Chief election commissioner of India SY Quraishi said that the commission cannot control paid news during the elections."Our role comes in picture only when the candidate exceeds the expenditure ceiling. We cannot question the media, our powers extend only to candidates," he said. He added that a special body should be formed covering all media, reports Daily News And Analysis.
Read the whole article here:
Chief election commissioner of India SY Quraishi today said the commission cannot control media players indulging in paid news practices during the elections.
"Our role comes in picture only when the candidate exceeds the expenditure ceiling. We cannot question the media, our powers extend only to candidates," Quraishi told reporters here.
He said it is for the Press Council of India (PCI) to set guidelines for the media.
When pointed out that the electronic media is out of PCI's ambit, Quraishi said there is a lacunae and a special body needs to be formed covering all the media.
The chief election commissioner said the paid news issue extends beyond the election period.
"Paid news and money power are a big concern for the commission. We are trying to address these issues through proper ways," he said.
"Money power and paid news have attained serious proportion. In some states, it's widespread," the chief election commissioner said.
He said a special expenditure monitoring cell has been formed and detailed guidelines are prepared to control the money power.
Responding to a question, Quraishi said the commission is also probing the issue of names of foreigners being included in the voters' list. Goa is among the states which faces this problem, he added.
Besides Goa, a few other states have also pointed out similar instances of foreigners getting enrolled as voters, he said.
"Each and every complaint received by the commission is investigated. We see that each and every person is attended to," he added.
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Poll panel to discuss money power during elections
A conference of electoral officers and administrative officials to be held in Goa will discuss monitoring of election-related expenditure and working out effective means to tackle excessive use of money power during the polls.'The conference will deliberate on various election-related issues. The aim of the conference will be to put together a comprehensive document on best electoral practices in the country,' said Election Commission Director General Akshay Rauth, reports Yahoo News.
Read the whole article:
Panaji, Aug 29 (IANS) Monitoring of election-related expenditure and working out effective means to tackle excessive use of money power during the polls will be among the major issues to be deliberated on at a conference of electoral officers and administrative officials to be held in Goa Tuesday-Wednesday, a senior Election Commission official said Sunday.
Election Commission Director General Akshay Rauth said that Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi will also attend the two-day conference.
'The conference will deliberate on various election-related issues. The aim of the conference will be to put together a comprehensive document on best electoral practices in the country,' Rauth said.
'One of the major issues of focus is to monitor election-related expenditure and tackling money power,' the official also said.
The conference will be attended by district magistrates and police superintendents from Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other union territories located in western India, apart from other electoral officers from the respective states.
'District magistrates and district superintendent are officials who actually conduct elections on ground. They will be giving us inputs on the most effective electoral practices during the conference,' Rauth said.
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
Read the whole article:
Panaji, Aug 29 (IANS) Monitoring of election-related expenditure and working out effective means to tackle excessive use of money power during the polls will be among the major issues to be deliberated on at a conference of electoral officers and administrative officials to be held in Goa Tuesday-Wednesday, a senior Election Commission official said Sunday.
Election Commission Director General Akshay Rauth said that Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi will also attend the two-day conference.
'The conference will deliberate on various election-related issues. The aim of the conference will be to put together a comprehensive document on best electoral practices in the country,' Rauth said.
'One of the major issues of focus is to monitor election-related expenditure and tackling money power,' the official also said.
The conference will be attended by district magistrates and police superintendents from Goa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other union territories located in western India, apart from other electoral officers from the respective states.
'District magistrates and district superintendent are officials who actually conduct elections on ground. They will be giving us inputs on the most effective electoral practices during the conference,' Rauth said.
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
No election has been stolen by tampering with EVMs
Hari Prasad, a technocrat who was arrested recently for stealing electronic voting machines and released yesterday, will present a controversial paper on how EVMs used in Indian elections can be tampered with at a conference on computer and communication safety.The conference in Chicago in October will be co-sponsored by IT majors like Google and Microsoft, reports Hindustan Times.
Read the whole article:
Hari Prasad, who was arrested last week for stealing electronic voting machines and released on Saturday, will present a controversial paper on how EVMs used in Indian elections can be tampered with at a conference on computer and communication safety. The paper — Security Analysis of India’s
Electronic Voting Machines — is based on the first unauthorised analysis of an Election Commission EVM and co-authored by Alex Halderman of University of Michigan and Rop Gonggrijp, a technology expert instrumental in getting EVMs banned in Holland in 1993.
