Now the only gardening  most people do is on facebook ie with farmville which to me is hardly inspiring.

In any case i stumbled upon this uber-cool and super site that promotes urban gardening and kitchen gardening. Do check out

http://urbanleavesofindia.blogspot.com/

http://urbanleavesofindia.blogspot.com/2011/07/5-baby-steps-to-start-off-your-kitchen.html

http://urbanleavesofindia.blogspot.com/2011/07/5-types-of-containers-to-begin-with.html

http://urbanleavesofindia.blogspot.com/2011/07/5-seeds-to-sow-from-your-kitchen.html

eavesofindia.blogspot.com/2011/07/5-herbs-on-your-windowsill-balcony_26.html

1. Why the rush and lack of debate , considering how unprepared the congress itself was with its 30% flip-flop…

A. Does the Congress want to stall the house with this decision so that they can blame the opposition, that too when dmk and tinamul are against it, and numbers dont stack up. Strangely it was DMKs Mharan who was all for 100% fdi in retail.

B. Is the Sonia congress preparing its war chest for the next General Elections or the Rahul babas attempt at the PMs post in the next elections? How can we rationally not expect a quid pro quo? Such decisions cannot be taken for free.

C. Is this a lollypop dangled by a desperate govt which has been called as comatose in terms of liberalization and policy decisions by top industrialists in public.

D.  Is this an attempt to shift focus from corruption and inflation and sidestep Annas Lokpal and anti corruption movement?

E. Is it a desperate bid for fdi inflows that will allow it to go ahead with its Food security bill and other election freebees without which there is a risk of a run on the rupee?

2. Can we enforce sufficient controls checks and balances in the long run ?

A  Would the Tesco,  Walmarts  etc not want to influence the rules that when the largest market in the world is at stake ?

B. Isnt buying an Indian MP a cheap transaction for a multinational giant ?.. that when they have the lobby power to buy politicians in the US congress. Don`t forget big food has the wherewithal to make US Congress declare sauce on a pizza is a vegetable .

C.  Big pharma has shown the speed with which prices of medicine and cost of healthcare is rising YoY.

3. Will cost of everything go down and take food inflation 4%

A. When Kaushik basu,  Chief Economic Adviser says: If we don’t open up FDI in retail, food inflation won’t decline. Is that meant to be taken seriously? Everything he has said has  either been ambiguous or has  proven to be false especially his inflation predictions.

B. Would the middlemen ever allow them a free run? As things stand in Maharashtra the APMCs are controlled by a few people who are all linked mainly to politicians of the Congress and NCP and other parties. They extract a massive cost for a 2 minute auction. The cost of onions jump from Rs2 per kg to retails at Rs20 per kg in Mumbai and 30 in Delhi . The vested interests wont take this lying down, and their politician friends will eventually back them.

C.  Will they have super efficient supply chain management, that will bring in the fabled efficiency of scale? How will cold storage run when the rural areas lack regular dependable electric supply and most SEBs are in massive debt? How will food articles be transported efficiently when the road network is bad and the corruption at the toll naka is all pervasive and increases costs. Do we expect them to build roads and captive electric power plants? Branded apparel, mdf furniture and house articles might get cheaper but why will they bother in a low margin business such as agri commodities?

D. Reliance and Big bazaar has shown that food costs less in the mandis than at their stores. Will foreigners be any different and how?

4. What will be the impact on long term fiscal policy and Rupee ?

They will have to take profits home and that is a place outside India … So how will it impact our currency and our deficits?

5. Jobs ?  Consumer protection?

Efficiency by definition means reduction , so it will take lesser people to do the job than it takes now so how will the million man workforce mark be crossed?

Most of the big guns will subcontract. India has no social security, epf or heath benefits for contract labor. Neither does the mathadi worker or the unorganized laborer. So this is an interesting question.

India does not have a good solid enforcement of Consumer protection law, and the CFs are bogged down.We dont have means to a Class Action Suit law either. The small cause courts are utterly corrupt and corruption exists even in the High courts and above.

Im all for FDI in retail especially if it helps the farmer and the consumer but until we know what the avatar of the final bill is we can only contemplate and discuss the matter because vested interests of middlemen and mandi operators in the APMC  are very powerful and very well connected with the same bunch that are promoting this bill…

Read

Shoot the messenger, not the message 

When politics rules the roost

Are India’s foreign exchange reserves sound?

The pro Congress media, like their political mentors who give them massive add revenue, Padma Shrees, imported liquor and subsidized housing under the prime minister or chief minister quota, condemn Harvinder Singh, who the aam aami (me included) hails as a revolutionary if not a hero, even though they know in their heart of hearts what happened was wrong and the man might have some mental problems. In all probability the real slap was as much directed at MmS, PM, PC and Madam, the Congress UPA bosses as much as it was towards Mr Pawar. Naturally most politicians who dont fear god, have panicked because of the threat of the Aam admi ka haat !

Why have we come to this? Is it an explosion of pent up frustration that this govt is lying to its people on policy inaction, black money protection, on galloping inflation and on massive corruption plaguing the govt of the elite, by the people, that makes policy only for its vote banks, and not the whole of India in general.

