Category: News Analysis

News analysis for scholar to understand the issues in a better way.

PUBG MOBILE APP BANNED BY GOVERNMENT

PUBG MOBILE, a wildly popular online multiplayer shooting game, is among 118 Chinese apps blocked by the government Wednesday amid tension over fresh Chinese provocation in Ladakh. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has banned 118 more Chinese apps including one of the most popular mobile games PUBG Mobile. The official press release stated that all of these apps have been “banned under section 69A of the Information Technology Act”. The government said that it has “decided to block 118 mobile apps since in view of the information available they are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order.”

The apps have been banned in the country on Wednesday. The apps are still available on the Google Play store and Apple App store. It takes some time for such orders to get enforced and hence both PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite are still available on the app stores. Users can still be able to download the game before it’s gone from the app store. If PUBG MOBILE does not turn off server access to the region, users will still be able to play the game on their smartphone.

In a measure of PUBG’s huge popularity in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an event on exam stress last year, had remarked to a mother complaining about her teen: “Yeh PUBG-wala hai kya (Is he a PUBG player?)”. 

In June, the government banned 59 mobile apps including Bytedance’s TikTok, Alibaba’s UC Browser and Tencent’s WeChat, also citing security concerns.After the PUBG Mobile ban, many people are worried about their money, which they had invested in the game for buying skins, Royale Pass and more. PUBG Mobile has not provided any statement regarding this. But, most possibly players will have to raise a dispute regarding this on the respective app stores to get their money back.

Internet for aspiring engineers

Engineering is being one of the most popular courses since few decades, especially in India. But, the idea of exactly what a engineer is ?.. lacking among most of us. That’s ok, not a problem…..because our’s is a nation, where most of the people recently got being aware about education. So, it takes sometime to build strong educational infrastructure and awareness among us. This process, can be done faster only when all of us actively take up initiatives on our own, which indirectly affects the whole nation’s growth.

Internet been a great game changer, without which the technology evolution would be infinitesimally small. Do you know, India is providing internet at very cheap price than any other countries in the world. So,we are really lucky to have easy access to such powerful resource. So, i will get started to atleast introduce you with one interesting thing and you will start using it, when necessary.

Engineering definitely demands creativity and also knowledge. There are humongous amount of resources available, but sometimes only few delivers the best content and meets our requirements. I just want to give you a few names of websites to find about your academics. But, engineers should also have sound knowledge of basics, mostly of class 11 and class 12, through only helps us to understand further concepts. Toppr is one the best website provides you with free content,in a creative way. Embibe, will be a best source for solving questions and provide you with analytical reports and schedules. Vedantu,byjus,unacademy,askiitians,brilliant.org are the other few that provides various articles on individual topics.

Now, to getting onto the engineering academics, there are no specific websites that fulfills all of your interest, because various colleges design curriculum in their own way. But, The knowledge we learn always gives us an extra edge over others. It is always necessary to follow up the trends of education and industrial requirements. so, we have to follow some premium resources, and for us it’s better to refer the websites and social pages of iits,nits and government organisations. They always be helpful to measure our position nationally.

khan academy, edx, coursera, futurelearn, cisco will be some best resources to learn courses for free, but can obtain certificate by paying some money after completion of your course. Nptel is one of the best resource available to all, and also can value your learning by getting certificate at very reasonable pay, after giving a test.

here comes up with good youtube channels…iisc banglore, 3blue1brown,crashcourse, Neso academy, Tutorial point, mathsindepth, allaboutelectronics, letslearn,math-u- see, nptel, gradeup, seeker, IMA video, quanta magazine are few channels.

And there were few channels that able to improve your lifestyle, and are mike boyd, wall street journal, quint, mind your decisions, mind valley, momspresso, tedx, fightthenewdrug,cs dojo, kodegod,timelabpro, fearless soul, phlearn and many more.

There is always many more to explore in your own style, but every resource above directs towards various perspectives. pdfdrive, internet archive, z-library for books and for basic programming w3schools, tutorialpoint,javatpoint,sololearn, programiz, begineersbook.com and others.

INVESTMENT IN THE STOCK MARKET FOR BEGINNERS

The stock market refers to public markets that exist for issuing, buying, and selling stocks that trade on a stock exchange or over-the-counter.  In simple terms, if A wants to sell shares of Reliance Industries, the stock market will help him to meet the seller who is willing to buy Reliance Industries.  A person can trade in the stock market only through a registered intermediary known as a stock broker. The buying and selling of shares take place through electronic medium.

