A Tale of Two Houses

*   DELHI  VIDHAAN  SABHA  :

Even though, with their combined strength of 42 ( in a house of 70 MLAs ), Congress + BJP could have easily defeated the Jan LokPal Bill after debate , they did not allow the bill to be tabled

These MLAs shouted , broke mike , tore up papers - nor allowed Kejriwal to speak for past 2 days

As promised earlier , Kejriwal resigned as CM and said

 ,

" I did not become CM to hold onto my chair at the cost of my promises to people  "

*   LOK  SABHA  :

Even though,

-  UPA government had numerical majority 

-  BJP claimed to be supporting a separate state of Telangana ,

Congress MPs ( both , pro-Telengana and anti-Telengana ), did not allow Telengana Bill to be discussed

They shouted , broke mike , tore up papers , sprayed black pepper powder and did not allow anyone else to speak , for past 3 days

Pretending helplessness , PM Man Mohan Singh watched the tamasha of his own MPs in silence , muttering , " I am pained " !

But he would not resign

What did he leave unsaid ?

"  I will hold onto my chair. Who cares for principles  ! "

PEOPLE  OF  INDIA  :

Again and again , you have watched in silence , the moral depravation of UPA , over the past 5 years

These people claim to be " Moral Successors " of late Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri , who resigned , taking moral responsibility for a train accident  !

Oh , what a fall was there , my Countrymen  !

Again and again , you have watched with sheer , silent disgust , the shameless collusion of BJP , desperately trying to come back to power , using means , fair or foul  !

These people claim to be moral heirs to the legacy of stalwarts like Pandit Deen Dayal , Jai Prakash Narayan and Morarji Desai , for whom principles were more important than power !

But , now at least , it is no more a question of having to choose  between the " lesser of the two evils "  !

In April , at many polling booths , you will have an alternative in  a  AAP candidate

When you look at those names - and party symbols - on that EVM ( Electronic Voting Machine ) , two months from now , remember ,

-  YOU  WILL  GET WHO  YOU  DESERVE  TO  GET  !

Before pushing that button , ask yourself ,

"  Who  ( which candidate )  do I deserve  ?  "

And , if you find none , push that NOTA button ( None of the above )

For another 5 years , this will be your only chance to express your ANGER , in a manner that will count  !

*   hemen   parekh  (  15  Feb  2014  /  Mumbai  )

Gastro - nomics ?

May be India is suffering from Gastro-nomics

Or , from , Gas - to - Economics

Call what you may , the disease seems deadly  !

Minister Veerappa Moily , responding to Arvind Kejriwal's FIR , said :

" I sympathize with Arvind's ignorance. Gas pricing is a very complex issue "

What he would NOT say , is :

"  How dare you , Aam Aadmi , try to unravel in a few weeks , what took us years of hard work to complicate  ?

   To increase gas price from $ 2.34 to $ 4.20 to $ 8.40 , involves complicated calculations , - worse than sending a man to moon

   Couldn't you appreciate that all the odds were stacked against us  ?  "

Moily , Murli and Mukesh , would like us to leave it to the lawyers , the experts and the Supreme Court to decide what ought to be the FAIR and REASONABLE ( - please , don't ask , " to whom ? " ) , price of KG gas

But Aam Aadmi would like these experts to compile - and publish - some statistics re: the prices at which , companies around the World , produce and sell gas

As a aam aadmi , I would like to see a COMPARATIVE TABULATION of gas selling prices being charged all over the World , under following scenarios :

#   A

Domestic Companies which " extract " gas from the " Domestic Fields " of their own countries on a " Contract " basis ( deploying labor / management / technology / capital ) , on a " Production Sharing " basis

   At what prices do they sell that gas to ,

*   Their own local government / local companies

*   Overseas governments and companies

#   B

Companies which extract gas from " Foreign Fields " under a license from each foreign government or thru outright " Owning " of those fields

At what price do they sell gas to ,

*  Other companies of the host country

*  other companies world - wide

*  Companies in India

#   C

Purely " Trading " companies ( which do not engage in drilling / exploring / production )

At what price do they sell gas world - wide  ?  To India  ?

