Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

HEADLINES

• CBI out, prime minister in with safe guards as cabinet clears lokpal bill draft.
• India urges Russia to drop case against Gita translation.
• Citizens charter bill tabled in parliament

NATIONAL NEWS

• Citizens charter bill tabled in lok shabha.
  • The bill lays down the obligations of every public servant authority towards citizens, specifying delivery of goods and services in a time bound manner and providing for a grievance redressal mechanism for the non compliance of the citizens charter.
  • Every public department should publish a citizen's charter and address the grievances within 30 days, failing which the official would be fined up to Rs.50000/-
  • The bill is made compulsory for every department and scheme of the central government.
  • Every public authority will have a grievance redressal officer right from the block level to the central government.
  • The GRO will receive and act on the grievances from the public on service they are entitled to under any law or government policy.

• India- Bhutan talks
  • Bhutan's prim minister Jigme Y.Thinley praised India's unfailing assistance, with which Bhutan has been able to make notable advancements in all fields.
  • Bhutan's prime minister gave the concept of Gross National happiness instead of the Gross Domestic Product.
  • Gross National Happiness is judging a policy in terms of its contribution to the living standards, health status, educational standard, psycological well being along with the cultural, communal, and ecological diversity.
    
    
• Cabinet clears lokpal bill draft.
  • The investigative independence of the CBI has been kept in tact with the CBI not reporting to the Lokpal.
  • The administrative control of the CBI will remain with the department of personnel and training.
  • The lokpal will not have an investigative wing and it will have only an inqury wing and it will refer cases to be investigated by the CBI which will be monitored by the Lokpal.
  • Group A,B,C,D government officials brought under lokpal, with complaints against Group C,D will be referred to the CVC for investigation – with lokpal having oversight and appellate powers.
  • The prime minister will be under the lokpal but the matters relating to external affiars, atomic energy and national security are excluded. This will be accepted only if 3/4^th of the lokpal should agree and the inquiry should happen in the camera.
  • The lokpal will be chosen by the PM, chief justice and the leader of the opposition.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Barefoot diva cesaria Evora dead. She is a Grammy awards winner for her album “Voz d amor”.

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS AND COLUMNS

• An opinion on countering Naxalism.
• A nice write up by Katju on who should get bharath Ratna.
• Editorial on the efforts taken up by the Government and the RBI to stem the tide

BUSINESS NEWS

• Bipartisan bill in US trying tageting outsourcin.
  • The American government has brought about a bill to make outsourcing very difficult by making grants and guaranteed loans to companies that outsource.