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After Cyclone Ockhi The Western Coast Needs To Pull Up Its Socks
With India aspiring super-power and technologically advanced country status, the inability to give adequate early warning recently to our fishermen in the southern States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka about Cyclone Ockhi is somewhat disappointing. Thousands of fishermen from these States have been affected with some deaths, many rescued and hundreds still missing. This is a serious lapse on the part of the IMD and the State authorities to be responsible for causing human tragedy at such a large scale. As is usual the ball is being lobbied back and forth between the agencies mentioned above about the notices of the imminent cyclone not having been received in time from the IMD, while the IMD claims that though they advised on time the State authorities have been remiss in their duty to inform the fishermen. In any case, the tragedy remains a fact. The laxity on the part of the IMD and the State authorities could stem from the belief that on India's western coast cyclones are rare. The cyclone prone zone in India is the eastern and south-eastern seaboard off the Bay of Bengal which being ravaged by many cyclones during the season are as we are told fitted with a network of cyclone warning weather radars for almost the entire coast. The State authorities in this part of the country particularly after the last tsunami about a decade ago take the job of informing the local population about the impending cyclones with great seriousness and expeditiously so that people can take protective measures. The western coast in these matters is somewhat lax considering the incidence of cyclones being few and far between. But Cyclone Ockhi may be the first of many to hit the western coast from now on considering climate change and unusual weather patterns that we have been seeing around the world. Therefore it is imperative that we get our cyclone warning weather radars installed throughout the western coast so that there is some local intelligence about these natural events rather than have to depend on IMD all the time. Not only that State authorities have to gear up local administration to inform the local population of the impending natural disaster quickly and effectively so that preventive and protective measures are taken to protect the people. India aspiring to be a super-power need to accept the responsibilities that goes along with that status.
Modi's Irresponsibe Comments On The Gujarat Campaign Trail
Narendra Modi needs to tone down his comments which most of the time do not behove the office of the Prime Minister. His latest on the campaign trail in Gujarat is that those who object to the Bullet Train can travel in bullock carts. In a democracy to manage dissent is a necessity since otherwise we tend to quickly degenerate into an autocracy. We are a disparate country where affordance varies widely when it comes to public transport and bullet trains cannot obviously be the common or preferred mode of travel. Moreover the Bullet Train project takes away much needed funds from improving the existing creaking railway infrastructure. Not only that with separate isolated tracks, stations etc. the Bullet Train competes for infrastructure with the existing rail network and puts constraints on it. Not only that it encourages discrimination and is divisive to our society. Modi also needs to remember in this context that the last Vajpayee government went out of office on the irrelevance of the India Shining platform whose main proponent was the present Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley. It should not be that Modi finds himself booted out of office come 2019 for pursuing programs that support the rich to become richer and ignore the distress of the poor and the marginalised.
Modi went further in Gujarat and has said in the context of Demonetisation and the implementation of GST that his government will not back down and/or reverse difficult decisions. It is one thing to be firm when it comes to administration and yet another to be insensitive. Modi's government is more the latter when it comes to the two important measures that his government has taken as referred above. As for not taking back decisions made, his government has lately reverted the measure where the movement of cattle was banned, more famously known as the beef ban measure. The plea is that they will come with a better worded and more effective law that will take into account the realities of cattle trade which in the earlier draft was missing resulting in the lynching of people who were just going about their business with cattle that in some cases they had been doing for generations. In similar manner the cases of Demonetisation and the implementation of GST has been characterised by the ham-handed approach in putting through the programs. This all reflects as the Modi government's ineptness in handling matters of governance.
Concluding Modi on the election trail should remember the Prime Minister's office from where he is coming from and not indulge in casual, flippant comments and refrain from interpreting history to suit his election plank.
Celebrating GDP Figures Premature
On the GDP figures Arun Jaitley should know that one swallow is not the harbinger of summer as they say. He has to wait a couple of quarters to see if the trend has actually been reversed. Blowing his own trumpet and that of the government now is absolutely premature. Not only that the 2Q figures at 6.3% are just a tad above the 1Q 5.7% which is not robust enough to claim growth. It is also understand that amongst manufacturing that grew substantially in 2Q, oil refining had a major share. It should not be that the difference of 0.6% if true is because of the rise in international oil prices and the Ambani hand known for jiggling figures who dominate Indian oil refining. A little help from one bhai to another before Gujarat goes to the polls!
