Last evening, 27th Dec, while surfing the channels i chanced upon Lok Sabha TV. Time 9.45 pm.
The honourable House was in the process of passing the Lokpal Bill. Mr Pranab Mukherjee was at his parliamentary best. Interspersed with rhetoric, he chided the opposition for disrupting the functioning of the Parliament and took delight in rebuking Mr Yashwant Sinha on his "PM's farewell speech" remark.
Dr Manmohan Singh looked positively out of place and wishing that he were not there. His body language was closed as if he had been asked by the 'High Command' to sit tight and stay quiet.
Anoushka, my thirteen year old, had been pestering me to change the channel but got a lecture on the landmark occasion she was witnessing!
Soon the voting started on the various clauses and amendments.
It was quite a charade. The Honourable Speaker trying to maintain order in the House. The members seemed to be enjoying every bit of it, shouting 'AYE' or 'NO' as the proposals were brought up by the Speaker. Mrs Meira Kumar reminded me of a Cheshire cat, sans its whiskers, well coiffeured, smiling yet trying to look stern and passing/rejecting the proposals based on the noise made by the 'ayes' and the 'noes'.
She went on and on "...I think the 'ayes' have it, the 'ayes' have it. ....", or "... I think the 'noes' have it, the 'noes' have it...."
Anoushka was enjoying herself mimicking her. I looked at the clock. It was nearly eleven pm. I told Anoushka to go off to sleep.
"Papa, this is better that any serial on TV. It is so much more entertaining. Please let me watch for some more time."
Not willing to see the mockery of parliamentary proceedings and the proceedings being mocked at by genx, i switched off the TV.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Accepting Change!!
Driving to work today accompanied by my younger daughter, switched on the FM. Kolaveri di was playing. I reminded Anoushka that just about six months back, 'DK Bose' was a hot favourite and people seem to have forgotten about it now. The following conversation follows.
"Papa, that song is really old. Better songs have come."
"But I still hum the songs that i did when i was your age or younger."
"You did not have much choice those days."
"But i do have them now. So why do i still sing those songs?"
"Its so boring, sticking to the same songs. You need to change."
While I know that change is the only constant, i need to recalibrate my existing yardstick for expecting and accepting change!!
"Papa, that song is really old. Better songs have come."
"But I still hum the songs that i did when i was your age or younger."
"You did not have much choice those days."
"But i do have them now. So why do i still sing those songs?"
"Its so boring, sticking to the same songs. You need to change."
While I know that change is the only constant, i need to recalibrate my existing yardstick for expecting and accepting change!!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Shortage of Coal- Conspiracy Theories
Shortage of Coal: Conspiracy Theories
The rather candid acceptance sometime in Oct,before Diwali, by Mr SP Jaiswal, the Union Coal Minister regarding corruption, inefficiencies and low productivity in Coal India Ltd raises hopes that the government is at last willing to do a little introspection.
I was wondering whether the statement was just a canard or is the minister serious about 'Diwali cleaning' ?
Just then a little bird perched itself on the railing of my balcony. As I sipped my cup of tea, it told me that there were various conspiracies by different agencies to hurt the thermal power industry and further their own vested interests. It went on to tell me that following forces were responsible for the state of thermal power generation.
a. Foreign companies' stake in developing India's nuclear power plants. Some foreign companies were looking forward to getting multi-billion dollar contracts for setting up nuclear power plants in India. These plans have received a setback due to the recent protests against setting up of nuclear power plants in various parts of the country.
Considering the investments and returns at stake, I would not put it beyond these companies to try and disrupt the coal supplies and run the thermal power plants dry. This would create a climate of power shortage, influencing public opinion in favour of nuclear-based plants. The key protestors would be marginalised and the government would be forced to actively consider expediting nuclear power plant projects. The foreign companies could then step in as 'saviours' to build our plants and charge a premium towards expediting the projects. I would also not be surprised if emissions from thermal plants were brought under hard scrutiny during the next environmental conference.
b. China's long-term approach and their belief in Sun Tzu's dictum "… those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle .... They conquer by strategy". The Chinese strategy to undermine India's growth story is to hit at the driver for growth - power generation. The Chinese could be covertly creating conditions that is impeding coal production in our country, leading to a crisis situation. The Indian companies have been quite agile in acquiring coal mines overseas. However, I see a time coming when China, with its trade-surplus muscle will overtly attempt to bully the host countries and hinder deals with Indian corporates. Its attempted muscle flexing in the India-Vietnam oil exploration in the South China Sea is a case in point.
c. Government doing an Air India to Coal India Ltd. The manner in which private airlines grew in size at the cost of Air India/Indian Airlines as per CAG reports, the government is trying to push private players in coal mining by going slow on improving efficiencies in CIL. Further, is the environment ministry taking urgent steps for checking illegal mining as well as preparing alternatives and strict guidelines for 'rehabilitation' after mining in 'no-go' areas.
The above theories are a throwback to the good 'old' days when every setback had a 'foreign' hand. I thanked the little bird profusely for enlightening me. Perhaps, there IS a 'foreign' hand.
The rather candid acceptance sometime in Oct,before Diwali, by Mr SP Jaiswal, the Union Coal Minister regarding corruption, inefficiencies and low productivity in Coal India Ltd raises hopes that the government is at last willing to do a little introspection.
I was wondering whether the statement was just a canard or is the minister serious about 'Diwali cleaning' ?
