My Take On Budget 2010-11

Its exactly 2 months after the Budget was tabled and still i am writing this post just to put my 'understanding' into perspective. I used to wonder if anyone cares to read the special edition of 'Budget' that used to come with 'Economic Times' after the D-Day. From there, today i came to a situation where i downloaded the Budget 'pdf'. The Evolution of Me :)
You can download it from here: http://www.hindu.com/nic/budgetspeech2010.pdf
Key Points:
1. Importance of harnessing economic growth in making development more inclusive. Seems UPA government's motive is very clear.
2. Talking about weaknesses in government systems and bottleneck of our public delivery mechanisms.
3. Paradigm shift - 'The role of government more as an enabler and less of a provider'. This is a 180 degree shift from the Nehru's idea of an 'omnipresent state'. To quote the exact sentence of Fin Min - "An enabling government does not try to deliver directly to citizens everything that they need. Instead it creates an enabling ethos so that individual enterprise and creativity can flourish.
4. Fiscal consolidation - Recommendation of 13th Fin. Commission to cap combined debt of Centre and States at 68% of GDP by 2014-15.
5.Tax Reforms - Simple tax system with minimum exemptions and low tax rates & Direct Tax Code by April 1, 2011. These tax exemptions have encouraged citizens in becoming 'frauds'. Glad that they will be out. The lower tax rates should increase voluntary compliance and widen the ambit.
6. PSU disinvestment to meet capital expenditure requirements of social sector schemes.
7. Nutrient Based Subsidy for fertilizers from April 1, 2010. This trims governments subsidy bill from 100K crores to 49K crores. Also i guess a good step in the direction of 'sustained development'.
8. Additional banking licenses to extend the geographic coverage and improve access.
9. Wastage of grain procured for 'buffer stocks' and PDS due to shortage of storage capacity of FCI. Grains getting rotten and spoiled is a clear sign of the failure of our PDS mechanisms. In 2003 India was storing about 60 million tonnes of grain, enough to provide a tonne of rice or wheat to every single family living below poverty line. Even after this people suffering from hunger is inexplicable.
 To Be Contd..

Tharoor Drama

It's a strange coincidence that i am in Kochi right now, that is the center of this murky saga. So at last the Congress decides to get rid of this embarrassment. I hope that the great writer 'Tharoor' will now understand the meaning of 'Conflict Of Interest'. Below are some of my observations after this saga:
1. Just because a politician is educated doesn't mean he will be honest and good for country.
2. Even dumb guys can go to U.N and become successful on a world wide stage. Honestly i feel that Tharoor was so dumb in this whole episode or in some of his tweets.
3.  How often people who get caught take the refuge of regional or religious chauvinism to stir up emotions and divert the issue? It's a joke that this lady Sunanda Pushkar is bringing her half-Malayali son to divert the issue.
But the positive out of this whole thing is the 'murkier behind-scenes of IPL'. Government and Tax authorities should investigate and probe the sources of these investments. The last thing India wants now is people like Dawood investing into IPL.

33% Women's Resevation Bill

                 Inspite of the Yadav Trio's Opposition, the RajyaSabha ratified the 33% women's reservation bill. I came to know that only one MP - Sharad Joshi, a prominent farmer's leader from Maharashtra and founder of 'Shwetkari Sangathan' voted against the bill. His argument needs attention:
1. In every 5 year term the 33% seats reserved are selected by lottery and will be changed. So all the 33% incumbent women MP's and 50% of male MP's will lose the chance to contest in next term. In this way by 2024, government wants all the constituents to be represented by a woman atleast once. So basically after every 5 years 66% of MP's might be inexperienced. They need time to get adjusted and learn things and by that time 5 years will be over and they will be rotated.
2. Another argument is many male MP's whose constituency gets reserved for women in next term will simple follow Lalu Yadav's example and put their wife or daughter in the fray.
I hope that this bill will not give us inexperienced and puppet women representatives.

P.S: Why the 3 Yadav's of cow-belt are so vehemently opposing this bill?? Is it due to their personality moulded because of their caste or location??

Nice Quote I Can Relate With

"What We Have Once Enjoyed, We Never Lose. All That We Have Loved, Deeply Becomes Part Of Us".

Freedom Of Expression

This is the mail i sent to the editor of 'Deccan Herald' just now regarding the tamasha around 'M.F. Hussain'.

