Convenience

Defense Ministry – Delays in acquisition of critical supplies – Is Antony at home ?

Saint Antony. That is one of the names by which the Defense Minister is known as. And why so ? Because he has a high reputation for honesty that being in the Congress party has not managed to besmirch, and he is also in charge of a ministry that is now appearing in the news on a regular basis, and not in a good way. The confrontation with the Army Chief over the age matter is old news (ever since the Supreme Court did not deny the truth of the general, but did not approve of the confrontation he was having with the Government).
Who else is known to be a paragon of honesty, against whom there are no allegations of corruption ? It is the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. What else is Manmohan Singh known for ? For having the most corrupt Government in modern India, for refusing to act against corruption unless forced to do so by the media or by the judiciary (remember past speeches and comments about the policy followed by Raja being the policy of the Government, and how Kalmadi had the full support of the Government as he spent and spent money on the CWG (accompanied by huge spending by many others arms of the Government)).
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BJP going against it’s anti-corruption campaign – inducting accused politicians for the UP polls

The BJP keeps on trying to portray itself as a party that is totally against corruption, very different from the corrupt practices of the Congress and other parties. As a part of this, the party has sought to put itself as the main supporter of the Lokpal campaign, and had sought a strong Lokpal so that an institution to stop the endemic corruption in Government can be put in place. But, from time to time, the BJP also takes steps that immediately portrays the party as being opportunistic and forces those looking for an alternative to the Congress to re-think.
We saw this in the whole drama in Karnataka. It was quite clear for some time that the Yeddyurappa Government in the state was corrupt, indulging in many corrupt practices. And the state of Karnataka was critical for the aims of the BJP in South India, a part of the country where the BJP does not really have much of a presence in terms of electoral seats (either in the state assembly or Parliament). And yet, what the BJP accomplished in Karnataka was drastically opposite to all this, with the party getting a name for having a high degree or corruption; and even when this was recognized, the party was unable to change the Chief Minister who was the embodiment of this corruption.
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Personal Finance: Insurance regulator gets strict on orphan policies

What are orphan insurance policies ? These are policies where the agent who sold these policies has shifter to another company, and the person who bought these policies no longer has an agent or an intermediary to help service them. This is a common problem in the life insurance business, since:
- An agent will do anything to sell a policy, including using charm, threatening about the problems that could occur later in life if you don’t have an insurance policy, using contacts, etc. The agent gets a good commission when the insurance policy is sold, but the amount of commission is drastically reduced in subsequent years, which leaves little incentive for the agent to remain and service the needs of the insurance buyer. If another company offers a better deal, the agent will move.
How can there be a solution that also helps the insurance buyer ? Well, the IRDA (insurance regulator) is making it more difficult for agents to shift so very easily, adding a set of conditions and rules (link to article):

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