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

Thursday 31 October 2013

Solomon come to Judgement ?



To millions of harassed bureaucrats , that is how Supreme Court's order of yesterday might appear



*    WHAT  ?



>    Bureaucrats must not function on verbal instructions from superiors and the political executives , as it leads to favoritism and corruption


>    Fixed tenures for bureaucrats and the setting up of a Civil Services Board ( CSB ) , to advise governments on transfers , postings , promotions and disciplinary actions



*    WHY  ?



 Supreme Court advanced following reasons :


   #    In the present political scenario , the role of civil servants has become complex and onerous


   #   Often , they have to take decisions with far reaching consequences in the economic and technological fields


   #   Their decisions must be transparent and in public interest. They should be fully accountable to the community they serve




*     HOW  ?




>     Each level of bureaucrat must send their " decisions " to the lower level , in writing . ( Will emails do ? )


>     If a bureaucrat receives " verbal " decision from his superior , he shall make appropriate noting on the file . ( Shall he record that he does not agree with this decision - and why - but is forced to take it under verbal order ? )




*     RESULT  ?




>     Decision making process , which has already considerably slowed down over the past one year , will come to a grinding halt , for the simple reasons that , at the time of taking a decision ,


    *    there is absence of adequate / impeccable data on which to base decision ( - concerned vested interest parties will ensure that relevant data / facts / figures are never revealed ! )


    *    there is no pre-existing and well laid-out " Policy Framework " , governing the issue at hand


    *    no bureaucrat - or his political boss - will ever want to take a decision , which , successors to follow , will quote as a " precedent "and not based on policy




*      QUESTIONS  ?




>    Is there here , some confusion between a " Wrong " decision   and a " Dishonest " decision ?

 Don't millions of honest people continue to take decisions , which in hindsight , appear wrong ?


>    Isn't a " Dishonest " decision one which got taken , solely for the benefit of the decision-taker ( or his family / friends etc )  ?


>    Are we trying to replace honest human " Judgement " by some rigid , hide-bound rules ? by some computer algorithms ?



Historian Arnold Toyanbee , once said :


"  Only two things are certain in life -  death and taxes  "


From now on , in India , it will be   -  death and delays


Will our Ministers re-enact British comedy serial , " Yes Minister " ? 



Only time will tell whether this decision of the Supreme Court , was " Right " or " Wrong " , but we are sure of one thing : this is an " Honest " decision



*   hemen  parekh  (  01, Nov  2013  )

   

Wednesday 30 October 2013

We , the People ……..



Bihar CM , Nitish Kumar likens Narendra Modi to Hitler


He is not alone


Many in Congress / Third Front  ( of 17 parties ) too , think likewise , without saying in so many words


They all mean :


Modi is autocratic , authoritarian , undemocratic , etc..


Majority of Indians would agree !


But then ask ,



“ So what ?


  Modi may not be consultative


  He may be taking decisions on his own


  But he takes fast decisions – right or wrong


  And even if some of his decisions prove  to be wrong in course of time,
  these are “ honest “ decisions , taken in the best interest of citizens


  His decisions are never taken in order to benefit himself / family / relatives
  / friends / chamchas / party members / even well-wishers , etc


  He means – and acts accordingly – when he says ,

, “ I don’t take bribe and don’t allow my officers to take bribes  “

 
  He practices highest form of “ Raj Dharma “ of corruption-free and secular
  Governance


  Why else would  24 MUSLIM  BJP CANDIDATES ( out of 27 ) win municipal
  election in Salaya town of Gujarat ( where 85 % population is Muslim ) ?


  Because , in Salaya , not a single Muslim is un-employed !


  That is why , people of Gujarat elected him democratically for the third
  time in a row


  Unlike Hitler , he has not imposed his “ Dictatorship “ through military


  So , we don’t care if he is autocratic


  And “ We , the People “, will elect him in 2014 , constitutionally and democratically


  We are fed up of indecisive and corrupt politicians like you


  Go ahead !


  Like an Ostrich , hide your head in the sands at the approaching storm ! “



·          hemen  parekh  (  31  Oct  2013  )
 

       

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Kamraj Plan is now Scam-raj Plan !



Some 50 years ago , Congress President , Kamraj Nadar realized that the ideals on which Congress was founded , were decaying. Congress had started rotting from within because of power-hungry politicians



So he came up with “ Kamraj Plan “, under which , senior congress leaders were required to resign from their ministerial posts and devote themselves to re-vitalizing the party



Six Union Ministers and six State Chief Ministers resigned



50 years later , the current version of Kamraj Plan is “ Scam-raj Plan “ !



Under this new “ Scam-raj Plan “ ,



Ø  Ministers need not resign as long as they are involved in no more than one scam at a time


Ø  Ministers may ignore any adverse comments made against them , either by CAG or by Supreme Court


Ø  Ministers shall conveniently misplace / lose , scam related files


Ø  Ministers may continue to chair GoM appointed to investigate irregularities of their own ministries


Ø  Ministers shall have triple reporting relationships , viz :


·         Congress President


·         Congress Vice President


·         Prime Minister


           (  strictly in that order  !  )


Ø  Ministers shall not hesitate to appoint their near-and-dear relatives to sundry Government posts , as Chair-persons


Ø  Ministers shall ensure that all Government contracts / orders above Rs 100 crores , are mandatorily given out to each other’s relatives , in a quid-pro-quo basis , without fear or favour !


