Lost at Sea for 3 years ?

Some  4 months  back , while speaking at Global Mobility Summit , PM Shri Modi said :

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

·             My vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7 Cs :

         Common , Connected , Convenient , Congestion-free , Charged , Clean , Cutting Edge

·         The world is now in the middle of a NEW MOBILITY REVOLUTION and India has inherent

          advantages to leverage this opportunity

·         India can be the best place for rapidly evolving technology

·         Industry to invest in ,

     #   Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles

     #   Charging Infrastructure

     #   Battery manufacturing

·         Government will soon come out with a policy on electric vehicles to give a thrust to e-

          mobility

·         Public Transport must be the corner stone of our mobility initiatives

·         Our focus must go beyond cars to other vehicles such as scooters and rickshaws

·         Large segments of the developing world depend on these vehicles for mobility

·         As against other economies that carry the “ baggage “ of “ private car ownership “, India

          is still light on personal car population . This gives us the window of opportunity to

          create an all-new, seamless mobility eco-system

·         Charged mobility is the way forward for the country

·         There is a need to encourage pedestrians and cycling by making them safer

·         There is a need for generating power for electric mobility through renewable energy

·         Companies should tap into the knowledge of ISRO in developing cost-effective batteries

    [ source : Crossing the Seven Seas [ 7 C ]    /   10  Sept  2018  ]

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

All that has happened during the past  4 months  is :

Amitabh Kant says there should be no road tax for Electric Vehicles   

Panel proposes 2 – way strategy to push EVs   

Under which , the panel has “ recommended “ :

#   a lower custom duty on components

#   a lower GST rate to encourage manufacturers to take up large scale production of e-

     Vehicles

And it has “ called for “ :

#   differential registration rates

#   exemption of road tax and parking charges

In the meantime , elsewhere :

Volkswagen, China spearhead $300 billion global drive to electrify cars  

  

HIGHLIGHTS :

#    Speaking earlier this week to a small group of reporters in Beijing, Diess said China

     " will become one of the automotive powerhouses in the world."

     "What we find (in China) is really the right environment to develop the next generation

      of cars and we find the right skills, which we only partially have in Europe or other

     places," he said. 

     Diess added, " We have very clear policies established here in China. Policymakers and

     regulators are requiring" a shift to electric vehicles.

#   Roughly 45 percent of the global industry's planned EV investment and procurement

     spending, more than $135 billion, will occur in China, which is heavily promoting the

     production and sale of electric vehicles through a system of government-mandated

     quotas, credits and incentives.

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Apparently , our Netas seem to have been infected with , what you might call :

“  Too much Analysis leading to Priority Paralysis “

Those in doubt , may want to look up the following Electric Vehicle Policy “ Road Map “ , which Shri Piyush Goyal announced , almost 3 YEARS ago in March 2016 :

Piyush  Plan  ?   [  27  March  2016  ]

May be our Netas think that premature deaths of 12.7 lakh Indians in 2017 , due to air pollution , has a much lower priority as compared to the following :

#   Rafale  /  Augusta  Westland

#   Mallya  /  Nirav Modi

#   Triple Talaq / Ayodhya

#   Aadhar  /  Privacy

#   EVM  /  E Commerce

#   Just any headline in today’s News papers

Context :

Mussolini is credited to have said :

“  If you want to dig a well in a village, you may consult all the villagers but if you have to declare a war , only the person at the top must decide “

Dear Shri Narendrabhai ,

You managed to push through the 10 % reservation bill through Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha, within 48 hours

To save 12.7 lakh lives every year , I urge you to get the EV Policy announced with same speed

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

11  Jan  2019

Rsvp  :  hcp@RecruitGuru.com

Dark Side of Democracy

Time it takes for the moon to go around the earth and to rotate one turn on its axis , is the same

That is why , we humans get to see only same side of the moon – leaving the other side perpetually hidden from us - the dark side of the moon

This dark side is approximately , 50 % of the moon’s total surface

Every school-going child knows this

But how many of us – including all adults – know the “ Dark side of Democracy “  ?

Till yesterday , I did not  !

Till I read :

Times campaign on Lost Votes: Missing — a third of our democracy  

Highlights :

#   280 million -  Number of people who had a vote, but didn't cast it in 2014 . That's a

                          third of 834 million voters in India

#   454 million -  Indians classified as migrants by the census. While age-wise data is not

                          available, at least 270 million of them should be of voting age

                          

#   224 million -  No of people who migrated after marriage , the majority of whom are

                         women

#   13 million -   No of NRIs.   A law, now challenged in court, allows them a proxy vote.

To be able to vote in person ( physically ) , a person can do so only at the location from where he is a registered voter

So , on election day , all those “ migrants “ , working / living in places other than where they are registered , have to either take leave and go back home, or not vote at all !

May be this explains (at least, one reason) why in most elections , voting percentage is around 65 % !

This is the “ Dark Side of Democracy “ , a side hiding some 33 % of eligible voters – keeping them perpetually away from their “ Fundamental Right “ ( - call it , “ Democratic Light “ )

But in case of moon , its dark side is only dark for earthlings , even as sun is shining on it !

And only last week , China successfully landed its rover there – a technological triumph

So , why cannot we find some far simpler technology to make voting from anywhere possible ?

Like remote voting from anywhere , using your Smart phone ?

Some 5 YEARS ago , I sent this suggestion [  VotesApp  /  18 Aug 2013  ]

And followed it up with following E Mails to Cabinet Ministers / NITI Aayog :

How to save Rs 5511 Crores  ……………………….[  12  Dec  2015  ]

One day Polling is Possible  ……………………………[  31  March  2016  ]

 

The Greatest Reform ?  …………………………………..[  12  June  2016  ]

 

ONE POLL ; ONE TIME ? ……………….. ……………….[  06  Sept  2016  ]

 

One Nation , One Vote ?  ………………………………….[  29  Nov  2016  ]

 

Electoral Reforms Capsule : A Bitter Pill ? ……….[  05  Feb  2017  ]

 

A Blue Print for VotesApp ?  ………………………………[  25  April  2017  ]

 

Block Chain for Voting ?  …………………………………..[  11  March  2018  ]

 

Americans call it “ Voatz “  …………………………………[  13  Aug  2018  ]

 

 

I don’t expect this to get implemented in either 2019 or even 2024

 

But , those 18 years olds who will be voting in 2029 , are today just 9 years old

 

If they are not enabled to vote from their Smart phones in 2029 , it is very likely that they might not vote at all !

Are we comfortable with voting percentage dropping to 35 % in 2029 – dark side turning pitch black ?

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

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09  Jan  2019

Rsvp  >  hcp@RecruitGuru.com

Theater of the Absurd ?

I was not serious when , on 03 Dec., I wrote following and sent it as email to Cabinet Ministers / NITI Aayog :

[  Divide Quota ? To rule Raj ?  ]

 

I wrote :

 

Let us introduce a NEW category with another 100 % quotas for “ FORWARD COMMUNITIES “ , under which to allot :

·         15 %  to  “  Socially Forward “ communities of   Parsis and Punjabis

·         15 %  to  “  Economically Forward “ communities of Marwaris and Gujaratis

·         15 %  to  “  Educationally Forward  “ communities of Marathis and Keralites

·         15 %  to  “  Culturally Forward “ communities of Bengalis and Biharis

·         15 %  to  “  Religiously  Forward “ communities of  Ayodhyawasis and Babri-Niwasis

·         25 %  to  “  Politically  Forward “  communities of  Kashmiris and Naxalites

 

Being the world-class experts at “ SOCIALLY DIVISIVE NOMENCLATURES “ , we have invented terminologies such as :

#    UMG  [ Upper  Middle  Class ]

#    LMG   [ Lower  Middle  Class ]

#    HNI  [  High Net Worth Individuals , aka “ Stinking Rich “  ]

#    BPL  [  Below Poverty Line  ]

#    EWS  [  Economically Weaker Sections  ]

#    MIG  [  Middle Income Group  ]

#    LIG   [  Low Income Group  ]

#    Creamy  Layer  …………. Etc

Given the political ingenuity of our Netas , I am certain that they will figure out dozens of methods to circumvent the Supreme Court dictate and succeed in ( may be ) granting 20 – 25 % reservation quota to any minority / majority group , bold enough to ask for it !