There are two main stock exchanges in India where majority of the trades take place – Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Apart from these two exchanges, there are some other regional stock exchanges like Bangalore Stock Exchange, Madras Stock Exchange etc but these exchanges do not play a meaningful role anymore.

NSE is the leading stock exchange in India where one can buy or sell shares of publicly listed companies. It was established in the year 1992 and is located in Mumbai. NSE has a flagship index named as NIFTY50. The index comprises of the top 50 companies based on its trading volume and market capitalisation.  BSE is Asia’s first as well as the oldest stock exchange in India. It was established in 1875 and is located in Mumbai. BSE Sensex is the flagship index of BSE.

Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is the regulatory body of the Indian Stock Markets. The main objective of SEBI is to safeguard the interest of retail investors, promote the development of stock exchanges, and regulate the activities of financial intermediaries and investors in the market. A stock broker also known as a dealer is a professional individual who buys/sells shares on behalf of its clients. In the stock market, stock broker is registered as a trading member with the stock exchange and holds a stock broking license. They operate under the guidelines prescribed by SEBI.

 ADVANTAGES OF INVESTING IN STOCK MARKET:

  •  the stock market can make great money in a short time of period.
  •  Unlike other investments, such as real estate and CDs, investors can easily access money in the stock market.
  • Investing in the stock market can help in our entire financial portfolio.

DISADVANTAGES IN INVESTING IN STOCK MARKET:

  • Investors can expect daily volatility in the stock market, but large failures in the system are less common.
  • In the stock market, there are winners and losers. Winners can make much money, but those who lose can see all of their investment disappear.
  • Every time an investor decides to buy or sell shares, he or she will have to shell out a certain proportion as brokerage fees to the broker.

GDP: Why India’s growth rate is shrinking rapidly?

India’s economy posted the biggest contraction among major economies last quarter, with a recent surge in coronavirus infections weighing on the outlook for any recovery.

Gross domestic product shrank 23.9% in the three months to June from a year earlier, the Statistics Ministry said in a report Monday. That’s the sharpest decline since the nation started publishing quarterly figures in 1996, and was worse than any of the world’s biggest economies tracked by Bloomberg. The median estimate in a survey of economists was for an 18% contraction.

Once the world’s fastest-growing major economy, India is now on track for its first full-year contraction in more than four decades. While there are early signs that activity began picking up this quarter as lockdown restrictions were eased, the recovery is uncertain as India is quickly becoming the global epicenter for virus infections.

Economists had anticipated the economy shrinking anywhere between 15-25% while an ET Now Poll projected Q1FY21 GDP at -19% YoY.

As largely expected, agriculture was the only silver lining among all sectors as it grew by 3.4% in the April-June quarter.  

Manufacturing, construction and trade (hotels, transport, communication & services related to broadcasting) shrank by 39.3%, 50.3% and 47% during the quarter. Interestingly, governmetn expenditure during the quarter also contracted by 10.3% as per NSO figures.   

Let us find the reasons in this article that what are the reasons behind the decline in the Indian GDP–

1. Sharp decline in overall demand:

Increment in the employment opportunities leads to further demand of the other products in the economy. Since last few months Indian economy is facing the problem of lower demand which ultimately trapped the whole economy.

2. Sharp fall in consumption

Consumption has accounted for 55-58% of GDP. Remember consumption is at the core of domestic demand in India. Indian economy experienced a sharp decline in private final consumption expenditure from 7.2% in the March quarter to 3.1% in the June.

3. Decline in investment

The value of declared investments in the same quarter is Rs 71,337 crore, which is also the lowest since September 2004. This is a big indication that industries are not yet confident in India’s economic future.

4. Poor condition of banking sector

The recent announcement of the mergers of the banks may further create the atmosphere of anarchy in the mind of the investors and depositors.

Are Online Classes Being Able To Replace Traditional Classrooms?

With the rise of the pandemic and the extended lockdown, educational institutions have been prompted to shift towards online teaching. While initially digital classrooms seem to be a great alternative, whether it can successfully replace traditional classroom teaching is a question yet to be answered. Online teaching has also posed a threat to students belonging to the economically backward sections of the society. In a country like India, a great percentage of students do not have the access to such means or find it difficult to avail those options.

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According to survey findings there is a noticeable change in behavior and habits following the forced lockdown among the school goers. The sleep cycle and sleeping pattern of nearly 50 per cent children have been disturbed. It also indicates that 13 per cent of children have no regular pattern of sleeping. As a result, 67 per cent of parents think that their child’s screen time has gone up by at least 50 per cent during the lockdown. Increased screen time is known to severely affect concentration levels and leading to insomnia and other sleep disorders. The fear of pandemic has affected children in the worst way, nearly 40 per cent of the children who were surveyed, have been known to have mental health and unaddressed anxiety issues.

Schools and Colleges have set timetable in such a way so that there are breaks in between classes but because of network connectivity issues, students have started logging in earlier, which have lessened the break times. A teacher said in an interview, “In the first month, things were fine but with time students are losing interest and a kind of boredom is setting in even for the bright kids. For students in senior classes or those who will appear for board exams there is pressure from teachers and parents which is taxing.” After attending classes online, many students are also sitting for online tuition or extracurricular activity classes.

Teachers of many schools have reported that students have become “more subdued” in class and their energy levels have decreased than before. According to psychiatrists and teachers, months of being inside and attending classes from within the screen has made students “fatigued” and “demotivated.” Even students who are academically strong have not been responding in class like before, teachers said. They have observed that the “naughty and mischievous” ones who would always be up to some mischief in classrooms have become “quiet and subdued” during online classes.

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Psychiatrist Jai Ranjan Ram said to a newspaper, “Teachers are trying but online classes are not the same as what school was for children. No wonder they are feeling demotivated and fatigued. They have to attend continuous classes on the screen, at times not on laptops but on phones. All this while there is monotony of the same environment. It’s difficult to maintain a sense of well-being. In an online class the nuances of non-verbal communication are completely lost.”

Sneha Priya S, Co-Founder & CEO of SP Robotic Works, has said, “Covid has proven to be the turnstile for education in India. The current situation has unearthed the immense potential of platforms with experiential and interactive learning which engage children in practical tasks and logical reasoning.”

In a physical classroom, students and teachers would even discuss things not related to academics and eagerly share their experiences. While there are downsides, there are also some positive aspects to it. Educational institutions have been closed for months at a stretch. With online classes there is the possibility to catch up with studies. Many students feel that at least in an online mode there is some form of interaction which helps them in these trying times. Online classes have made possible for students and teachers to get back to their routines within safe conditions. They also provide students with something to look forward to everyday. But amidst the current social conditions, students long to go back to their campuses. As we adjust to the ‘new normal’ many young people who are at the beginning of their career are also uncertain of what challenges they might face in the future.

UNLOCK 4

India on Saturday issued fresh guidelines of lock down in ‘Unlock 4’, allowing opening up of more activities in areas outside the containment zones, marking gradual opening of the country and economy amid coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. Many features of this unlock down had changed or improved than previous ones. New guidelines had make many shut down industry to give a new start. According to MHA the new guidelines are based on feedback received from states and UTs and extensive consultations held with related central ministries and departments.

Here is the list of institutions which are free to have a start-

  • Metro trains will be allowed to resume services in a graded manner from September 7.
  • Open air theaters will be allowed to open from September 21.
  • Social, academic, sports, entertainment, political, cultural and religious functions and gatherings will be allowed with a maximum of 100 people from September 21. Face masks and social distancing are however mandatory in all such gatherings.
  • No restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of people and goods. No separate permission or e-permits will be required.
  • Schools and educational institutions will remain shut till September 30 and online classes will continue. However students of classes 9 to 12 may be permitted to visit their schools, outside containment zones only, to take teachers’ guidance. This will require a written consent of their parents.
  • 50 per cent of teaching and non-teaching staff can be called to schools at a time for online teaching.
  • Skill or entrepreneurship training will be allowed in institutes registered with the government.
  • Research scholars and post-graduate students of technical and professional programmers who need laboratory practicals will be permitted by the government.
  • Movie theaters, swimming pools, entertainment parks will remain shut.
  • International air travel of passengers will remain banned, except for those allowed by the centre.
  • Only essential services will be allowed in containment zones. Lock down will continue in the containment zones till September 30.

This is a huge step taken by centre to create an environment of safety and spirit to fight this virus. The wait for vaccine is still not known but one thing which we all can do is to follow these guidelines to keep our self and others safe.

Corona Virus And Civil Societies

The impact and spread of COVID-19 is unimaginable and one even can’t describe it in words. This public health emergency will likely result in a global economic crisis – which will hit the poorest and marginalized communities the most .These twin crises expose the widening inequality around the world and threaten to exacerbate the gap between rich and poor, sending us back decades in our progress we have achieved yet.

To be precise, in short term, the widespread closure of schools – now affecting minimum 90% of world’s children population – cuts children off from the vital services and protection that schools provide. It’s another impact on children from the poorest families will be most likely to have their health, nutrition and wellbeing impacted, their learning stopped, and their safety at risk because their school has closed. For many, especially first-generation learners, homeschooling may not be an option. For poor families, especially girls in them, school closures mean that they may never step foot in a classroom again – increased risks of domestic violence, sexual abuse, child marriage.

In the long term, Oxfam {international confederation of 20 charitable organization working on alleviation of global poverty} estimates that half a billion more people may be pushed into poverty as economies lose jobs, small businesses shut down and safety nets are lost in the wake of the pandemic. The lack of food, increased homelessness, and heightened insecurity will permanently let bright futures of millions of children suffer around the world. And the economic shock is likely to reduce education spending further, putting pressure on households to meet the growing financing gaps. Compounding these hardships, growing public fear, misinformation, spreading rumors may further lead to fuel discrimination, stigma, violence, injustice among society.

But, an excellent saying, reads,

“Helping one person might not change the whole world but it could change the world for that person”

The pressure to mitigate these impacts relies heavily on the ability of government to maintain its role and give voice to communities most likely to be left behind in the public emergency response. Yet the crisis will also hamper civil society’s ability to respond. Closing civic space, constraints in movement in many countries make the environment for advocacy and accountability an extremely difficult one to work in. The pandemic may result in a civil society collapse in many countries.

While this may be one of the most difficult environments for civil society, it is also a critical moment where its work has never been more important. There is an immediate role for civil society in monitoring the impact of school closures on the poorest, especially girls, and to advocate for effective responses to the pandemic.

Governments looking forward for new plans and need to know how decisions made are impacting citizens. Civil society can facilitate engagement with affected communities, a critical part of ensuring contextually relevant responses.

As COVID 19 puts even more pressure on the universality and quality of education systems – and on the capacity of governments to track and respond to those impacts – civil society can play an important role in ensuring that crisis response is targeted to the most vulnerable and sustained through the recovery phase.

To play this role, however, it is vital that civil society be supported to advocate for measures to protect and prioritize the most vulnerable – including using their influence to inform government priorities in the emergency and recovery phases of the pandemic response. Budget monitoring, grassroots social mobilization, and tracking the quality and reach of service delivery will all be important elements of civic engagement to rebuild education during and after the crisis

The future of country its economy, literacy rate, job security, unemployment, poverty all are dependent on how efficiently these society works. And, moreover depends on account of citizens how we control ourselves, how we behave ourselves, how we make our contribution worthy for future of ourselves? We can make this win happen “TOGETHER BY STAYING APART”

                    “WE CAN, WE SHALL OVERCOME”   

Unlock 4 : New Covid Rules

The Government of India had announced a lockdown over the last few months due to the Coronavirus pandemic. A lockdown was imposed on the whole country from the month of April. The lockdowns were imposed as a preventive measure for the pandemic. Since rates of infection have still not gone down, these measures are being continued.. Recently there has been a change in the guidelines and a new system of “Unlock” is being introduced in the country. Today, a new set of guidelines were announced regarding the unlock. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a new guideline about the opening up of more institutions and activities. Metro train services and open air theatres are to be allowed in areas other than Containment Zones. A new set of lockdowns is being extended in the country and the rules will apply to zones where there are active cases and places labelled as containment zones. Other zones will have less strict Unlock rules. These guidelines will be extended in the country till 30 September.

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The Centre has said,”The new guidelines, issued today, are based on feedback received from States and UTs, and extensive consultations held with related Central Ministries and Departments.” After issuing the guidelines, the Home ministry also announced opening up of more activities, like the resumption of Metro train services and open air theatres. Closed theatres have not been permitted to be kept open. Until further notice they will be closed. The re-opening of activities rule will only be applicable in areas outside the Containment Zones, said the Ministry. The Centre has allowed the states and Union Territories to permit up to 50 per cent of its teaching and non-teaching staff to be allowed to go to the schools for online teaching and other official and related work. States will also be allowed to permit students of classes 9 to 12 to visit their schools, but only in areas which are not included under the containment zones, said the government order. The Centre, however, has allowed reopening of higher education institutions. But this is only for research scholars and post-graduate students of technical and professional programmes which require necessary laboratory or experimental works in labs or other institutions. The previous Unlock3 guidelines which were issued on July 29 had allowed the opening up of yoga institutes and gymnasiums. It had also removed restrictions on movement of individuals during night curfew.

