Author: News Updates

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Mysterious number seven

There are seven rounds in Indian marriage ,There are seven days in a week ,There are seven colors in a rainbow ,There are seven continents and there were seven wonders of the ancient world, there are seven deadly sin ,Some researchers have found that human memory works best when remembering up to — but not more than — seven items There is also a powerful connection between the number seven and the religions of the world. It is believed that god made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Scholars have found that the number seven often represents perfection or completeness in the Bible .Seven is also the number of the Sun, Moon, and five classically known planets .seven notes on a musical scale, seven seas ,Snow White ran off to live with seven dwarves…

If we talk about mathematics, number seven has special quality there also as it’s an odd number. Even numbers can be easily divided by two, so odd numbers seem more unique to some people.

Seven is also a prime number, which means it can only be divided by itself and one. Since it’s the largest prime number between one and 10, some people see it as more interesting for that reason .The number seven is the fourth prime number as also a Mersenne prime, the first Woodall prime, the fourth factorial prime, the second lucky and the second safe prime.

Seven is the only number below 15 that cannot be represented as a sum of the squares of three integers.

According to researchers Seven has the highest probability of occurring as an addition when rolling dice .It’s the second lucky prime and the first happy number in mathematics.

Seven not only represents the jackpot on slot machines, but it s also the basis for many myths and folklore. For example, various parts of the world had beliefs about the seventh son of a seventh son, legends that endowed him with magical powers of both the good and evil variety (e.g., the child was believed to have healing powers according to Irish folklore). 

according to research the mathematician Alex Bellos asked 44,000 people to name their favorite number and over 4,000 of them named the number 7, far more than any other number. Indeed, ask people to name a number from one to ten and many will name the number seven — as many magicians know.

Personally seven is my favourite number too…

Covid-19 Pandemic Impact on the Mental Health of People

As the coronnavirus pandemic rapidly sweeps across the world ,it is inducing the considerable degree of fear,stress, worry, depression and concern in the people of the society .According to the survey, sixty-one per cent Indians are experiencing mental health-related issues because of the uncertainty and looming financial crisis during the lockdown.

In public mental health terms, the main psychological impact to date is elevated rates of stress or anxiety. But as new measures and impacts are introduced – especially quarantine and its effects on many people’s usual activities, routines or livelihoods – levels of loneliness, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, and self-harm or suicidal behaviour are also expected to rise.

Therefore the present survey was intended to assess the mental health impact of the current lockdown on the population of New Delhi, India, a week after its imposition to assist the government agencies and healthcare professionals in safeguarding the mental health wellbeing of the community.Financial hardships are often experienced by individuals during quarantine. Lockdown majorly affected the work and income of 63.4 % of the population that was positively related to people aged 35–50 years, followed by 50–65 years, impacting their financial status. Even though 49.7 % of the study population claimed to have sufficient funds to manage the lockdown situation, remaining were either uncertain about it or did not have the resources to sustain it. Monetary loss is a stress during and post isolation because people are unable to work and professional activities are interrupted unprecedentedly; the effects appear to be long lasting. Financial loss due to quarantine created severe socio-economic distress and was established to be a contributing factor for symptoms of mental health disorders, anger and anxiety .

Few studies have explored this aspect of the lockdown in the Indian context, and most of the existing research fails to be inclusive in scope.The current study is meant to unravel the links between social factors like sexual orientation, type of family relationship, and residence in areas that have a high infection rate, and adverse mental health outcomes.The investigators also examined the processes that determine how and when sleeping and eating habits are intertwined with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Individual resilience and coping strategies were also explored. Finally, they looked into the possibility of empathic changes in the way people view the world, which could be a valuable mental resource helping to increase overall wellbeing and quality of life.

We are from middle class

The middle class is a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy. Its usage has often been vague whether defined in terms of occupation, income, education or social status. The definition by any author is often chosen for political connotations. Writers on the left favor the lower-status “working class”. Modern social theorists—and especially economists—have defined and re-defined the term “middle class” in order to serve their particular social or political ends.
The common measures of what constitutes middle class vary significantly among cultures. On the one hand, the term can be viewed primarily in terms of socioeconomic status. One of the narrowest definitions limits it to those in the middle fifth of the nation’s income ladder. A wider characterization includes everyone but the poorest 20% and the wealthiest 20%. Some theories like “Paradox of Interest”, use decile groups and wealth distribution data to determine the size and wealth share of the middle class.

One word which we all listen to in everyday life but we are so used to it that we don’t even pay attention to is the word WE. The typical middle class family since ages has lived together. All the so called chachas, tayas, buas, mamas have all lived together. Till a few years ago nobody knew the meaning of personal space in a house. You were always surrounded by your nephews, nieces, all the bhaiyas, didis asking you personal questions, following you wherever you went. Even the concept of marriage in an Indian setting has always been that of union of two families rather than two individuals coming together. Earlier TV viewing was more of an activity which the whole family used to do together, wait for the serials like buniyaad, chitrahaar to start, wait for that Friday movie when only one of the families in the village used to have the television and that person’s house would turn into a cinema theatre with the whole of village flooding that house; but nowadays that concept is changing. TV viewing has become more of an individual centric activity wherein hundreds of channels are there to cater to every individual’s choice. The whole concept of joint-ness is fast dissolving.

