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

Thursday, 21 March 2024

Dear PM : Promise PIPPPA – not Freebies

 


 

 

Context :

Supreme Court agrees to list PIL against practice of parties promising freebies during polls .. TOI .. 20/3/24

Extract :

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Thursday challenging the practice of political parties promising freebies during elections.


This development comes just ahead of the upcoming general elections starting on April 19. The PIL calls for 
Election Commission to use its authority to freeze election symbols and cancel registration of parties engaged in such practices.

The bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, acknowledged the importance of the matter and scheduled it for discussion on Thursday.


The PIL, filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay and represented by senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, stresses the need for a complete ban on populist tactics aimed at influencing voters.

It argues that such practices violate the Constitution and disrupt the fairness of the electoral process. The plea urges the court to recognise that offering irrational freebies funded by the public before elections can unduly sway voters and undermine the integrity of democracy

The petitioner highlights the concerning trend of using freebies as a means to garner electoral support, equating it to bribing voters at the expense of public funds. The plea emphasises the necessity of curbing this unethical practice to uphold democratic principles and maintain the sanctity of elections.

 

It calls on the Election Commission to introduce a new condition in the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order 1968, prohibiting parties from promising or distributing irrational freebies prior to elections.


The PIL asserts that the distribution of private goods or services using public funds before elections
violates various articles of the Constitution, including Article 14. Currently, there are eight national political parties and 56 state-level recognized parties, with approximately 2,800 unregistered political parties in the country. The upcoming general elections for the 18th Lok Sabha will commence on April 19 and conclude on June 1, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.


The nomination process for the initial phase, covering 102 parliamentary constituencies across 21 states and Union territories, began on Wednesday with the issuance of notifications. The PIL's plea reflects growing concerns over the influence of freebies on the electoral process and seeks judicial intervention to safeguard the integrity of democratic values during elections.

 

My Take :

Dear Shri Narendrabhai ,

Promising of FREEBIES is a cancer that is spreading fast through the innards of our society. Unless stopped soon , we will become a most corrupt / bankrupt country

Please look at my following suggestion for inclusion in NDA manifesto / 100 Days Roadmap :

Ø  Freezing of Freebies  ………………………. 29 Aug 2022

 

Extract :

In light of these, if you are serious about bringing an end to this “ revadi culture “,

the only option left to you is to , introduce yourself , a BILL in the next session of

the Lok Sabha, as ( conceptually ) outlined below :

 

( 1 )  Preamble

We, the people of India , declare that our votes are not for sale and we want to

put a stop to Political Parties trying to bribe us by offering freebies in their election

manifestos

 

( 2 )  Name of the Act

“ Prevention of Irresponsible Promises by Political Parties Act “ ( PIPPPA )

 

( 3 )  Objective

Ensure that the Election Manifestos do not contain any promise of freebies

 

( 4 )  Punishment for breaking Law

Depending upon the “ Degree / Extent “ of the violation , EC would :

 

#  Prevent the concerned party from contesting the election to which the

    manifesto pertains

 

#  Stop the concerned party from accepting any donations through Electoral

    Bonds or even directly

 

#  Deregister / derecognize the concerned party

 

#  Declare the concerned party as “ illegal “ and seize all of its movable / non-

    movable assets

 

( 5 )   Examples of typical Freebies ( not comprehensive / Items to be added or

         deleted )

 

Cash / Depositing money in voter's bank account / Liquor Bottles / LPG Cylinders /

Free Rice / Food Packets / Payments of Electricity - Water Bills / Mass Feasts /

Screening of films / Laptops / Tablets / Bicycles / Mangal Sutras / Gold Coins /

Buffalos / Colour TV / Mixer – Grinder / Unemployment Allowance / Waiver of

loans / Free Houses / Free Education / Health Care / Roti - Kapada - Makaan /

Transport / Smartphones

 

I suggest that, while deciding whether an item of Poll Promise, constitutes a

FREEBIE or not, the Parliamentary Select Committee apply the following criteria :

 

( a )   Item must not be linked to Religion – Caste – Creed – Beliefs etc

 

( b )   If the Manifesto pertains to Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha Elections, then the

         item must not refer to any specific State – Region but should be applicable

         to citizens of ALL States

 

