Problems of future India

Poverty is going to be the biggest problem in India's future. Not just open poverty(people living in the streets) but poor health facilities, inadequate educational organizations, and rising crime rates. Indian society will be divided by cultural identities like language, caste, region and so on.There is fear that communal organizations would rise based on such divided loyalties; communal groups may turn into political groups. Crime against women would increase. As traditional society modernizes, women move into public spaces seeking education and employment. And old-fashioned mindsets cannot tolerate rising power of the female population and hence gender crimes would increase greatly. Government is not efficient enough to combat crime.Government cannot give social security to its people as there are too many citizens and there are too many needs. Governance is itself very poor and cannot take actions effectively. Politicians selfishly take bribes and harm the country's governance.
There are many signs that future of India would be bright. Indians are highly innovative people who find solutions easily; Indian are also highly creative and come up with new ideas. Indians positive towards differences and are highly adaptable. Diversity in the population makes Indians tolerate all kinds of people. Most of all, Indians are very intelligent people. Most Indians are highly entrepreneurial; they take up new trades and make it better. They create business strategies in logical manner. They can go anywhere and start a thriving business organization and prosper.Since the majority of the Indian population is young, they would become future businessmen or engineers or doctors.
State of the world economy is relevant. Now growth will start from here, in India.It is going to be Asia centered growth. Trade among the developing countries is improving. For growth the developing world has to collaborate and  organize themselves. The developed world is busy playing power politics(politics of war) And the developing world is trying to industrialize speedily. Raw materials are abundant in India. In India, there are forests and fields, where are the minerals? They are hidden in mines in the forests. In future India there will be loss of flora and fauna as deforestation will take place on large scale. Loss of bio-diversity is inevitable. There will be battle is between people and forests.People will win.Rural India would move to urban areas.
In a world with opportunities to grow, Indians will do well. Young India is also highly educated and they can become future doctors or engineers or workers and they would contribute to the betterment of India.

PMs state visit to US

Can a diplomatic move turn a country's future? US is a big country and India is a little country in terms of military might, GDP, state of economy, level of prosperity and standard of living. There cannot be equal relationship between unequal countries. Out of sheer pity, US is not going to help India out. US wants rich returns in engaging in a relationship with India. So let us not get carried away by wishful thinking that India's future will become better with the help of US.
The truth is that best professionals from India have migrated to the US. And the US has benefited from them(professionals who will work much more for less pay) US cannot function without IT professionals from India. But unfortunately Indians in US are not a united group.
Our Prime Minister's visit to the US will create more interactions with industrialists of that country who will invest in India. The Indian people will provide their labor for development of American companies. The future profits will go to the American firms.And that would be the result of interaction of a super-rich industrialized nation with the economically semi-industrialized country. We are not the beneficiaries of such interactions.

Coal blocks squashed

Supreme Court has scrapped 241 coal block allocations. It has been ruled that these were allocated  in an illegal manner. National resources were bartered away by politicians unscrupulously. Since the methods allocated were not proper, allocations were scarped. The bench said that this is to correct the wrong done by the Union of India. Six months is the time given to the allot tees to manage the prospects of their coal blocks (which they have lost)And in six months, Coal India Ltd will take over the blocks; it has to gear up for managing all that. Only National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC),Steel Authority of India Ltd(SAIL) and Ultra Mega Power Projects(UMPP) have not lost their coal blocks.
Large loans were given by banks to private companies to acquire these coal blocks. About 2.5 lakh crores of Rupees were given as loans and will now become "non-performing assets" So those who were beneficiaries of the wrong allocation will suffer.There wont be a committee to examine the correctness of the Judgement.'Who was responsible for illegal allocations' will be dealt by CBI probe. That will be done later.

Spacecraft to Mars

Indian scientists have made history, Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) has successfully set in orbit 'Mangalyaan' around planet Mars.At Mars Orbiter Mission was a big success. We are successful  in the first attempt which neither NASA or European Space Agency could do.The cost was  only 74 million Dollars which is only ten percent of what NASA had spend on mission to Mars. It will be able to measure methane in Mars atmosphere. The temperature at Mars surface is 150 degrees at its Equator.We can learn a lot about Mars from the pictures which will be sent to us by this satellite.
This is success of Indian engineers, we can excel in our fields and India can give them the opportunity. Space scientists of India have made all of proud,

Education is important in a democracy

Education is highly valued in India. So,in the future, India will have highest percentage of educated population. And these educated people will elect effective governments.Healthy growth of Indian economy important. Because only when there is economic well being, there can be an increase in activity for progress---education. Number of educated persons in a country is the true measure of prosperity. But when all people vote, the uneducated persons vote for the wrong candidates and thus elect wrong leaders who are hurdles for progress. To break free of the cycle of wrong persons electing wrong leaders is very difficult. In India we have large number of educated persons but they do not stand for election to be elected. So the election process has to be altered to make better leaders.Without big expenditures, candidates must be able to be elected.We have an alert media which will help us in creating good leaders for the future.
What is happening is that, uneducated people elect wrong leaders. And wrong leaders damage the Indian economy. So we cannot bring about development quickly. There are too many hurdles for national progress and illiteracy is the major one.
We have to re-invent democracy. We need educated leaders. Democracy can survive only if high percentage of voting population is educated. Since the green revolution has taken place, the number of persons needed for agriculture has become very very low. So there is more time for spending on education. But massive poverty makes it difficult to arise from incompetent democracy (fewer educated voters) The Indian people here have very little needs, some food, few clothes and a good job. If these basic needs are satisfied, they go for higher education.Education is high in priority among aspiring Indian families. So given the right conditions, Indian people educate themselves. There are good chances for democracy to flourish in India.Indian people need the freedom of speech and expression, which only democracy can give. We will always opt for democratic setup.

