In Between

माया की माया

2007-07-07T10:50:00.000+05:30

माया की माया के क्या कहने
करोड़ों की जायदाद और हीरों के गहने
इसीलिये सियासत में पत्नी, बेटा, बेटी और सगेह-सम्बन्दी ही सहने
लोगों कि सेवा और देश भक्ती का चोला पहने
उद्देश्य केवल एक, वोही, करोड़ों की जायदाद और हीरों के गहने

Writing Hindi in Blogger

2007-04-18T17:28:00.000+05:30

यह तो कमाल ही हो गया िक हम अब िहंदी में इतनी आसानी से लिख सकते हैं!

The line above was written in Roman and got converted to Devnagari automatically. Okay, getting the "chhoti ee ki matra" before the "h" in Hindi was a problem but "cut and paste" did the trick there.

And, We Say That Governments are not Responsive in India.

2006-04-04T14:57:00.000+05:30

Here is the proof that the Maharashtra government is seized of important issues affecting the common public.

Why is Uttar Pradesh special?

2006-02-18T12:10:00.000+05:30

Must be its special breed of ministers! You want examples? Take one then two.

The Third Front will be, indeed, special when formed.

So, is this how are comrades have stayed in power?

2005-12-18T19:24:00.000+05:30

From using a ‘strong scent’ to mark out voters to planting dummies to slow down voting in Opp bastions: EC observer Amanullah’s report on 2004 polls in Bengal could become a manual for next year’s election

The Sunday Express has the details.

BSNL is unique

2005-12-15T19:43:00.000+05:30

The other day I went to Statesman House on Barakhamba Road in Connaught Place for a business meeting. Among the companies listed with offices there was BSNL. Turns out it is their head office. In a city where it does not, and till now, cannot provide its services.

It happens only in India!

Michael Palin's Sahara

2005-12-03T18:35:00.000+05:30

Just finished reading Michael Palin's account of his travels across the Sahara in 2001. He passes through Timbuktu. That name has always fascinated me.

Now, only if I get could my hands on the DVD or book of his Himalayan trip.

Is India shining? Perhaps not

2005-11-10T18:22:00.000+05:30

Depends upon how you look at it. The view from Yale is different.

Is India shining? Perhaps.

2005-11-08T15:53:00.000+05:30

Stephen Roach of Morgan Stanley thinks so.

Unhindered access access to Delhi's footpaths and roads.

2005-10-24T15:52:00.000+05:30

The Delhi High Court could not have been clearer than this:

"No shop or kiosk is allowed on footpaths, roads and streets which block pedestrians' walk and free traffic movement,'' the Bench emphasised."

The Court has directed the MCD Commissioner to take action against the official concerned.

Perhaps, the Commissioner may now see reason and ask Asian News International to clear the pavement/footpath in front of its office in R K Puram, New Delhi.

Asian News International uses the pavement as parking.

2005-10-22T22:04:00.000+05:30

Asian News International has encroached on the pavement outside its office in R K Puram, New Delhi and uses it as parking.

Three letters to the Commissioner, MCD have drawn no response. Two letters to the Chief Minister of Delhi haven't made any difference either.

This, in a city that wants to host the 2010 Commonwealth Games!

We were saved because Deve Gowda was PM between 9am and 7pm only.

2005-10-22T13:26:00.000+05:30

...“From nine am to seven pm, he is prime minister of India, from seven pm to midnight he is chief minister of Karnataka, from midnight to two am, he is district magistrate of Hasan, then at 4.30 am he has to get up for puja, then breakfast, and then back to being prime minister of India."...

Shekhar Gupta lets us into the secret!

Thank God, he wasn't our PM for long!

2005-10-22T11:51:00.000+05:30

Can you image the mess we would have been in had he stayed on? If Dharam Singh needs to act, it is now.

What ails Indian broadband.

2005-10-18T20:19:00.000+05:30

I should have known that only The Hindu could come up with a well-balanced, well-thought and well-written piece.

