What is common between Rakhi Sawant and Digvijay Singh?
1st- Both speak dirty,to gain immediate public attention
2nd- One is queen ,other is King of "Controversies"
Kalmadi should not end up at hospital
At the time of Independence, India was a country where most of the countryman were dedicated to their country and honest .Honesty was considered to be the most valuable asset in life of Indians. Very few people were living with dishonesty.
But the person, who was dishonest or was taking bribe, did not have courage to tell about his taking bribe, openly to others. he was not boasting about it to other society members , rather he was hiding the fact that he was taking bribe.
Dishonesty was considered to a very bad thing and people would not give respect to the person who was taking bribe/or the money earned by unfair means. People would not feel proud in keeping relation with such dishonest people. So this was the situation in the past times.
The Indian society and the Indian political leaders were having strong character.
People of India would vote to real honest candidates in general elections.
Gradually the situation changed and the candidates started taking help of gundas in elections for winning the seat.
The political party had to search the candidates who can win in the elections. So all the political parties started selecting such candidates who can win a seat for them.
The situation worsened further when such gundas themselves started fighting elections and were winning with unfair means.
Now coming to the point, whether it is Kalmadi or anybody else, 99% elected people are corrupt. So they are all dishonest and are surrounded by such dishonest people. They do not fear and are not ashamed of their unfair means for earning money.
So we should not be surprised if Kalmadi ends up in hospital.
Now we should think what we want? Do we want to eliminate/minimize the corruption?
Certainly the answer is yes. So we should not let the corrupt system run away Kalmadi.
We all the citizen of democratic India should keep an eye what is going on and should force through democratic means like protesting and raising voice against corrupt /illegal means adopted by the system or the politicians.
We may attract and force the government to take strict action against Kalmadi so that he may not be set free.
In fact Kalmadi is not the only one who should be punished but there are many others who should be trialed and should be punished according to law of courts.
What one can do to regularly keep an eye on such corrupted persons in the society?
We can join hands with ‘India Against Corruption Movement’ and should give our opinion through such type of forum.
By expressing our opinion we can support and keep an eye on the corruption.
These days internet is a very strong means for reaching to a large number of people very fast.
Remember, ”CORRUPTION NOT ONLY STIFLES GROWTH,IT ALSO PERPETUATES INEQUALITY AS A FEW MASS POWER AND WEALTH AT THE EXPENSE OF MANY.SO LET US ABOLISH IT FROM ROOT.”
written by s.k.sharma
But the person, who was dishonest or was taking bribe, did not have courage to tell about his taking bribe, openly to others. he was not boasting about it to other society members , rather he was hiding the fact that he was taking bribe.
Dishonesty was considered to a very bad thing and people would not give respect to the person who was taking bribe/or the money earned by unfair means. People would not feel proud in keeping relation with such dishonest people. So this was the situation in the past times.
The Indian society and the Indian political leaders were having strong character.
People of India would vote to real honest candidates in general elections.
Gradually the situation changed and the candidates started taking help of gundas in elections for winning the seat.
The political party had to search the candidates who can win in the elections. So all the political parties started selecting such candidates who can win a seat for them.
The situation worsened further when such gundas themselves started fighting elections and were winning with unfair means.
Now coming to the point, whether it is Kalmadi or anybody else, 99% elected people are corrupt. So they are all dishonest and are surrounded by such dishonest people. They do not fear and are not ashamed of their unfair means for earning money.
So we should not be surprised if Kalmadi ends up in hospital.
Now we should think what we want? Do we want to eliminate/minimize the corruption?
Certainly the answer is yes. So we should not let the corrupt system run away Kalmadi.
We all the citizen of democratic India should keep an eye what is going on and should force through democratic means like protesting and raising voice against corrupt /illegal means adopted by the system or the politicians.
We may attract and force the government to take strict action against Kalmadi so that he may not be set free.
In fact Kalmadi is not the only one who should be punished but there are many others who should be trialed and should be punished according to law of courts.
What one can do to regularly keep an eye on such corrupted persons in the society?
We can join hands with ‘India Against Corruption Movement’ and should give our opinion through such type of forum.
By expressing our opinion we can support and keep an eye on the corruption.
These days internet is a very strong means for reaching to a large number of people very fast.
Remember, ”CORRUPTION NOT ONLY STIFLES GROWTH,IT ALSO PERPETUATES INEQUALITY AS A FEW MASS POWER AND WEALTH AT THE EXPENSE OF MANY.SO LET US ABOLISH IT FROM ROOT.”
written by s.k.sharma
CWG- Delhi-centric Games
(The writer was Australia's deputy high commissioner to India in the 90s)
A Delhi-centric Games without regional involvement? At least 30% of tickets for the opening ceremony have been reserved for VIPs and VVIPs. Where is Bharat in this national pride? The format of the opening ceremony still not finalized? The signature tune has just been unveiled, but the Rs 70 crore floating aerostat is not certain and the central stage is yet to be built.
The Chinese were practicing the Olympics opening ceremony two years ahead. Nothing done to forestall the cyclical outbreak of dengue? It will peak in October. The Village on the Yamuna's floodplains will be vulnerable. Several participating countries have issued alerts. Outsourcing crucial aspects of the Games to foreigners at the expense of local talent including highly dubious sponsorship, baton relay deals?
Perhaps to keep crony kickbacks outside the purview of Indian taxmen? India Inc and MNCs shying from sponsorships; PSUs rethinking commitments? The failure to stem bad public manners — spitting, littering and urinating?
Beijing's Spiritual Civilization Steering Committee successfully instilled civic sense in the city's inhabitants ahead of the 2008 Olympics. This is the state of affairs. Imagine where our much vaunted national pride would be if: once again, India wins only a handful of medals?
Potential home advantage does not exist because self-serving sports administrators have rarely nurtured India's sporting talent and infrastructure. In contrast, the Chinese withdrew from international competitions for more than a decade to develop home-grown sporting prowess, then modestly tested its mettle from the 1988 Seoul Olympics on. star (white) athletes continue to heed, lemming-like, the call of iconic Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser to pull out because of "lies" regarding the quality of venues and the possibility of another Munich?
A "world-class" venue structure collapses? Laggardly security arrangements allow a terrorist strike and inadequate quality control of catering forces embassies to import food for their athletes?
Empty grandstands flash up on worldwide TV? So far, just 20,000 of the overseas allocation of 1.7 lakh tickets have sold so far. And Delhi's residents display no visible interest in the event.
The 'worst ever' Games are in the offing. Matching Australia or South Africa is a pipe dream. Given the organizational disaster, a vortex of mishaps and glitches is inevitable. They will receive worldwide coverage. The objective of showcasing an emerging Asian power on the world stage is set to self-destruct.
Of late, the surreal optimism about hosting the "best ever" Games has given way to doing "our best". At last, there is implicit acknowledgement that an ignominious fortnight is on the cards. It is time to cut our losses.
The bottom line is that a systemic, nationwide malaise has been exposed. It could be a catalyst for declaring independence from incompetence, corruption and the arrogance embedded in DNA of the ruling class. Postponing the Games will give unambiguous notice to the tainted to Quit India.
It would be a non-violent Dandi moment for the aam admi. It would be a fitting homage to Gandhi's birth anniversary is October 2. And in the spirit of his values, Delhi's citizens could be forgiven for hoisting the national flag and writing to their elected representatives to declare: "We will not take it any more."
A Delhi-centric Games without regional involvement? At least 30% of tickets for the opening ceremony have been reserved for VIPs and VVIPs. Where is Bharat in this national pride? The format of the opening ceremony still not finalized? The signature tune has just been unveiled, but the Rs 70 crore floating aerostat is not certain and the central stage is yet to be built.
The Chinese were practicing the Olympics opening ceremony two years ahead. Nothing done to forestall the cyclical outbreak of dengue? It will peak in October. The Village on the Yamuna's floodplains will be vulnerable. Several participating countries have issued alerts. Outsourcing crucial aspects of the Games to foreigners at the expense of local talent including highly dubious sponsorship, baton relay deals?
Perhaps to keep crony kickbacks outside the purview of Indian taxmen? India Inc and MNCs shying from sponsorships; PSUs rethinking commitments? The failure to stem bad public manners — spitting, littering and urinating?
Beijing's Spiritual Civilization Steering Committee successfully instilled civic sense in the city's inhabitants ahead of the 2008 Olympics. This is the state of affairs. Imagine where our much vaunted national pride would be if: once again, India wins only a handful of medals?
Potential home advantage does not exist because self-serving sports administrators have rarely nurtured India's sporting talent and infrastructure. In contrast, the Chinese withdrew from international competitions for more than a decade to develop home-grown sporting prowess, then modestly tested its mettle from the 1988 Seoul Olympics on. star (white) athletes continue to heed, lemming-like, the call of iconic Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser to pull out because of "lies" regarding the quality of venues and the possibility of another Munich?
