Whispers Forum

DEBATE(1)
The country with a lot of difficulty has got a Prime Minister who is honest i.e. Narendra Modi. He is the first Prime Minister of this country, who pays out of his pocket for his monthly expenditure in the Prime Minister's Residence. Even Atalji and Sardar ji lived at the exchequer's cost in the PM's residence. Modi is religious and spiritual. During the two Navratras, he only consumes only warm water all through. He neither smokes nor drinks. Even Atalji enjoyed his evening whisky. During his tenure both as CM and PM all the gifts which he had received have been auctioned by the National Modern Art Gallery. The proceeds received have all gone into the Government exchequer. Last but not the least, there is no 'bol bala' of beti, beta, damaad, bhatija, bathji and biwi in the Prime Minister's Office. Dawood Abrahim is a pal of Sharad Pawar.
Anurag Srivastava
DEBATE(2)
If the present incumbent finds fit, he can be installed as Prime Minister for the third consecutive time. Opposition leaders are yet to be exalted to the position of Narendra Modi being able to strike an emotional chord with the voters.
Ramkumar
Heartburn among various services over empanelment at JS level and above
There is a lot of heartburn among various services about being empanelled for various posts of Joint Secretary and above. The way out is to have an annual examination that can be taken online by the UPSC which the officers can take. The examination sheets should be coded so that there is no identification. The officers can be graded and empanelled as per category viz, General, OBC, SC, ST, Women etc. depending on their results, if they have vigilance clearance. For posting empanelled officers, IB reports may be taken into account. This will be a simple, transparent system which will be objective. No service will have an upper hand and no service will be a loser.
Vijay Kumar
NITI Aayog and Ministries
Observers of the Govt. functioning are wondering about the increasing importance being given to NITI Aayog in various issues. It is expected that it is only an advisory body and should not get involved in operational matters which the Ministries ought to handle and take responsibility for. Of late, they have been even conducting press conferences even where the matter ought to be handled by the concerned Ministries. The key question in the minds of the observers is: whether the Ministries are conveniently not making proposals or decisions which logically should be their responsibility and rather leaving them for Niti Aayog. If this is so, it does not bode well for long term governance if ministries are implicitly abdicating their own responsibilities.
A. K. Singh

DEBATE(1)
Nitish Kumar is still PM face provided he is backed by the entire opposition.
J K Joshi
DEBATE(2)
After Modi Who ? Our PM is just 71 years old. President Biden of USA was 79 years old coming into office. As long as good health, active mind, yoga, are in his lifestyle, he has a good decade ahead of him . The grooming of the next generation of politicians in the party has commenced. To run a billion plus sub continent nation requires deep political skills. The next generation of politicians need to hone their political, administrative and National Security skills in many portfolios to be totally ready. Currently this question should be modified to “ Which politicians are being groomed ?”
Devindra Sethi
Representation of IAS at AS level ?
What about representation of IAS at Additional Secretary (AS) level? Officers from other central services represent the bulk of the 70% post of JS but their representation in AS level is very low for reasons not known.
Prashanth
It’s government discretion, not a matter of debate!
Raising the retirement age or not is a decision for the Government to take. No debate can influence the decision, either way.
Vijay Kumar

