Gfiles dec 2013

SUNIL PATNAIK: IAS TO ASHRAM

FIRST STIRRINGSp42

New Paradigms

GOVERNANCE AWARDS 2013

MG D

EVASAHAYAM

SPEAK OUT, M

ODI!

p34

December 10, 2013 VOL. 7, ISSUE 9

gfilesindia.com

WHEN WILL ACTION BE TAKEN AGAINST JIGNESH SHAH? p28

EXPOSÉ

3www.indianbuzz.comgfiles inside the government

vol. 7, issue 9 | December 2013

Anil Tyagi | editorTR Ramachandran | executive editor Niranjan Desai | roving editor GS Sood | consulting business editor Rakesh Bhardwaj | editorial consultant Arvind Tiwari | director, business developmentNaresh Minocha | associate editor Neeraj Mahajan | associate editor Alok Jain | coordinator (maharashtra)Ajit Ujjainkar | bureau chief (mumbai)Harishchandra Bhat | associate editor (bengaluru)Venugopalan | bureau chief (bengaluru)Kh Manglembi Devi | editorial coordinator Mayank Awasthi | reporterPawan Kumar | production coordinator Sumer Singh | assistant manager, logistics Nipun Jain | finance Gautam Das | legal consultant Crossmedia Solutions | edit & designTaran Tejpal Singh | Webmaster (Design) Dipanshu Gupta | Webmaster (Programmer)

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AS 2013 ends on a positive note, bringing a breath of fresh air politically to India, it is too early to predict what will happen in 2014. But one thing is certain–it will be a

remarkable year in our political history. It does not matter who captures ‘Delhi’ in the parliamentary elections of 2014; it appears the politics of India will not remain bipolar and will only become multi-polar. The elections will be very decisive, putting an end to collusion and back-scratching of political parties and leaders. The Delhi Assembly election results showed how the Aam Admi Party (AAP) has opened a new window for those who would have otherwise kept on voting for either the Congress or BJP. How the AAP will take forward the sentiment of the common man no one knows, but it seems the common man has possibly made up his mind to get rid of traditional political parties and their leaders. The poorest and the youth have taken the lead and turned the tide for a possible political change. The Delhi mandate is a fractured one and a confusing one for all political parties. Had the AAP vote bank had any idea of its sheer numbers, I am sure the BJP too would have been wiped off Delhi’s political map.

The five State Assembly elections have disseminated another valuable lesson to all political parties–that there is no loyal and constant vote bank available to them. Rajasthan is a glaring example where all AJGAR (Ahir, Jat, Gujjar, Rajput) voters shifted to the BJP. Ashok Gehlot did not have an explanation; irrespective of good work, people did not vote for him. In Madhya Pradesh, the Congress has to do some rethinking. This is Shivraj Singh Chauhan’s victory, no doubt, but it is even more a reflection of Congress’ mismanagement. It has created a mess in the State, even being unable to decide until the end who would lead it. Even chief ministerial candidate Jyotiraditya Scindia’s citadel of Gwalior fell to the BJP. The saffron party swept all five regions–Madhya Bharat, Mahakaushal, Vindhya Pradesh, Bundelkhand and Bhopal. It is incumbent on the Congress to decide clearly how long Digvijay Singh will be allowed to drive Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh’s mandate is a vindication of Raman Singh’s good work. He fought a tough battle, but finally came out victorious. Even the death of veteran Congressman Vidya Charan Shukla and Mahendra Karma could not help the Congress. It is unfathomable how business houses in Chhattisgarh can carry on their activities in naxalite-infested areas whereas the government cannot work even to provide basic amenities to locals. This is the biggest challenge for Raman Singh. On the other hand, Ajit Jogi and son Amit Jogi have to start afresh in the State. The duo of Rahul Gandhi and CP Joshi took a personal initiative to place their trust in Ajit Jogi, going against the resentment of the local Congress leadership. Congress now has to re-strategise its plan in Chhattisgarh.

At the same time, it is not a very happy situation for Narendra Modi and his supporters within the BJP. I am of the opinion that the results would have been the same in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, even if Modi had not been on the national horizon. The voters of these three States voted for their local heroes, not Modi. It was not a mandate geared towards national politics. The five Assembly elections are a clarion call to all stakeholders in the Indian social and political arena to wake up for building a new India in 2014, more strong, vibrant and agile than ever before. It will be a fitting reply to those who do not have the trust in the wisdom of the common man. ANIL TYAGI

[email protected]

From the Editor

vol. 7, ISSUE 9 | December 2013

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CONTENTS

www.gfilesindia.com4 gfiles inside the governmentvol. 7, issue 9 | December 2013

MG DEVASAHAYAM ON VK SINGH p20

RATHIKANT B

ASU

FIRST S

TIRRIN

GS

p36

NO ONE DARE ARREST JIGNESH SHAH!

November 5, 2013VOL. 8, ISSUE 7

gfilesinddia.com

EXPOSÉLAND SHARKS IN GURGAON

p16

YOGENDRA NARAIN ON RULES OF BUSINESS p26GOVERNANCE

6 Bric-a-Brac polls & roles

10 Cover Story governance awards: gfiles recognises innovation and commitment

28 Exposé jignesh shah hides behind lawyers

34 Governance modi’s missing agenda

38 black money still abroad

42 First Stirrings ias officer turns monk

46 Talktime let parliamentary committees function

49 Book Review beyond management jargon

50 Initiative seminar with an edge

52 inculcating values

54 My Corner watch your words

56 Initiative EQ differs by profession

58 Stock Doctor watch mid-cap stocks

64 Perspective essence of time

65 By the Way poll woes, workstyles and more

Action requiredYour cover story ‘Living Dangerously’ (gfiles, November 2013) makes apparent the collusion between the powers that be and NSEL scam kingpin Jignesh Shah. There can be no other explanation as to why he is not behind bars as yet. I still recall the furore over the Harshad Mehta scam in the early nineties, and the NSEL fraud is not a patch on that. Furthermore, the spot exchange scam has eroded investor confidence in the online trading system. This is likely to take a long time to recover. Many small investors are now shying away from online trading. As your story revealed, the areas of fraud are multiple. This is a big blow to investors’ confidence in the market, which is already weak and going down by the day. It is time that the authorities take strict action against the perpetrators of NSEL scam or else few will believe in the impartiality of law.S Patel via email

Your cover story on NSEL scam shows the depths our system of governance has sunk to. Here is a man whose misdeeds are out there in the open and yet the authorities shy away from taking any action against him. Many

investors would have put their hard-earned money into the spot exchange run by Jignesh Shah and his cohorts. Only his arrest will set an example to other fraudsters and make them think before any wrongdoing.C Anant via email

The case of VK SInghThank you (‘VeekaySinghmania’ by MG Devasahayam, gfiles, November 2013) for putting across the sequence of events so succinctly. The words of a politician—any politician—cannot weigh against that of a soldier ever. It is the soldier who is willing to lay down his life for the country. It shows the silliness and unthinking nature of Indian people that they indulge in selfish politics with gay abandon, rather than demanding and obeying the rule of law. Manoj Khare on blog

An excellent article highlighting the injustice meted out to one of India’s top soldiers. Shame on the government of Manmohan Singh and his chamchas.Ram Ohri on blog

Exposing land dealsThe article ‘Where land sharks rule’ has successfully exposed largescale corruption in land deals in Gurgaon. Please carry on the good work. KS Sandhu on blog

Gurgaon is a hot bed of corruption as far as land deals are concerned. I am glad a magazine of your repute is taking note of this serious issue and giving it the attention it deserves. The black money involved in such deals runs into huge amounts. Only if the media acts like a watchdog will the corrupt get wary and desist from continuing with their shady deals.R Menon via email

[email protected]

CONTENTS


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Bric-a-bracpolls & roles

IT seems the south of the country is

going to be a headache for the

Congress, and especially for

Union Finance Minister

Chidambaram Palaniappan, dur-

ing next year’s general election.

The grapevine says

Chidambaram might shift from

his parliamentary constituency of

Shivganga to Puducherry. Apparently,

he wants to avoid being once again in

the tricky situation he was in dur-

ing the 2009 elections, when

Shivganga had posed a tough

battle for him. This time, PC is

in no mood to hazard a risk in

a post-Manmohan Singh sce-

nario as he could likely be the

prime ministerial candidate if Rahul

Gandhi declines the post in the event of a

PC for Puducherry eyes seat shift from shivganga

narrow majority or a hung parliament. Chennai sources

say Chidambaram has assigned a market agency to study

Puducherry and pinpoint projects which can be initiated

much before the election. Complicating the issue

is the fact that GK Vasan, son of late Congress

stalwart GK Moopanar, is the president of

the Tamil Nadu Congress Party and

Chidambaram has been at loggerheads with

him for long. PC’s son, Karthik, has

sent feelers to the Puducherry

Congress Committee lead-

ers on his father’s candi-

dature. It remains to be

seen whether V Narayanasamy, the

Congress MP from Puducherry and a

Cabinet minister, will relinquish the seat.

He has powerful connections and

is also a follower of a powerful

Congressman (who belongs to a

different camp and may not like

PC’s shift from Shivganga to

Puducherry). A fierce battle

is on the cards. g

HARYANA Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is on a roll. It is unprecedented that, in the run-up to elections (assembly elections are due in October 2014), there is

little or no opposition to the ruling party. Also, even within his party, there is no one to challenge his leadership. And it seems he is eager to strike while the iron is hot. Rumour is rife that Hooda may prepone the polls and hold them alongside the general election. He is particularly upbeat after the Gohana rally in November. Aides have told him that none else in the Congress can collect such a massive crowd. The party’s top leadership too has noted Hooda’s growing popularity. During Diwali, his public relations machinery was in top gear, targetting every Congress leader connected in any way with party affairs in Haryana. Employees at the Congress party headquarters were amused by the generosity of their chief minister who gifted them suit lengths for Diwali. No one knows what was gifted to those leaders who are in charge of Congress-ruled States and deal with the Chief Minister on a daily basis. Anyway, it was a damn good PR exercise, Mr Hooda! g

Haryana in Hooda’s fist cm may prepone polls



I N S I D E E Y E

ILLUSTR

ATION

S: ARU

NA

Bahuguna’s days numberedwinds of change in uttarakhand

VIJAY Bahuguna is fortunate to have survived so long as

Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He has neither a mass

base nor MLAs backing him. In the summer, he was

perceived to have failed in handling the floods. Another shock

was son Saket Bahuguna losing the Tehri parliamentary bye-

lection to Mala Rajyalakshmi Shah of the BJP in October.

Sources say the Congress leadership is inclined towards

replacing him. Three leaders are contenders for the post—

Harish Rawat, Minister for Water Resources, Satpal Maharaj,

and Indira Hridayesh, Finance Minister. Hridayesh is the

front-runner and was summoned by the high command last

month. The change of chief minister is likely to take place after

the Assembly election results. Wait to see who wins—a Thakur

or a Brahmin. g


Bric-a-bracpolls & roles

THE Telangana issue is driving Andhra Pradesh

politicians crazy. Seema Andhra politicians are reading

the writing on the wall while the Congress finds itself in

a Catch-22 situation. If Andhra Pradesh

remains united, the Congress is likely to be

wiped out in the State. But if it is divided,

there may be some consolation for the

party. Sonia Gandhi has assigned P

Chidambaram and Home Minister Sushil

Kumar Shinde to handle the problem while

Jairam Ramesh and S Jaipal Reddy are the

interlocutors within the party to sound out every

stakeholder. Meetings are being held day and night of

those who are pro- and anti-Telangana. Senior Cabinet

Ministers seeking to meet Sonia are instead told to meet

Chidambaram or Shinde. Chief Minister Kiran Reddy has

suggested that the Congress should take the position

that it is ready to create Telangana if the Assembly

passes a resolution favouring bifurcation of the State.

It would thus save face. But, say sources, there were no

takers for this argument in the party. A Cabinet Minister

from Andhra Pradesh is so unhappy that he has tried to get an

appointment with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for

two months. No one is heeding his

requests as Rahul is occupied with

electioneering. Now there are serious

murmurs growing within the Congress, and

the coming days will tell what shape this

undercurrent will take. g

Telangana imbroglio congress in catch-22 position



(A Government of India Enterprise)

Road Projects

Grain Silos

Power Transmission

Water Treatment Plant

Mass Rapid Transit System

Airports

Since its inception, EPI has beencommitted to providing the bestproject management servicethrough its dedicated and highlyexperienced team of personnel for

a variety of multi-disciplinary projects.During the last 4 years, EPI has beenengaged in the field of execution of largeand multi-disciplinary industrial andconstruction projects on turnkey basis andproject consultancy services in India andabroad. EPI’s areas of operations are spreadacross the following projects:■ Civil and Infrastructure■ Water Supply and Environmental

Engineering ■ Material Handling ■ Metallurgical ■ Industrial and Process Plants■ Oil and Petrochemical

EPI has contributed immensely in theadvancement of the nation and thecompany is presently focusing on hightechnology, consultancy and high valueprojects. The company is re-establishing itsactivities in the overseas market. EPI hasalso diversified in the following sectors:■ Mass Rapid Transit System■ Renewable Energy

EPI is a uniquely integratedengineering company capable ofundertaking projects from the concept tocommissioning and performs thefollowing:■ Feasibility Studies and Detailed Project

Reports■ Design and Engineering■ Supply of Plant & Equipment■ Quality Assurance■ Project Construction■ Erection and Commissioning■ Operation and Maintenance■ Overall Project Management in almost

all areas of engineering andconstruction domain

EPI’s composition and character makesit ideally suited to take up execution oflarge and complex construction projects ina wide spectrum of industries. Most of EPIpersonnel have grown up with theorganisation and have considerableexperience. Its engineers possess vastknowledge and experience in variousdisciplines like civil, mechanical, electrical,chemical, instrumentation and otherengineering disciplines.

HOUSING COMPLEX,SURYANAGAR, BANGALORE

COVER STORYawards good governance


WORK IS The second annual Governance Awards of gfiles was an occasion to inspire thousands of unsung public servants to use innovation to multiply public resources

by NARENDRA KAUSHIK

IT is not every day that the ‘much-maligned’ steel frame of India gets an opportunity to celebrate.

It is not every day that the minority of the ‘faceless and anonymous’ civil servants, who refuse to be partners in crime with the powers-that-be, who question the Maoists ruling the roost in the so-called red corridor of India and who become gamechangers by

providing succour to the poorest of the poor, disadvantaged and the weakest sections of society in India, are rec-ognised and acknowledged. It is also not every day that the media, which treats bad news as good business and pillories babudom for the various ills and lacunae prevailing across India’s length and breadth, honours the ones who put service before self in working for the aam aadmi, set examples by executing lifeline




PHOTOS: RAJEEV TYAGI

WORSHIPprojects without time and cost over-runs and innovate to add to the national exchequer.

The second annual Governance Awards of gfiles, leader of the media segment reporting on governance and bureaucracy in the country, on November 30 at India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi, was an occa-sion which will inspire thousands of unsung engineers, district collec-tors/magistrates and police officials

to reach out to the deprived, seeking their participation in governance and policy-making and using innovation to multiply public resources.

The occasion, graced by serving and retired bureaucrats such as TKA Nair, Principal Adviser to the Prime Minister, Shekhar Dutt, Governor of Jharkhand, former Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar and former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, who are admired and

looked up to for their honesty, integ-rity and fairness, conferred the life-time achievement award on Dr E Sreedharan (who could not be present due to ill health), better known as India’s Metro Man, and seven other civil servants for exceptional contribu-tion in their respective fields of work. Diplomats from at least four major countries were also in attendance.