The conference in Chicago in October will be co-sponsored by IT majors like Google and Microsoft.
The paper shows how EVMs can be tampered with either by insiders or by using portable hardware devices, including mobile phones, to extract and alter vote records stored in the machine. This, the paper claims, can be done either by replacing the chips or inserting an additional one when the machines are being shifted. The replaced chips can escape the security test of election officers.
“It is just a possibility,” Halderman told HT. “Our study does not show that any election has ever been stolen by tampering with EVMs… nobody can reasonably claim, based solely on the results we have presented, that an election now settled should be overturned.”
The first doubts were raised by BJP leader L.K. Advani, who suggested that the country revert to ballot voting. He got support from parties including the CPM, RJD, AIADMK and TDP, who also met election commissioners. The Congress said the EC had the final authority over the mode of voting.
The EC was quick to rebuff the claims in the paper. “The demonstration has not shown any tamperability in the EVM. The EVM cannot be tampered with by any method shown in the demonstration,” K.N. Bhar, a commission secretary, told Hari Prasad, in a letter dated August 7. “It is not possible to replace any equipment in the EVM in the election scenario.”
PV. Indiresan former IIT director and member of both the committees, said the EVMs were examined by independent computer experts and tested for security.
Read the whole article:
Hari Prasad, who was arrested last week for stealing electronic voting machines and released on Saturday, will present a controversial paper on how EVMs used in Indian elections can be tampered with at a conference on computer and communication safety. The paper — Security Analysis of India’s
Electronic Voting Machines — is based on the first unauthorised analysis of an Election Commission EVM and co-authored by Alex Halderman of University of Michigan and Rop Gonggrijp, a technology expert instrumental in getting EVMs banned in Holland in 1993.
The conference in Chicago in October will be co-sponsored by IT majors like Google and Microsoft.
The paper shows how EVMs can be tampered with either by insiders or by using portable hardware devices, including mobile phones, to extract and alter vote records stored in the machine. This, the paper claims, can be done either by replacing the chips or inserting an additional one when the machines are being shifted. The replaced chips can escape the security test of election officers.
“It is just a possibility,” Halderman told HT. “Our study does not show that any election has ever been stolen by tampering with EVMs… nobody can reasonably claim, based solely on the results we have presented, that an election now settled should be overturned.”
The first doubts were raised by BJP leader L.K. Advani, who suggested that the country revert to ballot voting. He got support from parties including the CPM, RJD, AIADMK and TDP, who also met election commissioners. The Congress said the EC had the final authority over the mode of voting.
The EC was quick to rebuff the claims in the paper. “The demonstration has not shown any tamperability in the EVM. The EVM cannot be tampered with by any method shown in the demonstration,” K.N. Bhar, a commission secretary, told Hari Prasad, in a letter dated August 7. “It is not possible to replace any equipment in the EVM in the election scenario.”
PV. Indiresan former IIT director and member of both the committees, said the EVMs were examined by independent computer experts and tested for security.
RTI activist who exposed corruption in Maharashtra found dead
A Right to Information activist who was in the forefront in exposing corruption in Public Distribution System, foodgrain and fuel distribution in the Marathwada region was found dead in Nanded. He was a local Shiv Sena leader. The circumstances are mysterious.Preliminary post mortem report revealed excess alcohol in his body, police said, reports The Times Of India.
Read the whole article:
MUMBAI: A Right to Information (RTI) activist who was in the forefront in exposing corruption in PDS, foodgrain and fuel distribution in the Marathwada region has been found dead in Nanded.
The circumstances behind how 43-year-old Ramdas Ghadegavkar, a local Shiv Sena leader, died are shrouded in mystery. The death of Ramdas, who used the RTI Act, adds another name in the victim list of whistleblowers in the country.
The Shivajinagar police in Nanded, about 650 km from here, have registered a case of "sudden death", after Ramdas' body was discovered late Friday night in Mondha area, police said on Sunday.
Preliminary post mortem report revealed excess alcohol in his body, police said. His brother has informed police that the RTI activist had left home at around 8 am on Friday.
Ramdas's death comes just weeks after the murder of RTI activist Amit Jethwa from Gujarat who was killed for exposing illegal mining in the Gir forest region.
Jethwa was shot dead from a close range near the Gujarat high court on July 20 after he filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against illegal mining.
Ramdas was active in uncovering corruption in PDS, foodgrain and fuel distribution by using RTI Act. He was a local Shiv Sena leader in Nanded and the head of the district Milk Sellers Association.
He had exposed the thriving sand mafia in the region through the RTI Act. His complaint had led the district administration to initiate action on the issue.
Meanwhile, Sena district president Hemant Patil met senior police officials and demanded a CBI inquiry into the mysterious death of Ramdas.
Read the whole article:
MUMBAI: A Right to Information (RTI) activist who was in the forefront in exposing corruption in PDS, foodgrain and fuel distribution in the Marathwada region has been found dead in Nanded.
The circumstances behind how 43-year-old Ramdas Ghadegavkar, a local Shiv Sena leader, died are shrouded in mystery. The death of Ramdas, who used the RTI Act, adds another name in the victim list of whistleblowers in the country.
The Shivajinagar police in Nanded, about 650 km from here, have registered a case of "sudden death", after Ramdas' body was discovered late Friday night in Mondha area, police said on Sunday.
Preliminary post mortem report revealed excess alcohol in his body, police said. His brother has informed police that the RTI activist had left home at around 8 am on Friday.
Ramdas's death comes just weeks after the murder of RTI activist Amit Jethwa from Gujarat who was killed for exposing illegal mining in the Gir forest region.
Jethwa was shot dead from a close range near the Gujarat high court on July 20 after he filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against illegal mining.
Ramdas was active in uncovering corruption in PDS, foodgrain and fuel distribution by using RTI Act. He was a local Shiv Sena leader in Nanded and the head of the district Milk Sellers Association.
He had exposed the thriving sand mafia in the region through the RTI Act. His complaint had led the district administration to initiate action on the issue.
Meanwhile, Sena district president Hemant Patil met senior police officials and demanded a CBI inquiry into the mysterious death of Ramdas.
Friday, August 27, 2010
There is an urgent need for public scrutiny of Electronic Voting Machines
Recently, Hari Prasad,managing director of Hyderabad-based Net India Private Limited stole an Electronic Voting Machine to prove that the system is vulnerable.He has done a great service to the nation. These Electronic Voting machines need to be tested for any possible security flaws — that is a standard operating procedure which is carried out by the world’s biggest technical conglomerates to make their systems foolproof, writes Samir Kelekar in Moneylife.
Read the whole article:
An interesting incident regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) has hit the headlines in recent days. Hari Prasad, managing director of Hyderabad-based Net India Private Limited, was arrested for 'stealing' an EVM.
He 'stole' the machine to demonstrate that the EVM can be tampered with. In fact, he - along with a University of Michigan professor and a Dutch security researcher - has even published a research paper on the vulnerability of the EVM.
...
Mr Prasad's claim is that he had approached the Election Commission (EC) with a request to allow him access to the machine, but they refused to do so; at the same time the EC claimed that the EVMs are foolproof and secure. Finding no other way to address an issue which is at the heart of India's democracy, namely free and fair elections, Mr Prasad acquired the machine by other means.
Mr Prasad in my opinion has done a great service to the nation. By showing that the EVMs can be tampered with, he has opened up a dialogue on the vulnerability of the EVMs. The EC on the other hand is blatantly misleading the Indian people saying that these machines are secure. Further, they refused to allow access to these machines to security professionals. If indeed the machines are secure as they claim, why not allow access to security professionals?
In fact, the EC should have hired ethical hackers themselves to find vulnerabilities in their machines.That is the practice followed worldwide by companies whose products can be potentially hacked. The behaviour of the EC reeks of ignorance of current security practices.
...
Our EC has over the years gained a good reputation for conducting the world's largest free and fair elections. But this act nullifies at least some of it.
...
Meanwhile, today's reports indicate that some of the top officials in India have claimed that there is a political conspiracy to discredit India's election process via this hacking attempt. Politicising everything is the nature of India's politicians. It is irrelevant to the discussion whether there is a political angle behind Mr Prasad's act or not. That certainly does not absolve the EC of its lack of attention to security vulnerabilities in the machine.
... ...
Read the article on Miracle Of Democracy.
Read the whole article:
An interesting incident regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) has hit the headlines in recent days. Hari Prasad, managing director of Hyderabad-based Net India Private Limited, was arrested for 'stealing' an EVM.
He 'stole' the machine to demonstrate that the EVM can be tampered with. In fact, he - along with a University of Michigan professor and a Dutch security researcher - has even published a research paper on the vulnerability of the EVM.
...
