India‘s Financial Landscape Poised for a Major Upward Surge

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcements on September 20 are expected to give a major boost to the  spirits of corporate India and to reinvigorate the manufacturing sector hat has been going through a difficult phase of late. The new package  announced is part of a slew of measures that would act as a powerful force for the speedier movement of the  country's economic engine.

The reduction of the corporate tax to 22 per cent from 30 per cent and 15 per cent corporate tax for new manufacturing companies registering before October 1 has boosted India’s corporate sentiments, which were hit by sagging economic growth.

Reducing the corporate tax rate to 22 per cent is a big bang reform. It allows Indian companies to compete with lower tax domains like the US and other Asian countries. Lowering the tax rate for new units virtually means rolling out a red carpet that would ensure higher foreign investment over the medium term.

Banking, FMCG, consumer durables and auto companies are the major sectors that are expected to immediately benefit from the cut in tax are. Apart from boosting demand, India stands poised to suddenly become attractive for the manufacturing sector with a lower corporate tax rate for new manufacturing companies in India. This is all the more relevant in times when the world is in the phase of trade wars.

With the kind of corporate tax rate cuts announced, India has become a competitive market in the region, with rates similar to those prevailing in the ASEAN countries.

Additional measures have been announced to stabilise the flow of funds to the capital markets by not applying the enhanced rate of surcharge on capital gains arising from sale of equity shares and units of equity funds. This major positive step is expected to make India an even more attractive destination for funds flow to draw greater attention from foreign institutional investors.

Another worthwhile announcement is the decision to allow CSR funds to be used for supporting incubators set up by central and state governments and supporting universities, autonomous institutions, besides research bodies that are publicly funded. This clearly indicates that the government wishes to promote public-private partnership in scientific research and development and make India move up the innovation ladder.

The Finance Minister’s new package is a strong signal for the government’s commitment to economic growth and will support legitimate tax abiding companies.

ഫല പ്രാപ്തി

ഇന്ത്യൻ പൗരന്മാർക്ക് ഭരണഘടന അനുവദിക്കുന്ന അവകാശങ്ങൾ സംരക്ഷിപ്പെടുന്നുണ്ടെന്നുറപ്പു വരുത്തുക എന്ന ലക്ഷ്യത്തോടെ 1993 ൽ  ദൽഹി ആസ്ഥാനമായി ദേശീയ മനുഷ്യാവകാശ കമ്മീഷൻ എന്ന സംഘടനയും പിന്നാലെ സംസ്ഥാന തലസ്ഥാനങ്ങളിൽ സംസ്ഥാന മനുഷ്യാവകാശ കമ്മീഷനും രൂപീകൃതമായി. മനുഷ്യാവകാശ ലംഘനവുമായി ഇവയുടെ മുൻപിൽ എത്തുന്ന പരാതികൾക്ക് പുറമേ സ്വമേധയാ അത്തരം സന്ദർഭങ്ങളിൽ ഇടപെട്ട് പരിഹാരം കണ്ടുപിടിക്കാനും ഈ സംഘടനയ്ക്കുത്തരവാദിത്വമുണ്ട്. 1993 ലെ മനുഷ്യാവകാശസംരക്ഷണ നിയമത്തിൽ ഇതേക്കുറിച്ച് വ്യക്തമായി പ്രതിപാദിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഭരണഘടന അനുശാസിക്കുന്ന പ്രകാരം വ്യക്തിയുടെ ജീവൻ, സുരക്ഷതത്വം,  സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം, സമത്വം, അന്തസ്സ്  എന്നിവയുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട അവകാശങ്ങളെയാണ് മനുഷ്യാവകാശങ്ങൾ എന്ന് ഈ നിയമത്തിൽ നിർവചിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത്. ഈ സംഘടനക്ക് വളരെ വിപുലമായ ഭരണനിർവഹണ സംവിധാനങ്ങളാണുള്ളത്.

