ON WARPATH - IAS and DANICS officers go to MHA with `injustice' plea
New Delhi:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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The associations of AGMUT cadre IAS and DANICS officers, which passed a resolution last week to “collectively raise voice against injustices meted out by the political executive of Delhi government“ has now submitted a copy of the proposal to Union home minister Rajnath Singh.It is learnt that they have also shared their concerns with the ministry of home affairs (MHA), which is the cadre-controlling authority of AGMUT cadre IAS and DANICS officers.
The stalemate between the elected government and the bureaucracy has only increased ever since the associations passed the resolution. First deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal held press conferences to declare the resolution “politically motivated“.
The associations had submitted the resolution to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Sisodia last week.“We met Singh on Sunday and handed over our resolution passed last week against `misbehaviour' by political executives of the Delhi government and other issues,“ an association member said.
Both the associations had appealed to the Kejriwal government not to resort to “misdemeanour, unfounded allegations, mis-information“ campaign against officers, un der any circumstances. In January , all DANICS officers' association had gone on a oneday mass leave after the city administration had suspended two of their colleagues.
Alleging that PM Narendra Modi was “using LG and IAS and DANICS officers as pawns to target AAP-led state government“, Kejriwal had hit back at the associations on December 15. Warning the officials to fall in line, the CM had alleged that IAS officials in the city were being “threatened (with action) by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Anti Corruption Bureau“ and “provoked“ by the PMO and LG to revolt against him.
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The stalemate between the elected government and the bureaucracy has only increased ever since the associations passed the resolution. First deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and then chief minister Arvind Kejriwal held press conferences to declare the resolution “politically motivated“.
The associations had submitted the resolution to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Sisodia last week.“We met Singh on Sunday and handed over our resolution passed last week against `misbehaviour' by political executives of the Delhi government and other issues,“ an association member said.
Both the associations had appealed to the Kejriwal government not to resort to “misdemeanour, unfounded allegations, mis-information“ campaign against officers, un der any circumstances. In January , all DANICS officers' association had gone on a oneday mass leave after the city administration had suspended two of their colleagues.
Alleging that PM Narendra Modi was “using LG and IAS and DANICS officers as pawns to target AAP-led state government“, Kejriwal had hit back at the associations on December 15. Warning the officials to fall in line, the CM had alleged that IAS officials in the city were being “threatened (with action) by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Anti Corruption Bureau“ and “provoked“ by the PMO and LG to revolt against him.
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Interim in-charge says DCW appointment illegal
New Delhi:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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A senior bureaucrat, given temporary charge as member-secretary of DCW by LG last week, has shot off a letter to DCW chief Swati Maliwal.Dilraj Kaur has cautioned Maliwal that P P Dhal shouldn't continue in his post as officiating member-secretary as his appointment was “illegal“. All decisions taken by Dhal, Kaur has warned, would be untenable and “attract penal action“.
In response, Maliwal wrote to the LG, saying that she was shocked by the letter, which reflected “utter disrespect and disregard“ to the directions of the chief minister. “...going beyond her jurisdiction, she has threatened the government-appointed officiating member-secretary with penal action,“ Maliwal said in her letter.
Earlier this month, CM Arvind Kejriwal had directed chief secretary M M Kutty and Maliwal not to allow Kaur to function as DCW member-secretary . Maliwal had argued that Kaur couldn't be in that post as she was already the social welfare and women and child development secretary . Yet, Maliwal said, she received anote from Kaur on December 14, stating that she had assumed charge. Maliwal said the Commission informed Kaur of the chief minister's decision and even sent her a copy of the note.
But Kaur countered Maliwal's point on Monday by saying that she had joined on orders by the services department. “The said order unambiguously mandates me to assume additional charge...till further orders,“ Kaur wrote. She added, “Your letter, inter alia, also states that P P Dhal has already assumed charge and is presently working as member-secretary on officiating basis. In this regard, it is pertinent to underscore that since the competent authority has already issued specific orders posting an officer on the said post, any further continuation of Dhal as member-secretary on officiating basis is unauthorised and illegal and devoid of any statutory or administrative basis.“
Maliwal took to Twitter to vent her ire: “Despite CM order, WCD secretary again asserted shes (sic) member secretary of DCW. Mockery of democracy . Written to LG to stop this war against DCW.Let us function.“ She tweeted again: “578 days remaining of my tenure. Want to work day n night. ACB, three audits, member secretary chaos--deliberate attempts to thwart r function. Please let me work (sic).“
Maliwal went on to warn that DCW and its programmes would close down and the staff would leave if the salaries weren't paid. This war of words now threatens to escalate the tensions between the AAP government and the bureaucracy to an all-new level.
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In response, Maliwal wrote to the LG, saying that she was shocked by the letter, which reflected “utter disrespect and disregard“ to the directions of the chief minister. “...going beyond her jurisdiction, she has threatened the government-appointed officiating member-secretary with penal action,“ Maliwal said in her letter.
Earlier this month, CM Arvind Kejriwal had directed chief secretary M M Kutty and Maliwal not to allow Kaur to function as DCW member-secretary . Maliwal had argued that Kaur couldn't be in that post as she was already the social welfare and women and child development secretary . Yet, Maliwal said, she received anote from Kaur on December 14, stating that she had assumed charge. Maliwal said the Commission informed Kaur of the chief minister's decision and even sent her a copy of the note.
But Kaur countered Maliwal's point on Monday by saying that she had joined on orders by the services department. “The said order unambiguously mandates me to assume additional charge...till further orders,“ Kaur wrote. She added, “Your letter, inter alia, also states that P P Dhal has already assumed charge and is presently working as member-secretary on officiating basis. In this regard, it is pertinent to underscore that since the competent authority has already issued specific orders posting an officer on the said post, any further continuation of Dhal as member-secretary on officiating basis is unauthorised and illegal and devoid of any statutory or administrative basis.“
Maliwal took to Twitter to vent her ire: “Despite CM order, WCD secretary again asserted shes (sic) member secretary of DCW. Mockery of democracy . Written to LG to stop this war against DCW.Let us function.“ She tweeted again: “578 days remaining of my tenure. Want to work day n night. ACB, three audits, member secretary chaos--deliberate attempts to thwart r function. Please let me work (sic).“
Maliwal went on to warn that DCW and its programmes would close down and the staff would leave if the salaries weren't paid. This war of words now threatens to escalate the tensions between the AAP government and the bureaucracy to an all-new level.
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PM salutes EC call on donation bar
Rajiv Srivastava
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Kanpur:
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Election Panel Must Pressure Parties: Modi
In a big push to transparency in political funding, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday backed the Election Commission's advocacy for reducing the threshold for anonymous donations to parties.“I salute the Election Commission for exhorting political parties to overcome their dependence on black money . BJP welcomes it,“ Modi said while addressing a `parivartan' rally here. He also presented his decision to scrap currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 as part of the battle against corruption and illicit wealth.
The EC has recommended that anonymous donations to political parties over Rs 2,000 be banned. Under present rules, those making donations of up to Rs 20,000 don't have to disclose their identity.
Modi called upon the EC to follow through on the recommendation by taking a decision “pressuring political parties“ to hold consultations. “Our government is committed to implement whatever decision is taken in the interest of people,“ he said.
Sources in the government told TOI that Modi was serious about acting on the EC's recommendation to bring down the limit of ano nymous political decisions, though there was no clarity on what should be the new limit above which donors ought to disclose their identity.
Those working for campaign finance reforms have identified the Rs 20,000 threshold as a big loophole which appears to have been exploited by political parties, if only in varying degrees.
Those familiar with the ways of political finance say the parties break down the huge deposits they get into contributions of less than Rs 20,000 to get around the disclosure requirement.
A lower threshold will not eradicate the problem but will curb the room for misuse by making the doctoring of documents more difficult. “More importantly ,a move will signal the government's intent to change the rules of the game for all, political parties and politicians included,“ said the source.
The PM, who was speaking two days after the government rebutted reports in a section of media about the political class being ex empted from paying taxes, pitched his announcement as integral to his campaign against black money and corruption. “We have to succeed at all costs,“ he said.
Modi added that at a meeting of political parties before the commencement of the last session of Parliament, he had suggested that parties should check their declining credibility by holding discussions on how to reform the ways of fundraising.
