AgustaWestland scam

Is the cookie crumbling? The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is verifying the records of Special Protection Group (SPG) of Sonia Gandhi to cross-check several meetings of Sonia Gandhi with dealer Christian Michel for the past two decades. What must concern her is the fact that Michel’s driver has already told the agencies about their frequent meetings till October 2012, the last time Michel buzzed off from India after the AgustaWestland chopper purchase controversy blown up in their faces.

The CBI has found that Michel landed in India more than 300 times from 1998 onwards and was engaged in many deals related to the aviation sector including Indian Air Force purchases. Michel’s driver Narayan Bahadur’s confession is expected to be a big breakthrough for the CBI, as he had revealed where he took Michel in Delhi for the past two decades. CBI is expected to verify these aspects with the SPG Guards of Sonia also.

CBI is also verifying whether Sonia’s son-in-law Robert Vadra also had direct dealings with Christian Michel. Sonia Gandhi was also very close with Michel’s father, the late Wolfgang Michel, who was a big dealer in the aviation sector in India, Libya and UK etc. Many Research and Analytical Wing (RAW) officers wrote in their memoirs that former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao ordered RAW agents in London to watch whenever Sonia lands there and they have reported many times that she stayed at father Michel’s bungalow near River Thames.

Obviously the CLAN must have their mind terribly worked up with his extradition! You will now hear more lousy ‘shrills’ by the ‘gang’ along with their friendly press on ‘Rafale’ to hoodwink the public wishing at least some muck would stick.

Mudra – A game changer

Has Mudra loan scheme, a flag ship program of the NDA regime, created large bad loans?

Under Mudra scheme, over 14 crore beneficiaries have been disbursed more than Rs 7 lakh crores. This works out to an average of around 50 thousand per person! It is reported that 7%, of lending under Mudra has gone bad. This scheme removes the small vegetable venders and petty shop owners front the shackles of loan sharks. It improves their profitability and increases the self employment in the informal sector. Similar loan amount to big enterprises would generate lesser job opportunities. Also lesser likelihood of NPAs as there is an established norm for gradual loan enhancement depending upon the repayment records. ‘No phone call sanction of loans..’ and small venders are not Mallyas.

Financial services secretary Rajiv Kumar says that small borrowers are far more responsible and responsive than large corporate borrowers. “A borrower at the lower end is far more responsive, responsible and concerned about his reputation in the society and therefore, does not want to deliberately default,” he said.

“Around 74% of the beneficiaries under the scheme are women,” Kumar said, adding that Mudra has given support to these smaller entrepreneurs which is a necessity for social security and social inclusiveness.

He said the medium and small enterprises form the ‘missing middle’ which needs to be strengthened if India Inc needs to gain momentum.

There is a general observation that street venders and small shop owners who were so far under the clutches of loan hawks paying exorbitant interest rates, as well as small and medium scale business operators are availing under Mudra and earn better. This is also expected to improve the job creation in the informal ‘Pakora’ sector!

BJP’s flagship scheme is making impact in the market place….

Is Urjit Patel quitting office during the tenure, a unique case?

Excellent info on RBI Governors from Pramod Kumar Singh – Editor – The Pioneer

Dr YV Reddy had resigned during UPA-1(Sep 05, 2008).

Remember how A Ghose resigned within 20 days after his appointment (Feb 4, 85) after differences with Rajiv Gandhi Government.

M Narasimham (May 02, 1977 Nov 30, 77) had resigned after being for just 6 months in office as RBI Gov. Before Narsimhan,

NC Sen Gupta (May 19,75 to Aug 19,75) tendered his resignation as RBI Gov after 3 months.

Even venerable Dr Man Mohan Singh didn’t complete his 3 yr term as the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had removed him on January 14, 1985. Amitav Ghosh took his place only up to within 20 days before RN Malhotra took over.

Dr Manmohan Singh as the then Finance Minister in Narasimha Rao Govt had removed S Venkitaramnan as RBI Governor. Venkitaramnan an ex IAS had to go in 1 yr only as MMS wanted C Rangarajan as RBIGovernor

So much happened over the years! But, why Modi and his government are criticized now, as if the Institution (s) are loosing their “autonomy” now only!

Animals are more ethical than the savage humans?

I stumbled across a writing that talks of ethics in the animal kingdom, the virtue that is boasted to be the forte of the human race.

Even wolves, donkeys and monkeys seems to be having ethical codes. In a game if a cub bites too hard or continues to bite after the opponent has surrendered (as shown by rolling back), the other cubs would stop playing with him. Even in chimpanzees, the weak and the sicks that are let down by the group are adopted by the ‘alpha’ males.

Amazing isn’t it? Who taught them moral values? While human race invariably refers to the holy scriptures in search of ethical codes, evolution teaches all the living beings – it is in all DNAs!

Is Consciousness, which is the realm of only the humankind, not a prerequisite for practical ethics? How does one then explain this observation? But in any case, please don’t address, one who is brutal, as animal – as animals have ethics after all.

Defence sector PSUs

Whenever a private company is roped in for manufacturing in high technology area, our vocal media would be up with the arms protesting that Indian PSU counterparts such as HAL and BHEL have been overlooked for princely kickbacks! But in the space arena, ISRO is quietly scouting Elan Musk’s Space-X to launch its heavy satellites!

ISRO’s heavylifting rocket GSLV III can carry up to only four tonnes and is working to increase the lifting capability. Beyond the four tonne capacity, all heavier ISRO payloads are to be launched only by other agencies. Presently European spaceport in French Guiana is carrying out the task. ISRO is in talks with Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, to launch its heavier satellites. Why RaGa is not howling foul…? If he talks about this complex technology, I am sure, we are in for yet another ‘comedy time’….

Jokes apart, It is enviable that a much leaner and younger organisation, SpaceX has been able to carry out the task commercially successfully. Leave alone Musk’s ambitious Mars Mission that is bigger than our much touted ‘manned moon mission’.

We can go on blabbering our glorious historic past about the greatness of scientist Bhaskara and quoting epics on Ravana’s Pushpaka vimana and heave a big sigh!

அடை ப்ரதாபம்

சுஜாதாவின் எழுத்துக்கள் என்றுமே சுவையானவை. சமீபத்தில் சுட்ட ஒன்று…. அசை போடலாமா?

கேட்ட மாத்திரத்தில் “அட” என்று வியக்க வைக்கும் டிபன் “அடை” – அந்தக் காலப் பாட்டிகளின் ஃபேவரிட் பலகாரமும் அடையும் வெல்லமும்தான்!

மாலை வேளையில், மத்திய தர ஓட்டல்களின் கரும்பலகைகளில், பச்சை, சிவப்பு, நீலம் என பல வண்ண எல் ஈ டி பல்புகளின் ஒளிர்வில், இரண்டு ஸ்டார்களுடன் மெனுவின் கடைசி ஐட்டமாய் வசீகரிக்கும் சூப்பர் ஸ்டார், “அடை – அவியல்”!

இட்லி, தோசை, பூரி போன்ற ஃபாஸ்ட் பெளலர்கள் போரடித்தால், மாற்றுக்கு வரும் ஸ்பின் பெளலர் அடை! ( என்னது, உப்புமாவா? அவர் ட்வெல்த் மேன் – அவசரத்துக்கு கூப்பிட்டுக்கொ ’ல்லலா ’ம்!).

காலையில் ஊறவைத்த அரிசி, து.பருப்பு, க.பருப்பு கலவையை மதியம் காபி கடையுடன் (மதிய காபி நேரத்துக்கு செல்லப் பெயர்!) மிக்சியில் (அல்லது கல் உரலில்) இரண்டு, மூன்று மிளகாய் வற்றலுடன் சிறிது கரகரவென்று, கூழாக இல்லாமல் அரைப்பது, மாலை சற்றே தடிமலான ‘மொறு’’மொறு’ அடைக்கு உத்திரவாதம்!

