PROTEST AGAINST POSCO

Often, the class schedules and deadlines makes one really busy and this one is really after a long break... And that too I can't make any progress with my analysis of the world bank and it stands half filled... Any way I will talk about something else which is unrelated with the world bank.. The recent SEZ issues..

The vidharbha scene

What is this SEZ? These are privilaged areas for industries developed by private concerns with major tax sops from the government. That includes say the software cos. don't need a clearance from State pollution control board once they choose to start from a SEZ. Meantime sops ranges from no tax for starting period with minimal tax for a stipulated time after that. Sounds good? But these points fails to answer a basic question. Developments at whose cost? Does these privilages really worth?

As always the developmental model being proposed by the government should be a complete one and time and again this has been violated. In the present case the government has to device means in such a way that it is favourable to all the theree stake holders viz. the peasants, the private entities and the general public. With the peasants always bearing the brunt in any context. whether it is the big dams, or a developmental project or any major compulsory land acquisitions that's why I am insisting on a full circle development model. The policy guidelines for any SEZ right now advises 25% of the area for the core industry and a heavy stress on the socio-economic infrastructure and that can be very bluntly interpreted as licensed real estates. With the majority of the SEZ being planned in the viscinity of Big cities the present framework gives a much needed license for land mafia in the name of SEZ.
while the land which is earmarked for the SEZ is pretty good 2 crop land with sufficient irrigation means and feeding a family I don't understand the dire need to rob them of their wealth. After all, the netas should very well learn to understand that agriculture is our back bone with the considerable chunk of our populatin being rural folks with the main occupation being farming. There is ample proof to speak about the poor or no rehabiliation schemes drwan for tribes and farmers in places like Narmada and POSCO plant(The korean steel major in Orissa).

Fiscal and more Fiscal....
In short with no proper guidelines for SEZ , a neo-carporate policies, eleventh hour hasty decision to favour corporate gurus, turning deaf ears to the real concerns and chaos of rural resistance, there is a big hallowness in the very theme of the CMP.. Reforms with a human face.. with the exchequer chidambaram being fiscal conscious and Montek on the board of planning comminsion with the men from IMF and a pro-west deora in the oil ministry, sacking a really performing Iyer, It does'nt sounds good for a left like me.. simply put it's like robbing peter to pay paul..

THE world bank

The world after the second world war had dramatic changes with the slow demise of the Queen and the emergence of the new western world powers in general and United States in Particular. The changed world scenario in the form of close competetions between the soviets and the US had its own zenith and nadir with space walks, nuclear stockpiles and such things. Things took an U turn with the demise of the Soviets in the early nineties and world began to fold under the US doctrine. Uncle Sam has been shrewd as always right from the marsharll plan after the second world war.






Apart from these blatant,outspoken acts the US has also devised some hidden plans in a disguised manner and major and most important doctrine is the world bank ostensibly run by the world body but virtually a US play doll. This can be very well acknowledged with the present world bank cheif wolfowitz who is the world bank cheif after his brisk phase at the pentagon. In what other way can a military man can serve the bank in the name of poverty alleviation other than "demolish and destroy " who comes from the board rooms which designs and executes plans like "desert fox", "shock and awe" and "war on terror" and plundering sovereign governments in the name of "new free world order" !!!

World for the rich,by the rich and to the rich!!

The head quarters for the world bank

And I am back after quite a long gap. This time I won't give any of my viewpoints or I will not vent my anger over the common happenings. Let's have that on some other day. This time I would presume myself as a pro columnist. ( Least.. I would try to mimick the greats like Ijaz Ahamed,Sidharth Varadarajan and other ) And I will try a work on the world bank.
This world bank has been in our ears and news for quite some time and the puzzling nature that surrounds the bank has been quite acclimatised to all of us. What's this? and what it has been made up of? The simple answer is, this is a bank of a conglomerate of nations with fundings from the wealthy ones ostensibly created to fight poverty, illitrecy, hunger and common good for the developing country and it is well binded to stronger and richer nations(read, the united nations..)
And the bank has two affliated entities, 1.International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) 2. the International Development Association (IDA)
Under the aegis of the world bank these two institutions, almost have same role with the IBRD designated towards the middle income group countries (say India) and the IDA towards the poorest. ( that would be Somalia). With all these, where the hell the money comes from? The main fund is with the selling of AAA rated bonds and the repayments for the loans made by IBRD and the contributions from the 40 members in the 184 strong group. With all this said, there might be some faintest of a hitch in some awakened mind. With the United states playing a key role and Paul Wolfowitz in line the slogan "working for a world free of poverty" does really sounds hollow!!

