NREGA is broken

It is safe to say that the UPA’s flagship Entitlement program at the Tax payer’s expense is broken beyond repair and the Congress government doesnt have a clue how to fix it.

How do we know NREGA is broken ?

Well consider what the Planning Commission has to say

We need some radically new architecture of implementation - Mihir Shah, member, Planning Commission

So what pray is this new “architecture of implementation” ?

Mr. Shah talks of

reserving 2% of the expenditure for the block and panchayat level and 1% for capacity building

heavy deployment of information technology (IT) for better management of the scheme

ensuring there is a banking correspondent per panchayat and an open inter-operable architecture that is transparent and flexible when it comes to timely wage payments and ensuring zero frauds

So after nearly 5 years of NREGA the UPA is admitting that

#1 it lacks reliable visibility to what is happening on the ground in the name of NREGA

#2 it lacks the ability to ensure wages are paid on time

#3 it lacks the ability to prevent fraud

So there you go, that was is just abut how broken the NREGA is.

Now the other day we were informed that the so called NGOisation of NREGA would be the panacea to all of these problems.

But then you know what  the fathers of NREGA Jean Dreze and Aruna Roy have thrown the baby into the kitchen sink

the plan goes against the very idea of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. “There is no way to ensure accountability in such an initiative,”

That was not all, Jean Dreze and Aruna Roy have even more to say, which is a reflection on the degree to which NREGA is broken

they have also objected to sub-contracting work to NGOs and financing them to run the Lok Sevak service, an NGO co-ordinator for the scheme in panchayats.

all projects should be within the list of permissible works under the scheme and must be carried out with transparency and safeguards. This followed a controversy over projects executed under the scheme on private land.

they also are not in favour of giving states powers to remove the ombudsman, as the plan has proposed, over fears it will make them weak.

As NREGA’s chickens come home to roost it is pertinent to note what eminent Economist Ashok Desai has to say of NREGA and the Poverty Business

A poor country will have many poor people; a state that tries to abolish poverty with subsidies is a Sisyphus.

It cannot abolish them; but it can incidentally generate enormous corruption.

The national rural employment guarantee programme has done so; a study done by Anil Sharma for National Council of Applied Economic Research has provided evidence

But this comment by Mihir Shah, Member Planning Commission should go down as the Quote of the day on the NREGA

 “The success of NREGA will be complete when all workers are rehabilitated to their original livelihoods.”

Whatever the hell that means !

Meanwhile the sad reality is, tax payer’s money is being doled out to this Omnibus slush fund called NREGA while the principal political opposition BJP continues to fade into irrelevance.

Filed under: DesiPundit, Shveta Chhatra, UPA-II Critical Appraisal

NREGA’s Mohammad bin Tughlaq moment

As Offstumped had observed earlier, succesful politicians of South Asia seem to be cursed with a “Mohammad bin Tughlaq moment” that will ultimately prove to be their undoing.

The Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi lead UPA-II seems poised to have its Mohammad bin Tughlaq moment as it mulls what it calls the “NGOisation of NREGA“.

To fully appreciate the absurdity of the UPA’s anti-federal overreach of Executive privilege consider this

On October 2nd 2009 on the occassion of Gandhi Jayanti with much fanfare the Manmohan Singh Sonia Gandhi duo trooped to Rajasthan to observe what was called the “50th Anniversary of Panchayati Raj”.

The same day the UPA also decided to rename NREGA after Mahatma Gandhi 

The full text of Manmohan Singh’s speech on that occassion can be found here. But here is the operative piece that is relevant to this Tughlaq moment.

Central Government has to play a major role in the effective functioning of panchayati raj institutions. Implementation of NREGA by the panchayati raj institutions is one such example.

We have to strive continuously to make panchayati raj institutions an effective instrument.

these institutions can play a major role as the units of decentralised governance in a more effective manner. In addition, there is a need to provide basic facilities to these institutions.

I am happy that the year 2009-10 is being observed as the “Year of Gram Sabha”.

The people of the village get an opportunity through the Gram Sabha to discuss, deliberate, accept or reject the proposals of Gram Panchayat.

I am also pleased that the Union Cabinet yesterday has decided to change the name of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).

Come, let us pledge together for an all-out effort to make PRIs more powerful and effective.”

It didnt event take a month for the UPA to do a complete about turn on its charade of making NREGA about empowering Panchayat Raj and sullying Mahatma Gandhi’s name by linking NREGA’s tainted legacy with it.

So now we have exactly a fortnight from that charade in Rajasthan the same UPA mulling

The government will hand over the running of the rural job scheme to a nation-wide network of NGOs, sidelining the panchayats and gram sabhas that managed the programme till now.

The official explanation is the “failure of the local-level political system” (sarpanches) in running the UPA’s flagship social programme that is mired in allegations of corruption and inefficiency.

Perhaps the UPA should call of the charade on Panchayat Raj and declare 2009 to be observed as the “Year of Outsourcing Governance to NGOs”.

According to a draft note prepared by the rural development ministry, the NGOs will spread awareness about the scheme, train the workforce, monitor the muster rolls and all documents relating to the work done, ensure that grievances are redressed and, finally, evaluate the scheme’s implementation.

The panchayats will be kept in the loop but will no longer be the decision-makers.

The ministry will start the process of selecting the NGOs for the job in a few days, after notifying the new plan.

In the first phase, expected to start in a couple of months, the “NGOisation” will be implemented in 14 states, including Bengal. To start with, the voluntary organisations will be assigned just one district each and only for six months.

Each NGO will be paid Rs 4 lakh for these six months. For this, Rs 15 crore has been set aside in the current financial year.

Can you believe the hypocrisy when just 15 days back Manmohan Singh had this to say of CP Joshi who’s Ministry is responsible for both Panchayati Raj and NREGA

It gives me immense pleasure to be amongst the representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions at the National Convention and I welcome you all. I congratulate my colleague and Panchayati Raj Minister, Shri C.P. Joshi for organising this conference.

And here is CP Joshi just 15 days later trashing those very representatives of Panchayati Raj

“We had entrusted the responsibility of implementing the (scheme) with the village sarpanch,” rural development minister C.P. Joshi said. “But there are so many allegations against the local political representatives…. It is important to stop these manipulations.”

It is incredible that the very Institutions that Manmohan Singh & Sonia Gandhi waxed eloquenty were important for decentralized governance will now be stripped of autonomy and decision making because the same duo believe they are corrupt and untrustworthy.

But the NREGA’s Mohammad bin Tughlaq moment is fraught is even greater dangers on account of this proposed “NGOisation” by which governance will be outsourced to entities that are accountable to none.

With this the stage is being set for NREGA to mutate from Employment Gurantee to the Rural poor to becoming job gurantee for Jholawallah activists who have appropriated a veneer of political correctness by calling themselves NGOs.

How pray is an outfit “Non-Governmental” if it starts receving funds from the Government for outsourcing governance ?

The absurdity of the Non-government label apart the UPA seems to have far more politically motivated agenda in sidelining local government from NREGA decision making so that political dividends from it accrue to the Congress.

How long before the Youth Congress and the NSUI designate themselves as NGOs or set up fully owned subsidiaries registered as NGOs ?

We people are just one step away from local Congress Party strongment running the NREGA to their whims and fancies while stripping locally elected representatives and government out of the equation.

Consider the perversity this NGOisation could lead to once the Congress’ vote bank mobilizers like Evangelicals and Muslim vote bank brokers register NGOs so NREGA becomes the perfect vehicle for them to curry local political favor at the tax payer’s expense.

The perversity called NREGA and its outsourcing to NGOs is a great opening for mounting a Center Right political challenge to the UPA’s one-size-fit-all centralized psuedo-progressivism.

Is there any leader worth his salt who is up to the challenge of taking on Rahul Gandhi’s Messiahgiri and the UPA’s maai-baap politics  ?

Is there any leader who will speak up for freedom and autonomy to Local Government and promoting a Spirit of Enterprise ?

Filed under: DesiPundit, Shveta Chhatra, UPA-II Critical Appraisal

Mahrashtra Elections 2009 – A response to Rahul Gandhi

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Rahul Gandhi campaigning in Raigadh for the Maharashtra Assembly elections on behalf of Congress-NCP combine had this to say:

“Two Indias exist today. One is the ‘Shining India’ and the other is the ‘Backward India’. There is a need to connect the two Indias,”

Below is a response from Offstumped in response to Rahul Gandhi in the form a speech that we dont expect any BJP leader to ever give.

Friends

It has become fashionable these days for leaders of the Manmohan Singh Sonia Gandhi lead Congress to be in awe of all things American. This affliction has become particularly acute since the ascent of the messiah to the American Presidency. Now the pandemic has infected Rahul Gandhi as well.

