China -Friend or Foe

Posted on May 10, 2008 by indra

Chinese on Top

Time and again, some news in the media takes me back down the memory lane to 1962. The nation was under a shock. We didn’t have our Diwali. The Chinese had betrayed India, invaded it, defeated it, and more than that humiliated it. The land of Budhha and Ashoka was caught napping. Unfortunately, India didn’t rise to the occasion even thereafter. With some wins in the skirmishes with Pakistan and then on eastern end, Indians were made to believe that the defence forces have done great job. Basically, it didn’t have the right leadership required and nothing much happened on the front of national economy to be a great power.

Over the period, it has been very difficult to forget the onslaught of China and the helplessness of India of 1962. India perhaps because of its democracy and the divergent views of politicians can’t compete with China’s might. Rather China may weaken India to any extent with lefts in the country to lobby for it. Recent development in Nuclear Deal is an example. The preference for survival for few months made the government follow the leftists’ line and let the deal almost die.

India may keep on spending huge sum on defence with not much effectiveness, as all its neighbours are against the rise of India. The expenditure hardly serves any purpose with much superior might of Chinese forces. Perhaps some alliance with US or a close-knit diplomatic grouping would have provided some solution, but the leftists will not allow that to happen in name of sovereignty. If the neighbours bordering with India would have been friendly, the task of facing China would have been easier, but Indian diplomacy has failed to achieve that.

Many of the Chinese actions against India are suspicious. Why is China planning to extend the railways to the Nepal border rather up to Kathmandu itself? Is the trade with Nepal so important or is there some naïve intention? Himlayas has created the northern part of India between Vindhyachal and its own ranges. Can one day China if it so wishes bring the end of it? Can China one day stop the water flow of Brhmaputra of the North- east?

Why should China mount attacks on Indian websites? As reported, over the past one and a half years, China has mounted almost daily attacks on Indian computer networks, both government and private, showing its intent and capability.

Why does China pronounce that Tibet group in India has Qaida links? Why should China keep on investing on deep and long range N-sub and which country other than US or India is the target? What are China’s intentions?

China will keep on challenging India on all fronts from piracy of its products such as Bajaj’s Pulsar toTata’s Nano. It will chase India’s IT supremacy or for that matter all the sectors where India is stronger such as pharmacy. In its latest issue, Business Week published a report ‘In India, Death to Global Business’. The story presents a grim picture. Who must be the happiest with the development? It is only the ghost of Mao and China that must be happy with the situation. Unfortunately, Indian government of any political alliance wishes to sleep over the issue and waits and wishes for the time to solve the fire.

Opinions: China biggest threat

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B -Schools Causing Inequity

Posted on May 8, 2008 by indra

Today most of the prospective students and their parents dream of IITs and IIMs. It didn’t happen so much in 60s. Most of the students from Presidency though selected in IIT went for higher science degrees. I still remember our senior Kamal Dutta who pursued physics. My own friend Ashoke Sengupta went to Bengal Engineering College. He had a preference for the civil engineering and the college was rated the best in the subject. I joined IIT, Kharagpur and selected mechanical engineering. I don’t remember if any of my classmates from Presidency or IIT did try for any management degree. Many did get promoted and held responsible managerial positions. Didn’t we become good managers? Would have we been a better manager with present management education?

I consider the craze for MBA education as damaging. The best brains, if the success in the entrance examinations of these institutes were a criterion, trained through a costly coaching system, are vying to enter IIMs. Even IITians and other professionals including medical graduates after four years of rigorous purely technical education prefer to complete the MBA course before entering the job market. Those who fail to get in the IIMs or some of the better-known B-schools of the country go to US. As per one estimate, between 10 and 15% of US B-school graduates are of Indian origin (this is true of B-schooll faculty too). Many who went to US for MS in engineering subjects as getting financial assistance was easier for that, later switched over for a MBA course.

Education was never so commercial before MBA degree got popularly demanded in crazy corporate houses of US and then in India. Japan never had any management schools. I wish someone had researched how the managers without MBA degree faired in actual working scenario. And now even an annual cost of Rs 2 million or more including fee at IIMs and ISB is meager considering the pay packet that it commands after completion. It is surprising, the aspirants as well as the parent start calculating the break-even period after starting the work. It may be insanely difficult to get entry because of immense competition, but after securing the entry only mad ones will leave it whatever may be the fee and over all cost. As someone said, “MBA is a business, big business for both student and colleges. Students calculate returns and consider MBA as a cash cow.” Somehow, I can’t relish education to be treated as business.

The big starting pay packets offered for MBAs are causing serious complexes among other professionals including in the teachers of the same B-schools who trained those graduates. Is there any justification for a twenty-fold fee differential between the IITs and IIMs?

It all started with the shortage of good colleges for higher professional education. At one time, the fee in private engineering and medical colleges used to be the highest. The demand for the seats in the few colleges of national importance used to be very high. The private colleges established by businessmen and politicians started making huge money to meet the demand even for very poor quality of education provided by them. And then came IIMs and very soon it build a brand that could get a very high starting salary for its students. Today, the medical education has lost its charm. The fees have tumbled, and seats go unfilled. It is when the medical practitioners are in great demand to man public health centers throughout the country. But the poor living conditions and the initial salary offered have additionally made it unattractive. IIMs and IITs have created another flourishing business of coaching. The best example gets manifested in the rise of Kota or through the huge hoardings in every small and big city.

The rise of IIMs has created a craze for huge initial salary in all professions that is harmful. Today an IAS, IPS officers are aggrieved. The officers in defence forces are getting demoralized.

India needs more of technocrats- good doctors, architects, chartered accountants, product-hardware and software designers, maintenance engineers, quality engineers, and millions of skilled hands to push the country on the growth path of prosperity for all and not for few. Industry must provide at least 40% more entry salary for those with Masters and 60% more for PhDs. Additionally it must take care of the salaries of teachers for the courses as prerequisite. I get shocked to hear that some unscrupulous teachers can get one a PhD at a cost and it is all because they feel marginalized in the education system.

I am not against the management education. However, it must be very specialized and continually innovating too. It should be meant for the sufficiently experienced people from the different professions, and not for any fresh graduates from any stream. And the fees for the courses should be dependent on the years of experiences and status attained at the existing workplace such as lower management, middle management, and senior management.

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Noida Authority and Residents’ Welfare

Posted on May 6, 2008 by indra

Time and again, I have been using media to reach Noida Authority (NA) with a single appeal: Whenever NA initiates a project for the benefits of the residents of a sector/ block, it must inform the residents about it through RWA and take their suggestions in consideration before designing and implementing it. Am I unjustified in my appeal and expectation? This is the way even corporate are trying to manage big operations today.

When it is not done, the residents come to know about the project when a work gets started by the contractor. As all the processes of tendering and its allocation are over, the vested group of beneficiaries- the contractor or the sanctioning officer takes any suggestion from the residents as encroachment on its authority. Even the suggestion that can save a lot of taxpayer’s money gets discarded. It doesn’t only create inconvenience but also cause heartburns to the residents. One finds completely helpless with such an administration.

It has happened in case of the costly boundary wall built in front of Block A &B of sector 41, with the service lanes created on both sides along the main road connecting Chaura Mor to Dadri Road, and with many cases.


New drain under construction on service road side. All trees will die after the construction.

recently constructed drain

One another such construction works in name of a drain along the service lanes in the front of the houses of Block A and B of Sector 41is in progress. When we came to know of it, we tried to find out from the general secretary of RWA of sector 41 if he knew about it. He did not know about the project. We called the assistant project engineer and explained that as one big drain has already been laid along the boundary wall, few holes in the wall from the side of service lane will be sufficient to take away the rainwater. He promised to talk to his senior, but said that as the tender is through nothing much would happen. As Mr. YP Singh was also of my view, he drafted a letter for CEO, Noida Authority and I e-mailed the following letter to ceo, aceo, and dceo:

Subject: Construction of a drain in Block A of Sector 41 facing road separating sector 39 and 41

It is submitted that Noida authority intends to construct a drain on the service road of Block A and B. The digging work is in progress. It appears that while planning and preparing the layout of this drain the concerned officer/s didn’t take into consideration the location of the water pipe which supplies water to the houses along the service road (say, A-59 and A-44). It appears that this dirty water drain would be constructed over the water pipe with the result that in future, if any new construction from the water pipe is required or any work of repair on the water pipe is to be carried out, that would be difficult and costlier. In future such works would be possible only after breaking this dirty water drain. It would be troublesome for the water and sewer department and finally would be inconvenient to the residents also. We do not oppose the drain but the big size of the drain as contemplated involves a wasteful expenditure. A side drain has already been constructed on the other side of the wall and the rainwater of the service lane can be drained easily through few holes through the boundary wall, which has been constructed recently.

It is requested that kindly examine this project and save us from the harassment likely to be caused by the construction of the drain, which is not required at all. What we have suggested is not something new. Noida authority is draining rainwater in the suggested fashion only in Block B of sector 41 on the western side.

And subsequently we sent another reminder mail.

With reference to our earlier representation and appeal, please take some urgent action as the digging is continuing for the drain along the wall in front of our houses A-44 to A-59. We again affirm that this is an unwanted project. Creating few holes in the main drain already constructed (though not completed in all respect) can take care of the drainage of rainwater. Further, Sir, it has already damaged the waterline. The problem in future will be accentuated. It will also kill some plants and trees that will come on its way that is highly undesirable for your mission of ‘Green Noida’. Sir, please urgently order the department concerned to stop the work.

Noida Authority didn’t respond as usual. Why should it have all these e-mail addresses and claims of handling grievances and taking suggestions digitally? And a Rs. 16 lakh project drain is under construction. Noida Authority has thus constructed two mosquito-breeding drains in front of our residences wasting almost more than Rs fifty lakhs. It has only helped the contractors and some officers in making some more money for them. Interestingly, the present design will not drain the rain water, if the road slope is not modified.

How long Noida Authority and similar government agencies will keep on taking up and doing anti-people projects and call it as a welfare of the people without taking any suggestions from them or by creating inconveniences to the residents?

Noida Authority is a rich agency and sells a single plot at Rs 5000 crore or more. Why can’t it have its own power plants and ensure a 24X7 power supply or its own commercial RO water plant and ensure safe drinking water or its million or more population? But the residents doubt if NA is working for the people here. As many feel, it works for Mayawati or Mulayam.

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