The eight awardees were chosen through a meticulous process by a



five-member independent jury, which enjoys an unmatched and impeccable track record and is backed by the cred-ibility and goodwill of gfiles. Headed by Prabhat Kumar, the jury panel comprised former Power Secretary Anil Razdan, former Chief Secretary of Haryana Vishnu Bhagwan, for-mer Secretary (Internal Security) MB Kaushal and former Chairman and Managing Director of IDBI Bank RM Malla.

APART from Sreedharan, who is responsible for building some of the largest infrastructure pro-

jects of modern India, including the Delhi Metro and the Konkan Railway, the awardees included Abhayanand, a 1977-batch IPS officer and current Bihar Director General of Police, who is considered the brain behind speedy trial and conviction of criminals in the state, JS Deepak, a 1982-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer, who is cred-ited with scripting one of the most suc-cessful and highest revenue generat-ing e-auctions, of the 3G spectrum in 2010, and Dr Amarjit Singh, a 1982-batch Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, who co-opted private obstetricians into the public delivery system and initiated a very successful Chiranjeevi Yojana in April 2005 after seeing a pregnant woman being carried on a pole by two villagers.

Jayesh Ranjan, a 1992-batch AP IAS officer and present CMD of the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, was awarded for implementing the Andhra Pradesh District Poverty Initiative Project (APDPIP) in 2000 and thus mobilising around a crore of people afflicted by extreme poverty through community organisations. Atul N Patney, a young Maharashtra-cadre IAS officer, received an award for using IT to improve the health

infrastructure and quality educa-tion through the E-Vidya Project in Naxalite-affected Gadchiroli district in the State. Ashwani Lohani, a 1980-batch Indian Railway Service officer, was, on the other hand, conferred an award for facilitating a turnaround in the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation. The 1973-batch Tamil Nadu-cadre IAS officer, Santha Sheela Nair, received an award for raising the water level through mandatory water harvesting in Tamil Nadu.

Deepak, Singh and Abhayanand were honoured with the Exceptional Contribution Awards. Ranjan, Patney, Lohani and Nair, on the other hand, were recipients of the Excellent Contribution Awards.

Awards to inspire excellenceWhile admitting the existence of

some ‘flawed specimen with misplaced priorities’ in the Indian civil services and commending gfiles’ Governance Awards, Prabhat Kumar pointed out that there were tens of thousands of other civil servants doing their services in the best tradition. He felt that, after October 2005 (Supreme Court pro-

nouncements in the 2G case), bureau-crats had become ‘scared to speak out’. Kumar is part of the IC Centre of Governance, a non-profit educational trust which documents and shares best practices. He knows that, despite all impediments, civil servants have stories of ‘courage, conviction, com-passion and innovation’.

Lohani felt the award will give him ‘the energy and the motivation’ to continue on a fast trajectory for the rest of his career (five-plus years). Jayesh Ranjan was happy to be rec-ognised by people ‘who are still my role models’. He was sure the award would ‘strengthen his determination to do more and more and rise to the best of (his) abilities’. Singh was of the view that there was a need to capital-ise on the huge amount of resources available outside the government.

Deepak felt assured that his princi-pal design and technology of e-auction would be replicated in future auctions by the government. He felt the award would give a fillip to good work. In her closing remarks, Nair said that the awards would make up for the lack of motivation, which was one of the root causes of underperformance in the administrative services. g

Wajahat Habibullah, Pankaj Pachauri and TKA Nair at the awards function



Lifetime Achievement Award

Principal Advisor, DMRC

For building some of independent India’s largest infrastructure projects without time and cost overruns, while working for the government

POPULARLY known as the ‘Metro man’, Dr Elattuvalapil Sreedharan is credited with

beginning work on the country’s first Metro in Calcutta way back in 1970 as Deputy Chief Engineer. A civil engi-neer, he started his career as a lec-turer at the Government Polytechnic, Kozhikode, and worked as an appren-tice at Bombay Port Trust for a year. Later, he joined the Indian Railways. In 1963, a cyclone washed away parts of Pamban Bridge that connected Rameswaram to mainland Tamil Nadu. Sreedharan restored the bridge in 46 days, as against the target of six months set by the Railways, and was conferred the Railway Minister’s award. It was under his chairmanship that the Cochin Shipyard launched Rani Padmini, the first ship it built.

He retired from Indian Railways as Member Engineering in 1990 but, recognising his outstanding calibre, the government appointed him CMD of Konkan Railway. Under his stew-ardship, the first major project was undertaken on a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) basis with an organisational structure that veered from a typi-cal Indian Railways setup. The pro-ject had 93 tunnels over 82 km and involved tunnelling through soft soil. It covered a length of 760 km and had over 150 bridges. That a public sector project could be completed without significant cost and time overruns was considered an overwhelming achievement.

He was made Managing Director of the Delhi Metro in 2005 and the rest, as everyone knows, is history.

Elattuvalapil Sreedharan

Satish Kumar, Advisor, DMRC, receives the award from TKA Nair on behalf of Elattuvalapil Sreedharan (inset)



Exceptional Contribution Award

For contributing successful policing initiatives such as speedy trial and formation of Special Auxiliary Police from among retired army officers, thereby tremendously improving law and order in Bihar

A 1977-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, Abhayanand is also an eminent educationist of

Super 30 fame, teaching poor students to crack the IIT JEE. He is the brain behind the speedy trial and conviction of criminals in Bihar. Credited for the shift in police focus to conviction, he believes the Arms Act is a very power-ful instrument for the police to instil fear of the law in habitual lawbreak-ers. As policemen themselves can be witnesses in an Arms Act chargesheet, there is no chance of not getting wit-nesses or of witnesses turning hostile. There were a record number of con-victions, including of very powerful bahubalis or musclemen, leading to a tremendous improvement in the law and order situation in Bihar. In 2010 alone, 14,311 persons were convicted

in speedy trials with 37 being award-ed capital punishment and 1,875 life imprisonment. As envisioned by Abhayanand, this succeeded in instill-ing fear of the law in lawbreakers and drew worldwide attention with the Princeton Review doing a detailed study on it.

Backed by political will in 2005, Abhayanand came up with the idea of recruiting retired soldiers, already trained in weaponry and combat, to meet the manpower shortage in the Bihar police force especially to carry out operations against Naxalites and criminal gangs. Thus the Bihar gov-ernment quickly recruited 5,000 ex-armymen in the police force. The con-cept was soon taken up by other states such as Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Abhayanand Director General of Police, Bihar

Prabhat Kumar and TKA Nair (centre) giving the award to Abhayanand (left)






For successfully implementing the Safe Motherhood and Child Survival Programme through an efficient public-private partnership in the public health sector

A 1982-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, Dr Amarjit Singh was the first person to

create an efficient public-private partnership in the public health sec-tor. What moved him was the sight of a pregnant woman being carried on a pole by two villagers. It didn’t seem she would survive the arduous trek to the nearest primary health centre. Holding a PhD in the cost-effective-ness of India’s blindness control pro-gramme from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Dr Singh discov-ered that more than 60 per cent of India’s newborns die within the first 28 days. India accounts for a fourth of maternal deaths worldwide annually because 50 per cent of the 27 million deliveries every year are handled by unskilled attendants.

In Gujarat, where he was posted between 2001 and 2009, there were only seven obstetricians in the rural Community Health Centres while the requirement was for 273. As Commissioner, Health and Medical Services, Government of Gujarat, he initiated the Chiranjeevi Yojana scheme in April 2005 by co-opting private obstetricians by ensuring them a flat fee for every 100 deliv-eries, a part of which was paid in advance. The scheme thus allows families living below the poverty line to use either public or private health facilities, free of cost.

The success of the scheme can be gauged by the fact that between January 2007 and January 2010, 4,35,047 safe deliveries were carried out by 768 obstetricians.

Dr Amarjit Singh Additional Secretary, HRD Ministry

Slovenian Ambassador Darja Bavdez Kuret gives the award to Dr Amarjit Singh






For successfully conducting 3G auctions, using state-of-the-art custom-built technology through a smooth, fair, transparent and participant-friendly process that fetched more than three times the targetted revenue for the Government

A 1982-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, JS Deepak is credited with script-

ing one of the most successful auctions conducted by any government across the globe—the 3G spectrum auctions, a pioneering governance reform in the country. Deepak, then Joint Secretary, Telecom, and the princi-pal officer responsible for the design and conduct of the 3G auction, was instrumental in designing and suc-cessfully conducting the e-auctions in 2010 that fetched over Rs 1.06 lakh crore for the Government—more than three times the target of Rs 35,000 crore fixed by the Ministry of Finance and more than five times the reserve price. The design, highly sophisticat-ed methodology yet extremely par-ticipant-friendly process, has since

served as the basis for subsequent auctions held by the Government of India. He worked for almost two years to develop a state-of-the-art design, using the latest technological and security features that were custom-built for Indian conditions, and based on some of the most successful inter-national auctions.

The 3G auction was highly success-ful and achieved all the objectives in one stroke by obtaining a market-determined price, maximising rev-enue proceeds through a smooth, fair and transparent process, and promot-ing roll-out of 3G and broadband ser-vices with all stakeholders highly sat-isfied. The auction has shown that a similar mechanism could be used for selling or allocating scarce and valu-able government resources or assets.

JS Deepak Additional Secretary, Commerce Ministry

Minister Councellor-DCM, Syria, Wael Deirki gives the award to JS Deepak



“Commonwealth Co-operative Group Housing Society

Ltd” has been formed by a group of senior Civil Servants

by enrolling members from IAS / IFS / IPS / IFOS / IRS / IES /

Railways and other services not below the rank of Deputy

Secretary to GOI. Limited membership is also open for PSUs,

Bankers, eminent professionals such as CAs, Advocates,

Business persons and Academicians. The society has already

received more than 200 memberships. The objective of the

society (in brief) would be to make available built-up flats

/ land for construction of flats for state-of-the-art high-

end residential accommodation at prime locations to its

members in GURGAON / NOIDA / DELHI.

GROUP HOUSING PROJECT

For Civil Servants

For any further clarification/application form contact Prem Gupta, Chartered Accountant

on email: [email protected] or mobile: 09810137909, NEW DELHI



Excellent Contribution Award

For outstanding contribution in Indian tourism both at national and state level that drew nationwide attention and appreciation and won him the tag of successful turnaround manager

A 1980-batch Indian Railway Service officer, Ashwani Lohani is a gold medallist in

metallurgical engineering. A fellow of the Institution of Engineers and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, he worked as the Divisional Railway Manager of Delhi, Director, National Rail Museum, Director, Ministry of Tourism, CMD, India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and MD, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC). As Chairman and Managing Director, he is credited with having achieved the turnaround of ITDC in year 2002-3 and of MPSTDC in 2004-5.

Among many awards and acco-lades, he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award in

Tourism and Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Award ‘Icon of Change’ in 2010. It was his efforts in extensive branding, innovation, infrastruc-ture development and marketing that made MP the most attractive tourist destination in the country and received four National Tourism Awards in 2008, including the award for ‘best tourism performing state in the country’ and three National Tourism Awards in 2009. His name also figured in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998 for reviving the vintage Fairy Queen Express. New Delhi Station was twice awarded the National Tourism Award for the most tourist friendly station and won CAG appreciation for infrastructure work during the CWG during his tenure as Divisional Railway Manager of Delhi.

Ashwani Lohani Chief Mechanical Engineer, Northern Railway

Prabhat Kumar and TKA Nair watch as Ashwani Lohani receives his award from Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt






For successfully conducting parliamentary, assembly and panchayat elections and also ensuring speedy and inclusive growth of Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district amidst Naxalite threats and violence

A 1999-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, Atul N. Patney is a recipient of the

Prime Minister’s Award for effec-tive implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. He is credited with having used IT for social devel-opment, improving health infrastruc-ture and imparting quality education through the E-Vidya project in the remotest areas. His efforts to connect all IT institutes in the district through video conferencing contributed great-ly to imparting technical training. He was conferred the E-Governance Award 2010 for launching the E-Disaster Management Service. Known for the best implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in the country, in Gadchiroli district of

Maharashtra, especially in the back-drop of Naxalite threats to FRA teams and burning of their vehicles to stop their work, Patney effectively used GPS in the district which otherwise had poor Internet connectivity and little infrastructure support.

His most notable work, carried out under threat from Naxalites, was to conduct parliamentary, assembly and panchayat elections successfully by taking innovative measures such as launching a voters’ awareness cam-paign and holding Samajik Suraksha Melas. Patney got the President’s Award for innovative practices in elections that were adopted as a role model by the Election Commission of India but was also nominated by the state government for the Prime Minister’s award in 2010.

Atul N Patney PS, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment

TKA Nair congratulates Atul N Patney as Prabhat Kumar and Shekhar Dutt watch with interest



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For successfully implementing social mobilisation approach with the support of the World Bank to impact an all-round improvement in the condition of the poorest of the poor in Andhra Pradesh

A 1992-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, Jayesh Ranjan was the all-India top-

per of his batch. An alumnus of Delhi University and an MBA from IIM, Kolkata, he earned a Master’s in Public Management from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He has done short-term courses on Environmental Policy Analysis, Globalisation and Leadership, and Public Policy from the University of Birmingham, London School of Economics and Harvard University, respectively.

He was awarded the World Bank’s Social Capital Visiting Scholarship in 2002 and the British Government’s Chevening Gurukul Scholarship in 2005 and has done international con-sultancy assignments for the World

Bank and UN-ESCAP.Ranjan is credited with imple-

menting the Andhra Pradesh District Poverty Initiative Project (APDPIP) in 2000 as its first Project Director by adapting a very innovative and community-centred approach with extremely encouraging results. Within a decade, the social mobilisa-tion approach succeeded in mobilising 99.5 lakh poor people through com-munity organisations. The mobilisa-tion has been supported by the World Bank and Government of India, and an amount of Rs 2,500 crore has so far been spent. The process has been so robust that the strength of the com-munity organisations has been recog-nised by the commercial banks, which in turn extended credit to the tune of Rs 20,000 crore to them.

Jayesh Ranjan VC & MD, AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation

Shekhar Dutt gives the award to Jayesh Ranjan with TKA Nair on his side






Vice-Chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission

For successfully implementing the Chief Minister’s programme of compulsory rain water harvesting in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu and for contributing to preventing the water crisis from spiralling out of control

A 1973-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Santha Sheela Nair started her career

as Sub Collector, Dindigul, in 1975. She is credited with having contrib-uted to the successful implementa-tion of the rain water harvesting scheme announced by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. Nair served as both Chairman and Managing Director of the Chennai Water Supply and Sewerage Board in 1994 and later as Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply in 2001. The Chief Minister’s directive to make rain water harvesting mandatory in Tamil Nadu was implemented through a series of appropriate measures within a year as mandated by a newly enact-ed law. The government declared that non-compliance would be met with

disconnection of water and sewer pipes. The successful implementa-tion helped considerably in efficient management of the water crisis in Chennai.

Nair also worked on an anti-flooding measure by creating rain water harvesting points in low-lying areas. As a result, the ground water level rose by five feet. The cent per cent coverage of every household and every building remains unparal-leled. As Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, she is credited with revamping and coor-dinating the decades-old scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply with the National Drinking Water Policy and a new National Rural Drinking Water Supply Programme.

Santha Sheela Nair

Additional Secretary, Agriculture, Dalip Singh receives the award from Slovenian Ambassador Darja Bavdez Kuret on behalf of Santha Sheela Nair (inset)



EXPOSÉnsel scam


Operation Cover-UpIt has been almost six months since the National Spot Exchange (NSEL) operations were halted after gfiles exposed the Rs 5,600-crore scam in June 2013. But the investigationsagainst Jignesh Shah—the man behind the NSEL scam—began only after gfiles’ cover story inSeptember 2013. The reluctance to initiate action against Shah continues even today, and he remains beyond the pale of the law. He has still not been arrested though there’s an open-and-shut case against him. Neeraj Mahajan tries to find out the reasons behind this cover-up and why the government is shy of initiating action against Shah

FORMER CIC and Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Satyanand

Mishra, a 1973-batch IAS officer, and former Union Home Secretary GK Pillai, a 1972-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, are no doubt capable officers but can they perform miracles and plug all loopholes in the Financial Technologies ecosystem overnight? That too, without any direct knowl-edge or on the ground experience about the complexities of commodity trading? Would their mere presence itself tighten all loose ends and pre-vent all bad things from happening—

this is the moot question uppermost in everyone’s minds.

The fact that the FMC and MCX boards concurred on the appoint-ment of Mishra as the new Chairman of the Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd was astonishing. No less surprising was the timing of the announcement, just a few days after Pillai entrenched himself as Chairman and former LIC acting chairman Thomas Mathew took over as vice-chairman of MCX-SX. Unlike Mishra, Pillai was reportedly keen to move to the private sector. Within two months of his retirement as home

secretary, he sought the permission of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to join IvyCap Trust Fund-I as their adviser. IAS officers seeking private sector posts within a year of retirement have to seek per-mission from the government.

Another recent development that Financial Technologies (India) Limited (FTIL) has tried to down-play is the decision to change its registered address from Mumbai to Shakti Tower-1, 7th Floor, Premises E, 766, Anna Salai, Thousand Lights, Chennai—600002, with effect from December 2, 2013. Why? Even the company officials have no answer. Why would a company whose entire operations are based in Mumbai or outside India have its headquarters in Chennai? Curiously, FTIL as we know today was floated in Chennai by C Subramaniam, who remained one of the oldest shareholders on its board before quitting in 2010.

FTIL had been in the news since



The biggest challenge that newly appointed MCX-SX chairman GK Pillai faces is to somehow convince

the investors and stakeholders that MCX-SX

is now owned and controlled not by FTIL, but by institutional investors

five of its Directors—CM Maniar, N Balasubramanian, R Devarajan, PR Barpande and TC Nair quit in quick succession. When Paras Ajmera, the last nominee of the promoters, resigned recently, there was specula-tion that Jignesh Shah had just about lost control. But behind the façade, Shah continues to call the shots as the Chairman and Group CEO of FTIL. He may be down, but not out. His brother, Manjay Shah, and friend, Dewang Neralla, are supporting him as full-time directors.

The board also has former Forward Markets Commission (FMC) Chairman Venkat Chary, A Nagrajan, IAS (Retd), and Justice Rajan Jodhraj Kochar, a retired judge from Bombay High Court, as independent direc-tors. Chary, a retired IAS officer, has been associated with IEX, MCX-SX and MCX as independent director and chairman for the last 10 years. FTIL also holds a 26 per cent stake in MCX, besides NSEL, FTIL and MCX are joint promoters of the MCX-SX stock exchange. But, all said and done, the impact of the NSEL crisis has been that the credibility of the FTIL group as a

whole has been affected so badly that investors think twice before dealing with any of the companies in its fold.

As if by design, seven of the 14 mem-bers on the MCX board today are FMC-nominated independent direc-tors. The new board has three for-mer IAS officers—Satyanand Mishra, RM Premkumar and Ravi Kamal Bhargava, besides G Anantharaman, who retired from IRS. Dinesh Kumar Mehrotra, Pravir Vohra and Santosh Kumar Mohanty are the other FMC-nominated independent directors. The shareholder direc-tors on the MCX board include KN Reghunathan (Union Bank of India), Sanjaya Agarwal (Bank of Baroda),

P Paramasivam (Corporation Bank), P Satish (Director, NABARD), AK Prabhu (Canara Bank) and BV Chaubal (State Bank of India).

The biggest challenge that newly appointed MCX-SX chairman Pillai faces is to somehow convince the investors and stakeholders that MCX-SX is now owned and controlled not by FTIL but by institutional inves-tors. MCX-SX’s shareholders include 18 banks and financial institutions which hold 87.42 per cent stake. These are IL&FS Financial Services, IFCI, Union Bank, PNB, Corporation Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank, OBC, Allahabad Bank, Andhra Bank, BoI, BOB, Syndicate Bank, HDFC Bank, SBI, United Bank, Vijaya Bank and Axis Bank. Pillai has a majority on his side, but whether he will be able to translate this strength into positive transformation remains to be seen.

A man who could upset Pillai’s cal-culations is Miten Mehta—a Jignesh Shah loyalist, who has been appoint-ed the promoter’s nominee on the MCX board and shareholder direc-tor of FTIL. Mehta, who till recently was Director, Communications and Investor Relations, of the FTIL Group has been appointed Director, MCX.

According to the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), some of the default-

ing firms have used the money to buy companies abroad using hawala transactions. One such company was the Bengaluru-based Aastha Minmet (India) Ltd (Corporate Identity Number U27105KA2007PLC042717), promoted by Mohit Aggarwal and Shilpa Aggarwal, a coal and ferrous metal importer that owes Rs 26.5 crore to the NSEL and Rs 219.2 crore to Juggernaut Projects, another NSEL defaulter. Aastha Minmet allegedly

EXPOSÉnsel scam


pumped in a part of this money to acquire 100 per cent stake in Akshaj Ventures Singapore Pte Ltd, origi-nally incorporated as Anker Shipping Pte Ltd under the Companies Act in Singapore on March 12, 2011. The name of the company was changed to Akshaj Ventures Singapore Pte Ltd on June 18, 2012, and it became a for-eign subsidiary of the Aastha Group on March 22, 2013. Mohit Aggarwal was co-opted on the board along with Ajay Chauhan and Kalyanasundaram Maran, the original promoters of Akshaj Ventures Singapore Pte Ltd.

BOTH the companies even start-ed sharing an office at 7500A Beach Road, 08-313, The Plaza,

Republic of Singapore, 199591. The only catch in the otherwise win-win situation was that the Aastha Group’s promoters allegedly did not obtain RBI consent before ploughing the money abroad.

It is intriguing how Aastha Minmet, a small-time importer operating on the NSEL, suddenly got the bright idea of acquiring Akshaj Ventures to use its international mining and trad-ing contacts in Indonesia, Singapore and Africa to import coal in bulk from South Africa, Singapore and Indonesia, iron ore from Mali and Turkey and steel scrap from Hong Kong and Belgium. The Aastha Group also wanted to take over some Turkish chrome ore mines and become a mar-ket leader in India. Hence, someone suggested the option of acquiring 100 per cent stake in this well-connected and resourceful foreign subsidiary. When the NSEL fiasco became pub-lic, Aastha had to shelve plans for a Rs 42-crore IPO. It now transpires that the company has been sued by Rayen Steel Pvt Ltd under the Negotiable Instruments Act for dishonour of cheques worth Rs 1,09,01,250.

Interestingly, on July 31, NSEL claimed that a stock of 65,250 MTs of steel TMT bars was held by both Aastha Minmet and Juggernaut in Andhra Pradesh, but later Aastha’s name vanished from the website. Once the heat became unbearable, NSEL had to retract and disable Aastha’s Unique Client Codes (UCC) to prevent it from trading on its platform.

Prithviraj Kothari, the owner of RiddiSiddhi Bullions Ltd, allegedly acted as a money-laundering conduit in the DGCX, from where the margin money collected in cash from Indian investors for commodity trading liter-ally vanished in thin air. Most of these transactions were through hawala, where only the differential profits were calculated and settled without any book entry.

In the hurry to set up one global exchange after another, Shah alleg-edly violated many foreign exchange laws. There are several instances of pare trades, where MCX investors were offered favourable positions on international exchanges floated by the FTIL group. Gold contracts in Bahrain, Singapore and DGCX followed this trend, violating foreign exchange and money-laundering laws.

However, in its mistaken notion about the sinner and the sinned, the

Mumbai Police EoW is only shaking the leaves of the tree without digging to chop the root cause of this mess—Jignesh Shah. EoW officials are pat-ting their own backs for attaching 107 properties of the “accused” in the NSEL scam while Shah is free to do whatever he likes in Singapore, Dubai, Botswana and Bahrain. The FTIL and MCX were minority shareholders in DGCX, the Middle East’s largest, first and only derivatives exchange regulated by the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (ESCA). DGCX had the strategic advantage of being located in a time zone between Europe and the Far East. The FTIL held two of the five nominated board seats—Shah (Vice-chairman) and Joseph Massey (Director). Gautam Sashittal, another Indian, also serves as non-executive member on the DGCX board.

Initially, the Dubai Multi Commodity Centre (DMCC), owned by the Dubai government, FTIL and MCX held equal stake in DGCX in 2005. FTIL and MCX held 40 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, when DGCX began operations. But in 2007, the FT Group sold 1 per cent stake to DMCC for Rs 60 crore and another 5 per cent to Passport Capital, a foreign investor. DGCX prospered due to support of Indian bullion and diamond merchants in the Emirates and soon became the first bourse to offer dollar-rupee forex trading, even before India allowed such trading in domestic exchanges.

Shah allegedly transformed DGCX into a den for illegal hawala transactions in bullion, currency and metals without the necessary Reserve Bank of India (RBI) clearance. RBI forbids Indian individuals and companies from trading and equity participation on foreign shores because the Indian rupee as a currency is not fully convertible. According to

In the hurry to set up one global exchange after

another, Shah allegedly violated many foreign

exchange laws. There are several instances of pare

trades, where MCX investors were offered

favourable positions on international exchanges floated by the FTIL group



EXPOSÉnsel scam


a recent RBI circular, “It is observed that eligible Indian parties are using overseas direct investment automatic route to set up certain structures facilitating trading in currencies, securities and commodities. Any incidence of such product facilitation would be treated as a contravention of the extant FEMA regulations and would consequently attract action under the relevant provisions of FEMA.”

The FTIL is understood to have offloaded its stake in the Singapore Mercantile Exchange (SMX), launched three years ago for trading in metals, energy, currency and agriculture commodities. It earlier owned SMX through its subsidiary, Financial Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd (FTSPL) and then sold its stake to ICE Singapore Holdings, an entity owned by Atlanta-based ICE group, for US$150 million (Rs 931 crore). Significantly, the deal to acquire SMX—with an average of over 8,200 contracts and daily turnover of around $200 million—was an all-cash transaction. According to

informed sources, FTIL’s sudden exit from the SMX was in all likelihood masterminded by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the financial services regulator in the island country which has a tight control over the affairs of the bourse though its independent directors on the board of SMX. In a tightly regulated market like Singapore, MAS has a way of subtly telling exchange owners to do things their way or risk losing their licence.

THE FTIL is now planning to raise more money by dispos-ing of its interests in Africa, the

Middle East, India and South-East Asia. It holds 31 per cent equity in the Dubai Gold and Commodity Exchange (DGCX), besides the Bahrain Financial Exchange, Bourse Africa and Global

Board of Trade (GBOT), Mauritius. The FTIL is also looking to sell its stake in its exchanges in UAE, Bahrain, Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya and Botswana.

The tragic part of the story is that, instead of paying off thousands of creditors in India, the FTIL plans to keep these sale proceeds from overseas to repay its External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) and Foreign Currency Loans (FCL). Earlier, FTIL was allowed to sell 6 per cent stake in the Indian Energy Exchange, ostensibly to bring down its stake to 25 per cent in order to comply with the requirements of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. Either way, it means that Shah’s money—in India or abroad—is safe. It will allegedly not be allowed to reach the rightful owners. g

Jignesh Shah (centre) had many charmed before the Rs 5,600-crore NSEL scam was revealed

Stop Press: As we go to press, the Mumbai Police EoW has attached the properties of Shah, Joseph Massey, Shreekant Jawalgekar and Shankarlal Guru. This brings the total book value of 206 properties, 322 bank accounts, Rs 171 crore cash, Rs 229.22 crore in shares and other investments besides 15 vehicles worth Rs 5.82 crore attached so far to Rs 2,580 crore. This is half of the NSEL outstandings. But to liquidate all this, the Mumbai Police will have to either increase the size of its malkhanaas, or engage online auction firms like olx.com to dispose of things to recover Rs 5,600 crore due to 13,000 investors. Even now no one is talking about bringing Rs 931 crore obtained from dilution of 100 per cent stake in the Singapore Mercantile Exchange back to India!


vol. 7, issue 9 | December 2013 19www.indianbuzz.comgfiles inside the government

vol. 7, issue 5 | August 2013

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GOVERNANCEagenda mg devasahayam

www.gfilesindia.comgfiles inside the governmentvol. 7, issue 9 | December 201334

WHEN Narendra Modi was made the BJP’s campaign committee chief, a leading

newspaper columnist wrote: “For the faithful, there is no truth bigger than Narendra Modi’s ‘destined’ future as Prime Minister. His critics protest that the elevation will not happen, worry that it might happen, and ago-nise over what will happen when that happens….The Gujarat Chief Minister is admittedly a challenge the like of which India has never seen before.” Soon thereafter the saffron party threw down the gauntlet by declaring him as the prime ministerial candi-date. And he is running a full jugger-naut around the country adopting a ‘messiah’ mode of campaigning!

Modi is the longest-serving chief minister of Gujarat. He is known for his astute administrative skills and has a record for being incorruptible. He is credited with turning around Gujarat’s economy and making it an attractive investment destination for industrialists. Modi is a compelling orator who, as one corporate execu-tive after another has said, offers the best model of governance in a country rife with corruption and red tape.

Across the nation there is a palpa-

ble sense of elation at the prospect of Modi becoming Prime Minister. According to his admirers, NaMo has arrived in style, notwithstanding the stiff resistance from many quarters. For them, Delhi is finally on NaMo’s radar and his devotees can see the domes of South Block, which he will hopefully occupy soon.

Fortifying this, Modi is claiming the legacy of the ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, by reiterat-ing the comment that has been in the minds of many people: “Had Sardar been the first Prime Minister of India, the country’s destiny would have been different.” Another association NaMo claims is that of Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) whom his chronicler Sunanda K Datta-Ray, considers “as the best Prime Minister India never had”. Those who knew JP would agree wholeheartedly. Modi’s involvement

While Narendra Modi is creating an impact as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, he has not yet spoken about his ‘Idea of India’

Wish list for the wannabe

Prime Minister!

There are several positive things going for Modi. He

spoke for all of South India when he declared at a

Chennai meeting that ‘India is not just New Delhi’

in the Navnirman Movement of the turbulent 1970s was deeply inspired by none other than JP, who remained a powerful guiding force for him.

I have known JP closely and had the privilege of having indirectly assisted him in achieving India’s second free-dom. I have read a lot about the Sardar and what he did to shape India as a unified nation and position the instru-ments to sustain it. I entirely agree that, had these true patriots and pas-sionate leaders guided the destiny of independent India in the initial years, we would today be a true and func-tional democracy and not the false and dysfunctional ‘dynacracy’ that we are! Nevertheless, for Modi to convincing-ly invoke the names of these towering titans, his agenda needs considerable depth and width.

There are several positive things going for Modi, though. He spoke for all of South India when he declared at a Chennai meeting that ‘India is not just New Delhi’. He draws massive crowds wherever he goes and the vibrancy at his rallies are reminiscent of the post-Emergency scenario when people of the Indo-Gangetic belt, responding to the battle-cry of JP, threw out Indira Gandhi’s government in the 1977

35gfiles inside the governmentvol. 7, issue 9 | December 2013www.indianbuzz.com

election. I have been witness to this. What has also impressed the public is his composure and demeanour while addressing a massive crowd, even as low-intensity bombs were going off at his Hunkar rally in Patna. This is clear demonstration of his courage in the face of mortal danger, his presence of mind, his leadership qualities and forbearance.

