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10 Facts about the incident concerning the Karnataka ministers who watched porn videos in the assembly

Dear Indians, why do you keep voting and vouching for such wrong useless type of people over and over again? Has it ever worked for us that way? The country still remains substandard.

1. Laxman Savadi - the Karnataka Cooperation State Minister (Copulation State Minister) was caught watching porn in the assembly while assembly proceedings were going on.

Laxman Savadi

He fought for his ministry seat by saying that, "Yes it is like a blue film. It was on Minister for Ports Krishna Palemar's mobile. The video clippings had women dancing and they were raped by four men. Palemar told me such things happen abroad in rave parties. Since the House was discussing the Malpe rave party, I watched it," "Yes I watched it. But I have not committed any crime. It is not on my mobile. Just watching it is not a crime."

C.C. Patil

2. C.C. Patil - Women and Child Welfare Minister was also there to analyse the video in the process of women welfare and care.

J. Krishna Palemar

3. Third man Minister J. Krishna Palemar - Environment and Ports minister also shipped in to enrich the environment. They claim to be analyzing such videos to know how it happens and gets done to come up with solutions to help India develop.

4. Use of cellphones in the legislative assembly is actually banned.

5. Food and Civil Supplies Minister Haratalu Halappa was forced to resign after there was an accusation of him raping his friend’s wife in Shimoga, about 280 km north of Bangalore.

6. Ex-chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said, “This is a black spot on Karnataka assembly and the people of the state,”

7. Leader of Opposition Congress: Siddaramaiah said, "This is the most shameful incident in the history of Karnataka assembly. The two should be sacked from the ministry and expelled from the assembly”.

8. Protestors threw stones at Mr Savadi's home this evening and have been arrested or chased away.

9. The ministers were caught by a local television group that was covering the proceedings of the assembly

10. BJP is known to raise objections on anything that it considers immoral. The top party leaders have not made any comment on the scandal.

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Young Advani

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Narendra Modi Young supporters

Life and Career: An OverviewBorn on 17th September, 1950 at Vadnagar, a small town in Mehsana district of North Gujarat, Shri Narendra Modi grew up in a culture that instilled in him the values of generosity, benevolence and social service. During the Indo-Pak war in the mid sixties, even as a young boy, he volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations. In 1967, he served the flood affected people of Gujarat.

Endowed with excellent organizational capability and a rich insight into human psychology, he was elected as the student leader of Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (All India Students’ Council) and played a prominent role in various socio-political movements in Gujarat.

Right from his boyhood days he was confronted with many odds and obstacles, but he transformed challenges into opportunities by sheer strength of character and courage. Particularly when he joined college and University for higher education, his path was beset with hard struggle and painful toil. But in the battle of life he has been always a fighter, a true soldier. Having put his step forward he never looked back. He refused to drop out or be defeated. It was this commitment which enabled him to complete his post graduation in political science. He started with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a socio-cultural organization with a focus on social and cultural development of India and imbibed the spirit of selflessness, social responsibility, dedication and nationalism.

List Indian Ministers assets declaration: Prime Minister's Office Website

May India's economy grow no matter what!

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted his ministers to declare their assets including those of their spouses and any related dependents along with any business interest. The list has been put up at the PMO's website. All 32 ministers, seven ministers of state with independent charge and 37 ministers of state declared the details on Saturday and so did the prime minister himself.

Here is the list given below:

PM Manmohan Singh: Rs 4.8 Crore Fixed deposits with SBI - Rs 2.7 crore, House in Chandigarh worth Rs 90 lakh, flat in Vasant Kunj, Delhi worth Rs 88 lakh, he owns a Maruti 800. See here for pdf file.

Home Minister P Chidambaram: Rs 20 crore.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee: Rs 3 crore. He and his wife have 10 properties between them including a house in Greater Kailash.

Telecom Minister Kabil Sibal: 4.75 crore (approximately) Immovable assets 16.25 crore, bank deposits: 65 lakh, investments in shares: 40 lakh, jewellery: 20 lakh, other assets:

Former IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran: Rs 2.94 crore. He and his wive have shares in RIL, Reliance Communications, RNRL and DK Enterprises.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora: Rs 15.2 crore. His wife runs two companies and a proprietorship firm.

Foreign Minister SM Krishna: Rs. 43 Lakh Immovable assets 2.34 lakh, movable assets 4.81 lakh, investments 3 lakh, and savings 12 lakh. His wife's assets are approximately Rs 21 lakh.

Development Minister Kamal Nath: Rs 263 crore. These assets make him the richest minister in the UPA II cabinet. Sources close to the minister say that it is the combined assets of his sons, their wives, and their companies.

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar: Rs 12 crore. That includes deposits and shares in various companies. Unlike Kamal Nath the assets only include his and his wife's wealth.

Defence Minister AK Antony: Just Rs 1.8 lakh and his wife Rs 30 lakh, has his wive's WagonR.

Click the names below to read and download

each pdf document elucidating the minister's declaration of assets:

PRIME MINISTER

	Dr. Manmohan Singh Prime Minister

CABINET MINISTERS

	Shri Pranab Mukherjee Minister of Finance

	Shri Sharad Pawar Minister of Agriculture Minister of Food Processing Industries

	Shri A. K. Antony Minister of Defence

	Shri P. Chidambaram Minister of Home Affairs

	Shri S. M. Krishna Minister of External Affairs

	Shri Virbhadra Singh Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

	Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh Minister of Science and Technology Minister of Earth Sciences

	Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad Minister of Health and Family Welfare

	Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde Minister of Power

	Shri M. Veerappa Moily Minister of Corporate Affairs

	Dr. Farooq Abdullah Minister of New and Renewable Energy

	Shri S. Jaipal Reddy Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas

	Shri Kamal Nath Minister of Urban Development

	Shri Vayalar Ravi Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Minister of Civil Aviation

	Smt. Ambika Soni Minister of Information and Broadcasting

	Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Minister of Labour and Employment

	Shri Kapil Sibal Minister of Human Resource Development Minister of Communications and Information Technology

	Shri Anand Sharma Minister of Commerce and Industry Minister of Textiles

	Shri C. P. Joshi Minister of Road Transport and Highways

	Kumari Selja Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister of Culture

	Shri Subodh Kant Sahay Minister of Tourism

	Shri G. K. Vasan Minister of Shipping

	Shri Pawan K. Bansal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Water Resources

	Shri Mukul Wasnik Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment

	Shri M. K. Alagiri Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers

	Shri Praful Patel Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

	Shri Shriprakash Jaiswal Minister of Coal

	Shri Salman KhursheedMinister of Law and Justice Minister of Minority Affairs

	Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo Minister of Tribal Affairs Minister of Panchayati Raj

	Shri Beni Prasad Verma Minister of Steel

	Shri Dinesh Trivedi Minister of Railways

	Shri Jairam Ramesh Minister of Rural Development Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation

MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)


	Shri Dinsha J. PatelMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Mines

	Smt. Krishna TirathMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Women and Child Development

	Shri Ajay Maken Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

	Prof. K.V. Thomas Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

	Shri Srikant Jena Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers

	Smt. Jayanthi NatarajanMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests

	Shri Paban Singh GhataowarMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

MINISTERS OF STATE

	Shri E. AhamedMinister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resources Development

	Shri Mullappally RamachandranMinister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs

	Shri V. Narayanasamy Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office

	Shri Jyotiraditya Madhavrao ScindiaMinister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

	Smt. D. Purandeswari Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development

	Shri K.H. Muniappa Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways

	Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles

	Shri Namo Narain Meena;Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

	Shri M.M. Pallam Raju Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence

	Shri Saugata Ray Minister of State in the Ministry of Urban Development

	Shri S.S. Palanimanickam Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

	Shri Jitin Prasada Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

	Smt. Preneet Kaur Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs

	Shri Harish Rawat Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

	Shri Bharatsinh Solanki Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways

	Shri Mahadev S. Khandela Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

	Shri Sisir Adhikari Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development

	Shri Sultan Ahmed Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism

	Shri Mukul Roy Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping

	Shri Choudhury Mohan Jatua Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

	Shri D. Napoleon Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

	Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

	Shri S. Gandhiselvan Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

	Shri Tusharbhai Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

	Shri Sachin Pilot Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

	Shri Prateek Prakashbapu Patil Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal

	Shri R. P. N. Singh Minister of State in the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs

	Shri Vincent Pala Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs

	Shri Pradeep Jain Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development

	Ms. Agatha Sangma Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development

	Shri Ashwani Kumar Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology Minister of State in the Ministry of Earth Sciences

	Shri K. C. Venugopal Minister of State in the Ministry of Power

	Shri Sudip BandoupadhyayMinister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

	Shri Charan Das MahantMinister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries

	Shri Jitendra SinghMinister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs

	Shri Milind Deora Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

	Shri Rajeev ShuklaMinister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

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PM Manmohan Singh letter to Anna Hazare

Read the letter here. It was written in Hindi to Anna Hazare.
http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00766/PM_s_letter_to_Haza_766655a.pdf

Rahul Gandhi's speech in the parliament regarding Lokpal corruption

See Video and full text below

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Rahul Gandhi's speech in the parliament regarding Lokpal corruption
Full text below

Madam Speaker,

I have been deeply distressed at the developments of the last few days. Many aspects of the situation have caused me anguish.

We are all aware that corruption is pervasive. It operates at every level. The poor may carry its greatest burden but it is an affliction that every Indian is desperate to be rid off. Fighting corruption is as integral to eliminating poverty as is Mahatma Gandhi NREGA or the Land Acquisition Bill. Yet it is equally imperative to the growth and development of our nation.

Madam Speaker, we cannot wish away corruption by the mere desire to see it removed from our lives.

This requires a comprehensive framework of action and a concerted political program supported by all levels of the state from the highest to the lowest. Most importantly, it requires firm political will.

Madam Speaker, in the past few years I have travelled the length and breadth of our country. I have met scores of countrymen, rich and poor, old and young, privileged and disempowered who have expressed their disillusionment to me. In the last few months, Annaji has helped the people to articulate this same sentiment. I thank him for that.

I believe that the real question before us as representatives of the people of India today is whether we are prepared to take the battle against corruption head on? It is not a matter of how the present impasse will resolve, it is a much greater battle. There are no simple solutions. To eradicate corruption demands a far deeper engagement and sustained commitment from each one of us.