Is it because they know that corrupt politicians always get away with their crimes, while honest officials suffer punishment postings aka Kiran Crane bedi and so many other honest bureaucrats?

Senior NCP leader involved in peaceful protests (Mid-day)

NCP leader involved in peaceful train roko protests  (Mid-day)

Is it because people have noticed that the only way our politicians protest is with bandhs and hartals and kam or rasta rokos enforced with threat of violence ?

Why did they all not condemn the violent official accompanying Mr Pawar, the  MPs of Congress and personel that thrashed the black flag wielding Samajwadi activists at Rahul Gandhis rally or the Congress workers that thrashed the mentally unstable man who threatened Janardan Dwivedi with a shoe ? Is it because they were not VVIPs?

The crony media even tried to twist Anna Hazare`s question Ek hi mara kya? when the audience laughed, by attempting to blame him for fanning the flames.

India has the largest body of laws and loopholes which are seldom uniformly enforced, and the politicians bureaucrats and police retain a lot of discretionary powers. Are rules only to be followed by the aam admi and not by politicians, bureaucrats, and crony capitalists or people with contacts?

The anna movement has shown them the true meaning of democracy and they will no more tolerate graft and corruption and oligarchic crony capitalism.

Majority of people follow the gandhian way, but thanks to current political situation and cult favourite movies like Rang de Basanti, there is a steady stream of converts that want to follow the ways of  Bose, Bhagat Singh and others.

This fall to 52.45 from 50 odd levels happened at a very rapid pace in just a few days after statements coming from the FinMin and the RBI that showed their will to abandon the defense of the rupee which almost engineered the fall. Market expects the Rupee to touch 54 or even 56.

Subir Gokarn, a deputy governor at the RBI, said last week the RBI would be careful about using foreign exchange reserves aggressively to protect depreciation of the rupee.

The RBI Gov D Subba Rao blamed the fall on the ongoing EU crises. He was non commital on RBI policy.

Economic Affairs Secretary on Monday said the ability of Indian monetary authorities to intervene and stem the rupee’s slide was limited

The RBI has always maintained that it does not protect any particular level on the rupee and would only intervene to iron out excessive volatility.

Late reports on CNBC TV18 indicate that the govt has finally come out with a plan and a magic number 51 at which the rupee will be defended.

If this is true it will  once and for all end the debate on who dictates and determines RBI policy .

Never mind what the RBI officials say, the fact is that RBI has intervened on multiple occasions in the past especially to drive the Rupee down whenever there were heavy Fund inflows especially to protect exporters while it limited its intervention whenever there were massive outflows.

The only real tool or magical rabbit up its sleeve is disinvestment.

But will disinvestment increase public wealth or decrease it that too when there is no policy reform and prudent management  accompanying it? MPs are running PSU Firms like their private vote bank generating fiefdoms under the public good bogey!

Small investors have seen their money and their fair share in profits  being usurped by a government in the name of public good in firms such as ONGC, GAIL and OIL.

Its last disinvestment stunt is a disaster with stocks all down 35% to 53% (SCI) from IPO or FPO prices, so is it prudent for long term investors (holding more than a year) to repeat their mistake ?

Is this Congress UPA govt promoting a flipping culture among investors ? And what signal do small investors  get if the PSU share prices crash a few weeks after listing just like IPO s from private firms at  dubious  valuations that abound the markets ?

The Merchant bankers are a greedy lot, and what credibility do they have when one of the listed entities, Edelweiss is itself quoting at  71% discount to its IPO price and most of the IPOs promoted by ENAM in 2011 the most reputed of the lot are trading below IPO price.

WPI inflation numbers are meaningless to the common man when vegetable prices which generally crash in winter are not only holding firm but are also up, the cost of milk is up and so is the cost of most fmcg goods which are facing dual heat with lower grammage and higher pricing.

The govt is also fuelling inflation flames with increased money supply, increased borrowing funding spending, the depreciating rupee and 15 to 20% increase in MSP of food grains.

In tow is the increase in electricity tariffs, the increase in  lpg and diesel prices and the cascading effect of those increases, or more inflation through currency devaluation, if the prices don`t go up.

I had wondered some time ago and asked if India was facing stagflation… i most certainly feel we are if i take into account today`s situation.

So are we back in the bad old days of late 90s ?

Eon (Zigwheels)

Will Hyundai`s  Eon  (click for review) manage to be the disruptive small car in India`s small car market ?

Tata Nano has tried hard but failed .

It has been launched at an introductory price of between Rs 2.69 lakh and Rs 3.71 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Badi nazuk hai yeh manzil

Baat Niklegi To Phir Live

Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi – Mirza Ghalib

Tumko Dekha To Ye Khayal Aaya -  Saath Saath

Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho – Arth

Tera Chehra – Live

Hoshwalon Ko Khabar kya

The golden rule is Sell when people buy and Buy when people sell, it most likely that you will always win.

Ambani`s are known to be the most astute of businessmen. They sold Treasury stock of Reliance when the stock was making new highs. Now it is in its 800s.

In such uncertain times as most investors flock to so called safe bets like HUL and ITC, sending valuations soaring it would be wise to sell.

What is the ITC management doing? They are selling their personal stock…

So take a lesson from their books and book some profits from ur FMCG stocks.

His Stanford address is a must watch.