दृष्टिकोण – Indra's Viewpoint

• I see a third lane being added to a road, a tree plantation coming up on sides of the roads or a well-planned dividing zone getting built on a road.
• I see a consistent increase in vehicular traffic – trailers with loaded containers, tankers, buses, and cars of all new models on the nearby road. It gives me hope and confidencein the growth of Indian economy in general, and the local economy in particular.
• I see a house, a hospital or a multi-storied housing or entertainment complex coming up somewhere, which will fulfill the dreams and aspirations of many common people.
• I see a large number of vendors in the nearby weekly bazaar, who have come from distant villages and may very well become successful entrepreneurs or business men some day.
• I read a news item – Sardar Sarovar Nigam invests Rs.170 crores for creating tourist facilities. Why can’t other similar projects come up with such a plan?
• I hear Big B adopting two draught affected villages and providing all necessary services to overcome the crisis.
• I attend a function of Child and Vidya – an NGO run by some young educated housewives that provide education to under-privileged children in best public schools with honour.
• I come to know of Mr. Dubey who selflessly sacrificed himself for a cause that he truly believed in. We need many more of his type for this nation to truly realize it’s potential
• I find someone treating the boy at home to help his wife as his own and arrange for educating him by keeping a tutor.
• Ramayan tells me that his son got admission in an engineering college. Ramayan is an employee in an engineering company where I had served and makes less than Rs.5000 or so per month. What amazes me most is that it was his son who arranged the money (around Rs. 3,00,000.00) as an Educational loan from a bank.

Anyway, as somwhat of an optimist, I keep on looking for ways and means to smile and feel good about things. If every single indidual of the billion or so that inhabit this great nation decided to contribute 10% more than they normally do (or would do), the whole scenario will become different and may even bring the dream of India shining nearer.

Our respected political leaders or Members of Parliament (MP) are already busy creating more reasons for us to feel bad or at least let down. This is not the time for us to get bogged down. Let’s not forget that our nation is bigger than any individual (or set of individuals) and let us refocus and rededicate ourselves in working towards the greater good of the country as a whole.

One of the priorities for the new government as per Mr. Jagdish Khattar, Managing director, Maruti Udyog Ltd. (MUL) must be “education, particularly in developing technically skilled workforce”. Mr. Khattar must be having the present standard of the students that are graduating out of the technical schools in his mind. I agree with him whole-heartedly. Somehow along the way, we seem to have dropped the ball when it came to imparting good quality technical skills attained and knowledge in our schools.

I can certainly relate this in the fields of Mechanical and Manufacturing engineers. I used to interview fresh graduates quite often during my professional career. Don’t get me wrong. These boys and girls were and are extremely sharp in computer-related skills. But their exposure to fundamentals of the subjects they are presumably majoring in is very limited. Perhaps it’s lack of interaction between the teachers and the industry that employs these students. Many a times, we see instances of course materials being woefully outdated. An increased exposure of the new technology in use in a high-tech industry is essential. Teachers must regularly update and refresh their knowledge to provide the knowledge of technology as well as management techniques used on shop floor. Moreover, the workshop facilities in workshops in some of these colleges are really limited. The way I see it, every manufacturing engineering student must have a practical and hands-on knowledge of at least five types of machine tools.

Here are a few ideas:

• An engineering course – Manufacturing engineering and management must be encouraged. This graduate level course must include design and manufacture of tooling, tool engineering, and quality control techniques as well as inter-personal skills. I tried to propose the course with some of the institutes during my professional life, but with little success.
• We have a large number of technical schools in every state that teaches different trades and offers diplomas in the trades. These students become the first level operatives and the junior supervisors in a manufacturing company such as MUL. As a rule, the students are given some theoretical lessons in trade schools followed by practical training and exposure in a sponsoring company. Unfortunately, none of the curricula as well as training is taken seriously either by the teachers or the sponsoring companies. The onus is completely on the student to learn and earn the skills of the trade. I propose that some of these trade schools, if not all, be attached to better staffed and equipped engineering colleges of the state such as IITs, Regional engineering colleges or other similar institutions. The parent institutes should keep a watch on the quality of education being provided to students. I feel this model might work.
• Along similar lines, various states have State funded tool rooms – some Indo-German, Indo- Danish, and Indo-Swiss. These tool rooms train students in tool making and tool design. The engineering college can go in collaborations with these tool rooms and use its workshops that are pretty-well equipped. While the tool rooms will be provide better practical working skills to the graduates, the teachers of these engineering colleges can give better theoretical knowledge of the subjects. A lot of duplication of investment in machine tools and equipment can also be eliminated.

  Some of these tool rooms are already manufacturing for industry. These tool rooms can easily become the nuclei for setting up a larger tool room and die making companies for catering to different industries. If necessary, these tool rooms should even be privatized. I think it’s inline with my desire of making India a manufacturing hub of world-class tooling manufacturers.

• By tooling I mean, all jigs, fixtures and dies for all metal-forming industry. India is way behind in this area. Even countries such as Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand are having many world class tool-making companies. Thanks to the growing auto industry (more than a million per year of passenger cars), auto-component industry, other white goods and brown goods consumer industry, the business scope will be very high. Potential for export is always there. For an example, for any new model of a car, a company invests about Rs. 600 -1000 crore in new dies and tooling. Because of the nature of the industry, the employment potential is also high. Its profit margins are also high. With flexible machine tools available for manufacturers of the dies and tooling items, the investment will be justifiable. Like almost everything else around us, Tool manufacturing today is highly computer-based with CAD and CAM applications and India’s IT superiority will put us in good stead.

I dream of at least 10 more IITs and IIMs for a country of the size of India. I also dream that one day our manufacturing sector will grow and become the best in the world in cost, quality and delivery. Our manufacturing engineering sector’s contribution must be at least 100 billion dollars in our export. It’s a tall order, but then, I think it’s worth aiming for.

I propose to continue writing on India’s Manufacturing sector. If you’ve something to add, I would more than happy to listen

Dear Lalooji – the De facto King of Bihar,

Congratulations on your victory in Madhepura. And also for the almost guaranteed win in the upcoming countermanded election of Chhapra in advance, which is now only of academic interest. You are really great with no one to challenge your political ability and foresight in at least in Bihar. But Bihar remains poor. I am sure you must not be very happy about the state of affairs there.

I was watching your reactions to the TV anchor who wanted to have your comments on EC’s decision countermanding the election of Chhapra held on 26.4.2004. You looked terribly irritated and upset. It is not good for you and for your health You still owe certain debt to Bihar. You must pay it back before you move out of Bihar. I am one of the well wishers of Bihar. I do also appreciate greatly, the way you have gone up from nowhere to the throne of Chandra Gupta Maurya and Ashoka. You have become a role model for anyone aspiring to be politician, and a case study for the students of political management for years to come.

Now with Rabriji as chief minister in Bihar and Soniaji as PM of India (probably), you can devote yourself to the cause of Bihar and make a permanent mark for yourself in history. Please have a changed mission and style now, as Ashoka did after the battle of Kalinga. It will be good for you as well as for Bihar. Forget Delhi, concentrate on Bihar. You indeed have great leadership quality that will help you in getting all these plans implemented without any trouble through your people, who almost worship you. Please concentrate for just two years on the growth and development of Bihar. All Biharis outside Bihar feel ashamed after hearing and reading all types of stories about Bihar’s backwardness, its poverty, its flourishing kidnapping industry, day light murders, law and order situations (all because of unemployment), extremely poor condition of roads, and lack of any modern industry or facilities of education and healthcare.

Please allow this humble servant of this great nation and a son of Bihar himself to offer a few suggestions:

