A quick round up of important news items with my comments in brackets;
N-Deal is through with NSG waiver (I have been a bitter critic of N Deal, mainly because of the lack of transparancy and the secrecy that shrouded the deal. I am not worried about what happens if we test. Even if we have not signed the Deal, we would have been enforced bans. So no great shakes. The worrying factor is that the cost-benefit analysis is a bit skewed towards the cost and the Deal affects our indigenous capacity building. Still, now that the decision has been made, let us accept it and hope for the best). By the way there is a well researched write up by Rajeev Srinivasan on N-Deal in rediff.com. Do read if you find time by clicking on the link.
New RBI Governor Sworn in ( I hope he brings some qualitative changes in the role and functioning of RBI. RBI needs to be revamped totally. But who will bell the cat. We have institutions which are relics of the past and has outlived their utility. RBI is one such. It has failed miserably in controlling inflation and should be made accountable)
Singur issue resolved - well almost ( What amazes me is why Tatas were not part of the deal. I do admit that Tatas have behaved shamelessly in this whole episode. But since they are an affected party, should they not been in the talks. And then there is the classic politicians flip-flop and one upmanship after the agreement is reached. I am not sure the imbroglio has ended. It is likely to simmer for a long time. But it augurs well for accountability in the industry circles. In the guise of industrialization, India's leading industrial houses have been making hay grabbing land. And when they are challenged by the poor unorganized farmer, they take out the bogey of the issue affecting India's image abroad. Image - my foot. As if world cars about India. When we were screaming about N-Deal, the whole world was more worried about N.Korea and Iran. We are not even in the radar globally. Same with business. Since the industrial houses have the media on their side and are organized, they are having a field day. Image with foreigners? Why is it so important. What does it tell of India? That a privileged few can squash the poor? )
Sonia Gandhi and Abhinav Bindra honoured with honourary Doctorate (What a shame! A Ph D means something. It is the pinnacle of 20 years of hard work in the educational field. To dole out Ph. D to Sonia Gandhi, who is not even a high school graduate and who has done nothing to earn it, is a disgrace. Bindra is a good sportsman who toiled hard and he got his equivalent of PhD by winning a Olympic Gold. Let him be. By the same token, we should ask the Olympic committee to give honorary Gold medal to Sonia, Manmohan Singh, MS Swaminathan, Montek Singh Ahluwalia etc. They dont do that. Then why should the universities act so shamelessly. What does it take to get a PhD? Going to bed with a Prime Minister?)
Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh dropped from Irani Trophy team as a first step towards kicking them out of the Test team ( Long overdue. But would anyone like to bet that Yuvi will be in the team, because BCCI do not have the guts to say no to Yuvis sponsors. Indian team is being selected by the sponsors. Why this charade?)
By the way, everyone seems to have forgotten about Terrorism, Inflation, primary education, flagging stock market, power cuts all over the country, floods in Bihar, the idiot continuing as home minister, J&K, falling agricultural and industrial production etc etc.................... till the next major crisis happens. Till then adieu!
