Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Killer roads take a toll

Experts attribute road accidents to overspeeding

Some twenty-five passengers were injured when a bus collided with a truck on the NH 31 at Pathsala in Barpeta district on the night of May 16.

Nearly fifteen schoolchildren were injured when a school bus (AS 15-1616) fell into a ditch on May 22 at Burah in Darrang district.

Local dailies in Assam unfailingly reports about such road accidents. According to government statistics, during the past one decade road accident cases have doubled in the state. In 2000, some 2,429 road accident cases were reported. But the figure increased to 4,869 in 2009. Accidental deaths in 2009 were 1,991 as against 1,032 in 2000. In comparison to all India level, Assam shares 44 per cent of accidental deaths.

In Guwahati city, some 626 motor accident cases took place in 2007; 626 in 2007; 641 in 2008 and 508 in 2008. Among districts Sonitpur registered a maximum 363 accidental cases in 2009. Lower Assam’s Dhubri district and Barak valley’s Cachar district stood second and third with 346 and 306 accidental cases. Out of 4,686 accidents taking place in the state in 2008, as many as 2,683 accidents took place on national highways; 849 were on state highways and the remaining 1,151 on other roads of the state.

City Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Bibekananda Das told TSI that the traffic branch of city police is compiling last five years’ data of road accidents to study them. Only after completion of the process, decision could be taken to prevent accidents, the newly appointed SP (traffic) said. Traffic experts attribute road accidents to overspeeding and even increasing cars on the roads. “Untrained drivers, fake licence holders and absence of civic sense among people are also responsible for increasing number of accidents,” Violet Baruah, SP (CID) told TSI. The problem is further compounded when some drivers don’t obey traffic rules, she said.

According to the rule, mobile phones should not be used during driving and seat belts should be fastened, but only a few people obey them. Drunk driving is also responsible for several road accidents in the state.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Fighting floods, inviting funds

B S Yeddyurappa, the first BJP chief minister in south India, will complete two years in the office on May 30. busy organising the much hyped Global Investors’ Meet to be held in June, he claims it would throw open new avenues of development in the state. Some would agree, others not. B S NarayanaSwamy grills the CM on issues political and social exclusively for TSI

You’ve been in office for two years. Are you satisfied with the work done by your government so far?

A person should not be satisfied with the results at any point. Because once you are satisfied, you are likely to stop working hard. We have done a lot of work in the last two years, but a lot more remains to be done in the coming years.

Your government is going to spend hundreds of crores of rupees on the two-day Global Investors Meet (GIM) next month in Bangalore. How feasible is the move to invite huge investments when the state is facing a severe power crunch?

Some brainless people are spreading the rumour that we are spending Rs 1000 crore on GIM. Actually, the expenditure is not even Rs 100 crore. As for the power crisis, I would like to inform you that the government is not going to provide power to every new industry. Many industries would generate power for themselves and would perhaps give the surplus to us. There’s no need to worry.

I am sure that in terms of the overall development of the state, the GIM will become a milestone. We are expecting to attract huge investments—about four lakh crore rupees, to be precise—in a number of areas such as infrastructure, micro and small enterprises, tourism, education, power and health. We are focussing on development in both rural and industrial sectors and simultaneously to generate employment. Many global industrial giants are participating in the event.

It’s being said that the government is more interested in global investment than in rehabilitating lakhs of people displaced by last year’s massive flood?

During the last two-three decades, more than 350 villages have been repeatedly ravaged by floods. But previous governments did not care to make any arrangements for the rehabilitation of those affected. Last year’s flood was of unprecedented magnitude. Now they (the Opposition) are accusing us of not paying attention to this matter. But the fact is that my government is keen to rehabilitate flood-affected people, and we have already done a lot for them. We have distributed the compensation money and have allotted dwelling units to the affected. We are planning to allot around 10,000 more houses this month. It was delayed due to the model code of conduct for the gram panchayat elections. We have acquired around 5000 acres of land to build more dwelling units for the affected. The process for laying power lines and providing drinking water is on. Why, even union home minister Mr. P. Chidambaram appreciated our efforts and speedy work towards rehabilitation.

According to a recent study jointly conducted by FICCI and KAF (Konrad Adenauer Foundation), 42 per cent of the investors are not happy with conditions in the state. They say starting a business here is difficult…

As compared to the neighbouring states, Karnataka has far better conditions and infrastructure for investment. Perhaps the only difficulty is the power supply. But we have already taken steps to generate sufficient power. I hope Karnataka would be self-sufficient in the power sector very soon.


The Opposition says that the power crisis is not as much about production as it is about distribution? Is it true?

They make these accusations to hide their own mistakes committed during their rule. The power leakage during distribution has come down by 25 per cent in our regime.

Your government has repeatedly been accused of trying to protect some tainted ministers. The Opposition has been demanding their dismissal but you have not yielded so far?

It’s not the Opposition’s job to advise as to who should be in the cabinet and who should be thrown out. It’s the people, and not the Opposition, who decide who is tainted and who’s not. And the people have given their mandate to us. There is no tainted minister in my cabinet. The Opposition keeps levelling such accusation just for the sake of it.

What do you think of the Governor’s show-cause notice to your tourism minister G. Janardhana Reddy, seeking explanation on his alleged involvement in some illegal activities?

I don’t want to comment on this.

Experts have opined that the recently inaugurated Mysore airport has failed to meet international standards…

I have already made it clear that we will extend full support to the agencies concerned for putting in place the safety mechanisms in Mysore airport and the other proposed airports in Shimoga and Gulbarga. We have instructed that passenger safety should be given priority in the construction of these two airports.

Why has your promise of granting more power to the Lokayukta not materialised yet?

The issue will be discussed in the coming Legislative Assembly session. We will take a decision soon.

What’s your opinion on the UPA government’s proposed amendments to the RTI Act?

The central government should not take any decision in this regard in a hurry. It should allow for a national debate on the issue and then consider all shades of opinion before taking a final decision on the amendment to the RTI Act.

Which department in the state has been the best performer in your view?

I would not like to mention any particular department. All the departments are development-oriented though some departments need to initiate more reforms. I am glad to mention that in the rural development area, we are the number one state in the country. Also, Mysore is rated as the second best city in Indian in terms of sanitation and overall cleanliness.

Your government has seen many controversies during the two years of your rule. How do you feel regarding these imbroglios?

We have passed through many agni pareekshas (trials by fire) successfully in the last two years of my regime. We are confident that we will complete the remaining three years just as successfully.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Iconic sari gets recognition

It is all the rage in Kerala and other places, including Delhi

Balaramapuram village is at the centre of attraction after Kerala’s iconic “Balaramapuram Sari’’ has received Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection through Geographical Indications Act (GI Act).

The village is extremely popular in the state for producing such a wonderful sari. Thousands of weavers make the traditional Kerala Kasavu Sari for women and Kasavu Mundu for men in off-white with golden borders in this six square kilometres textile land — near Thiruvananthapuram. They are designed to be worn specially on propitious occasions. According to industry sources, about 27,000 handlooms operate in the village to produce these saris. The weavers — shaliyar community — use traditional throw-shuttle pit looms, fly shuttle looms and make cotton fabrics with pure zeri (kasav) or coloured yarn.

Hundreds of families, including women, are fully involved in weaving these saris. More than 200 cooperative societies are active in this area. They are fully involved in the production and distribution of the products. The Balaramapuram textiles are sold throughout Kerala through Hantex, and the exclusive shops of zeri textiles like Kasavu Kada and Karal Kada. “We never depend on mechanised systems like dobby, jacquard and jala. The imagination of the weavers and the excellence in silver covering and the gold plating of the silk make Balaramapuram matchless. We have no professional designers and fashion consultants. Our clothes are pure eco-friendly and survive for long,’’ says B.AnilKumar, a weaver at Balaramapuram.

