Khadi India organised an Exhibition and a Fashion Show ‘Aheli Khadi’ at NIFT Gandhinagar

by Shashikant Nishant Sharma

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s pivotal call has been the core objective of Khadi and Village Industries Commission to position Khadi as a Fashion Fabric. It has been a constant effort of the Prime Minister to promote Khadi for all, especially the beacons of our society- the youth.

With the intention to reach out to young audience and global market, an exhibition and to popularise khadi as a fabric and showcase its use for traditional and contemporary cloths ‘Aheli Khadi’ a Fashion Show was organized by Khadi India at the Tana Riri Auditorium, NIFT Gandhinagar on Sunday.

Shri Manoj Goel, Chairman of KVIC graced the function as chief guest. Eminent designers, fashion industry members, students and khadi institutions graced the fashion show.

Khadi is symbolic of the Swadeshi movement, and has been a front runner in establishing its robustness as a fabric that is both empowering and modern in its interpretation. That’s why Khadi has found favour with the younger generation, as it transcends from being termed as fabric and showcase its use for traditional and contemporary clothing, “Aheli” khadi means pure khadi; was showed during the fashion show.

Apparel for Yoga as “SWADHA” chic, now accepted as an effective medium of communication designed by NIFT designer was the prominent attraction of the fashion show.

Another attraction of the fashion show was “Aheli”; the fabric showcased at ramp was sourced from the khadi institutions to design for pan generational consumer. NIFT designers designed six distinct collections of apparel and sarees ranging from ethnic, fusion, western and casual look. Hand embroidery, stitch detailing and hand block printing has been used to add value to the exquisite khadi. Home linen collections were designed with Khadi fabrics of different weights and yarns combining Indian crafts with an International look to position Khadi as Global.

The show was designed and presented by NIFT students, who walked on the ramp as models.

Shri Manoj Goel, Chairman, KVIC in his key note addressed said; our effort will be to make “Khadi Global”. The aim of KVIC is to promote and pitch Khadi at a relatable, high design level, it also wishes to encourage use of khadi as an environmentally sustainable fabric to replace non-biodegradable unsustainable product in the domain of home and apparel.

International Conference on Green Ship Recycling & Vehicle Scrapping and Review Meeting of Development of National Maritime Heritage Complex

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that Gujarat is the business gateway of India and one of the world’s preferred maritime destinations. Addressing International Conference on Green Ship Recycling and Vehicle Scrapping in Gandhinagar today he said with a coastline of 1,600 km, Gujarat handles over 40% of India’s cargo throughput and contributes 18% of the total cargo transported using coastal shipping. He said Gujarat was the first state in the country to privatise the port sector, and by virtue of its strategic location, proactive policies, and robust infrastructure has emerged as the flag bearer of India’s maritime success story. Shri Sonowal said India is a leading destination for ship recycling and the planned doubling of capacity of Alang-Sosiya shipyard in Gujarat will create a large number of employment opportunities and bring in more economic prosperity to Gujarat and the country.

Taking about the Sagarmala Programme, Shri Sonowal said it has given impetus to the thriving maritime sector in Gujarat with projects such as port modernisation, rail, road, cruise tourism, RO-RO & passenger jetties, fisheries, coastal infrastructure, skill development, etc. There are 74 projects worth Rs. 57,000 crore under Sagarmala Programme in Gujarat, of which 15 projects worth Rs. 9,000 crore have been completed, 33 projects worth over Rs. 25,000 crore are under implementation and 26 projects worth Rs. 22,700 crore are under development, he said.

Speaking on the occasion Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra bhai Patel said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat is now moving towards port-led development. Gujarat is India’s coastal gateway. He said the state is home to Alang, the largest ship-breaking yard in the world. Just as Gujarat has been dominant in ship breaking-recycling sector, it will also be in green recycling. He said Gujarat has the potential and the political will to become a hub for green ship recycling. The Gujarat government is committed to making Gujarat a global centre for green recycling. He said Alang also has a well-developed ecosystem and capacity for vehicle scrapping and will contribute majorly to the vehicle scrapping policy.

The International Conference on Green Ship Recycling and Vehicle Scrapping is showcasing the current status of ship recycling industry in Gujarat and the adoption of HKC Convention compliances. The conference is also facilitating discussion on how the EU shipping industry can take advantage of ship recycling facilities in Gujarat, and explore partnerships with EU member countries.

Highlighting the significance of the conference, MK Das, Additional Chief Secretary of Ports and Transport Department, Government of Gujarat, said the conference will put Alang on the global map as a preferred destination for sustainable ship recycling that has safe and environmentally sound ship recycling best practices in place. He said the conference will also help in exploring synergies between Alang’s ship recycling industry with the vehicle scrapping industry, and enable Alang to emerge as a vehicle scrapping hub.

Two sessions were also organised as a part of the conference. The first session on “Ship Recycling Industry in India and Compliances” focused on the Ship Recycling Act, the role of GMB, compliance with HKC and EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR), and safe and sustainable recycling.

The second session was on Vehicle Scrap Policy and saw an overview of the policy. It also showcased Alang’s capabilities as a hub of vehicle scrapping.

Representatives from the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, CEOs, and national and international industry representatives from the shipping sector including shipping lines, ship recyclers, ship owners, etc. participated in the conference. The conference will be followed by a visit to the Alang ship breaking yard on September 13.

Shri Sonowal also visited the site of proposed National Maritime Heritage Complex near Lothal and reviewed the progress of the project in presence of senior officers of Government of Gujarat and Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The project is being developed by the Government of India through MoPSW for an estimated amount of Rs.3500 crore. The proposed Complex would showcase India’s rich and diverse maritime heritage and will be the first of its kind in the country and one of the world’s largest maritime museums dedicated to the legacy of maritime heritage of India.

Life size architecture of the Lothal will be depicted in the museum. The various components like, lower town, middle town, Citadel, cemetery, houses, pattern of the street, sanitation system, wells, industries/workshop and marketplace, etc. will be depicted in the museum. To provide First-Hand Experience to visitors, a working model of the Lothal dockyard, functioning of the warehouse etc. will also be showcased along with typical Harappan house with components like, oven, etc. The museum will portray renowned Harappan Water Harvesting and Management system excavated at the site of Dholavira.

Renowned architecture firm Ms. Architect Hafeez Contractor has been appointed as the Project Management Consultant of the project and have already prepared Concept Design & Plan for following 5 Galleries of phase 1A:

a) Gallery- 1 Orientation and oceanic mythology

b) Gallery-2 Harappans: The Pioneer Seafarers

c) Gallery- 3 Post Harappan Trajectories: The Impact of Climate change

d) Gallery- 4 India’s contact with the Greco-Roman world

e) Gallery- 5 Special exhibitions

The work on concept design of Gallery 6 (Emergence of Indian Navy) is in progress by Ms. Architect Hafeez Contractor in consultation with the officials of Indian Navy and consolidated list of artefacts for the galleries has been finalized.

The EPC work of the NMHC phase 1A has been awarded to Tata Projects Ltd. in Mar 2022 and is targeted to be completed by Mar 2024.

The project will boost the tourism in the state of Gujarat in turn developing the economy of the region including the nearby villages namely Saragwala and Utelia. The proposed six galleries planned in the NMHC project will focus on different time periods of the Maritime history to the visitors.

Speaking after the visit Shri Sonowal stated that the project will be developed as a new international destination for tourist and to stand at par with other renowned international museums of the world under the Sagarmala program of the Ministry of Shipping. He said It will also create an opportunity of employment for the local people and help them develop a number of cottage industries thus materializing the vison of Atmanirbhar Bharat of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

What is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)?

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the delegation of the Ownership, Administration, and Operation of a process to a third party. Many people see it as an evolution from Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO). Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the delegation of one or more IT-intensive business processes to an external provider that in turn owns, administers and manages the selected process based on defined and measurable performance criteria. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is one of the fastest growing segments of the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) industry.

Several MNCs are increasingly unbundling or vertical disintegrating their activities i.e. they have begun outsourcing activities which formerly performed in house and concentrating their energies on a few functions. Outsourcing involves withdrawing from certain stages/activities and relying on outside vendors to supply the needed products, support services or functional activities. These outside vendors are called BPOs. The outsourcing industry is growing from strength.

Why do everything yourself, when someone else can do it at low cost? In the current scenario, the theory says exactly the same. The global market today is highly competitive and continuously changing. A company must, thus, focus on improving productivity and at the same time, cut down costs. This is the basic premise of outsourcing. Outsourcing works because what is non-core for one organisation, is core for another.

In brief, business process outsourcing can be seen as a process in which a company delegates some of its in-house operations or processes to a third party. Thus, it is a transaction through which one company acquires services from another, while maintaining ownership and ultimate responsibility for the processes.

The company then informs its provider what it wants, and how it wants the work to be performed. The main motive for business process outsourcing is to allow the company to invest more time, money and human resources into core activities and building strategies, which fuel company growth.

How to Participate in Water Heroes Contest

KERALA

Kerala

Kerala was formed on 1st November 1956. Chief language of state is malayalam. Main rivers are Periyar, Bharatapuzha, Pamba,Chaliyar, Achenkovil, Muvattupuzha. Mountains are Anamala is the highest peak, Karinkulam, Mukutti, Devimala. The main beaches are Kovalam, Varkala, Vizhinjam, Shankumukham(trivandrum)etc. The main waterfalls are Athirapally, Palaruvi and Vazhachal. The wildlife sanctuaries include Peppara lNational park, Silent valley, Parambikulam National Park, Periyar National Park, Eravikulam National Park known for its Nilgiri Tahr.

Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) is the capital of Kerala, it is a beautiful city with art galleries, palaces, beaches etc. Main places to visit are Sri Padmanabhaswami temple, Kuthiramalika palace museum, Kanakakkunnu palace, Science and technology museum and planetarium, Observatory tower, Napier museum, Sri Chitra Art gallery. Kovalam beach, Veli tourist village, Neyyar dam andvwildlife sanctuary , ponmudi hill resort and Varkala beach.

Kumarakom

At Kumarakom house boat sailing on backwaters. The kottayam, kollam, alapuzha route is famous for scenic beauty. Boat races are held here annually and it’s a royal attraction. Kumarakom bird sanctuary, Vembanadu lake is place for water ride.

Thekkady

Periyar wildlife sanctuary with artificial lake surrounded by evergreen forest and grasslands. It’s home to bison, antelopes, sambhar, monkeys, langur, elephants, tigers etc.Thekkady is centre inside Park with hotels and boat jetty. Kumily is the closest town.

Kochi

Kochi consist of Ernakulam, Wellington Island, Bolgatty, Mattanchery, Vypin Island, Fort Cochin etc. St. Francis church with tombstone of Vasco da Gama, the Mattanchery palace, the Jewish synagogue constructed in 1568. Other attractions are Bolgatty Island, Harbour, Chinese fishing nets, ParishathThampuran museum and Veegaland amusement park.

Thrissur

Thrissur is known as kerala’s cultural capital. Places to visit are Vadakumnatha temple, churches include Our Lady of Lourdes cathedral, Puthenpalli, Chandran church etc. Many important temple festivals including thrissur pooram, peruvanam pooram, Arattupuzha pooram, thaipooya maholsavam etc. Kerala Kalamandalam and Guruvayoor Sree Krishna temple is situated in thrissur.

Kannur

Kannur is the best place to enjoy Kerala’s ritual art Theyyam. Regular Theyyams are held in Parassinikadavu temple and at Kerala folklore academy. The Portuguese built St. Angelo fort and Kanjirode weavers cooperative are worth visiting. The famous Bakel fort and Kappil beach are places to visit.

Himachal pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh was formed on 25 January 1971. The capital is Shimla. The languages spoken by people are Pahari, Hindi, Punjabi and Kinnauri. The main towns are Shimla, Mandi,Dharmashala, Kullu, Manali,Bilaspur, Chamba, Kye- lang, Kalpa and Kangra. For shopping Pashmina shawls are famous, rugs, gudma, namdas are attractions. Dal housie- kulu shawls and Tibetan handicrafts, lakkar bazar are worth visiting. The main rivers are Beas, Chenab,Ravi, Satluj, Yamuna. Mountain ranges are Great Himalaya , Punjab Himalaya, Saket hills, Shimla hills, Shiwalik range, Missouri range. The main valleys are Kangra Valley, Mahasu Valley, Lahul Valley, Baspa Valley etc.

The famous places to visit in Himachal pradesh are Shimla known as summer capital of British India. The summer hill and the Prospect hill, the Viceregal lodge(Rashtrapati niwas), and botanical garden, the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, the Himachal State Museum etc are worth visiting. Many beautiful places to visit like Jakhu hill and temple, Skating rink, Annandale, Chadwick falls, Chail, Malhotra etc.

Dharamsala

It is ideal location for meditation, quiet walks, trekking, rock climbing etc. It is also referred to as “ Little Lhasa”.Tibet museum and the Tsunglagkhag temple. St. John’s church, the Kangra art museum, Tibetan institute of performing arts, Dip Tse- Chok Ling Gompa, library of Tibetan works, Tibetan medical and astrological institute, Dharamkot, Bhagsunath waterfall, Machhirial waterfall etc.

Chamba

Chamba on the banks of the river Ravi is famous for shikara hindu temples,Chamba rumal(miniature paintings), Brajeshwari Devitemple, Chamunda devi temple, Rang mahal, Bhuri Singh Musuem, Saloni and Bhandal valley.

Dalhousie

It is a hill station spreading over five hills. Main attractions include Gandhi Chowk, Subhash Chowk, Panjpulla, Moti Tibba, Karelnu, Khajjiar meadow.

Kullu

Kullu is famous and colorful during Dussehra festival in October and filled with picturesque lush green valleys. Mandi is gateway to Kullu Valley and the junction of roads from Kullu Valley, Kangra Valley and Shimla. Rani Amrit Kaur park, Rewalsar lake, prashar lake, Roerich gallery, Naggar castle, great Himalayan National Park etc are main attractions.Manali is the North of Kullu. The nearest airport is Bhuntar to Kullu and Manali. It is ideal place for trekking, mountaineering, rafting, skiing, jeep safaris, fishing etc.

IFSCA Issues Guidelines and Application Form for IFSCA FinTech Incentive Scheme, 2022

The International Financial Services Centres Authority (“Authority” or “IFSCA”), with an overall objective to promote the establishment of a world-class FinTech Hub, at GIFT International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in India, launched the IFSCA (FinTech Incentive) Scheme for providing financial support to FinTech activities in the form of specific grant(s). The Scheme was notified vide Gazette Notification number IFSCA/2021-22/GN/022 dated 2nd February, 2022.

This scheme shall be open to –

Domestic FinTechs seeking access to overseas markets;
Domestic FinTechs seeking listing on IFSCA recognised stock exchanges;
Foreign FinTechs seeking market access to IFSCs in India and work within the Authority’s regulatory framework;
Foreign FinTechs seeking access to domestic market under Inter-Operable Regulatory Sandbox (IORS) framework;
Domestic FinTechs extending business to the IFSCs either by way of authorisation or registration or through the regulatory sandbox.

The types of incentives for eligible applicants are:

FinTech Start-up grant- This grant shall be utilized for developing a product or a service and related ‘go-to market’ initiatives for a start-up with a novel FinTech idea or solution with a focus on converting the idea into an MVP.
Proof of Concept (PoC) grant- This grant shall be utilized for the purpose of conducting a PoC by an early or mature FinTech Entity (FE) in domestic market or overseas.
Sandbox grant- This grant shall be utilized by FEs to experiment with innovative products or services in a sandbox.
Green FinTech Grant- This grant shall be utilized towards developing solutions facilitating sustainable finance and sustainability linked finance, including ‘Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)’ investments.
Accelerator Grant- This grant shall be utilized for supporting accelerators at the IFSC for capacity building, build capabilities around mentors, bringing investors, bringing more projects or PoC, tie ups, etc.
Listing Support Grant – The grant shall be utilized for supporting Domestic FE aspiring to go for listing on stock exchanges recognised by the Authority.

The Grants contemplated under this scheme shall be available to eligible FEs:

who are part of the Authority’s Regulatory or Innovative Sandbox;
which are referred to the Authority under a FinTech bridge arrangement with a Counterpart Regulator
which have either participated or are participating in any Accelerator or Cohort or Special Programme supported or recognised by the Authority; or
who are referred to by the entity(ies) including regulatory or supervisory bodies having Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or collaboration or special arrangement with the Authority.

The detailed Guidelines of the Scheme for implementation as well as the Application Form are hereby being issued.

The detailed guidelines and the application form may be accessed at: https://ifsca.gov.in/Viewer/Index/343

Please refer to IFSCA Circular (may be accessed at https://ifsca.gov.in/Viewer/Index/292 ) dated April 27, 2022 on “Framework for FinTech Entity in the IFSCs” to obtain authorisation as FinTech Entity (FE).

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Shree Swaminarayan temple doing great service to society all over the world

by Shashikant Nishant Sharma

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal today said that BAPS Swaminarayan temple was doing great service to the society all over the world. He was addressing Indian Community after a visit to the Shree Swaminarayan Temple in Los Angeles.

