Travelling in a double decker train is thrilling with a mix of adventure and the people do relish it. Now that there is a proposal to enhance the speed of the double decker train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to 130 km an hour, the question that obviously arises is that of safety. Though railway authorities claim having taken ample measures to ensure safety but that can’t be taken just on its face value for the reason that such measures are not new ones and despite that the accidents in railways have been a routine mishap. A double decker train being too big in height is much more prone to several kinds of mishaps. The bullet train, Prime Minister Modi’s dream project, is likely to run on Indian rail tracks shortly and the question of safety is linked to that also because of the speed factor. Nice that such projects are in the offing from the view point of passengers convenience and developmental activities in the country but the first and foremost necessity is to be doubly sure on safety and security before they are launched in physical terms.
Thursday, 18 September 2014
High speed double decker train–how safe?
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Rail on a track:
Minister of Railways Sadananda Gowda has since come out with his budget proposals on railways. By and large the budget proposals are received well by the people of the country with the exception of the opposition parties who did twist it beyond proportions but they too had nothing specific to point out as a negative factor. This is surprising that the Indian share market which had a record score on trading a day before the budget was placed on the floor of the Parliament on high hopes pinned to budget proposals reversed its speed just in the negative order after it was declared. The relative link given below can be referred for the purpose:
http://gallery-neelkanth.blogspot.in/2014/07/share-marketindex-zooming-upward-but.html
True it is that the budget is not elaborately specific on its salient features so highlighted but the message is clear that it is a pro people railway budget with the projects which are of a greater interest to the passengers and what led the traders in the share market to feel panicky about it in later part of the day is not clear. Better it was for the Railway Minister to spell out the specifics more distinctly without which the proposals appear to be limping and not desirably self speaking. The very headlines, however, relating to bullet trains, high speed trains, increase in number of trains coupled with special railway police exclusively for lady passengers, online reservation of ordinary tickets including platform tickets and various traveller friendly amenities are enough to make the budget worth it.
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Dream wheels on the road:
As a miracle of Google’s master mind products, an awefully miniatured car is likely to be on roads within a short time. The work on the project is almost complete with final testings going on. This is not enough to call this car just as an automatic one as this shall be of the type where there is no need of any driver. Sans any driver this shall also be a car with no steering, no break and no accelerator, instead the car will have only an on and off switch to start the journey and stop wherever the owner so wants. Two seater, this miracle car is prescribed a 40 km an hour speed to start with limiting it to a barest minimum from security point of view. The prototype is likely to assume a full fledged functional shape with its availability on roads shortly to begin with in certain selected countries. A dream coming true like this is an amazement with thrills for every one. Thanks to Google.
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Metro trains in Kanpur and Lucknow:
How thrilling an experience it would be if metro trains start plying in cities like Lucknow and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh (India). Lucknow is the political capital of Uttar Pradesh and Kanpur is its industrial capital and both of them count much so far as the tourist attraction for them is concerned. A little time back when I was in New Delhi trying to make my way through the huge traffic jam to reach the railway station what occurred to my mind was as to how worse could have been the scenario there if there was no Metro. Look at it from any angle –business, office, market, school and colleges, access to airport, shopping, tourism and above all safety, Metro net work in New Delhi is a boon for the people there but for which theirs could have been a life in the hell as it is presently in Lucknow and in much bigger a proportion at Kanpur where one has to tread inch by inch as in no direction you can move without being stranded for hours together at one point and if some how you manage your way at a particular spot there is the other one waiting for you to entrap you in the jam for another few more hours. Thinking of any positive developmental activities sounds utopian in such a state of affairs. We like several others look forward to the new government that is in the saddle now to extend their helping hand in expediting the Metro projects which are till now only in the stage of infancy at both the cities. Let us cherish our dreams to see them materialise tangibly in days to come and feel a soothing thrill on the very thought of having Metro trains in these two cities. Our dreams, let us wish to ourselves, come true shortly.
