Month: July 2020

evolution of coins

COINS OF INDIA

Coins are pieces of metal that have been assigned a value and stamped with a designed approved by the governing authority. Coins are legal tender. The history of coins of India has evolved over time. Buying and selling began with cowrie shells and beads being used as money. This use of commodity money paved the way for the barter system. Coins evolved from the problems associated with the barter system. Precious metals were shaped and then struck with designs and marks so that they could be used as legal tender or coins in India. For convenience, they have been categorised into ancient , medival, coloniel coins.

The earliest coins of India were silver punch-marked ones. They were struck with individual punches bearing a design and were circulated in the Janapadas. Each Janapada had its own combination of punches. One of the peculiar punch mark coins is that of gandhara janpada. These coins were elongated and punched on each end with the six-armed symbol. Gold, copper, lead and billon coins soon came into circulation.

Coins tell a lot about the ruler who issued them. They speak of events that took place; they tell us the name of the ruler; some coins even tell us which year he ruled in. The designs are aesthetic. Coin in India depict the king, gods, goddesses, and other motifs while medieval ones issued by kings in North India bear inscriptions in Arabic or Persian and the ones in South India depict beautiful motifs coupled with legends.

During the British rule in India, currency slowly, but steadily shifted from precious metals to token currency. Coins of British India were minted in brass, bronze, aluminium, stainless steel, and other metals which were not deemed precious. The coins that we use today in India have a fascinating history. Mintage World is the perfect place to uncover it and learn something new.

COINS OF MODERN INDIA

Though India became independent on 15th August 1947, until 1950, when the constitution was formed, old British coins were still in use as frozen currency. The first Rupee coin of Republic of India was minted in 1950. Other denominations of coins of modern India were also produced like the 1/2 Re, 1/4 Re, 2 Anna, 1 Anna, 1/2 Anna & 1 Pice coins which are also referred as Anna series or pre-decimal coinage. In 1957, India shifted to the decimal system, but for a short period both decimal and non-decimal coins were in circulation.

To differentiate between the 2 pice, the modern India coins minted between 1957 and 1964 have the legend “Naya Paisa” (“new” paisa). The denominations in circulation were 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50 (naya) paise and one rupee which remained as the same pre-decimal value.

The word “naya” was dropped in 1964. In this year a new denomination of 3 paise was introduced and in 1968 a 20 paise coin, both of which did not gain much popularity. Gradually in the 1970s, 1, 2 and 3 paise coins were phased out. An experimental set of 2 rupee coins were minted in 1982 to replace 2 Rs. Notes, which was not minted again until 1990.

In 1988 stainless steel modern India coins of 10, 25 and 50 paise, were introduced and in 1992 a new rupee stainless steel coin was minted which was much lighter than its earlier version. In the same year 5 Rupees Cupronickel coin was introduced and the most recent denomination of modern Indian coinage was the 10 Rupees coin which was minted for the first time in 2005.

As a mark of respect special coins were minted in memory of important events or personalities and these are referred to as commemorative Indian coins. Some of commemorative coins include coins depicting Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Rajiv Gandhi, Dnyaneshwar, 1982–Asian Games, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sri Aurobindo, Chittaranjan Das, Chhatrapati Shivaji and logo of 2010-Commonwealth Games.

DOWRY; the dark side of Indian marriages

Marriage in India is steeped in traditions and deep-rooted cultural beliefs. Practices are passed down by word of mouth and in some cases, re-interpreted to align with the changing times. There is, however, one custom that stubbornly resists change: the dowry system.

In India, it has its roots in medieval times when a gift in cash or kind was given to a bride by her family to maintain her independence after marriage. During the colonial period, it became the only legal way to get married, with the British making the practice of dowry mandatory. The trend in present India, with its booming economy, is now encouraging ever-higher bride prices among all socioeconomic strata. But the rising bride price has brought with it an increase in violence against women.

Dowry violence is usually perpetrated by the husband or the in-laws in a bid to extract a higher dowry from the bride’s family. The dowry price paid at the time of marriage may be significant, but the greed of husbands and in-laws can grow after marriage. This frequently translates into physical, mental or sexual violence against the bride. The violence ranges from slashing genitalia or breasts with razors to burning her alive by pouring kerosene on her. In some cases, women are driven to suicide.

Although seeking a dowry has been outlawed in India since 1961, the ban has been a challenge to enforce. An amendment to the law in 1986 mandated that any death or violence within the first seven years of marriage would be tried as related to dowry. The reality is that most cases of dowry violence go unreported.

