Kudos to Anna Hazare:

Kudos to Anna Hazare:

Anna Hazare has taken up the crusade at the most appropriate time.The country is shocked at the massive 'common wealth games scam','ISRO Spectrum Scam' and '2G Scam'.The Supreme Court is also actively involved in unearthing the scams and the scamsters.It is most appropriate that the civil society also plays its role timely and effectively by building pressure on the government to act.Every Indian is behind Anna Hazare in his historic fight against corruption.Mahatma Gandhi lead the freedom movement against the British and brought freedom to the country.Now the time has come to free the country from the evil of corruption.We need a person of impeccable character to lead this new freedom struggle.Who else is best suited for this leadership position but for Anna Hazare? Kudos to you ANNA HAZARE!! Please carry on your [our] struggle. the entire country is behind you like a solid rock.We are also fasting here at our homes and offices as our support to you.Success will sure be yours[ours].

PROTECT WITNESSES

The death of Batcha, the trusted aide of Raja is really shocking news. Probably he was one of the most important links in the bribe money trail. In his death the CBI has suffered a great set back in its efforts to trace the entire money trail and the ultimate beneficiaries of the 2G scam. In the infamous ‘Fodder Scam’ too a number of witnesses either died mysteriously or possibly were bumped off to protect the ultimate beneficiaries of the scam. Before it is too late the CBI should take into protective custody all the possible witnesses not only to protect them from any possible harm but also to ensure that the real culprits and the beneficiaries of the 2G scam are unearthed and punished by the courts of law.

NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

This refers to the article ‘For a national government’ [BL- 7th March]. Every right thinking and patriotic Indian would whole heartedly endorse the idea of a national government as proposed in the article. In India what we are witnessing today is a ‘notional government’, which is unable to govern in the best interest of the nation due to its coalition dharma. It is compelled to sacrifice the interest of the nation to hold on to power at any cost.

In the backdrop of the adverse impact of the world’s worst economic recession on India and also keeping in mind the revolutions that the Arab world is facing due to the economic crisis it is high time that our political leaders urgently consider the idea of forming a national government of reconciliation before a serious situation arrives at our door steps.

But this calls for sacrifice, reconciliation and a strong patriotic spirit. Above all we need tall patriotic leaders to take the initiative and convince the rest of the ordinary leaders to follow them in their efforts. Unfortunately what we see today is a plethora of dwarf, selfish and greedy leaders in politics who are eternally trying to grab power at any cost to enrich themselves and their kith and kin at the cost of the nation. Small regional parties and independent MPs and MLAs are holding the governments to ransom. Therefore though ‘national government’ is most desirable, it may remain ‘utopian’ in the present circumstances. We may have to be contented with rather a ‘Notional Government’ which is unable to govern due to its coalition compulsions

