#NPA #ICICI #AXIS #RBI #CBI

Were  these “   honest  “ decisions  ?

Over the past few years , CEO / MD of leading banks ( both public and private ) , have taken decisions to advance thousands of crore of rupees to industrialists / businessmen

Some Rs 9 lakh*crore of these loans have now turned into NPA and questions are being asked :

“  Were these honest decisions  ?  Were these decisions taken without any conflict of interest ? “

Now , we know that thousands of years ago , even Sati Sita’s fidelity to Lord Ram was doubted !

So , no matter how “ honest “ were those decisions by the bankers , public may have a “ perception “ of dishonesty

And SEBI / RBI / ED / CBI / Board of Directors of concerned banks / external auditors etc , have to conduct detailed / searching investigations , to establish the “ honesty “ ( - or otherwise ) of those decisions

That process has to be gone through

But it would have greatly helped those CEO / MD , had they filed an “ DECISION DOCUMENT “ ( one for each loan ), as suggested in my following 4 YEAR old blog ( sent as email to all Cabinet Ministers )

21 June  2014

  

To err is human

To forgive is divine ( provided it was a honest error )

All of us keep making errors , all the time

But rarely same " mistake " twice

Often , decisions taken at a point of time , turn out to be " poor " , with passage of time

Reasons are simple :

*  We never have all the information - relevant to the problem we are trying to solve –

    available with us , at the time of taking a decision

*  Even when most of such relevant info is available , we may not have the capacity /

    competence to " process " such info

*  As humans , we have our biases / prejudices , based on our previous experiences ,

    which influence our decisions

*  Quite often , and often against our own better evaluation / judgement of a given

   situation , we are wrongly influenced by our peers / bosses / subordinates or even

   voters - all of whom have different expectations / vested interests !

*  Additional - and more relevant - information surfaces , AFTER we have taken a

    decision ( happens all the time  !  )

To encourage Babus and Ministers to take FAST decisions , Narendra Modi must insist that they carefully " Record " on the files :

*    What info / data he wished was available for a better decision

*    What different " views / opinions " were presented to him for consideration

*    What " Data / Views " he would have obtained if he had more time

*    Who all , the decision might offend

*    What is the likely " Cost " of postponing that decision

 

And finally a declaration :

*    This decision is not likely to benefit any of my near relatives / friends , directly or

      Immediately

After all of this , if the decision appears to be " Wrong " in hindsight , it must be " forgiven " and treated as an honest error

To err is human  !


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

18  April  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Saving a few hours ?

What is more important :

  saving a few hours or saving a few years ?

Here is the context :

*     Delhi-Mumbai train track is 1384 km long

*     Of this , some 500 km passes through urban area where people / animal can cross

       the tracks

*     This interference , forces the trains to slow down ( from its permissible speed of 130

       km / hr )

*     Govt wants the trains to run at speed of 160 km / hr

*     To enable this , government has approved construction of 500 km long boundary

       Walls

*    The plan will cost Rs 500 crore 

*   Railways is working on a plan to implement a similar model on Delhi-Kolkata route

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/railways-to-build-500km-wall-along-delhi-mumbai-route-to-quicken-pace-of-trains/story-IlPk4VCYl7pBYwNGcv1pSN.html

Rs 500 crores to save ( may be ) 500 hours of travel time annually ?

Contrast this with following situation :

*  Mumbai suburban ( local ) train tracks , span 465 km ( as per Wikipedia )

*  As per the statistics provided under the RTI query, apart from 6,989

   passengers who died after falling from trains, 22,289 passengers succumbed

   while crossing the tracks ( trespassing ) , during past 10 years

Why cannot Railway consider constructing boundary walls on both sides of Mumbai local tracks  , in order to save 2200 lives every year ?

If Railway do not have the money , Maharashtra Government should provide the funds

As for a cheaper and faster ( but almost equally effective ) solution , I have sent following emails to the Railway Minister :

Indian Railways : A Trillion Dollar Opportunity [  03 Sept  2016  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2016/09/indian-railways-trillion-dollar.html

A Prabhu – on – Earth ?  [  19  Aug  2017  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2017/08/a-prabhu-on-earth.html

 

Killer Tracks of Mumbai Locals  [  23  March  2018  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2018/03/killer-tracks-of-mumbai-locals.html

 

 

Or , is it that the lives of Mumbaikars are cheaper than lives of Indians elsewhere ?

 

17  April  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

 

#PlasticBan #PlasticPollution #PlasticRecycling

#Plastics  :  Time  to  strike a  deal  ?

Today’s Times of India carries following news report :

“ Ban on plastic ; Manufacturers look to make their case after govt sets up panel “

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/ban-on-plastic-manufacturers-look-to-make-their-case-after-govt-sets-up-panel/articleshow/63792066.cms

Excerpt :

Plastic manufacturers have been demanding a rollback and have promised all help to recycle the plastic that is produced.

Ravi Jashnani, president of the Maharashtra Plastic Manufacturers Association, welcomed the move to form a committee. "The government has opened up a window for us," he said.

