Fast Forward to IoV ?

Times of India ( 02 July ) , carries following news report :

“ UK plans digital fences to thwart terror trucks “

The UK government is planning to install high-tech digital force fields around iconic buildings and bridges to block terror attacks using vehicles in the country.

The UK’s department for transport (DfT) is investigating the use of internet-based solutions to counter a recent spate of terror attacks using cars and vans to plough down pedestrians in busy areas, according to ‘The Times’.

According to the report, UK ministers are interested in the development of technologies such as “geo-fencing” systems that employ satellites to create electronic boundaries around specific sites.

It would connect with on-board computers in cars to prevent unauthorised vehicles gaining access or slowing them to walking space

DfT confirmed that the government was also looking at the use of technology to pre- vent attacks using vehicles as weapons.

A DfT spokesperson said: “Departments across government have been working together with the police and security service to explore what more can be done to prevent the malicious use of vehicles as a weapon.

The DfT is exploring what role vehicle safety technologies can play in mitigating this. This work is at an early stage.”

Sweden is already adapting the technology to vehicles in response to an attack in Stockholm in April when a truck was driven into pedestrians on a busy shopping street, killing four people.

Vehicle manufacturers including Scania and Volvo are involved in trials of the technology. A British firm is also reportedly working on similar technology by using telematics — black box-style devices — to shut down a car or lorry when it has been hijacked.

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In my blog , 

“ Internet  of  Vehicles ( IoV )   [ 04  March 2017 ] “ ,

 among the various justifications , for embedding ALL vehicles with GPS enabled and Internet connected SENSORS, being controlled remotely ,  I had also listed :

“ Increasing road accidents , maiming and killing people or damaging property “

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/internet-of-vehicles-iov.html }

Dear Shri  Gadkariji :

I once again urge you to make this technology ( Internet of Vehicles ) , the CORNER STONE of your ,

Urban  Transport Policy

{https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/06/urban-transport-policy.html }

=======================================================

03  July  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Elon : Hesitation Can Hurt !

For a few months now , I have been tweeting to Elon Musk , to hurry up with his plans for manufacture of Tesla Electric Cars in India

May be he was evaluating his entry strategy in the context of “ China vs India “

Now comes following news ( Bloomberg / 28 June 2017 ) :

As Elon Musk races to finish building the world’s biggest battery factory in the Nevada desert, China is poised to leave him in the dust.

Chinese companies have plans for additional factories with the capacity to pump out more than 120 gigawatt-hours a year by 2021, according to a report published this week by Bloomberg Intelligence.

That’s enough to supply batteries for around 1.5 million Tesla Model S vehicles or 13.7 million Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrids per year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

By comparison, when completed in 2018, Tesla Inc.’s Gigafactory will crank out up to 35 gigawatt-hours of battery cells annually.

But then India is not “ hesitating “ either !

Following is the description of following Youtube video :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLYzqV-4-GReUxRT75zmAGNi-EN_-43S6C&v=gE_Y1WkBkx8&app=desktop

Indian Space Research Organisation's Indian Space Research Organisation had developed Lithium Ion battery technology for space application. Now government of India is planning to give this technology to interested Indian companies so that large volume of battery production would significantly reduce the cost !

The video says :

The Indian Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has asked ISRO to share the battery technology  to all interested , Public and Private Companies . The rationale being mass production can reduce the cost significantly

Mahindra Renault , Hyundai , Nissan, Tata Motors , High Energy Batteries, BHEL and Indian Oil have shown interest in producing the indigenous Li-ion batteries

BHEL and ISRO could possibly sign deals in this regard soon

But Indian Government aims to have multiple companies producing the batteries to drive down the

Cost

This is what I repeatedly urged the NDA government through my following blogs ( sent as emails ) :

·         ABreakthrough : In Technology and Mind-set

      { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/06/a-breakthrough-in-technology-and-in.html }

·         From  Elon to  Ion

     { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/from-elon-to-ion.html }

·         SolarPanels charging Li-ion Batteries of Electric Cars ?

  {https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/solar-panels-charging-li-ion-batteries.html }

·         Enable  Elon to  Catalyse

  { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/06/enable-elon-to-catalyse.html }

·         Welcome ,Elon Musk !

   { https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/02/welcome-elon-musk.html  }

Seems like Shri Gadkariji does not want to be waiting for ever for Elon to make up his mind !

Shri Gadkariji !

Congrats for pushing commercialization of this NON – SPACE technology of ISRO – even as Elon tries to make up his mind !

03  July  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

How to Universalize Social Security ?

For a long time , in India , the only Social Securities were :

·         EPF / PPF ( for a few million persons working in Organized Sector )

·         A earning son in a HUF – Hindu Undivided Family ( For a Billion + Citizens )

A few years back , government introduced  Atal Pension Yojana ( APY )

A report in Business Line ( 17 June ) reads :

To expand the outreach of the Atal Pension Yojana (APY), people can now enrol and subscribe digitally to the scheme.

“The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has now introduced “APY@eNPS” which involves a complete digital enrolment process,” said the Finance Ministry on Friday, adding that it will give additional push to cover the as yet unreached population at greater ease.

APY is the flagship social security scheme that is available for all citizens in the age group of 18-40 years and provides them a minimum guaranteed pension. At present, the scheme has over 54 lakh subscribers and it has generated a return of 13.91 per cent.

=================================

Although this facility, would certainly help , it is quite unlikely to cover a billion citizens !

For a comprehensive solution, take a look at :

JanDhan Sarjan Yojana  ( 31  Aug  2015 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/08/jan-dhan-sarjan-yojana.html }

-      where I suggested as follows :

*   If GST is going to be ( say ) 20 % , Government will transfer from this ,

     2 % ( ie 10 % of that 20 % ) , to the PPF account of the Consumer /

     Buyer , who pays for the Goods / Services purchased , using a RuPay

     Card or a " Mobile Wallet " app

     This will motivate millions of self - employed to open  PPF  accounts !

*   Since interest from a PPF account is tax-free , every citizen would , now

     want to make all payments thru RuPay card or a Mobile Wallet App

*   RuPay cards are already tied up with accounts opened under Jan Dhan

     Yojana

*   Mobile Wallets Apps will also get tied-up with thousands of branches of

     Payment Banks , which will open in next 18 months

     Just imagine the number of new accounts that will get opened in the

     1,55,000 + post offices of India Post  !

*   In this way , Social Security will become " Self Financing " !

*   Currently , in India , some 97 % of all payments are " Cash Payments ".

     With introduction of this proposal , these will drastically decline

*   Any payment made , using RuPay card or a Mobile Wallet App , will make

     available to the Income Tax Department , full digitized record of each

     such transaction , including :

     #  Who  made the payment

     #  To whom was that payment made

     #  When was that payment made

     #  For what purchase , was that payment made

     #  What was the amount paid

*   One , very desirable consequence of  Jan Dhan Sarjan Yojana

     will be that our " Domestic Savings Rate " will climb back to 30 % !

02  July  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

No Takers for Brand New Homes ?

A news report in Mumbai Mirror ( 16 June ) reads :

“ 50,000 affordable homes up for sale in Mahul and Trombay “

It adds :

“ However these have been lying vacant for five years , as PAPs ( Project Affected Persons ) have refused to move into them for various reasons – issues like,

·         THE HOUSE IS FAR AWAY FROM THEIR PLACE OF LIVELIHOOD

·         THERE IS LITTLE OR NO RAILWAY AND BEST CONNECTIVITY OR BUS ROUTES

·         NO SCHOOL AND HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN THE VICINITY

If we are serious about renewal of our crowded / congested / crumbling / corroding cities , it is time our Town Planners take a few minutes to read my following blog ( sent as email to Central ministers and State Chief Ministers ) :

Thursday, 5 June 2014

Urban Renewal ?

An important aspect of urban renewal is to get rid of slums , by resettling slum-dwellers in better houses

Then convert those vacated slum areas into gardens

But slum-dwellers are unwilling to vacate their huts .

Why  ?

Over the past 25 / 30 years , the standard method was to move the slum-dwellers into some temporary , make-shift transit camps , pending permanent rehabilitation

But that promised " permanent rehabilitation " never came  !

Those who agreed to get shifted into those transit camps , continue to live there for generations - without any hope of ever moving into multi-story concrete buildings with running water / electricity / toilets

Given this broken promises , who would agree to shift out  ?

Second problem is availability of jobs nearby where they are forced to move - even if these buildings happen to be well-built , modern and permanent multi-storied buildings

Who would want to move to a better / permanent house , if it is 30 Km away from a work-place  ?

No one wants to spend 4 hours on the road every day , commuting to a place of work in dense traffic , riding a crowded bus / train  !

But most slum-dwellers would happily vacate their slums and move 150 Km away , if ,

*  It is a well-built building with all amenities

*  It is a  permanent home ( - and not a transit facility  )

*  It is given FREE , on ownership basis

*  THERE IS A JOB WITHIN 1 KM OF THE NEW HOME

This is exactly what China is doing , by building ONE brand new Mega City , EVERY 20 DAYS  !

And moving 250 million slum-dwellers into those cities over the next 20 years ( - nearly ONE MILLION people , EVERY MONTH  !  )

May be this is what NaMo was thinking when he dreamt of constructing 100 Mega Cities in next 5 years - at the rate of ONE city EVERY 18 DAYS  !

OLD  CITIES CANNOT " RE-NEW " THEMSELVES , UNTIL WELL-PLANNED NEW CITIES ARE BUILT FIRST AND READY TO RECEIVE THOSE OLD CITY SLUM-DWELLERS AND OFFER THEM JOBS

Only problem :

* Mega City of Dholera ( in Gujarat ) is under construction for over last 3

 years and expected to cost , Rs 70,000 Crores

* Central Government has neither the money needed to construct 100 cities,

nor the administrative / technical competence for such a project

*  Democratic Institutions are un-suited for taking bold / harsh /

 controversial decisions - then bulldoze !

It seems urban renewal will remain a mirage  !

02  July  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs