Poll Monitoring System (PMS)
First of all “Happy Holi” to all my friends.
Today as I sit on my chair in my office, on a holiday, its a different feeling altogether. This office had lost the touch of weekly one day off. As some might be resting (much needed), some playing with colors, some still conducting elections(in their dreams 😉 ) I take this time to thank all the people I came across during this wonderful journey.
To say that PMS was a SUCCESS and end it there would be really an understatement. Having seen the efforts put in by each and every employee, the staff on duty from officials to drivers and peons, the most important SECTOR OFFICERS, contributing directly/indirectly to this project has made it a success.
The Development Team: Every single person involved in writing even a single line of code / helping the developers / offering alternatives deserves a pat on their back. Guys, you rocked! The software went through many revisions through the course of the last 3 months and the development team responded with timely solutions. Special Mention: Sangeeta Shirodkar, Mayur Pednekar, Amey Bandodkar.
Training Team: The herculean effort that has gone in training the officials, selecting the best possible, training the average performers and motivating the entire group as a whole was never going to be easy. Especially when you train 2500+ officials. Goa Electronics Ltd along with PMS Master Trainers took up the responsibility of this task and results are for everyone to see. Special Mention: Jyoti Navelkar, Azharuddin Khan.
Logistics Team: Maintenance of 1800 laptops along with Fingerprint devices, Mouse, Web Cameras, Extension Cords, USB Dongles was tough. Lessons were learnt from experience gained during trial run and implemented for elections. Special Mention: Hari Naik, Pravin Halankar, Prachi Naik, Priya, Manoo Gharse.
Running through the Implementation of PMS on 2nd and 3rd March 2012. I can say each and every AC Head, Taluka Head and the Hardware Engineer had to literally sweat it out to ensure smooth functioning of Poll Monitoring System. These 2 days and 2 days prior no one cared about their breakfast, lunch and dinner. One could sense the real team effort. Goal was One. Taluka level as a team to achieve success.
Goa Electronics Ltd along with PMS Sector Officers rocked the Goa State Assembly Elections!! Great Work people and Best of Luck for future!
I wish to mention each and everyone separately.. But the list is just too big. Though I will mention a few.
Assembly Constituency Heads.
Pernem – Dominick Da Costa
Mandrem – Hari Naik
Bicholim – Gayatri Tirodkar
Maem – Ujwala Kalekar
Sanquelim – Shruti Kamat
Tivim – Chetan Hoble
Mapusa – Andrea Nunes
Siolim – Suvidha Kandolkar
Saligao – Sneha Kalangutkar
Calangute – Varina De Sa
Porvorim – Prachi Naik
Aldona – Rashmi Gondlekar
Panaji – Shama Shirgaonkar
Taleigao – Almira Cabral
St. Cruz – Dipti Parekh
St. Andre – Candida Alphonso
Cumbharjua – Sharon Pais
Priol – Apurva Sardesai
Ponda – Sanim Shaikh
Shiroda – Pritesh Chari
Marcaim – Jensi Nadar
Mormugao – Ravish Tople
Dabolim – Rinki Parab
Vasco Da Gama – Sumedh Surlekar
Cortalim – Roma Sansgiri
Nuvem – Mosam Vaideikar
Curtorim – Amey Bandodkar
Fatorda – Sruti Chopdekar
Margao – Neha Kudchadkar
Benaulim – Dilesh Khandeparkar
Navelim – Joycee Gomes
Cuncolim – Akshaya Chari
Velim – Ashton Fernandes
Quepem – Sajid Pathan
Curchorem – Gurvinder Singh Bariana
Sanvordem – Girish Sawant
Sanguem – Sandesh Malik
Canacona – Rohan Nirlikar
In addition to these, I thank all the Hardware Engineers of Goa Electronics Limited and THE VERY IMPORTANT PMS SECTOR OFFICERS.
Guys, words fall short to express the selfless hard work you all put in that contributed to the success of this project.
A very very special thanks to our Sr. Software Developer Mr. Anant Yende, Managing Director Shri. B. S. Borkar, The Asst. Returning Officers & Returning Officers of the respective areas, The Sector Magistrates, The Land Survey Department, National Informatics Centre (NIC) and last but not the least The Nodal Officer for PMS Shri. R. Mihir Vardhan for their overall guidance and support!
Social Network privacy?
If you think calling anyone an a**hole and publicizing it over your social networking accounts was cool, well then think again. Swearing on individuals on your twitter, orkut, facebook or any other social net sites is not safe or rather not permitted.