...The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which envisaged a liberal policy framework for broadband, has rightly called for concerted efforts by service providers to achieve the original goal of 1.5 million connections each in the private and public sectors by December. Given the relatively slow pace of growth, it would seem the opportunity to create a competitive and subscriber-friendly regime was lost simply because the Government was disinclined to share the BSNL and MTNL telephone networks with the private sector for service provision.

Also,

... It is unlikely this situation will change dramatically if the "rationing" mindset that limits data downloads is not replaced by a more progressive outlook ; the Confederation of Indian Industry had, in its submission to policymakers, envisaged affordable access of 1.5 megabit speed and unlimited downloads for home users to boost broadband penetration. Besides lifting of data download restrictions, initiatives to provide free wireless Internet in educational institutions, public libraries, and government offices may be necessary for wider and more equitable access.

Does President Bush read The Washington Post?

2005-10-04T20:40:00.000+05:30

I don't think so and neither does Condi Rice or they would see what the paper has to say on Mush.

Profit making PSUs should not be privatised.

2005-10-03T14:36:00.000+05:30

We should wait for them to run aground. Then, we can shut them. This course of action is acceptable to our Left friends.

Some things never change!

2005-09-16T16:36:00.000+05:30

Like Mani Shanker Aiyar, for example.

So, even the Communists are human, after all.

2005-07-25T16:46:00.000+05:30

I wonder what our comrades have to say about this CAG report and the fate of BHEL therein.

How broadband consumers benefit from Local Loop Unbundling.

2005-07-05T15:55:00.000+05:30

With 24Mbps speed and no download restrictions from a LLU ISP in England. And, we do not want to promote LLU in this country.

Double standards and the Communists?

2005-07-05T12:27:00.000+05:30

Not on the face of it. But, the Rajya Sabha candidates tell a different story.

MTNL's web based customer care portal

2005-06-24T20:00:00.000+05:30

Tried out MTNL's Customer Care portal. It seems to be an effort to get people to buy into MTNL's Digital Certificate services. Nothing works. I logged in as "a non-digital certificate user" and got nowhere.

When I wanted to register an Excess Metering Complaint, I got this message:

"This facility is available for class 2/3 Digital Certificate users only. Please contact MTNL TrustLine for further information on Digital Certificates or go to the nearest Sanchar Haat."

For anything else, there is only one message:

"ISD SUBSCRIBERS MUST BOOK THEIR REQUEST THROUGH SANCHAAR HAAT."

Finally, it works only with Internet Explorer. So, all you Firefox types, it's a no go for you.

What? Now an IT Park named after RajivGandhi?!

2005-06-22T16:40:00.000+05:30

The Congress Member of Parliament from Chandigarh, Pawan Kumar Bansal wants an IT Park coming up near Chandigarh to be named after Rajiv Gandhi. Nothing surprising.

This is what I have written to Gen S F Rodrigues (Retd), PVSM, AVSM, Chandigarh Administrator:

"A recent report in national dailies stated that Congress Member of Parliament from Chandigarh, Pawan Kumar Bansal, has urged the Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator, S. F. Rodrigues, to name the upcoming IT Park at Kishangarh here after the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

May I humbly submit that we have a plethora of parks, stadia, road, buildings, bhawans, etc., named after Shri Rajiv Gandhi. No disrespect to him but this country has produced other eminent citizens who have blazed trails in their own fields.

Why not name the upcoming IT Park after Vinod Dham, an Indian who was involved in the design of the ubiquitous Intel microchips?

It's time governments realised that there are other people too who are as deserving, if not more, than political leaders."

Will anything change? Nothing.

Why spoil the Reliance party with a probe?

2005-06-21T14:34:00.000+05:30

All is well that ends well in the Reliance family. And, uncle Chidambaram is only too happy to help.

So, should this Commission's report be rubbished too?

2005-06-15T15:11:00.000+05:30

Justice Phukan's trip across India was termed as a bribe. What about the Judge probing into the Godhra affair for Lalu Yadav? He's going on a foreign tour to study ‘‘overcrowding’’ and ‘‘ticketless travel’’. Fair enough. But, in Europe?

Good for Shourie in Delhi, good for the bin at home.

2005-05-12T12:47:00.000+05:30

The CAG Report is good enough for going after Shourie but, in West Bengal it ends up in the bin.

