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

Saturday 30 April 2016

The Bounty of Big Data



To compile Consumer Price Index ( CPI ), USA Bureau of Labor Statistics employs hundreds of staff to call, fax, and visit stores and offices in 90 cities across the nation and report back about  80,000 prices on everything from tomatoes to taxi fares


But by the time the numbers come out, they're already a few weeks old and useless


In response , two economists at the MIT, Alberto Cavallo and Robert Rigobon , came up with a big-data alternative


Using software to crawl the Web, they collected half a million prices of products sold in the U.S. every single day


The project was able to detect a deflationary swing in prices immediately after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in September 2008


Enter commercial venture : Price-Stats :


It compiles millions of products sold by hundreds of retailers in more than 70 countries everyday..... indicating trends in inflation


{Source : Big Data : authors / Viktor Mayer-Schonberger / Kenneth Cukier }



In India , we too , keep compiling CPI in the same old way


Anybody's guess when our Central Government Authority responsible for compiling CPI , will adopt BIG DATA ANALYTICS , to give us up-to-the-day figures


Now imagine if Government were to launch Mobile App

 3D - Digital Delivery of Drugs ( outline below ) ,

 and make its use MANDATORY by every ,

*  Citizen................ ( Patient )

*  Doctor................ ( Prescriber )

*  Pharma Store.......( Vendor )


Then imagine applying BIG DATA ANALYTICS to every single purchase of every strip / bottle / vial  of medicine ( totaling to may be  a 100 million , every day )


This , fairly straight-forward use of an unusually simple Mobile App , is capable of delivering , unprecedented level of " Customized Healthcare " to millions of our citizens


I hope Dr Harsh Vardhan takes note  !


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www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

01  May  2016

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3 D - Digital Delivery of Drugs  ?

( let us call it , " Dispenser " )


On 14th Oct , 8 lakh pharmacy stores will go on strike to persuade Government to prohibit sale of " Prescription Drugs " by e-Pharmacies such as 1mg.com / Zigy.com , not to  speak of e-Com sites like Amazon / SnapDeal / Flipkart etc

Reason advanced :

*  Online sale puts consumers at risk

Real reason ?

*  Loss of jobs of 4 million persons employed by 800,000 pharmacy stores

*  Loss of business worth Rs 80.000 Crores


Current legal provision :

*  Drugs and Cosmetics Act,1940 does not prohibit online sale of medicines


Govt response :

*  Set up a Committee to draft new provisions in Law to regulate online sale

My take :

*  One day , everything will be sold online from web sites 10,000 Km away !

*  There is no way march of EVERYTHING ONLINE can be stopped or slowed


My Suggestions :

*  Govt to upload a Mobile App ( DISPENSER ? ) on Health Ministry web site

*  All doctors must download it , after proper registration / authentication

*  App will get embedded with full details of that doctor who uses it

*  Doctors to enter Patient Data in App  / then enter prescribed Drug Details

*  Doctor will SMS app data entered , to concerned patient's mobile

*  Patient will SMS entered app data to mobile of Chemist of his choice

*  Chemist will deliver the medicine to the patient with Bill Details in App

*  Every action / transaction on App , will get automatically emailed to web
    Servers of

       #  Health Ministry

       #  All India Medical Association

       #   All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists ( AIOCD )

       #   Drug Controller General of India


Advantages :


*   Jobs / business of Chemists / Druggists saved

*   Great convenience for patients / no need to visit Drug Store

*   No chance of Chemist " misinterpreting " doctor's handwriting !

*   Full History of

     #  Each Patient ( great benefit to Prescribing doctors )

     #  Each Drug    ( great benefit to Pharma Companies  )

     #  Each Chemist Shop  ( great benefit to Govt / AIOCD / Tax Dept )

     #  Each Doctor  ( great interest to All India Medical Association )


Of course , I have no answer for those who will oppose my suggestion by saying :

" What if either the Patient or the Doctor or the Chemist , does not have a Smart phone  ? "


My only answer :

For the benefit of millions , let us harness the Online Delivery technology

That is the only way  DIGITAL INDIA  can benefit the entire society

Solutions to all the problems of the World are known

Only Unknown are those dedicated persons determined to implement  !

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hemen   parekh

12  Oct  2015

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Friday 29 April 2016

P2P Lending Regulations



Reserve Bank Of India ( RBI ) just released a " Consultation Paper " on P2P lending . Suggestions have to be submitted by 31 May


This paper suggests some guidelines for regulation of this brand new industry , which boasts of some 30 online lending platforms , 20 of which , got launched in 2015


Total lending on these platform in last 2 years, approximates Rs 27 Crores


I have no idea as to the number of lenders and number of borrowers


As against this , the cumulative total loans taken by some 630,000 borrowers from some 900,000 lenders in China , add up to Rs 11 Lakh*Crore from 2600 , P2P platforms !


I had only a cursory glance at the RBI guidelines but could not find answers to following questions :


*  Can " Companies " register on P2P platforms as either Lenders or as Borrowers ?

I suppose , RBI's  answer would be " NO " - even if it is a Peer-to-Peer transaction between two entities ( bypassing the regular middlemen ie: Banks )

Would that proscribe tiny " Start Up Companies " to join P2P platforms ?

Somehow , that does not sound right  !



*  Can American / European / Japanese citizens become lenders on Indian P2P platforms and lend money to Indian borrowers ?


Once again , I am afraid , RBI will say , " Sorry , No ! "


Of course , it is safe to say, " No " since RBI does not want P2P phenomenon to " disrupt the existing banking channels "


Reason ?


Countries of the world making up almost 56 % of World GDP , have 0 % - 1 % interest rates ! That covers America / Europe / Japan


In some cases , there are NEGATIVE interest rates , meaning :


Instead of earning an interest when you put your money in Fixed Deposit in those Foreign banks , in these countries , banks will charge you a small fee to " safe-keep " your money !


And banks will pay YOU some small amount for taking out loans  !


Given this scenario , it is to be expected that rich citizens of these foreign countries would just LOVE to become lenders ( to Indian borrowers ) and earn , even as low as  5 % interest , on Indian P2P platforms  !


And Indian borrowers would LOVE to take loans only from such FOREIGN lenders who have very LOW expectations by way of interest !


Remember that today , an Indian borrower would pay around 15 % by way of interest to an Indian Bank for short term loans


As against this , the " Average interest rates " on P2P platforms hover around 8.6 % globally


So allowing Foreign individual citizens to register as lenders on Indian P2P platforms , would result in a win-win situation for both !


Who knows , the amount of foreign funds arriving into India through this route ( call it FDII - Foreign Direct Investments to Individuals ) , could even exceed FDI  !


Remember that , in the past 15 months , total loans disbursed by Indian banks under MUDRA yojana  , add up to mere Rs 1.5 lakh*crore to some 5.75 crore " Self Employed " who provide jobs to 12 cr persons !


FDII (through P2P platforms) can bring in 10 times  that amount in 1 year !


And then , do our banks deserve any sympathy , with their Rs 7 lakh*crore of NPA , which they want the tax-paying Indians to make good through re-capitalization ?


Is it not about time when , if the Indian banks , could not / would not make themselves obsolete , then someone else did ?


Hiding their heads in the sand is not going to save them from the coming storm  !


PS :

#  Globally , loan default rate for P2P platforms is under 1 %

#  My suggestion ( to enable FDII ) has the potential to bring back those
    $ 501 billion that Indians have secretly stashed abroad ! No rocket
    science here !

#  FDII will raise that number of Self Employed , enormously

#  FDII will turn India into a " Low Cost Economy " , thereby boosting

    exports and taking GDP beyond 10 %


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www.hemenparekh.in  /  blogs

30  April  2016

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Make    Yourself    Heard

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Thursday 28 April 2016

Revenue Model for Start-Up Web Sites



To figure out what should be the Business Model / Revenue Model for your proposed web site :

*  Read ,  "  Allow  Me to  Share "

*  Look up following  87 web portals listed in book ;

    What  is  Mine  is  Yours  { Author : Rachel Botsman }

If you think I can be of any help ,

*  write / phone :  hcp@RecruitGuru.com  / (M) 0 - 98,67,55,08,08

Regards,

hemen parekh

www.hemenparekh.in

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Airbnb   /  Zipcar   /  Craiglist  /  eBay  /  Swaptree  /  OurSwaps ( for sale )  /  FreeCycle  /  ReUseIt  /  Zilok  /  BarterCard  /  Zopa  /  U-Exchange  /  threadUP  /  SharedEarth  /  CouchSurfing  /  Prosper  /  RoomoRama  /  RelayRides  /  GetAround  /  Whipcar  /  Wikipedia  /  Flickr  /  Digg  /  Youtube  /  Etsy  /  Facebook  /  Jumo  /  Meraki  /  KickStarter  /  MeetUp  /  Wordpress  /  Twitter  /  MySpace  /  Linux  /  ClickWorkers  /  Shareable  / IfWeRantheWorld ( Find my project here )  /  CitizenSpace  /  HubCulture  /  DaveZillion  /   IthacaHOURS  /  UrbanGardenShare  /  LandShare  /  BrooklynSkillShare  /  NeighborhoodFruit  /  ParkatmyHouse  /   LendingClub  /  BIXI  /  TechShop  /  YardShare  /  Shelfari  /  Linkedin  /  NetFlix  /  RentaToy  /  ToyRentalClub  /  BabyPlays  /  BagBorroworSteal  /  UsedCardBoxes  /  Virgance  /  RoofTopFarms  /  OurGoods  /  LETS  /  VEN  /  HatFactory  /  WeCommune  /  NeighBorrow  /  BrightNeighbor  /  NeighborGoods  /  rBlock  /  GoGoVerde  /  ShareSomeSugar  /  SkillShare  /  CoWorking  /  GlobalFreeLoaders  /  TradeSchool  /  SchoolofEverything  /  Skype  /  PlentyofFish  /  Tumblr  /  CloudBreak  /  Designer  /  FractionalLife  /  GoLoco  /  GoGet  /   GrowingChefs  /  ITEX  /  ToolLibrary  //


How to Stop the Start Ups



Three examples come to my mind :

*  Delhi Government banned Uber and Ola , because they did not have some
    permission ( or , maybe they were resorting to Surge Pricing - something
    which Airlines have been doing for years with impunity )

*  In Bangalore, the local transport authorities stopped some entrepreneurs
    to start the service of Motorbike Taxies ( Goa has it for decades ! )

*   In Mumbai , local transport authorities stopped APP-based private buses
    which had permits to ferry passengers only from point A to point B , without
    stopping en route to pick up other passengers ( How come school buses
    are permitted to stop every 100 meters to pick up children ? What is the
    big deal ? )


All of these makes me worry about the spirit of  Make In India !

