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

Friday 12 August 2016

Missing the Woods for the Tree ?



One dictionary describes this idiom as :


" If someone can't see the wood for the trees, they are unable to understand what is important in a situation because they are giving too much attention to details "


This is the danger facing a 12 member committee of government secretaries ( headed by Shri Amitabh Kant , CEO - NITI Aayog ), appointed to look into :


#  Liberalizing the E-Commerce policy to give a further boost to this sector

#  Rethink of Online Marketplace rules

#  Issues related to Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI )



Economic Times ( 10 Aug, 2016 ) reports :


#  E-Commerce Market in India was $ 17 billion in 2014 and expected to grow to $ 70 billion in 2019

#  E-Commerce Sector suffers from lack of policy clarity

#  Attempts to create a level playing field with Offline Retail has shackled the sector

#  Committee will suggest measures to liberalize the sector

#  Rethink on Online Marketplace rules also likely

#  Committee will review complex regulations

#  Changes in FDI policy will also be suggested


In 1905 , Albert Einstein published " Theory of Special Relativity " and by 1915 , he came out with " General Theory of Relativity "


For him , it was like moving on from a TREE ( Special Theory ) to the WOODS ( General Theory )


Obviously , he did not want to miss out on the larger picture by focusing on a single pixel !


It is no different when it comes to the Laws governing ECONOMY


" E- Commerce and Foreign Direct Investment " are the " Special Theory of ECONOMY " , whereas " Commerce and Investment " are the " General Theory of ECONOMY "


And at this very moment , the Super-Ordinate Goal of our ECONOMY is :


Create millions of Self Employed ( 400 million to start with and 12 million per year , thereafter )


E-Commerce and Foreign Direct Investments, are merely " Means to achieve that End " - no more


It was only a few days back when Shri Amitabh Kant said in a TV interview :


" Laws / rules / regulations etc will need constant tweaking / revising , to remain relevant with the advancing technologies
There is no way , the March of Technology can be halted . Laws must catch-up ".


While debating the issues ,the Committee may want to keep in mind how following technologies will change the Commerce Landscape , within the next 2 years :


#  Everything ( Goods and Services ) will be marketed / sold online


#  No business / industry will , solely remain OFFLINE


When goods are not being delivered at your doorstep using Drones, your table-top 3D Printers will print out
    all kinds of Consumables ( including Food ! ), by downloading Designs from internet . Houses will be 3D printed


#  Services of all kinds ( Patient-care / Health care / Psychological / Consulting / Coding / Remotely operating
    Devices and Machineries / Teaching / Curating / Controlling Riots etc ) , will be carried out ( hopefully, by
    Indians  if Committee takes the right , far-reaching decisions ), remotely from 10,000 Km away using Virtual
    Reality / Augmented Reality / Holographic Tele-presence / Hepatic gloves etc


#  Entire cycle of Designing / Manufacturing / Marketing / Selling / Order-taking / Delivering / After-sales Servicing
    / Logistics / Collecting Payments / etc , will get spread so thinly across Countries / Continents / Companies /
    Individuals , that it will become next to impossible to keep track of " WHO " is adding " WHAT " value to the
    process , and " WHEN " , and from " WHERE " !  No one will be able to unravel this GORDIAN KNOT !


#  Industrial Robots will play ever-increasing role at each step of this process , connected through IoT



The best that the Committee can recommend is adoption of the following ,
Parekh's , " 3  Laws of E-Commerce Economy " - to be incorporated as 123rd Constitutional Amendment

( with apologies to Isaac Asimov's 3 Laws of Robotics ! ) :


LAW  #  1 :

Asimov :

        A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.


Parekh :

 Rules / Regulations of E-Commerce shall not come in the way of unfettered creation of SELF EMPLOYMENT
    
 Any existing Law / Rule / Regulation that hinders a person to become Self Employed, shall be treated as
  
 ultravires

Further , any Law / Regulation of " E-Commerce / FDI " which slows down Investment ( Foreign or Local / Official

or through channeling of BLACK MONEY ), shall be treated as " bad in law " and struck down



LAW  # 2
   

Asimov :

       A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First
       Law.


      Parekh :

      Laws / Regulations governing " E-Commerce / FDI " shall be subservient to Laws / Regulations governing  
   
      " Commerce / Investment " .

      Whenever any Public Authority / Court finds conflict between the two , laws / regulations governing " Commerce/

      Investments " , shall prevail under all circumstances , and in favor of the self employed



     LAW  #  3

   Asimov :   

     A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.


    Parekh :

   Laws / Regulations of " E-Commerce / FDI " which get over-ruled under LAW # 2 , shall immediately " Self Destruct "

   in favor of unobstructed progress of TECHNOLOGIAL ADVANCES




   Before drafting its recommendations , the Committee may want to look up my specific suggestions at :

#     In defense of FDI in Defense

 


 

 
#      WHO WILL OBSOLETE WHOM ?  






 


#      FDI in India Post ? 




#        Level  Playing Field  ? 


#        3D  Printed Office 








#       Create  Self Employment 




#       Age  of Automation  










#      A  Virtuous Circle 


Dear Committee Members :


Please , overlook  the TREE   /   focus on the WOODS !


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12  August  2016


www.hemenparekh.in / Blogs
    




 







       
        




1 comment:

  1. I got reference to your article and blog by Gurudatta Kundapurkar of Schizophrenia Awareness Association in Pune. I enjoyed it. I recently attended couple of sessions on startup ecosystem and wrote about that on my blog. You may be interested.

    https://ppkya.wordpress.com/tag/entreprenuership/

    Thanks!
    Prashant
    Blog: https://ppkya.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete