Is it me or the MANI ?

After reading this blog, please decide whether it is me who is dumb or is it MANI

MANI is an App launched a couple of days back by RBI [  rbimani@rbi.org.in ],

and stands for “ Mobile Assisted Note Identifier “

I was overjoyed, having suggested such an App in my following blog ( emailed to RBI ) :

Currency Notes for Visually impaired ?                       [ 10 June 2018 ],

-      where I wrote :

  SECURITY  THREAD :

   The  metallic SECURITY THREAD in the Currency Notes can be made to store the

   unique SERIAL NUMBER of each currency note , and a simple Smart Phone can read

   that number and transmit that data to any government agency ( IT / ED / CVC etc )

   This will be coupled with a Mobile App which will   SPEAK ALOUD  the denomination of

   a note held near the currency note, using NFC / BLUE TOOTH

   [ Exact working of the technology involved, is explained in detail in my blog ]

=======================================================

This morning, I tried to download MANI on my smart phone

With my eyes open, I had to :

Ø  Locate the icon for Google play Store

Ø  In search bar, type “ MANI RBI “

Ø  See the image of MANI

Ø  Click on that image

Ø  Next see button “ Install “ and click on it

Ø  Read ( or listen ) a long “ Installation Instructions “ and see following options – and choose one :

#  Manual ( comprising “Instructions / Scan Currency / History / Settings / Help )

#  Select language ( English / Hindi ) – using “ Voice Command “, if option chosen

#  Select Impairment ( Visually Impaired / Visually and Hearing Impaired / None of

     the above ), using  “ Voice Command  “ if option chosen

Ø  Next , I search the “ Settings “ icon on my phone, search the “ Talk Back “ option and enable it by double clicking “ On “ ( not sure if all smartphones have “Talk Back “feature inbuilt )

Ø  Only now , I can hear MANI speak aloud the denomination of the currency note , if properly held 6 / 7 inches away from the screen of the mobile phone

After going through this entire process ( with a few false steps and going back and forth ), I managed to get MANI to read the denomination values ( - notwithstanding a few errors )

But I have two , reasonably good EYES , which a blind person lacks

How does RBI expect a blind person to NAVIGATE this lengthy installation process ?

I wonder if RBI got some actually blind persons to do BETA TESTING of the app , before launch !  No mention of any such TESTS / TRIALS on Google Store

 !

Now , let us assume that a “ Seeing “ friend helps out by downloading / installing MANI on a blind person’s smartphone

But how will that blind person locate the icon for MANI on his phone’s screen ?  He cannot “ feel “ that icon , since phone does not carry Braille !

MY SUGGESTION for the DESIRED PROCESS :

Ø  Blind person pulls out a currency note from his pocket and lays it flat on the screen of his smartphone

Ø  Phone speaks aloud : “ This is a Rs One Hundred note / Yeh note sau rupiya ka hai “

That is not all !

If that note is a FAKE note, phone will speak aloud :“ This is a fake note / Jutthha note hai “

No searching for MANI on Google Store . No need for installation / activation  .  No need for any help from a friend

 Dear Shri Thaawarchand Gehlotji ,

[ Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment ]

[ officesjem@gmail.com/ tc.gehlot@sansad.nic.in ],

Although not a rocket science, implementation of my suggestion may require requesting :

Ø  Sundar Pichai ( Google ) to modify Android Operating System

Ø  Tim Cook ( Apple ) to modify IoS

Ø  Pranav Mistry ( Samsung STAR Lab )for similar modification to Samsung OS

Ø  Following Indian StartUps for development of necessary software :

#  Beerud Sheth [ GupShup  /  +1-855-982-2997   /  beerud@gupshup.io  ]

#  Ankit Ratan    [ Signzy  / ankit@signzy.com / arpit@signzy.com  ]

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

=======================================================

Related Readings :

 RBI : how about an audible note ?                                              [ 23 mar 2019 ]

 

Technology  >

 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-many-gigs-are-you-wearing/

 

Innovator  >

 https://homes.cs.washington.edu/~gshyam/

 

A Beerud named BHIM ?                                                               [ 17 April 2017 ]

 

 

Copy to :

Shri. Nachiketa Rout , Director

National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with  Visual Disabilities

director@nivh.org.in

Unending Caravan of Data-Bases ?

Looking at the following news report appearing in today’s Economic Times , it would appear so !

National database of workers in informal sector in the works  

Extract :

Ø  As part of this survey, informal sector workers would be asked about their ,

( A )   Occupation,

   ( B )   Monthly incomes,

   ( C )   Days of employment,

     and their profiles would be seeded with Aadhaar to deliver the benefits

Ø  The survey is expected to yield crucial employment data on the informal sector, filling a vital gap in India’s statistics

Ø  The National Statistical Commission will be roped in to compile data on the,

      #   Size,

      #   Distribution,

      #   Economic contribution

     of these un-organised workers to the national output

Ø  The exercise will start soon and take at least a year to complete.

Ø  A senior government official told ET that one of the top priorities of the labour ministry, after the codification of labour laws, would be to create a database of unorganised workers using the Aadhaar number

Ø  “This would help to directly transfer benefits for this class of workers as and when we come up with any scheme for them,” the official added.

Ø  The labour ministry had earlier conceptualised and test-piloted the Unorganised Worker Index Number Card for unorganised workers.

     However, it now feels that issuing a unique number would only add to the confusions

     and will instead use Aadhaar.

======================================================

MY GUESS :

Ø  This proposal has potential to create controversy ( no issue , happens all the time ! )

Ø  Opposition Parties and Labor Unions will cry “ foul “ ! ( of course, to get noticed )

Ø  Being manual process, it will need millions of surveyors, take 5 year to complete and cost Rs 5000 cr !

What will be the process to determine whether a person walking on the road belongs to the “ Organized Sector “ or the “ Unorganized Sector “ ? Ask 450 million persons ?

Ø  By the time those statistics get manually compiled and published, data will be OBSOLETE !

Ø  Like census, if manual , this exercise would need to be REPEATED , every 5 years !

Ø  In absence of well-defined / well-publicized , proposed DIRECT BENEFITS to the respondents, there might be resistance to survey / even temptation to furnish wrong data, in the hope of getting “ qualified “ for some imagined DIRECT BENEFIT !

=========================================================

MY SUGGESTIONS :

Ø  This survey must be made AUTOMATIC / CONTINUOUS / DYNAMIC , needing no human surveyors, and with data being aggregated 24x7, into the a server of the Labour Mnistry

Ø  It should be  MOBILE APP  based , as detailed in  From BAD to MAD   , but with additional feature of GPS based tracking of persons working in the field, away from office / factory / establishment , as recently implemented by Punjab Mandi Board

          [ source :   MAD goes to Mandi    /    02 Jan 2020   ]

 

Ø  It should start with our 65 million MSME which employ 125 million Unorganized workers – then extended to Self Employed persons

Ø  To motivate those 65 million MSME to participate , they must be offered INCENTIVES described in my following blog ( earlier sent as email to Cabinet Ministers ) :

          Organizing the Unorganized             [ 04 Feb 2019 ]

 

Ø  My blog also suggests the ROLES to be played   by :

          #    Ministry of Labour

          #    Ministry of Electronics and IT

          #    Ministry of MSME

          #    Ministry of Skills Development

          #    Ministry of Commerce

        

========================================================

ADVANTAGES  of  MY  SUGGESTION :

( source :  From BAD to MAD    /    01 June 2016 )

 

#   For employees , no need to file a separate annual Income Tax Return

#   Direct deposit of PF / TDS amounts into bank accounts of Govt Depts

#   Direct Benefit Transfer ( DBT ) to every Employer for Stipend Subsidy ,

     based on number of total trainees / apprentices employed

#   Total number of employees in India ( category / region / industry )

      [ A ] Occupation

    (  No more disputes re Jobs Generated each month ! )

#   Employment Density ( Industry wise / Region wise / Skill wise etc )

#   Net Employment Growth Rate ( weekly - monthly / Industry-wise )

#   Co-relation with no of persons graduating at various levels

#   Data about those Unemployed ( " Graduating " less " Employed " )

#   Overtime Statistics ( Use / Abuse )

#   Work-hour Analysis ( Ave hours / week - month )

      [ C / Days of Employment ]

