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The Print
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
DM position is outdated. It's a personality cult, not leadership
As far as I am concerned, I am immensely proud to have once been an IAS officer. There is no aspersion cast on the competency of any individual who joins the service; anybody selected through a three-tier process, which narrows down a field of nearly a million aspirants to a triple-distilled cohort of 150 individuals, is bound to be competent and can be justifiably proud of being a member of this elite group. However, that pride does not translate into blind loyalty to the IAS tribe or to the unequivocal acceptance of the mythology and group-speak of the service. Criticism of the IAS's conservative clinging to outdated institutions does not denote a lack of pride; rather, It draws attention to the crying need for introspection, without bias or slant. This observation of mine, recorded by ThePrint's Sanya Dhingra in a report published this week, did not sit well with some of my former colleagues. One of them asked me why I was 'demolishing' the service and contrasted my approach with that of the armed forces, where any criticism is met with a 'warrior-like front' and a show of 'pride' in the service. The concentration of administrative powers in the district magistrate is an impediment to development. The IAS circle has carefully cultivated the myth of the collector's infallibility and has pushed a narrative that citizens must be kept under check, lest they step out of line. A comparison between the civil service and the armed forces is inappropriate. A civil service is not a uniformed service. Those who join the armed forces must be indoctrinated to do something unnatural: to kill and to die. They have to be trained to suppress the natural instinct of rational human beings, which is to live and let live, and to preserve themselves. Such training aims to suspend the natural tendency not to kill and to preserve one's own life, during the dire circumstances of war, as a professional imperative. In contrast, the civil servants are not expected to kill or to die. In most circumstances, we are not dealing with an enemy; we are dealing with fellow citizens. We are expected to serve the people by following the letter and spirit of the Constitution of India and the laws and rules of the land, which flow from it. Our notions, biases, and group interests ought not to come in the way of that primary task. The bald fact of the matter is that the position of the district collector (also called district magistrate or deputy commissioner), created by the British to rule over a potentially irresponsible and mutinous people—the subjects of a foreign imperialist power—continues even today, with a huge concentration of powers in it. India underwent fundamental economic reforms and liberalisation 30 years ago, alongside sweeping constitutional amendments to give local elected governments constitutional status and a functional space. However, while market reforms have demolished many previously held outdated notions, the antiquated idea of district administration being handled by an overworked single officer has not been shed. This mindset has become a millstone around the neck of India. The district collector is not a facilitator of development; he or she is a bottleneck. Such a concentration of powers concerning both regulation and service provision in one position is institutionally irrational and administratively inefficient. Also read: Deportations, conversions to waqf, the ever-increasing powers of district magistrates in India A 1980s Karnataka 'model' stands ignored The 15th report of the Second Administrative Reforms Commission did a sample count of the number of committees headed by the district collector in Andhra Pradesh and Assam; the numbers were 50 and 43, respectively. What is more, the commission observed that the list was incomplete and that there may be many more committees of which the collectors themselves may not even be aware. The situation today is probably worse than it was when the ARC report was written 15 years ago. Why does it not strike the IAS that this level of concentration of power is absurd? Do they think they can do justice to all these responsibilities? It is humanly impossible for a district collector to give quality time to all of his or her tasks. Protestations to the contrary apart, and cherry-picked examples notwithstanding, in reality the country suffers because the development of the district is left not to reason but to whimsy. An overloaded officer is left to decide, as he or she sees fit, what the priority area will be for exercising their mind. One reason why the notion that the single position of the district collector is necessary to act as the fulcrum of district development persists is that there are only a few counterfactual examples. In Karnataka, from 1987 to 1992, Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde and rural development minister Abdul Nazir Sab directly confronted the IAS's mental block against diminishing the powers of the district collector in their endeavour to establish empowered Zilla Parishads. They made the position of the deputy commissioner junior to that of the chief secretary of the Zilla Parishad, and the former was divested of responsibilities for local development. In spite of dire warnings from the IAS that citizens would be confused and mayhem would ensue from this rejigging of district administration, nothing of the sort happened. On the contrary, people quickly understood the roles assigned