Russia Registered world’s first Covid-19 vaccine.

Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to be inoculated.

Russia is the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine. Many scientists in the country and abroad have been sceptical, however, questioning the decision to register the vaccine before Phase 3 trials that normally last for months and involve thousands of people.

Amid the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a coronavirus vaccine, touted as the world’s first such vaccine, too. The registration of the vaccine lays ground for mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.

The announcement came in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 20 million people and killed nearly 750,000 worldwide, thus, crippling world economies.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH : IS IT ENOUGH ?

THE CHANGES THAT ARE BEING MADE IN OUR EDUCATION SECTOR , TO PLACE IT WELL FOR THE STUDENTS SO THAT THE LEARNING CAN BE AT ITS BEST , HAS SPARKED EFFECTIVENESS DUE TO THE EFFICIENT ACADEMIC RESEARCH ACTED BY THE GOVERNMENT . A STATEMENT WHICH IS HOLD TRUE THAT ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS NOT SUFFICIENT , THE PROCESS IS STILL INCOMPLETE. THE GOVERNMENT FOLLOW THE POLICY OF SCIENCE , TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION , IT DIRECTS GOVERNMENT AND MANDATED IT WITH THE FUNDING IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONAL LABORATORIES . IT HELPED GOVERNMENT WITH THE APPROACHES TO MAKE THEM CONQUER THEIR OBJECTIVES . ONE SUCH APPROACH IS TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVELS , PROPOSED BY NASA . IT IS A KIND OF MEASUREMENT SYSTEM USED TO ASSESS THE MATURITY LEVEL OF A PARTICULAR TECHNOLOGY.

TRL -1 COMMUNICATE THE OBSERVATION OF PRINCIPLES FOR PUBLICATION .

TRL 2 COMMUNICATES THE FORMULATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY AT THE LEVEL OF CONCEPTS .

THEN THE FRAMEWORK FRAMED ADVANCES TO PROOF OF THE CONCEPT , VALIDATION IN A LABORATORY ENVIROMENT AND THEN TO PROTOTYPE DEMONSTRATION AND ENDING WITH ACTUAL DEPLOYMENT .THE TERMINOLOGIES FOR THE APPLICATIONS ARE SPECIFIC LIKE DIFFRENT TERMS ATTACHED TO THE TECHNOLOGIES OF AEROSPACE AND HEALTH SECTOR , THIS IS WHERE THE TERM TRANSLATOR RESEARCH IS USED. AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THEESE TERMINOLOGIES ARE ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND POST ACADEMIC RESEARCH .

THERE ARE LARGE LABORATORIES WHICH ARE SPECIALLY MADE FOR THE RESEARCH WHICH IS FURTHER CONTRIBUTING TO GENERATE NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE FOR NATIONAL DEVOLOPMENT.

IT IS OBSERVED THAT THE INVESTMENT MADE BY INDIA IN THE RESEARCHES ARE NOT SO HUGE COMPARING THE SAME WITH THE ADVANCED COUNTRIES.HERE ARE THE TWO OBSERVATIONS THAT MAKES THIS STATEMENT ‘ A TRUE SET OF WORDS’ , AS WE ALL ARE AWARE ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION EFFICIENCY OF OUR COUNTRY WHICH IS AVERAGE OR VERY POOR IN FEW OF THE SECTORS. THE COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS MADE ARE AS FOLLOWS :

  1. THE COUNTRIES BELONGING TO THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVOLOPMENNT REPORT RESEARCH STATISTICS ACCORDING TO THE FRASCATI MANUAL WHICH WAS FIRST LAUNCHED IN 1963, AND HAS BEEN REVISED FIVE TIMES SINCE THEN .BUT , DATA CANNOT BE COMPARED WITHOUT HAVING THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN INDIA’s DATA AND OTHER’s COUNTRY DATA .
  2. SECONDLY , IT HAS TO BE DECIDED BY INDIA WHERE TO INCREASE THE INVESTMENT EITHER IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH OR IN POST-ACADEMIC RESEARCH BUT THE FACT IS INVESTMENT IN POST ACADEMIC RESEARCH CAN ONLY BE TURNED TO THE NATIONAL DEVOLOPMENT , ONLY IN THE PURSUIT OF POST- ACADEMIC RESEARCH.

IN INDIA , THERE IS A NEED OF ADDING THE VALUE TO RAEW MATERIALS IN INDIA , WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ? , THE ANSWERE LIES IN INCREASING THE INTENSITY OF TECHNOLOGY WHICH WAS IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE GOALS OF THE STI POLICY.

THE STI POLICY SHOULD LAY EMPHASIS ON PAR TO ENSURE THAT INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH RESULTS IN ECONOMIC GROWTH. THE REWARD SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONAL LABORATORIES SHOULD BE REORIENTED TO PROMOTE POST ACADEMIC-RESEARCH. ACADEMICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION SHOULD NOT ONLY PURSUE ACADEMIC RESEARCH BUT ALSO FEW STAGES OF POST ACADEMIC – RESEARCH.