ദേശീയ ശ്രദ്ധ നേടിയ കൊച്ചി മരടിലെ നാനൂറോളം ഫ്ളാറ്റുകളുടെ കാര്യത്തിൽ പ്രസക്തമായ ചില കാര്യങ്ങളുണ്ട്. നിയമങ്ങൾ അക്ഷരം പ്രതി പാലിക്കപ്പെടേണ്ടതാണെന്നുള്ള  കാര്യത്തിൽ ആർക്കും സംശയമുണ്ടാകാൻ വഴിയില്ല.  നിയമത്തോടുള്ള ബഹുമാനമാണ് ജനാധിപത്യത്തിന്റെ ആണിക്കല്ല്. അതുപോലെ തന്നെ പ്രാധാന്യമേറിയ രണ്ടു വിഷയങ്ങളാണ്  നിയമ ലംഘനങ്ങൾ ആരുനടത്തിയാലും അത് ചെയ്തവർക്കും, അതിനു കൂട്ടുനിന്നവർക്കും, അതുവഴി ഗുണഭോക്താക്കളായവർക്കും ശിക്ഷ ലഭിക്കേണ്ടതാണെന്നും അതിനിരയാകുന്നവർക്കുണ്ടാകുന്ന എല്ലാവിധ കഷ്ട നഷ്ടങ്ങളും നികത്തപ്പെടേണ്ടതാണെന്നുമുള്ള കാര്യങ്ങൾ. ഈ പറഞ്ഞ മൂന്നു കാര്യങ്ങളും നിയമലംഘനത്തിന്റെ അവിഭാജ്യഘടകങ്ങളാണെന്ന് നിയമനടത്തിപ്പുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട കാര്യങ്ങൾ നിരീക്ഷിക്കുന്ന ആർക്കും മനസ്സിലാകും.  എന്നിരിക്കെ, മരട് ഫ്‌ളാറ്റുകളുടെ കാര്യത്തിൽ ഇവയിലേതൊക്കെ ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടവരുടെ ശ്രദ്ധാവിഷയങ്ങളായി എന്നത് വളരെയധികം പ്രസക്തമായ ഒരു കാര്യം തന്നെയാണ്.

ദേശീയമനുഷ്യാവകാശ  കമ്മീഷൻ   തങ്ങളുടെ ഇടപെടൽ വഴി ഇമ്മാതിരി സന്ദർഭങ്ങളിൽ ഒരു ചാലകശക്തിയായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കണമെന്നുള്ളതാണ് 1993 ലെ മനുഷ്യാവകാശസംരക്ഷണ നിയമം ഉദ്ദേശിക്കുന്നത്. പക്ഷെ....

Crime and Punishment

This refers to ET reports (Jun 11) on Katwa verdict. It is common knowledge that one of the objectives of sentencing a person guilty of a crime under law is to ensure that the punishment is sufficient to deter the guilty person and others from committing the same crime. Punishments imposed on individual offenders are meant not only for preventing that particular offender from committing further crimes but also for giving a clear and strong message to others that certain offences will be punished. This deterrent effect of court sentences is expected to reduce the probability and / or level of offending in society.

Thus the punishment has two different applications - the certainty of punishment and the severity of punishment. The public knowledge that a particular crime will certainly be punished and as to how severe the punishment is for a particular crime may influence the behaviour of the society. Punishments are designed to change behaviour in the future rather than simply provide retribution or punishment for current or past behaviour.

The above are more or less universally accepted principles. However, some of the recent court verdicts, including the one on Katwa incident involving the barbaric abduction and murder of an eight year old girl child, leave an apprehension whether the punishment is severe enough to have the expected deterrent impact on the society. It is a fact that the crime rate of any country is inversely proportional to the rigour of its punishment system.

The Triumph of Nationalism

The just concluded parliamentary elections have eloquently demonstrated a graceful transformation of the Indian voter to an intellectually higher level. Their ability to objectively look at issues and discern between reality and falsehood has significantly increased. They have realized the imperative necessity of showing better maturity and responsibility.

One aspect which deserves special mention is the fact that the print and electronic could not exert any worthwhile influence on the mandate of the voters. At the same time, the social media have played a not insignificant role in putting issues in the right perspective before the voters.The electors have given a message to the print and electronic media that their style of publishing which does not display a sense of responsibility is highly improper for them.

The voters’ realization that what India needs at this juncture is a strong leadership and a government with clear vision and stability is indeed a very good indication. The sight of nationalism gaining prominence over politics is a refreshing one. The voters have emphatically declared that they are not interested in partisan politics. Because, what India which is fast emerging as the most powerful nation in the world wants is a development ideology based on nationalism and not petty politics. India has come a long way, it can now only march forwards, it can’t retrace its steps.

The Mandate and the Message

The Indian electorate through their clear mandate in the parliamentary elections 2019 eloquently declares the following.

1. We have come of age and are now a politically matured and enlightened lot.
2. We know how to discern between truth and falsehood.
3. We require a stable government at the centre.
4. We want an astute, matured, visionary leader as the head of the government.
5. We want a government with a clear direction and development ideology.
6. We want a government which would uphold the nation’s dignity among the global community.

7. We want a government which would run its full term.

8. We do not want a government with internal squabbles.
9. We are aware that our mandate is meant for protecting the nation’s destiny for half a decade.
10. We do not attach much significance to other factors.

