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SERIAL BLASTS RIP DELHI; 24 DEAD, OVER 125 INJURED
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi, Sept 14: A series of explosions rocked Delhi one after the other on Saturday evening. The five bomb blasts, in various parts of Delhi, have claimed 24 lives so far and injured over 125. Four bombs were also defused by the bomb disposal squad in Central Park of Connaught Place, India Gate, Regal Cinema and Parliament Street. Indian Mujahideen, which also masterminded the Ahmedabad blasts, has claimed responsibility for the blasts through an e-mail sent to Zee News.
The first explosion was reported in Karol Bagh’s famous Gaffar's MCD market. The second blast was reported in Central Park of CP near Palika Bazaar. This was followed by one on Barakhamba Road and then twin blasts in GK-I’s M-Block market.
The first blast took place at 6:10 pm. All other blasts went off within the next 45 minutes.
Of the 4 bombs defused, one was defused in the Central Park, one in Regal Cinema and one each at India Gate and Parliament Street- all the above using a sensor machine.
Two people have been detained. Some children are believed to have spotted the miscreants placing the bombs. One child named Rahul claimed to have seen two men dressed in black placing black parcels in a dustbin. Soon after, the blasts went off. He said the persons were unfamiliar and that he had seen them for the first time.
Ammonium Nitrate tied to integrated circuits is believed to have been used in the explosions.
The blast in Karol Bagh took place in a CNG auto-rickshaw and was followed by a blast in the cylinder kept on a scooter right behind it.
According to eyewitness accounts, the impact of the blast was such that the auto rickshaw was tossed up in the air at least 12 feet.
Nearly 30 people have been injured in Karol Bagh; of these at least 8 seriously.
Ambulances rushed to the spot as soon as the incident was reported. The injured were rushed to nearby nursing homes and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
The MCD market is located in a very congested area of Karol Bagh and has several mobile phone shops. Jt Commissoner (Special Cell) Karnail Singh confirmed that no RDX was used in Karol Bagh blasts.
The blast in CP took place at Gopaldas Bhawan’s parking lot. The bomb here is believed to have been kept in a dustbin.
20 people reported injured here were rushed to the hospital.
The blast on Barkhamba Road went off near the Metro Station.
Twin blasts were then reported in GK-I’s posh M-Block market, which immediately shut down. The two bombs went off within 5 minutes of each other. One is believed to have been placed in a dustbin and the other in a scooter.
Bomb Disposal Squads along with the National Security Guards (NSG) and forensic teams rushed to all the affected sites which had been cordoned off and traffic diverted. Two teams of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) were sent to Mulund and Chembur for further investigations after the e-mail was traced to Chembur, Mumbai.
Delhi government has announced Rs Five lakh as compensation for the family of the dead and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the serial bomb blasts.
The explosions in Delhi came close on the heels of similar attacks in Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
There had been some intelligence inputs that a major city might be targeted during Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh as well as all Metros have been put on maximum alert.
for all the people who love their motherland Bharat(India) and want to make it the best in the world. we welcome you to participate subscribe
Sunday, September 14, 2008
THE NEXT VICTIM COULD BE YOU(?)
There have been 5 blasts in all! A daring attempt like this can not be a work of few people.. It involves a series of interdependent men. First ISI,then Millitant Groups and now we have these so called Indian Mujahideen (I wonder why they call themselves Indians?)
Intelligence.. It seems they are the last people to know about anything! They didnt know abt Diwali Blasts,Neither about intrusion on LOC nor about China’s stand in Arunachal Pradesh!! The things our Intelliegence agencies miss can be even guessed on the basis of series of event.. (Even our Cyber Crime Units have officers who are not familiar with basic operations of Internet!) I am sure that some Minister in this Government will come out with the facts that there had been far more bomb blasts in the regime of another Political Party.I do not have any liking for any particular political party but I support their manifestos if they are rational.Did anyone notice that there had been no major terrorists arrests in the regime of present Govt?
Its high time that we, citizens take more responsibilty and ensure safety of our surroundings.
Let me highlight a few points that the average citizen can do
1) Corruption: Do not give or take bribes in any case- this is one of the root causes.
example: A lot of anti-social elements give bribes and get ration cards, passports, birth certificates etc. Thus they get a valid identity.
2) Form an organisation that has intellectuals who are ready to fight for a cause legally.
example: A lot of criminals involved in arms and drug trade get scott free because of lack of evidence. This lack of evidence is becuase of intimidation and buying out of potential witneses. The aim of the organisation should be to put pressure on the government, cops and if need be hire competent lawyers or pay the state appointed lawyer inorder to get the accused prosecuted and also see to it that evidence and witnesses are not tampered with.
3) The average indian is by nature a quite person who prefers to live and let live. My suggestion is to be more assertive and take action instead of putting your head down like the ostrich and hope that the problem goes away.
4) Make pamplets against corruption, terrorism, etc and spread them around. This does not mean you have to stand on the roadside and distribute them. But if this could be done it would be fantastic. A simpler way is to make say hundred copies of anti-corruption messageand pamplets. Distribute or just put ten in each train/bus you take. In the pamplet request that the person reading if possible make ten copies and spread them around.
5) Have street plays to educate the public about corruption and how it leads to terrorism, and other social evils.
6) If you are well educated, take some time out and volunteer to teach children in orphanages, municipality schools etc.
7) Do not constantly criticize the system, see how you can improve it.
8.) Shopkeepers and outlet owner, Devote a surveillance camera to the road. Record the happening and cooperate with police.We cant work by opposing the system.
9.) Above all , Find out ways in which you can be helpful. No one knows you better than you.
10)
Give suggestions and feedback.. This list is still missing few points..
: : : : : : : : : : :
Bomb blasts rock New Delhi, 14 killed
Posted: 13 Sep 2008 12:51 PM CDT
At least 14 people were killed and dozens injured on Saturday as a series of synchronised bomb blasts rocked some of the busiest market areas of the Indian capital, police said.
“We can now confirm five blasts,” said police spokesman Rajan Bhagat.
The Press Trust of India said a Muslim militant outfit, Indian Mujahideen, had claimed responsibility for the bombings in an e-mail. The group has claimed previous bomb attacks in other Indian cities.
“We can confirm 14 people killed, 40 injured,” Bhagat told AFP.
Television reports put the death toll as high as 18, with more than 70 taken to hospital for treatment.
The five blasts included two at Connaught Place — the city’s largest financial, commercial and business centre, and two more at the upmarket shopping district of Greater Kailash.
India’s television network NDTV quoted the email as saying, “In the name of Allah, the Indian Mujahideen has struck back again.”
Delhi Mayor Aarti Mehra appealed for calm as the blasts spread panic through the city.
“We have the strength to face this,” Mehra told reporters.
“Please stay calm. People in markets right now should go home. Do not be afraid.” he said. “The police and government agencies are on your side. Delhi’s strength is in its people. We cannot be frightened.”
The first blast went off around 6:30 pm (1300 GMT) on a busy Saturday evening, and the others followed in swift succession.
Police at one of the bomb sites in Greater Kailash searched for survivors among a mess of mangled motorcycles and shattered glass from vehicles caught in the blast.
“I was stepping out for a cup of tea when everything turned black in front of me,” said Gulab Singh, an underground train guard. “Then everyone started running.”
Joint Delhi Police Commissioner Ajay Kashyap said an unexploded bomb had been found in Connaught Place.
An explosive expert with one of the bomb disposal units said the explosive devices appeared to have been packed with steel ball bearings and nuts and bolts “to cause maximum harm.”
Triple blasts in New Delhi in October 2005, blamed on Pakistan-backed Islamic rebel groups, claimed nearly 70 lives, while a 2001 attack on India’s national parliament complex also blamed on Muslim militants killed 14 people.
Indian Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings in July that killed at least 45 people in the western commercial city of Ahmedabad.
The Ahmedabad blasts came a day after a series of bombings in the southern high-tech city of Bangalore that killed one person and injured eight.
SC rectifies pension gap between brigadiers & generals
Posted: 13 Sep 2008 06:07 AM CDT
In a rank conscious Army, this must have been a sacrilege — a retired brigadier drawing more pension than a retired major-general. Higher ranking retired Army officers continued with their heartache for more than 12 years till September 9, 2008, when the SC set right the anomaly and directed the Centre to pay them higher pension and arrears at 10% interest.
Charging the government with violating the fundamental right of the retired senior Army officers, the court asked the Centre to address the identical anamoly for similar ranking retired officers in the other two wings of the armed forces — the Air Force and the Navy.
The disparity arose because the rank pay stopped at brigadiers. When the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations were accepted by the government in 1996, the minimum pay of a major-general became less than that of a brigadier who had reached the maximum point in his scale, pointed out senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta to a Bench comprising Justices Altamas Kabir and Markandey Katju.
For the Centre, additional solicitor general Vikas Singh admitted the mistake in computation of pension and said that corrective measures were taken. It stepped up the pension of major-generals, who had retired prior to January 1, 1996, so that they did not receive pension less than what was given to brigadiers, he said.
But this equation of pension between brigadiers and majorgenerals created another problem. This created two distinct class of officers in the rank of major-generals, those who retired prior to 1996 and those who retired after, Gupta countered. Writing the judgment for the Bench and agreeing with Gupta, Justice Kabir said: “It would be arbitrary to allow such a situation to continue since the same also offends the provisions of Article 14 of the Constitution guaranteeing right to equality.”
Taking into account similar case decisions of the apex court, the Bench said the date of retirement of an employee could not form a valid criterion for classification, for if that was the criterion, then those who retired by the end of the month would form a class by themselves. Holding that the fundamental right of the major-generals, who retired prior to 1996, had been violated, the Bench directed the central government that pay of all pensioners in the rank of major-generals and its equivalent rank in the two other wings of the defence services — the Air Force and Navy — be notionally fixed at the rate given to similar officers of the same rank after the revision of pay scales with effect from January 1, 1996.
: : : : : : : : : : :
ACT NOW TO MORROW MAY BE TOO LATE
Intelligence.. It seems they are the last people to know about anything! They didnt know abt Diwali Blasts,Neither about intrusion on LOC nor about China’s stand in Arunachal Pradesh!! The things our Intelliegence agencies miss can be even guessed on the basis of series of event.. (Even our Cyber Crime Units have officers who are not familiar with basic operations of Internet!) I am sure that some Minister in this Government will come out with the facts that there had been far more bomb blasts in the regime of another Political Party.I do not have any liking for any particular political party but I support their manifestos if they are rational.Did anyone notice that there had been no major terrorists arrests in the regime of present Govt?
Its high time that we, citizens take more responsibilty and ensure safety of our surroundings.
Let me highlight a few points that the average citizen can do
1) Corruption: Do not give or take bribes in any case- this is one of the root causes.
example: A lot of anti-social elements give bribes and get ration cards, passports, birth certificates etc. Thus they get a valid identity.
2) Form an organisation that has intellectuals who are ready to fight for a cause legally.
example: A lot of criminals involved in arms and drug trade get scott free because of lack of evidence. This lack of evidence is becuase of intimidation and buying out of potential witneses. The aim of the organisation should be to put pressure on the government, cops and if need be hire competent lawyers or pay the state appointed lawyer inorder to get the accused prosecuted and also see to it that evidence and witnesses are not tampered with.
3) The average indian is by nature a quite person who prefers to live and let live. My suggestion is to be more assertive and take action instead of putting your head down like the ostrich and hope that the problem goes away.
4) Make pamplets against corruption, terrorism, etc and spread them around. This does not mean you have to stand on the roadside and distribute them. But if this could be done it would be fantastic. A simpler way is to make say hundred copies of anti-corruption messageand pamplets. Distribute or just put ten in each train/bus you take. In the pamplet request that the person reading if possible make ten copies and spread them around.
5) Have street plays to educate the public about corruption and how it leads to terrorism, and other social evils.
6) If you are well educated, take some time out and volunteer to teach children in orphanages, municipality schools etc.
7) Do not constantly criticize the system, see how you can improve it.
8.) Shopkeepers and outlet owner, Devote a surveillance camera to the road. Record the happening and cooperate with police.We cant work by opposing the system.
9.) Above all , Find out ways in which you can be helpful. No one knows you better than you.
10)
Give suggestions and feedback.. This list is still missing few points..
: : : : : : : : : : :
Bomb blasts rock New Delhi, 14 killed
Posted: 13 Sep 2008 12:51 PM CDT
At least 14 people were killed and dozens injured on Saturday as a series of synchronised bomb blasts rocked some of the busiest market areas of the Indian capital, police said.
“We can now confirm five blasts,” said police spokesman Rajan Bhagat.
The Press Trust of India said a Muslim militant outfit, Indian Mujahideen, had claimed responsibility for the bombings in an e-mail. The group has claimed previous bomb attacks in other Indian cities.
