Small & Sincere Steps with Requisite Results - 1

IAS Probation Period – Durg Dt. in Madhya Pradesh State (1972-73)

Innate and insatiable goal was carried forward from the college days – totally drenched in Gandhian philosophy and thoughts with a burning desire to experiment some of his teachings as soon as possible. Since I entered a permanent government job for the first time (although supposed to undergo the training on district administration for a year) the undersigned wanted to start his work right away. Hence the decision to adopt a village called ‘Andagaon’ (meaning ‘Egg’s village’ which was later on changed as Gandhigram) for development in a year. It had a small rest house maintained by irrigation department without electricity which I used as my abode during the stay in the village. The dignity of ‘shram dan’ (free labour for a common good), a famous Gandhian precept which immensely influenced my thinking and action for the rest of my career was to be tried and tested immediately in a village. So I convened a meeting of village elders with the help of Patwari (village record-keeper) and Kotwar (village security-guard) and explained my intentions. They agreed and wanted to assist in my plans.

First of all I desired the cleanliness and sanitation of the village to be improved and maintained. I took the assistance of school children and the adults to sweep the streets and lanes which the rest of the village appreciated and promised to cooperate further in the work. For this task the farmers having bullock-carts came forward to construct a tolerably-useful road with the soil available near the road and the hard and red soil (murrum) available at a distance to be used as the top layer. The hard-red soil helped to suppress the loose soil-dust rising from the road as and when some vehicle moved on it. Once in a while we engaged the bullock cart to fetch water from village pond for the purpose of silencing the dust for some time.

Secondly the primary school was made to function with proper attendance of the teachers and the students. Absenteeism and the drop-outs of the students were checked to a great extent.

Thirdly the problems faced by the village community with regard to land matters like payment of land revenue, proper recording of the crops on the records, issue of relevant certificates to the cultivators, availability of agri-inputs like fertilizers, seeds, insecticides and crop loans from the co-operative bank etc.

Fourthly Village Panchayat meetings were held and attended and relevant issues raised and discussed for further action and follow-up. I ensured the celebration of festivals like Republic Day on Aug 15, 1972 and Gandhi Jayanthi on October 2, 1972 in the village. ‘Shram Dan’ was undertaken to lay a road on Gandhi Jayanthi in which majority of the villagers participated with their own crow-bars and pick-axes. I indeed saluted the cooperation of the village elders and children on such occasions. They were little surprised at my sincere efforts with the ‘broken Hindi’ (picking up for the first time in life).

[For this experiment and effort I bought a bi-cycle to be used in the town of Durg and used to leave it in the house of Tahsildar near the Bus Stand from where I used to catch the bus and reach the village in the evening of Fridays. I used to make night halts in the rest house while the food was arranged by the Patwari for a payment. Collector of composite Durg District, Shri K.D Saksena and SDO, Rajnandgaon, Shri Naresh K.Narad used to watch my work and hear about its progress with a little surprise and amusement. They were under the impression that what I was trying to do was not expected of me as a young IAS officer.]

PROVIDING PROTECTION TO THE FISHERMEN OF EAST COAST OF TAMIL NADU

A group of fisherwomen tried to gherao the residence of Mr.P.Chidambaram, the Hon’ble Union Minister of Home in Nungambakkam, Chennai with a view to conveying their annoyance on the arrest and/or killing of their husbands and brothers on the sea-waters between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka by the Sinhalese Navy from time to time. It is quite disheartening to note the way in which the Tamil Fishermen are being tortured and done to death or taken prisoners by the neighbouring countrymen ruthlessly whereas the Central Government and the State Government find themselves unable to contain this menace successfully so far. Looking to the inability of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard, the women folk of the Fishermen community are forced to seek the State’s help for self protection by providing Fire Arms License. The same demand has been put up by Mr.Palaya Nedumaran a well wisher of the Fishermen community.

The author as the District Magistrate of Sagar (during 1979-82) provided self protection, by sanctioning a license to purchase and hold a fire-arm, to a Teacher in Sir Harisingh Gaur University of Sagar in Central India, while he was attacked by students at his residence in the night because of his effective invigilation duty in the examination hall. Similarly the Forest Guards of Damoh District in Sagar Revenue Division (during the period 1990-92) were helped when they looked helpless and powerless while confronting the poachers with bamboo sticks in the forest areas by providing them fire-arm licenses to procure double barrel/single barrel guns out of their General Provident Fund with the help of the District Collector and the Divisional Forest Officer. The same practice was recommended and approved by the Principal Secretary of Forest Department for similar efforts in the State of Madhya Pradesh.

