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

Thursday 25 August 2022

Need of the Future ? No, need of NOW !

 


Context :

 

Business Line  /  25 Aug 2022


Extract :

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the government has in the last eight years taken the initiative to abolish the laws from the period of slavery that reflect the slavery mentality.


“The country is now changing, reforming, and simplifying such labour laws,” the Prime Minister said, adding that with this in mind, 29 labour laws have been converted into four simple labour codes.


The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment is keen on implementing the four Labour Codes at the earliest, and one of the thematic sessions at the conference will also focus on the long-pending legislation.


The Prime Minister also stressed the need to take full advantage of the fourth industrial revolution by taking quick decisions and implementing them.

 

With the rise of :


#  the platform and

#  gig economy and

#  online facilities,

 

the Prime Minister underlined the need to be alert towards the emerging dimensions of work. “Right policies and efforts in this area will help in making India a global leader,” he said.

 

Reiterating that the future needs :


#  flexible workplaces,

#  a work-from-home ecosystem, and

#  flexible work hours,


-       the Prime Minister said that systems like flexible workplaces can also be used as opportunities to improve the participation of women in the labour force.


“By making the right use of women power, India can achieve its goals faster,” he said, while emphasising the need to think of what can be done for women in the newly emerging sectors in the country.

 

MY  TAKE :

 

Dear Shri Narendrabhai,

 

You have repeatedly stressed the need for :

 

#  Self Employment vs Paid Employment


#  Job Creators working from home vs Job Seekers working from offices /

    factories


#  Using latest Technologies to Empower the Unemployed


#  Making India the SKILL CAPITAL of the World – a Global Leader

 

However the rate at which this matter of “ LABOUR LAW REFORMS “ is moving at

a snail’s pace, millions of unemployed citizen ( which include a great majority of

our WOMEN ), are filling frustrated



They are wondering :


#  Among the beaurocracy, is there an awareness that we are sitting on a TIME

    BOMB ?


#  Do these Govt officers think that we, in India, can escape the consequence of

    COVID / Ukrane war, as a  result of which, economies of most countries have

    slowed down / getting worse ?

   

#  Are they trying to hide their heads under sand , thinking that the storm will go

    away ?


#  Is there a lack of POLITICAL WILL to implement my following 7 YEAR old

    REFORMS ? :

 

Ø  " BACK FACTORY " OF THE WORLD ? …………………………….[ 09  Sept  2015  ]

 

Ø  A NEW ECONOMIC ORDER ? aka " Start Up Act - 2015 "[ 12  Sept  2015 ]

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com

26 Aug 2022

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 24 August 2022

Which is that “ Parking Space “ for my car ?

 


 

Context :

No more free street parking for residents; BMC to start pilot in four wards  /  HT  /  22 Aug 2022


Extract :

Mumbai The civic body will implement paid on-street parking in four administrative wards in the city, which will allow citizens to park their vehicles in designated areas under close circuit camera television (CCTV) surveillance


“… Also, based on land use and road characteristics we have proposed on-street parking. It will be applied to residential areas where residents do not have space inside their buildings or society premises to park,” said Prachi Merchant, who leads the TISS team said


Residents, who park their vehicles on the street for free, will be charged as roads belong to the BMC. They will be required to book their slots in advance and pay a monthly or annual fee.


 

“As of last year, 36 lakh cars are registered in the city. So, we will never be able to match the demand. One needs to bring a policy of putting a curb on private vehicle ownership but that can be done effectively when public transportation like the metro is operational,” she said.


 

However, some aspects of the pilot will remain constant. For once, citizens will be able to book their parking space and pay for it digitally.


 

The MPA have also completed a manual on the appropriate signage and markings to identify the streets reserved for this pilot project. The BMC will allot stickers to cars in cases of residential parking.


 

However, the pricing is still under discussion. The MPA has proposed a draft parking policy with pricing details but it awaits the municipal commissioner’s approval.

 

 

 

MY  TAKE :


Over past 6 years, I have sent following 20 e-mails to BMC / State Govt., re “ Street Parking “ :


Ø  Blogs - E Mails re : Parking Problems / solutions 


It is worth noting that MPA has wisely decided to resort to CCTV technology –

although, how precisely it will work, is not revealed


To totally eliminate corruptible “ human intervention “ from the entire process,  I

suggest as follows :


#   Not only those 36 lakh cars, but all vehicles must be charged a “ street

     parking fee “ if found parked on any street of Mumbai at any time

     ( May be with concession for 10 pm to 6 am , when traffic is light )


#  All vehicles will be required ( by law ) to be pre-installed with FasTags linked

    with owner’s Bank Accounts (as being implemented for toll collection on

    highways )

    

FASTags to be replaced by automatic number plate readers: Nitin Gadkari


#  Hourly parking fees could be

Ø  Rs  10 / hour for 2 wheelers

Ø  Rs  20 / hour for 3 wheelers

Ø  Rs  40 / hour for 4 wheeled taxies

Ø  Rs  50 / hour for 4 wheeled private passenger cars

Ø  Rs  100 / hour for private Buses

Ø  Rs  200 / hour for Commercial Freight Trucks …….etc


#  Thousands of road-side CCTV will continuously capture data ( elapsed time )

    about each and every vehicle parked on streets

     


#  These data will be relayed to servers of BMC – RTO – State Transport Dept –

    Traffic Police etc


#  BMC server-based software will deduct appropriate amount from each vehicle’s

    FasTag


#  In case there is no FasTag / Bank Account linkage or there is NIL bank balance,

    then , through vehicle-mounted SENSOR, software will “ immobilize “ the

    vehicle ( can get started upon payment of arrears )

    


If my suggestion gets implemented BMC’s annual “ Parking fees Revenue “ could

well work out as follows :


#  Simplifying Assumptions :


Ø  No of Vehicles parked on streets…………………… 30 lakh

Ø  Average parking fees / vehicle / hour ……………Rs 40

Ø  Average no of hours parked / day…………………..10

Ø  Ave collection / vehicle / day………………………….Rs 400

Ø  Total collection for 30 lakh vehicle / day……… Rs 400 x 30 lakh = Rs 12000 lakh 

                                                                     ( Rs 120 cr )

Ø  Total collection for year …………………………………Rs 120 Cr x 365 = Rs 43,800 Crore  

 

If MPA has any doubts about the feasibility of my suggestion, let them consult Shri

Nitin Gadkariji


It is even possible that, upon receiving this e-mail, Shri Gadkariji might , on his

own, phone Prachi Merchant and offer all technology – administrative help to

implement my suggestion


You see, he would love BMC / MPA to “ succeed “ so that he can motivate

Municipalities all  over the country !

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@recruitGuru.com

25 Aug 2022

Blogs - E Mails re : Parking Problems / solutions

 

Mumbai Parking Authority ( MPA ) : A Come Back to What ?

( 05 Feb 2021 )


     A Radical Radial Revolution ! …………………………..[ 18 Aug 2016 ]


Ø  Name of the Game : Co-operation…………………..[ 23 Sept 2016 ]


Ø  One Car per Family ? ……………………………………….[ 27 Sept 2016 ]


Ø  Wisdom of the Ancients ……………………………………[ 05 Oct 2016 ]


Ø  A Knee Jerk Approach ? …………………………………..[ 22 Dec 2016 ]


Ø  Internet of Vehicles ( IoV ) ? ……………………………[ 04 Mar 2017 ]


Ø  Shri Raoteji has a Vision…………………………………..[ 23 Mar 2017 ]


Ø  Passing the Buck ?....................................... [ 18 Apr 2017 ]


Ø  Leveraging NaviC ?.......................................[ 30 May 2017 ]


Ø  Who says IMPOSSIBLE ? …………………………………..[ 31 May 2017 ]


Ø  Urban Transport Policy……………………………………….[ 09 June 2017 ]


Ø  Why don’t they park in their flats ?..................[ 01 Sept 2017 ]


Ø  A Sensible Solution………………………………………………[ 03 Sept 2017 ]


Ø  Where will SoBo park its cars ?........................[ 19 Sept 2017 ]


Ø  The  Next  Big  Thing…………………………………………..[ 14 Nov 2017 ]


Ø  Parking Mess ? It will get worse !.....................[ 01 Jan 2018 ]


Ø  It is not that simple !......................................[ 31 Jan 2018 ]


Ø  No Takers ? No Wonder !.................................[ 13 Feb 2018 ]


Ø  Who killed BMC Parking Policy ? I did not !.........[ 31 Mar 2018 ]



    A  Law  on  Parking  ?......................................[ 13 Apr 2018 ]

 

Tuesday 23 August 2022

Google Knows Everything

 


 

Context :


Google tracks most private data of its users among all the 5 Big Tech firms:

 Report / Statesman / 22 Aug 2022


Extract :

In an analysis reported by StockApps.com, out of the five major digital firms, Google harvests the most data on its users by tracking 39 types of private data for each user.


“Most people do not have the time or patience to read privacy policies that can be several pages long for each website they visit. Also, it is quite unlikely that all users have a background in law to properly grasp the privacy policy,” Edith Reads from StockApps.com said in a statement.


“Besides, users lack time, patience, or energy to try to figure out what information websites are storing and how they are using it to their advantage. As a result, users end up allowing Google to harvest all the data they need by agreeing to the privacy policy terms,” it added.


The report mentioned that Google takes the cake when it comes to tracking most of your data. This should not surprise, given that their entire business model relies on data. Twitter and Facebook both save more information than they need to.


However, with Facebook, most of the data they store is information users enter. Apple is in a league above Amazon in protecting user privacy. It is the most privacy-conscious firm out there. Apple only stores the information that is necessary to maintain users’ accounts.


This is because their website is not as reliant on advertising revenue as are Google, Twitter, and Facebook, the report said.


Each of these data firms focuses on a particular category of data and not the quantity of data. Google collects more different types of information for individual users. The firm relies on this data for targeted advertising rather than relying on third-party trackers.

 


MY  OBSERVATIONS :

 

This news-report does not specify what exactly are the “ 39 types of Private

 Data “ that Google harvests


Almost 5 years ago, I listed these ( source : Just  Ask  Google  /  28 Nov 2017 ) :


Extract :


So , Google ( or Apple or Samsung ) knows , WHO you are , WHERE you are

 and WHAT you are discussing  right now – and with WHOM !


But those Search Results won’t tell you that Google also knows the following

 things about YOU :

 

 

 

·         Who I am ( name )

 

      Where and when, I was born / who were my parents

 

      Where I grew up / where I live currently

 

      Do I live in a rented place or in an owned flat

 

      What Schools / Colleges I attended ( - and degrees I acquired )

 

      What Companies I worked for and salaries I got

 

      How I travel to work ( own vehicle or public transport )

 

     Where I go for my holidays / what books I read

 

    Who I married and who are my children ( - and how many )

 

    If divorced , how much alimony I pay and to whom

 

   Where I invest my money ( Banks – Funds – Equity etc )

 

    How much I have borrowed from whom and for how long

 

    My Credit ranking  ( including my spending history / card wise – wallet wise )

 

    What are my eating ( food ) preferences and the restaurants I visit

 

    What I do for entertainment ( Music / Movies / Videos )

 

    What clothes I wear and how often do I buy

 

    Who are my friends and how often I phone / text them / meet them

 

    What ailments I suffer from and what medicines I take

 

    What minor offences ( traffic ) or crimes that I have committed

 

    What elections I have contested ( won and lost )

 

    Who are my doctors / lawyers / brokers / agents etc

 

     What web sites I visit and how often and for how long

 

     What do I search on the Net / What RSS feeds I subscribe to

 

     What TV channels I watch and Radio Stations that I listen to

 

     Every photo of mine ever taken ( selfie or otherwise )

 

     Every phone call that I ever made or received

 

     Every Email / Text message that I ever sent or received

 

     Every blog / comment that I ever posted on the Web

 

     Every face-to-face communication that I engaged in

 

 

-===================================================


Related Readings :


Ø  Sundar Pichai : Google don’t need Cookies……………. [ 06 Feb 2022 ]

 

Ø  Data Protection Bill V 1.0 : RIP…………………………………. [ 03 Aug 2022 ]

 

 

Ø  Privacy red flags as Digi Yatra app takes off in beta     / ET /   24 Aug 2022

 

     Extract :


Users can ask not to use their personal data for any other purpose / Under

 DIA, apps users can  give specific permissions / They can ask the apps not to

 save their data

 

   

      

 >   Digital India Act: How govt plans to track social media, OTT and even                  Metaverse platforms

     { ET – 19 Aug 2022 }


Ø  India considers EU-like laws to check Big Tech dominance / HT / 23 Aug 2022

 

Ø  Will Personal.ai lead to Holographic Avatar ? ………………..[ 23 June 2022 ]

 

 

 

Ø  Privacy does not live here ! ……………………………………… [ 22 July 2017 ]


       Extract :

      And when that ( dreaded ? ) SINGULARITY arrives ( when Computer /

      Internet / Artificial Intelligence  combination , is expected to get smarter than

      the human beings ) , expect the following :

      

      #  Even things about me , which I may have left out in the above list , will be

          known to the GOD ( Give Our Data ) residing in the CLOUD ( no need for

          any permission )

 

 

             #  That O3 ( Omnipresent / Omniscient / Omnipotent ), will dictate my life

 

 

    Postman does not knock at my door anymore

 

     He knows , “ Privacy does not live here “

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com

24 Aug 2022