Mr Prasad's claim is that he had approached the Election Commission (EC) with a request to allow him access to the machine, but they refused to do so; at the same time the EC claimed that the EVMs are foolproof and secure. Finding no other way to address an issue which is at the heart of India's democracy, namely free and fair elections, Mr Prasad acquired the machine by other means.
Mr Prasad in my opinion has done a great service to the nation. By showing that the EVMs can be tampered with, he has opened up a dialogue on the vulnerability of the EVMs. The EC on the other hand is blatantly misleading the Indian people saying that these machines are secure. Further, they refused to allow access to these machines to security professionals. If indeed the machines are secure as they claim, why not allow access to security professionals?
In fact, the EC should have hired ethical hackers themselves to find vulnerabilities in their machines.That is the practice followed worldwide by companies whose products can be potentially hacked. The behaviour of the EC reeks of ignorance of current security practices.
...
Our EC has over the years gained a good reputation for conducting the world's largest free and fair elections. But this act nullifies at least some of it.
...
Meanwhile, today's reports indicate that some of the top officials in India have claimed that there is a political conspiracy to discredit India's election process via this hacking attempt. Politicising everything is the nature of India's politicians. It is irrelevant to the discussion whether there is a political angle behind Mr Prasad's act or not. That certainly does not absolve the EC of its lack of attention to security vulnerabilities in the machine.
... ...
Read the article on Miracle Of Democracy.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Brahma takes charge as Election Commissioner
Hari Shankar Brahma, a retired senior bureaucrat hailing from Assam, assumed charge as Election Commissioner on Wednesday. He is a 1975 IAS officer,and was the Union Power Secretary. His appointment was following the one of Quraishi as the Chief Election Commissioner, reports The Economic Times.
Read the whole article:
NEW DELHI:Hari Shankar Brahma, a retired senior bureaucrat hailing from Assam, assumed charge as Election Commissioner on Wednesday.
A 1975 IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, Brahma (60), who retired as Union Power Secretary, was appointed to the post following the elevation of S Y Quraishi as the Chief Election Commissioner.
It is understood that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen on appointing an officer from the North East to the key post.
Brahma is the second person from the North East after J M Lyngdoh, who retired as Chief Election Commissioner in 2004, to become Election Commissioner.
V S Sampath is the other Election Commissioner. The Chief Election Commissioner and the other two Election Commissioners have a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Read the article on Miracle Of Democracy.
Read the whole article:
NEW DELHI:Hari Shankar Brahma, a retired senior bureaucrat hailing from Assam, assumed charge as Election Commissioner on Wednesday.
A 1975 IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, Brahma (60), who retired as Union Power Secretary, was appointed to the post following the elevation of S Y Quraishi as the Chief Election Commissioner.
It is understood that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen on appointing an officer from the North East to the key post.
Brahma is the second person from the North East after J M Lyngdoh, who retired as Chief Election Commissioner in 2004, to become Election Commissioner.
V S Sampath is the other Election Commissioner. The Chief Election Commissioner and the other two Election Commissioners have a tenure of six years, or up to the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Read the article on Miracle Of Democracy.
Left Confused: Politics in West Bengal
The left was given massive mandates for seven successive terms in west Bengal.But, In the recent Municipal elections, the Left managed to win only 18 of the state's 81 municipal councils.The left got much public support through the agrarian reforms of the 70's.But, the benefits of the much famed land reforms weared off and they lost the support they had gained. Even sympathizers of the left find the horrors of Nandigram repulsive, writes Semu Bhatt in Southasia Online.
Read the whole article here:
"For 33 years, the Left Front has been synonymous to West Bengal politics, with people having given it massive mandates for seven successive terms. However, on June 21st, when the Left Front entered into the 34th year of power in the state, the celebrations failed to hide the despair amongst the party members about a distinct possibility of the unthinkable - collapsing of the thus-far impregnable Leftist fort in the 2011 state assembly polls."
"In the recent Municipal elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left plank managed to win only 18 of the state's 81 municipal councils, 36 seats less than its 2005 tally."
"What is alarming is the rate at which this slide has happened - after all, the Left had won the assembly polls of 2006 with a huge majority."
"The Left fort was built on the unwavering support it generated through major agrarian reforms starting late 70s - to an extent unseen in any other Indian state, and decentralization of power - much before the Indian Constitution encouraged it through 73rd and 74th Amendments. The Left Front enforced land ceiling and effected an equitable distribution of surplus land to small and landless farmers. It enumerated the sharecroppers and secured their rights to crop share and tilling tenure. With the government ensuring good irrigation facility and high quality seeds, West Bengal agriculture boomed. Unlike other agrarian success stories of India, the West Bengal green revolution was unique in the fact that it was based on a small farmer economy. This positively impacted poverty alleviation in the state. Approximately 60 per cent rural households in West Bengal benefited from the land reforms, earning a life-long loyalty of the farmers that kept the Leftists in power for so long."
"The benefits of the much famed land reforms are wearing off and the second generation small farmers, who are increasingly finding agriculture an unviable option, are on a look out for jobs outside of it. To win back its farmer support base, the government has recently announced that it will buy land from willing farmers at much higher rate and redistribute it to the landless. By the look of it, however, this scheme appears more of an appeasement strategy to win back rural masses than an actual workable program."
"While the Left fared much better than most of the Indian states in land reforms, it fared poorly in both, public and private industrial sectors. In 1947, West Bengal was one of the most industrialized states of India with a huge share of 24 per cent in total industrial production of the country. Due to a combination of factors - including lack of private interest and public investment, and freight equalization policy- West Bengal's share had declined to 12 per cent by 1977 when Jyoti Basu came to power. In the following three decades, the state's share further dipped to a dismal 4 per cent."
"The vitality in rural economy had led to substantial growth in the unorganized small scale manufacturing in the state. Thus, the unorganized sector absorbed a lot of workforce, to the extent that number of workers employed in it in the state were, and are still, a lot higher than those employed in the organized sector. West Bengal, in fact, accounts for almost one-fifth of the unorganized sector workforce of India. This is the reason why despite the Left plank's neglect of heavy industries for almost three decades, it continued to retain electorate support."
"With both the primary and the unorganized sectors contribution to SDP and employment on decline, the Left Front was left to choose between ideology and industry. Little did it know - when it opted for fast track industrialization - that it is stepping into a minefield that would cripple its political fortune. Events in Singur and Nandigram were result of a very inept and insensitive handling of the land acquisition issue by the government. Even the strongest supporters of the Leftists were shocked by the police firing on women and children in Nandigram."
"It is ironical that today in West Bengal the Left is considered pro-capital while TMC pro-poor. In line with this new perception, TMC has gained support from many leftist intellectuals, civil society groups, and even the Maoists. Disillusioned with the Left government's support to the Centre in fighting red terror, Maoists sided with TMC calling it a progressive option in their fight against feudalism."
"At the moment, the Left Front is in deep trouble facing popular anger and charges of rampant corruption and poor governance; as well as possibility of split in the Left plank with couple of smaller parties moving towards an alliance with TMC."
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
Read the whole article here:
"For 33 years, the Left Front has been synonymous to West Bengal politics, with people having given it massive mandates for seven successive terms. However, on June 21st, when the Left Front entered into the 34th year of power in the state, the celebrations failed to hide the despair amongst the party members about a distinct possibility of the unthinkable - collapsing of the thus-far impregnable Leftist fort in the 2011 state assembly polls."
"In the recent Municipal elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left plank managed to win only 18 of the state's 81 municipal councils, 36 seats less than its 2005 tally."
"What is alarming is the rate at which this slide has happened - after all, the Left had won the assembly polls of 2006 with a huge majority."
"The Left fort was built on the unwavering support it generated through major agrarian reforms starting late 70s - to an extent unseen in any other Indian state, and decentralization of power - much before the Indian Constitution encouraged it through 73rd and 74th Amendments. The Left Front enforced land ceiling and effected an equitable distribution of surplus land to small and landless farmers. It enumerated the sharecroppers and secured their rights to crop share and tilling tenure. With the government ensuring good irrigation facility and high quality seeds, West Bengal agriculture boomed. Unlike other agrarian success stories of India, the West Bengal green revolution was unique in the fact that it was based on a small farmer economy. This positively impacted poverty alleviation in the state. Approximately 60 per cent rural households in West Bengal benefited from the land reforms, earning a life-long loyalty of the farmers that kept the Leftists in power for so long."
"The benefits of the much famed land reforms are wearing off and the second generation small farmers, who are increasingly finding agriculture an unviable option, are on a look out for jobs outside of it. To win back its farmer support base, the government has recently announced that it will buy land from willing farmers at much higher rate and redistribute it to the landless. By the look of it, however, this scheme appears more of an appeasement strategy to win back rural masses than an actual workable program."
