My Dilemma with Bihar Story

Posted on December 28, 2011 by indra

I get excited with every good news report about Bihar or about someone from Bihar,be it a headline such as Bihar attaining the highest manufacturing growth in 2010-11 or Bihar readying for Rs 90,000 crore agriculture-road map. However, as usual I have very high expectation levels. And that makes me morose with every bit of bad news too.

How should I rate Bihar? Can I go by the report appearing in ‘India Today’ related to Bihar in its ‘State of States’ special issue? Bihar is in first five top states in education and governance out of 20 big states of the country. In infrastructure too, Bihar has performed better by coming at seven. That made me happy, but then the next moment I thought of the schools in my village and villages all around that I know from near. I neither find any change in the attitude of the teachers nor in the facilities. And I don’t blame the government for that. The parents of the children and the enlightened villagers will have to take the lead. The teachers must undergo attitudinal transformation. They will have to take the initiative to innovate ways and means to educate the children effectively and make them interested in real learning. However, the more alarming is Bihar’s ranking in healthcare, macro economy and investment where it is at the bottom of the list.

The healthcare really requires serious attention on war footing. I don’t know how many of the readers of this entry can confirm if their own village has got a healthcare centre in recent years. My own village with pretty good road connection now still has no healthcare. I am really scared to be in the village for this one single reason. My cousin keeps a standby vehicle with a driver for any eventuality whenever I am in my village. I personally feel the state must provide for an ambulance in each panchayat. Pregnant women must get moved to a health centre for delivery. No one should die because of the absence of medical attention.

Everyone appreciates that without sufficient power availability, industrial investment will remain a mirage. But the state can certainly help in scaling up the already branded produce of Bihar and not only its litti-chokha. Madhubani artisans or Bhagalpur silk weavers can certainly be assisted to scale up their production and provided with marketing aid. And the state must assist the genuine investors to acquire sufficient land for their enterprise. After all, other states are doing that.

Though the success story of the young men of Bihar- Sushil Kumar and Anil Sinha at Sony’s KBC is always exhilarating, the state’s higher education machinery is in dismal condition. I fail to understand why the state is not able to attract private investment in professional education. However, the state government plans to set up around 20 engineering colleges and ITIs in the next few years. But the government must try to improve the rankings of the existing engineering colleges in Bihar and scale up the input by creating the necessary infrastructures and facilities. I wish if the state government could appoint one interested and reputed chief executive from the industry to work as mentors for each of these colleges. It should also incorporate a course on entrepreneurship and innovation for all professional graduates.

Some of the government initiatives are really good be its emphasis on agriculture, or setting up a hospital on Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) premises in collaboration with Bangalore-based Narayana Hrudayalaya. Though many complain about the paid news regarding Bihar, but all appearing in media can’t be wrong. Bihar is certainly growing and moving ahead. One can only doubt about its speed of growth. Should not the news of the farmer of Nalanda making the global record of paddy production be a great one?

Many individuals or groups are trying to bring new changes for prosperity of the village. For example, the people of Chakwara in Vaishali district have gone for the cultivation of cauliflower seeds because they earn about Rs 5 to 6 lakh per annum. Some others have started focusing on unconventional modes such as nurseries and another lot of farmers have begun honing their artistic skills to make household decorative items from the forest produce available in abundance in the region.

Nitish Kumar’s development yatras must certainly be encouraging the farmers whom he meets and whom he requests to send their children to the schools. He must be perhaps one of the most traveled Chief Ministers in their own states. Many may be skeptical and calling it only a political move. But I consider it significant, as it must be providing him with a lot of input for taking the new development plans. I wish he himself, his ministers, and officers could spend nights in the villages to bring about a real change in quality of living in the villages.

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Ethics and Politics with Some Mission

Posted on December 25, 2011 by indra

Earlier I heard of politics being dirty. Should it also be unethical? Should a political party be hundred percent engrossed in the politics that can take it to power? Should it not with thousands and sometimes millions of people following it, do something for the society besides winning election to occupy chairs to govern?

Five states including the country’s most populous state UP are going for state assembly elections. One can see some glimpses of how the Indian politics work.

Just before the election Ajit Singh, the son of C Charan Singh and a graduate engineer by qualification from IIT, Kharagpur joins with Congress, and in bargain becomes Aviation minister of the country. Why don’t the people behind Ajit Singh’s winning election understand his unprincipled actions till date?

Just before elections the Central government announces a policy of 4.5 % reservation out from OBC reservation for the minority community in education and job. Can’t the community understand the objective of such announcements? Instead, why can’t the Congress workers of the minority community work at grassroots level for improving education and skill training?

Interestingly, the government led by Congress announced a Rs3,124 crore package for irrigation projects of UP started in 1977-78 but not completed because of lack of funds just ahead of elections in the state and make it the national projects that make them eligible for 90% funding by the central government. Is it not a mockery of power and a blatant way of treating the people as fools?

But the funniest of all that has come from Congress and the governments is its new found love for Madan Mohan Malviya. The Ministry of Culture also joined the party with an advertisement. As reported, ‘Sonia Gandhi has expressed her desire to attend the inaugural event marking the 150th birth anniversary of Madan Mohan Malaviya, a pre-Independence Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, when the state is inching towards elections.’ And one feels amazed that Sonia, her party and the government are discovering the political leaders of yester years to allure the people of their castes to vote for her party. With public honouring of Mahamanya Malviya, the target is Brahmins. I don’t know if Sonia knew even his name before this election. How is she better than Mayawati so far her love for Brahmins is concerned? Can there be anything more unethical than this?

I can only suggest the Congress party, particularly Rahul to go back in its history and take lessons from Mahatma Gandhi. Along with the fight for freedom, Gandhi worked on many grassroots level development work for khadi, sanitation, hygiene, and basic education. Rahul Gandhi must motivate, if necessary incenrivize, the educated young entrants to the Congress Party to work for social development with sanitation, education and rural job creation as mission and in process expand the Congress’ influence all over the country.

And I can again say that this model must be emulated by other political parties too.

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Will Lokpal Battle End with a Good New Year Gift to Nation?

Posted on December 22, 2011 by indra

The whole country is agog with the every hour changing news and rumour on the Lokpal Bill. Congress by its continuously vacillating stands over last few months has raised the political pitch of the parties in oppositions as well as the leaders of civil society. After losing the wickets of Kapil Sibal and Chidambaram, Manmohan and Khurshid and some other Congress leaders took the guard at different times expressing many varying views on the Bill without any cohesive and rationally evolved stand that was expected by the people watching the progress. Perhaps this bill after waiting for more than four decades to be taken up by the parliament and getting cleared will create a record of its own at least if we go by the mass of people that got involved in it because of Anna.

In last few days, Congress and the government appears to be totally confused. News regarding the extension of the parliament session and then denial of that kept on coming. The all party meeting introduced the issue of reservation. Then the government wanted to go for a bill giving Lokpal a constitutional authority. The people took these as delaying tactics. And on December 21 after keeping mum for all these days, Sonia Gandhi called the Congress parliamentarians to get ready for the battle on Lokpal with Anna and opposition claiming that her party has done the maximum to take action against corruption with a path breaking bill, while Anna Team remains totally dissatisfied calling it heartbreaking. However, the leaders of major opposition party kept on trying with Pranab Mukherji to salvage the situation to present a strong Lokpal Bill In the parliament. With the entry of Yadavas, it’s doubtful if Pranab would succeed with a consensual solution.

Manmohan Team has gone on for its one up man ship. While the Anna Team was asking for a comprehensive Lokpal Bill, the cabinet decided on three bills related to judicial accountability, protection of whistle-blowers and a citizens’ charter for delivery of services to signal its intent to improve governance and tackle corruption.Then Aruna Roy comes out and expresses her opposition to take Citizen’s charter and grievance redressal under Lokpal bill as demanded by Anna. And the government has already tabled the bill independently before the Lokpal Bill. Why does the Congress try to appear to present itself superior to Anna?

Why do Congress and its government resort to this one-up man ship? Why does Manmohan’s government keep on portraying itself more serious than Anna for controlling the corruption and also more concerned than Advani to act against black money so openly to appear silly?

It’s surprising that any change in the government’s bill leaks to Anna Team, media and major opposition before it reaches MPs and they react. Is this the way to operate in parliamentary democracy?

If we go by the reactions of Yadavas of North, the next few days will be full with drama and media will cash on it by providing good political entertainment for its customers. However, it is doubtful if the nation gets a strong Lokpal after the battle cry from Sonia.

I only hope the good sense to prevail so that the nation gets an effective Lokpal Bill as the New Year’s Gift.

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FDI in Retail: Who Gets Benefited?

Posted on December 18, 2011 by indra

Government had to suspend the policy reform of permitting FDI in multi-brand retail, even though it was with a number of conditions safeguarding the local players. Almost all the opposition political parties opposed it because it might take away the means of livelihood of the 15+ million local small retailers and street hawkers. The politicians from left to right spoke the language chosen by the trading community.

But more surprisingly, neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rahul spoke strongly in favour of the reform in fear of its effect on voters in the impending assembly elections. Manmohan Singh as usual didn’t take any proactive steps. The Congress couldn’t even sell the idea to its own allies.

As usual, we, Indians and also our politicians copy every step from America and what Americans do. The opposition copied the idea of opposing the big companies in retail exactly the way some Americans did against Wal-Mart. A group against Wal-Mart came out with some amazing data showing the death of local shops because of the arrival of Wal-Mart. However, many studies conducted by reputed schools of management and some universities proved it to be wrong. ‘Wal-Mart has no statistically significant impact on the overall size of the small business sector in the United States.’.

I knew leftists such as Sitaram Yechury would oppose the reform but I was amazed to hear Arun Jaitley and BJP opposing FDI just for playing the usual role of opposition politics. Jaitley not only claimed that the FDI in retail would cause serious loss of jobs, but also asserted that it would not help Indian farmers or manufacturers in getting better prices or larger market through export. Jaitley was not ready to accept the claims of Mukesh Ambani that ‘farmers will receive more for their produce, while consumers pay less, and that 30-40 percent of the fruit and vegetable crop, which currently goes waste, would miraculously be saved.’ And it was not only Ambani but many including Raghuram Rajan, Prem Shanksr Jha and Jagdish Bhagwati wrote and spoke why Indian must go for FDI in retail. But Jaitley wanted the opportunity time and that would come when his party would be in power. Perhaps no logic was good enough for those in opposition.

Why didn’t the politicians take a rational view considering the benefits for all the stakeholders? Why didn’t they side with the action that benefits the most? If one puts it in number as someone estimated, it is is a face-off between the interests of the 40 million people employed directly or indirectly in the retail trade in the country and the 120 million consumers in the 53 cities with a population of over a million, where retail outlets with 51 per cent FDI are being allowed to set up shop. And naturally the consumers are in majority. And they would certainly be benefited with FDI in multi-brand retail.

The fear of loss of jobs of those engaged in local kirana stores is just a bogey. Wal-Mart and other big stores would not go beyond few big cities.

I am also sure that with the presence of MNCs in retail just as in auto sector, the small and medium manufacturers, artisans, craftsmen might allure MNCs to market their produce in their global outlets without the present intermediaries who fleece a major cut. Can Mr. Jaitley answer if without Pepsico and McDonald India could have produced potatoes of the quality good enough for French fries?

But will the politicians also oppose e-commerce that is growing exponentially? SA Aiyar writes in his column that ‘during the Thanksgiving season this November in the US, 39% of consumers said they bought goods mostly through the internet, against 44% who mostly bought from brick-and-mortar stores and hypermarkets.’ In India too, e0commerce is growing at 40% annually, and the market expected to top RS 46,600 crore or perhaps more by the end of 2011.

I agree with Gurcharan Das that Democracy won but the people lost. ‘Consumers have lost a chance for lower prices; India’s farmers have lost the prospect of higher returns and millions of unemployed rural youth have been denied jobs and careers in the modern economy.’

