Facts : these do not sound as facts - but they are.

At the end of 2023, The New York Times published a listing of 72 of their favorite facts. Here's a pick from them of my 12 favorite facts from the list:

1.  The world produces about 400 million metric tons of plastic waste each year, according to a United Nations report. About half is tossed out after a single use.

2. Research suggests noise from shipping, oil exploration and other underwater human activities may make it harder for dolphins to communicate and work together.

3. Wedding rings stem back to the ancient Egyptians, who believed that there was a vena amoris, Latin for “vein of love,” in the left hand’s fourth finger with a direct route to the heart.

4. According to a study by the sustainability consultancy Edge Impact in 2020, the average American wedding emits 57,152 kilograms of CO2. You would need to plant 2,722 trees to offset that. (Wondering what it is for a simple-not-so-fat wedding in India!)

5. Dashboard touch screens are now integral to most modern cars, which run up to 14 times more code than a Boeing 787.

6. The Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, between North and South Korea is strewn with two million land mines.

7. In the United States, there are as many as six parking spaces for every car.

8. The human body is continually renewing itself. Billions of cells are replaced every day; by some accounts, after 100 days, enough cells will have turned over to generate an entirely new person.

9. Wikipedia has versions in 334 languages and a total of more than 61 million articles. It consistently ranks among the world’s 10 most-visited websites. Its contributors, who make about 345 edits per minute on the site, are not paid.

10. There are more than 20,000 species of wild bees in the world. They don’t produce honey, but they are indispensable pollinators of plants, flowers and crops.

11. The United States has the largest population of incarcerated people in the world.

12. On a clear day, three of the world’s 10 tallest mountains are visible from Pokhara, Nepal’s second-biggest city.

Source: NYTimes

There are no facts in India. Simply because data is not collated. It is a fact - ask the current government of India on facts on anything except propaganda items.

24 Predictions for 2024

It is that time of the year when we make, read, tear up, criticize, analyze, and more of the predictions made for the upcoming year by renowned leaders from across a spectrum of Industry. Let's look at the 24 for 2024 from the Economic Times of India. 

But, let's first start with 24 Predictions for 2024 given by one person Chetan Bhagat in the Times of India of today 01 Jan'2024. Chetan got the biggest platform one can ask for to put forward a viewpoint and direction - and guess what he does of the opportunity? A waste. He mixes his personal bias and preferences to use the TOI platform to the fullest to sway mindsets. A great job at it though, of course. A slew of catchphrases, keywords, and hype statements form the predictions. A generative AI tool can give a better prediction based on facts and trends.

And, this is what I did. Taking the help of AI tools, come up with 24 areas in which India will have a significant impact:

Here is an analysis of India's economic data across key parameters over 2020-2022 based on RBI, Government of India, and IMF reports, along with 24 inferred points on areas of future growth and progress:

Economic Data Review 2020-2022:

1. GDP Growth Rate: Contracted by 7.3% in 2020 due to pandemic impact. Rebounded in 2021 at 8.7% growth. Projected at 9% for 2022 by the IMF. 

2. Exports: Declined by 7.27% in 2020. In 2021 surpassed pre-pandemic levels at $422 billion. Grew by 43% through Nov 2022 compared to the same period in 2021.

3. Domestic Consumption: Private consumption declined due to lockdowns impacting discretionary spending in 2020. In 2021, returned to 2019 levels by year-end. Projected to remain robust in 2022.  

4. Investments: GFCF declined in 2020 but is expected to revive to the pre-pandemic level of about 29% of GDP by the end of 2022.

5. Capital Investments: FDI inflows hit all-time highs in 2021 at nearly $85 billion and continue to rise in 2022. 

24 Areas of Future Progress and Growth for India in 2024:

1. Consumption spending will drive growth supported by rising incomes and a large middle class.

2. Infrastructure investments in roads, ports, and 5G rollout will aid growth.

3. A thriving startup ecosystem can fuel an innovation economy. 

4. Manufacturing competitiveness schemes to boost export growth.

5. Unleashing the financial sector’s potential can support investment-driven growth due to the strong capital position of banks.