Economic reform has provided the Indian middle class the most needed the liberation in terms of living life to the most. There has been a constant shift in the cultural sign and symbols adapted through ages. Disappearance of girl’s pig tail, freedom of mobility through scooterette, providing the elders their own space of living, telecommunication evolution, explosion in the passenger car segment , changing clothing pattern are few of the visible patterns in society. Girl’s pony tail were a symbol of desired feminine reserved nature which has seen a change both in length and its handling. The shortening of hair gives a girl a sense of personal control displayed metaphorically. The scooty revolution has helped the female to expand her boundaries without being dependent on any family member providing her a sense of independence. Even the car owned has seen a shift towards adapting more compact cars. The recent shift from petrol to electric and LPG based cars not only signifies the change in attitude towards efficiency but also the urge to keep up technologically. Dhoni has been one the true middle class iconic figures which has altered the way Indian see a small town boy. The ‘can do’ attitude along with the lack of fear of failure and unmindfulness of hierarchy has been the reason behind success of Dhoni. Any Indian middle class can draw inspiration from him in the way towards dealing with pressure and performing without fear of failure. The increase in disposable income has led to the change in attitude towards life, attitude towards savings. The Indian middle class is not afraid to take risks in life to get a bigger return. He is in constant search of avenues of making money. An age where money has its own language, and the person in possession of money is in possession of power. It has become the source of energy which drives the entire economy, of which Indian middle class has played the most important role.

The essence of middle class can be truly experienced while travelling across country via any means be it train, bus, jugaad or be it airplane. Out of all these means Train definitely displays the middle class in true sense. Indian Railways carries millions of Indians mostly middle class people through length and breadth of this huge nation on a daily basis. A typical middle class passenger takes a train journey not just as travel but as ritual. He is worried about the co-passenger’s destination more than his own. The train coupe forms a perfect blend of many cultures and their practices. It is clearly visible during the meal time.

All i have to say that we are from middle class family and are not ashamed of it rather i am proud of it.Middle class family is that family which stands together to face all the difficulties and share there emotions at the same time.Decisions were taken unitedly.and the consequences of the difficulties also faced by the family unitedly.I have only these words that really inspires me:—-

My background is that I came from a middle class family, and I think those values stay where ever you go.
-Nita Ambani

Space Opera: A Virtual World

Science fiction is for real, space opera is for fun – Brian W. Aldiss

SPACE OPERA is a subtype of science fiction which is colourful, dramatic, large-scale and full of scientific adventures, which usually focuses on unreal imagination that has a heroic central character and plot action. It is usually set in the relatively distant future, in space or on other planets. It often involves war, piracy, military virtues, and a very large scale action. In space opera, characters are displayed with powerful energy weapons and other advanced technology. There is a difference between Science Fiction and Space Opera. Science Fiction is generic literature which involves a generalization of scientific, engineering or social theories in futuristic ways in terms of settings, science and technology, space and time travel, parallel universe etc. whereas space opera is simply convectional drama in a futuristic or otherwise science-fiction-like setting. Some popular space opera includes THE MASSIVE FRANCHISE, STAR WARS and other films such as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and BATTLEFIELD EARTH. Space Opera is a story in which science fiction elements are not critical to the plot and could be replaced by planetary equivalents. It usually emphasizes the effect of progress and inventions where the settings are carefully worked out to obey the laws of Physics, Cosmology, Mathematics, Astronomy and Biology. The thrilling experience of space opera with full of space adventures is stupendous for every sci-fi lover. The most famous representatives of space opera are:

E.E. “Doc” Smith

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Isaac Asimov

C.J. Cherryh

Orson Scott Card

Dan Simmons

Kevin J. Anderson

Michael F. Flynn

Ann Leckie etc.

Current conventions of space opera:

“there is no general agreement as to what [space opera] is, which writers are the best examples, or even which works are space opera”

what used to be science fantasy is now a space opera is entirely forgotten.”

-Hartwell and Kramer

The conventions of space opera have changed quite dramatically over time, and its audience has expanded enormously, peaking with video media like Star Trek and Star Wars.

Apart from the only imagination, we might be surprised that we are also living in a space opera World that does exist without realising it. The best example of it could be none other than the concept of ‘Aliens’, ‘UFOs’ and other supernatural powers that we are not aware of. It’s been for years since we’ve been hearing about UFOs entering our planet, about Aliens and moreover, scientists have also been talking much about the existence of Aliens as well! We have been talking about it all without realizing that all of this has become a part of our universe now. Variety of games about spaceships, aliens have been made until now, which in a way shows us how we are living in a space opera universe. Some news has been flashed out on TV screens about caught of Alien, bizarre creatures, unseen paranormal signs from different places of the World that are sufficient to explain our living in a real space opera World.

