Thursday, April 24, 2014

CMJ (CHANDRA MOHAN JHA) ARRESTED IN BIHAR

The elusive Chancellor of CMJ University, Chandra Mohan Jha, who was arrested yesterday in Bihar, is being brought to the State capital here today by Meghalaya Police.

“Transit remand has been granted and CM Jha is being brought here from Bihar today, subject to availability of ticket,” Director General of Police, Peter JP Hanaman said.

Jha was arrested from Jhanjharpur in Bihar’s Madhubani district where he has filed his candidature for the Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate. The Chancellor of the controversial University, named after himself, has been on the run ever since his bail application was rejected by the Supreme Court.

“We have handed over CM Jha to Meghalaya police on a transit remand and he has been taken away,” a senior police official from Madhubani district of Bihar, said.

Jha after issuance of the arrest warrant eluded the police and was suspected to have fled to Bihar his home town. However, he did not surface until now when he was campaigning for the elections in the district.

Jha is wanted in a case related to allegedly issuing fake PhD degrees from his University, which was established by the State Government under the CMJ University Act, 2009, to students around the country and even abroad.

The issue first surfaced when the then Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary as the Visitor of the University in May 20013 found the irregularities in the functioning of the University. On further probe it was allegedly found that fake PhD degrees were being issued to students and was functioning as a “degree mill.”

The Raj Bhavan thereafter filed a criminal complaint with the police against the University and the Chancellor. The Raj Bhavan pointed out that the University awarded PhD degrees to 434 students and enrolled another 490 students in 2012-2013. Many of these students are from Assam and other northeastern States.


The Governor said the University awarded PhD degrees even in subjects like Bodo and Punjabi languages “where guides and faculty are not easily available”. The number of faculty members with PhD degree as furnished by the University is “inaccurate,” Mooshahary had said.

Mooshahary observed that the University repeatedly acted in contravention of Section 52 of the CMJ University Act 2009 in respect of maintenance of standards and other related matters applicable to private Universities,” and therefore recommended its dissolution.

The case was handed over to the CID, which began probe. During the investigations the CID sealed the University and confiscated computers and as many as 10000 PhD theses from its campus. Several officials of the University were arrested and arrest warrant issued against Jha.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court in its order has left it on the State Government to decide on the dissolution of the University, as recommended by Mooshahary.  The State education has been not taken a decision so far and is holding hearing of students from the University on their degrees, from February this year. 

Thursday, April 10, 2014

MEGHALAYA WITNESSES HISTORIC VOTERS' TURNOUT IN LOK SABHA ELECTION 2014

Meghalaya, in India's northeast corner, has recorded a historic 78.13 percent voters’ turnout in Garo Hills during Wednesday’s polling for the Tura Lok Sabha seat, moreover, the States’ overall voters’ turnout of 69.03 per cent is the second highest figure recorded in Lok Sabha election history.

This Garo Hills figure is the highest voters’ turnout in Meghalaya’s Lok Sabha election history that began in 1977 after attaining statehood in 1972. The previous highest figure was 75. 45 recorded in 1998 when the NDA came to power.

The overall State voters’ turnout is the second highest figure, after the 1998 Lok Sabha election voters’ turnout of 74.38 per cent.


Chief Electoral Officer, Prashant Naik, releasing the final figures said today, that overall the State recorded a voters’ turnout of 69.03 per cent, which is an increase of 5 per cent from the last Lok Sabha elections of 2009.

In fact, in the past ten Lok Sabha elections that were held from 1977, the average voters’ turnout in Meghalaya has been 58.44 per cent. So a turnout above 60 per cent is normally considered good by the State elections department.

With such an election history and coupled with the militancy problem in Garo Hills, the region’s turnout has been beyond expectations. A number of factors contributed to this rise and the commendable awareness campaign undertaken by the Election department to motivate voters is one of them, as well as the contesting candidates – Purno Sangma from the National People’s Party and Daryl Momin from the Congress.

But, apart from the campaigns and candidates, the people in the militancy-infested region did seem to exercise the power at their disposal more forcefully and try bringing about positive changes in the region and their lives. There were 5.9 lakh registered voters for the Tura Seat, of which, 4.6 lakh voters exercised their right to franchise.

