shekhar_mittal's blog

Govt proposes new RTI rule: Ask, but only in 250 words, on only one subject

14 December 2010 - 5:01pm — shekhar_mittal

The government has proposed new rules that require a Right to Information (RTI) application to be restricted to 250 words and only one subject. There’s no word cap currently, and applicants can seek information on any number of subjects in a single application.

Railways as freight carriers

1 July 2010 - 1:40pm — shekhar_mittal

Hi Folks

I am shifting Delhi from Bangalore and so was looking of ways to move my personal stuff from Bangalore to Delhi. I dont have a lot of stuff so it does not make sense to hire a container myself. I had 3 carton boxes and a bike.

I was wondering whether it is possible to send all this stuff through train. While I know that sending the bike is possible, is it also possible that one sends the carton boxes by train as well?

1. Has anyone tried it before?

2. Is it efficient and dependable? is it cheaper than road transport?

-Shekhar

1 comment

Proposal: Organise a Praja Blogathon

29 June 2010 - 11:29am — shekhar_mittal

Myself and a few other folks have been thinking about innovative ways of marketing Praja. We want to create exciting content and bring new users on Praja. So how about we organize a Blogathon?

This event can be both on the ground as well as online. The basic idea is that we fix a theme/topics, a date and a venue. On the chosen date all of us get together and blog about the chosen theme. Obviously, we will open the event to anyone who is interested and will publicize it in a significant manner.

The best blog entries get an awesome prize-- think ipods, iphones etc. We will find sponsors who can cover the costs for the venue and prizes. Normally, such events are accompanied by free snacks and beer ;)

We can also have tie-ups with newspapers which will agree to print the best blog entries. If successful we can also try doing such events in other cities.

This idea is in its nascent stages and we wanted to present it to everyone for feedback and brainstorming.

So what do you guys think?

-Shekhar

3 comments

Unpleasant experience at RTO Koramangla

28 June 2010 - 5:51pm — shekhar_mittal

I sent out the following email to Ashwin Mahesh narrating my experience at the RTO recently. I am pissed about the whole experience. At moments like these it feels awesome to realise that I am a member of Praja:)

Need help in capturing reliable data on water supply across all the wards in Bangalore

28 June 2010 - 3:57pm — shekhar_mittal

[Posting on behalf of Gautham Ravichander. If you want to volunteer you can also add your name and details as a comment below this post and I will ensure it reaches out to Gautham.]

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill

9 June 2010 - 8:35am — shekhar_mittal

With all the interesting Parliament bills that get discussed, scrutinized and thrashed by media and people like us, there are many more which get missed out. Through the PRS site I came across "Pension Fund and Regulatory Development Authority Bill".

Before I try to explain it, here are some fun facts

Only 13% of the workforce is currently covered by pension schemes
Total government (centre+states) pension cost has increased from Rs 6,400 crore in 1991 to Rs 46,569 crore in 2001 and it is estimated that this figure will reach around 80000 crores by 2081-82
A number of states are already defaulting on pension payments. Employee Pension Scheme was reportedly underfunded to the extent of Rs 22,000 crore as on March 31, 2004.

Essentially, the PFRDA bill aims to address all of the above. This Bill provides a regulatory framework for a new pension system (NPS) which will be available to any individual. All the employees who joined the central government on or after 1 January 2004 already come under this new pension system.

DCE- DTU Controversy - An Alumnus' Perspective

15 March 2010 - 9:27pm — shekhar_mittal

It has turned into a fortress. From the looks of it more than 300 cops have been deployed. In its almost 60 year history, that too in the middle of the internal examinations, for the first time Delhi College of Engineering is witnessing a student strike!

Koramangla Smartvote: Check your name on the voters list

19 January 2010 - 1:15pm — shekhar_mittal

Folks at Koramangla Smartvote have come up with a very cool way of checking out your name in the voters list.

If you want to check your name on the voter list try it out here http://smartvote.in/voterlist/viewvoters.php

For ward 151 (Koramangala): Names on Voter List

27 December 2009 - 7:40pm — shekhar_mittal

Smartvote Koramangla guys have digitised the voter list for ward 151 and come up with this:http://www.smartvote.in/koramangala/voterdata/pme/vlist.php

WB loan to take Andhra ahead on road safety

20 October 2009 - 9:23am — shekhar_mittal

Saw this on HU Mailing List-

Praja Member Reporting from Taj Mahal

4 October 2009 - 4:39pm — shekhar_mittal

This incident happened yesterday.

Organising an Event on Sustainable Transport

1 September 2009 - 10:58am — shekhar_mittal

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