Under the Information Technology Act 2000, your status can be used as electronic document evidence against you. Not many people are aware about it, but yeah! Such type of a law does exist.
All this time I thought social nets were The Internet’s Vodka and Rum. It would help you get out all the rage by being an anonymous body. It would also help individuals who fumble on face to face verbal attacks. It would let you voice out your opinion while not caring what the rest of the world says about it. But with this law coming out of dormancy I see some of the so called “net-speakers” voices being crushed.
Is it fare? Do we have to think twice before keying in a sentence? I feel it is a 50-50 case. One needs to have a good taste for words by keeping out the foul ones. But then sometimes the situation does demand some tough words. Well, this is not in regards to swearing upon your friends for fun but otherwise, like blogging for instance.
All those people who are a part of communities, pages, groups like I HATE Mr.XYZ or Mr. ABC s**ks beware! Also to all those who might have been tweeting around about their worst adversities at work or triggering off any anti-social campaigns!
Keep your accounts clean and enjoy networking! 🙂
Government’ed – I
Ever visited a government office to enquire about some of your pending files? If not that have you ever been thee to ask about the status of your residence certificate?
Mind you, the residence certificates do not take more than two days to process. But the babu in charge will explain the entire procedure of residence certificate processing in such a complicated manner, that you might be sympathetic to them and feel that the process is no easier than fetching a precious coral from an ocean bed.
Have you ever been deceived by an auto-rickshaw driver and taken around for a ride? Well, the experience in a government office is no different. Their guidance is no better than your gut feeling.
The only thing the government offices are firm on are their timings. Or let me rephrase, their closure timings. No one will work after the scheduled 5.30pm. In fact the preparation for this starts an hour prior.
Many certificates have typing errors on them and one wonders how on earth can one give a typo on a certificate when they take their own time to process the same. And it doesnt end there. You are blamed for the typo and the told that the re-corrected certificate will take another week’s time to process. BY this time you are absolutely livid, while the babu tries to lull you down( doesnt matter to him actually) as he sips through his evening tea. 50 ml tea that takes an estimated 30 mins to seep through his esophagus.
So, the next time you visit a government office be sure that you carry a pack of ice to cool your self. 😉
Dreams on fire..
“Every child is born special, everyone has a dream.” But where do these dreams disappear? Where do all the thoughts of becoming pilots, scientists, artists, interior designers, teachers etc. vanish? I am pretty sure most of the people who are into the above mentioned professions are in it more due to fate and less by choice. So, where is it that we go wrong?
The answer lies in the society, upbringing and the educational system. You get them right and you are into the profession you always wanted. The society plays a big part in dribbling our thoughts and ambitions. The curriculum we follow drains out the creative nutrients from our life. It puts out the spark of originality that one possesses. The blunt focus is on getting more and more “Doctors and Engineers” whose quality worsens day by day but the quantity is still going high! Is it because there is a demand for these professions? Be critical in your thinking and you will have the answer. The reason is plain and simple: “It’s the best way to make money and settle in life”.
Gone are the days of believing in life after death! Get back to reality! We live our life just once. And all you want to do in this only life is to work for someone else for a wage? And that too knowing the fact that you won’t be carrying the money with you once you are dead!! Worth it?
Yes, the immediate question that would pop-up in the minds is what should we do for a living? Money is a factor, I agree, but not the only! Life isn’t just material wealth. I am not against working for a company but one should not let off his/her dream in doing so. Keep your dream alive with your professional life. Learn and balance both! Following your dream will give you a sense of satisfaction like no other thing in this world!
Doesn’t matter whether you are a success or a failure at accomplishing your dream but at least you tried. Not many people do that. Know for a fact that everyone dreams. The difference was that the next morning you woke up; you made an attempt to convert it into reality while the others followed their usual routine and suppressed their heart’s call. And the more efforts you make, the closer you get until one day you realize you are finally there.
MDLR – Fiasco
Little did Rajveer know that MDLR had only 4 operational flights all over India out of which only 3 are functional.
The clock ticked 2pm on 26.09.09 when Rajveer received a text message on his cell phone informing that his Goa – Delhi 8pm flight had been re-scheduled to 9.30pm. The former day, the flight had been cancelled at 8pm itself so the outcome of the text message was positive and raised some hopes rather than dejection.
