ഉണരും കേരളം!

Wednesday, 2 December 2015


നവകേരളം




              

About Us 

It is about all of us! about-us-navakeralam.org
We are mere “Platform Coordinators” (Not young enough and sparing some free time till some Young and Energetic Volunteer Coordinators take over and relieve us). Our attempt is to find out if there is any scope for a Party in Kerala that will be guided by the Collective Wisdom of the People of Kerala and Actions on the ground undertaken by Youth, Women and Technocrats (Party Functionaries/Volunteers). Towards that end we are presenting a Raw, rather Coarse “Random Thoughts” which may or may not form the basis towards creating a Vision Document for an Equitable and Environmentally Sustainable Society. This is a call which we hope; the People of Kerala will take.
So far we were not able to find any youngsters coming forward to take ownership towards the Dreams we have. For the time being, we are supporting the new third front that is emerging which may possibly break the Unholy Nexus between LDF and UDF. How long we will support the new front will depend on how they perform and transform to meet the peoples’ expectations, especially people from the Lower strata of the Society. We do not have any permanent affiliation to any Political Party. Our Ultimate aim is Probity in Public Life and Polity of unmatched Quality.

Vision

There is no Vision yet!
How is the Vision formed? 
It is the Dreams and Aspirations of the People backed by collective Wisdom that can be translated into Actionable on the Ground.


Mission

The mission is to distract and discourage youth from fighting among themselves or between which do not serve the very purpose of serving the people in General and the people from the Lower Strata of the Society in particular and create a Socioeconomic Political Platform for the Youth from all Youth Movements to unite, fight injustice in the Society and take our State Forward where it is ideally supposed to be.
The mission is to motivate and engage our Youth and Women towards State and Nation building by drawing help from Technocrats and Experienced Seniors with the blessings of Our People.
The mission is to help the Youth and Women form a Party which will be guided and controlled  by the People of Kerala and not a Party that will Command and Control Us.

Values

This is something which is very hard to come by these days in our Society! 

It is high time for all of us to introspect, bring back and reintroduce those Values in our Daily Lives without further degradation.


Random Thoughts for better Governance in Kerala with Social Equity

The Background
Since independence we in India practised several Economic Models such as:-
1.Mixed Economy (Capitalism + Socialism which eventually became License raj).
2.Neoliberalism since 1991  Post Globalisation (That included Privatisation of Inefficient Public Sector Entities).
3.Now PPP (Public Private Partnership), Some among us call it “Crony Capitalism”,  some call it “Quid Pro Quo Deals”, Some call it “Sweet Heart Deals” and yet some refer it by “Give away for a Song Deals”. Real Estate is the main ingredient in all such deals. And of late, a majority of people who represent us have no time and become PPP Dealers than being Selfless Social Leaders who stand for the toiling masses and such space is taken up by Religious and Caste Leaders with their own agenda. Where do we go from here?. Again why some of our political representatives wanted to make such deals, when there are genuine businesses who are willing to buy at market prices such as IKEA?
No doubt the Overall Productivity and output of our Country have gone up since Liberalisation. However, the Wealth Distribution is skewed, which has hampered raising the Standards of Living of a Majority in India and taking the poor out of their suffering. We have been hearing Slogans about Poverty Alleviation and Social Equity since independence such as:-
01.Roti, Kapada aur Makan (Congress)
02.Garibi Hattao (Congress).
03.Jai jawan Jai Kisan (Congress).
04.Socialism/Samajwad (The Left and The Janata Parivar).
05.Inclusive Growth (Congress).
06.Profit Sharing scheme such as CSR – Corporate Social Responsibility (Spending 2% of the Corporate Profit on Social Sector).
07.Employment Guarantee Scheme MGNREGA – Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Guaranteeing Employment for Certain number of Days in a Year in Rural India)
08.Karuthalum Vikasanavum – Development with Caution (Present UDF Govt. of  Kerala).
09.Swaraj (Aam Admi Party).
10.Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas (Present NDA Govt. of India).
Development of Kerala is touted as a model of social and economic development that can be emulated elsewhere in the country. The overall Social, Economic and Political development  can be  attributed mainly to the Social Reforms by eminent personalities like Vaikunda SwamiChattampi SwamikalNarayana Guru,  Ayyankali ,  Arattupuzha VelayudhappanikkarSahodaran AyyappanVagbhatandanBrahmananda SivayogiPandit KaruppanT. K. MadhavanMannathu PadmanabhanV.T.BhattathirippadSwadeshabhimani Ramakrishna PillaiVakkom MoulaviChempakaraman PillaiG. P. PillaiDr. PalpuKumaranasan, C. V. KunhuramanC. V. Raman Pillai  etc., to name a few and the various other Social Movements linked to the above reformists. Political Movement such as Punnapra Vayalar Struggle and Land Reforms by the Communist Party and lately Remittances from Pravasi Malayalees mainly from the Gulf since 1970s. Even though it looks attractive overall from the social aspect of development in education, health and  electoral politics, there is gross economic inequality and simmering discontent among the majority population from all religions, thanks to the legacy power structure that Kerala inherited and the electoral politics followed by both the Left and Right wing political dispensations.
A sustainable model of development should involve EconomicSocial and Environmental aspects for its citizens to have Equal OpportunityAccessibility andAffordability. And should also be  measurable in terms of “Gross Happiness Index” for Socioeconomic Well-being and “Citizen Satisfaction Index” for Citizen Services from the Government.
Social Equity: Social equity should be the guiding principle of any economic development. This may be achieved by ensuring the Following:-
1.    Transparency
2.    Efficiency
3.    Sustainability
4.    Accountability in all matters related to economic activity.

The Overall Scenario

Growing Social Inequity (Global Scenario with Global & Local Effect)
During a recent study by www.fortune.com, The World’s 1% wealthiest will own more than 99% by 2016, i.e.>50% of the total wealth and will exceed 56% by 2020. This skewed wealth accumulation/distribution is attributable to Globalisation and withdrawal of  Governments the World over from Core Service Sectors, such as Health, Education, Banking, Insurance, Telecom, Exploration of Natural Resources, Public Distribution/Supply Chain/Retail etc… citing reasons of competencies in the Private Sector. However, if we assess the past, we find that, Fully or Partially State Owned (Socialism) Enterprises became Laggard due to the mismanagement by Parked Political Nominees, irresponsible Trade Union Representatives, Bureaucrats who lack Business Acumen & Business Administration Skills and the resultant Inefficiency with burden on the Tax Payers. The total withdrawal of State (Capitalism) from the scene lead to efficiency, more predictable outcomes, with a single point agenda of more and more Profits with no social obligations, definitely lead to the concentration of wealth in fewer hands as there are no mechanisms to redistribute Wealth/Sharing of Profits leading to inequity. The Solution lies elsewhere.
Growing Social Inequity (Local Scenario – Kerala Specific)
The state’s debt has risen to Rs 1,59,000 crore by August 2015, that makes every new born of Today automatically  a debtor of about Rs.47000/-. Reportedly, more than 80% of the Revenue of the Government is spent on less than 2% of the Population that make up the Oversized Government for their Salary and Pension. Rest of the population is left to fend for themselves with out any real sustainable help from the Government.
Capital expenditure meant for the development of the state is decreasing. Capital expenditure forms just 6-9 % of the total expenses and the rest is spent on repaying of Loan. This has led to an alarming rise in revenue deficit and fiscal deficit, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report says. (Source english.manoramonline.com1  &english.manoramaonline.com2.)
Since there are not enough Businesses in the State, the Revenue too is far less to sustain. The revenue that need to be collected is also further depleted through Loopholes, Sweet Heart Deals  and Corruption.
It is high time we down sized the Government by adopting Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), optimise efficiency, measure and cut down on unwanted spending leading to waste. Even Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister announced recently about their plan to cut down on Employees and to bring down the number of Government Offices despite having a Foreign Exchange reserve of $750 Billion considering the fall in Oil Prices. Where do we stand vis-a-vis Saudi ? Are we richer than Saudi for not acting on those lines ?  Are we going the Greece Way ?.
Let us try to find some Solutions for Total Decentralisation of Power, 100% Participation,  and Economic Development.

A New Economic Model for Kerala

Economics of Livelihood, i.e.Procurement/Production, Supply, Marketing, Sales, Service, Consumption  and Profit sharing Cycle with Power to the People.
We are a 33 Million strong Population. Can we have a Company with equal Non Transferable Share Holding of say a Minimal of Rs.100/- each (to be debated and consensus arrived at) named e.g. “Kerala Goods and Services Public Limited” (KGSPL) with the CM as Chairman and Opposition Leader as Vice Chairman that will be run by a Young CEO with proven Industry Experience ? The Board of Directors can be drawn from the Industry as well, who have experience in guiding businesses, may be some Pravasi Malayalees, even some outsiders not necessarily Malayalees. There is a Need to adopt the bests of both Capitalism and Socialism, i.e.Major Service Sectors can be owned by Entire People, Professionally managed with no political interference and Wealth distributed as Employment, Sub-Contract Opportunities, taking turn and paying dividend that adds to social Security of the Citizens.
The above Company can be comparable to the TATA Sons Limited (The Holding Company) under which they have almost 100 Plus Subsidiary Companies with a combined Market cap of 120 Billion US Dollars employing equal Size of our Kerala Government Work Force i.e. more than 5 Lakh Employees. The aim of KGSPL and it’s subsidiaries or SBUs (Strategic Business Units) will be to generate maximum sustainable Local Jobs (In Millions) and bridge the Economic inequity and increase the overall Prosperity of the People of Kerala.
Malayalees who are well to do both in Kerala and abroad can be allowed to invest in debentures in addition to the limited share(s) allowed to be allotted per person. Preferential shares can also be allotted from time to time to the permanent members, which  can boost the overall finance with the dual advantage of Returns to the shareholder and help to the needy by way of more Jobs and Dividends. Except for the initial non-transferable shares with voting rights, debentures and preferential shares (without voting rights) can be transferable and could be traded among the members in an Online Stock Exchange linked with our own Bank thereby allowing for liquidity on the investment. Presently the plight of Pravasi Malayalees, predominantly from the Gulf are about not able to find a safe investment where they can get returns. Since they lack such avenues, they end up investing in overpriced Real Estate with no sustainable and productive outcome.
As Subsidiaries we will have a few Companies such as:-
01.A Bank
02.An Insurance Company
03.A Telecom Company
04.A Retail – Both Brick and Mortar and Online E-commerce with Supply Chain (Cold Chain included)  Management Company.
05.A Road Transport Company.
06.A Water Transport Company.
07.A Rail Transport Company.
08.An Airways Company.
09.A Power Generation and  Distribution Company
10.A Water Supplying Company.
11.An Education Company from LKG to 12th.
12.An Education Company for Graduation and above.
13.A Healthcare Company.
14.A Natural Resources Exploration Company.
15.A Company to undertake all Government Sponsored Civil Works.
16.The 100+ PSUs under the Kerala Government can also be brought under the above KGSPL that can be overall rated by an Agency like CRISIL after Due Diligence, Restructuring and managed by Kerala born Youngsters but Industry experienced outside Kerala with minimum MBA from Leading Institutions such as IIM, Yale, Harvard etc… with a local and independent oversight by a body of management institutes such as IIM Kozhikode rather than being managed by Politicians/Their Nominees/IPS/IAS Officers with no Business Acumen or Business perspective.
Total Decentralisation of Power with Power to the People for REAL
Now let us discuss about the Power being transferred for REAL to the People, i.e.Total Decentralisation and how Participatory Democracy can work. Also how to Engage,  Bond the entire People of Kerala cutting across Political allegiance, Caste/Religion or Region so that everyone has a sense of belonging and Contribute to the Economic Prosperity of the entire Population. Note: Panchayat Raj Act in Kerala’s Context is still not “Power to People (Video)”. Refer KILA Publications – kilaonline.org 1 kilaonline.org 2  kilaonline.org 3. As we are densely populated  each of our Wards/Panchayats has more population, which makes it difficult for Total Participation barring a few Party workers. Presently the Political activity for a majority of the Population is limited to just voting once in Five Years and forgetting. For 100% Participation in not only Political activities (Ideally by introducing Online Voting involving the entire Voters for any Major Decision to be taken by the Legislative Assembly)  but also for the very basic need of Economic Activity/Livelihood, we can think of a Solution as below through Ayalkoottams:-
Taking the Entire Population of Kerala i.e.33 Million into Manageable and Cohesive Units with an upper limit of say 900/Unit that include even the new Born and not just People with Voting Rights(Whether the size of the Units to be even smaller is something to be debated and consensus arrived at). 33406061/900 makes up about 37118 Units. These Units can be called Ayalkoottams/Neighbourhood Groups. And these are the Groups that can drive the Economic Activities of Kerala. What these Units will be ? What they are capable of doing ? Let us try to find out:-
1.A Legal Entity to engage in Commercial Activities.
2.These Units will be registered as LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) Companies.
3.Each Ayakoottams will be owned by about 900 Members with equal Non Transferable Shares  of e.g. Rs.100/- each.
4.Each Unit’s Main Reporting is to KGSPL, since KGSPL will also hold a certain amount of shares and partner to each LLPs and MCA – Ministry of Corporate Affairs with a dotted line reporting to the District’s Government Administration under the supervision of the Collector on Local Matters.
5.Each Unit Can engage in Procurement/Production of any Goods or offer any Services permitted Legally.
6.They can sell their Goods and Services Locally in the Retail Outlets which is nearby, that is part of the Retail Network and transfer the surplus to the Supply Chain to be transferred for other Retail Outlets or against an Order placed online by Some one afar.
7.All these Ayalkoottams to be ISO 9001 Certified for Quality Process and Systems driven by Software.
8.These Units will manage the Retail Outlets which are nearby, that is part of the Retail Company and so on…….
What all activities the above Entities (Ayalkoottams) can engage or do are left to the Imagination of 33 Million People.
What is LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) Company and Why not Private Limited ?
All members of  LLP are partners with two designated Partners who will be responsible for Keeping the Accounts, Getting Audits Done and Filing Returns. These designated partners can be rotated through Internal Election Annually or once in Two Years (This is basically to deny any chance in the development of vested interests – This can be discussed and a Consensus arrived at). An LLP can enrol an individual from outside the Ayalkoottam or a Company as Partner. KGSPL can hold a certain percentage of shares in each LLPs and vary the investment to balance any regional disparity, if a need arise in due course of their functioning.
A corporate business vehicle that enables professional expertise and entrepreneurial initiative to combine and operate in flexible, innovative and efficient manner, providing benefits of limited liability while allowing its members the flexibility for organizing their internal structure as a partnership.  Courtesy  MCA
Limited Liability Partnership has been introduced in India by way of Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008. The basic premise behind the introduction of Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) is to provide a form of business organization that is simple to maintain while at the same time providing limited liability to the owners. A Limited Liability Partnership combines the advantages of both the Company and Partnership into a single form of organization and one partner is not responsible or liable for another partner’s misconduct or negligence. Therefore, all partners have a form of limited liability for each individual’s protection within the partnership, similar to that of the shareholders of a corporation. However, unlike corporate shareholders, the partners have the right to manage the business directly. An LLP also limits the personal liability of a partner for the errors, omissions, incompetence, or negligence of the LLP’s employees or other agents. LLP is one of the easiest form of business to incorporate and manage.  Courtesy IndiaFilings
All these Ayalkoottams can be integrated into a massive Portal hosted on Powerful Servers with  Load Balancing and Fail-over. The Portal can be designed using Liferay orDrupal depending on the availability of Skills and Knowledge of our Youngsters. So in this Portal each Ayalkoottams will have their exclusive Web Spaces linked for publishing (managed through their Control Panel ) and an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning Software) say webERP for managing Finance etc… All these tools are Open Source and Freely available and time tested. And for conducting Elections with in the Ayalkoottams they could have a free Tool such as LimeSurvey incorporated in their own Web Site in addition to any such Tools they desire in the future.
The Government should procure whatever it needs through Ayalkoottms, let it be Stationery, Vehicle, or whatever. Ayalkoottmas in turn go through the centralised web hosted e-procurement Software to facilitate the Government in procurement. The duty of procurement will be on a turn basis for Ayalkoottams. Say first 14 items will be from first Ayalkoottmas from each Districts and so on taking turn. A Software controlled Queue  Management System can be maintained for such purposes. We can even think about having a 100% Subsidiary Company under KGSPL for each District for ease of dealing with Ayalkoottams, i.e.14 Companies between KGSPL and Ayalkoottam LLP Companies.
The Ayalkoottams have to be empowered to oversee
1) The day to day functioning of Educational and Healthcare Institutions including fool proof remittances of fee to the Eduation Company and Healthcare Company Accounts respectively and daily expenses in their jurisdiction.
2) Tax payment by Firms to the Government Authorities with in the Jurisdiction of each Ayalkoottams. The general Trend in  Tax Collection
What is the take away for the Citizen with the above Economic Model ?
01.Bank: We know the pros and cons of doing business with existing Public Sector as well as Private Sector Banks. For them it is pure business with no Social obligation. Take the recent case of Kerala Head Quartered Public Sector Bank, the Education Loans taken by the Parents from the Lower Strata of the Society are being recovered through a private agency through arm twisting.  Complaints by the same parents to the Government as well as the Banking Ombudsman went in vein. See how mercilessly Banks deduct fee repeatedly when the minimum Balance is not maintained in Accounts, despite an order against such practices by no less than the Reserve Bank Governor.  The so called Public Sector Banks have not learned the art of lending to the MSME Entrepreneurs, where a job is created for every Rs.35000/- invested. Their expertise is to lend to Real Estate Industry that build unsaleble Luxury Buildings that lock up the rotation of Funds and forego Liquidity. It is reported that, the Public Sector Banks together have a  bad debt of 6 Lakh Crores. And one will be surprised to find that, the defaulters are not the common People, whose names are withheld from Public Glare.
There are presently a few hundred applications with the Reserve Bank of India for License to start a Bank. A majority of Organisations Operating from the Corporate Sector as well as the Social Sector. The first license was given to a Micro Financing Organisation named “Bandhan”, operating mainly in the poorer belts of North East and West Bengal. They have about 59 Lakh Customers (Only Poor People). Any one will be surprised to note why this organisation got the License from RBI without any delay. The reason will also surprise us. “Near Zero default on Loan repayment by these Poor and Common People”. Why no default is something to be debated again. Their needs were genuine and the guarantors of Loan were their own folks.
Some of the benefits of having our own bank:-
a.33 Million People can have their Saving/Official  Accounts that can be used for all official Purpose such as, Receiving Salary, Pension, Any Government offered Subsidy, MNREGA Wages,  Dividend from KGSPL etc..
