Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Media has taken the CAG reports little too seriously

This is the statement by our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The CAG report has been used by the media as the Fodder to chewn on and none of the politicians could question the integrity of the source. That has been the issue for the Congress.

Another important point that has been mooted by the media. It was only the media that was interested in exposing the Scam and BJP was very relucntant in pursuing it vigourously in the early stages.

Monday, November 15, 2010

A Raja Resigns : Trial by Media

A. Raja had at last resigned from his post of Union Telecom Minister after severe pressure. A. Raja had been very arrogant dodging the media after the scam had broken about. It appeared that Raja thought that the media (and general public) are simply dogs barking at the sun. After all, he had seen many many politicians get away with the graft cases all the time. But the politicians had blinked this time. What changed?

The Media has made severe damage to the ultimate power seat (the Gandhis) for their silence. The Gandhis blinked once before also - in the Niyamgiri case. The Media industry will be seen in a different light from now on.

Will the Fourth Estate fight and win against the crony capitalism?

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Indian Dreams and Chinese Reality



The Grandeur of CWG Opening made Indians thought that we are able to execite wpr;d class events. When Indian athletes won medals in CWG 2010, people thought that India has arrived as a Sports Giant. It includes me also.

But the bitter truth has hit us on the first day of the Asian Games 2010. The Grandeur of the Opening Ceremony painfully reminded us how mediocre was our ceremnony when compared to world standards.

The Reality of Indian Dreams rests in the Medal Count in China..

Thursday, November 11, 2010

India's Greatest Threat - Populism vs Good Governance

I read an interesting and thought provoking article about Populism in TOI today. All the political parties in India have been engaging in the policy of giving freebies for votes under the guise of being Pro-Poor. This has grown to the extent that one has to wonder whether India has three different systems - Capitalism (for rich), Socialism (for middle class) and Communism (for the poor) all simultaneously existing together. How long will the party go on like this?

Not for indefinite period for sure.Mainly due to these policies, Many of the states of India are heavily in debt to the tune of laks of crores, not unlike the United States. As the US has come to realize, the laws of economics will one day catch up with these governments.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Solution to Currency War : Back to Gold Standard

World Bank President Robert Zoellick's Solution for Currency Wars seems to be back to Gold Standard.

Leading economies should consider adopting a modified global gold standard to guide currency rates, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said on Monday in a surprise proposal before a potentially acrimonious G20 summit. Writing in the Financial Times, Zoellick called for a "Bretton Woods II" system of floating currencies as a successor to the Bretton Woods fixed-exchange rate regime that broke down in the early 1970s.

The former US trade representative, who served in several Republican administrations, said such a move "is likely to need to involve the dollar, the euro, the yen, the pound and (a yuan) that moves towards internationalisation and then an open capital account. "The system should also consider employing gold as an international reference point of market expectations about inflation, deflation and future currency values," he added.

Those who are familiar with the Gold Standard are very much against it and say that this economically stagnating and suffocating system does not allow more wealth (progress) into the system as more money cannot come into the system. Critics also point to the growth of Gold Cartels who can easily manipulate the whole economic system and that Gold Standard was responsible for the first two world wars.

Are we jumping from frying pan to the fire?