COVID-19 Pandemic Led to Delays in Care for Nearly Half of Breast Cancer Survivors

Breast Cancer is nowadays rapidly increasing in the urban Indian women.The early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic caused 44% of breast cancer survivors to have a delay in care, according to an online survey.Because COVID-19 is so contagious, and to save healthcare resources for people diagnosed with COVID-19, many hospitals and other healthcare facilities delayed or cancelled elective procedures beginning in March 2020. Elective procedures included anything that didn’t need to be done to save someone’s life. Breast cancer screening was considered an elective procedure, so many mammograms were delayed or cancelled. Some breast cancer surgeries and other treatments also were delayed, changed, or cancelled.

The researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago who did this study wanted to see how changes in healthcare due to the pandemic affected people who had been treated for breast cancer.The researchers wrote a 50-question online survey to figure out how the COVID-19 pandemic had affected breast cancer care. The researchers invited adults who had been diagnosed with breast cancer to complete the survey by sending invitations via email, posting on social media, and sending invitations to breast cancer support networks. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact on cancer care across the globe. Early data indicate increased risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality for cancer survivors.

Delays in a routine or follow-up doctor appointment were the most common, followed by delays in breast reconstruction surgery and diagnostic imaging or testing.About 30% of the respondents said they had a delay in treatment, including radiation, infusions, and surgery to remove the cancer.

As time has passed, doctors have seen how protective procedures, such as wearing a face mask, washing your hands, maintaining physical distancing, and avoiding gathering with people in a group, have helped slow the spread of the virus. So most facilities are once again offering all aspects of breast cancer care, including screening.

During the pandemic, the weekly average number of people diagnosed with these six cancers dropped by 46.4%. Specifically, breast cancer diagnoses dropped by 51.8% — from 2,208 to 1,064.

“Our results indicate a significant decline in newly identified patients with 6 common types of cancer, mirroring findings from other countries,” the researchers wrote. “The Netherlands Cancer Registry has seen as much as a 40% decline in weekly cancer incidence, and the United Kingdom has experienced a 75% decline in referrals for suspected cancer since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented.

“While residents have taken to social distancing, cancer does not pause,” they continued. “The delay in diagnosis will likely lead to presentation at more advanced stages and poorer clinical outcomes. One study suggests a potential increase of 33,890 excessive cancer deaths in the United States.”

Depression


Priya Yadav,
Depression is a common and serious medical illness that puts negative effects on your thinking, functioning, and ability to feel. Fortunately, the treatment of this depression is available in the world nowadays. There are many direct and indirect reasons for this depression, such as physical illness or physical abuse, financial tightness, job loss, inferiority complex, or social honor due to any reason. Similarly, college students too can easily become a victim of depression. There can be many reasons for this, such as the study pressure of college students has increased a lot these days and they have to face many problems like new responsibilities, personal finance management at the same time. Sometimes it is very challenging for these students to start their new life in a college, hostel, or PG in an unknown city, which usually increases their sadness and stress levels. Now if you as a college student will keep a good knowledge of depression, then you will never be afraid of depression and you will be able to live a balanced life.
Anxiety, apathy, dissatisfaction, emptiness, guilt, despair, mood swings, nervousness, or pleasure-giving actions, not even feeling of happiness. In depression, a person is distressed, either sad or depleted of his energy. In a situation that affects his mental level, a person feels very stressed and relieved. He is unable to recognize his own power and is always in a state of helplessness. He is always surrounded by despair and does not like anyone around him. He feels lonely. No matter what is said in a joke, it gets pierced like an arrow, connects everything with itself, and suspects everyone. By remembering the past or remembering the past, weeps alone. He does not tell his mind to anyone because he does not believe in his ultimate benefactors nor on God, he always curses them for their situation.
Some patients are speechless, express anger, show irritability, show extreme anger, hate, and some are introverted. For them, depression causes a very serious situation, adopting a monogamous lifestyle, they go into intense silence, and this state reduces their heart rate completely, which can sometimes lead to their death. Some depressed individuals who are busy working during the day stay away from the state of depression, but as soon as they are alone then they drown in the same past or worry about the future. He is able to enjoy present moments for a very short time. If there is a possibility of something bad happening in your mind at all times, then there is a danger of going into depression. Under this, people keep thinking ‘I have failed in everything’. People also have depression due to some medical reasons, one of which is low activation of the thyroid. Depression can also occur in the side effects of some medicines. These include some medicines used to reduce blood pressure.
Not only this, depression can also happen without any specific reason. It does it slowly at home and instead of trying to help you keep fighting with it. In women, the chances of being depressed are double than in men, some of the reasons are related to hormones. Symptoms of depression in women are seen as overeating, excess sleep, weight gain, guilt, feeling depressed. Depression can cause a person to even think of committing suicide. During the depression, a person can feel completely helpless and can see the solution to all the problems in ending his life. If someone talks to you about suicide then he is probably suffering from depression, and he is just giving you his Not only is he telling you, but he is screaming for help, and you must help him. And if you see yourself doing this, then without delay you should seek the help of experts.

Difference between sadness and depression
It is important to know the difference between sadness and depression. We are all sad and almost daily but then soon become normal, but if the sadness continues for a long time (at least two weeks) and its impact on our daily life then this becomes depression. Actually, it is a disorder associated with neuro, which occurs when there is a change in the part of the brain that controls the mood. Anyone can come in the grip of this. It is believed that 1 in 5 adults is a victim of depression once in life. By the way, not only children are also victims of depression, especially due to quarrels among parents, poor school results, or friendship with a particular friend. In such a situation, the role of the parents is that if they see the child for a week, then they should definitely take it to the psychologist.

Retargeting versus Remarketing: The Subtle Distinctions

Introduction

Many of us, while scrolling through the labyrinth of the Internet, have come across an advertisement about some product that we had checked out recently. Many assume it to be a coincidence, but is it really so? The online marketing strategists say otherwise. This is, what in common knowledge, known as retargeting, (or remarketing).

Retargeting vs Remarketing

Retargeting (or remarketing) is a very feasible way of advertisement in present times. In this form of online advertisement, the people who already have had some sort of previous interaction with the concerned brand or website are the part of the ‘target audience’. Hence the ‘re’ prefix in the term. The companies prefer this tactic for the better calculation and planning data it provides.

Both retargeting and remarketing serve a very similar purpose, and hence, used interchangeably, but there are differences in their core principles, in terms of:

1. Audience

Retargeting mainly looks over the target audience, which includes anyone who has visited the website or any related product page, including for random surfing, price comparison etc.People see ads of the website or product they visited; the agenda behind this is to remind the audience of their interest in that particular product or service.

On the other hand, remarketing is for a more specific audience, also known as the custom audience. They are those people who have already shown their interest in some products by adding the item(s) in their cart, or have purchased something previously from the website. This audience is more likely to avail the services the host has to offer, and so, the companies approach them with different, yet more persuasive tactics.

2.Means of Marketing

Retargeting uses the cookies on the websites pages to assemble a list of potential customers. The audience is reminded about the website via static(pop up ads) or dynamic(ad videos) means.

Remarketing takes this a step forward and is mainly characterized by generating Emails regarding discounts, offers on the carted items, making it seem like a good deal to the customers. Buyers also have some ground level experience to rely on and hence, are more susceptible to indulge in the given offers.

Modes of Payment

ROI (Revenue on Investment) in an essential factor to consider while advertising. To make a net profit, the income must be more than the investment. One of the major investment on a product is on its marketing. And retargeting has very economic way of payments. Some of them are:

CPM (Cost Per Mille): It is the most common form of pricing, and is calculated on the basis of every thousand impressions served

CPC (Cost Per Click): In this tactic, cost is charged to the investing company on the basis of per ad clicked on.

CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): Here, the advertisers are charged on the achievement of the pre decided acquisition action.

In case of remarketing, advertisers adjust their campaigns on the basis of who does or does not opens the email. This is also termed as email retargeting. The purpose of this system is to weed out the uninterested people, and in turn increasing the number of potential buyers. 

Advantages of Online Marketing

  • It is easier and subtle to pitch ads for audience consideration.
  • Unnecessary costs can be reduced
  • The extent of advertisement is vast
  • Peer advertisement is a explorable option
  • Customer and potential customer database is easy to avail

With all the above considerations, it is often advised that remarketing and retargeting, as a whole should be used in tandem with each other to achieve optimum results. And other marketing tactics can also be implemented accordingly.

COVID-19 and Mental Health

The worst impact of the pandemic, apart from our country’s economy, has been on mental health. People’s mental health problems are either dismissed or they are forced to carry the ‘crazy’ label put on them by society. In India, there is little to no awareness about mental health. Our country’s mental health crisis is reflected by related statistics. For instance, there are only three psychiatrists for every one million people.  We see today’s youth endlessly working towards this goal, from organising public events aimed at raising mental health awareness online as well as offline to providing help to those who need it. However, a significant change in society’s collective attitude towards such issues is yet to be observed. 

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the stressors have increased tremendously, be it personal, professional or financial. Introduction of the novel coronavirus which has instantly put the entire world in lockdown and its consequences have caused severe damage to people’s mental health. Fear, anxiety, frustration is being faced by every single person affected by the pandemic. Isolation, quick adaptation to technology, routine disruption, loss of employment, increase in screen time, fear of the deadly disease, and many more factors have greatly contributed to an increase in mental health problems.

Without any further ado, let’s discuss some of the ways which you may find helpful in these difficult times:

  1. Meditation 

Since time unknown, meditation has been crowned as a way to relax your mind. From Buddha attaining enlightenment to Katy Perry finding inner peace, meditation has never let humanity down. Assuming a cross-legged sitting position and focusing on your breathing can do wonders for your mind and body. Resting your mind by freeing it from all thoughts and emotions can help you release stress and put your mind at ease. As it can be carried out without an instructor as well, it tops the list of stress-relieving methods in lockdown.

2. Maintain a journal

These days writing every day in your journal may not seem like the best idea because of the monotonous routine and lack of motivation but it will greatly help your mind. Bottling up your emotions and thoughts instead of expressing them can truly affect your greatest asset, your mind. So, pick up the journal collecting dust on your table and write. Remind yourself of the things that you are grateful for, write about everything that brings you joy and, most importantly, write about the events that upset you, the emotions blazing in your mind. 

3. Monitor and modify your routine

A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. One of the key ways to feel active and motivated is by getting 8 hours of sleep because nothing works better than losing yourself in the wonderland of dreams. Another is a proper, well-balanced diet which will provide you with the much-needed energy to win your daily battles. Recreational activities are also important for a healthy routine, you may take a walk, play an outdoor game (keeping in mind the coronavirus)  or stretch your legs with a good workout session. 

Having a positive mindset, trying new things, talking about your feelings with your loved ones, spending quality time with your family or your four-legged friends can be rejuvenating and will surely help you to release stress. Never hesitate to seek professional help as your mind needs just as much help as your body. 

GST and Federalism

The multiplicity of taxes at the state and central levels resulted in a complex indirect tax structure in the country that is ridden with hidden costs for trade and industry. It is to simplify this very indirect tax structure that the government has attempted several tax policy reforms at different points of time. This objective furthered the idea of ‘One Nation One Tax’ and the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) into the financial system. The passing of GST is seen by many as a great leap forward towards achieving economic integration of the Country. GST is one indirect tax for the whole nation, which will make India one unified common market. It is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, from the manufacturer to the consumer. It is essentially tax only on value addition at each stage. The final consumer will thus bear only the GST charged by the last dealer in the supply chain, with set-off benefits at all the previous stages.

Many have opined that the GST would effectively be a death knell for federalism in the country. The main concerns in this regard are as follows:

  1. States could lose control over financial autonomy due to GST council being a constitutional body controlling taxpayers.
  2. Loss of revenue: the demonetization move resulted in loss of states revenue which needs to be compensated.
  3. Administrative issues: As to who would have control over taxpayers having less than Rs.1.50 crore annual revenue

The GST Council consists of Union Finance Minister (Chairman), Union Minister of State in charge Finance, and a Minister nominated by each State government. All decisions of the GST Council are made by 3/4th majority of the votes, the centre shall have 1/3rd of the votes and the states together have 2/3rd of the votes. Many critics of are apprehensive of this power of central government and worry that it might have an upper hand in many deliberations of the council.

However counter arguments to these criticisms suggest otherwise. With regard to loss of revenue, as far as loss of revenue to the states, Article 18 of the Act of 2016, provides for compensation to the States for loss for a period of five years. Administrative challenges can be overcome if the states receive revenue that they were receiving.

The Goods and Service Tax is among the most significant reforms since liberalization commenced in 1991. It embodies ‘one economic India’ which is expected to lead to a more productive economy. It was also brought in with an aim to lead to macroeconomic gains. The GST council serves as an example of mutual cooperation among the centre and the states irrespective of party affiliations. Despite scepticism, so far it does not appear the concept of cooperative federalism has been compromised because of GST. Many hope that it will be implemented in the same spirit here onwards as well for it could also be viewed as a leading example for the future of cooperative federalism as a whole.

The socioeconomic inclusion of rural India – a major challenge for modern India.

Development is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. Some of its major dimensions include: the level of economic growth, level of education, level of health services, degree of modernization, status of women, level of nutrition, quality of housing, distribution of goods and services, and access to communication. In India, the progress of socio-economic development among major states is not uniform. This study examines the existing variability of inter-state development and thereby identifying the indicators responsible for the diversity in development. Instead of studying the variability of a particular variable across states, a composite index based on several indicators has been developed using principal component analysis and states are arranged according to the indices derived using four broadly accepted components: (a) economic production and economic condition or in other words level of economic development; (b) common minimum needs; (c) health and health-related services and (d) communication. The findings of the analysis support the general perception about the states. The states in India are marked with wide disparity in socio-economic development. The factors, which are found out to be more important for the overall development process, relate to basic needs like education, availability of food, minimum purchasing power and facilities like safe drinking water, health care infrastructure, etc. It is also found that enrolment ratio cannot be raised unless minimum needs of the common people are satisfied. Therefore, true development requires government action to improve elementary education, safe drinking water facilities and health care, and to remove barriers against social minorities, especially women. The role of social development such as literacy (and particularly of female literacy) in promoting basic capabilities emerges as the prerequisite to overall development.

These results clearly emphasize the role of well-functioning public actions in improving the overall living conditions of the people. Although economic growth in the sense of expanding gross national product and other related variables is one of the most fundamental input to the overall development process, the basic objective of development should focus on the expansion of human capabilities which has been neglected for long in India.

