SARVAJAN HITAYA SARVAJAN SUKHAYA-FOR THE GAIN OF THE MANY AND FOR THE WELFARE OF THE MANY
IT Training Programme will bring transparency in the functioning of Secretariat personnel
Lucknow : 23 October 2007 The Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Mr. P.K. Mishra said that the IT Training Programme, which is being implemented for the Secretariat personnel, would bring in wide improvement in their functioning as per the requirement of the today’s changing scenario. It would also accelerate the pace of disposal of the files. He said that the Chief Minister Km. Mayawati has emphasised the need to develop culture of e-governance by using Information Technology in the administrative works so that the purpose of the policy of Sarvjan Hitai Sarvjan Sukhai could be practically achieved. Mr. Mishra was inaugurating the IT Training Programme being organised to impart training to the officers and employees of the different sections of the Secretariat so that they could put IT to effective use in their daily working. Under the programme, the section officers (SOs), Samiksha Adhikari, private secretaries and senior officers would be imparted computer training. They would also be trained to use e-file package. He said that the implementation of e-file package would bring in a sea change in the work culture of the government and it would ensure transparency, efficiency and responsibility in the functioning of the Secretariat. The Chief Secretary said that the introduction of e-governance culture in the day to day functioning of the government was a big achievement. He said that it was an era of information technology, which enabled quick exchange of information. Without it we can not translate the dream of clean and transparent governance into reality, he pointed out. He directed all the Principal Secretaries and other senior officers to adopt pro-active approach towards the training programme and ensure cent per cent attendance of their sub-ordinate Secretariat employees, so that this special I.T. training programme could be a great success. Mr. Mishra said that during the function organised at the completion of 100-days of the Government, the Chief Minister had announced that e-governance would be implemented to ensure responsibility, transparency and quickness in the government works. Besides, the C.M. has also promised the people of the State of corruption free system. The Chief Secretary further said that the National E-Governance Plan was being implemented in the State keeping an eye on the priority set by the C.M. The main objective of the programme is to provide an effective delivery system to the people, so that they could get various information regarding R.T.I., complaints, P.D.S., employment services, elections, revenue realisation, land records, pension etc. This information could be obtained by paying a normal fee. He said that presently computerisation of land records; treasury and transport department had been undertaken, which was proving very benefiting to the people. The land revenue records of the State had been completely computerised. Mr. Mishra said that, so far the use of computer in various sections of the Secretariat was very limited and it was being used as a mere typewriter. But, now the initiative was being taken to use computer as a tool of e-governance. Now, the computer along with the use of I.T. and internet would be used to bring about a change in the system. The Chief Secretary, while describing this programme as a revolutionary step in administrative set up of U.P., congratulated the employees who had come to attend the opening training session of the programme. He said that this would increase the efficiency of the employees on one hand, while on the other they would be better equipped to serve the people. He said that with the cooperation of the Central Government, the State Government would set up Citizens Service Centre (C.S.C.) at 17,909 villages of the State on the basis of Public Private Partnership. Through these centres the public would be provided various government services through electronic delivery system. This would also help the educated unemployed youths of the rural areas to get employment at the minimum investment. The Chief Secretary, in his address, said that e-governance had become a necessity in present times. Therefore, the State Government was taking several ambitious steps in the direction of e-governance. He said that the Government departments would be required to change their functioning and for that they would have to emphasise the government process re-engineering. For that, they would have to simplify the various procedures of their department. Mr. Mishra said that the expenditure amount of Rs. 168.72 crore, required for the National E-Governance programme supported by the Government of India, would be utilised for establishing wide area network (WAN) through N.I.C. which would help in providing two MBPS connectivity at the block level. He said that besides WAN several other infrastructure like CSC, State Data Centre were also being implemented in the State under NEGP. This training programme was a constructive step towards establishing e-governance in the State, he added. He made special mention of the e-file