Ensure Money donated is not diverted

It looks like sheer incompetency and greed by Government of Kerala led to the floods. Absolute disaster in mismanaging the opening of the dam shutters led to the deluge, and whatever be the diversionary tactics adopted by Pinarayi Vijayan and his team, the public knew what happened and who are to be blamed.

 

The drama enacted by the CPI(M) led Government to mop up as much relief funds in cash as possible, which is certain to be diverted to finance the Fiscal deficit, and to fill Party's coffers is clear to all concerned.

 

The entire Kuttanad went under water, and that too in August, when the paddy fields are ready for harvesting. Kerala faces a bleak rice shortage. Palghat, the rice bowl, also suffered floods. As do many cash crop growers in the high rangers. It is a pity that a 'so called literate Kerala' did not find it worthwhile to insure their Crops with any of the Crop Insurance Schemes. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana coverage in Kerala is a meager 7%. And this is mainly due to poor implementation by the Government. If you have not insured your crop, when opportunity existed, you should not demand compensation, as if it is your birthright.

 

The same is true for many Middle Class or Upper Middle Class homes. One can understand the poor not insuring their property and valuables, but there should be no excuse for the Middle Class and Upper Middle Class. They have the financial resources to insure, and if they haven't, they should face the consequences.

 

And the Government could have easily created a scheme where the poor can insure their property for a small premium, with Government bearing a portion of the premium.

 

The refrain from the Government and its supporters to those who ask unpleasant questions is that, this is not the time to do so, as the focus should be on rehabilitation and reconstruction.

 

I beg to differ. The floods is already receding from the mind space of those outside Kerala. And in another couple of weeks, no one will be talking about this, as no one does about Chennai floods now. We need to ask pertinent questions and demand answers, here and now. Accountability has to be fixed.

 

We should not allow Pinarayi Vijayan and his team to go scot free, mop up money from well meaning citizens, and allow them to spend without any transparency. I am afraid a good portion of the money sent to CM's relief fund will not be used for relief, but will be diverted, both by Government and party men.

 

What is required is to create a Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Fund, with clear guidelines as to how the proceeds can be utilized. But this is not likely to happen.

 

Modi made his reputation in reconstructing the Kutch area in Gujarat, post the devastating Earth Quake nearly two decades ago. I may sound drastic, but why not think of Sacking the Current Government, implement President's rule, conduct a thorough Enquiry as to the lapses that led to the Floods, set the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction plan in motion, and then, then only, Re-Swear in the LDF Government. You need to get parliamentary ratification only within 6 months. And by then all the work can be executed, and Government re sworn in. This was Kerala benefits from the vast resources available with the Centre, including Army, and normalcy is sure to be restored within months, than years.

 

Any takers?

 

 

Will the Floods help drill some sense in to Kerala Government and Malayalees?

While my heart bleeds for the affected people of Kerala Floods, it is surprising that proper questions are not asked of the Current and Past Governments. It is as if there is a conspiracy to ensure this doesn't happen. A point to note being the deliberate controversy created over the non existent Rs 700 crore aid offer by the UAE Government, which was used to abuse the Central Government and Modi, who went out of their way to offer all the assistance to Kerala.

 

I would like to post some key points here.

 

Now that the flood waters have receded, many are pointing fingers at the Government, who in their wisdom chose to wait till the last moment to open 34 Dams at one go. It is clear that the priority of the Government was to store as much water as possible to generate Electricity at a later date, and save money for the exchequer. One can't fault them. It was an error of judgement, with hindsight. Till the last minute, even experts were commenting on TV that Idukki dam may not have to be opened. We can give the benefit of doubt to the Government here. But the question to be asked is different.

 

"In this era of Computer simulations, did the Kerala Government have multiple simulations as to various scenarios with respect to opening of shutters of various dams and to what happens when shutters are opened partially or fully?"

 

It is clear they did not have this, as the flash floods caught them unawares. The sad fact is that all it required was some foresight and a few lakh rupees to create this simulations, rather than depend on assumptions.

 

Kerala Economy has been dependent on remittances from Overseas for a long time. And due to vested interests, the Government has been lax in collecting tax, especially from Jewellers and many leading businessmen, leading to the State being in perpetual financial crisis for a long time. The Chief  Minister's initial assessment of the loss due to floods was Rs 20,000 crores, though the final figure could be much higher. Despite being a non BIMARU state, and considered to be prosperous for a long time,

 

"Why is it that the Kerala Government do not have Rs 20,000 Crore as a Contingency Fund?"