Let me explain this with a little story from American politics.

Most of you may not have heard of John Edwards, I dont blame you for it. John Edwards was one of the many challengers to Barack Obama for his party’s nomination for Presidency and he shot to fame with his rhetoric of “Two Americas”.

When one hears Rahul Gandhi plagiarise this formulation to talk of “Two Indias” one cannot but help but wonder if its similar to the “Two Americas” that finally sank John Edward’s political career – one legitimate and the other mired in clandestine affairs and illegitimate progeny.

Be that as it may, Rahul Gandhi’s rhetoric of “Two Indias” needs a coherent and incisive political response.

Let me take this opportunity to remind Rahul Gandhi of what this nation had to suffer the last time we heard such rhetoric of “Two Indias” – one Muslim and the other Hindu. 

No Rahul, this nation shall not countenance this divisive rhetoric that pits Indian against Indian. Your family excelled quite well at this rhetoric to script India’s partition, 6 decades ago, we will not let you do the same a second time.

Make no mistake my countrymen, this rhetoric of “Two Indias” is exactly same the rhetoric of those who thrive outside the ambit of law and go by the name Maoists. By lending credibility to this divisive theme of “Two Indias” Rahul Gandhi is rationalizing their anti-India activities.

Be that as it may, Rahul Gandhi’s political naivety is of little consequence to your everyday life and the core issues of this election. However the flawed policies of his Party’s Government in Maharashtra and in New Delhi have been of grave consequence to your everyday life.

Yes Rahul Gandhi is right there are two distinct political ideologies here. On the one hand there is the ideology of the “aam admi” that thinks very little of you or your abilities.

This ideology thinks so poorly of you that it would like you to remain poor if you are already poor and create incentives for you to declare yourself as poor if you are not already poor.

This ideology thinks so little of you that it sees your abilities as being only “banal’ and “common”, nothing special/

This ideology thinks you are so ignorant and naive that it has the arrogance to conclude that all wisdom lies in Delhi rather than in Raigadh so it can make choices for you sitting in Delhi.

This ideology is so ignorant of how different every one of you is that it is stupid to believe that a one size fit all solution designed in Delhi will work for all of your problems.

One such one-size-fit-all solution is this 5 letter word called NREGA that Rahul Gandhi never loses an opportunity to throw at you. But then Rahul Gandhi forgets to tell you what every one of you told the government during the 2002 BPL Census.

Rahul Gandhi who never forgets to tout NREGA as a panacea to all the rural poor’s problems has no clue that a majority of Rural Poor when asked what kind of assistance they would like from the Government had screamed in one voice that

they would like “Self Employment” over “Government provided wages”

they would like “Skill development” over “Subsidized food via PDS”

It is in that earthy rural wisdom that is inherent in every one of you is the second ideology that is exactly opposed to what Rahul Gandhi is preaching to you.

This ideology was not scripted in New Delhi by armchair intellectuals.

This ideology does not need 5 letter words to be understood and appreciated.

This ideology does not need the benevolence of Sonia Gandhi’s family to deliver benefits to you.

This ideology does not need you to depend on Government and Bureaucrats to make a difference to your everyday life.

This ideology my friends is what comes naturally to every one of you.

It is what makes every one of you unique and special.

It is the wisdom that was passed on to you by your parents and their parents before them.

It is the wisdom to be self reliant and self sufficient.

This ideology my friends is of freedom so you can become masters of your own destiny. This ideology my friends is that innately native spirit of India that saw each village and town, each trade and craft be masters of their own destiny with the autonomy and economic independence they desire. This ideology is the Dharma of how we used to do things when there was no sultanate in Delhi dictating how you should conduct your life.

I would be guilty of high sounding rhetoric and no substance at all my friends if I fail to explain to you how this ideology will make a difference to every one of you to meet your unique needs, understanding your special capabilities.

But before I do that I would urge every one of you to reject this divisive rhetoric that treats you as common and banal and to spread this infection called optimism that the answer to your problems lies in your hands through self reliance and enterprise.

If elected my party will ………………………………

Postscript: NDTV’s Sreenivasan Jain rips apart Rahul Gandhi’s claims on Congress-NCP governance in Maharashtra

Perhaps the most emblematic example of squandered greatness is Maharashtra’s employment guarantee scheme, conceived in the famine years of the early seventies and subsequently the template for the UPA’s national flagship. The EGS was, quite apart from its intent, a remarkable attempt to bridge wealthy, highly urbanised Maharashtra and its impoverished rural interior : the funds for the scheme were raised through professional tax.

