Contradiction or Election Bugle ??

" Height of Contradiction " : On one hand Our PM says Moneys are not grown on trees and on the other hand His Finance Minister, who should also know this gospel truth, declares 7 % DA to the government employees. Election Gimmicks have started floating.So we can expect Election Bugle Sounds very soon.

Why DA rise to government employees ? why this is announced only before every election? Many more such schemes will be announced by the Center & the States. In fact if we want good politics and good economics, the reforms in election would be a big step. Code of conduct should not come in to force only after elections are announced. The elections should be announced only if no such freebees are announced at least for 12 months prior to the announcements. All such announcements should be treated as cancelled if these are made with in 12 months of the elections.

 It is also announced that the armed forces will have one rank pension scheme. This one is really a good decision. Though this also smells like an election freebee, I would love to accept it .Our armed forces need to treated very well, while during service, post retirement and also when they are rehabilitated post injuries during war or peace time. 

Reforms Needed?

Policy of FDI in retail has opened up a Pandora box. I am personally game for any and all reforms which open up the avenues for competitiveness and open up markets. I have only a couple of issues on the subject of Reforms and liberalization.

•   Why not make a Road Map for all reforms which are good for the people and economy both.
•   Prioritize them. First Thing First. Let us not try and put the Cart before the Ox.
•  Create a broad consensus on it. Get / Seek opinions of all parties and states.
•  Put time lines for each of these reforms
• Stick to it come what may. Then Parties in Rule should not be held back by the number game in the parliament. They should not wait for the last year of their current regime and say “ we will rather go down fighting ” while bringing a reform for vote.
•  After all we are in a democracy a policy that has a clear mandate or majority only can become a Law. So an issue which does not win a majority does not become a Policy. Simple. Governments should not be changed if a particular policy loses. It should go only if it loses a No Confidence Motion or loses an Election.
• Policy on any reform which has a technology involved should be carefully chalked out. The latest, but not a junk technology should be brought, with a clause of developing these technologies / components indigenously.

Coming to the specifics, on FDI on Retail, the governments says “ it would bring in back-end infrastructure technology in logistics, cold storage etc ” . Point not well taken. Where is the power? Do we have enough of power to run all the cold storage? What should come first? The Malls or Back – End Infrastructure – Like Power Generating Stations, Cold Storage, Roads – Railways etc? So I personally feel that the government should put these things first on the priority list and liberalize on these fronts. Bring in FDI on developing this infrastructure on PP or FDI basis, but again after protecting the interests of the country first. The latest, but not a junk technology should be brought, with a clause of developing these technologies / components indigenously.

Most importantly I feel is the FDI in retail a panacea of sorts for all our problems? Have we given a thought to problems of low cost Housing, Health care, Education & Food? 

Why can we not think of opening up Health care with a clear cut guideline that a dispensary will have to be set up in each village having a population of say 1000 people, minimum so many beds hospital will have to be set up in each hub having a population of say 10000 people, so on and so forth?

Something similar should be thought for Primary & Secondary education facility, low cost housing etc.

So, now we can see what and where our priorities should be? Whichever issue gives maximum gains to the largest section of the society should be our top priority, in my opinion.

Can There be an Argument on this, Mr. Chetan Bhagat or Mr. Swaminathan? It is simple common sense. Economists and Celebrities should think about it and spread this opinion rather than fighting or defending on a useless issue.  

I have chosen these names because people read them and form their opinions. 

Who listens to me who has no voice?

REFORMS – A Master Stroke ??

When someone is cornered and left with no option, he fights back tooth and nail, because it is the only win – lose situation left to him. Since, he has nothing to lose further; he fights with a hair – thin hope of survival or victory. Have you seen a street dog caught in a web of other stray dogs cornered in an unknown territory? He puts his tail in and tries to run away and when that fails, he fights. Well history is not depleted with such cases. Remember Israel war?

The UPA – II ensemble has done something like that. Since its tenure began, the government has been caught on the wrong foot time and again. Scams after scams kept on surfacing and the troubles were unending. The latest one, the COAL GATE , is presumably the biggest Tsunami of sorts to hit them. All their efforts are not rescuing them at all. The economy was in doldrums for a year or so. The media was haunting them, the news from their foreign allies were also not very encouraging.

So how to get out of it, was a thought which was on top of their agenda for quite some time.  Pranabda is no more in a position to bail out them. Only a couple of years are left for the next polls. Team Congress Captain – MMS opened a Pandora box and took out the PAPLU ( JOKER ) from the box and that was – REFORMS CARD.

The Industry has gone agog, but almost all opposition parties opposed it. The merits and demerits of the decisions are debatable. I for one am in favor of opening up the Aviation Sector, Rationalization of prices of diesel & cooking gas, but not in favor of FDI in Retail in its present form.  

Congress has played a double game. It has asked its ruled states to increase the subsidy from 6 to 9 cylinders / year. Then, why the center has restricted it to only 6 for other states? It could well have done that and absorbed the losses. Why the government could not increase the price of each cylinder instead and keep increasing it every year or so and thus give a clear signal that it did not favor the SUBSIDY.

Anyway, that is a separate issue all together. Team MMS wanted a shadow boxing mechanism to divert the attention from the SCAMS, and it has achieved that to the TEE. 

Is it therefore a master stroke? I do not agree anymore. The people do not have such a short memory, as Mr. Shinde felt the other day, when he said that the people will forget Coal gate as they have forgotten the Bofors. Has anyone forgotten Delhi of ’84 & Gurat of recent past? Now the Media wants some news item to keep on their TRPs on a high. Hence, come next elections, they will find out ways and means to bring these issues to the front once again. The people will decide then.

Till then let us enjoy the Games Parties Play.             

Blogging - A State of Mind

I have been away from blogging almost for a year now. There were many occasions when i felt like blogging on an issue, still finally I decided to refrain from it. I have no reasons to put forth in favor or against it. I feel it has something to do with the State of Mind.

I am back now, because i have started feeling Good.