Sunday 21 October 2012

INDIAN WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION

Strange logic and rhetoric is being raised by politicians over inevitable corruption and corrupt manipulations being made by mighty and powerful of the land. When something is raised against a matter that has resulted because of some wrong doing on the part of union government and its functionaries the protests are justified because action against the wrong doings has to be initiated by the union government, for the organisations which are supposed to investigate and prosecute are under the direct control of this government. But when the ministers and powerful individuals like the general secretary and the president of the ruling party also start protesting against the corrupt practices of others, it appears a sparring match is going on. We often hear funny quotes like 'Those who live in glass houses don't throw stones at others' and 'It is the case of pot calling the kettle black' when leaders of different parties confront each other on corruption charges against each other on national media. This perhaps is a candid admission of the fact that the whole system is mired with corruption and corrupt practices.
Public perception  that government is supposed to take action against the corrupt (correct me if I am wrong) is being proved totally wrong through such deeds. In fact as a common man one is left wondering whether the role of the government and its functionaries is to curb corruption or merely to inform the public that a certain individual or organisation has indulged in wrong corrupt practices. All the same it has great entertainment value for the commoner and he is getting it in plenty absolutely free of charge. Of course he has to pay the penalty of remaining poor, uneducated,neglected, hapless and helpless.
A piece of advice to my deprived countrymen. You have to help yourselves. We have all heard that God also helps those who help themselves. It is common knowledge that even a mother does not feed its child until and unless it cries. All these mighty and powerful are so because you voted them to power and enabled them to suck your blood and put you in a miserable condition. They are all united in fooling around the masses for their personal gains. If one and all of the Indian polity was not  so, half of India which has governments of opposition parties would be on the fast track to prosperity. Sadly enough that is also a mirage.
Indian war against corruption is a war between one billion people who are struggling for getting an above basic existence level living and a couple of thousand people who want to have the status quo to make merry at the expense of these have nots. The huge illegal wealth going into these handful pockets can work miracles towards alleviating the miseries of have nots in a very short time and enable them to enjoy the benefits of prosperity.
Sisters and brothers of India, whether from villages or cities, from  any religion, caste or creed,rich or poor, don't be taken in by any of the tricks of politicians, for end of corrupt people  and corruption will be the end of your poverty and miseries.Your poverty is a direct result of  corruption  by  those in authority and power.

Saturday 20 October 2012

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: CORRUPTION IN INDIA - A RESULT OF APATHY, COMPULSI...: India and its development pace are going to dogs because of malaise of corruption which is prospering exponentially. But sadly enough this...

Thursday 18 October 2012


Real estate: It’s a big, nasty racket out there


Now we know that DLF, the country’s biggest real estate developer, and Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of the country’s most powerful person, Sonia Gandhi, had sweetheart deals, however, the moral question of it remains.
The real estate business does offer a lot of scope for fudging accounts, including hiding the profits and the finding creative ways of conveying bribes. In fact, because the bribe works, the real estate developers find newer ways of making profits by bending and flouting rules. Given the size of their clout, they are not investigated, leave alone blacklisted. Throw a brick, and chances are it would land on a crooked builder-developer.
DLF-Vadra story is not an exception; it is only a story aired in public because someone not only found out the alleged mischief but decided to do something about it.
Reality check at real estate. AFP


Real property dealers are in Parl: Land reform activist

by  Oct 18, 2012






The multi-ministerial task force set up to draft a national land reforms policy held its first meeting yesterday (17 October).  The government is on a six-month deadline. If it fails to meet it, one lakh landless poor who were scheduled to arrive on foot in Delhi on 28 October will resume the ‘jan satyagraha’ in March 2013.
On 11 October, the jan satyagrahis called off their march in Agra after the Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh signed an agreement with them to address their demands – land for the landless and home for the poor.
The man leading them PV Rajagopal, founder and president of Ekta Parishad, travelled 80,000 km through 24 states in the last one year mobilizing people fighting for their livelihood, before he began his ‘Freedom Walk’ from Gwalior on 2 October.
Firstpost spoke to the Gandhian activist on why land, corruption and politics have become inseparable and what impact the high-decibel agitations in the Capital are having on people’s movements across India.


Schools Raise the Roof on Solar Energy

By Bill Scanlon, NREL
October 17, 2012   
 

Sunday 14 October 2012



Vidyut Kale
Vidyut Kale is an independent researcher and blogger. This article is republished from her website AamJanata.Com
There is a prevailing fiction actively promoted by the government that Nuclear Energy is the only way out of the energy crisis for India. Every time I write about issues with nuclear energy, there are people making comments like stay in the dark ages, etc. So let us look at some facts around this scenario.
To begin with, before getting into serious data, let me state the overwhelmingly obvious. There are many ways to boil water – which is what a nuclear reactor does and still more ways to produce electricity – which is the purpose of building a nuclear reactor. The rest of the process is no different from any other boiling water driving turbines like a coal or diesel plant or other force driving turbines – like a windmill or water falling from a height from a dam. Nuclear Energy just happens to be one with an incomprehensibly destructive potential, however small the chance of occurrence may be.
Here is a table with data of money invested in Atomic Energy and Renewable Energy Sources from Official budget figures.
Comparison of budget expenditure on Atomic Energy and Renewable Energy
YearAE-BudgetRE-Budget
1998-19992608.06407.62
1999-20002962.01538.32
2000-20012750.57444.3
2001-20022779.39587.57
2002-20033868.95629.52
2003-20043800630.15
2004-20054469.97605.27
2005-20064995.86605.38
2006-20075505.08603.64
2007-20086130632.9
2008-20094797624
2009-20107773628
2010-201185211008.5
2011-20129352.461212.38
2012-201392321397.79

Or, in other words,
Comparitive chart for budget expenditures for nuclear energy and renewable energy in India

 
As you see, the money invested in renewable energy sources is a fraction of that invested in nuclear energy. However, when you look at the energy being produced in the country, it is clear that Renewable Energy contributes far more than Atomic Energy.
Breakdown of the electricity production capacity of India by source

 
To use statistics from the monthly executive report provided by the Central Electrical Authority in February 2012, out of 190592.55MW, Coal (105437.38MW), Gas (18093.85MW), Diesel (1199.75MW) Together as Thermal Energy (124730.98MW) are the largest chunk. Followed by Hydroelectric Energy (38848.40MW), then Renewable Energy (22233.17MW) and finally Nuclear Energy (4780.00MW).
Compare that with the money being poured in, the risks inherent in nuclear energy, the known risks and emerging data on previously unknown risks, conflict and trauma to local populations with agitations and suppression, and the longterm responsibility of managing safe processing and storage of radioactive waste. Then the costs of the construction, maintenance and shutdowns (India has had at least three accidents that put plants out of action for over two years), local community welfare expenses and the potential for incalculable costs in damage to land, livelihoods, health and environment in the event of an accident. The US has long given up the initial belief of nuclear power being so cheap as to provide virtually free energy. Currently, the costs are estimated to be only slightly lower than other forms of energy. Japan has actually reevaluated to put the costs of nuclear energy as on par with other energy resources. It is quite puzzling to perceive a need for nuclear power specifically when it offers little advantage and considerable disadvantages.

Saturday 13 October 2012


Black money hurts economy: Advani at UN


United Nations, Oct 10 — Noting that black money debilitates the economy limiting growth and investment in productive sectors, India has called for a war on corruption and transparency and accountability in governments.
"While this problem afflicts both developing and developed world, its consequences are more severely felt in the developing countries where it undermines the delivery of services and impact the people directly," Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishna Advani told a UN panel Tuesday, reading out a prepared official speech as an Indian delegate.
Opposition leaders are often asked by the government of the day to lead Indian delegations to various UN forums and read out texts prepared by the foreign ministry.


Read more: http://india.nydailynews.com/politicsarticle/06df63036afe7582f8b64cae4fa5f238/black-money-hurts-economy-advani-at-un#ixzz29CdSBl8D
 Obama's War on Nuclear Power

The Obama administration has shown, through words and deeds, a well-publicized antipathy toward domestic energy production from coal, oil, and natural gas.  What has received lesser public awareness is the administration's concurrent war on nuclear power.  No matter Obama's 2008 campaign's lukewarm endorsement of nuclear power, the administration's actions since 2009 have been anything but helpful to the production of nuclear power in this country.
In early 2009, a suggestion appeared on this site for the then-current craze for "shovel-ready" projects -- immediately start construction on the dozen nuclear reactors nearing final regulatory approval.  The suggestion was picked up by other business-oriented media such as Fox Business Network and Investors Business Daily.  These dozen projects used technical designs either already approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or with an almost complete review process -- technically called "certification."  They were to be built on currently active nuclear plant sites with limited chances for environmental surprises and a welcoming local population.  Under the nuclear loan guarantee program rules at the time, the federal government would have backstopped the private investment only against the government going wishy-washy on prior approvals.  Commercial and technical risks would have remained with the private investors.


Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/10/obamas_war_on_nuclear_power.html#ixzz29CVHMeHd
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/why-is-team-kejriwal-scared-of-taking-vadra-to-court-486106.html

When perception pretends to be the reality, insinuation masquerades as incontrovertible evidence and emotions overtake practical common sense, it’s time to sit back and reflect. In a state of existence where insinuations, perceptions and emotions dominate, truth ends up as the victim. Add ignorance and malice to the mix, you have a terribly messy situation.
Allegations are a tactical device designed to create doubt, suspicion and tarnish images. In politics these are rarely aimed at the people who look the obvious target. These are aimed at the consumer at large who would buy the allegations as truth and build a certain perception around a person. In the case of Arvind Kejriwal, the real target is not Robert Vadra, it is the wider audience which at some point could morph into a voters for his yet to be announced party.
http://www.firstpost.com/india/finally-its-not-about-vadra-or-kejriwal-its-about-the-truth-487659.html

Finally, it’s about the truth. Allegations without logical follow up action are a vacuous, self-serving exercise. It’s heartening to note that there is some action on Robert Vadra’s property deals in Haryana. The Allahabad High Court has taken up a Public Interest Litigation filed against Vadra on the basis of the allegations levelled by Arvind Kejriwal and asked the central government why the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi should not be investigated. It’s a welcome development.
We are still unsure of the extent of Kejriwal’s claims or Vadra’s full defence. The DLF and the Haryana government could be misleading us with fabricated papers or maybe not. The country needs to know the truth.
http://www.firstpost.com/business/more-worms-wriggle-out-of-dlf-vadragate-can-488424.html

The more the media probes the DLF-Robert Vadra property deals, the more doubtful does the explanation given by DLF look when juxtaposed against Vadra’s corporate balance-sheets filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). (You can read it all here)
Today’s Business Standard and The Economic Times offer new angles to their stories published earlier this week.
Doubts are now arising over the following:
One, who actually financed Vadra’s company Sky Light Hospitality to enable him to buy the Rs 15.38 crore property in Manesar (Village Sikohpur), Haryana, which was subsequently sold to DLF for Rs 58 crore in 2008-09?
Two, why did DLF pay higher-than-market prices for the Manesar land?
Three, in another deal, how can DLF claim it sold a luxury apartment in its Aralias complex in Gurgaon to Vadra at Rs 12,000 per square foot when it said almost two years earlier that all the flats were completely sold out for an average price of Rs 2,548 per sq ft?
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/the-robert-vadra-mystery-forget-property-how-did-he-acquire-priyanka-484188.html

Certainly nobody in the Gandhi family has been as vulnerable as Robert Vadra although his assets are short change compared to the astounding wealth of other political families in the country.
The fact is till today, the Gandhi family has been by and large spared, except for say, by Subramaniam Swamy and some journalists who never completed their stories. Even the Bofors allegations against Rajiv Gandhi went nowhere till his death. Neither was there any evidence of all those crores of rupees that Sanjay Gandhi had allegedly collected for Maruti.
It’s not to say that the most powerful “democratic dynasty” of India, that the Congress cannot live without, is clean as a whistle; but it is primarily known for its tryst with power than for financial irregularities or accumulation of wealth.

GOONS AND BUFFOONS RULING / RUINING INDIA | INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY

GOONS AND BUFFOONS RULING / RUINING INDIA | INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY

Tuesday 9 October 2012

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: CORRUPTION MITIGATION IN INDIA : A DREAM LIKELY TO...: Corruption mitigation and recovery of black money can perhaps be the biggest growth engine of the Indian economy. With a history of scams ...

Monday 8 October 2012

INDIAN DREAMS Vs REALITY: REFORMS IN INDIA ONLY SCRATCHING THE TIP OF THE IC...: Of late government of India has initiated some reforms like the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail, insurance and pension along wit...

E-payment system likely to curb black money

October 08, 2012 09:38 IST

The government might be finding the Vijay Kelkar panel's recommendations on subsidy reduction too hot to handle but it is eager to implement the committee's suggestions on curbing the cash economy to counter black money.
According to a senior finance ministry official, Finance Minister P Chidambaram [ Images ] is in favour of launching a systematic plan to counter black money through extension of electronic payment systems through the country, especially covering all government transactions.
The official said officials had already started work on the minister's views on the Kelkar panel's various recommendations, and a meeting under Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram in this regard took place on Friday.
He added that besides concretisation and implementation of an electronic payment system across the board in government transactions, including tax collection and expenditure, important measures to curtail use of unaccounted cash in the subsequent elections were in the offing.
The Kelkar committee said: "The movement towards electronic payments for all government transactions, and a general reduction in the usage of cash in the economy will help transition from the informal economy to the formal economy. This will help curb corruption, increase transparency and accountability."
It has pointed out an efficient and ubiquitous large and small value electronic payment system throughout the country would make it possible for the Centre to accurately predict and collect revenues on the one hand, while managing expenditure efficiently on the other.

Thursday 4 October 2012


India needs real reforms, says Dhirendra Kumar CEO, Value Research


Wave of reforms that govt has unleashed threatens to sweep all before it. Or rather, wave of media applause for reforms threatens to sweep all before it.
Wave of reforms that govt has unleashed threatens to sweep all before it. Or rather, wave of media applause for reforms threatens to sweep all before it.
The wave of reforms that the government has unleashed threatens to sweep all before it. Or rather, the wave of media applause for the reforms threatens to sweep all before it.

In the middle of this noise, it is sobering to take a moment and think about what the attitude of the investors outside India is. Last week, here's what I heard Alan Chua, a portfolio manager with the Templeton Global Equity Group, say about business environment continuity.

He spoke about Thailand, which has suffered huge discontinuities in the system, with military coups and violent changes of government, but a high degree of business continuity.

Businesses grow and expand and businesspeople make decisions that facilitate growth in conditions that are not just conducive to business but are predictably conducive and can be reasonably expected to remain so for extended periods of time.

However, having an apparently bipolar, manic-depressive attitude to reforming the economy does little to instill any confidence in continuity. A government that stays in its depressive phase for years together and then goes into a mania of reforms that builds to a crescendo within days is no doubt very exciting for headline writers and TV anchors. 

Monday 1 October 2012


A Nuclear-Free Future is Our Common Dream: Letter from the Japanese Activists Deported from India

by DiaNuke.org

To our friends who struggle for nuclear free future,
A historic movement is underway in Tamil Nadu State against Koodankulam nuclear power station. People across the world are moved by the resistance and want to express solidarity
We tried to visit India to show our solidarity on September 25 but were denied access at Chennai airport. After an hour-long interrogation, we had our paper written as "Inadmissible person" ,which denied our entrance to India. It is unforgivable for the government, which invites countless nuclear merchants from Western countries, to deny such small citizens like us. We are writing this letter because we would like you to know what we experienced.
When we got off the plane and approached the immigration counter, one personnel came to us smiling.
We asked them where we can get arrival visa. They immediately checked our passport and brought us to the immigration office. There were more than 5 personnels asking questions to us respectively. I was brought to another room and three personnels asked me whether I am a member of No Nukes Asia Forum Japan. I was surprised because they mentioned the concrete name of the organization.
"You signed the international petition on Koodankulam, didn't you? Your name was on the list. It means you are anti-nuclear" a personnel said. It so happens that all three of us our signatories of the international petition (May 2012). Another one asked me what we would do at Koodankulam. I was surprised again because no one had mentioned about Koodankulam. But the man showed me a printed itinerary of our domestic flight that I have never seen yet.
"We already know that you have booked the domestic flight. So you are going there. Who invited you all? Who is waiting for you at the arrival gate now? Who will pick you up at Tuticorin airport? Tell me their names. Tell me their telephone number. Will you join the agitation? "  They asked many questions and surprisingly, they knew all our Indian friends' names. We felt scared. We felt something wrong would happen to you. So we didn't answer.

India’s ticking nuclear crisis: Part I – Hindustan Times

by DiaNuke.org

India has missed its five-yearly nuclear power generation target by 74%, its plans crippled by the protests at Kudankulam and other nuclear plant sites that have left the country's energy security roadmap under a cloud of uncertainty.
The government had set an already modest
target of adding 3380 MW of additional nuclear power by 2012 to the country's 3900 MW capacity at the start of the 11th Five Year Plan in 2007.
But failure to convince local people and activists at almost every site handpicked for a nuclear plant has left the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) with only 880 MW to show as nuclear power added over the past five years.
Similar protests over the coming few years could seriously jeopardize India's current energy security strategy, energy economists, government experts and NPCIL officials have cautioned.
"We have to build consensus," said Professor Surendar Kumar, a senior energy economist at Delhi University.