மஞ்சளுக்கும், ஆரஞ்சுக்கும் இடைப்பட்ட ‘பீச்’ கலரில் அடைமாவு – சிறு சிறு புள்ளிகளாக சிவப்பு மிள்காய்த் துகள்கள், எடுத்த கரண்டியில் தளும்பாமல், ஸ்திரமாய் நிற்பது – தோசைக் கல்லில் நடுசெண்டரில் இருந்து மெதுவாகப் பரவத் தோதானது! சிறிது தாராளமாக வார்க்கப்படும் எண்ணை, தடிமனான அடையின் மெரூன் கலரில் முறுகலான ஓரங்களுக்கு முக்கியம்! அவ்வாறே அடையின் நடுவில் கீறப்படும் ஓட்டையில் விடும் எண்ணையும்!

கருவேப்பிலை, முருங்கை இலை, பொடியாக நறுக்கிய வெங்காயம், பல்லு பல்லாய் (சின்ன அழகிய அரிசிப்பல் போல!) தேங்காய்த் துண்டுகள், சிறு கத்தரித் துண்டுகள் சேர்ப்பதில் வேலை மெனக்கெடல் உண்டென்றாலும், அடையின் சுவைக்கு அவற்றின் பங்கு, அலாதியானது!

தோசையைப் போல் ஒல்லியாக வார்ப்பதுவும், ஓட்டல்கள் போல் ஒரு பக்கம் மட்டும் வேக வைப்பதுவும் அடைக்கு விரோதமானவை! மெரூன் கலரில் ‘க்ரிஸ்ப்’பான ஃப்ரில் ஓரங்களும், அங்கங்கே நம்மை முறைத்துப் பார்க்கும் தேங்காய்/ வெங்காயத் துண்டுகளும் நேசமான அடையின் அடையாளங்கள்!

லாரல் இணை ஹார்டியைப் போல் அடைக்கு இணை, அவியல்தான்! காய்கறிகளுடன் ஓடும அவியலைவிட, வைத்த இடத்தில் நிற்கும் ( ராமன் முதுகில் அம்பறாத்துணியில் சொறுகி வைத்த அம்புகளைப் போல், நீளமாய் வெட்டப்பட்ட உருளை, சேனை, பீன்ஸ், மாங்காய், கேரட் துண்டுகள் துருத்திக் கொண்டு நிற்பது அவசியம்!) அவியலே என் சாய்ஸ்!

நல்ல மோர்க்குழம்பு (நீரோட்டமான ‘கடி’ – வடநாட்டு மோ.கு. மாதிரி – இதற்கு உதவாது!), பல்லில்லாதவர்களுக்கு உதவும் வகையில் அடைக்கு ஏற்ற ஜோடி!

மிளகாய்ப் பொடி – நல்லெண்ணை // வெல்லம் – வெண்ணை // வீட்டில் வைத்த அரைத்துவிட்ட சின்ன வெங்காய சாம்பார் எல்லாம் என்னதான் ஜோடி சேர்ந்தாடினாலும், கொஞ்சம் ’ஆபத்துக்குப் பாவமில்லை’ ரகம்தான்!

கல்லிலிருந்து, நேராகத் தட்டுக்கு டிரான்ஸ்ஃபர் ஆகும் அடைகளுக்கு, உடனே வாயில் அடைக்கலம் கொடுப்பதுதான் நாம் அடைக்குச் செய்யும் மரியாதை. ஆறினது, ஹாட் பேக்கில் வியர்த்ததெல்லாம், ‘ஆறின கஞ்சி…..’ கதைதான்!

