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Toyota Gasoline Engine Achieves Thermal Efficiency Of 38 PercentMost Fuel Efficient Portable Generator in 2015Gasoline has 46.4 MJ/kg which given the usual density of the fuel translates to 34.2 MJ/liter. Now, 1 kWh contains 3.6 MJ/kWh. So, this is 12.8889 kWh/liter of heat energy.There is 3.785 liters per US Gallon so these figures are 129.45 MJ of heat energy per US Gallon which is equal to 35.96 kWh of heat energy per US Gallon.Now to turn that heat into electricity requires that you convert the heat into mechanical motion using some sort of engine, and then use that mechanical motion to move wire through a magnetic field to generate an electrical current.Now, one of the generators discussed in the link provided above says a 700 Watt generator can run for 14 hours on a gallon of gas. 700 Watts is 0.7 kW. 14 hours times 0.7 kWh is 9.8 kWh of electrical energy consuming 35.96 kWh of thermal energy. A thermodynamic efficiency of 9.8/35.96 = 27.25%.Toyota claims 38% efficiency in their most advanced engine. Electrical and mechanical transmission is over 98% these days. So, 35% overall as a generator would permit 35.96 * 0.35 = 12.58 kWh of electricity per US gallon.Now, a home uses more than just electricity. It also uses heat. Heat can be converted into cold either mechanically or through adsorption cooling. This is useful for refrigeration and for air conditioning. It can also be used directly to produce hot water and to produce space heating and if hot enough even for cooking.So, a combined heat and power system is possible.Combined Heat and Power | CHP System | CogenerationThese are 88% efficient. They generally use biogas or natural gas in conjunction with waste processing. However, they can be adapted to burn petrol. If so, they will produce 5 kW total power. This requires a heat input of 5.68 kW to produce and that translates to - 28% of 5.68 = 1.59 kW electrical and 60% of 5.68 = 3.41 kW of heating and cooling power. The system might also have a battery back up to provide 10 kW electrical peak that is recharged by a continuous 1.59 kW charging.This type system could provide all the heating cooling electricity and hot water for a typical home and consume 1 US gallon of petrol every 6.33 hours. 3.79 US gallons per day. That’s $11 per day at the current price.Natural gas costs $2.35 per mcf. Now 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas under normal pressure and temperature (STP) contains 1.125 GJ of thermal energy when burned. This is easy to calculate. All gases at STP contain their molecular weight in grams when you have 22.4 liters. The molecular weight of methane is 16. So, 22.4 liters of methane at STP contains 16 grams. 1,000 cubic feet times 16 grams divided by 22.4 liters - when you convert the units is 20.23 kg of methane. Now methane contains 55.6 MJ/kg so 20.23 kg of methane is 1.125 GJ. Divide this by 3.6 MJ/kWh to get 312 kWh of heat energy. At 5.68 kW of heat energy to run the 5 KW system above 312 kWh means $2.35 worth of natural gas powers the system for 55 hours! This is $1.02 per day with natural gas at $2.35 per mcf! A very efficient system. 9% the cost of petrol!COAL GAS ENGINES INTERNAL COMBUSTION FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATIONBack in the day people used to partially oxidize coal to produce town gas. This town gas could be used for cooking for gas lights and to run stationary internal combustion engines like the one shown above to generate electricity!Production of town gas and synthesis gas by pressure gasification of bituminous coal. [Thermodynamic conditions ad reaction kinetics for gasification of coal in a fixed bed at high pressure, and differences in process for gasification of coal dust at atm pressure and coal lumps under high pressure are discussed] (Journal Article) | OSTI.GOVCoal from the Powder River Basin is $12.30 per short ton. That’s $13.56 per metric ton. Now, using the coal conversion process described (which is the same process used to convert wood to gas that runs an internal combustion engine see video below) to run a combined heat and power system described above - releases 29.2 GJ of heat energy per metric ton. So, a metric ton of coal can run a CHP system like the one above for 59 days 12 hours on $13.56 worth of coal. This is less than $0.23 per day - one quarter the price of natural gas.10 tonnes of coal costs $123 plus delivery - and is quite compact - and in the CHP system above, will last 595 days. $75.50 per year.Now, 5.68 kW thermal energy can be provided by 4 kg of hydrogen gas per day produced from 36 liters or 9.51 gallons of water per day using sunlight. Hydrogen producing solar panels that produce 26 kg per square meter per year from sunlight and water in most locations. So, to produce clean burning hydrogen gas in North America to power the CHP generator requires 56.15 square meters or 604.4 square feet. 25 ft by 25 ft of panels produce hydrogen gas that is stored in a tank and supplied to the CHP generator above. Producing ZERO CO2 and requiring