“We can confirm 14 people killed, 40 injured,” Bhagat told AFP.
Television reports put the death toll as high as 18, with more than 70 taken to hospital for treatment.
The five blasts included two at Connaught Place — the city’s largest financial, commercial and business centre, and two more at the upmarket shopping district of Greater Kailash.
India’s television network NDTV quoted the email as saying, “In the name of Allah, the Indian Mujahideen has struck back again.”
Delhi Mayor Aarti Mehra appealed for calm as the blasts spread panic through the city.
“We have the strength to face this,” Mehra told reporters.
“Please stay calm. People in markets right now should go home. Do not be afraid.” he said. “The police and government agencies are on your side. Delhi’s strength is in its people. We cannot be frightened.”
The first blast went off around 6:30 pm (1300 GMT) on a busy Saturday evening, and the others followed in swift succession.
Police at one of the bomb sites in Greater Kailash searched for survivors among a mess of mangled motorcycles and shattered glass from vehicles caught in the blast.
“I was stepping out for a cup of tea when everything turned black in front of me,” said Gulab Singh, an underground train guard. “Then everyone started running.”
Joint Delhi Police Commissioner Ajay Kashyap said an unexploded bomb had been found in Connaught Place.
An explosive expert with one of the bomb disposal units said the explosive devices appeared to have been packed with steel ball bearings and nuts and bolts “to cause maximum harm.”
Triple blasts in New Delhi in October 2005, blamed on Pakistan-backed Islamic rebel groups, claimed nearly 70 lives, while a 2001 attack on India’s national parliament complex also blamed on Muslim militants killed 14 people.
Indian Mujahideen had claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings in July that killed at least 45 people in the western commercial city of Ahmedabad.
The Ahmedabad blasts came a day after a series of bombings in the southern high-tech city of Bangalore that killed one person and injured eight.
SC rectifies pension gap between brigadiers & generals
Posted: 13 Sep 2008 06:07 AM CDT
In a rank conscious Army, this must have been a sacrilege — a retired brigadier drawing more pension than a retired major-general. Higher ranking retired Army officers continued with their heartache for more than 12 years till September 9, 2008, when the SC set right the anomaly and directed the Centre to pay them higher pension and arrears at 10% interest.
Charging the government with violating the fundamental right of the retired senior Army officers, the court asked the Centre to address the identical anamoly for similar ranking retired officers in the other two wings of the armed forces — the Air Force and the Navy.
The disparity arose because the rank pay stopped at brigadiers. When the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations were accepted by the government in 1996, the minimum pay of a major-general became less than that of a brigadier who had reached the maximum point in his scale, pointed out senior advocate Nidhesh Gupta to a Bench comprising Justices Altamas Kabir and Markandey Katju.
For the Centre, additional solicitor general Vikas Singh admitted the mistake in computation of pension and said that corrective measures were taken. It stepped up the pension of major-generals, who had retired prior to January 1, 1996, so that they did not receive pension less than what was given to brigadiers, he said.
But this equation of pension between brigadiers and majorgenerals created another problem. This created two distinct class of officers in the rank of major-generals, those who retired prior to 1996 and those who retired after, Gupta countered. Writing the judgment for the Bench and agreeing with Gupta, Justice Kabir said: “It would be arbitrary to allow such a situation to continue since the same also offends the provisions of Article 14 of the Constitution guaranteeing right to equality.”
Taking into account similar case decisions of the apex court, the Bench said the date of retirement of an employee could not form a valid criterion for classification, for if that was the criterion, then those who retired by the end of the month would form a class by themselves. Holding that the fundamental right of the major-generals, who retired prior to 1996, had been violated, the Bench directed the central government that pay of all pensioners in the rank of major-generals and its equivalent rank in the two other wings of the defence services — the Air Force and Navy — be notionally fixed at the rate given to similar officers of the same rank after the revision of pay scales with effect from January 1, 1996.
