Bhubaneswar 25 Dec: (Courtesy: Express News Service)

Mainstreaming of Right To information Act (RTI) in solving community problems and accessing information is handicapped by grossly low-level of awareness among the population at the grass-roots.

People are unaware of the entire chain of citizens’ rights under RTI starting from application to complaint and appeal. This despite RTI being a very potent weapon to ensure action in core areas like land rights, forest rights, NREGS, IAY, drinking water, agriculture, electricity, education and health in the rural and backward areas.

In villages of Koraput as low as 8 per cent of people have little knowledge of RTI while 17 per cent have heard of the Act in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts along with 11 per cent in Sundargarh, reveals a baseline study commissioned by the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD).

The study took into consideration four sample villages in Koraput and Sundargarh districts and two each in Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj, particularly assessing the knowledge of women-led groups. It was presented at the State-level convention on RTI here today. It found that 2 per cent used RTI in Koraput, three in Sundargarh and four in Keonjhar-Mayurbhanj districts.

The findings have underlined an urgent need to develop handholding support mechanisms for the people in filing RTIs to solve problems. The community-based organisations should be trained to spearhead community action in demanding transparency and accountability from Government organs. The record management system in the public authorities should also be strengthened and streamlined so as to provide information on demand quickly, State Information Commissioner Jagadananda stressed.

The convention was attended by more than 100 community participants from Sundargarh, Koraput and Keonjhar districts.

Among others, CYSD chairman PK Sahoo, former State I&PR Secretary RN Das, MLA Ashok Panda and director of Open learning System Kasturi Mohapatra were present.

I’m sure all of you already asked yourselves what is this “smart mosch” I’m talking about?

Well here’s my definition:

Smart mosch is my personal RTI (Return To Intelligence) measure for evaluating the level of intelligence of existing online published texts that display themselves as accessible content.

When writers throw articles online (cause they just literally throw them out there) they expect losers like me or you to click on their lousy titles filled up with keywords, and read their “well-structured” texts about how to write even more and more copies of this

The reason I’m doing this is simple: because I’m sick of reading non-smart marketing articles, all stuffed up in SEO and CTR strategies. For once online, writers should stop a minute and think about 3 things: the ethical implications, the true nature of their purpose and the consequences that their contribution brings to the online environment.

Doing an intrusive and smart mosching inside this environment is what I call smart mosch. And that’s the act of taking position! And facing online marketing with a weapon it will always fear! The standard quality!

My advice: Defend yourself with quality!

This was interesting…really skilled team there pre show and during the taping. I thought we all did well and got our story across…even a few funny moments…you can watch here…it’s an hour long, grab some popcorn:_)

http://archive.treet.tv/node/3792

Right to Information Act:

This act is come in to existence on 12^th October 2005. This act is the weapon of the common people to get information from the government organizations and some the institutions. This act sections are very helpful to get information from the various organizations of the India. We filed applications in different offices of Hubli- dharwad after taking the RTI module. We did RTI rally in Hubli with bicycle rally, street play and candle marching. This activity creates awareness among common people about Importance and utilities of RTI act.

I’m on lunch break from our two hours of RtI meetings. For the first time ever, it’s actually pleasant. Enjoyable, even. What’s different, I wondered? Principal Pretty and Dr. Glinda are absent. Coincidence? Me thinks not.

Shocker, Part II
The afternoon portion of our meeting was downright fun. We really didn’t have anything left to discuss and an hour to (not) do it, but we managed to rehash the groups and finalize plans for the few students we were unsure of/worried about. In the middle of throwing Dr. Glinda under the bus, out of the corner of my eye I saw Fashionista do a double-take. I kept talking, but I knew she had finally noticed my purple hair. I was trying not to laugh as she blinked, rubber her eyes, and blinked again. I said, “Are you okay? Or did you finally notice my purple hair?” at the same time she said, “Is that purple?” I laughed and said, “Yeah, I’ve only been waiting three days for you to notice.” We all laughed and I asked her, “Did you think you were having a stroke, or hallucinating?” She said, “Well, I know I need new glasses, so I wasn’t sure!”

Then we were talking about other stuff, and AP and I kept coming up with the same one-liners (though I was a little quicker than he was ). After one of them, Special Ed Barbie pointed to the two of us and said something like, “You two…” I said, “It’s the math.” (He used to teach high school math. That’s part of why he’s so level-headed, and so much easier to respect than Pretty. We have the same reaction to a lot of stuff because we use LOGIC, not emotions or guesses.)

Enjoy it while I can, because you know that will never happen again!

Winter Break

Are you looking forward to your winter break from school? Most teachers do! I like to use these breaks to advance my Personal Learning Network (PLN). The concepts of PLN’s have been slowly creeping into schools for a number of years.  Basically, your PLN is one way to take responsibility to advance your own personal development as a professional. PLN’s can include trusted colleagues, mentors, courses or workshops, and of course professional organizations like CEC and CCBD.

flickr

Digital PLN

I like to include digital resources as part of my PLN. These resources not only include websites like www.PBIS.org and www.rti4success.org but also Blogs, Nings, and other social media feeds.

When searching for information online, it’s important to remember that Google is not the only search engine available (though it is currently the most popular tool to use). Many people don’t realize that if they search for a term such as “behavior” using Google, Yahoo, or Bing, that 80% – 90% of the results will be different or unique. This means that different tools will produce different kinds of results.

Search Engines

I suggest you try using these tools for searching for information to see if any one turns up useful results in your next online search:

• www.Google.com – Internet search
• www.Blogsearch.google.com – Blog search
• www.Delicious.com – Social Bookmarking search
• www.Twitter.com – micro-blogging search
• www.Ning.com – Social Network search

Post A Comment and let me know the behavior intervention links you value as part of your PLN!

(Disclosure: a variation of this article was also posted in the November 2009 CCBD eNewsletter)

Wow, my school finally did something right!  The RTI team designed a block 5 intervention day that was held yesterday.  We ran classes on a early dismissal schedule, so we had an extra hour in the school day to build in intervention time.  We separated the students into groups based on their fluency test scores, and every teacher in the building was assigned a group.  The students played fluency games, reading aloud passages with choral reading or in a readers’ theater format.  The day was very successful!

As you can tell from some of my previous posts, my school has a lot of issues.  Lack of organization, lack of communication, attempting changes with no follow through, lack of teacher buy-in, lack of confidence in administration, administrative changes, etc.  This day was something that had the potential to be a complete disaster, but it worked very well!

The RTI team wanted to have our first intervention day at the beginning of November.  Our principal was confident that it could be done then.  The teachers thought otherwise, and made their opinions known.  This is school wide.  This is changing schedules.  This is a day where everyone literally has to be a reading teacher.  We need PD on how to do this.  We need to have discussions about how this will work.  Thankfully, our principal listened and pushed the day back one month, giving everyone time to get organized and plan.

