Saturday, September 14, 2013

Re: [IAC#RG] Why is entire ESM community calling you names?

Dear Veterans and educated Indians,
                                                  I would rather not answer unfounded arguments about privileges extended to the Armed Forces. They are generally illogical and a waste of time for a reply.
Veteran, Hirak Nag.


From: arun joshi <colarun.joshi@gmail.com>
To: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net" <indiaresists@lists.riseup.net>
Sent: Wednesday, 4 September 2013 7:56 PM
Subject: Re: [IAC#RG] Why is entire ESM community calling you names?

Dear Mr Malik,
You are logical in your arguments.
Conditions of Service and certain assurances in the form of acknowledgments for service rendered are prevalent in each of our service be it Armed Forces or Civil services.
One could first begin with the "pension" which should be stopped the moment a Govt servant (applicable to Armed Forces & civil services) becomes a foreign citizen. As a corollary the "ack" or privileges peculiar to each service should also cease. 
Leading by example it should start with the IAS the most privileged and molly coddled service and then trickle down to the other services.
I would also like to add here that if any Govt servant is drawing a pension from any source other than The GOI, it should cease forthwith. Be assured the IAS will never permit that to happen. A tenure of 3 years plus in the UN pushing files gets you a pension of $ 1000 tax free. At the present rate Rs 62000/- (tax free). One of our Commissioner (no names) did not push a single file for 2 years rendering my city to garbage , ensured a UN posting for disservice to my city and is drawing double pension. The IAS and UN. During morning walks I always salute him.
I am an Armed Forces veteran and am in full agreement with your observation about foreign Nationals. Please make it applicable to all Govt servants and also those receiving pension from foreign sources.
With Regards



On Sat, Aug 31, 2013 at 1:09 AM, tadepalli triambakakishore <ltcolttkishore@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Mr Veeresh Malik,
There seems to be a compulsion to question benefits given to Warriors and their families ( serving and ESM). At the same time 
there is a mention of close kin including own mother being recipient of Armed Forces '  benefits/ privileges   Viz.,
Liquor/ reservation for wards of uniformed personnel in education institutions/ pension/ CSD etc.
If pension is a deferred wage , where is the question of reneging by a civilzed nation to keep the promise UNLESS the person has forfeited the privilege by some misdemeanor and actions against national interests.
Further Warriorship being a Rajas ( ref Tamas, Satvik and Rajo Gunas or Traits) most warriors are wont to take food and items like liquor of Rajas type. Exceptions will always be there where some Warriors are teetotallers and vegetarians . Why sermonise or insist one' s Way of life on an unsuspecting section of society under the garb of protecting tax payers money. It is customary not to grudge the specific privileges extended by a civilized community to specific sections of its society ( MPs, MLAs, Rly men, Men of Telephones , Airlines and so on) .There is no need to rave/ rant at the special privileges .
Further ,it is as improper as questioning the privileged seat or treatment given to elders in the family . The one who questions is prone to suffer ( Like Sisupal in Rajasuya Yagna in Mahabharata when he condemns the participants decision to honor Sri Krsna as lunatic behavior of elders owing to their age related mental atrophy).
May good sense prevail and this running down of Warriors cease forthwith. Incidentally Warriors are also tax payers.
Veteran TTK

On Thursday, August 29, 2013, Veeresh Malik wrote:
Dear Ashok Coomar,

Thank you for writing in, and I must salute your tone of language, far different from the tone used by Shri Pannu.

Now, on contents and some facts:-

1) My mother takes a pension from the Indian Army thanks to my late father, my late maternal grandmother took an award for all 4 sons in the Armed Forces (though only 3 continued, the first had to take a civil job to bring up the zero restart family after '47)

2) I have a list as long as your arm of family members from the close circle of relatives as well as close friends who have been in the Armed Forces and are in the Armed Forces and some have also made the Supreme Sacrifice and so get slightly outraged when people choose to question my patriotism.

3) Not having been in the Armed Forces myself but from an institution which produced the earliest Chiefs of Staff of the Indian Navt as well as other Star Officers for the Indian Army, so connections of not just the Indian Navy, my own training went through the full drill on Armed Forces pattern, and more, including swearing loyalty to flag and country.

My single point question here to you is this - if after retiring, a person from the Indian Armed Forces or Civilian Government services voluntarily exits from Indian citizenship and swears loyalty as well as fealty to another country, then what right does he have to the benefits of the Army Act or similar, whether ex Armed Forces or Civilian?

Would we justify the benefits if, hypothetical situation, the Supreme Commander in Chief, the President of India did something like this?

Please do not try to churn the issue up into other unrelated issues of loyalty, patriotism, and need of the Nation and the hour. I am not a fool to not know the importance of a strong Armed Forces. If it is your contention that strong Armed Forces can not exist without booze, then I have nothing more to say. However, if that was not your contention, then:-

4) As far as duty free booze is concerned, tots of rum could have been justified in gunpowder days, which is what we also were taught, but in this day and age, when Armed Forces personnel are expected to be tech savvy as well as in charge of equipment costing billions? On an ordinary cargo tanker carrying crude oil, a clear window of no booze for 15 days prior is now SOP. A railway engine driver, merchant navy sailor, civil aircraft pilot, truck operator, lab technician, surgeon, teacher, everybody else is supposed to be cold sober nil alcohol. But our Armed Forces expect to get cheap booze? 

5) Given half a chance, the dispensation towards no booze needs to be instilled into people joining the Armed Forces from the date of induction, just as it is done in other professions requiring some amount of responsibility. Maybe it is a good idea to put this in the curriculum of the training establishments for the Armed Forces, as is done with responsible Armed Forces, increasingly, worldwide?

Deflecting any rational arguments into vague retorts about being anti-National would make anybody else an easy target, but not me, Coomar, or Pannu - I got far too many family members and friends who have died in the Service of the Nation for you and your ilk to get patronising, condescending and supercilious with me. In addition, I have pursued one too many compensation claim for families of such people where people in service have put obstacles, to not know the truth.

Have a nice day, try and remain sober, and set a good example to the youngsters joining the forces. Calling me names just makes me more keen to do a follow-up article.

Warm regards/Veeresh Malik



 


On 28 August 2013 19:43, Maj Gen Ashok Coomar <coomar.ashok@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Mr Malik,
 
It is indeed unfortunate that we have such ignorant citizens in this country who will neither see nor listen to reason. They continue their lament without pausing to analyse whether one should excise the head because of a headache.
There is no alternative to an army to defend the nation. You may be right that there are aberrations but the nation has no option but to take the delinquents to ask rather than spite the entire armed forces as you seem to suggest. 
In national interest it is imperative that our countrymen are careful not to run down the entire institution of the armed forces lest it may compels them to follow the lead given by others - forget about the responsibility you are charged with, just line your nest! 
Perhaps you can imagine the consequences if that happens.
If you do then please refrain from plying your lonely furrow.
I pray to God to bestow some patriotic wisdom on you,
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Ashok Coomar      
 
 
 
 
-------Original Message-------
 
Date: 8/27/2013 11:55:40 PM
Subject: Re: [IAC#RG] PIL dismissed. subsidised alcohol to Defence remains.
 
Dear Air Commodre (Retd) T Pannu and others in this list.

