KMF SCAM

Scams are everywhere, now it was the turn of the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Federation (KMF). KMF was considered the only government organization which was free of scam.

The organization had approved for the purchase of large quantities of cottonseed cake (used for the manufacture of cattle feed) at an inflated price. As per the reports in the national newspaper, the KMF which requires only about 3500 MT of cottonseed cake per month procured about 28000 MT of cottonseed cake (who wanted to consume it?) from a dealer in Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs. 30 crore.  The purchase was made last July.

While the average price of the cottonseed cake range from Rs. 11000 to 14000 per MT, about 14600 MT was of cottonseed cake was purchased at a price of Rs. 27100 per MT (double the actual price). The federation has spent about 30 crore for the purchase during July while the annual expenditure on the procurement of the cottonseed is about 30 crore. Thanks to the directors of the KMF who have submitted a memo to the government to probe into the illegal purchases.

Hope that the concerned authorities come with a novel ways to check these kinds of scams. There should be a system where in the maximum price limit for procurement of raw materials should be set by the government authorities. Any dealings which exceed the set price limit should be considered as void. Also there should be some kind of rules and regulations formulated and implemented while recognizing the vendors. 

HAL Fraud

The Bangalore based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was in the news for the wrong reasons. A contract worker of HAL, who is working since 2004 cheated the organization for about 2.5 crore.

Thanks to the company’s auditor who noticed suspicious withdrawals through RTGS while checking the company’s books for the year 2011-2012. He observed couple of payments made by HAL to two non-designated persons.

After the internal probe, the contract worker was found to be the culprit who was actually entrusted with the task of carrying documents related to payment via RTGS requests.

He used to tamper the payment release orders by inserting the names of his friends as co-beneficiaries after the document was signed by his superiors. This resulted in the parallel remittance being made to the bank accounts of his friends through RTGS payment.

During the interrogation, the police officials learnt that the contract worker used the fraud money to open his own travel agency. 

Plastic Currency Notes in India

Don’t be confused if you get a Rs. 10 currency note made out of plastic. It is for sure the Indian currency note. The government of India and the Reserve Bank of India are planning to introduce the plastic currency notes in the country. Rs. 10 plastic currency will be released in few cities with different climatic conditions. It is believed that Jaipur, Shimla, Bhubaneshwar, Mysore and Kochi are the cities where the currency will be released on pilot basis.

The idea is to check the instances of counterfeiting and tampering of currency notes and also save money on printing paper currency. Thanks to the plastic notes which have long life when compared to the paper currencies.

Another important feature of the plastic currency is its recyclability. The environmentalist need not worry about the use of plastic in the currency notes.

India is not the first country where the plastic currency notes will be introduced. Plastic currency notes are already in circulation in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Bermuda, Brunei and Vietnam.

The hard texture of the currency notes will prevent them from being forged easily. They are water proof and will have enhanced durability preventing rampant wear and tear.

It is also believed that additional security features will be introduced in the plastic currency notes which will help in terms of security and trace-ability.

My question is that, apart from its security features and its durability can the introduction of the new type of currency notes (plastic or otherwise), help the government of India and its people, to make the “Black Money” including those in the “Swiss Banks” void.

I personally believe that it is possible if the new currencies are exchanged for the old one from the public. And those who have black money; will they come forward to exchange? 

Lansdowne Building in Mysore takes 4 lives

Last Saturday at least four people lost their life in Mysore when a part of 120 years old Lansdowne building collapsed. This building has been a major commercial center right from 1892. All four of them who lost their lives were in the ground floor. Two of them were the brothers who were running the DTP center. Annapoorna, an employee in the DTP center also lost her life. She had recently completed her post graduate degree in political science and also won couple of gold medals. The other one who lost his life was a customer.

The lives of these four people could have been saved if some common sense were used among those who are doing business in the heritage building and also the government agencies who collected rentals who are actually responsible for the maintenance of this crowning glory of Mysore city.

This 200m long and 20m wide structure which is located near the city bus stand was in a controversy from last 15 years. There was a demand for renovation and also for demolition when a similar incident happened with the Vani Vilas Market. There were also plans to demolish the entire structure and rebuild it in the same way as it was before.

However, when the concerned authorities initiated measures to evict the shop owners with the intention to renovate the building, the tenants approached the court and succeeded in getting the eviction order stayed.

I would suggest that the people who were responsible for not letting the concerned authorities to renovate this monument be held responsible for the death of these four people. They should be punished with fine and jail terms. Also steps should be taken to punish those authorities who though that this structure will withstand for another century.

A shop owner there stated that the roof which collapsed had developed a small hole from where the rain waters were gushing out for two days. When he informed the concerned officials about the leakage, he was told that there was a plan for renovation and it is in the final stage. The official could have judged the situation or at least cautioned the occupants.

Another shop owner opined that the tenants did not wanted this building to be demolished and/or renovated because of the fear of losing the shops to the new traders. It was this fear that made them to approach the court and get the stay order. I really don’t understand why the court would approve this. Was there no body to make the court understand that this building is more than a century old and may collapse one day?

Saving Kautilya’s Arthashastra

It is very shocking to hear that the 450 years old palm-leaf manuscript of Kautilya’s Arthashastra which is now in Mysore’s Oriental Research Institute (ORI) is in highly neglected state.

As reported in Times of India, dated Aug 25, 2012, Mysore Edition, this manuscript, which is under the custodian of University of Mysore is the reproduction of the original work.

Thanks to Mr. Subbaiah who has taken initiative to preserve the only manuscript of Arthashastra by digitization. This may also help make reach this manuscript to those who are interested to read this.

An official in the ORI has stated that “If we get expertise in digitization, we are ready for it. Thanks, but why wait for somebody to come in? Are the officials not aware of the improvements in the technology? I could find millions of books, right from which are of no use to those which are most valuable being digitized and found on the internet.

However, digitization will save only the contents of the manuscript. Great care should be taken to preserve palm-leaf as well.   

Un-authorised houses of poor’s to be regularised in Bangalore

Only for Below the Poverty Line 

Here is good news for the people below the poverty line who have built un-authorised houses in the urban areas, that is, the areas coming under the limits of Bangalore city corporations, town municipalities and town panchayats. The State Government is believed to introduce an amendment bill in the coming legislature bill session to enable poor people in the urban areas get title deed for their houses built on government revenue land!

The built house should not exceed 40x60

However,  as stated earlier, the applicant should belong to below the poverty line, should have built house in a dimension not exceeding 40x60 (which is difficult for even a middleclass), and should have built in January 2012. The applicant should not posses any other house in the state.

Is this a Strategy?

The opposition and the people with political interest feel this move as an election strategy for the coming Assembly polls next year.

Source: Deccan Herald – Aug 23 – Page 5