Thursday 30 December 2021

Congratulations, Shri Vadiraj Kulkarniji

[ CEO – ITC PSPD / vadiraj@itc.in – vadiraj@itc.com / marketing.itcpspd@itc.in ]

Context :

ITC arm to crowd source ideas for sustainable packaging, managing waste / BL / 31 Dec 2021

Extract :

ITC Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division has called for workable ideas from start-ups on sustainable packaging and smart waste management solutions.

“We have decided to crowdsource innovative ideas from start-ups to address the problems in packaging and waste management segments,” a company executive said.

The ITC division has called for solutions that can substitute single-use plastics and automate the waste segregation process using smart technology-based solutions. The firm has tied up with Invest India to launch the ‘ ITC Sustainability Innovation Challenge ’.

Shortlisted start-ups will be offered incentives, including mentorship from experts, paid pilot opportunity and assistance in testing and certification at the development stage.

“This will be followed by support to enable market expansion and capacity building through funding opportunities in the early market-play stage,” he said.

For the challenge of waste segregation, collection and handling, the organisers have called for ideas for managing household and municipality waste based on different material type such as paper, metal, glass and rigid plastic.

“The ideas must include an effective revenue model for the waste management ecosystem and lead to significant incremental benefits over prevailing methods as the desired outcome from the solutions,” he said.

The deadline to submit entries is February 28, 2022.

“Disposal of plastic and non-biodegradable waste continues to pose the biggest challenge in solid waste management in our country,” Vadiraj Kulkarni, Chief Executive Officer of ITC PSPD, said.

Dear Shri Kulkarniji,

While congratulating you for this initiative, I urge you to look up :

#EWaste #Recycling #Sustainability #CircularEconomy …… [ 18 April 2018 ]

Congratulations, Divyesh / Kaushik Palicha, ……………………[ 20 Dec 2021 ]

The Strange Case of Rs 66,000 Crore Valuation of a Little-known Chemical Firm, Ramcharan & Co

21 Dec 2021

US-based TFCC to invest $4.14 bn in Chennai chemicals company / Business Line / 20 Dec 2021

American company to invest Rs 31,000 crore in Chennai firm / NewIndianExpress / 02 Dec 2021

Rm Charan Company bags USD 2.2 billion order from Ghana firm to supply waste to energy units / 17 Dec 2021 / ET

Ram Charan inks $2.2-bn deal with Ghana’s Masri to supply waste to energy units / FE / 18 Dec 2021

Ram Charan inks $700-million deal with Azerbaijan’s Kafkans

Business Line / 31 Dec 2021

Extract :

The city-based Ram Charan Co Pvt Ltd has signed $700-million deal with Kafkans, Azerbaijan for supply of waste management units that can generate 200 MW of energy initially. The agreement will see the supply and setting up of waste management units from December 2022, in the industrial areas around Baku in Azerbaijan, says a release from Ram Charan.

Kafkans, the local partner with Ram Charan, has experience in logistics, infrastructure, and imports to Azerbaijan.

The deal comes after Ram Charan recently entered into an $2.2 billion

agreement with Ghana-based Masri Company Ltd to supply waste to energy units that is expected to generate 300 MW of power across the country.

The agreements also come against the backdrop of investments proposed by the US-based TFCC International for a 46 per cent equity (for $ 4.14 billion) in Ram Charan.

Turning a Threat into an Opportunity ?............................... [ 23 Dec 2017 ]

Extract :

Can we turn this “ threat “ into an “ opportunity “ ?

Here is how :

# By all means , discourage manufacture / use of ROUND shaped plastic

bottles

# Encourage ( Start-Ups : take note ) , manufacture of SQUARE shaped

bottles , having square and flat TOPS ( lids ) and BOTTOMS

# Standardize the SQUARENESS of these bottles ( of different widths ) in such

a way that :

# These are STACKABLE ( one on top of another )

# The smaller one can slide inside the bigger one (like plastic garden chairs )

# Flat sides carry vertical grooves for “ nesting “ one bottle over another ( like

lego )

# Just like screw-able “ lid “ , consider screw-able “ bottom “ as well . This will

enable removing those “ lids “ and “ bottoms “ and screw-up the central part

of the bottle onto another bottle , to create a “ Column “ or a “ Beam “ of a

house

I have a feeling that this innovation will , not only solve the problem of discarded

plastic bottles but , at the same time , provide cheap / durable / small ( single

story ) houses for millions of our poor homeless , who will be happy to pick up

the discarded bottles from everywhere and build those simple houses ( roof and

walls ) on a DIY basis

I urge Shri Ratan Tata to take up this “ Innovation Research “ , considering his

interest in this subject , as evident from my following blog :

A People’s Home ?........... 16 January 2012

If India’s TATA group can deliver a People’s Car for Rs 100,000 ( Euro 1700 ), then

why not a People’s Home for Rs. 32,000 ( Euro 500 ) ?

That is the question that Sumitesh Das – Chief of Tata Steel’s global research

program – must have asked his colleagues.

As per DNA Money(16 July, 2011), the answer was, “ Yes of course ! Why not ? “

So, they came up with following specifications for People’s Home :

Ø Flat roof with an area of 20 square meter for Rs.32,000

Ø Upgraded 30 Sq Meter model to cost Rs 44,000 ( Euro 700 )

Ø Pre-fabricated kit containing all parts

Ø Kit to have significant amount of “ non-steel “ components

Ø Kits to be manufactured ( under license ), all over India, in order

to generate local employment

Ø People’s Home must last about 20 years

Ø Buyer should be able to assemble himself within 7 days

For India, with a current shortfall of 25.7 million dwellings, this is nothing short of

a technological breakthrough !

Deliveries are expected to start within next few months.

Congratulations, Sumitesh !

From: Sumitesh Das [mailto:sumitesh.das@tatasteel.com]

Sent: Friday, October 4, 2019 9:35 AM

To: hcp@recruitguru.com

Subject: Thank you for your mail and blogs

[

[ Context : E – Car Extrapolation : a Wishful Thinking ? ]

Dear Shri Hemen Parekh ji

Thank you for your kind mail regarding the endless possibilities of graphene.

In particular, the possible usage in cars and buses.

Your blog and views expressed therein are visionary. It will take policy makers,

scientists and innovators to come together.

Do keep up the good work.

Best regards.

Sumitesh

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

Contacts :

Divyesh@ramcharan.org

knarayan@ramcharan.org

finance@ramcharan.org

info@ramcharan.com

contact@ramcharan.org

curious@entity1.in

Wednesday 29 December 2021

Thank You, Shri Shekhawatji,

Context :

BJP ready for virtual rallies: Union minister / HT / 30 Dec 2021

Extract :

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab election incharge, said on Wednesday his party was ready to hold virtual rallies if the situation so demanded -- a remark that came amid concerns of a fresh wave of Covid-19 cases fuelled by the Omicron variant.

“The BJP is fully prepared. The BJP did virtual rallies during the West Bengal assembly polls also. And when the political parties across the world were in hibernation, during the first and the second wave of Covid-19, even at that time, BJP workers were reaching out to people through virtual platforms,” Shekhawat said, when asked if his party was ready to hold virtual rallies.

The Election Commission, which is on a three-day visit to poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, recently held a Covid-19 review meeting with Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan. While experts say that large political gatherings may cause localised spikes in infections, the Allahabad high court last week urged the commission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider delaying elections or banning large political rallies.

Samajwadi spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi said : “ If any decision regarding virtual rallies comes from the Election Commission, then the party will look into it. It will be hypothetical to say anything now.”

Naveen Pirshali, spokesperson of the Aam Aadmi Party’s Uttarakhand unit, said: “The AAP has always been a responsible party. Unlike the BJP, it has always valued human life above all. Having said that, the party will follow the government guidelines in case of a Covid-19 outbreak and accordingly find appropriate ways to campaign for the assembly elections in Uttarakhand.”

The meeting between Bhushan and the election watchdog was part of the commission’s agenda to keep a close watch on the spread of the pandemic. “This is a preliminary meeting, the commission will continue to do more such meetings to keep a check on the situation,” a person aware of the matter said.

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

MY TAKE :

Dear PM ,

Before a start of any session of Lok Sabha, you have always convened an “ ALL PARTY “ meeting of ( elected ) legislators, for ensuring a smooth / productive working

I urge you to convene such an “ ALL PARTY “ meeting and persuade all parties to,

# forego physical rallies, and

# solely depend upon VIRTUAL RALLIES for their current election campaigns

I have a feeling that all parties will agree with your “ Appeal “ .

Any party disagreeing, runs the risk of getting exposed in the eyes of the voters, who , in the physical rally, will ask their Neta :

“ Are our votes more important to you than our lives ? “

Dear PM,

To convince the political parties, I request you to immediately launch “ Campaign TV “ channel ( just like Sansad TV ) and make this channel available to the contesting parties for spreading their message

Number of hours to be allotted to each “ contesting party “ can be based on a transparent formula which takes into account, for each party :

Ø Number of seats held in Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha

Ø Number of seats held in state assemblies

Ø Number of seats being contested in forthcoming elections

Ø Percentage of Popular Vote garnered in last State Election

Ø Number of seats “ lost “ in last State election

Ø Any other relevant factor

Controlling Crowds at Election Rallies ? ………………………………[ 28 Dec 2021 ]

Extract :

Dear Chief Election Commissioner, { Shri N Gopalaswami / gopalaswamin@eci.gov.in }

We must ask ourselves :

Ø Why can elections not be postponed by a few months ? – even by amending our Constitution , if required ?

Ø If, for whatever “ inhuman “ argument / “ twisted “ logic, postponement is not possible, then how about holding VIRTUAL ( DIGITAL ) elections , where :

# Total ban on physical rallies ( all campaigning through Mobiles-Tablets-

PCs-TVs , using ZOOM – Holograms etc )

# Voting through use of a Mobile App ( VotesApp ) ?

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 30 Dec 2021

Copy :

Supreme Court …………….. ………………………………………..supremecourt@nic.in

Chief Election Commissioner……………………………………… gopalaswamin@eci.gov.in

Shri R. Balakrishnan [ Dy. Election Commissioner] … balakrish@eci.gov.in

Shri J.P. Prakash [ Dy. Election Commissioner ] ……… jaipriye@eci.gov.in

Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat……………………………….g.shekhawat@sansad.nic.in

Shri Rajesh Bhushan [ Health Secretary ].............. secyhfw@nic.in

Tuesday 28 December 2021

Controlling Crowds at Election Rallies ?

Context :

Webcasting to chatbot help: Goa polls set to go high-tech / HT / 27 Dec 2021

Extract :

Two systems, designed by the state’s chief electoral officer (CEO) and IIT, are ready for deployment during polling -- VoterDost ( Chat Bot system for Answering FAQs ) and Election Eye, a computer vision based webcasting data analytics system.

“Webcasting of all polling station is undertaken as an additional measure to monitor the polling process. The Election Eye system has been designed to capture real time information from webcasting feeds on computer vision technology.

“It will help in getting real-time alerts to the election authorities towards incidents such as crowding inside polling stations, if any, and also to get queue monitoring outside polling stations,” CEO Kunal said, adding, “This is the first time it is being used.” [ ceo_goa@eci.gov.in ]

Professor Sharad Sinha, [ sharad@iitgoa.ac.in ],

who has worked on the project, said the Election Eye concept is a pilot project which will ensure web casting of on-going polling. “We take video feeds that are not in public domain to analyse how many people are around the polling area to ensure there is no overcrowding,” he said.

“The system does not use make use of attentive manpower but AI-based models to recognise people, not who they are, but how many people,” Sinha said.

He added that real-time thresholds will ensure there is no crowding in polling stations. “The project is scalable is and can be implemented across the country,” he mentioned.

More than 1,000 polling stations are likely to be set up in the state but the project will focus on 100-200 camera feeds (every polling station will have two cameras — one outside and one in the booth).

VoterDost, on the other hand, is a Telegram-based Chatbot system that will serve as a one-stop contact point for handling common queries of voters in availing various electoral services and answering queries with automated responses on various topics of election management like Model Code of Conduct, location of polling station based on EPIC, EVM-VVPAT features etc.

MY TAKE :

Dear Shri Kunal / Prof Sinha,

Conratulations for VoterDost and ElectionEye innovations

You may want to consider my suggestions sent through e-mail to our Cabinet Ministers :

[ A ]…….. For Crowd Control ( ElectionEye )

Engineering of Social Distancing …………………..[ 21 April 2020 ]

Extract :

# Number of persons inside a mall (or any store within a mall ) to be

restricted below 1 for every 100 sq ft of Floor space

# Store doors and Mall Entrance to integrate laser beams which get

interrupted when someone enters / leaves .

Embedded software will count each entry / exit ( cumulative ADD /

SUBTRACT ).

As soon as specified LIMIT ( for the number of occupants inside ) is

reached, interlocked doors will refuse to open !

# This combination of hardware and software will also display outside the

DOOR / GATE :

- RED lamp ( to indicate full occupancy )/ GREEN lamp ( to indicate

some vacancy )

- DIGITAL SIGN-BOARD indicating “ No of Vacancies inside , right

now “

# At the Mall Entrance, visitors will be made to wear a suspended NECK –

TAG , which will be TIME- STAMPED ( 20 minutes inside a store / 2 hours

inside Mall ).

It will glow RED , if these time-limits are Exceeded ( Sensors embedded

within TAG will get activated by the laser beams )

# Above-mentioned “ functionalities “ could also be achieved through a

Mobile App [ KeepAway ? ]

[ B ] For Voter Queries ( VoterDost )

Filtering Candidate Information ?.............................. [ 18 Sept 2016 ]

Extract :

Would voters be enthused to come forward to vote, if

# Latest info about ALL of those candidates was available at finger-tips on

his Mobile ( authenticated by Election Commission ), eliminating hours of

" searching " on the Net and hours of " filtering "

# That info would comprise,

* Affidavit filed by the Candidates

* Police Record including cases filed / pending / disposed off , against the

candidates

* Past political history ( no of political parties changed )

* Director-ship ( direct / indirect ) in private businesses and NPA of those

businesses

* Results of open Surveys on " ROMP - RecallOur Member of Parliament "

* Whether the candidate has accepted to implement the " Charter of

Demand " ( if elected ) , submitted and uploaded by the Voters of his

Constituency on the web site of the Election Commission

# He can vote directly from his Mobile , without having to go to a Polling Booth

and spend 4 hours

# He can take 5 minutes to cast his vote, sitting in his bedroom , without holding

up other voters in the queue

# He can vote at any time of the voting day and from any place on the earth !

# And get to know the very next morning , who got elected

YES , of course ! And voter turn-out would be 95 % !

HOW ?

By implementing , "VotesApp "

( a Mobile App which , effectively shrinks a bulky, common , special purpose Electronic Voting Machine - EVM - into a tiny, personally-owned , versatile Mobile )

ANY BYE-PRODUCT ?

Sure,

Central Government , can earn Rs 20,000 crores , by enabling 15 million Indian businesses to advertise to 850 million voters thru this mobile VotesApp , sharply targeting by Gender / Age / Marital Status / City / Street / Education / Income Tax paid / Employed or Jobless ....etc

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

Dear Chief Election Commissioner,

Within the next few months, elections of State Assemblies are due in 5 States

Every election means gathering of CROWDS :

Ø Large crowds ( lakhs of persons ) at election rallies ( spread over many weeks )

Ø Small crowds ( few dozen persons ) at polling booths ( on 1 / 6 days, statewise )

A couple of days back, you already had a meeting with the Central Health Secretary to discuss the impact such crowding can have on the possible rapid spread of OMICRON virus . Should that happen, thousands may die

We must ask ourselves :

Ø Why can elections not be postponed by a few months ? – even by amending our Constitution , if required ?

Ø If, for whatever “ inhuman “ argument / “ twisted “ logic, postponement is not possible, then how about holding VIRTUAL ( DIGITAL ) elections , where :

# Total ban on physical rallies ( all campaigning through Mobiles-Tablets-

PCs-TVs , using ZOOM – Holograms etc )

# Voting through use of a Mobile App ( VotesApp ) ?

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 29 Dec 2021

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

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