: : : : : : : : : : :
ACT NOW TO MORROW MAY BE TOO LATE
Sunday, September 7, 2008
WHO IS TO BE BLAMED?
save your motherland
ACT NOW TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE
NATURAL DISASTERS, MAN MADE DISASTER
floods, earthquakes, drought, earthquakes, war, scandals,
MILLIONS DISPLACED, THOUSANDS STARVING, NO FOOD, NO SHELTER,
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE NOT A DROP TO DRINK
MANAGEMENT GURU SHIV KHERA MENTIONED IN ONE OF HIS LECTURES THE PEOPLE WHO WE WOULD NEVER MAKE AS GAURDIANS OF OUR CHILDREN ARE ELECTED TO GOVERN THE COUNTRY BY US. SO BEFORE BLAMING THE POLITICIANS, BLACK MARKETEERS, MUSCLEMEN, TERRORISTS, ETC FOR ALL THIS CHAOS JUST PEEP INSIDE YOUR HEART AND MIND AND BE READY TO ACCEPT IT. NOW THE TIME HAS COME FOR ALL OF US TO AWAKE, ARISE FROM THE DEEP SLUMBER AND DO SMALL EFFORTS TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. IT NEEDS ONLY A SPARK TO IGNITE FIRE. SO DONOT THINK WHAT YOU CAN DO AGAINST SUCH LARGE CORRUPTION , ANARCHY, LAWLESSNESS,ETC? IF EACH ONE US IS FULLY DETERMINED
WATER WATER EVERYWHERE NOT A DROP TO DRINK
MANAGEMENT GURU SHIV KHERA MENTIONED IN ONE OF HIS LECTURES THE PEOPLE WHO WE WOULD NEVER MAKE AS GAURDIANS OF OUR CHILDREN ARE ELECTED TO GOVERN THE COUNTRY BY US. SO BEFORE BLAMING THE POLITICIANS, BLACK MARKETEERS, MUSCLEMEN, TERRORISTS, ETC FOR ALL THIS CHAOS JUST PEEP INSIDE YOUR HEART AND MIND AND BE READY TO ACCEPT IT. NOW THE TIME HAS COME FOR ALL OF US TO AWAKE, ARISE FROM THE DEEP SLUMBER AND DO SMALL EFFORTS TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. IT NEEDS ONLY A SPARK TO IGNITE FIRE. SO DONOT THINK WHAT YOU CAN DO AGAINST SUCH LARGE CORRUPTION , ANARCHY, LAWLESSNESS,ETC? IF EACH ONE US IS FULLY DETERMINED
WE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS COUNTRY IS YOUR MOTHERLAND AND YOU BELONG HERE AND TO BE COUNTED THEN IT IS THE NOW WHEN YOU NEED TO ACT. SEND EMAILS TO ALL YOUR FELLOW INDIANS " BHARATWAASIS' IN AND AROUND THE WORLD AND LETS MAKE IT ONCE AGAIN THE "BHARAT DESH MAHAAN"
IF WE WILL BE SINCERE AND HONEST EVEN GOD WILL SUPPORT US
krishnamurthy.hari@gmail.com
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS COUNTRY IS YOUR MOTHERLAND AND YOU BELONG HERE AND TO BE COUNTED THEN IT IS THE NOW WHEN YOU NEED TO ACT. SEND EMAILS TO ALL YOUR FELLOW INDIANS " BHARATWAASIS' IN AND AROUND THE WORLD AND LETS MAKE IT ONCE AGAIN THE "BHARAT DESH MAHAAN"
IF WE WILL BE SINCERE AND HONEST EVEN GOD WILL SUPPORT US
krishnamurthy.hari@gmail.com
Friday, August 29, 2008
FROM CLASS XII TO DIRECT IAS-NEW PROPOSAL
Hoping to transform the steel frame of the Indian administrative set up, the Second Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) is set to recommend recruitment of potential civil servants right after the 10+2 as against the present system in which graduation is the minimum education qualification for taking the civil services examination.
There is also a proposal to institute a Senior Executive Service (SES) for Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary level officers who would be “implementing authorities” so far as government schemes are concerned. Yet another proposal is to develop “Domain Expertise”, that is, a system in which a civil servant with about 13-14 years of service is to be promoted and used only in those areas in which he has specialised during this period of service.
These and many other proposals are learnt to be in the final stages of discussion by the ARC headed by M Veerappa Moily. The ARC report on civil services reforms is likely to be submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh within the next four to six weeks, according to sources.
Earlier, the P C Hota Committee on Civil Services Reforms, set up by the NDA government, had also recommended a slew of steps, including lowering the minimum and maximum age of those appearing for civil services examinations, but there was no follow up on the report.
What imparts significance to the Second ARC proposal is the fact that Manmohan Singh himself has been keen to reform the civil services. He, in fact, set up a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary to see the feasibility of the ARC report on terror, said official sources.