Witnessing the events of the last few days it would appear that the enactment of a single Bill will usher in a corruption-free society. I have serious doubts about this belief.

An effective Lok Pal law is only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption. The Lok Pal institution alone cannot be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code. A set of effective laws is required. Laws that address the following critical issues are necessary to stand alongside the Lok Pal initiative:

(1) government funding of elections and political parties,

(2) transparency in public procurement,

(3) proper regulation of sectors that fuel corruption like land and mining,

(4) grievance redress mechanisms in public service delivery of old age pensions and ration cards; and

(5) continued tax reforms to end tax evasion.

We owe it to the people of this country to work together across party lines to ensure that Parliament functions at its optimum capacity and delivers these laws in a just and time bound manner.

We speak of a statutory Lok Pal but our discussions cease at the point of its accountability to the people and the risk that it might itself become corrupt. Madam Speaker, why not elevate the debate and fortify the Lok Pal by making it a Constitutional body accountable to Parliament like the Election Commission of India? I feel the time has come for us to seriously consider this idea.

Madam Speaker, laws and institutions are not enough. A representative, inclusive and accessible democracy is central to fighting corruption.

Individuals have brought our country great gains. They have galvanized people in the cause of freedom and development. However, individual dictates, no matter how well intentioned, must not weaken the democratic process. This process is often lengthy and lumbering. But it is so in order to be inclusive and fair. It provides a representative and transparent platform where ideas are translated into laws.

A tactical incursion, divorced from the machinery of an elected Government that seeks to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of Parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy.

Today the proposed law is against corruption. Tomorrow the target may be something less universally heralded. It may attack the plurality of our society and democracy.

India's biggest achievement is our democratic system. It is the life force of our nation. I believe we need more democracy within our political parties. I believe in Government funding of our political parties. I believe in empowering our youth; in opening the doors of our closed political system; in bringing fresh blood into politics and into this House. I believe in moving our democracy deeper and deeper into our villages and our cities.

I know my faith in our democracy, is shared by members of this House. I know that regardless of their political affiliation, many of my colleagues work tirelessly to realize the ideals upon which our nation was built. The pursuit of truth is the greatest of those ideals. It won us our freedom. It gave us our democracy. Let us commit ourselves to truth and probity in public life. We owe it to the people of India.

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Rahul Gandhi, Monsoon session, Anna Hazare fast, Jan Lokpal, anti-corruption movement, India Against Corruption, civil society, Parliament discussion, Jan Lokpal Bill

Arundhati Roy: On Anna Hazare and Lokpal

While his means maybe Gandhian, his demands are certainly not.

If what we're watching on TV is indeed a revolution, then it has to be one of the more embarrassing and unintelligible ones of recent times. For now, whatever questions you may have about the Jan Lokpal Bill, here are the answers you're likely to get: tick the box — (a) Vande Mataram (b) Bharat Mata ki Jai (c) India is Anna, Anna is India (d) Jai Hind.

For completely different reasons, and in completely different ways, you could say that the Maoists and the Jan Lokpal Bill have one thing in common — they both seek the overthrow of the Indian State. One working from the bottom up, by means of an armed struggle, waged by a largely adivasi army, made up of the poorest of the poor. The other, from the top down, by means of a bloodless Gandhian coup, led by a freshly minted saint, and an army of largely urban, and certainly better off people. (In this one, the Government collaborates by doing everything it possibly can to overthrow itself.)

In April 2011, a few days into Anna Hazare's first “fast unto death,” searching for some way of distracting attention from the massive corruption scams which had battered its credibility, the Government invited Team Anna, the brand name chosen by this “civil society” group, to be part of a joint drafting committee for a new anti-corruption law. A few months down the line it abandoned that effort and tabled its own bill in Parliament, a bill so flawed that it was impossible to take seriously.

Then, on August 16th, the morning of his second “fast unto death,” before he had begun his fast or committed any legal offence, Anna Hazare was arrested and jailed. The struggle for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill now coalesced into a struggle for the right to protest, the struggle for democracy itself. Within hours of this ‘Second Freedom Struggle,' Anna was released. Cannily, he refused to leave prison, but remained in Tihar jail as an honoured guest, where he began a fast, demanding the right to fast in a public place. For three days, while crowds and television vans gathered outside, members of Team Anna whizzed in and out of the high security prison, carrying out his video messages, to be broadcast on national TV on all channels. (Which other person would be granted this luxury?) Meanwhile 250 employees of the Municipal Commission of Delhi, 15 trucks, and six earth movers worked around the clock to ready the slushy Ramlila grounds for the grand weekend spectacle. Now, waited upon hand and foot, watched over by chanting crowds and crane-mounted cameras, attended to by India's most expensive doctors, the third phase of Anna's fast to the death has begun. “From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India is One,” the TV anchors tell us.

While his means may be Gandhian, Anna Hazare's demands are certainly not. Contrary to Gandhiji's ideas about the decentralisation of power, the Jan Lokpal Bill is a draconian, anti-corruption law, in which a panel of carefully chosen people will administer a giant bureaucracy, with thousands of employees, with the power to police everybody from the Prime Minister, the judiciary, members of Parliament, and all of the bureaucracy, down to the lowest government official. The Lokpal will have the powers of investigation, surveillance, and prosecution. Except for the fact that it won't have its own prisons, it will function as an independent administration, meant to counter the bloated, unaccountable, corrupt one that we already have. Two oligarchies, instead of just one.

Whether it works or not depends on how we view corruption. Is corruption just a matter of legality, of financial irregularity and bribery, or is it the currency of a social transaction in an egregiously unequal society, in which power continues to be concentrated in the hands of a smaller and smaller minority? Imagine, for example, a city of shopping malls, on whose streets hawking has been banned. A hawker pays the local beat cop and the man from the municipality a small bribe to break the law and sell her wares to those who cannot afford the prices in the malls. Is that such a terrible thing? In future will she have to pay the Lokpal representative too? Does the solution to the problems faced by ordinary people lie in addressing the structural inequality, or in creating yet another power structure that people will have to defer to?

Meanwhile the props and the choreography, the aggressive nationalism and flag waving of Anna's Revolution are all borrowed, from the anti-reservation protests, the world-cup victory parade, and the celebration of the nuclear tests. They signal to us that if we do not support The Fast, we are not ‘true Indians.' The 24-hour channels have decided that there is no other news in the country worth reporting.

‘The Fast' of course doesn't mean Irom Sharmila's fast that has lasted for more than ten years (she's being force fed now) against the AFSPA, which allows soldiers in Manipur to kill merely on suspicion. It does not mean the relay hunger fast that is going on right now by ten thousand villagers in Koodankulam protesting against the nuclear power plant. ‘The People' does not mean the Manipuris who support Irom Sharmila's fast. Nor does it mean the thousands who are facing down armed policemen and mining mafias in Jagatsinghpur, or Kalinganagar, or Niyamgiri, or Bastar, or Jaitapur. Nor do we mean the victims of the Bhopal gas leak, or the people displaced by dams in the Narmada Valley. Nor do we mean the farmers in NOIDA, or Pune or Haryana or elsewhere in the country, resisting the takeover of the land.

‘The People' only means the audience that has gathered to watch the spectacle of a 74-year-old man threatening to starve himself to death if his Jan Lokpal Bill is not tabled and passed by Parliament. ‘The People' are the tens of thousands who have been miraculously multiplied into millions by our TV channels, like Christ multiplied the fishes and loaves to feed the hungry. “A billion voices have spoken,” we're told. “India is Anna.”

Who is he really, this new saint, this Voice of the People? Oddly enough we've heard him say nothing about things of urgent concern. Nothing about the farmer's suicides in his neighbourhood, or about Operation Green Hunt further away. Nothing about Singur, Nandigram, Lalgarh, nothing about Posco, about farmer's agitations or the blight of SEZs. He doesn't seem to have a view about the Government's plans to deploy the Indian Army in the forests of Central India.

He does however support Raj Thackeray's Marathi Manoos xenophobia and has praised the ‘development model' of Gujarat's Chief Minister who oversaw the 2002 pogrom against Muslims. (Anna withdrew that statement after a public outcry, but presumably not his admiration.)

Despite the din, sober journalists have gone about doing what journalists do. We now have the back-story about Anna's old relationship with the RSS. We have heard from Mukul Sharma who has studied Anna's village community in Ralegan Siddhi, where there have been no Gram Panchayat or Co-operative society elections in the last 25 years. We know about Anna's attitude to ‘harijans': “It was Mahatma Gandhi's vision that every village should have one chamar, one sunar, one kumhar and so on. They should all do their work according to their role and occupation, and in this way, a village will be self-dependant. This is what we are practicing in Ralegan Siddhi.” Is it surprising that members of Team Anna have also been associated with Youth for Equality, the anti-reservation (pro-“merit”) movement? The campaign is being handled by people who run a clutch of generously funded NGOs whose donors include Coca-Cola and the Lehman Brothers. Kabir, run by Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, key figures in Team Anna, has received $400,000 from the Ford Foundation in the last three years. Among contributors to the India Against Corruption campaign there are Indian companies and foundations that own aluminum plants, build ports and SEZs, and run Real Estate businesses and are closely connected to politicians who run financial empires that run into thousands of crores of rupees. Some of them are currently being investigated for corruption and other crimes. Why are they all so enthusiastic?

Remember the campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill gathered steam around the same time as embarrassing revelations by Wikileaks and a series of scams, including the 2G spectrum scam, broke, in which major corporations, senior journalists, and government ministers and politicians from the Congress as well as the BJP seem to have colluded in various ways as hundreds of thousands of crores of rupees were being siphoned off from the public exchequer. For the first time in years, journalist-lobbyists were disgraced and it seemed as if some major Captains of Corporate India could actually end up in prison. Perfect timing for a people's anti-corruption agitation. Or was it?

At a time when the State is withdrawing from its traditional duties and Corporations and NGOs are taking over government functions (water supply, electricity, transport, telecommunication, mining, health, education); at a time when the terrifying power and reach of the corporate owned media is trying to control the public imagination, one would think that these institutions — the corporations, the media, and NGOs — would be included in the jurisdiction of a Lokpal bill. Instead, the proposed bill leaves them out completely.

Now, by shouting louder than everyone else, by pushing a campaign that is hammering away at the theme of evil politicians and government corruption, they have very cleverly let themselves off the hook. Worse, by demonising only the Government they have built themselves a pulpit from which to call for the further withdrawal of the State from the public sphere and for a second round of reforms — more privatisation, more access to public infrastructure and India's natural resources. It may not be long before Corporate Corruption is made legal and renamed a Lobbying Fee.

Will the 830 million people living on Rs.20 a day really benefit from the strengthening of a set of policies that is impoverishing them and driving this country to civil war?

This awful crisis has been forged out of the utter failure of India's representative democracy, in which the legislatures are made up of criminals and millionaire politicians who have ceased to represent its people. In which not a single democratic institution is accessible to ordinary people. Do not be fooled by the flag waving. We're watching India being carved up in war for suzerainty that is as deadly as any battle being waged by the warlords of Afghanistan, only with much, much more at stake.

The Secret behind India's freedom struggle

January 26th has always had reasons for me to celebrate

Growing up in Uganda - my childland, I remember switching on to UTV to watch the parade at the Kololo grounds, to celebrate, because on January 26, 1986, a stable Political party came into power after a successful guerrilla struggle led by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. This ended the 15 years of tyranny and civil war, at least in the larger part of Uganda (the south). The mass struggle was such that it went beyond political lines. In deed a day for us Ugandans to celebrate as Liberation Day.

Growing wise in India - my motherland, I celebrate January 26th for it was on this day at Lahore, 1930, that the call of "Purna Swaraj" was proclaimed with pride.

Gandhi drafted the Indian declaration of independence, which stated:

"The British government in India has not only deprived the Indian people of their freedom but has based itself on the exploitation of the masses, and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually....Therefore...India must sever the British connection and attain Purna Swaraj or complete independence."

And later, the new Constitution of India, as drafted and approved by the Constituent Assembly of India, was mandated to take effect on January 26, 1950, to commemorate the 1930 declaration. On that day in 1950, India became a republic. In deed a day for us Indians to celebrate as a Liberation Day.

But it pains my heart that we Indians are not readily able to pay homage to one of the most important places of reverence in the history of India's freedom struggle against Colonialism, that spot in Lahore, where the Declaration of the Independence of undivided India was passed. Probably, some day, when we get the honour, probably we could build one of the best of monuments there.

And please do note that, The March 1940 Resolution for the separate country "Pakistan" too was called for in the same city of Lahore, this is commemorated by the monument called "Minar-e-Pakistan". So, the name "Lahore" stirs up lots of emotion in me, because I truly see it, that the partition of the sub-continent had to happen because this part of the world was deeply plagued by a leadership that was primarily made of empathy-less prodigies. And this "state of being" still exists even to this day, it's very sad that I still see such clouds of irreligious darkness still lingering in the air, not allowing the people to understand each other, not even allowing them to present themselves in way such that, the other people could understand. But I am very happy to say that I come with a solution. I know how to clear the clouds. But as you know, knowing is still just knowing, and so I wait for my chance to do.

To quote my favourite text by Gandhi after the Talisman: The Seven Social Sins.

The Seven Social Sins

Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Science without Humanity
Knowledge without Character
Politics without Principle
Commerce without Morality
Worship without Sacrifice

Achieving a "nation-building status" in a threshold level perfection in fighting against the above mentioned "Seven social sins" will liberate any country in the world. Liberation is an on going process. In, our Indian National Flag, the only thing that I liked about its design, is the 24 spokes idea in the Wheel, representing the 24 hours of the day. And I wish to add, if ever I got a chance to re-design the Indian National Flag, the only attribute that I would retain would be the 24 spokes concept. But our National Anthem, is one of the best pieces by Tagore my love. So coming back to the 24 Spoked wheel, to me the wheel is not static, it's actually ever rotating, spinning out light to it's masses. It truly represents the on going process of Liberation.

"The ambition of the greatest HUman of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over." - Tryst with Destiny

Now and again, to talk about Gandhi. Why did Gandhi outshine every other freedom struggle fighter? We did have different kinds of Freedom fighters, the Moderates, the Extremists and then we had Gandhi. But, I feel that there are very few in the world who understand why Gandhi's projects worked well where the Moderates and the Extremists failed.

The secret is to understand this, is to understand deeply the meaning and methodology of "CARE".

Three CASES of CARE methodology

CASE 1: Think of young Krishna - the cow herd, think of young Jesus or Mohammed - the shepherd, see how the herdsman cares for his animals. When he sees that the animals are capable of surrendering to his physical superior authority, then all he needs to do to take care of them is to follow them from behind with a superior physical authority (in this case, say a Stick), by doing so, he is able to monitor them and guide them.

CASE 2: Think again of Krishna but this time with his friend Arjuna, or Jesus with his disciple-friends, or Mohammed with his valiant uncle Hamza, see how the Prophetcares for his friends. When he sees that his companions are capable ofunderstanding his words, then all he needs to do to take care of them, is to followtheir thoughts, words and talk to them with reason, by doing so, he is able to monitor them and guide them.

CASE 3: Now, think again of Krishna leading his army against Kamsa his evil uncle, or Jesus leading his disciples into a new city, or Mohammed leading his Army against the infidels, see how the Commander cares for his soldiers. When he sees that his soldiers have totally surrendered to his authority and are capable of understanding his actions, then all he needs to do to take care of them, is to follow holistically the total reality-scene, stand at the front and be a commander, by doing so, he is able to monitor them and guide them.

From here, the all further discussions are based on the above 3 Cases, if you are a good student, you will enjoy all that is to follow.

Some observations that I can deduce are that:

1. "Following" is a subset of "Caring". We need follow others to take care of them.

2. Depending on the subject, there are three element-types of "following",

(1) to follow them from behind with a superior physical authority (Physical),
(2) to follow their thoughts, words and talk to them with reason (Dialogue), and
(3) to follow holistically the total reality-scene, stand at the front and be a commander (Silent).

3. You got to care for others, for others to care for you. We live in a one social interdependent world.

4. Other important notes: In Case 1 and 2, when Krishna followed his Cows as well as friends, he charmed them all e.g. with his flute music/valour, and they fell in love with him. They became his Army. In Case 3, When Krishna kills Kamsa, this is another example for the care shown in Case 1. Krishna must wield superior physical authority over the totally deluded Kamsa to take care of Kamsa's soul. Note again:Ravana found it a great honour to be killed by the hands of great Ram.

Now coming to the India's freedom struggle against the Colonial British.

According to Bipin Chandra's book, he observes that: The Colonial British had established two lies before the world.
1. That Britain was the Maa-Baap, that without it's colonial rule, India would be in disaster.
2. That Britain was too strong to be conquered by any country in the world.

Now coming to the different types of freedom struggle.

1A. The first method of Indian Freedom struggle was the Extremist Struggle of 1857. The Rulers revolted against the British policies with mutinies, capturing forts, killing the residents etc, it was physical war. But the British were too strong, they not only suppressed the struggle physically, but also enacted several policies (direct as well as indirect) to make sure that they shall never be any other such uprising in the future.

2. The next possible method for the suppressed Indians, the second type of Freedom struggle was the Struggle of the Moderates, Dadabhai Naoroji and team, they believed in praying to the British, writing petitions, discussing, dialogue, conferences, writing books, intellectual debate. But the British encouraged this, as a feedback system, as a grievance appeasement system to make sure that no extremist behavior shoots up.

1B. The Neo-Extremists were born due to the poor results yielded by the Moderates: There were many: Lal, Bal, Pal, Subash Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, they believed in tougher actions. Bose tried to raise an army against the British, he wanted to collude with Japan and even West Germany. Bhagat Singh and party used bombs to retaliate. Some communists too could be joined in this. Some religo-extremists too can be included here

2B. The Neo-Moderates were also born due to unsatisfactory results yielded by the Neo-extremists: There were many: Motilal, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Ambedkar, Jinnah. They had a political rather than a military tinge to all their activities. Then we had the religious groups, the Hindu community leaders and the Muslim community leaders to join in as loyal friends.

This was the leadership condition those days.

Then came GANDHI.

At his point of entry into politics, he was just known for his experiments in South Africa. But even then this man did not join the Indian struggle at the tail end but from the head crown. To achieve this, this cunning man had to stay away from the on going Home Rule movement and instead he traveled the country first to understand it and then established his brand name through his own struggles, Champaran and Kheda.

Bingo! He had to be made the Chief of the Indian Freedom Struggle.

As a corollary: I wish to add, later on in the struggle days, Jinnah used almost similar tactics, to become the Chief of the Muslim League movement.

Coming back...

Now the question is: WHY is it that the past shows that GANDHI's tactics overlapped all the policies of the neo-moderates(the ROYAL-LOYALS) and the neo-extremists (the RAMBOS)? Why did the people accept him to be their CHIEF ARCHITECT?

Answer: Gandhi's intelligence. He did not underestimate the British Regime!

He knew that the possibility of India to overcome the British through armed struggle was almost dismal. Due to our poor economic condition and poor international relations, it was almost impossible to think impractically, and to go on an armed struggle against the World War player: The British. Bhagat Singh, Bose and occasionally Nehru and Sardar kept making this impractical step.

He also knew that the British however bad for India, were also indirectly cleansing India from it's own native reasons for decay, the native decay being the very reason for why India got colonized by the British in the first place. The British indirectly brought Science to India. The Printing Press. The Democratic Setup. He knew that India had to depart with the British as friends and not as sworn enemies. And moreover, using the British rule territorial coverage, Gandhi wanted the complex-complicated-divided early India to become the single India of maximum territory, one big united nation. This was the plan.

So reminding you again of the three Cases of Care:

(1) to follow them from behind with a superior physical authority, (PHYSICAL)
(2) to follow their thoughts, words and talk to them with reason, (DAILOGUE) and
(3) to follow holistically the total reality-scene, stand at the front and be a commander (NEAR SILENCE).

The extremists tried to follow behind the British by wielding superior physical authority over the British but they failed in every way, whether it's the Revolt of 1857, or Bose's army or Bhagat's bombs etc, they failed. Bose our Netaji sadly vanished, INA got dismantled, Bhagat our Shaheed, got hanged at the young age of 23! The British proved to be too strong.

The moderates tried to follow and pretended to be side by side with the British, through dialogue and petitions, to deal with the British with political astuteness, but they failed in every way, they were kept always waiting for the left over crumbs on the table.

CASE 1 and CASE 2 could never work. Only CASE 3 would work. Gandhi somehow had the brains to know this fact. He did not get physical, nor did he get into political dialogue, he got the masses and it's leaders to unite under his wing with the Silence of the truth and then next with that, he dealt with the Colonialists. And in case at any point, if he felt that his people were not under his control, he immediately withdrew the mass movement, because without their steady stand, it was impossible to deal with the Colonialists en masse.

Gandhi, knew he needed an army + a non-physical/non-dialogue but commanding technique to attack the British right at it's core, he knew that every empire had its Achilles' heel. The British prided themselves as the conscience of the world. The majestic empire of goodness. And Gandhi knew that, this assumption was exactly where they fell short. The British, by assuming themselves to be an empire representing the truth and goodness of the world, had in fact in the assumption-process, surrendered themselves to the scrutiny of Mr. Gandhi's dashing experiments with the Truth. Satisfying the condition for CASE 3. So Gandhi played ball, right time/right place.

Gandhi just looked for one thing in every mission, how to show the Indian masses, the British people/natives and the World community what the Colonialists really were, that the Colonialists were thieves, stealing money from the poor.

The Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre was the last paintbrush stroke on the true-colour image of the Colonialists, it showed the masses of India as well as the British natives, the true nature of the Colonialists. But the Colonialists tried very very hard to reverse the psychological condition, they and their natives tried to overtly praise the man responsible for the massacre - Mr.Dyer with awards and money. But it was too late, the Indian Masses finally woke up to the reality of the immediate real enemy, COLONIALISM.

Gandhi's only effective weapon was when he kept using the TRUTH as his religion, the naked fakir TRUTH, to deal with the false image of the British. And to raise his army, Gandhi understood that, the best way to gain publicity was to take a true spiritual persona, the Indian masses from time immemorial are very quick to surrender themselves to call any great man/woman as a mahadeva/devi. And so came Gandhi in the form of a religious Saint winning the hearts of the masses.

An army General, in the satisfactory form of a spiritual Guru. They once threw him out of a train for being a train in South Africa, Gandhi aimed for his sweet revenge, he struck back within his lifetime, Gandhi saw to it that his country evacuated the Colonialists from it's soil. Whereas other British colonies like my childland Uganda had to wait till 1962 to get it's freedom from the British and South Africa the second best colony after India, got it's independence only in the year 1994.

I remember reading in a book, about Gandhi saying that:

"Only a good army general knows when to attack and when to retreat".

I am sure he was trying to convince some people about his tactics when he said that. That he was an Army General in the act. The Salt Satyagraha was his finest action-moment, just like Michael Jackson had his moon walk, or Arnold Schwarzenegger had his "I'll be back". Our Gandhi had his Dandi March. He put the Colonialists in a very very tight spot, if they arrested him, it would arouse the people to understand how bad the Colonial British could be, to deprive the masses of their common salt, and if they did not arrest him, the people would understand how powerful Gandhi became, that the British had to be quiet to him. And moreover, Gandhi felt that this protest would dramatize "Purna Swaraj" in a way that was meaningful to the poorest of Indians. He also reasoned that it would build unity between Hindus, Muslims, all communities, by fighting a wrong that touched them equally.

Note: To me, Gandhi was not the father of non-violence, nor was Martin Luther King Jr. not even the Jain Mahavira, it was Jesus Christ, Jesus was the prophet of non violence en masse.

"Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics." - Martin Luther King Jr, 1955

To me, baby Gandhi was a little gift from Jesus Christ, Ram, Krishna and Mahavira. I thank all the priest friends that he had in South Africa for teaching him about Jesus. Only if someone could have similarly taught him about Buddha, Lao Tzu and Mohammed too!

While watching Slum Dog Millionaire, I saw how the young Indian protagonist replied when he was questioned by the policeman repeatedly, "Whose picture is on the 500 Ruppee note?" Answer heard was, "I don't know, I don't know." In the trains, I used to hear young boys playing "Pairs", Shaving cream or Shaving gel? Rang De Basanti or MunnaBhai? Katrina or Mallika?

Some say, "look at him in the middle,

this stick-spectacled form, a half naked scheme of bones",

to me, the finest most cunning Army General, the world has ever seen till date.

He did care so much for his country, may we care for him too.

Yet to many, Gandhi is just a stick-spectacle, the father of a timid, pacifist, sleepy, begging movement, the houseflies only feed on the errors in him, they make movies about how faulty Gandhi was with his son etc etc, but the honey bee collects the nectar and leaves out the slag.

Sonia Gandhi

Click here to go to Sonia Gandhi Biography

Click here to see Sonia Gandhi Young photographs

Click here to read famous Sonia Gandhi Quotes

To me, Gandhi was just the finest Army general who did what he did, he was able to help the cause, of evacuating the Colonial-British, but again, he himself as well my dear Ambedkar knew, that we had to evacuate the evils of both Material as well as Spiritual poverty to call ourselves liberated. In his lifetime, Gandhi was not able to do that, yes he failed miserably, but again yes, he and his companions did what they could do, to first get rid of the colonialists, and now it's for us to continue the freedom struggle.

Whereas in my childland Uganda, the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is still the President of Uganda since the year 1986, he has been stuck to the chair for more almost 25 years now. Well, there is even much more to do in Africa, I tell you.

"A boy tries hard to be a man
His mother takes him by his hand
If he stops to think, he starts to cry
Oh why

If you walkaway, walkaway
I walkaway, walkaway...I will follow"

- U2

Young Sonia Gandhi photos

Young Sonia Gandhi pictures

with Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka photosGandhi.

Click to see Sonia Gandhi Biography Video.
Click to read famous Sonia Gandhi quotes.
Click to see very rare Sonia Gandhi pictures

Young Manmohan Singh and his family pictures

Thanks to him, we are not still drivng a fiat padmini

After their engagement

Manmohan Singh as RBI governor, then finance minister, then prime minister.

Now

RBI Currency note signature

Funny Indian politicians for corruption

Anna Hazare dead campaign?

Sambu looked at his son and yelled at his newspaper front page, "you can't even change your own corrupt blood father, you think you can change the world, who is this annaji fallen from the sky, is it not the same congress party that gave him his padma bushan...".

He scratches his chest hair and says "Even to run this campaign, his campaign, there is bribe, I guarantee, now to run our business activities, we have to bribe the future lokpal committee employees too, is it? How costly life can get! Where do all the political parties, I repeat, all all the parties get their multi crore bank accounts from? They don't manufacture anything, they don't have any service sector income, so where does the money come from? Obviously they need bribes, bribe is necessary for them to function. That is how the political system has been designed and accepted by the people".

Ramu then said, "papa, common majority people don't even know how to write a letter, how are they going to even file an RTI or a high level lokpal application? Papa, I think after this lokpal committee fails India, people will lose faith in the legal instrument and that is a very good thing, because the responsibility to curb corruption is not in the hands of the lokpal or any legal instrument but in the hands of the people themselves."

Sambu looked at his wife and replied to her son, "you are right son, the politicians are going to get more money, as the bribe wager is going to rise, so they shall make more money, but we lose our money."

Sushi looked at her husband Sambu's money box and said, "Just like Gandhi backfired India into a escalated partition, Hazare shall take us on the wrong track of worse corruption, history repeats once again. I hate Anna Hazare type populist altruists. How little sense they have while enforcing their ideas on others, such activites must be done with great depth in thought, see as long as people invest tremendous energy in romantic utopian ideologies like religion and what not, they won't have enough time to do a job, so corruption is their only way to survive, the common man is forced to be corrupt due to the corrupt solutions given by their leaders."

Ramu look'd at his parents and said, "Somebody killed Gandhi and John Lennon......is it that some common man shall have ideas for anna hazare dead". Sushi said, "I think death of anybody is a bad mad sad sign beta, let's go to the vegetable market, chacha is coming home for dinner, but we need to fuel the mercedes first. Are you coming?"

P. K. Jayalakshmi - Lady Tribal minister of Kerala

P. K. Jayalakshmi - the first tribal minister in Kerala government, who is 29 years old and representing Mananthavadi constituency, Wayanad District. She is an ace archer and a silver medalist in the State. She is a graduate in Communicative English from Kannur University and a diploma holder in Computer Science. She is belonging to the Kurichiya Community, one of the tribal communities in Kerala. The only woman minister in the current cabinet.

Quotes Narayana Murthy’s Last Farewell Speech

His last speech bidding farewell to Infosys

“We believe that our new strategy and supporting organisation structure will help us expand our global market by forging strategic partnerships with our clients and increasing our relevance to all facets of their enterprise.

It is not easy for me to deliver my last address at this forum. As I speak, a mosaic of images from the past whizz through my mind.

As I leave the board, I feel sad that Infosys has been issued a subpoena by a grand jury in the US on the B1 issue. The issue will be decided on its merits in due course.

This is the time to continue and even strengthen our well acclaimed and much respected focus on embracing meritocracy, transparency and openness of discussions and consultations with competent colleagues, relentlessly and repeatedly communicating the importance of values to every level in the organisation, not waffling and being unambiguous about practicing our values, never negotiating on our values, punishing the guilty heavily and swiftly and being firm and quick in every decision making based on our values.

This is the path, I have walked during the last 30 years at Infosys with much peace of mind and a clear conscience.

My life story should be a confidence booster for every average person in the world that he or she can indeed make a difference at least in a small way to this world.”

OTHER FAMOUS QUOTES

BY SRI NARAYAN MURTHY OF INFOSYS

If we have to make life better for these (rural) people and give them reasonable standards of living, disposable incomes, healthcare and nutrition and education, I personally believe we have to look at low-tech manufacturing to start with and then high-tech manufacturing in a big way just as China has done because most of these people are semi-literate or educated at a very basic level.

This has been a happy, intense, rewarding and exhilarating journey of 25 years.

It doesn’t matter how bright a person is. How smart a person is. If they don’t understand the risk emanating from what they are doing, if they are not suitably regulated and if greed overtakes them it is inevitable that one sees disasters because in the end systems are much more powerful than individuals.

When one operates at the huge scale and the pace at which the Wall Street is operating unless he has good real time control systems and have eyes on the gauge all the time it could lead to disaster. It is almost like the control centre of the rocket. That’s why they have real time control. They monitor it second by second. In some sense the complexity of what is happening in the Wall Street has become somewhat of a real time necessitated system requirement.

In the end it is always about ethics and all about personal values. That is why it is very important for every society to create checks and balances. That is why it is very important for every society not to create incentives for people to become greedier. That is why it is very important for all of us in the corporate world to create incentives for long-term performance rather than short-term performance. When you create systems that focus on short-term performance, when you create a system that reveres money rather than decency, honesty and respect, when you make it a fashion for youngsters to revel in the power of their wealth, it is inevitable.

We need to create a system where we can rank world corporate leaders based on their respectability.Today, we have the most powerful leaders, the best managed companies, companies by market capitalisation and all of that. But we have to move towards a regime which will rank corporate leaders based on their respectability and everybody must say that I want to become the most respected leader in the world.

As long as the engines of innovation are alive, and they attract the best talent, the leadership will continue to be with them.

I am a believer in the adage – performance leads to recognition, recognition leads to respect and respect leads to power.

It is too early to say. I do believe that any economic difficulty in a market will necessitate greater need for innovation, will necessitate greater competitiveness through better value for money.
Brought pretty smart people together. Infosys has given opportunity for youngsters to come out with new ideas. Infosys has created a platform where meritocracy has prevailed. Infosys has put premium on innovation; we have created incentives for people who are innovative. Infosys has been an enlightened democracy where the hierarchy of ideas prevails over hierarchy of men and women. Infosys has built-up a mindset where everybody makes short-term sacrifices because they see long-term benefit in that. Infosys has laser focus on customers; Infosys brings customers into its premises, into our software engineering and technology lab, so that we can serve our customers better. Infosys is a place where there is tremendous energy and enthusiasm because of the leadership.

There is only one ingredient for innovation and that is the power of the human mind. As long as a company is able to attract, enable, empower and retain the best of the brightest, it will have a play. As long as the leadership of companies ensure that the physically and mentally tired mind that leaves office at whatever 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm comes back mentally and physically reenergised and enthusiastic to add significant value to the customer next morning, the job is done.

That’s why at Infosys we say at 9:00 am when every one of our people is working the marketcap maybe whatever it is, 15-16 in these tough days, but at 6:15 or 7:00 pm when the last of us has gone or maybe 9:00 pm when the last of us has gone home the marketcap is zero. I think that is the fundamental instrument that every corporation must believe in. That’s the power of the mind; the power of the happy, enthusiastic, energetic, satisfied, aspirational mind. The moment you create that rest is all simple.There are two fundamental characteristics of Infosys. One; we are an engineering company. Two; we are a company founded by middleclass people. I will link the two. Being an engineering company, we discuss and debate, collect data, analyse, argue and then come to some conclusion. As we are middleclass people that founded the company – we don’t go by flats, we don’t go buy fashion and we don’t want to look good in a party just because we have spent a billion dollars to acquire a company.When you combine these two powerful attributes, you end up being conservative. There is no doubt at all. Infosys is conservative, but there is a method in this conservative behaviour. We have clearly laid out rules for operation. We said our people will have to collect money because at the end of the day the real happiness is cash in the bank. We say profit is an opinion – the real happiness is cash in the bank. We created incentives for our sales and customer facing people which would ensure that they collect money.

Secondly, we hired pretty smart sales people in the industry and that’s why you will notice that we have anywhere from 500-600 basis point of higher operating margin than any of our competitors because we tell them that if the customer thinks that USD 100 is the price – your smartness is to sell it for USD 105 and give the customer USD 110 worth of value. Don’t cheat him, but sell it at USD 105 and provide value of USD 110. That is what we have focused on a lot.

Thirdly, there is tremendous cost consciousness in the company. We are not judged by how opulent our rooms are – we are not judged by whether we travel in this class or that class. So right from the beginning we focused on that. When you focus on middleclass values, when you focus on analytics – it is easy to have a lot of cash in the bank.

I have always said that a good leader simplifies business. It doesn’t matter what business he or she runs. So, I would suggest that we use simple business rules, not complex or compound ones. The good thing about simple business rules is that it is easy to understand, easy to practice, easy to communicate, and you cannot cheat anybody with simple business rules. And you can enthuse every one of your colleagues with simple business rules because there is transparency, there is fairness, and there is accountability.As far as the youth of this country is concerned, I would say that for the first time in the last 300 years, this country has received recognition in the global markets, and received certain respect. This is the time for us to work hard, this is the time for us to work smart and consolidate on the gains. Indians are generally not known to have the killer instinct or not known to run the last mile. Yesterday was a wonderful exception when the Indian cricketers beat the Australians. But that is a rare one.

We have to make it a habit. We have to make it a habit of what Dhoni and others did yesterday. That is make sure that all the good things that they have achieved in the last 10 years becomes a habit. To do that, you need continued discipline, hard work, smartness, integrity and putting the interest of the country above your own personal interest.

I believe that India is better placed than any of the leading economies of the world to recover from the mess that the world economy has got into because of a very simple reason. We are primarily a domestic economy focused nation. Our fundamentals are good. Our productivity is improving.

Preparing for IAS: 5 Do's and Dont's

Preparing for IAS, IPS and IFS (Indian Civil Services)

1. Choose the good scoring safe subjects, the ones that get marks easily. For Example: Geography
2. Get the class and printed notes of Vajiram coaching at Delhi or any other winner-institute, look for the ones that are highly respected by the aspirants and not the just the advertised ones.
3. Get all the past question papers, answer keys, mock test papers and required guide books for each subject, you can even file an RTI to the UPSC asking for a specific subject e.g. Malayalam, French.
4. Get just two reliable books for each module of the syllabus for each of your mains opitional subjects, and underline the important.
5. Read and re-read, analyze, make diagrams and put it all down in your own words and re-examine. Repeat twice only, there is no time for more than that. Look for improvement in your self regarding the exam.

Don'ts
1. Don't join IAS without knowing that IAServant is only for policy implementing and not for policy creating.
2. Don't join institutes for coaching, it's a waste of time and money, join institutes only for the mock tests.
3. Don't waste time on anything else but have many keen resourceful friends who are preparing for IAS.
4. Don't read newspapers so much, do the standard theoretical parts first, and then the dynamic updates last.
5. Don't think that IAS is too tough, it is pretty much attainable provided the commensurate effort.

Remember, an IAS officer is only a glorified servant of the honorable ministers. You are the secretary, not the director. But there is much glory to this job as you get to be in touch with the top circles.

Bharat Ratna List India Awardees highest

List of all Bharat Ratna awardees so far:

Late Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi in 2008 : Karnataka
Kumari Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar in 2001 : Maharashtra
Late Ustad Bismillah Khan in 2001 for contribution in the field of Arts : Uttar Pradesh
Prof. Amartya Sen in1999 for Literature & Education : United Kingdom
Lokpriya Gopinath (posth.) Bordoloi in1999, for Public Affairs : Assam
Loknayak Jayprakash (Posth.) Narayan in 1999 for Public Affairs: Bihar
Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1999 for his contribution in the field of Arts : United States
Shri Chidambaram Subramaniam in 1998 for Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi in 1998 for her contribution in the field of Arts : Tamil Nadu
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 1997 for his contribution in the field of Science and Engineering : Delhi
Smt. Aruna Asaf (Posth.) Ali in 1997 for her contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Delhi
Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda in 1997 for his contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Gujarat
Shri JRD Tata in 1992 for his contribution in the field of Trade & Industry : Maharashtra
Shri Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in 1992 for his contribution in Public Affairs : West Bengal
Shri Satyajit Ray in 1992 for his contribution in the field of Arts : West Bengal
Shri Morarji Ranchhodji Desai in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Gujarat
Shri Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Delhi
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Gujarat
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedakr in 1990 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Maharashtra
Dr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in 1990 for his contribution in Public Affairs : South Africa
Shri Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran in 1988 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1987 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Pakistan
Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1983 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
Mother Teresa in 1980 for contribution in the field of Social Work : West Bengal
Shri Kumaraswamy Kamraj in 1976 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Shri V.V. Giri in 1975 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Orissa
Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1971 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane in 1963 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
Dr. Zakir Hussain in 1963 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Andhra Pradesh
Dr. Rajendra Prasad in 1962 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Bihar
Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy in 1961 for contribution in the Field of Public Affairs: West Bengal
Shri Purushottam Tandon in 1961 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve in 1958 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant in 1957 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Bhagwan Das in 1955 for contribution in Literature & Education : Uttar Pradesh
Shri Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. M. Vishweshwariah in 1955 for contribution in the field of Civil Service : Karnataka
Shri Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in 1954 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Dr. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1954 in Science & Engineering: Tamil Nadu
Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan in 1954 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu

More Information on the awardees

1. Aruna Asaf Ali - (16 July 1909 - 29 July 1996) (born Aruna Ganguli), was an Indian independence fighter. She is widely remembered for hoisting the Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank maidan in Bombay during the Quit India Movement, 1942.

2. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (April 14, 1891 — December 6, 1956) was an Indian jurist, Bahujan political leader and a Buddhist revivalist, who is the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, also known as Babasaheb. Born into a poor Untouchable community, Ambedkar spent his life fighting against the system of Chaturvarna, the Hindu categorization of human society into four varnas and the Indian caste system. He is also credited for having sparked the Dalit Buddhist movement. Ambedkar has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, given for the highest degree of national service.

3. Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin Ahmed (11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958) was a Muslim scholar and a senior political leader of the Indian independence movement. He was one of the most prominent Muslim leaders to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of India on communal lines. Following India's independence, he became the first Minister of Education in the Indian government. He is commonly remembered as Maulana Azad; he had adopted Azad (Free) as his pen name.He would become the youngest person to serve as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1923.

