INTENTIONALLY-RIDICULOUS 4000 KM RICKSHAW RUN

Call it an “intentionally-ridiculous race’” or an “inside joke turned travel phenomenon,” but, a 4000 mile Auto Rickshaw race on Indian roads is definitely as challenging as breaking the sound barrier.

Seventy-one teams from around the globe have embarked on a journey from the coast of South India (Cochin, Kerela) to the hills here in Shillong today all hopping inside their 150cc powered mean machines - Auto Rickshaws. The event is dubbed as Rickshaw Run.

Breaking the sound barrier would definitely be a bonus for the seventy teams from twenty countries, apart from raising Rs 60 lakh for charity. The fund from the charity would go to International Rescue Corps and Social Change and Development, India.

International Rescue Corps mobilises teams anywhere in the world in response to natural and man-made disasters.

Scad runs a large variety of projects and programmes for the poor in India in the areas of Education, Health and Community organisation and development.

The team intends to ‘tuk-tuk’ its way to the finishing line at Hotel Pinewood sometimes on April 30. In the process, would endure 4000 kms of notorious Indian traffic, unrelenting heat and muck and of course a fatigued self-discovery.

The annual event, organised by UK based group, “The Adventurists,” has generated immense interest amongst amateur adventurers around the world, who wish to seek Nirvana not through “easy and boring” journeys of life.

The organisers believe that adventurers need to be “flush their guide books down the toilets” and join the battle against an “increasingly boring and sanitised world.”

The “mighty three-wheeled race” would have live updates from the teams, including a position tracking system, SMS from the road, photos, videos and blogs on its website http://www.rickshawrun.theadventurists.com, during the back-breaking journey.

The Rickshaw Run has no prize waiting at the end of the finishing line, but lots of back-slapping, champagne and yes: take home tales to bore grandchildren.

“(This)intentionally ridiculous and hugely popular adventure is designed to raise money for charities in India and guarantee the very tallest of tales to bore your grandchildren with.

"The finish line doesn’t have a clock to mark the teams’ arrival, it has cucumber sandwiches, much back-slapping and a huge party,” Tom Morgan, Adventurists and Rickshaw Race founder said.

CAG REPORT NOT A FAIRYTALE WITH HAPPY ENDINGS

The Comptroller and Auditor General's report is “not a fairytale, always with happy endings,” but, an “objective report” compiled by professionals.

A senior official from the CAG’s office, said on condition of anonymity, that the CAG comes up with an objective audit report annually after going through painstaking process of checks and balances and giving ample space for the government to present its side of the story.

“The CAG’s report is not a fairytale with happy endings as some would wish, it is objective and state what are facts,” the official said after Meghalaya Speaker, Charles Pyngrope raised doubts about the report’s trustworthiness.

Pyngrope said that the CAG’s report is “not the gospel truth” and therefore not above suspicion. He was reacting to charges of financial mismanagement of his predecessor, MM Danggo as exposed by this year's CAG report.

Earlier this year, Union Telecom Minister, Kabil Sibal defending his colleague and predecessor, A Raja, similarly challenged the CAG report, which estimated a loss of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore to the Indian nation in 2G spectrum allotments.

The Supreme Court later criticised Sibal for undermining the CAG report. The CAG’s office also stood by it report, saying, the data and estimated loss was corrected.

Meanwhile, the official here said all data reflected in the annual audit report are screened from government files. “We visit state government department and ask for details and the report is prepared based on those data,” the official said.

Once the draft audit is prepared, he added, it is sent to the concerned departments for their comments and feedbacks. “This process is repeated twice not once. If there is any mistake in the draft audit and is pointed out by the government, we correct it,” he said.

Moreover, professionals visit and conduct physical verification and finally the report is compiled and presented to the Assembly.

He added the CAG’s office is constitutionally mandated to audit the government’s finance and if there are any government wrongdoings it gets reflected, which eventually becomes an unhappy report for some.

SPORTS AND POLITICS MUST NOT MIX

The unhealthy trend of politicians doubling up and clinging as sports bosses in India is likely to change after the government enacts the National Sports Development (NSD) Bill.

Union Minster of sports and youth affairs, Ajay Maken said the draft NSD Bill would address some of the concerns such as politicians continuing as sports federation and association chiefs for years. He added sports persons are best suited to run these bodies.