DEBATE(1)
I fully agree with the views expressed by A K Saxena, leaders emerge during crisis, no one on this earth is indispensable or perfect, life too is not a permanent feature especially when all of us know that each moment of life is a fixed match right from birth till death. If we go by India's democratic history, this has happened so many times since independence. Hence it is certainly a fake misconception floated by the dispensation that who after Modi?
Harish Kumar
DEBATE (2)
In opposition Sharad Pawar and Mamta Banerjee and in BJP Shivraj Singh Chauhan who is acceptable face.
Girja Shankar
Suggestion worth consideration
Suggestion of Harish Kumar is worth consideration. Once somebody completes sixty years, he must retire and get his retirement dues. If he wants to serve after that, he should sacrifice the privileges of the post by taking salary of Rs 1/, smaller accommodation, smaller vehicle etc. This will set example of simple living and high thinking.
AK
Interesting reading
It is interesting to read comments about for and against increase in the retirement age from 60 to 62 for the Govt. employees. Those who are against it would even wish the bureaucracy to be weeded out because they consider many of them as 'deadwood'. Interestingly these persons had their heyday when they were in service. I think the bureaucracy is under tremendous pressure. What with working hours stretching (For the senior civil servants especially from Joint Secretary level and above) to more than 12 hours. There is this common practice now not to appoint successors now when someone retires or gets transferred. Additional charge is given to another officer. To quote one example when previous DoPT Secretary retired Home Secretary was given the additional charge of that position. He held it for months. This time again when DoPT Secretary was transferred , his additional charge was again given to Home Secretary( as if Home Secretary has little work)There are scores of such cases of additional charges. This is like sucking every ounce of stamina and energy out of the bureaucrats at that level. Are they ', deadwood'? Many of them are nearing 60 when they are able to work that long and hard. These days 60 is not old. So there is certainly a case to keep them working till 62. After all, the Government does give extensions or re employ many after the age of 60. If those are fit after that age others are too. Raising the retirement age to 62 has a rationale.
Aarti Khosla
Cartoons of Arushi are outstanding !
The cartoons of Arushi Mehrotra are outstanding! She keeps them updated with the current happenings in the politics and comes out as a Political Satire. She definitely has a good future in journalism. Best wishes
Natarajan Iyer

DEBATE(1)
I believe, Modi in 2024 again as PM with seats above 400 and after that Amit Shah appears to be the most deserving candidate for PM.
Madhu Kapoor
DEBATE (2)
As I see it, three politicians who are fit to succeed Modi are Navin Patnaik, Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh, provided age does not come in their way.
Kumar
DEBATE (2)
A K Saxena's comments on "Who after Modi" clearly shows that he's anti Modi. His analysis lacks conviction and wants to blame the present dispensation for everything. No doubt the Prime Minister in his seven years has done a lot for the overall improvement and has managed all the crisis. I challenge if not Modi, who would have ventured for Made in India vaccine and we are almost into the 80 crore mark. We would have been begging other nations to supply vaccines if this PM is not here. We are a large country and have multiple problems. He is addressing everything and trying to give justice. He will go into the history books as the bestest (superlative - my bosses have used this term) Prime Minister of India. Hope everyone understands already now
Ramesh
Retirement age
Govt should not consider to increase retirement age above 60 years. By and large productivity is very low by reaching age of 60 and majority become burden on Govt. Huge unemployment in country, hence chance to be given to young blood. In my view retirement age may be reduced to 55 years.
R K Upadhyay

DEBATE(1)
I suggest the name of Ratan Tata as the PM with Manmohan Singh as the Finance Minister.
Paarth Garg
DEBATE (2)
Difficult to answer this question. In opposition Sharad Pawar is a well experienced politician who can lead this country.
B Sen
Give jobs to youngsters in need
Never increase it more than 60 years. Give those jobs to youngsters who are actually in need of it.
Jayaram A S