6. Tax incentives for manufacturing solar energy equipment to support renewable expansion.

7. Policy support for EV manufacturing to reduce imports.

8. Thrust on Public Capex spending to spur investment multiplier effects on jobs and income.

9. Creating agriculture infrastructure from farm to fork to reduce wastage. 

10. Labour reforms and skill upgrades to improve employability and incomes.

11. Leverage demographic dividend by providing employment and education opportunities for India's large young population.

12. Promoting digital economy and India stack tools to expand fintech, cashless transactions, etc.

13. Privatization schemes to reduce the debt burdens of state-owned firms.  

14. Global supply chain expansion and export promotion policies. 

15. Unleashing tourism sector potential with higher foreign tourist arrivals.

16. Higher healthcare spending to improve health and productivity outcomes.

17. Financial inclusion measures to channel household savings towards growth-driving investments.

18. A strong external position with high forex reserves provides a buffer against external shocks.

19. Proactive banking sector reforms to improve credit flow and stability.

20. Growth in services sector exports leveraging India's cost competitiveness.  

21. Higher disinvestment and asset monetization targets to fund infrastructure growth.

22. Incentives for R&D and innovation spending to promote a knowledge economy.  

23. Progressive tax regime to boost compliance and promote equity and transparency.

24. Significant urbanization opportunities from rapid growth in tier-2 and tier-3 cities over the long term.

These 24 areas also give an overview of where the government of India should focus, the industry should incorporate into their business plans, and the common person's demand from the authorities.

Image of the day - real but by a generative AI tool incorporating the 5 basic elements of life on Earth and the quest for us to become sustainable to save our Planet.

As we stand at the dawn of a bright new year, may we summon the courage to shoot for the moon. Let us blaze new trails guided by curiosity, daring imagination, and facts. May we take one giant leap together towards peace and global goodwill. Here's to continuing humanity's giant strides!

Leisha & Pears

Leisha is a my daughter and Pears is premium brand of soap from the Unilever company. So what is the relationship between the two?
Leisha made her debut as a model in the tvc commerical and print advertisement of Pears soap ! Here is the link to the advt : http://www.tinyurl.com/leishadogra
She makes me proud !

Whose company is it anyways?

Over the last year or so we have just been hearing about the excesses that have been committed by the companies around the world. Check – the management of the companies. Check 2 – the top management ‘Board’ of the companies. Decisions for growth, profitability, self remuneration et al. And, the resultant collapse of the mighty empires whose so called rock solid foundations have proven to be hollow. The leadership which was dynamic and class dithered to dust.

And, today morning here back in India, which has had its share of worldwide flu – comes a pleasant, confident and overpowering look at what good companies are made of. “The fundamentals of Corporate Governance” by Sudhakar Ram, CMD of Mastek Ltd a pioneering IT solutions company from India takes an objective look at the role of leadership. Sudhakar has interpreted the ideology behind the governance of an organization with that of a model which is proven, trustworthy and evolved from the concept of a true organization – governance of the organization for the organization by the organization from within its hierarchy based on value, principles and processes.A refreshing thought and viewpoint away from the mundane – do and don’ts being propagated by one and sundry. Have worked on imbibing this philosophy in my wake of life. It works.

My experiments with twitter.com

I know about things when I read them, see them or am told about it. But how can I make my own understanding absolute about them and find out the truth behind them – the only way I know of (all my education taught me this) is to test it out for self. Experiment it. Use it, live it, be part of, adopt it, propagate it …
For the past month or so I have been experimenting with twitter.com. I had read about, seen it, been a dormant player on it for a while. So I decided to move to fast track. Learnt more about, more than anything else observed what the “conversation” is that is happening. My observations led me to categorize (Top 5 & others) the conversations as (oh let remind – twitter prompts: “what are you doing?”)
1. Posting items that is believed to be of interest to others based on self interest 35%
2. Posting response (my understand that the post is only to be “active”) 25%
3. Propagating self – blog, service etc 15%
4. Actually conversing (Question & response) 8%
5. Really what the person is doing 7 %
6. Others 10%
The obvious questions then is what category do I belong too? I belong to the categories 1, 4 & 5 – not in that particular order. The experiment is still on as my conversations are becoming more aligned to the real purpose of twitter. Long live twitter.