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, 27 November 2020

How about “ Sandbox for Mobile Voting “ ?

 


 

Context :

PM pushes for simultaneous polls    /  Business Line – 27 Nov 2020

Extract :

One nation-one election is the need of the hour, says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday once again pushed for one nation-one election and suggested that the Election Commission prepares a single voters’ list for the Lok Sabha, Assembly and Panchayat polls because separate lists are a “waste of resources”.

Need of the hour’

Addressing the concluding session of All India Presiding Officers Conference, Modi called for simultaneous elections and common voters’ list at every level — from Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabhas to the local Panchayats.

He said digital innovations in the fields of legislatures should be taken up in real earnest for this.

One nation-one election is not just a matter of debate, it is the need of the hour. Elections are held at different places every few months. The effect it has on development work is known to all. The issue needs to be studied and presiding officers can the guiding force for it,” said the PM.

Administration support

The issue of simultaneous elections has been flagged on many occasions by the PM himself. It gained traction after the NITI Aayog prepared a working paper on the subject in January, 2017.

The Election Commission too has been largely supportive of the view and the discussions have been around synchronising assembly polls where the schedules overlap or are in proximity.

However, the Opposition is against this view.

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

Dear Shri Narendrabhai,

 

Indian voters have been happily using electronic EVM for voting for many years now – without complaint. Nothing parallel exists anywhere in the World. We pioneered this process ( compare with what just happened in USA )

Even those few political parties which, at first, refused to accept EVM, have now no complaint about their efficacy

If we can convince the opposition that Mobile-based voting is,

Ø  Totally reliable and

Ø  The process cannot be tampered with,

      then there is a good chance that they will accept a Mobile-based Voting – which will pave the way for

      One Nation One Poll  /  Simultaneous Elections

 

To convince the opposition what we need to do is a small trial – a small experiment – in a small bye-election – in a small constituency – having a small number of voters

 

An experiment where both of the following “ voting methods “ will be employed simultaneously :

Ø  Physical EVM based voting in a physical booth ( marking with indelible ink )

 

Ø  Mobile App based voting from voter’s home ( using biometric IDs of finger – iris- facial recognition of Selfie )

 

 

Voters will have following options :

Ø  Only vote from a polling booth

 

Ø  Only vote from home , using Mobile App

 

Ø  Use both methods , physical voting in booth, followed by Mobile voting from home

 

 

Basis for declaring the Winner :

Ø  Only votes polled at physical booth will be considered for declaration of Winner

This assurance will get us the “ Buy-in “ of the Opposition to this experiment

 

 Then, what is the purpose of Mobile-based voting ?

Ø  It will enable us to compare the “ votes polled “ under each method

 

Ø  This analysis will tell us how many voters ( but not “Who “) , voted using which method

 

Ø  Time-series will tell us which method was used ( preferred ) at what time of the day

 

Ø  Did Mobile based votes were a result of people who otherwise could not have voted ( Lost Votes ) , being many kilometers away from their designated polling booth ?

 

Ø  If number of voters who used mobile was TWICE / THRICE the number of those who went to polling booth, then can we conclude that people hate trudging down to polling booth and spend hours standing in a queue ?

 

Ø  Do the Winner come out to be the same candidate, under both voting methods ? If yes, very assuring !

 

 

How will we know if Voters who used Mobiles were not coerced / influenced by party workers ?

Ø  NaviC based GPS will tell us where precisely that mobile phone was exactly when vote was cast

 

Ø  It will also tell us ( Heat Map ? ) whether many other mobile phones were nearby at that moment ( eg: local office of political parties )

 

 

How can we conduct such a small-scale experiment , without disturbing EVM-based voting ?

Ø  By creating ( what I call ) a “ Mobile Voting Sandbox

 

Any current example of such a controlled  Experimental set-up “ to gather evidence of efficacy of a method ?

Ø  Yes. The National Digital Health Mission has created such a SANDBOX

 

How does it work ?

Ø  Read : Accelerating Digital Health Innovation  /  Eco Times – 26 Nov 2020

Extract :

#  NDHM has created a “sandbox “that enables technologies or products to be tested in a contained environment

    and duration – subject to NDHM standards and oversight – and judge the consumer and market reactions to the

    same

#  The sandbox will facilitate integration of current systems and IT platforms in healthcare with NDHM building

     blocks namely , Health ID, Doctors’ and Health Facility Registries, and Patient Health Records

#  At its core, the sandbox has been created with the objective to foster RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION in Health

    Tech Services, promote efficiency and bring benefit to consumers

#  The sandbox brings together healthcare and health tech service providers, centrally and state run public health

     programmes , software providers, healthcare aggregators, tech companies to TEST and INTEGRATE their

     products and services with NDHM

#  The NDHM sandbox is founded on the idea that the government, private sector and citizen need to work

     together as partner to solve the problem of healthcare. It will enable “ learning by doing “ on all sides

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

What features should be built into theMobile Voting Sandbox “ ?

Ø  Central Election Commission (  CEC )  to get the Mobile App developed and oversee its working

Ø  CEC to declare ( 2 months in advance ) date of Bye Election for a given constituency

Ø  Mobile App will work on that date only and between 8am – 6pm only

Ø  On that date, at 6pm. it will self-destruct automatically, even if not used

Ø  If used, App will self-destruct immediately after transmitting the data to the Central Server of CEC

Ø  Although a voter can vote once again from his Mobile AFTER he has already voted from physical booth, it will NOT be possible to do other way around ( ie:, he cannot first vote from mobile and then go to booth for voting ).

Ø  As soon as a voter has voted from booth, EVM will immediately transmit his vote ( candidate selected ) to the Central Server of CEC

Ø  Now , if he has voted for candidate XYZ ( belonging to BJP ) in booth, then after going home , he cannot vote ( select ) candidate LMJ ( belonging to Congress ) , from his Mobile App . If he does, Server / App will not let him click “ SUBMIT “ .

This is safeguard is essential to ensure that voters do not play mischief / confuse CEC, by voting for different candidates, using different voting methods ! Server will allow him to proceed ONLY if he selects the SAME candidate ( XYZ ) , on his Mobile App

                

Ø  A voter ( from the declared constituency ) can download the Mobile App ( only once ) , from the website of CEC , by filling in an online form where he will need to establish without doubt that , he is a genuine voter belonging to that particular constituency ( Voter ID – PAN – Aadhar – Sefie – Mobile No. etc ). Server will ensure that no one, other than a voter belonging to that particular constituency, will be able to download the App

Ø  Voting data generated using Mobile App , shall NOT be published till the CEC declares the Winner based on EVM based voting ( no exit pole – no prejudging – no confusion – no mischief ! )

Ø  However, once the Winner is declared , data from both methods of voting will be published on CEC website ( of course , without in any way, revealing the identity of any voter )

Ø  The entire METHODOLOGY of “ Mobile Voting Sandbox “, must be widely publicized on CEC website / other Govt websites / Social Media sites / News Papers / TV channels etc., in order to establish its TRANSPARENCY / RELIABILITY among general public and among political parties.

Ø  Govt may consider inviting comments / suggestions from public on CEC portal


Any suggestion re: conceptual frame-work for such a Mobile App ?

Ø  Yes. Please refer to my following email :

 VotesApp                                                      [ 18 Dec 2012 ]



Have I followed this up with other e-mails ?

Ø  Sure. Keep clicking on :

2020

#   First Step to VotesApp ?                               [24 Jan 2020 ]

#  Slow and Steady ? Way Democracy Works      [ 12 Mar 2020 ]

#  Analysis Needed : Paralysis Avoided…………………[13 Sept 2020 ]

    #  408 Km vertical distance OK ? …………………………[ 01 Nov 2020 ]

2019

#  VVPAT ? How about EVBAT ?                           [ 28 Mar 2019 ]

#  Dark Side of Democracy                                 [ 08 Jan 2019 ]

 2018

#  Americans call it “ Voatz “                                [ 13 Aug 2018 ]

#  Where is the need ?                                         [ 05 Apr 2018 ]

#  Block Chain for Voting ?                                   [ 11 Mar 2018 ]

Thank You, Shri Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay          [ 19 Feb 2018 ]

