Amongst all news of gloom and doom there is some good news from the Reliance group.
India’s Reliance Petroleum has started processing crude oil at its new refinery, creating the world’s biggest refining complex. The $6 billion project will make the oil complex in Jamnagar in Gujarat the world’s single biggest supplier of fuels to the global market, pumping out 1.24 million bpd of ultra-clean fuels.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has also commenced production of hydrocarbons in its KG-D6 block of Krishna Godavari Basin with the production of crude oil on 17th September 2008. The field is initially producing about 5,000 barrels of crude per day and is expected to reach its peak hydrocarbon production of 5,50,000 BOEPD over the next six to eight quarters.
A first of its kind hydrocarbons production from any deep water field in the country, Reliance KG-D6 will account for 40% of country’s current indigenous hydrocarbon production. It is estimated that the production from KG-D6 facility will save India an annual foreign exchange outflow of US$20 billion.
It is very important that India reduce its dependence on imported Oil. To do that we need to develop not only new oil exploration initiatives but also initiate new forms of energy and new ways of using it like – wind, solar, hydel and other new technologies.
Who says there is recession?
There is a company in India – Green House Promoters Private Limited, which recorded a huge ‘domestic’ turnover of Rs 755 crore in the very first year of its operations. Of course it is a mere coincidence that Union Telecom Minister A Raja’s wife MA Parameswari, is a director in that company.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/143633/Zero-to-Rs-755-crore-in-1-year!.html
The telecom minister is accused of deliberately under-pricing telecom spectrum — a scarce national resource, especially in cities and allotting it to a clutch of privately-owned mobile telecommunications companies, thereby causing a huge loss to the exchequer.
Why can’t there be simple guideline – All government licenses will be auctioned.
It is now increasingly clear that Pakistan as a nation is unsafe for the entire world. It supports Al Qaeda, destroyed Afghanistan and has been continuing the policy of death by 1000 cuts against India. Worldwide, most of the terrorist planning and operation is done from Pakistan and is a safe haven for terrorists.
It is now time to reverse the policy of death by 1000 cuts on to Pakistan by taking some action like:
- The main reason for the Pakistan to swagger and overconfidence is that no action will be taken against it for any misdemeanour is because they have Nuclear weapons. It is time to de nuclarise Pakistan by coercive diplomacy.
- All compensation claims in case of any terrorist event arising from Pakistani citizens (stateless or otherwise) should be forwarded to Pakistan government. They must pay for their actions – in Cash.
- In every terrorist attack, there is always an ISI connection. It is not only a nuisance for other countries but even its own politicians. The local politicians must be convinced to dismantle ISI for their own survival.
- Restrict the number of visas issued to Pakistanis wanting to visit India. Most of terrorists and their planners would have visited Mumbai several times on a recce visit before executing the attack.
- Stop all trade with Pakistan. Their GDP is on a decline and they are importing most of their daily consumption items especially food stuff.
- Call off all cricketing ties. As our sports minister told us they can’t send a team to Mumbai to kill and then expect us to be playing cricket. Also the PCB is financially dependent on Indo-Pak matches for most of the revenue.
- Don’t give work visas to Pakistani actors for TV & Bollywood. Much hyped the people to people contact has not helped.
- Pakistan may disintegrate anytime so the Indian government must start negotiating with local politicians especially those from Sindh & Baloch governors. India must give up the thought that you can’t change the neighbours.
- Pakistan is a bankrupt country. It survives on loans by IMF. India must force the IMF do give conditional aid and arrange to dismantle the terrorists infrastructure.
War is not an option, but taking no action would be worse. Just arresting few people only to be released later will not send a positive sign. This policy must be pursued till time they hand over the 40 people demanded by the government of India.
India is burning with rage. Everybody wants some action on Pakistan. But our government is quiet. There is absolutely no political leadership or direction in our country. While we are able to produce highly rated professionals in software development, management, finance etc, why do we have such dumb people in politics?
Meanwhile the media has slyly shifted the anger of average citizen from those in power (UPA) to politicians in general. For once Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was right. The society in general is trivializing the most important issue facing the country today, i.e – SECURITY.
We must understand the enormity of the problem and not deviate from the main issues.
Some of the main questions me must ask are:
- What happens if there is another terrorist attack?
- What is being done to eliminate Dawood Ibrahim’s gang?
- How are people getting houses on rent or sim cards without proper verification?
- Why are we not using our technical skills in software development, space etc on security?
- Why is the Pakistani society living in denial & how to handle them?
Instead of asking the above difficult questions, the media is covering sms messages, candle light vigils, secular rants. While asking for accountability is good there are some who are exhorting citizens not to vote, don’t pay taxes etc. These issues are not only trivial but dangerous, if implemented.
Instead of beating around the bush we all should launch an initiative to recall the ineffective UPA government before it is too late.
At least 200 people including 25 foreigners have been killed in attack by terrorists in Mumbai. It was the most violent terror attack on India and struck at the city’s most high-profile targets including the landmark Taj Hotel at the Gateway and the luxury Oberoi Trident. The attacks have also taken a tragic toll on the Mumbai’s top police brass and the high-profile chief of the anti-terror squad (ATS) Hemant Karkare was killed.
The target – Indian Economy
India is not a third world country anymore. Yes it is a developing economy with several poor people, but in an atmosphere of gloom and doom in the global economy, India is one of the very few countries with over 8% growth rate. The terrorists have struck at main symbols of prestige and targeted the elite business community. The impact on the minds of the Indian Industrialists, business community and investor would be enormous but short lived because Indian economy is not too globally integrated.
The perpetrator – Pakistan
As usual all leads point to Pakistan. The terrorists came from Karachi and were constantly in touch with their bosses in Pakistan. The victims were profiled and killed especially Jews. The terrorist caught has confessed to being from Faridkot, recieved training in Muzaffarabad and came from Karachi city in Pakistan. Also satellite phone, ammuninations and mobiles recovered from Terrorists are from Pakistan.
The operation – Army Way
There are 3 ways to solve a problem – the right way, the wrong way & the army way. There may be several armchair critics who would argue that it could have been planned better, but in such a tight situation, it was executed very methodically. During the entire operation there was no argument, no discussion, no, hostage, no ransom – just action. The NSG commandos came, completed the assignment and moved out. Yes, they acted as though they had no hostage situation but then they were dealing with cold blooded Mad Animals.
Our government – Absolute Failure
Also it is a complete failure on the part of the UPA government. Instead of giving pseudo secular statements the prime minister must now act. The Home Minster, Shivraj Patil is treated as totally incompetent by all sections of the country. There have been so many bomb blasts since the UPA government took over that it seems there is no central intelligence and police working at all.
It is the thought going through all NRI’s today. As employment opportunities dry up in western economies and rising crime makes life unbearable. Most educated NRI’s are thinking of coming home. In a sombre status of global economy, India can boast of a sound financial system, international standard schooling for kids and a relatively booming economy.
In this latest article in New York Times an NRI shares his enthusiasm for all things Indian:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/weekinreview/23anand.html?ref=weekinreview
Some of it is old cliché. Ignore that part and be proud that today India is being portrayed in positive light. At least in International media!
The world is presently going through an economic crisis. The problem began with
US banks who gave high-risk loans to people with poor credit histories. These loans were then bundled into portfolios, high yield securities and sold to investors globally. As the news of US banks collapse tricked in, every country initially thought they were not affected by it. But soon the whole world realized that the global economy is very interdependent. Growth has slowed down considerably, world is in recession and already few countries have been declared bankrupt.
India has also been affected by the global slowdown. There has been a huge outflow of funds. Stock market has collapsed, exports are down and there is news of job cuts & layoffs across several sectors. The Indian government goading over 10% growth has suddenly been caught unawares. However there is a ray of hope also. We are still not completely integrated with the global economy – especially the badly hit banking, finance and insurance sectors. Some of the steps that we can implement in order to insulate our self from the global recession:
• Implement cost savings across all sectors and reduce unnecessary spending
• Invest in long term projects like roads and infrastructure
• Reduce Imports and discourage corporate and private capital outflows
• All securities, savings and extra cash be deposited in PSU Banks
• Monitor fund inflows and outflows on a regular basis to discourage currency fluctuations
For the Indian economy managers, there are several lessons to be learned from the global economic crises. Like – Focusing on building a strong domestic economy based on local consumption. Strengthening regulating agencies such as SEBI. And most important – not depending entirely on international consultant’s, agencies and regulators.
The media industry in India is very competitive. In order to grab maximum viewer attention TV Channels organise interviews, debates & TV shows on controversial subjects. Some of the popular TV shows are big fight, devils advocate etc. These TV shows are manipulated cleverly by TV channels to grab highest TRP’s. Instead of raising the issues as right vs wrong, the moderator talks on Hindus vs Muslims or Hindus vs Christians. There are invariably some people in the debate and audience who have pathological dislike towards Hindus and openly represent the views of terrorists, evangelists and separatists.
Some of the prominent loonies are:
- Shabana Azmi – is one of the leading actresses of Indian Cinema. Recently in an interview she said that she could not buy a flat in Mumbai due to religious discrimination. She should have gone ahead and named the reason (lack of trust) on why it is happening, rather than blaming the overall society. Almost all the Indian Mujahadin terrorists caught by police are highly educated Muslims. This reflects an inherent problem in their own mindset and not discrimination in society towards minorities.
- John Dayal- is a Christian activist. He quotes the constitution every time on freedom of religion issue. But never raises the issue of discrimination within the Christians & Dalit Christians. The fact is Dalit Christians have segregated churches, cemeteries, services and even processions. Conversion to Christianity does not free Dalits of the bondages of caste system. Today discrimination is a class not birth or caste problem and it can be resolved by change in their economic status.
- Teesta Setalvad – is a Mumbai based civil rights activist. Highly aggressive and talks in such a shrill voice that she even forgets the issue the debate is about. She is a classic case of a person indulging in majority bashing in the name of secularism. Her replies are so crass that even if the debate is on gender equality she raises the issue of Gujarat riots! Her organization Communalism Combat receives funds from the Congress Party & the Communist Party of India.
