CATEGORIES

has bureaucracy failed modi?

the ambitious swachh bharat abhiyaan, which was officially launched on october 2, 2014 amid much fanfare with prime minister narendra modi himself cleaning the road with a broom at rajghat in new delhi, was seen as a harbinger of change which would influence the behaviour of millions of indians who are notoriously known for dumping their wastes in public places. for months, bureaucrats wielding the broom also continued to dominate the media space. however, over two years since the campaign was launched, the cleanliness zeal, it seems, has taken a backseat. a reality check done by bureaucracy today in shastri bhawan in lutyens’ delhi which houses major central ministries indicates that those in the corridors of power are not readying themselves to become part of a new, clean and swanky india.

can cag audits be more innovative and transformative?

audit, if used properly, can become an effective aid to administration. the thumb rule is that audit must essentially capture the other side of the coin of governance. a responsive, relevant and responsible audit can only complement, supplement, support and strengthen quality governance. right audit themes, analysis and outcome can help administrators conduct a swot analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, providing deeper insights on missing issues to evaluate and take a midcourse corrective and preventive action, and help the government refocus to derive the planned outcome from projects and schemes.  

increase import duty on stainless steel flat products: issda

bogged down by an unprecedented surge in imports in the last three years, especially from china, and to remain globally competitive, the indian stainless steel development association (issda) has recommended the government to increase the basic import duty on stainless steel flat products from 7.5% to 15% and to decrease the import duty on key raw materials like ferro nickel, pure nickel, ferro moly and stainless steel scrap to nil.

amritsar's emergence as a real estate hotspot

amritsar, famous for the golden temple, is the second largest city of punjab after ludhiana. it is also the most popular destination for non-resident indians in india. amritsar enjoys a strategic location with good connectivity to the prime cities of india. along with its excellent connectivity through road and rail transport, the city has an airport with a capacity of 150 commercial flights per week, both domestic and international. for the population of approximately 1.21 million in amritsar, a 31-kmlong brt corridor is nearing the completion stage to ease traffic congestion and improve public transportation in the city.

how much protection is available to judges and magistrates?

after the recent supreme court observation that no public servant is entitled for the protective umbrella of section 197 of the code of criminal procedure, it is being debated whether this ruling applies equally to judges of the district courts or other subordinate courts in india.

five trends that will reshape the indian real estate market

among the many different factors influencing the way real estate is developed, transacted and used in india, there are five big major emerging trends that have both real-time and long-term significance.

Is it a Crackdown or Creation of New Lords of Black Money Hoarders?

On the night of november 8 this year, Prime minister narendra modi appeared on national television to declare his Government’s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, with a window of 50 days for a smooth transition. no doubt the move has hit those who have accumulated unaccounted black money. the Bureaucracy Today magazine analyses whether the move will stop the hoarding of black money in time to come.

A Paradigm Project for the Future

What makes for a great development project in Morocco? Which qualities imbue an initiative with longevity and sustainability, enabling it to meet a whole range of interconnected material and emotional needs? Is there a single concept applicable to a specific geographical location that exceptionally embodies those qualities?

Minority Shareholders 'Short-Changed' At Bombay House

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has turned down a request from Shapoorji Pallonji Group (SPG) vide its investment outfits, viz, Sterling Investment Corporation and Cyrus Investments, to initiate action against Tata Sons for the “oppression of minority interest and mismanagement”. It was done on the ground that the petitioner does not have the required minimum shareholding of 10%.

Should You Buy Your Dream Home Now?

The RERA or the Real Estate Regulation Act has finally become a reality. Though there are still plenty of hiccups and it will obviously take some time for the industry to absorb all the facets of the Act, it should be kept in mind that the RERA is a process, not an event. Meanwhile, the foremost question in property buyers’ minds is - should they wait until the RERA process is streamlined, or can they go in for home purchase now? 

Can Fintech Companies Replace Traditional Banking In India?

This is one of the most exciting times for Indian banking and financial services industries. FinTech or financial technology companies have emerged as a new crop of firms which have a high growth potential and many opportunities for disruptive innovation. They can complement the traditional banking services and help in financial inclusion. In some quarters, they are seen as competition to the classical banks also. FinTech, a very trendy industry for start-ups, has the potential to take away 4.7 billion dollar of revenue from traditional financial services, according to a US-based Finance firm, Goldman Sachs. FinTech has evolved from startups that want to take on and compete with incumbents to a broader ecosystem of different businesses that are, in many cases, looking for partnerships. Bureaucracy Today analyses the pros and cons of this new financial phenomenon. 