"While the Left fared much better than most of the Indian states in land reforms, it fared poorly in both, public and private industrial sectors. In 1947, West Bengal was one of the most industrialized states of India with a huge share of 24 per cent in total industrial production of the country. Due to a combination of factors - including lack of private interest and public investment, and freight equalization policy- West Bengal's share had declined to 12 per cent by 1977 when Jyoti Basu came to power. In the following three decades, the state's share further dipped to a dismal 4 per cent."
"The vitality in rural economy had led to substantial growth in the unorganized small scale manufacturing in the state. Thus, the unorganized sector absorbed a lot of workforce, to the extent that number of workers employed in it in the state were, and are still, a lot higher than those employed in the organized sector. West Bengal, in fact, accounts for almost one-fifth of the unorganized sector workforce of India. This is the reason why despite the Left plank's neglect of heavy industries for almost three decades, it continued to retain electorate support."
"With both the primary and the unorganized sectors contribution to SDP and employment on decline, the Left Front was left to choose between ideology and industry. Little did it know - when it opted for fast track industrialization - that it is stepping into a minefield that would cripple its political fortune. Events in Singur and Nandigram were result of a very inept and insensitive handling of the land acquisition issue by the government. Even the strongest supporters of the Leftists were shocked by the police firing on women and children in Nandigram."
"It is ironical that today in West Bengal the Left is considered pro-capital while TMC pro-poor. In line with this new perception, TMC has gained support from many leftist intellectuals, civil society groups, and even the Maoists. Disillusioned with the Left government's support to the Centre in fighting red terror, Maoists sided with TMC calling it a progressive option in their fight against feudalism."
"At the moment, the Left Front is in deep trouble facing popular anger and charges of rampant corruption and poor governance; as well as possibility of split in the Left plank with couple of smaller parties moving towards an alliance with TMC."
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
Monday, August 23, 2010
MPs' allowances hiked by Rs 10,000 per month
The Government on Monday agreed to further hike their monthly allowances by Rs 10,000.The Union Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to increase the office and constituency allowances of MPs by Rs 5000 each per month, reports The Indian Express.
Read the whole article:
In a bid to placate MPs demanding higher pay packages, Government on Monday agreed to further hike their monthly allowances by Rs 10,000.
The Union Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to increase the office and constituency allowances of MPs by Rs 5000 each per month.
The decision come against the backdrop of a section of lawmakers expressing unhappiness over the increase proposed by the Cabinet last week.
a
The Cabinet had not accepted the proposal of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to hike their salaries from Rs 16,000 to Rs 80,000 and instead pegged it at Rs 50,000 per month.
Besides, it had hiked the office and constituency allowances from Rs 20,000 per month each to Rs 40,000 per month each.
Now, the constituency and office allowance of MPs would be Rs 45,000 each per month, sources in the Government said.
The Lok Sabha had witnessed uproar last week by RJD, SP and JD-U members over government's decision with agitated members of these parties dubbing it as an insult to Parliament.
BJP, RJD, SP and JD-U leaders had a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday over the issue after which the government had assured them to take appropriate steps.
Read the article on Miracle Of Democracy.
Read the whole article:
In a bid to placate MPs demanding higher pay packages, Government on Monday agreed to further hike their monthly allowances by Rs 10,000.
The Union Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, decided to increase the office and constituency allowances of MPs by Rs 5000 each per month.
The decision come against the backdrop of a section of lawmakers expressing unhappiness over the increase proposed by the Cabinet last week.
a
The Cabinet had not accepted the proposal of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to hike their salaries from Rs 16,000 to Rs 80,000 and instead pegged it at Rs 50,000 per month.
Besides, it had hiked the office and constituency allowances from Rs 20,000 per month each to Rs 40,000 per month each.
Now, the constituency and office allowance of MPs would be Rs 45,000 each per month, sources in the Government said.
The Lok Sabha had witnessed uproar last week by RJD, SP and JD-U members over government's decision with agitated members of these parties dubbing it as an insult to Parliament.
BJP, RJD, SP and JD-U leaders had a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday over the issue after which the government had assured them to take appropriate steps.
Read the article on Miracle Of Democracy.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Rich MPs, poor people
A 300 percent salary hike for Members of parliament was cleared, and their perks were doubled. But, The MP's are dissatisfied as they sought Rs 80,001 salary per month as recommended by a parliamentary committee. Politics is all about money in India.The average worth of assets of an MP in the Lower House has increased from Rs 1.86 crore to Rs 5.33 crore in the last five years, reports Zee News.