Rajveer was getting married the next day in Delhi and just could not afford a flight cancellation. Even a mere thought of it was atrocious. It took exactly 3 more hours for MDLR to get Rajveer into that state. Yes, they finally cancelled the flight at 5pm! Rajveer was now living his worst nightmare. He was shell-shocked. He being able to attend his own marriage was now a question mark. He called up the airport office of MDLR incase they could accommodate him in some other airlines. They declined to do that. Rajveer had to travel all the way to the airport to book a subsequent flight to Delhi through another airline. Eventually, he reached for his wedding!
MDLR – Murli Dhar Lakh Ram Group, has now ventured into the hotel industry with an aspiration to have their own chain of MDLR hotels. Rajveer did not find it surprising that they provide passengers with complementary food during the journey, just a promotional event for the hotels he thought.
There must be a lot of people travelling for business meetings. What about them? What about the people who take MDLR as a connecting flight to go abroad? Who takes their responsibility? Refunding the amount is not the only worry of the passengers.
This is a serious case and the Ministry of Civil Aviation should look into the matter. Masses travel by flight mostly in emergencies and last minute cancellations can lead to grave personal or business losses. The fact that MDLR had cancelled their flights to Delhi on 3 consecutive days speaks volumes about their tardiness. And one cannot argue with the airport officials for the cancellations. The higher authority needs to be cautioned. If they are not interested in the airline business then MDLR should shut it off.
CHARGED… Are We?
Almost all small household electronic appliances and devices are powered by batteries. Although many devices come supplied with rechargeable batteries, even rechargeable batteries eventually wear out and require replacement. Proper disposal of all batteries is particularly important to avoid contamination of landfill.
Materials such as used batteries are even picked by these rag-pickers from the garbage wastes and are worked up in these scrap yards. Batteries are made from a number of different materials. These materials include acid, lead, nickel, lithium, cadmium, alkaline, mercury and nickel metal hydride. When batteries are not properly disposed of the casing can disintegrate and the toxic chemicals within can leach into the surrounding environment. The leaking material can contaminate the soil and water and some of the elements can accumulate in wildlife and humans.
The batteries are small in size and may not seem harmful. And the standards have been improved over the years. But when we look at the scene through a global perspective, we realize that billions of tones of batteries are discarded every year.
In some countries abroad the local authorities have joined hands with the manufacturers to develop recycling schemes for the batteries. These schemes are used either to recycle the batteries or to dispose them off safely. Disposing of the batteries can be done by embedding them into concrete in a way that they do not enter the environmental scene again. When purchasing and while using batteries consider the environment. Let us reduce the use of non-recyclable batteries and use the recyclable ones instead.
There is a big rise in the number of scrap yard dealers in our state. When asked to curb these activities, the municipal council says there is no legislative law to prevent the boom of scrap yards in the state. If at all a law has to be passed, it would require the approval of the assembly, then a special committee of the Governor, then the Governor himself and then it would be passed to the Central Government. The whole procedure would take many years, all thanks to the laid back attitude we bear! But the question is “Do we have that much time?”
Food Crisis
I happened to browse through the September edition of “Down to Earth” and read an excerpt from Tristram Stuart’s “Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal.” 
The situation of food wastage is not that serious in India as compared to the European and North America countries. These countries waste fresh produce for preposterous reasons. The carrots if they are not straight are discarded; if the apples are not of the right color then they are thrown away as waste. This is the manner in which one-third of the fresh produce is wasted. The wastage in the Indian subcontinent is due to different reasons. We in India lack proper transportation facilities to reach out to the market as well as cold storage’s for fresh produce and food crates.
How does this affect us globally? Well, think of it. Every year forests are cleared up for agricultural land so that the country can feed its hungry population. So, one of the cause for our reckless cutting of trees and clearing up of forests is our food crisis. And I need not throw light on the drastic effects of De-forestation.
And as for some statistical data goes, 30% of Industrial effluents in Europe and North America are from agriculture related industries like packaging, fertilizer manufacture. And this only implies that 10% of industrial effluents are given out on waste food! This 10% can make a lot of difference to the environment.
Coming back to the local scene, as to what we as individuals can do to improve the situation. Food that we BUY, EAT and WASTE is directly related to the Global crisis we are facing. It might be know to you all that rarely we eat everything that we buy. So let’s make it a point to BUY WHAT WE NEED and EAT WHAT WE BUY. Let’s contribute in whichever small way possible to avert the food crisis in our state and country.
Let’s make earth a better place to live in for the future generations to come. We have been presented with an opportunity to preserve the greenery and mankind on this planet. Let us not disappoint God who has faith in us that we can make a change.
There is a quote by Vincent Van Gogh that goes “Great things are done by putting small things together!” Every individual can make a difference.
Regards and Love
Saneet!
My Life, as I live it. 