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

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Do Not Drink and Drive



Supreme Court is not saying : Do not drink

It is only saying : Do not drink and drive on highways

It should have said : Do not drink and drive anywhere / anytime ( even on small city lanes )

Of course , if Highway Patrols were doing an efficient ( and non-corrupt ) job of catching drunk drivers on highways , then there would have been no need for placing a ban on selling of liquor within 500 meters

But in the absence of such efficient patrolling ( and not accepting bribes ? ), expect those drivers to make a round trip of 500 meters !  That will be the only difference  !

The record of 1.48 lakh deaths due to road accidents ( in 2015 ) will get broken !

Experts are saying : This ban will result in a loss of ONE MILLION jobs from closure of 35,000 bars and restaurants !

Sellers / Industry are saying : States may lose , Rs 50,000 crore of tax revenue
State Governments are saying :  We will de-notify some highways and rename these as “ Roads “ ( even if we have neither the money , nor the manpower to maintain these ! )

Supreme Court could say : File a Review Petition , promising to implement the following technology-based solutions , by end 2017 and we will revoke our order !

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23  March  2017

Shri  Raoteji  has  a  Vision

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And that vision is to  “ INSTANTLY – AUTOMATICALLY IMMOBILIZE  “ all vehicles whose drivers, are drunk ( see Times of India / 22 March . news report below ) :


“ Alcohol sensors in state-run buses to curb drunk driving ? “

The transport department is exploring a new technology developed by a group of engineering students that prevents a drunk driver from plying a public transport bus.

The system involves installing an 'alcohol sensor' in the driver's cabin that will automatically stop the engine if it detects that the driver is in an inebriated state.


"We are looking at the feasibility of introducing the technology in state transport buses and other public transport buses," state transport minister Diwakar Raote told media persons after inaugurating a day-long workshop on road safety on Tuesday.

Stating that drunk driving is a serious, unpardonable offence, he added, "The government will take harsh steps to nab and punish drunk drivers."
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But , if Shri Raoteji has his way , he would like to “ INSTANTLY – and  AUTOMATICALLY   IMMOBILIZE “ ( without human intervention / discretion ) , all those vehicles on the roads which :

·         Keep honking / jumping red light signals / obstructing traffic

·         keep cutting lanes / overtake wrongly / violate speed limits

·         park in “ No Parking “ zones or on footpaths or double parking

·         hit other vehicles or pedestrians ( exceed “ XYZ “ number of accidents “ )

·         belch smoke / have noisy exhausts ( exceed pollution limits of any type )

·         driven by drivers without valid driving license / by under-aged persons



·         driven wrong way in “ One Way “ lanes

·         are “ older “ than 15 years

·         whose REGISTRATIONS have expired / not paid road-tax

·         which are carrying CONTRABAND drugs



Dear Shri Raoteji :

Your VISION of how transport must run in 2020 , is feasible / doable

Just ask those Engineering Students to take up the challenge and develop the technology-platform conceptualized in my following blogs :

·         Internet of  Vehicles  ( IoV ) ?  (  04  March  2017  )

·         Pollution Solution  ( 30  Dec  2015  )

·         Making Yourself  Obsolete  ( 14  Feb  2016  )

·         Public Transport  as  A  Solution  (  15  Feb  2016  )

·         Bravo !  Gadkariji  (  16  Feb  2016  )

·         Piyush Plan  (  27  March  2016  )

·         Tablets in  Taxies  ?  ( 16 May 2016 )


·         Turning back  the  Clock  ?  ( 31  July  2016  )

·         All Charged  Up  ?  (  15  Aug  2016  )

·         A Radical  Radial  Revolution  ( 18  Aug  2016  )

·         A Rickshaw  by  any  other  name  ? ( 20  Aug  2016  )

·         Horn OK  ?  (  22  Aug  2016  )

·         Young or  Old  ?  ( 27  Aug  2016  )

·         Drones are  Watching  you  !  ( 01  Sept  2016  )

·         An Excellent  Advice  , Shri  Raoteji  (  02 Sept 2016 )

·         From OLD  to  NEW  ?  No , Go  Newer  ! ( 22  Sept  2016 )

·         One Car  per  Family  ?  ( 27  Sept  2016 )

·         Wisdom of  the  Ancients  (  05  Oct  2016  )

·         Let us  Leapfrog  the  World  (  27  Nov  2016  )

·         Welcome, Elon  Musk  ( 10  Feb  2017  )

·         Un-Implementable Laws : Unstoppable Corruption ( 20 Feb 2017 )

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06  April  2017


  

Monday 3 April 2017

Yogiji ! Make it a “ WIN “ for all



Hindustan Times ( 04 April 2017 ) carries a news report titled,

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Now Yogi is with SC on Ram Temple row


Departing from his earlier hardline stance on the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has lent his support to the Supreme Court's suggestion of an out-of-court settlement of the dispute.


He also asserted that the Constitution gives people the freedom to choose what they eat and that he will not impose any food choices.


In an interview to RSS mouth piece, Panchajanya, the newly appointed UP CM has said he welcomes the SC's advice of an amicable settlement.


"I welcome the Supreme Court's observations on the matter. This should be resolved amicably through dialogue. If the government's cooperation is required at any stage then we are ready to do so," he said.


On March 21, the SC advised the parties concerned to settle the Ayodhya dispute amicably, as it is a sensitive and sentimental issue


This statement is in contrast to his earlier declarations on the non-negotiability of  the issue




Dear Yogiji :



Please keep up on this right path for the ONLY SOLUTION to the Ram Temple issue , by keeping all the political parties , out of the NEGOTIATING PROCESS !


Unless the final outcome gives to both , the Hindu and the Muslim community , a feeling of a “ WIN “ , it cannot / will not , last for long !


No solution which is arrived at / imposed upon , with the TERMS of any ONE SINGLE party , can survive . A person “ sold “ against his free will , is never a “ customer “ !


I urge you to convince the concerned parties to implement my following suggestion ( earlier sent as email to Ministers / MPs / MLAs etc )





Friday, 20 September 2013




 At the disputed Ayodhya site , creation of a “ World Peace Complex “ comprising of :


·         Ram Temple    ( for Hindus )


·         Mosque          ( for Muslims )


·         Church          ( for Christians )


·         Temple          ( for Buddhists )


·         Synagogue     ( for Jews  )


·         Akshar-Dham  ( for Jains )


*         Gurudwara     (  for  Shikhs  )



·         University for Comparative Studies of World Religions


·         Hospitals ( like Netralaya / Hridayalaya )


·         India Heritage / History Museum


·         Business Convention-cum-Industry Exhibition Centre


*        Tourist Complex


      


·        And right in the centre of the complex , a giant statue of the “ Father of the Nation 



Even if for all the wrong reasons [ viz; 2014 Elections ], let BJP not miss this opportunity to initiate steps for integration of the minorities into the mainstream of political / economical / social development of our country


It is about time to exhibit , BJP’s  truly “ Secular “ nature ( non-UPA  variety ? )


It is time to stop mere Congress-bashing ( with which , people are fed-up ) and promise some genuine positive actions to the minorities


And of all the leaders of BJP , who is better placed for such “ Pro-Activism “ than Narendrabhai ?


Carpe Diem ( Seize the Day ! )




Dear Yogiji :



All around the World, violent persons are killing the innocents in the name of religions


Can 100 crore Hindus and 19 crore Muslims set an example to the World by living in harmony under Shri Modiji’s mandate of “ Subka Saath , Subka Vikas “ ?


Make it YOUR DESTINY to change the course of the WORLD HISTORY , by setting an example of the CONQUEST of LOVE over the HATRED


Here is People’s Mandate :





04 April 2017






Saturday 1 April 2017

INDIA : the NEW LAND OF THE RISING SUN ?



The Sun Temple of Konark was built on the coast of Odisha, some 750 years ago


In the next 5 years, India will be able to boast of a million Konarks !


By 2022 , a million building may have a “ Sun Temple “ on its roof – a Solar panel generating electrical power ( Australia managed ONE MILLION rooftop installations in 4 years ! )



BACKGROUND :

Solar capacity by 31 Dec 2016 = 9 GW / Planned addition in 2017-18 = 20 GW


With 100 GW of planned Solar power generation by 2022, India will truly start worshipping the Sun God ( 20 GW from Solar parks + 40 GW from RTP – Roof Top Projects + 40 GW from Distributed Power Projects )


Only last month , the Government decided to raise the Solar Park capacity target from 20 GW to 40 GW !


34 Solar parks are already under construction in 21 States . Last month’s decision will raise this number by another 50 parks !


