Modi Sarkar Report Card - October 2015

Draft aviation policy: 2% fare levy, Rs 2500 cap on 1-hour flights proposed 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has proposed an upfront subsidy to airlines by levying a two per cent fee on all domestic and international commercial flights in order to bring down the cost of air travel on non-metro routes.

The proposed move, which could result in an increase in flight costs on trunk domestic air routes such as those connecting major metros as well as international routes, is aimed at bringing down the cost of air travel on non-metro routes to about Rs 2,500 per flying hour under a freshly conceived Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) that was unveiled in the revised draft civil aviation policy here Friday.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/draft-aviation-policy-2-fare-levy-rs-2500-cap-on-1-hr-flights-proposed/#sthash.Dlc6KB9V.dpuf

Chhota Rajan arrested in Indonesia

Fugitive underworld don Chhota Rajan, one of India’s most wanted criminals and a leading figure in the Mumbai underworld, was arrested at Bali in Indonesia on Sunday. Rajan gained widespread sympathy and public attention after he broke away from Dawood Ibrahim gang, condemning it for carrying out the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.

The Indonesian authorities are believed to have initiated steps for Rajan’s deportation to India. Confirming the don’s arrest, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the media that the Central Bureau of Investigation and other security agencies are in touch with their Indonesian counterparts to expedite Rajan’s deportation. Mr. Singh said the Indian government had been trying to arrest Rajan for a long time and had made a request to Interpol in this regard. "We had issued a notice (through the Interpol)," he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chhota-rajan-arrested-in-indonesia/article7806541.ece

GST will result in cost cut

PM Modi offers Africa $10-bn loan, says projects to be monitored 

In the ten hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning offered Africa a concessional credit of $10 billion over five years and a grant assistance of $600 million, at least six African leaders walked up to the summit podium to call for a “monitoring mechanism” of projects being implemented on the ground.

Speaking at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), which was attended by 41 Heads of State and Government and officials from 54 African countries, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Swaziland King Mswati III, African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Ghana President John Dramani Mahama, Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba and Zambia Vice President Inonge Wina pressed for a monitoring mechanism.


- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/india-offers-africa-10-bn-soft-loan-seeks-stronger-ties/#sthash.ESr5JeaK.dpuf

Top Lashkar commander killed in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: A most wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, who carried a Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head, was killed in an overnight firefight with security forces at Khandaypora in Jammu & Kashmir's Kulgam district on Thursday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Top-Lashkar-commander-killed-in-Kashmir/articleshow/49589178.cms

NRIs can invest in pension scheme

To widen the ambit of investors in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and also to provide social security, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thrusday said that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) can contribute to the popular NPS.

“With a view to enabling NRIs’ access to old age income security, it has now been decided, in consultation with the Government of India, to enable National Pension Scheme (NPS) as an investment option for NRIs,” the RBI said in a statement posted on its webiste.

http://gulfnews.com/business/sectors/investment/nris-can-invest-in-pension-scheme-1.1609822

Dadri, A Lawless State and Lots of Blame for Modi Sarkar

You must have seen the manner in which opposition parties, media and some award winning writers have accused Modi govt of all the wrong things happening in different states. For example, Modi govt was accused of Dadri incident which happened due to lawlessness in UP. Ink attack on some organizers of events involving Pakistanis happened due to obvious reasons. And so on. Now why do you think that the community of writers who are supposed to be intellectuals can be so foolish? If they returned awards when writers like Taslima Nasrin were threatened, or VS Naipaul was insulted, or Salman Rushdie’s book was banned – for these attacks could be seen as attack on writers’ freedom of expression – then I could understand their tirade. But a villager was killed in a state like UP and writers went nuts – is too difficult to comprehend. 

Some people say that it is because these writers were supporters of Congress. But I have a different opinion. Remember that this trend of accusing central govt for wrongs of state government is a wider phenomenon. E.g. when Delhi’s state govt raises VAT on some items due to which prices rise, people end up blaming Modi govt again.

I think what we are witnessing is people’s failure to differentiate between central govt. and state govt. And the reason why we fail is because of our history and our habit. For decades, we got used to seeing Congress party both in center and in the states. Delhi, where most Media houses are located and Maharashtra, where most financial houses are located, have very strong history of a ‘Congress legacy’. You may have states with strong non-Congress history, but such history is too recent and these states are comparatively not so important, to prevent this trend. Therefore, when something wrong happened in Delhi, whether we blamed Sheila Dixit or Manmohan Singh – made little difference because ultimately people were blaming the ‘ruling party’.

But 2014 General elections are called historic in the sense that for the first time ever, we had “real change”. Still, it seems we have not gotten ‘used to’ it. And who are the guys who are not able to adjust to the change? Media houses and writers – because these guys were so much exposed to political events – and hence ‘conditioned’ by the power equations that they find it too difficult to accept the change. Due to their mental block, they are still living in an old world where single party could be blamed no matter if something wrong happened in a state or at center.

I think the only alternative theory which is strong is that the media and writers know the difference very well but are trying to put up a face to cheat people. Media houses feed on viewers/subscribers and writers feed on readers/buyers – and if this theory is true, they are on a dangerous path.

State of Indian Politics Near the End of 2015

Do you notice that recently hard-line politics has risen in India? Here is my personal opinion on the way things are going on:

Every democratic country has a far right or unapologetic nationalist political party. If one does not have it, means freedom of press and individuals is compromised in that country. This political line attracts the best of the society (intellectuals and highly educated) as well as the worst (simplistic, uneducated) at its either ends. In India, thank God – for giving us BJP. The BJP stood for everything that was right – the party was the only one not ashamed to stand for Hindu rights – even if the mainstream and more rewarding policy was ‘minority appeasement’ – tested time and again. I think the BJP got its reward in the form of PM Modi – after years and decades of sacrifices (its leaders were killed, its cadre hated by the hands of Congis in power for years). But then, the worst happened – once in power, BJP was no longer BJP.

I know I am stretching and exaggerating the early symbols. But I think such critic is important for our democracy.

BJP knew that it had mass support of unapologetic nationalists (media calls them hardliners) and it was too difficult to qualify the very high standards set out for it (people wanted BJP to do in 5 years what no other party has done in 60). But it expected that with its “development” politics, it will keep them engaged. That did not happen as planned, thanks to less seats in RS and wonderful performance of opposition in stalling LS.

Now that BJP appears to be on path to become like Congress, Shiv Sena is trying to be the new BJP. If it goes on like this, future political war would be between old BJP Vs new BJP (SS etc) at one end and between old Congress (AAP, JDU etc) Vs new Congress (MIM). Indian politics will see increasing polarization on both ends and it will be a mess.

I doubt if things go on like this, we shall be able to be proud of our nation as always.

My solution may sound weird at glance but think about it and you will get message. Best is if BJP starts behaving like old BJP. Then, new far right nationalists like SS would not get ‘room’ to enter and grow. Also, Modi should push the development cart hard – no matter what is the cost. I am sure that if Indian economy does not start running fast soon, it will create more opportunity for others to compete and in turn we shall remain glued to fighting over trivial issues.

Government Spending on Memorials and Ad Campaigns

1. National War Memorial in Delhi – Rs 500 Crores; courtesy BJP
2. Sardar Patel’s memorial – Rs 3000 Crores; Courtesy BJP
3. Shivaji mid-sea memorial – Rs 2000 Crores; courtesy Cong/BJP
4. Ambedkar memorial – Rs 500 Crores; courtesy Cong/BJP
5. Self Promotion Ad-Campaign – Rs 500 Crores; courtesy AAP

If I had these Rs 6500 Crores to throw away; what would I do? I would put it in a bank and at 7% p.a. interest it would give me Rs 38 Crore per Month. With this I would support 38000 poor families at Rs 10000 per month. Or I would bring out 3.15 Lakh Indians from below poverty line by paying them Rs 1200 per month.

But then 3.15 lakh poor people count as only less than 3 lakh votes and that too scattered all over the different constituencies. So perhaps it still makes sense to spend all this money on memorials etc – so that people would see these and remember me? After all, Indians have lived in poverty for over a thousand years, they can live a little more too!

But then with this money I could build some more schools or hospitals in rural areas – and when people would see these ‘memorials’ too – they would remember me?

Or I could fund some rural women run industries like Lijjat Papad – with capital of only Rs 80 – but I am not sure if village women would agree to have a ‘selfie’ with me for social media. I could also repay some foreign debt – but then those foreigners would ‘like’ me less when I visit their nations with a begging bowl (even if purchased from a Tata company).

Hell no, I must spend all ‘my’ money very wisely.