Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Friday, 8 May 2020

Steady as it goes : One thing at a time




Context :

On 18th April, I sent following suggestions ( as email to Cabinet Ministers / NITI Aayog etc ) ,





[ A ]   Government should insist upon Mobile manufacturers that Aarogya Setu must be “ Pre
          Installed “ before a phone leaves the factory


[ B ]  Then there could be millions of phones lying with shops selling these . These sellers must
         install Aarogya Setu before handing over to buyer or no SIM card


[ C ]   A few hundred million phones could be in use with citizen.

         Mobile Service Providers (Reliance – Airtel – Vodafone ),

         - to stop their service to those users who have not

         downloaded / installed Aarogya Setu.  Under Government orders !

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

[ A ]  …… Govt accepted this suggestion and , on 02 May , asked all Mobile Phone
              Manufacturers to pre-install Aarogya Setu before a phone leaves factory gate
   

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

[ B ]  ……No news on this so far.

             But , having set a target of getting Aarogya Setu installed on 30 cr ( 300 million )
             mobiles by June, I Suppose,  Govt would have to mandate this, sooner than later !

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

[ C ]  …. Without waiting for a formal “ request “ from the Government, Reliance has initiated
             work on “ installing ? “ Aarogya Setu on 10 cr ( 100 million ) JIO feature phones          

             
              Now Reliance JIO has 380 million mobile subscribers.

             I suppose the balance 280 million ( 380 m total – 100 m feature ), must be Smart
             phones

            Here is that news :

    Extract :
Ø  The app, which has been downloaded more than 83 million times so far, was initially available to India’s roughly 500 million smartphone users on Google’s Android and Apple devices, but not to around 400 million users of more basic feature phones

Ø  Within a week, a version of the app will be rolled out to more than 100 million users of the $9 JioPhone – a cheap, internet-enabled feature phone that runs on a mobile operating system named KaiOS, a senior government official told Reuters.

Ø  We are pushing it … the testing is going on,” said the official who declined to be identified as the plan is not public.

Ø  The Indian government has also launched a toll-free number that connects feature phone and fixed-line phone users to the Aarogya Setu platform, allowing them to self-assess for COVID-19 via an interactive voice response system


As of now, there are no details whether, JIO feature phones
Ø  Will simply get “ enabled “ to receive Aarogya Setu ,  or , as suggested by me
Ø  Get an automatic installation through “ Up-date


If JIO succeeds in implementing “ Automatic Update “ ( eliminating the need for a JIO user to Google Store / Apple Store , to download ), then Airtel ( 283.04 million ) and Vodafone  (  304 million ) , will be forced to do likewise !  Without the Government having to request !

I have a strong feeling that JIO might succeed with “ Automatic Update “
Not only to please the Central Government but , to simultaneously leverage the “ E-pass “ feature of Arogya Setu ( likely to be introduced soon ) , to get millions of locked down citizen, to ask for “ E-pass Permission “ to come out of their homes to visit JIO-MART Kirana Shops for their daily “ Essentials “  !

To show to those millions of home-arrested citizen on their mobiles, which JIO-MART affiliated Kirana Stores are nearby, Reliance may implement SAFE QUICK

That would make Mukeshbhai , the “ darling boy “ of all the advocates of SOCIAL DISTANCING  !
Who says , COVID CRISIS cannot be turned into an opportunity to better serve the suffering mankind ?
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
hcp@RecruitGuru.com  / 09 May 2020


Thursday, 7 May 2020

Arvind Kejriwal : a parallel thinker ?





And really fast on the uptake , as well  !


In my following blog yesterday, ( emailed to Arvind, along with all other State Chief Ministers / Central Cabinet Minister ),


-      where I suggested :

“ Could we modify Aarogya Setu to become a


 “ Appointment-Giving Secretary “, 

for that doctor / kirana store / vegetable shop ?


And admit you/serve you, only at the APPOINTED TIME ? [ Social Distancing guaranteed ! ]


Although this ( modification of Aarogya Setu ) might seem impossible to you and me , why not leave it to the Aarogya Setu Team to decide after reading the following news ?



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

Now Arvind reads fast – and acts even faster !

And he has no patience to wait for the Aarogya Setu Team to modify it as suggested above

So , he went ahead and launched :
www.qtoken.in ( - though not opening at the time of writing ! )

Although not a mobile app, here is how it will work :

To avoid overcrowding, Delhi govt launches e-token system for liquor purchase  


Extract :


Ø  The Delhi government on Thursday started an e-token system under which customers would be given specific time for purchasing liquor in the wake of violations of social distancing norms by people crowding such outlets.


Ø  According to an official statement, the government released a web link - www.qtoken.in - where people will be designated specific time for purchasing liquor after they fill personal details.


Ø  The e-tokens will be sent on the mobile phones of the registered persons, it said


Ø  The e-token will help maintaining social distancing and cut down on waiting time in long queues by specifying time for each e-coupon holder to buy liquor at a shop.


Ø  The people will be required to furnish address of liquor shop in their area along with their mobile number and other details, while applying for e-token on the web link.

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

Congratulations , Arvind ,


For implementing what Bill Gates wrote 21 years ago , viz :



 
No doubt, while implementing qtoken, you ( a bania ? ), also considered the following bye-products of “ qtoken “ :


Ø  Number of “ drinkers “ in Delhi with their full contact data (do add, Aadhar No. )

Ø  Daily / Monthly consumption of each “ drinker “ and money spent ( drink-wise )

Ø  Monthly sale ( item / quantity / value ) of each of those 200 shops

Ø  Item-wise consumption for entire Delhi

Ø  Manufacturer-wise sale ( item wise broken up )

Ø  Tallying sale of each shop with taxes paid

Ø  How much govt is subsidizing each “ drinker “ with different Social Benefit Schemes ( DBT )

Ø  Area-wise concentration of “ drinkers “ ( Hot Spot – Red Zone – Containment Zone etc )

Ø  Are there some poor proxy persons buying for their rich masters ?

Ø  Are manufacturers taking advantage ( of panic buying ) to raise prices ? How much ?



I am sure your very able party-worker , Raghav Chaddha,



would come up with some more


He may even advise you to extend the “ qtoken “ system to cover Kirana Stores !



Dear State Chief Ministers,


Raising tax on liquor [ Corona Tax ], is a fine


But, if you are looking for “ monetizing “ consumption data of millions of citizen ( - remember, DATA IS THE NEW OIL ), then you should hurry up with your own “ qtoken “ portals – and do it fast !


It is very likely that, the Central Government may do it even FASTER  !



Hint :

The Bounty of Big Data  …………[  30 April 2016  ]  /    https://www.pricestats.com/ 



With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  09 May 2020


Wednesday, 6 May 2020

Can Aarogya Setu morph into “ Appointment Hetu “ ?




For a few weeks now, Aarogya Setu Team is working to incorporate E-pass feature in the App



Presumably, E-pass feature will enable you to seek ( and, instantly receive ) permission to leave your home to visit your doctor / kirana store / vegetable shop etc., for some specified period ( say, 2 hours )



It might grant you permission for going out to attend to your work at your office ( permanent pass )



Problem :

On Aarogya Setu, you seek permission for 2 hours, to go out at 10 am and return at 12 noon , after visiting your doctor / kirana store / vegetable shop


Aarogya Setu grants you that permission without knowing that ,



Ø  Your doctor has 5 appointments already lined-up in the morning and can see you only at 2 pm


Ø  Kirana store is due to open only at 3 pm ( as per govt guidelines )


Ø  Vegetable shop opened at 7 am and already closed at 10 am


Before visiting, most doctors require you to phone up in advance and take an appointment with their secretary. They don’t want a huge crowd of patients standing ( for want of empty chairs ) in their reception area



Could we modify Aarogya Setu to become a “ Appointment-Giving Secretary “, for that doctor / kirana store / vegetable shop ?



And admit you/serve you, only at the APPOINTED TIME ? [ Social Distancing guaranteed ! ]



Although this ( modification of Aarogya Setu ) might seem impossible to you and me , why not leave it to the Aarogya Setu Team to decide after reading the following news ?





For this innovative App , Dave Chura deserves congratulations !




On his web site , Dave writes :



SAFE QUEUE is mobile App used by you and businesses to coordinate entry into the business. You enter the line at the business as you drive in, and stay in your car while in line. The business notifies you when you can go in. There is,



  No need to make a reservation, go to a store when you want

  No sign-up, email, phone number or any personal information


  Super-easy to use. Just tap to get in line.


  Status updates always available.


  Audio notifications. The App talks to you.



SAFE QUEUE uses your GPS location to know you are near a store.

 

Only those who are within 1000 feet of a store can enter the store's line. If you drive away, you will be removed from the line. It's as if you were physically in line.


We are currently seeking businesses to try SAFE QUEUE at no cost.

Email us at dave@enclayve.com


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


And here is what IBM’s website has to say about Dave Chura’s winning entry ( 3 out of 160 contestants ) :


While you are at home, you can use the app to find the local establishment you need to visit, for example, a pharmacy.

After you get within 1000 feet of your destination, Safe Queue uses your GPS location data to put you in a virtual queue.

You can stay a safe distance away from the location, even remaining in your car while tracking your spot in line.

When it’s your turn, you can approach the pharmacy, and the person operating the door can confirm your entry based on a QR code issued by the Safe Queue app.

You can then enter the pharmacy without ever having to physically wait in queue.

The app is built on simplicity and privacy.

At no point is any personal information collected. There is no need to log in, and no personal details are passed to the establishment that you are visiting.

As Dave Chura points out:

“So you don’t need to sign up for anything. You don’t need to volunteer any information.

As I said, I’m somewhat of a privacy advocate.

You just need to be near the store, and then the store will let you in when it’s your turn. That’s what makes it easy.”

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


Dear Shri RaviShankar Prasadji,


Modifying Aarogya Setu , way beyond the functionality of SAFE  QUEUE ( as suggested above ), will serve following important purposes :


Ø  Ensure “ No Crowding “ at any public place by maintaining Social Distancing


Ø  Take the wind out of those pseudo Privacy Advocates, maligning Aarogya Setu


I urge you to phone up Dave Chura [  +1 ( 310 ) 345-4418  ]



With regards,


Hemen Parekh


hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  07 May 2020