Whose Legacy at Stake?

Certainly not Sarabhai's legacy as claimed by former ISRO chief, G.Madhavan Nair in the context of Antrix-Devas Agreement on leasing out transponders on two proposed Satellites of country's space agency. In his interview with Prashant G.N of the Sunday Times of India, Chennai, February 20, 2011, he lamented the reaction of people towards this agreement and tried to justify the selection of Devas on the ground of novel technology and innovation offered by the said private company. It is very difficult to accept this theory on the face of it. Nobody knows what prevented them from making it open to the public before selecting a particular company however good and efficient it may be in its work. This shows how selective and secretive the functionaries are in and around PMO in distributing largesses and licenses fetching thousands of crores to select people without public knowledge. 

Public Purpose – Power Generation – For Whom?

“Chattisgarh’s heart of weekness”
by Supriya Sharma



District under discussion:- Korba in Chattisgarh State

Villages involved for land acquisition:- Churikala, Jhora, Darra Bhanta, Salora and Gangpur

Bold and forthright Spokes Person:- Vinod Pandey

Powerful Power Plant Proprietors:M/s.Vandana Vidyut limited

Means of oppression:

1) District Administration

2) Land Acquisition Act 1894 (Section-17)

3) Public purpose – Power generation by a Private Ltd. Co

4) Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of    Atrocities) Act

Stark Reality:

60 Thermal Power plants under various stages of implementation in 3 Districts, namely, Korba, Raigarh,

Janjgir Champa.

Success Story of the State:

Creation of a Power Hub in the near future to generate surplus power and feed the neighbouring States at a tremendous cost to the life and livelihood of the local inhabitants (Tribals) and natural environment.

We don’t know who is Vinod Pandey, a lone crusader in the company of the hapless tribal farming families losing their land and livelihood at a price. Forest and Tribals are being uprooted from their home lands and made homeless and landless persons. It is unfortunate that the special provisions of Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996 (PESA) have also become powerless as reported.

Cause of concern:-

It is disheartening to note that no public representative either from the Village Panchayat or District Panchayat or M.L.A. or M.P. or the local Minister or any educated citizen of the district is in a position to question the wrong doing meted out to the powerless people.

Remedy:-

• It is hoped that the Hon’ble High Court at Bilaspur will deliver the justice to these helpless tribals whose cause has been taken up by people like Mr.Vinodh Pandey and Mr.Kanwar.

• His Excellency the Governor of this Tribal state can come to the rescue of these tribal families for whom the new state of Chhattisgarh has been created.

• If the personal and constitutional method of agitation and litigation fail to deliver the good, the Adivasis may become violent and join the ranks of Naxalites any time in the near future.

• If the State Government is really serious and the district administration wants to remain sensitive to the demands of the local residents whose lands are being usurped under the garb of public purpose, then these displaced persons should be permanently entitled to 50% of the taxable profit earned by the Power Generation Company in addition to the land acquisition compensation which should be reasonably determined and paid. This sort of agreement for a compromise should be explained in detail and the project approval obtained from the Gram Sabha in the presence of the District Collector and the District Sessions Judge of the concerned District.

Copy to His Excellency, the Governor of the State

Copy to the Industry Secretary, Shri Dinesh Srivatsava

Copy to the District Collector

Copy to Korba Lok Sabha M.P.

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Copy to Hon.Chief Justice, Chhattisgarh High Court, Bilaspur

Now Holiday At a Light House

It is heartening to note that at last some one from the Government of India has seen the latest trend in the world community and properly understood the historical importance of the old light houses in the country . It seems the G.O.I in the Ministry of Shipping is planning to convert light houses into hubs of experience-based tourism very soon. Well done . Better late than never!

Judiciary's Direct Supervision on the Executive' Routine Work

As a former civil servant I feel bad and saddened to learn that the High court has to intervene and appoint a retired  judge to supervise the activities of the sand contractors which should normally be done by a Deputy collector or the Deputy Supt. Of police. A CPI senior leader Mr R. Nallakannu had to move the Madurai Branch of High Court to stay the lifting of sand from the river with machines recklessly spoiling the environment of the habitations on the river banks. When the Judge totally banned the use of machines for the purpose , the state government moved the Double Bench of Madras High Court. The latter adjudicated the matter with the appointment of a committee headed by a retired judge of the High Court to supervise the sand quarries.

