I have accepted the challenge to save the country:
A few days ago the leaders of all political parties came in a colourful delegation and met me. They pleaded with me to become their consensus Prime Minister and to save the country, as only I could. At first I was angry with them for having disrupted my ongoing tennis game. However, Arvind, Prashant, Rahul, Arun, Manish, Shazia, Manohar, Rao, Mulayam, Kapil, et al emerged from the motley crowd, and reminisced how, as kids, they used to play on my lap and how they used to tease Shazia by tugging at her pig-tails, and how she used to retaliate by eating up their lunch and / or by deflating their tri-cycle tyres. They in unison reminded me how I used to spank them for their mischiefs and suggested for me to do same now, should they err. I denied the spanking part (just like advocates deny everything, even the indefensible), but after some deliberation I decided to accept the post as a sacred duty, subject to their unfettered unanimous acceptance and support of a handful of laws and executive decisions to be introduced by me as Prime Minister.
1. The Single Point Directive stands withdrawn with immediate effect ….. the public servants must live and face the same life and music that the average citizen does;
2. Summary dismissal from service the known criminal-corrupt types with forfeiture of their retirement benefits and recoveries of past salaries-benefits paid;
3. Reduction in and consolidation of politican-babu-judical salaries / perks so that the same is a consolidated amount, stripped of all perks like house, car, electricity, LTC, etc. (except for line duty forces) at a maximum of 30 times the per-capita income of the citizen. Pension will be a maximum of 50% of last salary drawn. The government contribution to PF will be cut to 50% of the contribution by employee. Annual leave will be 14 days for first ten years of service, and 21 days thereafter, as per norms worldwide. Leave cannot be clubbed or encashed and the same stands forfeited. The public servants will purchase or rent their own accommodation and travel by their own vehicle / public transport the way the rest of the world does. They will arrange their own medical insurance and / or use the government hospitals (except for line duty forces) the way the rest of the world does. Air-conditioners in offices are to be replaced by air-coolers. Personnel upto Section Officer will travel on official duty by sleeper class, officers below full Secretary by 3-tier AC, and Secretaries by 2-tier AC. All these measures are designed to send a potent message that the politicns-babus-judges are servants, not masters. In a nation where 90% of population earns less than $5 per day, what is the purpose of the Rs1000 and 500 notes? Hence, these high value notes will be de-monetised. All these measures are also designed to tame the hyper-inflation that the nation has been in in the past several months, to cut deficits, and to improve international competitiveness of our products and services. The country has run at about double the world inflation rate ever since. Inflation benefits only the top 5% of population, but bites hard the middle and poorer class. On the other hand, deflation is equitable for the 95% of population comprising the middle and poorer classes. So, let there be deflation for a couple of years and the bursting of inflated assets prices. In overall terms, non-plan expenditure is to be cut by 30% with a corresponding increase in plan expenditure of 20%, the remaining 10% will go to trim budget deficit. Personal income upto 10 lacs exempt from tax. Consolidated salaries including perks and benefits beyond 50 lacs is to be taxed @ 75%. All dishonest taxes-levies in the garb of surcharge / surtax / cess / entry tax - octroi to be abolished. Cars with engine larger than 1200 cc will pay additional tax of 3 lacs and SUVs an additional 6 lacs. Price of diesel and petrol is to be freed so as to curb demand and to reduce international trade deficit. Subsidies on kerosene will be available only in towns of population less than 1 lac.
4. Janlokpal Bill with all 32 teeth in tact to be gazetted within 30 days. The enactment will have the provisions to freeze all moveable and immovable properties together with all retirement entitlements of the corrupt at the chargesheet stage itself, and to confisticate same upon conviction at trial stage. CBI to become statutory authority;
5. Amendments to Evidence Act, CrPC, CPC, etc. to be in tune with the needs of modern times and to better balance the interests of the injured with the interests of the accused. Bribe taker to be made guilty. Mandatory permanent castration of terrorists-rapists-murderers-corrupt politicians/babus/judges, together with confistication of all assets including retirement benefits together with mandatory prison term till age of retirement or hanging;
6. Judicial reforms to increase the number of judges 5-fold. Court recorders of proceedings are to be modernised. All courts to have audio-video coverage. Strong and independent Judicial Accountability Bill. Creation of an All-India Judicial Services with withdrawal of the virtual immunity from prosecution granted to judges. Retirement age of all judges to be 70, subject to meeting attendance-performance criteria;
7. Administrative reforms in police force in accordance with SC orders. General administrative reforms will be instituted to screen and weed out the criminal-corrupt-inefficient types at various stages of their career. There will be reduction in the 5-tier administrative machinery to 3-tier. Salary hikes based solely on performance of overall governance: improvement in corruption and performance index by at least 10 notches in the first year followed by another 20 notches in the next 4 years;
8. Population control will be encouraged by denying government jobs or other benefits like ration cards, etc. to any person having more than two children.
9. Agriculture impetus-reforms to curb food inflation by increasing productivity 2-fold in five years through water harvesting, construction of 500,000 micro dams all over India, construction of required number of cold storages, formation of village co-operative groups that will by-pass middlemen and bring and sell their produce directly to consumers through a 10-fold increase in Mother Dairy type booths, banning food exports where necessary, processed food industry to be made tax-exempt;
10. Solar power and rain water harvesting thrust to increase availability, save environment and reduce prices ….. almost the entire country is blessed with FREE & POLLUTION FREE sunshine-solar energy for 330 days a year that needs to be harvested aggressively. We will give 50% subsidy on project subject to the house-building generating sufficient power for itself and some extra for the grid. All existing government and industry building to implement solar power project within 2 years. All new construction licenses to require solar projects. Same for rain water harvesting.
11. Technical institutes will be set up in every district. They will impart job related skills like welding, masonry, carpentry, stitching, electrician, driving, computer related skills, etc. 25% of the students will be given the training free, 50% of the students will be nominees of industry and they will be charged 200% of the cost, and the remaining 25% will be independent students that can pay the normal fees by themselves.
12. At least 100 private world class universities will be set up all over India. The universities will be located at least 150 Km away from metros and at least 50 Km away from big towns. They will be set up on lands that are otherwise not suitable for agriculture. They will be required to achieve at least 90% adult literacy within a 30 Km radius in 5 years.
Victor
P.S. Of late my good friends President Obama, IMF, World Bank, even China and Pakistan have been phoning me to save the world as only I can. Unfortunately, I have had to put their requests on hold.
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