Anna Hazare wins, Parliament passes resolution on Lokpal Bill
NEW DELHI: Both Houses of Parliament on Saturday passed a resolution conveying the sense of the House on the Lokpal Bill, paving the way for Anna Hazare to break his fast.
On a motion moved by Pranab Mukherjee, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha passed a resolution conveying the sense of the House on the Lokpal Bill.
After the passage of the resolution, Speaker Meira Kumar adjourned the Lok Sabha till Monday.
There was some confusion over whether the resolution was passed by a voice vote or not. Apparently, no voice vote took place.
"Thumping of the desk is akin to passing a motion by voice vote," Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar told Times Now.
After the passage of the Lokpal resolution in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha also passed the resolution.
Team Anna welcomes the passage of the Lokpal resolution, Kiran Bedi said.
Some of the important points of the Lokpal resolution passed by Parliament are:
*An effective Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states be set up.
*Employees of centre and state governments to be brought under purview of Lokpal and Lokayuktas respectively.
*All government departments to have citizen's charter with timeline.
With a copy of Lokpal resolution and a letter from PM Manmohan Singh, Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh would now go to Ramlila Maidan to meet Anna Hazare.
Earlier, the team Anna said they have received a communication from the government that a resolution carrying their demands on Lokpal Bill will be put to a voice vote, a move which they termed as a "very happy" development.
Fresh trouble emerged this afternoon after government decided only to convey sense of House to Team Anna and not put the resolution for voting, the activists hardened their position saying it was "betrayal" and only a resolution which will be put to vote will be acceptable.
This forced the government to change its stand. The activist's camp said they have received the communication from the government about its decision to put the resolution to voice vote.
The 74-year-old Gandhian has been on fast for the last 12 days, demanding the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill by Parliament.
Courtesy : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Anna Hazare & the Anti-Corruption Movement
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In India, Anna Hazare has sparked a movement. The 74 year old who the NY Times noted evokes a Gandhian simplicity, “has emerged as the unlikely face of an impassioned people’s movement in India, a public outpouring that has coalesced around fighting corruption but has also tapped into deeper anxieties in a society buffeted by change.” This past Tuesday, Hazare was arrested while he was on his way to a New Delhi park to begin a hunger strike to protest corruption in the country. The arrest drove hundreds of people to the streets, and though government officials moved to release him hours later, Hazare refused to leave until they agreed to release him unconditionally.
The Times quoted one rally attendee, who said, “It is the middle class who is worst affected by corruption. The upper class is not affected. The upper classes can get what they need by paying money.”
Hazare’s hunger strike hasn’t just inspired Indians, though. According to news agencies on Thursday, a Pakistani activist has decided to launch his own hunger strike against corruption in Pakistan. However, since the whole country is in fact hungry (*cough* fasting *cough*), Jahangir Akhtar has stated he will wait until the end of Ramazan to launch this protest. Good thinking, Akhtar. The political activist also emphasized that he wasn’t “inspired” by his Indian counterpart. Oh no. He decided to launch the strike first. Hazare just stole the spotlight. Akhtar told media outlets, “I announced my hunger strike before Anna Hazare, but due to Ramazan I postponed it, because our custom in Pakistan is that I cannot take water during Ramazan.” Ok.
I do not mean to be facetious. I actually admire people who use hunger strikes for the greater good. When I am hungry, I turn into a terrible, mean person. In fact, Hungry Kalsoom would actually scare any government official into throwing scraps of food in my direction, fearful of the monster that was unleashed. But as I read news of Akhtar taking up the hunger-strike-against-corruption banner Thursday, I question whether such a cause would resonate in Pakistan, at least to the extent that we saw with Hazare in India. Tom Wright noted in the Wall Street Journal,
Many Pakistanis, like their Indian neighbors, are tired of financial malfeasance from their politicians, armed forces and others. Yet civil society is much weaker over the border, and street protests other than those organized by Islamist parties are relatively rare. Mr. Akhtar’s quixotic campaign for now appears unlikely to garner much support.