Indianising The Bureaucracy

The subjects listed in the Civil Services Examination are colonial. Their syllabus was mostly suitable to the British regime to make an in-depth study and research to deal with various sections of Indians in different geographical zones.

Why The Black And White View In Banning Ilmenite Exports?

Any picture depicting India would have hues of Holi and vibrant colours of the bazaar. So it is surprising that the ban of ilmenite exports has been done with a black and white view thereby robbing the Indian paint industry of its sheen.

How Progressive Policy Has Enabled The Evolution Of Indian Automobile Industry

The stepping up of the Indian automobile sector began when the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises announced the Auto Policy 2002 to promote its integrated, phased, enduring and self-sustained growth. For the first time a national level policy support was declared to promote the sector as a lever of industrial growth and employment and to achieve a high degree of value addition in the country. However, the period of 2006-2016 was a step further from Auto Policy 2002.

What Makes Real Estate Investment Location Lucrative?

The year 2017 should be for residential real estate investment as the Government is ensuring low interest rates and a slew of incentives via schemes such as the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana. So, interest in and appetite for real estate investment is back in force – but where should one invest? After all, successful real estate investment is proverbially driven by “location, location, location”.

Are We Punching Above Our Weight?

International diplomacy is about Games Nations Play. This title of the celebrated book on world politics suggests that the success and failure of a country in the international arena will be determined by how good or bad it plays the game of politics at the global level. Like any other game, diplomacy is also about the calibre, skill and strength of the players which will decide the outcome of the game. In this context, we are talking here about the Ministry of External Affairs which is mandated to project India in the comity of nations and promote national interests by a sound mix of depth touches, dexterous policy measures and a bold declaration of official intent. 

Does India Need More Doctors And Engineers Or File Pushing Bureaucrats?

Every year the UPSC, India’s highest constitutional recruiting agency, faces the biggest challenge while selecting trainee officers for the highest Civil Services in the country. More and more technocrats, doctors and surgeons appear for the most prestigious Civil Services Examination, go through tough interviews and are finally selected for top bureaucratic jobs. No doubt, in a democracy every citizen must have the freedom for choosing his or her career but the abilities of an increasing number of enormously skilled and trained technocrats and doctors get wasted in the file pushing duties of bureaucrats. This is practically the case for all the 24 shades of the higher Civil Services the UPSC is recruiting every year. 

Are Public Works Immune From Competition Law?

Public procurement of goods and services, including public works activities, constitutes about 30% of India’s GDP, with the total annual expenditure of about Rs 15-20 lakh crore and that for the Union Government alone it is in the range of Rs 2.5-3 lakh crore. The requirement of public works is large and entails a huge expenditure of the Government. It is imperative that public procurement should be executed with economic efficiency and with a minimal cost to the public exchequer. This can be ensured only when the 27 Central PSUs involved in construction and consultancy business are made to compete with each other and also with private players. No one doubts their expertise and experience but the excessive service charges recovered by the PSUs from the user or buyer departments in the absence of competition are a matter of concern.

Will Recent Finance Bill Amendments Unleash Tax Terrorism?

The NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi made history by getting the Finance Bill passed before the commencement of the financial year 2017-18. The Opposition cried foul for overriding tax law amendments in the Rajya Sabha and a few other changes in the Finance Bill. Apart from diluting the procedure for appointments to a few tax Appellate Tribunals and merger of such quasi-judicial bodies, the major point of the Opposition attack pertained to amendments to Section 132 of the Income Tax Act relating to the search and seizure of property.

At WTO India Gets Platitudes, No Permanent Solution

At a meeting of the Agriculture Committee of the World Trade Organization (WTO) held on March 28, 2017, the developed countries lambasted India on its Minimum Support Price (MSP) programme for wheat and other key commodities such as sugarcane and pulses. While Australia raised concerns over an increase in India’s MSP for wheat since 2006, the US and the EU questioned the subsidies on sugarcane, the buffer stock of pulses and price support for both rabi and kharif crops. But there was little movement on“permanent solution for legitimizing its food procurement subsidies”, an issue of great concern to India.

Is The Merger Really Worth?

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has taken an in-principle decision to divest 51% of the Union Government’s shareholding in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) – a downstream Central public sector undertaking – in favour of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) – a PSU in the upstream segment. A Group of Ministers (GoM) under Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been set up to work out the modalities of the merger which is expected to be completed within the current year. But is the merger really worth?