School, colleges and other educational institutions will continue to remain closed for students, said the Centre on Saturday as it issued the guidelines for the month-long fourth phase of easing down the restrictions for the pandemic – “Unlock4” – which begins from September 1. The Home Ministry, issuing the guidelines, announced opening up of more activities, like restarting of Metro train services and open air theatres. The re-opening of activities will only be allowed in areas outside the Containment Zones, according to the Ministry guidelines.

The Unlock3 guidelines issued on July 29 had allowed opening of yoga institutes and gymnasiums and removed restrictions on movement of individuals during night curfew. In its latest order, the States have also been asked not to impose any local lockdown restrictions in places outside Containment Zones. According to the government data, India’s COVID-19 numbers rose to 34,63,972 with a single-day spike of 76,472 new infections, while the death count climbed to 62,550 in 24 hours.

TRAVEL INDUSTRY IN COVID-19

From the beginning of the year, the situation around the world is grave. The rise of the newly formed virus had made everyone to stay caution about every little thing. The behavior of population across the globe had changed in an instant. Major industries and firms had faced hard hit from this crisis and suffers a huge loss of turnover and profits. One such sector which is neglected completely altogether from the starting of lock down is travel and tourism. From the commencement of the pandemic had made many people to travel and reach their hometown safely, but lately this industry got completely shut, following a loss in transportation sector as well.

America’s travel industry is among the hardest hit. The U.S. travel associations projects a loss of 4.6 million jobs through May, a figure likely to increase. U.S. weekly jobless claims doubling in a week and by far the biggest spike in half a century. Tourism decline is a driving reason for job losses in states including Nevada, where Las Vegas casinos and jumbo hotels have gone dark.

To improve this situation and employment, the hotel chain has launched their project ‘We Care’ in South Asia which will focus on enhanced technology, sanitation and security efforts to fight the virus spread. “Social distancing will continue and hotels will have to gear up for the day to day operations. With corporate groups, for instance, it is expected that they will split it up into smaller regional events with 3-4 events spread out as opposed to larger events earlier. Self drive car rental company Zoom car has been focused on working with essential service providers in this time and predicts city-based travel to take off sooner. “There will certainly be a bias towards in-city trips compared to outstation ones. Also, we see a stronger focus on shorter term subscriptions. We expect 90% to be in-city rentals and 10% outstation during the post COVID time,” highlights Greg Moran, co-founder & CEO, Zoom car.

Recovery will happen, albeit at its own pace. And with travel taking its own course in a post lock down world, wanderlust will just have to take the road less traveled.

Final Year Exams: Supreme Court to Announce Verdict Tomorrow

University Grants Commission’s (UGC) had passed on a circular on July 6, regarding the conduction of the final term university examinations during the novel covid 19 pandemic. The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on the pleas challenging the UGC circular.

UGC had earlier approached universities to view and get the status about the exams. It received responses from about 818 universities (121 deemed universities, 291 private universities, 51 central universities, and 355 state universities). Out of the 818 universities, 603 have either conducted the examination or are planning to conduct it in some time. While 209 others have already conducted examination on either on-line or off-line mode and 394 are planning to conduct examination in on-line or off-line or in a blended hybrid mode towards August or September.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, R Subshash Reddy and MR Shah, had reserved its judgment for the matter on August 18. They will be pronouncing their judgement after a detailed hearing continuing for 2 days.

Last week, four states and Union territories – Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal and Odisha – had urged the apex court to give directions to the UGC to not impose examinations on lakhs of final year university students during the present condition. The court had concluded the hearing but deferred a judgement on the issue. Many states said they were not consulted before taking the decision regarding examinations and selecting the UGC guidelines. They have also said that the state governments have the power to take health related decisions in the interest of the people. The UGC Guidelines did not make sure of this and the opinion of the states were not taken into consideration while the guidelines were constructed.

