ॐ सौराज्यम् 卐: 2010

Friday, December 24, 2010

If I would be Human Resource Minister of India

I liked the views of present Honorable Education Minister, Shri Kapil Sibal’s statement that educational qualifications should get dematerialized, similar to the stocks in Demat account. This will reduce the risk of loss/damage while carrying different precious certificates.

But the bill and determination to make primary education a fundamental right for all children is not practical. Both rich and poor likes to send their child to the “Kendriya Vidyalayas”, the Central government sponsored schools, but these schools are very limited in number and not present in many remote villages of the country. There are many “unfortunate/-misfortunate” children in the country who struggles to get proper nourishment, forget the education! Worst among them are the children of poor “Migrating citizens”.

In the current situation, though every one likes to get secured “Government Job” or job in a company with very large capital, it is not possible for every one to get such job.

Large number of educated human resources of India, also from the educational institutes which gave very high hopes and charged lakhs of rupees as fees, are happily-unhappily finding work in the mid capital-small capital private sectors. After investing lakhs of rupees, (in some cases from education loan) many are not having courage to prepare and compete for the government jobs or enter into the “Economics of Application Form to Selection”.

Every bride likes to get a husband with secured job, but it is not practical. It is good that many females are getting educated and are getting into active professional life. So many females are avoiding to get into the formal married life and motherhood and in many families the male and female are exchanging their roles, that is the female is going to earn money and the male is taking care of the house and children.

Small-Mid cap industries cannot afford to pay better salary and other facilities to their employees.

Since the educational institutes of

India

hardly tries to find the best suited niche livelihood opportunity for a child, there will be lots of people in wrong job or the job in which their performance is poor/unsatisfactory.

So there is and will be good number of cases of Job Gaps in India.

Good thing is that the population of India will register some decline, but the decline is/will be in the families which can afford producing child and/or give proper parental education to the child than that in the family which cannot afford producing more child and/or give parental education to the child.

The impact of low paid Job and Job gaps should not only fall on the individual but also on the Institute which trained/taught/groomed that Individual, especially the self-financed professional institutes which charged very higher fees and made high claim promises at the time of admission.

Waste Asset: During my management course, in one of the finance class, my Finance professor told about “Waste Asset”. She had told that the farmers’ assets like farm produce and farm animals are “Waste” in nature as they are mostly perishable and if not sold/consumed/used in proper time duration, there value will go “Waste”.

Human is too a “Waste Asset” in educational institutes, in career, in relationships, etc.

It is very good that the Ministry of Agriculture provides “Minimum Support Price” for many agricultural commodities.

So as the Human Resource Minister of the country, I would ask all the educational institutes to fix a “Minimum Support Salary/Wage/Remuneration” for their student who successfully completes the course.

This means that if a student successfully passes out from some recognized, self financed and costly educational institute, but gets into the trap of low paid job and job gaps and the vicious cycles of probation period, the institute alone or with the help of Government should pay the balance amount below the “Minimum Support Salary/Wage/Remuneration” (=“Minimum Support Salary/Wage/Remuneration”- current Salary/Wage/Remuneration) and help the candidate to find a better career.

Similar to the Government job, i.e. once a person gets selected into the Government job, he/she is taken care even on becoming unproductive.

I would also launch an organisation/Institute called "Job Gap Human Resource Service". It would be government sponsored and all services to the qualified human resources registering Job gap, subjected to some conditions will be free. The funding will be met from the income which comes to government from the tax collected from corporates (Corporate Tax in India: 25% on "Earning Before Deduction of Tax) and other Privately managed firms.

All those employees who are graduate or post graduate and have been terminated from the job for non criminal activities like poor performance in sales, unable to meet the task, etc. The employee who have themselves resigned, and get into the job gap will not be eligible for the facilities.

The human resource getting into Job gap can register on the specially designed online government site for them. For this they will have to use their UID, PAN card details, personal Bank accounts, PF (Provident Fund) number, Letter from their employer, etc.

All employees in private sector, will have a Centralized Provident Fund account linked to their bank account, so that when they change their job/organisation, they may continue with the same provident fund account number in the new organization/job. (I have worked in a private company for around 8 months, my HRM created a PF account for me and also deducted some amount from my salary for few months. But when I was terminated from the job, even after requests, I neither got relieving letter, nor the amount which they had deducted for my PF account. But I am highly grateful to that company, as it had helped me when I was in a Job gap and badly searching for jobs, it also gave me many learning opportunities and other facilities, but I did not proved to be much productive for it.)

Even in the case of not having the letter of relieving from job, the self declaration of getting into job gap and not being challenged/refuted by the recent employer/organization will be considered for the eligibility.

The person in job gap will be asked to go to their native house. In some cases, they will not even be charged for travelling in the Railways and Government buses.

Based on their educational qualifications, experiences, and condition of the need of money and personal finance status, some stipend amount will be immediately send to their bank account. This will continue for some months, until the person finds some other job.

Interest on the existing "Education Loan" of the candidate will stop increasing, until he/she finds another job. In adverse situation and special cases, like government finding it difficulty in providing new job, there will be provision to forgive the "Education loan".
My ministry will try to reduce the the interest loan on all existing and new education loan.
Detailed resume of the person will be available on the internet site for different employers to view and consider the person for recruitment. If a employer selects the candidate, his/her resume will be removed from the website.

Emphasis of the Government will be to analyze the Strengths and weaknesses of the candidate and to provide him/her the best matching niche employment opportunity. The defect in the educational institutes, which failed to analyze the special skills of the person will also be studied.

I will help the "Ekalavya" type of students/learners (Self learners) to get their due recognition and not be harmed by the Guru/Educational institutes like "Dronacharya". Guru Dronacharya took away the right hand thumb of Eklavya for which he lost his head in the war of Mahabharat.

If an educated Father/Mother/Guardian takes efforts in teaching their child, the guardian taught child, even when not attending the formal educational institutes, and on passing some "tests", will be considered on par to the child obtaining formal education. This will help the low-incomed, educated parents to save money.

In the "Eklavya" Plan, The Syllabus for all academic qualifications (Matriculation, Inter, Graduation, Professional courses, Post Graduate courses, etc.) will be defined in detail. It will be up to the student, on how he/she grasps the "Syllabus", in what time frame, and by referring which study material.Whenever the student, feels "satisfied", with his/her learning, can request the centralized body for examinations, to "Test" his/her understanding/fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the Syllabus. The test will be flexible type, that is Telephonic, Email, Chat, Letter based, and also visiting the office of the Governing body on different Syllabus for personal interview, and conferring the degree. Government role will be to help such students, than to "punish" him/her for trying to become the "Ekalvya". Very less, affordable or no "Guru dakshina" will be taken from such student. But at same time his/her degree will be considered on par with the students attaining the regular classes. (At present similar facilities exists in India. The bias is to the limited extent. While filling the form of "Armed Force Medical College", I had read, written there that the preference in selection will be given to those students who have qualified matriculation and Inter from a recognized school and board with good attendance and marks).
All educated /learned person has every right to impart knowledge to another. Many educated home maker wives and/or husband can teach their child, whereas the seat available in the nearby schools can be occupied by the students whose parents cannot educate them or give time to them.
Socialization is through (1) Family (2) Society (3) School. Some can get properly socialized from just one of them, and some from neither of them.
So on no basis the self learned education, education from family and or society should be considered inferior to that from the school/university or other sources of formal education.

I would also impart all short duration Diploma, Certificate courses, Certified Training Programmes, etc. the Continuity effect. That is a person having one year post graduation diploma, can convert that diploma into a Master (2 years) degree by undergoing another related one year diploma course from same or another institute and the time gap between the two degrees will not be taken into account. The final combined degree will be awarded by the institute involved in later stage or the third party involved in providing further higher studies or providing employment. All distance/online/part time courses will be compatible with the regular ones.

Costly education has many negative impacts on the society.

Though it benefits the teaching faculty members and the institute in meeting its financial need, the special niche skills and related opportunity of each student if not properly and individually analyzed, chances of that student landing into job gap and negative economy is high.
Costly higher education creates Class. Thus the society is broken into hierarchical strata.
The person studying with education loan, will have crave for high salaried jobs, and if landed into low paid jobs, he/she may develop negative attitude and land into different vicious cycles.
Costly higher education can put the student into Debt Trap.
It may bear negative impact on the Eugenics, Family relationships, etc.
Costly higher education increases the materialistic attitude and parasitic nature.
Business enters the relationship between the student and teacher. The students are seen as "source of income" for the institute. After the student passes out, if he/she attains success, the institute recognizes him and get associated, but if he/she attains failures, they simply dissociate themselves from the student.

When Online/Distance education is better than the Regular ones?

When there is no proper hostel facility, and the nearby school/college is too far from the house.
When the hostels are not affordable.
When the food available in the hostel is not nutritious and hygienic and near to the expectation of the student and their parents.
When there is poor study environment in the hostel.
When there are no "Lakshman Rekhas"
When some students in hostel and college get addicted to "Pornography".
When the relationship between seniors and Juniors are poor.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Plea to Privatize the Indian railway

Some of my poor experiences in Indian Railway:

Objectives of supporting the Privatization the Indian railway

1. To make the train journey safe and secure, so that there is no accidents, causalities, incidents of thefts and robbery, sabotage inside/outside the train and premises of railway property.

2. To respect and treat the passengers as “Customers”. (Prioritizing the satisfaction of the “external customers” more than that of the “Internal customers”)

3. To increase investments in the Indian railway.

4. To increase the efficiency of the Indian railway.

1) Better waitlist ticket management. Goal that there is no gap in Demand and Supply and thus no waitlisted passengers.

2) Providing better train network, based on the existing/perceived Demand and having one single gauge system, the broad gauge throughout the country.

3) Providing better facilities at the railway stations and premises.

4) To be punctual and “Just in time”.

5. To break the monopoly in management of the Indian Railway, and give the customers the advantage of “competition” between the services of different players.

6. Delighting the customers by increasing their comfort and convenience.

7. To present the best thriftiness and low cost in management.

8. To help the requirements of the “Migrating citizens”.

9. To make an egalitarian society.

10. To help the people who cannot afford to purchase the tickets. Empathizing even with the “without ticket passengers” and understanding and helping them.

11. To motivate the outside food vendors to get registered and form an organisation, so that they are able to serve the customers along with the registered IRCTC’s caterers. The outside vendors are good supplier of local fruits and vegetables. They also compete with the “authorized” caterers, thus keeping the prices of food under control. This also increases the opportunity of self employment.

12. To provide adult education in the railway, especially the lessons on Health, Hygiene, sanitation and cleanliness. For this the money will be taken from the ministry of Human resource.

13. To provide employment to the “beggars”, “transgenders” and other people who frequently travel in the train and likes to get registered them selves as unemployed and “without ticket”.

14. To help the old and sick people.

15. To help the religious pilgrims and the registered sadhus/sanyasis/yogis/Naga Baba’s.

16. To bring out the advantage of private management in the railway, so that there are innovations and creativity in the management.

17. To make the people who reside near the railway infrastructure, such as railway lines and stations as share holders of railway.

18. To bring private human resource management in the Indian railway. Recruitment, Transfers and Removal from job will be easy, need based and without much formalities.

19. To recruit guard cum care takers for each compartment- 1 near each gate-toilet. So that there is no sexual harassment, smoking, drinking liquor, consumption and sale of Gutakha, etc. inside the train. It will also be strictly seen that no one expresses his “sexual desires” by making erotic drawings and writing erotic-indecent comments in the toilets.

20. To prioritize the better services and welfare of customers more than the profit of the railway.

21. To help the marginal vendors especially that of “perishable” commodities to have access to the better markets.

22. To have zero tolerance to corruptions in the railway.

23. To have mobile and laptop charging facility near all seats in all of the compartments.

24. To eliminate the concept of “general boggy” so that a seating facility is provided for each purchased ticket.

25. To digitalize/computerize all the dealings inside the moving trains, so that there is perfect openness and transparency.

26. To include the facilities of alternate travel arrangement, if the railway has somehow failed in providing expected service.

27. To treat all customers as “equal” so that there is no “Very Important Person”.

28. To make each train’s one route journey as the “Revenue Centre/Service Centre” and establish a manger for that “Revenue Centre/Service Centre”.

29. To plant trees along the railway tract.

Problems of Indian Railway: In the grip of “Unethical Ethics”.

1. The government has been “happy” in increasing the salary of their employees. “Good”, but the Railway will have to earn more profit!

2. No minister wants to take up the “blame” of increasing the ticket fare of general, sleeper and other economical classes.

3. Investment in developing the infrastructure and demand meeting capacity of Indian railway is poor.

4. The “cash inflow” is being maintained by “Tatkal” schemes, “Fines” for traveling in Sleeper class with negligence to the facility provided for the General class and making the “Counter booked Waitlisted ticket” holders to travel in difficulty, without increasing the carrying capacity/seating facility.

5. In “Tatkal” tickets, the charges are more and there will be no benefits of the concessions. The passengers wanting to take advantage of the “Tatkal” ticket must be very active with ability to quickly book the ticket preferably the “e-ticket”. They should also have good internet facility, online bank account, Debit /Credit cards and enough money in their bank account.

6. The innovations in treating the passengers as “valuable customers”, empathizing with them, analyzing the customers in need of “special support”, reaching them, and giving special treatments to the “needy ones” are lacking.

7. The innovation in making alternate travel arrangements for those who needs to “anyhow” travel to their destination is lacking.

8. The railway minister does not want to take any decision which will embarrass the Employee/Trade Unions. Thus the benefits of the “external customers” are often compromised for the sake of the “Internal Customers”.

9. The accidents associated with railway have been common. The Railway minister has been “kind” in giving jobs and compensations to the victims. This reduces the “funds for investment” and also the business opportunity of the Insurance industry.

10. The naxalites are the people who are quiet “hopeless” about their future. They also have Ego and also frustrations. They are in need of special “reach out” support. They are jealous about the increase in salary and facilities of the employees/servants in the “Organized sectors”. Afflicted by negativity they “enjoy” causing harm to the Railway.

11. The railway has huge property for which there is often blame that it is not properly managed by their “talented” “Babus”.

12. The Large Cap companies, affluent industrialists and the famous institutes (e.g. IIM) wants to get share in the “management” of railway, thus trying to “dilute” the importance/significance/authority of the high profile “Babus” and the Minister of Railway, which they resist. Thus the Indian Railway does not get benefit of the private funds/investments and the management skills in the private sectors.

It is very unfortunate that most often the Indian railway is unable to clear the waitlisted tickets, even when the tickets are booked in advance. It just shows that they don’t know the “Demand and Supply” and are weak in the trend analysis, organized just for the name sake, poor in logistics and supply chain management. It also reflects that they don’t understand the customer behaviors and don’t empathize with their customers.

If the government managed Indian Railway cannot meet Demand, it should leave the Business and allow the Private players to meet the Demand.

