Growth vs Glory Bharat Mandapam Wikipedia image Growth requires investment. As I get off my cycle after a heart-pounding cycle ride up the hill roads, I realise this is true, not just of the economy, but also of athletic improvement, which demands chunks of time devoted to training. Or intellectual growth, with an unceasing investment in reading and engaging with the world of ideas.
siphoning out hefty neat packets, day after day after day, by every elected rep and public servant, apart from free housing, chauffeured cars, travel tickets to the world , gas, electricity for the family and extended family. all the rest be damned.
freebies and doles, free rice, free monthly cash, free electricity, free water, free houses, free toilets, free land patta’s of lands you have encroached or otherwise, free cash, liquor, food, transport and what not at voting time and to ensure large gathering at ‘show of strength’ rallies, day after day after day.
all these come from public funds for personal gain to remain elected to keep amassing personal empires.
The baolis, village ponds or pokhras and the huge water tanks adjacent to temples--public investment/works--which were created and maintained by the pre-British rulers should be revived for rain harvesting and regeneration of underground water tables. These would be highly productive public investments compared to the four lane mountain roads for teerath yatra and “development” of mountain settlements.
Electric vehicles are very quite--eerily quite IMO. So your investment in triple glass windows could start paying off sooner than you think.
Central government thinking is very top-down, monumental, and engineering oriented. Pipes to every home...The cynic in me points out that this facilitates large-scale transfers of cash at higher levels, whereas village-based projects are more difficult to milk.
As regards traffic noise and EVs, I continually tell myself that we may have reached peak. But even Teslas have horns...
Excellent as usual
the only guarantees our system has provided are,
siphoning out hefty neat packets, day after day after day, by every elected rep and public servant, apart from free housing, chauffeured cars, travel tickets to the world , gas, electricity for the family and extended family. all the rest be damned.
freebies and doles, free rice, free monthly cash, free electricity, free water, free houses, free toilets, free land patta’s of lands you have encroached or otherwise, free cash, liquor, food, transport and what not at voting time and to ensure large gathering at ‘show of strength’ rallies, day after day after day.
all these come from public funds for personal gain to remain elected to keep amassing personal empires.
Great piece Mohit!
The baolis, village ponds or pokhras and the huge water tanks adjacent to temples--public investment/works--which were created and maintained by the pre-British rulers should be revived for rain harvesting and regeneration of underground water tables. These would be highly productive public investments compared to the four lane mountain roads for teerath yatra and “development” of mountain settlements.
Electric vehicles are very quite--eerily quite IMO. So your investment in triple glass windows could start paying off sooner than you think.
Thanks, Virendra.
Central government thinking is very top-down, monumental, and engineering oriented. Pipes to every home...The cynic in me points out that this facilitates large-scale transfers of cash at higher levels, whereas village-based projects are more difficult to milk.
As regards traffic noise and EVs, I continually tell myself that we may have reached peak. But even Teslas have horns...