An article in Economic Times today
Updating the poverty line cutoff figures, the Planning Commission said that those spending in excess of Rs 32 a day in urban areas or Rs 26 a day in villages would no longer be eligible to draw benefits for those living below the poverty line.
TOI broke down the overall monthly figure for urban areas and used the CPI for industrial workers along with the Tendulkar committie report figures to see what these numbers translate into and how much the Planning Commission believes is enough to spend on essential items so as not to be deemed poor. The Planning Commission suggests that spending Rs 5.5 on cereals per day is good enough to keep people healthy.
Similarly a daily spend of Rs 1.02 on pulses, Rs 2.33 on milk and Rs 1.55 on edible oil should be enough to provide adequate nutrition and keep people above the poverty line without the need of subsidized rations from the government.
It further suggests just Rs 1.95 on vegetables a day would be adequate. A bit more and one might end up outside the social security net. People should be spending less than 44 paisa on fruits, 70 paisa on sugar, 78 paisa on salt and spices and another Rs 1.51 on other foods per day to qualify for the BPL list and qualify for subsidy under various government schemes.
A person using more than Rs 3.75 per day on fuel to run the kitchen is doing well as per these figures. Forget about the price hike of fuel or sky-rocketing rents in the city. If anyone living in the city is spending over Rs 49.10 a month on rent and conveyance, he or she could miss out on the BPL category.
As for healthcare, Rs 39.70 per month is felt to be sufficient to stay healthy, believes the Planning Commission . On education, the plan panel feels those spending 99 paisa a day or Rs 29.60 a month in cities are doing well enough not to need any help.
Similarly, one could be considered to not be poor if he or she spends more than Rs 61.30 a month on clothing, Rs 9.6 on footwear and Rs 28.80 on other personal items. The monthly cut-off given by the Planning Commission before the apex court was broken down using the Consumer Price Index of Industrial Workers for 2010-11 and the break down given in Annexure E of the Tendulkar Report of expenditure calculated at 2004-05 prices.
The new tentative BPL criteria was worked out by the Planning Commission and approved by the Prime Minister's office before the government's affidavit was submitted before the Supreme Court. The plan panel said the final poverty line criteria would be available after the completion of the NSSO survey of 2011-12.
ONCE YOU ADOPT THIS LINE OF REASONING THERE WILL BE NO POOR IN INDIA. SOON WE WILL PROVE THAT A FAMILY OF FIVE CAN LIVE ON LOVE AND FRESH AIR
Mera Bharat Mahaan
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
UNKNOWN UNSUNG HEROES
This was an email forwarded to me -definitely a must read --
An ode to the Indian soldier
March 09, 2011 7:57:38 PM
Manvendra Singh
While India has chosen to forget the sacrifices of its soldiers in
foreign land, Sri Lanka has erected a memorial in honour of the IPKF’s
fallen heroes.
I was on the lookout for Harpal’s name. Like all those who knew him I
too had been devastated by the loss of the Ropar Khalsa. He had that
infectious persona. I had last seen him at his unit mess, during the
1987 cricket world cup. Even as the country partook in its cricket
craze, there were those who didn’t have that luxury, as they were at
war for India.
Harpal didn’t want to remain in the rear, looking after his unit,
ladies and children. An officer of 1 Para Commando, Harpal lost his
life during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. His battalion, like
countless others, had been part of the Indian Peace-Keeping Force that
ended up fighting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam when they had
gone to keep the calm in the island.
Nothing captured the irony and the idiocy of the situation more than
an officer injured early in the fighting telling me later, “I was
injured by the LTTE who were using arms and ammunition supplied by
India, and saved by the Sri Lankan Army who had been supplied by the
Pakistanis.” But it is not for the soldier to question political
decisions, however bizarrely they may turn on their head.
A dear friend, Harpal had been the subject of the first article I had
written about the IPKF in my early days as a journalist. It was on ode
to Harpal, by name, and through him to all the others of the Indian
Army who had fallen in a battle they had hardly prepared for.
So when I learnt of the memorial to soldiers of the IPKF, a visit
there became inevitable. To bow my head, say a prayer, pay respect,
and search for names that carried memories of fondness. And there it
said — Capt H Singh PARA. Touching, and I was grateful.
Standing at the foot of the memorial I gazed in awe at its beauty and
solemnity. Officers and jawans etched in perpetuity, white on black,
and from across the country. There are Kashmiri names, just as there
are Naga names. All casualties of a political decision to battle those
they had gone to protect.
Every infantry regiment, and more, was recorded there. Tank men who
volunteered for infantry duties, and didn’t come back to India are
remembered for their valour. I saw the name of Col Chabra, whose son
now dons the same uniform of the same battalion as he did while
fighting for his country. It was humbling to stand before them, all
together in memory, for posterity.
