Wednesday, January 31, 2018
View: Modi is a very lucky man. Just look at how nothing goes wrong for him By Swaminathan A Aiyar, ET Bureau|Updated: Jan 31, 2018, 10.06 AM IST
When asked to promote a general with many qualifications, Napoleon Bonaparte asked, "Is he lucky?" While merit and hard work matter a lot, luck can make or unmake outcomes.
Napoleon would have approved of Narendra Modi: he is lucky. When Modi assumed office in 2014, the economy was tottering and the fiscal deficit was out of control. But in his first year, the price of oil crashed from $120 a barrel to barely $40. This good luck, according to some estimates, may have helped boost GDP by 1-2 percentage points and slash the fiscal deficit. Modi, naturally, claimed that the economic recovery was his own good work.
Achhe Din are Here Again
Luck deserted him in 2017, when the economy decelerated even as the global economy accelerated. The double whammy of demonetisation and the goods and services tax (GST) glitches slowed the economy. Instead of retaining its position as the world's fastestgrowing major economy, India slipped behind China.
But the Economic Survey presented to Parliament on Monday says 'achhe din' are coming. It predicts GDP growth will accelerate to 7-7.5% in 2018-19 against 6.75% in the current fiscal year, making India the fastestgrowing major economy again.
In retrospect, the timing of demonetisation and GST turned out to be exactly right from a political viewpoint. The dislocation and damage to the economy were done in 2017, leaving time for the economy to recover smartly in 2018-19, in the run-up to the next general election. The global economy is expected to keep booming, raising all boats. So, Modi should enter the next election season on a rising tide. Lucky man.
He has solid achievements to his credit too, mostly of an incremental nature. He retains his image of a genuine corruption-fighter. The Economic Survey shows that the number of indirect taxpayers has risen a whopping 50% after GST, while his attacks on black money have helped greatly increase the number of new incometax filers.
The twin balance-sheet problem — overleveraged companies going bust and endangering overleveraged banks — is nearing resolution with the auction of giant defaulters, who look like attracting substantial bids. The fiscal deficit is down, inflation is down, and the current account deficit is a modest 1.5% of GDP. India's good macro-fundamentals have been rewarded with a credit upgrade by Moody's. GST has suffered from initial glitches, as expected, but should be very positive for the economy from next year.
However, Modi has failed dismally to provide jobs for all, as promised in his last election campaign. Farm distress has hit many pockets, and his pledge to double farm incomes looks doomed. His 'Make in India' programme has flopped, with industrial growth touching a mere 3.2% despite record inflows of foreign direct investment. On balance, his economic record is reasonably good, but no election winner. He needs luck too.
Was the timing of demonetisation and GST mostly good luck? Some may argue that the timing of demonetisation was carefully planned. I see no evidence of that. Demonetisation was so badly bungled that it looks like a decision taken on a personal whim, with grossly insufficient planning.
Soiled Currency in Laundry
Could there be anything more ill-planned than voiding 85% of all currency without first ensuring enough capacity to print new notes to replace them? Or of opting for different-sized notes that ATMs could not handle? Or of replacing high-value notes with even higher-value notes, making it easier than ever to handle large cash hoards? Against initial expectations that a big chunk of hoarded black money would be rendered useless, virtually everything was laundered.
The avoidable distress of this bungling was enormous. Regardless, voters saw demonetisation as proof that Modi was serious about cracking down on black money, and this helped him win the Uttar Pradesh election last year. You could call this reward for a brave decision. You could also call it a lucky escape from a bungle.
The timing of GST owed as much to luck as good management. While almost all political parties saw merit in GST, sundry wrangles had thwarted a decision for over a decade. Arun Jaitley deserves credit for taking fiscal risks in guaranteeing the states generous compensation for any revenue losses. Yet, he is lucky that the states clinched the reform in the middle of his term, and not at the end — in which case GST glitches could have spoiled the economy in the run-up to the next election.