Surprisngly some new supporters of FDI in retail have appeared in Dalit political commentator and columnist,, Chandrabhan Prasad and Dalit scholar Mr Chittibabu Padavala. Though late, now Rahul Gandhi too is talking in favour of FDI in retial and its benefits to the farmers.

Let us wait for UP election to be over and Let us see what happens to the opening of FDI for multi=brand retail in India. However, I am shocked only with the way the government moved and the opposition particularly BJP reacted.

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Salman Khan- the Educator, not the Indian Hero

Posted on December 14, 2011 by indra

In 2005 US visit, I came to know about Salman and wrote a blog on his work. Through Anand’s Face book entry, I came to know of MIT honouring Salman’s enterprise. Salman A. Khan delivered the keynote address at MIT’s 146th Commencement and became the youngest Commencement speaker in at least 30 years.

Thereafter, when I was searching some material about Salman S Khan through Google search engine, I reached Salman Khan, the famous Indian actor. I had to change my description to Salman Khan the founder of Khan Academy. I could get Salman, the educator in US.

Salman who started his tutoring for a cousin has become a global educator. His endeavour has received recognition. Salman Khan has talked at TED about his concept. Business Week called him Meshiah of Mathematics and covered his illustrious journey to fame. Salman without being a traditional teacher must be one of the most known among the teachers and students of US today.

As reported, the not-for-profit Khan Academy with its collection of his 2,500-plus education-related videos now reaches over 1 million unique students a month. Salman has written for ‘Business World’ expanding his concept of One World, One Classroom.

As Salman claims, “The Khan Academy videos have humanized the classroom. Instead of 30 students passively listening to a one-size-fits-all kind of lecture, they could now watch the lectures at their own pace at home and actually interact with their peers and teachers in class.”

Salman Khan perhaps didn’t like to go for researches in mathematics, but developed a passion to make the subject interesting and easily graspable for even ordinary students through series of videos available on U-Tube. He may not be a Ramanujam, but his model of education may create some by making the dry subject of science interesting.

Khan founded Khan Academy in 2006, and the not-for-profit educational website has grown to host over 2700 instructional videos in topics ranging from basic algebra to thermodynamics to art history, in addition to online exercises and drills. Khan Academy, which offers its services for free, is supported by donations; among others, Google has promised to contribute $2 million, while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed to $1.5 million.

Math was one of Salman’s majors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with computer science and electrical engineering. He then went to for a master also at MIT, and then an MBA from Harvard.

Obama must be proud of Salman. Perhaps he is the answer to make American kids compete with Chinese and Indians.
Salman’s digital technique of teaching maths and other subjects can be one answer for India’s problem of quality teaching in Indian institutes. It will reduce rote learning and make the students understand at their own speed the lessons of the various subjects.

I wish the government tie up with Salman and get his videos dubbed in local languages. One can get a glimpse of his method through a simple example of algebra.

One can go to the website of Salman Academy, select his subject, go from one lesson to the next slowly grasping it fully. All these are free. Many top class schools in the metros with internet facilities can take advantage of learning from the Salman Academy.

And I dream one day all the 1.4 million schools in India, mainly located in remote areas would get digitally connected through broadband. At least that’s what the government promises. And all the lessons of Salman Academy would be able to make the interested students proficient in science subjects. Other agencies would also come up to assist in the task.

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Rural Education Curricula Need Overhaul

Posted on December 12, 2011 by indra

During our school days of 1950s, most of the students in rural India used to be scared of two subjects- English and mathematics. While one of my uncles, who ranked very low in his class, was very good in conversational English, I myself even after always topping in class was not so good in spoken English. Somehow my uncle got interested in speaking in English and attained excellence in that. Another uncle just couldn’t pursue further education because of English, as the subject was compulsory in school final examination.

While mathematics may be requiring certain special frame of mind, English as language doesn’t remain today a subject that scares the students. Even the rural students can learn English, particularly communicating in English through digital technologies. Few years ago the media reported how a student from a poor rural family picked up American English so well that even teachers couldn’t find how he did that before he himself revealed the secret. And he had learnt it by closing himself in a room and listening to audio and videos of famous American films. Presently many schools set up English laboratory to teach English. I don’t think it would cost huge to have one in rural schools.

