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ELECTIONS '98
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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 11:19:06 -0500 It is great to hear about this invention. And at the same time it is shocking to hear that India is not going to use this. Probably we can make India use this technology by selling the know how of this technology to Qualcomm. Let Qualcomm in turn sell this to Indian government. I think Indian politicians may not oppose this. Whatever may be the cost, at the end we will get a good system. I think it may happen some day. Anyhow, convey my congrats to Professor Jhunjhunwala.
Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 20:57:59 +0530 I personally feel that Bangalore is not getting ahead of AP as the IT awareness in the states counts to the real win in the game. With AP having around 200 training institutes it is way ahead than other states. It also depends a lot on the CM as on the people, as Chandrababu Naidu being currently called a computer savvy CM would surely lead the state into the information age. Hope India will not miss the train as it did miss the electronics revolution. It is great that the prime persons in the government have at least realised the importance of the IT revolution, and creating healthy competition in the states should have been done a long while from now but nevertheless it is happening now.
Date sent: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 23:47:46 -0800 I am one of those who closely monitor Indian IT's progress and get excited about it. But I could not resist expressing my frustration about the recent news about branding Internet telephony illegal. I am a software professional and live in California. Having tried it myself with my friend, I can say that "voice over Internet" technology is in its infancy today. We have a long way to go before everyone starts using Internet in place of public telephone network for voice communication. Today, online users at home use local telephone number to access the Internet. In spite of the excellent telephone network here in the US, voice over the Internet is far from ready to replace telephone for long distance communication. It will be very immature to think that Indian online users who log on to Internet from home could practically use the Internet for voice communication immediately. IT skills of Indian professionals are recognised all over the world. This ban on Internet telephony in India nips any research by bright Indian minds in the bud. Any Indian IT professional who has ingenious ideas to improve this technology in our country, will be scared to experiment for fear of prosecution. Efforts are on in the IT world to make voice over the Internet an everyday reality. By branding it illegal we are definitely thwarting India's potential to contribute in this field. Similar shortsighted reaction has been shown by some other countries where telecommunication is centrally controlled. Once this technology matures, Internet is going to become a popular (maybe standard?) medium for long distance communication. This ban could mean missing a golden opportunity for indigenous technology and ending up paying a fortune to import it. India has proved her potential in the IT world. Let's hope that it doesn't get marred by such bureaucratic decisions. Darshan Maharana
Date sent: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 17:59:24 -0500 I must congratulate you in your choice of the telecom writer, if I may call Mr Vittal that. He is simply excellent in terms of knowledge, analysis and strategic thinking in the telecom arena. Ramkin
Date sent: Sat, 17 Jan 1998 07:44:44 -0800 India is like a assembly house for big corporations like Microsoft. We are yet to invent a good programme with worldwide demand. We don't lack brilliance; what we lack is inventiveness. I can see why Australia and Britain will take over the software market from India. Students in India are guided by parents towards a certain degree that sometimes parents could not achieve themselves. There are many cases of a good accountant turning into a mediocre doctor. We study only to make money and make our life easy. The government can avert the falling by improving on phone lines and low cost access to the Internet and other facilities. Computers should be also allowed duty free so that more people can be computer literate. Unfortunately, we have guys like Laloo who boast about their lack of education and having nine kids and, demean the reason for good education and a small family. We are led by the misled in all aspects of our life in India. What we need is strong leadership that we saw in 1971 Indo-Pak war under General Manekshaw. Maybe we can have him lead us, he is old, ambitious, credible and has the forceful personality to lead us. We are seldom motivated to do things ourselves, we always need a jump start.
Date sent: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 16:58:45 -0800 It is a very good concept. This will provide a lot of opportunity for many technocrats to go back and settle in India. Bhubaneswar is a nice city to set up the Software Technology park. The growth of the city should be managed otherwise it will be a dead city like many other big cities in India. Niranjan Tripathy
Date sent: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 17:06:39 -0600 Tell these guys to get a clue. It's very common for bundled apps to be paid anywhere from 25 cents to 1 or 2 dollars for full blown apps. This is standard practice in the market. Perhaps it's short term greed...
