1) I was musing about something which caught my eye and I am still thinking whether to laugh or cry at this. You decide.. :)
Recently, I saw this in a tamil weekly journal. The person was talking about the 1 kg rice for 1 rupee. He was mentioning, how (thanks to Honble CM(sic)) he was able to avert his hunger with this scheme. But as with all human beings, he had a complaint to make. His point was that it took as little as 1 rupee to feed himself. On the contrary, the charge for relieving themselves(shitting, to put it crudely) was at 3 rupees in public toilets. He is wondering why he should pay 3 bucks to sh** if he pays only 1 buck to eat. If the tax payers of this country are reading this, please be careful and try to oppose any schemes, which entitles people to sh** with your hard earned money.
2) Its been more than 60 years since the great Leaders(sic) got(brought?, bought?) freedom for us from the imperial British. Elections happen with unfailing regularity(barring the few (!?) irregularites). I was not alive during the first few elections. But I realise that the electoral promises from the great Indian politicians still are centered around food, clothing and shelter. Something which we should be ashamed of. I wonder if anyone is.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Freebies
The Election commissioner must include one more point in the Model code of conduct for Elections. Which must be obvious by now, seeing the title.. No Freebies.. Nobody wants the tax money to be squandered on freebies like loan waivers, tractor loans, free Televisions, mobile phones(recent BJP's promise). Nobody as in, the Mr. Nobody who hardly matters in the Election process.
Instead of wasting money on populous but useless schemes like free Television, free mobiles and loan waivers, money could be spent on Infrastructure. Vast majority of the 1 billion population is in poverty. If the various statistics are to be taken in to account, atleast 25 million people in India alone are in dire poverty and countless millions are just on the brink of poverty. Developing the infrastructure alone would generate enough jobs to pull several millions out of poverty. The improved infrastructure is going to pay off with more jobs by attracting more investment inside the country.
The crux of the issue is about teaching a man to fish, rather than giving him fish. If I can think of something like this, I wonder why the enlightened leaders of our nation are not able to do so. And i thought I was a bit thick in the skull.
God save my country.
Instead of wasting money on populous but useless schemes like free Television, free mobiles and loan waivers, money could be spent on Infrastructure. Vast majority of the 1 billion population is in poverty. If the various statistics are to be taken in to account, atleast 25 million people in India alone are in dire poverty and countless millions are just on the brink of poverty. Developing the infrastructure alone would generate enough jobs to pull several millions out of poverty. The improved infrastructure is going to pay off with more jobs by attracting more investment inside the country.
The crux of the issue is about teaching a man to fish, rather than giving him fish. If I can think of something like this, I wonder why the enlightened leaders of our nation are not able to do so. And i thought I was a bit thick in the skull.
God save my country.
Monday, March 2, 2009
A small suggestion from an amateur.
This year, the exit budget by the government is blamed as being lack lustre. It is accused of not having any boosts or sops or much needed investment injection in to an economy which is in presently in unchartered waters, due to the current global scenario.
One reason which is stated is the lack of funds. Given the weak fiscal position of the nation, providing more freebies and cuts would only adversely affect the sagging coffers. Usually when a party comes in to power, the first thing which they do is, increase the tax burden on the very few tax paying citizens. no more tax increase is made for the remaining 4 years, and the party trumpets to the world that it has not burdened the common with much tax increase.
While it is understood that tax is a very important source of income for the Government with which they plan the budget, it should be observed that the Budget for the country is common for every one and almost everyone in the country is impacted by it. But the policy of RoI since its birth in 1947 has been to overburden the limited number of people who pay taxes. Or should i put it as, those whose taxes are deducted @ the source.
While every Government, tries ingenious methods to increase tax income, what irks is the fact that no Government has been successful in bringing the farmers and traders and millions of others who successfully evade the tax net using loop holes.
There are farmers who drive BMW cars and own villas in Gurgaon and still dont pay taxes. There are wealthy merchants who never pay a paise in tax, citing Loss in business. There are many well-to-do entrepreneurs, who run businesses without even showing a whiff of their money to the IT department. There are traders who play in the share market and rake fortunes under the name of their unemployed wives/parents making all the money tax free.
Why is that a billion strong nation having the best and the brightest minds graduating from IITs/IIMs not been able to create a effective tax net. Is it because of lack of ideas(not possible) or the lack of political will?
One reason which is stated is the lack of funds. Given the weak fiscal position of the nation, providing more freebies and cuts would only adversely affect the sagging coffers. Usually when a party comes in to power, the first thing which they do is, increase the tax burden on the very few tax paying citizens. no more tax increase is made for the remaining 4 years, and the party trumpets to the world that it has not burdened the common with much tax increase.
