The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Reddys’ aide to quit Karnataka House
Bangalore, September 4
In yet another blow to the BJP government in Karnataka, B Sriramulu, former minister and a close aide of the Reddy brothers, today announced his resignation from the Assembly.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda greets Syed Ahmad after he took oath as the eighth Governor of the state during a ceremony at the Raj Bhawan in Ranchi on Sunday. Union Tourism Minister Subodhkant Sahay is also seen in the picture. Ahmad replaces MOH Farook, who is scheduled to take charge as the Governor of Kerala. Ahmad, a well-known poet and author of many books, has been associated with the Congress since 1977 and has represented Mumbai’s Nagpada constituency for five terms. — PTI

Don’t send wrong message, Hazare tells government
Ralegan Siddhi, September 4
Cautioning the government against sending a 'wrong message' after privilege and income tax notices were slapped on members of his team, Anna Hazare today said undue harassment of civil society members may cause unrest in the country.

‘Keep strict watch on placement agencies’
New Delhi, September 4 A Parliamentary panel has strongly favoured a central enforcement machinery to check publication of misleading job advertisements and an elaborate law to keep a tab on dubious private placement agencies.

Chandigarh duo’s desi answer to Amazon: Flipkart
Bangalore, September 4 On some days when they were starting out, the Bansals would get on a motorbike to make the rounds of book warehouses around Bangalore, ride back to their two-bedroom apartment and package up orders for online customers.

President accepts Sen’s resignation
New Delhi, September 4
The government tonight took the unusual step of notifying the resignation of Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court, strengthening speculation that the impeachment proceedings against him in the Lok Sabha scheduled for tomorrow may be dropped, but there was no official confirmation of such a move.

Jantar Mantar
MPs busy brushing up tech skills
Ever since Parliament secretariat sanctioned Rs 50,000 to each Rajya Sabha MP for the purchase of an iPad or any other tablet computer, members are busy brushing up their skills on using this new device.

Film director Jagmohan Mundhra dead
Mumbai, September 4 Film director Jagmohan Mundhra passed away here on Sunday, family sources said. He was 62. Mundhra was in the hospital for the last three days, sources said. Mundhra was known for issue-oriented films such as “Bawandar” which had Nandita Das in the leading role, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan-starrer “Provoked”. — PTI

‘India, Pakistan reached deal on Kashmir’

New Delhi, September 4
India and Pakistan had reached a “back-channel” agreement on the Kashmir issue during the tenure of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had told a visiting US Congressional team.

According to secret US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks, Manmohan Singh told the Congressional delegation in April 2009 that India and Pakistan had made great progress prior to February 2007, when Musharraf ran into trouble.

“We had reached an understanding in back channels,” he had told the delegation.

The cable was sent by US Charge d’Affairs Peter Burleigh to his bosses in the US State Department on April 21, 2009.

Manmohan Singh told the delegation that Musharraf had agreed to a non-territorial solution to Kashmir that included freedom of movement and trade, the cable said. — PTI

Telangana ‘surrender’

New Delhi, September 4
By “surrendering” to the Telangana statehood demand, the Congress opened a can of worms and came across as a party that appeared “weak and feeble” and one that can be “easily bullied and intimidated by threats”, according to US assessment of the situation in 2009.

In a secret cable written on December 10, 2009, then US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer said the ramifications of the “Telangana surrender” might go beyond Andhra Pradesh as similar demands that were simmering were likely to get a fresh impetus”. — PTI

Judicial Accountability
Legal community divided on inclusion of MPs in oversight committee
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, September 4
The Parliament Standing Committee’s recommendation for inclusion of MPs in the proposed National Judicial Oversight Committee, which will screen complaints against judges, has evoked mixed reaction from the legal community.

Before submitting its report to Parliament last week on the provisions of The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010, the Standing Committee had sought the views of the Department of Justice on broad basing the oversight committee with representatives from the legislature and the executive.

The department, however, shot down the suggestion for the inclusion of MPs, contending that the ultimate power for removing a judge was anyway with the Parliament in the form of impeachment.

