IDPs and the buyers of birthrights.
The Companies.
AirTel - an example, mind you, just an example
For example,and I'm quoting my case. I became a customer of AirTel's services a few years back. At that time I was promised a certain number of services such as free local SMS, a specified amount for calls within TN and for within India and so on. About four months later, I found I was paying much more than what I was supposed to be doing. When asked Airtel's answer was a simple: The plan in which you joined had changed when you recharged.They had done this without any notification to customers.
There are other inciudents as well but let me now come to the latest. The SMS service within Chennai was free until a few weeks ago. But now they are charging Re.1 for the first SMS of the day and 0.50 paise for the rest. They however claim the charges are Re.1/ and 0.05 paise. Regardless of the amount involved, they again did not notify customers.
The tails who wag the dog
Any attempt to request explanations has to go through a call centre, then the PRO sections of the company. The PROs will not answer anybody but accredited members of the Press. And even then you have to send in a list of questions and variations from this list are not allowed.
And now the banks
Banks and insurance companies are obfuscating the NPA amounts in their balance sheet. An account holder, cannot work out the details, because it is a complicated issue - more on this if you are interested. Just one example. If a bank say XYZ has an account which has been classified as an NPA (where interest has not been paid for six months or two quarters - RBI rules) they can set aside a certain sum as "Provision against the NPA account, this mind for the FULL amount in that account. they dont have to pay taxes on that and the management has a fantastic fall back position. Even if the credit is repaid later, there are no clear answers as to what happens to this reserve fund.The case with Insurance companies is even more 'interesting' and detrimental to policy holders.
New habits ; not the ones the nuns wear
It is now the habit of all corporate companies, from the Tatas to the much smaller ones to answer only through their PROs. Independent questioning is fobbed off, in some cases bought off and generally we are led to believe only what the company tells us is the truth.
So who is accountable?
I wish to know, basically, to whom are these companies finally accountable. Shareholders are part of the company and im 99.9% f the cases go along with management because their interest is finally the interest/returns they receive.
Do not paying customers have the same, if not, more authority to question the company's (any firm whose products they have purchased) executives for their decisions.
Bankrupt in US, yet flush in India
How is that AIG/Citibank/General Motors bankrupt elsewhere, US, UK,& soon, allowed to go on advertising spree and where is that money coming from?and finally(f) Our banking structure was built on small savings, with rural and urban poor paying Rs 5/ 1nd s 10 and thus built up the vast resources that India had in the nineties.
The real problem: IDPs
Now in a country awash with black money, these very same people have sold their lands and birthrights pittances and are walking around hollow-eyed in alien-urban wastelands with absolutely no idea what they can or must do. these are the IDPs or Internally Displaced People. Yep there are so many we even have a term for them. Aint that wunnerfull.
