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

Saturday 7 July 2012

A DROP IN THE OCEAN ?

India’s Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad wants Indian medical students to sign a bond , before going to USA , that they will return to India after finishing their higher studies

Why ?

Because India is short of doctors

He is right. Here are figures for numbers of doctors per 10,000 population ( 2000 – 2010 ), published in World Health Statistics – 2011:

·         India  …………………… 6.0

·         China  …………………. 14.2

·         UK  ………………………. 27.4

·         USA  ……………………  26.7

Question :

Will forcing 1,000 medical students [ who do not return after higher studies abroad every year ], make a drop of difference to our Ocean of Ill-health ?

No doubt , Minister of Health knows best !

Hemen  Parekh

Friday 6 July 2012

ARE YOU SAFE?


Writing in DNA [ 05 July,2012 ], Maitri Porecha provides following figures for,

“Permissible limits of EMF radiation due to Mobile towers“
[Source: IIT-B report , 2010 ]:

  • India  …………………………..      4.5  Watts / Sq m

  • USA  ……………………………..     3.0   “

  • China  …………………………..      0.4   “

  • Italy / Poland  / Russia …….  0.1   “
   
Now , it is a different matter that our Telecom Ministry has adopted an exposure limit of 9.2 Watts / Sq m as “ Safe “ !

How can you blame Telecom Ministry when Agriculture Ministry and Food Ministry, jointly decided to export 20 lakh tons of food grains (to take care of surplus stock rotting in the open under rain), even as 4,383 children (under 5), die every day due to starvation ?

Telecom Ministry is justified in asking,

“Is anyone actually dying due to overexposure to EMF radiation?“
  
Hemen  Parekh

Tuesday 3 July 2012

CONGRATULATIONS ! MAHARASHTRA STATE JUDICIARY

Here is what Times of India ( 02 July, 2012 ) reports re: disposal of Pending Cases by Maharashtra State Judiciary during 2 year period ( 30/06/2010 to 30/06/2012 ):

  • Opening Balance ………………………. 41.36 Lakh  cases

  • Added during 2 years ………………. 39.74 Lakh

     Total ……………………………………………81.09  Lakh

  • Less

     Disposed off during 2 years……….50.60  Lakh
  
     Closing Balance ……………………………. 29.49  Lakh
  
     Considering that the Courts work for,

  • 200 days / year

  • 3 hours  / day  

this works out to an unbelievable , 1.157  cases per SECOND of each working day !

It is anybody’s guess as to what will happen when millions of cases get added every year under the proposed Lokpal Act
  
Hemen  Parekh

Thursday 14 June 2012

EVERYTHING IS FAIR IN LOVE AND POLITICS!


That is what Akhilesh Yadav , Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh ( UP – India ) seems to be saying

In Samajwadi Party’s election manifesto , he promised to pay an unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 per month to all jobless persons in UP

Within weeks, some 4,000,000 persons registered with the State Employment Exchanges

Paying an allowance to all of them would turn a bankrupt State into a beggar State !

To prevent such a catastrophe, UP Government now says, a jobless person must meet following criteria to be eligible to receive the allowance:

·        Must be between the age of 30 to 40

·        Must have registered before March 15 , 2012

·        Must have passed HSC or equivalent

·        Family income of the claimant should be less than Rs 36,000 / month

·        Annual income of mother / father or mother/father-in-law , must be less than Rs 150,000
  
That brought down the eligible to a mere 900,000 !

Politicians of Greece / Italy / Spain etc may want to improve upon Akhilesh and insist that henceforth the State will not support the unemployed. It is the sole responsibility of the in-laws !
  
Hemen  Parekh 

Tuesday 29 May 2012

LET CHARITY BEGIN AT HOME!


At the G – 20 meeting early this week in Mexico , our  Prime Minister , Manmohan Singh , pledged a contribution of $ 10 billion ( Rs. 56,000 Crores ), to help out debt-ridden countries like Greece , Italy , Spain etc.

This was on top of $ 2 billion ( Rs 11,000 Crores ), pledged by India earlier this year

No doubt , PM Manmohan Singh must have struck a quid-pro-quo deal

But what about some equally debt-ridden States of India ?

I am sure , Chief Ministers of West Bengal , Punjab , Kerala etc., would be too happy to support Pranabda for President , only if Manmohan agrees to write off their Central Government loans

At least nearer home , forget quid-pro-quo and let charity begin !


With  regards

Hemen  Parekh

Friday 25 May 2012

Mulayam stands vindicated !

Long before recent petrol price hike of Rs 7 / 8 per litre , Samajwadi Party , in its election manifesto , had promised to replace all pedal-powered rickshaws in the State , with battery or solar-powered tricycles
That means replacing 2,48,839 rickshaws registered with the Civic bodies in UP ( India )
At a cost ( to the Government , of course ) of Rs 1 lakh per rickshaw
Or , Rs 2,500 Crores
But that is peanuts when compared to Rs 100,000 Crores worth subsidy that Central Government doles out to the Oil companies every year
Then there are hidden benefits to some enterprising Samajwadi Party members , who will set up factories to manufacture :
? Batteries
? Solar Panels
? Power Outlets every 5 Km, to re-charge batteries
? Tricycles (to be supplied to State Government )
Just watch out for the election manifesto of BJP for the forthcoming State elections in Gujarat in December, which will read :
“ All petrol driven cars will be replaced with electric cars , free of cost “
It is better than protesting on the streets !
In any case , CM Narendra Modi has already turned Gujarat into a “ Auto Hub “ of Asia !

With regards

Hemen Parekh

Wednesday 23 May 2012

PRICELESS POSSESSIONS ?

Who says there is no “ free lunch “ in the world ?

Jayalalitha ( AIADMK ) Government (State of Tamilnadu – India), completed one year in office on May 16th

And true to its election manifesto promises , it is distributing following “priceless “ possessions , to its people :

  • Rice

  • Mixes

  • Grinders

  • Electric fans

  • Footwear

  • Domestic animals ( including “ pets “ for the rich ? )

  • Milch Cows / Sheeps ( for the poor )

  • 1,51,430  laptops to students

Now , Chief Minister of Gujarat , Narendra Modi , is an admirer of politically astute Jayalalitha

And he is about to release his election manifesto in a few months, for the forthcoming State Assembly elections in Dec 2012

So , expect him to promise “ priceless “ homes to all poor people of Gujarat !

That will ensure his victory and his nomination as his party’s “ Prime Ministerial Candidate “ in 2014 National elections

With regards

HEMEN  PAREKH