scheme of the e-governance programme and said that this would help in quick disposal of various works being under taken at the Government level as it was being implemented in all the sections of the Secretariat. The Chief Secretary distributed computer training kits to five trainees Mr. Ajay Kumar, Mr. Krishnand, Ms. Pratipal Gaur, Ms. A Dube and Ms. Salma. The APC Mr. Anees Ansari said that by November 2007 as many as 500 additional computers with internet facility would be installed in the Secretariat. This would ensure quick exchange of information as well as transparency in the governance and help also in fixing the responsibility of the concerning employees. Besides, it would also ensure quick exchange of weekly, fortnightly, monthly and other time-bound reports through internet between headquarters and Secretariat and quick decisions would be arrived at. Mr. Ansari said that e-governance would bring a revolutionary change in the field of Right to Information. As it would be internet enabled service therefore exchange of information between other States would be easy and help in formulation of policies. It would be easy to download requisite information from other countries as well. IDC Mr. Atul Gupta, while terming the programme as a revolutionary step towards upgrading the UP Administrative system, congratulated the trainees for taking part in the first and opening training session. He said that it was a beginning of a new chapter in history of administration of the State. The Principal Secretary IT and Electronics Mr. V.N.Garg, while throwing light on the technical aspects of the programme, said that the e-governance and e-filing package would ensure quick exchange of files through a click of the mouse. He said that in the first phase almost 3100 officers of the level of the Samiksha Adhikari and above would be imparted a mandatory 100 hour training through various IT Institutions. Mr.Garg said that the E-File Tracking Project was being implemented on the pilot basis and it has been decided to implement it in other departments as well in three phases. The training of the departments identified for the first phase would be held in the second week of the November 2007, that of second phase would be held in the second week of December 2007, while that of the third phase would be held in the second week of January 2008. The Principal Secretary said that several schemes were being implemented to provide Government services to the people through electronic delivery system. The Secretary to C.M. and Secretary Secretariat Administration Mr. Anup Chandra Pandey, while thanking the guests, said that this training programme would help in developing a new work culture in Secretariat and the functioning would become smooth in future. The Special Secretary IT, Mr. Amod Kumar conducted the programme and said that all the personnel of Samiksha Adhikari level and above would be imparted 100 hour training through UPDESCO, UPLC, IMDUP and NIC. This training programme would be held in high level labs and under the supervision of experienced instructors. UPDESCO has been nominated as the nodal agency. The Principal Secretary Planning Mr. V. Venkatachalam, Principal Secretary Khadi and Village Industry Mr. V.V. Singh Vishven, Principal Secretary Secondary Education Mr. Pankaj Agrawal, Principal Secretary Mr. GP Verma, Secretary Irrigation Mr. A.K. Awasthi, M.D. UPDESCO Mr. Sanjay Prasad and a large number of senior officers of the IT Department were present on the occasion.
IndiaPost.com
Voice of Indians Worldwide
BSP seeks Badal’s resignation
Monday, 10.22.2007, 01:08am (GMT-7)
CHANDIGARH: In the wake of recent bomb blast, the Bahujan Samaj Party asked for resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal alleging deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
“The bomb blast had put a serious question mark on the functioning of the Badal government”, BSP national General Secretary Narinder Kashyap said while urging the state government to seek re-mandate in the state.
Kashyap strongly condemned the bomb blast and lashed out at Badal for “failing completely” in maintaining law and order in the state.
Online edition of India’s National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007
Scheduled Castes panel to summon AIIMS chief Venugopal
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes, probing allegations of discrimination against SC students and doctors at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here, will summon its Director P. Venugopal to appear before the panel.
A ‘judicial summons’ will be served personally on Tuesday, Commission chairman Buta Singh told The Hindu. For the past three months, it had sent several notices to Dr. Venugopal, asking him to appear before it and reply to the charges, but he did not turn up, Mr. Singh said.
Now he would be asked to report within 15 days, failing which the Commission could invoke the powers of a civil court under Article 338 of the Constitution and direct the police to enforce the summons and present him before it.
The Commission is also studying the Thorat Committee report on discrimination including against AIIMS faculty members.The Commission has also received complaints from some faculty members.