no purchases after the first installation.The system I’ve developed uses solar energy very efficiently by using ALL the light - breaking through the Shockley Quiessler LimitConcentrating sunlight reduces the cost of photovoltaics. So the next challenge is to produce a very low cost concentrator and tracking system.Then what is the best size? The end is a MEMS based device that’s 2 mm in diameter that sits in a 2 mm diameter solar image produced by a 200 mm diameter lens. This lens is a water filled cavity made of vacuum moulded PET sheets ultrasonically bonded together. The MEMS based device moves to track the sun. The device swims in the water that fills the cavity and forms the body of the lens. It also produces hydrogen and oxygen bubbles when illuminated.Two 60 micron sheets of PET film totalling 165.6 grams per square meter costs $0.083 per m2 for the solar collector. The multi-spectral multi-functional wafer costs $1650 for a 300 mm wafer. This is 15x the cost of a typical 300 mm wafer. Yet 17,671 of these devices are made for each wafer and the cost of each is $0.093 per 200 mm lens. 25 of these per square meter $2.33 per square meter. Ad this to $0.09 per square meter for the lens this is $2.42 per square meter. $135.89 for the system needed to power the 5 kW CHP generator. With a 10 year life span and a 6% discount rate this is $0.33 per year. $18.53 per year.Of course we would be very happy to supply power and heat for $75.50 per year (the price of coal). The cost (in quantity) of these CHP systems is $7,200 and they are serviced once a year at a cost of $290 per year. Payment on a 10 year note at 6% is $978.25 per year.$7200 CHP + $560 SOLAR = $7760 TOTALService $290/year Annual Service.

GST is one indirect tax for the whole nation, which will make India one unified common market.GST is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, right from the manufacturer to the consumer. Credits of input taxes paid at each stage will be available in the subsequent stage of value addition, which makes GST essentially a tax only on value addition at each stage. The final consumer will thus bear only the GST charged by the last dealer in the supply chain, with set-off benefits at all the previous stages.The benefits of GST can be summarized as under:For business and industryEasy compliance: A robust and comprehensive IT system would be the foundation of the GST regime in India. Therefore, all tax payer services such as registrations, returns, payments, etc. would be available to the taxpayers online, which would make compliance easy and transparent.Uniformity of tax rates and structures: GST will ensure that indirect tax rates and structures are common across the country, thereby increasing certainty and ease of doing business. In other words, GST would make doing business in the country tax neutral, irrespective of the choice of place of doing business.Removal of cascading: A system of seamless tax-credits throughout the value-chain, and across boundaries of States, would ensure that there is minimal cascading of taxes. This would reduce hidden costs of doing business.Improved competitiveness: Reduction in transaction costs of doing business would eventually lead to an improved competitiveness for the trade and industry.Gain to manufacturers and exporters: The subsuming of major Central and State taxes in GST, complete and comprehensive set-off of input goods and services and phasing out of Central Sales Tax (CST) would reduce the cost of locally manufactured goods and services. This will increase the competitiveness of Indian goods and services in the international market and give boost to Indian exports. The uniformity in tax rates and procedures across the country will also go a long way in reducing the compliance cost.For Central and State GovernmentsSimple and easy to administer: Multiple indirect taxes at the Central and State levels are being replaced by GST. Backed with a robust end-to-end IT system, GST would be simpler and easier to administer than all other indirect taxes of the Centre and State levied so far.Better controls on leakage: GST will result in better tax compliance due to a robust IT infrastructure. Due to the seamless transfer of input tax credit from one stage to another in the chain of value addition, there is an in-built mechanism in the design of GST that would incentivize tax compliance by traders.Higher revenue efficiency: GST is expected to decrease the cost of collection of tax revenues of the Government, and will therefore, lead to higher revenue efficiency.For the consumerSingle and transparent tax proportionate to the value of goods and services: Due to multiple indirect taxes being levied by the Centre and State, with incomplete or no input tax credits available at progressive stages of value addition, the cost of most goods and services in the country today are laden with many hidden taxes. Under GST, there would be only one tax from the manufacturer to the consumer, leading to transparency of taxes paid to the final consumerRelief in overall tax burden: Because