When the awe and pain of going through the names subsided, I couldn’t
believe myself that there was, finally, a state inspired and funded
war memorial to Indian soldiers. The fact that a Government-created
memorial could be so beautifully made was as hard to believe as seeing
one constructed in the first place. It is not a citizen’s initiative
like, for example, the memorials in Chandigarh and Bangalore. It has
been inspired by a national Government, funded and constructed by its
agencies.
But, alas, in this case the state is not the Government of India, and
the agencies that created it are not its PWD or MES. The credit is
owed only to the Government of Sri Lanka, and the construction has
been done entirely by the Sri Lankan Navy. And it has been done
strikingly well.
Even as the Government of India resists the pressures of its soldiers
and citizens to make a post-independence war memorial, Sri Lanka has
recognised the significance of the Indian soldiers and sailors who
died for its integrity from 1987 to 1990. The memorial has been made
entirely from Sri Lankan funds, architectural consultants, and the
contracting agency is the Sri Lanka Navy. Creditable when one
considers the absence of any Government-made war memorial in India.
A plaque reads in English and Hindi: “This monument is dedicated to
the members of the Indian Peace-Keeping Force who made the supreme
sacrifice during the peace-keeping mission from 1987 to 1990 in Sri
Lanka.” Another plaque says: “Indian Peace-Keeping Force — Valiant
were their deeds; Undying be their memories.”
The IPKF memorial resides in the new capital of the country near
Colombo, Sri Jayawardanepura Kotte. Past the Sri Lankan Parliament,
the IPKF memorial is but a stone’s throw from the Sri Lankan national
memorial for their own war heroes, rows upon rows of names etched in
eternity. They fought to the bitter end with the LTTE, losing hundreds
of brave soldiers in the process. And it is touching the level at
which Sri Lanka values the contribution of the IPKF, for such is the
pride of place which they have given to, and erected a memorial for,
the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers.
I recall vividly the coincidence of dates in 1995. In the space of a
few weeks there would be the 50th anniversary of the end of World War
II and the 30th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan war. I remember
formally asking the Ministry of Defence as to how India was going to
mark the events, both of which cost precious Indian lives. A
bureaucrat replied, without any trace of irony or humility for the
dead, that India was a peaceful country and did not believe in marking
events like wars. The classic ahimsa line.
I was aghast, especially since the British Government was taking all
Indian Victoria Cross and George Cross winners to London for the big
celebrations. And India was silent on its own contributions. That
attitude persists even today.
India’s attitude towards its soldiers, sailors and airmen can be
gauged from the fact that a black plaque bolted on the IPKF memorial
remains unlettered, blank. The Prime Minister of India was meant to
inaugurate the memorial and have his name etched on this plaque. The
inauguration was put off on account of political sensitivities within
India, so the plaque remains bare and black.
Votes and political alliances are more important in India than
respecting the memories of those 1,200 soldiers and sailors who lost
their lives on account of the follies of their rulers. The bare black
plaque stares back at visitors, conveying a message of ingratitude,
insensitivity, and disrespect. As true a reflection of Indian
attitudes to fallen soldiers as there can be.
In the meantime, Sri Lanka honours Indian soldiers and sailors just as
well as they honour their own.
An ode to the Indian soldier
March 09, 2011 7:57:38 PM
Manvendra Singh
While India has chosen to forget the sacrifices of its soldiers in
foreign land, Sri Lanka has erected a memorial in honour of the IPKF’s
fallen heroes.
I was on the lookout for Harpal’s name. Like all those who knew him I
too had been devastated by the loss of the Ropar Khalsa. He had that
infectious persona. I had last seen him at his unit mess, during the
1987 cricket world cup. Even as the country partook in its cricket
craze, there were those who didn’t have that luxury, as they were at
war for India.
Harpal didn’t want to remain in the rear, looking after his unit,
ladies and children. An officer of 1 Para Commando, Harpal lost his
life during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka. His battalion, like
countless others, had been part of the Indian Peace-Keeping Force that
ended up fighting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam when they had
gone to keep the calm in the island.
Nothing captured the irony and the idiocy of the situation more than
an officer injured early in the fighting telling me later, “I was
injured by the LTTE who were using arms and ammunition supplied by
India, and saved by the Sri Lankan Army who had been supplied by the
Pakistanis.” But it is not for the soldier to question political
decisions, however bizarrely they may turn on their head.
A dear friend, Harpal had been the subject of the first article I had
written about the IPKF in my early days as a journalist. It was on ode
to Harpal, by name, and through him to all the others of the Indian
Army who had fallen in a battle they had hardly prepared for.
So when I learnt of the memorial to soldiers of the IPKF, a visit
there became inevitable. To bow my head, say a prayer, pay respect,
and search for names that carried memories of fondness. And there it
said — Capt H Singh PARA. Touching, and I was grateful.
