Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Sunday 30 September 2018

LET US MOVE ON


Aadhar  Data   Delete  ?  Simple Solution

==========================

Aadhar verdict might have settled some issues but , quite likely , it has also raised some new ones


Following is one example :


“ Corporate entities like banks and telecom service providers cannot ask for customers’ Aadhar ID for e-KYC “


OK , so new customers will need to furnish some other proof for residential address ( who decides , which ? – and using Digital Locker  ? )


But what about one billion current customers ?


They have already given their Aadhar ID.
 

Are the service providers required to “ delete “ these and send a SMS / email to those customers as follows ? [ there is no clarity re this in the judgment ]



“ Dear Customer ,


You have already given to us , your Aadhar ID , which we may be now required to delete and replace it with some other ID ( - we are writing to the Hon supreme court for a clarification )


We could accept your driving license / ration card / senior citizen card / PAN card etc , provided these carry your current address / name / gender /  DOB / photo and Finger – Iris scan


But unfortunately, these do not carry your biometric data !


That leaves you with the following options :



#  1
Forget getting our service from XYZ date



#  2
Go to our nearest office ( of course, with your Aadhar card and a copy of our latest bill ) and manually fill up our new “ Know Your Customer “ form , providing details of whatever different ID you choose , along with 3 photo-copies of such ID ( for us to upload onto our server ) .

We have also made arrangement for the necessary instruments to scan your finger and your iris

Caution : Bring along your lunch and bedding since the queues could be long !




#  3 
Just send us an email as follows :



To  :  Our Email address ( eg: aadhar@Airtel.com  )

Cc  :  supremecourt@nic.in 

Sub :  Do not delete my Aadhar ID / Acceptance of OPTION  # 3

  =====================

“  Dear Airtel ( service provider name ),


   This is in response to your email asking me to go to your nearest office to fill in a new e-KYC form along with submitting of an alternate ID [  Option # 2  ]


Although I do have such alternate ID , I wish to avoid the hassle of furnishing a new one


I therefore permit you [ Option # 3 ], to continue using my already furnished Aadhar ID and continue to provide your services without insisting on alternate ID


I am giving this permission to you on a voluntary basis , without any coercion on your part ( and free volition on my part ) and absolve you of any responsibility in respect of any breach of your database , resulting in any misuse of my private data by unauthorized persons / entities , who might hack into your server


I am giving this permission on an understanding that the Supreme Court , in its recent verdict , has permitted use of Aadhar ID for services to be rendered by private parties , if given on a voluntary basis


Yours

ABC

My coordinates are as follows :

·      Aadhar ID number is……………….

·      Address …………………………………..


·      Customer No ( as per bill )……..



Dear Service Providers [  Banks / MSP s etc  ],


Since deleting Aadhar ID of your existing customers and asking them to furnish an alternate ID , would cause nothing less than a CHAOS , causing you a loss of thousands of crore of rupees and enormous hardships to your customers , you may want to consider sending out such an E Mail to your customers ( - with whatever changes your highly paid lawyers might suggest )


You have nothing to lose and everything to gain , since 100 % of your existing customers will choose the third option  !


And , in the process , you would have established your bonafide to abide by the Supreme Court verdict ( - what with a billion email copies flooding the mail box of the court and the Cabinet Ministers ! )



30  Sept  2018










Saturday 29 September 2018

AN ELEGANT SOLUTION


A  Home  without  an  Address  ?


It is possible if your home is in the middle of a Kutchh desert
Or in the middle of a Mumbai slum

That prompted the Bombay High Court to direct State Government and BMC as follows :

·      Come up with a way to tackle the problem of encroachments across the city.
·      State and BMC should have all the slums in the city GPS-mapped, so that in case of any encroachment, action can be taken immediately.
·      The task of GPS-mapping and monitoring should be handed over to a different authority other than the BMC.
·      The state and BMC were also asked to come up with a plan along these lines before the next hearing, and posted the matter for October 3.


No doubt , a GPS based “ mapping “ of each and every hut of 100 sq ft area is entirely feasible ( - except when it is hiding under a fly over in Mumbai ?  )

If NaVIC based devices can track moving vehicles then mapping of “ stationary “ huts cannot be any problem



But there is a Simpler / more Accurate / Quicker / and FREE, solution

Simple enough for the State government authorities /  BMC / Mumbai Police / Slum Rehabilitation department etc to implement overnight !

And the only requirement is for the users to download on their mobiles ,

I urge the BMC officer concerned to read the following email that I got from the developers and contact them directly for an elegant / quick solution :

Hi HemenDescription: Description: wave

Thank you for your emailDescription: Description: grinning

You can easily find your 3 word address for your residence and office by typing your street address on our app and
map siteDescription: Description: wink

Drag the map around to pinpoint the
exact front door of your location.

The tutorials on this Youtube page will help you get the most out of the what3words app including saving places, getting directions, find your 3 word address and more:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjaROP0Mmk_H6LWnNCdKjby0LbtxFFvLL


If you have any other questions or need help with anything related to what3words, don't hesitate to give us a shout !
Description: Description: triangular_flag_on_postFinally, did you know you can save places using our map/app. Just visit our map/app and click the star to save a location for later:  Try it. 
Best regards,
Khongoroo

This blog was E Mailed to :
·      Vc_gangwani@rediffmail.com ………… Pioneer India Developers Pvt Ltd
·      Hcbom.mah@nic.in …………………………  High Court , Mumbai 
·      mc@mcgm.gov.in.......................... Municipal Commissioner , MCGM
·      Sec.ud2@maharashtra.gov.in.......... Maharashtra Government
·      commissioners@recruitguru.com.............  245 Municipal Commissioners ( All India )
·      mayors@recruitguru.com.........................  135 Municipal Mayors ( All India )
·      presidents@recruitguru.com....................  52 Municipal Presidents ( All India )
·      office@falconlegal.in................................ Advocate Suhail Shariff



29  Sept  2018



Congrats


Dear Nilesh,


I was happy to read about your Mobile App ( MARS Plus ) in ET Panache of yesterday

I believe , your app could be the primary technology platform for NHS

In this context , you might want to read my following blogs ( sent as E Mails ) to the Cabinet Ministers ? NITI Aayog / PM-EAC Members , etc :






with regards

hemen

PLASTONE





I read with great interest news about your innovation of “ Plastic Tiles “ ( made from old plastic scrap ) , in yesterday’s Mumbai Mirror

Congratulations !

Your innovation has the potential to solve twin problems , viz : Plastic scrap pollution and poor road surfaces

At one place , report reads : “ Plastone tiles are costlier than ordinary tiles “ ( concrete paver blocks ? )

This ( cost ) could prove a deterrent to a wide adoption of Plastone

I am sure, you must be working on reducing the cost ( much below the cost of paver blocks )

And , as far as its “ non-road “ usage ( eg : walls for those 10 lakh toilets ) is concerned, you may want to explore some method to make these “ light weight “ and “ inter-lockable

Eg : Foam concrete ( on which , I worked at the University of Kansas , in 1957 , under Prof Crosier )


Wishing you all success

With regards,

Hemen Parekh



PLAY BY YOUR OWN RULES


20% cashback on GST likely on RuPay, BHIM using QR codes

Read more at:



The government is working on a proposal whereby citizens could avail of the proposed 20% cashback on goods and services tax on payments made through RuPay cards and BHIM app if they make the transactions using QR codes.



Dear Shri Jaitleyji ,


Please , do not get into the " CASH BACK " trap !


You cannot win the race of DIGITAL PAYMENTS, playing by the rules framed by your competitors !


You need to make a PARADIGM SHIFT , by making YOUR OWN RULES , which no mobile wallet company or credit / debit card company can follow !


And that RULE is described at :





myblogepage.blogspot.com


regards,

hemen parekh

Re: TURN THIS INTO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR REFORM


Dear shri Bhalla

Just read about your appointment as head of the group to advise on trade policies

Congratulations

Regards

Hemen Parekh



From: Surjit Bhalla <ssbhalla@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2018 1:12 PM
To: Hemen Parekh
Subject: Re: TURN THIS INTO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR REFORM

​Agree with your recommendations - completely
If the Supreme Court lays down the "law", ​as per your recommendations, then it will be implicitly ruling against the Cong-JDS alliance for all future scenarios - if it does do that, it will take a lot of steam out of the INC-JDS victory - 


Surjit



On Sun, May 20, 2018 at 11:54 AM, Hemen Parekh <hcp@recruitguru.com> wrote:
How to  form  a  Government  ?



Over the past 3 days , we watched a “ tamaashaa “ being played out in Karnataka


Neither BJP , nor Congress , nor JDS had a clear mandate from the people ( meaning a simple majority as far as the number of seats won is considered )


And this kind of fractured ( ? ) vote is more of a “ norm “ than an aberration , whether it is a State election or the National election, since voters have a fundamental right to support and vote for those candidates who, they believe will represent their concerns


This is natural when different parties having different agendas , which appeal to different sections of the society , contest elections


Just because a party got very few seats ( even just 5 % of the house ) , does not mean that the voice and concerns of those voters who voted for that party can be totally ignored / bulldozed !


Unfortunately , this is exactly what is happening , again and again !


Under our current system, the Governor invites,


*  the party with simple majority of seats won, or
*  parties with “ Pre-poll Alliance “ , failing which,
 
*  parties which have formed a “ Post – poll Alliance “



Why is the post-poll alliance , “ unfortunate “ ?


Because it leads to horse-trading / purchasing members with money or promises of minister-ship / flouting  Anti Defection Law  etc


MY SUGGESTION :

In the next few weeks , the Supreme Court is expected to hear the petition ( from Congress + JDS + Ram Jethmalani ), to decide whether Karnataka Governor was right or wrong in his action


But , it would be highly desirable that the Supreme Court lays down a simple protocol to be followed in future , whenever such a situation arises in future ( although, I believe , some guide-lines do exist , albeit , not absolutely clear )


For the reasons mentioned above , I strongly feel such a protocol should NOT at all include POST –POLL alliance , as an option


It should be as per following priority :

* “ Pre Poll alliance “ if the combined seats won by the alliance exceed simple majority,
     with provision for a Vote of Confidence, within a week


*  If there is no “ Pre Poll alliance having simple majority “ , then the party with the
    largest number of seats won , should be invited for forming the government

    In such an event , there will be no need for a Vote of Confidence by that party to
    prove its majority on the floor of the house



Even though I consider this suggestion as “ far less than the IDEAL “ , its merits are as follows ,


*  No scope of “ Opportunism “ by forming a “ Post Poll Alliance “ by warring parties

*  No scope for horse-trading

*  Likely acceptance by all parties concerned

*  No scope for the Governor to play favourites, by strictly defining his role

*  Quick formation of a STABLE government in a transparent manner



In case you want to know what could be that IDEAL solution , read the following ( without expecting such a miracle to happen any time soon ! ) :



  









 

Why can’t we institutionalize Coalition ?

 

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2017/09/why-cant-we-institutionalize-coalition.html

 

 

20  May  2018

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs





 




Thursday 27 September 2018

Aadhar is Irreversible !


50  Gladiators : 50 million Spectators

=======================

Centuries ago , in Rome’s Coliseum , 50 gladiators fought one another ( and sometimes , a lion ) and 50,000 spectators cheered or booed


Last evening , on some 5 TV channels , some 50 panelists ( experts ? ) fought each other with their opposing views on Supreme Court’s judgment re  Aadhar  and 50 million TV viewers listened with rapt attention


This morning , 5 newspapers ( which I read ), carried millions of words of “ threadbare analysis “ of Aadhar verdict , by 50 authors


This is an example of how technology has re-written the rules of the “ Entertainment Game “ since humans fought in Coliseum !


It is futile to ask :
When should Aadhar be required and when not ?


What is pertinent to ask is :


Q ( 1 ) 
Is this judgment “ implementable / enforceable “ ?

A ( 1 )
No


Q ( 2 )
Is it at all possible to “ erase / delete “ trillions of terabytes of data of a billion people , lying on millions of computers , not only in India but around the world ?
     As of today , some 23,286 MILLION authentication and 6,415 MILLION eKYC , have been
     done for Aadhar !

    A ( 2 )
    No


Q ( 3 )
Can government amend the existing Aadhar law to cover those  “ uses “ which Supreme prohibits ?

A ( 3 )
Have no doubt that this law will get amended if BJP gets an absolute majority in 2019

It is also quite possible that the government may introduce following IDs which may not require amendments or a new law :

#   Citizenship Card ( like NRC in Assam )

#   Ayushman Card ( for availing Ayushman Bharat Scheme benefits )


Q ( 4 )
Can government include within the definition of the “ permissible services “ direct monetary subsidies such as Rs 1 lakh to buyers of Electric cars ( under FAME 2 ) ? ( Given through DBT )

A ( 4 )
Govt will try to convert every “ service “ rendered to citizens into some “ Monetary Value “ and then transfer such “ money “ through DBT into the bank account of the beneficiary , by calling it a “ subsidy
Eg : Rs 2,000 for issue / renewal of a passport ?


Q ( 5 )
Supreme court’s judgment seeks to strike a balance between the “ privacy “ of individual citizens ( data which he is forced to surrender for getting certain benefits ) and the larger good of the entire society .