How much do their selling price to India differ from their prices world-wide ?

Experts will , no doubt , come up with other permutations / combinations

And they must

Because , we must try and get , as much of  " An Apple for an Apple " comparison , as possible , to arrive at meaningful conclusions

Other important questions that the Supreme Court will , no doubt ask , are :

>  World over , is there a definite co-relation between the " Cost of Production " and the " Selling Price " ?

    Or , is it just in India ?

>  What role does " World Market Price " play in determining the local selling price , all over the World ?

    Do gas selling prices in most of the countries , get determined by the world market prices ?  Or , is that a myth  ?

>  World over , what is the range of the " Rate of Return on Capital Employed " for companies like Reliance's " Petroleum business " ?

>  Would Reliance suffer massive losses if current price of $ 4.2 were to continue for a few more years ?

>  Will price of $ 4.2 , fail to attract foreign investments ?

>  Are  there sufficient grounds to suspect that the past - including recent past - decisions in regard to gas selling prices , were dishonest ?

>  Is there a clear case of collusion between Reliance and individuals occupying high positions in Central government  ?

>  Is there a clear case of corruption  ?

Don't expect answers to these questions , any time soon

There is no doubt , at least some answers are bound to embarrass some people  !

In any case , the mouse has dared to roar  !

And Aam Aadmi is cheering  !

*   hemen  parekh  (  12  Feb  2014  /  Mumbai )

Run Out of Issues , Rajat Sharma ?

Dear Rajat Sharma ,

Last evening , on your India TV show , you spent quite a few minutes talking about the refrigerator , the air-conditioner , the micro-wave oven , the sofa set etc

You normally don't talk about such mundane things  !

So , why this sudden importance to items of necessity  ?

Surely , India TV was not airing a " Commercial "  !

Only because , some 3 ministers of AAP government had asked these items to be installed in their homes  ?

From the tone of your voice , it seemed you had stumbled upon some dark , corrupt practice of AAP ministers  !

A " corruption " of some Rs 10 lakhs in all , between 3 ministers  !

Items that belonged to the Delhi Government and which , these ministers will need to leave behind when they vacate their government-owned flats in the next 3 days  !

(  Since , AAP government is most likely to resign in next 3 days )

Now , you don't want to waste your time telling the viewers about

>  Dozens of Ministers / MPs / MLAs , who continue to occupy their official

     residences , months / years after their tenure - without paying rent

>  Scores of Ministers who owe various agencies , crores of rupees for use of

    water / electricity / telephone etc , after demitting office

>  Equal number of ex-Ministers / MPs / MLAs , who enjoy one or other kind

     of perks / benefits from State coffers  ( and of course ,from  Air India )

>  Ministers ( including some ex-presidents ) who travelled abroad on what

    was described as " Official Visits " - with friends and family vacationing

>  Planning Commission spending a few crores of rupees to renovate toilets

>  Ministers spending crores of rupees to re-furbish their bungalows

>  Ministers / MPs / MLAs who " forget " to declare all of their assets while

    filing their nomination for elections

>  Ministers who " forget " to file their Income Tax returns for a few years

     ( Babu Jagjivan Ram forgot to file , for 10 years in a row ! )

>  MPs / MLAs who spend ( of course , on government expenses ) 15 days ,

    holidaying at exotic foreign locations , to study " Empowerment of Poor "

RAJAT ,

That you are anti-AAP , does not stop me from remaining glued to your 9pm

show every evening - and I urge , all AAP ministers to do so  !

It is only critiques like you who can keep reminding them of the lofty

principles that they stand for

By and large , you have conducted yourself without bias towards any political party

You have been balanced and respectful of the people you interview

And the best part is ,

You allow the participants to speak , without interrupting them or trying to put words in their mouth - a rare virtue amongst TV anchors / editors  !

Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill  !

In future , please ignore non-issues

After all , India TV is ,  " Aap ki Awaz "  !

*   hemen  parekh  (  11  Feb  2014  /  Mumbai  )

The Facebook Generation

When I booked my phone ( landline ) with Telephone Department in 1959 , delivery was 7 years

Ditto with FIAT car

After making full payment in advance

(  Premier Automobile made more money from interest on advances , than by selling cars !  )

Now my granddaughter walks into a corner store and gets her new smart phone in 7 minutes  !

(  She does not even remember my landline number , anymore  !  )

And , today , you can have a brand new car delivered at your residence in ONE day , after making online payment on Company's web site !

( That is because , car dealer needs one day , for RTO registration )

How did this revolution ( or , evolution ? ) happen  ?

One word answer  :

COMPETITION

Two word answer  :

DESTROY  MONOPOLY

Three word answer  :

SUPPLY EXCEEDS DEMAND

But , even today , what happens when you want ,

>  Ration Card

>  Passport / Visa

>  Driving License

>  Building Construction Permit

>  Factory License

>  Shop and Establishment License

>  Water / Electricity connections

>  Layoff of surplus workers when demand goes down

>  Environment Clearance for industries

>  Auctioning of Airwaves ( Spectrum )

>  Starting new banks

>  Constructing new roads / bridges / airports

>  Enacting new laws

>  Changing Business Transaction Rules ( ala Delhi JanLokpal Bill )...etc

Why do delivery of these services still take weeks / months / years  ?

One word answer  :

MONOPOLY

When it comes to these services , municipalities / state governments / central government , have  no competition  !

India's Facebook Generation of 285 million ( between the age of 15 - 29 ) is saying :

Like you old timers , we are not prepared to wait for these services endlessly

We want things done fast , today , NOW  !

Even if that requires introduction of Competition to existing establishments ( municipalities / governments )

And , if our constitution do not permit creation of " Parallel / Competing " governments , then we will change those governments  !

Or,

We will come up with some " Out of Box " solutions for " Delivery by Alternate Means "  !

We couldn't care less for your rules / regulations / laws

We will change everything that obstructs our right to a fast service

Our Neta is Bill Gates , who re-wrote the rules of service - delivery in the 21st Century, in his seminal book ,

"  Business @ The Speed of Thoughts "

Read it or Parish !

Choice is yours  !

*  hemen  parekh  (  10  Feb  2014  /  Mumbai  )

A Ticking Time-Bomb ?

Consider the following  :

*  India's population is 1220 million

*  Annual net increase is 15 + million

*  285 million are in the age group of 15-29

*  When GDP was growing at 8 %, we added 5 million jobs / year

*  Now that GDP is down to 4.9 % , we are adding 1 million jobs / year

*  Jobs in India can grow at 15 million / year if GDP grows at 12 % / year  !

*  41 million unemployed are registered with 900+ Employment Exchanges

*  Employment Exchanges find jobs for a mere 3 lakh / year  !

*  Annually , 14 million ( 15 - 1 ) get added to the ranks of jobless !

*  It takes Rs 1 million by way of Capital Investment , to create ONE job

*  National economies around the world are slowing down or shrinking

*  Unemployment among youth has become universal problem

*  All around the World , governments are cutting back on Welfare expenses

*  Root cause of ALL protests / riots / demos everywhere , is JOBLESSNESS

*  Don't be fooled by experts who describe India's Youth as Demographic

    Dividend !

*  Despite being a " Low Cost Economy " ( meaning wages / salaries at 10%

    of those in developed countries ) , jobs are NOT flowing to India . Why ?

    Our youth lack the necessary " Skills " - making them unemployable

*   UPA-2 Government is trying to fool us by saying NSDC ( National Skills

     Development Corporation ) will train 500 million youth in next 5 years !

