Phyan at 3 pm IST. All screenshots taken from CIMSS Tropical cyclone sites. Well done guys.
Shuvankar Mukherjee writes his thoughts here, you may know him or may have never heard of him, but do judge each post on its content. Some posts are on current affairs, which might be history or forgotten tomorrow; Some are his instinctive spontaneous reaction and rest are products of his forever curious and restless mind. All are based on his principle and Democratic ideas and never compels to take "My way or highway" option. "Knowledge extends by sharing", so Shuvankar Speaks
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Democracy decays without people's vigilance
In India Every MP (Member of Parliament) is given Rs. 2 crore (Usually released in 2 equal parts) but nobody is using any of of it. Thanks to RTI (Right To Information Act which is very new in India) and mplads.nic.in (A website where MPs Local Area Development funds allocation and usage is shown for the public) we now know who is using how much? Visit the web-site and you will find that although 1 crore has been released to almost all MPs (for spending in 6 months in the field of Local Area Development), no body has allocated any funds for any purpose.
The "Released/Expenditure" webpage is beautifully broken up in several statements, Click on "Released/Expenditure State-wise Details for 15th Lok Sabha MPs" and enter the amazing world of inactive MPs. Going by the election promises, I was expecting that they might have expended the whole amount in weeks. Add to that; The promise of using these funds for helping drought affected rural population.
The report has columns like :
- Entitlement of Constituency(Rs.Crore)
- Released by G.O.I.(Rs.Crore)
- Amount available with interest (Rs.Crore)
- Amount Recommended (Rs.Crore)
- Amount Sanctioned(Rs.Crore)
- Expenditure Incurred (Rs.Crore)
- Percent of Utilisation Over Released
- Unspent Balance(Rs.Crore)
You would find 2.00 in first column, 1.00 in 2nd, 3rd column and 1.0 in last column.
At a first glimpse it would look like the page has not been updated.
But thanks to the following MPs (Yes. I can name them all, they are that few) who have some other values (utilization etc) against them.
- Harsimrat Kaur Badal-BHATINDA-Punjab
- Kavuri Sambasiva Rao -ELURU-AP
- Mohammad Asrarul Haque-KISHANGANJ-Bihar
Couple of MPs have recommended but utilization not yet reported:
Ganeshrao Nagorao Dudhgaonkar -PARBHANI -Maharashtra
and
Guddu Premchand UJJAIN(SC)-Madya Pradesh
Out of 543 MPs, 3 could show some progress and 2 more can show some allocation. Debating the proper usage is a far cry kind of scenario as they don't even report to the authorities.
A clear show of utter disrespect to the concept of being accountable to the people.
Is this height of Mal-governance? Does n't this prove, Democracy decays without people's vigilance
Labels:
Democracy decays,
India,
people's vigilance
Friday, October 16, 2009
Recovery is on, but only for the SUPER-RICH
Most Wall Street Banks will be reporting in green for last quarter only because speculation and insider trading has lifted the stock markets to artificial highs. If you calculated the stocks and derivatives at an average price of last 3 quarters, they will end up in red.
Why the recovery isn't actually as impressive as finance experts says, Lets investigate:
1. The manufacturing sectors came out from their previous loss making time, only by slashing workforce and reducing prices. The retail segment is doing the same. This means consumer has less amount to spend (rather the theory of Americans have started saving huge amount in their socks or under their pillow).
2. So the so called "Recovered Economy" has a far less consumer base to start with. With job losses continuing and people who are without a job for 12 months no longer counted on neither as Jobless nor as Employed, there is no immediate chance of major expansion in that base. The consumer confidence data and retail sales figure shows that.
3. Banks have become smarter since Enron, they don't cook up their books directly, instead they influence market to inflate their asset class. In old days, doing this in stock market could have landed one jail for Insider Trading.
Be careful and take Analysts upgrade news with a pinch of salt. Recovery is on, but only for the super-rich ( The too big to fail category), too bad if you are not in it.
Read roubini's warning on Next Bubble at http://www.rgemonitor.com/roubini-monitor/257791/
Monday, October 12, 2009
Are we doing well or not?:The lie of the Recovery
Are we doing well or not? These are merely matters in human perception. We indulge in statistical studies, check econometric indices and ultimately depend on third party opinions about our economy, our society and our lives.
From October 2009, a bunch of godforsaken analysts will start jumping up and down (or they will lose their jobs) singing joy in YoY figures, please remember that the base on which these matrices/ parameters are calculated were plummeting same time last year. The First case in Indian IIP (Index of industrial production) figures of August 2009. Every analyst conveniently forgot that IIP blipped August, last year. And the stock market soared.
Economic Recovery means improvement of life of all, by all and for all. And that my dear friend is not the case now.
Most often or not, Media and Government plays a crucial part. Take the example of the current recovery which started with leaking of Citibank and BoA CEO's optimistic internal memo about operational profits.
Since then, Gamblers has taken the center-stage in the financial world. All stock markets rebounded to new highs as if a new energy source has been invented or a mineral-rich highly fertile continent has been discovered. What boasted the market is that the rich has found ways and means to corrupt each and every-one of G-20 governments.
The rich may be from Manhattan, Monaco or Mumbai, they were pleasantly surprised to find that all politicians worldwide want to power and wealth, not for their country, not for the society they promised to serve; but for themselves.
So US,Western Europe, Russia, India & China reels under severe unemployment. Brazil is the only exception, because its president is a rare exception.
While US and Western Europe gives a technically correct (not morally correct or real) data on unemployment, India & China gives none what to ever. Money keeps floating to and fro between Tax heavens and Stock or commodity markets. Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman call for Simplified products and services went to deaf ears. Derivatives is still the king and this time around the complexity of the lie is much more. This time the governments are hand in glove with these economic terrorists (who run these too big to fail organizations).
Economic Recovery means improvement of life of all, by all and for all. And that my dear friend is not the case now.
Labels:
Economic recovery,
Next crash,
Recession
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I am playing Citizen Kane on Gandhi Birthday
The deceit from the Indian governments are turning unbearable, their cover-up of the real issues is a total contempt of our individual and collective intellect. The think we are fools and our foolishness is directly proportional to our everyday misery.
To prove that they are wrong, "I am playing Citizen Kane on Gandhi Birthday"
In a reply to ibnlive report on closing of Bofors case, I have chalked out my game-plan, it will be a classical gandhi-style "Fast unto Death".
The idea of Justice keeps eluding the political class ( I am deeply ashamed by this term coinage, which implies that rest of self-acclaimed educated population ); no government can wash off its hands to provide Justice and level-playing ground for all Indians. The biggest obstacle to such noble goals is corruption and public apathy to do anything about it.
CBI's neutrality is as important as supreme court's, that can not beharmed in any way. But what can I do about it? I am just a commoner. I am going to play a game called "Citizen Kane" or "Main Azad Hoon" in Gandhian style. On Oct 2, 2009;
To prove that they are wrong, "I am playing Citizen Kane on Gandhi Birthday"
In a reply to ibnlive report on closing of Bofors case, I have chalked out my game-plan, it will be a classical gandhi-style "Fast unto Death".
The idea of Justice keeps eluding the political class ( I am deeply ashamed by this term coinage, which implies that rest of self-acclaimed educated population ); no government can wash off its hands to provide Justice and level-playing ground for all Indians. The biggest obstacle to such noble goals is corruption and public apathy to do anything about it.
"We are so few, so powerless", this has been commoners only shield and refuge.
The Bofors case is as important as Jessica lal case, because if the corrupt goes scott-free, then the honest will be punished and persecutedfor not being corrupt. It seems the Congress government thinks AE Services are front for somebody other than Dr. Q, then they must start another investigation to prove that. Till that proof comes up the cases against the evil Dr. Q must continue.
CBI's neutrality is as important as supreme court's, that can not beharmed in any way. But what can I do about it? I am just a commoner. I am going to play a game called "Citizen Kane" or "Main Azad Hoon" in Gandhian style. On Oct 2, 2009;
I would start a fast unto death till
a) bofors cases are reopened with utmost sincerity and
b) Ministry of finance starts a fortnightly unified consumer price index.
Remember "Koi bhi Desh Perfect Nahin Hota,Usey Perfect Banana parta hain" (Rang de Basanti)
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Indian Health Minister Must Resign
The Health Minister of India must resign.
Reason no 1: He is insensitive to the suffering of the people.
Reason no 2: His communication skills are deplorable, it may be great for Politics but the idioms used by him is not befitting of a Union Cabinet Minister.
Reason no 3: He has no clue what an infectious disease is and what leads to epidemic. Otherwise He would have stopped his senior officials from comparing Cancer, Malaria with Flu pandemic.
Reason no 4: The swine flu portal of his ministry is static and reflects their preparedness and their senseless guidelines would help the virus and its mutants more than people of India.
Reason no 5: If his grand opinion about swine flu was true, why is US FDA using the vaccine trial in Fast track mode; If the virus is so mild, why is US CDC and WHO calling it a race against time.
Reason no 6: If Government facilities are taken so nice care of the procedures, how come no protein sequence made it to the H1N1 flu database. Our only submissions are from 2005 pandharpur spread of H1N1 by National Institute of Virology, Pune. So Pune has many experts in the city, why Mr. Azad chose the AIIMS doctors and the secretary to plan and brief the public.
Reason no 7: Why should PMO look after Tamiflu stocks, when you have 3 Ministers in MOHFW? The stockpile is planned at ten million tablets, which is impractical? Mr. Azad has failed to prepare a reasonable preparedness plan. The Section “Preparedness and Response-India not affected” of the current plan covers 13 and half pages. The section about India being affected covers the responsibilities of other constitutional bodies only practical and scientific content is to be found in “5.4.7.Dead body handling & disposal”.
All other sections of the document talks about nonsense of what other people should do.
Reason no 8: His apology is too little too late.
Reason no 1: He is insensitive to the suffering of the people.
Reason no 2: His communication skills are deplorable, it may be great for Politics but the idioms used by him is not befitting of a Union Cabinet Minister.
Reason no 3: He has no clue what an infectious disease is and what leads to epidemic. Otherwise He would have stopped his senior officials from comparing Cancer, Malaria with Flu pandemic.
Reason no 4: The swine flu portal of his ministry is static and reflects their preparedness and their senseless guidelines would help the virus and its mutants more than people of India.
Reason no 5: If his grand opinion about swine flu was true, why is US FDA using the vaccine trial in Fast track mode; If the virus is so mild, why is US CDC and WHO calling it a race against time.
Reason no 6: If Government facilities are taken so nice care of the procedures, how come no protein sequence made it to the H1N1 flu database. Our only submissions are from 2005 pandharpur spread of H1N1 by National Institute of Virology, Pune. So Pune has many experts in the city, why Mr. Azad chose the AIIMS doctors and the secretary to plan and brief the public.
Reason no 7: Why should PMO look after Tamiflu stocks, when you have 3 Ministers in MOHFW? The stockpile is planned at ten million tablets, which is impractical? Mr. Azad has failed to prepare a reasonable preparedness plan. The Section “Preparedness and Response-India not affected” of the current plan covers 13 and half pages. The section about India being affected covers the responsibilities of other constitutional bodies only practical and scientific content is to be found in “5.4.7.Dead body handling & disposal”.
All other sections of the document talks about nonsense of what other people should do.
Reason no 8: His apology is too little too late.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Droughts in India to worsen with climate change -- study
So it not just me, lots of scientists are saying it too:
In a study published in the May 15 issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate, Chul Eddy Chung and V. Ramanathan of Scripps Oceanography say that cooler-than-normal temperatures in the northern part of the Indian ocean have weakened the region's natural climate circulation and monsoon conditions, resulting in reduced rainfall over India and increased rainfall over the Sahel area south of the Sahara in Africa.
Droughts in India to worsen with climate change -- study
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In a study published in the May 15 issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate, Chul Eddy Chung and V. Ramanathan of Scripps Oceanography say that cooler-than-normal temperatures in the northern part of the Indian ocean have weakened the region's natural climate circulation and monsoon conditions, resulting in reduced rainfall over India and increased rainfall over the Sahel area south of the Sahara in Africa.
Droughts in India to worsen with climate change -- study
Posted using ShareThis
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