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

Sunday, 21 June 2020

Urban Poor : Existence Admitted !



Just came across following news report in today’s Economic Times :




Highlights :

Ø  Jharkhand is set to become the first state to launch an employment guarantee scheme for urban poor on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act.


Ø  The scheme, Mukhyamantri Shramik Yojna, will guarantee 100 days of work in a year for urban unskilled labourers. The new scheme would have a provision to pay an unemployment allowance if the state fails to provide 100 days of work.

Ø  It says that if the person doesn't get work within 15 days of asking, he or she should be liable to unemployment allowance which would be one fourth of the minimum wages in the first month.

In case the person doesn't get work in the second and third months, the allowance would be half of the minimum wages in the second month and equal to the minimum wages in the third month.

The wages would be directly transferred to the bank accounts of labourers within 15 days

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

A little over a month back , I sent following e-mail to all State Chief Ministers :

    MGNREGA : Can it morph into UBI ? ……………………………………………[ 11 May 2020 ]

  
-      Where I suggested :


MGNREGA should be re-named, MGNRUGA ( Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Urban Employment Guarantee Act )


Ø  Besides RURAL households, it should cover URBAN households as well


Ø  Besides “ Unskilled Manual Work “, it must also cover “ Semi-skilled / Skilled “ work as
    well


Ø  The daily wages payable , must be the “ Minimum Wage “ at the start of each Skill
    level grade and periodically revised upward, depending upon CPI


Ø  Number of “ Guaranteed Days of Work Employment / year “ should be :

#  Rural Areas ………………….. 300 days ( up from current 100 days )


#  Urban Areas :

-      Class II towns ………………… 200 days

-      Class I Cities……………………  100 days


Ø  On MGNRUGA website , there will be provision for,


#  Jobless persons to register ( providing full personal data / job locations preferred / Skill
    level / prior experience etc )

     
#  Companies / Establishments to register , providing full details of vacancies


#  Match-making / Allocation etc



Ø  If an Urban establishment provides work to any of the REGISTERED UNEMPLOYED
    referred by MGNRUGA web site, it will not be required to pay wages ( to those  persons
    ), for periods mentioned above.

      
    For them, the wages will get paid directly by the Ministry subsidizing , at rates
    prescribed under the Act ( DBT ) . Any wages paid in excess , will have to be borne by
    the establishment concerned

      
   This “ Wage Subsidy “ will be available ONLY to those establishments, who install in
   their premises, Mobile-based Attendance System , as described at :


                From BAD to MAD                   [ 01 June 2016 ]
                MAD goes to Mandi                  [ 02 Jan 2020  ]


HOW WILL THIS HELP ?

Ø  This modification of Scheme will cover jobless persons, all over India – not only Rural
    India

Ø  The MGNREGA scheme as it stands now, covers “ works “ related only to ,
             #   Soil and Water Conservation
             #   Ground Water Recharge
             #   Irrigation
             #   Drainage
             #   Plantation
             #   Land……. Etc

           My suggestion will extend the scheme to cover urban offices / factories / shops etc
           , where millions have been rendered jobless due to lockdown


Ø  Current rural schemes have to be monitored by govt officers / panchayat office-
    bearers, who may lack supervision skills and / or lack “ motivation “ to ensure that
    each MGNREGA worker puts in honest / hard / productive work, at the end of the day !

    As against this, when organized / profit driven establishments ( in Urban setting ) are
    supervising such workers, productivity of “ Asset Generation “, will be very high !

             


Ø  Because of this Wage Subsidy ( better name it CORONA EMPATHY – so as not to run
    foul of WTO ) , MSME will revive faster , with less worry for Cash Flow . Products will
    become cheaper


Ø  By providing jobs and enabling people to earn their own living , there will be no need
    for Delhi-type “ doles “ – which are unsustainable in long run


Ø  This scheme overcomes the major objections against UBI ( Universal Basic Income )
     viz :


#    How to decide whom ( defining “ poor “ is difficult ), to give UBI


#  People will become too dependent on “ Sarkar Maa-Baap “ and become lazy / stop
    looking for work


Ø  It is better than the Unemployment Allowance of USA ( now for 33 million persons,
    sitting at home )


Dear Shri Narendrabhai,



It is time to think about a PERMANENT SOLUTION to this problem of UN-EMPLOYMENT { even beyond COVID }


Please consider my suggestion

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


For recognizing the existence of URBAN POOR and trying to help them through partial implementation of my suggestion, you deserve Congratulations ,


