Chennai, May 29
The CBI today asserted that it would undertake "a very impartial, correct and legal investigation" into the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam over which Union IT Minister A Raja is entangled in a major controversy.

"The CBI has registered a case and we are undertaking investigation. Let me assure you CBI will do a very impartial, correct and legal investigation," CBI Director Ashwini Kumar told reporters here.

Kumar said CBI would not go by the opinions of individuals, media or anybody else in its probe into the spectrum controversy, adding, "whatever evidence comes it has to be legally admissible" "We are not going to go by the opinions of individuals, media or anybody.. It has to be a legal investigation and we have to have legal evidence.. There has been a lot of media, public and Parliament attention" on this case, he said.

Stating that legally admissible evidence was important, the CBI chief said "we are doing that investigation and we will continue to do that." To a query, Kumar said once the agency takes up investigation of a matter, it confines itself to the allegations made in the FIR and "if something more comes up, we can register another FIR."

To a query on political interference in the functioning of CBI, Kumar said "there is no question of it." Without naming any cases, he said most of the cases were handed over by the Supreme Court "which has reposed faith in us." The investigating agency submitted reports to the apex court, copies of which were presented to the accused and their lawyers.

Asserting that CBI was not a "political organisation", he recalled the words from a statement made by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Parliament that the agency could neither be influenced nor bullied into giving tailor-made results and would be fair about its investigations. — PTI

Chandigarh, May 29
The apex regulatory bank in the country, Reserve Bank of India, is finding itself cornered by fraudsters. In order to make a quick buck, con men are seeking huge transaction costs from gullible persons, for transferring fictitious prize money in their accounts.

According to information gathered by TNS, people are receiving either letters, SMSes or e-mails, on fake RBI letterheads, claiming that the recipients have won a lottery and a transaction cost needs to be paid to RBI towards the so called transfer of prize money. Since the “offer letters” are coming on the RBI letterhead and purportedly signed by its top executives/senior officials, many people are falling prey and losing out their money.

Sources in the banking sector informed TNS that a large number of these cases have come to light in the past one month. Many people have transferred money (ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000) to the accounts opened by these fraudsters, believing that they have won millions of dollars as prize money. Since the money deposited by them is withdrawn immediately after it is transferred, there is nothing that the victims can do. Money is also sought from these people in the name of processing fees, transaction fees, tax clearance charges, conversion charges and clearing fees.

Sources say that the fraudsters open multiple accounts in the name of individuals or proprietory concerns in different bank branches for collecting the money from their victims.

Realising that its name is being misused, RBI, in a letter to the banks earlier this week, has advised to exercise caution and remain extra vigilant concerning these fictitious offers. It has asked banks to educate their constituents and customers concerned about these fraudulent letters in circulation, thus preventing people from getting cheated.

The RBI has clarified that any person, resident in India, collecting and effecting/remitting such payments directly/ indirectly outside India is liable to be proceeded against with, for contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, besides being liable for violation of regulations relating to Know Your Customer (KYC) norms/Anti-Money Laundering (AML) standards.

The events that have unfolded after the tragic tragedy in Mangalore on Saturday last scream that soon Indian civil aviation will be the monopoly of private operators.

The apprehension is on the road to becoming a reality as private airlines have turned more 'blue-eyed operators' than before of the politicians, who alone are empowered to take decisions on matters pertaining to the beleaguered civil aviation, particularly National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL).

The evidence of this sordid development is based on the recent high-handedness of the private airlines. No sooner a section of Air India employees resorted to an unethical flash strike, than the private airlines jacked up their fares on all routes. The Delhi-Mumbai one-way fare, for example, was jacked up to between Rs 14,000 and Rs 17,000 from the usual fare of Rs 5,000-7,000, with politicians and Directorate-General Civil Aviation bigwigs remaining no more than moot observers.

According to already harassed and inconvenienced passengers, the fares had been raised on all routes.

When contacted, the officialdom of the private operators said: "It is a matter of supply and demand. We reduce our fares when there is no demand for tickets and we increase when there is a demand. It is an open market and we have a right to determine our fares. It is for the passengers to take it or lump it".

The pity is that the regulatory authorities like DGCA can only bark but it cannot bite because owners of the private airlines are friends of politicians who matter in the world of Indian civil aviation.

The action against Air India employees and unions for resorting to flash strike and causing an insurmountable inconvenience to passengers in this oppressive weather is understandable and appropriate. The pilots and engineers, a pampered community, need to be disciplined.

But more in-depth study of the events should be undertaken by the government as to who was instrumental for causing this uncalled crisis after the most shocking tragedy. Who issued gag orders at this inappropriate time? Where was the need to issue gag instructions when the unrest prevailed for delayed salaries? Investigations reveal that it was top functionaries, at the behest of politicians, who issued 'gag instructions' to the already agitated staff. Is there any authority, no matter how powerful and dominating, that can keep 35,000 disappointed staff in good humour? To keep defeated army in good shape and mood, it requires professional and serene handling and not wrong order at an inappropriate time.

On Monday, in a press conference, the chairman-cum-managing director of Air India, Arvind Jadav, was all praise of the staff who, according to him, was efficient and cooperative. Suddenly what happened? Why did they go on flash strike?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rightly felt 'miffed' at an 'insensitive strike'. But it is worthwhile for the government to find out why that 'gag order' was issued at that inappropriate moment when all attention should have been directed in dealing with the relations of passengers, who perished in that tragedy.

The acute problem that has been playing havoc with AI is that the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel says one thing and the outcome is totally different.

Q: My son had opened a PPF account which is maturing next year. Last year he has got a British passport. Can his PPF account be extended for the first block of 5 years? Can I deposit money in this account?

— Santo