Unfortunately, English teachers in the rural schools are themselves not proficient in English. How can they teach rural students coming from families where only local dialects are used for communication? Further, the examination system adopted for the languages doesn’t lay emphasis to test the capability of communication- spoken, reading, and writing. Surprisingly, it is not only English in which the rural students are poor, they are poor even in state official language such as Hindi. The excellence in communication in English has become an important factor in improving employability. A special attention is necessary to improve the English of students coming out from the rural schools instead of creating special classes for such students in higher education.

Almost 12 years of schooling must make the students proficient in talking, reading and writing in simple and correct language, be it English or Hindi. It’s unfortunate that students from even the so called English medium schools are also neither proficient in English nor in vernacular, as reported by various surveys. Thrust must be on learning sufficient vocabulary and its proper use rather than answering questions based on the text in course in a particular manner.

All other subjects such as geography, history, science, and hygiene may also be part of the language text books with well written essays meant for the class level. Teachers need not be highly qualified. Even some one with good school final education with intensive training in teaching techniques can teach language with help of digital gadgets and teaching aids that are available these days. The teachers must encourage the students to form groups and focus on reading, writing and talking with each other in English.

Thrust of education up to class VIII in rural India must be on few subjects: the two language languages- vernacular and English, mathematics, fundamentals of farming, creative skill, and preventive healthcare through physical education.

For example, 88 per cent of the total population in Bihar lives in rural areas and agriculture is the primary source for their livelihood. A majority of them go back in agriculture as on today. A basic course of agriculture must be part of the curricula up to class X. It will create a right type of the manpower that will remain and get engaged in the villages. Presently almost 100% of the persons engaged in farming had hardly any formal education about agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry. Whatever they know has come from their parents or from neighbours.

It’s shocking that the quality of education getting imparted in rural schools is not only poor but irrelevant for the students and their career. The state must not only ensure 100% enrollment, it must also focus on making the schooling interesting imparting knowledge and skill that improves employability.

The rural schools still run on the mercy of the poorly motivated teachers for the students allured to the schools for midday meals or for getting the cycles or dresses free. The committees expected to supervise the work of the teachers are dysfunctional. Can the government think of appointing a mentor for each school with a background in education such as retired teachers or an educated army pensioner or some NGO? During our school days of 1950s, most of the students in rural India used to be scared of two subjects- English and mathematics. While one of my uncles, who ranked very low in his class, was very good in conversational English, I myself even after always topping in class was not so good in spoken English. Somehow my uncle got interested in speaking in English and attained excellence in that. Another uncle just couldn’t pursue further education because of English, as the subject was compulsory in school final examination.

While mathematics may be requiring certain special frame of mind, English as language doesn’t remain today a subject that scares the students. Even the rural students can learn English, particularly communicating in English through digital technologies. Few years ago the media reported how a student from a poor rural family picked up American English so well that even teachers couldn’t find how he did that before he himself revealed the secret. And he had learnt it by closing himself in a room and listening to audio and videos of famous American films. Presently many schools set up English laboratory to teach English. I don’t think it would cost huge to have one in rural schools.

Unfortunately, English teachers in the rural schools are themselves not proficient in English. How can they teach rural students coming from families where only local dialects are used for communication? Further, the examination system adopted for the languages doesn’t lay emphasis to test the capability of communication- spoken, reading, and writing. Surprisingly, it is not only English in which the rural students are poor, they are poor even in state official language such as Hindi. The excellence in communication in English has become an important factor in improving employability. A special attention is necessary to improve the English of students coming out from the rural schools instead of creating special classes for such students in higher education.

Almost 12 years of schooling must make the students proficient in talking, reading and writing in simple and correct language, be it English or Hindi. It’s unfortunate that students from even the so called English medium schools are also neither proficient in English nor in vernacular, as reported by various surveys. Thrust must be on learning sufficient vocabulary and its proper use rather than answering questions based on the text in course in a particular manner.

All other subjects such as geography, history, science, and hygiene may also be part of the language text books with well written essays meant for the class level. Teachers need not be highly qualified. Even some one with good school final education with intensive training in teaching techniques can teach language with help of digital gadgets and teaching aids that are available these days. The teachers must encourage the students to form groups and focus on reading, writing and talking with each other in English.

Thrust of education up to class VIII in rural India must be on few subjects: the two language languages- vernacular and English, mathematics, fundamentals of farming, creative skill, and preventive healthcare through physical education.

For example, 88 per cent of the total population in Bihar lives in rural areas and agriculture is the primary source for their livelihood. A majority of them go back in agriculture as on today. A basic course of agriculture must be part of the curricula up to class X. It will create a right type of the manpower that will remain and get engaged in the villages. Presently almost 100% of the persons engaged in farming had hardly any formal education about agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry. Whatever they know has come from their parents or from neighbours.

It’s shocking that the quality of education getting imparted in rural schools is not only poor but irrelevant for the students and their career. The state must not only ensure 100% enrollment, it must also focus on making the schooling interesting imparting knowledge and skill that improves employability.

The rural schools still run on the mercy of the poorly motivated teachers for the students allured to the schools for midday meals or for getting the cycles or dresses free. The committees expected to supervise the work of the teachers are dysfunctional. Can the government think of appointing a mentor for each school with a background in education such as retired teachers or an educated army pensioner or some NGO?

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Why Apple or Galaxy instead of Aakash for MPs?

Posted on December 7, 2011 by indra

I love my iPad. It’s the first model and was a gift from Anand. It has made my life easy. It’s so user-friendly particularly for reading document in any font suitable to my eyesight that has gone very poor. All 790 Members of Parliament in India have been granted 50,000 INR each to invest in either iPad 2 or Samsung Galaxy Tab in order to a tech savvy ambience in parliament and make them go paper free.

I and perhaps many like me really must be envying these MPs.

As I understand, each one of them must already be having a PC pr laptop provided by the tax payers’ money along with an employed assistant to operate them for their boss. I don’t know how much of that are used and for what purpose. What will be the use of this technically advanced but costly gadget for most of the MPs? Unfortunately the parliament secretariat would have studied the status of the parliamentarians so far the use of computer is concerned. However, some may just download Bhawarin Devi’s CD or their son’s marriage video on it. Alternatively, some younger ones in the loving family of the MPs may grab it. However, some will use it for using it for the massive amount of documentation an MP must deal with – files, reports, debates, question lists. It can also help them in researching on the various subjects that come up for discussions and debates in the parliament. I do also wish that some of the parliamentarians innovate some applications that could be used in the parliaments of even the other countries and prove their knowledge and intelligence.

But I have one more question. Why couldn’t the parliamentarians start with Aakash, India’s own innovated world’s most affordable tablet PC? Why didn’t Kapil Sibal sell this austerity measure to the MPs? MPs would have been trained in using Aakash with help of students and teachers of IIT, Rajasthan who participated in its innovation. And the gadget could have done all that an MP would have been required. It would have been at least somewhat India manufactured gadget and cost wise good enough even if MPs would have been able to use them.

Kapil has showcased Aakash to the world leaders at UNESCO and World Bank, and expressed his desire to make all central ministries use Aakash for their e-governance projects.

Why has the government agreed to reimburse the expenditure up to 50,000 to each MP? Why didn’t it appoint a tech company or Nandan Nilekani group to procure the gadgets to the right specification for the use of Indian MPs?

If we go by the reviews of Aakash in domestic as well as in the media of advanced nations after Kapil Sibal launched it for the student community of India, it has a lot of potentials for various applications. Its manufacturer is an inspired person though certainly not a Steve Job or has a team such one Steve had in Apple. Will the techies of IITs help the entrepreneur of Aaakash to make it world class and compete with others in market? Except for a brand value it can be a sought after gadgets for all the poorer countries and billions of its users. As on today, when I searched for ‘Aakash Tablet’ on Google, I instantly get 27,400,000 entries in less than a second.

Should the countrymen smell the possibility of some scam even in this project? Will the MPs just present a fake bill and get the payment against this head of their perks?

