Corrupt officials corrupt everything, Madras high court says
L Saravanan | TNN | Jan 30, 2018, 19:26 IST

 

MADURAI: What people could expect from those who got government jobs by giving bribes to politicians and officials, asked Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Tuesday. "Politicians will remain in power for five years, and they will go. But officials are not like politicians. Corrupt officials corrupt everything," the court said while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on a scam in the selection process for government jobs in Tamil Nadu. 

The division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice R Tharani took the suo moto PIL based on an article that appeared in the Times of India on January 27. The article said scams happened as the selection process had been outsourced. It also described the modus operandi of scamsters.

  Justice N Kirubakaran said, "We were shocked after reading the article which highlighted scams in the recruitment of teachers, lectures and others by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission and the Teachers Recruitment Board."

The judge said, "A corrupt practice has been committed. Posts have been purchased by a group of people by giving bribe of Rs 25 lakh. We want to know whether the TRB and the TNPSC have involved in the scam. How long have you (government) outsourced the selection process? It doesn't know whether such worst thing had happened in previous recruitment. It is a serious issue. A thorough enquiry is required in the present case. Why don't you entrust the investigation to a special investigation wing or the CBI?"

Special government pleader V R Shanmuganathan said the TRB had no nexus in the scam. He said the TRB had lodged a complaint with the crime branch (Chennai) which in turn registered an FIR on December 27 last. Besides, the TRB had uploaded all coding sheets on its website.

Nothing wrong insistence of Aadhaar for availing social security benefits: SC

THE ASIAN AGE | J VENKATESAN

Published : Jan 30, 2018, 9:22 pm IST

Senior counsel Shyam Divan for the petitioners submitted that Aadhaar programme was akin to 'digital dictatorship'.

 

 When he said Aadhaar has now been made mandatory for over 140 schemes, Justice Chandrachud said 'this is the perfect aspect of Aadhaar and even the World Bank has said that the Aadhaar system was quite effective in India though there might be some aberrations here and there.' (Photo: File)

 

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday observed that there was nothing wrong in the insistence of Aadhaar for availing social security benefits as long as the data was used for this purpose.
A five-judge Constitution Bench comprising the Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AK Sikri, AM Khanwilkar, DY Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan made the observation during the course of hearing of a batch of petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar programme.

Senior counsel Shyam Divan for the petitioners submitted that Aadhaar programme was akin to “digital dictatorship” as authentication of biometric data was a pre-condition for extending benefits which has resulted in “exclusion’ of many beneficiaries whose data did not match.

When he said Aadhaar has now been made mandatory for over 140 schemes, Justice Chandrachud said “this is the perfect aspect of Aadhaar and even the World Bank has said that the Aadhaar system was quite effective in India though there might be some aberrations here and there."

“Let us not be carried away by surveillance. We need to see which are the areas of concern,” the judge added.     
Divan reiterated that Aadhaar enrolment has been done without adequate verification and in many instances, the Centre itself has stated that the enrolment has been over 110 per cent of the recorded population in many states.

People are denied access to basic needs such as food and adequate nutrition, mid-day meals in school, and rehabilitation benefits due to the rescued bonded labourers.

He further added that there are no safeguards or penalties for obtaining personal information and said that the biometric data and iris scan that was being collected for the issuance of Aadhaar card violated the fundamental right to privacy of the citizens. 
He also said personal data was not protected, and was vulnerable to exposure and misuse. When it comes to protection of fundamental rights, there is no question of voluntariness. 

The hearing will continue on February 1.

Two Government doctors land in jail for graft

THE ASIAN AGE. | JOSEPH RAO

Published : Jan 31, 2018, 6:18 am IST

Two ophthalmologists, including a woman in charge of the retina department of the Government Medical College (GMC).

 The two doctors from GMC were caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau Monday night while accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 from a man whose wife was being treated for eye complications

 

Nagpur: Two ophthalmologists, including a woman in charge of the retina department of the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital here, have landed in jail on Tuesday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from eye patients.
The two doctors from GMC were caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau Monday night while  accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 from a man whose wife was being treated for eye complications.

The two arrested accused have been identified as Dr Vandana Ashish Iyer and her colleague Dr Swanand Shailesh Pradhan, attached to the department of ophthalmology. While Dr Pradhan was arrested Monday night itself, Dr Iyer, being a woman, could not be arrested at night as per a Supreme Court directive and was called Tuesday morning and placed under arrest. They will be produced in cour.t.

In a first, Indian Railways sends 100 employees on non-working foreign tour

PTI 

 

Published : Jan 30, 2018, 4:11 pm IST

In a first, 100 non-gazetted workers of South Central Railway flew to Singapore, Malaysia for a 6-day vacation on Jan 28.

 The itinerary covers tourist sites such as Universal Studios, Sentosa and Night Safari in Singapore and includes the Kuala Lumpur City Tour, Petronas Towers, Batu Caves and Genting Highlands in Malaysia. (Photo: AFP)

 

New Delhi: Indian Railways' first non-working foreign tour is under way -- not for senior officers but for gangmen, trackmen and other non-gazetted employees.

In a first for the national transporter, 100 non-gazetted workers of South Central Railway flew to Singapore and Malaysia for a six-day vacation on January 28, said a statement.
While 25 per cent expenditure of the tour is being borne by the employees, 75 per cent is from the Staff Benefit Fund (SBF), M Umashankar Kumar, SCR chief public relations officer, said in a statement.

"The 100 strong group of employees... comprised of Group C and D category employees, with preference given to employees from lower cadres and those nearing retirement. Allocation of number of slots for each Division, Workshop and Headquarters was given on the basis of their sanctioned strength," he said.

Secunderabad-based SCR has taken the lead in "optimising welfare activities for its non-gazetted workforce, by organising the first-of-its-kind ‘Employees Overseas Camp’ on Indian Railways", he said.
The itinerary covers tourist sites such as Universal Studios, Sentosa and Night Safari in Singapore and includes the Kuala Lumpur City Tour, Petronas Towers, Batu Caves and Genting Highlands in Malaysia.

SBF funds are allocated by Railway Board for various welfare activities of non-gazetted employees working in the national transporter.

They are usually used for scholarships for lower grade employees, to benefit the girl child, camps for children and other such socially relevant causes, an official said.

The SCR had sent a proposal for the tour in December last year for its employees.

Less than a month later, the group was on its way to foreign shores.

Supreme Court, high court judges get 200% salary hike 

Ashish Tripathi, DH News Service, New Delhi, Jan 31 2018, 0:52 IST

Supreme Court judges to draw Rs 2.5 lakh



The Chief Justice of India will now get a monthly salary of Rs 2.80 lakh, up from the present Rs 1 lakh.

Supreme Court and high court judges have got a 200% salary hike with the Centre notifying a new law in this regard.

The Chief Justice of India will now get a monthly salary of Rs 2.80 lakh, up from the present Rs 1 lakh.

Similarly, judges of the Supreme Court and chief justices of high courts will draw a monthly salary of Rs 2.50 lakh, up from the current Rs 90,000, according to the Act notified by the law ministry.

The judges of high courts, who get Rs 80,000 per month now, will get Rs 2.25 lakh.

The salary hike, which is in line with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission for officers of all-India services, will come into force retrospectively from January 1, 2016.

The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 2018, will also revise the rates of house rent allowance with effect from July 1, 2017, and the rates of sumptuary allowance with effect from September 22, 2017.

As against the approved strength of 31, the Supreme Court today has 25 judges. The 24 high courts have an approved strength of 1,079, but 682 judges are handling work currently. The move will also benefit 2,500 retired judges.

Now, the salary of judges will be at par with those of bureaucrats following the implementation of the recommendations of the 7th pay panel.

