topics for discussion: Indian Education, Indian Higher Education, Public Private Partnership
We celebrated Republic Day with grandeur and ostentation on 26th Jan. 2014. We have exhibited some multi-color barrel-rocket-launchers as show pieces for our military prowess.
Ok, so far so good.
We shall see where we stand in the area of Higher Education:
You can see this advertisement released by Government of India in Deccan Chronicle dated 27.01.2014.
This ad. relates to foundation-stone-laying ceremony for the building of I.I.I.T., Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The stone-layer is Mr. Pallamraju, the Hon. Union Minister for Human Resource Development. You will see from the ad. that our Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and the Congress President Ms. Sonia Gandhi are looking down from the sky. On the left side of Mr. PallamrAju's photo is the photo of Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy, the CM. of Andhra Pradesh.
Here are four special guests of honor: The first gentleman is the Principal Secretary of Higher Education, New Delhi- Mr. Ashok Thakur.
You have one Inspire Group CMD Mr. Prakash Jain. Another Sarex Chemicals MD Mr. Ashok Shroff. You have a Chaitanya Educational Institutions Group MD Mr. K. Sasikaran Varma.
The ad. says that they are going to start 20 such I.I.I.T.s all over India. Outlay for EACH I.I.I.T. is Rs. 125 crore or Rs. 1.25 billion or approx. $200 million. 50% is being subscribed by the Govt. of India. 35% is subscribed to by the concerned State Govt. 15% is said to have been subscribed to by the PPP (Public Private Partnership Partners).
YBRAO A DONKEY'S COMMENTS
What a great sharing arrangement! 85% of the outlay is invested by the Government. Then, they hand over the succulent pudding to the PPP partners on a golden platter, for what? What do these four businessmen who have in aggregate subscribed less than 16% will do? Once given control, these people will not keep even this meagre amount in the Institution. They can indirectly draw the amounts back, by overinvoicing if they provide some goods and services to the Institute, leaving "nothing' as their stake.
What for is their partnership needed?
INEFFICIENCY OF PRIVATE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Indian Public Sector Banks have become sick owing to accumulated non-performing-assets NPAs on account of willful defaults by large businesses. Stock Exchanges have become gambling dens. Private Enterpreneurs cannot manage their own enterprises efficiently. How do the Governments expect them to run State Institutions?
Examples of Costs of advertising
One full page advertisement in Deccan Chronicle Daily measures 33 cm x 52 cm = 1716 sq cm. Deccan Chronicle charges Rs. 10,350 per sqcm for inside color page, covering all its editions. 1716 x 10350 yields Rs. 1,77,66,600. Assuming that some concessions are given for Government/regular bulk customers, we can discount it down to Rs. 1.5 crore or Rs. 15 million.
This full page ad. appeared in page 5 of Eenadu Telugu Daily on 27.01.2014. They charge Rs. 6,160 per sq.cm. for all the editions combined, as on 1.4.2013. Let us now calculate. 1716 x 6160 yields Rs. 1,05,70,560. Assuming that some concessions are given for Government/regular bulk customers, we can discount it down to Rs. 1 crore or Rs. 10 million.
I do not know in how many newspapers of India/Andhra Pradesh, the Indian HRD Ministry released its full page ads. I am unable to estimate its aggregate cost. (To continue)
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