Address juniors as ‘aap’ and not as ‘tu’ or ‘tum’; Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani
New Delhi, April 23:Address juniors as ‘aap’ and not as ‘tu’ or ‘tum’, Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani has asked senior railway officials, in a bid to boost the self-esteem of the national transporter’s crucial workforce.
Lohani has issued the instructions last week in a directive, similar to the ones he has been issuing at regular intervals in a bid to curb the VIP culture and protocol in the Indian Railways.
“Lot of supervisors and staff tell me that the officers address them as ‘tu’ or ‘tum’ and not ‘aap’. This is an undignified behaviour and we definitely need to have a cultured one in our dealings with the subordinates.”
“Let us build a very cultured organization and immaculate conduct. Please provide leadership on this front too,” he said in his message to all divisional railways managers, general managers and the principal heads of various departments.
This is the latest in a series of measures initiated by Lohani to cut down on the VIP culture in the Indian Railways.
Earlier he had banned the practice of presenting bouquets or gifts to senior officials and dispensed with the mandatory personal presence of railway general managers during the arrival or departure of the Railway Board chairman or members during their visits to zonal railways. He had also scaled down the various travel benefits of senior officials.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
