Thursday, June 30, 2011

[rti4empowerment] Pirates

 

We are now a days come across more news about Pirates who suck money in millions from the Shipping companies and Governments. Wish to know how this money is paid. If money transferred from an account to another account will they provide details, if Cash any follow up / chase is made? and where the money is invested?

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[rti4empowerment] My interview

 

Friends,

I present an interview of mine taken by Sri Atul Kumar Thakur, a known litterateur. The interview covers a wide range of areas including those related with policing and governance, RTI, problems of caste factors in Police and so on.

I have presented my point of view of these issues but they could only be bringing one side of the truth. I hope to get your feedback on this interview so that I am able to appropriately learn from these feedback and correct my thinking wherever the need be.

http://onesstandpoint.blogspot.com/2011/06/activist-police.html

Regards,
Amitabh,
amitabhth@yahoo.com,
amitabhthakurlko@gmail.com
# 94155-34526

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[rti4empowerment] Visit Global Muslim Heritage Site

 

 

Visit Global Muslim Heritage Site

Please visit www.globalmuslimheritage.com. It is an effort to collect information about the Muslim heritage through out the world. This is a wonderful project, please becomes its part.

Thanks

http://www.globalmuslimheritage.com

http://www.globalmuslimheritage.com

http://www.globalmuslimheritage.com

http://www.globalmuslimheritage.com

http://www.globalmuslimheritage.com

 

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[rti4empowerment] 2 g scam role of srinivasan of tnca,india cements and sasi ruia of essar groups.

 

To, 28.06 2011
The Director,
CBI, New Delhi.

Sir,This is in reference to the news that Sri srinivasan of India
cements and Tnca is under scanner of the CBI for the amount he has
alleged to have given to kalignar Tv to settle the accounts.Shri
srinivasan is the chairman of the Tamilnadu cricket association which
is functioning on the leased government land to the extent of 312
grounds,at the heart of madras city chepuak,for a annual lease amount
of Rs 50000.Sri Srinivasan claims that he has given that amount to
kalaignar TV as advertisement charges.what a defense? Shri Srinivasan
does not have any respect or fear towards various government
agencies.He was dare enough to tell a blatant lie to the government
which has given the land on lease to a paltry amount of 50000 rupees
per year.I filed a PIL IN MADRAS HIGH COURT ,Wp 6404/2010 to draw the
attention of the court about the fraudulent activities of Tnca.Call
for the records of the WP and you will know how the TNCA cheated the
government.I have preferred a complaint before the chennai city police
to action against the Tnca as it has deliberately cheated the
government in order to get the stadium rebuilt. so far no action on my
petition( petition copy enclosed).
I draw your attention to the enclosed news clippings , wherein the
Madras High court has aired its concern by saying "it cannot
appreciate tax exemption for IPL matches".
So it is very clear that the TNCA is acting as extra constitutional
authority.with the express support of the ruling parties the tnca is
thriving. If this is not corruption nothing else is corruption.You can also collect more details of the TNCA by questioning
the following persons who are working to unearth the corruption of
TNCA.Mr. Kannan,cell no.9444079683,mr Raja chendur pandian,cell no
99400 54754 and mr Raja sekar of Madras cricket club,cell no
9884317257.The amount alleged to have given by Srinivasan to kalaignar
TV is nothing but tainted money.I request you to look deep into the
financial transactions involving both the parties.kalaingnar tv cannot
loot at the cost of govt land.

REGARDING THE ESSAR GROUP I REQUEST YOU TO CALL FOR THE RECORDS FROM
THE V&AC OF TAMILNADU, WHICH INVESTIGATED A CORRUPTION CASE WHICH
CAUSED THE GOVERNMENT A LOSS OF RS 232 CRORES IN THE SALE OF SHARES OF
A GOVERNMENT AGENCY.MY FATHER FILED WRIT PETITONS IN MADRAS HIGH
COURT WP 12619,12629/97 REAGRDING THIS CORRUPTION WHICH EVENTUALLY
PROPELLED THE ESSAR GROUP TO RICHES AND PROMINENCE. BUT FOR THAT GAIN
OUT OF THAT CORRUPT PRACTICE ESSAR WOULD NOT BE THARE IN THE BUSINESS
AS IT STANDS NOW.
PLEASE TAKE SUITABLE ACTION AGAINST TNCA AND ESSAR GROUP.
Thanking you

a poor honest officer who worked with the ACB/CBI between 1985 and 1988
,J.Mohanraj,
33 second street,
East abi rama puram,
mylapore
chennai 600 004.
ph. nos 044 24995579,094440 18543.
hard copy of this petition with enclosures will be sent by post.