Balarampuram sari is famous for its varieties. One can select saris from the price range of Rs 500 to 40,000. The weavers say that the North Indians, especially Delhiites, are fond of these costly saris. The gold, silver content of the zari is the significant factor which adds the brand value of the Balaramapuram clothes. “The present protection under the IPR confirms its uniqueness,’’ says Anilkumar, a trader.

But most of the weavers are apprehensive about the special protection. Besides, they fear that the traditional art may die as youngsters are not joining the profession. Of late their biggest worry has been the arrival of mechanically produced Kasavu sari that is available in the market for only Rs 100. Since then, the Balaramapuram sari has been facing a stiff competition.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Mamata gives Left Front a lifeline

Trinamool chief severs all ties with the Congress in West Bengal as seat sharing talks for election to 81 civic bodies fail, Chandrasekhar Bhattacharjee writes

The ensuing municipal elections in West Bengal may provide a much-needed breather to the ruling Left Front dispensation, courtesy the fresh feud between the Trinamool Congress and the Indian National Congress in the state. TMC Supremo Mamata Banerjee announced severing of all ties with the Congress in the state, adding that the party will go it alone for control of all the 81 civic bodies. In fact, during the seat-sharing parleys, both parties were sticking to their guns by not sparing seats for the other in their respective areas of dominance. This has come as a silver lining for the Left Front (read CPM) and rendered people advocating ‘change’ shattered.

The elections to the 81 civic bodies, slated on May 30, have seen the State Election Commission facing severe criticism for announcing the date of polls nearly a month before the date of notification without enforcing the Model Code of Conduct. This allowed the Left Front to dole out election lollies in the shape of new programmes. Ministers continued with inauguration or stone-laying ceremonies, distribution of flats, announcing sops for hawkers, etc. None objected, not even the Trinamool Congress. The last date for submitting nomination was fixed on May 3 but the commission suo moto extended it by a day on the pretext of Bharat Bandh on April 27 and May Day, which is unprecedented. Despite the fact that the commission in West Bengal obeys what the bosses at CPM headquarters on Alimuddin Street dictate, the CPM state secretary, Biman Bose, criticised the commission. Observers think this act of the Left Front chairman is nothing but a mere eye-wash. The Left Front government pulled the commission’s sanctity to zero when the commission announced that only the police would be used to guard polling booths. It got the wildest response from the home department. The department, which is headed by the chief minister himself, declared that home guards (mostly party cardres) will also be posted to maintain law and order in polling booths. The commission, obviously, has not reacted to this ever since.

Having received a serious jolt in the Lok Sabha elections last year, the CPM appeared to be in serious crisis this time as the Mayor of Kolkata Corporation and the chairman of Salt Lake Municipality were both dropped. Both came out in the open and said they could not do much due to resistance from party bosses. The Salt Lake Municipality chairman refused to contest from another ward leaving his own for someone else. The chairpersons of Arambagh and Rishra (both CPM-held) both got re-nominations only after declaring revolt against the party. Inter-party feud between Left Front partners have been reported from all over the state.

People were hopeful of change but their aspirations got shattered after TMC unilaterally announced a list of 115 candidates out of 141 councillor seats for Kolkata. Mamata was not ready to allow the Congress to contest more than 25 seats while the Congress had bagged 21 seats in last municipal poll and stood second in more than 30 seats. On the other hand, TMC, which won 47 seats in last election, now wants to contest 116 seats. Mamata says, “As the Congress is not sharing seats with us in Murshidabad, Malda and Jalpaiguri, we have no responsibility to share more seats in Kolkata.” She even refused to call the Congress a ‘friend’ and accused the century-old party of hobnobbing with BJP to help the CPM. While announcing the revised and final list of 141 candidates for Kolkata Municipal Corporation, she thundered, “Even the combined support of the Congress and the BJP will not help CPM in defeating TMC.”

The fact is that, Congress leaders like Keshav Rao and Ahmed Patel tried their level best to keep the alliance intact and requested Mamata to share just 41 seats. Later they dropped their demand to only 35 seats. Their effort went in vain. Being ignored by the partner, Congress activists twice vandalised the Pradesh Congress office and broke its window panes. As all parleys failed and the deadline for nomination drew close, the PCC announced a list of 88 candidates for Kolkata Municipal Corporation with a call to renegotiate the whole thing afresh. But, Mamata’s final decision to sever all ties, not only in Kolkata but the whole state, forced the Congress leaders to declare candidates for 100 seats. Interestingly, while she snapped all ties with the Congress in the state, she declared that she and her colleagues will remain in the UPA.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

‘Do not put all eggs in Russian basket’

Air Vice Marshal (retd) Kapil Kak, Additional Director, Centre for Air Power Studies talks to TSI

How do you see the future of IAF?

We need to retrospect what kind of air force we want. Unless we work on the concept, we won’t grow. India is one of the few countries whose political future is bright. Asia has changed a lot. It is a lot more powerful, thanks to the emergence of India and China.

What is your analysis of the Indian Air Force of today?

If we look at hardware, IAF has huge weakness in terms of numbers of combat platforms and numbers are important. I agree that we have platforms like Su 30 MKI which is a powerful machine. But so do our likely adversaries who are growing and not compromising on technology and numbers. So why should India compromise? The fact that the number of combat squadrons has dropped down from the sanctioned 39.5 to below 30 should worry every Indian. But we have great strength of leadership at multiple levels in terms of our men and officers. The Indian Air Force is not the best paymaster but thanks to its rigorous training and motivation, it has done excellently well. It will get back to 39 but it will take some years. With changing times, air power and maritime power have become crucial for national security. IAF has always favoured an Indian-built aircraft rather than imported ones. IAF is extremely sensitive to genuine indigenous technology. IAF has paid a huge price for delayed replacement of MiG 21. The LCA Tejas was supposed to be inducted by 1995 and today after 15 years we are finally doing it. The Indian Air Force should be linked to the process of energising the aerospace and defence industry. We can have a good mix of Tejas and Fifth generation fighter aircraft. In terms of reach, we have to ensure our interests are safeguarded and our Diaspora is protected.

Do you think the procurement process is timely?

The Parliament Consultative Committees and Parliament Standing Committees have been taking long and our procurements are getting delayed. A national decision is made that we will get the LCA and it takes fifteen years. A decision is made to get multi-role aircraft and it takes years because our decision making process is unprofessionally structured. The Kargil Group of Ministers had recommended that we should have multiple teams of decision making with finance, commercial, technological, defence teams arriving at parallel decisions to save crucial time. One a need is confirmed, why can’t there be one window where all the concerned decision makers are present together? There is no integration which is the biggest problem. We need a fast track process. The decision-making system is archaic. Nowhere in the world, it takes so long.

What is your evaluation about the six contenders for MMRCA contract?

The Air HQ prepares a thorough projection of the capability an aircraft is required to have. It is important to understand that all platforms will meet the requirements. It is a complex question and has an equally complex answer. Once the capability evaluation is done, they are put through stringent tests. There are teams sitting in Air HQ going bonkers since last one and half years and the evaluation is going to be foolproof in technical operational terms. The key point is going to be smooth transfer of the technical knowhow. This is going to clinch the deal.

What is your assessment?

I will like to talk as a strategic thinker and would settle for the company which would like to settle as a technology partner. But I would like to put on record that India should not put all its eggs in one basket. And also, it is not right for India to be dependent on one nation for 60 to 70 per cent of its defence requirements. You know which country I am talking about, it’s Russia. No matter how robust our relations are, it’s not strategically advisable. Technologically, the American aircraft is a true AESA technology platforms, others are derived from it. This programme is very important. We should not see it a contract of 10 billion dollars or in the terms of double engine or single engine power. It’s going to shape future technology. At the end of the day, what do we get? What’s the political gain? If I get your aircraft, what do I gain? May be we will get a better position in Afghanistan, who knows? I don’t know. After all, the policies of many countries have changed with such prospects. So we have to leverage this buying power to our positive gain in other areas.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009


An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)