TIOL-DDT 7 · the untouched capture
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<p><font color="#0000FF" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font size="3">TIOL-
DDT 7</font><br>
</b></font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b> 09
12 2004<br>
Thursday</b></font></p>
<p align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font color="#0000FF">Thought
@ the speed of government</font><br>
<br>
<font color="#006600">THE GREEN INK CONTROVERSY </font></b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>THE</b>
first thing a newly promoted Superintendent does is buy a green ink pen, for
Superintendents being gazetted officers are authorised to sign in green! By
whom? When? Nobody knows. If an Inspector signs in green, it is blasphemy. But
does the Government have any rules on who should sign in what colour?</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This
colour scheme raised quite a controversy some time back. </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Two
officers in the Ministry of Steel caused an administrative storm when they wrote
in an official document in red and green ink. Steel production could be stopped
but it had to be urgently confirmed whether red ink could be used in official
files. So they consulted the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public
Grievances: </font></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify"> <em><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"Can
officers use inks other than blue or black?... Are there Guidelines on the question?
If so, could these be forwarded to the undersigned..."</font></em></p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This
department had no ready answer and so it took them 18 months to solve the problem
as they had to consult </font></p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1.
the Directorate of Printing (experts on ink), <br>
2. the Department of Personnel and Training (experts on rules), <br>
3. the National Archives of India (experts on longevity) and <br>
4. the Ministry of Defence (experts on hierarchy). </font></p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://taxindiaonline.com/RC2/image/shourie_governance.gif" width="186" height="250" hspace="5" align="right">After
more than a year of fitting consultations, the Manual of Office Procedure was
amended to give the privilege of using green or red ink only to officers of
the level of Joint Secretary to the government and above. The studied advice
of the Archives that the inks used must have had the approval of the Bureau
of Indian Standards strangely did not find mention in the newly inserted clause!</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Interesting?
This is what former journalist and former minister discovered during his stint
in Government as a minister. What does a former journalist do when he becomes
a former minister? Obviously do the thing he is best at. And Shourie has come
up with what he is best at - writing. </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">His
new book Governance And The Sclerosis That Has Set In has many such anecdotes.
</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Here's
another sample:-</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">ITDC
had eight hotels in New Delhi. But not one of them had the title deed or lease
documents in order, or the Completion Certificate for their buildings, or even
the mandatory Certificate from the fire authorities.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">On
the ITDC Ashok Hotel property, four hundred yards from the Prime Minister's
residence, 347 quarters had been constructed illegally. </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The
Municipal Corporation would give the completion certificate only if the illegal
quarters were demolished. "But it is easier to bring down Pakistani bunkers
across the Line of Control than these! And so, no Completion Certificate. As
there is no Completion Certificate, no privatisation!" </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shourie
calls the Planning Commission a parking lot - the whole purpose of the
Planning Commission is as a dumping ground for people who are unwelcome as ministers
or retired civil servants who refuse to go away.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Shourie's
book though full of such humour in Government is actually a sad story of the
state of affairs we are unfortunately put in by the most highly educated bureaucracy
in the world! </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For
those of us who deal with tax matters, Shourie's book comes as a welcome
relief that the babus of North Block and their jokes are after all as good as
their counterparts in other departments. </font></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#FF0000" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Where
does your petrol bill go? </b></font></p>
<p align="left"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">If
you pay around Rs. 38/- for a litre of petrol, about Rs.20/- goes to the state
as taxes as the table here would show.</font></p>
<div align="center">
<table width="450" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr valign="top">
<td width="30"> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>S.No.</b></font></div></td>
<td> <div align="left"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Item</b></font></div></td>
<td width="50"> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Petrol</b></font></div></td>
<td width="50"> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Diesel</b></font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1.</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="left"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Price
without customs duty, excise duty and sales tax components</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">17.46</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">18.07</font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2.</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="left"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Customs
Duty</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2.12</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2.29</font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3.</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="left"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Excise
Duty</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">12.07</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3.15</font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="left"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sales
Tax</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6.19</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2.77</font></div></td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5.</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="left"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Retail
Selling Price</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">37.84</font></div></td>
<td> <div align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">26.28</font></div></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This
information was given by Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister of Petroleum &
Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on 7th
December 2004. </font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">That
means petrol is not all that expensive, only the state makes it so. Interestingly
a litre of petrol costs around 0.53 Dollars in USA that is about 23 Rupees.
While half a Dollar is a peanut for an American while forty rupees is quite
a lot of money here.</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font color="#990099" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Be
wary of a strong drink - It'll make you shoot a tax collector -
and miss</b></font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Until
Tomorrow with more of DDT</font></p>
<p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Have
a Nice Day </font></p>
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