CBI case a 'shock'; will hit Air India hard: AI chief Lohani

January 14, 2017

New Delhi, Jan 14: With CBI registering a case related to software procurement at Air India, airline chief Ashwani Lohani today termed it as a "shock" saying the omnipresent shadow of vigilance and other probe agencies over processes undertaken by the executive has caused maximum damage to the public sector.

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The case has come as a shock because ostensibly as per the stand taken by the company as well as its parent ministry, there may be procedural lacunae but "there is no apparent malafide in this case", he said. While observing that "perhaps there is more to it than meets the eye," Lohani in a strongly-worded blog also said regardless of the issue, such an investigation is bound to hit the company hard.

Besides, there is the pain of digging out old papers, questioning of many including the innocent and the honest and its attendant ramifications, he noted. CBI has registered a case against unknown officials of Air India, German firm SAP AG and IT major IBM in connection with alleged irregularities in procurement of software worth Rs 225 crore by the national carrier in 2011.

"Air India that has been a victim of gross indecision in recent years and only lately had started to come out of its slumber will also take a hit, I am absolutely certain, as an outcome of the unfortunate turn that this case has now taken," he said. In the blog titled 'Pinning the executive down Those who idle shall commit no mistakes!', Lohani said he was unable to appreciate the basic premise that a non-executive is required to keep an eye on every single aspect of working of the executive.

"... that we should have checks and balances that are highly tilted in favour of the checks," he added. Lohani, who took over as Chairman and Managing Director of Air India more than a year ago, has been steering efforts to revive the fortunes of the national carrier. Known for speaking his heart, the Air India chief said the case would further strengthen the belief that following processes is important and deliverance can take a back seat.

"The omnipresent shadow of vigilance and other more powerful investigative agencies over the minutest processes undertaken by the executive is one single factor that has caused the maximum damage to the public sector in our nation," he noted. Air India is surviving on a Rs 30,000 crore bailout package for a ten-year period which was extended by the previous UPA government.

"That process overrides deliverance and merely following the laid down systems guarantees personal safety is sadly becoming the norm in almost all governmental organisations," he said. Whether the variety of watchdogs that the nation has have been able to reduce the levels of corruption is a matter of debate, Lohani said the fact remains that they have been successful in stifling deliverance almost everywhere.

Wondering how mere non-adherence to a rule or process, howsoever silly though it may be, is regarded as an act of malafide, the Air India CMD said one single incident of straying from the path, even if done in the overall interest of the organisation or the nation is sufficient to wipe out years of proven deliverance. "Mistrust has indeed continued for far too long under the garb of 'checks and balances' and transparency, with its attendant damages that are visible almost anywhere," he said, adding that when errors or mistakes are regarded as a malafide, best is not to commit them.

"And the only way that is possible is by not taking any decisions. This is the learning that has emerged over time and successfully assimilated by a large majority of those who are a part of the system," he said. Further, the Air India chief observed that continuing to be fooled by a beehive of activity while remaining oblivious to the fact that remaining busy, is by no stretch of imagination akin to deliverance has also emerged as a hallmark of the rotten system.

Meanwhile in a Facebook post, Lohani said tendering has with passage of time emerged as the biggest hurdle in sarkari organisations. "Fear grips the minds of those involved in it for even a slightest deviation even if helpful or carried out in the interest of the organisation can land people in a soup and there are cases galore in all organisations. "When shall we start accepting the supremacy of deliverance and modify the tendering processes," he said.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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The Enforcement Directorate has filed a money laundering case against Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena Vijayan, her IT company and some others to probe a case of alleged illegal payments made by a private mineral firm to her and the company, official sources said Wednesday.

The agency has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is expected to summon the people involved, the sources said.

The ED case has been booked after taking cognisance of a complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), an investigative arm of the Union corporate affairs ministry, they said.