Ø  Shri Hemant Soren – CM , Jharkhand (hemant_jh33@yahoo.com


Ø  Shri Naveen Patnaik -  CM ,  Odisha      (cmodisha@nic.in  )


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


Considering that URBAN POOR live in towns and cities of all States, I have no doubt other States will soon launch similar Schemes


I urge the Chief Ministers of these States to consider incorporating my suggestions



With regards,


Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com   /  22  June  2020  

Saturday, 20 June 2020

Congratulations , Shri Mahesh Kumarji



Congratulations , Shri Mahesh Kumarji


( Principal Secretary-Urban Development – Govt of Maharashtra / sec.ud1@maharashtra.gov.in / sec.ud2@maharashtra.gov.in )




What For ?

For considering my suggestion in respect of Street Vendor Loan Scheme [ SVaNidhi ]



What was your suggestion ?

Ø  Do away with condition of “ who have been vending on or before March 24 “

{  Unfortunately , this suggestion does not seem to have been accepted }


Ø  Give loan to ANY unemployed person who “undertakes “to become a Street Vendor { whether he is already been registered as a vendor, or not }

{  This appears to have been accepted  }




Can you elaborate  ?


In my following blog / email, I wrote :
         Providing Jobs : a Fundamental Right ?   ……………………..[ 07 June 2020 ]


Dear Shri Narendrabhai,

I urge you to tell the government officers :


“ Just get out of the way of persons trying to become Self-Employed.


If any rule / regulation comes in the way of a person trying to become Self Employed, just go ahead and drop / delete that rule.

No matter how many Unlock periods follow, India is unlikely to get back to GDP of even 5 %, unless we succeed in Unlocking the Self-Employment potential of our people


PM-SVANidhi ( Street Vendor Loan Scheme ) is an excellent example of this “ Process of unlocking the Self-Employment potential “


But vested interests and “rule–bound“ bureaucrats [ MNRE officers + Bankers + Municipal Officers + Police ] will, most likely ensure that this scheme is “ Still Born “ !


Please , tell them :


“ Although this Scheme envisages making 50 lakh Street Vendors become Self Employed ( at budgeted outlay of Rs 5,000 crore ), I challenge you to remove all road-blocks and give loans to 500 lakh street vendors “

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

Earlier , I wrote :

Thank You, Shri Hardeep Singh Puriji   …………………………………………..[ 01 June 2020 ]


 Ø  While sanctioning loan, it must NOT be denied even if a vendor is UN-LICENSED  ! 



Ø  Madam Sitharamanji , in her press briefing, had said : “ We received this figure of 50 lakh vendors, from various State Governments “


Ø  If “ License Requirement “ is made a condition for granting loan, than I am afraid, 45 lakh vendors will get “ disqualified “ !


Ø  In fact , in my earlier emails, I had advocated granting this loan to ANY unemployed person , who wants to take up “ Street Vending “ as a trade , with no prior experience in Street Vending !

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


Even still earlier, I wrote :

Street Vendor Loan Scheme ……………………………………………………………[ 14 May 2020 ]



    While granting online VENDOR LICENSE, government shall sympathetically consider :


#   Migrant Workers stuck in a city ( estimated 35 lakh in Mumbai alone )


#   MSME factory workers who have lost their jobs


#   Domestic servants who are sitting idle at home ( irrespective of govt pleading, no
     home-owner is likely to pay them wages for April )


#   Construction workers who have lost their jobs


#   In Mumbai , existing 3 lakh hawkers who ply their trade from slots on footpath

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

What makes you think your suggestions are being “ considered “ ?

Following news report in yesterday’s Times of India :

Extract :
Ø  The civic official said those with identity cards issued by civic bodies were eligible.
     Those whose names are there in the survey, but do not have identity cards, should
     be given temporary cards or their names must be recommended.
    Migrants who have shifted to their home states and are planning to return to
    Maharashtra are also eligible

Ø  “Street vendors play a significant role in ensuring availability of goods and services at affordable rates at the doorstep of city dwellers. We have proposed to grant benefits to vendors, who had been vending on or before March 24, and till March 2022,’’ he said

Ø  “Any vendor, registered or unregistered, can apply for a loan of Rs 10,000 under the scheme. The loan will have a year’s tenure, with interest subsidy at the rate of 7%, provided repayment is punctual,’’ Pathak said

======================================================
Copy of this email being sent to following State-level Urban Development Secretaries :

=========================================================
With regards,

Hemen Parekh
hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  21 June 2020