Are Parents able to do Work From Home?

Consider a 35 year old woman staying with her husband, 37 and her two children – aged 3 and 6 in Bangalore. She works as Project Manager in a top multinational corporation. Her husband is also working as a Project Manager, though of another firm. One of their child, aged 3, is starting with his kindergarten and demands for the utmost attention of his parents. And the other, aged 6, is starting her primary school. She has seen her parents working for most of the times and hence she is bit aware of managing herself.

Things were just going on as expected, until on 24th March, our Prime Minister called for a nation-wide lockdown. And then things just changed.

Should Work-from-Home Parents Hire Help with Child Care? | FlexJobs

Let me now give you a tour of how this woman spends her day. She wakes up to her alarm at 5:30 in the morning. Starting her day with 15 minutes meditation and yoga, she completely immerse herself in doing the household chores. Since the lockdown she has cancelled the maid, cook and nanny services. After her domestic work, she gets ready for the morning meeting with her team members and thus kick starts her 9 to 5 or rather whole day of work. But then wait, she has two children who also needs to get ready for their school. After attending a couple of meetings, she gets up, prepares her children, set up the desktops and login to their school webinar sessions. This continues till the work-chain is intervened by the lunch time. During the lunch hours, she needs to feed her younger one and at the same time, caters to the needs of her elder one. After that, they both go off to sleep and she resumes her work. Some days this workflow gets interrupted by unprecedented events such as poor internet connection, household emergencies and so on and so forth. Apparently as she described, the best time for her to work is about 2 hours in the afternoon and about 2-3 hours at night, when her children go to their beds.

Now this is just one instance. Apparently, this is what most parents are facing while they are working from home. Since the lockdown, they are not just a mom and an employee. Being a maid, a nanny, a mom, a cook, an advisor, a nurse, a repair-woman and a mediator, her life is not just only about being an employee. She is trying to manage everything, trying to subdue all the resistance and challenging all the obstacles on her path. While for others, Work From Home might be a boon or a blessing in disguise but for the parents, especially for a mother, it is a challenge, an everyday obstacle or rather, a bane. Managing her husband, her children, the household as well as her work has never been easy. For her, especially now, there is no distinct boundary between home and work. But the hardest fact of all is that, she was not prepared for this life-changing instrument.

Working from home and juggling family? Tips for WFH parents, from ...

It is of utmost importance that the employers should take this scenario into consideration and by partnering up with Human Resource Team, they should implement policies which can elevate the motivation level of mothers. A few suggestions from my end would be to give them few extra hours each day, especially during the afternoon to attend to her children. To allow them to complete their work by 6 in the evening, so that they can spend the night-time with their children. Parents should be allowed to attend the business meetings with their children and they should not be embarrassed if something comes up in between work which needs their utmost attention. Parents are having a very hard time, juggling in between work and home and employers should be empathetic while dealing with their situations.

Employers should be all big ears while listening to the issues of the parents. They should have high emotional intelligence and should be empathetic enough to not judge them, but to provide them with empathetic solutions. If a parent says that today she will not be able to work for the entire team because her child is facing some issues, the employer should give her the benefit of doubt, trust her and cooperate with her. It is very important for the employer to keep an open mind and be receptive to the problems. They should understand it takes a lot of courage, especially for the female employees to express their problem, fearing that she will be seen as weak and might be displaced. At this moment, the employer should not despise her, but to communicate with her and provide her with the necessary arrangements.

One things is very important which should always be kept in mind – Parents, especially mothers, can sacrifice for their children and hence the employers must give the required amount of importance to them. Especially the importance that the hard-working parents deserve.

Source: https://hbr.org/2020/03/a-guide-for-working-from-home-parents

SUICIDE NOTE: FROM THE PAVEMENT OF ABETMENT TO THREAT

Suicide note is a document, not a mere goodbye or a mode of remembering, but one which has the potential to give access to the person’s inner thoughts and feelings even after they are long gone.  From people who want their story to be told, often the person lives behind mentioning different people who might have affected their lives. Though the reasons can never be brought into a particular set but it can bring two sorts of people into the picture. One in a positive light and the other completely opposite. Most of the lost hopes varies from reacting to the feeling of burden on the relatives or close ones to giving up on repetitive trauma from a set of people or any one person specifically. Both the scenarios, however, bring in questions. The controversies regarding discourse on suicides in India is huge. The judicial system scrutinizes the action and grasps every loophole that could have had led the suicide. As suppose, could have abetted the suicide.

