Ram Setu back on the map

The Ram Setu project seems set to come off the back burner as a reward to the DMK for doing the right thing and standing by the Congress during the no confidence motion. It is a huge step in the right direction; people are dealing in the welfare of the country rather than cold cash.

Plus the Ram Setu area can be turned into a religious attraction that can be travelled to by open sea.

This is something that needs to be done to convert Tamil Nadu into a coastal business area similar to Mumbai. The people in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu stand to benefit the most from this.

Manmohan Singh, prime minister

There is a high probability that the current government will lose it's vote of confidence. And they would probably not mind it either as it would prove that they care for India more than any of the other parties. This also raises questions about states that are dominated by regional political groups; they do not have an interest in national level activities or are totally out of focus with the real India.

Hopefully some of the former opposition parties will join the coalition in sufficient numbers. India does not need an election and does not need a Prime Minister other than Dr. Manmohan Singh right now. And yes, the nuclear agreement has to be signed in the interests of stability in the region.

Corrupt sons of soil all over the Indian soil!

In a very convoluted way, Raj Thackeray is asking son of the soils not to be corrupt. By requesting them to not issue fake certificates in Maharashta. Domicile and ration card authorities earn millions of rupees during the medical and engineering admission process in India. People are ready to pay tens of thousands to avoid lakhs of capitation rupees in many cases.

But the paradox is that sons of the soil fight over these low paying jobs just for the corruption money. A municipal school teacher teaching English is there to take her daily rest and relaxation. Asking them to shape up is not going to cut it. If you want honest officials, you have to open these jobs to a merit based admission process and provide good salaries. And stop stuffing these posts with sons and daughters of the soil that happen to know some politically connected person.

The one good(?) thing about these corrupt officials is that they do not care as to who is on the other side of the table; Maharashtrian or outsider. If you do not have the proper documentation to get the certificates, you have to pay up even if your last name happens to be Mumbaikar, Nagarkar, Tendulkar, Agarkar or Wadkar. Paisa nikal, phir baat kar! Soil does not matter to these officials, only cold cash does. That is where the sons of soils all over the country get their percentage. And this is how the leaders of political parties get their riches too. Corruption begins at the top and percolates to the bottom.