Ignoring the silly language used by Air Comm Pannu on calling me a "traitor", for which I could easily choose to file a case under the IT Act if I wanted to, which said language does no justice to the rank he claims to hold, let me place a few simple facts on record:-

1) The Army Act and its specific requirement of "citizen of India" (exception - Nepali) is paramount. It supercedes any GOI letter. Aliens, foreigners (which is what people voluntarily become when they renounce Indian citizenship to pledge loyalty and fealty to another country) are not covered under the said Act and its applications to other Services. A similar situation exists with civilian pensioners too. Please wait for the announcement on pensions wrt aliens/foreigners, which to some extent is already in place in practice for ECHS/MI Room benefits. Rank or otherwise, what right do foreigners and aliens even if they were in the Indian Armed Forces at one time, have to enter restricted areas which includes Armed Forces Hospitals, Installations, Offices, Air Force St


--
LTCOL(retd) T T KISHORE
FLAT NO-134, SECTOR-A,
AWHO COLONY, SIKH ROAD,
GAUTAM ENCLAVE,
SECUNDERABAD-09
Res-040-27840415
Cell-9912594602

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--
Col Arun Joshi(Veteran)
The INFANTEER
CONSERVE WATER
USE BIODEGRADABLE PACKING MATERIAL

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[IAC#RG] FW: MASSIVE CORRUPTION in TV channel rates

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Mr Sarbajit has  made a comprehensive study and has brought out a consumer friendly regulation. I cent-percent agree with his suggestions. However, this would not get implemented without 'Andolan'.
 
Gp capt BV Rao(Retd)
 
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 10:41:32 +0530
From: sroy.mb@gmail.com
To: indiaresists@lists.riseup.net
Subject: [IAC#RG] MASSIVE CORRUPTION in TV channel rates

To IAC subscribers

In pursuance of IAC's MoM mandate to engage with TRAI, please find
enclosed a DRAFT of what IAC proposes sending to TRAI on Cable TV and
DTH mafias.

Comments / suggestions are invited till Sunday night as we have to
submit by 16th evening.
The TRAI Consultation papers are here.

http://www.trai.gov.in/Content/ConsultationDescription.aspx?CONSULT_ID=691&qid=13

Sarbajit

Post: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net" Exit: "indiaresists-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net" Quit: "https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/indiaresists" Help: https://help.riseup.net/en/list-user WWW : http://indiaagainstcorruption.net.in

[HumJanenge] Re: RTI Amendment Bill 2013 - Defend the People's Right to Know, Start Talking to MPs Now

Is it possible to survive in India as a businessman even if you are ex IIT-D and IIM-A?

Read on.

Yes.




On 9 September 2013 10:15, Raminder Singh <ramisingh.bbc@gmail.com> wrote:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Venkatesh Nayak <nayak.venkatesh@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 2013 13:46:04 +0530
Subject: RTI Amendment Bill 2013 - Defend the People's Right to Know,
Start Talking to MPs Now

Dear all,

I am writing to thank all of you who took the trouble of reading up our
email alerts on the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and signed
the online petition to the Speaker, Lok Sabha demanding that the Bill be
referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for wider public
consultation. We crossed 20,700 within a fortnight.

Thanks to your collective efforts, the Bill has indeed been referred to the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and
Justice chaired by Mr. Shantharam Naik. The list of other 29 members along
with details of their State, constituency, telephone numbers (wherever
available) and email addresses (wherever available) is attached. There are
two vacancies on the Committee. This Committee is serviced by the Rajya
Sabha Secretariat. The public advertisement seeking people's comments on
the RTI Amendment Bill is not out yet. It may be published next week or
later.

This is not the time to sit back and relax. There is no need to wait for
the public advertisement to start the conversation with the members of the
Committee. You have their mobile phone nos. and email addresses at your
disposal now. Every member has at least one of these means of
communication, if not both. Many have both mobile phones and email ids. So
please start sending them smses, tweets or emails explaining why you think
political parties must become transparent about their functioning and
finances. Those of you who think political parties must not be brought
under the RTI Act, this is your opportunity to tell the MPs why you think
so. In a democracy all views must be voiced and heard before the law is
made on the basis of public debate and consensus. Fence sitters, please
make up your mind which way you want to go. So instead of shouting at the
last moment, it is important to keep up the pressure right now. Please send
a copy of your smses, emails or tweets sent to MPs to the mobile phone no.
and email id given below:

venkateshnayak.ss@gmail.com and 9871050555.

If you have the resources it is a very good idea to organise a public event
in your city/town/village, invite your local MP and have a public debate on
the RTI (Amendment Bill) at a date and time that is convenient for your MP
and the local people. After attending the meeting he/she can carry the
summary of public opinion on this important issue to his/her party bosses
which will inevitably reach the members of the Parliamentary Committee. If
your MP refuses to participate in the debate despite repeated requests,
please do the following:

1) Publicise the refusal/silence widely through the media (English and
regional language media)

2) Send us an email with proof of refusal. It is enough if you copy the
emails invites and reminders to your MP to the email id given above. If the
debate does not happen despite your efforts for more than a month, that is
evidence enough of the fact that you tried but the MP failed to meet your
expectations.

*Please circulate this email alert as widely as possible. I will keep you
updated on future developments.*

*DEFEND THE PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW!*
*START TALKING TO MPs NOW!*

Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Venkatesh Nayak
*Access to Information Programme*
*Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative*
*B-117, 1st Floor, Sarvodaya Enclave*
*New Delhi- 110 017*
*Tel: +91-11-43180201/ 9871050555*
*Fax: +91-11-26864688*
*Website: www.humanrightsinitiative.org*

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Friday, September 13, 2013

[IAC#RG] MASSIVE CORRUPTION in TV channel rates

To IAC subscribers

In pursuance of IAC's MoM mandate to engage with TRAI, please find
enclosed a DRAFT of what IAC proposes sending to TRAI on Cable TV and
DTH mafias.

Comments / suggestions are invited till Sunday night as we have to
submit by 16th evening.
The TRAI Consultation papers are here.

http://www.trai.gov.in/Content/ConsultationDescription.aspx?CONSULT_ID=691&qid=13

Sarbajit

Thursday, September 12, 2013

RE: [HumJanenge] Fwd: [NCPRI] Invitation to be part of NCPRI

rtidwarka@yahoo.co.in is interested in joining the platform of NCPRI.org

Prof. Hari Goyal


Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2013 18:59:36 +0530
Subject: [HumJanenge] Fwd: [NCPRI] Invitation to be part of NCPRI
From: sroy.mb@gmail.com
To: humjanenge@googlegroups.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anna BVA Office <joinbvga@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 6:14 PM
Subject: [NCPRI] Invitation to be part of NCPRI
To: ncpri <ncpri@googlegroups.com>

Dear Comrades

National Campaign for Political Reform in India -NCPRI(Kranti)- invites groups / associations of RTI stakeholders to be apart of NCPRI's platform www.ncpri.org.

The website of NCPRI(Kranti) will soon be operational, and the interested associations, RTI user groups, regional RTI manch's etc. can email us to be allocated their own promotional webpage on NCPRI website www.ncpri.org

We also invite participation from extraordinary individuals who have used RTI to benefit society and who desire a blog on this website.

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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Re: [IAC#RG] PUBLIC GRIEVANCE: DMRC - 00001

There have been several PILs on this all the way up to Supreme Court.
http://delhihighcourt.nic.in/dhcqrydisp_o.asp?pn=184573&yr=2011

All of them lost :-) DMRC has very good PR and network.
So those kinds of arguments won't work.
So I am taking a different approach.

On 9/11/13, Veeresh Malik <veereshmalik@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Sarbajit - good cause, let us follow it up?
>
> The case we can make is this:-
>
> 1) Delhi Metro is a "Public Authority" not deniable.
> 2) The right to fresh air and sweet/drinking water as per below is
> enshrined and ipso facto becomes incumbent on all public authorities to
> ensure provision of same (read both together, not separately)
> 3)Therefore ALL public authorities are bound by the Constitution to provide
> fresh air and sweet water.
>
> Now, is this free or is this at a price?
>
> Is fresh air priced? No, it is free.
>
> Therefore, sweet potable drinking water also has to be free.
>
> With a little tweaking, this can become an electoral issue.
>
> I will also search the Railway Act for this?
>
> Best/Veeresh
>
>
> Here's some ammo:-
>
> http://www.righttowater.info/progress-so-far/national-legislation-on-the-right-to-water/#IN
>
>
> India
> <http://www.washwatch.org/southern-asia/india>
>
> The Supreme Court has ruled that both *water and sanitation* are part of
> the constitutional right to life (Article 21). The Court has stated that
> 'the right to access to *clean drinking water* is fundamental to life and
> there is a duty on the state under Article 21to provide clean drinking
> water to its citizens' A.P. Pollution Control Board II v Prof. M.V. Naidu
> and Others (Civil Appeal Nos. 368-373 of 1999).
>
> http://www.righttowater.info/progress-so-far/timeline/legal-redress/the-right-to-water-under-the-right-to-life-india-2/
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 11 September 2013 08:16, Sarbajit Roy <sroy.mb@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> To:
>> Shri Raj Kumar Kardam
>> Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety(Northern Circle).
>> CRIS COMPLEX, CHANAKYAPURI, NEW DELHI.
>>
>> Ref: DMRC/2013/E/00001
>> Date: 11-Sep-2013
>>
>> Sir
>>
>> PUBLIC GRIEVANCE:
>>
>> On behalf of the citizens I am constrained to complain as follows:-
>>
>> 1) That there is apparently no provision to provide free drinking
>> water to citizens at well marked and easily accessible locations in
>> the controlled ares of DMRC network/stations.
>>
>> 2) I am constrained to say this on the complaint of some police
>> officers to me at Rajiv Chowk Metro station who were discussing the
>> situation whereby they are denied drinking water facility and have no
>> place to even sit / conduct interrogations because DMRC has let out
>> the area marked for their Police Post in Rajiv Chowk Metro Station to
>> a well known coffee chain where water is sold at about Rs. 45 per 1
>> litre bottle.
>>
>> 3) For example, I am given to understand that the juvenile
>> offender/accused pickpocket "Pappu Kumar" age about 10 years
>> apprehended at about 8:00 PM at Rajiv Chowk was without drinking water
>> till about 11:45 PM after he was booked at Raja Garden Metro Police
>> Station, because there is no free drinking water available in the
>> controlled areas of DMRC for the Police to provide to him. This is
>> surely a human rights violation of citizens, seeing as how the
>> interrogation of the offender was conducted in the main control room
>> of Rajiv Gandhi Metro Station (where there is no drinking water either
>> to provide the offender/accused or the police).
>>
>> 4) Being greatly surprised at the information from the Delhi Police, I
>> conducted my brief initial enquiry and could confirm the same.
>>
>> Kindly look into the matter, as I am given to understand that the
>> control/supervision of design and operation of DMRC stations also
>> falls under your mandate.
>>
>> Kindly acknowledge this email by return indicating a time-line to
>> resolution by your office.
>>
>> With best wishes
>>
>> Er. Sarbajit Roy
>> National Convenor
>> India Against Corruption, jan andolan
>>
>> 2nd floor, B-59 Defence Colony
>> New Delhi 110024
>> Tel : 09311448069
>>
>> Post: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net"
>> Exit: "indiaresists-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net"
>> Quit: "https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/indiaresists"
>> Help: https://help.riseup.net/en/list-user
>> WWW : http://indiaagainstcorruption.net.in
>>
>

Re: [IAC#RG] PUBLIC GRIEVANCE: DMRC - 00001

Dear Mr Malik,
 
Heartening to see you talking on a topic of real concern and an imaginary one.
 
Thanks.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Ashok Coomar 
 
 
 
 
-------Original Message-------
 
Date: 9/11/2013 6:01:01 PM
Subject: Re: [IAC#RG] PUBLIC GRIEVANCE: DMRC - 00001
 


Hi Sarbajit - good cause, let us follow it up?

The case we can make is this:-

1) Delhi Metro is a "Public Authority" not deniable.
2) The right to fresh air and sweet/drinking water as per below is enshrined and ipso facto becomes incumbent on all public authorities to ensure provision of same (read both together, not separately)
3)Therefore ALL public authorities are bound by the Constitution to provide fresh air and sweet water.

Now, is this free or is this at a price?

Is fresh air priced? No, it is free.

Therefore, sweet potable drinking water also has to be free.

With a little tweaking, this can become an electoral issue.

I will also search the Railway Act for this?

Best/Veeresh


Here's some ammo:-



India                        

The Supreme Court has ruled that both water and sanitation are part of the constitutional right to life (Article 21). The Court has stated that  'the right to access to clean drinking water is fundamental to life and there is a duty on the state under Article 21to provide clean drinking water to its citizens' A.P. Pollution Control Board II v Prof. M.V. Naidu and Others (Civil Appeal Nos. 368-373 of 1999).




On 11 September 2013 08:16, Sarbajit Roy <sroy.mb@gmail.com> wrote:
To:
Shri Raj Kumar Kardam
Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety(Northern Circle).
CRIS COMPLEX, CHANAKYAPURI, NEW DELHI.

Ref: DMRC/2013/E/00001
Date: 11-Sep-2013

Sir

PUBLIC GRIEVANCE:

On behalf of the citizens I am constrained to complain as follows:-

1) That there is apparently no provision to provide free drinking
water to citizens at well marked and easily accessible locations in
the controlled ares of DMRC network/stations.

2) I am constrained to say this on the complaint of  some police
officers to me at Rajiv Chowk Metro station who were discussing the
situation whereby they are denied drinking water facility and have no
place to even sit / conduct interrogations because DMRC has let out
the area marked for  their Police Post in Rajiv Chowk Metro Station to
a well known coffee chain where water is sold at about Rs. 45 per 1
litre bottle.

3) For example, I am given to understand that the juvenile
offender/accused pickpocket "Pappu Kumar" age about 10 years
apprehended at about 8:00 PM at Rajiv Chowk was without drinking water
till about 11:45 PM after he was booked at Raja Garden Metro Police
Station, because there is no free drinking water available in the
controlled areas of DMRC for the Police to provide to him. This is
surely a human rights violation of citizens, seeing as how the
interrogation of the offender was conducted in the main control room
of Rajiv Gandhi Metro Station (where there is no drinking water either
to provide the offender/accused or the police).

