the food security bill

1. can v afford it ?     yes. in fact as tehelka says we cant afford
                                  not to.
2. profligate ?      definitely not . one or two percentage of gdp is
                             not  that big an amount.
3. do we produce enough ?     yes. we waste a lot of it too.
4. can v deliver ?    i have my doubts. tamil nadu and chattisgarh
                                are short term exceptions.
5. will the bill be implemented with the same zeal with which it is
    passed ?
                  no.   political gains will start dwindling soon after the
                  elections. in fact a failed bill  will start giving   better
                   political dividends  in course of time.

malnutrition will  have the last laugh. starting in the womb.

sun shine again

the clouds are all in jail . sun is  out shining bright all over kerala.
if the recent policy guidelines are to be implemented solar power
scene in kerala will brighten up .
at least 500 watt solar power unit  is a must if you are planning to
build a house bigger than 2000 sq ft.  1000 watt if it is bigger than
3000 sq ft. and solar water heaters too. mandatory.
the catch probably is in the subsidy scheme. i will call it a dream
not a scheme.you seldom realise it. but you are not allowed to
wake up. if the slumber contiues  ......
any  scheme should be easy to implement.  simplify is the slogan
the world over. but we cherish  making things complicated.
and our pride is directly proportional to the complexity that we
embed in the design. solar subsidy scheme is no exception. in fact
it is a shining example of  the complexest ( sic ? )  design we can
ever think of.  more of it later.
if by chance anyone is concerned about supporting the solar power
project by lowering the entry barrier ( by sharing the initial cost )
here is a suggestion
---- subside the cost of solar panels to the extent the govt can afford.
solar panels can be used only to generate solar power and hence
the subsidy cannot be misused in any way. no other component like
inverter , batteries need  be considered for subsidy as they are multi
use products.
--- disburse the subsidy by way of direct credit to the bank account
of the beneficiary based on just two documents. 1. the purchase bill
2. copy of the electricity bills before and after installation of the
panels to establish the fact that the consumption has come down.
 ( no need to fix a minimum. but knowing our buraucratic
compulsions i suggest 10% )

if we wake up in time to welcome the rising sun,
this post will continue.

tehelka scam... with apologies

i read her email in which she gives all the details. there is no doubt that his advance was intentional. but my naggging doubt. was there a trace of consent ( unintentional , no doubt ) in her look or body language or the  protest  which tejpal probably  read  (wrong reading , no doubt ) as weak in his drunken state during the first incident.  the second time when she retorted strongly he did restrain himself. in that context was it unavoidable to share the incident with his daughter, not even his wife ?
and regarding the deatils she gives in the email. he pulled down  the underwear... i picked up the underwear and left... so he pulled it out ?  is it that easy to remove the underwear of a standing struggling girl ?
my intention is not to justify tejpal. his act is not justifiable . no one has any right to intrude into even the personal space of any one , let alone the body.
i am also not trying to sillify ( sic ? ) the trauma. coming from a father figure, respected and close family friend it is indeed devastating.
my only doubt is about the reaction . could she have probably reported the incident to the md first and waited  before sharing it with his daughter ?
i repeat any unsolicited sexual advances is a crime and should be punished. but then should we expect the victim to be magnanimous enough to give the benefit of doubt of an accident to the culprit at least in exceptional circumstances ? frankly i dont know

behind the brands

are you the one who is branded ? i mean
who prefer to use branded products ?
like say kellogg cornflakes ?
do you like to know more about the brands
and how good they really are in meeting
social obligations or  protecting the environment
or in water conservation ?
find out below  and wonder how low many
of them including kellogg score . and tell
them to improve. if they want to retain an
avid fan , you

https://www.oxfam.org.au/grow/behind-the-brands/

we too mars

dear  mars
we indians  too are coming.
alert the people there ( aliens to us ).
let us see if we can build a small colony there.
of course under the guidance of you martians only.

i think it is time to go crazy about our universe.
sometimes we are told that the universe is expanding.
many times we are informed it is shrinking .

could it be  becoz our universe is in the shape of a ring ?
or better still bangle. with a lot of beads all over the ring.
 the beads revolve on the  frame of the ring . ( just like
 in our bangle , the beads cannot move along the frame of
the ring . they can only revolve around the frame  ). when these
beads are in the  in the return mode ( revolve inwards towards the
centre of the ring )  we feel the universe is shrinking.
when many of them are in  the going out phase ( revolving
away from the centre) we feel the universe is expanding.

but then things should never be that simple. so let us  add a
little complexity. that the ring itself is  a bead in another bigger
ring and therefore our ring also is revolving. the bigger ring
and the still bigger ring.... god alone knows.

i am watching the launch live  on doordarshan
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DcSDOkDvyQ
about 1800 seconds since launch and the space craft is
successfully  placed in orbit.  it is time for me to sign off