1) Ensure that English is used on social media: Jaya to Modi
Chennai: Terming the Centre's
move on use of Hindi as being "against letter and spirit" of the law,
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to suitably modify the instructions to ensure that English was the language of
communication on social media.
The Chief Minister said she had learnt that two office memoranda issued
by the Union Home Ministry "direct that official accounts on social media
like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, Google and YouTube, which at present use only
English, should compulsorily use Hindi, or both Hindi and English, with Hindi
being written above or first."
That makes the use of Hindi mandatory and English optional, she said in
the letter.
"As you are aware, as per the Official Languages Rules, 1976,
communications from a central government office to a state or Union Territory
in Region "C" or to any office (not being a central government
office) or person in such state shall be in English."
"This provision has been introduced following the introduction of a
mandatory proviso in Section 3(1) of the Official Languages Act, 1963, by an
amendment in 1968 which states (that), 'English language shall be used for
purposes of communication between the Union and a state which has not adopted
Hindi as its official language," she pointed out.
Social media by its very nature is not only accessible to all persons on
the Internet but is meant to be a means of communication between people across
India, including those in "Region C", Jayalalithaa said.
"People located in "Region C", with whom the government
of India's communication needs to be in English, will not have access to such
public information if it is not in English.
This move would therefore be against the letter and spirit of the
Official Languages Act, 1963," she said.
Jayalalithaa added it was a "highly-sensitive issue and causes
disquiet to the people of Tamil Nadu who are very proud of and passionate about
their linguistic heritage".
"Hence, I request you to kindly ensure that instructions are
suitably modified to ensure that English is used on social media," she
told Modi.
Further, recalling a memorandum she had presented to him on June 3
during her Delhi visit, Jayalalithaa reminded Modi about Tamil Nadu's demand
for making Tamil an official language of India.
She recalled she had sought that all languages listed in Schedule VIII
of the Constitution be given that status and had said that "if this
request is fulfilled, the use of all official languages on social media can be
encouraged."
Tamil Nadu had witnessed an anti-Hindi agitation in the late 1960s and
DMK chief M Karunanidhi, whose party had spearheaded that movement, has also
opposed NDA government's latest proposal, saying it was the beginning of the
"imposition of Hindi".
2) Modi’s command model: Ministers lose say in appointments as PMO tries to regain primacy
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh will in tandem have the last word
on key appointments in every ministry, according to a template announced today
and described by a veteran bureaucrat as “Modiji’s unified command model”.
The reconstituted appointments committee does not include the minister
concerned – unlike the practice during the term of the UPA that had to keep
allies in good humour.
The appointments committee fills the posts that run the day-to-day
affairs of the country.
The posts include secretaries, additional secretaries, joint
secretaries, the chiefs of the army staff, the navy and the air force, top
officers in the central police organisations such as the CRPF and the Shastra
Seva Bal, officers of the rank of major-general in the defence forces or its
equivalent in the central police organisations.
The committee also appoints the RBI’s governor and deputy governors, the
solicitor-general and additional solicitor-general and the Railway Board
chairman.
The government today recast six cabinet panels, including those on
economic affairs, parliamentary affairs, political affairs, security and
accommodation.
A senior bureaucrat who has served from Rajiv Gandhi’s time said: “It is
clear that Modiji has a unified command model before him.”
The official, who had also worked in an insurgency-prone northeastern
state, said: “At the peak of armed rebellion, the army reported to the chief
secretary who headed the command. Once things were under control, the
arrangement was dismantled. I guess that things went so downhill for the past
10 years that Modiji has had to resort to such a template.”
The other reason for the broad-based decision-making lay in the
coalition politics that prevailed for the past few decades. It was “not
possible” to ignore the allies of the main party even while appointing
junior-level officers. (The appointments committee also nominates private
secretaries to ministers and officers on special duty)
“I remember that in 1984, such powers were concentrated in the hands of
the PM (Rajiv Gandhi). The bureaucrats had virtually nothing to do with their
ministers, they could oppose the ministers and get away because the PMO was
weighty. Decisions such as these mark Modiji’s objective to restore the PMO’s
primacy in letter and spirit.”
The appointments panel is also empowered to decide tenure extensions,
post-retirement re-employment, lateral movement of officers on central
deputation and inter-cadre transfers.
The practice that existed till now was enshrined by an executive order
under the Government of India (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1961. The order
stated that appointments of the scientific adviser to the defence minister;
director-general, armed forces medical services; and director-general, ordnance
factories, were related to the defence ministry. Likewise, the appointment of
the RBI governor and deputy governors came under the finance ministry.
Henceforth, these ministers will not have a mandatory say in the
selection and appointment of these officers.
As against the 10 cabinet committees the UPA had, Modi will work with
six. The four remnants of the Manmohan Singh era Modi dispensed are the panels
on prices, WTO matters, infrastructure and the issues related to the Unique
Identification Authority of India.
Infrastructure has merged into the committee on economic affairs as was
evident in the composition.
Apart from Modi, Rajnath, Arun Jaitley (finance and defence) and Sushma
Swaraj (external affairs), the economic affairs panel has M. Venkaiah Naidu
(urban development), Nitin Gadkari (road transport and highways, shipping and
rural development), D.V. Sadananda Gowda (railways), Ravi Shankar Prasad
(communications and information technology), Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati
(civil aviation), Harsimrat Kaur Badal (food processing industries) and Radha
Mohan Singh (agriculture).
That infrastructure would be a key component of economic affairs was
manifest in the inclusion of the trio of Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and
Nirmala Sitharam as special invitees. They are ministers of state with
independent charge of petroleum and natural gas, power and coal and commerce
and industry. Pradhan, Goyal and Sitharaman are believed to be the principal
executors of the “economic-recovery” agenda of the Prime Minister and Jaitley.
There were other pointers to the changing power dynamics within the BJP.
The panel on parliamentary affairs has HRD minister Smriti Irani as a special
invitee.
The cabinet committee on security features Modi, Rajnath, Sushma and
Jaitley while that on political affairs had one representative each from the
major NDA constituents – Ram Vilasa Paswan, Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Akali Dal),
Raju Pusapati (Telugu Desam Party) and Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) apart from six
of the BJP.
The committee is mandated to deal with Centre-state relations, assess
economic and political issues in a “wider perspective” and handle foreign
policy subjects that do not impinge directly on internal or external security.
--The Telegraph, Calcutta
3) Mukul focus on job skills for GeNext- Meghalaya hopes to fill China vacuum
Media reports indicate that China’s above 60 population is expected to
exceed 300 million by 2025 and hit 30 per cent by 2050. In contrast, India is
set to become the world’s youngest country by 2020 with 64 per cent of its
population in the working age group.
The country’s population in the age group of 15-34 years increased from
353 million in 2001 to 430 million in 2011. Current predictions imply a steady
increase in the youth population to 464 million by 2021, and a decline to 458
million by 2026.
Chief minister Mukul Sangma is of the opinion that at least in the next
10 years, the manufacturing giants, which are at present parked in China, would
have to turn their attention elsewhere because of the anticipated change in the
demographic pattern.
“It is expected that in the next 5 to 10 years, because of the aging
population in China, many of the manufacturing giants, which are at the moment
operating from China, will have to shift their units or even look at
outsourcing,” Sangma said after a cabinet meeting here today.
He said this would open up huge opportunities in creating an environment
where investments and job opportunities would be created, provided the country
has the manpower required for these manufacturing giants.
Perhaps with this anticipation, the Sangma cabinet approved a proposal
where Parametric Technology (India) Ltd would invest in training youths in
areas concerning automotive, advance manufacturing tools and other
manufacturing components.
Among others, the government felt that through such exercises, the
state’s human capital development would be created by making the youths
employable. Initially, three centres of excellence — in the existing
polytechnics of Shillong, Jowai and Tura — would be created where the global
firm would train around 2,500 in each of the centres. Such centres would be
further expanded in the course of time.