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

Then , this morning read the following :

BJP launches pre-poll surgical strike: Cabinet clears 10% quota for “ poor “ upper caste 

Who will qualify / be eligible ?

·         Have household income of less than Rs 8 lakh / year [ 95 % of Indians ]

·         Have agricultural land of less than 5 acres [ 86 % of land holding ]

·         Have a house smaller than 1000 sq ft  [  80 % are smaller than 500 sq ft  ]

·         Have a residential plot smaller than 100 yards in a municipality [ No data  ]

·         Have a resi plot of less than 200 yards in non-notified municipality [ No data ]

Now , before those belonging to “ Upper Caste “ – and still poor – start jumping with joy, I suggest they conduct some “ Data Digging “ to compile real data , similar to the following hypothetical example :

#    According to the above mentioned news report ,

·         only 27 – 37 % of India’s population is currently “ not entitled “ to any quota ( say 390 million out of 1300 million @ 30 % )

·         Of this 390 million , as per above criteria, 90 % are “ Upper Caste Poor “ ( say 350 million ) , who will get to claim 10 % of the jobs in government and 10% of seats in colleges

#   Let us assume that , right now , all governments ( Central + States ) put together ,

     have , 

·         10 lakh jobs ( announced / advertised and waiting to be filled )

·         10 lakh seats in Colleges waiting to be allotted

#   Therefore for “ Upper Caste Poor “ ,

·         “ Jobs available “  =   10 % of 10 lakh  =   1 lakh

·         “ Seats available “ =  10 % of 10 lakh   =  1 lakh

Some 350 million persons will be competing for these !

Let us assume following break-up of these 350 million “ Upper Caste Poor “ :

#   Looking for a college seat  >   50 million   (  500 lakh ) –    for 1 lakh seats

     “ Quota Quantum of 1 / 500 “

#   Looking for a job               >  100 million  (  1,000 lakh ) –  for 1 lakh jobs

     “ Quota Quantum of 1 / 1000 “

#   Children + Old                  >  200 million  (  2,000 lakh  )

#   We also know that ,

·         With rapid strides being made in “ e-Governance “ more and more government jobs are getting replaced by DIGITAL PROCESSES . This means , govt jobs are shrinking !

·         On the other hand , population is increasing by 12 - 15 million per year

·         This will translate to ever larger number competing with decreasing opportunities !

·         This means “ Quota Quantums “ are constantly fluctuating ( like shares ? )

Once again , in a lighter vein :

#  What about those “ Upper Caste RICH “ people ( 10 % of 390 million = 39 million ) ?

    Not being eligible for any quota , what will they do for getting a college education or a

    government job ?

    How about enabling them to “ Buy “ those quotas in an open market , by launching :

    www.QuotaForSale.gov.in    ?

    An “ Upper Caste Poor “ who is very doubtful of ever landing a government job ( -

   remember , his chance of getting one , is only ONE in ONE THOUSAND ) , can register /

   list his QUOTA for sale – to be purchased by those RICH !

   I will not be surprised if , even some of the “ Upper Caste Poor “ may come forward to “

   buy “ a few hundred quotas and improve their  chance in a job interview !

   I am assuming that those advertisements for Jobs / Seats will clearly say :

  “  Interviews will ignore all things considered MERIT , eg : percentage of marks .

    Only criteria will be the “ Number of Quota Quantum “ held by the applicants “

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08  Jan  2019

Rsvp  >  hcp@RecruitGuru.com