byS KamatasAam AdmiIssue: 230 Date: 04.12.2017
1. After Cyclone Ockhi The Western Coast Needs To Pull Up Its SocksContents:
2. Modi's Irresponsibe Comments On The Gujarat Campaign Trail
3. Celebrating GDP Figures Premature
After Cyclone Ockhi The Western Coast Needs To Pull Up Its Socks
With India aspiring super-power and technologically advanced country status, the inability to give adequate early warning recently to our fishermen in the southern States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka about Cyclone Ockhi is somewhat disappointing. Thousands of fishermen from these States have been affected with some deaths, many rescued and hundreds still missing. This is a serious lapse on the part of the IMD and the State authorities to be responsible for causing human tragedy at such a large scale. As is usual the ball is being lobbied back and forth between the agencies mentioned above about the notices of the imminent cyclone not having been received in time from the IMD, while the IMD claims that though they advised on time the State authorities have been remiss in their duty to inform the fishermen. In any case, the tragedy remains a fact. The laxity on the part of the IMD and the State authorities could stem from the belief that on India's western coast cyclones are rare. The cyclone prone zone in India is the eastern and south-eastern seaboard off the Bay of Bengal which being ravaged by many cyclones during the season are as we are told fitted with a network of cyclone warning weather radars for almost the entire coast. The State authorities in this part of the country particularly after the last tsunami about a decade ago take the job of informing the local population about the impending cyclones with great seriousness and expeditiously so that people can take protective measures. The western coast in these matters is somewhat lax considering the incidence of cyclones being few and far between. But Cyclone Ockhi may be the first of many to hit the western coast from now on considering climate change and unusual weather patterns that we have been seeing around the world. Therefore it is imperative that we get our cyclone warning weather radars installed throughout the western coast so that there is some local intelligence about these natural events rather than have to depend on IMD all the time. Not only that State authorities have to gear up local administration to inform the local population of the impending natural disaster quickly and effectively so that preventive and protective measures are taken to protect the people. India aspiring to be a super-power need to accept the responsibilities that goes along with that status.
Modi's Irresponsibe Comments On The Gujarat Campaign Trail
Narendra Modi needs to tone down his comments which most of the time do not behove the office of the Prime Minister. His latest on the campaign trail in Gujarat is that those who object to the Bullet Train can travel in bullock carts. In a democracy to manage dissent is a necessity since otherwise we tend to quickly degenerate into an autocracy. We are a disparate country where affordance varies widely when it comes to public transport and bullet trains cannot obviously be the common or preferred mode of travel. Moreover the Bullet Train project takes away much needed funds from improving the existing creaking railway infrastructure. Not only that with separate isolated tracks, stations etc. the Bullet Train competes for infrastructure with the existing rail network and puts constraints on it. Not only that it encourages discrimination and is divisive to our society. Modi also needs to remember in this context that the last Vajpayee government went out of office on the irrelevance of the India Shining platform whose main proponent was the present Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley. It should not be that Modi finds himself booted out of office come 2019 for pursuing programs that support the rich to become richer and ignore the distress of the poor and the marginalised.
Modi went further in Gujarat and has said in the context of Demonetisation and the implementation of GST that his government will not back down and/or reverse difficult decisions. It is one thing to be firm when it comes to administration and yet another to be insensitive. Modi's government is more the latter when it comes to the two important measures that his government has taken as referred above. As for not taking back decisions made, his government has lately reverted the measure where the movement of cattle was banned, more famously known as the beef ban measure. The plea is that they will come with a better worded and more effective law that will take into account the realities of cattle trade which in the earlier draft was missing resulting in the lynching of people who were just going about their business with cattle that in some cases they had been doing for generations. In similar manner the cases of Demonetisation and the implementation of GST has been characterised by the ham-handed approach in putting through the programs. This all reflects as the Modi government's ineptness in handling matters of governance.
Concluding Modi on the election trail should remember the Prime Minister's office from where he is coming from and not indulge in casual, flippant comments and refrain from interpreting history to suit his election plank.
Celebrating GDP Figures Premature
On the GDP figures Arun Jaitley should know that one swallow is not the harbinger of summer as they say. He has to wait a couple of quarters to see if the trend has actually been reversed. Blowing his own trumpet and that of the government now is absolutely premature. Not only that the 2Q figures at 6.3% are just a tad above the 1Q 5.7% which is not robust enough to claim growth. It is also understand that amongst manufacturing that grew substantially in 2Q, oil refining had a major share. It should not be that the difference of 0.6% if true is because of the rise in international oil prices and the Ambani hand known for jiggling figures who dominate Indian oil refining. A little help from one bhai to another before Gujarat goes to the polls!
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