Even today, over 90% of marriages are “arranged” by the parents of the couple, as has been the case historically. However, the fraction of marriages in which members of the couple have some say over who their partner is has doubled from around 20% in 1960 to 40% by 2005. Marriages are concentrated within small geographical areas. 80% of brides marry grooms who reside within the same district, and the average travel time between the houses of brides and grooms is approximately three hours. As has been the case historically, 95% of marriages are between individuals of the same jati (sub-caste group). The rate of inter-caste marriage in rural areas is approximately the same now as it was in 1950, while in urban areas it has only increased by around 2 percentage points. 

The blowout of the dowry system forced the government to take action in the middle of the last century, introducing the Anti-Dowry Act in 1961 which outlawed the giving and receiving of dowries. After its introduction, the act received little support and was not strongly enforced, leading to a rampant and thriving illegal market for dowries.

It wasn’t until later in the twentieth century, when women’s rights groups were campaigning strongly against dowries and former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi organized the marriage of her son without accepting a dowry from the bride’s parents, that the public took notice, leading to an amendment of the Anti-Dowry Act in 1989 and public enforcement of the law. Among other initiatives, the government established an all-female police taskforce in 1992, set up with the sole purpose of investigating dowry dispute-related abuse or deaths. There are now more than 300 of these police taskforces across the country

opeing of DEMAT account

A Demat account (short for Dematerialized account) is an account to hold financial securities (equity or debt) in electronic form. In India, Demat accounts are maintained by two depository organisations, National Securities Depository Limited and Central Depository Services Limited. A depositoty participants , such as a bank, acts as an intermediary between the investor and the depository.

The Demat account number is quoted for all transactions to enable electronic settlements of trades to take place. Access to the Dematerialized account requires an internet password and a transaction password. Transfers or purchases of securities can then be initiated. Purchases and sales of securities on the Dematerialized account are automatically made once transactions are confirmed and completed.

process:

Every news on the rise or fall in stock market arouses the interest of many. And the first step to take the plunge is to open a Demat Account.

A Demat Account is the medium through which one can hold stock market shares & other securities like Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), bonds, government securities, mutual fund units and exchange traded fund (ETFs).  A Demat Account not only assures security of all such financial investments, but also facilitates ease of their handling & maintenance.

How to open a Demat Account:

  • Decide on a Depository Participant (DP), which is any authorized bank, financial institution or broker, with who you want to open a Demat Account with. The choice of a DP should ideally depend on the brokerage charges, annual charges &leverage provided.
  • Submit a duly filled account opening form and KYC form. Along with this, you will need to attach copies of –
  • PAN Card
  • Residence Proof
  • ID Proof
  • Passport-sized photographs

Do carry original copies of all for verification purposes. You will also need to give a cancelled cheque for dividend bank details.

  • You will then need to sign an agreement that will mention all the rules, regulations and rights associated with holding a Demat Account. Read them carefully and do not hesitate to clear all your doubts. When this is submitted to the DP, it will be signed by an authorized person and a copy of the same will be given to you.
  • When the account is opened, you will receive a unique Client ID from the DP. This, along with other details, will help you get access to your Demat Account online.
  • You will also be given instruction slips by the DP, which will be of use for depository services like transfer, purchase, etc.

Note that a Demat Account does not require any ‘minimum balance’ of shares or financial securities to be held in it. Also, you can hold more than one demat accounts linked to a single PAN. However, not with the same DP.

How to open a Demat Account online:

A request to open a Demat Account with any DP can be applied for online as well.

  • Visit your chosen DP’s website
  • Click on ‘open demat account tab and submit the following details
  • Name
  • Email ID
  • Mobile Number
  • One-time password (OTP) that you will receive
  • City
  • You will receive communication from the DP to get in touch with you for completing the above mentioned formalities and opening a Demat Account

DematAccount details

Your demat service provider needs to give you the following details:

  • DP ID
  • Beneficiary ID or Demat Account number
  • Power of Attorney (POA) number

These are especially helpful if you want to apply for an initial public offer (IPO).

Initial Public Offers in India

Initial Public Offer (IPO) is a process through which an unlisted Company can be listed on the stock exchange by offering its securities to the public in the primary market. The objective of an IPO may be relating to expansion of existing activities of the Company or setting up of new projects or any other object as may be specified by the Company in its offer document or just to get its existing equity shares listed by diluting the stake of existing equity shareholders through offer for sale.   

The companies going public raises funds through IPO’s for working capital, debt repayment, acquisitions, and a host of other uses. When a firm proposes a public issue or IPO, it offers forms for submission to be filled by the shareholders. Public shares can be bought for a limited period only and as per the law, any IPO should be traded openly only for minimum 3 days and maximum 21 days.   

Some major benefits accruing to the firms going for an IPO are as under :  

• Public placement of shares on a stock exchange allows the company to attract capital to fund both organic growth (modernization and upgrade of production facilities, implementation of capital-intensive projects) and acquisitive expansion. If retained earnings and debt funding are insufficient, IPO becomes one of the most realistic and convenient ways to secure the continuing growth of the business. It provides access to a massive, timeless pool of capital and boosts the investment credibility of the business.

• Formation of a public market for the company’s shares at fair price creates liquidity and provides an opportunity to sell the shares promptly with minimal transactional costs. The private owners of the company can dispose of their stakes in the business both during an IPO (this route is often taken by the minority financial investors such as venture or private capital funds) and at a later stage (this is often preferred by the majority shareholders).

• Normally, an IPO is an offer to a large number of institutional and retail investors to become shareholders of the company. The very multitude of large investors and their confidence in the liquidity of their investment in a public entity assure the current owners of a private company about achieving the maximum possible valuation of the business at the time of an IPO or afterwards.

• Listing on a recognized stock exchange means that the business will receive wide media coverage, usually a very favorable one, thus increasing the company’s visibility and recognition of its products and services. The company’s activities will also be reflected in the reports by professional financial analysts. Such public profile supports liquidity of the shares and contributes to the expansion of the business contacts. It also helps to increase confidence among the company’s business partners.

• A company having low-transparency businesses with an inadequate financial reporting after listing on a recognized stock exchange becomes a desirable and reliable partner. Banks are often ready to extend loans to public companies in larger amounts, under smaller collateral, for longer maturities and with lower interest rates. Even the largest and most prestigious banking institutions are keen to work with public companies – whose transparency and corporate governance serve as additional factors of confidence for banks and other suppliers of credit. Partners and contractors of a public company feel more confident about its financial state and organizational capabilities as compared to those of a non-transparent private business.

• Publicly available information about the share price of a public company allows development of employee motivation schemes based on partial remuneration of staff in the form of participation in the equity capital (for example, ESOP –Employee Stock Option Plan). Equity-based incentive schemes stimulate the key personnel to become more efficient in their work in order to support the company’s growth rates and profitable development, which in turn increase the operational and financial efficiency of the company and its market value.

• Conduct of various due diligences during the IPO process requires a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the company’s business model. During the IPO implementation process, certain internal changes take place, including modification of the organizational structure; selection of the key personnel and delegation of responsibilities; improvement of internal reporting and controls; as well as critical evaluation of the efficiency of the entire business. Normally, such extensive internal efforts result in significant improvements of the communication system, management and controls; they also help eliminate any previously hidden shortcomings in the internal functioning of the business.  

However, before launching its IPOs, a company must disclose all the relevant information to the public and its prospective investors. For that matter, company making a public issue of securities has to file a Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India, or SEBI through an eligible merchant banker prior to the filing of prospectus with the Registrar of Companies (RoCs). The issuer company engages a Sebi registered merchant banker to prepare the offer document. Besides due diligence in preparing the offer document, the merchant banker is also responsible for ensuring legal compliance. The merchant banker facilitates the issue in reaching the prospective investors by marketing the same. The Indian regulatory framework is based on a disclosure regime. SEBI reviews the draft offer document and may issue observations with a view to ensure that adequate disclosures are made by the issuer company/merchant bankers in the offer document to enable investors to make an informed investment decision in the issue.   

DRHP provides all the necessary information an investor ought to know about the company in order to make an informed decision. It contains details about the company, its promoters, the project, financial details, objects of raising the money, terms of the issue, risks involved with investing, use of proceeds from the offering, among others. However, the document does not provide information about the price or size of the offering.  

Generally, the stock of any fundamentally sound company would go up after being listed in an exchange. Hence, as far as investors particularly retail ones are concerned, the IPO is the only place where they can get the stock at the lowest possible price. Hence if they buy stocks in an IPO, they can sell it off at a higher price and make a profit.

However, there are certain factors which need to be taken into consideration before applying for Initial Public Offerings in India. They are :  

• Promoters, their reliability and past records

• Firm producing or facilitating services

• Product offered by the firm and its potential

• Whether the firm has entered into a collaboration with technological firm

• Status of the associates

• Historical record of the firm providing the Initial Public Offerings

• Project value and various techniques of sponsoring the plan

• Productivity estimates of the project

• Risk aspects engaged in the execution of the plan

• Authority that has reviewed the plan  

Thus, IPO is an opportunity for the company as well as the investors looking for long term capital and investments. But, less than 5% of India’s household savings of around $ 300 billion are invested in stocks and mutual funds, according to India’s central bank, depriving companies of a huge pool of potential funding for investments. Indians have typically preferred to put their money in gold jewelry and real estate. Some investors moved into stocks after markets began to boom in 2005, but a collapse in prices after 2008, allegations of wrongdoing and a number of IPOs that fell sharply after listing have turned many investors off. Moreover, Individual investors remain wary of equities. India’s benchmark Sensex gained 26% in 2012, but remains near where it traded at the end of 2007, leaving many investors without gains. Indian Capital Market had traded a long way but it needs more extended participation by the investors to make stock exchange a investment trading platform rather than a speculation platform.

nepotism: an unwanted tradition

Nepotism exists in Bollywood from decades but at that time there was nothing wrong as it was not brutal. The biggest reason of Nepotism currently is the huge flow of money as Bollywood movies are watched globally. It was during the Raj Kapoor era too but during that time it was on concentrating on one’s personal skills, hard work and the banner acted as the support. Today, the main ventilators for these called actors are the flag bearers who are in so much power that they can influence decisions.

If you see the case of Mahesh Bhatt, he gave some wonderful films like Saaransh, Naam, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin (yes, he was also promoting Pooja Bhatt). He even roped in new comers like Anupam Kher in Saraansh and Rahul Roy-Anu Agarwal in Aashiqui., worked with Jugal Hansraj in Papa Kehte Hai, launched Mayuri Kango but later launching Emran Hashmi and making films not for cinematic glory but just to earn money. Dharmendra launched Sunny, Bobby and there is nothing wrong in it but he never used his influence or sidelined any actor from a Raj Kumar Santoshi film to take his son. If he would have done that Abhay Deol would also be in star list as he is talented. After 2000 film industry gained a huge corporate structure and started churning out loads of money globally certain production houses attained tremendous power and they started using it to churn out more money.

If Karan is launching someone, he is not doing it for charity. He is getting something in favor. These people are running an industry within themselves. The so called star kids are also keen to enter Bollywood because they know that by doing so they can achieve name and fame globally as the launch pad and the backing is present and even if they fail they will get more chances due to their background which does not happens with outsiders. It’s just like launching a new product in the market. If the agency has a great hold they will be easily doing it.

Today it is dangerous because these flag bearers don’t want anyone else to be in the race. They launch their relatives and backstab the talented ones.

The biggest example is that if SSR and Ranveer both were in contract, how can Ranveer be released for a Bhansali film. He too should have been blocked if you go as per the contract. He was not interested in small projects for a launch and who knows may have paid for getting the contract. Even the casting directors are paid in cash or kind and they too do favor to forward the profile of actors. If an actor refuses such big banners, even if a director refuses to make a film with a star kid and goes on with some talented actor, he will have to face a hell of problems. He will find it difficult to find financers, distributors, less availability of screens, find it hard to sell the music of his film. In one way as the underworld’s money was invested in 90’s they got the power and they misused it. In the same way these banners who hold more than 50 percent of the entertainment industry chain are misusing their powers.

Star kids will always get a slight preference as they are already backed up with the many different aspects of film making. Either they have to balance it out so that no one suffers or some small production houses should churn out movies with talented actors thereby creating a competition for the flag bearers.

Dharma Productions first hit film was Dostana which starred Amitabh and it took years to set up the banner. After a string of flops the banner gained heights after KKHH and with the huge global reach suddenly the numbers changed. Big production houses businesses are interlinked with each other and together can influence decisions, sideline people. Music Companies are also a silent flag bearer as Bollywood films largely depend on music.

If you call the offices of these banners and talk that you have a concept the answer you get is that we have our own team who looks after writing. So how will you get new talent and good stuff? Film industry should be for all who are talented. Talent should be the first priority; otherwise you will just be delivering crap. However these are my personal views as far I know Bollywood. It is not to favor anyone or to hurt the sentiments of anyone. Be it Bollywood or any other sector the selection criteria should be based on only one word and that is TALENT.

Understanding Service Tax in India

Service tax was a tax levied by the Central Government of India on services provided or agreed to be provided excluding services covered under negative list and considering the Place of Provision of Services Rules, 2012 and collected as per Point of Taxation Rules, 2011 from the person liable to pay service tax. Person liable to pay service tax is governed by Service Tax Rules, 1994 he may be service provider or service receiver or any other person made so liable. It is an indirect tax wherein the service provider collects the tax on services from service receiver and pays the same to government of India. Few services are presently exempt in public interest via Mega Exemption Notification 25/2012-ST as amended up to date and few services are charged service tax at abated rate as per Notification No. 26/2012-ST as amended up to date. Presently from 1 June 2016, service tax rate has been increased to consolidated rate at 14% +0.5%+0.5%= 15% of value of services provided or to be provided. The service tax rate now is consolidated rate as education cess and secondary higher education cess are subsumed with 2% of “Swach Bharat Cess (0.50%)” has been notified by the Government.

Service tax in India was introduced in 1994-95 to correct the asymmetric treatment of goods and services in the tax framework and to widen the tax net. Need to introduce service tax was felt due to the fact that service sector contributed to around half of GDP but it wasn’t taxed. The numbers of services liable for taxation were gradually raised from 3 in 1994-95 to virtually all service in budget 2012-13 except for the services enlisted in the negative list. The negative list includes the services by Government or a local authority, services by the Reserve Bank of India, Services by a foreign diplomatic mission located in India, services relating to agriculture, Service of transportation of passengers, Funeral, burial, crematorium or mortuary services etc.   

In the last eight odd years, after a modest beginning, service tax had become one of the most important sources of government revenue. Budget 2012-13 increased the service tax rate from 10 percent to 12 percent. Already, a cess is imposed on all indirect taxes including service tax to finance secondary and higher education. In 2011-12, Rs 95,000 crores are expected to mop up through service tax and for 2012-13, target is to collect as much as Rs.1.24 Lakh crores. The increase in service tax is opposed by different section of the business community.     

At present, service sector contributes more than 55 percent of GDP and its share is likely to increase in future as it is poised to grow between 8-10 percent in next decade along with the reduced share of primary sector. This offers tremendous revenue potential to the Government. It is expected that in due course, service tax would reduce the tax burden on international trade (Customs duty) and domestic manufacturing sector (Excise duty). So a planned growth of service tax would be commensurate with the goals of economic liberalization and globalization. This process requires levy of taxes on new services without substantial rise in the rate or cost of collection.The service tax promises many opportunities as well as challenges to realize the opportunities. For instance, increased revenue through service tax will help in bridging the fiscal deficit, finance the social services, reduce the burden on commodity taxes etc.  

The challenges include providing more simplified tax administration in the country which will reduce the tax evasion. Further, department should intensify the field survey operations to ensure that all taxable service assessees are brought into the tax net and service tax due from them are collected without hitch. While the basic tenet of voluntary compliance of service tax law has to be adhered to, the habitual evaders of service tax must be booked for appropriate action under the law. Effective use of Audit and Anti-evasion tools for ensuring the compliance on the part of the assessee and curbing the instances of irregularities and tax evasion are the need of hour. Greater emphasis should be laid on training the staff in Information Technology skills necessary to carry out effective, systematic and result oriented analysis of data available in the system, to achieve the target. Electronic Tax Administration (ETA) system for service tax should be effectively implemented so that service tax could be administered as a pioneer e-tax of the country. Adequate staff must be deployed along with suitable infrastructure and conveyance to implement service tax law effectively.  

In future, service tax will be integrated with commodity taxes to give rise to the Goods and Service Tax (GST). The proposed Goods and Service Tax is the part of the tax reforms that centre around evolving an efficient and harmonized consumption tax system in the country. Presently, there are parallel systems of indirect taxation at the Central and State level. The existing service tax system poses an imminent challenge to reform its synergies to eventually harmonize itself in the GST regime. Successful integration of goods and service tax would give India a world-class tax system and will bring in improved tax collection. In a way, it will boost our economy and enable us to compete at the global front.    

