Ten Questions for Congress

Reproduced below is my mail to Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Coordinator, Election Related Affairs, Indian National Congress.

My criterion for evaluation of the present government.

----- Original Message -----

From: P R Chandna

To: Jairam Ramesh

Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2009 9:07 AM

Subject: TEN QUESTIONS

Dear Mr. Jairam,

In continuation to my e-mail as below, I am giving below ten questions for you to provide me with the answers.

TEN QUESTIONS

1.                How would your party align with the people at bottom of the pyramid?

2.                How would your party engage yourself with people at the ”Bottom of Pyramid”?

3.                What are your policies to provide good education to their children?

4.                What are your policies to provide jobs to them?

5.                How would your party going to provide wellness facilities to them?

6.                What policies of your party would provide a good quality life to them?

7.                How would your party empower women

8.                What are your policies to attract 400 million youth under 25 years in the country?

9.                How would you align & engage with these youths?

10.          How would you provide to them corruption less & transparent environment for them to develop & grow fearlessly in the country?

In case your party can answer these questions favorably, you are the wineer.

With Best Regards

P R CHANDNA

----- Original Message -----

From: P R Chandna

To: Jairam Ramesh

Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 5:55 PM

Subject: Re: Five Big Questions on the BJP's Manifesto of Omission

Dear Mr. Jairam Ramesh,

Good work done will always speaks. However, you need to caution yourself wrt the recent financial crisis and the reasons there off. In case you are able to address these issues then rest assured for the results. You need to keep your eyes on the " Bottom of the Pyramid" and they will take care of you.

All the best and keep it up.

With Best Regards

Your's

Pushkar

----- Original Message -----

From: Jairam Ramesh

To: prchandna@hotmail.com

Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 8:02 AM

Subject: Five Big Questions on the BJP's Manifesto of Omission

Dear Friend,

I hope you have had a chance to glance through our Party's manifesto that I sent you earlier.

While you make your important voting decision, I wanted to bring to your attention five big unanswered questions in BJP's election manifesto 2009.

Question 1: Will the BJP abolish the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA) scheme that is providing employment to crores of poor households across the country, while generating tangible public assets?

Question 2: Why is the BJP manifesto silent on the role of the public sector? Is it because it wants to continue its policy of indiscriminate and non-transparent privatization by stealth?

Question 3: Why is the BJP's manifesto bereft on any ideas on industrial development? Is the BJP intellectually bankrupt on ideas for the industrial development of India?

Question 4: Does the BJP have any tangible plan on agricultural loan waiver beyond the vague statement .Waive Agricultural Loans. that adorn its manifesto? Or is it promising to do something that the Congress-led UPA government has already done?

Question 5: How exactly does the BJP propose to .improve upon the POTA.? What more will it do that goes beyond the strong anti-terror law . the amended UAPA . that the Congress-led UPA government has already enacted?

We believe that these questions must be answered by the BJP in order that the electorate has a clearer choice. The attached link is a short note on these unanswered questions.

5 Big questions on the BJP Manifesto

Please feel free to share this document with others, in order to generate informed discussion and decision-making.

Best Regards,
Jairam Ramesh
Coordinator, Election Related Affairs,
Lok Sabha Elections 2009, Indian National Congress
jairam@congress.org.in

जिंदगी

हमने जिसे देखा, काश वो धुंध न होती |

हमने जिसे छुआ, काश वो प्रतिबिम्ब न होती |

हमने जिसे गले लगाया, काश वो रेत का पुतला न होती |

हम जिसके पीछे हो लिए, काश वो मृगतृष्णा न होती | |

Noise Pollution - “How much we ignore it”

Noise pollution – it’s strange to think how much it affects every one of us whether rich or poor; young or old; men or women; drivers or pedestrian or Minster or a worker; there is hardly any escape from such ubiquitous noise pollution. Noise pollution is making NOIDA/Delhi and any other Metros audibly intolerable places to live in. I am very sure that our brethren dwellers from various other urban and semi-urban cities worldwide would also have the similar experiences and predicament to narrate. Noise pollution in our country is emerging as a major threat not only to individual health but also to social harmony and well-being and has both economic and societal consequences.

Pause and ponder how much we IGNORE IT.

