DK Kapila The Oracle

  Thoughts – Employment Punjab. I am just recollecting instances from twenty years ago. As a District Dev Mgr I would travel across the districts of Ropar, Nawanshahr and SAS Nagar. We had financed a large number of projects across multiple sectors. Drinking water supply projects for villages would have contractor from Punjab certainly, but the digging of trenches would be by labour from Kashmir, the Overhead tanks were constructed by labour from UP Gorakhpur generally, masons from UP and Bihar, laying of pipelines by skilled workers from Bengal and Bihar. I found at a few places drilling of tube wells in hard rock by labour from MP but the machinery was owned very much by businessmen from Punjab. Regarding roads again the contractors and owners of machinery were from Punjab but the skilled labour and labour and overseers for bridges, culverts, roads etc were all from other states, including Jharkhand and Odisha. A similar scenario was there in Irrigation projects including lining...

  Quality of our Teachers Just got this feedback from Private School heads operating on the borders of cities. Solid infrastructure, well kept playgrounds and logistical support. But on the borders and also some kilometres away from recognised urban areas the socio economic profile changes. But first the teachers, BA BEd and BScBEd teachers are available literally on tap. But without a holistic grounding and view and a lack of awareness and exposure. Teachers need to have this quality too. So some of these schools have hired Engineers, IT Professionals and the like. Or BA with diplomas even Food Processing but well grounded and aware. They are able to reach better and to impart knowledge inputs better. This does imply BEd colleges should wake up and rearrange their inputs. As regards students, the cultural profile is a lack of reading in their families, this impacts their ability to learn and understand. But as far as the parents are concerned, when advised to themselves read and b...

  Rural Banking and Development and a Uniquely Different Honour !  . Dinesh Kumar Kapila Rural Banking has its own charm and nuances and the cultural context changes from State to State.  Way back, I think around 2005 or so,  I was the DDM (District Development Manager) for Rupnagar,  Nawanshahr and Mohali districts.  Those days we had a Farmers Club Programme, in association with Banks. The amount we disbursed as grant was maybe average to satisfactory for some States but certainly not Punjab, my home state. But the large hearted farmers and at times Banks would combine and make it a success, specially the inauguration ceremony, with pomp and show. But this got certainly more stretched at some point or the other, but one inauguration I still remember was eye-popping in the surprise element and in its uniqueness. The inauguration was scheduled exactly midway through the week, something I generally avoided. But the Club was affiliated with the Lead Ban...

  Demand and Chinese Goods I was talking to an owner of a crockery shop today. He said the tremendous competition in the market and the demand of customers to see each product physically and that also a range of products under each category were imposing huge costs on them in terms of logistics and warehousing. This was an added burden as the range of products was simply increasing at a fast pace and it was difficult to cope up. Secondly, Chinese products were still coming but now through Thailand. It only meant a slight increase in costs for the retailers and customers. Place a bulk order today along with some wholesaler’s and the container would be shipped and delivered at times within fifteen to twenty days. Manufacturing in India simply could not match the costing cum quality of China. Customers for example during the festive season would ask for good quality but say at a price point of Rs 500/-. The Chinese would provide five varying products at that range and the quality was ...

    Microfinance and technological innovations in Agri startups. Dinesh K Kapila (Largely what was part of the address at MANAGE – 09/09/2023)   Our object in the construction of the State is the greatest happiness of the whole, and not that of any one class. So said Plato centuries ago. And hence, the philosophical underpinnings of developmental initiatives including microfinance. And hence, the thought of reaching... Out to all segments of society for hassle free credit. This is a bit of a complex issue as there is so much happening in this sector already.   We have to calibrate our thoughts to study the opportunities or areas which can be tapped for a closer association or the mode to do so.   While in service, I would often say, or maybe feel, that while we review a large amount of data at the various fora as regards lending by banks, cooperatives,       commercial, RRBs, small finance banks - but there is a gap. The data of MFIs or NBFCs...

  Let the youngsters be Love or whatever it is. Dinesh K Kapila   Well, the thought springs  from a message. A person I know messaged in a matter of fact manner thar many a times young college girls and boys seem to be sitting in the parks in our city (we have plenty in our city) and wanted that it should be curbed. Then someone else once messaged on these lines and that if I could join a campaign. Then as we discussed the point got stretched to our culture when I could only say, remember your youth, we too were young once, let it be. Then later in life we were young at heart too, maybe many of us still are, acknowledge it, else we would have led rather dry lives.   Talking of love, or maybe just companionship cum friendship, it knows no barriers of time, age, space or community. Specifically, as regards love, I am not talking of blind love here but love per se. A fifty year old man went to the head of a religious order, he said I have never been married, ...

N ow this is from the day before yesterday. just sitting and chatting. I mentioned that the Kaju Barfi (the sweet made out of cashew nut) was so tasty and it just had to be two pieces at a time. A Doctor spoke up, just give up all sugars, completely. be it jaggery or gud or sugar. Watch the difference it makes to your life. And health. Don't ever eat Kaju katli / barfi, its too sweet. Just then a cup of coffee, flavourful and aromatic came over for the Doctor, just the way she wanted it. And right there she proceeded to open the sachet of sugar and pour the complete contents of the fine sugar into the cup of coffee. At my quizzical cum amused glance, she says, I am a doctor, I am younger, I can handle it ! I just had to reach home and help myself to two pieces of the kaju barfi ! After all I know I can handle it ! All reactions: 10 Chander Mohan Dhiman, Partho Saha and 8 others