Email address telephones INDIA

Details of Public Grievance Appellate Authority
Sl No. Name of the Circle Name of the Officer / Designation Office Address E-mail Address Office Phone FAX Number
1 A&N Telecom Circle Port Blair Atanu Ghosh, CGM A&N Telecom Circle, Telephone Bhavan, Port Blair cgm_an@bsnl.co.in 03192-233800 03192-233660
2 Andhra Pradesh Telecom circle Office M.S.S. Rao, GM(O) O/o CGMT, Doorsanchar Bhavan, Room No. 904, Abidi, Hyderabad-500001 gm_bd_ap@bsnl.co.in 040-23203355 040-23201103
3 Assam Telecom circle Office Soumya Ray, GM(D) O/o the CGM, Assam Telecom Circle/ BSNL, Guwahati-1. gmd_assam@bsnl.co.in 0361-2736310 0361-2527007
4 Bihar Telecom Circle Office H.S. Dwivedi, GM(NC) O/o CGMT, 5th Floor, Sanchar Sadan, Sanchar Parisar, Budha Road, patna gmbdnc_bihar@bsnl.co.in 0612-2239952 0612-2221681
5 Chhattisgarh Telecom Circle Office Jamuna Prasad, G.M. O/o CGMT, BSNL, Khamhardih Telephone Exchange, Campus, Vidhan Sabha Road, Khamhardih, Raipur-492007 pg_cgappeal@bsnl.in 0771-2229300 0771-2228300
6 Chennai Telephones G. SELVAM, GM(Operations) O/o, CGM, 78, Purasawalkam High Road, Chennai-600010 gselvam@bsnl.co.in 044-26613800 044-26616430
7 Gujarat Telecom Circle Office Ajit Singh, PGM(O), O/o CGMT, Telephone Bhavan, Near Navrangpura Telephone Exchange, C.G. Road, Ahmedabad-380006 pgmo_guj@bsnl.co.in 079-26481050 079-26481600
8 Himachal Pradesh Telecom circle Office A.K. Sanghi, GM(Opn.) O/o CGMT, H.P. Telecom Circle,SDA Complex, Block No.-11, Shimla-9 app_auth_@bsnl.co.in 0177-2626677 0177-2626999
9 Haryana Telecom circle Office B.D. Garg, GM(O) O/o CGMT, 107, The Mall, Ambala Cantt. vishwas4@yahoo.co.in 0171-2602900 0171-2603286
10 Jharkhand Telecom Circle Office B.N. Singh, GM(O) O/o CGMT, Jharkhand Telecom Circle, Ranchi bn_singh@bsncl.co.in 0651-2210028 0651-2210029
11 J&K Telecom circle Office R.K. Pandit, GM(O&D) O/o CGMT, 4th Floor, Bahu Plaza, Rail Head Complex, jammu Tawi-180012 rk_pandit@bsnl.co.in 0191-2477222 0191-2477255
12 Kolkotta Telephone District S.K.Bhaduri, GM(CR) 033-2243-8000 033-2243-8001
13 Kerala Telecom circle Office Amit Mishra, GM(O) O/o CGMT, Doorsanchar Bhavan, Trivandrum-695033 amit_mishra@bsnl.co.in 0471-2306600 0471-2305922
14 Karnataka Telecom circle Office A. Subramanian, GM(O) O/o CGMT, Doora Samparka Bhavan, No.1, Swami Vivekananda Road, Halsuru, Bangalore-560008 gmop_ktk@bsnl.co.in 080-25576577 080-25562602
15 Maharastra Telecom Circle Office B. L. Bordia O/o CGMT, D Wing, 1st Floor, Juhu Danda Admn. Bldg., Mumbai-400054 pgmd_mah@bsnl.co.in 022-26619090 022-26608898
16 M P Telecom Circle Office Bhopal Ziaul Hasan, GM(Op) 407, BSNL Building, Near Press complex, Bhopal-462015 gmo_mp@bsnl.co.in 0755-2760088 0755-2572424
17 NE-I Telecom Circle Office Pa Paramanandhan, GM(M&O) O/o DGM, CTO Building, Shillong-793001 gmmo_ne1@bsnlco.in 0364-2224737 0364-2228244
18 NE-II Telecom Circle Office  
19 Orissa Telecom Circle Office U. S. Panda, GM(O) O/o CGM, BSNL, Orissa, Bhubaneshwar uspanda@bcnl.co.in 0674-2535399 0674-2534545
20 Punjab Telecom circle Office H.K. Verma, GM(OPN.), O/o CGMT, Room No.226, Plot No-2, Sanchar Sadan, Sector 34A, Chandigarh pg_appellete_pb@bsnl.co.in 0172-2604747 0172-2646100
21 Rajasthan Telecom circle Office N.K. Singh, GM(CS) O/o CGMT, Rajasthan Telecom Circle, Jaipur 0141-2379484 0141-2379464
22 Tamilnadu Telecom Circle Office D Varadarajan, PM(O) O/o CGM TN Circle, 80 Annasalai, Chennai-600002 pg_tnpgm@bsnl.co.in 044-28521224 044-28520044
23 UP(E) Telecom Circle Office H.R. Shukla, GM(O) O/o CGMT, UP(East), M.G. Marg, Hazrat Ganj, Lucknow h-r-shukla@bsnl.co.in 0522-2621200 0522-2230300
24 UP(W) Telecom Circle Office S.C.Jain, GM(TS) O/o CGMT, MDA Building, 3rd Floor, Meerut subhashjain@bsnl.co.in 0121-2641415 0121-2411029
25 Uttranchal Telecom Circle Office J. B. Singh, GM(O) O/o, CGMT, UAL, Dehradun gmbdual@bsnl.co.in 0135-2653000 0135-2651099
26 W. B. Telecom Circle Office S.K. Bose, GM(O) O/o CGMT, W.Bengal Telecom Circle, Kolkata gmowb@sancharika.com 033-22100068 033-22100069

