Month: March 2014

Election Watch Reporter (India)

yazdi1 Comment

CaptureElection Watch Reporter (EWR) is an Android app to report election related complaints. Citizens can send complaints about violations of electoral law or over expenditure by candidates during their election campaigns.

Citizens can send complaints which include pictures and location through the app which will be forwarded to the officials of Election Commission of India and relevant election observers etc.

Each complaint will include 1) Picture 2) Google Map with exact location (GPS automatically picks this) 3) Category (from a list of categories) 4) Brief Description

The categories under which the complaints or reports can be filed are based on Media, Liquor or Drugs Distribution, Election Rally, etc.

Now, you can help to make the elections clean, free and fair by reporting violations to election commission of India. This app is managed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW).

Click Here to download the app for your Android device

Help to make the elections clean, free and fair

http://www.adrindia.org
http://www.myneta.info

 

 

World Consumer Phone Rights

yazdiLeave a comment

World Consumer Rights Day was established on 15 March 1983 to promote consumer rights around the world. For WCRD 2014, we are calling on CI Members and Supporters to highlight the consumer issues that are undermining and frustrating the success of mobile phone services.

CI’s agenda for Phone Rights

CI’s Consumer Agenda for Fair Mobile Services addresses the issues that affect mobile consumers across the world, and we hope every CI Member and Supporter can join the call. Some of the issues we want to address are:

1.  Provide consumers with access to an affordable, reliable service

Consumers want to be able to have access to affordable mobile services in order to communicate and to access information. It is only reasonable that they then expect those services to be consistent and of a high quality without drop outs in service.

2. Provide consumers with fair contracts explained in clear, complete and accessible language

Consumers often feel cheated by their mobile provider, either because of unfair contract terms and conditions or because they didn’t understand what they had signed. Telecom providers should always provide consumers with fair contracts with all relevant information explained clearly so that consumers can exercise their right to make informed choices.

3. Provide consumers with fair and transparent billing

Consumers shouldn’t be billed for services they didn’t request. We demand fairness and transparency in our bills, and protection from billing fraud.

4. Provide consumers with security and power over their own information 

Telecoms providers and regulators alike must protect the personal data that consumers give up in order to use mobile services. Whilst giving consent to use personal data can enhance the experience of using a mobile phone, it can also compromise the consumer’s right to safety. Consumers must be able to set the terms of how this data is used.

5. Listen and respond to consumer complaints

Telecom providers should have effective complaints systems and if consumers are not satisfied there should be redress mechanisms to ensure a fair outcome. We must be able to penalise providers for abusive and unjust business practices.

 Click Here for downloads and more information

Does Root Canal cause Cancer ?

yazdi1 Comment

Root Canal is a common dental procedure that nearly every dentist will tell you is completely safe, despite the fact that scientists have been warning of its dangers for more than 100 years. Every day in the United States alone, 41,000 of these dental procedures are performed on patients who believe they are safely and permanently fixing their problem.

Sadly, the vast majority of dentists are oblivious to the serious potential health risks they are exposing their patients to, risks that persist for the rest of their patients’ lives. The American Dental Association claims root canals have been proven safe, but they have NO published data or actual research to substantiate this claim.

Check out the full story – Click Here

Here are some other similar links :

http://www.endalldisease.com/how-do-root-canals-cause-cancer/

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400591/Are-Root-Canals-Risky.html

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/lifestyles/health/dont-jump-to-conclusions-about-root-canal-cancer-1/nL4Qz/

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-debate-over-root-canal-treatment-and-the-link-to-cancer

 

 

No election at Co-operative Housing Societies before 31.12.2014

yazdi5 Comments
Please refer:

MAHARASHTRA ACT No.XVI of 2013 (First Published, after having received the assent of the Governor, in the “Maharashtra Government Gazette”, on the 13th August 2013):

Quote: State Co-operative Election Authority. “73CB (15): Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the rules or the by-laws of any co-operative society, the election to the committee and consequent election of the office-bearers which is due on the date of commencement of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2013, or may become due after such date, until 31st March 2013 shall be held before the 31st December 2013.Unquote.

Please refer again:

MAHARASHTRA ACT No. XXXI OF 2013 (First Published, after having received the assent of the Governor, in the “Maharashtra Government Gazette”, on the 20th December 2013).
An Act to further amend the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies’ Act, 1960

Quote: WHEREAS it is expedient further to amend the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 for the purposes herein after appearing ; it is hereby enacted in the Sixty fourth year of Republic Of India as follows:-

1. This Act may be called the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies’ (second Amendment Act, 2013).Amendment of Section 73CB of Mah.XXIV of 1961.

2. In Section 73CB of Maharashtra Co-operative Societies’ Act, 1960 in sub Sub Section (15), for the words, figures and letters”before the 31st December, 2013″ the words, figures and letters “before the 31st December 2014” shall be substituted. Unquote

Hope the matter quite clear.

J.B.Patel – Jeby

Aadhaar no longer linked with LPG ?

yazdi2 Comments

Great news on the gas-Aadhaar front. From March 10 onwards, domestic LPG consumers across the State will pay just the subsidised cost price of Rs. 441 per cylinder without depending on the Aadhaar card link up to the bank accounts for reimbursement of the remaining amount.

Clear directives

Clear directives de-linking the gas subsidy from Aadhaar card and bank accounts have reached the gas authorities here and distributors are being asked to start implementing the Aadhaar-less LPG scheme from Monday next onwards.

Those who have already booked for a cylinder and getting it before March 10 will, however, have to pay the non-subsidised price of Rs. 1,200.

Click Here for the full story in The Hindu

RTI e-resources

yazdiLeave a comment

Yashwantrao Chavan Academy of Development Administration (YASHADA) is the Administrative Training Institute of the Government of Maharashtra, and meets the training needs of government departments and rural and urban non-officials and stakeholders.

They have now started an RTI Section  on their website the the following links :

 

RTI e-Library

RTI Act RTI Rules Judgements
Guidelines Handbooks Reference Material

Please Click Here to visit their website for further interesting and uptodate information

Traffic can be stopped only for President, Vice President and Prime Minister

yazdiLeave a comment

We all witness halting of traffic when all grades of ministers, with red beacon lights on their cars and cavalcade of several vehicles, pass through the road. RTI reveals this is illegal! The RTI activist also raised the issue before the Human Rights Commission

Most urban cities have one more sore point for traffic besides vehicle congestion and that is halting of traffic whenever any VIP passes by, often with a cavalcade of vehicles behind him. The common commuter is stranded, sometime for a long time.

While all grades of ministers lavishly enjoy this VIP treatment on roads, Jammu-based noted Right to Information (RTI) activist Deepak Sharma has procured information under RTI, which comes as a pleasant surprise.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in reply to an RTI filed by Sharma revealed that the traffic on roads can be stopped only in the case of movement by the President of India, the Vice President of India, the Prime Minister of India and visiting foreign dignitaries who are given President/ PM level security cover.

  Click Here for the details

Does the election expenses limit have any meaning?

yazdi1 Comment

The election commission has upped the expense limit for Lok Sabha elections from Rs40 lakh to Rs70 lakh per candidate in big states. But 129 or 30% out of 437 MPs spent Rs14.62 lakh or 59% of the expense limit during the last general election

The Indian government has cleared a proposal by Election Commission to increase the expenditure limit for Lok Sabha elections to Rs70 lakh from Rs40 lakh per candidate in big states. But does it have anything to do with the reality? During the last general election, about 129 members of Parliament (MPs) spent less than 50% of expense limit. This raises a question on the need to increase expenditure limit without taking into consideration the blatant misuse of black money in elections.

Click Here for the full analysis

RBI extends deadline to exchange pre-2005 currency notes

yazdiLeave a comment

Clipboard01MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India on Monday granted an additional nine months for the public to exchange currency notes printed before 2005, including Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations, and set a deadline of January 1, 2015.

“RBI has also advised banks to facilitate the exchange of these notes for full value and without causing any inconvenience whatsoever to the public,” the central bank said in a release. It clarified that the public “can continue to freely use these notes” for transactions and can unhesitatingly receive these notes in payment as all such notes remain legal tender.