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

Friday 6 January 2017

IT Notice : What will it say ?



Newspaper reports say that IT department is in the process of sending notices to some 60 lakh citizens who have deposited in their bank accounts , more than Rs 2 lakh each , since demonetization announcement on 08 Nov


Aggregate deposits are Rs 7 lakh*crore


Apparently , IT department thinks that BLACK MONEY holders have used these accounts of poor people to convert their BLACK into WHITE


What will this notice say ?

Here is my guess :

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mango Man / Woman ,

Since 08 Nov , you have deposited Rs 2 lakh in your bank account

*  From our records, we find that you have not filed any Income Tax return , in past 10
    years

*  Please show cause why a case should not be filed against you for

  " POSSESSION OF ASSETS, DISPROPORTIONATELY MORE THAN YOUR KNOWN SOURCES
    OF INCOME "

  
Yours Truly ( tormentor ) ,

XYZ Officer / ABC Circle

PS :

There is no need to hurry with your reply since we are sending this notice to 60 lakh persons like you , of which , we will select the top 10 % ( ie , 6 lakh ) for filing a case


With our present capacity to file 6,000 cases per year , your turn may come after 100 years


You are requested to stick around till then or keep your heirs informed about the following

fact :

*  In a written reply in Lok Sabha last week , Minister of State for Finance , Santosh Kumar
   Gangwar said that , as of Oct 31 , 2016 , 238 prosecution complaints have been filed and
   and properties worth Rs 18,866 cr have been attached


*  Based on the information submitted by Indian Authorities to the US as part of
   cooperation , the INSCR ( Integrated Network for Societal Conflict Research ) states ,

   " ... the government has not won any court cases involving money laundering or
    confiscations ... Money laundering investigations without a predicate offense are rarely
   successfully prosecuted in the Indian judicial system and even if they are , the resulting
   punishment is often minimal "

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


In light of the forgoing, I advise the recipients to reply as follows :


Dear Tax Tormentor,


At the outset , my thankful gratitude for taking cognizance of my existence !
Here is WHY , you should NOT file any case , as suggested by you


*  My annual income for the  past 10 years , has always been less than Tax-Exemption limit


*  Every year , I have been saving Rs 20,000 from my meager income and keeping the cash
   in a cupboard . Now , any economist will confirm that a Domestic Savings Rate of 10 % is
   highly desirable ( you know , " Saving for the Rainy Day " ! )


* When our PM announced demonetization , I was left with no alternative , other than
  depositing my hard-earned savings into my bank account


*  My neighbour tells me ( - I cannot afford a CA or a Lawyer ) that there is no law against
   holding any amount of legitimate / hard earned / non-taxable CASH in house !


*  By limiting the monthly withdrawals , of my own hard earned money, from my own bank
    account , you have already made my life miserable !  Even without filing a case and
   waiting for the Hon Judge to find me guilty , you have succeeded in punishing me !


*  We , the sufferers are asking YOU to show cause , why WE should not try you in the
   Court of the Election Commission, in the  STATE ELECTIONS  about to be held in Feb /
   March, for

    " POSSESSION OF  WISDOM, DISPROPORTIONATELY LESS THAN YOUR KNOWN SOURCE
      OF POWER "


with regards,

Yours Hatefully,

Mango Man ( A Jan without Dhan )


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07  Jan  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs
  




Thursday 5 January 2017

Challenges Worthy of Google ?



Dear  Sundar  Pichai :


During your interview last evening with Vikram Chandra ( NDTV ) , you said :


I like to work on finding solutions to challenging problems . I like to find solutions that millions of people around the World can use to simplify their lives and empower them

I believe, through use of Aadhar based apps , such solutions can make a huge difference to Education , Healthcare , Economy etc

At Google , we are committed to come up with innovative technologies in the area of AI / Machine Learning / Language Translation / Speech Recognition etc , for incorporating into our innovations

We are actively helping Indian Government in extending the reach of internet to farthest corners of India . Someday , we hope to bring out Google Pixel smart phone at $ 30 , which will incorporate bio-metric recognition / Google Translate / Google Assistant / Google Action etc  "


All of this was very heartening  !


Here are my suggestions for solving some of those  " CHALLENGING  PROBLEMS " :


A  ]    To eliminate  MAL-NUTRITION  which claims lives of  1.2 MILLION  children in India , each year

    "  BAN-MALI is the Total Solution " ( Ban Mal Nutrition in India )

    { http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/11/banmali-is-total-solution.html }



B  ]   To provide an end-to-end , comprehensive  HEALTH CARE  solution to  1.3 BILLION  Indians


   { http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2015/10/3-d-digital-delivery-of-drugs.html }



C  ]    To ensure " REDRESSAL OF GRIEVANCES  "  to citizens

  "  I  SIN   U  SIN  "  ( I Seek It Now , You Solve It Now )

    {  http://www.hemenparekh.com/2013/08/i-sin-sin-that-could-be-name-of-android.html  }



D  ]    To enable  SIMULTANEOUS POLLS  ( Lok Sabha + States ) , on a single day

  "  VotesApp "


  {  http://www.hemenparekh.in/2013/08/votesapp.html  }



E  ]    To save thousands of lives in  CAR ACCIDENTS ,  caused by drunk drivers :

     "  Incorporate into steering wheels of cars , a sensor that reads the level of  ALCOHOL  in the blood
     stream of the driver's hands and shuts it down ( or refuses to start ) , if level exceeds permissible limit

     May be , this sensor can also detect presence of banned  DRUGS  in the blood , besides pulse rate



F  ]    Simplification of  MOBILE WALLET  , which requires  NO TYPING  into the App  /  ONLY SPEAKING


   {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/google-can-read-your-mind.html  }



G  ]    How  to  catch  BLACK  MONEY  ?

  "  Fak-e-Mon "  {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/07/fak-e-mon.html  }

  "  March  of  Algorithm " { http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-march-of-algorithms.html }


 
H  ]    REDUCTION OF POLLUTION  caused  by  Petrol / Diesel  Vehicles


  {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-radical-radial-revolution.html  }


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Sundar :


I hope this email does not land in your " junk mail " box

It would definitely reach you , if Google were to implement :



{ http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/03/next-generation-newspaper.html }



with regards,

hemen  parekh

Mumbai / hcp@RecruitGuru.com

06 Jan  2016

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday 3 January 2017

A Matter of Time



Hindustan Times carries following news reports :

* Jan 03 2017
  
BHIM downloaded 3 million times, top app in India: Kant

Indigenous digital payments app BHIM has been downloaded 3 million times and enabled over 5 lakh transactions since its launch, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has said.

Bhim App - 3 million download since launch, No 1 on Playstore in India amongst all apps, over 500,000 transactions since launch. #MakeinIndia,” Kant said in a tweet.

In a bid to further push adoption of e-payments in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30 launched the BHIM app that will enable fast and secure cashless transactions using mobile phones.

Named after the architect of the Indian Constitution, Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar, the Bharat Interface for Money ( BHIM ) is a simplified payment platform designed to make Unified Payment Interface ( UPI ) and USSD payment modes simpler and usable across feature phones and smart phones.

Developed by National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), BHIM is supported by host of banks, including State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, Bank of India, Canara Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce and Punjab National Bank, among others.

The app, which can be downloaded from Google Playstore, is currently available in Hindi and English, and support for more languages is expected soon.

BHIM is interoperable with other Unified Payment Interface ( UPI ) applications and bank accounts.

*  Jan 04 2017

BHIM joins the digital Dangal

Where BHIM lags ................... 6 issues

*  Where BHIM is ahead.............. 5 issues

*  No of Users............................ Paytm ( 150 mn ) / MobiKwik ( 40 mn ) /
BHIM ( 3 mn )

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Yesterday's Proverb  :  Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Today's Mantra        :  Competition is the Mother of Innovation



So , just wait to find out which Mobile Wallet comes up with the following " innovations " FIRST :

All bank accounts of a person ( in different banks ) become inter- operable / fungible ,
   through seamless interlinking , using Aadhar / UPI Interface in a Mobile Wallet
   No need to " select " a particular bank name

  
*  All transactions using a Mobile Wallet, automatically entered in BLOCK-CHAIN database
   commonly shared by ALL banks


*  Wallet based algorithm will  move funds across different bank accounts  for best yield ,
   constantly searching for best interest rates offered by banks on Fixed Deposits
   This will happen automatically , much like algorithm-based share trading , taking
   advantage of price differences in two bourses located 300 km apart ( in one thousandths
   of a second ! )

{  Above link added on 19 May 2020  }
   No rocket science here considering availability of " BEST PRICE " apps for thousands of
   goods and services


   And since computing power of mobiles are doubling every 18 months ( Moore's Law ),
  nothing will stop algo-trading through a Mobile Wallet , as well ! ( Demat A/C on Wallet ? )


  If you have any doubts , read DNA ( 04 Jan ) report :

 " Samsung's upcoming flagship Galaxy S8 smart-phone can be connected to a screen with
   a keyboard and mouse, to give a desktop experience , and create a multi-tasking
   interface, presumably running on Google's Android mobile operating system "



*  And the day is not far when your Mobile Wallet will " read " the Serial Numbers of high
   denomination currency notes lying in your pocket / purse and total up the value ( - and
   inform the IT / ED ?