• Please base your programmes with local resources. Once you make a beginning there will be many to help.
• Please get a dairy built in every block as a co-operative venture with collection centres at maximum number of villages. In essence, Bring a white revolution in Bihar. With your rural background it is possible to involve the right people. The programme will give extra earning to each and every family. Dr. Kurien of Gujarat fame is still alive. You might want to meet with him and seek his help. Your celebrity status (for good or bad reasons) will attract anyone. He can certainly depute some dedicated manager /technocrat for the project and to get it successfully implemented.
• Please motivate the farmers to switch over to the cultivation of vegetables and maybe even fruits. Arrange transportation and cold-storage facilities, marketing or even export. It will be most suited with gradually reducing land holding in villages. It will bring prosperity to the farmers and keep them engaged for more time in a year. Also go for plantation of commercial trees in every village in a big way.
• Please encourage your men to invest their energy in a big way in animal husbandry – good breed of cows, buffalos, goats and sheep. It is one of the many areas areas which has been neglected for some time now leading to the unfortunate reduction in the population of cattle. Also, encourage the establishment of big hatchery and piggery. Again, it will give employment to the villagers, will sustain the leather industry and provide proteinaceous food to the non-vegetarian population. Encourage the village heads to renovate the existing water tanks in every village. That can serve to store rain water for irrigation and can be farmed out for fishery.
• Please use the funds at your disposal for building good quality roads thereby helping every villages to be interconnected in more ways than has ever been possible. I need not enumerate the many advantages such a development would bring. Suffice it to say that It will bring buyers of village produce to the villages. Entrust the maintenance and responsibility of the condition of these roads to the village heads; otherwise they will be the first to damage them.
• Encourage panchayats to have a weekly bazaar in every 2-3 village clusters that will provide market for under privileged class for their produce.
• Develop local art and artisans such as, Madhubani printing and Bhagalpur silk. There is a tremendous untapped potential here in my opinion.
• Improve the places of tourist importance – Sasaram, Gaya, Bodha Gaya, Vaishali to name a few. It is fairly obvious that if tourism is properly developed and managed, it can provide a lot of employment as well prosperity to the region.
• Encourage entrepreneurs to establish good schools of Management and Technology and other institutes for higher studies in Bihar, as other states have done.
• Get a public toilet built in every village. It is a must today. Establish facilities to manufacture organic manure and encourage its use.

Oh, and a few more things…

• Let the people of Bihar stop identifying them by caste. If Hindutava is breaking the nation, the caste-based politics is poisoning the social fabric of Bihar. Only you can do it and provide the required leadership. Let us work towards changing the mindset of people who live in Bihar so that instead of starting their discussion with a stranger with a question like – ‘Kaun ashrein haein’ (Which caste you belong to?), they start by asking their first name. Let’s follow some youngsters who are dropping their surnames.
• And lastly, please propagate the benefit of smaller family of maximum two, preferably one. Be the first in BIMARU states to do that and achieve a figure of Kerala and Tamilnadu. I know it will be difficult for you. But one of your daughters can take up this task on your behalf.

I can add many things in this list. But you are very intelligent and innovative to come out with many more ideas to solve the problem of unemployment, particularly in villages. Please change the face of Bihar in next two years. Many will rush to assist you in this task, once you initiate with the zeal of the Mahatma to root out the biggest curse of life for any family – poverty.

I sincerely hope that you will see the wisdom in embarking upon some of things that I attempted to lay out in this letter. I wish you the very best and may God be with you.

~ A humble son of Bihar

Indian roads are getting wider and better every day, 4-laned with clear cut dividing zone. Road surface quality has improved thereby making the drive smoother thanks to well done repair and lesser annoying pot holes. Cars with latest technology are in plenty. You can even find teenagers driving cars (perhaps one of the few places where they’re using their knowledge of industrial engineering) with the cell phone stuck to their ears and at speeds beyond your imagination. As the cars are quieter and road smoother, sound level of car coming nearer is very low and is hardly heard.

This brings me to my little story. It is a bright and pleasant morning with almost no vehicles on the road. An old man is on his morning schedule of 5 km. walk. He is returning, so he is tired and perhaps slow. He wants to cross the road to go to the other side. He does this every day. Suddenly, he sees a big car stop within inches behind him with an annoying screeching sound. The driver looks upset. He (or perhaps she) express their feelings using some real foul language. The old man has nothing to protest. The old man was lucky and possibly escaped from what could have been a disaster.

Many things, such as the one mentioned above, happen before our eyes. Who is at fault? How do you avoid such incidents in the future? How do you inculcate patience and a sense of respect for senior citizens in our youngsters? How do you ensure that old people don’t risk their (and other) lives when they go out on such morning walks?

May be there is an engineering solution to this problem as well: Can we not design our roads with clear signs marked for pedestrians where the pedestrian has the right of way? I am sure we can. I sure hope we do.

Four companies joined the billion dollar club in just a month’s time – Ranbaxy (9th march), Infosys (13th April), Wipro (16th April) and Bharati Televentures (23rd April). This was followed by Murugappa group, Bajaj Auto and Tata Power. Reliance Industries, TCS, Hero Honda, Tata Motors, Tisco, Nalco, and ICICI have already been the members of this elite club for some years now. While all PSUs in oil and gas sector have also crossed the US billion dollars mark, there are other companies from varied sectors – Grasim from cement, BHEL and L&T from Heavy engineering, a number of PSU banks, M&M and TVS Motors from auto sectors – who have joined the club as well.

Here are some other highlights for readers to digest:

• Reliance Industries’ net profit crossed one billion dollar mark.
• Auto components and then ‘made in India’ vehicles export in value terms crosses billion dollar mark.
• Tirupur knitwear export exceeds one billion dollar

Thse are some of the things that makes me and I think every Indian ‘feel good’. As I spent my whole life in manufacturing, the news of four companies getting the coveted ‘Deming’ prize in a single year (2003) was heartening. These companies are not very large in scale, but the achievement is very much significant. They are:

• Mahindra & Mahindra, Farm Equipment Sector- manufactures tractors.
• Brakes India Foundry Division – part of TVS group.
• Rane Brake Linings – a Rane group company manufacturing auto components like steering and suspension systems, seat belts, valves, etc.
• Sona Koyo Steering Systems – a company of Sona group in joint venture with Koyo of Japan..

It all started with Sundaram Clayton, Brakes Division in 1998 winning the Deming Application prize for the first time, followed by Sundaram Brake linings in 2001 and TVS Motor Company in 2002. But the winning of Deming prize by four Indian companies has shown that Indian industry is indeed maturing (or should I say, “shining” ). The Deming Prize is conducted and managed by JUSE (Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers) and is perhaps the most respected prize of the world – almost attracting similar respect as one of Noble prize.

All these achievements are confirming that we can do it in every sector, and we can become the leader keeping all our humility. Indian companies are right on the course to achieve global excellence. More and more Indian companies will join this league in the very near future. I am confident.

Tomorrow (10.5.2004), I am going to exercise my most cherished right as a citizen of this great democracy. However, I find myself in a dilemma almost similar to the one that Arjuna had in Mahabharat. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have Lord Krishna around to show me the way. Here’s my dilemma:

I do not want vote for Congress because:

• The handout given by the local party candidate has two photographs in two corners at the very top- Sonia on the left and Late Rajiv at the right. I do not think of them as the real face of Congress. Why can’t the party keep Nehru and Indira Gandhi as its icons, if it is allergic of Lal Bahadur Shastri or Narsingha Rao?.
• The party is dynastic to the core. It has proven so more by bringing Rahul, the fourth generation in the fray without any apprenticeship.
• It backs Laloo Jadav- the greatest joker among politicians across the nation, if not the globe. He has played caste-based politics to the core, especially at the cost of Bihar’s backwardness.
• It will be backed by CPM that will put a strong brake to all reform programmes to accelerate the growth of Indian economy.

I do not like BJP because:

• Sometimes, it uses Togadia and Dalmia to garner votes of a community.
• The old guards are not preparing younger and effective leaders such as Jaswant Sinha, Arun Jaitley, Arun Shourie, or Pramod Mahajan for the top position.
• The government could not complete the promised sections of Golden Quadrilateral Project.
• The government could not come out with a clear time bound programme to get over the power shortage in the country.

I can not vote for BSP because:

• I doubt the capability of its leader after Taj corridor case.
• It talks more about Manubadi philosophy rather the development of under-privileged class of the society.
• It is wasting money in promoting their leader for selfish purposes.

I can not put my vote for SP as well because:

• This party is equally dynastic with the son in hurry to take the charge.
• It talks too much about its secular beliefs without doing any concrete work to improve the quality of life of the minority.
• It has brought in film actors and actresses from outside the states to represent the local people like some other national parties.

i think that this dilemma is affecting not just me but perhaps every voter. Our decision is almost always without any reason. In the end it ends up being selecting the party that you think is the lesser of the evils.

India’s industry level interactions with Japanese industry happened perhaps some time in early 80s. It allowed our professionals to learn the Japanese management styles and the tools they used in the management of their companies. Over the period, the tools have become very popular in Indian industry as means to improve the overall performance of the companies. Auto components sector is one such case. The sector has exported more than a billion dollar worth of auto components in 2003-2004, something unimaginable just few years ago. The education and training of the Japanese management tools still remain mostly exclusive to some industries only. Consultants, management schools and industrial organizations and institutions conduct short term courses for industrial workers and supervisory staffs. However, some of these Japanese management tools have universal application. Every working individual and a group including a housewife or a staff in your municipality or corporation can use it to solve his problems and improve the quality of life of his own and that of the society. A chapter or two on these Japanese management tools and their applications must be added in social science course in school final (class 10). Some more sophisticated ones such as new management tools may be part of class twelve courses throughout the country.

What are these management tools/techniques? 5S, TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), and Kaizen (incremental continuous improvement) are the most important ones.

“5S” relates to the role of housekeeping and the concept of ‘a place for everything and every thing in its place’. “5 S” gets its name from five Japanese words that cover the total activities of the strategy (Seiri – organising, seiton – neatness, seiso – cleaning, seiketsu – standardisation, and shitsuke – discipline). Is it not some thing which every housewife will love to know about a little more? Actually, she practices some without knowing that she is doing it.

TPM involves the user in the maintenance of his equipment and facility without depending totally on external agencies for that work. Here again every household uses a number of gadgets. With increasing consumerism, the number is growing. How many of them are being used effectively? How many times you find them needing repair when you have gone to use them? One of my friend recently complained that his refrigerator ditched him, when he was expecting the prospective father-in-law of his son. He had to buy one in hurry. TPM eliminates this unreliability.

Kaizen is a method to bring about improvements in everything we do in incremental manner. It is based on the belief that every one has some creativity and can contribute. As against innovation, Kaizen is less spectacular, but more effective. All of the working population is expected to participate in continuous improvement. It may be the quality of the product or processes, its cost, its delivery time, or customer satisfaction. Smallest or the biggest-all businesses can improve its competitiveness with kaizen at work.

Seven* management tools are used extensively in the management of any enterprise. One requires data recording and use of some simple mathematics and graphs for reaching at conclusion. Now, an additional set of 7 new** management tools are in use. Working philosophy is also unique while using these tools in some respects. Idea is to promote team working, in which we Indians have been named by experts as poorer. Brain storming is extensively used during application of the management tools to find possible solution of the problem or improvement.

These tools are equally applicable and useful at home and in all types of professional activities in the enterprises involved in different fields. One of the fads these days is to get an ISO certification. Even good public schools are striving to get the certification. All these years I found new boys and girls come to work with good education. But they lack the basic inter-personal skills and temperament of team working and problem solving. I am of an opinion that some of these things can be included in the courses at school level. They can start creatively contributing in attaining the mission of their enterprises without much specialized training. Simple illustrated text materials can be prepared by professionals to suit school level standard. I am sure it will help in building a better quality of life for a larger group of population. As mostly, the average education level of workforce is school final and twelve plus, the knowledge of these tools and techniques will be of great help for the new entrant in any organization or enterprise. Its inclusion will no way burden the student, as it is practice-based and real life subject.

a. *Check Sheets, Pareto Diagrams, Histograms, Cause and Effect Diagrams, Scatter Diagrams, and Control Charts
b. **Affinity Diagram, Interrelationship Diagraph, Tree Diagram, Prioritisation matrices, activity Network Diagram, Process Decision Program Chart, Matrix Diagram
c. The icon supporting this post is the word “kaizen” in japanese I am told. I sure hope they’re right

An article in Indian Express on 5.5.2004 mentions a complaint- “In Andhra’s Nanagapaka village, early voters complained that when they pressed the button of the Congress the light of the Telegu Desam party glowed.” I had not taken a similar story from Bihar when a report in local media said- ‘whatever button was pressed in the EVM, the light glowed in front of lantern, giving the vote to RJD (Laloo’s Party)’. Indian Express article was authored by a technologist, Ravi Visvesvaraya Prasad – http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=46301. He has listed some technical flaws that EVM may show. Flaws can cause errors and manipulation. Through a feedback letter, I requested Mr. Prasad to avoid raising such an issue during election. It will create confusion. He should come out with technical suggestions to solve the problems. However, both the manufacturers- Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd. (ECIL) claim the machines to be tamper-proof. A million of EVMs have been deployed in this election. A similar article appeared in Economic Times on 4.5.2004 – ‘EVM’s fine, but polls can be rigged’ http://www1.economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/659192.cms And then a news on 6.5.2005 in Hindustan Times- ‘The presiding officer and 11 others were arrested on charges of bogus voting and rigging.’ To add to my sorrow, a news channel has today shown BSF jawans rigging the votes. Is the news shocking or should we live with these for ever?

The machines are to be further sophisticated and automated. The machines must be more user-friendly and more robust to avoid its misuse. The machines must be tamper proof against all the variability that can be caused by unscrupulous technicians under the guidance of their officers. Can it contain the thumb impressions of all the voters for the booth in its reference file, and when the voter puts his thumb on the switch against his choice, it records his vote after verification? But my proposition is not limited to making it tamper proof and to removing even the perception of its manipulation. It may require education. In next 2-3 years, extensive education programme must cover the total population.

Can our IT professional improve the machines with latest technology to an extent where the system can hit at all the pertinent issues- the way the election is conducted and its cost that runs in billion, the large scale deployment of manpower for manning each booth that are 700,000 this time? Can it be made an unmanned affair, where the armies of the presiding officers are not needed? Can the machine work like an ATM, so that the voters insert his card and record his vote? Can the vote be stored instantaneously in a distant central data storage bank through wireless system, so that the machines are not to be stored in locker rooms and protected before counting days?

IT professional and the administration should take up the challenge of devising means to make the process of election simple. The candidate can put his papers for candidature on line with EC. All the voters come to know about the candidates by his work for the society and not through his marriage-like procession or campaign yatras. Voters get access to the candidates’ affidavits that can be made available through e-chaupal type sites. The local newspapers publish a comparison of different aspects of candidates credentials based on affidavits. How can the country get rid of this huge wastage of money and human resources, more so the aberration in society? Can not everything be done quietly maintaining the right of secrecy of voters totally? Can we not come out with a system that eliminates the interference by Papu Yadav and similar musclemen, the booth captures, the influence of ruling party and its administration? Can we not avoid a system where the candidate is to campaign and show his in his constituency only once in five years? Our election system is at the root of all corruptions and creates a parallel economy. Our technologists and managers should think of a way out to make the system fully safe, secured and reliable while maintaining the total secrecy of the opinion of the individual. Our politicians must agree and legislate to stop criminals even the perceived ones to participate and win by threat or the perception of threat even from prison, otherwise the generation to come will not excuse them for their follies. I am the innovations are on. For the first time in world, India -a country with all diversity has used the electronic voting machines this large scale. It has cut down on the cost of paper ballot papers that will be in crores. But let the technologists make the system perfect.

On 3.5.2004, I was watching the opinion poll on Election 2004 on the tube. However, the programme wasn’t interesting enough to keep me from retiring for the night. I was about to turn off the TV and call it a day when the anchor announced the next programme was “A day with Laloo”. The announcement forced me to reprogram my “biological clock”. I usually hit the sack by 9.30 in the night. But, for once, sleep has to wait. It has been interesting to observe the political situation in Bihar as a case study. Why is Laloo the “hero number one” of Bihar? The undisputed numero uno. Single-handedly, he is running his ruling party for a record number of years. It was evident as I watched the programme that there were moments when Mr. Laloo Yadav got very annoyed with all the “negative questions” (read embarrassing questions) being asked by the reporter. In fact, at times, Mr. Yadav seemed so downright angry that there was every likelihood that the reporter will be being tossed out of the helicopter in which they were travelling! However, I guess, the reporter had lady luck on his side. In my opinion, the positive aspect of the story was Mr. Laloo Yadav’s wife – Rabri Devi. For the benefit of those who are not aware, she also happens to be the Chief Minister of Bihar. However, to be fair to her, I was thoroughly impressed by the way in which the CM treated the reporter at her residence. Rabri Devi is a totally transformed lady. It is evident that power has actually brought about a positive change in Rabri Devi. She offered the reporter as well as Laloo some snacks herself. Biharis, in general, may be looked upon as a hostile and a crass lot. But when it comes to it, their hospitality is unparalleled. At the CM’s residence, the reporter also went to Mr. Laloo Yadav’s cowshed. He has, perhaps, 100 plus cows of good breed. He looks more of a BJP man when you see him with his cows. It may be shocking for urban intellectuals that a CM’s house and its adjoining land are used as farm and dairy. Strangely, the reporter never bothered to ask what happens with all the milk produced in the residential cowshed. How is it consumed? Is it sold in open market? What happens to the revenue generated from the sale of milk? Does it go to personal account of CM or some trust?