POST – ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS FOCUSING MAINLY ON THE RESEARCH GOALS AND QUESTIONS THAT EMERGE FROM BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS WHEREAS ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS DEFINED AS ‘ SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATION IN THE PROBLEM OR SITUATION WHERE THE INTENTION IS TO IDENTIFY FACTS AND OPINIONS THAT WILL ASSIST IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM OR DEALING WITH THE SITUATION. THIS CLEARY SHOWS HOW MUCH ‘PAR’ IS EFFECTIVE IN COMPARISON TO ‘AR’.

Economics between dragons and wars : Game of Thrones

Westeros is a feudal economy and what this means is that most of the citizens are relegated to work in agriculture under the governance of local Lords who fall under the governance of high Lords who fall under the governance of the Crown. These citizens will work the farms in exchange for a share of the Food and a promise of protection from their respective Lords and their armies. Very little time is spent on what effectively adds up to a vast majority of the population of westeros, but it shouldn’t be forgotten. That this is ultimately the foundation of the Kingdom. Beyond this, small instances of private enterprise do exist, mainly represented in the form of brothels. Smith season ends. This is very reminiscent of medieval England, in which the land of Westeros is loosely based. Manufacturing does not really exist and products of Westeros are primarily limited to regionally produce limitedly complex items that are more or less one offs. A silly example of this is that there is no central factory specializing in making tables for all the individual regions and keeps likely have a Carpenter who could make tables and chairs and beyond this build wooden structures and conduct repairs on their respective Castle. In this example it would be far more efficient for one region of Westeros to agree to just make wooden furniture and share it all over the nation taking advantage of economies of scale. This doesn’t happen though. Great few reasons. Trade and transportation in Westeros is very limited. Sure, we occasionally see merchant ships. On the trade, but we also see that getting from one side of this nation to the other side is a pretty dangerous. The other big consideration is that the nation is pretty much constantly at war in some form. There is no point letting the Lords of the reach set up their furniture factory if I’m just going to be at war with them next year, I will be cut off from my table and chair supply and their factory will be cut off from business because of something half of their customers want to do. This is of course very particular example of how unstable and not advanced economies miss out on economic efficiencies that work to progress. That is something that is highlighted really, really well in the show. Areas of the Kingdom, like the North that have a limited and sparse population and a very non specialized workforce and are shown to have very basic utilitarian furniture. Even in their greatest Castle winterfell.  Conversely, areas with a larger, more concentrated population like Kings landing will allow for people to start specializing in more specific roles like a dedicated furniture maker. Furniture shown here is far more ornate.

Now let’s look at debt collection. The Iron Bank is referenced as one of the most influential powers in the fictional world. The bank draws many parallels with the banking houses of the medieval Europe. This is, of course, a departure from the historical time period that most people associate with the story of Game of Thrones. But part of Martins fantastic storytelling is his ability to pick and choose curiosities from throughout history, and we’ve enjoyed topical fantasy story, the banking houses of the Napoleonic era, most notably the House of Rothschild, were instrumental in funding the war efforts of England and France. Around this time will have become an expensive undertaking. The reliance of armies on new technologies like cannons and muskets, made increasingly a struggle of who could raise the most money. The banking houses were happy to accommodate and knew that they would hold a lot of power. Any nation that tried to Renege on their debt obligations would find it incredibly hard to raise funding to go toward ever again. And then the banks would then just find a more accommodating army who would set things straight and get to work repairing. These banks basically introduced modern finance that exists today. Of course, instead of financing cars and homes to mom’s and dad, they were financing armies to hostile governments, the Iron Bank and historical banks had similar roles.

They actually sought peace and stability, so the Kingdom that they found that could get down to paying back their decks. So these banks loved figures like Tywin Lannister; powerful stabilizing individual. A Lannister always pays their debts, which was like the westerosi equivalent of a strong credit score. I guess these banks were also happy to flip flop on who they supported as soon as the stability of their repayment was compromised. They were more than happy to finance a new leader. The silent hand of the bank has also been speculated to be a huge determinant factor in the final outcomes of the war. There. In the classic adage that goes that. When you owe the bank one million dollars and can’t pay it back, you have a problem. If you owe to bank a billion dollars and can’t pay back, the bank has a problem. It was noted in season five of the Lannisters were deeply in debt for the line back. Many have speculated that this was a cunning plan by Tywin Lannister that the Iron bank would have to continue to support him if they ever want to see a return on their huge loan. When Cersie just wanted the gold of Highgarden certainly potentially made a fatal mistake in doing what ministers do best and repaying their destiny. Iron bank with this no longer had to cover its financial position and was free to do another cost benefit analysis, which heavily favoured the army that had those Dragons. Is it something the comic complexity of the show does allow you to speculate about? It’s certainly something I find used in public economics can be used out of good storytelling.