         

( c )   Preferably, the benefits accruing from any particular item, must be long-

        lasting and should not be for a short duration

         

 

( d )   As far as possible, item should be in the nature of “ Creation of an Asset

         which can be used by any citizen from any part of India . These could be

         Infrastructure Projects ( Hospitals–Highways–Ports etc )

 

    

( e )  An item of Manifesto can be linked to ( based on ) :

 

         #  Economic Status ( eg; Poor people )

 

         #  Age                   ( eg : Children suffering from mal-nutrition )

 

         #  Health               ( eg : People suffering from certain illnesses /

                                              pandemics )

 

         #  Gendre              ( eg : Women )

 

  

( 6 )  Process

 

 

Political Parties must publish their manifestos on,

 

#  their own websites

#  the website of Election Commission ( in prescribed FORMAT )

#  At least 4 major National News Papers ( local language news-papers for State /

    Municipal elections )

 

This should be done at least 6 months before the planned elections ( State or

Central ). Of course, this provision would require EC to publish a “ TENTATIVE

SCHEDULE of ELECTIONS “

 

( 7 )  Coverage

PIPPPA would cover Lok-Sabha / Rajya Sabha / States / Municipal Elections

 

( 8 )  Accountability

 

Against each and every item ( in Poll Manifesto ), there must be mention of :

#  Amount of Money / Funds required ( One-time CAPITAL amount for Infra

    Projects / Recurring Annual revenue expenditure for WELFARE measures for 5

    years )

   

#  How the Party proposes to “ finance “ ( eg: by raising existing taxes / levying

    NEW taxes / Borrowing etc )

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 29 Aug 2022

 

 

[ A ]….. Views of Supreme Court

 

Freebies can drive a state to bankruptcy just to further a political party’s electoral prospects, the Supreme Court noted on Friday as it called for an “extensive” hearing by a three-judge bench to adjudicate the preliminary issues surrounding freebies and electoral promises.

“Freebies may create a situation wherein the state government cannot provide basic amenities due to lack of funds and the State is pushed towards imminent bankruptcy.

In the same breath, we should remember that such freebies are extended utilizing tax payers’ money only for increasing the popularity of the party and electoral prospects,” said the bench, which also included justices Hima Kohli and CT Ravikumar.

Freebies will continue to destroy the economy unless there is a conscious decision taken by all political parties to stop such hand-outs, the Supreme Court had observed during the Wednesday hearing

On Tuesday, the court had remarked that it wants to facilitate a dialogue in Parliament, which could consider framing a law…..the court cannot pass any direction on electoral promises, and that the idea is to help Parliament with a report by the proposed panel.

( Source : ‘Freebies’ matter unresolved, will now go to 3-judge bench / 27 Aug 2022 )

 

Chief Justice Ramana said the court’s primary concern is that largesse dressed as freebies should not bleed the national economy dry and put more and more burden on the taxpayer. The Chief Justice explained that the purpose behind the proposed formation of a committee was to collect the “ experience and wisdom” of the ordinary citizen, the rural poor, and place the study before the Parliament as a background to debate on a law on freebies.

 

“But we find that in this issue, all political parties are on one side… Everybody wants freebies, everybody! That was exactly why we wanted a neutral body to look into the issue,” Chief Justice Ramana explained.

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.hemenparekh.ai  /  22  March 2024

 

Related Readings ( 26 ) :

 

2013 ( 6 ) :

  Ø  Needed - your Declaration of Intent - NOW ! [ 19 Sept 2013 ]

 Ø  BJP Poll Manifesto ……………………………………………………[ 19 Oct 2013 ]

 Ø  Selling Dreams ?..............................................  [ 04 Nov 2013 ]

 Ø  Issues Vs Non – Issues …………………………………………….[ 18 Nov 2013 ]

 Ø  Perennial Poll Promises…………………………………………….. [ 15 Dec 2013 ]

 Ø  Congressmen are Confused ! …………………………………… [ 31 Dec 2013 ]

 

2014  ( 7 ) :

 Ø  Robinhood of Delhi ?............................................ [ 01 Jan 2014 ]