But all of this audacious plan is no more than touching the fringes of India’s renewable energy potential of around  900 GW !



WHY ?

·         For rapid industrialization , India needs to produce huge amount of electricity


·         Coal based power plants are emitting CO2 and particulate matter which cause dangerous pollution and bring early death to  600,000  Indians each year !


·         In 2016-17 ( till Feb ), India lost 5.87 Billion Units ( BU ) of power generation due to non-availability of WATER for COAL BASED power plants . Expect this to get worse , over the coming years



  
WHY THIS SUDDEN INTEREST / EMPHASIS ?

·         Solar power generation is absolutely CLEAN


·         Solar PV panel prices are rapidly dropping, year after year


·         This has led to Solar power price to drop to Rs 2.9 / Kwh last month from Rs 7 / kwh , only 2 years ago !


·         In the latest installation at MASDAR city ( UAE ) this dropped to Rs 1.8 / kwh !


·         If India wants to replace its 200 million strong population of Petrol / Diesel vehicles with Electric Vehicles ( EV ) by 2030 ( and 6 million vehicles by 2020 ) , then switch over to Solar Power is imperative


If the electricity needed to charge the batteries of all of these EVs is going to be produced using fossil fuel , then the “ Pollution Generation “ only shifts from the roads to the Power Plants ! This is like transferring the disease from one part of the body to another part !




WHAT  IS  HOLDING  BACK  THIS  AMBITIOUS  TARGET  ?


#  Import  of  PV modules

    At present, nearly all Solar installations ( whether Roof Top or Ground mounted ) , are imported – and mainly from China . Adani Group is in the process of setting up a factory to produce PV modules ( 1 GW production capacity )



#  Solar Power Storage

    Solar power gets generated when Sun shines during day time . This needs to be stored in batteries , for use during night / peak demand


Li-ion Storage Batteries are NOT made in India and have to be imported


Imports are expensive . There is urgent need to set up several factories ( with licensed technologies ) to reduce this dependence on imports




#  Finance / Funding

    Just to finance those 40 GW of “ Small and Rooftop Solar “ installations, we need $ 50 BILLION


    Around $ 100 BILLION asset finance is required during 2016-22, including $ 30 BILLION in Equity Capital , for achieving 135 GW target by 2022




HOW  TO  OVERCOME  THESE  CONSTRAINTS , - IN A HURRY  ?



#  Import of PV modules

    Through bulk purchase of LED lamps ( some 800 MILLION lamps – up from earlier sale / usage of mere 8 million per year ) , Shri Piyush Goyal managed to knock down the price from Rs 365 to Rs 60 ! – for delivery spread over next 4 years


And then started giving these away FREE , to end users ( homes / offices / factories / municipalities etc )


There is no reason to think that he cannot repeat this FEAT in respect of PV modules


During past 2 years , huge manufacturing capacity has been added by foreign PV module manufacturers . They are hungry for orders and will bid aggressively against a tender floated by Power Ministry


Then let Shri Goyal offer these PV modules to housing societies / owned residences , under “ Net Metering “ scheme , with a provision to recover the cost from those societies , over a period of 20 years , through additional “ Property Tax “ !




#  Solar  Power  Storage

     TESLA ( Elon Musk ) is negotiating setting up of a 100 MW “ Storage Installation “ , in Australia , within 100 days, for a price of $ 25 million


For  this , TESLA will use its POWER-WALL / POWER-PACK batteries


Can Elon Musk be persuaded to set up 1000 similar Storage Installations in India, within 4 years ?


In my following blogs , I have explained how Elon Musk can be persuaded to do this – and for FREE !


·         Not a Daytoo Soon  ( 09 March 2017 )


·         Congrats! and a note of Caution !  ( 07 Feb 2017 )



#   Finance  /  Funding

     Just do what the Indonesians did !

     They announced a BLACK MONEY AMNESTY SCHEME ( no penalty / only 4 % tax on amounts declared ) – and managed to bring into the Official / Productive / Mainstream .

$ 300 BILLION  !



To know how we can find those $ 100 BILLION ( for our goal of 135 GW of Solar ),

read :

From  Greed to  Great  ?  (  01  Oct  2015  )




If we can pull this off , no one will ever question the health / wealth benefits of,

SURYA  NAMASKAAR  !




01    April  2017