Engineers of India

Indian engineers are hardworking and intelligent.All Indian families aspire to educate their children in engineering colleges; and we have good engineering colleges in India.So India has created millions of engineers -civil, electrical, electronic, mechanical,computer hw/sw and with all specializations.But all do not get jobs in India. India is not industrializing as fast as it was predicted. So most engineers do not have jobs here. Government is the biggest organization in India and it is hiring only few engineers. Migration seems like their only option which the engineers have. But where ever the Indian engineers go, they work well. They are dedicated to their professions. Several countries  have grown because of hard work of Indian engineers. Indian people are proud of their engineers. Even developed countries like the United States cannot do without computer engineers from India. Indian engineers have not only developed India, but have also been instrumental in development of the countries to which they had migrated to.

Floods and condition of the people

No warnings from "met" officials and we got high rainfall in the Himalayan state Jammu and Kashmir. So massive floods have dislocated the local people. Loss of lives, of property and crops have not been estimated as yet.National Disaster Response Force has been working hard and it could not help the people. So Army and Air-force has been deployed to rescue the suffering masses. Only 7 choppers were used while people stranded are in lakhs. The list of those rescued is only 47,000. We do not know about the rest of the stranded and dead persons. Army and Border Road engineers have opened the highway connecting Srinagar and Leh. Relief is much needed for areas like Poonch Doda, Kishtwar,Rajouri,Udampur,Anantnag,Pulwama,Kulgam and Budgam. Google is helping in rescue operations by Google Person Finder web application. Rescue missions give data which is uploaded. All distress calls are enumerated."Reported missing" list is made, so will "rescued" list and "found dead" list.Making lists is not enough,lists are for history Lists do not account for inefficiency on the part of the state.Even when all these people are suffering,political capital is being created. It is at these difficult times, we find that India can never be saved. Infrastructure to meet these situations is lacking. NDRF or NDMA have funds but do not know how to use them. Incapable men and indecisive bosses make up these organisations. Adhoc measures do not work out. People are at the mercy of Gods. When flood water enters homes and people and cattle are washed away,nobody is there to help. Boats are needed rafts are needed and a mere 7 choppers are not sufficient. When people suffer in an open manner, we regret being here. The state cannot protect its own people. We seek help of God. Oh God control these furious waters.....no help from men....

The Living tribes of modern India

Most backward or undeveloped places in India are inhabited by tribal populations.They are the indigenous isolated  from civilization as we know it. Tribal people lived all over India. In jungles which start from the periphery of farmlands. Where urban dwellings end, tribal lands begin. They depend on forest produce, like honey, fruits, fish and wild creatures. Technology they know is very simple; they have simple bows and arrows, knives, spears etc. Tribal religion is rudimentary; they have folktales or simple fairy tales which they teach their children. They speak in different dialects and written language is rarely used. Unlike settled farmers, they do not "own" land as they do not have"written deed" They officially own the entire tribal land together--group ownership. Most tribal people do not know their tribal rights.Among tribals political awareness is absent. They do not have voter ID cards or ration cards(Public distribution scheme) or Aaadhar cards(social security scheme)They suffer from poverty, neglect, ignorance and isolation. Although the government has a separate department for tribal development and welfare, they are most ineffective in bringing changes to the lives of the tribal population. To rehabilitate the tribes and bring them closer to national mainstream is urgently needed.We have the burden to uplift them. We must teach them skills to fit into modern India. We must empower them; we must teach them to ask for their rights. We must know that power-sharing is the essence of national integration. We cannot allow total isolation of these people who live in backward stone-age  technology.
There are fishing communities living along the vast sea shores of India, unknown and unrecorded.. There are isolated communities in districts of Dholpur and Morena of Rajasthan. There are Musahars of East India. There are Santhals who are spread out in several states. Similarly, there are Mundals and Bhils who are spreaded to several states. The Angamis are residing in Nagaland state, Bhutia is Sikkim state,Chenchus in Andhra Pradesh and Gonds in Madhya Pradesh. The native Great Andamanese are virtually untouched by civilization. There are more than 84.4 million persons living in tribes, recorded so far. Others are unrecorded. There are two views on tribes; some feel that they must be preserved and that their lifestyle and language should be kept in isolation. But that is unfair to the people. Their language can be recorded like folktales and songs, may be their tools and utensils can be preserved in museums but they should be taught skills to survive in this century. They are not an animal species which can be classified as natural heritage of India. They are human like every one of us, and they should be brought into the fold of civilization.