Let's talk business, Mr Maran.

2005-05-05T14:50:00.000+05:30

Okay, I want a 2Mbps ADSL connection and I'm in the USA. So, Verizon gives it to me for US$59.95 and it is 3Mbps upstream/768Kbps downstream. How much is US$59.95...around Rs 2,600. SBC Yahoo! charges me US$36.99 or Rs 1,600 for 1.5-3Mbps upstream/384-512Kbps downstream with dynamic IP.

What do I get for that much from BSNL? If I pay Rs 3,000 then I get a 512Kbps connection with a data transfer cap of 10GB. MTNL is a bit measly, only 2.5GB download limit for a 512Kbps connection.

You needn't be a rocket scientist to figure out that even for business, we are getting gypped even when compared to the US. Going by what the Minister says.

More on Mr Maran's delusion.

2005-05-05T13:20:00.000+05:30

I wonder whether the Minister knows that Korea Telecom charges 30,000 Won (Rs 1,310) for a 4Mbps ADSL connection if there is no long-term contract. For a 3-year contract, the cost drops to 25,500 Won (Rs 1,112). There are no download caps, at least on the KT site.

What does MTNL give us for Rs 1,199? Let's see...oh great! 256Kbps and a data transfer cap of 1.25GB. What about BSNL? Okay, you get a 384Kbps connection with a 2GB data cap for Rs 1,000. Sound better than MTNL, at least!

We have a long way to go before we can even consider the possibility of catching up. Ever.

You too, Mr Maran?

2005-05-04T23:14:00.000+05:30

"China and Korea are the only countries that match our volume-based broadband offerings for corporates. We are much, much cheaper than broadband service providers in Europe and the United States," says our very own Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Information Technology and Communications.

Does he know what speeds the world has moved to while we are going ga-ga over 256Kbps? They count it in Mbps and the Minister has the gall to suggest that India is next to China and Korea on broadband costs! While the world is moving to Gbps, we are battling 300MB download caps!

So much for Indian broadband.

Govt. to speed up broadband penetration.

2005-04-26T22:05:00.000+05:30

Contrast India with HongKong. Agreed, the two are not the same, but, if Dayandhi Maran's exhortation regarding roaming charges levied by telcos could have immediate effect, why not something similar in the broadband arena?

Most expensive Internet access is here in India.

2005-04-01T10:19:00.000+05:30

Take the HutchAccess service from Hutch. Pay Rs 199 per month plus, and here comes the big one, 50 paise per 10kB of data transfer. My maths makes this Rs 51.20 per MB of data transfer!

Somebody has to be real desperate to use this service. Or, really whacko.

Read about it on the Hutch site. The charges are right at the bottom of the page.

National Shame.

2005-03-28T17:12:00.000+05:30

It is now a matter of national shame,
That a person of the constitution, so goes the claim,

Didn't get a US visa, diplomatic or touristic,
Why, even his long-standing one now doesn't clic.

National shame it is, because the dead are long gone,
The common man can starve, go thirsty, remain illiterate, be trampled upon.

But the visa would bring them hope, a shine in their eyes, improve their dreary lot,
We must protest the denial, fight this injustice with all the strength we've got.

For, India must shine, this way or that.
Fact can be made fiction and fiction turned into fact.

Hail the ADC!

2005-03-24T18:00:00.000+05:30

It seems that the ADC has taken a life of its own. The TRAI and the DOT are now beholden to it; consumer interest be damned.

Strip searching the Defence Minister is fine, but you cannot deny a visa to the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

2005-03-20T23:05:00.000+05:30

The strip search at a US airport of George Fernandes, the then Defence Minister of India drew no comments from the likes of L K Advani. But, the visa denial to Modi has the BJP chief breathing fire and brimstone.

The TRAI acts in consumer interest!

2005-03-20T23:01:00.000+05:30

Or, does it? Depends on your definition of consumer.

Govt warns broadband dupers.

2005-03-17T21:40:00.000+05:30

The government wakes up but the TRAI is still sleeping. What a strange regulator!

Life after MTNL ADSL broadband.

