Merit based appointments:

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued directions to all of his ministers to strictly go by merit while making any recruitment in different departments of  their ministries. The announcement is to be hailed in the sense that merit should never be a factor to be compromised either as a matter of pick and choose or even reservation in jobs. A reference of the following blog post by way of a link needs to be made here:

Link:http://uppermost.me/2012/08/14/is-it-worth-compromising-merit-for-political-gains/

Merit is the crux point when there is a nation building in the process coupled with developmental activities all around and if the tools like pick and choose and quota reservation are allowed to get manipulated it enormously hampers the progress of any country –be it India or some other country elsewhere in the world. The move initiated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is sure to attract more talented people with adequate merit capable of handling the tasks which are in the overall interest of the country.

Technorati Tags: reservation,pickandchoose,quota,merit,progress,developmental,primeminister,narendramodi,talented,tasks,nation,interest

Rail on a track:

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Minister of Railways Sadananda Gowda has since come out with his budget proposals on railways. By and large the budget proposals are received well by the people of the country with the exception of the opposition parties who did twist it beyond proportions but they too had nothing specific to point out as a negative factor. This is surprising that the Indian share market which had a record score on trading a day before the budget was placed on the floor of the Parliament on high hopes pinned to budget proposals reversed its speed just in the negative order after it was declared. The relative link given below can be referred for the purpose:

http://gallery-neelkanth.blogspot.in/2014/07/share-marketindex-zooming-upward-but.html

True it is that the budget is not elaborately specific on its salient features so highlighted but the message is clear that it is a pro people railway budget with the projects which are of a greater interest to the passengers and what led the traders in the share market to feel panicky about it in later part of the day is not clear. Better it was for the Railway Minister to spell out the specifics more distinctly without which the proposals appear to be limping and not desirably self speaking. The very headlines, however, relating to bullet trains, high speed trains, increase in number of trains coupled with special railway police exclusively for lady passengers, online reservation of ordinary tickets including platform tickets and various traveller friendly amenities are enough to make the budget worth it.

Technorati Tags: sadanandagowda,railwayminister,railwaybudget,specifics,amenities,ladypassengers,police,bullettrains,panicky,sharemarket

Pawan Express–Does the Rail Budget give any relief?

Now that the rail budget of India is placed in the Parliament, one can well see it visibly as to what it stands for –virtually any relief to the passengers or the consumers, or so so of a window dressing. Some salient features of the budget presented by the Railway Minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal, are like this:

• There is no increase proposed in the basic passenger fare.
• Freight charges are increased by 5.8%.
• Reservation charges in respect of different categories are considerably hiked.
• Cancellation charges in respect of all the categories of class ranging from Rs.5/- to Rs.50/-
• Internet ticketing hours to be from 00.30 hrs to 23.30 hrs introducing e-ticketing through mobile phones.
• Introduction of 67 Express trains and 26 normal passenger trains on different routes.

Some like Gopinath Munde of BJP called the rail budget as Rae-Bareli budget, obviously to appease Sonia Gandhi, the Chair person of UPA. This looks to be too frivolous an allegation as there is nothing much for Rae-Bareli in the proposed rail budget. No increase in passenger fares looks like a farce as it forms more of an election slogan than any real leaf to the travellers. Increase in reservation and cancellation charges amounts to an over all increase in the fares only as all this after all affects the pocket of the passenger. The railways have already failed to ensure necessary security to the passengers coupled with every day occurring accidents, and it would have been in their interest if there was more emphasis on these counts instead of increasing number of the trains.

Technorati Tags: railways,budget,fares,freightcharges,passengers,consumers,elections

Agitation by unions for and against reservation:

This looks strange but is true that the two sets of Uttar Pradesh Government employees launched a massive agitational programme with one of them doing it to oppose the reservation bill under discussion in Parliament, and the other one doing it in support of the move. It happens often that different unions in an organisation don’t have unanimity on certain industrial issues and accordingly their  modes of agitation are different, but a situation like unions fighting against each other on the same issue with divergent views is just so peculiar. One group even worked four hours extra expressing their support to pro reservation in promotions bill. It was a different matter that their strength was only negligible. The group opposing the reservation was virtually able to paralyse the work in different offices of the U.P. Government. Even senior officers of the SDM (Sub-Divisional Magistrate) rank joined the move. Situation, as reported by the media, appears to be the same in other states of the country also offering stiff resistance against the additionally proposed reservation in promotions too besides the one that already is in existence on job reservation.

Technorati Tags: reservation,agitation,unions,promotions,seniorofficers

Reservations–Can sky be the limit?

Reservation in promotions was the issue on which the Parliament of the country was in a total pandemonium continuously for days together. Reservations for whom? Is it not for the people who have already enjoyed its fruits for the last sixty years, many of whom have become high income islanders by now with sumptuously rich pockets of wealth amongst their family members? Reservation on jobs is already there continuing for more than six decades extending the benefit to backward communities including S/Cs and S/Ts. As if this is not enough, and there is a demand that reservation of the type like this be extended in the matters of promotional opportunities. Proposal so mooted out by Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati in the Parliament got endorsed by Bhartiya Janta Party with the condition that efficiency aspect be given the due weightage. What does it actually mean? Efficiency is not just the physical efficiency meant for an acrobatics or a wrestling bout, it is more a matter of mental capacity which forms the merit element. Let there be some reservation on merit itself if it is within the reach of the political biggies. Merit is a divine factor, it just can’t be procured through some legislation or enactment. Compromising merit means compromising developmental activities. Developmental activities, if compromised, lead to a situation where the country goes to dogs, and entire progress is doomed. The clamour and any hue and cry for further reservation is bound to create an irreparable gulf amongst the different communities which are innumerable in India. Such a cry is completely outmoded in the context of unity and unanimity on various issues confronting the country. Any reservation beyond what is already there is most unwanted. Right of equality in fact demands that even the existing one also be reviewed applying all the benefits equitably to all the communities in the country. I request the readers to also peruse the contents of the link given below:

Link: http://uppermost.me/2012/12/16/behave-yourselves-ye-parliamentarians/ 

Technorati Tags: communities,reservation,equality,parliament,mayawati

Why the Railways can’t show bigger profits?

The basic source of revenue for the Railways emerges from the fare they charge from the passengers, besides of course the freight charges on transportation of different items of goods. The Railways charge from the passengers a hefty amount by way of selling tickets to them. As per news from the media, there was a record sale of tickets through online bookings only during the year 2011-2012 amounting to Rs.9,500/ crores. This figure does not include the fare realised on the counters of the Railways. One can well imagine as to how much total amount could have been if all the resources are taken into view in totality. There is always a statistical manoeuvring to indicate a loss to the Railways because their establishment cost is bigger than the revenue earned. This may not be correct. The question is where all the aforesaid resources and the revenue earned on them go?. Obviously, the Railways too are a major partner in corruption which is so rampant in the country as a whole. If there are no corrupt practices, there is every chance that the Railways may contribute much better in the matter of showing bigger profits.

Technorati Tags: railways,onlinereservation,freight,revenue,profit,corruption

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