Blog

Tuesday 23 February 2016

International Exchange Program

We have all heard about these programs under which , ( for example ) students from India would go to USA , spend a few weeks with American families and even attend local universities

In turn , American students would spend similar period in India ( may be , with the parents of those Indian students who went to USA ) and attend Indian Colleges

In the process , both groups learn the customs / traditions / life-styles of their host Societies

I suppose , they also learn quite a lot about the Education Systems of host countries

Which would include , academic pursuit and teaching methods

But , above all , they would learn how the students behave in the class rooms and how the teachers maintain discipline

I believe , it must be a " Shocking " experience for those Indian students to find that professors in USA wield unimaginable power , unfettered by the Dean or Chancellor of those colleges

Eg :

* A professor's is the final word in the evaluation of any student ( no court of higher appeal )

* Quite a lot of that evaluation is based on the number and the quality of questions asked by the students

* " Shot-gun " exams are a teacher's way of judging the progress of the students

* If any student absents from class room without a satisfactory reason ( ie satisfactory to the subject teacher ),

the teacher can simply tell him to stop attending the classes ! Heavy rains or snow storm does not count ! And

the Dean cannot question the professor's decision

* Teachers don't prescribe any text books , but they may suggest a dozen books to refer to

* Many teachers just " refuse to teach " ! They insist that the students come to class , having " self taught " the

subject and the class room is only for the purpose of "solving difficulties" faced by students while self-teaching !

* Emphasis is not on a student remembering the exact mathematical equation but on knowing which equation to

use !

Hence , most professors will allow a student to look up any book during an exam !

* Even arriving at the exact / precise " answer " is not considered important . It is your " approach " to solving a

problem that counts more .

Were you able to suggest a non-traditional and distinctly innovative " approach " ?

MORAL OF THE STORY :

How about Shri Narendra Modiji ( himself , a champion of " Out of Box " thinking ) , signing an " Exchange Agreement " with President Obama , under which , a batch of 40 Indian Legislators ( to begin with , opposition members of Rajya Sabha ) , are deputed to USA for 6 months ( or till GST Bill gets passed ? ) to attend the sessions of US Congress / Senate , to learn / imbibe their ways of conducting official business ?

Of course , our deputed legislators must be paid a " Copycat-ing Allowance " of $ 100 per day while in USA !

After all , cafeteria in American Congress building does not provide " dosas " @ Rs 2 per piece !

While readily agreeing to the Indian request , it is quite possible that President Obama may politely decline to send the American Legislators to attend our Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha's budget session ! Entirely understandable !

Dear Shri Venkaiah-ji :

You may get much more cooperation from all parties after 6 months !

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hemenparekh.in / blogs

23 Feb 2016

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Sunday 21 February 2016

Keep Experimenting !

Shri Nitin Gadkari likes to experiment and take the accompanying risks

He is not afraid to stick out his neck for fear of it getting chopped off

He is not paralyzed into inaction by " fear of failure "

He like to tell his officers , " Forget the history - what is your problem ? "

Then offers solutions such as :

* Logistic parks around big cities to decongest roads and reduce pollution

* RFID sensor embedded vehicles paying toll amount electronically without stopping / needing humans

* E-rickshaws to be treated on par with petrol driven rickshaws

* By passing Bharat V emission standards to directly jump to Bharat VI standards for all vehicles

* Introducing hybrid model of financing for attracting private participation in Highway construction

* Use of slag cement in construction of highways ( use of waste by-products of Steel Industry )

Dear Shri Gadkariji :

Allow me to suggest use of " COLD ASPHALT " technology for building new roads / filling pot holes

Use of hot asphalt requires a very narrow temperature range within which it must be spread on roads before rolling

Any hotter and it will just stick to the roller . Any colder and it just won't set

It is difficult to maintain such narrow range ( of temperature ) after asphalt carrying truck travels hundreds of kilometers - even when that truck has a heating jacket ( consuming lots of fuel ! )

If solidified asphalt ( usually stored in steel drums ) is used at the construction site , then it needs to be heated / melted locally ( usually by creating a wood fire ) - causing pollution and consuming trees !

And hot asphalt would just not adhere to a wet surface , rendering it useless for use in monsoon - especially for repair of pot holes

" COLD ASPHALT " technology overcomes ALL of these problems !

* It consists of mixing water ( 90 % ) with hot asphalt ( 9 % ) in presence of a specialty chemical ( 1 % ) , in a

very simple Mixing Machine which can be transported anywhere on a trolley

* This liquid mixture can remain stored in steel drums at ROOM TEMPERATURE for over ONE YEAR !

* Drums containing liquid can be transported and stored at road construction sites and COLD ASPHALT mixed

with sand / aggregates as and when required . No ripping / destroying of drums and breaking of solid asphalt

* There is no need for ANY temperature control as mixture / aggregate can remain at AMBIENT temperature

* Since Cold Asphalt is basically water ( 90 % ) , it is ideally suited for filling wet pot holes or laying on wet roads

* After laying / spreading , as soon as a heavy roller is driven over Cold Asphalt mixed aggregate , chemical bond

between water and asphalt is broken due to heavy pressure and setting process starts , causing the layer to

solidify .

Within a matter of MINUTES , regular traffic can flow over the road ! or over the filled pot holes !

* Use of Cold Asphalt technology results in a HUGE COST SAVING ( remember , it is 90 % water ! )

* Cold Asphalt roads are much easier to repair , with no pollution , and very little energy consumption

* Using Cold Asphalt technology, 3 machines ( leveller /spreader/roller ) can lay 1 KM road in a day !

I have personally seen NATIONAL HIGHWAYS being constructed with Cold Asphalt technology in France , way back in 1988 !

You may turn around and ask :

" With these advantages , how come our PWD / Municipalities have not adopted this revolutionary technology ? "

My guess :

Because those responsible for drawing up tender documents , insist on use of Hot Asphalt !

And you know , why !

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hemenparekh.in / blogs

22 Feb 2016

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Friday 19 February 2016

A Laughing Matter ?

Last evening, TV channels showed the traditional " Halwa Ceremony " in the Finance Ministry building

With this , the process of preparing / printing of the Union Budget starts

The people involved will stay " imprisoned / incommunicado " till FM completes his budget speech on 29th Feb , to ensure that the budget provisions do not leak out

That does not stop the experts ( - and some non-experts like me ) , to make predictions such as :

* Revising limits for personal Income Tax slabs

* Reducing rates for TDS

* Rationalizing procedures ( assessment scrutiny / tax refunds / tax litigations etc )

* Launching new Schemes / Funds for savings and investments

* Increase / decrease of Excise rates on products ( watch out smokers and drinkers ! )

* Increase / decrease of Import Duties on products to protect local industries / stop dumping from China

* Recapitalization of Banks ( to write-off Rs 7 lakh*crore of NPA with tax payers money )

* Write-off DISCOM debts of Rs 4 lakh*crores by passing the buck to State Governments ( tax payer burden ? )

* Write off loans to farmers - what with elections looming in 5 States ( but I support this )

News papers report that the Government have received budget suggestions from some 7,000 persons and that , this time around , Prime Minister himself is closely involved in the budget making exercise

Now , with all this obsession / seriousness / paranoia , surely this secrecy surrounding the budget document , cannot be a laughing matter !

Unless you ask ,

* some foreign software geeks ( eg: Sundar Pichai / Satya Nadela / Vivek Ranadive / Ray Kurzweil etc )

* some Indian BIG DATA ANALYTICS geeks ( Mukund / Krishnan / Sanjay / Srikant / Raj / Anurag etc )

Because , if you do , they will laugh and tell you :

" Just give us the actual budget documents of the past 60 years ( including the accompanying budget speeches ) and we will process these documents using Big Data Analytics software and predict what will be the provisions in the forthcoming budget ( with a probability of 99.7 % - ie ; plus or minus THREE standard deviation )

And then , we will process those past budget speeches with a PARAPHRASING software ( ala Kurzweilai.net ) and give you an advance print-out of Shri Arun Jaitleyji's speech on 29th Feb "

But of course , Shri Jaitleyji could cheat the PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS , by announcing following unpredictable :

* Total Abolition of Personal Income Tax ( or at least , reducing incremental tax rates in each higher slab )

* Decreasing Incremental Corporate Tax Rates , linked with each higher slab of " Permanent Employee Number "

* Perpetual Amnesty Scheme for all CASH deposits made in Jan Dhan Accounts , if invested in tax-free Infra SPVs

* Transfer of 1.8% of GST (from 18%) into buyers' PPF a/c , to ensure all citizens get PPF a/c for tax-free savings

This amount to be used for paying premium for COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE to cover all illnesses

* Introduction of plastic Currency Notes of Rs 500/1000, embedded with micro RFID sensors ( stop Black Money )

Surest way to ensure that almost all payments are made thru official channels !

* Introduction of BTT ( Bank Transaction Tax ) @ 2% to yield Rs 15 lakh*crore of revenue ( against revenue loss

of Rs 2.5 lakh*crores caused by abolishing Personal Income Tax )

Now such announcements , besides being " Unpredictable " , would meet Shri Narendra Modiji's following announcement at Make in India week on 13th Feb :

" There is no time for incremental changes . We want a quantum jump "

Dear Shri Jaitleyji :

How about an " Incremental Quantum Jump " by

* Announcing these unpredictable on 29 Feb 2016

* Spreading out actual implementation over the next 5 years

That could be the surest way to win 300 seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections !

Any other budget provision / announcement , would be a laughing matter

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hemenparekh.in / blogs

20 Feb 2016

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Thursday 18 February 2016

MAKE OPPOSITION IRRELEVANT

As per a news report in Hindustan Times ( 17 Feb 2016 ) , thousands of villagers of Khalapur ( Maharashtra ) ,

* have formed a company

* transferred 3500 hectares of their land to this company

* company has signed an MOU with Maharashtra State for development of this land

* allowed State to acquire 40 % of the land, without any monetary compensation

* villagers will get to develop balance 60 % land

* for this 60 % , villagers will be allowed an FSI of 1.7 in lieu of the existing FSI of 0.1 , to develop the township

# How does CIDCO ( nodal agency for Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area ) benefit ?

* of the 40 % land acquired , CIDCO will utilize 25 % for Infrastructure Development and rest for Commercial

development

# How do Villagers benefit ?

* Once developed , the rates of the real estate in the area are expected to shoot up by at least 5 times ,

causing good profit for the villagers

# Could villagers have benefited much more ?

* Without doubt they would have gained hugely if they had bargained on the basis of the following email that

I had sent to Shri Nitin Gadkariji on 23 March, 2015 :

{ Dear Nitinji,

Farmers are opposing the Land Acquisition Bill for the following reasons :

* Low / Inadequate compensation

* Once land is sold , not being able to benefit from the appreciation of land value , when the project comes up

* Private parties bought their land at low price and then sold it ( mostly to private builders ) for a whooping profit

I think there is a simple solution to the concerns expressed by the farmers . Please consider the following :

* Each project will be tied to a specific SPV , created for that purpose only

* In the first instance , affected farmers will create a " Cooperative Society "

* Co-operative Society will issue shares to each land-donor farmer , in proportion to the QUANTITY / VALUE of the land donated by him

* In turn , Co-operative Society will receive shares in the SPV , equal to the value of the land + a cash compensation equal to 4 times the value of the land

* Farmer's shares of Cooperative Society cannot be sold in open market before 5 years but can be gifted to wife / Children

* Shares of Cooperative Society in the SPV itself cannot be sold for next 10 years