Standing at the foot of the memorial I gazed in awe at its beauty and
solemnity. Officers and jawans etched in perpetuity, white on black,
and from across the country. There are Kashmiri names, just as there
are Naga names. All casualties of a political decision to battle those
they had gone to protect.
Every infantry regiment, and more, was recorded there. Tank men who
volunteered for infantry duties, and didn’t come back to India are
remembered for their valour. I saw the name of Col Chabra, whose son
now dons the same uniform of the same battalion as he did while
fighting for his country. It was humbling to stand before them, all
together in memory, for posterity.
When the awe and pain of going through the names subsided, I couldn’t
believe myself that there was, finally, a state inspired and funded
war memorial to Indian soldiers. The fact that a Government-created
memorial could be so beautifully made was as hard to believe as seeing
one constructed in the first place. It is not a citizen’s initiative
like, for example, the memorials in Chandigarh and Bangalore. It has
been inspired by a national Government, funded and constructed by its
agencies.
But, alas, in this case the state is not the Government of India, and
the agencies that created it are not its PWD or MES. The credit is
owed only to the Government of Sri Lanka, and the construction has
been done entirely by the Sri Lankan Navy. And it has been done
strikingly well.
Even as the Government of India resists the pressures of its soldiers
and citizens to make a post-independence war memorial, Sri Lanka has
recognised the significance of the Indian soldiers and sailors who
died for its integrity from 1987 to 1990. The memorial has been made
entirely from Sri Lankan funds, architectural consultants, and the
contracting agency is the Sri Lanka Navy. Creditable when one
considers the absence of any Government-made war memorial in India.
A plaque reads in English and Hindi: “This monument is dedicated to
the members of the Indian Peace-Keeping Force who made the supreme
sacrifice during the peace-keeping mission from 1987 to 1990 in Sri
Lanka.” Another plaque says: “Indian Peace-Keeping Force — Valiant
were their deeds; Undying be their memories.”
The IPKF memorial resides in the new capital of the country near
Colombo, Sri Jayawardanepura Kotte. Past the Sri Lankan Parliament,
the IPKF memorial is but a stone’s throw from the Sri Lankan national
memorial for their own war heroes, rows upon rows of names etched in
eternity. They fought to the bitter end with the LTTE, losing hundreds
of brave soldiers in the process. And it is touching the level at
which Sri Lanka values the contribution of the IPKF, for such is the
pride of place which they have given to, and erected a memorial for,
the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers.
I recall vividly the coincidence of dates in 1995. In the space of a
few weeks there would be the 50th anniversary of the end of World War
II and the 30th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan war. I remember
formally asking the Ministry of Defence as to how India was going to
mark the events, both of which cost precious Indian lives. A
bureaucrat replied, without any trace of irony or humility for the
dead, that India was a peaceful country and did not believe in marking
events like wars. The classic ahimsa line.
I was aghast, especially since the British Government was taking all
Indian Victoria Cross and George Cross winners to London for the big
celebrations. And India was silent on its own contributions. That
attitude persists even today.
India’s attitude towards its soldiers, sailors and airmen can be
gauged from the fact that a black plaque bolted on the IPKF memorial
remains unlettered, blank. The Prime Minister of India was meant to
inaugurate the memorial and have his name etched on this plaque. The
inauguration was put off on account of political sensitivities within
India, so the plaque remains bare and black.
Votes and political alliances are more important in India than
respecting the memories of those 1,200 soldiers and sailors who lost
their lives on account of the follies of their rulers. The bare black
plaque stares back at visitors, conveying a message of ingratitude,
insensitivity, and disrespect. As true a reflection of Indian
attitudes to fallen soldiers as there can be.
In the meantime, Sri Lanka honours Indian soldiers and sailors just as
well as they honour their own.
Friday, January 28, 2011
PUBLIC SECTOR BASHING - A counterpoint
It has become a fashion in India to bash the Public Sector. You start with any topic and suddenly you find reference to a non performing PSU. If you look at the history of PSUs the worst performing are/were the ones which were nationalized after the private sector milked them dry. a sick company was taken over and got more sick. I agree with the general maxim that the job of any government is to govern and not run businessBut this class distinction gets blurred when politics and big money interfere. Look at Wall Street - they trumped on free economy and no controls. when they burst due to greed and poor judgement they were the first to ask for aid and the great free market capitalistic country of the world jumped to save the ones who created all this mess at the cost of honest tax payers.
in India,the BSNL bashing has started.When will our experts ever read between the lines.
First they murdered Air India - (now Nira Radia tapes prove it). They have not allowed the airline to purchase a single new aircraft for over twenty years and expect the airline to make money. Whenever the airline went thro a procedure and recommended an aircraft the opposite lobby (BOEING VERSUS AIRBUS) scuttled the deal. They pointed out how the smaller airlines (private) are making money. INDIAN AIRLINES had to increase fares to accommodate the geniuses i private sector and run on unprofitable routes (like Chennai to Pondicherry with one passenger). The only time when the minister allowed Indian Airlines to wet lease aircraft the company outperformed all competitors miles ahead.