Pvt unaided schools can fix own fees but no capitation fees

Pvt unaided schools can fix own fees but no capitation fees:SC

The Supreme Court has held that private unaided schools in the national capital can fix their

own fee structure, sans capitation fees, and transfer their
surplus funds from one school to another provided they are
under the same management.
 A three-judge bench of Justices S B Sinha, S H Kapadia
and Cyriac Joseph, reiterated their earlier ruling that
private schools can fix their own fee structure subject to the
condition that no capitation fee is charged from the student.
  In other words, the Delhi government would not be an
authority to fix the fees but has the power to examine whether
any capitation fee is charged by the schools.
 The bench passed the judgement while dealing with the
review petitions filed by a bunch of schools challenging the
earlier judgement passed by the apex court in 2004 wherein it
was held that the government had the power to examine the fee
structure.
 The judgement assumes significance as private unaided
schools here had challenged an order passed by the Director of
School Education regulating the fee structure in the schools.
 The apex court said the rules governing the fee
structure in schools should be in conformmity with its earlier
Constitution bench judgements in the T M A Pai and P A Inamdar
cases, where it was held that private unaided educational
institutions have the power to fix their own fee structure,
provided no capitation fees are charged.

Four nomads lynched in Bihar

Four members of a nomadic tribe were lynched Thursday evening in Bihar's Kaimur district on the suspicion that they were involved in a theft in the area, police said Friday. Three of the alleged assailants have been arrested. 

The four men were beaten to death at Kudra village in Kaimur district, about 200 km from the state capital, for their alleged involvement in a theft at a liquor shop in the area.

The victims -- identified as Shankar, 30, Lakhan, 26, Majanu, 25 and Soojan, 27 -- were banjaras, a sub-group of the Nat nomadic tribe. Originally hailing from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, they were living along with their families in Kaimur for over a decade and trying to earn a livelihood.

Police have lodged a case and arrested three of the accused, Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) Neelmani said Friday.

Family members of the four victims told police they had gone to the village pond but some people attacked them and others beat them with bamboo sticks and iron rods, killing them.

Some two years ago, a mob lynched 10 men of the Kueri sub-group of the Nat tribe at Rajapakar village in the state's Vaishali district. The incident had hit national headlines.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had ordered a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the incident, which found that the victims were not thieves and the lynching was not a sequel to any crime or theft case.

According to the report, the men were returning from a feast and got involved in a heated exchange with an auto-rickshaw driver over the fare near Dhelpurwa. The spat attracted a mob, which beat up the men mercilessly.

In rural areas of Bihar, street 'justice' is becoming increasingly common. Over 50 cases of lynching have been reported from the state over the last two-and-half months this year.

Cryobanks International to expand network in Bihar

Cryobanks International India, a cord blood stem cell banker, is eying to expand its network in Bihar where awareness of stem cell banking is still very low, a company official said.

"We will expand our network across the state to create more awareness among people to come forward for stem cell banking," company's marketing head Ashim Ghazi said.

He said till now 18 to 20 umbilical cord blood stem cells were collected from Bihar on an average per month. "So far about 200 parents have stored samples of umbilical cord blood stem cells."

Ghazi said 14,000 of 35,000 samples collected for stem cell banking in India were with Cryobanks International India.

Falgun Sah, medical adviser of Cryobanks International India, said nearly 10,000 people across the world were being treated through stem cell therapy but in India the number is as low as 25 to 30.

Cryobanks International India provides a programme for families that wish to store their baby's stem cells and another for those who prefer to donate.

Bihar curbs medicine that kills vultures

The Bihar government has decided to check the use of anti-inflammatory Diclofenac medicine in treatment of animals as the drug accumulates in the tissues of carcasses and is leading to the death of vultures.

Bihar Animal Resources and Fisheries Minister Ramanarayan Mandal said Friday: "I was told by experts that vultures suffer from renal failure and die after consuming the Diclofenac accumulated in the tissues of the dead animals. 

"We have directed not to go for veterinary use of Diclofenac to save vultures and to help increase their numbers," Mandal told IANS. 

The minister said that in May 2006 the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) had asked all state drug controllers to phase out Diclofenac from the veterinary use within three months.

DCGI issued another circular in 2008 asking all state drug controllers to direct manufacturers of Diclofenac to label it "not for veterinary use".

Despite the notes, rampant use of Diclofenac continued in Bihar. 

Once a common site in the state, vultures have seen a steep decline in numbers in the last decade.

"Vultures are now spotted mainly in Bhagalpur, Supaul, Araria and Khagaria districts," an animal resources department official said.

Global animals group to help flood-prone Bihar save livestock

As saving human lives is the priority of BIhar, which is annually ravaged by devastating floods, the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) has now stepped in to help the state protect its cattle during natural calamities.

"The WSPA has selected Bihar, the first state in India, to help to save the livestock," Philip Russel, director of the disaster management wing of the WSPA, said here Wednesday.

The WSPA has chosen Bihar as the state sees a huge loss of livestock during recurring floods, particularly when the Kosi river breaches its embankment like last year. Over 19,000 livestock perished during the floods in Bihar last year and the state has no focused approach yet to save them. 

Russel said the WSPA would provide relief and rehabilitation to animals in distress following flood or drought.

He was here to attend a two-day international seminar on disaster management for livestock that began Tuesday.

Russel told IANS that working to protect animals in flood-prone Bihar would be a challenge for the WSPA, which is all set to open its first veterinary emergency response unit of the country in Patna. 

"A team of the WSPA would go and conduct a mock drill for evacuation of animals by the end of this year in a village in one of the flood-prone districts of Supaul, Saharsa or Madhepura," he said.

The WSPA would also train veterinary doctors about methods of safe evacuation during natural disasters.

Russel said several countries were now recognizing the need for laws to protect the livestock population.

The curious case of monsoon

When it rains, it pours - when it doesn't, you can only wait. That was the situation of the monsoon that has 'officially' hit most parts of the country, but has been elusive in Delhi and has kept Maharashtra "worried". 

Delhiites rejoiced in the rain early Wednesday but only for a few hours - after which the humidity set in.

"Delhi has received no rain since 8.30 a.m. Wednesday," an official said.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the southwest monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of Punjab and Haryana and isolated parts of north Rajasthan. 

"Widespread rainfall activity with heavy to very heavy falls at a few places over east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim are likely during the next two to three days. Over northeastern states during the next three to four days, isolated extremely heavy rainfall (25 cm) is expected over Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh," a senior IMD offical said.

The weather might have changed for the better in the national capital but not the mood of the people as protests continued Wednesday over power cuts and water shortage.

"Na bijli, na paani, yeh kaisi rajdhani?" (No power, no water - what kind of a capital is this?) chanted angry residents in some parts of the national capital.

In some areas, irate residents of the capital protested the erratic water supply by shouting slogans and breaking earthern pots in the middle of the road. 

In Punjab and Haryana, the weatherman seemed to have got it correct as monsoon reached all regions of the two states Wednesday.

The Chandigarh Met department recorded 16.2 mm of rain in the city in the last 24 hours.

There were spells of moderate to heavy rainfall in most of regions of Punjab and Haryana, and there has been a dip in the mercury by five to six degrees Celsius across the two states.  

Up north in Himachal Pradesh, the southwest monsoon remained active Wednesday and the state experienced intermittent showers, weather officials in Shimla said.