Simultaneous Polling                                         [ 22 Jan 2018 ]

 2017

Poll Reforms : Time for a Consensus                  [ 21 Aug 2017 ]

A Blue Print for VotesApp ?                               [ 25  Apr  2017 ]

Electoral Reforms Capsule : A Bitter Pill ?           [ 05  Feb  2017 ]

 2016

Reforming Elections and Lok Sabha                    [ 20 Dec 2016 ]

#  One Nation , One Vote ?                                   [ 29 Nov 2016 ]

#  Filtering  Candidate  Information ?                     [18  Sept  2016 ]

#  One Poll  ,  One  Time                                       [ 06 Sept  2016 ]

#  Advantage  Incumbent  ?                                  [ 05  Sept  2016 ]

#   ROMP :  A Panacea ?                                        [ 06  Aug  2016 ]

#  The Greatest Reform ?                                       [ 12  June  2016 ]

#   One Day Polling is possible                                [31  Mar  2016 ]

2015

#  How  to  Save  Rs  5511  crore  ?                         [12  Dec  2015 ]

#  Honey ! I shrunk  the  EVM                                  [21  Oct  2015 ]

2014

#  All   Seasons  are  Election  Seasons                      [ 22 May 2014 ]

#  A  Software  Powerhouse  ?                                   [ 24  Apr  2014 ]

 Sun  Never  Sets                                                   [ 01  Apr 2014 ]

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

With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 27 Nov 2020

 

 

Wednesday, 25 November 2020

Reinvigorating Rooftop Solar Power

 


 

Main constraint for rooftop solar power generation is availability of big enough roof ( terrace ) area


To generate 20 KW, you need 2000 sq ft of solar panels .


10 flat owners (in 5 story house ), each needing 20 KW, would need 20,000 sq ft of terrace - not available


On top of that, power will not get generated if there is no sun-light from visible spectrum ( on a cloudy day )


Now imagine this :

Ø  If we can generate power from UV ( Ultra Violet ) spectrum which is abundant even on a cloudy day


Ø  If a panel which captures UV, and converts UV into visible spectrum, is sandwiched along with a standard Solar PV panel ( which can , therefore generate electricity even on a cloudy day )


Ø  Such transparent sandwich panels were to replace normal glass windows of a building


Under such a scenario, terrace area will not remain a limitation !


All the windows of all the flats ( apartments ) can generate power – enough for each flat


This could be an ideal solution for many modern high rise buildings whose walls are made entirely of glass


 A 27 year old Philipino young man, Carvey Maigue [caehren@jenraygenre.com ] has just won Dyson Prize of 2020 ( from 1800 entries ) for this invention


Read the details at :

These Solar Panels don’t need the Sun to produce energy ……………… [  23 Nov 2020 ]

Extract :

“I think it will be a massive game changer for the industry,” Crawford says. “I would expect solar companies to be knocking at his door.”



https://insights.globalspec.com/article/15479/inventor-turns-fruits-and-vegetables-into-electricity

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=580817449262570&story_fbid=655111155166532 



https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/rural/2020/11/new-invention-uses-farmers-damaged-crops-to-produce-electricity.html

Extract :

Inspired by the plight of farmers in the Philippines who often lose much of their produce due to severe weather disruptions, the invention aimed to find a use for crops often left to waste.


The material is made from the damaged fruit and vegetable crops and converts UV light into renewable energy.

 

James Dyson, founder and chief engineer at Dyson said the material was " impressive in the way it makes sustainable use of waste crops"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dear Shri R K Singhji

( Minister for New and Renewable Energy  /  raj.ksingh@gov.in / rajkumar.singh19@sansad.nic.in, ),

 

I urge you to consider  :


Ø  Every year Indian farms generate 500 MILLION tons of “ Agriculture Straw “ , of which , 362 million tons are “ burnt on the farms “ (  causing huge air pollution ) , leaving a surplus of 141 million tons


PUSA Institute has already developed a process to decompose the agricultural waste into organic manure which is currently being sprayed in farms of Delhi

             

May be PUSA could replicate the “  Conversion Process “developed by Carvey Maigue

              

 

Ø  Circulating this information to the Solar Panel Manufacturers Association of India, urging it to get in touch with Carvey Maigue. The Association may be asked to seek help from one of the following Techology Evaluation Committees set up by the Central Government, for assisting in the evaluation of Carvey’s innovation for mass production

 

Ø  In short term, it may protect our local PV panel manufacturers from Chinese imports of PV panels ( approx. 75 % of our annual need ) by imposing a high safeguard Customs Duty but in the long term only thing that can protect them is for them to innovate by employing a technology which is superior to the one used by the Chinese. It is very heartening that this sentiment is reflected in your following article appearing in to-day’s Economic times ;

 

Power Minister R K Singh decodes India’s renewed vigour in Renewable Energy  /  26 Nov 2020

 

Extract :

 


#    To curb dumping of imported solar PV cells and modules by some

       countries, a safeguard duty has been imposed

            

          

        Upcoming policies to support manufacturing will leverage ,


        #  GLOBAL TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES

        #  map LOCAL CAPABILITIES, and 

        #  strive to indigenize entire value chains, including access to

            CRITICAL RAW  MATERIALS

                     

 

Ø  Without doubt, by now, the Chinese PV panel manufacturers have heard about Carvey Maigue and may be offering him a down payment of $ 10 million and a royalty payment of 5 % , for sole world-wide licensing his technology. We must contact Carvey without loss of time

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  26 Nov 2020

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

E Mailed To :


pusapoly.delhi@nic.in ……………………………………………….[ Pusa Institute of Technology ]

sg@sesi.in / info@sesi.in  …………………………………………[Solar Energy Society of India ]

admin@nsefi.in ………………………………………….[ National Solar Energy Federation of India ]

info@stfi.org.in  ………………………………………………………………..[ Solar Thermal Federation of India ]

rajasthansolarassociation@gmail.com  ……………………………[ Rajasthan Solar Association ]

info@kresma.org                                   [ Karnataka Renewable Energy Systems Manufacturers association ]

spda@solarpda.com  ………………………………………………………..[ Solar Power Developers Association ]

info@ifge.org.in / info.ifge@gmail.com  ………………………….[  Indian Federation of Green Energy  ]

corporate@seci.co.in ………………………………………………………….[ Solar Energy Corporation of India ]

secretarygeneral@indianwindpower.com  /  ad.delhi@indianwindpower.com  {  IWTMA  }

iwpahq@windpro.org / secretary.general@windpro.org / iwpa.rsc@gmail.com / iwpacno@windpro.co.in { IWPA }

manish@inwea.org  { Indian Wind Energy Association – IWEA }

ps@appindia.org.in / akhurana369@appindia.org.in / girish.deveshwar@appindia.org.in  { APP }

rajnath-pc@nic.in  { Rajnath Ram , Adviser Energy – NITI }

Vipul.tuli@sembcorp.com  { Vipul Tuli , MD, Sembcorp India }

Alok.nanda@ge.com / Ananda@shiftcomm.com  {  Alok Nanda, CEO , GE Technology Centre }

Ashish.khanna@tatapower.com  { Ashish Khanna, President -Renewable , TATA Power }

Vinay.rustagi@bridgetoindia.com  { Vinay Rustagi , MD , Bridge to India }

chair@nic.in / ps.mhaske@nic.in  {  Chairman, CEA  }

secy-power@nic.in  {  Secretary, Ministry of Power  }

secy@cercind.gov.in  { Secretary , CERC  }

 

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

 Related Readngs :

Congratulations , Shri R K Singhji……………………….[ 19 Nov 2020 ]

 

Shri R K Singh - the Revolutionary……………………….[ 20 Feb 2018 ]

 

Chai and Why ? #OLED ……………………………………….[ 20 Dec 2017 ]

 

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


Added on 24 April 2021 :


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