2005-03-16T19:43:00.000+05:30

Getting and maintaining MTNL ADSL broadband connection is a bit of a D-I-Y effort. The so-called 'Helpdesk' is hardly a helpdesk. If you don't know more than normal about computers you are going to face problems. Not that other service providers are any better! I've tried the '115 kbps' Reliance service also.

However, speeds are pretty okay with MTNL broadband. On the whole, I would give it a 50-50 at the moment.

Of the Gandhis, by the Gandhis, for the Gandhis.

2005-03-16T19:38:00.000+05:30

Don't we have anybody else in a billion plus people to name the new Hyderabad airport after?

I hope that the TRAI wakes up now.

2004-12-20T23:15:00.000+05:30

Here's an online petition for regularization of broadband services in India. I hope that someone in the TRAI has got time to look beyond consultation papers.

If you ever needed proof, this is it.

2004-12-16T11:09:00.000+05:30

From the Indian Express:

...the District Magistrate of Sitapur scribbled an urgent appeal to Executive Engineer (Distribution), Power Corporation, of the area asking him to do a ‘‘huge favour’’ and ensure that pending bills of two farmers were cleared ‘‘without taking bribes’’.

Why is the Ministry of Defence so secretive about things that don't really matter that much?

2004-11-22T13:15:00.000+05:30

In this day and age of spy satellites, the MoD is still cribbing over making electronic maps available in the public domain. Part of the same mentality that prohibits taking photographs at Indian airports while you can shoot merry at Changi or wherever.

The story in Indian Express is quite interesting:

"While even countries like China, obsessed with secrecy, have announced plans for electronic maps, similar moves in India have been paralysed while the Ministry of Science and Technology sorts out the issue with the Ministry of Defence."

Why isn't BT listening to Mr Maran?

2004-10-28T15:38:00.001+05:30

Wonder why BT is going all out to promote its LLU offerings! Especially after Mr Dayanidhi Maran, while speaking at the Telecomm India ’04 International Conference in Mumbai on October 25, 2004, said this:

"Although it [LLU] sounded attractive, we have to be more cautious in unbundling. It has stopped in the US too. Also, in India, PC penetration is low."

And, Mr Prabir Purkayastha, writing in People's Democracy, the CPI (M) publication, also seems to be living in Mr Maran's world:

"This last mile unbundling had led to a host of problems wherever it has been tried. Both in UK and in the US, this has been tried. As incumbent telephone companies are also Internet service providers, regulatory action to open their local loop leads to physical obstruction by the incumbent."

Local loop unbundling: Inaction or failure?

2004-10-26T23:40:00.000+05:30

The broadband policy announced by the Government of India rejects local loop unbundling with the minister saying that that even developed countries like the US do not permit it.

However, the International Telecommunications Users Group (INTUG), an association of national telecommunications users associations has a different take on this issue:

"INTUG welcomes actions taken by governments to achieve the effective unbundling of access to the local loop. There is now a broad consensus amongst industrialised countries that this is the correct policy to pursue.

The success of the policy relies on the conscientious and diligent efforts of the regulator and the competition authority. This is necessary to counter the efforts of incumbent operators which have been directed at frustrating the policy by first blocking, then spoiling the efforts of competitors.

There will remain an imbalance in the relative powers of the incumbent operators and those negotiating with them for access. Good dispute resolution procedures help, though they are not enough. The judicious and timely intervention of the national regulatory authority or the national competition authority are a vital counterbalance.

The supply of ADSL is growing and users are beginning to see the benefits. However, availability remains patchy and the prices are often too high to create substantial markets. The variability in prices is hard to explain. Other forms of xDSL appear to be developing, but only very slowly.

There is considerable value in comparative data, both within and between countries. This helps to inform markets and regulators about the extent to which they are succeeding in creating demand for services from the unbundling of the local loop."

Wonder who is right!

Is the Broadband Policy worth the wait?

2004-10-19T11:39:00.000+05:30

Really, is it? After all the hype and hoopla, what does the Minister deliver? A dud.

Was it worth the wait? Does it have vision? Does it break new ground? Does it make that leap? No.

Wonder what the TRAI is all about. If its recommendations are not to be considered worthy of acting upon, why ask it to deliberate and deliver a policy framework? Take local loop unbundling. A success in Japan. Done very well in France. Now being actively promoted by BT itself in the UK. But, here the Minister says that it has been a failure across the world! Perhaps his definition of the world is not the same as the rest of us.

Business Standard sums it up quite well:

"The only loser from policies designed to protect narrow sectional interests like those of BSNL is the consumer, and it is high time someone recognised this."

Om Malik opines:

"So what do I think of the new policy? First of all the current government, despite its noises about free markets, has a socialist agenda, and is trying to protect the incumbent monopolies. In other words, it did not take TRAI recommendations (which I think is a political decision more than anything else) and decided not to unbundle the last mile. I think that is precisely the kind of mess we have in US, and Indians have copied the worst possible example of telecom/broadband regulation. "

L K Advani=Sonia Gandhi?

2004-10-18T23:30:00.000+05:30

Think about it. Congress in trouble turns to the Nehru-Gandhi family. BJP in trouble turns to L K Advani.

Hey, what happened to all the Indian experts?!

2004-10-10T23:37:00.000+05:30

Why do the worthy comrades in the West Bengal government need the ADB and DFID to fund a project to seek expert advice on ways to cut its alarming deficit, broaden tax base, make PSUs more healthy?

What is wrong with India's Left?

2004-10-07T16:58:00.001+05:30

This is what Lord Meghnad Desai has to say:

"Sovereignty is a cry raised in desperation. It tells us that the Left alone cares about India. But how does it care? By yoking it with failed policies and bankrupt philosophies which guarantee slow growth and no poverty reduction? No doubt the workers in public sector industries and in ministries will be looked after with tender care as they were through the years of low growth, when their salaries rose faster than the rate of growth of the economy. India’s infrastructure will remain poor; its airports slums; roads full of potholes; and power cuts frequent, except of course for MPs. But thank heavens, India’s sovereignty, that delicate plant which only the Left cares about, will thrive. Alas, that sort of sovereignty will not help a landless labourer secure employment nor an illiterate woman learn. It is only a device to keep the Left in the seat of power and influence."

Read it all here.

Hey, our Left friends can also handle workers quite effectively.

2004-10-01T16:02:00.000+05:30

"The Left parties do not need foreign consultants —their government in West Bengal is doing a far better job at winding up companies and curbing workers’ rights."

Pappu Yadav parties; jail warden loses job.

2004-09-30T16:21:00.000+05:30

After all, when did a 'politician' last suffer the consequences of his/her action? So, nothing new in this Rediff news.

We have another 'deadline' for that broadband policy.

2004-09-30T10:36:00.000+05:30

"The much-awaited broadband policy is expected by October, union minister for communications and information technology Dayanidhi Maran indicated."

From The Financial Express.

More on the Left's own 'foreign experts'.

2004-09-29T17:43:00.000+05:30

As the Rediff article says: "Left leaders are continuing to protest against the inclusion of World Bank and ADB representatives in the Planning Commission. But they have so far kept quiet on their own economists' continuing active links with foreign consultants and donor agencies."

Broadband at Rs 500 a month is nothing new.

2004-09-29T17:40:00.000+05:30

Broadband at Rs 500 a month is nothing new.

Tata Indicom offers broadband at Rs 500 a month with an abysmally low data transfer limit of 250 MB. But, it's supposed to be 512 Kbps.

So, how will MTNL/BSNL's broadband offering at Rs 500 per month for a minimum 256 Kbps be better? For starters, I hope they keep a decent data transfer limit when they start in January 2005.

The usual small print says that taxes will be extra on these monthly costs. So, add a minimum of 10.2% as service tax.

Who are the 14 that the Left thinks will hijack the Planning Commission?

2004-09-26T17:17:00.000+05:30

Well, 13 of the 14 are Indians. Too bad that the Left thinks this country is no better than a banana republic.

The power to influence decisions, without responsibility for the end result.

2004-09-25T15:33:00.000+05:30

I like what TN Ninan writes in Business Standard.

"...When invited to join the government and become part of the coalition, the Left parties refused. Now we know why. They want the power to influence decisions, without taking responsibility for the end result (which is why the Left Front government in West Bengal does many of the things that the Left parties will not allow in New Delhi). ..."

Tax sops to aid broadband to come up in next Budget.

2004-09-25T15:17:00.000+05:30

The Economic Times gives us hope that we may be lucky after all!

"...The minister for communication and information technology, Dayanidhi Maran, had called on finance minister P Chidambaram last week to take up the issue. Sources said Mr Maran, who called on the Prime Minister soon after, might have taken up the issue with him as well. The Prime Minister heads the committee on infrastructure.

The Committee on Infrastructure has on its agenda universal availability of broadband services, greater internet spread and a reliable rural telecom network as three of the six objectives notified. Sources said that with Trai’s recommendations also taking the same line, it would be difficult for Mr Chidambaram to ignore them completely. ..."

Foreigners voting in US elections.

2004-09-25T00:21:00.000+05:30

Jonathan Freedland argues in The Hindu (via the Guardian) that US policy now affects every citizen on the planet. So we should all have a say in who gets to the White House.

"... Anyone who doubts it need only look at the last four years. The war against Iraq, the introduction of the new doctrine of pre-emption, the direct challenge to multilateral institutions — chances are, not one of these world-changing developments would have happened under a President Al Gore. It is no exaggeration to say that the actions of a few hundred voters in Florida changed the world.

So perhaps it is time to make a modest proposal. If everyone in the world will be affected by this election, should not everyone in the world have a vote?..."

It doesn't sound all that illogical anymore.

Job guarantee: Bengal says Objection, Comrades.

2004-09-24T17:47:00.000+05:30

Are Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury in the same party as West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta? Looks like things are different in the state.

"...The Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government has reason to be wary—its experience with a similar unemployment assistance scheme has been abysmal. ..."

I guess when you are in government, you are more responsible.

The Minister proposes, DOT disposes.

2004-09-24T14:33:00.000+05:30

The Minister, Mr Maran, extols the virtues of broadband and what it can do, while addressing the APT Ministerial Conference on Broadband and ICT development, 1-2 July, 2004, Bangkok, Thailand.

"...Internet and Broadband access are widely recognised as catalysts for economic and social development of the country. Not only will these contribute to economic growth but would also enable the development of a vast pool of skilled manpower, far beyond the conventional training channels. ..."

But, the DOT believes otherwise as outlined in The Financial Express.

"...According to a senior government official, most of Trai recommendations on broadband were being turned down by DoT mainly due to threat caused to the national security. ..."

"Broadband sops are heavy burden on the government exchequer."

2004-09-24T10:13:00.000+05:30

The Business Standard has a story "Broadband players unlikely to get sops":

"...“The Finance Ministry is unlikely to allow these benefits to broadband providers, as this will put a heavy burden on the government exchequer,” a senior Department of Telecommunications (DoT) official told Business Standard. ..."

So, what's this "heavy burden"? This is the figure that the story gives:

"... These fiscal sops, if implemented, will result in a Rs 200-crore revenue loss to the government."

Is this a joke?

Just 15 out of 415 experts: meet the 'foreign hand' that makes Left shiver.

2004-09-23T11:11:00.000+05:30

Learn how 3.6% members can 'overwhelm' the remaining 96.4% from an article in The Indian Express.

Perhaps Mr Yechury can answer this.

2004-09-17T10:30:00.000+05:30

Mr Yechury is dead against 'outsiders' advising the Planning Commission. Wonder how he explains this from www.cpiml.org!

"...Just as a practical consensus has evolved among almost all bourgeois parties, national and regional, over the new economic and industrial policies, with even the CPI(M)-led state governments complying with it, a similar agreement has also begun to crystalise around the new agricultural policy. And if anybody needed a shocking proof of this emerging consensus, once again it is supplied by the Left Front government of West Bengal which has commissioned the American consultancy firm McKinsey for formulating the policy blueprint for what the CPI(M) calls ‘consolidation of the Left Front’s gains in the field of agriculture’."

Bold letters only for emphasis.

Broadband policy in a week.

2004-09-13T11:02:00.000+05:30

That's what the minister says, as per The Telegraph.

"...Maran said, “I expect the broadband to be finally out within next week. A few clarifications that were needed by a few government departments and the department of telecom have been answered. ..."

Modern day dohas, with apologies to Sant Kabir.

2004-09-07T13:24:00.000+05:30

Chuppi jo sadhli aapne, ab kaise chup karaye?
Ulat gayi jo duniya sari, ab sab phire paglaye.

Uma ko kya aayo warrant, tiranga liyo laharaye.
Mandir se jo bhookh na mitai, ab jhande pai bahkaye.

Dekho kaisi gajab ki hai Uma ki tirangi maya.
Jhandewalan ki building pai, woh jhanda kabhi na laharaya!

Shikhandi tohe koi kahe, 'paltu' bulaye koi aur.
'Roll-back' to wohi kare, Atal ko gari sunayo na koi aur.

Pardhan mantri ke peeche kaun, aap se jaane kaun zyada?
Peechhe sarsanghchalak, bagal mein Advani, ban gayo Modi ka pyada.

Much hullaballoo over nothing.

2004-09-06T17:04:00.000+05:30

Karnataka government releases Uma Bharti. Why did the state government have to go through this charade in the first place?

The Rs 1,500-crore Defaulting Employer Guarantee Scheme.

2004-09-05T11:06:00.000+05:30

Wonder what Sitaram Yechury and others of his ilk have to say about this news story in The Indian Express.

"...Last month, Ola [Sis Ram Ola, Labour Minister, Government of India] showed Central Provident Fund Commissioner Ajai Singh the door for suggesting that India’s pension and PF system was in need of urgent surgery. Since then, to prove that the system is in good shape, Ola has hinted that EPFO may pay a higher interest rate to provident fund members than the 8.5 per cent that has been proposed. For this, he hopes to mop up the arrears that defaulters (like HEC) owe EPFO.

When EPFO last sat down to do its sums, it calculated that errant employers had defaulted on paying a total of at least Rs 1,511 crore towards their employees’ PF. Of this, in 2003, PSUs alone owed Rs 608 crore.

Considering that when these sums were done, HEC’s default had been calculated at just Rs 20 crore, that amount has grown.

Contrary to the minister’s stand, the EPFO does not pretend that it will be able to recover most of this money. ..."

After all, PSUs are their favourites.

UPA spells out plan for infrastructure: Net & rural telecom.

2004-09-04T23:23:00.000+05:30

The Indian Express has some information on that Indian broadband dream.

Museum of Communism!

2004-09-03T13:48:00.000+05:30

Check out the online Museum of Communism.

Korean Broadband Miracle vs. Indian Broadband Policy.

2004-08-31T23:15:00.000+05:30

Rajesh Jain in his tech blog gives us a glimpse of the Korean broadband miracle via the Wall Street Journal.

Here, in India, we still await a broadband policy that was promised to us, first by August 13, 2004, then in the Budget Session of the parliament, and now, God knows when.

Same service, different pricing. And, we want more tourists!

2004-08-30T13:37:00.000+05:30

The international and domestic airports in New Delhi now offer high speed Wi Fi Internet access courtesy Tata Teleservices. But, if you are at the domestic airport you pay half the price than what you pay at the international airport!

"...The service would be available at a cost of Rs 30 for 30 minutes at domestic airport and Rs 60 at international airport, Mr Naresh Malhan, Chief Operating Officer of Delhi circle said here. For a 60-minute surfing card, the charges are Rs 50 at domestic airport and Rs 100 at international airport..."

Wonder how Tata Teleservices and the Airports Authority of India explain the differential pricing.

Who will issue a ticket to the Delhi Police?

2004-08-28T13:00:00.000+05:30

This required a separate blog by itself! So, check No Challans for the continuing traffic violations by our thullas.

Patriotism, the last refuge.

2004-08-28T12:15:00.000+05:30

Dr Badri Raina has an excellent and must-read article in The Hindustan Times today.

