This article is about green revolution and the use of HYV seeds. The green revolution in India began in the mid 1960’s marking a transition from traditional agriculture in India and the introduction of high yielding varieties of seeds and the associated agricultural techniques . The need for introducing the Green Revolution in India arose due to a shortage of food-grains in India in part due to the legacy of colonial regime.
Need of green revolution – The government of India post – Independence wanted to make India self dependent on terms of food grain production and these efforts coincided with the development of high yielding varieties of seeds of wheat developed by Norman Borlaug and his associates in Mexico.
Food shortage – The situation in terms of fulfilling nutritional needs of Indians was worse before the green revolution in India. In the British colonial period the grain supply was dependent on British trade and high trade price led to affordability issues for Indian people in accessing food.
Impact of green revolution – The green revolution did effectively solve India’s problem of food grain shortage after it was introduced, it was a boon to India’s agricultural production. The green revolution in India started with great promise and made immense contributions in boosting agricultural productivity with HYV seeds, and the introduction of new methods of agriculture.
Endnote – There can be no guaranteed assurance that using high yielding seeds will increase yields exponentially, which also can be dependent on agricultural practices and environmental elements. A balance must also be found between traditional techniques and modern farming science as also with natural growth. Hope you will like it.
As a student it is important to have a balanced lifestyle, for the better physical and mental well being. It’s important to find things that your enjoy and it’s possible only when we keep our body, mind and ot⁸her factors in control. We go through several changes at this age, socially and personally so, to be able to sustain a good life we need to check our overall lifestyle. We don’t have to go overboard for it simple habits can make a huge difference.
I have listed a few reasons as to why we should…
1 Wake up early
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Every parent has told their child to wake up early in the morning and we all have ignored it like we ignore assignments on holidays. There are ‘n’ no. of reasons to turn into an early bird. It gives us a lot of time for our work, helps in getting a good sleep, decreases stress and respiratory issues. It motivates us to get fresh air and meditate. Gives us enough time to eat our breakfast, most important meal of the day. Girls got a bonus reason for it as it gives a healthy, good skin to flaunt.
Although water is tasteless but only real drinkers know the taste of water. Water carries oxygen and nutrients to the cells of our body. Drink at least 3 L water daily to get the toxins out of our body, to get a healthy skin and a glow on the face. Helps in flushing bacteria from our bladder and helps indigestion. Water level affects energy and brain function of our body so, drinking a good amount of water is beneficial and it’s the best thing to prevent kidney stones. There are so many health benefits of water that the list can go on and on.
One of the most important habit in a person’s life is reading, from a very young age we are taught it’s importance as it helps in developing the mind. It reduces stres and helps us in escaping the stressful world for a moment. It gives power to our imagination, improves vocabulary and helps us learn new things. We should read everyday even if it’s for few mintues. Every night before sleeping ditch your phone and television with books. It will help you to develop reading habit.
After a busy day of studying and scrolling memes on your phone it’s important to give your mind and body a break and what’s better than going out for a walk. A brisk walk for half an hour can be effective in burning a hell lot of calories. It will boost your mood and for your next session of studying you will be as fresh as a new rose bud. You can discover new things as you walk in your neighborhood. It also helps in lowering blood sugar level and will keep the weight in check.
Eating healthy food is important for students to keep their health as well as mind in proper state. Our mind will work properly only if our body is working properly and to get all the valuable nutrients one should eat vegetables, fruits and lentils in good quantity. Follow a balanced diet and eliminate the unhealthy food. Eating junk once in a while is okay but it should be avoided on a regular basis.
With the onset of digital world we have almost forgotten how to write. The only time we take up a pen is while writing our exams otherwise everything including notes are available on mobile phone. Writing has been included as one of the must to have skills. It helps you improve vocabulary and clarifies your thinking. Writing is a powerful skills that can help you get a wider perspective on thing and to influence other people. It gives you the power to frame your creativity and imagination on a piece of paper.
Internships play an important role whenever you apply for a job after all you need to have some experience and also it helps you learn new things related to the respective field. Big companies prefer students with a good number of internships over students with less or no experience in internships. So, take a Internship whenever you can.
Apart from school and college, there are so many online course available online, you can find and enroll yourself in any of them as per your interests. They will not only enhance your skills but they will provide you with a certificate as well that you can add in your resume. You can easily complete these courses while sitting in your home, you can turn your free time into a productive one.
