Day: April 16, 2021

Hobbies for students

Photo by Julia Larson on Pexels.com

Good time-management is critical for students pursuing their undergraduate degrees. When you consider the number of tasks that students need to face on a day-to-day basis, knowing how to manage time and maintain balance between study and personal activities is indeed crucial.

As a student, you know how important it is to have a hobby and to know how to spend your leisure time properly. Being able to unwind and refresh can really help you become a better student. Some hobbies even let you pick up new skills and train the mind, all while allowing you to have fun.

There are some great hobbies to get into. When you have a limited amount of free time to use, these next several hobbies are definitely worth trying.

1. Sports

Sports and exercising in general are great for the body and the mind. The routine exercises you do help you stay sharp and enhance your stamina; these two benefits are crucial for students who spend the majority of their time dealing with assignments and keeping up with course materials.

You don’t have to get into a particularly complex sport to enjoy these benefits. Simple things like taking a 30-minute run in the morning or spending the afternoon enjoying a nice walk are often more than enough to calm the mind down.

Routine exercises also let you maintain a healthier and more balanced life in general. You can sleep better at night, which means the body will regenerate at its optimum rate. Don’t be surprised to find yourself full of energy after a week or two of regular exercise.

2. Gaming

Gaming is another hobby that is easy to get into. You don’t need a particularly powerful computer to enjoy some AAA titles these days; plus, there are many game consoles for affordable prices nowadays. On top of that, we now have web-based games and mobile gaming titles just a few taps away.

One thing to note about taking up gaming as a hobby is how it can also turn into a source of income. MMORPG titles can lead to serious esports events, while online casino games let you win real cash prizes on the spot. The experience can be very rewarding when approached correctly.

3. Reading

I know reading seems like the last hobby you want to get into as a student. After all, you already have thick books and lots of course material to get through. However, there is something soothing about switching from non-fiction books to some of the best fiction titles on the market.

As with the previous two ideas, reading is an easy hobby to get into. You can simply pick up a book that you want to read, find a quiet place or a comfy coffee shop somewhere, and let your mind roam free with every word you read.

There is also the Amazon Kindle and thousands of digital books you can now bring with you anywhere. Kindle makes reading a lot easier and more affordable. The device itself may seem costly, but you spend less on digital books and you can save a lot in the long run.

4. Community Service

Giving back to the community is another fantastic hobby to try. It is certainly a fun thing to do when you consider the smiles you see in return for your help. Helping others is a great way to help yourself and you will feel so much better — and more centered — after each community activity.

There are a lot of activities to try too. You can find shelters to help, collect donations, run your own charity event with friends and get involved in other community development programs. Some universities and courses will also take these activities into account when reviewing your performance as a student.

5. Traveling

Traveling may not seem like an easy hobby to get into, especially when you are already busy with school assignments. That said, you don’t have to spend a lot of time (or money) to enjoy the best travel experience possible.

Taking a road trip with friends to a nearby destination, doing an urban exploration of your city, or simply going on a culinary adventure and sampling new restaurants are all simple ways to have that joy of traveling.

6. Content Creation

Have you noticed how some of the best YouTubers and Instagrammers are young students? Content creation is turning into a hobby that many enjoy, and it can be the perfect hobby for you too. Using your smartphone camera, you can share your perspective on different topics and bring value to the audience.

Content creation is a relatively new hobby, but it is a hobby that could also lead to many great opportunities in the future. Build a strong audience base and you too can make money from creating the best content on social media and video sharing platforms.

The key here is making your content personal. Don’t try to copy someone else’s way of conveying messages. Your point of view and your personal way of delivery are what the audience really enjoy. You can even integrate the other hobbies we covered in this article into the content you produce. How cool is that?

Any of these six hobbies are not just relaxing, but very beneficial in different ways. Find one that suits you best and allocate time for doing the fun things you enjoy so much. You will be a better student in the end.

Thank you.

First batch of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine to be delivered to India this month

Indian Ambassador to Russia, Bala Venkatesh Varma has said that the first batch of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V will be delivered to India in April. Venkatesh said that the volume of vaccine production in India will be gradually increasing and may exceed 50 million doses per month.
 
Russian Deputy Envoy to India Roman Babushkin had on Wednesday said that Sputnik vaccine emergency use approval by India will open up a new dimension in the special partnership. Russia’s Sputnik V got approval from the Subject expert committee (SEC) for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA), making it the third COVID-19 vaccine to get clearance in India. India has become the 60th country to authorise the use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus. The vaccine is now approved in countries with a total population of 3 billion, or 40 per cent of the world’s population.

Night Curfew imposed in urban areas of entire Odisha from tomorrow

In Odisha, all urban areas will be under night curfew from tomorrow.While the ten border districts will face night curfew from 6 in the evening to 5 in the morning, urban centres of the rest twenty districts will have curfew from 9 pm to 5 am. The increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state has necessitated the government to extend the night curfew to all the Municipal and NAC areas of the state besides imposing weekend shut downs in the ten border districts. AIR correspondent reports that in a series of steps to upend the viral growth in the state that has reported about 3,000 positive cases in the last 24 hours only, the state government has put a ban on all sorts of congregations across the state. Besides, people entering Odisha will now have to produce RT PCR negative report obtained within 72 hours of entry or a final dose vaccination certificate to avoid 7 days’ home or institutional isolation.
 
Collectors have been asked to increase the number of rapid response teams to monitor home isolation cases in their respective districts and to involve the Panchayati Raj Institutions to contain the virus in rural areas. Meanwhile, the state administered a little over 154000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the eligible beneficiaries amid a significant surge in its active caseload that now stands at 14621.

Essential Services Maintenance Act invoked in Chattisgarh amidst surge in COVID cases

Amidst the rapidly surging Covid crisis, Chhattisgarh Government has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). AIR correspondent reports that Chhattisgarh government has issued an order invoking the ESMA after taking stock of the Covid situation,. According to an order issued by the state home department, now the refusal to work in essential services has been prohibited.  This order will be applicable on doctors, nurses and other health workers in all government and private health institutions as well as on workers involved in sanitation.
 
Refusal for work in sale, manufacturing and transportation of medical equipment, medicines and drugs, operation of ambulance services, water and power supply services will also be prohibited. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Government has made it mandatory for all passengers entering the state by air or railways to carry negative RTPCR report that is not older than 72 hours.

Centre asks states to undertake publicity & awareness activity to sensitize public to mitigate panic buying

Centre has asked states and Union Territories to undertake publicity and awareness activity and sensitize the public at large to address their concerns to mitigate panic buying of essential supplies. They have also been asked to set up a helpline for consumers to enable them to register for redressal by the public authorities on issues of maintaining essential supplies. In a letter to principal Secretaries of all the States and UTs,  Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution directed  to constitute joint teams of food and civil supplies, legal metrology, food safety, health and police for effective surveillance and enforcement activities to avoid a situation of demand supply mismatch, hoarding and exorbitant pricing of essential supplies.
 
The states have also been asked to keep operations of grocery stores, pharmacists and grocery warehouses outside the restrictions to ensure smooth supply in the wake of the prevailing COVID19 situation.  They have been told to ensure that prices of all essential supplies are not increased and are available at fair prices unless necessitated by cost enhancement due to raw material costs.

100 new hospitals to have their own oxygen plant under PM-CARES fund: Govt

Union Health Ministry has said that 100 new Hospitals in the country will have their own Oxygen plant under Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund. The decision was taken at a meeting of Empowered Group 2 (EG2) which was held yesterday to review the availability of essential medical equipment and oxygen during COVID.
 
The Ministry said, Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants manufacture oxygen and help hospitals become self-sufficient in their requirement for medical oxygen. It said, 162 PSA plants sanctioned under PM-CARES are being closely reviewed for early completion of 100 percent of the plants to enhance self-generation of oxygen in hospitals especially in remote areas. The Empowered Group 2 has directed the Health Ministry to identify 100 hospitals in far flung locations for consideration of sanction for installation of PSA plants.
 
The Health Ministry in a statement said that Medical oxygen is a critical component in the treatment of COVID affected patients and there has been increasing demand for medical oxygen, especially from the 12 states with high burden of active COVID cases. These States are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. The Ministry added that sources of medical oxygen and their production capacity was mapped to match the requirement of states and an indicative framework has been developed to guide the states.
 
It said, accordingly, 4 thousand 880 Metri Tonnes, 5 thousand 619 Metric Tonnes and 6 thousand 593 Metric Tonnes have been indicated to these 12 states for meeting their projected demand as on 20th April, 25th April and 30th April.  AIR correspondent reports that, in view of increasing demand for medical oxygen, the Empowered Group has also decided to float a tender for import of 50 thousand Metric Tonnes of medical oxygen. The Health Ministry has been directed to finalise the tender. It has also been asked  to explore possible sources for import identified by the missions of Ministry of External Affairs. The Empowered Group 2 is monitoring the situation of demand and supply of medical oxygen continuously to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to support the uninterrupted supply of medical oxygen.