 

It is almost pathetic to see the Government virtually begging for money from all and sundry. And being ungrateful when someone offers aid to them.

 

This brings me to the next point.

 

I am a Malayalee myself. It pains me to see the attitude of my fellow Malayalees. The so called 'literate' and 'progressive' State has been 'demanding' that every one helps them, and considers it their god given right to be helped. I saw people demanding that Film Stars donate in Crores, and anyone who offered in lakhs were criticized!. By abusing the Central Government and rest of India, which offered all the help, including Interim relief, and offer to reconstruct the state (the NTPC, REC etc have already had a discussion with KSEB to replace all the damaged sub stations and transformers, and Nitin Gadkari has promised to reconstruct all the destroyed roads, just to give examples) Malayalees have shown once again that they cannot overcome their petty prejudices, and even a calamity of this magnitude has not taught them to be humble and behave with humility

 

"When will Malayalees learn to be humble, not feel a sense of entitlement, and respect others?"

 

And,

 

"Will this disaster make us develop plans for being self-reliant in future'?

(Update 03-09-2018 - At last, in Newspapers and TV Channels, people are talking about 'Flood Mapping', which is what I meant when I said 'Computer Simulation'. Though I don't think anything will be done on this front, at least there is awareness now)

A Tainted Legacy

With the demise of Karunanidhi, a Chapter in Tamil Nadu politics comes to an end. DMK has hard core support base in Tamil Nadu, and hence, it was not surprising to see crowds flock to his funeral.

 

Lot of good things have been written about Karunanidhi, as people would when anyone dies. People tend to gloss over a dead mans defect, and over a period of time, the anecdotes get embellished with superlatives, taking the persona of the dead man to a higher plane.

 

It is true that his brand of politics gave a sense of entitlement to many downtrodden people. And no one can grudge them for it.

 

However, this came with a heavy price.

 

DMK and its parent Organization DK, were built on Anti-Brahminism, and this was at its height in late 60's and 70's. The result was the highly educated intelligent Brahmins, who are very adaptive, were forced to move out of Tamil Nadu due to bias, loss of jobs and being hounded day in and day out. This resulted in a Brain Drain, which was never quite filled by the non Brahmins to date. Any leader who willfully ensures diminishing the Human Capital cannot be called a good one by any stretch of imagination. It was quite unnecessary, as there was enough space for Brahmins and non Brahmins to co-exist in Tamil Nadu.  If properly managed, the Non Brahmins would have gained a lot from the knowledge, experience and wisdom of Brahmins. In the absence of proper grooming, those who filled in turned out to be not up to the mark, and this reflected in the development of the State.

 

The anti-hindi agitation led by DMK and Karunanidhi, led to generations of Tamilians having a negative view of learning Hindi, which resulted in them not being in a position to seek jobs outside Tamil Nadu. This gap was beautifully exploited by Malayalis.

 

By highlighting the Dravidian Culture, Karunanidhi tried to create a wedge between Tamilians and other Indians, to the detriment of Tamilians. His support for LTTE, Tamil Ealam, Anti-IPKF stand has led to the current generation getting restive and hyper sensitive. Add to this, his blatant support of the Conversion Mafia, and radical islamists, we have a situation where Tamil Nadu is potentially one of the most dangerous State in India and a threat to National Security. The Church backed agitations, be it Koodankulam, or Sterlite Plant or Jallikkattu all had the tacit backing of DMK, and the people of the State will pay a price for this in the long run.

 

By being opportunistic with respect to alliance at the Centre, Karunanidhi, created a model of politics where ethics and principles didn't matter, and only power mattered. He was also the kingpin of Corruption. He ensured his family amassed wealth. Once he adopted this line, he lost his moral right to preach his followers to not indulge in power seeking politics or to not being corrupt. This attitude percolated down to the lowest party functionary, who made merry at common mans expense.

 

That, unfortunately, was his tainted legacy.

Interesting Characters I met in my life -1

Some interesting characters I met in life.....