But can Supreme Court or the government prevent a person from voluntarily parting with his personal / private data to anyone he chooses to give ? And protect him against its misuse ?

A ( 5 )
No way !
    In Aadhar , privacy stands for the “ private data “ furnished , viz : Name / Year of
    Birth / Gendre / Address / Photo / Finger Print / Iris Scan

    Why so much fuss about this scanty personal data , when those very,

·                Hon Judges of the Supreme Court
·                Expert Panelists 
·                Erudite Authors ,
have themselves, willingly handed over to ,

·         Search Engines
·         E Commerce sites
·         Mobile apps ( incuding WhatsApp / Skype / FaceTime )
·         Banks / Mobile wallet Companies
·         Number of Govt Agencies
·         Service web sites
·         ISPs
·         Mobile Service Providers etc ,
their own following “ personal / private “ data ?

    ( most willingly / in a matter of seconds / without a protest / with FULL permission to do
     with those data whatever they like under “ I accept the TERMS “ click )


·          Personal Details ( Name / DOB / Gender / Nationality / Bank Account No /  Photo /
           Aadhar Number / PAN etc )

·           Family Details  ( Who are members of immediate family ? )

·           Contact Details ( Address / Mobile No / Email ID / Skype - FaceTime ID /
            WhatsApp .. etc )

·           Social Media Footprint , consisting of surreptitiously compiled data such as :
 

·                #  Who I am ( name )


·                #  Where and when, I was born / who were my parents


·                #  Where I grew up / where I live currently


·                #  Do I live in a rented place or in an owned flat


·                #  What Schools / Colleges I attended (- and degrees I acquired )


·                #  What Companies I worked for and salaries I got


·                #  How do I travel to work (own vehicle or public transport )


·                #  Where I go for my holidays / what books I read


·               #  Who I married and who are my children (- and how many )


·               #  If divorced, how much alimony I pay and to whom


·               #  Where do I invest my money ( Banks – Funds – Equity etc )


·               #  How much I have borrowed, from whom, and for how long


·               #  My Credit Rating  ( including my spending history / card wise – wallet wise )


·              #  What are my eating ( food ) preferences and the restaurants I visit


·              #  What I do for entertainment ( Music  /  Movies  /  Videos )


·              #  What clothes I wear and how often do I buy


·              #  Who are my friends and how often I phone / text them / meet them


·              #  What ailments I suffer from and what medicines I take


·              #  What minor offences ( traffic ) or crimes that I have committed


·              #  What elections I have contested ( won and lost )


·              #  Who are my doctors / lawyers / brokers / agents etc


·              #  What web sites I visit and how often and for how long


·             #  What do I search on the Net / what RSS feeds I subscribe to


·             #  What TV channels I watch and Radio Stations that I listen to


·             #  Every photo of mine ever taken ( selfie or otherwise )



·            #   Every phone call that I ever made or received ( from my mobile )



·            #  Every Email / Text message that I ever sent or received


·            #  Every blog / comment that I ever posted on the Web



·            #  Every face-to-face communication that I engaged in


·            #  What “ moods “ I am experiencing 24*365 ( picked up by everything that I wear )



       #  Cultural Exposure ( Countries visited / lived-in, with stay-periods  / Foreign friends )
 

       #  Educational Details ( Degrees / Colleges )     

       #  Language Details ( Languages spoken / fluently - reasonably well 

       #  Experience Details ( Where worked / for how long ) .


  
    Q ( 6 )

   Is there some simple / elegant way in which citizen’s private data can be protected ( from
   unauthorized misuse by the social media ) and enable the citizens to earn some money by
   selling their ( aggregated / anonymized ) data ?

    A ( 6 )

    Yes !

    By govt incorporating into the proposed “ DATA  PROTECTION  BILL “ , elements of :




REFERENCES :
Data Privacy Law : a Pandora’s Box ?  [ compilation of 41 emails sent to Cabinet Ministers  ]


WHO  MIGHT  WANT  TO  READ  THIS  ?  [  apart from TV Anchors / News Editors  ]



      secy-dot@nic.in

      ceo@uidai.gov.in


      moona@iitk.ac.in

      grai@deity.gov.in



'ssbhalla@gmail.com'

'bibek.debroy@gov.in'

'ashima@igidr.ac.in'

'rr1@nipfp.org.in'

'ratanp.watal@gov.in'

'ceo-niti@nic.in'

'Indian Think Tanks' IndianThinkTanks@recruitguru.com

'amitabh.kant@nic.in'






27  Sept  2018