of efficiency gains and prevention of leakages, the overall tax burden on most commodities will come down, which will benefit consumers.At the Central level, the following taxes are being subsumed:Central Excise Duty,Additional Excise Duty,Service Tax,Additional Customs Duty commonly known as Countervailing Duty, andSpecial Additional Duty of Customs.At the State level, the following taxes are being subsumed:Subsuming of State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax,Entertainment Tax (other than the tax levied by the local bodies), Central Sales Tax (levied by the Centre and collected by the States),Octroi and Entry tax,Purchase Tax,Luxury tax, andTaxes on lottery, betting and gambling.GST is being introduced in the country after a 13 year long journey since it was first discussed in the report of the Kelkar Task Force on indirect taxes. A brief chronology outlining the major milestones on the proposal for introduction of GST in India is as follows:In 2003, the Kelkar Task Force on indirect tax had suggested a comprehensive Goods and Services Tax (GST) based on VAT principle.A proposal to introduce a National level Goods and Services Tax (GST) by April 1, 2010 was first mooted in the Budget Speech for the financial year 2006-07.Since the proposal involved reform/ restructuring of not only indirect taxes levied by the Centre but also the States, the responsibility of preparing a Design and Road Map for the implementation of GST was assigned to the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers (EC).Based on inputs from Govt of India and States, the EC released its First Discussion Paper on Goods and Services Tax in India in November, 2009.In order to take the GST related work further, a Joint Working Group consisting of officers from Central as well as State Government was constituted in September, 2009.In order to amend the Constitution to enable introduction of GST, the Constitution (115th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2011. As per the prescribed procedure, the Bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Finance of the Parliament for examination and report.Meanwhile, in pursuance of the decision taken in a meeting between the Union Finance Minister and the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on 8th November, 2012, a ‘Committee on GST Design’, consisting of the officials of the Government of India, State Governments and the Empowered Committee was constituted.Keeping in mind the federal structure of India, there will be two components of GST – Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST). Both Centre and States will simultaneously levy GST across the value chain. Tax will be levied on every supply of goods and services. Centre would levy and collect Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), and States would levy and collect the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) on all transactions within a State. The input tax credit of CGST would be available for discharging the CGST liability on the output at each stage. Similarly, the credit of SGST paid on inputs would be allowed for paying the SGST on output. No cross utilization of credit would be permitted.The Central GST and the State GST would be levied simultaneously on every transaction of supply of goods and services except on exempted goods and services, goods which are outside the purview of GST and the transactions which are below the prescribed threshold limits. Further, both would be levied on the same price or value unlike State VAT which is levied on the value of the goods inclusive of Central Excise.Cross utilization of credit of CGST between goods and services would be allowed. Similarly, the facility of cross utilization of credit will be available in case of SGST. However, the cross utilization of CGST and SGST would not be allowed except in the case of inter-State supply of goods and services under the IGST modeln case of inter-State transactions, the Centre would levy and collect the Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) on all inter-State supplies of goods and services under Article 269A (1) of the Constitution. The IGST would roughly be equal to CGST plus SGST. The IGST mechanism has been designed to ensure seamless flow of input tax credit from one State to another. The inter-State seller would pay IGST on the sale of his goods to the Central Government after adjusting credit of IGST, CGST and SGST on his purchases (in that order). The exporting State will transfer to the Centre the credit of SGST used in payment of IGST. The importing dealer will claim credit of IGST while discharging his output tax liability (both CGST and SGST) in his own State. The Centre will transfer to the importing State the credit of IGST used in payment of SGST.Since GST is a destination-based tax, all SGST on the final product will ordinarily accrue to the consuming State.For the implementation of GST in the country, the Central and State Governments have jointly registered Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) as a not-for-profit, non-Government Company to provide shared IT infrastructure and services to Central and State Governments, tax payers and other stakeholders. The key objectives of GSTN are to provide a standard and uniform interface to the taxpayers, and shared infrastructure and services to Central and State/UT governments.GSTN is working on developing a state-of-the-art comprehensive IT infrastructure including the common GST portal providing frontend services of registration, returns and payments to all taxpayers, as well as the backend IT modules for certain States that include processing of returns, registrations, audits, assessments, appeals, etc. All States, accounting authorities, RBI and banks, are also preparing their IT infrastructure for the administration of GST.There would no manual filing of returns. All taxes can also be paid online. All mis-matched returns would be auto-generated, and there would be no need for manual interventions. Most returns would be self-assessed.:The Additional Duty of Excise or CVD and the Special Additional Duty or SAD presently being levied on imports will be subsumed under GST. As per explanation to clause (1) of article 269A of the Constitution, IGST will be levied on all imports into the territory of India. Unlike in the present regime, the States where imported goods are consumed will now gain their share from this IGST paid on imported goods.The salient features of the GST Bill are-Conferring simultaneous power upon Parliament and the State Legislatures to make laws governing goods and services tax;Subsuming of various Central indirect taxes and levies such as Central Excise Duty, Additional Excise Duties, Service Tax, Additional Customs Duty commonly known as Countervailing Duty, and Special Additional Duty of Customs;Subsuming of State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax, Entertainment Tax (other than the tax levied by the local bodies), Central Sales Tax (levied by the Centre and collected by the States), Octroi and Entry tax, Purchase Tax, Luxury tax, and Taxes on lottery, betting and gambling;Dispensing with the concept of ‘declared goods of special importance’ under the Constitution;Levy of Integrated Goods and Services Tax on inter-State transactions of goods and services;GST to be levied on all goods and services, except alcoholic liquor for human consumption. Petroleum and petroleum products shall be subject to the levy of GST on a later date notified on the recommendation of the Goods and Services Tax Council;Compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the Goods and Services Tax for a period of five years;Creation of Goods and Services Tax Council to examine issues relating to goods and services tax and make recommendations to the Union and the States on parameters like rates, taxes, cesses and surcharges to be subsumed, exemption list and threshold limits, Model GST laws, etc. The Council shall function under the Chairmanship of the Union Finance Minister and will have all the State Governments as Members.The major features of the proposed returns filing procedures under GST are as follows:Common return would serve the purpose of both Centre and State Government.There are eight forms provided for in the GST business processes for filing for returns. Most of the average tax payers would be using only four forms for filing their returns. These are return for supplies, return for purchases, monthly returns and annual return.Small taxpayers: Small taxpayers who have opted composition scheme shall have to file return on quarterly basis.Filing of returns shall be completely online. All taxes can also be paid online.The biggest tax reform is on its way and very soon Goods and Services Tax will be the part of Indian Economy. A new and unified tax structure will be followed for indirect taxation on the place of various existing tax laws like Excise duty, Service Tax, VAT, CST etc. and for sure the new tax regime will eliminate the cascading effect of tax on transaction of products and services, and it will result in availability of product and services to consumers at lower price. It is expected that it will be helpful in increasing production and the purchasing power of the buyer which may increase the GDP by 1% to 3 %.GST Positive Impact of GDPThere will be one tax rate for all which will create a unified market in terms of tax implementation and the transaction of goods and services will be seamless across the states.The same will reduce the cost of transaction. In a survey, it was found that 10-11 types of taxes levied on the road transport businesses. So the GST will be helpful to reduce transportation cost by eliminating other taxes.After GST implementation the export of goods and services will become competitive because of nill effect of cascading effect of taxes on goods and products. In a research done by NCAER it was suggested that GST would be the key revolution in Indian Economy and it could increase the GDP by 0.9 to 1.7 percent.GST will be more transparent in comparison to the existing law provision so it will generate