Anna hazare and Govt- set for confrontation again

Team anna and the govt look all set for another round of confrontation. This time it is the non inclusion of C and D class workers under the Lokpal bill. Only A and B category of workers (the top ones) are proposed to be tried under Lokpal in case of any corruption charges. The team had demanded that all workers should be brought under Lokpal and not only A and B officers.

The standing committee earlier had agreed to keep only the D employees out of the ambit till they realised that the D group had been merged with the C group during the 6^th pay commission recommendations. It was felt that bringing all the C group employees which constitute nearly 57 lakh would place undue burden on the 9 Lokpal members. These employees who are mainly responsible for implementing orders were to be controlled by the time bound service clause by way of penalties and other punitive action. The A and B senior officers who are responsible for formulating policies and supervising the junior staff were to be answerable to be Lokpal inquiries. It was felt that since the seniors usually escape facing any action it would be appropriate to make them accountable to the Lokpal which could concentrate on these as the C and D staff would be under the ambit of the central vigilance Commission.

Team Anna feels let down as they feel that the govt is not sincere about tackling corruption. Their argument is that the common man's interaction is usually limited to that with the lower rank staff mostly C group. Most of the corrupt practices are encountered at that level. Direct dealings with the senior officers is rare. The C group staff could be the conduit between the public and the senior bureaucrats and other officials while accepting graft.

Team Anna feels that the actual perpetrators are being deliberately kept out of Lokpal's reach while the committee feels that to have a proper effective Lokpal it is essential for it to focus on the senior officials who normally escape any enquiry.

Pathetic but I believe Indians voted for this government. So, they deserve what they get till the next election.

^^ I would say it is less pathetic than the countries where gunbattles and war tanks are drawn at the slightest expression of any dissent by the public.

In any country the ruling party is bound to take advantage of the situation. Only difference is that in more developed countries they justify it some way or other, abuse is hard to stop.

Originally posted by: angie.4u

^^ I would say it is less pathetic than the countries where gunbattles and war tanks are drawn at the slightest expression of any dissent by the public.

Next election or a new party at the helm will not bring about any major changes unless a proper machinery for ensuring a better governance is first put in place. Once in power the leaders tend to forget all their promises .

Transparency in every day dealings is the need of the hour. Officials should not be subjected to work under duress and threats by surreptious ph calls behinnd closed doors. Undue interference by the politicians , (which cuts across party lines) in official matters should not be allowed...at least not without any documentation!

Originally posted by: TheUltimate

Then I would say that comparison of those countries "where gunbattels and war tanks are drawn at the slightest expression of any dissent by the public" with India is pointless in so many ways - two of which are - they are not democratic countries and regardless of their democratic status, because someone is worse than us, we need not improve does not make sense to say the least.

It doesnt. The reason we see active public support for all these protests is because everyone is fed up with the ineffecient and casual attitude of the govt machinery and wish for some improvement.

Has anyone here read Team Anna's draft of the Jan Lokpal Bill?

If so, then I cannot understand why anyone would be for it. Don't get me wrong- I'm as anti-corruption, anti-government, and anti-media propaganda as most people. The Government's version of the JLB is even more cringeworthy. But JLB is disturbingly authoritarian and Draconian. Is it just me, or is India becoming a model of Orwellian-type 1984 governance? First Aadhaar, then the JLB, and now the complete possible erosion of our internet freedoms, a la Kapil Sibal & Co.

As per the JLB, most, if not all Constitutional powers, would be vested in the hands of civil society. What it proposes is the setting of an agenda, as deemed fit by civil society, for just about every legislation. So you'd have a handful of people cherry picked on the basis of debatable predetermined factors ruling over a gargantuan bureaucracy.

This will never curb corruption- it will only intensify it. Make it more concentrated.

Apart from that, there's also the grave issue of private corporations and NGOs not falling under the ambit of the JLB. This is a giant loophole. To assume that corruption is only rife in government institutions equates to wearing blinkers all the time.

I'm no leftist (hallo, Arundhati Roy), capitalist (hallo, Tavleen Singh), or Congress shill. In fact, I'm as far removed from all these ideologies as can be. My main concern is the possible rape of our democracy. That the Government doesn't even adhere to democratic ideals is another matter altogether.

Anna Hazare may not have bad intentions, but I don't think he fully comprehends what he's asking for. And he takes it upon himself to become a Moral Messiah and whiplash all the drunkards in Ralegaon Siddhi and ban booze in his village.

Does this seem like democracy to you?

Some of the proposals are controversial and need further debating in parliament.There is great amount of disagreement about whom to include or exclude. Best part is it has woken up the nation the government, opposition and the public

Originally posted by: zorrro

Best part is it has woken up the nation the government, opposition and the public

I think it's the opposite. If anything, this whole Lokpal fiasco has led to a collective 'one size fits all' thought process. People are jumping onto the Anna bandwagon without even acquainting themselves with the different versions of JLB and being aware of the possible violation of the Constitution.