Punjab in Perungudi

By Aathira Ayyappan  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 30th January 2018 10:39 PM  |  

Kake Da Punjabi Dhabba,tiranga paneer tikka

CHENNAI: MGR Salai in Perungudi presents two contrasting pictures — one of towering IT companies and the other of dusty, poorly maintained roads along which there are small petti kadais and grocery stores. However, unbeknown to many, this area is also a treasure trove of dhabas serving authentic Punjabi food.
“We started Lucky Da Punjabi Dhabba in 2015. The food is 100% North Indian…the flavours will transport you instantly to the lanes of New Delhi or Punjab,” says Divya Parwani, co-owner, Lucky Da Punjabi Dhabba and Kakke Da Punjabi Dhabba.

As dhaba food is mostly fast food, grilled chicken and paneer varieties are the most popular dishes on the menu and sell like hot cakes. “Our tandoori chicken and chicken tikka are to die for. In vegetarian, you have to try the paneer tikka and sarson ka saag. Our customers keep coming back for these dishes,” she smiles.

Their customers attest to this fact too. Abhijit Dhatir, an IT professional, says, “Being a North Indian, I can say with conviction that it is very difficult to find authentic Punjabi khaana in Chennai. Most small dhabas in the outskirts of the city or on highways do not cater to families…they are only for bachelors. But new-age dhabas such as this are welcoming to all kinds of customers.” Since Perungudi is home to a lot of IT companies, and there is never dearth of customers to these dhabas.
Another crowd puller, according to Divya, is the affordability. “We did not want to make it a fine dining experience. We wanted to serve affordable, tasty, comfort food that you can enjoy with family or friends any day. And the bhangra beats in the background add to the Punjabi feel,” smiles Divya, adding that takers for the lunch thali are more on both weekdays and weekends. The vegetarian thali is priced at Rs 199 and non-vegetarian thali is Rs 209.
The quantity of food is also something to be reckoned with. “Even if you order one portion of a curry along with naan or a paratha, it will be sufficient for two people,” says Dhurba Chhetri, manager, Lucky Da Punjabi Dhabba.

Interestingly, the ambience too contributes to the overall dining experience. Kake Da Punjabi Dhabba, just 500 m away from Lucky, is big on Punjab-style quirky interiors. “We have the front part of a jeep, cycle wheels, colourful kites, etc., on our walls. Even our menu is in the shape of a huge truck…the kind that stereotypical Punjabi truckers go for a jolly ride in any Bollywood movie,” laughs Sahiba Parwani, co-owner, Kake Da Punjabi Dhabba.
Divya, Dev and Sahiba started Kake just three months ago, after the huge success of Lucky. “Lucky was modelled on a small, quaint eatery…like a conventional roadside dhaba in Punjab. But with Kake, we wanted to take the dhaba experience a notch higher,” she adds.
However, it is a misconception among foodies that dhaba food is less about hygiene and more about flavour and taste. Proving these naysayers wrong is Hans Deep Singh, owner, Desi Rasoi’s Pait Pooja, another dhaba in the area. “We focus on home-cooked and hygienic vegetarian food and all our meals are cooked in mineral water only,” he says. “We’ve been doing this for 10 years. We initially started off as a cloud kitchen…only doing take-aways, but as demand for our food increased, we put up a few tables so that customers who want their food piping hot are not disappointed,” he shares. The dhaba is however, still heavily dependent on take-away orders. “This is a IT hub and people love our food; so they order-in most of the time.”

POPULAR DISHES

NON VEG (Rs 200 onwards)
Bhara chicken, Tandoori chicken, Chicken tikka, Chicken rara, Baltiwali meat
VEG (Rs 180 onwards)
Paneer tikka, Special paneer tikka, Special parathas, Aloo takatak

GO slashing scholarship for SC/ST students challenged

By Express News Service  |   Published: 31st January 2018 02:37 AM  |  

Madras High Court (File | EPS)

CHENNAI:An advocate has moved the Madras HC challenging government’s move slashing the scholarship of SC and ST students.The petitioner D Ashok Kumar has sought quashing of the GO dated August 11, 2017, which reduced the scholarships.

The scholarship was meant for students studying even in the management quota of private colleges, if salaries of parents were less than `2 lakh pa. The order limited scholarship to the fee fixed for government quota and not the actual fee to be paid under the management quota. When the plea came up for hearing on Tuesday, the first bench directed the government advocate to get instructions and posted the case to February 2.