"The monsoon remained active all over the state in the past 24 hours," Shimla meteorological office director Manmohan Singh told IANS.

In Bihar too the rain gods smiled as it rained well in many parts of the state. 

Patna Met Office director S. I. Lashkar said that monsoon has finally arrived in Bihar and rains were reported from different parts of the state in the past 72 hours. 

More rains are expected in the coming days, he added.

There has been heavy to extremely heavy rains in the northeast with the monsoon getting active over the region in the past 24 hours. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya witnessed heavy to extremely heavy rains, while the rainfall was isolated over Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram, according to the regional meteorological centre in Guwahati.

According to forecasts, there would be widespread rain in the northeast in the next 48 hours, with the region expecting between 25 to 35 cm rains.

The world's wettest spot Cherrapunjee in Meghalaya recorded 43 cm rains in the past 24 hours.

In Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, however, the monsoon scenario continues to cause concern to the authorities and people alike. 

Usually, July is the wettest month of the season, but the weather bureau has forecast only a few spells of rain or thundershowers in Mumbai city and suburbs during the next 48 hours.

The municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai has warned that only 20 days' water supply is available for Mumbai, while the state government is contemplating supplying water every alternate day till the rains normalise.

There were no rains in Kolkata Wednesday even though the sky was cloudy.

However, monsoon rains lashed the metropolis and West Bengal Tuesday. The highest rainfall of 51 mm was recorded in Burdwan district Tuesday, according to the Met Office. Five people died after a lightning struck them at Ketugram in the district, police said.

Buddhist monks pray for rain in Bihar

Hundreds of Buddhist monks in Bihar have been performing special prayers and rituals at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya to appease the rain god and end the ongoing dry spell in the state.

"We began special puja from Thursday at the Mahabodhi temple of Bodh Gaya to seek blessings of god for rains. Our puja will continue till Aug 12," in-charge of Bodh Gaya centre of Mahabodhi Society of India P. Sivali Thera told IANS.

Bodh Gaya is considered the birthplace of Buddhism. Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment about 2,550 years ago at this place.

Thera said the Buddhist monks have been performing special puja for rain under the holy Bodhi tree at the temple. The monks will perform prayers for seven days under the tree.

He said monks from dozens of monasteries at Bodh Gaya and several other monks from different countries have been participating in the prayers.

Earlier, Muslims and Hindu priests performed prayers for rain at several places across the state.

Lack of rain has been a concern for millions of farmers in Bihar as transplanting of paddy seedlings has been badly hit. Bihar has recorded a 43 percent rainfall deficit so far this monsoon season.

The state government admitted that drought-like situation was prevailing in 32 of 38 districts in Bihar. A crisis management team, headed by Chief Secretary Anup Mukharjee, was set up to suggest measures to tackle the situation.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called an all-party meeting in Patna Sunday to plan succour to farmers and check crop damages. Earlier, he held a high-level meeting Wednesday to review the situation.

Bihar government is considering declaring at least 12 districts drought-hit. The government will declare the districts drought-hit on Aug 9 or 10 after ministers submit their assessment reports. 

The ministers have been asked to assess the situation in their respective districts along with district officials and submit their reports at the earliest, an official said.

Amartya Sen welcomes government's Right to Food Act

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen Saturday praised the government's draft for a Right to Food (Guarantee of Safety and Security) Act saying it was a "step in the right direction". 

"In my new book, 'The Idea of Justice', I have spoken about injustice. Inequitable distribution of food and malnourishment is one of the injustices. I think it is to the credit of the government that it is planning to bring about the Right to Food Act. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are in the right territory. It is a step in the right direction,” Sen said addressing a discussion on Right To Food at a packed Press Club here.

Sen was in the capital to promote his new book, “The Idea of Justice”.  

"Recently, I spent some time at Nalanda, Gaya, Rajgir and Patna in Bihar and found that there was a change in the administration even in the backward areas. A wider cross-section of people had access to food and it showed how change people's initiative and a good leadership can bring about,” he said. 

The Right To Food Act is an integral component of the United Progressive Alliance's proposed National Food Security Bill mentioned in the budget speech under which the every poor family would get 25 kg of food grain per month at Rs.3 per kg. 

It was also part of the Congress's election manifesto.  

Outlining the food scenario in the country, Sen said the magnitude of malnourishment, especially in woman, mothers, children and babies at birth, in India was tremendous. 

"No other country comes close to India. Most of the African nations have lower levels of child malnourishment. It is a situation of manifest injustice and we have the means to remove it but there is a certain level of smugness about India's achievements. The most difficult and nasty thing about malnourishment is that incapacitates the mind and debilitates the body,” Sen said. 