Things could still go wrong. Oil prices have shot up and are forecast to rise further in 2018. In theory, this could hit growth. But I expect the opposite. A booming world economy has boosted all commodity prices, not just oil. The positive effects of the global boom on Indian exports will more than offset the impact of rising commodity prices. That was the case in the boom years 2003-08: despite record oil prices, India enjoyed record GDP growth.
Asset bubbles are evident in markets across the world. The bursting of these could create a global recession that hits India too in 2018-19. But given Modi's luck, I suspect the bubbles will burst only after his re-election.
Views expressed here are the author's own, and not EconomicTimes.com's
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
INDIAN ECONOMY:-10 NEW FACTS
January 29, 2018 19:57 IST
India can be rated as among the best performing economies in the world
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tabled the Economic Survey 2017-18 in Parliament on Monday.
The survey points out that India can be rated as among the best performing economies in the world as the average growth during last three years is around 4 percentage points higher than global growth and nearly 3 percentage points higher than that of Emerging Market and Developing Economies.
The Survey has highlighted ten new facts on the economy.
1. There has been a large increase in registered indirect and direct taxpayers
A 50 per cent increase in unique indirect taxpayers under die GST compared with the pre-GST system (Figure 1A).
Similarly, there has been an addition (over and above trendgrowth) of about 1.8 million in individual income tax filers since November 2016.
2. Formal non-agricultural payroll is much greater than believed
More than 30 per cent when formality is defined in terms of social security (EPFO/ESIq provision;
More than 50 per cent when defined in terms of being in the GST net.
3. States' prosperity is correlated with their international and inter-state trade
States that export more internationally, and trade more with other states, tend to be richer. But the correlation is stronger between prosperitc and international trade.
4.India's firm export structure is substantially more egalitarian than in other large countries
Top 1 per cent of Indian funs account for 38 per cent of exports; in all other countries, they account for a substantially greater share (72, 68, 67, and 55 per cent of exports in Brazil, Germany, Mexico, and USA respectively).
And this is true for the top 5 per cent, 10 per cent, and so on.
5. The clothing incentive package boosted exports of readymade garments.
The relief from embedded state taxes (ROSL) announced in 2016 boosted exports of ready-made garments (but not others) by about 16 per cent.
6. There is substantial avoidable litigation in the tax arena which government action could reduce
The tax department's petition rate is high, even though its success rate in litigation is low and declining (well below 30 per cent).
Only 0.2 per cent of cases accounted for 56 per cent of the value at stake.
About 66 per cent of pending cases (each less than Rs. 10 lakhs) accounted for only 1.8 per cent of the value at stake.
7. To re-ignite growth, raising investment is more important than raising saving
Cross-country experience shows that growth slowdowns are preceded by investment slowdowns but not necessarily by savings slowdowns may not.
Change in investment and change in growth.
Change in saving and change in growth.
8. Own direct tax collections by Indian states and local governments are significantly lower than those of their counterparts in other federal countries
This share is low relative to the direct taxation powers they actually have.
9. Sex ratio by birth between India and Indonesia
The data highlighted another seemingly known fact that Indian society exhibits a strong desire for a male child.
It pointed out that most parents continued to have children until they get number of sons.
The survey gave details of various scenarios leading to skewed sex ratios and also gave a comparison on sex ratio by birth between India and Indonesia.
10. Distribution of temperature changes
The survey captures the footprints of climate change on the Indian territory and consequent adverse impact on agricultural yields.
Extreme temperature increases and deficiency in rainfall have been captured on the Indian map and the graphical changes in agricultural yields are brought out from such data.
The impact was found to be twice as large in un-irrigated areas as in irrigated ones.
Photograph: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters
India 6th wealthiest country with total wealth of $8,230 billion: Report PTI|Jan 30, 2018, 07.35 PM IST
NEW DELHI: India has been ranked sixth in the list of wealthiest countries with total wealth of USD 8,230 billion, while the United States topped the chart, says a report.
