Shashi Tharoor’s Classifications of American Indian Migrants

Posted on November 1, 2007 by indra

Last Sunday, in his column in ‘Sunday Times of India’, Shashi Tharoor questioned, “Should we be proud of Bobby Jindal?” followed with “Is our pride misplaced? Who is Bobby Jindal and what does he really stand for?”

I myself took pride reading Bobby’s successful endevour to become the youngest Governor ever and also the first non-white candidate to win the post in highly conservative white-dominated Louisiana State. Articles in the latest ‘Outlook’ and ‘India Today’ proved salability of the story.

However, I like Shashi because of his writings and his achievements in UN and his own endevour to fight for the post of general secretary of UN after Kofi Anan retired. I was morose when he failed to get elected.

Shashi has categorized the Indian migrants in two-the atavists and the assimilationists: “The atavists hold on to their original identities as much as possible, especially outside the workplace; in speech, dress, food habits, cultural preferences, they are still much more Indian than American. The assimilationists, on the other hand, seek assiduously to merge into the American mainstream; they acquire a new accent along with their visa, and adopt the ways, clothes, diet and recreational preferences of the Americans they see around them.”

To sum up it appears, Shashi doesn’t agree with the Indians taking pride in Bobby Jindal, and concludes ‘let us not make the mistakes of thinking that we should be proud of what he stands for’.
Shashi may be right in his arguments. But I feel with not many things to be proud of here in the country with the media, particularly the English ones, hardly writing rather blacking out the success stories of domestic intellectuals, let the aspiring Indian youth be satisfied with Bobbys of US. Shashi has mentioned some names I didn’t know and I feel proud of each of them and so must be many Indians.
” Vinita Gupta, in Oklahoma, another largely white state, won her reputation as a crusading lawyer by taking up the case of illegal immigrants exploited by a factory owner (her story will shortly be depicted by Hollywood, with Halle Berry playing the Indian heroine). Bhairavi Desai leads a taxi drivers’ union; Preeta Bansal, who grew up as the only non-white child in her school in Nebraska, became New York’s Solicitor General and now serves on the Commission for Religious Freedom.”

Through another story by Chidanand Rajghatta on the same page of the newspaper, I came to know of some more of the American Indians who have been making a mark in the American legal sphere: “Sanjay Tailor, Anil Singh, and Jaya Madhavan serve as judges in various courts; one of the most cited constitutional experts in the US is Akhil Amar; Preeta Bansal was solicitor general for the State of New York; and Sarita Kedia was an attorney for the mobster John A Gotti.” The story mainly deals with Amrit Singh, who is the youngest daughter of PM Manmohan Singh. And we in India celebrate all successes of persons with Indian connection, be it Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams, Hargobind Khorana, Jagdish Bhagwati, Amartya Sen, CK Prahlad or Jhumpa Lahiri or Anita Desai. Why should Indians bother to find all the details that are personal, if those are not anti-Indian that Shashi Tharoor has tried to provide about Bobby Jindal? Why should we here in India bother how bloggers in US posting uncomplimentary comments about Bobby Jindal as reported in the story of ‘India Today’? How does it matter if these achievers ‘change their names, religion and do not wear their Indianness on their sleeve’? I shall be the happiest man and so must be many if Bobby Jindal is ranked as the best Governor of US some day. I loved to read that, ‘he is first foremost a Louisianan’.

With five of my India-born family members out of the total of ten in US, can I differentiate and go by Shashi’s definitions before taking pride in their achievements during my lifetime, even if they turn into ‘assimilationist’ class? Naturally my answer will be an emphatic “NO”.

In India, the reason for taking pride of a person varies based on many factors. I like Amitabh Bacchan, as he is son of Haribans Rai ‘Bachhan’. Some one else likes him as he is the son-in-law of Bengal, and some may like him, as he is kayastha by caste. I don’t find anything wrong with that unless the person is a rogue.

I wish Shashi had not written this story of Bobby Jindal. It makes him pygmy which I hate him to be branded as by any one. I am sure Shashi wouldn’t like if someone writes similar story about him, as the writer didn’t not like the name of Christa Giles associated with Shashi.

Let Shashi allow me and other Indians too to take pride for Bobby Jindal. And let me keep on being under impression that Piyush became Bobby because of his parents liking for the Raj Kapoor famous film ‘Bobby’.

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Noida- Government Misuses The Right To Transfer

Posted on October 31, 2007 by indra

Some called the business of transfer as industry. It happens quite often in government sector. In many cases, as I hear, one is to pay for getting a transfer to profitable locations. One is also to pay for getting out from a dry location to a green pasture. Politicians use it for penalizing the honest and disobeying officers too, so that others can take lessons and remain obedient. May be, they use it as motivational tool too.

For the first time, I noticed the national newspapers of the capital covering the transfer of Balwinder Kumar, the CEO, and Noida with so much detail. HT had a headline-‘Noida CEO transferred after 3 months in office’. TOI said, ‘Noida gets its 14th CEO in 7 years’.

I wrote about the transfer business when Monica Garg had joined after the demise of Mulayam’s government replacing Sanjiv Saran. That was usual. Noida being a gold mine, it always happens with the change of the government in Lucknow. Then Monica Garg also got shifted within 3 months. Balwinder Kumar replaced her. Perhaps Ms Garg was a stopgap CEO in a process that tries to find the most reliable candidate of its own choice. However, I never imagined, it would come again.

TOI talked of a speculation about the transfer. Kumar’s reluctance to accommodate the person nearer to the chair for the allotment of a 150 acre plot worth around Rs 2, 000 crore in Noida might have caused his ouster. Kumar wanted to have a global tender to have transparency. The bigwig in Lucknow wanted to use the discriminatory route.

According to HT, some highly connected officials might have got Kumar transferred as he had exposed many scams. We ourselves came across the suspension of a project engineer, when we were pleading to block the building of the boundary wall just in front our residences with the CEO.

Some say, Kumar had a wonderful record of exposing scams in UPSIDC. He did the same in Noida about the hotel allotments, SEZs, and other big contracts. So Mayawati shifted him to the Social Welfare Department to expose the scams committed during the previous government. It is very difficult to find the truth behind the transfer. But why can’t in this era of transparency for better governance, the administrative transfer accompany an explanatory note giving the reason of transfer as mandatory? Kumar on appointment talked about various development projects for Noida and promised to kick start them soon. We took it as customary with any new CEO. But he appeared to be different. How can any CEO do anything for Noida during this short a period? Mayawati would have allowed him to be in Noida for at least two years. Normally, no project takes less than 3-5 years. A CEO must be in for sufficient period so that the accountability for the projects can be fixed.

I had an opportunity to meet Kumar along with some residents of our sector who selected me to represent against the NA plan of raising the boundary wall. G. Kumar appeared to me as pretty professional in understanding the problems, and taking decisions. The best part was his visits to the sectors and meeting the residents to hear their problems.

Time and again, we in Noida have been hearing of many development projects such as City Centre, Multilevel car parking, Noida Habitant Center, library and many other projects of world class standard. Noida could have become a Bangalore minus its climate. Kumar had raised the expectations of Noidites in the very short period he occupied the chair. But if CEOs are to work on the mercy of and for Lucknow with the sword of transfer hanging on head, Noidites mustn’t expect any significant development. Every Noidites must protest against this trasfer menace in her or his own way.

Why can’t Noida Authority become fully autonomous in administration with a council of professional residents to assist and get isolated from frequent political turmoil- real or virtual? With perhaps some of the best of the talents available in the country living in Noida, some way can certainly be found to use their expertise to transform Noida in a city worth living that people in other township envy.

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Manufacturing India-III

Posted on October 31, 2007 by indra

Auto Sector Provides Lead

For all the developed countries, be it Germany, US, or UK, the automobiles led the industrial development. It happened in the same way for Japan as well as South Korea. It is happening in China and India too.

Last Monday, some great news about the Indian manufacturing sector came simultaneously from three centers- Pune, Chennai, and New Delhi. It all related to automobile sector.

In Chennai, Ashok Leyland (ALL) signed agreement with Nissan for 3 ventures. In Pune, Carlos Ghosn and Rajiv Bajaj agreed to work for a $2500 car together. The old man of Suzuki Motor Co, president and CEO Osamu Suzuki announced a management change and also an investment of $1.8 billion for setting up a research and development unit at Manesar in New Delhi. Till very recently, Suzuki was not ready to get its transmissions manufactured in India and was importing it for all its vehicles.

R Seshasayee, MD of ALL and Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan signed an MoU to foray into the manufacture of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) with an initial investment of $500 million under three different JVs: one each for vehicle manufacturing, power train manufacturing and R&D.

In the manufacturing JV, ALL will hold 51% while Nissan the rest. The plant with a production capacity of one lakh units a year will be located in India in one of the three states- Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Production will start in 2010 and will include the Nissan Atlas F24 light duty trucks in addition to the range of products covering applications from 2.5 to 8.0 tonne gross vehicle weight.

The second joint venture will be for manufacture and assembly of engines and other drive train components to be fitted in the LCV and for exports with manufacturing facility located in India. Nissan will hold 51% while ALL will hold the rest.

The third is a technology development company headquartered in Chennai in which both parties hold equal stakes. The products developed and made would be sold under both Nissan and ALL badges.

In Pune, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan visited the Bajaj Auto’s 198-acre two-wheeler manufacturing facility at Chakan, near Pune, on Monday afternoon to announce the collaboration of both Renault and Nissan with BAL for making and selling an ultra low cost car (ULC) priced at around $2,500. “If Tatas can do it, there is no reason Bajaj cannot with the help of Renault and Nissan,” said Ghosn. Bajaj would lead the tripartite tie-up, while the two global automakers support the venture in design, engineering and even equity participation in the project if needed. The idea is to build a car of robust quality that meets the basic requirement of the customers in India initially and then see if it can be exported to other markets. In a few months when the feasibility study will be completed, and if the report is favourable, then the company can launch the ULC car by end 2011.

The old man of Suzuki Motor Co, president and CEO Osamu Suzuki who brought automobile to India in real big way was also in New Delhi. Shinzo Nakanishi, currently the chairman of MSIL will be replacing Jagdish Khattar. Mariuti Suzuki announced plans to invest $1.8 billion for setting up a research and development unit at Manesar, as well as marketing and production expansion. The company already has a production unit in Manesar. The R&D facility would be set up in an area of 500 acre.

Both Carlos and Suzuki are now ready to use the Indian talent for product innovation as other MNCs in IT sector are doing. GM is already having its R&D facility in India. According to Karl Slym, the new president and MD of General Motors India, the company is evaluating the possibility of setting up an engine manufacturing facility in India to cater to domestic as well as export demands. Automobile major General Motors expects to source components worth $1 billion from India for its worldwide operations in the next two to three years.

It is obvious, automobile will lead the manufacturing sector in India too.Tata Motors has been able to provide the benchmarks of Rs 1-lakh car and ACE truck to even the global players.

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Amritsar- Some Observations

Posted on October 30, 2007 by indra

For years, I wanted to visit Golden temple of Amritsar. When we went to Manali, the plan was to return via Amritsar. But it didn’t happen. A month or so ago I expressed my desire to Arora and as usual he made it happen. Yamuna wanted to have an outing with Aroras too. He is so much a helping person in the matters that I couldn’t learn in the whole of my life.


Host and guests

We drove to Ludhiana on last Thursday and became the guests for Amit and Rakhi in Rajgurunagar, Ludhiana. That was the way Mr. Arora wished. We were very hesitant at first, as we felt it was troublesome for the host. But the hosting couple was wonderful. The young couple provided exemplary hospitality and respect too about which we, the elders grumble. They took us to a beautiful dining outlet ‘Haveli’ and offered their bedrooms against all our requests for not doing so for our comfort. They themselves slept in the living room. Their son Sahib was the main attraction for me to be with them. He was so good and playful all the time. The drive through Ludhiana was sufficient to convince that it is one of the fastest growing cities of India. However, it must be one of the most polluted too.




At Jalianwala Bag

In afternoon on Friday we reached Amritsar, and settled in Sidhaarth Niwas, a hotel near the Golden Temple. After a wonderful lunch of Kulchas, we visited Jalianwala Bag that reminds one of the freedom struggles. The entrance is unimpressive and poorly maintained. The tourism department and the municipality can certainly make it more attractive for visitors. The story of the butchery by an English General can get into a mind-shattering light and sound programme. The martyrs certainly deserve a better and grander memorial. Unfortunately, we as nation are very poor in that. All our administrators and political leaders are just callous about it.


At Wagha Border

We reached Wagha Border with Pakistan via Attari by 4.30PM. It was a great scene with some 20-30,000 spectators to watch the retreat function. BSF jawans were playing patriotic songs. Groups of kids from schools were dancing to the enjoyment of the spectators. The occasional loud and spirited slogans of ‘Hindustan- Jindabaad’, ‘Vande- Mataram’ were reverberating the atmosphere. At 5.30PM, the rituals of retreat started. It was very difficult to see the proceedings because of the distance and location. Digital display screens at right places through CCTV could have certainly made the proceeding of retreat more enjoyable for the thousands of spectators who come every day to watch it. As I could understand from a conversation with one officer of BSF, they may have it soon.


Harmandar Sahib in night and morning

On return, we went straight to the Golden Temple known as Darbar Sahib. It was a unique experience for me. The flowing water channel to clean the feet of visitors before they enter the shrine is a unique idea and must be emulated at other temples in India. It is huge and beautiful campus with gold sheet covered Harimandar Sahib in a big tank of water (nectar). I got reminded of Shershah Tomb in Sasaram and Pawapuri’s Jain shrine. Akal Takhat on one side reminded me of the dark days of 1982 and how some rogues could make the whole nation ashamed of what happened here.

We joined into huge and highly disciplined queue through Darshni Deodhi and Holy Bridge, and made our head touch the floor in front of Guru Granth Sahib in Harmandar Sahib. Next morning I was ready by 5 AM finishing my bathe and ‘path’ of Sundarkand for Saturday. Yamuna didn’t join us. We went to Harmandar Sahib again. Majority of the visitors at this time was of the followers of Sikh faith from far and near unlike the night when I assume the majority was in favour of the people of the other faiths. Why can’t all Hindu temples try to be like this? Surprisingly, many faithful ones work to provide all the services to the visitors including cleaning and wiping at the shrine.

However, I was surprised that there was no restriction on taking camera, video or cell phone inside the temple and using them anywhere. Are the people in management of the shrine not afraid of terrorists attack here? When I raised this question with Arora, his answer was lighthearted and humorous. “How can the petty terrorists dare to face the masters or be not afraid of the consequences?” But perhaps, most of our temples such as Aksaradham are overdoing the security drills causing a lot of inconvenience to the visitors. Perhaps the managers of Harmandar Sahib must train those from the other temples and shrines about the security tips. Durgiana Temple built by Hindus of the city has tried to copy Harmandar Sahib. But Hindus don’t even copy well. We visited it while leaving Amritsar for Noida where we could reach by 11.30 PM on Saturday.

At Durgiana Temple
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Booming and Bubbling India-XXIV

Posted on October 29, 2007 by indra

India now $4 trillion economy: India’s economy, which swelled close to a trillion dollars last year, is actually worth four trillion dollars when measured in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) and accounts for 6.3 per cent of the global economy.

Economy likely to sustain growth at 10%: “I think a growth of around 10 per cent will be sustained in the next 10-15 years. We have come through various challenges like inflation and ‘overheating’. But growth has been sustained,” said ICICI Bank’s Managing Director and CEO K V Kamath.

India has fifth largest forex reserves in world: India on Friday joined the elite group of world’s five biggest holders of foreign exchange reserves as it added about $4.5 billion last week to take the kitty to $261 billion. The country surpassed South Korea, which had $257 billion in forex reserves as of September-end, to stand at the fifth spot.

Sensex Breaking record after after record: In just five months, India’s market capitalization rose by $500 billion to $1.5 trillion now. Sensex recorded its biggest evr weekly gain of 1,634 points (9.6%) toclose at 19,243, a record high. Investors’ wealth jumped Rs 6.1 lakh crore during the week to a new peak at Rs 60.4 lakh crore. On October 23, 2007 Sensex recorded its biggest single-day gain of 879 points on the Bombay Stock Exchange. Market players see sensex touching 22,000. It’s a trillion dollar tidal wave. Nearly 500 firms gained even in meltdown. Even when the stock market fell like ninepins last week, eroding over Rs4 trillion from investors’ wealth in just three days, as many as 494 companies, including top five IT firms and some PSUs, added to their market value.

International firms looking beyond IIMs: International recruiters are going beyond the top IIMs to hire students for the two-month-long summers, a mid course training programme of sorts. It must be to allure the prospective employees.

Uniform accounting norms push KPO: A new opportunity is knocking on the doors of the Indian BPO, or more precisely, the KPO (knowledge process outsourcing), industry. And the indications are that it would be a mega opportunity.

‘Chips’ in cattle to detect insurance frauds: The Gujarat Government would be implanting 1.5 lakh cattle with the RFID chips to prevent fraudulent applications for loans or claims against cattle insurance policies. It would be by permanently injecting the microchips in the cavity behind the ear of cows and buffaloes. India is becoming tech-savvy.

Small towns drive Internet boom: Internet usage in India has grown more than 11 times over the last seven years. The boom is being driven not by metros, but by smaller and non-metro towns, where the number of users has risen by a whopping 69 times and 33 times respectively since 2000.

250mn telephone target achieved 2 months in advance: India has achieved its target of 250 million telephone connections two months ahead of the scheduled December-end, according to a statement from telecom regulator Trai. The gross number of telephones crossed 248.66 million in September with the addition of 7.64 million telephone connections.

ONGC-Mittal JV buys 30% in Turkmenistan block: ONGC-Mittal Energy Ltd, the joint venture company formed by ONGC and Mittal Investment, has acquired a 30% participating interest in an exploration block in Turkmenistan. Himatsingka Seide, the Bangalore-based company has now announced the acquisition of US-based DWI Holdings, its third buyout this calendar year. Wockhardt acquires US-based Morton Grove: Pharmaceutical major Wockhardt Ltd has acquired Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals, a liquid generic and specialty dermatology company in the US with sales revenue of USD 52 million. The acquisition would boost the company’s US revenue by providing a complete range of dosage forms right from tablets, capsules, liquids to injectables.

Two Indians on Time’s global “Heroes of Environment” list: Domestic wind power firm Suzlon Energy chief Tulsi Tanti, along with Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology’s D P Dobhal, have made to a list of global environment champions prepared by the Time magazine.