In the report, the Standing Committee did not agree with the department’s reasoning. “The committee is of the opinion that Parliament’s responsibility as a deciding authority in the impeachment process does not prohibit it from having a role in the National Judicial Oversight Committee which is the very first stage where the fate of a complaint against a judge is to be decided.”

Maintaining that the “screening level is as important as the final stage, when impeachment process commences,” the committee has recommended suitable amendment to the Bill to enable the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman to nominate one MP each from the two Houses with legal expertise and high standing in the legal arena to the oversight committee.

Under the provisions of the Bill introduced in Parliament, all the members of the oversight committee would be nominated by the Chief Justice of India. Explaining the need for broad basing the oversight committee, Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who had headed the Standing Committee, said it would be prudent to have a better cleansing system at the initial stage.

Supporting the suggestion for inclusion of MPs, constitutional expert CS Vaidyanathan said since the complaints would be processed by the Judges Inquiry Committee at a later stage, there was nothing wrong in having MPs at the screening level. Supreme Court Senior Advocate Mahabir Singh endorsed this view.

Reddys’ aide to quit Karnataka House
Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS

Bangalore, September 4
In yet another blow to the BJP government in Karnataka, B Sriramulu, former minister and a close aide of the Reddy brothers, today announced his resignation from the Assembly.

The resignation, however, is unlikely to have any immediate fallout for the one-month-old cabinet headed by DV Sadananda Gowda. The BJP still commands strength of 120 members, besides the backing by an Independent legislator in the 224-member House.

“My credibility is at stake. Nothing is greater than maintaining my credibility. I am hurt over the Lokayukta report indicting me in illegal mining. I have not indulged in illegal mining,” Sriramulu told reporters here today.

Don’t send wrong message, Hazare tells government

Ralegan Siddhi, September 4
Cautioning the government against sending a 'wrong message' after privilege and income tax notices were slapped on members of his team, Anna Hazare today said undue harassment of civil society members may cause unrest in the country.

Asking the government to give up its "vindictive" attitude, the Gandhian said it "must try to create trust and bridge the gap in the hearts after the nationwide agitation for the Jan Lokpal Bill instead of sending out a wrong messege."

The notice to his aide Arvind Kejriwal "for so-called non-payment of income tax was given after he left the civil services and initiated the people's movement. The nation knows the reason of this notice," Hazare said. — PTI

‘Keep strict watch on placement agencies’

New Delhi, September 4
A Parliamentary panel has strongly favoured a central enforcement machinery to check publication of misleading job advertisements and an elaborate law to keep a tab on dubious private placement agencies.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour has said publishers and broadcasters of such advertisements may also be held accountable for publishing or broadcasting them.

“The committee is of the view that there is an urgent need for a central enforcement machinery and formulation of a comprehensive law for regulating these agencies,” it said. Spurious advertisements dressed up as job opportunities have cost job seekers dearly in the past. — PTI

Chandigarh duo’s desi answer to Amazon: Flipkart

Bangalore, September 4
On some days when they were starting out, the Bansals would get on a motorbike to make the rounds of book warehouses around Bangalore, ride back to their two-bedroom apartment and package up orders for online customers.

It was a humble beginning for Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, two ex-Amazon.com software developers who set out in 2007 to beat their old employer at its own game long before the world’s top online retailer had even drawn up plans to enter the Indian market.

“We were doing everything ourselves for the first four to five months - from packing to shipping. Because our volumes were very low, our courier partners would sometimes refuse to pick up items from our apartment,” Sachin Bansal recalls of the six months before they moved into their first office.

“So we used to get on a motorbike, hold the shipment in our hands and personally deliver them to our Bangalore clients.”

In those rocky first days, Sachin told Reuters, the Bansals’ suppliers --- seeing two youngsters who had quit stable employment with a reputable firm to go it alone --- would sit them down and counsel them to get a proper job.