When I was working with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd in Coimbatore, I had a Depot Manager. An Iyengar, by birth, he lived a life that was quiet contrary to how a Brahmin should live. A charming character, he was one of the most corrupt person I have seen in my life, and I have seen quite a few of them. And he had a wife to match his greed for money. The guy was all honey and milk, when he spoke to you. He started his career in erstwhile CALTEX as a Personal Assistant, and his Superiors progressed when the Company became HPCL, and took him with them. He was a Deputy Manager when I joined as a young 24 year old Sales Officer. Though I didn't report to him, I had to work closely with him to ensure free flow of supplies to Petrol Pumps under my control. He had provided everything from money to liquor to women to his erstwhile bosses, and they were already under obligation to him. Most of them had become Senior Managers when I joined. The guy took cut from Corrupt Transport Contractors, Dealers who adulterated, and never missed a chance to make money. He was a fat guy with a big paunch, wearing a very short shirt. He drank like a fish, and was much sought after by Superior Officials who visited Coimbatore, for he took care of all their 'needs'. Since those were the days when mobile phones had not entered the market, and me being a Bachelor, once I leave the house, there was no way my Regional Office in Cochin can reach me. They call the Depot and this guy to enquire about my whereabouts. I would have been in the Depot talking to him just 5 minutes before, and he knew jolly well I was standing outside talking to a Dealer. But when Regional Office call arrived, he would say I don't know where Rajan is 'NOW'. This left an impression in the Regional Office that I am not a team player, and the guy was technically correct in a way. He hated my guts as I was totally non corrupt, and waged a lone battle against corruption in the District. But he was always charming to me, gave lot of advises and more importantly regaled me with stories about the antics of many in the Top Management. Above all, he was a guy who could get anything done with his vast network.

Having worked as a Personal Secretary, he had wonderful command over both spoken and written English, and he used it to good effect. I had an office cum residence, and the Depot situated in the heart of the town was the only HPCL Official location. Disgruntled LPG Customers or Dealers sometime go there to see how I can be contacted. Instead of directing them to me, he will offer them coffee, make them comfortable, and assure to 'help' them, though it was not his job. He would then draft a wonderfully worded complaint addressed to Regional Office which will indict me heavily, get it signed by the Customer, and post it himself to Regional Office. After a while RO caught on to this, as all the complaints from Coimbatore had similar flawless language. He was warned not to interfere, but that didn't deter him in the least

 

He was very calculative. When he was saddled with an Operations Officer who was brutally honest, and who wouldn't support him in his nefarious activities, he manipulated to have him married to his late brothers daughter. But unfortunately for him, the girl was very sweet, and did not allow him to change his honest ways, thus checkmating her Uncle.

 

He used to make people confide in him to understand their troubles, and then help them with money or kind at a difficult situation, thereby making them obliged to him forever. He did this with all his staff, and other Sales Officers, Superiors. When I complained formally against him to my Regional Office, I met with a wall of unhappy faces, who didn't want me to make an issue of it, for they were all under obligation to him.

 

Working with him was fun, but one was always on tenterhooks, as you never knew what he will do to your detriment next.

 

He loved his food and his drink. He ate non veg, but always ended his meal with a small plate of curd rice. He would say "there is nothing like curd rice to satiate one's stomach'

 

But I still have a smile on my face when thinking about him, for he was a real charming guy, who had a terrific sense of humour, and had the rare ability to laugh at himself.

Quick Take on Current Affairs

It is a known fact that Bangaldeshis have been crossing over to India in Assam and neighbouring States during the past couple of decades and the number run into millions. An over populated country like can ill afford this. The Congress and UPA Government turned away from tackling this issue as they saw this as a vote bank. It is another matter that 99% of the migrants are Muslims. From Assam, they have migrated to all parts of India, and in far away Kerala, we can see them working in lowly jobs. Places like Perumbavoor have virtually been colonized by them. They have brought in law and order issues. But no one dared touch them for fear of losing votes. Even Supreme Court had raised concerns and ordered the Government to take appropriate action. Modi Government went ahead and released the National Register of Citizens. 40 lakh illegal immigrants were identified as non citizens and illegal. It is inconsequential that most of these are anti BJP. It should not matter. They should not have, in any case, any voting rights in India. It is amusing to see all the Opposition parties taking up the cudgel against the BJP Government for just doing their duty. The biggest noise was made by Mamata Bannerjee. It is a crying shame. Along with Rohingyas, all illegal Bangladeshis have to be deported en masse - Supreme Court Decision or not. An illegal has no place in our Country. It is as simple as that.

