Ready to be Ridiculed

From time to time , children do ask , what appear to adults , “ stupid questions “

Because they are not afraid of “ being ridiculed “ for giving voice to their “ un-encumbered imagination “

But adults suffer from a “ Shame Syndrome “ !

I do too !

But , for a change , I want to ask :

There are close to 4 lakh houses ( assume : flats of 500 sq ft each , @ Rs 10,000 per sq ft ? ) , lying unsold in Mumbai Metropolitan Region ( MMR ) and Greater Mumbai

Each flat with a sale price of Rs 5 cr  ?  A total unsold inventory of  Rs 20 lakh*crore  ?

Each flat capable of accommodating 10 work – stations ( a table + internet connected computer @ 50 sq ft per work station )

So , 4 lakh flats could accommodate , 40 lakh persons , in each shift of 7 hours

And 120 lakh persons in 3 shifts !

If engaged in “ Export of Intellectual Property “ ( BPO / KPO / LPO / Any PO that the rest of the World needs to be carried out remotely by our low cost graduates ) , then it would become possible to :

·         Put those unsold 4 lakh flats to a productive use

·         Increase “ Asset Utilization “ of property worth Rs 20 lakh*crore lying idle

·         Provide gainful employment to 120 lakh youth

·         Export “ services “ valued at $ 528 Billion / year

     ( Read :   BrainInc  2.0  ) 

     https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/08/brain-inc-20.html

Of course , you don’t ask a child :

“ Is this possible ? “

But at 84 + , I am expected to provide some hints ( if not pucca solutions )

These are :

·         Encourage owners of these 4 lakh flats to turn their flats into “ Knowledge Factories “ ( exempted from “ Factory Act “ / “ Shop & Establishment Act “ / “ Minimum Wages Act “ / “ PF Act “ / various Labour Laws…  etc  )

·         These “ Knowledge Factories “ to be governed by “ Human Enterprise Act “ ( to be drafted / legislated )

·         Owners need not pay any taxes such as “ Property Tax  / GST / Income Tax etc “

·         No questions to be asked as to the source of funds with which the flat was bought

        

·         Owners to “ Register “ as a Start Up as laid down in :

“  StartUp Act – 2015 “

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-new-economic-order.html

Does this ( suggestion ) sound crazy ?

If yes , then it has a very high probability of SUCCESS  !

Here is a tiny sample of persons whose CRAZY ideas got ridiculed at first :

Mahatma Gandhi

·         Invention of non-violent Satyagraha , instead of an armed revolt against British

Henry  Ford

·         Invention of a Motor Car , instead of an improved Horse Carriage

Thomas  Edison

·         Invention of a Light Bulb , instead of a bigger / better wax Candle

For India to find jobs for 12 million persons each year ( - and clear a backlog of 200 million unemployed ), we need an “ INVENTION “ , not mere “ INTERVENTION “

I am ready to be ridiculed

But before you do so , just visit the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai and convince yourself with the ingenuity of the poor ( - who are rich in their imagination )

23  Aug  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

What you imagine , can happen !

Hindustan Times ( 22 Aug ) carries news with following headlines :

“  8 cows in Rajasthan to be surrogate mothers “

Almost 2 years ago , I imagined this in my following blog :

Thursday, 26 November 2015

SURROGATE COW FARMS ?

Speaking at a Start-Up event at San Jose ( California ) on 27th Sept, PM Shri Modi said :

"  When each of the 500 odd towns produce 10 Start-Ups and each of our 600,000 villages produce six small businesses , on a regular basis , we will create an enormous economic momentum and generate a large number of jobs in our country

I want to see the idea and spirit of Start Ups light up the economies and the fortunes of people in rural India  "

Entirely doable . Consider the following suggestion :

*  Chinese biotechnology firm BoyaLife and South Korea's Sooam Biotech , are constructing in China, World's largest animal cloning factory

*  Production will start next year , with an initial capacity for one lakh cattle embryos a year , growing to one million per year

*  Dog , racehorse and COW embryos  will be produced

Obviously , BoyaLife will need to " rent out " cow-wombs , to grow / nurture these embryos

And that is THE OPPORTUNITY , to be seized by our rural Start-Ups  !

