06.12.2007

• See how air carriers are profiteering!
• Almost all airlines show fuel surcharge – which now stands at Rs. 1650 – under the head of ‘taxes and levies’ though this amount is not deposited with the government. Similar is the case with congestion surcharge of Rs. 150. The actual amount passed on to the government is only the passenger service fee of Rs. 225 per sector.
• Now, as passengers have complained that they are forced to pay Rs. 2025 under the head of ‘taxes and levies’ the government has asked the airlines to either deposit these monies with the government or return them to the customers.
• About the NFS network
• It stands for National Financial Switch. It comprises of the national network of ATMs of 27 banks totaling about 16,891 ATMs. It simplifies inter-bank transactions. It picks up transactions from the banks’ respective switches and not from particular ATMs.
• The NFS still does not include SBI and its subsidiaries which have the largest ATM network in the country.
• The NFS was set up in 2004 by IDRBT – Institute for Development of Research in Banking Technologies. IDRBT itself was set up in 1996 by the RBI.
• Problems with the textile sector in India
• It is a very good article which explains the problems besetting the textile sector in India. Take a look at it here.
• Status:
• Though initially targeted exports for the current year are at $25 bn, it is likely that they will barely touch $18 bn.
• India is the third largest cotton producer in the world. Second largest producer of cotton yarn and textiles. Over 60% of world’s installed looms are in India. 22% of the global spindleage is in India. Its wage rates are barely 40 to 50% of the wages in developed countries.
• But current share of India in global apparel and textiles market is only $14 bn compared to a global market of $450 bn – which is a paltry 3%.
• Why is this so?
• Our industry is too fragmented and consists of too many small players who have not bothered to either create sustainable and strong bonds or even create markets for themselves.
• Our industry comprises mostly small-scale, non-integrated spinning, weaving, finishing and apparel making enterprises.
• If you read the article once, the above noting will work as reminder / quick reference bullets.
• Errors of public health movement
• This is one more article that is very good that appeared in The Hindu today. Recommend reading it once.
• Points worth noting:
• The social, economic and political context during the public health revolution in the west, when public health became part of their way of life, differed markedly from the situation in developing world. The differences include:
• The antibiotic era: The public health revolutions in the west were completed before the introduction of antibiotics.
• The illusions of curative medicine: The west won the war over ill-health through provision of adequate housing, reduction of over-crowding, and improved nutrition.
• The challenge of the pharmaceutical industry: It profits from disease and ill-health. The developing countries are not able to sustain the onslaught of this profit driven industry.
• Vaccinations as a panacea: Vaccination plays into the hands of the pharmaceutical industry.
• Medicalisation of public health: Engineering, political, economic, educational, and religious, in addition to medical field, played a key role in establishing public health in the west. That is not happening in developing world.
• The errors of not taking our peculiar context obtaining in India include:
• Employing urgency-driven curative medical solutions instead of long-term public health policies.
• Mistaking primary care for public health.
• Reducing public health to a bio-medical perspective.
• India should be focusing on the following alternatives:
• Social justice and the production of an egalitarian society.
• Water, sanitation, housing, nutrition, education, and employment as basic rights.
• National statistics and the evaluation of government policies and programmes.
• Public health as national interest.