"...So the question that has been asked several times in the last some years needs to be asked again: what is the relationship of the BJP and the RSS? Does the BJP subscribe to the tenets, views, principles regarding the Constitution, the national flag, Parliament, and the polity of the nation? Or does it dissociate its politics as a participant in India’s electoral, parliamentary, constitutional democracy from the perspectives that still inform the RSS and its many front organisations? How is it that while Uma Bharti today makes an issue of the national flag, she does not think of planting it first over the RSS headquarters at Nagpur on her way to Hubli. ..."

Fine print: Dr Raina is related to me.

Uma Bharti's love for the 'tiranga' is unbounded.

2004-08-26T23:30:00.000+05:30

For a lady who is shouting about her beloved 'tiranga' from the roof-top, surely she can show a bit more respect to it than this news item in The Hindu on August 26, 2004 suggests.

Nationalism redefined.

2004-08-26T11:10:00.000+05:30

Keeping quiet when the country's defence minister is strip searched is fine but "how dare you stop me from raising the national flag and getting people killed" is the BJP's version of national pride!

Some news on that elusive broadband policy at last!

2004-08-22T00:17:00.000+05:30

Well, something to share on the elusive policy. ExpressIndia has a story from the Press Trust of India.

Who is the AIIMS flyover in New Delhi named after?

2004-08-19T17:23:00.000+05:30

Take a guess guys...who else but the late Rajiv Gandhi! And, we already have the following Rajiv Gandhi place/institutes/buildings in Delhi:

Rajiv Chowk, erstwhile Connaught Place. Thanks to Mani Shankar Aiyer for this.
Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital & Research Institute in Rohini, north Delhi
Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan that houses the Ministry of Civil Aviation

Do we need one more?

Question to ponder: Wouldn't it have been better to honour a medicine man or woman while naming the AIIMS flyover? I mean, with all due respect to Rajiv Gandhi and his family, can't we look beyond these people and recognise the contribution of "lesser" citizens of the city?

Is the TRAI another toothless tiger?

2004-08-18T23:56:00.000+05:30

Seems so from a "leak" of the much-awaited broadband policy in The Economic Times.

"To be, or not to be: that is the question" Vajpayee style.

2004-08-18T22:56:00.000+05:30

Fourteen lines that I penned in response to the "Modi ko hatana chahiye tha" (I wanted Modi out) controversy featuring our very own Atal Behari Vajpayee. This post prompted by the recent comments from the Supreme Court of India on the Modi led Gujarat government:

Atal irade, nek vichar,
Manali mein chad gaya bukhar.

Modi ko hatana tha, hatake rahenge,
Gujarat ka dhabba mitake rahenge

Lekin sunta kaun hai, poochhta hai koi?
Advani, Venkaiah, Jaswant, Pramod, Arun, aur phir RSS se joojhta hai koi?

Vikas purush ki baat kisi ek ne na maani,
Saptah bhar mein baat hui purani.

So, ab chup ho jao aur phir dekho,
Agli chhuti mein koi aur paasa phenko.

Shayad chal jaye,
Baat ban jaye.

Nahin to keh do, "I have been misquoted."
Maine kaha kuchh aur tha, not as reported.

Now, pay for what we should be giving you free!

2004-08-14T12:35:00.000+05:30

"Our airports are hopelessly inadequate. We are trying to provide an array of facilities for tourists to ensure that they have a pleasant experience in India," says India's Tourism Minister, Renuka Choudhury.

So, instead of getting airport staff to work and provide services that they draw their salaries for, the foreign traveller to India will have to pay to get "service with a smile" at Indian airports.

It happens only in India, as the song goes.

How long is a week?

2004-08-14T12:20:00.000+05:30

"My Ministry is going to unveil the new broadband policy next week. It is going to be a customer-friendly broadband policy", Union Communication and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran said at the launch of MTNL's certifying authority service on August 6, 2004.

Today, August 14, 2004 is eight days from the supposed unveiling of the policy but it is nowhere in sight. Perhaps the definition of a week is different for the minister.

My first post.

2004-08-12T17:39:00.000+05:30

Well, here I am with my own blog spot.