Why can’t we institutionalize Coalition ?

Economic Times ( 29 Sept ) carries following news report titled :

Better Growth in Coalition Govts : Reddy

A coalition government that produced consensus on policy-making was probably better than the one with a majority as far as economic growth was concerned, former RBI governor YV Reddy has said. 

Since economic liberalisation, beginning 1991 under the premiership of Narasimha Rao, India’s GDP growth rate was the highest in fiscal 2007, when it touched 9.6%, under the UPA led by Manmohan Singh. Under the new series, GDP grew 10.55% in FY2010.

 
The previous highest growth rate of 10.2% in fiscal 1989 was recorded under Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure, data from the Central Statistics Office revealed.

 
Interestingly, the highest growth in India from 1990 to 2014 was really during coalition governments,’’ Reddy told an audience in Washington.

“ So, in a way it is consensus based...in Indian situation, a coalition probably produces better economic results than a strong government,”  he said.

 
To buttress his argument about the benefits of a coalition government, Reddy said the administration handled the 1991 currency crisis well, of which he was part as a bureaucrat.

“ The remarkable thing was that despite an unstable political situation, they managed a political consensus for whatever was needed to manage it successfully,’’ said Reddy.

My friend , Gurudatta is much more analytical in examining the virtues of a COALITION GOVERNMENT

After reading my following blog :

RevolutionThrough Coalition Government ?

 

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/09/revolution-through-coalition-government.html

here is what he wrote :

Advantages of Constitutional Coalition Government 

·          Being a part of the govt. all parties will be accountable for non-performance.

·           By the same logic, for any achievements during such a Govt’s tenure, the credit will be shared by them all, irrespective of their size, thus promoting positivity and unity of purpose.

·          Even accountability for non-implementation of the pre-poll promises will be collective.

·           Unlike in the past, the tendency of raking up old issues/past failures by way of investigation/court cases etc. of any of the constituents will be curbed, saving immense national resources. Besides, more time will be available for constructive discussions, decisions and prompt implementation of the projects.

·           A lot of legislature time & other resources wasted on endless debates, allegations and counter-allegations will be saved for constructive work, enabling faster implementation & outcome of the plans.

·           The Speakers of the respective legislative houses will be able to carry on their responsibility with equanimity and fairness.

·           Moves, suggestions or new ideas brought up by any of the constituents, irrespective of their individual strength but solely on the merit and test of national interest, would be taken up.

·           The party with highest number of elected members will naturally seek to retain important ministries, irrespective of the comparative capability of their own elected members vis-à-vis other parties’ members with equal or better merit. This can somewhat be defused by the giving Dy Ministership to other party candidates but depending on the merits.

·          Such sweeping change in the governance, can we also expect to have better candidates appointed to head the GOI entities, governors, vice-presidents, presidents and judges of the courts? Most probably.

I believe , this is an  “ IDEA  WHOSE  TIME  HAS  COME “  !

Those in favour , please “ RAISE  YOUR  HAND “  - and your VOICE  !

29  Sept  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Revolution Through Coalition Government ?

German Federal elections ended Sunday evening at 6 pm ( German time )

Approx 30 seconds later , the large TV screen in the headquarters of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Party showed a graph ( bar charts ) which gave following “ Exit Poll “ for the votes polled :

CDU / CCU………………………..……………….. 34.7 %    (  246  seats  )

Social Democratic Party…………………….. 21.6 %    (  153  seats  )

AFD………………………………………………………13,3  %    (  94  seats   )

FDP 

……………………………………….  11.3%     (  80  seats  )

Greens…………………………………………………..  9.4 %    (  67  seats  )

Die Link………………………………………………….  9.7  %   (  69  seats  )

Others……………………………………………………   5.1  % 

As in past , it is expected that Angela Merkel will form a Coalition Government with support of either SDP or ( should it decide to sit in the opposition ) with support of several smaller parties , distributing among the partners , Ministerial Births , in proportion to their relative strengths

COALITION is the WAY , in which she has managed , not only to stay in power for the last 12 years ( and the next 4 ) but also introduced REFORMS which made GERMAN  ECONOMY  the flag-bearer of prosperity for the rest of the Europe

But, for her, this “ CONVENTIONAL  COALITION “, requires tough / tenuous bargaining  !

If German Constitution were to mandate a  “ CONSTITUTIONAL  COALITION “ where ALL  parties  AUTOMATICALLY  get Ministerial Births in proportion to the number of seats won , then she would have no headache !

That ( CONSTITUTIONAL  COALITION ) is what we in India need !

Of course , that would require amending our Constitution , which would never happen in  normal circumstances

But , it could easily happen if the circumstances were  ABNORMAL  !

For example :

In current Lok Sabha , BJP has 282 seats ( 52 % of the total ) – a simple majority

Now , as planned by Amitbhai Shah , if in 2019 elections , BJP wins 355 seats ( 67 % - an absolute majority ) , that would indeed , be an ABNORMAL circumstance !

If , at that time , BJP was to propose a Government of Proportional Representation , no other party would object ( - having been either rendered irrelevant or been decimated ! )

Each of those “ losing parties “ would stand to get SOME minister-ships , and get a chance to influence the DECISION – MAKING , from within the government , instead of just shouting slogans in the Lok Sabha !

A proposal of this nature , coming from the VICTORIOUS  BJP ( which would have little NEED for support from any party ) would be nothing less than REVOLUTIONARY  !

It would , be a concrete demonstration on part of BJP , of its core belief of :

Sabka  Saath ,  Sabka  Vikas (  Progress through Partnership )

No political party will even dare to oppose such a “ MAGNANIMOUS  GESTURE  “ of BJP !

And this gesture will ensure that , in 2024 general elections , BJP returns with an overwhelming majority !

I am sure , such a “ psychological opportunity  of a life time “ , would not escape the cold calculations of Shri Modi  !

   

For details of the proposal – and how it will change the face of GOVERNANCE , read my following blogs ( earlier sent as E Mails to Ministers / MPs / MLA s ) :

AConstitutional Coalition Government ?  [  02  Oct  2016  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/10/a-constitutional-coalition-government.html

 Constitutional Coalition Aftershocks !  [  02  Oct  2016  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/10/constitutional-coalition-aftershocks.html

 

Presidential or Coalition Government ?  [  25  March  2017  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/03/presidential-or-coalition-government.html

 

=================================

 

27  Sept  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Data Privacy : We are getting overtaken !

DNA ( 26 Sept ) carries a report titled :

“ Cellphone security law in works “

The ministry of electronics and information technology plans to formulate a legal framework to ensure compliance with security standards which will be mandated for mobile phones.

"All these measures are being undertaken to create a framework wherein all will be mandated to follow certain procedures for security of users' data," the official said.

Makers of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and set-top boxes will also be asked to submit security procedures just like mobile phone firms.

Also, WiFi routers and IP cameras which are using default settings become vulnerable to cyber threats, while in case of set-top boxes, the prevalence of Chinese Conditional Access System is leading to potential vulnerability, the official added.

Pavan Duggal, a cyber expert and Supreme Court lawyer, said technology is changing rapidly.

"Technology has changed so much in the last ten years. The IT Act needs to reflect existing realities of today's world. Even cyber security needs to addressed well. We still do not have a framework for it," he said.

==========================================

No doubt , legal experts working on framing of proposed law , have heard of Internet enabled devices such as :

#   Cortana     (  Microsoft  )

#   Bixie         ( Samsung   )

#   Assistant   (  Google   )

#   Siri           (  Apple  )

#   Alexa        (  Amazon  )

There must be others

What I have heard is :

·         These devices will connect you to internet and find some simple information

·         They take “ orders “ through spoken words and execute your “ commands “

It was also reported recently ( although denied vehemently by the manufacturers ) that these devices “ listen in “ to your normal conversations ( with your family / friends ? ) and upload the dialogue to some secret server !

Then there are “ devices “ like Google Glass / FrontRow ( from Ubiquity ) and hundreds of similar “ devices “ , which take your photo / video ( without your knowledge / permission ) and upload the same on Social Media Sites !

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/09/wherefore-art-thou-o-romeo.html

The DNA report lists only : Mobile Phones / Set Top Boxes / Wi Fi Routers / IP Cameras

Obviously , they have not read the following report :

According to Gartner, Inc. (a technology research and advisory corporation), there will be nearly 20.8 billion devices on the Internet of things by 2020. ABI Research estimates that more than 30 billion devices will be wirelessly connected to the Internet of things by 2020.

Navin Shenoy , corporate VP and general manager for the client computing group (CCG) at Intel , says :

“ The average household has ten connected devices. This will explode to 50 by 2020 “

But , if they were to read , they will discover that many of these “ devices “ will continuously monitor everything you do ( - and , may be even “ think “ ! ) and relay that information / data to cloud-based servers !

Already , there are available in the market , Internet Connected “ home appliances “ such as refrigerators / microwave ovens / dish washers / washing machines / weather stations / radios etc

The government will need to ask, thousands  of  manufacturers ( spread all over the World ) , “ to submit security procedures just like  mobile phone  firms “

Then decide which of them do not meet the CRITERIA laid down by the proposed law !

Then what  ?

I hope the committee responsible for drafting the law comprise a few geeks working for IoT devices firms !

Could it be that the proposed Law becomes obsolete even before the President sign it ?

27  Sept  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Electrifying : Smartly

During yesterday’s launch of “ Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana “ , Shri R K Singh ( Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy ) said :

“ Under the scheme, smart and e-meters will be installed at every village and one would be able to recharge them with the phones, just like their telephone connection. One can even do a recharge of Rs 50. “

I hope those  “ smart e-meters “ conform to the design described in my following email :

From:          Hemen Parekh

Sent:             19 May 2017  13:12

To:                 narendramodi1234@gmail.com; ajaitley@del5.vsnl.net.in; jayant.sinha19@sansad.nic.in; piyush.goyal@gov.in; nitin.gadkari@nic.in; spprabhu1@rediffmail.com; bandaru@sansad.nic.in; smritizirani@nic.in; nsitharaman@nic.in; ravis@sansad.nic.in; sureshprabhu@irctc.co.in; prakash.j@sansad.nic.in; secy-ipp@nic.in; amitabh.kant@nic.in; shaktikanta.das@nic.in; rsecy@nic.in; adhia1981@gmail.com; ceo-niti@nic.in; atul-chaturvedi@nic.in; uma.bharati@sansad.nic.in; d.pradhan@sansad.nic.in; rprudy.office@gmail.com; rudypr@rediffmail.com; eam@mea.gov.in; mosvks@mea.gov.in; mvnaidu@sansad.nic.in; mnaqvi@sansad.nic.in; rao.inderjit@sansad.nic.in; mljoffice@gov.in; sadananda.gowda@sansad.nic.in; ministerminority@gov.in; minister-ca@nic.in; amitabhk87@yahoo.com; ramvilas.paswan@sansad.nic.in; gandhim@sansad.nic.in; hm.moca@nic.in; geete@sansad.nic.in; simratbadal@yahoo.com; ns.tomar@nic.in; rmsingh@sansad.nic.in; tc.gehlot@sansad.nic.in; dr.harshvardhan@sansad.nic.in; arunbjp13@gmail.com; arunbjp7@rediffmail.com; 14ashokaroad@gmail.com; invitefvg@gmail.com; ferozevarun.gandhi@sansad.nic.in; UP Ministers; adr@adrindia.org; BJP National Executive

Cc:                 Business Leader; Economics; Editors; Loksabha1; Loksabha2; Rajyasabha; TV Anchors; ficci@ficci.com; assocham@nic.in; info@cii.in; Pradeep Talpade; Gurudatt Kundapurkar; Sanjay Karnik; Haridas Shenoy; GLADYS VAZ; Suniti Desai; arthakranti.ad@gmail.com; Sudhir Rao; deepak.karanjikar@gmail.com; nandan.nilekani@nic.in; cmbihar@nic.in; cm@maharashtra.gov.in; chiefminister@maharashtra.gov.in; cm@ap.gov.in; cmo@nic.in; cmo@ori.nic.in; cm@mpchiefminister.com; Dilip Ghosh; ssbhalla@gmail.com; corporate@seci.co.in; media@nextracker.com; info@nextracker.com; JASMEET.KHURANA@bridgetoindia.com; VINAY.RUSTAGI@bridgetoindia.com; contact@bridgetoindia.com; rishi@jcbl.com; rangan@iitb.ac.in; rangan.banerjee@gmail.com; mayank.a@livemint.com; vikram@ndtv.com; jugsuraiya@gmail.com;

===================================================

Subject:      Nothing can get Simpler !

A  Pre-paid  Electricity  Meter  ?

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

In an interview with Economic Times ( 15 May ) , Minister for Power / Renewable Energy , Shri Piyush Goyalji says :

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

“ UPA has been a sad example as during its tenure , people used to receive high power bills all of a sudden . In some cases, the poor will not receive bills for months together and one day , he will receive a bill for last two years

 Then he is harassed to pay up

We are talking to all the States that they have to ensure monthly bills , so people don’t get a shock  

If there is a default, then action can be taken on a monthly due amount  “

=================================================

 As compared to those old days , of course , things are much better now

 In case of many DISCOMS , people can make an Online Payment from their web sites I believe , some of these DISCOMS have even launched their own AEPS mobile wallets / apps , using which , power consumers can make payments against their monthly bills

 But , how about a Prepaid Electricity Meter , with following features / functionality ?

*                     It will be a Tablet look-alike device

*                      It will show daily – weekly – monthly , power consumption of the premises

*                      It will show the “ average / highest / lowest “ monthly consumption 

            

*                      It will also show how many UNITS remain to his BALANCE , at any given time

*                      It will show a GRAPH comparing consumptions during any two “ periods “

*                      It will have facility to enter ( type in ) , customer’s Aadhar Number ( of course, linked to his Bank Account Number )

*                      After login ( using biometric identification of Finger + Iris + Voice ) , customer can “ Re-charge “ his “ Account “ with ( say ) ,

Rs 1,000 / - at the beginning, using the built-in Virtual Keyboard ( Device will have built-in camera )

          

*                      When the “ balance “ to his credit falls to ( say ) Rs 100 / - , an alarm will ring and he will also get Email / SMS / WhatsApp

Reminder 

                         

*                      If he fails to “ Re-Charge “ his account , power will get disconnected upon the balance falling to Rs 10/-  !

*                      Power will start flowing again as soon as consumer “ re-charges “ through device

 None of this ( hardware + software + wireless telecom ) , is a Rocket Science !

 Any Start Up can come up with such a total , end-to-end , solution within 6 months !

 Only thing , this device cannot stop is UN-METERED THEFT of power , where wires get pulled from a power-line , bypassing the

meter !

Other than this one limitation , this suggestion has the potential to dramatically improve the Financial Positions of the State DISCOMS !

 Dear Shri Goyalji ,

 Would you like to pose this challenge to our Start Ups ?

19  May  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

 

After a long time , we have a set of Ministers and Bureaucrats who , not only read your emailed suggestions , but go ahead and implement the same , if found useful

I am sure , they will read this email as well and implement the following innovation which got reported in today’s Economic Times :

Scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence ( AI ) system that can detect ELECTRICITY THEFT and meter misreadings –  a common problem in developing countries

A team from the University of Luxembourg looked at the energy use of 3.6 million Brazilian households over FIVE YEARS

The researchers specifically focussed on nearly 200 Million monthly readings made by professional meter readers

They then developed an algorithm that , after sifting through the readings, could recognize when energy use at a property was suspiciously low

Researchers verified their results with data on past inspections , checking if their tool was correctly highlighting potential cases of fraud or faulty metering

The most accurate versions of the system were able to identify problem cases just over 65 % of the time , News Scientist reported

26  Sept  2017

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

===============================================

Added  on  08  Aug  2022 :

Pune: MSEDCL to introduce smart meters for domestic consumers

Extract :

“With smart meters, a system similar to the prepaid/postpaid system used for cellphones will take effect. Consumers can recharge their meters using the MSEDCL app. They will be able to control their consumption of electricity…”

MSEDCL officials said the move could be a gamechanger as power thefts and associated losses will be brought down. “The biggest gain will be in terms of arrears, which are pending in crores with all categories of consumers. The consumers will not have to pay the bills but can recharge their meters as per their requirement. They will get what they want and we won’t have huge arrears pending, which is what is happening currently,” Pawar said.