All cases to be decided on the basis of “ merit “ alone – that is whether the relative is a son / daughter / wife or a cousin , with family members getting bigger orders






Then there are many other minor “ Dos and Don’ts “ which readers may wish to add , by way of comments / replies



Who authored this “ Scam-raj “ plan ?



That is a “ Scam Raaz “ ! Relevant file is missing !





·          hemen  parekh  (  30  Oct  2013  )

Monday 28 October 2013

Can’t you be Specific ?



During Hunkar rally of BJP on 27th Oct , there were 7 bomb blasts , in and around Gandhi Maidan , Patna


IB ( Intelligence Bureau – GOI ) says , that it had sent an alert to Bihar Govt on 23rd Oct


Bihar CM , Nitish Kumar says , he had received no “ specific “ advance alert


Being , “ His Master’s Voice “ , Bihar IG , Ravindra Kumar says the same


We have to agree ( even if reluctantly ), that the Kumars are right  !


After all , IB alert did not contain following “ specific “ info :



Ø     Names / Addresses / Mobile Nos / Photos of the attackers


Ø     Number of explosive devices / powers / types / triggers, etc


Ø     Vehicles ( indicating license plate nos ) carrying these devices


Ø     Exact locations where the devices were planted


Ø     Exact time when devices were scheduled to go off


Ø     Specific persons – within that crowd of 300,000 – who were targeted


Ø     Number of police / officers /detectives that Bihar Govt must deploy



A furious , Nitish Kumar is asking IB :



“ Why did you have to email your alert ?


In Bihar , we only look at alerts received through Indian Postal Services , which , like our Law Enforcement Agencies , take their own sweet time to arrive after a few weeks / months !



Also , what is your excuse for sending NIA / NSG teams after the blasts ? Why couldn’t you send them before the blasts ?


And , in future  please be  more specific  “



Sushil Kumar Shinde , please note !



·          hemen  parekh  (  29  Oct  2013  )  



Sunday 27 October 2013

How exactly , Narendrabhai ?



In your “ Hoonkar “ rally at Patna yesterday , you said ,



“  Poor hindus and poor musalmans should not fight each other . They should join hands to fight poverty……


When Congress fought 2009 elections , it promised jobs . How many of you got those promised jobs ?  “



True , for over 55 years , successive Congress governments have been busy in “ Garibi Hatao “ – without success


So what did they do ?


Re-draw the Garibi-Rekha ( Poverty Line ) at Rs 27/day in urban areas , to give an impression that very few people in India , are “ really poor “


Even then , this works out to 400 million people ! By their own twisted standard


If I were to assume that BJP’s garibi rekha is , at a more respectable , Rs 100 per day , then this figure could well go over 700 million people !


Exact figures are unimportant


What is more important is ,


 “ How do you pull these poor , out of poverty ? “


There are only 2 ways , viz:,



Ø      Create jobs


Ø      Enable poor to become self-employed



Now , even though you don’t have a Ph D in Economics ( thank God ! ), you are a hard-headed Gujju businessman !


On top of that , you started your own career as a “ Self employed tea vendor “ on railway stations and in trains


So you know what it costs ( by way of capital investment + working capital ) to create just ONE job in the economy


Depending upon , whether that job is in Public Sector  /  Large organized Private Sector  /  Medium sized industry  / Roadside retail grocery shop or a Pan-Beedi dukaan of a self employed , the figure would range from Rs 10 Crores / job to Rs 10,000 for a Pan-Beedi shop !


(  If in doubt , take Annual Report of any Tata / Adani / Ambani / Birla company and divide the Capital Employed by Manpower  )


Now pick your own favorite figure ( per job investment ) and multiply with your own ( convenient ? ) figure of 700 million poor people , desperately wanting to “ fighting poverty “


In BJP’s poll manifesto , will you please mention , where you will find the money required to fulfill your promise ? I hope , you will not raise taxes !


How exactly , Narendrabhai ?


Hint :


Read my Poll Manifesto Suggestions , sent to Shri Murli Manohar Joshi , 3 days back !




·          Hemen  parekh  (  28  Oct  2013  ) 

Saturday 26 October 2013

Brave Words ?



While talking to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York recently , our PM , Man Mohan Singh said ,



“ I have not become Prime Minister to re-draw the boundary “



When the Indians were struggling for independence , the then Conservative Party Prime Minister of UK , Winston Churchill said in British Parliament ,



“ I have not become Prime Minister of His Majesty’s government , to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire “



Within months , the British voters replaced him with Labour Party Prime Minister , Clement Attlee , who granted independence to India – even if reluctantly



The world-girdling mighty British Empire ( on which , at one time , the Sun never set ! ) , got completely liquidated over the next 50 years – if you ignore the Falkland Island , next to Argentina !



