CORRUPTION - doordarshan

The murky side of autonomy

Once again, favouritism, cronyism and graft besmirch the image of India’s national TV network

by VILAS MURERKAR

D

URING the recent debate in Parliament on the Prasar Bharati Amendment Bill, 2011, the Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Ambika Soni, was startled by the MPs’ concern over an inept organization which has almost descended into an abyss of no return. An offshoot of an autonomous structure designed with good intentions has turned into a den of irregularities and corruption. The Prasar Bharati saga is like a serial with episodes bringing in new characters (here bureaucrats!), all enmeshed in misdoing. Yet, sadly, the Ministers keep defending their roles in preserving a make-believe autonom......Read More

MEA walks a tightrope

MEA walks a tightrope

A

T times, the Ministry of External Affairs faces situations which would be funny if they weren’t embarrassing. One such incident happened when Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Ukraine, visited India towards the end of 2011. Once finished with his official agenda, he expressed a wish to see the Taj Mahal. From the first day of his visit, he had been horrified by the congestion and chaos of traffic in Delhi.... Read More

Sinha ushers changes at SEBI

Sinha ushers changes at SEBI

T

HE Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) finally called a meeting after New Year’s of investor protection groups after 11 months. When CB Bhave was Chairman, it used to call a meeting every month and he would always attend. This time around, the new SEBI chief, UK Sinha, was absent from the meeting, attended by....... Read More

Customs ogres turn helpless

Customs ogres turn helpless

T

HE Delhi Excise and Customs Department is in a fix. Its officials do not know what to do about the unauthorized activities at Terminal Three of Indira Gandhi International Airport. Passengers arriving on an international flight are supposed to clear immigration, collect their luggage and pass through the Customs gate (red or green channel) even if they are catching a connecting flight......Read More

Haryana misses Quraishi’s bus

Haryana misses Quraishi’s bus

T

HEN Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi wanted to open a world-class academic institute where research scholars would work and study, he searched for a suitable piece of land and sounded Gurgaon officials. They identified a large plot and Quraishi paid a visit to check it out. It passed muster but then came the catch. Vacated land cannot just be handed.......READMORE

Anna’s TV prop

Anna’s TV prop

whipping up the masses

W

HEN the Anna Hazare movement started, it was picked up rather noticeably by a prominent Hindi TV channel which has a soft corner for RSS philosophy. It left no stone unturned in projecting Anna. The issue was also close to the hearts...........READMORE

Who will be Rashtrapati?

Who will be Rashtrapati?

Plotting underway for july poll

T

HERE is discernible desperation in some circles to make an inroad into Rashtrapati Bhavan. A new President of India is set to be elected in July. But already a move is afoot to prop up personalities and field arguments in favour of select candidates by an influential business house in Mumbai. Names are in circulation......READMORE

Hooda faces litmus

Hooda faces litmus

crucial jat poll coming up

T

HE Bhupinder Singh Hooda camp has been jolted by its error committed in the Hissar Parliamentary byelection some time ago. The opportunity to settle scores with Hooda’s arch-rival, fellow Congress stalwart and Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh, was squandered. Had they put up Birender Singh’s IAS son, Brijendra Singh, for the seat and waited for him to lose.....READMORE

Of Mahants and decorum

Of Mahants and decorum

goings-on in the lok sabha

W

HEN the nation watches debates in Parliament on TV, it misses out on a great deal of colour, atmosphere and human drama. During the Lok Sabha debate on the Lokpal Bill, as usual, Lok Sabha TV focused only on the face of the Member who was speaking or the Chair. Other visages are not shown when.............Readmore

Does the army need AFSPA?

Does the army need AFSPA?

In 21 years, the draconian Act has done more harm than good, and failed to check insurgency

by MG DEVASAHAYAM

STATING that “The Indian Army is the land component of the Indian Armed Forces which exists to uphold the ideals of the Constitution of India,” the Army Doctrine - 2004 clearly lays down its roles – Primary: Preserve national interests and safeguard sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of India against any external threats by deterrence or by waging war; Secondary: Assist government agencies in coping with “proxy war” and other internal threats and provide aid to the civil authority when requisitioned for the purpose.

The secondary role of “aid to the civil authority” comes up only during internal threats, if requisitioned by that authority, and not otherwise. This role comes up in different forms – short intervention during severe riots and breakdown of law and order, and a medium-term role in counter-insurgency operations against terrorists or secessionists. By its very definition, it cannot be long-term.....ReadMore

Ploughing a lonely furrow

OF all his politician contemporaries in Uttar Pradesh, Chaudhary Charan Singh is the only one who stands out as a character. The others, Chandra Bhan Gupta, Kamalapati Tripathi and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, were merely politicians. Two others of the time come to mind: the socialist leader, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, and his maverick follower, Raj Narain. Each was a character in his own right but the first was a national leader and in every way a class apart from Charan Singh; the second, though remarkable, was in a totally different category........ReadMore

A Frankenstein’s monster?

THE issues of civil society and the Jan Lokpal have come to occupy the centre stage at public and media discussions. The media appears to have made the public believe that corruption can be eliminated only through the institution of the Lokpal as projected by a civil society group. It is being said that the moment the Jan Lokpal comes into existence, we shall be rid of the menace of corruption.......