,” said a MLA of the rival camp in the party. He said there are a number of options for the government in view of the High Court order but none have been exercised so far.

The detractors within the party now compare her to Jagmohan, the former Union Urban Development Minister, who took a tough stand on any violations of the Master Plan and the Building bye laws. “Jagmohan has many admirers in the middle class but he also ensured the demise of the BJP in Delhi due to his tough stand,” said another MLA. He said Dikshit too was treading on similar lines.

Interestingly, Dikshit did not oppose the demolitions at any stage saying that illegalities have to be removed. She only issued instructions to the MCD saying that only the unoccupied buildings be targeted in the demolition drive. In the floor of the Delhi Assembly, the CM said that MCD has been created under an Act of the Parliament and the government cannot issue instructions to the civic body. The NCT of Delhi Act, which paved the way for statehood, however, says that the local bodies would be under the overall control of the government. (2005)

Drive to get more tourists

The Ministry of Tourism wants to make the vision of the President of the country into a reality. It has planned an over drive to get 15 millions foreign tourists in the country by the year 2010. Rajeev Talwar, additional director general of the ministry tells Amitabh Shukla that there are some hurdles but they would be overcome with spirited efforts.

Q: What have been the recent thresholds in terms of tourism in the country?

A: We have managed to get 4 million foreign tourists and the earnings from this sector are five billion dollars. This is a new high for the country. The growth rate is 15 percent – one of the highest anywhere in the world. We are now gearing for the 15 million mark by 2010 when the Commonwealth Games will be held in Delhi.

Q: The achievements could be impressive but what are the bottlenecks which is preventing a further growth of tourism in the country?

A: Well, we are doing the coordination part of the entire effort to get more and more foreign tourists. Various ministries and state governments are involved in the exercise and we are sending continuous reminders to upgrade the facilities. For instance, we want an open air policy so that more airlines operate from the country. The ministry of civil aviation is already doing it and a large number of airlines have now got permission to operate from the country.

Q: Do we have sufficient international gateways for the foreign tourists?

A: Ideally, we should have around 50-60 international gateways with facilities of an international airport. The new destinations in this segment are Pune, Nagpur, Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bodh Gaya, Guwahati, Kochi etc. We want more of such places so that the tourists can have more options.

Q: Infrastructure to support 15 million foreign tourists is missing in the country. How can the infrastructure be upgraded and what role is the Tourism ministry playing in this effort?

A: We have repeatedly stressed on the need for the state governments to compete with each other for Rs 45,000 crore worth of investment in all categories of hotels in the next few years. The minister has been continuously reminding the state governments that land is given on the lease hold basis so that the cost of hotel construction is reduced. We need 1.5 lakh new rooms of all categories to accommodate the flow of tourists in the country.

Q: What have been the successes on the hotel and accommodation front?

A: It has been estimated that 35,000 hotel rooms under various categories are coming up all over the country. The Indian Railways have already issued tenders for the construction of budget hotels under Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis. Delhi too is coming up with a plan to create more space for the tourists. In Delhi, the policy is to auction the plots. If it is leased, the cost would come down and would be much better for the growth of tourism. We have asked for speedy approval of the hotel projects.

Q: The visa bottlenecks is paramount for the foreign tourists? Has any effort been taken to outsource the issuance of visa as various foreign countries do here in Delhi?

A: The issuance and validity of visas is an area which needs to be looked into. Those who come to India for conferences, get a conference visa. Ideally, they should get tourist visas so that they can see the country on a business visit. The validity of the visas could also be extended. Outsourcing issuance of visas would definitely facilitate the foreign tourists.

Q: What spurs the tourism ministry?

A: It’s simple. The tremendous potential of the tourism sector to generate jobs in minimum of investment. It has been found that each Rs 10 lakh invested in tourism generates 89 jobs. On the other hand such an amount invested in manufacturing would generate only 13 jobs and in agriculture only 45 jobs. (26.11.2005)

Monkeys: Problem of plenty for Delhi

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, November 14

Delhi's Forest Department is battling with a new problem in hand. They are clueless as to what to do with the monkeys handed over to them by the civic bodies – MCD, NDMC and the Cantonment Board.

The monkey shelter of the Forest Department in Rajokari, south-west Delhi houses over 200 monkeys. The simians have been enjoying the hospitality of the government department for a year now as none of the states of the country have agreed to take the Delhi monkeys. In the process, around Rs 15 lakh has been spent.

To add to the woes, another 200 monkeys have been handed over to the Forest officials now. “We have already a problem of plenty. This is adding to the problems,” admitted Environment and Forest Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan.

As a temporary measure, a new monkey shelter would be constructed adjacent to the existing one. “We are looking for a permanent solution to the problem,” said the minister. But nothing seems to be in sight.

The government even plans to approach the High Court so that it gets a favourable order directing one of the Indian states to take the monkeys, found in plenty in the Capital. Last time when the simians were relocated to Madhya Pradesh, it was at the behest of the courts. Government wants a similar order this time too to get rid of the “problem of plenty”. Chauhan said that the department would approach the judiciary soon.

Interestingly, for the relocation of around 225 monkeys to MP, an amount of Rs 2 lakh was given to the state government. This money came from the Centre to the Delhi government. In the latest twist to the tale, several state governments have even refused financial package for the relocation of the monkeys. One of the state governments wrote back to the Delhi government saying that they already have enough monkeys and cannot do with more. (2005)

Tainted IAS in Delhi government

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, October 15

With the spotlight recently on Neera Yadav, the former chief secretary of UP who was removed at the directions of the Supreme Court due to alleged irregularities and charges of corruption, some officials in Delhi government are wondering why there is so much hype and little comes out of investigations against senior IAS officials.

“The CBI raids the officials and registers cases against them. These charges are hardly taken to their logical end – conviction – in a court of law,” said a senior official. He said that it would be difficult to remember if any senior IAS official was convicted of corruption charges in recent years. Citing the example of former Patna District Magistrate Gautam Goswami, he said that his troubles began after he resigned from the IAS. “Had he remained in the service, the lateral and vertical fraternity amongst the officials would have saved him,” he said.

The AGMUT cadre has several tainted officials. Cases of disproportionate assets (DA) were registered against them and some of them were even remanded to judicial custody (jail). They, however, continued to enjoy their service after being released and nothing happened to them.

The 1974 batch of AGMUT has three tainted officials – C.S. Khairwal, R.S. Sethi and G.P. Siwalia. Cases pertaining to disproportionate assets were registered against all three. While some cases are still in the courts, nothing came out in the remaining ones. Khairwal is the chief secretary of Pondicherry at present, Sethi is the Principal Secretary in the Higher and Technical Education department of the government and Siwalia is the Secretary in a Commission of Delhi government.

Two other senior officers are in the list – Subhash Sharma and P.M. Singh. Both of them were allegedly involved in irregularities as chairperson of the NDMC. While Sharma is the Managing Director of Delhi Khadi Board, Singh is the Principal Secretary of PWD. Sharma is on the verge of retirement.

Giving reasons for the failure of the investigating agencies to convict the officials against whom DA cases are registered, the official said that one IAS succeeds the other in the post. “Lateral and vertical fraternity (this includes same cadre, same state of domicile, same batch) ensures that traces are wiped out and cases keep on lingering for decades. (2005)

CPCB directions flouted on idol immersion

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, October 11

The Delhi government has expressed its inability to enforce the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on idol immersion in the wake of Durga puja. Officials said that the guidelines reached the office of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) only on Tuesday afternoon.

“There is hardly any time to inform the organisers of the puja nor do we have enough enforcement mechanism to enforce the guidelines,” admitted a senior official. He said that the idols are immersed in the 22-km stretch of the river Yamuna in several parts of the city and it was difficult to police the entire river bank.

What the government intends to do is to ask the civic bodies to collect and dispose the leftover material within 24 hours of the idol immersion.

In its guidelines, the CPCB said that the immersion of idols without proper care leads to silting and the toxic chemicals used in making idols tend to pose serious problems of water pollution. It also asked the formation of a coordination committee comprising police, NGOs and representatives of groups to guide the public in carrying out immersion with minimum adverse impact on water bodies.

The CPCB has also said that prior to immersion, worship and decorative material made of paper and plastic should be removed. The Board also asked for water quality assessments in three stages – pre immersion, during immersion and post immersion to determine the water quality of the Yamuna.

When contacted, Environment and Forests Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan confirmed that the department had received the guidelines. He did not elaborate on its enforcement.

The Minister said that he has directed the officials to come out with a proposal for the creation of a big pond on the banks of Yamuna. “This pond could be used for idol immersion and other religious functions. The pond could later be cleaned by the civic agencies,” he said. Chauhan said that immersing the idols in the pond and then cleaning it was practical and the government would put in place a system soon. (2005)

Bureaucracy against RTI

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, October 7

The citizens of Delhi might be gloating on the proposed implementation of the Right to Information Act, passed by the government of India, from October 12 onwards but the bureaucracy has long faces all over.

The officials – right from the senior IAS officers heading departments to the lower division clerk – are apprehending trouble as the Act stipulates stiff fines and parting of information with minimum of fuss.

Even the police officers are becoming fidgety as the Act provides that information has to be given in 48 hours in cases involving life and liberty. Officials say that there would be no need to file habeas corpus petition in the High Courts now as the Act would be sufficient for this purpose.

The new Act stipulates that a penalty of Rs 250 per day would be imposed on the officer who refuses to part with the information asked in the stipulated time. This penalty would go upto Rs 25 thousand for delay. In the last version of the Act, the penalty was light – Rs 50 per day with an upper ceiling of Rs 500. Moreover, frequent delay by the officer concerned would attract disciplinary proceedings, including adverse comments in the annual confidential reports (ACR).

“Most of our time would be spent on gathering information for the people, instead of actual administrative work,” said a head of department on the new Act. He described some of the provisions of the Act as “draconian” and open to misuse.

From now on applications would be accepted at the sub-district level and the information which can be given to Parliament and legislative assemblies cannot be denied to the citizens. A two-tier system of appeal will be available to the applicants – one at the department level and one outside it. The HOD will be the first appellate authority and then the Information Commission. Even third party information can be given after giving an opportunity to the third party.

“The babus are disturbed as their all-inclusive fiefdoms are under attack by the citizens empowered with the new Act,” said a member of the public grievance commission. Life would never be the same for the babus with the new Act in place, he added. (2005)

Political fallout of Nanavati Commission

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, August 8

The tabling of the Nanavati Commission report on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the Parliament has opened fresh wounds and is set to realign Congress politics in Delhi. Two of the Congress leaders named in the report - Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler - are still active in local politics and influence Congress in a big way in Delhi.

“What Sheila Dikshit could not do in her over six and a half year tenure, the report has done in a matter of a day,” quipped a senior Congress leader. He said both Tytler and Kumar were opposed to Dikshit from the very beginning and the report has helped the CM immensely. “She will emerge stronger with the indictment of the two leaders,” he said.

None of the leaders at the centre of the controversy talked to the media. While Kumar refused to talk to the media on the issue as he has been doing for the last 21 years, Tytler refused to be quoted. Dikshit herself did not comment on the issue nor did any of her Cabinet colleagues. “They have realised the likelihood of political tremors which the report would unleash in the next few days,” said a minister in Delhi government.

Interestingly, Kumar had patched up with Dikshit in the last few months and Tytler is the only Congress leader in the city along with the DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma who are still opposed to the CM. The other leaders named in the report – HKL Bhagat and Dharam Dass Shastri are no longer in active politics. While Bhagat is on the deathbed, Shastri is ailing and cannot comprehend anything at his age.

Sources close to Tytler said that the report was contradictory. “None of the earlier commissions on the riots had named him, it is only this commission which has references to the Union Minister and that too is very vague,” said a leader close to Tytler. Kumar’s supporters point out that a court of law has acquitted him of all charges and the recommendations of the report amounts to flagging a dead horse. (2005)

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, August 12

The Nanavati Commission’s report on the anti-Sikh pogrom of 1984 might have had country wide ramifications and outrage but it has a direct bearing on the way politics would take up shape in Delhi. Most of the Congress leaders are unanimous on one point – the report has written the political obituary of two of the Congress leaders in Delhi, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar.

Post Nanavati, both Tytler and Kumar have found themselves in a tight spot, something which they never faced in their entire political career spanning almost three decades. Their names were there in the earlier commissions and inquiry reports on the 1984 riots but they managed to wriggle out of the controversy and survived politically in Congress.

Tytler, the four time MP from Delhi Sadar, was denied ticket once in 1998 ever since he won from here for the first time in 1980. The reasons for the denial of ticket at that time was his “probable” involvement in the riots. He won the Lok Sabha polls in 1980, 1984, 1991 and then in 2004. It was after a gap of 13 years that he managed to win the Lok Sabha seat and enter the Union Council of Ministers. In the meanwhile, he lost thrice in 1989, 1996 and 1999.

Kumar on the other hand was denied ticket repeatedly. He became MP for the first time in 1980. Of the eight Lok Sabha elections held since 1980, he was denied the party nomination 4 times. He won thrice and lost once. The main reason for the denial of party nomination was his alleged involvement in inciting mobs for the 1984 episode.

Senior Congress leaders here in Delhi point out that now it would be next to impossible for both these leaders to get another party ticket for the polls. “The public perception about their involvement has only grown stronger even though nothing might come out of the cases against them even if investigated,” said a senior leader. He pointed out that with the opposition BJP disintegrating, both the leaders are no longer indispensable for the party in Delhi.

The other two leaders named in the report – HKL Bhagat and Dharam Dass Shastri – are no longer in active politics. The heat generated from 1984 consumed them politically in due course. Bhagat, the one-time strongman of Delhi, was last given party ticket in 1991. Shastri, the sitting MP at the time of the riots, was given the ticket only once after the riots in 1989 in which he lost.

As Tytler was one of the most vocal critics of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the loyalists of the CM were celebrating his ouster from the Cabinet. However, with no work at hand, he would only work to create more difficulties for the chief minister and becoming a rallying point for the dissidents. He has the support of at least two MLAs and a few councillors in Delhi and is believed to share a good rapport with the some leaders in the high command.

Kumar, on the other hand, had come close to Dikshit in the last few months after a few years of fierce opposition to the CM. He was even rewarded with the Chairman of Delhi Rural Development Board and given the rank of a minister. He enjoys the support of around half a dozen MLAs in outer Delhi even though some of his proteges deserted him and carved out a different source of power. DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma is still close to him.

With the political eclipse of these two leaders, the younger generation is vying for a place under the sun. Prominent among these is Ajay Maken, the 41-year old MP from New Delhi. He is not aligned to any of the groups and has an enviable political career. He has been a three time MLA, a minister, Speaker and now MP from New Delhi who had defeated the BJP veteran Jagmohan. For the political observers, he is set to fill the vacancy of a ministerial post at Centre from Delhi quota which has been vacated by Tytler.

Union Minister and Chandni Chowk MP Kapil Sibal and east Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit are not considered leaders of Delhi as both had never worked at the grassroots level. It would take some time for both of them to establish themselves in the nitty gritties of local politics.

With politics taking an unexpected turn following the Commission’s report, Dikshit seems to have emerged stronger. However, with the issues of power, water and alleged arrogance, she has lost the clout with the high command which she enjoyed earlier. In such a situation, political observers here are keenly watching the twists and turns which the Delhi Congress would take in the next few weeks. (2005)

New security realities facing CISF

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) was created to protect the nation’s economic wealth but has diversified into other specialised areas like airport security. Having strength of around one-lakh personnel, the force has recently entered into providing consultancy services to the establishments in the private sector also. Director General of CISF, SIS Ahmed tells Amitabh Shukla that continuous training to the personnel has improved the airport security scenario in the days following the Kandahar hijack.

Q: What changes have taken place after the CISF took over airport security from the local police?

A: When CISF was inducted in airport security after the Kandahar episode, we were relatively young in the field. We accepted the responsibility and through proper and well-modulated training adjusted to the new job effectively. Since then, the level of security has gone up without any inconvenience to the passengers. We had conducted a passenger survey in January-February this year on various parameters like frisking, communication skills of the personnel, general security etc. and found that the response was very positive. The feedback of around 1.6 lakh passengers was taken for the survey.

Q: What kind of training is imparted to the personnel to handle a sensitive area like the airport?

A: We have specialised training module for the personnel and they are trained at the National Industrial Security Authority (NISA) at Hyderabad. Model aviation security is imparted. They also undergo training with the Indian Airlines and other organisations. Behaviour and communications skill is taught to the personnel before they are posted at the airports. The trained people are kept at the airports for longer period though the airports are changed after an interval. Continuous upgradation, briefing and debriefing, decoy checks etc. are a part of this exercise.

Q: Have there been any serious lapses in recent months on the part of the CISF personnel?

A: No lapse has been reported recently. Through the decoy checks we monitor the situation on a continuous basis and if a lapse is found in the decoy checks corrective action is taken immediately. Through these checks, the level of alertness is always high.

Q: Has the CISF adopted any new technology to upgrade the level of security?

A: Upgradation of technology is a continuous process. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and Ministry of Civil Aviation are consulted for the type of gadgets and equipments required. Perimeter fencing, explosive detection gadgets are being upgraded and monitored on a regular basis.

Q: VIP Security is to be entrusted to the CISF. Is there any plan to raise a specific battalion for the purpose?

A: There was a proposal in this regard from the Group of Ministers (GoM). We have been deployed in VIP security to some extent and steps would be taken in accordance with the government directive.

Q: The role of the CISF was primarily industrial security. It has diversified into several areas now. What happens to the core specialisation of the force?

A: We are still providing security to the establishments related to economic activity, strategic importance and critical infrastructure. We are also providing security to the government buildings in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana secretariat at Chandigarh, Indian embassy at Kathmandu, national monuments like the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort etc.

Q: CISF has been chosen to provide security in Delhi Metro? What progress has taken place on this front?

A: The Ministry of Home Affairs wanted our assessment on Metro security after the London blasts. We have given a detailed presentation to the Home Secretary. A view has to be taken by the MHA on the issue. For the Kolkata Metro too , we would be providing security. An assessment is being made on Kolkata Metro too.

Q: The force has ventured into providing consultancy to the private sector too. How successful is this new venture?

A: Several organisations are coming to us for providing security related consultancy. We prepare a report on the basis of security threat and infrastructure at the site. We study the entire security system and then make suggestions. (6.8.2005)