With barely 8 months to go till 2014 National Elections , Man Mohan Singh does not have to worry about re-drawing the boundary !



He must be too busy , worrying about the repetition of history when , the Congress government got thrown out of power , after the Emergency !


When brave Indian soldiers – and innocent citizens , are getting killed by Pakistani intruders every day , brave words are not even poor substitute for brave deeds



These are the ultimate in hypocrisy / mockery !



“ Krato Smarah ! “ ( Only the deeds will be remembered )



·          Hemen  parekh  (  27  Oct  2013  )


Friday 25 October 2013

Congress Poll Manifesto



 
Dear Rahul Gandhi



You have invited suggestions from public for possible incorporation in the Congress Poll Manifesto , if found suitable


Based on my perception of what would benefit the public most ( in order of importance ) , following is how Congress manifesto should read :


Ø   Corruption


We will introduce / pass , a  of Jan Lok-Pal Bill within 2 months of assuming power at the Center



Ø   Jobs

  
     We will create 15 million jobs per year , starting from 2015 , especially thru rapid investments in infrastructure projects , which generate millions of jobs. To bring this about , we will introduce special Infrastructure Bonds , whose interest will be tax-free for 25 years.

No questions will be asked as to the source of funds invested by individuals or by Organizations / Institutions



Ø   Economy


We will liberalize FDI in Insurance / Retail and all other non-defense related sectors of economy



Ø   Productive Use of  Un-Productive Money


We will create a structure, whereby Private sector and Religious Trusts ( such as Tirupati / Lord Padmanabhan / Shirdi SaiBaba / Satya SaiBaba / Siddhi Vinayak / VaishnoDevi etc ) , will come forward to invest , at least Rs 10 lakh crores per year for the next 5 years. This will be done thru,


·          No-Tax  ( for 10 years ) , “ Job Creation “ Bonds , exclusively devoted to creation of Jobs for poor people in less-developed states


·         Enabling investments into these bonds , thru a Voluntary Disclosure Scheme ( VDS ) where no questions will be asked as to the source of the funds. This will bring back Rs 35 lakh crores stashed away unproductively / secretly by Indian nationals and Trusts


·         We will create similar “ Job Creation “ Bonds where subscription will be restricted to,


#  NRIs  /  PIOs


#  Foreign NGOS / Foreign Charitable Trusts (eg Bill Gates Foundation )


#  Foreign Sovereign Funds ( China / Oil-rich countries etc )


  
·         We will introduce this measure within 6 months of coming to power



Ø   CBI



We will make CBI as much  independent of the Central Government as possible ,  by making Chief of CBI report to a panel of retired Judges of the Supreme Court

CBI will have its own Expense Budget ( as part of the Central Budget ) and will be free to hire additional professionals without needing permission from any Central Ministry



Ø   Electoral Reforms



We will introduce , within 6 months , a Electoral Reforms Bill in Lok Sabha. This will have provisions for


·         NOTA

·         Right to Recall

·         Negative Vote …………..etc




Ø   Representation of People Act



We will amend this Act within 6 months of assuming power , by incorporating provisions for


·         Acceptance of donations from abroad

·         Acceptance of ALL donations to political parties only thru cheques

·         Issue of paper receipts for all donations

·         Publishing on party web site ,


    #   full details of funding / expenditure / donations etc


    #   full details of Assets / Liabilities / Income Tax Returns filed etc of Senior party functionaries ( including those holding Ministerial positions ) – updated annually



   #   full details of FIRs / Court-Cases ( whether criminal or civil ) filed against any Senior Party Functionaries ( including Ministers ), with punishments awarded , if any


   #   number of Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha meetings attended by its elected representatives




Ø   Right to Information Act



        As  interpreted by the CIC ( Chief Information Commissioner ) / confirmed by the Supreme Court and advised by the Attorney General , we will ensure that all political parties are covered by RTI



Ø   Naxal  /  Maoist Menace



We will eliminate this menace thru full integration of these Tribal areas into the mainstream of the Social / Political and Economic development.

We will do this by granting special status to these areas , where industries / businesses / NGOs , will be encouraged to set up Skills Training Institutes , by giving accelerated depreciation benefit for the Capital Expenditure incurred and 150 % write-off on the recurring annual revenue expenditure



Ø   Relations with Pakistan


Whereas we will encourage constructive dialogue with Pakistan to resolve all outstanding issues , this will be done only after Pakistan dismantles all terror-training camps on its territory , as certified by the Home Minister



   Dear Rahul :



 I am not sure how many citizens will take the trouble to spell out their suggestions like this
My last suggestion is that you frame a “ Multiple Choice Questionnaire “


Publish this on as many Media as possible – especially Online Web sites


Then ask people to record their choices


A Smart Phone based Mobile App would be great !



·          hemen  parekh  (  26  Oct  2013  )



PS :


Earlier , I have forwarded somewhat similar suggestions to Shri Murli Manohar Joshi , who is in charge of drawing up Poll Manifesto for BJP



But then , when it comes to serving the national interest , there ought to be no differences amongst the political parties , as to the goals , even if the means to reach these goals may differ somewhat