O P I N I O N S

Ground zero
Key to Modi’s global success lies at home
Raj Chengappa
The globetrotting would help Modi shape his world view. But it is India’s economic strength and stability that would determine just how much clout he would command on the international stage.

Fifty Fifty
It’s never too old to travel and have fun
Kishwar Desai
It is now well known that travel actually boosts confidence, and even challenges the brain, possibly preventing Alzheimer’s or dementia, as one learns constantly while on the move

GUEST COLUMN
How will the PM protect ‘honest bureaucrats’ from CBI?
RK Raghavan
At present the government can right any CBI injustice to an honest officer only at the stage of sanction of prosecution. This means it will be a mute spectator to the registration of a preliminary enquiry or case by the CBI.

Fifty Fifty
It’s never too old to travel and have fun
Kishwar Desai

It is now well known that travel actually boosts confidence, and even challenges the brain, possibly preventing Alzheimer’s or dementia, as one learns constantly while on the move

Kishwar Desai

WHILE travelling to some slightly off-the-beaten-path areas in France this week, I was struck by the large number of ‘grey’ tourists, i.e., those who are on the other side of 70. But in this part of the world, these wanderers have a particular profile: they are mostly European or American. And it is heartening to note how adventurous the Western tourist can be. Perhaps this ability and desire to travel when they could be expected to sit at home and look after the grandchildren is one of the distinct advantages of living in more prosperous nations, or countries where travel is appreciated as a lifestyle choice. It is not considered a ‘waste of money’ if an older couple take a holiday on their own, without the family.

But in India, travelling just for pleasure is practically unheard of, especially as one gets older. Even though it is now recognised that travelling actually makes one more confident and knowledgeable, and could be therapeutic, there are many reasons why older generations in India tend to restrict their travel to the absolute essential, usually to pilgrimages. In fact it is now well known that travel actually boosts confidence, and even challenges the brain, possibly preventing Alzheimer’s or dementia, as one learns constantly while on the move. Apart from that, Indian tourists of any age often restrict themselves to the known and familiar, rather than the unknown. If travelling abroad, the obvious choice would be to visit the popular hunting grounds like London or Paris, as rarely do we want to step outside our comfort zone. But actually the further we wander, the more interesting the landscape and the information we absorb!

Right now I am sitting outside a cafeteria, at a brightly painted pavement table in the quaint old French town of Beaune, facing a church, eating a variety of cheeses, some of which come from this region itself. It is a beautifully sunny day, though shortly we will be descending into wine cellars, as this area is famous for its burgundy wine. And so we are also going to visit the ‘museum’ of wine, and no doubt taste some of them. We can look forward, thus, to a bewildering but fascinating assault on our senses and our palates, leading to a wonderful siesta afterwards.

We have also spent the morning at a lively street market, trying out a variety of local breads and food, as once you come to France, no matter how far you travel, everyone is deeply focused on gastronomy. (And that also makes me wonder if the Indian traveller is also reluctant to go to different places just for food? We are alright visiting the Eiffel Tower, or Versailles in France, but to travel to eat or drink is... well, a little too self-indulgent perhaps?)

As if to support my theory, I find that the only Indian we have encountered thus far is a young chef from Bangalore, whom we met while he was very efficiently slicing up meat into thin slivers in one of the restaurants. He offers us a fabulous cheese platter laden with a rich variety and then brings out the most wonderful burgundy to go along with it. This knowledgeable young man used to work with the Taj Group in New York, and is now very happy to live in Beaune. But he also tells us that he has rarely seen any Indians here before our arrival, possibly because the only thing to do here is to eat and drink!

And so we move from one restaurant to another, sampling a variety of cooking. We start with the first course at one eatery, then move for the next course to another. That way one can put in a short walk in between courses, as it would not be possible to consume the quantities of food that are considered normal here! I am amazed at how thin the French are, as they put so much emphasis on food.

Even young tourists here, we realise, are deeply concerned with what they put in their stomachs. It cannot just be junk food and so they pore over the menus and the wine lists as though reading the latest best seller. To encourage them, the shops offer an array of wines by the glass, an oenophile’s paradise!

Of course Beaune is also famous for its Kir, a deliciously tangy cocktail made with the local burgundy, and that is also highly recommended.