It had set Monday as the last day for Dr. Venugopal’s appearance before winding up its hearing.
THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE - THE TATHAGATA
subtlety of Doctrine-Practice of The Path Shown by The Blessed,Noble,Awakened One-The Tathagata
The Horsehair
On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Vesali at the Gabled Hall in the Great Forest. Then in the early morning, Ven. Ananda, having put on his robe and carrying his bowl and outer robe, went into Vesali for alms. He saw a large number of Licchavi boys practicing archery in the stadium building. From a distance they were shooting arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other. On seeing this, the thought occurred to him, “How trained these Licchavi boys are, how well-trained these Licchavi boys are, in that from a distance they can shoot arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other!”
Then, having gone for alms in Vesali, after his meal, returning from his alms round, Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, he said to the Blessed One: “Just now, lord, in the early morning, having put on my robe and carrying my bowl and outer robe, I went into Vesali for alms. I saw a large number of Licchavi boys practicing archery in the stadium building. From a distance they were shooting arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other. On seeing this, the thought occurred to me ‘How trained these Licchavi boys are, how well-trained these Licchavi boys are, in that from a distance they can shoot arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other!’”
“What do you think, Ananda: Which is harder to do, harder to master — to shoot arrows through a tiny keyhole without missing, one right after the other, or to take a horsehair split into seven strands and pierce tip with a tip?”1
“This, lord, is harder to do, harder to master — to take a horsehair split into seven strands and pierce tip with a tip.”
“And they, Ananda, pierce what is even harder to pierce, those who pierce, as it actually is present, that ‘This is stress’; who pierce, as it actually is present, that ‘This is the origination of stress’… ‘This is the cessation of stress’… ‘This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.’
“Therefore, Ananda, your duty is the contemplation, ‘This is stress… This is the origination of stress… This is the cessation of stress.’ Your duty is the contemplation, ‘This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.’”
Notes
1. The Commentary tries to convert this feat into an archery trick, in which one fastens a strand of horsehair on an eggplant and another strand on the tip of an arrow, and then backs off to shoot the hair on the eggplant with the hair fastened on the arrow. This, however, sounds more like one of the impossible feats of marksmanship that Mark Twain once chided James Fenimore Cooper for including in his Deerslayer books. Even assuming that the hair on the arrow could withstand the force of the air pushing it back and actually stick straight ahead to pierce the other hair, the speed and force of the arrow would demolish any evidence that it had actually done so. Thus it seems more likely that the Blessed,Noble,Awakened One-The Tathagata is describing a more delicate feat bearing more resemblance to the delicacy required in penetrating the four noble truths.
Heirless (2)
Translator’s note: It might come as something of a surprise that the THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE - THE TATHAGATA, in this discourse, seems to speak favorably of the lavish enjoyment of sensual pleasures. Taken in light of his teachings in AN 5.41, his remarks here are less surprising. There he points out that the enjoyment of pleasure is one of the legitimate rewards of wealth, although the proper enjoyment of wealth doesn’t end there. In this discourse, he speaks of a man who, because of his past Law of Cause and Effect, couldn’t even enjoy sensual pleasures. This is a useful discourse for illustrating the point that the THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE - THE TATHAGATA’s ultimate rejection of sensual pleasure is not that of a man who was too aversive or stingy to enjoy them. Rather, he rejects them because he was capable of enjoying them but realized that this sort of enjoyment was not the path to true happiness.
As for the moneylender mentioned in this discourse, even though his inability to enjoy his wealth can be traced to attitudes in the past, his unwillingness to make merit in this lifetime is not the fault of his past kamma. People are always free to choose to practice the Doctrine-Practice of The Path Shown by The Blessed,Noble,Awakened One -The Tathagata at any time. In his case, he chose not to. Thus he got no legitimate use out of his wealth at all.
At Savatthi. Then King Pasenadi Kosala went to the Blessed One in the middle of the day and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there the Blessed One said to him, “Well now, great king, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”
“Just now, lord, a money-lending householder died in Savatthi. I have come from conveying his heirless fortune to the royal palace: ten million in silver, to say nothing of the gold. But even though he was a money-lending householder, his enjoyment of food was like this: he ate broken rice & pickle brine. His enjoyment of clothing was like this: he wore three lengths of hempen cloth. His enjoyment of a vehicle was like this: he rode in a dilapidated little cart with an awning of leaves.”
“That’s the way it is, great king. That’s the way it is. Once in the past that money-lending householder provided alms for the Private THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE - THE TATHAGATA named Tagarasikhi. Saying [to his servant], ‘Give alms to the contemplative,’ he got up from his seat and left. After giving, though, he felt regret: ‘It would have been better if my slaves or servants had eaten those alms.’ And he also murdered his brother’s only heir for the sake of his fortune. Now, the result of his action in having provided alms for the Private THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE - THE TATHAGATA named Tagarasikhi was that he appeared seven times in a good destination, the heavenly world. And through the remaining result of that action he acted as money-lender seven times in this very same Savatthi. But the result of his action in feeling regret after giving [those] alms — ‘It would have been better if my slaves or servants had eaten those alms’ — was that his mind didn’t lend itself to the lavish enjoyment of food, didn’t lend itself to the lavish enjoyment of clothing, didn’t lend itself to the lavish enjoyment of a vehicle, didn’t lend itself to the lavish enjoyment of the five strings of sensuality. The result of his action in having murdered his brother’s only heir for the sake of his fortune was that he boiled in hell for many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, many hundred-thousands of years. And through the remaining result of that action he has left this seventh heirless fortune to the royal treasury.
“Now, because of the wasting away of that money-lending householder’s old merit and his non-accumulation of new merit, he is today boiling in the Great Roruva hell.”
“So he has reappeared in the Great Roruva hell, lord?”
“Yes, great king. He has reappeared in the Great Roruva hell.”
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:
Grain, wealth, silver, gold, or whatever other belongings you have; slaves, servants, errand-runners, & any dependents: you must go without taking any of them; you must leave all of them behind. What you do with body, speech, or mind: that is yours; taking that you go; that’s your follower, like a shadow that never leaves. Thus you should do what is fine as a stash for the next life. Acts of merit are the support for beings in their after-death world.
DOCTRINE-TRUE PRACTICE OF THE PATH SHOWN BY THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE - THE TATHAGATA
The Two Faces of Reality
Constant Practice
In our practice we just look directly at the mind. Whenever our practice begins to slacken off, we see it and make it firm — then shortly after, it goes again. That’s the way it pulls you around. But the person with good mindfulness takes a firm hold and constantly re-establishes himself, pulling himself back, training, practicing and developing himself in this way.
The person with poor mindfulness just lets it all fall apart, he strays off and gets side-tracked again and again. He’s not strong and firmly rooted in practice. Thus he’s continuously pulled away by his worldly desires — something pulls him here, something pulls him there. He lives following his whims and desires, never putting an end to this worldly cycle.
Coming to ordain is not so easy. You must determine to make your mind firm. You should be confident in the practice, confident enough to continue practicing until you become fed up with both your like and dislikes and see in accordance with Truth. Usually, you are dissatisfied with only your dislike, if you like something then you aren’t ready to give it up. You have to become fed up with both your dislike and your likes, your suffering and your happiness.
You don’t see that this is the very essence of the Doctrine-Practice of The Path Shown by The Blessed,Noble,Awakened One -The Tathagata! The Doctrine-Practice of The Path Shown by The Blessed,Noble,Awakened One -The Tathagata of The Blessed,Noble,Awakened One -The Tathagata is profound and refined. It isn’t easy to comprehend. If true wisdom has not yet arisen, then you can’t see it. You don’t look forward and you don’t look back. When you experience happiness, you think that there will only be happiness. Whenever there is suffering, you think that there will only be suffering. You don’t see that wherever there is big, there is small; wherever there is small, there is big. You don’t see it that way. You see only one side and thus it’s never-ending.
There are two sides to everything; you must see both sides. Then, when happiness arises, you don’t get lost; when suffering arises, you don’t get lost. When happiness arises, you don’t forget the suffering, because you see that they are interdependent.
In a similar way, food is beneficial to all beings for the maintenance of the body. But actually, food can also be harmful, for example when it causes various stomach upsets. When you see the advantages of something, you must perceive the disadvantages also, and vice versa. When you feel hatred and aversion, you should contemplate love and understanding. In this way, you become more balanced and your mind becomes more settled.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY OF THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF THE PATH SHOWN BY THE BLESSED NOBLE AWAKENED ONE -THE TATHAGATA
VI. The Breach of Sila
To undertake the precepts is to make a determination to live in harmony with them, not to ensure that one will never break them. Despite our determination it sometimes happens that due to carelessness or the force of our conditioning by the defilements we act contrary to the precepts. The question thus comes up as to what to do in such cases.
One thing we should not do if we break a precept is to let ourselves become ridden by guilt and self-contempt. Until we reach the planes of liberation it is to be expected that the defilements can crop up from time to time and motivate unwholesome actions. Feelings of guilt and self-condemnation do nothing to help the matter but only make things worse by piling on an overlay of self-aversion. A sense of shame and moral scrupulousness are central to maintaining the precepts but they should not be allowed to become entangled in the coils of guilt.
When a breach of the precepts takes place there are several methods of making amends. One method used by True Followers of The Path Shown by The Blessed, Noble,Awakened One - The Tathagata to gain exoneration in regard to infringements on the monastic rules is confession. For certain classes of monastic offenses a True Followers of The Path Shown by The Blessed, Noble, Awakened One - The Tathagata can gain clearance simply by confessing his transgression to another True Followers of The Path Shown by The Blessed,Noble, Awakened One - The Tathagata. Perhaps with suitable modifications the same procedure could be applied by the laity, at least with regard to more serious violations. Thus if there are a number of lay people who are earnestly intent on following the path, and one falls into a breach of a precept, he can confess his lapse to a Doctrine-Practice of The Path Shown By The Blessed Noble Awakened one -The Tathagata friend, or, if one is not available, he can confess it privately before an image of the The Blessed Noble Awakened one -The Tathagata. It must be stressed, however, that confession does not aim at gaining absolution. No one is offended by the ethical lapse, nor is there anyone to grant forgiveness. Also, confession does not abrogate the Law of Cause and Effect acquired by the transgression. The Law of Cause and Effect has been generated by the deed and will produce its due effect if it gains the opportunity. The basic purpose of confession is to clear the mind of the remorse bearing upon it as a consequence of the breach. Confession especially helps to prevent the concealment of the lapse, a subtle maneuver of the ego used to bolster its pride in its own imagined perfection.
Another method of making amends is by retaking the five precepts, reciting each precept in turn either in the presence of a True Followers of The Path Shown by The Blessed,Noble, Awakened One - The Tathagata or before an image of The Blessed,Noble, Awakened One - The Tathagata. This new undertaking of the precepts can be reinforced by a third measure, namely, making a strong determination not to fall into the same transgression again in the future. Having applied these three methods one can then perform more virtuous actions as a way of building up good Law of Cause and Effect to counteract the unwholesome Law of Cause and Effect acquired through the breach of the precept. Law of Cause and Effect tends to produce its due result and if this tendency is sufficiently strong there is nothing we can do to blot it out. However, kamma does not come to fruition always as a matter of strict necessity. Kammic tendencies push and tug with one another in complex patterns of relationship. Some tend to reinforce the results of others, some to weaken the results, some to obstruct the results. If we build up wholesome Law of Cause and Effect through virtuous actions, this pure Law of Cause and Effect can inhibit the unwholesome Law of Cause and Effect and prevent it from reaching fruition. There is no guarantee that it will do so, since Law of Cause and Effect is a living process, not a mechanical one. But the tendencies in the process can be understood, and since one such tendency is for the wholesome to counteract the unwholesome and hinder their undesired results, a helpful power in overcoming the effects of breaking the precepts is the performance of virtuous actions