A 66 year long Coma

Even after 66 years of Independence ( Swarajya ) , 400 million Indians are forced to live on Rs 27 per day ( Rs 16 per day , in rural areas  )

Don't call them BPL    ( Below Poverty Line )

Call them under BCL   ( Below Coma Line  )

In a hospital , those in Coma , are kept alive on a Life Support System ( LSS ) , consisting of oxygen / intravenous glucose / heart-rate monitor etc

Congress wants to keep those 400 million people in a vegetative state by supplying / delivering , free or subsidized ,

>   Food Grains

>   Health-care

>   Education

>   Housing

>   Transport .. etc

And further goes on to keep alive , the goods manufacturers and service providers , by subsidizing ,

>   Coal / Gas / Petrol / Diesel

>   Electricity

>   Water

>   Fertilizers

>   Infrastructure...  etc

Congress Game-Plan is simple :

>   Do not create jobs or opportunities for Self - Employment

>   Put as many obstacles as possible to start industries

>   Keep alive Public Sector Units which keep bleeding the Exchequer

>   Make poor utterly dependent on " Sarkaar  Maa  Baap  "

>   Feed them with opium of subsidies to forget their miseries  !

>   Ensure that the poor remain poor for ever  ! Why do you need money ?

>   Let poor lead a Vegetative life - without showing sign of consciousness

>   Keep telling them , over and over :

     *  This is your Destiny - which no one can change

     *   Do not aspire for more

     *   Watch Bollywood TV to forget your hunger / cold / pain

     *   Sleep on footpath / in slums / over stinking gutters and dream

     *   Don't bother your little brain with such trivia that the average assets

          of Congress candidates have gone up from Rs 4.87 Crores ( in 2009 )

          to Rs 54.38 Crores ( in 2014 )

     *   We promise continuity - more of the same for next 5 years

     *   We promise to bring you " Surajya " - in next 50 years

     *   Don't listen to Crony Capitalists who promise it in 5 years

     *   Vote for us

     *   Vote for Dynasty

People  of  India  ,

While casting your vote , remember that this is the hidden Manifesto of Congress  !

*   hemen  parekh  (  20  April  2014  /  Mumbai  )

   

  

To Be or not To Be ?

Shakespeare would say , " That is the question "

For Federal Reserve Board of Revenue ( Pakistan ) , that question was ,

"  What to publish ?  And what not to publish ? "

It seems , in Pakistan , only 1 million people [ out of a population of 140 million ] , pay income tax

Finally , the Board published the names of those 1 million ( running into a 17,000 page directory ) , with the amount of tax paid by each

To give to Pakistan , a loan of $ 6.7 billion ( approx Rs 41* Thousand * Crores )  , the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) , insisted on such a publication

Now , in India , we have 40 million people who pay personal income tax ( out of a population of approx 1220 million )

Obviously , for India's Income Tax Department , it would be an impossible task to publish their names in a directory - which could possibly run into 17,000*40 pages  !

Then again , India has no need for an IMF loan , what with its Personal Income Tax revenue amounting to , Rs 2.47*Lakh*Crores

And if the incoming government at the Centre , dares to implement my suggestion of INVERSE TAXATION regime , that revenue could go up 100 times  !

Simply , " Inverse " the tax slabs as follows :

>    Up to  Rs 2 lakhs..................... NIL

>    2.1 - 5.0 lakhs......................   10 %

>    5.1  - 10 lakhs.......................   8 %

>    10.1 - 20 lakhs......................   6 %

>    20.1  - 50 lakhs.....................   5 %

>    50.1 - 100 lakhs.....................  3 %

>    Above 100 lakhs...................... 1 %

What is likely to happen with such " INVERSE  TAXATION  " regime  ?

Following few things :

>  Total personal tax payer base will go up dramatically from current 4

     crores tax-payers

>   Total personal tax collection too , will rise dramatically

>  with this " INVERSE  TAX  REGIME " , there will be no incentive to  evade

    taxes and to generate " BLACK  MONEY  "

>  There will be no resistance to accept ALL payments by cheque / electronic

     clearance  !

 >  The more you disclose as your income , the less you pay by way of taxes

     ( Of course , incrementally  )

>  For a change , we will learn to reward honesty / efficiency / productivity !

    No need to bribe those Income Tax officers  !

>  Lakhs of crores of BLACK MONEY , stashed away in bank

     lockers / gold / land - and , of course those Swiss bank accounts  - will ,

     become " WHITE  MONEY " , overnight  !

>  There will be a huge surge in bank deposits ( - even with , the inevitable

    lower interest rates )

>  Banks will be awash with funds to finance businesses / infrastructure

    projects etc , encouraging entrepreneurs / self-employed to set up new

   businesses ( at 2 % interest rates of loans ) and generate millions of jobs

>  There will be a phenomenal rise in Capital Markets

Only questions are  :

>  To innovate or not  ?

>  To think out-of-the-box or not  ?

>  To feed poor or to teach them how to fish  ?

>  To enable people to earn more or to subsidize their expenditure  ?

  

>  To let people stand on their own legs or continue "Dependency Culture" ?

