Govt not rigid about Padma deadline, says home ministry

[sidmis]

Govt not rigid about Padma deadline, says home ministry

As reported in Yahoo! News, Mon, Jul 14 12:55 AM

Padma award-hopefuls, who miss the September-end deadline of the home ministry for getting themselves nominated for a government-appointed selection panel's consideration, can breathe easy. The home ministry has told a RTI applicant that it was the "usual practice" for the Centre to invite nominations from state and government departments by a cut-off date but hinted the ministry wasn't rigid about this rule.

"It has not been the intention of the government to prescribe a fixed or rigid date after which the recommendations cannot be processed," the Union home ministry told Delhi resident Subhash Chandra Agrawal in response to his RTI application. "It is the discretion of the committee to consider/take into account all recommendations received in the ministry till the time of the meeting," the home ministry said.

Agrawal had asked for details about the select of Padma awardees for the Republic Day 2004, the last year of the NDA government. The government had set September 30, 2003, as the cut-off date for the ministries and the selection committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary had its meeting on 26 December 2003.

The select committee had its second meeting on 19 January 2004, a week before the awards were to be announced. "The committee also took into account recommendations in respect of some more names, which were received in this ministry after the first meeting on 26 December," the home ministry said.

Between the two meetings, the panel short-listed about 100 names from a list containing more than a thousand names and graded them across three awards, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. "This shows there has been non-application of mind," said Agrawal, pointing that the ministry had ducked responding to a question how the panel - that had five-six eminent people from outside the government - could prepare a list of about 100 names in one or two meetings.

Nearly 3,300 Padma awards have been conferred for distinguished services till this year. No awards were conferred during the years 1993 to 1997 while the Supreme Court was hearing a public interest litigation questioning the constitutional validity of the awards on the ground that they amounted to conferring titles on individuals.

Govt not rigid about Padma deadline, says home ministry - Yahoo! India News

[sidmis]

Padma awards list confidential, can't be disclosed: CIC
as reported by Himanshi Dhawan,TNN, 3 Sep 2008,

NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that names of those considered for Padma awards should not be disclosed as it would be a social embarrassment and may amount to invasion of privacy.

While issuing the order, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said that while the Right to Information Act aimed at bringing in transparency and accountability, it also recognised preservation of confidentiality of sensitive information.

An appeal filed by Subhash Chandra Agarwal raised questions about the selection process and insinuated that the committee might be only going through the motions.

Agarwal, in his appeal, said, “Please specify how it is practically possible for a selection committee of about 10 members to select about 100 Padma awardees out of a list of more than one thousand in its one or two meetings. Is it true that the selection committee only fulfils the formality of endorsing a pre-approved government list in some hours only to meet guidelines fixed by the apex court?”

Rejecting the appeal, Habibullah said, “It will definitely not be proper if the personal information concerning certain personalities who were recommended but not considered for grant of the award for any reason, is disclosed and made public. It will surely be at the least a social embarrassment and may amount to invasion of privacy. The commission is not convinced that details concerning them be made public and become a subject matter of public scrutiny.”

Agarwal had demanded details of members of the selection committee, the number of meetings held by it and the approved names rejected by tax and intelligence agencies. In response, the home ministry had replied that the selection committee held two meetings and had received names that covered 169 pages.

Padma awards list confidential, can't be disclosed: CIC-India-The Times of India