This-N-That 4th September 2016

This-N-That

And for another week-end, a few stray thoughts and a few general observations and a few points of view (some of it my own work and some as reported by media):

Ø  Just as most of us thought that the Timeless Test was finally drawing to a close, there is another twist in the tale like we feared. BCCI top brass, loathe to give up any of their privileges, perks and other spoils of office, have come out with another one of their stalling tactics. Enter ex-CJI Mr Markandey Katju.  Ostensibly Mr Katju has been given the assignment of “interpreting” the Lodha panel’s recommendations to BCCI. Mr Katju will represent BCCI in the meetings with Lodha panel and convey whatever reservations BCCI has about implementation of Lodha Panel’s recommendations and help in implementing the changes as warranted by the Lodha panel.

Now Mr Katju has often been in the limelight, especially after his retirement as CJI and majority of the times for controversial topics. BCCI’s game-plan seems to be clear. Let loose an ex-CJI on the Supreme Court and let the fireworks begin. Mr Katju has already started doing his job for his new client who is known to have his coffers overflowing and an iron resolve not to yield an inch for the fear of losing the whole 22-yards. He has started with asking for a full bench review of Lodha panel recommendations and questioning the very basis of Lodha panel. At the same time the political bigwigs behind BCCI and various state boards are busy pooling their considerable resources to engineer a legislation which will one way or other keep the politicians out of ambit of any of the earlier restrictions imposed by the apex court.  We, the gullible, will have to wait and watch how the Timeless Test unfolds.

Ø    An international team of six scientists has recently completed a stay of one year at a deserted site on Mauna Loa in Hawaii under conditions which simulated the conditions that humans would encounter on Mars except I guess the gravity of the red planet. The project, known as HI-SEAS (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation), put an international team of scientists in a solar-powered habitat. The habitat had electricity and internet access, but there was a 20-minute delay in sending or receiving messages to mimic the time lag between Mars and Earth. The crew wore spacesuits when they ventured outside the dome. The objectives of this experiment were to study the possible physiological and psychological effects on the crew of a long duration space flight and inhabitants of a colony on an alien planet.

Elsewhere in the Atacama desert in Peru, the scientists have found soil which they feel is equivalent to the Martian soil and are experimenting how the soil can be used to cultivate food for the future colonization of Mars. I am sure Elon Musk must be very happy that more and more people are taking up the Project Mars seriously. And the recent blow-up of SpaceX rocket notwithstanding, I feel we as a race are now getting ready for our first big leap into future.

Ø  Supreme Court has ruled that Tatas must return all the land which was acquired (through the aegis of state government) for their automobile plant at Singur. This plant would have been the most important investment in West Bengal since the Haldia Petrochemicals project around the turn of the millennium. It would have hopefully sparked off some sort of industrial revival in West Bengal by developing  a cluster of ancillaries along with the main Tata plant. When the project had to be called off, Ratan Tata had kept the door open for a return to WB at some future date if the circumstances changed.  Now with this development, it is doubtful if the house of Tatas, now  under a new leadership, would consider going back to aamar shonar bangla in a hurry. Message is loud and clear. As for the Nano, Make In India if it pleases you, but Make In West Bengal? It’s a no-no.

The entire episode should make both government and industry rethink such projects in future. The farmers who lose their land must be made stake-holders in the project not just by a promise of jobs in the new unit which may or may not materialize but also some sort of profit-share. We are seeing some move towards such a scenario at least on paper but equally importantly the central & state governments which go all out to attract investment must  be made to give iron-clad guarantees that no governments which comes to power subsequently in the centre or state  can revoke or do so at a very heavy penalty which will give potential  investors some relief if the things go wrong as they very often do in India.   

My friend Guy Wise says that politics may well be the art of possible for the rest of the world, for Indian politicians it is the science of making things impossible for anybody who wants to do something constructive unless it serves politicians’  vested interests.  This is “indigenization” for you.  

LazyBee

4^th September  2016