About 3 decades on, Maharashtra’s EGS has come to represent much of the failed promise of one of India’s most progressive states: corruption, unspent funds, unpaid labour, incomplete works. Almost every CAG report is a familiar indictment: a  2006 report finds that ‘registration of labour is incomplete’, ’scheme has not met targets’, ‘of the 10,000 crores collected for the scheme, only 4677 crores have been spent’ and so on. In 2005 , a whistle-blowing collector in Solapur who unearthed massive rigging in the local EGS rolls faced an escalating level of official aggression that culminated in the chief minister’s office.

Filed under: Assembly Polls 2009, DesiPundit, Local Governance, Maharashtra Polls 2009, Offstumped, Offstumped Community, Offstumped Community Posts, Shveta Chhatra, UPA-II Critical Appraisal

Minimum Government Maximum Governance – Open debate

With the results of the bye elections in and the BJP doing well in Narendra Modi’s Gujarat, Offstumped is inviting open debate from its community of readers and twitter followers on “Minimum Government Maximum Governance” being a credible Center Right alternative to the UPA’s ostentatious austerity and one-size-fit-all psuedo progressivism.

Will the BJP go to polls in Maharashtra for the upcoming assembly elections with Minimum Government Maximum Governance as its platform ?

Recent tweets on this subject below:

1. Last but not the least “Minimum Government Maximum Governance” in action http://is.gd/3gpdq from Offstumped archives
2. More on “Minimum Government Maximum Governance” from INI’s Pragati edition March 2008 http://is.gd/3goYJ
3. Narendra Modi’s seminal speech in Chennai articulating Minimum Government Maximum Governance is a must read http://is.gd/3goP7
4. Window of opportunity still exists for Modi to seek moral high ground & steer larger BJP debate rather than leave it to apolitical ideologue
5. If there is one reassuring angle to bypolls it is that BJP’s lock on Gujarat is secure enuf for Narendra Modi to consider larger issues
6. Imperatives for the BJP dont change it still needs to settle succession with transparency, break new ground with coherent credible agenda
7. Why all this excitement over bye-elections, BJP always did in state polls till R’sthan debacle and Delhi defeat
8. If farmers with even 25 acres of land are signing up for NREGS http://is.gd/3eAL0 it raises troubling questions on who exactly is BPL ?
9. Lack of coherent & credible political alternative to NREGS is leading to institutionalization of role of Govt as primary employment provider
10. must be asked how long before the psuedo-progressives in the Congress decide to pass a “Right to Employment” bill universalizing NREGS
11. Finally a political party bold enough to say it will scrap NREGS will promote rural self enterprise http://is.gd/3eC3Y kudos to Sharad Joshi
12. Can the BJP ever demonstrate such clarity and certitude to denounce NREGS for destroying self reliance fostering a BPL mindset
13. Punjab seems to make a start in letting rural Local Government raise its own revenues be self sustaining http://is.gd/3ezBm
14. Finally someone is paying attention to 2002 BPL Census data http://is.gd/3euCl will the same ministry accept majority dont want entitlements
15. At the risk of sounding repetitive will say this again there is only one opposite to UPA’s one size fit all centralized psuedo-progressivism
16. Movement to freedom and autonomy to Local Governance, unless the BJP reinvents itself to herald this move it will be seen as Congress clone

Filed under: Maharashtra Polls 2009, UPA-II Critical Appraisal, jeetega-bharat

Rail Budget – Is IR set to move forward or backward?

The major highlight of the recent railway budget was the following

“Inclusive growth” and expansion of rail network to reach development to every corner of the country is core to developmental approach.

Economically unviable projects need to be viewed with social perspective being economic necessity for backward areas and under privileged.

Expert committee to advise on innovative financing and implementation of such projects.

One would like the railway minister to define what she means by inclusive growth here. Indian railways ever since independence has viewed projects only with a social perspective.

If economic viability alone was the criterion, none of the projects launched in last eight years would have got approved by the planning commission.

At the same time one need to keep in mind that railway is for mass transport and cannot connect every village with every other village and it is the buses which act as feeder to the trains. What is required is rationalization of trains and buses to provide the passengers from every corner of the country a comfortable journey option.

The operating ratio which represents the efficiency of the railways(the lower the better) reached all time high of 98.5% from 93% during the period 2000 to 2001.