Maintaining social relationships is equally vital as scoring good marks. You can’t excel in your life without relations. You need people to grow at times and being active socially helps you in a lot of ways like enhancing your communication skills, being up to date. If you are isolated from the outer world there are chances of you to feel depressed. So, for your mental, physical and social well being going out of the house once in a while is crucial.
Hobbies are always our best friends. They bring out the best in us, they give us way to express our creativity. They de-stress us and boost our mental health. Hobbies encourage us to have some ‘me-time’ and are like a mental escape from our daily routine. We don’t have to be perfect in something, we can always enjoy our hobbies as we like.
Series or movies are not just for entertainment, many series are educational, motivational and good for mental health. They are a great stress relievers, and you can choose any genre from the heap of series like FRIENDS when you want to feel good, THE OFFICE when you want to laugh.They are also helpful in refining language skills. You can also connect with the characters and also you can write a review of the series it will upgrade your writing skills.
Music has proven to be mood uplifter. When we listen to our favorite music, our brain releases dopamine which promotes positive effects on mood. It reduces stress, anxiety and produces a positive effect on mind. You can even do you homework while listening to music on a low volume. Music is one the best way to kill boredom.
13 Take proper sleep
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A full 8 hour sleep is as important as eating healthy and doing exercise. If the body doesn’t get proper rest all the above mentioned things will be in vain because improper sleeping schedule will affect your body and ultimately your studies. It will affect the brain function as well which will lower your concentration level. So, Keep all your electronics away at night and also eat light food to get a peaceful sleep.
Bees have been producing honey for at least 150 million years
A cave painting depicting an androgynous figure robbing honey out of the hive was found in the Cave of the Spider in Valencia, Spain. It is estimated to be 15,000 years old.
Honey stored in air tight containers never spoils. Sealed honey vats found in King Tut’s tomb still contained edible honey, despite over 2,000 years beneath the sands.
80% of the pollination of the fruits, vegetables and seed crops in the U.S. is accomplished by honeybees.
A queen is the largest bee in the hive. She can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day, twice her own body weight per day.
Bees have to fly over 55,000 miles to make 1 lb. of honey.
Worker honey bees are all females. Males do not know how to even feed themselves and their only reason for being in the hive is for reproducing with the queen. The males do not have a stinger and they are kicked out of the hive in the autumn, because there are no uses for them.
Honey bees are very clean .They want their hive (which they made themselves, hexagon by hexagon) to be immaculately clean. If something dirties their hive, they will immediately get the offense out. The only honey bee in the hive that uses the bathroom inside the hive is the queen. She never leaves the hive, so her faithful workers get her mess right out. Bees will also make sure that when their time comes, they will die outside of the hive.
There is only one queen per hive. The queen lives 2-3 years. The queen is made, rather than born. Worker bees will feed larvae royal jelly for a certain period of time. The royal jelly is secreted through the heads of the worker bees and is fed through their antennas to the larvae. The royal jelly has so many vitamins and nutrients it will allow for the larvae to become queens. Since there can only be one queen per hive, the potential queen bees will fight to the death until there is one queen remaining.
Honey bees, like their name implies, are the only insects to make honey. Bumblebees make a honey like substance, but it tastes nothing like the sweet honey we know and love. They also make this in very small quantities. Honey bees though make honey in surplus so bee keepers are able to take a certain amount without hurting the bees or depriving them of food.
Honey bees never sleep! No wonder worker bees have such a short lifespan!
Honey bees are the only insects that produce something that humans eat. It is also the only food that never goes bad! Its sugar content is too high and because it is naturally anti microbial, (Anti fungal, anti bacterial, anti everything nasty) which is why it’s also such an incredible healer.
The honey bee colonies each have a distinct odor which allows for them to identify the members. Often times bee keepers will need to assimilate colonies. A way to do that would be to place bees from each colony into a paper bag together. The paper bag should have a divider so each colony stays in its own side. Being in the container together the smells will mix and they will not be able to recognize the other bees as enemies due to their familiar odor.
The Queen bee lays up to 2,000 eggs per day! She can also select the gender of the larvae. Most larvae that will be produced will be female..
To make one pound of honey it would take 556 workers and 2 million flowers. 50-100 flowers are pollinated during one collection trip. About one ounce of honey is all it takes to give the honey bee enough energy to fly around the world (although the farthest they usually fly away from their hive is six miles).
Honey never spoils. No need to refrigerate it. It can be stored unopened, indefinitely, at room temperature in a dry cupboard.
Due to the high level of fructose, honey is 25% sweeter than table sugar . .
Honey is created when bees mix plant nectar, a sweet substance secreted by flowers, with their own bee enzymes.
To make honey, bees drop the collected nectar into the honeycomb and then evaporate it by fanning their wings.
Honey has different flavors and colors, depending on the location and kinds of flowers the bees visit. Climatic conditions of the area also influence its flavor and color. NZ’s Rata honey is nearly white, Manuka honey is rich ginger-brown and Black Beech honeydew honey is dark brown.
To keep their hives strong, beekeepers must place them in locations that will provide abundant nectar sources as well as water.
In the days before biology and botany were understood, people thought it was a special kind of magic that turned flower nectar into honey.
Honeybees are one of science’s great mysteries because they have remained unchanged for 20 million years, even though the world changed around them.
The true honey bee was not known in New Zealand until 1839, when an English woman Miss Bunby, introduced the European honey bee species we have today, Apis mellifera. The Americas didn’t have honey bees until they were introduced by Spanish, Dutch, and English settlers near the end of the 17th century.
Did you know that bees have 4 wings?
The honeybee’s wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.
The queen bee is the busiest in the summer months, when the hive needs to be at its maximum strength. She will lay about 1,000 to 1,500 eggs per day, without sleeping.
In the cold winter months, bees will leave the hive only to take a short cleansing flight. They are fastidious about the cleanliness of their hive.
Honeybees do not die out over the winter, but reduce numbers by throwing out the old, the weak and drones. They feed on the honey they collected during the warmer months and patiently wait for spring by forming a tight cluster in their hive to keep the queen and themselves warm. They may forage on sunny days and collect nectar and some queens will lay, but less.
It takes 35 pounds of honey to provide enough energy for a small colony of bees to survive the winter.
Nurse bees work inside the hive. Their job is to make royal jelly, feed and clean the larvae, queen and drones.
House bees clean away the dead, make wax and comb, heat/cool the hive, receive nectar and make honey, put it into the comb, sealing it with wax.
A honeybee visits between 50 and 100 flowers during one collection flight from the hive.
In order to produce 1 kg of honey, about 4 million flowers must be visited.
A honey bee flies at about 24 km/h (15 mph).
One bee colony can produce up to 150kg of honey per year.
An average worker bee makes only about ½ to 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
At the peak of the honey-gathering season, a strong, healthy hive will have a population of approximately 50,000 bees.
It would take approximately 1 ounce of honey to fuel a bee’s flight around the world.
Honey is the primary food source for the bee. The reason honeybees are so busy collecting nectar from flowers and blossoms is to make sufficient food stores for their colony over the winter months. The nectar is converted to honey by the honeybee and stored in the wax honeycomb.
In New Zealand, we have almost 5000 beekeepers, most are hobbyists with less than 5 hives.
Honey contains vitamins and antioxidants, but is fat free, cholesterol free and sodium free!
Not a spinach lover? Eat honey – it has similar levels of heart-healthy antioxidants!
One powerful antioxidant called “pinocembrin” is only found in honey and propolis.
For years, opera singers have used honey to boost their energy and soothe their throats before performances.
Honey has the ability to attract and absorb moisture, which makes it remarkably soothing for minor burns and helps to prevent scarring.
Honey speeds the healing of open wounds and also combats infection.
As recently as the First World War, honey was being mixed with cod liver oil to dress wounds on the battlefield.
Modern science now acknowledges honey as an anti-microbial agent, which means it deters the growth of certain types of bacteria, yeast and moulds.
Honey and beeswax form the basics of many skin creams, lipsticks, and hand lotions.
Queen Anne of England, in the early 1700’s, invented a honey and olive oil preparation to keep her hair healthy and lustrous.
According to Dr. Paul Gold, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia, “people remember things much better after they’ve consumed glucose, a form of sugar found in honey.”
Beeswax is made from tiny glands on the worker bee’s abdomen and melts at 62 -65 degrees C.
Honey is nature’s energy booster! It provides a concentrated energy source that helps prevent fatigue and can boost athletic performance.
Recent studies have proven that athletes who took some honey before and after competing recovered more quickly than those who did not.
Honey supplies 2 stages of energy. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost. The fructose is absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy.
Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water; and it’s the only food that contains “pinocembrin”, an antioxidant associated with improved brain functioning.
We all want to see ourselves strong. Often there comes a time when we think that I wish we could do this, I wish we had this power. One such power is the strength of the chair but it is the most special. Getting it can change the fate of generations, but somewhere we are all afraid of it, all the battles of the world have been done for it. All the freedom struggles have happened just to bring the power of the chair to the people.