By setting up , " Surrogate Cow Farms " of 10 cows each

Then renting out these cow-wombs to BoyaLife , for $ 1,000 per surrogacy ( In city of Anand - Gujarat , human wombs can be rented out for $ 15,000 )

One million cow-wombs will earn these rural Start Ups , $ 1,000 million / year  !

At 10 cows per Start Ups , 100,000 Start Ups will be born  !

Raising our EXPORT earnings by $ 1,000 million  !

And nothing should stop these rural Start Ups from importing embryos of Dogs and Racehorses , and then re-exporting fully grown pets to Europe / America  !

I only hope , some MORAL POLICEMEN do not start a controversy by shouting :

"  How can we allow our holy Indian cows , to bear the unholy Chinese cattle embryos in their wombs , when we just banned our surrogate human mothers to carry the embryos of Foreign citizens  ? "

Of course , it is another story that these very same " moralists " have no love lost for the prostitutes who are forced to " rent out " their very human bodies , in order to survive  !

One last request to the concerned Ministers / Secretaries in NDA government :

Please , include these " Surrogate Cow Farms " in your definition of Start Ups in your proposed 

" Start Up Policy Document "

It is another matter that , each and every jobless individual ( not earning a salary from some other individual or organization ) , and struggling to become self-employed , qualifies as a Start Up

22  Aug  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Poll Reforms : Time for a Consensus

A Parliamentary Panel headed by Shri Anand Sharma , has come out with a questionnaire , requesting Election Commission and all the Political Parties , their views on many issues surrounding Electoral Reforms

Here is what Indian Express reported on this on 21 Aug 2017 :

Changes  in Poll  System

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/08/changes-in-poll-system.html

Over the past 3 years , I have sent a few suggestions in this regard to the Election Commission as well as to Central Government Ministers and Secretaries / Niti Aayog / some State Chief Ministers / major Political Parties / MPs / MLAs etc

Here is a partial list :

·

Finding  Candidate  Information   

              https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2016/09/filtering-candidate-information.html

 

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·         Presidential  or coalition  Government  ?  

             https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/presidential-or-coalition-government.html

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·         Electoral  Reforms Capsule  :  A bitter pill  ?  

            https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/02/electoral-reforms-capsule-bitter-pill.html

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·         Reforming  Elections and  Lok  Sabha  

           https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/reforming-elections-and-lok-sabha-real.html

·         One  Nation , One  Vote  ?  

             https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/11/one-nation-one-vote.html

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·         Constitutional  Coalition Aftershocks  

            https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/10/constitutional-coalition-aftershocks.html

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·         A  Blue  Print  for VotesApp  ?  

            https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/04/a-blue-print-for-votesapp.html

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·         EVM:  as susceptible  as  MOM  ?  

            https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/04/evm-as-susceptible-as-mom.html

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·         #EVMBahana  

           https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/evmbahana.html

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·         We  are not  bribing  the  Voters  !  

           https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/01/we-are-not-bribing-voters.html

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·         Model  Code of  ( Hypocrite  ) Conduct  

           https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/01/model-code-of-hypocrite-conduct.html

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·         Let  us begin  at  the Beginning !  

          https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/let-us-begin-at-beginning.html

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·         A  Freebie that  cannot  be faulted  

          https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-freebie-that-cannot-be-faulted.html

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·         How  will political  parties  survive ?  

          https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/how-will-political-parties-survive.html

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·         Simultaneous  Elections :  What do  you  think ?  

        https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/simultaneous-elections-what-do-you-think.html

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·         One  Poll : One  Time   

          https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/one-poll-one-time.html

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·         Advantage  Incumbent ?  

          https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/advantage-incumbent.html

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·         The  Greatest Reform   

          https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-greatest-reform.html

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·         One  day polling  is  possible   

        https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/03/one-day-polling-is-possible.html

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·         Honey  !  Ishrunk  the  EVM  !  

       https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/10/honey-i-shrunk-evm.html

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·         Perennial  Poll  Promises  

        https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2013/12/perennial-poll-promises.html

·         ROMP :  a  Panecia  ?

        https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/08/romp-panacea.html

·         Howto shame MPs / MLA s ?  

       https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/how-to-shame-mps-mlas.html

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But the question is :

Which Political Party is ready to let go its Strangle-Hold on the system and transfer the power to the Citizens ?  Which politician wants to sign his / her “ own death warrant “ ?