A decade ago, on 14^th February 2000, the Union ministry for environment and forests (MoEF) enacted the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, but was hardly ever holistically implemented. The Act recognizes that there is “increasing ambient noise levels in public places from various sources, inter alia, industrial activity, construction activity, generator sets, loudspeakers, public address systems, music systems, vehicular horns and other mechanical devices” and further states that these have “deleterious effects on human health and the psychological well-being of the people”. Consequently, the government also considered it “necessary to regulate and control noise producing and generating sources with the objective of maintaining the ambient air quality standards in respect of noise”. As per this Act; the ambient air quality standards in respect of noise for different areas/zones have been specified below:

Ambient Air Quality Standards in respect of Noise

Area Code	Category of Areas/ Zone	Limits in dB(A) Leq *
		Day Time	Night Time
(A)	Industrial Area	75	70
(B)	Commercial Area	65	55
(C)	Residential Area	55	45
(D)	Silence Zone	50	40

Notes:

1.             Day time shall mean from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.

2.             Night time shall mean from 10.00 p.m. to 6.00 a.m.

3.             Silence zone is defined as an area comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions and courts. The silence zones are zones which are declared as such by the competent authority.

4.             Mixed categories of areas may be declared as one of the four above mentioned categories by the competent authority.

* dB(A) Leq denotes the time weighted average of the level of sound in decibels on scale A which is relatable to human hearing.

A - "Decibel" is a unit in which noise is measured.

"A", in dB(A) Leq, denotes the frequency weighting in the measurement of noise and corresponds to frequency response characteristics of the human ear.

Leq : It is an energy mean of the noise level, over a specified period.

The Act empowers State Governments to take measures for abatement of noise including noise emanating from vehicular movements and ensure that the existing noise levels do not exceed the ambient air quality standards specified under these rules. The authority has been made responsible for the enforcement of noise pollution control measures and the due compliance of the ambient air quality standards in respect of noise. The law also empowers the local police station officer to take action whenever complaints are received. It is, however, not often common public is compelled to come forward to approach the police.

The problem of noise pollution act presently is more concerned with how it impacts public well-being, rather than how it affects the wallet. However, there has been a study by OECD, an international organization helping governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalized economy, which reports on the social costs from transport noise:

• Lower property values.
• Health care costs can spiral when dealing with loss of sleep, hearing problems or stress.
• Affecting one’s work income due to poor concentration, communication difficulties or fatigue due to insufficient rest.

Ever since the liberalization of 1991, the economic activities in the country have grown at pace, which has also accelerated the growth of automobile, and maintains at double digit figures. The number of vehicle on the road have increased exponentially and contributing to intolerable noise pollution, if left uncontrolled will grow monstrously beyond the control and our society will have to pay dearly.

The decibel the noise pollution has already reached levels which doesn’t need any substantiations; these video clippings of traffic on a road having a hospital and two schools – which comes under “Silence Zone”; uploaded at the web site ‘Youtube’ at the following URLs, speaks volumes:

 

What  is shockingly evident from above videos is that it does not boggle our minds. 

We usually do not think and does not want to think about these matters.

Recently, during March 2011, MoEF has initiated an action of monitoring the noise levels in various cities and 35 numbers of real time ambient noise monitoring systems (five each in seven cities of India, viz., Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore) have been installed in phase – I and during phase – II another 35 will be installed in this year [2011] in the same seven cities. The phase – III; 90 more monitoring stations in 25 cities, are scheduled for installation next year.

The statistically relevant result will take few more years to initiate a policy decision and the actual implementation will hopefully take another few more years and surely another decade will elapse by that time, some of us will definitely lying peacefully under the grave. It is a well known fact that almost (100%) of private buses, CVs, SUVs, etc., gets fitted with Pressure Horns immediately on taking deliveries. A simple conventional noise monitoring methods, as above, can immediately predict existing noise levels for taking an immediate prudent strong willed decision to initiate administrative actions for mitigation of ubiquitous noise pollution.

It is thus imperative from the foregoing that the individual estrangement caused by the noise pollution can have negative and harmful societal and economic consequences and it’s high time that government should take immediate steps to completely ban manufacture, supply/selling and installation of Pressure Horns in all types of motor vehicle to mitigate the nuisance of Noise Pollution and the laws are implemented as strictly as air pollution norms and ban of plastic bags are being implemented.

