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, 2 February 2012

Children dying


In Sept 21, 2011 issue, DNA presents following depressing facts :

Ø  55 % of Indian children [ under 2 years ], do not receive basic comprehensive immunization

Ø  2.7 million children [ under 5 years ], receive no treatment for diarrhoea

Ø  900,000 new-born die in India annually [ 102 every hour ! ]

Ø  2.6 million is the number of health-workers India needs to meet WHO standards

Ø  1.04 % of GDP is what India spends on health


How many millions of lives can we save , if all the black money stashed abroad [ and within the country ], including monies pocketed by the “ Corrupt “, thru 2G scam / Air India scam / NRHM scam / PSU scam / illegal mining scam etc. were available and spent on health-care of the poor ?

And do not single out West Bengal. Situation is the same everywhere !

With regards

hemen  parekh

Monday, 30 January 2012

IT PAYS TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR


Especially if you don’t have a college degree

If you have any doubt , just look at the following “Resume / Bio data“:


>  Name   :       Mrs. Ramilaben Patel

>  Age      :       43

>  Edu      :       Schooling

>  City      :       Pentarpura / Sabarkantha / Gujarat

>  Business  :    Jai Ranchhod Dudh Utpadan Kendra ( Dairy  Farm )

>  Launched :    2000 ( 12 years ago )

>  Capital     :    Bank loan for buying 5 cows

>  Current  Status


  • No of Cattle………………….    280 ( in 5 acre farm )

  • No of Workers……………      40

  • Production………………..       5.55 lakh litres of milk / year

  • Net Profit ( 2011-2012 )    Rs. 1,10,17,675

  • Machinery………………………   4 automatic milking machines

                                          Fodder Chaffing Machines

                                          Cooling System

  • Future plans
                                     #   Rotary Milking Machines

                                     #   Fat content indicator

                                     #   Calf rearing Farm


  • Future Investment……….   Rs 1,00,00,000

Ramilaben seems to be telling 40 Million unemployed Indian Youth :

“ When you become self-employed , you can never lose your job “

[ Source : Times of India / 07, July 2012 ]


Hemen  Parekh

Friday, 27 January 2012

Consumption Power


As per 66th round of survey of National Sample Survey Office of India ( NSSO ), consumption power of Indians is growing.

The survey found that the per capita consumption grew as follows :


Ø  In rural India


·        From 1.2 % in 2004/05 to 6 % in 2009/10

·        Still, half the rural households can afford to spend, no more than Rs. 30 / day ( approx.$ 0.66 / day )


Ø  In urban India


·        From 2.9 % in 2004/05 to 6.8 % in 2009/10

·        Still, half the urban  households can afford to spend, no more than Rs. 50 / day ( approx. $ 1.1 / day )


But still that is progress.

So what, if it is only at snail’s pace !



With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Friday, 20 January 2012

Born to be Dead


This is the title of an article by Pooja Kashyap ( Times of India / 17 July, 2011 ).

Here are some highlights of this article :


Ø   Every year, nearly 1.2 million newborns die in India, most of them within the first few days after birth

Ø   India accounts for 30 % of neo-natal deaths worldwide ( out of 3.9 million )

Ø   Infants dieing during neo-natal period :

·        within first 7 days  ………….  45 %

·        within 7 – 28 days  …………   20 %


Ø   In the state of Uttar Pradesh, as many as 71 % neo-natal deaths occur during the first week itself

Ø   According to NGO – Save the Children -, over 400,000 newborns die annually in India, within the first 24 hours of birth – the highest in the world !

Ø   The single largest contributor to neo-natal deaths is the highest numbers of births in home settings, under the supervision of untrained attendants


My observation :


           If India could bring down its birth-rate from 2.1 % to 1.7 % during last decade, why can it not bring down its infant mortality rate from 5 % to 1 % ?

With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Better to be urban [ To beat Rural Poverty ? ]


Of course, there was never any doubt, but here are figures to prove.

As per 66th round of survey carried out by National Sample Survey Office ( NSSO ) of India, average  URBAN monthly per capita consumption expenditure ( MPCE ) were higher than RURAL MPCE as follows :


Ø  In Punjab  ……………………  28 %  higher

Ø  In Kerala  …………………….  31 %  higher

Ø  In Rajasthan  ………………   41 %  higher




And just as expected, the expenditure on “ food “ is :


Ø  In urban India  …………….  44.4 % of  MPCE

Ø  In rural India  ……………..   57 %    of  MPCE



No wonder there is a huge migration of rural folks to cities.



With regards

Hemen  Parekh