4. Vinoba Bhave,born Vinayak Narahari Bhave (September 11, 1895 - November 15 1982) often called Acharya (In Sanskrit and Hindi means teacher), is considered as a National Teacher of India and the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi.In 1958 Vinoba was the first recipient of the international Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1983.

5. Bidhan Chandra Roy (July 1, 1882 Bankipore in Patna, Bihar – July 1, 1962) [1] was the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, India. He remained in his post for 14 years as a Congress Party candidate, from January 14, 1948 until his death in 1962. He was a respected physician and a renowned freedom fighter.The nation honored Dr. Roy with the Bharat Ratna on February 4, 1961.

6. Gopinath Bordoloi (1890-1950) was the first Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam, and also a leading Indian freedom-fighter. He was a follower of the Gandhian principle of non violence as a political tool.He was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1999.

7. Bhagwan Das (January 12, 1869 - September 18, 1958) was an Indian theosophist and public figure. For a time he served in the Central Legislative Assembly of undivided India. He became allied with the Hindustani Culture Society and was active in opposing rioting as a form of protest. As an advocate for national freedom from the British rule, he was often in danger of reprisals from the Colonial government and was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 1955.

8.Morarji Ranchhodji Desai (February 29, 1896 – April 10, 1995) was an Indian independence activist and the Prime Minister of India from 1977-79. He was the first Indian Prime Minister who did not belong to the Indian National Congress. He is the only Indian to receive the highest civilian awards from both India and Pakistan, namely the Bharat Ratna and Nishaan-e-Pakistan.

9. Rajiv Gandhi , born in Bombay, (August 20, 1944 – May 21, 1991), the elder son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi, was the 7th Prime Minister of India (and the 3rd from the Nehru-Gandhi family) from his mother's death on 31 October 1984 until his resignation on December 2, 1989 following a general election defeat. He was the youngest Prime Minister of India (at the age of 40).

10. Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (19 November 1917 - October 31, 1984) was the Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977 and for a fourth term from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was India's first and to date only female prime minister.He received India's highest civilian decoration, the Bharat Ratna, in 1975.

11. Dr. Zakir Hussain (February 8, 1897 - May 3, 1969) , was the third President of India from May 13, 1967 until his death on May 3, 1969.He was awarded the highest Indian national honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1963. He is the first Indian President to die in office on the 3rd day of May, 1969.

12. Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane (pronounced Kaa-nay) (1880-1972) was a notable Indologist and Sanskrit scholar. He was born in a conservative Chitpavan Brahmin family in the Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, India.The highest accolade bestowed upon him was the Bharat Ratna in 1963.

13. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam , born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam^ , was the eleventh President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007.Due to his unconventional working style, he is also popularly known as the People's President. Before his term as India's president, he distinguished himself as engineering visionary and was awarded India's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his work with DRDO and his role as scientific advisor to the Indian government. He is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work and is considered a progressive mentor, innovator and visionary in India.
The Government of India has honoured him with the nation's highest civilian honours: the Padma Bhushan in 1981; Padma Vibhushan in 1990; and the Bharat Ratna in 1997.

14. Kamaraj Kumarasami,(15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975) was an Indian politician widely considered to be the only kingmaker in Indian politics, and known for his honesty, integrity and simplicity.
He was involved in the Indian independence movement and was a close ally of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. He was instrumental in bringing to power two Prime Ministers, Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964 and Indira Gandhi in 1966. He was affectionately known as the Gandhi of the South.

15. Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve (April 18, 1858 - November 9, 1962) was a preeminent social reformer of his time in India in the field of welfare of womankind.
* 1942 - Awarded Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) by Banaras Hindu University
* 1951 - Awarded D.Litt. by Pune University
* 1954 - Awarded D.Litt. by S.N.D.T. University
* 1955 - Awarded Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India
* 1957 - Awarded LL.D. by University of Mumbai
* 1958 - Awarded Bharat Ratna by the Government of India

16. Ustad Bismillah Khan Sahib (March 21, 1916 – August 21, 2006) was a shehnai maestro from India. The term "Ustad" or "Pandit" in relation to Indian classical music implies Master or Guru.
He was the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna (in 2001), the highest civilian honour in India.

17.Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan -(b. at Hashtnagar in Utmanzai, Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India, c. 1890 – d. in Peshawar, NWFP, Pakistan, 20 January 1988) was a Pashtun Indian political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India. A lifelong pacifist, a devout Muslim, [1]and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, he was also known as Badshah Khan (also Bacha Khan, Urdu, Pashto: lit., "King of Kings"), and Sarhaddi Gandhi (Urdu: lit., "Frontier Gandhi"). In 1985 he was nominated for the Nobel peace prize. In 1987 he became the first non-citizen to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.

18. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela -(born 18 July 1918) is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress and its armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. He spent 27 years in prison, much of it on Robben Island, on convictions for crimes that included sabotage committed while he spearheaded the struggle against apartheid.

19. Gulzārilāl Nandā (July 4, 1898 - January 15, 1998) was an Indian politician and an economist with specialization in labor problems. He was the interim Prime Minister of India twice for thirteen days each: the first time after the death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, and the second time after the death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. (His both terms had ended after the ruling Indian National Congress party procedurally elected a new prime minister.)
Nanda was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi's principles.
The Government of India honored Nanda with a Bharat Ratna award in 1997.

20. Lata Mangeshkar , born September 28, 1929) is a singer from India. She is one of the most well-known playback singers in the Indian Hindi movie industry. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over 980 Hindi (or "Bollywood") movies, and has sung songs in over twenty regional Indian languages, primarily Marathi. She is the elder sister of the equally accomplished singer, Asha Bhosle.Lata is the second vocalist to receive "Bharat Ratna", India's highest civilian honour.
Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records from 1974 to 1991 for "most recordings" in the world.

21. Jayaprakash Narayan ( October 11, 1902 - October 8, 1979), widely known as JP, was an Indian freedom fighter and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and for giving a call for peaceful Total Revolution.

22. Govind Ballabh Pant (September 10, 1887 - March 7, 1961) was a statesman of India, an Indian independence activist and one of the foremost political leaders from Uttarakhand (then in United Provinces) and of the movement to establish Hindi as the national language of India.

23. Vallabhbhai Patel (31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950) was a political and social leader of India who played a major role in the country's struggle for independence and guided its integration into a united, independent nation. In India and across the world, he was often addressed as Sardar , which means Chief in many languages of India.

24. Dr. Rajendra Prasad (December 3, 1884 – February 28, 1963) was the first President of India.

Rajendra Prasad was an independence activist and, as a leader of the Congress Party, played a prominent role in the Indian Independence Movement. He served as President of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the constitution of the Republic from 1948 to 1950. He had also served as a Cabinet Minister briefly in the first Government of Independent India.

25. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (November 14, 1889 – May 27, 1964) was a major political leader of the Congress Party, a pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement and the first Prime Minister of independent India. He was also a key figure in international politics in the post-war period (in which he was considered the leader of third world interests) and patriarch of the Nehru-Gandhi family, one of the most influential forces in Indian politics. He is popularly referred to as Panditji (Scholar) and Pandit Nehru.

26. Purushottam Das Tandon (August 1, 1882 – July 1, 1962), was a independence fighter from Uttar Pradesh in India, of Khatri descent. He is widely remembered for his efforts in achieving the Official Language of India status for Hindi. He was customarily given the title Rajarshi.

27. Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , (September 5, 1888 – April 17, 1975), was an Indian philosopher and statesman.He was the first Vice President of India (1952-1962), and the second President of India (1962-1967). His birthday is celebrated in India as Teacher's Day.

28. Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari (December 10, 1878 - December 25, 1972), known as or Rajaji or C.R., was an Indian lawyer, writer, statesman and a devout Hindu . He was the second Governor-General of independent India. Later he became the Chief Minister of Madras State, and was one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna (in 1954).

29. Amartya Kumar Sen (born 3 November 1933), is an Indian economist, philosopher, and a winner of the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences (Nobel Prize for Economics) in 1998, "for his contributions to welfare economics" for his work on famine, human development theory, welfare economics, the underlying mechanisms of poverty, and political liberalism.

30. Maruthur Gopala Ramachandran Menon (January 17, 1917–December 24, 1987), popularly known as MGR , or Puratchi Thalaivar (Tamil: Revolutionary Leader), was a leading actor in Tamil films and Chief Minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death.Bharat Ratna was conferred by the Government of India posthumously.

31. Bharat Ratna Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, (7 November 1888 – 21 November 1970) was an Indian physicist, who was awarded the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the molecular scattering of light and for the discovery of the Raman effect, which is named after him.

32. Satyajit Ray (2 May 1921–23 April 1992) was a Bengali Indian filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema.The Government of India awarded him the highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna shortly before his death

33. Lal Bahadur Shastri (October 2, 1904 - January 11, 1966) was the third (second, and acting, being Gulzarilal Nanda) Prime Minister of independent India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.qutoes -
# "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" ("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer")
# "If one person gives up one meal in a day, some other person gets his only meal of the day", spoken during the food crisis to encourage people to evenly distribute food.

34. Pandit Ravi Shankar , born April 7, 1920, in Benares, United Provinces, British India is a Bengali Indian sitar player and composer. He is a disciple of Baba Allauddin Khan, the founder of the Maihar gharana of Hindustani classical music.The Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, was awarded to him in 1999.

35. Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi , popularly known as M.S. or M.S.S.) (September 16, 1916 - December 11, 2004) was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor

36. Chidambaram Subramaniam (commonly known as CS)(January 30, 1910 - November 7, 2000), was the man who ushered in an era of self-sufficiency in food production in India. He hails from an agricultural family in Pollachi near Coimbatore. He was conferred the Bharat Ratna in 1998.

37. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (July 29, 1904–November 29, 1993) was a pioneer aviator and important businessman of India. He was one of the few people who were awarded Bharat Ratna during their life time.

38. Mother Teresa ( (August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997) was a Albanian Roman Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata (Calcutta), India in 1950. For over forty years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries.
By the 1970s she had become internationally famed as a humanitarian and advocate for the poor and helpless, due in part to a documentary, and book, Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work.

39. Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya,15 September 1860 - 14 April 1962) was an eminent Indian engineer and statesman. He is a recipient of the Indian republic's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955. He was also knighted by the British for his myriad contributions to the public good. Every year, 15th September is celebrated as the Engineer's Day in India in his memory and is a public holiday in some places, especially his birth state Karnataka.

