Globalization

Meaning:
By the term globalisation we mean opening up of the economy for world market by attaining

international competitiveness. Thus the globalisation of the economy simply indicates

interaction of the country relating to production, trading and financial transactions with the
developed industrialized countries of the world.

Accordingly, the term globalisation has four parameters:

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(a) Permitting free flow of goods by removing or reducing trade barriers between the
countries,

(b) Creating environment for flow of capital between the countries,

(c) Allowing free flow in technology transfer and

(d) Creating environment for free movement of labour between the countries of the world.

Thus taking the entire world as global village, all the four components are equally important
for attaining a smooth path for globalisation.

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The concept of Globalisation by integrating nation states within the frame work of World

Trade Organisation (WTO) is an alternative version of the Theory of Comparative Cost

Advantage propagated by the classical economists for assuming unrestricted flow of goods

between the countries for mutual benefit, especially from Great Britain to other less
developed countries or to their colonies.

In this way, the imperialist nations gained much at the cost of the colonial countries who had

to suffer from the scar of stagnation and poverty. But the advocates of the policy of

globalisation argue that globalisation would help the underdeveloped and developing
countries to improve their competitive strength and attain higher growth rates. Now it is to be

seen how far the developing countries would gain by adopting the path of globalisation in
future.

In the meantime, various countries of the world have adopted the policy of globalisation.

Following the same path India had also adopted the same policy since 1991 and started the

process of dismantling trade barriers along with abolishing quantitative restrictions (QRs)
phase-wise.

Accordingly, the Government of India has been reducing the peak rate of customs duty in its

subsequent budgets and removed QRs on the remaining 715 items in the EXIM Policy 2001-

2002. All these have resulted open access to new markets and new technology for the
country.

Advantages of Globalisation:

The following are some of the important advantages of globalisation for a developing

country like India:

(i) Globalisation helps to boost the long run average growth rate of the economy of the
country through:

(a) Improvement in the allocative efficiency of resources;

(b) Increase in labour productivity; and

(c) Reduction in capital-output ratio.

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(ii) Globalisation paves the way for removing inefficiency in production system. Prolonged

protective scenario in the absence of globalisation makes the production system careless

about cost effectiveness which can be attained by following the policy of globalisation.
(iii) Globalisation attracts entry of foreign capital along with foreign updated technology

which improves the quality of production.

(iv) Globalisation usually restructure production and trade pattern favouringlabour-intensive

goods and labour-intensive techniques as well as expansion of trade in services.

(v) In a globalized scenario, domestic industries of developing country become conscious

about price reduction and quality improvement to their products so as to face foreign

competition.

(vi) Globalisation discourages uneconomic import substitution and favour cheaper imports of

capital goods which reduces capital-output ratio in manufacturing industries. Cost

effectiveness and price reduction of manufactured commodities will improve the terms of

trade in favour of agriculture.

(vii) Globalisation facilitates consumer goods industries to expand faster to meet growing

demand for these consumer goods which would result faster expansion of employment

opportunities over a period of time. This would result trickle down effect to reduce the

proportion of population living below the poverty line

(viii) Globalisation enhances the efficiency of the banking insurance and financial sectors
with the opening up to those areas to foreign capital, foreign banks and insurance companies.

Disadvantages of Globalisation:
(i) Globalisation paves the way for redistribution of economic power at the world level

leading to domination by economically powerful nations over the poor nations.

(ii) Globalisation usually results greater increase in imports than increase in exports leading

to growing trade deficit and balance of payments problem.

(iii) Although globalisation promote the idea that technological change and increase in

productivity would lead to more jobs and higher wages but during the last few years, such

technological changes occurring in some developing countries have resulted more loss of jobs
than they have created leading to fall in employment growth rates.
(iv) Globalisation has alerted the village and small scale industries and sounded death-knell
to it as they cannot withstand the competition arising from well organized MNCs.

(v) Globalisation has been showing down the process to poverty reduction in some

developing and underdeveloped countries of the world and thereby enhances the problem of
inequality.

(vi) Globalisation is also posing as a threat to agriculture in developing and underdeveloped

countries of the world. As with the WTO trading provisions, agricultural commodities market

of poor and developing countries will be flooded farm goods from countries at a rate much
lower than that indigenous farm products leading to a death-blow to many farmers.

(vii) Implementation of globalisation principle becoming harder in many industrially

developed democratic countries to ask its people to bear the pains and uncertainties of
structural adjustment with the hope of getting benefits in future.

Science is boon or bane

We are in the age of science and technology. Man cannot live without the aid of science.
Science has so much engulfed our lives that nothing can take place in our day to day work
without the help of science. Our food, transport, learning, administration, recreation and
social life are all linked with science in various ways.

To answer the question whether science has come to mankind as a boon or as a use for ruin
(bane), one should know what science exactly means. Science is said to be a systematic
classification of experiences. We, men wonder at the various things and events happening
around us. We get doubts; what are they? These questions are the basic seeds for science.
Then starts the thinking, reasoning, analysis, synthesis, comparison and contrast and finally
the truth emerges.

Scientists say there is a scientific method for everything and there are inevitable steps to be
followed: (1) Observation (2) Hypothesis (3) Experiment (4) Theory and (5) Proof. All
scientists have, in a way, followed these steps.

The aim of science is search for truth, and to know things, hitherto unknown. A scientist does
not accept ideas, simply because, they were accepted by others earlier. Great discoveries are a
result of reasoning. A lot of patience and observation are required. Civilization, as it is today,
is the result of a number of discoveries made in the field of science. The invention of them
simple wheel has resulted in our modern industrialization.
Electricity, as a source of energy, has revolutionized the world. Medical science is so much
advanced that the average life of an Indian has risen to 62 years from 35 years. Science has
contributed to the success of our green revolution and now we have enough food for all. We
have enough clothing and better shelter too. All this is possible, because of science. Radios,
T.C s and cinemas which entertain us are the products of science. So a common man has to
conclude that science is a boon to mankind.

There is the other side of the coin also. T.L. Peacock says; I almost think that it is the
ultimate destiny of science to exterminate the human race. That is the other point of view. It
is science, which gave birth to destructive weapons like dynamite, guns, rifles, rockets, atom
bombs, hydrogen bombs etc. it is science that gave electrical power and nuclear power. If
nuclear power is used for peaceful purposes, there is no need for fear. But after all it is human
to err. Can anyone say that there is no chance of the destruction of a Hiroshima or a Nagasaki
being repeated? If that happens, will not science be a bane of humanity?

Leaving that apart, another creation of science is pollution of the environment.

Industrialization with the aid of science has polluted air, water, food and the atmosphere. The
ozone layer is giving threatening signals. So here is a case for man to consider science as a
cause of ruin.

Man is a rational being. He can safeguard himself against all odds. That is how he was able to
conquer and control all other creatures in the world. So let us believe that his wisdom will
prevail and he would reason out for the well-being of his kind on this planet.

When the universe reveals more secrets to man by means of science, there is hope that the
present man will become a superman and eventually science would be only a boon and not a
bane of his life. Science without conscience is death of the soul.

Reservations in jobs/Education
Reservation in our country is introduced earlier to uplift the social and economic status
backward classes but now the Scenario is changed these backward classes now living a
respectful and prosperous life. People of general castes sometimes faced problems in exam so
they opposed this whole system of Reservation.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Reservation

Recently, RSS chief publicity leader Manmohan Vaidya has said that the caste-based
reservation should end. Speaking at Jaipur Literature Festival, the leader said that instead of
continuing with reservations infinitely, attempts should be made to make available to people
equal opportunities for education and other things.

Bad impacts of banishment of caste-based reservation

Slow development of the country

In India, communities who are economically, socially and mentally backward, find it very
tough to compete in open competition. That is the reason reservation was introduced in the
system. Reservation helps backward communities to get included in education and in
government jobs which eventually helps our county to develop faster. The end of caste-based
reservation will result in the slow growth of the country.
 Upliftment of dalits will become impossible
The caste-based reservation was introduced in our system for the upliftment of backward
classes in the society. These classes have always been exploited by the upper classes of the
society and reservation helps them in getting their rights and an equal place in the society. If
caste-based reservation ends, the upliftment of backward classes will become impossible and
they will exploitation will increase.

Good impacts of banishment of caste-based reservation

Standards of higher education will improve

Many students of general caste lose their seat in higher education due to the caste-based
reservation. Every candidate will get the equal opportunities to grab a seat and no deserving
candidate will left out of the opportunities which many times happens.

Government jobs will become approachable for everyone

The caste-based reservation system gives great opportunities to backward classes in
government sector but it leave people of general caste with very little opportunities. If
reservation system ends, government jobs will become approachable for each class of the
society.

Are social network sites harming the society?

Social networking is a relatively new advancement in technology. They are different platforms or websites
that people can create personal profiles, share pictures, videos, and text updates to their friends, family, and
people from all over the world. News, trends, videos, pictures, and just about anything else can go viral
in a matter of hours, which makes you wonder, what is all of the craze about? It is very easy to get carried
away with the attention and interactions you can have twenty four hours a day on websites like Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram, but what are the pros and cons that these social networking sites are having on our
society?

The Pros of Social Networking

1. Staying Connected
The main purpose of social media is to be able to stay connected to friends and families in todays fast
paced and ever changing worlds. You are able to rekindle old friendships, share family photos, and special
events in your life with just about everyone you know, at the same time.
2. Finding People With Common Interests
Social networking is also a great way to meet entirely new people. You can seek out groups that are
focused towards your special interests and hobbies and connect with local people that share the same
interests. Online and social media dating is almost more common than traditional dating is in todays
world.
3. Invaluable Promotional Tool
Companies, artists, and musicians can reach an impossibly large and diverse amount of people using social
media sites. This allows them to promote and market themselves and their products in a way that has never
been seen before.
4. Information Spreads Incredibly Fast
Breaking news and other important information can spread like wildfire on social media sites. Important
things like recalls, storm information, or missing children are all communicated and taken seriously very
quickly.
5. Helps To Catch And Convict Criminals
People often do not think of the consequences of what they post of these social sites. Pictures of
themselves doing illegal things, or even bragging posts about crimes they have committed are all things
that law enforcement use to persecute these criminals. They also use these sites to identify and solve
existing cases.
The Cons of Social Networking
1. Perpetuates False And Unreliable Information
Just like stated above, anything can spread to millions of people within hours or days on social media. This
also, unfortunately, includes things that are false or made up. This information can cause panic and severe
misinformation in society.
2. Causing Major Relationship Problems
Online social interactions with social networking have not only been starting new relationships, but ending
many others. It is very simple to communicate and share pictures or plans with a person on social media
and keep it completely under wraps. This new temptation has been driving wedges into peoples real life,
offline relationships, often time ending them for good. Social networking puts trust to the limit.

3. Cyber Bullying Is A Growing Problem

Having access to peoples lives at all times is not always a good thing. A new trend of cyber bullying is
wreaking havoc all across the world. This is especially true with young kids. They are publicly harassing
one another, and posting mean or slanderous things which are broadcast-ed to the entire cyber world.
4. Used To Profile and Discriminate In The Job World
Just about everyone has a social media account the shows what they look like, the type of life that they
live, and how old they are. Employers are using this to their advantages is some very unsettling ways. Jobs
that are looking for a certain criteria of person, but cannot legally express these criteria, are using social
media to prescreen their applicants.
5. The Addiction Is Real
One of the biggest problems with the social media craze is that people are becoming more and more
addicted to using it. It is the number one time waster at work, in school, and at home. All of this has caused
people to have literal withdraws from their social networks. Crazy!
Important Facts About Social Networking
In 2013, a study showed that 79% of all adults in the United States had at least one social
network profile.
 2.1 billion people in the world have social media accounts.
Mobile phones now make up 72% of internet traffic to these sites.
70 million photos and videos are uploaded to Instagram every single day, and that is a
number that is steadily rising.
Nearly 50% of all Twitter users have never sent a tweet.

Brain drain
The migration of skilled individuals to other nations is referred as the brain drain or the
human capital flight. This migration of talented individuals may be due to conflicts, lack of
opportunity, or health hazards where they are living.

In India, brain drain is more because educated individuals are emigrating for higher wages
and better opportunities. It has been in our consciousness since 30 years and many bright
youngsters have emigrated mainly to US from early 1960s onwards including a large fraction
of the graduating class at IITs in India.

Advantages

The money the emigrants have sent back home has helped in alleviating poverty in
their homes.
It has resulted in less child labor, greater child schooling, more hours worked in self-
employment and a higher rate of people starting capital intensive enterprises.
The money remittances have also reduced the level and severity of poverty.
Moreover, the money migrants sent back are spent more in investments such as
education, health and housing, rather than on food and other goods.

Disadvantages

Due to the influence of brain drain, the investment in higher education is lost as the
highly educated person leaves India and becomes an asset to other country.
Also, whatever social capital the individual has been a part of is reduced by his or her
departure.
With all the college graduates leaving their homelands, it raises the question as to
whether their skills are being put to good use in the destination country.
The chances of Brain Waste are possible.
There is a shortage of skilled and competent people in India.
A tremendous increase in wages of high-skill labor can be seen now in India.
Great leaders are born not trained
Introduction:
The factual analysis about leader ship in this essay is based on results published in Journals and books
published in various time-periods and by a variety of respected people belonging to the Psychological
societies around the world. The fact being that no Leader is identical to an other so deriving a conclusion
from any particular theory has always been a question mark. Although one may comment about the innate
genetic factors which has given raise to Born Leaders and the Made Leaders by their choice and
opportunities to improve their skills and work towards a goal.

Born and Made Concept:

According to Fielder, leader is defined as a person who is appointed, elected, or informally chosen to
direct and co-ordinate the work of others in a group. So one has to understand leader and leader-ship are
two very different concepts. With reference to the statement leaders are born not made, certain
predispositions such as personality characteristics, could add an additional advantage of being a leader.
The other factors such as family genes which one may procure are definitely cannot be argued upon.
Intelligence, religion-growth-status, society, education, training, job etc... remain as external factors
influencing ones Leadership. Therefore a change and a conflict is simply evident. The recent break through
of a concept called Cloning has stirred a wider controversy about replicating a LEADER. Although the
research is banned in most countries, a possibility of BORN leader in every Human mind is very much
an innate quality.

According to William A Cohen (Cohen, 1998), Lack of leadership ability can most of the time be
corrected with training and a little motivation. An other interesting article about leadership published by
the American Psychological Association (June 94), about how a leader is made? Is an intresting topic to
discuss upon. Lets take an example for a cause is Freedom , wars where fought from stonage to industial
age under this concept, a person who had a Vision to Liberate became a leader. So one may even draw to
a conclusion that a Leader can just persuade to make another leader or in a sense LEADER makes an
OTHER LEADER.

Analysis:
The approach which has been used in the Psychological field in the early 1940's is called the Greatman's
approach . It significantly emphasis a non-factual idea which was believed to be correct until Stogdill's
(1948) litrature gave a new pradigm shift to abandon the Greatman's approach to innate leadership
approach.

The current leadership studies is about Transformational and Transactional leadership , this study is
broadly based on interpersonal and interactions about people (Burns 1978). These Transformational
leadership behaviour comprises of four main components : Inspirational motivation, Idealised infulence,
Individualised consideration and Intellectual stimulation. A charismatic Model of leadership gave birth
from the first two of the components (Max Weber).

Five Factor Model : Developed in the 1990's suggests that a person's is unlikely to change much so a new
theory of elements came into place. The elements are classified as follows
 Extroversion

Emotionality

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

Openess to experience

According to this model it became to some extent that Leaders where born with TRAITS. The openess to
experience moulds a person according to his surroundings.

Posner published The Leadership Challenge to address issues they uncovered in research on ordinary
people achieving individual leadership standards of excellence. Where he says a novel way of a leader to
motivate for a cause and to understand and accept his failure for his miscalculations.

Sir Richard Branson- having a personality of caring about people is important, says Branson. You can't
be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them. A Person
like Sir Branson with absolutely no education as a Manager is a very efficient manager, but he accepted the
criticism which he faced of being a lousy manager has turned him into a good leader during his time frame
of his success. So a good leader even accepts his own flaws and understands his need to change himself
according to the circumstances.

House and Podsakoff(1994) managed to analyse the behaviours and approaches of "outstanding leaders"
that they obtained from some of the above mentioned theories and research findings. There findings and
summarisation is not based on one's Leadership skills, but an effective or most effective styles of leaders
and managers of today. The listed leadership "styles" cover, Some of the examples of leader ship styles
used by the leader I have used is highlighted across each skills,

Vision - I have a Dream - Martin Luther King

Passion and self-sacrifice. - Apartheid - Sir. Nelson Mandela

Confidence, - Freedom struggle - Mahatma Gandhi

Image-building, - Mac Donald's - Dick and Mac McDonald

Role-modelling, - Nobel Laureates

External representation (spokes person) - Sir Winston Churchill

Expectations of and confidence in followers - Jesus Christ

Selective motive-arousal - Adolf Hitler

Frame alignment - Barack Obama - Change You Can Trust

Inspirational communication - Mother Theresa - Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their
echoes are truly endless

The examples of leaders I have mentioned does not predominantly mean a Leader's style, but the character
which persuaded their followers on their style depends on their sole uniqueness.
(Adopted from: (Podsakoff, 1994).

Whilist keeping the above in mind, lets analyse some of the Leadership skills present in the shipping
industry:

A person in a position or office - Maersk Mc-kinney Moller-A.P.Moller Group Founder

A person with associated expertise, skill or experience - ship's captain, a chief engineer.

A group of person in the forefront in any movement, field, activity.- A Naval Admiral

Global Head of Marine Technology for Lloyds - Mr.John Carlton

The earlier theories of leadership rejected the idea of Leaders where born, because they identified the
leadership with the ability to influence and their styles to persuade others. A creative adventurous part of a
leader is considered if he either has it or not?. If a blood analysis by Gene is carried out to findout if a
person is a leader or not?, one would fail miserably in the analysis taking into account the complexity of
the human mind to learn and develop itself, is well beyond science to slove in an equation.

Howerver a guidelines can be prescribed as :Developing people, being able to influence others,
encouraging team work, empowering poeople, using multiple options of thinking, taking intelligent risks,
being passonate about work, having a strong and clear vision, streaching one's personal creativity. So it is
very much possible for a person to learn such skills in any enviornment which could be in a classroom, in a
society, in a business, or in a work-place. The only obstacle is his or her mindset to learn and develop his
or her skills.

Born to Lead is a correct assesment, If everyone is born in a Royal Family, an elite group of people who
thinks like scientists could become scientists, who thinks like Doctors could become Doctors, who thinks
like LEADERS would become LEADERS. All one needs is the drive and motivation from their parents,
societies and the urge to become a leader.To conclude my analysis : I would like to quote Vincent
Lombardi (Football coach), Winners expect to win and losers expect to loose, to compare and contrast a
Born or a Made Leader is expected to win but not to loose. It is the skill of a leader which attracts his
followers. So Leader- ship is taught Made but Leaders to some extent are Born, keeping the innate
personalities that one may posses.

Conclusion:
Everyone is born with a ability to lead, the question is, to what level we can take our ability?. For example
a mother bringing up a child is an ultimate form of leadership, where rearing, managing and instilling
values in a child to some extent is leadership. So one may see leadership could some extent is very clear
that it is born with a person.

Leadership can be learnt, the question of Leadership whether it can be taught to a person is a critical to be
analysed upon!. The responsibilities lies within each indivial to learn leadership. So everyday a leader is
born, keeping in mind every child who is born on Earth is a leader. Each one of them has to learn how to
develop their skills of being a leader and learn where to apply the ability to lead and in what
circumstances?.

A King or Queen who rules a monarch, would consider leadership in their blood. People have been
accepting them as their rulers based on their blood line. I would like to quote Shakespeare's thoughts of
leadership
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." - William
Shakespeare

I would like to end my essay saying that the born argument doesnot take into account the effect that
experience and learning has on personalities, behaviours and on our inner selves. Leadership is a skill and
a habit. Like most skills Practice makes man perfect. As one becomes more skilled, the habit takes over.
In hindsight, it is therefore clear that leaders are both born and made. Leaders may be born with genetic
personality and intellectual predispositions, which give them the potential to become an effective leader.
However as I have mentioned earlier a greatness of leadership can be derived from practicing the above
mentioned skills. It is therfore clear that an interrelation of both genetics and learning, which builds a
muliti dimentional leadership approach(Bass 1998: Yukl 1998), which creates leaders.

Hard work or smart work

Work is important to do as it takes us to the next level of success. The most important
question you should ask at this place is what kind of work will take you to that level: is it
hard work or smart work.

For

- Smart work is really the need of the hour.

- Smart work saves lots of time and allows you to be more organized.
- Through smart work your goals can be reached faster.
- Doing smart work allows you to save time for other things which you might not get by
doing hard work like, exercise, spending time with family etc.
- Smart work brings lots of recognition from the society and allows you to grow more in the
industry you are in.

Against

- Hard work takes lots of time just to make things correct.

- It is totally time consuming and exhausting experience, as after doing lots of work you left
out with less energy to do anything else.
- Hard work doesn't allow you to fully use your brain and it pushes you for more physical
work.
- In terms of determination and persistence hard work is really important but not lot can be
achieved.
- Working hard is not enough as it might not bring the best result of a problem or a situation.

I would like to conclude in the end that smart work is really important as it saves time and
allows you to reach your goals faster than that of a hard work.

Time is money
The most precious gift we receive from our Creator is the gift of time. The man in the street
may declare that "time is money", but he is mistaken. Time is far more valuable than money;
it is life itself.
Money can be transferred to others; it comes and goes. No one can give even his dearest
friend another year to live. And no fortune, no matter how great, can purchase another day or
week of life for a dying man. Yet the time we do receive from G-d is given to us without
payment of any kind.

Consequently, it behooves man to be fully aware of the value of time. How easy it is to let
the hours and minutes slip through our fingers, to be lost forever! Time is the easiest
commodity to waste; we don't even have to get up and go to the garbage can in order to
"throw it out." It goes by without any effort on our part, never to return.

Not everyone uses the time allotted him with the same degree of efficiency. Someone who
fills his days wisely, will derive pleasure and satisfaction from reviewing the
accomplishments of the past. Not so, he who fritters away his days seeking fleeting pleasures
of the moment. He finds no gratification in reviewing the "accomplishments" of days gone
by, which he whiled away, "killing time." In truth, he destroyed not the time which Heaven
allotted him, but himself.

Such a person tends to focus only on the future. He imagines to himself what further
"pleasures" he can plan, what new pastimes he can engage in so that the days and weeks will
pass by quickly.

We find an expression of this approach to life in the fact that Western cultures hold youth in
higher regard than the elderly and wise. The hoary-haired citizens of the West are by and
large no longer fit to partake of the material pleasures of this world. The knowledge they
have accumulated through their life-experiences find no favor in the eyes of the young, who
hunger for pleasure, not wisdom. Pensioners who adapt the materialistic outlook of the
modern world feel that their days are empty and worthless, since they are now limited in their
capability to pursue physical pleasures.

In contrast, the spiritual world views the elderly with great respect, in admiration of their
accomplishments over the years. It is the elderly who constitute civilization's greatest
reserves of the wisdom and insight to be gained only through experience.

When the time comes for man to pass from this world to the next, he takes with him only
those days which he utilized for Torah, mitzvos, and good deeds. Time spent pursuing earthly
pleasures for their own sake is left behind, lost forever.

When faced with the stark facts of his lifetime record, one who whiled away his days and
years is overcome with regret. He might have done so much more, had he only utilized his
time more constructively. Those who used their time constructively can look back on his
lifetime with satisfaction and contentment.

Once man finds himself in the World of Truth, it is too late to correct his mistakes. We need
to be made aware of the value of time here, and now, in this world.

Therefore, the Torah gives us a commandment, amitzvah, which teaches us the value of
time. Thismitzvah is Sefiras Ha'Omer, the counting of the days between the first day of
Pesach and the holiday of Shavuos, when we stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah.
 This is an interval of seven weeks. On each of these forty-nine days, we count the days and
weeks which have gone by. Each year, on the fiftieth day, Shavuos, the Jewish People again
commemorate the Giving of the Torah. The intervening days serve as a period of preparation
for accepting the Torah once again.

These days are particularly dear to us; we can attain great spiritual treasures by exploiting
them to the fullest. Therefore the Torah commanded us to count these days, that we be aware
of the great gift they represent time and use it to the utmost to achieve accomplishments
of permanent value, which will remain ours for eternity.

Is the ban on plastic bag in the cities justified?

For the first time in the history of India, any city had almost 40 inches (1000 mm) of incessant rains just in about 1 day. This
happened in the city on Mumbai, where majority of th e1000 mm fell in just 3-4 hours in the afternoon. This should be
considered as natural calamity. Besides it was high tide and water could not flow in the sea. Instead all the roads and the
other ground surface were under a few feet of water disrupting the life of Mumbai city. How can a city remain unaffected
when so intense rain fell in the time period of less than 4 hours and that too at the time of high tide. Then why do you single
out plastic bags as the primary reason for the choking of drains. We strongly believe that the Government is making the poor
plastic bags as "scapegoat".

As a response to the flooding of Mumbai after the incessant rains on 26th July 2005, the Government of Maharashtra plans
to ban the use of plastic bags in the state of Maharashtra. We must say that this response is completely unbelievable and that
too cin a state where almost 1 million tons of various types of plastic products are manufactured. Is the Government, instead
of working on the fundamental problem of water logging, putting all blames on plastic bags. While we agree that plastic bags
and the other plastic products end up in the drains because of bad littering habits, can we blame plastic products alone for the
water logging? By the proposed ban on plastic bags, the Government of Maharashtra is charting a detrimental course.

About 60 million tons of plastic is used in the packaging sector out of the total of about 170 million tons consumed in the
World. India consumes only 4.5 million tons and therefore is a very small user of plastics in the World. While our population
is more than 16% our share of plastic consumption is merely 4.5%. This banning will hamper the growth of plastic in our
country and more so in Maharashtra state which has almost 25% share of the total plastic consumption. It would have
seriousl adverse implications on the life of a common man. Plastics, due to their relatively higher cost efficiency, benefits
ordinary citizens in sourcing their daily necessities in convenient and unadulterated form and at a fraction of the cost as
compared to paper, glass or cloth. Use of alternative materials would result in substantial increase in packaging cost of milk,
edible oil, bread, cereals, pulses, spices, confectionery items, toiletry products and a host of other items used by common
man and may even push some of these products beyond the reach of poorer section of the society apart from creating higher
impact on the environment. Milk packaging consumes almost 70 KT of plastic bags in India. By banning the use of bags in
milk packaging and switching to glass or paper packaging, milk will become more expensive at least to the extent of
Rs.5/liter. Secondly the best alternate mode of packaging is either in HDPE plastic bottle or of tetrapack which has
Polyethylene coating. Both these alternatives would increase the burden to the common mass. Plastic as a material is one of
the most beneficial to the public at large. It has proven its worthiness beyond any doubt. That is why there is no sphere of
human kind that can not be filled without plastic.

While we can enumerate endless advantages of plastics, the following examples clearly illustrate the benefits of plastics to
the society. Some of the applications that offer tremendous benefits globally, are:
Distribution of milk all across the breadth of the large countries at the lowest cost
Prevention of wastage due to degradation of food products/vegetables/fruits by use of plastic packaging
Several medical applications including Angioplasty of heart, catheters, implants etc.
Fuel saving by weight reduction of automobile with increasing use of light weight plastic parts
 Increased agricultural productivity due to the use of plastics in the modern cultivation techniques (drip irrigation, green
house etc)
Saving of water by use of plastic in canal lining as well as pipes in carrying water to distant places
Distribution of electric power with the help of plastic insulated cables
Ease of communication by use of plastic in telephones, cell phones, etc.
Saving of scarce resources like wood, leather by use of plastics instead of these material in building as well as footwear
Prevention of deforestation by saving paper and using plastic instead.

What is very important is that the Government should try to find practical solution to the basic problem on lack of discipline
of our Indian society where in every Indian has in born culture of keeping oneself clean and litter the environment. While we
agree that the Indian society would take another 50 years to improve the discipline but banning is not the answer. Instead we
recommend following steps to curb the problems of choking of drains because of littered plastic products:

1. Allow use of 20 micron thick plastic bags( minimum thickness)

2. For prevention on manufacture of thinner bags the manufacturers of these bags should be asked to print their
names/addresses. This will allow not let the manufacturers of thinner films/bags escape easily.

3. The municipality, with the help of plastic industry develops more efficient disposal and collection systems.

4. The municipality should set up many disposal collection bins at public places and develop an efficient system of
collecting the disposed plastic products from these bins.

5. The municipality should set up an incineration project to utilize the waste plastic products as they have inherently
very high energy.

6. The Government should develop a mass campaign to educate the common mass.

7. The Government in collaboration with the plastic industry should develop an education module that can be taught
to the students in all public schools.

Internet
Internet has a great influence in our lives. We may or may not realize, but it has changed a lot in
our lives. We are surrounded by mobile phones, computers and many other electronic devices all
the time. Actually sometimes you might actually feel being a slave of these devices. These
changes are both advantageous as well as not so much advantageous for us.
Connecting across the Globe
Social networks like Facebook and Twitter allow us to connect with people who, in a pre-
Internet age, we might not have known about. On an average, people at facebook have 350
friends. Also, one tweet from twitter, shakes the whole country, change opinions of millions
of people in a second.
Locating our favourite movies and music more easily.
You can stream almost anything online now. Music is available from Spotify, iTunes or
Pandora. Movies are available from Netflix. TV is good to find through Hulu. All these forms
of entertainment are available in convenient ways online, and people are going for it.
Skipping the Queues
Grofers, Flipkart, Amazon etc., they have changed our lives a lot.Theres no shortage of
online stores nowadays. And with the fierce competition, there are giving competitive
pricing. With competition, the best come out. Moreover, the cost of maintenance of a mall,
and other costs lead to lowering of prices, from their end.
Showcasing our creativity
Writers, artists and other creative types are finding a lot of use for the Internet. Some writers
have had their books published through e-publishers, skyrocketing them into the top-level
tiers of fame. Others have started blogs, Tumblr accounts and online business through
websites like Etsy to get their material out there and connect to an audience as well as earn a
handsome amount of money.
We Multitask!!
Multitasking existed long before the Internet, of course, but the ubiquity of smartphones
and tabs! Infinite tabs! has made multitasking both easier and more damaging.Order
food,shopping,manage bank account,office job can all be done effectively in a similar span of
time.
Webcams
In earlier times, we had no way to video conference with our loves ones. Even if there was a
way, it was quite expensive and tedious. But, with the emergence of internet, now we can
connect face to face with our loved ones, or for corporate meetings etc. Free services like
Skype, Google Hangouts, which use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) have also helped in
reaching the masses via these services.

But then ..

Thinking Capacity reduced

These days, whenever teacher gives assignment to students, they tend to go to the internet,
copy all the material and just submit it as it is. This just reduce the thinking capacity of
students. Google has answer to almost everything in this world and so people do not actually
think themselves or search from Books.
Addiction
After drugs and alcohol, internet is the third most addictive thing. Once you fall the prey to
this drug of internet, it is very difficult to come back. Addiction can be of social networking
gaming sites, or even gambling websites.
Hackers,Scams!!
In todays world, where everyone has internet access but not everyone has right knowledge
about what is right and what is wrong on the internet, it becomes a quiet security threat.
Scams on internet have been increasing many folds in the past few days and have continued
to scam innocent people, looting thousands of dollars. These scam artists work quite
efficiently, by tricking and fooling people in lure of more money or any other tactics.
Reduction in real human interactions
Let us face it, with the emergence of more and more social media platforms and sites, people
have shifted to more electronic interaction and have resulted in a loss of human touch. This is
also a leading cause of depression and a major negative aspects of internet.
About the Author: A computer fanatic, Kunal Tagra, is a 3rd year student at Maharaja

Agrasen Institute of Technology, Delhi. He has a keen interest in upcoming technologies

and software development. He is also passionate about music and also enjoys
teaching/learning new things.

Freedom of press

Freedom of the press and media is very important. A press or news-media enjoys greater
freedom in a democratic country. An independent press and news-media acts as an important
check on Government and Administrators. The duty of a free press is to raise voice against
any social ill or wrong. It has been said that internal vigilance is the price of liberty. They
raise voice against any dictatorship, corruption, and malpractices. The press and digital media
works day and night to deliver accurate news at the speed of the light. The people of the
country are kept informed of what is happening in the country. Thus, freedom of press and
media is the necessary pre-condition to the fulfillment of democratic ideologies.

The press and media should work towards strengthening the sovereignty and integrity of a
nation. It is the duty of the press and media to build an environment where the people of the
country can cultivate unity and harmony.

As compared to democratic countries, press and media enjoys lesser freedom in socialist
countries. Even in democratic countries the wrath of the ruling Government against any
newspaper may snatch its freedom.

In all democratic countries, a mans dignity is preserved through the press and media, and
hence, there lies the importance of maintaining its freedom. The question of the freedom of
the press and media is a debating issue that goes on still unsettled on the point whether press
should be allowed to enjoy absolute freedom.

We all agree that too much censorship of press and media is bad. At the same time, new-
media should not place partial and biased news that may instigate the people against the
Government. So the freedom of the press and media should be best utilized through
publishing impartial news and creating public opinion against wrong.

We are living in an age when people are much more conscious than the past. For the
actualization of national principles and ideologies, people should be given the freedom of
speech and expression. But there should be a co-ordination between the Government policies
and the peoples vision. Only then, the people of a free country must enjoy the spirit of self-
assertion through this right.

Rapid growing population in India

Indias population is going to provide us with better options in the coming future but will
India withstand the necessities of the ever growing population or will it perish in this
process?

For

- Indias population is a boon as it would result in high income which would in turn result in
higher savings, clear indicators of economical growth.
- Our population offers us an absolute force of cheap manpower which is a very useful tool
for India.
- People turning up of government services have increased significantly which is a very good
sign for a country like ours as it would mean more social force.
- Our growing population has resulted in an increase of different options in various fields
guaranteeing more jobs.
- India has become a nation of various talents. Larger population means a deeper pool of
domestic intelligence which can be used to good effect.
- Larger skilled population means a natural inclination of foreign companies to offer us newer
projects and yes we can do them more cost effectively.
- Larger population can be a big asset in labour based manufacturing units which can make us
a big exporter of hand made goods - every hand can become an earning hand for the country.