While I disagree that civil society is necessarily weaker, (you have to spend a day in the same room with some of Pakistan’s most vibrant female activists to get my drift), I do think that issues in Pakistan are much deeper and bigger than corruption, at least for right now. Fatigue has seeped into the very fabric of our society. It’s not a question of Pakistanis protesting, but what they should be protesting first.
Via Twitter, a really interesting conversation developed on this very topic. @umairjav (who blogs at Recycled Thought) noted, “I still hold that it’s NOT as big an issue as the media makes it out to be…The world is full of examples of countries that experienced high rates of economic growth despite rampant corruption.” @FiveRupees (who blogs at…Five Rupees) further emphasized, “Overblown issue IMO[in my opinion]. Much bigger issues out there…When people look at “Asian tigers” (Korea, Taiwan, SE Asia etc) — they all went from poor to rich despite corruption.” @vijaygk made an important point when he tweeted, “Major difference is that hunger strikes, reminiscent of Gandhi/Satyagraha are not respected/invoke no memories in Pakistan…” Finally, @laalshah, countered, “I saw data collected by a friend recently; [Pakistan's] middle-class is as agitated as India’s by corruption issues…[the] corruption debate is basically disguised form of social inequality fears/concerns.”
The issue of perception is key here. Last year, Transparency International released their 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the degree to which public sector corruption is perceived to exist in 178 countries around the world. Corruption, according to TI, is defined “as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain,” encompassing practices in both the public and private sectors. The CPI scores countries on a scale from 10 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). On the 2010 index, India ranked 87 out of 178 surveyed countries (the higher the number, the more corrupt you are). Pakistan ranked 143rd.
Last year I wrote about the perceptions behind the Perceptions Index, noting: The interesting part of the index is that it quantifies perceived corruption rather than the tangible occurrence of corrupt practices. According to Transparency International, this is “because corruption – whether frequency or amount – is to a great extent a hidden activity that is difficult to measure.” The organization added in its report, “Measuring scandals, investigations or prosecutions, while offering ‘non-perception’ data, reflect less on the prevalence of corruption in a country and more on other factors, such as freedom of the press or the efficiency of the judicial system.”
Although the CPI doesn’t measure citizen perceptions of corruption, TI’s Robin Hodess noted there is a close correlation between public attitudes (measured by their Global Corruption Barometer) and the index. For the purpose of Pakistan, I went back to the most recent Pew poll released in July [it should be noted that this wasn't some scientific comparison]. According to the poll, 74% of Pakistanis polled say corrupt political leaders “are a very big problem,” compared to 71% last year, 64% in 2007, and 58% in 2002.
This past year, I participated in a working group on Entrepreneurship in the “Islamic World” during the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. One attendee, a Tanzanian businessman, discussed how the issue of corruption – specifically petty corruption (low-level, small-scale practices), was so intrinsically part of these societies that organizations incorporate them into the realities of doing business – terming them “transaction costs.” This is obviously unfortunate, but that reality will not change until the attitudes associated with corruption are addressed. And there have been concerted attempts – the Punjab Model for Proactive Governance is a recent initiative by the Punjab Chief Minister’s Secretariat “to fight petty corruption, improve service delivery, and facilitate citizen engagement by proactively seeking through SMS and calls feedback of citizens who receive day-to-day government services.” Introducing accountability is key; but corruption is not just a low-level phenomenon. But as the aforementioned Twitter people noted, is corruption itself a hindrance to the progress of this society, or do we have much bigger issues to tackle first? And, as a result, will that be why we will not see a Hazare movement in Pakistan?
In India, Anna Hazare has sparked a movement. The 74 year old who the NY Times noted evokes a Gandhian simplicity, “has emerged as the unlikely face of an impassioned people’s movement in India, a public outpouring that has coalesced around fighting corruption but has also tapped into deeper anxieties in a society buffeted by change.” This past Tuesday, Hazare was arrested while he was on his way to a New Delhi park to begin a hunger strike to protest corruption in the country. The arrest drove hundreds of people to the streets, and though government officials moved to release him hours later, Hazare refused to leave until they agreed to release him unconditionally.
The Times quoted one rally attendee, who said, “It is the middle class who is worst affected by corruption. The upper class is not affected. The upper classes can get what they need by paying money.”
Hazare’s hunger strike hasn’t just inspired Indians, though. According to news agencies on Thursday, a Pakistani activist has decided to launch his own hunger strike against corruption in Pakistan. However, since the whole country is in fact hungry (*cough* fasting *cough*), Jahangir Akhtar has stated he will wait until the end of Ramazan to launch this protest. Good thinking, Akhtar. The political activist also emphasized that he wasn’t “inspired” by his Indian counterpart. Oh no. He decided to launch the strike first. Hazare just stole the spotlight. Akhtar told media outlets, “I announced my hunger strike before Anna Hazare, but due to Ramazan I postponed it, because our custom in Pakistan is that I cannot take water during Ramazan.” Ok.
I do not mean to be facetious. I actually admire people who use hunger strikes for the greater good. When I am hungry, I turn into a terrible, mean person. In fact, Hungry Kalsoom would actually scare any government official into throwing scraps of food in my direction, fearful of the monster that was unleashed. But as I read news of Akhtar taking up the hunger-strike-against-corruption banner Thursday, I question whether such a cause would resonate in Pakistan, at least to the extent that we saw with Hazare in India. Tom Wright noted in the Wall Street Journal,
Many Pakistanis, like their Indian neighbors, are tired of financial malfeasance from their politicians, armed forces and others. Yet civil society is much weaker over the border, and street protests other than those organized by Islamist parties are relatively rare. Mr. Akhtar’s quixotic campaign for now appears unlikely to garner much support.
While I disagree that civil society is necessarily weaker, (you have to spend a day in the same room with some of Pakistan’s most vibrant female activists to get my drift), I do think that issues in Pakistan are much deeper and bigger than corruption, at least for right now. Fatigue has seeped into the very fabric of our society. It’s not a question of Pakistanis protesting, but what they should be protesting first.
Via Twitter, a really interesting conversation developed on this very topic. @umairjav (who blogs at Recycled Thought) noted, “I still hold that it’s NOT as big an issue as the media makes it out to be…The world is full of examples of countries that experienced high rates of economic growth despite rampant corruption.” @FiveRupees (who blogs at…Five Rupees) further emphasized, “Overblown issue IMO[in my opinion]. Much bigger issues out there…When people look at “Asian tigers” (Korea, Taiwan, SE Asia etc) — they all went from poor to rich despite corruption.” @vijaygk made an important point when he tweeted, “Major difference is that hunger strikes, reminiscent of Gandhi/Satyagraha are not respected/invoke no memories in Pakistan…” Finally, @laalshah, countered, “I saw data collected by a friend recently; [Pakistan's] middle-class is as agitated as India’s by corruption issues…[the] corruption debate is basically disguised form of social inequality fears/concerns.”
The issue of perception is key here. Last year, Transparency International released their 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures the degree to which public sector corruption is perceived to exist in 178 countries around the world. Corruption, according to TI, is defined “as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain,” encompassing practices in both the public and private sectors. The CPI scores countries on a scale from 10 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). On the 2010 index, India ranked 87 out of 178 surveyed countries (the higher the number, the more corrupt you are). Pakistan ranked 143rd.
Last year I wrote about the perceptions behind the Perceptions Index, noting: The interesting part of the index is that it quantifies perceived corruption rather than the tangible occurrence of corrupt practices. According to Transparency International, this is “because corruption – whether frequency or amount – is to a great extent a hidden activity that is difficult to measure.” The organization added in its report, “Measuring scandals, investigations or prosecutions, while offering ‘non-perception’ data, reflect less on the prevalence of corruption in a country and more on other factors, such as freedom of the press or the efficiency of the judicial system.”
