WHAT ABOUT THE REST ?

Thanks to RTI activist SC Agrawal’s application, now we know the attendance at Cabinet Meetings for 2010 / 11 , as follows :

Ø      Pranab  Mukherjee  ……………………….                    95 %

Ø      Ambika Soni / AK Antony / Veerappa Moily  ………  85 %

Ø      Kapil Sibal  ……………………………………………………………… 83 %

Ø      Murli Deora ………………………………………………………………80 %

Ø      P Chidambaram  ………………………………………………………75 %

Ø      Dayanidhi Maran  …………………………………………………….50 %

Ø      S M Krishna ………………………………………………………………45 %

Ø      Farooq Abdullah  ………………………………………………………35 %

Ø      Mamta Banerjee  /  M K Alagiri  ……………………………17 %

Obviously, DNA [ June 25, 2011 ] did not consider it worth wasting ink on reporting the attendance of the rest !

In most schools in India, children with less than 80 % class attendance are not allowed to appear in the final exam.

We should seriously consider a People’s Representation Bill, which would disqualify ministers having less than 80 % attendance from contesting next election !

With regards

HEMEN  PAREKH

A Black Swan ?

Author Nassim Taleb, in his book, “ Black Swan “, describes a black swan as an extremely rare event but still possible.

Search engines

Ø  giving the same rank ( position in search results )

Ø  to the same website

Ø  for the same search-term ( and a long / generic too )

is an example of such a rare event.

But it did happen this afternoon ( Jan 13, 2011 ) when Google and Yahoo and Bing, all placed

                              IndiaRecruiter.net

at position  # 3, upon entering search-term

                       Recruitment Process Flow Chart

Can someone calculate the probability and record feedback at

                                 Celebrity Opinions

With regards

hemen  parekh

Jobs  for  All  =  Peace  on  Earth

Innocent / Crying / Dieing Faces

To :  Members of Lokpal Bill Drafting  Committee

Once again you will meet this morning ( June 15 ), to debate where to place the commas and the full stops in your draft.

You will meet in an air-conditioned office, sit on a plush chair and, may even partake of tea / biscuits.

Even as you do, let this knowledge humble you :

During those 3 hours of your meeting, in our country, 1000 tons of food grains will rot in the open under the sun and the rain.

During these very same 3 hours, 1000 children will die of mal-nutrition ( - a political euphemism for “ starving “ ! ).

That is 3 million per year !

If you have the moral courage, a deep sense of responsibility and dignity befitting leaders of 121 crore countrymen, then please,

>   Stop mud-slinging, name-calling, insulting

>   Lock yourself in that room

>   Don’t come out till you have signed an agreed upon draft

>   Don’t show your face ( or whatever is left of it ) to the public

>   Compromise , move forward

>   Use the “ Art of Possible “ to resolve differences

And all the while be reminded of those innocent / crying / dieing faces.

With regards

Hemen  Parekh

WOMEN’S RESERVATION BILL - INDIA

Here is a synopsis :

Ø         First introduced in Lok Sabha ( Lower House ) by United Front Government in 1996

Ø         Calls for 33 % reservation of seats for women from Lok Sabha to local legislatures. Panchayats ( village councils ) already have 33.3 % reservation for women

Ø         Who is supporting whole-heartedly ?

Congress  /  BJP  /  AIDMK  / other parties

Ø         Who supports conditionally ?

Samajwadi Party / Bahujan Samaj Party / Rashtriya Janata Dal etc.

Ø         What is their condition ?

Within the 33 % quota, there must be a sub-quota for women from backward classes

Ø         Why this condition ?

They are afraid that in absence of a sub-quota, the bill will only help women from the elitist groups

Ø         Who can bring about a compromise ?

Lok Sabha Speaker ( Ms )  Meira Kumar – herself a woman from a backward class

Ø         What has been the progress so far ?

Bill has already been passed in Rajya Sabha ( Upper House ) in 2010

Ø         What can we do ?

Pray that it does not meet the fate of the Lokpal Bill !

With  regards

HEMEN  PAREKH

Sign your own death warrant ?

I don’t understand why the Ministers rejected the Lokpal Draft Bill submitted by Anna Hazare team.
If I were Kapil Sibal, I would have introduced that draft in the parliament, without changing a full stop or a comma.
Then let members of parliament decide – knowing fully well in advance what they would decide, viz :
Reject it. Or water it down till no one can have any objection.
And they will introduce a hundred amendments till no MP can be prosecuted for murder !
Would any MP want to sign his / her own death warrant by passing Anna’s draft ?
It is about time, Civil Society members accept that after 42 years of waiting, a watered down Lokpal Act is better than no act at all !
After all, Government would fulfill its obligation of “ introducing “ the bill in the monsoon session.
And the political parties would claim helplessness over how its MPs would vote !
With regards
Hemen Parekh

SIGN YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANT ?

I don’t understand why the Ministers rejected the Lokpal Draft Bill submitted by Anna Hazare team.

If I were Kapil Sibal, I would have introduced that draft in the parliament, without changing a full stop or a comma.

Then let members of parliament decide – knowing fully well in advance what they would decide, viz :

Reject it. Or water it down till no one can have any objection.

And they will  introduce a hundred amendments till no MP can be prosecuted for murder !

Would any MP want to sign his / her own death warrant by passing Anna’s draft ?

It is about time, Civil Society members accept that after 42 years of waiting, a watered down Lokpal Act is better than no act at all !

After all, Government would fulfill its obligation of “ introducing “ the bill in the monsoon session.

And the political parties would claim helplessness over how its MPs would vote !

With regards

HEMEN  PAREKH

SURVIVING IN INDIA ? NO BIG DEAL.

Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India, Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia thinks , one can survive in an Indian city for Rs.578 ( approx.$ 12.5 ) per month.

That is Rs.20 per day ( $ 0.35 ).

If you do, you are not “ poor “ – as defined by Planning Commission !

And don’t let it worry you that United Nations computes International Poverty Line at $ 1.25 per day.

Now, members of National Advisory Council, Aruna Roy , Jean Dreze and Harsh Mander were a bit skeptical.

So they went to the market and managed to buy with Rs.20  :

• one small aluminum spoon

• 25 grams of dal

• Half a slice of bread

• Some washing powder

• A torn piece of cloth

Then presented the packet ( obviously without gift wrapping ! ) to Montek Singh – who was not amused !

All the while, TV Channels were busy reporting on Lokpal Bill.

May be Aruna Roy and her colleagues should have undertaken a 10 am to 6 pm “ Survival Event “ at Jantar Mantar – solely depending on their purchase !

With regards

HEMEN  PAREKH