“The draft bill is likely to infuse freash blood in the National sports associations and federations. It has proposed that 25 per cent of the voting rights would rest with sportsperson connected with respective associations and federations,” Maken said after inaugurating the 2nd Northeast Youth festival at the Polo grounds here today.

The elections to these sports bodies, he said, would be done through a secret ballot and the Returning Officer would be a retired judge of the High Court to ensure fairness. The upper age limit of presidents would be limited to 70 years.

“We are trying to bring about changes through this new bill to help develop sports in the country,” Maken said.

As of now, several politicians have also held posts of sports association and federations despite having scant experience of the sports they head. Experts, especially sportsperson, say, politics and sports should not be mixed.

Some of the striking examples of polticians dabbling in sports being Suresh Kalmadi, president cycling federation of India for 14 years, Jagdish Tytler president judo federation for 14 years, JS Ghelot president amateur Kabbadi federation of India 24 years VK Malhotra president Archery association of India 32 years and many others. The same is the case here in Meghalaya with several politicians also doubling up as presidents of sports bodies.

Meanwhile, Maken said northeast would be given special focus for development of sports in India. Citing the example of Manipur he said the tiny state has produced some world class athletes for India.

He added adequate fund would be released by his ministry to develop sports. “We have sanctioned Rs. 40 crore for Meghalaya to develop synthetic turfs and sporting facilities here,” he said.

BSF BDR FOOTBALL MATCH

The Border Security Force (BSF) played and won a football match with Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). Elsewhere, a team of Bangladeshi boys and the BSF engaged in a game of hide and seek.

In the first match, BSF (Shillong frontier) and BDR (Sylhet frontier) fought their hearts out to win. Although, the players’ skills were nowhere close to Zidane’s, but thankfully his kind of head-butts were also absent.

During the course of the match non-partisan crowd from this small border town of Dawki cheered both the teams. Across the border, on Bangladeshi hilltops, spectators watched and cheered their team.
The ice was melted at the end when BSF IG (Shillong frontier) named Md. Feroz Hussain BDR’s goalie as the ‘player of match.’

Ironically, Hussain’s brave efforts could not save his team from BSF pumping in four goals, two each in each halves of the match. BSF won the match 4-0 after 90 minutes of dominance.

In the other game, hoards of Bangladeshi children tore down the nearby hill tops inside India to watch the football match from close quarters. It was tough for the BSF jawans to search the kids hiding behind trees and bushes and chase them away constantly.

In one such incident, a Bangladeshi boy stood still with his hands raised after being cornered by BSF personnel. What was noticeable was the nervous blush on his face knowing the game wasn’t over.

He gave the BSF personnel a slip and disappeared behind the bushes after the BSF jawan asked him to return to Bangladesh, only for another hoard of children to return. The scores were level in this game!

“Results don’t matter,” BSF IG (Shillong frontier) PK Mishra said. “It’s a beautiful beginning. Families of BSF and BDR are interacting and sharing quality time… that’s important,” BDR Sector Commandant (Sylhet frontier) Abdul Hossain added on the newfound bonhomie between BSF and BDR.

Earlier, it was nice to see for once Indians carrying their injured Bangladeshi counterpart on stretchers and administrating medical aid during the match. A far cry from the pictures of April 2001 when 15 BSF jawans were hauled on bamboo poles after being killed by BDR near Boraibari, Assam.

This stretch of the Indo-Bangla border in Tamabil is not fenced due to opposition from a handful of local organisations. This area is in “adverse possession” of India and claimed by Bangladesh. It is therefore difficult to tell when a person is inside India or Bangladesh.

Other children, like Sami and Safin, who accompanied their parents from Bangladesh as part of the BDR invitees, were thrilled: “the match between India and Bangladesh was good. We like India and want to come back again”.

BSF team would tour Sylhet, Bangladesh and play a volleyball match there soon. “There would be cultural programmes too,” informed the BDR Sylhet Sector Commandant.

In this entire friendly match, the Bangladeshi team may have lost the match, but their friendly demeanour on and off the pitch won many hearts.

INDIA BANGLADESH TO RESUME JOINT SURVEY OF DISPUTED BORDER

India and Bangladesh are holding negotiations to resume the stalled joint survey of disputed border areas between the two nations.

