Do we have two sets of laws in India ? One for ordinary citizens and one for Ministers?
I was shocked to read this news in HT today. (3rd Apr2011 pg- 8)
If you read the news report, you would be thinking, if that was you, just an ordinary citizen, you would have been arrested and put behind the bars at that very moment for such a criminal activity.
Yes, I bet, you or me would have been in the jail. Because, carrying loads of CASH on you without the permission of RBI is illegal while on tour to foreign country.
But if you are a minister, you become a special person with special position and special considerations. So the law applied is different. Carrying cash in excess of Rs 7500/- is a criminal offense by law.
The law says, as a traveler, you can carry max 2000 US$ in cash on you and 3000$ by way of traveler's cheques. That is RBI rule.
This minister of cabinet rank and a member of legislative assembly was carrying in person, US $ 25000 in traveler's cheques, (Rs11.25 lakh) 75,000 UAE Dhirams ( Rs 9.14 Lakh) in cash,and Rs 0ne lakh Indian currency in cash. This is the way, money made by corrupt practices goes into foreign Banks such as Swiss accounts and similarly people like Hassan Ali are used by politicians and businessmen to park their funds in overseas accounts.This is a loot and it is going on in day light. Is this not a mockery of our law? Our justice system? Really, the investigations by commissions or CBI or standing or sitting committees is an eye wash. The rich, powerful, politically well connected can get away with murder. And the ordinary waits to get justice for years. Next time when you vote,...Think, who are you voting to power and why?
A small country Japan, taught this world TEN exceptional values to make a nation stand tall when the land was shaking and triggered worst Tsunami that killed over thousands of Japanese.
These special qualities based on values in its society members make the nation great. When a nation is being built, it must be based on solid values so that nothing can shake it or shatter it, not even the worst of Tsunami. The reason Japan became super power has everything to do with these TEN values.
A wake up call for we all Indians dreaming of India becoming a superpower.....It is time to think !!!.
10 things to learn from Japan
1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has been elevated.
2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.
3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn’t fall.
4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody could get something.
5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just understanding.
6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How will they ever be repaid?
7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong cared for the weak.
8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they did just that.
9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No sensationalizing. Only calm reportage.
10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the shelves and left quietly
Imagine now ... what would have happened in India under the same circumstances and how our politicians, business community would have staged the show. 1- First, we would have seen hoarding of all essential eatables. 2- Then , prices of essential commodities would have sky rocketed 3- We would experience scarcity of almost every commodity. Even water.(which today also is scarce) 4- We would live without power for days or months. 5- PM would have come on national TV to explain why scarcity, high prices, loot is on and how government is hopelessly helpless etc.etc. 6- Agri Minister Sharad Pawar would have said, I can't do anything to supply enough food and control prices. I am really not responsible.( busy with World cup) 7- Home Minister Chidambaram would have given press conference and said, I can't do much about the looting going on as our police force is over worked and have no required facilities to deal with such a national calamity. (I am doing my best) 8- Municipal Commissioner would have placed the blame on the citizens by saying, it is the people who are responsible for such a flooding of water, drains and gutters. Sheela Dixit would have said, when Tsunami was coming what was our civil society doing? ( Is it really our responsibility ?) 9- PM, FM, HM would have said Soniyaji has asked us to do something to save aam aadmi and so we have now created "Force 10" to counter next Tsunami. 10- The Indian media would go into 24 X7 drive to increase TRP by showing all Tsunami related scams and how media is active in reporting how people died, stories of loved ones lost, followed by all the aimless debates. In short... the message in the national media would have been, government is helpless and can't do much about this total devastation, scarcity of food, water, and the loot going on. Again the new era of new Scams would begin with financial aids. Millions of Rupees given as financial aid by many financial institutes would be pocketed by politicians, bureaucrats , elected members, administrators, and by many who would get contracts to re-build the country. The poor people would stay for years in shelters, camps and shacks. They would not get a single penny. All politicians would come to meet homeless people who have lost everything in life, the loved ones, belongings, roof over head and life time savings.
