digindian

Physicist turned Astronomer turned Ecologist turned natural farmer.

[digindian @digindian]

@KremlinRussia_E @mfa_russia @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @rajnathsingh @AmitShah @narendramodi
India should be wary of being used a tool in NATO's plans directed at Russia. While India's defence production expands, covering newer products, there is a real danger that NATO countries/allies may use that in their proxy war against Russia. NATO functionaries have publicly acknowledged that Russia's production of key ammunition vastly surpasses that of the combined NATO block.

Given the increasing cost of production in NATO countries, constraints in skilled labor and raw materials, NATO will look for outside sources to stock up their armory. While this is good business for non-NATO countries' defense industries, it is not good for India to indirectly fuel the proxy war against Russia.

India has diplomatically avoided taking a pro-NATO stand in the Ukraine conflict despite being nudged by several in that block. It is common knowledge that some NATO countries have had nefarious designs against Russia even after the Soviet Union broke up. It is as if the cold war never ended for NATO - they just targeted Russia instead of the Soviet Union. The reasons are also common knowledge. Russia's vast natural resources, huge defense industrial base, access to key global waterways, potable fresh water, arable land including those in currently permafrost regions that will be become available with global warming, traditional society...

India and Russia should have an in-depth conversation about a partnership for millennia. Indian talent can utilize the opportunities for growth within Russia. Same with Indian industries with Russia's natural resources. Indian farmers - small ones with insufficient land, as well as the bigger ones who cultivate on scale - have practically unlimited opportunity to cultivate on Russian land, including the permafrost land that will be accessible in future due to global warming.

A natural partnership with Russia will bode well for India and Russia for centuries to come. Given India's millennia old multi-ethnic society based on core Indian philosophy, India's compatibility with Russian traditions is unmatched. Russia and India are two civilizations that have realized the truth of Unity in diversity and have deeply engrained humanistic traditions that sustain their societies.

[digindian @digindian]

@KremlinRussia_E @mfa_russia @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @AmitShah @narendramodi
Sad when people are given the promise of a civilian job and shifted to a military job in a foreign country.
Repeated events like this may create a negative impression about Russia among common Indians. Why ruin 80 years of goodwill among a Billion plus people over this ?

It is simple to have an automatic mechanism where ALL Indians going into conflict regions like Russia, be asked at the immigration counter at the time of departing India whether they are going for a military job. If they say no, then that can be communicated to MFA/MOD Russia so that departments downstream do not recruit that individual for a military role.

There is also the possibility that a local Indian agent may tricked have the Indian candidate into unknowingly signing up for a military job. To counter this, ALL outgoing Indians who are going for what they think is a civilian job, can be asked the contact details of the agents who have arranged for their job. Indian police can then contact those agents and confirm if the job is civilian or not. If non-civilian, then the Russian side can be informed about the candidate being misinformed about the job.
All this can be done within a day, thereby preventing any diversion of civilian job aspirants into military roles.
India must take strict measures against India based agents who trick locals into accepting military roles under false pretenses.
https://t.co/6Fy7nbYzO3

[digindian @digindian]

Perhaps @NPCI_BHIM should learn from @IRCTCofficial which has improved its website to a level better than private companies' websites.
If only best practices propagated across government departments...

[digindian @digindian]

@NPCI_BHIM @NPCI_NPCI @AshwiniVaishnaw @GoI_MeitY @AmitShah @narendramodi Feedback regarding BHIM app 4.0.17.1.
It is highly ANNOYING that the "action needed" section currently has an entry - "switch to biometric payments" that does not go away when one removes it. The options given are "remove" and "remind me later", but upon clicking remove, the entry does not go away.
It is as though this has been designed by a sadistic bureaucrat from the license raj of the congress era.
Any app should respect users choice about NOT wanting a certain feature, instead of trying to shove that feature to the face again and again. This will only increase the resolve of the user NOT TO adopt that feature.
What users would welcome is an additional option "do not show this again". It is standard practice in software.
If BHIM remains a minor player in UPI it has itself to blame. If it wants to be a major player then it has to learn to respect users and learn from real users, not just technocrats and bureaucrats.

[digindian @digindian]

I am sorry to say that despite reporting this problem with BHIM app in March, the problem still persists in the upgraded version of BHIM (4.0.29).
NPCI's response has been to ask me to send a timestamped photo of the problem and also a screen recording of the problem.
Both will require me to install specialized apps on my phone, because those features are not there in smartphones.
When a user reports a problem with the BHIM app that can be verified by ANY user, including those at NPCI/BHIM, why are we told to do things like the 1960s era government office ?
Why should the user jump hoops to show the evidence of the malfunction to NPCI, when the problem is there for all to see ?
If NPCI really wants to rectify this problem, it could have done so on its own by checking the behavior of BHIM app under the appropriate version Android OS.
If it does not want to, then that is its problem, not mine.

It is not rocket science to check the behavior of the app for various versions of Android and verify the occurrence of the issue that has been reported by the user.

Meanwhile I will keep using other UPI apps, till this annoying problem with BHIM is rectified.

