After the implementation of VI pay commission, there were many issues raised by the Armed Forces. The following two were very prominent, and in that order.
i) 70% weightage in pensionary benefits.
ii) Placing Lt Cols and equivalants in Pay Band –4 (instead of 3)
Both were accepted as core issues, and the Govt conceded to the demands. Six months down the line, Lt Cols and their counterparts, enjoy the elevated status of Pay Band-4, got their arrears and happily counting their fortune. But no news about the other proposal and subsequent approval. Authorities “haven’t received any correspondence about 70%’ , pension Office “did not get any any specific orders”, and JCDA “do not have anything in black and white”. On the whole, whole thing is safely forgotten.
But who is really bothered?
The other central Govt staff, not going to be benefited, they need not be bothered.
Govt has to cough up extra dough, so……, a majority Govt need not honour the promise made by a desperate minority Govt before elections, that too when no state elections are looming large over the horizon.
The Armed Forces top brass may have got a “fair deal”- to sweep the 70% appeal under the carpet, as soon as PB-4 is sanctioned for Lt Cols, and they are not bothered.
Defense Officers, irrespective of their capabilities, end up in PB-4, in just 13 years, and they don’t have enough place to store their "hard earned" money- and they aren’t bothered.
The real Mr Bechara is the PBOR, (Personnel Below Officer Rank) who can not actually do anything in this regard, other than venting feelings in a blog.
So, it is very difficult to get the 70% proposal/approval to be implemented. The issue is now ready for a silent burial. I will be more than happy to be proved wrong.
Friday, June 19, 2009
DEBACLE OF DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
India knocked out in the super 8 stages of T20 world cup. Well, none surprised. Because this format of the game doesn’t allow any team the luxury of being hailed as clear favorites, or for that matter – underdogs. The reason for such scenario is the fact that no team has come up with clear-cut strategies on how to approach the game, like the mighty (may not be any more) Australians often do for tests and one dayers. Teams are to be blamed because, despite the fact that T20 is going to be future of cricket, they haven’t taken this format seriously. Younis Khan openly admitted that T20 is a time pass game and created a flutter. In a game where two wickets or two sixes in an over determines the result, and very little chance of revival when the game starts slipping away, captains, more often than not, just go through the motions and hope things happen.
As far as India’s premature exit is concerned, the batsmen were the culprits- Except for an occasion when Bhajji gave 10 in wides (2 balls out side the legside, beating keeper to boundary) and India lost by 3 runs. Their shot selection did them in. Most of them were in the IPL mode, at lofted the balls at will only to be caught at the deep. Significantly, in IPL a ball hit for 70-75 meters, sailed to the galleries, whereas, the same distance hit ended up safely into the hands of fielders. The sixes hit in long on, long off were measured to be 90 meters.
Next reason is their soft approach. When fielding they don’t pressurize the batsmen by accurate throws, and while batting - by quick running. Instead of converting singles to twos, they converted twos to singles, and sometimes got run out in the process. Such approach pushed them deeper in to the hole from where they never managed to get out. Better luck next time.
As far as India’s premature exit is concerned, the batsmen were the culprits- Except for an occasion when Bhajji gave 10 in wides (2 balls out side the legside, beating keeper to boundary) and India lost by 3 runs. Their shot selection did them in. Most of them were in the IPL mode, at lofted the balls at will only to be caught at the deep. Significantly, in IPL a ball hit for 70-75 meters, sailed to the galleries, whereas, the same distance hit ended up safely into the hands of fielders. The sixes hit in long on, long off were measured to be 90 meters.
Next reason is their soft approach. When fielding they don’t pressurize the batsmen by accurate throws, and while batting - by quick running. Instead of converting singles to twos, they converted twos to singles, and sometimes got run out in the process. Such approach pushed them deeper in to the hole from where they never managed to get out. Better luck next time.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
ELECTION REULTS-A MIXED BAG
Election results, this time, threw no big surprises. The congress led UPA managed to hang on to power. They are very experienced to hang on as they have been doing so for the last five years, but this time the mandate allows them to hang on more firmly.
For many, (like me) this outcome could be very disappointing one, because of their hope against all hopes to see BJP in power this time. LK Advani as PM was expected to make India stronger and safer by taking tough decisions on all fronts especially on cross border terrorism. That did not happen. And in TN segment, AIADMK was expected to do better but they managed only nine seats. Of course nine seats- is lot better than zero which they managed in last edition.
More or less, the same trend of voting has been followed in the centre and TN. The votes against ruling party were split between various opposition parties and ultimately helped the ruling combine. In TN, DMDK and BJP split those votes which could have gone for AIADMK. And in the centre, too many regional parties and some last minute clashes within in the party took the votes away from BJP and marked a significant gain for congress.
The fact that the congress in the centre and DMK in TN got the major vote share can’t be denied. At the same time neither can be termed as the overwhelming favorites of the people, as hyped by the media. One can be sure that the congress and DMK leaders themselves wouldn’t have expected to win this many seats.
Some good things which happened in this election are
i) One national party got enough number of seats, to dominate the alliance and not to dance to their tunes.
ii) Numerous candidates with criminal records have been shown the door.
iii) Many so called powerful Ex-ministers, to name a few, Lalu, Paswan, Manishankar Iyer-failed to retain their seats .
iv) Parties known for creating constant troubles- DMK, SP, BSP, TMC, JMM- will have less say in this govt.
v) Congress had been generous to government employees, and hope they continue in that same mode.
Tail piece:
As far as TN is concerned, Karunanidhi is already in Delhi, with his ration card in hand, so as to get a ministry for each member of his family. We can hope to see 8-10 ministers from TN, and Azlagiri, Kanimozli, Maran in the cabinet for the bright future of Tamil Nadu.
For many, (like me) this outcome could be very disappointing one, because of their hope against all hopes to see BJP in power this time. LK Advani as PM was expected to make India stronger and safer by taking tough decisions on all fronts especially on cross border terrorism. That did not happen. And in TN segment, AIADMK was expected to do better but they managed only nine seats. Of course nine seats- is lot better than zero which they managed in last edition.
More or less, the same trend of voting has been followed in the centre and TN. The votes against ruling party were split between various opposition parties and ultimately helped the ruling combine. In TN, DMDK and BJP split those votes which could have gone for AIADMK. And in the centre, too many regional parties and some last minute clashes within in the party took the votes away from BJP and marked a significant gain for congress.
The fact that the congress in the centre and DMK in TN got the major vote share can’t be denied. At the same time neither can be termed as the overwhelming favorites of the people, as hyped by the media. One can be sure that the congress and DMK leaders themselves wouldn’t have expected to win this many seats.
Some good things which happened in this election are
i) One national party got enough number of seats, to dominate the alliance and not to dance to their tunes.
ii) Numerous candidates with criminal records have been shown the door.
iii) Many so called powerful Ex-ministers, to name a few, Lalu, Paswan, Manishankar Iyer-failed to retain their seats .
iv) Parties known for creating constant troubles- DMK, SP, BSP, TMC, JMM- will have less say in this govt.
v) Congress had been generous to government employees, and hope they continue in that same mode.
Tail piece:
As far as TN is concerned, Karunanidhi is already in Delhi, with his ration card in hand, so as to get a ministry for each member of his family. We can hope to see 8-10 ministers from TN, and Azlagiri, Kanimozli, Maran in the cabinet for the bright future of Tamil Nadu.
Monday, May 4, 2009
IPL-INTERNATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUE??????
IPL, basically an Indian event, seems to be slowly getting into the clutches of foreigners. Last edition had only one foreign captain but this edition has four in Warne, Mccullum, Gilchrist and Peterson. Almost all teams have foreign coaches and support staff. If there are no restrictions on number of foreign players in the playing XI, one can’t find an Indian face in the teams. Above all, IPL too has moved out of India. What next?
Tail piece
There was a news about IPL, which is a separate body, is evading taxes using loopholes in the law and that has the blessings of BCCI. I don’t know the technicalities of the issue and the genuineness of the news. But, this trend is troubling. The cash rich BCCI is setting a bad precedent.
Tail piece
There was a news about IPL, which is a separate body, is evading taxes using loopholes in the law and that has the blessings of BCCI. I don’t know the technicalities of the issue and the genuineness of the news. But, this trend is troubling. The cash rich BCCI is setting a bad precedent.
CRICKET AND CONTROVERSIES
I thought of writing this even before the beginning of IPL-II, about a controversy – but never managed to do so. In the meantime, another controversy started in the name of “fake IPL player”. That sounds interesting but I should admit I haven’t gone through that blog yet.
Cricket and controversies are like politics and corruption, can’t be separated. The recent one, other than the previously mentioned item, is the ‘ MULTI CAPTAIN THEORY’ floated by John Buchanan. This move – as seen by many- was clearly aimed to diminish the strong hold of Sourav Ganguly from the KKR setup and to ease him out, at least for the next edition of IPL.
John Buchanan’s credentials touched a new high after he coached the mighty but arrogant Australians. Frankly, coaching Australians of his tenure- must have been the easiest job in the world, simply for the fact that there was none in their team who needed coaching. Steve and Mark Waugh, Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Martin, Gilchrist, Warne, MgGrath, Gillespie formed a formidable side, which functioned like a well oiled machine. “Bang-Bang…..huge score…..pace –spin…..opposition bowled out” was the order of the day.
Coming back to Mr Buchanan, on his part, he never played International Cricket and that not necessarily mean that he was very successful in domestic cricket. Somehow he got into coaching, and ended up with the all conquering Australians but his contribution to the Australian outfit and their phenomenal success was very little or less than that. On top of everything, many Australian players openly questioned his role or lack of it in their scheme of things.
Indian media played a big role in creating so much hype about the -so called- extraordinary coach. Such buildup is unnecessary for a coach and JB doesn’t deserve that. Shane Warne, another controversial cricketer and the best captain Australia never had, demonstrated time and again that winning is all about man management.
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, who never minces words while criticizing Australians and the Englishmen, has pointed out, in one of his regular column, how Mr John has brought many others from Queensland into the KKR setup in various capacities and nicely milking the franchise owner. But that comment has not gone down well with the affected owner SRK. He has asked SMG to purchase his own franchise and then comment. Rubbish!
Mr JB once opined that T20 is only for youngsters. That theory has already gone for a –‘Yusuf Pathan’ six. So far, seniors have performed in IPL II. Sachin, Dravid, Kumble, Ganguly, Jayasuriya, Gilchrist, Warne, and Hayden have proved their might.
Personally I am very happy about KKR so far, because despite the dominating presence of a miraculous coach, they are losing every match. Their new captain hasn’t totaled fifty runs in 8 matches he played so far. Mr JB, What are you doing? Filling your bags with your foolish owner’s cash or formulating new theories that has no takers?
Cricket and controversies are like politics and corruption, can’t be separated. The recent one, other than the previously mentioned item, is the ‘ MULTI CAPTAIN THEORY’ floated by John Buchanan. This move – as seen by many- was clearly aimed to diminish the strong hold of Sourav Ganguly from the KKR setup and to ease him out, at least for the next edition of IPL.
John Buchanan’s credentials touched a new high after he coached the mighty but arrogant Australians. Frankly, coaching Australians of his tenure- must have been the easiest job in the world, simply for the fact that there was none in their team who needed coaching. Steve and Mark Waugh, Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Martin, Gilchrist, Warne, MgGrath, Gillespie formed a formidable side, which functioned like a well oiled machine. “Bang-Bang…..huge score…..pace –spin…..opposition bowled out” was the order of the day.
Coming back to Mr Buchanan, on his part, he never played International Cricket and that not necessarily mean that he was very successful in domestic cricket. Somehow he got into coaching, and ended up with the all conquering Australians but his contribution to the Australian outfit and their phenomenal success was very little or less than that. On top of everything, many Australian players openly questioned his role or lack of it in their scheme of things.
Indian media played a big role in creating so much hype about the -so called- extraordinary coach. Such buildup is unnecessary for a coach and JB doesn’t deserve that. Shane Warne, another controversial cricketer and the best captain Australia never had, demonstrated time and again that winning is all about man management.
Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, who never minces words while criticizing Australians and the Englishmen, has pointed out, in one of his regular column, how Mr John has brought many others from Queensland into the KKR setup in various capacities and nicely milking the franchise owner. But that comment has not gone down well with the affected owner SRK. He has asked SMG to purchase his own franchise and then comment. Rubbish!
Mr JB once opined that T20 is only for youngsters. That theory has already gone for a –‘Yusuf Pathan’ six. So far, seniors have performed in IPL II. Sachin, Dravid, Kumble, Ganguly, Jayasuriya, Gilchrist, Warne, and Hayden have proved their might.
Personally I am very happy about KKR so far, because despite the dominating presence of a miraculous coach, they are losing every match. Their new captain hasn’t totaled fifty runs in 8 matches he played so far. Mr JB, What are you doing? Filling your bags with your foolish owner’s cash or formulating new theories that has no takers?
Monday, April 20, 2009
** PAK players must be crazy **
To quote a few, Rameez Raza , Ex CEO of PCB was shocked where as Moin Khan was very surprised. Rashid Latif feels that the security situation in
No meaning can be derived from such statements except that they all are mere formalities. One can’t be so stupid to expect a global (?!?!) event such as WC is to be conducted in PAK. When
The situation in PAK has ‘definitely changed’ in recent times, yes, it has gone from bad to worse. Taliban is breathing under the nose of government (if any govt. is there). Suicide attacks and bombings are a daily occurrence. The deteriorating state of affairs in PAK is known world wide. In this backdrop, those reactions by Ex pak players appear to be very funny.
Tail Piece: As far as security is concerned, the Indian Govt’s decision to say NO to IPL during elections is praiseworthy; whatever may be the real reasons. Instead of making a mess of it, they at least said NO.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
HOW SAFE IS SAFETY IN RAILWAYS
Fortunately or otherwise, I have been traveling in Chennai-Vijayawada- Warangal section of Indian Railways since 1991. All along there have been many changes, but one thing that never changed is the constant threat of theft in running trains. Even though I haven’t lost anything, I have been a witness to many such scenes where passengers lost plenty. The most recent one was in 2621 Chennai-New Delhi Tamil Nadu Express which left Chennai on 22/03/2009. A passenger, according FIR lost nearly 45 sovereigns of gold, and cash.
It can’t be denied that the onus of safeguarding the luggage lies with one’s self, but a passenger can’t be expected to guard it all the way through the entire journey- which in any case is believed to be safe under lock, chain, key etc.
This is not an one off incident to be neglected or ignored. This is continuing occurrence in all trains crossing that section, despite the safety surcharge- which is paid by each passenger, in train- amenity forces and other tall claims made by the Railways. Also it is not very difficult to conclude that these things can’t go on happening like this without the blessings of concerned authorities.
Most of the cases are reported in other states (other than that in which the theft occur), which is understandable because nothing much can be done in a moving train. This makes the follow up much more difficult. Such scenario is working nicely to the advantage of those culprits. How many losers actually report the loss, how many among them care to follow up and how many following up losers get something back? In my experience I haven’t come across any one who got back some valuable lost like this.
On the other hand, according to a railway official with whom I happen to converse, you can afford to lose anything if you are a high ranked Govt official, high profile politician or someone equivalent. The official recollected some occasions, when lost items were traced, and dispatched to the destination by air, to join the owner when he reached there.
But that is not too surprising, because in India, Safety and security is not for the common man. It is only for those ‘privileged’ people
It can’t be denied that the onus of safeguarding the luggage lies with one’s self, but a passenger can’t be expected to guard it all the way through the entire journey- which in any case is believed to be safe under lock, chain, key etc.
This is not an one off incident to be neglected or ignored. This is continuing occurrence in all trains crossing that section, despite the safety surcharge- which is paid by each passenger, in train- amenity forces and other tall claims made by the Railways. Also it is not very difficult to conclude that these things can’t go on happening like this without the blessings of concerned authorities.
Most of the cases are reported in other states (other than that in which the theft occur), which is understandable because nothing much can be done in a moving train. This makes the follow up much more difficult. Such scenario is working nicely to the advantage of those culprits. How many losers actually report the loss, how many among them care to follow up and how many following up losers get something back? In my experience I haven’t come across any one who got back some valuable lost like this.
On the other hand, according to a railway official with whom I happen to converse, you can afford to lose anything if you are a high ranked Govt official, high profile politician or someone equivalent. The official recollected some occasions, when lost items were traced, and dispatched to the destination by air, to join the owner when he reached there.
But that is not too surprising, because in India, Safety and security is not for the common man. It is only for those ‘privileged’ people
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