HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDIA

India is 60 years young today. While it became independent on August 15, 1947, it was not until January 26, 1950 that India had its written Constitution. Sixty is an auspicious age in India. On turning 60, a man or woman would be expected to shift gears and go into a different stage of life. While for humans it is a shift to a lower gear, for the country it has to be a higher gear. That acceleration will only come from innovations that bridge the vast opportunities in Indias product market with its vast pool of unemployed and underemployed human resources in its talent market.

Travelling through India, with its 22 official languages and several other dialects, is like traversing through a linguistic and cultural kaleidoscope. India is more diverse than Europe. But while Europe struggles to strengthen its union, the Indian Union or the United States of India (of which there are 28 states and seven Union territories ) has stood the test of time. Is it a perfect union No, far from it. But the fact that it is held together by the goodwill of its peoples, and not by dictatorial forces, is in itself a miracle. However, for an average Indian this kind of adulation is meaningless. There is grinding poverty as well as caste and communal tensions especially when fanned by politicians. The civic infrastructure is woeful and corruption is rampant. In the shadow of towering apartment buildings housing Indias rich and even their automobiles in air-conditioned comfort, the cooks, maids, gardeners, drivers, sweepers and security guards who service these rich subsist in decrepit housing, with intermittent power and water. Unfortunately slum dogs become millionaires only in Hollywood movies!

IMDs World Competitiveness Centre publishes an annual yearbook ranking countries competitiveness. India has been steadily rising in these rankings, but not as fast as China. Whereas the Chinese growth is helped in large part by well coordinated government actions, Indian growth comes from its businesses . It is hard for coalition governments (the reality of Indian governance over the past two decades), stitched together as they are from differing political ideologies, to make the swift and sweeping changes that are needed. Despite these shortcomings, the Indian economy has bounced back after the financial crisis and is projected to grow at a rate between 7 and 8 per cent. There are two facilitating conditions that can accelerate this growth: size of the Indian market and the richness of its talent pool. But innovation is the key spark that is needed to leverage both.

The Indian market opportunity can be segmented into tiers. The global product market tier represents customers that are other multinational companies as well as select Indian customers who are willing to pay global prices for products and services, which have been created primarily to serve customers in developed markets. The glocal tier consists of customers who are unwilling to pay global prices but seek products and services that are close to global standards. The local tier represents customers who are happy with less sophisticated and often lower quality products and services but offered at local prices that are considerably cheaper than global prices. The countrys growing middle class belongs mostly in the local tier, with some moving up to the glocal tier. The final tier is the so-called Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP). This tier represents customers who have been traditionally excluded from the market.

Its possible to identify similar tiers in the case of the talent market. The conventional approach of multinational companies has been to operate at the global tier of the product and talent markets. Some have also transitioned to the glocal tier. But these tiers are not the big opportunities in India. If business stays only with these tiers, India will not alleviate its poverty. What is needed is business innovation that finds creative ways of serving consumers at the bottom of the pyramid using an unskilled and semi-skilled workforce from lower tiers of the talent market.

Indian companies have started offering products and services that appeal to the local and BOP tiers. The innovative Indian company Bharti offers the worlds cheapest telecommunication service at just one cent per minute. This service is offered through local retailers and micro entrepreneurs who sell prepaid telephone cards in every nook and corner of India. It is service for the poor by the poor! For slightly more affluent customers , Tata Motors has launched the Nano, the worlds cheapest car priced at $2,500. The company hopes one day to ship the Nano in knocked down units to local garages for the cars to be assembled in these distributed factories . Here again it will be the local talent tier creating products to serve customers in the local product market tier. India needs more innovations of this kind.

These are healthy signs for the Indian economy. Indeed more such examples are needed. The birthday gift that India craves for is more business innovation.
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Fast-track To Justice - Supreme Courts in four metros would considerably aid the judicial process
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The recommendation in the 229Law Commission report, suggesting three additional Supreme Courts be set up in the cities of Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai, needs to be taken up by the law ministry. The number of cases pending in our courts are a staggering three crore. The proposal, which has been seconded by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, would mean the creation of Supreme Court benches which would act as the final courts of appeal in their respective regions. Also recommended is the setting up of a federal or constitutional court in Delhi that would hear cases only on matters of grave constitutional importance.

An inefficient judiciary not only denies the common man access to justice, it also discourages investment in the country. If faith in the judiciary is to be maintained, systems have to be put in place that would help the judiciary run smoothly and efficiently. Given the vastness and diversity of the country, a separate Supreme Court for north, south, west and east would go a long way towards making justice more accessible. A case in Kanyakumari, for example, need not be referred to Delhi for final adjudication. While the Constitution does have place for the setting up of four Supreme Courts, a federal court in Delhi which would hear only constitutional matters may require an amendment of the Constitution. If that is what it takes to push through judicial reform, theres no harm in such an amendment. It ought to be a bipartisan issue and necessary political will should be mustered for this purpose. As Balakrishnan has pointed out, South Africa has a separate constitutional court with nine judges. In the Indian case, besides constitutional issues, such a court could also deliberate on disputes and crimes of a federal nature, as well as inter-state river water disputes.

The judiciary in India is still regarded as a reputable institution that has admirably defended the rights of citizens against a negligent executive. But peoples faith in it has been shaken in recent times, not only due to accusations of graft but also due to lengthy delays in the system. Reforms of this kind would go some way towards clearing enormous backlogs and bringing justice closer to the people.
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(source: toi)

Loss of Pension Payment Order: Issue of Duplicate copy thereof.

Circular No 137

No. AT/Tech/7 Vol-IX
O/o the Pr. C.D.A.(P), Allahabad
Date: 11.05.2009
To

1. The CDA (PD), Meerut
2. The CDA,Chennai
3. The Director of Treasuries………
4. The Managing Director,Public Sector Banks……
5. The Military and Air Attache, I.E. Kathmandu, Nepal
6. The Pay & Accounts Officers……
7. The Post Master………
8. Nodal Officer of Private Sector Banks……

Sub: Loss of Pension Payment Order: Issue of Duplicate copy thereof.

     Procedure for issue of duplicate copy of pension payment order in lieu of lost one are contained in para 5.1 and 5.2 of Defence Pension Payment Instructions 2005 and para 9.1 of Scheme for Payment of Pension to Defence Pensioners by Public Sector Banks (Revised Edition 1987). According to which, if a pension payment order issued by the Pension Sanctioning Authority is lost, duplicate copy thereof may be obtained by the Pension Disbursing Authorities from the concerned Pension Sanctioning Authority, on furnishing a loss certificate stating the purpose for issue of duplicate PPO.

     Of late it is noticed that PDAs, while forwarding the loss certificate, do not furnish full details of their address alongwith legible official seal as well as full details of pensioner and the purpose of requesting for issue of duplicate PPO. In the absence of above informations there always occurs delay in issue of duplicate copy of PPO, leading to complaints from pensioners.

     In view of the above, it is requested that all pension paying offices/ Treasuries/pension paying branches/DPDOs under your jurisdiction may be instructed to furnish the following documents/ informations invariably, while requesting the Pension Sanctioning Authorities for issue of duplicate copy of Pension Payment Orders.

(i) Loss certificate duly stamped with legible official seal.

(ii) Full details of address of PDA viz Postal address with PIN code and state where PDA is situated.

(iii) Full details of pensioners viz PPO No. and year of issue, name of the pensioner, nature of pension etc.

(iv) Purpose for issue of duplicate PPO i.e.for payment purpose or otherwise.

(v) When PPO is lost before first payment, a declaration from the pensioner that no payment has been received and a non payment certificate from the PDA concerned, should invariably be enclosed alongwith the loss certificate.

(D.C.HANSDA)
Dy.CDA (P)

ACRs NO MORE SECRET

No. 21011/1/2005-Estt (A) (Pt-II)


Government of India

Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

(Department of Personnel and Training)

North Block, New Delhi, 14th May, 2009

Subject:- Maintenance and preparation of Annual Performance Appraisal Reportscommunication

of all entries for fairness and transparency in public

administration.

The undersigned is directed to invite the attention of the Ministries/Departments to the

existing provisions in regard to preparation and maintenance of Annual Confidential Reports

which inter-alia provide that only adverse remarks should be communicated to the officer

reported upon for representation, if any. The Supreme Court has held in their judgement dated

12.5.2008 in the case of Dev Dutt vs Union of India (Civil Appeal No.7631 of 2002) that the

object of writing the confidential report and makin~ entries is to give an opportunity to the

public servant to improve the performance. The 2° Administrative Reforms Commission in

their 10th Report has also recommended that the performance appraisal system for all services be

made more consultative and transparent on the lines of the PAR of the All India Services.

2. Keeping in view the above position, the matter regarding communication of entries in the

ACRs in the case of civil services under the Government of India has been further reviewed and

the undersigned is directed to convey the following decisions of the Government:-

(i) The existing nomenclature of the Annual Confidential Report will be modified as

Annual Performance Assessment Report (APAR).

(ii) The full APAR including the overall grade and assessment of integrity shall be

communicated to the concerned officer after the Report is complete with the remarks of

the Reviewing Officer and the Accepting Authority wherever such system is in vogue.

Where Government servant has only one supervisory level above him as in the case of

personal staff attached to officers, such communication shall be made after the reporting

officer has completed the performance assessment.

(iii) The Section entrusted with the maintenance of APARs after its receipt shall disclose the

same to the officer reported upon.

(iv) The concerned officer shall be given the opportunity to make any representation against

the entries and the final grading given in the Report within a period of fifteen days from

the date of receipt of the entries in the APAR. The representation shall be restricted to

the specific factual observations contained in the report leading to assessment of the

officer in terms of attributes, work output etc. While communicating the entries, it shall

be made clear that in case no representation is received within the fifteen days, it shall

be deemed that he/she has no representation to make. If the concerned APAR Section

does not receive any information from the concerned officer on or before fifteen days

from the date of disclosure, the APAR will be treated as final.

(v) The new system of communicating the entries in the APAR shall be made applicable

prospectively only with effect from the reporting period 2008-09 which is to be initiated

after 1st April 2009.

(vi) The competent authority for considering adverse remarks under the existing instructions

may consider the representation, if necessary, in consultation with the reporting and/or

reviewing officer and shall decide the matter objectively based on the material placed

before him within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of the representation.

(vii) The competent authority after due consideration may reject the representation or may

accept and modify the APAR accordingly. The decision of the competent authority and

the final grading shall be communicated to the officer reported upon within fifteen days

of receipt of the decision of the competent authority by the concerned APAR Section.

3. All Ministries/Departments are requested to bring to the notice of all the offices under

them for strict implementation of the above instructions.

(C.A. Subramanian)

Director

1. Chief Secretaries of All State Govemments/U.T.s

2. The President's Secretariat, New Delhi.

3. The Prime Minister's Office, New Delhi.

4. The Cabinet Secretariat, New Delhi.

5. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat.

6. The Lok Sabha Secretariat.

7. The Comptroller and Auditor General ofIndia, New Delhi.

8. The Union Public Service Commission, New Delhi.

(a) All Attached offices under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

(b) Establishment Officer and Secretary, ACC (10 copies).

(c) All officers and Sections in the Department of Personnel and Training.

(d) Secretary, Staff Side, National Council (lCM), 13-C, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi.

(e) All Staff Members of Departmental Council (lCM).

(f) All Staff members of the Departmental Council (lCM), Ministry of Personnel, Public

Grievances and Pensions.

(g) NIC (DoP&T) for placing the Office Memorandum on the web-site of DoP&T.

(h) Hindi Section for Hindi version ofthe a.M.

ISSUE OF FULL LIQUOR QUOTA ON PRODUCING SMART CARD by QMG's Br

       The following is posted for the benefit of information of all vet.brothers:-
============================================

Tele 23092347

Army Headquarters
Quartermaster General’s Branch
Dy Dte Gen Canteen Services
New Delhi-110001

31 Mar 2006

No. 96301/Q/DDGCS

Headquarters
HQ Southern Command/Q (Ops)
HQ Eastern Command/Q (Ops)
HQ Western Command/Q (Ops)
HQ Central'Command/Q (Ops)
HQ Northern Command/Q (Ops)
HQ South Western Command/Q (Ops)
Army Training Command/Q (Ops)
HQ Andaman & Nicobar Command/Q
Air Headquarters (Dte of Org)
Naval Headquarters (DPS)
Coast Guard Headquarters

SUB : ISSUE OF FULL LIQUOR QUOTA ON PRODUCING SMART CARD
FROM ANY CANTEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY

1. This HQ is receiving complaints from various quarters stating that some of the URCs are not giving full quota of liquor as authorized to an individual on smart card. Also it has been intimated by troops that URCs are not giving liquor on the smart card when they go on leave/temporary duty. It is reiterated that all personnel of armed forces are authorized to draw their full liquor quota from any URC in the country on producing the smart Card.

2. This is a facility extended to all ranks of Armed Forces. No URC will deny this facility to any authorized customer. Necessary action may be initiated against the defaulting URCs in future.

3. Naval HQs have intimated that dependent members of their family are not being given canteen
stores without smart card, as already informed, Naval HQs is in the process of implementation of CIMS, till such time canteen facilities may not be denied to them.

4. HQ commands are requested to issue necessary instructions to call concerned on the above issues.

5. Naval HQs only. This disposes off your query on the subject.

(R S Khatri)
Lt Col.
Jt Dir CS

Copy to :
- DGNCC ]
- DGBR ]
- DG Assam Rifles ] For information please
- CSD HO, Mumbai ]
- Army HQ Canteen ‘Q’ Block
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(source : iesm blog)

THE LONG & SHORT OF IT: He Pingping (left) of China and Sultan Kosen of Turkey, in Istanbul. He, standing at 2 feet 5 inches, and Kosen, with a height of 8 feet 1 inch, are listed by the Guinness World Records as the shortest and tallest men respectively.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A MAN WITH A TATTOED BACK