The case stems from an Income Tax Department investigation that alleged that a private company called Cochin Minerals And Rutile Ltd (CMRL), made an illegal payment of Rs 1.72 crore to Veena's company-- Exalogic Solutions-- during 2018 to 2019, even though the IT firm had not provided any service to the company.

The Karnataka High Court had last month dismissed a plea filed by Exalogic Solutions against the probe initiated by the SFIO.

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News Network
March 16,2024

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New Delhi: The 2024 general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar said today, announcing the largest democratic exercise in the world. Results will be announced on June 4.

The seven phases: 
April 19
April 26
May 7
May 13
May 20
May 25
June 1

Simultaneous election for Lok Sabha and assembly will be held in four states -- Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra.  

By-elections will also be held for 26 assembly seats across multiple states, including Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Mr Kumar, announcing the dates, sent out a strong message on fake news on social media, saying political parties should ensure responsible social media behaviour -- "verify before you amplify".

"Fake news will be dealt with severely as per existent laws.. Section 79 (3)(B) of the IT Act empowers nodal officers in each state to remove unlawful content," he said.

The other strong message was on violation of model code in terms of hate speeches. "There should be issue-based campaign, no hate speeches, no speeches along caste or religious lines, no criticism of anyone's personal lives," he said.

The media must clarify when they carry political adverts, those cannot masquerade as news, he said. Individual messages regarding this would be sent to the candidates, he added.

The commission has employed 2,100 advisors to keep an eye on these issues and strong action will be taken regarding this, he said.

Voters above the age of 85 years and persons with disabilities, with 40 per cent disability can vote from home, Mr Kumar said. Around 82 lakh voter are above the age of 85, he said.

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March 15,2024

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Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi would formally kickstart the BJP's Lok Sabha election campaign in Karnataka on Saturday from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's home turf— Kalaburagi.

He is scheduled to address a mega public meeting at the district headquarters town's N V Ground at 2 pm.

Kharge, who had represented Kalaburagi (Gulbarga Lok Sabha segment) twice in the past, lost to BJP's Umesh Jadhav by a margin of 95,452 votes in the 2019 general elections here— the octogenarian leader's first electoral loss in his political life spanning several decades.

BJP has once again fielded Jadhav from the segment.

Speculations are rife that the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, who has the role of managing the party nationally and coordinating with the opposition I.N.D.I.A bloc, may not contest the coming polls and, instead, the Congress is likely to field his son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani, a businessman, who also manages educational institutions.

On March 18, Modi will be in Shivamogga, the home district of veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, and is scheduled to address a huge public meeting at 2 pm.

Yediyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra is the sitting MP from Shivamogga and has been re-nominated by the party. Yediyurappa's other son B Y Vijayendra, who represents Shikaripura assembly constituency in the district, is the state BJP President.

BJP has announced candidates for 20 seats in the State, which has a total of 28 constituencies.

After being ousted from power by the Congress in the 2023 Assembly polls, the BJP now is making a strong bid to regain the lost ground in Karnataka.

The BJP won 25 out of total 28 seats in the previous elections, and had ensured the win of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya. The then ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance had come a cropper winning just one seat each.

It is a role reversal of sorts for JD(S), which joined the NDA last September and has forged an electoral alliance with the BJP. The regional party is expected to contest in three seats— Mandya, Hassan and Kolar.

Sharing details of Modi's visit, state BJP General Secretary Sunil Kumar on Wednesday said BJP National President J P Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath along with other leaders will visit different Lok Sabha constituencies for campaigning in the coming days.

Speaking about the party's poll preparations, he said: "We have divided 28 Lok Sabha constituencies into eight clusters for Lok Sabha elections. Keeping in view the local political and geographical background, programmes and strategies are being worked out in those eight clusters."

Several senior leaders including Shah and Nadda have already visited one of these clusters, Kumar said, adding, "Workers' convention, well-wishers' contacts have been made and election preparations are on in all these eight clusters. In the second phase, large public meetings will be held."

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