A mutual Indo-Bangladesh agreement last year decided to jointly survey the disputed areas along the Indo-Bangla border as part of a confidence building measure. The areas of differences are often referred as “adversely possessed” areas and inherited from the days of partition of the two countries.

The survey began on December 7 last years, but sixteen days later, it abruptly came to a halt in the Meghalaya sector amidst claims and counter-claims that border guards of the two nations were interfering in the survey works.

“We have decided to resume the joint survey, but there are some areas of differences in our views, so negotiations are on to iron out those differences,” an official from the Meghalaya land records and survey said today.

In fact, it was Bangladesh’s Directorate of land record and survey which insisted on resuming the stalled process. The official said two teams from both the countries are holding talks from yesterday at Muktapur and Pyrdiwah along the international border in East Khasi Hills district to chalk out modalities to resume the survey.

The major point of difference is in nine areas in the Meghalaya sector which is “adversely held by India” and claimed by Bangladesh.

The nine areas include, Pyrdiwah, Lyngkhat, Amki-Amjalong, Ranghong, Naljiri, Tamabil, Kurinala and Muktapur mostly in East Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills districts of Meghalaya and Sylhet district in Bangladesh. India claims Lobacheera being “adversely held by Bangladesh.”

Incidentally, the survey of Lobacheera, a tea growing area, has been completed last year, although details are yet to be exchanged between the two nations.

The meeting between the survey officials between the two sides passed off well yesterday and also today. Sources, however, said a concrete decision to resume the survey work would not be possible before next week.

INDIA MUST ALSO BUILD DAMS ON RIVER BRAHMAPUTRA

India must also build storage facilities for River Brahmaputra’s water in the same manner China was doing.

Union Minister for Water Resources, Salman Khurshid said, India must stop worrying about China’s dams and instead focus on building storage facilities for River Brahmaputra’s water.

He said such storage facilities would help the people of the region to address issues of flood and drinking water requirements. “We need to store water from the River Brahmaputra to address issues like flood and drinking water needs,” Khurshid said here.

China is building dams at Zangmu, Tibet on the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra known as Yarlung-Tsangpo. The Zangmu project would tap the immense hydropower potential of the Brahmaputra for energy-starved Chinese population.

The biggest fear though is China’s reported plan to divert water from Brahmaputra River for its arid northern provinces to replenish agriculture there to feed its growing population.

Khurshid said the centre was keeping a “close eye” on China’s dam constructions and said the situation need not be viewed as alarming at this juncture.

“China has given us an assurance that flow of water would not be affected on the River Brahmaputra and it has not. The issue is not alarming,” he said at the sidelines of a workshop on water resource management with reference to flood.

Overall, the senior Congress leader’s statement was a tacit blessing for construction of dams on the River Brahmaputra, a sensitive subject in Assam, especially during the ongoing Assembly elections.

Various organisations in Assam have registered their opposition against the construction of the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydro Electric Power Project in Arunachal Pradesh. They have pointed out that such a mega dam would have serious repercussions on the ecology and the people of the region.

Khurshid, nonetheless, clarified that any decision for constructing big dams would rest primarily with the concerned state governments of the region.

The central government, Khurshid assured, “would not take any decision that would endanger public lives.” “Necessary consultations would be held between the centre and state governments together with experts on the issue of constructing big dams,” he said.

RAT-HOLES MINES IN JAINTIA HILLS,MEGHALAYA AND ITS CHILD LABOURS

A few fortunate kids would bury their heads inside books rather than inside dark inhuman rat-hole mines of Jaintia hills, thanks to the initiative of some journalists from India and France.

Sunil Pradhan and Gautam Rai (names changed) are just a few victims of child labour. They have been scrapping coal from the dangerous rat-hole mines of Jaintia hills district for years now.

But, after a team from France 24 channel came to report about child labour in the coal mines and subsequently saw the plight of children pledged to sponsor the children’s schoolings and take them off the mines. Some Indian journalists too have taken the same initiative.

Now Sunil and Gautam would be lodged in the Pashupati boarding school on the Indo-Nepal border. Both the kids say they are looking forward to experience the new world under the Sun.