In Shillong constituency, 63.58 per cent cast their vote. The turnout in Shillong is the third highest for Lok Sabha elections. In 1998, 73.70 per cent cast their vote followed by 72.51 per cent in 1983. There were 9.8 lakh registered voters for the Shillong seat, of which, 6.2 lakh voters cast their ballot. Sitting Congres candidate Vincent Pala is seeking re-election in a multi-corned contest which includes Paul Lyngdoh (UDP), BJP’s Shibun Lyngdoh, Aam Admi Party candidate, Amerington Kharshiing, Richard D Shabong of the CPI and three independent candidates – Prechard BM Basaiawmoit, Denis Siangshai and  Ivoryna Shylla.

Overall, there were 15.66 lakh registered voters in Meghalaya and 10. 80 lakh cast their vote. Female voters with 70.09 per cent outnumbered their male counterpart (67.95 per cent) in casting their votes.

Amongst the 60-Assembly segments, Pynursla in East Khasi Hills recorded the lowest voters’ turnout with 52.65 per cent and the highest was recorded in Mahendraganj constituency, in West Garo Hills, with 86.40 per cent.

Meanwhile, all the polling officials have returned to their respective headquarters and the EVMs have been kept in strong rooms in 13 centres across the State fitted with CCTVs, Naik informed. (Eom)


Monday, April 7, 2014

ELECTION INDIA - Is India at the threshold of a Progressive Era like that of the US?

Is India at the threshold of a Progressive Era like that of the US?

India is at the crossroads - more at a multiple-way intersection without traffic lights, police and surely no Zebra crossing.  However, more Indians, than ever before, would take this road. They would brave the onslaught of the no-holds-barred political traffic and predators – some would succumb – in this quinquennial migration of Indians’ search for greener pastures in one of the greatest spectacles on Earth called the Indian General Elections.

Along with the 81.5 crore voters are 2.3 crore new young voters, who are now strong and capable enough to take this journey and forever have their indelible mark in Nation building. The new voters constituting 10 per cent of the total voters  is the highest number of such voters in India’s election history. A lot many of these new voters aren't the gullible kind any longer, but are educated well-informed and therefore would make informed choices and demand for their rights. They are already seeking answers for the chaos and muck around and demanding a clean-up job – for confirmation run through some of the social media sites. These days a good many guys in the rural area have mobile phones loaded with Facebook, Whatsup etc. This is precisely the story of the great migration that Nations undertake through time in their journey towards a State of development.

Take the example of one of the most powerful Nations on the Planet - the United States. During the 1890s, the United States was growing as an Industrialized Nation. Factories, business houses, banks, roads, ports, railways were being created at a furious pace.  And with this developmental rage the ugly heads of corruption and crony capitalism rose, labourers were crushed under the burden of greed, women and race were disregarded and humiliated, environment was abused. Something similar is happening in India now, if we factor in the local conditions and issues. There are  more industries being developed, there are talks of corporatizing railways, ports, airports, creating new roads and a whole lot of new ideas.

The period from 1890 to 1920 was the Progressive Era in American history. A number of people and organizations rose to fight together against the prevalent criminal-chaos and contributed in America’s path breaking reforms during that era. One of the campaigns was the Efficiency Movement. The movement tried to identify old rotting ways and introduce modern means in the political, social, economic and personal fronts. It was during this period that women first got their right to suffrage in 1920 when an organization called the Women’s Suffrage Association continued a sustained campaign to allow women to vote. In 1920 the American Constitution ratified the Nineteenth Amendments and declared men and women are equal in terms of suffrage.

India   is at war to make the country a safer place for women against perverts and those misogynists who have failed to provide equal space for women in social, political and the economic arena. There is the women's reservation bill. (However, it is debatable if reservations on the basis of caste, race, religion or gender is the answer or would further polarize Indians from Indians. The more viable option would be reservation on the basis of Human Poverty Index.) Nonetheless, 49 per cent of the voters are women, who would give their verdict during this election.

It was during the Progressive Era, several political reforms were undertaken such as adoption of Direct Primary. The Seventeenth Amendment to the American Constitution in 1917, enabled people to elect US senators directly, rather than being selected by corrupt State legislatures. This move gave people more say on the kind of candidates they wished to see in the elections. People were also encouraged to drop proposals in ballot boxes for new legislation, with adequate number of people’s signatures, so that referendum could be undertaken on these proposals. Recalling of non-performing candidates was also introduced.