Of late, in his own inimitable style, ‘the tea-seller’ is projecting a vision in which bare necessities like elec-tricity and clean water will be basic rights and not favours from govern-ment and creating an economy that generates real jobs is as important as formulation of economic policies for a rich and prosperous India. These are not easy ideas to convey to people, but there are signs that Modi is getting his message through.

Be that as it may, Modi has a long way to go and many hurdles to cross before he occupies the high office of the Prime Minister through democratic means, unlike the present un-elected surrogate of the dynastic clan! The most formidable hurdle is the Godhra killings (2002) and

the wide perception that he is non-secular. N Ram of The Hindu puts it bluntly: “It is this unbreakable genetic connection between 2002 and the present that makes it clear that a Modi prime ministership would be disastrous for democratic and secular India.” The BJP does deny this vociferously as being contrary to truth. But in the public domain, ‘truth’ is not the ‘truth’, perception is the ‘truth’!

THE second major hurdle is Modi’s own creation – the ‘development model’ that he

has been ardently advocating. While admitting that Modi has the penchant for pursuing ‘development’ by fast-tracking industrial and other projects, many experts and economists feel his model is not inclusive. They are of the view that while cities and towns have ‘developed’ under Modi’s infrastruc-ture/industrialisation pursuit, villag-es have mostly been left in the lurch. His is not different from the UPA’s FDI-driven ‘growth’ agenda, laden with predatory and market-mad eco-nomic policies that is polarising peo-

ple into one-third ‘privileged’ class and two-thirds ‘laggards’ living on the crumbs that trickle down! Polarising politics and the society is the main charge against Modi. Polarising the economy in addition would be a triple whammy with adverse consequences. Seeking to impose this Gujarat ‘development model’ on the whole nation could result in a backlash from the ‘laggards’.

These major hurdles apart, Modi’s campaign itself has serious flaws. As of now, apart from one-liners, punching jibes, personal anecdotes, stale plati-tudes, satirical flings and promised goals, there is no worthwhile content in any of his speeches or discourses. This is despite the fact that, never before in the history of independent India has there been such a dire need for serious debate to address the grav-est crises that confront the nation. India needs to know what should be done to set things right. These include near-total inaction by governments in the midst of humongous corruption; severe compromise of energy security by the mad pursuit of imported nucle-ar reactors; a complete foreign-policy

GOVERNANCEagenda mg devasahayam


disaster resulting in neighbouring countries, including tiny Sri Lanka, humiliating us; and the Telangana implosion and huge gaps in the work-ing of our Constitution which have wrecked federalism, ruined govern-ance and removed all accountability from our political system.

THE form and substance of affirmative action to intro-duce social justice have left

huge segments of the population aggrieved and angry while creating bitter divisiveness between many castes and communities. The econ-omy is sinking. Prices are soaring. Unemployment, particularly in rural India, is mounting. Due to extractive land policies, agriculture is perish-ing and food insecurity is looming. Bereft of any ethos, urbanisation has descended into chaotic land-lust. The FDI-GDP mania has choked the labour-intensive manufacturing sec-tor, crippling skill development and employment generation. With hor-rendous loot in defence procurement and mainstream armed forces nur-turing a sense of alienation, military morale is low and national security is under threat. There has been con-certed decimation of institutions and instruments of governance and those that are left stand diminished and devalued. Civil Services (IAS/IPS) are in total disarray.

None of these burning issues threat-ening the stability, safety and integrity of the nation have been meaning-fully addressed by the Gujarat Chief Minister, who could soon be ‘guiding the destiny of the nation!’ The man who wants to change the face of India and the way the Republic functions has not even talked of the ‘Idea of India’ and ‘Philosophy of the Republic’ as defined by its Founding Fathers.

The ‘political idea’ of democracy is

contained in the ‘Objectives Resolu-tion’ moved by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948, seeking a Republic “wherein all power and authority of the Sovereign Independent India, its constituent parts and organs of government, are derived from the people”. As early as 1922, Gandhi had described ‘Swaraj’

of the declared wish of the people of India”. Visions of these two Found-ing Fathers envisaged people-based governance with a bottoms-up deci-sion-making process that would give everyone a place in the sun.

Structurally, India’s democracy was to rise storey by storey from the foundation comprising self-govern-ing, self-sufficient, agro-industrial, urbo-rural local communities—gram sabha, panchayat samiti and zilla

parishad—that would form the foun-dation of vidhan sabhas and Lok Sabha. These politico-economic insti-tutions will control and regulate the use of natural resources for the good of the community and the nation.

Built on such a foundation is the ‘economic idea’ of equity envisaging independent India as sui generis, a society unlike any other, in a class of its own that would not follow the western pattern of mega industriali-sation, urbanisation and individua-tion. India would be a people’s econo-my that would chart a distinct course in economic growth, which would be need-based, human-scale, balanced development while conserving nature and livelihoods. In a self-respecting

nation, every citizen should get the strength, resource, opportunity and

feet and earn his/her livelihood with honour and dignity, instead of end-lessly depending on corporate trickle-downs and government charity.

The philosophy of the Republic is in the Preamble of the Constitu-tion: “….to secure to all its citizens JUSTICE, social, economic and political;LIBERTY, of thought, ex-pression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of oppor-tunity and to promote among all its citizens; FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the uni-ty and integrity of the nation.”

These now lie in virtual ruins and need to be rebuilt. On the ‘development’ side, instead of blindly advocating a predatory agenda, one should listen to what James A Robinson and Daron Acemoglu say in their scintillating book, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty: “Inclusive economic institutions that enforce property rights, create a level playing

new technologies and skills are more conducive to economic growth than extractive economic institutions that are structured to extract resources from the many by the few….Inclusive economic institutions are in turn supported by, and support, inclusive political institutions…”

Most of India’s ills are due to too much of ‘government’. This needs urgent remediation. One should recall Thomas Jefferson’s sane advice: “That government is best which governs least.” The task is cut out for ‘modi’fication’ of Narendra Damodardas Modi, the man who could be PM! g(The writer is a former Army and IAS

officer. Email: [email protected])

The burning issues threatening the stability, safety and integrity of the

nation have not been meaningfully addressed by the Gujarat Chief Minister


GOVERNANCEAWARDS2013

A Success

Thank you

for making

S A I L

GOVERNANCEcorruption tn pandey


AFTER considerable heat in the past regarding undisclosed incomes, black money and for-

eign bank accounts, the government seems to have become lukewarm on these issues as the elections are com-ing close. There is no talk about success achieved in these areas and the government’s strategies and plans to make successful dents in this sphere of great concern to the economy of the country, either in Parliament or outside it.

In 2011 and the earlier part of 2012, considerable anxiety was exhibited concerning black money in the country and about those who have amassed it in India and abroad. It had become a hot topic for discus-sion in Parliament and in civil soci-ety. Somewhat in panic, the Finance Ministry entrusted to three premier institutions of the country the task of simultaneously working out the quantum of black money and giving recommendations relating to its other aspects. These institutions are report-ed to have submitted their reports in March 2013, but they have not been released for public discussion till now.

White paper on black moneyBowing to the vigorous demand for

a white paper on black money, the then Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, issued such a paper on May 16, 2012, to present the different facets of black money and its complex relationship

about tax evasion detected by the Income Tax Department, but no rev-elation is made whether such detec-tion is because of normal function-

ing of the department or because of any special drive to catch the

evaders. In the white paper, a

number of legislative and administrative measures were mentioned, such as creating a network of

DTAAs and TIES, preven-tion of money laundering

and benami transactions, a judicial standards and accountabil-

ity Bill, setting up of a directorate of criminal investigation for exchange of information, setting up of income tax units overseas, providing a GST net-work, imparting skills to the income-tax personnel for effective action, and so on. But the outcome of these measures is not known. What is more distressing is that no efforts have been made to implement the existing provisions. An example of this is the real estate sector, which is flourishing with unabated income in tax evasion. Thus, a new white paper has become necessary.

Black money in real estate It is well known that there is a

high utilisation of black money in real estate deals. It is no secret that a real estate deal is never finalised at the value shown in the registra-tion document. It may reflect 50 per

theosedfor-

mentm on

m-ut

t of was

about taxIncome Taelation is tion is be

ing of tof an

ev

tand

judicial

BLACK MONEYNo will, no way

There has been a huge hue and cry over black

money and foreign bank accounts in recent years.

Despite all the rhetoric, no concrete step has been

taken to punish the guilty

with policy and administrative regime in the country. It also sought to reflect upon the policy options and strategies that the government had been pursu-ing, or the need to take up new ones to address the issue of unaccounted money and corruption in public life.

It has been more than a year since then, but the government has not come out with any paper or report on the issues, inter alia, regarding action taken and results achieved consequent to strategies proposed for curbing corruption and black money through illegal and criminal activi-ties, and those relating to repatria-tion of such money stashed abroad. There is also a deafening silence on the issues related to confidentiality of information and about punishment inflicted on those found guilty. Of and on, reports appear in the newspapers



UNI

cent, or sometimes even 40 per cent, of the value determined and paid for the sale of the land and properties. Regretfully, the values declared for stamp duty assessments are awfully low compared to real values. Black marketers find it convenient to park their concealed income in this fast-growing sector. Media reports show that a large part of the alleged ill-got-ten money is invested in real estate.

IT was reported that in the Saradha Group Chit Fund scam, that rocked Kolkata sometime back, the Group

had over 100 firms, a majority of which were in the real estate busi-ness. It was in these businesses that the chit fund money was funnelled. The 2G spectrum scam too involved two large real estate firms—Unitech and DB Realty. In 2009, Ramalinga Raju, the disgraced founder of Satyam Computers, had confessed to divert-ing funds from his information tech-nology company to two family-run

real estate firms—Maytas Properties and Maytas Infra—and in buying land in and around Hyderabad. Politicians and their relations invest in a large way in real estate and thus have large stakes in such properties. But pre-cious little has been done to tap this sector for detection of black money and collection of revenue, with stern punishment to those found indulging in such transactions for decades.

Government’s acceptance concerning real estate sector

The role of black money in real estate transactions has been accepted by the then Finance Minister in the white paper:

“Due to rising prices of real estate, the tax incidence applicable on real estate transactions in the form of stamp duty and capital gains tax can create incentives for tax eva-sion through under-reporting of transaction price. This can lead to both generation and investment of black money. The buyer has the option of investing his black money by paying cash in addition to the documented sale considera-tion. This also leads to generation of black money in the hands of the recipients. A more sophisticated form occasionally resorted to con-sists of cash for the purchase of transferable development rights (TDR). TDRs are rights for con-struction beyond the usual limits, which can be transferred by the owner. These rights can be made available in lieu of area or land surrendered by the owner.”This position is continuing for years

and the government has not been able to take any effective measure to check the use of black money and tax the

Black money generated from various scams and

bribes find their way into land and real estate

because one can conveniently convert black

money into hard assets and get a good return on

such money

Ramalinga Raju, the man behind the Satyam fraud

Saradha Group’s Debjani Mukherjee being taken to court. The group had interests in the real estate sector

GOVERNANCEcorruption tn pandey


unaccounted money invested in this sector. Measures taken in the past under the IT Act, namely, Acquisition of Immoveable Properties and Purchase of Immoveable Properties, have proved utter failures and no steps have been taken thereafter.

Despite the promulgation of a new Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Bill, 2011, and its examination by the Standing Committee on Finance, this forceful instrument for checking black money via benami deals has not been enacted so far. What is surpris-ing is that nobody talks of this law as in the case of the earlier law of 1988, which remained dormant legislation for nearly 23 years. This shows the non-seriousness of the government in checking black money.

REGRETFULLY, the govern-ment takes a soft stand because it is alleged that a majority of

the political funding comes from this sector. Because of this conflict, many people of dubious background, who would not be able to survive in a regulated environment, thrive in real estate. One of the reasons touted for the great ability of the real estate sector to handle cash is that no for-mal funding is available, or allowed, in the country to buy land. Black money generated from various scams and bribes finds its way into land and real estate because one can conveni-ently convert black money into hard assets and get a good return on such money. The money invested in real estate appreciates quite fast and is the preferred outlet for concealed income.

The way aheadThe Income Tax Department can

play an effective role in detection of black money in properties. For this, a team of investigators, well-versed in accountancy, financial deals, engi-

neering, valuation aspects and backed by adequate police force, is necessary to carry out extensive surveys and book the persons who have not dis-closed investment in such proper-ties, or have shown it at lesser figures to avoid tax, and punish those who have done so sternly. The Wanchoo Committee in 1971 had recommended that tax evaders should be debarred

from holding public office and con-testing elections. But no action on the suggestion was taken by governments of various parties in the past, and for obvious reasons.

Checking black money is not pos-sible without deterrent action. Even after so many years of income tax law, no big tax evader has been prosecut-ed. In this regard, a four-year prison sentence against the former Prime Minister of Italy sets a good example for the Indian authorities to follow.

An ex-Prime Minister is a far cry in the Indian context. Even ordinary politicians are not caught and punished for income tax and other fraud. Unless there is a strong will to check black money and severely punish those caught making it, getting studies done regarding black money, issue of a white paper and making speeches and statements in Parliament and outside are not going to solve the problem. gThe writer is former Chairman, Central

Board for Direct Taxes (CBDT)

For over a year, the government has not come

out with any paper or report regarding action

taken and results achieved consequent to strategies

proposed for curbing corruption and black

money through illegal and criminal activities, and

those relating to repatriation of such money

stashed abroad

Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi’s case has lessons for India



FIRST STIRRINGSsunil patnaik


by SHAILAJA CHANDRA

I had heard of civil servants doing extraordinary things, but becom-ing a full-time servant of God was

exceptional. This, then, is the story of an IAS officer who became a monk! He is today the vice-president of the Divine Life Society with its headquar-ters at the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh. I wondered how monk-hood could offer the same satisfaction as making and implementing policy at the national or State-level. How diffi-cult was it to abandon the unques-tioned authority he must have once enjoyed in exchange for continuous communication with God?

I had hazy recollections of a batch-mate, Sunil Patnaik, when we were

IAS officer who became a monk!

training at the National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. He was a tall, mid-complexioned Oriya—a very quiet person and generally seen in the company of serious thinkers. Although he played billiards, he remained aloof from the rest of us talkative, talented and fun loving pro-bationers. Several years later I learnt that Patnaik had become a monk, but I did not give it another thought. After all, I had never exchanged a single word with him. But now I needed to talk to him. Would he be lofty and monosyllabic? Would he be cool and standoffish?

Once I was able to track down Swamiji, I started by asking him (on email) about his family background

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and factors that influenced him to join the IAS; also the emotions and apprehensions he experienced when he decided to leave prematurely. After all, Sunil had a full 14 years of mean-ingful service still ahead of him when he took the plunge. What inspired him to join the Sivananda order of monks? What were the requirements for work and prayer expected of him? Did he miss human rela-tionships, physical comforts and the normal aspira-tion for recognition? Did severance from a meaningful and p r o m i s i n g career leave him with

doubts? Did he feel up to facing celi-bacy forever?

Unlike all the people I have inter-viewed, Swamiji read each question and answered it exactly to the point. But the flip side was that he did not offer a single extra word from his side. I, therefore, had to ask a variety of persons to fill in the blanks.

