RATAN TATA the Big Boss
MG DEVASAHAYAM ESTABLISHING INDIAN JUDICIAL SERVICES NEED OF THE HOUR p20 TN PANDEY RESTORE STANDARD DEDUCTION ON EMPLOYMENT RELATED EXPENSES p26
January 5, 2017 ` VOL. 10, ISSUE 10
FIRST STIRRINGS SUDHA PILLAI p40
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RATAN TATA The Big Boss
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1 PRESENTS MEMORY CLOUDS
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2 From the Editor
veteran BJP leader once said during the run up to 2004 elections that ‘all political parties will A be in a state of flux’. He should be happy that his prediction may come true, only a little late. Like the traffic stops during a VIP visit, governance comes to a grinding halt the moment elections are announced. vol. 10, ISSUE 10 | JANUARY 2017 With elections in five States from February 5 and results on March 11, the next Anil Tyagi | editor 70 days promise to be eventful, keeping poll pundits to voters busy. GS Sood | business editor Sheshadri Chari | roving editor Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief Minister of the largest State, Uttar Pradesh, is facing Alam Srinivas | contributing editor two fights, one in the family and the other in the political arena. If he manages Anish Gandhi | consultant, foreign affairs Narendra Kaushik | associate editor to win both, he is sure to emerge as a national figure obliterating the Congress Rakesh Bhardwaj | editorial consultant vice-president who is struggling to remain above water. The Congress, which has Ramesh Sharma | bureau chief (north india) Ajit Ujjainkar | bureau chief (mumbai) been out of power in UP for the last 35 years, seems to be looking for nothing Rakhi | Editorial Trainee beyond a runner-up status to the third largest party. No party wants a poll tie up Pawan Kumar | production coordinator Nipun Jain | finance with the Congress as the risk factor seems to be high with no tangible benefit in Gautam Das | legal consultant vote transfer. BSP leader Mayawati is entering the poll arena with the albatross Bushchat Media | edit & design Madan Lal | Webmaster of her brother depositing crores of alleged black money in party account. Devoid
Abhisshek Tyagi | director of money power and depleting worker base, she has to heavily depend on her advertising & marketing dalit vote bank. But, given the recent observation by the Supreme Court on the delhi: e-mail: [email protected] use or rather misuse of religion, caste, creed and other parochial issues, her mumbai: 48/C-1, Areshwar, Mhada, S.V.P. Nagar, Andheri(W), Mumbai 400 053 campaign could face the ire of the Election Commission (EC). This, coupled with Chandigarh: SCO 5- First Floor, Zirakpur-Shimla denial of free access to unrestricted black money, is likely to affect her fortunes. Highway, Zirakpur, District Mohali Punjab CONTACT — 0172-509368 The BJP can draw immense comfort from the predicament of Mayawati and e-mail: [email protected] the internecine yaadavi (the Yadav clan in the epic Mahabharata fought among $1,/7<$*,35,17(5 38%/,6+(5 QGIORRUGGDVLWH themselves and became extinct, hence the term yaadavi) in SP. Besides, the BJP QHZUDMLQGHUQDJDUQHZGHOKLă is the only party with the Prime Minister as crowd puller to campaign, without a +All information in gfiles is obtained from sources that the local leader to be projected as prospective Chief Minister. Going to polls without management considers reliable, and is disseminated to readers without any responsibility on our part. Any opinions or views declaring a CM candidate has given BJP mixed results. There is also a soft on any contemporary or past topics, issues or developments expressed by third parties, whether in abstract or in interviews, undercurrent of ego clash among caste-based leaders threatening to percolate are not necessarily shared by us. Copyright exclusively with to the faithful. Among all these election calculus, the effect of cash crunch and Sarvashrestha Media Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction of any material of this magazine in demonitisation is likely to have an adverse effect on the traditional vote base of whole, or in part(s), in any manner, without prior permission, is totally prohibited. The publisher accepts no responsibility the BJP, notwithstanding the brave face put up by party minions at all levels. for any material lost or damaged in transit. The publisher While SP, BSP and Congress approach this election with a view to increase their reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with any advertisement without explanation. All advertisements power base, the stakes are much higher for the BJP which has degenerated into must comply with the Indian Advertisements Code. Published and printed by Anil Tyagi on behalf of Sarvashrestha Media Pvt. a single-leader party with no definite local agenda. The forthcoming elections in Ltd at Polykam Offset, C-138, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase all five States, and especially in UP, may turn out to be a referendum on Modi’s I, New Delhi 110028. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts in New Delhi only notebandi. The BJP-Akali Dal tie up in Punjab has more than one weak link and can snap anytime, vesting huge benefits to the Congress. In Manipur and &217$&7 HGLWRU#JILOHVLQGLDFRP )256$/(6 DGY#JILOHVLQGLDFRP Uttarakhand, the BJP is divided and will have to fight the Congress with more )2568%6&5,37,21 KUG#JILOHVLQGLDFRP vigour. In Goa, the BJP is as divided a house as the SP is in UP. Ironically, given 7(/)$; the shortcomings of all the parties, including the upbeat BJP, if the Congress fails to manage at least one State, it better apply for a winding up process. One of the former Prime Ministers from UP, Chaudhary Charan Singh, coined a new caste-religion equation, MY-AJGUR (Muslim, Yadav, Ahir, Jat, Gujjar and Rajput) to break the hegemony of the Congress in the 70s. Mulyam Singh followed and Kanshiram and Mayawati extended the division of casts to include Dalit votebank. Whichever party wins, the Supreme Court, democracy, governance and secularism will be put to test. They have one saviour, the EC. Let us pray for the victory of Nasim Zaidi, the Chief Election Commissioner of India. ANIL TYAGI HGLWRU#JÀOHVLQGLDFRP Download the gfiles app KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPKHOORJXGGD\KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNFRPD QLOW\DJL
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 3 CONTENTS LETTERS [email protected] 06 Bric-a-Brac new year blues, lodha gets caught, race for president begins, tata visits rss ZHUHEHLQJPHWDQGDWWKHGHVLUHG bosses OHYHO6RPHERG\QHHGHGWRDVNWKHVH 08 Eyes Wide Shut TXHVWLRQVDQGWKHZULWHUKDVGRQHVR jury out on demonetisation ,WQHHGVWREHUHFRJQLVHGWKDWWKH URRWVRIWKHEODFNPRQH\HFRQRP\DUH 10 Cover Story GHHSDQGDKROLVWLFDSSURDFKLV the story behind the tata-mistry feud: the compulsions and concerns UHTXLUHG$VSDUWRIWKHGHPRQHWLVDWLRQ H[HUFLVHUHVWULFWLRQVZHUHSODFHGRQ 20 Governance H[FKDQJLQJROGQRWHVIRUQHZ impasse on appointment of High ZLWKGUDZDODQGH[FKDQJHRIPRQH\ Court judges 7KLVLVLQGHHGDVXEVWDQWLDO 26 time to review standard deduction LQWHUIHUHQFHLQWKHULJKWVRISHRSOH 34 the politics of slogans IURPDFFHVVLQJWKHLURZQPRQH\,Q 36 selective hearing on highway liquor ban DQ\FDVHGHPRQHWLVDWLRQUHPRYHG SHUFHQWRIFDVKLQFLUFXODWLRQDQG 28 State Scan RWKHUQRWHVZHUHLQVKRUWVXSSO\DV madhya pradesh: divided on narmada Agents of change ZLWQHVVHGE\WKHORQJOLQHVDWEDQNV 38 Globe Scan ,WZDVYHU\KHDUWHQLQJWRUHDGWKH DQG$70VOLWHUDOO\UHQGHULQJWKH,QGLDQ global politics adjusts to trump VWRULHVRILQQRYDWLRQDQGFRPPLWPHQW HFRQRP\FDVKOHVV 40 First Stirrings RQWKHSDUWRIFLYLOVHUYDQWVIURP K Kumar via blog sudha pillai relives her dream DFURVVWKHFRXQWU\ ³,QQRYDWLRQLVWKH PDQWUD´gfiles'HFHPEHU (FRQRPLVWVVWXG\LQJWKHHIIHFWRIWKH 44 Book Review 7KHXVHRIDGYDQFHVLQLQIRUPDWLRQ GHPRQHWLVDWLRQH[HUFLVHE\,QGLDKDYH healthcare for the aged WHFKQRORJ\KDVEURXJKWDERXW TXHVWLRQHGLWVLPSDFW:KLOHVRPHGR 46 Book Extract HIILFLHQF\SURGXFWLYLW\DQGFRVW FRQFHGHWKDWLWPD\KDYHDORQJWHUP ik gujral as prime minister VDYLQJV7KHDFKHLYHPHQWVUDQJHG SRVLWLYHHIIHFWWKHVKRUWWHUPFKDRV 52 Stock Doctor DFURVVVHFWRUVIURPHQHUJ\HIILFLHQF\ IRUFHGRQWKHHFRQRP\LVFRQVLGHUHG look for opportunities DQGLUULJDWLRQWRXSJUDGLQJWKHSROLFH H[WUHPHO\QHJDWLYHDQGZLOOWDNHWLPH 53 Perspective IRUFHDQGSXEOLFVHUYLFH7KH WRRYHUFRPH7KHJRYHUQPHQWKDVD the human footprint UHFRJQLWLRQJLYHQE\gfilesHYHU\\HDU ORWRIZRUNWRGRDKHDGDQGQHHGVWR WRVXFKVXFFHVVVWRULHVGRHVDORWIRU WKLQNRXWLWVVWHSVFDUHIXOO\WRDYRLG 61 By the Way PRUDOHDQGEULQJVWRWKHIRUHWKH DQ\IXUWKHUIDOORXWRQHFRQRPLFJURZWK demonetisation and saarc, search for new foreign secretary and aiims chief, QHHGWRFHOHEUDWHVXFKVWRULHVPRUH Mona Singh via blog india ranks low for investors ,WDOVREUHDNVWKHFRPPRQSHUFHSWLRQ WKDWWKHEXUHDXFUDF\GRHVQRWKLQJ Retired, but not tired ,RQFHDJDLQFRPPHQGgfilesIRU 7KHUHPLQLVFHQFHVRIUHWLUHG,$6 WKLVHQGHDYRXU RIILFHU6XUHQGUD6LQJKSURYHGWREH SK Raina via email LQWHUHVWLQJUHDGLQJVKHGGLQJOLJKWRQ KRZWKHDGPLQLVWUDWLRQIXQFWLRQHGLQ Cashless economy DQRWKHUHUD )LUVW6WLUULQJVgfiles 7KHDUWLFOHE\0*'HYDVDKD\DP 'HFHPEHU 6LQJKFRQWLQXHVWR ³'LVVHFWLQJGHPRQHWLVDWLRQgfiles EHDFWLYHZRUNLQJIRUZKDWKHEHOLHYHV 'HFHPEHU KLJKOLJKWHGWKHNH\ LQZLWKGHGLFDWLRQ6XFKVWRULHVDFWDV LVVXHVDQGFRQFHUQVLQDVXFFLQFW PRWLYDWLRQIRUWKHQHZEUHHGRIFLYLO PDQQHU,WZDVHVSHFLDOO\VRJLYHQ VHUYDQWVDQGSURYLGHLQVLJKWVLQWRWKH WKHFRQMHFWXUHVDQGVWRULHVVSUHDGIDU ZRUNLQJRIWKHJRYHUQPHQWDWORZHU DQGZLGHWKURXJKYDULRXVVRFLDO OHYHOV,DOZD\VUHDGWKLVFROXPQZLWK PHGLD,WTXHVWLRQVZKHWKHUWKH JUHDWLQWHUHVW VWDWHGREMHFWLYHVRIGHPRQHWLVDWLRQ M Patel via blog
gfiles inside the government 4 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 5 Bric-a-brac fun & games
Dry NewNew Year for BJP leaders pm’s diktatdikta disturbs many plans HE culture in Delhi’s power circle is changing fast. Earlier there used to be NNewew Year parties at the residence of many cabinet ministers where journalists, Tlealeadersd from all walks of life and business houses were invited. Liquor used to flowflow liklikee water. All this has changed now. The NDA government led by Narendra ModiModi has,h in fact, changed the dynamics of Delhi power circle. Those saffron leadersleader who liked to celebrate their New Year in foreign destinations got a messagemes from PMO that all Ministers of the Union Government should celebratece New Year with simplicity. The PM’s order apparently made several leaders cancel their tickets. Nitin Gadkari was one of those who changed their plan and Gadkari celebrated his New Year in Nagpur instead. A very senior legal luminary who is part of the government celebrated in Goa. According to sources, he organised a party on December 30-31 in North Goa’s Grand Hyatt Hotel. Many high profile guests attended the celebration. Ironically, the hotel belongs to Shahid Balwa, allegedly named in Coalgate and 2G scam. Some senior ministers who were in Delhi organisedor vegetarian dinners with their very close friends, of course, withoutwith cocktails. g
Lodha in ED net eyes on his diary
ARASMAL Lodha nicknamed ‘Extra Floor Lodha’ the Kolkataata bbusinessman-usinessman- realtor has been nabbed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).ED). AAfterfter tthehe Pannouncement of demonetisation on November 8, Lodha travetravelledlled more tthanhan six times in the same chartered plane that is meant for the Chiefef MMinister,inister, tthathat too with a famous industrialist. It is reported that the diary that hass been seized from Lodha has the names of several famous personalities. Lodha wasas arresarrestedted in connection with the recovery of Rs 25 crore of new currency notesotes from a Delhi law firm belonging to advocate Rohit Tandon and Chennai businessmanman Shekhar Reddy. It is learnt that his digital diary has the names of the Who’s Who of the political world. A former Chief Justice of India also figures in the list. The diary reportedly also has the name of a son of a leader from the ruling party. A prominent industrialist’s name from the field of communication and oil, allegedly connected to the 2G scam, is also mentioned. Sources say the diary has the name of Vijay Singh Dogra who was associated with the Sahara chief. Dogra’s diary has been used by Rahul and Kejriwal to criticise the Prime Minister. It has been said that one should not be surprised if some more prominent names of businessmen and politicians surface from Lodha’s diary. g
gfiles inside the government 6 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com Race for Prez begins sushma among contenders
HE news about the election of President and Vice President will be hot tilltill August. There is no indication from either the BJP or the Congress, but lobbyingg within the TBJP has started and names of different leaders are emerging. One sectionon within the BJP is advocating for External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as President.nt. There is another lobby which is advocating the candidature of Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitramitra Mahajan. However, sources disclosed that BJP President Amit Shah is not happyppy with the Speaker. Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmur, a dalit adivasi leader from Odisha, is another strong candidate. The rumour mill is also propagating the name of filmlm starstar Amitabh Bachchan for the first citizen of India. For the post of Vice-President,t, the names of former Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and P Sadashivam are emerging. Thereere is another lobby which is propagating the name of Venkaiah Naidu for the Vice-- President of India. Insiders within the BJP also feel that if wisdom prevails, then veterans of the party Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi are the most suitable candidates, keeping in mind the dedication and commitment of these leaders. In the given political atmosphere, the battle for these most prestigious posts will gain momentum after the results of five state assembly elections. It has to be seen who RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Bhaiyaji Joshi and Dattatreya Hosbole recommend to Narendra Modi. One top BJP leader informed that Modi will choose a personality who will fetch him votes irrespective of RSS or BJP affiliations. g
The RSS connection ratan tata visits nagpur
hen the Ratan of Tata group paid of Ratan’s many ‘friends’, Shaina NC, a a surprise visit to RSS HQ at fashion designer, BJP spokesperson and fund WMahal and Reshimbaug, NNagpuragpur raiser, aspiring South Mumbai candidate and and met with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat,gwat, daughter of Nana Chudasama, former Sheriff many highbrows went up at the numbermber of of Mumbai came handy. Working her way up places--media, BJP HQ and industrialal the political ladder she had befriended a houses-- closely watching the Tata-Cyrusyrus war. powerful politician from Maharashtra As usual the faceless spokesperson of RSS close to the RSS chief. All that Manmohan Vaidya, a known Modi Ratan Tata did was press the right baiter, dismissed it as a “courtesy buttons and the next day he was visit”. Obviously we know, no Tata kneeling before the statue of RSS company is supplying full pants to RSS. But founder at Reshimbaug. He is understood what was the agenda? According to business to have been ‘highly appreciative’ of RSS work circles in India’s financial capital, Ratan Tata could be in in the areas of education and social work in tribal areas trouble for some of his international business transactions gone and reportedly promised to un-cap CSR funds to the RSS. This wrong beyond repair. Cyrus could be privy to some of them by done, the RSS will apparently put in a kind word to the now and will leave no court unturned to nail Ratan. Now who concerned quarters to have a sympathetic view of the doyen of will insulate the Tata group’s breakdown from the Mistry? One Parsi community. g
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 7 EYES WIDE SHUT economy prabhat kumar Demonetisation: The jury is still out The three tests of success or otherwise of the move of demonetisation would be peoples’ reaction to it, the result of UP elections and the widening of tax base within a reasonable period
HEN we are confronted with Perhaps this hypothesis explains permanent than death?’ the evidence in any matter, the obdurate extreme views some of The other joins in, ‘verily it can Wfor example a personal or a my senior colleagues hold concerning be said that we have been castrated’; political issue, the cognitive process in the dress, gait or stubble of the Prime ‘the government owes an explanation our brain is immediately activated. But Minister. These worthy gentlemen to the people of India for their surprisingly, the neural circuits in the leave no opportunity to berate the enormous bungle’. brain that are normally involved in decision of the Prime Minister to Another passes the judgment, ‘it is reasoning or logic do not participate replace high denomination currency. a self imposed crisis for political in this process. In fact, when the They see no merit whatsoever in benefit’. And the whole debate is put brain arrives at a certain conclusion the original idea aimed at exposing to rest by yet another, ‘Demonetisation which makes us emotionally black money stocked by a large has been an unmitigated disaster, comfortable, we get the rewards number of people. which has hit the poor and middle in terms of joy or pleasure and get ‘We need to focus on people’s class very hard. It has actually opened massively stuck to that conclusion woes,’ says one of them, ‘disappointed new avenues of corruption. It can only as our own view. This is the finding that many of us have remained silent be supported by admirers of you know of a scientific study reported in the on that course or dismissing it as tem- who’. Period. Scientific American recently. porary inconvenience; what’s more Surprisingly, these otherwise
gfiles inside the government 8 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com perfectly rational individuals do not Having worked in the not prove successful. A few much belong to any political party. They government for a long time, graver challenges are also lurking in belong to the highest brand of the the shadows if the government fails to civil service and are expected to be I am aware that the put its house in order. Reestablishing discerning, non-partisan and objec- challenge could have faith in the currency and restoring the tive. They have in the past adorned been met satisfactorily by credibility of State institutions are positions of great responsibility in the astute planning and going to be tested in coming weeks government and have carried several and months. Perhaps for the first time critical operations to successful reso- efficient management in its history, fingers are being raised lution with their wise counsel. Still, on the functioning of the Reserve they seem to be genetically averse to effective implementation of the Bank of India. anything Modi says or does. decision to delegitimise old `1000 In my view, the three tests of Despite entreaties from their and `500 currency bills. Having success or otherwise of the move of peers to moderate their severely worked in the government for a long demonetisation would be peoples’ stubborn views in the interest of a time, I am also aware that the reaction to it, the result of UP more informed debate, they keep challenge could have been met elections and the widening of tax base screaming ‘murder of the Constitu- satisfactorily by astute planning and within a reasonable period. Of these, tion’ and ‘deathblow to democracy’. efficient management; and, therefore, the first has already been successfully Perhaps they would be well advised to an extent everyone involved in passed by the government as there to recycle their emotionally making the decision of demoneti- has not been much public disturbance comforting judgments through their sation and its implementation is to be or violence despite obvious inconve- reasoning neutrons. held responsible. nience to millions. In my view, the tardy pace of However, the jury is still out and it replacement of currency notes, UT by refusing to engage with is perhaps a little too early to deliver collusive acts of sundry bank officials ‘admirers of you know who’ the final verdict. with criminal elements for funnel- Bconstructively, in my view, these Endpoint: Should I too re-evaluate ing out new currency, avoidable liberal intellectuals are losing their my strongly held views by routing adverse effect on millions of small plot owing to their strident obduracy. them through reasoning neurons and entrepreneurs and traders, and Of course, the government has risk getting emotionally disturbed? g suffering of almost every citizen in taken an uncertain step in an unchar- The writer was the Cabinet Secretary and trying to withdraw his own money tered direction. The initial avowed the first Governor of Jharkhand. He can be from the bank are real problems in purpose of blocking black wealth did reached at [email protected]
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 9 COVER STORY corporate fracas
The Ratan Tata-Cyrus Mistry story began on a wrong note, albeit in a subconscious manner. They both felt that since they had worked together for years, they understood each other and the bonhomie would continue forever. But, human psychology works differently—it changes rapidly when one is given powers, and the other has to give up his erstwhile powers.
by ALAM SRINIVAS
OME wasn’t built in months. Nor was it destroyed in months. RThe same is the case with the spat between Ratan Tata, interim Chairman, Tata Group, and Cyrus Mistry, former Chairman. The story starts, ironically, when Ratan decid- ed to search for his successor. The TATA-MISTRY FEUD year: 2010. The five members of the selection committee included Ratan’s loyalists—NA Soonawala, RK Krishna Kumar, the UK-based Lord Bhattacharya, Shrin Bharucha, and, What lies of course, Cyrus, whose family owns 18 per cent in Tata Sons, the group’s the worst combination for a successor part-owner himself and, hence, is part holding company. of a $100-billion business empire. An of the family. Cut to November 23, 2011. After outsider invariably comes prepared; Both an insider and outsider can 18 meetings in search of a profes- he knows that as a professional and turn rogue. They can develop or nur- sional outsider to carry on the almost non-owner of a family-owned group, ture their own ambitions, try to usurp 150-year-old Tata legacy, the commit- he can go thus far, and no more. the group, or develop an urge to leave tee selected Cyrus, who was already an An insider is invariably a loyalist a new legacy behind. However, the insider as Tata Sons’ director. He was and follower, who will look up to chances of these happening with an actually an insider-outsider, possibly the owner; even better, he may be a insider-outsider are larger. Being an
gfiles inside the government 10 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com European steel business and wind down the operations of the Nano car, both of which were Ratan’s dream projects. So, the story began on a wrong note, a sour one, albeit in a subconscious manner. In a Freudian manner, both Ratan and Cyrus repressed these neg- atives. They both felt that since they had worked together for years, they understood each other and the bon- homie would continue forever. They should have read more of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung to understand how human psychology works, and how it changes rapidly when one is given powers, and the other has to give up his erstwhile powers. We all know that power corrupts—in fact, in both ways, i.e. additional powers and subtraction of powers.