 During 2001, IR was able to allot only 350 cr towards capital fund for new projects. The Mohan committee in 2001 had noted that IR was terminally in a debt trap.

In the year 1987 IR launched the Project Unigauge, to increase the capacity, as well as have seamless connectivity and open different routes. 22 years on, 1000’s of km across many states are still left to be converted.

Infact by year 2000 (a well documented list is maintained by IRFCA community). IR had 17000 route km still left in MG.

The reason these projects moved slow, was IR had not much fund to speed up many of these projects. They dragged on for eternity. Passengers were put to difficulty. They have lost the numerous connections and trains they enjoyed.

Even when the lines were opened, IR was not able to operate even a fraction of the original trains in these routes and also connect all places that were connected before.

The main reason again was, it needed mammoth number of BG coaches. Only RCF and ICF produced these coaches. Most of the coaches being produced were only enough to introduce new trains in BG lines, and replace existing ones.

As a result the towns previously served by MG were left with few trains than when in MG. This is at a time when traveling public volume increased beyond imagination with state and city borders becoming irrelevant.

Many times, though not officially stated, one clearly got a clue that projects requiring only a few months to complete were dragged on for want of coches to form the rakes. Neither the expansion of RCF or ICF was done. No plans for new coach factories were firmed up despite being in proposal for a good time. The reason again was want of funds. That these projects took eternity meant that many island MG sections were created. Their maintenance, periodic overhauling, manufacture of new locos, all became problem.

MG track renewals and acquisition of MG wagons and coaches has been stopped since several years ago. Many sections ended up having token services for years.

It so happens that many of the MG and NG lines cut through India’s tribal heartland. IR continues to operate the NG trains for the sake of these poor people with tickets rates being very cheap. As discussed above, with IR not even able to convert the main trunk MG route till now, these routes still lie untouched, leaving the tribal with lesser connectivity and comfortable travel that most of India enjoys.

Not only, this IR was hardly able to add any new lines to the network, but many lines were condemned during 1970 and in the year 1987, as it became impossible for the sagging IR to operate services in these lines.

Doubling, signaling works, ROB/RUB , electrification all moved slowly. It was not able to take up new projects even when they were economically viable or strategically important. IR literally was not able to meet the aspiration of its customers. IR was in an era of shortages on every front. It was also draining the finance ministry, the money which could have been used for other purposes.

During this period IR freight share came down. Yet IR always did its social obligation. Passenger fares were always cheaper than any developed country. Infact passenger operations were loss making venture for IR. There was no economic viability in it.

In 1970 the salary of a class IV employee( more than 80% belong to bottom layer) was 100. It has now increased to 100 times. The diesel was 30 paise a litre and we know the rate today. The diesel consumption is also almost 5 times more than what it was in 1970(569,025 kilo litres).

Yet the passenger rates have seen only a less than five fold increase during this period. And think of the fares in slow passenger trains and second sitting fares which are still very low. The AC fares too are just a ninth of those in Europe. All passenger train operations are loss making for IR except the AC travel.

So is it that railways were so far, only looking at economic viability or an exclusive growth?

After 2001, the railway ministers esp Lalu allowed greater freedom to the officials. The staff came up with innovative ways to shore up the efficiency thanks to the freedom they enjoyed except with respect to Bihar. The operating ratio was brought down to 76 by the time the 2008 budget was presented.

This was due to the way passenger operations was streamline. Rake sharing options were explored to the fullest. With minimum rakes more trains were operated.

Even a day of idling of a rake in a zone even not its home zone was used to operate specials and increase the revenue. Line capacity was being increased by strengthening tracks, increasing the sectional maximum speed, signaling changes by doing away with the sophomore ones.

Officials were encouraged to explore innovative ways to increase revenue. Trains names were allowed to be branded. The famous example of kurkure express of SWR. Trains rakes were also thrown open for advt.

The famous Airtel branded coaches of kovai express in SR and the Vodafone coaches again in SR was classic example. The railways lands available in plenty, levels above passenger area in stations were allowed to develop budget hotels, convention centre and mall through IRCTC.

A station or even all the stations in entire division was thrown open for branding. Officials were allowed to directly contact the corporates for raking in the revenue.

 On the freight front which was the cash cow of IR and one that subsidized the passenger operation, again innovative ways were explored to increase efficiency and revenue. Stainless steel wagons were explored, attempts were made to increase volumes of freight transported to reduce unit cost, contracts that ensured minimum amount of tonnage were signed with corporates and turn around time for wagons were reduced drastically.

