Food and Famine need not co-exist

On one hand, thousands of people are dieing of starvation everyday in Sudan / Somalia / Ethiopia / much of sub-Saharan Africa.
Even in a rapidly developing country like India, some 3 million people ( mostly children ), are dieing annually due to starvation.
Then on other hand, in India , granaries are overflowing with a stock of 65.5 million tons of grains. Much of this is rotting in rain, out in the open.
And world as a whole is wasting 1.3 billion tons of food ( grains / fruits / vegetables etc. ) annually – enough to feed 3 billion people for an entire year !
We need only 2 acres of land to grow enough grains to feed one person for one year.
But it takes 18 acres of grazing land to nourish enough cattle to feed one person for one year !
I am acutely aware that all the people of the world cannot turn vegetarian overnight but surely all of us can immediately stop wasting food.
Let us observe “ Asteya “ – the dharma observed by the Jain community of India.
No more food on your plate than what you can eat.

With regards

hemen parekh

Vacancies Galore

Times of India [ 21 Feb 2011 ] reports a study carried out by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability [ CBGA ].

CBGA found huge no of vacancies in :

Ø  Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan .........................20 % ( Teachers )

Ø  National Rural Health Mission…………………. 64 % ( Doctors  )

Ø  Intregated Child Development Services…..22 % ( Workers )

                                                                 43 % ( Supervisors )

    >  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural                34 % ( Engineers )

Employment Guarantee Scheme…………….  28 %  ( Accountants )

Reason ?

State Governments do not want to spend their share of staff salaries !

National Skills Development Corporation plans to impart “ Skills “ to 500 million youth by 2022.

Who will hire these “ Skilled “ youth if the State Governments continue to remain “ bankrupt “ ?

With regards

hemen  parekh

WHO WILL INVESTIGATE POLICE BRUTALITIES ?

12 July 2011

WHO WILL INVESTIGATE POLICE BRUTALITIES ?

National Crime Records Bureau – NCRB – of India, published following findings of complaints against police , during 2006 to 2010 ( as reported in Times of India / June 27, 2011 ) ( State-wise ):

Ø            Madhya Pradesh  …………….  93,710

Ø            Uttar Pradesh  …………………  34,364

Ø            Delhi  ……………………………..   29,165

Ø            Punjab  ……………………………   23,090

Ø            Maharashtra  …………………..  21,000

Who will investigate these complaints ?

India’s State Police forces claim to be understaffed to investigate even complaints against others !

Here is why :

  

Ø            Madhya Pradesh  …12.16 police/10.000 population

Ø            Uttar Pradesh ……10.68        “

Ø            Delhi  …………………42.40        “

Ø            Punjab  ………………30.76        “

Ø            Maharashtra  ……17.93        “

Fair enough. You have a perfect excuse !

With regards

HEMEN  PAREKH

Who will investigate Police atrocities ?

National Crime Records Bureau – NCRB – of India, published following findings of complaints against police , during 2006 to 2010 ( as reported in Times of India / June 27, 2011 ) ( State-wise ):
Ø Madhya Pradesh ……………. 93,710
Ø Uttar Pradesh ………………… 34,364
Ø Delhi …………………………….. 29,165
Ø Punjab …………………………… 23,090
Ø Maharashtra ………………….. 21,000
Who will investigate these complaints ?
India’s State Police forces claim to be understaffed to investigate even complaints against others !
Here is why :
Ø Madhya Pradesh …………… 12.16 police / 10.000 population
Ø Uttar Pradesh ……………….. 10.68 “
Ø Delhi …………………………….. 42.40 “
Ø Punjab ……………………………..30.76 “
Ø Maharashtra …………………… 17.93 “
Fair enough. You have a perfect excuse !
With regards
hemen parekh

Who works How long ?

Times of India [ 14 April,2011 ] reports following findings of a survey carried out by Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) :

Total average daily work-times [ paid + unpaid work ] of people in different countries are :

>    Mexico    ….    594   Minutes

>    Japan     ….     540      “

>    China     …..    504      “

>    New Zealand   498      “

>    USA     …….     496      “

>    India    …….     486      “

>    Korea    ……     484      “

>    Australia   …    481      “

>    Italy      …….    474      “

>    UK       ……..    473      “

>    Finland     …    451     “

>    France   ……     448      “

>    Germany  …     445      “

>    Belgium   ….     427      “

Now, OECD defines “ Unpaid Work “ as Cooking, Cleaning, Shopping etc.

I have no idea how OECD defines the following works carried out by the Indian Legislators [ MP + MLA ], day-in and day-out :

Ø  Speaking at Seminars / Functions ( topics are irrelevant )

Ø  Inaugurating road-signs / park benches / toilet blocks

Ø  Leading protest processions, after alerting TV Channels

Ø  Waiting at airports to receive ministers ( especially foreign )

Ø  Garlanding statues / photos of heroes ( Who was he ? )

Ø  Joining Parliamentary Delegation to Libya to study the functioning of its vibrant democratic institutions

How can you expect them to study the Lokpal Bill ? But then voting does not require studying !

With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Wanted – a thousand Anna Hazares !

Not for fasting unto death but to live long and to fight unto death.

For fighting to liberate 50 / 100 million children working as bonded labor / slave workers in India’s factories and homes.

Home to the largest child labor workforce in the world, India has enough laws to prevent and regulate child labor.

What India needs are a thousand, self-appointed, Bal-Pals ( Child-Protectors ).

2011 census revealed that India has 159 million children in 0-6 year age group.

We must ensure that some of them don’t end up working for 12 hours / day , 7 days a week, for a few pieces of bread and a factory-floor to sleep on !

How many Moins must die before things will change ?

With regards

hemen  parekh

Domestic Workers - Use and Abuse

As per official estimates, some 4.75 million workers are employed in India, as domestic workers.

But some NGO estimates that this figure is more like 20 % of total Indian workforce. If true, that would number over 100 million .

Recently, under ILO ( International Labor Organization ), India and many other countries signed a convention to improve the lives of such domestic workers.

The Convention covers  :

Ø            Minimum wages payable

Ø            Working hours

Ø            Weekly rest day

Ø            Overtime wages

Ø            Terms of employment

Ø            Social security

Ø            Maternity protection

Ø            Regulation of private employment agencies

Ø            Complaint investigation

Ø            Special measures for migrant workers    etc.

Ravi Wig, president of Employers Federation of India, voted against the convention in Geneva, saying :

“ I think, the first requirement is employment generation in a country where 25 crore ( 250 million ) people are unemployed. The best social security is to give a man, a job. “

( as reported in Times of India / June 27, 2011 )

Baijnath Rai, general secretary of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, who was the Indian representative of workers at Geneva, says :

“  Even if the government ratifies the convention fast, it would take the law at least one-and-half year to come into effect. Just think, of the 188 conventions that India has ratified, it has implemented only 43 so far. “

At this rate, domestic workers in India may not see much difference in their lot for the next few decades !

With regards

hemen  parekh