Cinema: The best medium of cultural communication

India, a country known for its culture all over the world. Every state, every religion has it’s own culture here. From ancient period, people are following different cultures. Countries like America has their own culture (Western Culture).

What is Culture?

Though culture have many literal meanings, let’s confine it to the art of cultivating humanity. Culture is a process of self purification, an action of clearing faults and proceed in the right path.

Cinema is the best medium to promote culture because cinema is all about the visuals and visuals are what captured by our minds very fast. And that’s the benifit of cinema. For instance, if you read or listen something once, there’s high chance you may forget about it. But if you are exposed to something visually, it’s vice versa in this case.

Films can carry not merely information; they can even create a yearning for change
and modernisation. By dexterously employing the mechanical tricks of photography
and camera angles, by exploiting the ingenious use of close-ups, by building up of suspense and illusion, and by weaving human elements and stwy in appropriate
sequences, films can create social awareness and even arouse strong emotions. Films can inform, inspire and express feelings and emotions most dramatically with lasting
impact.

The Indian film industry remains a paradox in many ways. India is going to enter
the 21st century with the largest number of illiterates in the world. Therefore, there
is an urgent need to have proper communication among these illiterate people. The films in many way meet thls need. Because the only meaningful access to audio-visual entertainment for the poor people is the film. Films are extremely popular among the masses. And the Indian film industry continues to be the world’s largest producer of films, releasing on an average 750 films every year in 16 languages.

The Indian films followed the Hollywood model right from the start with heavy
emphasis on entertainment. But individual film-makers, away from the mainstream,
have always made socially purposeful films, even in the thirties.

What Will People Say, The Black Prince etc. are few names of the movies of cultural genre. The Namesake,. Monsoon Weddings are the names of such Indian movies.

Although, Bollywood cinema is the replica of Indian culture purely produced for the sake of entertainment. Indian movies seem promoting intercultural communication as it shows reflection of cultural exchange from language to realm of food, music to architecture, geographical beauty to film canvas.

FEMINISM

Understanding the difference between biological determinism and social constructionism:

Gender differs in culture and personal circumstances, they shape the way men and women behave according to society’s norms and values, stereotypes bound to them.

Freud and parson theorized the biological determination of humans based on certain DNA, proteins, chromosomes, hereditary genes, etc.  The BRUCE REIMER CASE ruled that social factors do not always override biological factors in determining gender.

Social constructionism means how gender roles are created by us in everyday lives. Margaret mead shows a distinction between men and women based on three societies:

  1. Both are cooperative
  2. Women were dominant,  men were obedient
  3. Both were aggressive and ruthless.

Masculine and feminine roles are learnt and shaped in cultural socialization and not inborn; biological specific. Many factors such as education, social norms and values, images identification and traditions influence our thoughts.

Concept of women and men are subject to change over time. The society in which we live is more anatomy rather than destiny, the roles segregated for males and females in past are started to get fade. Society and culture can no doubt shape the beliefs and standards for a certain society however we can not ignore our fundamental biological nature.

Strong social constructionism tends to suggest that the natural world has a small role in the construction of scientific knowledge.

Patriarchy refers to a society dominated by men i.e. society, state and economy are characterised by systematic, institutionalised and pervasive gender oppression. The term means rule by the father,  which means that the patriarchal society is based upon male domination.

Women lack knowledge of their history of struggle and achievement has been one of the major means of keeping them subordinate. The denial to women of their history has reinforced their acceptance of the ideology of patriarchy and has undermined the individual women’s sense of self-worth.

There is a need to adopt political ideas which have proved helpful to strengthen the position of women in society.

How to get ready for this placement season

The placement season for 2021 passing out students has already begun. Every student who is part of this is in dilemma right now what to prepare from where to start and more question like this, in this corona virus situation right now everything is going virtual.The placement are also going virtual, industry is taking interview on different platform such as google meet, micro soft team etc. The main question is what are the skills that are needed to get industry ready. The list is given below take a note and prepare well

A.The very first round most of the companies comprises is aptitude round. This round basically checks your ability of solving questions based on three main areas first is quantitative ability- it consist of questions related to your math skills second one is logical ability- it checks individuals logical ability , how good a person is when it comes to logic the third is verbal ability- it consist of how good a person is in reading comprehension, checking errors, sentence correction.

B. The second round can vary according to the company needs it can be technical or group discussion round. The technical round checks your knowledge on the core subjects related to your field, it can also consist of coding . For group discussion take one topic daily and practice.It will help in building your thinking ability as well as communication ability

C. The third round usually is Hr round this round basically checks your speaking and interacting skills there are a lot of question available on google practice 2 question daily.

-Practice and knowledge of the concepts will help an individual to clear any company. If one is targeting Big MN C’s then data structure and coding are the two main components along with the knowledge of core subjects. Aptitude is required by almost every company, practice every important topic of this part.Be confident while giving interview.