dis-investment spreee

At last the Oxford-cambridge team has well geared up. With the recent debacle in the NLC disinvestment the focus now moves to the disinvestment move in Orissa's NALCO. The government's intention to sell 10 % of its stake in NLC to raise money to the tune of 1300 crores by a hell-bent approach in disinvestment looks ridiculous. Afterall the NLC is doing good . Chidambaram can very well gather the money from other source towards the plan. Although the workers striked work the halt would not have come but for a threatening posture and gesture from MK that halted the Juggernaut.


The issue can be analysed in two ways. Why disinvestment and why not? First the former, the notion of selling a profit making one can be paralled to killing the golden goose and that too these public instituions are very important for security in power sectors. This UPA government promised reforms with a human face that remains only in paper. All the commotion started with the privatisation move of the airports,then BHEL and now NLC (thwarted attempts but still then) and the next in queue is NALCO. And for the second part of the analysis right now I may be naive to answer that, I should have to closely follow things to get a clearer perspective. If the trend continues one day chidambaram may turn IIT's into listed corporation and in another two years he will go for a partial sell Off....

The fuel fiasco

There were lot of rumblings in recent times about the fuel price hike. Almost this is roughtly 6th or 7 th time there has been a revision in the fuel prices and the fuels sprialled like anything. It was around Rs. 35-36 in 2004 and now it stands at 50. The major point which has been put forth for its act of "biting the bullet" is the international crude prices. With every increase in cents the government releases figures mentioning the losses or dip in the profit lines of the major oil companies [ or Navratnas ] and now one more term has been added in this band wagon. " The Under Recoveries" of the oil companies.

Though there has been varied arguements regarding whether this is unavoidable or a fiscal gameplan, the most obvious point to put up is the cost break up of the fuels. It would be surprising to know that oil prices is pretty low in countries like Pakistan,Nepal and Bangladesh irrespective of the value of the respective rupees, this amounts to direct conclusion that indian oil has been exorbhitantly taxed. the rought notion is that taxes amount's to roughly 60 percent of the oil sold. And for sure, Chidambaram and co can play a part and bring down the numerous excises,duties and taxes and in addition to it the local sales taxes. With the oil finance ministry tasted the money and especially chidambaram would never give up his share from excises and duties of the fues to have a dent from his kitty. As rightly pointed in frontline this amounts to parent safeguarding themselves by putting their wards in trouble....

Sorbonne and AIIMS

Chirac and Villepin




The recent strikes and string protest spearheaded mainly by the AIIMS doctors, in no way can be drawn parallel with the SOrbonne incident , the fight by the students against first employement bill which authorises "hire and fire" policy to the corporates and contemplated to
give solution to the spiralling unemployment problems.





The street protest in France



The protest by the elite doctors of the prestigious institute ( This tag is unquestionable as AIIMS attracts upto 75000 applications for a mere 45 seats.. which is highest amoung any scale in the world) The crux of the issue for the protest is entirely diffarent but the issue is quite discussable. The first employment bill assures the employer to fire the employer without any circuitous procedure provided he is within 26 or so.. years age. Already reports are there that it is common to spot graduates living as dependents and the students feared that the first employment bill will lead to more unsecure environment and the protest had the perfect line of thinking amoung all the students with the entire student community of the France registered a protest and an additional point is that it had the backing of the opposition benches.







The indian action


This made the lord of the bill Dominique de Villepin to bowed to the protesters with Villepin addressing the nation via tv. The protest or struggle succeced as they fought for the cause which everyone thought a threat. This can be in no way compared with their Indian ounterpart. The protests by and large was the outcome of the thinking of a select few. (The
notions were discussed in my previous blog) The protests lost the sting it should have. A quick
glance through the charter by the forum called "Youth for equality" would make us clear that they were very much unclear. The charter lacked the content. Whether to go for a no reservation stance or against the obc reservation or aginst the numbers????? The support it got from the selfish electronic media was an advantage for the protesters but that alone would never be sufficient. In short, the protest turned out to be a bombastic toothless exercise which was given a final whip from the supreme court which ordered the medicos and resident doctors to take back their steth...

The Mandal II

We had lot of rumblings over the OBC reservation in the central universites proposed by the Ministry of human resource. And recently I went through some diffarent perspective towards the notion of merit as claimed by the elitest of the elite( These include a handful of doctors from the AIIMS and select few from the Indian Institutes of Technologies). As far as the whole set of events the light and fanfare which the agitating Doctors and other leads who got from the news hungry media is very much palpable when compared with the coverage for the pro-reservation group.














This simply put, is the "domination of the class with the merit cover" Praful gives a diatribe with clear points sufficient to convince anyone who does have a wavering mind about the whole issue. The first and foremost point to quote is the time and money spent by the upper middle class elitist students who will be the prospective students of AIIMs and IIT's The mere coaching and training for a student towards an IIT cost him money in several thousands and that would remain only in his dreams for his counterpart who forms a chunk of the Indian Youth. And there itself the arguement "Youth for Justice and Equality " ends with no credible fact in hand to bolster the arguement that the soceity has to shed of inequality"

Sonia Saga!!

The issue is almost over now. Long back I thought of wirting about the Great drama. The entire issue is very good example for the famous proverb which goes like

"what you sow so shall you reap!!"

The local congressmen from Up would never have imagined that the very same Office of Profit ghost will haunt them !! directly and that to against Sonia herself. Much had been debated about the issue with wordings from " Second sacrifice " . I too gone through many of the analysis and the best and noteworthy to mention in my point here is a letter in hindu.


The saga started when BJP planned to refer Sonia's case to the election which was pretty quick in disqualifying Jaya Bachan's Post owing to the conditions that she is holding a position which is an office of profit. Sonia being the chair person of the NAC(National Advisory council) . which is funded by the central government itself(also dubiously called as the shadow cabinet) and also n+1 trusts of congress, has to bore the brunt.

But Sonia's gameplan was really shrewd(as always) like the previous renuciation drama enacted in the year 2004 when the Indian electorate rejected the dubious " India Shining Campaign" and gave the congress front a clear majority..

But that's a separate story. Things unravelled very fast in a congress way with the parliamentary affairs minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi calling for a short cut Ordnance to bypass the cause for SONIA rather than an act which has to be discussed per se. The BJP woke from the nap and caught the issue. The congress realizing the extreme step and the heat it would generate took a break and put the ordnance in a bakburner. And the worst of all happened with almost all the parties (including the so called stain free comrades) accepting a legislation to save all their tainted netas.

The peak of all the happenings is that when congress notoriously postporned the house before the scheduled date and with that Sonia anounced her resignation!!! Things went still awry with the election commission scheduling the by polls for the Congress kingdom Rae Bareli.

The Hindu reader rightly pointed that It's unwise to call the break between break fast and lunch as a fast and sacrifiece" which is what sonia has done!!! with sonia not even losing a business day in the parliament and loudly clamouring that everything is for common good!!

Lo!!! God has to be humble to save India and it's children from the so called politicians who are to server the people..

GOT it right

BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got it right. I have predicted almost in this assembly elections . I got it almost right for amma and a not bad prediction for MK. Might be this will be celeberation time in the DMK camp with MK becoming CM for the fifth time and he has become more a politician this time with a note that CM chair is a service for the TN people.







Now the question in everyone's mind is that, WHAT about TV? Will MK make it to everyone? The first and foremost problem is that how the team will identfy the houses which really don't have a TV? Then I have not forgotten the Colour TV scam in the previous 91-96 jaya era which had the very worst anti-incumbency. Leave off TV! what about 2 acres of land for lanless peasents and free power for weavers also. ALready the free power for farmers drawing flak with the centre's threat of subsidy cut? whose money will be spent on this? This is like robing peter to pay paul. If this trend continues then TN treaury my one day file for bankruptcy.

Almost the trap would have worked for MK to capture power but at whose cost?

The major questions are
1. how far the new government will work to generate employment?