O be fair to Ratan, he had a clue about the workings of the mind Tof an insider-outsider. So, as an owner, he designed things to retain control over his empire. Cyrus worked with Ratan for a year, and only took over formally in December 2012. But during this period, Ratan had already impressed upon the newcomer that he would not have full control; his pow- ers would be restricted by the owner. The idea was to protect the ownership of the sprawling empire. The ball was put in play even before the new successor took over in December 2012. But, before that, behind? it is imperative to understand who owns Tata Sons. Seven Tata Trusts insider, he will feel that he owns the sider is a tricky person to deal with. together own almost two-thirds of the empire. Being an outsider, he will The owner is always scared that the shares of Tata Sons, the group’s hold- wish to change things around and latter, as an insider, will try to take ing company—the shares are “held by attempt to transform the group to over the businesses—Ratan did claim (seven) philanthropic trust endowed prepare it for the future. An insider- that Cyrus wanted to control the 100- by members of the Tata family,” says outsider has the best of both worlds, odd operating arms of the group. He the Tata Group website. It adds, “The which can quickly shift to the worst of is also nervous that as an outsider, largest of these trusts are Sir Dorabji both. This is what happened to Cyrus. the successor will want to undo past Trust (stake: almost 28 per cent) and For an owner too, an insider-out- decisions—Cyrus did wish to sell the the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (over 23.5
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per cent), which were created by the families of the sons of Jamsetji Tata, Timeline the Founder.” Ratan headed these October 24... Cyrus Mistry was removed from the post of Tata Sons two trusts. chairman without any explanation. In 2012, Tata Sons’ Articles of October 25... Shapoorji Pallonji & Co kept their action secretive. Tata Group Association was changed to protect filed appeal in the Supreme Court, Bombay High Court and National Ratan’s holdings and wealth. Any Company Law Tribunal to ensure that Mistry doesn’t get an ex-parte order removal or appointment of chairman against his sacking. now required mandatory approval by October 26... Mystry wrote a scornful letter to board members. He all the directors that were installed elaborated in his letter about difficulties he faced during his tenure. SEBI by the Tata Trusts. In addition, the asked for clarification from Ratan Tata over Mistry’s letter. Trusts had the right to appoint a third October 27... Air India looked into Mistry’s fraudulent transaction' of `22 of the board directors. This was done crore. Tata Sons responds to the letter, calls Mistry's claims 'unsubstantiated' with Cyrus’ okay. Negotiations were and 'malicious' and that Mistry chaired the Board meet of Tata Global on for further changes. In 2014, a new Beverages. arrangement was in place between October 28... Mistry denied allegations of Board not consulted over the owner and the successor. purchase of Welspun Power. Mistry also says he is surprised with reasons that Tata gave for his removal. NDER the new deal, the Tata October 29... Tata Group’s HR chief NS Rajan resigns from the company. Trusts got more powers. Their November 2... Ratan Tata wrote another mail to employees saying that Udirectors virtually had veto removing Mistry was absolutely necessary for the future of Tata Group. powers over the group’s strategic deci- November 4... Tata Sons appoints S Padmanabhan to oversee HR functions. sions—mergers, takeovers, invest- Mukund Rajan, former executive assistant of Ratan Tata, will be overseeing ments and fund-raising. The majority group operations in US, Singapore, Dubai and China alongwith ethics and of the Trusts’ nominees, two out of sustainability duties. three, had to approve such decisions, November 5... Tata Motors defends its `1 lakh Nano car strategy, which even if the board’s majority had done Mistry had mentioned in his letter. it. They also had veto powers over the November 9... Tata Sons sacks Mistry as Chairman of TCS, replaced by annual and five-year business plans. Ishaat Hussain. The owner made sure that the succes- November 15… Tata Global Beverages sacks Mistry as Chairman, replaced sor couldn’t take over his businesses. by Harish Bhat. Still, as a professional, Ratan November 21... Nusli Wadia, independent director in Tata Steel, Tata gave Cyrus enough freedom to take Motors and Tata Chemicals, serves defamation notice on Tata Sons’ board. day-to-day and tactical decisions. In November 25… Tata Steel removes Mistry as Chairman, appoints fact, in 2013, before the above agree- independent director OP Bhatt in his place. ment, the latter formed a committee December 5... Mistry seeks government’s intervention to ‘remedy and repair to guide the group’s future. Apart breakdown’ in the governance of Trusts managing Tata Sons. from himself, who chaired it, it com- December 13... Mistry removed as TCS director after shareholders vote in prised five members, most of whom EGM. were his handpicked men. The Group December 19... Mistry quits as director from boards of key operating Tata Executive Council, as it was called, companies before scheduled EGMs; describes his sacking from Tata Sons as included Madhu Kannan, the former ‘illegal coup’. CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange December 20... Mistry moves NCLT against Ratan Tata, Tata Sons and some whose name will feature later in this of its directors. saga. It was meant to provide strategic December 23... Ratan Tata says ‘however painful’ the fight with Mistry may and operational support to Cyrus. be, but ‘the truth will prevail’. The new die was set. The contours December 27... Tata Sons slaps legal notice on Mistry for alleged breach of of the new relationship were estab- confidentiality. lished. And both the owner and the
gfiles inside the government 12 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com successor felt that they would live happily thereafter. Neither of them gave a damn about egos, shifting loy- alties, baggage, legacy, trust, power, jealousy, and ambitions. But humans, even if they are billionaires and chair- men of powerful empires, live in an uncertain world where things change imperceptibly, and wreck havoc.
Wings # 1: Dramatis directors One of the first signs were wit- nessed in 2013, when the Tata Trusts appointed new directors in Tata Sons. These included Nitin Nohria, Dean, Harvard Business School, and Vijay Singh, the former Defence Secretary, both of whom became hugely contro- versial after Cyrus’ dismissal. Cyrus An insider-outsider is a aviation sector through Air Asia. This had problems with them. Since both tricky person to deal with. was yet another project that Ratan were Ratan’s confidantes, they had The owner is always scared desired for several years; his earlier Ratan’s ears and advised him on most efforts had failed. Here, there was deals. This irked the new chairman. that the latter, as an a family legacy. Jehangir Ratanji Cyrus wanted Ratan to deal with him, insider, will try to take over Dadabhoy Tata, JRD or Jeb, was the rather than through what the owner the businesses, and as an uncrowned king of the group. For over heard from Nohria and Singh. outsider, will want to undo five decades, between 1938 and 1991, It was a classic insider-outsider he had taken it to towering heights, mindset, who thought he was an past decisions—Cyrus did before he relinquished the reins to insider and, thus, should have the wish to sell the European Ratan. Aviation was his passion. owner’s ears. Cyrus thought that steel business and wind Singh was ‘un-Tata-like’, and wrongly down Nano’s operations N the IATA website, a blog advised Ratan. He revealed his feel- reads, “His hero was the French ings after his ouster. In a statement, Opiloting ace Louis Bleriot, he said that Singh, as the Defence Ratan donated $50 million to the the first man to cross the English Secretary, was involved in the scam- School, which was its largest gift from Channel by air. Bleriot lived near the tainted AugustaWestland chopper an international donor. Therein lay, Tata’s French county home and once deal, which was signed by the pre- according to Cyrus, the links between allowed a co-pilot to give the 15-year- vious UPA-2 regime, and cancelled the former chairman and owner, and old JRD a ride. From that moment on, by the present government. It was the new director. Yet again, it was a JRD was determined to fly.” And set alleged that bribes were paid in the classic outsider’s view of an insider- up an airline, which he did in 1932. deal. Singh retorted that the deal outsider; it wasn’t a professional Tata Airlines was the first Indian com- was signed a year after he left, as appointment. It is a different case that mercial carrier; in 1946, it became Air the Defence Secretary, although the Cyrus was wrong on both counts; his India. After Independence, the air- negotiations began during his tenure. view was blurred as both Nohria and line was nationalised, although JRD Cyrus viewed Nohria as a thorn Singh enjoyed excellent credentials. remained its head until 1978. too. In his worldview, the Harvard Ratan wanted to relive JRD’s high- Dean became the non-executive Wings # 2: Take-off troubles flying dream. For obvious reasons! director only because of his friend- More tremors happened in 2014, Moreover, as an owner, he was a risk- ship with Ratan. Years ago, in 2010, when the Tata Group re-entered the taker to an extent. He had a 20-, 30-,
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40-year vision in his mind. He wasn’t Wings # 3: Parsi parsimony The reason: the new chairman’s affected by today’s facts—the aviation For decades, in some cases a centu- thinking like an outsider. As explained sector was in trouble, most airlines ry, the Indian Parsi community, espe- earlier, Cyrus wanted to show his were in the red, especially the low- cially the families based in Mumbai capabilities instantly. Like the two- fare carriers, and it was difficult to (or Bombay), earned huge sums from minute Maggie noodles, he hoped to raise funds. He was looking at how, the Tata Group. Over the years, they prove within months, at least years, like Jeb, he will revolutionise the sec- had invested, reinvested and re-rein- that he could turnaround the fortunes tor over the next decade or so; how he vested their earnings to buy the shares of the group companies. He would be will bring world-class management of the various companies, especially better than Ratan; even better, he and operational practices to India; the blue chips like Tata Motor, Tata would make people forget Ratan’s how he will introduce renowned air- Steel and Tata Consultancy. Over the achievements sooner than anyone lines, Air Asia, to the Indian passen- years, they had preserved the shares, expected. His instant philosophy: cut gers. Air Asia, incidentally, is the first not sold them, as they witnessed a down the shareholders’ dividends foreign airline to set up a subsidiary huge rise in their paper profits. In of companies that weren’t faring (49 per cent) in the country. Which addition, they earned huge dividends well. It piqued the Parsis, especially one should be proud of! from these companies. Ever since those who thrived on returns from However, in this case, Cyrus Cyrus took over, they were worried, their investments. thought like an outsider, a profession- even angry and disturbed. Inevitably, the entry of a second al who wished to show instant results. Immediate performance generally, and especially in the case of a new CEO or chairman, implies cutting expenses, selling loss-making assets, and exiting seemingly-less profit- Mistry lineage able sectors. Globally, this mindset became famous, and quite common, Cyrus Mistry is the son of Pallonji Mistry, who is called in contemporary times during the the ‘Phantom’ of Bombay House, the Tata headquarters. 1980s. As a new wave of takeovers and In 2016, the Forbes magazine ranked him as the fifth mergers, especially leveraged buyouts richest Indian with a net worth of just over $14 billion. (LBOs), became fashionable, the only Pallonji is considered a recluse and rarely seen in public, way the new owners could reduce the although he won the Padma Bhushan in January 2016. huge debt required to buy the assets, The Mistry family started with a construction company, was to sell part of the existing assets, and became a conglomerate with presence in real estate, and tighten belts. This is exactly what infrastructure, consumer products, biofuels and textiles. Cyrus had in his mind, but he needed Its association with the Tata family and Group goes a long to act and think like an owner to take way back. Old timers in Bombay House contend that the such crucial and emotive decisions. Mistry family got a 10-12 per cent stake in Tata Sons initially because it agreed to build the steel and OGICALLY, since 2013, he automobile plants for the Tatas. The stake went up to over opposed or cribbed about the 18 per cent, and despite other shareholders with a larger Lentry into the aviation sector. But stake, the family is considered to be the single-largest there was a problem—he was neither shareholder in Tata Sons. The two families have personal a full-fledged insider, nor a complete relationships too. Pallonji’s daughter, Aloo, is married to outsider; he forgot that he was an Noel Tata, Ratan’s half-brother; before Cyrus was insider-outsider and, hence, he had a appointed as Ratan’s successor, it was widely tipped that lot of freedom, but also many strate- Noel will take over the reins at Mumbai’s Bombay House. gic shackles. He simply couldn’t wish away the aviation partnership. Air Asia India was here to stay.
gfiles inside the government 14 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com Parsi in the Tata Group, and exit of lished the transcripts from what were HE tapes and their conversa- the more famous one, created rifts called the Wadia Tapes or Tata Tapes. tions proved Wadia’s proxim- between the rich people within the These related to conversations that Tity to Ratan, and the former was community. Since the first half of this Wadia had with politicians, political his political trouble-shooter to clean century, the Mumbai-based Parsis middlemen, businesspersons, and up this mess. The transcripts reveal witnessed the loosening of their Tata over what came to be known as that the former was the latter’s Man stranglehold over business, wealth the Tata Tea Terror controversy. In Friday. In addition, Wadia was a and power to the Marwari and other that period, like other businesses, Tata director in Tata Sons and a number trading communities. Hence, they Tea, whose operations were in Assam, of other operational entities. In the generally stuck together, helped each had issues with the militant organisa- recent past, and after Cyrus took over, other, and protected themselves. This tion, ULFA (United Liberation Front Wadia distanced himself from Ratan, is evident from the earlier almost- of Assam). It was alleged that the Tata and got closer to the new chairman. family-like links between the Tata Group had indirectly financed the The rift in the rich Parsi community and Mistry, Ratan and Nusli Wadia, expenditure of ULFA leaders—like a had begun. Thus, it wasn’t surpris- the business fighter who owns the free hospital where ULFA leaders and ing that when Cyrus was kicked out, Bombay Dyeing Group, and Ratan members were treated, and foreign Wadia took his side. In the end, and Mehli. trips and stays for the leaders. Ratan Wadia was kicked out of the various In 1997, the Indian Express pub- apparently knew ULFA’s chief. Tata firms. Over the years, Parsis had invested, reinvested and re-reinvested their earnings to buy the shares of the various companies, especially the blue chips like Tata Motor, Tata Steel and Tata Consultancy. Ever since Cyrus took over, they were worried, even angry
Wadia filed a defamation case against Tata Sons, when he was ousted as an independent director. He claimed that the manner of the removal “caused severe prejudice to the reputation and goodwill” that he enjoyed. In a prescient moment, he correctly predicted that it had “affected his status as an independent director in various other companies and will continue to have a cascad- ing effect” in the Indian and global business circles. It did to an extent; other Tata firms kicked him out too. The fissures within the commu- nity increased. Another fracture among the rich
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Parsis was actually rifts with the Mistry family. Cyrus has a cousin, Mehli, who is a longtime friend of Ratan. Somehow Cyrus, whose fam- ily is in the construction business, had problems with Mehli, who had bagged several dredging, shipping and barge contracts from Tata Power. The then chairman felt that this was because of Ratan-Mehli proximity. Through his lawyer, Mehli told the media that this wasn’t true, and the contracts were valued fairly. But the two Mistrys couldn’t get along; one of them (Cyrus) thought the other ratted against him to Ratan, which was why he lost his chairmanship. Then there were the quakes, which added immensely to the Corporate tsunamis within the Tata Group, and finally drowned Cyrus.
Quake # 1: Cracks within Bombay Club T wasn’t just the Parsis; the break- down in the relationships between IRatan, Cyrus, Wadia and Mehli devastated the bonhomie that they enjoyed with the larger business com- munity in Mumbai and the rest of India. It was essentially a breakdown of the on-and-off informal business group, dubbed as the Bombay Club. During World War II, and two years on State-owned sector, the larger Bombay Club), finalised a note, and before India’s Independence, eight intention was ‘protectionism’ of the handed it over to Manmohan Singh, industrialists headed by JRD (who Indian-owned industries against the the Finance Minister. According to else?) and comprising GD Birla, Sri foreigners. This fell under the ‘nation- media reports, it “welcomed competi- Ram, Kasturbhai Lalbhai, and Sir alist’ notions that Indian business was tion in the market but urged the gov- Purshottamdas Thakurdas, pub- unduly exploited by the British and ernment to take steps to ‘enable them lished the ‘Bombay Plan’. They were British-owned firms. Intuitively, the to play their rightful role in the indus- the original Bombay Club. The Hindu Plan argued ‘for private property’ in a trial development of the country’.” traders and Parsi businessmen had nuanced manner. They were seeking not protectionism, got together to secure their future. Once India glided on the path of but time to prepare for the inevita- The Plan presented a series of pro- economic reforms in 1991, similar ble foreign onslaught. According to posals for the Indian government in fears gripped the domestic business journalist Sucheta Dalal, who claims the post-Independence era. Although community. In 1993, another group to have coined the phrase, Bombay most experts and economists contend of eight industrialists, comprising Club, its “agenda really was stalling that the Club argued for larger State Hindus and Parsis, met at Mumbai’s and slowing (the) reforms.” interventions and public investments Oberoi Hotel (hence the name, Although Ratan was not a member
gfiles inside the government 16 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com It verified that his own ownership in Tata Sons, and other companies, and his investments were at risk, thanks to the past decisions taken by Cyrus since he became the chairman. For years, there were issues between the two partners, Japan’s NTT DoCoMo and Tata Teleservices. After the former decided to exit the venture, it demanded a pre-decided price for the shares it owned under the pre-decided buyback arrange- ment with the Tatas. However, as similar arrangements existed in the case of other deals involving foreign partners, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stepped in. Any deals on pre- determined prices were effectively banned. DoCoMo opted for arbitra- tion and won an award for $1.17 bil- lion from the London Commercial Court. However, the change in laws prevented the Tatas from paying it.