While it is understood that tax is a very important source of income for the Government with which they plan the budget, it should be observed that the Budget for the country is common for every one and almost everyone in the country is impacted by it. But the policy of RoI since its birth in 1947 has been to overburden the limited number of people who pay taxes. Or should i put it as, those whose taxes are deducted @ the source.
While every Government, tries ingenious methods to increase tax income, what irks is the fact that no Government has been successful in bringing the farmers and traders and millions of others who successfully evade the tax net using loop holes.
There are farmers who drive BMW cars and own villas in Gurgaon and still dont pay taxes. There are wealthy merchants who never pay a paise in tax, citing Loss in business. There are many well-to-do entrepreneurs, who run businesses without even showing a whiff of their money to the IT department. There are traders who play in the share market and rake fortunes under the name of their unemployed wives/parents making all the money tax free.
Why is that a billion strong nation having the best and the brightest minds graduating from IITs/IIMs not been able to create a effective tax net. Is it because of lack of ideas(not possible) or the lack of political will?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Blame the politicians????
As several predicted, the heat of the Mumbai attacks have visibly faded and people have started discussing about India-Eng test series and Ghajini. Nothing wrong, as life has to move on.
The Media during the aftermath of the Mumbai carnage was literally filled with candle light processions and other assorted signs condemning the act. Most were directed against Politicians. Some equated the politicians with terrorists or is it the otherway round? People were demanding instant action. Wanted heads to roll and people demanded accountability.
My entire question is regarding this. Do people have the rights to demand accountability? Polling is at 60 - 65 percent usually, which includes the illegal votes that forms a small percentage. Other than people whose income is taxed at the source, the rest hardly bother to pay the requisite taxes. Regarding public property, there is hardly any ownership from the general public, who tend to abuse it, rather than use it judiciously.
There is a lot of complaints about bribery, corruption in the Government establishment starting from the lowest clerk to the Ministerial berth. But one must realize that bribery and corruption is just like the market. Unless there is demand, there will be no supply. Corruption exists because people are ready to pay bribes. And Government servants(not a stereotype, but the sizable portion which does) demand bribes, because the number of people who are ready to pay up are more.
So when the general public has so much, stacked against them, do they (we) have the moral rights to demand accountability from politicians and Government officer?
The Media during the aftermath of the Mumbai carnage was literally filled with candle light processions and other assorted signs condemning the act. Most were directed against Politicians. Some equated the politicians with terrorists or is it the otherway round? People were demanding instant action. Wanted heads to roll and people demanded accountability.
My entire question is regarding this. Do people have the rights to demand accountability? Polling is at 60 - 65 percent usually, which includes the illegal votes that forms a small percentage. Other than people whose income is taxed at the source, the rest hardly bother to pay the requisite taxes. Regarding public property, there is hardly any ownership from the general public, who tend to abuse it, rather than use it judiciously.
There is a lot of complaints about bribery, corruption in the Government establishment starting from the lowest clerk to the Ministerial berth. But one must realize that bribery and corruption is just like the market. Unless there is demand, there will be no supply. Corruption exists because people are ready to pay bribes. And Government servants(not a stereotype, but the sizable portion which does) demand bribes, because the number of people who are ready to pay up are more.
So when the general public has so much, stacked against them, do they (we) have the moral rights to demand accountability from politicians and Government officer?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
A point to ponder
Why we are at where we are - India-Pakistan-Mumbai
Irrespective of the nationality of the perpetrators (present and past), the 2 countries have no one else but their self to blame for all the miseries that has been affecting the countries. In spite of being a pioneer in several fields like Medicine, Mathematics, Agriculture, the subcontinent was one of the last regions to realize the concept of nationalism. This mistake has cost the region dearly right from the dusk of the Mughal Rule and the Maratha Rule till now.
The common masses were having a tough time under the monarchies. Small time kings and local cheiftans lived lavishly, living the common man suffering, as is common in a monarchy system of Governance. After the British made a colony out of us, some sense of nationalism dawned. Did it help in alleviating the Colonial misery? No! The next evil was religion based politics, where the 2 great religion of this world, Hinduism and Islam became subjects of politicization. Countless lives were lost to this religious divide and the imperialistic boot. Add to this, the oppression of lower caste people. Somehow we muddled our way to get freedom from the British. (I am still doubtful as to whether to thank or not for this, considering the situation)
Did we begin a nation building process immediately? No. Both the countries (I might suggest brother nations, although a lot of patriotic people on both sides would turn red to see this statement) embarked on a mission to get the State of Kashmir, the loss of which would mean, loss of face and loss of pride. Pride my foot!!! Which was why the country was under foreign yolk for a good 200 years?
Ok. Now the countries have fought a war and shown each other and to the world, that we still are immature and that Freedom was granted too easily and too early. If the struggle had been harder, the value of freedom would have been easily understood by the people and the democratic gift of Voting, would not have been squandered to put inefficient people @ the helms. Archaic laws, wrote during the British Raj would not be in practice now.
Coming back to the crux of the issue, how is Pakistan a fertile ground for breeding terrorism? And how is India responsible for the same and how is it becoming such an easy target for regular attacks. Li’l introspection would open the eyes and make people realize that they are responsible for the whole menace.
When does a person, get easily swayed by speeches of religious leaders? When does money for the family and promise of heaven invite youth to embrace terrorism under the false name of Martyrdom? How is terrorism perpetrated in a country unless the security is as weak as thin glass? How can the lapse in security be unnoticed by an entire country? Terrorism cannot happen unless there is small amount of local support/help. Local help will be there only if there are sections of population which feel marginalized and oppressed. Who is responsible for this? Elections in India are won not on the basis of good governance. It’s an open secret, that elections are won based on how populous the schemes of the politicians are. In my place, elections were won, because an idiot politician thought it wise to give people Color TV at my expense. The Tax Payer’s expense. Talking about the neighbor, why did they allow their country, whose founder, Jinnah, was one of the greatest icons of Secularism and Democracy, to be run by the army? Why were the leaders who were elected into office, even worse and corrupted when compared to the Indian Netas? Both the countries have failed to produce a crop of successful/charismatic leaders. The countries assumed that once the British left, there was no need for a leader. This has brought the countries to the current quagmire.
Now both the countries are again facing a bigger evil/bigger boot than the imperialistic British. A faceless evil called as Terrorism. This is the best chance that both the countries have got to produce charismatic Leaders to pull them out of this oblivion. Unless the countries pull up their socks and start running without tripping each other, dawn is never going to come and we will always be in the eternal dark-before-the-dawn state.
Irrespective of the nationality of the perpetrators (present and past), the 2 countries have no one else but their self to blame for all the miseries that has been affecting the countries. In spite of being a pioneer in several fields like Medicine, Mathematics, Agriculture, the subcontinent was one of the last regions to realize the concept of nationalism. This mistake has cost the region dearly right from the dusk of the Mughal Rule and the Maratha Rule till now.
The common masses were having a tough time under the monarchies. Small time kings and local cheiftans lived lavishly, living the common man suffering, as is common in a monarchy system of Governance. After the British made a colony out of us, some sense of nationalism dawned. Did it help in alleviating the Colonial misery? No! The next evil was religion based politics, where the 2 great religion of this world, Hinduism and Islam became subjects of politicization. Countless lives were lost to this religious divide and the imperialistic boot. Add to this, the oppression of lower caste people. Somehow we muddled our way to get freedom from the British. (I am still doubtful as to whether to thank or not for this, considering the situation)
Did we begin a nation building process immediately? No. Both the countries (I might suggest brother nations, although a lot of patriotic people on both sides would turn red to see this statement) embarked on a mission to get the State of Kashmir, the loss of which would mean, loss of face and loss of pride. Pride my foot!!! Which was why the country was under foreign yolk for a good 200 years?
Ok. Now the countries have fought a war and shown each other and to the world, that we still are immature and that Freedom was granted too easily and too early. If the struggle had been harder, the value of freedom would have been easily understood by the people and the democratic gift of Voting, would not have been squandered to put inefficient people @ the helms. Archaic laws, wrote during the British Raj would not be in practice now.
Coming back to the crux of the issue, how is Pakistan a fertile ground for breeding terrorism? And how is India responsible for the same and how is it becoming such an easy target for regular attacks. Li’l introspection would open the eyes and make people realize that they are responsible for the whole menace.
When does a person, get easily swayed by speeches of religious leaders? When does money for the family and promise of heaven invite youth to embrace terrorism under the false name of Martyrdom? How is terrorism perpetrated in a country unless the security is as weak as thin glass? How can the lapse in security be unnoticed by an entire country? Terrorism cannot happen unless there is small amount of local support/help. Local help will be there only if there are sections of population which feel marginalized and oppressed. Who is responsible for this? Elections in India are won not on the basis of good governance. It’s an open secret, that elections are won based on how populous the schemes of the politicians are. In my place, elections were won, because an idiot politician thought it wise to give people Color TV at my expense. The Tax Payer’s expense. Talking about the neighbor, why did they allow their country, whose founder, Jinnah, was one of the greatest icons of Secularism and Democracy, to be run by the army? Why were the leaders who were elected into office, even worse and corrupted when compared to the Indian Netas? Both the countries have failed to produce a crop of successful/charismatic leaders. The countries assumed that once the British left, there was no need for a leader. This has brought the countries to the current quagmire.
Now both the countries are again facing a bigger evil/bigger boot than the imperialistic British. A faceless evil called as Terrorism. This is the best chance that both the countries have got to produce charismatic Leaders to pull them out of this oblivion. Unless the countries pull up their socks and start running without tripping each other, dawn is never going to come and we will always be in the eternal dark-before-the-dawn state.
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