DEBATE (1)
As I see it, three politicians who are fit to succeed Mr Modi are Mr Navin Patnaik, Mr Nitin Gadkari and Mr Rajnath Singh, provided age does not come in their way.
Kumar
DEBATE(2)
“ After Modi,Who? ”
I am filled with a sense of déjà vu. A similar question arose during Pt Nehru’s failing health. Nothing unusual happened after his passing away. Shastri ji emerged from out of the blue. Nature is supposed to take care of such eventuality and fill the void. No one is indispensable. Everyone is replaceable.
Coming to the pointed question : After Modi, Who, I would like to be upfront and fiercely independent .I hope my views are published in this site, irrespective of whether these support the present dispensation or not.
It would be inappropriate to suggest that Modi is matchless. We, Indians revel in raising the question : "After Nehru, who?", "After Indira, who?", "After Rajiv, who?", and now, "After Modi, who?" And, every time, voters themselves provide the answer. This is the beauty of Parliamentary democracy.
If, anyone expects the WIC surfers to name Amit Shah, Yogi and Nitin Gadkari as the three hopefuls for PM’s post, it would be mistaken. Rajnath Singh cannot be left out and many more. A bitter intra- party conflict would ensue. PM Modi is, at least, holding the flock together.
But, at what cost? The dividing line between the Union of India and BJP functionaries is very thin, almost non-existent. Public memory is no longer short. It remembers the travails of de-monetisation, GST , farmers’ distress, question marks on defence deals , cast-based polarization of votes, assets monetization, Pegasus etc. Much would depend on the outcome of results in assemblies elections and the fighting spirit of the weak opposition. It would be premature, at this stage, to make a guess on “Who, after Modi”? Turn of events could throw up new possibilities, new personalities, new permutations and combinations.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

DEBATE (1)
2) Amit Shah
3) Himanta Biswa Sarma
Ashok Das
DEBATE(2)
Amit Shah is the second best
Ranju Kumar
DEBATE (3)
Narendra Modi himself once again in 2024.
Yogi ji CM Uttar Pradesh
Amit Shah ji, Home Minister India.
Kedar Kaushik
Unresponsive ministries
The PM had laid great emphasis on Transparency and Accountability initially. Over the period, the response mechanism from the government ministers and the ministries has remained lackluster. Suggestions made to any Minister or Ministry is never even acknowledged. There was a time when Ministers like Mr. Suresh Prabhu not only used to acknowledge such suggestions but also used to respond or ensure response from lower levels. Bureaucrats like Mt. Hasmukh Adhia would also respond to suggestions etc. Perhaps, even the Write to PM responses is also not satisfactory. All this is resulting in building up a rather unfavorable impression of the Govt. Will the PM take strong steps? We will wait and see.
N Ramu
World over retirement age is 65
Completely agree. World over retirement age is 65. People perform their best after 55. Hence 10 year of quality work will help government, company and employees.
Venkateswaran P. K.
Not correct in view of the unemployment situation
It is right that people may work after 60 years also but keeping in view the unemployment situation for youth it is very difficult to manage as they are sitting idle.
Ashok

DEBATE (1)
At present difficult to answer this question. Only God knows who will be the PM after Narendra Modi.
N C Kand
DEBATE (2)
Image wise Naveen Patnaik can make good PM.
M K Mishra
Do not increase retirement age
No need to increase retirement age as unemployment is a greater problem for coming generation.
Bibhuti Bebarta
Don’t raise retirement age
No retirement age should not be raised.
Prabir Kumar Roy

DEBATE(2)
Rahul Gandhi is not bad as he is being depicted by the IT Cell of the BJP in the Social Media.
D K Gandhi
DEBATE (2)
Gadkari and Adityanath for PM
In BJP Nitin Gadhkari and Yogi Aditya Nath are now PM Material. In other political parties you have to think twice.
R K Chari
Raise retirement age
Retirement Age of Maharashtra government employees should also raised to 62 ,with retrospective effect from 1 April 2021. Now Retirement Age of Maharashtra govt. employees is 58 , which is less than Central govt employees who are having Retirement age 60. Also most of the States in India having Retirement Age 60 and more.
Mohan
Retirement age should certainly not be raised
Certainly not. Almost all lose steam at the age of 60 to perform notwithstanding the improved health. In fact it should be reduced to 58 like before .
Rajeev

DEBATE (1)
One has to strain his mind to replay to this question. From North to South, you have to think as to who can be the successor to Modi.
D P Devgan
Correct assessment
Only 1% is assets in Government, rest all are indeed liabilities. Burden on taxpayers.
S Meenakshi Sundaram
Govt should not loose experienced people
Yes, at 60 yrs more than 90% of employees are very healthy as such government should not lose such experienced people and can think of increasing the retirement age to 62 years based on annual performance and medical fitness report.
Shankar
“Cut the flabby flesh”
I agree with Harish Kumar’s views in WIC (Sept 13, 2021).Instead of raising the age of retirement in UoI, it would be more meaningful to drastically truncate the bureaucracy by chopping the dead wood. Needless appointment of “consultants”, must be banned. This is an unnecessary drain on public exchequer without proportionate benefits. Minimum government, maximum governance.
A K Saxena (A former civil servant)

GoI is thinking of increasing retirement age due to non availability of funds for payment of heavy retirement benefits, excuse being taken is increase in life expectancy. I feel this is not worth it as 90% are duds in GoI. I would suggest letting everyone retire at 60. Those who are healthy and are sincere can be hired as consultants on a token salary of Re 1 without any age barrier till they are healthy. I am close to 73 am prepared to still work @ token honorarium of Re 1. GoI i.e. DoPT must give it a thought.
Harish Kumar
Indians can work at 62 years
Yes, the retirement age can be increased to 62. Indians can work.
Basavaraj

Many decades back, whenever a governor or a chief minister visited any district, the entire administrative machinery would turn upside down to make sure that everything goes on well. This trend was more keen and acute in southern Punjab Malwa district. A TPM from Chandigarh mentioning tour programme of such dignitaries, would trigger chain of meetings to make arrangements for their stay, catering and spot visits etc. The GA to deputy commissioner would then speak to SDMs, Tehsildars, DFSC, and AETC etc for arranging money for the visit. Some officials would be sent to Ludhiana and Chandigarh to bring brown bread and other rarely available delicacies of liking of the dignitaries. Some revenue officials would be asked to arrange partridges, quails, and junglee murgas etc and renowned cooks for making sumptuous dishes. In a particular district,a very well known SDM, was a master of such situations and whenever he was made in-charge of such rare occasions, he would bring laurels for his bosses. During one such visit at the heights of militancy, he made such splendid arrangements during the visit of a governor. The governor was so happy with the food arrangements that he specially mentioned it to the the deputy commissioner. The deputy commissioner was a nice old man. At the end of the tour, when the governor was about to depart, the deputy commissioner, called the SDM and told the governor that all the catering arrangements were made by him. The governor very happily remarked, ''Splendid ! You are a very good cook ! You are a very good cook !. ''In his heart of heart the SDM felt embarrassed as he was taken for a cook. The effect of applause by a governor, during governor's rule, was too overpowering on the deputy commissioner to correct him and tell that he was SDM and not a cook.
It is generally said that the good human beings are also good cooks. Recently, the chief minister of Punjab, has hosted the winners of medals in Olympics in a unique way. He has personally cooked royal food for them .Punjab has been contributing gold medals in the Indian kitty even before independence by producing super players in Olympics hockey In Olympics athletics, earlier Milkha Singh had got 4th position in 400 metres race, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa had got 5th position in 400 metres hurdles, and this time in Tokyo Kamalpreet Kaur has got 5th position in discuss throw. It was legendary Milkha Singh's dream to see a medal in athletics in Olympics. Neeraj Chopra has won a gold medal in javelin, but he belongs to Haryana, erstwhile part of Punjab. He was especially feted on the occasion. Had Amarinder Singh announced before the start of the Tokyo Olympics that he would host the winners and serve them delicacies cooked by him personally, may be Punjab's performance would have been better. The winners must have enjoyed the rare royal delicacies prepared by the cm and they may cherish the memories. I remember, the then chief minister of Punjab had undertaken the full responsibility of preparing the Indian hockey team for the 1975 world cup and it is now a history that Indian had won this cup then. Presently Odisha CM has been doing this work. Now doubt, it was at the initiative of cm that a sports university has been established at Patiala, but to promote sports in the state except hollow slogan of 'khelo Punjab', nothing is visible. Definitely the participants in this rare royal elegant feast would say, ''CM is a very good cook, he is a very good cook!''
Surinderjit Singh Sandhu