Sunil Patnaik was the second son of a head clerk employed in the Zilla Parishad in Ganjam district of Odisha, who retired as the District Inspector of schools. Sunil’s mother was a housewife with little schooling, but, even so, whatever young Sunil learnt of religion during his childhood was from her. He had six brothers and three sisters, but he alone pursued the spiritual path and took renunciation

Sunil Patnaik as an IAS officer (above) and as Swami Nirliptananda Saraswati



from worldly life. After completing a Master’s from

Allahabad University, his older broth-er had suggested that he should try for the IAS–until then no member of the family had taken the competitive exam. Around the same time, a friend invited him to attend a satsang at a devotee’s house and presented him with two books on Swami Sivananda’s teachings. One of the books stirred something inside Sunil which com-pelled him to re-read it many times.

The IAS exam was over but the interview was around the corner. Despite his humble background, Sunil cleared the examination and was allotted to his home state, Odisha. But, even as he readied himself for training at the National Academy, the teachings of Sivananda would reso-nate in his ears.

While lectures on the Constitution, the economy and law went on, his thoughts would keep going back to the meaning of life. One weekend, when the entire Academy made a bee-line to enjoy city life, Sunil persuaded two friends to join him to visit the Sivananda Ashram at Rishikesh. This visit was a defining moment for him; but it still took 22 more years for Sunil to join the Ashram as a permanent inmate.

Back home, the prospect of mar-riage was being constantly suggested to him. But the wall he built around himself was too strong for anyone to penetrate. Eventually, people just gave up. After the initial training peri-

od was over, an early posting as the Zonal Administrator for the Dandakaranya

project gave him insights into the trials of resettling tens of thou-sands of poor families uprooted from former East Pakistan. Later, as

It became the headquarters of the Divine Life Society.

Continuing my interview with Sunil, now known as Swami Nirliptananda Saraswati, I asked him about the time he left the service.

“I finally bid goodbye to govern-ment service and my colleagues after 23 years as an IAS officer—when I still had 14 years of service left. My deci-sion was not a sudden awakening, or a call from God. I had been thinking of making the break for several years and as every day passed, the teachings of Swami Sivananda were making a deeper and deeper impres-sion on my mind.

“I arrived at Rishikesh and stepped into the Ashram as an ordinary sad-hak. I was initiated into sanyas in 1990 when my name was changed to Nirliptananda.”

WHAT Swami Nirliptananda did not tell me, however, was that he was tutored over

the years under Swami Krishnadandji Saraswati, himself the author of more than 50 books and eight score reli-gious treatises and a scholar of both Western philosophy as well as the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. About his early assignments, he told me:

“Within a few months of my join-ing, Swami Chidananda Maharaj, the President of the Ashram, sent me a telegram from South Africa, asking me to meet him at Bombay. When I met him, he directed me to go down south and take charge of a 30-bedded hospital in a village in Pattamadai vil-lage, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. This was the birthplace of Swami Sivananda Maharaj. I was taken by surprise, but I left immedi-ately. I ran the hospital for the next six years before returning to Rishikesh in 1996.”

Today, Swami Nirliptanandaji is

Collector of Bolangir district (now part of the KBK region of Odisha), Patnaik had to confront conditions of extreme scarcity which still beset the region. Four decades later, local peo-ple remember him because he would never use the dak bungalow beds or fuss over clean sheets and pillows. He would carry his own chatai, spread it on the floor, lay his own coverlet on top and just go to sleep.

About his own career this is what he told me:

“I never had a strong attachment to the service or to any particular job. I wanted first a little free time to myself, and ultimately to overcome all the limitations of the self to which we are all subject. I wanted to find perma-

nent peace, eternal happiness, and moksha through self-realisation, or God realisation. This was the funda-mental teaching of Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj. I never discussed the idea of leaving the service with anyone and it was entirely my own decision.”

I wondered what was special about Swami Sivananda Maharaj and was surprised to find that he had practised medicine for 10 years in Malaysia. His inner voice kept reminding him: med-icine provides healing at an external level; but what about the void that exists at a spiritual level? It was then that this practising doctor, who had studied medicine at Tanjore, returned to India and established the Sivananda Ashram on the bank of the Ganga, some three kilometres from Rishikesh.

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FIRST STIRRINGSsunil patnaik


the vice-president of the Divine Life Society. When he was younger, he served the Ashram by supervising the Ashram hospital, the dining hall, tem-ples, goshalas and leprosy relief work, and imparting instruction on the scriptures. Today, he delivers dis-courses to hundreds of devotees, attends conferences and edits two monthly magazines. Selflessness and a sense of duty dominate his thoughts and speech.

“Human beings cannot exist in a vacuum and necessarily depend on each other. That is why it is so impor-tant to perform one’s duty. When peo-ple follow their own whims and fan-cies, the outcome is a clash of interest which leads to conflict. It is, therefore, important to realise the need to fulfil one’s duties as a father, mother, son, daughter, husband and wife, but also as a part of society. At all times there is a responsibility to God, the Creator. It is only when an individual ceases to be obsessed with rewards and con-tributes for the sake of duty that he becomes detached from the material world. The only way to find happiness is through detachment because attachment brings suffering—attach-ment is the root cause of suffering.”

I asked him about the relevance of the IAS in today’s times and this is what he had to say:“The IAS plays a central role in gov-

erning the country and can do a lot for people’s welfare. Nothing prevents an officer from doing good work until he ruffles some vested interest.”

As the interview continued, I became uncomfortable about asking some personal questions. But I persisted nevertheless.

“Do you watch television or read books, other than spiritual teachings? Do you play any games, visit relatives and friends or play a musical instru-

ment? What is the food like? What kind of clothes do you own and how often can you replace them?” were some of my questions. This is what I learnt:

“My life in the Ashram is like this. I usually get up around 4 am. After a wash, I sit in prayer doing jap and meditation until 6 o’clock. Once I have bathed, I perform yogasanas and recite hymns. I have breakfast in my room at 8 o’clock, consisting of something light and tea. I go to the

office until 11 am, meet visitors or undertake Ashram work. Lunch is between 11 and 12 noon and dinner at 8 pm. I eat both meals in my room and we get dal or sambar, a curry, chapati and buttermilk. Khichadi is served at night. In the evening I do some light exercise followed by prayer, jap and meditation. In the afternoons and after dinner I check emails and attend to correspondence. I read a spiritual book before going to bed at about 10 pm. Most of my free time goes in sadhna.”

And then he added, almost with child-like innocence:

“I already have two pairs of cloth-ing and can have more if I need. I visit friends and family on special occa-sions. I generally do not watch televi-sion. On special occasions the devo-tees bring home-cooked paneer or halwa to the dining hall, which we all enjoy. We are allowed to keep small

Today, he delivers discourses to hundreds of

devotees, attends conferences and edits two

monthly magazines. Selflessness and a sense

of duty dominate his thoughts and speech



offerings and can use them for per-sonal expenses. I travel to many coun-tries as assigned because there are several Sivananda centres in the world.” I learnt purely by accident that Swamiji continues to be a pen-sioner under the All India Service Pension Rules. The sum is not insub-stantial but true to character, it goes to the Ashram.

“What is your message for civil servants?” I asked. His response sounded harsh, but perhaps some of us need plain speaking.

“God will punish civil servants who use their position for personal gain in violation of ethical norms. These peo-ple will have to reap the consequences of what they sow. It is not right to get attached to government position and privileges as attachment becomes the cause of sorrow. Like all things short- lived, these too are perishable. To find lasting peace and happiness one has

to cultivate devotion to God and also work without expecting anything in return. Pride, lust, anger, greed, hatred and selfishness ruin life. Meditation quietens the mind and helps one to realise God. It is neces-sary, therefore, to always remember God which alone can bring lasting happiness.”

SEVA Ram Sharma, a retired IAS batchmate who was instru-mental in bringing me in con-

Swami Nirliptananda giving a discourse to devotees

tact with Swamiji, was the Home Secretary in the Delhi Government when he retired. For the last score of years he hosts Swamiji on his occa-sional visits to Delhi and prostrates before him like every other devotee. “Swami Nirliptananda is a true monk,” he says, his eyes shining with fidelity. Sharma’s wife, Sarita, herself an accomplished Hindi writer (she writes under the penname Saryu), added this:

“I am amazed at how devotees come with so many problems— nothing extraordinary but critical for the person seeking Swamiji’s advice. Whether it is about estrangement from children, relationship between husband and wife, or tussles in the office, Swamiji listens for as long as the devotee speaks and never inter-rupts. Only when the whole story is told, does he advise the disciple, speaking in a very personal, construc-tive and direct manner. What he says always has the desired effect. It is remarkable to watch this every time.”

Seva Ram told me that 45 years ago, when they were just probationers at the Academy, Sunil had taught him a shloka from the Bhagvad Gita which resonates in his ears even today:

“One who treats friends and enemies equally, balanced in honour and disgrace, heat and cold, happiness and anguish, free from attachment, unconcerned about blame and praise, controlled in speech, content, without any fixed residence, even-minded and engaged in devotional service, such a person is dear to Me.” g

More stories written by Shailaja Chandra

at [email protected]

‘God will punish civil servants who use their

position for personal gain in violation of ethical norms,’ says Swami

Nirliptananda, when asked for his message to civil

servants

TALKTIMEparliament devender singh


Sentinels of accountability

By the very nature of its com-position, Parliament cannot mount an unremitting and ef-

fective vigil over the entire spectrum of governance. Parliaments across the globe, therefore, transact a great deal of business through commit-tees. The Indian Parliament has de-veloped a well-knit committee sys-tem, encompassing within its arch of scrutiny not only all ministries, departments and organisations of the government, but also vulnerable social groups like SCs, STs, OBCs, women, and so on. correspond-ent Kh Manglembi Devi inter-viewed Devender Singh, Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat, who has serviced important com-mittees of Parliament, including the oldest and one of the most prestigious committees, the PAC, for over two decades and worked under eminent parliamentarians/chairmen like AR Antulay, ND Tiwari, Shivraj Patil, Somnath Chatterjee, Bhupinder Sin-gh Hooda, Sardar Buta Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi and many other veterans. He is also a faculty mem-ber of the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training and the Insti-tute of Constitutional and Parliamen-tary Studies and a domain scholar. Excerpts from the interview:

The core function of Parliament is to make laws. But of late, all

Bills are referred to some com-mittee or the other for examina-tion, forcing the government in some case, to promulgate an or-dinance. Does it not amount to abdicating or impeding the func-tions of Parliament?

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Parliamentary committees

Devender Singh, Joint Secretary, Lok Sabha Secretariat



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What are the powers and privileges of Parliamentary committees? Can a committee force attendance of a witness and punish them for non-appearance?

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What are the consequences if a witness prevaricates, or gives incorrect or misleading information to a committee?

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A committee is composed on the principle of proportional representation of political parties in Parliament. How does a committee build consensus and when can a note of dissent be appended to a report?

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-mittees? Do they not duplicate the work of Parliament and con-duct scrutiny of the Executive ad nauseam, often leading to administrative paralysis?

TALKTIMEparliament devender singh


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Please throw some light on how the committees work with

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The PAC is examining the reports of the CAG on allocation of coal blocks, the Commonwealth Games, Adarsh Society, Westland helicopter deal, and so on. When will the PAC be able to present the report to Parliament?

g

(The views expressed are personal)

A file photo of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in session, under the chairmanship of ND Tiwari

BOOK REVIEWmanagement non-fiction



Purity of resolve is the key

by SHANTIVEER KAUL

Title: Management by IdiotsAuthor: Arup Roy ChoudhuryPublisher: McGraw Hill Education, 2013Pages: 116Price: not mentioned

Arup Roy Choudhury’s book is not only an enjoyable read, it also makes reading about management idiot-proof

IT was quite interesting, actually. One waded into the book under review without thinking of it as a

book that was to be reviewed; without subconsciously feeling for its physi-cality, its weight and dimensions and without looking at the back cover: reading it straightaway.

It was only towards the end of the introduction that the realisa-tion dawned that the author was a top manager, having long been at the helm of a giant of a company—a very successful one at that—with its complex set of problems and challenges and had helmed it very successfully.

Here one was, within reading dis-tance of distilled wisdom gained through practical experience of a life-time—how was Arup Roy Choudhury going to ladle it out?

Management books have earned for themselves the reputation of being difficult to read. Not only that, there is also a general impression that the more rewarding or useful a book, the more difficult a read it is. But Management by Idiots is an enjoy-able read, thoroughly enjoyable. It also makes reading about manage-ment idiot-proof. Even a person with no interest in management stud-ies will benefit from reading the book and, not only that, will enjoy reading it as well.

There are areas in life as such— even in the quotidian, unremarkable lives of the commonest of folks among us—that require management. And

it is precisely from everyday life that Roy Choudhury picks out his examples on the spines of which he builds communication capsules about hardcore management principles and practices. The body copy of a television advertisement can become that spine, and so can a saying, a proverb, or a fragment of everyday conversation.

The book has 20 chapters spread over 116 pages. Somehow, each of the chapters gives one the sense of a bul-let point and an explanatory note in a corporate presentation of 20 slides.

The author steers expert-ly through ideas of delegation, ownership, time management, team

building and suchlike, using simple language and an engaging style. He also keeps the whole thing uncompli-cated and uncluttered.

There is not one superfluity, no pedantic overhang in the book. No, the style is not sparse, it is quite wholesome—the simplicity of Management by Idiots does not take away from the profound nature of its thought content, but rather adds to the same.

The book has delightful illustrations—simple line drawings which have character but are not cartoons. These further add value to the text, besides making the package visually attractive. The typeface and quality of paper together make for easy reading.

I actually ended up reading the book in a single sitting the very first time I laid my hands on it. True, the reading was in reader, rather than reviewer, mode. Of course, a second reading makes for greater appreciation of the ideas presented in the book and for the effort.

Management by Idiots is a book that should sit alongside an organiser, or a thesaurus, on the work table. It has motivational value as well as reference value. The title of the concluding chapter, and an important theme throughout the book, is—‘Sankalpa shuddha hi siddha’, or the purity of resolve is a task managed. This is an apt caption for this well-written educational book. g

ADVERTORIALe-governance summit


Charting the way aheadIT was a stimulating, thought-

provoking salad of ideas that was debated, discussed and exchanged

between the stakeholders involved in pepping up e-Governance in the country, at the day-long e-Govern-ance Summit organised by ET Edge—an Economic Times initiative—at The Grand in Delhi on October 24, 2013.

Senior government officials from the Centre as well as State gov-ernments, besides Information Technology (IT) industry leaders from NIIT Technologies, Vakrangee, Wipro, Cisco, Airtel, MeritTrac, ABM Knowledgeware, Blue Coat, CheckPoint, Mastek, HID and SafeNet were among the participants who shared their views, suggestions and first-hand experiences. They sketched the future roadmap for e-Govern-

ance in the country before a sizeable number of delegates from different sectors in the packed hall. The speak-ers also stressed the importance of technology in areas like disaster management, service delivery and eliminating poverty.

The agenda for the opening ses-sion was set in motion after the light-ing of the traditional lamp by the chief guest, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, IT and Communications Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and the welcome address by Deepak Lamba, President, TCL-BCCL.

Addressing the audience, the chief guest said that collaborative steps by all the States for digitisation and automation of government services will help India shine more. Giving details of various e-Governance ini-

Stakeholders involved in pepping up

e-Governance in the country debated,

discussed and exchanged a salad

of ideas at the day-long e-Governance

Summit organised by ET Edge

– an Economic Times initiative in Delhi

‘‘

‘‘

ADVERTORIALe-governance summit



tiatives taken by his home State, the minister said that its flagship meeSe-va initiative, launched last year, was constantly on progressing by adding more departments and services in its fold and rendering services to more and more people in the State in a quick and transparent manner.

In the coming years, he said, IT will play a key role to take forward e-Gov-ernance to e-Inclusion in areas like agriculture, sustainability, employ-ment, reducing poverty and taking services to the public in a more afford-able way from anywhere.

Following Onno Ruhl deliberations on best practices in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) around the world, a panel discussion on the PPP theme began. A lot of PPP models are availa-ble but do we plan to learn from these projects and deploy it in other States to cut short on cost and delivery time, or do we plan to reinvent the wheel every time?

Moderated by National Innovation Council Member Kiran Karnik, the panelists included All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Chairman SS Mantha, Ministry of External Affairs Joint Secretary and Chief Passport Officer Muktesh K Pardesi, World Health Organisation India Representative Nata Menabde, NIIT Technologies Asia-Pacific and Middle East President Arvind Mehrotra, Andhra Pradesh Information Department Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Supreme Court of India Judicial e-Committee Member Talwant Singh, Haryana government Additional IT Secretary Vivek Atray and Wipro Infotech General Manager and Government vertical Business Head Vivek Sharma. The emi-nent panelists shared their success stories of the projects undertaken in the PPP mode.

Later, a discussion was held on new e-Governance technologies.

From e-Governance we are moving towards m-Governance as mobile penetration has reached around 900 million.

Participating in the discussion on Next Generation e-Governance Technologies to ensure mobil-ity, transparency and efficient ser-vice delivery, the CDAC Executive Director, Dr Zia Saquib, said that m-Governance was emerging as a good option as mobile phone pene-tration is on the rise. This offers more scope to the government to reach out to people and to extend G2C services even in remote areas where broad-band connectivity has been an issue.

The point that came out forcefully during the deliberations was that it was time to move beyond policies to actual implementation. The focus was on what is to be deployed by the respective department as, most of the time, they are not clear about it, lead-ing to cost and time overrun. g

INITIATIVEethics mk kaw


THE Initiatives for Change is the modern name of the erstwhile MRA (Moral Re-Armament) and the Centre for Governance is its child. On December

13, 2013, this child celebrates its 10th birthday. The full name of this prodigy is Initiatives for Change Centre for Governance or ICCfG. The Centre was created in December 2003 following the realisation that governance, or the lack of it, was at the heart of the malady afflicting the country. The Centre has started a journal, launched a website, held lectures, panel discussions and training programmes. The Initiatives for Change (IoC) is based on the premise that we have to be the change that we wish to bring about in the world. The Centre for Governance sends out the message that if we want to have a regime of ethical governance in this country, we have to be ethical in our thinking and behaviour. It is not surprising that its flagship programme is named ‘Training in Ethical Governance’.

The unique selling point of the ICCfG is the training infrastructure created by the IoC at Panchgani, Maharashtra. Trainees speak of the unique ambience of the tableland with its lush greenery, clean air and ash-ram-like atmosphere. When I visited Asia Plateau for the first time, I was moved to pen the following tribute:Is Panchgani a plateau in outer space Where the sun paints everything gold and the moon silverAnd the stars hang like improbable oversized propsArranged by an amateur event management group?

Or is Panchgani a poetic fancyWhere you let your hair downTake off the clothes of false ego and hypocrisyAnd emerge in your nude primordial selves?

Or is Panchgani a thoughtless stateWhere mind ceases to functionWhere you do all that you wanted to do but dared notFor fear that others might laugh,Like admit that negative feelings were masksPut on so no one could place youIn this arena of hate?

All for a samosa!

Or is Panchgani an utter silence and alonenessWhere you are forced to confront yourself

And admit in the innermost depths of your soulThat compassion is not weaknessIdeals not an idle chatterAnd goodness not a hackneyed religious phraseMeaningless in everyday life?

Where tears are permissibleWhere you can hold your enemy in tight embraceAnd weep together.

(Published in The Journal of Governance, July 2012)The history of IoC is full of moving episodes of recon-

ciliation between erstwhile enemies. During the Dialogue on Democracy, held in January 2012, I was witness to a drama in real life. We had a black youth and a white mid-dle-aged lady from South Africa. During their interaction in the plenary session, they revealed a harrowing tale. The youth confessed to murdering the lady’s young daughter during the riots. She absorbed the shock of this revelation and gracefully forgave the black assassin. They embraced and wept together. There were tears in every eye when the drama unfolded and we all felt a catharsis that washed away layers of negativity from our hearts.

The IoC faculty is an inspiring lot. The resident trustee, who is also the director of the complex, is Dr Ravindra Rao, who gave up his roaring practice as a dentist in Bengaluru when the call came. Each member of the faculty has a story to tell, of how he or she changed from within, confessed to sins and peccadillos and thus was cleansed of guilt and shame. This enabled them to transcend their petty egos and selfishness and devote their lives to service of the country.

Today, training appears to be the most potent contri-bution that the Centre for Governance is making in the building of this nation. The crown jewel of all its programmes is the one designed for serving IAS officers, deputed officially by the Department of Personnel, Government of India—‘Ethics in Public Governance’. There are two or three such programmes every year, each

Initiatives for Change Centre for Governance sends the message that if we want a regime of ethical governance, we have to be ethical in our thinking



catering to 25-35 IAS officers. The programme lasts for five days—Monday to Friday. The idea is to provide an opportunity to officers and their spouses to spend a few days of reflection and dialogue in the serene and beauti-ful ambience of Asia Plateau; to reflect on the state of the nation, to understand the root causes, listen to inner guidance and get inspired by the examples of other offic-ers. Participants are expected to go back with a renewed sense of peace, power and possibility to devise practical methods to deploy in the service of India and its people.

Arun Wakhlu of Pragati Leadership Institute, Pune, who devised the programme, had novel ways of convey-ing the message. I had the good fortune of taking part in a morning walk with the participants. The instruc-tions were to walk slowly and alone, savouring each element of nature, the cool breeze, the mild sunlight, the aroma of flowers, the sounds of birds, etc. Perfect silence was to be observed. If we felt like it, we could stop by a tree and embrace it, close our eyes and speak soundlessly to it. We, who tend to view a morning walk as a duty imposed by a cardiologist and try to complete it as fast as possible with all our senses closed, found this measured sojourn an unforgettable experience.

The beauty of these programmes is that apart from the IOC faculty, which concentrates on inner governance, there is strong support from the Delhi-based Centre for Governance. A typical programme would be flagged off by Prabhat Kumar, former Cabinet Secretary and Governor, who might speak on ‘IAS—kal, aaj aur kal’. Selected members of the core group might share their experiences, the ethical dilemmas they faced and how they resolved them, or dissect case studies of recent happenings in the country, or speak of exciting experiments in governance being practised by their colleagues still in service. There are speakers from the service who faced similar problems and came up with innovative solutions within the same milieu as being expeerienced by the par-ticipants. Thus, the Centre chips in with inputs regarding outer governance.

A unique feature is that participants are encouraged to do self-service at meal times and constitute themselves into teams charged with the responsibility of laying the tables and washing used plates. This immediately creates

an ashram-like atmosphere, which also engenders a ser-vice attitude. Add to this two or three group songs every day conveying a moral message, sung by a group of young interns drawn from different countries, and you have the icing on the cake. No wonder the participants go home awakened and energetic, ready to chart new directions in their official work, their interaction with family and their relation to inner self.

So successful has the programme been that it has spawned many initiatives. An officer from Karnataka felt that all employees of the Karnataka Electricity Board

should be exposed to a similar programme. Another got posted to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation and he wanted all its employees

to be trained in ethics. The news travelled to Mumbai and the Commissioner desired that all his officers be trained. The ICCfG took on

the responsibility despite the fact that it all involved setting up an organisation of

training programmes for thousands of officers and men, at all levels.

The Centre has organised similar programmes for the IPS, the IRTS and the IRPS. There is a demand for such a

programme from the IRS. The National Academy at Mussoorie now wants its probationers to be exposed

to ethics. The Department of Personnel desired that State Service officers should also get the message and, therefore, the State Institutes of Public

Administration have been enabled to devise similar programmes. The news has travelled to foreign countries as well and the Centre has received demands from African

countries. Clearly, members of the core group of the ICCfG are in

demand. They are all retired senior government and PSU officers. They meet at least once every week, mostly on Thursdays. What do they get in return? As Mukund Kaushal, IPS, retired Special Secretary (Security), puts it wittily, “We work for a samosa that is served at the Thursday meetings.” And a huge dollop of joy in doing something useful and worthwhile instead of just playing golf and watching TV. g(MK Kaw is a former Secretary, Government of India)

MY CORNERbehaviour amitabh thakur


No more slips of tongue

THE remark by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) direc-tor Ranjit Sinha related to rape

immediately made the news. The fact remains that the CBI Director is a powerful entity in the present set of affairs in India. The recent pronouncements and efforts of the Supreme Court to make the CBI truly independent functionally have been discussed in the media. Add to this, the extremely sensitive high-profile cases generally handled by the CBI, and the importance and relevance of the CBI Director becomes all the more apparent.

The issue of rape and sexual moles-tation and sexual harassment of women in Indian society has been a subject of extremely intense discus-sions, particularly in the aftermath of the Delhi rape case, which shook the conscience of the entire nation. It was in this background that the casual comment by the CBI Director became a subject of heated discussion and severe indictment.

Sinha was participating in a panel discussion moderated by the edi-tor-in-chief of The Indian Express Shekhar Gupta. The CBI Director, who was on the panel of a session on ‘Ethics and integrity in sports—need for a law and role of CBI’, said that there was no harm in legalising bet-ting in the country. But, what really took the lead off the entire speech was his definitely inappropriate sentence: “If you cannot enforce the ban on betting, it is like saying if you can’t prevent rape, enjoy it.”

The furore over the CBI Director’s remark on rape has again put the spotlight on how a public servant should behave in today’s media-dominant world

The CBI chief’s statement followed angry reactions from several women’s organisations, including the National Commission for Women. “How can he make comparisons with a heinous offence like rape when the rape laws are changing? He holds such a high position and is a protector of the law,” said NCW member Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar, adding, “We will take proper action and will definitely see to it that such a kind of thing is not tol-erated.” CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat

went to the extent of demanding Sinha’s resignation.

The reactions from many other quarters were no less vehement and sharp. Faced with criticism over his remark, Sinha expressed regret if he had hurt anyone inadvertently. He officially stated, “I gave my opinion that betting should be legalised and that if the laws cannot be enforced, it does not mean that laws should not be made. This is as erroneous as saying that if rape is inevitable, one should lie back and enjoy it. I regret any hurt caused as the same was inadvertent and unintended. I reiterate my deep sense of regard and respect for women

and commitment to gender issues.” In his seven-page reply to the NCW, Sinha emphasised his gender sensi-tivity in his four-decade career and claimed he was quoted out of context by the media.

The NCW is reportedly not satis-fied with this explanation. Samant said, “We are not satisfied with the CBI Director’s reply. We will ask for tapes and footage from the media covering the event and further investigate the matter.”

I remember another incident where a husband-wife duo, two young IPS officers at present posted in Goa, had created a minor controversy while expressing their views on gambling. In an incident in Uttar Pradesh, a DIG-rank officer said to a complain-ant, father of a girl who had eloped with a boy from some other caste, that if the girl had been his own sis-ter he would have killed her. Another UP-based SP was heard making cer-tain inappropriate comments before the media regarding girls who elope. An Additional SP, instead of sympa-thising with the rape victim, suppos-edly made an extremely unfortunate statement that no one would rape a woman of her age.

The above examples are only a handful of the public speeches and/or words of government officials which, though spoken for limited audiences, came out in the open and went to an extremely larger audience, putting the officer in a fix.

These incidents bring many impor-tant issues into focus. The first is that

A government servant has to be cautious and

understand that the words expected by society from

him lie on the side of tradition, not towards

flamboyance



each government servants has to remember all the time that he is a gov-ernment servant and though he has a right to express his personal views, he has to take care that these personal views don’t transgress the prescribed boundaries of decency, appropriate-ness and social acceptability. Again, a government servant has to be cau-tious and understand that the words expected by the society from him lie on the side of tradition, not towards flamboyance.

Another thing that needs to be remembered is that, unlike earlier days when a public servant could speak anything in private, in small public gatherings, public speeches, official interactions with a few persons, etc., today he or she has to remember that he is under observation 24x7 by all kinds of electronic gadgets around him, which are capable of multiplying his words a thousand times, reverberating them all over the country with an audibility that is

deafening and destructive.The third thing is that, with the

change in the nature of media perco-lation and with the rapidly altering public sensitivities, where the public is ready to question each and every act of public servants, other than the technical and managerial skills imparted to the public servant so as to be well-versed with his job, he also needs to be properly trained in human and organisational behaviour, public sensitivity and media interaction.

I say this because not all the state-ments made by public servants are always made with evil or bad inten-

tion. Sometimes they are a result of a slip of the tongue, sometimes it gets quoted partially or out of context. Many a time, they are purely inadvertent. But once the statements start getting relayed through the electronic media, they create such an atmosphere that the damage is irreparable. Hence, a proper understanding of media

dynamics and media craft seems to be greatly needed.

Finally, another thing that is needed is a sharp and immediate reaction from the official in the dock. Here I would hugely appreciate the CBI chief, not for any fear or favour, but only because, despite having made an apparent error, he was quite prompt in acknowledging it. He not only issued a public statement on his own, without any prompting, but also made an unconditional apology for the hurt his statement might have caused to anyone.

In my opinion, this ability to realise and admit the folly, if pointed out, should also be developed in all public servants because, despite the best of efforts, the possibility of making an error cannot be ruled out. In such circumstances, an unconditional apology at the earliest, to soothe hurt feelings and bruised emotions, seems to be the best option, as has been so rightly and appropriately done by Sinha.

The electronic news channels are there to stay and the public servants need to acclimatise and adjust themselves to their presence, mechanism and modalities, and also to realise that the era of tactlessness in word and speech is truly over for every public servant.

In this regard, what Karat said for Sinha holds true for all: “The point is not just the remark, but the position he holds, where he is a part of inves-tigations in so many cases of sexual assault against women, and if the head of this agency trivialises sexual assault in this manner, what is the message which goes to those who are investigating the cases.” g

Amitabh Thakur, IPS officer from UP, is also working for transparency in governance. The views expressed are personal.

INITIATIVEworkplace dalip singh


IN today’s business world, man-agement pundits have always wondered whether different pro-

fessions exhibit different emotional intelligence levels or not. The answer is that, different jobs require differ-ent levels of EQ. It is now recognised that emotional intelligence plays an important role in many areas of life, including work. Some jobs require and some do not, the emotional skills to succeed.

Jobs that can be accomplished individually or by working with oth-ers in fixed, set or structured ways do not require a great deal of emotional intelligence. For instance, success in painting or professional tennis may require more self-discipline and moti-vation, and less EQ.

Jobs which demand interaction with other people, or working in informal teams, or empathising with and understanding others are the ones that require emotional intelligence. If you lack the requisite level of emotional intelligence, you may not only find such jobs difficult to cope with, but also less satisfying. Success in sales requires the empathic ability to gauge a customer’s mood and the interpersonal skill to decide when to pitch a product and when to keep quiet. There are professions that require interacting with people, working in teams or having informal relationships. For example, leaders may need a higher degree of EQ because of the very nature of their job, which requires them to interact with a large number of people, and

Match your EQ and profession

empathise and understand their needs and desires. Experience shows that success in sales requires an ability to judge clients’ moods and the emotional skill to decide when to promote the product and when to keep quiet. Such professions may be satisfying only when one

has the requisite level of emotional intelligence.

Notwithstanding this, a high EQ can set you apart from your colleagues and lead you to other forms of success at the workplace. Some professions may exhibit a great deal of emotional intelligence while others may not.