Tamil Nadu Govt to introduce ‘rural tourism’: Tamil Nadu Government has decided to introduce ‘rural tourism’ showcasing Tamil culture and customs. Two villages in the district, where Tamil culture and customs were still preserved, had been identified for the new tourism concept. Rs one crore each would be spent on Kadampadi village and Punjarasanthangal villages in the district have been selected for inclusion in the rural tourism sector.

A fund to engineer entrepreneurship: India’s second largest software and services firm Infosys Technologies Ltd’s chief mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy and venture capitalist Gururaj Deshpande have committed $600,000 (Rs2.4 crore) of their own money to hone the entrepreneurship skills of engineering students across India. The money will be spent on getting professors from top universities in the US to take courses in non-IIT engineering colleges, in drafting effective business proposals and helping them network with leading venture capitalists in the US.

Vizag Pharma City: Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City, country’s first pharma industrial estate, which is being developed by the Ramky group near Visakhapatnam, is almost ready. Three pharma companies – Glochem industries, Actumum Chemicals and Vijayasri Chemicals – have already started production.

Patni Computer ties up with BITS, Pilani: IT services and business solutions provider Patni Computer Systems has signed an MoU with Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, for a two-year masters degree in Embedded Systems for its employees for upgrading the skills of its employees for growing Product Engineering Services (PES) division of the company. Revenues of Indian IT companies from engineering services are growing exponentially with NASSCOM estimating engineering services offshoring to be a $55-billion opportunity by 2020. .

Sun Pharma gets US approval to sell generic Exelon: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, India’s biggest drugmaker by market value, has got approval to sell its generic version of Novartis AG’s Exelon, in the US market. Exelon is used to treat dementia.

Suzlon to raise Rs 5,000cr for expansion: Country’s largest wind power equipment maker Suzlon Energy will raise up to Rs5,000 crore for expansion purposes, including raising production capacity to 5,700 MW.

S&P puts TCS in investment grade: Global rating agency Standard & Poor’s has assigned an investment grade to TCS. The corporate credit rating with a positive outlook, BBB, is higher than India’s rating and “highlights the financial robustness of our business model and operating strengths of the company,” said TCS.

BSNL to invest Rs 60,000 cr: State-run telecom giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is investing a whopping Rs 60,000 crore in next three years to expand its GSM, Broadband and WLL services, a move that would help the PSU achieve top position by 2010.

Goldman Sachs eyes 33% stake in Bhatia’s Nano City: The Nano City, which would have five lakh inhabitants, would focus on nano technology, bio-sciences, software product development, next-generation internet products, material research and energy.

IT exports to touch $80 bn by 2011: The government expects IT exports to touch 80 billion dollars by 2011, growing at an average rate of 30 per cent annum.

Essar to construct refinery in Iran: Iran’s state oil refining firm and the Essar Group are expected to start building a 3,00,000 barrels per day refinery in southern Iran. The facility, estimated to cost $8-$10 billion (Rs32,000-40,000 crore) and which would be the first foreign-invested downstream project in sanctions-hit Iran, will boost the OPEC member’s stagnant refining sector that is struggling with petrol shortages.

Cookson Electronics opens India R&D center: Cookson Electronics, a US-based company, which provides basic materials used in electronic assembly processes, has opened a research and development (R&D) centre in Bangalore at an investment of $10 million that will focus on innovative new materials, components and technologies for the electronic, manufacturing, assembly and packaging.

ONGC plans Rs 31,000 cr capex in 11th Planz; Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd aims to invest over $ 5 billion and produce 25 million metric standard cubic metres per day of gas from its fields in the Krishna Godavari basin by 2012-13.

And the news of some other booms and birsts is building confidence and providing hope to many in the country.

Burst of justice, from Delhi to Coimbatore: One after the other, the blasts went off in packed courtrooms. The heat sent 60 persons to a life of confinement, but none died.

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Durga Puja: Enjoy a Tale

Posted on October 28, 2007 by indra

One can get confused with the large number of goddesses and gods in any of the Durga Puja pandal that is getting celebrated these days all over India, particularly wherever, the Bengali community is in number good enough to organize one. I unscrupulously try to listen to the queries of little boys and girls who visit the pandals and try to impress each other about his or her knowledge of the mythology. While Saraswati with her vina and books represents learning and fine arts, Kartikeya stands for military prowess for protection and preservation. Ganesha, the elephant god and his little mouse entertain the little ones while representing the subtle intelligence. And the world can’t survive without Lakshmi’s wealth and her owls. While the main festival is for Durga with ten weapons in her ten hands and she dominates the pandal and rituals, Shiva and other Gods are also in attendance sometimes. Normally, it presents pretty complex situation for a devotee. He is to be equally faithful to all. And the result may be devastating sometimes that reminds me of a story given by Jug Suraiya.

Jug Suraiya has started with this interesting tale in a lead article in Times of India, New Delhi on October 17, 2007.

A Muslim, a Christian and a Hindu are crossing a river in a ferry. A storm springs up and the ferry is pitched and tossed about. The passengers begin to pray for salvation. “Save me, Allah”, pleads the Muslim. And a divine being on a winged horse carries the Muslim to safety. “Save me, dear God”, cries the Christian. And a chariot of fire descends and conveys him to the shore. “Save me, oh save me!”, begs the Hindu. But despite all his entreaties, no help is forthcoming and the poor fellow drowns. He finds himself in Heaven, where Brahma welcomes him with a warm “Swagat”. “What swagat!”, the newcomer huffs. “How you showed me up in front of that Muslim and that Christian. They prayed to their respective gods who came and saved them. But though i prayed and prayed, no one bothered to come and save me”, he grumbles. Brahma shrugs helplessly. “What could I do, my son. You started praying to Vishnu to save you, so I adopted that avatar and was coming for you, when you began to call on Ram. I was stringing my bow as Ram, when you suddenly called Krishna. I was getting my flute and my gopis, when you invoked Durga. I was putting kajal in my eyes before coming to rescue you, and in the meantime you went and drowned”.

I went through the story many times, enjoyed it thoroughly and shared it with Yamuna as well as with some friends too. You can think over the situation a little lightly, and you can also enjoy it more.

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Frustrating India

Posted on October 23, 2007 by indra

Indians keep on postponing the hard work for the solution search of a problem, and wish time or someone else will automatically solve the problem. In recent years, the problem of rehabilitation of the people uprooted by a new project is one such problem. Be it Sardar Sarovar or Tata Motors’ Singur project, the compensation and rehabilitation had been at the worst. Media these days are reporting about a unique protest March.

25,000 of India’s poorest and most powerless-adivasis, Dalits, bonded agricultural labourers, fisherfolk- from different states are marching to Delhi on October 29 to demand their right to livelihood. For them, eight-lane highways, more railway tracks, national parks and power projects or world class manufacturing companies are not what they are to the urban middle classes-symbols of a better future, welcome signs of an India ‘catching up’ with the West.

They perceive the ‘development’ as dangerous as that is snatching away their land without compensation. To them, the states are impertinent and indifferent to protect them against their traditional oppressors.

They are marching a grueling 350-km Janadesh (‘People’s Verdict’) Walk for Land. They will conclude it at Rajghat in Delhi on October 29, to let the capital, the seat of power hear, see, appreciate, and find solution to their age-old problem accentuated by so-called globalization or unimaginative and uncompassionate development strategies. Will the rally that is supposed to be an extraordinary outburst of pent-up frustration and fear solve their problem or go in history as another tamasha?

Ekta Parishad, a Gandhian mass movement that works in 4,000 villages in eight states has organized this march to help the poor retain their rights to livelihood and resources they depend on for survival. As Ekta Parishad sees it, these rights are being sacrificed for a development model that fails to take into account the needs and aspirations of the poor. Its national convener P.V. Rajagopal says: “The public distribution system isn’t working, government schools and hospitals aren’t working and the system is corrupt and inefficient. Yet, there’s so much enthusiasm for anti-poor laws, like SEZs and the Land Acquisition Act. Is development intended to help the poor? Or is it just a profit-making business?”

In 2003, the adibasis of the forests of Kanha had all been served an eviction order, due to the expansion project of the Kanha National Park. Nearly every month since the notice was served, they have sent a delegation to the district magistrate, who refuses to read their petition. Why can’t the DM be more compassionate?

Adivasi families in many areas have been terrorized and exploited for generations by a clan of land-grabbing zamindars, who forbid them from touching the fruits on the trees they have planted, force them off their fields and steal their crop. Some even slap a slew of false cases such as rape and theft, ensuring that every month they waste time and money they don’t have on court hearings. Why is the local administration so insensitive about their problems?

An Adivasi farmer from Joglia in Madhya Pradesh and fellow tribals have to pay local authorities a monthly ‘fee’ to keep their land-anywhere between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500-for which they never get receipts. If they refuse, their bulls and ploughs are confiscated and they are thrown off the land. And to ensure they no longer have a claim on it, trees or jatropha crops are planted, or ditches dug into their plots. As most of the tribals are hardly literate, should they be exploited and harassed to the extent that they become rebels or join Maoists?

Even in this twenty first century, landless Dalits from rural Tamil Nadu are subjected to a ‘dual caste system,’ which forbids them from walking on roads, taking water from wells, entering temples and strangely enough, even rearing male dogs. A child from a high caste still call the dalit child by name and the dalit just can’t open his mouth. Even though elected as panchayat head, one remains just as a dummy and is never allowed to see the files or enter the panchayat building due to a powerful high caste landowner who still retains control of the village. And even the collector calls it “a social norm” without helping the man.

Here is another story. Ganesan belongs to one of the 19 families among whom 19.8 hectares of land was earmarked for redistribution following the 1961 Land Ceiling Act. Four decades later, after a bitter court battle, they have got pattas in their name. Yet, the land remains in the possession of rich politicians and contractors and they aren’t being allowed to occupy it. Why couldn’t the Prime Ministers or Chief Ministers and the bureaucrats over decades find a solution for these ills?

Ekta Parishad wants the central government to set up a national land commission to implement land reforms, to implement a single-window system of administering land claims, and arrange for fast-track courts to settle longstanding land disputes. Will it happen or even after another 60 years, someone like me will write almost the same story in some different language?

On October 29, the marchers will no doubt attract the attention of irate motorists of New Delhi and NCR. But will anyone who matters take notice, and will the march lead to any concrete action? Rajgopalan says, “With all the international pressure on India to industrialize rapidly, ordinary people have no voice. With this march, we’re just trying to raise our voice and get it heard.” I don’t think the march like many will leave any imprint on the mind of the administration. Even media will never do anything to follow the issues up, as they will keep on getting more hot news items to cover.

Why can’t the Prime Minister sit with all the chief ministers and political leaders of all parties who matter find a permanent and acceptable solution for the problem of land acquisition that can be uniform for all the states. Even 50 times more compensations will not make the projects unviable. But will it solve the problems of the people and the country? Will the companies like Posco keep on waiting for the land for years to start work on the project or decide to leave after getting frustrated?

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Booming and Bubbling India-XXIII

Posted on October 22, 2007 by indra

Chak De! India

India defeat Australia Again. India won the Twenty20 match against Australia in Mumbai on Saturday. The last bash was hit by the Indian captain MS Dhoni, himself, hitting a six. It showed the confidence level.

‘India doing well, but challenges ahead’: “…India has done remarkably well in recent years. But it faces a number of challenges. It has still high public debt, although it’s made impressive progress in reducing its fiscal deficit in the last few years. It’s recently been facing some inflation pressures, although they’ve taken steps to tighten monetary policy and those appear to have been reasonably effective so far,” IMF Director Asia Pacific Department, David Burton, said.

Tata family honoured with the ‘Philanthropy Nobel’: The Tatas, one of India’s leading industrialist families, have been honoured with the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy that is considered the ‘Nobel Prize of Philanthropy’ at Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Sons, accepted the medal on behalf of the family in the presence of former president of India APJ Abdul Kalam.

Will Jobs Move Back to Silicon Valley from India?: “Despite the difficulties, India still offers IT and engineering talent at a relative cost advantage to U.S. firms, and so the country will retain its appeal as an offshoring destination. That trend is unlikely to end anytime soon.”

In the Comfort Zone- India has wealth-building consumers rather than export riches. http://www.newsweek.com/id/43340 “India is the only economy in Asia driven primarily by domestic demand,” says Christopher Wood, chief strategist of the Hong Kong-based brokerage CLSA. In short, India’s weaknesses have become its strengths.

“The fundamentals of the Indian corporate do not give a reason as to why there should not be such a high rise in the equity market. Only a few economies have such a high growth trajectory and India scores very high on both the growth prognosis and trajectory,” said Ms Kalpana Morparia, Chief Strategist and Communications Officer, ICICI Bank.

Growth in India, China to offset US slowdown: “Robust” growth in China, India and Russia, which accounted for half the global expansion over the past year, will compensate for the American slowdown. Indian gross domestic product will increase by 8.4% next year, unchanged from the July projection, after an 8.9% expansion in 2006-07.

Procurement offshoring is next big wave: After BPO and KPO, now it’s PO or Procurement Outsourcing. Experts predict PO is slated to emerge as India’s next big outsourcing story. Indian players are gearing up to take a larger share in the pie. It started off when Fortune 500 companies started having a more mature buying process. As a result, large vendor management groups were set up and complex bidding processes were introduced. In this rush to outsource, one group continued to enlarge, which is the procurement group.

India’s HNIs touch 1-lakh mark, clocks 2nd highest growth: A latest study has found that India’s High Networth Individuals (HNIs) population has touched 1,00,000 mark at the end of 2006. Indian HNIs posted the second fastest growth of 20.5%, says the Asia-Pacific Wealth Report released by Merril Lynch and consulting firm Capgemini.

19K in 4 sessions: It took four years for the Sensex to touch its first 1,000-mark in 1990, and just four days to sprint from 18,000 to 19,000. Does it make sense? Where is it headed? How long can it last? Bubbling! Is it not?

India 2nd best FDI destination in 2007: India has emerged as the most attractive location after China – ahead of the United States and Russia – for foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007, according to the the World Investment Report of UNCTAD.

IMF lauds India’s growth, says monetary policy ‘appropriate’: Terming the Indian growth pattern as “impressive”, the IMF has said it does not foresee overheating of its economy as long as the current monetary policy is in place and its “independence is strengthened”.

India most reformed among emerging markets: India is the most reformed among emerging markets owing to the economic reforms undertaken by the government, according to a new survey by the Commonwealth Business Council.

Patni Comp in $200-mn deal with UK-based co: IT solutions provider Patni Computer Systems has bagged a $200-million (Rs792 crore) contract from UK-based Carphone Warehouse for providing wide range of technology services.

3 Indians in ArtReview ’07 list: Three Indians have made it to the annual ArtReview Power 100, a global list of the most powerful people in the art world, in a sign of the rising significance of the country’s Rs1, 500 crore art market. Artist Subodh Gupta comes in at No. 85, Osian’s auction house head Neville Tuli is at No. 99 and collector Anupam Poddar at No. 100.

CA opens $30mn tech centre in Hyd: CA Inc, a global securities management solutions company, has opened a $30-million (around Rs 120 crore) India Technology Centre (ITC) in Hyderabad — its largest facility across the globe. The ITC is a critical part of the company’s global R&D strategy. CA plans to rollout its highest revenue-generating products from India.

Goldman Sachs to invest $172 mn in Sigma Electric: Leading global investment banking firm, Goldman Sachs, will invest $172-million in Sigma Electric, a low-cost cast metal parts manufacturer.

First IT SEZ in north to start operations: The first three movers to the tax free zone will be WNS Global Services, Genpact and Accenture and all of them will occupy 75,000 sq ft each for their operations from the SEZ spread over 5 million sq ft.

Car cos to roll out 20 new models in 2008: At least 20 new passenger car models are expected to hit Indian roads next year. Tata Motors’ Rs 1 lakh car is certainly one of the most awaited.

JSW Steel to up capacity: Steel maker JSW will invest more than Rs 17,000 crore to increase production capacity to 10 million tonne by 2010 from current 3.2 MT.

DLF to build 20 malls: Real estate industry leader DLF plans to invest Rs 16,000 crore over four years to develop about 20 large shopping malls across the country.

Power in Power Project: Tata Power, Reliance Energy, National Thermal Power Corporation, Essar Power, Jindal Steel & Power, Sterlite Industries, DS Construction and engineering firm Larsen & Tourbo are in the fray for the 4,000 MW project. While Hong Kong’s China Light & Power Company (CLP) has joined hands with GMR Energy, Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation and US’ AES are going solo for Coastal Andhra Power, the special purpose vehicle set up by Power Finance Corporation (PWC) – the nodal agency for various ultra mega power projects in India.

3i Infotech buys US software company: 3i Infotech Ltd has signed an agreement to acquire J&B Software Inc of the US and its subsidiaries. J&B Software is engaged in providing software products and services relating to remittance processing in the US for blue-chip customers.

Philips to enhance R&D for global products: Philips Innovation Campus (PIC), Bangalore-based software arm of consumer electronics giant Philips, intends to enhance its contribution for evolution of global products for various industries.

Global biotech firms on India quest: Of the top-10 global biotech companies, the biggest two – Amgen and Biogen – have already set up wholly owned subsidiaries in the country. Others, such as Genentech, Serono, Chiron, Gilead, among others are in the process of exploring business opportunities in a big way.

GFA to invest $12 m in India: Geneva-based Global Franchise Architects (GFA), which has brands like Pizza Corner and Coffee World, plans to invest $12 million in India. India accounts for 40% of its global revenue and the company has been registering a growth of 40% year-on-year.

US IT major CA betting big on its India development center: US based IT major CA is betting big on its India development centre to fuel its future growth and will also tap the growing market in India to sell its software, leveraging on its partnership with domestic IT biggies – TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL and Satyam.

‘Food processing sector to grow’: Food Processing Industry (FPI) is estimated to grow at 9-12 per cent in the near future, according to a FICCI KPMG paper. Fruits and Vegetables processing, which is currently around two per cent of total production is likely to increase to 10 per cent by 2010, and further to 25 per cent by 2025. Value-addition in food products is expected to increase from 8 per cent to 35 per cent by the end of 2025. The food processing sector has the potential of attracting €2.7 billion investment by 2015.

TCS signs $1.2bn deal with Nielsen: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced the largest outsourcing deal in the Indian IT industry, worth $1.2 billion (around Rs 4,800 crore), with Netherlands-based Nielsen — a leading provider of consumer and media information services. The deal will enhance TCS’s presence in media consulting.

‘India Inc bullish on fund raising’: According to the the International Business Report 2007 conducted by global advisory firm Grant Thornton which surveyed over 500 businesses having a turnover in the range of Rs 100-500 crores, nearly 64% of the Indian businesses plan to raise funds for their growth activities in the next one year.