A "world-class" venue structure collapses? Laggardly security arrangements allow a terrorist strike and inadequate quality control of catering forces embassies to import food for their athletes?
Empty grandstands flash up on worldwide TV? So far, just 20,000 of the overseas allocation of 1.7 lakh tickets have sold so far. And Delhi's residents display no visible interest in the event.
The 'worst ever' Games are in the offing. Matching Australia or South Africa is a pipe dream. Given the organizational disaster, a vortex of mishaps and glitches is inevitable. They will receive worldwide coverage. The objective of showcasing an emerging Asian power on the world stage is set to self-destruct.
Of late, the surreal optimism about hosting the "best ever" Games has given way to doing "our best". At last, there is implicit acknowledgement that an ignominious fortnight is on the cards. It is time to cut our losses.
The bottom line is that a systemic, nationwide malaise has been exposed. It could be a catalyst for declaring independence from incompetence, corruption and the arrogance embedded in DNA of the ruling class. Postponing the Games will give unambiguous notice to the tainted to Quit India.
It would be a non-violent Dandi moment for the aam admi. It would be a fitting homage to Gandhi's birth anniversary is October 2. And in the spirit of his values, Delhi's citizens could be forgiven for hoisting the national flag and writing to their elected representatives to declare: "We will not take it any more."
Karunaa Nidhi Fasting - must watch
First time in the world history fasting only 4 hours and that too with an AC …….
This is the comedy of the year 2009….Fasting starts after breakfast and ending before lunch. Interesting one!!
No Cure For Corruption- by MOHIT SATYANAND
People starving and thirsting, grain elevators are bursting.
Oh you know it costs more to store the food than it does to give it away.
Legendary songster Bob Dylan sang these words in 'Slow Train Coming', in 1979. Over a quarter of a century later, in 2006, Indian economist Arvind Virmani concluded pretty much the same thing in a paper he wrote for the Planning Commission.
Though not quite as lyrical as Dylan's words, Dr. Virmani's several pages of facts, figures, and analysis allow one conclusion to ring out clearly - our current food and fertiliser subsidies are doing a horrible job of serving the poor. If we wound up these two subsidies, and gave the same amount of money away every year, it would be enough, not just to tackle their hunger, but to lift all the poor in the country above the poverty line. If we added to this governmental expenditure on welfare programs under the heads 'Rural Development', 'Welfare of SC, ST and OBCs', and 'Social Security and Welfare', there would be as much money all over again; perhaps, Dr. Virmani suggested, this could be used to pay for the government's administration costs and system leakages.
Subsidies and welfare programs alone cost us twice as much money as required to eliminate poverty completely. And then there's NREGA. Yet, poverty persists: in writing the conclusions above, Virmani estimated that 30% of Indians lived below the poverty line. Every year, we spend twice as much money as should be required to keep all of India's poor out of poverty. Yet less than 1% actually cross this 'rekha' every year, whether through welfare measures, employment or other means of material advance. Clearly, Rajiv Gandhi was being hugely charitable to the Indian government when he famously said that 15% of the money meant for the poor reached them.
Now that the Indian government's fiscal deficit has become a matter of concern, one of the expenditure heads that is being questioned is the food subsidy. To better target the recipients of subsidised grain, government agencies have been talking about introducing smart cards, which would carry coded information about the card-holder of the card and his entitlement of subsidised grain, sugar, kerosene and other essential items. This technological fix, it is hoped, will reduce the leakage from the system.
Madhya Pradesh had run a pilot project based on a smart card concept in 2009, but found it unsuccessful. Press reports suggest that shopkeepers were reluctant to use the machines provided. Now the state intends to achieve similar objectives by linking the Unique Identification project to food coupons. This poor UID project - even before it has been birthed, it is being loaded with all manner of expectations. According to Wikipedia, it is believed it will help address everything from rigged elections to "widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs such as NREGA." Not to mention, illegal immigration and terrorist threats.
Wow, I'll have 1200 million of those please!
Hey, but wasn't the Right To Information Act supposed to solve the problems of embezzlement and corruption? That was UPA Mark I. The UID is UPA Mark II - new, improved, and tech-savvy.
Forget it. Technology is no cure for corruption. The Indian Railways has been there, done that. The computerised railway ticketing system was supposed to eliminate touts and black-marketing in railway travel. When seats are aplenty, the system is a treat. But at the first hint of a rush, seats disappear. During the holiday season, tatkal tickets disappear before the first home-user can log in. But contact a reservations clerk at the originating station, and the same ticket is produced -- for a service premium over and above the tatkal premium.