Furthermore, as a long term solutions awareness programmes should also be launched country wide, looping in the NGOs, media, schools & colleges and others to sensitize the public on the problems of vehicular and all other sources of noise pollution and take them out from syndrome of habitual honking and noise making.

“When I read P.R. Chandna’s article on Noise Pollution, I was cheering loudly (but still within limits).", - A Review by Dr. Charles M. Savage, President & Mentor, Knowledge Era Enterprises International, Munich,Germany
Web Pages: http://www.kee-inc.com/; http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=32529&locale=en_US&trk=tyah

Click Here to Read The paper: IMCI, Delhi - 50th ABCeMag

श्रद्धा विश्वाश

श्रद्धाविश्वाश - याभ्यां विना न पश्यन्ति  सिद्धा: स्वान्त: स्थ्मी श्र्व्रम || - श्री रामचरितमानस 

 

श्रद्धा और विश्वाश ही है जिनके बिना सिद्धजन अपने अन्त:करण में स्थित इश्वर को नहीं देख सकते ||

Guidelines for declaration of Eco- Senstive zones around National parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has issued a Guidelines for declaration of Eco-Sensitive zones around National parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, based on the decision taken by the National Board of Wildlife. These guidelines have been framed to facilitate the States/ Union Territory Governments for declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.

It is available at their site here. http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/Guidelines%20for%20Eco-Sensitive%20Zone.pdf

Introduction of Derivative Contracts on Foreign Stock Indices

SEBI has issued a circular which permit Stock Exchanges to introduce derivative contracts (Futures and Options) on foreign stock indices in the equity derivatives segment. This circular comes into force from today. It is available on SEBI website Click Here: at http://www.sebi.gov.in/circulars/2011/cirdnpd022011.pdf

Eligibility Criteria: The minimum market capitalization mandated is USD 100 billion and the stock exchange may introduce derivatives on a twenty four foreign stock index if the derivatives on that Index is available. Index should be is “broad based”, that is, the Index consists of a minimum of 10 constituent stocks and no single constituent stock has more than 25% of the weight, computed in terms of free float market capitalization, in the Index.

Trading in derivatives on Foreign Stock Indices shall be restricted to residents in India.

High Food Inflation ─ Lessons for Indian Policy Makers

 

“Economics can be made more productive by paying greater and more explicit attention to the 'ethical' considerations that shape human behavior and judgments." Says Nobel laureate Dr. Amartya Sen. 

It is almost three years now since I took a conscious decision to retire prematurely from an exceptionally fulfilling and absorbing professional career of more than thirty and half years to pursue my subjects of interests. However, the recent past high inflation has already started making holes into my pockets, forcing me to rethink on that decision and join back the services. 

The latest release of the statistics on inflation blames high prices of food items, especially now on onions, led to a sharp spike in India's annual food inflation to 18.32 percent for the week ended Dec. 25, 2010, compared to 14.44 percent the week before. The fifth straight week of rise in food inflation rate, based on wholesale prices, was pushed back to double digits in the second week of December, according to weekly data released by the commerce and industry ministry. 

In the recent past some of our eminent economists, policy makers and lawmakers at seminars had opined that the double digit inflation is caused by some of exogenous factors; is a worldwide phenomenon and due to present high growth rate of economy – vociferously condemning Monsoon as one of the biggest culprit (when every excuse has exhausted blame it on “God–Varuna” - is the best adage) and had suggested prophetically that inflation will be brought down to around 6% before the end of the year [2010], but did not have any foreseeable technically viable Road Map either ‘A’ or ‘B’ in place to demonstrate their tall claims. The roles of others–who are also partners in the overall Supply Chain Management (SCM) in more than dozen other states and are condemning high price rise at the top of their voice, and recently executed “Bharat Bandh” successfully…!?, reasoning steep government expenditures being the cause…, were also totally confused and wanting, and don’t have any viable alternative techno–political solutions either. 

It’s high time that holistic solutions to these problems, like addressing SCM relating to agriculture – cultivation, production, storage and distribution, harnessing nexus of cartelization…; are genuinely well thought-out ‘jointly’ by all on long term basis and implemented at the earliest to ameliorate the sufferings of the “Aam Admi”.

SEBI’s Master Circular on Anti Money Laundering

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued Master Circular on Anti Money Laundering (AML) and Combating Financing of Terrorism (CFT) - Obligations of Intermediaries under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 and Rules Framed there under which consolidates all the requirements/instructions issued by SEBI with regard to AML/CFT. This Circular is being issued to all the intermediaries and shall also apply to their branches and subsidiaries located abroad.

It's available at the SEBI's web site @ Click here.

This Master Circular is divided into two parts; the first part is an overview on the background and essential principles that concern combating money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF). The second part provides a detailed account of the procedures and obligations to be followed by all registered intermediaries to ensure compliance with AML/CFT directives.

Master Circular: http://www.sebi.gov.in/circulars/2010/cirisdaml2010.pdf

SEBI's Master Circular for Stock Exchange/ Cash Market

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has issued Master Circular for Stock Exchange/ Cash Market
which is a compilation of the circulars issued by SEBI up to December 31, 2010 and shall come into force from the date of its issue. It's available at the SEBI's web site @  Click here.

Master Circular for Cash Market: http://www.sebi.gov.in/circulars/2010/cirmrddp42.pdf

SEBI's Master Circular for Stock Exchanges and Depositories

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has been issuing various circulars from time to time. In order to enable the users to have an access to all the applicable circulars at one place, Master Circular for Stock Exchanges and  Depositories has been prepared. Its available at SEBI's web site Click Here.

This Master Circular is a compilation of the circulars issued by Market Regulation Department –Division of Market Supervision of SEBI up to December 31, 2010 and shall come into force from today.

Master Circular: http://www.sebi.gov.in/circulars/2010/cirmrddms402010.pdf

Indian Manufacturing Sector and its future for the next decade

Globalisation and the economic reforms has transformed India into a world economic power. India has put up an impressive growth performance in the past two decades and yet steered clear of the brunt of the recent global financial crises. The severity and worldwide impact of the global downturn was in many ways an unprecedented event that wrecked economies around the world for more than two years. Indian economy was also no exception and has witnessed a slowdown. However, Indian economy showed greater resilience than most others and was amongst the first few to emerge from the downturn. India has weathered the global economic crisis better than other countries, and for the current year GDP is estimated to grow @ 8.5% and forecasted @ 9.0% in 2011-12. This is based on the expectation of a normal SW monsoon in 2011-12. Current indications appear to strongly endorse the Meteorological Department’s assessment that the current year (2010-11) will have a normal monsoon. The rate of GDP growths for the 2008-09 (Quick Estimates), 2009-10 (Revised) and 2010-11 (Forecast) are given in the table below.

Rate of Growth at factor cost (per cent):

	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11 (E)
Agriculture	1.6	0.2	4.5
Manufacturing	3.2	10.8	10
Services	9.8	8.5	8.9
GDP	6.7	7.4	8.5

Source: PMEAC July 2010

The Indian economy has experienced some striking changes during the past two decades. The average annual growth in per capita income in real Rupees has risen from 2.5 per cent during 1981–88 to 7 per cent during 2003–09. These past two decades, have seen a significant decline in poverty. Based on the Planning Commission, the proportion of the population living below the official poverty line declined from 39 per cent in 1987–88 to 27.5 per cent in 2004–05. It is essential to sustain the pace of growth and to achieve even higher rate of development so that the fruits of liberalization and economic progress percolate down to the poorest sections of the society. It is, therefore, imperative that a double digit GDP growth is achieved and sustained on long term basis. In order, to achieve the double digit growth rate, it is important that agriculture will have to grow at 4%, manufacturing at 12% and services at 10.5%.

So how does India achieve these anticipated stellar rates of growth? 

The situation of the manufacturing sector in India is a cause of concern. India has not been able to fully leverage the opportunities provided by the dynamics of the world economy. A large section of the Indian population still remains dependent on agriculture, which employs more than half of India’s workforce and the output share of this category of sectors is only 19% of the GDP (at factor cost), implying that a very large section of the population was primarily dependent on a very small share of the GDP. India has simply not witnessed the kind of transformation—from a traditional, agrarian structure to a modern, industrial economy—that has been seen in virtually all rapidly growing economies. Therefore, going forward, the central challenge the country faces is to achieve the transfer of its workforce from agriculture to other, more productive activities, namely, manufacturing industries.

Over the next decade, India has to create gainful employment opportunities for a large section of its population, with varying degrees of skills and qualifications. The manufacturing sector is the one which would have to provide for this employment creation initiative and would have to ensure that the growth model of India is sustainable.