AAM AADMI NEEDS RELIEF

AAM AADMI NEEDS RELIEF
The ‘Aam Aadmi’ is eagerly awaiting the Budget 2011. The rising prices of food and other essential commodities are denting a huge hole in the pocket of the common man. Like the Finance Minister, he is also finding it very difficult to balance his budget. While the Finance Minister can afford to either borrow or print money the common man can’t do so. Hence the Finance Minister must come to the rescue of the ‘Aam Aadmi’, the common man and provide substantial relief to him through the forthcoming budget.
1] Basic Exemption Limit. The present income tax limit for all the sections of citizens is very inadequate. Taking into account the galloping inflation, Basic Exemption Limit should be raised to Rs 3 lakhs. It should be Rs 4 lakhs for women and Rs 5 lakhs for Senior Citizens.
2] Savings Limit. Presently a maximum of Rs 1.2 lakhs can be saved under Section 80 C etc, to claim tax rebate, which is quite inadequate. As the money is losing its value very fast this limit should be raised to Rs 2 lakhs.
3] Interest Rates. The Small Savings Schemes like NSC, PPF, MIS etc, are very popular with the common man. They are very safe and secure. However they give very poor returns as compared to the various investment options provided by the banks. Presently the banks are offering over 10% per annum rate of interest whereas the Small Savings Schemes offer just 8% per annum. Hence the rate of interest on all Small Savings Schemes like NSC, PPF, and MIS etc should be raised to a minimum of 10% per annum.
4] Lock In Period. Under Section 80 C Bank Deposits are also eligible to claim tax rebate. But the lock in period is 5 years. This should be reduced to3 years to make them attractive as well as to bring them on par with Small Savings Schemes like NSC etc,.
5] Senior Citizen Age Limit. The age limit of 65 years to consider a person as Senior Citizen is very harsh on those who have crossed 60 years but are not treated as Senior Citizens. Almost all those who have attained 60 years are those who have retired from service. Their income is generally low but the medical expenses are very high. Therefore the age limit of 65 years should be brought down to 60 years to consider a person as Senior Citizen. The Finance Minister and the Prime Minister themselves are Senior Citizens and therefore know the problems of Senior Citizens very well. They therefore need to be more considerate towards the Senior Citizens.
6 ] Standard Deduction. While a businessman gets deductions for all the legitimate expenses incureed in conducting his business, a salaried person is deprived of any such deduction in connection with his job. The Standard Deduction should therefore be reintroduced with a limit of Rs 1 lakh.
7] Control of Inflation. Inflation and insufficient supply of food items and other essential commodities are main causes of concern to the common man. It therefore becomes matter of paramount importance to control the inflation and improve the supply of food items and other essential commodities through various budgetary measures.
It is hoped that the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister will do the needful in the forthcoming budget.

DISQUALIFY THE ERRANT LEGISLATORS

DISQUALIFY THE ERRANT LEGISLATORS
The sight of the Karnataka legislators eating and sleeping inside the Vidhan Soudha was not only disgusting but also nauseating. Mahatma Gandhi must be ruing in his grave saying ‘Hey Ram, did I commit a big mistake by getting freedom to the country? ‘The voters who voted these MLAs must be repenting for their mistakes. These people’s representatives were sent to the assembly to take care of the problems of their voters. The MLAs seem to be oblivious to their duties towards those who elected and sent them to the Vidhan Soudha. They are more concerned about politicking than bothering about the problems of the Aam Admi. They are unfit to be the people’s representatives. They should be disqualified from contesting the future elections. They should also be expelled from the proceedings for the rest of their legislative period for having lowered the dignity of the illustrious house. Exemplary punitive action is very much needed to bring seriousness in our democratic polity.

LET MAMATA STAY AT HOME

Mamata Didi has said that Delhi is not her home, so she would like to stay at Kolkata, which is her homeland. It seems that Didi is more concerned and worried about her brothers and sisters at her home in Kolkata than in the rest of the country. Fine. Nobody has any grouse if she wants to confine herself to Kolkata. Let her contest the Kolkata Municipal election, become a corporator and Mayor of the city as well, and look after the welfare of her brothers and sisters of Kolkata. Who prevented her from doing so? Nobody requested her to contest and win the election to the Lok Sabha, come to Delhi and become Railway Minister of India. Once she became a Cabinet Minster her responsibility extended to all the brothers and sisters of the country. The whole of India became her homeland. She is duty bound to stay at the nerve center of Railway Administration at Delhi and monitor, mentor and guide the administration during the crisis periods. If she can’t do that she has the option to resign and go back to the Kolkata Municipality. Mamata Didi ,you have not understood the responsibility of a Cabinet Minister even after one year in office. Better you go back to your homeland by vacating the Railway Office.

A RAJA AND A DACOIT

People look at the King to rule the state in the best interest of the state. All his decisions are expected to be fair, just and always in the interest of the state and the common man but never in the interest of a lobby. He is expected to take all the steps necessary to augment the resources of the state. On the other hand a dacoit is interested in looting the state. He acts in the interest of his own and of his master. Telecom minister A Raja, the king of Telecom Ministry, should have acted like a king in the best interest of the state and common man while allocating the 2G spectrum. Unfortunately, it is alleged that, he did not do so. Opposition parties are alleging that he acted in bad faith and in collusion with certain lobbies and has caused a loss to the exchequer to the extent of over Rs 70,000 crores as per the latest valuations of the 3G spectrum. In spite of several recommendations to auction the spectrum he did not agree. He even went against the advice of the week Prime Minister and the week Finance Minster, and allocated startup spectrum at a ridiculously low price without any justification. It is for the people to decide as to whether A Raja acted as ‘A King’ or as ‘A Dacoit’. He must be dismissed from the cabinet immediately. The illegally allotted spectrum should be recovered from the illegal beneficiaries and auctioned to the highest bidders thereby the genuine revenues of the state should be realized. As far as A Raja is concerned he should be booked under the anti corruption legislation.

