MPs defecting from political parties must be barred from contesting polls for 6 yrs: Digvijaya Singh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Monday said MPs defecting from political parties must be barred from contesting polls for six years, as he accused the Election Commission of being "biased", and also questioned the need for conducting Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Participating in the discussion on election reforms in the Rajya Sabha, Singh sought removal of the ceiling on electoral expenses to ensure transparency in the election process, and alleged "vote chori (theft)" in states like Karnataka, Haryana, and Maharashtra.
He also claimed that Rahul Gandhi had submitted proof in this regard, but the Election Commission never responded.
He alleged bias by the Election Commission and wondered whether citizenship was being ascertained or a new voter list was being prepared, claiming that matriculation certificates were being demanded from individuals during the SIR exercise.
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"SIR kaha se aa gaya? Humse citizenship ke question poochhey ja rahe hain (where did SIR come from? We are being questioned regarding citizenship)... matriculation certificate is being demanded from voters... whether citizenship is being ascertained or a voter list is being prepared?" Singh questioned during his remarks.
The senior Congress leader said, "When the election commission carries out summary revision four times a year, then what is the need of SIR?"
He suggested that the delimitation exercise should not be based on population and instead on the current seat dynamics in place in the North and South India.
"(Delimitation)... jansankhya ke aadhar par nahin hona chahiye. maujooda anupaat jo dakshin aur uttar bharat ki seats hai uss par hi hona chahiye," Singh said.
Singh claimed that multiple letters were written to the Election Commission and INDIA bloc members had sought time from the body but it was never granted.
He and Home Minister Amit Shah,
He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of wanting to implement a "fascist dictatorship" by appointing people following a particular ideology on constitutional positions.
He claimed that Shah was never associated with the RSS, a charge debunked by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal.
"Rahul Gandhi ne apne bhashan mein kaha tha is desh mein 2014 ke baad jitne bhi samvidhanik sansthaayein hain unpar ek nishchit vichardhaara ke logon ko bithaya ja raha hai, woh yogya ho ya ayogya ho, aur unke maadhyam se, mera yeh aarop hai, fascist dictatorship laagu karna chahtey hain Narendra Modi ji (Rahul Gandhi in his speeches has said that since 2014 people from a particular ideology, whether qualified or not, are being placed in constitutional posts... my allegation is that Modi ji is trying to impose fascist dictatorship in the country," Singh said.
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Speaking on the issue of illegal immigration, Samik Bhattacharya (BJP) quoted former PM Manmohan Singh's speech on September 30, 2005, claiming that Singh had stated that "India is opposed to all illegal immigration into the country be it from Bangladesh or elsewhere. The illegal immigration should not be encouraged."
He asserted that the Election Commission is a constitutional authority, and the SIR is underway and it needs to be accepted.
He also raised the issue of political violence and demographic imbalance/changes in West Bengal.
Sandeep Kumar Pathak of the Aam Aadmi Party raised the issue of exorbitant electoral expenses and the lack of level-playing field to contest polls by common citizens for this reason. He also suggested proper verification of the voter list.
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Govt employees mandated to complete competency-linked courses: Centre in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi (PTI): All central government employees have been mandated to complete competency-linked courses relevant to their role or level on a dedicated online platform annually, which will reflect in their annual performance appraisal reports, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
The government has adopted a competency-based capacity building approach, focusing on role-based learning, continuous skill development, and alignment of training with role requirements, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.
"The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has mandated all central government employees and officers of the all-India services to complete competency-linked courses mapped to their role/level and comprehensive assessments prescribed by their ministries/ departments/organisations (MDOs) or cadre controlling authorities (CCAs) on iGOT (integrated government online training) portal annually, which is to be also reflected in their annual performance appraisal reports (APARs)," he said.
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The minister was responding to a query about the government's plans to incorporate competency-based scores for promotion and appraisal processes of its employees.
A framework of roles, activities and competencies (FRAC) aims to align all positions in government with clearly defined roles, activities, and required competencies (behavioural, functional, and domain), Singh added.
In a separate reply, the minister said that details of the engagement of consultants are maintained by respective ministries and departments.
The General Financial Rules (GFR), 2017, administered by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, provides for the fundamental principles applicable to all ministries or departments concerning the engagement of consultants and external professionals or consultancy firms for specific jobs, he said.
"As informed by the Department of Expenditure, data regarding engagement of consultants is maintained by respective ministries and departments," Singh said.
The minister was asked the year-wise number of consultants engaged by all the central ministries and departments during the last five years.