முதல்நாள் அடை மாவில், வெட்டிய வெங்காயம் சேர்த்து, நல்ல தேங்காய் எண்ணையில் மறுநாள் வார்க்கப்படும் முறுமுறு அடைக்கு ஒரு தனி மவுசும், ருசியும் உண்டு.- தே.எண்ணையுடன் சேர்ந்த மி.பொடியுடன் அந்த அடை உள்ளே செல்லும் ஒவ்வொரு முறையும் காதில் நாரத கானம் கேட்கும் பாக்கியம் பெறக்கூடும்!

ஆந்திர அன்பர்களின் அடை, ‘பெசரெட்’ – கொஞ்சம் அரிசியும், நிறைய பயத்தம்பருப்பும் சேர்ந்தது – தோசை போல மெல்லியதாக வார்த்து, மேலே பச்சைமிளகாய் விழுது, வெங்காயம், கொத்துமல்லி மற்றும் பெயர் தெரியா பொடிகள் தூவி ஒரு பக்கம் வேகவைத்த வஸ்து – தேங்காய் அல்லது கொத்தமல்லி கார சட்னியுடன் கண்ணில் நீரை வரவழைக்கும் டூயட்! இந்த பெசரெட்டின் நடுவில் ஒரு கரண்டி உப்புமாவை வைத்து மடித்துக் கொடுத்தால், அது ’’பெசரெட் உப்புமா” – நன்றாக இருந்ததாக என் சின்னப் பெண்ணின் திருமணத்தில் சாப்பிட்டவர்கள் சொன்னார்கள் – பெண்ணின் தோப்பனார் – எனக்கு பாக்கியம் இல்லை – நான் போனபோது தோசைக்கல்லும், கரண்டியும் மட்டும் கேட்பாரற்றுக் கிடந்தன!

அடையும் வெல்லமும் அந்தநாளைய பாட்டிகளின் பலகாரம் – ஆரோக்கியமானது. பருப்பில் புரதமும், வெல்லத்தில் இரும்புச் சத்தும் சேர்ந்து, ரத்தம் ஊறுகிறது – பாட்டிகளை மிஞ்சும் டயடீஷியன் இனிமேல்தான் பிறக்க வேண்டும்!

தயிர் சாதத்துக்கு, அடையும், மிளகாய்ப் பொடியும் நல்ல சைட் டிஷ் – அறியாதவர்கள், முயற்சித்து முக்தி அடையலாம்!

கொஞ்சமும் அடை ஜாடையே இல்லாத காரடையான் நோன்பு வெல்ல அடைக்கும்,, உப்பு அடைக்கும் அந்தப் பெயர் ஏன் வந்தது – தெரிந்தவர்கள் சந்தேகத்தைத் தீர்த்து, சொந்த செலவில் பக்கத்து ஓட்டலில் அடையுடன் வெண்ணை முழுங்கி பிறவிப் பயன் அடையலாம்!

இது வரை சுஜாதா. இனி எனது அடை…..எனது அண்ணாமலை பல்கலை நண்பனுடன சுஜாதாவின் அடையை அசை போடும்போது கூறியது அடையை விடவும் சுவையாக இருந்தது: அந்த காலகட்டத்தில் இரண்டாவது காட்சி பார்த்து விட்டு விடுதிக்கு திரும்பும்போது, சிதம்பரம் பொறியியல் மாணவர்கள் மத்தியில் மிகவும் பாபுலரான ஸ்டேஷன் ரோடு நடுநிசி மாமி மெஸ்ஸில் அடைமாவுடன் தோசை மாவையும் கலந்து வார்க்கும் ‘தோடையின்’ சுவையே அலாதியாம். அடை கொஞ்சம் *ஹெவி* ஆதலால் இரவில் சாப்பிட்டால் அஜீரணத்தின் ஆதார ஸ்ருதியாமே?

நான் பரிசுத்தமான ‘டேஸ்காலர்’!! எனக்கு சிதம்பரம் மாமி மெஸ் பரிச்சயமில்லை. வீட்டு மாமியிடம் வேண்ட உத்தேசம். அங்க எப்படி?

