BAS strongly oppose Dinakaran transfer to Sikkim

by Himalayan Mirror

Gangtok, April 9: The Bar Association of Sikkim (BAS) has strongly opposed the Supreme Court Collegium’s decision to transfer Justice P D Dinakaran as Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court. An emergency meeting of the BAS was held here at Gangtok at Bar official room and has resolved resolution stating that they will not accept Justice Dinakaran as Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court and his posting to Sikkim High Court is not in ‘public interest’. The BAS in its resolution said, “Justice Dinakaran was asked to go on leave by the Supreme Court collegiums duo to the fact that there is an allegation of corruption including land grabbing against him and that an enquiry is pending is true then his transfer to the Sikkim High Court cannot be accepted by the BAS as it would be directly against the interest of the entire judiciary and the people of Sikkim”. Bas has written a memorandum to Smt Pratiba Singh Patel, the President of India, Man Mohan Singh, Prime Minister, K G Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India, Supreme Court Collegium, Union Law Minister, Governor of Sikkim, Supreme Court Bar Association, Bar Association of India and Chief Minister of Sikkim against the transfer of Justice Dinakaran to Sikkim High Court as Chief Justice. “Inspite of protest made by the BAS Justice Dinakaran is shifted to Sikkim shall refrain from appearing before him and also boycott his swearing in ceremony” BAS resolved.

General Secretary of the bar told ‘Himalayan Mirror’ that “Public Interests requires that the Sikkim High Court and other courts of Sikkim be treated at par with other Courts of country and people of Sikkim be treated equally’.

Reacting on the Supreme Court Collegium’s observations, the BAS further said that the quantum work in the Sikkim High Court and the Sikkim Courts may be relatively less as compared to the rest of India but the litigation pending is no less important than any other case pending in any other Courts of the Country. The General Body meeting of BAS said that the High Court of Sikkim has been serving the cause of justice since 54 years and the status of Sikkim High Court is no less than any other High Courts of the country adding that Sikkim is an integral part of India and the people of Sikim are as much an Indian citizen as any other person belonging to other parts of india, the resolution said.

MUNICIPAL POLL IN SIKKIM:
DC handed certification of declaration to uncontested candidates

The District Collector East, Mr. D. Anandan handed over the certificates of declaration to the uncontested elected candidate of, Gangtok Municipal Corporation (GMC), Singtam Nagar Panchayat and Rangpo Nagar Panchayat on 9th April, 2010 at the conference hall of District Administrative Centre, Gangtok.

GANGTOK MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
WARD NO WARD NAME

2 Lower Sichey Arati Giri
3 Upper Sichey Nell Bdr. Chettri
4 Chandmari KN.Topgay
5 Development Area Yodh Bdr Thapa
6 DPH Srijana Khati
7 Arithang Ashis Hirang Rai
8 Lower MG Marg Sandhya Rani Prasad
9 Upper MG Marg Shakti Singh Chaudhary
10 Tibet Road Hissay Doma Bhutia
11 Deorali Udai Lama
12 Daragaon Bhasker Basnett
14 Ranipool Damber Dahal
15 Syari Tathangchen Lashey Doma Bhutia

SINGTAM NAGAR PANCHAYAT

WARD NO WARD NAME

1 Pipal Dara Meena Kri Chettri
2 Daragaon Sawan Kr Pradhan
3 Mandir Line Bishnu Maya Sherpa
4 Lall Bazaar Ram Naresh Prasad
5 Chisopani Anita Tamang

RANGPO NAGAR PANCHAYAT
WARD NO WARD NAME

1. Majhitar Purna Bdr Chettri
2. Mining Aita Maya Gurung
3. Mandi Bazaar Nirmal Kr.Khati
5 Chanatar Puspa Misra

IPR NEWS SERVICE

CT scans cause one third more radiation than needed: study



PET CT (Positron emission tomography-computed tomography) tool at a hospital in Bangalore.

CT scans generate up to one third more radiation than needed to yield a clear diagnostic image, thus exposing patients to an increased risk of cancer, according to a study in Australia.

The findings have emerged amid concerns about the growth in referrals for CT scans and as radiation safety experts and radiologists prepare a national monitoring scheme to keep radiation doses to the minimum necessary.

A pilot program aimed at optimising the radiation patients were exposed to in 10 Queensland hospitals found that radiation doses could be reduced by up to 32 per cent in a range of common CT scans while maintaining the quality of the diagnostic image. A similar project is under way in Victoria and a national scheme is being developed to provide radiology practices with a “diagnostic reference level” to compare their radiation dose rates with other practices.

The use of CT (computed tomography) scans is growing at 9 per cent to 12 per cent a year in Australia.

Recently, the Medicare watchdog, Dr Tony Webber, said he was “alarmed” by the rate of unjustified referrals of patients for CT scans.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is joining the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists to undertake a national survey of radiation dose rates generated in Australia’s diagnostic centres.

After collating results, the agency will inform practices how their dose rates compare with the benchmark radiation levels necessary to produce good diagnostic images.

Associate Professor Stacy Goergen, a director of research in diagnostic imaging at Melbourne’s Southern Health service, said that reducing radiation dose levels while maintaining good quality images was neither simple nor straightforward and required gradual and time-consuming adjustments to equipment.

Anthony Wallace, ARPANSA’s manager of medical physics, said the overseas experience had been that as radiology practices reviewed dose levels, these would be reduced over time.

“This results in a general dose-saving to the individual and a reduction in the public health risk of an expanding population of patients being imaged,” the Age quoted Wallace as saying.

SOURCE; THE HINDU

70 enthusiastic passengers make a long run from Cochin to Gangtok in an Auto Rickshaw

BY Sanjay Agrawal

07 April, Gangtok: Travelling is indeed a fun but when it comes a zest than it certainly becomes unstoppable thrill. Sikkim holds a prestigious position in Tourism, although being a small state of India lakhs of visitors pours here to take a breath taking glimpse of nature’s artistic beauty. Sikkim Tourism is continuously coming up with new concepts for attracting tourists worldwide, and of course one will ponder about this concept ‘a travelling made thrill and enthusiastic ‘.

Restless run from Cochin in Kerala formerly known as Kochi in sea side South India to Sikkim in extreme tip of Himalayan place is thought toughest one can estimate, 3041 Kms of journey to be covered within 2 weeks of time is in fact a unthinkable bet. On 28 March a third edition of ‘Auto Rickshaw Run’ was flagged from Cochin, the event was booked online in Bristol in UK in just 30 seconds where 70 enthusiastic are from UK and 20 from other countries including few NRI’s who were nominated for the rare event ‘Run Rickshaw’.

The final destination for these set of Auto Rickshaw was confirmed Sikkim where they should reach the heart of the town in Gangtok, MG Marg (Mathma Gandhi Marg). At MG Marg all possible arrangement was made to welcome the raging 70 contestants cum passengers from Cochin. On 07 April the team reached the final point, the team would be visiting various tourism spots in and around Sikkim before 11 April. It is told that the fund raised from the event will be used in a charity for social cause. Immediately after 11 April the next lapse will cover from Sikkim to Jaiselmer in Rajasthan which covers a distance of 2170 Kms.

The Kochi-Sikkim route is expected to be covered in two weeks and the teams have the liberty to choose their own routes, according to ‘Auto Run’ organizers Adventure South Asia director of operations, Mathew Dickens.

Dinakaran can perform judicial work in Sikkim

The Hindu | J. Venkatesan



Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran, who has not been performing judicial work, will take up regular hearing of cases on his transfer as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.

The Supreme Court collegium comprising Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice S.H. Kapadia, Altamas Kabir, R.V. Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari took the decision to transfer Justice Dinakaran after taking into consideration his defiant attitude refusing to abide by the advise to go on leave, and the consequences that would follow if the earlier recommendation to shift the acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Madan B. Lokur, to the Karnataka High Court was acted upon.

According to highly placed sources, it was felt that even if Justice Dinakaran went on leave for the time being, the possibility of his cancelling the leave after some time could not be ruled out. In that event, Justice Lokur would have had to face a piquant situation. Further, if Justice Lokur continued as acting Chief Justice for a long period, it would not be counted for the purpose of seniority among Chief Justices of High Courts.

After weighing the pros and cons, the collegium is understood to have reconsidered its earlier decision; instead Justice Dinakaran is now being shifted to the Sikkim High Court as Chief Justice. The sources said that since only very few cases were being heard in that court, it was felt that Justice Dinakaran could be given judicial work there.

As a result, Justice Lokur will now be appointed as Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Barin Ghosh, who has been asked to assume office as Chief Justice of Sikkim on or before April 13, will wait for a new posting.

After the Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari admitted a motion seeking Justice Dinakaran’s removal in respect of certain charges, including corruption, land grabbing and abuse of judicial office, he has not been coming to court and performing judicial work since December last. It was on April 1 that the collegium asked him to go on leave to pave the way for the appointment of Justice Lokur in his place

COURTSEY: VOICE OF SIKKIM

Radio Misty Sikkim 95 FM in a New Avatar

Radio Misty Sikkim 95 FM, the only 24x7 and Number one fm station of Sikkim dons a new look and feel from today. In a bid to give more power to their listeners, Radio Misty Sikkim – set out to hear what their listeners had to say about their content and choice of music. Based on their feedback and suggestions station content and music have been redesigned. Post the revamp, new shows have been introduced in Sikkim.