The young Bansals have since been feted at home as poster boys for entrepreneurial India, establishing their company, Flipkart, as a leader in the fledgling Indian e-commerce market. Flipkart is now India’s biggest online bookseller, with over 10 million titles distributed from warehouses in five cities. It has branched from books into mobile phones, appliances, gaming consoles, music and movies, and now sells 10 products a minute. It generated $11 million in sales last financial year, expects revenues to cross $100 million this year and is aiming at $1 billion by 2015.

That sharp growth trajectory has attracted $31 million in funding from the US venture capital firms Tiger Global Management as well as Accel Partners, which has a stake in Facebook.

Sachin Bansal declined to comment on a media report this week that Flipkart was lining up a $150 million fourth round of funding, but said earlier there were no current plans for an initial public offering.

Flipkart’s business model and even its website resemble those of Amazon. But as a company it is dwarfed by the US-based giant, whose revenues stood at $34.2 billion last year. It is possible to order Amazon products from India, but the cost of postage is high and delivery is slow. Amazon still has no formal presence in India.

“Amazon’s idea is not new... It’s all about the execution,” said Sachin Bansal, 30, now chief executive officer of the company he co-founded.

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, Flipkart’s 28-year-old chief operating officer, are not related. But they both grew up in Chandigarh, they are both alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi and they briefly worked together for Amazon in Bangalore, the southern IT hub where numerous global companies have back-office operations. — Reuters

The Chandigarh duo

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal grew up in Chandigarh and are alumni of the IIT Delhi. They had shortly worked for Amazon in Bangalore.

THE THOUGHT was to beat Amazon at its own game long before it had even drawn up plans to enter the Indian market.

THE JOURNEY started with the duo making motorbike rounds of book warehouses in Bangalore. Today, due to their efforts, Flipkart has diversified into selling mobile phones, appliances, and now sells 10 products a minute.

President accepts Sen’s resignation

New Delhi, September 4
The government tonight took the unusual step of notifying the resignation of Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court, strengthening speculation that the impeachment proceedings against him in the Lok Sabha scheduled for tomorrow may be dropped, but there was no official confirmation of such a move.

Justice Sen's resignation after he had been impeached by the Rajya Sabha last month and just ahead of similar proceedings in the Lok Sabha has created a piquant situation for the government.

The predominant legal view is that the proceedings in the Lower House have been rendered infructuous by the judge’s resignation, but some voices in the political spectrum still favour going ahead with the process. — PTI

Jantar Mantar
MPs busy brushing up tech skills
Anita Katyal

Janardhan Dwivedi

Ever since Parliament secretariat sanctioned Rs 50,000 to each Rajya Sabha MP for the purchase of an iPad or any other tablet computer, members are busy brushing up their skills on using this new device. While some attended the special orientation class held recently to familiarise them with the applications designed specifically for Parliament, others have taken a crash course from their children. Congress MP Janardhan Dwivedi proudly recounted how he managed to access the relevant material on the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha the day after he took a few quick and basic lessons from his son-in-law one evening. Dwivedi is not the only Rajya Sabha MP who is so taken up with this new technology as many MPs can now be seen carrying their iPads to work. The scheme will soon be introduced for Lok Sabha MPs. The idea is to provide the agenda and other related information to the members on the computer to enable the secretariat to cut down on the huge amount of paper it consumes everyday when Parliament session is on.

Khursheed at centrestage

Salman Khursheed

Once a hot favourite with civil society groups, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh appears to have yielded that space to his friend Law Minister Salman Khursheed, who played a pivotal role in negotiating with Team Anna. When the joint drafting committee was set up after Anna Hazare’s first fast in April, the social activist’s associates had suggested that Ramesh be included in the panel, but their advice was ignored. However, Khursheed found a place on the committee. The Law Minister’s ability to establish a rapport with Anna Hazare and his team members during the committee meetings helped open a dialogue with them this time round. Anna Hazare was also taken up with Khursheed. The day he left for his village after being spirited out of the Gurgaon hospital, where he was kept under observation, Khursheed received a special phone call from the social activist’s secretary who apologised that Anna Hazare did not call on him before his departure but promised that he would definitely drop in at the minister’s residence next time he visited Delhi.