Just then a little bird perched itself on the railing of my balcony. As I sipped my cup of tea, it told me that there were various conspiracies by different agencies to hurt the thermal power industry and further their own vested interests. It went on to tell me that following forces were responsible for the state of thermal power generation.
a. Foreign companies' stake in developing India's nuclear power plants. Some foreign companies were looking forward to getting multi-billion dollar contracts for setting up nuclear power plants in India. These plans have received a setback due to the recent protests against setting up of nuclear power plants in various parts of the country.
Considering the investments and returns at stake, I would not put it beyond these companies to try and disrupt the coal supplies and run the thermal power plants dry. This would create a climate of power shortage, influencing public opinion in favour of nuclear-based plants. The key protestors would be marginalised and the government would be forced to actively consider expediting nuclear power plant projects. The foreign companies could then step in as 'saviours' to build our plants and charge a premium towards expediting the projects. I would also not be surprised if emissions from thermal plants were brought under hard scrutiny during the next environmental conference.
b. China's long-term approach and their belief in Sun Tzu's dictum "… those skilled in war subdue the enemy's army without battle .... They conquer by strategy". The Chinese strategy to undermine India's growth story is to hit at the driver for growth - power generation. The Chinese could be covertly creating conditions that is impeding coal production in our country, leading to a crisis situation. The Indian companies have been quite agile in acquiring coal mines overseas. However, I see a time coming when China, with its trade-surplus muscle will overtly attempt to bully the host countries and hinder deals with Indian corporates. Its attempted muscle flexing in the India-Vietnam oil exploration in the South China Sea is a case in point.
c. Government doing an Air India to Coal India Ltd. The manner in which private airlines grew in size at the cost of Air India/Indian Airlines as per CAG reports, the government is trying to push private players in coal mining by going slow on improving efficiencies in CIL. Further, is the environment ministry taking urgent steps for checking illegal mining as well as preparing alternatives and strict guidelines for 'rehabilitation' after mining in 'no-go' areas.
The above theories are a throwback to the good 'old' days when every setback had a 'foreign' hand. I thanked the little bird profusely for enlightening me. Perhaps, there IS a 'foreign' hand.
FDI in Retail
The resistance by the opposition parties in letting the government introduce the bill permitting FDI in retail is ill-conceived and short-sighted.
The government should highlight the benefits that have already accrued due to growth of modern retail. The number of jobs that have been created by the Big Bazaars and the Hypercities is phenomenal.
We are witnessing the change in the way people shop in places like Bhopal, Nasik, Patna or even Bhubaneshwar. What is heartening is that young people from surrounding smaller towns and villages are getting an opportunity to be gainfully employed in these outlets. Based on their individual skills, they are engaged in sales, supply chain, housekeeping or security services. The companies also make efforts to train them to enhance their skill sets.
However, the Indian players have apparently achieved their scale and there is a need to infuse fresh capital and expertise to take retailing to the next level. Recent statements made by senior functionaries of retail chains point towards this.
The move by the government is a long over-due one. The diminished and fragmented land holdings have made farming highly unprofitable for the marginal farmers. The FDI will enable consolidation by the companies and support being provided to the marginal farmers in order to secure their (retailer's) source of supplies. Infact this is already happening in a number of states.
Newer technologies and methods will be available for increasing farm productivity. Fresh investment will radically improve the infrastructure and the cold chain thereby reducing wastages in the journey of edibles from farm to fork (or finger) . The gap between the price that the consumer pays and what the farmer receives will drastically come down.The farmers and the consumers both stand to benefit immensely due to improved efficiencies. A number of jobs shall also be created for operating this chain.
It is only the middlemen and the APMC who stand to lose.
Having said that, the resistance by the main opposition party is understandable, given that their main constituents are the traders and middlemen. However, I am sure given the scales, the middlemen also will find gainful employment in the logistics chain, be it in procurement or transportation.
The political parties need to rise above parochial political gains, see the larger picture and not misguide their constituents. The government needs to be firm. Otherwise it will be another wasted opportunity.
The government should highlight the benefits that have already accrued due to growth of modern retail. The number of jobs that have been created by the Big Bazaars and the Hypercities is phenomenal.
We are witnessing the change in the way people shop in places like Bhopal, Nasik, Patna or even Bhubaneshwar. What is heartening is that young people from surrounding smaller towns and villages are getting an opportunity to be gainfully employed in these outlets. Based on their individual skills, they are engaged in sales, supply chain, housekeeping or security services. The companies also make efforts to train them to enhance their skill sets.
However, the Indian players have apparently achieved their scale and there is a need to infuse fresh capital and expertise to take retailing to the next level. Recent statements made by senior functionaries of retail chains point towards this.
The move by the government is a long over-due one. The diminished and fragmented land holdings have made farming highly unprofitable for the marginal farmers. The FDI will enable consolidation by the companies and support being provided to the marginal farmers in order to secure their (retailer's) source of supplies. Infact this is already happening in a number of states.
Newer technologies and methods will be available for increasing farm productivity. Fresh investment will radically improve the infrastructure and the cold chain thereby reducing wastages in the journey of edibles from farm to fork (or finger) . The gap between the price that the consumer pays and what the farmer receives will drastically come down.The farmers and the consumers both stand to benefit immensely due to improved efficiencies. A number of jobs shall also be created for operating this chain.
It is only the middlemen and the APMC who stand to lose.
Having said that, the resistance by the main opposition party is understandable, given that their main constituents are the traders and middlemen. However, I am sure given the scales, the middlemen also will find gainful employment in the logistics chain, be it in procurement or transportation.
The political parties need to rise above parochial political gains, see the larger picture and not misguide their constituents. The government needs to be firm. Otherwise it will be another wasted opportunity.
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