Against

- It creates unemployment as the population keeps on increasing the job opportunities keeps
on diminishing.
- Indias infrastructure wont be able to withstand the burden of our ever growing population.
- Literacy rates are not in direct relation with the increase in population and this is resulting in
people piling up below the poverty line.
- There is a major dip in the standard of living as well as in health departments as India has a
very poorly administered population policy.
- The existing grain is getting used up at the rate of knots and the rate at which the population
is growing it will be impossible to supply food and water to this increasing population.
- Awareness programs about the disadvantages of overpopulation have failed to make an
impact on the societies as they are very few in number are restricted to few areas only.
- Huge unfed population can lead to criminalization of the society.

Our countrys ever growing population is a bane more than a boon as it can devastate our
nation and can cause imbalance in the world. It could lead to instability of world economics
and world peace as the population of India is second highest in the world. Its time that an
effort is being made to create awareness among the people, which might put a halt on the
mounting population.

India vs China
China and India are the two most dominating forces of Asia. But frankly speaking, China is big. It is the
second largest economy in the world. It is also the most populated economy in the world. India is always
compared with China and in such comparisons, comes out way below China in many aspects. In 1980, the
economies of China and India were almost the same in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). Indias
GDP per capita was, in fact, slightly higher than that China. Then, the Chinese economy grew at an
average rate of 10 per cent between 1980 and 2010, leaving India behind. In fact, Chinese manufacturing
sector is presently eight times the size of Indias.
But the comparisons always keep coming, year after year. Why? Because Indians take a deep interest In
China. More often than not, China is thought to be emerging as a threat and it has always puzzled the
economists whether Indias economy can compare to the runaway success of its northern neighbor. Not to
forget the tensions over the Sino-Indian Border, that clouds all the recent political handshakes between the
two giants. It is this interest that makes this topic very very important.

I have tried to keep things simple, but its still a very advanced topic. So just try to skim the basic facts.

Points against China / for India:

Better Labour Workforce: According to a leading human resource consultancy giant Manpower Group,
the big benefit for India is that it has a much bigger young, literate English speaking relevant workforce,
which is more relevant on the global level, as compared to the Chinese young people for instance, whereas,
in China, the single child policy in the past, has meant that the country has 400 million less children now.
Labour shortage is already fuelling hike in labour costs, putting India into advantage.

Average Worker age: Abut 20 years ago, the average age of a worker in China was 23. That is now the
age of the average worker in India today, while the average age of a worker in China has risen to 37. So
Indias current young, dynamic, and maybe somewhat undisciplined, workforce is at the same age and in
similar numbers to Chinas 20 years ago; the very same demographics that propelled China from 11th
position in global GDP rankings 20 years ago, to the 2nd spot today behind only the United States.

Chinese model of Political Business: On both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets, 90 percent of
the listed companies are either partially or wholly state owned. Chinas banks continue to pour billions of
dollars into its SOEs (State Owned Enterprises), and are likely to continue to do so as many government
officials are far from impartial when it comes to their financial involvement in these companies. Business
therefore, in China, is politicized, which works against the very basic of business ethics. For example : In a
diplomatic spat with Japan over some islands, Chinas factories forget to process orders bound for Japan
in certain strategic industries. Consumers are warned of buying Japanese products. China uses trade as a
weapon. In India, business is majorly market controlled.

Less balanced growth: Thanks to its large manufacturing base, China is too dependent on exports and
investment for its growth. Many economists believe that it needs to increase the role of private
consumption to make its growth more balanced. In this case, India is already where China wants to be.
Consumer spending plays a much bigger role in Indias economy than in Chinas. India, in fact, buys more
from the rest of the world than it sells. Indias growth is thus less susceptible to shocks from the
international economy.

China late on socio-economic reforms: China just finished its annual meeting of the ruling political party
and announced a slew of path breaking social and economic reforms in November 2013. On the social
side, the one child policy has been done away with while on the economy front caps on interest rates and
Yuan convertibility have been removed. Further, steps have been taken to improve reporting standards,
making local governments more accountable for its finances and freeing financial markets. Larger foreign
ownership in Chinese companies has also been permitted.
All these are already present in India. Interest rates in India are market controlled. Government borrowing
costs are market determined. Indian government bond market, one of the most liquid in Asia, is well
regulated by the RBI and is also fully electronic. As far as equity markets are concerned, reporting
standards in India have global standards. China has a long way to go to prove to the world that it is
committed on reforms while India is already up there with the best on economic and financial market
reforms.

Communism in China: In China, decision making takes place at the top. There are inevitable frailties in a
non-democratic system because mistakes are hard to correct. There is little recourse for victims of
injustice. It has been seen that Chinese are willing to sacrifice human rights for the sake of an extra
percentage point or two of GDP growth. Banning companies and media etc do not show the signs of a
healthy trade-friendly nation that China claims it is. Most world economies are strongly appreciative of a
democratic rule that includes many political parties, systematic free elections, uncensored media, free
speech, and the independent standing of the judiciary, making it a friendly business destination.

Chinese economic data suspicious: The Indian rupee is largely market determined. It depreciates and
appreciates depending on the market unlike the Yuan which is a managed peg. Experts have many a time
questioned Chinas current account surplus due to the managed peg value of its currency. Just recently
Chinas National Bureau of Statistics admitted that a county government had faked economic figures. The
Xinua news agency reports that local officials had induced companies to inflate figures in exchange for
loans from state owned banks and the gap between the national figure and the combined local figures was
2.7 trillion Yuan ($440bn; 280bn) in 2009 and rose to 5.8 trillion Yuan in 2012. That would have added
11% to Chinas total GDP in 2012-13. Poor transparency standards render Chinese economic data
suspicious. Indias reporting standards may have issues but the fact is that the data are out there for
everyone to see and analyze. It is easier to put out independent data analysis on India and world markets
can choose the right data to look at.
Points for China/against India :
Infrastructure Development: When it comes to infrastructure development, India is way behind China,
both in terms of quality and quantity. China spends about 11% of its GDP on infrastructure development,
as compared to 6% of the GDP spent in India. China invested US$220.27 billion (1.346 trillion Yuan) in
civil engineering and infrastructure projects in the first six months of 2013, with the National Bureau of
Statistics of China claiming a year-on-year increase of more than 21%., whereas in India, The 12th Five
Year Plan period of 2012-2017, targets $1.5 trillion investment, something that China will beat in just a
couple of years. Better infrastructure is suited for foreign investments and economic growth.

Economic Growth: Goldman Sachs in September 2013 raised its GDP forecast for China to 7.6%, even as
it slashed growth outlook for India to 4% from 6% previously. Several other foreign brokerages including
CLSA, Nomura, JP Morgan and HSBC followed suit, cutting India growth estimates by up to 2% as
official GDP grew at a four-year low of 4.4% in the first quarter of 2013, and other macro-economic
indicators deteriorated. A signal of healthy consumer confidence in the economy is strong auto sales
figures. July 2013 passenger car sales in China were up 10.5% from last year. Indian automakers on the
other hand reported a 7.4% decline in passenger cars compared to the same month in 2012 with overall
growth this fiscal expected to be in the negative territory. All this makes China a more profitable and stable
market for investments, with a healthy consumer base.

Inflation Control: In India, the wholesale price inflation hit an 8-month high in October 2013, while retail
inflation has hit the double digit mark. Goldman expects headline inflation to ease to 6 per cent range and
Consumer Price Index (retail) inflation to 8.3 per cent by 2014-15, which is still way out of RBIs comfort
zone. China on the other hand shows inflation anywhere between 2.7% and 3.5% upper limit.

Yuan is appreciative: A recent poll by news agency Reuters shows that Chinese Yuan will continue to
appreciate as the Chinese economy improves. In fact the currency is now within kissing distance of its
recent all time highs with the dollar and in line with the Chinese central banks decision to allow its
currency to slowly appreciate. This is always a good sign for the economy when it comes to keeping check
on Inflation as well as improving FDIs and FIIs. The rupee meanwhile, after a 20% plunge could have
bottomed out but is unlikely to appreciate further this year says the same poll which means inflation will
continue to remain high.

Women Empowerment: Not just economic performance, China is ahead of India when it comes to social
causes as well. Recent studies have ranked China at No.61 in terms of gender equality as against Indias
113 among 134 nations. In another attribute economic empowerment of women China is holds the
No.50 spot, compared to Indias 131 today. Labour force participation by women in China is 74 per cent,
while it is just 34 per cent in India. In womens education, China is at No.85, against Indias 121. Women,
as of 2011, are also deemed eligible for military combat by the Chinese government, which is not the case
in India.
Quality of Life: The far greater gap between India and China is in the provision of essential public
services, a failing that depresses living standards and is a persistent drag on growth. Inequality is high in
both countries, but China has done far more than India to raise life expectancy, expand general education
and secure health care for its people. India has elite schools of varying degrees of excellence for the
privileged, but among all Indians, nearly one in every five males and one in every three females are
illiterate. And most schools are of low quality; less than half the children can divide 20 by 5, even after
four years of schooling. Chinese boasts of 95% literacy rate. India may be the worlds largest producer of
generic medicine, but its health care system is an unregulated mess. The poor have to rely on low-quality
and sometimes exploitative private medical care, because there isnt enough decent public care. While
China devotes 2.7 % of its gross domestic product to government spending on health care, India allots only
1.2 % of the already dwindling GDP.

Conclusion:
There are many other factors on which we can compare India and China, but owing to the huge capital
investments and ever increasing GDP, China is likely to perform way better. It has made sure that the one
party rule doesnt transform fully into an archaic rule and the recent socio-economic reforms and past
performance by China are stepping stones into making it a worth noticing economy by the international
community. However, another striking difference between India and China is the demographic dividend, as
Indias youth bulge coincides with the greying of China. While Indias workforce will increase by 110
million over the next decade, Chinas will increase by less than 20 million. This could push Indian growth
rates ahead of Chinas, making it a peer. For a sustainable growth, both countries should strengthen
relations, to foster trade in the whole of Asia. There is too much to learn from one another.

Unity in diversity
Meaning of Unity in Diversity

The term Unity in diversity refers to the state of togetherness or oneness in-
spite of presence of immense diversity.

Unity in diversity is based on the concept where the individual or social differences in
physical attributes, skin colour, castes, creed, cultural and religious practices, etc. are not
looked upon as a conflict. Rather, these differences are looked upon as varieties that enrich
the society and the nation as a whole.

Unity in diversity is a very important principle because we all live in a diverse world and it is
crucial to respect each other and to support each other no matter what our culture,
background, gender, orientation or other differences may be.

What does Unity in Diversity Teach Us?

Unity in Diversity teaches us that our differences do not need to keep us apart. We can be
different to each other whilst still being firm friends with each other, supporting each other
and working together for common goals.
Unity in diversity is a lesson that everyone should learn from their earliest years because it
helps us to live together in a kinder and more loving way. This simple saying teaches us not
to divide ourselves against each other into different camps, because this is where real
conflicts can begin. Rather, the principle of unity in diversity teaches us that, fundamentally,
we are all equal to each other and we all have equal rights.

Diverse Races enriched the Indian Ethnicity and Culture

In India, there are a large number of ancient culture prevailing or still practicing today.
Though there are several numbers of diverse cultures in India, still it has unity in diversity.

The modern Indian civilization has been nourished and developed by multiracial
contributions. From times immemorial, diverse races migrated into India by via land and sea
routes and get themselves settled here. In course of time they are absolutely absorbed in
Indias social life.

The ancient ethno-linguistic groups, such as, the Aryans, the Austrics, the Negritos the
Dravidians, the Alpines and the Mongoloids, had combined to constitute the modern Indian
race.

In the historical period, diverse branches of the aforementioned unique ethnic groups the
Persians, thePallavas, the Kushanas, the Greeks, the Sakas, the Huns, the Portuguese, the
Arabs, the Turks, the English and the European races came to India, and enriched Indian
ethnicity and culture by their contribution to the same.

India is a Place of Re-union of many Religions

In respect of religion in India, there is no end of its range. India is the place of reunion of
many religions and languages of the world. People from around the world with different
cultures are found living in a peaceful manner. Here, the Hindus, the Muslims, the Sikh, the
Christians, the Jews, the Buddhists, the Jains and theParsees (Parsi community) live abreast
of each other. They all celebrate religious festivals with great enthusiasm.

Besides this, the aborigines living in the jungles or in the hill areas have various ancient
religious customs which they carefully observe. Again, in different regions and among
different races, social customs and usages assume different shape and character.
Diverse Languages and Unity in India

The Indian people composed of several racial elements have a range of languages among
them. Official accounts confirm that more than two hundred languages are present in this
country. Each region has its own language. The local people speak in their own language.

In North India, most people speak in Hindi language. While in South India, the language for
communication are the dravidian languages such as Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, etc.
Further, in West Bengal, there is prominence of Bengali language. The people of Odisha
mainly speaks in Oriya language. Besides, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Dravidian languages and
other regional languages, many tribal groups have their own language. In modern
times, English language has played an important role in unifying the people of the country.
English is one of the most popular inter-language among educated class.

In different regions, people use diverse languages, but Sanskrit is widely acknowledged and
honored as the language of spiritual scriptures and literature. It was through Sanskrit that the
learned community of many of the provinces exchanged their ideas and thoughts. Different
languages that are currently used in different provinces owe their origin to Sanskrit.

In spite of the fact that there are numerous languages among various races, there is a sense of
national unity and oneness among all the Indians. It is this spirit of patriotism that binds us
together as one nation.

Concept of Indivisible India

Ancient times: Since the ancient times, the powerful kings were inspired with the ideal of
one, indivisible India. This prompted them to make conquests of lands stretching from
the Himalayas to the seas.Chandragupta Maurya had tried to build one nation in Ancient
time. Ancient India was known as Bharatvarsha.

Modern India: Even in modern times, we all celebrate our National festivals,
viz. Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti, etc. with a sense of unity. These
festivals are widely celebrated at schools, colleges, universities, offices, societies across all
the states of India. Every Indian watches the Flag Hoisting ceremony at Red Fort and listens
to the speech of the Prime Minister. In every state, similar event takes place in which the
Chief Minister of the state addresses to the audience through a speech. The unity or oneness
that we display during these National festivals display the indivisible character of India.

Sense of Unity among diverse Cultures and Society

The social customs and traditions which the Indians observe irrespective of caste, race and
creed in all parts of the country contains within them a sense of Unity. It has kept alive a
message of Unity in Diversity in India.

Following the different tradition and culture which diverse societies in India have developed,
there lies a sense of unity which keeps the people of India bonded together. This fundamental
unity can be observed among all the Indian tribes and races.

Hindu-Muslim Unity in India

Though, there are differences between the Hindu and the Muslim communities in regard to
their customs, ideology, and rituals. But since centuries, they were born in and brought up by
the same mother-land. They live together and have deep respect for each other. The Hindus
send greetings to their Muslim friend on the occasion of Muslim festivals such as Eid,
Muharram, etc. Similarly, the Muslims also wishes good luck on the occasion of Hindu
festivals such as Diwali, Durga Puja, etc. This explains the growth unity between the Hindus
and the Muslims in India. On many matter, they influence one another, and are inspired by
the ideals of oriental civilization.

Conclusion

India is a large country. Different regions observe variations in climate. The spoken language
of one state is quite different from that of another. They wear different types of garments.
They celebrate different festivals and perform varied religious rites. People belonging to
diverse cultures belong to different religious faiths. In spite of these diversities, Indians feel a
sense of unity and oneness among them. Thus, we conclude that India is a land of Unity in
Diversity.

Cricket is game or religion

Cricket in India is the most popular and most watched sport as compared to all other sports in India. The
passion, the craze, the thrill and the excitement that the spectators experience is in-matchable to that of any
other sport. Cricket in India is like Football in Brazil or Spain. The enthusiasm and the excitement is above
all other things. Cricket in India is everyones favorite (still there are few who doesnt like the hype of the
game) and is played by most people. People here in India can talk cricket all the time. Cricket flows in
their blood and probably thats the reason for We Bleed Blue slogan we saw on t-shirts during ICC
Cricket World Cup 2011.

Cricket is India is not the national sport, though it may seem like. Cricket in India was introduced by
Britons who ruled India for about 200 years and now it has struck deep roots in our country. The craze is
such that, they watch one match and talk about it for rest of the week. They watch it from the opening
ceremony to dressing room discussions to the pitch report till the end of presentation ceremony. In short
they watch every single bit of it and regret a lot if by any chance miss a shot or a wicket or even a single
run.

Cricket in India for such enthusiasts have become a religion. One reason for these cricket obsessed people
to take it as a religion could be that the greatest batsman in the cricketing history hails from India and his
name is Sachin Tendulkar. He is a person who doesnt need any introduction. He, over the period of time
has become the God of Cricket in India. Many youngsters look up to him to become at least 1/10th of what
he is today.

Recently in Asia cup, Sachin scored his 100th Century against Bangladesh and it is a record that is
impossible or very difficult to break. This record include 49 Centuries he scored in One-Day Internationals
and 51 Centuries scored in Test Cricket. It was a day to be remembered and those who saw it happening,
for them its the best day in the history of Cricket in India. He is a God like figure for die-hard Fan. There
are many people for who Cricket is only because of Sachin, they watch it to see him.

Cricket in India has become an obsession. An obsession to watch, to talk, to collect information, to discuss
and appreciate the Gentlemans Game. Cricket in India is Highly publicized game as compared to other
sports of India. You can see kids, young boys even men playing gully (street) cricket in India. The love for
the game is incomparable to any other game. May be thats why it is correct to say that Cricket in India is
more of a religion than a game.

Ethics in business
Ethics concern an individual's moral judgements about right and wrong. Decisions taken
within an organisation may be made by individuals or groups, but whoever makes them will
be influenced by the culture of the company. The decision to behave ethically is a moral one;
employees must decide what they think is the right course of action. This may involve
rejecting the route that would lead to the biggest short-term profit.
 Ethical behaviour and corporate social responsibility can bring significant benefits to a
business. For example, they may:
attract customers to the firm's products, thereby boosting sales and profits
make employees want to stay with the business, reduce labour turnover and
therefore increase productivity
attract more employees wanting to work for the business, reduce recruitment costs
and enable the company to get the most talented employees
attract investors and keep the company's share price high, thereby protecting the
business from takeover.

Unethical behaviour or a lack of corporate social responsibility, by comparison, may damage

a firm's reputation and make it less appealing to stakeholders. Profits could fall as a result.

Along with good corporate governance, ethical behaviour is an integral part of everything
that Cadbury Schweppes does. Treating stakeholders fairly is seen as an essential part of the
company's success, as described here: 'A creative and well managed corporate and social
responsibility programme is in the best interests of all our stakeholders - not just our
consumers - but also our shareowners, employees, customers, suppliers and other business
partners who work together with us. *'

Ensuring that employees understand the company's corporate values is achieved by the
statement of 'Our Business Principles' which makes clear the behaviour it seeks from
employees.

Cadbury Schweppes' good practice was recognised when it was voted one of the 'most
admired companies for community and environmental responsibility' by Management Today
magazine in 2003. It was also ranked second in the Food and Drink sector in the Business in
the Community 'Per Cent Club' Index of corporate giving for 2003, with an investment in the
community of around 3of its UK pre tax profits.
Family or career?
Professionalism and family can be described as the two sides of the same coin as both are
equally important in ones life.
Profession gives us an individual identity and financial security and family gives us an
emotional security.
 In todays hitech busy lifestyle its becoming difficult to find the time to spend with
his/her family. This is causing lack of peace of mind.
Without profession there will be no meaning of our life in present generation. Profession
is not just to earn money but for our identity and self satisfaction.
With the constant increase in the cost of living, job is a necessity for many.
Career is important but not as much as relationships.
Professionalism is not all about being a workaholic. It is all about knowing your priorities
and acting professionally both at the workplace and at home.
Being too much workaholic causes frustration and other psychological problems.
Some people are not spending with their family even in holidays, to earn more money.
They should remember that money is just a tool for happiness. Money cant give loved
ones.
If we concentrate only on career, we may get fame and money but we loose many
sweetest moments in our life.
some people are settling in abroad leaving the old parents here.
Some people are not concentrating on their children because they are giving much more
priority to their job. So children may feel insecure and it may lead them in a wrong way.
To achieve goals, sometimes we have to stay away from family. For example our soldiers
are staying away from their families to protect our country.
If both parents are working its better to stay in joint family. So that children will be taken
care by their grand parents or relatives.
Plan the weekends with family by keeping the office matters aside.
Avoid procrastination. Prioritize the things and plan effectively. This can give us free
time.
If we spend some time with family, obviously there will be no need to go to the
psychiatrist for stress relief.
The ultimate goal of everyone is being happy. So, We must make ourselves and our
family happy.
Make a habit of saying no to the unimportant matters and spend that time with family.
Inner peace plays a big role in balancing professionalism and family.
If we learn to balance between career and family, our children will learn from us.

Conclusion:-

The important thing to balance profession and family is saying no to unimportant events.
By planning everything before, anyone can balance both. Only one of these cant fulfill a
person. We should remember the fact that the ultimate goal of anyone is happiness and peace.

Time management
 Time Management refers to managing time effectively so that the right time is allocated to the right
activity.
Effective time management allows individuals to assign specific time slots to activities as per their
importance.
Time Management refers to making the best use of time as time is always limited.

Ask yourself which activity is more important and how much time should be allocated to the same? Know
which work should be done earlier and which can be done a little later.

Time Management plays a very important role not only in organizations but also in our personal lives.

Time Management includes:

i. Effective Planning
ii. Setting goals and objectives
iii. Setting deadlines
iv. Delegation of responsibilities
v. Prioritizing activities as per their importance
vi. Spending the right time on the right activity

Effective Planning
Plan your day well in advance. Prepare a To Do List or a TASK PLAN. Jot down the important
activities that need to be done in a single day against the time that should be allocated to each activity.
High Priority work should come on top followed by those which do not need much of your importance
at the moment. Complete pending tasks one by one. Do not begin fresh work unless you have finished
your previous task. Tick the ones you have already completed. Ensure you finish the tasks within the
stipulated time frame.

Setting Goals and Objectives

Working without goals and targets in an organization would be similar to a situation where the captain
of the ship loses his way in the sea. Yes, you would be lost. Set targets for yourself and make sure they
are realistic ones and achievable.

Setting Deadlines
Set deadlines for yourself and strive hard to complete tasks ahead of the deadlines. Do not wait for your
superiors to ask you everytime. Learn to take ownership of work. One person who can best set the
deadlines is you yourself. Ask yourself how much time needs to be devoted to a particular task and for
how many days. Use a planner to mark the important dates against the set deadlines.

Delegation of Responsibilities
Learn to say NO at workplace. Dont do everything on your own. There are other people as well.
One should not accept something which he knows is difficult for him. The roles and responsibilities
must be delegated as per interest and specialization of employees for them to finish tasks within
deadlines. A person who does not have knowledge about something needs more time than someone
who knows the work well.

Prioritizing Tasks
Prioritize the tasks as per their importance and urgency. Know the difference between important and
urgent work. Identify which tasks should be done within a day, which all should be done within a
month and so on. Tasks which are most important should be done earlier.

Spending the right time on right activity

 Develop the habit of doing the right thing at the right time. Work done at the wrong time is not of much
use. Dont waste a complete day on something which can be done in an hour or so. Also keep some
time separate for your personal calls or checking updates on Facebook or Twitter. After all human
being is not a machine.

For Effective Time Management one needs to be:

Organized - Avoid keeping stacks of file and heaps of paper at your workstation. Throw what all you dont
need. Put important documents in folders. Keep the files in their respective drawers with labels on top of each
file. It saves time which goes on unnecessary searching.

Dont misuse time - Do not kill time by loitering or gossiping around. Concentrate on your work and finish
assignments on time. Remember your organization is not paying you for playing games on computer or peeping
into others cubicles. First complete your work and then do whatever you feel like doing. Dont wait till the last
moment.

Corruption in India
All luxury corrupts either the morals or the state.

- Joubert

Corruption in the Indian society has prevailed from time immemorial in one form or the other. The basic
inception of corruption started with our opportunistic leaders who have already done greater damage to our
nation. People who work on right principles are unrecognized and considered to be foolish in the modern
society. Corruption in India is a result of the connection between bureaucrats, politicians and criminals.
Earlier, bribes were paid for getting wrong things done, but now bribe is paid for getting right things done
at right time. Further, corruption has become something respectable in India, because respectable people
are involved in it. Social corruption like less weighing of products, adulteration in edible items, and bribery
of various kind have incessantly prevailed in the society.

In today's scenario, if a person wants a government job he has to pay lakhs of rupees to the higher officials
irrespective of satisfying all the eligibility criteria. In every office one has either to give money to the
employee concerned or arrange for some sources to get work done. There is adulteration and duplicate
weighing of products in food and civil supplies department by unscrupulous workers who cheat the
consumers by playing with the health and lives of the people. In the assessment of property tax the officers
charge money even if the house is built properly according to the Government rules and regulations.

Political corruption is worst in India. The major cause of concern is that corruption is weakening the
political body and damaging the supreme importance of the law governing the society. Nowadays politics
is only for criminals and criminals are meant to be in politics. Elections in many parts of the country have
become associated with a host of criminal activities. Threatening voters to vote for a particular candidate
or physically prevent voters from going in to the polling booth especially weaker sections of the society
like tribals, dalits and rural woman occurs frequently in several parts of the country. Recently, the
Government increased the salary of the M.P.'s from Rs.16, 000 to Rs.50, 000, that is 300% increase to the
existing salary. But many of them are unhappy with rise and want the Government to increase the salary to
a much more extent. This clearly shows how the politicians are in constant thirst for monetary benefits and
not caring about the welfare of the people. Tax evasion is one of the most popular forms of corruption. It is
mostly practiced by Government officials and politicians who lead to the accumulation of black money
which in turn spoils the moral of the people.
Major Factors Responsible For Corruption:

1. The most important factor is the nature of the human being. People in general, have a great thirst
for luxuries and comforts and as a result of which they get themselves involved in all
unscrupulous activities that result in monetary or material benefits.
2. Moral and spiritual values are not given utmost importance in educational system, which is highly
responsible for the deterioration of the society.
3. The salary paid to employees is very less and as a result of which they are forced to earn money
by illegal ways.
4. The punishments imposed on the criminals are inadequate.
1. The political leaders have spoiled the society completely. They lead a luxurious life and
do not even care about the society.
2. People of India are not awakened and enlightened. They fear to raise their voice against
anti-social elements prevailing in the society.

Measures to Control Corruption:

There are some specific measures to control increasing corruption.

1. The Right to Information Act (RTI) gives one all the required information about the Government,
such as what the Government is doing with our tax payments. Under this act, one has the right to
ask the Government on any problem which one faces. There is a Public Information Officer (PIO)
appointed in every Government department, who is responsible for collecting information wanted
by the citizens and providing them with the relevant information on payment of a nominal fee to
the PIO. If the PIO refuses to accept the application or if the applicant does not receive the
required information on time then the applicant can make a complaint to the respective
information commission, which has the power to impose a penalty up to Rs.25, 000 on the errant
PIO.
2. Another potent check on corruption is Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). It was setup by the
Government to advise and guide Central Government agencies in the areas of vigilance. If there
are any cases of corruption or any complaints thereof, then that can be reported to the CVC. CVC
also shoulders the responsibility of creating more awareness among people regarding the
consequences of giving and taking of bribes and corruption.
3. Establishment of special courts for speedy justice can be a huge positive aspect. Much time should
not elapse between the registration of a case and the delivery of judgment.
4. Strong and stringent laws need to be enacted which gives no room for the guilty to escape.
5. In many cases, the employees opt for corrupt means out of compulsion and not by choice. Some
people are of the opinion that the wages paid are insufficient to feed their families. If they are paid
better, they would not be forced to accept bribe.

The one thing that needs to be ensured is proper, impartial, and unbiased use of various anti-social
regulations to take strong, deterrent, and timely legal action against the offenders, irrespective of their
political influences or money power. Firm and strong steps are needed to curb the menace and an
atmosphere has to created where the good, patriotic, intellectuals come forward to serve the country with
pride, virtue, and honesty for the welfare of the people of India.
Artificial intelligence vs. human intelligence
Science and technology have now reached a level of evolution where
computers can recreate human level intelligence. One of the most widely
anticipated scientific developments of our time, artificial intelligence or super
intelligence has taken the world by storm. But renowned scientist Stephen
Hawking has cautioned that whether artificial intelligence will be our greatest
benefit or our biggest downfall remains a question.

The noted scientist also argued when it eventually does occur, its likely to be
either the best or worst thing ever to happen to humanity, so theres huge
value in getting it right. Dire predictions that AI may spell the end of the
human race are not few and far between. Tesla founder Elon Musk has also
questioned the benefits of super intelligence, in opposition to Facebook
Founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Success in creating AI could be the biggest event in human history, but could
also be the last. He has made his worry clearer now. Hawkings case is that AI
may one day take off on its own, redesign itself and replicate at a fast pace
and supersede the human race, whose biological evolution cannot keep pace
with it. US technologist Elon Musk said that AI might turn out to be a demon
which could pose the biggest existential threat to the human race. Are these a
sign of the times to come? Is AI a boon or a bane? Let's see in this group
discussion, what the future holds for us.

Boon

1. Marrying Creativity With Technology

At the most basic level, AI is a robotic machine that thinks creativity and
intelligently and acts autonomously. This has many benefits rather than a
unidimensional technology that cannot think or work on its own. The benefits
of AI far exceed the apprehensions.

2. Meeting Our Daily Needs

Though we don't realise it, we are already surrounded by Siri, Alexa and GPS
or face detection, which are all applications of AI. Without super intelligence,
our lives would be tough to manage. Even the most basic smartphone uses
AI. Super intelligence forms the cornerstone of the digital revolution and so
many aspects of life are simpler thanks to this marvellous technology.

3. Safety Factor

Presently and in the future as well, AI has a world of applications. Fields like
mining or defence can be hazardous to human health, leading to disease or
injury. Using drones or robots prevents this from happening.

4. Error-Free

AI is error-free. Making room for human error is one of the biggest stumbling
blocks of industries, innovations and science and technological developments.
Getting the precision only a robot is capable of has its advantages.

5. Stepping into Space

Solving problems which no man can, AI is a boon to the human race. Super
intelligence can even facilitate space exploration and literally go where
humans cannot.

6. Learning From Experience

AI systems also learn based on usage and experience. How many humans
can replicate the same level of success? AI as super intelligence is a boon in
so many ways. Its rich experiential learning is another positive aspect.

Bane

1. Robots Acquiring Power

Science fiction and futuristic films have often projected scenarios of robots
acquiring the power to challenge their human creators. HAL 9000 in 2001: A
Space Odyssey and the cyborg assassin in the Terminator are relegated to
products of imagination. But today's imagination could well be tomorrow's
reality.
2. A Question of Ethics

Ethical robots would be the need of the hour, given the value systems and
accountability critical for its efficient functioning. But how can a robot be taught
human values? Consider Data in Star Trek, who could not cry! Dabbling in AI
can have serious ethical complications, especially if artificial intelligence
exceeds human.

3. Used by Criminals

The One-Hundred Year Study of Artificial Intelligence, hosted by Stanford

University and led by Microsoft Research director Dr. Eric Horvitz, is set to
monitor AI advances in key areas including key opportunities, democracy and
freedom, law, criminal uses, human-machine collaboration, autonomy, and
loss of control. Therefore, crime is one grey area where AI's role remains
unexplored. Criminals could use robots and super intelligence, much like
hacking drones to cause serious damage to nations and citizens.

4. Seizing Our Jobs

AI could take our jobs and source of sustenance. As machines and robots
grow sophisticated, non managerial positions and labour intensive tasks are
especially under threat.

Robots are not taking jobs, they are merely redefining them. AI requires
recognition of patterns of data in a context and so humans remain essential to
the process. For example, can Siri Google anything without being asked first?
Humans supply inputs to ensure AI produces correct outputs.

But though were a long way from building machines that are smarter than
humans, innovation and time could conquer all.

From answering queries to predicting future of your love life, to beating chess
grandmasters, a lot is already being said and written about AI. Movies
depicting the technology like Matrix are world famous. Destructive tools like
3D printed weapons already exist for sale in reality, though. Killer drones
could be next, forcing a new kind of accounting with the technological genie.
Therefore, AI norms and protocols are essential because though machines
hold every human wish as a command, not all humans have the rationality to
use robots for right and ethical practices.

Effects of movies on youth

Positive impact :-

Progressive thoughts like gender equality, organ donation spread easily

through movies. For example, Dangal movie inspired many to encourage
their daughters in sports.
Till recently, most of the Indians preferred engineering or medicine as the
career choice. This belief is changing these days, and movies too has a
role in this change. Careers of lead characters in movies impacts young
people greatly. For example, Ghaji movie attracted many towards career
in Navy.
Though most of Indian movies concentrate on love between lead roles,
these days many movies are coming with wonderful story lines and
is influencing youth to focus on life goals rather than just concentrating on
love phase.
Several Indian movies on current issues are thought provoking and are
highlighting the mistakes people are doing. For example,
Shatamanambhavathi movie highlights the plight of parents that are left
behind by abroad-settled children.
Movies are a great source of entertainment. People can relive from stress
and pressure at work or studies by watching movies.
Through movies, cultures are depicted wonderfully. Hence, movies
increases cultural sensitivity.

Negative impact :-

Indian movies show eve-teasing and stalking as normal and sometimes as

heroic. This is impacting youth negatively and is turning them into
harassers.
 Most of the filmmakers ignore their responsibility towards society and add
commercial elements to make their movies success. These kind of
filmmakers make movies that do not offer any good to society, but spreads
negative elements like violence, stalking etc.
These days Indian movies are objectifying women by adding item songs or
special songs. Irony is that on one hand they preach gender sensitivity, on
the other hand they make songs that are demeaning to women.
In most of the Indian movies, male lead drinks alcohol and shows it as
heroic. In some movies, male lead smokes too. This influences teenagers,
who have strong emotions.
Movies always depict luxury lifestyle and rarely shows middle class lives.
This leads to increase in consumeristic society, and the worst impact will
be on youth.
Some filmmakers impose their personal opinions on society through
movies. This kind of movies may depict certain communities or religions in
a negative light.
Movies encourage people to take revenge. Rarely movies show lead
characters fight in a legal way. In many films, lead characters kill
antagonists by themselves. This is a threat to our society and legal
administration.

