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

Monday 28 September 2020

Electoral Reforms / Tatagath Sathpathy / Pratham Mittal / NETA mobile app

 

Dear Tathagat,

 

 

Just enjoyed reading your following article in yesterday’s Mumbai Mirror :

 

The Parliament that was

https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/others/sunday-read/the-parliament-that-was/articleshow/78342005.cms

 

At one place you write :

 

“  This made me realise that Indian democracy, as envisioned by those who drafted our constitution, was meant to be such that every individual was merely a representative of his or her constituency…. They were meant to be the voice of people..  “

 

 

I believe the MPs / MLAs do not consider themselves , “ accountable / answerable “ to the people who elect them . Once elected, their loyalty shifts to their “ Party Bosses “ because these bosses will decide whether he will be given a ticket during the next election

 

If a MP / MLA know ( through enacting appropriate law ), that they can be “ recalled “ by the voters if those voters conclude that he has “ failed to represent their voice / failed in performing his duty to the constituency “, then these legislators would behave very differently in the parliament

 

I am not saying that this is an easy / straightforward solution , nor do I fool myself by thinking that any MP / MLA or any political party , would willingly “ introduce / promote “ such a bill  !

 

[ Ref : *  ROMP :  A Panacea ?  ( 06  Aug  2016  ) ]

But it is heartening that Pratham Mittal has made a beginning in this direction .

 

Ref : Pratham Mittal founder of Neta App - exclusive interview, Harnessing Technology for Good Governance

 

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2018/08/congratulations-pratham-mittal.html

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prathammittal/

 

https://www.linkedin.com/company/outgrow.co/

 

 

From video-link above, I understand that Mobile App NETA ( developed by Pratham Mittal ) has a feature to conduct “ Surveys / Exit Polls “ etc

 

I am marking a copy of this mail to Pratham ( p@outgrow.co ) to examine if NETA can be modified to incorporate suggestion that I made in :

 

VotersWill   …………………( 03 Nov 2018 ) /   https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2018/11/voterswill.html

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh  /  hcp@RecruitGuru.com

CC: 

Dear Pratham Mittal,

Thoroughly enjoyed your interview-video on Youtube , where you talked about :

Authentication / validation ( also the fact that user’s Phone No is NOT stored )

Data gathered is publicly available

You are NOT selling the data

As of now, you have no plan to “ monetize “the data being compiled

Your goal is “ to change the way, politics is played “

Your idea is to “ develop trust and credibility “

By the political parties , it is difficult to “ Game “ the data

Political Parties, do not look upon you ( NETA app ), as adversaries

Yours is a small team of 20 / 25 persons ( ave age of 26 years )

NETA has 28 million users

NETA has a feature to conduct “ Surveys / Exit Polls “

A user can see his “ own rating score “ for a given neta and also get to see the “ aggregate rating “

NETA app is designed to “ Engage the citizen with Political Parties “

NETA app provides full information of a Candidate , such as Assets – Liabilties etc

Using NETA , political parties can run “ Funding Campaign “ in a fully transparent manner – thereby eliminating the need for Electoral Bonds

Your goal is to make NETA, a “ One Stop “ political engagement tool   

This is in continuation of my following earlier email :

 

pr@neta.co.in / Tue 12-Mar-19 5:26 PM

Dear Pratham Mittal,

 

Once again , a hearty congratulations for re-launching this app when elections are just around the corner [ I saw the full page ad in today’s Times of India ]

 

I hope ROMP will follow soon

 

Regards,

 

hemen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: Tathagata Satpathy [mailto:tatzaudi@yahoo.com]


Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2017 12:57 PM


To: Hemen Parekh

 


Subject: Re: IN PERPETUAL ELECTION MODE ?

 

Cases against me are related to Defamation on articles/news published in my newspapers of which I am the Editor. False or true is not relevant. All I am saying is that even though Defamation is a Criminal offence, the cases have nothing to do with politics.

 




Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

On Sunday, December 17, 2017, 8:45 AM, Hemen Parekh <hcp@recruitguru.com> wrote:

Dear Tathagata ,

Glad you liked my blog

 Without doubt , there must be many false cases like in your case

 But , I suppose getting your name cleared , must be uppermost in your mind

 Somehow , in India , for past 7 decades , DEMOCRACY has been only equated with ELECTIONS

 To know , what kind of ELECTORAL REFORMS , we need – and urgently – You may want to read my following blog

 I have also written many blogs on “ Information Technology impacting on Privacy “

 Warm Regards,

 Hemen Parekh / Mumbai / +91 98675 50808

3P Consultants \ Strategic Human Resources Consultants

 PS :

 Each of my blogs , is sent to the Central Cabinet / NITI Aayog ( - and now , to PM – Economy Advisory Council )  

 

 

Reforming Elections and Lok Sabha [ REaL ]

 

Dear Shri Narendrabhai ,

 

During your speech at a rally in Kanpur recently , you spoke about issues concerning ,

 *  SIMULTANEOUS ELECTIONS  *  POLITICAL DONATIONS  *  WORKING OF LOK SABHA

 In respect of these , I have earlier sent to you ( as E Mails ) , some of my blogs listed below each issue

 Obviously , final solutions in respect of each issue , must necessarily emerge from a country-wide debate among all citizens

 I urge you to get NITI Aayog to frame suitable QUESTIONNAIRES ( one for each issue ) and invite citizens to vote ONLINE , on all government web sites

 NITI Aayog may also want to consider conducting these ONLINE SURVEYS , through Mobile Apps, as you recently did in respect of demonetization

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

 

 

 

MY  BLOGS ( This is not a complete list of my E Mails sent to Cabinet Ministers ) :

 " Election Reforms " Summarized

  

 

·        Finding  Candidate  Information

 

 

·         Presidential  or coalition  Government  ?

 

·         Electoral  Reforms Capsule  :  A bitter pill  ?

 

·         Reforming  Elections and  Lok  Sabha

 

·         One  Nation , One  Vote  ?

 

·         Constitutional  Coalition Aftershocks

 

·         A  Blue  Print  for VotesApp  ?

 

·         EVM:  as susceptible  as  MOM  ?

 

·         #EVMBahana

 

·         We  are not  bribing  the Voters  !

 

·         Model  Code of  ( Hypocrite  ) Conduct

 

·         Let  us begin  at  the Beginning !

 

·         A  Freebie that  cannot  be faulted

 

·         How  will political  parties  survive ?

 

·         Simultaneous  Elections : What  do  you think  ?

 

·         One  Poll : One  Time

 

·         Advantage  Incumbent ?

 

·         The  Greatest Reform

 

·         One  day polling  is  possible

 

·         Honey  !  Ishrunk  the  EVM  !

 

·         Perennial  Poll Promises

 

    

 

 

 

Dear  Shri  Narendrabhai ,

 

I urge you to initiate action on these ELECTORAL REFORMS , before people lose all faith in the ability of our DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM to alleviate their miseries

 

with regards,

 

hemendra  parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com

 

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

 

21  Dec  2016

 

 

www.hemenparekh.in / blogs

 

 

From: Tathagata Satpathy [mailto:tatzaudi@yahoo.com]
Sent: 15 December 2017 23:39
To: Hemen Parekh
Subject: Re: IN PERPETUAL ELECTION MODE ?

 

Dear Mr Parekh,

This is an amazing work sheet.

Thank you for sending this to me.

I am named in this group of MPs and have many cases against me. 

ALL and every single one of them is a Defamation case filed by bureaucrats' family members in connection to news published in two of my daily newspapers against government corruption.

Yes, the future is going to be interesting indeed.

Best wishes. 