Abetment to suicide is a crime. Not namesake but one of the legal provisions as well. Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code criminalizes the offence. A person is considered guilty of abetment upon three instances. If he instigates the person, if he has been a part of the conspiracy behind it or if he has intentionally helped the victim to commit the act. And importantly, direct evidence is required against the accused to show the alleged crime. It definitely looks a two-way pavement until here but what lies beneath the surface are the eyes of the world around the suspect. The one in the middle of a mere mentioned name and a criminal- the one in middle of the trial.

A name mentioned in a suicide note includes the person as an accused under a non bailable offence where the person receives a summon or notice from the local police station. The investigation goes on and a charge sheet gets filed against the mentioned name. Post all of these, a trial stands before the court. This is a tedious and defaming process for any prudent person. And thus, gets abused more often than not. The process gets tamed every hour in India when a person uses different phrases as to ‘cut nerves’, ‘kill themselves’, ‘the police will take you’, ‘it will be your fault’, ‘you will be guilty forever’, in order to get something to which the other silently agrees because what lies on the other hand is unknown.

However, one does not need to worry about the process at any point of time if they are not guilty. Truth has prevailed for the entire history of manhood and if put forth in the investigation process shall as well help gain way out from the difficult times as such.

It is important to notice that most threats usually come to partners who look to end a relationship to which the co-partner cannot come to terms with. There stands no-win situation in a case like this. The level of uncertainty is huge and the loss could be unbearable.

The thin line between the law for actual abetment to the abuse of the law is not foreseeable. A person at the edge for the same should not misjudge the actual cry for help to the attention seekers. However, for a person who knew about the suicide and decided to not help the cause or did not make attempts to stop or discontinued the cause could become more than just regretful. They are probable criminals in the eyes of law.

 It is true that once the threat turns the other way, there’s no turning back. However, one should always keep a few points in mind. First of all, a compassionate behavior with a person who we are no longer in terms with can go a long way. Next, professional advice should always be taken. One as it could save the person in question and also give you the green card of innocence even if mentioned in the note for any cause. It also gets very important to understand the habitual offenders and to take them seriously. The ridiculing of it being an everyday affair is not a healthy mentality. The repeated threats often bring in personal derangement which increases the risks. While one might consider obliging to all the demands put forward during such a crisis, it gets very important to involve very close and dear ones and let them to know about the threat.

The above-mentioned points are not just mere suggestions but also points out as “duty” in the law. The principle is evidentially prevalent in both civil and criminal matters. However, duty differs in different cases. From the perspective of duty in threatened suicide, if a help is promised in the form of care or companionship, it gets binding since there is an established duty of care. But the duty of care also depends on the type of relationship with the person at stake.

Summing up, the best way to get out of a situation is truth and actions which would leave no room for regret in the future. It is worth keeping in mind that, ‘to save another life, you must safeguard yours first’.

Marital Rape:Culture or Consent?

Patriarchy, often perceived as a “culture” by the Indian society, strives to be protected at all costs, even if that means to strip off the “vulnerable”, of their basic human rights. All concepts that threaten this so-called culture, are categorised as “western concepts”, and are further refused to be acknowledged. Living in denial and refusing to acknowledge the problems, does not mean that they don’t prevail in the Indian Society. In fact, this means that a significant chunk of the society is not ready for the particular problem, but, that does not in any way, give them the right to disregard other people’s safety and security, just because their’s is intact.
One such controversial concept is ‘Marital rape’, often perceived as an oxymoron. Although, ‘rape’ has been clearly defined by most of the criminal codes of almost every country recognised by the United Nations, yet the understanding is rather subjective varying on the culture and relationship of the accused and the victim.  As Estelle B. Freedman points out in Redefining Rape,”At its core, rape a legal term that encompasses a malleable and culturally determined perception of the act…The meaning of rape is thus fluid”. One such factor is ‘marriage’, which supposedly rules out the possibility of forceful sexual conduct upon a wife, since a wedlock provides  immunity to the husband, sociologically as well as on legal grounds in 10 nations of the world.
Well, one of the most difficult challenge faced by people opposing marital rape, is the lack of acknowledgment of this sin. The surprising fact is that this is probably the only crime , where the victim does not recognise her violation of the rights, because control of a woman’s body is foundational to patriarchy. As British jurist, Lord Mathew Hale, states that,”The husband cannot be guilty of rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual consent and contract the wife hath given up herself in this kind unto her husband, which she cannot retract.” This orthodox thinking is deep rooted in our society and is a shame to our so-called judicial progress, because if we see the section 375 of the Indian Penal Code,1872, although it defines rape, yet there is an exception in the statute which states, that, ’Sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.’

Arguments generally used to justify the non existence of this crime in the IPC, are that there are other sections like domestic violence and cruelty that protect the wives from the oppression and dominance.“there are other provisions that safeguards the rights of a wife, like domestic violence which covers cruelty, so why do we need another law? So greedy, these ‘feminists’ have become!”. This shows us the biggest problem in not recognising marital rape as a form of rape ,that is, the society is ready to accept the husband as an offender of  domestic violence, since the ‘anger issues’ are just unstoppable and ‘he is a man’, but are not ready to accuse the husband of rape of his own wife.Such beliefs are imbedded in notions such as the idea that a woman’s sexuality is a commodity that can be owned by her father or husband, the belief that what happens between husband and wife in the bedroom is a private matter, that a man is entitled to sexual relations with his wife, and that a wife should consensually engage in sex with her husband, thus making rape “unnecessary.” 

The ways in which marital rape is condoned varies cross-culturally. In India, Supreme court ruled in February 2015, that marital rape is not a crime.A government minister then told the parliament, that it could not be criminalised in India, since “marriages are sacrosanct”.(BBC News,2015). Like, in United States of America, although it is a criminal offence, yet a significant amount of attitudinal surveys show that Americans regard the rape of a wife far less than a similar assault by an acquaintance or a stranger. “Marital rape is a western concept, it is not possible in the Indian Society”, as stated by Maneka Gandhi, minister of women and child development, Ironical? It’s a crying shame, that people still have to be convinced, that there is ‘no difference’ between rape and marital rape. A wedlock, does not take away the bodily rights of a woman, she is still an individual and her rights must be protected. This mindset cannot be changed solely by judicial activism, but by educating men and women, and making them sensitive towards each others sentiments.

One of the ignored reason of the exclusion of this crime, is the anthropological aspect of research. As Gabriella Torres points out in her book, ’Marital Rape: Consent, Marriage, and Social Change in Global Context’, that first and foremost, this issue is not been given the level of public importance that it deserves. The  arguments for keeping the exemption have included, first,  keeping the marital relationship private,  second,  protecting husbands from vindictive wives, third, because it is nearly impossible to prove, and fourthly because a charge of rape would discourage reconciliation between husband and wife.

The reason for the less public attention given by the people to this inhuman and heinous act is that, the society is so blinded with culture and customs, that now the customs are not according to the behaviour of the people, but the behaviour is according to the culture and customs. This is where anthropologists come into power, since the society has nicely, adapted the crime to the custom, it’s important to understand what the culture or customary practice originally stated.There can be two possible scenarios, that is, one, culture does not state to violate any right, then society’s mindset can be changed with the right information regarding their culture  and second possible scenario is, if the culture succumbs to the violent and dominant ideology and even after reading the accounts of the victim, the dominance of the culture has a possibility, then it is high time we make a choice between ‘Culture or Consent’.

Being happy is so boring

Be brave enough to accept about the things that you don’t know. There’s nothing wrong in it. No one is perfect and everyone are in the journey of learnig. Learning isn’t is a result it’s the continuous process. Have a zeal and enthusiasm to know more. Nothing is more untill we stop learning. Admit the truth of unknown and give a try to know. Try to learn something everyday because you never know untill the moment comes. To have a great day, you need to have a great start. To have a great end you need to give a try to learn things.

No one knows everything. The thing everyone knows is something and most of the people stop learning things and start becoming dumb. Learn from kids. There’s a lot we can learn from old. Age doesn’t describe knowledge because knowledge is inevitable. Knowing to know for the sake of knowing isn’t considered to be knowledge. Learning things and applying in your daily life which make you grow along with your mates is something related to learning. Have guts to share and take the knowledge. Sharing knowledge increases your knowledge. Spirit to learn should be habituated. Try a new thing everyday. Don’t stop at the start. Start to never stop. Have a great goal. Don’t limit yourself by underestimating you. You never know what you gonna do until you do it. So learn the thing which you feel you can’t. Show to the world that you are capable of doing anything. Nothing is impossible, only thing you should do is keep in trying. Trying never leves you behind. Give a genuine try and have a hard life. If you get what you want then what’s intresting. Have a tough life so that you can deal with extraordinary things. If you get something easy then you doesn’t deserve it. Have a hard life, enjoy the process. You never know what’s next. Have a great life and try to make your life hard. Push yourself into trouble and enjoy the process of being there. Toughness isn’t a thing that is readily available for everyone. You deserve to have it. Many of them leave it in the middle and give up but struggle and push yourself. Be confident to be brave. The inky thing you should do is come out of comfort zone. Try difficult things, be different. Life is so short, so do whatever you feel you couldn’t.

Doing simple things can be done by simple people. Complicate your life, be in troubles. Troubles are easy if you feel it isn’t difficult. We feel it, that’s it. Come out of your feel and start to feel the way you don’t feel. Try everything and anything. Life isn’t the way it is, it is the way you take. Take your life the way you never wished. If you get a life what you expect the what’s so interesting in it. Take a different path and predict the unexpected.

Create your own trouble, so that whenever trouble visits you, you can take it easy. Be in trouble, let your heart ache the every moment you try to do something. Let it be nervous, let it be sad, let it be worst, let it be unsatisfactory. Feel the feelings that you never thought of feeling. Create your troubles, be in troubles, lead a tenseful life because being happy is so boring.

SHOR IN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

The Krakatoa volcanic eruption in Indonesia created the loudest sound ever reported at 180 dB in the year 1883. Do you know what’s louder than that? My mind thinking, producing thoughts faster than the blink of an eye. ‘Writer must be some mad scientist solving scientific equations in her brain’, one might think. On the contrary, the equations my brain analyses are the thousand possibilities of one single situation.

Everyone is looking at me. They are talking about me. Is it my hair? Is it the shirt I’m wearing? I think the world knows about that one time when I mispronounced the word ‘laminate’ as ‘lemonade’ in 6th grade. This is it. Life gave me lemons and the lemonade I made is SOUR.

An organ made of soft tissues and approximately two clenched fists in size has the power to make and break one’s life is a big accusation on our Brains. But who is to be blamed then?

I would like to someday adopt a Fish and a Cat and a Dog. But what if the cat eats the fish and the dog chases the cat and then they all flee my house and I’m left alone with my thoughts again. You would call it unnecessary paranoia and you would be right. I don’t really reside in my body; I’m simply paying rent to it. This rented house of mine has two windows, I call them my eyes. I guess my mind is the prison and I’m never going to get out of it.

I’m a visitor inside my brain and now my thoughts have chained me to my bed and I’m stuck. Hello, is anybody there, you got keys to my cell?

Wait a minute there is nobody here miles and miles away then who really locked the cell from outside? I give it one small push and it opens with a creak. The door to my prison was never locked? I was staying there voluntarily!

The Brain is powerful. How many doors in your life, you think are locked but aren’t? How many times have you been stuck in the mental prison of overthinking? Something that really had a simple solution. There is an old African line that says, ‘When there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.’ Cerebral Cortex is that part of the brain which produces thoughts, the capability of imagining things beyond reality. It is the strongest force in your life. It will force its opinions on you – ‘you are not good enough’, ‘you cannot do it’, ‘what will they say about you?’,’ stop, you are not made for this.’

Dear Mind of mine, thank you for your opinions but every overthinking thought you produce is equivalent to nothing. We bring it to life with the attention we give it. Stressful thoughts knock on our doors and we tell them ‘STAY OUT’. But that makes them knock louder.

BUT HOW DO I CONTROL AND DESTROY THOSE THOUGHTS?

The secret is – don’t mind the mind. This is the natural state of existence. This is the law of universe. In Science, the first law of Thermodynamics states that, ‘You cannot create or destroy energy but you can transfer it from one thing to another.’ Thoughts will arise and yes you will fill them but you don’t have to fight, control or defeat you mind. Just stay neutral in between those thoughts and it will dissolve into silence. A peaceful state of mind.

Or we can order a pizza and transfer the energy we spend on overthinking into the process of eating this slice of cheesy heaven. But why does the circle pizza come in a square box? And why is a slice of pizza triangle? Did mathematicians invent the pizza? Is pizza the SYMBOL OF ILLUMINATI?! WHAT IF…..and just like that the writer fell into her rabbit hole of overthinking and the Shor (noise) in her Cerebral Cortex was louder than the Shor in her city.

Friend is a friend

Why can’t I spend the time with friends who are with me? Why am I speaking to some other friends who are far apart and spending time? Today I observed that one of my friend felt sad and shared his sadness to some other friend who is also a friend of mine. That mutual friend said it would be better to spend time with the person who is beside us rather than speaking to someone else and talking about past.

Enjoy the present with the people who are present before us. Why can’t I see what’s infront of me and try to figure out a way to spend some time here. I don’t know why I like to spend the time there in the past but not in the present. I think of spending some time but it just stops at thinking. I should speak to the people who are with me whether I like them or not. I should atleast pay attention if not so give some importance for a period of time. May be everyone forget their surroundings when they speak on phone. It’s not the problem with me, it’s everyone’s. Atleast try to give a reply if not respond.

Speaking for speaking isn’t replying, it’s just nodding. Have time for everyone. Know where to spend the time and with whom. Living in the moment doesn’t mean staying alive. It’s the choice you make yourself to spend effective time with the person. Postpone your things and live with the person who is living beside you. Have a clear thought on your life and live there. Living in the past can also be done in future but living in present can be done only in present. Present is a present to your life.

I am thinking not to speak in phone while I am with my friends. He can also do the same but he didn’t and he tries to spend the time with the people around hin ine way or the other. Speaking with old friend might make you happy but leaving behind your friend and speaking to him makes the guy with you sad. You should have a balance between the friends and know when to spend with whom . The priority isn’t the person, it’s time. The person with you shouldn’t feel alone when he is with you. Atleast he might feel uninterested but feeling lonely isn’t acceptable.

Lead a life where you should give a lead to others on how to lead a leading life. Have a thought, give a pause and make a decision with your brain because heart will definitely choose your closest friend and makes you to speak with him. Brain makes you think in a logical way and makes a calculative decision. Decide before you do because after that your decision won’t reflect your doings. I am hoping to change myself and treat everyone in same manner when they are with me. If you have a friend beside you and trying to spend some time with you, then be patient if he’s uninterested, be calm if he’s too talkitive. Spend some time with your peers.

Who delivers the Amazon cardboard boxes???

Cardboard boxes that have been used for generations and thrived in the age of e-commerce continue to flourish or could the cardboard box be facing a new challenger? Cardboard boxes are a very big deal within the U.S. The United States is the Saudi Arabia of trees. Someone’s going to make the first box and that’s almost inevitably a mill generally in the Southeast United States. China certainly doesn’t have trees and India the extent they do have trees they’re not necessarily the right types of trees and shouldn’t be dedicated towards making boxes for us. The box business grew rapidly up through 1999 when the U.S. coordinated box market had its peak shipment. Starting in the early 2000s the U.S. corrugated box market faced multiple economic obstacles.

The great recession dragged on box demand and even after the recession demand continued to slow for commodity like soda and for the boxes that transport them. The move to digital devices also coincided with a drop in demand for copy paper and newsprint. But box makers found a grace in e-commerce sales and Amazon sale specifically which were growing at mostly integer rates within the recession and post-recession years. Those e-commerce sales have become a significant market for the containerboard industry. In 2018 told a U.S. e-commerce sales were estimated to be $512 billion almost 50 percent higher than in 2015. Amazon captured 48 percent of those sales. Most estimates are that e-commerce accounts for about 10 percent of the U.S. box market. Amazon accounts for close to 5 percent of U.S. box demand. By our estimates they are clearly the single largest box user in the US. International Paper with a third of the market I think does closer to 50 percent of all the amazon boxes evidently they got a bit more share than perhaps some of the smaller players.

