YEH MERA INDIA

CBI cheated by a Data Entry Operator

New Delhi:  A Data Entry Operator allegedly managed to siphon off Rs 18 lakh from the accounts of the country's premier investigation agency CBI.

The case came to light after a complaint was filed by Pay and Accounts Officer, which works under the Finance Ministry and manages accounts of CBI, that a data entry operator hired by them on a contractual basis, had allegedly withdrawn Rs 18 lakh through cheques, CBI sources said.

The PAO, who sits in the CBI headquarters, alleged these are initial figures but the amount may be higher as more such withdrawals could come to light, they said.

Based on a complaint, the agency arrested Prashant Kumar Jha, a resident of Uttam Nagar, under the Indian Penal Code sections relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery among others and relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Chambers call for criminalizing private sector bribery

New Delhi: Industry bodies have supported a proposed law to criminalise private sector bribery saying such an attempt would help in checking corruption.

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has commended government’s  attempt to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to make corruption in private sector a criminal offence.

“We believe that such a provision could be an effective deterrent and help curb corruption,” it said.

The Central Government has proposed to make bribery in private sector — both giving and accepting it — a criminal offence by amending the IPC. However, FICCI, said that it was necessary to ensure that the amended law does not cause undue harassment to businessmen in the country.

The Government’s move was also supported by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India with its Secretary General D S Rawat saying that the body favours such a law.

However, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said it was “examining the matter internally”.

The draft Indian Penal Code (Amendments) Bill, 2011, circulated to states and Union Territories by the Centre for their comments, would cover graft by an individual, firm, society, trust, association of individuals, company, whether incorporated or not, which undertakes any economic or financial or commercial activity.

At present, there are no legal provisions to check graft in the private sector.

As per the draft law, whoever in the course of economic, financial or commercial activity promises, offers or gives, directly or indirectly, any gratification, in any capacity, for a private sector entity, for the person himself or for another person shall be punishable.

The Centre has asked all States and UT administrations to give their views on the proposed amendments.

“Strengthening of corporate governance norms and increasing disclosure requirements thereby creating a market mechanism to penalise errant private firms could be a way to check corruption,” said Kunal R Gupta, Associate Director, PWC India. He also cited a US Law which deals with foreign bribery saying it had a “tremendous impact” in the manner in which companies and persons in that country do business.

“We understand that in the US context US Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 which, in a slightly different context of foreign bribery, deals with the supply side of bribery, has had a tremendous impact in the manner in which the US companies and persons do business and on their compliance policies,” Gupta said.

The expert hinted support to a regulatory body close on the lines of the US’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA).

 The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has off late declined to play a CVC-like role to check corruption in private firms saying it was not its mandate.    

 Baby sold to buy mobile phone

Jajpur (Odisha): Investigation into the sale of a baby boy by his mother in Odisha's Jajpur district has revealed curious details - the money was used to buy a mobile phone and a pair of jeans among other things.

"Rakhi Patra of Mundamala village who sold her 17 month-old son for Rs 5000 purchased a new mobile phone, a pair of jeans, few new tops (to go with jeans) and memory cards for her mobile with the money," Jajpur superintendent of police Deepak Kumar said.

The investigations were conducted when a division bench of Orissa High Court took suo moto cognisance of media reports on the sale and directed the police to recover the baby and hand him over to his mother.

Rejecting the mother's claim that she sold the child to meet the legal expenses of her jailed husband, Kumar said her new acquisitions were evidence of the fact that she did not sell her baby boy due to poverty.

She had confessed before us that she had purchased all these items from the money out of the sale of her baby for Rs 5000, he said, adding the goods were seized from her.

The woman refused to take back her son after police handed her the boy after recovering him from Cuttack yesterday. We had handed over the baby but to our utter dismay, the mother refused to take him to her custody in the presence of the general public.

Later, we handed him over to Child Welfare Committee. Rakhi, who is 20 years old and a daily wage earner, had in association with a rickshaw puller sold her son to Babula Behera on Sept 17 in Cuttack.

Police rescued the baby boy from Nuapatana village following the order of High Court division bench comprising Chief Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice BK Mishra.

Indian Institute of Political Management

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his cabinet colleagues had to turn to the Indian Institute of Management or IIM at Kozhikode to learn modern skills for governing the highly politically-conscious state.

The state may soon have an institute solely to train politicians if a project proposed by a US-based non-resident Keralite works out. Vinson X. Palathingal, a successful IT entrepreneur based in Washington, will announce the project at the Emerging Kerala 2012 investor meet to be held at Cochin from September 12 to 14.

The objective of the institute christened as Indian Institute of Political Management or IIPM is to produce well-informed leaders that would provide high quality political leadership to the India of 21st century, says Vinson.

 “India is the largest democracy in the world. Still, majority of educated and middle-class citizens despise politicians, and never want their children to have anything to do with politics. This dichotomy obviously does not bode well for the dream of a great future for India,” says Vinson.

“Considering that most talented young adults tend to choose technical professions and show little interest in public life, tomorrow’s political leadership may belong to the mediocre. If the country is to develop into a major powerhouse, we need to see young leaders with higher intellectual and mental capacities enter politics, and be adequately enabled to run the country into the future.”

The IT entrepreneur, who heads two companies-Amaram Technology Corp and Amsco Global LLC, both in Washington DC-says his inspiration to set up IIPM came from George Washington University or GWU which offers masters and certificate programmes exclusively devoted to various aspects of political management.