Children---future of India

What makes the future? Today's children are the future. The schools and institution which we create for them today will determine the quality of their future. The values we teach our are the most important investment which we can make today. They will learn skills to survive for the future from schools and colleges which we make today. If children hold banners and protest, they symbolically tell us that their future is in jeopardy. Why should India's future be bleak? We have such a large educated population, we must think on this.
 Can India support the future population? The question is "do we have the resources for the future?" Yes, we have. We should know how to manage it properly and bring about industrialization. India's soil is fertile. We have good weather year round. Multi-crop harvests are successful. Industrialization has not taken place fully, so farming methods are still pre-industrial or manual. First production must improve, better seeds must be giving and better timing should be taught. Teaching the uneducated farmer is very important. Transportation of food products must improve; storage(cold storage) and  packing must improve. Only then the future population can be provided for or supported.
Coming of industrialization means reduction of jobs for man (machines replace man) With coming of better technology, we have better fabrics and other consumer products. But it has also reduced jobs. The federal government or "welfare state" would have to give its people social security by giving free food schemes. Minimum housing must also be provided too. All this is big responsibility on the government. Only if we elect the right persons, we can guarantee a better future. So it is very important whom we elect (choose) today for a better tomorrow. If children pick up banners, they are telling us to make good choices,; children cannot vote but they are aware of the future.

Urgent needs of the people

When industrialization takes place in the agri-sector, tractors, ploughers, seeders, harvesters replace farm labor and there is large scale unemployment. When computerization takes place in urban organizations, there is job loss for so many workers; no need of typists, stenos, clerks,peons and other office staff. Now, both have taken place and at this point there is going to be very very large scale unemployment. Government is compelled to make welfare schemes for meeting the basic requirements of the people.....water,food,electricity,housing etc etc.And schemes like NREGA did not help as the number of people is too many. And providing ID cards(based on bio-metrics) to individuals for availing government schemes was dropped half way. The quality of life of the majority of the people is very very poor. This kind of condition cannot last very long. There will be reduction of  population..due to..malnutrition, lack of hygienic conditions etc. People may revolt against the government which does not work. Because of rising inequalities, conflicts will emerge as class conflicts or one group against the other or as laborers against the overlords or industrialists. Until this conflict is resolved, there will be postponement or delay in improvement of educational infrastructure(schools and colleges) and health facilities(hospitals and health care centers) Among the most urgent issues are the needs of the people---employment. Can government provide it or can it give unemployment benefits for its people? No. Future of government is shaky.... 

Future political issues

By electing a party which was against dynastic rule, citizens have shown their might and their aspirations. It was in the yesteryears that people had voted for the generally accepted rulers--Nehru Gandhi family. But now people have exercised their power to vote against them. This shows that citizenry is quite aware of what is going on and how to bring a change. Future citizens will exercise their power to vote for leaders who will improve living conditions of the people. Living standards have improved for the urbanites but rural people are in great need of improvement in conditions in their environs.Political issues will be on working conditions of workers, on wage raises, on cost of electricity, cost of piped water, on sound welfare schemes. Questions will be raised on why there are no single standards in teaching in schools; why college fees are beyond the reach of the average Indian; why is unemployment rate so high; why the health schemes are meant for the affluent only; why are there so much income variation amongst people. Why equality amongst classes remains in paper and never becomes reality? Even if assured by law, will Indian society allow gender justice for its female population? Quality of air and quality of water for the people will become big issues. Tussle for power will be between the industrialists and the workers. Industrialists will try to use money power and the ordinary people will use their voting power. Struggle for a higher standard of living will go on and on.

The disciplined Indian Mind

Why are the Indian people what they are? They think about ideas which are beyond the materialistic world. We think about "what are we" and about "what are our ultimate goals" Our religious mind or the disciplined mind thinks constructively about our duties to our family and the larger community of families...our nation. We are constantly introspecting...how our individual 'atma' or soul is connected to 'parmatma' or God. And our goals is not just to do well in this world but beyond this world. We seek salvation. We keep our mind pure and we never think about harming others. We do not envy others nor do we try to imitate others.That is the reason we are successful where ever we live in the Earth. Anyone who practices this introspective belief can become successful.
With very little resources, Indian parents raise their children; and to give them job opportunities is duty of the government. And government here does not perform its duties. In India, due to lack of resources and opportunities, individuals perish easily. Some migrate to survive; once they survive in the new lands(which have adopted them) they adhere to Indian beliefs. Earth cans support only certain number of individuals and nobody should say "why are Indians here?" They are here because Earth supports them. 

