Disclaimer

My writings have no pretensions - neither to infallibility. nor to omniscience.

There may well be facts that I could be unaware of, that could undermine or even discredit some of my arguments.

Through my writings, I try to convey, in essence, what I understand of my land's recent past; being fully aware that the 'land' I refer to and I believe that I belong to, no longer exists; that the 'land' has now become three different States - Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

So, what I say or write may often apply to what are today the modern and independent states of Pakistan and Bangladesh and not just the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya).

Why has India done so badly in feeding its children?

The hunger situation in India is still “serious”, as noted in the Global Hunger Index, 2017, a report prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute. India now ranks 100th on that list in ensuring food security for its peoples, placing it in the high end of the “serious” category.


In 1992, India was ahead of two of its neighbouring countries, Myanmar and Bangladesh in combating hunger. In the past 25 years, however, both these countries have managed to make greater strides than India. So much so that Bangladeshis and Burmese are today better fed than Indians.

If it’s any consolation, the one country even worse governed than India in that time period is – you guessed it right – Pakistan. Pakistan actually had a better score than India in 1992. But in two and a half decades, it slipped behind India to become New Delhi’s most malnourished neighbour.


India’s supposedly weaker neighbours do a much better job of feeding their citizens...in spite of the Indian state having undertaken several seminal and monumental developmental interventions in recent years, such as:

1. Launch of 'Make-in-India', 'Digital India' and 'Skill India' initiatives with focus on defense and electronics, primarily to create jobs

2. Formulation and implementation of GST - a pan India tax regime for goods and services

3. Commencement of divestment programme in public sector companies

4. Prime Minister's 100 Smart Cities Project

5. Fast-tracking of defense purchases: Rafale fighter jets deal

6. MoUs for making submarines, fighter jets and ship at home

7. Cooking gas now under direct-cash-benefit transfer scheme, with potential saving of $5 billion annually in subsidies, plus Diesel prices being de-regulated

8. Crackdown on black money through demonetisation of high denomination currency notes

9. Jan Dhan Yojana: More than 15 crore bank accounts opened, over 10 crore RuPay debit cards issued, with life cover, pension

10. Increased international standing through strategic partnerships with the likes of the US, Israel (and now Palestine) and new forged alliances along with settlement of persistent issues such as border dispute with Bangladesh

11. Swachh Bharat Mission - the cleanliness drive with unprecedented focus on kerbing open defecation

12. Implementation two large-scale national programs that address nutrition – the Integrated Child Development Services and the National Health Mission

So, why has India done still so badly in feeding its children? Does anyone has an answer?

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Disclaimer: My writings have no pretensions neither to infallibility. not to omniscience. There may well be facts that I could be unaware of, that could undermine or discredit some of my arguments.

Isn't Justice Delayed is Justice Denied?

What we call in a sophisticated way as fraud, as per the IPC is 'cheating'.
However, not to offend the sensibilities of the educated Indian,I shall use the word 'fraud'.
Some of India's notable financial frauds include:

Satyam (Ramalinga Raju), fraud - INR 7,000 cr
Status - Conviction of 7 yeras and now free

Grow More (Harshad Mehta, now deceased), fraud - INR 250 cr
Status - Conviction of 5 years

Indian Bank (M.Gopalkrishnan), fraud - Upto INR 1000 cr.
Status: Conviction of 3 years (in jail presently)

Kingfisher Airlines (Vijay Mallya), fraud  - INR 9000 cr.
Status - Unconvicted as yet & free

Firestar Diamonds (Nirav Modi), fraud - INR 11,400 cr.
Status - Unconvicted and free

Saradha Group (Sudipta Sen), fraud - INR 25,000 cr
Status - Unconvicted s yet

Rose Valley Group (Gautam Kundu), fraud - INR 60,000 cr
Status - Unconvicted as yet

Inspite of the combined efforts of the authorities of the likes of SEBI, Enforcement Direcotrate, Serious Fraud Investigation Office and their likes, this is all that the Indian state has achieved towards mitigating justice to the 'aam aadmi' (aka the common man).

Now contrast the Global key financial frauds, how exemplary justice has been delivered, in keeping with the philosophy of  'justice delayed is justice denied':

BLMIS LLC (Barnie Madoff), fraud - USD 50 bn
Status - Conviction of 150 years!

Enron (Kenneth Lay), fraud - USD 62 bn
Status - Conviction of 45 years

Enron (Jeffrey Skilling), fraud - USD 62 bn
Status - Conviction of 24  years

ZZZZ Best (barry Minkow), fraud - USD 500 mn
Status - Conviction of 24  years

TYCO (Dennis Kozlowski), fraud - USD 100 mn
Status - Conviction of 25  years

Barrings Bank (Nick Leeson), fraud - USD 882 mn
Status - Conviction of 7  years

Societe Generale (Jerome Kerviel), fraud - USD 7 bn
Status - Conviction of 3  years

As per section 167 of the criminal procedure code, if an accused is arrested for financial fraud, in India, and the charge sheet is not filed within 99 days, then he or she is entitled to statutory bail!!! It is no secret that the high and mighty can hire influential lawyers who can ensure that bit of 'necessary' delay (in filing of the charge sheet) so that the statutory bail can be got.


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Disclaimer: My writings have no pretensions - neither to infallibility. nor to omniscience.
There may well be facts that I could be unaware of, that could undermine or even discredit some of my arguments.

You and I live in a democracy - a republic, which is 'by us', 'for us' and 'of us'

You and I live in a democracy - a republic, which is 'by us', 'for us' and 'of us'.

You and I are therefore free to have our 'point of views'; point of view is how one looks at an issue and that way of looking at is supposed to be unique as every one of us are unique. That's how nature designed us - unique.

So, when you put forward your 'point of view', it is your unique of way of looking at things and it is got to be different from mine. The beauty of democracy is that I can say that I don't like your point of view and I can even find flaw in your argument based on which your point of view is based. But, then I cannot be asking you to change your point of view or ask you to have a different view or worse still, I cannot ask you to have a point of view that is acceptable to me.

Talking of point of view, my point of view is India is actually an oligarchy, since India's top 1% (in 2017) owned 73% of the country's wealth! In 2016 India's richest 1% held 58% of the country's total wealth, and just one year by 2107, the wealth of this elite group increased by over Rs 20.9 lakh crore! Now the top 1% of the population holds 73% of India's wealth while 67 crore citizens, comprising the country's poorest half, saw their wealth rise by just 1%!!!

Beyond the more conventional understanding of democracy, the real difference between democracy and oligarchy is between poverty and wealth. Wherever the rulers, whether they be a minority or a majority, and owe their power to wealth, that is an oligarchy. Wherever the poor rule, that is a democracy. This is of course is 'my' point of view; 'point of view' of a 'pseudo-intellectual.


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Disclaimer: My writings have no pretensions neither to infallibility. not to omniscience. There may well be facts that I could be unaware of, that could undermine or discredit some of my arguments.