to the two officers. The IAS officer senior to the district collector placed as chief secretary of the Zilla Parishad, was answerable to the elected body and worked under the control and supervision of the president of the Zilla Parishad. The creation of dispersed local infrastructure in many sectors accelerated, as local representatives were consulted and contributed to planning and implementation. Local discretion, no longer impeded by state ministers, MLAs, and deputy commissioners, enabled better tailoring of development initiatives to people's needs. Sure enough, this was not liked at all by MLAs, higher-level politicians, and the IAS at large. State-level departments felt disempowered because decisions that had to come to Bangalore were now being taken at the district level. At the earliest opportunity in 1992, when the terms of the elected Zilla Parishads came to a close, the district collector took over as administrator of the Zilla Parishads. Senior officers were once again posted as DMs, and the chief secretary posts of the Zilla Parishads were abolished, replaced by downgraded posts of CEOs. In the eyes of the IAS, the natural order was restored. The example of Karnataka from 1987 to 1992 is now ignored by reformers within the IAS, who intend to reform everything else except their own hallowed institutions. Antipathy to empowered local governments Many IAS officers, articulate and suave as they are, attempt to deflect or diminish their role in fostering the long-standing antipathy to empowered local governments. 'It's not we who are standing in the way of strengthening local governments; higher-level politicians and MLAs are to be blamed, as they stand to lose power,' they say. Let us not be so naïve as to believe that. Throughout one's service, one sees that the majority of IAS officers articulate policies and write up the fine print of centralisation. True, higher-level politicians do not want to devolve power to local governments. But the operational process of such subversion is crafted by IAS wordsmiths. It is they who repeatedly utter the cliché of the 'lack of capacity' of local governments and create parallel structures such as separate societies, mission bodies, companies, and the like—each giving some supervisory role to the district collector and all aimed at bypassing the constitutional intent of devolving local functions to local governments. Ever wonder why Smart City Projects are implemented at the municipal or metropolitan level, not by the elected municipalities, but by a private limited company headed by an IAS officer who is not locally accountable through the municipal body for his actions? That policy is written up by an IAS officer. It is fascinating to observe how deep this suspicion of local power and initiative runs, and how repetitive the weak arguments that IAS officers use to delay or sabotage meaningful devolution of power. Even those with the highest integrity have a blind spot when it comes to sincerely supporting local governments. They argue that decentralisation of power will only result in local elite capture or excessive corruption. This argument is ironic, as it ignores the fact that the IAS itself constitutes a powerful elite, which often looks the other way when higher political levels engage in grave acts of corruption. Another overlooked phenomenon is the political control exercised over the post of the district collector by higher-level politicians. On the one hand, the IAS supports the immense concentration of power in the hands of the district collector. On the other hand, this same post hardly acts independently of the minister or the MLAs. The question to ponder is: if the district collector or any other high-ranking district official is to be subordinated to a political person, why not be subordinated to the Zilla Parishad president or the mayor of the municipal corporation concerned, who is elected from the district to head constitutionally mandated local governments? In what way is that subordination unacceptable when subordination to the minister or MLAs is accepted without question? Sadly, all that I say will continue to be a voice in the wilderness. The paradigm of muscular, personality-oriented leadership is now here to stay, at least in the short term. This leadership style is replicated at every level of government, and the outdated position of the district collector lends itself well to such personality-cult-based leadership. There is no political push for collegiate and participative governance; it doesn't create the grand spectacle of individual leaders striding forward with obedient subjects following them. What needs to be done—establishing truly functional local governments with constitutionally devolved powers—is clear as daylight to everybody. However, in the absence of any real political push for it, all government actions at the district level will remain constrained by the need to be supervised by the district collector. The country will stand to lose, in wasted time. TR Raghunandan is a former IAS officer. Views are personal. (Edited by Prashant)
Tokyo Weekender
27-05-2025
- Tokyo Weekender
ANA Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Man Tries To Open Exit Doors Midair
