Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Monday 28 March 2022

Surveillance : make it a “ Compromise Issue “ ?

 


 

Context :

Supreme Court Pegasus panel invites public views on legal measures on surveillance and Privacy Invasion

(  ET  -  25 March 2022 )

Extract :

Ø  The panel has sought public response on :

 

      #   Enactment or amendment to existing laws and procedures surrounding


           surveillance,

 

      #   Ensuring prevention of invasion of citizen’s right to privacy,

 

      #   Establishing a mechanism to raise grievances on suspicion of illegal

           surveillance etc  

 

MY  TAKE :

 

Pegasus Panel Members :

Justice Raveendran

Shri Alok Joshi

 

Dr Sundeep Oberoi

Dr Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, Professor (Cyber Security and Digital Forensics)

Dr Prabaharan P., Professor (School of Engineering), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham 

Dr Ashwin Anil Gumaste, Institute Chair, Associate Professor – IIT Bombay

 

Dear Friends ( Panel Members ) :

I urge you to consider my following suggestion in this matter

 

Who watches the Watchmen ? ………………………….[ 12 Jan 2019 ]

 

Extract :

 

In my view, a compromise solution is possible , which :

 

 

#   Does NOT require those intelligence agencies to take any PRIOR

     PERMISSION of the individual concerned

 

 #   At the same time, ensures that there is  “ NO  MISUSE “ by those intelligence

      agencies

 

  

Here is how :

 

In my proposed portal (  www.IndiaDataCustodian.gov.in  ), provide following sections :

 

{ for understanding the working of this proposed portal , read :

       Only Answer : a Statutory Warning  [  10 Nov  2018  ]   }

  

    #   SURVEILLANCE   REQUEST   SECTION

 

         Any agency wanting to conduct surveillance of online / offline activities of

         an Indian Citizen , shall submit its’  requirement in this section

     

 

        This shall contain details such as :

  

·         Name of the agency

 

     What activity of the citizen is proposed to be surveyed and for how long

  

      [  Multiple selection from the following  ] :

 

#   Visits and postings on Social Media web sites

 

#   Visits and searches on E Commerce web sites

 

#   Searches on Search Engines  /  All digital traffic ( including thru Alexa / Google

     Home type devices )

 

#   Messages sent / received on Messaging Apps /  E Mail services

 

#   Records of Digital Payment Transactions on Banking / FinTech Network

 

#   Audio logs from Landline and Mobile Service Providers for telephonic talks…etc

 

 

Agency will also need to specify the PURPOSE of the proposed surveillance , by

 selecting one or more of the following suspected reasons ( list is not

 comprehensive ) :

 

 ·         Tax Evasion  /  Money Laundering

 

 ·         Criminal Activity  /   Militancy

 

 ·         Fraud  /  Breach of Trust

 

 ·         Anti-National Activity  /  Sedition  /  Treason

 

 ·         Fake News / Pornographic content posting

 

 ·         Speeches / articles likely to create enmity among people

 

  

Such a request shall need Online Authorization of , all of the following officers :

  

#   Chief of Agency concerned

 

#   Secretary ( Cyber Security ) – Ministry of Information Technology

 

#   Data Protection Regulator

 

 

As soon as such a request is “ Approved / Authorised “ , an email ALERT will go

 out automatically ( without any human intervention ) to the citizen concerned

 that she is “ under surveillance “ .

 

 This will ensure that there is NO SECRET surveillance !

  

Copies of this E Mail ALERT will also get sent to all other Intelligence Agencies for

 a coordinated effort and for avoiding duplication

  

 

  #     SURVEILLANCE  HISTORY  SECTION

 

          At any time of his choice , concerned citizen can login at this section

          and see WHICH Agency surveyed her and for how long

 

           

  #       But the citizen concerned will NOT be able to see following entries by the

           Agency :

 

 

           #   What was the PURPOSE / REASON for the surveillance

 

          #  WHAT DATA  got collected

  

          #  FINDINGS  and proposed  COURSE of ACTION , if any

 

 

This part will be visible to all other Intelligence Agencies , who will have facility

 to add their own information / data about the concerned citizen which is in their

 possession , in order to compile a COMPREHENSIVE  DOSSIER about that citizen .

 

 

However, these other Agencies will NOT be able to EDIT any ENTRIES / FINDINGS of any other agencies

  

Although these ENTRIES are NOT accessible to the concerned citizen in a normal

 course , the same shall be made available to her in case any government agency

 relies upon these during a Court Case against that citizen , arising from such

 surveillance

  

My proposal,

  

#  Gives a free hand to the Agencies to proceed with their investigations, without

    needing  PRIOR PERMISSION,

 

  And

 

 #  Ensure total TRANSPARENCY of their surveillance activities to the persons

     being investigated

 

     

This will assure the ordinary citizens (– and also “ vulnerable “ citizens such as

 politicians belonging to opposition parties ? )– that they are not being snooped

 upon secretly !

 

 

 

RELATED READINGS :

Virtual Reality ( VR ) Arrival : Privacy Departure ? …………………………[ 20 June 2021 ]

Balancing : National Security vs Personal Privacy………………………….. [ 19 July 2021 ]

Pegasus : Give it to a Surgeon………………………………………………………… [ 20 July 2021 ]

Industry wants Central Portal for Law Enforcement Agencies…………[ 21 July 2021 ]

Will mother Medusa replace son Pegasus ? …………………………………….[ 29 July 2021 ]

Surveillance Procedure / V 2.0……………………………………………………….. [ 31 Aug 2021 ]

Phone tapping is Passé : Make Way for Face-tapping …………………….[ 06 Sept 2021 ]

Dear Supreme : How about asking Pegasus to file an Affidavit ?.....[ 15 Sept 2021 ]

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

Pegasus Committee : Terms of Reference ……………………………………….[ 26 Sept 2021 ]

Extract :

Ø  By no means, the above is a comprehensive list

Ø  I urge you to include in those “ terms of reference “, the following :

          #  In light of your findings, do you see the need to modify / amend, not

              only the current law ( governing such surveillance of citizen )

               but also the rules / procedures / processes etc ,governing such

               snooping ?

              

         #    While preparing your recommendations, you may kindly examine

               whether your recommendations will stand the test of time, in light of

               the rapidly changing SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY , as

             illustrated below :

             

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

Supremely Satisfactory ………………………………………………..[ 27 Oct 2021 ]

Extract :

Supreme Court, in its order says :

 

“ The committee shall have the powerto take the statements of any person in connection with the inquiry “

 

Please treat this as my “ Statement

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

 

 with regards,

hemen parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  29 March 2021

 

CC :

#  National Forensic Sciences University’s dean Naveen Kumar Chaudhary

      [ naveen.chaudhary@nfsu.ac.in ]

 

#  Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s professor Prabaharan P

            pp_amritha@cb.amrita.edu ]

 

#   IIT-Bombay professor Ashwin Anil Gumaste

            [ ashwing@iitb.ac.in ]

 

# Sundeep Oberoi / sundeep.oberoi@yahoo.com

 

# Alok Joshi / alok@gmail.com /  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday 27 March 2022

Origin of ONDC ?

 


 

Did the original ( albeit approximate ), “ Conceptual Framework “ of ONDC take shape 22 years ago ?


Answer lies in comparing :


Ø  Following news report

Ø  Agreement signed between SKCL and 3P Consultants on 13 April 2000


LEGEND :

Ø  SKCL        (   S Kumars.com Ltd  )  =   ONDC ( Promoted by DPIIT )

Ø  3P            (   3P Consultants       )  =   Content Provider

Ø  Franchisee                                    =   CSC Grameen eStores

 

[ A ]

News Report :

CSC invests in ONDC to promote e-commerce and logistics in rural India  /  ET  /  23 March 2022

 

 

Extract :

 

Ø  Common Services Centers under the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), on Tuesday said it has invested in the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) to promote e-commerce and logistics in rural areas.

 

Ø  “It is for the first time that CSC has invested in an initiative like this. ONDC will democratise digital commerce by moving to an open network. With the CSC Grameen eStore being integrated with ONDC, companies can look towards reaching out to the rural market through the network of over 3 lakh Grameen eStores across the country. The partnership will also generate employment opportunities for rural youth by enabling a last mile logistics network,” Dinesh Tyagi, MD, CSC SPV, said in a statement. ( dinesh.tyagi@cscegovindia.com )

 

Ø  Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is based on open protocol. It will enable buyers and sellers across segments, such as mobility, grocery, food order and delivery, hotel booking and travel, to be visible and transact. The platform aims to create new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises and small traders by helping them get on online platforms.



[ B ]

 

Extract from Agreement between SKCL and 3P

 

Source - https://hcpreports.blogspot.com/2016/03/skcl-3p.html   /  13 April 2000 / Page No :  9 / 10 /  11

 

Roles

The four major players who are crucial to the SKCL network are:

Ø  The Franchises

Ø  The Strategic Business Associate ( SBA)

Ø  The Content partner

Ø  SKCL

 

The roles of these players are as follows:

 

( A )   Franchisee’s role

Ø  Franchisees will conduct B2B, B2C and C2C trade.

 

Ø  This will entail :

         #   Booking orders,

         #   Servicing orders booked by other franchisees as well as

         #   Collecting and remitting payments to the network.

Ø  Typically franchises will operate from a kiosk, where customers can walk in to browse, buy and sell and transact through SKCL network.

 

( B )    SBA’S Role

Ø  An SBA is the crucial link between the franchisee and SKCL. He will coordinate the activities of the franchisees in his territory. Each SBA will have a certain number of franchisees under him.

Ø  The SBA will act like a market facilitator and developer for the SKCL network.

Ø  The SBA will be expected to execute SKCL plans in his area, spread awareness about the network, act as a help desk for his franchisee’s problems.

 

 ( C )    The Content Partner’s Role

Ø  The Content provider’s role is to make available to the SKCL portal / Network, compelling content / offering of product & Services as agreed, upon and defined in the MOU entered into between SKCL and the concerned Content Provider.

Ø  The Content Provider will maintain / updated all information / database pertaining to his products / services on SKCL portal from time to time.

Ø  Content provider will arrange for delivery of the goods / services at the buyer’s purchase’s destination address, against each & every purchase order received by him from the kiosks of any / all franchisees of the SKCL network, in accordance with the “ Delivery terms” and the “ Payment terms” contained in the MOU entered into between SKCL and the concerned Content provider.

 

( D )   SKCL’S role.

      SKCL’s role comprises of but not be limited to the following

Ø  Create and operationalize the hub

Ø  Obtain the 50,000 franchisees through an aggressive advertising campaign.

Ø  Identify and appoint internationally reputed Vendors/ content providers.

Ø  Develop a strong and meaningful portal.

Ø  Ensure timely & Quality delivery of goods / services to the buyers / purchases of SKCL portal / network.

Ø  Ensure smooth and error-free operation of the VSAT network / portal around the clock.

Ø  Ensure automated / transparent record of each & every transaction from each & every kiosk, clearly indicating :

 

·          The monetary value of each transaction.

·          Time/ Date / venue of the transaction

·          Details of Purchase

·          Details of Purchase

·          Details of Content provider / Seller

·          Respective shares of the transaction- value between the franchisee / the SBA/ the Content provider and the SKCL

·          Delivery terms

·          Payment Terms

·          Payment Receipt Details

·          Commercial Terms.

·          Statutory Levies ( ST / CST / Octroi etc.)

·          Statutory Deductions ( TDS / Services Tax etc.)

·          TDS Certificates / Services Tax Certificates etc.

·          Warranty / Guarantee Covering Supply of goods / Services, etc.

By logging into his “Personal Page” on the Portal, a Content Provider will be able to view, aggregated statistics as well as transaction – history of each & every transaction pertaining to his offerings.

 

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


RELATED READINGS :

 

Birth of a David ?.................................................[ 27 Oct 2021 ]

 

Congratulations, Pramod Vermaji , ……………………………[ 25 Dec 2021 ]

Congratulations, Shri Anurag Jainji ……………………………[ 17 Jan 2022 ]

 

SIDBI acquires stake in ONDC to facilitate market access to MSMEs  /  ET  /  26 March 2022

( India Briefing  /  24 March 2022 )


Extract :


Ø  To provide equal opportunities to all marketplace players, including consumers, the ONDC is envisaged as a neutral platform that will set protocols for cataloguing, vendor match, and price discovery in open source on the lines of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

 

Ø  What this implies is that buyers and sellers can transact irrespective of whether they are attached to any specific e-commerce portal. For instance, even if a seller X is registered on A platform, while the consumer is registered on B platform, the consumer can directly purchase products of seller X without registering on A platform, once ONDC is implemented.

 

 

Ø  Once the ONDC gets implemented and mandated, as is expected by August 2022, all e-commerce companies in India will have to operate using the same processes, akin to android-based mobile devices, irrespective of the brand. This would provide a boost to smaller online retailers as well as new entrants by ushering in discoverability, interoperability, and inclusivity. It will empower suppliers and consumers by breaking the monopoly of giant platforms to drive innovation and transform businesses in sectors like retail, food, and mobility.

With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 28 March 2022

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

Added  on   30  APRIL  2022  :


CSC Grameen e-Stores opens Renault car booking facility at 300 rural locations across India ..


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

Added on 05 July 2022 :


Govt's e-tail co ONDC to add categories, 75 cities   /   ET   /  04  July  2022


Extract :


In addition, the UPI-type platform that the government is pushing to democratise retail and take on the might of Amazon, Flipkart and other e-Commerce giants will work with COMMON  SERVICE  CENTRES ( CSC ), to foray into village-level ASSISTED  BUYING, said sources

CSC has operations in around FOUR LAKH villages across India