ATA Sons maintained that the payment required RBI permis- Tsion, which was denied. Even after DoCoMo approached the Delhi High Court to impose the arbitra- tion award, Tata Sons placed the entire amount with the court, which showed its intention to pay, but as per the Indian laws. Hassled by what of the second Bombay Club, unlike in those days. it perceived as Tata Sons’, or rather JRD who was the head of the first, Now with the Ratan-Wadia feud, Cyrus’, deliberate delaying tactics, his closest ally, Wadia, was connected and Cyrus-Mehli spat, the final the Japanese firm threatened to to it. It’s unclear whether Wadia nail has been hammered into the take legal recourse globally to attach attended the Oberoi meeting, but he coffin of any form of an informal Tata Group’s assets abroad. Cyrus supported it. Hence, Ratan, without Bombay Club. argued that this wasn’t possible coming out openly, did the same. as the foreign assets belonged to If this contention is true, then it is Quake # 2: Loco about DoCoMo Tata Steel and Tata Motor, and the clear that the powerful Ambanis— The event that happened sixteen promoters had minority shares in Dhirubhai and his two sons, Mukesh days before Cyrus’ exit, proved to be them. Effectively, the majority stakes and Anil— who were against Wadia the ‘tipping point’ or the ‘catalyst’ as in, and the assets of, the companies and, hence, Ratan, were not part far as Ratan was concerned. It con- belonged to the other institutional of the Bombay Club. In fact, the firmed that Cyrus would decimate and individual shareholders. Ambanis had their own privileged the carefully-constructed empire; he On October 8, 2016—Cyrus was and premium club, whose members would devastate every brick in the removed on October 24—DoCoMo were die-hard loyalist, who were few walls of his operational companies. dropped a corporate warhead. It filed
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 17 COVER STORY corporate fracas a case in a court in New York. This sumer didn’t want to own the cheap- effectively put at risk the revenues (its est car; her first car purchase had to assets are generally human resourc- be a decent model, one that can firmly es) and profits of Tata Consultancy, put her on a middle-class pedestal. which earned more than half of its Tata Steel, or rather the expensive revenues from North America. In Corus Steel, was a millstone around addition, Tata Sons owns a majority Tata Group’s neck. And it was increas- 74 per cent stake in Tata Consultancy, ingly bringing it down, especially in which paid `11,400 crore (2014-15) terms of debt. In the beginning, Ratan and nearly `6,300 crore (2015-16) as had paid a much higher amount than dividends to Tata Sons. In both the what it was worth, only because of the years, TCS’s dividends comprised 95 owner-former chairman’s ambitious per cent and 91 per cent, respectively, ego. According to a recent article, of the total annual dividends earned “When Tata Steel bid for Corus Plc by Tata Sons. in 2006, it arranged financing with No way would an owner risk such three banks for around $5 billion to humungous profits for a part-owner. $6 billion, said the person, who asked Cyrus fixed his radar on not to be named because the negotia- Quake # 3: Sale of family jewels Tata Steel’s global tions were private. As mentioned earlier, being an business, and the Nano car As the price rose (Ratan kept on insider-outsider confused Cyrus. project, both of which were raising the bid price) in a bidding Sometimes, he saw himself as an war for the European steelmaker, insider, other times as an outsider. the owner’s passionate Tata officials found cheaper fund- Unfortunately, there were occasions dreams. These were the ing, but would have to pay a break when he behaved like an insider and two projects which Ratan fee with the original banks of about an outsider while dealing with the felt were his real legacies; 80 million pounds ($99 million). same issue. As mentioned earlier, Some executives tried to negotiate a in terms of showing instant results, people would know and cheaper release, but when the matter he was clearly an outsider. As men- remember him for was brought to the attention of Ratan tioned earlier, one of the key traits of Tata, he insisted the original contract a CEO-in-a-hurry, or chairman-in- The second was his ability to trans- be honoured, the person said.” Ratan a-hurry, is this desire to sell of loss- form the Tata Group as a global MNC, did the same, but only as an owner, making or unproductive assets to larger than whatever any other Indian during the DoCoMo arbitration. boost returns and profits percentages. had achieved. Indians have bought Cyrus decided to put the global Unfortunately, Cyrus, who played this foreign assets, but none as large and steel assets on the auction block. It role on and off, chose the wrong assets as frequently as he had, especially in was feared that he would wind down to dispose off. the last decade of his chairmanship. Nano. Clearly, no owner would stand Cyrus fixed his radar on Tata Steel’s for an outsider-insider, his successor, global business, and the Nano car pro- ONNING his hat as a profes- to erode his most-famous legacies. ject, both of which were the owner’s sional, Cyrus felt that the Nano It is easy to understand Ratan’s cur- passionate dreams. These were the Dwas losing money, and needed rent emotional state. “Over the last two projects which Ratan felt were his to be shut down. It was a wrong pro- two months, there has been a definite real legacies; people would know and ject to begin with, for no rhyme or move to damage my personal reputa- remember him for a small car which reason other than to set up a mile- tion and the reputation of this great was the cheapest in the world, and the stone—cheapest car. It failed to deliv- group—the Tata Group. And these purchase of a $12-billion Corus Steel er on what it promised; it failed to lure days are very lonely because the in the UK. The first established him the two-wheeler owners to shift to a newspapers are full of attacks, most as a doer, an implementer, a vision- cheap car. Buying an automobile is an of them unsubstantiated but never- ary, an entrepreneur par excellence. aspiration, a desire. And Indian con- theless very painful.” g
gfiles inside the government 18 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com The first airline founded in the Americas and second in the world.
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gfiles inside the government 20 vol. 10, issue 9 | December 2016 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com MIDST the intense cry and been able to draft the MoP. Binding recommendation: As cacophony over ‘demoneti- This is because of sharp difference per the existing system, the collegi- Asation’, grievous governance of opinion between the two on um’s recommendations can be sent wounds that bleed the nation are get- many issues: back but if it reiterates the same, it is ting sidelined. Most important among Seniority and merit: The binding on the President. The govern- them is the Central Government- government wants the criteria of ment says three important judgments Supreme Court impasse on the seniority, merit and integrity while of 1993, 1998 and 2015 on appoint- appointment of High Court judges. promoting a HC judge to the SC. ment of judges do not give absolute For quite some time the Central Collegium says the criteria of powers to the collegium. Instead, they government and Supreme Court seniority, subject to merit and ask for “participatory consultative Collegium have been locking horns on integrity, would be followed. process at the highest level”. his issue. The Chief Justice of India Power to reject candidates: Three-judge quota: The govern- (CJI) has been blaming the govern- The government proposes to retain ment proposed that up to three judges ment for not doing enough for power for rejection of candidates may be appointed from the Bar or appointing judges with the Union recommended on grounds of from distinguished jurists with Law Minister responding with a coun- national security/public interest. proven track records. And that, all ter accusation. The bone of conten- The collegium is opposed to this, judges of the Supreme Court should tion is the Memorandum of Procedure saying it amounted to interference in be open to recommend names for (MoP), which will be the Rule govern- its functioning. these postings. Collegium is not in ing appointment of judges. Strange as Writing down reasons: The agreement and says this does not it may seem, India’s higher judiciary, government wants that in case a fall within the framework of the which adjudicates every law and rule senior judge is being overlooked for Constitutional provisions. in the country, is itself functioning elevation to the Supreme Court, the Consultative mechanism: The without any rule! The Supreme Court, reasons for the same be recorded in government proposes to set up a in a judgment, struck down the gov- writing and the views of all five judges committee to assist the collegium in ernment’s proposal to set up a of the collegium must be made known evaluation of candidates. It wants two National Judicial Appointments to the government. The collegium retired judges of the SC and an emi- Commission (NJAC) for appointment says this will be counter-productive nent person/jurist to be jointly nomi- of High Court and Supreme Court and could affect the concerned nated by the CJI and the government. judges. Since the judgment, the gov- person’s future career as well as Collegium feels this is not necessary. ernment and the collegium have not duties as judge.
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Candidates’ database: The gov- ernment proposes a secretariat under the law ministry that would maintain a database of judges, schedules colle- gium meetings, maintains records and receives recommendations and complaints related to judges’ post- ings. The collegium is okay with the idea of secretariat so long as the form- In 2010,three eminent jurists—Justice MN ing and functioning of it is left to the Venkatachaliah, Justice JS Verma, Justice VR Krishna CJI and it is under the ambit of the Iyer—examined the issue in some length and opined Registrar of the Supreme Court. thus: “We agree with the urgent need to constitute HIS is the ongoing tug-of-war. the IJS as envisaged by Article 312 of the Subsequent to the collegium Constitution of India, at par with the other All India Trecently brushing aside the cen- services like the IAS. to attract the best available tral government’s objections to 43 candidates and reiterating all the talent at the threshold for the subordinate judiciary, names for appointment as judges, which is at the cutting edge of the justice delivery this has turned into a slanging match system to improve its quality. Moreover, the between the two high constitutional subordinate judiciary is important feeder-line for entities. Tensions continue to flare with both sides—Union Law Minister appointments to the High Court. The general and CJI—cautioning each other reluctance of competent lawyers to join the Bench against crossing the ‘lakshman rekha’. even at the higher levels adds an additional urgency The former rubbed it in by stating that to the problem. IJS will, in due course of time, also while high courts had shown “great courage” during the Emergency, the help to improve the quality of the High Courts.” Supreme Court had failed the peo- ple by endorsing it. The unsavoury contention needs to be taken with body, which is independent of the collegium vs NJAC spectacle is not several pinches of salt! government and the judiciary and going to end soon. Because, not only One of the signatories—Justice which goes about the selection in a the sitting judges but also the retired Manmohan Singh Liberhan (former rational and transparent manner. The heavyweights of higher judiciary are CJ of Madras and Andhra High business of selecting hundreds of leaning in favour of the former and Courts)—however cautioned that this judges in a year to the higher judici- have conveyed the same in a memo- unbridled power assumed by the ary, if done properly, would require at randum sent to the CJI. Signatories collegium should not make the least a 1,000 candidates to be consid- include former Supreme Court judges Supreme Court a “second sovereign”, ered and comparatively evaluated and High Court Chief Justices. because in a democracy people alone over multidimensional criteria in a The senior-most among them, are sovereign. He concedes that fair and rational manner. This would Justice Kuldip Singh, former Supreme collegium system was not much of a require a full-time body, which could Court Judge had this to say: “There is success and tongue-in-cheek admits totally devote itself to this process, no alternative (to collegium). It’s fool that true transparency would lead with professional support. proof, if it is transparent and account- to loss of respect for judiciary! There also needs to be transparency able. You see, the judges know who all Indeed, as the adage goes: “Familiarity in the selection to prevent arbitrariness are good and fit for appointment as breeds contempt.” or nepotism. Minimum transparency sub-judges, high court judges, and Proponents of NJAC argue that would require that the criteria for even Supreme Court judges. The selection to the higher judiciary must selection of judges and standard of judges are the best selectors.” This be made by a full-time (not ex-officio) evaluation of candidates be made
gfiles inside the government 22 vol. 10, issue 9 | December 2016 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 9 | December 2016 23 GOVERNANCE judiciary mg devasahayam known and names of shortlisted/ So, till date there is no Indian Judicial This is evident from a note prepared selected candidates announced before Service (IJS) since Parliament by the Law Ministry’s justice appointment, so that those who have empowered to enact a law for the department in September 2016: “The relevant information about the purpose has failed to do so. matter has been discussed at the candidate can send it to the appointing This perhaps is the main reason highest level in the government and authority. Basic criteria to judge the why there is such crisis in judiciary the judiciary. It has been decided that competence of a candidate should and huge number of vacancies. the Honourable Chief Justice of India include integrity, competence, Creation of IJS keeps cropping up off would convene a meeting of the Chief judicial temperament, common sense and on. In 2010, three eminent Justices of the High Courts to arrive at and sensitivity towards the problems jurists—Justice MN Venkatachaliah, a consensus on formation of IJS.” of the common man, among others. Justice JS Verma, Justice VR Krishna In the present surcharged atmosphere, A system modelled on the British Iyer—examined the issue in some it will be interesting to see how CJI Judicial Appointments Commission, length and opined thus: “We agree and the High Courts react to the which follows a method to evaluate with the urgent need to constitute the proposal which, according to sources, i candidates based on predetermined IJS as envisaged by Article 312 of the has been significantly tweaked to and set criteria, could be suitable Constitution of India, at par with the convince the judiciary that it would for this. other All-India services like the IAS, remain free of government control. So, the tussle is between an ex-offi- to attract the best available talent at This can be achieved by making cio group called collegium and a full- the threshold for the subordinate Supreme Court as cadre-controlling time commission, both non-constitu- judiciary, which is at the cutting edge authority for the IJS. ind tional entities. Hence the crisis and of the justice delivery system to Though the Constitution has placed the conundrum that has happened improve its quality. Moreover, the “Justice, social, economic and due to a historical blunder. At the subordinate judiciary is important political” at the epicentre of India’s time of Independence there were two feeder-line for appointments to the democratic governance, for the people All India Services (AIS)—Indian Civil High Court. The general reluctance of at large this has become a rare, time- Service (ICS) and Indian Police (IP). competent lawyers to join the Bench consuming and costly ‘commodity’ ICS was doubling as civil servants even at the higher levels adds an to access. And the way courts and and judges. Since the Constitution additional urgency to the problem. judges are functioning things are dia of India brought in separation of IJS will, in due course of time, also going from bad to worse. This cannot powers between the executive and the help to improve the quality of the be countenanced and a solution has to judiciary, this arrangement was no High Courts.” be found. The sooner, the better longer tenable. because higher judiciary cannot be a Accordingly, Article 312 of the ARIOUS law commissions rule-less entity in perpetuity! Constitution mandated Parliament to (1st, 8th, and 11th) had also All things considered, the best anb create one or more AIS. Due to intense Vsuggested the creation of IJS. long-term solution for this sensitive efforts by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Even the Supreme Court, in two of and vexatious issue is to abide by the Deputy Prime Minister in charge its judgments in 1991 and 1993, had constitutional scheme of things and of Home Ministry, two of them endorsed the setting up of IJS. Yet it establish the IJS with appropriate were promptly covenanted in the is mysterious that this Service has not rules and regulations without any buz Constitution itself: “The services materialised. In November 2012, a further loss of time. In the interim, known at the commencement of Committee of Secretaries chaired by judiciary can adopt the extant All- this Constitution as the Indian the Cabinet Secretary had approved India Service Rules with suitable Administrative Service (IAS) and the a “comprehensive proposal” for crea- modifications. This seem to be the Indian Police Service (IPS) shall be tion of the service. At the time, 18 prudent way out of the deepening deemed to be services created by High Courts out of 24 had responded morass and brooks no delay. g Parliament under this Article.” to the proposal, and most of them had The writer is a former Army and IAS [312(2)] But BR Ambedkar, the Law opposed it. officer. He is also former Administrator, Minister, allowed the matter to drift It looks as if the decades-old plan of Chandigarh Capital Project. and frittered away the opportunity. setting up IJS is again in the limelight. Email: [email protected]
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gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 9 | December 2016 25 GOVERNANCE budget tn pandey Restore Standard Deduction It is time to get over the archaic view that salary is earned without any expenditure. The decision taken by Chidambaram in 2005-06 should be corrected in this Union Budget
HE budget presentation date having been preponed by one Tmonth to February 1, umpteen suggestions must be pouring in the Finance Ministry regarding changes that need to be made in the Income Tax Act. I just wish to make one to highlight the injustice and discrimination prac- ticed in the cases of the most honest sector of taxpayers—the salary earn- ers—on whom injustice was thrust by P Chidambaram, the Finance Minister in the UPA Government, vide his budget proposals for the year 2005-06 when he increased exemp- tion limits and adjusted the tax brack- ets. He made the salaried employees to bear the burden of these changes, in financial terms, by abolition of the Standard Deduction (SD), observing:- ed by Chidambaram for abolishing it is not to be taxed on gross basis, but “Given the higher exemption limit deduction for salary earners relating is to be subjected to tax after deduct- and scaling up of tax brackets, the to employment related expenses in ing the expenses incurred in earning need for a separate personal allow- the form of SD. it. Thus, Section 24 mentions about ance does not exist. Therefore, in con- Under the IT Act, income to be deductions to be made in computing formity with the growing interna- assessed as such need to fall under the taxable income from house prop- tional practice, I propose to remove any of the following heads: erty, Section 29 about expenses to the Standard Deduction”. ySalaries – Section 15. be deducted in cases of income from The SD stands abolished since yIncome from house property – business and profession, Section 48 April 1, 2006, for most untenable rea- Section 22. about deductions from capital gains sons given with a casualness which yProfits and gains of business or and Section 57 about such deductions shall be mentioned later. Before that, profession – Section 28. from income from other sources. the policy followed in the IT Act for yCapital gains – Section 45. But, presently, no deduction for taxing incomes in respect of various yIncome from other sources – earning salary is permissible in the sources needs to be stated to expose Section 56. Act except entertainment allowance the hollowness of the grounds stat- The policy in income taxation is that received from the employer (up
gfiles inside the government 26 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com to `5,000) and professional tax; taxpayers in getting deduction for N merits also, there is no ground though up to March 31, 2016, SD for employment-related expenses in for not giving deduction for employment related expenses was their income tax assessments. This Oemployment-related expenses. allowed as deduction. By the Finance issue is being examined under two SD for employment-related expenses Act, 2001 (from April 1, 2002), SD at heads—whether the reasons given by is more relevant today than in the past the following rates was admissible: Chidambaram justify non-deduction because today’s employees have to [i] In the cases of assessees up to and whether on merits the expenses spend large amounts on computers, income of `5 lakh, at the rate of need to be decided. pen drives, printers, internet, making 40 per cent or `20,000, whichever An examination of the reasons CDs for presentations, books, is lower. given by Chidambaram for scrapping journals, training, travelling, etc.— [ii] Where income exceeded `5 lakh, a SD will convince anybody that not only for promotion but also for sum equal to `20,000. the decision was based on totally staying in the job because of stiff Such deductions were permissible untenable grounds. These are: competition. The government does in case of salaried employees also not provide such avenues free of vide Section 16 of the IT Act. The his- Standard Deduction for cost for keeping one updated and tory of Section 16(1) providing for SD employment-related efficient in carrying on the employment shows that it is in lieu of employment- expenses is more relevant related work and discharging the related expenses like expenditure on obligations related thereto efficiently. books, conveyance, etc., on actual today than in the past If not so done, not only there can basis, which required checking of var- because today’s employees be lagging behind in discharge of ious expenses. Hence, to simplify the have to spend large amounts expected work, but there could be taxation of income from salaries with on computers, pen drives, loss of employment also. Expenses effect from April 1, 1993, the practice of the nature specified earlier cannot of allowing item-wise deduction was printers, internet, making be considered as of personal nature given up and practice of SD was intro- CDs for presentations, and not related to employment as duced by the then Finance Minister. books, journals, training, mentioned by Chidambaram. Not giving any deduction for travelling, etc.—not only The decision of the former Finance employment-related expenses on Minister was, obviously, of a bizarre most untenable grounds was the most for promotion but also for and casual nature and needs to be unkind gesture of Chidambaram for staying in the job because corrected by the present Finance such taxpayers and making them to of stiff competition Minister. Actually, correction should pay tax on gross incomes against the have been done immediately after policy enshrined in the Act. y SD was not given as a ‘personal coming into power of the new govern- The deduction on account of allowance’, but in lieu of employ- ment. But, better late than never! expenses was given on a standard ment-related expenses. Personal The SD needs to be brought back basis to avoid controversies dur- expenses are those that relate to by the Finance Act, 2016, to undo ing assessments and streamline the the person of the taxpayer on his the injustice and discrimination functioning. There is no dispute that food, clothing, education, etc., not being perpetuated since 2005-06 such expenses were deducted in cases for expenses which relate to his on wrong understanding of the of salary earners for their expenses employment. factual position. The suggestions, relating to their employment. The y Higher exemption limit and read- keeping in view the present economic only deduction now permissible is justment of tax brackets benefit- situation, are: payment for professional tax levied ted all categories of taxpayers, not y Where the salary income is up by some State governments. merely the salary assessees. To pun- to `10 lakh, 40 per cent of the In the background of what has ish such taxpayers by higher taxes total income or `40,000, which- been stated earlier, the issue for by abolishing SD was misconceived, ever is lower. consideration is whether there are discriminatory and unfair. y Where income exceeds `10 lakh, a any grounds to discriminate the y SD is still continuing in a large sum equal to `40,000. g salaried employees vis-à-vis other number of countries. The writer is former Chairman, CBDT
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Double speak on Narmada With the Narmada Sewa Yatra, the MP government by RAKESH DIXIT purports to save and conserve Narmada river but N January 11, Madhya Pradesh rampant sand mining and commercialisation of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh river’s waters continues under the aegis of the OChouhan is slated to perform Bhoomi Pujan for the `750-crore same government. While the Chief Minister has Coca-Cola bottling plant and food been exhorting the State’s people to save each drop processing unit at the Mohasa-Babai industrial estate in Hoshangabad of Narmada, his government is rolling out a red district. The proposed plant is just carpet to industrialists and thermal power eight km from river Narmada. Billed as the biggest Coca-Cola bottling companies to exploit the river water for their unit in India, the proposed plant will commercial use. require one million litre water per
gfiles inside the government 28 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com day, according to the State’s industry government’s hypocrisy on the save for their commercial use. At least 35 minister Rajendra Shukla. Narmada campaign is glaringly power plants are in the pipeline along On this day, the Narmada Sewa evident here. the Narmada, besides the nuclear Yatra (Narmada pilgrimage) will While the Chief Minister has been power plant in Chutka village in likely enter into the district with the exhorting the State’s people to save Mandla district. message to conserve each drop of each drop of Narmada, his govern- the holy river. The ‘Save Narmada’ ment is rolling out a red carpet to ARMADA Bachao Andolan campaign, christened as Namani Devi industrialists and thermal power (NBA) activist Medha Patkar Narmada, was flagged off by Chief companies to exploit the river water Nsays the Chouhan government Minister Chouhan on December 11 has no moral right to even talk about at Amarkantak, the river’s origin in saving Narmada. Anuppur district. The 144-day long Narmada conservationists “It is the government that has awareness campaign is Chouhan’s are highly sceptical of the ruined the river by permitting sand brainchild. Its stated objective is to Namani Devi Narmada mining and inviting industries and motivate people to conserve the river campaign. They allege the thermal projects near its banks,” she through incentivising afforestation alleges. NBA has been agitating to along the riverbed that stretches 1,077 campaign is a disingenuous save Narmada River since 1986 by km in Madhya Pradesh. Chouhan ploy of the Chief Minister to opposing construction of big dams fool the gullible devout of and industrial units on its banks. Narmada conservationists are The Namani Devi Narmada campaign is the river. The tone and tenor suffused with religious symbolisms such of the campaign thus far has highly sceptical of the Namani Devi as artis, puja and chanting of mantras to Narmada campaign. They allege the propitiate the river (left & below) proved the sceptics right campaign is a disingenuous ploy of
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the Chief Minister to fool the gulli- ble devout of the river. The tone and tenor of the campaign thus far has proved the sceptics right. From the start, the leitmotif of the Namami Devi Narmada has been sanctimonious invocation of the mother goddess. The campaign is suffused with religious symbolisms such as artis, puja and chanting of mantras to propitiate the river. Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and affiliate groups, along with assorted sadhus, are at its forefront. Water conservationists are conspicuous by their absence.