By 2030, 40% of Indians will be urban residents. However, there will also be more than 5,000 small urban towns (50,000-100,000 persons each) and more than 50,000 developed rural towns (5,000-10,000 persons each) with similar income profiles, where aspirations are fast converging with those of urban India. The figure below illustrates urban-rural population distribution in India in 2005, 2018, and 2030 projected. Three critical “access” barriers currently constrain the aspirations of those living in rural areas in India. First, constrained physical connectivity ; second, lack of digital connectivity ; and third, limited financial inclusion. While incomes may have begun to rise in rural India, this may not translate into commensurate growth of productivity and inclusion, unless the urban-rural divides are reduced. Given the approximately 60% share of rural population in 2030, this is a critical imperative not only for the government, which serves its people, but also for businesses which are looking for new opportunities and new growth markets in India. A high priority is infrastructure development, both physical and digital, to enable rural dwellers to access the products and services matching their incomes, needs and aspirations. The government already has flagship programmes such as Digital India, which envisions transforming the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy centred on key programme pillars, such as broadband connectivity and universal access to mobile connectivity, and professed roles, such as “faceless, paperless, cashless”. With sustained, efficient execution, such innovative programmes in digital and financial areas, along with the proposed improvement of physical infrastructure (road connectivity to nearby urban centres and reliable power supply to all rural households), will be key drivers to ensure inclusive growth in India, truly bridging urban-rural divides across multiple levels.

Various factors, such as the level of literacy, female education, nutritional standards, infant mortality, morbidity, employment, income distribution, public distribution system, political commitments etc., and their corresponding interactions, contribute to these striking variations among states inn the livelihood of common people. It may be mentioned that broad state-level comparison may not be able to capture fully the extent of diversities among various indicators characterizing several facets of development. Nevertheless, state-level indicators are of prime importance as far as the state is a crucial and political unit. A wide range of relevant fields of actions, including health and education, are constitutionally defined as ‘state subjects’, to be handled by the individual states rather than the central government, or as ‘concurrent subjects’, involving both state and central governments.

Healthy Human Resource and A Healthy Economy

Everyone is talking about GDP growth rate, national income, total debt, international economic transactions, fiscal deficits, production rate, raw materials and what not. But an economy is driven by its citizens, the population – who in actual are contributing each single moment for their economy. An individual can be an asset for an economy only when he or she is healthy.


Now, when one talks about health it not only includes physical health but mental health too. According to World Health Organization, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.


An individual contributes a lot in the economy. He works in fields, he is in the production department, he is the one building the infrastructure of an economy, he is the one undertaking all the financial transactions, he is the one who frames economic policies, he’s in the service sector and hence he is the backbone, the brain or simply the driver of an economy.


An economy can only function properly when its population is physically, mentally and socially fit. But in the present times, there are few economies who give emphasis to mental and social health of its working population. Nobody cares about the mental well being of an individual. Firms and economies just want their employees and the working population to achieve the desired goals before the deadline. Whether the individual coming to the office, to the factory, to the workplace is fine or not, he or she is happy or not, nobody cares about it.


The policy makers, or more particularly the employers and hirers must ponder upon the thought that a physically healthy and mentally happy individual will be in much better state to contribute more to the firm, to the economy.


Though, for the sake of earning money for a two square meal and a roof above head, even being in a bad mood, sad state , he or she will definitely do the work being assigned but still every rational thinker knows that an unhealthy person cannot contribute more than a healthy person.


Whether someone is unhealthy physically or mentally, he or she will really not be able to work properly and will certainly exhaust him or her even more.

An economy, a firm exists solely because of its working population, the Human Capital. And if that human capital is not fit, how could one say that an economy is fit.


That’s certainly a very big question to the employers, hirers, the firms and the economies.


According to the latest report on depression and anxiety, issued by the World Health Organization, the total estimated number of people living with depression worldwide increased by 18.4% between 2005 and 2015 to 322 million. A major share of this group is the working population itself. Hence, this is fact that certainly these people could not give their hundred percent to the work being assigned to them.


Talking about India will make the situation clearer. According to a study conducted by W. H. O., around 200 million in India may suffer from depression i.e. one out of every five people is not mentally well.


The reason for not being in good mental state could be work pressure, financial problems, family matters, personal matters, addiction to drugs or a bad habit, or hormonal imbalance sometimes.


Realizing the growth of increasing mental health problems among the working population due to number of reasons, firms and economies should take necessary steps including promotion of healthy working environment and separate interactive counseling classes in which individuals can speak their heart out and share their problems with either professionals or their own colleagues. This will help people to be more free and happier and arise out of the ocean of sadness, depression, loneliness.


It will help in building better personal relationships with the colleagues, with family, with friends and with everyone else.


Therefore, a happier and healthier brain will be in a much better state to build a prosperous and healthy economy.

Article by – Shishir Tripathi
Intern at Hariyali Foundation in collaboration with Educational News

Book Review of Me Before You

When I was recommended about this book by my friend, I simply thought it to be absurd that someone could wish to die in his own will! I was horrified and curious as to what all the matter was this about. But the thing I didn’t know at that time was, life can sometimes mess your life so bad, there is no solution either than just stop thinking about it..

Me Before You is a beautiful and meaningful book written by Jojo Moyes. Not gonna spoil it for you, don’t worry, but the concept written by her is really deep. Honestly, at first, I thought ,the book would turn out to be like a fairytale, with everything just happy…but as I kept reading, the story took a quite dramatic turn. The story is about a girl named Louisa, who is a really optimistic person, measures the distance through the number of footsteps she takes and works in a cafe. She has a boyfriend, a fitness trainer, Patrick.