>  What is possible ?  To reverse the human greed or try and  harness it  ?

*  hemen  parekh  ( 18 April 2014 / Mumbai )

Down with Dictator ?

Congressmen ( - including ex-Congressmen like Sharad Pawar ) , do not tire of calling Narendra Modi , a DICTATOR

And every other party , afraid of losing its Lok Sabha seats , echoes

Congressmen are warning 814 million voters ,

“  Look ,

  

   If NaMo comes to power , he will take decisions

   How dreadful  !

   Look at his audacity – taking decisions

   Doesn’t he know that “ Decisiveness “ is a , debilitating

   disease of decadent Crony Capitalists  ?

   Have you ever seen us taking decisions  ?

   Ask any farmer putting a rope around his neck !

   We never do

   

   We believe in perpetual procrastination

   We believe in Democracy

   Occasionally , we even believe in Mobo-cracy ( eg : 1984  )

   We leave it to the Dynasty to take decisions

   Can’t believe  ?

   Read Sanjaya Baru’s book “ An Accidental Prime Minister “

   ( Much as we would like to ban it , we will not decide on our own )

   Or , look up  P C Parakh’s book ,

   “ Crusader or Conspirator ? “

   It will dispel any lingering doubts that you may have , as to WHO in

   UPA – 2 , takes the decisions  !

   We abhor Dictatorship

   We strictly abide by the Dynasty – ship

   You cannot find us making any honest mistakes , because we never

   take any honest decisions  !

   Now don’t ask ,

   What about 2G / 3G / CWG / CoalGate / Irrigation / Land-Grab etc ?

   Those were NOT honest decisions  !

   And believe us ,

   Maya / Mamta / Jaya are no better than “ Daughters of Dictator “  !

   They too , take decisions

   COUNTRYMEN ,

   Beware of Decision – Takers

   Don’t vote for them

   Vote for us

   Vote for Status Quo

   Vote for “ More of the same “

   Vote for Yesterday

   Vote for Dynasty

   Vote for Darkness  “

*  hemen  Parekh  ( 14 April 2014 / Mumbai )

   

People who live in Glass - Houses

People who live in glass houses , should not throw stones at houses of others

What are Congressmen ( - and sundry advocates ) trying to achieve by raking up the case of Narendra Modi's marriage to Jashodaben , some 46 years ago  ? -  When , she herself is praying for his electoral success , instead of complaining  ?

Haven't they heard of the Bible story where Jesus told the crowd ,

"  Let him be the first to throw the stone at this sinner woman , one who has never sinned himself  "

I agree , we Indians are not terribly conscious / concerned about personal privacy

But , by and large , Indian politicians - and even general public - have  refrained from discussing the private lives of public figures

Of course , other than in cases of some Bollywood celebrities who couldn't care less , as long as their photos appeared on page 3  !

Congressmen even failed to realize that , by talking about NaMo's forgotten marriage , they have only helped his " Brand - Recall " amongst the voters  !

I believe , BJP has passed a resolution thanking Kapil Sibal , for saving Rs 100 Crores on publicity  !

Remember the case of the Hollywood actress who got herself " kidnapped " , 2 days prior to launch of a movie in which she starred as heroine  ?

With the terrific / free publicity she got in national / international newspapers , the movie broke all box-office records and became a blockbuster  !

NaMo  seems to be saying ,

"  To hell with privacy  ! Just get voters to talk about me "

*   hemen  parekh  ( 13  April  2014  /  Mumbai  )

Please , Don't Stop !

By ordering Amit Shah and Azam Khan , not to conduct rallies / road shows etc, Election Commission seems to be saying :

"  Enough is enough . No more violations of Model Code of Conduct  "

It has further asked UP Government to file FIR against both , for inciting violence / communal hatred

Dear Election Commissioner ,

Please don't stop  !

Take similar action against ,

>  Ajit Singh who urged people to throw Modi into the sea

>  Mulayam Singh who encouraged ( obviously to get their votes ) , UP's

    " Young Lads " to ignore Anti-Rape Law

>  Abu Aazmi , who wants young girls hanged for having extra-marital sex

>  Masood Imran , who asked listeners to chop up Modi into pieces

>  Suresh Rana / Kadir Rana / Saeed-uz-Zama , for  inflammatory speeches

>  RajKumar Thukral for fanning communal violence

>  Sharad Pawar for asking voters to vote twice

Please , immediately " disqualify " all of these " Gentlemen " ( and their sons / daughters / daughter-in-laws etc ) , from contesting ANY election ( Lok Sabha or State Assembly ) , for the next 15 years  !

Let your message ring out - loud and clear ,

"  Don't mess around with inciting communal violence - or else be ready to

    go behind the bars  !  "

Talk to them in the only language that they understand  !

This is the ONLY time they will listen to you  !

*  hemen  parekh  (  12  April  2014  /  Mumbai  )

Don't Ask " How " ?

At the bottom of the 42 page Election Manifesto of BJP , released yesterday , I tried to search , if in very small print somewhere , there was a footnote which read ,

"  Please , don't ask how we plan to implement these promises ;

   From where we plan to find all the money to execute these projects "

Here are my back-of-the-envelope estimates of what some of the MAJOR projects might cost :

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

PROJECT   .................................... Approx Cost ( Rs Lakh * Crores  )

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

>  100 Mega Cities........................   90

>  Interlinking of Rivers..................  60

>  Sagar Mala of Ports....................  30

>  Highways ( 25,000 Km )..............  50

>  Housing ( 100 mill units )............   100

>  Rivers Cleaning..........................   10

>  Other Infra Projects....................    100

   * Freight Corridors

   * Gas Grids

   * OFC Network

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

Total ..........................................Rs  430  Lakh Crores

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

Admittedly , not all of these money will be required in the very first budget that NaMo government ( - of course , only if voted to power ! ) , would present by end June 2014

But a problem does not go away by postponement  !

There is only ONE viable solution to the FUNDING problem , viz:,

>  Union Government must NOT even try to fund these projects  !

There is NO WAY , it can find these kind of money thro taxation  !

There will be a revolt  !

ANSWER

>  Make it possible for the PUBLIC to invest into these projects by " owning "

    these projects - and earn a reasonable " tax-free " return on  investments

    ( Bonds ? ) in these projects

>  Towards  this end , create various INFRASTRUCTURE SPVs

>  Immediately modify  PERSONAL INCOME TAX  regime as follows :

   

    >  Up to  Rs 5  lakhs..................... NIL

    >  5.1  - 10 lakhs.......................  8 %

    >  10.1 - 20 lakhs......................  6 %

    >  20.1  - 50 lakhs.....................  5 %

   >  50.1 - 100 lakhs.....................  3 %

   >  Above 100 lakhs......................  1 %

What is likely to happen with such " INVERSE  TAXATION  " regime  ?

Following few things :

>  Total personal tax payer base will go up dramatically from current 4

     crores tax-payers

>  with this " INVERSE  TAX  REGIME " , there will be no incentive to  evade

    taxes and to generate " BLACK  MONEY  "

    There will be no resistance to accept ALL payments by cheque / electronic

    clearance

    The more you disclose as your income , the less you pay by way of taxes

    ( Of course , incrementally )

>  For a change , we will learn to reward honesty / efficiency / productivity !

    No need to bribe those Income Tax officers  !

>  Suddenly , lakhs of crores of BLACK MONEY will become  WHITE MONEY

   

>  There will be a huge surge in bank deposits ( - even with , the inevitable

    lower interest rates )

>  Banks will be awash with funds to finance businesses / infrastructure

    projects etc , encouraging entrepreneurs / self-employed to set up new

   businesses ( at 2 % interest rates of loans ) and generate millions of jobs

In any case , BJP manifesto promises :

>   Rationalization and simplification of the tax regime - which is currently

      repulsive for honest tax payers

   

>  The process of bringing black money to India , what belongs to India , will

    be put in motion on priority

>  Minimize scope for Corruption

Narendrabhai  ,

Here is your chance to ditch the " Historical Baggage " into the Indian Ocean

and come up with an  INNOVATION   that will take India ahead of China  !

If President Kubitschek of Brazil ( 1956-61 ) - son of a poor salesman - could construct Capital city BRASILIA and a 1500 Km highway , in 41 months , surely , you can do better , 57 years later  !

*   hemen  parekh  (  08  April  2014  /  Mumbai  )

If / Then

Long before our Computer Programmers started using the logic of 

,

>  If  " this " >  Then " that " ,

our politicians have been using it , for a long time

Quite harmless logic , which cannot be faulted  !

For example :

Recently , Beni Prasad Verma - Union Minister for Steel , said :

" If     >   Rahul Gandhi becomes Prime Minister ,

  Then >  he will send Narendra Modi to jail for his role in 2002 Gujarat riots"

Now every programmer - and his non-programmer cousin - knows that ,

>  what is theoretically " Possible "

but ,

>  practically highly " Improbable " ,

can pose no threat to Namo  !

Another example :

For the Lok Sabha elections starting today , every political party worth its salt , has published its Poll Manifesto

These Manifestos read ,

>  If  " We are voted to power at the Centre ,

>  Then  " We promise to give each voter , a 3 bedroom flat , a government

    job , a Maruti car , free healthcare , and admission to school / college of

    your choice , for all your children  "

Now , does that pose any threat to these political parties  ?

Absolutely none  !

They know they are NOT going to be voted to power !

So , why be " economical " in promises  ?

Promise anything to anyone  !

When voters don't even bother to ask the party that does assume power ,

" What is your Score Card ?  How far have you fulfilled your promises  ?  "

Earlier , in Dec 2012 ( before Assembly elections in Gujarat ) , BJP manifesto said ,

" If voted to power , we will build in Gujarat , 50 Lakh houses ( of course , for the poor ) in next 5 years  "

That is 2,739 houses per day

Or  12,79,113  new houses in the last 467 days ,since BJP came to power  !"

Cannot find these  ?

Go away  !  Don't ask such embarrassing  questions  !

We did not expect to get voted to power  !

*   hemen  parekh  (  07  April  2014  /  Mumbai  )