The economist said one must recognise that “poverty, lack of food, illnesses and state of education in India were closely linked - and were of the same magnitude”.

"Though the public distribution system has achieved something quite considerable, it still merited a depth of probe on effective were the distribution networks. There is a general perception that if the supply of food has been ensured, then the poor do not need the employment guarantee scheme. But the way of getting to all is through diverse necessities (addressing all their needs),” Sen said. 

The economist's West Bengal-based organisation, Pratichi Trust, working in food security and education sectors across the country, is currently studying facilities under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and how it applies to children under below six years of age in six districts of West Bengal.

"We have studied the ICDS scheme in some areas of West Bengal and a few tribal districts of Jharkhand and found a number of defects. As an economist, I would be very happy if these flaws could be removed. There is need for a multiplicity of delivery system and NGOs have a very important role to play in universalising the ICDS system so that it reached everyone,” Sen said. 

Commenting on the mid-day meal scheme, Sen said: “What Europe introduced in the 19th century, India was getting it 200 years later. 

“Lot of relatively richer kids in India complain that they don't want to eat with the poor kids in schools for they can get food in their tiffin carriers. The media in this country is obsessed with the rich kids. Consequently, the quality of food gets more importance than the fact that the scheme is getting to some people. We have to defend the mid-day meal schemes so that the poorest schools do not lose the grants and benefits they have,” Sen, who teaches at Harvard University in US, said.

“It was easier to teach children in a full stomach than hungry children who could not concentrate and had short attention spans.”  

The discussion was hosted by an umbrella of non-profit groups campaigning for the right to food.

Human trafficking on the rise in Bihar

The Bihar government Friday admitted that there has been a marked increase in the number of women and children being smuggled from the state since the launch of its Human Trafficking Prevention Programme in 2007. 

Bihar Water Resources Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav told IANS that over 50 cases of human trafficking had been registered till July this year. There were 50 cases in 2008 and 21 in 2007.

The minister had told the state assembly last week that 128 human traffickers were arrested in 2009 and 91 women were freed from their clutches. 

Most cases were reported from Kishanganj, Purnia, Araria, Katihar, Sitamarhi, Madhubani and Saharsa.

Yadav said it was a matter of serious concern that human trafficking was on the rise though special cells had been set up to initiate effective measures to check the crime.

The state government launched the Human Trafficking Prevention Programme for checking smuggling of women and child labourers and ensure a comprehensive rehabilitation scheme for the victims.

A senior police official said Bihar had become a hub of human trafficking due to large scale poverty and illiteracy. 

Officials in the social welfare department said that last year's devastating floods in the Kosi region had provided a golden opportunity to human traffickers to target poverty stricken people.

According to a report prepared by the state government along with NGOs, most children smuggled from the state end up as bonded labourers, domestic workers and employees at roadside restaurants or small textile units. 

Most young girls are either forced to marry men from Punjab and Haryana or work in brothels.

Woman shot dead for marrying outside caste

An 18-year-old woman was shot dead by her uncle in Bihar's Kaimur district for marrying a man from a different caste, police said Saturday. 

Nikki Kumari, 18, was shot dead Friday in Kudra in Kaimur district by her uncle Bhanu Pratap Singh for marrying a backward caste boy against the wishes of the family.

"It was like an honour killing," a police officer said.

Kumari, a resident of Dalmianagar in Rohtas district, married Dipak Yadav last month against the wishes of her parents and other relatives. 

She was living with her husband but Yadav was arrested after the girl's family lodged a complaint stating that he had kidnapped Kumari. 

Kumari was then taken to her sister's husband's house in Kudra. On Friday when Kumari was in Kudra, Singh came to the house and allegedly shot her dead. Singh is absconding, police said.

"A case has been lodged," the police officer said. 

Three Dalits beaten in Bihar for listening to songs

A middle-aged Dalit woman, her son and his friend were allegedly abused and beaten by upper caste men in a Bihar village for listening to popular Hindi songs on a mobile phone, police said Friday.

The incident took place in Kurji village near here. According to one of the victims, the three of them were in a group listening to songs on their mobile phone when a group of upper caste Bhumihar men objected and asked them to stop. When they ignored their threat, the men allegedly beat them up. 

Kishori Ravidas, in his early twenties, told IANS: "Our only crime was that we were listening to Hindi songs on the mobile phone. This was disliked by some upper caste men. But when we continued to listen to the songs, we were beaten up." 