Tathagata Satpathy

MP Lok Sabha

Dhenkanal, Orissa


Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

On Wednesday, December 13, 2017, 16:16, Hemen Parekh <hcp@recruitguru.com> wrote:

 

 

 

From: Hemen Parekh [mailto:hcp@recruitguru.com]


Sent: 13 December 2017 16:13

 

 


To: Cabinet Ministers
Cc: ssbhalla@gmail.com; bibek.debroy@gov.in; ashima@igidr.ac.in; rr1@nipfp.org.in; ratanp.watal@gov.in; ceo-niti@nic.in; cm@maharashtra.gov.in; cmbihar@nic.in; Indian Think Tanks; hcp@recruitguru.com

 

 

 

 


Subject: IN PERPETUAL ELECTION MODE ?

 

 

2019 : Nightmare Year ?

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

 

 

 

In his book “ 1984 “ ,George Orwell imagined the nightmare of the State surveillance of private lives of the citizens of the World

 

 

I envisage year 2019 as a nightmare year for the politicians of India

 

 

Look at following news appearing in today’s Times of India :

 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/courts-for-netas-will-have-to-dispose-of-4-6-cases-per-day/articleshow/62044470.cms

 

 

 

 

“ Govt to set up 12 spl courts to try 1,581 MPs and MLAs “

 

 

 

Highlights :

 

·         228………. Members of Parliament to be tried in two special courts

 

·         13,500 … Approx number of total pending cases

 

·         1,125 ….. Number of cases that each special court will have to decide in a year

 

·         242……..  Number of days trial courts normally function in a year

 

·         4.6………  Ave number of cases per day, each special court will have to dispose off

 

 

 

I assume that ,

 

 

·         it will be May 2018 , by the time these Special Courts start working – more than 4 YEARS after the Supreme Court directed the Centre to set up these courts

 

·         these “ Super Efficient “ courts will refuse to grant any “ Postponement Dates “ to the accused and not only conclude within ONE HOUR ( whether the accused was guilty or not ) but also announce the VERDICT , on the spot ( remember , 4.6 cases / day ? )

 

·         there cannot be any “ Appeal “ against the judgements of these special courts

 

·         some 365 MPs / MLAs ( out of those 1581 accused ) will be found GUILTY

 

 

·         the Speakers of the Lok Sabha / Rajya Sabha , will get court order copies within 7 days

 

·         the Speakers will disqualify , within 7 days , those MPs / MLAs who are declared guilty and who have been handed out sentences of 5 years or more

 

·         the Election Commission will receive these “ Disqualification Notifications “ in 7 days

 

·         the Election Commission will announce re-election dates within 30 days for seats falling vacant

 

·         these Elections will start from Dec 2018  and stretch throughout 365 days of 2019

 

 

·         to ensure proper / timely availability of Election officers / police / EVMs / polling booths / presiding officers / school-teachers / transport etc , spread over 28 States , no more than ONE ELECTION will be conducted PER DAY ( - for each of 365 days of 2019 ! )

 

I had envisaged this scenario , as far back as MAY  2014 , in :

 

All Seasons Are Election Seasons

https://myblogepage.blogspot.in/2014/05/all-seasons-are-election-seasons.html

 

2019 will be a nightmare year , not only for the politicians but also for the voters !

 

But it will be a bonanza year for :

 

·         Newspapers ( Advt earnings )

 

·         Outdoor Publicity Companies ( Hoardings )

 

·         Helicopter Companies ( to ferry candidates / campaigners )

 

·         Truck Rental Companies ( to ferry voters )

 

·         Event Management Companies ( organizing Sabhas / Rallies )

 

·         Printing Presses ( printing of pamphlets / brochures / posters )….etc

 

Karl Marx may have said , " Religion the is the opium of Masses "



In India , it seems , " Elections are the opium of the Masses " !

 

In 2019 , expect  DEMOCRACY  to  be working  24*365 !

 

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

 

 

13  Dec  2017