Often the power of the chair is considered to be the power of the politicians, but it’s the strength of every person who has any position. A H.R. have the power of the H.R.s chair. Simply we can put it as, every person who has any position or responsibility has that chair of power.
There is a famous quote “With great power comes great responsibility”. Once everyone start treating it as responsibility rather than as a power world will have no fights.
“Data is the new Fuel” Every company needs data, but now they are no longer dependant on digital resources, now they can get actual real world data, you can never ask your costumer what are they going to purchase after purchasing your product or why they prefer your competitors product over your’s, but now you can know and multiply your profit heavily.
For a long time satellite data was on military’s hold but now things are changing, with advances of AI and ML now everyone can utilize satellite imagery for themselves and in there own unique way and governments are supporting the same.
Here’s some facts from allied market research
“Satellite Data Services Market to Reach $19.36 Bn, Globally, by 2027 at 19.1% CAGR: Allied Market Research”
Now how you can utilize
Data- the biggest profit is data, the more data you have the more profit you get. Companies are using techniques like web scraping to get data, know their market, and competitor; and you can use it as same but it’s real world data, how much customers are coming in your or your competitors firm or even how much they are earning.
Surveillance- you can have an eye on product delivery and management so you always know on-ground data, except for softwares products it works everywhere.
Security- you can ensure the safety of products way ahead of CCTV era.
Here are some well known Indian firms to have you start
Dimension IGIS
Geokno
Geoinfosys
Names doesn’t stop here as it’s a growing industry, they will analyze and refine the data as per your need.
Here’s link of some free isro courses to give more grasp.
Always remember that in business, or anywhere one with the most data wins. In these era of competition you must always be equipped with latest tech to give your customer best, and satellite data is just what you need to have an edge.
Ok, so let me make it clear, I’m writing it because I know his autobiography and some other literature of that time.
Many say Gandhi was Racist about Africans and didn’t fight for black people. When he reached Africa Indian merchants had a far better life there(compared to native Africans) and in that colonial time it was nearly impossible to make govt give some good rights, so he had to play small first. He fought for little rights of Indians couse there they have education and money to make pressure and start changes many others were fighting like him so it was a good start and solving in pieces is how he gave freedom to India(it’s not like India got freedom from one movement it was succession of events, movements, rights that made Britishers slowly give rights to Indian). And for all the documentation and stuff of that time sorry but all wise guy knows about propaganda, narratives that time every resource of information was controlled by whites even if they try acting well you know deep down they are just harshly judging(I know this point will be hard to clear for some.).
Treated women and low cast badly. He had done lots of good things to remove discrimination(this is more hard topic then second one) when you are between people who have lots of discrimination in mind and you want to correct them you have to start small not like give education and abuse your wife but he respected his wife from whole heart but for others, he made like educate them later treat with respect too. Also even if he seems great like Budha or written characters like Optimus, superman(where I believe his morals are far stronger than our most moral fictional characters even now. He has given all his life rechecking his ideas improving himself morally so it’s really hard our fictional characters can reach that height.)
I’m not saying to worship him or idealize him just be as hard critique as you can but remember that all info was recorded by those who were deep inside biased or willing to spread propaganda.
For those who know about cloud or are interested about it must have heard this word once “serverless”. As confusing as it sounds it has created a lots of myths around this like
Is serverless actually server less?
Is serverless and FaaS really same?
If you are curious about this or just wanna know serverless let’s find out together. Also we will be taking some important questions like why you should learn/know serverless, does your enterprise actually need serverless? Let’s find out together.
The first thing is what is serverless-
According to cloudflare- serverless computing is a method of providing back-end services on an as-used basis.¹
Also serverless framework is free opensource framework build for developing lambda a serverless computing platform of amazon. So what serverless basically means is rather than managing your server together with application you let the server provider manage it. This way you can focus more on application you are writing. You give them the code and they will imply this on server and will charge you based on traffic and services. so serverless doesn’t means having no server but means having no hussle of servers.
Many times FaaS and serverless are taken as replaceable words but are they same?
While serverless is a broad term Serverless computing can be divided in two types
BaaS(back-end as a service)
FaaS(function as a service)
so FaaS is a type of serverless computing.
Now why should you learn/know serverless? It’s simple as it’s a growing field if you want to use it in firm, in your career or if you just want to feed your curiosity you should learn/know it.
Does you enterprise or you need it?
The big part of you decision depends on
Time- if you have time to manage back-end issue or you love doing it you can leave serverless
Money- It also depends on how well you can manage finances.
Knowledge- Also you should know you or the human resource you hold how well they have knowledge about back-end or functions or will it be better leaving on serverless.
Qwicklabs is always my #1 resource for learning something cloud, for these article too. Its bitesize lessons makes it easy to grasp or remember concept even if you are taking quest or not.
2 . Serverless full stack application on aws- serverless.com
It’s a tutorial or a course by serverless.com to teach about serverless and its implications for full stack development and various tricks to utilise it financially
It has bite-size lessons, quizzes, some exercises, cute badges, you can always look how much you learnt or can take a quiz to refurbish your knowledge but most importantly a community to help with they want to try the stuff as the content progress for better grasping.
4 . 7- best serverless courses and aws lambda courses to learn in 2021- medium
It’s a article by medium in which it explains what is serverless and why it’s important but also connects to lots of important resources to further proceed.
It’s Google cloud explaining what’s serverless and why you should use there serverless products. This article is nice for those who are new and want to get start, it has a video, some links to documentation, some other sources like there trusted partners and some examples.
7. What is serverless computing?- IBM cloud education
It’s IBM C.E. explaining serverless, it’s nice but as it’s from IBM C.E. it’s more of clearing concepts and confusions and getting little learner insight instead of promotion of service like in above article, it’s worth reading for students looking for serverless or wants to clear there basics.
It’s language is comparatively simple to above articles and it provides detail insights of serverless, if you’re jumbling in tough tech words can give this article a try.
If you are confused whom to choose MNC or startup here’s my 5 reason why it should be a startup.
Learning While you can learn and get help from your nice colleagues in MNC, at startup you can learn a lot other interesting things.
Pushing the limits As a startup they need everyone to push there limits to find there new strength as this may not be available on established MNCs, you might wanna start at a startup.
Community You might get some friends in MNC but while it comes to startup most of them wants to start, needs help and are willing to help, making it a nice community.
No boss Startup too have bosses but as they are in early phase they are more of a friend, helper and mentor, so if you are new in office work you might wanna choose startup first.
Future If your startup grows you too will get credit of it unlike in MNCs you can use it in CV and show how much it has grown and what are the role you played in its growth.
This are not the only reasons sometimes they can give you lifelong friends, experience and if you are dedicated to work, journey in startup is lot more fun.
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in full Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, (born October 15, 1931, Rameswaram, India—died July 27, 2015, Shillong), Indian scientist and politician who played a leading role in the development of India’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. He was president of India from 2002 to 2007.
Kalam earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology and in 1958 joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). In 1969 he moved to the Indian Space Research Organization, where he was project director of the SLV-III, the first satellite launch vehicle that was both designed and produced in India. Rejoining DRDO in 1982, Kalam planned the program that produced a number of successful missiles, which helped earn him the nickname “Missile Man.” Among those successes was Agni, India’s first intermediate-range ballistic missile, which incorporated aspects of the SLV-III and was launched in 1989.
From 1992 to 1997 Kalam was scientific adviser to the defense minister, and he later served as principal scientific adviser (1999–2001) to the government with the rank of cabinet minister. His prominent role in the country’s 1998 nuclear weapons tests solidified India as a nuclear power and established Kalam as a national hero, although the tests caused great concern in the international community . In 1998 Kalam put forward a countrywide plan called Technology Vision 2020, which he described as a road map for transforming India from a less-developed to a developed society in 20 years. The plan called for, among other measures, increasing agricultural productivity, emphasizing technology as a vehicle for economic growth , and widening access to health care and education.
The goods and services tax (GST) is a value-added tax levied on most goods and services sold for domestic consumption. The GST is paid by consumers, but it is remitted to the government by the businesses selling the goods and services.
The goods and services tax (GST) is an indirect federal sales tax that is applied to the cost of certain goods and services. The business adds the GST to the price of the product, and a customer who buys the product pays the sales price inclusive of the GST. The GST portion is collected by the business or seller and forwarded to the government. It is also referred to as Value Added Tax( VAT) in some countries.
Most countries with a GST have a single unified GST system, which means that a single tax rate is applied throughout the country. A country with a unified GST platform merges central taxes (e.g., sales tax, excise duty tax, and service tax) with state-level taxes (e.g., entertainment tax, entry tax, transfer tax, sin tax, and luxury tax) and collects them as one single tax. These countries tax virtually everything at a single rate.
Only a handful of countries, such as Canada and Brazil, have a dual GST structure. Compared to a unified GST economy where tax is collected by the federal government and then distributed to the states, in a dual system, the federal GST is applied in addition to the state sales tax. In Canada, for example, the federal government levies a 5% tax and some provinces/states also levy a provincial state tax (PST), which varies from 7% to 10%. In this case, a consumer’s receipt will clearly have the GST and PST rate that was applied to their purchase value.
More recently, the GST and PST have been combined in some provinces into a single tax known as the Harmonized Sales Tax(HST). Prince Edward Island was the first to adopt the HST in 2013, combining its federal and provincial sales taxes into a single tax. Since then, several other provinces have followed suit, including New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario.
France was the first country to implement the GST in 1954; since then, an estimated 160 countries have adopted this tax system in some form or another. Some of the countries with a GST include Canada, Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Monaco, Spain, Italy, Nigeria, Brazil, South Korea, and India.
India established a dual GST structure in 2017, which was the biggest reform in the country’s tax structure in decades. The main objective of incorporating the GST was to eliminate tax on tax, or double taxation, which cascades from the manufacturing level to the consumption level.
For example, a manufacturer that makes notebooks obtains the raw materials for, say, Rs. 10, which includes a 10% tax. This means that they pay Rs. 1 in tax for Rs. 9 worth of materials. In the process of manufacturing the notebook, the manufacturer adds value to the original materials of Rs. 5, for a total value of Rs. 10 + Rs. 5 = Rs. 15. The 10% tax due on the finished good will be Rs. 1.50. Under a GST system, the previous tax paid can be applied against this additional tax to bring the effective tax rate to Rs. 1.50 – Rs. 1.00 = Rs. 0.50.
In turn, the wholesaler purchases the notebook for Rs. 15 and sells it to the retailer at a Rs. 2.50 markup value for Rs. 17.50. The 10% tax on the gross value of the good will be Rs. 1.75, which the wholesaler can apply against the tax on the original cost price from the manufacturer (i.e., Rs. 15). The wholesaler’s effective tax rate will, thus, be Rs. 1.75 – Rs. 1.50 = Rs. 0.25.
Similarly, if the retailer’s margin is Rs. 1.50, his effective tax rate will be (10% x Rs. 19) – Rs. 1.75 = Rs. 0.15. Total tax that cascades from manufacturer to retailer will be Rs. 1 + Rs. 0.50 + Rs. 0.25 + Rs. 0.15 = Rs. 1.90.
India has, since launching the GST on July 1, 2017, implemented the following tax rates:
A 0% tax rate applied to certain foods, books, newspapers, homespun cotton cloth, and hotel services.
A rate of 0.25% applied to cut and semi-polished stones.
A 5% tax on household necessities such as sugar, spices, tea, and coffee.
A 12% tax on computers and processed food.
An 18% tax on hair oil, toothpaste, soap, and industrial intermediaries.
The final bracket, taxing goods at 28%, applies to luxury products, including refrigerators, ceramic tiles, cigarettes, cars, and motorcycles. Thank You!
DIWALI and one can hear the sounds of firecrackers exploding from all directions. People of all age groups are fascinated with firecrackers, which form a prominent part of the Diwali celebrations. Firecrackers are known to cause air pollution as well as noise pollution and are extremely harmful for senior citizens and small children. Pets such as dogs and cats also suffer on account of firecrackers as animals have a more sensitive sense of hearing than humans.
Firecrackers can cause hearing loss, high blood pressure, sleeping disturbances and sudden exposure to loud noise can cause temporary or permanent deafness or even result in heart attack.
Diwali is the biggest festival of India and its sanctity should not be blown away in smoke. This festival of goodwill can be celebrated in a number of ways other than bursting firecrackers.
Let each one of us take a pledge THIS DIWALI to “SAY NO TO CRACKERS” and invest in a safer and greener future. Diwali is the festival of lights and we must enlighten our lives with the sparkle of joy and goodwill, forget past grievances and look ahead towards a brighter and happier future.
Over the years several Bollywood celebrities have vowed against bursting crackers during Diwali and some have made good use of social media to raise awareness regarding the ills they cause not just to the environment but also humans and animals. In 2017, actress Alia Bhatt started the #PoochOverPataka campaign as she couldn’t bear to see her pet suffer due to the noise pollution. Anushka Sharma followed it with #PAWsitive. Each year, several artists speak of their concerns over health, pollution and the amount of waste bursting crackers causes.