2. how far mk and co will promote bio-technology?

3. How good can MK foresaw the future?

4. How far he can guarentee a corruption free government?

MK and co has to do really well for the above questions. The major point to be discussed here is that it would be only a matter of time to bring in stalin for the cm's chair.

Elections

Since my last post on elections, several interesting things has infact happened with more and more freebies gobbling up the tamils. TV sets, Cable connections,Rice,Stove,Cycles,Bus-Pass and what not? The point by reading between the lines is that people have really become very very gullible. How far they have become so? That's the million dollar question.









This elections has become somewhat unique when compared with the last two assembly eletion which I had witnessed. When it was 1996 people where very much fed up with the most plundered first term of Jaya. Scams in Coal Import, Cemetry sheds, chappals, Sudhakaran's marraige,Pleasant stay Hotel case, London properties and the list goes on and on and on. There was a strong anti-jaya wave which led to the total debacle. Much to her dismay she herself lost to DMK candidate Sugavanam from Bargur











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Things were totally diffarent in 2001, MK did a rule which is not as filled up as jaya's. But things like unprecedented price for cement bags, mindless flyover for chennai etc. When everyone expected for a second turn for MK things went the way of arithmetics with jaya reigned in.


But this time the scenario is really confusing. The incumbency factor is not that severe and inspite of the arithmetic MK 's possibilities are still bleak and hazy. With biased opinion polls are favoring one or the other and prominent and important ones are left clueless. Hoof... it's really confusing. Then important thing.. I am expecting for a first ever hung assembly in Tamil Nadu, with Jaya getting around 60 and MK about 75. That would be really a new assembly in the history of Tamil Nadu. All eyes are on May 8.

THE RESERVATION IMBROGLIO

Certainly, Arjun has stirred a hornet's nest by re opening the reservation debate. As always the typical congress guy would have had lot of calculations before spelling out his plans for reservation in central universities(read IIT's and IIM's) when the assembly elections for the four states have been scheduled and pretty important for their grand old party in Kerala and Wb.
Do we need reservation? For a blunt question like this there are numerous uniquely voiced answers!! NO! And did that 'yes' has a really weak support?A city dwelling, blogging, neo-liberal, globalisic,MNC employed, coaching class attended grad may spit this with a single word.Ney. But who will hear the town guy? riding 10 kms up and down with a by-cycle, lot of dreams in heart, very much isolated from the coaching-mocktests-discussion cycle? perhaps he might not be the one might be the poster boy for the 600 million strong indian "not-so-better half" breatherns. Mumbaikars and Delhites have cocooned themselves to the neon-clad fast growing metros with 24 hrs electricity, door services, TRP rated stars and zees!!
Even though the pursuance of excellence by the central universities may sound well and good, They have the same accountability towards the less privelaged with whose money these very universities has been built....

THE DEAL II

Some trivial works keeps me off from new posts, let's continue regarding the N-deal. With the Americans showing the high handedness India has to bore the brunt with the scaled down TAPS I and II(Tarapore Atomic Power Station). In the mean time America which has the largest number of reactors in the world suffered some setbacks. The point? Breeder reactor!!! The french who are real masters and India having a clear advantage in breeders made the US to think twice. With no major strong push for the US reactor programmes after the later part of seventies, and the outdated Nuclear technology would have made George to look for the helping hand from India!! There are so many breaks are ahead. Bush,Condi and co have to do lot of hardwork to convince their congress.Then there are guidelines for the Nuclear suppliers group! But before that he has to still force through some coercive sub conditions to cool down his own counterparts!!! Then comes the hard hitting Indian Babus
Ooof!!! Cunning Bush has got loads of tasks ahead!!
How this would be help ful for India?
see you..

THE DEAL

There has been lot of cheer and applause over the finalised Ndeal with the US during Bush's maiden indian visit. There has been quite a lot of points and couter-points over the N-deal and lets have some close look at it. The crux of the deal is "CIVIL MILITARY SEPARATION" of the indian facilities. How far it is feasible?






We have to go back a bit in history to have a close look at the backdoor situations which made the deal come true. The nuclear power for India was from the GE electric with a 30 year deal for the constant fuel supply. Things went awry with Indira's bold and strong initiative for Peaceful nuclear experiment at Pokhran code named Operation Shakthi. When buddha laughed it made uncle sam to turn red and the fuel supply for tarapore unit came to a stand still. How long can india sustain it's power hungry reactors with the indian uranium? The result: Tarapore power plant was scaled down from its peak range and the problem started!!!

THE AMERICAN HEGEMONY

The last 4 or 5 decades has been in the total clutches of United States with virtually no rival especially after the demise of the erstwhile USSR. And now the US hegemony has poised in this first decade of the millennium.

The middle kingdom is well set for the role of super power with the double digit GDP rate (a whooping 10.2 %) and the burgeoning dominance with a mighty PLA. All these factors combined with the sheer body language makes US to think bit wider in addition to its addiction to Oil. The US is bit clear that the country with the oil to run its plants and cars will be ruling the roost in the coming decades and the US has a dubious distinction in it.
















Let's have close look at the US search for oil right from the early 90's. The platform was well made ironically with saddam invading Kuwait in the early 90's and US entering in to the Middle test with military support to the kuwait and building the right bridge with the oilrich sheikdom and ensuring the oil supply irrespective of the so called rogue states of iraq and iran. And with the imposition of sanction on Iraq after the war the crumbled iraq economy is history. When the needs of the US grew further the best cover came for the US. "THE WMD" And still the us marines will be searching for that and COndi will be addressing cnn and US imbibed guys that "None can deny the fact that WMD is there" . And Hans Blix (UN weapons inspector...) will be still hopeful for a prizecatch. with all these fiasco poor saddam for his kurdish massacre will be facing a dubious so called justice by US. Everything like this the US captured all the important oil fields in Basra and the adjacent iraqi places of importance.. ALl this in the conver of war on terrror!!!!
And now what's next?






That might be Mohammed Ahamadanijed's turn!!!!

The rice fever

Almost, It's right time to have some thoughts about the election manifesto from DMK,
Rice at Rs.2,Television set, A stove and who knows!! some promise for sun and moon may lie in the fineprint. A party which is been in existence for almost half a century can be very well little more wise!!!

Ofcourse, None will forget that Dravadian parties came to throne by playing the rice game in the early sixties but then... that was in the early days of the state, where people were not this much informed and well aware. Now, even a layman would think twice or atleast whould be dumbfounded a moment before being caught by the rice trap. The promises and the support speeches make one to think that the party and its doyen are doing an alround effort to woo the people and get through the election.

If at all DMK comes to power the very first statement would be that the treasury is empty and will play the blamegame for two months, journals will beat the bush for another two months and by that time poor tamils will be getting ready for the next hot snippets.. and the manifestations??? In the air!!!!!

Although MK(M.Karunanidhi) succeeds in turning all the attention, Who knows? As one cartoon says that common man being inspired by all the gimmicks may be voting one in the pre-poll, selecting the other on the polling day and voicing for the third in the exit poll....

see you!!!!

Who am I?

Who will be crowned?

Almost the last five years for the ruling party had gone very fastly, that we are up again for the elections.. It will be a tight schedule for Naresh Gupta & Co. for the excellent electioneering and bullying styles of the age old Dravadians Big wigs both the DMK and AIADMK.


It's almost right time now to have a glimpse of the past five years.. With DMK looking for a repeat show in 2001 after it's less corrupt( leave of those 200 price tag for a cement bag..) and Kalaingar tied with petty parties for 1,2 or so seats.. And Jaya did the arithmetics with Congress,PMK,communists and MDMK.. she made a clean sweep...

And thats history. Kalaingar had the very same stage set for himself when he switched sides with BJP and still has a new friend with Sonia. The result? 39/39 and the Jaya's populist rollback(removal of anti-conversion bill, withdrawl of dozen cases against publishers,freebies for the babus..) which he claimed it as his 40 th.

And now everything is diffarent. With Jaya having a very minimal Anti-Incumbency wave and VAIKO switching sides... and Captains miniscule voteshare.. with all this the stage is set right for the elections 2006. Bingo....

VLSI

VLSI

hello people

It's relly amazing to have a personalized blog corner in just a few click and few steps with blogger. I am bound less and I am planning for posts ranging from geo political alignment till IC design... c you soon