Rs8-cr deposit mystery
leader of Opposition (loP) Narasingha Mishra is a wise man, but due to old age he is suffering from schizophrenia, said ‘Young Icon’ law Minister Arun Sahu in the State Assembly last Wednesday. This was enough to spark a new controversy as probable fallout of chit fund scam. The allegation is about the bank account of BJD which was swelled by Rs8 crore through a single deposit on a single day. The question raised by the loP targeting the ruling BJD is obvious when the Opposition wants the Chief Minister to open his mouth on the chit fund scam. A spokesman of BJD argued that the Chief Minister need not reply to all questions raised by the Opposition on the floor of the Assembly though. It is the prerogative of the Speaker to give a final ruling. The source of the amount credited to BJD’s bank account should be revealed or not is the real issue. BJD’s delayed indulgence in reacting to the issue and then stammering before the media raises suspicion that all is not well with the questionable account. The Income Tax authorities have asked the concerned bank to provide details of the account and sooner than later the source of deposit of Rs 8 crore on a single day will be revealed. The confrontation between the loP and the law Minister is, therefore, sheer wastage of time. Almost six days have been washed out in the Assembly for which both ruling and the Opposition parties are responsible. There is yet another diversion from the main issue of Sanjay Dasburma and Justice MM Das’ resignation. The demand list now encompasses resignation of Minister Sahu and Chief Minister Patnaik. Will they bow down under pressureIJ The end of the tunnel is never in sight.
Fix responsibility
The CAG report for 2013-14 was most damaging in as much as it stripped the State Government of its fiscal mismanagement. There was a hue and cry when the CAG narrated the Government’s fiscal maladministration in a Press meet. The CAG in its report stated that in 2014-15 the Government failed to exhaust its budgeted amount of Rs81,720,85 crore. The unspent amount was to the tune of Rs18,774, 84 crore and 87 per cent of the unspent amount was returned on the last day of the financial year ending on March 31, 2015. In its observation, the CAG was astonished as to why the Government sanctioned expenditure through additional Budget when money in original Budget remained unspentIJ Despite restriction imposed by the Finance Department to spend no more than 15 per cent of the original Budget, many departments violated the guidelines. Here the question arises as to who is accountable for such financial indiscipline and mismanagementIJ Is there a mechanism to fix the responsibilityIJ
Odia chauvinism
Fundamentalism has no place in the world of language. Odia is no doubt the mother tongue of around 6 crore Odias spread across the globe and therefore, it is natural that all of us want to see this language reckoned among the leading regional languages of India. We also want preservation of this treasure that is directly related to our cultural heritage and pride. There is a pressure built on the State Government to use Odia in all official correspondence and promote Odia medium education. Yes! Such a move by the Government will go a long way to meet a holistic end. But the linguistic chauvinism ingrained with the evangelists who take the issue to the streets at the drop of a hat, is not acceptable. Odisha at present calls for secularising the academic institutions and promoting scientific temper and spirit of inquiry among the students. Quality English medium education is needed for every child throughout Odisha to ensure a social transformation in the global context. language learning, therefore, need not be restricted to Odia only. Rather schools should provide ample scope for students to get themselves acquainted with other languages.
Divided loyalty
Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) of our country were once known for their patronage to art, culture and sports. Even their own employees were relaxed from duty to hone their skill in respective events. Sportspersons were given partial and periodical offs to maintain physical fitness and even experts were appointed to guide them in their pursuit for excellence. Today, the focus is diverted to possible areas of mass entertainment like cultural festival and dramas etc. The PSU managements now talks of corporate social responsibility setting apart a portion of their profit to earn good will of the community which live around them. The Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has a different approach for such employees who are in creative field contributing to different formats of literature. They are given a special treatment and that’s indeed good news! Recently, when Rourkela was experiencing the hottest summer days and going through a period of drinking water crisis, one such writer who is also the PR Chief of the organisation, with his peter pan look was away in Chandigarh seducing the tender mind of children. He never realised that the new CEO who is bogged down with production in the plant and may like to meet the Press and share his ideas and vision with them. Seduction of mind being the function of PR, he was doing his job right but with a misplaced target. A classic example of loyalty during crisis management situation!