Amazon's incredible, vanishing cardboard box - CNN

Amazon said they deal with most of the big box makers across the U.S. according to analysts. Those manufacturers include International Paper, WestRock, Packaging Corporation of America and Georgia-Pacific. Some investors were turning to these companies as a way to invest in the e-commerce giant without having to purchase Amazon’s pricey stock. People didn’t really start talking about buying International Paper or WestRock as a secondary investment in Amazon till about the last five years. Despite the boost from e-commerce sales the box business still isn’t growing all that much. And since 2018 their stocks have mostly underperformed the S&P 500. In 2018, 69 percent of International Papers total revenue came from the box business and that sales volume has been mostly flat for the past five years. Although the big producers sold less boxes in 2018 than in 2000, industry consolidation has dramatically narrowed the fields.

The handful of big players remaining are based in Memphis, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia and Lake Forest, Illinois. Analysts have told CNBC that substantial industry mergers have made it easier to collectively hike prices and those price increases have helped drive revenue. There are portions of the business that are in indisputable secular decline but if you’re in the brown part of the business, making these boxes, that’s been some very welcome growth. But those extra boxes piling up on people’s doorsteps have led to a backlash from disgruntled customers who are sick of receiving golf ball sized products in supersized boxes. It used to be that you’d order a toothbrush and it would come in three giant boxes and you’d say to yourself, what is this? Well, Amazon is trying to rectify that by using fewer boxes and using other types of packaging where appropriate. With e-commerce packaging underfire Amazon decided to change the way they do shipping. In 2008, Amazon introduced the Frustration Free Packaging program. It aims to reduce the extra packaging created when retail packaged products are placed inside Amazon boxes to be shipped. Instead, products certified in the program that are roughly the size of a blender or larger need to be packaged in their own ready to ship boxes. And those boxes also need to be made of 100 percent recyclable materials. For customers that means that the packaging is easy to recycle and the box is easy to open without all the excess packaging materials.

Use That Pile of Empty Amazon Boxes to Do Something Wonderful ...

Amazon offered vendors an incentive of a dollar per shipment to modify their packaging. And starting August 1st 2019 Amazon is charging a $1.99 penalty for each product shipped that needs to be reboxed. And basically the point of this deadline is for Amazon to get out of the business of packaging. They want their vendors to send them boxes that Amazon doesn’t have to touch or rebox. Over the last two years we have invented two different kinds of flexible mailers. One is the blue and white all plastic mailer. We’ve recently launched in the last six, eight months a paper padded mailer that’s actually fully recyclable with the paper stream. Amazon said they made about 10 million shipments using the paper padded mailer and depending on the month the plastic mailer is used about 20 to 30 percent of the time. So really when we come down to deciding if the product is of the size it can go on a mailer, it’s not likely to be damaged by going in the mailer, the mailer is always the better fitting option and frankly is easier for the customer to choose to recycle than breaking down a corrugate box. We’re driving in that direction for many different reasons. But those plastic mailers generally are not accepted in municipal recycling programs and you’ll need to bring them to a store that accepts plastic bags. The latest stats from the EPA show that corrugated boxes were recycled at a rate of 92 percent in 2015 while plastic bags, sacks and wraps were recycled at a rate of 13 percent in 2015.

AMAZON E-COMMERCE SELLERS, IT'S TIME TO REVIEW YOUR ADVERTISING ...

When you think about what is the greatest pain point for the consumer after having it get there safely arrive on time people are concerned about receiving something that is plastic or made a poly because of the environmental concerns. Some waste management companies say plastic packaging also causes problems for the recycling systems. Plastic mailers get caught in the recycling machinery slowing down the process and raising the costs for recyclers and sometimes contaminating entire bundles. Until Scotty on the Enterprise can beam the products from the warehouse to your living room I think Amazon’s going to be good for the corrugated business. I think there’s going to be noise I think you’re going to have challenges from time to time where people say, “Should we try and the plastic pouch?”, in the long run plastic is going to be on the wrong side of history. Because Amazon is a market leader in the U.S. e-commerce sector any move away from cardboard to plastic mailers could signal a shift for the entire industry. The corrugated box could be about to undergo a major facelift. We’re seeing some major trends among consumers and what they’re expecting from e-commerce and the first one is actually this desire for increased engagement with the package. In 2015, Amazon partnered with Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment to ship orders in bright yellow delivery boxes featuring cartoon characters from the movie Minions. The boxes promoting the movie and a special Amazon U.R.L. dedicated to shopping for merchandise from the film.

