Solutions to Change

By D. Dhanuraj FDI in retail sector has been a pending decision from the Government. That too at a time everyone ditches at the Governance for the lack of direction and the reform drive. Corruption, scam, tainted image of the Government.. all are adding pressure to the Government. It is argued that any such reform like FDI in Retail can push the Government forward and shed the image of stagnation in Governance. In India, organised retail sector is not going to be a threat to kirana shops in the immediate future as India is diverse and the Purchasing power of each family and individual vary a lot. The organised retail is a long way to get accomplished as we lack the supply chain management, ware housing, processing, refrigeration etc. They say  more than 33 million are going to lose their livelihoods as a result of this policy. I wonder how it going to be as it is not Tsunami to strike the small merchants over night. there is a trade off always in any sort of changes happen...

by D.Dhanuraj Three events or incidents caught my attention in the recent past. Though they are three different contexts, I tend to look through the angle of freedom of expression and personal choice. Hon.Kerala High Court punished comrade Jayarajan for calling the judges 'Shumbhan'. Later, he was given bail by Hon. Supreme Court. Not getting into the legality of the issues here, I started myself asking this question; 'Who is Mr Jayarajan?'. He is not a minister or not an MLA while he had these remarks on Judges. He is a state committee member to CPI(M). then the next question splashes across my mind; why should people listen to him? in fact, it has been the volume of the followers to his speech that got him into trouble. But there is no twitter or face book fan following pages reflecting the popularity and damage he has caused to the system by such remarks. then who is culpable? all the visual channels and print media had given adequate coverage for the reported sp...

By D. Dhanuraj I am surprised by the way media, public and critics approached Santhosh Pandit's 'Krishananum Radheyum'. Many say, it is not a film but a musical album whereas some others say that it is comedy show. whatever it is, as per the Censor Board certification, it is a movie with a 'U' certificate. media reports that theaters are packed for this movie and has already generated surplus revenue for the director. now comes the question many ask these days; Is this movie making a history in Malayalam film industry?? I don't consider nor make any comment as it is the audience and applause that one craft gets in its wider platform that make an art live for ages. in this case, let it be decided by the society and art connoisseurs. But I don't understand why everyone is passing teasing comments on Santhosh Pandit. The debate how good the film is that what  i appreciate but he cannot be called as criminal by anyone for such an enterprise. ...

By D.Dhanuraj Some times it is very difficult to understand the rationale and logic of these numbers and demand Oil marketing Petroleum comapnies raise. Sometimes it is confusing also. According to www.moneycontrol.com reports, IOC had decalared   an equity dividend of 95.00% amounting to Rs 9.5 per share  for the year 2010 - 2011. According to the annual report of IOC which is available on their website , the profit after tax for the year 2010-2011 is Rs 7445 crores. in Chairman's report, though he discusses about the gap between international price and the domestic price, he does not delve into the details of how much it costs to the company for every liter of Petrol sold.  Moreover, IOC is a Maharatna company. the definition and status of Maharatna company might be different but it actually helps the share holders to understand the value of the company. Here, a Maharatna company which has a profit of Rs 7445 crores demands for the price hike telling the world that ...

The Indian constitution guarantees equal rights to women. In addition, India is a signatory to the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women ( CEDAW ) thus underlining its commitment to the elimination of Discrimination against women. But it cannot be denied that gender inequality exists and in varying forms. In the urban space, women constitute a diverse group but with specific gender interests which are because of some common sets of roles and responsibilities. Cities in general have more number of women headed households, single women living by themselves, working women with travel needs, etc. In addition, urban life poses greater risks with regard to safety and security of women. According to a women’s safety audit study undertaken by UNHABITAT in 2007, feelings of insecurity and fear of crime and violence are highest in large cities.   The report says that though urban design and planning do not generate violence but they do create and environment that offe...