more revenue to the Government and will be more effective in reducing corruption at the same time. Overall GST will improve the tax Compliances.In a report issued by the Finance Ministry, it was mentioned that Make In India programme will be more benefited by the GST structure due to the availability of input tax credit on capital goods.As the GST will subsume all other taxes, the exemption available for manufacturers in regards of excise duty will be taken off which will be an addition to Government revenue and it could result in an increase in GDP.The GST regime has although a very powerful impact on many things including the GDP also. The Gross Domestic Product has the tendency to loom on the shoulders of revenue generated by the economy in a year. Still, a worthwhile point includes that the GST has the capability to extended the GDP by a total of 2 percent in order to complete the ultimate goal of increasing the per-capita income of every individual. Also, the GST scheme will certainly improve the indirect revenues to the government as the tax compliance will be further enhanced and rigid, extending the tax paying base which will add to the revenue. The increased income of the government will redirected towards the developmental projects and urban financing creating an overall implied scenario.GST Negative Impact on GDPAs the GST rates are 5%, 12%, 18% and 28% and if the GST rate on service will be finalized at 5% or 12% then cost of services will get reduced while in else case if the rate will be 18% or 28% on services then services will become costlier and it will lead to inflation for a short period.In a report, DBS bank noted that initially GST will lead to rise in inflation rate which will remain for a year but after that GST will affect positively on the economy.As we know Real Estate also plays an important role in Indian economy but some expert thinks that GST will impact the Real Estate business negatively as it will add up the additional 8 to 10 percent to the cost and reduce the demand about 12 percent.GST will applicable in the form of IGST, CGST AND SGST on the Center and State Government, but some economists say that there is nothing new in the form of GST although these are the new names of Central Excise, VAT, CST and Service Tax etc.As every coin has two faces in the same way we tried here to familiarize the things related to GST with both perspective i.e. positively and negatively in this article. Despite having some factor which is being expected to affect the Economy adversely there are so many other things which are expected with a positive impact on GDP.

Key Features of Whistle Blower’s Amendment Bill 2016Salient features of the Whistle Blower’s Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, were deliberated upon in a written reply to a question by Ashok Shankarrao Chavan in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.Minister of State Dr Jitender Singh enlisted the following features of the Whistle Blower’s Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015:1. Modelled on the provisions of Section 8(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, amendments to Section 4 of the earlier Whistle Blower’s Protection Act, 2014, prohibit disclosures prejudicially affecting the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, or lead to incitement to an offence, etc.2. Amendment to Section 5 provides that the Competent Authority shall not inquire into any public interest disclosure which involves information of the nature specified in the amended Section 4.3. As per the amended provisions in Section 8, no person shall be required to furnish any information or answer any question or produce any document or render any other assistance in an inquiry under this Act, if the same is likely to result in the disclosure of any information of the nature specified in the amended Section 4.The government introduced amendments to the Whistle Blower’s Protection Act, 2014, and tabled the Whistle Blower’s Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, in the Lok Sabha on 11-05-2015, which was passed on 13-05-2015. The Bill is presently pending in the Rajya Sabha_______________________________In its bid to undo and outdo everything that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government did between 2004 and 2014, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government has proposed to amend the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2011 (WBP Act) in the Lok Sabha.Parliament enacted the WBP Act in February 2014 and it was gazetted later in May.This Government has not implemented this law which aims to create a statutory mechanism for whistleblowing about corruption, abuse or misuse of power or authority or discretion to cause undue loss to the public exchequer or undue gain to a third party or any offence recognised under any law.While debating the Bill in the Rajya Sabha in February 2014, the UPA Government had promised to introduce tighter restrictions on whistleblowing if it relates to matters of national security.The NDA