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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

[rti4empowerment] HOME TRUTHS : MAID IN INDIA : Publication: The Times Of India Delhi; Date: Jun 26, 2011; Section: Deep Focus; Page: 15

 

 
Publication: The Times Of India Delhi; Date: Jun 26, 2011; Section: Deep Focus; Page: 15


HOME TRUTHS

MAID IN INDIA

India has just signed a UN convention to give new rights to its 4.75 million maids. How will this affect the middle class? And how will the new guidelines work on the ground, asks Saira Kurup




    Given a choice, Sapna Maudgal would rather do without her full-time maid. But holding daytime jobs, the techie and her doctor husband have little choice but to depend on Neelima, 20, to take care of their six-year-old daughter and the house. "We had to pay Rs 20,000 to the agency as registration, and her salary is Rs 3,500. That's quite a sum for us, and she's not that well-trained too," says Sapna.

    Neelima might be having a relatively safe working environment, but lakhs of others in the country, mostly women, sweep and swab in the domestic space, sometimes for long hours and in abusive environments. In India, official estimates talk of 4.75 million workers employed in private

households. NGO estimates point to up to 20% of the total workforce in India being employed in domestic work and that one-fifth of them are working full-time.

    It's for improving the lot of this large vulnerable section that India and 469 other countries signed a convention in Geneva recently under the aegis of the International Labor Organization. The convention requires governments to bring domestic workers within the ambit of labour legislations on minimum wage, working hours, day of rest in a week, overtime wages, terms of employment, social security, and maternity protection. It also contains detailed requirements for governments to regulate private employment agencies, investigate complaints and lays down special measures for migrant workers.

    But how would it be implemented? Would employers be willing to see them as "workers" and not "servants" or even "family members" who are at their beck and call 24x7? Who would regulate the working conditions of a part-time worker who works, say, five houses in a day? Ravi Wig, president of the Employers Federation of India, who was the only Indian representative to vote against the convention in Geneva, says, "I think the first requirement is employment generation in a country where 25 crore people are unemployed. The best social security is to give a man a job. Also, imagine that you are at work, your mother is alone at home, and an inspector from the labour department comes to check the working conditions of the domestic worker. I felt it was premature."

    That invasion of the private space is probably what's spooking employers. Father Jose Vattakuzhy, secretary of the commission for labour of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, which is helping the government in the drafting a national policy on domestic workers, says, "They feel that when we standardize domestic work, our homes will become the workplace." He adds that employers had been opposing the extension of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana to domestic workers, but he's happy now that the government has done the needful.

    Not all employers share such reservations. Delhi homemaker Vimala Prasad says, "Domestic workers are likely to give their 100% only when they know that they are being taken care of." Some years ago, says Vimala, her husband bought life insurance policies for the full-time maid and her child, and even paid the premium during the time she worked for them.

    Activists are hoping that more such employers show see their domestic helps as workers and less as "kaamwali" and "naukrani". Sister Christy, national coordinator of the National Domestic Workers' Movement that is campaigning for dignity in domestic work, says, "Domestic workers are not included in the Minimum Wage Schedule; there are no welfare boards for them in many states and they are deprived of social security. We have a long way to go to achieve the aim of dignifying domestic work. The government should take responsibility to give social security, pension, define working hours, and introduce a comprehensive legislation."

    But official attempts at establishing equity have been lethargic. "It's three years since Maharashtra passed the Domestic Workers Welfare Board Act, but the board has not started functioning. It's not been decided who would be the members. We get promises but nothing concrete has been done," says Sister Christy. Some states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have either included domestic workers in the minimum wage schedule or included them in social security schemes etc, but that's simply too little.

    Baijnath Rai, general secretary of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, who was the Indian representative of workers at the Geneva meet, points out, "Even if the government ratifies the convention fast, it would take the law at least a year-and-a-half to come into effect. Just think, of the 188 conventions India has ratified, it has implemented only 43 so far."

    However, more than any number of laws, it would be the attitudinal change that's urgent. Sapna Maudgal is not too happy about the fixed hours of work or the overtime wages clause. But the representative of a placement agency in Gurgaon that provides domestic workers to expats, diplomats and the upper middle class, is optimistic: "Some clients might even consider giving health benefits if it's economically viable. Already, many clients are sending their cooks to culinary classes to upgrade their skills." Isn't charity, after all, expected to begin at home?

AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE ABROAD?

    The lure of fat salaries and a good life take a number of Indian domestic workers abroad, to work for Indian families there. Many a time, it's a happy arrangement for both parties. But there are also whispers about abuse and harassment of workers which often go unreported. And, sometimes, these cases make headlines as with Prabhu Dayal, the Indian consul-general in New York, who has been accused of forced labour and harassment.

    "The laws are weak" to handle such cases, says human rights activist and advocate Asim Sarode. He cites the 2008 case of a domestic worker Kalpana Salunke who was working for a Indian couple in Spain. "She faced a lot of abuse by the male employer and a Spanish friend of his. Her hands were tied behind her back and she was given electric shocks. That's when she ran away," Sarode says. Salunke tried to file a case with the Spanish police, but it being a Friday evening, with the police stations reportedly closed for the weekend, she could not do so. Her employers, on coming to know that she had taken refuge in an Indian club, came and immediately put her on a flight to India. "We have sent complaints to the Spanish police but the family is absconding since then. Now we have filed a complaint with the CBI and are planning to approach the Supreme Court,"

    says Sarode.

    At the national level, activists have been protesting the exclusion of domestic workers from the purview of the sexual harassment in the workplace Bill, meant for protection of women. Father Jose Vattakuzhy, secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India's commission for labour, says, "It's a sad thing. Our worker representatives have met Sonia Gandhi and spoken to her about it." Urvashi Sharma, president of Lucknow-based group Yaishwaryaj, has been running an online campaign for the inclusion of domestic workers in the Bill. She says, "One of the objections being made is that some of the harassment cases by domestic workers are false – how would we deal with them? But even in the genuine cases, there's little action. Mostly, the worker is asked to reach a compromise."









--
उर्वशी शर्मा
"सूचना का अधिकार " हेल्पलाइन: 8081898081
yaishwaryaj@gmail.com








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[rti4empowerment] Fwd: The Indian-Raj..!! [1 Attachment]

 
[Attachment(s) from Ravindran Major included below]


From: Ranjit
Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 3:55 PM
Subject: The Indian Raj

Hi Frenz,
 
This attached picture appeared in the Times of India today fortified my belief that though the British left this country long time back, their subjects are continued to be governed in the same fashion & spirit !
 
A martyr's mother waiting outside looks like an "Aaya Bai" ( Maid Servant ) against the backdrop of those Autocrats, Bureaucrats, VVIPS, having a 'Tea Party'  inside their Ivory Tower !
 
Shameful... :-(
 
Brgds,
 
Ranjit



--
 Veteran Major P M Ravindran
http://raviforjustice.blogspot.com
 

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Attachment(s) from Ravindran Major

1 of 1 Photo(s)

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[rti4empowerment] Consultations on Proactive Disclosure

 

Press Release:

Consultations on Proactive Disclosure: The Future of the Right to Information

June 28, 2011

A consultation was held in Bengaluru on June 28, 2011 on framing 'Guidelines for Digital Publication under the RTI Act supporting Proactive Disclosure of Information' which was attended by 16 Bengaluru-based NGOs and also by one of the Karnataka State Information Commissioner's, Mr. J.S. Virupakshaiah. The consultations were organised by the NGO IT for Change as a part of a consultative process of a Task Force to make recommendations on operationalising Section 4 of the Right to Information Act (RTI) that has been set up by the Government of India. The outcomes from the state level  consultation will feed into a national level workshop between 7th and 9th July being held by the Government of India's Department of Personnel and Training in New Delhi.

The RTI has become a key instrument for democratisation in India, and is aiding forces for positive social change in many ways. One of the most important elements of the RTI Act is Section 4 which mandates pro-active disclosure of certain categories of information. Proactive disclosure has been called the future of the RTI, and digital publication is a key means of proactive disclosure. Effective implementation of this section of the Act can transform the leverage citizens have over public authorities in order to ensure accountability. Regularly publishing the most frequently sought information, which includes using the Internet, will also mitigate the huge burden that is placed on public authorities to respond separately to the large number of specific queries about public information.

