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

Friday 10 July 2015

One Rank , None Pension


amitabh.kant@nic.in


Dear Amitabh ,


You may like my today's blog

Regards ,

hemen

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One   Rank  ,  N-One   Pension  (  ORNP  )


Yesterday , Bombay Municipal Corporation workers pulled down a thatched roof over the cart of a roadside hawker Ramji , selling tea / biscuits / vada-pav  , on a footpath outside my house


Background  :


>   Footpath is for pedestrians to walk on ; not for Ramji to sell tea !


>   Ramji did not have a " Hawking License "


>   As of today , some 30,000 + hawkers are " licensed " to hawk


>   Under pressure from High Courts , BMC is in the process of taking a
     " Census " of all hawkers in Mumbai , in order to legalize another
     90,000  hawkers , to be accommodated in specified hawking zones


>   It is my belief that Mumbai has over 300,000 hawkers now and that
     this figure is growing by 10,000 every year


>   Citizens of most residential localities do not want " Hawking Zones "
     in their localities  !


>   But almost all citizens continue to patronize nearby hawkers , whether
     licensed or not and whether in prescribed " Hawking Zones " or not  !


>   Hawkers need to ply their trade where people live - and therefore need
     to live where people live - not 20 Km away !


>   Illegal / Un-licensed hawkers are the main source of " Hafta " for the
     local policemen


>   So that demolished shed , will come up once again tomorrow morning !


>   Most hawkers in any given locality are under the " protection " of local
     Corporators , who give " advance notice " of impending demolition  !

  
>   If India as a whole , needs to create 12 million jobs every year , then
     most likely , Mumbai , with its population of 16 million people , needs to
     create at least 300,000 jobs per year !


>   But " Manufacturing Establishments " are leaving Mumbai , since it has
     become a " High Wage Island " , rendering products manufactured here
     un-competitive . Hence no blue collar jobs in Mumbai anymore !


>  As far as " Service Sector " is concerned , it is fast giving up its " Across
    the Counter " service nature and morphing into internet / mobile app
    based " New E-Com Economy " , needing few new hires  !


>  Apparently , the only " Economic Sector " that is creating new jobs and is
    " Self Renewing " is that of the " Self Employed " hawkers in Mumbai !

    I suppose it is the same story , in all metros

    It is also the economic sector which needs no more than a few thousands
    of Rupees to create one job , as against a requirement of Rs 5 lakhs in
    MSME sector and Rs 5 Crores in large organized sector  !


>  And , retired hawkers do not ask for any pension , despite having one
    rank , for their entire working lives  !


I foresee a not too distant day , when all footpaths everywhere , are taken over by the hawkers ( where these are not already taken over , that is ! )


For providing livelihood to a section of society ( viz: hawkers ) , another section of the society ( viz: pedestrians ) will need to put up with some inconvenience !


Unless some people ( who have jobs / incomes ) want their convenience to take precedence over the livelihood of Ramji and don't care that his 2 children starve to death !




In any case , in India , every single day , some 4,383 children ( under age of 5 ) die of starvation .


Another 2 , won't change the " Statistics " much  !


But , if the already employed have a better solution , let them propose it  !

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

hemen   parekh
10  July  2015
B2BmessageBlaster



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