Although the CPI doesn’t measure citizen perceptions of corruption, TI’s Robin Hodess noted there is a close correlation between public attitudes (measured by their Global Corruption Barometer) and the index. For the purpose of Pakistan, I went back to the most recent Pew poll released in July [it should be noted that this wasn't some scientific comparison]. According to the poll, 74% of Pakistanis polled say corrupt political leaders “are a very big problem,” compared to 71% last year, 64% in 2007, and 58% in 2002.
This past year, I participated in a working group on Entrepreneurship in the “Islamic World” during the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. One attendee, a Tanzanian businessman, discussed how the issue of corruption – specifically petty corruption (low-level, small-scale practices), was so intrinsically part of these societies that organizations incorporate them into the realities of doing business – terming them “transaction costs.” This is obviously unfortunate, but that reality will not change until the attitudes associated with corruption are addressed. And there have been concerted attempts – the Punjab Model for Proactive Governance is a recent initiative by the Punjab Chief Minister’s Secretariat “to fight petty corruption, improve service delivery, and facilitate citizen engagement by proactively seeking through SMS and calls feedback of citizens who receive day-to-day government services.” Introducing accountability is key; but corruption is not just a low-level phenomenon. But as the aforementioned Twitter people noted, is corruption itself a hindrance to the progress of this society, or do we have much bigger issues to tackle first? And, as a result, will that be why we will not see a Hazare movement in Pakistan?
Anna Rakhi selling most
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The Chrishma of Anna Hazare has been observed in the sell of Rakhi this time.A day ahead of Raksha Bandhan also known as Rakhi celebration, rakhis sporting the face of the 74-year-old Gandhian or named after him are doing brisk business across the state.
And those dedicated to political heroes like chief minister Nitish Kumar or his rival Lalu Prasad are lagging behind.
Clearly, the activist, whose fast unto death for an anti-corruption Lokpal bill in April had fired the imagination of many thousands and who embarks on another hunger strike Aug 16, has touched a chord.
“Rakhis named after Anna are selling briskly,” said Guddu Singh, a shopkeeper at the wholesale market in Old Patna city.
He said it was the first preference for people. “Anna has a clear edge over Nitish and Lalu in the rakhi market,” he said.
Agreed Surender Kumar, another shopkeeper: “The demand for rakhis with a picture of Anna is high among all, including girls, youth and children.”
Till last year, said Mohammed Hashib, Nitish Kumar and Lalu reigned.
“The rakhis are in huge demand. Even those who do not purchase these rakhis want to have a look at them.”
Interestingly, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh don’t really figure in the rakhi markets.
According to theatre activist Aneesh Ankur, Anna Hazare had become a hero figure amongst the people.
This should be good news for the Gandhian, who has rejected the government version of the Lokpal bill as inadequate and reiterated his decision to sit on an indefinite fast from Aug 16 in New Delhi.
The Chrishma of Anna Hazare has been observed in the sell of Rakhi this time.A day ahead of Raksha Bandhan also known as Rakhi celebration, rakhis sporting the face of the 74-year-old Gandhian or named after him are doing brisk business across the state.
And those dedicated to political heroes like chief minister Nitish Kumar or his rival Lalu Prasad are lagging behind.
Clearly, the activist, whose fast unto death for an anti-corruption Lokpal bill in April had fired the imagination of many thousands and who embarks on another hunger strike Aug 16, has touched a chord.
“Rakhis named after Anna are selling briskly,” said Guddu Singh, a shopkeeper at the wholesale market in Old Patna city.
He said it was the first preference for people. “Anna has a clear edge over Nitish and Lalu in the rakhi market,” he said.
Agreed Surender Kumar, another shopkeeper: “The demand for rakhis with a picture of Anna is high among all, including girls, youth and children.”
Till last year, said Mohammed Hashib, Nitish Kumar and Lalu reigned.
“The rakhis are in huge demand. Even those who do not purchase these rakhis want to have a look at them.”
Interestingly, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh don’t really figure in the rakhi markets.
According to theatre activist Aneesh Ankur, Anna Hazare had become a hero figure amongst the people.
This should be good news for the Gandhian, who has rejected the government version of the Lokpal bill as inadequate and reiterated his decision to sit on an indefinite fast from Aug 16 in New Delhi.
Various drafts of the proposed Lokpal Bill
If you are confused with the Lokpal bill and its various versions, you can download can compare it.
Right Click the links below and choose Save As to download different versions of Lokpal Bill
Jan Lokpal Bill (Prepared by Anna Hazare and his team)
Lokpal Bill by Central Government (Prepared by Pranav Mukherjee and Team)
The Original Lokpal Bill 1969 (prepared by Shanti Bhushan)
Previous Versions
Lokpal Bill in 1971
Lokpal Bill in 1977
Lokpal bill in 1985
Lokpal bill in 1989
Lokpal bill in 1996
Lokpal bill in 1998
Lokpal Bill in 2001
Lokpal bill in 2010
Right Click the links below and choose Save As to download different versions of Lokpal Bill
Jan Lokpal Bill (Prepared by Anna Hazare and his team)
Lokpal Bill by Central Government (Prepared by Pranav Mukherjee and Team)
The Original Lokpal Bill 1969 (prepared by Shanti Bhushan)
Previous Versions
Lokpal Bill in 1971
Lokpal Bill in 1977
Lokpal bill in 1985
Lokpal bill in 1989
Lokpal bill in 1996
Lokpal bill in 1998
Lokpal Bill in 2001
Lokpal bill in 2010
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
We support Anna Hazare and we also support
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- --> The corrupted leaders by electing them
- --> Not forcing the Public Representatives to act strongly on the Lokpal Issue to make it happen for India by passing the bill in Parliament.
- --> The concepts of cheat, lie, steal & pass.
- --> Buying movie tickets in black.
- --> Piracy.
- --> In confirming berths in Train by giving more rupees to brokers.
- --> Cheating in Income Tax submission.
- -->The students who bunk the class & we make them heroes of Class.
- --> Not having a protection policy for whistle blowers in India.
- --> Individualism not on unity.
- --> In bribing the Placement Officer in getting a job.
- --> Compromising in our own responsibilities.
- -->Choosing Mafias than going to Police Station for any issue.
- -->Bribing the Govt. Officials, Police in getting things done.
- --> Unethical ways of promotion in Job.
- -->Choosing any Private Hospital for even a minor injury rejecting Govt. Hospitals basing on our monetary power.
- --> Non-availability of Medicines in Govt. Hospitals.
- --> Inefficiency of Govt. Officials by either bribing them or saluting them.
- --> Biasing.
- --> In non-educating children and specially girls.
- --> Believing in fate but not on our work.
- --> In cheating our parents by telling lies.
- --> Western Culture by scarifying our own culture.
- --> Obeying the irrelevant orders of Boss.
- --> Bribing advocates winning cases on money power.
- --> Awarding the most corrupted person as the successful leader.
- --> Adoption of non Humanitarian actions in life.
- --> Egoism.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Anti-Corruption Leader Anna Hazare Arrested in India
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Anna Hazare may not be a household name in North America; however, he is a prolific Indian activist and his arrest on Tuesday morning caused an outcry on the streets as well as on social networks in India.
Anna Hazare is a 74-year old activist who is one of India’s most well known and respected campaigners. Known as an “old-school” Indian activist who wears an all white wardrobe and avoids tobacco, meat and cable TV, Hazare – real name Kisan Baburao – has a long history of campaigning. This includes a hunger strike in April 2011. This week, he planned to undertake an indefinite hunger strike to demand new laws against graft. However, Hazare never got the chance to protest; he was detained by police Tuesday morning, August 16th 2011.
If the government was hoping to avoid controversy with the arrest, it backfired.
By night fall, approximately 1,200 of his supporters had been detained in Delhi, according to local media. Several demonstrations were organized throughout the country. In a pre-recorded video recorded by Hazare to be released in case he was arrested, he notes: ”Unless there is change, there is no freedom, there is no actual democracy, there is no true republic, there is no true people’s rule. The protests should not stop. The time has come for no jail in the country to have a free space.”
It is fitting that his words were broadcast on YouTube. While some of Hazare’s supporters took to the streets, others reacted on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Mumbai chapter of the “India Corruption” movement supported Hazare on their Facebook Group. They encouraged people to change their profiles to black squares to signal their protest of the government’s decision to take Hazare into preventative custody. The Facebook Groups wall post read: “A HUMBLE REQUEST: Democracy can’t be murdered so brutally. Please change your profile pic to ‘Black’ at least for a day to oppose the arrest of team ‘Anna’. Co-operation expected !!!.”
On Twitter, Hazare’s arrest caused even more commotion: 8/10 trending items in India were related to his fast. Of these the hashtag #isupportannahazare was the most highly ranked. Tweets were generally angry and frustrated with the Indian government. Some examples include:
“U may not agree wt Anna’s ideology or his methods. That’s fine. BUT U CANNOT TAKE AWAY HIS RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST! #isupportAnnaHazare”
“On 15th Aug, we got our independence and on 16th Aug the Indian Government took it away x-( #isupportannahazare”.
On Facebook, user Abdul Akthar wrote a letter to the Supreme Court of India and urged his fans to copy the message and send it to the court from the own email accounts. The message requests the government recognize the freedom to protest peacefully.
As for the YouTube video posted on several channels, the comments are equally as outraged. One user notes: “Today Indian Democracy has been thrown into the gutter by the protectors of the corrupt looters on my Nation. Anna Hazare, we are behind you !!! God Bless you!”
Courtesy: Social Times.
Anna Hazare may not be a household name in North America; however, he is a prolific Indian activist and his arrest on Tuesday morning caused an outcry on the streets as well as on social networks in India.
Anna Hazare is a 74-year old activist who is one of India’s most well known and respected campaigners. Known as an “old-school” Indian activist who wears an all white wardrobe and avoids tobacco, meat and cable TV, Hazare – real name Kisan Baburao – has a long history of campaigning. This includes a hunger strike in April 2011. This week, he planned to undertake an indefinite hunger strike to demand new laws against graft. However, Hazare never got the chance to protest; he was detained by police Tuesday morning, August 16th 2011.
If the government was hoping to avoid controversy with the arrest, it backfired.
By night fall, approximately 1,200 of his supporters had been detained in Delhi, according to local media. Several demonstrations were organized throughout the country. In a pre-recorded video recorded by Hazare to be released in case he was arrested, he notes: ”Unless there is change, there is no freedom, there is no actual democracy, there is no true republic, there is no true people’s rule. The protests should not stop. The time has come for no jail in the country to have a free space.”
It is fitting that his words were broadcast on YouTube. While some of Hazare’s supporters took to the streets, others reacted on social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Mumbai chapter of the “India Corruption” movement supported Hazare on their Facebook Group. They encouraged people to change their profiles to black squares to signal their protest of the government’s decision to take Hazare into preventative custody. The Facebook Groups wall post read: “A HUMBLE REQUEST: Democracy can’t be murdered so brutally. Please change your profile pic to ‘Black’ at least for a day to oppose the arrest of team ‘Anna’. Co-operation expected !!!.”
On Twitter, Hazare’s arrest caused even more commotion: 8/10 trending items in India were related to his fast. Of these the hashtag #isupportannahazare was the most highly ranked. Tweets were generally angry and frustrated with the Indian government. Some examples include:
“U may not agree wt Anna’s ideology or his methods. That’s fine. BUT U CANNOT TAKE AWAY HIS RIGHT TO PEACEFUL PROTEST! #isupportAnnaHazare”
“On 15th Aug, we got our independence and on 16th Aug the Indian Government took it away x-( #isupportannahazare”.
On Facebook, user Abdul Akthar wrote a letter to the Supreme Court of India and urged his fans to copy the message and send it to the court from the own email accounts. The message requests the government recognize the freedom to protest peacefully.
As for the YouTube video posted on several channels, the comments are equally as outraged. One user notes: “Today Indian Democracy has been thrown into the gutter by the protectors of the corrupt looters on my Nation. Anna Hazare, we are behind you !!! God Bless you!”
Courtesy: Social Times.
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