Kill 19th Century Bureaucracy To Keep India Alive

On Independence Day this year, Indians heard Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that his Government’s motto “is to reform, perform and transform”. On September 1, the US- headquartered think-tank, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted: “India’s economy has grown rapidly in recent years, but the country’s bureaucratic quality is widely perceived to be either stagnant or in decline.” I think it is time to relook at overhauling the bureaucracy if we wish to realize the vision of Modi’s idea of India. Our country needs speed, efficiency and effectiveness in its entire chain of command. This is the prerequisite for realizing the vision of the greatest statesman of India.

A Visit To Pakistan

A retired Indian Revenue Service officer, SK Goyal, reminisces here about his visit to Pakistan way back in 1978 and talks about the complex realities of the ties between the two nations.

India As An Oyster Of Global Dairy Industry

At present India is the largest milk producing and consuming country in the world with a compounded annual growth rate of 5%. The Government has been implementing the National Dairy Plan Phase I (201217). Its focus is on the development of the dairy industry for increasing its productivity, improving the village level milk procurement system and giving greater access to markets. However, it is also time for private sector players to provide extension services to farmers.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

The inspiring Usha Sangwan needs no introduction. She is a technocrat who has shattered a major glass ceiling by becoming the first woman Managing Director of the State-run Life Insurance Corporation of India, a feat achieved in the insurance behemoth in its nearly six decades of existence. Under her leadership, the LIC has scaled amazing heights. Her glorious journey of rising to a position that for decades has been a male bastion is an inspiration for crores of women in a world which stereotypes the finance sector to be a men’s domain. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day this month, Bureaucracy Today speaks to Sangwan about her journey to the top, her life’s philosophy, her work and the recent trends in the insurance sector of India.

Was Modi's Demonetisation A Flop Show?

When the demonetisation of Rs1,000 and Rs 500 notes was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, the expectation was that about Rs 350,000 – 400,000 lakh crore out of a total Rs 15,44,000 lakh crore (embedded in these notes) would not come to banks. This was taken to mean tremendous success of this policy decision. On the one hand this would tantamount to sternest punishment to hoarders of black money (via junking all of their illegal wealth – accumulated over the years – to a worthless piece of paper) and on the other this would give a bonanza to the Reserve Bank of India by way of extinguishing its liabilities to the extent of amount not returned. Eventually, the money will flow into the coffers of the Union Government – being the owner of the apex bank. Now that almost all cash held in these currency notes has come to banks, critics have flayed the policy decision as a monumental failure. But it would be premature to jump the gun.

Preparing For A Cyber Attack

As disruptive innovations and new business models transform organizations and communities around the world, their sustainability is threatened by a plethora of cyber risks. We are already a witness to one of the largest cyber-attacks recently with “WannaCry” impacting the lives of many individuals and enterprises. Indeed, criminals and nation States are increasingly attacking the technology assets of individuals, organizations and Governments, stealing and selling valuable information, and in an alarming trend, paralyzing critical infrastructure. With Governments and enterprises increasingly leveraging the Internet for mission-critical cyber security continues to remain a top imperative across the world.

Too Early To Look For Jobs

On completion of three years in office even as Team Modi is disseminating its achievements to the public at large, Opposition parties, mainly the Congress, have projected a counter-narrative. The most damning indictment relates to the generation of a few hundred thousand jobs as against the BJP’s promise of creating 10 million every year. This is based on Labour Bureau data on eight sectors. These cover the workforce of just about 30 million (besides, there are methodological flaws in the estimation) as against the total employment of 470 million, including that in agriculture and the informal sector. Therefore, any inference using these numbers could be misleading.

Govt Mulls Domain Expertise For IPS Promotion

Aiming at promoting excellence in the police forces, the Central Government is mulling a proposal under which IPS officers will have to specialise in a particular domain and undergo mandatory training before being promoted to a senior rank. A Bureaucracy Today report.

Challenges For Children From Marginalised Indian Communities

Literacy is not only an end but also a means to other learnings along with social and economic empowerment. Early literacy (both reading and writing) development begins in the first years of life. The interactions that young children have with literacy material such as books and stories and with adults in their lives are the building blocks for language, reading and writing skills. This understanding of early literacy development complements the current research supporting the critical role of early experiences in shaping brain growth. In India, several largescale studies conducted have revealed that a significant percentage of the young children fail to develop the basic levels of reading achievement. The incidence of reading failure is even higher within poor families, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and ethnic minority groups and this impacts negatively on their later literacy learning.