The general managers of zone were given the freedom to actively attract freight volume by vesting them with powers to offer rebates of upto 30%. Minimum period of run for wagons without maintenance were increased. All and many more of these efforts thanks to the freedom enjoyed by officials resulted in OR dropping, cash surplus increasing and the turnaround happened.

Even a loss making zone like SR that just depended on passenger operations for revenue reduced its OR from 120% to 102% in a few years time, while it was expected to increase.

What did all these mean to the passengers?

The IR was able to dream.

 All measures at increasing capacity were carried out.

This meant more trains for the passengers.

Gauge conversion was speeded up.

Many may not know. there existed a MG network that extended from Rameshwaram/Tirunelveli/Kollam in south to Delhi in North. This network was broken up in 1995 in Andhra and rest was almost taken up only after 2004. The southern portion till Madhya Pradesh is to get over now and in 2008 budget the northern portions remaining half was given the approval at an estimate of 1400 cr.

Think how long it would have taken had it not been for this balanced approach of railways. Still there is a good amount of MG and NG left over in the always ill-treated states of Gujarat, Rajashthan and Madhya Pradesh. Expansion of ICF and RCF was sanctioned.

New coach factories and loco factories were given the go ahead. Doubling and electrification moved at greater speed. Many new line projects were taken up, many economically non viable and those that had been crawling for years speeded up.

Infact almost all new line are not viable but for freight routes and this was the reason planning commission looked at rate of return. Stations were renovated to hold 24 coach trains, with vision statement even aiming 26 coach trains.

The vision statement even looked at increasing slow passenger speed to allow for increasing capacity. Many stations were also converted to crossing stations to increase capacity. Freight corridor similar to golden quad road corridor was planned. This would provide the cash cow – the freight quicker service, handle greater volumes and also free up the much needed space on passenger front for increased capacity.

Amenities like LED coach indicators were made available to even small stations. Not only in station, LED display was made available in trains of SCR, automated announcements inside train were introduced, stations were renovated, escalators for passengers in many stations were installed, automated ticket vending machine and smart cards were introduced, the internet booking was simplified, and many options were provided for passengers, resulting in over 50% of bookings being made by internet in many zones.

It also allowed private agents to open centres with bare minimum investment in remote areas for booking tickets against a minimum commission.

Unreserved ticketing centre or UTS counters were opened at many places and passengers were allowed to buy unreserved tickets three days in advance. Even season tickets went online. E-tickets were issued through state governments, petrol pumps, post offices, ATM. Infotainment services like DTH, internet were introduced to begin with in premium trains with plans for roll out across the network. IR even drew up 1 lakh crore worth of modernization of signaling, track, rolling stock and station for passenger sake.

On the freight front Goods yards were set for modernization and expansion. Even loss making zone SR has started the use of disposable take home bed rolls and pillows to make it more comfortable for passengers.

On the safety front many ROB/RUB were approved and works started, satellite based anti collision devices were installed in many sections. CCTV cameras were proposed to be installed in ac coaches’ corridor. Public grievances department was made friendlier. I can vouch for this.

Any suggestions, even on operating front received a prompt reply even if it was silly. One may not like the answer, but the effort was clear on the IR part to address the concerns of it customers. Hospitals and colleges were proposed to be developed in railway hospital area along with private partners. The Perambur railway hospital in Chennai was among the first under this scheme.

Lastly, the catering services, kitchens were also set for an overhaul. In these five years slowly but steadily, all aspirations of public over the last 30 years were slowly getting addressed. I am not saying everything was perfect, but this was a huge leap forward compared to the status pre 2001.

IR was dreaming big, not only dreaming big but also now had the capacity to realize its dreams. It was able to meet passenger aspiration of increased capacity, improved amenities and at low cost. All these aspirations were met while keeping the passenger fare constant. It was only possible because IR thought of profit and went ahead and took all actions for achieving it. The kind of growth needed to benefit passenger cutting across social spectrum was impossible without this approach. Not only was there growth in the dead IR, it was a growth that benefited people across the spectrum.

How were all these passenger friendly measures possible – Concentrating efforts on efficiency and providing actual succor to passengers, rather than on dole outs. Dignity lies in facilitating and meeting aspirations of passengers than in these dole outs. These dole out are the one that really question their dignity. They want a comfortable ride, not traveling by sitting and sleeping in the floors or cramping themselves in the unreserved coaches or by inviting the wrath of fellow travelers. It is this dignity in travel they expect.

The public want more capacity, more trains, better amenities and a feel that makes them proud of their very own IR. The rates are already so less that they are prepared to pay it if given these facilities. Not the kind of free passes and dole outs, train schemes aimed at votes that will once again eventually lead the IR to a stage that it can offer nothing to the passengers.

Many such similar passes existed in the 90’s and whether they benefited the travelers or not, the administration was only concentrating on introducing such schemes and the result was for all to see. When rates are so less and the media personnel have a comfortable living, where is the need for such passes for media. Such passes could instead be provided to teachers who are willing to serve in remote locations away from comfort of their home.

A lot has been discussed here, and when we take a look at the budget speech conveying the vision of new minister, there is nothing new in it. Most of what was mentioned in budget has been discussed above and it is being passed off as something new. Even trains and extensions announced in interim budget were announced as if it was a new one.

Thus the three statements which were the highlight of this budget have been achieved more than ever in last 8 years and is not something of a new vision, except for that obfuscating term inclusive. When was the railway exclusive to be inclusive suddenly? So does the term inclusive means catering to religions specifically and not to the cross section of social spectrum? It would be welcome if the ‘real’ connotation of this word is made clear to the nation. And when officials with greater freedom have turned it around and found innovative ways of increasing revenue to meet passenger aspiration, where is the need for an expert committee robbing the employees of the freedom to think out of box?

The only vision of this budget has been some passes and some trains announced with much hoopla.

Let’s look at some of the schemes introduced. The izzat scheme as demonstrated above is nothing but a beizzat scheme. The eastern railway around Kolkata is known for maximum losses due to ticketless travel. It is perhaps these acts that have been legalized in this budget. The aam aadmi has the dignity to travel by paying for his tickets and by treating him like a ticketless traveller, this scheme has only questioned their dignity.

This very blog during elections debate witnessed a comment. One of the commentators had relayed his conversation with a small time vendor who depended on the railways, in a remote station in Andhra. He aspired for revolutionizing the way tickets were issued using modern technology, innovative schemes for travel and did not talk of legalizing free passes. This saga of free passes is taking the country and its people back to the nineties when they want to move forward, move forward with dignity and pride.

The next big drainer is the YUVA train ac scheme. As we have seen earlier passenger train operations are a loss making venture and only the AC fares end up being profitable. This was the basis for the Garib rath trains that allowed many a lower middle class to experience AC travel while also being profitable for railways. When the sector of its run was correctly targeted, it was mutually beneficial. What fares does this YUVA scheme propose? RS 299 for travel upto 1500 km. The SL fare, which is loss making for 978 km is 331 and in GR the fare for CC which is seated acco as mentioned in this scheme, for just 1000 km is 499. On the face of it, this scheme is sure to take the IR down with it.

Then coming to double decker trains, these were in the consideration for good time. Infact one among the 14 types coaches propsed for Rae bareily factory is SC double decker day cars. Why was it not announced before- there is a good number of design issues involved. Also these are not new to IR. Some used to run on the Mumbai surat and pune sector, but had issues due to cramping and suffocation. (image)

The catenary posts, locos all are major issues before this gets implemented. This will take some time and has been announced as a fancy.

The non stop trains are another attempt at fooling people. This is just a combination of Sampark kranti and garib rath. The Sampark kranti when introduced by Nitish in his last budget was a similar concept and it was to have min stops in the state of orgin and only technical halts elsewhere. But its status 5 years down the line is very well known.

Same is the status of many prestigious trains of past which were introduced with just a handful of stops and had average speed ranging in the 65 km/hr when even modern day superfast definition is 55km/hr. There just cannot be a train without stop from say Chennai to delhi, because it needs to have its technical halts for loco reversals, loco change, crew change etc.

In course of time these technical stops would become official stops. And with increasing demand for trains from every station in the country, slowly demand for stoppage will come up and trains will be stopped. One can be sure that even before introduction there will be demands for extension, and stoppages.

One only hopes that instead of indulging in such gimmicks, passenger’s real aspirations are met and IR is taken down the path of becoming the No1 in world while offering the passenger the best facilities at lowest cost. Only if IR remains healthy can it meet the passenger’s aspirations.

