From: J P Gadkari [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 24 December 2014 16:51 To: [email protected]; Alli Murugesan; Ravi Palani; Xavier Ss; soundarrajan soundar; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Kancheepuram Srinivasan; Govindasamy Kannan; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Venkata Ramanan; Ganesh Pandian; [email protected]; ABHOY MISSION; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Vidyawati Rajbhar; satyavir Singh; m.s Manohar; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Deviprasad Yadav; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; dinesh sharma; Bholendra Singh; [email protected]; Murli Dhar Gaur; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; ramesh yadav; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; samagra jankalyan samiti Ngo; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Navada Samiti; [email protected]; Dr Deepti; [email protected]; [email protected]; Bhawana Cerebral Palsy Institute Bhawana; [email protected]; PYSSUM Angelic; [email protected]; ashajyoti_lucknow; Kalyanam Karoti Mathura; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Disha School; anuj kumar Singh; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Gramin Samiti; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Dr. Vidyasagar PANDEY; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; neelam verma; Deepesh Chandra Prasad; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Sushil Bahuguna; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; NIRANJAN BISWAS; [email protected]; [email protected]; Mentaid NGO Org; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Raja Das; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; partner hooghly; RKM PM; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Sabuj Sangha; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Behala Bodhayan; [email protected]; [email protected]; Howrah South Point South Point; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Behala Nabaproyas; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Ntus Nimtouri; [email protected]; [email protected]; Biplab Dey; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: An Appeal to all ROs of National Trust and Parivaar Members
To, All Registered Organisations of National Trust, Parivaar Members, NGOs working in the PwIDD sector, Media and MSJE officials Dear Friends, Expecting a surprise gift for the New Year? Wait, you are not going to be disappointed. For the parents and their intellectually and developmentally disabled children there is going to be a surprise gift on the eve of the New Year! In the last week of this outgoing year, the charge of your most beloved organization, the National Trust will be handed over to a bureaucrat from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. You all know that for the last two years now, the Government has been dilly-dallying the process of appointment of a new Chairperson for taking charge of the National Trust as the term of office of Mrs. Poonam Natrajan (her second term) was over at the end of 2012. The Government did not take note of the persistent demand by the sector and even the Parivaar resolution submitted to it in this regard last year. Even the new Government which took over more than six months ago did not think that it's a matter that needs to be taken up on priority while this premier institution set up for dealing with the welfare of more than 30 million persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities was being hijacked by the Joint Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Trust appointed by the previous Government to serve his self interest. He was openly defying the authority of the Chairperson and the duly elected members of the Board. Many of you were not present at the annual general body meeting of the National Trust that took place in September this year. If you were present, then you would have personally witnessed this man's arrogance and defiance of the chairperson and the N.T. Board members under whose directions and orders he has to function. He had crossed all limits by then of insubordination and defiance of authorities under whom he had to work, which had completely derailed the smooth functioning of the N.T. Those who attended this passed a unanimous resolution against his shenanigans. You are all aware that the only representative organization of the PwIDD sector, Parivaar, which was aware of all these happenings, took up the matter with the MSJE Minister demanding immediate removal of this subversive JS/CEO from the post. Even the N.T. elected Board members representing Parivaar met the Minister and brought it to his notice all the misdeeds of this officer and were assured that an action will be taken in the matter soon. Yes, action was taken but not against this defiant official but by sending out the incumbent chairperson of the N.T. instead! It came to Mrs. Poonam Natrajan as a Divali gift when she was relieved of the post for which she had given a resignation earlier. While relieving Mrs. Natarajan the Ministry played devious game. On 22nd Oct., a day before Divali, the Ministry issued a letter of extension to Mrs. Natarajan extending her term till 31st Dec. 2014 and a day after Divali i.e. on 24th Oct., they relieved her accepting her resignation. Infact by accepting the resignation of Mrs. Natarajan, the Ministry had committed a breach of the legal provision which stipulates that the incumbent Chairperson will hold office till a new Chairperson is duly selected and appointed takes the charge. Firstly, tremendous pressure was put on Mrs. Natarajan to resign directly from the top so that the Ministry could justify her replacement by a bureaucrat from the ministry and also to show to the sector that the Government were starting the process of appointing a new chairperson and the appointment of a Government official is only a "stop gap" arrangement. But the Ministry was either shrewd enough to realize or was advised by someone not to go ahead with the appointment as it will bring a wave of protests from NGO sector if a bureaucrat was appointed. So the Ministry gave the additional charge of the post to Mr. P K Pincha, the Chief Commissioner of Persons with Disabilities [CCPD] who is a disabled (visually impaired) person himself. It should be noted here that Mr. Pincha is due to retire on 27th December 2014 from the CCPD post and thus will have to relinquish the additional charge of the Chairperson of the National Trust. While all this was being done, the JS/CEO against whom serious charges of alleged corruption and irregularities and ill-legalities were brought to the notice of the Minister merrily continued in office as he was probably assured from above that nothing is going to happen to him. In the meantime, Mr. Pincha within a few days of taking over took swift action to stop several irregularities and illegal things being done by the JS/CEO and brought the matters to the notice of the Secretary of the Dept. of Disability Affairs in the MSJE. Mr. Pincha also terminated the services of two employees who were appointed on contract basis flouting the rules. One of this employee was working as an assistant with the Minister of State and the other, a lady, working in the house of the JS/CEO in private capacity but both drawing their salaries from the National Trust. Further Mr. Pincha also took steps to stop the squandering of the N.T. funds which are meant for the welfare of PwIDDs. All this was naturally not to the liking of the power that be and the Ministry has now reportedly reverted to their original plan to appoint a bureaucrat in place of Mr. Pincha. Ofcourse, they would justify this by saying that it is only a "stop gap" arrangement and soon the process will start for selection of a new chairperson according to the legal provisions of the Act. But kindly beware that this may prove as an eyewash. There are enough examples in the past where the Government resorted to such "stop gap" arrangements and then continued with it over a long period. We in the NGO sector in general and Parivaar in particular are totally opposed to such socalled "stop gap" arrangements as in the long run they result in harming the interests of our children. As it is the functioning of the N.T. has been completely derailed and the implementation of ongoing programmes and schemes and introduction of the new ones have come to a standstill. There are lot of lacunas that were existing in the functioning of the N.T.; there was no proper coordination between the former chairperson and the Board members; Board members were not taken into confidence by the chairperson; there was no clarity about the rules, responsibilities and duties of various authorities or a system of chain of commands; there was no proper monitoring system and process of registration of organizations; no control or answerability about the functioning of LLCs; etc. While the Government had to finally concede the demand of the sector and repatriate the JS/CEO on 5th December 2014, we are sure that besides being against the provisions of N.T. Act there would be no change in the situation if a Government official sits in the Chair of the Chairperson of the N.T. We have witnessed that even with his handicap and his straight forward upright handling of the issues, Mr. Pincha brought a breath of fresh air in the working of the N.T. If person like Mr. Pincha is allowed to hold the charge of the Chairperson of the N.T. atleast for another uninterrupted six months to one year with a really cooperative JS/CEO, (the Government has given a temporary charge of this post to one Mr. Mukesh Jain, IAS from MSJE) things will certainly improve quite a bit and its advantage will go to our children. But this can happen only if all the R.Os of NT, parents associations and all the voluntary organizations working in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field raise a strong voice against the appointment of a bureaucrat and immediately start the process to select and appoint suitable person from NGO sector to be the next regular chairperson of the NT within a fixed period of time. It would have certainly been better if the Government would have allowed Mr. Pincha an extension for atleast six months to one year. But the Government has decided otherwise. Therefore the time has come now for all R.Os and other organizations as mentioned above to launch a powerful movement to save this unique organization which can do much to improve the quality of life and provide a dependable legal framework and secure future for the PwIDDs and their families. And that will be the real New Year gift! To start with each organization should write to the Minister MSJE opposing the appointment of a Govt. official to the post of the Chairman of National Trust and demanding giving extention of six month to one year to Mr. Pincha and start the process of appointment of a regular new Chairperson. I am sure all will respond to this appeal and act swiftly with a massive protest campaign. Wishing you all a Very Happy and Purposeful New Year ! Yours sincerely, (J P GADKARI) Member Drafting Committee National Trust Act, RPD Bill and Former President, PARIVAAR Clean India Campaign: Let us also chip in! 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