Indian Railway should not operate by the bills passed in Parliament, but on the basis of Demand and Supply. Additions and removals of the bogies at different stations should be made easy by bringing innovations and creativity. There should be good stock of bogies and engines at the important stations.

Indian railway should consider all the Tickets booked even when there is no availability of births as "Tatkal". And attempts should be made to provide seating facility for such passengers.

When Tata, Maruti and Mahindra can strive hard to meet the needs of the economy and customers, why the railway often fails?

Railway should not grade its customers on the basis of “Air Conditioned, First class, Sleeper, Chair car, General” but on the basis of necessity.

The customers, who have to somehow reach their destination on time, will not mind traveling even in the General bogie, provided they don’t have to compete for space, struggle, tolerate the smokers and hold their toilet impulse-rather than going into the dirty toilets-sometimes even without water!.

Private Road Transport system at many places have even out competed the railways. People happily pay extra money to the bus operators to avoid uncertainties associated with railway (mainly confirmation of the wait listed tickets.)

Many passengers does not like to travel in the A/C’s but they like to travel in clean, well maintained, well secured and peaceful compartments.

Who will oppose the Privatization of Indian Railway?

1) Trade unions, existing employees and their family members.

2) Narrow minded and myopic ministers/politicians.

3) Other vested interests.

Approach and my imaginations

The private parties who give “chanda”/donations/bribe to the politicians, especially to fight elections should convince/force/lure the ministers to give the railway in the hands of private management.
Privatization should be gradual. The underutilized and mismanaged railway routes should be first privatized.
The past records of unreserved and reserved tickets purchased, that remained waitlisted but not cancelled, that got cancelled due to different reasons, loss making routes, etc. will be studied in details and probabilities for the demand estimation will be established.
Each trip of a train will be one "Revenue/Service" Center. There will be a manager for that Center. It will be his/her responsibility to see that the objectives are met. His/her contact number will be displayed to the customers, so that they can seek his/her help.
Development of new bogies/ up gradation of existing bogie will be privatized so that the demand-supply gap is narrowed. To fill the demand supply gap, bogies will also be exported and imported. So there will be partnership with the international train bogie developers and operators.
Railway track management at different regions can be taken up by the different companies. Similarly different railway station management can be taken up by some company. It should be ensured that the local populations are made share holders in the development/management projects.
The company managing the railway tracks and stations will earn by charging the train operators and partly from the price paid by the customers for the tickets.
Enough seating facility will be provided for every one including the 'beggars', 'trans genders', 'small vendors', 'sadhus', poor student, 'the person who has lost his/her money', etc. They will be registered by the railways against their UID numbers.
The Customers who cannot afford to pay for the ticket but have some strong rational objective in traveling will be given ticket from the railway side, and the amount will be taken as bad debt/donation in the railway's account. If the same person travels more than few times on "mercy" he/she will be analyzed by the human resource experts of railway and given some trainings and job. Railway will also donate clothes to those "customers" who don't have proper/clean dress.
I will like to have only sleeper class or double decker chair car in my train. Let the people mingle, enjoy and adjust with the weather/climate given by the Nature.
Facilities like ATM, Cyber cafe, medical shops, cloth shop (for cold and warm seasons), fruit shops, small theater, library etc. will be available in my train.
Strict and “boring” Teachers/professors will be recruited to give ethical "lessons" to those making the train and toilets dirty, and causing losses to the railway and inconvenience to the fellow passengers. The money for this adult education will be taken from the ministry of human resource.
The guards cum caretakers recruited for each gate will have eight hours of job and will get out and take rest at the station which falls near to his/her end of duty, and than another person will take charge. I will prefer aged and educated people who are strict, honest but without ego. Transgenders can also be recruited for the job. They will have to make the records of passengers boarded, missing, behaviors of different customers, etc. which will be fed to the internet connected palm top provided to the care takers.
Manager of my train will provide television with DVD players to the passengers traveling in a large group for a purpose-say religious pilgrimage, tourism, etc.
I will have a "bathroom bogie" with enough water for the Ayappa Swami devotees. Instead of fire based Aarti, they will be requested to do Aarti by lighting the battery operated torch and perfume.
Bogie will be of different types, with flexibility, good look, etc. to meet different objectives. Double decker chair car can be used to move large number of customers.
Ticket charges will have price little more than the "break even point" of the operation costs. The passengers who cannot afford this price will request in written to the railway manager, who will provide required concession, adding the loss to the balance sheet against the UID of the customer. Based on the requests for prices, costs and prices will be appropriately adjusted and also the business opportunity will be created from some of the "luxury" services provided inside the train.
All financial transaction will be open and transparent. Salaries of my managers will be reasonable and based on the performance and income of the railway. I will like to operate in low cost economy so that an egalitarian society is created. Inflation management will be the headache of the Government of India.
Toilets will be of Indian style, placed at elevation from the floor. No western style toilet will be provided. In each toilet, there will be toilet cleaner chemical and brush. The customers will have to see that they take personal interest in cleaning the toilets after use, so that it is ready for the next person. There will be a small mug and soap for maintaining hygiene and cleanliness and so that the toilet user disinfects their hands after using it for toilet. The railway will also supply rubber/plastic slipper, on a small charge for going to the toilet.
Installing urinals in the toilet. The urinals will be such that the urine does not sprinkle out on the body or feet. For this there can be provision for adjusting the height of the urinal according the height of the user. There will be water tap attached to the urinal and liquid soap bottle near the urinal. The users will have to see that the urinal is cleaned for the use of the other person.
The railway will have efficiently networked customer care department which will monitor to ensure the convenience of the customers. They will make individualized and personalized phone call or send SMS to the customers to make them alert about their train timings, best time to be on the station, platform on which the train will be standing, coach position on the station, other mode of transport available to reach their destination, in the new city, where they can stay at their budget level, places of interest, medical facilities, risks, etc. This will be partly “free” and partly charged service.
The Care takers will give personalized services to the passengers, like alerting them before the arrival of the station at which they want to get down.
They will also be attending the helpless people, to create a role model homely environment inside the train.
It will be possible to modify/cancel the electronic tickets/mobile booked tickets on the ticket counter available at the stations. Facilities of “Break of Journey”, “Onward” journey, “Circular journey” will be available on the electronic and mobile tickets. The SMS sent on mobile by Railway for a booked ticket can also be used instead of the tickets in Print form. A person can get printed form of his/her electronic/mobile booked ticket in the station and also inside the train, for a very small extra charge above the cost of printing and paper.
The Railway will empathize and provide proper accommodation to even those “Customers” who could not pay full fare for ticket, or buy proper ticket but boarded the train. But there name, address and UID number will be published on the website of Railway, with the total losses incurred due to them. But if they pay the money in later stage, they will be thanked and their name will be removed. The UID numbers will be linked to the customer’s bank account, and there will be provision for auto transfer of the due amount to the Railway’s account. Thus the Indian railway will start giving services on credit (interest free for some months or on varying interest based on person and situation.) along with bad debt/donations to the Poor and Pauper. Depending upon the situation of the customers, the credits can be debited on installments or in one lot.
Railway will provide free service to those who have lost their job and are in job gap and want to return to their native place.
There will be purified drinking water tap in the “Common Room bogie” of the train.
Many students who go to study in other states for many years (say 4-5), while returning back, may like to carry the purchased books, study notes, computers, musical instruments, clothes, valuable utensils etc. to their house. Railway will identify such students and help them to carry their books and study notes (most often have high weight, say more than 60 Kg.) back to their house at very concessional charges.
The prevailing facilities to the army personnel will continue.
Special concessions will be given to the registered groups of Agricultural Labors and their families, who move from one state to another for executing different farm operations like planting, harvesting, weeding, applying pesticides, irrigating etc.
The railway coaches will be frequently disinfected from mosquitoes, bed bugs, rats, etc.
Railway with tanker coaches will supply water for drinking and afforestation projects at the draught affected places. Similarly it will collect water from the flood affected regions to the draught affected ones.
Railway will respect and help the people who cannot “afford” to become the perfect “customer” but will be very strict against the people who are corrupt and hypocrite. It will make all attempts to help these people in correcting themselves.

Failing to Privatize the Indian Railway

1) Made the automobile sector entrepreneurs to produce many cars, bus, etc, which increased the traffic jams, road accidents, pollutions and materialistic behavior of people

2) Increased the business opportunities of hotels and lodges, Road based transport providers, and aero plane operators.
Hindi poem-General Compartment of Indian railway-1
Hindi poem-General Compartment of Indian railway-2
Hindi poem-General Compartment of Indian railway complete

Monday, November 1, 2010

Girl in Peril, was helped by the people of my office.

Yesterday (1st November 2010) evening at around 7:00 to 8:00 PM, a girl (teenage, native of Punjab) came to our security office (GROWMORE Biotech Ltd., Hosur, Tamilnadu) and said that she is from Dehradun, and wanted to go to Chennai, but near Hosur?, she lost her purse, in which contained her money, debit card, contact addresses, mobile phone, etc. She has walked from Hosur bus stand (?) to our office. She was crying and not very clear. Her statements were lacking the consistency. She seeked help from us. The number given by her of Chennai, was "not reaching". One of our security guard (retired army), who was staying with his family (wife and children), offered her to stay in his house. He gave him food and shelter, and in morning, people of my office collected Rs.650 from different sources and asked her to leave for her house.

National Commission for Women /Ministry of Women and Child Development, etc. should adopt different innovative measures to help the females/students who becomes victim of loss/theft while on some visit. Nation wide, 24 X 7, Toll free numbers, should be established for the help of the women and children. After the Unique Identity Number comes, It will be easy to track and help such females, who are in trouble. In any such case, where a female in depression/harassment/absent mindedness etc. looses her way, She should be helped by the union of local females, most suitably should be allowed to stay temporarily in the Girl's Hostel of a reputed college, and some funds should be donated to her from the collection of local people, or provision should be made for the free travel to her house/state.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

My No Smoking Campaign

I appreciate and acknowledge the efforts of Shri Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, the former Health Minister, Government of India, who did lots of work to make the nation get rid of the Tobacco menace.