Nobody should be surprised why BHIM app is at #6 in UPI transactions and will remain so or worse in future.

[digindian @digindian]

@BSWML_GBA @swaccha_bbmp @BNCCofficial @GBA_office Reporting no response to request placed on Dclutter app for collection of home appliance for disposal.
Collection was scheduled for last Sunday and status is showing as pending. Nobody has contacted till now.
What is the use of civic apps and numbers when nobody responds ? @CMofKarnataka

[digindian @digindian]

@republic @AshwiniVaishnaw @DrSJaishankar @AmitShah @narendramodi
It is hard to miss the increasing coverage of personal crimes (murders esp) on media. One argument is that it is effort to increase TRP. However, that does not explain the timing- for decades such stories used to be covered by yellow tabloids or "crime news" channels or series.

When they become mainstream, there is a real danger of them becoming a tool in the regime change playbook. Constantly covering crimes involving women or students will create a sense of insecurity among various segments that crime is increasing. Such simmering discontent will be channeled by CJP like entities at appropriate times - note that they have now focussed on schools and CEC.

A good way to counter this is through historical statistics of crimes in those categories (women, students, communal), in various states. Historical state by state comparison is very useful as it prevents statewise trends of small states from getting swamped by that from large states. Current and historical numbers of NDA, and non-NDA states is also useful.
Because this year is rain deficient in many parts of India, price rise, agricultural labor unemployment - are all fuel for regime change operators. Add to this, the whipped up sentiments from exam, unemployment, industrial labour disputes, crime issues...

[digindian @digindian]

@NPCI_NPCI @FinMinIndia @amitshah @narendramodi
Govt. can consider reducing the MDR to 0.1% which would psychologically acceptable to small traders - 1 in 1000 is ok, but 1 in 250 sounds like it eats into the margins of offline traders who are already under pressure from online retailers. Perhaps 0.4% with a ceiling of Rs 300 can be charged once the total annual volumes cross a high threshold (say 1 crore).

https://t.co/U420lroBYQ

[digindian @digindian]

@BJP4Karnataka @deepakmhaskey @AmitShah @narendramodi Where is the congress, cockroaches, satyagrahis,intellectuals, when the chairman of KPSC is involved in a exam scam along with multiple officials ?
Are they silent because it is a Congress govt ?

Meanwhile congress is busy parodying the PM and many media are busy spotlighting various crimes from all over the country.
It seems like Google News india is highlighting multiple crimes in its stories - stories that would normally be in some crime stories serial or tabloid. In a country of a billion+ people, one can always find a few heinous crimes every day. But that doesn't mean that media should be
running primetime stories on those crimes for days together.
@googlenews @GoogleIndia
It is ridiculous than atleast one story highlighted on Google news India's front page is some state lottery results. Really ? If a dozen plus stories from India have to be highlighted, then lottery result is one story ? This is not an isolated incident. It has been the pattern for years.
Google news India's algorithms are messed up and google staff haven't noticed or simply don't care.

https://t.co/BK0YFRVqOY

[digindian @digindian]

@isro @AmitShah @PMOIndia @narendramodi
Valid points raised about encroachment of InSpace into the functioning of ISRO.
https://t.co/Q6peu6D2Q0

[digindian @digindian]

@MoHUA_India @AmitShah @narendramodi India needs a mechanism to speed up existing infra projects. If there is some part of the project that can be speeded up N times just by adding more labour, then the govt. can invest that money and get the work done faster.
In return, the company that is doing the construction can give the govt. the money saved from finishing the project early. If 6 year project is completed in 4 years, then operational costs of 2 years is the savings and that can be transferred to the govt.
This will benefit the public which will face less daily hassles.
It will involve more labour, hence more employment.
It will also bring forward the timeline for future projects that get slowed down because of waiting for existing projects to complete.

https://t.co/X7JDvilTUN

[digindian @digindian]

@MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @AmitShah @narendramodi
So naive or after social media fame ?
Much trouble for outgoing Indian travelers and headache for the government can be avoided by pre-screening travelers to problematic places abroad, at immigration counters at Indian airports.

When specific local norms of specific countries are public knowledge, then it is logistically feasible to have pre-screening at immigration counters at Indian and avoid potential harm to travelers and avoid difficult situations for the Indian government/Indian missions abroad.

https://t.co/rBGpMwwK8q

[digindian @digindian]

@chandruorg Governance as an iterative, bi-directional process is the way to go. Would humbly recommend CEA @FinMinIndia @GoIStats to take inputs from @maahirpanchal We need all heads and hands to progress towards Viksit Bharat and beyond.

[digindian @digindian]

@karnatakakspcb @RLR_BTM @DrParameshwara @DKShivakumar @Amitshah @narendramodi
Welcome measure by govt. to make industries accountable for pollution.
Would like to report a worse problem that is affecting several Km around Solur, near Nelamangala.