The investment, which would be on a 90:10 basis, in each of the centres
would be to the tune of Rs 160.56 crore, of which the state government will
have to invest around Rs 15.55 crore. Sangma said the investment by the firm is
part of its corporate social responsibility exercise.
To set the ball rolling, the government will appoint a project
implementation director who would have to oversee the overall requirements of
these centres.
The eligible candidates for these centres would be those who have passed
out from and those who are still pursuing their studies in the polytechnics,
and others.
Deputy chief minister R.C. Laloo said even students from outside
Meghalaya could be urged to join if there are not enough candidates from the
state. However, these students from outside, unlike their Meghalaya
counterparts, would be admitted only on payment of the requisite fees.
The tie-up with the firm is for an initial period of three years, but
which could be extended upto 10 years.
New Delhi: India is preparing for talks with the
abductors of 40 Indian construction workers in Iraq’s second-largest city Mosul
to get its nationals released after Baghdad told New Delhi it had discovered
where the kidnapped men are being held.
Former Indian ambassador to Iraq Suresh Reddy, who reached Baghdad this
morning, will lead negotiations for India once contact is established with the
abductors, senior officials revealed.
A relative of an Indian worker
kidnapped in Iraq is comforted by Sushma Swaraj in Delhi on Thursday. Congress
president Sonia Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure
the safety of the abducted Indians and secure their early release. (Reuters)
“We have been told by the foreign ministry of Iraq that they have been
able to determine the location where these abducted Indian nationals are being
held captive,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said.
Akbaruddin refused to disclose the location shared by Iraq amid fears
that any move that may panic the abductors — militants with the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria — could jeopardise the safety of the hostages.
But a senior Indian official and an Iraqi diplomat independently told
this newspaper that Baghdad’s intelligence suggested the Indian workers were
being held at a government building — described by one of them as a warehouse —
on the outskirts of Mosul.
Both these officials and the Iraqi Red Crescent — a part of the global
Red Cross movement — which is leading the search for the kidnapped men
cautioned, however, that any location can be confirmed only after they speak
with the workers and their abductors.
“This is a fluid situation, and this intelligence has been gathered in
the midst of a civil war,” the Iraqi official said.
Iraq has told India that the militants holding the Indians are also
holding a few Turkish workers at the same location. Iraq, India and Turkey are
jointly working on their strategy to get the men released, officials said.
India has also been speaking with the US, Russia, Iran and Israel for
any intelligence inputs. In particular, India has asked the US to take into
account its citizens and their safety in any military attack it launches to
tackle the ISIS, a Sunni militant group that splintered from al Qaida earlier
this year.
In Delhi, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and her officials offered
distinct messages to their clearly different audiences as the Narendra Modi government
grappled with its first foreign policy crisis.
Asked about conversations that some of the kidnapped men have had with
family members, in which they have reportedly told the relatives they were
safe, the foreign ministry was sharp in its retort.
“There is no safety in captivity,” Akbaruddin said, his hard message
clearly targeted at — among others — terror groups and their sponsors. “Safety
is in being where you are welcome.”
But barely an hour later, Swaraj told family members of the abducted men
when they met her here that Iraq had told India the kidnapped workers were
safe, the relatives said.
“These are tricky times, where you need to keep family members updated
and calm, yet appear strong and determined to the world you are negotiating with,”
a senior official said.
A total of about 10,000 Indians are estimated to be in Iraq, with just
over 100 believed to be in the region between Mosul and Tikrit, close to
Baghdad, where the ISIS has seized control.
Indian officials are worried that any fresh violence between the
militants and the Iraqi force near Mosul, and even hints of American aerial
attacks could jeopardise attempts to rescue the workers.
The abductors have not sought any ransom nor made any other demand yet
in exchange for releasing the Indian workers. But fear for their own safety may
make the abductors shift their location, Indian officials said.
The militants may in fact already have shifted their location twice
since they captured the Indian and Turkish nationals, officials said.
