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Tuesday, 9 May 2017

Credible Data on Job Creation ? Here is How

Hindustan Times ( 10 May 2017 ) carries following news report :

“ Modi sets up high-level panel to provide credible data for employment policies “

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday set up a high-level task force under Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya to fine tune jobs data so that the government can frame policies to spur employment.

The task force will recommend solutions which can be implemented in a time-bound manner.

“The PM has directed that this task be expedited so that policies on employment can be formulated with a proper appreciation of impacts, based on credible data,” a PMO release said.

The task force also includes labour secretary Sathiyavathy, chief statistician TCA Ananth, Pulak Ghosh of Niti Aayog and Teamlease chief Manish Sabharwal.

At present, data on employment is collected and published by certain agencies including the Labour Bureau but the coverage is very small.

The Labour Bureau data covers only a few sectors and the methodology is not based on updated panel of survey respondents.

“The net result has been that both policy making and analysis are conducted in a data vacuum,” the PMO said.

Asserting that the government attaches the highest priority to job creation, the PMO said, “India suffers from a lack of reliable, timely data on employment, which has made it difficult for policy makers and independent observers to assess the extent of employment generation at different points of time.”

Modi had directed his ministers to come up with a solution to fill this long standing gap in the country’s statistical architecture.

In the last budget session of the Parliament, minister of state for planning Rao Inderjit Singh admitted that the overall unemployment was rising, and the rate was highest among the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The unemployment rate has increased to 5% from just 3.8% in 2011.

In January, a United Nations report said India may witness marginal increase in unemployment between 2017 and 2018.

The World Employment and Social Outlook report said: “Unemployment in India is projected to increase from 17.7 million last year to 17.8 million in 2017 and 18 million next year. In percentage terms, unemployment rate will remain at 3.4 per cent in 2017-18.”

Dear Shri Sathiyavathy / TCA Ananth / Pulak Ghosh / Manish Sabharwal :

There are only following technology-based solutions to compile “ Credible Employment Data “ and for job-generation

And compile such data :

· Automatically and Unbiased ( without human intervention / dependence )

· Dynamically ( on continuous / on-going basis – 24*365 )

· Accurately ( with 99 % accuracy )

Please consider to implement my following suggestions ( earlier sent as Emails ) :

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From BAD to MAD ( 01 June 2016 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/06/from-bad-to-mad.html }

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· QuarterlyLabour Survey : A Still-Born Child ? ( 22 March 2017 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/quarterly-labour-survey-still-born-child.html }

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· AnnualEmployment Survey ? ( 26 Oct 2015 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/10/annual-employment-survey.html }

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· NationalCareer Service Portal ( 21 July 2015 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/07/national-career-service-portal.html }

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· JobMelas are NOT an Answer ! ( 13 Feb 2017 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/02/job-melas-are-not-answer.html }

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· Incentivizing Employment ? ( 24 Aug 2016 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/08/incentivizing-employment.html }

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· 50Million Jobs in 5 months ? ( 24 June 2016 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/06/50-million-new-jobs-in-5-months.html }

10 May 2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Monday, 8 May 2017

ATKT : Allowed To Keep Term ?

50 years ago , a student who failed an engineering exam , was allowed to attend lectures of the next higher term , on certain conditions

This arrangement was called : ATKT

I don’t know whether this practice still exists !

Any way , I am happy with the following news report ( Business Line / 08 May 2017 ) :

“ No more rejection for start-ups seeking tax sops “

In what could be a morale booster for start-ups, the government has decided to do away with the practice of rejecting applications for tax sops.

Instead, start-ups will get an opportunity to apply again after making changes to the proposal based on the explanation given to them on the initial one.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion is also re-working the qualification criteria for start-ups for non-tax benefits, a government official told BusinessLine.

“Instead of dismissing proposals that do not meet the mark for tax-sops with a simple ‘rejected’, the inter-ministerial group examining it will give details of where they fell short.

This will give the start-ups an opportunity to re-work their proposals, and apply again for tax benefits,” the official said.

“ There has been no change in the criteria of judging whether a start-up qualifies for tax benefits. It still depends on how innovative the idea is.”

The change in the Central government’s stance has been triggered by a general sense of dissatisfaction among start-ups with the new policy, as only about 10 proposals had qualified for tax sops till last month out of the 140 proposals vetted by the inter-ministerial group since the policy was announced last year.

“The DIPP has decided to be a bit more empathetic while dealing with start-ups. After all, what good are tax sops if very few are able to benefit from it,” the official said.

The 130 applicants for tax apps, who were rejected over the past year, will also get a detailed note on why their cases did not pass the test.

The DIPP will come up with a new set of rules over the next few weeks, tweaking the definition of a start-up that will result in more companies and LLPs coming under in the category.

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WHY THIS “ CHANGE OF HEART “ ?

