Paperless PMO !

By Manuwant Choudhary

I wish the Prime Minister's Office looks like this...and not `Paperless' as Mr. Pulok Chatterjee, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, plans to do.

A senior journalist in Patna told me how difficult it has become for journalists to get anything out of the Bihar government after computerisation.

Before all you needed to do was take a clerk for some `chai' and paan and he would drop a highly confidential document on the streets.

But now the clerks can't help journalists as all they know is how to dust the computers !

And dust there is - a thick coat - as most `Babu's' still dont know how to operate a computer.

For this more jobs are created ..they are called `computer operators'.

With a `Paperfull' office its so easy to get a 2G note out or what Chidambaram wrote but now Mr. Pulok Chaterjee insists even cabinet notings must come in electronic form and through him.

And Pranab da, India's finance minister, wants to get out of the sticky situation saying its the cabinet secretary who asked him to mention all those bad things about Chidambaram.

And after all this the Delhi High Court gives an entire file to that fellow Subramaniam Swamy.

God what has this country come to.

Official Secrecy?

In Bihar the chief minister takes his chopper to remote Bagaha to begin his `Seva Yatra'.

A journalist said this time his District Magistrates do not know which school or hospital he may visit.

And the cabinet approves the chief minister be brought under the Lok Ayukta....but there will be no single Lok Ayukta, rather is will be a commitee.

I remember once at the Bihar Public Service Commission we covered a controversy where two persons both had offices with the nameplates saying they were chairman, BPSC.

Democratisation is not always a good thing.

Take this case for example - a doctor commits suicide in Siwan.

The reason being he took a loan from a bank of Rs. 8 lakh - not to go abroad for higher studies - but to bribe a Bihar minister so that he becomes a Civil surgeon.

But as things happened..the health secretary disagreed with the minister and delayed the file and instead sent it to the chief minister.

The final list had different names, not the ones selected by the minister.

Hence, the doctor killed himself.

And always be suspicious of bureaucrats who become Rajya Sabha MPs.

Like Nitish Kumar nominated RCP Sinha as his MP after the UP cadre officer took premature reirement from his service.

RCP was principal secretary to Nitish Kumar.

One internet report says he was exactly what R.K. Dhawan was to Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

Thats perhaps the politest way to put things...without attracting a defamation suit.

But even `honest' politicians thrive on the Department of Transfers & Postings.

And its worth crores.

Government officials willing to buy their positions and place of posting.

If you dont pay, the husband will find himself working 300 kms away from his wife !