Keala Policy Formation, Suggestions

Policy Formation: Suggestions

Highlights

• More ways to increase nontaxable income
• Effective preparedness for AI disruption
• Measures and interventions to increase dignity
• Focus on circular economy
• Review of unhealthy transfers, pet projects
• Surface Transport vs Underground transport
• Industrialization of the farm sector
• Housing Patterns
• Drainage Systems and Groundwater columns
• Adaptations for changing realities, preventions
• Motivations and Visions, Objectives

More ways to increase nontaxable income

• Based on the market share threshold or profit threshold, mandate state equities and board participation in private entities.
• This is in addition to existing taxation. Some sort of implicit profit-tapping
• The existing tax dues may be converted into such holdings, so that future taxes may be focused
• State may deploy professional investment vehicles that can invest and get returns from domestic and international share markets. Some sort of portfolio management to target short-term and long-term gains
• Issue of debt bonds that can be used as assurance notes for helping MSMEs. The idea is to not only give government support and guarantees, bit also to tap profit shares.
• Examples:
• The US government is directly and indirectly involved in most of the oil companies in the Middle East
• Most of the Chinese firms have legal liability to have government stakes

Effective preparedness for AI disruption

• As Rahul Gandhi said, AI is a sophisticated work reduction tool – either it increases efficiency, eliminates some amount of manual work or restructures the way work is done – that can lead to direct or indirect job reduction
• The side-effect jobs, generated by AI, like ML training jobs, monitoring and overseeing jobs may be reviewed for their longevity, as the maturity of AI systems may reduce the need for them
• Already we have contract job patterns. Many of the permanent jobs are also provisioned for terminations on short notice. 
• Deployment of AI ML may the further dilute job security
• Youngsters may be adaptable, but people reaching middle age may feel difficulty in running after trends as they will be engaged in family building
• We need a wider and more accessible basic social security net to protect the people who are struggling/left out of the race

Measures and interventions to increase dignity

• Planned displacements may be used as an effective tool for reducing social tensions and may help to build a heterogeneous environment, with proper studies
• Most of the time the cast/religion/language discriminations are relative to the place or region. Logically rehabilitating the people at the receiving end to other places where their dignity can be upheld will be beneficial to making them more productive

Focus on circular economy

• Plans to deploy effective re-use and ensure consistency and predictability of re-cycles
• The mercury hazard of dumping CFL lamps after use is known. A similar hazard is applicable to LED lamps as they contain lead. It is difficult to recycle CFL and LED. But it is relatively easy to recycle filament lamps. So, from a recycling perspective, filament lamps may be reviewed, though power consumption is greater.
• The sanitary pads may have to undergo strict re-cycling patterns as they are dumped or burned (individually or collectively). Manufacturers should be enabled to collect them back.

Review of unhealthy transfers, pet projects

• Transfers are seen as a one-stop solution to resist corruption. The unavailability of resources may be driving transfers; current patterns need to be reviewed
• Transfers prevent people from staying in a place for long, and hence prevents them from building alternative income/local interventions on spare time
• Transfers affects kids, as they grow without close friends. This is a blow on top of isolated micro-family based social reluctance.
• There is a tendency to accommodate cadre/pets via short lived projects that are throw away after few years. This not only reduce the reliability but also create rooms for corruption

Surface Transport vs Underground transport

• Many developed countries have long underground rail networks and road networks. These may reduce environmental impact, as natural landscapes water flows and water bodies are not impacted
• We can even think about underground water transport so that goods movement can be achieved seamlessly

Industrialization of the farm sector

• Land may be mobilized under government bodies and may be leased, as Dr. Ambedkar suggested. The need for land reforms like mechanisms to liberate people and to make them available for service/work, seems to be over. Now, we need a push for organized and collective activities

Housing Patterns

• It needs to be evaluated whether housing colonies/apartments/flats are environment-friendly, relative to independent house
• Advantages of collective residential patterns like flats/apartments
• The amount of land converted to buildings may be reduced
• More environment-friendly and stable places may be selected
• Waste management and other common needs may be collectively addressed
• Advantages of individual residential patterns – houses/villas/bungalows
• Domestic agriculture needs may be addressed
• Privacy and traditional concepts may be observed 

Drainage Systems and Groundwater columns

• Most of the time, centralized drainage systems take water away from the place of use. Mostly, it may end up in rivers or sea. This may not help in building groundwater levels. 
• We need policies to monitor structures on land (buildings, tile, sheds, etc.) that prevent natural water exposure, during rains. Effective rainwater harvesting may be promoted to increase groundwater level
• Healthy groundwater levels are essential for bio-diversity. The impact of reducing groundwater level on the nature of the soil, as well as heat heat-containing ability of land, may be studied to form policies.

Adaptations for changing realities, preventions

• Not all changes are preventable. Local actions or actions within our boundaries may not be enough to prevent them
• Examples
• The European Union has enforced Type C chargers for all electronic devices so that specific charger needs may be reduced. This eventually helps in electronic waste reduction
• The Netherlands started seaweed plantations for 1-2 kilometres supported by artificially raised roads on sea shores to reduce the impact of the sea level rise. They also ensure that the seaweed is properly productized and the market is generated for it to ensure consistency of the initiative

Motivations and Visions, Objectives

• For every developing nation, well-penetrated national goals and vision and the ability of common people to align and involved are important
• We need to generate thought leaders like Rahulji (easy example). They generate optimism and hope. It also generates value for being part of the nation.
• The migrations of younger ones as well as the increase in crime rates indicate that we are failing to present hope and objectives, as a society. Social welfare schemes, self-reliability as well as self-respect should be inherent and evident throughout initiatives
• The short-lived initiatives, a pet project that changes with governments, etc. give a feeling of inconsistency and increase mistrust in ourselves. Need to be sensitive to this during policy formation

NB: My two cents based on brainstorming done as part of the General Consultation by KPCC Public Policy Research Wing on Aug 24, 2024