Bhavantar = Bhav Antar ( Price Difference )

Hindustan Times ( 24 Jan ) carries following news :

“Bhavantar “  policy set to show the way "

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mp-s-bhavantar-policy-for-farmers-set-to-become-a-national-template/story-Ngbx1QRH2W3NiHXvZt9hvL.html

Highlights :

·         Direct Cash Transfers to farmers for market losses

·         Could be replicated nationally to curb rural dissent

·         Govt fills gap between federally – fixed prices and market rates for select crops

·         MP govt paid Rs 140 Crore in 1^st cycle ( Oct 16-31, 2017 )

·         In 2^nd cycle ( Nov 1-30 ) , Rs 746 crore was paid

·         Scheme currently covers oilseeds and pulses

I am glad , MP government has started implementing my following suggestion ( although , with some variance ) . Let us hope this finds a place in Shri Jaitley’s Budget Speech :

ADifferent Kind of UFO ?  [  22  Sept  2017  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/09/a-different-kind-of-ufo.html

The UFO which all of us understand , stands for “ Unidentified  Flying  Object “

What I have in mind is “ Universal Farm  Output “

Something like currently talked about “ Universal Basic Income “ for the very poor

A great majority of our farmers , too , are very poor – and very indebted

Whenever the rains fail and their crops wither , they are forced to commit suicide ( - since for them , honour comes before life ) . Some 17,000 + every year

Other day , on TV , I heard a farm expert  wonder :

“ Even when the rains are reasonable , farm income of an ordinary farmer  barely comes to Rs 6,000 per acre ,

But ,

Our “ Farmer MPs “ ( who have declared their profession as “ Farming “ ) , show in their income tax return , “ agricultural income “ at Rs 6 lakh per acre , even when their land is located in a famine-stricken area  “

How come  ?  Using what “ technology “ do they pull off such a miracle ?

Of course , we will never know !

But that prompts following suggestion

Government has fixed MSP ( Minimum Support Price ) per quintal for most farm produce

It will buy , at this price , whatever quantity of grains , a farmer produces

But , during a famine , poor farmer cannot produce anything , not being in possession of that superior “ technology “ !

During such occasions , I suggest that the government pays him as follows :

·       *    MSP ( for the quantity of grains produced )

              or

·       *    Rs 6 lakhs per acre of land,

-      -  whichever is higher  

Of course , we will need to lay down very strict criteria for deciding which farmer will get this UFO , where and when and how often !

For our poor farmers , there cannot be a better “ Republic Day Gift “ than this !

26  Jan  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

 

Oh ! for some learned arguments !

Continuing his arguments in the on-going Aadhar case in Supreme Court , advocate for 27 petitioners , Shyam Divan said yesterday :

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

·         Although an Indian entity operates the unique identification system, its source code and proprietary technology are with foreign entities

·         A foreign military contractor has developed it and has all the rights over the technology. It can take it all away tomorrow

·         The proprietary technology belongs neither to the government or the UIDAI

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

Perhaps the petitioners are forgetting that the Operating Systems of dozens of electronic gadgets that we use daily, are “ owned / controlled “ by foreign entities

These are “ controlled “ by these foreign entities to such an extent that :

·         Software Updates are “ automatic “ ( not needing explicit permission of users )

·         Data ( of the users ) is picked up 24*7 ( again without user permission )

EXAMPLES :

·         TV sets ( Samsung – Sony etc )

·         Mobiles ( Google – Apple – Samsung etc )

·         Mobile Apps ( thousands launched by foreigners )

·         Tablets ( Dozens of foreign makes )

·         Desk Top Computers ( Microsoft – HP – Lenovo etc )

·         Speaker Assistants ( Google – Apple -  Amazon – Samsung – Microsoft etc )

·         Domestic Appliances /  Robots

·         Wi-Fi Connected Cars ( Merc – Audi – Jaguar – Mesarati – Tesla etc )

To day’s news says :

          Car that reads human emotions developed

Ford has created the ‘Buzz Car’ — a customised Ford Focus RS incorporating wearable and artificial intelligence technology.

When you’re behind the wheel of a car, you experience a range of emotions, including road rage, fatigue and even excitement.

Now, Ford has developed a car that can read these emotions, and display them on the vehicle.

The driver wears two sensors on the wrists — one monitors heart rate and the other measures skin response.

Every time the sensors detect a ‘buzz moment’ — when the driver’s heart rate increases — a light display appears across both the interior and exterior of the car.

·         E Commerce web sites / Social Media web sites , which track our every “ key-stroke “ and thoroughly “ profile “ us for “ Customized Service “

I can go on but I think I have proved my point, viz:

If we do not want our PRIVACY to get compromised , then we would need to buy out ALL of these “ Foreign Entities “ which read us like an “ OPEN BOOK “

25  Jan  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

We can do better !

If French can do it , we can do better !

WHAT  ?

Times of India carries following news :

French lawmakers vote for 'right to make mistakes'

French lawmakers have voted for a flagship article in a new law which will give citizens the "right to make mistakes" in dealings with the government without being automatically punished.
 

The article, which was adopted by a show of hands Tuesday night in the National Assembly, is the "cornerstone" of a law for " a state in the service of a trustworthy society", according to the government.

The law is part of reforms President  Emmanuel Macron  touted during his electoral campaign to allow citizens to make a mistake in good faith in their dealings with the authorities without risking punishment from the first infringement.
 

It will be up to the administration to prove that the person was acting in bad faith.

" The expansion of the right to make a mistake adopted by the Assembly just now ! " minister of public action and accounts Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter.
 

" It is a revolution in the relations between the administration and the administered."

To err is human but the divine forgiveness of the government will be " limited to the first mistake ", according to a change made to the article at the insistence of dissenters.

At the opening of debate, the minister said the government had listened to "the French who like their public services but not their administration", citing a letter of grievances sent him by one "Alexandre".

Lawmakers will have to consider dozens of further articles in the bill on the extent of the right to make mistakes.

The right to err will not apply in a number of cases, such as public health.

Considered a "catch-all" by some officials, the bill deals with subjects as diverse as modifying procedures for obtaining a permit for the installation of wind farms at sea or the possibility of making donations to churches by SMS.

HOW  CAN  WE  DO  BETTER  ?

By issuing a GR ( if enacting a law will take time ) , incorporating provisions of my following email to the Policy Makers :

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2014/06/to-err-is-human.html

Friday, 20 June 2014

To Err is Human

To forgive is divine ( provided it was a honest error )

All of us keep making errors , all the time

But rarely same " mistake " twice

Often , decisions taken at a point of time , turn out to be " poor " , with passage of time

Reasons are simple :

*  We never have all the information - relevant to the problem we are trying to solve - available with us , at the time of taking a decision

*  Even when most of such relevant info is available , we may not have the capacity / competence to " process " such info

*  As humans , we have our biases / prejudices , based on our previous experiences , which influence our decisions

*  Quite often , and often against our own better evaluation / judgement of a given situation , we are wrongly influenced by our peers / bosses / subordinates or even voters - all of whom have different expectations / vested interests !

*  Additional - and more relevant - information surfaces , AFTER we have taken a decision ( happens all the time  !  )

To encourage Babus and Ministers to take FAST decisions , Narendra Modi must insist that they carefully " Record " on the files :

* What info / data he wished was available for a better decision

* What different " views / opinions " were presented to him for consideration

* What " Data / Views " he would have obtained if he had more time

* Who all , the decision might offend

* What is the likely " Cost " of postponing that decision

And finally a declaration :

* This decision is not likely to benefit any of my near relatives / friends , directly or immediately

After all of this , if the decision appears to be " Wrong " in hindsight , it must be " forgiven " and treated as an honest error

To err is human  !

25  Jan  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

Safeguarding Existing Jobs ?

It is understandable that Labour Unions are worried about safeguarding the existing jobs of their member workers

But political parties have to repeatedly approach citizens for votes and answer : When do we get jobs ?

But it is a rare case when a political leader musters courage to say :

“ There are no new jobs in Public Sector / Government Departments – Agencies . Nor are we in a position to dictate Private Sector to hire more people “

It is also a rare case when an Industry  Association ( eg ; ASSOCHAM – FICCI – CII – SIAM etc ) , tells the public :

“  With ever-increasing competition ( locally and from abroad ) and ever-increasing Labour Costs ( - what with DA rising every month , linked with CPI rise ) , we have no choice but to automate our operations ( in office or on shop-floor ) and introduce robots . Sorry !  But , if we do not automate , we may have to shut shop and even the existing workers will lose their jobs “

It is in light of this stark reality of “ globalized world trade “ , that I request all the parties to read – and debate – following news ( Economic Times / 25 Jan 2018 ) :

 “ Centre Proposes Fixed-Term Labour Contracts “

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/centre-proposes-fixed-term-labour-contracts/articleshow/62643418.cms

Should the parties concerned [  Labour Unions – Employers – Politicians – Governments ], want a “ Compromise Formula “ , they should consider my following suggestion :

SavingJobs : Creating Jobs  [ 19  Dec  2017  ]

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/12/saving-jobs-creating-jobs.html

WHAT WOULD BE THE RIGHT APPROACH ?

*  Right approach would be : " Do not give fish to a hungry man / teach him how to

    fish "

 In short , empower them to earn their own living by teaching them " Skills " and by

 gaining " Experience " in use of those skills

Entire cost of this " Skilling " and " Experiencing " to be borne by the Government , till

each targeted poor / unemployed person , either gets gainfully employed or becomes

self-employed

Should he choose to become Self-Employed ( by registering as a " Start Up " ),

exempt him from paying Personal Income Tax for next 10 years

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

HOW TO TRANSLATE THIS " SELF HELP " CONCEPT INTO PRACTICE ?

Divide the implementation in following 3 phases

*   Empowering - 3 years ( Imparting Skills in Industrial Training Institutes )

*   Experiencing - 3 years ( Providing experience in Ind / Commercial Establishments )

*   Self-dependence Phase ( Working in a gainful job or as Self Employed )

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

WHAT SKILLS WILL GET PROVIDED IN ITI ?

Entire range of Manufacturing Industry related skills being currently imparted plus a

whole host of commercial skills required by E Commerce / Fintech / Agriculture

Processing / Payment Banks / Service Sector / BPO / Telecom and emerging sectors

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

HOW SHALL WE MOTIVATE UNEMPLOYED YOUTH TO JOIN ITIs ?

* Each trainee will receive Rs 1000 pm ( for course duration of 3 years )

   This amount will get deposited in Jan Dhan bank account of trainee ( DBT )

HOW CAN WE GET PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PHASE ?

*  If a Private firm or individual comes forward to set up such a Training Institute ,

   #  Treat it as an Infrastructure SPV

   #  No questions asked as to the source of funds for setting up such ITI

       {  a kind of Amnesty Scheme to convert Black Money into White Money  }

   #  A government grant of Rs 1,000 pm per trainee to such SPV ( DBT in Bank A/C )

If this is done , expect 10,000 SPVs to come up within one year and 10 million youth

to get  trained each year !

HOW CAN WE GET INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS TO PROVIDE

EXPERIENCE TO TRAINEES PASSING OUT OF ITIs ?

*  Amend Apprenticeship Act

*  Allow all Industrial and Commercial Establishments to engage ANY NUMBER of

   apprentices ( without upper limit ) , for a period of 3 years

*  Starting stipend = Min of Semi-Skilled wages ( currently , approx Rs 6,000 pm )

*  Annual Increment = 5 %

*  Establishment to pay 75 % of stipend

*  Government to pay 25 % of stipend ( DBT into Jan Dhan account of the Apprentice )

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

HOW CAN WE ENSURE A " LEAKAGE PROOF " DISBURSEMENTS OF DBT AMOUNTS ?

*    Through implementation of Mobile based Attendance System , outlined in my blog,

   " From BAD to MAD "  [  01  Jan  2016  ]

 https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2016/06/from-bad-to-mad.html

HOW WILL MY SUGGESTION HELP ?

*  It will solve the problem of poverty organically / permanently

*  It will prevent " Dependency Culture " ( looking up to Sarkar Maa Baap for

   everything )

*  It will enable poor to retain their " Self Respect / Dignity "

*  The money spent by government will create highly productive " Human Assets "

*  It will overcome the " Skills Shortages " experienced by the Economy

*  It will create gainful " Self Employment " for millions of poor

*  It will make India , a " Low Cost Economy " , able to export its goods and services

*  It will channelize Black Money into a " Nation Building " exercise

25  Jan  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs