Citizens' Charter Of Demands

Only a little more than an year ago there was a surge of hope among Indian electorate that led to reversal of the trend for cobbling together an alliance to gain access to power in the face of a fractured mandate.  Now that the euphoria has worn off, second thoughts are emerging.  There is a faint feeling of desperation at not having any more choices left to try them out.

The electorate has learnt that like branded medicines, the entire political class contains essentially the same molecules and just different labels.  The political parties resort to all kind of con men including babas and mullahs to prescribe their particular brand to the public.

Thus it is gradually becoming obvious to the public that changing their current prescription from one brand to another cannot remedy the situation.  New molecules need to be discovered / invented.  This calls for overhauling the system.

I feel that the following changes in the current system have become imperative.  And as they say, this list is minimal and indicative and not exhaustive.

1. Reduce the cost of electioneering by making use of modern cheap communication technologies compulsory and putting a ban on all rallies.  Set up free dedicated TV and Radio channels to be compulsorily carried by all DTH service providers.  These channels should divide their time between formats and parties equitably.  The formats could be moderated debate among representative parties on specific issues of public interest and speeches by party representatives.  It should also provide means for live interactions with the audiences.
2. The current trend in elections is to put forward the best face for the party.  This is like enticing customers on the basis of the packaging of your medicine (the contents of which remain no different from the others.)  Elections need to be fought on the basis of issues and not faces.  Further, issues must be framed in actionable and measurable terms and not platitudes.  Towards this end, the Election Commission must evolve a format for manifestos that ought to be adhered by all parties and should also publish score card of the incumbent government on all the issues on which performance targets were given by the party.  Voters ought to remember that "if you can't measure it you can't manage it."
3. The current expensive process of voting must be replaced by one where all voters are able to vote through their mobile phone from their home or workplace.  Current reality shows do this and there is no reason why it cannot be done for general elections.  Technology available today can provide more security than that provided by the current manual processes.
4. Except for elections to the Local Self Government where elected representatives are directly responsible for vital services touching day-to-day lives of citizens, there must not be any candidates fighting elections.  Election should be contested by parties on the basis of manifestos and parties should then depute representatives to legislative bodies on the basis of their vote share in the state / country.  Please click here for more details on this proposal.  This will do away with the 'first past the post' system and its glaring shortcomings.
5. If the above proposal is implemented the parties will have a total control in choice of representatives and will not be hampered by their 'capability to win.'  With 'capability to win' out of the electoral process, strong steps can be initiated to stop criminals and unqualified persons from infiltrating the system.  EC may constitute an 'Legislature Service Selection Board' for certification of suitable candidates.  Certification should be done on the basis of their character, integrity and knowledge of politics and economics.  Parties may depute candidates to legislatures only from this pool.
6. Clauses like 'Office of Profit' that restrain government servants and public sector employees from contesting elections (deputation to legislature in our suggested scheme,) should be removed.  Such persons may join the legislature and then return to their job after expiry of the term.
7. None of the a-to-z protection should be given to any elected representatives.  Exceptions may be made for Prime Minister and President only.  If elected representatives indulge in rabble rousing they should be ready to face the consequences.  They must not have any protection that is not available to the public at large.
8. Implement Lokpal for all from santri-to-mantri.  Remove all protections granted to the executive.
9. Implement police reforms.
10. Do away with the bureaucracy as designed by the British.  Redesign the government machinery for efficiency and service rather that lording it over the subjects.  Obviously, the redesign must not be done by the current government servants.  Engage a group of management consultancy firms to suggest the new organizational systems.

All these call for substantial modification of several acts including the Constitution.  Politicians who, naturally, will oppose all of the suggested measures have all the excuses for not doing it.  Excuses may range from lack of 2/3 majority to their sworn-in allegiance to the Constitution as it exists today!

How Do We Tame The Overlords?

Many of the issues agitating large groups in India can be traced to the absurdly plum pay and perquisites offered to government employees (GE) and the ridiculous levels of protection granted to them against non-performance and malpractices.  To make the picture complete you must also firmly keep in mind that GE do not view themselves as public servants but as overlords to whom the public must pay obeisances and who collect personal fees for every service that they are supposed to render as part of their duty.  IAS are an outstanding and dramatic sample of this rotten GE class.

This group (GEs) provoke two kinds of reaction amongst the non-GE public.  One is that of intense anger and the other an intense desire to become one of them.  The massive support that Anna received for his Jan Lokpal movement is a manifestation of the first reaction.  The current competitive backwardness (CB) for landing a government job is a manifestation of the second reaction: the current agitation in Gujarat brings out the gravity of the situation.

Another example of the second reaction is current agitation by army men.  Our defense veterans are very upset about the delay in One Rank One Pension (OROP.)  Another group to which I belong, namely, bankers, also wanted this.  They call it pension updation.  However I understand that this group has lowered its already weak voice after its treacherous leaders signed an agreement which lowered the pensions while granting a meager increase in salaries.

What is hurting these groups is that OROP has been granted to the mammoth non-performing and parasitic bureaucracy long back. (And if bureaucracy has it, I presume that politicians must be having it too.)  It hurts the pride of a soldier to think that a group of rotten pen-pushers and obstacle creators has it while it is denied to those who lay down their lives as part of their duty to the country!

Here are some suggestions that may partly remedy the situation:

1. A salary that is 20 times the current poverty line should be the ceiling for salaries paid to government servants at any level.
2. Salaries of PSUs should be decided on the basis of their capacity to pay and have no relation to those of government servants.
3. Government servants must compulsorily avail of government run services in every sector where it is available, the foremost being education and health.
4. If the budgetary deficit is not zero or below the agreed limit, no increases in staff expenses on any count should be admissible.
5. Top positions in each ministry must be filled only through lateral recruitment of those who have qualification and expertise in the area.  Such lateral recruits may be offered market based salaries to draw in the right talent.
6. Citizen's charter and Lokpal must be set up immediately and have offices down to district level.
7. The need to obtain government permissions for prosecuting government servants must be done away with.
8. Punishment for corruption as also inefficiency must be exemplary.

Additions and reactions to these suggestions are welcome.
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हार्दिक शुभकामनाओं सहित:

सर्वोत्तम सरकारी नौकरी, हम को हो गया ज्ञान,
बन पिछड़ा हड़पो इसे, इसमें ही कल्याण.

The New(!) Insurance Scheme Offered By Members of IBA

I thank all the dear friends who took pains and made sure to spread the message about the captioned scheme using the social media.  I have not heard in the matter from my erstwhile employer bank.  They have buried it deep inside their website in such a way that no one who doesn't have the complete URL can ever discover it.  This certainly cannot be taken as notice enough.  I am away from India and so don't know if any communication has been delivered the expensive old fashioned way.  What I can confirm is that there is no communication on my e-mail id registered with the bank.  One could argue that I remain part of the big family and since when has there been a need for formal communications in a family!  After all, didn't the message reach me?

This elderly grouse apart, I recall that there used to be a similar scheme in my bank earlier with an insurance company at the back end.  The scheme turned out to be loss making for the insurance company which then disassociated itself.  The reason was simple.  This was not seen as an insurance at all but an additional allowance with the limit being decided by your own ingenuity.  I have already started seeing postings on social media assuring retirees that it will not be difficult to recover the premium!  You will recall that retirees will have to pay their own premium while that for working staff will be borne by the banks.  With the pathetic pension that is doled out to bank pensioners it wouldn't have been excessively indulgent to agree to extend payment of premium to pensioners too.

While I am sure that suitable mechanism will be put in place to prevent the abuse of medical insurance as an undefined allowance, it cannot be gainsaid that pathetic levels of pay and pensions in public sector banks do make it tempting to do so.

I have also seen a representation asking that the cover made available to retirees should extend to their parents and dependents too!  I wonder if any insurance company will ever agree to provide health insurance to parents of a 60 year old person!  And if a person still has dependents after retirement, it only shows poor family planning for which an employer can hardly be held accountable.  (Though, there can be children with severe disabilities and cover may be demanded for them.)  It would have been more sensible to ask for payment of premium by the banks for retirees too.

Then again, the scheme doesn't have any upper age limit for coverage.  This means that it will cover employees and spouses till their demise.  As things stand, these days it has become almost a ritual to put a dying person in ICU on life support systems for a week or two.  This is probably medical profession's way of imposing an inheritance tax to finance its expensive operations.  But if an insurer were to foot the bill for such ritual life support, it will amount to certain outgo on majority of insureds of an amount that may equal or surpass the premium paid by them over a decade or two.  This doesn't make actuarial sense.  And whatever doesn't make sense financially is suspect in a banker's eyes.

So I am evaluating whether it is okay to remain with Baroda Health which covers me up to 80 years and then be content with the over-the-lifetime and not annual cover of two lakhs available from the bank.

Your inputs are welcome.

An argument for politics of revenge.

Like many other erstwhile hopefuls I am watching with despair how governance is being drowned in cacophony and adamant indiscipline. And to think that this is happening in the sanctum sanctorum of maximum governance (and, hopefully, minimum government!)  Though, it may be conceded, it is not happening for the first time.  And this very fact is used as justification enough for it.

When Modiji was campaigning, he talked about the havoc wrought upon the country and its finances by the previous governments, mostly Congress governments.  Many in the audience were exhilarated at the likely prospect of perpetrators of massive scams involving astronomical sums being finally brought to book.  Rumors started circulating that Tihar jail was being readied with suitable amenities for inmates who were going to make it to the place in hordes.

Nothing of the sort has happened.  The government is content to point out that no scams are happening now; never mind Lalitgate and Vyapam.  For argument sake let us accept that it it not happening now.  But isn't the present government obliged to correct the wrongs committed by its predecessors?  Should it not go all out for recovering the money looted in the scams and punishing the guilty?  Why is this not being done?  Why are the perpetrators not being ruthlessly hounded?

That we don't do politics of revenge is a lame excuse.  Politics of revenge is where you settle your personal scores.  But when you deny restitution to a grievously hurt country for offences that you yourself believe to be true, it is not constructive politics but collaborative misrule.

We have seen neighbors or even strangers slugging it out in the streets for they have little faith in the system's ability to resolve their disputes.  But when you see lawmakers and elected "owners" of the system settling (or appearing to settle) scores in the same manner what does it tell you about the state of governance?

PS - By the way, whatever happened to the much publicized inquiry into Mr Vadra's land deals?

Birth - no laughing matter?

Recently an astrologer friend clarified which is the exact moment of birth for horoscope purposes.  It is not the moment at which the baby exits from the womb.  It is the moment when he emits his first cry: for life begins with first breath (and ends with the last!)  Many a times the cry is induced by holding the baby upside down by its legs and slapping it!*

Some psychologists hypothesize that the inherent negativity in human beings springs from this negative first encounter with the world.

One night as my grandson was chitchatting with me before going to sleep, he asked, "How does a baby breathe inside its mom's tummy?"  I told him that it doesn't and then added as I remembered my astrologer friend that soon after birth it has to be slapped to make it cry so that it starts breathing.  My grandson was aghast and inquired whether the babies are slapped real hard?  I tried to calm him by stating that it is only a light slap.  But he persisted, "Well, they can just as well tickle the baby.  It will make the baby laugh and hence breathe!!!"

Though I find it difficult to believe that this has not occurred to any obstetrician to tickle a baby, I will be happy if someone could confirm that this doesn't or wont work.  Could it be that each one remembers his / her first slap and insists on inflicting the same on a newborn?

I did some research on the net to find if a baby has ever entered this world laughing.  Here is one link that I found. 


*  कबिरा वा दिन याद कर पग ऊपर तल शीश, मिरतलोक में आय के बिसर गया जगदीश.