Along with ,technical knowledge make sure u give equal importance to communication skills, it’s the main skills companies look in a individual along with the technical part.

All the best prepare well.

Independence Day

Independence Day is annually celebrated on 15 August, as a national holiday in Indiacommemorating the nation’s independencefrom the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act 1947, as passed by the United Kingdom Parliament, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly came into effect. India retained King George VI as head of state until its transition to full republican and Constitution of India 1950 replaced the dominion prefix, Dominion of India with the enactment of the sovereign law Constitution of India. India attained independence following the Independence Movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.

Election Commission of India

The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India at national, state and district level. The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils, and the offices of the President and Vice President of the country. The Election Commission operates under the authority of Constitution per Article 324, and subsequently enacted Representation of the People Act. The commission has the powers under the Constitution, to act in an appropriate manner when the enacted laws make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of an election. Being a constitutional authority, Election Commission is amongst the few institutions which function with both autonomy and freedom, along with the country’s higher judiciary, the Union Public Service Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

Functions

One of the most important features of the democratic policy in India is elections at regular intervals. Holding periodic, free and fair elections are essentials of a democratic system and a part of the basic structure of the Constitution. The Election Commission is regarded as the guardian of elections in the country. In every election, it issues a Model Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates to conduct elections in a free and fair manner. The commission issued the Code of Conduct for the first time in 1971 for the 5th Lok Sabha elections and has revised it from time to time. It lays down guidelines for the conduct of political parties and candidates during an election period. However, there have been instances of violation of the code by various political parties with complaints being received for misuse of official machinery by the candidates. The code does not have any specific statutory basis but only a persuasive effect. It contains the rules of electoral morality. However, this lack of statutory backing does not prevent the commission from enforcing it.

A law for the registration process for political parties was enacted in 1989 and a number of parties got registered with the commission. The registration helps avoid confusion and ensures that the political parties are brought under the purview of the commission.

The election commission has the right to allow symbols to the political parties. It gives recognition to the national parties, state parties and regional parties. It sets limits on poll expenses. The commission prepare electoral rolls and update the voter’s list from time to time. Notifications of dates and schedules of election for filing nominations are issued by the commission. It is noteworthy that Election commission cannot allot same symbol to two regional political parties even if they are not in the same state.

The commission is empowered with prohibiting dissemination or publication of voting trends that seek to influence voters by opinion polls or exit polls.

To curb the growing influence of money during elections, the Election Commission has made many suggestions and changes in this regard. The commission has appointed IRS officers of the Income Tax Department as Election Observers (Expenditure) of all elections and has fixed the legal limits on the amount of money which a candidate can spend during election campaigns. These limits have been revised over time. The Election Commission, by appointing expenditure observers from the Indian Revenue Service, keeps an eye on the individual account of election expenditure. The commission takes details of the candidate’s assets on affidavit at the time of submitting nomination paper, who are also required to give details of their expenditure within 30 days of the declaration of results. The campaign period has also been reduced by the commission from 21 to 14 days for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to cut down election expenditure.

In an attempt to descriminalise politics, the Election Commission has approached the Supreme Court to put a lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections.

The general election in India, the world’s largest democracy, will take place in nine phases between April 7 and May 12. The general election is a celebration of democracy, no doubt, but it is also a huge challenge for the Election Commission, which is responsible for the smooth operation of the general election. Conducting general election in a country with over 800 million eligible voters is a nightmare and proper planning has to be carried out to ensure that there are no security breaches and that people vote in a safe and secure environment.

Security is a huge challenge for the Election Commission, especially in areas that have a significant presence of Maoist rebels. In the previous elections, Maoist rebels have opposed the elections and tried to sabotage them as well, and it will not come as a surprise if they try to do it this time around. Therefore, the Election Commission is making a list of groups that may oppose the elections and it is coming up with elaborate plans to handle them while maintaining peace in the region.   

The Election Commission, apart from overseeing the general election, is tasked with keeping an eye on speeches made in the country that could disturb the peace and weaken the social fabric of the Indian society. In addition, it is required to monitor the expenditure of the various parties in India and maintain religious harmony in every state. This year, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) will also be able to cast their votes in view of the amendment of The Representation of the People Bill in 2010. Close to 12,000 NRIs have registered as voters and they will be exercising their voting rights for the very first time. With the advancement of technology, Indians living miles away from their homeland are able to stay up to date with the current affairs and developments in the Indian political scene.   

With news spreading like wild fire on social networking sites and other new media platforms, people have begun to take an interest in affairs of the nation. As such, they are involved in political and economic issues like never before. This is not just applicable to NRIs but also to people living in India. This is the first time in India’s history that people are showing enthusiasm and interest in the polls. As such, with greater participation from Indians at home and abroad, the Election Commission is expected to be more vigilant of the conduct of the people on the voting day and ensure that people abide by the rules as stated in the Constitution.   

New parties have emerged on the political front in India and they are all fighting for diverse issues. The Congress, which has been in power for the last 10 years, is fighting to defend its political record and to protect the secular fabric of the nation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting for a change in the centre and is trying to convince the people of India that it can do a better job than the Congress. Regional parties are on the rise and a new party that has joined the bandwagon is the Aam Aadmi Party, which claims to represent the common man and is keen to address the problems of the common man.  

With so many parties fighting for attention and votes, it is inevitable that there will be clashes between the parties and the people. So, the Election Commission has to ensure that the parties adhere to the Constitution and the rules it has put forth with regard to rallies. Mr . Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath CEC (Chief Election Commissioner of India) has a huge task at hand and with more parties joining the political scene and more voters in the picture, its job essentially gets harder. Maintaining peace in the region is crucial and it is difficult to predict when chaos will erupt. So, the Election Commission has to take proactive measures to ensure that the general election conforms to the Indian Constitution and proceeds in a smooth manner.   

RATAN TATA : REAL SON OF GOD

Ratan Naval Tata

One of the most well-known and respected industrialists in India, Ratan Naval Tata is the Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Group. At the age of 73, Tata heads one of the country’s largest conglomerates which comprise nearly 100 firms with revenues totaling about USD 67 billion. He is also the chairman of major Tata companies such as Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Teleservices. Power, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, and The Indian Hotels Company.
Tata was born on December 28, 1937 in Mumbai, in one of the richest families. His great grandfather was Jamsedji Tata, founder of the Tata group. As a young boy, Tata had a disturbed childhood after his parents split. He was raised by his grandmother, Lady Navajbai in the lap of luxury at Tata Palace. America held a special fascination for the Tata scion and he went to Cornell University to study architecture and structural engineering. Later he pursued a management course from Harvard University.

In 1962, he joined the Tata Group and his first job involved working with the Tata Steel division in Jamshedpur, where he worked with the blue-collar employees shoveling stone and working with the furnaces. He was appointed the Director-in-Charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company Limited (Nelco) in 1971 and was successful in turning Nelco around.

Tata later paved his way to become the Chairman of Tata Industries and was instrumental in ushering in a wide array of reforms. It was under his stewardship that Tata Consultancy Services went public and Tata Motors was listed in the New York Stock Exchange giving it more international power and recognition. He is credited with leading the Tatas’ successful bid for Corus- an Anglo-Dutch steel and aluminum producer as well as Jaguar and Land Rover brands from the Ford Company.

During his tenure the company witnessed the launch of india’s first truly Indian car, ‘Indica’. The car was the brainchild of Tata. In 2000 Tata’s food division acquired tea firm Tetley for GBP 70 million. In the year 2009-10 the group’s revenues have grown nearly 12-fold, totalling USD 67.4 billion. Tata also serves on the boards of Fiat SpA and Alcoa and is also on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase, Rolls Royce, Temasek Holdings and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

In year 2000, he was honored with Padma Bhushan by the government of India. He was also conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, and an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick. Tata has a personal fortune of GBP 300 million and owns less than 1% of the colossal group. Over two thirds of Tata Group is owned by charitable trusts that finance good causes.

Tata set a perfect example of generosity and leadership during the 26/11 attacks. Unarmed he stood all alone outside the Taj hotel and supervised the activities to help the victims. He showcased his humane gesture by personally visiting the families of all the 80 employees who were killed or injured. He left no stone unturned to provide relief to the victims and even asked the families and dependents as to what they wanted him to do.

His retirement may still be a year away, but Tata has started chalking out plans on his post-retirement. He plans to set up a design centre of international standards and scale. He has led development of many innovative designs and products, the most celebrated being Nano. The idea of Nano was born with his concern for the safety of nuclear families commuting on two-wheelers. He was the one who suggested that the miniature car should be fitted with just one windscreen wiper. This reduced its price and maintenance cost.

Rising prices of essential commodities in India

In India, inflation or price rise is not just an economic concept but they are also a political tool, often used by the opposition parties to launch attack on the ruling government. But in case of price rise of essential commodities, price rise is more political than economic factor. Very often, there is uproar in Parliament as political parties jostle to grab as much mileage as possible from the government’s apparent failure to curb inflation, as they try to sidle up to the aam aadmi who has been worst hit by skyrocketing prices. It is because the people of lower strata are most severely affected by the rising prices, and if the price rise is in essential commodities, damage is more severe.    

Commodities classified as essential under the Essential Commodities Act 1955 includes cattle fodder, oil-cakes and other concentrates, coal, including coke and other derivatives, component parts and accessories of automobiles, cotton and woolen textiles, few drugs, foodstuffs, including edible oil-seeds and oils, iron and steel, including manufactured products of iron and steel; paper, including newsprint, paperboard -and straw board; petroleum and petroleum products; raw cotton, food crops etc.   