“I remember as a boy I used to love firecrackers and I’m not going to be ashamed of that. But now I believe the time of crackers is over,” actor Boman Irani told MAIL TODAY. “One should understand that. Environmentally, for older people, for dogs, for your own lungs, for all the money that could have been put to better use Even the noise I can’t stand anymore. I find it tough to find a positive, except for the sparkling colours they give.”
Actress Isha Koppikar agreed and said celebrating a “green” Diwali is an excellent idea. “Instead donate your old stuff to the needy people, avoid plastic for gifts packaging, make rangoli with flowers, flour or rice products, gift herbal products or a plant. Buy earthen lamps or diyas and avoid using decorative electric lights. This Diwali let the Earth breathe,” she said.
But as they say charity begins at home and The Family Man actor Sunny Hinduja makes sure he doesn’t burst crackers and encourages his nephew and niece not to do it either.
“I was in Indore one Diwali with my brother and bhabhi, and I came home from the hostel to celebrate with them. I remember we were trying to burst what was known as the Laxmi Bomb’ but it wouldn’t light and we were scared because we had heard horror stories of it suddenly bursting when you went near it. So we waited for a long time and when I did go to check, it literally burst in my face,” recalled Hinduja. “If you don’t burst crackers on Diwali, it doesn’t mean you are breaking tradition. Traditions are made by us and it’s time we evolve, considering pollution, cutting down trees global warming, so much is happening. So even if it’s not such a big contribution from our side, we shouldn’t burst crackers and tell others not to do it either. That’s our responsibility as good citizens.”
Every year, millions of animals end up in shelters all across the globe. These animals are either rescued from the streets or dropped off at the shelter. Though a lot of these shelters provide outstanding care and attention, there are still limitations to what they can do.
As an individual, you can contribute to these efforts in a lot of different ways. Running a shelter involves a ton of work and they will need all the help they can get. Offering even a small donation or volunteering a short amount of your time can make a huge difference.
Animals, whether we are aware or not, play a huge role in our lives and in the environment. Therefore, it’s in our best interest to help them however we can.
Altruism aside, there are quite a few key reasons we should care for them. One reason is to prevent the spread of disease.
Diseases, such as rabies, pose a huge threat to humans. The disease is fatal to humans, as well as to the animals who carry it. Infected animals become aggressive and bite without provocation.
Rescuing animals helps prevent the spread of rabies by reducing the population of potential carriers in the wild. This reduces the chance of infected animals harming other people and animals in the community.
The best and most effective way to help homeless animals is to raise awareness in the community.
Talking to people in the community can bring about the changes that will dramatically improve the welfare of these animals.
Spay and neuter your own pets, if you have them, and tell your friends to spay and neuter their pets. Spaying and neutering help control the population of strays in the community.
Advocate for adopting pets instead of shopping. There are a lot of pets in shelters today that are eager to find their forever homes. Adopting helps improve their lives and allows shelters to accommodate more pets that need their help. Some shelters even give you a starter kit of blankets, toys, and other things you may need to care for your new pet.
You can also consider donating your time and skills to your local centers. Volunteering to help out in the shelter for a few hours a week will surely be appreciated by the staff. If you have other skills such as carpentry, accounting, or graphic design, you can offer your services to the shelter. You can help build things for the animals, balance the shelter’s books, or design advertisements and print ads for the shelter.
If you see a stray dog in your area, you can help them, but you should do so with caution.
Never approach stray dogs, especially if they look scared. You may have the best intentions, but they don’t know that and could bite if you get too close. Instead, call your local animal control or animal rescue center for assistance.
Stray dogs are easily spooked and can become aggressive when cornered. It is best to let the experts handle the situation for the safety of the dog and everyone involved. Once in custody, the dogs will be tested for various diseases and their overall health is checked.
Just like dogs, stray and feral cats can be very aggressive when approached.
For you and the cat’s safety, it is best to call for professionals to deal with the situation. Until proper testing is done, one can’t be sure if the animal is free from diseases like rabies which pose a serious threat to humans.
Once in custody, you can help the cat by visiting them often once. Donating some supplies such as blankets and a litter box would be a great way to help as well.
Once fully recovered and tested for any diseases, fostering cats until they find a forever home is a possibility. Who knows, you might find a furry friend that you’d like to adopt yourself!
“I would like to turn into a ladybug so that I can add to the beauty of nature.”
