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

Tuesday, 26 March 2019

A PROMISE TO EMPOWER THE POOR


Dear Shri Narendrabhai,


RaGa's announcement yesterday of a Guaranteed Basic Income of Rs 12,000 pm to 5 crore poor families ( by doling out Rs 6000 / month ), is a HONEY-TRAP !


Please , do not fall for this .


Do not try to counter this with any equally irrational scheme !


Instead , tell the poor :


If you vote NDA to power, we will ensure that you get the SKILL that will earn you - and each adult member of your family - Rs 20,000 per month !


And , the NDA government will bear ALL the expense ( for all the members of your family ) , to acquire those SKILLS From being made to " Beg for a dole " , we will enable you to " Earn your Respect " !


What will win the War ?




It seems Congress is concerned more with winning the elections ( - the BATTLE )


Yesterday it announced a monthly payment of Rs 6,000 for 5 crore poor families – a version of UBI ( Universal Basic Income )



May be , after vainly trying umpteen different schemes  towards “ Garibi Hatao “ for over 60 years, Congress has concluded :


There is no way to “ hatao garibi “ . There is no way to reduce / eliminate poverty ( - the WAR )



For the next few days , experts / economists and TV panelists , will hotly debate the pros and cons of this Congress announcement


I doubt whether a single opponent of this announcement will point out the greatest psychological damage this scheme will do to the very people ( 5 crore poor families ) it is supposed to help



This scheme will try to consolidate / re-confirm their belief that :


“ Poverty is our birth right. We are born poor / will die poor. Our only “nirvana” from this abject poverty is death “



Will any expert dare to tell these poor :


“ You are being drugged with an opium called election

 . The design of the grand old party is to ensure that you remain poor forever – so that it can throw crumbs at you every 5 years, to induce you to vote for them “



I hope that the BJP spokesperson on the TV panel has the courage to say :



We do not believe in feeding fish to a hungry man. We believe in teaching him, how to fish



As against that Rs 6000 / month announced by Congress, we propose to spend Rs 5,000 / month to impart SKILL toANY person , so that he / she can use that acquired skill to earn an honorable living and pull himself out of the perpetual poverty



If voted to power, we promise to implement :





We believe, any form of dole – by whatever name called – is :


Undisputed  Bad  Idea


-as explained in :


Universal  Basic  Income  ………………………….. 20  Jan  2017



The reason it is a bad idea is :


#  At its fundamental conceptual framework, a currency note denotes  “ Tangible Work 


#  Currency notes came into existence as a convenient way to “ Measure and Exchange “ , each other’s work


#  Handing over to anyone, a currency note without any exchange of WORK in return, is no more than getting
    someone else to put in that work


#  When a government , introduces UBI , it is handing out currency notes deposited in the exchequer by tax
    payers , ie: work put in by some other citizens


#  UBI may end up “ de-motivating “ the recipients from acquiring skills to pull themselves up with bootstraps


#  UBI will usher a “ dependency culture “ where the recipients always depend upon “ Sarkar Maa-Baap 


And , last but not the least :


#  Given the complexity of determining the target group – and its subsequent administering – UBI tends to become
    arbitrary / unwieldy and a breeding ground for corruption


Now , what could have emboldened the Congress to announce this scheme ?


Could it be a very high probability that it will never win enough seats in the LokSabha elections to form a government , and therefore, will not be called upon to implement this scheme ?


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26  March  2019



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