 

The list of Crimes by the Church is increasing. Church, is microsm of the Society and bad elements have entered into it, as it is elsewhere. However, what is appalling is the reluctance of the Government to treat sexual harassment by Pastors or undervaluing land while transacting as a Legal issue that need to be judged as per the law of the land. There has been a spate of incidents of complaints against Pastors in Kerala and Jalandhar, where Nuns and Housewives have come out and complained against the Pastors with sexual misconduct. But the Kerala Government, for fear of losing votes, have been moving so slowly, that if they move any slower, they will be going backwards!. And Catholic Church has even brazened it out saying they obey only the law of the Vatican and only Pope has the right to investigate and punish them! And no one, including BJP, have come out strongly against this. The National and State Council for Women are silent, as are all 'progressive writers' and so called 'seculars'. It is funny to note that even the Channel discussions have only Christians as panelists, and no one from other Religion, though a Sexual misconduct is a social evil.

 

I have always wondered why the Lutyens media is blatantly anti hindu. Though one can attribute it a lot to the Convent Education most of the anchors had, and their pseudo secular image, it doesn't explain their silence on crimes by minorities and blowing up even the minutest issue that is anti hindu. The only logical explanation is money. The Channels and Newspapers with their dwindling viewership and falling advertisement revenue are being funded by overseas Christian and Muslim organizations illegally. And this makes them dance to their agenda. News is doctored. This can be fought on two fronts. One by cutting the source of this money, which Modi will be able to do only if he kicks out Jaitley, Rajnath and Sushma, the Congress moles in BJP Government. And that is not likely to happen. The alternate option is to create a bigger network of monetary sources that funds 'hindu' money. That would take a decade or two to establish. Till then we suffer.

Network Power

One of the more sensible developments is that of LIC acquiring majority stake in IDBI. The latter has been in deep trouble due to nearly 28% NPA. LIC enjoys customer confidence, and has a wide network. It has to change the name of the bank to LIC Bank on priority, and look at ways and means of restructuring the bank.

 

 Though digital platform is not a forte of LIC, it would be advisable to take that route. In addition, LIC can spare space in its offices for the Bank to have miniature branches, giving it more reach. It can also encourage all its Policy holders to open account in the new branch and shift their policy payments through these accounts. Even if LIC decides to shift 50% of its premium collection to the Bank, it would make a huge difference to the liquidity.

 

As any seasoned Financial guy knows, the real business of an insurance company is in its investments. LIC has a track record of investing in most of India's Blue Chips over the past 50 years, and this should serve it in good stead in managing the Bank.

 

This is one development that will be watched with interest in the days to come.

 

While Government has been innovative in agreeing to LIC's acquisition of IDBI, it is still surprising that the Government has taken only reluctant steps to utilize the core competency of India Post. India Post has its presence in every nook and corner of India, is trusted, and provides the last mile connectivity to the remotest person living in the country. Its core business of delivering letters is redundant. While Courier companies have moved deftly to become logistic providers for the online distributors, India Post has been sluggish and may have missed a good opportunity.

 

While India Post has been given permission to start Payment Banks, the penetration is slow. What it needs is a Minister like Gadkari, Piyush Goyal or Dharmendra Pradhan - someone with the conviction to push the sluggish manpower.

 

India Post can also play a major role in supporting farmers in the hinterland and can be linked with procurement agencies to manage procurement of Agricultural Produce.

 

The sheer reach of India Post is an immense asset that needs to be harnessed. Its network can be thrown open to the Private Sector to use it as a Distribution Channel. It can sell anything from Postage Stamps to Internet Cards to Facilitation Services for the Rural folks for a variety of online activities.

 

The infrastructure is available. The manpower needs to be retrained, but that is not difficult. What is required is vision to exploit the opportunity.

Innovations/Changes suggested to make T 20 Cricket more an even Contest between Bat and Ball

The Bat has been dominating the Ball in Cricket for a long time. Every single advantage the Bowler had over the years has been chiseled away one by one. 

Initially they had uncovered pitches, which gave a huge advantage to the bowlers in Test Cricket. Then they started covering the pitch which made it batsmen friendly.

The quality of the Protective gear has improved by leaps and bounds to such an extend that even a No 11 Batsmen is unafraid of Bouncers. The specialist Batsmen don't mind getting hit on the face grill or on the Helmet or on any part of the body. The Batting Gloves are so sophisticated that a ball grazing the glove flies over the Keepers head to the Boundary.

The rules were tweaked to protect the Batsmen periodically. The number of bouncers have been limited, stricter LBW rules were framed (unless one gets hit plumb in front of the wicket, with the ball pitching on the middle stump, not deviating and at shin height, the bowler doesn't stand a ghost of a chance of getting LBW these days), any ball pitching even a shade outside the leg stump is called a wide (in ODI and T20), Boundaries are pulled in, Bats have become lighter and stronger which meant mishits or top edges going over the ropes, the White Balls used in ODI and T 20 hardly do anything in the Air after 4 overs as compared to the Red Ball, the Seams of Kookaburra balls are a joke for they hardly exist, the number of overs a bowler can bowl in an innings in ODI and T 20 are fixed................. I can go on..... but you get the idea.