Ravidas' mother Bhagwania Devi and his friend Lalbabu Paswan were also assaulted.

Ravidas was seriously injured and was admitted to a private hospital here Thursday. He was so shocked by the incident that he refused to lodge a police complaint.

Phulwarisharief police station officer-in-charge Balram Prasad said it took a lot of convincing and an assurance of protection for the victims to come forward and lodge the complaint.

The officer said a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act has been lodged against seven men of the village. All the accused are absconding, he added.

Poverty, hunger drive elderly couple in Bihar to suicide

Poverty and hunger forced an elderly couple in a Bihar village to commit suicide, villagers said Sunday. However, a local official maintained the couple died of cancer but was unable to explain how the deaths occurred at the same time.

Farm labourers Inderdeo Mahto and his wife Kari Devi, both in their 60s and residents of Khushalpur village in Gaya district, allegedly consumed poison Saturday after going without food for days as they found no work since early July, villagers claimed. The village is about 100 km from Patna. 

"They were left in the lurch, no one helped them and hunger forced them to commit suicide," Manoj Prasad, a villager, said.

"Mahto and his wife used to work as farm labourers to earn their livelihood but for over a month, there was no work available because of the drought like situation and people were reluctant to hire them for other jobs due to their age. He was not supported by his two sons, both of whom live separately and also work as labourers," Suresh Singh, another resident of the village, said.

Village council head Rambha Devi also told IANS Sunday that the couple died due to poverty and hunger. 

The names of the couple reportedly did not figure in the list of those below poverty line (BPL). Villagers said the couple had requested authorities to add their names to the list but this was not done. However, both of Mahto's sons figure in the list.

Block Development Officer (BDO) Shivnarain Singh said the couple died of cancer but was unable to explain how the deaths occurred at the same time.

Police have recovered the bodies and sent them for post mortem. A case has been filed.

Scanty rainfall has affected millions of farmers in Bihar as transplanting of paddy seedlings has been badly hit. The state has seen a deficit of 43 percent rainfall so far in this monsoon season. 

The state government admitted that a drought-like situation was prevailing in 32 of the state's 38 districts and has set up a crisis management team, headed by Chief Secretary Anup Mukherjee, for measures to tackle the situation. 

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called an all-party meeting here Sunday to discuss the issue. The government is considering declaring some worst affected districts drought-hit. 

Mahatma Gandhi's dream schools in Bihar set for revival

After years of neglect, the 391 schools that were set up in Bihar to fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream that one day all Indian children will have access to basic education are set to get a new lease of life. 

State Human Resources Development Minister Hari Narain Singh told IANS here Thursday that the government has decided to spend Rs.50 crore to improve the infrastructure of the Buniyadi Vidyalayas (basic schools), about six of which were set up by the father of the nation himself.

The schools were set up to impart basic education to boys and girls in rural areas. They were also meant to provide vocational training in spinning, carpentry, farming and weaving.

The first Buniyadi Vidyalaya was established by the Mahatma in 1939 at Brindavan in Bihar's West Champaran district.

Singh said the government will spend Rs.50 lakh each on 100 basic schools during the current financial year as part of the first phase of the revival plan. In the next two financial years, the government would spend money on the other 291 schools.

"The government will not allow the dream schools of Mahatma Gandhi to die. All the basic schools will be revived in phased manner to provide opportunity to the younger generation to realise the dream of the father of the nation," said Singh.

Official sources said the basic schools or "Mahatma ke school" as they are popularly called in Bihar, are struggling for survival. They suffer from a shortage of teachers and funds. In many case, land meant for the Buniyadi Vidyalayas is in illegal possession of others.

Successive state governments have allowed the schools to languish. Even the central government has not made any attempt to breathe life into them.

A few years ago, the Supreme Court took serious note of the plight of the basic schools in West Champaran district. 

The court had then issued notices to the centre, the state government, the district administration of West Champaran and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to ensure proper functioning of the schools and preservation of the Gandhian heritage.

Bihar plans to provide toilets to all families

The Bihar government plans to provide each family in the state with proper toilet facilities in the next five to six years, with the target of constructing more than ten million toilets.

"Every family would be provided a toilet in the state as the government's target is to construct over one crore toilets in next five years," Bihar Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) Minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey said here Thursday.

The PHED plans to construct 1.12 crore (11.2 million) toilets by 2015 to provide toilets to all, he said.