According to a report by New World Wealth, the United States is the wealthiest country in the world as the total wealth held in 2017 amounted to USD 64,584 billion, followed by China at the second place with USD 24,803 billion and Japan with USD 19,522 billion at third.
Total wealth, refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals living in each country/city. It includes all their assets (property, cash, equities, business interests) less any liabilities. The report, however, excludes government funds from its figures.
Others in the list include United Kingdom (4th, USD 9,919 billion), Germany (5th, USD 9,660 billion), France (7th, USD 6,649 billion), Canada (8th, USD 6,393 billion), Australia (9th, USD 6,142 billion) and Italy (10th, USD 4,276 billion).
The report further noted that India was the best performing wealth market globally in 2017 as its total wealth swelled from USD 6,584 billion in 2016 to USD 8,230 billion in 2017, registering a 25 per cent growth.
Meanwhile, during the period under consideration China's wealth saw an increase of 22 per cent and global wealth rose by 12 per cent (from USD 192 trillion at the end of 2016 to USD 215 trillion at the end of 2017). Over the past decade (2007-2017) India's total wealth increased from USD 3,165 billion in 2007 to USD 8,230 billion in 2017, a jump of 160 per cent.
The report further noted that India, is home to 3,30,400 HNWIs (individuals with USD 1 million or more in net assets). Globally, India was ranked 9th in this aspect while US topped the list with 50,47,400 HNWIs (high-net-worth individuals).
India is also home to 20,730 multi-millionaires, 7th largest in the world. And in terms of resident billionaires, India with 119 such individuals was named among the top three countries globally, after the US and China.
A billionaire is defined as an individuals with USD 1 billion or more in net assets.
"In general, it was a good year for all W10 (wealthiest 10) markets, thanks to strong global stock market gains - the MSCI world index was up 23 per cent and the Dow Jones (DJIA) was up 26 per cent during the year (in USD terms)," the report ..
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Steer clear! These 45 midcaps are showing signs of a possible crash
, ETMarkets.com|
Updated: Jan 30, 2018, 11.58 AM IST
Preference for sons has lead to 21 million 'unwanted' daughters in India: Economic Survey
ET Bureau|
Jan 30, 2018, 12.56 AM IST
NEW DELHI: India has an estimated 21 million notionally "unwanted" girls and families continue to have children until they have the desired number of sons, the pink-colour Economic Survey has estimated for the first time while outlining the need to increase women participation in farm and non-farm sectors.
Laying a special emphasis on gender and son "meta"-preference (families continuing to have children until they have the desired number of sons), the survey has suggested that the country as a whole should commit itself to gender equality and empowerment of women, so as to help India move up the ranks on gender outcomes.
"Just as India has committed to moving up the ranks in the ease of doing business indicators, it should perhaps do so on the gender outcomes as well. Here, the aim should be broader," the Survey said.
According to the Survey, many of the gender outcomes are manifestations of a deeper societal preference, even meta-preference for boys leading to many "missing" women and "unwanted" girls. "So, Indian society as a whole should perhaps resolve to consign these odious categories to history soon," it said.
Pointing out that women participation in the country's workforce has declined from 36% in 2005-06 to 24% in 2015-16, the Survey has highlighted the importance of increasing opportunities for women in education and employment.
The Survey has also proposed an agricultural policy aimed at integrating women as active agents in rural transformation. The idea is to help women farmers get enhanced access to resources such as credit, technology and training.
The entitlements of women farmers will be the key to improve agriculture productivity, it said, even as it noted that there is an increasing number of women in multiple roles in the agriculture sector, as cultivators, entrepreneurs and labourers. The government has earmarked 30% of the budget allocation for women beneficiaries in all ongoing schemes, programmes and development activities.
