How Will Political Parties Survive ?

Yesterday's Indian Express carried following news report :

Election Commission seeks ban on anonymous contributions to parties above Rs 2000

" Seeking to stem the flow of black money in polls, the Election Commission has urged the government to amend laws to ban anonymous contributions of Rs 2000 and above made to political parties. There is no constitutional or statutory prohibition on receipt of anonymous donations by political parties. But there is an “indirect partial ban” on anonymous donations through the requirement of declaration of donations under section 29C of The Representation of the People Act, 1951.

But, such declarations are mandated only for contributions above Rs 20,000.

As per the proposed amendment, sent by the Commission to the government, and made part of its compendium on proposed electoral reforms, “ anonymous contributions above or equal to the amount of Rs two thousand should be prohibited. ”

The Commission has also proposed that exemption of Income Tax should only be extended to political parties that contest elections and win seats in Lok Sabha or assembly polls.

The Commission said, “ There could be cases where political parties could be formed merely for availing of provisions of income tax exemption if the facility, that are at the expense of the public exchequer, is provided to all political parties. ”

In yet another recommendation to check black money, the EC has asked the Law Ministry to ensure that political parties are made to register details of donors for coupons of all amounts on the basis of a Supreme Court order of 1996.

Coupons are one of the ways devised by the political parties for collecting donations and hence are printed by the party itself. There is no cap or limit as to how many coupons can be printed or its total quantum. Currently, the details of donors is not required for coupons with small amounts such as for Rs 10 or 20. “These smaller sums aggregate into a bigger amount and hence, they need to be accounted for, to ensure transparency,” the Commission said.

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After reading this , you would not be surprised that , in India , we have 1,900 + , so called " Political Parties " , of which , possibly less than 20 may be " National " parties

I wonder how many donations of under Rs 20,000 , did all these parties receive , since 08 Nov announcement on demonetization ! Or , how many MILLIONS of COUPONS got printed !

My guess is : RS 2 LAKH*CRORE !  

Given the above-mentioned " loopholes " in the " donation declarations " required of Political Parties , is it any surprise that these small parties have become the latest entrants to the flourishing " Hawala " trade ( NEW for OLD notes , at a discount ) , since 08 Nov ?

Do not overlook the fact that these parties have powerful " friends " in all bank branches !

But , this recommendation from Election Commission could not have come at a more opportune time for the NDA government , what with 5 State Elections looming on the horizon , over the next 12 months

All that the Government has to do , is as follows :

*  Accept EC recommendation , making it effective from  01 Feb 2017

*  Go one step further and mandate that ALL donations ( even for ONE rupee ) , to political

   parties can only be made either ONLINE (on Party Web site, using Credit / Debit cards )

   or using any other DIGITAL PAYMENT method

*  Those ( smaller / regional ) political parties that wish to " merge " with any NATIONAL

    party, can do so by transferring their entire corpus of funds / assets to the NATIONAL

    party .

    In the hands of the NATIONAL party , this entire amount will be treated as " Anonymous

    Donation " .

   This " exemption " will only apply to parties " merging " before 31 Jan 2017

  

I imagine a frenzy of 1800 political parties rushing in to " merge " with BJP  !

Even as most will not survive , a few will " thrive "

I never cease to be amazed at the by-products of demonetization  !

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19  Dec  2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

     

A Winter of Discontent ?

Just concluded winter session of Lok Sabha was a total wash-out , with 99 % of time wasted by Members ( from both the sides ) shouting / rushing into the well of the house / not allowing anyone to speak / hurling abuses at one another / ignoring the repeated pleas of the Speaker / walking out when shouting did not help ....etc

There is nothing we can do about that. Past cannot be re-lived, any differently !

For the sad behavior of our parliamentarians , we have no one to blame but ourselves

After all , WE voted for them and WE elected them , to go and represent us in Lok Sabha !

And , most unfortunately , we cannot " Re - Call " them , till 2019 !

Nor can we expect this ( or , for that matter , any future Lok Sabha ) , to pass a reform called :

3 R  : RIGHT TO RECALL REPRESENTATIVES ACT ( year ? )

But may be , just may be , there is a way to ensure that the forthcoming BUDGET SESSION , does not end up the way of the Winter session

That could happen if one of the leading News Paper or a TV Channel , were to quickly conduct an online SURVEY of the type suggested in my following earlier blog ( sent as email to NDA Ministers / MPs / MLAs and the Election Commission ) :

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Thursday, 6 August 2015

ROMP - A Panacea ?

In past few years , our Lok Sabha has been repeatedly paralyzed by slogan shouting MPs

Perhaps , the past two weeks were the worst in the history of Lok Sabha , with no business conducted

Someone suggested that MPs be made to lose their salaries for this period , following the universally / legally accepted rule : No Work , No Pay

This won't work . Our crore-pati MPs could not care a hoot for loss of pay !

