Power has always been Bangalore’s bugbear (should I correct it to: Karnataka’s, India’s?). This winter, Bangaloreans were exposed to three-to-four hours of scheduled power cut, whereas previous winters saw almost none (unscheduled power cuts do not appear in the purview of this statement). When summer hit the streets a trifle ahead of schedule, common folk raised their eyes to Heaven and wondered, how many hours of black out do we have to face in the coming months? So it comes as a delightful surprise, though coated with disbelief, when the Hon’ble Chief Minister promises us 23 hours of – believe it or not – uninterrupted power!
Click here to read the TOI news.
Although Samuel Huttinton's theory of the Clash of Civilisations included all civilisations, his reasoning was straightforward mainly when he spoke about it in the historical context of Islam and Chrisitianity seeking to convert and believing that theirs was the only correct religion.
Huttington also foresaw a shift of power from the West to two 'challenger civilisations', Chinese and Islamic. At that time India's rapid economic growth and rise was not visible.
According to Chinese philospher Hu Shi, India has conquered and dominated China for 20 centuries. But now China is on course to becoming the greatest power on earth. India's rise makes it uncomfortable. There will, however, never be a clash of civilisation between them.
A Competiton of Civilisations, a tussle between ying and yang, is what is likely to ensue between these great nations which can co-exist in harmony.
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China and India: Competition of Civilisations
The wannabe super power is 'power-less' along more dimensions than one. Consider the following facts that have emerged from a recent study.
Power shortages cost India Rs 100,000 crores annually - enough to generate additional 25,000 MW, 20% of current generation. Indians spend Rs 30,000 crores to maintain and operate power back ups - equivalent of another 8,000 MW. Out of the installed capacity of 1,51,073 MW, only 96,000 MW is available for consumption, due to power theft and transmission losses.
Opportunity cost of shortage is Rs 2,89,000 crores, 6% of GDP. Enough to raise existing capacity by 50%. The only guys happy are power back up equipment manufacturers.
A telling picture of how myopic our babus and netas have been. Remember the time when one got a telephone after 10 years and had to book a Bajaj scooter?