4) Being greatly surprised at the information from the Delhi Police, I
conducted my brief initial enquiry and could confirm the same.

Kindly look into the matter, as I am given to understand that the
control/supervision of  design and operation of DMRC stations also
falls under your mandate.

Kindly acknowledge this email by return indicating a time-line to
resolution by your office.

With best wishes

Er. Sarbajit Roy
National Convenor
India Against Corruption, jan andolan

2nd floor, B-59 Defence Colony
New Delhi 110024
Tel : 09311448069

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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Re: [IAC#RG] PUBLIC GRIEVANCE: DMRC - 00001



Hi Sarbajit - good cause, let us follow it up?

The case we can make is this:-

1) Delhi Metro is a "Public Authority" not deniable.
2) The right to fresh air and sweet/drinking water as per below is enshrined and ipso facto becomes incumbent on all public authorities to ensure provision of same (read both together, not separately)
3)Therefore ALL public authorities are bound by the Constitution to provide fresh air and sweet water.

Now, is this free or is this at a price?

Is fresh air priced? No, it is free.

Therefore, sweet potable drinking water also has to be free.

With a little tweaking, this can become an electoral issue.

I will also search the Railway Act for this?

Best/Veeresh


Here's some ammo:-



India                        

The Supreme Court has ruled that both water and sanitation are part of the constitutional right to life (Article 21). The Court has stated that  'the right to access to clean drinking water is fundamental to life and there is a duty on the state under Article 21to provide clean drinking water to its citizens' A.P. Pollution Control Board II v Prof. M.V. Naidu and Others (Civil Appeal Nos. 368-373 of 1999).




On 11 September 2013 08:16, Sarbajit Roy <sroy.mb@gmail.com> wrote:
To:
Shri Raj Kumar Kardam
Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety(Northern Circle).
CRIS COMPLEX, CHANAKYAPURI, NEW DELHI.

Ref: DMRC/2013/E/00001
Date: 11-Sep-2013

Sir

PUBLIC GRIEVANCE:

On behalf of the citizens I am constrained to complain as follows:-

1) That there is apparently no provision to provide free drinking
water to citizens at well marked and easily accessible locations in
the controlled ares of DMRC network/stations.

2) I am constrained to say this on the complaint of  some police
officers to me at Rajiv Chowk Metro station who were discussing the
situation whereby they are denied drinking water facility and have no
place to even sit / conduct interrogations because DMRC has let out
the area marked for  their Police Post in Rajiv Chowk Metro Station to
a well known coffee chain where water is sold at about Rs. 45 per 1
litre bottle.

3) For example, I am given to understand that the juvenile
offender/accused pickpocket "Pappu Kumar" age about 10 years
apprehended at about 8:00 PM at Rajiv Chowk was without drinking water
till about 11:45 PM after he was booked at Raja Garden Metro Police
Station, because there is no free drinking water available in the
controlled areas of DMRC for the Police to provide to him. This is
surely a human rights violation of citizens, seeing as how the
interrogation of the offender was conducted in the main control room
of Rajiv Gandhi Metro Station (where there is no drinking water either
to provide the offender/accused or the police).

4) Being greatly surprised at the information from the Delhi Police, I
conducted my brief initial enquiry and could confirm the same.

Kindly look into the matter, as I am given to understand that the
control/supervision of  design and operation of DMRC stations also
falls under your mandate.

Kindly acknowledge this email by return indicating a time-line to
resolution by your office.

With best wishes

Er. Sarbajit Roy
National Convenor
India Against Corruption, jan andolan

2nd floor, B-59 Defence Colony
New Delhi 110024
Tel : 09311448069

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[IAC#RG] Fw: Awaken and Arise 750 Million EWS to Start Questioning Bad Governnance

Dear Honorable IAC Members,

We need to get our 750 million EWS to start thinking that unless they too become an integral part of the development as the middle class started doing it in 70s, 80s, 90s and are still doing, when they actively participated in the global software and later the telecom revolution in the world and brought up the nation to this state and themselves became a strong 450 million plus, their own future is no less than the slaves of yesteryears of US.

Now is the turn of the 750 million EWS also to join this 450 million people and start bringing up the domestic economy by coming out on the streets, roads, villages, towns, and cities to demand jobs and do jobs, earn their bread and despise any subsidies, yes even food subsidies. Go back in the evening and light up their chulhas with their daily earning. They need to be educated that no one can make them beggars by putting subsidies, yes even food subsidies, as alms in their katoras and in return buy their votes only to be deraded as the slaves or street beggars who are given blankets, food, rice, kerosene, mobiles, laptops, TVs etc by the politicians and shamelessly televised also for the whole world to see how Indian politicians are making these 750 million EWS crippled and slaves.  

Most of us feel that this is the only way and the need is to bring up these EWS through jobs and work and let them cross over to the orbit of 450 million middle class to make it bigger and bigger and thus count their votes and not sell their votes.

IAC can play the most crucial role in this.

Mr Sarbajit can share his views as also of the managing committee of the IAC as to what do they think of this and how do they intend taking this ahead.

Jai Hind.
 
With warm regards,

Col Mahesh Khera


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Bhishm Shaktawat <bhishm.shaktawat@gmail.com>
To: Mahesh Khera <mkkhera@yahoo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 11 September 2013 12:56 AM
Subject: Re: [IAC#RG] Awaken and Arise 750 Million EWS to Start Questioning Bad Governnance

Col Khera,

Yes, I agree with Ur pt. This has to be implemented by IAC.


On Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 8:07 AM, Mahesh Khera <mkkhera@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear Friends,

All of us want India to become No 1 in the world and claim its rightful place. Our 400 million middle class though very good but is very rightly too busy in its own progress and comes together only when  catastrophic incidents take place or any well meaning movement starts. After some time, their protests peter out and opportunistic government heaves a sigh of relief.

750 million EWS are never truly part of the protest against unjust policies. They are not informed and hence are not awakened because the people who should be keeping them informed i.e., panchayats, corporators, MLAs, MPs etc inform them only those things which ensure their votes for them. Media also largely is seldom neutral. Under these situations, how to awaken and arise 750 million EWS to add the real people power to 400 million middle class so that the protests against governance which is at the lowest ebb today  is effective and having a bombshell impact on the government to just accede to the collective will of the people. Of course leaders will still play the most crucial role.

We all know that India's telecom story of having 900 million mobiles is a lie. We have 900 million SIM cards in service. The ratio of SIMs per person in India is 2.1 as against the world average of 1.29 or so. It means India has around 450 million people who actually use mobile phone for voice, SMS, e-mail and Internet put together. 750 million people in India do not have phones. Even if we take out 185 million young children who may not need phone today because they are small, we still have 565 million people without any phone. These 565 million people, nearly half of India do not have ready access to vernacular voice, SMS, e-mail and Internet. These people are never awakened with truth.

We need to equip these 750 million people with phone for voice @ 50/- per month and Internet @ 30/- per month, both are highly possible if the government really wants it. It requires true policy, regulatory and technology decisions from that government who is real well wisher and social developer of the people and not the governments who want 100,000 Cr Food Security Bill to make these 750 million even more crippled from awakening and arising. 