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A group of as many as 31 students from different universities across the country had approached the Supreme court and opposed the UGC circular dated 6 July. In that plea, the students have opposed the direction given to all universities in the country to finish taking the final year examinations before 30 September. The students have made a petition and requested for the examinations to be cancelled. They have suggested that the results of students could be calculated on the basis of their internal assessment or mid-term exams and past performance in previous years/semesters. In the petition it was requested that mark sheets of students should be issued before July 31. The petition was filed by students from across 13 states and one union territory. One of the students, among the 31 petitioners, who had tested positive for Coronavirus have asked for directions from the UGC about the examinations. He has asked the UGC to adopt the CBSE model and conduct an examination at a later date. This is specially for the students who are not satisfied with their marks and the assessment of the papers. The plea suggested that previously planned examinations should be cancelled, keeping in mind the interests and health of the students in such a situation of the country, when the number of cases were rising every day. All educational educations across India were closed for the past few months due to the pandemic situation and the lockdown. Most institutions have however started taking classes for intermediate students in the form of online classes/ lectures.

The Supreme Court will give its judgement and provide a verdict for the students, in a batch of petitions submitted for challenging the revised guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct final year exams by September 30 of this year.

RBI Had Not Printed Rs 2000 Notes In 2019-20, Currency is Still Valid

Rs. 2000 notes were introduced by the Government of India after the announcement of the demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupees notes in November, 2016. Currently, it is the highest denomination currency note of the country. According to the annual report of the RBI, the Rs 2000 denomination note was not printed at all during 2019-2020. These notes were introduced after the government announced demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes 4 years back. At that time, those two denominations had accounted for 86% of the then total currency in circulation.

The number of Rs 2,000 denomination notes had peaked at 3.36 billion units in 2017-18. This number had dropped to 3.29 billion in the years 2018-19. It has again fallen to 2.73 billion in 2019-20. The currency note presses of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did not print even one Rs 2,000 note in the last year. This happened because the presses did not receive any order for printing those. This seems to indicate a conscious decision for starting the trend of decreasing the number of notes which are circulated. The 2000 notes under circulation was 50% in 2016-17 and it has come down to almost 22% in 2019-20. These figures are based on RBI’s Annual Report for 2019-20, which was released on August 25 2020.

It is also known that RBI has also disposed a disproportionate share of Rs 2,000 notes in the soiled category. This has raised many questions on the government’s plan about the 2000 denomination note. In January, 2019 the was an indication that the Rs. 2000 notes were not being printed any further because there was adequate supply.

A total of 176.8 million pieces, which is quite a high number, of Rs 2,000 notes under the category of soiled notes were disposed of in 2019-20 by the RBI. While in 2018-19, just 1 million Rs 2,000 notes were disposed of and in 2016-17 or 2017-18, no Rs 2,000 notes were disposed of. Both the 2000 and 500 denomination notes were introduced after demonetization. In 2019-20, the share of Rs 2000 notes which were disposed of was 6.5% while that of Rs.500 notes was 0.6%. Out of the 22 billion currency notes printed in 2019-20, more than 50% of those were of the Rs 500 denomination. Due to these changes in currency composition, the Rs 500 notes has reached a very high share in the total currency under circulation.

The Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur had told the Lok Sabha on March 16 2020 that, “Printing of bank notes of particular denomination is decided by the government in consultation with RBI to maintain the desired denomination mix for facilitating transactional demand of public. No indent was placed with the presses for printing of Rs 2,000 denomination notes for 2019-20. However, there is no decision to discontinue the printing of Rs 2,000 bank notes.”

A government official said that, “The Rs 2,000 notes were introduced in 2016 to quickly fill the gap created by demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. It was the need of the hour. Gradually, with increased supply of smaller notes, including new notes of Rs 100 and Rs 200, and with growing popularity of digital transactions, the urgency to issue new Rs 2,000 notes is no longer there. But this does not mean that there is any move to discontinue Rs 2,000 notes. Increasingly, commercial banks are also using more and more smaller notes because their customers often find difficulties in getting change for Rs 2,000 notes.”

RECOVERY RATE OF INDIA

COVID-19 had made a period in each one’s life. The increase in cases could be seen in each state, this not only lead to scatter of hopes but also an internal danger is present in everyone’s mind. A quantum jump of cases from some thousands to lakhs make us realize that situation is not easy to handle for the staff working day and night in betterment of patients. The coronavirus pandemic has killed over 8.08 lakhs people globally since it emerged in China late last year. Over 2.34 crore people have been infected with the novel coronavirus.