Un-Fair and Un-Lovely.

How empowering was it to watch Indians hold the “BLACK LIVES MATTER” placard in one hand supporting the protests in the United States and with the other hand applying a cream of poisonous chemicals to their naturally gifted skin. In this black and white world why do we hate brown? From the soil that gives birth to plants to the earthen pots which store our precious waters to the wood that burns into the flames of tomorrow’s ashes -brown is everywhere.

Beta dhoop me mat khelo, tan ho jaaoge!”, yells the Indian parent while some family in the Europe takes their sons and daughters to play on the beach and get some tan. A land that prays Lord Krishna who is described to be as dark as the thunderous rain clouds and yet portrays him blue because anything is better than black anything is better than brown anything is better than dark.

Etymologically speaking, the Sanskrit word ‘Krishna’ means black or dark. At times, it is also translated as “all attractive”. According to Vedas, Lord Krishna is a dark-skinned God. Even in traditional patta chitras (cloth art) in Odisha, Lord Krishna and Vishnu are always shown having black skin. 

50,000 years ago when our ancestors migrated from the North to the African and Asian continents, they were exposed to the UV rays of the Sun which is saturated at the equator and the tropic of Capricorn. Those days’ sunscreens were not invented hence due to evolution and the wonderful science of human body’s biology it produced melanin under the skin which acted as a natural sun screen. Skin creating its own protective layers, how cool is that?

But we as Indians would rather prefer skin burns and skin cancers than having a healthy skin. When my mother read the matrimony classified newspapers for my elder sibling’s marriage, her face falls down as she looks at those advertisements. No no-hold your horses, it’s not what you are thinking, everybody is progressive nowadays, nobody is asking for dowry. All they ask is – “seeking a fair bride for my son”, “fair and handsome boy with a fit body”, “girl should be white toned and open minded”, “boy should not be dark and not restrict our daughter from wearing her choice of clothing.” (no dowry).

To parents who are afraid because log kya kahenge? Maa lets not look for brides or grooms who are fair, let’s look for individuals who treat people fairly. Let’s not buy besan (gram flour) for face masks rather let’s lather some potatoes in them and fry it in oil as we watch the fair besan turn into a beautiful crispy brown tasty pakodas (fritters). Fairness creams or home remedies for instant glow neither teach us to be a human with a clean heart, a heart free from the ignorance. Instead of handing a tube of glow and lovely to your loved one’s let’s make them stand in front of the mirror holding their head high because any shade is beautiful any shape is beautiful any scar is beautiful. Before teaching to love others let’s start by loving ourselves. It’s time we realise love comes in all shapes and shades, it’s time we loved all shapes and shades.

Forget snow white, I’m chocolate brown, I will write my own fairy-tale. A tale of every brown Indian girl and boy who is torn apart by the expectations of society and yet stands proud with a personality and smile beautiful than any white skinned magazine covers. To every Bollywood song that calls the actress “Gori” I would like to say – “Gore Rang Pe Na itna Gumaan kar. Gora Rang Do Din mein Dhal Jaayega” – don’t show such pride of your fair skin, the fairness will fade in time. What will remain is the virtues, beliefs, kindness and opinions .

Changing the name from fair to glow will not enlighten the young minds but it will give light to the years of colourism and discrimination to continue its course in every generation to come. Brown is beautiful and so is every colour ever discovered.