 Sir,
This is with respect to M.F.Hussain's statement that India has rejected him.I felt that your editorial 'Net effect' related to Google & Freedom of Expression as a great coincidence or 'perfect timing' if in case its intentional. I agree with this editorial that freedom of expression cannot be infinite and being offensive, insulting and inflammatory cannot be defended in the name of freedom of expression. In the case of Mr M.F. Hussain, this is exactly what's happening. According to Mr. M.F. Hussain, Qatar will put no restrictions on his 'freedom of expression'. Borrowing the analogy from your article i would like to see Qatar defending his freedom of expression if he desecrates any of their sacred state or religious symbols. It might be possible that instead of slapping court cases, bigots there can chop his hands without even a chance to explain his stand. I am sad to find the so-called secular English TV Media defending M.F. Hussain tooth and nail without giving a hoot to the sentiments of people whose sacred symbols were insulted by him.

Regards
~Phani

P.S: On a lighter note, i hope i am not abusing my 'freedom of expression'. Even though if i do, i think the difference might be i would accept and immediately mend it. So please bring it to my notice if i am abusing my 'freedom of expression'.

First Post From Bangalore/Bengaluru

                      Its around 15 days i resigned from my previous job and left Gurgaon. It was very very emotional leaving all my friends, company and my work. I think i literally lived my last 4 years with my work and the people involved with it :). I felt ashamed as i couldn't remember getting that emotional when i left my parents and sister. May be it's because of the uncertainty - whether i would catch these friends again or not. Because it was not that easy for me to be in touch with old friends, once i moved to a new place, new set of friends and a new life. I hope i can change it now. But part of the problem is on other side also as those friends also "Move On" in their life.
                    Now coming to present, i joined my new company in Bangalore. Its definitely a pleasant change moving 'Down South'. Suddenly i started realizing and listing down all the things i have missed in my last 7 years of life. But immediately i would counter myself remembering all the things i experienced and learned living in North India. I think i have no regrets with my last 7 years of life - all those places i visited and all those people i met and most importantly just the 'experience' and the way my thoughts and my personality developed because of that. But Yes, Change is Always Good and now i welcome this 'change' in my life and look forward to it with clear and open mind....So as they say 'Enjoy Maadi'...

National Integration - Need Of The Hour

                     Its an irony that we need to talk, think about national integration when we are celebrating 60 years of our republic. Yes, its definitely needed in these times of Raj Thackeray, Telangana and more new State movements. So, What's better than the song 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara'. I still remember the way i used to sing the complete song everytime its aired on Doordarshan even though i understand only 1 sentence at that time (of my mother tongue 'telugu'). Now to commemorate our 60th republic day the new re-mixed version of this song was released by Bollywood. Yeah i would say its released by Bollywood because of the screen time and presence given to people like Karan Johar, Shahid Kapoor,  Ranbir Kapoor, Khans and Bacchans. And i defend myself calling it re-mixed because of the way they changed tunes to match Aamir Khan's 'Kya Bolti Tu' song and with typical cliches like Shirtless Salman and Deepika's legs. Thank God Twinkle was not unzipping Akshay's pants in this video and there's no Uday Chopra also. And all our sport achievers are just wrapped up in a jiffy in the end. By the way how can they forget 'Sachin', perhaps one of the very few current icons with whom most of India can relate to. And i think people like Ratan Tata, Metro Man Sreedharan, Abdul Kalam are more deserving to be present. And may be a few honest politicians like Jaya Prakash Narayana of Loksatta.
I couldnt stop but to make the below observations comparing this  new version with the older one:
1. The new version clearly shows the increase in might or clout of Mr.Amitabh Bacchan. In the old version he was just clubbed with 2 other Bollywood heroes Jitendra & Mithun in just one shot. Now its starts with him and also features his son and daughter-in-law.
2. Are the creators of the new version correct in using overdose of Bollywood as the newer generations are becoming more ignorant of other arts, dance and literature forms. Yeah, what actually these days an average family does at home in the evenings other than watching TV. I guess the creators missed one serious type of achievers in this video - they should have shown few more 'Reality TV' achievers in addition to Shilpa Shetty.
3. Another coincidence is the announcement of lot of Padma Awards to film personalities. Saif just grabbed a Padma award and i read an article by Suhel Seth criticizing this decision. He says what Saif has done to deserve this award - popularize the use of bandana, swap girl friends or just has royal blood and is so and so's Son.
4. Pepsi's 'Jaanta Hai Mere Baap Kaun Hai' Ad truly summarizes the situation in any field in India. Just check out the so-called achievers in this ad who are nobody's without their fathers.
5. So what exactly unites the current India (other than final rounds of Beauty Pageants and some sporting events)?? Do we have a national politician with whom the whole of India can relate to and look upto. Is he going to be Rahul, yeah i mean Rajiv Gandhi's Son.. Phew..!