Recall Vinod Rai, former Comptroller and
Auditor General of India (CAG) and Secretary Banking. He opened the Pandora box
of the 2G scam as CAG of India. When the CAG report on granting 2G spectrum
licenses was first leaked in 2010, the entire country had hailed Vinod Rai as a
crusader against corruption. The verdict in the multi-crore 2G scam has shocked
the nation. After all, how come the special CBI court acquitted 19 accused of
all charges in a scam where notional losses to the tune of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore
were made? Was Rai acting at the instance of Airtel’s Sunil Bharti Mittal, TKA
Nair or P Chidambaram? Vinod Rai doesn’t have any answers. And his clout is
intact as the Supreme Court has appointed Rai as the interim president of the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley, who reportedly poses faith in the capability of Rai, had to go and dig
out the file of the bankrupt Dabhol Power Project Company. IDBI had the maximum
exposure of Rs. 1,900 crore (Rs. 19 billion) in the Dabhol project, followed by
State Bank of India Rs. 1,700 crore (Rs. 17 billion), ICICI Bank Rs. 1,300
crore (Rs. 13 billion), IFCI Rs. 600 crore (Rs. 6 billion) and Canara Bank Rs.
350 crore (Rs. 3.5 billion). If the file is investigated thoroughly, one will
be surprised to know how Vinod Rai reportedly tried to convince banks to write
off the huge outstandings. Good sense prevailed, and fortunately, the power
ministry turned down the proposal. This is Vinod Rai!
May 22, 2018
By the way : DD in doldrums
When Prime Minister Modi started ‘Man ki Baat’
on AIR, the officials presumed that the condition of Prasar Bharati would
improve. But the PMO has restricted itself to broadcast and telecast of ‘Man ki
Baat’. Both Doordarshan and All India Radio are actually in a precarious
situation. Prasar Bharti Chairman, A Surya Prakash, an old RSS associate, does
not know how to move in a no-money syndrome organisation. The once glowing
Doordarshan office at Mandi House used to be flooded with visitors but now it’s
deserted. There are no new programmes being sanctioned as there is no budget;
even salaries are paid out of the interest of fixed deposits. The day one
retires from Doordarshan or AIR, the very next day, one joins as an ad hoc
employee. There have been no permanent new recruitments in any category of
staff in Prasar Bharati for the last 25 years. Most of the staff is working on
contractual basis. It has become den of retired people and nepotism is at its
peak. The mess has percolated so deep that most of the time DD is repeating one
programme many times in a day. The situation is so pathetic that the contractor
of the parking lot outside DD is desperate to run away from the contract as it
is perpetually deserted.
By the way : Finally Jaishankar joins Tatas
Everybody in the government is bemused about S
Jaishankar, former Foreign Secretary who had also served as India’s Ambassador
to China and then USA, being roped in by Tata Sons as its new President, Global
Corporate Affairs. Jaishankar, a 1977 batch Indian Foreign Service officer,
will report to N Chandrasekaran, executive chairman of Tata Sons. His
remunerations and associated perks are not known as yet, but as the former IFS
has not completed a year of his retirement - he retired on January 28 this year
- he needed to take special permission from the government to join a private
entity. Generally, a retired civil servant can join outside the government only
two years after retirement. Given the clout Jaishankar enjoys in South Block,
getting permission would not have been an issue. One, why was the rule waived
off. Two, why is Jaishankar so desperate to join the Tatas. Insiders reveal
that Jaishanker was certain after observing the present setup in the Prime
Minister’s Office that he will not be awarded any post retirement plump
posting. Tata Sons Executive Chairman Chandrasekaran said that Jaishankar’s
extensive experience and knowledge on international affairs would be highly
valuable to the group as “we work to reinforce our brand and leadership
globally”, according to a statement issued by the salt-to-software
conglomerate. Here is what Jaishankar had to say: “The Tata group is an iconic
institution known for its value-based leadership as well as India’s most
respected brand globally. I look forward to being part of the Tata group and
working with key stakeholders to make an impact.” The former Cabinet Secretary
KM Chandrasekhar has also joined the Tatas as Director.
By the way : Another year for Sinha
The term of Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha, a
1977-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, has been extended for one
year more. This news was almost confirmed at the celebrations of Civil Services
Day. Most of the civil servants were whispering that Sinha will get another
year as a cabinet secretary; they also observed the confidence of PK Sinha at
the function. It was quite indicative that the he is sure to get an extension.
For over a decade, the practice has been to appoint a Cab Sec for a fixed two-year
term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to be a believer of continuity in
governance. When he took over as Prime Minister in May 2014, AK Seth was
serving as Cab Sec and there was strong opinion that a new Cab Sec will be
appointed in June 2014 but Modi surprised everybody when he ordered an
extension for Seth. Insiders inform that Seth who had an impeccable track
record made Modi comfortable at crucial time of transition of power from
Congress to BJP. 2019 will be the election year and in the given scenario a new
face in the Cabinet Secretariat would have taken time to acclimatise as the Cab
Sec has to deal with a new subject every 15 minutes and different ministries.
Sinha’s track record indicates that he is a fast-paced performer and he has
synchronised Cab Sec office with the working style of the Prime Minister. The
Cab Sec and PM relationship is a very delicate and indispensable bond between
two individuals and institutions. Even Manmohan Singh did not change his Cab
Secs, KM Chandrasekhar and BK Chaturvedi.
Bric a Brac : North Block adrift
Anew grapevine has taken root in the Finance
Ministry since the news of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley kidney problems
appeared in the media. Arun Jaitley himself tweeted about his health, “am being
treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have
contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at
home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating
me.” Jaitley’s sickness has created a different scenario in North Avenue. North
Block is a busy zone and the scenario seems much the same. The same cannot be
said of the Finance Minister’s office. Generally, the visitor room of the
Finance Minister is full whenever the Minister is in his office. Now there are
less public visitors. Business leaders are not seen though their heads of
corporate affairs are seen meeting civil servants for pushing their files. The
really worrisome situation is the absence of babus. Though they reach office in
time due to the biometric attendance system but most of the day, they are not
sitting in their rooms. The jurnos who visit the North Block after lunch find
it difficult to locate anybody to get some inkling of what is happening in the
ministry. Importantly, nobody dares talk about a change of Finance Minister as
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unflinching faith in the capacity and
capability of his minister.
Bric a Brac : Yechury takes the vote
THE Communist Party of India (Marxist) 22nd
Congress was convened in Hyderabad recently. The Congress elected Sitaram
Yechury as the party’s general secretary for a second term. There are two
obvious groups in the party. One is led by Yechury and the other by Prakash
Karat. Prakash is known to be a stickler for the rules. Prakash is related to
NDTV’s Prannoy Roy as his wife Brinda Karat is the sister of Prannoy’s wife
Radhika Roy. On his part, Yechury made it clear to the CPM cadre that the party
does not belong to one state, a veiled reference at Karat’s influence in
Kerala. Yechury worked hard and gathered the support of 16 states to de-throne
the dominance of Kerala and Karat. Yechury and Karat supporters had a tug of
war in the party congress. What should be the CPM’s political line in the
current political situation? Should the party adopt Yechury or Karat line. The
Karat lobby wanted to forbid the party from having any alliance with the
Congress. At one point, matters got so heated that a delegate from Punjab
threatened to sit on protest, then and there. Meanwhile, a new voice within the
party Uday Narvekar stood up and said, “My claim is that if the party follows
the Karat line even for mere next three years, then its name will have to be
changed from CPM to CPI.” And then Narvekar outlined the new definition of CPI
– “Communist Party Irrelevant”, that is, then the party will not have any
relevance in Indian politics. After this, the party decided on following the
‘Yechury Line’. The final compromise was the deletion of the sentence that
forbade the party from reaching any “understanding with the Congress”. After
the victory, Yechury flew to London to celebrate 200 years of party ideologue
Karl Marx at a new library housing Marx’s work and to meet his daughter who is
pursuing higher studies.
Bric a Brac : BJP fetish for English
THE Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leadership is
one of the biggest votaries for the propagation of Hindi language. Now that
they are de facto rulers of the country, they have moved softly but surely
towards propagating Hindi. It has been observed that hoardings and standees
outside the venue at government functions are being erected in Hindi language.
Government officials are conducting the proceedings in Hindi except for those
who are not from the Hindi belt. The proceedings of the 12th Civil Services day
on April 21 were conducted all in Hindi. Even Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha spoke
in Hindi at the function. All films shown at the function were in Hindi.
Furthermore, all central ministries and public undertakings have started
replying to RTIs in Hindi language. But there is an inherent dichotomoy, The
BJP top leadership has a fetish for English language. Look at the top
leadership starting from Arun Jaitley, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitaraman, Smriti
Irani, Ravishanker Prasad, Suresh Prabhu, Anant Kumar, MJ Akbar, DV Sadanand
Gowda, Hardeep Singh Puri and Jayant Sinha; they all speak and write in English
and it is they who command the party’s policies. This only reflects the
diversity among politics and politicians. Even though the RSS is focused on
implementing the mother tongue (read Hindi), constraints of a different states
and regions are yet to be overcome.
Bric a Brac : Kanishka vs Milind?
THE Congress Party is in search of a new
Treasure for its cash-starved coffers albeit the tremendous trust in
89-year-old former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Motilal Vora’s capabilities.
The party is not able to find a successor to Vora. Vora is the one politician
of the party who is available till late night most of the time to both the
party leadership and workers in the All India Congress Committee office in New Delhi.