Quantum sets up R&D centre in Hyderabad: US-based Quantum Corporation announced the opening of its India Development Centre in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad centre will be a software R&D facility of the company in India that works on different components of software products being designed by Quantum to integrate them with data storage and protection systems.

Indian Outsourcing Has Peaked: Notwithstanding the occasional news stories about companies returning work earlier offshored to India, the logic behind offshoring and its financial impact (both on outsourcing firms operating in India and their American clients) remains intact.

India tops in remittances from migrants: India with $24.5 billion took in more remittance than any other nation. It was followed by Mexico ($24.2 billion), China ($21 billion), the Philippines ($14.6 billion) and Russia ($13.7 billion), according to a new UN study.

Cognizant to acquire marketRX: Nasdaq-listed Cognizant Technology Solutions has signed an agreement to buy healthcare specialist knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) firm marketRX Inc for $135 million in cash.

Bobby Jindal is first Indian-American governor: Republican Bobby Jindal has been elected the Louisiana governor after beating 11 rivals, to be the first politician of South Asian origin and the country’s youngest to become the governor of any American state.

Leftists might have brought PM and the country in trouble, but it hardly affects the boom.Sensex may appear to be bubbling. Risk takers gain too. Who bothers about the losers?

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Manufacturing India-II

Posted on October 19, 2007 by indra

Indian manufacturing sector is getting pretty attractive. Smaller enterprises are scaling up. Many MNCs are setting up shops for varied products. New technologies are entering. Indian manufacturers with all odds such as rising rupee are competing.

Augmenting manufacturing growth: India can no longer expect to outperform its competitors unless manufacturing grows substantially. Its high-tech industry, the business-process-outsourcing and IT industries may earn revenue to at least $60 billion by 2010, but will never provide the number of jobs needed for all of the tens of millions of Indians seeking opportunities. If India were to leverage its inherent strengths in skill-intensive manufacturing, exports could surge to about $300 billion, creating 25 million to 30 million jobs by 2015. Emphasizing apparel, auto components, electrical and electronic products, and specialty chemicals could help “Made in India” to become the next big manufacturing-exports story.

The first step will be to ignite domestic demand, which would help attract multinational manufacturers and provide the scale needed to be globally competitive. More important, the total taxes on manufactured goods should fall to 15 percent of retail prices (the current level in China) over the next three years. Our study of a variety of product categories in India and China shows that for every drop in prices of 25 percentage points, consumption increases three- to fivefold.

The SEZs can further accelerate manufacturing growth story. By 2016, the automotive industry is expected to create 25 million jobs in India, according to Government predictions, set out in its Automotive Mission Plan. Of this, 62 per cent will be skilled workers, and 10 per cent, unskilled; the balance 28 per cent would comprise management and general personnel. For every job created directly by the automotive industry, a further seven are created indirectly in the economy at large. The industry is set to have a major impact on India’s future economic growth.

In India, a $2,500 Pace Car: A revolution is taking place in India that could change what most of the world drives. Next fall, the Indian automaker Tata Motors is scheduled to introduce its long-awaited People’s Car, with a sticker price of about $2,500. Hot on its tail may be as many as half a dozen new ultra-affordable vehicles – some from the world’s leading carmakers, including Toyota and Renault-Nissan. With a median age of just under 25 and a rapidly expanding middle class, India will overtake China next year as the fastest-growing car market, according to estimates by CSM Worldwide, an auto industry forecasting service. As a result, car companies are coming up with new ways to develop and build automobiles worldwide.

By 2013, CSM predicts, India’s market will expand an average of 14.5 percent a year, compared with just over 8 percent for China. CSM estimates that in 2013, the Chinese will buy 10.8 million cars, compared with 3.8 million in India, but says there is already a glut of local and foreign manufacturers in China, making India a more attractive long-term market. The competition to make cars less expensive could finally help make India an automotive research and development hotspot.

Maruti’s sales in India exceed Suzuki’s domestic sales: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the nation’s biggest carmaker, surpassed its parent Suzuki Motor Corp in sales in their respective home markets for the first time as rising incomes in India boosted demand. Maruti sold 336,758 cars, vans and sport-utility vehicles in the domestic market between April and September. That exceeded the preliminary 315,000 vehicles Suzuki sold in Japan in the same period, according to spokesman Takuma Mizuyoshi.

Tata Motors launches armoured vehicles: The Tata Motors Ltd has launched a range of armoured vehicles for defence and bulletproof vehicles for high net-worth individuals. The company’s range includes an armoured bus, a troop carrier and bulletproof Sumo and Safari.

Tubeless radials rule India’s roads: Most of India’s tyremakers including MRF, JK tyres and Ceat have started manufacturing tubeless radial tyres. “Tubeless radials can carry on with a nail in them for many kilometres, and you will probably notice the flat tyre at home, rather than on the road.”

L&T considers manufacture of components for commercial jets: Engineering and construction company Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) is exploring the possibilities of making components of passenger aircraft at its factory at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.This will mark the entry of private players in aircraft component manufacturing for bigger jets at a time when India alone is going to buy 500 civilian planes in the next five years for scheduled operations. Until now, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, or HAL, was the only company undertaking the manufacturing of components such as doors for bigger passenger planes made by Airbus SAS of Toulouse, in France and Boeing Co. of Seattle, Pratt and Whitney (P&W), the US-based aircraft engine manufacturer, is planning to invest $30 million towards infotech and spare parts in its manufacturing facility in India. According to company sources, the investment could be doubled in the next three – five years, looking at the growth prospects in India.

The success story of Hanung Toys: The order book of the Rs 275-crore (Rs 2.75 billion) soft toys and bed linen exporter is crammed: in just the past three weeks or so, Hanung has tied up deals worth over $265 million (Rs 1,060 crore). That includes a Rs 600-crore (Rs 6 billion) order from Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA, as well as contracts with two unnamed American companies, the combined force of which is likely to catapult Hanung into the big league.

‘Manufacturing units hit by rising rupee, Chinese imports‘: Impose dumping duty on China till they float yuan, says L&T chief. Larsen & Toubro feels that the rupee appreciation combined with the Chinese artificially locking in their currency is affecting some of the manufacturing units in the company. It has appraised the Centre of this and wants it to act before Indian manufacturing is badly affected.