Professions like those of an artist, or in insurance, advertisement and social work require extremely high levels of EQ to accomplish the task.These professions may need to ex press feelings, identify and label feelings and manage and control impulses. These professions may also require interpreting emotional cues that may influence social behaviour. These are also the professions that require use of non-verbal skills such as commu-nicating through eye contact, facial expression, and tone of voice or ges-tures. For example, it is the job of an insurance salesperson to approach prospective clients to sell insurance policies. Experience shows that a number of people slam the door on the salespersons’ faces, resulting in a feeling of acute frustration. It is, there-fore, under standable that this profes-sion requires an extremely high level of EQ to help an insurance salesman re-assess his/her capabilities and evolve fresh strategies to overcome similar feelings in the future. An insurance salesperson, therefore, needs to be an optimist—an impor-tant emotional competence. One with high EQ will take failure as a challenge without getting demoral-ised. A US-based national insurance

A high EQ can set you apart from your colleagues

and lead you to other forms of success at the

workplace. Some professions may exhibit

a great deal of emotional intelligence while others

may not



company has also found that sales-men who were weak in emotional competencies such as self-confidence, initiative and empathy sold policies with an average premium of $54,000 only, but those very strong on these emotional competencies sold policies with premiums worth $114,000.

There are professions such as teaching and police that require a high level of EQ. For example, the teaching profession requires emo-tional competencies such as rapport, harmony and comfort while dealing with groups. A teacher with high IQ may not necessarily be high in these emotional competencies. Hence, teachers with high EQ seem to exhibit open and free expression of ideas that lead them to creativity and mutual respect. In the police profession, a person has to constantly work under stress emanating from threat to life, while encountering criminal elements and dealing with communal clashes. The police officer is expected to handle the situation tactfully and the job requires firmness and

empathy in appropriate doses. A police officer with high EQ knows how to manage emotions of people, emotions of victims in difficult times such as ethnic clashes, rape, political demonstrations and stu-dent strikes. Political leaders, as well as successful businessmen/entrepre-neurs, advocates, and people engaged in tourism are supposed to be high on EQ.

AND finally there are professions such as judiciary, administration, information

technology, medicine, banking, engi neering, accountancy which require moderate scores levels of EQ. Bureaucrats, for instance, face conflict, stress and burnout from internal and external factors and may be able to deal with them effectively with moderate EQ. The judiciary and those in information technology need a dedicated and individu alistic approach at the workplace. The judge, software engineer, computer programmer or computer engineer has to concentrate on program mes that require minimal interaction with

people. Hence, it is not surprising that moderate EQ would suffice in these professions. Scien tists, engineers and IT professionals may prove to be effective in their professions even with a moderate amount of EQ. Similarly, in banking and accountancy professions, the job is entirely impersonal, involving monetary transactions and financial matters that usually have little or no interaction with people. In financial institutions, rules and regulations are well defined and cannot be changed or modified. Hence, a moderate EQ is fine in these professions.

We may conclude by saying that different professions do require different levels of EQ. However, having a high or average EQ cannot simplistically be labelled as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in a profession. It is necessary to have the right balance of various emotional competencies that can help one become a star performer. Although many professions exhibit a requirement for moderate EQ, it should not be interpreted that high EQ is not required at all in these professions. gDr Dalip Singh, a 1982-batch IAS officer

of the Haryana cadre, has a PhD in

psychology from the University of Delhi.

He can be contacted at www.eqindia.com

A gradation of careers, based on their requirement of emotional intelligence

(LOWEST)

(HIGHEST)

Botanist

BiochemistChef

Systems Analyst

Engineer

Auditor

Accountant

Banker

Legal/judiciary

Editor

Restaurant Manager

Travel Agent

Private Secretary

Insurance Agent

Sales Representative

Civil Servant

Librarian

Writer

Doctor

Police Officer

Training Manager

Nurse

Artist

Advertisement

Human Resources Manager

Business/entrepreneurship

Politics

Teacher

Social Worker

Psychiatrist/Psychologist

www.gfilesindia.com58

The author has no exposure in the stock recommended in this column. gfiles does not accept responsibility for investment decisions byreaders of this column. Investment-related queries may be sent to [email protected] with Bhardwaj’s name in the subject line.

STOCK DOCTORdr gs sood

gfiles inside the governmentvol. 7, issue 9 | December 2013

The worst may be over for now

Stock ShopBY RAKESH BHARDWAJ

Balaji Amines (CMP Rs 46)

THE company has introduced many import substitute chemicals in

India having applications in pharma, agrochemicals, packaging, explosives, dyestuff, through indigenously developed technology. It is the world’s largest producer of di-methyl amine hydrochloride and commands close to 85 per cent market share and is also the largest producer of methylamines and their derivatives in India with a 60 per cent market share. The company’s manufacturing facilities are approved by many foreign countries. It is benefitting from increasing prices of its products and rupee depreciation. It is expanding its capacities and has recently received a Certificate of Suitability from the EU for its niche product, PV P K 30 (only

THE green shoots are at last visible in the Indian economy, with the current account deficit

(CAD) narrowing sharply in the September quarter to 1.2 per cent of GDP as against 4.9 per cent in the quarter ending June, thanks to higher exports led by recovery in the US and Europe and lower imports due to curbs on non-essential items such as gold. This has raised expectations that the CAD for the full year may remain well within the target or even be lower at around 2.5 to 3 per cent of GDP and may give the government some elbow room to face any future global shocks.

This is coupled with growth accel-erating to 4.8 per cent from 4.4 per cent in the preceding quarter mainly due to higher growth in agriculture, industry and exports. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for November rose to 51.3 points from 49.6 in the previous month, indicating a sharp pick-up in manufacturing. All this has led to the rupee strengthening on the back of FIIs showing faith in the Indian market and has compelled analysts to review their opinion that can best be described as a shift from ‘sell on rise’ to ‘buy on decline’.

However, fiscal deficit in the first seven months has already reached 84 per cent of the full year’s budgeted target despite the government defer-ring most of the subsidies. Revenues are not picking up and the disinvest-ment target of Rs 40,000 crore has bleak chances of being met. Also, the government has announced the Food for All programme and setting up of

the Seventh Pay Commission. Any sustainable pick-up in growth requires the investment cycle to revive. This may appear difficult due to large inventories and excess capacity, deferment of all major deci-sions till the formation of the new government at the Centre, over-lever-aged firms and compression in gov-ernment demand due to an already high fiscal deficit.

The tapering by the Fed may have been deferred due to weaker econom-ic data, US government shutdown for three weeks and the government

practically missing the debt ceiling but may start again by March.

Also, a weak coalition may not be ruled out at the Centre next year, be it BJP- or Congress-led. The corporate sector is increasingly finding it diffi-cult to service its debt, which is get-ting reflected in the substantial increase in NPAs of the banking sec-tor. The results, except for export ori-ented companies, have been dismal and are not likely to improve any time soon.

Investors are advised to be cautious and buy only at sharp dips, especially mid-cap stocks that have been severely beaten down, and gradually book profits in blue chips since a shift is perceived from large caps to mid caps. g

producer of this product in India), which will help it to export this product to regulated markets. The company has huge surplus land and has started effectively utilising it to create assets that can generate revenue without affecting its core business. In the last FY, the company reported a top line of Rs 512 crore and a net profit of Rs 31 crore. During the latest September quarter, it reported a turnover of Rs 161 crore (Rs 126 crore in the same period last year) and a net profit of Rs 12 crore (Rs 9 crore). It also distributed a dividend of 40 per cent. The company is expected to close the full year with an EPS of Rs 14 or more. The promoters have been gradually increasing their stake and are reducing debt. At CMP, the stock is available at par with its book value and at a forward PE of around three.

For the complete list, see www.gfilesindia.com


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Vandana Dadel 08-01-1971CADRE: JHARKHAND

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Alemtemshi Jamir 08-01-1955CADRE: NAGALAND

[email protected]

Lov Verma 09-01-1956CADRE: UTTAR PRADESH

[email protected]

Ganesh Shanker Mishra 10-01-1957CADRE: CHHATTISGARH

[email protected]

S Murali Krishna 10-01-1965CADRE: GUJARAT

[email protected]

Ashok Kumar Saha 11-01-1963CADRE: MADHYA PRADESH

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Parwez Ahmed Siddiqui 12-01-1971CADRE: WEST BENGAL

[email protected]

Sandeep KR Pudakalkatti 13-01-1978CADRE: BIHAR

[email protected]

Kurve Sachin Shardchandra 14-01-1977CADRE: UTTARAKHAND

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birthdaysIAS officers’ birthdays Dec 16, 2013 — Jan 15, 2014 IAS officers’ birthdays Dec 16, 2013 — Jan 15, 2014



Soumen Mitra16-12-1961CADRE: WEST BENGAL

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Paramjit Singh Grewal16-12-1956CADRE: PUNJAB

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Amrit Kalash17-12-1963CADRE: RAJASTHAN

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M Madhukar Shetty17-12-1971CADRE: KARNATAKA

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Sanjiv Marik18-12-1955CADRE: ODISHA

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N Kannan18-12-1972CADRE: TAMIL NADU

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S Zahur Haidar Zaidi19-12-1968CADRE: HIMACHAL PRADESH

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Vijay S Sakhare19-12-1970CADRE: KERALA

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G Janardan20-12-1963CADRE: MADHYA PRADESH

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Ram Kalyan Adhikary20-12-1955CADRE: WEST BENGAL

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DK Pattanayak21-12-1971CADRE: ODISHA

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Aswati G21-12-1973CADRE: MAHARASHTRA

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AK Patnaik22-12-1958CADRE: GUJARAT

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RK Vij22-12-1961CADRE: CHHATTISGARH

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Satya Narain Sabat23-12-1964CADRE: UTTAR PRADESH

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Om Prakash24-12-1972CADRE: RAJASTHAN

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Susant Mahapatra25-12-1956CADRE: KARNATAKA

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Paramraj Singh25-12-1965CADRE: PUNJAB

[email protected]

Anand Lal Banerjee26-12-1954CADRE: UTTAR PRADESH

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Swati Lakra27-12-1970CADRE: ANDHRA PRADESH

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Pawan Kumar Shrivastava28-12-1965CADRE: MADHYA PRADESH

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Rajnish Seth29-12-1963CADRE: MAHARASHTRA

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RJ Savani29-12-1959CADRE: GUJARAT

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Kumar Rajesh Chandra30-12-1961CADRE: BIHAR

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Sheel Madhur30-12-1956CADRE: HARYANA

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Bhupendra Thapa31-12-1956CADRE: SIKKIM

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Rakesh Ranjan31-12-1963CADRE: MANIPUR-TRIPURA

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FD Sangma31-12-1956CADRE: ASSAM- MEGHALAYA

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Abhay Anand01-01-1955CADRE: BIHAR

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GHP Raju01-01-1963CADRE: ASSAM-MEGHALAYA

[email protected]

David Lalrinsanga01-01-1970CADRE: AGMUT

[email protected]

Naseerudin Wani02-01-1954CADRE: JAMMU & KASHMIR

[email protected]

Lunsieh Kipgen03-01-1969CADRE: MANIPUR-TRIPURA

[email protected]

Rajiv Ranjan03-01-1979CADRE: SIKKIM

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Shashi Bhushan Kumar Singh04-01-1966CADRE: AGMUT

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S Davidson Devasirvatham04-01-1968CADRE: TAMIL NADU

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Anil Kant05-01-1962CADRE: KERALA

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Hanif Qureshi05-01-1970CADRE: HARYANA

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Safi Ahsan Rizvi06-01-1966CADRE: UTTARAKHAND

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Nuzhat Hussan07-01-1966CADRE: AGMUT

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Niraj Sinha08-01-1962CADRE: JHARKHAND

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Renchamo P Kikon08-01-1971CADRE: NAGALAND

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Rina Mitra09-01-1959CADRE: MADHYA PRADESH

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Nayyar H Khan10-01-1973CADRE: BIHAR

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Rajesh Kumar Mishra11-01-1964CADRE: CHHATTISGARH

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Bhajani Ram Meena12-01-1965CADRE: UTTAR PRADESH

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Damayanti Sen13-01-1970CADRE: WEST BENGAL

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TA Tripathi14-01-1962CADRE: ANDHRA PRADESH

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RV Jotangia14-01-1958CADRE: GUJARAT

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S Rajendran15-01-1956CADRE: TAMIL NADU

[email protected]

Sandeep M Tamgadge15-01-1975CADRE: NAGALAND

[email protected]

IPS officers’ birthdays Dec 16, 2013 — Jan 15, 2014 IPS officers’ birthdays Dec 16, 2013 — Jan 15, 2014



Lok Sabha Members May 16, 2013 — Jun 15, 2013Lok Sabha Members Dec 16, 2013 — Jan 15, 2014 Lok Sabha Members Dec 16, 2013 — Jan 15, 2014

birthdays

Rajya Sabha Members Dec 16, 2013 — Jan 15, 2014

HD Kumaraswamy16-12-1959JD(S) (Karnataka)

Dip Gogoi17-12-1951INC (Assam)

Avtar Singh Bhadana17-12-1957INC (Haryana)

Tushar Amarsinh Chaudhary18-12-1965INC (Gujarat)

Arjun Ram Meghwal20-12-1953BJP (Rajasthan)

Rakesh Sachan20-12-1964SP (Uttar Pradesh)

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy21-12-1972YSR Congress Party (Andhra Pradesh)

S Pratap Narayanrao 22-12-1948BJP (Maharashtra)

Ingrid Mcleod23-12-1967INC (Chhattisgarh)

Namo Narain Meena24-12-1943INC (Rajasthan)

CL Ruala25-12-1935INC (Mizoram)

N Dharam Singh25-12-1936INC (Karnataka)

Harischandra D Chavan25-12-1951BJP (Maharashtra)

Begum Tabassum Hasan25-12-1970BSP (Uttar Pradesh)

Jayant Chaudhary27-12-1978RLD (Uttar Pradesh)

Pradeep Kumar Singh29-12-1964BJP (Bihar)

Deoraj Singh Patel30-12-1968BSP (Madhya Pradesh)

Mahendra Kumar Roy31-12-1955CPI(M) (West Bengal)

Eknath Mahadeo Gaikwad 01-01-1940INC (Maharashtra)

KD Deshmukh01-01-1949 BJP (Madhya Pradesh)

Chandrakant B Khaire01-01-1952 SS (Maharashtra)

Salman Khurshid01-01-1953INC (Uttar Pradesh)

Sansuma K Bwiswmuthiary01-01-1960BPF (Assam)

Ramashankar Rajbhar 01-01-1960BS (Uttar Pradesh)

Meena Singh01-01-1962JD (U) (Bihar)

Jyotiraditya M Scindia01-01-1971INC (Madhya Pradesh)

Devendra Nagpal01-01-1971RLD (Uttar Pradesh)

Kirti Azad02-01-1959BJP (Bihar)

Arjun Roy02-01-1972JD (U) (Bihar)

Jaswant Singh03-01-1938BJP (West Bengal)

Bhola Singh03-01-1939BJP (Bihar)

Ninong Ering03-01-1959INC (Arunachal Pradesh)

Paramjit Kaur Gulshan04-01-1949SAD (Punjab)

Subhash Bapurao Wankhede04-01-1963SS (Maharashtra)

Deepender Singh Hooda04-01-1978INC (Haryana)

Murli Manohar Joshi05-01-1934BJP (Uttar Pradesh)

Brijbhushan Sharan Singh08-01-1957SP (Uttar Pradesh)

Premdas Katheria10-01-1965SP (Uttar Pradesh)

Shibu Soren11-01-1944JMM (Jharkhand)

Babu Lal Marandi11-01-1958JVM (P) (Jharkhand)

M Veerappa Moily12-01-1940INC (Karnataka)

Ajay Maken12-01-1964INC (Delhi)

Baijayant “Jay” Panda 12-01-1964BJD (Orissa)

Arun Subhashchandra Yadav15-01-1974INC (Madhya Pradesh)

Mohammad Shafi16-12-1943J&KNC (Jammu & Kashmir)

Vijay Mallya18-12-1955IND (Karnataka)

Motilal Vora20-12-1928INC (Chhattisgarh)

AK Antony28-12-1940INC (Kerala)

Arun Jaitley28-12-1952BJP (Gujarat)

GK Vasan28-12-1964INC (Tamil Nadu)

Mohsina Kidwai01-01-1932INC (Chhattisgarh)

Nand Kumar Sai01-01-1946BJP (Chhattisgarh)

Mohd Ali Khan01-01-1948 INC (Andhra Pradesh)

Mukut Mithi01-01-1952INC (Arunachal Pradesh)

Rajpal Singh Saini01-01-1953BSP (Uttar Pradesh)

Anand Sharma 05-01-1953INC (Rajasthan)

Yogendra P Trivedi06-01-1929NCP (Maharashtra)

Murli Deora10-01-1937INC (Maharashtra)

Kumari Mayawati15-01-1956BSP (Uttar Pradesh)


PREM NARAINThe 1978-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre has been appointed Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. RAJIV MEHRISHIThe 1978-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, has been appointed Secretary, Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

SNEHLATA KUMAR The 1979-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre has been appointed Secretary, Border Management in the Government of India.