He also said he had argued for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state polls because doing so would help reduce black money . The PM said his suggestion was not heeded and accused political parties for being bothered more with blocking Parliament than fighting black money . He hit out specifically at Congress and said its funding was most opaque.
“They have a system where the word of their own treasurer is seen as the truth,“ he said. “Na khaata na bahi, jo Kesari kahe wahi sahi,“ Modi recalled the quote attributed to late Sitaram Kesri, who served as Congress treasurer for many decades.
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The EC has recommended that anonymous donations to political parties over Rs 2,000 be banned. Under present rules, those making donations of up to Rs 20,000 don't have to disclose their identity.
Modi called upon the EC to follow through on the recommendation by taking a decision “pressuring political parties“ to hold consultations. “Our government is committed to implement whatever decision is taken in the interest of people,“ he said.
Sources in the government told TOI that Modi was serious about acting on the EC's recommendation to bring down the limit of ano nymous political decisions, though there was no clarity on what should be the new limit above which donors ought to disclose their identity.
Those working for campaign finance reforms have identified the Rs 20,000 threshold as a big loophole which appears to have been exploited by political parties, if only in varying degrees.
Those familiar with the ways of political finance say the parties break down the huge deposits they get into contributions of less than Rs 20,000 to get around the disclosure requirement.
A lower threshold will not eradicate the problem but will curb the room for misuse by making the doctoring of documents more difficult. “More importantly ,a move will signal the government's intent to change the rules of the game for all, political parties and politicians included,“ said the source.
The PM, who was speaking two days after the government rebutted reports in a section of media about the political class being ex empted from paying taxes, pitched his announcement as integral to his campaign against black money and corruption. “We have to succeed at all costs,“ he said.
Modi added that at a meeting of political parties before the commencement of the last session of Parliament, he had suggested that parties should check their declining credibility by holding discussions on how to reform the ways of fundraising.
He also said he had argued for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state polls because doing so would help reduce black money . The PM said his suggestion was not heeded and accused political parties for being bothered more with blocking Parliament than fighting black money . He hit out specifically at Congress and said its funding was most opaque.
“They have a system where the word of their own treasurer is seen as the truth,“ he said. “Na khaata na bahi, jo Kesari kahe wahi sahi,“ Modi recalled the quote attributed to late Sitaram Kesri, who served as Congress treasurer for many decades.
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Nitish, others give thumbs up to EC plan
New Delhi
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
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Sharp differences over demonetisation saw the winter session of Parliament being a complete washout, but BJP and opposition parties were on the same page on the Election Commission's recommendation that anonymous contributions of Rs 2,000 and above to political parties be banned.While Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed the EC view at a rally in Kanpur on Monday , his rivals were equally supportive of the move to stem flow of black money in elections.
Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said his party welcomed every move which would make funding of polls transparent and hold political parties accountable for their expenditure, including donations received by them.
He said the issue was first raised by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at the party's Burari plenary session and accused Modi of “cheating“ on the issue of accountability .“Why is Modi not making the accounts of BJP and its units, and also RSS, public so that people know how many crores of rupees were depo sited in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in BJP accounts all over the country in the months preceding demonetisation?“ he asked. Bihar chief ministerc Nitish Kumar, who had strongly supported demonetisation, also welcomed the EC proposal, going so far as to say that donations of even Re 1 to a political party should be accompanied with names and addresses.
Reiterating his demand for a crackdown on `benami' property , Nitish said, “The Centre should crack down on benami assets and huge amount of gold and diamonds stashed by people.“
JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi added, “If the PM convenes an all-party meeting or brings in any legislation, our party will support the move.“ JDU's Rajya Sabha MP Harivansh said his party was always supportive of transparency in political funding and minimising poll expenditure.
Lok Janshakti Party chief and food minister Ram Vilas Paswan said, “This is a welcome step. Small parties like ours have little money .Disclosing the name of depositors will bring transparency. The EC should also provide some funds to small parties so that there is negligible use of unaccounted cash.“
CPI member D Raja said, “This is only an EC proposal.But there is also an income tax law which says if there is a donation above Rs 20,000, the party has to reveal the donor. That is what we do.“
Pledging support to the move, Samajwadi Party member Naresh Aggarwal said, “Why stop at future donors? All those who donated money earlier, like for Lok Sabha elections, should also be named so that the country knows which industrialist donated to whose coffers and also how much black money went to whom.“
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Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said his party welcomed every move which would make funding of polls transparent and hold political parties accountable for their expenditure, including donations received by them.