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Diabetes tools to go indigenous way:
It is certainly a welcome news that the government is planning to go indigenous in respect of diabetic tools used by the patients of diabetes with the result that the cost involved for the purpose is likely to be reduced by 90%. The cost of a test strip presently being between 15 to 30 rupees is supposed to be reduced to between 3 to 5 rupees when the new products are launched in the market. There are about a dozen products being tested for the purpose as duly monitored by ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research). It is a scheduled process with a time frame that the new products be made available to the patients by the end of this year. Next to China India is the one country having biggest number of diabetic patients depending on various tools for the purpose of testing the blood sugar level and they shall be the people who may derive benefits from the new products both quality wise and cost wise.
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Market incentives for higher eduction in India:
Reportedly, the 12th Five Year Plan has okayed that the market be permitted to provide higher education earning necessary profit on it. This is obviously with a view to providing the required incentive for a competitive education at the higher level. There appears to be nothing like any big difference between what is proposed to be done and what is already obtaining in full swing in education market resulting into a large scale mushrooming of private schools, colleges and universities, more so during the last one decade. No doubt that there is a cut throat competition, but the private educational institutions are quite able to manoeuvre their sumptuous profit margin at every level callously unmindful of the price factor it costs to the parents of boys and girls pursuing their studies. There is none to highlight the voice of the guardians for every now and then increase in fee and other charges at an exorbitant rate. In fact, what is proposed in the 12th Five Year Plan is only to result into boosting up the avenues for a much bigger a profit margin to the so called education providers, and it has hardly to do any thing with the interest of education seekers at both the lower and higher levels. It hardly makes any difference for those who are having enough of black money, which is not scarce in our country, with them to procure necessary education for their wards, but the sufferers are those who have only a fixed income to support their boys and girls. Factually speaking, the real need is to extend some positive measures through which the parents are able to derive some relief instead of the government creating bigger channels to make the rich people more rich flourishing by leaps and bounds.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Back to blogging
Back long enough I had stopped blogging for the reason that it looked to be somewhat cumbersome to me and that it didn’t prove remunerative enough to keep me attracted to it. Realising later that if the venture was not that much result oriented it was none else but myself to blame as possibly I was not able to spare necessary amount of time required for the purpose. Looking back to my association with Socialspark with whom I had developed a close relationship in course of my dealings with them, I felt within myself as if it was a rapport much worth continuing. It formed some amount of temptation in me which I felt I was unable to resist, hence this resumption. Resuming the task undoubtedly falls in the midst of several complicated formalities but they are after all an integral part of any challenge that is undertaken.Thanks to Socialspark and also Google whose platform I have been using for my blogs.
Friday, 7 March 2008
Pensionery benefits in Banking Industry
There was a time when there was nothing like any provision for pension to employees serving in Banking Industry during British rule in the country. The initiative on this count was taken during the three Presidency Banks -Bank of Bengal, Bank of Bombay, Bank of Madras later implemented in the shape of contributory pension where employees, like in the case of Provident Fund, had to contribute towards their pension which used to get supplemented by the bankers forming pension fund. Unions taking up the matter strongly, it became a full fledged Pension Fund without employees contributing any thing and this measure was first of all adopted by State Bank of India (then Imperial Bank of India as it emerged after merger of the three presidency banks). All India State Bank of India Staff Federation, the single important most union in State Bank took further lead and several finishing touches were given to improve pension benefits. A demand was later made by other unions operating in other commercial banks to claiming parity with State Bank on pension. State Bank employees infact had in all three benefits together -Pension including Family Pension, Provident Fund and also Gratuity. As it operates now, the benefits more or less on this count are the same in all commercial banks with minor variations. Certain glaring anomalies in the system are a matter of dispute which includes demand for a more liberalised rate of pension for the retired employees. The issue however has till date failed elicit any tangible results. Talks, meetings,negotiations and then nothing like any result. The strike(s) that took place on this issue also failed to bring any outcome for the reason that it is not being followed up with an earnest seriousness the issue demands. Raising issue and then not following it in a required direction hardly succeeds and that is how it continues hanging in the balance.
