The state government has constituted an advisory body, Commission on People’s Empowerment (COPE), with former Central Vigilance Commissioner N Vittal as its chairman. The commission will focus on controlling corruption in government services and advice the government in simplifying laws, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters here on Wednesday.
According to Naidu, the COPE would also make recommendations for effective implementation of people-centred administrative reforms in the state. “Anyone can approach COPE on matters of corruption,” he said, pointing out that the government would certainly take action on the commission’s recommendations.
MCR HRD institute director P V R K Prasad, Visakhapatnam Port Trust chairman S R Rao, Centre for Good Governance executive director P K Mohanty, Indian School of Business dean Vijay Mahajan, McKinsey & Company principal Pramath Sinha, and Infosys Leadership Institute director G K Jayaram are the members of the COPE, while secretary (coordination) J C Mohanty will act as its member-secretary.
The commission will have its first meeting in Hyderabad on Thursday, and it will meet periodically. The COPE members can visit any place in the state and are empowered to make independent enquiries on allegations of corruption and suggest methods to the government on effective disposal of public grievances.

Move over, Oscars! Make way for the Duryodhana Awards for ‘bad’ films and sexist advertising and Rakshasa Awards for violence against women in the media instituted by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women.

Amdani Atthani, Kharcha Rupaiyaa was judged to be the most gender insensitive film, ‘winning’ over other nominees like Ajnabee and Asoka. The message in this ‘award-winning’ film is that women need to be subjugated and husbands have every right to beat their wives into submission.

For sexist advertising, Fair and Lovely (a fairness cream) ‘won’ hands down over the advertisements for the Tata Press Yellow Pages, LML Vespa and Moov.

In the category of violence in films, Aks was awarded the Rakshasa prize over nominees like Abhay and Gadar.

We are not opposed to the depiction of women’s sensuality or of portrayal that shows an objective understanding of women’s issues,” says T. F. Thekakara, Member Secretary to the Commission. These awards, she continues, are meant to register an objection to the manner in which women have been commodified and to censure negative imagery of women in films and advertising.

Unlike the Oscars or their Indian versions, the Filmfare and Screen Awards, this is one award that advertisers or filmmakers shied away from. No one came for the ceremony to receive their awards - they will now be mailed to them.

But the Commission is also recognising positive portrayal of women in the media. Two mainstream films were nominated for their sensitive treatment of women’s issues: Chandni Bar, about the travails of a cabaret dancer and Lajja, an episodic film of the struggles of a woman and her encounters with other, similarly struggling women. The award was given to Chandni Bar.

The Commission, a statutory body set up in 1993, has the authority to play a more pro-active role in crimes against women, investigate the progress of cases and ensure the implementation of laws protecting women’s rights.

The awards are an offshoot of a seminar on the portrayal of women in the media held in Mumbai last year where participants expressed helplessness at sexism and violence in films, television and advertisements. “We believe that the media is a very potent weapon. All we ask is that women are portrayed realistically, not as vulnerable toys,” Thekakara says.

The jury, chaired by well-known lawyer Indira Jaisingh and comprising Mumbai Police Commissioner M.N. Singh, consumer activist Shirish Deshpande, Laxmi Lingam, Head of the Media Department at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, SNDT University Vice-Chancellor Rupa Shah, the former Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University and others, went through 45 nominations.

PATNA: “You can boys Bihar, but you can not Bihar, the young man,” writer Amitava Kumar recently wrote again from Pennsylvania, The Times of India, a history of services research Bihari, Many have retained seats in the Bureaucracy pride.

“In 10 years, from DM or SP, if not both, in each of the 500 districts in the country is an odd Bihari,” is like Shaibal Gupta, member-secretary of the Patna-Asian Development Research Institute response to a request.

Manish Kumar (29), standing 5th One of the highest ranking Bihari this year, the public service deserve consideration, the new hot mirror reflection of the opinion of the writer and social scientists.

A plum job in the wholesale apple was on the subject, but he preferred the path difficult and uncertain, to a life in babudom. It comes from Parmanpur village close to the bank in Jamdaha district, Manish, Kendriya Vidyalaya moorings (10 years and older Singrauli in Giridih on 2), and a graduation rate of Sciences and Humanities Ewing Christian College in Allahabad, a son master in the management of IIM, Lucknow, and she followed with an MA in economics from the University of Pune, in the work of Cummins.

At the meeting, the Board members will decide whether it can continue as president for life of IRMA.
Express News Service

Vadodara, March 31: THE doyen of the cooperative movement, Dr. Verghese Mansions, has received a serious setback on Thursday when the Joint Charity Commissioner Aire (CMC) has refused to stay the Friday meeting of the Board of Directors the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA). At the meeting, Council members will decide whether it can continue as long as the president for life of the institute.

The Governing Council meeting, however, is itself subject to a civil suit filed in Anand after CCM BP Hadia gave his judgement in Vadodara. The civil suit filed by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), manager BM Vyas will be heard at 9.30 pm on Friday, an hour before the board meeting.

Hadia while lowering the average level to remain at the Friday meeting, upheld the decision of Anand at the base of Charity Aire Assistant Commissioner (ACC), which had ruled against the presidency for life for Mansions.

Manoirs The camp had challenged this order on March 19 and the CCM - while conceding the argument - had stayed implementation of the order of ACC. Mansions supported another application filed before the JCC, seeking a stay against the April 1 board meeting.

Turning to both ways, on Thursday, Hadia observed that there was no dispute between member secretary Professor KP Reddy against whom the petition was filed and Chairman Verghese Mansions. Describing the petitioners and Vyas Srivastava”inconnus”Jadia ruled that they could not demand an injunction against the Board meeting as Manoirs itself is not the petitioner.

”If the applicants had objected to the purpose or the agenda, they can discuss in the Board meeting and the decision can be taken on the basis of a majority vote,” Hadia ruled.

The latest controversy began in July last year when the amendments to the IRMA the Memorandum of Understanding concluded ACC office for ratification. One of the rules of a life made Mansions president.

ACC approved Feb. 25 all other amendments, but rejected the one on the life of Manoirs presidency.

That the board of directors divided, however, a circular was sent by resolution Mansions to all members of the board of directors to ask them to allow him to sack IRMA director Reddy.

The tussle between the two began when Reddy did not like the interference of Dr Mansions.

The battle is an extension of a war waged against Dr Mansions his protégé NDDB chairman Dr Amrita Patel, which would support Reddy.