In the last five years, the prices of eight essential commodities have gone up by nearly 72 percent and on the contrary the per capita income have gone up by 38 percent of average Indian in metros, according to the latest study undertaken by apex chamber ASSOCHAM.  

While prices of condiments & spices, eggs, fish and meat, milk, pulses witnessed a sharp increase, ranging between 158.07 percent, 78.88 percent, 74.12 percent and 73.69 percent respectively, other essentials like coffee, tea, wheat and fruits and vegetables saw upward moment in the range of 70.75 percent, 66.89 percent, 63.25 percent and 59.31 percent respectively during the corresponding period.   ​​​​​​​  

Demand as well as supply, both factors are responsible for rise in prices of essential commodities. Apart from increasing population which itself is a major cause of rising demand, changing food habits are also giving push to demand pull inflation. Growing demand for pizzas is one big example where large quantities of cheese and butter are used. The price of milk and milk-based products in India is set to surge on the back of a variety of natural and human factors, including a shortage during monsoon months. Prices will be further impacted by the upcoming festival season which sees a spike in consumption of milk-based products, especially sweets.  

On the supply side, unfavorable weather conditions also resulted in the short supply of commodities and consequently pushed their prices up. Lack of warehousing facilities, cold storages also results in the post harvest losses which are estimated to the tune of one-third of the total produce. An abnormally high percentage of fruits and vegetables goes wasted because of lack of cold-storage facilities. Thus post harvest losses also contribute to the short supply of food crops.    

The sharp increase in prices of wheat and rice will have an inflationary impact on essential commodities as open market prices of both commodities were ruling slightly higher than the above the poverty line prices. Many essential commodities like petroleum products, pulses, fertilizers are either imported or are produced with imported intermediate goods. Price of such commodities depends on the international prices and as over all global prices of these commodities is increasing, pressure on domestic prices is bound to happen. Even in the case of export based goods produced in the country, if international prices of such commodities are soaring, there is an upward pressure on domestic prices as well because the producers will tend to sell these products in foreign markets where they are likely to fetch better prices. It may also create an scarcity in domestic market.  

Moreover, market is also dominated by manipulators, fixers, fly by operators, corporate gamblers. Many allege that prime reason behind the rising essential commodities is that we created a commodity exchange like Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) and other like commodity exchanges where market can be manipulate within hours according to one’s own wish. Moreover, it has nothing to do with our production, distribution, monsoon and other factors; still it effects the commodity prices. The argument is true to some extent but, such exchanges have their own benefits too.  

The inflation can be controlled to the large extent if the government gives full freedom for farmers to sell their agricultural produce anywhere in India without any restriction and ensure free movement without taxing the same. All the agricultural produce is controlled by market forces which include arhatiyas, hoarders, black marketers and other rich and traditional traders. The prices of goods are decided by these individuals. They create the artificial shortage and price rise. The farmers cannot sell their agriculture produce directly due to different reasons. The real farmers are getting 1/3rd of the price. Rest of the profit is swallowed by the middleman and traders only.  

Thus, the price rise is caused by several factors like hording, population explosion, low productivity, natural calamities, wars, backwardness of communication, evil motives of dishonest businessmen, smuggling, black marketing etc. Many suggest deregulation of prices of essential commodities as market forces are supposed to efficiently allocate the resources. However, it is also necessary to provide affordable prices to the vulnerable sections of the society. But indeed, comprehensive reforms, development of agriculture infrastructure, elimination of hoarders and black marketers etc is necessary to eliminate the artificial scarcity plaguing the economy.

HAPPINESS- how dependant it is on external factors:

Happiness, that’s a choice. A choice, and it comes from within, not from outside. 

It is absolutely true that happiness is not dependent on external factors. In the opposite, our happiness rests solely in ourselves, on our inner influences. 

Money cannot buy you happiness.

external factors which are big house, car, lucrative career, immense wealth, property, expensive electronic items, lavish furniture and last but not least excess financial status may make your day, and make you smile, but if you are not happy, or are sad in the first place, they will not make you happy!

Happiness is celebrating the small essence of life. 

Happiness is more about life and being happy for all the blessings we have. The greatest aspect is that we are satisfied for small stuff that we do, people do, or what we have. Real joy is throwing it away.

A little smile, a little charity, a donation of food, essential items for the needy, and sometimes even in this difficult time giving financial assistance to the poor, is enough to make one happy.

When this contagious disease spreads, people lose their lives, it points out that being alive is happiness itself. Life can not be bought. Being able to live, thank God for all that He gives us, praying, meditating are all our true sources of joy.Being inside, practicing meditation and relaxation exercises, planting, watering seeds, reading a novel, blogging, watching Ramayana and Marabharat with your children, all of these really give you the feeling of doing something imaginative and inventive. The very essence of knowing that you can change something or do something for society is happiness.

If we look around us, when we are all in our houses, we enjoy a lot of stuff. Being around loved ones, not heading away, listening to music, snorting animals, calm waters of rivers, a nice feeling, a glimpse of the range, no noisy sound of horns or cars, is a gift in disguise.We are now giving space to our relationships, enjoying, believing in the power of social distancing, maintaining hand hygiene, controlling the infections of the entire environment and of ourselves. 

We did a lot of new things a few days back in our country due to PM. All of this has instilled in us all a feeling of cohesion and solidarity.If it’s ringing bells, clapping or even lighting diyas, candles or utilizing smartphone flashlights, it’s all too simple but at the same time too pleasant. All age groups could be seen doing these little activities at the prescribed date and time. It is a joyful task for some people to sleep peacefully or play with pets.

If wealth is lost ,nothing is lost

If health is lost, something is lost

If character is lost then everything is lost

Happiness can never be tied to outside factors. In our minds and souls, joy is everything. If we want to be positive, then we are satisfied and if we choose to feel unhappy over past things no one will support. In fact, our inner thoughts, our own motivation, decisions , actions and good deeds for our society, family, country, and other people make us happy.As long as we behave as humans with empathy, compassion towards others, understanding, change, no aspirations, and above all having inner confidence that all is good and will be better in the future, we are bound to be genuinely content, productive and ultimately safe.

SUPREME COURT REVIVES PUNISHMENT PUNISHMENT OF EX LT. COL. S.S BEDI

The Supreme Court has reestablished the discipline of the punishment of cashiering to Ex. Lt. Col. S. S. Bedi who was a Medical Specialist in the Indian Army Medical Corps found as liable of the charge of using criminal power against two ladies patients.

The Supreme Court held, “We restore the punishment of penalty by considering the indefensible conduct of the Appellant misusing a place of trust being a Doctor which isn’t condonable. Be that as it may, we direct the Respondents to consider the whole record of service of the Appellant and his propelled age while taking a decision to start procedures under the Army Pension Regulations.”

A three-judge Bench of Justice Nageswara Rao, Hemant Gupta and Ravindra Gupta was not convinced with the reasons given by the Tribunal for changing over the sentence from cashiering to imposition of fine of Rs.50,000 and directed revival of the punishment.

An appeal was documented by Ex. Lt. Col. S. S. Bedi tested the judgment of the Armed Forces Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi affirming request of his conviction by the General Court Martial.

The Tribunal had anyway changed over the sentence of cashiering from administration into a fine of Rs.50,000/ – The Union of India had documented an appeal oppressed by the modification of sentence from cashiering from administration to inconvenience of fine.

The Appellant Mr Bedi was commissioned in the Indian Army Medical Corps in 1966 and was posted at Base Hospital Lucknow as a Medical Specialist in 1984.

An objection was made by two ladies against him in 1986 that he behaved badly with them during test by touching their genitals. He was charged for carrying out a civil offense and using criminal power on two ladies with purpose to shock their modesty, as opposed to Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC). The Appellant was held liable by the General Court Martial and was sentenced to be cashiered from service on fourteenth Jan 1987.

The conviction and sentence of the General Court Martial were tested by the Petitioner before the Delhi High Court in the year 2010 and was moved by the Delhi High Court to the Principal Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal, New Delhi. The Tribunal maintained the conviction of the Appellant however changed over the punishment of cashiering to a fine of Rs.50,000/ – .

The Counsel for the appealing party Mr. Sridhar Potaraju, had submitted before the Supreme Court that the conviction of the Appellant is impractical as the proof on record was not appropriately valued by both the General Court Martial and the Tribunal.

Additional Solicitor General showing up for the Respondent reacted by contending that there was .plentiful proof on record highlighting the guilt of the Appellant which has been appropriately valued by the General Court Martial and the Tribunal.

He informed the Court that the Respondents are just worried about the conversion of the punishment of cashiering to a fine of Rs.50,000, which as indicated by at that point was unjustifiable. The Appellant had misbehaved with two patients and the expert proof additionally shows that there was no need of the Appellant touching the private pieces of the complainant.

The Apex Court concurred with the conclusion of the General Court Martial and the Tribunal that the Appellant is liable of the charge of using criminal power against two ladies patients and denied the dispute that the conviction was unreasonable.

CENTRE TRANSFERS SUSHANT’S DEATH CASE TO THE CBI

Adding another layer to the debate encompassing the demise of actor, Sushant Singh Rajput, the Center has now acknowledged the Bihar government’s proposal for a CBI probe into the case. This was informed to the Supreme Court by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta today.

The court was hearing Rhea Chakraborthy’s plea looking for transfer of a FIR documented against her by Sushant Singh Rajput’s father from Patna to Mumbai and a stay on the investigation by the Bihar police.

The request documented by Rhea expresses the FIR in Patna asserting abetment to suicide charges against her is only a demonstration of “conspiracy” between the State of Bihar and the father of the late Actor.