The implication is that the state executive has lost its legitimate and expected role to judicial authority at a cost to the state exchequer already overburdened with the deficit.If such a trend continues the people would lose faith totally on the government and its officials even for the routine works. It is a sad reflection on the efficiency and the integrity of state authorities.

Investment Vs Inflation & Interest Rate Hike

Ultimately the institutional investors are making a retreat from Indian stock Exchange on account of inflation and interest rates’ rise. The wide fluctuations in the stock exchange indexes are invariably dependent on the European Stock Exchanges and the political developments within the country or sometimes on the behavior of monsoon. Stock markets dipped to 7-month lows on Tuesday (February 8) with sensex closing below 18,000 declining 261 points or 1.45% as investors sold heavily on concerns over rising inflation and interest rates. Despite the positive improvements anticipated by the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, RBI and the Planning Commission, the food inflation fails to drop below 15%.

Let us have a look at our neighbour China. China’s Central Bank, namely, The Peoples Bank of China, on Monday (February 7) raised the bench-mark one year borrowing and lending rates by 25 basis points, a step aimed at containing inflation. This step basically is meant to cool prices and tighten liquidity. As a matter of fact the Chinese government has fixed a target of 3% for consumer price index. In December 2010 it was measured at 4.6% compared to 5.1% in November, the highest in 28-months.

After the hike in benchmark rates, the one-year deposit interest rate will climb to 3% and the one-year loan interest rate will reach 6.06%. The PBOC has raised interest rates twice in 2010 to deal with rising inflation and soaring asset prices.

It is quite interesting to see both China and India fighting inflation by fixing certain targets. While Indian government is struggling hard with double digit inflation for quiet sometime now, the Chinese government has been very strict and smart not only in fixing a realistic and requisite target but also in trying to contain inflation and enable the economy to register a high level of growth rate as usual.

Central Vigilance Commissioner -- P.J.THOMAS

Thanks to the controversial CVC  Mr.P.J.Thomas, the Apex Court is seized of all the wrong doings happening under the roof of North Block (New Delhi – G.O.I) housing the Department of Personnel & Training and the Ministry of Home affairs. The questions raised by the Hon. Supreme Court especially the Bench of Chief Justice, S.H.Kapadia and two other Justices, K.S.Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar are to the point and exceedingly well-taken.

Points for consideration

1) Only the Bio data of P.J.Thomas was placed before the Selection Panel headed by P.M and no other relevant details certified by the DOPT.

2) Even the aforesaid bio-data failed to mention the posting of Thomas as the Secretary of Food & Civil Supplies in the Government of Kerala.

3) DOPT failed to give sanction for prosecution for seven long years in the case of P.J.Thomas. One would like to know how many Thomases had managed and manipulated to get promotion and postings in the State and Central Government while the requests for such sanction were pending or when some other cases were promptly disposed of and prosecuting agencies were obliged by DOPT whose discriminatory action is indeed unpardonable.

4) CVC clearing P.J.Thomas’s case was with regard to his posting in Government of India. Was it sufficient for the purpose of selection by the high-level panel without the State Government’s clearance and opinion?

5) If a political fight between two Chief Ministers was, as argued by Thomas, the reason for his trouble can he or G.O.I. ensure that such a calamity had not occurred in the career of several other officials from All India Services.

6) How dare the officials of DOPT are prepared to befool the P.M., H.M. & the Leader of Opposition. Such a bold step couldn’t have taken place without a god-father’s role in P.M.O. or any other Power Centre or sans some illegal transaction between Thomas and officials of DOPT

One should thank the God and celebrate the steps of the Apex Court in this regard. A decision will certainly expose the wrong-doers and instill fear in their minds for some time.

March 4, 2011

The God has been kind and great through the land mark judgment of the Hon. Chief justice and his two other colleagues/judges pssed this week and the P.M has to own up the responsibility of wrong selection based on wrong feed-back given by the officials of PMO and DOPT.

We beg before the Hon. P.M that he should weigh the pros and cons of any proposal coming up or put up for promotion / posting / punishment of any All India Service officer hereafter at least.