(Wikipedia: Shri Anbumani Ramadoss: Dr Anbumani Ramadoss had been the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India from May, 2004 till he resigned his post in April 2009 …Dr. Ramadoss brought stringent controls on tobacco and alcohol sales and advertisements to India. Under his leadership, the Health Ministry brought rules to ban smoking in public places (including work places), ban tobacco advertising, ban sale of tobacco products to minors and ban sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions. While such practices are by now common in the US and other developed nations, Dr. Ramadoss faced strong opposition from the tobacco and alcohol lobbies.

In controversial moves, he advocated a ban on showing smoking or drinking in Movies and Television. In spite of strong resistance from the entertainment industry, statutory warnings superimposed on scenes depicting drinking started to appear on TV…)

Tobacco provides livelihood to many people of India. Government too gets lots of revenue from the economy of Tobacco.

In my childhood, once along with my (late) maternal grandmother, we were working in our kitchen garden with the help of a labor. My maternal grandmother, "नानी" used to suffer from toothache and melancholy , the farm labor gave some tobacco to my maternal grandmother, and after consuming it, she got lots of relief from the pains. But she got addicted, and even during the periods of strict religious fasts, She was unable to stay without tobacco. As long as I stayed with her, for her happiness, I used to buy dried tobacco leaves for her .

By seeing many elders smoking, and many attractive advertisements of Cigarette, I too developed desire to smoke, but my mother's strictness and teachings, kept me away from tobacco and its related products.
My Image as a studious student (From around year 1996), further kept me away from different tobacco products.
In School, the smoking habit was like an offence, but during my college days, many students used to smoke and chew tobacco and Gutkha, to manage their stress and thereby getting addicted.
During my professional management course, the numbers of students addicted to different tobacco products was further more. I had strictly said to the hostel warden, that I will not share the room with a smoker.
But my many classmates got better job in different tobacco companies, while I mentioning in my resume as not having the habit of smoking and chewing gutkha as my behavioral asset, had to struggle in getting job.
My all different bosses were/is having the habit of smoking (Regular or Occasional).
Once my one of the boss from IIM, who was smoking, offered me to smoke, I told him that I stay away from the cigarette and gutkha, on which he asked me to go away from him. When in Car, my boss or superior used to smoke, in protest I used to open the windows of the car to get good air. My IIM studied Boss later gave up the habit, but not my superiors. Later I was terminated from that job.
In Gujarat, for few days I had to frequently travel between Patan and Deesa. In jeep, many people used to smoke, and I used to protest by saying that if the smoking is not stopped, I will get down from the vehicle. I used to tell the co-travelers that smoking will harm your health and waste your money.
In spite of ban, many passengers of Train (Sleeper and General class) and Public Transport Bus will keep on smoking. I have advised and also sometimes shouted at such fellow passengers. I also used to teach the farm-laborers to get out of these habits. While staying in different Paying guests at Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, I had requested the House owner, not to give me a room, where my room partner will smoke inside the room.
In a restaurant, a white-collared person was smoking near the children of the restaurant keepers. I told them to remove their children away from the smoker as it will harm the children. Now also, I avoid eating in the restaurants where some one smokes and I avoid buying from the shop where smokers have assembled. At present, I have taken a room on rent, and I am paying high cost, but not sharing the room with any smoker.
In my different blogs, I have continued to deplore the habit of smoking, chewing gutkha, and other addictions.

The Cigarette / Gutkha / Alcohol, helps the labor to remain labor and it helps the supervisors/managers to meet their Target!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

ॐ जनः Common man in India

1. They are the employers of the “politicians” of this country.

2. They have better ability to adjust in the adverse situations.

3. They value their potential of progenition/Creation/reproduction.

4. They are like the undifferentiated/meristamatic/bone marrow cells, and the source of differentiated, high profile, talents for the nation.

5. They get happiness in small things of life/trifle pleasures.

6. On getting good leadership, they don’t even mind in sacrificing themselves for a “noble” cause.

7. Their personal carbon emission is very less (except those in the habit of smoking +/killing animals +/ wildlife +/ burning tyres +/ involved in shifting agriculture, in which part of forest is burnt +/using inefficient chullah for cooking etc.)

8. They promote the economy of regional language, folk songs, regional news papers, regional cinemas, etc.

9. They are the preservers of many medicinal herbs, seeds, “know how”, etc.

10. They are the hosts for the many “parasitic/unscrupulous” high profile “uncommon” citizens.

11. In many families, the husband and wives are quiet understanding to each other and they remain prepared to jointly face the difficulties of life.

12. Have to daily walk for some distance, say 1-2 km or even more.
12.1. Most of them share their resources, e.g. house, either happily or unhappily.
12.2. many of them have the virtues like tolerance, perseverance, overlooking the problems, accepting the fate, etc.

13. Most often have to run behind a public transport bus to catch it and then most often they have to struggle to get some space.

14. Most often they risk their life while crossing the road.

15. They may have to enjoy traveling with “mass” in a packed Public Transport bus/ general boggy of Indian Railway/Local trains/Shared Auto-rickshaw, etc.

16. They don’t mind traveling with difficulty even when they get waitlisted tickets in Train. Mostly they travel by the General or Sleeper class of the Indian railway.

17. Most of the females have to tolerate listening bad comments and Sights from rogues. In the public transport system and shared private vehicles, many women/female have to adjust sitting along with the “another” man.

18. For them the Time and Money is not always same.

19. They have to eat in unhygienic hotels.

20. They have to use dirty and unhygienic toilets.

21. They “enjoy” relieving themselves in open/ at road side, mainly in evening hours or in very early morning hours. The female often go for toilet in a group. Some male too go for toilet in a separate group.

22. They like to play songs/music at very high volume.

23. Most often they have to drink dirty water.

24. Many of them are at very high risk (finance and health: daily bread earners) and many of them do high risk jobs. They don’t have ‘organized Investments’ or Insurance.

25. Many of them wear dirty/old/torn clothes.

26. Many of them enjoy speaking very dirty words (mostly related to sexual organs, sex with someone’s relatives, parents etc.) or even when they don’t enjoy speaking these words, they have to become tolerant of listening bad words.

27. Many of them are getting increasingly exposed to the pornography (mainly through print media). And some of them do get lured or forced into the sex industry.

28. They easily get addicted to tobacco products, alcohols, etc., mainly by the influence of their favorite “Celebrities” or “misguides”. Even when some of them do not smoke, they just can’t remain “virgin” to the passive smoking.

29. Sometimes they get lots of affection and support from their fellow common man and sometimes no one will support them.

30. They don’t mind “selling” their votes even to the unworthy person.

31. They happily or unhappily pay bribes to the government officials or “self appointed administrators”.

32. Many times, they are mute spectators of the crime.

33. They are susceptible to “Mass madness”.

34. Most of them get their information needs from the cheap/‘free’ sources like Radio, Doordarshan channel in Television, regional newspapers etc.

35. Are mostly “Loyal” to their employer/“administrator”/”Creditor” and can even change their Religion and Culture at their wish.

36. Many of them (mainly male) go away from their house to different near/far cities, leaving their old parents+/ wife and children+/ other dependents, mostly in “helpless” conditions.

37. The common man with more than one daughter, remains unhappy+/worried+/detached (More the number of daughters more the intensity) for most of the time of his middle age.

§ The Father (Decision maker in the family) is unable to decide whether to invest money in educating his daughters or “accumulate” for paying the dowry and on the costly marriage ceremonies, or on the education of his “few” son (s) if any?

§ He tries to marry his daughters by

Ø Swapping his daughter(s) with someone else’s daughter for his sons.

Ø Trapping +/luring+/putting pressure on some “prospective bride groom who is in job, preferably government!”+/ negotiating+/compromising with his self respect/ego near the parents of the prospective bride grooms. He may even justify the “rape” of the male.

§ In adverse situations (when he is poor, daughter is not so “attractive”+/intelligent+/healthy+/in job+/ “having many more daughters “in line” to get married”+/the age of the daughters are getting increased+/family has some how lost the reputation in society, etc.)

Ø He may even “sell” some of his daughters.

Ø May marry (some of) his daughter(s) to the rogue/strayed/bad character /unworthy/ alcohol+/tobacco addicted son (s) of a rich person.

Ø May marry some of his daughter(s) to the old bridegroom/widower/divorcee/Husband “unsatisfied” with his current wife and wanting to go for polygamy/Handicapped male (wealthy and or in job)

§ He will be either unaware about the online matrimonial services/finding partner by social networking, or will not trust it, or will have no ability to get “paid” services.

§ Thinking about compatibility (Astrological/educational/behavioral (personality)/etc. between bride and bridegroom before marriage will be a “cruel joke” for him.

§ Yes, he will doubly try to make sure that his daughter is married within the cast and the religion, and that she is not married too far from the native village.

§ He may adopt many sorts of hypocrisy.

§ He may invest money for the education of some one’s bright but poor son or become his guarantor for getting the education loan, in hope that later he will marry his daughter.

§ He may even covertly/illegally sell some of the property of his sibling(s)/parental

§ He may indulge in corruptions.

§ He may justify child marriage, saying that it safeguards the interests of many girls and their parents, as many times the educated male will not marry as per the wishes of their parent and the “educated” child strays away from the family and social values.

§ He may adopt “escapism” by slowly killing himself by getting addicted to harmful drugs.

§ He may become so much “detached” that he adopts “escapism” and becomes a “sage”, leaving his daughters to their fate.

38. When they go to cybercafé they don’t know how to make useful use of it and most often search porn contents.

39. Many of them do not know their actual date and time of birth.

40. Many of the pirated CDs/DVD’s are purchased by them.

41. High materialistic desires matched with Poverty/unemployment may even drive some of them to crime.

42. Many of them strive hard to earn their livelihood.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Economies associated with the Migrating/Roaming/Floating citizens

1. Migrating citizens act as a “blood”, unites the country, and “oxygenates” the economy.

2. Migrating citizens are the important customers of the Indian railway, Road, Water and Air transport systems, two wheeler and four wheeler vehicles.

3. They fill the varied Human resource demand of different organizations. Thus they contribute the Indian economy to grow.

4. They fill the demand gap of different products and thus make the business and trade activities possible.

5. They help the “Knowledge capital” to “liquidate”.

6. As patriotic army and intelligence agencies they secure the country from enemies.

7. They unite the country by “mixing” with different cultures and helping the cultures to evolve.

8. They promote the Tourism industry.

9. Some of them may transfer genes from one “micro gene pool” to another “micro gene pool”.

10. May transfer pest and diseases and thus increase the business of those associated with disease and pest management.

11. They buy more than one mobile phone or one mobile phone with multi SIM facility (2 to 4)

12. They are the customers of /or the products associated with them are:

i. Camera/camcorder

ii. Traveling bags+/Suitcase

iii. Mineral/Packed water

iv. Packed and processed foods. “Ready to eat” and “Ready to cook” segments.

v. Products packed in small sachets

vi. Hotels/Lodges/Paying guests/rented houses

vii. Local transport :Rickshaw+/Auto-rickshaw

viii. Cloth

ix. Cobblers

x. Different food restaurants/Road side Dhabas

xi. MP3/MP4 players, other portable audio-video players.

xii. Small radios+/ Small televisions.

xiii. Many newspapers, Magazines and the books.

xiv. Health care and sanitation products (e.g. creams to control itch in the groin region, mouth ulcers, cut/wound, vomiting, sleep disorders, digestive disorders, diaper, sanitary napkins, etc.)

xv. “Big hospitals” in the “big cities”.

xvi. New housing materials like mosquito net, insect repellants, mat/carpet, bed sheet, bucket and mug, blanket, pressure cooker, stove/gas, plate, etc.

xvii. New bank account/Traveler’s account, multi-city cheque book, International Debit card, Credit card, Forex exchange services, etc.

xviii. Money order, postal and courier segments

xix. Telecom segments.

xx. Fees for getting Passport, commissions to Travel agencies, Fees to travel websites.

xxi. Customers of the matrimonial sites and the matrimonial consultancy services.

xxii. Accident insurance services

xxiii. Books to learn different regional languages

xxiv. Beverages (Tea/Coffee/Butter Milk/Lassi, Fruit Juice/Coconut water, etc.)

xxv. E-books and E-book reader.

xxvi. Light weight laptop.

13. They help the “Beggars” to sustain themselves. They also pay “Tax” to the Transgender(s) and the local rowdies and mafias.

14. Many of them contribute to the different religious activities (donations in the temples). Religious missionaries involved in conversions+/welfare activities are able to mobilize the funds from foreign.

15. Many children earn money inside the train by singing/dancing/showing acrobatic feats (child laborers)

Video: Child Performing in the Train

16. Many of them promote the sex industry and its different products (contraceptives, videos, in print materials, etc.)

17. They express different degrees of creativity+/innovations. E.g. utilizing vertical space in the over-crowded general boggy of Indian railway by tying a bed-sheet between the upper birth and the space available for keeping luggage, and sleeping while swinging in the train.

18. They sustain and promote the economy of knowledge capitals: school+/colleges+/universities+/entrance exams

19. Economies associated with thief/robbers/molesters/kidnappers and Security services.

20. They most often pay the Fees for replacement of lost debit card/credit card/cheque book/certificates/Passport/PAN card, etc.

21. The smokers+/liquor addicts+/drug addicts etc. spreads the habit of addiction and thus increases the sales of these products.

22. The Religious fanatics spreading the message of Religious wars/Terrorism, and getting funds for it.

23. Many big retail shops/shopping malls are dependent on the floating citizens for their considerable volume of sales.

24. They are not able to vote, this reduces the voting percentage (40-60 %) and thus many of the ministers, who win the election, never think of providing voting right to the “Migrating Citizens”.

25. If I would be in government, I would allow free/low cost aero plane tickets to the special migrating citizens for attending their ailing parents, spouse and child. The special migrating citizens will be those who are low salaried (working in small and medium industries) and very far from their native place (will take more than or equal to 24 hours to reach their native place from the place of work), will be identified using the Unique Identity numbers.

Advantage of taking them in job is that :
1) They can compromise with low pay and poor facilities.
2) The chances of their indulging in politics are less.
3) They are often willing to work for extra hours and during the local holidays.
4) They will not go for frequent holidays.
5) It is easy to remove them from the job.

Disadvantages of taking them in job is:
1) Chances of their changing the job and company are high.
2) They need to be provided with accommodation facility or assisted in getting it.
3) There is some Time required for them to adjust in the new environment. So the chances of their becoming parasite on the company’s resources, until the organization realizes it and terminates their job are high.
4) They will be often worried about their family members residing in the native place, so bit absent minded.
5) They will like to go for long holidays.
6) They may be more demanding and less productive.
7) They will be easy victim to the local politics.