Choubey said that 17 lakh (1.7 million) toilets have already been constructed in last 43 months. "The number of toilets constructed in the state during the period 2005 to the first half of 2009 was much more than 753 toilets constructed during 2001-2004," he said.

The latest survey conducted by the PHED revealed that about 95.96 lakh (9.596 million) households, out of which 49.19 lakh (4.919 million) are from the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category still do not have toilets at their homes. 

The state government is offering a grant of Rs.1700 to every BPL family for adding toilets in their huts.

Our Bihari Police System

Judiciary and the Role of the Fourth Estate

Judiciary and the Role of the Fourth Estate
Should judiciary be left alone to freely execute its functions as enjoined by the Constitution and statutes emanating from it and to deal with malfunctioning on its own or the press should be given a free rein to criticize every action of state organs.
The stance taken by Delhi High court against the Mid day journalists for allegations against ex-chief justice Y.K.Sabharwal had taken many by surprise ruffling the feathers of big brains of the country and small brained social observers alike. The media played its role well in accordance with the spirit of giving the right information at the right time. But coupled with the contempt proceedings initiated by the HC it has raised many questions in the intellectual circles as to what is of greater importance - the free judiciary or a free press. Should judiciary be left alone to freely execute its functions as enjoined by the Constitution and statutes emanating from it and to deal with malfunctioning on its own or the press should be given a free rein to criticize every action of state organs.
Lord Denning once said - 'supervision of judges encroach upon the independence of judiciary, judicial behaviour should invite no scrutiny or criticism or discussion or debate as it would affect the administration of justice and deter the judges from expressing an independent and fearless opinion.'
The reason given by Lord Denning is prudent but it might not be wise in the present socio-legal-political scenario to rule out the scope of any judicial scrutiny, discussion or debate or criticism.
In the present context the fear of interference with the judiciary can be set aside, for although the actions of CJI has been scrutinised and discussed it aims at holding judicial organ accountable and there is no apparent threat to independence of judiciary.The concept of independence of judiciary runs rather too deep to be affected by holding the judges and judicial officers accountable.
In simplest terms independence of judiciary means that it should be free from the interference of state organs like the legislature and the executive which has the capability of influencing the impartial execution of justice. An independent judiciary ensures a fair play of fair justice.
The Constitution of India envisioned such possibilities and so inserted three pronged provisions to ensure that judicial organ can function in furtherance of justice without external interference.
Firstly complex and complicated procedure for removal of the judges has been prescribed. It is said about impeachment proceedings that it is easier to amend the Constitution than to impeach a judge.
Secondly Art.50 lays down that the state shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive in the public service of the state.
Thirdly a complete mechanism to control the subordinate courts has been provided under Articles-233-236 wherein the HC has been empowered to supervise their functioning. All matters related to promotion, demotion, suspension of sub judges, posting etc. are also controlled by the HC.
Apart from this Art.121 prohibits any discussion in Parliament about the conduct of the judges of HC or SC in discharge of their duties except in case of impeachment proceedings against them. Thus independence of judiciary has been sufficiently guarded.
But to rule out fair criticism to ensure independence of judiciary would amount to the assertion of the policy of secrecy which marked the colonial era in India. During the British rule, the right to question the actions of government was denied and laws were introduced to eliminate such rights completely. With a population desperately trying to free itself from the webs of colonial hangover, unmindful restrictions on freedom to express opinions and to question the actions can be intrusive and unwelcome. In a free democracy and a young democracy as that of India, no organ should shield itself from the eyes of the masses nor it should claim an immunity from fair criticism.
The spirit of Rule of Law which is one of the essential part of the concept of basic structure of Constitution as laid in Maneka Gandhi case (1978) requires that every judge should submit before law. It proclaims --- "be you ever so high the law is above you."
And history is testimony to the fact that neither judges nor the judiciary as a whole has been spared fair or unfair criticism.
In 1990 for the first time the impeachment proceedings were initiated against Justice Ramaswamy, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court for misconduct and financial irregularities. Likewise, the image of Judiciary was tarnished by the statement made by the then law minister in 1988 in a meeting of Bar council of Hyderabad. Commenting on Apex court he said that SC was composed of persons of elite class and anti-social elements like bride burners, FERA violators and whole herd of reactionaries have found their heaven in the SC.
Similarly ex-Chief Justice of India E.Venkatramaih said in an interview -"The Judiciary in India has deteriorated in standards because such judges are appointed as are willing to be influenced by lavish parties and whisky bottles."
It definitely had greater power to shake the faith of people in administration of justice than the allegation leveled by the Mid-day journalists on three counts-
Firstly , because the statement was made by former Chief Justice of India.
Secondly the statement was not only sharper but had more credibility because it was made by an insider.
Thirdly it was not an allegation leveled against a particular judicial officer but it lay bare the very system of working of the Apex body.
But the Bombay HC was not alarmed by such scandalisation and ruled out any contempt of court to have been caused by such statement. And such reaction is desirable because stifling fair criticism does more harm to the respect of a body than a scandalous publication. Even under English law, which have been borrowed freely to develop our legal system public opinion, criticism are left to the conscience of the people. Holding people guilty for contempt has become obsolete.
An informed press is therefore should be welcome rather than being hammered down by court rulings. The informed press has a long way to go in nurturing healthy inquisitive spirit amongst the citizenry. If press were to give only tailored information democracy will become merely a mask on the face of dictatorial governments. In Romesh Thappar's case Patanjali Shastri ,J. Observed "freedom of speech and press lay at the foundation of all democratic organisation for without political discussion, no political education, so essential for the proper functioning of the government is possible." The press is watchdog and a free press must be embraced by each and all.
In a democracy which upholds the principles of participation of people, it is a sensible question as to where the freedom of organ to function freely should be limited and freedom of people to know should start. Can highlighting corruption in any organ of the state amount to overstepping into the jurisdiction of such organ. On principle at least people are supposed to have the power to criticize and inquire into the actions of every organ of the state, for each organ has inter alia, the foremost and fundamental duty to serve the people, judiciary cannot be an exception to this.
Corruption has become rampant and judiciary cannot be immune to these developments. Corruption cannot be confined to a straight jacketed definition. Just as making money by undesirable means amount to corruption, influence of nearest relatives and friends in deliverance of justice is equally a corruption. And it is this latter form of corruption that was exposed by the Mid-day journalists against the ex-CJI. Besides, the judges are also human, human frailty can sometimes afflict even the purest of them.
The plea that criticizing judiciary would lower the respect of judiciary in the eyes of people cannot hold ground because if the judges and magistrates are delivering justice - free and fair, it shall continue to command respect irrespective of such exposes. If there are fears that the media has the power to mislead the masses, it is not completely unjustified. And this is also true that scanty knowledge and adulterated information can be a deadly combination.
But such possibilities of exploitation have to be accepted as inseverable part of free press. Unfettered press should be allowed to do its functions properly as it has been doing for last fifty years in our country. As Madison said in First Amendment of Federal Constitution of the USA
"It is better to leave some noxious branches to their luxuriant growth than by pruning them away, to injure the vigour of those yielding proper fruits"
In other words, just because there are possibilities of failure we cannot abandon the pursuits of truth and sooner it is realized, the better and quicker shall we reap its benefits
bishakha84@legalserviceindia.com

About the Author: Bishakha Chakraborty 
  
Advocate, Patna High Court 

If you have been scouting for a job

If you have been scouting for a job for quite sometime now with no luck, it’s time you employ some vaastu changes to fetch that coveted appointment letter asap. Cracking an interview usually requires confidence, enthusiasm and a clear head. In Feng Shui terms, these feelings are encouraged by the chi energy of the east and south-west. To improve your chances of getting the job you want, you need to increase the presence of eastern or south-eastern chi energy in your house. Here are some remedies to improve your career luck.  
# For a perfect job, keep the outside light of your house on. If you don’t have an outside light, keep on the first light inside the front door. Leave it on for at least four hours a day to increase job opportunities. I would suggest having a red bulb outside the front door as it is easier to find your house.
# Water is the element that represents career opportunities and advantages. Place a fountain in your house. Make sure the fountain flows into the house and does not point out the front door.
# To increase the energy of the east in your home, place a bowl with fresh water in the eastern area and replace it every morning. Having plants in this area will also help.
# Hang metal wind chimes outside the front door to help control movement within your career. When hung with this particular intention, chime will ring a breath of fresh air into your job search.
# Check your front door area very carefully. If the door sticks or cannot open fully, then you are creating blockages in your job search and your life. Make sure everything around the doorway — door bell, switch, name plate, floor mat — is in good condition.
# Place a small elephant (wooden, ceramic or stuffed) on the floor facing the front door. He will lend you his power and prudence and carry you through your job search like a king. Don't forget to carry this elephant along on your job hunt or on a mission of jaldi naukri.
Raman Datta is a Delhi-based feng shui and vaastu consultant. 
Call: 9810155835