Plastic bags are banned in 17 states and union territories. In the capital, however, it has taken the National Green Tribunal to crack the whip on the government to ensure that the ban, announced last year, is enforced.
The NGT had prohibited the use of all forms of disposable plastic in the entire city, specially at hotels, restaurants and for public and private functions, while asking the Delhi government to take appropriate steps against “storage, sale and use” of such material from January 1 this year. Plastics above 50 microns in thickness were permissible. It had also said that an environment compensation of Rs 10,000 would be imposed on vegetable vendors and slaughter houses for throwing garbage in public places.
Last month too, NGT criticised the rampant use of plastic in the national capital despite the. The Union government last year also imposed a similar ban. But nothing worked due to various reasons, mostly due to the resistance from the powerful plastic bag makers lobby and confusion among the bureaucrats on how to prevent use of plastic bags by retailers and consumers. The latest order however leaves little room for complacency. The babus have now been directed to chart out an action plan and present it to the tribunal in order to escape its wrath. NDMC babus have been first off the block by starting a drive against the use of plastic bags that are less than 50 microns, in their jurisdiction.
Mixing it up, Modi style
The Modi government continues to defy the old conventions of the bureaucracy, specially when it comes to the operational turf of the various services. Mostly this has adversely affected the IAS, who for decades have guarded their space zealously, preventing officials from other services to enter their sacred domain. But Mr Modi is no stickler for haloed conventions, rather more of an iconoclast, as many have noticed since 2014.
The appointment of 22 joint secretaries, approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet recently, are in line with Mr Modi’s view that traditional turfs should not come in the way of good governance. He also clearly believes in providing equal career opportunities for non-IAS services.
So, in an otherwise routine appointment announcement, observers noted with interest the names of two babus in the list. IPS officers Satinder Pal Singh and Anil Kumar Agarwal have been appointed as joint secretary, ministry of shipping, and department of industrial policy and promotion respectively, previously preserves of their IAS peers.
House panel unimpressed
The Modi government’s much-vaunted new rating system for babus has not impressed a parliamentary committee. The Standing Committee on Personnel headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma has members from many parties and has tabled its report in the Rajya Sabha, and it is less flattering than the government would have hoped. The committee has found the 360-degree appraisal system “opaque, non-transparent and subjective”.
Further, the committee has noted that the rating system is not backed by any statute of law, and may not be legally tenable, indicating that babus could challenge the rating if they disagreed with the appraisal. The report also mentions that top posts in the system should not be hogged by just one service while leaving other services out.
The report’s findings could create some interesting debating moments in Parliament, but sources say, that many babus may find in the report an echo of their own views, which they are unable to state. However, it is unlikely that the government will incorporate many suggestions of the parliamentary panel.
