Author Archives: VAN NAMBOODIRI

Govt. proposes Full Mobile Number Portability, telcos oppose.

17 Sunday Mar 2013

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Govt. is proposing to introduce Full Mobile Number Portability in the country. At present MNP has been introduced through which a mobile subscriber can change the operator retaining his own number in the new company also. 80 million subscribers have utilised the facility since 2011, when it was introduced. It is to be noted that the private telecom companies objected to the MNP saying that it will adversely affect their revenue. Out of 80 million requests more than 14 million requests are still pending without granting MNP.

Now the government is proposing full MNP viz. that even if a subscriber goes out from the circle, he can retain his number. The private telecos are opposing this also putting the same argument of revenue loss.

The government should implement the proposal, which is in the benefit of the subscribers.

Rs. 31 lakh crore – Revenue foregone under IT, Excise and Customs

16 Saturday Mar 2013

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In today’s Hindu, on page 11, there is a very important and educative article by well known writer, Shri P.Sainath, under the caption ‘The Feeding Frenzy of Kleptocracy’. It mainly deals with the concessions and tax relief given to the corporates on Income Tax, Customs, Excise etc. among othe issues.

According to the author, more than Rs. 31,11,169 crore revenue has been foregone by the Central Government by concessions/relief given to the corporates towards Income Tax, Customs and Excise alone during the last 8 years from 2005-06 to 2012-13. This information is taken from the successive Budget documents. The annual relief on tax etc. has been increasing year after year. This is much more than the subsidies given towards the crores of poor people.

The neo-liberal policies and economic reforms have benefitted the corporates and the rich and put more misery on the common man and the toiling masses.

DOT orders Airtel to stop unauthorised 3G services

16 Saturday Mar 2013

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At last the DOT has ordered  Bharti Airtel to stop providing 3G services in Kolkata, Maharashtra, Gujarat and other four circles  where it has no licence for the same. A fine of Rs. 350 crore is also slapped. Notice was issued earlier to Airtel, Idea, Tata, Vodafone and Aircel for the same offence, but the telcos went to court and got some respite. DOT will issue notice to telcos other than Airtel also.  Though none of these companies have 3G licence in all the circles, they were providing services by making unauthorised agreements between  them for sharing.

Private companies oppose Preferential Market Access

16 Saturday Mar 2013

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The private telecom operators have demanded the DOT to suspend the Preferential Market Access (PMA) Policy announced vide DOT notification dated 30th October 2012, according to which the telecom operators will have to give preference to India-made telecom products due to security issues.

The private companies has stated that the application of PMA to private companies would violate India’s World trade Organisations obligations and is an unprecedented interference in the procurement of commercial entities. Hence they are demanding for its suspension.

The government should not surrender to the unjustified demand of these private companies. The PMA policy should be implemented both in PSUs as well as Private companies.

Check Prise rise! Demand by Parliament Members.

15 Friday Mar 2013

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Lok Sabha members today raised serious concern over the prevailing high inflation and sought government’s intervention to check price rise along with streamlining the Public Distribution System (PDS).     Moving a private member’s resolution on steps to control the rise in prices of essential commodities, Mahendra Kumar Roy (CPI-M) said people are suffering because of high inflation and demanded ban on futures trading in commodities.     Roy also raised the issue of hoarding and suggested that at least 35 kg foodgrains at Rs 2/kg should be distributed to people every month.     “The stored foodgrains should be distributed among people and not exported. Foodgrains are rotting in godowns, but government is doing nothing to distribute it,” Roy said.     He also favoured doing away with the distinction between the APL and BPL categories in foodgrains distribution.  Supporting Roy, Satpal Maharaj (Cong) said inflation should be brought down and the government should take steps to strengthen the PDS.     “PDS is full of irregularities and lacuna. We need to plug this lacuna and bring down inflation,” Maharaj said. Shailendra Kumar (SP) said 3-4 per cent inflation would be acceptable, but not the current high level of price rise.    WPI based Inflation stood at 6.84 per cent in February while the retail inflation was 10.91 per cent.     Mahendra Sinh Chauhan (BJP) said poor should benefit from government’s initiative to check price rise. (Courtsey: Ganashakti)

 

Shame India! All growth for Rich – India’s worst record in HD Index

15 Friday Mar 2013

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The United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Human development report 2013 has torn down and exposed the claims of the Indian Government of the high economic growth and development of the people of this country. India is placed at No.136 out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite indicator of health, education and income. Many backward countries of Africa and South East Asia are above India.

India has grown economically, but the condition of the common people has not improved accordingly. In Gross National Income (GNI) India is above many countries, but on HDI, it is below many of them. The worst is the rank in the Gender Inequality Index(GII). In this India ranks much below even of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, our neighbours. See the table below:

Country                                GNI                     GII

  1. India                      3285                       132
  2. Sri Lanka                5170                       75
  3. Nepal                     1137                       102
  4. Bangladesh             1785                       111
  5. Pakistan                  2566                       123

With regard to the HDI, India is far below its partners in BRICS Group with Russia (55th), Brazil (85th) and China (101st) with India (136th). Its Human Development Index is below even of Sri Lanka which is having an HDI of 99.

This clearly shows that the benefit of growth in India has not gone to the common people. The saying that the ‘Rich has become Richer and the Poor has become Poorer’ is fully applicable to it. The poor people are not able to get adequate education, health facilities etc.

The Government of India has to open its eyes! This is wake up call for it. Instead of self-praise, it should introspect and concentrate not only the economic growth, but also how the growth is benefitted the poor and common people.

1.97 million GSM subscribers reduced in February

15 Friday Mar 2013

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1.97 million ( 19.7 lakhs) GSM subscribers have been reduced in February 2013 compared to January with most of the telecom companies affected. This information is stated by Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI), the organisation of the private telecom companies. The present total GSM connections is stated to be 655.59 million.(CDMA subscribers are not included in this).

As per the COAI statement the number of GSM connections and the market share of each company is as given below:

Name of company       GSM Connection   Market share

1. Bharti Airtel             186.62 million     28.47%

2. Vodafone                 149.89 million     22.86%

3. Idea                        119.26 million     18.19%

4. BSNL                       97.17  million      14.82%

5. Aircel                       60.87 million        9.29%

6. Uninor                     31.77 million        4.85%

7. MTNL                        4.92 million        0.75%

8. Loop                         3.03 million        0.46%

9. Videocon                   2.06 million        0.37%

Meerut Conspiracy Case 1929 – 1933

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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The British Government was always on the look out for anything that will disturb their colonial rule in India. The Soviet Revolution which resulted in the fall of the hated Czars and the formation of USSR in 1917 had unnerved the entire capitalist and imperialist countries. In many countries, formation of Communist parties started  with the help and guidance of the Comintern. In India also many workers unions started  in Bombay, Calcutta and other places . The British Government was fully aware about these movements and wanted to crush the workers movements and the Communists in the initial stage itself. The Kanpur Conspiracy case, the Meerut Conspirace Case etc. were part of this witch hunt against the early communists in India. Some of the leaders of the British Communist Party were also made accused in these conspiracy  cases.

The Meerut Conspiracy case started with the issuing of arrest warrants against 31 Communists and other persons on 15th March 1929. The charges were that these persons conspired to overthrow the British Government of India through strikes and other militant methods. By 20th of March almost all were arrested. The arrested included almost all the known communists including Muzafr Ahamed, S.A.Dange, S.V.Ghate, Dr.G.Adhikari, P.C.Joshi, S.S.Mirajkar, Shaukat Usmani, Philip Stratt and others.

The case continued for about 4 years till 1933. The Communists and other accused utilised the case to explain to the people the demands of the workers, the need to fight against the British, the cruel exploitation etc. Wide publicity was received in the press. The working class and independent movement got inspiration and strenth from the bold stand taken by the accused against the British government. The plan of the British to isolate the communists did not succeed. Indeed, it strenthened the independence movement.

Meerut Conspiracy Case and the General Statement given in the court by the Communists exposing the colonial rule, the right of the people to fight against it, the revolutionary ideology of the Communist Party etc. inspired an entire generation of young communists.

The Communist movement in India has come up facing severe repression and attack from the British as also the national government after independence in 1947. This great struggle for the toiling masses continue even now. Meerut Conspiracy Case will always be a milestone in the growth of the Communist Party in India.

Telcos owe Rs. 9,600 crore to Govt. on licence fee, spectrum charges

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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To a question in the Parliament, Milind Deora, Minister of state for Communications informed that the telecom companies owe Rs. 9,636.34 crore towards of payment of licence fee and spectrum charges to the government. This includes the amount to be paid by the telecom PSUs also. The details also have been given. Bharti Airtel: Rs. 3,275.56 crore, BSNL: Rs. 2,092.95 crore, Reliance: 1,656.23 crore, Vodafone: Rs. 1,122.01 crore, Tata: Rs. 458.32 croew and Idea cellular: 428.06 crore.

Private telcos issued notice for cheating government.

14 Thursday Mar 2013

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5 private telecom companies viz. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea, Tata teleservices and Reliance have been issued notices by the government for understating their revenues and paying less charges, thus cheating the government. As per the Special Audit conducted by the Government for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 the cheating was found out. Reliance has understated  Rs. 3,402.92 crores, Tata Rs. 3,156.46 crore, Bharti Airtel 1,927.50 crore, Vodafone Rs. 1,490.94 crore and  Idea Cellular 848.87 crore. The total amount comes to Rs. 10,826. 69 crore which also includes an interest of Rs. 1,841.67 crore.The information was given by Minister of state for Communications Shri Milind Deora to Parliament Question.

This is one way by which the private companies cheat the government and increase the profits.