b.All Ayalkoottams, and any other non-profit or commercial entities operating in Kerala can be asked to operate the current Accounts in this bank.
c.All Bills transactions can be through the Payment Gateway of this bank.
d.Kerala can be transformed into a full Digital Financial State by mandating only this Bank based  Electronic Transaction.
e.All profits made by this bank is remitted as dividend to the accounts of the Citizens.
f.Ayalkoottams can be invested with authority for Micro Finance and for funding for Micro Enterprises.
g.This Bank can Fund Innovative Ideas of Products and Services by Youngsters through Loan and Venture Capital Fund.
h.This Bank can fund Agriculture.
i.This Bank can fund Light Manufacturing Units.
j.This Bank can extend Loan for buying Consumer Durables.
k.This Bank can extend Loan for Vehicles.
l.This Bank can extend Loan against Gold Mortgage.
m.The operations of KSFE can be brought under this Bank.
n.Can operate various Deposit Schemes such as Time and Demand etc…
o.Our Bank can act as a  Payment Bank
p.Our Bank can act as  Small Finance Bank
q.Kerala can become a Model State to rest of India in Digital based Financial System, getting rid of Printed notes and closing the loop holes in Counterfeit Currencies, Havala Transactions, Bribe Payment etc… as every transaction has a trail in the Electronic System for future Audit, that itself will act as a deterrent for such illegal transactions.
Once all financial transactions say above Rs.100/- are mandated to be digital (Electronic – Mobile, Internet/Debit and Credit Card etc…) and through this Bank, the amount of Money at the Bank’s disposal is always high, as rarely anyone withdraws money to pay to another account holder, which enables the bank to fund more and more projects in Kerala that creates Jobs and sustainability.
What else this Bank of ours can do is left to the imagination of 33 Million People.
02.Insurance Company: We have seen a few months back that the Insurance Sector opened up for more Players with the claim by Central Government that, we would be getting better Products at better prices because of Competition. On the Contrary, we have seen the insurance Companies raising the Premium for some of the Products such as Vehicle Insurance etc… What was Kerala’s Reaction to it ?. A State wide Harthal/Bandh. Did it resolve the issue ? No, and it will never. Why do we feel so helpless ? Can’t we have  an insurance company of our own ? Presently what we pay towards insurance never come back to us in any form other than in Distress (Except some endowment based Policies).
This Insurance Company can introduce various Products such as Health, Life, Vehicle etc…
What else this Insurance Company of ours can do is left to the imagination of 33 Million People.
03.Telecom Company: We have seen the quick spread of Mobile based Telecom connections in India during the past 15-20 years. No doubt it was due to allowing Private Players into the Sector, who in turn was able to introduce latest Technologies and respond to Popular Demand beating the Public Sector Laggards such as VSNL (Now Privatised), BSNL and MTNL. As on date, we have more than 100 Crore Connections in India, with MTNL & BSNL together commanding only 8% market share. BSNL even during the past 2 years lost around 2 Crore connection. So the PSUs have become almost insignificant.  There may be competition to make us believe, but it is a Cartel. Now the problems being faced by the Users are 1.Call Drops, 2.DigitalChallenge by the Private Telecom Companies against Internet Freedom (Net Neutrality). They have started lobbying for charging on top of the Data Connection for using Services by OTTP (Over The Top Players) such as Whatsapp, Viber, Skype etc…  See one of the campaigns against that by our Youngsters Net Neutrality
This Company can introduce many Services across Kerala using the latest 4G Technology such as Wireless Data, Voice, WiFi, Video Conferencing, VOIP etc… DTH TV(Direct To Home). DTH can be franchised to the Existing Cable TV Operators so that they do not go out of Business and the presently employed People retained with more Quality Services to the Citizens of Kerala.
What else this Telecom Company of ours can do is left to the imagination of 33 Million People.
04.Retail – Both Brick and Mortar and Online E-commerce with Supply Chain (Cold Chain included) Management Company: A Brick and Mortar Retail Network along with E-Commerce backed by a Supply Chain Management Framework using the Open Source Software OFBiz (Apache OFBiz™ is an open source product for the automation of enterprise processes that includes framework components and business applications for ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), E-Business / E-Commerce, SCM (Supply Chain Management), MRP (Manufacturing Resource Planning), MMS/EAM (Maintenance Management System/Enterprise Asset Management), POS (Point Of Sale). Some of the Sites using OFBiz as their Engine are Sample1   Sample2 Sample3 Sample4 Sample5. This will be the major Contributor to our Economy in terms of Products Development and Manufacturing Locally, Innovation by Youngsters, Various Services, Job Creation, Saving on Transportation, Economies of Scale, Automatic Price Control, can save Farmers from Exploitation by middlemen etc… Promote Logistics and Supply Chain management with Cold Storage facility and Quick delivery system for perishable commodities such as Vegetables, Fisheries, Poultry and Dairy products. Review and rationalise the model for the purpose of centralised procurement, sorting, storage and onward movement to destinations in an optimal way by establishing a HUB/Spokes Model per District and linking the 14 Districts’ Warehouses as backbone and employing Transportation model for the optimum solution. The existing facilities of PDS such as Maveli, Labham, Supplyco, Consumer-fed etc.. should get transferred to this Company. This company can also consider about items not presently grown enough in Kerala such as Rice etc.. brought by sea route from Andhra/TN etc.. by chartering Ship to reduce the cost.retail-convergence-navakeralam.org
distric-wsie-retail-hub-spoke-navakeralam.org
retail-district-hub-navakeralam.orgThough the amount of Goods transported between District Hubs may be more in the beginning, using Software based Business Intelligence Tools such as jaspersoft,pentaho and BIRT, the experts will be able to map the Demand and Supply of Goods, thereby attempting to make each Districts self Sufficient and minimal movement of Goods between Hubs causing drastic reduction in Transportation Costs.
Some FAQs  (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q. Who will be allowed to sell Goods and Services through this Network ?
A. Only Ayalkoottams and their Associates (Registered as a Partner with them in their LLP) is allowed to sell Goods and Services through this Network ?
Q. Which Goods and Services will be given preference ?
A. Goods and Services Produced by SHGs (3.8 Million Women from Kudumbasree), Produces by people from the LIG (Low Income Group), Traditional Produces from Kerala Government owned Corporations and Societies, Goods and Products produced by Women and Young Entrepreneurs from Kerala.
Q. When I go to a Retail Shop of the Company,  how do I know certain products to be preferred over others to help people from the Lower Strata of the Society and to Encourage Women & Young Entrepreneurs  ?
A. We will be introducing Various Colour Schemes for the Shelves and keep disseminating such information time to time and made prominently visible about the same in the Retail Shops.
Q. When I try to buy online from this E-Commerce Company, how will I know certain Products or Services to be preferred over others to help the People from the Lower Strata of the Society and Encourage Women and Young Entrepreneurs ?
A. There will be some colour Coding and Rating for such Products, which will be prominently Displayed on our E-Commerce Web Site.
Q. How can I be sure that, the Products and Services sold through the Network both Retail Outlets and Online are of high Quality and Safe & Hygienic (If it is a Food Product) ?
A. All Ayalkoottams are ISO 9001-2008 Certified for Quality Processes and regularly Audited, in addition to Complying with Various Regulatory Frame Work with respect to the Goods or Services they Produce.
Q. Supposing I am a Pravasi Malayalee who has some funds say Rs.10,00,000/- (10 Lakhs) to invest but can’t  physically be present for day to day Operations of the Business I want to start ?
A. You can either entrust the Ayalkoottam with the Fund against an Agreement/Bond, where you are a member to engage in that Business of your Choice with the necessary Technical know-how and Business Strategy or you can register a new Business Entity with a Current Account in our Bank and make it a Member of any Ayalkoottams.
Q. Will there be any fee to do business through the Ayalkkoams ?
A. Yes. There will be a facilitation Fee to be paid online to Ayalkoottam’s Current Account  by you as a Special Investor Member for their Services in addition to the Wages/Salaries as applicable to the  workers’ respective accounts with our Bank. Note: All payment will have to be through the Bank’s online facility.
Q. From the above case, suppose after one Year of Operation, my initial investment is returning a profit after Tax of  Rs.150000/-. Will I be required to share the profit with any one from Ayalkoottam ?
A. Your Profit is Your Profit. It is up to you, what you want to do with it. It is your choice either to keep the entire profit with you or share some with the a select few from the Ayalkoottams that helped you earn that profit or with Ayalkoottam it self. KGSPL meets it’s Operational Cost and makes it’s profit through the efficient use of Resources at it’s optimal Capacity from the Margins offered by Ayalkoottams on their Goods and Services, which is part reinvested in KGSPL, Ayalkoottams and balance paid as Dividend to the share holders of KGSPL. Note: KGSPL also charges 2% as transaction fee towards rebuilding Kerala on top of the Margins Offered by Ayalkoottams on their Products.
Q. I already own a Goods or Services Company in Kerala employing a few people and established. Can I directly approach KGSPL for selling my Products or Services through Network ?
A. No. As per “100 % Participatory Democracy” and “Power to People” Policies, You will be allowed only through any of the Ayalkootams.
Q. How do I generate more sales through the Network so that I can make more profit ?
A. The sales volume will depend on Various Parameters such as Quality of the Product or Services, Ratings given by the Consumers of Kerala, Rate of Margins being offered as it contributes to the Dividend from KGSPL, Other Goodwill Gestures from the Producing Organisation etc… on which KGSPL has limited Controls. Everything depend on People’s Perception and User Experience.
Q. What if I am ready to forego a considerable amount of per piece profit, give maximum margin and keep the price as low as possible so that, at the end of the day I have more Volume of sales and more profit ?
A. The very objective of KGSPL is to offer sustainable living to the Population of Kerala on a very long term basis which will transcend future generations. We will never encourage such “Predatory Pricing Policy” by any Vendor that forces other Vendors with similar Goods and Services out of business. Though we encourage Healthy Competition, we consider such Business practices to be totally Unethical.
05.Road Transport Company: Public Road Transport System is operating far below the expected Industry Standard leading to waste of Tax Payers’ Money. Also there are pilferages by some Employees as well, where they give preference to private buses for a bribe wherever both Private Buses and Public Buses ply. Ideally wherever KSRTC is plying, it should be serviced by KSRTC only. Problem happens when both Private and Public Transport ply in the same routes. Ideally we should start moving to Battery Operated Buses which have started appearing on Bangalore Roads. Should consider plying enough Interstate AC Buses such as Bangalore-Kerala, Chennai-Kerala, Hyderabad-Kerala, Mysore-Kerala Regions. This helps the people and also can act as check to exploitation during Festive Seasons by other operators.
06.Water Transport Company: Water transport is the cheapest and the oldest mode of transport. It operates on a natural track and hence does not require huge capital investment in the construction and maintenance of its track except in case of canals. The cost of operation of water transport is also very less. It has the largest carrying capacity and is most suitable for carrying bulk goods over long distances. Refer Advantages. Kerala, having enough water channels, should fully utilise this capacity for Goods especially.  The Company should tap all possibilities of Inland Water Transport for Goods and Passengers.
07.Rail Transport Company: Even if not immediately, Kerala should consider having it’s Trains and Coaches with License from Indian Railways to run Trains. As this is going to be the model in the future as per the indication from Railways. We are also seeing the blockade on Light Metro for Trivandrum and Kozhokode due to lack of funds. Suburban Trains between all Major Points is another option that can be explored. We have also seen the cancelling of long-back planned project of Rail Line Angamali – Erumeli by the present Government. Train Journey can also become a Service like Banking, Telecom, Insurance etc.. in the future, where they charge the way they want and we become helpless. Once this Company is operational, all such issues would be history.
08.Airways Company: This is already in the offing by name “Air Kerala” promoted in part by Kerala Government and some investors on the CIAL (Cochin International Airport Limited) model. Only concern is whether, the exploitation of Common Pravasis will be stopped or not during Festive and Holiday Seasons.
09.Power Generation and Distribution Company: Initiate making Electrical Reverse Metering Operational so as to promote Generation of Power by Individuals, Families and Firms that can afford to invest in Solar Power. Solar Power. Other renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, biogas etc may also be explored to make the State self reliant.
10.Water Sourcing and Supplying Company: Clean drinking water remains a dream for many who do not have accessibility.
11.Education Company for Students from LKG to 12th: The present model is “rot learning” which has a time to live till Examinations are completed and not beyond. Whereas it is supposed to be using the “Learn by Doing” Methodology. The Left Front had introduced the Union Government Sponsored  DPEP (District Primary Education Programme)  with the above “Learn by Doing” methodology which was widely opposed by the Teachers and Parents then due to  ignorance. The IB (International Baccalaureate) Programme founded in 1968 in France follows the “Learn by Doing” Methodology and also enables the students to think for themselves,  prepares them for facing Life post 12th. They also have scheme for certifying a group of Schools in a State like Kerala at a very nominal Fee. Complying with the Methodology can make our Children Global Citizens.
Other major problem our 5 Million + School Children face is the “Heavy Load” of Books consisting of both Text and Note Books. It is high time we thought about getting some Affordable Devices like Kindle/Tablet designed and manufactured by our Young Entrepreneurs to hold the Digital Text Books, which can bring down the weight considerably and by minimising the writing exercise as well other than for Language Learning through Digital Devices. Both together can drastically reduce the weight of Bag and also is environment friendly by saving on Paper and Ink. The overall Management of the Schools also can be done efficiently and effectively using Open Standard Tools such as Fedena by Kasargod based Youngsters and online Learning from Recorded Lectures by Experienced Teachers through moodle. Variable Fee Structure to be implemented for LIG, MIG and HIG. There must also be ratings similar to that followed by CRISIL for both the quality of Education and the Economic Management of the Educational Institutions.
12.Education Company for Graduation and above: Some Universities in Kerala are into everything except Teaching, Learning and Research. They are politicised beyond recognition. There are a few Universities in Kerala which are highly specialised such as  Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala University of Health Sciences, Kerala Kalamandalam,  Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies etc., However, there are some which are into all streams of studies which is a duplication of efforts.  It would have been ideal to merge all the Universities of Kerala which are in to similar stream of Studies to save the duplication of effort and concentrate on teaching and Research. The Universities should be in sync with the Industry so as to design courses and syllabus such that, students passed out are industry ready without gestation/attending finishing school. Graduation to PG should be tied to IITs, IIMs, IISc.s which in turn should be linked to Local and global Industries. The Theories of Academics and the Case Studies of Industries can be married to produce industry-ready candidates. If those Universities can be made to specialise, it can offer high competence and Focus towards Research and Development. In turn the Colleges can get affiliated to various Universities based on Streams.
We should also create a Skill University and Community Colleges to give Training and Trade certification for trades such as Plumbing, Masonry, Welding, Sheet Metal Works, Carpentry, Auto-mobile Mechanic, Refrigeration Mechanic,  Cookery, Heavy Machine such as Crane, JCB operation etc…
The other major emerging stream of study in India (Already 18 Years old in Japan)  is an Interdisciplinary Study of Technologies i.e. Computer Science, Electronics, Electrical and Mechanical combined to form Mechatronics. Statistics show only 5% of the Microprocessors manufactured the World over is used in IT Industry and 95% goes to Automation Industry, that speaks about potential employ-ability of candidates trained in Mechatronics. Variable Fee Structure to be implemented for LIG, MIG and HIG.
There must also be ratings similar to that followed by CRISIL for both the quality of Education and the Economic Management of the Educational Institutions.
Kerala need to invest in idea-producing  institutions such as research departments of official local bodies, think tanks and universities.
A Department to do Research and Develop Tourism Industry to help Tour Operators such as Home Stays, Vehicles, Hotels etc… can also be thought of.
13.Healthcare Company: All Government Hospitals and Dispensaries to be brought under this Company in addition to Hospitals and Dispensaries run by Non Tax Paying Institutions under the guise of Social and Charitable Services but into profiteering. Variable Fee Structure to be implemented for LIG, MIG and HIG.
14.Natural Resources Exploration Company: Presently This is a Gold Mine and cause for Corruption for some connected to the Power Corridors. Let it be Sand, Rock Quarry, or any other Natural Resources facility including Produces from the Forests, it is a public property and should be exploited considering the Environmental impact by this Company. Presently Quarries are given to connected private individuals for a song, depriving income to the Government, which in turn to the Public at Large. This Company is to manage Exploration and auctioning of Natural Resources, such as Rocks from Quarries, Minerals, Sand, Wood from Forests etc..
15.Company to undertake all Government Sponsored Civil Works: This is another Gold Mine and cause of Corruption by way of Commission for some connected to the Power Corridors. This Company can be formed with advice from Technocrat like Mr.E.Sreedharan. The Duties of this Company should be as the following:-
a. CAD Design of Structures proposed and approved by Public Institutions and Publish on Website.
b. Estimate Construction/Repair Cost along with Quantity & Prices of Material required, Labour Man Hours and Publish on Website.
c. Project Management of the Construction/Repair and Publish status on Website.
d. Inspection of Construction/Repair, Audit, Issuing of Quality Certificate on Completion.
However, the actual works will be undertaken by Ayalkoottams of the area where the work is.
The above Core Services Companies will not only generate direct jobs and subcontracts but create it’s own ecosystems for indirect employment and platforms of training for the youngsters from branches of studies from various Colleges of Kerala.
Environment vs Development and Urbanisation: There is scant regard for protecting the Environment. Government lands are being encroached, Trees are being illegally cut in Forests, Sand is mined from Rivers illegally, Minerals being stolen and sold. Unauthorized Quarries are being operated and Royalty from legitimate ones are not being collected. We recently had a report of poaching some 78 Wild Elephants in the past two Years by cruel and greedy antisocial elements.  Town planning is something of a laughing stock, which we know to exist but the reality is for everyone to see.
It will seem that, every one is allowed to construct buildings as they wish, whether it is on 2,3,4,5,6 Cents or whatever with Groundwater pumping and Septic Tank sharing the same limited space. A look at an Electric Pole or a pocket road or Government building tells us the quality consciousness. No Municipality/Corporation driven underwater drainage System yet in Kerala. Due to the same model, there is no space left for Children to play, Youngsters to Jog and Elders to take a walk. Nalahs in almost all Municipalities and Corporations have become breeding ground for Mosquito. We call this development.
Our Greenery is very fast depleting at a very alarming rate. Water bodies are giving way for Concrete Structures and even the available water bodies are not kept clean using modern technologies such as Lake Weed Removers. The temperature is going up with every Summer so is the ambient Temperature due to Concrete Structures. The amount of Rain is also coming down and presently by 30%. It can only come down further in the years to come if we do not take corrective steps.
Our way of development is not scientific, in the sense spoiling the environment and construction without any Holistic planning. If the present trend is allowed to continue, Tourism Industry will be a past and the tag “God’s Own Country” will also be losing it’s sheen. The Government has a primary duty in Ensuring Fresh Air to breath, Ensuring Clean Drinking Water. It is high time the Government Engaged Google Earth Technology to monitor Animal Poaching, Illegal Tree Felling, Illegal Sand Mining etc.. which has been done by some Countries already.
Consider Recruiting Tribal to Forest Protection Force. Tribal know the rhythm of Forests and are better suited to protect Forests than City dwellers. Prod Central Government to Recruit from Fishermen Community to Coast Guard and Coastal Protection Force as they know the Coast and Sea better than City Dwellers. Greening of Waste Land & Landscaping /Wall Creepers to arrest pollution. Enforce Building Codes (Green). Promote Bamboo based Environment friendly Buildings in Environmentally Fragile Areas.
Train People about judicious use of Plastic/ e-Waste  – Recycle and Reuse. Explore ways to minimise it’s use and look for alternatives.
Encourage Bicycles and Electric Vehicles for short distances. Encourage Pooling wherever feasible. Reduce dependence on Fossil Fuel that pollutes.
Insist on converting all Electrical Devices in the Government Agencies to Comply with Bureau of Energy Efficiency 5 Star, which will go a long way in saving Electricity. This can be simultaneously enforced for Citizens over a period of time by Education.
Replace all Government Staff Vehicles (Cars) with e2o that comes with India Government Subsidy along-with starting charging Points at prominent places along the State Highway from Trivandrum to Kasargod
Ideally we should work towards creating >33% Forests to start with and greening of all waste lands. Should do a comprehensive planning for say about 10-12 Smart Cities to accommodate 2.5-3 Million Population each. The size of the Smart Cities can be half the size of Singapore. The size of Singapore in terms of Land area is 718.3 Square Kilometer and of Kerala it is 38,863 Square Kilometer. 38,863/718.3=54.10 i.e.1/54 of Kerala’s area accommodating about 5.5 Million People. That means if we can dedicate 9-10 % of our area for the 10-12 Smart Cities, it can accommodate >90%  of Population and rest who are engaged in agriculture, traditional activities and fishing can reside where those activities are and such areas can resemble European Countrysides.
If not those many Smart Cities, we can even have Smart Towns, Villages and Small Clusters to free up land. Planning the above with the help of International Consultants to be implemented over a period of say 20 years is possible with 100% participation by the People.
These Smart Cities/Smart Towns/Smart Villages/Small Clusters will have all the modern amenities such as Earth Quake resistant Green Buildings, District Cooling System,Condensed City,Solar based Power Generation from Buildings, Buildings cum Premises Security and Safety Monitoring, Underground Drainage System, Sewage Treatment, Waste recycling System, Rain Water Harvesting System, Water Recycling System, Piped Gas Connection, Piped Water (Both Drinking and For General Purpose), Total Data/Voice Connectivity Wired and otherwise, Electric based Public transport System, Electric Vehicles, Schools, Colleges, Sports facilities, Public Crematorium for all, other recreational Facilities, Jogging tracks, Modern Roads and Flyovers with Cycling Tracks, BRTS, Non Polluting Industries etc…
Procurement of land, Rehabilitation, Constructing the necessary Modern Infrastructure and Selling can be undertaken by our own Civil Works Company and not through the exploitative PPP Model. Capital formation for such activities should not be a problem once the above Companies are on stream.
We have shown scant regard for a Report prepared by the scientist Dr.Madhav Gadgil who researched Western Ghats for the past 35 + years.
We need to be again and again reminded that,  without taking care of Air, Water and Environment, No Life is possible in the future.
Agriculture: The agriculture sector is the backbone of any Society. Self Reliance in Agriculture  and in turn Food Security is the Key. Preference to be given to Organic Food Crop over Cash Crop. Manufacturing & Process Industry and Services is mainly built on top of the base of Agriculture. There are no checks on Agricultural Land being filled with Sand for Construction thereby depleting the land area for Agriculture and preserving ground water. The agriculture scenario in Kerala is very alarming. Only 15% of rice we need is cultivated and balance 85% is bought from other states. 20 years back we had 5.5 Million Hector of Paddy Cultivable Land, whereas now it stands at 1.9 Million Hectors. Paddy fields given way for Concrete. Majority Vegetables also sourced from other states, presently there is a gradual rise in production of Organic Vegetables, which is a positive development. Other positive aspect is, some 5 years back our Milk Deficit was 8 Lakhs of Litres per day which has been reduced to 1.5 Lakhs Litres and is poised to bridge the gap in another 2 years, it is hoped by the concerned authorities. So what can be concluded is any good thing can happen in Kerala when people participate. Engage People and that is the key to development.
Industry (Light Manufacturing): Considering the fragility of our Environment, we can’t afford to have any polluting Industries as per experts. However, Light manufacturing with adequate precaution against pollution is allowed in Kerala. We are a consuming Economy. Production is almost insignificant. We buy everything from outside the state. If what we need can be produced locally, the overall cost will go down considerably and also create local sustainable jobs. We need to create a friendly and conducive environment for the Youngsters and Women to take up such Producing activities. Start-up Incubation Centres to be set-up at all the Districts of Kerala. Some other thoughts are:-
a.Facilitation Centers like Lathe, Milling, Cutting etc. Which can be availed on rent by Entrepreneurs.
b.Government owned Office and Shop Premises at affordable rent to Entrepreneurs.
c.IT Parks in all the 14 Districts with redundant high speed bandwidth and 24/7 Power facility so as to bring down the Cost of operation and attract IT Majors and Small Companies.
d.Government can construct Accommodation and Shopping Complexes at KSRTC Stands.
e.Sponsoring of Mobile Application developed by Youngsters of Kerala to get distance between any two points in Kerala to calculate Auto and Taxi Fare. If implemented, this will obviate the need for Autowalahs and Taxiwalas to install and calibrate Meters every time. Any change in fare once approved by the Government can be centrally modified and is Tamper Proof, Cheap and Convenient. Organise Auto, Taxi and other vehicles with Information Technology as part of Tourism.
f.Help Organise Societies and Associations with IT for better Governance and Transparency.
g.Thattukada or similar ventures should be branded and promoted as hygienic, nutritious and economic by providing adequate support. (This is being tried out in Fisheries in the State) etc..
Services: As far as Services are concerned, there are innumerable Services which are left to the imagination of Youngsters and Women. Again a friendly and conducive environment is to be created. To cite some examples Example1Example2Example3Example4Example5
Adopt Open Source Software in all Government Departments and Agencies to save on Licensing Cost and to promote local Jobs for Youngsters in Open Source Software Based Services / Business Activities.
Citizen Services Delivery through e-District and Ticketing Systems: Ideally each Citizen is to be provided with an Email Address such as e.g. user@tvm.kerala.gov.in,user1@way.kerala.gov.in etc.. based on abbreviated District names by hosting using some Open Source Software such as Zimbra. The citizens should be able to submit a request through Phone, Email, Web and Certificate/Documents delivered to their Email Boxes. And these services delivery should be with a SLA (Service Level Agreement). A Centralised Service Desk cum Contact Center that can receive Grievance/Suggestions related Needs through Email, Web and Phone, which in turn can be relegated to respective Agencies for Action with Audit Trail, Performance Audit of Government Servants & Agencies Concerned and Facility for Citizen Satisfaction Survey etc… Tool such as OTRS could be suitable for this. Complaints against Government employees should be registered and acted upon. There must be Performance Rating and it must be published.  If found guilty of corruption, to be dismissed from service and attach Property that was acquired through corruption. Every Government Agencies Except Home Department’s Investigation related matters to share the Records in Digital Format with a Read Only Access Right & Guest Login to Citizens. Tool such as  Alfresco could be suitable for this. All these can be centrally merged to a Single Sign On so that the Citizens need to maintain only a single username/password combination to access all other Services. This system can also be enabled with other factor Authentications such as One Time Password on Mobile/Email, Biometric, Card Swipe etc.. if a need arise in the future.
Take Stock
Before embarking on any further activity vis-a-vis discussed above, it is suggested that the Government take stock of the situation on the ground. A Comprehensive Survey and Due diligence exercise need to be carried out to gather as much information as possible to get an overall idea about the health of the Socioeconomic in general.
01.Land Holding Survey.
02.Agricultural Survey.
03.Industrial Survey (Manufacturing, Job Works, Process and Services).
04.Survey of Shops, Markets, Shopping Complexes etc..
05.Household Survey.
06.Educational Institutions Survey.
07.Health Care Institutions Survey.
08.Survey of Not for Profit and Co-operative Societies.
09.Vehicles Survey.
10.Environmental Survey.
11.Road, Rail, Air and Inland Water Transport Survey
12.Due Diligence of all Government Departments and Agencies.
13.Survey of Places of Worship etc..
The above survey should also help classify Household into LIG (Low Income Group), MIG (Middle Income Group) and HIG (High Income Group) based on the figures arrived at by scientific Methods.
Also to undertake the project of building a NavaKeralam, a special purpose Vehicle to be floated comprising IAS/IPS Officers with proven track record and impeccable integrity followed by Technocrats from various Industries with proven Domain Expertise on term Basis.
The Dangerous Trend of Caste/Religious Organisations calling the shots Dwarfing the Elected Governments
What is it ? Let us try to analyse.
For any State Government the core duties are:-
1.Policing
2.Healthcare
3.Education
4.Justice
5.Welfare
1.Policing: As far as Policing is concerned our Police should be credited compared to other Indian states as more educated people get recruited to our Police than the set minimum Educational Qualification. However, there is room for improvement if properly helped by the Governments, such as maintaining the required numbers so that they are not forced to work more than 8 Hours and stressed, Equipping them with modern Tools and training etc…
2 & 3.Health Care and Education: The Successive Governments over time have withdrawn from these two very important Core Duties of the Government. Result is, profiteers took the space which made the Healthcare and Education unreachable/unaffordable to the common people and is also aiding them in dwarfing the elected Government. So people from the Lower strata of the Society was driven to debt due to high cost of Education and Healthcare. The Common People with burning desire to educate their Children end up taking Loans which they can’t repay (The so called Public Sector Bank,  SBI engaging Reliance for Collection of delayed repayment is an example of it to cite here). The overall outcome is the youngsters will be made immobile i.e.the successive Governments were not able to create a conducive Environment for Job creation in the State. The hope for any youngster is to get educated and leave the state in search of a Livelihood. The withdrawal Policy of the Government creates two types of Citizens. One who can afford and other who wanted to get educated and could not afford. The latter will keep cursing the people around i.e. us for the rest of the lifetime for denying the opportunity, get frustrated, take to Drugs, Alcoholism and even Crimes. These are proven by Social Scientists.
4 & 5: Justice and Welfare. Without 2&3, no 4&5.
Some Solutions to the above.  Solution is also with the Political Parties which are not religion based. Firstly,  CPM, Congress, CPI, RSP etc.. have to come to a consensus for the cause of Kerala keeping the short term Petty Party interests aside (When all agree, the parties will also benefit in the long run).
1.Take 100% responsibility of Healthcare and Education. When we say 100% take over,  all Institutions into the business of Healthcare and Education which are not a Private or Public Limited Entity (Tax Paying) and are registered as a Charitable Society, Trust, Society etc… No matter whether it belong to SNDP, NSS, Catholic Sabha, MES whatever.
2.Limit the Religions to operate only Temples, Mosques and Churches and no other business.
3.Set the Jurisdiction for each Temple, Church and Mosques for Membership from respective Communities.
4.Mandate Elections Supervised by Elections Commission of Kerala Office (Online Voting).
5.Accounts Audited by Accounts General of Kerala Office.
6.Publishing of Daily Income and Expenses in their Website for the Members to access.
7.Dismantle Devaswam Board and decentralise the administration of Temples. The Jurisdiction for Guruvayoor Temple and Padmanabha Swamy Temple can be entire Kerala and for Sabarimala the Jurisdiction to be Kerala + Ayyappa Seva Sangham Members from Across the World (Again Online Voting to be mandated). Keeping Control of Dewaswam Board with Government will soon become a hot Potato in the days to come and a Polarising Point on Religious lines. The faster it is offloaded by the Government to the Stakeholders, the better.
Another contentious issue is about land grab. It is reported that, there are about 1,70,000 Hectors of Land that has been encroached since 1970. One will be surprised to note that, all these happened under the nose of LDF and UDF ?. Can any one imagine even a cent of land being encroached without the tacit understanding of Government ? If these two fronts say they were ignorant, they are not fit to rule Kerala. It is as simple as that. One should presume that, the people in the ruling dispensation of both LDF and UDF had their personal interests. The land encroachment issue has been made so complex by filing cases all over the courts against takeover. It is again another game plan. Ideally there has to be a special Court set-up and transfer all such flimsy cases to try and close. No cases against Land encroachment is going to be won by a Government Advocate under LDF or UDF, and that is for certain.indian-religions-navakeralam.org
Liquor Policy: Government withdrew from the above responsibilities but is interested in Liquor sales. The Government should withdraw from Liquor Distribution and regulate it foolproof. The income from Tax to be utilised for De-addiction, Educating Citizens about the ill effects of it’s use and for Creating Recreational Facilities and not for paying salaries to Government Employees, Is it not a Sin to use such Money ?. Arrack to be reintroduced and Tax on Liquor to be brought down to match GST rate which is on the anvil to make this an “unattractive trade” and to save the Liquor Consumers from the Lower Strata of the Society from falling into further poverty. More Tax leads to more illegal and Spurious Liquor Trade.
Note: Requiring  Attention as part of Social Obligation:-
Government should sponsor 100% rehabilitation of Tribal.
Wedding Fund for girls from economically backward family.
Taking care of Destitute and Old Age People.

Let Inspiration Drive Us, Not Egodream-party-hope-peace-multicultural-hands-reaching-dove-navakeralam

The root Cause of Corruption in our Political System and in Government:-
An individual enrolling in a party to work full-time without any other occupation with regular sustainable income lead to Corruption, that include Commission on Public Works, Commission from Recruitment to Government Departments and Government Controlled Agencies where her/his Party control the Employees’ Unions. The cumulative effect of the above is Out of turn Procedure/Jumping the Queues, Nepotism, Compromise on Merit, pilferage from Public Exchequer. For the present day Politicians it is a Career for Livelihood and not Selfless Service to the Society but self serving. When the People’s representatives itself are Corrupt, how could they stop corruption among some of the Government Servants and Contractors. We find well paid People’s representatives as well as IAS and IPS officers are also corrupt. Rather, it is the collusion between Politicians (Elected Reps.) and the Bureaucrats. They seek Votes to gain power and to Rule over People rather than Rule for People. Currently there is Distance between the People and their elected  Representative as it is highly politicised on Party lines. This has to change with manageable set of people’s units such as Ayalkoottams with LLP Registration as cited in the Home Page.
How this Dream Party will make a difference and be Unique:-
The Party does not glorify any Individuals. What is Spoken, Written and Done will be given importance than who speaks, who writes and who does. The Founding and Guiding Principle of the Party will be strict adherence to a Set of Processes that make up the System which will be transparent and continuously monitored by multiple Independent Oversights and improved with Quality Methodology from Mr.William Edwards Deming’s “Plan Do Check Act” (PDCA) Life Cycle by Learning Lessons from the People over time and being Agile. The Party will get certified for ISO 9001:2008 in due course if formed, i.e.BUILD, RUN, REPORT and OPTIMISE
plan-do-check-act-navakeralam.org

a.The Party will be led by Youth  from the Grass Roots and not by Leaders imposed from Top.
b.The Party will maintain all channels of Communication open 24/7 to take Complaints, Suggestions, Criticisms, Anger and Abuses. The Party is committed to keep it’s Ears on the Ground always.
c.The Party will never be the Prisoner of any Isms or Political Ideologies of Established Parties, that can hold back the Party from serving People. No baggage at any point in time.
d.The Party think everyone in the age group of 18-40 is a “Bundle of Energy”  and “Bubbling with Ideas” who will be better suited to take up responsibilities and deliver efficiently within a given time frame.
e.No Volunteers with Criminal Background will be given any Post.
f.The Party will maintain a “Zero Tolerance” Policy for any type of Corrupt Practices by any one that comes across.
g.The party seek Volunteers who can serve the People Selflessly without expecting back even a Single Rupee or a Post. The Party does not offer a Livelihood  or a Career in Politics. The principle of “One Woman/Man One Post  and Once in Life Time” however great a personality She or He is applicable in the Party. One/Two/Three/Five Year is the Terms that are applicable depending on the Role in the Party.
h.The party will be following a Frugal Model, wherein the Party will never have any Brick and Mortar Offices, rather Virtual Offices from the Booth Levels up to the Ward/Panchayat, Districts and State Level. It will also be harnessing the Power of Open Source Software Tools to communicate and Organise. This itself will do away with lot of wasteful Expenditure, save time and maximum participation from the Tech Savvy Youth. The Party will try to minimise the use of Paper, Plastic Flux etc.. as part of saving the Planet.
i.The Party however will require funds though small which will not only be accounted transparently with Trial Balance and Balance Sheet Produced on a Monthly Basis and made available at the Party Web Site. The Bank Statement since the account opened will also be made available to the Public (There will be only One Account for the Party). The Party will never receive Donation by Cash but through NEFT/RTGS/Cheque etc.. All Payments by the Party will only be through A/c Payee Cheque, NEFT and RTGS, this will ensure all transactions of the Party are captured in the bank Statement and there is trail for all transactions for future audit by any one from the Public.
j.All Party Posts that has decision making Powers from Booth Level upwards to the State Level will be shared among Women and Men on a 50:50 ratio in the age group of 18-40 without any dilution of principle and again the above will be a blend of both Educated and Youth & Women from the Lower Strata of the Society. All the Party Posts that has decision making Powers will be filled by Election Only (Nomination is not permitted) from the Booth Level upwards till State Level. Maximum age cut off at the time of Election is 40 Years for any Party or Parliamentary Post.
k.There will be facility for recalling and replacing a party functionary, if a majority of the Electors feel so.
l.Elected Representatives will be rotated Annually to hold the Chair of CM, Deputy CM and Ministers and the same will apply in Local Bodies as well. Also the Party will see that, all Sections of the Society are represented in turn i.e. All Sections of Hindus, All sections of Muslims, all sections of Christians and if any other Sects as applicable uncompromising on the 50:50 Ratio of Women and Men. This arrangement accommodates every section of the Society in Kerala and makes the Party Everyone’s. Since forming the state of Kerala in 1957 we had only one CM from the Backward Communities, one CM from Muslim Community lasting only 58 Days, and no CM from SC/ST, no Woman CM, when women constitute more than 50% of our population which is a shame on us.
Objectives of the Party:-
a.The founding Principle of the Party will be to bring in Social Equity in the state of Kerala with equal opportunity and accessibility for all irrespective of Gender, Disabilities, Cast, Creed, Religion or any Political Affiliations, through Transparent, Efficient, Accountable and Sustainable mode of Governance
b.Promote Strict Adherence to Rule of Law.
c.Root out Corruption from all spheres of the operation by the Party.
d.Engage Youth as Volunteers in the Age Group of 18 to 40 in Decision Making at various Levels of the Party and engage elders as mentors to the Youth.
e.Presently some of the Youth of Kerala are divided among various Youth Wings of Parties which encourage fights among them and Violence. The Party intends to channelize the energies of all Youngsters and use it to bring up the quality of Life of the People of Kerala.  A Loud & Clear Big NO to any form of Political Violence in Kerala.
f.To bring up probity in Public Life of Kerala.
g.Purify Politics, make it attractive and make a conducive Environment so that more and more educated and people from the lower strata of the Society with Service oriented Mentality can participate and Contribute to improve the Quality of Life of the People around us.
Code of Conduct:-
a.The Party’s Activities will be driven by intellect and Common Sense with Pragmatism to achieve Social Equity.
b.There will be no place for Muscle or Money Power in the Party.
c.During any activities, People especially from weaker background and women should feel at home.
d.Every Volunteer to Conduct in a Highly Professional Manner when representing the Party.
e.Never engage with anyone on Inconsequential Petty Political Talks or Discussions.
f.There should never be any show of Arrogance through Speech or by Action.
g.Keep reminding that, People are above Volunteers and Party.
h.Empathy is the Key.
i.Meet Needs and Never be Greedy for anything. It hurts People around us without our Knowledge.
j.Thrive to be Role Model, which the Kids below 18 Years can Emulate.
k.To be Liberal in Outlook, Tolerant and accommodating of other person with a different view point.
Membership: Any Citizen of Kerala is eligible to be a member of the Party who do not want to take Politics for a livelihood (Career). Membership Fee is Rs.10/- with an annual fee of Rs.10/-which will be treated as donation and which will be reflected in the Bank Statement against the members’ Names.
The Internet Tools that may be put to use:-
01.Web Portal to disseminate Information from time to time to the Public. (Link of all the below Tools will be made available in the above Portal).
02.A Private Social Media Platform with features such as Facebook and Twitter etc..
03.Web based Email Service for Volunteers to communicate.
04.A Web based Tool for Proposition Development and Decision Making with Voting.
05.A Web based Knowledge Portal with Digitised Documents and Records .
06.Web based Virtual Offices for Conferences and Discussions up-to the Booth Level.
07.A Web based Tool to survey up-to the Booth Level.
08.Web based Voting Tool to elect Party Functionaries i.e. elect candidate with >50% Votes.
09.Web, Email and Phone based Central Complaint and Suggestion System with Delegation of Tasks up-to the Booth Level.
10.A Web based Project Management Tool to be discussed.
11.A Web based e-Commerce for selling Caps and T Shirts embossed with Party Symbol etc.. and with payment Gateway linked to the Party’s Bank Account.
12.A Web based Process Making Software.
13.Geographic Information System for Volunteers to mark to be used by Public, Planners and Tourists.
14.Party Account with all Social Media Tools such as Facebook, twitter, Google+ etc…
15.A Web based Accounting Software for Party Accounts with Read Facility for Public.