He said they had apprised Fadnavis about the large scale recycling already happening in the state. "We will take more steps to increase recycling," said Jashnani.

There is no doubt that the Plastic Industry will take steps to increase recycling

As far as the question of “ Recycling “ is concerned , I urge both parties ( Govt and the Plastic Manufacturers ) to go through my following suggestions :

 Discourage Plastics : Encourage Greed  [  21  March  2016  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2016/03/discourage-plastics-encourage-greed.html

 

Same Wavelength ?  [  02  May  2017  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2017/05/same-wavelength.html

 

 

Turning a Threat into an Opportunity ?  [  23  Dec  2017  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2017/12/turning-threat-into-opportunity.html

 

 

But , let us not miss the wood for the tree  !

 

Recycling is only a “ temporary cure “ .  But , as they say ( wisely ) :

 

“ Prevention is better than the cure  “

 

And the only way we can “ Prevent  the Problem of Plastics Pollution “ , is to draw up a permanent solution , as suggested in my following blog :

 

 

#Plastic  :  Refusing  to  fade  away  [  05  April  2018  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2018/04/plastic-ban-pollution.html

I urge , both the Govt Committee and the Plastic Manufacturers to conduct their negotiations in a spirit of “ Give and Take “ , in order to arrive at a permanent solution, which both parties firmly commit to and which is legally binding

If they manage to strike such a deal , it would work as a bench-mark for the Central Government to negotiate a similar deal for gradual dismantling of the Tobacco Industry over the next 10 years

17  April  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Parekh’s Law of #Privacy ?

Q  :    Is privacy  desirable  ?

A  :    Most certainly – to the extent possible

Q  :    Is privacy sustainable  ?

A   :   Doubtful

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

Here is why :

Smart bracelet can sense danger, call for help

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/smart-bracelet-can-sense-danger-call-for-help/article23546825.ece

The Smart Jewelry Bracelet, which is currently a prototype, uses machine learning and a multitude of sensors to analyse a user’s movements in order to detect an assault as it is taking place.

Scientists have developed a smart bracelet that can automatically detect physical or sexual assault, scare off the attacker and call for help.

Upon detection that the user is in danger, it is programmed to emit a loud beeping sound and red strobe lights begin to flash in an effort to scare the attacker off and to alert other people who may be nearby.

The bracelet contains a small microcontroller equipped with a gyroscope, accelerometer, temperature and pressure sensors, GPS, and microphones.

“The sensors allow the bracelet to collect user activity and vital signs continuously,” said Jayun Patel, a graduate research assistant at UAB.

“ Poker face stripped away by new tech “

http://technology.inquirer.net/74873/poker-face-stripped-away-new-age-tech?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1523784859

Dolby Laboratories chief scientist Poppy Crum tells of a fast-coming time when,

technology will see right through people ,

no matter how hard they try to hide their feelings.

Sensors combined with artificial intelligence can reveal , whether someone is,

*    lying

*    infatuated, or

*    poised for violence,

Crum detailed at a big ideas TED Conference.

“It is the end of the poker face,” Crum said.

“ We broadcast our emotions.

WE WILL KNOW MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER THAN WE EVER HAVE.”

According to the neuroscientist,

*   Eye dilation reveals how hard a brain is working,

*   Heat radiating from the skin signals whether we are stressed or even romantically

     piqued.

*  Carbon dioxide exhaled can signal how riled up someone, or a crowd, is getting

   

*  Micro-expressions and chemicals in breath reveal feelings.

*  Timing of someone’s speech can expose whether they are at risk of dementia,

    diabetes, multiple sclerosis, or bipolar disorder, according to the neuroscientist.

*  Brain waves can indicate whether someone’s attention is elsewhere in a room,

    regardless of the fact their gaze is locked on the person in front of them.

Technology exists to read such cues and, combined with artificial intelligence that can analyze patterns and factor in context, can magnify empathy if used for good or lead to abuses if used to oppress or manipulate, said Crum.

“It is really scary on one level, but on another level it is really powerful,” Crum said.

“We can bridge the emotional divide.”

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

Now the proposed law :

“  CONCERN FOR PRIVACY INCREASES IN DIRECT PROPORTION TO THE AMOUNT OF PERSONAL INFORMATION / DATA , WHICH A PERSON WANTS TO HIDE FROM THE PUBLIC “

During my walk this morning , I met an illiterate / poor plumber from Bihar who moved to Mumbai 4 months ago and is working on a construction site

For nearly 30 minutes , he was having a video-chat on his smart phone , with his small daughter in his village

I asked him if he was worried that the mobile service provider had captured and stored his entire conversation on its computers

He answered : Humko koi farak nahi padtaa  !  Hume kya chhipaana  hai  ?

[  Makes no difference to me . What have I to hide ?  ]

I am glad , being close to 85 years of age , I am unlikely to be around in 2025 , when each and every piece of furniture / device / gadget / artefact in my home, will transmit 24 hours , what I speak and do , to some computers all over the world !

16  April  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs