Cathode Ray tube and Copper tube

I rolled on the floor and laughed at the news item released on Times of India an hour ago (reproduced below).... Blame it on Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad! Indians are known the world over for lateral thinking, and what better standing example ( no pun intended, seriously!) can be shown, than this masterpiece from the minister!!! India desperately needs electrification - for lighting rural homes and for pumping water. Farmers want to pump water, and the minister says not to, and that too in such a novel fashion!!! Now I know the secret of Karunanidhi giving away free television sets to all and sundry... he is a genius ... he quietly collaborated with Ghulam Nabi Azad and wanted to replace copper tube (Copper-T) with Cathode ray tube ... and how stupid we all were, thinking rather naively that he was giving TV sets to garner votes... let us leave the politicians do their job ( I mean, of population control!). P.S: Heard in the grapevine ... the Union Law minister is about to propose to enact a new law, which mandates that every adult shall either stay awake and watch TV all night, or at least leave the TV on from dusk to dawn, so that there shall be light. Penalty for non-compliance - watch Doordharshan continuously for 72 hours!!! Read on !!!!!!!!!!! Cheers..... Dilip ======================================================================= Village electrification can curb population growth: Azad IANS 11 July 2009, 07:26pm IST Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: | NEW DELHI: Health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday became a votary of rapid electrification of villages in India but for a different reason - to curb population growth by ensuring access to television. "Electricity in our villages can help control population growth. Electricity will lead to television in houses, which will lead to population control. When there is no light, people get engaged in the process of population growth," he said while addressing a function on World Population Day. "Don't think that I am saying this in a lighter vein. I am serious. TV will have a great impact. It's a great medium to tackle the problem," he added. "When light will reach (villages), 80 percent of population growth can be reduced through TV," he said, adding that the current United Progressive Alliance (UPA) central government is working to ensure greater rural electrification. He also exhorted media and TV channels to provide quality materials and highlight positive news. The minister said that population growth needs to be controlled as it will have positive impact on "all Indians". "It is the duty of all MPs, ministries and of all individuals to help in curbing the population growth," he said adding that India contributes to 17 percent of the global population but the land area of our country is just 2.5 percent of the total land available in the world. "We need to think that more children means more problems," Azad said. India with over a billion people is second only to China in terms of sheer number of people and experts believe if the current trend of growth continues, then the country may surpass China by 2030.