I often hear people complaining about irresponsible media.
I just now opened Times of India website to get some examples of the above and I got plenty. Here are some:
After headlines about Lalit Modi, Sania-Shoib marriage, we have the following:
You're irresistible!
Singles prefer dating hotties
5 dating charms that won't fail
Can suspicion kill a relationship?
Bebo turns a teacher
Salman, the new Mogambo
Where's Maanyata, Sanju?
Juhi prays for brother
Pics: Uber hot Neetu Chandra
And I did not copy all such links.
This is the newspaper having largest daily circulation in paper and one of the largest hits on the web.
We talk about how there should not be any “guidelines” and “regulations” in a free market economy. Let the organizations do what is best for them financially. But India is NOT a free market economy. We have laws censuring TV and media. Why, then we allow our media to be so irresponsible about nation. Do the above listed items qualify as news?
In my opinion the media should “repeatedly” show various poverty related news, farmers suicide, un-education, un-employment, condition of schools and colleges, why the colleges are producing so many not-fit-for-employment graduates, national security related issues and so on. There are no dearth of issues. The media should remind the public again and again about such issues so that people will be aware. And if that happens, there is a good chance that many of them will keep that in mind while voting.
I am not saying that only problems should be highlighted. The media should also have sections featuring achievers – not only Nilekanies, Birlas, Ambanies but thousands of small scale achievers. Why don’t they have articles by a school teacher or a small time businessman sharing there experiences and difficulties faced. But they will not. Because they are “financial” institutions whose sole aim is to make money. That is why most of the news published these days are “paid news”.
I hope a revolution happens by bloggers, at least for the net-savvy Indians highlighting the “real news” and “real issues” of the nation. Amen!
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, February 23, 2009
Is Raju Running the Govt. of India?
Govt's aam aadmi bill may be inflated: CAG
Who says Satyam’s fraud was a one-off case and it is not a representative of India or India Inc? Today’s headline in ToI says:
Punching a hole in the UPA government's campaign of Bharat Nirman and other flagship schemes, its official auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in a report released on Friday that the government had been overstating the expenditure.
The news of Rs 7,800 Cr scam by Raju & Co. made such a hue and cry across media, and rightly so. But this news of over 51,000 Cr rupees was not discussed anywhere. Within 1 hr the news was buried in the archive pages of ToI website. This shows that the difference of expectation of public and media from the govt. is so low even in the election year. Even a fraud of 51,000 Cr rupees does not get enough attention.
The report further goes:
Over Rs 51,000 crore was allocated for these flagship schemes in 2007-08 which got transferred to the bank accounts of NGOs, autonomous bodies and district authorities. However, the government has told CAG that it was not aware of the actual expenditure by these organisations.
Raising an alarm, the CAG said money often remained unspent in the accounts of these implementing agencies. Kept outside government accounts, they were beyond the purview of any checks and balances of the Centre.
The report also pointed out how the Social and Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF) — created in 2006 for funding initiatives such as the employment of physically challenged, insurance cover for rural poor, etc — was diverted to unspecified programmes like celebration of 150th year of the First War of Independence and towards grants to various cultural organizations.
The government had transferred Rs 6,500 crore in 2007 and Rs 6,000 crore in 2008 to the SIDF. An examination of Rs 3,500 crore expenditure under this account by the CAG revealed that at least Rs 1,500 crore in 2006-07 and a similar amount the following year was diverted to celebrations and giving aid to NGOs and other expenditure rather than creating infrastructure.
Pointing out how the government had been diverting funds intended to provide subsidies to the rural “aam aadmi'', the CAG report said of the Rs 20,000 crore collected under the Universal Service Obligation Fund between 2003-08 towards subsidising rural telephony, only Rs 6,000 crore was spent; the remaining amount was not there in the fund.
Surely, our government is taking lessons form corporate India.
Who says Satyam’s fraud was a one-off case and it is not a representative of India or India Inc? Today’s headline in ToI says:
Punching a hole in the UPA government's campaign of Bharat Nirman and other flagship schemes, its official auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in a report released on Friday that the government had been overstating the expenditure.
The news of Rs 7,800 Cr scam by Raju & Co. made such a hue and cry across media, and rightly so. But this news of over 51,000 Cr rupees was not discussed anywhere. Within 1 hr the news was buried in the archive pages of ToI website. This shows that the difference of expectation of public and media from the govt. is so low even in the election year. Even a fraud of 51,000 Cr rupees does not get enough attention.
The report further goes:
Over Rs 51,000 crore was allocated for these flagship schemes in 2007-08 which got transferred to the bank accounts of NGOs, autonomous bodies and district authorities. However, the government has told CAG that it was not aware of the actual expenditure by these organisations.
Raising an alarm, the CAG said money often remained unspent in the accounts of these implementing agencies. Kept outside government accounts, they were beyond the purview of any checks and balances of the Centre.
The report also pointed out how the Social and Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF) — created in 2006 for funding initiatives such as the employment of physically challenged, insurance cover for rural poor, etc — was diverted to unspecified programmes like celebration of 150th year of the First War of Independence and towards grants to various cultural organizations.
The government had transferred Rs 6,500 crore in 2007 and Rs 6,000 crore in 2008 to the SIDF. An examination of Rs 3,500 crore expenditure under this account by the CAG revealed that at least Rs 1,500 crore in 2006-07 and a similar amount the following year was diverted to celebrations and giving aid to NGOs and other expenditure rather than creating infrastructure.
Pointing out how the government had been diverting funds intended to provide subsidies to the rural “aam aadmi'', the CAG report said of the Rs 20,000 crore collected under the Universal Service Obligation Fund between 2003-08 towards subsidising rural telephony, only Rs 6,000 crore was spent; the remaining amount was not there in the fund.
Surely, our government is taking lessons form corporate India.
Monday, December 10, 2007
गंदे फिरंगी
After reading this, I don't think I would ever want to go to UK :-)
But wait, can't it be true for the USA people as well?
Ram Ram Ram.....Thank God I am flying back to India this weekend. A dip in the holy Ganga will be my first priority when I visit my hometown Varanasi (Banaras) soon after. :-)
PS: I am sure this is not true for Indians, what do you say?
But wait, can't it be true for the USA people as well?
Ram Ram Ram.....Thank God I am flying back to India this weekend. A dip in the holy Ganga will be my first priority when I visit my hometown Varanasi (Banaras) soon after. :-)
PS: I am sure this is not true for Indians, what do you say?
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