Cash

Debate began decades back about direct transfer of money to the poor and continues. Mostly politicians who are creations of elections, oppose formal distribution of cash to the poor or direct transfer of cash via the state, while being in the government or outside. People can be imparted skills and given goods but the poor cannot be trusted with cash and its direct transfer?

While the companies who understand cash better are the ones who adopt the suggestion wholeheartedly. They offer cash back, directly in your account, if you buy with credit or debit cards or use online payment apps. So, if you have some purchasing power, you are part of the cash back scheme.  You can be an immediate beneficiary.

Elections are supposed to fall outside the realm of financial and monetary influences in order to secure that they are 'free'. People, representatives and intermediaries understand the relationship between elections and cash as immediate and direct. Though there is an official limit to the amount a candidate can spend, cash flows during elections. Notwithstanding the teams which supervise the elections and their newfound zeal for tracking cash and its distribution, cash is part of the trade and transactions that involves and revolves around vote.

Formal, informal and secret cash and its circulation and distribution and vote, state power and its seekers and contenders are related--directly.

Recently, people heard about a software that can track people in their home and elsewhere and collect information about them, without they knowing. It costs. Information available on internet suggests that for 10 targets, in 2016, for a month it was pegged at 650,000 dollars. Which is  Rs 460,28125 for a month at today's rate without factoring the rise in the price of the software over the years. 4 Crore 60 lakhs a month to track people who were virtually unknown and were not famous, rich or without criminal record. No accusation and allegation has been provided for those targeted by this software but 'black money' was not associated or found with them.

The above-mentioned spyware falling within the broad category of software might have been tailor- made for keeping track of terrorists or those who indulge in violent activities, but the people who have been identified as its targets turned out to be dalit activists, lawyers, journalists and academics in India! Once the spyware is lent and sold, how it is used is upon its hire's and buyers.

While cigarettes packs come with statutory warnings and pictorial representation of its effects, spyware goes scot-free. Medicine and food items list their ingredients as part of their availability in the market as goods, spyware, malware and what all 'wares' are outside the purview of these requirements? Is this an instance of the hidden and the open coming together, once again encapsulating the nature of evolving public authorities and increasingly important private corporations.

Has the attempt to give the impression that Pegasus is the only software(spyware) available and few contacted and informed about the breach exhausts the list of targeted and followed has been successful?

There is no price for security.

People reject electoral candidates and are especially harsh towards those they otherwise see as 'honest' and 'well-meaning' but without cash? Elections and success is conjoined and cash is its mid-wife?