Fun fact –  When the book was adapted into a movie, the role of Patrick was played by Matthew Lewis (yes! the one who played Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter!!)

Everything turns into a mess when she loses her job, where the story actually starts with the male lead – Will Traynor, an energetic and out going guy, until he met with a pedestrian accident after which he became a quadreplegic . When you read the book, you have so many mixed emotions that you can’t even describe it .It’s just there. I still remember myself, hugging my knees in the corner of my room, crying after reading the book.  Seriously, it took me 5 freaking days to balance my thoughts with my mother grumbling as to why  I was  crying over a book character ( it’s not just a book character!)

My heart did a backflip  after reading every page of the book. Addicted,that’s what I was, just had to know what happens next! The story also introduces us  to a new concept: death. Now, you might say, that we all know what is death, okay!  But…do we?

Now , not many of us know the Non – Profit society named Dignitas, in Switzerland, which offers death with dignity. Intially meaning, ‘assisted suicide’.

The method usually includes an oral dose of an antiemetic drug, followed by an overdose of pentobarbital which is given, dissolved in water, which initially tends to depress the central nervous system, making the person fall asleep. This proceeds to coma , making the person’s respiration slowdown, eventually resulting in a respiratory arrest. Dignitas was founded by Ludwig Minelli on 17 May, 1998. He was a Swiss lawyer  who had specialised in human rights law. The society works for the ones who suffer with terminal and mental illnesses.

Now death is a pretty sensitive and controversial topic.We live because of some ambitions.Fro some important people. For ourselves. For a better future. Everybody hopes for such things. But is the need broken when every important thing and people are snatched away from us? The answer is..we don’t know. It’s just one of the many things, which we simply don’t know.When we know that there is no hope to live, while everyday waking up, only wishing it to be over already, where your loved ones, have moved forward in their own lives while you still lay there. Where you feel like an outsider even when you are with the closest people you know. When everyone gazes at you with pity….

But you know what? He is happy. Happy that, even he had some happy moments. Some memories which he will cherish. Because memories can’t be changed. Don’t live life to the fullest. Live a life which is worth it.  This book teaches so many things in just a few lines, I myself was beyond amazed!

The conclusion? Well, just like William Henley ( a famous poet, don’t confuse him  with Will Traynor!) said ,’I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.’

Our thoughts, our actions, our influences, only they matter. One gets thousands of opinions throughout his life. But guess what? Only my opinion matters in my life,because I am going to take the decision.

Phew! That was a lot of philosophy, now wasn’t it? I was so inspired by the book, I literally called all of my friends and recommended, forced more like ,to read the book. ( Ya! call me annoying)

The ending of the book is..just! 

Lastly, the movie adaptation. The movie production put on a lot of hard work, trust me..but, I would still recommend the book more!

Source: Pinterest

The book is followed by a sequel, ‘After you’ published in 2015 proceeded by one sequel  ‘Still me’  which were not that famous but just as great!!!!

The order of the trilogy –

  1. Me Before You
  2. Still me

Happy readings!!

Note: This review was not written to offend anyone. 

TO RISE, START ADVERTISE.

For any business advertising is as important as oxygen for human beings. Many businessmen save money by not spending on advertising and marketing. It is just like loving one side that means you love someone but your are not telling or expressing . To move relationship ahead you have to express your feelings . similarly for engaging customers you have to express about your business through advertising. To sell you have to tell. Just by opening business and sitting in office and waiting for customers will not raise revenues. Spending on infrastructure can be optional spending on machinery can be optional but spending on advertising cannot be optional doesn’t matter whether it is B2B or B2C.

Now that you are convinced that advertising is an important requirement for any business. Now the question arises does more money means more results? and the answer is big NO. Money is one of the factor but not the only factor. Nobody remember how many ads you run. people remember the impression you made . your advertisement should be consisting of a relatable story triggering the emotions and giving a delightful surprise. Below I am sharing some tips to make an high engaging and successful ads campaign.

  1. Be different and generate recall value
  2. Be digital it’s more efficient and cost effective
  3. Don’t find, Be found
  4. Shift from outbound to inbound
  5. Preserve and nuture the data
  6. your content should either entertain or educate the viewer
  7. Build a good website and online reputation