RELIGION ,CASTE ,AND CENSUS

The massive exercise of ‘Census of India 2011’ has commenced. The enumerators are visiting the households and are collecting various informations which will form the basis for planning for the future of the country. There is a demand and a move to collect the details of castes also. Every right thinking and nationalist citizen must ask whether we should continue to identify the Indians by their caste. The Supreme Court many a times has observed that dividing the society on caste and religious lines is not in the best interest of the nation. Unity of the country is at stake. In the past, India could be ruled by the outsiders like Muslims from the north western areas like Afghanistan and Christians from eastern areas like Europe as the Indian society then was very much divided on caste and clan lines.Now, therefore it is the appropriate time to abolish the caste and religion concept from all government records. The move by the great actor and nationalist Amitabh Bachchan to mention his religion/caste as ‘Bharatiya’ is laudable and worth emulating. Ex- minister Arif Mohammed Khan too has supported this move. Hence all the nationalist and right thinking citizens of India should consider mentioning their religion/caste as “Bharatiya” in the coming census.

REDEFINE THE GOVERNORS ROLE

Governor is a constitutional authority. His role and responsibilities have been defined in the constitution. Repeated Supreme Court judgments also have clarified the limits of his authority. Unfortunately the Governors are again and again transgressing their constitutional authority and engaging in political battles with state governments whenever the state government s belong to the party opposing the central government. This is most unfortunate. The Governor should be a ’Friend, Philosopher and a Guide’ to the state government. He should use his vast reservoir of knowledge to counsel the state government whenever needed. He should not act as a political agent of the party at the center. In the light of the controversial role the Governor of Karnataka is playing, there is an urgent need to redefine the role of the Governors. Besides a strong view should be taken not to post politicians as Governors. Only the retired Judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court should be appointed as Governors. This way the recurring controversies can be brought to a permanent halt.

BOWLED BY THE BOOZE

BOWLED BY THE BOOZE
The hat-trick of defeat at the 3rd edition of ICC 20-20 of our cricket team raises several questions. Cricket which was once a game of gentlemen has now become the game of ‘drinkers, diners and dancers’. In the good olden days of 5-day test matches the intelligence, the class and consistency of the payers were respected. Every one used to play for the team and the country. Individual’s records and individuals advertising endorsements and earnings never came into the picture. They never affected the performance of the players. However with the onset of IPL 20-20, the game has reached its nadir. The seriousness and gentleman character of the game is lost. What we see today are the mercenaries of the game who are willing to represent any brand and ready to play for any one as long as they receive huge money bags for their un-sportsmanlike services. They have neither pride in representing the country nor commitment towards the nation. Their only goal is to booze—drink , dine and dance. They have been bowled by the booze. They need to be booted out of the team.

VISHY’ DESERVES BHARAT RATNA

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By defeating the Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov in his own country and retaining the World Chess Championship for the fourth time Viswanathan Anand, better known to his friends as ‘Vishy’, has made all the Indians proud once again. His exploits in the field of chess are unparalleled in India. He became India’s youngest International master [IM] at the age of just 15 years. At the age of 16 years he was the India’s chess champion. He was the first Indian to win World Junior Championship. His achievements are endless. The recent win against Topalov is all the more great because he won against Topalov at all the odds. Due to the volcanic ash problems he could not get the flights to reach the venue well in time. His request to postpone the match was denied. The match was being played at the home ground of his opponent. Undeterred a determined and courageous Vishy travelled all the way by road for thousands of kilometers to reach the venue of championship just in time. Neither had he the time to relax nor to plan and practice his moves. Still by his grit and determination he won the championship for the fourth time. He is undoubtedly the greatest chess player in the world today. It is time we the Indians come out of the cricket mania and accord Vishy his due respect and glory. It is very appropriate to confer the greatest award of Bharat Ratna on him at the earliest.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR MUSLIMS

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR MUSLIMS

The sentencing to death of the Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab has been widely welcomed by all the right thinking sections of the society including the right thinking non extremist Muslims. This is a welcome development. The UPA government at the center is postponing the hanging of Afzal Guru of the ‘Parliament Attack Case’ because it thinks that the Muslims of the country are against his execution. It is of the view that his execution would deprive it of its Muslim votes in the forthcoming elections. On a similar thinking it is likely to delay the execution of Azmal Kasab also. By indirect implication the UPA government is creating a wrong impression that the Muslims of India are supporting the Pakistani terrorists. This 26/11 judgement has opened a golden opportunity to the Muslims of India. All the right thinking and moderate Muslims should immediately hold demonstrations all over the country demanding the immediate hanging of both Afzal Guru and Azmal Kasab. It will send the right message to the UPA government at the center that Muslims in the country are against the Pakistani terrorists and that they welcome their immediate hanging. This will embolden the government to fast track both the cases and hang them both early. Such an action will also substantially change the image of the Muslims of India as supporters of peace and justice. Muslims of the country should not miss this opportunity to show that they are as just and as peace loving as the rest of the country.

CONSTRUCT MORE GODOWNS

CONSTRUCT MORE GODOWNS
The recent revelation that food grains worth Rs 58000 crores are lost for human consumption every year in the country due to poor storage, inefficient handling and lethargy of the Food Corporation of India [FCI] came as a rude shock. The FCI is buying food grains on a very large scale to provide for food security to the country. With increase in the population the quantity of the food grains to be procured is also increasing. This has necessitated increased properly covered storage space which is acutely lacking in the country. Instead of storing the procured food grains in the open, leaving them to the mercy of sun, rain and insects, and ,consequently losing them for human consumption, resulting in huge losses to the society, the government should embark upon a massive programme of godown construction. Such godowns should be constructed all over the country with preference to the places having large food grain markets, large consumption centers like metro centers, important railway junction points with good communication facilities etc. Apart from ensuring proper and scientific storage of food grains the government should also release the stocks to the market regularly so that the stock does not become stale and unfit for human consumption.

INTRODUCE UNIFORM AND DRESS CODE

INTRODUCE UNIFORM AND DRESS CODE
SSLC results have been declared and those who have passed are approaching the various colleges for admission to the PU course. At the time of giving out the applications itself the colleges should make clear their position on uniform and dress code. Only those willing to adhere to the uniform and dress code discipline should be admitted to the college. A suitable and binding undertaking should be taken from the parents as well as the students. Those colleges that do not have uniform and dress code should immediately adopt a suitable one. Uniforms are great levelers. They erase the distinction between the rich and the poor students. They also bring discipline and decorum to the colleges. Hence all the colleges should act promptly act in this regard now.

YOU CAN HATE THEM BUT CAN’T IGNORE THEM

YOU CAN HATE THEM BUT CAN’T IGNORE THEM
This refers to the news that the young and educated forward looking Congress MP from Haryana Navin Jindal is taking up the cause of Khap Panchayats with the Central Government.
Khap Panchayats exert heavy influence on the societal behavior in the rural areas in north India. No people's representative can ignore them. They are the repositories of our ancient culture and tradition. Governments cannot simply ignore or wish them away. These Panchayats also represent democratic institutions. Their views and recommendations represent the majority views of the community. Therefore the democratically elected governments, like state and the central ones must respect the views of the Khap Panchayats. As demanded by them The Hindu Marriage Act should be amended to ban sagotra [same gotra] marriages not only to uphold and respect the ancient tradition but also to uphold high moral standards in the society. Otherwise tomorrow people of loose character may start marrying any one he or she lusts ignoring all the relations between themselves which may be likened to the behavior of the animals. Let us not go the wild characterless western way. Let us preserve our character and traditions. To this extent the Khap Panchayats are right. But if they take law into their own hands and order killings they are wrong.

PAWARS CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE

PAWARS CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE
Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s admission that food grains worth over Rs 58000 Crores are damaged spoilt and lost for consumption every year in the country is really shocking. On one side we have crores of people below the poverty line who are dying due to food shortage. On the other the country is suffering high food inflation due to non release of available food grains into the market. And we have a Minister who hardly bothers about his job as a Minister. He is more concerned about the game of cricket and playing politics. It is a shame that we have such irresponsible individuals as senior politicians and senior Ministers in the country. It is equally shameful and astonishing that the voters of this country do not show the door to such politicians. Even God can’t save this country!

WAKE UP YEDDIYURAPPA

WAKE UP YEDDIYURAPPA
Farmers are witnessing pre-monsoon showers all over the state. They are getting ready to plow the lands and clear them of weeds to keep them ready for sowing. The rural areas are abuzz with pre-monsoon activities. As soon as the Gram Panchayat elections are over and monsoon rains arrive during the first week of June the farmers will as usual rush to the markets to buy seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. There will be huge rush at a single point of time. If adequate stocks of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides are not found then, there will be law and order problems. Hence Yeddiyurappa must wake-up and ensure that sufficient quantities of these essential requirements of farmers are stocked not in a few places but at all the taluka headquarters and even at village credit society levels. This will avoid the recurrence of the farmers’ riots that took place a few years back. Only this way he can redeem his pledge to the farmers which he made while taking oath as Chief Minister and immediately after the farmers’ riots.

HANG KASAB AND AFZAL GURU IMMEDIATELY

HANG KASAB AND AFZAL GURU IMMEDIATELY
No doubt all the right thinking persons of the world would welcome the death sentence to Kasab. The proof of pudding lies in eating, so goes the saying. The proof of the victims of 26/11 attack getting justice will be in hanging of Kasab. If this government could not hang Afzal Guru till date, then, there is no guarantee that Kasab would be hanged any sooner. All the efforts made by the police, the lawyers and the judges to bring the culprits of 26/11 attack to justice will go down the drain if the hanging is delayed. One day the human rights activists may even get him released on the eve of one of our parliamentary elections by pressurizing our secular pro-Pakistan government. It is high time that our secular government comes out of its shell, fast tracks both the cases of Afzal Guru and Kasab and hangs them immediately so that the souls of the victims of 26/11 attack rest in peace.

INDIA NEEDS SMALL CITIES

INDIA NEEDS SMALL CITIES
There is a compelling need for smaller cities in India. ‘The big cities are no more beautiful .Anyone who lives or visits our big cities like Bombay, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi or Kolkata needs no more convincing. These cities are crumbling and gradually turning into large slum like habitats. We do not need such big cities any more.
The recent McKinsey report on urban development is on the expected lines. The model of urban development adopted by the western world does not fit India. There the proportion of people to the land and the financial resources is very favorable. Their case is different. Here in India we have a very large population but little land and financial resources. Besides majority of our people are illiterate and unaware of sophisticated urban behavior that is essential for an efficient functioning of megacities. Water for drinking and other purposes is not available in large quantities in any part of the country to support new megacities. Therefore more and more small cities located near abundant sources of water should be identified and developed into bigger but sustainable cities. Similarly cities located near huge dams, well developed highway and railway networks as well as air network should be taken up for further development. So also the educational centers like university centers etc could be considered for further development. Thus we will have enough small cities to give a happy and satisfactory habitat to the increasing urban population in India.

WELCOME CURBS

WELCOME CURBS
The move of the government to curb the role and tenure of politicians in the national sports bodies will be warmly welcomed by all the true sports lovers in the country. These sports bodies came into existence with an avowed objective of promoting and encouraging the various sports activities. However over a period of time they have become fiefdom of a few politicians, businessmen and bureaucrats who have nothing to do with the sports activity concerned. The sports federations have become arenas for political fights. In case of some of the federations the same individuals have been in office for decades. This has led to corruption, shady deals sloth and overall decline of that particular sport. No new ideas to promote the sports are forthcoming. The government should therefore immediately constitute a committee of eminent sportspersons to suggest necessary changes in the relevant laws to make these sports bodies more effective and professional. Only the professional sports persons who have represented the country in the respective sports should be allowed to become office bearers of the national federations. Sundry politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen should be completely barred from contesting for the office of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer of all the national sports bodies.