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Articles

R K Pachauri: Carrying 6 billion hopes: Dr. RK Pachauri, the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is leading the international campaign against Climate Change for his services to the environment he has recently been awa......read more
India's Climate Change crusader: Mr. Jairam Ramesh: India is a fast developing nation but this development comes at a price, the environment. Our interview with him made us aware that Mr. Jairam Ramesh, the Union Minister of State for Environment and F......read more
He does not deserve the nobel: I have developed the art of using money in creative ways to a point where it has become scientific. The deeply unfortunate occupational hazard that accompanies this rather fulfilling pastime is that m......read more
US & Co: I have experienced three kinds of news. There is American news, which although accurate, skims past the destruction caused by their troops. There is PAkistani news, which tells us of their 'power' and......read more
Jaswant Singh on people, politics and partition: One of India's longest serving politicians, Jaswant Singh's controversial book on Jinnah and India's partition sparked both criticism and praise from people across India and Pakistan. His bold decisio......read more
Statue-tory warning: Your narcissism is injurious to national health: At a time when Maharashtra's notorious Vidarbha region witnesses one farmer suicide every 8 hours, when the entire state is frequented by power cuts as a result of the rains playing truant and the sta......read more
Try: I am 17 years old. I go to school. I come home. I eat, sleep, study.
I go out on the weekends, avoide my parents and am addicted to facebook.
By a broad standard, I am normal.
Can I c......read more
Theplas in Thailand & pickles in Paris: Say hello to the Indian tourist: The Indian tourist seems to have earned himself a global reputation. He may don many avatars, but the stereotype he has earned for himself remains like an unsightly splotch on Indians' reputation aboa......read more
Red tapism in India: "The Common Man walks into the Passport office for the fifth time in ten days. He is sick of standing in the heat. He is sweaty. He is tired of the never ending trips to try and procure his passport. ......read more
Naxalites - a burning problem: The Maoists-Naxalites have been in the news lately. These little understood, much maligned groups, with a common leftist ideology, have been the cause of long-standing violence, arson and disruption. ......read more
Unity in diversity?: With hundreds of different ethnicities, myriad religions, thousands of languages, and an infinite set of values, (some of which are diametrically opposite) India could easily be considered the most di......read more
Every One: India is a country that is progressing at an astoundingly rapid rate. It has proved itself to be a country to watch out for. Its economy is booming, and its people are continuing to prove their abilit......read more
The Indian Judiciary: Does the pillar of strength need to be strengthened?: Do judges in India need to be policed and to what extent? There has recently been focus on the Indian judiciary system. The question has arisen on whether Indian judges need to be policed. The Union C......read more
Defence, Development & the Indian Economy: India today occupies a unique position on the world stage. We are perhaps the only country trying to juggle a rapidly advancing economy, an extraordinary array of infrastructural develoments, an inher......read more
26/11: A year on, an overview of the city of Mumbai yields a result no different then what one would have expected. The city continues to be a bustling, shining beacon of India's ascent to global success, w......read more
Wake up and smell the carbon: Few years ago, there was only one problem the world had to deal with - the nuclear bomb. Today's youth are growing up in the shadows of three bombs any of which can go off any moment, leading to a rad......read more
Apocalypse - impossible? Think again!: 2050, India-a young boy stares at the barren landscape of his hometown, where rising tempartures and water scarcity have made living life a burden. The ganga river has dried up, the once snow capped p......read more
Congress ka 'raj' Thackeray: For anyone who doubts that politics is a dirty game, the recent Maharashtra State Assembly polls was an eye-opener. With cousins standing against each other in a family feud of epic proportions and th......read more
Change after 26/11: On 26^th November, 2008 a catastrophe stuck the city of Mumbai. While the elite class of South Mumbai was dining at 5 star hotels, The Taj Mahal Hotel and the Trident, and the commuters were......read more
The future of Mumbai: Milind Deora's victory for the second term in a row has silenced all his critics. In a candid discussion, Mr. Deora spoke to us about the Maharashtra elections, the MNS, chqanges since 26/11 and of hi......read more
VOTE INDIA: Over the last few weeks, the nation has been keenly observing the movements of a new found political scion, Varun Gandhi of the BJP. Gandhi's radical views, to say the least, have "shocked" some and "......read more
26/11: Are we so naive that we cannot see that some of the problems are from within our country? We don't see the greater good but act in our own selfish and devious ways......read more
Arun Jaitley-a candid discussion: An interview with the General Secretary of the Bhartiya Janta Party, Arun Jaitley gave us an insight into the mind of strategic planner and mast head of this election's opposition party. After years o......read more
The Criminalisation of Indian Politics: India boasts of being the largest democracy in the world; with an estimated 671 million eligible to vote for the 15th General elections to be held in April - May 2009. However, over the last 61 years ......read more
Democracy: As we are made to see it: What do you think about putting 1.147 billion puzzle pieces together? Indian democracy is just that. It is not as simple and sinless as a puzzle, but putting 1.147 billion thoughts together, fixing th......read more
Goolam Vahanvati - the youth's role in India's future: Mr. Goolam Vahanvati, one of the best lawyers in India, tells us we as the youth need to look beyond corruption, he tells us to a look at the larger picture. He says, "You must believe that this is a ......read more
Indian National Congress: The way forward?: We citizens of India are not in the mood to listen to comments like "Bade bade sheharo mein chotte chotte cheese hote rehte hain". The youth want to see some degree of accountability in the entire pol......read more
Jyotiraditya Scindia-India's tomorrow: We arrived at 27 Safdarjung Road, home to one of the most promising and visionary leaders in this country. Part of the Congress youth brigade Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, having studied at Harvard and St......read more
Omar Abdullah - our hope for change: Mr. Omar Abdullah one of the few leaders in this country who commands respect and does not demand respect, speaks to us about his vision for India. He is one of the most protected men in India with si......read more
PAKISTAN: at the brink of destruction?: Two twins, India and Pakistan separated at birth due to numerous complications, travelled through a long journey since partition. This difficult path took off in August 1947, when, after having surviv......read more
Third Front - an illusion?: We the youth of India desire change and to some the Third front is the only option to provide this change, which makes the Third Front seem as a serious contender. On the other side of the spectrum mo......read more