It is also focusing on women self-help groups to connect them to micro credit through capacity building activities and to provide information and ensure their representation in decision making bodies.Analysing the multiple rounds of the Demographic Health Survey and National Family Health Survey over last 10-15 years, the Survey said while India's performance has improved on 14 out of 17 indicators of women's agency, attitudes and outcomes, the country has to traverse some distance to catch up with other countries on women employment and use of reversible contraception as development on its own has not proved to be an antidote.
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Govt withdraws takeover plea of Unitech from NCLT: Sources
moneycontrolnews as published on 30th January 2018
The SC had earlier stayed the December 8 order of the NCLT
allowing the Centre to take over the management of the company
The government on Tuesday informed the
Supreme Court that it will withdraw the petition filed at National Company Law
Tribunal (NCLT) to take over the management of the embattled real estate
company Unitech Ltd,
sources said.
Legal experts
said the “move is reassuring for homebuyers.” “Now the Supreme Court will
handle the matter independently and will not give any indulgence to the
embattled firm until it deposits a substantial amount with the court registry,”
said ML Lahoty, Advocate, Supreme Court, who is also representing Unitech
homebuyers.
The SC had earlier stayed the December 8 order of the NCLT allowing
the Centre to take over the management of the company.
NCLT on December
8 had suspended all the eight directors of the realty firm over allegations of
mismanagement, and siphoning off of funds, and had authorised the Centre to
appoint its 10 nominees on the board. In its petition filed under section 241
of the Companies Act, 2013, the government had requested the tribunal to remove
the eight directors and said the company has over Rs 6,000 crore debt and over
16,000 undelivered units from a total of nearly 70 projects.
The NCLT, in its
order, had also said the government must give name of its nominees by December
20 and restrained Unitech's eight suspended directors from selling their
personal and company properties.
On December 12 Supreme
Court expressed serious apprehension about the manner in which the Centre moved
the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take control of embattled real
estate firm Unitech Ltd’s board without seeking its permission
Attorney General KK
Venugopal had conceded that “this should not happened. The government should
not have approached NCLT when Supreme Court was seized of the matter relating
to Unitech’s failure to refund homebuyers.”
The stay of NCLT’s
order on December 9 had meant that Unitech’s promoter Sanjay Chandra, who is
currently in jail, could resume negotiations from prison for sale of assets
to generate Rs 750 crore that
he had been asked to deposit in court by December end.
The apex court had on
October 30 said jailed businessman Chandra will be granted bail only after the
real estate group deposited money with its registry by December end. The top
court had earlier directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandra's meeting
with his company officials and lawyers so that he could arrange money to refund
the home buyers as well as for completing the ongoing housing projects.
The SC on January 29
(Monday) had ordered the firm, which is negotiating with Unitech for purchasing
land in Chennai valued at around Rs 400 crore, to appear and deposit the money
before it to show its bonafide in acquiring the property on February 16, the
next date of hearing.
The real estate firm
told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that it was negotiating with a companyto
sell two portions of it lands in Chennai for around Rs 170 crore and Rs 229.45
crore respectively.
The bench, also
comprising justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, directed the top court
registry to issue notice to the company, which is negotiating with Unitech in
acquiring the land, asking its competent authority to appear before it on
February 16."If the company
is desirous of purchasing the property at the value indicated (by Unitech), it
can bring a draft of the said amount in the name of the Registrar of the SC so
that further directions can be issued," it said.
The apex court did not comment on the request of Unitech
Managing Director Sanjay Chandra to grant him custody parole for eight weeks to
enable him to arrange money to refund homebuyers and complete the ongoing
housing projects.
Super Blue Blood Moon: Timings, locations and other details about the lunar eclipse A supermoon and lunar eclipse will happen together tomorrow, which means the Moon will appear larger than usual and reddish in colour. It also happens to be a blue moon
Moneycontrol News@moneycontrolcom
On Wednesday night, people across the world will be able to see a rare phenomenon - a supermoon, blue moon and a lunar eclipse all at once.
NASA has termed the event a "Super Blue Blood Moon", calling it a lunar trifecta.
The lunar eclipse will create a "blood moon" because the Moon will get a reddish tint when it is in the Earth's shadow.In Asia, the last time a lunar eclipse and a blue moon occurred at the same time was on December 30, 1982, according to a report by The Hindu.The Moon on Wednesday will be a blue moon because it will the second full moon this month.
The phrase "blue moon" is not a technical term and does not refer to the colour of the Moon.
In Asia, the Super Blue Blood Moon can be viewed at moonrise, according to NASA's website.
In India, this rare celestial phenomenon will first be visible in the North-East between 4:21 PM IST and 5:18 PM IST, according to a report by The Indian Express.
People from Rajasthan and other parts of Western India can see it between 6:21 PM IST and 7:37 PM IST, while the rest of India should be able to view it between 5:18 PM IST and 6:21 PM IST.
What is a supermoon?
A supermoon occurs when either a full moon or a new moon coincides with the Moon being at the point in its orbit closest to the Earth.The technical name for this phenomenon is perigee syzygy, or simply, new or full moon at perigee.
NASA said that on Wednesday, the Moon's brightness will be 14 percent higher than usual.
What is a "blood moon"?
The total lunar eclipse will cause the Moon to get a dark reddish tint due to the way the Earth's atmosphere scatters light.Though the Moon will be in the Earth's shadow during the eclipse, it will reflect the small amount of light from the Sun.
Monday, January 29, 2018
Unitech case: Embattled firm informs SC it has finalised a land deal worth Rs 400 crore Next date of hearing set for February 16. Moneycontrol News @moneycontrolcom
Embattled real estate firm Unitech on Monday informed the apex court that it has finalised a land deal worth Rs 400 crore with a buyer that will help it finish incomplete projects and refund homebuyers. The next date of hearing is set for February 16.
The company, through its lawyer, told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that it was negotiating with a company to sell two portions of it lands in Chennai for around Rs 170 crore and Rs 229.45 crore respectively.
The bench, also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, directed that an official from the buyer be present in court and give its financial credential on February 16 with a demand draft for Rs 400 crore in the registrar’s name to show that it was inclined to purchase Unitech’s land.
"If the company is desirous of purchasing the property at the value indicated (by Unitech), it can bring a draft of the said amount in the name of the Registrar of the Supreme Court so that further directions can be issued," the court said at a hearing that lasted 15 minutes.
The Supreme Court , however, did not comment on the request of Unitech Ltd Managing Director Sanjay Chandra to grant him custody parole for eight weeks to enable him to arrange money to refund homebuyers and complete the ongoing housing projects.
The apex court also directed that Unitech Ltd's homebuyers who are interested in taking possession of their flats as per its present status, could intimate advocate Pawan Shree Aggarwal, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, about it, says Varun Chopra, advocate.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the company, told the bench that the court had directed Chandra to deposit Rs 750 crore with it to safeguard the interests of homebuyers and the best effort was being made for it.
He also referred to the dues which the Telangana government allegedly owed to Unitech for the payment made by the firm in 2007. "I (Unitech) have to recover money. These are amounts which I cannot recover because I am in jail. The court may consider granting custody parole for eight weeks," he said.
Towards the end of the hearing, the company told the bench that despite the apex court's order, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had passed orders against Unitech. The bench said that it would deal with it separately.
The court had earlier directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandra's meeting with his company officials and lawyers so that he could arrange money for refunding the homebuyers as well as for completing the ongoing housing projects.
Chandra is seeking interim bail from the apex court after the Delhi High Court on August 11 had rejected the plea in a criminal case lodged in 2015 by 158 home buyers of Unitech projects' -- 'Wild Flower Country' and 'Anthea Project' -- in Gurgaon.