Imagine with the combined power of 1.2 billion people, no government can afford to relax for five years and enjoy the fruits without acceding to the genuine people power for quickly protesting the bad governance. Vernacular voice, SMS and e-mails are most powerful today and go beyond the power of the state or the king.

If we all agree, IAC should also include this as the first item in its manifesto. A glimpse of it, we saw when IAC rapped the TRAI for its slip shod OHD on media holding.

Jai Hind.
 
With warm regards,

Col Mahesh Khera



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Col B K Shaktawat
Contact : +91 9672 999945


[IAC#RG] PUBLIC GRIEVANCE: DMRC - 00001

To:
Shri Raj Kumar Kardam
Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety(Northern Circle).
CRIS COMPLEX, CHANAKYAPURI, NEW DELHI.

Ref: DMRC/2013/E/00001
Date: 11-Sep-2013

Sir

PUBLIC GRIEVANCE:

On behalf of the citizens I am constrained to complain as follows:-

1) That there is apparently no provision to provide free drinking
water to citizens at well marked and easily accessible locations in
the controlled ares of DMRC network/stations.

2) I am constrained to say this on the complaint of some police
officers to me at Rajiv Chowk Metro station who were discussing the
situation whereby they are denied drinking water facility and have no
place to even sit / conduct interrogations because DMRC has let out
the area marked for their Police Post in Rajiv Chowk Metro Station to
a well known coffee chain where water is sold at about Rs. 45 per 1
litre bottle.

3) For example, I am given to understand that the juvenile
offender/accused pickpocket "Pappu Kumar" age about 10 years
apprehended at about 8:00 PM at Rajiv Chowk was without drinking water
till about 11:45 PM after he was booked at Raja Garden Metro Police
Station, because there is no free drinking water available in the
controlled areas of DMRC for the Police to provide to him. This is
surely a human rights violation of citizens, seeing as how the
interrogation of the offender was conducted in the main control room
of Rajiv Gandhi Metro Station (where there is no drinking water either
to provide the offender/accused or the police).

4) Being greatly surprised at the information from the Delhi Police, I
conducted my brief initial enquiry and could confirm the same.

Kindly look into the matter, as I am given to understand that the
control/supervision of design and operation of DMRC stations also
falls under your mandate.

Kindly acknowledge this email by return indicating a time-line to
resolution by your office.

With best wishes

Er. Sarbajit Roy
National Convenor
India Against Corruption, jan andolan

2nd floor, B-59 Defence Colony
New Delhi 110024
Tel : 09311448069

Monday, September 9, 2013

[HumJanenge] Fwd: [NCPRI] Invitation to be part of NCPRI

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Anna BVA Office <joinbvga@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 9, 2013 at 6:14 PM
Subject: [NCPRI] Invitation to be part of NCPRI
To: ncpri <ncpri@googlegroups.com>

Dear Comrades

National Campaign for Political Reform in India -NCPRI(Kranti)- invites groups / associations of RTI stakeholders to be apart of NCPRI's platform www.ncpri.org.

The website of NCPRI(Kranti) will soon be operational, and the interested associations, RTI user groups, regional RTI manch's etc. can email us to be allocated their own promotional webpage on NCPRI website www.ncpri.org

We also invite participation from extraordinary individuals who have used RTI to benefit society and who desire a blog on this website.

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Sunday, September 8, 2013

[HumJanenge] RTI Amendment Bill 2013 - Defend the People's Right to Know, Start Talking to MPs Now

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Venkatesh Nayak <nayak.venkatesh@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 2013 13:46:04 +0530
Subject: RTI Amendment Bill 2013 - Defend the People's Right to Know,
Start Talking to MPs Now

Dear all,

I am writing to thank all of you who took the trouble of reading up our
email alerts on the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and signed
the online petition to the Speaker, Lok Sabha demanding that the Bill be
referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee for wider public
consultation. We crossed 20,700 within a fortnight.

Thanks to your collective efforts, the Bill has indeed been referred to the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and
Justice chaired by Mr. Shantharam Naik. The list of other 29 members along
with details of their State, constituency, telephone numbers (wherever
available) and email addresses (wherever available) is attached. There are
two vacancies on the Committee. This Committee is serviced by the Rajya
Sabha Secretariat. The public advertisement seeking people's comments on
the RTI Amendment Bill is not out yet. It may be published next week or
later.

This is not the time to sit back and relax. There is no need to wait for
the public advertisement to start the conversation with the members of the
Committee. You have their mobile phone nos. and email addresses at your
disposal now. Every member has at least one of these means of
communication, if not both. Many have both mobile phones and email ids. So
please start sending them smses, tweets or emails explaining why you think
political parties must become transparent about their functioning and
finances. Those of you who think political parties must not be brought
under the RTI Act, this is your opportunity to tell the MPs why you think
so. In a democracy all views must be voiced and heard before the law is
made on the basis of public debate and consensus. Fence sitters, please
make up your mind which way you want to go. So instead of shouting at the
last moment, it is important to keep up the pressure right now. Please send
a copy of your smses, emails or tweets sent to MPs to the mobile phone no.
and email id given below:

venkateshnayak.ss@gmail.com and 9871050555.

If you have the resources it is a very good idea to organise a public event
in your city/town/village, invite your local MP and have a public debate on
the RTI (Amendment Bill) at a date and time that is convenient for your MP
and the local people. After attending the meeting he/she can carry the
summary of public opinion on this important issue to his/her party bosses
which will inevitably reach the members of the Parliamentary Committee. If
your MP refuses to participate in the debate despite repeated requests,
please do the following:

1) Publicise the refusal/silence widely through the media (English and
regional language media)

2) Send us an email with proof of refusal. It is enough if you copy the
emails invites and reminders to your MP to the email id given above. If the
debate does not happen despite your efforts for more than a month, that is
evidence enough of the fact that you tried but the MP failed to meet your
expectations.

*Please circulate this email alert as widely as possible. I will keep you
updated on future developments.*

*DEFEND THE PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW!*
*START TALKING TO MPs NOW!*

Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
Venkatesh Nayak
*Access to Information Programme*
*Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative*
*B-117, 1st Floor, Sarvodaya Enclave*
*New Delhi- 110 017*
*Tel: +91-11-43180201/ 9871050555*
*Fax: +91-11-26864688*
*Website: www.humanrightsinitiative.org*

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Re: [IAC#RG] IAC Annual Report 2013

Dear Narayan ji

It was truly a pleasure to meet you again at the CIC's 8th RTI Convention at Delhi.

All RTI forces are deeply disturbed with present situation (eg. where the CIC refuses to accept your petition after inviting you to Delhi) and I shall paraphrase my friend Shailesh Gandhi (of NCPRI-Aruna) who says the more forces who are in this struggle the better.

I am pleased to read that an NCPRI(Aruna) Co-Convenor (I'm not sure who their Convenor is since NCPRI does not adhere to RTI Act like Shailesh promised us in 2006) has today issued a call that citizens who are AGAINST political parties being included in RTI should contact their MPs and members of the Parliamentary sub-Committee to demand action be taken on their representations.

I congratulate the said Co-Convenor for thereby publicly protesting against Aruna Roy's (who like her Italian mistress holds no post in her govt.) unilateral decision to meet PM and MoS without being authorised by anybody in her NCPRI to do so.

