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

Tuesday 1 May 2018

Samudra Manthan [ Ocean Churning ] V 2.0






10,000  B C  (  Ancient  Legend  )



I am reminded of an ancient Indian legend of “ Samudra Manthan “ [ Ocean Churning ]



It seems Devas ( Good people ) and Asuras ( Bad people ) got together to churn the ocean , both desirous to get their hands on AMRUT ( Nectar of Immortality ) , hidden within the ocean



They picked the mountain MERU as the churning tool  and the huge snake WASUKI ,as the rope with which to rotate the tool , with one end of WASUKI held by the DEVAS and the other by the ASURAS



After a lot of churning , many things surfaced , some good and some bad



Then came out VISH ( Poison ) !



No one wanted that !  It would , instantly kill who-so-ever came anywhere near it



So , both the parties jointly petitioned Lord Shiva to drink it , in order to save them from complete annihilation by the poison



Being a generous and mankind loving God , Shiva drank the poison and held it firmly in his throat and became known as NEEL-KANTH ( God with green-coloured throat )



I have forgotten if the legend makes any mention of finding that AMRUT and who benefitted by drinking it



But I do find some striking similarities between this legend and our Information / Data driven society of today  !



Just substitute as follows :


*  Ocean ( SAMUDRA )    =    Database of past-present-future “ THOUGHTS “ of entire
                                           mankind


*  Churn ( MANTHAN  )     =   Big Data Predictive

 Analysis



*  Mountain (  MERU  )      =   Internet Connected  Devices ( IoT )



*  Rope   (  WASUKI  )       =   Artificial Intelligence ( AI )



*  Good  People ( DEVAs )  =   Scientists finding solutions to human misery


*  Bad People  ( ASURAs )  =   Greedy / Selfish / Power-hungry politicians


*  Poison  ( VISH  )            =   Malware / Spiders / Hackers / Evil software / Terrorists



*  God    ( NEEL-KANTH )   =   Central Server storing all “ Thoughts “ of mankind






02  May   2018  (  Today’s  Legend  )








Now, customers with no prior credit score can easily get loans


The burgeoning online lending segment in India is also giving rise to a new kind of challenge on sourcing credit score data.


To solve this problem, several fintech companies are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to create alternate lending data score for more than 80 per cent of the Indian population who have no credit scores.


From the place where people live to the restaurants they visit to their digital footprints on social media, ML captures it all.




2020  A D  (  Tomorrow’s  Legend  )



Following news snippet appeared in Times of India ( 29 April ) :








Misbehaviour on-board one of China’s high speed trains ( 20,000 km built in past 10 years ), can hurt a citizen’s credit score



The warning should not be taken lightly because, come 2020, a state backed  Social Credit Scheme “ will become mandatory



A loan default by a friend or a snide comment on social media could affect creditworthiness



Government will profile citizens based on their Commercial , Social , Trust and Judicial Credibility



Even refusing state incentives, say, by not having two kids, could be held against a citizen



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



C


Chinese  Surveillance  is  getting  into  Workers'  Heads 

https://futurism.com/china-emotional-surveillance/


Here’s how it works. Lightweight sensors embedded in workers’ hats or helmets wirelessly transmit the wearer’s brainwave data to a computer — it probably works a bit like an electroencephalogram (EEG), as MIT Tech Review notes


Then, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms scan the data, looking for outliers that could indicate anxiety or rage.


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



Question :


How can we use our ANCIENT LEGEND to save the Mankind from the Poison and find that elusive AMRUT  ?



By substituting :


*  Nectar  (  AMRUT  )        =   ARIHANT-  the Saviour








02  May  2018

Monday 30 April 2018

#SolarIndia #MNRE #SECI #RoofTopSolar


Transmission  Capacity is  the  Culprit  !



Economic Times ( 30 April ) carries following news :




Transmission Capacity Deficit may Cap Reach of Green Power


Lack of coordination between ministry, CEA and Power Grid seen as reason for under-capacity

·         The Economic Times
·         30 Apr 2018
·         Kaavya.Chandrasekaran @timesgroup.com




Renewable energy developers are worried that transmission facilities are not keeping pace with power generation even as 12,000 MW of solar projects are under construction...


Developers expressed fear that completed projects might not be able to start functioning because all bays at the nearest substations are already occupied and transmission lines already carrying their full capacity ….


The main reason is that so far there has been no coordination between Ministry of New and Renewable Energy ( MNRE ) , Power Grid Corporation of India ( PGCIL ), and Central Electricity Authority ( CEA )
………..

Solar Energy Corporation of India ( SECI ) , which is under MNRE, has been merrily holding auctions for both wind and solar projects without making sure that enough evacuation facilities are available




Read this in the context of another news just 2 days back , which said :


MNRE is about to come out with fresh tenders for 20 GW ( 20,000 MW ) of Solar projects


Now 1 GW of Solar needs approx. $ 1 Billion of investment


So , we are talking of $ 20 Billion ( approx. Rs 130,000 crore )


I am afraid the response would be very poor due to following reasons :


*   Non availability of Transmission Capacity , as mentioned above


*   “ Non Risk “ attitude of Private Sector finance ( due to falling tariff of Solar )


*   No bank wants to fund these projects when its own NPA are a huge concern


     Loans of Rs 1.77 Lakh*Crore to 75,000 MW of Coal based power plants have
     already turned NPA !


*   Uncertainty re Safeguard Duty on imported Solar Panels pushing up costs




In light of this , it would be much better for MNRE to encourage Roof Top Solar projects , which enjoy following advantage over Ground-Based projects :


Each residential building will produce / store and consume its OWN power , without having to depend upon DISCOMS


No need for metering /  transformers / substations / cables / transmission lines !


No need for DISCOM to maintain the infrastructure ! or worry about thefts ! or sign Power Purchase Agreements – and then worry about rescinding !



Now , recognizing that it is just not possible to switch-over to ROOF  TOP  SOLAR , overnight, we must appreciate what the government is doing


But what I fail to understand is :


Why is govt not going all out to encourage ROOF TOP SOLAR ?


I urge the Policy Makers to read :


Solar Roofs ?  Why not ?   [  06  Feb  2018  ]



For 
roof top installations , currently govt gives 30 % subsidy



Change this as follows :


#   30 % by way of subsidy


#   70 % by way of interest free loan , repayable over 10 years




Why not save all the funds required for the above-mentioned infrastructure and use for the interest free loans / subsidy for Solar Roof Tops  ?


01    May  2018

     www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

#SC #ST #OBC #BackwardCaste


Bankruptcy  of  Imagination ? or a Conspiracy  ?



Hindustan Times ( 30 April ) carried following news :










Excerpt :


District officials, who did not want to be named, explained that the initials — SC for scheduled caste, ST for scheduled tribe and O for OBC, or other backward class — were put on the chests of male candidates from these categories as they have different selection norms under the reservation policy.

This, they said, was done to identify one section of candidates from the other and avoid any mix-up.




Elsewhere , there have been cases of similar shameful ways of tracking people


Eg :









and ,


After staying in a US prison for 18 months, Rajat Gupta , former MD of McKinsey , was

confined to his apartment and required to wear an ankle bracelet that monitored his

movements



Some years back , a few Indian students studying in

 US , were also forced to wear such

bracelets - ostensibly for tracking their movements

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



It is a pity that the country which prides itself as being “ Software Super-power “ , could not use technology as described below :



*  Some time back , there was a news report that all foreigners entering India , will be given special SIM cards that they must install in their smart phones - enabling Indian Authorities to track their movements and to quickly locate a foreigner who overstays his stay


*  GPS satellites of USA / Russia / China enable their militaries to locate objects on earth , just ONE CENTIMETER apart  !


*  RFID sensors inserted in clothes worn by candidates


*  Smart watches , worn by candidates


*  QR  Codes  printed on ID cards of candidates or any papers carried by them


Or , was this a case of those examiners finding some sadistic pleasure in humiliating those SC / ST / OBC candidates ?


Or , is someone trying to create embarrassing situations for the NDA government , in order to provide fodder to the opposition parties ?


If such incidences were to repeat , NDA has bleak future in 2019  !



01    May  2018

     www.hemenparekh.in / blogs




  


Going after Tax Evaders ?





Today’s Times of India carries following news :









According to this report , out of 4524 prosecution cases filed in court , 75 got convicted ( 2017-18 )  !





Now , read this news :








Excerpt :


Separately, officials said, the text messages and emails were targeted at close to 1.75 crore  "potential assessees"  of which 1.07 crore have voluntarily filed returns so far. 




That means , some 70 lakh have not responded to the notices served by IT dept !


Or, maybe these 70 lakh replied as per “ draft “ in my following suggestion :

IT Notice : What will it say ?  (  06  Jan  2017  )



01       May  2018
    www.hemenparekh.in / blogs