പിന്നോട്ടുപോകാനാവില്ലല്ലോ

ഇന്ത്യയിലെ വോട്ടർമാർ ബൗദ്ധികമായും ചിന്താപരമായും ഉയർന്ന തലങ്ങളിലേക്ക് നീങ്ങുന്ന കാഴ്ചയാണ് ഇക്കഴിഞ്ഞ പാർലമെന്റ് തെരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പിൽ കാണാനായത്. കാര്യങ്ങൾ വസ്തുനിഷ്ഠമായി കാണാനും തിരിച്ചറിയാനുമുള്ള അവരുടെ കഴിവ് മെച്ചപ്പെട്ടുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നു. കൂടുതൽ പാകതയും ഉത്തരവാദിത്വബോധവും കാണിക്കേണ്ട ആവശ്യം അവർ മനസ്സിലാക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നു.

എടുത്തുപറയേണ്ട ഒരു കാര്യം പത്ര ദൃശ്യ മാധ്യമങ്ങൾക്കു വോട്ടർമാരുടെ അഭിപ്രായരൂപീകരണത്തിൽ കാര്യമായ പങ്കുവഹിക്കാനായില്ല എന്നതാണ്. അതേ സമയം സാമൂഹ്യ മാദ്ധ്യമങ്ങൾ കാര്യങ്ങളുടെ നിജസ്ഥിതി വോട്ടർമാരിൽ എത്തിക്കുന്നതിൽ ഒരു ചെറിയ പങ്കെങ്കിലും വഹിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഉത്തരവാദിത്വബോധമില്ലാത്ത പ്രസിദ്ധീകരണ, പ്രക്ഷേപണ ശൈലി പത്ര ദൃശ്യ മാധ്യമങ്ങൾക്കു ഭൂഷണമല്ല എന്ന സന്ദേശം സമ്മതിദായകർ നൽകിയിരിക്കുന്നു.

രാജ്യത്തിന് ഒരു ഉറച്ച നേതൃത്വവും വ്യക്തമായ കാഴ്ചപ്പാടും സുസ്ഥിരതയും ഉള്ള ഭരണവുമാണ് ഈ ഘട്ടത്തിൽ അത്യാവശ്യം എന്ന വോട്ടർമാരുടെ തിരിച്ചറിവ് ഒരു നല്ല സൂചനയായി കാണാം. ര്രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തെ അപ്രധാനമാക്കിക്കൊണ്ട് ദേശീയത മുന്നോട്ടുവരുന്നത് നല്ല കാഴ്ചയാണ്. തങ്ങൾക്ക് രാഷ്ട്രീയത്തിലല്ല താൽപ്പര്യമെന്ന് വോട്ടർമാർ അടിവരയിട്ടു പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നു. കാരണം ദേശീയതയിലൂന്നിയുള്ള വികസന കാഴ്ചപ്പാടാണ് ലോകരാഷ്ട്രങ്ങളുടെ നെറുകയിലെത്തിക്കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന ഇന്ത്യക്കാവശ്യം. ഇന്ത്യക്കിനി പിന്നോട്ടുപോകാനാവില്ലല്ലോ.

Equanimity

One of the criteria of quaity leadership is the restraint with which a leader speaks and conducts in the public. This is all the more relevant in politics and public administration. The most important aspect is that this restraint is expected to be maintained even under extreme provocation by adversaries or a highly sressful situation. Unfortunately this quaity of equanimity seems to be bidding farewell to most of our leaders. The new millennium is witnessing leaders with this great quality on the path of becoming extinct.

A graceful and convincing leader is undoubtedly the one who has the above quality. Till recently we had a few such leaders. Today's band of political leaders sadly forget this important requirement. They are forgetting the fact that equanimity or the lack of it has the same impact on his followers as well.

The Guardians of Democracy

In democracy, every political party is right in their own perception. Each party claims to have their own ideologies distinct from others. Logically, the necessity for having diverse parties rests with the difference in ideologies.

In Indian democracy, we have repeatedly seen instances of diverse parties with mutually conflicting and antagonistic ideologies joining to form a conglomerate and the damages done by them whenever they managed to form a government, apart from the ill effects of their inability to complete the full term of five years. Stability of any government resulting in its completion of full term or delivery of a government pre-supposes a strong unity inside it. That unity would become a reality only in the absence of conflicting ideologies within the government.

Voters are the guardians of a democracy. The vote they cast for a candidate during a poll is intended to be an invaluable mandate. Every vote is actually intended to serve as a building block for establishing a stable governance in the country. But is that happening in reality? Casting vote with the full knowledge that it would become instrumental in bringing instability in governance is a great misdeed on the part of a voter. A great majority of our voters have not been given awareness on this vital fact. We have earlier seen the nation paying a heavy price for this serious deficiency of the electorate.

