Whispers Forum

Yes, retirement age should be increased to 62
Prabhat Singh Jamwal
GWMC officials occupy private land illegally !
Dear Sir: I am a US citizen and PIO card holder. I have retired from US federal department of defence last year and trying my best to settle in Hyderabad. However, I have some issues with Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC ) officials as they have trespassed into my land, constructing illegal buildings. GWMC is silent due to local politics and money trail to various building inspectors. Kindly help me and also reply with your email so as to send more details.
Ravindra Sena

Government is not serious on this issue even knowing that it is the only organisation on which life of nation is dependent because it is 24*7 live even in the pandemic. Due to this kind of situation decision making got suffered. So government should appoint members from the regular officers because they are well acquainted with the government policy and contract conditions. Regular Officials are working round the clock but in the absence of members from the permanent cadre, only dependent on officers from other organisation who come for limited period. It’s the only organisation who doesn’t get appreciation even performed very well.
Kumar

A very good initiative started by Post Offices to provide doorstep services including Aadhaar related using services of Post Man and Gramin Dak Sevaks . It will make life easier for people living in villages and towns. We have good India Post Payments banks network consisting of nearly 650 Payment Banks. In all we have approximately 1,50,000 post offices, sub post offices, branch post offices etc. and using most probably Finacle software for Core banking Services. Financial Services are now available on digital platform and services can be used in any place throughout India. But still to open an account and maintain it, it requires local address for KYC or its update which is blocking the growth of business. For example a person from Bihar moves to J&K and another person moves from Assam to Bangalore and having Aadhaar with Bihar and Assam addresses respectively. They should be allowed to open a account in J&K and Bangalore Post office with their present addresses in IDs. It is humbly submitted to Hon'ble Minister for Communications, Electronics and IT to please dispensed with requirement of local address in opening and maintaining the accounts in Post Offices. The address given in Aadhaar can be taken for opening an account along with PAN, mobile number and e-mail address. These four or three IDs-Aadhaar, PAN and mobile number should be sufficient to open an account any where in the country ir-respective of address location given in Aadhaar. Meaning thereby Bihar person can open an account in J&K and Assam person can open an account in Bangalore with their present IDs. This will ease out many problems of general public of KYC and its update.. Now we may have Digital bank where banking services will be provided on digital platform and may not be having many branches of the bank. They will all authenticate their IDs, mobile numbers, PAN cards and e-mail addresses online and services will be made available. We may adopt similar approach for the growth of post office business and services. We should remember the Kodak case not adopting the change in technology and ultimately Kodak lost the market. In villages and small towns where bank branches are not available, post offices are only solution to provide financial services. We should strengthen further with practical and pragmatic approach so the people can get services with ease not with restrictions. Hon'ble Minister may consider the request for dispensing with local address requirement for opening an account and maintaining it in post offices.
Naveen

There are so many laws with regard to urban construction in India. They are openly flouted, bribes are paid to Municipal staff and nothing happens. Land grabbing is rampant, nobody takes any action, title suits are filed, cases drag on for thirty years, till the complainant gets old and incapable of following up cases, which are then dismissed for default. It is high time the law of Torts is strengthened in India. People should be able to sue for damages and get awards of hefty damages for personal wrongs done to them, just like in the USA. This will also reduce the rampant law breaking and bribery.
Naveen

Gujarat state has passed an anti land grabbing law. As usual, Gujarat has shown the way. This law should be passed by all states in order to reduce instances of land grabbing which is now rampant all over India.
Vijay Kumar
Youth must be given opportunity
Sir, thank you for raising this issue. I am also of the view, youths have good academic skills and energy should be given preference, otherwise they will be disappointed for not getting job. They must be given opportunity to gain experience and understand the work of govt machinery. Not everybody is expert in this world. Everyone has to start afresh and will get experience.
Kiran Nayyar

Navin has highlighted a very genuine problem in his note" KYC and its updates". His suggested remedy is also very simple and therefore effective. Many who are forced to change their residence due to transfer or retirement etc are facing a genuine problem for local address. For example, a person who because of old age chose to move and relocate to his son'/daughter's residence is not able to open a bank account in his new place of residence since he has no address proof. I join Navin in appealing to the authorities to waive off the need for local address.
Raghavan
Sunil Paliwal appointed as Chairperson, Chennai Port Trust
Congratulations. Welcome to the family of Chennai Port, where once upon a time I was official Trustee and Independent Director in KPL.
A R Rao

The private sector is generally confused. So long as the economy is doing well, their top brass take home more than twenty times the salaries as compared to their equally educated, equally talented and equally hard working counterparts in the government services (who are also IIT and IIM graduates). Happy with the money rolling in, they look down upon their lesser paid government counterparts, label them as inefficient, corrupt, etc. and look forward to more and more "privatization". They do not save much, splurge on parties and a luxurious life. The real economy being cyclic, there will always be a downturn. Once cyclical recession or stagflation sets in, their salaries are cut, for obvious reasons. Though even then they get more than their equally educated, equally talented, equally hard working IIT and IIM educated government counterparts, they get acutely jealous of the so called "job security" in government. Then they spew their venom all over the place. They should remember that one cannot have one's cake and eat it too.
Vijay Kumar
Pothole problem in Hyderabad also
In Hyderabad also, we have pothole problem. But there are more dangerous things to negotiate on the roads. Two wheelers, three wheelers routinely drive in the opposite direction and at high speed. Police does not take any action. Then traffic does not stop for pedestrian crossing. In fact there is no such system in Hyderabad even at major crossings where four/five roads meet. You have to crossroad while traffic is moving. There is no over bridge also. Central Ministry should come and see the situation here. One can die any moment on the road.
A K

It is a mystery why candidates in Panchayat elections spend exorbitant amounts of money on their elections. Sarpanch/ Mukhiya etc. seem to have become posts in great demand for which candidates are willing to invest huge amounts. This is especially so in states like Bihar. What could be the reason?
Vijay Kumar
Chief Economic Adviser looks like a third wheel
Why have a Chief Economic Adviser in the first place? He just looks like a third wheel !
Rajan
Why exile from public life ?
The record shows that very few dignitaries express their views through print media on the issues concerning public life and their upliftment. Our Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu is one such dignitary who shares his thoughts with the public. Ministers and even high profile one, once dropped from the council of ministers, hibernate themselves as if their own identity was zero. Are they not free to write, speak on the issues which affect the common man's life? They should contribute and share their thoughts, experience as ministers for the benefit of us. This is also one of the methods to strengthen democracy.
Raj Kumar Thakur