I still appeal to the authority deciding this perk for MPs to go for Aakash at lease certainly for those who are nit computer savvy already.

I am waiting eagerly to lay hand on one Aakash. Can someone arrange one for me? I dodn’t want it free and shall pay for it immediately.

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Helpless Manmohan, Hopeless Opposition

Posted on December 5, 2011 by indra

I don’t think any prime minister in India was so poorly rated as Manmohan Singh today. A recent ‘India Today’ survey of young persons in India ranks him at third position after Sharad Pawar and Dinesh Trivedi. The country men today hardly see Manmohan’s initiative except in the global summit that he loves to attend. He might have created a record of a sort. Whenever Manmohan tries to assert and make his presence felt as in case of Nuclear Bill or present FDI in multiband retail sector, the parliament and the country as a whole goes into chaos. Can we blame the opposition only for this? At least in present case of FDI issue, the country could have avoided the chaos. Manmohan could have gone for the announcement of the cabinet decision after the winter session. The country was waiting for Lokpal Bill and Land Acquisition Bill to be through. FDI could have waited for few days. Now even a layman on the street smell a conspiracy of the government in bringing the FDI issue to kill those important Bills. Manmohan knew his inability to bring his allies on his sude, as Pranab takes cares of Mamta’s mood, and Sonia Gandhi DMK supremo.

Interesting the survey mentioned above has equally worse ranking for Advani and Gadkari. The country perceived for a long time that BJP would go for FDI in retails. Its opposition is strange and particularly the logic given by the party and its stalwart against it. All the economists and industrialists can’t be fool in talking about its merit. When Jaitley says that its time has not come, does he mean that the country will have to wait for BJP led party to come in power at centre and then only FDI time will arrive? I wonder how all the experts of the country be wrong in their assessment. I am sure the people of the country must be really angry even against BJP for making the parliament not work. And FDI in retails can’t be more important than other bills and issues such as black money and inflation could have been taken up more seriously and debated.

I wish the political parties enumerate the policy issues of national importance and keep on getting referendums in all the elections that keep on coming in India to understand at least the feel of the people.

It is good that print and digital media has come out with huge lot of information because of the controversy and made the people more knowledgeable but it doesn’t bring the change as there is hardly any ongoing interaction between the parliamentarians and the people of their constituencies. Moreover it’s only few key members in opposition who matter on all these issues that block the working of the parliament. It’s whip rather than conscience of individual members.

MPs must however work and may be someone approaches the apex judiciary to find out if the acts of the parliamentarians are in the interest of the people of the country. Can they keep on stalling the parliament? Will they keep on getting their remunerations for not working for even minimal hours? Will they go for a self imposed discipline at work?

One can only pity the prime minister after seeing Mamta talking on behalf of the government about the temporary suspension of FDI in retail and get morose with the way Advani looks at the possibility of fulfilling his ambition to be in the highest chair. Why can’t he take a lesson from his peer Atal Bihari Bajpai?

It seems the reform has undergone for permanent burial. I wonder why BJP is so funny. Perhaps all the major political parties must distinguish between the interest of the country and that of the party.

PS: Replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on price rise, Mukherjee read from a 2004 interview of leader of opposition Arun Jaitley in which the senior BJP leader had said that organized retail trade on the international pattern would be promoted as a new engine of growth and that sourcing of Indian products by foreign retail chains would be encouraged.

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Nitishji! Don’t Oppose FDI for politics

Posted on December 1, 2011 by indra

Fortunately, Shri Nitish is educated in engineering too. Nitish Kumar wants immediate withdrawal of the cabinet decision of FDI in retails. As reported Nitish said, “We are not going to support it at any cost as it will ruin the life and existence of marginal traders, grocers and farmers.”