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Organisation Structure

The Organisation Chart is inspired by Apache Foundation
The People are above everything. Gone are the days where one could Command and Control the People. The Party is only a Vehicle to fulfill the Dreams and Aspirations of the People. The flow goes like this:-
a.People set the expectations by communicating openly through various mediums.
b.The Platform Coordinators capture the Expectations and translate into a Comprehensible Format   in both English & Malayalam and Publish on the Web to weed out any Objections and Conflicts.
c.After the Document is cleared of Conflicts is handed to the Think Tank comprising experts.
d.The Think Tank converts the same into legally binding actionable Document complying Rules.
e.The Actionable is again published and put to vote by Public and modified if there are still  objections. (This Process may iterate Multiple times till Consensus Reached).
f.Once cleared of public Voting is handed to the Board of Directors/Politburo.
g.Politburo get the actionable executed through State and Local Councils.
h.The same is monitored by Anyone from Public, Media, Oversight Committees etc…
Note: The members of Think Tank and various Oversights are basically experts in some fields and will have to be independent of the Party.  Age Restrictions are not applicable for them.
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Why Technocrats (Domain Experts) ?
1.Dr.MS.Swaminathan was responsible for the Green Revolution.
2.Dr.Verghese Kurien was responsible for the White Revolution (Operation Flood)  AMUL.
3.Mr.Sam Pitroda was responsible for the Telecom and Television uptake in India.
4.Dr.Manmohan Singh was responsible for taking our Country out of debt trap in 1991.
5.Dr.E Sreedharan,  the rail man who made Konkan possible and many other projects.
6.Nandan Nilekani who successfully rolled out Aadhaar.
Finally, if this dream party is formed by our Youth and Women, unlike other parties, the party will conduct very professionally keeping in view the overall interests of the State of Kerala.  The party will never be in alliance with UPA or NDA or Janatha Parivar at the National Level. This party will be neutral and friendly with all the above said alliances and will never be a party to any Horse trading or topple an elected Central Government.
This party’s relationship with the Political Alliance ruling the Central Government will be limited by Constructive Support and Objection of Bills in both the Houses of Parliament that are in the interests of the Nation and our State. An example cited here is how Mr.Chandra Babu Naidu of Telugu Desam Party conducted during Mr.Vajpayee’s Government; i.e. in exchange of not taking any ministerial post the TDP got the Central Government to fund the laying of underground Optical Fibre Cables across the then United Andhra Pradesh.  This laid the foundation for Information Technology Businesses and e-Governance. We may recall the preference of Mr. Nanadan Nilekani for Andhra Pradesh in multiple Pilot runs of Aadhaar Project that was due to the very high awareness of IT among the Government Staff of United Andhra Pradesh.

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“Random Thoughts for better Governance in Kerala with Social Equity” by NavaKeralam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License based on a work at http://www.navakeralam.org.
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