Interesting,Warm and Blessed Morning today at the Good Shepherd Church at Versova in Mumbai……
…….was invited by Captain Mascarenhas to address the Bombay Catholic Sabha on the Union Budget and Equities…..was to address them for 45 minutes to an hour followed by a Q & A Session….had prepared a special presentation……. landed up doing a two and a half hour session…..warm crowd…eager to know how to read the Budget…how will it actually impact the common man…..the problem of subsidies….one gentlemen demanded to know as to why should foodgrain subsidies be given when we have tonnes rotting in our warehouses and open grounds and we are even importing……. and the savvy among them wanted to know if there was any corelation between the Sensex Market Cap and the Total Market Cap !……many even shared some of their thoughts and experiences…many were concerned with the Wealth Tax stipulations in the new Direct taxes Code that will be implemented from April 1,2012….many wanted confirmation that Gold and Silver remain good Investments…and should one go for the ETF Option in them…….
…….showed them how the rising quantum of Corruption is playing havoc…corelated quantums with the challenges of Fiscal Defcits and Subsidies and the overhang of the Damocles Sword of rising Inflation,Interest rates and Oil Prices….
…covered in more detail Non Plan Expenditure….prominently Food,Fuel and Fertiliser subsidies…..Disinvestment…..FDI and FII Investments…..Fiscal Defict and how it is being Financed…..GDP and Inflation……GDP and Market Cap….GDP and Savings….GDP and Tax Revenues……GDP in absolute terms and in Sector wise Growth rates…. and some more
….played out the Sensex Story since inception building up a case for Investment in Equities….spoke about showing statistics ,the turbulent and challenging 2008 to 2010 period and how Equity Schemes of Mutual Funds have not been your friend…..allowing the FIIs to dominate….in fact the dependence on their flows to determine Liquidity,Sentiment,Momentum and Market Valuation !
…..explained the difficulty of implementing effectively and honestly the new basis of distribution of subsidy directly in cash to those Below the Poverty Line…how will you identify those BPL ?….most do not have Bank Accounts….the Unique Identification Authority of India,under ex Infosys cofounder Nandan Nilekani, has started issuing UIDs…these carry five parameters that include biometrics..eye scan and fingerprints…but not Income Levels….UIDAI has now been asked to assist in creating a BPL Card too
……the PM boasts that the Congress was voted to power in 2009 despite the controversial ‘Cash for Votes’ Drama in the 14th Lok Sabha in July 2008 for the Indo US Nuclear Treaty….showed them the Constitution of the current Lok Sabha with the UPA majority…..if there were mid term polls the Congress will find it extremely challenging to retain power….and this is why precisely the Opposition parties,especially BJP are exerting huge pressure every single day on the UPA government……all of India now knows how many Zeroes are there in Rs 10000 crores and Rs 100000 crs !…thanks to the likes of ex Telecom Minister,DMK’s A Raja and their lot !
….Told them that when considering Investments in any asset class,to simply follow the new Traffic Police banners put out all over Mumbai….‘Safety is as simple as ABC….Always Be Careful’…..However at the same time to broaden their outlook so that ‘Wealth of Mind and Wealth on Money move in tandem’…most have this mindset => they react only when they have to start paying more for the same thing or when they find their neighbourhood getting more dusty and dirty,polluted and populated…need to reach out for beyond this to capture Opportunities and truly live the growing India story
An interesting morning indeed….interacting with the Members of the Catholic Sabha…both genders….enriched my insights too….and the warmth of being genuinely blessed by them at the end of my session was quite the icing on the cake !…..and that they gave me a confident Thumbs Up when I humbly requested them to look upon me as a ‘Good Shepherd’ who had come to guide the flock on the Union Budget and Investments…the address began a little past 11 am and that they stayed back till 2 pm and not just for courtesy added to the warmth !
….am glad I accepted their Invitation
Amen !