Only thing that might work :

A mobile app called , " ROMP / Recall Our MP " ( Idea for a Start-Up ? )

Only voters who qualify as follows , will be permitted to use this App , in order to recall an MP :

*  He must be on Electoral Roll

*  He must have actually voted ( even if NOTA ) , in the last general election

   { This criteria is bound to boost voting percentage to 95 %  ! No need to

      make voting compulsory  ! }

*  He can " Vote to Recall " , only MP who got elected from the constituency

   from where he cast his vote in last election

*  He can vote only if there is no Criminal charges filed against him

*  The App itself will accept his " Rating / Vote " only on two days of the year

   announced by the Election Commission for each constituency

*  Any other criteria that readers may wish to suggest ( crowd-sourcing )

ROMP will show following criteria , with " YES "  or "  NO " buttons against each :

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LOG-IN :

#    Suspend MP for next Session................................ YES.......NO

#    Recall MP.............................................................YES ..... NO

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Justify your recommendation by " Rating " your MP , below

( Unless rated on each criteria , your vote will be invalid )

Is this MP ( who is being rated by you ) :

#     Honest.............................................. YES........NO

#     Of high Integrity................................. YES........ NO

#     Sincere.............................................. YES........ NO

#     Hard-working ....................................  YES........ NO

#     Punctual.............................................. YES.......  NO

#     Dignified............................................  YES........  NO

#     Follows Speaker's Orders.....................   YES........  NO

#     Good Listener.......................................  YES......... NO

#     Awaits his turn to speak.......................... YES........ NO

#     Asks only relevant questions..................  YES........ NO

#     Approachable to Voters..........................  YES....... NO

#    Answers Voters' Emails promptly...............  YES......  NO

#    Provides regular feedback to Voters ............. YES.......NO

#    Addresses other MPs with respect...............  YES..........NO

                                        SUBMIT

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Conditions governing use of  ROMP  :

*   It can be downloaded from the web site of Election Commission , upon

     filling up a form, requiring all kinds of proof that you are a genuine voter

*   Upon being satisfied ( that you are a genuine voter ) , the Server will

     issue a User ID and Password, to log in before you can use the App.

     It would be better still , if biometric identification is integrated with the

     App , since AADHAR cards are already having such identification

*   ROMP can be downloaded only once

  

*   At least 66 % of the Voters who had actually voted in that Constituency

     during the last General Election , should take part in ROMP event for it

     to be considered valid

    

*  Only in case more than 2/3rd ( > 66 % ) of " Ratings " cast ,  recommend

    Suspension or Recall , will the Election Commission / Speaker act

    according to People's Mandate

*  However , in case where those 66 % are divided between " Recall " and

    " Suspend " , then " Suspend " will prevail

*  Rating results will be made public on Election Commission web site on the

    next day and also published in leading Newspapers

I do believe that the present NDA government is keen to introduce / pass ,

"  RIGHT  TO  RECALL  BILL  " in Lok Sabha as part of Electoral Reforms

Except that the combined opposition may defeat it in Rajya Sabha  !

Which MP would want to sign his own death-warrant  ?

But even without a legal backing , I feel ROMP would have a salutary effect

on the behavior of our MPs , who would know that they are being watched,

and their conduct is being evaluated ! - and will be made public  !

ROMP , along with my earlier suggested mobile Apps ,

*     VotesApp

      {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2012/12/votesapp.html  }

*     I SIN  /  USIN ,

      {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2012/12/i-sin-u-sin.html  }

will take us many steps closer to a Digital India

If you endorse my views , please forward to all Policy Makers

If not , please do come up with a better idea !

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19  Dec  2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Steps in the Right Direction

E MAILS SENT TO NDA MINISTERS / SECRETARIES :

*  Do not StopHere  

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/do-not-stop-here.html }

*  RIP , CreditCards 

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/11/rip-credit-card.html }

*  Conspiracyof the Cards  

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/conspiracy-of-

   cards.html  }

*  From  UPI to  UTI  

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/from-upi-to-uti.html  }

*  Reincarnationof Smart Phone 

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/reincarnation-

    of-smart-phone-with-saral.html }

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If following news reports are any indication , it will be a matter of only a FEW WEEKS , before the Government launches a UPI / AEPS based , Mobile Wallet App , that enables completion of a DIGITAL  PAYMENT  TRANSACTION , suggested in my above listed emails, as follows :

PROCESS TO BE USED :

*  Both , the BUYER and the SELLER , " JUST PEER " into the camera of a Smart phone (

   kept on sale counter ) , to identify themselves biometrically and linking with their

   respective bank accounts

*  Seller " SPEAKS OUT " , into the phone , the PAYMENT AMOUNT for the purchase

*  Buyer " SPEAKS OUT " into the phone , the PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS

*  Payment Amount gets transferred , from the BUYER's Bank Account to the SELLER's bank

   account ( with confirmation messages flashing on the counter based mobile )

All the " speaking " ( asking for payment / giving payment instructions ) can be in any Indian Language ( in course of time biometrics of Voice Recognition , to be added )

ADVANTAGE  :

This SIMPLE , 3 STEP process , which requires nothing more than the EYEs and VOICEs of the Buyer and the Seller , is the ONLY WAY , our country can become a LESS CASH economy within 6 months , by getting rid of all other complicated methods !