Beautiful lady politicians

Ruby Dhalla

A Canadian politician of Indian descent and a member of the Liberal party, Ruby Dhalla is also a Chiropractor by trade.

Mara Carfagna

A former showgirl and a model, Italian Minister for Equal Opportunity Mara Carfagna has been called 'Mara La Belle' by the Italian media. The world followed soon after in praising her beauty and appeal.

Sarah Palin

Third in the list but certainly not in the hotness quotient is Sarah Palin, who while bidding for the post of the Vice-President of America gave a new meaning to 'hot'.

Yulia Tymoshenko

The beautiful Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of the Ukraine, is known best for her beauty and braids, but her rise to power has not been without controversy.

Queen Rania

Queen Rania has also launched her own YouTube channel with the view to gather their opinions of the Middle East and their view of Arabs and Muslims.

Alina Kabaeva

Rumors of an affair with the current Prime Minister of Russia Vladamir Putin have failed to deter her as Alina seems to surge ahead at a rapid pace in Russian politics.

Hina Rabbani Khar

Pakistan's newly appointed Foreign Minister is also the first one in the political history of Pakistan. All of 34 years, Hina Rabbani Khar looks set to dazzle Pakistani politics with her beauty and intellect.

Young Anna Hazare

Lokpal: Good or Bad? Click here

The Fighting against corruption manifesto

indeed one of the best ways to get the diverse masses united

at least beyond divisive religion and insanely cohesive regionalism.

The case of Anna Hazare being an example.

In the past, it is anybody's guess that the high offices were exempted from being probed only to ensure the stability of the national government. Well, in a more literate country, people want more accountability. May be that little accountability would or could help the nation to rise above its fears.

Prime Minister's Independence Day speech, 2011

Manmohan Singh

August 15, 2011

New Delhi

My dear countrymen,

I heartily greet 120 crore Indians on the 64th anniversary of our independence.

I have been addressing you from the historic Red Fort for the last seven years. In these seven years, our country has achieved much. During this period, we have travelled rapidly on the path of development and have seen success in many areas. However, I am also well aware that a lot remains to be done. We have to banish poverty and illiteracy from our country. We have to provide the common man with access to improved health services. We have to provide employment opportunities to each one of our youth.

The road ahead is long and arduous. Particularly, the prevailing situation both inside and outside the country is such that if we do not act with understanding and restraint, our security and prosperity can get adversely affected. The world economy is slowing down. The developed countries especially America and countries of Western Europe are facing economic problems. There is unrest in many Arab countries of the Middle East. There are some people who want to create disturbances in the country so that our progress gets stalled. All this can have a negative impact on us. But we will not let this happen. I know that if we work together, we can face any challenge. However, it is necessary that we rise above personal or political interests and build consensus on issues of vital national importance.

Brothers and sisters,

We are building the edifice of modern India on the foundation of the hard work and sacrifices of our soldiers, our farmers and our workers. We will not let their hard work and sacrifices go waste. We will convert the dreams of our freedom fighters into reality.

Brothers and sisters,

In the last seven years, our government has strived for political stability and social and economic progress. We have established an environment of communal harmony in the country.

In these seven years, the pace of our economic development has been rapid. We have achieved this success despite the global economic slow-down of 2008 and rising prices of energy and commodities in world markets.

We have strived for reducing inequalities in the country. In the last seven years, we have taken special care of the needs of our brothers and sisters from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and children.

We have enacted laws which would guarantee our people their basic entitlements. After the rights to education, employment and information, we will soon enact a legislation for providing food security to the people.

In the last seven years, our relations with various countries of the world have strengthened and deepened. It is only the result of our hard work that today we have much more self respect and self-confidence in ourselves.

Brothers and sisters,

These successes are not ordinary. Today the world recognizes our potential to be one of the major economic powers globally. But the problem of corruption is a big obstacle in such a transformation.

In the last few months many instances of corruption have come to light. In some cases, functionaries of the Central government face allegations of corruption. In other cases, it is the functionaries of various State governments.

We are taking the strictest possible action in cases of corruption that have surfaced. These cases are sub-judice and hence I will say nothing more on this subject.

It is essential that when we consider these issues, we do not create an atmosphere in which the country's progress comes into question. Any debate on these matters should reflect the confidence that we can overcome these challenges.

Corruption manifests itself in many forms. In some instances, funds meant for schemes for the welfare of the common man end up in the pocket of government officials. In some other instances government discretion is used to favour a selected few. There are also cases where government contracts are wrongfully awarded to the wrong people. We cannot let such activities continue unchecked.

I believe that there is no single big step which we can take to eradicate corruption. In fact, we will have to act simultaneously on many fronts.

We will have to improve our justice delivery system. Everyone should know that quick action will be taken against the corrupt and punishment meted out to them. If our system delivers justice in an effective manner, government officials would think twice before committing a wrong act out of greed or under political pressure.

We want a strong Lokpal to prevent corruption in high places. We have recently introduced a Bill in Parliament to achieve this. Now only Parliament can decide what type of Lokpal legislation should be enacted. I am aware of the differences of opinion on some aspects of the Bill. Those who don't agree with this Bill can put forward their views to Parliament, political parties and even the press. However, I also believe that they should not resort to hunger strikes and fasts unto death.

It is not appropriate to bring the judiciary under the ambit of Lokpal. We believe that any such provision would go against the independence of the judiciary. However, we do need a framework in which the judiciary becomes more accountable. It is with this aim that we have introduced the Judicial Accountability Bill in Parliament. I am confident that this Bill will be passed soon.

An alert press and an aware citizenry can be very helpful in the fight against corruption. The Indian press is known for its independence and activism throughout the world. The Right to Information legislation that we have enacted has enabled our press and people to keep a strict watch on the work of the government.

Today many government decisions, which in the absence of this Act would escape public scrutiny, are coming to light. I believe that this is a big step forward in eradicating corruption.

Brothers and Sisters,

Many times, government discretion is misused in allocation of scarce resources and in the grant of clearances. We have examined this issue. We will put an end to such discretionary powers wherever possible.

Any government awards contracts worth thousands of crores every year. There are frequent complaints of corruption in these decisions. We had constituted a committee to suggest measures to reduce corruption in government purchases. The committee has recommended that, like many other countries, we should also have a public procurement legislation which lays down the principles and practice with regard to government purchases. We will introduce a Bill in Parliament by the end of this year to enact such a law.

In recent years, we have established independent regulatory authorities in many areas. These authorities discharge many responsibilities which were earlier in the domain of the government itself. We have no legislation which would enable monitoring of the work of these regulatory authorities and make them more accountable, without, however, compromising their independence. We are also considering enactment of such a law.

Brothers and sisters,

I have said so much on corruption because I know that this problem is a matter of deep concern for all of us. However, this is a difficulty for which no government has a magic wand. We are taking simultaneous action on many fronts in our fight against corruption. We want all political parties to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight. To eradicate corruption, we have introduced, and will introduce, many Bills in Parliament. I hope that all political parties will cooperate in the process of converting these Bills into statutes. On the issue of corruption, I would like to say in the end that we can win the fight against corruption only when each and every citizen of India cooperates in it.

Brothers and sisters,

I congratulate the country's farmers for their achievements this year. The production of foodgrains has been at a record level. Wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds have all seen record levels of production. It is because of the hard work of our farmers that today there are proposals for export of foodgrains, sugar and cotton.

We need a second Green Revolution in agriculture. We can tackle the problem of rising food prices only by increasing agricultural production and productivity. We also need to increase agricultural production to implement a food security law. We will accelerate our efforts in this direction in the 12th Plan.

Today, I wish to assure our farmer brothers and sisters, particularly those who are small and marginal, that we will continue to take care of their special needs. It will be our endeavour to ensure that our farmers have easy access to fertilizers, seeds and credit. We also want to provide the best possible irrigation facilities to the farmers so that their dependence on rains is reduced.

Brothers and sisters,

Our country is passing through a phase of sustained high inflation. Controlling rising prices is a primary responsibility of any government. Our government fully understands this responsibility. We have continuously taken steps to rein in prices. Some time we have been confronted with a situation in which the reasons for rising prices lay outside the country. The prices of petroleum products, foodgrains and edible oil have risen steeply in international markets in recent times. Since we import these products in large quantities, any rise in their prices adds to inflationary pressure in our country. Sometimes we have been successful too in controlling inflation. But this success has not proved lasting. A few days back, the people's concern at rising prices was also reflected in a discussion in Parliament. I wish to assure you today that we are continuously monitoring the situation to find out what new steps can be taken to arrest rising prices. Finding a solution to this problem will be our top-most priority in the coming months.

Brothers and sisters,

I am fully aware of the tensions caused in some parts of the country because of acquisition of land for industry, infrastructure and urbanization. Our farmers have been especially affected by such acquisition. Land acquisition is no doubt necessary for projects of public interest. But it should take place in a transparent and fair manner. The interests of those whose livelihoods are dependent on the land being acquired should be fully protected. We will ensure that no injustice is done to anyone in the process of land acquisition. Our government wants to replace the 117 year old land acquisition law by a new Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation law which is forward looking and balanced. We have already prepared a draft legislation and have initiated steps to build consensus on it. We will soon introduce a Bill in Parliament to this end.

Brothers and sisters,

We are satisfied with our achievements in the last seven years in the areas of education and health. Whether it is elementary education, secondary education or higher education we have taken concrete steps for improvements at all levels. This has shown good results. In the last few years, fundamental changes have taken place in the area of education. Today every citizen has a right to elementary education. We are now considering universalization of secondary education. Vocational education and skill development have acquired a new importance. In view of these major changes, it is necessary that we consider all aspects of education in a comprehensive manner. Therefore we have decided to appoint an education commission to make recommendations for improvements at all levels of education.

I have often referred to the 11th Five Year Plan as an education plan. We will lay the same emphasis on health in the 12th plan as we laid on education in the 11th plan. I will propose to the National Development Council that the 12th plan should be specially focused on health. I also promise that funds will not be a constraint in the important areas of education and health.

For a long time our country had no facility for health insurance for workers in the unorganized sector. In 2008, we began the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana for workers in the unorganized sector who are below the poverty line. In the last year we have covered those getting employment under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act and also domestic workers, street vendors and beedi workers under this scheme. Today the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana covers about 2 crore 50 lakh workers. Our government will endeavour to cover as many unorganized sector workers as possible under this scheme.

Brothers and sisters,

We are continuously strengthening the physical infrastructure in our country. This is an area which requires very large investments. It is for this reason that in the last seven years we have pursued policies which encourage investment in infrastructure. As a percentage of GDP, investment in this area has grown more than one and a half times in the last seven years. There have been improvements in our capacities in the petroleum sector and power generation, and in our airports, roads, especially rural road, and ports. As an illustration, the capacity in power generation that we are going to add in the 11th plan will be twice that of the 10th plan. In the 12th Plan, we will further accelerate investment in infrastructure. We will pay special attention to the remote areas of our country and to rural areas. Connecting such areas by rail and road will get the top most priority.

Brothers and sisters,

We have taken a major step this year for our poor brothers and sisters living in cities. Recently we have approved the Rajiv Awas Yojana. We want to make India slum free through this scheme. We want the slum dwellers to get ownership of clean houses and have access to basic amenities like water and electricity. We will implement the Rajiv Awas Yojana as a national mission together with the States.

Brothers and sisters,

Malnutrition in our women and children is a matter of concern for all of us. We have taken a number of steps to tackle this problem, including two new schemes. We have also decided that we will start implementing an improved Integrated Child Development Services scheme within the next six months so that the problem of malnutrition in children can be effectively addressed.

The figures of census 2011 show improvements in most areas. But it is a matter of deep regret for us that the sex ratio has shown a decline from the level of the last census. For an improvement in this state of affairs, it is not only necessary to implement the existing laws effectively but it is also essential to change the approach with which our society views girls and women. I would especially appeal to the State governments and social service organizations to take steps for empowerment of women and for improving their status in society.

Brothers and sisters,

Last month's terrorists attacks in Mumbai warn us that there cannot be any slip up in our vigilance as far as the fight against terrorism is concerned. This is a long battle to be fought jointly by the Central Government, the State Governments and the common man. We have been steadily strengthening our intelligence and security agencies and will continue to do so in the future also.

We are also taking all possible steps to overcome the challenge of naxalism. We want to eradicate the very reasons which give rise to this problem. Therefore we have started a new scheme for the accelerated development of 60 backward and tribal dominated districts. An amount of Rs. 3300 crore will be spent on this scheme in a period of two years.

Brothers and sisters,

Preserving our environment even as we develop rapidly is a huge challenge for us. Climate change poses a threat to both our development processes and our natural resources. We have established eight missions on climate change and are working hard to implement these missions. We have set up the National Ganga River Basin Authority for the protection and cleaning of river Ganga. We have also established the National Green Tribunal for quick disposal of cases involving environmental issues. In the coming months, we will constitute an environmental assessment and monitoring authority to streamline the process of environmental clearances.

Brothers and sisters,

Our society and country are changing rapidly because of our fast economic growth. Today our people look towards the future with new hope. They have higher aspirations. Our young men and women strive for path breaking achievements. We should all build an environment in the country in which the energy and enthusiasm of the people are channelised into activities of nation building. Our institutions should encourage constructive utilization of the potential of our people. Our entrepreneurs and businessmen should not feel constrained in their activities. Our industrialists should have the opportunity to set up new industries so that our youth can get additional avenues for productive employment. We should all stay away from politics that create suspicion or apprehension amongst those connected with industry, business and investment.

Brothers and sisters,

It is not an ordinary achievement for our democracy with a population of 120 crore and so many religions, languages and cultures to march rapidly ahead on the path of development. I congratulate the people of India on this achievement. But we must ensure that inequalities do not increase even as we develop rapidly.

We have embarked on a journey to transform our huge and diverse country through rapid development. A development which benefits every citizen of the country. It is natural that tensions would sometimes arise in this process of change. In a democracy, such tensions also become issues of political polarization. We should endeavour that even as political parties oppose and engage in debate against each other, the pace of our progress does not get affected.

We should also have faith that our democracy, our institutions and our social ideals and values have the capacity to deal with any difficulty. We should all have faith in ourselves. The faith that we can build a promising future for ourselves. The faith, that united we can do the most difficult of tasks. Let us all resolve to build a bright future for our country.

Dear Children, join me in saying

Jai Hind

Jai Hind.

Nelson Mandela Young and Boxing

List Indian Ministers assets declaration: Prime Minister's Office Website

May India's economy grow no matter what!

PM Manmohan Singh: Rs 4.8 Crore Fixed deposits with SBI - Rs 2.7 crore, House in Chandigarh worth Rs 90 lakh, flat in Vasant Kunj, Delhi worth Rs 88 lakh, he owns a Maruti 800. See here for pdf file.

Home Minister P Chidambaram: Rs 20 crore.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee: Rs 3 crore. He and his wife have 10 properties between them including a house in Greater Kailash.

Telecom Minister Kabil Sibal: 4.75 crore (approximately) Immovable assets 16.25 crore, bank deposits: 65 lakh, investments in shares: 40 lakh, jewellery: 20 lakh, other assets:

Former IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran: Rs 2.94 crore. He and his wive have shares in RIL, Reliance Communications, RNRL and DK Enterprises.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora: Rs 15.2 crore. His wife runs two companies and a proprietorship firm.

Foreign Minister SM Krishna: Rs. 43 Lakh Immovable assets 2.34 lakh, movable assets 4.81 lakh, investments 3 lakh, and savings 12 lakh. His wife's assets are approximately Rs 21 lakh.

Development Minister Kamal Nath: Rs 263 crore. These assets make him the richest minister in the UPA II cabinet. Sources close to the minister say that it is the combined assets of his sons, their wives, and their companies.

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar: Rs 12 crore. That includes deposits and shares in various companies. Unlike Kamal Nath the assets only include his and his wife's wealth.

Defence Minister AK Antony: Just Rs 1.8 lakh and his wife Rs 30 lakh, has his wive's WagonR.

Click the names below to read and download

each pdf document elucidating the minister's declaration of assets:

PRIME MINISTER

	Dr. Manmohan Singh Prime Minister

CABINET MINISTERS

	Shri Pranab Mukherjee Minister of Finance

	Shri Sharad Pawar Minister of Agriculture Minister of Food Processing Industries

	Shri A. K. Antony Minister of Defence

	Shri P. Chidambaram Minister of Home Affairs

	Shri S. M. Krishna Minister of External Affairs

	Shri Virbhadra Singh Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

	Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh Minister of Science and Technology Minister of Earth Sciences

	Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad Minister of Health and Family Welfare

	Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde Minister of Power

	Shri M. Veerappa Moily Minister of Corporate Affairs

	Dr. Farooq Abdullah Minister of New and Renewable Energy

	Shri S. Jaipal Reddy Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas

	Shri Kamal Nath Minister of Urban Development

	Shri Vayalar Ravi Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Minister of Civil Aviation

	Smt. Ambika Soni Minister of Information and Broadcasting

	Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Minister of Labour and Employment

	Shri Kapil Sibal Minister of Human Resource Development Minister of Communications and Information Technology

	Shri Anand Sharma Minister of Commerce and Industry Minister of Textiles

	Shri C. P. Joshi Minister of Road Transport and Highways

	Kumari Selja Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister of Culture

	Shri Subodh Kant Sahay Minister of Tourism

	Shri G. K. Vasan Minister of Shipping

	Shri Pawan K. Bansal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Water Resources

	Shri Mukul Wasnik Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment

	Shri M. K. Alagiri Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers

	Shri Praful Patel Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

	Shri Shriprakash Jaiswal Minister of Coal

	Shri Salman KhursheedMinister of Law and Justice Minister of Minority Affairs

	Shri V. Kishore Chandra Deo Minister of Tribal Affairs Minister of Panchayati Raj

	Shri Beni Prasad Verma Minister of Steel

	Shri Dinesh Trivedi Minister of Railways

	Shri Jairam Ramesh Minister of Rural Development Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation

MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)


	Shri Dinsha J. PatelMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Mines

	Smt. Krishna TirathMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Women and Child Development

	Shri Ajay Maken Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

	Prof. K.V. Thomas Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

	Shri Srikant Jena Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers

	Smt. Jayanthi NatarajanMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests

	Shri Paban Singh GhataowarMinister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

MINISTERS OF STATE

	Shri E. AhamedMinister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resources Development

	Shri Mullappally RamachandranMinister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs

	Shri V. Narayanasamy Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office

	Shri Jyotiraditya Madhavrao ScindiaMinister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

	Smt. D. Purandeswari Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development

	Shri K.H. Muniappa Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways

	Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles

	Shri Namo Narain Meena;Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

	Shri M.M. Pallam Raju Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence

	Shri Saugata Ray Minister of State in the Ministry of Urban Development

	Shri S.S. Palanimanickam Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance

	Shri Jitin Prasada Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

	Smt. Preneet Kaur Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs

	Shri Harish Rawat Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs

	Shri Bharatsinh Solanki Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways

	Shri Mahadev S. Khandela Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs

	Shri Sisir Adhikari Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development

	Shri Sultan Ahmed Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism

	Shri Mukul Roy Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping

	Shri Choudhury Mohan Jatua Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

	Shri D. Napoleon Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

	Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

	Shri S. Gandhiselvan Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

	Shri Tusharbhai Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

	Shri Sachin Pilot Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

	Shri Prateek Prakashbapu Patil Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal

	Shri R. P. N. Singh Minister of State in the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs

	Shri Vincent Pala Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs

	Shri Pradeep Jain Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development

	Ms. Agatha Sangma Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development

	Shri Ashwani Kumar Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology Minister of State in the Ministry of Earth Sciences

	Shri K. C. Venugopal Minister of State in the Ministry of Power

	Shri Sudip BandoupadhyayMinister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

	Shri Charan Das MahantMinister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries

	Shri Jitendra SinghMinister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs

	Shri Milind Deora Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

	Shri Rajeev ShuklaMinister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Bono Ali Photos Family Children Young Marriage Pictures Bono and Ali Hewson Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Ramdevi,Ravi Shankar squash Baby Rahul Gandhi Baby Rahul Gandhi just like today with diapers