*   On the other hand , there is NO incentive to Private Sector Industries , to

     come forward to invest in training these 500 million - something that

     would require an investment of Rs 250 Million Million

*   Private Sector has ,  required Money / Expertise / Organizational setup

     to impart such training

*   But that money is in the form of BLACK MONEY  !

*   So , what is the ANSWER  ?

*   Introduce a AMNESTY SCHEME , under which no questions will be asked

     as to the source of funds ( ie Black Money ) , if these are invested by

     the Private Sector in training of India's Youth , in prescribed Skills

*   Private Sector should be allowed to charge a reasonable fee from each

     trainee , 50 % of which should be subsidized by State Governments

*   Income earned  ( from Fees ) shall be tax-free for 10 years

If UPA -2 gets wiped out in 2014 , it won't be because of corruption  !

It will be because of JOBLESSNESS amongst the FIRST-TIME voters  !

And , if NDA comes to power but fails to defuse the ticking TIME BOMB of

UNEMPLOYMENT , it will meet with the same fate in 2019 !

Are our NETAS willing to think " Out of Box "  ?

It is still not too late  !

*   hemen  parekh  ( 09  Feb  2014  /  Mumbai )

Well Said , Yogendra !

Last evening , on ABP News , Yogendra Yadav said :

*  In the past , we ( AAP ) have made a few mistakes

*  In coming months / years , we may make some more mistakes

*  We are not ashamed to admit our mistakes

*  We are learning from our own mistakes - and from mistakes of others

*  We are not a monolithic party where everyone must speak with one voice

*  We come from diverse , social / political / economic background

*  We continue to differ in our views from one another

*  We believe such different views are essential to party democracy

*  We cannot influence one another without airing our differing views

*  We don't have answers to all the problems of Delhi- let alone of Country  !

*  We are in the process of framing our polices on National matters

*  Even when released , these policies will not be rigid but open to changes

*  It is unfortunate that in India , people have stopped asking questions

*  We need to create a strong culture of asking uncomfortable questions

*  There is nothing inconsistent between " Protesting" and " Governing "

*  Drama is an essential part of politics - Remember Gandhiji's fasts ?

*  Unjust laws must be politely broken -  ala , Salt Satyagraha of Dandi

*  Our struggle is not about changing rulers - it is about changing system

*  People vote for a candidate , not knowing whether he will win / lose

*  People vote for a party - whether it will rule or sit in opposition

*  People don't change their views / attitudes at once. Give them time

*  You cannot change a system by criticizing from outside

*  To influence others , you must become an " Insider "

*  Anna continues to inspire us , even when he criticizes us

*  People are the ultimate judge of whether we are right or wrong

*  Time has come to work for the  " Common Good "

*  Our critics should also ask BJP, how many promises they fulfilled

Yogendra said many more things ,

Many wise things ,

Very politely ,

Convincingly,

Disarmingly ,

Refreshingly,

Congrats !

Yogendra

ABP

*  hemen  parekh  ( 08 Feb 2014 / Mumbai )   

Eternal Truisms ?

Parkinson's  Law ( 50 years ago ) :

"  Work expands to fill the time available for doing it  "


Peter's  Principle  ( 25 years ago  )  :

"  If something can go wrong , rest assured , it WILL go wrong "


My  Belief  (  Feb 2014  ) :

"  Even the most trivial matter can be turned into an emergency ,
  by postponing decision / action , long enough  "


Proof :

#  1

UPA-2 trying to pass 46 bills in Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha in the
next 7 days

#  2


Telengana  ?

Moral  of  the  Story  :

A fast and honest decision is any day better , even if proved to be less than perfect , at some later day

You can always make a " Course Correction " later , based on the lessons learned , but there is no way you can regain the time lost through indefinite postponement

Postponements , by themselves  , don't lead to better decisions !

*  hemen  parekh  (  06  Feb 2014  /  Mumbai  )