 Ø  An Unprecedented Opportunity…………………………………. [ 04 Jan 2014 ]

 Ø  Selling Rainbows ?............................................... [ 22 Jan 2014 ]

 Ø  Poll Promises ? Tall Promises ? …………………………………..[ 23 Feb 2014 ]

Ø  If / Then…………………………………………………………………………[ 06 Apr 2014 ]

 Ø  Bribing The Voters……………………………………………………….. [ 28 Apr 2014 ]

 Ø  What Are the Chances ?..........................................[ 18 May 2014 ]

 

 

2016 ( 2 ) :

 Ø  Advantage , Incumbent ?....................................... [ 05 Sept 2016 ]

 Ø  A Freebie that cannot be Faulted ? ………………………………[ 25 Dec 2016 ]

 

2017 ( 5 ) :

 Ø  Model Code of ( Hypocrite ) Conduct ? …………………[ 07 Jan 2017 ]

 Ø  We are not bribing the Voters !................................ [ 10 Jan 2017 ]

 Ø  Time to ditch Model Code of Conduct ?...................... [ 22 Jan 2017 ]

 Ø  " Election Reforms " Summarized…………………………………. [ 18 Aug 2017 ]

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

 

2018  ( 2 ) :

 Ø  Citizen’s Charter of Demand ………………………………………[ 29 Oct 2018 ]

 Ø  Divide Quota ? To rule Raj ? ……………………………………….[ 03 Dec 2018 ]

 

2019  ( 1 ) :

Ø  Simple Summary of Sankalp ……………………………………[ 10 Apr 2019 ]

 

2020 ( 1 ) :

Ø  Poll Promise to create 10 lakh jobs…………………….. ...[ 21 Oct 2020 ]

 

2022 ( 2 ) :

  Ø  What is price of your Vote ? ………………………………………[ 27 Jan 2022 ]

 Ø  Ignoramus ? Gullible ? …………………………………………………[ 09 Apr 2022 ]

 

 

 

 

 

          

 

 

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

A Small Step : from KYC to VotesApp

 


 

 

A few days ago , Election Commission launched a Mobile App called > Know Your Candidate – KYC

 

 

Since following screen shot of KYC is not quite legible , I reproduce below, the text :

 

Select Candidate by Name ………………………… Q

 

Select Criteria ……………………………………………..Y

 

Parliamentary Constituency ( General )

 

Parliamentary Constituency ( BYE )

 

Assembly Constituency ( General )

 

Assembly Constituency ( BYE )

 

#  Select Election      > General Election 2024 / Election – August – 2019 /

                                  Election – May – 2019

 

#  Select State           > List of State Names

 

        #  Select Constituency > List of Constituencies in selected State

 

  

Text inside those colourful SQUARES at the top  ( from left to right )  :

 

All Nominations …………………………………………………………..( BLACK )

Contesting Candidates …………………………………………………( BLUE )

Contesting Candidates with Criminal Antecedents…… ( BROWN )

Nominations Accepted ………………………………………………….( GREEN )

Nominations Rejected …………………………………………………..( RED )

Nominations Withdrawn ……………………………………………….( YELLOW )

SUBMIT 

 

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

 

 After selection of all fields clicking SUBMIT will reveal for the selected candidate :

 

 

criminal record.

 

assets and liabilities

 

 





( Source : Thank You, Shri Rajiv Kumar  ………. 17 March 2024 )

 

 

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

 Fast Backwards 11 years ( <  2013 )  :

 

 I sent following email to our Cabinet Ministers and Election Commission :

  

VotesApp…. …………. 18 Dec 2012

 

 where I suggested following Mobile App based process for voting ( replacing EVM ) :

 

 

Ø  An Android app which can be downloaded from Google Play / Android Zoom /

    GetJar and the official web site of Election Commission of India

 

     

Ø  It will be pre-loaded on 220 million Aakash tablets  which Govt of India plans to

    distribute to students

 

 

Ø  It will also be pre-loaded on those Smart phones ( to be called, “ Dharati “ ? ),

    which Govt of India plans to distribute free to 400 million “ poor “ Indians

    , before 2014 National elections

 

     

Ø  All tablet / smart phone manufacturers will be encouraged to pre-load

    VotesApp

 

 

Ø  Using this app , a voter can register at Election Commission web site, where he

    will enter the same data which  he has submitted for his Aadhar card, including

    Aadhar card number (Unique Identification No)

    

  

Ø  All of these details will be verified by Aadhar database

 

 

Ø  Obviously , those who have not obtained their Aadhar card , will not be able to

    use VotesApp . They will need to visit nearest polling booth

   

 

Ø  Upon correct verification , Aadhar Database will permanently link the person’s

    Aadhar number with the mobile number from which  registration is done, and

    issue a Password

 

     

Ø  An under aged person will not be allowed to register

 

Ø  A person will be able to vote only from that mobile number

 

Ø  After login on first screen, user will be asked to select one option from

 

    > Panchayat Election   

    > Municipal Election   

    > State Assembly Election   

    > Lok-Sabha Election

 

  

Ø  Upon selection, user will be presented with the list of candidates contesting ,

    from which , he can select only one by ticking a checkbox. There will be also a

    choice , labeled “ None “

 

     

Ø  A long press on a candidate’s name will display details of his declared

    assets as also his criminal  record


  

Ø  After ticking / selecting a candidate, voter will click on  “ VOTE “ button,

    whereupon his vote gets registered and VotesApp gets inactivated

 

 

Ø  Once a voter registers on Election Commission web site , he cannot go to a

    polling booth and vote physically

 

 

 

Dear Shri Narendrabhai ,

 

 

It will require only a small modification to just released KYC mobile app to re-

purpose it for “ VOTING from HOME ( VfH ) "

 

Now that the “ One Nation, One Election “ report by committee headed by Shri

Kovind is already in public domain , I urge you to include this item in your 100

DAYS ROAD-MAP

 

 

With regards,

 

Hemen Parekh

 

www.HemenParekh.ai  /  21 March 2024

 

Related Readings :

 

Ø  Simultaneous Polling.. ……………………………………22 Jan 2018

 

Ø  From “ Lost Votes “ to “ Remote Votes “ ?  .. .12 Feb 2020

 

Ø  How about “ Sandbox for Mobile Voting “ ? .. 27 Nov 2020

 

Ø  Vote from “ Workplace” ? How about from “ Any place “ ?.. 22 Dec 2020

 

Ø  Lost Votes : Congrats to Best Tech Minds.. ……29 Jan 2021

 

Ø  Birth of a baby named VotesApp ?.. ……………….10 Oct 2021

 

Ø  My 37 blogs on “ One Nation, One Election “(till 02 Sept 2023 )

 

 

Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Cheating in Exams : is only a Symptom

 


 

During past few weeks , we heard many news of students cheating in exams

Leaked papers got sold for lakhs of rupees, just hours before the start of exams

Helpers climbed walls of Exam buildings , picked up Question Papers from students taking exam , passed on to EXPERTS sitting outside and writing down answers , which those helpers threw inside the exam hall , from windows

Have no doubt that much more sophisticated methods got employed

This kind of cheating has been happening for decades and all over the country

If cheating is the Symptom , disease is UN-EMPLOYMENT

Recently , in UP , against 67,000 vacancies for police , some 50 lakh ( 5 million ) students appeared in the exam

For most of the Govt jobs ( Central or State ) , it is common for 80 – 100 applicants for each vacancy !

With odds stacked like this , youth resort to cheating

But today , I am not going to go over my 60 + past emails to our Cabinet Ministers saying :

  Neither the Private Sector , nor the Public Sector ( including governments ) , can create 15 Million ( 1.5 crore ) , salaried jobs EVERY YEAR. Only answer is to enable Self Employment “

Today , I suggest following solution to “ treat “ the symptom of cheating :

Ø  An independent Central Authority called CECB – Central Exam Conduct Board – for ALL govt jobs ( State + Central ) 

Ø  For each type of JOB / VACANCY , this authority will create a DATA-BANK of exam questions ( obviously , running into THOUSANDS of questions for each exam )

Ø  Questions will be categorized as per “ DEGREE of DIFFICULTY “ ( like in Olympic games )

