| An IAS officer should know to say `No' Posted: 16 Feb 2012 05:42 AM PST By Jayaprakash Narayan
Today in India, there is a certain lynch mentality. We are willing to believe the worst about those in public office, be it politicians, bureaucrats or judges. That unless proved otherwise, the fellow is a thorough crook. This is not a very happy situation. We can understand why it has come about. People are vexed, there is a terrible crisis of legitimacy and monumental corruption. There is enormous anger.
But then there are also bonafide acts by officials which go wrong. Many a time due to the pressure of doing one hundred things at the same time, things do go wrong. No human being can say he will always be perfect. You must acknowledge that there is an inherent possibility of error in government decisions.
As long as there is no criminal intent and due diligence is done which essentially means reasonable exercise of caution, you cannot hold a person's decision wrong in hindsight. At best you could order a departmental enquiry, a rap on the knuckles. Corruption is a matter of criminal intent and an objective person should be able to distinguish between the two.
Now if each segment keeps saying that while I may be guility, you should first go after him, it is not right. I remember a R K Laxman cartoon many years ago saying the enquiry report has come and that the report says no one in the country is guilty of any wrong and that whatever is happening in the country is happening on its own !
The country is in an awful mess and let us first acknowledge that. We have third rate governance. People are not getting what they are entitled to. There is monumental inefficiency and corruption. There is arrogance of power and delay.
But the IAS officers should not behave as if they are peons and clerks. The IAS has awesome prestige and authority and protection under the Constitution of India. This class of people are chosen from among thousands of people. At the age of 30, you give them immense power over 3 million people in a district where they get to play a significant role in legislation and implementation of policy.
Now if they turn back and say we have nothing to do with the decisions, that is not the right thing to do. I agree that the politician must be hanged from the nearest lamp post, after due process of law. I am all for it. But the IAS officer cannot say that he is just a small fish and I was told to do this and that, therefore I did.
The IAS officer takes an oath to protect the Constitution of India, not to protect partisan interests. If he is being asked to pass a wrong order, he must resist.
A clerk and a police constable can say he is a mercenary but the DGP, or an SP or IAS officer cannot claim that. If they behave like clerks, the system will collapse as they will be undermining themselves.
We have to protect the honest officers from vindictive witchhunt. But more importantly, we have to protect society because today it is not the officer who needs protection. It is Indian society that needs protection from the governing classes because they have been governed very poorly.
(Jayaprakash Narayan is a former IAS officer and now President of Loksatta Party. He is an MLA in the Andhra Pradesh assembly)
Courtesy: http://www.tsr.net.co/profiles/blogs/an-ias-officer-should-know-to-say-no
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| ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ ప్రభుత్వ చట్టవిరుద్ధ ఆంక్షల్ని ఉల్లంఘించటం మినహా రైతులకు మార్గం లేదు: జేపీ Posted: 16 Feb 2012 05:31 AM PST |
| Farmers have no alternative to defying Illegal AP Government acts: Dr. JP Posted: 16 Feb 2012 05:29 AM PST The Federation of Independent Farmers' Associations today charged the Andhra Pradesh Government with contravening Government of India directives under the Essential Commodities Act by banning inter-State movement of fine varieties of paddy and rice.
Addressing a media conference, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, President of FIFA and the Lok Satta Party, pointed out that although the Government of India unambiguously stipulated that there shall be no curbs on inter-State movement, the Andhra Pradesh Government has taken law into its own hands by banning sale of paddy and rice outside the State by farmers and tenants. "It is behaving like a street rowdy," fulminated Dr. JP.
"The farmer in India is facing ruin not because of the vagaries of nature but because of the cruel and unjust policies of State and Central Governments. It is the Government that has become an albatross round the farmer's neck," charged Dr. JP.
The State Government itself had removed the barriers on movement of rice and paddy outside the State a couple of years ago citing heavy losses to farmers because of the steep decline in local prices.
Although prices have once again crashed this year against the backdrop of a steep increase in the cost of production, the Andhra Pradesh Government would not permit movement of rice and paddy outside the State.
FIFA is launching a Dandi-like farmers' satyagraha March on February 18 and 19 to defy the unjust laws and regulations that are dealing a body blow to farmers. Farmers and tenants starting from Yemmiganur in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh will march to Gilkasugur in Raichur district of Karnataka and effect token sale of paddy in defiance of the Andhra Pradesh Government ban. "Let the Government arrest and prosecute farmers and me," said Dr. JP who had given notice of FIFA's action program to the Chief Minister on February 2 itself.
The State Government is blind and dumb in that refuses to see the farmers' plight or listen to wise counsels, said Dr. JP.
FIFA would repeat its defiance of unjust laws and regulations by organizing a similar march from Nizamabad in Andhra Pradesh to Nanded in Maharashtra.
It is time farmers all over the country transcending parties and crops they grow joined hands and demanded dismantling of the present license-permit raj. They should fight Governments but not end their lives in despair, he said pointing out that over 2.3 lakh farmers had committed suicide in the last 15 years.
Dr. JP said that farmers do not get even the minimum support price for any produce, leave alone a fair and remunerative price. The Government, which cannot ensure payment of even the MSP, denies the farmer the freedom to market his produce outside the State. In contrast, an industrialist can sell his manufactured products anywhere he wants. On top of it, he gets a subsidy if he chooses to export it outside the country.
The Government harms the farmers' interest by allowing duty-free import of edible oil even as it regulates farm produce exports. The country witnesses a lot of breast-beating whenever prices of onions and tomatoes go up but not a tear is shed when their prices plummet. The State Government which collects hundreds of crores of rupees on marketing of agricultural produce would not utilize the amount to provide warehouses for farmers to store their produce and get pledge loans.
Referring to the grouse in certain circles over his inclusion in a House committee to go into Government land deals, Dr. JP disclosed he had told the Speaker that he would step down to make way for those who feel they are under-represented. He said he had rejected both the ruling Congress and the Opposition TDP during the no-confidence vote because he regarded both parties as wolves fighting for the right to devour innocent lambs. "They represent the corrupt and failed politics of the past. The Lok Satta represents politics of the future and gives hope and leadership to youth," Dr. JP said.
Lok Satta Party Working President Mr. D. V. V. S. Varma and Secretary P. Bhaskara Rao took part in the media conference.
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