Friday, 29 June 2007
I did feel inspired and encouraged!
Came across the news relating to publicity campaign of Hillary Bill Clinton and that she was able to attract contributions for her electioneering purposes to the tune of 2.5 Crores in dollars in one go just by attending a dinner hosted by her supporters mobilising a collective sponsorship. Not a big thing for a person of her stature but the very modus operendi so adopted was quite inspiring in the sense that no task is abandonable simply because the person concerned doesn't find it feasible to directly muster necessary financial resource. I think of Mahamana Pt.Madan Mohan Malviya who by his single handed campaign was able to manage resources for bringing such a giant educational institution like Banaras Hindu University, one of the biggest in the country, into existence. He was the one who asked for and got help from an ordinary individual to maharajas of the country. When my supporters enblock called upon me to write a book on my experiences during my career as an apex level trade union leader and as a functionery component in Banking industry offer all possible assistance for the job, I just couldn't muster necessary courage to take up the project involving enormous resources financially and otherwise. Later,however, I did reconcile falling in line with my supporters and agreed to work for it. These two instances mentioned above too acted as a source of inspiration and I do feel emboldened enough to harness myself to the task.
Monday, 25 June 2007
I do honour their Indent..
Writing on any thing is too cumbersome a task, more so on subjects like Banking, Trade Unions and one’s own life. Cursorily and at times seriously too I have been writing volumes as a free lancer with my articles published globally online. There has been quite an amount of pressure on me for a long time to write some book on my experiments while serving in Banking Industry specifically in the context of my role as an apex level trade union leader with national/ international coverage on workforce angle. The indents so pressurized however couldn’t go beyond a bald requisition sans a tangible functionality. Obviously I was just unable to harness myself to such a project as my overdraft limit with the Bank already stood too squeezed in till now maintaining a small office to persue and followup my own writings and study. Convinced fully that it was worth and the need too to work on this project, my incapacitation resource wise stood in the way. Just some time back a close friend of mine Mr S A Farooqi indicated to me his plan to write on his experiences while serving State Bank as a senior executive. In his capacity as a brilliant functionary and a master mind behind State Bank affairs he is undoubtedly capable of writing elaborately worth a reading on banking. He can equally write much enough on his dealings with trade unions in his capacity as a master spokesman of the Bank on staff matters. I wished him all the best realizing in the meantime that , belong as he does committedly with heart and soul to management rung of the banking system, his focus is to be directed more to managerial areas and not so much the unions. I know some of the writers earlier belonging to Indian Banks Association who did cover the role of unions in their work but tune and tenor wise it was nothing more than strategies to keep off the ‘necessary evil’. Farooqi is the one who has been exceptionally popular in his dealing with industrial matters and has a big friends circle not only in the management but amongst members of staff too. He has two types of friendship –the one with a bond of sincere commitment and the other one just as a measure of sheer strategy to woo the other side. Many a people fell victim to such a master stroke of his without ever knowing the artist behind. In both the kinds of friendship he played his role in quite a calculatedly dexterous manner. He represents a class –the management. Class apart I earnestly wish him to complete his book.
Notwithstanding this, I still thought of writing some thing based on the situations as I saw them and experienced which idea got almost drowned but for the support extended to me by Awadhesh Pandey, himself a committed trade union leader of repute, to manage the resource himself and by mobilizing the like minded people for the project.requesting me most enthusiastically not to abandon the project and persue it to a logical end instead.
The way Awadhesh Pandey has so enthusiastically taken the lead of a tangible order himself and on behalf of his team coupled with a large number of requisitions made to me by the like minded people throughout the country, I just can’t afford saying ‘no’ and feel duty bound to undertake the Herculean task with whatever the odds. I do honour the Indent, I get harnessed to the task. I solicit the support and cooperation from all my friends and wellwishers.
This post is dedicated to Awadhesh Pandey