#   Wage / Salary Rates ( Rs per hour ) - Industry wise / Region wise

     ( of great interest to Foreign Investors looking to bring down

       manufacturing costs , by outsourcing to India / manufacturing in India )

#   Compliance with labour laws / tax laws / Apprentice Act etc

#   Job Market Forecasts through BIG DATA ANALYTIC ( region / industry )

#   Demographic  Profiles of employees  ( Rural to Urban migration )

#   Per Capita Income Growth for persons using MAD app( MOM / YOY )

     [ B / Monthly Income ]

#   Changing composition between Blue Collar and White Collar employees

=================================================

I urge our Minister for Labour, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwarji ,

molegangwar@yahoo.com  /  santosh.gangwar.bareilly@gmail.com ,

to consider my suggestion

==============================================================================

20  Jan  2020

hcp@RecruitGuru.com

   

Unprecedented Opportunity Seized !

On 11 April 2019 , I sent following blog / email to our Policy Makers ( - including Registrar General of Census ) ,

Census 2021 : an Unprecedented Opportunity ,

-          Where I suggested ,

“    In Census Form , add following optional fields :

·          Aadhar ID

·          PAN

·          Mobile Phone Number

·          E Mail ID– to be treated as “ User ID “ for accessing own data for EDIT purpose

·          Password – for EDITING own data, online , at any time

·          Voter ID

#     Once the enumerators have uploaded all 2021 Census data in Online Database,

       enable each Registered person to Update / Edit , his / her data , by logging in

       

#     Personal Data may be updated as follows :

·          Once a year ( Mandatory ) – some service deprived if he / she does not update

·          As often as personal data changes

-----------------------------------------------

Then on 28 Dec 2019 , I sent following mail  :

“ Census / NPR , would cost the country, Rs 12,000 crore ( once every 10 years ? )

  That is Rs 1,200 crore PER YEAR

  If my following suggestion gets implemented , we could save that recurring cost of Rs

  1200 crore

  But, that saving is PEANUTS compared to the potential benefits of a DYNAMIC /

   PERPETUALLY ONGOING / AUTOMATIC , updating of population data ( 24x7 ) , by

   implementing my suggestion !

   I urge Shri Amit Shah [ Home Minister ] to ask his officers to examine my suggestion:

   A Case of Mistaken Identity ?   “


===============================

I am glad that the Registrar General of Census has seized this opportunity to implement my suggestion

Context :

Non-BJP states object to methodology of NPR 

Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Jan 18, 2020

\

Extract :

Ø  Home secretary Ajay Bhalla [ hshso@nic.in ] ,

     told the state representatives that individuals need not declare their Aadhaar, passport

    or driving license when NPR is updated,

Ø  A second senior officer said for the first time ever, India is planning to introduce “self-enumeration” that will allow individuals to register their personal details online  for Census 2021

Ø  The Registrar General of India ( RGI / Rgi.rgi@nic.in ) has told states that the Centre is planning to allow “self-enumeration” through an online procedure for the population enumeration phase – the second phase of the census, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Ø  “Self-enumeration has been cleared by the Centre and initial meetings have been held at the State-Level Census Coordination Committees,” the official said.

Ø  The RGI is developing an online application protected through a one-time password that allows individuals to log on the Census website and fill in their details, a third official said. Self-enumeration will not, however, do away with the enumerator.

=========================================================

=========================================================

Dear Shri Amitbhai Shah,

In spite of the fact that the CAA – NPR – NRC , are not intended for taking away anyone’s citizenship, opposition parties seem to have succeeded in confusing the citizen

To remove this misunderstanding from the minds of people, I urge you once again to complete and publish the COMPARATIVE TABULATION of these 3 processes, as per my following earlier email :

Confused about CENSUS - NPR - NRC ?  [  24  Dec  2019  ]

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

=====================================================================================

18  Jan  2020

hcp@RecruitGuru.com