A Plethora of Ideas about the Future of Work in India

Hello folks,

Today's blog is a Fictional Satire set in the Indian context of the Future of Work, especially to answer the currently hypothetical but futuristically real question :

"What will happen to jobs after near or total Automation?"

I present to you solutions by different political and entrepreneur groups:

1. Congress: Let us all Spin the Charkha! Bapuji told us long time ago, he was a true visionary who saw this day was coming a century ago! Mahatma Gandhi ki Jai! Also, in the background we will play Gandhiji's favourite bhajan while we spin the charkha and do a kadi ninda of all the technologists who made us see this day! On second thoughts, lets not "play" the bhajan, let us sing and clap our hands, that way we will not have to use any of this Evil Technology.

All our past leaders have always opposed technology for this very reason! We strongly condemn this wave of automation technology in particular and technology in general which has cost us our jobs and unemployment is now at 100%. This country is now doomed under the present leadership of XYZ. Down with XYZ and Long Live Our Dynasty, oops we meant Party!

2. BJP (Tech Entrepreneurs): What If we put a generator on each and every charkha and feed the electricity back to the grid? We would solve the employment problem and the electricity generation problem in one stroke! We'll pay 1 Rupee per hour of work on the charkha, hard work will be rewarded and harder work will be rewarded harder!

Also, since this will become commoditized service and there will be growing demand for such charkhas by unemployed folks the supply of workers will keep rising and as the demand of electricity will remain constant rates are projected to eventually fall to 10 paise/hour. Cheap and clean power to the people!

3. Software Services Moguls: Let's put out an advertisement for 300,000 jobs tomorrow! Lets Buy land in Hinjewadi, set up a Charkha Centre with 300,000 charkhas! We will pocket the 1 Rupee/Hour given by the electricity company and payout 35 paise/Hour rate per employee for their highly valued and passionately provided services! And rates are projected to fall eventually, so let us have a clearly defined Exit Policy as well (Oops! For non performers we meant) Let us also start an industry body called CHARKHACOM to lobby (bully) the government agencies to agree to our demands. After all we are generating much needed employment for the youth of this country and we deserve our share of the pie (pound of flesh). Let us also start an open to all forum where some of our senior leaders mentor youth on Entrepreneurship and Leadership in Technology(????)!

"Technology" is the solution to our problems and India will become the next Technology Superpower within exactly 25 years! ~Official Release by CHARKHACOM!

Now for the list of demands:

1. We will need a fully automated train from Hinjewadi to the city.
2. Tax sops!
3. Padma Bhushan Awards for Our beloved Industry Pioneers!
4. etc. (we'll make this up as we go along)

4. Rashtrawadi:
Did someone just say LAND? Saathiyon Rath Nikalo, Hinjewadi me nayi___________ aayi hai!!!

5. Left Front:
Bhookh Hartal! (Actually, at this point they steal a line from a BJP PM) "Na hum khud khayenge na hum kisi ko khaane denge!"

Hamari mange puri karo, warna kursi khali karo! Down with Automation! Down with Technology! (Sound of charkhas crashing and burning in the background and a sight of hands waving red flags....manually)

Jo humse takrayega, woh mitti me mil jayega (veiled warning to dissenting non-union employees and contractors who report to work)

6. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
( In a squeaky voice) Sab mile hue hai jee! Mere paas sab saboot hai! Bijli ka bill maine hi kam karwaya hai! Muze vote de do mai ek ek ko theek karke rakh doonga!

7. Parents of (now unemployed) Youth:
We told you to choose Medicine instead of Engineering, but you did not heed our advice!

Thanks for laughing readers! As for for those who cried after reading this sordid view of the future in this country, my vote goes to you!

~Milind K. Thombre
(An Idle Man In a Workers Paradise)

Victims of Democracy

Democracy 

Democracy is the most proven and accepted method of government, yet is it the absolute best? I beg to differ. For "Democracy is the Government of the majority, for the majority and by the majority". For more on how our affirmative action programme works (or doesnt for some of us) visit my post

http://thombrem.blogspot.in/2013/10/tyranny-of-majority.html

Land

Any form of modern development requires the use of land. Be it construction of Dams, Roads,Nuclear or other power stations Educational Institutes etc. This is the major stumbling block in any large infrastructure project and is often the cause of large delays and litigation.

Why should it be so? The land is acquired by the Government at a pittance of its real value from farmers or land owners. This is a rule the lawmakers have created in order to be the mediators in land transactions and benefit without being the real owners. (touts) Foreign investment is welcomed in India but foreign companies have no clue how to go about land acquisition, in come the local law makers who play touts in the transaction often pocketing large sums of money from the buyers and passing on a meagre amount to the original inhabitants. India passed a historic "Whoever tills the land owns the land" law after independence. This law itself caused many large farmers to lose many million acres of land to their landless labourers not a long time ago. This largesse was at great cost to the original owners and a big benefit to the labourers who were (registered voters) in large numbers. Again the clever lawmakers transferred assets from A to B pocketing votes in the process for a long time to come.

Reform 

Reform is a must to these archaic land laws! For example:

1. Land must be transferred from farmer directly to the project executioner/Foreign firm without Government being a mediator. The farmer may request Govt mediation if he/she so desires or feels pressured. There must be a reserve price either ways.

2. Land use must be audited. Typically factories and industries acquire much more land than they ever require. Partly because land acquisition is a pain and is best done once and for all.

3. The victims of development(farmers) must be made partners in the project and recieve preference shares in the project undertaken, not "Watchmen" jobs

4. In case the height of Dams is to be raised (this immerses thousands of acres of land in the backwater) the families who are displaced must be given benefits received by Nomadic Tribes, in addition to the compensation they recieve as shareholders in the project. Also, the height must be raised in phases each subsequent phase must proceed if and only if the families displaced by the earlier operation are satisfactorily compensated.

Fair play

Unless we learn to play fair and not become successful at the cost of other people's misfortune, development will cease to be a good word in this (or any)country. And The Jungle Rule of Law(makers) will continue forever. For now we may turn our backs and say "This does not affect me". But ignore this now and sooner or later the government will be at your door asking for the keys.

Thanks for reading!

Milind Thombre