GE plans wind turbine facility: US conglomerate General Electric Co. (GE) plans to set up a green-field facility in India to manufacture wind turbines of capacities of 1.5MW and 2.5MW.

Fabrication in India: Santa Clara, California-based SemIndia had originally announced a $3 billion fabrication facility in Hyderabad that is expected to be ready for chip production by mid-2008. The company’s focus will be around manufacturing chips for the telecommunication, entertainment, broadband and digital satellite. Hindustan Semiconductor had also announced a $3 billion investment in India to set up a fabrication unit.

Maruti, Magneti Marelli, Suzuki form joint venture: Magneti Marelli, Suzuki Motor Corporation and Maruti Suzuki India Ltd have signed an agreement for the creation of a joint venture in India aimed at the production of electronic control units (ECUs) for diesel engines. Tata Motors, Fiat ink JV for car making: Fiat Group Automobiles and Tata Motors on Thursday signed a 50:50 joint venture (JV) to build passenger cars, engines and transmission with an overall investment of E650 million for the Indian and overseas markets.

L&T to buy Tamco switchgear units: India’s top engineering firm, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, is buying the switchgear businesses of Malaysia’s Tamco in Malaysia, Australia, China and Indonesia for about $110 million.

How India Clusters Growth: A slew of new manufacturing hubs, or “clusters,” developing across India, from Chennai in the south to the hosiery and knitwear capital of Ludhiana in the north. For instance, the Ambur area has been home to leather workers for over a century, and the state of Tamil Nadu is India’s leather capital: Of the $3 billion in annual leather exports from India, 40% to 45% comes from Tamil Nadu, and a total of $750 million comes from the Ambur area alone. The cluster strategy is one reason that India is in the middle of a manufacturing boom. These clusters will be the base of India’s manufacturing revolution, and more important, represent a way to restore the vitality of India’s guild system.

Gee Whiz, It’s A Reva! Manufactured by Bangalore-based Reva Electric Car Company (RECC), the G-Wiz was launched in the UK with an order of just 40 vehicles in 2004 have grown more than 900 units plying on London’s roads. Exports account for about 70 per cent of Reva’s total sales.

Automation city to come up near Pune: The automation city project is meant for development, promotion and deployment of automated manufacturing technologies for Indian as well as global markets with an investment worth Rs 258 crore. “We have entered a joint venture agreement with Cenetic, a French manufacturing company, to work on the vehicle assembly solution and another with a Canadian company, Valient.”

Alcoa planning India facility: The world’s third biggest producer of aluminium, Alcoa Inc., plans to manufacture aluminium architectural products and systems in India to meet the rising demand for such products-used in commercial buildings-in the world’s second largest growing major economy.

Bharati, Apeejay form Rs2, 000 cr shipbuilding JV: Bharati Shipyard Ltd and unlisted Apeejay Shipping Ltd said on Tuesday they would invest Rs2,000 crore in an equal joint venture to set up a modern shipbuilding yard along India’s eastern coast. While Indian shipbuilders are expanding their capacities with buyouts of other yards and assets, Indian shipping and engineering firms are planning to set up shipbuilding yards to exploit the sector’s surging potential.

And the story continues.

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Sleeping Kings or Devils in Disguise

Posted on October 17, 2007 by indra

Last Monday, NDTV, India kept on showing ministers sleeping in the Junta Durbar of Bihar’s Chief Minister. Even with camera zooming again and again on them, the ministers could hardly get disturbed out of their sweet dreams. The ministers were sleeping on duty when their CM was attending to the public grievances, and they were to listen and reply to the grievances of the people connected to their ministries.
As usual, Dua in his Khabardar got a material good enough to prove his point to make the minister ‘kabardar’ and kept on talking. When the reporters questioned CM about it, he could only laugh it off. But can the CM take the ministers to task for a misdemeanour for which we used to fire the workmen while working in industry? Nitish is now nearing two years in office. He has not come out with any reshuffling based on needs. Neither has he done any restructuring of the cabinet for improving performance. Junta Durbar can be a good way of coming nearer to the ‘aam aadami’, if the grievances are effectively monitored and sorted out. But it can also remain as gimmickry with no benefits to the people whom it aims to serve. Perhaps the sleeping ministers don’t believe in the affectivity of the junta durbar or perhaps they consider it something initiated by the CM to build up his own image, and they are not part of the collective responsibility.

It is unfortunate. Ministers are the modern kings or CEOs today. How can they sleep in presence of the people whom they are to serve and to whom they are answerable? Are they not bothered about their image through all those who are present and watching them sleeping or are they immune to all these? Why should the master or king bother about the servants/ subjects?

Frankly, I don’t know any of the ministers that came on camera. Unfortunately, I tend to hate the attire and fashion trends of the politicians that they put on in public functions. I kept on thinking. How can Bihar develop if their ministers keep on sleeping?

And sleeping they are. Every day I visit the official website of Bihar government. I go into the pages of projects that have been approved. I see the list growing in number. But even after many reminders, the person in charge of updating the data does not provide the progress status. I am sure the people of Bihar would have been happy to know if work on some sugar mills or medical colleges and hospitals, that are in majority in the list, would have started. I still doubt if the list has many serious investors. Why can’t a ministry just follow the implementation of these projects? Can my readers suggest if I must visit one day this durbar to find out the answer to my question?

I have started wondering if I should stop reading news and report about Bihar, as it might otherwise affect my health badly at this age. But how can I escape some news such as ‘did Union Minister Plot Murder?’ in a national daily that says Fatmi accused of conspiracy to bump off Darbhanga Deputy Mayor. Unfortunately, Manmohan and more so Laluji couldn’t find a better Human Resource Minister for India than Fatmi to whom all the top intelligentsia including directors of IITs and IIMs as well as Vice chancellors are to report on some or other occasion. At least I don’t expect a plotter of murder to hold that position.

I shall again request Nitish Kumar to be shrewdly ruthless and smart to handle the unique situation of a great state. This is perhaps one of the last opportunities for the state and more so for Nitish Kumar. Can Nitish take the bureaucrats in total confidence for improving the implementation of development works? Will the bureaucrats of Bihar dedicate themselves to take Bihar out of the misery, as we can’t expect much initiative from their ministers? Most of them are just not capable enough.

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