Why HAL was ignored and Reliance Defence selected for Rafael deal?

The political parties in opposition are claiming huge corruption in the Rafael aircraft's deal.

Recently Congress party criticised NDA government over Rafael Deal with.
The allegations are that HAL which is a PSU and an old company was ignored and contract was awarded to Reliance Defense which is a few day old company.

Reliance defense may be a newly formed company but it's predecessor Pipavav Defense was an old company and had enough experience in ship building and it is the first private sector company to get defense contract from Indian government.

HAL may be old but it is not efficient. The fact is that HAL has failed to deliver results. In the last decades HAL has not even produced a single fighter plane. They are not alone with such an accomplishment. DRDO has failed to produce a capable battle tank for Indian Army. The Arjun tank, even after decades of funding is still not in a positon to be accepted by armed forces.

BSNL and Indian Airlines are both old and both are not upto mark in comparison to their private sector counterparts.

Inefficiencies in the working culture of PSUs have forced the government to consider private player in defense sector. It is a welcoming move and may prove to be a gamechanger for the country.


Sources:
1. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rafale-deal-affected-because-state-run-hal-was-in-poor-shape-under-upa-sitharaman/story-1zFMC0QiVkEW56aTRO6BmL.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliance_Naval_and_Engineering_Limited

Image credit:
https://m.economictimes.com/news/et-explains/rafale-enhancements-congress-charge-and-the-key-changes/articleshow/65803192.cms

 

One crore fake beneficiaries found registered in anganwadis

As per Indian Express :

About one crore fake beneficiaries have been found registered in anganwadis across India and their names have been removed from the list, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said Tuesday. There are around 14 lakh anganwadis across the country and 10 crore beneficiaries, who include children under the age of six and pregnant women and lactating mothers.
Gandhi said the identification and elimination of fake beneficiaries is an “ongoing process”, and until now officials have found and eliminated nearly one crore fake beneficiaries. A senior official said the WCD ministry was compiling the details of the one crore fake beneficiaries. Last month, Gandhi said about 14 lakh fake names of children were found registered in anganwadis of Assam.

It's high time government scrutinize all the welfare schemes in the country. If 1 crore fake beneficiaries have been found registred out of 10 crore in just one scheme, the extant of fake beneficiaries in other schemes can be gauged easily. The identification and elimination of fake beneficiaries is essential to ensure public money is used for the upliftment of the society and not for personal gains by corrupt officials.

If needed the government should close the welfare schemes to prevent waste  of public money.

Sources and Image Credit :
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/one-crore-fake-beneficiaries-registered-anganwadis-maneka-gandhi-wcd-ministry-5351168/

Will BJP retain power in Rajasthan?

Since 1993 there have been alternate governments of BJP and Congress in Rajasthan. Sh. Bhairon Singh ji was succeded by Sh. Gehlot who was succeded by Smt. Vasundhara Raje Scindhia.
Will BJP be able to stop this trend in 2019? Recently Rajasthan government reduced the VAT on fuel by 4% which reduced the prices by 2.5 rupees. Such measures are too late and too little.

The public mood is difficult to change with last moment doles. If the BJP government really want to continue their tenure in Rajasthan, they should focus more on development and not on giving schemes to public. Rajasthan seriously lacks development and need basic infrastructure upliftment.

It seems the voters are in no mood to give power to a single party in continuation. Perhaps they are fed up with tiring bureaucracy and apathy of politicians.


Sources :
1. https://www.livemint.com/Industry/HlLyd1q4hZ1xj9WDoFz6tL/Rajasthan-cuts-VAT-on-petrol-diesel-by-4-percentage-points.html

Image Credit : https://www.livemint.com/Industry/HlLyd1q4hZ1xj9WDoFz6tL/Rajasthan-cuts-VAT-on-petrol-diesel-by-4-percentage-points.html

Was Lois Sophia arrested for calling BJP fascist?

Lois Sophia, an Indian scholar studying in Canada was allegedly arrested for shouting anti-BJP slogans. Congress and other opposition parties were quick to jump on conclusions without proper investigation and blamed BJP government for creating emergency like situation in the country.

The truth is that the girl was arrested for creating nuisance in an aircraft which is a crime under DGCA rules.

Section 1.1 of DGCA circular on handling unruly passengers says ‘Unlawful/disruptive behaviour on board the aircraft may interfere with the performance of duties of the crew members or hamper the ability of the crew members to perform those duties or jeopardize the safety of the aircraft /persons/ property on board/good order & discipline on board, cause discomfort to other passengers & crew members and may invite penal action in accordance with applicable regulations.’

Section 1.3 of DGCA circular says Unruly behaviour on-board aircraft has been declared as an offence and is a punishable act.

Sources:
1. https://www.opindia.com/2018/09/creating-a-nuisance-aboard-an-airplane-isnt-dissent-its-a-crime/ 

Image Credit https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-lois-sophia-gets-support-from-kamal-stalin-all-you-need-to-know-about-student-arrested-for-anti-bjp-chant-2659064

Why not Rajasthan Government shut down Rajasthan Roadways?

Rajasthan Roadways is incurring losses almost every year. Still Rajasthan government is unwilling to shut down this service or make necessary arrangements to reduce the losses.
As per reports, the total accumulated losses incurred by Rajasthan Roadways stands at Rs. 602 Cr. It shows how poorly the service is being managed. Every year Rajasthan Roadway incurs losses in the range of 50-60 crore rupees.
Instead of reducing the losses the government is now getting services on contractual basis which further increases the losses.
The transport minister of Rajasthan Sh. Kuldeep Ranka said that Rajasthan Roadways has made a revenue of 1700 crore. However, These figures don't reflect the grant of 45 crore rupees given to Rajasthan Roadways by the government.

If private operators can make profit from transport business why not roadways? It just shows the poor management by the officials. If the losses will be reduced the amount can be utilized to build school, bridges or any other public infrastructure.

Sources:
1. https://www.dnaindia.com/jaipur/interview-dna-straight-talk-ailing-rajasthan-roadways-on-its-road-to-recovery-2597755
2. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907100856/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/RSRTC-to-appoint-793-drivers-accumulated-loss-at-Rs-602-crore/articleshow/4818061.cms?

Image credit: http://transport.rajasthan.gov.in/rsrtc/