The game plan of these massively foreign financed anti-RTI anti-democratic forces (Aruna Roy's NGOs like SWC Tilonia got 20 crores from abroad, Shekhar Singh got 3 crores from Google etc) is now fully exposed by the brave stand taken by this Co-Convenor.

Accordingly, it was decided at the DRDO meeting on 2-Sep-2013 by the PATRIOTIC persons present there that the IAC is authorised to launch the "National Campaign to Protect RTI in India" to counter these TRAITORS (I previously called them 'Mir Jafars') openly acting on behalf political vested interests to destroy RTI Act.

Sir, you have been with RTI and Humjanenge now for so many years. I recall after starting RTI_India-YahooGroup in Feb 2006, I was asked by Kewal Semlaniji to join the HJ mailing list in March 2006 - I found their HJ list to be filled with completely mediocre people (1 or 2 honorable exceptions) and could barely last for 2 months there after Veeresh Malik and I got into a public scrap with Aruna Roy, and Shekhar Singh over the Narmada Dam papers in April 2006 and they are ashamed / too scared to face us on any public forum.

FYI, and to refresh our collective memories of the LIES of some so-called NCPRI(Aruna) affiliated RTI activists, I am appending inline below some emails exchanged between Prakash Kardaley, Veeresh Malik and Shailesh Gandhi in 2006, which will clearly expose the consistent anti-RTI motives of the NCPRI(Aruna) camp. You will notice that Kardaley sahab has asked for the National Campaign to protect RTI for ordinary citizens which is now revived by IAC to put RTI back in people's hands where it rightfully belongs.

Finally, IAC/NCPRI denounces those rotten NGOs and their sponsors who keep raising trivial issues (file notings in RTI, political parties in RTI) just to keep activist citizens divided and distracted.

Sarbajit
 

let ncpri step in

Tue Oct 11, 2005 10:41 pm

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/3969

"prakash kardaley" <pmk1504@...> pmk1504

dear shailesh,

you have taken highly commendable efforts in writing to the chief secretaries of both gujarat and orissa, drawing their attention to the errors/deficiencies in the rti rules of the respective states. you have also all of us to email similar representations.

do you really believe these would be taken any cognisance of?

but i am sure if the same representation is made by the national campaign for people's right to information (ncpri), it would at least be read and hopefully even acted upon.

one representation from the ncpri, you will appreciate, will carry more weight than identical/similar petitions sent by 10,000 individuals like us.

while posting the text of the orissa rules on this boards, i gave vent to my feeling that this is high time the ncpri steps in. things have gone haywire all over the country.

we have lost the battle on the information commissions. the bitter truth is, we didn't fight any. if we weren't very keen on getting non-bureaucrats appointed as commissioners, why did we (i mean ncpri - you are a working committee member and so am i - so whatever ncpri does or does not, i have to use the words like `we', `us' and `our') argue so hard before the parliamentary standing committee and make hectic efforts in getting the qualifications of of the info commissioners amended and enlarged?

bureaucracy at the GoI refused to accept our feeble representation on the error that has crept in the legislation taking away in effect the earlier provision on mandating the information commissioner to dispose of second appeals in 30 plus 15 days.

an utter chaos prevails on designations of assistant PIOs. we have not done anything in getting the matter sorted out. The legislation expects APIOs to be designated only at the sub-divisioanl/sub- district level. What are they then doing even in the ministries?

Goi has brushed aside our suggestions on rules. we expected exhaustive rules so as to make the operation of the act smoother and user-friendly. the central government has come out with a terse notification merely on fees and costs. one does not know if any additional rules are expected now on other operational matters. One does not know if comprehensive guidelines are to be issued.

maharashtra government has not even officially announced fees and costs, forget other operational rules while it hastened to give the mrti act with all its excellent track record an undecent burial.

one does not know what is happening elsewhere. how are the people in those states going to start start using the Act?

all these problem listed above would seriously jeopardise the `people's right to information'. can you and me as individuals and a few of our friends do anything tangible in removing these anomalies?

you will agree, only a `national campaign' can make a difference - not isolated efforts of a bunch of individuals. i have been drawing the ncpri's attention to all these problems and unfortunately getting no response. isn't it time for the ncpri to step in to protect the right of the people?

may i suggest, as the working committee member, you may ask for a delegated authority from the ncpri to make these representations not in your individual capacity but on behalf of that great and influential forum.

warm regards


Wed Oct 12, 2005 12:19 am

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/3978

"shailesh Gandhi" <shailesh2@...> shailesh_gan...

Re: [HumJanenge] let ncpri step in

Dear Prakash,

I am in agreement with most of the points raised by you.

However, perhaps we as NCPRI did not earlier envisage a situation where it would be necessary for a delegation of authority. There is a meeting of the NCPRI Working Committee on the 20th of October,and I am sure we will address these issues and come up with a workable solution.

Until then, I feel it is still necessary to do whatever is possible.

Incidentally, I certainly benefit and draw on the wisdom and experience of the NCPRI working Committee members. It was Shekhar Singh and Aruna Roy who suggested I should make a note on the discrepancies in the rules, so that NCPRI could take note.

Maja Daruwala is also putting her team onto this job. I must confesss my conviction and faith in RTI rests on the belief that it empowers individual Citizens. Somewhere the romantic in me, believes that the solution to India's problems lies in recognising and pursuing the majesty of the Citizen, and having faith in it.

Love
shailesh


Mon Jul 24, 2006 1:13 pm

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/9024

"Malik, Veeresh" <veereshmalik@...> satyapadam

 

Re: let ncpri step in

Greetings!!

I am not on a "tirade". I am just asking questions here.

I think the complete matter can be synthesised thus:-

a) As per the RTI Act'05, it is Indian citizens who are eligible to ask to be provided information. As of now, even this basic step, of being able to submit an RTI Application, is full of difficulties for the average Indian citizen.

Please provide me with the following information:-What are the various organisations championing RTI doing about this basic first baby step, before reaching the higher stratospheric levels of File Notings, which as rightly pointed out by many, have no relevance to 99% of the RTI applications? (Taking out the subset of inter-departmental RTI Applications on file notings, clogging up the existing bandwidth available.)

b) I am also observing and questioning this debate on whether RTI Organisations should "be engaged" or participate in an RTI conference organised by the CIC. Great scorn is thrust and motives are attributed left, right and centre. Adherenece to the lofty ideals of the RTI Act are thrown around as reasons. The responses and ideals are illuminating.

Please provide me with the following information:- How many of the RTI
Organisations apply the same logic of adherence to the RTI Act to themselves?
More importantly, when they use the media as a co-joined platform, how many of the RTI Organisations apply the same logic of adherence to the media companies (nothing is more "Public Authority" than a media organisation, and for those who wish to know more, please write in.)? Why would NCPRI and CHRI and Parivartan, for example, fervently work on coming on television programmes on channels which do not adhere to the RTI Act? Especially when there are some television channels which do adhere to the RTI Act? (Let RTI Organisations work only with that media which adheres to the RTI Act)

c) Thank you for bringing NCPRI into the ambit of the suo-moto declarations required under the RTI Act by October'06.

Please provide me with the following information:- How many of the other RTI Organisations will agree to do the same? (Especially the foreign funded ones, thank you.)