“I’m really sorry, but no one can be absolutely sure where the abductors
and the Indian workers are right now,” Yaseen Ahmad Abbas, the president of
Iraq’s Red Crescent Society, told The Telegraph over phone from
Baghdad.
Swaraj said the government was trying its best. “However, patience is
essential.”
5) Rath row plea in high court, Mohanty Committee in wait-and-watch mode
File picture of devotees climbing onto
Lord Jagannath’s chariot during rath yatra
The court will start hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the
issue tomorrow.
“Our advocate general told the committee that the high court has
accepted a PIL on the issue and will hear the matter tomorrow. We will wait for
the court’s stand before taking a decision,” said Maheshwar Mohanty, former law
minister and Puri MLA, who is heading the committee.
Acting on the PIL filed by Bhabani Prasad Mishra, 64, of Angul town, the
high court today directed the state government to clarify its stand on Puri
Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati’s recommendation to the temple
administration on debarring devotees from mounting the chariots during the rath
yatra.
The petitioner has sought the court’s direction to the state government
to implement the decision of the Shankaracharya on the issue of devotees
climbing onto the chariots as “he is the final arbiter in case of any dispute
relating to rituals of the deities of Puri Jagannath temple.” The court also
directed the temple administration to clarify its stand.
Petitioner’ counsel Arun Kumar Budhia told The Telegraph: “The
division bench of Chief Justice A.K. Goel and Justice A.K. Rath today adjourned
the matter till tomorrow for hearing along with responses from the state
government and temple administration.”
Though the state counsel sought more time to submit its reply, the court
said the petition would be taken up for hearing as the first case tomorrow.
Following a request of the temple administration, Shankarachrya had said
in November last that “the tradition associated with the temple forbids
devotees, both Hindu and non-Hindu alike, from climbing onto the raths to have darshan of the deities or to touch them.
Only sevaks (servitors)
connected with seva puja of the deities on that day are authorised to climb
onto the chariots to perform necessary rituals.”
However, the servitors have taken exception to the Shankaracharya’s
stand. They have threatened not to cooperate with the administration during the
rath yatra if the devotees are not allowed to climb the chariots.
As the issue snowballed into a controversy, law minister Arun Sahu had
convened a meeting on June 11 to find an amicable solution.
At the meeting, it was decided that the devotees would not be allowed to
climb the chariots during the day on rath yatra, bahuda yatra (return journey)
and suna veshas. However, the devotees can climb the chariots on rath yatra and
bahuda yatra after evening and during suna vesha only after the golden attire
of the deities is removed.
On other days, the devotees can climb the chariots.
However, the decision sparked off a controversy as it was perceived to
have violated the spirit of the recommendation of Shankarcharya.
Following an uproar in the state Assembly, which is in session, Speaker
Niranjan Pujari convened an all-party meeting on Wednesday. The meeting decided
to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of former law minister and
Puri MLA Maheswar Mohanty to resolve the issue.
BJP state unit chief, K.V. Singh Deo today, however, said: “The
committee has turned out to be one of the ruling party. The MLA and MP from
Puri, the present and former administrators of the temple are its members. One
cannot have any expectation from the committee. The recommendation of
Shankaracharya is final. No disrespect should be shown towards him,” said Singh
Deo.
Joining the controversy, excise minister and senior BJD leader Damodar
Rout said: “Shankaracharya is the guru of the Hindu community. When the Pope
says anything in the Vatican City, it is adhered by crores of disciples across
the globe. Why should not Shankaracharya command the same respect among the
Hindus?”
Stating that it was his personal view, Rout said: “Some servitors want
the practice of people climbing the chariots to continue as it is a rich
sources of income for them. They won’t discontinue this at any cost. But they
should not ignore the advice of Puri King Gajapati Dibya Singh Deb, who is
considered as the living representative of the Lord Jagannath. He, too, has
opined against devotees going up the chariots during the rath yatra.”
Rout’s remark has drawn angry reactions form the temple servitors. “He
should not talk in this vein. Let him clarify if he ever paid any money to any
servitor for climbing onto the chariots,” said one of the daitapatis.
--The Telegraph, Calcutta