   {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/12/to-catch-black-money-ask-google.html }

  
*  Of course , future Mobile Wallets will subsume within itself , ALL AUTOMATIC PAYMENT
    APPS , using which ( individually ) , currently I make following digital payments :

     #  Property Taxes / Locker Fees / Housing Society Charges / MTNL 

     #  Mahanagar Gas / Tata Power / YOU broadband / Vodafone / TATA Sky TV etc


   I expect , a future Mobile Wallet to take care of ALL my periodic dues, automatically



*  Without doubt , a future Mobile Wallet will need to serve all major regional languages


Equally important, all future Mobile Wallets will have to be SPEECH ENABLED

   Read :


   {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/11/how-to-go-cash-less.html }


   The party introducing this feature first , will be the WINNER ! Rest will remain followers !


*  Then of course , as soon as Government introduces new plastic notes of Rs 500 / 1000 /
    2000 , duly embedded with RFID chips , a future Mobile Wallet will help tracking  of
    BLACK MONEY

   Read :


   {  http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/11/embrace-inevitable.html  }

    Here is a hint :

    New one pound British coin " has a high security hidden feature built into the coin to
    protect it from counterfeiting in the future " ( Busi.Line / 04 Jan ) : May be RFID chip  ?


Let there be no doubt


Paytm / MobiKwik / FreeCharge / Itzcash / SBI Buddy and a dozen other Mobile Wallets , are not going to take it " lying down " from BHIM !


The jury is out !

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

04  Jan  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs
  





Monday 2 January 2017

Sun : Our Soul ( A New SOS )



In 1952 , I read " The Birth and Death of Sun " , written by George Gamow


Being rather poor in " Differential Equations " of Intermediate Science , I found it extremely grasp-able , since there were no mathematical formulae in that book


In this treatise , Gamow predicted that the Sun will burn out its hydrogen fuel in 4 billion years , and die a cold death !


I doubt whether the book said :


" One hour of Sunshine falling on our Earth can generate enough electricity to power the Earth for one full year "


May be because Solar panels were yet to be invented by 1952


But scientists have calculated this by now


If you extrapolate this backwards :


One hour of Sunshine falling on India's land area of 3,000,000 square kilometers , can generate enough electricity to power our nation for ONE year !


Now , most of India gets 6 hours of Sunshine daily for some 300 days in a year !


So , as a nation , we get 1800 hours of Sunshine , every year


If we were to cover our entire land area ( of 3,000,000 sq km ) with Solar Panels , we could get enough electricity in one year ( ie: in 1800 hours ) , which will meet our power needs for 1800 YEARS ! ( about 5000 trillion Kwh ! )


But , at the most , we need to store the Solar power for a few days only ( even if Sun does not come out for a couple of days ) . Certainly not for 1800 years !


So , there is no need to cover up our entire land mass with Solar Panels


A very small fraction need be covered . Say, all roof tops in India ?


Why install small solar power plants on roof tops ?


Simple :


With roof-top based solar plants , we don't need to distribute power over long distances , using nation-wide distribution network. We produce / store / consume power in same place


So no transmission costs / losses / thefts !


There are no " intermediaries " between producers and consumers ( eg: DISCOMS )


No need of elaborate " metering / billing / accounting "


No need for PPA ( Power Purchase Agreements ) between producers and DISCOMs


A roof top solar installation can be done in a matter of hours, providing employment to lakhs of Installation Technicians, employed by thousands of MSME engaged in such work


Many more lakhs will find jobs in companies engaged in manufacture of allied electrical /  electronic / storage batteries etc


So enormous " Job Generation " as a by-product


These local MSME manufacturers / installers , will aggressively compete and provide quick / efficient , after-sales service


Of course , roof top solar power's Capital Cost per kwh is higher than same for large land based installations . Over the next couple of years, this will even out


But as I mentioned in my earlier blog :


COST OF FUEL ( Sun ) is  ZERO


*  COST OF MAINTENANCE , too , is nearly  NIL


Practically , the only cost of a roof top based solar plant is " INTEREST ON CAPITAL "


Now NDA government has announced a Capital Subsidy of 30 % on " Competitively Discovered Price " for roof top installations and made an allocation of ( approx ) , Rs 5200 crores ( $ 750 million ), for putting up 4200 MW


But , on the balance 70 % of Capital Cost , users will need to borrow money from banks at 10 % - 15 % interest and go through a lengthy approval process and hypothecate the assets


And ensure timely repayment of EMI in order, not to get their plants " repossessed " !