Nishkama Karma - Relevance in Modern Times

निष्काम कर्म 

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेसु  कदाचन  |
मा  कर्मफलाहेतुभूर्र्मा ते सँगोअस्त्व्कर्मणि || 

- श्रीमदभगवद्गीता  - २ | ४७

TRANSLATIONS  

“You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.”

 ─ Swami Prabhupada

“To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be motive in thee any attachment to inaction.”

─  S Radhakrishnan

“You have control over action alone, never over its fruits. Live not for the fruits of action, nor attach yourself to inaction.”

─ Swami Mahesh Yogi

“Thy right is to work only, but never to its fruits; let not the fruit-of-action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction.”

 ─ Swami  Chinmayananda

 “Your right is to work only; but never to the fruits thereof. Be not the producer of the fruits of [your] actions; neither let your attachment be towards inaction.”

 ─ Swami Swarupananda

“Your right is to work only and never to the fruits thereof. Do not be the cause of fruit of action; nor let your attachment be to inaction.”

─ Geeta Press

“Be intent on action not on the fruits of action; avoid attraction to the fruits and attachment to inaction.”

─ Barbara Stoler Miller

The modern era - often said these are testing times; of extreme materialism, wrenching changes, contradictions and despondency all around is wielding mental & physical pressures and leading us to delusions, continual physical sufferings and mental agonies ─ there is a need to heed the call of “Nishkama Karma” ─ “Be intent on action not on the fruits of action; avoiding attraction to the fruits and attachment to inaction.” – Bhagvad Gita 2:47

The primary ‘Hindu’ scriptures; Vedas; four in numbers ─ Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda ─ the treasure trove of Hindu religion, tradition and culture containing codes of Dharma, has implied acknowledging one’s righteous duty and acting resolutely accordingly, were taught by  God Brahma (Nabhija – One born from the Vishnu’s navel) Himself thousands of years ago and have been preserved carefully and handed over to us.

These scriptures contain directives to make a man’s life happy and urge him to abide by the ‘Law of Virtue’. The message therein provides the inner strength making a person adopt a positive attitude. They are absolutely essential for building moral integrity and being eternal, the norms are applicable to all persons even to this day and shall do so time immemorially. The study of them is absolutely indispensable, would cleanse the mind and make it pure, help mould character and aid achieve mental equanimity and humanity’s happiness and prosperity will be assured.

The contents in the Vedas have been broadly divided into three branches (Kanda); namely, path of action (Karma), knowledge (Gnana) and devotion (Upasana), following which one can reach the ultimate goal. The Karma prescribed the conducts one should do and explains how by observing them, materialistic tendencies can be wiped out. Their performance will bring prosperity not only for individual but the entire universe. These righteous conducts alone can keep society in a disciplined manner.

This moral insight has been stipulated famously in Bhagvad Gita as ‘Nishkama Karma’ or ‘disinterested action’ or ‘work for work sake/Duty for duty's sake’. It counsels about the “duty to act, but not the right to claim personal fruits from it”. When an act has been performed by an individual for the sake of one’s duty rather than for a personal reward from it, the person is likely to do the right thing – act as per his Dharma, and thus develop tremendous character.

The Nishkama Karma (disinterested action) approach to action can prevent unethical motives on one hand and promote the ethical ones on other. Simultaneously, this process dovetails seamlessly into the Karmic theory ─ egoless, disinterested action will be ethical, a good cause, and hence a productive of wholesome effect. The mix of three ‘Gunas’ could influence one’s ability for Nishkama Karma but preponderance of Rajas or Tamas hinders rightful actions or distract one from his Dharma. The ethical quality of decisions tends to be endangered when the desire driven lower self clamors for its gratification from duty. These insistence clouds one’s sense of right and wrong, of balance, of proportions breeds unethicality and inefficiency. Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, are revered for their selfless services toward mankind and are commonly referred to as ‘Karma Yogis’ of modern times. 


Across the very rich and diverse religious and philosophical history of India throughout the past thousands of years, Nishkama Karma has been interpreted more or less as an immutable way of life. Likewise, there is enough for our present day leaders in all walks of life to learn from these ancient scriptures, which have as much relevance today as it would have been two millennium years ago.