Read the whole article here:
The Union Cabinet has cleared a 300 percent salary hike for Members of Parliament, from current Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000. Not only this, the perks given to MPs have also been doubled. But the “minimal” hike has completely failed to appease our dear MPs, who sought Rs 80,001 salary per month as recommended by a parliamentary committee.
Money rules! It does, certainly. Politics has become a huge money-making business in India. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the number of crorepati MPs has increased from 156 in 2004 to 315 in 2009.
The non-governmental organisation further noted in its report that the average worth of assets of an MP in the Lower House has increased from Rs 1.86 crore to Rs 5.33 crore in the last five years. How does the bank balance of our politicians go up when the living conditions of the poor and the common man continue to go down?
Just compare and contrast: There are more poor people in eight Indian states (421 million in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal) than in the 26 poorest African countries combined (410 million). The statistics were revealed with the help of a new measure called the Multidimensional Poverty Index, which was developed and applied by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative with UNDP support.
In 2009, Vandana Shiva of NGO Navdanya had said that India has emerged as the world’s capital of hunger with 214 million hungry people.
More than 70% of India’s under-five children are anaemic.
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences noted last year that two out of three of India’s 1.1 billion people still live and work in rural areas and as many as 1,50,000 debt-hit farmers have killed themselves in the past decade.
According to UNICEF, 665 million Indians don’t have access to toilets, so they defecate in public.
Skyrocketing food prices and surging inflation have further dashed the hopes of India’s ‘aam junta’.
Our politicians are unhappy with the salary hike and our citizens are dissatisfied with MPs’ performance. “Netas get salary, then they make under-the-table money with the help of the position they hold, then they get official allowances. They are robbing our taxes everyday, and we can’t do anything,” said a neighbour of mine, who was angry with the sad state of affairs of this country.
I am not against a pay hike for MPs. But some standards should be set for raising the salaries. According to the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the per capita income, a measure of average income of a citizen, was recorded at Rs 37,490 per annum during 2008-09. The common man is not even entitled to free flights, first-class air-conditioned train travel, free accommodation and several other benefits as our politicians are.
It is interesting to note that the upcoming CWG in Delhi is in the news due to corruption, leaky stadiums, dodgy money transfers, inferior equipment. Have we ever wondered how our athletes are preparing for the games? Recently, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna had threatened to pull out of the Games because they were not paid for its preparations. The CWG was heard to be running out of funds. Despite this, politicians are less interested in sorting this issue, but to fill their own pockets.
Indian democracy has become the government of the RICH, by the POOR and for the MONEY.
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
Read the whole article here:
The Union Cabinet has cleared a 300 percent salary hike for Members of Parliament, from current Rs 16,000 to Rs 50,000. Not only this, the perks given to MPs have also been doubled. But the “minimal” hike has completely failed to appease our dear MPs, who sought Rs 80,001 salary per month as recommended by a parliamentary committee.
Money rules! It does, certainly. Politics has become a huge money-making business in India. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), the number of crorepati MPs has increased from 156 in 2004 to 315 in 2009.
The non-governmental organisation further noted in its report that the average worth of assets of an MP in the Lower House has increased from Rs 1.86 crore to Rs 5.33 crore in the last five years. How does the bank balance of our politicians go up when the living conditions of the poor and the common man continue to go down?
Just compare and contrast: There are more poor people in eight Indian states (421 million in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal) than in the 26 poorest African countries combined (410 million). The statistics were revealed with the help of a new measure called the Multidimensional Poverty Index, which was developed and applied by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative with UNDP support.
In 2009, Vandana Shiva of NGO Navdanya had said that India has emerged as the world’s capital of hunger with 214 million hungry people.
More than 70% of India’s under-five children are anaemic.
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences noted last year that two out of three of India’s 1.1 billion people still live and work in rural areas and as many as 1,50,000 debt-hit farmers have killed themselves in the past decade.
According to UNICEF, 665 million Indians don’t have access to toilets, so they defecate in public.
Skyrocketing food prices and surging inflation have further dashed the hopes of India’s ‘aam junta’.
Our politicians are unhappy with the salary hike and our citizens are dissatisfied with MPs’ performance. “Netas get salary, then they make under-the-table money with the help of the position they hold, then they get official allowances. They are robbing our taxes everyday, and we can’t do anything,” said a neighbour of mine, who was angry with the sad state of affairs of this country.
