Show transparency, make public presentations on lapses, triumphs of last government: PMO advised

"Policy on Nirma cement plant was victim
of non-transparent ways"

By Our Representative
Soon after the swearing in of the new Narendra Modi government at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday, the website of the Prime Minister's Office was re-launched. The message it sent out, interestingly, has already become controversial, both in Delhi and Gujarat. Launched on the very old address, under a new heading “Quest for Transparency” it says, the PM “firmly believes that transparency and accountability are the two cornerstones of any pro-people government. Transparency and accountability not only connect the people closer to the government but also make then equal and integral part of the decision making process.”
While senior RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak, through an e-mail alert, wants Prime Minister Modi to demonstrate what he has said through his website about transparency by making public presentations of different government secretaries to the Cabinet secretary’s plea on achievements and lapses of the previous government, Gujarat-based columnist Urvish Kothari, in a social media comment, wonders how could the website talk about transparency when none of it ever existed during the 12 year rule under Narendra Modi in the state.
The website contains the following message (http://pmindia.nic.in/transparency.php): "During his record 4 terms as Chief Minister Narendra Modi demonstrated strong commitment to an open and transparent government. Rules and policies were not framed in AC chambers but among the people. Draft policies were put online for people to give their feedback and suggestions. At the same time, initiatives such as Garib Kalyan Melas ensured that fruits of development directly reach the poor without any red tape.”
It adds, “Another example is model of ‘one day governance’ that focuses on providing time bound services to the citizens by leveraging the e-governance infrastructure. The main objective of this was to ensure provision of all Government-to-citizen services covered under the citizens’ charter.” Praising Modi, it says, “His strong resolve to transparency backed by the manner in which he put this commitment to practice indicates an era of open, transparent and people-centric government for the people of India."
Nayak says, “A few days ago, the Cabinet Secretariat is reported to have written to all ministries and departments requiring them to prepare presentations about what they did well and what they did not do so well during the previous regime and what they could have done differently. However this communication cannot be found on the website of the Cabinet Secretariat.”
The RTI activist demands, “Perhaps the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) can demonstrate its declared commitment to transparency by displaying the Cabinet secretariat's letter and all the presentations that will be made by various ministries and departments in the days to come." He adds, "This way people of India will be able to better understand the officers' assessment of the previous regime in which they had no small role to play.”
The website has also been quoted as saying, "Through this website you will also get all the latest information about my speeches, schedules, foreign visits and lot more. I will also keep informing you about innovative initiatives undertaken by the Government of India." Asks Nayak, “Will the new website be more compliant with the Right to Information Act, 2005 than it was under the previous Government will be known in the days to come?”
Political analyst Kothari, in his comment, especially takes strong objection to Modi’s claims of a “strong commitment to an open and transparent government” as the Gujarat chief minister. He says, “Wouldn’t it be more appropriate if the website had not openly lied about things on the very first day? It is quite a different thing that one of Modi’s major successes has been to spread lies successfully, indeed full of confidence.”
“One has only to see how transparent the government was from the controversial instance of the recent snooping on a woman, or adopting the practice of releasing the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) report on the last day of the Gujarat state assembly session. And, which people were involved while initiating the policy of providing clearance to the Nirma Cement Plant in Mahua in Bhavnagar district? The farmers protested, and only following the Supreme Court intervention, the plant’s construction work was suspended.”

Comments

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra* The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah* One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Undermining law, breastfeeding? Businesses 'using' celebrities to promote baby food

By Rajiv Shah* A report prepared by the top child welfare NGO, Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI), has identified as many as 15 offenders allegedly violating the Indian baby food law, the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act), stating, compliance with the law “seems to be dwindling by the day.”

Delhi demolitions for G-20 summit: Whither sabka saath, sabka vikas?, asks NAPM

By Our Representative Well-known civil rights network, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), even as expressing solidarity with “thousands of traumatized residents of Tughlakabad and some other bastis in New Delhi whose homes have been demolished and whose lives have been ravaged both prior to as well as in the lead-up to the G-20 Summit”, has said this is in utter disregard to “their minimum well-being and gross violation of their rights.”

'Misleading' Lancet estimates on zero food intake in infants, young children of India

By Srinivas Goli, Shalem Balla, Harchand Ram* India is one of the world's hotspots for undernourished children, both in terms of prevalence and absolute numbers. Successive rounds of National Family Health Surveys ( NFHS ) have revealed that the progress observed since the early 1990s is far from what is expected when compared to the country's economic growth.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Search This Blog