NVIRONMENTALISTS such as Ravi Chopra, Shripad EDharmadhikary Brij Gopal and Himanshu Thakkar, among others, not only rejected the State government’s offer to be associated with the Narmada pilgrimage but slammed the Chief Minister for allegedly working against conservation efforts for the Narmada. NBA was not even invited by the government in view of the organisation’s strong view on the CM’s alleged inaction over rampant sand mining on the Narmada riverbed in the western part Bhopal-based cleanliness at ghats, changing rooms of Madhya Pradesh. environmentalist Subhash for women and sewage system in the Stockholm Water Prize winner C Pandey says the cities so that pollutants don’t enter Rajendra Singh, known as the the river. The yatra will pass through ‘Waterman of India’, was one of the government’s plan to build 1,104 villages spread across 51 blocks few conservationists who partici- an eight-metre pathway on of 16 districts before its conclusion. pated in the Namami Devi Narmada Narmada besides planting According to the Chief Minister, he Seva Yatra. fruit-bearing trees on its conceived the idea last year when he “The campaign will face many saw the river’s flow having shrivelled challenges, which will be difficult banks will spell disaster during inauguration of a bridge in for the government to deal with. to the biodiversity Dindori district. Afforestation is For example, in Amarkantak itself, being planned up to one kilometre influential people have violated rules. and villagers would cover a distance deep on both banks. Farmers would Whether the government will be able of 1,900 km by foot, while the Chief be encouraged to plant fruit trees. to deal with them is the big question,” Minister has been participating in the They would be given a compensation he said. yatra in phases. of `20,000 per hectare till they start The Narmada Sewa Yatra would The yatra aims to ensure plantation earning from the trees on their land. end on May 11, 2017. Leaders, activists on the riverbank, toilet in each house, Bhopal-based environmentalist
gfiles inside the government 30 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been participating in the Namami Devi Narmada in various phases
to cover 30 towns of 50-km stretch. The State has so far received an assurance for a fund of 116 million US dollar from World Bank and 50 Million Euros from KfW Bank, Germany. The KfW is a German government-owned development bank based at Frankfurt. The cen- tral government would also fund 50 per cent of grant under Amrut (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) towns.
AMPANT sand mining over the years has rendered vast swathes Rof Narmada riverbed along the river’s 1,077 km long flow in Madhya Pradesh precariously perforated. It is common knowledge in the State where the river is revered as its lifeline. Therefore, any campaign to conserve and cleanse the holy Narmada was expected to address this big menace on top priority. However, the “Namami Devi Narmada’ has different priorities. “The government, with its various Subhash C Pandey says the govern- would not be able to do,” he says. moves, is trying to convert Narmada ment’s plan to build an eight-metre The State is arranging funds on into a lake. If the intrusion of pathway on Narmada besides plant- clean Narmada drive under National industrial corridors and mining is not ing fruit-bearing trees on its banks River Conservation Plan through its stopped, Narmada will soon vanish,” will spell disaster to the biodiversity. Urban Development department. The Medha Patkar says. “They plan to plant fruit-bearing plan envisages sewage management Patkar and other environmentalists trees in a lush wild forest, which in towns developed nearby Narmada have written a letter to the Union is an irrational thought. They will River and its tributaries. The plan Ministry of Environment, Forest and cut wild trees that help balance the also seeks to augment water supply in Climate Change to demand immediate ecosystem and plant smaller trees these towns. ban on sand mining. bearing lemons and pomegranates. As many as 54 towns are on The letter has highlighted the Then, these trees would require Narmada river bank and need nearly NBA’s dismay over the inaction pesticides and insecticides, which `1,350 crore for necessary sewerage or of Narmada Valley Development will again destruct the river water. waste management. The plan, which Authority (NVDA) and Narmada Any environment expert would know has yet to come out of the drawing Control Authority regarding massive that deep-rooted big wild trees are board, is to cover 24 towns developed illegal sand mining for the last 5 and necessary on river banks to prevent on a 10-km strip on the either side of more years. soil erosion, which fruit-bearing trees the river while the second phase was Union Water Resource Minister
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expertise. “We want to study how much sand quantum is being exca- vated, what is replenishing rate of the river and whether mining is affecting the river as a whole.”
LLEGAL sand mining on Narmada is reported on a regular basis. IExperts say sand mining has affected the river’s groundwater tables besides destroying habitat of biodiversity. At least half-a-dozen Narmada tributaries in the State have completely dried up due to rampant sand mining. Sand mining is a big political Uma Bharti is keeping her distance from issue in the State. Most sand mining Medha Patkar has been a vocal opponent the Save Narmada Yatra leases are with either BJP leaders of the Namami Devi Narmada
Uma Bharti, who was not invited to Rampant sand mining transporters in this corridor. They be part of the campaign, also says over the years has decide the price of sand in the State. that sand mining is the biggest threat It was involved in illegal mining in the to Narmada. rendered vast swathes Chief Minister’s constituency. “Reckless sand mining in the of Narmada riverbed Nobody knows about SCL’s Narmada has remained the biggest along the river’s 1,077 stakeholders. problem, but since Shivraj Singh km long flow in Madhya Before starting online auction Chouhan has given the assurance that process for sand mining in March he would put an end to sand mining in Pradesh precariously 2015, the State government released a this river, it will get protected in the perforated. It is common new policy to bring more areas under natural course,” she told newspersons knowledge in the State sand mining. After the policy was recently in Sehore. where the river is unveiled, sand mining area increased However, the Chief Minister’s from 5,206 hectares to 9,946 hectares apparent dilly-dallying on banning revered as its lifeline this year. State exempts sand mining sand mining belies Bharti’s optimism. from environmental clearance. The Chief Minister says he does or the contractors protected by Mining areas are not demarcated. not believe in framing more them. Chief Minister’s relatives too Therefore, mining far exceeds legislations to ensure protection of are facing allegations of extending the allotted area. A strong nexus the Narmada. political protection to rampant illegal between contractors, politicians Chouhan recently said in the State mining in his native Sehore district. and bureaucrats facilitates illegal Assembly that the State government The biggest mining company, the mining. It is rampant in the rivers will consult experts and environmen- Shiva Corporation Limited (SCL), Chambal, Narmada, Betwa and talists on whether there should be has hogged headlines from time- Ken. A network of criminals, known ban on sand mining in Narmada. to-time for alleged connection with as the sand mafia, is active on the “Such decisions can’t be taken in the Chief Minister and his relatives. Narmada riverbed and ravaging it haste like this.” The company’s near monopoly with heavy machines to loot sand Mineral Resources Department on sand mining has affected the and sells it to builders. Police officers Director VK Austin says studying the market. Bhopal-Indore corridor is and activists, who fought against impact of mining on Narmada will a construction hub and the SCL has the sand mafia, are either attacked take a lot of time and will require formed syndicates with builders and or threatened. g
gfiles inside the government 32 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com Do you have a strong opinion on an issue but no forum to air it?
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... about, for, of and by the powerhouse that runs the Indian growth engine
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 33 GOVERNANCE slogans seshadri chari It is the economy, no politics, stupid Elections over decades have been won piggyback riding on catchy slogans. And slogans that have caught the people’s fancy have been economic ones
HATEVER be the form of was revamping the economy in the phase of massive reforms in government, winning elec- backdrop of poverty, refugee influx, agriculture. While the Left movement Wtions and governance have joblessness, archaic agricultural considered land reforms as their largely depended on catchy slo- methods and lack of industry, not to exclusive prerogative, the Congress gans, especially the economic ones. speak of defence un-preparedness party used it an economic tool to Whoever said ‘man does not live by and total absence of tax/revenue move closer to the rural masses. So bread alone’ must be repenting how system. Even then, ironically, the only while the country was in transition, he went so wrong. From ‘workers of thing that tormented the then Prime there were two economies, the public the world unite’ in 1848 to ‘achhe din’ Minister was corruption, of all the sector creating huge job opportunities in 2014, slogans laced with a tinge of things. Since then, subsequent Prime and the agriculture, sustaining the economy and prospects of coins jin- Ministers have made fight against rural masses. All this resulted in gling in your pocket have enthused corruption their raison d’être for their neither growth nor capital formation. millions to choose a government or very existence on this universe and India became infamous as a country throw the unwanted ones out. occupy the most powerful hot seat. In free from British Raj but subservient A year before the 1992 US 1947, India adopted a made-in-India to licence-quota-permit Raj. Presidential election, 90 per cent variant of Keynesian economics, Then came the second phase of Americans approved George Bush’s aping much of what the USSR did or transition, once again politics piggy- job-creating economy. Bill Clinton’s said. Huge investments were made in back riding on economic slogan. campaign strategist, James Carville, public sector entities. Then came a Indira Gandhi’s experiments with re-hashed a phrase and coined a new socialism resulted in appropriating slogan “It’s the economy, stupid”. Whoever said ‘man does more of Left agenda like nationalisa- What was meant to be one of the three not live by bread alone’ tion of banks, doing away with the political agendas (the other two being must be repenting how he privy purse and bringing in draconian ‘Change vs more of the same’ and land ceiling laws. All this was encap- ‘Don’t forget health care’), turned out went wrong. From ‘workers sulated in a small two-word slogan, to be a winning slogan. In 2016 again, of the world unite’ in 1848 ‘Garibi Hatao’. most of the (stupid) Americans heard to ‘achhe din’ in 2014, Subsequent Prime Ministers and things like ‘need more job creation, slogans laced with a tinge finance ministers tinkered with the taxation is in a mess, interest rates idea of riding two horses, one that of need correction, house for all…..’ of economy and prospects socialism and the other that of encour- Sounds familiar to what we have of coins jingling in your aging private sector. Meanwhile, the been hearing since Independence in pocket have enthused proverbial fight against corruption India that is Bharat? Politics all over millions to choose a continued just as the stranglehold of the world has been in transition for- licence-quota-permit raj and the ever, piggyback riding on economics. government or throw the inspector raj. Indian economy’s travel India’s priority after Independence unwanted ones out and transition from Marxism to
gfiles inside the government 34 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com socialism and then to mixed Needless to say, like the much- headed by an economist ended up in economy continued. despised moneylenders in Indian corruption charges amounting to tril- With the advent of Mandir-Mandal cinema, these international financial lions, policy paralysis and fostering phase in politics, it was time for agencies extracted their pound of crony capitalism. So, with the next another economic slogan and flesh, coercing us to make radical phase of transition, another economic transition. The PV Narasimha Rao changes in our laws. The government slogan emerged, ‘Achhe Din’ (remind- government came up with slogans called it structural adjustments, the ed of happy days are here again?). like ‘Mixed Economy’ and ‘Look East’. economists said it was neo-liberalism, From Marx, Mao, Stalin, Keynes Clearly, the idea was to make a course but the politicians knew it was and Shining India we have seen correction and bring politics back to another transition. the transition like nobody’s business. the economic template. In 1990-1991, But that is what governance and India faced a huge balance of payment HE next two decades witnessed economics is all about. No? It’s crisis compelling the government to a flip-flop between soft socialism politics, stupid! g borrow heavily from international Tto hard capitalism, from empow- The author is Secretary General of Forum financial agencies like the World Bank ering the poor to encouraging entre- for Integrated National Security (FINS). and the IMF to overcome the crisis. preneurship. Finally, a government Email: [email protected]
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 35 GOVERNANCE judiciary amit khemka Incomplete judgment Cause for road accidents can be many, from badly designed roads to bad traffic management. Putting all the onus on drunk driving is thus erroneous
CCIDENTS are a common occurrencee onon thethe visible directly or indirectly from the highway roads of the country. There can alsoo be no for a distance of 500 metres. Adenial that a large number of them—to—to the These directions of the Supreme Court are extent of almost 80 per cent—are attributedd to the likely to impact business of thousands of liquor driver’s fault. As per the statistics incorporatedrated by shops, hotels, bars and restaurants which are in Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH),oRRTH), the vicinity of a highway and lakhs of others in its report titled ‘Road Accidents in Indiaa 2015’,2015’, who are dependent on these businesses for in almost 4-5 per cent of such cases the driversdrivers livelihood. I feel that the natural justice were found under the influence of drugs/alcohol.cohol. demanded that a hearing to these affected MoRTH, on the basis of statistics available,ailable, people was also given before any such thought that easy availability of liquor alongong the direction. A possibility should have been highways is one reason for the drivers to consumensume explored to find out if any middle path could alcohol and, therefore, it has issued numerousrous be found. In India, most small towns are advisories to the State governments to notot situated along the highways and the allow sale of alcohol/liquor within a distance limit of 500 metres may take the of 220m from middle of State or National Highways. The Union Government even pronounced ‘Model Policy for Alcoholic Beverages and Alcohol’, which also included the said prohibition. However, those parts of National or State Highways which were situated within the limits of municipal corporation/city/town/ authority having a population of 20,000 or more, were exempted from such prohibition. As these advisories were not being followed by the State governments and the central government did not possess power to force them to follow such advisories, certain PILs came before some High Courts and then before the Supreme Court. The apex court, in a recent judgment, directed that no licence for sale of liquor should be granted on National and State Highways and that there should be no exception with respect to the stretches of the highways passing through any city, town, etc. It further said, the liquor vends should not be
gfiles inside the government 36 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com whole town within its reach. In places like Goa, whether the design of the vehicle itself causes accidents or highways run through the city along the coastline not. It is common to see vehicles catching fire without any and almost every beach hotel would be covered. Most fault of the driver. Even though the cycles, tractors, motor good restaurants and hotels in towns are situated on cycles and bullock-carts ply in the same lane, we still don’t such highways. recognise that the biggest reason for accidents is defective The basis of such directions is the statistics provided by traffic management system and defective road design and MoRTH. These statistics may be questionable because conditions. We almost presume that in every such case of anyone having an idea of police investigation in our accident where the driver had consumed alcohol, it was country would know that while writing the FIR, every because of alcohol only the accident happened. The police officer would attribute the accident to the driver statistics provided by the MoRTH, obviously therefore, even before any evidence to that effect is found. Words can’t be the final word. like ‘Tej Raftari’ and ‘Negligence’ are very common. A negligible number is attributed in these reports to poor OWEVER, I don’t wish to contest the fact that no lighting, bad road conditions and stray animals. In fact, no one be allowed to drive after having consumed accidents are attributed to the bad designs of the roads Halcohol or drugs, whether it would cause an accident and road furniture—killer speed breakers, awkwardly and or not. The fact remains that alcohol kills, whether taken foolishly positioned barricades by police and civic while driving or otherwise. Even chewed tobacco, which authorities—or to the defective design of the vehicle itself. is available everywhere, causes enough intoxication. I will In the sixties, an activist lawyer named Ralf Nader had have no quarrel if the State wants to ban alcohol, cigarettes forced the US government to bring a legislation which and tobacco per se? These substances cause a lot of stress recognised for the first time that the defective design of on the resources of the country. But, can we be selective? the vehicles involved could also be one of the causes of Question, therefore, can only be, how to deter road accidents. India is still waiting for such a realisation, consumption of alcohol while driving? The only reason even though we have large number of ‘jugad’ vehicles given by the Supreme Court is that liquor vends on plying even on highways and there are no laws to examine highways present a potent source for easy availability of alcohol. The point which has been missed by the court is that even if a liquor shop is shifted 500 metres away from highways, it is not likely to make any difference. These drivers are not kids that if we keep the chocolates in a locked almirah, they will not have them. They will find ways to get it? They will stock it even before starting the journey or will take a detour to fetch the drinks? They might shift to substances like cannabis or chewed tobacco. At one place in the judgment itself, the Supreme Court has noted, “we are conscious of fact that the policy of the central government may not eliminate drunken driving completely. A driver of a motor vehicle can acquire liquor even before the commencement of a journey or during a journey at a place other than a National Highway. The law on preventing drunken driving also requires proper enforcement”. This observation shows there is no nexus between a driver operating under the influence of liquor and location of its vendor. Any such judgment must be pronounced only after hearing all the affected parties. In places like Gurugram, virtually half the hotels will have to close. Will no motel in the country now serve liquor? Either we must totally ban these substances, or we cannot be selective. g The writer is a practicing Senior Lawyer in Delhi High Court
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 37 GLOBE SCAN diplomacy relations Global power shift With the election of Donald Trump as US President, 2017 is set to see disruption in the global power architecture by MK SHUKLA Russian entities, including the two Moscow is seen trying to delegitimise primary security services the Federal the outgoing US administration and HE global power architecture in Security Service (FSB) and the Main increase pressure on President-elect 2017 may see a significant evolu- Military Directorate (GRU). The US Donald Trump. Moscow intimated it Ttion. Three things will trigger this also ejected 35 Russians from its soil. would retaliate against US sanctions evolution: entry of Donald Trump in This move was backed by a fairly and ejections with similar moves. the White House, increasing coopera- united Congress despite it being an However, in a classic Russian move, tion between Russia and Japan and executive decision. President Vladimir Putin announced the growing European disenchant- The measures do not directly impact on December 30 that he would ment with multiculturalism—a post- Russian interests as Moscow can shift not respond until Trump entered WWII ism that facilitated the flow of assets and tactics to target the US. the office. migrant workers from Muslim North Instead, it is intended to signal pub- Trump’s entry will also define Africa and West Asia into Europe and licly that the US will not tolerate overt the way Russia and Japan negotiate America for industrial reconstruction interference in its internal affairs. their way to a formal peace treaty of war-ravaged Europe. Even before being elected, Trump had indicated that he would reset the USA relationship with the Russian Federation. A more than a decade of mutual meddling in Ukraine, which acts as a buffer between the European Union (EU) and Russia, has badly soured the US-Russia relationship. In 2014, in retaliation for the US-EU backing of pro-Western Ukraine gov- ernment, Russia occupied Crimea and has since been targeting vital US interests, including allegedly interfer- ing with its presidential election. The relationship has deteriorat- ed so much that in the last week of December, the outgoing administra- tion of US President Barack Obama announced a new series of punitive measures against Russia in retalia- tion for allegedly hacking to reshape the 2016 US presidential elections. Washington placed sanctions on five Russian individuals and four
gfiles inside the government 38 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com that has not been signed between the day visit to Japan and committed to in Tokyo and refusal to accept an two countries ever since the end of continue further talks on economic Akita dog gift might have upset his WWII. The dispute over what Russia cooperation and a territory dispute. Japanese host, but they might have calls the southern Kurile Islands and “We should not be bound by past been as well meant more for signal- Japan calls the Northern Territories negotiations,” Abe said at the joint ing to China that he isn’t upstaging has prevented Japan and Russia from news conference at which he repeat- them—not yet. signing a peace treaty ending World edly referred to Putin by his first While the optics of Putin-Abe War II. name, striking an unusual note in meeting might not have impressed In the absence of a formal peace formal Japan. “It is necessary to draw the Japanese or the Russians, the fact treaty, the two nations are techni- a new blueprint for the four north- that they have initiated measures to cally still at war. Nevertheless, geo- ern islands in which Japanese and step up their cooperation paves the political compulsion of containing an Russian people can live together and way for the future course of action, aggressive China, that covertly eyes to build a win-win relationship.” which, in large measure, would usurp Siberia from Russia some day The unsigned peace treaty, Putin depend on Trump’s East Asia policy. and which lays claim to some of the added, “is a negative legacy from the Japanese islands in East Pacific, apart past.” With Abe’s proposals for joint RUMP would also set the course from claiming rights over the whole of economic development on the four of migration from West Asia South China Sea (SCS), is increasingly islands, he said, “we were able to Tinto Europe and America. By setting Moscow and Tokyo into a path simply resorting to the strong vetting of full-fledged economic cooperation. Even as Putin seeks out of migrants from Muslim Asia and On December 16, Putin and Prime Japan’s superior Africa, he would signal to Europe Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan held a technology for what needs to be done to cope with joint press conference in Tokyo on development of Eastern the increasing incidence of Islamist the conclusion of the former’s two- obscenity on the European soil. May Russia, he is keeping cards it be noted that Europe, following the close to his chest in an Berlin truck ramming in the middle apparent attempt at not of December that killed more than a annoying China dozen and wounded over a hundred, has for the first time in history not deepen our mutual trust before we been able to celebrate Christmas sign a peace treaty.” and New Year they did for centuries. The upshot of the meeting was Indeed, Europe is increasingly turning the setting up of an investment fund sick at its own multiculturalism and for projects in Russia of 100 bil- secularism which are only fueling the lion yen, about $845 million, by the crisis caused by an acute slowdown in Russian Direct Investment Fund and economic activities. the Japan Bank for International The migrant policy of the West will Cooperation, which is controlled by define its future relationship with the the Japanese government. Arab world. Despite political and Even as he seeks out Japan’s supe- ideological differences with Islamist rior technology and fund for the Arab theocracies and monarchies, development of Eastern Russia, Putin the West have preferred cohabitation is keeping his cards close to his chest over confrontation so far. But all of in an apparent attempt at not annoy- this may change in New Year as ing China. Moscow and Beijing need countries from Germany to France each other to balance the US and to Netherlands veer to the right of its allies. In the past, Washington the political spectrum and unleash exploited Beijing’s fears to pitch it a new wave of power equations in against Russia. Putin’s tardy arrival the world. g
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 39 FIRST STIRRINGS sudha pillai
Golden Girl Sudha Pillai decided to be a civil servant when she was just eight years old. She fulfilled her dream by bagging second position all over India in 1972.
OR Sudha Pillai, the for- also gave Sudha Khanna inspiration Since the Shimla girl was yet to mer Member Secretary of the to be a civil servant. “There I decided be of 21 years (she was born on May FPlanning Commission, the inspi- to be an IAS,” she recollects, with the 1, 1950, in Shimla; family migrated ration to join the civil services came incident still etched in her memory. to Chandigarh when she was a kid), quite early in life—in fact, when she For the daughter of civil servant and the requisite age for appearing in the was not even ten years of age. author Rattan Lal Khanna and Vidya civil services, she taught for a while in Sudha Khanna (Pillai after mar- Khanna, Vice-Principal of Portmore the Government College for Women, riage) met Sarla Grewal, India’s sec- School, Shimla, there were no second Chandigarh, where she had earned ond woman IAS officer, when she was thoughts. Sudha nursed her dream her graduation from. barely eight-year-old. Grewal, then through the school and the college In 1971, she appeared for the civil Director of Public Instruction (com- where, more often than not, she either services and bagged second position monly known as DPI), had come for got the first rank, or was a gold med- all over India when the result was an annual day function in her Senior alist, or got double promotions. She announced next year. The result was Modern School, Chandigarh. She topped the Punjab University, first a kind of birthday gift for her. “While handed over the prize—The Hungry in BA (Honours) in 1968 and then casually listening to news at 9 pm on Strones, a book by Rabindranath in MA (Psychology) two years later radio on my 22nd birthday, I heard my Tagore—to her. and was a recipient of gold medal on name among the toppers as the can- With the prize, it seems, Grewal both occasions. didate who stood second in the batch.
gfiles inside the government 40 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com I honestly thought it was a namesake. This was the first time that she had banning granite blasting near an ISRO Getting a rank in IAS was beyond my seen a body. She was asked to con- (Indian Space Research Organisation) wildest dreams as my subjects were duct in an inquest into the death. She station, a decision which angered not very scoring as such. But my completed the inquest form on the many people and resonated in the family disagreed and listened to the same day. entire State. She was cleared after the news in every language,” she recalls. then State Revenue Minister conduct- On July 15, 1972, she entered the Lal UT the next day, Kumaran ed an on-the-spot inspection of the Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Ansari, a clerk in the SDM’s site to see whether the banning was Administration, Mussoorie, and was Bcourt, realised that the inquest warranted. “Sometime around July, allotted the Punjab cadre. did not have signatures of panchay- I was informed that granite blasting A year later, when still at the atdars, what she calls a procedural was going on in Thumba, very close academy, Sudha Khanna married nicety of Criminal Procedure Code to where the rocket fuel was stored her batchmate, Kerala cadre officer (CrPC) and the Evidence Act. This and that a major disaster was almost Gopal Krishna Pillai. Since the two was an important learning. “Ansari a certainty. A large number of workers came from two different areas of was a big teacher. None of my court were on the site—breaking large rocks India—she from Chandigarh and he cases got overturned,” she recollects, obtained through blasting, into small from Kerala—her father had appre- expressing her debt to the court clerk. pieces. Their lives were in danger. hensions about the match. “Since he In Trivandrum, she later served I inspected the site and prohibited came from a far-off place, father was as a District Collector also. Here she blasting. The very next day, a crowd apprehensive and came to Mussoorie exhibited great moral courage in collected outside the Collectorate, to meet him,” she reminisces. They noisily protesting the decision. I met came down to Dehradun to tie the As Trivandrum District delegations and tried to convince knot. Only one of their batchmates, Collector, Pillai exhibited them. Finally, the matter went up to PK Shivanandan, attended the mar- the Revenue Minister, who decided riage. They went back to studies great moral courage in to conduct a site inspection. I accom- immediately after the wedding. banning granite blasting panied the Minister but hung back in In 1974, she got her cadre shifted near an ISRO station, a the group so as not to influence his from Punjab to Kerala. In the same decision which angered thinking. At the end of the inspection, year, she got her first posting as the Revenue Minister supported my Sub Collector in Trivandrum (now many people order. Demonstrations and slogans Thiruvananthapuram). The memo- ries of the day are still fresh in her mind as if it was yesterday. She felt like a five-year-old. “My father-in-law (VK Balakrishna Pillai) drove me to the Collectorate after checking the auspicious time for joining and we walked up to the Collector’s chamber,” she remem- bers. It was a day so full of events that by the end of it, she felt like she had grown double ‘my age’. “The events of the day were abnor- mal, to the say the least—a Maoist storming of the palace grounds where the erstwhile Maharaja of Travancore resided, students’ unrest in a college 20 kms away and death of a young man in police custody,” she recounts.
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 41 FIRST STIRRINGS sudha pillai ceased and we saw to it that those ren- islative assembly from the very min- dered jobless were adjusted at other ister “who wanted me to take steps less dangerous sites by other employ- which were illegal and dangerous”. ers,” she recalls. From 2001 to 2004, she was In March 1977, she got to a meet Principal Secretary (Finance) in C Achutha Menon, the communist the State. Subsequently, she once stalwart who served as Kerala Chief again got transferred to Delhi on Minister twice. She was asked to deputation as Additional Secretary place before Menon a speech of the (Panchayati Raj). In later years, she Governor she had drafted for the played a significant role in enact- inaugural session of the State assem- ment of Unorganised Workers’ Social bly. She draws a parallel between Security Law, 2008, implementation Menon and BN Yugandhar, the head of Bundelkhand package announced of the LBSNAA, during her probation In 1991, when PV by Manmohan Singh-led United period. “If in the Academy, we were Narasimha Rao government Progressive Alliance government and influenced by the idealism of Mr BN launched the liberalisation implementation of Integrated Action Yugandhar, in the Kerala cadre we Plan for naxal-affected districts in had the good fortune to have a CM of drive, Pillai came to Delhi. 2010-2012. During this central stint, the moral and administrative statue She made a large she was part of a committee which of Achutha Menon,” she says. contribution to the inquired into the oil-for-food scam A decade later, when Pillai was amendments to the where former Union Minister Natwar serving as Collector in Trivandrum, Singh’s name had propped up. she had to take on prominent commu- Monopolies and Restrictive She had a major role in the intro- nist leader, Varkala Radhakrishna, Trade Practices Act as Joint duction of the Rashtriya Swasthya who was also the Kerala assembly Secretary, Industry Bima Yojana (RSBY) which entailed speaker then. It so happened that on assured sum of Rs 30,000 to a poor account of two successive draughts Industry and Company Affairs as the family on the payment of Rs 30 annu- in the city, there was extreme pres- best years of her career. “The heady ally. The scheme is in the process of sure on water supply. She got to excitement of processing this game- being redrawn presently. know Radhakrishna’s followers changing amendment to the MRTP At the age of 35, Sudha Pillai com- were hijacking water tankers. She law and the intellectual joy of exam- pleted her Masters degree in Public stopped sending more tankers there. ining about 800 recommendations Administration from Kennedy School Radhakrishna, she recounts, was nice and interacting with brilliant people of Government at Harvard University and understood her position. for modernising corporate law made in the United States of America. She In 1991, when PV Narasimha the latter half of 1991 and 1992 among credits the fellowship for having Rao government launched the great the best years of my professional life,” taught her that those ‘who need you liberalisation drive, Pillai came to she says. are not able to come to you’. Delhi. She made a large contribution In 2009, Pillai was a contender for to amendments to the Monopolies HE claims she never succumbed becoming the first woman cabinet and Restrictive Trade Practices Act to ‘requests, orders and even secretary of India, but then incum- (1968) as Joint Secretary (Industry). Sveiled threats’ after returning to bent KM Chandrasekhar was given an The amendment, she claims, ‘by an home cadre in 1993 due to the value extension. She instead was appointed Ordinance in August 1991...removed system of her early years, blunt and Member Secretary in the Planning the suffocating business environment clear advice of the Law Secretary Commission. She does not hide her for the best of our corporates who and the unequivocal support of Chief disappointment on having missed could not expand capacity or diversi- Secretary K Rabindran Nair and Chief the top administrative post. “It would fy without ‘MRTP Clearance’ from the Minister K Karunakaran. During this have been nice (had I become the Department of Company Affairs. She period, to her embarrassment, she CS),” she signs off. g terms the two years she spent in the once overheard her praise in the leg- As told to Narendra Kaushik
gfiles inside the government 42 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 43 BOOK REVIEW non-fiction society by DEVENDER SINGH
Challenges of old age care
HE sinister shadow of urbani- deprived, neglected, abused and sation, industrialisation, and abandoned elders whose number Tatomisation of families has continues to swell, suffer unattended not only deprived the elders of the from serious geriatric health and societal reverence, traditional fam- cognitive disorders. Many senior ily love and care but they are being citizens suffer from the most com- increasingly neglected and abused. mon form of dementia—Alzheimer’s The problem would exacerbate and disease, a silent tormentor. reach gargantuan proportion with the Old age, promised as ‘the best of growing size of elderly population, yet to be portion of life, the last of which was 20 million in 1951, 57 mil- OLIHIRUZKLFKWKH¿UVWZDVPDGH¶LV lion in 1991, 104 million in 2012 and being viewed today, at best, a poetic would be over 300 million by the year fantasy, an ideal state of some hoary 2050. While successive governments Title: Walking into Twilight with past when elders were venerated and have devoted greater part of their fo- Dignity: Need for a Legal Frame for considered a fount of wisdom. To cus on shelter, food and healthcare, Geriatric Care wit, despite scriptural injunction that Author: Bhartruhari Mahtab especially maternal and child health, Publisher: Orange Books International ‘an assembly is incomplete without the healthcare of the aged contin- Price: `425 elders’ and the promised multiple ues in a state of terrible neglect. The EHQH¿WVWKDWÀRZIURPWKHVHUYLFHRI
gfiles inside the government 44 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com the elders, the condition of elders is by private MPs, (surprisingly all MPs if not attended to in time, aggravate aggravating due to a host of factors. other than Ministers are considered leading to more acute and irreversible Worse, the condition of aged women, ‘private’ under Rules of Procedure conditions. who live longer and alone abandoned of Parliament), the Bill was talked India is in a phase of rapid demo- by their families, is all the more out. But undaunted, given his graphic transition. By the year 2050, painful. Extremely concerned with XQÀLQFKLQJ FRPPLWPHQW WR DGGUHVV the number of aged persons would the increasingly unbearable plight of the mounting problems of the aged rise to about 324 million. This is a elders, Bhartruhari Mahtab brought and his indefatigable resolve, Mahtab clear pointer that the much acclaimed a legislative proposal in the Lok took upon himself, despite his awful youthful demographic bulge of India Sabha by piloting the Senior Citizens legislative preoccupation (as he would be replaced in a decade or so by (Provisions of Geriatric and Dementia attends the House regularly and bald-wrinkled-ailing Indians, leading Care) Bill, 2014 which generated participates in almost all the debates), to a serious public health crisis. With tremendous interest cutting across to document the appalling conditions increased life expectancy, disinte- political fences. of elders in India—the unbearable JUDWLRQ RI IDPLOLHV HURVLRQ LQ ¿OLDO As is the fate of Bills introduced agony of the abused aged persons, ties and lack of professional geriatric neglected both by the families and healthcare, the aged become vulner- Lok Sabha Speaker, Smt. Sumitra the state. able to a whole array of diseases and Mahajan, releasing the book titled The result is his book, Walking DJHLQGXFHGLQ¿UPLWLHV ‘Walking into Twilight with Dignity : into Twilight with Dignity, recently 0DKWDE D ¿YHWHUP FRQVHFXWLYHO\ Need for a Legal Frame for Geriatric released by Lok Sabha Speaker elected member of Parliament, Care’, authored by veteran Sumitra Mahajan. Besides, Mahtab rightly forewarns and cautions that Parliamentarian Bhartruhari Mahtab, Chairperson, Railway Convention has made an in depth comparative the Indian healthcare system needs Committee, in Parliament Library study and analysis of the obtaining drastic reorientation while stressing Building on December 14, 2016. healthcare system in the US, the importance of family and society Canada, major countries of Europe, in the care of the aged. Considered Australia, Japan and the some of the an outstanding legislator by many, neighbouring countries. Mahtab advocates wholesale reforms through state intervention by erecting HOUGH the Indian scriptures DVRXQGOHJDODQG¿QDQFLDOIUDPHZRUN eloquently refer to the manifold and a robust healthcare system well TEHQH¿WV WKDW DFFUXH WR VRFLHW\ designed and equipped to address by venerating elders, there is geriatric disorders so that when the increasing neglect with recurrent children of today become aged, they instances of abuse of elders, some OHDG D OLIH RI VHFXUH DQG GLJQL¿HG reported while many suffer in isolated existence in their twilight years. silence. Responding to a PIL, the It must be realised, as Prof. Saugata Supreme Court in April 2016 Roy, participating in the debate on the directed the GoI to prepare a road subject in Lok Sabha said, ‘the world map providing to the senior citizens is also for the aged people... the vice (10.38crore) basic amenities like of the modern chattering class is that shelter, food and healthcare. they do not look after their parents’. Senior citizens suffer from many The care of the aged is not only a geriatric disorders and the author responsibility of the government citing empirical studies, writes that but also of society as a whole and, Alzheimer’s is the most common therefore, needs to be addressed form of dementia that affects a large collectively, comprehensively and in section of population in India and a sustained manner. g around the world. Geriatric diseases The author is Additional Secretary, and disorders too have stages, which Lok Sabha.
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Janardan Thakur started Mr. India his career in journalism with the nationalist Patna daily, The International Searchlight, in December 1959. In his long and HE curtain rose on yet another succession drama, distinguished career with Mulayam Singh Yadav again struggling to become the Prime Minister. This time he had the spanning the reign of T vocal support from Harkishen Singh Surjeet and Jyoti each Prime Minister Basu, with whom he had several meetings in Banga since Independence, Bhawan. But ranged against Yadav was the other Yadav, Thakur reported from Laloo, who fancied himself as the real king-maker. Last the thick of some of the time it was Mulayam who had stopped him from becoming most momentous Prime Minister, this time he would stop Mulayam. Laloo contemporary events at home and afar—JP’s had by now lost favour among the Communists because of ‘total revolution’, the Emergency, the bristling the fodder scam in Bihar, but there were others he could emergence of Sanjay Gandhi, the fall and rise of lobby with. At one stage Laloo told Chandrababu Naidu to Indira Gandhi and then the rise and fall of Rajiv, take the job. But Naidu, aware that years were on his side, the Kremlin of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, the Soviet and that any arrangement would be short-lived and invasion of Afghanistan and Khomeini’s revolution tainted, was quick to refuse. in Iran, Ronald Reagan’s re-election in an America Laloo had forged ahead in his bid to keep out Mulayam swinging Right, VP Singh’s ascent as a messiah and make his own man the Prime Minister. He proposed with tainted magic and the rasping run to power the name of Inder Kumar Gujral, who had been nowhere of the BJP. Thakur’s journalism, from the very in the reckoning, quite like Gowda before him. Laloo had start, broke traditional moulds of reportage and sent him to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, through the writing, going beyond the story that meets the fraudulent manoeuvre of renting a couple of rooms in eye and into processes and personalities that Patna and putting up Gujral’s nameplate on the door to made them happen. His stories on the Bihar prove his domicile in the state, a rule that was being touted famine of the mid-1960s and the manmade floods by principled politicians all the time. Gujral had the image that ravaged the State were a sensation. He was of being a suave, sophisticated and principled politician, perhaps alone in predicting defeat for Indira but there is nothing to show that he had suffered from any Gandhi in 1977 and again singular in exposing the twinge of conscience entering into a dishonest compact corroded innards of the Janata Government that with Laloo to get into Parliament. Having compromised followed. A Jefferson Fellow at the East-West himself at the very start, he could hardly have the moral Center, Hawaii, in 1971, Thakur moved to New fibre to stand up to Laloo. And indeed Laloo had always Delhi as a Special Correspondent for the Ananda treated him as one of the creatures of his political stable. Bazar Patrika group of publications in 1976. He Gujral, in fact, had contested the countermanded Lok went freelance in 1980 and turned syndicated Sabha election from Patna. Laloo had campaigned hard columnist. In 1989-91, he was Editor of the calling Gujral a gujar — Parha likha Gujar ko Gujral kaha fortnightly Onlooker, and The Free Press Journal. jata hai (An educated gujar is called Gujral). Thakur authored All The Prime Minister’s Men, Gujral suited Laloo: the man was indebted to him, he probably the most successful of the crop of books was a political nobody, a namby-pamby intellectual who that followed the Emergency. His All the Janata would dance to his tune. Laloo drove to his friend Sharad Men, the story of the men who destroyed the first Yadav’s house and consulted him. Mulayam Singh had to non-Congress government in New Delhi, was be stopped from getting the prime ministership. Sharad equally successful. Yadav quickly agreed. Laloo then called up Gujral at his He passed away on July 12, 1999. Maharani Bagh residence. The would-be Prime Minister was sleeping. Laloo had him woken up and told him: Jaldi
gfiles inside the government 46 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com se taiyar ho-kar Sharad ke ghar par aa jaiye. Main gari tions, and a big show of resistance, the United Front had bhej raha hun. Aapko PM ban-na hain (Get ready fast and capitulated to the 138-member Congress by changing its rush to Sharad Yadav’s house. I am sending a car. You have leader. Though they were laughing, they all knew that they to become the Prime Minister).” Meanwhile, Laloo also were puppets in the hands of the wily Kesri, who himself called up Chandrababu Naidu and told him Gujral would was a marionette dancing to the tune from 10 Janpath. be an ideal consensus man. Time was running out for the Gujral’s installation had solved none of the problems United Front; Kesri was keeping up the pressure. that had led to the sudden departure of Deve Gowda. The Everybody agreed. That afternoon, Gujral was driven into Front now seemed even more ‘untied’ than before. The Andhra Bhawan, fresh from his siesta in a blue safari, to be bigwigs of the Congress were hugging Gujral and assuring anointed Prime Minister. him they would not pull him down, but nobody could The circumstances of Gujral’s accession to the leadership wager that their lust for power would not get the better of of the ragtag United Front and eventually to prime them. Without power, Congressmen were like fish without ministership were not very different from the murky water, which made most people conclude that they would palace intrigues and conspiracies that either take the first chance to sneak into the littered the dying years of the Mughal era Gujral government or if that did not work, with a succession of nondescript, ineffectual pull down the carpet again, never mind the and often profligate rulers who strutted their assurances they gave to President Shankar hour upon the stage. Dayal Sharma. He was not even going to be None of the latter day nobles of Dilli in the Rashtrapati Bhawan after a few Durbar — Sitaram Kesri, Laloo Yadav, months. The Bharatiya Janata Party was Mulayam Singh Yadav, the satraps from the obviously gaining because of the mess cre- South, Chandrababu Naidu, Moopanar and ated jointly by the Congress and the United Karunanidhi, Marxist Chanakya, Harkishen Front. What had forced them was actually Singh Surjeet — actually wanted Gujral for the fear that in the event of a snap poll, the the top job. But the problem was they wanted BJP might capture power at the Centre. They each other even less. Each was out to had little choice but to cobble a government. undercut the other and so fierce was the opposition to each other that they had to pick UJRAL had lived through half a someone who was out of the fray. Gujral had been a fairly century of politics, without making good diplomat and had long experience as minister with Gmuch impression, except for being various portfolios over the years. His problem, which the toast of Punjabi high society, where he was considered actually turned out to be his asset, was that he had no a successful negotiator and diplomat. He had started as a political roots. Gujral was acceptable across the political communist student worker in Lahore, become a member spectrum because he was so easy to pull down. As one of the CPI, but after Partition, he moved first to Jalandhar observer put it, ‘in a kingdom without kings, kingship is and then to New Delhi where he became a building often thrust upon the man without a kingdom.’ contractor. His intellectual disenchantment with the As Inder Kumar Gujral was thrust closer and closer to Soviet Union came in the early 1950s, after which he the top job in the swirl of political confusion, he could not turned to the Congress. He had started dabbling in the have been burdened by the conviction that he belonged to politics of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, and got the latter category. It was not, after all, any great ground- elected as its vice-president. Most of his time in those days swell of support that was pushing him to the troubled sum- were spent in the Connaught Circus India Coffee House, mit. It was in fact his lack of political clout, his relatively with a circle of pseudo-intellectuals. His painter brother, low political profile and above all his innocuous persona Satish Gujral, was part of Indira Gandhi’s arty circle, and that brought him the job. He was installed largely because it was through him that Inder had got close to her.. “While no political party, perhaps not even the BJP, had the I drew her (Indira), Inder chatted with her. It was the courage to go to the people at this point. beginning of a long relationship,” said Satish. April 21, 1997 : Sitaram Kesri, the king maker, wore a Later, Gujral became part of the ‘back-benchers’ club’ in big smile at Rashtrapati Bhawan as Gujral was sworn in as Rajya Sabha. He was one of the ‘three wise men’ who had Prime Minister. After 20 days of parleys and confabula- gone to persuade Indira Gandhi to become the Prime
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Minister after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the other PM’s house, he checked up with his office and found that two being journalist Romesh Thapar and Dinesh Singh. it was not the BBC but the Pakistani news broadcast which The first day she was unwilling, but the next morning, over had made offensive remarks. He rang up the Prime breakfast, she had allowed herself to be persuaded. Gujral Minister and explained to her that it was impossible to do had drafted a declaration saying she was a contender for anything about the Pakistani TV programmes. She under- the Prime Minister’s post. The reward for all this was first, stood, and calmed down. the post of minister of state and then a cabinet job, with When Gujral reached 1 Safdarjang Road, the first the portfolio of Information and Broadcasting, which encounter was with Sanjay. “You don’t seem to know how Indira had herself held during Shastri’s time. During the to control your ministry,” he said mockingly. “You can’t Congress split of 1969, Gujral played a vital role in building even tell them how to put out the news?” up the media campaign in her favour. “Look, I am equally concerned,” said Gujral, “but I don’t But then came Sanjay Gandhi, and Gujral failed to have to give an explanation to you.” Saying this he went in understand the change of equations that had taken place to meet the Prime Minister. in the Gandhi court. Gujral was one of the first victims of the Emergency. Sanjay Gandhi was convinced that Gujral HE looked irritated. She again raised the complaint was too soft and ineffective to hammer sense into the on the BBC broadcast. Gujral said he had double Schecked and found nothing objectionable in it. Irritatedly she said, “No, no, you leave it Now we have gone into Emergency. This is not a normal situation. We want someone who can deal with the media with a stern hand. Vidya (VC Shukla) would be the right man in the new situation.” Gujral began saying “You are the Prime...” but was cut short. “You hand over your charge tomorrow. She had picked up one of the telephones, which was one of her indi- cations that the audience was over. Gujral told his wife that night that they would go for a month’s holiday, but the next morning, he got a call from irreverent media. Gujral had not considered it necessary to the Prime Minister: “I have decided you should go to the pay court to Sanjay as most of the other ministers did. Planning Ministry.” Sanjay often described him as a “mere drawing room con- Sometime later, Gujral was sent off to Moscow as versationalist” and was constantly pushing his mother to ambassador. There he grew his Bulganin beard, and get an I&B minister with teeth. Mohammed Yunus, one of became almost a side-kick of Foreign Minister Gromyko’s the leading courtiers of Indira, and several other hangers- secretariat. When the Janata Party government came, the on had also started creating an atmosphere against Gujral. new Foreign Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, decided to “He is not using the media for you,” they often told Indira retain Gujral in Moscow. The new government was eager Gandhi. They told her he himself was appearing too often to show that it was not as anti-Soviet as some had tried to on the television and was building his image. make out. Gujral was a mild and innocuous man who had The anti-Gujral lobby got a big handle against him the no difficulty shifting his loyalties from Indira to Vajpayee. day the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the By the time VP Singh came to power, the fellow traveller Allahabad High Court judgment against Mrs Gandhi. Gujral had shifted compartments again and was quite While the English news bulletin of the AIR had led by say- happy to become the Raja’s Minister for External Affairs. ing that the Supreme Court had upheld the continuance of He was more like a foreign office diplomat for whom it did Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister, the Hindi bulletin not matter who was the boss happened to be. And by had highlighted the riders to the stay order. Mohammed temperament he remained that way even after becoming Yunus telephoned Gujral and complained that the BBC the Prime Minister. He was always more himself had carried ‘blasphemous’ news on India. Then came the participating in rambling academic discussions on the call from Indira’s Man Friday RK Dhawan. “The Prime nuances of foreign policy. Minister wants to see you at once.” Before going to the Gujral was not cut out for the rough and tumble of the
gfiles inside the government 48 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com present-day politics. Managing contradictions was beyond famous lines of Yeats sounded more meaningful: ‘Things him. The ‘Saturday Club’ at the elitist India International fall apart, the Centre cannot hold...” The Prime Minister Centre where a select group of Delhi’s ‘top brains’ and said it was not his intention to use Article 356. He hated dilettantes gathered for pow-wows on international corruption, but how could he hate his own mentor? He just relations, ‘politics with a human face’ and other high- dithered. A wonderful opportunity for his detractors to falutin’ topics, was more his cup of tea than the mess he launch an offensive against a hollow and spineless man had been hurled into. His tastes were more akin to the who had become the Prime Minister. Nobody even knew politics of Indira Gandhi’s ‘kitchen cabinet’ in the late where Gujral stood in relation to the split Janata Dal: Was 1960s. Not that he would have liked his new friends and he with the JD or with the new Laloo outfit, the Rashtriya companions to have remembered his old background. Janata Dal? Gujral had been booed and jeered at a There were many things in his past which he would have meeting of the Janata Dal national executive, and one had liked to be forgotten: the fact that ‘committed bureaucracy’ watched the pathetic plight of the country’s Prime Minister and ‘committed judiciary’ were ideas which were cooked in walking out of his own party’s meeting in utter ignominy. the ‘kitchen cabinet’ of which he was a member; or the fact, There was almost a parallel government being run by from a more recent time, that the Lok the UF Steering Committee. Gowda, Sabha elections (1991) in Patna, where who had gone out of office full of pique he was the candidate, had been against Gujral and his mentor, Sitaram countermanded by TN Seshan because Kesri, had joined hands with the Marxist of shameless rigging by Laloo’s goons. leader, Harkishen Singh Surjeet who When Gujral was suddenly chosen to was himself angry: the high pedestal he be the UF Prime Minister, it was a had occupied during the previous gov- pleasant surprise to the liberal educated ernment had been taken over by the types in the country which had Congress President. Gowda had become considered Gowda too dowdy and Gujral’s biggest gadfly. He had even unimpressive to be the country’s Prime made friends with the new Janata Dal Minister. Even if he had been much president, Sharad Yadav, who too had better at the job than he was, it would turned against his political mentor, have made little difference to this Laloo Yadav. All of them were now pro- segment of Indian society. He was not jecting the Prime Minister as a crony of cut out for the TV age into which the Laloo Yadav and Sitaram Kesri, and country had passed. they were succeeding. Gujral himself was surprised to find himself the coun- try’s Prime Minister. One of the first statements he made EVER before had the prestige of any Prime Minister after becoming the Prime Minister was that the moment touched such a low. Gowda had at least managed to things became inconvenient for him, he would quit the job. Nmaintain a semblance of unity in the 14-party It did not take long before things did become inconven- United Front; Gujral had turned the combine into a joke. ient, but he sat pretty like any other politician with a thick Worse still was the total collapse of structured government hide. He was making compromises all the time, because in the country. that was just the reason why he had been picked for the Even after the JD had split and the United Front had job: as a man who would have no problem giving in to any- refused to have anything to do with the RJD, Gujral did not thing for the sake of the post. All the problems that Gowda have the courage to drop Laloo’s men from his ministry. had faced remained as they were. He was just drifting with the current, making a farce of his Gujral’s moment of truth came when the fodder man got assertions that he would rather quit than make any into hot water and landed up in jail. When the Janata Dal compromises. Barring Devendra Prasad Yadav, Gujral broke up in Bihar and Laloo Prasad Yadav anointed his retained the same council of ministers as Gowda. So weak wife, Rabri Devi as his successor, the Prime Minister just was he as Prime Minister, he could not have one man of his looked on as a mute spectator. At that point when Laloo own, could not alter one portfolio. And even though he was was making a mockery of the Indian polity there was virtu- now Prime Minister, he remained largely external affairs ally no government at the Centre. Never before had those minister of the country, working all the time on his
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 49 BOOK EXTRACT prime ministers ik gujral so-called Gujral Doctrine. But his weakness was apparent days of the Mughal empire. Such was his stature that the even there. Within days of appointing Bhabani Sengupta United Front did not even bother to use his reign as a foreign policy adviser in the PMO, he had to sack him campaign issue. Nor did Gujral figure in the election as a under pressure from South Block mandarins. leader, as Prime Minister. He was a mere stop gap during The pressures were the heaviest from his ‘creator’, Laloo a time when nobody wanted elections. Prasad Yadav, and they only got worse with the Bihar lead- If Gujral had made a good impression on the diplomatic er sinking deeper into the fodder scam. Everybody thought scene with his rather one-sided ‘doctrine’, there was very Gujral would be their man, but in more ways than one he little about his governance or management of the national turned out to be his own too. Gujral agreed to Laloo’s first problems to commend him to the people at large. With all demand to throw out Devendra Prasad Yadav (a Laloo the media focus and the long television interviews that he crony who Laloo thought had grown too big for his boots) gave so generously, Inder Kumar Gujral could not rise from the Cabinet but when it came to defending Laloo on above his old image of being a ‘gentleman politician’, an the fodder scam, Gujral did not do much. He saved his ineffectual angel fluttering his wings in the void. prime ministership at the cost of sacrificing Laloo. If the Bofors case finished the Gowda government, it was the Jain Commission report that proved Gujral’s ITH the Supreme Court breathing down the undoing. He had done his best to keep the report under neck of the Central Bureau of Investigation, even WJoginder Singh who would ordinarily have been happy enough taking a safe course on the Bofors case, was acting tough. He flew to Switzerland to get telltale documents on the pay-off, and sent off a team of officials to Malaysia to arrest and bring back Ottavio Quattrochchi. The fact that Singh did very little to follow up on his Swiss trip to its logical conclusion or that the team to Malaysia returned empty handed showed either a lack of real determination on the part of the CBI or simply their inefficiency. Or, as the government’s critics had it, Gujral had succumbed to pressures from the Congress and had in turn ordered the CBI to keep mum. Joginder Singh did lose his job, and the Bofors sword just kept hanging in the air, not even too menacingly. Later, after his goose was virtually cooked, Gujral began talking brave: his government had the names of the recipients of the kickbacks and he would get the names of the ultimate wraps, and had succeeded in hiding it for a couple of beneficiaries in a few days. By then, it was a bit too late in months, but then a national magazine got hold of some the day to make any difference. excerpts and the lid was blown. Sonia loyalists were up in Gujral granted many concessions to Punjab, made arms, demanding immediate removal of the Karunanidhi repeated trips to the state in a bid to build a constituency government. The party threatened that if the report was of his own and finally got anointed by the Akalis as Punjab not tabled in Parliament, it would review its support to the da Puttar. In the end he even fought the 1998 Lok Sabha Gujral government. It also demanded the immediate polls as an Akali supported independent from Jalandhar removal of the DMK government. Left to himself, Sitaram and won. This despite the fact that both the Janata Dal and Kesri would not have liked to destabilize Gujral yet. He the Communists consider the Akali Dal a communal party. was being treated like a super Prime Minister, and Gujral Gujral’s tenure in office was taken up doing mostly one was doing his best to get him off the hook. But Rajiv thing: trying to remain in office. He survived the Laloo Gandhi’s widow was hell-bent on having her way. No Yadav-fodder scam crisis and the split in the Janata Dal, compromise on the DMK issue, she made it clear. Either but the report of the Jain Commission became his undoing. Gujral dismisses Karunanidhi or he himself goes. A jittery Gujral would go down in history as a man who was less a Prime Minister invited Sitaram Kesri for dinner to discuss king, more a puppet controlled by nobles like in the last some way out, but the situation had already gone out of
gfiles inside the government 50 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com their control. The United Front had rallied in support of for the “biggest blunder” it had committed in not letting Karunanidhi, with Jyoti Basu saying that if the Congress him be the Prime Minister. No matter how detached and was hell-bent on elections, “we shouldn’t run scared.” philosophical Gujral may have shown himself in public, Sitaram did go to Sonia Gandhi in a bid to save Gujral, but deep down he remained hopeful about once again emerging returned a hawk, and immediately accused Karunanidhi as the consensus man. Waiting in the wings to snatch his and VP Singh of being responsible for Rajiv Gandhi’s old chair away was Deve Gowda, going all out to make assassination. Finally, on November 20, Gujral was given friends and influence people in all directions. the final notice of the withdrawal of support. The sole rationale for the United Front menagerie to UT they can could go on dreaming till the cows have stayed in government for so long was the need of its came home. The political arithmetic was against principal members to somehow keep the Bharatiya Janata Bthem. They could have made the Congress accept a Party out of power. One reason why this bizarre junior partnership if its number was less, and after the conglomeration tottered and fell was of course its total entry of Sonia, it was no longer innocuous enough for the dependence on a party that kept asking for more and UF to accept take in its stride. The moment she came into more: first it wanted to set the pace of the government and the open, the high priests of United Front went into a do the backseat-driving, then it wanted all official moves huddle. They emerged chastened. Both Jyoti Basu and Harkishen Singh Suijeet found it hard to accept Sonia Gandhi. There was nothing to stop her from becoming the Congress president, except that she was going to choose her own timing for it. To become the chief of the party officially was going to be her only shield against possible harassment in the future. Poor Sitaram was already cringing at her feet to take over and ‘bless us’. There was the official spokesman of the party writing missives to the president to please persuade Priyankaji to become the Youth Congress president. A more pathetic political scenario was hard to imagine. But much as the United Front may have hated the resurgence of the resurgence of the Sonia-led Congress, its Enemy No. l was still the BJP. Harkishen Singh Surjeet was busy adjusting himself to the new realities. He was already preparing his ground for extending issue- to-issue critical support to the Congress. ‘We detest the that went against its leaders to be scuttled (no talk of return of the dynasty, but we detest the saffronwallahs Bofors, no talk of Kesri’s cases), then it wanted to become even more!’ And to keep them out they would have the senior partner in the government, and finally it wanted no choice but to back a Congress government from the leadership for itself. The United Front, at no time outside. The UF strategists said as much, not out of choice united, was constantly under pressure, constantly being but lack of choice! forced to appease and placate the party supporting it, The United Front was in a sad state. It is one thing constantly under pressure from disparate group of leaders winning state elections, quite another to get a majority who all thought they were the king-makers and high- in Parliament. The ‘third force’, if it was to become a priests of the government. credible fighting force, had to become more than just a The United Front’s position changed radically after the sum of the votebanks of Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mulayam entry of Sonia Gandhi into the poll fray. Before it, most Singh Yadav, Kanshi Ram and what the Left parties won in leaders of the combine were pretty sanguine about forming West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. Unity on programmes a government after the polls along with the Congress party, and policies without unity of purpose or personalities had their only reservation being on the question of leadership. very little meaning. g It still had half a dozen serious aspirants for the prime Excerpted from Prime Ministers: Nehru to Vajpayee by minister’s post. Jyoti Basu had been angry with his party Janardan Thakur, Eeshwar Prakashan, New Delhi
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 51 STOCK DOCTOR dr gs sood Shift to financial assets
HE market is likely to witness ther bold reforms but will also impact the ease of doing business. Also, the increased volatility as the the coming Presidential election this Government may extend tax conces- TDecember quarter results pour year. With inflation remaining sions to corporate and individual tax in. How the initial days of the Trump benign, the RBI may opt for aggres- payers thereby reducing the cost of Administration pan out coupled with sive rate cuts sooner than expected doing business as also increasing lack of clarity on GST and impact of due to the ample liquidity in the sys- spending to prop up demand leading demonetisation on the economy and tem, provided crude prices in the to a higher rate of growth in GDP. corporate sector may further add to the international market remain range Besides, efforts are on to create a choppiness of the market. However, bound. Demonetisation has led to a robust financial system with ongoing, investors should be clear that though fall of almost one lakh crore rupees in merger of banks to create fewer but the market may witness bouts of domestic credit and corporate capex fundamentally strong banks to correction, a complete blood bath plans may not see an early revival. achieve the twin goals of financial sta- may be ruled out since domestic funds Most analysts are of the view that bility and growth. have a lot of liquidity and are waiting the gains from demonetisation will far With just 2.8 per cent of household for any steep correction to happen. outweigh the pains in terms of the wealth invested in equities as against Investors will, therefore, do well to cash brought into mainstream formal 12.5 per cent in gold and 56.4 per cent pick stocks in a staggered manner productive channels, improvement in in real estate, investors should not with each correction they witness lest the tax to GDP ratio due to widening miss the current opportunity to shift they are bound to miss the bus again. tax base, ability of the Government to their investments from physical to The market may go into a prolonged spend more on infrastructure and financial assets. Banks, infra, con- bearish phase only if the government social sectors without adversely sumer durables, logistics, chemicals, fails to tackle demonetisation impacting the fiscal deficit but creat- oil and gas, IT, pharma, power utili- effectively with the implementation ing a lot more job opportunities, ties, and exports may be interesting of GST getting delayed beyond a improvement in financial inclusion by themes to look at during the next two point and Union Budget 2017 not bringing more people to mainstream quarters. Wishing you all a happy new able to meet the expectations of the banking channels thereby improving year and happy investing. g resurgent economy and the market and if the earnings revival of the Stock Shop corporate sector get delayed beyond BY RAKESH BHARDWAJ the next quarter. a production increase of about 40 per However, India’s macro-funda- Rajapalayam (CMP ` 510) cent purely through modernisation. mentals still makes it one of the most It exports 80 per cent of its spinning attractive destinations for FPI invest- HE company is in the textiles capacity. The company’ net profit at ments. Political, economic and finan- T-spinning-cotton blended sector around `18 cr for the quarter ending cial uncertainty remains clouded over with present capacity at 1,21,856 September 2017 was six times that of Europe post the Italian referendum spindles producing 11 million kg of the previous quarter. The current market with Germany, France and yarn per year, employing more than price discounts the TTM EPS of `43 by Netherlands going in for elections this 1,000 workers and has a turnover of less than 12, which is quite favourable year. Back home, the elections in over `1818 million. Acknowledged as compared to its peers. The market value Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, one of the most efficient spinning mills of investments is around four times that Goa and Manipur are likely to keep in the industry, the company has set of its entire market cap. With such deep the market on edge since the results the industry standard for quality and value, the stock is one of the safest bets may not only impact the ability of the price in cotton yarn manufactured with in the sector it is operating in. current dispensation to go in for fur-
The author has no exposure in the stock recommended in this column. gfiles does not accept responsibility for investment decisions by readers of this column. Investment-related queries may be sent to [email protected] with Bhardwaj’s name in the subject line.
