Mussoorie, January 28
The senior bureaucrats are literally on high as they can now savour latest brands of Indian liquor at the officer’s mess of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) that became operational from the month of November last year. This is for the first time in the history of LBSNAA, the cradle of the IAS officers of the country, that a bar licence has been issued by the state excise department. However, the officials claim that only senior officers are allowed drinks and not the probationers who are only allowed drinks on special occasions.

The sources at the LBSNAA, under anonymity, revealed that a letter in this regard was sent to State Licensing Excise commissioner on April 27 last year stating that since there has been an increase in the-house training courses at the academy for the senior bureaucrats of the country the need for a liquor bar was being felt on an urgent basis.

It was also clearly specified that the bar will be operational only in evening during restricted hours on non profitable basis without any gender bias. It has been learnt that probationers and the employees at the academy will be prohibited from using the service for the time being.

Uttarakhand state Excise department additional secretary Bhim Ram Tamta said the premiere research and training institute on public policy and administration popularly known as IAS Academy was issued the bar licence in the name of Centre for Disaster Management, a research unit situated inside the campus on 15-10-2010 amounting to Rs 1 lakh (approx) on special consideration by then District Magistrate of Dehradun.

Tamta elaborated that Academy that trains civil service officers, among others, of IAS, IFS, Indian Police Service, Indian Forest Service, Indian Revenue Service, Indian Audits and Accounts Service, Indian Railway Traffic Service was not considered as an educational institute by the state government administration.

Another reliable source at the LBSNAA academy under anonymity said that it was a policy decision taken at higher level in which it was decided to operate the bar through the Officers Club mess in which only senior bureaucrats attending mid-term career program such as officers who completed the phase V of 1982 batch are being served drinks on nonprofit basis only on weekends. It was revealed that the probationers are also member of the officer Club but are prohibited from drinking but allowed to enter club only when they are attending classes on etiquettes.

It was also revealed that the club cannot termed as a bar where people come especially for drinks. Instead, it is a place where officers can get together and hang out and young people can learn etiquettes.

Another plea taken in opening of the Bar was that such arrangements exist in other such institutes like in Foreign Service etc. The Director of the Academy was not available for comment. The Department of Personal and Training official at New Delhi was also contacted showed his ignorance about the whole issue.

Meanwhile, the employees are still awaiting opportunity to avail the facilities that have been introduced for the first time. According to the Excise and Prohibition Department official Alok Shah, the process of issuing the bar licence began in the month of July 2010, but was finally granted in the month October “on the recommendations of the state administration.”

The sources have also revealed that Licence fee was paid from the public funds meant for the training of future District Magistrates of the country. 

Lucknow, January 29
Within hours of her assurance to do something for them, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati appointed two medallists of Commonwealth Games (CWG) and Asian Games as sports officers with the state government late last night.

Gold medallist in wrestling at the New Delhi CWG Alka Tomar and hockey player Danish Mujtaba, who was a member of the medal-winning hockey team at CWG as well as the Asian Games at Guangzhou, were appointed as sports officers at the UP Power Corporation Limited late last night.

Earlier in the day after a function held to distribute Kanshi Ram International Sports Awards-2010 to sportspersons of the state for their achievement in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, Tomar had walked up to Mayawati and requested her for a government job. 

Hyderabad, January 29
The quantum of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) is likely to go up in Andhra Pradesh, taking the total caste-based quota beyond 50 per cent ceiling fixed by the Supreme Court.

The AP Commission for Backward Classes, headed by Justice D Subrahmanyam, has decided to recommend substantial hike in reservation for OBCs in view of their rising population. At present, OBCs are entitled for 25 per cent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs. Apart from this, certain backward groups among Muslim community have been clubbed under OBCs and given four per cent reservation. This takes the total OBC quota to 29 per cent.

“Prima facie, there is a ground to increase the percentage of reservation. The list of BC communities enjoying reservation benefit has risen from 93 in 1970 to 134 now, including 14 sub-groups among Muslims. Besides, we also need to consider the increase in population,” Justice Subrahmanyam said.

The Commission, which has been holding public hearings to elicit the views of various sections before preparing the draft recommendations, would take the latest caste-based Census figures into consideration.

The final report would be submitted within one year, the Commission Chairman said adding that the exact quantum of quota hike would be decided after verifying the data.

While most of the OBC welfare associations have been demanding that the quota be increased to 50 per cent in proportion to their population, the economically backward classes have also been pleading for reservation in the education and employment.

According to the Supreme Court ruling, the total reservation should not exceed 50 per cent. If any state wants to provide more reservation to any of the backward classes, it should justify the reasons by providing the data pertaining to their population as was the case with Tamil Nadu.

At present, the OBCs, including Muslims, have 29 per cent quota while Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are entitled for 15 per cent and six per cent quota respectively, taking the total to 50 per cent.

In 2007, the state government sought to provide five per cent reservation to Muslims but the policy was struck down by the Supreme Court on the ground that the total percentage of reservation crossed 50 per cent. This had prompted the government to bring down the Muslim quota to four per cent.

The 50 per cent ceiling fixed by the apex court is set to be crossed in the state with the BC Commission announcing its intention to recommend hike in quota.

BRIEFLY

Death in mid-air
KOLKATA: A Belgian national died on board a Frankfurt-Singapore flight on Saturday even as the plane made an emergency landing in the city after he suddenly fell ill mid-air. The 75-year-old Robert Vanda Neynt, who was flying along with his wife Mary in flight LH-778 of Lufthansa airlines, fell ill when the plane was flying near the city airport. — PTI

Indian doc’s feat
INDORE: An Indian urologist Dr Rajendra Punjabi's extraordinary work of removing the largest 650 grams prostate gland from a human body has been recognised by the Guinness World Records. "The largest prostate gland weighing 650 grams was removed from a human body by Dr Rajendra Punjabi, India, at Roberts Nursing Home, Indore" the Guinness World Records recognising the achievement stated.. — PTI

Nityananda case
BANGALORE: Actress Ranjitha on Saturday appeared before a court hearing her complaint against a former disciple of self-styled godman Nityananda over a sleaze video purportedly showing her with the controversial ascetic. Ranjitha, in her complaint, had charged Lenin Karuppan, who had claimed to have shot the video, with criminal intimidation, attempted rape and criminal conspiracy and had said that the footage was morphed.— PTI

4 killed as crane collapses
Mandsaur: Four persons, including three tribal labourers, were killed when a crane collapsed late on Friday at Bardhun village, about 60 km from here. The victims were digging a well in the village when the crane collapsed and its heavy basket fell over them, killing them on the spot, the police said on Saturday — PTI 

Three held in fake currency racket 
Bangalore: Three persons were arrested for alleged involvement in a fake currency racket and counterfeit currency with a face value of Rs 1.11 lakh seized from them, the police said. — PTI