Capitalism, communism and socialism

Capitalism: Almost everything exists as some form of privately owned
capital (hence the name). This includes labor, which you can sell for a price
known as a wage/salary. Each individual is able to buy or sell their capital in
the market. Market forces of supply and demand determine the price of a
good or service, and in theory allocate resources most efficiently to those who
want them.

Socialism: One of the big critiques of capitalism is the fact that one of the
forms of capital that is privately owned is the means of production (factories,
farms, etc.). Socialists contend that private ownership of the means of
production allows a disproportionate amount of wealth to accumulate in the
hands of a small class of people, the capitalists, or the Bourgeoisie. This
concentration of wealth then warps the supposed efficiency of the market, as
the bourgeois class controls a share of it to make it meet their needs above the
needs of the poor. The socialists therefore advocate some form of socializing
the means of production, or giving control of them to a broader portion of
society. Different means of doing this include worker-ownership and
workplace democracy (each company becomes a small democracy),
democratic state ownership (the people elect the government, so they
indirectly control the means of production), and various nuanced
arrangements for giving people power over production.

Communism (Marx): As Marx and Engels imagined it, Communism is an

end goal. A communist society is one where there is no government, no
money, and no private property, but instead people work in communal
factories producing goods which are distributed to whoever needs them. This
is considered an "end of history" scenario, in that without a state, and with
everyone being a member of the same class, there will be no more wars,
revolutions, crack-downs, class-conflict, or any other notable historical event.
This will come about after a revolution, which will result from the bourgeoisie
making conditions for the poor so bad, and eliminating any middle ground
between rich capitalist and poor worker. This would then lead to a
"dictatorship of the proletariat" by which Marx meant a period where the
proletariat was the ruling class, not necessarily a single person acting as a
dictator. For instance, in Britain, Marx thought that once there was universal
suffrage, the the proletariat majority would vote their leaders into power, and
dismantle the priveleges of the elite, promote social ownership of the means of
production, and eventually dismantle the state itself when their work was
done.

Communism (Practice): What people usually mean by Communism is the

actual political ideology that governed the USSR, and later Cuba, China,
Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Angola, and others. This
is more accurately known as Marxism-Leninism, which proposes to be the
party that leads the transition to an eventual Communist existence. It intends
to do this via a single Party representing the workers controlling the
government, and centrally planning the economy according to the needs of the
people.
Nationalism: Nationalism isn't really an ideology, in so much as it doesn't
prescribe any policies across the board. There is right wing nationalism and
left-wing nationalism. The thing that unites them all is some sort of
attachment to the idea of a nation, a group of people with similar cultural
traits, history, and values and the need to serve the interests of that group.
Other than that, it really depends who you're talking about. It can be a force
for good, in that it promotes the idea that a state should benefit all the people
of a nation, not just a certain segment of it. It can also be a force for evil, when
it designates certain groups as being outside their idea of the nation, and in
need of expulsion or extermination. It can be used by a minority group to call
for their own state (Kurds) or by a government to justify conquering other
countries within its idea of a nation (Serbia).

Linking Religion and Politics Is it okay?

The irresistible urge to mix politics and religion usually comes at the expense of
secularism, tolerance and vulnerable minorities. We saw this recently in Asia with
extremist Islamic groups spewing anti-Chinese hate speech to defeat the incumbent
governor of Jakarta, the ebbing tide of secularism in Bangladesh, insurgency in the
Philippines and the resurgence of violence targeting Muslims in Sri Lanka with
apparent impunity. Power politics and hatemongering in the name of religion sows
seeds of instability and violence.

The riptide of politics and religion is manifest in the agenda of Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, who embraces hindutva, a Hindu chauvinism that sanctifies and
perpetuates the politics of hate and othering in the name of religion. It is the calling
card of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the 2014 elections, the BJP
campaigned on the slogan Vote for Modi, give life to the cow and The cow will be
saved, the country will be saved, cashing in on the Hindu belief that cows are holy.
The BJP subsequently made good on its promise to ban the selling of cows for
slaughter in 18 states in India so far and has established hostels where cows are cared
for in their dotage. India is therefore a nice place for cows, but what about the poor?
The hypocrisy is jarring given that India is a major exporter of beef, accounting for
almost one-quarter of the global market and earning more than $4 billion a year.
Surely if religious compassion was foremost in politicians minds, they might show
more for the masses of Indians living in abject poverty and farmers driven to suicide
because of debts they cant repay. Why are cows more sacred than these people?
Whether Christian, Muslim or outside the fold of upper-caste Hinduism, beef is one
of the few cheaply available sources of protein. India is rightly proud of being the
largest democracy, but failing to uphold the rule of law and allowing self-appointed
posses to engage in extrajudicial killings targeting Muslims tarnishes the nations
dignity and is an assault on human rights.

While the cow was Lord Krishnas favorite animal, making it a symbol of piety serves
to accentuate differences between the nations 80 percent Hindu population and
diverse minorities. What gets lost in the politics is the fact that most of what is
termed beef in India is actually from water buffalo, an animal not considered to be
sacred.

The BJP contends that eating beef is against the idea of India, but is it? Unconvinced,
I consulted Sunil Khilnanis The Idea of India, but looked in vain for confirmation
that sirloins are subversive.

Historian Dwijendra Narayan Jha, author of Myth of the Holy Cow, dismisses
claims by Hindu fundamentalists that cow slaughter has always been associated with
Muslims, pointing out that eating beef was common among Brahmins long before the
spread of Islam to India.

There is no doubt that beef remained an important part of the Indian haute cuisine
and cow was often killed in honor of guests, Jha told the broadcaster Al Jazeera. It
is totally baseless to argue that Hindus never ate the flesh of the cow. Hindus only
proscribed beef after they lost political power to the Muslims, belatedly embracing
cow protection as a symbol of identity and faith.

Unhappy with these facts, the BJP government in 2006 deleted school textbook
references to ancient Hindus eating beef. Food fascism is trending, with the head of
the BJPs influential ideological mainstay, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, recently
calling for a countrywide ban on the slaughter of cows. Meanwhile, a senior judge
said cows should be declared a national animal and people who slaughter the bovines
should be sentenced to life in prison.

Curiously, earlier this month Karnataka BJP spokesperson Vaman Acharya made
televised remarks reminding everyone that cow protection is an invented tradition
an awkward admission for his party that he later retracted.
Protecting cows comes at a high cost to many Hindus as they can be sold for
significant sums that represent a safety net for farmers facing drought or crop failure.
Moreover, the industry employs many people in procuring, processing, deboning and
packing, in addition to those engaged in production of leather and pet food.

Not all Hindus or states support Modis cow crusade. In April, West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that the BJPs beef offensive is maligning
Hinduism, adding: Hinduism is not the BJPs religion. The BJPs religion is
swords, murder, killing, riots, all against the Constitution.

Nowadays in India, butchers risk being jailed or slaughtered by cow protection

vigilantes taking advantage of the states surprising tolerance for such violence.
These miscreants feel empowered by a government that sheds crocodile tears for
their Muslim victims, while fulminating about the need to protect sacred cows in the
name of respecting religious sentiments.

In Gujarat, where Modi was state minister in 2002 when vigilantes butchered some
1,000 Muslims with impunity, butchers now face life imprisonment and even
transporters of cows can face a 10-year term.

A cow is not an animal. It is a symbol of universal life, Gujarat Law Minister

Pradipsinh Jadeja said in explaining the harsher penalty enacted in 2016. Anybody
who does not spare cows, the government will not spare him. Its too bad he doesnt
show similar concern for the millions of impoverished citizens of his state.

In such a diverse nation, there really is no alternative to tolerance, but in the

northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the BJP has other ideas, driven by the calculus of
polls rather than religious precepts or human rights. Uttar Pradesh has 200 million
people, including 40 million Muslims, many of whom eat beef or are engaged in the
beef business. They have reason to be worried because the states chief of police
recently announced that anyone who trades in beef is subject to prosecution under
the National Security and Gangsters Act.

With butchers now standing alongside terrorists and gangsters, there is a risk that
the primordial maelstrom stoked by the BJP is leading the nation astray down a path
toward intensified communal conflict and violence. Surely the nightmare of Partition
in 1947, when India gained independence, and many subsequent communal pogroms
impugn the BJPs dangerous grandstanding. Like opportunists around the world,
however, revving up the base means feeding the masses the red meat they crave.

Food Adulteration in India

Food adulteration has been greatly increased during last couple of years.
Along with basic food grains like rice and wheat, and spices like chillies,
black pepper, turmeric etc. packaged water and bottled soft drinks are also
in the area of adulteration.
Government officials tested various foods in their laboratory over the past 5
years indicated that milk, ghee, edible oils, pulses, mineral water etc.
were being adulterated creating worry among common people as well as
health officials. Milk, generally known as one of the major nourishments of
the human body, but in reality, milk is being adulterated with urea crossing
the permissible limit which is 700 particles per million. It is very much
ridiculous that milk is being prepared with urea, detergent etc. in various
states of India.
Rice is being adulterated with small grains of stones to increase the overall
weight per kilogram by unscrupulous retailers. Likewise, mustard oil is
adulterated with crude rice bran oil.
Our household spices like turmeric powder is also adulterated with metanil
yellow. Metanil yellow is produced with utilizing some raw materials like
metanilic acid and diphenylamine. The common people do not know the
risk of consuming turmeric powder mixed with metanil yellow. It is purely
carcinogenic means it is capable of causing cancer in living tissues. In a
cup of lukewarm water, include around 1/4-1/2 tsp Turmeric powder and mix
it well. Include few drops of lemon/lime juice. If the water turns violet, pink,
or purple it is surely adulterated. It demonstrates the vicinity of Metanil
Yellow which is said to be carcinogenic.
Even the tomato sauces mostly used in local fast food centres in numerous
areas of West Bengal, are also artificially made from pumpkin pulp,
sugar, non-edible colours and flavours. No tomato is present in that sauce
to maintain very cheap rate in the local market. These sauces with artificial
colours and flavours are highly carcinogenic. These are being supplied
rampantly without the checking of the health department.
A food sample report says that Punjab is in the top position regarding food
sample failure in India. The sample failure rate in Punjab was 22% in the
year 2011, and the statistics reached 44% in 2015. West Bengal is also
approaching neck by neck in food adulteration process with other states of
India. Likewise, quantity of failed samples of ghee, ice cream was 23% in the
year 2011, which increased to 45% this year.
Local packaged water was being miss-branded in huge number of cases
after removing of bacteria and projected as mineral water with no required
ISI or BIS authentication. But health officials said that it was not at all
mineral water, instead it was simply packaged plain water.
Tea leaves were discovered adulterated with iron flakes to expand their
weight while the silver foil used to enhance the look of desserts like Burfi
was being substituted with Aluminum Foil, which is harmful to human being.
Various pulses were found to have been adulterated with non-edible colours
while black pepper was blended with papaya seeds to more money by
corrupt merchants.
Items like supari, pan masala and gutkha had an abnormal state of
adulteration as 66% tests failed in 2012 and 23% in April 2015. Ashok
Kumar, food analyst at the state-run Food Laboratory, Punjab told that Pan
Masala and Gutkha had tobacco and nicotine.
The situation is so grave that the common people should come forward and
take initiative in informing the health departments of respective states
continuously. But at the same time, the health departments of various states
should be active in operating their helpline telephone numbers and email
addresses. Specific raids should be there again and again with proper
prosecution of convicted merchants. Any kind of political pressure must be
overruled for the sake of mankind.

Mass Migration towards the Metros in India

Migration of people from one geographic location to another for various

reasons is an inevitable phenomenon. Delhi being the Capital of India
generates enormous job opportunities for labourers, skilled and unskilled
workers. So people who are not paid well or who do not have enough job
opportunities in their native land or the ones who are looking for growth and
better job opportunities are attracted towards Delhi. Women generally
relocate after marriage.
This movement is benefiting migrants in terms of better wages and better
lifestyle but this mass migration is somewhere inversely impacting the
Capital. Delhi now has more number of slums, unauthorized areas, JJ
clusters and jhuggis. It is estimated that more than half of the population of
Delhi resides in unauthorized colonies and slums which lack even basic
facility of water and drainage. The crime rate and other social issues have
increased manifold in Delhi. Though it cannot be said with certainty that
migration is the whole sole reason for all this but definitely there is a
connection among all these.
Why do people migrate?
Population in both rural as well as urban India is growing rapidly but rural
India is not able to provide sufficient employment and jobs.
Returns from agriculture are low and not enough to sustain the needs of a
family. Some landholdings become so small that these become
uneconomical. This is the result of father dividing his property among his
children instead of giving it to the eldest like in England. With the rise in
population the landholdings become even smaller.
Better connectivity and construction of roads have facilitated migration.
People also migrate for education and women migrate after marriage.
The worlds best known demographer Kingsley Davis had in a treatise on
India in 1951 regarded the country as a relatively immobile society
estimating that three out of every ten Indians migrate internally. But in the
last one decade the Capital is seeing increased influx of people from other
States. The widening developmental gap between the rural and urban areas
has largely spurred the migration. Moreover, low profits in agriculture and
high returns from industry is pulling people towards cities.
By 1951 Delhi along with Chennai and Hyderabad became the million-plus
cities. In 2001 Delhi had approximately 45 percent migrants.
Type of migration
Broadly speaking, migration can be permanent and semi-permanent or long-
term circular migration. In permanent migration individuals or households
leave their place of origin to get settled down in another place. In case of
semi-permanent or long-term circular migration they keep moving between
two places. Economic reason is the foremost reason for this migration. Both
types of migrations may result in chain migration, in which migrants bring
their relatives and friends who then bring their relatives and friends and the
chain keeps on building up in a somewhat geometric progression.
Impact of migration
One advantage of internal migration is a reduction of gap in terms of living
standard and income. But certain factors and checks must be kept in place to
define the extent of migration.
Migration impacts the population size and service provision. Housing for all is
coming out as major challenge in the Capital because of increasing
migration. Other problems such as lack of basic amenities like electricity,
sewerage, sanitation and water supply are associated with this.
The problem of street children is also on rise in Delhi and can be linked to
migration. When a family moves they bring their children along. Children
even move with their friends and sometimes alone. Children leave their
homes for different reasons. In Delhi, population of street children is
increasing dramatically. These children end up doing odd jobs like rag
picking, drug peddling, robbery etc. Girls are even sold and forced to become
prostitutes.
Most of the time migrants do not get employment. They either keep
commuting or some even indulge in crimes to earn. In Delhi, one woman is
raped in every six hours. As per available data 393 rape cases had been
reported from January to March 31, 2013.
On the other hand, migrants do not enjoy social security benefits associated
with the residence. They are generally treated as second-class citizens and
discriminated. Every such issue is directly hurting Delhi and its development.
Hence migration to Delhi must be checked and steps must be taken to
control it!
 Are Group discussions important in Selection
Process of a Company?
The concept of Group Discussion has not been a part of the regular academic curriculum in
Colleges and Universities. So, students usually face a lot of problem in this area of the Selection
Process. Let us first understand why Group Discussion is conducted.

Most organizations today are very clear about the skills and knowledge that they look for in a
candidate while screening. This was not the case a couple of years ago. Group Discussion has
been a part of the Selection process for admission into most of the top Business Schools

Earlier, some of the Pharmaceutical Companies like Ranbaxy, Glaxo, Cipla, Lupin, etc used to
conduct Group Discussions as a part of their Screening Process for Selection of candidates as
Medical Representatives. Most of the other companies also used to conduct GD while selecting
candidates for marketing related Posts. Today, almost every company, (including TCS,
SATYAM, WIPRO, INFOSYS, INFOTECH, ORACLE, CTS, CANBAY, POLARIS, etc) both IT
and non-IT has GD as part of their Selection Process.

The skills that are usually assessed in a Group Discussion are:

Communication Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Leadership Skills
Motivational Skills
Team Building Skills
Tolerance to Ambiguity
Divergent Thinking
Listening skills
Presentation Skills
Analytical / Logical skills
So, its important to assess your current strengths in all these areas and accordingly put efforts to
strenthen your weaknesses.

Education A business?
Education is that medium to create the human out of a man. It is considered
to be an element that empowers the human race to sustain the life. The
education sector has evolved over the years. From traditional Gurukuls to
present day classes in modern architecture buildings, the change is quite
evident.

One thing that pricks the conscience of any concerned person is the business
involved in the field. The education has now become a profitable business
with the involvement of the business parties in this sector.

Let us discuss the solutions to maintain the essence of education. What are
the possible solutions to minimize the high cost of education?

The ideas that can curb the problem have two parties involved. One, the
government and second be the parents or the guardian.

Government

If we talk about the government, in a democracy it is the center of the power.

As and when required it can exercise the same power to keep a check on the
wrongs of the business minds in the industry of education.

Government Policies

First thing first, the government should introduce the bill to keep a check on
the inflow of the money in the business. The amount of the tuition fee and
other charges must be decided. Further, a proper check on the fees being
charged from the students and their parents must be imposed.

