Welcome to the Proposals Library of AltKuznets Advisors Pvt Ltd., Your Sustainability Nirvana !

The Nuclear Ballot Dance Ganga Prasad G. Rao http://myprofile.cos.com/gangar General elections are not exactly 'once in a blue moon' events. Though meant to occur quinquennially, I suspect they are held more often, perhaps every three-four years on average. Each election is touted as a momentous, historically important event; yet, few are as important as the one being suggested among political circles these days. Dissension in the UPA coalition regarding the 123 agreement and comments by Advani give credence to rumours of an impending election. With the economy in overdrive, the monsoons obliging, and inflation tamed for the immediate future, this is as good an opportunity that Sonia will ever get to 'spring a surprise'. An election is not just the choice of one candidate or party over another to rule us. It is an occasion to take stock of promises, achievements and failures, and prepare the nation to renew the battle and confront various issues – from the past and of

Two Cents for My Idle Thoughts? (You are, by now, used to my usual disclaimers!) Ganga Prasad G. Rao http://myprofile.cos.com/gangar - Like whether foreign governments who stand to benefit from a warmer climate are promoting expansion of coal-based power and power-sector deregulation in poor and populated, but coal-rich nations to achieve their goals (while claiming to further Millenium Development Goals!)...??? (India can go nuclear when the Antarctic has been colonized!!) – Like whether the US will invade 'Iran' as a face-saver to cover its 'withdrawal' from Iraq and whether the invasion of Iran is a thinly-veiled strategy to eventually confront Russia in a world-war by moving in to oil-rich Kazhakstan/Azerbaijan on behalf of the Saudis? – Like whether the entire sub-prime crisis is a cleverly-thought out cover for arranging 'energy security' payment from Saudi Arabia (through German and Japanese Banks) for the protection provided to them by US not only fro

Globalize Power Generation to Abate Global Warming Ganga Prasad G. Rao http://myprofile.cos.com/gangar Just yesterday, at www.livemint.com, I opined against India's voluntary involvement in any carbon reduction proposal. Clearly, as a country, India cannot afford to hold back the millions of its citizens in abject poverty to assuage the feelings of the developed world who conveniently forgot for decades that CO2 emissions turn the earth warmer. But, climate change will not stop for India, or for that matter, any other country. It has been gathering steam all these years and decades and now, alarmingly, it seems to be accelerating. We must reduce CO2 concentrations, and that too within a short period of time. 15 years post Kyoto, we have achieved little. Some, me included, would contend that the wave of privatization and competition in various economies and especially the power sector, has set us back and moved the world closer to an environmental catastrophe. Perhaps Kyoto has serv

Dear Editor (The Economist) I found myself disagreeing with 'The Economist' on reading 'Better late than never'. Increasingly, the developed world is calling upon the developing countries to 'share' in reducing carbon emissions. But where was this camaraderie in 1970 when the western world was chugging away merrily on the back of the earth's capacity to assimilate all waste in to its pristine environment? As a citizen of a developing nation, I am tempted to ask for the same pristine air quality on which the developed nations enriched their economies. Instead, the developing nations, who, incidentally, held back rapid industrialization fearing resource exhaustion, have been bequeathed a world teetering at environmental collapse. Those who conserved resources in the decades of western industrialization are now being asked to go slow just precisely at the take-off point of their economies. The lesson to draw perhaps is 'if you need to rape the environment,

Capture the Regulator! (Caution! Reading this drivel may bring the mafia to your door) Ganga Prasad G. Rao http://myprofile.cos.com/gangar Having myself been a victim of a long-drawn conspiracy involving regulations on the industry, I have over the years developed what has been described as an acerbic tongue, not to mention, an acerbic style of writing. After all, after years of mail and email fraud, not to mention gassing at office, and murderous mobikes whizzing past at 2.9 mach, and perhaps having been declared 'dead' a thousand times over, I have learnt not to rub the shoulders of the powers that be. NNNOOOTTT! So,for a change, here are some absolutely frivolous regulatory wisecracks to chew on. Mind you, they are rather unbecoming of my credentials. No, not all regulators are treated like spies. Just this past weekend I played golf with the ....well, never mind! That puncturing of new car tyres, that was not us. And that camera you lost on your way back. That too. ...No, n

Public Utilities, Private Angst Ganga Prasad G. Rao http://myprofile.cos.com/gangar When I was young, India was very much a poor country. Though many industries dotted the country, the Government was by far the primary provider of many essentials of living – electricity, water, kerosene, buses, even milk. Things have changed and changed a lot. Yet, the past continues to hold on to the present, and I am afraid, the future too. While the private sector has grown by leaps and bounds, the Government, especially the local administration and public utilities, continue in their moribund traditions of inefficiency and gargantuan waste. Consider drinking water. Practically every city and town has a public water supply network maintained by the Corporation or the Municipality. Crores were invested in building it; crores are spent renovating and maintaining it, yet, when it comes to using it, many residents back away and rely instead on packaged or bottled water. Those who don't, often use a