The kids belie their age of 14 years and speak maturely about the “dangerous world” they live in. They claimed to have seen several people die in the mines due to roof collapse, flooding and infighting.

“There is lot of fight after consumption of alcohol and gambling. We have seen it and want to leave this place. We got into mining to support our families who are very poor and have no source of income,” Sunil and Gautam echoed.

Mine owners pay about Rs. 1500 for ten coal filled carts measuring about two sq meter. The children said they need two-three days to fill those carts labouring from 6 am in the morning to 3 pm in the afternoon.

“We frequently fall sick as the mines are on most occasions flooded with water. Moreover, Malaria is very common near the mining areas,” the two children said.

The state government remains a helpless bystander to the whole issue as it says that mines are privately owned and therefore the mining department has no say over these unregulated mines.

In fact, Meghalaya deputy Chief Minister in-charge mining Bindo Lanong dismisses the presence of children inside the mines " as children playing and not working there as child labours."

Due to this, there are conflicting figures as to how many children are working in these rat-hole mines. NGOs give an astounding figure of 70,000 children; the government’s claim is 220.

“Some of the international companies are now inquiring if coal is mined by children in Jaintia Hills. They are going to stop buying the coal if that is the case. We have presented our case to them,” Hasina Kharbih of Impulse NGO fighting for the children’s right claimed.

US SHAM UNIVERSITIES AND RADIO-COLLARING

The message is loud and clear, the US government is trying to intercept and shut down “sham Universities” to avoid relay of last year’s unpleasant radio-collaring episode of Indian students.

Director US Consulate General, Kolkata, Chad P Cummins speaking to the Assam Tribune said today the US government considers such bogus Universities and schools as a “huge problem” and investigation is on to weed them out.

Last September, several Indian students fell prey to a sham University called Tri-Valley in US, California. Some of the students who enrolled in the University were later radio-tagged to monitor their movement by US immigration officials. That led to an uproar in India.

Post the radio-collaring incident, the US government is taking a closer look at some of its policy loopholes to avoid recurrence of “unsuspecting” students being victimised by sham Universities.

One of the tricky issues being looked into is about US Universities and schools having the right to enrol foreign students without being necessarily accredited.

Taking advantage of this loophole in the policy, several sham Universities mushroomed and acted as fronts to run immigration rackets.

In fact, after the 9/11 attack, the US has increased its surveillance on foreign students because some of the terrorists who rammed into the twin towers were aviation students in the US.

The Consular official was here to interact with students of St. Anthony’s college and encourage them to enrol in US Universities. He said during the interaction that students must get in touch with US consulates in the country for better information of schools and Universities to avoid being victims of fraud.

Cummins also advised students to go through the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to get better insight into US schools and Universities. SEVIS has a list of approved schools and Universities.

The US government is also directing all Universities and schools to provide clear details about its accreditation status, alumnae and the courses offered under the new policy being worked out.

“There are a few wrinkles in the policy that needs to be ironed out and once that is done it would benefit foreign students,” Cummins added.

MEGH WARRANT OF PRECEDENCE, MLAs WAY ABOVE TEACHERS

Legislators are listed fourth in the warrant of precedence in Meghalaya, India and comparing Members of Legislative Assembly with teachers is like differentiating between potatoes and apples.

Independent legislator Manas Chaudhuri making a comparison between teachers and public representatives in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, said: “people ask me, 'when teachers don’t get pension, why should MLAs get.' I tell them because the difference between the two is like potatoes and apples.”

He said MLAs’ position was much higher than teachers as they are listed number four in the warrant of precedence after the Governor, Speaker, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers in the state.

Warrant of precedence is the list of protocol through which individuals and organisations are assigned their position as per their importance by the government.

Chaudhuri, who was education minister in the previous NCP-led MPA government, came up with the comparison during introduction of the Legislative Assembly of Meghalaya (Members’ Pension) (Amendment) Bill, 2011.

He was demanding higher pension amount for ex-MLAs and said the Rs. 10,000 monthly pension and Rs. 3000 medical allowance was demeaning for the stature of MLAs who are public representatives.

The Mawprem legislator demanded that through further amendments in the Bill the pension slab for ex-MLAs must be fixed at Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 5000 for medical allowance.

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Parliamentary Affairs, Rowell Lyngdoh rejected Chaudhuri’s suggestion stating the new Bill has raised the pension amount from Rs. 5000 to Rs. 10,000 which was a 100 per cent increase. Moreover, the medical allowance was increased from Rs. 750 to Rs. 3000.

He said the decision to raise the pension slab was taken by the Cabinet based on the recommendation of a cabinet sub-committee. “The present pension of ex-MLAs is considered adequate and cannot be raised further,” Lyngdoh said.

Chaudhuri further pointed out the basic pay of sitting MLAs is Rs. 5000 and therefore the pension of MLAs cannot be more than the basic pay of sitting MLAs and insisted the Bill must be corrected.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma then intervened and said if required the basic pay of sitting MLAs would be rectified to avoid anomalies, but not the pension amount of ex-MLAs. The Bill was later introduced and passed by the House.

ONLY THE DIVINE AUTHORITY CAN COUNT THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

Refugees, illegal migrants, foreigners and of course Indians would form part of census 2011 that would populate the mystical and diversified country called India, but not the fabled “Indian Babylonians" of Mizoram!

Considering themselves as children of God the Babylonians have refused to enumerate themselves in the current census operations, much to the disappointment of the Indian government.

Living in a world of complete isolation and mystery the Babylonians are a secretive sect, living in some districts of Mizoram, with the belief that they have nothing to do with the “outside” world.

The sectarian group has shut their doors to the outside world and would not allow “others” to come to their homes in times of wedding or funerals or any other social events. They have even stopped sending their children to schools, so that they are not influenced by the outside world.

The reason to abstain from the current census according to the Babylonians is simple: “only the divine authority has the right to count the living and the dead. Not humans.”

“These are non-believers,” a rather piqued Pu Lal Thanhawala the Chief Minister of Christian majority state of Mizoram said after the Babylonians refused to enumerate themselves in the current census operations.


Secretary of North East Christian Council, Reverend R Lalnunzira, however, disagrees. “Babylonians are Christians and the Church have always wanted them to return into the mainstream, but it has been difficult convincing them as they do not want communication with the outside world,” the Church leader said.

The Babylonians are somewhat similar to the Mennonites and Amish people of North America. The Mennonites and Amish too do not communicate with the outside world and have even shunned modern technology and prefer living a lifestyle much as the way people lived in the Biblical era.

The Mizoram Chief Minister emphasising the importance of the census operations said, the government wants to head count those who are living in Mizoram similar to the rest of the country.

“If they (Babylonians) don’t say about their numbers it leaves a small, but, significant blank in our efforts to formulate welfare schemes for the entire population of Mizoram.” But, so far all efforts of the Mizoram government have been futile to convince the Babylonians to be part of the census.

The 2011 census would definitely throw many surprises in the coming days, but the missing “Babylonian” population is much on expected lines and shall remain as fabled as they were for centuries.

FOX IN THE CHICKEN COOP:MEGHALAYA

Heard about the proverbial “fox in the chicken coop,” but never: “Speaker vacated the residence in May 2008; there was no trace of the Rs. 11.81 lakh-poultry coop!”

Sounds bizarre, but its true. The Assembly secretariat incurred a loss of Rs. 11.81 lakh due to submission of a “fictitious bill” for construction of a poultry coop at the official residence of former speaker, MM Dangoo.

But, what takes the cake is that when the speaker vacated his official residence neither the coop nor a single chicken was present at the residence!

“Approval of such construction (poultry coop) at the official residence (speaker) from the public money was not only unethical but also unauthorised,” the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report castigated.

This is not the first instance that the CAG has unearthed financial mismanagement during Dangoo’s tenure as a Speaker of the legislative assembly.

Dangoo did not hand over goods installed in his residence before vacating his official residence in May 2008.

Included in the list of items were: two Sony LCD TV 50 inch worth Rs 7,87,500, one set of PIV Lenovo worth Rs 1,40,712, one air conditioner worth Rs 1,92,440, three wall fan worth Rs 23,400.

A cycling machine, tread mill, weight machine, pixna, TFT monitor, revolving chair (one each) were also purchased by the then speaker.

Moreover, two dining tables worth Rs 1,03,500 a 2857.14 sq m of carpet worth an amazing Rs 23 lakh were purchased .