But imagine following scenario :


Government declares units belonging to " Solar Power ( Panel Mfr / Power Production &
    Distribution / Ancillary Mfr  ) " as    a "  SOS " industry


*   Units will need to register as such with Department of Company Affairs ( DIPP )


*  Units will be exempt  from paying Corporate Income Tax for 10 years , on whatever
   income they earn ( only those starting operations latest by 31 March 2018 )


 *  No questions will be asked as to the " source " of funds invested in the shares of such
   units ( a kind of Temporary Amnesty Scheme - 01 April 2017  till 31 March 2018 - to
   channelize BLACK MONEY into creation of PRODUCTIVE  / NON-POLUTING assets )


 *  Units cannot engage in any other Industrial / Commercial / Financial activities

 
 *  Units cannot declare any dividends to share-holders for 10 years


These are just broad outlines and details need to be worked out


If there is political courage to pull off such an initiative , government will NOT need to allocate ANY AMOUNT !


NO NEED TO SUBSIDIZE THESE UNITS OR THE USERS , WITH THE TAX PAYERS' MONEY !


Instead of that $ 750 million allocation ( from tax payers' money ) , Black Money holders will readily pump in $ 750 BILLION into the SOLAR INDUSTRY ( enough for additional installed capacity of 750 GW - as against our current installed capacity 8.63 GW of solar , and a target of 100 GW , by 2022 ! )


Remember , how , only a few months back , tiny Indonesia managed to collect $ 300 billion of its Black Money , by levying tax ( no penalty ) of just 4 % !


And with this kind of  INCENTIVE WINDOW ( to convert BLACK into WHITE ) , expect


*  Hundreds of SOS Units to spring up before 31 March 2018


*  They will have ZERO cost as far as servicing of EQUITY is concerned ! No dividends !


*  They will not need to borrow funds from banks and pay interest ( no danger of NPA ! )


*  They will say : We are not in the business of " manufacturing of panels " but we are in
    the business of " Delivering electric power to homes / businesses "


  (  I am reminded what my one time boss, Helge Hansen  told me :

    " Hemen , we are not in the business of manufacturing Diamond Drilling Bits : We are in
     the business of selling Industrial Diamonds " )


*  They will compete with each other fiercely and ( as it is already happening in USA ) ,
   start offering roof top installations, absolutely FREE, and selling the generated power at
   20 paise/Kwh, for 10 year purchase agreement and with a 5 % tariff reduction per year !


   We can look forward to witnessing similar competition among large , land-based ,  solar
   power installations which will be the main suppliers to large commercial establishments /
   industrial factories / infrastructure projects / Electric Vehicle Charging stations , etc

  
Just imagine


*   how much, our LOW ENERGY COST ECONOMY can make us , INTERNATIONALLY
    COMPETITIVE !


*  the rise in GDP !


*  the possibility of being able to export our surplus power to neighbouring countries


*  Being able to replace 6 million petrol / diesel vehicles with EVs by 2020 , due to
   easily available charging stations on every street corner


*  Reduction in pollution by shutting down of hundreds of existing fossil fuel based power
    plants , whose utilization will drop below 10 % by 2022 ( as against National Electricity
    Plan expectation of 48 % , and a un-viability threshold of 55 % )


I hope my suggestion will be supported by Shri Piyush Goyal ( Minister for Energy ) , who referring to " innovative financing such as reverse bidding for projects as a smart way of saving public money " , said :


" By adopting such principles, I have been able to reignite the power and coal sector "

( Source : Business Line / 19 Dec 2016 )


Dear Piyushbhai :


By " harnessing  GREED  to harness  SUN  " , we could achieve 100 GW of Solar by 2019 , instead of government target of 2022


I hope you succeed in persuading Arunbhai , to incorporate this proposal in his forthcoming budget speech on 01 Feb 2017


Unless , Narendrabhai decides to announce this as a Republic Day gift to the Nation !

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03  Jan  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs