Reliance – Washing the dirty linen in public

The Reliance Group of companies of Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani together is the largest corporate house in India today. They together can make or break India’s economy. Under such circumstances, in the public and national interest, India government should mediate immediately to sort out the differences rather than supporting one group or the other. The route-cause of the issue should be identified and rectified at the earliest and remedial measures should be taken by the ministries concerned at the intervention of the Prime Minister. The country is being taken for ransom by the irresponsible brothers and this should not be tolerated.

Aquaguard system from Eureka Forbes

There are at-least four models right now being used by consumers for purification of water for drinking purpose. I use Compact System where it is claimed that water is going through a 3-stage purification system and by e-boiling, every drop is as pure, as safe as water boiled for 20 minutes. It is also claimed that some Electronic Eye continuously scans water to give 100% pure water or no water. I have a few genuine doubts which could not be cleared by the company representatives.

It is high time that the mushrooming companies selling water purification systems are regulated by the Indian government so that the gullible customers are not taken for a ride by so-called marketing executives.

1. Without water testing results how the company can claims that the individual user is drinking 100% pure water? Free water testing, on quarterly basis, should be part of the Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC).
2. How the company ensures that water flow rate doesn’t exceed 1 l.p.m as given in the technical specifications. The sales executives visiting houses are not technically competent enough to satisfy the customers.
3. In AMC, only twice a year the compact cartridge (sediment cum activated carbon) is changed. Whether it is adequate?
4. I suspect the role and effectiveness of the UV system used by the company.
5. Does the customer get his money’s worth? The Compact system costs over Rs.7500/-.
5. Whether all the models sold by the company are equally good in giving the necessary results?

Can somebody answer these questions?

Reservation Bill will not ensure their empowerment

Reservation Bill will not ensure their empowerment. In India, it is still man’s world. It is possible if men genuinely support the bill and accept the repercussions of the bill. By enforced reservation, you only bring in "dummies" in all spheres of life. It is unfortunate that the government is bringing the Quota for women in government jobs. Already, the efficiency in government departments is low. This quota system is going to further reduce the efficiency and common man is going to suffer more.

The move is unfortunate. Let merit speak for itself and not the caste or gender.

IS INDIA FAKING ECONOMIC RECOVERY?

After seeing the title “Is China faking economic recovery” in DNA Money, I am tempted to ask whether India is also doing the same since India is also going through similar economic situation. People believe the economy is doing well. But, the actual sector-wise growth rates indicate otherwise. Some rise in the stock market indices should not be taken as any reliable indicators of the health of the economy. When everyone experiences the steep rise in vegetables and other commodities how the government can declare that the inflation is turning negative?

I somehow liked some lines from the Report of Directors, ITC, Limited which is reproduced here, i. e., “With a fairly young population, skilled man power, rising savings and investment rates, a vibrant service sector, a potentially large source of domestic demand and emergence of globally competitive firms, India has multiple growth drivers which hold out promise of stable and sustained growth”. Yes! Best of luck, India.

Aspartame-the artificial sweetener

Aspartame is the name for an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener. It is the methyl ester of a phenylalanine/aspartic acid dipeptide with a molecular weight C14H18N2O5.This sweetener is marketed under a number of trademark names, including Equal, NutraSweet, and Canderel, and is an ingredient of over 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide, including diet sodas and other soft drinks.

At high temperatures, aspartame often breaks down and loses much of its sweetness. Aspartame is also one of the main sugar substitutes used by people with diabetes. Under strongly acidic or alkaline conditions, aspartame generates methanol by hydrolysis. Under more severe conditions, the peptide bonds are also hydrolyzed, resulting in the free amino acids. When dissolved in water, the stability of the compound greatly depends of the pH of the medium and it is reported to be most stable at pH 4.3.

Indian markets are flooded with a product called “Sugar Free – Gold”, manufactured by Acme Remedies and marketed by a Gujarat-based company, Zydus Wellness Limited. Hundred grams of the product costs 90 Rupees and the claim is 100 gm of the product is equivalent to 1 kg of sugar. The product is backed by a very strong marketing strategy through advertisements and common man, mainly with diabetic complaints started using the product to make all kinds of sweets involving high temperatures. The ingredients as printed on the bottle are: dextrose, maltodextrin and Aspartame. The energy content of 0.5 gm of the product is 1.99 kCal.

The artificial sweetener Aspartame has been the subject of controversy since its initial approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974. The decomposition products of aspartame such as methanol, formaldehyde and formic acid are not easily eliminated from the body. These are reported to be carcinogens and health effects of long-term usage of the product are still not known. There are hundreds of research reports and technical documents describing various health effects due to the consumption of the product since its discovery in 1965.

Under such doubtful circumstances, and in view of the controversies about the health effects, is it worth using the product to sweeten the food items by the healthy young adults, and sick individuals in countries like India? Better die of diabetes than die of the slow chemical poisoning. Health-conscious young adults should go for natural sweeteners and burn the calories by work-outs and exercises.

All-India judicial Services Examination – Good Move

Indian judiciary needs strengthening to tackle enormous backlog of cases. In order to make some meaningful progress in the country’s judicial system, the Chief Justice of India is proposing All-India Services Examination in the lines of civil services examination. A very good move indeed if he succeeds.

According to the Chief Justice, this will augment the shortage of judges at all levels which is causing delay in dispensing justice and to weed out backlog of cases and corruption in judiciary.

From a commoners’ point of view, justice delayed is justice denied, which result in citizens taking law into their own hands or local “goonda” elements dispensing justice-a “quick-fix”-for a price.

World No Tobacco Day – May 31

Everyone knows what the end effect of tobacco consumption is. Tobacco is one of the proven carcinogenic material, consumed by millions of people in various forms such as cigarettes, beedies, gutka, etc. It is a dangerous addiction. Street kids as young as four are smoking tobacco in some form or other! We only hope the tobacco industry realizes what it is doing to millions of people.

The World No Tobacco Day is to spread “Shun-Tobacco” message all around the world. The cancer-affected people say “I wish I hadn’t smoked my first cigarette”. They are also now pressing for introduction of pictorial health warnings on all tobacco packs. In India, pictorial warning of –a skull and bones sign with a message “tobacco and smoking kills” - will be introduced on cigarette and bidi packets from May 31, 2009 onwards. Better late than never.

Everyone of us should support and demand a smoke-free environment. If tobacco is so much harmful why grow it at all? Ban tobacco cultivation.