There will be special photo shoots for the media. Some politicians will be offering these homeless, blankets, sarees, food packets. The Vote Bank politics will start raising it's ugly head. Dear citizens...It is a wake up call for all Indians. 26th July 2005, Mumbai was under water because of heavy showers and our administration was not prepared for such a natural calamity. Today, it is still not prepared. 26 Nov, when ten terrorists attacked Mumbai, and many were taken as hostages, our government was not prepared to deal with 10 terrorists who took hundreds of lives of innocent people. RR Patil was the then Home Minister of state and still is. Shivraj Patil was Home Minister at the center who changed his safari suit three times for press meets when innocent people were being killed by Ajmel Kasab and his gang.( what kind of shameless leaders do we choose?) What kind of a society are we? Do we have conscience? We elect people who loot us. We elect people who cheat on us. We elect people who can not provide us security but enjoy "Z" security for themselves? Our so called clean PM who is leading this nation doesn't know what is happening under his nose. CWG, 2G, CVC, Adarsh, Hasan Ali, Defence scams. Scams after scams are exposed by the active media and not by our intelligence agencies. What is our Home Ministry doing? Why is it not proactive? It is time, we people who elect these politicians to govern our country should demand that these elected members be legally, constitutionally made accountable and answerable to people. Today, they are not. And that is why they enjoy the powers knowing fully well once elected, you can't sack them. We need to change our political system which will work for people, and empower people to take punishable action against those who are dishonest in public life. Or the loot will go on and criminals will rule. Our Democracy will have no meaning.
If you cross the " The North Korean " border illegally, you get 12 years hard labour in an isolated prison If you cross the " Iranian " border illegally, you get detained indefinitely . If you cross the " Afghan " border illegally, you get shot If you cross the " Saudi Arabian " border illegally, you get jailed If you cross the " Chinese " border illegally, you get kidnapped and may be never heard of - again . If you cross the " Venezuelan " border illegally, you get branded as a spy and your fate sealed. If you cross the " Cuban " border illegally, you get thrown into a political prison to rot. If you cross the " British " border illegally, you get arrested, prosecuted, sent to prison and be deported after serving your sentence. Now ..... if you were to cross the " Indian " border illegally, you get ..... 1. A ration card 2. A passport ( even more than one - if you please ! )
3. A driver's license
4. A voter identity card 5. Credit cards 6. A Haj subsidy 7. Job reservation 8. Special privileges for minorities 9. Government housing on subsidized rent 10. Loan to buy a house 11. Free education 12. Free health care
13. A lobbyist in New Delhi , with a bunch of media morons and a bigger bunch of human rights activists promoting your " cause "
14. The right to talk about secularism, which you have not heard about in your own country !
15. And of-course ..... voting rights to elect corrupt politicians who will promote your community for their selfish interest in securing your votes !!!
16. and right to fight election for MLA or MP
Hats off to the .....
A. Corrupt and communal Indian politicians
B. The inefficient and corrupt Indian police force
C. The silly pseudo-secularists in India , who promote traitors staying here
D. The amazingly lenient Indian courts and legal system.
That's why people like Afzal Guru are still alive, same will happen with Kasab.
E. WE self centered Indian citizens, who are not bothered about the dangers to our own country.
F. The illogically brainless human-rights activists, who think that terrorists deserve to be dealt with by archaic laws meant for an era, when human beings were human beings.
Yesterday, High Court confirmed the judgment to HANG Ajmal Kasab.
Ajmal Kasab is a State Guestbeing fed with Biryani, and anything he wants at our cost.It remains to be seen how long it will take for this government to hang him. But till then our money will be spent in crores to protect him when our BPL families are struggling to earn one time roti.
Again the Human rights group will come forward to teach us human values and human rights. The fake pseudo secularists in India will come forward to play their vote bank politics.
People like Antuley, Digvijay Singh will start playing their dirty political games to confuse commoners by asking for further investigation on 26/11 to find out, was it RSS,? Who killed Karkare, Salaskar ? These Beshram politicians to get the political millage out of 26/11 and to please their masters will shamelessly say this in front of national tv channels.
This shameless attitudes by politicians must stop taking aam admi for granted.