Compare this with the changes that affect the Bowlers............Zilch.

With the advent of T 20, Fast bowlers and Finger spinners are becoming a dying breed. Bowlers don't try to get wickets anymore. They are happy to get hit for 8 runs per over in 4 overs. They should grin sheepishly when they get tonked around by a tail-ender despite bowling a decent ball. In short, they are the whipping boys.

The Administrators think that people come to watch 6's and 4's. This is wrong. I have always enjoyed a match where there is something in the wicket for the bowlers than a match of T 20 where both teams score 220 plus in 20 overs.

I have my thoughts on how to make it a fair contest between the Bat and the Ball. Since T 20 is the flavour of the Season, my focus has been on T 20, though many of the ideas can be implemented to ODIs too. Some of it are cranky, while some very sensible. Read on....

Pull

Split the T 20 Innings to Two

Spit the T 20 innings to two. Batting team to bat 10 overs first. Fielding Team to bat 20 overs. The batting team then to play the last 10 and chase down the target or alternatively Batting Team to bat 10 overs first, followed by Fielding Team to bat 10 overs and this is repeated once again. (For ODI's this can be 25 Innings X 2 per Team). In the event of a rain affected match, the scores at the end of both teams completing 10 overs (for ODI 25 overs) to be considered.


Pull back the Boundaries to 80 Yards
This shall straight away negate easy 6's and 4's, mishits will get caught in the deep, Batsmen running 3s will be seen more (when was the last time you saw a Batsmen run 3 in a T 20 or ODI?), the Finger Spinners and Wrist Spinners get the motivation to toss up the ball, which brings stumping chances and in all this one change will spice up the game.

Reduce the Number of Batsmen who can bat in an Innings to 7
If Bowlers are allowed to Bowl only 4 overs, why should all the 11 Batsmen be allowed to bat in a 120 ball game. The issue here is that a Team has less to worry about getting all out, as it means the Bowling team has to take a wicket on an average one every 12 balls. The Batsmen hence can and do take risks. Reduce the number of batsmen who can bat to 7 (though the Team shall comprise 11 players, the other 4 being Bowlers), with a Team getting all out if they lose 6 wickets, and suddenly you will see these silly innovative hitting getting curbed. This will also encourage Teams to play specialist Bowlers rather than bits and pieces cricketers who can bat and bowl a bit (or rather who cant bat or bowl a bit like Stuart Binny).

Changes in the Ball
Do away with the White Ball. Replace it with Pink and see the fun as the Pink Ball swings a lot more. Batsmen these days just pick the line and take an almighty swing through the line, for they know the ball will not deviate.They are exposed when it either swings or turns.Make it also mandatory that the Balls have pronounced Seam, like SG or Duke. This helps both the Pace and Spin Bowlers.

I would like to go a step further and introduce a Ball that has shine on only One Side. Let the manufacturer apply lacquer on one side with the other side roughed up. The Ball will swing like a banana.This shall take the Ball Tampering issue out of the equation.

No Balls, Wides, LBW
I have  written before here. No Ball should be called when the Front foot cuts the popping crease. Use sensors.  Scrap Free hit for No Ball. Increase penalty for no ball to 2 runs and bowler to re-bowl the ball. The re-bowled ball is a legitimate ball, and batsmen should not get undue benefit of him not getting out, as is the current scenario.

Leg Side Wide to be set at 3 stumps beyond leg stump. Offside wide to be 6 stumps outside the off stump for T 20 and ODI. This gives the bowler a little more leeway.

LBW Rule to be amended. The only criteria is ‘Would the ball have hit the stumps’. This is logical. If a ball has pitched 5 stumps outside the leg stump, turns, hits the stumps the batsmen is out. If the same ball hits the Pad, but the ball would have hit the stumps if the pad was not to be there, is considered not out. I cannot understand the logic behind this. I am aware this is about blind spot. But to me it doesn't hold water. If any ball would have gone on to hit the stumps if the pad was not to be there, it should be given out LBW.

Additional Stumps
This is a bit off beat. I would Have 1 additional stump each on both sides, making it 5 in total for T20. This gives the bowler a better chance to hit and will make the batsmen stand still in the batting crease than dancing around.

Any Takers?