Government has now proposed to make amendments which will ensure that the law will continue to remain stillborn as it has for three year now. A preliminary analysis of the proposed amendments is given below.A snapshot view of the proposed amendments that will dilute the WBP Act:(1) Section 4(1) is to be amended to place unreasonable restrictions on whistleblowing:The substantive provision that permits whistleblowing about wrongdoing in a public authority is diluted in the following ways:(a) Under the original Act a whistleblower was immunised from prosecution under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (OSA) for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing in government. The Amendment Bill seeks to take away this immunity- so in theory, no officer or RTI user may come forward to blow the whistle for fear of prosecution under the OSA. This amendment trashes the principle of ‘safe alternative to silence’ which should underpin all whistleblower protection laws.(b) A whistleblower is prohibited from making a complaint about wrongdoing if the information is covered by 10 categories listed in Clause 4.These 10 categories are copy pasted from Section 8(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) by the Government’s own admission in the Statement of Objects and Reasons attached to the Bill.So now apart from national security which was the major reason why UPA Government wanted to amend this law, a whistleblower will be prevented from making a complaint on all grounds under which information can be refused under the RTI Act- includingo privacy,o trade secrets,o foreign relations,o fiduciary relationship etc.In other words, unless the whistleblower is able to prove that he/she obtained his evidence of wrongdoing under the RTI Act, he/she can be punished for attaching such records to his whistleblower complaint (a mandatory requirement for the competent authority to take a whistleblower complaint seriously)- so no officer or RTI user will come forward to blow the whistle on wrongdoing unless he obtains the information after the concerned Information Commission orders its disclosure in public interest under Section 8(2) of the RTI Act.In some States like Madhya Pradesh this process could take a few decades, due to the huge pendency of appeals and complaints before the State Information Commission. Even before other Information Commissions there is no certainty that such information will be disclosed under Section 8(2) of the RTI Act.As the proposed amendments do not contain any other mechanism for inquiring into complaints belonging to this category, it appears that the Government is willing to throw them all into the dustbin. This is a blatant negation of the twin principles of ‘rule of law’ and accountable governance that underpin our constitutional democracy.(2) Section 5 is to be amended to prevent the Competent Authority from inquiring into whistleblower complaints relating to matters specified in the newly proposed Section 4(1):Once a Competent Authority such as the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) receives a whistleblower complaint from any person relating to any category mentioned in the new Section 4(1), it is required to refer the matter to an designated authority in the concerned public authority to obtain a clearance to inquire into the matter. If the designated authority certifies that such matter falls under any category in the new Section 4(1), the CVC will not inquire further into that matter and such certificate will be the final decision in that case.Further, the proposed amendment does not stipulate a time limit within which clearance should be given by the designated authority. So such whistleblower complaints may simply gather dust if the designated officers want to stall the inquiry process endlessly.This proposed amendment creates further absurdities.For example, the Prime Minister is the ‘competent authority’ to launch an inquiry into a whistleblower complaint against his/her Ministers.Similarly the Chief Ministers in the States are the ‘competent authorities’ to inquire into whistleblower complaints against their Ministers.The procedure for inquiry described in the WBP Act is common to all competent authorities.If the new amendments are approved by Parliament, then the PM and the CMs will have to seek clearance from the designated authority of the department/ organization before inquiring into whistleblower complaints relating to matters falling under the new Section 4(1).So even an Under Secretary grade officer, if appointed as the designated authority, can in theory, prevent the PM or the CM from ordering an inquiry into a whistleblower complaint if he/she certifies that the matter relates to ‘national security’.This is the ridiculous implication of the amendment that the Government has proposed to the WBP Act.