Either copy the text and replace Citizen of India(sign) by you name or download .doc from link at the end
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Mr. Chief Public Servant,
Manmohan Singh
We have suffered enough due to corruption. We are deeply hurt and disappointed with any lack of a real and meaningful solution from you and your government.
We want change, and we want accountability and we cannot wait any longer to have this! We will not vote for you if an effective anti-corruption bill is not enacted. Not the farce Lokpal Bill proposed by your government, but the peoples “Jan Lokpal Bill”. We want strict and effective punishment for the corrupt. They MUST go to jail! Or you Mr. PM, along with your party, will fall from the people’s grace. We assure you, stand by us, and we will stand by you. The opposite will also hold true.
Your government has appointed a GoM to draft the Lokpal Bill. This GoM includes -
Sharad Pawar,Veerapa Moily and Kapil Sibal. Mr. Pawar and Mr. Moily have a past of corruption and mis-deeds that the entire country if aware of. Mr. Sibal does not feel there was corruption in the 2G scam. Having these people draft the anti-corruption law – is it not an insult to the people of India? How can the corrupt be asked to draft an anti-corruption bill? We urge you to consider the choice put forth by the people – credible names such as Justice Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan, Shanti Bushan and others, to be part of the committee to draft the Lokpal Bill.
Shri Anna Hazare, one of the Greatest Social Reformers India has ever seen has announced a Fast Unto Death beginning April 5th. His demands are extremely beneficial for the future of India. We urge you to immediately accept the demands of the people of India represented by the demands of Shri Anna Hazare lest the discontent among the people grows out of control.
The sentiments against rampant corruption in this country are quickly becoming as strong as those that led to the uprising in Tahrir Square. The honest and hardworking people of this country refuse to be innocent bystanders in the wholesale public looting that is taking place as you read this letter. We request your immediate and strong response to this concern of the people as corruption should be the top priority of your government. If the challenge is not met effectively and promptly, it has the potential of undermining every valuable effort made by upright citizens of this country over the last century - including you. It also has the potential of leaving your government with a legacy of shame.
Tahrir square can yet be a reality in India.
We trust you will take immediate steps to give us our solution, and not force us to take the above steps!
Citizen of India
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English Ver.
Hindi Ver.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Anna’s letter to PM
India Against Corruption
A-119, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad – 201010. UP Ph: 09868069953
www.indiaagainstcorruption.org
Dated: 8th March, 2011
Dr Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
Sub: Our discussions regarding the Jan Lokpal Bill
Dear Dr Singh,
We thank you for the courtesies extended to the team of “India against Corruption (IAC)” when we met you on your invitation for discussion on the Jan Lokpal Bill.
At a time when the whole country is bleeding due to corruption, we are concerned that you expressed inability to act against corruption till 13th May due to ongoing Parliamentary session and forthcoming
assembly elections. You suggested that a “symbolic” meeting of a sub-committee of Group of Ministers could be held after 25th March with the representatives of IAC.
Rather than have this symbolic meeting, we feel that a genuine beginning could be made if the following steps were taken:
1. As written in my earlier letter to you, the government should immediately constitute a “Jan Lokpal Bill Committee (JLBC)” which should consist of five members of civil society (to be suggested by IAC) and an
equal number of members from the government to draft a Lokpal Bill on behalf of the Government. The committee should be headed by a civil society representative.
2. The JLBC should treat the Jan Lokpal Bill prepared by IAC as its working draft.
3. JLBC will submit its final report by 13th May 2011.
4. The report submitted by this committee should be treated as final and should not be subjected to scrutiny by yet another committee. Therefore, we request that such people from the government
should be included, who either have direct power to make decisions or would be in direct contact with key decision makers.
5. The government should introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill as prepared above in the monsoon session of Parliament, with a view to get it passed through both Houses of Parliament by the end of this year. This
was promised by you in the meeting.
I am continuing with my decision to start my indefinite fast from 5th April, unless the Government demonstrates its genuine intentions to act against corruption by implementing the above steps.
Yours sincerely
(Anna Hazare)
A-119, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad – 201010. UP Ph: 09868069953
www.indiaagainstcorruption.org
Dated: 8th March, 2011
Dr Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
Sub: Our discussions regarding the Jan Lokpal Bill
Dear Dr Singh,
We thank you for the courtesies extended to the team of “India against Corruption (IAC)” when we met you on your invitation for discussion on the Jan Lokpal Bill.
At a time when the whole country is bleeding due to corruption, we are concerned that you expressed inability to act against corruption till 13th May due to ongoing Parliamentary session and forthcoming
assembly elections. You suggested that a “symbolic” meeting of a sub-committee of Group of Ministers could be held after 25th March with the representatives of IAC.
Rather than have this symbolic meeting, we feel that a genuine beginning could be made if the following steps were taken:
1. As written in my earlier letter to you, the government should immediately constitute a “Jan Lokpal Bill Committee (JLBC)” which should consist of five members of civil society (to be suggested by IAC) and an
equal number of members from the government to draft a Lokpal Bill on behalf of the Government. The committee should be headed by a civil society representative.
2. The JLBC should treat the Jan Lokpal Bill prepared by IAC as its working draft.
3. JLBC will submit its final report by 13th May 2011.
4. The report submitted by this committee should be treated as final and should not be subjected to scrutiny by yet another committee. Therefore, we request that such people from the government
should be included, who either have direct power to make decisions or would be in direct contact with key decision makers.
5. The government should introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill as prepared above in the monsoon session of Parliament, with a view to get it passed through both Houses of Parliament by the end of this year. This
was promised by you in the meeting.
I am continuing with my decision to start my indefinite fast from 5th April, unless the Government demonstrates its genuine intentions to act against corruption by implementing the above steps.
Yours sincerely
(Anna Hazare)
SILENT FEATURES OF NEW LOKPAL BILL
1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up
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2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.
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3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.
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4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.
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5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.
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6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month’s time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.
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7. But won’t the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won’t be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.
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8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.
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9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.
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10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.
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2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month’s time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. But won’t the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won’t be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.
WHO IS ANNA HAZARE??
Kisan Baburao Hazare (Marathi: किसन बाबुराव हजारे) (born 15 January 1940), popularly known as Anna Hazare (Marathi: अण्णा हजारे), is a pre-eminent Indian social activist who is especially recognised for his contribution to the development of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Parner taluka of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India and his efforts for establishing it as a model village, for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India in 1992.
On 5 April 2011, Hazare started a 'fast unto death' to exert pressure on the government of India to enact a strong anti-corruption act as envisaged in the Jan Lokpal Bill, a law that will establish a Lokpal (ombudsman) that will have the power to deal with corruption in public offices. The fast led to nation wide protests in support of Hazare. The fast ended on 9 April 2011, the day after all of Hazare's demands were agreed by the government of India and the government issued a gazette notification on the formation of a joint committee (of government and civil society representatives) to draft an effective Lokpal Bill
Anna Hazare started his career as a driver in the Indian Army in 1963. He spent his spare time reading the books of Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave that inspired him to become a social worker and activist. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he was the only survivor in a border exchange of fire, while driving a truck. During the mid-1970s he survived a road accident while driving.
Awards
2011 - Rabindranath Tagore International Peace Prize, awarded by the Indian Institute of Planning and Management.
2008 - On 15 April 2008, Anna Hazare received the World Bank's 2008 Jit Gill Memorial Award for ::Outstanding Public Service: "Hazare created a thriving model village in Ralegaon Siddhi, in the impoverished Ahmednagar region of Maharashtra state, and championed the right to information and the fight against corruption."
1992 - Padma Bhushan award, by the Government of India
1990 - Padma Shri award, by the Government of India
1989 - Krishi Bhushana award by the Government of Maharashtra.
1986 - Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra award by the Government of India on 19 November 1986 from the hands of Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
TOP 10 CORRUPTION SCAMS IN INDIA
This is the season of scams and the biggest ever corruption cases in India have been unearthed more recently. So, we decided to dig deep to see which scams were the biggest and most damaging to the country and its citizens alike.
In our daily life, most of us must have been a witness to or a victim of the corruption thriving in some or the other part of the country. It could be in the form of a taxi-driver manipulating the meter to jack-up the reading or a government officer taking bribery to promptly transfer your file to the next department or even yourself offering bribe to a traffic police on breaking a signal.
However, it is during a multi-thousand crore scam, that a tax-payer actually realizes the heartburn of being cheated from his valued contribution of funds towards the development and well-being of the nation. But, that’s what a scam, be it big or small, means – the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme or action.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) 2G Spectrum Scam
We have had a number of scams in India; but none bigger than the scam involving the process of allocating unified access service licenses. At the heart of this Rs.1.76-lakh crore worth of scam is the former Telecom minister A Raja – who according to the CAG, has evaded norms at every level as he carried out the dubious 2G license awards in 2008 at a throw-away price which were pegged at 2001 prices.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Commonwealth Games Scam
Another feather in the cap of Indian scandal list is Commonwealth Games loot. Yes, literally a loot! Even before the long awaited sporting bonanza could see the day of light, the grand event was soaked in the allegations of corruption. It is estimated that out of Rs. 70000 crore spent on the Games, only half the said amount was spent on Indian sportspersons.
The Central Vigilance Commission, involved in probing the alleged corruption in various Commonwealth Games-related projects, has found discrepancies in tenders – like payment to non-existent parties, will-ful delays in execution of contracts, over-inflated price and bungling in purchase of equipment through tendering – and misappropriation of funds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Telgi Scam
As they say, every scam must have something unique in it to make money out of it in an unscrupulous manner- and Telgi scam had all the suspense and drama that the scandal needed to thrive and be busted.
Abdul Karim Telgi had mastered the art of forgery in printing duplicate stamp papers and sold them to banks and other institutions. The tentacles of the fake stamp and stamp paper case had penetrated 12 states and was estimated at a whooping Rs. 20000 crore plus. The Telgi clearly had a lot of support from government departments that were responsible for the production and sale of high security stamps.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Satyam Scam
The scam at Satyam Computer Services is something that will shatter the peace and tranquillity of Indian investors and shareholder community beyond repair. Satyam is the biggest fraud in the corporate history to the tune of Rs. 14000 crore.
The company’s disgraced former chairman Ramalinga Raju kept everyone in the dark for a decade by fudging the books of accounts for several years and inflating revenues and profit figures of Satyam. Finally, the company was taken over by the Tech Mahindra which has done wonderfully well to revive the brand Satyam.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Bofors Scam
The Bofors scandal is known as the hallmark of Indian corruption. The Bofors scam was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s; when the then PM Rajiv Gandhi and several others including a powerful NRI family named the Hindujas, were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India’s 155 mm field howitzer.
The Swedish State Radio had broadcast a startling report about an undercover operation carried out by Bofors, Sweden’s biggest arms manufacturer, whereby $16 million were allegedly paid to members of PM Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress.
Most of all, the Bofors scam had a strong emotional appeal because it was a scam related to the defense services and India’s security interests.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) The Fodder Scam
If you haven’t heard of Bihar’s fodder scam of 1996, you might still be able to recognize it by the name of “Chara Ghotala ,” as it is popularly known in the vernacular language.
In this corruption scandal worth Rs.900 crore, an unholy nexus was traced involved in fabrication of “vast herds of fictitious livestock” for which fodder, medicine and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) The Hawala Scandal
The Hawala case to the tune of $18 million bribery scandal, which came in the open in 1996, involved payments allegedly received by country’s leading politicians through hawala brokers. From the list of those accused also included Lal Krishna Advani who was then the Leader of Opposition.
Thus, for the first time in Indian politics, it gave a feeling of open loot all around the public, involving all the major political players being accused of having accepted bribes and also alleged connections about payments being channelled to Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Kashmir.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) IPL Scam
Well, I am running out of time and space over here. The list of scandals in India is just not ending and becoming grave by every decade. Most of us are aware about the recent scam in IPL and embezzlement with respect to bidding for various franchisees. The scandal already claimed the portfolios of two big-wigs in the form of Shashi Tharoor and former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9,10) Harshad Mehta & Ketan Parekh Stock Market Scam
Although not corruption scams, these have affected many people. There is no way that the investor community could forget the unfortunate Rs. 4000 crore Harshad Mehta scam and over Rs. 1000 crore Ketan Parekh scam which eroded the shareholders wealth in form of big market jolt.
In our daily life, most of us must have been a witness to or a victim of the corruption thriving in some or the other part of the country. It could be in the form of a taxi-driver manipulating the meter to jack-up the reading or a government officer taking bribery to promptly transfer your file to the next department or even yourself offering bribe to a traffic police on breaking a signal.
However, it is during a multi-thousand crore scam, that a tax-payer actually realizes the heartburn of being cheated from his valued contribution of funds towards the development and well-being of the nation. But, that’s what a scam, be it big or small, means – the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme or action.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) 2G Spectrum Scam
We have had a number of scams in India; but none bigger than the scam involving the process of allocating unified access service licenses. At the heart of this Rs.1.76-lakh crore worth of scam is the former Telecom minister A Raja – who according to the CAG, has evaded norms at every level as he carried out the dubious 2G license awards in 2008 at a throw-away price which were pegged at 2001 prices.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Commonwealth Games Scam
Another feather in the cap of Indian scandal list is Commonwealth Games loot. Yes, literally a loot! Even before the long awaited sporting bonanza could see the day of light, the grand event was soaked in the allegations of corruption. It is estimated that out of Rs. 70000 crore spent on the Games, only half the said amount was spent on Indian sportspersons.
The Central Vigilance Commission, involved in probing the alleged corruption in various Commonwealth Games-related projects, has found discrepancies in tenders – like payment to non-existent parties, will-ful delays in execution of contracts, over-inflated price and bungling in purchase of equipment through tendering – and misappropriation of funds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Telgi Scam
As they say, every scam must have something unique in it to make money out of it in an unscrupulous manner- and Telgi scam had all the suspense and drama that the scandal needed to thrive and be busted.
Abdul Karim Telgi had mastered the art of forgery in printing duplicate stamp papers and sold them to banks and other institutions. The tentacles of the fake stamp and stamp paper case had penetrated 12 states and was estimated at a whooping Rs. 20000 crore plus. The Telgi clearly had a lot of support from government departments that were responsible for the production and sale of high security stamps.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Satyam Scam
The scam at Satyam Computer Services is something that will shatter the peace and tranquillity of Indian investors and shareholder community beyond repair. Satyam is the biggest fraud in the corporate history to the tune of Rs. 14000 crore.
The company’s disgraced former chairman Ramalinga Raju kept everyone in the dark for a decade by fudging the books of accounts for several years and inflating revenues and profit figures of Satyam. Finally, the company was taken over by the Tech Mahindra which has done wonderfully well to revive the brand Satyam.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Bofors Scam
The Bofors scandal is known as the hallmark of Indian corruption. The Bofors scam was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s; when the then PM Rajiv Gandhi and several others including a powerful NRI family named the Hindujas, were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India’s 155 mm field howitzer.
The Swedish State Radio had broadcast a startling report about an undercover operation carried out by Bofors, Sweden’s biggest arms manufacturer, whereby $16 million were allegedly paid to members of PM Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress.
Most of all, the Bofors scam had a strong emotional appeal because it was a scam related to the defense services and India’s security interests.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) The Fodder Scam
If you haven’t heard of Bihar’s fodder scam of 1996, you might still be able to recognize it by the name of “Chara Ghotala ,” as it is popularly known in the vernacular language.
In this corruption scandal worth Rs.900 crore, an unholy nexus was traced involved in fabrication of “vast herds of fictitious livestock” for which fodder, medicine and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) The Hawala Scandal
The Hawala case to the tune of $18 million bribery scandal, which came in the open in 1996, involved payments allegedly received by country’s leading politicians through hawala brokers. From the list of those accused also included Lal Krishna Advani who was then the Leader of Opposition.
Thus, for the first time in Indian politics, it gave a feeling of open loot all around the public, involving all the major political players being accused of having accepted bribes and also alleged connections about payments being channelled to Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Kashmir.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8) IPL Scam
Well, I am running out of time and space over here. The list of scandals in India is just not ending and becoming grave by every decade. Most of us are aware about the recent scam in IPL and embezzlement with respect to bidding for various franchisees. The scandal already claimed the portfolios of two big-wigs in the form of Shashi Tharoor and former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9,10) Harshad Mehta & Ketan Parekh Stock Market Scam
Although not corruption scams, these have affected many people. There is no way that the investor community could forget the unfortunate Rs. 4000 crore Harshad Mehta scam and over Rs. 1000 crore Ketan Parekh scam which eroded the shareholders wealth in form of big market jolt.
Starting
Starting with the introduction...let me introduce you some killer facts of corruption....
from a reliable source:
Indians have $1456 billion in Swiss banks. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country’s foreign debt. With this amount every indian gets Rs.50,000. Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India, the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of the interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.
Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of the following countries:
Top five
India---- $1456 billion
Russia---$ 470 billion
UK-------$390 billion
Ukraine- $100 billion
China-----$ 96 billion
Now do the maths - India with $1456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined. Public loot since 1947: Can we bring back our money? It is one of the biggest loots witnessed by mankind -- the loot of the Aam Aadmi (common man) since 1947, by his brethren occupying public office. It has been orchestrated by politicians, bureaucrats and some businessmen. The list is almost all-encompassing. No wonder, everyone in India loots with impunity and without any fear.
from a reliable source:
Indians have $1456 billion in Swiss banks. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country’s foreign debt. With this amount every indian gets Rs.50,000. Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India, the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of the interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.
Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of the following countries:
Top five
India---- $1456 billion
Russia---$ 470 billion
UK-------$390 billion
Ukraine- $100 billion
China-----$ 96 billion
Now do the maths - India with $1456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined. Public loot since 1947: Can we bring back our money? It is one of the biggest loots witnessed by mankind -- the loot of the Aam Aadmi (common man) since 1947, by his brethren occupying public office. It has been orchestrated by politicians, bureaucrats and some businessmen. The list is almost all-encompassing. No wonder, everyone in India loots with impunity and without any fear.
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