Steam Hybrid

The other day as my daughter and me were driving to her environmental science degree college, we thought loudly of using the heat generated by the IC engines to generate steam and run an inline steam turbine along with the crank shaft of the engine. Later I really didn't find any reference in the Internet on this possibility. In case anybody wants to explore this further I would be more than happy to contribute in the brainstorming.

India Manufacturing Policy

I was very enthused in writing this blog as I read about the draft manufacturing policy yesterday. Me having worked in various countries and experienced the working culture there, always felt that the aptitude and abilities of any Indian is in no way inferior to the other world. In fact our ability to improvise and work against all odds to meet a goal is exceptionally good. However I saw that the labor laws in our country didn't really promote progress by way of not supporting continuous increase in productivity.
In our context the approach of passive resistance that is adopted by our trade unions is one of the main deterrents to progress. The root cause there is the stability in one's work and earnings. The proposal to create a job loss fund with regular contributions from all the employers that can be used at times of recession is really excellent in tackling this truly justified social cause.
We must be cautious that this facility doesn't become a menace as the social security systems leading to lethargy as in some countries. Therefore I am of the opinion that apart from the job loss fund, the policy must also limit applicability of the our labor laws as well as the complete compensation from the job loss fund only to such employees with earnings less than a set value that shall be a multiple of the basic wage. In other words those earning more than this limit will neither be entitled to go to labor courts for disputes nor will be eligible for unlimited compensation from the job loss fund. For such employees with a higher earning the support from the job loss fund can be limited for 6 months as a possibility.

Lokpal: Corruption Control

I got inspired today to understand both the Government Lokpal and Jan Lokpal bills after reading the update of Sri Ramdev's endeavor in Haridwar as well as Sri Anna Hazare's in Rajghat.

Both the bills address only the past misdeeds (Reactive) and do not cover the prevention (Proactive) of misdeeds. I believe that Lokpal must also be empowered to audit any government office proactively at a defined frequency. The audit frequency can be based on an assessment of the risk of corruption as perceived by Lokpal.

Looking at both the bills, I felt that the Government Lokpal version is too lean, that will result is a fast process with less quality of result defeating the purpose of Lokpal. Whereas the Jan Lokpal is very elaborate and will result in a thorough, but slow, process with a good result quality. However even in this case the purpose may not be achieved due to the prolonged process and the wrong timing of action. Ideally a Lokpal bill must be in-between the two and must also include a proactive compliance process to prevent corruption.

Sri Ramdev’s motivation to raise an army of 11,000 is just a manifestation of frustration. I am sure neither he nor the other protestors have any intention of this kind. Definition of a clear approach with clear timelines will avoid such unfortunate manifestations in the future. On the other hand, considering the fact that efforts are on to introduce the Lokpal bill since 1968, it looks obvious that the Government on its own, whoever may have been elected, cannot on their own introduce this bill due to a lot of internal conflicting interests. Unfortunately even the corporate may not be really interested in getting the bill introduced due to obvious conflicting reasons.

Therefore a nationwide peaceful pressure from the public is, in my opinion the only way forward. Maybe getting all the NGO’s, Schools and Colleges involved could accelerate the process. The journey will however not be an easy one and will definitely not end by this year’s Independence Day as requested by Sri Anna Hazare.

I am of the opinion that the hidden cause for corruption is the feeling of insecurity. This feeling of financial, emotional, intellectual or physical insecurity will drive an individual to perform acts against the conscious not considered as humane and ethical. Corruption can manifest as amassing illegal wealth, as doing inhumane acts, as working for the a superior power against the conscious, as talking ill of others in their absence, etc.

Giving security will reduce corruption. To this effect, in my opinion the best punishment for the accused after establishing guilt would not be to confine, but to give them social work under the supervision of empowered NGO's. Confinement should be an option only as a last resort.

The funds recovered can be used for education (schools), security (police) and NGO's where the accused will be rehabilitated.

With this approach we will improve the quality of life and with is a better financial, emotional, intellectual and physical security.