On the evidence of previous tenure till 2001 and the gimmicks involved in not coming out with any new vision but passing off the existing vision as new vision and only coming out with measures bound to take IR down the Air India way in the name of inclusiveness, one is circumspect and worried for the pride of the nation – IR.

Already OR has increased from 89( increased to 89 due to doubling of 20000 cr wage bill in 2009) to 92.5 from interim budget to current budget. It is surprising that UPA govt wants to unnecessarily fiddle its crowning jewel from its first tenure. Usually one will be proud of it, but I see petty Bihar politics instead. If they though that these steps were part of progressive agenda, I am sorry it looks to be a regressive agenda.

The actions so far are mixed and only give signs of taking IR back to its dark days, while the real need is further tweaking and finally a restructuring of the railways into a regional, inter-state, networking&operations and freight subsidiaries with minimum government interference.

The 2010 budget will give us more definite clues of IR’s path in the next five years.

Filed under: Guest Posts, Offstumped Community, Offstumped Community Posts, UPA-II Critical Appraisal

Kaun Jitega Muqabla – Kaun Pahnega Rahul Gandhi ka Pajama

A  Hindi street play in a hypothetical village

Bhaiyon, Behnon, Mezbaan, Kadardaan

Aao Sabhi Aaao, Bacchon Tum bhi Aao

Dikha do Kisme kitna hai dum

 

Khelo Offstumped ka Muqabla

Kaun Pahnega Rahul Gandhi ka Pajama

 

Yeh koi mamooli Muqabla nahi hai

Par iss me koi videshi Jadoo bhi nahi hai

 

Aayi dekhiye iss safed rang ki Pajame ko

Rahul Gandhi ke naap-tol se Dilli mein buna gaya iss Pajame ko

Muqabla aasaan hai, Isse pahankar “fit” dikhaana hai

 

Bhaai saab kya aap pahankar dikhayenge ?

Nahi maain to Rahul Gandhi se Lamba hoon !

Mujhe kaise fit hoga Rahul Gandhi ka Pajama

 

Bhaai saab kya aap apna kismat aazmayenge ?

Nahi maain to Rahul Gandhi se mota hoon !

Mujhe kaise fit hoga Rahul Gandhi ka Pajama

 

Maaji kya aap …

Nahi Nahi main to Aurat main hoo

Ram Ram …

 

Behenji kya Aaap

khabardaar iss pajame ko mere saamne rakhoge to ….

 

Beta kya tum

Main to abhi bhi baccha hoon

Mujhe kaise fit hoga Rahul Gandhi ka Pajama

 

Bacche Buddhe, Lambe, Chaudhe, sabhi ne aazmali apni Kismat

Par ek baat poochna toh hum bhool hi gaye !

 

Agar Rahul Gandhi ke naap tol se Dilli mein buni gaya Pajama

Jhumri Talaiya ke kissi Kaam ka nahi Raha

Toh kya Rahul Gandhi ke naap tol se Dilli mein banayi gayee NREGA

Jhumri Talaiya ke khaak kaam aayegi ?

 

Dili main buni gayee Pajama jab aap ko “fit” nahi ho sakti

Toh kya Dill main banayee gayee Scheme khaak aap ko fit hongee ?

 

Dilli main buni gaya Pajama agar aap ke shauk nahi poora kar sakta

To kya Dilli se chaleya jaane waali Rajneeti kya khaak aap ke Sapne poora karegi

 

Bhaaiyon Bahnoon Bachoon

Iss maai-baap Rajneeti ke neeche kab tak dabe rahenge

 

Chaliye iss Ghulaami se Mukti paaye,

Chaliye Aazadi see apne pairon par Khud Khade Ho Jaaye

 

Aur Rahul Gandhi se bole apne Dilli mein buna hua Pajama apne paas rakhe

Aur kah do Rahul se Chahe toh Jhumri Talaiya mein buna hua naada le jaaye

 

Muft mein nahi uska baazar mein rakam adaa kar

Aur woh bhi dugna kyon ki

 

Rahul Gandhi ke nazar mein hum sab “aam” honge

Par Jhumri Talaiya mein hum har ek “anokhe” hai

That friends is how

the Congress’ one size fit all, Centralized, Anti-Federal psuedo-progressivism that treats everyone as “aam or banal”

can be countered with

an “aspirational message” that is colloquial and makes the case for Individual Economic Freedom and promotes the Spirit of Enterprise.

Filed under: Shveta Chhatra, UPA-II Critical Appraisal, betrayal of aam admi