Africa-Migrations

Indians who had migrated to foreign nations have contributed greatly to their growth. Indian are extremely hard working and honest people.As workers they have contributed hard work, as technicians they have effectively executed their skills with precision, as professionals they have been perfect. To the envious outsiders, they appear to have flourished in their new homes(new nations) But they sincerely miss their homelands and home cultures. although they fit in with the new new cultures within which they live. The intelligent Indians are friendly, honest sincere and humble. They have contributed more to their country of their adoption than what they have received from them. They should be respected and given equal status. So that they continue to stay in that country. If not given respect, they will move to a newer country and that would be a big loss. India misses its sons of soil(daughters too) and they are welcome to return home. Also,they can visit anytime and feel at home. They deserve a salute for they have contributed to humanity their sincere services. Life on Earth is not about the genetic legacy that we leave behind, it about the rich culture and our sincere honest work which we will all be remembered by. Once Early man had moved out of Africa and created civilizations, and now there are migrations to Africa. Soon there will be migrations out of Africa too. Man--the toolmaker is also Man--the migrator.   

New Government in India--BJP won

Congress lost and the BJP(Bhartiya Janata Party) won in the Lok Sabha elections. Reasons for loss is yet to be examined. The one of reasons for victory are the speeches; they were made extensively and successfully> And rallies were organized in a big way. Vigorous campaigning went on for months together, and that is the reason for their success. Corruption was rampant during the congress rule. BJP was successful because the youth were addressed to,  development was stressed upon and security of women was an issue which was talked about. More than that the opposite party's weaknesses were exposed ruthlessly. Given good water resources mineral resources, fertile soil and good climate why is India not growing? We are all worried about delayed development-- why are the roads bad? why are schools not teaching well? why are there not enough colleges? why are the hospitals insufficient? Why are there so few jobs for youth? why is agriculture failing? why is there run-away inflation? These will be answered; and then we will know for why there is  lack of development. The time asked was 60 months; in 60 months they would transform India. There is hope now. 

Real issues are not seen

In the competitive spirit of the elections the real issues facing India are ignored. Development issues, taxes, land acquisition policies, subsidies for private firms are not spoken of; rampant corruption is forgotten; inflation and price rise are not explained; insecurity of Indian women in public spaces is never remembered. Many part of India suffer because there is no piped water and no electricity. Farming suffers, industries are not growing fast and we are not doing well. All that is spoken by aspiring politicians is personalized attacks: why did BJP contestant had never mentioned that he had been married long ago? Why did the son-in-law  of their opponent acquire prime property at nominal rates? These trivial issues occupy prime spaces in  election speeches! Politics has become a dirty fight. Our country is a developing nation and we need not waste our time and resources in trivial matters. The money spent on the big political fights could be used for development. Where did the political parties amass such wealth? Election commission cannot enforce clean politics.What can the government of this vast nation ensure for its citizens?We are a democracy, are we a good democracy worthy of it? When differences among the people is so great.....poor being so so poor and the rich being so so rich can our democracy have any meaning?  This exercise of election is to fool the people that they have the power to change the state of the nation We can change the ruling party, but we cannot change the nature of dirty politics in India.We must think on this, and effectively use our power to vote...... 

Migrating Indians

Five generations ago, several Indians had left India for African countries in search of livelihoods. The British India gave them "Indian Empire" passports and made sea route easily available to Indians. Many migrated from states like Gujarat to Uganda, to South Africa, to Tanzania and Kenya(in late 1800s,early 1900s) Some went as business men, some as masons, some as carpenters. They took their wives with them. and they kept their social group well-knit, close and secure. Then generations of Indians had grow up with their culture intact living far away from India in far away Africa. Of course their professions in following generations had changed. The second generation of Indians in Africa became teachers, accountants, lawyers, architects shop owners and farm-owners. The government there, then gave them British citizenship and allowed them to move to Great Britain.By this chances for better professions by getting better education for their children had increased. Indians felt that their children should have better lives than themselves, and that can be guaranteed by better education. And they hard worked on giving their children better and better start. By keeping their culture alive and by only marrying among their own cultural community, they could make sure they had survived in any new land. So given a chance, we Indians not just survive, but prosper. We have the basics for prosperity.... strong family bonds and belief that life could be better only by better education.Another batch of Indians went from Vellore, a town in Tamil Nadu. They went as workers in sugarcane fields of the British, but soon became their owners of fields. They were given only the slope of a hill to make their homes in. But they made beautiful homes and made temples(converted small chapels) Now the present generation are all lawyers and doctors. They only know some spoken Tamil and do not have passports of their great great grand fathers to prove their Indian origin. But decedents of Gujarati people have all documents that were needed to show their origin.Many had migrated to Kampuchea and other far-east countries; they had merged with the local culture and cannot now prove their Indian origin.
Even now we have many persons of Indian origin showing the photocopies of the passports of their ancestors(five generations ago) to claim their rights as overseas Indian citizens. All get their PIO cards(Person of Indian Origin) and thereby rights to visit their "homeland". Although Indians are migrating fast to foreign lands, those who are settled in foreign lands want rights to revisit their homelands.Wherever we live, in our hearts we are Indians, for the sake of livelihood, we had to leave our motherland.  

Elections Elections Elections

Can elections bring change for India? All that political leaders want is win, a win for themselves oly. They do not care for the state of the country. All during electioneering, more time was spent on criticizing each other or calling names. Less was spoken about progress of the country or how to achieve it. Can people hope that the political elite can bring change to their lives? Economic conditions being so bad, can there be a single solution for a country as vast and as diverse like India? The educated elite just want to save themselves by leaving India and by seeking  opportunities outside India. And they may be able to save themselves and secure their own future.
Future of India is nobody's concern. Solutions are there for better future for India. We need to industrialize fast without alienating the people of India. We need to secure livelihoods for the people by equipping them.Giving jobs and giving them social security. They need health schemes, good educational institutions and give access for all to these institutions. At the present age, this is possible.Provided that the nation acts as a whole, and we have a stable clean government. When will we have that? ........I am thinking.....can we have that?..........wait till election results come....

Ban on mining is lifted

Economic slowdown is caused as ban was imposed on mining. Illegally land was being stripped of the minerals and exported. Wanton destruction of India's natural resources has led to ecological disasters.From When the ban was imposed, iron ore exports fell 68%and the mining sector became very small.Mining and minerals regulation Act has been slow in letting private companies by competitive bidding(e-bidding) as there has been no transparency in carrying out the policies. Ever since the coal scams were publicized, the delay was due to ensuing policy paralysis. Now the Supreme Court has limited the extraction of or to 20 million tonnes per year. The supreme Court has also cancelled mining leases which were extended up to 2007 for those for whom 20 year renewal periods was over. Now also, there are loop holes and indiscriminate mining can take place. When government cannot participate in the development of mining sector effectively, it leaves it up to the private companies. And private companies find a way to mint money which government cannot stop, control or limit.So that is fate of India...indiscriminate mining...loss of our national resources, people's ignorance is taken advantage of by power seekers and capitalists. With the cacophony created by electioneering, this significant lift on ban is being ignored by the media....this is not good....

Culture is the heartbeat of Indians

Even after five generations of living in foreign lands, Indians stick together holding on to their culture and way of life. And they want to re-connect with India, we offer them an identity by giving them the status of "Person of Indian origin" We give them a passport to visit India whenever they want.  Even Indians who have surrendered their Indian citizenships and become citizen of another country, we recognize them as "overseas Citizen of India" and we allow them to invest in India, and we let them buy land in India as they are the non-resident Indians.
Farther people migrate from India, greater is their desire to connect with India. Indian culture holds them spellbound and mersmerized. The magnetic pull of the motherland is too great to resist. However settled they are in their new lands, they wish to visit the land from which their great great grandfathers came. They visit the temples and monuments and soak in the culture here. They like Indian music, they like Indian cuisine. They appreciate the festivals and the fairs. Even if one is not Indian genealogically speaking(not having genetic links) one can learn to be an Indian at heart.You can learn Indian value system. Roots are cultural and run very deep as they shape the individual's psyche.
The world is big and Indians have spreaded to far off lands; but thanks to Internet, we can quench the thirst for Indian culture by listening to Indian music, and learn Indian recipes. To experience the real India, one must come here. Its a fine place to visit but staying here would not be a good idea. There are too many problems here which the political elite is not resolving.
We can keep our culture alive by teaching our children fine values which Vivekananda had taught, by reading the Bhagavad Gita, by reading  Rabindranath Tagore and by reading Indian history. The fine values of Indian people behold came from thousands of years of cultural evolution. They are so strong that the Indian culture will thrive for centuries to come. Cultural roots are indeed deep and pull us to this land of our origin. Those who want to visit the country of their origin are most welcome here. Come and feel at home.

Election Fever

Election fever means frantic attempts to win elections. Candidates try the "tactic" of trying to find fault with the opposite team. They try to wedge the newly formed front. More and more news channels try to make predictions thinking that such predictions can change the minds of the voters. Since "Ambedkars Jayanti" was here, all try to make capital out of this occasion. They try to portray themselves as the only persons trying to save egalitarianism in India. Proposal of curing all evils in India is not going to work. Secularism is elusive. Promises are always make and none are ever kept. This is bad. Thats why things don't work here. We do not have proper drinking water, we are inefficient in giving electricity to all. Schools are not good enough and health care is poor. We are lacking in so many many  ways. No political party takes any effort to change that. Its very sad.
Now family feuds take the shape of politicking. Children of one brother against the child of another brother who is in the opposite party. New kinds of mudslinging goes on. Most battles are fought on live TV while each of the news channels try to air the latested abuses in the fastest way possible. It is non stop cacophony.
Movie stars also try to support one or the other parties and jump in into the battleground. although the Election Commission's issues strict notices, it does not stop one from hurdling abuses against another. Oh, when will all this end? When the elections are over.

