IIPM Editorial: 07/01/2010

Saturday, July 31, 2010

A long legacy of hatred

Poland and Russia are warming up... Don’t be fooled!

When the Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred, killing all on board including Polish President Lech Kaczynski on board, Russian President Dimitry Medvedev himself flew down to attend the President’s funeral. Poland accepted Russia’s sympathy and affection. The countries released a joint declaration too. Interestingly, Poland imports 90% of oil and 60% of gas from Russia (or is allowed to import by Russia). Are Russia and Poland, for the lack of a better word, chumming up and – as global think tanks now purport – bringing in the long absent eastern front against the West?

The truth is numbingly far from that. Russia and Poland have had no love lost for each other, and irrespective of the current moves, will not in the distant future either. Russia and Poland have fought several wars against each other. The Polish victory at Warsaw against Russia in 1918 spoiled Lenin’s plan to spread communism across Europe. That formally made them enemies. Later, the Polish alliance with the Nazis gave the Soviet Union all the more reason to attack. Polish ambitions to join NATO and EU and pursue independent diplomatic relations with the world and with post-Soviet states has also antagonized Russia as did Poland’s support to Ukraine’s Orange Revolution.

Also, regular acrimonious combatting on issues like the destruction of Polish Republic in 1939 and the Katyn massacre of 20,000 Polish officers by Russia cannot be forgotten for a long time. Neither would the fact that Poland first took Georgia’s side during the South Ossetia war. Worse, Poland’s bilateral agreement to install a US missile defence shield in Poland has prompted Russia to declare it as Russia’s next military target. In 2009, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski even asked US to deploy more troops in Poland to fight any Russian invasion. Friends? Oh please, take a walk...

Akram Hoque

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
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TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎

Friday, July 30, 2010

Exclusive Darkness at noon

Dependants of jawans killed by Maoists struggle to stay afloat. A report from Orissa by B&E’s Dhrutikam Mohanty

Two years of anguish have gone by since Mase Madkami’s husband, an SGO jawan, lost his life in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists. But life hasn’t returned to normal for the 25-year-old woman. She lives in the southern Orissa village of Udupa, 25 kms. from the Malkangari district headquarters. Her hut, located in a distant corner of this tribal hamlet, has four rooms. Her husband, Ganga Madkami, was the family’s sole breadwinner. Today, the responsibility of their eight-year-old son and Ganga’s ageing parents is on Mase’s frail shoulders.

We reach her house at dusk. Her son, Sunadhar, is studying in the front room. Mase is busy cleaning a lantern. Udupa does not have electricity. In a while, the lantern will be the only source of light in this benighted home. “I never imagined I’d ever have to see such dark days,” Mase begins to narrate her tale of woes. “Five days after the incident, the chief minister handed out cheques to the families of the martyrs. He also promised each affected family a job, a plot of land and other government benefits. He had tears in his eyes. We had reason to believe that we’d be taken care of by the government.”

But Mase’s hopes were dashed. “For six months I ran from one office to another to get my dues. I finally received Rs. 4 lakh as compensation and Rs. 10 lakh for his life insurance. But I am still waiting for the promised job and land,” she says.

Her problems have increased manifold with the passage of time. She has to travel to Bhubaneswar every month to collect the family pension. Being a single lady, she is usually accompanied by somebody from the village, which entails additional expenses. At times she has to travel to the state capital more than once for the same purpose. Sometimes the officers concerned are not available. At other times, the processing of her payment is deferred. “We are illiterate poor villagers and don’t know much about government procedures. But running around like this for what was promised to me is actually hurting me more than my husband’s death,” says Mase, tears welling up in her eyes.

Given the constant drain on her limited resources, she is worried whether her son would be able to complete his education. She says, “Including my old father, I have four dependants. Tell me, how will I manage to continue paying for my son’s education?” Despite a government announcement of financial assistance for the education of the children of martyrs, Mase hasn’t received any payment. Sunadhar, on his part, wants to follow in the footsteps of his late father and join the police force. But will a heartless bureaucracy, which operates from the comfort and security of air-conditioned offices, allow this hapless boy to fulfill his dream? The story of 23-year-old Manini Devta is much the same. She had married SGO jawan, Kanhu Charan Devta in 2006. A year later, she gave birth to a baby boy. The family was a picture of happiness. But a landmine blast on July 16, 2008, at MV126 village changed everything. Kanhu died aged 26, leaving behind his young wife, one-year-old son and his old parents. Her entire life still ahead of her, Manini is struggling to survive. She stays with her in-laws in a small dwelling unit in Malkangiri’s police colony. Kanhu’s old parents have been mental wrecks ever since they saw the lifeless body of their son. Manini tells B&E, “I don’t know what to do now. Though we have received an amount as compensation, we are yet to get a piece of land or a job as promised by the government. Whatever we receive as pension is exhausted in running to different offices in the state capital. It is becoming increasingly tough for me to handle the day-to-day household expenses.”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Who’s the liar here?

Neither has a clean record, yet the eventual choice wasn’t too surprising

The war of word

s between Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the former Sri Lankan Army Chief Sarath Fonseka doesn’t seem to be any close to ending; despite the fact that Rajapaksa has gone well ahead of Fonseka in the political race. Both are national heroes (Rajapaksa, thanks to the inherited political dynasty along with the strong leadership during the crisis to defeat LTTE and Fonseka for ending the three decade long battle against LTTE); yet, both are now seen by global commentators to be indulging in double-speak, if not lying altogether. Wondrously, their diatribes and repartees at each other are on their way to attaining folklore status in the hall of comedic dialogues. It’s unbelievable that neither Fonseka nor Rajapaksa are realising that the world today views their accusations at each other with hilarity. We bring to you some golden nuggets:

March 2010, Presidential nominees are declared:
Incumbent President Rajapaksa comes to know that Fonseka will contest in the Presidential election.
Rajapaksa: “He is a fool!”
Fonseka: Charges Rajapaksa with trying to “sideline” him with “unfounded fears” and says he is “disgusted and disillusioned” with the manner in which Rajapaksa is treating him.

The issue of rights of minorities in Sri Lanka:
Rajapaksa: “We will ensure equality and equity among all the ethnicity... I believe the solution should be given to them after discussing it with them.”
Fonseka: “China is ruled by Chinese, England by the Englishmen and Germany by Germans. This is because these countries are ruled by the majorities... What is wrong in saying that this country, which is historically ruled by Sinhalese, will be ruled by the Sinhalese...”

On their relationship with India, being extreme in nature:
Rajapaksa: “India is our neighbour.
We must have good relations whether in war or in peace.”

Their views on Presidential election and results:
Fonseka: “Government violated election laws, manipulated & misled people.”
Rajapaksa: “This is why the people trusted us and continues to trust us. You should ensure its continuity.”

On freedom of Press, social justice and democracy:
Fonseka: “if elected President, will ensure that Sri Lanka enjoys democracy, social justice as well as freedom of the media.”
Rajapaksa: “We never subjugated the path of democracy. We did not believe in alternative routes and did not mislead the people by holding bogus referendums.”
Admittedly, the two opponents have drastically different agendas on their minds. And they clearly don’t have characters you’ll boast to your grandmother about (Fonseka is even a convicted rapist). But even if one assumes that both of them really do not mean what they speak, whom should India choose to side with? The answer is a clear no-brainer with Rajapaksa winning the sweepstakes.
Rajapaksa statements have – at the least – attempted to provide a sensible outlook to his people. After the election, when questioned on his work post the war, he said, “There is no point in having just peace, we need to be efficient and have fast growth... We have to build an efficient and productive country.” Compare that to Fonseka’s global agenda after the war, “I am not going to save anyone who has committed war crimes... The country has been suffering for too long. Now that the nation has got rid of terrorism, you cannot leave the country in the hands of a dictator.”
The crux is while Rajapaksa’s victory doesn’t make him the unanimous choice of common Sri Lankans, Fonseka was not a glorious choice for the future of Sri Lanka either, perhaps less so. Given that, as has been the rigmarole rote rule across the world, it is better to try one’s luck with an evil one has tasted, than with one right off the gates of hell...