But this is not the only side of the picture, according to a report in The Indian Express, India’s COVID-19 recoveries have crossed 23 lakh and are more than three times the number of active cases of the infection in the country, while the case fatality rate, maintaining a steady downward trajectory, has further dropped to 1.85 per cent, the Union health ministry said on Monday. With 61,408 new infections reported in the country, the tally has now risen to 31.06 lakh. Of these, 23,38,036 patients have already recovered, while 7,10,771 are still active. 

If we look closer in this regard, we will able to find that things are serious but there is nothing much to get afraid about. The strength and confidence seen in patients fighting against this virus is remarkable, said a doctor. They are the hardest hitten population as they even do not get a chance to stay at their home with their families. The recovery rate in terms of health is risen at a great level. People had become more health conscious and are spreading awareness about the same.

To accelerate the process of developing and manufacturing safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in the country that can be easily accessible and affordable for the public, a ‘Mission COVID Suraksha’ has been proposed to be set up with a corpus of nearly Rs 3,000 crore, sources said, according to a PTI report. Piloted by the Department of Biotechnology, the proposed mission will focus on end-to-end vaccine development from clinical trial stage to regulatory facilitation to manufacturing, sources added. The aim of the mission is to accelerate the development of at least six vaccine candidates and ensure that they are licensed and introduced in market for emergency use at the earliest, they said. While there is no official word on the proposed mission as yet, multiple officials confirmed that a proposal has been made. A senior official said this is still in “a proposal stage”.

This shows that although we are moving slow to fight with this virus completely but the way is not impossible. Never lose hope just stay positive and keep moving forward!

Payment of Wages during Pandemic

‘If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich’, quoted John F. Kennedy years before an epidemic like Covid-19 could have even been forecasted.

Starting from the Plague, a bacteria led pandemic to the Spanish Flu caused by a virus in 1918, the world has seen an invisible enemy mongering fear among the people. Though the epidemics did not change the patterns in people’s reactions but it outbreaks have certainly taught us about social distancing and responsibility. The response to the current pandemic, Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19) has been no different. The current situation where the Government has been repeatedly asking people to be selfish about their loved ones and stay indoors is undoubtedly a decision in the public welfare as it stands as the only way to fight the issue. This infection with symptoms is frightening and can kill people in large numbers as evident in the developed countries but the epidemic is more threatening when thought of people it might affect without symptoms.

Looking back, the plague epidemic was certainly a major turning point in India’s public health system. The principles introduced were new then and vaccines developed turned the history of hospitalization in the country. But when it first came in Mumbai, there were only Social Service leagues and other voluntary organizations which did the work of supplying food and medicine to the needy. Thus, there was impression of hope and being taken care of even when the situation turned helpless.

The society is divided into sections and it is not unknown to anyone of the country. Even though the upper class can claim money not being important more than happiness, the lower class does not even know the meaning of happiness if there is no penny in the pocket. The lockdown period has pushed the lower class people, working under ‘no work, no pay’ policy to the extreme points of their lives so much that the deaths due to hunger can compete with the numbers of deaths due to the virus after a couple of months. The situation is similar to the Plague in a lot of ways, maybe it is time to change the principles and policies of the wage workers and mark it in the history once again.

Coronavirus pandemic is not a depression yet but it is a recession already. The country can easily fall back into a temporary economic crisis and technical point of actions can prevent permanent scars of depression. Compelling the payment of wages to the daily wage workers can be a measure that can instantly transform the social safety of the nation as once these workers lay off; there might be irreparable damages to the entire nation’s productive capacity.

The government has issued directions to the employers to pay wages on mere humanitarian grounds and, it is not only for the permanent workmen but for the contract workers as well. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 or the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 which specifically came into force after the epidemic in Mumbai does not guarantee any such direction to be in compliance with the statutory law. However, Central and State governments can take its measures accordingly and it is backed by the provisions. 

Though it has taken time but the Government has come up with ideas to deal with the situation. The government has strictly advised to support the country by paying wages without any consequential deduction in wages for this period. The direction is issued particularly for the casual or contractual workers. On non-payment, the employees can drive down morally to combat their fight. On such kind of a scene, India, as a country, would lose even if it manages to fight the virus.

But the circular is only an ‘advisory’ and has not been issued under any law, ultimately making it not binding on any person. As dealt in the judgment of Narendra Kumar Maheshwari v Union of India that any policy does not take the place of law. Even the legislation under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 does not prohibit any employer from terminating employees or to vary their terms of service. But it does mention securing employees as it requires them to be paid salaries in the course of business. There also lies a major difference between the terms, employees and workmen as pointed out in Dhrangadhra Chemical works Limited v State of Saurashtra. The matter stands important since a workman is entitled to retrenchment as well as other benefits unlike the employers irrespective of whether temporary or permanent. It is important to note that ‘natural calamity’ is not particularly defined in the Act and can be claimed to fall under the ambit of it.  