The factory of Sunpure brand (MK Agrotech) near Solur releases bad smelling oil fumes that can be smelt even several km away. These fumes smelling of burnt oil and are not only bad smelling but also bad for health because they contain lipid peroxidation byproducts which are known to damage to blood vessels.
Depending on the weather conditions, the fumes are carried to several km in some direction or other. At some time of the night/early morning, the plumes are visible clearly and one can see misty plumes covering areas around the factory. People driving on the Blr-Hassan highway cannot miss smelling the fumes whenever the factory's chimneys are active.
There must surely be technologies that filter out oil fumes from chimneys. It is surprising that this level of pollution has escaped the notice of KSPCB for so long (years). Just because this is a rural area does not mean that farmers and ordinary people should be forced to ingest harmful chemicals in the air.

https://t.co/cj1pS98tgH

[digindian @digindian]

@SWRRLY @AshwiniVaishnaw @AmitShah @narendramodi
Another day of frantic Tatkal booking for a farmer friend who was arranging for a labourer to come from North-East. The new website is good, but Tatkal on North-East to Bengaluru region is still a game of chance.
Also noticed that there were Antyodaya trains from West Bengal to Chennai and Ernakulam, but no Antyodaya trains to Bengaluru. @VSOMANNA_BJP @CMofKarnataka
Please introduce Antyodaya express from North-East to Bengaluru. Ideally from New Tinsukia via West Bengal, Orissa, AP to Karnataka. The current NTSK-SMVB express comes via Perambur, which is more convenient for commuters to Chennai. Antyodaya train from North-East to Bengaluru not passing via Perambur would benefit more labourers who come to Karnataka. Currently, getting a reserved seat on the normal trains from North-East to Blr is next to impossible.
Agriculture in Karnataka will greatly benefit when there is fully unreserved train from North-East to Blr. Also will serve many commoners from these states who want to travel at short notice but cannot find tickets.

[digindian @digindian]

@AshwiniVaishnaw @SWRRLY @AmitShah @narendramodi Great initiative to bring accountability.
Would like to report that vendors in Bangalore-Mangalore, Bangalore-Karwar trains carry arbitrary private brands of drinking water - not Railneer. If the penalty is sufficiently high then it will be a strong deterrence.

https://t.co/CBLSpsj5R8

[digindian @digindian]

@atherenergy Good to know that there is another EV 2W maker that is, to paraphrase the line from "The Martian", "engineering the sh*t out of this".
Disappointing to see that the S model with the highest battery capacity 5 kW and range of 200 km is not available and is scheduled for Q3 2027.

Much before that, @UltravioletteEV Tesseract would be available, and it has WAY more battery capacity, so long distance users might prefer Tesseract rather than the Ather's 3.5 kW S model.

It also looks odd that S model with 3.5 kW battery has IDC range of 161 km, while the future model of 5 kW battery has range of 200 km. A 42 % increase in battery capacity gives only 24% increase in range. Something does not add up here. Perhaps media reports of 5 kW battery are wrong ? Even more odd is @OlaElectric newly announced (what a coincidence) S1Z model of 5.1 kW battery with 301 km priced at 99K. Whaaaat ! But then this is Ola that announced in Sept 2024 to increase the number of service centers to 1000, and 2 years later there are only 590. Even if you give away your scooter for free, I would rather pass.

[digindian @digindian]

@SWRRLY @AshwiniVaishnaw @AmitShah @narendramodi Great news for people travelling by train to Bangalore.
It would be great if SWRRLY rectifies a situation that is FORCING some commuters to pay extra when coming from coastal Karnataka to Bangalore region.
Panchaganga express 16595 going from Bangalore region to the coast, has a stop at Kunigal KIGL which is convenient for commuters coming from Nelamangala and Kunigal region.
However, on the return train 16596, the app and the website DO NOT SHOW a stop at KIGL even though the train actually stops there for a minute or so. Hence, commuters who want to get down at KIGL, have to unwillingly pay for journey to the next stop YPR, even though they are getting down at KIGL.
Getting down at YPR and travelling back to Nelamangala-Kunigal region takes hours, including waiting time before YPR.
So either commuters have to pay for YPR and get down at an earlier stop KIGL.
OR they pay for YPR, get down at YPR and spend hours reaching Nelamangala-Kunigal etc. plus additional travel time from KIGL to YPR, which includes train waiting before YPR.
Had pointed this out months ago, but there is no change in the booking app/website.
WHY doesn't railways allow people to book a ticket to KIGL when the train in fact stops there (FULLY, not just slowing down) ?
The authorities can pretend to be deaf on this, but that does stop the bitter feeling from spreading among commuters in the region who feel cheated due to this
clever-by-half trick by @SWRRLY
Perhaps commuters will have to book tickets to Channarayapatna, the stop before KIGL, and continue the journey by @KSRTC_Journeys bus, thereby saving several hours time in reaching Kunigal or Nelamangala.

https://t.co/rWFUZ0PqC7

[digindian @digindian]

@nsitharaman @AmitShah @narendramodi
I'm sure many more Indians would have noticed how PSU bank strikes' dates are set to align with nearby public holidays so as to get a string of holidays.

https://t.co/TeIoYkzqM5