Now it is turn of BSNL. they have not been allowed to upgrade their equipments. Everytime a tender is floated the vultures (politicians, media and private sector) come in and screw the decision. Even with outmoded equipments BSNL mobile was a runaway success. Here too ,look at irony - BSNL and MTNL do not share towers which they share with run of mill new operators. When there was a craze for optical fibre lines the main players bribed the employees of BSNL to an extent of almost eliminating them.Then they found that laying the network was an expert affair and too costly for them. they withdrew with dug up roads allover .relaid with public money and taxes. BSNL is still the only functioning landline in country.
Look at power distribution in Delhi. We gave the distribution to TATA and RELIANCE and the only increase is in power tariff not service.
why India / Even in USA wherever they have tinkered with public utility services like power and water the private sector has miserably failed. At & T was a monopoly and had to keep services at high level with threat of breakup under MRTP
in India,the BSNL bashing has started.When will our experts ever read between the lines.
First they murdered Air India - (now Nira Radia tapes prove it). They have not allowed the airline to purchase a single new aircraft for over twenty years and expect the airline to make money. Whenever the airline went thro a procedure and recommended an aircraft the opposite lobby (BOEING VERSUS AIRBUS) scuttled the deal. They pointed out how the smaller airlines (private) are making money. INDIAN AIRLINES had to increase fares to accommodate the geniuses i private sector and run on unprofitable routes (like Chennai to Pondicherry with one passenger). The only time when the minister allowed Indian Airlines to wet lease aircraft the company outperformed all competitors miles ahead.
Now it is turn of BSNL. they have not been allowed to upgrade their equipments. Everytime a tender is floated the vultures (politicians, media and private sector) come in and screw the decision. Even with outmoded equipments BSNL mobile was a runaway success. Here too ,look at irony - BSNL and MTNL do not share towers which they share with run of mill new operators. When there was a craze for optical fibre lines the main players bribed the employees of BSNL to an extent of almost eliminating them.Then they found that laying the network was an expert affair and too costly for them. they withdrew with dug up roads allover .relaid with public money and taxes. BSNL is still the only functioning landline in country.
Look at power distribution in Delhi. We gave the distribution to TATA and RELIANCE and the only increase is in power tariff not service.
why India / Even in USA wherever they have tinkered with public utility services like power and water the private sector has miserably failed. At & T was a monopoly and had to keep services at high level with threat of breakup under MRTP
Friday, January 14, 2011
Optical fibre scam ??
Please go back in history when our didi was the first time railways minister.She made an interesting speech - she gave hints at how the rail ministry can cut down passenger fares substantially by alternate sources of revenue. Within a few fortnights she was conveniently shunted out of her portfolio. Mr.Pramod Mahajan was brought in through the backdoor as It minister and the first thing that he did was to scuttle the Rail Board initiative on a optical fibre network. As usual the media played dumb. Two large telecom giants came into lime light promising their own network.A few states obliged by giving them a free reign. both the companies -Reliance and Airtel - gave up.In between you found BSNL functioning deteriorate. Lines were cut and repairs did not take place. Somehow after a a year the giants realized that their idea was not that bright.BSNL came back with a bang with their low tech mobile and surprised everybody.
the missing link is what I term as the optical fibre scam. the Indian railways have perhaps the longest network in the world today.It covers most of the country. If we had the optical fibre run below the tracks ,it could have been done by trench less digging (ike Hong Kong tube).The lines would have been laid within a fraction of time and all that all service providers needed was the last mile connection from nearest railway station. cities like Mumbai would have become a broadband (i mean 54mb level) a decade earlier .The railways could have generated millions of dollars by leasing out and the moneys would have provided enough moneys for addition, upkeep and maintenance of rail stock leave alone reducing fares.
Corporate greed and manipulative politics played a big hand and our media was acting as usual. As the corporates were giants all political parties kept silent - maybe no one understood anything of the subject
the missing link is what I term as the optical fibre scam. the Indian railways have perhaps the longest network in the world today.It covers most of the country. If we had the optical fibre run below the tracks ,it could have been done by trench less digging (ike Hong Kong tube).The lines would have been laid within a fraction of time and all that all service providers needed was the last mile connection from nearest railway station. cities like Mumbai would have become a broadband (i mean 54mb level) a decade earlier .The railways could have generated millions of dollars by leasing out and the moneys would have provided enough moneys for addition, upkeep and maintenance of rail stock leave alone reducing fares.
Corporate greed and manipulative politics played a big hand and our media was acting as usual. As the corporates were giants all political parties kept silent - maybe no one understood anything of the subject
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