രക്ഷപ്പെടണമെങ്കിൽ

കേരളത്തിൽ അതിഭീമമായ രീതിയിൽ വർധിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന കുറ്റകൃത്യങ്ങളുടെയും നിഷ്ടൂരപ്രവൃത്തികളുടെയും പിന്നിൽ മദ്യത്തിൻറെ ഉപയോഗത്തിന് ഒരു പ്രമുഖപങ്കുണ്ടെന്ന് സംശയലേശമന്യേ അനുമാനിയ്ക്കാനുതകുന്ന നിരവധി ഗവേഷണറിപ്പോർട്ടുകളുണ്ട്.മദ്യവും മയക്കുമരുന്നും കുറ്റകൃത്യങ്ങളും തമ്മിലുള്ള അഭേദ്യമായ ബന്ധം ശാസ്ത്രം അടിവരയിട്ടു പറയുന്ന കാര്യമാണ്. വളരെക്കാലമായുള്ള മദ്യപാനം അമിതമദ്യപാനം പോലെ തന്നെ ഒരു വ്യക്തിയുടെ തൽക്ഷണമുണ്ടാകുന്ന ആക്രമണോത്സുകത പതിന്മടങ്ങു വർധിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. മയക്കുമരുന്നിന്റെ കാര്യവും ഭിന്നമല്ല. കേരളത്തിലെ പ്രത്യേക ചില ഭക്ഷണസ്വഭാവങ്ങളും കുറ്റവാസന കൂട്ടുന്നവയാണ്.

കേരളത്തിൽ നിയന്ത്രണമില്ലാത്തതോതിലുള്ള മദ്യപാനമാണ് നടക്കുന്നതെന്ന് കേരള സ്റ്റേറ്റ്  ബീവറേജസ് ഡെവലപ്മെന്റ് കോർപറേഷന്റെ കണക്കുകൾ വ്യക്തമാക്കുന്നു. (കഴിഞ്ഞ സാമ്പത്തികവർഷം മുൻവർഷത്തേക്കാൾ 671 കോടി രൂപയുടെ വർദ്ധനവോടെ 11024  കോടി രൂപയുടെ മദ്യമാണ് കേരളം കുടിച്ചുതീർത്തത്)

മയക്കുമരുന്നിന്റെ കാര്യത്തിൽ അധികാരികളുടെ ഭാഗത്തുനിന്ന് ചില നടപടികൾ കാണുന്നുണ്ട്. കേരളത്തിലെ വർധിച്ചുവരുന്ന കുറ്റകൃത്യങ്ങൾക്ക് തടയിടണമെങ്കിൽ, ആരെല്ലാം എന്തെല്ലാം വാദമുഖങ്ങളുന്നയിച്ചാലും,  സംസ്ഥാനത്ത്  സംമ്പൂർണ്ണ മദ്യനിരോധനം കൊണ്ടുവന്നേ മതിയാവൂ. വരുമാനത്തിന്റെ ഗണ്യമായ ഒരു ഭാഗം മദ്യവില്പനയിലൂടെ കണ്ടെത്തി ശീലിച്ച കേരളത്തിൽ ഇത് അല്പം ദുഷ്‌കരമായ കാര്യമാണെന്നറിയാതെയല്ല ഇങ്ങനെ പറയുന്നത്. മദ്യത്തിനെ താങ്ങിനിൽക്കുന്ന സമ്പത് വ്യവസ്ഥ കേരളത്തിന്റെ സാമൂഹ്യ വ്യവസ്ഥിതിയെ താറുമാറാക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നു എന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കാൻ വലിയ ബുദ്ധിയുടെ ആവശ്യമില്ല. 

പുതിയ വ്യവസായങ്ങൾ, കൃഷിയ്ക്ക് കൂടുതൽ ഊന്നൽ, വിനോദസഞ്ചാരമേഖലയെ കൂടുതൽ പരിപോഷിപ്പിയ്ക്കൽ, കൂടുതൽ വിദേശമൂലധനത്തെ ആകർഷിയ്ക്കാനുള്ള നടപടികൾ, ഉത്പാദനക്ഷമതയെ ബാധിയ്ക്കുന്ന വിധ്വംസക പ്രവർത്തികൾ ഒഴിവാക്കൽ, കേരളീയരുടെ തൊഴിൽസംസ്കാരത്തിൽ അടിയന്തിരമായി ആവശ്യമുള്ള മാറ്റങ്ങൾ  തുടങ്ങിയുള്ള കാര്യങ്ങളിൽ കൂടുതൽ ശ്രദ്ധ പതിപ്പിച്ച് എത്രയും പെട്ടെന്ന്  മദ്യം എന്ന കൊടും വിപത്തിനെയും മയക്കുമരുന്നിനെയും കേരളത്തിൽനിന്ന് കെട്ടുകെട്ടിയ്ക്കാനുള്ള ദൃഢനിശ്ചയവും ഇച്ഛാശക്തിയും  പ്രാപ്തിയുമാണ് അധികാരികളിൽ നിന്ന് കേരളം ഉറ്റുനോക്കുന്നത്.

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A Question of Credibility

The Indian National Congress Party has promised to give Rs. 72,000 annually to 5 crore poor families if the party is voted to power as the final "assault on poverty", in their Election Manifesto released before the ensuing Parliamentary elections (NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana scheme). The party’s concern for the poor and for wiping off poverty, which they could not do in spite of having been in power for several decades, is understandable and appreciable. At the same time, the announcement raises some concerns and issues of credibility as well.

The above electoral promise, if implemented, would entail an additional annual budgetary expenditure of Rs.3.60 lakhs crores. This is to be seen in comparison to India’s targeted fiscal deficit (excess of total expenditure of the government over the total revenue) of Rs.6.24 lakhs crores for the financial year 2018-19. The additional burden is more than 50% of the current fiscal deficit. This shows the extent to which the country which has been resorting to deficit financing will be additionally burdened, if NYAY is implemented. As is common knowledge, the fiscal deficit is being funded by various means including external borrowings, minting new currency etc. Inevitably introduction of additional taxes will also be a fallout of the complex process of higher deficit financing. Higher deficit financing would also always lead to higher inflation in any country.

The manifesto would have made more sense and got more credibility if the funding programme for such a colossal amount for implementing NYAY was also made public. The country would have appreciated if the manifesto had announced clear plans to fund the above amount through unearthing black money, which is several thousands times higher than Rs.3.60 lakhs crores. And strangely, there is no mention about any concrete plans to tackle black money (if there are any such plans at all) in the manifesto. Also, creation of more employment opportunities should have been dealt with in connection with NYAY.

It is sheer common sense for an ordinary citizen to expect the funding of such a mammoth poverty eradication programme through unearthing of unaccounted money in circulation instead of putting additional strain on an already bruised economy. India has enough wealth. Unfortunately a giant share of it is in the hands of a few in the form of unaccounted money, benami assets etc. It is this paradigm that every right thinking and honest Indian wants to be set right with priority. The NYAY scheme, if implemented, would also act as an incentive for not opting to work and not earning income on one's own.

മനുഷ്യത്വം വെന്റിലേറ്ററിൽ

‘ഇന്നലെ തൊടുപുഴയിൽ ഏഴുവയസ്സുള്ള ഒരു കുട്ടിയെ ഒരു മനുഷ്യാധമൻ കാലിൽ പിടിച്ചു വലിച്ച് നിലത്തടിച്ചു തലയോട്ടി തകർത്ത സംഭവം മനുഷ്യമനഃസാക്ഷിയെ ഞെട്ടിപ്പിയ്ക്കുന്നതാണ്. ആശുപത്രിയിൽ കഴിയുന്ന കുട്ടിയുടെ നില അതീവ ഗുരുതരമാണെന്നാണ് റിപോർട്ടുകൾ. അതിന് ഒരു ദിവസം മുമ്പാണ് എറണാകുളത്തിനടുത്ത് രണ്ടു പിഞ്ചുകുഞ്ഞുങ്ങളെ ഫീസടക്കാൻ വൈകിയതിന്റെ പേരിൽ സ്കൂൾ അധികൃതർ പൊരിവെയിലിൽ നിറുത്തിയവശരാക്കിയത്. ഇത്തരം സംഭവങ്ങളിൽ സംസ്ഥാന ബാലാവകാശ കമ്മീഷൻ (Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights) സ്വമേധയാ കേസെടുക്കാറുണ്ട്. എന്തായാലും രണ്ടു സംഭവങ്ങളും ഇ-മെയിൽ വഴി കമ്മീഷൻറെ ശ്രദ്ധയിൽ പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട്.

പ്രതിരോധിയ്ക്കാനോ എതിർക്കാനോ അറിയാത്ത, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ കഴിവില്ലാത്ത നിഷ്കളങ്കരായ പിഞ്ചുകുട്ടികളുടെ നേർക്ക് അടുത്തകാലത്തായി ഇത്തരം ഒട്ടനവധി നിഷ്ടൂരസംഭവങ്ങൾ ദൈവത്തിന്റെ സ്വന്തം നാട്ടിൽ നടന്നു കാണുന്നു. ഇതെല്ലാം വെറും സാധാരണകാര്യങ്ങളാണെന്ന മട്ടിൽ കേരളീയ സമൂഹം നിർവികാരതയോടെ നോക്കിക്കാണുന്നു. ഇനിയെന്തെല്ലാം ക്രൂരതകൾ കാണാനിരിയ്ക്കുന്നു? ഈ കാര്യത്തിൽ ബാലാവകാശ കമ്മീഷൻ ഒട്ടും അമാന്തമില്ലാതെ തങ്ങൾക്കു കഴിയുന്ന എല്ലാ കാര്യങ്ങളും ചെയ്യേണ്ടത് അത്യന്താപേക്ഷിതമാണ്. കുട്ടികളോടുള്ള ഈ കൊടും ക്രൂരതകൾക്ക് പരമാവധി ശിക്ഷ ഉറപ്പിയ്ക്കാൻ അവർ ആത്മാർത്ഥമായി ശ്രമിയ്ക്കേണ്ടതാണ്. 'ചെകുത്താന്റെ സ്വന്തം നാട്' എന്ന വിശേഷണം കേരളം നേടിയെടുക്കണോ എന്ന് സമൂഹവും ചിന്തിയ്ക്കണം.

The True Guardians of Democracy Should Awake

Political parties select candidates for contesting elections basing on their own criteria and assessment. However, it would be in the best interests of parliamentary democracy if voters have their own clear criteria for choosing their candidate in the polling booth. It is felt that a voter can be deemed to have exercised his franchise prudently if he / she chooses the candidate who conforms to at least the following criteria, irrespective of any political orientation.

1. A non-controversial person, who has not been involved in any criminal or other undesirable act.

2. A person who is perceived to be honest and not corrupt.

3. A person having a good proven character.

4. A person whose demeanor and words in the public have restraint and do not cross the limits of decency.

5. A person who is not oriented towards a luxurious or flamboyant life.

6. A person who does not prefer to live in an ivory tower, and instead would love to become one with the voters.

It is very unfortunate that majority of the voters often does not seriously consider the responsibility cast upon them in a democratic system in rejecting undesirable individuals contesting elections, neither have any awareness building efforts been taken by any quarters in this regard. It can be emphatically stated without an iota of doubt that the voters are the true guardians of democracy and they should awake.

Should Tax Payers' Money Be Wasted for That?

Should Tax Payers' Money Be Wasted for That?

In our poll history, we have seen many instances of a sitting member of a State Assembly contesting for a Parliament seat. If the candidate wins the election, it results in an unwarranted Assembly election. Similarly, there have been umpteen instances of a candidate contesting for two Assembly or Parliament seats in an election and if he wins both seats, his resignation from one of the seats leading to another unwarranted election. Then there are also cases of sitting Members of the Rajya Sabha contesting for Lok Sabha seats. In these cases, the country's precious resources and tax payers' money are used for conducting totally avoidable bye elections without an iota of justification,  for a totally unavoidable personal cause, for the benefit of a  few selfish politicians. 

It is high time that a sitting MLA contesting for a Parliament seat, one candidate contesting for more than one Assembly or Parliament constituency  and a sitting Rajya Sabha MP contesting for Lok Sabha were prohibited through constitutional amendments.

A Great Salute to the Guardians

When most of us are sleeping in the comforts of our home or sitting in the comforts of our office, thousands of people are working in the border areas, exposing themselves to the highest perils and uncertainties of life and vagaries of nature. They are silently toiling for their mother land, in blood freezing chill unmindful of their struggles so that others can sleep in peace with all comforts.

Life in the armed forces is not like any other. When you are protecting your country's borders 16,000 feet above sea level at a temperature of -50 degrees at the Siachen Glacier, it can't be just another job. Neither is battling an average temperature of 50 degrees in the blistering heat of Rajasthan.

Unfortunately, these sections of people are mostly immersed in oblivion and their life comes to the limelight only when some tragic happenings befall upon them or when a military tension breaks out in the border.  The most unfortunate part of the whole thing is some of the false perceptions about military life among the general public.

We have been seeing many soldiers in the prime of their life becoming poor victims of the hurricane of animosity emanating from the country’s enemies. We have seen our enemies’ bullets hitting our dear soldiers shattering the life of lots of hapless families with small children. One might argue that the nation takes proper care of the families of those slain soldiers. But can that be any match to the tragedy which happened to those soldiers and the untold miseries undergone by them?

Can there be a more noble, dignified and righteous death than the death which embraced our dear soldiers while safeguarding the nation, least mindful of their pains and sufferings?   A Great Salute to you all!