Ø  Each “ Degree of Difficulty “ will have a PRE-DETERMINEDweightage marks

Ø  Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) will generate( using RANDOM NUMBER tables ),  millions of UNIQUE question papers ON THE FLY , a few seconds before start of an exam and SERVE these to the computer screen in front of each student taking that exam. Of course, the total marks ( for entire question paper ) for ALL those UNIQUE exam papers , will always add up to 100. To make the process “ cheating proof “, only one question will get displayed on computer screen , AT A TIME. Only when the examinee clicks “ NEXT “ , will the next question appear on the screen

Ø  Student Identity will be verified by FACIAL RECOGNITION through a Computer Camera

Ø  At the end of exam time ( 3 hours ) , students will need to click SUBMIT ( no early click ). If examinee fails to click SUBMIT at the end of 3 hours , screen will turn black , AUTOMATICALLY

Ø  This will generate the EVALUATION SCORE ( Exam Assessment Result ) and transmit to the mobile phone of each concerned student ( of course , no mobile allowed in Exam Hall )

 

I believe, what I am suggesting here is nothing “ First Time “ . I believe other countries have successfully implemented this earlier

Given a challenge, our tech guys can implement this in 6 months. What is missing is Political Will

Dear Shri Narendrabhai ,

Let Shri Rahulji promise the voters, a LAW to prevent cheating in exams / leaking of exam papers

As far as NDA govt is concerned, I urge you to include my suggestion in your 100 DAYS  ROAD-MAP

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.HemenParekh.ai  /  20 March 2024

 

Related Readings :

Ø  Exam Malpractices ? No More !  ………………………… 19  Oct  2019

Ø  National Recruitment Agency ( NRA ) ……………….  02 Feb 2020

 

Comments by ChatGPT :

 

Your proposal suggests the implementation of a technologically advanced system, the Central Exam Conduct Board (CECB), to tackle the issue of cheating in government job exams in India.

Let's break down the feasibility of your suggestions and draw parallels with existing systems in other countries:

1.     Centralized Exam Authority (CECB):

 

Having a centralized authority to conduct exams for all government jobs (both state and central) is feasible and has been implemented in various countries. For example, the College Board in the United States administers standardized tests like the SAT and AP exams.

 

2.     Question Database and Difficulty Categorization:

 

Creating a database of thousands of exam questions categorized by difficulty level is technically feasible. Many testing services worldwide utilize extensive question banks for exam creation, such as Pearson VUE and Prometric.

 

3.     Weightage Marks for Difficulty Levels:

 

Assigning weightage marks to different difficulty levels of questions is a common practice in exams like the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Graduate

Management Admission Test (GMAT), where harder questions carry more weight.

 

4.     AI-Generated Unique Exam Papers:

 

Using AI to generate unique exam papers for each student is an innovative approach.

 

While not widely implemented in exams, the technology to generate randomized questions exists.

 

However, ensuring the randomness of questions while still covering the required syllabus may be a challenge.

 

5.     Facial Recognition for Identity Verification:

 

Facial recognition for identity verification is technically feasible and has been adopted in various applications globally. However, ensuring accuracy and reliability, especially in diverse populations, would be crucial.

 

6.     Submission and Evaluation Process:

 

Implementing an online submission and evaluation process, followed by transmitting scores to students' mobile phones, is technically feasible. Online assessments and result dissemination are already common in many educational systems.

While your proposal presents innovative solutions, several challenges need consideration:

·         Infrastructure and Resources:

 

Implementing such a system would require significant investment in infrastructure, technology, and personnel training.

 

·         Data Security and Privacy:

 

Safeguarding the question bank, student data, and exam results against cyber threats and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations are essential considerations.

 

·         Accessibility and Equity:

 

Ensuring equitable access to the exam system, especially for candidates from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and rural areas, would be critical.

 

·         Technical Challenges:

 

Developing and maintaining AI algorithms for question generation and facial recognition, as well as ensuring seamless operation of the exam platform, would require rigorous testing and ongoing technical support.

Overall, while your proposal offers promising solutions to address exam cheating, its successful implementation would require careful planning, collaboration with stakeholders, and a robust commitment from the government.

Drawing inspiration from similar systems implemented elsewhere can inform the design and implementation process. However, tailoring the solution to suit the specific context and challenges of India's examination system is paramount.