As a result, our system will eventually match the international standard in the sphere of indirect taxation.  It will also end the long standing distortions of differential treatments to the manufacturing and service sectors. GST would be a single comprehensive indirect tax to be levied on goods and services. It would be levied at every production and distribution chain with the eligibility to claim indirect taxes paid on procurement chain. Under the current regime, there is a fractured credit mechanism where businesses don’t get credit for all the taxes they pay. The effort to prepare for a smooth integration with the GST without any hardship to public is a big challenge, which needs to be handled at the field as well policy level. GST is the future of all indirect taxes in India for which a consensus is needed between the central and state governments. It was supposed to be implemented from 1 April 2010 but is postponed every year due to lack of consensus. The delay in the implementation is causing loss to the tune of thousands of crores every year which could have gained in by increased efficiency. The central government should come forward with some form of incentive driven plan to bring the GST regime in the country which poised to put the fiscal administration of the country at higher level.

BOMBAY HC SEEKS STATE’S RESPONSE BASED ON THE PLEA AGAINST BAN OF 65 YEARS + MEMBERS ON FILM SETS

The Bombay High Court on Friday has seen that the state’s restriction on cast and group individuals over 65 years old from going to film sets during the Covid-19 pandemic is prejudicial.

The bench of Justice SJ Kathawalla and Riyaz Chagla was hearing a request recorded by 70-year-old on-screen actor Pramod Pandey, testing the rules given by the Maharashtra government on May 30, as per which no cast or crew member over the age of 65 years is permitted at film and TV sets.

The bench has guided the state government to document a sworn statement clarifying the “information, insights, or reports” for giving the prohibitory requests.

Pandey contended that he was truly fit, however the state was limiting him from working based on his age.

The legal advisor showing up for the state government, presented that the rules given by the state government was not biased, on the grounds that there were similar rules given by the Central and state governments which limited older individuals from venturing out aside from under excellent conditions.

The seat at that point questioned the state whether it had forced similar limitations on old individuals from continuing other professional work to which the state counsel said that they had not. Accordingly, government counsel Poornima Kantharia said that the rules permit castings to be done distantly by means of Facetime, Zoom, Skype and so on.

Yet, Justice Kathawalla stated: “The educated advocate for the state must be reminded that the on-screen characters performing little jobs are required to go to the studios and request for work to empower them to have their two suppers and no maker or chief is going to shoot their job by means of Facetime, Zoom, Skype and so forth.” The seat at that point requested the Maharashtra government to record a testimony expressing how a truly fit individual over the age of 65 years is told to live an “honorable life” in the event that he isn’t allowed to go out to earn a livelihood.

The court requested that the state explain whether any information/reports/measurements were thought about before giving rules prohibiting cast and crew over 65 years old from going to shoots. It likewise requested that the state set out in its sworn statement whether a similar age limit has been made appropriate to people going by public transport, to private employers and their staff, and to people permitted to go to marriage functions or funerals.

On Tuesday the Court had asked the state how a genuinely fit individual, over 65 years old, was expected to carry on with a noble life on the off chance that he was not permitted to go out and work for a living.

The Maharashtra government began its “Mission Begin Again” program from June 1, with an end goal to launch the slowed down economy activities. It permitted conveyance of unimportant merchandise, transport administrations, activity of workplaces with constrained staff quality and opening of all shops aside from those selling liquor items, among different measures.

PATRIARCHY

                              

A society since ages dominated and narrated by men of the society can also be regarded as a Patriarchy. Hundreds of years ago females were not even considered eligible for voting and education too because of the belief that society and home can be run by mans only. Over the centuries we had seen the one roofed rule of males and not letting women do anything what males used to do. There’s a system that works accordingly with respect to males only in order to maintain the tradition.

A Father is believed to earn and feed their family with quality life. A father is expected to lead from the front and females to just stay at homes which compared to today’s world was a lot more worse. Society had also themselves set the definition of what it really means to be a man or women because of the barriers that are being set for both men and women but the barriers for women are much higher than those compared with men. Over the centuries there had been expectations for people to behave as per their gender otherwise there are whole lot of repucussions to it because being a man is not any compliment in the society but it’s a burden on a person because its not necessary that every man will behave as per the guidelines set by the society which questions about the masculanity of a man which directly indicates it as an insult to a man. Patriarchy is strictly followed throughout the world which shows the obsession towards it because handling the power only by one gender has been the ever since torture to the females. There’s a competition in the world full of patriarchy on how to become more of a man because the society teaches you that if you earn for the family  and do all the works outside of home  then you are considered to be a man because leading the house is only a man’s job and not a women’s . There’s a web which has stuck everyone into it and only one side is enjoying the party.