This post is humbly dedicated to all the soldiers of the Indian army, about whom the entire 136 crores strong populace of the country should be proud of.

Restraint With Limits

The history of modern (independent) India shows that India would not do anything to initiate an external aggression, though India would retaliate if provoked beyond an extent. In all situations of tension with neighbouring countries, India’s first preference has always been to resort to diplomatic solution, keeping military intervention as the last choice. This is what India is trying to do at this juncture when Islamabad sponsored violence has erupted in Kashmir.

Indian Constitution empowers the President to declare a National emergency on the basis of external aggression or armed rebellion in the whole of India or a part of India. Such an emergency was declared in India in 1962 during Chinese aggression, in 1971 during Pakistan war, and in 1975 declared by Indira Gandhi. The President can declare such an emergency on the basis of a written request by the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister, subject to a few other legislative compliances.

During an emergency, the term of the Lok Sabha can be successively extended by intervals of up to one year, but not beyond six months after the state of emergency has been revoked.

A national emergency modifies the federal system of government to a unitary one by granting Parliament the power to make laws on the subjects of the State List.Also, all state money bills are referred to the Parliament for its approval.

Here, the point is that with all the powers granted by the Constitution and though India is a major military power in the world, India is not very keen to demonstrate it to the world through launching an aggression against a neighbouring country. But such a restraint which is compelled by preference of peace to war is not without limits, as we have seen earlier. This is what the whole world now looks forward to. India also weighs the fact that military tension in Asia would have a direct impact on the whole of the world and wants to obviate it to the best possible extent.

The Fear of Retaliation

Independent India has seen a few of its governments at the centre making an attempt to deal with the inter-related issues of corruption, black money, concealment of income, tax evasion etc. The sincerity and earnestness of such attempts have of course been of varying degrees. However, we have seen on each occasion that such attempts alienate a major section of the electorate from the government.

During the last few years, the corrupt, the black money holding, the income concealing and the tax evading segments of our society, which include those in politics as well as those from other walks of life, have been seeing an uneasy calm prevailing and have been in a very disturbed state thanks to a few increased efforts initiated to curb the above mentioned evils. A new breed of high power individuals also joined this section in recent times, i.e. some business magnates who swindled away colossal amounts of money from India’s banking system and took to fleeing the country.

The displeasure of these ‘powerful’ segments of the society is a decisive factor in India’s political and social arena. These segments have the power to decide as to who would rule the country and who should shape their destiny when a change of government is due.This explains the reason why the present and a few of the previous governments diluted their anti black money efforts mid way, making it difficult for the country to see any worthwhile results from the tardily implemented measures.

India’s social, political and economical upbringing since independence has been least conducive for adoption of any harsh measures to tackle the above evils as the evil makers are colossally powerful and the retaliation of any such measures would be far reaching for the implementing government.

The Moral and More

It is a hard core fact that almost all the political parties in India have originated from dissent or conflict with some other parties either as a new formation or as a splinter faction. And mostly, the vested interests of a handful of persons would have triggered their genesis.

In India’s parliamentary democracy, we have witnessed a few instances earlier, where a host of such parties joined together and formed an ‘alliance of convenience’ or an arrangement of 'understanding’ on the eve of an election with the sole objective of defeating another alliance / party / leader. We also saw that whenever such a ‘conglomeration of disparate elements’ won the elections, after forming a government, growth took a reverse turn, nation’s interests and development took a back seat and the temporarily forgotten earlier dissents and conflicts and vested interests again rose to the fore and became more prominent and uncontrollable, eventually leading to the premature death of the government and an early, unwarranted and avoidable election at the cost of the voters’ hard earned money. In short, an unstable and short lived government, reversal of growth and an early election are the only final take-aways of a wrong choice made by the voters at the time of casting their vote.

The moral of the earlier failed experiments is very clear. That is, politics should not be the consideration while casting the vote and instead, getting a stable government having the minimum chances of developing internal conflicts and maximum chances of running its full term and no chance of reversal of growth should be the aim of the voter and casting of the vote has to be done accordingly. This is the paramount responsibility of a voter.

It will be in the interests of the nation if the moral of the earlier failed experiments is always borne in mind by every voter.

Enforcement of Financial Legislations

We have an array of legislations aimed at regulating / facilitating / ensuring prompt payment of income tax and various other taxes, prevention of concealment of income or wealth, enforcement of financial discipline by individuals and institutions, avoidance of denial of social and financial justice to any section of the society etc. The Income Tax Act, The Wealth Tax Act, The Foreign Exchange Management Act, Prevention of Money Laundering Act etc. are just a few among them. These Acts have also been undergoing periodic amendments aimed at making them more effective. The intentions behind all such Acts are noble. However, unfortunately, certain sections of the society have a feeling that they are above the purview of all these laws and they are adept in blatantly flouting them resorting to several ruthless methods. They include corporates, industrialists, film stars, politically powerful individuals, some bureaucrats, some professionals and even some segments of the so called ‘common man’.

This obnoxious infringement of financial laws by some sections is one of the major reasons behind the economic imbalances in our society and the ever growing gulf between the rich and the poor, in spite of the several well meaning initiatives the post liberalisation India has seen. These sections with the help of professionals and connivance of the law makers as well as the law enforcing agencies have created a strong impression that the laws are meant not for them and defeat the noble intentions behind the financial legislations.

Very frequently we see the issue of notices to film celebrities, corporate houses, corrupt bureaucrats etc. for various offences like concealment of income, tax evasion, keeping unaccounted money, money laundering etc. by agencies like the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate etc. on obtention of incriminating evidences against them. A lot of noise is generated in the media in every such instance. (Some are happening without any ‘publicity’ also.) However, after that precious little is heard about how such cases are dealt with and decided. This is because the cases are somehow hushed up through the ugly influence of political power or money power. This is a sordid state of affairs. No earnest attempts seem to have been taken by any of the Governments so far to address the above serious issue.

The law enforcing agencies will earn credibility only when they start dealing with all financial offenders on an equal footing without any fear or favour or obligation, notwithstanding their political lineage or clout or financial power or celebrity status. To say the least, their approach and actions should never become a disincentive to the honest sections of the society, who do not enjoy any special protection under our laws.

Technology – Boon or Bane?

Technology is the most amazing and all-encompassing creation of man.  But rather than man, the master, controlling technology, we now see technology controlling the man. Technology has become omnipresent and omnipotent. Life without dependence on technology has become an unimaginable or rather impossible proposition.

Technology has transformed the world into a wonder land. The world has seen a sea change in the last two decades. Technology today is all pervasive - entwined in almost every part of our surrounding. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly learn. No need to write letters. No need to remember phone numbers or addresses or birthdays or even spellings. No need to go out for paying bills or taxes or for posting letters or transacting your bank account. No need to stand in the queue to book a rail ticket. Every entertainment, be it music or dance or cinema or cricket match, is at your finger tips. No need to go to shops.  The world has become well connected and well updated. Communication has become as easy as anything else. Distance has become an abstract concept.  Self learning has become an easy task. The world stands squeezed to the size of a mobile phone screen. Internet has become the key to a universal library. Life has become much easier. Conveniences, comforts, luxuries have become routine things. You can see and talk to your dear ones staying abroad at the click of a mouse. Social media have become one’s second family. Mobile apps have taken the role of servants or messenger boys. Sitting at your office, you can do surveillance of your home and vice versa. Technology has ensured a paradigm change in the manner in which education is delivered.  All sectors and fields without exception are seeing a technological revolution.There is absolutely no doubt that technology is a wonderful tool if we use it appropriately. On the other side, over dependence on technology has transformed the man from a social animal to a rather caged animal. Social interactions and even personal interactions within the family have dwindled considerably. Friendship has taken the colour of become ‘e-friendship’. Man has become a slave to his mobile phone or tablet. There is very less time for the family. Family relationships are losing their warmth and sheen. Man is becoming more and more selfish. More importantly, cyber crimes are on the increase. Technology which is a creation of man has gained dominance over him and started controlling him.

The side of pros weighs heavier than that of cons. But, has not technology made humanity a lazier lot and escapers from the real world?

The Inner Voice

India is going to witness another parliamentary election within a few months. The Indian voter has been voting for alliances rather than a single party for the past few decades. In such a scenario, it is felt that at the time of casting the vote if every voter forgets his / her political orientation and asks  himself / herself the following questions and exercises his / her franchise in deference to his / her conscience, the nation will get the best possible government.

1. Whether the alliance I am voting for has a fair chance of running its full term if they form the government?

2. Whether the alliance has any inherent deficiencies which signal a short life for its government?

3. Whether I am voting for a full term government or a short lived government?

4. Whether there will be possibility of the country witnessing ugly scenes of leaders bargaining for key positions in the government after the elections?

5. Whether the alliance is likely to develop conflict of ideas after government formation?

6. Whether the alliance will have a fair degree of consensus in matters of governance?

7. Whether the alliance has the competence to form a government which can uphold and protect the prestige of India among the international community?

8. Whether the alliance has a reasonably matured and proven leadership?

9. Whether the alliance can be expected to form a corruption free government?

The conscience of the voter will guide him / her to make a prudent choice, if he / she listens to that inner voice and obeys it.

Forget all politics. Put the natIon above everything else.