- Mahesh Bhatt – is a prominent film director, producer and screenwriter. He has had some personal problems with his dad. And he removes all his frustration on Hindus in general and views every Hindu as a fundamentalist. Always taking the so called secular stand, he doesn’t know that the dictionary meaning of the word secularism i.e, ‘not connected with religion’. When you talk about fundamentalism in India you cannot talk in exclusive term, but compare it with the minority rights and privileges in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Israel, Vatican etc.
- Arundhati Roy – is a writer and activist. She is an anti-national roaming around freely. Recently she was in news for advocating freedom for Kashmir. She is unaware about its consequence on the rest of the population of the subcontinent as the devastation will be nothing short of partition. It is very tragic that she chooses to use her intelligence and analytical abilities on unsound, irrational and anti national issues such as condemning USA, Israel and conducting trial by media on issues such as parliament attack and recently the Batla house encounter.
The main problem with such people is that they don’t convince but confuse people. The above loonies don’t realize the harm they are doing to their own community. They don’t take a balanced stand and never mention contentious issues such as partition, persecution of Hindus in Kashmir, Haj subsidies, gross exploitation of Muslim women. All their arguments revolve around Gujarat riots, Babri Masjid, alienation of minorities, constitutional privileges for minorities etc.
They are openly promoting anti Hinduism & anti nationalism in the garb of secularism and democracy.
Media is the most powerful tool to reach a large section of audience and inform them about the latest happenings.
However organized media is easily converted into propaganda. That is sending a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions of large numbers of people. As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda in its most basic sense presents information in order to influence its audience.
Propaganda often presents facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis, or gives loaded messages in order to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented.
The desired result is a change in mindset of the target audience to further a political agenda.
The mass media in India was generally considered as autonomous, impartial and fair in reporting. However in recent times it has lost a great deal of respect especially after the parliament vote for cash – tapes issue. The media has become judgemental, partial and to a large extent controlled & influenced by a certain group of people with vested interests.
There are several instances where it has not played an fair & objective role:
1. Our parliament was recently witness to the most shameful act in democratic history. MP’s were being bought by the UPA to stay in power in the recent trust vote. Rajdeep Sardesai was aware of the scandal and betrayed those who were managing the sting operation. He is the managing editor of the channel CNN IBN that was conducting the sting operation and he personally ensured that the tapes were not telecast that day.
2. Suicide of a Muslim man who married a Hindu girl received huge coverage. It sparked of candle light vigils, discussions etc. But a murder of a Hindu man by his muslim In-laws exactly during that time, received absolutely no coverage.
3. Thousands of Kashmiri Hindu’s were killed and millions displaced from their homes.They are forced to live like refugees in their own country. There is a shocking silence on this issue with absolutely no media coverage, interviews etc to tell their side of story.
4. In almost every exit poll before election results, the media portrays BJP as a loser. It has become so repetitive that most pollsters and journalists have lost credibility. Even a roadside Chai Wala is able to predict the polls better that our so called election survey experts. It appears to be a direct attempt to influence the voter.
5. All news involving Dalits or scheduled castes are shown as symbols of Hindu caste oppression. Whereas most such ghastly acts are simple cases of criminal intent with economic status and not caste being the major issue. Similar acts of discrimination within other religions are never taken up by the mainstream media.
6. M.F Hussain is glorified by liberals to attack and portray Hindus as fanatics. But there was no media noise when an absorbing Hollywood movie – Da Vici Code was banned and there were several violent protests across the country.
The main reasons for the selective propaganda by Indian media could be:
- Most leading journalists and media barons are Christians ( Pranoy Roy )
- They are educated and indoctrinated in Christian run institutes like Stephens college (Rajdeep Sardesai)
- The media companies in India are completely in control by western companies through cross holdings (CNN, NBC, Viacom).
- The media is advertising driven and almost all leading Ad companies in India are foreign subsidiaries of global Ad companies.
The propaganda unleashed by the Indian media can be countered by supplementing the existing media channels and using internet as a tool to spread truth. Already in most western countries, TV and newspaper viewings are rapidly shrinking. Using Internet, ordinary individuals now have the same tools of potential exposure on a scale comparable to large media companies.
So switch off your TV remote and start blogging!
There has been a shootout in Delhi and spate of arrests recently related to the bomb blasts that spread terror and grief across the country. Unlike the general perception the terrorists caught are not poor madrasa educated Muslims but highly educated professionals belonging to well off families. They are Muslim software engineers, MA economics, electrical engineers, & MBA’s.
In a shocking action the Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor, Mushirul Hasan had stated that the university would bear the cost of legal aid of its two students who were arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the Delhi blasts.
There is no problem in providing legal aid, but is it his money? No, Jamia Millia is a central government university and has been funded by hard working citizen & tax payer’s money. If the vice chancellor is actively funding and supporting terrorists, then how will the students behave? In his single misguided step he has castigated the entire University as a terror sponsoring organization.Also it is the first time in the history of nation state that a ruling government is funding terrorists.
What is next – will Prof Mushirul give the JM university students, bomb making training?
Pl. comment.
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