The migrants are stranded on roadways due to the current situation but hands of employers are tied as well and even though some might think but everyone cannot afford the same. Such a crisis is itself not compensated under loan forbearance.

In such a situation, the solution can be to adopt the idea of common law ‘lay off’ concept to pay 50% of wages so that their daily needs are at least met and also so that it can be done for a larger period to a bigger audience. The Government can also secure by adopting Canada’s plan to subsidize certain requirements and by giving them a privileged position by offering different schemes.

It is time that the country understands that we are all in this together. Without one section the other cannot sustain for long. Very evidently, when John F. Kennedy quoted, he might not have forecasted viruses or pandemics but he knew the world required to stand together for development.

Real friends are fake

Every person is a friend until he wants something from you. I thought that real friends are rare but now realised that they never exist. I believed in friendship and was happy to have such friends until a day came. I never thought atleast it in a dream. I was happy being with them untill I became sad.

My friend’s friend became my friend until he became my enemy in an incident. May be I was wrong and may be I might deserve that. I thought of having a good relationship with them until a day then. No one ever tried to console me. They had their priorities until I left with none. I never cried in my under graduation but that pain of being ignored ny your true friends can’t be expressed. The pain of being ignored made me feel more than the pain that left after quarrelling.

There’s no need to share happy moments but it’s important to share your sadness with your friend. A friend should hold us in sadness. I felt alone at that moment and felt being ignored by them. I too tried to fake a friendship with them. But that never existed long. I am not like them. I feel the pain of my sorrow and as well as them. I don’t why I am feeling alone during friendship day. Till yesterday I was ok with what I feel. But all of sudden something happened to me because of my expectations on my friend. Friend never helps it’s we who hope a lot from him. Stop depending on them and start believing in yourself.

I feel like writing more and more because it’s the only thing with whom I can share my feelings. Last year this day was different. I completely believed in friendship. May be its due to my bitter experiences in life made me so. Hope someday someone make me feel what true friendship is. I don’t know why am I feeling like this that too this day. I never felt to cry while writing because I quit writing while I am about to cry. But this sorrow is making me to write more and more so as to minimise my sadness. I was always alone and felt as though I had got everything I needed untill then. Everyone will feel the same at some saturated point in your life. Friendship ends sooner or later. It’s you or the person on the other side had to leave a thread and make you fall like thug of war.

It’s not what I wrote it’s what I felt. So never try to have expectations because till yesterday bI was fine till I started thinking. If you wanna hold fake friendships then start being fake because no one gonna make you feel happy when you are sad. I am the victim of my own expectations.

CoronaVirus India: Record 57000 Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours

Total Covid-19 positive cases stand at 16,95,988 including 5,65,103 active cases, 10,94,374 cured/discharged/migrated and 36,511 deaths, the health ministry said.

With 57,117 people testing positive for coronavirus in a day, India’s COVID-19 tally neared 17 lakh mark today, while the recoveries jumped to 10,94,374. The country’s death toll rose to 36,511 with 764 fatalities being recorded in a day. The fatality from covid currently stands at 2.18% in India as compared to global average of about 4%.

This is the third consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 50,000. The total number of confirmed cases also includes foreigners.

A day after Maharashtra added the highest number of Covid-19 cases, the state’s tally dropped marginally to 10,320 on Friday, its third highest addition so far. This is the second day in a row that the state has added over 10,000 cases. Active cases in the state crossed the 1.5-lakh mark.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Pune city touched 54,255 after 818 people were detected with the infection in the last 24 hours, According to Worldometer.

Odisha Announces Weekend Shutdown in Rourkela City, 4 Districts Till Aug 31 Meanwhile in India, the Odisha government on Friday announced a weekend shutdown in four districts and Rourkela city till August 31 in the wake of a spike in coronavirus cases.

Andhra was also among eight states that recorded their highest single-day jump in cases on Friday.

The others were Uttar Pradesh 4,453 new cases, Bihar 2,986, Bengal 2,496, Assam 2,112, Telangana 1,986, Kerala 1,310, Delhi 1195 and Punjab 665.