Akram Hoque

Monday, July 26, 2010

INDIA: ROAD SAFETY

120,000 dead!
In road accidents; now, why doesn’t that rankle you?

On the one hand, Indian government recently gave a green signal to the draft legislation which will facilitate setting up of a national-level body that would recommend standards for design, construction and maintenance of highways, road safety standards for motor vehicles and trauma centres for the country. Then, on the other hand, the recent Global Status Report on Road Safety, released by the World Health Organisation, reveals that India leads a group of ten countries with a horrendous road safety record.

Massive road accidents are not a one time event in India but daily affairs. As per most recent government figures, about 1.2 lakh people lost their lives in 2007 due to road accidents. On an average, more than one lakh people lose their lives due to road accidents in India every year. This is in spite of the government allocating crores of rupees towards road safety every year. But like most projects, a large pie of this amount remains unused and unspent. Talking in numbers, in 2004-05, out of Rs.40 crore meant for road safety, only around Rs.35 crore was actually utilized; in 2005-06, Rs.30 crore of the Rs.43 crore allocated was used; while in 2006-07, only Rs.43 crore of the Rs.47 crore was used.

What’s most remarkable is that among those dying of road accidents, pedestrians and cyclists make up the majority. In spite of having a very low population to vehicles ratio, the mortality rate in India in road accidents is 8.7 per 100,000, compared to 5.6 in the UK and 6.7 in Japan. Going by an official report, the social cost of accidents in India is estimated to be around Rs.55,000 crore (in the years 1999-2000), which constituted 3% of the GDP for the year.

In the last few decades, a large part of the investment was directed towards making flyovers and better roads for motorists, but not much heed was given to pedestrians and cyclists. In short, every possible policy measure was adopted to make lives of motorist much safer. It’s only the recent years that have seen subways and dedicated cycle paths. More, of course, needs to be done.

Sray Agarwal

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎

Friday, July 23, 2010

United ‘Negro’ College Fund!

“The

recession has been hard on them, and they will be encouraged that the first African American President of the US is investing in their education and their future,” was the reaction of United Negro College Fund (UNCF) President and CEO Michael L. Lomax, when he heard the White House announcing that President Obama had chosen UNCF as a recipient of part of his Nobel Prize money. UNCF will receive $125,000 that will help at least a thousand students to graduate. This may not guarantee the end of the age-old dilemma of racial discrimination but will greatly encourage the African American community development cause. More importantly, it brings to public front once again the term ‘Negro’, which had attained classically derogatory overtones since the Civil Rights movement. But changing times and a black President are ensuring that the term becomes more acceptable; and how!

The historical journey of Blacks from being Negro slaves to the current times has been full of struggles as well as milestones. Blacks have consistently been the second largest racial minority after Whites. Statistics on Blacks reveal an interesting picture. According to the first US census in 1790, Blacks made up 19.3% of the US population numbering around 760,000 of which 697,681 (92%) were slaves! Since then, their percentage share to the total population declined gradually till 1930 when it came down to 9.7%. As of 2008, Blacks made up 12.4% of the US population.

But the fact of the matter still remains that though their century long struggle took them away from slavery, they are still victims of racial discrimination and lag behind Whites in the socio-economic strata. For example, the median household income of Whites has increased from $39,463 in 1975 to $50,673 in 2006, the same for Blacks has increased from $23,691 in 1975 to $31,969. Interestingly, Blacks earn only 65% of the wages of Whites. This figure is down from 82% in 1975!

Blacks struggled for equal job opportunities during the era of great migration during 1910-20. The struggle was a success, as it resulted in their employment doubling – from 500,000 to 901,000 – in a few years. But the recent recession revealed the new reality. Blacks suffer unreasonably more than Whites with respect to job losses, especially amidst recession, earning them the stereotype branding – “Last hired, first fired.” In October 2008, the unemployment rate for Blacks was 11.1% – the nationwide unemployment rate was 6.5%. By October 2009, when national unemployment rate was 10.2%, that of African Americans was 15.7%. Unemployment rate of Blacks aged 16 to 24 was 30.5%.