The chef from Bangalore has, however, assured us that a taste of India will arrive here very soon in the shape of Indian wines as he would like to introduce them to the connoisseurs of Beaune. And so Beaune might be on the map for oenophiles from India and for those who like a culinary adventure. Pack your bags!

GUEST COLUMN
How will the PM protect ‘honest bureaucrats’ from CBI?
RK Raghavan

At present the government can right any CBI injustice to an honest officer only at the stage of sanction of prosecution. This means it will be a mute spectator to the registration of a preliminary enquiry or case by the CBI.

Even the bitterest of his critics will likely admit that Prime Minister Modi has begun in style. He has disarmed most of his detractors, including the charming Shashi Tharoor, with his effusive demeanour. This, too, without a trace of rancour. He has taught us how not to betray negative emotions even when tormented.

Modi’s focus is indisputably on teambuilding. He chose to call all 70-odd secretaries to the Government of India to assure them that he would stand by them for their honest decisions. His only demand was that the bureaucrats should act fast and not offer excuses for non-performance. He knows that civil service loyalty is the sine qua non for pushing a development agenda, and if the Gujarat reports are correct, Prime Minister Modi has the skill par excellence in extracting it.

But how is he going to implement the promise to protect a civil servant who takes the super boss seriously, cuts red tape — even if it means circumventing the jungle of rules of business — and fulfils a target within the time stipulated? Top civil servants may be convinced that the PM is not only sincere but has the clout to neutralise the CVC and the infamous CBI, who are experts in fault-finding in hindsight. How is the PM going to navigate the labyrinth that envelops the CBI for exercising discretion in favour of a civil servant who comes to notice not for money but for bona fide mistakes and errors in judgment?

Balancing CBI autonomy and protecting honest officers from it is a delicate exercise.

I am specifically on the subject of the ‘single directive’ that was struck down recently by the Supreme Court. This provision had conferred enormous authority on the executive to turn down CBI requests for conducting a preliminary enquiry (PE) or registering a regular case (RC) against any Central government official of or above the rank of Joint Secretary. Now that the government has lost this power, how will the Prime Minister rein in a CBI which could run amok when it chooses?

The present situation is one in which a government can right any CBI injustice to an honest civil servant (who has committed an error in judgement or succumbed to pressure from an unethical minister without any pecuniary gain to himself) only at the stage of sanction of prosecution at the end of an investigation. This would mean that the government will be a mute spectator to the registration of a PE or an RC by the CBI. And this is what civil servants are complaining about. They want protection against any such preliminary action by the CBI without the sanction of the government. It must be remembered that the registration of a PE or RC causes great damage to an officer’s reputation and morale. Also such preliminary action is hardly confidential; there is invariably a leak to the media. This is definitely not conducive to civil service morale.

As a former head of the CBI I know how Modi will have a hard time defanging the CBI even on occasions when the agency is palpably wrong. The present Director was appointed by the UPA government. In spite of all rules and regulations, there is always the personal factor that determines responses at the highest levels in any organisation, what to speak of a structured outfit like the CBI, which has far too many masters. The PM is stuck with the present incumbent for a few more months, a crucial period in which the PM will have to establish that he is not a mere talker but an achiever. He will therefore need a CBI that will not act as a damper of the zeal of senior bureaucrats.

Finally, there is further an external player in the form of the Supreme Court which has continually expressed its misgivings over the CBI’s freedom and neutrality. We saw an instance of this in the apex court’s fury not long ago at the executive’s meddling in CBI affairs when the agency had to file a status report in the coal scam. Carrying the CBI and the courts in an endeavour to protect honest civil servants is a delicate exercise. I wonder whether the government will be well advised in seeking a review of the order annulling the ‘single directive’. The apex court may not agree to such a revision. It may however consider directing the CBI to construct a sound in-house mechanism that would ensure fairness and a strong application of mind in each case needing registration of a PE or RC.

Perhaps the DCBI and the Director of Prosecution of the CBI (a Law Ministry official seconded to the CBI) could sit together and analyse the available evidence, and thereafter agree to the registration of a PE or RC. Their decision will be in the form of a speaking order that would set on paper all facts evaluated by them. This is about the best solution to a problem that cries for immediate resolution if only we are trying to promote professionalism and fearlessness on the part of the higher bureaucracy.

The writer is a former CBI Director.