Let us not compare ourselves with anyone and surely not China. It is showing it's mighty power to the world not merely by making empty statements but by doing things that requires vision, planning, and technological skills. If China has developed so fast and taken the world by surprise and even threatened some of the world's economies and industries across their borders, It is only because of their "VISION" in place and right policies. They realized not too long back that communist theory has failed in totality and it only sounds good in books. But the most important lesson they learned was... a radical change in policies and vision for progress is the need of the hour. They immediately changed their approach and course. Unlike Indian political class. Well I don't wish to get into an argument with lot many Indians that China doesn't have democracy and the human rights are grossly violated. I accept all that, but today, that is not the point of discussion or debate nor of any argument or any relevance. It is merely a smart argument put forward by some politicians to cover their backs. However, you can't miss the most important point, that is... How, so fast they changed everything from nothing ? How they made such a impressive progress in every sector of the economy that the world is taken by surprise and few countries feel threatened? Whether you like it or not... China has surpassed many countries in their economic advancement and growth. The fact is ... at this rate and vision, China will soon become a Super Power !! When it becomes and how long it will take is all matter of any one's perception. But why are we not accepting the fact that today Chinese goods are seen all over the place all over the world. Can you deny that? What Japan was 50 years ago, China is today. Even in 50s, Japanese good's were classified as cheap imitations of German products. But look at Japan today. Everyone of us is asking for " Made in Japan " products. And proudly tell others, it is made in Japan. Don't you see China is going the same way? Whether you like it or not, In our case, lack of vision, no right policies, no short term or long term objectives, no political will and incompetent, corrupt politicians are heading the governments. The result is... poor governance and scams. What we read and see in the news is just the tip of the ice-burg. Yes, I can hear few voices saying... China could do it because there is no democracy. Surely, I agree to that to certain extent, but perusing a dynamic vision through new perspectives and new thinking is what India need to do in the larger interest of the country. We don't want to accept our wrong doings of the past 60 years. Our corrupt political class, corrupt bureaucracy, corrupt administration, corrupt governance and over and above, rudderless voyage with no vision in place, no political will and no national pride is at the bottom of our state of affairs today. The only argument over and over I hear from many is " please, don't paint us so black ! " We have not done that bad.? Or.. it is really a very pessimistic view and so very negative!! So will someone tell one billion people what is optimistic view? And what is positive thinking? Just the latest developments in EGYPT is a classic example of what happens when you keep fooling people all the time. Similar political situation where corruption, use of force, looting country's wealth, high prices, rich becoming richer and poor poorer, triggered the peoples movement against the mighty ruler who was looting the country for years. Thirty long years, people of EGYPT did display positive thinking, optimism, and a hope that things will improve but nothing of the sort happened. And one fine day... the sentiment of common people came to boiling point... when everyone said... "Enough is Enough" We are willing to brave the bullets but won't allow this loot of our country. Hosni Mubarak had to step down. Our politicians keep saying...our problem is huge population. It hampers our growth, development and progress. But China has the largest population in the world and still making progress? How? And the best part is... with all their own technical skills. Now I know, some Indians will say, China has a different political system and it is not Democracy. India has a problem because of Democracy. I accept the first part of argument and agree that, in a non -democratic political system the opposition in any form is non existing or not entertained. But who stopped Democratic government in India to provide uninterrupted power supply, clean hygienic water supply, good roads, good health and eduction facilities, good transportation, good effective governance and clean administration? Is it the people who voted politicians in power for the last 63 years stopped politicians from good, effective governance? Please... Don't insult our intelligence. Japan and Germany after second world war build themselves as industrial powers in last 50 years. We could not. You know why? It is the failure of our leadership and incompetent, corrupt political class who could not shape up our future in the right direction. It is a collective failure of our political governance that is responsible for this state of affairs which is sad, pathetic and outrageous. Don't think of China.... Look at China as an example. They have overcome all challenges. YES! What India needs is a leader with visionary power and a strong will, who is capable of facing challenges in all adverse conditions. Who is focused with highest principles and will not bend backward and forward for the lust of power. In one billion population... don't we have one, capable, competent, visionary? I am sure ... We do! I believe... we do! But I know, there is none from the present lot. So my fellow citizens... time has come to make that choice. Don't get fooled anymore. We need to think a lot before we cast our VOTE. Ajay Angre Author, Writer, Publisher. U-Said-it-Right
Why Air India is going into heavy losses and how corrupt politicians are looting public money.
Read the inside story told By Capt. Mathur.
There has been a lot of discussion in the media regarding foreign pilots (also known as “expat pilots”) in the aftermath of the tragic air accident at Mangalore.
The Minister of Civil aviation, many bureaucrats, airline officials and even a few journalists have gone to great lengths to explain how experienced foreign pilots hired by Air India and private airlines are essential to the Indian aviation industry.
A retired spokesperson of Air India, who has no business to speak on behalf of Air India anymore, has been repeatedly appearing on television to painstakingly explain how important foreign pilots are to the company.
Clearly the air disaster at Mangalore with a foreign pilot at the controls has made a lot of powerful people worried .Very worried.
The point however is not whether foreigners should be allowed in Indian carriers or not. Some of them are highly experienced and respected professionals who have undoubtedly made a huge contribution to the Indian airline industry. This article is not about them.
It is about a shady scheme on gargantuan proportions, backed by government policy and a well oiled system that feeds on unimaginable corruption, on a scale that would astonish every innocent fare paying air passenger.
Air India is a government run Public Sector Undertaking and thus, it is assumed that rules applicable to other government institutions meant to keep corruption under check would apply to it too. The Ministry of Defense, for example has strict rules debarring the involvement of private middlemen or brokers in facilitating defense contracts.
Other ministries have strict guidelines on the recruitment of qualified personnel or consultants where a transparent tendering process has to be adhered to.
In the case of Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express, such rules do not seem to apply at all.
Some years ago, the ministry of civil aviation that ran erstwhile Air India and Indian Airlines, cooked up unrealistic passenger growth projections and placed massive aircraft orders for Air India and Indian Airlines. Private airlines only too eager to float shares to rake in public money and capitalize on the hype jumped in the bandwagon. Overnight, hundreds of vacancies for pilots were created.
Air India began hiring foreign pilots in 2003.Other reputed companies like Singapore Airlines and various Gulf Airlines such as Emirates, recruit foreign nationals too but with great transparency. Foreign pilots hired by them are a part of the regular workforce and are directly hired, without involving middlemen, on local terms. European airlines do not hire non EU nationals.
In Air India’s case, no global tenders were floated for foreign recruitment firms and no advertisements in newspapers announcing vacancies for foreign nationals appeared. Bureaucrats and officials in Air India, hand in glove with their counterparts and politicians in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Labor, Home Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs and other agencies hastily cleared the proposal to hire foreign nationals and the policy of recruiting foreign pilots was established. Politicians of opposition parties were roped in and a cozy arrangement was made.
To bypass opposition from its own employees and to circumvent elaborate transparent recruitment procedures and various laws, a defunct subsidiary, Air India Charters Ltd was revived and used as the vehicle to issue foreigners contracts. Hence the hundreds of foreign pilots in Air India and Air Express are routed through Air India Charters Ltd through recruitment firms and then using a legal loophole, deputed to Air India and Air India Express.
Private firms comprising middlemen and brokers, with the respectable title of “Aviation Consultants” were approached and many of these, such as Rishworth Aviation, Parc Aviation and scores of others appeared out of the wood work. Overnight, new consulting agencies sprang up, some in murky tax havens like the Isle of Man and Channel Islands. All suddenly began to offer “experienced” pilots from all parts of the world. Many of these foreign pilots had and continue to have no clear track record. Some claim to have thousands of hours of flying experience in countries as diverse as Russia and Rwanda. Some of the airlines and countries (such as Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia) that these pilots flew in do not even exist anymore. No background checks are carried out by either Air India or the Indian Government. Strangely the agency of middlemen, or “consultant” supplying the pilots, is entrusted with this task.
Lucrative contracts were tailor-made to lure foreign pilots in droves. Decades of rules meant to harass Indian pilots such as stringent medical standards were waived off by the government for foreign pilots. Air India’s pilots who are Indian nationals, have to undergo a DGCA medical test known as a Class I medical examination and then are again subjected to an elaborate company medical test known as a Pre Employment Medical Examination (PEME).None of these apply to foreign nationals in India.
For example, an Indian pilot may not be allowed fly an Indian passenger aircraft wearing a pacemaker but a foreigner most probably would because the medical standards in his country allow it. There have been cases where Indian pilots who are permanently medically grounded by Indian authorities get foreign citizenship and foreign licenses and return to India to fly planes on “expat” terms. At least two such “foreign” pilots have served Air India on such a contract. In fact foreign pilots flying Indian registered aircraft are not even required to have Indian flying licenses! All they had to do is produce “proof “of experience and a foreign license and the DGCA issues a “temporary authorization”. Such “proof” of experience could be a fake certificate or a fake rubber stamp but nobody carries out a background check.
A foreign pilot is not legally answerable to the Indian DGCA since he does not have an Indian License. The DGCA can neither revoke nor suspend his flying license. Technically, an Indian Co Pilot involved in a serious air accident may lose his flying license and his job; whereas the pilot, if he is a foreigner can take the next flight home and start life on a clean slate!
To prevent the foreign pilots from coming under the ambit of direct taxes in India, the pilots are “officially” based in foreign countries such as Dubai and not given “local” terms of employment. Every month Air India pays the foreign recruitment agencies the salaries of these pilots along with a commission or “consultancy fees” to foreign bank accounts. This is turn trickles back to the various politicians and officials who patronize the system.
Not surprisingly, a foreign pilot who recently approached Air India for a job recently was asked to route his application through a recruitment agency! As a result ,hundreds of crores of income tax that would have normally gone tothe Indian Income Tax Department through TDS had these pilots been based in India, is diverted to foreign bank accounts in foreign countries
“Liaison officers” and “advisors”, meant to “facilitate” business interests, are regularly appointed by these foreign recruitment agencies to “liaise” with the various ministries and departments. Two of Air India’s senior most executives have retired in the past one year and have joined such firms as “liaison” officers. Another, a retired CMD, continues to show great personal interest in negotiating foreign pilots’ contracts on behalf of recruitment agencies.
Foreign pilots are provided more leave, sometimes up to ten days in a month – the justification being that they need to go home to be with their families. Indian pilots flying for Air India Express are made to go on postings for fifteen days at a stretch and given one day off at their home base. Ironically these Indian pilots spend three to four days every month with their families and the foreigners (who could be from neighboring Nepal or Dubai) spend more than a week to ten days every month on holiday.
Foreigners also get paid a higher salary and are entitled to five star hotel accommodations even when not flying. As a result, hundreds of hotel rooms are booked by Air India at exorbitant rates – a percentage of which presumably flows back to some officials.
This murky system in Air India of the past seven years has quietly gone unnoticed. As long as flights took off on time and passengers reached their destinations nobody really cared. Unions cried themselves hoarse- only to be drowned in the din of the money power of powerful lobbies and an ill informed media often hesitant to upset a mega industry that generates lucrative advertisement revenue
The air crash at Mangalore need not have necessarily been caused by an incompetent foreign pilot. This article is not meant to disrespect the majority of foreign pilots in India. But the larger issue of rampant corruption and greed must be addressed immediately. Little wonder that all the officials in the dishonest food chain are now working overtime to cover up the issue. Sadly the one hundred and fifty eight innocent people that have been killed cannot speak for themselves anymore.
Therefore we, the rest of the nation, must stand up in one voice to demand a CBI enquiry to unravel the mess. We cannot afford to wait for another air disaster to prove the politicians, bureaucrats and officials wrong.
Because the next time a shady foreign pilot from strange country with a dubious qualification or medical history crashes a plane, you and I could actually be on it.
Capt. RL Mathur
Dear Prime Minister,
You will say, these are only allegations. Anyone can make allegations. You need to prove charges.
Would you investigate these serious charges to expose the corruption in your government?
After all, it is a loot of public funds and you and your government is entrusted with the job to safeguard wealth that belongs to people of India. It is not a a Private Limited Company owned by one Proprietor?