Long time back , Karl Marx is supposed to have said :

Religion is the opium of the masses  !

If he was alive today , he would have said :

For suffering / starving citizens , Voting is the illusion of power that the political parties wish to perpetuate !

22  Aug  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Changes in Poll System ?

Article appearing in Indian Express ( 21  Aug  2017 )

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“ First-past-post : House panel asks parties if poll system should change “

Initiating what could be the first structured discussion on the issue, an all-party Parliamentary panel is exploring “different systems of elections”, other than the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system that is currently followed in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Citing “apprehensions” that the FPTP may not be the “best suited system”, as “evident” from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election results, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, has sent a six-page “Questionnaire on Electoral Reforms” to all parties and the Election Commission.

“There are different systems of elections — like first-past-the-post (FPTP), list system (open list and closed system), proportional representation, ranked or preferential voting, and mixed systems.

In our country we follow FPTP for Parliament and Legislative Assemblies’ elections and proportional representation for the election of President…

What is your view in the matter and please also suggest the alternative system, if any,” says the questionnaire.

“Apprehensions are now being raised that in recent years the FPTP system is not the best suited system as is evident from the recent Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, where results have indicated that a party getting 39 per cent vote share won 312 seats and parties getting 22 per cent and 21 per cent got only 47 and 19 seats respectively,” it adds. While it does not name the BJP, SP and BSP, the reference to their respective vote shares and the seats won in the state elections is obvious.

In the past, the Congress and other Opposition leaders have, on several occasions, reminded the BJP that it won the 2014 Lok Sabha polls because of the FPTP system, as the party polled only about 31 per cent of the vote share.

Asking the EC about the “feasibility of introducing proportional, list system or a mix of systems for elections”, the panel has asked it to furnish the “challenges, if any” in this regard. It has also asked the EC to give a comparative analysis of the FPTP system followed in India and the United Kingdom, along with similarities, differences and emerging challenges in the continuation of FPTP in major democracies.

The views of parties and the EC have been sought under five heads: ‘Electoral Funding’, ‘Systems of Elections’, ‘Media/ Free Airtime’, ‘Internal Democracy in Political Parties’, and ‘Miscellaneous’.

In the section related to media, the panel has cited the “mushrooming of private media houses” and asked whether these should be “regulated/ controlled” like Doordarshan and All India Radio. “In many cases, political parties and candidates are directly or indirectly controlling stakes in media houses, leading to witch-hunting and character assassination of political parties and candidates. There is also emergence of cartels and oligarchies in media ownerships and leaning towards parties in power to further business,” it says, seeking views on the specific issue of “airtime allocation to political parties and candidates in privately owned electronic and print media during elections”.

It has also sought views on “cross ownership of media houses by corporates and their influence in the conduct of elections” and the “ideal way to limit their influence”; and on how to “check or regulate the money power used through media” to swing election results.

On the issue of electoral funding, the panel has sought views on the electoral bonds proposed in the Finance Bill, 2017 and on the proposal regarding state funding of elections.

Taking up the issue of internal democracy in political parties, it has sought views on ensuring “internal democracy and transparency in the nomination of candidates for elections”, and on simplifying the “extremely tedious and complicated” process while filing the nomination papers.

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The panel has also asked for comments on the “legality and justification” of provisions regarding disclosure of assets of a candidate’s spouse and children; on the Supreme Court’s observation that a candidate should be disqualified from contesting from the date of framing of the charges (it has said this provision could be misused by the party in power); and on the “relevance and feasibility” of holding simultaneous elections for legislative assemblies and local bodies (Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed for a wider discussion on this issue).

While some Opposition parties like the Congress, BSP, CPI(M), NCP, CPI and Lok Janshakti Party have responded, many others, including the BJP, are yet to send their replies.

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