The Congress Party run by the trio of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Robert
Vadra has to choose a loyal worker who may be groomed in a decade for greater
responsibility. If one takes note of indications from Vora’s office, then
Kanishka Singh, the son of a former Foreign Secretary SK Singh, is the front
runner. Kanishka Singh has studied from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University
and then went to the USA to do M.S and MBA from Wharton. Some feel that since
the companies over which Kanishka Singh had a good hold are facing
investigations, he could land up in trouble. Another contender is Milind Deora.
His father Murli Deora used to channelise funds for the party. After his death,
Milind has been managing funds for the party in Mumbai. He is very close to
Rahul and usually travels abroad with the Congress president. During his US
tour too, he had accompanied Rahul. Businessmen and members of the US Congress
reportedly told Rahul that Murli Deora was called the Senator of Manhattan! So,
Milind is also a strong competitor for the treasurer post due to the legacy of
his father, understanding of the business world, and proximity to Rahul. Still,
If Priyanka Gandhi’s writ runs, in all probability Kanishka Singh may be the
new treasurer of the Congress Party.
State Scan : Tamil angst or separatism?
THOUGH Uttarakhand had 21,966 protests, the
highest number in the year 2016, it was Tamil Nadu with 20,450 protests-at the
rate of 47 protests a day-that caught the national attention. The reason was
simple: the protests in Tamil Nadu were massive, prolonged and in many cases
spontaneous. Of course, one way of looking at it was as vibrant democracy in
action, though the cynical public would laugh it off because political
agitations and protests are the way we do things in this country.
Governance : Disquieting Governance
Ihave been contemplating a short article on the
disquieting nature of governance for some time. This desire got hastened after
media reports sometime back that the I&B Ministry had to withdraw its
guidelines on ‘fake news’ at the behest of the Prime Minister’s Officer (PMO.
Such reports made me recollect some worrying aspects concerning laws relating
to Income Tax, Companies Act and the recently enacted Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Code, 2016 (IBC). I will initiate this discussion from the IBC because
developments concerning this legislation are clearly indicative of the position
that something is basically wrong with lawmaking in the country.
Governance : Keeping the target in sight
THE United Nations’ Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and to
ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. There are 17 SDGs with 157
nations as signatories. In India the governments have been correctly focussing on
each of these 17 parameters and delivering positive results. While 2030, the
deadline to achieve these SDGs seems a bit far, going by the diversity and
complexity of our country in all spheres, time is indeed of the essence.
Governance : Replace paperless EVMs with VVPAT EVMs
A representation to the Election Commission
seeking measures to ensure integrity and fairness in the parliamentary election
in 2019 by Tamil Nadu-based Forum for Electoral Integrity
Governance : Rise and take the bull by its horns
CIVIL Services in India have commanded an elite
status ever since the first Indian, Satyendranath Tagore, was selected as an
Indian Civil Services (ICS) officer in 1863. Paradoxically, the aura of the
Service was heightened even more when young Subhash Chandra Bose quit the
service in 1921 despite being one of the top four in the competition, the
toughest in those days not only for the Indians but also for the British
aspirants. No other career for the youth was more precious than being a member
of the ICS. And yet, young Subhash chose to sacrifice his career impelled by
his conscience to serve the nation differently. No politician-not even Mahatma
Gandhi-has evoked more respect, love and awe across the masses than Netaji in
India. And his enigma has continued to haunt India’s consciousness to such an
extent that no one ever believed the news of his death in the air crash on
August 18, 1945.
Cover Story : ‘File does not get moksha: Modi
IT is said in Hindu mythology that one gets
moksha (Salvation) after char-dham yatra (visit to four pilgrims comprises
Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram), but in the government, even after 32
such journeys a file does not get moksha-Narendra Modi was sharing his
experience after ruling for four years as Prime Minister of India. Modi shared
his experience of an apparent reference to administrative delays in the
decision-making process. The Prime Minister was addressing civil servants on
the occasion of 12th Civil Services Day on April 21, 2018. The two-day annual
Civil Services Day was organised to deliberate administrative issues and give
away awards to performing civil servants.
Eyes Wide Shut : Falling back on generalities
SWOOSH! Another civil service day has just
passed like an ephemeral shower of April. Nothing seems to have changed a bit
in government. Lawrence Peter of Peter Principle fame once said that
bureaucracy defends status quo long past when quo has lost its status. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi made another catchy speech, as has become his routine
practice, bringing out his close proximity with the civil servants. He gave
comfort to the assembled civil servants by describing them as people with great
capability and said that these capabilities can contribute in a big way towards
building the nation.
From the Editor
TODAY’S India is in extreme and intense
reflection, a burning contemplation, both within individuals and within the
society. This is because the Constitution seems to be in confrontation with
Religion, society with faith, and politicians with people. In 2019, the people
of the country will decide whether they wish to be ruled by the Constitution or
Religion. The Indian Constitution mandates an absolute separation between the
State and Religion, and the absolute right of the electorate to decide its
fate. But the controllers of political and religious powers wish to make
Religion more supreme than the Constitution.
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