For all the questions about the poor condition of Bihar, Laloo had the usual answers: “NDA is biased against Bihar”; “All the negative stories are conspiracies against him”; “Biharis are self-respecting people”. The reporter, to be fair to him, addressed Mr. Yadav as a “jester” in an apparent reference to his mind-numbing answers and his never ending antics in general. Thankfully, the reporter’s caustic remarks did not provoke Mr. Yadav at all. In fact, Laloo Yadav himself has been coming out with “witty and humorous” slogans for which he is famous. For example, the one about mixing aloe, bail, and his name. Why is lily Yadav not serious about answering questions about general development – rather the lack of it – in Bihar? Can he not do something in that regard? But wait a second! To some extent, Laloo’s cowshed itself gives the answer regarding what he could have done for the people of Bihar. He inherits the knowledge of cows and other milk producing cattle. Laloo’s or Rabri’s government could have encouraged dairy industry in a big way as it was done in Gujarat. The conditions in many villages and of many families would have improved with the additional earning from milk production. This would have enabled his community and the people backing him to live a better life. He could have certainly changed the face of Bihar with his own innovative contribution with large scale animal husbandry projects for the rural employment. He could have brought a “white revolution” (pun intended) or “milk revolution” (take your pick) in Bihar. And all this could have been done without much help from the central government. He very much understands the need of the people.

Laloo’s speech accompanying his EVM course was full of gestures and dialogues that befits a jester. But people attending the rally were happy and excited. They were happy simply to be so close to Laloo. They do not expect more. Most of the reporters do not understand what he speaks in Bhojpuri, the language that he speaks proficiently. As reported in The Hindu, in one of the rally he said, “Lathi Utthavan, Tel Pilaavan, Baajpa bhaghaavan”. Translated in english, it literally means – Take your lathis, oil them well and chase the BJP out of Bihar. In my opinion, it is highly explosive and provocative slogan. It is a cry of war against a rival party. But no one can stop him. He has mesmerized a large group of the population. He has become more stronger with Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan coming under his fold. How long the duo will go on playing with the sentiments of the people of Bihar? How long the intelligentsia will tolerate this? How long the younger generation of Biharis will go on migrating from Bihar because of the fault of their leaders? How many years of opportunity for development will be lost for a state with a great past and potential? The questions keep piling. Hopefully, someday soon, a son of Bihar will come out with the answers to these tough questions and lead Bihar out from today’s state of hopelessness and despair.

It hardly matters who forms the next government after general elections 2004 for Lok Shabha. For the sake of continuity, NDA is certainly preferred. If verdicts come in favour of NDA, it will have no excuses in 2009 (at the end of their second five years term) for not completing the task or getting its great dreams realized. If either of Congress alliance or third front manages to get into governance, it will take some time to complete their common minimum programme causing a delay in implementation of the programme. However, that cost will have to be borne by the country and its people who prefer the split verdict. But ultimately, the new government will have to perform and try to catch up the lost time. The member political parties will have to give up their own special agenda and go whole heartedly for the national priorities.

Without losing any time, the government must move into action mode and get into the speedy execution of on-going projects such as NHAI roads, power plants, construction of world class port/airports, etc that are already cleared by the previous government. The country can not afford any holdup or slowdown of these projects because of the change in government as it normally happens. Some of the expectations from the new government will be as follows:

General:
PM coming to the office must go for a smaller ministry by abolishing some or merging the responsibility of some in one. PM must select young, honest and effective ministers based on proven track record rather on political considerations. PM must give them targets for judging their performance and periodically assess. It will be in national interest that PM keeps himself aloof from political lobbying of vested interests.

Transportation:
Roads must be the priority number one. Nothing can move as planned without it. All the villages and towns, as promised must be connected by metal roads of good quality. Simultaneously, a robust mechanism must be in place to keep it maintained to world class standard. A speed of 11 km for NHAI per day for 4-, 6-laning has been attained. So, the government must give to nation a minimum of 4000 km of roads of that class per year, i.e., 20000 km in next 5 years plus the linking roads in other projects such as Grammin Sarak Yojana.

Electricity:
In next 5 years, power shortage must be brought in control. It is possible, if not politically messed up. Electricity for every household is to be considered as a necessity. Every year, at least 10000 MW generating capacity must be added. At least10 companies if not more such as Reliance Power, NTPC, Tata Power, Essar Power, ONGC, BHEL must add 1000 MW each of thermal power. Simultaneously, companies such as NHPC and similar state units must add the hydro-electric power plants of small, medium and big sizes. Northern States must get into the scheme religiously and generate the abundant hydroelectric power possible in their state, States like Jharkhand and West Bengal must build large thermal plants near their coal reserve reducing transportation cost. The states may become the key suppliers of power to other states. Nuclear Power Corporation, solar power and wind mills in specific advantageous areas must complement the capacities. The bottleneck due to inefficient State Electricity Boards will perhaps be overcome with already enacted new ELECTRICITY Bill…

Employment:
Employment for both unskilled and illiterate manual workforce as well as young educated youth must attract maximum attention as promised. It must be one of the goals in all action plans. Manufacturing and agriculture must get effective boost as promised in manifestos for increase employment. Other avenues for creating employment such as an effective thrust on tourism and retail service sector must be opened and explored. It also requires a change in mind set for the people, so that they start appreciating the importance of entrepreneurship and self employment. The government must only facilitate and should never think of providing subsidies and doles.

Water:
Without wasting time, the work must start to improve the availability of drinking as well as irrigation water. It requires immediate start of work on easier and undisputed of the river linking projects that can be completed before 5 years, widening of the canals , repairing and deepening of water reservoirs, construction of check bunds, water harvesting, and projects for stopping the wastage of water. Dependence of agriculture on monsoon must be minimal; otherwise the excuse of lower growth rate can not be eliminated. Water scarcity will be the biggest issue in next general election2009.

Rural Development:
Rural housing should now be the priority. The success of housing industry in urban areas must be duplicated in rural areas too. It should not only be for the one room ones but little more respectable ones. Banks and financial institutions must come out with a model that becomes popular with even small and medium farmers. Our architects also must come out with some attractive proposals which makes the housing acceptable to the farmers and that functionally serves their purpose. Major metros and other cities must go for multistoried housing, and the farm houses, bunglows/kothis must go towards rural areas on express ways rather than congesting it further. With good connectivity through metro and roads, it will cause minimum inconvenience and save the cities for posterity.

PURA (Providing Urban -services in Rural Areas): The new government must create a ministry under a strong and respectable minister who must work to bring the quality of life in villages to such a standard where the villagers do not migrate. Even the affluent ones with their origin in the villages go back to their villages to live there after their retirement instead of preferring to live in urban locations. All the physically fit persons male as well as women living in villages must get suitable and sufficient engagement in villages itself.

Health care:
For health care in rural area with better connectivity through the road projects, private doctors are to be provided with certain incentives to open small clinics. NGOs can provide additional fillips. NGOs can come in big ways in creating health awareness and health care for the community. Increasing the number of medical colleges and nursing institutes and enhancement of its intake capacities is essential to meet the requirements of the country’s health care.

Education:
The education ministry must concentrate on primary education. Education up to class 10 must be free. Course content must change based on actual utility. The system should empower and encourage the village youths to take up the task of education as social mission, where they find pride in educating the uneducated lot. Standard of primary education must improve sufficiently. Before reaching class 10, the students must know the opportunities open for them and shift to the professional education accordingly. The school teachers may be made responsible for total operation and management of the schools? In higher education, India must go for at least one engineering institute of IIT standard, a management school of IIM standard, and a medical college of AIMS standard in every large state. The government must provide real autonomy in functioning of these institutes of nation importance.

Some other priorities include the bold administrative reforms that eliminates corruption and brings effectiveness, cutting all red tapes and unnecessary controls of Inspector Raj. Clearance requirements running in 50s to get a project going must go. Let India start shining in real sense of the term with no one doubting the shine.