Politicians & Conflict of Interest

The Sports Bill was put in front of the Indian cabinet to discuss.  No one had any doubt that it was not going to go down well with most ministers.  Read the news article here http://bit.ly/qkMqHo

The Sports Bill was going to be a game changer.  It was going to bring the all powerful BCCI under the RTI net and was also going to bring in lot of measures that seemed like common sense decisions.  However most of the sports authorities are run by ministers who are part of the cabinet.  And the bill was going to cut their wings or reduce their monopoly on the sports bodies.  Now how are they going to allow that.

When a bill or legislation is being discussed and drafted shouldn't the ministers and people whom it impacts to be kept away from it.  Here there is a serious conflict of interest.  Even though it is the cabinet ministers, if the law being discussed impacts them, they should be able to put forth their opinion but they should not have any say on passing the bill.

It should happen for other legislation as well.  The ministers keep raising their salary and benefits on a regular basis.  And at times many times over the current amounts.  Should they be allowed to determine what the benefits they should receive?

Indian Software Professional Dilema

Indian IT & ITES industry has grown over the years and now constitute a sizeable portion of the country's GDP.  This has changed the employement landscape in the country.  I wonder how many people currently working in this industry grew up wanting to be an IT professional.  Many would have had different dreams, doctor may be or engineer or military or even an artist.  However the lure of the lifestyle that this new profession provides and the ease of entry has made many leave their childhood career dreams and embrace this new today.

In my memory the first kind of jobs that came were Medical Transcription.  Call centres came second and then IT system support and the rest.  So what started this?  I guess for medical transcription it was the kind of work.  May the work was not very appealing to the folks abroad.  However if it had to be done, paying the people in the western world hourly rates would probably have made the entire exercise not very economically viable.  And this is where the English speaking and understanding Indians made their entry.

Over the years the kind of work has changed.  Indian IT companies have grown to become multi-national companies spread across the globe and even hiring local workers in the countries they are now based.  This has changed the IT market with increased competition.  However the people working in this industry are going through a lot of different emotions and thoughts.  Some are struggling to find their identity.  Some have left the search and have decided to go with the flow and see where the industry takes them.

The Indian IT professionals don't get paid the same as their western counterpart for the same work done.  The reason why the cost is low is the starting reason why the job has been given to Indian IT folks.  If the cost were the same then the job may not be outsourced and these Indian IT folks may not have a job at all.  However there are Indian IT folks who are better - more productive & efficient - than their western counterparts.  So shouldn't they get paid favorably?  This thin minority gets lost amongst the majority.  So what does this minority have to look forward to?  Shouldn't the IT industry players recognise this and set in motion practises to change this?  Wouldn't that break some of the people who are going with the flow to take notice make them change?  Wouldn't a more thinking & innovative Indian IT professionals be more productive for the country as a whole?