My following blogs ( earlier sent as Email to DIPP ) , will explain :

StartUp Re-defined ( 20 Jan 2016 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/01/start-up-re-defined.html }

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InWonderland of Start-Ups ( 21 July 2016 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/07/in-wonderland-of-start-ups.html }

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· A Booster Shot ? ( 04 Sept 2016 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-booster-shot.html }

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· “Slow and Steady “ loses the Race ( 06 March 2017 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/slow-and-steady-loses-race.html }

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· Are We really Serious ? ( 14 March 2017 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/are-we-really-serious.html }

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· Spirit of Israel ( 16 Feb 2017 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/02/spirit-of-israel.html }

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09 May 2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Why a Begging Bowl ?

A news report in MINT ( 08 May 2017 ) reads :

“ Roads ministry in talks with Japanese fund for Rs 2 trillion loan “

The ministry of road transport and highways is in talks with a Japan-based fund for a Rs 2-trillion loan at low interest rates.

A cabinet note will be moved shortly for the same as part of a strategy to generate funds for India’s new integrated infrastructure planning initiative.

India has been trying to leverage its relationship with Japan to access technology and funds. Japan has pledged investments of around $33 billion between 2014 and 2019 in India’s manufacturing and infrastructure sectors.

“ Fund requirements is not an issue.

There is a fund from Japan which wants to offer this loan at around 5% rate of interest.

We will prepare a cabinet note for the same,” said a senior government functionary requesting anonymity.

He declined to name the Japanese fund. Mint could not ascertain the fund’s name.

Why is Road Ministry ( ie : NDA government ) shying away from raising such funds for Infrastructure Projects at 4 % interest ?

And locally ? And super-fast ? And without worrying about repayment ?

Just as tiny Indonesia did , a few months back

By offering an AMNESTY SCHEME to Indonesian Citizens to declare their BLACK MONEY

Just pay 4 % tax and NO PENALTY / NO LITIGATION / NO QUESTIONS ( re source of funds )

Within 4 months , Indonesians declared ( illegal funds stashed abroad or domestically ), $ 300 BILLION

No wonder , Indonesia does NOT need any FDI for the next 10 years !

Compare this with our Road Ministry’s requirement of just $ 31 Billion [ Rs 2 Trillion ] !

For the “ Strategy “ which would liberate us from our dependence on FOREIGN FUNDING ( - and a begging bowl ) , read :

Whatgoes Out , comes Back

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/what-goes-out-comes-back.html }

09 May 2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Not Tough At All !

Today’s Editorial in Hindustan Times reads :

“ All charged up and nowhere to go / The electric car in India is a novel idea , but getting clean energy will be tough “

India plans to drive the internal combustion engine to extinction. The Narendra Modi government has set a sales target of six million electric vehicles by 2020 with an even more ambitious goal of having sales of new oil-driven vehicles ceasing by 2030.

The benefits for a country whose cities are choking on air pollution and one that is considered among the most vulnerable to climate change are obvious.

Finally, if India can develop a suitable technological lead and manufacturing base for such vehicles, it could allow the country to leapfrog ahead of others in the automotive sector.

In most electric vehicles the battery is the most expensive item, sometimes as much as two-thirds of the cost.

Pricing will be crucial. China, which sells more electric battery and plug-in vehicles than the rest of the world combined, took the path of direct subsidies for electric car vehicles.

While the number of such cars grew dramatically, petrol and diesel vehicles still dominate in China and are still relatively cheaper.

Worse, the subsidy bill has become swollen by corruption and leakages and has cost Beijing a cumulative $12 billion.

The other concern will be the fuel source of the electrical power.

An electric car transfers the carbon emissions from under the bonnet into the power plant.

If the power plant is burning coal, then driving an electric car accomplishes nothing as far as the climate is concerned – and the pollution is merely moved from the city centre to the exurbs.

The Modi government deserves praise for the sheer ambition of the idea and its continuing commitment to greening India. However, given how the renewable energy sector is still not self-sustaining, the real challenge will be the actual implementation of something that will be created almost from scratch.

It seems the Editors of Hindustan Times are unaware of the ISRO designed Electric Car , whose Li-ion battery gets charged through solar panels mounted on car roof top and , therefore :

· Do not need the expensive infrastructure of millions of charging stations , which draw their own power from coal-based power stations , addressing the very real concern of the Editors ( “ An electric car transfers the carbon emissions from under the bonnet into the power plant “ )

I strongly urge the Media, to create an all-round awareness about ISRO’s singular achievement ( - far ahead of the Electric Car Industry of the World )

I am appalled at the “ deafening silence “ ( re: this remarkable breakthrough ) on the part of :

· Scientists and Academicians

· R&D Managers of the Car Manufacturers

· PV Solar Panel manufacturers

· Policy Makers in Road Transport and Energy Ministries

· NITI Aayog

I urge them to read :

· SolarPanels Charging Li-ion Batteries of Electric Cars ?

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/solar-panels-charging-li-ion-batteries.html }

· A “Reverse Toll “ ? Possible

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-reverse-toll-possible.html }

09 May 2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs