After a protracted campaign of civil rights groups, the Congress government in Rajasthan has started the process for bringing the legislation on social accountability, which will make officials accountable for timely delivery of public goods and services as citizens’ entitlement. The Bill will also set up a grievance redressal mechanism starting from village panchayats.The draft has been uploaded on the web portal of the Administrative Reforms and Coordination Department and suggestions invited from citizens. Additional Chief Secretary Ravi Shankar Srivastava said here on Monday that the Bill included provisions for citizens’ charter, public hearing, social audit and information and facilitation centres.Enacted in Cong. regimeChief Minister Ashok Gehlot had recently assured that the new accountability law would incorporate the provisions of the Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act and the Right to Hearing Act. Both of these statutes were enacted during the Congress regime of 2008-13.Through the Rajasthan Social Accountability Bill, the government intends to ensure the right of every person or group of persons to get time-bound delivery of goods and services and be entitled for redressal of complaints, with the provision for penalty on erring officials and compensation to the public.The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, led by social activist and Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy, had proposed a draft law to the State government. The official draft has incorporated the suggested provisions for transparency in governance, citizens’ participation, accountability in delivery of services, decentralisation of the process and establishment of an independent grievance redressal structure.The MKSS had taken out a 100-day-long ‘Jawabdehi Yatra’ through all the 33 districts of the State in 2015 during the previous BJP regime, pressing for the legislation. The Yatra had raised the issue of accountability as an extension of the Right to Information.Activist Nikhil Dey of Suchna Evum Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan said this would be a “breakthrough in the legislative history” of Rajasthan in view of its progressive approach for giving the real power to the people. read more

The National Capital Region Planning Board has accepted a suggestion of the Rajasthan government not to carry out the zoning exercise for the areas already developed under the approved master plan. State Urban Development Minister Shanti Dhariwal said zoning should be reserved for areas which need planned development.At its 38th meeting held in New Delhi on Friday, the NCR Planning Board also held out an assurance that the verification of the existing land use would be done by the State government, while the private firms would draft the base map for further development of the region. Mr. Dhariwal had opposed the Centre’s proposal to get these works done through a Hyderabad-based company.Mr. Dhariwal said here that the NCR Planning Board, which met under the chairmanship of Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, had approved three other proposals of Rajasthan for speeding up the development of the State’s districts falling in NCR.The board agreed to extend the horizon year of population density for three tehsils — Alwar, Bhiwadi and Khairthal — of Alwar district and dropped a proposal to exclude some tehsils of Bharatpur district from NCR. This would help bring the two districts on a par with other areas in NCR, Mr. Dhariwal said. read more

Share via Email Share on Twitter FA Cup fourth round: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action Topics Share on WhatsApp Referees Pep Guardiola Read more comment Share on LinkedIn Reuse this content Share on Facebook Manchester City This is an interesting argument that articulates conflicting ideas of modern football. The first describes a form of entertainment that needs strong rules in order to flourish, the second a more traditional idea of sport as competition with the most important (perhaps only) objective being victory. For the record, it has been observed that Guardiola is capable of practising the latter while arguing the former.The Bennett incident also tapped into another current debate. VAR technology was trialled during another FA Cup match this weekend; the tie between Liverpool and West Bromwich Albion at Anfield. Referee Craig Pawson’s use of video replays caused controversy as, while apparently ensuring correct decisions were made, they disrupted the flow of the match and even denied West Brom fans the chance to properly celebrate a goal. For some, this was too much technology. For others, however, it was not enough.VAR can decide whether Jake Livermore fouled Mo Salah in the area for a penalty. Why can’t it decide whether Bennett was guilty of serious foul play in tackling Sané (and thus deserving of a straight red card)? The consensus after the Cardiff match was that Bennett should indeed have been sent off. A retrospective ban is impossible under the current laws of the game, however, as referee Lee Mason saw the incident at the time and ruled on it. Players cannot be punished twice for the same foul, though exceptions are not without precedent. Ben Thatcher’s 2006 elbow on Pedro Mendes was adjudged to be so far beyond the pale that a separate charge was brought after the then-Manchester City player had been booked.VAR could conceivably eliminate (inevitable) oversight on the part of officials. It might help to minimise dangerous tackles within the game. Extending video technology to acts where the consequences could be substantial (the image of Sané’s leg bending under Bennett’s challenge is eye-watering) seems logical. But it also goes against one of the founding principles of VAR: namely that it is used for decisions not subject to interpretation.A player is either onside or off in scoring a disputed goal; the referee has booked the wrong player or has not. Already, as with the case of penalty-box fouls, there is a grey area – Livermore’s tug on Salah was real but was it enough for the Egyptian to lose his footing? Trying to rule on whether a foul involves “excessive force or brutality” is surely also subjective and, what is more, highly emotive. It is the stuff that not only angers coaches but fans in the stands.Research conducted during VAR trials has found that referees are more likely to deem a tackle dangerous if they have seen it replayed in slow motion. Should the technology be extended, controversy and confusion would seem inevitable. A clamour for just such an extension would seem inevitable too, however, simply because the technology exists.A game in which dangerous tackles are less frequent is possible. The differing views of Guardiola and Warnock show there is an argument whether such a goal is desirable. But even if it were, the outcome would likely add further complication to a game whose beauty lies in simplicity. As football embraces technology, it is a quandary we will have to become used to. Joe Bennett’s challenge on Leroy Sané has left the winger injured for up to a month. It was late and it was deliberate, an attempt to stop the Germany international from giving Manchester City a three-goal lead before half-time in their FA Cup tie with Cardiff. It is the sort of tackle that looks worse the more you see it and would always have provoked a debate. On this occasion, however, it has provoked more than one.The first was started by Pep Guardiola, who used his post-match remarks to make a philosophical point. Players such as those on his team, the Manchester City manager said, were “artists” who needed “protection” in order to play the style of football so many viewers enjoy. Cardiff’s Neil Warnock, meanwhile, insisted such challenges were part of the game. He was more concerned with a second tackle from Bennett that got the player sent off. In Warnock’s opinion it was the latter challenge that was unprofessional, as it incurred a suspension and was therefore “disrespectful” to Bennett’s team-mates. Share on Messenger Share on Pinterest read more

Man City, Spurs encouraged to bid for Sunderland whiz Majaby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveSunderland are seeking a Premier League buyer for Josh Maja.The Mirror says thirteen goal strike starlet Maja, 19, the top scoring teenager in England’s top four divisions, is out of contract at the end of the season and the Black Cats have yet to reach an agreement on a new dealAnd, fearing they won’t, Sunderland have now offered Maja to English clubs for just £1.5million knowing he can sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from January 1 and they would then only receive a small fee in accordance with FIFA’s compensation rules.Clubs including Manchester City, Tottenham and Southampton have been keeping tabs on Maja this season. TagsTransfersAbout the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say read more

Atalanta president Percassi: Why Skrtel leftby Carlos Volcanoa month agoSend to a friendShare the loveAtalanta president Antonio Percassi has spoken for the first time over Martin Skrtel’s surprise split.The former Liverpool defender signed with Atalanta over the summer, but stayed only three weeks before leaving.”He was a good guy, but he was sorry. “You could see that he suffered because his wife did not come here,” explained Percassi.Skrtel has since returned to Turkey to join Istanbul Basaksehir. TagsTransfersAbout the authorCarlos VolcanoShare the loveHave your say read more

NEW YORK — Changes announced in corporate dividends Jan. 7-Jan. 11.INCREASED DIVIDENDSGladstone Land .04445 from .0444New England Realty .32 from .30SPECIAL DIVIDENDSArcosa .05Buckle 1.00Ethan Allen 1.00Great Ajax .05Hanover Insurance Grp 4.75Park Electrochemical 4.25ProPhase Labs .25STOCK DIVIDENDSSecurity Natl Finl Cl A 5pcg- Canadian fundsOTHER CORPORATE NEWS AND LISTINGS:STOCK SPLITS THIS WEEKInterContinental Htls ADR 1 for 1.05 reverse splitACQUISITIONS AND MERGERSMINIMUM VALUE $100 MILLIONApptio Inc Cl A – Vista Equity Partners Management (1.94B)Black Box Corp – Integrator AGC Networks (750M)Imperva Inc – Thoma Bravo LLC (2.1B)NEW STOCK LISTINGSNYSENiSource Inc pfd Cl BNASDAQ GLOBAL AND GLOBAL SELECT MARKETSApptio Inc Cl AGreen BancorpGuaranty BancorpImperva IncCORPORATE NAME CHANGESSmaash Entertainment Inc to Simplicity Esports and Gaming Co (and warrants)The Associated Press read more