International Cricket Council has confirmed that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 that was postponed due to Covid-19 will be held in Australia in 2022. India will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 as planned. Cricket’s governing body has also decided to postpone the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand till February – March 2022 because of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on cricket globally.
 
The format of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will remain as it was for 2020 and all teams that qualified for that event will now participate in India in 2021. A new qualification process will be run for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. The format of the postponed ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will remain as it was for 2021. Five teams have already qualified for the event and that will stand for 2022.
 
The original global qualification event to determine the final three teams to contest the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup was scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in July 2020, but this was postponed due to COVID-19. The qualification event will now be held in 2021.
 
After ICC’s decision to postpone the T20 World Cup, BCCI decided to use the vacant window to announce the dates for the Indian Premier League. The IPL will be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10. India will be touring Australia after the completion of the IPL.

Gujarat Government has announced the new industrial policy. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced the new Policy at a press conference in Gandhinagar yesterday. He said that the new Industrial policy is divided in 15 thrust areas in core sectors and sunrise sectors. He said that in Core sectors- the thrust areas will be Electrical machinery & equipment, Industrial Machinery & equipment, Auto & Auto Components, Ceramics, Technical Textiles, Agro & Food Processing, Pharmaceuticals & Medical devices, Gems & Jewelry and Chemicals.
 
While Sunrise Sectors will have thrust areas like Industry 4.0 manufacturing, Electric Vehicle and its components, Waste management projects, Green Energy including Solar & Wind Equipment and Eco-friendly compostable material for substitutes to traditional plastics. Thrust on 100 percent export oriented units will be given irrespective of sector. AIR Ahmedabad correspondent reports that the new Industrial Policy 2020 is in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan of the center. The new policy will replace the old policy which expired on 31st December 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra, an interactive experience centre on the Swachh Bharat Mission today. A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, the Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra was first announced by the Prime Minister on 10th April 2017, on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of Gandhiji’s Champaran Satyagraha.
 
AIR Correspondent reports that the visitors will experience a unique 360 degree audio visual immersive show, which will narrate India’s Swachhata Story – a journey into the largest behaviour change campaign in the history of the world. The Swachh Bharat Mission has transformed rural sanitation in the country and has changed the behaviour of over 55 crore people from open defecation to using a toilet. The installations at Rashtriya Swachhata Kendra will introduce future generations to the successful journey of world’s largest behavioural change campaign, the Swachh Bharat Mission.
 
A balanced mix of digital and outdoor installations in the Kendra will impart information, awareness and education on Swachhata and related aspects. Prime Minister will also interact with 36 school students from Delhi, representing the 36 States and Union Territories, adhering to social distancing protocols. 

Health Ministry has asked states and UTs to take up coronavirus testing of grocery shop workers, vegetable and other vendors. It stated that if undetected, grocery workers can potentially spread the infection to a large number of people. In a letter to states and UTs, Secretary, Health Ministry, Rajesh Bhushan also stressed the need for operationalising ambulance transport system with oxygen facility and quick response mechanism. He underlined that refusal rate of ambulances must be monitored at a daily basis and brought down to zero.
 
With the COVID-19 pandemic now spreading to newer areas in the country, Mr Bhushan said there are likely to be scattered cases, cluster of cases or large outbreaks in districts. He said the primary aim is to control outbreaks especially in new locations and to save lives at all cost. He said the aim should be to further reduce mortality and ensure that it does not cross the 1 per cent mark.
 
The Secretary pointed out that early detection of cases through aggressive testing, prompt isolation or admission in a healthcare facility and ensuring proper clinical management are major components of mortality reduction. He stressed on enhanced surveillance for influenza like illness, and severe acute respiratory illness as their symptoms are mostly the same as COVID.
 
Once a positive case is identified, a prompt contact-tracing should be undertaken and at least 80 per cent of the contacts must be identified and quarantined within 72 hours. He said there can be potential hotspots for spread of infection like industrial clusters with closed work environment, people coming from high prevalence areas, other high density areas such as slums, prisons, and old age homes.
 
He also asked states and UTs to undertake weekly death audits to assess the determinants of death such as age differentials, comorbidities, late reporting to hospital and clinical protocols that were followed. This will help identify challenges to be addressed and will facilitate effective case reporting and ensure timely and required medical interventions. In the letter, Bhushan also said that a regular house-to-house search must be done periodically to identify those who are at high-risk that is the elderly, people with comorbidities and pregnant women among others.

At least 18 people, including two pilots died when an Air India Express aircraft from Dubai crashed after overshooting the runway in Kozhikode last night. 162 people have been injured. 15 of them are in serious condition. Rescue operations at the site have been completed and all injured persons have been admitted to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode. There were 191 people including 10 infants, 2 pilots and 5 cabin crew onboard the aircraft.
 