Is India not yet a fertile ground for democracy?

Renowned constitutional expert Fali Naiman quotes a foreigner ‘Austin’ and makes a startling revelation: India’s soil is not very fertile enough for democracy to bloom, due to its traits and ingrained experience that its citizens have been inculcated over centuries that honed their attitudes! Unfortunately this powerful and omnipresent ‘culture’ has not been fully given prominence in the principles enshrined in the constitution, namely, Protecting and enhancing national unity and integrity, Establishing institutions of democracy and Fostering social reforms. It is this missing link that led to the interpretation of “citizens’ needs” as “citizens’ fundamental rights”. Could this glaring omission, of the ‘needs’ being misinterpreted as ‘Lakshman Rekha’, have been responsible for the present ‘Sabarimala conundrum’?

The constitutional experience of seven decades experiment has failed at least in this ‘test case’, with the bench refusing to look beyond the existing framework and brought the State to a Kurukshetra like war front where it is to ‘shoot’ their citizens just because Supreme Court says ‘you do it’. Bench is neither ‘Krishna’ nor its verdict ‘Geetha’ leave alone the Pinarayi Vijayan being ’Arjun’.

Whether the onerous responsibility of providing constitutional flexibility lies with the judiciary or legislature? If judiciary fails to accept the fact that social reforms cannot be realised without respecting Social structures, then the sovereign power of legislature shall step in to decide how far we are able to move and at what pace.

Is any honourable solution springing up in the distant horizon to the present plight of the Ayyappa Cult? One of the options, Rewriting of constitution is not a viable resolution but, there is another: ‘the Narasimha Rao solution’: put the riddle in the cold storage for the present – it is time that would answer all the imbroglios. Let it delay and decay…Allow the storm to settle down….

Envious British

The British tabloid ‘Daily News’ cribs over the building of the statue of unity: “In the 56 months it took to construct the £330million Statue of Unity, UK taxpayers gave India £1.17billion in foreign aid”. Earlier in similar tones was a commentary when Modi announced the country’s ambitious manned space sojourn. Why are the British are sulking over our efforts and link them to its Forget aid?

After it was kicked out of India in 1947, Britain kept up the pretence that it is fascinated by India and has strong cultural bonds. But in recent years that mask has slipped. India’s relentless rise to prosperity coupled with Britain’s steep decline with poverty and hunger being not uncommon, there is a real heartburn. As Indian companies started snapping up the crown jewels of British industry (Corus, Land Rover, Jaguar) the colonial aversion for Indians soured and swollen.

India’s growing prosperity and influence is a ‘pain in their neck’. In 2008, when an Indian spacecraft discovered water on the moon, the British media was aghast that India was wasting its resources on such high-tech gimmicks while it has hundreds of millions of poor people. A year later when India launched its first nuclear submarine, the British questioned India’s need for such expensive weapons when according to the Brits more than 800 million people survived on $2 a day. Indians are hearing this old record being played repeatedly and they are tired of it.

Let it not be forgotten: Britain alone is responsible for India’s poverty. Britain’s rapacious colonialism turned India from the world’s richest country in the 1700s to one of the poorest by the time the British were kicked out in 1947. Within the span of 190 years, the British also killed at least 60 million Indians through wars, displacement of populations and artificially created famines. Their leaders didn’t hide their despicability to this country either: Winston Churchill, who described Indians as a “beastly race”, caused the deaths of nearly four million Indians in 1943-44 by diverting food from India to Europe. It is known as the Great Bengal Famine during which the daily calorie intake of Indians was lower than that of the Jews in Germany’s death camps. The celebrated Charles Dickens, desired to ‘exterminate the race’ after the 1857 war! Such was the respect we had from the English.

It is not that British have plundered our country of its wealth but also ruined the culture and educational system! In order to govern the country effectively they had arranged a detailed survey of not only the wealth but the prevailing educational system; came to the conclusion that unless that is disfigured and a new system to suit their ends, is introduced, they can’t rule this huge country; the outcome of the survey was Lord McCauley’s edict which was adopted in British parliament that reads thus:

‘We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions we govern – a class of persons who are Indians in colour and blood, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals and in intellect’

Have we lost a golden opportunity to revive ourselves soon after independence, due to this new class of pseudo-Indians?

Macauley’s education was introduced in india soon after the passage of English Education Act in 1835, which made the regional languages secondary to English ruining our already embattled heritage and knowledge by the Muslim rulers!

But we continued to be ruled by British in temperament long after ‘independence’… Our erstwhile prime ministers were living in an utopia of fascination and loyalty to the British even in their attire and outreach. But times are changing. No more sermons please! what a self respecting Indian now needs from Britain is an apology and not Her aids! It is indeed a true reality that outer skin and inner heart have totally different hues for this Brit!

Power companies under stress

Another storm is brewing… Now on the bailing out of three private power producers whose couldn’t repay the loan; As per the norms of IBC, they have become bankrupt and should be referred to NCLT. But an alternate strategy is worked out to save power generation capacity.

Due to the increased cost of coal imported from Indonesia for the power plants, after the power purchase agreement (PPA) has been approved, the companies wanted to charge additionally compensatory tariff to offset the increase. The top court by its order of April 11, 2017 had set aside the decisions of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and Appellate Tribunal for Electricity allowing the power producers to charge compensatory tariff.

Based on the power producers’ plea, the government constituted a high power review committee. With its recommendation, SBI, which is part of a consortium of banks that funded close to 35000 Crores to the three Gujarat based power producers with a capacity of around 5200 MW, has moved the SC to permit revision of PPA with compensatory tarrif for the Indonesian coal.

While on one hand it may look logical to raise the tarrif, the government’s mediation may appear odd as such actions are not forthcoming in other stressed sectors such as steel. One argument could also be ’the power companies would not pass on the benefit of any reduction in the tarrif, had the fuel prices come down’. Even if the assets are sold through NCLT, there would be any buyers without the compensatory tarrif is another matter.

As one of the three power producers is Adani, (the others being TATA and ESSAR), Raga, whether he understands ABC of the intricacies, would tweet ‘Modi gives thousands of crores of tax payers’ money to Adani’!

DeMo followup: Money laundering shell companies getting closed

I can’t resist sharing my joy on the success of the various ongoing cleaning activities in the the way business is carried out in this country. Striking of over 2.6 lakhs of shell companies to put off the money laundering and tax evasion, enforcement of GST to bring under the tax net all the evaders, and IBC are only a few in the list.

IBC is enforcing discipline in payback of loans. All along, the Nexus between corporate houses and the unscrupulous bankers have been bleeding the PSUs by ‘loan restructuring’ essentially ‘a hair cut’ for the lenders and hence loss of public money. This practice of seeking waivers from the banks, is now a thing of the past. IBC mandates either pay back the debt fully or loose control. Would any indian family like to loose its jewels?

An abject Lesson, for those corporate houses who have been squeezing the lending banks, is the way Ruias is now being taught. It all started in Aug 2017, when NCLT admitted insolvency plea against Essar Steel by SBI. After a series of court battles among the fierce bidders, Committee of Creditors, got the highest bid from Arcelor Mittal. When they were about to vote for accepting the bid, Ruias who are the promoters of the steel major, submitted fo full settlement that would be around Rs 17000 crore more than the bid received. This will lead to not only maximum recovery for lenders but also of other classes such as operational creditors and workmen and employees!

Why Ruias are eager to pay back the loan so lately now and not earlier? With the steel business slowly picking up, the promoters are desperate not to loose control of their gem.

Though the offer is attractive from the lenders perspective, the latest twist will lend itself to myriad of interpretations. This would be a classic lesson for wilful defaulters.