+++

The largest issue is that the furore being created over the File Notings
amendment has had the (intended???) effect of convincing many on the ground that the RTI Act is dead, when it is far from so. That damage, ladies & gentlemen, is what needs to be corrected, which is what I really strive for.

Regards/Veeresh Malik

 

Mon Jul 24, 2006 12:47 pm

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/9028


"shailesh Gandhi" <shailesh2@...>  shailesh_gan...

Dear Veeresh,

I have been unwell since yesterday, and hence unable to answer your tirade
against those of us who have opposed the removal of file notings from the Act. I might not be able to give my arguments against each of the variety of arguments and accusations you have levelled, I shall try and answer some of them. I must also concede, that I might not be able to match you mail to mail.

Yes, a large percentage of the Nation, let me put a number, over 99%, are
expecting information on the simple things in life. Get used to it, what
happened in history or for that matter what the privatisation of DJB will
achieve when water doesn't reach most of us anyway, is hardly of consequence. By the same token, I would have presumed that the RTI Act and insistence on file notings would have blocked the privatisation of telecom, airlines, courier companies, even the Internet, right?

(Before anyone questions, why I have removed most recepients from the answer I am providing, I wish to clarify that this is because of the fact that my Service provider does not deliver a message to more than 15. I would be obliged if you or anyone else could forward it to the others).

Firstly I would address the issue of why we are opposed to the amendments to the RTI act:

This move shows the arrogance of those who rule. This change is being opposed on the following grounds:

1. Putting file notings in the realm of exemptions could render the Act weaker by about 10%. There are a lot of instances where honest officers have recorded their objections to illegal proposals, and the higher officers/Ministers have overruled them, which would come to light. There is possibilty that even the simle applications asking for fixing accontability of officers could be denied, and the Xerox copies, -if they contain notings-certainly.

2. I am unsure as to how any file inspection could be allowed. Most of the
notings are on the pages themselves.

3. The present move would lead to further attempts to dilute the law. The
Government has made no attempt to disclose the Public, what great harm has accrued to governance in the last few months, which would not be covered under the present exemptions under Section 8.

4. It makes a mockery of over nine months of a consultative-deliberative process between Beaureucrats, Ministers, a Parliamentary Committee and Citizens, by an arbitrary decision of the cabinet. This is violative of the basic principles of transparency and democracy.

On your dissatisfaction with all other bodies: Maybe, the implication is that if all bodies are not covered, or following the requirement of RTI, there is no legitimate grounds for asking 'Public authorities' defined in the Act to do so. I agree with you that it would be desirable for all Public organisations including Public Limited Companies to be covered. However, I do not think that because they are not covered, the RTI act should be allowed to be diluted.

As far as your specific charge against NCPRI is concerned, though we get no finance from the Government or any tax-concession, we will ensure that we fulfill the requirements of the RTI Act, by the end of October. In the meantime, if you, or anyone else, has any specific queries, we shall answer them without taking recourse to any of the exemptions under Section 8.

Quoting you: 'THERE IS A VALUE, SURE. BUT THE ABSCENCE DOES NOT MAKE THE RTI ACT "LOSE TEETH". ALL IT DOES IS PREVENT GOVERNMENT FROM TAKING DECISIONS. IT SEEMS THAT IS WHAT OUR ACTIVISTS AND FOREIGN SPONSORED ORGANISATION WANT'

You also state: Get used to it, what happened in history or for that matter what the privatisation of DJB will achieve when water doesn't reach most of us anyway, is hardly of consequence. By the same token, I would have presumed that the RTI Act and insistence on file notings would have blocked the privatization of telecom, airlines, courier companies, even the Internet, right?

A third issue you have raised is questioning the motives and importance of the information sought by others. My faith in Right To Information is based on the assumption that it is every Citizen's right to be informed-within the
limitatations imposed by the law.You seem to assume that you know what is good for the Nation. I beg to state that every Citizen does, and therefore has the right to ask for information.

Love
shailesh

022 32903776; 26001003
All my mails are in Public domain, and do share them if you wish.
www.satyamevajayate.info

 

Tue Jul 25, 2006 7:51 am

"Malik, Veeresh" <veereshmalik@...> satyapadam

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/9053

 

The answers lie within the RTI Act'05 (2.h.a) and (2.h.b) and (2.h.c.) and
(2.h.d.ii).

It is not just foreign funded, though that is a big issue. It is more about the simple ethics - if you wish to ask for transparency then be prepared to offer transparency too.

Regards/Veeresh Malik

 

Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:47 pm

"Malik, Veeresh" <veereshmalik@...> vm2827

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/11785

Greetings & Jai Hind!!!

Quoting from Mr. Shailesh Gandhi's email:- ""As far as your specific charge
against NCPRI is concerned, though we get no finance from the Government or any tax-concession, we will ensure that we fulfill the requirements of the RTI Act, by the end of October. ""

Best wishes, as we head into November'06, and I head to London to put some questions with CHRI there, since CHRI/Delhi is unwilling to provide information. But wants it, yes!!! It is so coincidental that CHRI places an article in today's IE on the subject of delays in getting information, when they themselves are unwilling to provide it.

Long live . . . whatever, choose a flavour of the day.

Sincerely,

Veeresh Malik

 

CIC monthly disposal of cases

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/12674

"Malik, Veeresh" <veereshmalik@...> vm2827


My comments here are:-

a) Very few amongst the few RTI people I know can take a debate further, beyond differences, and continue it. It is called open lines of communication, an essential part of successful agitation. Very few people who consider themselves to be socially aware in India have this simple quality. Mahatma Gandhi had it, which is why he reached where he did. Shailesh Gandhi does not have it, as an example, ever since I asked him to adhere to Section 4 of the RTI Act, he has stopped communicating back, when all he needed to do was to put a few paragraphs on the HJ website itself about the fiducuary relationship between NCPRI and CHRI
and ISI (Indian Social Institute), instead of passing vapid jokes about not
knowing how to upload.

As I tell the people in my office when I moderate meetings (and these are
largely non-urban origin rapid-growth young adults in India as Indians out of choice, in the infotech field with rapidly evolving social skills) that in a
(say) 6-person meeting, one decision will emerge and all will have to carry it forward even if the others have various levels of disagreement/differences.They understand and adhere and implement this fast. Obviously I can not expect this at HJ. As yet.

b) I am increasingly seeing how RTI decisions of the "high-end" sort are being lobbed into the Judiciary, where they enter the existing pendencies. Well, that is part of the package of opting to live in a democracy, anything else would not be a democracy, and trying to force a time-line is the first essence of a dictatorship in such cases. My views on how those who scream loudest for transparency and do not provide it themselves are well known and as far as I am concerned, they can debate it till the cows come home, but as on date over 90% of the 600+ RTI applications I have helped in have been resolved before reaching any Information Commissions.

That's a good batting average by any yardstick, so I really do not understand why CIC's monthly disposal of cases can be a yardstick for anything. It is obvious that only the more difficult cases will reach the CIC for decisions, so it is obvious to me that they will take time, and most Public Authorities will soon start disposing of cases and applications at their levels especially when the issues are simple and local.