I am not saying that , in the name of encouraging Entrepreneurship , we
should give a free rein to anyone to engage in a service where lives of
 passengers are at stake


All I am saying is :

Frame some minimum simple rules / regulations to govern such services
 
All entrants must comply with these rules

But let innovation and imagination flourish

Don't discourage young person to become " Self Employed "


That was exactly what Shri Nitin Gadkariji did about a year back when , all of a sudden , somebody in Delhi decided that electrically ( battery ) driven rickshaws are not rickshaws !

May be , when Motor Vehicle Act was passed decades ago , no one envisaged a battery driven vehicle !

So , what do we do ?

Instead of amending that Act , just stop the  PROGRESS  ?

But Gadkariji is not only a very practical person , he is also a visionary

So , he told the babus to amend the rules and enabled eco-friendly rickshaws to ply


Dear Transport Commissioners :

I am not asking you to close your eyes , nor to bend the rules

My only request is : Wherever needed , frame new rules - and quickly too

And if required ( based on experimentation ), change rules with time

When it comes to encouraging ENTREPRENEURSHIP / SELF - EMPLOYMENT , I hope you will be the god-fathers of India's youth

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www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

28  April  2016

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Make    Yourself    Heard

Dear Visitor :

It is time for YOU to speak up - and demand that YOU are heard

By emailing this suggestion - incorporating your OWN improvements - to the following Policy Makers

(  Just multiple copy all the following Email IDs into the Recipient column of your Outlook and Copy / paste this suggestion in the Message Box ) :


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Wednesday 27 April 2016

Incentivize Housing Societies



Disposal of garbage ( wet and dry ), is a big problem for all Municipalities


In Mumbai , it is a daily 8,000 ton problem


Despite a large fleet of garbage collection trucks and thousands of municipal employees ( including employees of contractors ), streets remain littered and garbage dumps keep overflowing ( when not burning ! )


All kinds of solutions have been attempted in the past to solve this problem, without much success


This is because current perception of the garbage generating households ( and of the office bearers of the housing societies ) , is :

 *  Garbage collection / disposal is Municipality's responsibility


This problem will persist till we succeed in changing this perception to :

"  Garbage disposal is our responsibility "


This change of attitude can be brought about by " incentivizing " the members of the Housing Societies

Here is how :

*  The society where I live ( Marol / Mumbai ) has 200 Members ( flats )

*  Each member pays monthly Municipal Tax of ( approx ) , Rs 600

*  That translates to Rs 1.2 lakh per month ( Rs 14.4 lakh / year )

*  In 5 years , Society pays to Municipality, Rs 72 lakhs

*  Govt / Municipality to make it compulsory for each big society ( size to be
    decided ), to install on its premises :

    #  Methane gas generating plant or Compost Fertilizer plant

         (  to take care of wet / organic garbage )


    #   Water recycling plant ( to filter and reuse water from shower / wash
          basin / kitchen sink for toilet flushing purpose )


    #   A Compacting Press for dry waste ( paper / bags / cartons etc )


*   Towards installation of such plants , Municipality to give a discount of
     25 % to the Society in monthly taxes , for a period of 5 years

     That is a rebate of Rs 150 / month / flat for 5 years

     This would work out to a saving of Rs 18 lakh ( 25 % of Rs 72 lakh )

*   This amount should be sufficient for the Society to invest in these plants
     and for paying wages for persons needed to look after their operations



I believe such a positive incentive will motivate most of the Societies to undertake to install such facilities


As a negative incentive , Govt / Municipality should levy additional surcharge of 25 % on the monthly taxes ( ie raise to Rs 750 / month in our case ) to those societies which fail to implement this scheme within ONE YEAR of notification


It is high time citizens are involved and motivated ( through negative as well as positive incentives ) in keeping their cities clean and its environment pleasant


I am sure such an experiment will find a far better response from the public as compared to the ODD-EVEN scheme of Delhi ( which too will succeed when Delhi-ites find plenty of Public Transport )


Incidentally , Shri Arvind Kejriwal and his team should study ( without sending a delegation abroad ! ), the " Share - a - Bike " taxi scheme ( BIXI )
which has successfully solved the traffic congestion problem in Montreal


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www.hemenparekh.in  /  blogs

27  April  2016

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

Make    Yourself    Heard

Dear Visitor :

It is time for YOU to speak up - and demand that YOU are heard

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