Article of the month

Red tapism in India

"The Common Man walks into the Passport office for the fifth time in ten days. He is sick of standing in the heat. He is sweaty. He is tired of the never ending trips to try and procure his passport. Yet he cannot give up. It will be another month before he will receive, if lucky, his passport."

Text: Angad Kapur

India � the land of diversity, India �one of the fastest growing economies��.. INDIA- THE LAND OF RED TAPISM AND SUFFOCATING BUREACRACY.

How many days does it take the common man to get a passport made or renewed in India? The answer is more then a month.

How much time does it take to register a complaint against a public works in India? The answer is weeks.

How much time does it take to pass a bill in the Indian Parliament?

The state of the Indian bureaucracy is deplorable. Work which should take one hour takes one day. Work which should take one day takes a week. Work which should take one week takes a month.

In the pre independence era India could pride itself on its bureaucracy. However is that steel frame still intact? Do the IAS and IPS officers of today command the same respect as those of the pre independence era? Have they helped or further increased the miseries of the common man. The answer is the latter.
Today, the Indian bureaucracy is a corroded distortion of its former self. Meant to be the boundary between the government and the citizen, it usually leaves citizens livid and in despair. In its report, Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) described India�s bureaucracy as �suffocating� and said working with the country�s civil servants was a �slow and painful� process. About 60 per cent of the entrepreneurs interviewed said they faced corruption at some time during their entrepreneurial journey while dealing with government procedure and officials.

Congress� election campaign revolved around the �aam admi� but what have they done to cure the �aam admi� of one his biggest problems �. nothing. The vested interests of the politico-criminal-business-bureaucratic combine to ensure that no reforms intended to help the common man are implemented. Corrupt politicians work hand in hand with the corrupt bureaucracy to hold up license approvals and other paperwork so companies pump in more money to get it cleared faster. Larger business houses which have large financial resources are benefited as competition is discouraged due to the sinfully long procedures. According to a World Bank report, �Doing Business in South Asia 2007�, it takes 35 to 52 days to start a business in India. The official costs of starting a business are high and the process quite complex involving no less than 13 procedures.

This laid back attitude has widespread effects. It is causing India to lose the economic battle against China. According to a survey by Business Line newspaper 37% of Indian businesses consider red tape a major constraint for growth. Action on an issue like red-tape is needed urgently as it is the small and medium sized industries that create a majority of jobs in India. Reforms intended to reduce red tape will then act as a catalyst to India�s economic growth as well.

Not only does red tapism frustrate the common man and stunt the growth of industries, it is also causing a delay to India�s preparations for the Commonwealth Games which it will be hosting next year. The problem is not that the money has not been sanctioned; it is that the people in control don�t care. This leisurely approach to the Commonwealth Games has been noticed by the world and will surely have an adverse affect on India�s hopes to ever host an Olympic Games.

This abysmal state of the Indian bureaucracy represents the state of the Indian civil servant�s mind. LAID BACK!! For most civil servants procuring a job in the government is all that matters. After that nothing matters. Their working hours are barely five hours during which they work as if they are performing a favour for the common man. Work is not their passion ��it is an obligation. How can we even aspire to be called a superpower with such an appalling attitude? The day this attitude changes, India will change for the better.

So let�s wait for the day when we will be greeted by a smile when we walk into a government office. Let�s await the day when �aam admi�s� life is made easier. Let�s await the day when hopeful small and medium sized industry owners are not harassed while starting their business.

Lets await the day when the Common Man needs to visit the Passport only twice in a week, once to submit his application and the second time to collect his passport. That day we can say with conviction, India will be a superpower.