That many of these cases which are facing delays at CIC pertain to the inner workings of the Government of Free India as we have known it for almost 6 decades now, and the inertia levels therein, needs also to be taken into account. We can not wish it away in one year, regardless of how many shirts are taken off.

c) At the same time, a majority of what I would call "ground level" RTI
decisions are being resolved at the PIO/AA/SIC/CIC levels, and do not enter the Judiciary. So fine, they are taking some time now, but believe me, at the lower levels of governance, which would be the local elected bodies and the local public authorities, the RTI Act seems to be making valid progress. I personally know people who are into local level politics who have realised that RTI will be an electoral issue the next time they face the voter.

And that is where I personally think the RTI activists and movement needs to concentrate. Adopt a district, a tehsil, a small town, even a village, and use the RTI to fix things at a lower level. And then move on, give up ownership, move to the next town. Avoid the lure of the tv camera or media interview. For which, frankly, the delays at CIC or SIC are not even relevant.
+++

Which then brings me to my next hypothesis:- As it is India is currently
mis-ruled top-down. "Son of" and "Daughter of" kind of attributes decide this "top-down" governance. So till "S/o" or "D/o" RTI Activists come to the fore, nothing much is going to change though I do see a few "Daughter of" scenarios emerging.

But on the ground, local governance, it is still open season. Amongst other
things, elected representatives are not "permanent" because seats keep shifting between general / SC / ST / Women etc etc. And if local elected representatives are playing musical chairs, then local public authorities are not far behind. And that will be the strength of the RTI, when it keeps local public authorities in check.

So where does the (respected) SIC/IC/CIC, and the delays there, come into this picture, then?

+++
Yes, yes, I know. But do you?

The SIC/IC/CIC come into the picture when you consider the annual jamboree or durbar in Delhi as the pinnacle of your RTI "career", and stick it in your bio-data. Good for you.
+++

 

 

 

Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:41 am

shailesh Gandhi <shailesh2@...> shailesh_gan...

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/12681

 

Dear Prakash,

You have suggested: pk: a complainant does not know the contents of rejoinder
nor can s/he travel all the way to New Delhi to attend the hearing. i suggested
the method similar to the one adopted by the press council:

a) copy of the complaint goes to the AA/PIO asking for a rejoinder within a
stipulated period. b) copy of the rejoinder goes to the complainant asking for
her/his own rejoinder within a stipulated period c) hearing based on documents
available plus oral argument if parties are present at the hearing.

shailesh: This is the way, the Central Information Commission is operating,
though not the Maharashtra Commission. About other Commissions, I am hoping our
friends from various States will inform us.

pk: please note, i am also suggesting summary disposal in cases where a decision
has already been given in identical/similar circumstances.

shailesh: Both of us are agreed that summary disposals should be done.

I also am in complete agreement with you that benches should not be held, and
single Commissioners should operate in most cases.
As to your commendation of the Maharashtra Commissioner for a rate of disposal
equal to the Central Commissioners and his initiative of going to diffrent
places, I agree that this is very commendable. However, the rate of disposal of
the Maharashtra and the Central Commissioners is fairly poor. The Maharashtra
Commissioner also has the habit of not issuing any written orders after hearings
for weeks and at times months. (over six months in of my own cases!).

As far as penalties are concerned, I feel all Commissioners in their orders when
ordering that information is to given, MUST make a statement on either applying
penalty, or give reasons why penalty is not being imposed.

Love
shailesh
022 32903776

----- Original Message -----
From: prakash kardaley
To: HumJanenge@...
Cc: shailesh Gandhi
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 12:55 AM
Subject: Re: CIC monthly disposal of cases...

 

 

Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:15 pm

 

"vm2827" <veereshmalik@...> vm2827

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/12380

 

Re: Central Information Commission

 

Dear Shailesh,

I do recall that even you had given a commitment that NCPRI, and therefore by extension its sister organisation CHRI, would present compliance to Section 4 of the RTI Act (in spirit if not in letter . . . ???) by end of October'06.

There is no sign of that, either.

I do also recall that Governments have a habit of giving many things in writing and then simply not doing anything about them subsequently.

As of now, Shailesh, I agree that there are many ways of fixing the RTI ailments in India. Getting commitments of doubtful value, and then propagating them, may well be one.


--- In HumJanenge@..., "mail4rahul" <mail4rahul@...>
wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: shailesh Gandhi
>
> Dear Friends,
>
> I wanted to share a positive development. Shri Wajahat Habibullah
has given a commitment that the Central Information Commission will
ensure that the pendency of Second appeals and Complaints in their
Commission will not exceed 90 days after February, 2007. He had said
this at a meeting at IMC when I had raised the issue, and he has now
confirmed this in writing. It will be worthwhile for us to try and
get similar commitments from all the State Information Commissions.
>
> Love
> shailesh

 

 

Fight to Information

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/message/11784

 

Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:39 pm

"vm2827" <veereshmalik@...> vm2827

 

I am so glad that the CHRI is at the forefront of getting information in India. On the other hand, I would be happier if CHRI helped me get information about India from their British Masters and Handlers.

For example, the speech that Bhagat Singh gave in a British Court when sentence was being pronounced on him is still not available to me, maybe CHRI could assist. (I do have access to an unsubstantiated copy which was taken down by a Reuters correspondent, which makes some direct allegation against many of the figures who went on to be major players in the Independence struggle, but the availability of
a certified copy would be so much better.)

To my mind, the CHRI (and NCPRI) need to come clean about themselves and their motives before taking up specific individual issues and treating them as representative of a complete country.

--- In HumJanenge@..., "Rahul Mangaonkar"
<mail4rahul@g...> wrote:
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/15661.html
Fight to Information
Maja Daruwala / Navaz Kotwal...

 

 






On 9/8/13, Narayan Varma <narayanvarma2011@gmail.com> wrote:
> Very cleverly named new RTI initiative. Its acronym will  be NCPRI. Why
> confuse the receivers!
>
>
> On 5 September 2013 18:46, Sarbajit Roy <sroy.mb@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear valued IAC subscribers
>>
>> Please find attached the PDF file containing the finalised "minutes" of
>> IAC Core Committee members meeting held at New Delhi on 02-03 Sept. 2013.
>> I
>> am sure a detailed reading of it will clarify many things/doubts of the
>> past 1 year.
>>
>> To divide the workload, our General Secretaries Mr Veeresh Malik and Er.
>> C.J.Karira  have been re-designated as co-Convenors of the *andolan*.

>>
>> We also welcome Mr. Hari Kumar Bharatiya from Kasaragod who will shortly
>> be joining us as General Secretary to assist in the IAC's new RTI
>> initiative termed as the "*National Campaign to Protect RTI in India*".

>>
>> We hope this will present a better insight into IAC's past and a glimpse
>> of our future path (which is not superficially limited only to RTI and
>> emails now) in these dark times for our beloved Republic.
>>
>> Sarbajit
>>
>>
>> Post: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net"
>> Exit: "indiaresists-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net"
>> Quit: "https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/indiaresists"
>> Help: https://help.riseup.net/en/list-user
>> WWW : http://indiaagainstcorruption.net.in
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Narayan Varma
> 56B Mittal Tower,
> 210 Nariman Point
> Mumbai 400 021
> RTI PCGT helpline 09322882288
>  my cell   09821096052
>