Expressing his admiration at the beauty of the Shree Swaminarayan temple complex in Los Angeles and conveying his congratulations on the completion of 10 years of its existence, the Minister said that the presence of the temple was very befitting to the significant presence of Indians in the area and the contribution of Indians to the development and growth of the area of Los Angeles.

Paying his tributes to Pramukh Swami Maharaj on his centennial birth anniversary, he said that this was a very special occasion for all of us around the world who have received his blessings and learnt goodness from him. Reminiscing that he has had the privilege of having a special bonding with Pramukh Swami Maharaj Ji’s various programs over the years, Shri Goyal said that he also got a chance to actively participate in the 75th anniversary celebrations of Pramukh Swami Maharaj in Mumbai many years ago.

Shri Goyal said that he has always had the good fortune of visiting Shree Swaminarayan temples across the world and added that the temple in Los Angeles was very unique and beautifully planned and executed. The feeling of spirituality one experiences when visiting this temple in itself is very unique, he said.

The Minister observed that the contribution of BAPS in keeping Hindus together and keeping the spirit of Hinduism glowing and flowing all around the world is invaluable. He opined that when people moved out of India and experience the material facets of life, the, the next generation was observed to lose the connect to the motherland. But wherever Swaminarayan temple has come up, spirituality flourishes there and the next generation retains its connect with the motherland. They inculcate very good habits and practices. Therefore, this institution is doing great service to the society at large all over the world, he said.

Underscoring that Swaminarayan Bhagwan has always believed in humanity and spirituality and in service to society, Shri Goyal said that his teachings focussed on our role in giving back to the humanity at large. The wonderful teachings of gyan, bhakti and shraddha that Swaminarayan has taught us and Pramukh Swami Maharaj has propagated will remain with all of us. His teachings will continue to inspire and guide me all through my life, Shri Goyal said.

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Technological interventions for processing, product development & sustainability could improve farmers’ income

Technological interventions for processing, product development, sustainability, and export orientation that could improve farmers’ income were discussed at the Centre-State Science Conclave in Ahmedabad today.

“India is identified in the global arena for its strength in agriculture, and to continue with this position, we need to focus on S&T interventions in food and water,” said Dr. N Kalaiselvi, Director General, CSIR.

Dr. Himashu Pathak, Director General, ICAR,stressed on theadoption of a holistic approach to ensure production, protection, and sustainability for the agricultural system.

Agri

Dr. AK Singh, Deputy Director General, Horticultural & Crops Sciences, ICAR, spoke about the adaptation of technologies like ICAR-FUSICONT technology for medium and high-density plantations to bridge the yield gap, increase productivity, and collaboration to expand the online market places.

“With primary challenges focused on food grain production, the productivity of crops could be increased by using new techniques like genome editing,” Dr. KB Kathiriya, Vice Chancellor, Gujarat Agricultural University, Anand, pointed out.

D Srinivasa Reddy, Director, CSIR – IIIM, elaborated about the development of aroma-based entrepreneurs along with end-to-end technology. “While the purple revolution under CSIR-Aroma mission has empowered the farmers of several states, now floriculture mission has been initiated for crop diversification,” he added.

Shri Saurabh Bhagat, Secretary, Science & Technology, UT of Jammu & Kashmir, insisted on opportunities in horticulture and the establishment of demonstration farms.

“Sustainable agriculture technologies are being used to improve farmers’ economic conditions. Some of these are nano-fertilizers to increase soil fertility and IoT-based technologies to minimize the labour shortages,” said Dr. R Srinivasan, Member Secretary, S&T Council, Government of Tamil Nadu.

Shri N V Ramana, Samunnati Agri Enterprise, Hyderabad, pointed out that markets will have to be created for small farming sectors, technologies will have to be harnessed to enable non-linear scalability, and a digitally wrapped agri-ecosystem will have to be created.

The expert panelists at the agriculture session of the conclave organized by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, jointly with the Government of Gujarat at Science City, Ahmedabad, deliberated on challenges and their plausible solutions for improving agricultural income.

Winners Of ‘Water Heroes: Share Your Stories Contest’

The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has launched the ‘Water Heroes: Share Your Stories’ contest. The 3rd edition has been launched on 01.12.2021 and will end on 30.11.2022 on MyGov portal. The 1st edition was launched from 01.09.2019 to 30.08.2020. The 2nd edition was launched from 19.09.2020 to 31.08.2021.

The objective of the contest is to promote value of water, in general, and for supporting country-wide efforts on water conservation and sustainable development of water resources. In accordance with the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a large population should be motivated to adopt the cause of water conservation in the country. The aim of the contest is to create awareness for water conservation by enhancing knowledge and sharing experiences of water heroes; and to create an attitude towards water conservation and management so that a behavioral change can be created amongst all stakeholders.

For the month of August 2022, there are six winners, they will get a cash prize of Rs. 10,000/- and a certificate, details given as below:

Divyansh Tondon:

He is from Meerut, associated with the campaign named “Paani Panchayat” under which they go to various villages, streets, towns, schools, localities and making public aware. He is vice president (Meerut Cantt.) Saarthi Social welfare society.

Vinay Vishwanath Gawas

He is a Project Director from Goa, campaigning about Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting and borewell recharge in Kelawade village, Keri sattari, Goa. The project is said to be built in collaboration with TERI.

Amit

He is a Gram Pradhan in Malakpura, Jalon, UP and was a Journalist in Delhi. He has done various activities for development such as providing healthy foods in the primary school of the village, working in plantation work, environment protection and Water purification through sedimentation activities.

Babita Rajpoot Ghuwara

She is from Chattarpur, Madhya Pradesh. She is involved in the construction of four check dams and two outlets and made bori bandahan.

Anurag Patel

Anurag Patel, District Magistrate, Banda in a considerable effort to conserve water ran two significant campaigns- ‘Jal Sanchay, Jeevan Sanchay’ and ‘Jal Kumbhi Hatao-Talab Bachao Abhiyan’. He took the initiative to remove water hyacinth from 126 ponds. He also took efforts to rejuvenate the Chandrawal River by digging up extra miles for renovation purpose. 664 ponds in Mirzapur and 101 in Janpad Farrukhabad was revived under his efforts.

Snehlata Sharma

Snehlata Sharma from Shivpuri District Block Badarwas, Piparodha Village has been doing a considerable and praiseworthy job in field of water conservation and management from the past 1 year. For creating awareness around the village about water and its conservation, she brought women in the forefront. She also generated awareness about the crops that uses less water in the field.

The contest is held monthly and may be seen on MyGov portal. To participate in the contest, one needs to post their success stories on water conservation efforts in the form of 1-5 minutes video, along with a write-up of 300 words and attach some photographs/ photos that depict the efforts. Also, the participants can share their videos (with the link to their YouTube video) on the MyGov portal (www.mygov.in). In addition to this, entries can be submitted at waterheroes.cgwb[at]gmail[dot]com .

Brazil

Brazil is known as Federative Republic of Brazil. The capital of Brazil is Brasilia. Large cities include Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Recife and Salvadore. Official language spoken is Portuguese, Spanish, French and English. The type of government is federative republic. Brazil is the largest South American state. It is land of dense forest and mighty rivers. The Amazon and the Sao Francisco cover the north of the country. Brazil’s industry has benefitted from its wealth of mineral resources. The major exports of Brazil are soyabean, sugar, coffee, iron, cocoa bean,maize, tobacco. It is also leading producer of orange, orange juice concentrate, cassava,sisal, alcohol and bananas. Brazil got independence on 7th September 1822.Currency of Brazil is Real. Brazil posses vast deposit of mineral wealth that include chrome ore, iron, phosphorus, uranium, copper, coal, gold, platinum. Oil is the state monopoly. The wax which was used for phonograph records and insulation is monopoly product of the state.

U.K (United Kingdom)

The official name of U.K is United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The capital of U.K is London. The languages spoken are English, Welsh, Scottish and Gaelic. Large cities of U.K are Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds and Liverpool. The United Kingdom constitute greater part of British Isles which include England, Scotland and Wales. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. The capital of Wales is Cardiff. English and Welsh is spoken. Northern Ireland is also part of U.K. The United Kingdom’s system of government is known as constitutional monarchy. Ministers of the crown govern in the name of sovereign who is both head of state and head of government. Actual power is vested in hands of Parliament which is supreme legislative body in Great Britain. The Parliament consist of two houses – the House of Lord’s and the House of Commons. 84% of the people of U.K reside in England. Chief industries are iron and steel, chemicals, engineering, electronics, motor vehicles, metals and machinery, ship building etc. Agriculture and trawler – fishing are highly mechanized, country’s food supplies and most of its raw materials are imported. Chief crops are grain, sugar, fruits and vegetables. Thames and Severn are the largest rivers. The most famous church is Westminster Abbey. The most celebrated universities are Oxford and Cambridge.