Arrest Sliding Re

Got an excellent e-mail today worth reading:

WHY IS THE INDIAN RUPEE FALLING V/S AMERICAN DOLLAR? IS THE AMERICAN ECONOMY BOOMING? NO! THEN WHY IS THE INDIAN RUPEE GOING DOWN? WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP THE FALL OF THE INDIAN RUPEE?       Real story of American Dollar v/s Indian Rupee (Very Interesting Article MUST SHARE) An Advice to all who are worrying about fall of Indian Rupee Throughout the country please stop using cars except for emergency for only seven days (Just 7 days) Definitely Dollar rate will come down. This is true. The value to dollar is given by petrol only.This is called Derivative Trading. America has stopped valuing its Dollar with Gold 70 years ago. Americans understood that Petrol is equally valuable as Gold so they made Agreement with all the Middle East countries to sell petrol in Dollars only. That is why Americans print their Dollar as legal tender for debts. This mean if you don't like their American Dollar and go to their Governor and ask for repayment in form of Gold,as in India they won't give you Gold. You observe Indian Rupee, " I promise to pay the bearer..." is clearly printed along with the signature of Reserve Bank Governor. This mean, if you don't like Indian Rupee and ask for repayment,Reserve Bank of India will pay you back an equal value of gold.(Actually there may be minor differences in the Transaction dealing rules, but for easy comprehension I am explaining this) Let us see an example. Indian petroleum minister goes to Middle East country to purchase petrol, the Middle East petrol bunk people will say that liter petrol is one Dollar. But Indians won't have dollars. They have Indian Rupees. So what to do now? So That Indian Minister will ask America to give Dollars. American Federal Reserve will take a white paper , print Dollars on it and give it to the Indian Minister. Like this we get dollars , pay it to petrol bunks and buy petrol. But there is a fraud here. If you change your mind and want to give back the Dollars to America we can't demand them to pay Gold in return for the Dollars. They will say " Have we promised to return something back to you? Haven't you checked the Dollar ? We clearly printed on the Dollar that it is Debt" So, Americans don't need any Gold with them to print Dollars. They will print Dollars on white papers as they like. But what will Americans give to the Middle East countries for selling petrol in Dollars only? Middle East kings pay rent to America for protecting their kings and heirs. Similarly they are still paying back the Debt to America for constructing Roads and Buildings in their countries. This is the value of American Dollar. That is why Many say some day the Dollar will be destroyed. At present the problem of India is the result of buying those American Dollars. American white papers are equal to Indian Gold. So if we reduce the consumption of petrol and cars, Dollar will come down The Above Details are translated originally from Telugu Language to English by Radhika Gr. Kindly share this and make everyone aware of the facts of American Dollar V/s Indian Rupee. And here is a small thing other than petrol , what we can do to our Indian Rupee YOU CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE TO THE INDIAN ECONOMY BY FOLLOWING FEW SIMPLE STEPS:- Please spare a couple of minutes here for the sake of India. Here's a small example:- At 2008 August month 1 US $ = INR Rs 39.40 At 2013 August now 1 $ = INR Rs 62 Do you think US Economy is booming? No, but Indian Economy is Going Down. Our economy is in your hands.INDIAN economy is in a crisis. Our country like many other ASIAN countries, is undergoing a severe economic crunch. Many INDIAN industries are closing down. The INDIAN economy is in a crisis and if we do not take proper steps to control those, we will be in a critical situation. More than 30,000 crore rupees of foreign exchange are being siphoned out of our country on products such as cosmetics, snacks, tea, beverages, etc. which are grown, produced and consumed here. A cold drink that costs only 70 / 80 paise to produce, is sold for Rs.9 and a major chunk of profits from these are sent abroad. This is a serious drain on INDIAN economy. We have nothing against Multinational companies, but to protect our own interest we request everybody to use INDIAN products only at least for the next two years. With the rise in petrol prices, if we do not do this, the Rupee will devalue further and we will end up paying much more for the same products in the near future. What you can do about it? Buy only products manufactured by WHOLLY INDIAN COMPANIES.Each individual should become a leader for this awareness. This is the only way to save our country from severe economic crisis. You don't need to give-up your lifestyle. You just need to choose an alternate product. Daily products which are COLD DRINKS,BATHING SOAP ,TOOTH PASTE,TOOTH BRUSH ,SHAVING CREAM,BLADE, TALCUM POWDER ,MILK POWDER ,SHAMPOO , Food Items etc. all you need to do is buy Indian Goods and Make sure Indian rupee is not crossing outside India. Every INDIAN product you buy makes a big difference. It saves INDIA. Let us take a firm decision today. we are not anti-multinational. we are trying to save our nation. every day is a struggle for a real freedom. we achieved our independence after losing many lives. they died painfully to ensure that we live peacefully. the current trend is very threatening. multinationals call it globalization of indian economy. for indians like you and me, it is re-colonization of india. the colonist's left india then. but this time, they will make sure they don't make any mistakes. Russia, s.korea, mexico - the list is very long!! let us learn from their experience and from our history. let us do the duty of every true indian. finally, it's obvious that you can't give up all of the items mentioned above. so give up at least one item for the sake of our country! We would be sending useless forwards to our friends daily. Instead, please forward this to all your friends to create awareness.

