Applying for Minor's Passport - It was so easy

I applied for my son's passport online. Got an appointment on 14th August and the passport was delivered on 17th August.
It sounds so simple, unbelievable but its true. I walked in the office on 14th August and was out of the office within 30 minutes. No queue for Senior Citizen and Minors. The Ahmedabad Passport Sewa Kendra must be appreciated for its courteous staff , cleanliness, prompt service and for making people feel special and welcome at their passport office.
You just have to visit 3 counters with original and photocopy of all the required documents and you are out of the office in no time.
This experience was never imagined considering the horror which I underwent at the Delhi passport office about 8 years ago.
Now the process is online, information given is precise and to the point. Easy to understand. SO we went there with our electricity bills, Saumitra Birth Certificate and our original passport . That's it !
No need for any agent , just follow instructions and your job is done.. no bribes ! Of course police verification was not there since passport was for minor, but I am sure in Gujarat that too should not be a problem.

Corruption shown the door - Karnataka State Assembly elections

BJP was decimated in a brutal manner by the people of Karnataka. One very obvious conclusion which is drawn by people is Corruption is no longer tolerated by the common man. This is a very obvious conclusion given the fate of BJP whose top political brass was hit with scam after scam under their Chief Minister Yeddyurappa. It was under immense pressure that BJP had to replace him. There is a very strong caste based division of the electorate in Karnataka and it wasn't easy for BJP to remove Yedu. But it proved to be a measure too little and too late. BJP lost an oppurtunity to showcase that they are different and do not tolerate corruption. Instead BJP chose to shield Yedu to the extent possible and finally agreed to remove him when things were going beyond control. Congress was the only other alternative which was available and they got the mandate with a clear majority. This gives Congress an opportunity after close to 14 years to rule the state with majority and implement reforms which were put in back burner. People have shown that fractured mandates are no longer a reality. Thankfully with this clear majority there is no scope for horse trading and regional parties and independents will have no role to play in decision making process.
A welcome change indeed. Let us hope that when elections at Centre take place, the existing government would be ruled out with same vengeance. Scams after scams have been rocking the UPA but there is no way that the opposition can dislodge them from power ...because they do not have the numbers.
We all hope that the Karnataka formula would replicate in the coming elections at Centre.

Budget 2013 - Game of subsidies

I wish my post is read by the experts and possibly implemented at least partially by our very dear Finance Minister. Abolish subsidies is the best thing which we could do at this point of time. The subsidies are misued to the maximum by the unworthy. SO better we abolish them altogether. The better part is people pay for what they use. The Govt can use this money to build better infrastructure , provide good quality roads, public transport, 24 X 7 electricity and much more. Today we are surely paying indirectly for these subsidies, then it is always better we do not indirectly but directly pay for what we are using.
The Govt can ensure that everybody is given work, so people below poverty line are also given some work and compensated in terms of monetary benefits or even better they are given food grains which are otherwise left rotting in the godowns or feasted by rodents.
This sounds very simple, but our coalition politics and the dance of democracy would surely not allow such things to be implemented.