Date sent: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 15:44:37 -0500 (EST) I am an enthusiastic reader of Rediff, an Indian, and a Ph D student in computer engineering. I don't understand what kind of an audience this piece is targeted for. Some questions were banal and naive, as if the intention was to give Rabri Devi an understanding of super computers, while the others like the one on open-ended architecture would certainly have gone way over most people's heads! So, please decide on your audience first and then frame the appropriate questions. More over, interviewing so many experts only served to create confusion in my mind (though they agreed on most things!). But, do keep up the effort to bring in more of such articles-they are better than the ones on how the Masoom girl has turned to be a seductress. Krishnakumar
Date sent: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 11:07:38 -0600 (CST) This was a very good and informative article. Please try to include more educative articles like this.
Date sent: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 18:42:12 +0530 Now the rupee is going up against the dollar so what about software prices? If you think that is that, it is not over, speculators feel, the rupee will be 32 to 1 USD by April, and that will be the time. R N Krishnan, Chennai
Date sent: Sat, 24 Jan 1998 20:24:38 +0530 Performance bank guarantee "A performance bank guarantee, valid for two years, from scheduled bank in the prescribed proforma will have to be submitted along with the application for each service area. The value of the guarantee is Rs 20 million for each category 'A' service area, Rs 2 million for each category 'B' service area and Rs 300,000 for each category 'C' service area." This ensures that only the already rich businessmen can venture into this business, right? In the US you have at least one ISP per city and there are no such obstacles to discourage them from doing it. In turn, we in India will never get things like "unlimited access for Rs 100" just because of these dampeners. Tariff "ISPs will be free to fix their own tariff. The tariff will be left open to be decided by market forces. However, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India may review and fix a tariff at any time during the validity of the licence, which shall be binding on the licensee." Another fraud to make sure that nobody goes below a minimum rate. In other words, everything in India must be overpriced as it is now. Obscene material and cyber laws "Flow of obscene, objectionable, unauthorised or any other content infringing copyrights, intellectual property rights and against international and domestic cyber laws, as and when established, in any from over the ISP's network is not permitted." Talk of the Internet and what comes to mind? Pornography. This shows the dirty mind of the commission. This is just one kind of data and what has this got to do with the service provider? The service provider can only provide the technical side of it. Misusing it rests purely in the hands of the user. Does one tell someone intending to start a courier service that obscene material is not to be couriered? No. Why tell this to ISPs then? The only reason is that journalists and the government have been so much obsessed with sex that every article on the Internet contains reference to it! They miss 99% of the good things and focus on some trash. Reminds me of the psychologist who tested two persons asking them what they saw when he showed them a white wall with a small spot. Once again to drive home my point, I can only mention the analogy to setting up a courier service. Arvind
Date sent: Sat, 20 Dec 1997 16:53:02 -0600 Once again a nice, witty piece from Ashok Mitra. However, as before, I ask Mr Mitra to elaborate on his views clearly. He has been the severest critic of the current economic policy that is being pursued in India lately. Mr Mitra is a reputed economist. For once I would like him not to toe the party line and just say what is true for the benefit of well-meaning Indian citizens (No point really in casting aspersions on the characters of NRIs. I belive even though they have left their motherland for better future, their allegiance is still to the country of their birth than the country of their residence!). We the people of India have been fooled by politicians for too long. That has led the country to the precipice of a total disaster. It is ironic that having blessed with the privilege of education, which is otherwise rare in India, I still cannot judge truths from downright lies. Personally, I am born and raised in Bengal. For most of my life I have seen the Left (the party of Mr Mitra) firmly ensconced there. What did the government deliver? West Bengal and its capital Calcutta is in its death throes. I am not indicating that the alternative to the Left is any better. By all means I shudder at the prospects of a Congress government. I believe that is the reason why the left has been in power for so long. But the issue is why Mr Mitra and his esteemed colleagues are not admitting some faults on their part that have caused the present economic deteriorations. He points the Soviet Union might as well go for communism than the present crisis-ridden democracy and the free economy. But that could be said for India too. There were lot of people at 1947 who would have exchanged freedom for efficient British rule. I am appalled that I never came to know of Stalin's atrocities to his own people while I was in India (It is surprising that our supposedly free press chose to ignore this bit of information) until the downfall of Soviet Russia. Our communist leaders along with others kept on defying an admitted monster just to hoodwink the people. If I understand it correctly (and please correct me if I am wrong). By no means I am indicating I know it all. On the contrary I, as most others like me, sometimes suddenly find to our utter surprise, that all the that we as a nation have treasured so long are to be relegated in one shot), we were forced to swallow the bitter pill of the IMF loan because we did not have any other option in 1991. It seems to me even though parties are saying stuff to the contrary, all government, including Mr Basu's in Bengal is soliciting funds from abroad. In that case, I would like to know from Mr Mitra to give an unbiased opinion of the whole situation. Enough of sound bites! An economist of some integrity should not waste his intellectual energy just in trying to further narrow partisan interests. He should help us understand what is what. I kindly and respectfully implore Mr Mitra to do just that for our benefit, for the betterment of the country. Dr Kausik Sarkar Urbana
Date sent: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 11:12:18 -0600 Mr Ashok Mitra, your ignorance is showing! I can't say I disagree with everything he wrote. For one thing, I liked the caption 'To hell with reforms,' quite an attention-getter, but alas! that is the only thing I liked. His article is so shallow to the point of being ridiculous and shows very little understanding of the basic principles of economics. I very much doubt he knows he difference between a KEYNESIAN and MONETARIST, but if he does he sure doesn't show it. I have a strong feeling he is just repeating what he read in the popular media without understanding anything about how economies work, or he could be one of those guys who is a proponent of the 'Swadeshi' movement. Before I go, I just want to say one more thing about Mr Ashok Mitra's argument that the majority of the Russians would prefer to go back to the old ways of Communism, and that Russia's attempt at capitalism has failed. Do I even need to answer his second contention as to why some of the people in Russia like to go back to the old system? Come on don't insult our intelligence, please. I am sure you will like that old Russian system Mr Mitra? I could refute all of your rantings and pseudo intellectual arguments but why should I? I would rather feel sorry for you than waste my time, besides some of us are capitalists, and for us TIME is MONEY . Any way thanks for the great job you guys are doing and keep up the good work. I am directing all my American friends to your site, and I'll have you know they are regular visitors and avid followers of Rediff. Mohan 'The Capitalist' Marette Texas
Date sent: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 12:41:30 +0800
From: "Manjunath" <jyoman@asiaonline.net> Please let me know if your columnist is a communist by any chance. Dr Ashok Mitra, economist, former West Bengal finance minister and MP, is a member of the CPI-M.
Date sent: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 08:20:12 -0500 To say that liberalising the markets has not worked by pointing to the Asian Tigers and Russia is naive and dead wrong. There are problems in every system, so it is a choice between what is in the best interests of the people in the long run versus the short run. The Asian Tigers have failed here briefly because of corruption, immense debt and too much government interference. I will grant you that the speculators -- out of pure greed, drive markets well below where they should go and can cause overbought and oversold conditions. I despise them too. However, they also serve a purpose in that they highlight the need for change. I suspect that if the Asian Tigers act responsibly, and do not try to ease the pain too much, they will come out of this mess smarter, stronger and well positioned for the fast paced future. Russia is going through a lot of pain and I suspect that there is more to come. The path to economic freedom is not an easy one, but it is highly rewarding. It would be a very bad mistake to go back to what did not work without giving what does work enough time to set in. There is pain in changing but changing is what is needed in these environments if they want to compete on a global basis. People will always struggle for freedom -- it has been proven over and over again. It is not different just because we're talking about economic freedom -- that is the idea that I can choose to be and do what I want without too much government interference. We in the USA are learning that even a dose of socialism is very debilitating in the long run. Government regulation is necessary in limited circumstances but can be very expensive if not watched very carefully. Any time I experience troubles in my business, I can always say that at least I had a shot at doing what I wanted to do. It is up to me. I know that if I struggle hard enough and long enough I will succeed. But I must be willing to adapt if the circumstances change. For the world, the circumstances have changed and we in the USA know that if we don't adapt to the changing world, we too will be left behind -- all we need to do is look across the Pacific.
Date sent: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 06:49:52 +1000 Mr Mitra has to be educated a bit more in what the East Asian crisis is actually about: Over the past decade, when money from Western nations poured in, local development was kicked off in a big way with the belief that the fiscal sector would be reformed. This did not happen as banks accumulated bad debt (one reason is the political class being hands in glove with the business class). There was no real growth as all the overseas money was invested in industries like real estate where prices had been pushed up artificially (eg: Bangkok). This bubble had to burst at some point in time. When external lenders and investors get positive signs about this and negative signs from the countries' governments about fixing these and other problems, you would naturally expect them to withdraw their money, wouldn't you Mr Mitra? India is not in that position: the reason the rupee has slided down slightly is because of the domestic recession. We don't have debt problems internally like the rest of Asia as yet. And our economy is far bigger to withstand even moderate amounts of capital flow. Whether the IMF says Rs 40 to USD is the right value or not can only be tested in a liberated currency environment. Whether people are willing to buy your rupee at 34 or 40 rupees to the dollar is the question. The world out there is a tough place! Capitalism is all about making money and growing the whole mass of people in that ideology. This is basic human nature. You cannot collectively distribute public wealth in a way that communism espouses. It has not worked and there is no argument for it. Narain Sydney, Australia
Date sent: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 16:20:42 -0500 I really loved this piece of advice from Ashok Mitra. I agree with him, let's close up again and try and achieve socialism. There will be some who will say where will the money for financing the infrastructure the country needs, the education that children need, food (free food) that poor need come from. Tell them we can always bend on our knees in front of the World Bank and IMF and ask for more grants. To hell with the world, we have a big enough cocoon to live in. We have survived 50 years as a country in this cocoon and will survive another century (I think so). The Asian tigers are collapsing and let's learn a lesson from them, DO NOT LIBERALISE, WE ARE INFERIOR PEOPLE AND THE DEVELOPED WORLD IS TOO GOOD FOR US, THEY CAN ALWAYS DO US IN (I'm not ashamed, Ashok Mitra suggests that's something to be proud of!!). Just like our last two finance ministers harped on the success of the Asian tigers to justify opening up of the economy, our dear friend Ashok is harping on their failure to justify closing it all up. Way to go COMRADE! To be frank, I am quite fed up with people like Ashok Mitra who have nothing constructive to contribute, but have ideas (communist ideas) to disrupt everything good that any other person does. Dheeraj Garg PS: Just so that he does not pick on me, I am an Indian and a proud one at that. Not long enough in the US to be corrupted by its ideas.
Date sent: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 23:21:56 -0500 It's unfortunate you decided to publish an article against economic reforms. No nation, no matter how great, has been able to fight market forces. Rs 40 to a dollar is a result of the higher inflation rates in India compared to the US. The IMF does not determine these numbers. There are so many examples in the world which show that the socialist and communist systems only bring poverty and misery to its people. This difference is apparent even when the people speak the same language and share the same culture: example -- North Korea/South Korea, East Germany/West Germany. I hope your web site will not end up publishing ideas which got settled years ago. The socialist system has failed around the world. Let's move away from it. Sandeep Ahluwalia
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