Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Sunday 25 March 2012

BUT I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP

Akhilesh yadav – Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh ( India ), must be ruing the day he promised to dole out Rs 1000 / month ( $ 20 ) to each unemployed person, above the age of 35 and having passed 12th standard
Within 10 days of his announcement, some 2.5 million ( 25 lakhs )persons registered at various Employment Exchanges , to claim the largesse
And those included
 15 years to 65 years old
 Those who have not passed even 10th standard
 Those who are currently employed
 Even those who do not belong to UP
Contrast this scenario with the fact that only 15 million persons had registered with various employment exchanges in UP , during the past 40 years !
But really not surprising considering that Employment Exchanges manage to find a job for only 1 person for every 1000 registered !
This is nothing !
Just wait for the fulfillment of the next promise, viz: handing out free tablets ( computers ) to every student who has passed 10th standard in 2011
From school registrations , Government officials have estimated 2.5 million students to qualify
I would not be surprised if 25 million students register ! Of Course,” fake” schools will make millions , issuing “ fake “ 10th standard pass certificates ! Please , don’t call this “ Mother of all Scams “ !
May be UP Government should consider employing a few millions of those “ fake unemployed “ to check the correctness of
 Fake school certificates
 Fake domicile certificates
 Fake Birth-date certificates
 Fake affidavits of being unemployed
 Even fake “ Employment Exchanges “ !
After all , what are a few fakes here and there , when your grand scheme is to replace a “ fake Prime Minister “ in the next general election !
With regards
hemen parekh

Thursday 22 March 2012

Jobless in EU

Economic Times ( 09 Jan. 2012 ) reports following figures for unemployment rates in Nov 2011 :
 Austria ……………………………. 4.0 %
 Germany …………………………. 5.5 %
 Czech Rep. ……………………… 6.7 %
 Sweden ……………………………..7.4 %
 Finland ………………………………7.4 %
 UK ……………………………………….8.3 %
 Italy …………………………………. 8.6 %
 France ……………………………… 9.8 %
 Poland …………………………………10.0 %
 Hungary ………………………………10.7 %
 Ireland ………………………………..14.6 %
 Greece ………………………………. 18.8 %
 Spain …………………………………..22.9 %
For citizens of these countries , it would be a small consolation to know that the developing countries in Asia and Africa have been living with 30 % – 40 % unemployment rates for decades
Their “ Unemployment Flu “ has now reached EU !
And there is no vaccine in sight !
With regards
hemen parekh

Tuesday 20 March 2012

TIME TO CELEBRATE ?

Citing a survey conducted by market research firm IMRB , Times of India ( 26 July,2011 ) reports following findings :

  • Urban woman’s average income rose from Rs 4,492/month in 2001 to Rs 9,457 in 2010

  • Average monthly household income of urban India rose from Rs 8,242 to Rs 16,509 in the same period

  • No of women doing household work dropped from 91 % to 71 %

  • According to official data , India’s per capita income was,

  • Rs 16,688 in 2000-2001

  • Rs  54,835 in 2010 -2011 ( + 228 % )

It is another matter that over 400 million Indians ( 33 % of the population ) live on $ 1.25 per day ( UN’s poverty line )
Whereas in China , only 17 % of the population is below UN poverty line

However, the Government of India wants us to believe that only 345 million Indians are really “ Poor “ – who live on Rs 28 / - ( ie: approx $ 0.45 per day )

So much for performance of our democracy vs China’s dictatorship !

Do starving Indians care for freedom of speech ?

With  regards

HEMEN PAREKH

Friday 16 March 2012

SOCIAL SECURITY IN INDIA ?

In its very first cabinet meeting , the Uttar Pradesh government announced following dole-outs :

·     Rs  300  Crores / year

For Muslim girls passing 10th Standard @ Rs 30,000 per girl to 100,000  girls

·     Rs  1100  Crores / year
     
For 900,000 unemployed youth ( 35 years old or above ! ) @ Rs 1,000 per month per person ( - leaving out another 90 lakh unemployed between the age of 18 to 35 is bound to lead to riots )
      
·     Rs  3,000  Crores  / year

Tablet Computers ( @ Rs 3000 each ) to 25 lakh students passing 10th std

Laptop Computers ( @ Rs 9,000 each ) to 25 lakh students passing 12th std

In 2 years , millions of youth in UP will sport both , a tablet as well as a laptop !

A combined  recurring expenditure of Rs 4,400 Crores / year !

Will this colossal expenditure make UP youth employable ?
Or will it create a debilitating – and socially explosive – dependency on “ Sarkar Mai-Bap “ to look after you for lifetime ?

Could not this money be spent on imparting “ Skills “ to youth which would make them “ Employable “ ?

Is Akhilesh Yadav listening ?

With  regards

HEMEN  PAREKH

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Declining Productivity


That is how MINT ( Nov. 30, 2011 ) describes the working of the 15th Lok Sabha ( Parliament of India )

PRS Legislative Research defined productivity of Lok Sabha as :

“ Actual duration of sitting “ as a percentage of “ hours available “

They found following percentages :

Ø  8th  Lok Sabha ……………………… 111  %

Ø  9th                  ……………………… 115  %

Ø  10th               ………………………. 100  %

Ø  11th               …………………………108  %

Ø  12th              ………………………… 109  %

Ø  13th              …………………………  91   %

Ø  14th             ……………………………..87  %

Ø  15th              …………………………….72  %


When our law-makers themselves refuse to “ work “ , whom can we blame for our country’s declining “ work-ethics “ ?

And then by passing laws ( of course , unanimously and without slightest opposition ! ), to increase their own salaries , they are sending out a loud message to the entire nation that, “The less you work , the more you get paid “ !



With regards

hemen  parekh

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Justice at Warp Speed ?


With 30 million cases pending in various courts of India , here is good news , as reported in DNA ( 06 Mar, 2012 ) :

Under Alternate Dispute Resolution ( ADR ) forum , guided by Bombay High Court ,


Ø No of cases disposed in last 14 months…………  700,000

Ø No of cases disposed on 04 Mar 2012  ………….  240,179

Ø In Nagpur…(in a single day )   ………………………..   84,599

Ø In Pune……(              )…………………………………….   43,592

Ø In Mumbai (              )…………………………………      30,145


Why did people choose Lok Adalats instead of courts ?

No of judges per million population :

Ø In USA …………………… 107

Ø In UK………………………. 51

Ø In India …………………..13.5


Apparently, Nagpur court pronounced 3 verdicts per second ! I wonder if the court had invited Guiness Book of Records !


With regards

Hemen  Parekh

Sunday 4 March 2012

Honey , I shrunk the PC !


For the first time , smart phones have overtaken PC

Here are the shipment statistics :

Ø   Smart  Phones

·        2010  …………………………………..  299.7   million
·        2011  ………………………………………487.7  million  (  + 62.7  %  )

Ø    PCs

·        2010   ……………………………………..361.15  million
·        2011   ………………………………………414.6    million   ( +  14.8  %  )

 Of course , no one is , as yet , writing off the PCs , but this could be the beginning of bad days for the PC manufacturers

More and more smart phone manufacturers are coming out with tablets having built-in telephoning capabilities !

How long before leading computer manufacturers re-configure their assembly lines to churn out smart phones ?

With Asian companies like FoxConn ready to make any electronic gadget given 2 weeks notice , there is no problem !

With regards

hemen  parekh

Thursday 1 March 2012

A Greek Tragedy ?


Greeks can be blamed only partially for what is hurting them so deeply now

The real culprits are those who kept on lending money to Greece !

Greek story could have been very different – and far less painful – but for ,


Ø First bailout     ( May 2010 ) ……………….. $  146  Billion

Ø Second bailout ( July  2011 )  …………..    $  157  Billion

Ø Third bailout    ( Feb 2012 )  ………………   $  170  Billion



And here is a list of those “ friendly countries “ and how much money they have lent to Greece :



Ø France  ……………………………………………………$  56.7  Billion

Ø Germany  ……………………………………………… $  33.9  Billion

Ø UK ……………………………………………………………$  14.6  Billion

Ø USA ………………………………………………………….$  7.3   Billion

Ø Italy  ………………………………………………………..$  4.0   Billion

Ø Switzerland  ……………………………………………..$  2.8  Billion

Ø Japan  ……………………………………………………… $  1.6  Billion

Ø Spain  ………………………………………………………. $ 0.9  Billion


A true friend does not serve you ready dinner – no matter how hungry you are !

He teaches you , how not to be lazy - how to fish !


With regards

hemen  Parekh