DGCA said, the Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell 35 feet from the hilltop runway after landing at Karipur Airport and broke down in two pieces. While the two pilots are among the dead, four-cabin crew members on board the aircraft are safe. It is believed that heavy rains in Kerala could be one of the reasons behind the mishap. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, two investigation teams of professionals from Air India, Airports Authority of India and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau have been rushed to Kozhikode.
 
President Ram Nath Kovind spoke to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Expressed deep distress, he said his thoughts & prayers are with affected passengers, crew members & their families. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has expressed deep anguish at the loss of  lives in the tragic air mishap at Kozhikode airport. In a tweet, Mr Naidu extended condolences to the families who lost their dear ones in the crash and hoped for the speedy recovery of the injured.
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and inquired about the situation. Expressing pain over the accident, Mr Modi said, his thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. Prime Minister also wished speedy recovery to those injured. Home Minister Amit Shah said he is distressed to learn about the tragic accident. In a tweet, he said, NDRF was instructed to reach the site and assist in rescue operations.
 
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan and BJP MP KJ Alphons also expressed deep distress over the accident. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan spoke to Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja regarding rescue and medical support for those injured in the air crash. Dr Harsh Vardhan assured her of maximum support from the centre for those who are being treated at various city hospitals.

External Affairs Ministry has issued helpline numbers. These are 1800 118 797; 91 11 23012113; 91 11 23014104; 91 11 23017905. Indian Consulate in Dubai’s helpline number is 97142079444. Helpline issued by Mallapuram district administration are 8330052468 and 04832719493.

 Assertiveness is a skill for effective communication and negotiation while respecting the thoughts and feelings of others. Assertive people are clear about their wants, needs, and boundaries to others and there remains no question to where they stand. Being assertive means being able to stand up for what is right, and to say no to something that does not pleases in a confident, calm, and respectful way which is neither too aggressive nor passive. It is an important personal and interpersonal skill as in all our interactions being assertive helps us to express ourselves in a clear, open, and reasonable way, without undermining our own or other’s rights.

An aggressive communication can ruin relationships for us because no one likes to be in the company of a person who constantly judges, argues, disagrees, and does not allow others to share their opinion. While a passive communication may lead to us feeling misunderstood or unheard and we may also feel that no one truly listens to us or value our input. However an assertive communication is way to present our thoughts and beliefs in a clear manner. Assertiveness is seen as a balance between aggressive and passive types of personalities.

Assertive behaviour includes –

• Being open in expressing wishes and encouraging others to do the same
• Listening to the views of others and responding appropriately, whether in agreement with those views or not
• Accepting responsibilities and being able to delegate to others
• Regularly expressing appreciation of others for what they have done or are doing
• Being able to admit to mistakes and apologise
• Maintaining self control
• Behaving as an equal to others

BENEFITS OF BEING ASSERTIVE

• Assertive people feel empowered to do whatever it takes to find the best solutions for their problems that they face.
• They get things done by treating people with fairness and respect and are treated by others in the same way.
• They are self assured and don’t feel threatened or upset when things don’t go as planned or as expected.
• They are able to recognize the value of their opponent’s position and can quickly find common ground with them.
• They are able to express themselves in a better and calm way which makes the communication effective.
• They are confident enough to show that they are brave enough to stand up for what the resonate with as well as are in control of what they say.
• Trust is an important part for any communication to take place and being an assertive person helps to you get their easily. 

 

 In the year 1997, Indian women celebrated a landmark judgment which was passed by the supreme court of India where they formulated the VISHAKHA GUIDELINES and made it mandatory for the institutions all over the country to take up these guidelines to prevent and redress sexual harassment at workplace. These guidelines laid the foundation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. Women in India comprise of almost 50% of the population of India and work in almost all the sectors and areas, even in those professions which were believed to be exclusively reserved for men and women never even thought to enter those.

This change was followed by a series of incidents where women were raped and harassed by men, and were subjected to a lot of physical and mental torture at the workplaces. This was a violation of the fundamental rights of the women such as art 14 i.e. right to equality, art 15and 16 which states that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of gender, caste, religion etc. and equality of opportunity respectively. Thus there was a necessity for the women to be treated properly at their workplace. The Vishakha Guidelines came into existence after the horrifying case of Bhanwari Devi, a government employee who was harassed by a group of people at her working hours.

FACTS OF THE CASE

Bhanwari Devi was a social worker in Rajasthan, who was brutally raped by a number of upper class men as she tried to stop a child marriage. She filed a complaint against those men but was not taken seriously by the policemen and it took 52 hours to file the complaint. The Rajasthan High Court acquitted all those men of rape on the context that a woman cannot be raped in front her husband and that the head of the village would never indulge in such acts. They convicted those men for the offence of assault, the degree for punishment of which is quite lesser than that of rape. In her support, many women’s groups and NGOs filed a PIL in the Supreme Court under the collective platform of Vishakha asking the court to give certain directions regarding the sexual harassment against women at the workplace. On 13^th august 1997, the Supreme Court gave the Vishakha Guidelines which included the basic definition of sexual harassment at workplace and guidelines to deal with it.

NEED FOR THESE GUIDELINES

After the Bhanwari Devi incident, many women groups protested as they demanded recognition of their rights as the citizens of India and urging the government to take necessary actions to prevent harassment of women at their workplace. At that time, the legal system of our country did not have proper legislation that would ensure the safety of the women at their workplace or provide just and fair punishment to the offenders who would indulge in the heinous crimes of rape and sexual harassment. Also there was no rule regarding the obligation of the employer to provide support and assistance to his employee who might be a victim of harassment rather they would just throw the employee out of their jobs in order to escape the liability. Thus there was a need for a new set of laws that would punish the wrongdoers and ensure the safety of the women at their workplaces.

FEATURES OF THE VISHAKHA GUIDELINES

1. Definition of sexual harassment– the guidelines issued by the supreme court widens the meaning and scope of sexual harassment and defines it as an unwanted sexual determination which is direct or implied and is intended to cause physical contact or advances, demand or request for sexual favors, sexually colored remarks, or any other unwelcome conduct whether it is physical, verbal, or non verbal.
2. Providing a safer working environment– it is the duty of each employer to provide a safe working environment for each and every employee working in the company, which involves taking measures towards protecting the interest of the women employees and ensuring that none of the employees indulge in any practice of sexual harassment.
3. Duty of the employer– the guidelines lay down that it is the obligation of the employer to file a complaint if the conduct of any of its employee amounts to a criminal offence which is punishable under the Indian Penal Code.
4. Complaint Redressal Committee– it was made mandatory for all the organization to set up a complaint redressal committee in order to ensure that the complaints of the employees are dealt properly and suitable action is taken.

 Mental health has always been an under-rated topic in India. People don’t like the idea of talking about their mental illness let alone the mental illness of others. However, it is one of the most important parts of any individual’s live because if someone suffers from a mental illness, an impact is caused on their day-to-day working. Mental illness is a health condition that affects the emotions, thinking, or behaviour of a person. It is associated with distress or problems related to the functioning in social, work, or a family set-up. Sometimes mental illnesses can run in the family and can pass on from genes to the future generations.

One such mental illness is Cyberchondria. The term was first coined in 2001in an article in the United Kingdom newspaper to describe ‘the excessive use of the internet health sites to fuel health anxiety. Cyberchondria refers to a person’s anxiety regarding their health which is created by the use of internet to search for medical information. It is believed to affect more as the use of internet among people has been increased a lot. Many people with the access to internet turn to it for their self diagnosis as a vast of amount of information is available with only a few clicks. For some the information may be true and relatable but for others it can cause severe anxiety as the information they find online can get them to worry too much.

CAUSES OF CYBERCHONDRIA

It is likely for people with pre-existing anxiety and depression to experience Cyberchondria. There is an enormous amount of information available online however it is not always true or factual. Blogs or online support groups provide information about any disease or any other topic based on other people’s experiences which may not be fit for all. Many websites prey on the fears of the people to deliberately sell them unapproved treatment and earn loads of money. New mothers may also Google about their new babies and find information that can be stressing making them prone to this disease.

These are the factors that convince people that they suffer from some disease based on the common or vague symptoms. Sometimes such symptoms can be of some normal flu but the internet and provide an exaggerated result due to which people get anxious. People who suffer from Cyberchondria are known to be hyper aware of their bodies and the misinformation can increase their anxiety which can make their symptoms worse.

COPING WITH CYBERCHONDRIA

There are some simple steps that people with Cyberchondria may use to cope up with the illness like the first being to restrict the use of internet and avoiding it to search information regarding your health problems or to only look for information from trusted sites that provide data which is scientifically and medically approved. Also it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle which includes proper sleep, regular exercise, good nutrition, and other things for good health; one can also schedule a routinely checkup with their doctor and if they face symptoms that linger on for a few days, then they should go and seek help from a doctor rather than going to internet and performing a self diagnosis as a doctor is a more reliable source than internet.

By Udbhav Bhargava

The Haryana Forest Department has employed aerial seeding technique to improve green cover in the Aravalli area of Faridabad. It is approximately 800 km in length.

WHAT IS AERIAL SEEDING?  

A technique of planting in which seed balls — seeds covered with a mixture of clay, compost, char and other components, sprayed using aerial devices, including planes, helicopters or drones. These seed balls / pellets are spread by low-flying drones in a targeted area, with the coating providing the necessary weight for seeds to airdrop at a predetermined position instead of being dissuaded by the wind. These pellets germinate when there is sufficient rain, with nutrients present in them helping in the initial growth.

ADVANTAGES

Areas that are inaccessible, have steep slopes or no forest paths, this approach can be used to target areas. The seed germination and growth process is such that after it is dispersed it requires no attention — the reason seed pellets are known as the “fire and forget” way of planting. They remove the need to plug and dig holes in the soil, and do not need to be planted as they are already surrounded by water, nutrients and microorganisms. They are also covered by the clay shell against birds, bees, and rats.

WHAT KIND OF SPECIES CAN BE DISPERSED?  

Those native to the region and hardy, with seeds of a suitable size for preparing seedballs, with a higher percentage of survival. Officials say it’s crucial the seeding timing is right. These will be dispersed in Faridabad using “seeding drones” developed by a startup that was incubated at IIT-Kanpur. It is equipped with a “precise delivery mechanism” for seeds of various sizes which drops from a height of 25 to 50 meters at predetermined intervals. A single drone can plant 20,000-30,000 seeds per day, officials said.  Areas that are inaccessible, have steep slopes or no forest paths, this approach can be used to target areas. The seed germination and growth process is such that after it is dispersed it requires no attention — the reason seed pellets are known as the “fire and forget” way of planting. The method of plantation is being implemented on 100 acres of land during the pilot phase “to test efficacy of the seed dispersal mechanism and review the success rate”. It was implemented earlier in July, in Yamunanagar and Mahendragarh. It will also give the local community work opportunities, especially women, who can prepare the seed balls. The species to be planted in the Aravalli regions include Acacia senegal (Khairi), Ziziphus mauritiana (Beri), and Holarrhena spp (Inderjo), all of which have a greater chance of survival in these areas. Officials said grass seeds “site specific” will also be added to the mix, as they serve as good soil binders.

WHAT ARE THE SURVIVAL CHANGES?

The drones scatter 5,000 seeds per hectare. In this type of plantation, the survival rate tends to be low, less than 50%. Therefore, the point of planting such a high quantity is that we will have 1,000 trees, even though the survival rate is 20 percent.

By Udbhav Bhargava

Covid-19 is nothing short of a pivotal point for Indian fintech industry. The fear of contracting the virus forced people to take contactless payment methods, which led to the soaring digital transactions

WHAT ARE FINTECH COMPANIES?  

Financial Technology (FinTech) defines the emerging intersection of finance and technology services. So Financial Technology (Fintech) is used to describe new tech that seeks to enhance and automate financial services delivery and utilization.

Payment apps have seen the number of new users and merchants on their sites grow. In the past three months, Unified Payments System (UPI), Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) transactions were also shooting through the roof.

HOW MUCH IS THE GROWTH IN DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS?  

According to data from India’s National Payments Corporation (NPCI), the sum transacted via UPI in July 2020 was around 2,90,537.86 crores, the highest transaction volume ever, the most since the interface was launched was 149.73 crores. The sum transacted through BHIM was approximately 6,395.75 crores, the most since this year in February. In July, IMPS recorded the highest record of transactions amounting to some 2,25,775.24 crores. The volume of card and mobile payments at Rs 10.57 lakh crore surpassed ATM withdrawals in the fourth quarter of 2019, which amounted to Rs 9.12 lakh crore for the first time

WHAT IT INDICATES?  

Those figures suggest that digital payments are gradually beginning to make Indian consumers more relaxed. Last year investments in the fintech industry soared. With this increased acceptance and preference over the past three months for contactless payment methods, one would think that fintech funding would reach new heights as well. BUT, contrary to expectations, the funding that went into the fintech start-up space in Q2 2020 was the lowest in the past nine quarters — in the April-June quarter of this year only $184 million was invested. Fintech start-up investments.

REASON FOR DECLINE  

The NBFC sector is witnessing several liquidity constraints, overall credit disbursements, some of which were also affected by those facilitated by fintech companies. Payment fintech is a competitive segment; it operates on thin margins and is under relentless strain. Unlike most industries, VCs have opted to wait to see how companies are weathering the COVID storm like (in) fintech (space). The COVID scenario is altogether a new experience for the Indian FinTech segment.

The telangana state government is planning to conduct entrance exams for engineering, tomorrow i.e.,08-08-2020 is planning to conduct event with education minister regarding conducting of exams

The state government has agreed with the decision of exams only after high court order which is going to be held on Monday

The academic year is going to start from 15 th October after entrance exams