TED Community » Gunjan

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Bringing down the cost of Green energy to a level equivalent to cost of conventional energy. Learning from others, Sharing knowledge & skills.

An idea worth spreading

Always use technology as an arm of +ve Social change. Be innovative, Stay green.

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Socio-economic policies, Demographic dividend, Geo-political features of India, Emerging economies of the world....

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: Efficiency (with Automation) vs Jobs, which takes priority?

  Jul 24 2012: I think efficiency, should be given priority. Though it seems automation destroy jobs, of thousands, but recent practical examples provides us the dramatically opposite results. For example after computerisation of banking industry, there has been a significant increase in both- no of employees and customers. Another eg is of driverless metro rails ( http://rapidmetrorail.com/welcome.html ) coming up worldwide, which increases ridership/passenger carrying capacity of the entire metro system.
  So automation is not a threat to employment, until thre is a scope of further expansion of economy/or the system which has been automated, but if there is no scope then it may possibly destroy jobs forever.

• A reply on Conversation: Efficiency (with Automation) vs Jobs, which takes priority?

  Jul 24 2012: Sir, 36.1% of population still depend on agriculture as their primary sourse of income. 12 times more than what you have stated in the conversation. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2048.html#xx
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: Will western societies change their living habits to better suit their future GDP?

  Jul 18 2012: Sir, you have aptly sensed the evil coming. I would like to put forward my thoughts on social grounds rather than on economic prospects. When economic growth in slowing down (-ve in some cases), massive debts are piling up accounting for more than 100% of GDP (Portugal, Spain etc), it is high time that this problem is debated.
  As you mentioned that European debts are being transfered to Asian markets, which are healthy enough to absorb them. but what if situation worsens in Asia. Transfering debts to Africa the only continent of hope for future expansion of Economy, will be the only solution left???
  So, the real challenge is to come out the economis model where growth or prosperity is measured by the level of consumption of goods and services. So it is ought that western societies must change their consumption levels, if not done then the World will surely be heading towards a war.

• A reply on Conversation: Is it really possible to eliminate poverty around the world? or is it just an utopia?

  Jul 14 2012: Sir, though I have no intentions to offend you, but I think you strongly belive in private capitalism, which in many cases doesn't think about the welfare of the society, which actualy should be top priority of any economic model.
  So, comming back to your tale, anyways why go to planet X, come back to earth, to my nation, where the richest 100 people earn the same what the bottom 25% or 0.28billion people earn. Indeed it was their hardwork, ideas, inovations which brought them to that position, but if they donate only 10% not half (not everyone can open up Gates foundation) of their wealth, it will have a significant impact on the lives of havenots.
  As we know that for any enterprise whether capatilist or not initial investments are necessary, thus havenots with same "culture, innovations, politics or whatever" can't translate their hardwork and ideas into an revenue generating entrepreneurial model due to lack of capital, thus dirtribution of resources and income comes into picture, so incentives are ought to pull people out of "barbarism and misery", whereby they can earn a decent income if not equal to that of richs.
  (typed in India)

• A comment on Conversation: Is donating to an educational childrens charity in a developed economy better then donating to help international childrens welfare charity?

  Jul 14 2012: Its fortunate that you are willing to donate, My suggestion would be that you should donate money to organisations working for the betterment of poor children in the developing world, because :
  1) For the same amount, more no of children can be supported.
  2) Its better to provide a starving child food then a well off child with education.
  3) Govt has got other areas of economy to look for, so education may not be priority in developing nation, while in most developed nations educations tops the priority list.

• A comment on Conversation: Fill in the Blank - What the World needs now is __________ ?

  Jul 13 2012: In one word 'GOOD Leadership'

• A reply on Conversation: Fill in the Blank - What the World needs now is __________ ?

  Jul 13 2012: I totaly agree with you, but I must add the fact that emerging corporations are one of the many causes, which are pulling people out of poverty throught developing nations of ASIA.

• A comment on Conversation: Is it really possible to eliminate poverty around the world? or is it just an utopia?

  Jul 13 2012: Let me start my conversation by providing latest IMF data on average income which stands at $10,727 per person per year i.e almost $40,000 for a family of four, with this income there shouldn't be any poor in the world. But the same IMF data mentions that 2.7 billion people (39% of world population) earn less than $2 a day, which translate into $2920 a year for a family of four.
  Thus we see that generating income is not a big deal, but its proper/equitable distribution is the need of this hour.
  Now, in Mexico's context, which is a developing nation and an emerging economy, a participant of globalisation, which is fast privatising its economy along with essential services like education, electricity distribution, health care etc, which will certainly increase efficiency, competition in the market, and also will bring up the revenues, but will increase the inequlity between the haves and havenots.
  So do vote, but choose wisely.

• A comment on Conversation: Working children: should we prohibit, permit or promote it.

  Jul 13 2012: I start my argument by emphasising that I am not counting adolescents of age group 14 to 18 as children.
  You see a child working for two reasons : a) Low family income, forces a child to earn money for self and family, often these children, as seen in my developing nations, are pushed into informal sectors of the economy, with no security of job (& sometimes life), they don't have any access to education, so their skills remain underdeveloped, thus in future as adults they may remain deprived of quality jobs.
  
  So coming back to your first point : They may of 'cos have better practical knowledge of society, than non working children of their age group. But since they lack education, so they lack skills, and lastly lack a bright future.
  
  Coming to second point of being a labor minister : I think this situation has got more to do with education ministry/department (i.e Human Resource Development ministry in our nation), because child works to increase family income, so if govt takes care of that child not just for education, but also by providing food and clothing, s/he need not go for work and can continue their education, get skills, thus in future they'll have a wider range of jobs.
• +3

  A comment on Conversation: "Housing For The Future"

  Jul 12 2012: Housing For The Future :
  Given that half of world's population lives in urban areas, and rest continues to migrate, so its ought that we need to relook at our urban planing, homes tops the list in that plannig. Most of the emmerging cities are in developing world specialy in Western India, Eastern China and South Thailand, which are very densly populated, so houses should be multi storied to avoid space crunch, natural illumination and solar heating should be given importance to save energy, all homes should be connected to a city based sewage which on later stages can generate bio gas and mannures.
  
  House in terms of life supporting system :
  Indded house is a life supporting system, but given the fact that famlies are splitting to form nuclear units, house has lost its social importance, and only remains system to sustain physical requirements of life - shelter.
  
  Ideal house in future :
  Compact, energy efficient, with rapid mass transit system/ public trasport in close proximity.
  (answered in India)