Raising The Quality Of The Government Institutions

One of the prime reasons that drift the students to private business oriented
institutes is the degrading quality of the existing government or the aided
institutes. The privatization of the education is on a rise because of the lack
of the alternatives. The government is supposed to raise the standard of the
education and the proper infrastructure must be developed.

Parent Or The Guardian

If the government is up for the implementation of the ideas, the guardians are
the people who have to execute the same. In this vow, the role and the
responsibility of the student and their guardians are equal to that of the
government.

Say No To Donation

The present day situation is that not everyone can enter a government
institute. To have the immediate effects, parents, and the guardians must
refuse to pay the donation or the token amount. If we all refuse to pay the
donation the change will be quite evident right from the first day of the
movement.

Promote Talent Based Education

The latest enrollment statistics clearly convey that more students are
enrolling in the courses of engineering and medical against their will. This is
based less on the choice and more on the reputation among the relatives and
the peer group. Further, it has given a rise to costly education. Every child is
a unique human and we all need to understand this fact. Thus, they must be
allowed to pursue the courses of their choice and talent.

The above-mentioned ideas can be implemented with a no hustle and can

give the immediate results. Be a responsible citizen and think of the nation as
a whole.
 Should all the PSUs be privatized?
Since years, many PSUs are not in a position to compete in the market where
private players are also there. Before coming to a conclusion first we need to
look into why many PSUs are in such horrible condition.

1. Government Babies: PSUs being owned by GOI never have

thatcompetitive nature in themself. The problem is not that they
are owned by Govt. The problem is PSUs know that whenever they
will go in loss (no matter how much it may be, hundreds to thousands
of crores) they will be bailed out by the government. This
attitude kills that competitive and cost effective working nature that a
company must have to make profit in the market. Air India is one
the best recent example for that. When it posted loss in line of
thousands of crores UPA govt bailed it out by providing funds i.e. tax
payers money (for the god sake we dont pay taxes so that you pay
money to compensate losses of these PSUs). This bailing out not only
create fiscal burden to govt. butindirectly motivates PSUs that no
matter what happens govt. is always there for us. This attitude make
PSUs not to worry much about money. (Money is one of the most imp
thing a company should think about, but wait we are PSU and have
indefinite money supply). One of the good things which I like about
present govt is that since their arrival in power they have not lended
any money to a loss making company. If you have made losses then
its you only who have to figure out a way. You are the one who is
responsible, not govt.
2. Attitude: Because of the above mentioned point the working attitude
of not only the management but that of employees also catches a
negative approach which ultimately takes a PSU downwards.
3. Incapable HR Department: Visit a private company and see how
their human resource team works and then come to a PSU. Many a
 time people say that PSUs dont have competent workforce. Let me
remind you that PSUs recruit through competitive exams like GATE
etc and visit for campus recruitment in IITS, NITs etc. They have
some of the best brains of the country. So one cant question the
competency of employees. But, what really comes as a problem is the
way the HR department works. You will hardly find a person with
a zeal towards his work in a PSU unlike in a reputed private
company.
4. Accountability and Responsibility: Employees in a private
company have a responsibilty over them and are accountable for their
work and performance (whether its good or bad). Unlike in private
companies, this sense of responsibility and accountability is not there
in PSU. There is always a blame game in a PSU. Also, there is no
proper cordination and no synchronised working within different
departments of a PSUwhich badly affects the working and
ultimately the output of the company. The management has to figure
out a solution for it.
5. The L-1 Game: Unlike private companies where they care more
about quality and efficiency of their purchase (goods/services) in
PSUs it all has to go from a long and tiresome tender process and
the one with lowest bid is awarded with that contract for supplying
good/services. Tender process is not bad and is good to check excess
spending and doing things legally but this lengthy process with many
twists and turns takes lot of time and ultimatly costs the company.
Most of the time to get contract bidder quotes very less and
compensate himslef by supplying bad quality material. This need to be
looked upon.
6. Unnecessary Expenditure: PSUs have a habit of spending Rs 100
where the work can be done easily by 50. They spend lot of money
which is not related or directly related to their work.
These are some of the many problems that PSUs are facing today and if are
sorted out can easily show profit in their balance sheets.

Privatisation is one of the most seeked out solution by the govt. for loss
making PSUs today. Govt is either selling its shares or completely shutting
them down. In present scenario where Central govt has a big task of reducing
theirfiscal deficit, they cannot afford lending money to these loss making
companies and disinvestment/privatisation seems to be a viable solution.

But, there are many PSUs today which are making good profits. In sake of just
making money govt should not blindly go for disinvestment of these
companies. Rather these profit making companies should learn a lesson from
the failure of other PSUs. Now its not the time of 1970s and 80s where you will
always be saved by the govt. Now, if you go in loss its all your own
responsibilty and you have to figure it out by yourself. So, better bring
structural and financial reforms and changes that are best suited to remain in
the competition.They have to start thinking like a Real Company and get
away with the mindset of a PSU.

Also, there are some stratergic PSUs like Railways, ONGC, IOCL, SBI, NTPC
etc. which govt need to have majority of control in them (more than 50%) as
their functioning has larger impact to the Indian economy and cannot be just
given into the hands of private players. Fortunately, many of the stratergic
PSUs are making profit but from my personal experience I can say these PSUs
also need reforms within them to realise their full potential.

Therefore, Disinvestment/Privatisation is a good solution for many PSUs but

not for all and govt. need to look into diffrent aspects before going for
disinvestment (privatisation).
 Online Shopping websites Their Future in
India

The e-commerce industry in India is still in its early stages of development. Online shopping in India is
growing fast, aided by the fact that the number of Indians with access to fast broadband internet and
smartphones is increasing by leaps and bounds every year. Theres been a massive increase in the use of
the Internet and this is expected to continue over the next 4-5 years as well.
As we begin 2016, it makes us very happy to say that there were over 400 million internet users in India.
The Government of Indias Digital India initiative is meeting a lot of success. Other initiatives, such
as Googles Project Loon are expected to help as well. Talks are on to launch Project Loon in India, which
should deliver fast and affordable internet to more people.
Today, online shopping in India is huge. According to an estimate 14% of Indias population buys online
on a regular basis. Now, 14% may not seem to be something you would want to boast about at first glance,
but when you consider that Indias population is 1.3 billion, well, the number of online shoppers in India is
equal to half of the US population and thats a big deal indeed!

Three companies that have taken the greatest advantage of the new boom in online shopping in India are
Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal. There are thousands of other players in the online retail industry as well,
but none as big as the top-3 of Indian eCommerce, who have invested billions of dollars in the country.

Indeed, the online shopping industry in India is expected to clock a compounded annual growth rate of
35%. It is expected to cross the $100 billion mark by 2020, up from the $17 billion that it is worth today,
according to a study by Assocham-Pricewaterhouse Coopers study.

The momentum of the e-commerce sector has been so strong that shopping malls in India have been a huge
casualty of this. Theres a vacancy rate of 25% in shopping malls across India and rentals have dropped by
over 30% in just 1 year. Its even worse in countries with a more advanced online retail industry such as
the U.S. and the U.K., where the vacancy rate in shopping malls is 46% and 32% respectively.

As Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat, Online shopping has shown a handsome growth while brick-
and-mortar malls are witnessing a slowdown. The growth in e-commerce looks impressive because of a
low base and rising penetration of the Internet.

Indeed, over the next 15 years, 45% of the malls in India will be converted into non-retail space and
replaced by movie theatres, restaurants, discount retailers and so on, according to the study by Assocham-
Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
As fast broadband internet becomes accessible to more people India, the online retail industry is only
expected to grow further in size. It is expected that over the next few years, more people in rural India will
have access to the Internet. Rural internet users will rise from 29% of total internet users in the country in
2013 to around 40% to 50% by 2018.

This is great news because Internet in India has so far been a largely urban phenomenon. As more people
in rural India take to the Internet, we expect online retailers in the country modify their business models
slightly so as to make rural India a part of their growth strategy as well. Theres a lot of hidden potential
here, which is waiting to be explored.

Some of the roadblocks along the way are that internet speeds are not uniform everywhere in India or
across ISPs. If you feel your internet speed is not as high as promised by your ISP, check it out
at DoSpeedTest.com, the most accurate internet broadband speed checking tool that you will find
online. Follow the tips given here on how to increase your internet broadband speed as well.
At CouponClue.com, we play a tiny but significant role in making your online shopping experience easier
as well, which is something that gives us a lot of pride. amazon coupons from CouponClue.com is a site
that is dedicated to finding and posting the very best and most affordable coupon codes, so that you can get
everything you want at the lowest possible cost.

Is Education System of India Effective?

Education has been a problem in our country and lack of it has been blamed
for all sorts of evil for hundreds of years. Even Rabindranath Tagore wrote
lengthy articles about how Indian education system needs to change. Funny
thing is that from the colonial times, few things have changed. We have
established IITs, IIMs, law schools and other institutions of excellence;
students now routinely score 90% marks so that even students with 90+
percentage find it difficult to get into the colleges of their choice; but we do
more of the same old stuff.

Rote learning still plagues our system, students study only to score marks in
exams, and sometimes to crack exams like IIT JEE, AIIMS or CLAT. The
colonial masters introduced education systems in India to create clerks and
civil servants, and we have not deviated much from that pattern till today. If
once the youngsters prepared en masse for civil services and bank officers
exams, they now prepare to become engineers. If there are a few centres of
educational excellence, for each of those there are thousands of mediocre and
terrible schools, colleges and now even universities that do not meet even
minimum standards. If things have changed a little bit somewhere, elsewhere
things have sunk into further inertia, corruption and lack of ambition.

Creating a few more schools or allowing hundreds of colleges and private

universities to mushroom is not going to solve the crisis of education in India.
And a crisis it is we are in a country where people are spending their parents
life savings and borrowed money on education and even then not getting
standard education, and struggling to find employment of their choice. In this
country, millions of students are victim of an unrealistic, pointless, mindless
rat race. The mind numbing competition and rote learning do not only crush
the creativity and originality of millions of Indian students every year, it also
drives brilliant students to commit suicide.

We also live in a country where the people see education as the means of
climbing the social and economic ladder. If the education system is failing
then it is certainly not due to lack of demand for good education, or because a
market for education does not exist.

Education system in India is failing because of more intrinsic reasons. There

are systemic faults that do not let our demand for good education translate
into a great marketplace with excellent education services. I discussed the
reasons previously in this article: Will Education make a comeback in India?

Lets explore something else in this one: what should change in India
education system? What needs to be fixed at the earliest? Here is my wish list:

Focus on skill based education

Our education system is geared towards teaching and testing knowledge at
every level as opposed to teaching skills. Give a man a fish and you feed him
one day, teach him how to catch fishes and you feed him for a lifetime. I
believe that if you teach a man a skill, you enable him for a lifetime.
Knowledge is largely forgotten after the semester exam is over. Still, year after
year Indian students focus on cramming information. The best crammers are
rewarded by the system. This is one of the fundamental flaws of our education
system.

Reward creativity, original thinking, research and innovation

Our education system rarely rewards what deserves highest academic

accolades. Deviance is discouraged. Risk taking is mocked. Our testing and
marking systems need to be built to recognize original contributions, in form
of creativity, problem solving, valuable original research and innovation. If we
could do this successfully Indian education system would have changed
overnight.

Memorising is no learning; the biggest flaw in our education system is perhaps

that it incentivizes memorizing above originality.

Get smarter people to teach

For way too long teaching became the sanctuary of the incompetent. Teaching
jobs are until today widely regarded as safe, well-paying, risk-free and low-
pressure jobs. Once a teacher told me in high school Well, if you guys dont
study it is entirely your loss I will get my salary at the end of the month
anyway. He could not put across the lack of incentive for being good at
teaching any better. Thousands of terrible teachers all over India are wasting
valuable time of young children every day all over India.

Education for all

It is high time to encourage a breed of superstar teachers. The internet has
created this possibility the performance of a teacher now need not be
restricted to a small classroom. Now the performance of a teacher can be
opened up for the world to see. The better teacher will be more popular, and
acquire more students. Thats the way of the future. Read here about why I
think that we are closing on to the age of rockstar teachers.

We need leaders, entrepreneurs in teaching positions, not salaried people

trying to hold on to their mantle.

Implement massive technology infrastructure for education

India needs to embrace internet and technology if it has to teach all of its huge
population, the majority of which is located in remote villages. Now that we
have computers and internet, it makes sense to invest in technological
infrastructure that will make access to knowledge easier than ever. Instead of
focussing on outdated models of brick and mortar colleges and universities, we
need to create educational delivery mechanisms that can actually take the
wealth of human knowledge to the masses. The tools for this dissemination
will be cheap smartphones, tablets and computers with high speed internet
connection. While all these are becoming more possible than ever before, there
is lot of innovation yet to take place in this space.

Re-define the purpose of the education system

Our education system is still a colonial education system geared towards

generating babus and pen-pushers under the newly acquired skin of
modernity. We may have the most number of engineering graduates in the
world, but that certainly has not translated into much technological innovation
here. Rather, we are busy running the call centres of the rest of the world
that is where our engineering skills end.
The goal of our new education system should be to create entrepreneurs,
innovators, artists, scientists, thinkers and writers who can establish the
foundation of a knowledge based economy rather than the low-quality service
provider nation that we are turning into.

Effective deregulation

Until today, an institute of higher education in India must be operating on a

not-for profit basis. This is discouraging for entrepreneurs and innovators who
could have worked in these spaces. On the other hand, many people are using
education institutions to hide their black money, and often earning a hefty
income from education business through clever structuring and therefore
bypassing the rule with respect to not earning profit from recognized
educational institutions. As a matter of fact, private equity companies have
been investing in some education service provider companies which in turn
provide services to not-for-profit educational institutions and earn enviable
profits. Sometimes these institutes are so costly that they are outside the rich
of most Indian students.

There is an urgent need for effective de-regulation of Indian education sector

so that there is infusion of sufficient capital and those who provide or create
extraordinary educational products or services are adequately rewarded.

Take mediocrity out of the system

Our education system today encourages mediocrity in students, in teachers,

throughout the system. It is easy to survive as a mediocre student, or a
mediocre tea

cher in an educational institution. No one shuts down a mediocre college or

mediocre school. Hard work is always tough, the path to excellence is fraught
with difficulties. Mediocrity is comfortable. Our education system will remain
sub-par or mediocre until we make it clear that it is not ok to be mediocre. If
we want excellence, mediocrity cannot be tolerated. Mediocrity has to be
discarded as an option. Life of those who are mediocre must be made difficult
so that excellence

Personalize education one size does not fit all

Assembly line education prepares assembly line workers. However, the drift of
economic world is away from assembly line production. Indian education
system is built on the presumption that if something is good for one kid, it is
good for all kids.

Some kids learn faster, some are comparatively slow. Some people are visual
learners, others are auditory learners, and still some others learn faster from
exper

ience. If one massive monolithic education system has to provide education to

everyone, then there is no option but to assume that one size fits all. If
however, we can effectively decentralize education, and if the government did
not obsessively control what would be the syllabus and

what will be the method of instruction, there could be an explosion of new and
innovative courses geared towards serving various niches of learners,

Take for example, the market for learning dancing. There are very different
dance forms that attract students with different tastes. More importantly,
different teachers and institutes have developed different ways of teaching
dancing. This could never happen if there was a central board of dancing
education which enforced strict standards of what will be taught and how such
things are to be taught.

Central regulation kills choice, and stifles innovation too. As far as education is
concerned, availability of choices, de-regulation, profitability,
entrepreneurship and emergence of niche courses are all inter-connected.
Allow private capital in education

The government cannot afford to provide higher education to all the people in
the country. It is too costly for the government to do so. The central
government spends about 4% of budget expenditure on education, compared
to 40% on defence. Historically, the government just did not have enough
money to spend on even opening new schools and universities, forget
overhauling the entire system and investing in technology and innovation
related to the education system. Still, until today, at least on paper only non-
profit organizations are allowed to run educational institutions apart from
government institutions. Naturally, the good money, coming from honest
investors who want to earn from honest but high impact businesses do not get
into education sector. Rather, there are crooks, money launderers and
politicians opening private educational institutions which extract money
from the educational institution through creative structuring. The focus is on
marketing rather than innovation or providing great educational service one
of the major examples of this being IIPM.

Allowing profit making will encourage serious entrepreneurs, innovators and

investors to take interest in the education sector. The government does not
have enough money to provide higher education of reasonable quality to all of
us, and it has no excuse to prevent private capital from coming into the
educational sector.

Make reservation irrelevant

We have reservation in education today because education is not available

universally. Education has to be rationed. This is not a long term solution. If
we want to emerge as a country build on a knowledge economy, driven by
highly educated people we need to make good education so universally
available that reservation will lose its meaning.
There is no reservation in online education because it scales. Today top
universities worldwide are taking various courses online, and today you can
easily attend a live class taught by a top professor of Harvard University online
if you want, no matter which country is belong to. This is the future, this is the
easy way to beat reservation and make it inconsequential.

What are the most important changes you want to see in the India education
system? Share your ideas.

Impact of Demonetization on Indian Economy

Demonetization is a generations memorable experience and is going to be one of the

economic events of our time. Its impact is felt by every Indian citizen. Demonetization
affects the economy through the liquidity side. Its effect will be a telling one because
nearly 86% of currency value in circulation was withdrawn without replacing bulk of it. As
a result of the withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, there occurred huge gap in the
currency composition as after Rs 100; Rs 2000 is the only denomination.

Absence of intermediate denominations like Rs 500 and Rs 1000 will reduce the utility
of Rs 2000. Effectively, this will make Rs 2000 less useful as a transaction currency
though it can be a store value denomination.
Demonetization technically is a liquidity shock; a sudden stop in terms of currency
availability. It creates a situation where lack of currencies jams consumption, investment,
production, employment etc. In this context, the exercise may produce following short
term/long term/, consumption/investment, welfare/growth impacts on Indian economy.
The intensity of demonetization effects clearly depends upon the duration of the liquidity
shocks. Following are the main impacts.
1. Demonetization is not a big disaster like global banking sector crisis of 2007; but at
the same time, it will act as a liquidity shock that disturbs economic activities.
2. Liquidity crunch (short term effect): liquidity shock means people are not able to
get sufficient volume of popular denomination especially Rs 500. This currency unit
is the favourable denomination in daily life. It constituted to nearly 49% of the
previous currency supply in terms of value. Higher the time required to resupply Rs
500 notes, higher will be the duration of the liquidity crunch. Current reports indicate
that all security printing press can print only 2000 million units of RS 500 notes by the
 end of this year. Nearly 16000 mn Rs 500 notes were in circulation as on end March
2016. Some portion of this were filled by the new Rs 2000 notes. Towards end of
March approximately 10000 mn units will be printed and replaced. All these indicate
that currency crunch will be in our economy for the next four months.
3. Welfare loss for the currency using population: Most active segments of the
population who constitute the base of the pyramid uses currency to meet their
transactions. The daily wage earners, other labourers, small traders etc. who reside
out of the formal economy uses cash frequently. These sections will lose income in
the absence of liquid cash. Cash stringency will compel firms to reduce labour cost
and thus reduces income to the poor working class.
There will be a trickle up effect of the liquidity chaos to the higher income people with
time.

4. Consumption will be hit: When liquidity shortage strikes, it is consumption that

is going to be adversely affected first.

Consumption Production Employment Growth Tax revenue

5. Loss of Growth momentum- India risks its position of being the fastest growing
largest economy: reduced consumption, income, investment etc. may reduce Indias
GDP growth as the liquidity impact itself may last three -four months.
6. Impact on bank deposits and interest rate: Deposit in the short term may rise,
but in the long term, its effect will come down. The savings with the banks are actually
liquid cash people stored. It is difficult to assume that such ready cash once stored in
their hands will be put into savings for a long term. They saved this money into banks
just to convert the old notes into new notes. These are not voluntary savings aimed to
get interest. It will be converted into active liquidity by the savers when full-fledged new
currency supply take place. This means that new savings with banks is only transitory or
short-term deposit. It may be encashed by the savers at the appropriate time. It is not
necessary that demonetization will produce big savings in the banking system in the
medium term. Most of the savings are obtained by biggie public sector banks like the
SBI. They may reduce interest rate in the short/medium term. But they can't follow it in
the long term.
7. Impact on black money: Only a small portion of black money is actually stored in the
form of cash. Usually, black income is kept in the form of physical assets like gold, land,
buildings etc. Hence the amount of black money countered by demonetization depend
upon the amount of black money held in the form of cash and it will be smaller than
expected. But more than anything else, demonetization has a big propaganda effect.
People are now much convinced about the need to fight black income. such a
nationwide awareness and urge will encourage government to come out with even
strong measures.
8. Impact on counterfeit currency: the real impact will be on counterfeit/fake currency
as its circulation will be checked after this exercise.
Demonetization as a cleaning exercise may produce several good things in the
economy. At the same time, it creates unavoidable income and welfare losses to the
poor sections of the society who gets income based on their daily work and those who
doesnt have the digital transaction culture. Overall economic activies will be dampened
in the short term. But the unmeasurable benefits of having more transparency and
reduced volume of black money activities can be pointed as long term benefits.

SBI merger with associate banks -Good or

Bad?

Indias largest lender, State Bank of India, has said write-downs or

write-offs on account of the merger of five associate banks cannot be
entirely ruled out.

In the largest consolidation in the banking space, five associate banks

and Bharatiya Mahila Bank were merged with SBI on 1 April, putting
the lender in the league of top 50 global banks.

SBI is currently in the process of integrating the merged entities

operations with its own to leverage cost and operational efficiencies.
There can be no assurance that the bank will not have to undertake
write-downs or write-offs in connection with the merger, which could
have a negative impact on its financial condition and results of
operations, reads SBIs offer document for the recently conducted
Rs15,000 crore qualified institutional placement (QIP), highlighting
the risk factors.

The issue earlier this month was lapped up by foreign as well as

domestic institutional investors. In its annual report (2016-17), SBI
had said the long- term benefits of the merger would significantly
outweigh the near term challenges. The resulting cost advantage,
enhanced reach and economies of scale from this merger will help SBI
sustain its mission of being an enduring value creator, it said.

The offer document placed before the institutional investors further

said the bank may also incur additional costs towards integrating
operations and harmonising functions pursuant to the merger. In
particular, the absorption of over 70,000 employees of the merged
entities is expected to increase employee benefit expenses, mainly
accruing out of liabilities with respect to provision of additional
superannuation benefits, it said. Prior to the merger, SBI had
209,572 employees.

Donald Trump Presidency Impact on India

Negative impact :-

Donald Trump is proposing to tighten H-1B visa regulations. If that is

implemented, many Indians who are working in US will return to India. That will
effect Indian economy negatively. Providing employment opportunities to all of
them immediately in India is a difficult task.
60% of Indias IT exports are to US markets. With the Buy American, Hire
American policy of Donald Trump, Indias IT sector will suffer. Donald Trumps
decisions are causing a drop of stock prices for some companies.
Donald Trumps continuous decisions against immigrants made manyIndian
doctors in US uncertain about their future there.

Positive impact :-

If IT & Medical professionals return to India, Modis dream of brain gain will
become true. Indias development will be faster.
Buy American, Hire American policy is very costly for many IT industries in
US. Indian-based IT industries in US may shift their base to India, which is very
beneficial to Indian economy.
Defence ties between India & US are expected to remain the same under Donald
Trumps administration.
 With the increase of talent pool in India, our country can attract moreforeign
investments.
To counter China, Trump may support India in many issues including in Indias
NSG bid.

Conclusion :-

There are some temporary negative consequences for India, if all of Donald
Trumps proposals come into implementation. But in the long run, Indian economy
will benefit by the increase in skilled workers and investments.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan How far it is

Successful?
Background :-

Gandhiji once said, Sanitation is more important than Independence.

Nearly half of the population of India defecate in the open.
On 2nd October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission, the biggest ever cleanliness
drive was launched to ensure hygiene, waste management & sanitation in India. It
aimed to eradicate open defecation by 2nd Oct 2019 as a tribute to Mahatma
Gandhi on his 150th birthday.
Through this program, govt builds toilets and community toilets for schools,
houses and public places.
SBA is a centrally sponsored scheme. Funding for this program was set as 2 lakh
crore. For North Eastern & Special category states, funding will be in 90:10 ratio
by center and state. And for all other states, funding will be in 75:25 ratio.
World Bank approved $1.5 billion to support SBA.
2% Swachh Bharat Cess is being levied on all taxable services.
Companies can contribute to this program through Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR).
100 Iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places including Taj Mahal, Golden
Temple, Ajmer Sharif Dargah to be cleaned up under Swachh Bharat Mission.

Positive side :-
 As per Government reports, as of April 2016, more than 1.5 crore household
toilets, 65,108 community toilets and 11,705 public toilets have been
constructed and 2.29 crore household toilets are still under construction.
Toilets and dustbins will be setup for every 500 metres in cities.
The issue of sanitation and the unhygienic conditions in India came into limelight
and are recognized. This is the biggest step towards the Clean India.
It gives dignity to the cleaning staff.
This program has dedicated staff to conduct awareness programs and to work
towards behavioral change.
This created employment opportunities.
Public health will be improved.
Many waterborne diseases like Cholera, Malaria, Dengue etc. can be prevented.
Healthcare costs will be reduced, thereby contributes to GDP growth.
Tourism sector will benefit.
People have a tendency to throw garbage on the dirty areas. Once all the public
places are clean, no more dirty areas will exist.
To manage solid waste, electricity is being produced from it.
Maharashtra govt introduced Anti-spitting law.

Loopholes :-

There are no proper dust bins are available in the public places still.
Apart from the media appearances, almost no one attempts to clean public places.
Till the problem of slums is solved, SBA cannot be successful to the full extent.

Conclusion :-

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is indeed successful in acknowledging

the unhygienic conditions in India. Instead of ignoring the sanitation issue, working
towards the clean India is undoubtedly a good thing. Though the target seems
unbelievable by 2019, the problem of open defecation will be reduced to a great extent
by then. Thatll be enough to call this program successful.
 Is India ready to be a Cashless Economy?
In Favor :-

Long before demonetizing 500 & 1000 rupee notes, Indian government is trying to
increase cashless transactions through Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme, Jan Dhan
accounts etc.
From the moment higher denomination notes are demonetized,
cashless transactions have increased at a rapid rate.
Though India has a huge proportion of digital illiteracy, using debit card does not
require much digital literacy.
Many state governments are working hard to spread the awareness of digital
transactions.
Indian Government rolled out incentives for going digital in financial transactions.
It introduced daily and weekly lucky draws to encourage digital transactions.

Against :-

Till the moment 500 & 1000 rupee notes are demonetized, cash transactions
constituted 85% among all the financial transactions in India.
Even after the demonetization move, cash transactions are still the king.
India has a huge population of digital illiterates. Itll take a lot of time to transform
everyone into digital literates.
No country is a fully cashless economy yet. India is still a developing country,
and needs a lot time to transform itself into cashless economy.
Though no. of accounts have increased drastically after the demonetization
move, once the scarcity of new notes is reduced, there is no guarantee that
everyone will use that bank accounts.
With the recent hack of 32 lakh Rupay & Visa debit cards, there is a doubt
in cyber security of Indian Banking. Before going for completely cashless
economy, India needs to strengthen its cyber security first.

Facts :-

Sweden is closest to achieving cashless society. Cash transactions in Sweden

constitutes to only 3%.
 M-Pesa created a revolution in Kenya. The usage of M-Pesa is so high that even
salaries are credited through it. Cash transactions decreased drastically in Kenya.
South Korea gives tax incentives for cashless transactions, and could increase the
share of non-cash transactions.

Conclusion :-

Though cashless transactions have increased these days, right now India cannot
completely become a cashless economy considering its high proportion of digital
illiteracy and cash transactions. But Indian Government is working towards increasing
the share of cashless transactions, which is a good thing for any economy.

Digital India How far it is Successful?

What is Digital India program :-

Digital India was launched in July 2015 by Government of India. This is started
with the aim to achieve three interconnected goals. They are
Availability of high speed internet to each and every citizen.
To make all government services accessible to the common man through E-
governance.
Digital empowerment of citizens.

Achievements :-

Mobile internet played an excellent role in achieving vision of digital India. India
became second largest market of smartphones in the world. No. of internet users
increased to 50 crore as of May 2017. In June 2014, no. of internet users were 24.3
crore.
Indian government is promoting content in local languages in internet.
India improved its rank in United Nations eGovernance Index by 11 positions
compared to 2014. In 2016, Indias rank is 107. In 2014, it was 118.
No. of e-governance transactions per day was increased.
DigiLocker, launched in 2015 enables citizens to securely store and share
documents electronically has 72.66 lakh registered users as of 2017.
 All central ministers are present in social media and are utilizing social media to
receive complaints and feedback from citizens.
Now, people can share their views, ideas and suggestion directly to the
government electronically through Narendra Modi app.
Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app, a simple UPI based mobile app for
digital payments was launched in december 2016. UPI-based transactions grew
more than 20 times since then. However this growth can be attributed to
demonetization move.
BHIM Aadhar was started for digital payments at merchant outlets. With this,
payer need not have mobile phone to make digital payment.
Digital payments training and awareness campaigns were conducted. 2.04 crore
people registered for this and were trained as of 2017.
UMANG app was launched to drive mobile governance in India.
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) was started
with the aim of making 6 crore persons digitally literate. 82.7 lakh people are
trained under this scheme as of 2016.
Efforts were taken by government of India to make government apps available in
regional languages as well.
Indian government has installed free public wifi hotspots at many public places.
eNAM was setup to connect agriculture produce markets. 36.4 lakh farmers
registered for this as of 2017.
Direct benefit transfers were increased.
90,966 Gram Panchayats were connected by optical fibre network as of May 2017.
The actual goal is to connect 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats by optical fibre network
by 2019. This will also cover villages and areas effected by left wing extremism.
National Knowledge Network, a revolutionary towards creating a knowledge
society without boundaries connected 1635 institutions as of 2017.
National Cyber Coordination Center is operating from June 2017. It ensures
cyber security and is a backbone to the vision of Digital India.

Criticism :-

Despite taking effort to improve e-governance, India stood at 107th place in the
world in e-governance according to UN e-governance Index. That means there is
so much to be done to be at par with the best.
 Still there is digital divide between rural and urban areas, between poor and rich,
and between young and old people. Government of India is yet to close this gap.
All these developments of digital connectivity is a result of global trends.
Increased internet penetration is due to competition among telecom companies and
the internet pack offers they provided. All this success cannot be attributed to
Digital India program alone.
E-governance was started long before the launch of Digital India.
Still some people in India have no basic education. Digital literacy is difficult to
achieve without primary education.
Still there are many remote rural areas in India that do not haveaccess to
electricity, and some other rural areas have limited access. This is an obstacle for
Digital India.

Conclusion :-

India has come a long way in digitalization and has a long way to go to achieve
the vision of Digital India. We can clearly see the difference in no. of internet users
and improved e-governance. But there is still digital illiteracy in many parts of India.
Digital India will be a success, when its benefits are available to each and every
citizen of India.

Is GST beneficial for the common man?

Plus :-

Basic food items prices arent increased. There is no tax on milk, pulses, wheat
and rice.
Prices of most of the daily essentials used by middle class people remain
unchanged and prices of some daily essentials like soaps, LED bulbs have
reduced.
Till now there was a luxury tax on spending money on ICUs and incubators. With
GST, this tax is evaded.
Bicycles and sports equipment prices will be reduced. This is a plus for all
because of the growing interest in sports.

Minus :-
 As service tax is increased to 18%, banking, telecom services, credit cards, chit
funds, insurance premiums etc will become costlier.
Mobile phones prices have increased. Till now, tax on mobile phones is just 6%,
with GDP it was increased to 18%.
Bikes and cars prices increased.
Tax on clothes is increased. As consumerism has increased, this is a minus for all,
especially for middle classes.
Cosmetics will become costlier.
Gold rate will be slightly increased.

What is GST :-

Goods & Services Tax (GST) is the biggest tax reform in India till now.
GST replaces all the indirect taxes in the country.
At present there are different tax rates in different states. With GST, tax rates will
be equal through out the country.
All the indirect taxes such as Excise tax, sales tax, service tax etc. will be replaced
by GST.
GST also eliminates double taxation. Till now, manufacturers have to pay tax on
the goods they manufactured. For example, the maker of wooden toys had to pay
tax on the rate of the toy, that he is going to sell. But with GST, he has to pay tax
only on the value he added, that means he bought wood from another
manufacturer and he added value to it by transforming the wood into toys. He will
not pay tax on the wood, because tax on wood was already paid by the wood
manufacturer.
GST is going to be implemented from July 1st, 2017.
A four-tier GST tax structure of 5%, 12%, 18% & 28% will be implemented based
on the type of products. For essential goods like food, GST will be 5%, and for
luxury goods, GST will be 28%.
GST is an international tax regime. More than 160 countries already implemented
GST.

Conclusion :-

GST rates are beneficial to middle classes and below middle classes. Upper
middle classes and upper classes will pay more for the goods. For example, prices of
footwear worth below Rs. 500/- remain unchanged, and footwear worth more than Rs.
500/- attract 5% additional tax. Though some of the goods prices have increased, in
the long-run GST will be beneficial to all, as it eliminates tax complexities,
encourages tax payments and increases GDP.

Role of digitization in banking

What is meant by digitization :-

Digitization is the process of converting data into digital format. Digitalization

means the adoption of technology. But these two words are being used
interchangeably.

Role of digitization in banking :-

Banks are not just a part of our lives, but have a significant role in our daily lives.
For many, day will not end without at least a single financial transaction. Thus
banks always try to adopt latest technologies to enhance customer experience.
Digitization is not an option for banking industry, rather it is inevitablebecause
every industry is being digitized and banking sector is no exception.
Mobile banking is increasing at a fast pace more than online banking.
Advantages of digitization in banking :-

Improved customer experience.

Reduction of costs for banks and customers as well by using ATMs, cashless
transactions etc.
With more digital data available with banks, they can take data-driven
dynamic decisions by using digital analytics. This benefits both customers and
banks.
Technology is non-discriminatory. Everyone will be treated same at banks.
Number of customers will be increased for banks because of the
increased convenience of banking.
Digitalization reduces human error.
Need of handling large amounts of cash will be reduced.
Opening and maintaining bank accounts are never been this easier.
Repetitive tasks will be eliminated by automation.
Rural and urban gap will be eliminated.
 With the increasing cashless transactions, fake currency threat will be reduced.
Productivity will be increased.
Disadvantages of digitization in banking :-

Digitalization reduces the effort of employees and hence results inloss of jobs.
Some bank branches may cease to exist with the increasing use of online
banking.
Banks will be more vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Privacy may have to be compromised. No one can hide crores of rupees in
banks and just act middle class.
These disadvantages are just temporary. Loss of jobs will be compensated through
creation of new jobs such as cyber security, research team for innovation in
technology etc.
Its not that banks are going to have less work, but its just that the role of retail
banking sector changes.

Conclusion :-

With the increasing usage of smartphones, digitization of banking sector is

inevitable to catch up the increasing expectations of the world. It indeed reduced
human errors and increased convenience. But the fact that cyber threats are on the rise,
banks must be very careful and should be prepared to handle cyber attacks.

Will GST be a Success?

In Favor :-

With the elimination of multiple taxation, taxes will be lower. Hence the burden
on manufacturers & prices of goods will be reduced.
Tax structure will be simplified. Its easier to pay a single GST, instead of sales
tax, excise tax, entertainment tax, service tax etc. for one product.
With the lower taxes, tax evasions will be reduced.
With more tax payers, revenue for government will be increased, which is a boost
to Indian economy.
Foreign investors will more likely to invest in Indian market, because of the
transparent tax system.
 Though state revenue from taxes will be decreased temporarily, it will be
increased in the coming days. And Central government is providing 5 year
compensation for states.
Common use goods will be cheaper.
Anti profiteering law ensures that benefits of GST will be passed onto
consumers. Hence GST will directly benefits customers.

Challenges :-

Some industries like food processing industry, movie industry are at trouble with
the increased taxes.

What is GST :-

Goods & Services Tax (GST) is the biggest tax reform in India till now.
GST replaces all the indirect taxes in the country.
At present there are different tax rates in different states. With GST, tax rates will
be equal through out the country.
All the indirect taxes such as Excise tax, sales tax, service tax etc. will be replaced
by GST.
GST also eliminates double taxation. Till now, manufacturers have to pay tax on
the goods they manufactured. For example, the maker of wooden toys had to pay
tax on the rate of the toy, that he is going to sell. But with GST, he has to pay tax
only on the value he added, that means he bought wood from another
manufacturer and he added value to it by transforming the wood into toys. He will
not pay tax on the wood, because tax on wood was already paid by the wood
manufacturer.
GST is going to be implemented from July 1st, 2017.
A four-tier GST tax structure of 5%, 12%, 18% & 28% will be implemented based
on the type of products. For essential goods like food, GST will be 5%, and for
luxury goods, GST will be 28%.
GST is an international tax regime. More than 160 countries already implemented
GST.

What is Input tax credit :-

First of all, input tax means tax you pay to the govt for the goods you buy. Output
tax means tax you pay to the govt for the goods you sell. This output tax will be
added to price of the product and hence will be paid by consumers.

And now, lets see what is the meaning of input tax credit

For example, Fathima manufacture dresses. She needs to pay Rs.50 tax to government
on each dress she sells.

She bought fabric from Anusha. Anusha paid tax Rs.40 to government on the fabric
she sold.

So, now Fathima pays only tax Rs.10 to government and informs govt about Rs.40
that Anusha paid on fabric. Government checks the receipts. And then, on paper the
total tax Fathima paid is written as Rs.50/-. This is the concept of Input Tax Credit.
That means you can claim the credit of Input tax that is paid by your supplier of
raw goods.

Conclusion :-

GST will simplify the present complex tax structure in India. Going for global
standard tax regime is very beneficial to the country that has a significant dependence
on international relations. And with the reduction in tax evasions, Indian economy will
benefit.

Is automation in normal lives boon or bane?

Automation has changed the whole world. Starting from morning to evening all our works
somehow automated. Prop drinking water we purify using Aquaguard, eat food prepared by
micro oven, wash cloths in washing machine, store foods in Freeze, office works 99%
automated only supervision is left for us. The question comes Is Automation is boon or
bane? That means this automation is good or bad for us.

Good/ Boon for Us

Most difficult tasks become more easy

Computer has made lots of difficult tasks to easier. Ex calculation, Data storage
etc. Trains and trucks use for goods transportation.
 Increase the efficiency

Human efficiency has increased due to automation. We can manage and do lots of
work at the same time.
Time Uses reduced

Due to automation we need less time to complete a task. Sending and receiving
mails, messages are just click of our mouse.

Communication Made Easier

We can talk to any person over mobile phone as per our requirement.

Security

CCTV cameras brought a revolution in security system. We can track everything

also catch the culprit instantly through CCTV footage.

Help to Disables

Automation has helped the disabled person to overcome the disabilities and work
like normal people by providing the proper care and independency.

Bad/ Bane for Us

Reduce Employability

Low skill workers are replaced but even high skilled workers are getting replaced
by the machines. In short run, it may seem to be increasing the unemployment but
in long run, automation has freed the people from unnecessary work. With the
increase of precision due to automation, we have achieved huge heights in medical
sector which has saved many lives.

Health issues

I partially agree with you. Automation has limited the scope of the players as
natural environment for gaming is also changed with the mostly indoor games on
computers and play stations. It makes people weak and its ultimately the invitation
to many health diseases also due to lack of work.

Machines are Sensitive

Automation to some extent is good but when more control is given to robots like
artificial intelligence systems then it is challenging the discretion powers of the
humans. Machines can never think like humans and so the decisions are also
programmed without involving the sensitivity of the issue.

Hackers
 Technology can be hacked. Which leads to overall destruction of a country also.

Conclusion

Overall, Automation is very essential for growth of the world as a whole. Automation ensures
the proper utilization of resources along with the contribution in various fields like
healthcare, sports, energy and technology. Without automation, we will waste our time in the
unnecessary things and economic balance in world is not maintained. Automation also helps
in reducing the waste irrespective of the belief that waste is generated by it. It is short term
effects of automation which looks like causing unemployment and destroying the way of life
of people. But in long run, automation is the need without which we cant focus on
development.

Reliance JIO 4G Changing the Indian

Telecom Sector
with only a month for Reliance Jio freebies to end, it has already shaken established
players to shape up or ship out. Major players consolidating to meet the might of
Mukesh Ambani's Jio and here is why the Indian telecom landscape will never be the
same:

1. The Battlefield shits from cheaper calls to cheaper data: Gone are the days when Tata
Docomo raised the bar by offering one paisa per second call, now the fight is over the
internet data packs and luring customers with faster connection and cheapest rates
specially in post Jio era.
2. VoLTE calls surging in popularity: Telecom service providers have earned a higher
margin with traditional calls, almost 500 per cent more than voice over LTE, or the
internet telephony (like WhatsApp or Viber). With JIO offering the window to calls
over internet, the industry is looking at a tectonic telecom shift.
3. Consolidation of major players: Airtel acquired Telenor to synergise its operations and
expand its presence in at least 7 circles. It has added 52 million subscribers from
Norwegian telco and will be aggressively positioning itself in 1800 MHZ band in
Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat among other circles. Next, the industry
is looking at Vodafone-Idea merger, post which it will be the biggest telecom
 company with consolidated revenues of Rs 80,000 cr. Even Anil Ambani lead
Reliance Communication is looking to be the third largest player in the sphere with
RCOM-Aircel-MTS combine joining hands with Tata Teleservices.
4. Employees looking at uncertainty: According to recent GSMA report, telecom
industry employees 2.2 million people directly and consolidation in the sector could
lead to up to 30 percent job losses in the next 12-18 months. This would also mean
automation of teleservices to cut costs that threatens at least 1 million work force
directly.
5. Consumer is the king: RJIO's new pricing plan with customers signing up till March
given a choice of unlimited data and free voice service for a year at Rs 303 rupees by
becoming a prime member at the upfront one-time cost of Rs 99.

Coming close yet far, Credit Suisse has cited Airtel's plan of Rs 145/349 for 14 GB
data over a month with unlimited calls coming close to JIO challenge. It gives 70-80
per cent discount to average revenue per user subscribers but falls needs more punch
to counter Jio.

Black Money in India

What is Black money :-

Money earned through illegal ways and the money earned without paying taxes is
called as Black money.
Black money doesnt always stay black. If a parent uses his black money to pay
his childs fee, it becomes white money in the hands of a school owner. But if the
school owner doesnt pay his taxes, it becomes black money.

Loopholes causing formation of Black money :-

Lack of effective punishments for those who do not pay taxes.

Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 wasnt implemented till 2016.
Once in a while, tax evaders are given a chance to display their income without
facing punishment. It removed the fear of punishment in them.
 Long process to pay taxes and to file tax returns is deterring some people from
paying taxes.

What Indian Govt is doing :-

There are some institutions in India to curb the formation of black money. They
are
Income Tax Department (IT)- It creates a positive environment for paying
taxes. It blocks all the opportunities for black money formation.
Enforcement Directorate (ED)- It works to curb Money Laundering.
Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) It works to eliminate Terrorism financing,
Counterfeit currency, Hawala money etc.
Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) It ensures central excise tax
and service taxes are paid. It alerts other institutions about the ways people are
using to escape from taxes.
Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) It lists out the tax evasioners.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) It acts against corruption and illegal
money.
Benami Act (Amendment), 2016 Benami Act, 1988 is strengthened through
amendment.
Black Money Act, 2015
As all these institutions and laws are failed to curb black money formation, Indian
Government demonetized higher denomination currency notes all of a sudden on
one day in the year 2016. This move was taken because a lot of black money is
kept by tax evaders in higher denomination notes.
Indian government is taking steps to make things easier for cashless transactions,
as that will ensure transparency.

What still needs to be done :-

Punishments for not paying taxes should be severe.

There is a lack of human resources in the institutions working towards curbing
black money. More skilled and ethical people needs to be recruited.
Voluntary Disclosure of Income Schemes will only encourage the formation of
black money, because tax evaders are in the opinion that they can disclose their
income in the next scheme and can be forgiven.
Awareness programs about paying taxes should be conducted.
 Tax processes should be made easier.

Conclusion :-

Till 2016, there were no effective steps to eradicate black money. In the year
2016, Indian Government is tough against tax evaders and is taking effective steps to
completely eliminate the black money. It still needs to do more and need to take steps
to avoid inconvenience to commoners.

FDI in Retail Sector a boon or a bane?

FDI in retail means foreign direct investment in the Indian retail business. Now the retail business
can be either a single brand retail business (like say one particular brand for example Gucci
setting up its store in India) or multi brand retail (like Walmart, Carrefour). The hoopla is
regarding the governments decision to allow FDI of 51% under multi brand retail.

Arguments for FDI in retail

Foreign players will bring in the necessary investment to upgrade the retail sector
infrastructure across the country.
Since their focus would be profit they would set up efficient supply chain management
systems to ensure that product deliveries are on time.
The emphasis would be on reduction in wastage of food items. This would bring down
the food prices which have been a major cause of inflation in the country as well as a
source of public dissent against the government.
The farmers would get a better price for their produce for two reasons. Foreign players
would bring in the practice of contractual farming which would be beneficial for the
farmers. It would also lead to the removal of the middle men which would provide
additional revenue to the farmers (the retail chains would buy directly from the farmers).
Contractual farming would also mean improved and efficient farming practices as well as
higher output and better prices.
It would also generate employment opportunities in the wake of improved supply chains
that would be set up to cater to these retail stores.
It is mandated in the policy that 50% of any investment over a $100 million would be in
the backend infrastructure which would benefit by creating jobs as well as infrastructure
for a developing country like India.

Arguments against the FDI in retail

Will not benefit the farmers since the large foreign players will squeeze them for lower
prices in order to earn higher margins.
The large foreign players work on wafer thin margins since they offer their goods at low
prices. In that scenario they would procure their goods at the lowest possible price to get
the maximum benefit.
Loss of livelihood for millions of small time traders who would not be able to compete with
the large foreign players in terms of prices (foreign players have deep pockets which the
small Indian traders cannot match).
Manufacturing sector would suffer since the foreign players would source their products
from international markets in order to get low prices.
 A fragmented market is better than a consolidated market in Indias case simply because
the retail sector in India is very small and a large number of small time independent
traders and retailers are dependent on it for their survival. Also the middlemen will be
replaced by large foreign players who would anyway squeeze the producer for lower
prices.
The investment by these foreign players will only be in their supply chain and not in
developing any other infrastructure (this point can be easily countered).
The policy states that State Governments can take a decision about FDI in retail. But FDI
is not a State Policy matter. Hence this is not possible. The central government will take
the final call

Odd Even Rule in Delhi and its Impact

A vehicle rationing briefly introduced last year by the Delhi government to cut down
toxic pollutants in the city air may have had a negligible impact on the levels of ultrafine
particulate matter, PM2.5, which is linked to premature mortality, a scientific analysis
has shown.

Minor reduction
The scientists who studied the first odd-even experiment, which lasted 15 days from
January 1, 2016, found that there was only a marginal drop in the PM2.5 levels during
the period.

While the levels of the toxic particles came down by 8 to 10 per cent in some pockets, the
rest of the capital recorded a drop of only 2 to 3 per cent.

The study was published online in the journal Environmental Science and Policy early
this week.

The reduction was abysmally small, said Sachida Nand Tripathi, who heads the Centre
for Environmental Science & Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Kanpur, who led the study.

The PM2.5 levels in Delhi, particularly in winter months, are on average three times
higher than 60 micrograms per cubic metre which the World Health Organisation has
declared as permissible limit.

A recent study by two of the authors of the present paper IIT Delhi researchers
Sourangsu Chowdhury and Sagnik Dey exposure to alarmingly high levels of PM2.5 are
responsible for approximately 12,000 premature deaths in Delhi every year.

Apex court fiats

The situation in the capital has been so severe that the Supreme Court has been
demanding stricter action from both the state and Central governments.

This is the first-ever study that scientifically analysed the vehicle rationing scheme in
the capital, said Dey, who is with the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi.

The scientists used data gathered from satellite and ground stations to simulate two
conditions with odd-even rule and without the rule. They were surprised to see that the
difference between the two was extremely small.
Multiple sources
Restricting traffic volume alone cannot control the PM2.5 concentration over Delhi,
where there are multiple other sources contributing towards making the citys air dirty,
the scientists said.

We are not talking about an enclosed entity, but open atmosphere, said Tripathi.

There have been studies in the past that showed the contribution of vehicles to the
PM2.5 levels is very small. The share of private cars could be even smaller, he said.

Commerce on Mobile. Is it the Future?

The term "m-commerce" stands for mobile commerce, and its the
browsing, buying and selling of products and services on mobile
devices. In other words, it's a complete online shopping experience,
but with all the convenience of being on a cellphone or tablet. As an
example, this is Volusion's free mobile store offering to all merchants
using our ecommerce software.

Where is m-commerce now?

The simple answer? Mostly everywhere. With the boom in

smartphone and tablet ownership, m-commerce has followed suit. In
2012, m-commerce sales in the U.S. hit $24.66 billion, which was an
81% increase from $13.63 billion in 2011. More impressively, looking
at the 2012 holiday season alone, mobile visitors accounted for a third
of holiday ecommerce traffic.

And you can't look at m-commerce today without addressing

"showrooming." If you haven't heard of the term, showrooming is
when a customer goes into a brick-and-mortar store to check out a
product, then instead of purchasing it at that store, finds that same
product online and buys it for a cheaper price. The rise of m-
commerce has spurred showrooming to grow as well, with 134% more
shoppers showrooming during the 2012 holiday season than in 2011.

What is the future of m-commerce?

The most prominent m-commerce trend is its own growth. According

to Forrester, annual m-commerce sales are predicted to quadruple to
$31 billion in the next five years. In 2012, some ecommerce sites (like
Amazon) saw remarkable growth, while most businesses experienced
only limited m-commerce success. However, one thing they all have in
common is that they now universally recognize m-commerce as an
important way toenhance their brand, increase their sales and keep
up with competitors. In short, the future of m-commerce is bright, and
looks like it's getting even brighter.

Another trend in m-commerce is that customers desire more

information on mobile websites. Studies show that 80% of
smartphone users want more product information when shopping on
their mobile devices. A large part of m-commerce's appeal may be
convenience, but if that convenience comes at the sacrifice of
information, customers will be sure to look elsewhere. The larger trend
here is that ultimately, businesses are in uncharted waters when it
comes to their mobile offerings, they're still finding out what works and
what doesn't.

The last big trend, by far, is the rise of tablet commerce. Much of it
has to do with the nature of tablets themselves. With their larger
screens and portability, tablets make it easier to navigate mobile
ecommerce websites. These features make it no surprise that 55% of
tablet owners use their tablets for online shopping, whereas only 28%
of smartphone owners shop on that device. Furthermore, tablets in
general are growing in popularity. Studies showed that in 2012, about
29% of adults owned a tablet, compared to 13% in 2011. These
factors combined have led people to envision a bright future for tablet
commerce. According to eMarketer, tablets commerce is predicted to
reach $24 billion in 2013 and make up for more than 9% of all online
sales.

With all its growing clout, m-commerce is the rising star of the
ecommerce world. By understanding it and keeping tabs on where it's
going, business owners put themselves in the best position to take
advantage of all m-commerce has to offer.