Its election time again

There are myriad problems in India...economic downturn, poverty, lack of proper hospitals, outdated school system, lack of commitment by politicians, inefficient bureaucracy....its an endless list. But there are positive signs that we will overcome these problems and one of them is elections. Elections for the Lok Sabha(lower house of the Parliament) has been announced. We get to choose every five years, a political party which we want. There is the Congress party, then there is Bharatiya Janata party and there is the third front. Now there is the common man party too. Yesterday there were clashes between party supporters but this rarely happens. Every one exercises there likes and dislikes by their votes and not their hostile behaviour. Officially the election dates have been announced (April first week) At the last minute, the contesters try to win hearts by laying foundation stones in for dairy projects, for industrial corridors or for factories. They try to quotes these as their achievements in the election speeches which would follow. TV and newspapers carry lots of advertisements. Few TV channels try to predict victory, but this is futile. People show their own choices without and nobody can predict that. And we are empowered by our right to choose our leaders. Once chosen, we will closely monitor their activities, as media is ever vigilant. With Indian economy in rough times, it is very import that we make the right choice. 

Election oriented Budget

As elections are around the corner, and budget has been fashioned to please the voters. The economy is in a very bad condition and we are concentrating on getting election results. Tax cuts on auto mobiles(8% from 12%) capital goods and consumer durables(ACs, food processors, cameras, washing machines) are going to cut down revenue. So next government will have much less to spend on. This is bad news. No change in tax rules. So no increase in income for the government.; and it may seem ok now but this will hurt by us later on. Another give away is 'one pension' for all retired pensioners of armed forces. This was held back for all these years, but those states where every family has a a retired ex-serviceman(like Himachal Pradesh) votes will come pouring in. But the intelligent people will see though this cunning plan to rake in votes by bringing this policy exactly at election time.There will be 10% increase in defence expenditure. Subsidy(agri) will be 250,000 crores and agri credit will be 7 lakh crore($45 billion). This is bill which the government will have to foot. The finance minister makes improbable statements like 'we will reduce price rise'. But how will this be done? Current account deficit will be high. Why do we import coal when it is available in abundance in India? We need it desperately for we make electricity from coal. So electricity will be costly. Finance minister says that there will be opportunities for the educated young but where. Food security Act will be 150,000 crores. Cost of 12 subsidized LPG gas for every household will be high. And 1000 crores for Nirbhaya scheme.It all sounds good but it will make the treasury weak. Best part is that many schemes are given for the individual state government to implement, central government will give only the money. May be states will spend effectively and make the lives of citizens better.

Common Man Party

The Common Man Party was in office for only 49 days after winning in Delhi's election. The opposition plotted against him with the party which had supported the Common Man party. It stood no chance against the cunning political moves by corrupt  experienced politicians. It was trying to bring an ombudsman to check corruption and it did not work out. It was because of Don Quixote like actions (charging at a windmill thinking it is a dragon) Although the thoughts behind the Common Man Party were truthful, it could not reform the police, it could not reduce electricity bills and it could not give piped water to all in Delhi. It was trying, but in vain. Criticism by the media and criticism from the parties which could not get power were exaggerated. It had no time to achieve its aims as it could not last very long. Nevertheless it is an attempt to get rid of established political parties. Now we know how to get rid of the old parties---by voting effectively against the regime. All that the Common Man Party do were few sting operations when bribe taking policemen were exposed by hidden cameras, and instantly they were broadcasted on TV.    

Lawless lawmakers

India has immense resources ( mineral, water) but we are not able to grow fast because of the fact we have inefficient government. Why? At the Indian Parliament today, there were many incidents which shows lawlessness. One Minister of Parliament had used pepper spray and irritated others. One smashed the glass table; mikes were uprooted and used as weapon. Fist fights started. Before the bill for separate statehood for Telangana began, 16 MPs were suspended. If lawmakers themselves behave in inappropriate manner, how can people live peacefully. It is very shameful. When the brief budget session of Parliament was expected to pass several bills, the entire time is wasted in the bifurcation of a state. As elections are around the corner, different parties are trying to make political capital out of the Telangana issue.  This exposes their ulterior motives clearly......This trend is most harmful for democracy in India....What is good for the people, what do the people of the state want, these are important in bifurcation of the state. But now the Congress Party thinks only about the number of MPs it can get from which part of the country. And BJP party thinks about how many seats it can get and how to thwart Congress party's gains. These legislators are not concerned about what is good for the people. This is a very sad scene. 

Rapid Industrialization in India

India  is industrializing very fast. Along with industrialization comes urbanization. As fields are yielding better results with increased use of fertilizers and use of modern machines, there is no need of farm hands. So persons are migrating to cities in search of work. And as cheap labour is available, industries are coming up faster and faster. Industries like the textile industry is booming. Indian government also encourages development of industries.
Migration to urban area is taking place fast. Piped water and availability of electricity is also attractive to people as they search for work in urban areas. Migration is inevitable and nor can we stop it. We are not making spaces for the migrating population. Poor people live on the pavements while earning daily wages for their daily bread. The industrial poverty is open, visible and saddening. Inefficient government cannot manage this crowd. Making of industrial corridors and longlong PPP (Public Private Partnerships) plans is in their agenda and not the plight of the people. People are central to industrialization. Industrialization is for development of India; and "development" is for whom? The people. Government makes partnerships with industrialists and people's rights are ignored.
Making of labour laws is insufficient, as they are not followed. And addressing the urgent needs of people is very very important. But government argues over election issues on where the  "poverty line" is. But the impoverished people are ignored. So quality of life the poor people of India is very very poor. Poor hygienic conditions, poor health, no proper health services and minimum food are the exigencies faced by migrating population of rapidly industrializing India.

Future of Indian Forests

Future of forests(native plant and animal species) is very bleak. India is richly endowed with fertile lands(used as fields) and dense forests. Forests have hidden in their soils valuable minerals like gold, bauxite iron, aluminium, and many more. Forest dwellers are communities of people who are isolated and live in the brink of civilization; they are the tribal people. They depend on the produce of the forest, honey, timber(fuel), fruits and wildlife(food) But they do not have land rights as they are unlettered people. Their land is acquired for creating mining industry. Taking land away from these people is easy as they are not aware of their rights. Forests will disappear as India develops. The native species of forest animals also disappear with it. Native herbal species of plants and their knowledge will also disappear. These are biggest losses as India industrializes. Recently the tribal people's struggle in the state of odisha ended when their land was acquired by POSCO. Whatever the monetary compensation be, their heritage, culture and way of life cannot be re-created in an industrial environment. By denying rights as partners in the industry in their land, we have denied them dignity which they deserve as forest people of India. At some future time, we would regret this. When an auto industry is created while destroying the tribal land, what job can it offer to to the unlettered tribal?None. Iron ore is extracted from the forest areas in Chhattisgarh to supply industrial steel plant (Bhilai) Needs of industries are unlimited. Forests are limited. We are destroying all forests for the rich minerals they have in their soil. In the state of Karnataka, iron ore is dug out of forest lands and exported away for development of industries outside India. We are finishing our forest lands for someone else's industrial development. Our country's resources must be preserved and not made into a commodity to be traded.
Several dams were made while harnessing the Himalayan rivers. Forests are cut down in the making of the dams. But new trees are not planted. This means that the topsoil would be eroded or washed away by wind and water. Forests when tampered with illogically lead to desertification. Ecologically speaking, industrialization will result in desertification.
For creation of tea-gardens in the North-east, forests are destroyed. Tribal population there were subsistence farmers who had no "idea" of what land is. They practised slash and burn cultivation in their forests; they cultivated in a small piece of land by "slash and burn" method and left the land and practiced cultivation on another area. But now their forest land has been converted into tea gardens. Tea industry has replaced the forests. Such ecological takeovers result in eco disasters like the flooding. Forests form integral part of ecological cycles, climate and environment in India. Destroying of forests will result in desertification, flooding and drastic climatic change which will change India's destiny.We have 36% less forests than ten years ago. Because forest have rich minerals, mining industry is eager to get to it and government helps these industries. True treasures of the India are its forests-- the rich flora and fauna it supports. Forests are invaluable. The eco-catastrophe which the loss of forests will cause will be much greater than the mineral yields of the mines. By destroying forests, we are interfering with mighty nature; and our plans to plunder the Earth of its minerals would result in vast floods with which we cannot deal with. We can recycle for minerals; and not play havoc with sensitive ecology of our subcontinent. For if we loose nature's balance, we cannot we cannot undo the damage.   

Lokpal for the capital is finalised

Delhi Lokpal Bill 2014 has been passed yesterday by the chief minister and his council of ministers as draft has been finalised . This will bring all under the anti-corruption watchdog . Its panel will include two politicians--chief minister and leader of the opposition, two judges (nominated by the High Court) and two eminent citizens. This anti corruption Bureau will serve as the investigation section. Lokpal will protect honest officials and whistleblowers and witnesses. There cases will be time-bound. The punishment will act as deterrent to corrupt officials; minimum of six months jail term or maximum of life-term could be given, Rs. 25000 will be deducted from the pay of the convicted official. This will go a long way to solve rampant corruption in the capital of India. Perhaps this will act as a guiding light for other states of India and resolve the problem of corruption. It will be tabled in the Assembly soon. 

Poverty line--used as an ammunition

Now political parties are showing each other as having wrong notion of "poverty line". The poverty line has been defined differently by states so that that can limit the number of free entitlements for those below the line. For whole of India, the Planning commission has said that Rs. 32 per day expenditure for urban and Rs. 28 for rural applies as poverty line. But as per the state's website, its government itself has given Rs. 11 for rural and Rs. 17 for urban areas. This is so that the number of families earning less that Rs. 11 is very small; and state has to provide for food for only fewer persons only. This was tricky. But the claims of the dominant party of the state of Gujarat is that it is the most developed state and that it is a model for others to follow. One cannot change poverty lines as one wants.  And it is very very sad that we try to reduce human needs to mere figures. Needs like clean water, sanitation, homes, clothes, education and health are as important as food, but it is not considered in making of the statistics of "poverty lines" What will political parties do to get rid of poverty? Let us forget the statistics and see what can be done at ground level. Nobody wants to do that. Each party uses this figure as a weapon against the other, "this is what your state has" or "this poverty figure of yours is useless" Arguments go on and on. Should we use poverty line as an ammunition?

Is politics spoiling the economy?

When the ruling party tries a policy flip-flop to acquire votes, we can see it clearly. This is spoiling the self-sufficiency of the people and it is making the people more and more dependent on the government. Government has announced twelve cylinders of cooking gas per household on subsidized rates. We thought we are moving towards more and more self-reliance and not towards dependency. But it seems we are moving towards subsidy model. Why? So that vote banks could be kept. The poor people who are dependent on this subsidy will vote for the party which has announced it. This is a political move which will spoil our economy. Government has to foot the gas bill now. And our deficit will increase we will be burdened with providing this subsidy. Subsidy is bad for our fragile economy. By de-regulation of fuels, we were trying to move on. But this will be a set-back. The play of politics on policy flip-flop cannot be stopped now. Inconsistent policy will give us less and less confidence. to invest. This leads to greater instability. If there is consistency, it would be good for all. But with inconsistency, we have to live in fear of what will happen when government cannot subsidize any more or if it changes its policies again.
This will benefit urban Poor but the rural poor are still dependent on wood for fuel, what subsidy is offered to them? Are they not going to benefit with policies?

Ghosts of riots arise

When the vice-president of a dominant Indian political party gave an interview yesterday, he had admitted that his party members were involved in the killing of 3000 Sikhs in the capital in 1984 when Mrs. Indira Gandhi was shot. The police themselves shot 200 men. Police did not stop rioters and were given orders not to leave the police station. No court trials were held for the killings and no accused were not punished; if even 30 years after it had happened no justice has been done, then when will it be?  He had also said that he is not apologising for it. This is enough to make us us all very very angry. Cries of those whose kin had died mercilessly in 1984 in New Delhi, of wailing women and children, still echoing in the memories of families  living here. This is going to be very difficult for his fellow members of the dominant party to talk themselves out of the controversy created by the interview.
He was willing to align with a party whose head has been sent to jail for scams.
Not only this, he was not aware of the phenomenal increase in rise of basic food items (vegetables by as much as 520%.) He would evade answers on key issues. This interview is enough to send the future of his party swirling downwards. 

Pravasi Bharathiya Divas 2014 celebrated

On January 9,1915, Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India and had changed Indian history--made us a free nation. To remember the day, we have a gathering of Indian diaspora on this day every year(for the last 12 years) This year the theme was "connecting across generations" The our leader had spoke at length on how well Indians are doing. We want Indians living world-wide (Non-resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin) to connect to their native land. Indian growth rate is high and poverty is on the decline, so Indian can take pride in developments in India. There is much more needed and much much lacking. We are on road to modernity and industrialization. Different sectors like science and technology, industrial manufacturing and health-care offer scope. You can still be part of India's growth and development even when you had left India. You can engage constructively in promoting development in India. Just now the Youth diaspora was inspired to interact with us.
As many as six million Indian work in the middle-east(Gulf countries) We have to constantly deal with their queries, labour rights,  contact with their families, and returnees. Many from the state of Punjab return to India as their have special problems dealing with land rights(inheritance)related issues or marriage rights related issues. There are special courts to settle with their problems. There is "Pravasi Kendra" at Chankya Puri at New Delhi which can help all those who want to reconnect to India long after they had left India. How ever far one has left, culturally Indians are one.

New Year--Expectations

There is renewed hope that we would do well this year and the coming years. A new party is born (in New Delhi)and we have make new ways to use democracy for promoting benefits for the average citizen. The economy will do better. Thanks to economic reforms, prices of fruits and vegetables are under control now. The Land Acquisition Policy will come into force from today; the best part of the new law is that it has a provision that private companies can lease the land needed for development instead of purchasing it from the farmer. We are an emerging market and at shining bright as the most promising economy in the world market. Political stability has come as people have started voting for the most able candidate. Income levels of the average Indian has risen, as he buys better food stuffs. To keep up with his demands, we need a second green revolution so that we can provide for the average Indian.  The excess liquidity has been pumped into the Indian economy caused  high price rise in the costs of essential food items(vegetables and fruits). Speculative food prices are high; they will soon come down. It will go on fluctuating as the food items are available in sufficient supply. Prices of real estate has dramatically increased. People are in rush to buy gold or real estate. And there is a credit boom because of the great demand for real estate. Although there is growth, it is jobless growth; farmers are jobless, educated Indians are jobless, and the average Indian youth is disillusioned. Too many people and too few jobs. Because the Indian Rupee is devalued, anyone can start an industry for manufacturing goods, because now the Rupee can buy a lot. Then sell the products at high prices outside India, The value of the Rupee has expanded. Manufacturing sector and other sectors like pharmaceuticals will grow very well.  Foreign investments will reap profits. Government has cleared 1912 Crore road project in the states of Bihar and Maharashtra. When roads are developed fast, economic growth will come faster and faster. Fast tracking of project clearances is going on as 17.68 Lakh worth projects have started last month itself. The new party which has just taken birth will grow and make India stronger economically and make the average Indian prosper.