(3) Section 6 is to be amended to prevent any person from even giving evidence or rendering any kind of assistance to the competent authorities if the matter falls within the new Section 4(1):In order to round off the plan of inaction in relation to a whistleblower complaint about any matter falling under the new Section 4(1), every person is barred from providing any kind of assistance including giving evidence or disclosing official records if the subject matter of the complaint falls under any of the categories proposed under the new Section 4(1). The competent authorities will have no option but to drop such whistleblower complaints.Nothing in the WBP Amendment Bill indicates why the new Section 4(1) is being introduced to curtail whistleblowing in such a wide spectrum of public activity. I effect the amendments amount to a negation of India’s national motto:SATYAMEVA JAYATE (meaning – “truth alone shall triumph” – from the Mundaka Upanishad).सत्यमेव जयते नानृतम्That hoary statement has a corollary- “NA ANRTAM” meaning- “and not falsehood or the unrighteous”.If enacted by parliament in this form the amendments may actually end up supporting the triumph of corruption and falsehood over the truth.The NDA Government cannot afford to be seen as negating the fundamental value recognised by the nation: ‘the truth’.Other major lapses in the proposed amendments(1) Last year, the Government provided for a mechanism for inquiring into whistleblower complaints internally through the mechanism of the Chief Vigilance Officers. This system is not provided for in the WBP Amendment Bill. So with the repeal of the Whistleblower Policy Resolution (PIDPIR, 2004), that internal mechanism will be lost.(2) In the matter of the Indirect Tax Practitioners Association vs R K Jain [(2010) 8SCC 281] the Supreme Court of India recognised whistleblwoing to the media as a legitimate exercise if all other available options proved to be useless or uninterested. The proposed amendments do not legitimise whistleblowing to the media. In fact journalists will continue to be prosecuted under OSA for blowing the whistle on wrongdoing with no protection under the WBP Act.(3) In the matter of Centre for PIL & Ors vs. Union of India & Ors. (also known as the CBI diarygate scandal) in November 2014, the Supreme Court recognised anonymous whistleblowing. The proposed amendments do not permit anonymous whistleblowing. The original provision requiring the whistleblower to disclose his/her identity to the competent authority remains. The only saving grace is that the whistleblower’s identity will not be revealed to anybody without his or her written consent.All righteous minded citizens who share a vision of a corruption-free India must demand that this amendment Bill be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice for detailed deliberation so that citizens may provide inputs to the MPs as to why the major amendments will defeat the very purpose of the WBP Act.Minor amendments to correct drafting errors in the original Act:(1) Section 2: The words “armed forces of the Union” are to be omitted – no substantial dilution of the original Act. But in the original Act, the Special Protection Group (SPG) which guards the present and past incumbents of the office of the Prime Minister and their families was excluded from the Act for the purpose of whistleblowing about any wrongdoing. The Amendment Bill makes no change in this insulation of the SPG. So in theory, if the SPG witnesses a PM or his/her family member accepting a bribe or committing any offence or abusing or misusing power or discretion, they will have to follow a revised version of Gandhiji’s 3 monkeys- “hear not, speak not, and forget that you saw anything wrong”.(2) Section 3: The name of the old law- Companies Act, 1956 is to be replaced by its successor- Companies Act, 2013 – no dilution of the original Act.(3) Section 3(ii)(d) : The word ‘complaint’ in the original Act is to be replaced with the word ‘disclosure” – no dilution of the original Act.(4) Section 14: The language of this provision in the original Act is being tightened to ensure that the competent authority issues specific orders to stop any corrupt practice while inquiring into a whistleblower complaint.(5) Section 18(2): The language of this in the original Act is being tightened to differentiate it from Section 14(1) which relates to punishing the Head of the department for conniving or consenting to the corrupt practice. Section 14(2) is for punishing other officers in the department for conniving with or consenting to corrupt practices about which a whistleblower complaint has been found to be true.(6) Section 20: The language of Section 20 is being tightened to apply only to such orders of penalty as may be imposed by the competent authorities under Section 16. In the original Act the provision included a reference to Sections 14 and 16 under which the competent authorities had no power to impose any penalty.(7) Section 23: A couple of minor typographical errors relating to the preparation and the tabling of Annual Reports by the competent authorities is being corrected – no dilution of the original Act.(8) Section 31: A minor correction relating to the syntax is being made in the original provision – no dilution of the original Act.