He said the issue was first raised by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at the party's Burari plenary session and accused Modi of “cheating“ on the issue of accountability .“Why is Modi not making the accounts of BJP and its units, and also RSS, public so that people know how many crores of rupees were depo sited in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in BJP accounts all over the country in the months preceding demonetisation?“ he asked. Bihar chief ministerc Nitish Kumar, who had strongly supported demonetisation, also welcomed the EC proposal, going so far as to say that donations of even Re 1 to a political party should be accompanied with names and addresses.
Reiterating his demand for a crackdown on `benami' property , Nitish said, “The Centre should crack down on benami assets and huge amount of gold and diamonds stashed by people.“
JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi added, “If the PM convenes an all-party meeting or brings in any legislation, our party will support the move.“ JDU's Rajya Sabha MP Harivansh said his party was always supportive of transparency in political funding and minimising poll expenditure.
Lok Janshakti Party chief and food minister Ram Vilas Paswan said, “This is a welcome step. Small parties like ours have little money .Disclosing the name of depositors will bring transparency. The EC should also provide some funds to small parties so that there is negligible use of unaccounted cash.“
CPI member D Raja said, “This is only an EC proposal.But there is also an income tax law which says if there is a donation above Rs 20,000, the party has to reveal the donor. That is what we do.“
Pledging support to the move, Samajwadi Party member Naresh Aggarwal said, “Why stop at future donors? All those who donated money earlier, like for Lok Sabha elections, should also be named so that the country knows which industrialist donated to whose coffers and also how much black money went to whom.“
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Now, Pak passes resolution for notebandi
Omer Farooq Khan
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Islamabad:
TNN
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Weeks After Demonetisation In India, Pak Senate Seeks Withdrawal Of Rs 5,000 Bills To Curb Black Money
Within a month of demonetisation of high value currency notes in India, Pakistan's senate passed a resolution on Monday seeking withdrawal of Rs 5,000 notes from circulation to halt money laundering.Pakistan is ranked 117th on the list of corrupt nations out of 175, according to the 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. Corruption rank in Pakistan averaged 107.90 from 1995 until 2015, reaching an all time high of 144.00 in 2005.
Senator Usman Saifullah of opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) tabled the resolution, arguing that the Rs 5,000 note was being used in illegal transactions and should be withdrawn.
The move was strongly opposed by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. However, since the PPP has a majo rity in the upper house of parliament, the resolution was endorsed.
A member of Pakistan People's Party said that the government must withdraw the highest denomination currency note “in order to reduce illicit money flow, encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of undocumented economy“.
Opposing the resolution, law minister Zahid Hamid sa id that the move would have repercussions on the economy and the masses in general, as is happening in neighbouring India. He also said that withdrawal of the notes would create crises in the market and people would resort to foreign currencies in absence of Rs 5,000 notes.
Hamid said that around 3.43 trillion Rs 5,000 banknotes were in circulation in Pakistan -around 30% of the total currency in flow in Pakistan now.
“Such a huge number of currency notes cannot be pulled from circulation without causing a monetary crises. If such steps are taken, people will lose confidence in the Pakistani rupee and will instead prefer foreign currency due to the steep drop in supply of local currency notes,“ the minister said.
At this, senator Saifullah said that instead of withdrawing the Rs 5000 currency note, its printing should be halted and the withdrawal should take place in a time span of three to five years.
The PPP senator said that most illegal transactions in the country were carried out using the Rs 5,000 note.
Ever since the Indian government ended high denomination currency notes by pulling out Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from circulation, there has been increasing demands that Pakistan take similar steps that will help in revealing hidden assets and prevent tax evasion.
But, there was reservations expressed by some observers about the success of the move, as phased demonetisation would give ample time to illicit holders of currency notes to buy property or gold.