Hopefully this won’t be something that we put so much effort into, but don’t see it through.  For this to really be successful, it should be done more than once a quarter (or one, period).  It needs to happen at least once a month.  I hope the rest of the school sees the value in this as much as I do.

Rediff.com’s Vicky Nanjappa speaks to Author Anuj Dhar about his latest book on Subhash Chandra Bose and uncovers some of the CIA’s long-lost records, along the way.

For the first time, the Central Intelligence Agency has declassified and released to an India [ Images ]n citizen, two very important records — pertaining to the death of freedom fighter and nationalist icon Subhash Chandra Bose and also the situation in India at the time of Partition.

The documents were made available to Dhar, author of the book, Back from Dead: Inside the Subhas Bose Mystery, in New Delhi [ Images ].”If the CIA could declassifiy this information, what stopped our government from doing the same?” Dhar told rediff.com.

Moreover the government has admitted to possessing reams of classified information of Bose. The Prime Minister’s Office lists 33 classified files on Bose, a Right to Information query filed by Dhar revealed.

Dhar then filed an application under the US Freedom of Information Act and the Agency Release Panel considered his appeal and determined that the document that was initially denied in its entirety can now be released in part, with some information to remain protected from release on the basis of FOIA exemptions.

The documents made available to rediff.com by Dhar tells interesting stories, the main one being that even after reports of Bose’s death, the spectre of his return from the United Soviet Socialist Republics remained strong enough to make many well-off Indians feel jittery

Dhar says that the number of documents released is small, but it is a turning point to end the excessive official secrecy thats exists in India. “The government is sitting on a stockpile of classified information on such great personality and the manner in which the Indian government handled the Russian angle as was mentioned by the Justice Mukherjee Commision left a lot to be desired,” Dhar said.

Comments on the political situation during Partition:

The document released by the CIA gives some interesting insights into the political situation in India just after independence. The source of the information has however been protected in the document. The document goes on to state:

‘I think it is quite possible that Liaquat Ali and (Jawaharlal) Nehru will finally submit to the partition of Kashmir [ Images ] in order that they may both save face. However I do not think that the people of either Pakistan or India are ready at the present to accept Partition but a wedge has been entered into their minds concerning partition which will eventually lead to that solution.’

‘Although I studied the problem for one year, I never actually did find out how strong the religious feeling was. In the Partition of India and Pakistan or what really was underneath the religious cover. However it is my impression that the differences between India and Pakistan at the present time are not basically religious but largely nationalistic and economic.’

‘I am also concerned about the strength of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, when last spring (1950) Golwalkar (fomer RSS chief M S Golwalkar) came to Delhi after his release from jail. This militant Hindu organisation and the Mahasabha party (Hindu Mahasabha) have become a great focus for Hindu refugees. Both parties are backed by old conservative Hindu elements such as the Brahmins. Both the RSS and the Mahasabha stand for the same principles, the two most important being anti-Muslim and anti-West — who they accuse of trying to breakdown the caste system. I think that Nehru has handled these parties very well and has not given them a chance to complain.’

‘At the present I think Nehru wants both Soviet friendship and US money and to obtain both of these, he is trying to play both ends against the middle. I do not know how much Nehru’s emotionality and racial pride, plus his Kashmiri blood affects his policy. His prepared statements represent a good governmental position, but when Nehru gets in front of a cheering crowd, he seems to go overboard in favour of whatever the crowd is enthusiastic about. His terrific emotionality makes him irresponsible at times and in my opinion, this is his biggest weakness, which is a dangerous thing in a country like India.’

‘I strongly suspect that Nehru’s conciliatory policy towards Pakistan is greatly influenced by the fact that there is still much Hindu property in Pakistan. I think he wants to avoid any difficulty with Pakistan until the Hindu property in Pakistan is recovered or compensated for. There are many people in Delhi who have vast holdings in Pakistan and they are currently trying to realize as much as possible from these properties.’

‘There is one other political note that I should mention at this time because I think that it may have some potential danger in it. I was impressed on many occasions by the fact that Bose is still a very popular hero I the eyes of the Indians. Recently his life story was told in the Indian movies and I attended several different native theatres to study the natives’ reaction.’

‘Every time that the actor representing Bose appeared on screen, he was loudly applauded. This expression of great enthusiasm clearly indicated to me that Bose is a national hero and in the eye of the man on the street I think he ranks next to Gandhi.’

‘It is now currently rumoured in Delhi that Bose living in Siberia, where he waits for a chance to make his big comeback. Officially Bose was declared lost, but his body has never been found. Whether Bose is alive or dead is relatively unimportant, but the possibility of an impostor should not be overlooked. I have several educated Indians tell me that the USSR would send a Bose ‘impostor’ into India and it would be easy to convince the people that he is Bose. If Bose or an impostor should return, it is probable that a great many of the people would accept his leadership. Some people believe the recurring rumour that Bose is still alive. According to their story Bose is presently active in the underground RSS movement.’

‘I have one other point to make concerning the political thinking of Indian students. All agreed that something must be done in India. They also agreed that Indian and Asian independence must be maintained. None of them knew what the US had done for Cuba or the Philippines and none had any knowledge of American history. What they did think, however was that China had at least been freed from foreign influence. They fail to see any current Soviet influence in China. And they are a mirror of most of the intelligent and educated Indian people, have never been exploited by the Soviets but they think they have been exploited by the British and also the American people.’

Read the CIA dossier on Partition

Read the CIA dossier on Netaji Bose’s death

Source: Rediff.com

BHUBANESWAR, 1 DEC: (Courtesy: Statesman News Service)

The World Bank has recommended a high-level steering committee chaired by the chief secretary to oversee the implementation of RTI central monitoring mechanism across government, providing training to public information officers (PIOs) and roll-out of the RTI central monitoring mechanism.
Further, as part of capacity building, the World Bank has recommended that the Orissa Information Service (OIS) officers to act as statutory nodal officer and RTI advisors to meet the mandatory requirements as envisaged in the legislation.
Appointment of additional commissioners to the State Information Commission (SIC) is also another important observation in the World Bank recommendation.
As part of their study on implementing Right To Information in South Asia, the World Bank has highly commended the efforts of Information and Public Relations department in putting in place the RTI central monitoring mechanism, a robust IT intervention for effecting transparency and accountability in the system of governance, claimed a release issued here.
“After a thorough evaluation of the System and Implementation process, the World Bank has quoted RTI central monitoring mechanism to be truly impressive, allowing the I & PR department to track requests across the government through all phases from the initial application for information to the response of individual PIOs as well as the status of appeals.
The software allows the departments to upload information relating to 17 fields covered by the suo moto disclosure provisions of section (4) (1) (b) of the RTI Act,” the release further pointed out.
It may be mentioned here that the I & PR department as the nodal department has evolved all strategies to strengthen the process of RTI Act implementation though the State RTI Implementation Cell formed in the department.
Since all exercises emanate and conceptualise by this Cell, the World Bank has further recommended that RTI Cell to be strengthened in the department through additional staffing, budgetary resources, promoting the use of technology to encourage greater awareness, and use of RTI through cellular telephony and electronic media.
Meanwhile, a website, www.rtiorissa.gov.in, has been inaugurated here yesterday.
Speaking on the occasion, State Chief Information Commissioner Mr DN Padhi stressed on implementation of the RTI Act to root out corruption and sustain the era of transparency and accountability. “While empowering the citizen to increase access to information remaining under the public authority, the tool will certainly be a powerful means to maintain the lofty democratic ideals of the country,” he noted.
I & PR secretary Mr RN Dash, who is also the nodal officer, RTI, Orissa emphasised the creation of citizen-centric interface to bridge the gap between the public and government. The department has already moved proposals for restructuring OIS to match with the requirements as envisaged under sections 4, 19 and 25 of the RTI Act, 2005, he pointed out. Among others, I & PR director Mr BP Mohanty; chief monitoring officer, State RTI Cell Mr B Biswal also spoke on the occasion.

The society meetings of IIMs cannot be treated as confidential and minutes should be given to RTI applicants, the Central Information Commission has held warning the officials of IIM-Bangalore not to apply exemption clauses without adequate reasons.

The prestigious management institute had rejected the RTI application seeking minutes of IIM-Bangalore society meeting, details of members of Board of Governors among other information, saying the information is held in fiduciary capacity under section 8(1)(e) of the RTI Act.

“The proceedings of the Academic committees, Board of Governors and the IIM Bangalore Society cannot qualify as information provided in a fiduciary relationship,” Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said directing the officials to provide information to the applicant.

He said all relationships usually have an element of trust, but all of them cannot be classified as fiduciary.

“No explanation has been given to show who is giving information to whom in a fiduciary relationship in this matter. the Commission cannot fathom how an educational institution could be holding the information relating to its own Committees in a fiduciary capacity. The First Appellate Authority is warned not to apply exemption clauses without adequate reasons,” Gandhi said.

On 19th November 2009, the campus witnessed a rare sight. The students were very busy as usual, but they came together for a cause- to support Manjunath and his ideology on his 4th death anniversary. More than 200 students, support staff and faculty took part in the march organized by the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust. Students pledged that they would follow his footsteps and would not succumb to corruption. The march was kicked off by students lighting candles and waving banners. The march took place in more than 20 campuses across the country and the message was clear. We are together in the fight against corruption

Envisioning a Corruption free India – A Panel discussion

On November 17th the  Manjunath Shanmugam Trust and Hindi Section of IIML held a panel discussion on the topic ‘Envisioning A Corruption free India’ .The event was held two days before the 4^th death anniversary of Manjunath, an IIML alumnus who lost his life fighting against corruption.

The panel discussion aimed at increasing awareness about deep rooted corruption of our country and discussed ways through which we can fight against it. The discussion focused on: “How to fight against corruption using RTI; how Manjunath and his ideology are relevant in today’s India; and how can educated elite contribute to build a corruption free India?”

The event was graced by the presence of many distinguished personalities who shared their enlightening thoughts with the students of IIML and other prominent colleges of Lucknow.

. The key speakers of the panel were:

• Dr. Devi Singh, Director, IIM Lucknow
• Sri I.B. Singh, Senior Criminal Lawyer of Allahabad high court
• Dr. Jitendra Chaturvedi, Founder of Developmental Association for Human Advancement which is popular as “DEHAT”
• Dr. Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay Award Winner (2002)
• Sri Vikram Singh, Ex. Director-General of Police, UP

The event opened with key note speeches from each of the leaders. Dr. Devi Singh remembered Manjunath and shared his thoughts on the role of education in making India a corruption free nation. He focused on the some key issues that are crippling India and informed that bribery has remained an inherent part of Indian Society. Dr. Jitendra Chaturvedi, the well known social activist and the winner of Manjunath trust award in 2009 gave some valuable insights from his experiences in working with the villagers and empowering them with the usage of RTI act. His speech inspired one and all to fight against bribery and eradicate corruption from India.

Students from other colleges of Lucknow also participated in the event. An essay competition for students was also held on the same topic. The student community showed a lot of enthusiasm towards fighting the prevalent widespread corruption.

other topics: click a “category” or use search box

From an article in Perspectives, the IDA quarterly, here are helpful Websites that have reviewed and sythesized information about evidence-based programs for RTI:

• The Center on Instruction – http://www.centeroninstruction.org/
• The Florida Center for Reading Research – http://www.fcrr.org/Interventions/index.htm
• Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education – http://www.bestevidence.org/

 Excellent RTI resources and case studies for training purposes:

• Office of Special Education program-Funded Project Iris — http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/resources.html

source: Fall 2009 issue of Perspectives on Language and Literacy, a quarterly publication of the International Dyslexia Association.  (http://www.interdys.org)  Article by Al Otaiba, Connor, Foorman, Schatschneider, Greulich and Sidler, “Identifying and Intervening with Beginning Readers Who Are At-Risk for Dyslexia: Advances in Individualized Classroom Instruction.” 

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

Besuchen Sie unsere Redaktion - auf unserem RTIntern Blog!

RTIntern Blog

  http://rtintern.wordpress.com/

Corruption has been an integral part of human nature. And the slightest opportunity to make a few quick bucks or extract a benefit or two by being ‘slightly corrupt’ is too tempting to be let gone away. In view of strict checks and balances including the accountability practices in the private sector and the strict stand against malpractices have kept corruption at a low in the private sector. However, absence of the above factors in the public sector has led to rampant corruption in the public sector to the brink that now Govt. officials simply do not bother about the consequences of their corruption.

And in order to put a check on that the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI) was introduced which enabled the citizens to question the Government officials, especially the Bureaucrats in order to ensure transparency and put a check on corruption. As it directly challenged the modus operandi of the corrupt bureaucrats and their easy money-making processes, there was a lot of opposition to the Act being passed and even after that, the bureaucrats kept shouting, “People are misusing RTI Act,” and stuff.

However, I wondered, RTI Act only enables truth to come out and how can someone misuse truth? But when I saw this news, my query was answered. In a nutshell the news is about how Municipal officers of Bangalore are threatening hotel owners that if they don’t pay up money than, they will answer to the RTI Application filed against their hotel license. And if they pay up money, they would give some nonsensical answer to the RTI Application.

Hats off to the bureaucrats – A tool designed to check corruption has been successfully converted into a legal tool of extortion by the corrupt Govt. officials. This is actually misuse of RTI Act and none other than by the bureaucrats.

S.O.S – e – Clarion Of Dalit – Weekly Newspaper On Web

Working For The Rights & Survival Of The Oppressed

Editor: NAGARAJ.M.R… VOL.3 issue. 48… 02 / 12 / 2009

Editorial : 26/11 – SALUTES TO NSG COMMANDOS & MUMBAI POLICE

Salutes to S. MANJUNATH & SATYENDRA DUBEY , WHO STOOD FOR HONESTY , SINCERETY OF DUTY & FOR UPHOLDING LAW , FINALLY PAYING THEIR OWN LIVES FOR IT.

Nowadays , RTI requests of commoners is not honored by public servants , truthful information is not given . If the common man persists with his RTI information request , the commoner himself is fixed in cases with cooked-up charges by corrupt public servants. At all costs the corrupt public servants ensure that truth does not come into open .

We express our deep condolences to the victims of 26/11/08 mumbai terrorist attacks. We at e-voice salute our NSG Commondos & Mumbai police for teaching the external enemies a befitting lesson and protecting our motherland from the external enemies. We pay our whole hearted respects to the martyrs , who laid down their lives , in the course of protecting our people & country from the clutches of terrorists.
At this juncture , we must also remember our kargil martyrs of Indian military who sacrificed their lives protecting our motherland – INDIA from enemies.

India equally faces greater threat from internal enemies – corrupt public servants ( who are deadlier than pak terrorists). These corrupt public servants sell everything , motherland , for money , for bribe.

Mumbai terrorists killed 200 people , where as a fake drugs manufacturer kills thousands of people by selling fake drugs / fake medicines. Drugs control department officials lets off many such such fake drugs manufacturers , in turn killing thousands of innocents. The number of end victims are huge than any terrorist attacks. This is just one instance , in this way corrupt public servants of various departments compromise with their official duties & murder scores of innocents.

The corrupt public servants network , is oiled far better than italy’s mafia. Common man doesn’t get justice , even if he complains to higher officials , vigilance authorities or even court of law. As the bribe booty reaches higher-ups & political bosses.. thus black money is created.

The huge profits earned / black money created by criminal industrialists / entrepreneurs , finds it’s way to money laundering heavens. Thus our economy is crippled , public exchequer deprived of it’s dues. The money thus laundered feeds terrorist outfits , underworld dons , in their criminal deeds.

Now , underworld / terrorist outfits are involved in huge real estate business , film production / distribution , film piracy business , etc , to reap more illegal profits out of illegal money. This shakes upside down our government’s fiscal policies.

If a corrupt public servant is apprehended , it is equal to depriving 100 terrorists out of funds , putting 100 criminals out of action. Will the common man raise to give a befitting lesson to corrupt public servants. Jai hind. Vande mataram.

Your’s sincerely,

Nagaraj.M.R.

9/11 , 26/11 – SIGN TO LEGALLY PROSECUTE SPONSORERS OF TERRORISM

Visit , read the petition & support by signing the petition demanding
LEGAL PROSECUTION OF SPONSORERS OF TERRORISM

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/911-2611—prosecute-the-sponsorers-of-terrorism ,

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/sponsor ,

Visit , read the petition & support by signing the petition demanding , COMPLIANCE OF RTI ACT , CONSTITUTION OF INDIA ,
ACCOUNTABILITY OF INDIAN JUDGES & POLICE.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/accountability-of-indian-judges#signatures ,

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/judge ,

RTI harassment: Nitish asks DGP, Chief Secy to probe

Four days after an Indian Express report on the alleged framing of false cases against RTI applicants in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to look into the cases and initiate departmental proceedings against information officers if they are found guilty of “harassing” RTI applicants.
Nitish, who called a meeting of Chief Secretary Anup Mukherjee, DGP Anand Shankar, as well as principal secretaries and senior police officers, asked Mukherjee and Shankar to ensure that RTI applicants were not harassed. Asking the DGP to “identity errant information officers”, he also instructed the Chief Secretary to initiate departmental inquiries against those found guilty.
“Let RTI applicants call Jankari call centre to register their complaints against information officers. We will soon have a devoted helpline to take up RTI complaint cases soon,” said the Chief Minister. Bihar, incidentally, is the first state to start an RTI call centre.

Nitish said that any laxity in dealing with RTI complaints would not be tolerated and has also asked Chief Information Officer Ashok Choudhary to personally supervise such cases.
The Bihar Human Rights Commission on October 29 had asked the state government to explain why information officers should not be suspended for “framing false cases” against 42 RTI applicants. The state government has to reply to the BHRC by mid-December on its action taken report on RTI harassment cases.

Amendments to RTI Act on the anvil
Vidya Subrahmaniam

The Department of Personnel and Training (Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions) has admitted that the government is considering amendments to the Right to Information Act, 2005.
The admission, which came at a meeting between RTI activists and DoPT Secretary Shantanu Consul on Saturday, ended the suspense over whether or not the government was contemplating amendments to the RTI.
Speculation in this regard started following a meeting that the DoPT had with Information Officers on October 14 where a proposal for the amendments was formally put on the table. However, the government refused to confirm or deny the move, leading to a growing anxiety in RTI circles.
Significantly, Mr. Consul assured the delegation led by Aruna Roy of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI), that the amendments will only be introduced after hearing the views and objections of civil society groups. He said the department would initiate a “transparent and consultative process,” including putting up the draft amendments on the DoPT website, to enable public and civil society participation in their implementation.
Mr. Consul also said the amendments would not go through if civil society groups were able to convince the government that they were not necessary, and the purpose for which they were being considered could be met in other ways.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of activists from the NCPRI and other organisations gathered at Jantar Mantar to warn the government against tinkering with the RTI Act, 2005.
The delegation that met Mr. Consul presented him a letter containing their misgivings over the proposed amendments. The letter was signed. among others by Ms. Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shekhar Singh of the NCPRI and Annie Raja of the National Federation of Indian Women.
The signatories said they had apprehensions that the government was moving towards amending the RTI and cited as evidence the October 14 meeting between the DoPT and Information Officers.
The RTI activists also wrote to the Prime Minister on October 20, which was signed by dozens of public-spirited citizens. The letter argued that the proposed amendments — envisaging exemption from disclosure for official discussions and consultations (previously known as file notings) and prohibition of frivolous and vexatious complaints — far from strengthening the Act, as promised by the President in her June 4 address to Parliament, would in fact emasculate the Act.
The letter quoted two nation-wide studies, “one done under the aegis of the government,” to make the point that RTI was constrained, not by issues being considered for amendment such as frivolous complaints and file notings, but by inadequate implementation, lack of trained staff, and poor management. There was no suggestion in either of the studies that RTI work was hampered by “frivolous or vexatious” applications or by disclosure of “file notings,” it said.
The letter said: “This government gave its citizens the RTI Act, and there has been no crisis in government as a result of its enactment. In fact… its use by ordinary people is helping change its (the country’s) image to that of an open and receptive democracy. An amendment in the Act would be an obviously retrograde step, at a time when there is a popular consensus to strengthen it through rules and better implementation…”
Keywords: RTI Act, Amendments, NCPRI, Ms. Aruna Roy

Villagers, activists up in arms over proposed RTI changes

NEW DELHI: Kheema Ram, a 40-year-old farmer from Rajasthan who exposed a number of corrupt practices through his more than 350 RTI applications

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is against any amendments in the Act. Ram, hailing from Rajsamund district, travelled all the way to Delhi along with fellow villagers on Saturday to protest against the proposed amendments in the RTI Act which may take out some categories of information from the Act’s ambit.

“The discussed amendments will take out the ‘Atma’ of the act. We will be at the mercy of the public information officer for extracting even the most relevant information. They can reject our applications, saying its `frivolous’, if the changes materialise,” he said.

Ram’s views find resonance among a cross section of intellectuals, social workers, politicians, farmers and RTI activists. Opposing the proposal to “weaken” the Act, people from 10 states across the country gathered at Jantar Mantar on Saturday for a day long dharna.

Several civil society groups and organisations, individuals and users of the RTI Act assembled at the dharna organised by the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information. Amongst those present were information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, social activist Aruna Roy, economist Jean Dreze, CPI General Secretary D Raja, RTI activist Shekhar Singh, renowned theatre personality Tripurari Sharma, Nikhil Dey and Swami Agnivesh of the Bandhwa Mukti Morcha. A collective demand was made to not amend the Act but to implement it properly.

Magsaysay award winner Aruna Roy, who played a crucial role in shaping the RTI movement in the country, lamented that instead of ensuring better implementation in crucial areas like proactive disclosure, the government is now looking to enfeeble the Act.

“The act has proved itself among the masses and people have benefited from it. It is wrong to suggest changes in it at this stage. The effort should be to ensure its full implementation in letter and spirit,” Roy said.

Another RTI doyen Shekhar Singh said the manner in which these changes have been put forward has raised concern among people who are using it. “Government had spent Rs 70 lakh for a study by a private body. The report does not even say vexatious or frivolous applications are a problem for the system. Information commissioners from across the country have also opposed any changes in the Act,” Singh said, wondering why there is talk of amendments.

RTI activist Commodore Lokesh Batra said it is too early to bring any changes in the Act. “The proposed changes will give powers to the public information officers to reject applications if they feel it is vexatious or frivolous. It will leave scope for misuse,” he said.

Later, a representative delegation of 7 members, led by Aruna Roy and Shekhar Singh, went to meet the DoPT secretary Shantanu Consul to discuss the current proposal regarding the amendments. The secretary confirmed that a set of amendments are under consideration, but before they are approved, the DoPT will follow a transparent and open consultative process. All further proposals for amending the law will be put up on the DoPT website and affected parties and stakeholders will be consulted before the government considers any amendments to the law. The secretary further assured the group that the minutes of the meetings held with the information commissioners in October 2009 will also be made available on the DoPT website soon.

RTI ACT VIOLATIONS BY HIGH & MIGHTY
Questions public servants are afraid to answer

The police , judges , public servants , etc question the accussed
persons , to ascertain the root cause of crime or dispute, to know the
truth behind every actions. The police even apply 3rd degree torture
on commoners ( although it is illegal ) to elicit truth , information
about crimes. When the same public wants to know the truth behind
crimes involving police , judges & public servants , and seeking truth
, answers , informations as per RTI ACT from police , judges & public
servants , they are not answering lest the truth come out. They are
citing one or the other technical reasons to hide information , to
hide truth about crimes , to shield the criminals. If any of the
following public servants truly stands for law , justice , truth , let
them answer for the following questions publicly through media

CROSS EXAM OF HONOURABLE CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA , SUPREME COURT OF
INDIA -
http://crosscji.blogspot.com/ ,
http://crossexamofchiefjustice.blogspot.com/ ,
http://crimesofsupremecourt.wordpress.com/ ,
http://crosscji.wordpress.com/ ,
http://crossexamofchiefjustice.wordpress.com/ ,

CROSS EXAM OF UNION HOME SECRETARY , GOI , NEW DELHI –

http://crosscji.blogspot.com/ ,
http://crossexamofchiefjustice.blogspot.com/ ,
http://crimesofsupremecourt.wordpress.com/ ,
http://crosscji.wordpress.com/ ,
http://crossexamofchiefjustice.wordpress.com/ ,

CROSS EXAM OF DG&IG OF POLICE , GOK , BANGALORE –

http://crosscji.blogspot.com/ ,
http://crossexamofchiefjustice.blogspot.com/ ,
http://crimesofsupremecourt.wordpress.com/ ,
http://crosscji.wordpress.com/ ,
http://crossexamofchiefjustice.wordpress.com/ ,

CROSS EXAM OF GOVERNOR , RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

http://theftinrbi.blogspot.com/ , http://theftinrbi.rediffblogs.com/
, http://theftinrbi.wordpress.com/

CROSS EXAM OF MUDA COMMISSIONER , MUDA , MYSORE –

http://crimesofmuda.blogspot.com/ , http://manivannanmuda.blogspot.com/ ,
http://crimesatmudamysore.wordpress.com/ ,

CROSS EXAM OF BDA COMMISSIONER , BDA , BANGALORE –

http://crimesofbda.blogspot.com/ , http://bdacrimes.wordpress.com/ ,

Case no.1 CORPORATE CRIMES RPG CABLES LIMITED

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/218

case no.2 MEGA FRAUD BY GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/196

Case no.3 are you ready to catch tax thieves ?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/196

case no.4 MOBILE PHONES , CURRENCY SCANDALS

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/196

Case no.5 reliance industry where is accountability ?

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/196

case no.6 crimes at infosys campus

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/214

case no.6 crimes by B.D.A against a poor woman

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/212

case no.7 crimes of land mafia in India

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/212

case no.8 currency thefts in RBI Press

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/80

case no.9 killer colas & killer medicines of India

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naghrw/message/201

RIGHT TO INFORMATION
By Vienaya Ganesan

Introduction:
Since June 2005, when Right to Information Act, was passed, it has been hailed as the hallmark of democracy for the reasons that it purports to make, as regards government information, disclosure the norm and secrecy as the exception. Experts feel that as the Act aims at making the government transparent and more accountable, the effective use of it would, in a long run, curb corruption.
But is this really the truth? With administrators and legislators, who are always in an attempt to narrow the scope and applicability of the Act, in the past one year the Act has seen more controversies than success stories. From parliamentary debate relating to exclusion of file notings to army’s refusal to grant information, it is evident that the ‘right to information’, as a statutory right, has served as a puppet in the hands of our rulers. There is, therefore, a need felt for a superior and more dynamic right.
In this article, I analyze the reasons as to why right to information need to have been included in Part III of the Constitution, to be granted as a fundamental right rather than a statutory right. This would have kept the constant attacks the right suffers at the hands of the politicians at bay.
Ideal Status Of Right To Information:
The ideal status the right to information deserves is that of a fundamental right under our Constitution .With the Constitutional guarantee to conform to, the Act could have been used as an instrument constituting the requisite authorities, apart from laying down the quintessential exceptions to granting information, such as national security and parliamentary privilege.
Right To Information Recognized As A Fundamental Right By The Judiciary:
At this juncture, it is imperative to note that the Supreme Court, in State of U.P v. Raj Narain – a 1974 case, recognized the ‘right to know’ as a right inherent in Fundamental Right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. Following this, a plethora of cases the right to information was recognized as a right implicit in the article 19(1)(a) and in article 21 (fundamental right to life and personal liberty).
In Peoples Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India , the Supreme Court observed that in
Right of information is a facet of the freedom of ‘speech and expression’ as contained in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India. Right of information, thus, indisputably is a fundamental right.
However, every time the Constitution is amended, the ‘basic structure’ test laid down in Keshavanada Bharti Case has to be satisfied. The test provides that a constitutional amendment should not be in derogation of the basic features of the Constitution like judicial review, democracy or Rule of Law. While including the right to information is as a fundamental right, if at all there is any effect on any of the basic structure it would be in the nature of strengthening the democracy and making it progressive, as envisaged by the makers of our Constitution.
Need For The Fundamental Right Status:
The nature of problems the Act has faced till date ranges from administrative interpretation against the grant of requested information, to ordinary and easy amendment to reduce the scope of the Act. I feel, the above problems would not have arisen had the right been a fundamental right. Let us now analyse the problems case-wise to understand my reasoning.
1. Exclusion of ‘File Notings’ From the Purview of the RTI Act:
In December 2005, the Central Government, for the first time, floated the idea to excluding ‘file notings’ from the scope of the Act by bringing about an amendment to the Act. File notings is an important public document containing details of the decision making process in any public matter – such as who said what and who rejected whose view and on what grounds before a decision was reached in government. It also includes the official correspondence between officers in pursuance of a government scheme or project.
The news created uproar, with activists opining that the accountability of the government would remain only in paper with such exclusion. The matter was then put to rest with the Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh’s statement against the exclusion.
However, today the matter is back in news. As on date, the Union Cabinet has approved the Amendment Bill to the Act, that when passed will exempt file notings as information that can be demanded as a matter of right.
2. Indian Army’s Recent Refusal to Grant Information:
Again in December 2005, the Indian Army refused to provide information to an applicant on the ground that issues of national security were involved in the requested information. This was in spite of the Army not being one of the eighteen agencies that are exempted under the Act, by virtue of section.24. But when the PM intervened and insisted that Army cannot refuse until a government notification to that effect, the army retracted its stand.
Could It Have Been Avoided?
The above mentioned controversies has brought out into the open, the hard facts. The spineless politicians are going to amend the Act as and when they like it, suiting their needs of the day; the officers are going be complacent and hesitant in giving the information. Had right to information been a Constitutional provision, the fear of PILs would have kept a check on the notoriety of the parliamentarians and authorities.
Conclusion:
Thus, it is evident the issues such as those illustrated above could have been avoided had right to information been a fundamental right under the Constitution. Ideally, the legislature should have brought about a constitutional amendment to include the right to information as a fundamental right and the Act should have merely constituted the Information Commissions and appointed the Public Information Officers. With the separate government agency to tackle the problems relating to the fundamental right to information, the evils of bureaucratic pressures and whimsical administrative interpretations could have been kept at bay and democracy celebrated.
Inclusion of right to information as a fundamental right would have also been in conformity with the decisions of the apex court.
Therefore, though India has finally woken up to realize that right to information is a key component in the attainment of economic, social and political rights of an individual as well as the community at large, in my opinion, the step she has taken towards it could have been more effective had she guaranteed a fundamental right to information to its citizenry.

Failure of RTI Act in India
- In the clutches of corrupt public servants mafia

Salutes to S. MANJUNATH & SATYENDRA DUBEY , WHO STOOD FOR HONESTY , SINCERETY OF DUTY & FOR UPHOLDING LAW , FINALLY PAYING THEIR OWN LIVES FOR IT.

Nowadays , RTI requests of commoners is not honored by public servants , truthful information is not given . If the common man persists with his RTI information request , the commoner himself is fixed in cases with cooked-up charges by corrupt public servants. At all costs the corrupt public servants ensure that truth does not come into open .
In the courts of law , every statement to be valid must be supported by evidences. That too, the statements of public servants / government officials & their reports in government records are considered as sacrosanct , the ultimate gospel truth by courts of law.

The corruption has spread it’s tentacles far & wide in the public service. The bribe booty is shared by lower to higher officials. If an official is complained against , his higher official conducts a formal investigation & reports in the record that lower official is not guilty.

The vigilance authorities / Karnataka lokayukta has recently raided on police , tax officials & seized illegal wealth amounting to crores of rupees. Take the recent case where in senior IPS officer , superintendent of police chamarajanagar , mr.srikantappa was arrested by Karnataka lokayukta. The victims spoke to media that he used to threaten them with false cases. In this way , how many victims / innocents were arrested & tortured by his arrest warrants ? how many innocents suffered in false cases ? how many rich criminals got scot free , by srikantappa’s filing of B reports leading to closure of cases ?

In the past how many suffered by srikantappa’s actions ? has the court subjected to review all the previous actions of srikantappa throught his corrupt career ? if not , why ?

The courts of law has taken the official reports , records of mr.srikantappa as gospel truth & indirectly aided rich criminals & harmed innocents. It is the same case with respect to reports of all government officials – police , labour , tax , etc. the rich criminals buy out government officials & make them write favourable report about themselves. Whereas the poor , innocents suffer from adverse reports & injustices. The courts of law takes the government records at it’s face value & meat out injustices to the poor , innocents while aiding the rich criminals.

When a commoner requests for information as per RTI Act , the government officials either give incomplete information , false information or decline to give information under one pretext or the other. The officials are damn sure that the truthful information will be detrimental to themselves & will be taken as evidence against themselves in the courts of law. So information , truth is not given. Even information commissions are failing here. Thereby, the public are denied to seek justice in the courts of law , by lack of evidences.

The courts of law before accepting the records of government officials , must subject it to a “test of truth”. When a government report is contested against , a fact finding team comprising members of public , complainant , respondent & the court , must check it out at the ground level. Orelse when a complainant says that the report of a government official – police , labour , tax , etc as false that government official must be subjected to lie detector test , narco-analysis, ertc by court of law. The questionnaire ie the questions to be asked during the scientific test are to be prepared with feedback from both complainant & respondent’s side. In that way , impartially truth can be found out. After all , the objective of courts of law is “Quest for Truth”, not just giving out judgements based on reports of corrupt officials.