gfiles inside the government 52 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com PERSPECTIVE environment sadhguru
HE global environmental crisis is no longer a myth but a clear Tstatement of facts. People are advocating recycling and alternate systems of power, but this will only help in a minor way. I’m not trying to belittle these efforts. Windmills, solar panels, etc., are very crucial interven- tions, but we are not yet looking for solutions; we are only looking to slow down the disaster. This means we don’t want the disaster to happen in our lifetime; we want to gift it to our children. We are trying to lift a tonne of weight with a little finger; we want We are wonderful, to handle a massive problem with small incentives here and there. If we as humanity are serious about but we are too many this looming environmental disaster, we need to come to terms with the fact resource than we are right now enjoy- cat? We must develop a large-scale that all ecological problems have ing. I’m not talking about gold, dia- movement that is conscious that there sprung from irresponsible human monds or oil. I am talking about is no other enemy sticking out some- reproduction. Because of science and water, food and air to breathe. Per where there—we are the enemy. It technology, natural selection no long- capita, today we have only 30 per cent must be action-oriented to gain er applies to us. In most countries of the potable water that an Indian respectability in the world, at the today, we are capable of seeing that citizen had in 1947. By 2025, we will same time it should be an internation- every child that is born largely sur- have only 20 per cent of that. That al movement where there is so much vives. In many parts of the world, the means your morning bath will be with pressure on the governments that infant mortality rate has plummeted. a single bottle. they will change the laws, step by step. Essentially, medical science has post- The planet has an enormous capa- Fundamentally, the source of poned our deaths, but we are refusing bility to recoup from the damage that environmental disaster is that we to postpone the births. Yes, the aver- it goes through, but we have to allow think life upon this planet is human- age child-bearing age of women has a certain amount of time for this. In centric. But worms, insects, birds and been climbing, but with the world 40 years, if all the countries come other animals are far more important population at 7.4 billion, this is not an together to bring down human popu- than us. We are led to believe that we effective postponement. lation by 25 per cent, that itself is a will live well because of the economic Either we consciously handle this great solution. This is definitely growth happening in our country. No. issue or Mother Earth will do it for us achievable, but you cannot expect We will live well if everything is green in a cruel manner. Right now, Mother people to change by themselves. Laws and beautiful, and the water is flowing Earth is not even supposed to flex her are needed. Laws will not happen and the air is pure. This idea has to go muscles. She cannot even sneeze or unless there are strong, responsible, into every human being’s mind. else a hundred thousand people will ecological movements oriented Unless we recognise every life as life, die because they have built towns towards solutions. Right now, the there is no solution. The essence of around live volcanoes! We are won- problem between nations is: “Okay, the spiritual process is just this— derful, but we are too many. We need I’m willing to change the law and seeing all of it as just a manifestation to reduce our wonderfulness. restrict my country, but what about of life. g The estimated population in 2050 you? You are not willing to do it, but Sadhguru, a yogi, is a visionary, humani- is 9.5 billion, which means all of us you want to benefit from my laws.” So tarian and a prominent spiritual leader will have to live at 40 per cent less nobody is doing it. Who is to bell the (www.ishafoundation.org)
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 53 SPOTLIGHT
Chief Election Commissioner, Dr. Nasim Zaidi, along with Election Commissioners AK Joti and OP Rawat releasing a publication at the inauguration of the National Interactive Conference on Electoral Laws, organised by the Election Commission of India, in New Delhi.
Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, along with airforce officers during the IAF seminar on Transformational Leadership, in New Delhi.
Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, Upma Chaudhary, calling on the Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region
President Pranab Mukherjee with the delegation from Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO), at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.
gfiles inside the government 54 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com PHOTOS: PIB
Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, going around the various stalls after inaugurating the “Northeast Textile & Craft Shopping Mela” at Janpath, in New Delhi. Secretary, DoNER, Naveen Verma, and Secretary, North Eastern Council (NEC), Ram Muivah are also seen.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh releasing a BPR&D publication, during his visit to the CDTS campus, in Ghaziabad.
Joint Secretary Archana Varma leading the ‘Shramdaan’, at North Block lawns, as part of ‘Swachh Bharat Pakhwara’ undertaken by the DoPT . from Dec.1-15, 2016, in New Delhi.
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare JP Nadda and Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Radha Mohan Singh at the MoU signing between Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), in New Delhi.
Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Narendra Singh Tomar, and Chairman of Tata Trusts, Ratan Tata, at the launch of the “Zila Swachh Bharat Preraks”, one in each district, across the country, in New Delhi. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Leena Nair, and Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Parameswaran Iyer, are also seen.
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare JP Nadda releasing a publication to mark “World AIDS Day”, in New Delhi. Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, Secretary (Health and Family Welfare), CK Mishra are also seen.
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 55 birthdays IAS officers’ birthdays Jan 16, 2017 — Feb 15, 2017 IAS officers’ birthdays Jan 16, 2017 — Feb 15, 2017
Sucha Ram Ladhar Avinash K Srivastava Dina Nath Pandey Sanjay Kumar 16-01-1959 23-01-1961 01-02-1960 07-02-1962 CADRE : PUNJAB CADRE : WEST BENGAL CADRE : GUJARAT CADRE : PUNJAB [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Talitemjen Toy Ram Prakash Sisodia Nirmal Sharma G Ashok Kumar 17-01-1964 24-01-1968 01-02-1958 07-02-1964 CADRE : NAGALAND CADRE : ANDHRA PRADESH CADRE : JAMMU & KASHMIR CADRE : TELANGANA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Yogendra Tripathi Sumanta Chaudhuri KH Raghumani Singh Sanjay Kumar 18-01-1962 24-01-1961 01-02-1963 08-02-1961 CADRE : KARNATAKA CADRE : WEST BENGAL CADRE : MANIPUR CADRE : MAHARASHTRA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Apoorva Dinesh Kumar Jain T Ranjit Singh Raj Kumar Dinesh Singh 18-01-1965 25-01-1959 01-02-1958 08-02-1975 CADRE : TAMIL NADU CADRE : MAHARASHTRA CADRE : JAMMU & KASHMIR CADRE : MANIPUR [email protected] jaindk @ias.nic.in [email protected] [email protected]
Jitendra Shankar Mathur Jagdish Chander Rakesh Kumar Gupta VB Pyarelal 19-01-1958 27-01-1960 02-02-1960 09-02-1959 CADRE : MADHYA PRADESH CADRE : HIMACHAL PRADESH CADRE : JAMMU & KASHMIR CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Ashok Kumar Agrawal Gyanesh Kumar Ningthoujam Geoffrey D Anandan 20-01-1958 27-01-1964 03-02-1980 09-02-1976 CADRE : CHHATTISGARH CADRE : KERALA CADRE : MANIPUR CADRE : SIKKIM [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
PH Kurian Rajiv Nayan Choubey Ajay Prakash Sawhney Indevar Pandey 20-01-1959 28-01-1959 04-02-1962 10-02-1964 CADRE : KERALA CADRE : TAMIL NADU CADRE : ANDHRA PRADESH CADRE : WEST BENGAL [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Sheonarayan Misra Raj Gopal Suresh Chandra Mahapatra Vasudha Mishra 20-01-1965 29-01-1959 04-02-1962 11-02-1963 CADRE : MADHYA PRADESH CADRE : GUJARAT CADRE : ODISHA CADRE : TELANGANA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Rajiv Yadav Amit Singh Negi Neel Kamal Darbari Rajni Sekhri Sibal 21-01-1958 30-01-1976 17-12-1963 12-02-1960 CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA CADRE : UTTARAKHAND CADRE : NAGALAND CADRE : HARYANA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Dellirose M Sakhire Otem Dai Anjani Kumar Singh Ajay Singh 21-01-1959 30-01-1962 05-02-1958 12-2-1960 CADRE : NAGALAND CADRE : TAMIL NADU CADRE : BIHAR CADRE :CHHATTISGARH [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Nand Kishore Mishra Pradip Kumar Chakraborty Navin Verma Ram Niwas 21-01-1959 30-01-1963 06-02-1959 14-02-1959 CADRE : JHARKHAND CADRE : TRIPURA CADRE : BIHAR CADRE : HARYANA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Sanjeev Ranjan Rahul Sharma Rajeev Chawla Sanjay Malhotra 21-01-1963 31-01-1972 06-02-1962 14-02-1968 CADRE : TRIPURA CADRE : JHARKHAND CADRE : KARNATAKA CADRE : RAJASTHAN [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Parag Gupta Bhupinder Kaur Aulakh Devesh Deval Anup Chandra Pandey 22-01-1962 31-01-1970 06-02-1976 15-02-1959 CADRE : ODISHA CADRE : UTTARAKHAND CADRE : MANIPUR CADRE : UTTAR PRADESH [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
For the complete list, see www.gfilesindia.com
gfiles inside the government 56 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com IPS officers’ birthdays Jan 16, 2017 — Feb 15, 2017 IPS officers’ birthdays Jan 16, 2017 — Feb 15, 2017
AK Sinha Casshyap Malgaveri Narain Reddy Krishna Swaroop Dwivedi Gupteshwar Pandey 16-01-1962 23-01-1960 01-02-1959 11-02-1961 CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA CADRE : KARNATAKA CADRE : BIHAR CADRE : BIHAR [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
D Tirumala Rao Manish Kumar Agarwal Ajay Kumar Tomar Thianghlima Pachau 16-01-1965 23-01-1969 01-02-1964 11-02-1959 CADRE : ANDHRA PRADESH CADRE : WEST BENGAL CADRE : GUJARAT CADRE : MANIPUR-TRIPURA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Vivekanand Gurpreet Kaur Deo Anil Kumar Pratham Ahmed Payam Siddique 16-01-1972 23-01-1968 01-02-1964 11-02-1961 CADRE : CHHATTISGARH CADRE : PUNJAB CADRE : GUJARAT CADRE : HIMACHAL PRADESH [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Neelamani N Raju Ramit Sharma Renuka Mishra Dipesh Juneja 17-01-1960 23-01-1974 01-02-1967 11-02-1966 CADRE : KARNATAKA CADRE : UTTAR PRADESH CADRE : UTTAR PRADESH CADRE : UTTARAKHAND [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Pallav Bhattacharjee Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta Rajesh Chawla Yogesh Choudhary 17-01-1959 24-01-1963 02-02-1964 11-02-1972 CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA CADRE : MADHYA PRADESH CADRE : MADHYA PRADESH [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Hemant Kumar Lohia Veerisetty V Srinivasa Rao Ashok Kumar Prasad Dinesh Pratap Singh 17-01-1965 24-01-1970 02-02-1967 11-02-1972 CADRE : JAMMU & KASHMIR CADRE : ANDHRA PRADESH CADRE : WEST BENGAL CADRE : PUNJAB [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Anand Chhabra Mukesh Singh Ajay Kumar Chaudhari Mohd Mustafa 17-01-1976 24-01-1971 02-02-1975 12-02-1961 CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA CADRE : JAMMU & KASHMIR CADRE : GUJARAT CADRE : PUNJAB [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Sanjay Rana Rajesh Kumar SK Pandey Vidya D Kulkarni 19-01-1961 26-01-1966 03-02-1962 12-02-1971 CADRE : MADHYA PRADESH CADRE : WEST BENGAL CADRE : MADHYA PRADESH CADRE : TAMIL NADU [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Surendra Kumar Sanjeev Kumar Singhal Sandeep Salunke Nilabh Kishore 19-01-1970 26-01-1968 03-02-1966 12-02-1974 CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA CADRE : MAHARASHTRA CADRE : UTTAR PRADESH CADRE : PUNJAB [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Kishore Jha Sham Lal Sharma P Vijayan Bishnu Ram Rana 20-01-1958 26-01-1958 04-02-1968 13-02-1959 CADRE : MANIPUR-TRIPURA CADRE : JAMMU & KASHMIR CADRE : KERALA CADRE : ASSAM-MEGHALAYA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Jag Mohan Vijay Kumar Brij Bhushan Sunil Asnani 20-01-1966 27-01-1961 07-02-1963 13-02-1975 CADRE : WEST BENGAL CADRE : UTTAR PRADESH CADRE : UTTAR PRADESH CADRE : KERALA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Prakash D Raj Kumar Mallick Dipanshu Vijay Kaabra TS Anbu 20-01-1968 29-01-1965 07-02-1974 14-02-1974 CADRE : UTTAR PRADESH CADRE : JHARKHAND CADRE : CHHATTISGARH CADRE : TAMIL NADU [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Deepak Pandey Kavita Jalan MK Tiwari Jayanta Kumar Basu 20-01-1973 31-01-1977 11-02-1962 14-02-1963 CADRE : MAHARASHTRA CADRE : ODISHA CADRE : PUNJAB CADRE : WEST BENGAL [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
For the complete list, see www.gfilesindia.com
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 57 birthdays
Lok Sabha Members Jan 16, 2017 — Feb 15, 2017 Lok Sabha Members Jan 16, 2017 — Feb 15, 2017
Tariq Anwar Sukender Reddy Gutha Kulamani Samal Sushma Swaraj 16-01-1951 02-02-1954 10-02-1949 14-02-1952 NCP (Bihar) INC (Telangana) BJD (Odisha) BJP (Madhya Pradesh) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Mamtaz Sanghamita Dharmendra Yadav Rao Inderjit Singh Vincent H Pala 16-01-1946 03-02-1979 11-02-1950 14-02-1968 AITC (West Bengal) SP (Uttar Pradesh) BJP (Haryana) INC (Meghalaya) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Ravindra Kumar Pandey Chhedi Paswan Maulana Badruddin Ajmal Asrarul Haque Mohammad 20-01-1959 04-02-1956 2-02-1950 15-02-1942 BJP (Jharkhand) BJP (Bihar) AIUDF (Assam) INC (Bihar) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Rahul Kaswan Krishan Pal Gurjar Kirit Somaiya Bidyut Baran Mahato 20-01-1977 04-02-1957 12-02-1954 15-02-1963 BJP (Rajasthan) BJP (Haryana) BJP (Maharashtra) BJP (Jharkhand) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Darshana Vikram Jardosh KC Venugopal 21-01-1961 04-02-1963 Rajya Sabha Members Jan 16, 2017 — Feb 15, 2017 BJP (Gujarat) INC (Kerala) [email protected] [email protected] Ali Anwar Ansari Satyanarayan Jatiya 16-01-1954 04-02-1946 Kanwar Singh Tanwar Nihal Chand Chauhan JD-U (Bihar) BJP (Madhya Pradesh) 21-01-1961 04-02-1971 [email protected] [email protected] BJP (Uttar Pradesh) BJP (Rajasthan) [email protected] [email protected] PL Punia Ronald Sapa Tlau 23-01-1945 04-02-1954 Srinivas Kesineni Geetha Kothapalli INC (Uttar Pradesh) INC (Mizoram) 22-01-1966 04-02-1971 [email protected] [email protected] TDP (Andhra Pradesh) YSR Congress (Andhra Pradesh) [email protected] [email protected] P Bhattacharya Biswajit Daimary 24-01-1945 04-02-1971 Kaushal Kishore Shrikant Eknath Shinde INC (West Bengal) BPF (Assam) 25-01-1960 04-02-1987 [email protected] BJP (Uttar Pradesh) SS (Maharashtra) Dilipbhai Pandya [email protected] [email protected] 30-01-1944 Amar Shankar Sable BJP (Gujarat) 07-02-1963 Hari Manjhi Santosh Kumar [email protected] BJP (Maharashtra) 28-01-1963 05-02-1976 [email protected] BJP (Bihar) JDU (Bihar) Prakash Javadekar [email protected] [email protected] 30-01-1951 Basawaraj Patil BJP (Madhya Pradesh) 10-02-1944 Nishikant Dubey Upendra Kushwaha [email protected] BJP (Karnataka) 28-01-1969 06-02-1960 [email protected] BJP (Jharkhand) RLSP (Bihar) Parimal Nathwani [email protected] [email protected] 01-02-1956 Ahamed Hassan IND.(Jharkhand) 14-02-1953 Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Maheish Girri [email protected] AITC (West Bengal) 29-01-1970 08-02-1974 [email protected] BJP (Rajasthan) BJP (NCT of Delhi) Prem Chand Gupta [email protected] [email protected] 03-02-1950 Veer Singh RJD (Jharkhand) 15-02-1956 Gopal Chinayya Shetty Balabhadra Majhi [email protected] BSP (Uttar Pradesh) 31-01-1954 09-02-1961 [email protected] BJP (Maharashtra) BJD (Odisha) [email protected] [email protected] SEND YOUR GREETINGS… Manoj Kumar Tiwari Dasrath Tirkey Want to wish someone best of luck for an important assignment 01-02-1971 09-02-1967 or send a bouquet to an official or MP on his/her birthday, BJP (NCT of Delhi) AITC (West Bengal) anniversary or promotion? gfiles will do it for you. The service is [email protected] [email protected] available only in Delhi. Contact us at [email protected] *Conditions apply For the complete list, see www.gfilesindia.com