REMEMBER ! NO ONE WILL NEED TO BE " TRAINED " FOR MAKING A DIGITAL PAYMENT !

TECHNOLOGIES TO BE USED :

Google Action / Google Translate / Google Talk / UPI / AEPS

MOTIVATION TO BE USED : 

10 % of tax ( GST in future ) to be automatically transferred to BUYER's DPF ( Digital Provident Fund ) account ( see my email :

DigitalProvident Fund ; An Unparallel Opportunity 

{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/digital-provident-fund-unparalleled.html }

BY-PRODUCT :

GST ( or VAT ) will be transferred to appropriate Government , immediately / automatically

Records of ALL digital transactions will become available to IT / ED / Finance Ministry

800 Million citizens will get a " Old Age Social Security " , without depending upon Govt  

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YOUR THUMB COULD BE YOUR TICKET TO FLY

( Source : Times of India / 17 Dec 2016 )

" Your thumb could soon be all the documentation required to enter an airport. And once the government is able to achieve this the second phase could see you flashing your thumb to board the aircraft, at least for domestic flights.

While it may sound as science fiction, the aviation ministry has already started work on the first part and Hyderabad airport has successfully completed a pilot project on using biometric identification for allowing entry into the terminal there.

"Over a billion (100 crore) Aadhar cards have been issued so far. At the time of issuing these cards, biometrics, fingerprints and iris scans, are taken and fed into a national digital registry. Presently, air travelers have to show their air ticket and a valid identity card to enter airports.

We are examining the technical feasibility of asking people to give their Aadhar card numbers at the time of booking tickets. At airports, they can press their thumb for biometric identification; enter terminals and board domestic flights ( for international passports will be needed )," said a senior aviation ministry official.

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ACCELERATING DIGITAL PAYMENTS

Ravi Shankar Prasad to Push for Transactions Via Aadhaar Cards

( Eco Times / 17 Dec 2016 )

Further accelerating efforts towards digital payments, Union minister for electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said that transactions through the Aadhaar card will be promoted...

“ Of the total 112 crore bank accounts, around 40 crore are already linked to Aadhaar card,“ he said. Prasad added that Aadhaar-based payments can be an all-pervasive way of digital transactions since it doesn't require everyone to have a smartphone.

“ All people need, is to remember their Aadhaar number and authenticate themselves through their biometrics.

The merchants will not need to invest in any expensive sophisticated technology for this -all they need is a small finger print reader that can be attached to any smartphone. Currently , these devices cost anywhere between `1500/2,000, but as the volumes grow, their cost will also drop.“

A SIMPLIFIED APP FOR AADHAAR PAYMENTS IS ALSO IN THE WORKS, WHICH WILL HAVE A STANDARD INTERFACE AND IS LIKELY TO BE LAUNCHED NEXT WEEK.

ET had reported on Friday that the government plans to roll out a payment system that will allow customers to pay for fuel by simply pressing their fingers on an Aadhaar-verifying device, which would trigger the transfer of money from their bank accounts to the filling station.

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18  Dec  2016

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Life Insurance for All ? Possible

Life Insurance for  All  ?  Possible 

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Letter sent to a few LIC Officers on 17 Dec 2016

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 Dear LIC Officers,

While thanking my friend / colleague, Gurudatt for forwarding myemail to you all , I want to admit my total lack of knowledge re Life Insurance Policies or that domain , in general

However , my today's blog below ,( sent as email to NDA ministers / secretaries ) , might interest you since it contains my suggestion re leveraging NDA's current initiative for DIGITAL PAYMENTS , for providing for our millions of citizens , an opportunity to create for themselves , a POST RETIREMENT PROVIDENT FUND , without feeling the pinch of regular   INSURANCE PREMIUM payments

Whereas , I have suggested creation of DIGITAL PROVIDENT FUND , you may want to suggest to Shri Modiji , an alternative in the form of a CONTINUOUS stream of tiny DIGITAL PREMIUMS for their LIFE Policies , every time they carry out a DIGITAL PAYMENT TRANSACTION ( @ 10 % of tax paid , as suggested in my blog )

I suppose , you can find a way to keep updating the " SUM ASSURED " , dynamically , with each such " deposit " , and even flash it as a SMS on the mobile of the person making a DIGITAL PAYMENT

You could offer an ANNUITY option to the user and call it DIGITAL LIFE ! 

  

Not only , such a modification of my original suggestion , bring Life Insurance Policy benefits to 800 million citizens , it will also bring about a revolution in the area of SOCIAL SECURITY, of a kind no other country in the world boasts !

If there are any questions , feel free to write / phone

Warm Regards,

Hemen Parekh / Mumbai / hcp@RecruitGuru.com