Radio Misty Sikkim 95 fm is the only fm station in Sikkim which airs 24 hours. This has made Radio Misty the clear market leader in Sikkim. Radio Misty has also launched a 360 degree campaign to create buzz around the revamp. The focus is on 24 hours live station theme. The change is aimed to bring a fresh sound to station.

Radio Misty has gone for survey to understand listeners mind. Beside this listeners’ suggestions were asked. Thousands of listeners put on their suggestions. Based on the results of these surveys, Radio Misty Sikkim has lined up new programmes.New shows like Geet Gunjan on weekdays, Misty Express, Misty Cool Drive and Sparsh on weekends.

Says Nishant Mittal, Chief Executive Officer, Radio Misty we are always been a listener’s medium, and through this Radio Survey, we plan to connect with its listeners to integrate their preferences and choices into Radio Misty Sikkim , a radio station they can truly call their own. Radio Misty Sikkim is the only station heard in whole Sikkim due to its changed frequency and this have given us a big edge. We aim to make the station even more localised by taking more callers on-air and lay more emphasis on local events. We are the Number one fm station of Sikkim.

He further says that Radio Misty always believes in Innovation and Interaction. In this process we made these changes. This fresh feel look will have fresh voices of Radio Jockeys who will add value to their shows by help of research team. We have started a new campaign titled one and only where we focus on Radio Misty been the only fm station in Sikkim which is 24 hours on air and the making of market leader.

SIKKIM ONLINE GAMING

THE remote Himalayan province of Sikkim in India passed the Sikkim Onlne Gaming (Regulation) Act in July of 2008.

According to local sources, at least three licences to offer online sportsbetting throughout India are set to be handed out shortly to local companies, thought to include local lottery provider Future Gaming and the Indian arm of technology company Agilsys Managed Services.

While Ladbrokes confirmed discussons were ongoing about partnering with one of these to provide the plaform, Betfair and William Hill confirmed only their interest in the market itself.

Chief executive of 888, Gigi Levy, however said that although they hadn’t been been involved for some time, “if someone called tomorrow, we will be interested.”

Egaming gross win: currently US70m,

Gross win: could reach US250m by 2012under partial state regulation

SOURCE:EGRMAGAZINE

Knee smart

BY Irfan Ahmad

Know about partial knee replacement surgery

An active lifestyle is very important for good health. But there are so many diseases which prevent us from leading an active life. Joint problem is one of them.

However, there is some good news. A newly introduced surgical technique gives hope to those who have joint problems of the knee particularly due to arthritis. This technique is called partial knee replacement surgery. Dr. J. Maheshwari, Chief of Joint Replacement and Arthroscopic Surgery, Indian Spinal Injury Centre in New Delhi, says, “Partial knee replacement surgery is the best available surgery for young people who are affected by arthritis and the disease is in the early stage. This surgery delays the need for total knee replacement surgery. It entails a much smaller incision without the joint or ligaments being removed. This minimally invasive knee surgery removes only the most damaged areas of the cartilage and replaces them with artificial caps. These caps are made of steel and plastic.”

What is the advantage of partial knee replacement surgery over total knee replacement surgery? He explains, “Partial knee replacement surgery helps to keep the natural joint to last longer with total knee replacement as a back up option. This surgery doesn't stop people from doing their normal activities. They can bend their knees, they can squat and sit cross-legged. They can walk, run and swim like normal people.”

Are there any side effects of the surgery? He states, “There is no specific complication after the surgery. We take all precautions before going for it. Choosing the right patient is very important for this surgery. A patient goes through various check-ups and examinations before we decide on the surgery.”

The surgery takes around an hour and ten minutes. And patients can start normal walking after ten days. This surgery is new for our country but, Dr. Maheshwari says, “ success rate is ninety per cent.”

The typical symptoms of arthritis are pain, swelling of the knee area, locking and instability of the knee. Obesity, diabetes and genetics are the usual causes of arthritis. Lack of awareness about the disease worsens it. . The doctor, however, sums up the conversation on a positive note, “Young people can avoid it by leading an active and healthy lifestyle.”

DOOR OPEN TO foreign universities -WATER TESTING CONTINUES

India's open door to foreign universities

by Philip G. Altbach

Providing access to India's expanding population of young people and rapidly growing middle class itself is a challenge, say experts.

What will an open door mean for Indian higher education — and to foreign institutions that may be interested in setting up shop in India?

India may finally open its doors to foreign higher education institutions and investment. The Cabinet has approved Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal's proposed law, and it will be voted in Parliament in the near future. Indian comment has been largely favourable. What will an open door mean for Indian higher education — and to foreign institutions that may be interested in setting up shop in India? Basically, the result is likely less than is currently being envisaged, and there will be problems of implementation and of result as well.

Political & educational context

Everyone recognises that India has a serious higher education problem. Although India's higher education system, with more than 13 million students, is the world's third largest, it only educates around 12 per cent of the age group, well under China's 27 per cent and half or more in middle-income countries. Thus, it is a challenge of providing access to India's expanding population of young people and rapidly growing middle class. India also faces a serious quality problem — given that only a tiny proportion of the higher education sector can meet international standards. The justly famous Indian Institutes of Technology and the Institutes of Management, a few specialised schools such as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research constitute a tiny elite, as do one or two private institutions such as the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, and perhaps 100 top-rated undergraduate colleges. Almost all of India's 480 public universities and more than 25,000 undergraduate colleges are, by international standards, mediocre at best. India's complex legal arrangements for reserving places in higher education to members of various disadvantaged population groups, often setting aside up to half of the seats for such groups, places further stress on the system.

Capacity problem

India faces severe problems of capacity in its educational system in part because of underinvestment over many decades. More than a third of Indians remain illiterate after more than a half century of independence. On April 1, a new law took effect that makes primary education free and compulsory. While admirable, it takes place in a context of scarcity of trained teachers, inadequate budgets, and shoddy supervision. Minister Sibal has been shaking up the higher education establishment as well. The University Grants Commission and the All-India Council for Technical Education, responsible respectively for supervising the universities and the technical institutions, are being abolished and replaced with a new combined entity. But no one knows just how the new organisation will work or who will staff it. India's higher education accrediting and quality assurance organisation, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, which was well-known for its slow movement, is being shaken up. But, again, it is unclear how it might be changed.

Current plans include the establishing of new national “world-class” universities in each of India's States, opening new IITs, and other initiatives. These plans, given the inadequate funds that have been announced and the shortage of qualified professors, are unlikely to succeed. The fact is that academic salaries do not compare favourably with remuneration offered by India's growing private sector and are uncompetitive by international standards. Many of India's top academics are teaching in the United States, Britain, and elsewhere. Even Ethiopia and Eritrea recruit Indian academics.

This lack of capacity will affect India's new open door policy. If India does open its door to foreign institutions, it will be unable to adequately regulate and evaluate them.

Why welcome foreigners?

Minister Sibal seems to have several goals for permitting foreign universities to enter the Indian market. The foreigners are expected to provide the much needed capacity and new ideas on higher education management, curriculum, teaching methods, and research. It is hoped that they will bring investment. Top-class foreign universities are anticipated to add prestige to India's postsecondary system. All of these assumptions are at the very least questionable. While foreign transplants elsewhere in the world have provided some additional access, they have not dramatically increased student numbers. Almost all branch campuses are small and limited in scope and field. In the Persian Gulf, Vietnam, and Malaysia, where foreign branch campuses have been active, student access has been only modestly affected by them. Branch campuses are typically fairly small and almost always specialised in fields that are inexpensive to offer and have a ready clientele such as business studies, technology, and hospitality management.

Few branch campuses bring much in the way of academic innovation. Typically, they use tried and true management, curriculum, and teaching methods. The branches frequently have little autonomy from their home university and are, thus, tightly controlled from abroad. While some of the ideas brought to India may be useful, not much can be expected.

Foreign providers will bring some investment to the higher education sector, particularly since the new law requires an investment of a minimum of $11 million — a kind of entry fee — but the total amount brought into India is unlikely to be very large. Experience shows that sponsoring universities abroad seldom spend significant amounts on their branches — major investment often comes from the host countries such as the oil-rich Gulf states. It is very likely that the foreigners will be interested in “testing the waters” in India to see if their initiatives will be sustainable, and thus are likely to want to limit their initial investments.

Global experience shows that the large majority of higher education institutions entering a foreign market are not prestigious universities but rather low-end institutions seeking market access and income. The new for-profit sector is especially interested in global expansion as well. Top universities may well establish collaborative arrangement with Indian peer institutions or study/research centres in India, but are unlikely to build full-fledged branch campuses on their own. There may be a few exceptions, such as the Georgia Institute of Technology, which is apparently thinking of a major investment in Hyderabad.

At least in the immediate and mid-term future, it is quite unlikely that foreign initiatives will do what the Indian authorities hope they will accomplish.

Half-open door

India's open door comes with a variety of conditions and limitations. It might better be called the “half-open door.” These conditions may well deter many foreign institutions from involvement in India. The proposed legislation requires an investment of $11 million upfront by a foreign provider in the India operation. Moreover, the foreign provider is restricted from making any profit on the Indian branch.

It is not clear if the Indian authorities will evaluate a foreign institution before permission is given to set up a branch campus or another initiative — or if so, who will do the vetting. It is not clear if the foreign branches will be subject to India's highly complicated and controversial reservation regime (affirmative action programmes) that often stipulates that half of the enrolments consist of designated disadvantaged sections. If the foreigners are required to admit large numbers of students from low-income families who are unlikely to afford high foreign campus fees and often require costly remedial preparation, creating financially stable branches may be close to impossible.

A further possible complication may be the role of State governments in setting their own regulations and conditions for foreign branches. Indian education is a joint responsibility of the Central and State governments — and many States have differing approaches to higher education generally and to foreign involvement in particular. Some, such as Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, have been quite interested. Other States such as West Bengal with its communist government may be more sceptical. And a few, such as Chhattisgarh have been known to sell access to university status to the highest bidders.

Foreign institutions will need to deal with India's often impenetrable and sometimes corrupt bureaucracy. For example, recent reports have evidence that some Indian institutions were granted a coveted “deemed” university status after questionable practices between the applicants and high government officials. It is unclear if the foreign branches will be evaluated by the Indian authorities or overseas quality-assurance and accrediting agencies will be fully involved.

In short, many unanswered questions remain on just how foreigners will be admitted to India, how they will be managed, and who will control a highly complex set of relationships.

Likely scenario

India's higher education needs are significant. The country needs more enrolment capacity at the bottom of the system as well as more places at its small elite sector at the top. The system needs systemic reform. Furthermore, fresh breeze from abroad might help to galvanise local thinking. Yet, it is impossible for foreigners to solve or even make a visible dent in India's higher education system.

Foreign institutions, once they realise the challenges of the Indian environment, are unlikely to jump in a big way. Some may wish to test the waters. Many others will be deterred by the conditions put into place by the Indian authorities and the uncertainties of the local situation.

The involvement of foreign higher education providers in India is perhaps just as murky as it was prior to Mr. Sibal's new regime.

(Philip G. Altbach is Monan University Professor and director of the Centre for International Higher Education at Boston College, U.S.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comments:

A very balanced report with facts and figures but little late. It is a sad news that a cabinet with a PM like Manmohan Singh--who himself is an educationist--approves the bill proposed by Mr.Sibal.
The bill is like a stone in a quiet pond.It will upset the whole education system at one throw.
Why don't we see that which is very close to us and try to see beyond horizon?!The priority is for expanding the capacity for uplift of the education system for masses(Rich can afford to go abroad).To expand capacity, we need funds. India is no more poor. Already good provision of money has been created during the last two budgets. Let's wait for the result.

from: Ashok
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 03:19 IST
Indian universities are doing fine.

from: SURESH
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 04:56 IST
Instead of opening the flood gates for just about any foreign university, the govt must select and allow five or six foreign universities to operate in each state and see how it goes. We need to experiment with them as much as they will be experimenting with us. They are going to be very expensive.

from: ram shankar
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 08:38 IST
Open door to foreign universities is the need of the hour. India is lagging far behind in terms of providing international standard exposure. Foreign universities will bring a hope to the blinking and ruptured educational system.

Indian students spend lakh of rupees to study in US, UK and Australia so this will provide an opportunity to get similar exposure at a much lower cost.

As suggested by author, India has highly complicated reservation system and if foreign universities have to abide by the same rules, then I don't think India is going to see top-class universities investing extravagantly.

from: Kunal Singla
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 10:36 IST
Seeting up new univirsities will not sort out the problems of mediocriy. Strict standards of higher education and stricter audits of the same can only do that.
Hundreds & thousands of Engg & MBA colleges are available across the states where money can get anybody the entry but does that really help?

from: Ankita
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 10:47 IST
We have ruined our higher education system by focusing merely on a few elite institutions for too long. How will these 30 odd institutions meet the education needs of a population spread across such a vast country as India. If we focus on 400 odd mediorcre universities in B-grade cities of India equally, then India might as well give up the idea of big spending in other key areas like defence. How we strike a balance will require a truly out of the box solution.

from: jyothi
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 11:41 IST
It's needed to bring investments into Indian higher education sector.

from: sriram reddy
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 11:50 IST
Foreign Universities will also meet the same fate like our deemed universities. Only difference may be the non existence of family control.The government should also think about the brain drain from govt universities/IITs to these foreign universities. However, if the foreign universities start all the PG courses which they offer in their home country, India stands to benefit a lot. But this is highly unlikely.

from: K srinivasan
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 12:19 IST
Foreign education will help us to understand the latest updatation and life style which many of us deprived

from: SANKARVRG
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 13:11 IST
We welcome Kapil Sibal's proposed law to allow foreign higher education institutions and investment.These institutions will be den of rich people. This is one way to chanalise rich man's wealth to create a national treasure for nation building.RADHA KUMUD DAS.

from: RADHA KUMUD DAS
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 13:16 IST
This is really fantastic and a move towards seeing India as developed country.This will be easy for the students and will develop infrastructure in our country with foreign investment and will accelerate development.I welcome and appreciate Kapil Sibal to take this initiative. In fact we need changes in the system and in our outlook.

from: M A Rasool
Posted on: Apr 8, 2010 at 14:47 IST
----------------------------
source;The Hindu

Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010

14:28 IST
The Cabinet today approved a proposal to introduce the Prevention of Torture Bill, 2010 in the Parliament. This is a step towards ratification of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9th December, 1975 [resolution 3452(XXX)]. India had signed the Convention in October, 1997.

Ratification of the Convention requires enabling legislation having provisions that would be necessary to give effect to the Articles of the Convention. Although some provisions exist in the Indian Penal Code, they neither define “torture” as clearly as in Article 1 of the Convention nor make it criminal as called for by Article 4.

For ratification of the Convention, therefore, the domestic laws of our country would require to be brought in tune with the provisions of the Convention. This would necessitate either amendment of the existing laws such as Indian Penal Code or bringing in a new piece of legislation. The matter was examined at length in consultation with the Law Commission of India and the then Learned Attorney General of India.

After a lot of deliberation on the issue, it was decided to bring a piece of ‘stand alone’ legislation so that the Convention could be ratified. Accordingly, a draft Bill, namely the ‘Prevention of Torture Bill, 2009’, was drafted.

As the matter is in the Concurrent List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, the views of the State Governments were sought. The views of the concerned Central Ministries were also obtained.

**** AD/LV

Don't listen to these forecasters of doom!

00:00

There are horror stories all around us. The financial world as we know it is coming to an end, say a lot of experts. Governments across the world have piled on too much debt. Soon, there will be a wave of defaults and then, everything will be over. These are scary thoughts indeed. And if you, like most others, are holding back your investment decisions fearing the above mentioned spectacle, we have some good news for you.

As per Economist, two major things happen when a country defaults. One, its cost of funds shoots up and second, GDP growth suffers. However, both these effects are rather short lived. The magazine points out that defaults where debts are restructured have no significant impact on interest rates after the second year. Yes, you read that right!

A huge event like a default, which the financial media is hugely cautioning us about, is all but forgotten in two years. Moreover, the impact on GDP growth is also not that sizeable. As the write up highlights, a defaulting country grows by 1.2 percent less per year while its debt is being restructured compared with a country that is not in default. And even this subpar growth lasts for just a year or two after default.

Agreed that things are little serious this time around and the effects could linger a little longer. However, an investor in India need not worry. A sovereign default by some other nation would surely have repercussions on the Indian stock markets. But that could actually turn out to be a very good long-term buying opportunity. So, if historical evidence is any indication, the hype around sovereign defaults should indeed be ignored. And such events should be used to one's advantage for building long-term wealth.

11.11

Indian investors have been subjected to a flood of primary market issues in recent months. Not just the private sector but the public sector also took advantage of the buoyancy prevailing in the Indian stock markets and rolled out one issue after another in quick succession. Little wonder, the year turned out to be one of the biggest in recent times in terms of total amount mopped up by the companies. It did not manage to beat FY08 for the simple reason being that the markets started turning buoyant only during the latter half of the year and hence, the first few months of the year were lost. Rest assured, if the current trends persist, the record of FY08 could well be broken in the current fiscal (FY11). What more, this could also mean increased competition in terms of liquidity for the companies that are already listed.


01:50

The Indian auto industry stands out in sharp contrast with its global counterparts. At a time when global car volumes shrunk by 2.4% in 2009, India registered a growth of 12.5%. It is well known that most global auto giants are keen on India and are launching a spate of new models. But the size of India's booming auto market is borne out by another fact. India has two of the world's 10 largest car factories. Maruti Suzuki's Gurgaon factory is at number three, while Hyundai Motor's Chennai unit is at number seven in the top-ten list. Interestingly, some experts believe it is not only the domestic market and auto exports out of India which explain the size.

The fact that small cars form the bulk of India's auto market is important. Small cars require more units to achieve economies of scale, a key driver of profitability. In fact, most plant on the list make small cars. Another factor for the size is that companies prefer adding capacity at an existing location rather than start from scratch elsewhere. The reason is the proximity to existing component suppliers. Another reason is the poor infrastructure. States often build infrastructure around existing plants. Going elsewhere would mean waiting for the infrastructure to catch up. In our view, given these ground realities and the growth prospects ahead, more auto plants out of India will make it to the top ten list in the years ahead.