S MACHENDRANATHANThe 1979-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Special Secretary, Civil Aviation has been appointed Secretary, Coordination & PG, Cabinet Secretariat.

ARADHNA JOHRI The 1980-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre has been appointed Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. SATISH BALRAM AGNIHOTRI The 1980-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre has been appointed Secretary, New and Renewable Energy, in the Government of India.

Tracking For a complete list of appointments & retirements, see www.gfilesindia.com

G GURUCHARANThe 1982-batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre has been appointed Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.

RATAN WATALThe 1978-batch IAS officer, Secretary, New and Renewable Energy has been appointed OSD Expenditure.

VP MUNGHATE The 1985-batch IoFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India.

SUSHIL MUHNOT The Chairman of the SIDBI is taking over as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Bank of Maharashtra.

PC MOHAPATRAThe ED, RINL has taken over as Director (Projects), Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). SANJAY KUMAR The IRS IT officer has been appointed Secretary of the Tax Administration Reforms Commission at the level of Joint Secretary in Government of India.

SANJEEV KISHORE The 1985-batch IOFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India.

ASHA RAM SIHAG The 1983-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser, Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed Director General (Acquisition), Ministry of Defence.

PARVINDER SOHI BEHURIA The 1977-batch IRS IT officer, Member, Central Board of Direct Taxes, appointed as Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

DILIP KUMAR The 1995-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre has joined as Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. MANISH SINGH The 1997-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre is joining as Director, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA).

GAUTAM ROY The ED, IOCL has been selected as Managing Director, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) at a Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) meeting.

RASHMI KAPOOR The HAG/IRAS officer, Northern Railway has been appointed Adviser (Budget), Railway Board.

Moving On: IAS officers retiring in December 2013

ASSAM-MEGHALAYAWinston Mark Simon Pariat (1977)Renilla D Marak (1997)Sailendra Kr Nath (1997)Nawab Mahmood Hussain (1997)Binata Rynjah (1998)

GUJARATAmitava Bhattacharya (1980)SA Golakia (1992)

HARYANARamendra Jakhu (1979)HS Malik (1991)Vijay Singh (1999)

JAMMU & KASHMIRShiv Dev Singh Jamwal (1997)

KERALATJ Mathew (1993)

KARNATAKAKN Srivastava (1978)MK Shankaralinge Gowda (1986)

MADHYA PRADESHOm Prakash Rawat (1977)Prabhat Kumar Parashar (1990)

PUNJABRamesh Chander Nayyar (1982)

RAJASTHANDinesh Kumar Goyal (1981)

TAMIL NADURameshram Mishra (1980)

UTTARAKHANDVibha Puri Das (1976)Ajay Kumar Joshi (1977)Hem Lata Dhaundiyal (1996)Mohan Chandra Upreti (1998)

UTTAR PRADESHJoginder Paul Sharma (1981)Sanjeev Kumar (1992)Sushil Kumar Yadav

UNION TERRITORYTape Bagra (1992)AK Wasnik (1997)

WEST BENGALSusanta Majumdar (1996)



Tracking For a complete list of appointments & retirements, see www.gfilesindia.com

BP ACHARYA The 1983-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre has been appointed Principal Secretary, Planning Department, in Andhra Pradesh.

MS RAO The 1985-batch IoFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in Government of India. MALAY MISHRA The Ambassador of India to Hungary has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to Bosnia and Herzegovina, with residence in Budapest. MANJEEV SINGH PURI The 1982-batch IFS officer, Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, New York, has been appointed the next Ambassador of India to Belgium. He will also be accredited as Ambassador of India to the Council of the European Union and The European Commission.

TP SEETHARAM The 1980-batch IFS officer, High Commissioner of India to Mauritius, has been appointed the next Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

NIDHI KHARE The 1992-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre has been appointed Joint Secretary, Ministry of Finance, in a newly created post.

KM SAHNI The 1969-batch IAS officer of the Union Territory cadre has been appointed Chairman of the National Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. MRATYUNJAY SARANGI The 1977-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, former Labour Secretary in the Government of India, has joined as Administrative Member Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), in Mumbai.

G JHAThe 1985-batch IoFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India.

SUJATA SHARMAThe 2006-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre has been appointed Secretary to the Commissioner, Commercial Taxes in Andhra Pradesh. NEELMANI N RAJUThe 1983-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre has been given in-situ promotion as ADG in the Intelligence Bureau.

AK PATNAIKThe 1983-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre has been given in-situ promotion as ADG in Intelligence Bureau. GOVIND MOHAN The 1985-batch IoFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India. PRITHUL KUMAR The 2003-batch IRTS officer has been appointed Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Mines, for a period of four years.

GD TIWARI The 1985-batch IoFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India. PK LAHERIThe former Gujarat Chief Secretary has been appointed Member of the National Multi-Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. B PRASADA RAOThe 1979-batch IPS officer has been appointed Director General of Police (DGP) in Andhra Pradesh.

AK MAITY The 1985-batch IoFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India.

NAPARAJIT MUKHERJEEThe 1976-batch IPS officer, outgoing DGP of West Bengal, has taken over as member of the State Human Rights Commission. VK JAINThe General Manager, HPCL, has been selected for the post of Director (Finance), Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCI). SHREYA GUHAThe 1994-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Director, Department of Financial Service, has been posted as the Ex-officio Secretary of the Mission in the Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission. PS MISHRAThe SAG/IRTS/SECR officer has been transferred to the Railway Board and posted as Executive Director (CC), Railway Board.

RS JHA The 1985-batch IoFS officer has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in Government of India. SANJAY SRIVASTAVA The 1987-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre has been empanelled for the post of Joint Secretary in the Government of India. KS REDDY The 1983-batch IFS officer has taken over as Managing Director of the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

JATINDER BIR SINGH The 1983-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre has been appointed Additional Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources.

JITENDRA SINGH RAJE The 2007-batch IAS officer has been appointed DC, Gangtok. VIRENDRA KUMAR-II The 1987-batch IPS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre has been empanelled for a post of Joint Secretary level in the Government of India.

KARNATAKA RESHUFFLES IAS OFFICERSV UMESH (1981) has been appointed Additional Chief Secretary to the government, GV KRISHNA RAU (1982) will now be Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Development Commissioner and C SOMASEKHARA (1997) is Secretary, Cooperation Department, in Karnataka.

IPS OFFICERS TRANSFERRED IN ANDHRA PRADESHJ PURNACHANDRA RAO has been appointed Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, AP State Road Transport Corporation, while AK KHAN will now be Director General, Anti-Corruption Bureau.

PERSPECTIVEtime sadhguru


THE end of the year often pro-vokes questions about time. How do we make sense of

the past? What lies ahead? Where are we going?

A question I often ask people is: have you ever experienced a yesterday or a tomorrow? You can remember yesterdays, you can imagine tomor-rows, but they are only ideas. In your experience, no such thing has ever happened. Your experience of life has always been right here and now. Your experience of life is happen-ing in this very moment. So time is a human idea. There is no such thing in this existence.

Time and space are essential dimensions for physical creation. But if you touch a dimension beyond the physical, there is no such thing as here and there, now and then. Everything is here. Everything is now.

Once you aspire to be spiritual, it means you aspire to go beyond the limitations of the physical. In this pursuit, the biggest barrier is your resistance to death. This makes you cling hard to the physical which renders your efforts to transcend its limitations futile. It’s like putting your anchor down and rowing your boat. It will be just an enormous waste of energy and life. But once you go beyond the physical, you find time and space are merely creations of your conscious mind.

Physicists today are saying that a whole process of creation and destruction is going on in what is known as the vacuum states. In this culture, we have always talked of time in terms of time cycles. Modern phys-icists have been talking so far about an ever-expanding universe. But now they’re also saying for the first time that just as there was a big bang, it is possible that some day there will be a big crunch. This means that, as

this universe expands from some-thing infinitely small into something infinitely large, a reverse process can happen and bring everything into the here and now.

This is something mystics have always known within themselves, experientially. When we talk ‘nirva-na’, ‘moksha’, ‘shoonya’, this is exact-ly what we are saying: this universe came from nothing and if you take it through the full cycle, then it will once again become absolute nothingness.

Because I am not a slave of human ideas, I have never been a slave of time. Only when your experience of right now is not enough, you want to go elsewhere. If this moment is big enough, where would you want to go? You’d find there is no such thing as time; there is only eternity.

And yet, I am always on time, and our programmes at Isha are always punctual! I see punctuality not as dis-cipline or time management, but as a matter of simple decency. Because our lives are valuable, nobody has a right to expend somebody else’s life. So being on time at any cost is very important to me, sometimes at the risk of my life. I am very conscious of time when my eyes are open, but the moment I close my eyes, I’m com-pletely timeless.

So where are we all going? If you have not gone to enough places, going somewhere is very exciting. Most peo-ple spend their lives trying to become

like someone else. The constant com-paring and aspiring to be someone different, the need to be one up on somebody, just wastes the fundamen-tal possibility in a human being. If you nurture who you are in the best pos-sible way, this seed will naturally find its ultimate possibility.

On a certain day, two little boys, Johnny and Tommy, were having their usual argument. “My father can beat up your father,” said Johnny. Tommy replied, “My father can beat up your father.” Johnny said, “No way, my father will win.” Then Johnny said, “Okay, but my mother is better than your mother.” Tommy paused for a moment and said: “Maybe that’s true because even my father says so.” Life is just going on like this for most people.

This is why we talk of liberation. If you have not been around enough, just being is exciting. But if you remem-ber the antiquity your being carries within itself, then the only thing that is truly attractive for you is non-being. When you are not bound by the physi-cal, when you simply disappear into space and time, you transcend their limitations.

Then where do you go? When all going stops, that’s the endgame. You don’t go anywhere. That is ultimate liberation. gSadhguru, a yogi, is a visionary, humani-

tarian and a prominent spiritual leader

(www.ishafoundation.org)

Beyond the physical



Shah friends in high places

Everybody in North Block has been taken aback by this move of the Ministry of Finance. It has appointed

two top-ranking retired bureaucrats to head the scam-tainted companies of the infamous Jignesh Shah, the alleged mastermind of the NSEL scam worth Rs 5,600 crore. Satyanand Mishra, a 1973-batch IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre and a former Chief Information Commissioner, has been appointed Chairman of MCX by its board. A former Home and Commerce Secretary, GK Pillai, has been appointed Chairman of MCX-SX. Why this sudden move to appoint two senior officers to head a private entrepreneurship, which is already under investigation? It is unprecedented to deal with a private entity who is scam-tainted. Both officers have an impeccable reputation. Mishra has worked as Secretary, DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training), and Pillai has worked with Finance Minister P Chidambaram. When the SEZ scheme was opened up, Pillai was the votary who implemented the scheme wholeheartedly. With the appointment of these two senior officers, it is to be observed how the Economic Offences Wing in Mumbai acts. Mishra and Pillai could have joined any private enterprise, so the choice of MCX and MCX-SX and at this time is truly intriguing. Will they become pawns in the hands of a powerful man in the finance ministry to let Shah go? g

...by the way

Modi believes in delegating, eh?

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is an enigma for many, considering that

he manages to control the state bureaucracy, especially the 31 district collectors, even as he travels the length and breadth of India, delivering lectures and speeches. Every chief minister in India conventionally speaks to DCs and SPs once a day, whether early in the day or late. But Modi is an exception. Even if he is visiting the district headquarters, Modi does not speak much to the collector and SP except when he meets them at the airport. So how does he function? Well, he allots work to all the district collectors and deputes senior officers in Gandhinagar to monitor them. If a district collector is not performing, he gets reprimanded. Modi does not interfere in the day-to-day work of district officials. Even his ministers get a whiff of the freedom enjoyed by district officials when they visit district headquarters, as the DC and SP are usually not around to welcome them. Even in Gandhinagar, the officials make it a point to emphasise that Saheb does not talk to them on a regular basis. g


New helmsman in UP?

If reports emanating from Lucknow are to be believed, most UP bureaucrats are keen to serve in the Central

government if they get an opportunity. And the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Jawed Usmani, a 1978-batch IAS officer of the UP cadre, is no exception. Sources say he too longs to come to the Centre. The reason: the way the UP government is being run by the current political dispensation. Meanwhile, senior officers who are eligible to become Chief Secretary are very actively trying to get the coveted post. Amusingly, one senior officer is not working at his ambition in Lucknow because he has a patron in Mumbai. It might sound unbelievable but a film star and cricket entrepreneur is likely to be the instrument to instal her crony as Chief Secretary of the biggest State in India. Also a yoga buff, she regularly visits Lucknow and has been seen lobbying there. On his part, the aspirant bureaucrat visited Mumbai to convince her to further his case with Mulayam Singh Yadav. She has reportedly spread the word in Mumbai that UP will soon have a new Chief Secretary. Akhilesh, be warned! g

...by the way

ILLUSTRATIONS: ARUNA

Poll woes, behind the scenes

Vijay Kumar Dev, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Union Territory cadre, should be complimented

for conducting the Delhi Assembly elections so well. He brought huge numbers of young voters out of their homes and registered the maximum number of voters just before the polls. However, less credit is due to him when it comes to taking care of the human resources i.e. the polling officers and booth-level staff —those who worked behind the scenes. The situation was pitiable in the Regional Election Centres. The senior teachers conducting the polls were ignorant of the technology driving the elections. Some of them had old mobile handsets and had not even been trained to send and receive smses for online election-related information. The rural areas of Delhi were worse. The polling stations were allotted just a day in advance and the teams were instructed to inspect the centres and report to the officers the same day. The woman officer deputed as the in-charge in rural Delhi had not even heard the names of the polling stations. Some of the Regional Training Centres were not equipped to provide eatables to the staff, and at some places only samosas and other snacks were provided. Only a few places had arrangements for lunch. There was no arrangement for eatables at the polling stations. The male polling officers managed to hold out but the women officers were reduced to tears. Some of them, deputed to far-flung areas, had to ask their husbands to drop them as the reporting time was 5 am. Those who lived alone and did not have their own vehicles were not provided any alternative arrangement. And the DTC buses which were deputed to collect the electronic voting machines from polling booths reached most places two or three hours late. g

Regn.No.DL(C)-14/1161/2013-15 Licence No. U(C)-03/2013-15, 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. Rs.200, vol. 7, issue 9 | Date of Publication: 10/12/2013

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