No red beacons? No worries. Sirens will do. This seems to be the mantra among VIPs and VVIPs, many of whom have now started depending on the good old siren to make their ‘presence’ felt. Recently, when a sedan with tinted windows zoomed through the gates of a government building, siren blaring loudly, the guards jumped to attention and opened the gates wider. As they explained later: “Now that the lal battis are not allowed, it is difficult for us to make out which car belongs to a VIP as we can’t remember so many registration numbers. By putting on the siren, the VIPs let us know of their special status. It saves unnecessary hassles and embarrassment,” one of the guards explained.
Ecosystem blues
Investing in infrastructure is also an important part of developing a good ecosystem: this was the message articulated by a lawyer at an international conference on new corporate insolvency regime. He says the National Company Law Tribunal needs to be housed in a separate world class building. Currently, it shares its space with the CISF and the ITBP, and that, it appears, is a nuisance.
Every time you want to go to NCLT, they check your card fifty times, he said and if there is a function inside, you have to walk. Worse, there’s no decent place for lawyers to sit and have a cup of coffee. Any counter arguments?
Talkative Tyagi
SEBI chairman, Ajay Tyagi, has always been known as a man of few words. But at the annual session of the Confederation of Indian Industry recently, he surprised all by his vocal views and comments on issues pertaining to the financial markets and corporate governance. Is this the Bindaas Mumbai effect?
Banking on rotis
In a recent edition of Mann ki Baat, the PM raised the issue of food wastage and drew attention to a particular practice that he said he had not been aware of until recently. “Many have sent me videos of their work in this field. There are many places where ‘Roti Banks’ are operating. In the Roti Banks, leftover rotis are deposited by people; they also deposit leftover vegetables and the needy can obtain food from these banks. The person who donates rotis feels a sense of satisfaction, also the recipient does not feel humiliated. These are examples of how work can be achieved with the help of society.” Way to go.
People for Ganga
The ministry for water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation wants to observe May 2 as Ganga Swachhta Sankalp Divas in Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, Sahibganj, Kolkata, Raj Ghat (Hardoi), Bithoor, Srinagar (Uttarakhand), Vidhur Kuti (Bijnor) and Devprayag as part of the National Mission on Clean Ganga (NMCG). The Ganga Vichaar Manch, local NGOs and volunteers will help organise the event at 30 more locations. The objective is to spread awareness and evoke people’s active involvement in the Swachh Ganga and Namami Gange programmes.
Missing the target
The Government’s collateral-free MUDRA loans of up to ₹10 lakh are aimed at providing funds to micro and small units in the non-corporate, non-farm sector. One aim is also to encourage startups. So, while the Centre said loans extended under the scheme during 2016-17 had crossed the target of ₹1,80,000 crore, one participant in the recently held National MSME Board drew attention to the way the targets were being met. He cited the case of Uttar Pradesh, where most of these loans had gone to existing units, not new ones. When asked why this was so, a banker gave a resigned look, saying: “Well, these are the pitfalls of setting targets, I guess.” All eyes are now on 2017-18, for which the budget has announced a massive target of ₹2.44 lakh crore for MUDRA loans. More shoulder-shrugging?