I am not against a pay hike for MPs. But some standards should be set for raising the salaries. According to the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the per capita income, a measure of average income of a citizen, was recorded at Rs 37,490 per annum during 2008-09. The common man is not even entitled to free flights, first-class air-conditioned train travel, free accommodation and several other benefits as our politicians are.
It is interesting to note that the upcoming CWG in Delhi is in the news due to corruption, leaky stadiums, dodgy money transfers, inferior equipment. Have we ever wondered how our athletes are preparing for the games? Recently, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Somdev Devvarman and Rohan Bopanna had threatened to pull out of the Games because they were not paid for its preparations. The CWG was heard to be running out of funds. Despite this, politicians are less interested in sorting this issue, but to fill their own pockets.
Indian democracy has become the government of the RICH, by the POOR and for the MONEY.
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
Three statistics that our MPs must consider
The pay hike of Members of Parliament are gathering anger.India's Economy has grown by 8.5 per cent in the last 5 years.The per capita income Indians stand at 2,795 Rs per month. The salary of MP's are being tripled. If Rs. 50,000 is an insult, as Lalu Prasad Yadav said, what would you call Rs. 2,795, an abomination? The trade union like activities of MPs create a huge divide between them and the people they represent, writes Gautam Chikermane in Hindustan Times.
Read the whole article:
"As the question of how much our Members of Parliament (MPs) are paid gathers anger, here is a rational look at this phenomenon that best defines the meeting point of politics and money. I’d like to present three statistics."
"One, over the past five years, India’s economy has raced ahead by a compounded average growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5 per cent, impressive by any account, particularly in the context of one of the world’s harshest recessions since the Great Depression that barely caused a slowdown in India."
"Two, in the same period, the per capita income of its citizens has grown by 6.8 per cent. It stands at R33,540 per annum, Rs 2,795 per month or Rs 93 (about $2) per day. That’s a global rank of 143, after adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP). "
"In this context, here is the third statistic: the salaries of MPs are being tripled, which means a CAGR of 31.6 per cent over their 2006 salary. The MPs are livid, saying it’s not enough. The last time they got a raise, it was four-fold (in 2006), so how can they settle for a three-fold rise this time?"
"We do need to pay our representatives well. In a democracy, they are our sole link to changing aspirations. The question is, how well?"
"This salary (Rs 50,000) is an insult to Parliament," Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad said. I would humbly like to point out, sir, that this monthly salary is 1.5 times the annual income of an average Indian. If R50,000 is an insult, what would you call R2,795, an abomination?
"I wonder why our representatives can’t see what the rest of the nation can — their coarse rent-seeking through higher salaries is creating a deep divide between themselves and the people they purport to represent."
"Honourable Members: can you please keep this raise in abeyance till your constituents are better fed, better clothed, better housed? Linking your increments to the well-being of your constituents will bring you far greater long-term dividends."
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
Read the whole article:
"As the question of how much our Members of Parliament (MPs) are paid gathers anger, here is a rational look at this phenomenon that best defines the meeting point of politics and money. I’d like to present three statistics."
"One, over the past five years, India’s economy has raced ahead by a compounded average growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5 per cent, impressive by any account, particularly in the context of one of the world’s harshest recessions since the Great Depression that barely caused a slowdown in India."
"Two, in the same period, the per capita income of its citizens has grown by 6.8 per cent. It stands at R33,540 per annum, Rs 2,795 per month or Rs 93 (about $2) per day. That’s a global rank of 143, after adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP). "
"In this context, here is the third statistic: the salaries of MPs are being tripled, which means a CAGR of 31.6 per cent over their 2006 salary. The MPs are livid, saying it’s not enough. The last time they got a raise, it was four-fold (in 2006), so how can they settle for a three-fold rise this time?"
"We do need to pay our representatives well. In a democracy, they are our sole link to changing aspirations. The question is, how well?"
"This salary (Rs 50,000) is an insult to Parliament," Rashtriya Janata Dal President Lalu Prasad said. I would humbly like to point out, sir, that this monthly salary is 1.5 times the annual income of an average Indian. If R50,000 is an insult, what would you call R2,795, an abomination?
"I wonder why our representatives can’t see what the rest of the nation can — their coarse rent-seeking through higher salaries is creating a deep divide between themselves and the people they purport to represent."
"Honourable Members: can you please keep this raise in abeyance till your constituents are better fed, better clothed, better housed? Linking your increments to the well-being of your constituents will bring you far greater long-term dividends."
Read the article on Miracle of Democracy.
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