Technology, in other words, can be fixed. And will be, in an environment where the stakes are high, the ethical milieu supports it, and the guilty are never brought to book. Leakages are a political and cultural phenomenon, not a technological one.
In his paper, Dr. Virmani mentioned that he had proposed a smart card to streamline the PDS in 2001. At the time of his writing, no state government had taken it up, "as it had the potential of dramatically reducing leakages and administrative costs". The under-stated implication is clear - state governments didn't want to reduce leakages and administrative costs.
You're welcome to believe that the nature of our governance has drastically changed since then. I don't.
Mohit Satyanand is an entrepreneur and portfolio investor.
Article Originally at Yahoo!
Oh you know it costs more to store the food than it does to give it away.
Legendary songster Bob Dylan sang these words in 'Slow Train Coming', in 1979. Over a quarter of a century later, in 2006, Indian economist Arvind Virmani concluded pretty much the same thing in a paper he wrote for the Planning Commission.
Though not quite as lyrical as Dylan's words, Dr. Virmani's several pages of facts, figures, and analysis allow one conclusion to ring out clearly - our current food and fertiliser subsidies are doing a horrible job of serving the poor. If we wound up these two subsidies, and gave the same amount of money away every year, it would be enough, not just to tackle their hunger, but to lift all the poor in the country above the poverty line. If we added to this governmental expenditure on welfare programs under the heads 'Rural Development', 'Welfare of SC, ST and OBCs', and 'Social Security and Welfare', there would be as much money all over again; perhaps, Dr. Virmani suggested, this could be used to pay for the government's administration costs and system leakages.
Subsidies and welfare programs alone cost us twice as much money as required to eliminate poverty completely. And then there's NREGA. Yet, poverty persists: in writing the conclusions above, Virmani estimated that 30% of Indians lived below the poverty line. Every year, we spend twice as much money as should be required to keep all of India's poor out of poverty. Yet less than 1% actually cross this 'rekha' every year, whether through welfare measures, employment or other means of material advance. Clearly, Rajiv Gandhi was being hugely charitable to the Indian government when he famously said that 15% of the money meant for the poor reached them.
Now that the Indian government's fiscal deficit has become a matter of concern, one of the expenditure heads that is being questioned is the food subsidy. To better target the recipients of subsidised grain, government agencies have been talking about introducing smart cards, which would carry coded information about the card-holder of the card and his entitlement of subsidised grain, sugar, kerosene and other essential items. This technological fix, it is hoped, will reduce the leakage from the system.
Madhya Pradesh had run a pilot project based on a smart card concept in 2009, but found it unsuccessful. Press reports suggest that shopkeepers were reluctant to use the machines provided. Now the state intends to achieve similar objectives by linking the Unique Identification project to food coupons. This poor UID project - even before it has been birthed, it is being loaded with all manner of expectations. According to Wikipedia, it is believed it will help address everything from rigged elections to "widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and poverty alleviation programs such as NREGA." Not to mention, illegal immigration and terrorist threats.
Wow, I'll have 1200 million of those please!
Hey, but wasn't the Right To Information Act supposed to solve the problems of embezzlement and corruption? That was UPA Mark I. The UID is UPA Mark II - new, improved, and tech-savvy.
Forget it. Technology is no cure for corruption. The Indian Railways has been there, done that. The computerised railway ticketing system was supposed to eliminate touts and black-marketing in railway travel. When seats are aplenty, the system is a treat. But at the first hint of a rush, seats disappear. During the holiday season, tatkal tickets disappear before the first home-user can log in. But contact a reservations clerk at the originating station, and the same ticket is produced -- for a service premium over and above the tatkal premium.
Technology, in other words, can be fixed. And will be, in an environment where the stakes are high, the ethical milieu supports it, and the guilty are never brought to book. Leakages are a political and cultural phenomenon, not a technological one.
In his paper, Dr. Virmani mentioned that he had proposed a smart card to streamline the PDS in 2001. At the time of his writing, no state government had taken it up, "as it had the potential of dramatically reducing leakages and administrative costs". The under-stated implication is clear - state governments didn't want to reduce leakages and administrative costs.
You're welcome to believe that the nature of our governance has drastically changed since then. I don't.
Mohit Satyanand is an entrepreneur and portfolio investor.
Article Originally at Yahoo!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)