Nowadays , we are even seeing reports of corruption among the judiciary itself. If a complaint against a judge is made out that a level ground is not provided to put up one’s case in the court or cross examination of one party is not allowed or lie detector test / narco analysis of one party is not allowed ( in turn taking the lies of that party as truth ), the judge making a varied interpretation of law, the judge not safe guarding the health & life of the complainant in the custody of police leading to 3rd degree torture of complainant by police , etc, in all such cases the supreme court of India must change the presiding judge of such cases , the cases must be thoroughly reviewed & the guilty judge must be subjected to narco-analysis , lie detector test , etc & legally prosecuted. In this back drop , accountability of police & judges to the public ie citizens of India – kings of democracy , is a must. After all , the kings of democracy / citizens of India / taxpayers are the paymasters of all public servants.

We at e – voice have utmost respect for the judiciary & all government institutions. It is the corrupt few in those institutions who are themselves bringing disgrace to the august institutions they occupy , by their corrupt deeds. The saving grace is that still honest few are left in public service & it is an appeal to them , to legally prosecute their corrupt colleagues.

In India , the private enterprises are the wealth creators of our economy. However , some private enterprises are violating labour laws , tax laws , human rights & fundamental rights of people. In turn harming the public , looting the tax dues. This is creating black money causing various social evils in the society. These huge private enterprises take loans from public sector banks ie take public’s money as loans , collect money from public in the form of shares , debentures , sell their product to the public. Still , they are not covered by RTI Act, they don’t give truthful information to the public nor allow public inspection of their sites , why ? they buy out concerned government officials & gets them to write favourable report about themselves. There are wide differences between the ground reality & these government reports. If the aggrieved person , victim of injustices meated out by these private enterprises , tries to legally seek justice, these criminal private enterprises buy out police , concerned officials & fixes up the victim in false cases. The police in total disregard to law violates the human rights & fundamental rights of the victim in custody , subjects the victim to 3rd degree torture in custody. The presiding judge of the case doesn’t safe guard the rights , health , life of victims in custody. The judge doesn’t check out the truthfulness of government reports & passes on judgement making varied interpretation of just remember the case of “local citizens vs coca cola company” in plachimada , kerala.

Is it not right & just in such cases , to subject the presiding judge , police , concerned government officialds & most importantly key officials of that criminal private enterprise to lie detector , narco- analysis tests , to know the truth ? is it not right to conduct the inspection of alleged site , review of all company’s records , by a team comprising of members from public , court , complainant & respondent ?

Some of these criminal enterprises threaten to finish off the poor victims . as these company’s have money power they can buy out rowdies , police & capable of doing anything. In such cases , if anything untoward happens to the victim or his family , are not the officials of such criminal enterprise liable to pay compensation to the victims’s family or survivors ?

In India , do we truly have democracy & freedom ? is this corrupt India – what our freedom fighters dreamt of & fought for ?

edited , printed , published & owned by NAGARAJ.M.R. @ : LIG-2 / 761 , HUDCO FIRST STAGE , OPP WATER WORKS OFFICE , LAKSHMIKANTANAGAR ,HEBBAL , MYSORE -570017 INDIA cell :09341820313 home page: http://groups.google.co.in/group/e-clarion-of-dalit/ , http://e-clarionofdalit.blogspot.com/ , http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/e-clarionofdalit/ , e-mail : nagarajhrw@hotmail.com , naghrw@yahoo.com

Sun, 11/15, 1342-57 utc ~ China Radio International ~ 7255 kHz ~ Music & talk in the Russian language directed to Russia; Chinese language lesson at 1347; sign-off at 1357 ~ Very strong signal received on Realistic DX-302 with rooftop antenna.

Sun, 11/15, 1410-27 utc ~ Korean Central Broadcasting Station, Pyongyang, North Korea ~ 9665 kHz ~ Classical instrumental music announced in Korean language ~ Good to Very Good reception on DX-302.

Sun, 11/15, 1428-45 utc ~ RRI, Jakarta, Indonesia ~ 9680 utc ~ South Seas pop music with speech in the Indonesian language ~ Signal clear & strong but with hum ~ DX-302.

Sun, 11/15, 1446-1503 utc ~ BBC, UK, via Singapore ~ 9740 kHz ~ World Service in Engliah: Program of African music & interview with singer; world news at 1500 ~ Very Good signal strength but with co-channel interference ~ DX-302.

Wed, 11/18, 0333-56 utc ~ Radio Taiwan International via WYFR, Okeechobee, FL, USA ~ 5950 kHz ~ In English to North America: “Jade Bells & Bamboo Pipes” program featuring Chinese folk music performed by chamber music ensemble ~ Very Good reception on Kaito KA-2100 with rooftop antenna.

Wed, 11/18, 1414-27 utc ~ Voice of Greece, Athens ~ 9420 kHz ~ Greek music with announcements in Greek language ~ Good reception on Kaito KA-2100.

Wed, 11/18, 1428-34 utc ~ KFBS, Saipan ~ 9465 kHz ~ Music & speech in Russian language ~ Good reception. KA-2100.

Thu, 11/19, 1350-58 utc ~ Radio Australia, Shepparton ~ 9580 kHz ~ “Jazz Night” program featuring Australian jazz announced in English; this frequency closed at 1358 ~ Very Good reception on KA-2100.

Thu, 11/19, 1403-20 utc ~ All India Radio, Bangalore ~ 9690 kHz ~ Indian music with no announcements ~ Fair to Good signal strength on clear channel ~ KA-2100.

Thu, 11/19, 1431-37 utc ~ BBC, UK ~ 9915 kHz ~ Arabic to North Africa and/or Mideast: News & features ~ Very Good reception on KA-2100.

Thu, 11/19, 1438-52 utc ~ RTBF International, Wavre, Belgium ~ 9970 kHz ~ Pop music with announcements in French ~ Good reception on KA-2100.

K G Balakrishnan- Present Chief Justice of India

Indian judiciary is considered the most powerful in the world by many scholars. However, by standards of accountability, higher judiciary in India is viewed as the least accountable. The August 28 of this year consensus adopted by incumbent Supreme Court judges on disclosure of their assets on the court’s website is a result of a 12-year-long campaign by various civil society groups and activists as also the sheer force of public opinion.

In 1997, after the initiative of the then Chief Justice of India Justice J. S.  Verma to make judiciary more transparent and accountable, Supreme Court adopted a charter called the ‘Restatement of Values of Judicial Life’ at a full court meeting on May 7, 1997. At this meeting, it was made mandatory for Supreme Court judges to declare their assets – it included real estate and other investments also – to Chief Justice of India. Consensus was also built on declaring the additional assets accrued after assuming office as a judge of Supreme Court of India.

RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal

On June 15, 2005, Government of India enacted the Right to Information Act. The RTI Act  is “an Act to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens to secure access to information under the control of public authorities, in order to promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority.” In November 2007, RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking information on how many judges had declared assets to Chief Justice of India. Initially, Supreme Court refused to give the information sought but after the verdict by Chief Information Officer Wajahat Habibullah that Chief Justice of India’s office comes within the ambit of RTI Act, Supreme Court approached the Delhi High Court. Delhi High Court upheld the order by Chief Information Commissioner, stating that the office of CJI falls under the purview of the RTI Act and information with regard to assets of judges can be made public.

There were a lot of arguments and counter arguments in the political, judicial and public realm about bringing transparency through disclosure of assets and its impact on independence of judiciary. Meanwhile, bribe cases like that of Justice Dinakaran, Nirmal Yadav, and the Noida Pension Fund scandal surfaced in the media and media. Public opinion began to suspect the motive behind judiciary’s reluctance to disclose judges’ assets.

Supreme Court’s continuous refusal to declare assets drew flak from both High Court judges and legal luminaries.  In fact, Justice DV Shaylendra Kumar of Karnataka High Court wrote an article in Indian Express openly questioning the leadership of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan: “It is wrong to assume that a majority of judges in the country are opposed to declaration of assets.” Justice K. Kanan of Punjab and Haryana High Court became the first judge in the country to voluntarily declare his assets on August 22 by doing so on the Internet. This peer pressure coupled with public opinion led Supreme Court Judges to declare their assets on the Supreme Court’s website.

Though the Honorable Judges ‘voluntarily’ declared their assets, many were content to give vague information such as “land at various places”, without mentioning the date of purchase and current market value. Likewise, their disclosure also lacks details of company shares held by the judges in their name as investment. Most of them did not disclose assets owned by their siblings. Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) J. S. Verma, who was the architect of the original accountability move in 1997, says, “The judges should have updated the 12-year-old resolution to make mandatory provision of annual wealth declarations.”

I am firmly of the view that this declaration of assets must be made compulsory at every level of Indian judiciary. Nevertheless, despite of all these loopholes, this debate on judicial transparency and accountability will definitely have a long term impact on Indian judiciary. I think it will lead to wider judicial reforms ranging from appointment of judges to a more credible system for probing charges of misconduct and impropriety leveled at judges. In turn, it will promote honesty among judges as well as help speedy and proper disposal of justice.

Some important links to read further

http://www.judicialreforms.org/files/Mail_Today_SC_judges_reveal_their_assets.pdf

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Declaration+of+assets+only+the+first+step&artid=uB8VlE9eL0Y=&SectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&MainSectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&SEO=Justice+D+V+Shylendra+Kumar,+Mahatma+Gandhi&SectionName=m3GntEw72ik=

http://lawandotherthings.blogspot.com/2009/09/declaration-of-assets-by-judges-how.html

http://toostep.com/debate/do-you-feel-that-the-step-towards-declaration-of-assets-by-s

http://lawandotherthings.blogspot.com/2009/09/justice-verma-on-justice-bhats-judgment.html

http://lawandotherthings.blogspot.com/2009/09/justice-ravindra-bhats-judgment-in.html

http://www.judicialreforms.org/

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/515773/

http://www.flonnet.com/fl2619/stories/20090925261903300.htm

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2619/stories/20090925261902900.htm

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/01/10/stories/2009011052131100.htm

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?667232

http://cic.gov.in/CIC-Orders/FB-06012009-01.pdf

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/india/Chronology-Declaration-of-assets/Article1-471962.aspx

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/india/Justice-done/Article1-472518.aspx

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Declaration+of+assets+only+the+first+step&artid=uB8VlE9eL0Y=&SectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&MainSectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&SectionName=m3GntEw72ik=&SEO=Justice%20D%20V%20Shylendra%20Kumar,%20Mahatma%20Gandhi

http://lobis.nic.in/dhc/SRB/judgement/02-09-2009/SRB02092009CW2882009.pdf

How many times have we heard, “just give it some time, he/she will catch up”; or “there is not enough of a discrepancy between potential and achievement, so they won’t qualify for anything”; or how about this one, “we don’t really do anything until third grade, then we will begin to intervene”.  Huh?

There is a paradigm shift happening in education, and we all need to get on board.  It is not enough to wait until our students “catch-up” with their peers.  We do not want to wait until failure is the only option.  In fact, just the opposite is the ideal.  As was mentioned in an earlier post, the best policy is to screen early and intervene when necessary, as soon as possible.  The movement that addresses this issue is entitled “Response to Intervention” or RtI.

The basic premise behind RtI is simple.  Students are given a basic screening early in the school year, to identify strengths and weaknesses. This allows school-based teams to craft an approach to address the issues.

According to Dr. Marcia Invernizzi at The University of Virginia, in an address given at a statewide meeting in Newport News, she stated:

“Reading interventions should be ongoing and flexible.  The intensity of focus should be adjusted according to student’s response. Layers or tiers of intervention might move from:
*Enhanced classroom instruction, to
*Supplemental small-group instruction, to
*One-on-one individualized reading tutorials”

The great news is that PALS is now listed on the National Center for Response to Intervention’s website as an evidence-based screening tool.  It is in competitive standing with other screening tools such as DIBELS & AIMSWEB.

The small numbers of students who do not respond well to any interventions are considered to be at the top of the tiers, and are more carefully evaluated for possible referral to special education services.  The promise is that general education teachers will be able to accurately identify the problems and intervene early, before the problems lead to entrenched difficulties or referral to special education.

I’ve been programming remote controls for several years.  One of the greatest inventions is the PC programmable remote control.  Now days there are many out there but my remotes of choice are made by Universal Remote and RTI.  I’ve tried the Logitech Harmony and the Phillips Pronto as well as many others, but none have ever worked as well.

I started programming the Universal MX-810, which was bulky and the LCD screen was black and white text.  It also programmed with a serial interface vs USB, so uploads took several minutes.  When I started my company (iWireChicago), the MX-900 was the new remote to sell.  It was USB and slimmer than it’s predecessor.  It worked great and I even came up with a great template with dozens of favorite channels for Dish Network, DirecTV, and Comcast.

At the time, RTI’s T2C was the big bad boy on the block.  Full color graphics, a rechargable battery, and a touch panel with unlimited possibilities…unfortunately, a little expensive for my typical client.

Then came the MX-980 from Universal.  All of the cool things that the RTI had without the touch panel.  Good enough for the price.  I’ve sold dozens in the Chicago area, and everyone loves this remote.

Both RTI and Universal came out with great new product this year.   First, RTI came out with a cheaper, smaller version of the T2C (T2Cs), which competes with the MX-980.  Universal came out with the MX-6000 tablet remote that can surf the web and show meta data from an iPod (with cover art, etc), and just released the MX-5000 remote, which is now a more expensive, but very cool version of the MX-980, with touch panel and 2-way communication.

I still love both lines of remote controls.  I’ve become very proficient at programming all of them (I now have other integrators who hire me to program their remote systems).  They all have their ups and downs and quirks for sure.  I can’t wait to see what the next year holds for the AV/ Home Theater market.