02:44

China is in the limelight again. But this time it is not because of its war with the US over Yuan revaluation or concerns over the Chinese bubble about to burst. A leading daily has reported that China's economy is likely to grow by more than 10% in 2010. What will fuel this growth is a recovery in the country's exports and rising consumption. And if that happens, China will surpass Japan to become the world's second largest economy. All very well indeed!

But there are hiccups. Concerns about the Chinese bubble bursting are not without reason. After all, Chinese banks have resorted to indiscriminate lending and a lot of this money has found its way into real estate. This has then led to inflated asset prices. While the reserve requirements have been raised, a lot may still have to be done to ensure that the Chinese growth remains intact. Moreover, if the recession in the developed world persists, it will be interesting to see how China will be able to sustain its growth in exports and thereby its GDP.

03:25

The world's largest bond fund manager Bill Gross might just be shifting his preferences. In December of last year, his asset management company PIMCO announced for the first time in its history that it will invest in stocks. Many observers are surmising this move to mean that Gross is of the opinion that the 30-year bull market in fixed-income securities is ending. And that a new bull market is emerging in equities. His bearishness on bonds stems from the fact that he expects yields on bonds to move higher in the US, which does not bode well for bond prices. As far as stocks are concerned, his advice to US investors is very categorical.

In Gross' own words, "What an investor wants to do, either from a standpoint of stocks or bonds, is go to countries with high real (inflation-adjusted) interest rates." Further, he adds that the typical suspects to invest in include Brazil, China, and India.

With renowned investors from developed countries like the US looking at India in such a positive light, don't be surprised to see foreign money piling onto Indian equities in huge amounts over the next few years.

04:08

"Upgrades rise on Corporate St, credit quality strengthening," reads a headline in a leading business daily. It shows how the number of companies being upgraded by credit rating agencies is now higher than the downgrades. This suggests that the economic recovery has helped companies out of the financial crunch they were facing in 2008.

But do the higher number of upgrades in one year hint toward anything? A lot of companies that are suddenly being upgraded now are ones that were in dire straits last year. So the question is - are rating agencies again going by the flow? Or are they more interested in giving good ratings only after seeing that the credit quality is sustainable across business cycles? In short, how sacred are these upgrades? We don't know!

04:38

Indian markets appeared in profit booking mode today as the Sensex headed lower with each passing hour. It is currently trading with a decline of around 200 points. Heavyweights from the banking and energy sectors are exerting the maximum selling pressure on the indices. Stocks across Asia have also closed on a weak note whereas Europe has opened amidst a sea of red.

04:53 Today's investing mantra

"I will tell you how to become rich. Close the doors. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful." - Warren Buffett


source:J Mulraj

Hoteliers to add 58,000 rooms as travel and tourism revive


Hoteliers in India would add around 58,000 rooms in the next five years, led by global companies such as Hyatt Corp., Marriott International Inc. and Inter- Continental Hotels Group, as travel and tourism revives after an economic slowdown.
“Last financial year saw In- dia adding 10,000 rooms. With the revival in the sector, India will add another 58,000 more,“ said Manav Thadani, manag- ing director at hotel consulting and valuation firm HVS. “Out of this, 60% would be executed by international brands.“

Many delegates at the Hotel Investment Conference South Asia 2010 on Wednesday said India's growth rates are sec- ond only to China.

“India is relatively under- hoteled market,“ said Star- wood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. vice-chairman and chief financial officer Vas- ant Prabhu. “India with a pop- ulation of one billion people has just 100,000 hotel rooms, while greater New York city alone has roughly 80,000 hotel rooms.“

Prabhu said his company is planning to own and manage at least 100 hotels in India in the next three to five years, up from the current 26. He also said his company is open to acquiring an Indian brand to bolster its presence.

Jolyon Bulley, vice-presi- dent, operations, South East and South West Asia at InterContinental, said the company would add 40 hotels to its ex- isting 11 properties in the next three to four years.

Rajeev Menon, area vice- president at Marriott Hotels In- dia Pvt. Ltd said his group will build 29 hotels in addition to its present 11.

Indian firms are not far be- hind, with Sarovar Hotels Pvt.
Ltd, a franchiser for Park Plaza and the Park Inn hotel brands in India, leading the way. “We will be building 20 hotels this year. Six will be in Delhi due to Commonwealth Games,“ said Anil Madhok, managing direc- tor at Sarovar Hotels. “We may not be adding 20 hotels every year, but eight to 10.“

Raymond N. Bickson, man- aging director and chief execu- tive at Indian Hotels Co. Ltd, owner of the Taj chain of ho- tels, said the firm wants to “build a hotel every seven weeks.“

source;livemint

GIFT FROM FATHER IS NOT INCOME



A.I made capital gains by selling jewellery. Can I repay the loans I took last year from my daughter for the construction of my own residential house to escape capital gains tax?
--Rajesh Malhotra

Long-term capital gains earned by an individual and a Hin- du united family (HUF) from the sale of any assets, other than a residential house, are exempt from tax if the assessee pur- chases a house a year before the date of sale of such assets under section 54F of the Income-tax Act.

You won't have to pay tax on the capital gains earned on the sale of jewellery in case you purchased the residential house within one year before the sale of such jewellery. You don't necessarily need to repay the loan you took from your daugh- ter to claim this benefit.

B.Can I gift National Savings Certificate (NSC) to my married daughter and claim tax deduction on the same?
--Prakash

Investments in NSC in the name of child does not qualify for deduction under section 80C. So, you will not be able to get any tax relief in respect of the NSC you intend to gift your daughter. However, such a gift will not be treated as income of your daughter under section 56 as gift from father is exempt.

C.I took a home loan in February 2007 and I am claiming tax benefits on the interest as well as the principal part. I plan to sell the house and acquire another house. Will there be any tax implications? Do I need to refund the tax benefits I have al- ready claimed? Do I need to pay capital gains tax?
--Ram

If you transfer a property on loan, on which you have claimed tax deduction (for repayment of the principal portion of the loan), within five years of acquiring it, no deductions will be allowed in the year in which you sell the property.
Moreover, all the deductions allowed under section 80C (for the principal portion of the home loan) in the preceding year or years will be treated as income of the year in which you transfer the property. However, there is no similar provision for deductions allowed on the interest part of the home loan under section 24.

Since you are transferring the property after three years and are planning to buy a new house, you will not have to pay any tax on capital gains from the house you plan to sell if the gains are less than the cost of your new house.

source:livemint

National forum on mobile application for inclusive growth and sustainable development begins

Forum deliberates leveraging the Potential of mobile/wireless technologies
M-banking in the Country soon says: A Raja

There is a need to boost development of mobile applications (m-Applications) in India to support various development activities and to fulfil the needs of common man. The Ministry of Communications & IT is working actively towards this end and m-banking will soon be a reality in the country. This will connect unconnected with formal banking institutions and achieve financial inclusion. This was stated by the Union Minister of Communications & Information Technology, Thiru A. Raja at a two-day “National Forum on mobile applications for inclusive growth and sustainable development” which got underway here today.

Referring to limited mobile applications, the Minister said that there is a wide range of government services which can be delivered via mobile phone. These can be services relating to health, education, employment, police, tax payments, judicial and legal services etc.

Various e-Governance services being provided using customer service centres (CSCs) at the doorstep of the villagers have limited access. m-Applications to provide citizen centric services to each individual in personalised manner can be explored. m-Application can effectively contribute in the field of health, education and agriculture.

The unique features of mobile applications to provide access to any service, anytime, anywhere are capable to offer value to end-users’ such as mobility, flexibility, and users’ location etc. and makes m–Applications the new evolving wave.

Telecommunication has emerged as one of the prime support services for modernization of various sectors and is contributing towards rapid growth of Indian economy. Referring to surveys and analysts the Minister said that access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) allows the benefit of information availability, provides framework for better education for masses, improves social networking and offers access to enhanced business opportunities which contributes towards higher economic growth.

Telecommunication has evolved beyond providing just basic voice and text with the onset of internet and broadband. After launch of 3G and broadband wireless access (BWA) services by various service providers, high speed data transaction enabling access to vital information and innovative services is expected. Technological innovation have enhanced mobile computing capacity and are now able to support various platforms increasing the possibility of launching innovative m-applications.

In order to stimulate and accelerate developments of mobile applications, TRAI is organizing a two day National Forum to deliberate on the next generation reforms for leveraging the potential of mobile/wireless technologies and new media for information enabled inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The National Forum aims to:

(a) discuss various options and business model to accelerate the development and use of mobile applications across key social and economic sectors.

(b) share experiences on formulating innovative public private partnership models for accelerating economic and social development enabled by advanced convergence opportunities.

(c) discuss International scenario and case studies to help India leapfrog for effectively using mobile governance.

India’s telecommunication revolution has led to total tele-density crossing 51 percent. With over 560 million mobile subscribers and growing at approximately 12-15 million per month, mobile networks have now become country’s largest distribution platform, promising to deliver information and public services to the masses through innovative applications. The mobile platforms world over are being used to provide financial and banking services, agriculture information, health services, telemedicine and e-education in rural and remote areas. The initiatives to provide various services using mobile applications have already started in India. M-applications potential can be leveraged to boost social and economic activities, governance, and enhance government citizen interaction. For this transformation to be inclusive and beneficial for the under-privileged and rural populations, innovative and new models of public private partnership need to be formulated and deployed.

IT secretaries from different states, senior officers from different Ministries are participating. Many experts in the field of m-Applications and eminent World Bank experts will be delivering lectures and presenting case studies in the Forum. Many application developers, companies who have successfully developed such applications will be organizing ‘demos’ during the Forum.


*******

SP/AT/AS

Naxalites will not be allowed to overthrow Government through armed struggle, says Chidambaram
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15:35 IST
The Union Home Minister, Shri P. Chidambarm has said that naxalites will not be allowed to overthrow the Government through armed liberation struggle. In a statement issued at Jagdalpur in Chhatisgarh today, he appealed for calm and stressed the need not to stray from the carefully chosen course, adopted since November last year. The following is the text of his statement.

“Five platoons of the 62nd battalion of the CRPF had established a base camp at Chintalnar, district Dantewada. A decision was taken that the security forces would undertake an ‘Area Domination’ (AD Ops) exercise, including night halts, in the area. It was a joint decision taken by IG(Bastar) Shri Longkumar, DIG(Dantewada) Shri SRP Kalluri and DIG(CRPF) Shri Nalin Parbhat. The actual deployment was left to be decided by SP (Dantewada) Shri Amresh Mishra and the Commandant of the battalion.

Accordingly, a decision was taken and ‘A’ Coy and part of ‘G’ Coy left Chintalnar base camp at 1900 hours on April 4, 2010. It was a 81 strong party, accompanied by one HC of the civil police. They had two night halts on the night of the 4th and the 5th. On the 6th morning, they set off northeast in the direction of Tongpalli.

At about 0550 hours, they came under heavy fire. Upon receiving a wireless message of the attack at about 0600 hours, the Commandant of the 62nd Battalion along with 30 men rushed to the place of the incident. They came under fire 3 kms short of the actual place of the incident. Simultaneously, another party led by Inspector Wagdi of the 62nd Battalion moved ex-Chintalnar towards the place of the incident. Just outside Chintalnar, that party also came under fire.

It is learnt that the deaths were caused largely by IEDs, bullet injuries and crude bombs and, possibly, grenade injuries. Only the post mortem reports and a thorough inquiry, including de-briefing of the injured jawans, can fully establish the sequence of events and the facts.

The Governor, the Chief Minister, the Home Minister and I have come here to express our profound sense of shock and grief. We deeply mourn the loss of 76 lives. And we salute the brave officers and jawans who have laid down their lives in the defence of freedom, liberty and democracy.

Central para military forces have been provided to the affected States, including Chhattisgarh, to help the State Governments carry out counter-insurgency operations, regain control of areas dominated by the Naxalites, restore the civil administration, and re-start developmental work. I may point out that, because they are deployed in areas populated by scheduled tribes, a number of restrictions have been placed on the central para military forces.

Let us not forget that the goal of the Naxalites is to overthrow the established authority of the Government through armed liberation struggle. We cannot – and we shall not – allow them to succeed in that goal.

The State has a legitimate right to deploy its security forces to resist, apprehend and, if necessary, neutralise militants who are determined to strike at the very roots of our nation.

To our call for talks after giving up violence, the Naxalites have answered by a savage and brutal act of violence.

It is the Naxalites who have described the State as the ‘enemy’ and the conflict as a ‘war’. If this is a war – and I wish to say that we have never used that word – it is a war that has been thrust upon the State by those who do not have a legitimate right to carry weapons or to kill. The State – the Central Government and the affected State Governments – are discharging their legal and Constitutional duty to protect the people.

The whole nation has expressed its sense of outrage at this horrific incident. We have heard the angry voices of the people. Nevertheless, I would urge that, even as we grieve, we remain calm, hold our nerve, and do not stray from the carefully chosen course that we have adopted since November 2009”.

Bio data of Mr.M K Narayanan, Governor Of Sikkim & West Bengal

Mayankote Kelath Narayanan was born in New Delhi in 1934.He had his early education in Delhi and Shimla before he went to Madras for Madras for his High School and University education. He is an alumnus of the Loyala College, Madras, and holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Madras.

Mr. Narayanan joined the Indian Police Service in 1955 after passing out as the best all round officer of his batch. After a brief stint as Sub Divisional Officer in the erstwhile State of Madras, he went on deputation to the Intelligence Bureau in February 1959. The rest of his service career was under the government of India, mainly in the Intelligence Bureau during which he dealt with a whole range of issues concerning internal and national security. He was director of the Intelligence Bureau from 1987 to 1992 and also served as the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee of the Government of India. He superannuated in 1992.Mr. Narayanan was awarded the prestigious national award Padma Shri in 1992 for his services to the country. He remained closely connected with security related matters even after his retirement. He was a member of the Task Force in revamping the Intelligence system set up after the Kargil Committee Report in 2000. Apart from this, he was frequently consulted on security matters and was a member on several experts’ panels, especially in the area of counter terrorism and counter intelligence.Mr. Narayanan was appointed by the UPA government in May 2004 as the security advisor to the Prime Minister of India. In January 2005, he assumed charge as the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India. As the National Security Advisor, his responsibilities included advising the Prime Minister on foreign policy and defence matters, national security issues including internal security and intelligence and nuclear and space matters. He also led India in institutionalized security and strategic dialogues with several countries like Brazil, France, Japan, Sri Lanka, Germany, Russia, UK and the USA. He was also the Prime Minister’s Special Representatives for boundary talks with China. He took over as the Governor of the state of West Bengal on January 24, 2010. His family includes Smt. Padmini Narayanan, his wife, and two children.

INDIA: Performance of Tourism Sector during March 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) on the basis of data received from major airports. Following are the important highlights, as regards these two important indicators of tourism sector, for March 2010.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs):

• FTAs during the Month of March 2010 were 4.72 lakh as compared to FTAs of 4.18 lakh during the month of March 2009 and 4.80 lakh in March 2008.

• There has been a growth of 12.9% in March 2010 over March 2009 as compared to a negative growth of 12.9% registered in March 2009 over March 2008.

• Growth rate in FTAs during March 2010 (12.9%) is higher than that observed during February, 2010 (9.9%).

• FTAs during the period January-March 2010 were 15.63 lakh with a growth rate of 12.8%, as compared to the FTAs of 13.86 lakh and a negative growth rate of 13.5% during January-March 2009 over the corresponding period of 2008.

Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) from Tourism in Indian Rupee terms and US $ terms

• FEE during the month of March 2010 were Rs.5507 crore as compared to Rs.4437 crore in March 2009 and Rs. 5035 crore in March 2008.

• The growth rate in FEE in Rupee terms in March 2010 over March 2009 was 24.1 % as compared to negative growth rate of 11.9 % in March 2009 over March 2008.

• FEE in US$ terms during the month of March 2010 were US$ 1209 million as compared to FEE of US$ 867 million during the month of March 2009 and US$ 1248 million in March 2008.

• The growth rate in FEE in US$ terms in March 2010 over March 2009 was 39.4 % as compared to the negative growth of 30.5 % in March 2009 over March 2008.


*****

Government not to Enter into Dialogue With Splinter Militant Groups in North East
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12:35 IST
Government of India has always shown its willingness to enter into dialogue with any group which is willing to abjure the path of violence and place its demand within the framework of the Constitution of India.

In response to Government’s policy, in the North Eastern part of the country, United Peoples Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), Dima Halam Daogah (Nunisa Group) DHD(N), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Pro-talk faction), NDFB (PT), had entered into Suspension of Operation arrangements. Recently, Dima Halam Daogah (Joel Group), DHD(J) and Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) have come forward for dialogue to seek resolution to their grievances within the framework of the Constitution of India and have laid down their arms to create a conducive environment for talks.

It has been observed that some of the renegade cadres of these outfits who did not give up their arms have not joined the ongoing peace process and some of them have reportedly formed splinter groups. Security forces shall take concerted action against such splinter groups.

It has been decided that Government will not enter into dialogue with splinter groups or any other new outfits/breakaway factions or accept their laying down of arms in a public function. However, such cadres can surrender as per the provisions of the Surrender-cum-Rehabilitation Policy.

SIKKIM: Cooperate in the census, DC appeals to people


BY JUVARAJ DAHAL


Gangtok: “Population census will be conducted in two phases in Sikkim. The 1st phase will from April 7 to May 21, 2010, in which house listing and housing census will be done, Mr. D. Anandan, District Collector (DC), East, informed in a press conference. “Every enumerator is allotted his area of operation and has to visit there and identify the total households.

2nd phase will be conducted from February 9 to 28, 2011, for population enumeration, collection of particulars with other relevant details. National Population Register (NPR) is being prepared by the government of India for the first time in the history of the country, he informed. People who are residing in the country for last six months will be included in the list. NPR’s purpose is to issue unique identity cards, the DC said. Director of Population Census will head the census whereas DC, as District Census Officer, Additional District Collector, Sub Division Magistrate as Sub Divisional Census Officer, Block Development Officer and Assistant Town Planners as charge officers and for forest area DFO-Territorial will be the charge officer under one supervisor and enumerator will work. Training for this census has been completed, DC said.. He appealed to people to cooperate with the enumerators who are given identity cards. Cooperation from both sides will make the census success and the clear data will come, he said.

[FROM SIKKIM REPORTER/EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]

SIKKIM: Workshop on ENVIS in the capital “Use natural resources judiciously”

Gangtok: Two days’ National evaluation workshop of Environmental Information Systems (ENVIS) was inaugurated by Mr. Bhim Dhungel, Minister for Science and Technology, at a hotel in the capital on April 5.

Organized by Sikkim State Council of Science and Technology with support from Ministry of Environment and Forests, main objective of the workshop is to make energy researchers, environmentalists, and policy makers aware on changes in energy sectors and their effects on environment. Participants in the workshop have come from across the country.

Mr. Dhungel in his inaugural address as chief guest underlined the importance of environment and conservation. Noting that Sikkim is in the forefront in terms of conserving flora and fauna, he called upon the people to be nature friendly. “The natural resources should be used judiciously and the challenges on environment should be taken seriously”, he said.

Mr. Nilkanth Ghosh, statistical advisor, Ministry of Environment and Forest said, the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) network was established as a planned programme under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, in December 1982. Over the years, the MoEF has identified a few organizations as centers of excellence who host subject specific ENVIS centres to disseminate environmental information. In addition to this, ENVIS centres are also hosted at the state Environment and Forests departments for wider dissemination of state environmental information. He added, presently there are a total of 78 ENVIS centres spread across the country which include subject specific and state level centres.

Mr. LM Aarawartia, Secretray, Science and Technology Department said, ENVIS center in Sikkim is functioning under Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management Department, Government of Sikkim, and has been playing a crucial role in disseminating information related to environment issues in Sikkim. Mr. ST Lachungpa, PCCF cum Secretray, Forest and Wildlife Department, Dr Madhumita Ghosh, Joint Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests were also present in the inaugural session. On the occasion, Minister Mr. Dhungel released the news letter of ENVIS Sikkim centre and other states during the function.

[SOURCE: SIKKIM REPORTER/EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]

SIKKIM: TAAS announces N-E tourism meet in town


Gangtok: Travel Agents Association of Sikkim, along with Department of Tourism, Government of Sikkim is organising North East Tourism Stake Holders Conference here at Gangtok on 7th April 2010. The conference is sponsored by North Eastern Council, (NEC).

All eight states of North East Region, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Sikkim will take part with government officials from Development of North East Region (DONER), and tourism stake holders comprising of tour operators, hoteliers, trade associations.

National bodies like Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Hotel Association of India (HAI), Tourism Specialists from ICIMOD , Nepal, are participate as special invitees. Sikkim participation will comprise of Tour Operators, Hoteliers, Tourism Development Committees.

TAAS will be organise a business meet on 6th April here at Gangtok for the interaction amongst the local tour operators. There will be more than 150 participants, informs Mr. Lukendra Rasaily, General Secretary, Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TASS).

[SOURCE: SIKKIM REPORTER / EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]

INDIA:Vice President’ s Address at the Inauguration of Indian Association of International Studies at JNU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

18:50 IST
The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that three aspects of the matter need to be considered. Addressing at the inauguration of the “Indian Association of International Studies at the School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here today, he has said that the first relates to the need to conceptualise our own experience as a player on the global stage; the second to the requirement of in-depth study of countries and regions of relevance to us and the acquisition of tools, particularly language skills, required for such studies; the third to the manner in which this experience and knowledge is to be related to our present and future policy options. Record would show that our performance on each of these counts is less than adequate; given our intellectual resources, the output should have been better in terms of quality and content.

The Vice President has said that the need for correctives is thus evident. It is here that a platform like the one being launched today, where concerned scholars and researchers from all parts of the country could exchange ideas and experiences, would be of great relevance. It would be of lasting service to Indian scholarship, and to the conduct of Indian diplomacy, if this Association could identify the deficit areas, bring forth immediate and near term course corrections, and raise public awareness about the imperative necessity of chartering a more purposeful course in international studies.

Following is the text of Vice President’s address :

“I am delighted to be here today. The JNU has for decades occupied a place of pride amongst institutions of higher learning, has contributed and continues to contribute in good measure to academic pursuits and to the national discourse, and has justified Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision for a university.

I also recall with some nostalgia my own short but productive association as a Visiting Professor some years back with the Centre of West Asian and African Studies of the SIS.

Let me begin with a confession. When Professor Mattoo first mentioned the idea of having such a body, I related to him my own experience in 2005 of trying to bring together on one platform all those working on or interested in contemporary West Asia. The effort failed, despite an initial spurt of activity and a helping hand from many well meaning individuals.

My purpose was to caution, not to dissuade. While a miniature has its own artistic value, a wider canvass allows for more space, perhaps more creativity. I am glad he and others associated with the initiative went ahead; today’s gathering is evidence enough of their success.

The need for an association of international studies is self evident; its absence, in fact, invokes questions. Could the latter be attributed to a mind-set flaw that propels us as a people to be considerate to the pardesi but indifferent to pardes?

Be that as it may, and whatever be the reasons, the harsh reality is that despite impressive statistical data, the study of international affairs in our country is episodic, emotive and inadequate, propelled much too often by a propensity to conform rather than be driven by the logic of evidence.

This state of affairs, clearly, is unsatisfactory.

Someone once said that nations, like men, have their infancy. This can no longer be true of present-day India. We have had six decades to develop, to mature, and to find our place in the comity of nations. Facts tell the story eloquently: we have a population of 1.2 billion, an economy of over a trillion dollars, a capacity in some measure to project power in immediate or proximate neighbourhood, as well as the wherewithal to become a knowledge society. Together they sustain the claim to have both hard power and soft power and the ability to enhance both in good measure.

Does this lead us to comprehensive power or what the Americans have called smart power –the capacity to combine elements of both in ways that are mutually reinforcing? Its objective, quite obviously, would be to enhance national power, to be an active and effective participant in global decisions, and in the implementation of those decisions. A prerequisite for these is a sound knowledge of the world, of the equilibrium of power, of the dynamics of current or anticipated changes, and of the manner they impact on India and Indian interests. Each is a function of incisive scholarship in which conceptual frameworks and micro-analysis would lend credence to the national effort.

How well are we prepared to shoulder this responsibility? How do we fare in comparison to our peers among players on the global stage?

Three aspects of the matter need to be considered. The first relates to the need to conceptualise our own experience as a player on the global stage; the second to the requirement of in-depth study of countries and regions of relevance to us and the acquisition of tools, particularly language skills, required for such studies; the third to the manner in which this experience and knowledge is to be related to our present and future policy options.

Record would show that our performance on each of these counts is less than adequate; given our intellectual resources, the output should have been better in terms of quality and content.

The need for correctives is thus evident. It is here that a platform like the one being launched today, where concerned scholars and researchers from all parts of the country could exchange ideas and experiences, would be of great relevance. It would be of lasting service to Indian scholarship, and to the conduct of Indian diplomacy, if this Association could identify the deficit areas, bring forth immediate and near term course corrections, and raise public awareness about the imperative necessity of chartering a more purposeful course in international studies.

Last but not the least, scholarship of international affairs should also be a rewarding pursuit and be able to provide a livelihood for those who opt for it. In a recent interaction with students of JNU, many students who have specialised in various aspects of international studies remarked that they were unable to find suitable and rewarding employment opportunities. The newly established universities, think-tanks and specialised centres of study and the globalising footprint of Indian business and industry should provide new avenues for employing scholars of international studies.

Realism in international studies is an unavoidable necessity. Good scholarship should, nevertheless, factor in what Hedley Bull called “the limitations of our own imagination and our own inability to transcend past experience.”

I thank the Vice Chancellor for inviting me on this important occasion. I wish the Association all success and I congratulate the JNU for having taken this important initiative

MAOISTS MASSACRE 74 CRPF MEN

Aman Sethi
D. Chandra Bhaskar Rao


In their deadliest attack on paramilitary forces yet, Maoist rebels killed 74 members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and two policemen from the Chhattisgarh police, and destroyed an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) in the early hours of Tuesday in Dantewada district.

The attack took place in the Mukrana forest, about 540 km southeast of the State capital Raipur. Seven injured personnel were evacuated by helicopter to the Maharani Hospital in Jagdalpur.

Area domination exercise

“A joint operation involving one company of the CRPF's 62nd Battalion and troops from the Chhattisgarh police were ambushed,” confirmed Inspector-General R.K. Vij. “The force was returning to base camp after a three-day area domination exercise.” Apart from the 73 foot soldiers and policemen, Deputy Commandant of the 62nd Battalion Satyavan, Assistant Commandant B.L. Meena and head constable R. Siyaram Dhruv of the Chhattisgarh Police were killed.

The following account has been pieced together from press statements issued by the Chhattisgarh police and interviews with sources in the security forces and intelligence sources in Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi. A comprehensive account will be possible only after interviews with the survivors.

The ambush occurred at about 5.30 a.m. when one company of the 62nd Battalion, and between 30 and 40 men from the Chhattisgarh police, were returning from the area domination exercise. While the troops were going on foot, the APC was proceeding along a dirt track.

Four kilometres short of the CRPF camp at Chintalnar, a massive Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated under the armoured vehicle, killing the lone driver, even as the troops came under heavy suppressive fire from a raised hillock bordering the path.

Booby-trapped

Troops rushed to take cover behind trees, only to find that the Maoists had booby-trapped the trees with anti-personnel IEDs. Soldiers who stayed in the open were gunned down by Maoists who used automatic weapons. In all, 75 members of the security forces were killed and seven injured. All their weapons were taken away by the Maoists.

In the second phase of the incident, reinforcements were rushed from the CRPF camp at Chintalnar, Dornapal and Chintagufa to rescue the survivors. According to a press note circulated by the Superintendent of Police, a vehicle brought to ferry the injured and the dead was also blown up with an IED, killing the driver and pushing the toll up to 76.

The planners

Sources in Andhra Pradesh told The Hindu that the attack was planned by Kosa, Leader of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the CPI Maoist and was executed by three Maoist companies led by Ganeshanna and Ramanna, two top leaders from the same Committee. The Maoists trailed the security forces for the better part of two days before working out the route of return and laying the ambush.

The sources said the CRPF violated two basic doctrines of jungle warfare. “First, never return to the camp along the same route that you left,” said a counter-insurgency expert with experience in Chhattisgarh, “Second, if you must, you have to clear and secure all raised terrain and hillocks.” Neither of these precautions was followed, said the source.

KOLKATA, April 6, 2010 Journalism can play a leading role in agenda-building process: N. Ram


Journalism at its best can even have a leading role in the “agenda-building” process though this should not be confused with “agenda-setting” and “propaganda,” N. Ram, Editor-in Chief, The Hindu, said here on Monday.

Speaking on “Media as Protector of Public Discussion” at the opening session of a two-day roundtable on Markets, Media and Democracy, organised jointly by UNICEF and the Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, Mr. Ram said a very key function of the media was that related to “agenda-building.”

Elucidating the more crucial functions of the media, Mr. Ram said if those related to “credible information” and “critical assessment investigation” were done well, there was tremendous potential for what he described as yet another of the functions — “the educative.”

The credible information function could be seen as a prerequisite to that of critical assessment investigation, which “is the more progressive role,” he added. “If it weakens as it appears today the media will get into serious trouble.”

“The fourth function — that of agenda-building was very, very important,” Mr. Ram observed, even as he described as “very negative” the “manufacture of consent function,” that of “propaganda.”

“If these roles are played well, the media can make a difference to the public agenda; can become an autonomous, pro-active force in relation to society on issues that matter,” he emphasised.

Making quite clear that his intent was not to talk about the media in general but about the news media, he said that despite the “brutal impact” of recession and the global meltdown, the circulation and readership of newspapers was still rapidly growing in the country as was the viewership of news television.

“But we do not know when the momentum will slow down,” Mr. Ram said, even as he pointed out that the “hyper-dependence on advertisements” because of the revenue it brought in “is an area of vulnerability.”

‘Lakshman-rekha'
There also “must be a ‘lakshman-rekha' between the editorial domain and the marketing, business domain,” he said. “The more corporate it gets the less independence to editorial functions.”

On the question of the role of politics being a “trigger” for newspaper circulation, Mr. Ram said this “could be good or bad. It cuts both ways.”

Regretting the phenomenon of “paid news,” he said the media had gone corrupt to a considerable extent with “newspapers being given equity in certain companies to promote products [of the latter] as news.”

“Yet we have a considerable democratic segment in the Indian media. Good journalists are in short supply but in good demand,” Mr. Ram said.

The role of the editor may have been “devalued if not destroyed in many newspapers,” but all is not gloom. “I believe much of the strength of the Indian Press is the strength of history — of struggles for reform, social and radical.”

But also imperative are “codes of practice which our industry lacks,” Mr. Ram said, underscoring the need for institutions like that of an “internal news ombudsman. What is very important is “self-correction, being open to readers. We still hope external regulations can be avoided,” he added

A new Indian welfare state IN THE MAKING



The United Progressive Alliance has been busy rewriting the rules of interaction between the Indian state and the Indian people in several important ways. It has enacted legislation that guaran- tees 100 days of employment on demand in rural areas and has made education a fundamental right. A law to provide food se- curity to the poor is also in the works.

The moral case for such sup- port is very strong. But these le- gal amendments will inevitably change economic incentives, in- crease fiscal stress and test the capacity of the Indian state to deliver on these three new promises-- leading to many un- intended consequences, both good and bad. Much has al- ready been written about these issues.

The policies seem to derive their philosophical direction from the work of Nobel econo- mist Amartya Sen, a friend and contemporary of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Sen pio- neered what has come to be known as the capabilities ap- proach to development. The un- derlying idea is that the essen- tial goal of development is not economic growth, but an expan- sion in the capabilities of indi- viduals to lead a good and pro- ductive life. The courts have already broadened the scope of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution --on the right to life--to include issues that affect the ability of an individual to lead a life of digni- ty, which means access to food, medical facilities, livelihood, residence, etc. The underlying assumption in many judicial de- cisions is that the right to life does not only mean the right to not be killed, but also the right to lead a life of dignity. This is a vision of positive liberty as op- posed to negative liberty (the absence of restrictions or vio- lence), a distinction framed by Isaiah Berlin.

Sen and his collaborator Jean Dreze have also drawn a distinc- tion between “growth-mediat- ed“ and “support-led“ develop- ment. The first is a process by which higher growth rates cre- ate higher incomes and employ- ment while the second is a pro- cess by which the state inter- venes through health, employ- ment and social security schemes. There are no prizes for guessing which path the current government is going down.

The capabilities approach is not without its critics, and Sen himself has pointed to several limitations. There is also little empirical proof to show that growth-led development is infe- rior to support-led develop- ment. Successive governments will now have to be careful in deciding which are the capabili- ties beyond employment, food and education that need to be given as a matter of right.

Medical care?

Housing?

Transport?

Clothing?

This could be the birth of a new statism.

Will support-led development spur growth?

FS Launches e-Office Programme

NEW DELHI

Finance Secretary, Shri Ashok Chawla launched e-Office developed by National Informatics Centre, here today.

e-Office provides a platform for personalized, role based, secure access to internal information for the employees that is accessible through any browser. Its salient features include unified view of data, content and document management, collaboration and messaging services with SMS interface, single standards based directory service, identity and access management role and integration of applications.

The implementation of this system is expected to improve the employee productivity by introducing collaborative working in digital workspace and thus pave the way towards paperless office.

Inauguration of 25TH Conference of Accountants General

The Lok Sabha Speaker Mrs Meira Kumar has pointed out that it was necessary to re craft the legal framework in a manner that enables the CAG to effectively discharge his constitutional responsibilities. She emphasized that the legal framework has to be suitably strengthened so that any ambiguities or inadequacies in the powers of the CAG, to discharge his mandate in the present day scenario, can be removed. The Speaker was inaugurating the XXVth Conference of the Accountants General in New Delhi today.

Following are the texts of the speeches made by the Speaker as well as the CAG at the function.

Speech of the Speaker, Lok Sabha

“I am happy to be here today to share my thoughts with you at the inauguration of the 25th Conference of the Accountants General where the senior executives of the audit department will meet to discuss and brainstorm on strategic and operational issues.

Chanakya, the great thinker and administrator, had stated in the Arthashastra that prevention was better than cure and if regular checks and balances were conducted from time to time, economic crises would not occur. It was therefore the duty of the ruler to ensure that accounting was done and auditing took place from time to time. This philosophy was adopted in different measures in subsequent societies and has finally culminated in the institution of the CAG in modern, independent India.

Executive accountability to the legislature is a cornerstone of our democracy. It is also an essential component of good governance. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, is the instrument of fiscal accountability provided for in the Constitution. His primary role is to report to the Legislature whether the activities of the Government in all financial matters are carried out in accordance with the Constitution and the laws and rules framed thereunder – both in letter and in spirit. He also provides assurance that the sums authorized by the legislature in the budget have been spent for the intended purposes and within the sanctioned limits. The members of the Indian Audit & Accounts Department have the task of assisting the Comptroller and Auditor General to effectively carry out his Constitutional mandate.

The role of the CAG was established through practice and tradition in British India and finally enshrined in our Constitution. Your institution is approaching its 150th year. The world has seen momentous changes over this long period and the rate of change has become exponential in the recent past. Technological innovation has revolutionized communications and access to information through television, internet and mobile phone networks. The structures and processes of governance have also changed significantly over the past few decades. The range of Government activities has increase manifold and many players, other than the Central and State Governments, such as local bodies, societies, NGOs and private sector, through public private partnerships, have become partners in the process of development. This has introduced complexities in fund flows, expenditure, accounting and evaluation.

To remain relevant in this rapidly changing world every institution has to consciously review and modernize its procedures and practices. I am happy to note that the theme of your conference, “Transformation of Indian Audit and Accounts Department” reflects this reality. The phenomenon of government funds flowing out to a plethora of agencies through multiple channels, sometimes without well defined monitoring and accounting mechanisms, gives new dimensions to accountability. I have been informed that the CAG’s (Duties, Powers & Conditions of Service) Act enacted in 1971 is being given a fresh look to overcome the limitations in the mandate of CAG in the present scenario. It is necessary that the legal framework is recrafted in a manner that enables the CAG to effectively discharge his constitutional responsibilities. The legal framework has to be suitably strengthened so that any ambiguities or inadequacies in the powers of the CAG, to discharge his mandate in the present day scenario, can be removed.

We should recognise that the objective of the executive and audit are the same, viz. that the aam aadmi gets the greatest benefit. This overarching reality often gets lost in practice. It is a natural tendency to become defensive on audit reports which comment on performance. This phenomenon can be tackled through greater interaction and frequent engagement at different levels as it facilitates an understanding of each other’s view point. I have learnt with great satisfaction that Audit has taken steps in the right direction by highlighting the innovations, good practices and positive aspects noticed in the implementation of programme.

I am happy to learn that you have collaborated with the Government in developing a control based risk management framework which is going to be applied in implementing various schemes. This will provide an in-house oversight mechanism which will empower the field level officers to prevent, detect and set the right inefficiencies and leakages by suitable interventions. Consequently, the deliveries should improve. Some of the performance audits done by your department in the recent past also underline the positive interactions and the collaborative approach which has led to effective mid-course corrections that will contribute substantially to the achievement of the overall objectives. Such initiatives will encourage free exchange of information and ideas, leading to better governance.

Our systems of Government accounting and financial reporting are facing many challenges today. The present accounting system dates back to the days when exchequer control was achieved through the treasury system. While it retains a certain degree of effectiveness its robustness has come under strain as the fund flow patterns of Government have changed and as the bulk of developmental expenditure takes place outside the treasuries. We have not yet developed a system of accounting for the funds which are spent by implementing agencies for schemes through their bank accounts. While expenditures are reported to the legislature on various schemes, they are actually amounts transferred from the government coffers to various implementing agencies who keep the funds in bank accounts. The actual expenditure on the final beneficiary is not collated, compiled or reported. Consequently, the balances remaining unutilized and lying in bank accounts are not known. I am happy to know that your department is seized of this matter and you are already studying the modalities of tracking and accounting of scheme expenditures. You have to also provide leadership in the long haul that would culminate in the introduction of accrual accounting, bringing greater transparency in the accounts with a clearer depiction of assets and liabilities. Meanwhile, issues such as the ownership of accounts by the executive heads in their capacity of chief accounting officers should be settled. All these reforms would go a long way in promoting good governance.

The nation is moving forward on a path of growth which has to be made irreversible. It is the duty of every institution to do its bit in maintaining the momentum of growth. Here you have to adopt a very balanced approach. You have to ensure accountability and transparency without hindrance to innovation and initiative. The government machinery is shifting gradually to an IT environment and your large work force has to update its audit procedures in a timely manner. I am happy to find that you are keeping pace with all the emerging issues which are gaining in significance and have been engaged in building capacities in dealing with these new challenges in the areas of e-Governance, Social Audit and Environment Audit. Continuous engagement with various stakeholders will help you to appreciate issues better and equip you to conduct more informed and balanced audit which would lead to strengthening of systems and improve delivery mechanisms.

I wish you all the best for you deliberations. I am sure your discussions will lead to significant initiatives which will equip your department to face the myriad challenges thrown by a world and society in transition.

Speech of CAG

“It is my pleasure to welcome you to the XXV Conference of Accountants General on the theme “Strengthening Audit and Accounts for Good Governance, Transparency and Accountability”. I am particularly grateful to you Madam for accepting our request to inaugurate this Conference today as it also happens to be Revered Babu Jagjivan Ram’s 103rd birth anniversary and you necessarily have a large number of commitments. He was truly a titan and one of the prominent pillars whose contribution to post independence India has been invaluable.The Hon’ble Chairperson of the PAC and COPU could not attend due to last minute preoccupation.

This biennial conference provides a forum for senior officials of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department to deliberate on key strategic issues relating to governance and public accountability and the contributions that our organisation can make in these areas. This twenty-fifth conference is of particular significance in that this year marks the 150th year of the foundation of our Institution, and thus provides an occasion for all of us to look back at what we have achieved in the past, and how far we have to go. It is for the first time that certain key events in this Conference are being web cast live to 42 IA&AD offices all over India through VPN. I welcome these officers also.

The system of Parliamentary Democracy in India has assigned a very important role to the Comptroller & Auditor General of India and the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament. Together, they have a responsibility to guard the national treasury and ensure accountability in public financial administration. With ever increasing outlays of the Government and changes & complexities introduced in the system of public service delivery, the task of Audit has become not only more extensive but also more onerous. On its efficient functioning depends the safety of the tax payer’s money; on its effectiveness depends the integrity and accountability of the public administration.

Traditionally, Public Audit was rule based and was concerned with probity and compliance alone. In recent decades, however, there have been increasing demands from stakeholders to know more about performance and results, rather than merely accounting for legality and propriety in public spending. This has altered the perception of the role of the Auditors General in most of the countries around the globe. The CAG’s role has expanded from being merely an auditor of financial transactions of the Government to that of a promoter of an organisations’ performance and to act as a powerful trustee of public good. Consistent with this expanded role, the CAG in India has been according highest priority to people centric programmes especially in the social and infrastructure sectors while drawing up the annual plans for performance audits. The aim is to report, almost on concurrent basis, on what governments have actually produced in terms of outcomes after investing substantial amount of public monies in such programmes. Our Reports now affords an opportunity to the Government to make mid-course corrections and improve service delivery to the targeted people.

Over the last several years, we have been adapting our approach and functioning to make ourselves relevant in the process of upgrading governance. A key component of our performance auditing has been evaluation of flagship programmes in the socio-economic sector and assessing the outcomes of devolution by the Government. Our recent and ongoing performance audits cover development programmes in the health, education, employment & irrigation sectors. In addition, sustainable development and environmental conservation have become key audit concerns. Our performance audits have become more “real time” in their nature, with a view to providing opportunities for mid-course corrective action, and we are extremely conscious of our role as an aid to management. This is evidenced by our recent study on “Preparedness for the XIX Commonwealth Games,” which was intended to serve as a benchmark for the Executive for monitoring progress on this mammoth exercise.

On the issue of transaction or compliance audit, which has been the subject of much debate within and outside our organization, we are working towards moving away from reporting individual, isolated instances of non-compliance and waste therefore frittering away scarce human resources on relatively less significant issues to a broader risk-based approach. We now focus towards providing overall assurance at the Departmental level on the adequacy and effectiveness of operational, financial and administrative controls, or adopting a thematic approach covering selected activities or operations.

We have also been consciously adopting a long-term, strategic approach to planning, with a view to closely aligning our strategies and priorities with those of our stakeholders – the Legislature, the Executive, and the public at large. We are currently finalizing the Perspective Plan for the Department covering the next five years. We are also working on a Strategic Plan which will reflect our vision and mission over a longer, ten year time horizon. The five themes of this conference, covering various critical aspects of auditing and accounting, form part of the overall framework of our institution towards transforming ourselves as enablers of good governance, transparency and accountability.

While we are fully geared towards re-positioning ourselves to meet the challenges of the 21st century, there are several external aspects on which we actively solicit the assistance of the Legislature and the Executive. One such aspect is the need to revisit our legal mandate, which was drafted nearly four decades ago and has undergone only peripheral amendments. This exercise is necessary due to the increasing use of non-Governmental and private channels for providing social and infrastructural services to the public and the widespread growth of public-private partnerships (PPPs). If we are to fully discharge our responsibilities to society and Parliament, our mandate must enable us to trace the rupee to its ultimate utilization at the grassroots level, irrespective of such agencies and institutions falling within the formal governmental framework or not. Another challenge is free and unfettered access to records. While such access is stipulated in our current mandate, we often face difficulties in enforcing such access in a timely manner. We must, at least, have the same powers that the citizen has in enforcing his right to information under the Right to Information Act. We have proposed a draft to the Government of India, which seeks to address these issues in clear and unambiguous terms, and Madam we seek your guidance and support to ensure that we can fulfil the public trust.

Yet, another challenge is the lack of adequate and timely action by the Executive on our audit findings. These pertain to those presented to Parliament as well as those reported to the Government at various levels, depending on their importance. At times, we do not even get timely and complete responses to our findings, let alone action on our recommendations. Our legislative committees – the Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Public Undertakings – at both the Central and State levels, are, understandably, not in a position to examine and take evidence on the entire volume of our audit findings in detail, but the lack of adequate action by the Executive is very disconcerting. Parliaments will must prevail for which we need to change the mindset of Governmental functionaries on this key aspect.

The position in regard to the number of meetings held in a year by the State PACs/COPUs and their effectiveness in dealing with Audit Reports needs to be improved. If the PACs/COPUs are to become an effective instrument for ensuring executive accountability to the legislature, then a clear priority has to be accorded in discussing Audit Reports. Madam Speaker, while I have written to the Speakers of Legislative Assemblies of some states, we look forward to your good offices in persuading the Speakers to activate the existing legislative mechanisms so as to speed up the discussion of the Audit Reports. Since you have a pivotal role in setting the standards of legislative function in the country, I propose to organize a national level Seminar for the Chairpersons of PACs/COPUs under your leadership. Such a seminar will go a long way in deliberating the issues confronting us and in strengthening the accountability mechanism.

It is under this backdrop that we commence our deliberations during this conference. We hope some innovative ideas and strategies will emerge to tackle these internal and external challenges and help us to serve the nation better in promoting transparency and accountability. Madam, we are indeed very grateful to you for agreeing to inaugurate this Conference and guide us as we architecture the way forward for the department.”