gfiles inside the government 58 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com Tracking For a complete list of appointments & retirements, see www.gfilesindia.com
JS KHEHAR The Justice has been appointed as the NEW ADDITIONAL SECRETARIES APPOINTED IN GOVERNMENT OF INDIA Chief Justice of India. He is the 44th CJI. y7KH EDWFK,56,7RIÀFHUMADHU MAHAJANKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHG0HPEHU 6HFUHWDU\1DWLRQDO&RPPLVVLRQIRU:RPDQXQGHUWKH0LQLVWU\RI:RPDQDQG ANIL DHASMANA &KLOG'HYHORSPHQW The 1981-batch IPS officer of the Madhya y7KH EDWFK,(6RIÀFHUNAGESH SINGH&KLHI(FRQRPLF$GYLVHULQWKH Pradesh cadre has been appointed 0LQLVWU\RI5XUDO'HYHORSPHQWKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHG$GGLWLRQDO6HFUHWDU\LQWKH Director, Research and Analysis Wing. 'HSDUWPHQWRI5XUDO'HYHORSPHQWXQGHUWKH0LQLVWU\RI5XUDO'HYHORSPHQW y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH0DKDUDVKWUDFDGUHMALINI SHANKARKDVEHHQ RAJIV JAIN DSSRLQWHG'LUHFWRU*HQHUDO6KLSSLQJXQGHUWKH0LQLVWU\RI6KLSSLQJ The 1980-batch IPS officer of the Jharkhand y7KH EDWFK,'$6RIÀFHUV VENUGOPALKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHG)LQDQFLDO$GYLVHU cadre has been appointed Chief of the LQWKHUDQNRIDGGLWLRQDOVHFUHWDU\ %6) Intelligence Bureau (IB). y7KH EDWFK,'$6RIÀFHUSANJIV MITTALKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHGLQWKH0LQLVWU\ RI6WDWLVWLFVDQG3URJUDPPH,PSOHPHQWDWLRQ RAKESH ASTHANA y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH%LKDUFDGUHRABINDRA PANWARKDVEHHQ The 1984-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat DSSRLQWHGDV)LQDQFLDO$GYLVHU0LQLVWU\RI+RPH$IIDLUV cadre has taken over as acting Chief of CBI. y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH$QGKUD3UDGHVKFDGUHPV RAMESH BABU has EHHQDSSRLQWHG&0'5XUDO(OHFWULÀFDWLRQ&RUSRUDWLRQRI,QGLDXQGHUWKH0LQLVWU\ BS DHANOA RI3RZHU The Vice Chief of Air Staff has been y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH:HVW%HQJDOFDGUHRK VATS has been appointed appointed the new Chief of the Indian LQWKH0LQLVWU\RI+HDOWKDQG)DPLO\:HOIDUH Air Force. y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH87FDGUHANSHU PRAKASH has been appointed )LQDQFLDO$GYLVHU'HSDUWPHQWRI5XUDO'HYHORSPHQW BIPIN RAWAT y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH8WWDU3UDGHVKFDGUHBS BHULLAR has been The Vice Chief of Army Staff has been DSSRLQWHG'LUHFWRU*HQHUDO&LYLO$YLDWLRQ appointed the new Army Chief. y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH5DMDVWKDQFDGUHYADUVENDRA MATHUR has EHHQDSSRLQWHGLQ1,7,$D\RJ SANJAY KOTHARI The 1978-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre has taken charge as Chairperson, MM KUTTY The 1998-batch IFS officer, currently High Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). The 1985-batch IAS officer of the UT cadre Commissioner of India to the Republic of officer is the new Chief Secretary of Delhi Fiji, has been concurrently accredited as the KK SHARMA Government. High Commissioner of India to Tuvalu, with The 1983-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT residence in Suva (Fiji). cadre has been appointed Secretary, GAUTAM CHATTERJEE Higher Education. The 1978-batch IAS officer of the MONIKA KAPIL MOHTA Maharashtra cadre has joined as Advisor The IFS officer, currently Ambassador of AMEISING LUIKHAM to Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra India to Sweden, has been concurrently The 1981-batch IAS officer of the Manipur Phadnavis. accredited as the next Ambassador of India cadre has taken charge as Secretary, to the Republic of Latvia with residence Ministry of Minority Affairs. VISHVAS VIDU SAPKAL in Stockholm. Moving On: IAS officers retiring in January 2017
CHATTISGARH MAHARASHTRA Biresh Kumar (1983) Ganesh Shankar Mishra (1994) Swadheen S Kshatriya (1980) Kishan Singh Atoria (1984) Arun Kumar Mishra (2002) HIMACHAL PRADESH TAMIL NADU Chandra Kant Pandey (2002) Deepak Sanan (1982) V Mohanaraj (2006) UNION TERRITORY JHARKAND TRIPURA Ms. Naini Jayaseelan (1980) Upendra Narayan Oraon (2001) Yashpal singh (1984) Mohan Lal (2002) Umesh Pd. Singh (2003) Karuna Nidhan Debbarma (1999) Shashi Ranjan Pd. Singh (2003) Karnamani Das (2002) WEST BENGAL Ms. Reena Venkataraman (984) KARNATAKA UTTAR PRADESH Smt. Doma Tshering Sherpa (1998) Shambu Dayal Meena (1988) Pradeep Shukla (1981) Akhtar Karim (1999) Rohit Nandan (1982)
gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 59 Tracking For a complete list of appointments & retirements, see www.gfilesindia.com
NAZLI JAFRI SHAYIN The 1999-batch IA&AS officer has been NEW JOINT SECRETARIES APPOINTED IN GOVERNMENT OF INDIA deputed as Director in the Department y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH&KKDWWLVJDUKFDGUHAMIT AGRAWAL has been of School Education & Literacy in DSSRLQWHGLQWKH'HSDUWPHQWRI)LQDQFLDO6HUYLFHV Government of India. y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH0DGK\D3UDGHVKFDGUHNK SRIVASTAVA has EHHQDSSRLQWHG$GGLWLRQDO'*)7'LUHFWRUDWH*HQHUDORI)RUHLJQ7UDGHXQGHUWKH SANTOSH KUMAR UPADHYA 0LQLVWU\RI&RPPHUFH The Lt Gen is the new Commandant of the y7KH EDWFK,56,7RIÀFHUSATYENDRA KUMAR MISHRA has been appointed prestigious Indian Military Academy (IMA), LQWKH0LQLVWU\RI&LYLO$YLDWLRQ Dehradun. y7KH EDWFK,)R6RIÀFHURIWKH%LKDUFDGUHANJANI NANDAN SHARAN has EHHQDSSRLQWHGLQWKH0LQLVWU\RI1HZDQG5HQHZDEOH(QHUJ\ PV RAMESH BABU y7KH&66RIÀFHUGR RAGHVENDRAKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHGLQWKH'HSDUWPHQWRI The 1985-batch IAS officer of the AP cadre -XVWLFHLQSODFHRI$WXO.DXVKLNDOVRD&HQWUDO6HFUHWDULDW6HUYLFHRIÀFHU has been appointed Chairman & Managing y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH7DPLO1DGXFDGUHHITESH KUMAR S Director, Rural Electrification Corporation MAKWANAKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHGDV(' 3URMHFWV 1DWLRQDO0LVVLRQIRU&OHDQ*DQJD of India, Ministry of Power. 10&* RQDQHZO\FUHDWHGSRVWXQGHUWKH0LQLVWU\RI:DWHU5HVRXUFHV5LYHU 'HYHORSPHQWDQG*DQJD5HMXYHQDWLRQ KM PANDURANG y7KH&66RIÀFHUGEETA NARAYANKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHG0HPEHU6HFUHWDU\1DWLRQDO The 2007-batch IAS officer of the Haryana &RPPLVVLRQIRU3URWHFWLRQRI&KLOG5LJKWV 1&3&5 XQGHUWKH0LQLVWU\RI:RPHQ cadre has been given additional charge DQG&KLOG'HYHORSPHQW of the post of Commissioner, Municipal y7KH EDWFK,2)6RIÀFHUSIVANAND NYSHADHAM has been appointed in the Corporation, Sonepat, in Haryana. 'HSDUWPHQWRI+HDY\,QGXVWU\ y7KH EDWFK,$6RIÀFHURIWKH-KDUNKDQGFDGUHALKA TIWARI has been NISHANT VERMA DSSRLQWHGLQWKH'HSDUWPHQWRI)HUWLOL]HUV The 1999-batch officer has been appointed y7KH EDWFK,'$6RIÀFHUDEVIKA RAGHUVANSHI has been appointed in the Deputy Inspector General of Forests, 0LQLVWU\RI'HIHQFH National Tiger Conservation Authority y7KH EDWFK,)R6RIÀFHUINDER DHAMIJAKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHGLQWKH0LQLVWU\ (NTCA). RI6SRUWV
RAJENDRA KUMAR The IRS-IT officer has been appointed Member, Central Board of Direct Taxes THE FOLLOWING IAS OFFICERS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED AND POSTED TO (CBDT). DIFFERENT PLACES IN PUNJAB DP REDDYKDVEHHQSRVWHGDV$GGLWLRQDO&KLHI6HFUHWDU\/RFDO%RGLHV ASHWANI LOHANI 'HSDUWPHQW SATISH CHANDRAWR)LQDQFH'HSDUWPHQW K SIVA PRASAD posted The Air India Chairman & Managing DV0'6XJDUIHG RAJAT AGARWALKDVEHHQDSSRLQWHG6SHFLDO6HFUHWDU\ Director has been appointed Chairman, )LQDQFH VARUN ROOJAMDV(7&DQG&KLHI$GPLQLVWUDWRU*0$'$ MOHINDER World Travel & Tourism Council, India PAL ARORADV'LUHFWRU7HFKQLFDO(GXFDWLRQDQG,QGXVWULDO7UDLQLQJ DHARAM Initiative (WTTCII). PAL DV6SHFLDO6HFUHWDU\7HFKQLFDO(GXFDWLRQDQG,QGXVWULDO7UDLQLQJ ARUN SEKHRIDV$GGLWLRQDO5HJLVWUDU&RRSHUDWLYH6RFLHWLHVDQGASHWANI KUMAR as GIRRAJ GOYAL 6WDWH7UDQVSRUW&RPPLVVLRQHU The 1998-batch IDSE officer Girraj Goyal has been appointed Director in THE FOLLOWING IPS OFFICERS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED AND POSTED TO the Ministry of Water Resources, River DIFFERENT PLACES IN PUNJAB Development & Ganga Rejuvenation. SNEHDEEP SHARMA KDVEHHQDSSRLQWHG6637DUQ7DUDQ JAGADALE NILAMBARI VIJAYLV6633DWKDQNRW RACHHPAL SINGHLV663)HUR]HSXU VINOD VASHISHT INDERBIR SINGHLV6636DQJUXU MANMOHAN KUMARLV663%DWDOD The Lt Gen has taken charge as Director SUKHMINDER SINGHKDVEHHQVKLIWHGWR-DODQGKDU5XUDO GURPREET SINGH General of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). BHULLARWR)DWHKJDUK6DKLE KULDEEP SINGHKDVEHHQWUDQVIHUUHGWR0RKDOL HARCHARAN SINGH BHULLARWR+RVKLDUSXU GURSHARANDEEP SINGH to SHOKIN CHAUHAN %DUQDOD SURJIT SINGHWR)D]LOND GURPREET SINGH TOORWR0RJD ARUN The Lt Gen has taken charge as DG of the PAL SINGH KDVEHHQSRVWHGDV,*33$3-DODQGKDU BALKAR SINGHDV,*&ULPH Assam Rifles. GURINDER SINGH DHILLONDV,*5DLOZD\V MOHNISH CHAWLADV,*37UDIILF SURINDER PAL SINGH PARMARDV,*3FXP$GGLWLRQDO'LUHFWRU05633$ BINAYANAND JHA 3KLOODXU AMAR SINGH CHAHAL DV,*3,5%3DWLDOD DQGMUKHWINDER CHINNA The 1988-batch IPS officer has been DV,*36HFXULW\ appointed Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order, Cuttack in Odisha.
gfiles inside the government 60 vol. 10, issue 10 | January 2017 KWWSV WZLWWHUFRPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH KWWSV ZZZIDFHERRNF RPJ¿OHVPDJD]LQH www.gfilesindia.com ...by the way
Head hunting for AIIMS IIMS has been a political battleground for long. ADespite being the premier hospital of the country, nobody dares to intervene. The current Director, Dr MC Mishra, is retiring on January 30, 2017, and is reportedly Bureaucracy stalls investments! lobbying for an extension. Meanwhile, the search for a new director for AIIMS has begun. The names in the he fact that India continues to rank poorly as an forefront are Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s relative Dr Rasik Tinvestment destination in the newly released 10th Vajpayee, Dr Randeep Guleria, Dr Jagdish Prasad and Dr annual survey of petroleum sector executives around AB Dey. Dr Mishra is, moreover, under a cloud these the world carried out by a prestigious non-profit days as he has appointed his close aide Dr Umesh Kapil global institute is probably as good a time as any for as Head of Gastroenterology. Dr Kapil is known as a some serious self introspection. The survey identifies Human Nutrition expert. Notably, the required eligibility countries with the greatest barriers to investments in for the position is MD (Medicine) and DM in the same the oil and gas industry and is confined to the oil and field. Sources disclosed that Dr Kapil does not have these gas executives in the upstream sector. India is placed requisites. Sources claim that Dr Kapil actually comes in 30th among 36 countries with “medium reserve the list of ineffective doctors. This is why in 1997, the holdings” in terms of policy perception in the global then head of the department, Dr Ramesh Tondon, had survey. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and even recommended his removal. What has shocked the AIIMS Pakistan, come before India. Among Asian countries fraternity is that in the history of the institute, this is the included in the survey, India is in the absolute bottom. first time that a Head of Department was appointed Only Bangladesh ranks below us. Among 100 without the Director’s signature on the order, which is a countries overall, India is placed at 80. Why is the must as per the AIIMS Charter. Otherwise in general general perception on India so poor? The survey cases, any letter of appointment or promotion comes quotes one of the respondents as saying, “Getting from the faculty cell, based on which the Director issues environmental clearance can be a prolonged process. his order. Sources reveal that the entire sequence of Even after getting environmental permission, there events engineered by Dr Mishra was to sideline Dr Anoop can be nasty surprises.” The fiscal terms in India are Sarai, as the latter is reportedly the best qualified and considered to be a big deterrent but it is a lower experienced person for the post. Ironically, on the one deterrent in Pakistan. Fiscal terms are seen to be as hand, there is a shortage of doctors in AIIMS and on the big a deterrent in China as they are in India. Then other, experienced doctors are being dispatched for again, India’s taxation burden is seen to be administrative duties. And a private practitioner has considerably larger than Pakistan but China’s burden been made a member in the selection body. It’s to be seen is seen as much higher. Then how does China get a in the above circumstances, whether Dr Mishra is given higher score than India? China’s environmental an extension or a new competent and experienced doctor licensing norms are seen to be much less cumbersome. is appointed as Director, AIIMS. g There are also more respondents not wanting to invest in India than in China or Pakistan as a result of uncertainties in interpretation and implementation of policies. The cost of regulatory compliance too is seen to be much higher in India. Surprisingly, we are less of a deterrent on labour regulations than China or Pakistan and we are higher up the ladder on this count than quite a few countries. India is higher on infrastructure, labour availability and skills but ranks lower in terms of our quality of geological database. We are also ahead of others in terms of political stability despite our fractious politics. g
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Neighbours in shock Foreign Secy: who’ll come up trumps
t appears that the Finance Ministry had a myopic one are the days when appointing a Foreign Iview about demonetisation. Nobody in the Ministry GSecretary was as unimportant as hiring a watchman. asked about or suggested that demonetisation will But with a full time globetrotting Prime Minister, the have an impact on the economies of the SAARC Foreign Secretary has to be someone who needs to be at nations. As the news is emanating from the SAARC the beck and call of the PM. The term of the present countries, they are baffled. If one thinks India’s Foreign Secretary ends on January 28. After the victory GDP’s size is two trillion only, they are mistaken. The of Donald Trump, External Affairs Minister Sushma collective impact of SAARC and India’s GDP is Swaraj, Principal Secretary to PM Nripendra Mishra and humungous. India has bilateral monetary treaties NSA Ajit Doval held an urgent meeting, where it was with most of the neighbouring decided that Jaishankar should be the first diplomat to countries. Economists who are meet with Trump’s team. Jaishankar had dealt with working on the demonetisationn George W. Bush and Obama during the last 16 years. reports say that being a big Jaishankar flew to the US and met some of the officials in nation, India should have the transition team, as Trumprump was considered the devastating busy. But like Obama, hee tootoo impact of demonetisation was treated as ‘lame duck’k’ before taking such a major FS. According to MEA policy decision. Finance Ministrytry sources, Anil Wadhwa, officials have the trade data of a 1979-batch IFS SAARC nations and are well aware of the impact of officer, Ambassador to Indian currency on the neighbouring countries. Italy is the seniormost Economists opine that it will be difficult to generate among the serving the same confidence level in the Indian currency. diplomats. He was Trade among neighbouring countries will take at least transferred last year two years to normalise. A senior official of the while he was serving as Ministry informed that nobody asked them about the Secretary (East). Another impact of demonetisation on the neighbouring competent diplomat, Sujata Mehta, a 1980-batch IFS countries, so why blame the ministry. g officer, serving as Secretary (West) is waiting in the wings. There are three 1981-batch IFS officers–Navtej Sarna, current Ambassador to the USA, Amarendra Khatua, DG ICCR, and Secretary, Special Assignments, and Vijay Gokhale Ambassador to China–all eying the plum post. While the US under Trump will need careful handling, economic, strategic and security concerns are reason enough for Modi to select a China expert as Foreign Secretary. It is not certain who among the aspirants will make it to the top but what seems certain is that Jaishankar is not getting a second term. But why worry? There is no dearth of think-tanks in the US eagerly waiting to hire him. g
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gfiles inside the government www.indianbuzz.com vol. 7, issue 5 | August 2013 1963 Regn.No.DL(C)-14/1161/2016-2018 Licence No. U(C)-03/2016-17, Licence to post without prepayment Posted on 7th & 8th of every month at SPM SRT Nagar, Post Office, New Delhi 110055 R.N.I. No: DELENG/2007/19719. `200, vol. 10, issue 10 | Date of Publication: 5/01/2017 | Pages 64
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