Earlier, the court stayed the December 8 order of the National Company Law Tribunal allowing the Centre to take over the management of embattled realty firm Unitech Ltd. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), on December 8, had suspended all the eight directors of the realty firm over allegations of mismanagement and siphoning of funds and had authorised the Centre to appoint its 10 nominees on the board. In its petition filed under section 241 of the Companies Act, 2013, the government had requested the tribunal to remove the eight directors and said that the company has over Rs 6,000 crore debt and over 16,000 undelivered units from a total of nearly 70 projects.
The NCLT, in its order, had also said the government must give name of its nominees by December 20 and restrained Unitech's eight suspended directors from selling their personal and company properties.
On December 12 Supreme Court expressed serious apprehension about the manner in which the Centre moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to take control of embattled real estate firm Unitech Ltd’s board without seeking its permission
Attorney General KK Venugopal conceded that “this should not happened. The government should not have approached NCLT when Supreme Court was seized of the matter relating to Unitech’s failure to refund homebuyers,” said a lawyer present at the hearing on Wednesday.
The stay of NCLT’s order on December 9 had meant that Unitech’s promoter Sanjay Chandra, who is currently in jail, could resume negotiations from prison for sale of assets to generate Rs 750 crore that he had been asked to deposit in court by December end.
The apex court had on October 30 said jailed businessman Chandra will be granted bail only after the real estate group deposited money with its registry by December end. The top court had earlier directed the jail authorities to facilitate Chandra's meeting with his company officials and lawyers so that he could arrange money to refund the home buyers as well as for completing the ongoing housing projects.
Economic Survey: 10 interesting facts about Indian economy
Last Published: Mon, Jan 29 2018. 04 14 PM IST
Based on analysis of data, the Economic Survey 2017-18 made some startling revelations as well as pleasant surprises about the trends in the economy
New Delhi: The Indian society has a strong desire for a male child that makes parents continue to have children until they get the desired number of male children, the Economic Survey 2017-18 tabled in Parliament on Monday pointed out, among key insights into the socio-economic patterns in Asia’s third largest economy.
Based on analysis of data, the Survey made some startling revelations as well as pleasant surprises about the trends in the economy, some of which warrant urgent action by the executive.
■ Among them, are the need for raising investments in the economy and cutting down avoidable tax litigation. The Survey said that to re-ignite economic growth, raising investments is more important than raising savings.
■ The Survey has sent a strong reminder to tax officials on the need for being more choosy about picking cases to fight.
“Tax departments in India have gone in for contesting against in several tax disputes but also with a low success rate which is below 30%. About 66% of pending cases accounted for only 1.8% (of value at stake)” said a statement from the finance ministry, quoting the Survey. Only 0.2% of cases accounted for 56% of the value at stake, said the survey, suggesting that there is scope for cutting down avoidable litigation significantly.
■ The Survey indicated that growth in savings did not bring economic growth but the growth in investments did.
■ India’s discontinuation of old high-value currency notes in November 2016 has helped in widening the tax net. According to the Survey, 1.8 million new individual tax payers have been added since demonetisation. Indirect tax base too has increased after the rollout of the goods and service tax (GST), it noted.
■ One key feature of states with high standard of living is their strong exports, both internationally as well as to other Indian states, the Survey found out.
■ Among exporting companies, the share of large firms is much smaller than that of their counterparts in other countries. Top 1% of Indian firms account for only 38% of exports, unlike in Brazil where it accounts for 72% and in Germany where it is 68%.
■ One surprising insight from the Survey is that the size of the formal part of the economy is bigger than earlier believed.
“When social security provisions like Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation/Employees’ State Insurance Corp. are taken into account, the formal sector payroll was found to be about 31% of non-agricultural work force,” the survey noted. If the formal sector of the economy is defined in terms of being part of GST net, such formal sector payroll share is 53%, the Survey said.
■ The Survey also pointed out that rebate of state levies has helped in boosting exports of ready made garments.
■ States and local bodies in India collect less direct taxes than in other countries. This is significant considering that for improving standard of living as well as for making the smart city programme a success, financial health of states and local bodies is important.
■The impact of extreme temperature rise and rain fall deficiency has been twice as large in un-irrigated areas as in irrigated ones, the data analysed in the Survey showed.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Man Gets Sucked Into MRI Machine At Mumbai Hospital, Killed, 2 Arrested When Rajesh Maru walked into an MRI with a metal cylinder, the machine's monstrous magnetic field got activated pulling both the man and the cylinder with great force
MUMBAI:
A man got sucked into an MRI machine at a Mumbai hospital and died minutes after he walked into the room carrying an oxygen cylinder. The family says it was a case of massive negligence, since the machine was turned on when it was supposed to be switched off and a ward boy, attached to the MRI section, had assured them it was safe to go inside.
Any object containing metal - including jewellery, clothing with metallic fibers, zippers, buttons, underwire and even medical implants - aren't allowed inside the MRI room.
The shocking incident occurred on Saturday evening, when Rajesh Maru, 32, was attending to an elderly relative, who had come for an MRI scan at the BYL Nair Charitable Hospital. The family says the ward boy had asked Mr Maru to take the cylinder inside.
"When we told him that metallic things aren't allowed inside an MRI room, he said 'sab chalta hai, hamara roz ka kaam hai' (it's fine, we do it every day). He also said that the machine was switched off. The doctor as well as the technician didn't say anything," said Mr Maru's relative Harish Solanki, whose mother was the patient.
"As soon as Rajesh entered with the cylinder, it turned out that the machine was on," Mr Solanki said. The metal in the cylinder activated the machine's monstrous magnetic field, pulling in both the man and the cylinder with great force, eyewitnesses said. His hand got stuck in the machine along with the cylinder, triggering a massive oxygen leak.
"It's because of their carelessness that Rajesh died," Mr Solanki said, blaming the staff for negligence and demanding action against the erring doctor and ward boy.
2COMMENTS
Local BJP lawmaker MP Lodha has demanded compensation and stern action against those responsible for Mr Maru's death.A police case has been registered against Dr Siddhant Shah, ward boy Vitthal Chavan and ward attendant Sunita Surve for causing death by negligence. Dr Siddhant Shah and ward boy Vitthal Chavan have been arrested. The hospital is conducting an inquiry and action will be taken, said Dean Dr Ramesh Bharmal.
The Indian women who conquered the world!
Last updated on: January 25, 2018 16:17 IST
In a journey of Marco Polo-esque proportions, Meenakshi Arvind and Mookambika Rathinam drove through 24 countries and two continents over 72 days.
Meenakshi and Mookambika tell Rediff.com's Archana Masih about their incredible, unforgettable, journey and the desperation for Gandhi in a dark corner of the world.
IMAGE: Meenakshi Arvind, right, and Mookambika Rathinam, left, in Dunhuang, China. They self-drove a Tata car from Coimbatore to London.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Meenakshi Arvind
Just as Meenakshi Arvind prepares to leave the lobby of the Coimbatore hotel where she has spent an hour relating a journey of Marco Polo-esque proportions, a woman walks up to congratulate her.
"What you did was great. For women it is not easy," the woman tells Meenakshi in a mix of English and Tamil. The woman from neighbouring Trichy had accompanied her son who was to appear for the GRE exam in Coimbatore and had stopped for a cup of coffee when she spotted Meenakshi.
Meenakshi in turn tells her about her own daughter taking the GRE at the same centre a few years ago. The mothers exchange notes and take selfies.
"This trip has brought us so much love. We met so many people. It has made me confident -- and humbled me," says Meenakshi, who converted her passion for driving into an ambitious 72 day road journey through 24 countries and two continents in a Tata car.
In Kyrgyzstan, an Indian medical student was so excited seeing an Indian car on the road that he waved out frantically and followed them to the hotel.
"Can you imagine he just followed us because he saw two Indians in an Indian car! He treated us to dosas and took us to meet other Indian students, his international friends and faculty," she recalls.
Journeys break boundaries.
IMAGE: The longest drive through a country was 19 days in China. The best roads were in China, as was the highest amount they paid on tolls. Photograph: Kind courtesy Meenakshi Arvind
A seasoned road traveller -- in 2015 she had driven to Myanmar and before that in Europe, North America -- but this trip was something like never before.
She had posted her itinerary on social media in July 2016 and two other women joined in.
Mookambika Rathinam from Pollachi village near Coimbatore, on her first trip abroad (if you leave out neighbouring Nepal) and Priya Rajpal from Mumbai, who did a part of the journey.
"I felt people had an affinity towards India," says Mookambika, a software engineer who left the 9-5 routine to move to a life of farming and yoga.
"I always wear a bindi and people were calling us Seeta Geeta after the film. They are ga-ga about Raj Kapoor and Mithun Chakraborty in Uzbekistan. I used to put bindis on the women and they would be so happy," she remembers.
IMAGE: A child at his home in Uzbekistan. His mother brought camel milk in a bottle with two cups, but Meenakshi and Mookambika politely declined. It was such a lovely family, says Meenakshi. Photograph: Kind courtesy Meenakshi Arvind
Planned over seven months, the expedition needed 11 visas, road permits for every country, 15 sets of photocopies each and most importantly, a checklist of the different names by which diesel was known in various countries.
Sometimes it is just numbers or a letter A, in red or black.
The girls also carried oxygen tanks, medication, dehydrated food, dry fruits, peanut barfi, disposable t-shirts, car spares and jerry cans to carry fuel because some countries did not sell diesel.
"Uzbekistan can jail you for carrying paracetamol. Drugs common to us are banned for them, so we carried prescriptions. They actually count the strips you have," reveals Meenakshi.
There were also some rules that had to be followed -- in Russia you can be fined if your number plate is dirty.
In France if you are pulled over, you need a neon vest and a breath analyser with you in the car.
In Myanmar and China, the car had to be accompanied by a guide assigned by the government at all times.
IMAGE: A village in Myanmar. In Yangon, on hearing them speak Tamil, an Indian invited them home. Photograph: Kind courtesy Meenakshi Arvind
The itinerary was planned old style -- with Meenakshi bending over a world map spread out on a table -- using a pencil to draw the route. The ground rules were:
No driving after 6 pm.
Staying at safe hotels with a safe parking and wifi.
The drive was supported by the Rotary Club to promote literacy, Tata Motors and other sponsors. They also informed Indian embassies in various countries in advance.
The trip cost the three women Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 million) each and was led by Meenakshi. Rs 18 lakhs (Rs 1.8 million) was raised in sponsorship that was shared by them.
The journey started from Coimbatore in March last year through Kolkata, Siliguri, Manipur from where they exited India after the last car servicing -- into Myanmar-Thailand-Laos-China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-Russia-Belarus-Poland-the rest of Europe to the coast of France.
In Calais, the women drove onto a train meant only for cars, trucks, buses and camper vans. "It was cool. In front of us was a Tesla," says Meenakshi.
IMAGE: Meenakshi Arvind, centre, Mookambika Rathinam, right, and Priya Rajpal, left, on the completion of their journey at the Indian high commission in London. Photograph: Kind courtesy Mookambika Rathinam
At the end of the 33 minute journey across the English Channel, they were welcomed in England with champagne.
The expedition ended at the Indian high commission where the trio was welcomed by the high commissioner. The car was shipped to India after pictures were taken with Big Ben.
A few days later, they flew home.
The grand adventure was hardly a drive into the glorious 'ooh-aah' gush that travel routinely elicits.
In fact, it was on the verge of a collapse, no sooner had it begun.
The journey also exemplified how politics determine geography and the movement of people between borders and peoples.
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