I

Concern for soldiers

Got this in circulation mail. A must read:


Barry Whiteley, British and proud of it!

Airline Lunch
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my
assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight from Gatwick. I'm glad
I have a good book to read Perhaps I will get a short sleep,' I
thought.

Just before take-off, a line of British Army Youngsters came down the
aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I
decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you blokes headed?' I
asked the young man seated nearest to me. 'Cyprus. We'll be there for
two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to
Afghanistan.

 .... After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that
lunches were available for five pounds. It would be several hours
before we reached Cyprus, and I quickly decided a lunch would help
pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask
his mate if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of
money for just an airline lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five Quid.
I'll wait till we get to Cyprus'. His mate agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I
walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a
fifty Pound note. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers..' She grabbed
my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me.
'My young bloke was a soldier in Iraq, it's almost like you are doing
it for him..'
Picking up ten lunchboxes, she headed up the aisle to where the boys
were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best
- beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked..

She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later
with a dinner plate from first class. This is your thanks.

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane,
heading for the rest room. An old bloke stopped me. 'I saw what you
did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me
twenty-five Pounds.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Captain coming down the
aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he wasn't
looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my
side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out
his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seat-belt I stood and took the Captain's hand.
With a booming voice he said, 'I was an army pilot a long time back.
Once someone bought me lunch. It was an act of kindness I never
forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the
passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A
kid who looked about 18 was sitting about six rows in front of me
reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another
twenty-five Pounds In my palm.

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to depart. Waiting
just inside the aeroplane door was a man who stopped me, put something
in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word.
Another twenty-five Pounds!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their
Trip up to their training area.. I walked over to them and handed them
seventy-five Pounds. 'It will take you some time to reach your
training area. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You
Blokes.'

Ten young blokes left that flight feeling the love and respect of
their fellow Brits. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a
prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for
our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so
little...

A British/Indian Serviceman is someone who, at one point in his life,
wrote a blank cheque made payable to

'My Country'for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'  That is
Honour, and there are way too many foreigners in this country who
don't understand it

And here in INDIA , the Politicians not only robbing our Citizens with
Millions and Billions of Dollars but are also robbing the DEAD
Soldiers who Died for the Country and Countrymen, “The ADARSH”
SCANDAL, is just one of the known incidents. Get up with your Mighty
strength and DRIVE away the SCOUNDRELS with the voting power, do not
forget to Educate the Poor and Illiterate who are victim to Bribe,
else one day AMERICA and WEST will repeat IRAQ & LIBYA to our Country.

May you have the strength and courage to pass this along 

I JUST DID!

DEMOCRACY

Got an interesting reading : True Democracy in Action.

JOGISHWAR SINGH

 

 

As a Swiss citizen born in India, I am many times brought to think about my experiences of the democratic systems prevalent in the two countries.

Before Indian ‘patriots’ start screaming murder at what I am going to say, I should point out that I am fully aware that I am talking about two different historical realities.

Switzerland has been independent for over 800 years while India is a newly created entity, now a mere 66 years old.

Switzerland has a population of only 8 million while India has the second highest population of any country in the world at over 1.2 billion (give or take a few million). And expected, in the near future, to even outstrip China, and become the world’s most populous.

The trigger for this set of reflections was what I saw on the 7.30 pm evening news on Swiss TV a couple of weeks ago.

The Swiss President, Mr Ueli Maurer, was leaving on a five day state visit to China. The news showed him arriving at Zürich airport in an ordinary private vehicle. The President got out of the car by opening the car door himself. He walked to the nearby baggage trolley stand outside the airport entrance. He took a baggage trolley out, rolled it towards the car, lifted his suitcase and travel bag himself, put these on the trolley which he then rolled towards the entrance like any passenger lambda like you or me. He walked up to the check in counter with just two other persons walking behind him. He checked his luggage in for a commercial flight without any special treatment being meted out to him.

For any Indians (or others) who might find it difficult to believe what I have described above, you can CLICK on the link provided hereunder, at the end of this article, to view a TV news clip from the evening prime time news for July 16, 2013..

You’ll get visual proof of the Swiss President’s arrival at the airport, his check in for his state visit to China and a short interview with a TV journalist. This clip is really worth watching.

Conditioned by my personal experiences of dealing with politicians and government ministers in India while serving as an IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer, I was so struck by the contrast between what I had experienced in India and what I was seeing on the TV screen that I told my wife that this represented one of the finest examples of democracy for me, certainly of the Swiss variety. It made me proud to be the citizen of a country where the serving President behaves like an ordinary citizen and does not feel the need to consider  special privileged treatment as his divine birthright.

I remembered the countless times when I had seen the fury of Indian politicians, much below the level of the President of a country, at what they considered as a slight because they had not been treated as demi-gods.

I am not a psychologist. I do not know whether centuries of slavery have generated this distorted VIP culture in India but I remember that we all did curse the politicians there for causing so much inconvenience to the general public by expecting, demanding and getting privileged treatment.

Who in India, except maybe some politicians or bureaucrats, has not been inconvenienced by VIP visits for which miles of roads and highways, even entire neighbourhoods, are blocked off to traffic, and flights are delayed, awaiting the arrival of some VIP or even his/her flunkies/family members?

Any such inconvenience would cause an uproar in Switzerland.

In India, it does not generate even a whimper.

In this context, an incident from the not very distant past strongly lingers in my memory. A few years ago, a former IAS batch-mate of mine (1976 batch) had visited Switzerland.

I have noticed that Switzerland becomes a prize destination of choice for a lot of Indian ministers and bureaucrats during their hot summer for attending all kinds of useless conferences which are essentially talking shops organised by the United Nations, an organisation which is a hotbed of nepotism and inefficiency.

This IAS officer wanted to see Switzerland, so I acted as his local tourist guide.

While we were going around the Swiss federal capital, Bern, it was lunch time so we decided to have lunch at a restaurant very close to the Swiss parliament building.

As we took our seats at a table, a Swiss gentleman sitting at the next table, reading his newspaper while sipping his coffee, greeted us in English. While we ordered our meal and waited, he finished reading his newspaper, drank his coffee and called for his bill which he paid before leaving. While going out, he again politely wished us goodbye, even saying, “I hope you enjoy your stay in Switzerland” in English.

After he had left, I asked my visitor if he knew who the man had been. Obviously, my visitor did not know the answer. I informed him that we had just been greeted by the then serving Swiss President, Mr René Felber.

My guest thought I was making fun of him. He would not believe me so I called the restaurant manager to confirm the veracity of what I had told him. The manager duly confirmed what I had said.

My Indian visitor was flabbergasted. He said, “How can this be possible? He actually paid his bill before leaving”.

So, what struck my visitor the most had been the fact that a VIP had actually paid his bill! I wonder what he would say if he saw our current President, Mr Ueli Maurer, personally loading his bags on to a baggage trolley and wheeling it to a check-in counter just like any ordinary citizen. His disbelief could only be countered by visual evidence on the TV!

My visitor’s reaction brought back memories of when, as a serving sub-divisional or district level official, I had been called upon to organise lunches and dinners for numerous collections of freeloaders travelling with ministers or bureaucrats in India.

I seldom remember any politician or bureaucrat actually paying or even offering to pay for the bonanza laid out for them. Those who did offer to pay, did so at the ridiculously low official daily fare of eleven rupees (today, a mere 20 cents US) per person or something like that.

Nobody ever asked how it had been possible to lay out a lavish meal comprising several dishes, accompanied by expensive alcoholic beverages, for such a petty sum. I never found out myself who used to pay for all this extravaganza at the end of the line.

Like a good Indian bureaucrat, I just used to pass the buck down the line to my junior magistrates and revenue officials. To this day, I am unable to clarify which poor victim -- read, citizen! -- who got stuck with paying for all the freebies on offer.

While working as chief of staff to the President of the Swiss Commission for the Presence of Switzerland in Foreign Countries many years ago, I had the chance of accompanying him to Strasbourg for meetings of the Council of Europe. I also had the privilege of close interaction with several Swiss members of parliament over an extended period of 12 to 14 months.

The contrast to the behavioural pattern of what I had experienced in India with politicians was so stark that it has stayed seared in my mind even till today.

I am by no means suggesting that Swiss politicians are angels but the kind of behaviour that Indian politicians or bureaucrats get away with as a matter of routine in India would torpedo their careers in Switzerland in a jiffy.

Each such incident deepens my gratitude to Waheguru Almighty for having made me settle down in a country like Switzerland where the President carries his own bags to the check-in counter.

Where no roads are blocked for hours so that some VIP can, in the name of security, be whisked around in convoys of official vehicles.

Where politicians and bureaucrats pay their bills in restaurants.

Where grossly sycophantic behaviour is not the general and accepted norm.

Where no red-light beacons or screaming sirens signal the passage of VIP vehicles. Indeed, the red-light-beacon culture of officialdom in India merits a full story in itself.

I might accept India as a true democracy the day I see its President or Prime Minister behaving like the Swiss President before his departure on an official visit abroad.

I don’t think I will ever see such a sight in India during my lifetime.

You think, maybe, my grandchildren will?

 

To view the TV news-clip, please CLICK here.

 

 August 1, 2013

 

Attack on Gen Brar

One fails to understand as to how naive can a person be to target a functionary of the government for an act carried out in discharge of ones duty. Could the Gen have moved the troops and attacked the Golden temple on his own? He moved just because he was ordered to do so. A soldier never questions his superiors. As long as the plans or strategies are worked out the officers give their views as well as their perception, but once the final decision has been taken then no questions are asked. It is the duty of one and all to follow the orders and that is the culture in the Defense Forces. Under the circumstances it is totally unfair to target the Gen. It is to request all not to disturb a retired veteran and let him lead a peaceful life. What the gen has done is nothing but an act carried out as part of his duty.

Disrupted Parliament

PM asks people to reject BJP for disrupting the house. The question is the reason valid enough? Why could the Govt not cancel the allotments order an inquiry as demanded, thereby gaining moral ground and at the same time leaving the opposition speechless. The nation is so fed up with new scams coming out in the open one after another that they are clueless as to what should they do.
There was a time when railway minister offered to resign on the issue of a train accident and now there are scams running in lacs of crores and still people are sticking to the chair.  The PM has himself played in the hands of theses seasoned politicians to erode his stature and reputation.
In case the opposition had not disrupted the house then this coalgate would have been found itself under the carpet.
The accusation of the ruling party is totally baseless and reflects insensitivity towards the Nation and the people.

State of Army

The developments of the past are hurting and painful for the old timers. There are many of us who have been joining the forces since generations. One may ask any one as to why did one join and prompt would come a reply for discipline / it is tradition / for serving the country / my great grand father / grand father / father are from forces and so is going to be my son.
Look at the state of affairs now the list of personnel who have shamed this noble, reliable and trust worthy institution to shame is growing by each passing day. The differences between offrs and soldiers reaching a show down was never heard of except during foreign rule.
The effect of growing degradation of values in and around us is slowly taking so far immune institutions into its folds. It is high time the custodians of this extremely efficient, dedicated, loyal, trained, disciplined force take some concrete steps to arrest this degradation of customs, ethos, values, etc which have been cultivated over years.
We are sure any half hear ted effort will dig a grave for this institution. There is an urgent need to carry out brain storming sessions, introspection, immediate addressing to the personal issues of troops etc. The sitations must be faces upfront and matters resolved rather than trying first aid approach.
 

13 Years After Kargil War

An article by Gen VP Malik, Ex Chief.

13 Years After Kargil War

General (Retd) V P Malik

The strength of a military force lies in the quality of its human resource, weapons and equipment, and its morale. There is no better time to reiterate this than now, exactly 13 years after the Kargil war.

Twenty days after taking over as Army Chief, while addressing the Prime Minister and his CCS colleagues in a Combined Commanders’ Conference (October 20, 1997), I had described the state of the army as ‘the spirit is strong but the body is weak’, and then proceeded to indicate the high deficiencies of arms, ammunition and equipment.

In March 1999, just before Kargil war, I wrote to Defense Minister George Fernandes stating “The army is finding that major acquisitions get stymied for various reasons and a feeling of cynicism is creeping in. By and large, the prevailing situation is that nothing much can be done about the existing hollowness in the army. By denying essential equipment, the armed forces would gradually lose their combat edge which would show adversely in a future conflict...”

And then in May 1999, despite the Lahore Agreement, Pakistan surprised us strategically and tactically. Before melting of the snows, Pakistan Army units lodged themselves on several heights in Kargil and Southern Siachen sectors to dominate the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway. When the fog of war cleared and reality emerged that the intruders were not Mujahideen but Pakistan Army units, the whole nation was shocked.

During the war, while briefing the media, a journalist asked me as to how the army was going to fight in the face of its severe weapons and equipment shortages. My spontaneous reply was: ‘We shall fight with whatever we have.’ Someone from the Ministry of Defence complained to the Prime Minister about my statement. He asked me whether I should have made such a remark. I explained that my response was to a direct question from a journalist. Any attempt to cover up the true state of affairs would have conveyed an impression to the army rank and file that their Chief was indulging in double talk. If that happens, they would lose confidence in me.

To get away from long faces and depression in New Delhi and to boost my own morale, I went to the Kargil and Siachen front and addressed troops regularly. Interacting with them and seeing their commitment and motivation, I would get re-assured.

When the Prime Minister asked a wounded Garhwali soldier in Srinagar hospital what can he do for him, the response was “I want to rejoin my battalion as soon as possible” and “Please get us some lighter weapons and equipment so that we can climb mountains much faster.”

The spirit was strong; the morale high. We were confident that we would throw the intruders out from Kargil and Siachen sectors. And if the situation demanded, we could also attack across the border.

Looking back, however, I cannot help wondering that if we had the required quantity and quality of weapons and equipment; would Pakistan Army have dared to attack us in Kargil or would we have suffered that many casualties?

How has the situation changed today?  Let me deal with the weapons and equipment state first.

On 12 March 2012, former Chief of Army Staff wrote a letter to the Prime Minister ruefully informing him that the army’s air defense weapon systems were obsolete, the infantry was deficient of crew served weapons and lacked night fighting capabilities, and its tank fleet was devoid of critical ammunition. He alleged that there was ‘hollowness in the procedures and processing time for procurements as well as legal impediments by vendors’.

For the military and informed strategic community, there was nothing new in this letter. The surprise was that none of our worthy politicians, bureaucrats or media persons owned up that this was a chronic problem which had dogged the nation for decades. The Government had failed to rectify it.

Publication of this letter in the media created a furore in the Parliament and outside: less due to its serious strategic implications, more because a classified letter from the Army Chief to the Prime Minister had been leaked.

What about the military spirit?

In the recent past, we have witnessed an unhealthy row over the age of the last Army Chief, attempted bribe to purchase Tatra vehicles from BEML, and the deep-lying suspicion of the military over movement of some units for training near Delhi. The last mentioned incident reflects the lack of trust that continues to bother officials in the Government after 65 years of independence and after what the armed forces have contributed for the nation.

There is deep discontent among the armed forces veterans and widows. They feel cheated over pension disparities and anomalies. As a result, they have been organizing rallies, fast unto death agitations, and surrender of war and gallantry medals to the President to draw public and political attention. Less visible is the unhappy feeling among serving soldiers over automatic promotion and up gradation rules that the civil services have managed to secure for themselves. The general impression is that the political leadership takes little or no interest in the armed forces’ welfare and to protect their hierarchal status in the government and society.

A few days ago, the Prime Minister announced a Committee under the Cabinet Secretary to look into these anomalies and grievances. Against all organizational norms, the Committee had only civil secretaries as members; no representation from the military.

The Government may have forgotten Kargil war but in military history, it will go down as a saga of unmatched bravery, grit and determination. The army responded with alacrity and with its characteristic steadfastness and perseverance. How will it fight the next one? Not differently. Because the Indian soldier is a remarkable human being: spiritually evolved, mentally stoic and sharp, physically hardy and skilled. And his institution remains proud of its traditions of selflessness, devotion to duty, sacrifice and valour.

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THE END