The job dilemma

Why job creation remains a pipe dream?

India is the youngest country and is expected to remain so over a few decades. With such an expanding workforce, it is true that India is sitting on a huge demographic dividend. To reap this dividend, programmes like Make in India have been launched which are, however yet to show up the desired results. So what is it that is pulling India back when it comes to job creation?

The strict labour laws apply to firms having more than 10 employees. Hence, companies try to remain small so as to escape regulations pertaining to routine inspections, worker's safety, working hours, PF contributions etc. Therefore they hire less and outsource other jobs in the form of contracts.

Next factor is of course the rising automation which eats away jobs like anything.

A NASSCOM report finds that only 25% of the graduates are employable. Therefore the quality of higher education sector in India leaves a lot to worry about. Mere expansion of IITs and other institutes of higher learning have proven to be counterproductive since we don't have enough of well paid and well-equipped faculty.

Looking forward we need to target sectors that have immense job creating potential like the startups, tourism sector, apparels, footwear industry etc. We need to give tax-breaks to Micro, small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that are Kamdhenus of job creation.

A land of paradox!

India is a land of paradoxes. We have sent Mangalyaan to Mars but we are unable to send all our girls to schools! Also we have surplus food production but probably not enough to feed our starving children.

Banking Fraud

Today I received a phone call supposedly from ICICI bank. I was informed that the bank has rewarded my credit card with 8400 reward points. To redeem the same I was asked to supply a few information written on my credit card. I asked why should the required information be shared? The person on the other end smartly replied that simply sharing the visual details doesnt matter as the magnetic tape on the card had to be read for any transaction to happen. I said, "Okay. So what all information you want me to tell you?". He said in a seemingly prefessional way, "Expiry Date and the 16 digit number written on the card." I said quietly to his disappointment, " I cannot share these details with you." He hanged up.

PS: I shared this because this might happen with anyone. Please do not share information that can potentially cause you immense financial losses.

Me too

Previously, victims of sexual harassment were mute spectators in a patriarchal society like ours. But in this digital age, a more equal place called internet has provided aggrieved women a platform to come out in open and share their own stories through #MeToo campaign. It has provided women a sense of solidarity to their fight against misogynistic attitude. I am glad that movies like Tumhari Sulu and Lipstick Under My Burkha are redefining gender roles in our society.

Interesting Findings from Economic Survey

Economic Survey 2016 finds out that malnutrition among rural women can be attributed to two factors:
The norm of eating last in the family that leaves them with lesser food to feed themselves.
Further, in the absence of toilet facilities, women deliberately cut down intake of water and food so as to reduce the need of going out for relieving themselves, fearing snake bites and breach of privacy.

However there is a brighter side to this story. Women are more likely to utilize the toilet facilities being built under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. They nudge their male counterparts for the same, Hence they are serving as ambassadors in real sense.
India's growth story puzzles me. On one hand, our country is the fastest growing economy of the world. On the other hand, are its social indicators like health and education, which actually leave a lot to worry about. The global indices may have a lot of inherent biases. But that does not take away the fact that we Indians actually have a lot of ground to cover.

IPR

National IPR Policy calls for stronger IP regime. It envisions IP-led entrepreneurship.
Will benefit big corporations. BUT THERE IS NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT STRONGER IP REGIME RESULTS IN MORE INNOVATION.
Makes life difficult for startups.
Most of the patents filed by CSIR is lying idle with no profits coming out of it. Waste of public money.
Green revolution succeded without a strong IP regime. So did Generic Industry.
Compulsory licensing seems to be given a go-by which will upset the generic drug industry. Consumers have to pay twice, first for funding ICAR, CSIR and then for royalty which pushes up the price.
Intellectual property must maximise dissemination, access to knowledge, and public interest.

ISRO's RLV

ISRO has taken a baby step in building a RLV (Reusable Launch Vehicle) that can be reused multiple times to launch satellites into orbit. Building a fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicle will play a pivotal role in cutting down by as much as 80 per cent the cost of launching satellites into orbit. In fact, ISRO is already well-known for launching satellites at a far cheaper cost than other space agencies. Currently, the bulk of the launch cost comes from building the rocket, which can be used just once, as the rockets get burnt on re-entry into the atmosphere. No other space agency has reusable launch vehicles in operation.

Learning from the mistakes of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in its space shuttle programme, ISRO will not use the same reusable vehicle to launch satellites and carry astronauts as it drastically reduces the payload capacity and thereby increases the cost per kg.