How wonderful it would be if political parties in India hold elections amongst it cadres  for allotting tickets, rather than doling them to the biggest buyer, the notorious crook or someone who has the birthright on tickets because of having a particular surname. Moreover, one of the scourges of the Indian democracy is the use of “unaccounted” money during elections. There have been proposals for political parties to come under the purview of the Right to Information. Ironically, some parties which preach about the RTI and its efficacy aren’t the best practitioners of this legislation and refuse to come under its preview. 

However, one of the major election reforms undertaken in India recently was introduction of Non Of The Above or NOTA option. This button is a great step in participatory democracy. It has given the freedom to disenchanted voters to come to the polling station and press the button in case he/she dislikes all the participating candidates – chances are a lot will do that. But the Election Commission needs to spell out what steps it would take if the number of votes cast in favour of NOTA is more than the votes cast in favour of individual candidates. Re-election? Anna Hazare and his movement has to be credited for this reform and of course the Supreme Court. Hazare is seeking for recall just like the US, but again the local conditions have to be factored in for implementing such a proposal. He has led a historic movement for Lokayukta, that the Ombudsman would look into corruption in public spaces.

Another important aspect of the Progressive Era was the Muckrakers and the advent of new media houses. The Muckrakers were a group of reform-minded journalists who constantly carried out investigative report on the industries and brought to the public notice about the corrupt business practices and also on the issues of labour rights and consumer protection. It was during this era that new guidelines were set to regulate big business houses and industries. The US federal government with the assistance of newly passed legislations, such as Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 and Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 sued big business houses for monopolizing businesses and also pressed charges for selling stocks that could lead to monopoly - did we hear something similar in recent times about corruption in big business houses in India?

Moreover, the US federal government under the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the banking sector was regulated by monitoring the use of deposits and protecting the interest of the depositors. It was during this period that a tax reform regime was introduced through the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The Amendment, for the first time, made it mandatory for the wealthy to pay Income Tax.

In India tax collection is still a big challenge. Reform in the tax regime is long overdue and a relook is needed on getting the wealth stashed abroad illegally, what is infamously called as black money. An “Industrialised” Nation like the US recently put pressure on the Swiss Government on its notorious banking secrecy law and managed to dig out names of US citizens by threatening to take legal action. Switzerland buckled. Can India take similar steps? Sure it can! At the top of the campaign to bring back black money stashed abroad has been the vocal Yoga Guru, Baba Ramdev.


Moreover, during the Progressive Era the US federal government also carried out sweeping reforms and enacted law for minimum wages for labourers and regulating working hours, fixing minimum wages for women, who were not paid equally as men for the same work performed and abolishing child labour, albeit it happened in some States initially. It was the Muckrakers who provided vital information and evidences for the government to act.

Although in India we don’t’ have the Muckrakers, but in recent years the mushrooming media houses have acted as a commendable watchdog. Some of the major scams such as Adarsh, Commonwealth Games, 2G and Coal mine scam and others were exposed with the help of the media and other agencies.  The advent of the 24X7 media channels – save some of the cacophony and chaos and some not above suspicion at times - have been a blessing for the masses.

When it comes to environment protection, the progressive Era showed the way with US President Theodore Roosevelt passing a landmark decree in which about 200 million acre (roughly the size of France and Britain) was set aside as National Forest. It was during this period that Roosevelt established five National Parks and barred lumber companies and ranchers from using public land illegally.

In India there has been rampant abuse of its environment over the past few decades. The Rivers are being polluted and trees are being felled randomly despite a historic judgment by the Supreme Court to stop timber felling. Moreover, the mining industry has violated environmental norms time and again and has got away due to a strong lobby in the corridors of power. The creation of the National Green Tribunal is a welcome decision of the Supreme Court, which now hears cases exclusively related to the environment, but more needs to be done in terms of legislation and prosecution.

Although the conditions in the two largest democracies are worlds apart, but there are also similarities that India and Indians can draw inspiration from America. Moreover, India has the advantage of its vast Human resource some doing outstanding work. It is an Indian who is working on an invisible cloak, the stuff of a science fiction. It is again an Indian who has invented a paper microscope and there are a million such talents and therefore it gives all the more conviction in quoting US President Roosevelt from the Progressive Era who said “believe you can and you are half way there.” (eom)