Security-related items such as CCTV, additional cameras, intercom PABX valued at Rs 1.94 crore were also not returned. In all goods worth crores of rupees were missing after Dangoo vacated his official residence.

Meanwhile, the poultry coop’s construction was done by a contractor without “detailed plan, estimates, administrative approval and technical sanction.” Besides, no tender was called to assess competitive rates, the CAG report said.

Non-existence of the poultry coop indicates a fraudulent payment of Rs. 11.81 lakh has been made on fictitious bill – now that’s making mincemeat of public money.

HAMARA PAISA HAMARA HAQ

Going with its slogan: “ our money our right,” the Shillong declaration of the 3rd National Right to Information Convention today resolved that the central government must subject “all public expenditure under social audit.”

It was by far one of the most crucial of the other 11 resolutions passed in the Shillong Declaration and was only included after the strong insistence of RTI activist, Aruna Roy. She was amply supported by some of the country’s prominent figures in the field of judiciary, media and bureaucracy.

Initially, it was decided that just ten resolutions would be passed and those were read out and adopted. But Roy in the end intervened and strongly advocated that the social audit of all public expenditure must be included in the list of resolutions.

“It is important, we are here to fight corruption...If the government can have social auditing in the case of NREGA then why not for all other programmes,” she reasoned. Eventually, the resolution was adopted.

Apart from, the social audit, some other very crucial resolutions were passed having direct bearing on the northeast.

One of them being security and intelligence forces must not be exempted from scrutiny under section 24 of the RTI Act and this exemption must be removed immediately so that these agencies fall directly under the purview of RTI.

“It is irrational to exempt security and intelligence agencies under section 24 of the Act. This is not in the interest of national security,” said the speaker while announcing the resolutions.

Another vital piece of resolution was that there must be transparency in religious institutions and they must also be transparent about the manner they use “public money.”

It goes without saying that many religious institutions have kept their accounts under a strict code of secrecy and many feel they are not used for the purpose they were meant for, hence the resolution.

The other important resolution includes bringing banks, international financial agencies, private sectors, NGOs under the RTI. The resolution also said all Private-Public-Partnership and Public-Private projects must be brought under the Act.

Some of the other resolutions included setting up of a Right to Information Council to better implement the Act, circulation of draft legislations for wider consultations, transparency in the appointment of State and Central Information Commissioners, protection of RTI applicants and activists.

Besides, creation of anti-corruption commission like Lokpal, Autonomous Councils under RTI and suo moto disclosure of government schemes and programmes were the other resolutions adopted after the three days of deliberations.

INDIA A SHAM DEMOCRACY RULED BY ELITES

India is a “nominal democracy” with “political families and a few elite” continuing to rule the nation since its independence, unfairly.

Former Chief Election Commissioner, James Michael Lyngdoh who is in Shillong to attend the national convention on Right To Information said, five percent elite and political families are ruling the nation since the country’s independence and he therefore considers India a sham democracy.

“To say that elections in the country are conducted free and fair is absolutely laughable,” the outspoken Lyngdoh said, who himself took many powerful politicians to task for grossly violating the election process, during his tenure as CEC.

He said “rich candidates and people connected with political families” almost always have their way out in dictating the terms of the elections in India.

Unless, he said, the five percent elite and political families are held accountable to make way for an equalitarian society, India cannot remotely consider itself a democracy. “I cannot think of a democracy without competition,” he said.

Lyngdoh was pessimistic when asked if India would soon witness an outburst like the Arab world: “I don’t see it happening for a long time now.”

He blamed the present caste system in India as a road-block for an uprising like Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other nations.

“The caste system is like an extended family. They take refuge in each other for security, because politicians have kept them helpless over the years. Unless they get an alternative this would continue and India would remain divided,” he cited.

The Ramon Magsaysay award winner said disparity in resource sharing and social equilibrium can be restored somewhat through writ petitions, public hearings and social networking.

Strongly advocating the adoption of the Whistleblowers’ Act, he said, India must take the cue from the United States and enact the Act immediately.

“10 to 12 whistleblowers were killed in India. Like the US the whistleblowers must be provided safe houses and maintenance and in the event of their death, take responsibility of their families,” he suggested.

Terming the Right to Information Act as “symbolic,” he nonetheless said: “willy-nilly we have to deal with the Act.”