The idea behind the recruitment of 10+2 students as civil servants is to have “fresh, imaginative, clean slates” who will have the “drive” to transform society, according to an ARC member. As per the proposal under discussion, there will be a five-year course for those selected through an all-India examination for civil services; the syllabus will consist of Constitution, public administration, law, etc. This will be followed by a two-year course during which, depending on their inclination and capability, candidates will be allotted different services like the IAS, IPS and the rest.
About 50,000 candidates from among 10+2 students will be shortlisted for Civil Services training through the all-India examination.
The proposal is to establish separate universities or some other institutions to train these prospective civil servants. “Even if all of them do not show the potential to become a civil servant after their admission to the course, the syllabus will be such that they will land good jobs in different sectors after doing the entire or a certain part of the course,” said a source associated with the ARC.
As for graduates and above or those with engineering, management and medical degrees, the proposal is to offer them a “Bridge Course” — after being selected through an examination — to prepare them for civil services.
As for Senior Executive Service (SES) officers, their jobs would be to ensure the implementation of government schemes.
While the Secretary of a particular department under the guidance of the concerned Minister would be involved in policy making and those below a Joint Secretary engaged in“Secretariat works”, the SES officers would be devoted entirely to the implementation part, said sources.
“We would like the states also to follow this model of recruitment of civil servants, but these details can be worked out later,” said an ARC member.
The Second ARC set up in August 2005 has so far submitted eight reports —
Right to Information: Master Key to Good Governance,
Unlocking Human Capital: Entitlements and Governance,
Crisis Management,
Ethics in Governance,
Public Order,
Local Governance,
Capacity Building for Conflict Resolution,
Terror.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
FOURTH LARGEST WORK FORCE IN THE WORLD BY 2020
| India to have fourth of global workforce by 2020: PM Guwahati, Aug 26 (IANS) India is expected to account for a fourth of the world's total skilled workforce by 2020 and the central government is according top priority to higher education, allocating Rs.275,000 crore (Rs.2.75 trillion) to the sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here Tuesday. "Our government's effort has been to create the next wave of investment in higher education. And the 11th Five Year Plan which is now under implementation is basically a knowledge investment plan," the prime Minister said. "We have significantly increased allocation to the education sector with a five fold increase to an unprecedented Rs.275,000 crore," he said while addressing faculty and students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Guwahati. The prime minister said the government was trying to extend quality elementary education to all taking major expansions in secondary and higher educations. The idea was to produce some 500 million trained workforce by 2020. Approval had already been granted for eight new IITs, seven Indian Institutes of Management, 16 central universities, 14 world class universities, five Indian Institutes of Science, 10 new National Institutes of Technologies, 20 Information Technology Institutes, and 1,000 polytechnics, he added. "India has the potential to create over 500 million trained people by the year 2020. That would be over a fourth of the global workforce. This big and unique opportunity for India will come from an education revolution that we must undertake as our most important national endeavour." The prime minister also advocated the need for partnerships between the state and the private sector to further boost higher education in the country. "We need to work in close partnership with the corporate sector, non-governmental entities and community organisations. We need to facilitate creative partnerships between the public and private sectors in the field of education including higher education," he said. The prime minister, who then left for New Delhi ending his two-day visit to Assam, had to cancel his visit to the western Kokrajhar district Tuesday due to bad weather, officials said. |
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Friday, August 22, 2008
Bharat Desh Mahaan
A word from Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam former President of India
You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed country; it is indeed a highly developed nation. Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance. YOU say that our government is inefficient. Our laws are too old.The municipality does not pick up the garbage. The phones don't work. The railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world Mails never reach their destination. Our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. But what do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name? - YOURS.Give him a face? - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Peddar Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over-stayed, in a restaurant or shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at £10 (Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else." YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai main kaun hoon? (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston????? We are still talking of the same YOU. India Sixty – Vision & Mission A project by Indian Institute of Scientific Heritage Page 8 of 14 YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India? Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal Commissioner of Bombay, Mr. Tinaikar, had a point to make. "Rich people’s dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels? In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?” He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my son's rights to a dowry." So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money. Dear Indians, this is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too… I am echoing J.F. Kennedy's words to his fellow American to relate to Indians? "ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY" Let's do what India needs from us. Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.
Thank You,
Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam
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