Some the main recommendations that emerged point to the need for putting extensive information on the websites at all levels of government, especially that which most concerns the common citizens. It should also be ensured that the information is presented in a form legible to lay persons, and through open technical standards and in reusable forms. Proactive disclosure also requires proactive monitoring whereby the websites of all levels of governments should be pro-actively monitored vis-à-vis agreed disclosure norms. For this purpose, appropriate indicators and benchmarks should be developed. It was also generally felt that the monitoring and enforcement functions should take place from the Information Commissioner's office though there was some difference in opinion regarding this. It was also considered necessary that senior officials and not just the Public Information Officer must be held responsible for the non-compliance of proactive disclosure requirements. Each department should therefore frame an information policy which should be subject to public scrutiny and periodic review and drawn up in consultation the Information Commissioner's office. It was also important that simultaneously all efforts should be made to ensure that information kiosks are set up in or close to all communities so that they can use digitally published public information. Other important issues like the information audit of government websites and monitoring of proactive disclosure by district, block and village level information councils, also came up.

Any organisation or individual who would like to provide inputs to the process can write to itfc@itforchange.net

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

[rti4empowerment] FW:

 


 

Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:37:14 +0530
Subject:
From: bksubhash@gmail.com
To:


Om Shanti

 



"दर्द होता रहा छटपटाते रहे, आईने॒से सदा चोट खाते रहे, वो वतन बेचकर मुस्कुराते रहे  हम वतन के लिए॒सिर कटाते रहे"
 
Anna_Hazare-300x235.jpg

280
लाख करोड़ का सवाल है ...
भारतीय
गरीब है लेकिन भारत देश कभी गरीब नहीं रहा"* ये कहना है स्विस बैंक के   डाइरेक्टर का. स्विस बैंक के डाइरेक्टर ने यह भी कहा है कि भारत का लगभग 280  लाख करोड़ रुपये उनके स्विस बैंक में जमा है. ये रकम  इतनी है कि भारत का आने वाले 30 सालों का बजट  बिना टैक्स के बनाया जा सकता  है.
या
यूँ कहें कि 60 करोड़
रोजगार
के अवसर
दिए
जा सकते है. या यूँ भी कह सकते है
कि
भारत के किसी भी गाँव से दिल्ली तक 4

लेन
रोड बनाया
जा
सकता है. ऐसा भी कह
सकते
है कि 500 से ज्यादा सामाजिक प्रोजेक्ट पूर्ण किये जा सकते है. ये

रकम
इतनी
ज्यादा है कि अगर हर भारतीय को 2000 रुपये हर महीने भी दिए जाये तो 60
साल
तक ख़त्म ना हो. यानी भारत को किसी वर्ल्ड बैंक से लोन लेने कि कोई जरुरत
नहीं
है. जरा सोचिये ... हमारे भ्रष्ट राजनेताओं

और
नोकरशाहों ने
कैसे
देश को  लूटा है और ये लूट का सिलसिला अभी तक 2011 तक जारी है.
इस
सिलसिले को अब रोकना  बहुत ज्यादा जरूरी हो गया है. अंग्रेजो ने हमारे भारत पर करीब 200 सालो तक राज  करके करीब 1 लाख
करोड़
रुपये लूटा. मगर आजादी के केवल 64 सालों में हमारे भ्रस्टाचार ने 280

लाख
करोड़ लूटा है. एक तरफ 200 साल में 1 लाख करोड़ है और दूसरी तरफ केवल 64
सालों
में 280 लाख करोड़ है. यानि हर साल लगभग 4.37 लाख करोड़, या हर महीने
करीब
36 हजार करोड़ भारतीय मुद्रा स्विस बैंक में इन भ्रष्ट

लोगों
द्वारा जमा
करवाई
गई है. भारत को किसी वर्ल्ड बैंक के लोन की कोई दरकार नहीं है. सोचो
की
कितना
पैसा हमारे भ्रष्ट राजनेताओं और उच्च अधिकारीयों ने ब्लाक करके

रखा
हुआ
है
. हमे भ्रस्ट राजनेताओं और भ्रष्ट अधिकारीयों के खिलाफ जाने का पूर्ण
अधिकार
है
.हाल ही में हुवे घोटालों का

आप
सभी को पता ही है - CWG घोटाला, जी
स्पेक्ट्रुम
घोटाला , आदर्श होउसिंग घोटाला ... और ना जाने कौन कौन

से
घोटाले
अभी
उजागर होने वाले है ........आप लोग जोक्स फॉरवर्ड करते ही हो. इसे भी
इतना
फॉरवर्ड
करो की पूरा भारत

इसे
पढ़े ... और एक आन्दोलन बन जाये

 





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