Justice Hrishikesh Roy stated: “Rajput was a skilled artist who died under unordinary conditions. In the event that there is culpability involved, it should be examined.”

He added: “Everybody has a sentiment about prominent cases, however we will continue as per law. Let the Maharashtra government react to what Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has submitted.

Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, showing up for Rhea, argued that a defensive request be passed for the petitioner. But, Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, showing up for the Rajput family, brought up criticisms and presented that no defensive request ought to be passed as it could prompt altering of proof.

Justice Roy was not satisfied with the isolating of the Bihar police in Maharashtra and stated: “The quarantining of the Bihar police doesn’t send a good message. The imprisonment ..does it send a good message? Particularly when the case has gathered so much media attention? State of Maharashtra needs to guarantee that everything is done in proper manner.”

The bench has allowed three days to all parties to gather the documents. State of Maharashtra has been asked to update on condition of the investigation by Mumbai police. Matter will be recorded one week from now.

MADRAS HIGH COURT STRIKES DOWN OBJECTION TO FEES FOR INSOLVENCY PROFESSIONALS

The Madras High Court has dismissed a writ appeal challenging the Regulation 7(2)(ca) of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), which specifies the prerequisite that the Insolvency Professionals (IP) should pay an expense calculated at 0.25% of the professional charge earned for services delivered as an IP in the previous money related year.

The petitoner, CA. Venkata Siva Kumar, is a CA and has enrolled himself as an IP with the IBBI. He expressed in his writ appeal that the guidelines of the IBBI (Insolvency Professionals) Regulations, 2016 are violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution and has the right to be struck down.

The principle dispute of the petitoner was that Section 196 of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 doesn’t give power to IBBI to demand expenses based on the yearly compensation or the yearly turnover of the IP or IPE and that an enrollment fee of Rs 10,000 is charged every five years after the declaration of registration is granted.

The division bench of Chief Justice A.P. Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy held that plainly Section 196(1)(c) and 207 of the IBC and the IP Regulations are expected to satisfy the object and purpose behind the IBC with respect to the working of the IBBI.

“The IBC contains adequate safeguards to guarantee that the Parliament viably administers all rules and principles with the ability to change or even invalidate the same,” the seat said.

“The IBBI offers noteworthy types of assistance, including connections to IPs, and that there is an expansive correlation between charges and administrations. Given the way that chief arithmetical connection as between the charge got and service delivered isn’t necessary particularly with regards to administrative expenses, we are of the view that Regulation 7(2)(ca) of the IP Regulations doesn’t suffer the ill effects of constitutional infirmity by virtue of the absence of quid pro quo,” the bench said.

SC WORKING ON RESTORING 4G INTERNET CONNECTION IN JAMMU AND KASHMIR

The Supreme Court today today asked General Tushar Mehta to ask for directions from the Centre on the chance of opening 4G internet services in certain parts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Manoj Sinha has been named the new LG of Jammu and Kashmir after G C Murmu left the post.

Fast Internet service in J-K has been suspended since August 2019 when the Centre had revoked  its special status and bifurcation of the state into two UTs – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The top court said that with the new  LG, nothing changes as the special panel is there to investigate the issue.

The top court was hearing a plea of the NGO looking for inception of contempt proceedings against the Union Home Secretary and Chief Secretary of J-K for their claimed “wilful defiance” in conforming to the court’s May 11 request.

At the beginning, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, showing up for the J-K organization advised the bench that he needs to accept directions as the LG has changed there and new LG has assumed control over yesterday.

The bench said that with the difference in LG, nothing changes as the high powered panel is there to investigate the issue.

It said that the court can’t state what the circumstances are on the ground level yet the issue is that the matter should not be postponed.

The seat asked Mehta to take directions on whether 4G administrations can be reestablished in specific zones.

Mehta said that there is no goal to postpone the issue as the top court’s structure has been conformed to in letter and soul and he would take guidelines.

The bench, including Justices NV Ramana, BR Gavai and Subhash R Reddy, was hearing a content appeal recorded by Foundation of Media Professionals, looking for sure quick restoration of 4G in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

The contempt petition was recorded to bring the Court’s focus to the obstinate failiure of government authorities in complying with the order of the Supreme Court, in spite of 29 days having passed  since the judgment was conveyed on May 11, 2020.

Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the applicants, presented that during the past hearing the SG had looked for time to go through the reply documented by the petitioners presenting that they have followed the court’s directions. However, they have not reacted at this point.

 

The bench, in any case, said that it was not saying anything at the moment, as the petitioners have depended on the statement of the Governor, however now the Governor has changed.

The bench additionally said that it will decide whether there is contempt or not after they get a reply from the centre.

 

On July 28, the Center and the J-K organization had told the top court that it will check the statements made by the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and BJP politician Ram Madhav that 4G Internet administration can be reestablished in the Union Territory, and asked for time to document an answer to the response oath recorded by a NGO.