~Prachi Pandey
Ladybugs, or lady beetles, are insects in the beetle family. There are about 5,000 species of these tiny insects, and most of them are quite helpful. Although best known as a red insect with black spots, ladybugs come in a variety of colors, and some have stripes or no markings at all.
These little hard-shelled creatures are harmless to humans and helpful to gardeners. From their hidden wings to their talent for warding off predators, discover fascinating facts about the lovable ladybug.
1. Technically, They’re Lady Beetles, Not Ladybugs
These small insects are more accuratelycalled lady beetles or ladybird beetles. Ladybug is the American name given to the Coccinellidae family of beetles. Bugs have needle-like mouthparts and a mostly liquid diet, while beetles have the ability to chew and enjoy munching on plants and insects.
Beetles also have hard wings, while bugs have softer wings or no wings at all. Beetles go through a complete metamorphosis, while bugs look about the same throughout their entire life cycle.
2. They Aren’t All Red With Black Spots
Though most people think of ladybugs as red with black spots, not all species of ladybugs look like that. There are about 5,000 species of ladybugs in the world, including 450 in North America. In addition to red, they can also be yellow, orange, brown, pink, or even all black. Their spots, which some ladybugs don’t have at all, can look more like stripes.
3. They Consume a Lot of Pests
Ladybugs earn their place as a desirable insect based on their preferred diet of plant-damaging insects, including aphids. Ladybugs lay hundreds of eggs in aphid colonies, and as soon as they hatch, the larvae immediately start feeding. An adult ladybug may eat as many as 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.
These beneficial insects also eat fruit flies, thrips, and mites. Different species of ladybugs have different food preferences. While many prey on garden pests, some, like the Mexican bean beetle and the squash beetle, feed on plants and are unwelcome pests themselves.
4. They Hibernate in Winter
Instead of heading south for the winter, ladybugs living in colder climates enter diapause, a type of insect hibernation. When the aphids begin to disappear, ladybugs realize that winter is coming and flock together to reproduce right before entering hibernation. During this period, which can last as long as nine months, they live on their fat reserves, which hold them until spring when insects become plentiful again.
5. Their Spots Serve as a Warning
The spots and bright colors on ladybugs are not for looks alone. They are meant to warn would-be attackers that this beetle tastes terrible. Beyond their warning colors, ladybugs have another line of defense: They emit foul-smelling blood from their leg joints when they’re startled. This yellow liquid is toxic to many ladybug predators such as birds and small mammals.
When all else fails, ladybugs are known to play dead, giving them a third defense mechanism in a world of eat or be eaten. They aren’t often preyed upon thanks to all of this protection, but some insect species — assassin bugs, stink bugs, and spiders — eat ladybugs.
6. Their Name Is Legendary
Legend has it that the “lady” in lady beetle dates back to the Middle Ages. The story is that farmers’ crops were being damaged by swarms of aphids. But after the farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help, the ladybugs arrived, ate all the aphids, and saved the day. The farmers were so grateful that from then on they referred to the insects as “Our Lady’s beetles.”
7. They May Eat Their Own Eggs
Female ladybugs lay as many as 1,000 tiny gold-colored eggs during a single season, but not all of the eggs make it to adulthood. While they prefer to lay their eggs on leaves covered with aphids, when prey is in short supply, the ladybugs may eat the eggs and larvae.
In fact, ladybugs plan ahead for supply shortages; when food is scarce, ladybugs lay infertile eggs to provide for their offspring.
8. They Have Hidden Wings
Much like butterflies, ladybugs go through four stages before they complete their metamorphosis. They begin as tiny eggs that hatch into larvae that resemble tiny spiny alligators. Then they begin the pupal stage, which lasts around two weeks. In their final phase, they become adult ladybugs and their hidden wings appear.
Adult ladybugs have a recognizable smooth dome shape, and their forewings are protected by an outer shell, or elytra. Underneath the outer shell is a pair of thin hind wings that unfold at a speed of 0.1 seconds and are significantly larger than the ladybug’s body.Once unfolded, ladybug wings move at a rate of 85 beats per second.
9. Ladybugs’ Numbers Are Declining
Researchers studying a decline in native ladybugs in the United States and Canada theorize that the population reduction may be due to the introduction of non-native species, climate change, land-use changes, disease, or shifts in the availability of prey. In an effort to track ladybug populations, entomologists at Cornell University created the lost Ladybug Project, a citizen-based effort to spot, photograph, and report on ladybugs across North America.
“I think people should maybe just go out into the garden and watch a ladybug crawl across a flower and relax their mind.”
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