* The " Cash-Value Compensation " received by the Co-operative Society ( ie 4 times the land value ), will be deployed as follows :

* To be immediately paid in cash to the farmers............ 2 times

* To be deposited in the Jan-Dhan Account of each farmer as FIXED DEPOSIT ( with 10 @ interest )....2 times

Dear Gadkariji ,

My proposal will ensure :

* Immediate attractive compensation to farmers

* Recurring income from FD in Jan Dhan account ( for a sustained livelihood )

* Continued sense of " Ownership " in the SPV / Project , which will facilitate QUICK implementation without resistance

* Willing farmers themselves canvassing / convincing " Reluctant " farmers

* No fear of private parties benefiting by appreciation of land value

* A sense of " Enlarged Participation " thru Co-operative Society representing them on the Board of Directors of SPV

* Board Representation enabling farmers to ensure that honest decisions are being taken

PLEASE , GIVE THIS SUGGESTION A CONSIDERATION }

If all States follow this model , I think opposition to Land Acquisition Bill in Rajya Sabha , will become irrelevant !

After all , this is a WIN WIN solution for both, the Farmers and for the States

If the Opposition Parties want to win future elections ( whether at Center or in States ) , they should champion the cause of the farmers by helping them form FARMERS CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES , to carry out COLLECTIVE BARGAINING with the State Governments / Industries !

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hemenparekh.in / blogs

19 Feb 2016

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Wednesday 17 February 2016

Does this Ring a Bell ?

Black Money Disclosure Scheme announced by Union Government last year , called for 30 % tax + 60 % penalty + 10 years in prison , for any illegal foreign assets declared AFTER the closure of a 3 month window

A few hundred persons came forward to disclose , approx Rs 4,000 Crores of illegally held foreign assets

Compare this with the estimate of Global Financial Integrity , which says , Indians stashed away in foreign banks , about Rs 34.5 lakh*crores of BLACK MONEY, between 2004-2009 ( 10 years ) !

Obviously , those hoarders of BLACK MONEY , have discovered better ways to transfer their money to India and convert into WHITE MONEY

Here is one possibility :

* Find a China made electronic product in great demand in India , costing Rs 3000 at normal export price

* Ask Chinese Exporter to send it to BLACK MONEY owner's India Operations , for an official invoice of Rs 200

* Send the balance Rs 2800 to Chinese Exporter, directly from BLACK MONEY owner's foreign bank account

* Indian Operation will

# remit Rs 200 to Chinese Exporter , through official banking channels

# accept online orders on its web site @ Rs 300 per piece against Credit Card payment

# book 10 million online orders in 3 days , to collect official / advance payments of Rs 300 crores

# avail of loans offered by Electronic Development Fund launched by Central Government

# avail of Rs 25 crore subsidy under Gujarat Govt policy for Electronic Products

# avail import duty concessions for electronic products, likely to be announced in next Union Budget

# claim to help bridge the " Digital Divide " by offering internet connectivity to millions of poor Indians

# claim to support " Make in India " initiative

# claim to create jobs

# start exporting ,"India-made" smart phones @ $ 6 per piece to Europe / USA,- and win Govt Support !

I just don't understand why news papers / web sites / social media / other Indian Manufacturers / Trade Association etc are puzzled at this purely Indian Innovation of putting to good use, BLACK MONEY stashed abroad !

The only way to bring back those Rs 34.5 lakh*crores , is to formalize / legalize this innovation !

As far as STOPPING future generation of BLACK MONEY is concerned , the only answer is my oft-repeated suggestion to withdraw current paper currency notes of Rs 500/1000 and replace these with new plastic notes embedded with microscopic ( thinner than hair ) RFID sensors !

Dear Shri Arun Jaitley-ji :

Does what I say , RING a BELL ?

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hemenparekh.in / blogs

18 Feb 2016

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Make Yourself Heard

Dear Visitor :

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