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, 17 August 2018

Wealth of Nations





Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or valuable material possessions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating old English word weal, which is from an Indo-European word stem.[1] An individual, community, region or country that possesses an abundance of such possessions or resources to the benefit of the common good is known as wealthy.


The United Nations definition of inclusive wealth is a monetary measure which includes the sum of natural, human, and physical assets.[5][6] 


Natural capital includes land, forestsenergy resources, and minerals.


Human capital is the population's education and skills. Physical (or "manufactured") capital includes such things as machinery, buildings, and infrastructure.



Way back in 1776 , Adam Smith wrote a book , popularly known as “ Wealth of Nations



I have not read it so I do not know what Smith included among a nation’s “ Wealth “



But way back in Feb 2016 , I wrote following blog :


There , I listed the following “ natural resources “ :

    *   Oil / Coal / Shale Gas etc  (  Fossil Fuels )


      *   Ores of Iron / Copper / Zinc / Aluminum etc


      *   Trees ( timber ) that grow in our jungles


      *   Any number of minor minerals / chemicals


And I asked whether the following too , should not be included as “ natural resources “ belonging to a nation – and therefore be subjected to the same treatment as others :


·         Air  /  Wind  blowing over our country


·         Sunlight  that falls on our vast land



·         Water  flowing in our country's rivers



·         Oceanic Tides , capable of generating power



·         Airwaves  (2G / 3G / 4G / 5G  Spectrum )


Sometime back , to the above list , I added “ Private / Personal Data “ of the citizens of our country , as an important item of “ National Wealth “ , which must be exploited for  empowering / enriching “ the citizen concerned

{  See : Privacy For Sale  [  26  Aug   2017  }      



I felt very elated when my own earlier / similar , thoughts got echoed by none other than Shri Nandan Nilekani  !


Yesterday , speaking at ET Start Up Awards function , he said :




Europe has focused on the downsides of data flows to ensure  a strict data protection regime


We should not just mimic the west , the European Model .


In India , we should design policy to also enable people to use their data to benefit themselves


Nilekani said we should look at an empowerment model


“ We will become data rich before becoming economically rich


So , how do we use our data to get better healthcare, better education , better credit ?


Look at our digital lending platforms , where the customer gives his payment data , business data and gets credit in return





Thank You , Shri Nilekaniji,


I urge you examine my following suggestion and , if you feel that it provides for a “ distinctly Indian solution “ to empower / enrich the data-owners , then persuade the Central Ministers to adopt it ( - with changes deemed necessary by you )

A Matter of Motive   




18  Aug  2018





  





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