My Brain Needs You, Pal!…

Linda used to study in a law college. She was an all-rounder. She was good in academics, good in sports, good in extracurricular activities, good in student’s council. She was very famous in her campus and everybody loved her. She had a lot of friends. One day, she was chilling in the canteen with friends. During the conversation, she told them that she is seeing a therapist(psychiatrist) and BANG! All her friends became silent. Everybody escaped from the canteen one by one. Linda couldn’t figure out what was going on. Looking for an answer, she went home.
Linda was going through extra stress and anxiety, that’s why she was taking the treatment.
The next day, Linda reached her friends and tried talking to them but nobody gave her a response. They walked out in front of her. Nobody was talking to her, she was left alone. She felt so bad as she wasn’t at all used to it. She was a talkative human and everybody loved her, but now she was left all alone. This went on for a few days and then Linda stopped coming to college and to her disgrace, nobody even blinked an eye. Then, on one worst day, everybody received the news that she killed herself. Now each of her so-called friends was feeling bad and mourning on social media. But it all remained with if’s and what-ifs!..
Everyone reading this must be feeling sad right now. But it’s the truth we all know. This happens with all of us, maybe with us or we act like this to others. We leave our friends and loved ones in the time when then need us the most. When I was at home, our old classmate joined our flat and within a day or two, my roommates threw him out of the flat. He was suffering from some mental illness and everybody got scared keeping him with them. The friend who was with us for 4 years was left alone when he was ill and later he was admitted. I felt very bad when I came back. Someone really close to me was going through such illness, so I knew it very well. If we have a fever or some physical disease, then people visit us asking for our health, the family takes us to the doctor in time. But when it’s about mental health, everybody tries to avoid it. The family try to hide it, friends stay away from us when they get to know and in this mess, treatment gets late and disease takes over the person. There are many mental conditions such as depression, mania, schizophrenia, and this can happen to anyone. Yes in very few cases, it is genetical but in most of the cases, it gets triggered because of real-life events. Most of the patients get treated well and win over the disease if handled well and within time. Now many will ask me, yes you’re right but how can we help them as we don’t know anything, then why should we take the blame later getting into it. So guys remember the time before the disease when this friend stood by your side in worst situations and now it should be your turn. I feel anyone will prefer helping them rather than mourning when they’re gone.
So what can you do? Just be there for them. These diseases don’t rise in a day, they do take time. We just need to keep an eye and observe our loved ones. Anxiety, stress, overthinking, lost attention in work, lost appetite could be the symptoms. If we could catch it early, then we will win for sure and if ignore it, then it might get fatal. We just need to be there for them, boost their confidence, keep them busy, surround them with positivity and positive thoughts. Meditation plays a magnificent role in conquering these diseases. Today it’s your friend, tomorrow it might be you. Control these diseases before they start controlling your loved ones. Make brain your friend, not the enemy. Take the pledge that you won’t ignore your mental health. The most important thing, let’s heal them with love and affection and not hatred. MENTAL HEALTH IS IMPORTANT, DON’T IGNORE, HEAL YOURSELF!…

K-Dramas

Who doesn’t love a good K-Drama? Korean dramas or K-Dramas as they are fondly called, have been loved worldwide for a long time. More recently, its popularity has begun to reach greater heights because of Netflix, Viki, Viu, WeTv and other streaming services getting more and more dramas under their purview. The widespread access powered by such streaming services which offer subtitles in multiple languages has inevitably added to the rise in popularity.

A good laugh, a good cry, some nerve-wrecking moments, or a good dose of butterflies in your stomach, these dramas have it all. So, without further ado, let me introduce some classics and some underrated dramas that are worth a watch.

  • Hot Stove League- irrespective of whether or not you know anything about Baseball, this drama has a lot to offer. The story is well written, the character building is near perfect, it offers the kind of inspiration that we all need. At the end of the story, you would find yourself fully satisfied with every aspect and a certain fondness for each and every character. Looking for something to binge-watch? You know what to do. Cast- Namkoong Min, Park Eunbin. Genre- Sports. Where to watch- Viki app

  • Crash Landing on You- this drama is a gem. It has a powerful cast, great chemistry between the leads, and an impeccable soundtrack to go with it. While the episodes are on the longer side, there is never a dull moment in this one. This is a must watch for all romance freaks. Cast- Hyunbin, Son Yejin, Kim Junghyun, Seo Jihye. Genre- Romance. Where to watch- Netflix

  • Memorist- what happens when a detective has the unique ability to see all of a person’s memories upon touching them? This skill definitely comes in handy in his search to hunt down a serial killer. But the path isn’t as straight-forward as he’d like. If you’re looking for a thriller, Memorist is for you. Cast- Yoo Seungho, Lee Seyoung. Genre- Mystery, Fantasy. Where to watch- Viki

  • The King: The Eternal Monarch- if plot twists and the concept of time-travel interests you, this one is a must watch. Just when you’d think that you’ve got the hang of it, the writer drops yet another plot twist. While the build up of the story would seem a bit slow, each and every detail is well thought of and very well executed. Backed by a strong cast and great chemistry between the leads, this is one that you wouldn’t want to miss. Cast- Lee Minho, Kim Goeun, Woo Dohwan. Genre- Fantasy, Romance. Where to watch- Netflix

  • One More Happy Ending/Happy Once Again- this drama was released in 2016 and remains an underrated gem till date. This drama is full of fun and it uses a formula of portraying various love stories whilst keeping the story engaging simultaneously. If you’re a fan of ‘childhood friends turned lovers’ this one will not disappoint. Cast- Jang Nara, Kwon Yul, Jung Kyungho, Yoo Dain, Yoo Inna, Seo Inyoung. Genre- Romantic-Comedy. Where to watch- Netflix