..by the way
TN babu pays for whistle-blowing
 THEproverbial corridors of power of the ecretariat at Fort St eorge in Chennai exude n unmistakeable sense of depression. The entire Secretariat revolves around a handful of IAS officers. Those who are pliable and succumb to pressure survive, the rest are shown the door. In this scenario, most of them are yes men of the current ruling family of Kalingar Karunanidhi. His sons, MK Stalin and MK Alagiri, are the be-all and end-all in the Secretariat.
However, one IAS officer, C Umashankar, who was suspended while holding the post of Commissioner, Small Savings, has moved the National Commission for SC/ST, seeking protection from harassment by the Tamil Nadu government, the Chief Minister’s family and the powerful Maran brothers. Umashankar has alleged that he was subjected to frequent transfers as he was honest and sincere and worked for the public interest. He provoked the wrath of the powers that be for recommending penal action against the Maran brothers and making public the ETL Infrastructure scam which involves Alagiri and a Central Minister of the DMK. Now, this officer who dared to blow the whistle is appealing to the Commission to save him and his family. |
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Coorg DC loses his corner office!
 THE Deputy Commissioner of Karnataka’s picturesque hilly district of Kodagu (still known to the rest of India by its earlier name of Coorg) had set out to be a good samaritan for the tribe of scribes in Madikeri, the headquarters of the tribal district. So Ashwath Narayan Gowda began searching for a plot on which to construct a community hall for journos. Government funds for it had already been sanctioned. Alas, so did it turn out that, before finding a place for his media friends, he has now to search for a place for himself and his staff. The district administration has been housed in the historical fort and palace for over a hundred years but the Archaeological Survey of India has now asked the Deputy Commissioner to vacate the premises. The Deputy Commissioner sits on the top floor in the King’s Corner. Gowda has endeared himself to the people of the district by his pro-people attitude. The small district with three talukas has many problems, including diminishing rainfall every year. |
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SEBI chief under fire
 THE Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Chandrashekhar Bhaskar Bhave, is a worried man. He is unable to figure out what went wrong in tackling the ULIP issue with the other regulator,the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), whose Chairman is J Hari Narayan. Bhave is in trouble with not only IRDA but also the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the lobbyists of the mutual fund industry. Insiders feel that Bhave acted well concerning the issues of ULIP, mutual fund and investors’ education and protection within his domain. But the big bosses in North Block think otherwise. How dare anyone be bigger than the babus of North Block? They are busy targeting Bhave with all the ammunition at their disposal. |
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Lalli’s days numbered?
 A total of 117 files received from Prasar Bharati along with deposition by nine officers in a direct inquiry conducted by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) have all sealed the fate of BS Lalli, CEO, Prasar Bharati, who has been stamped “Corrupt” by the agency. The CVC began its probe on September 1, 2009 after orders from Delhi High Court. The preface to its report mentions that Prasar Bharati files were not easy to get hold of. Attempts were made to hold them back on flimsy grounds. Reminders had to be sent repeatedly for records that were sought –and some were not made available. These were clear attempts at cover-up. The onus is now on the Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board, Mrinal Pande. The probe was carried out on the orders of Delhi High Court, which has to be informed of action taken against Lalli.....http://www.gfilesindia.com/title.aspx?title_id=146 | |