An All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight headed to Texas from Tokyo was forced to make an emergency landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Saturday after a male passenger attempted to open two exit doors during the flight. According to the police, the man, who has not been identified, was 'having a medical crisis.' He was restrained by the crew and passengers before being taken to hospital for medical evaluation after the plane landed. It's currently unclear whether he'll face any charges. ANA Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Seattle The plane — a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner — departed Tokyo at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time on May 24, bound for George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Following the disturbance, it landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at approximately 4 a.m. The plane reached its destination in Houston, Texas, at 12:40 p.m., four hours after its scheduled arrival time. 'The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority, and we applaud the efforts of local law enforcement for their support,' ANA said in a statement. While the plane was waiting on the tarmac of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, a second passenger started acting in a disorderly manner. According to the FBI, the person punched a bathroom door after getting annoyed due to the diversion. Spokesperson Chris Guizlo told CNN passenger was 'removed for unruly behavior before the plane departed SEA for Houston.' He added, 'This was unrelated, and the passenger was deplaned without incident.' Unruly Passenger Behavior It's not the first time this year that a passenger has tried to open a door on a plane midair. A similar incident occurred on board a Jetstar flight from Bali to Melbourne in April. The aircraft was forced to turn around while flying over the Indian Ocean. In November 2024, passengers on an American Airlines flight from Milwaukee restrained and tied up a man who attempted to force open a door and injured a flight attendant while doing so. He allegedly said he 'needed to exit the aircraft now.' Related Posts Passenger Planes Collide at Airport in Hokkaido Haneda Airport Plane Collision Continues to Disrupt Flights Dozens of Flights Canceled After Scissors Go Missing At Hokkaido Airport
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Shohei Ohtani to face pitchers for the first time since Tommy John surgery
Shohei Ohtani to face pitchers for the first time since Tommy John surgery (Image Source: Getty) The Dodgers two-way sword, Shohei Ohtani has been quite useful for the Los Angeles Dodgers with his bat. However, his pitching skills were not put to use as he was still in rehab to recover from a Tommy John injury. However, Ohtani is all set to face the pitchers for the first time since 2023, even though it's just a practice session. Will Shohei Ohtani pitch to hitters this season As per Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, Shohei Ohtani is ready to pitch in a practice session, where he will be pitching to MLB hitters. — MLBONFOX (@MLBONFOX) Shohei Ohtani is one of the rarest baseball players due to his dually ability of pitching and hitting. In the 2025 season itself, Ohtani has had 197 at-bats, of which he scored 17 homers, and 31 RBIs, which increased his hitting average to .299, OBP to .396, and OPS to 1.041. However, the Dodgers' star player has not been seen on the mound since 2023, due to an elbow ligament injury. Why was Shohei Ohtani not pitching since 2023 The main reason as to why Shohei Ohtani was not on the mound was because he was in rehab after undergoing a Tommy John surgery in 2023. He had an elbow ligament injury, for which the surgery was important. After the surgery, it has been difficult for Ohtani to appear on the mound. However, after 2 long years, and continuous rehab sessions, Ohtani is finally ready to pitch in a practice session. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo If everything goes well, Ohtani might appear on the field soon. Shohei Ohtani pitching in a practice session (Image Source: Getty) His pitching abilities speak volumes of his skills. Even though his ERA has been at 3.01 and WHIP at 1.08 since 2023, if Ohtani starts pitching right away, those stats are bound to change. What remains to be seen is how Ohtani pitches in the practice session on Saturday, and whether it goes smoothly, and without any complications. Though Ohtani has won multiple awards for his batsman skills, which include, MCP, Silver Slugger, and NL All-Star, he is yet to win the CY Young award. Also Read: What's next for Shohei Ohtani after ramping up his pitching progression Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Mamamia's Holly Wainwright on why she wants to celebrate midlife
One of its co-hosts is Holly Wainwright. A British expat who has lived in Australia since the 90s, in the past few years she has been hosting her own podcast, MID, tackling self-care and tricky topics, with an aim of sharing wisdom with her audience. Speaking to Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey on the NZ Herald 's lifestyle podcast, The Little Things, Wainwright said that the big window between 35 and 65 where things change was not something she was fully prepared for. 'There's lots of levels to it, isn't there? Because there's the hormonal stuff, and then there's just the fact that there's a lot of what one of the guests on an episode of MID has described as 'midlife collisions'. 'There are a lot of big things [that] are bound to happen in that phase where maybe you've been parenting for a while or maybe that never happened for you and you are reckoning with how you feel about it or with choices you've made. 'Maybe your relationships are changing, a lot of divorce in midlife, a lot of separation, a lot of friend dynamics shifting. There's a whole lot of stuff happening. 'But with the hormonal stuff, I think I wasn't ready for it because I think I was the kind of Gen X feminist who was very reluctant to give my hormones too much credibility in my world.' Wainwright said discussions about menopause were never talked about when she was younger because you could be dismissed as being 'crazy'. She recalls even trying to cover up weaknesses 16 years ago when she was pregnant with her first child, so as not to show any weakness. 'So I think that I've been a bit of a denier of the realities of the female body and the impact it has on you. 'But then what happens is perimenopause and menopause comes along and just smacks you right in the face. And you have to kind of [realise] this isn't just me who's dealing with all these wobbles and issues and physical symptoms that don't make sense and worrying you're losing your mind. This is hormones and I can't deny it any longer. 'So in some ways it's been a bit of a reckoning for me.' In the past few years, Wainwright has noticed a big change in these types of conversations. Mamamia put together a summit about perimenopause recently, and the company was blown away by the response to it. She's even seeing the impact it is having on younger generations. 'The young women I work with, they talk all the time about what phase of their cycle they're at, how they're feeling about it. It's really shifted and, and I'm really delighted about that.' And while she is glad that these conversations are being had, Wainwright also wants to ensure that it's not the sole thing defining women. 'I don't want every conversation around women in their 40s and 50s and beyond to be about hormones.' She said many women about her age have experienced a lot, surviving numerous challenges, and have reached a stage where they have a lot of experience and wisdom to share. 'Exactly that moment, you are kind of pushed aside by the culture and society, whatever that means, and sort of pitied a little bit, and it's like you're not really relevant anymore, are you? 'So I really wanted to make a show that explored all these different parts of 'mid' but with a positive feel to it.' Listen to the full episode of The Little Things for the full conversation with Holly Wainwright about celebrating 'mid' – including the best parts of this time, challenging the feeling of being 'invisible', beauty standards and what her advice to younger women is.
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump: Key topics for their upcoming meeting at the White House
Cyril Ramaphosa meets Donald Trump for crucial talks at the White House Image: Armand Hough/Independent Media President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to sit down with US President Donald Trump later on Wednesday, where the two heads of State will deliberate on a range of topics. Ramaphosa, accompanied by Minister of Agriculture and DA leader John Steenhuisen, Minister of Trade and Industry Parks Tau, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola, and new special envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas, arrived in Washington DC earlier this week. While it has been reported that the meeting will be held in-camera, speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Centre for African Diplomacy and Leadership at the University of Johannesburg, Professor Oscar Van Heerden said, knowing Trump, there are bound to be cameras. What will Ramaphosa and Trump talk about? Chief Executive Officer of Everest Wealth, Thys van Zyl, says this visit is an attempt to restore diplomatic ties, and discussions will likely focus on trade relations, financial assistance, and investment opportunities. Afrikaners in the US Just over one week ago, 49 Afrikaners boarded a US-chartered plane from the OR Tambo International Airport and travelled to America under Trump's refugee program. Trump initiated the program on the premise that a genocide was taking place in SA and Afrikaners, mainly farmers, were being targeted. Despite numerous articles debunking this, the program went ahead and the US welcomed the 49 Afrikaners with open arms. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ukraine, Russian conflict Ramaphosa and Trump are also expected to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. As it stands, Trump has spoken to both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin in a bid to reach a ceasefire. Since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, SA has maintained its neutrality, calling for talks between both sides. Last month Zelensky was in SA for talks with Ramaphosa however, he had to cut his visit short and return to his country following a fresh wave of violence. Elon Musk's Starlink and Teslas in SA Could Ramaphosa and Trump discuss Elon Musk's business interests expanding to SA? Musk is a close ally of Trump's and has been vocal on his disdain for SA's politics. IOL reported that the government is reportedly looking at ways around its Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws in order to launch Starlink in SA. This comes after Musk, born in SA, claimed that he cannot launch in his home country because he is not black. It has been further reported that a possible proposal put forward by Ramaphosa, could involve Tesla receiving preferential tariffs on its imports into South Africa in return for establishing electric vehicle charging stations in the country. So, it is widely anticipated that Trump could do to Ramaphosa what he did to Zelensky during a recent visit where the men got into a shouting match. Stay tuned to IOL for regular updates and reaction ahead of the sit-down talk and what happens next. IOL