There are rules for males to follow like he is suitable for joining armed forces or suitable for 9-5 job with that he needs to be emotionally strong and stable because he cant cry or else he’s not a man and women are considered to be weak and emotional and cannot join services like armed forces because they are made to work in home only and growing up the kids. The stereotypes are such of high standards that in a film a dialogue is written ki Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, now after listening to this the masculinity goes on top of the sky feeling that they are ultimate because nothing can hurt them and they are strong but no one except some people saw the other side of the story because many ones never wanted to. The other side of the story is that men cry, they do get hurt, they do feel things but the society never allowed them open up because it does not come under the definition of a man.

One more theory in today’s world also which never changed over the period of decades is that men are more eligible than women because if you see a graph of payment in every field then you will find that men are paid more than that of women because indirectly it’s the effect of patriarchal society.

Also women is not termed as eligible for a leadership role or they are restricted one limited role because in a patriarchal society the oppression of women is emphasized by this it means that they are pushed down or they are being restricted. Because all eyes are always on men like how do they progress and how do they help society in moving forward, all and all it is seen that they are seen as the developer of the society.       

The black-and-white challenge

If you use social media specially Instagram, you might be aware about “the black-and-white” challenge. It has been almost a week since this challenge started, in this women post a black and white picture of themselves with the hashtag “challengeaccepted” or “womensupportingwomen” and nominating other womens to do the same. Many women took part in this including various celebrities. The hashtag “challengeaccepted” has been used for more than 5M times on Instagram.

This challenge has several theories. The earliest photo was by Ana Paula Padrao, a Brazilian jouranlist, she posted a photo on Instagram with the hashtag “women supporting women”. Later it was found that this challenge is connected to the Turkish femicide, hundreds and thousands of women are killed across the country.

Turkey has a history of domestic violence against women. The murder rate of women between 2002-2009 had a rapid increase of 1,400 percent. Women are treated brutally in Turkey and are considered inferior. Recently, in Turkey, a 27-year-old student Pinar Gultekin was murdered by her former husband. The woman was strangled and beaten to death by the man. Afterwards he tried burning her corpse, when he failed he threw the body in a dumpster and filled it with concrete. Later, the police said that this act was out of jealousy.

Although some say that this did not originate from Turkey, it originated from US.Wherever it originated from, it doesn’t take away the idea and motive behind this. Many celebrities have taken part in this such as Eliza Jane, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox ,Sonal Devraj, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif etc. The photos are accompanied by a caption about women empowerment and respect for women.

There are many criticizers of this challenge. They have used Twitter to criticize it, saying that posting a picture doesn’t solve the problem. This is not the first time the hashtag “challenge accepted” has trended. It came from time to time, different motive but same idea, i.e. to spread awareness. This challenge is all over the internet, let’s see how far it goes.

Ayush Minister launches dedicated Web-Portal for National AYUSH Mission

Ayush Minister  Shripad Yesso Naik today reviewed the centrally- sponsored scheme of National Ayush Mission and operationalization of AYUSH Health and Wellness Centers during a webinar of Health and Ayush Ministers of all states.

Addressing the webinar, Mr Naik requested Health and Ayush Ministers to give due focus to the early establishment and operationalization of AYUSH Health and Wellness Centers to strengthen the primary Healthcare delivery system in real-terms and to extend the AYUSH health care to the needy. He emphasized the need to speed up the pace of work sanctioned under National AYUSH Mission and AYUSH Health and Wellness Centers, so that the benefit may reach to the common people.

In the webinar, 15 Health/AYUSH Ministers shared their views on Operationalization of AYUSH Health & Wellness Centers and progress and implementation of National AYUSH Mission in their respective states and Union Territories. On this occasion, Mr Naik launched a dedicated Web-Portal for National AYUSH Mission for submission of  State Annual Action Plans, Utilization Certificates, Physical and Financial Progress report, and other informations related to the Ministry. The Minister also released 4 publications including Operational Guidelines for establishment of AYUSH Health and Wellness Centers.

Phase 5 of Vande Bharat Mission to start from August 1

Phase Five of the Vande Bharat Mission is scheduled to start from the first of August. A total of 792 flights which include 692 international flights and 100 domestic flights have been scheduled under this phase to repatriate Indians from 23 countries. These include GCC countries, US, Cananda, UK, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Israel, and Kyrgyzstan.

Briefing media this evening, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, these flights would cater to 21 different airports in India and repatriate a total of one lakh thirty thousand Indians stranded abroad. A total of 8 lakh 78 thousand 921 Indian nationals have returned till yesterday so far under the Mission. Of these, one lakh 7 thousand 452 Indians have returned from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh through land borders. 

J&K govt orders fast tracking of Environment Clearance Process in minor minerals mining operations

The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered the fast tracking of Environment Clearance Process in minor minerals mining operations across the Union Territory.

The order has been issued by the Industries and Commerce Department. The order said, in view of the acute and unprecedented shortage of key material for development works and challenging Covid-19 pandemic, the Terms of Reference,ToRs, Public Consultation and Environment Clearance, till whichever stage already obtained, completed in favour of the previous allottees of the minor mineral blocks, shall be deemed to have been transferred in favour of the new allottees of e-auction process.

The order said, the new allottees shall complete the remaining elements of the EC/CTO process and shall commence mining operation only after the completion of the due procedure. The order said that it is now provided, for major minerals that, successful bidders of the mining blocks, where mining leases are expiring under the provisions of the Act, and selected through auction as per prescribed procedure shall deem to have acquired all valid rights, approvals, clearances, licenses and the like vested with the previous lessee for a period of two years.

It added that it shall be lawful for the new lessee to continue mining operations on the same land for a period of two years. The order further stated that accordingly, the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change vide Notification dated 28 March this year notified that the new lessee shall deem to acquire the valid EC vested with the previous lessee and continue mining operations on the same terms and conditions of the EC on the same lease area for a period of two years or till it obtains fresh EC, whichever is earlier.

Vice President says new National Education Policy 2020 a major step towards quality education to all children and youth

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has said that the new National Education Policy is a major step forward to enhance access to quality education to all the children and youth. In a series of tweets, Me Naidu expressed happiness that the new education policy has been approved by the government. He said, the Policy’s emphasis on mother tongue and multilingualism, for diversity and respect for the local context as well as a recognition of the importance of India’s classical languages. It will give learners a holistic world view. Mr Naidu said, the focus of education policy on ethics and human and Constitutional values will go a long way in the creation of an enlightened citizenship essential for deepening our democratic roots.

The Vice President said, the vision of new education policy is truly global and essentially Indian. It exemplifies India’s timeless quest for welcoming noble thoughts from all over the world. He said, setting up a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy is a much needed, timely step to improve the quality of education at the primary level. Mr Naidu said, the policy’s sharp focus on research, multidisciplinary approaches and use of technology as well as professional upgradation of teachers’ competence has the potential to qualitatively transform the education landscape of the country.

Bihar govt extends lockdown in urban areas till 16 of next month

Bihar government has extended the lockdown in urban  areas till 16 of next month, in wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. According to the guidelines issued by the State Home Ministry, there will be additional restrictions, in state headquarters, district headquarters, sub-divisional headquarters, block headquarters and all municipal areas in the state from August 1 to 16.

During this period, the government offices will work with 50 per cent strength. Commercial and private offices will also be opened with 50 per cent capacity. Rail and air services will remain functional. All educational institutions and religious places will remain closed. Shopping and Cinema hall will not open.

Meanwhile, the number of positive cases of Coronavirus infection patients have mounted to over 48 thousand with reporting of 2,082 new cases. 31 thousand  673 patients have recovered so far and 16 thousand 41 patients are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. Recovery  rate  is 66 percent. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhusan has instructed Bihar government to increase further testing capacity till decreasing of positive cases. 

Health Ministry says COVID-19 recoveries are nearly double the number of active cases in country

The Health Ministry has said that the COVID-19 recoveries have crossed one-million mark in the country. Briefing the media in New Delhi yesterday, the Officer of Special Duty in the Health Ministry said, the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients increased from 7.85 per cent in April to 64.44 per cent at present. 

He said, the recoveries are 1.9 times the number of active cases of COVID-19. The Health Ministry Official said, effective clinical management led to decline in COVID-19 case fatality rate from 3.33 per cent on 18th June to 2.21 percent yesterday. He said, due to enhanced testing infrastructure, on an average 4 lakh 68 thousand 263 COVID-19 tests conducted daily from 26th to 30th July.

India has achieved another landmark with more than 6 lakh tests done in 24 hours. The Health Ministry said it is continuing to implement the strategy of comprehensive testing, tracking and treatment to effectively tackle the COVID19 pandemic. It said, the objective is to raise the testing capacity to 10 lakhs tests per day in the medium term.