Let me assure you, Wal-Mart or for that matter any other MNCs in retail will not enter Bihar for next ten years even after the opening by the centre. Reason: Bihar doesn’t have the ambience to do business. Look at the power position. Will any MNC invest in cold storage sector that is already in free list of 100% FDI? Big MNCs in retail will focus on the big cities and will remain few in numbers without disturbing the business of even 1% of small marginal traders and grocers in poorly urbanized Bihar. It has happened in the same way in every country. If Malls have not made the small rural and urban grocers go out of business, MNC will not. And the MNC stores will never be cheaper. MNC stores are normally huge in well connected locations with sufficient parking areas and lot of customers visiting it on off days

Most importantly, FDI in retail will certainly eliminate four to five or perhaps more middlemen that are present at different levels between the manufacturers and the final users. It is these middlemen who get benefitted with almost no values addition. FDI will also enable farmers, artisans and craftsmen to get better quality of inputs and its application techniques and improve the quality of the output to global level.

It is unfortunate that when the retail traders keep on helping the inflation to increase resulting in the worried consumers spending much more than the price at which the commodities were bought from the farmers or the manufacturers.

Please hear what a farmer of Bihar’s famous litchi says, ““I sell my litchi to the first middleman at Rs 21 per kg. Passing through different layers of middle-level retailers and transporters, the commodity is sold at the rate of about Rs 200 per kg in south Indian markets and at Rs 400 and even more in London and Dubai markets. In the process, the producers and the consumers are the biggest losers.”

I am from Bihar and love the fruit, but I can hardly buy it at that exorbitant price in Noida. Many must be having the similar experience.

Can you or for that matter any government ensure that the due share of the exorbitant price the traders make the customers pay through various tricks of trade such as creating scarcity and illegal hoarding to the farmers? If you can arrange that for the farmers, I shall agree to your opposition against FDI.

Before opposing FDI, you are to do some real research and decide wisely if it will really affect the small trader and the farmer in reality.

However, the government must help the small farmers and manufacturers in negotiating the price of their produce with the big retailers, be the domestic or foreigners, if there are complaints. Normally the organized OEMs always make the small vendors the minimum through rigorous negotiation.

Please don’t oppose FDI for political reasons. It’s a big reform, please allow it to come. After all we expect a rational decision from a technocrat.

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Worrying News and the Country’s Leadership

Posted on November 25, 2011 by indra

Worrying signals are coming from Tahrir Squares and Wall Sreets. Are the parliamentarians of the world hearing? Can the democracy accommodate such rebellions or protests? India has witnessed its manifestation in slaps and people’s protests.

Some recent news reports in India are really worrying and would have been taken up seriously by the politicians and parliamentarians. It deserved some serious discussions. I would have loved if they could do that in close door.

Protest against nuclear power plants, particularly the organized against the one at the near-complete Kudankulam is worrying. The prime minister himself has done all to take the help of the former President Abdul Kalam, the local religious leaders, and the atomic scientists of the country to explain to the protesters but has failed. The hold-up continues.Can a campaign leader SP Udayakumar be considered more pro-people that all the scientists and the former president?

How can a nation afford such protests against the important projects of the country? The people of the country will have to depend on the prudence of its mature knowledgeable technical experts. The rightists and politicians must not interfere, as it is being observed throughout the country. But more worrying is the news report that some foreign fund is in use to fan such unrest.

The recent labour strikes at Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki and then it solution must be a cause of serious worries of the nation and its policy makers. As a new trend in aggressive unionism the workers refused to strike by remaining outside the plant. They remained in the plant premises and refused to leave unless the court ordered. And how surprising ununion-like was the solution that came out with the union leaders getting paid Rs 40 lakh each only for a few years of services with the company!

The use of thousands of school going kids made to sleep on the hot sand in the protest against Posco plant is something that the leaders of the country must think seriously.

Finally, how can the country find a solution to its image of the country as ‘the dirtiest and filthiest’ that Jairam Ramesh stated? Jairam must come out with some concrete plan to get over the image at least in next hundred years if not twenty. The policy makers and the administrators of the country must think over the proactive actions to see that happen.

If you go on allowing breach of the law and order norms, for example land encroachment all over the country, one fine morning even if you work for twenty four hours, you can’t solve the problem. The country must work steadily to improve the situation.
Unfortunately, the parliamentarians are neither working not behaving the way they should. The administration is on mute and freezed mode.

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