New notes flown into Venezuela to ease cash crisis
A plane full of new notes finally arrived in Venezuela on Sunday after its delay sparked protests and looting that jolted President Nicolas Maduro's unpopular government. The government extended on Saturday the use of 100-bolivar bills until January 2 after taking it out of circulation on December 15. “There are 272 crates of 50,000 500-bolivar bills,“ Central Bank official Jose Khan said. Khan said that this first shipment would be followed by two more, adding up to 60 million units of the 500-bolivar bill. Denominations of up to 20,000 bolivar are expected to follow. Maduro had blamed the delay on “US treasury department sabotage“. The bills were made in Sweden. The president said on Sunday that forces have arrested 300 people during lootings, while Bolivar governor Francisco Rangel Gomez said that one person died and 262 people were detained in his state, where 3,200 soldiers were deployed to “restore order“. The detainees include members of the opposition Popular Will and Justice First parties, Maduro said, accusing them of following US instructions to incite chaos. “Don't come and tell me they are political prisoners... They are the two parties of the `gringos' in Venezuela,“ he added, accusing President Barack Obama of wanting to engineer a coup against socialism in Venezuela before leaving office. Chinese-run shops have been particularly targeted, prompting Beijing to ask the government to take measures to protect Chinese people and their property. AGENCIES
Senator Usman Saifullah of opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) tabled the resolution, arguing that the Rs 5,000 note was being used in illegal transactions and should be withdrawn.
The move was strongly opposed by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. However, since the PPP has a majo rity in the upper house of parliament, the resolution was endorsed.
A member of Pakistan People's Party said that the government must withdraw the highest denomination currency note “in order to reduce illicit money flow, encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of undocumented economy“.
Opposing the resolution, law minister Zahid Hamid sa id that the move would have repercussions on the economy and the masses in general, as is happening in neighbouring India. He also said that withdrawal of the notes would create crises in the market and people would resort to foreign currencies in absence of Rs 5,000 notes.
Hamid said that around 3.43 trillion Rs 5,000 banknotes were in circulation in Pakistan -around 30% of the total currency in flow in Pakistan now.
“Such a huge number of currency notes cannot be pulled from circulation without causing a monetary crises. If such steps are taken, people will lose confidence in the Pakistani rupee and will instead prefer foreign currency due to the steep drop in supply of local currency notes,“ the minister said.
At this, senator Saifullah said that instead of withdrawing the Rs 5000 currency note, its printing should be halted and the withdrawal should take place in a time span of three to five years.
The PPP senator said that most illegal transactions in the country were carried out using the Rs 5,000 note.
Ever since the Indian government ended high denomination currency notes by pulling out Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from circulation, there has been increasing demands that Pakistan take similar steps that will help in revealing hidden assets and prevent tax evasion.
But, there was reservations expressed by some observers about the success of the move, as phased demonetisation would give ample time to illicit holders of currency notes to buy property or gold.
New notes flown into Venezuela to ease cash crisis
A plane full of new notes finally arrived in Venezuela on Sunday after its delay sparked protests and looting that jolted President Nicolas Maduro's unpopular government. The government extended on Saturday the use of 100-bolivar bills until January 2 after taking it out of circulation on December 15. “There are 272 crates of 50,000 500-bolivar bills,“ Central Bank official Jose Khan said. Khan said that this first shipment would be followed by two more, adding up to 60 million units of the 500-bolivar bill. Denominations of up to 20,000 bolivar are expected to follow. Maduro had blamed the delay on “US treasury department sabotage“. The bills were made in Sweden. The president said on Sunday that forces have arrested 300 people during lootings, while Bolivar governor Francisco Rangel Gomez said that one person died and 262 people were detained in his state, where 3,200 soldiers were deployed to “restore order“. The detainees include members of the opposition Popular Will and Justice First parties, Maduro said, accusing them of following US instructions to incite chaos. “Don't come and tell me they are political prisoners... They are the two parties of the `gringos' in Venezuela,“ he added, accusing President Barack Obama of wanting to engineer a coup against socialism in Venezuela before leaving office. Chinese-run shops have been particularly targeted, prompting Beijing to ask the government to take measures to protect Chinese people and their property. AGENCIES
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