Vicharmanthan...

Would like to comment something on the National Common Minimum Programme- the NCMP - a declaration of policies that the UPA govt would follow over its five- year rule.

One of the most- touted declarations of the NCMP is that the Navratna PSUs- Public Sector Undertakings- would never be disinvested into, but rather their profitability will be increased. Some of these Navratnas are oil sector giants like ONGC, IOC, BPCL, HPCL, IBP.... With the current hyperinflation in the international crude oil market, it is apparent that domestic fuel prices have to rise, which has not happened.... so IBP is already turning sick, IOC, BPCL, HPCL will be turning sick within a year. Just to remind everybody that these companies were in Fortune magazine's list of 500 best- managed companies in the world - till last year. So what's going wrong here?

The answer: when international crude oil prices have risen to astronomical proportions, the Left - which boasts of some of the most learned politicians in the country- has not let domestic prices increase, and Mr. Chidambaram - and the UPA govt ('esteemed' PM!)- have been impotently bowing down to the demands of their allies. In the process, they have ended up spoiling the jewels in their own crown.

Remember, crude oil needs to be bought in the international market, then processed, refined.... which will then give us the petrol we need to run our cars, the LPG we need cook food. This implies that domestic fuel prices will have to be hiked by a higher proportion, or at least by an equal amount, to keep these PSUs running. But instead the govt cuts duties on fuel, thereby hurting producers like ONGC.

Remember also that our shameless Finance minister does not flinch when imposing cesses on fuel prices and other commodities to finance the populist schemes of the govt - thereby siphoning off the money that should legitimately go to oil producers and suppliers.

Sometime back I received a mail stating that if all Indians would refuse to buy fuel for even one day, these oil companies would choke up on their inventories. They would choke up alright... and choke up so bad that they won't ever be able to rise again....

We would then have only ourselves to blame if the business of oil in India went into the hands of MNCs like Shell, and ChevronTexaco. Also think of the unemployment this would generate..... is somebody reminded of the Bombay mill movement of the 70s?

To all and sundry, I would like to appeal to not fall for such shams. Price rise is only a natural process..... only then can the thirst for oil be contained and/or non-conventional sources of fuels be discovered.

Coming to non-conventional sources, a Coal India Limited ex-director had said sometime back that crude oil can be extracted from coal, and this is known since the 70s. But at that time, this process was considerably costlier, and the returns lower. According to this ex-director, that process will now be affordable, and if implemented now, India can become one of the largest producers of crude oil in the world! But if we keep on pushing oil companies into losses, they will never invest in R&D, and consequently, we will be losing an opportunity to make the most out of this situation......

Just returned from a quaint little village close to Alibaug. What I love about this village is firstly that it gives me a sense of calm, that I seem to lose, from time to time, in the hustle-bustle of city life. This continues to lure me back to this village very regularly.

What really enhances this feeling of calm is the absence of newspapers anywhere in the vicinity of the village. With the current fad of sensationalisation among newspapers, I think this is a boon. Yes, they have TV, so they do get the news, but they are so engrossed in their daily routine that they have no time to discuss the rise and fall of the sensex, or the rising death toll of terrorism worldwide, or any other such useless issue. So also are they not ruffled by the ongoing ruckus about reservations.

When I returned, I found, much to my dismay, that our 'esteemed' PM had bowed down to the demands of these pro-reservationist allies of his, and reneged on his promise to implement the reserevations in a phased manner. Then comes the news that to appease the general category medical students, the general category seats wil be increased.

How do these two things compare? A village where people are yet to hear about graduation, let alone reservations for graduation and PG, and a govt that, supposedly keeping the people's aspirations in mind, wants to bring up the backward castes (not the backward masses!)

I would like to suggest a solution. The govt may have forgotten that it runs something called the Indian Technical Institute- ITI. The ITI, long neglected, I feel, performs a much more important job than the IITs and the IIM, and other institutes of higher learning - it trains people in the basics of most of the mechanical appliances used in homes, appliances like refrigerators, mixers and grinders, ACs, water supply systems, electric wiring, and so on. Most of those who are trained at the ITIs donot have the financial wherewithal to go abroad. But what the ITIs offer them is financial independence, much like a Self Help Group. It charges nowhere near what the IITs and the IIMs charge, yet it performs the MOST important job of bringing up the backward masses silently, and more importantly so, successfully.

But the ITIs are not provided regular financial support by the govt, which is why their teaching is getting outdated. The faculty in these institutes train their wards in modern systems on their own. They arrange for modern appliances from their contacts in the industry. This costs some money, which goes from their pockets. I would like our 'esteemed' PM and his colleagues to provide stable support to the ITIs so that they can keep up with the times. Remember, when our ACs malfunction, when our water pipes clog, or when we need the mixer/ grinder to be fixed, it is these ITI- trained technicians who'll help us out - not an IIT engineer. By establishing more such institutions, the govt can keep its NCMP commitment of bringing up the backward masses, and yet not antagonise any section of the population. From my viewpoint, it could be a win-win situation for the govt.

Any suggestions, critiques, comments on this solution are welcome.

Friends are packing up and leaving for jobs elsewhere. Then there are some who'll just be entering this big bad world of ours..... For quite some time now i've wanted things to stay as they were.... all night studies, partying with friends whenever i want....

But now all of us have graduated, and there'll be no more scramming for lectures in the early morning, or hanging out at the cafeteria or the library, or long walks around the campus... I just came face to face with this reality when i was advising one of my juniors, a very close friend of mine, on life after graduation. When I met Gaurav, Imran, Kishan, Padma, Schazeb (to name a few!) yesterday, the feeling had just started sinking in. I mean, I can no longer just come to IGIDR to meet all of you guyz! All of you, at IGIDR, and at Ruia and MU, have given me some of the most memorable moments in my life.........

.....

For the man who dared to think different in a world where there seemed to be no troubles, and everybody was happy.

For Prof. John Kenneth Galbraith.

May his soul rest in peace...