MENTAL HEALTH; THE TRUTH

HOW IT STARTED

MENTAL HEALTH had been trending across social media platforms after the sudden demise of the Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput who chose to end his life. This incident occurred on 14th June 2020, when India was still under lockdown. Had this happened in a normal situation it would not have garnered this amount of attention probably. But this sent shock waves throughout the country as the actor had always been known to have a smiling face and charming self. There was no clue that he was so unhappy with himself and his life. His death awakes many questions on mental health, suffering, depression and nepotism in Bollywood. Many big names in Bollywood were trolled and blamed for indirectly killing him. Everyone on social media seemed concerned on mental health and even offered a lending ear to their friends and followers. They spoke about how mental health is as important as physical wellbeing and how everyone should support each other and spread only love and no hate. These were the same people who later on started trolling the Bollywood industry, star kids and other big names of the industry. Hypocrisy was very evident. Another disturbing aspect was that the actor’s family was not given privacy. News reporters were practically thrusting microphones and cameras under the nose of the family members of the late actor not allowing them time to even come to terms with their loss and grieve.  The irony was that on one side everyone was trying to be friendly, understanding and wanting to spread only positivity and love, and, on the other side trolling and blaming people and not giving space to the family members. The most traumatic part according to me was that the pictures of the late actor’s dead body started circulating on the internet. The police department had to officially announce that this is immoral and anyone found circulating these pictures will be punished. Some youtubers and news channels took it a level higher and started demonstrating how Sushant would have possibly hanged himself. This was not it, his personal life and relationships were also brought under public scrutiny this just made everything worse.

AN INSIGHT INTO MENTAL HEALTH

MENTAL HEALTH is still something which is not completely understood and accepted by our society. It is not given the attention and importance it deserves. According to the World Health Organisation, mental health is defined as –

“Mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises his/her own abilities, can cope with the normal stress of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his/her community.”

Any person no matter the age, gender, community, society, etc. is at a risk of developing a mental disorder. Financial status, fame or luxuries does not guarantee a good mental heath. Even a very successful and ambitious individual can develop a mental disorder.

MYTHS

There are some myths and superstitions regarding mental health that needs to be popped.

  1. Children are not affected by mental disorders: this is a big lie. As I have mentioned before, mental health affects anyone whatever the age or gender of that person. Children can also be affected based on their upbringing and their surroundings. The family background and environment will take a toll on the mental status of the child.
  • People with mental health issues are violent and unpredictable: we often have this misunderstanding that people who smile and laugh are happy and the ones who are sad are depressed. This is very wrong. Many studies have shown that people who are depressed tend to laugh at silly things and always try to have a smile on. They are friendly and jovial and in no means have an intention to hurt others.
  • Mental disorders are incurable: with proper medication and help mental disorders can be brought under control if not cured completely. But many people have been cured over time, a living and known example is actress Deepika Padukone. The right support and help can get you out of anything.
  • Personality weakness or character flaws cause mental issues, people can snap out of it if they want to: this is one of the most common myths that people have. Being lazy has nothing to do with mental health. Depressed people do not wish to stay that way, they do want to come out of it and enjoy life. They try their very best to be happy.
  • Mental health issues are rare: 1 in 8 people are affected with mental health issues. Most of the times we don’t realise that we have mental disorders or chose to ignore it, which is very wrong.
  • Having a mental illness means you’re crazy: this is completely false. Having mental health problems does not in any way imply you’re crazy, it just means you’re vulnerable.

TYPES OF DISORDERS

Here is the list of a few common types of mental disorders.

  • Anxiety disorder
  • Mood disorder
  • Personality disorder
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Eating disorder

CONCLUSION

All things considered, I would request every one to take care of their mental and physical wellbeing. In these trying times, we should support each other and move forward. Do not hesitate to seek help from professional and please don’t self-diagnose. Remember NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.

REFERENCES

WHO

NIH

The conflict of Kashmir…

On February 14th 2019, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of Indian security forces. “We’re getting reports of multiple casualties in a roadside…” He killed at least 40 Indian soldiers here in Kashmir. “The deadliest attack the region has seen this century.” The bomber was part of an Islamic militant group based in Pakistan. “Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for that attack.” 12 days later, India carried out airstrikes in Northwestern Pakistan. Then Pakistan shot down at least one Indian aircraft around here. “The most serious escalation in years.” Kashmir is one of the most disputed places on Earth. Over the course of 70 years, it’s been at the center of three wars fought between two massive armies. It’s heavily occupied by more than half a million Indian troops and a deadly collection of militias and terrorist groups.

How Memory of Indian Partition Is Preserved Across Borders | Time
Kashmir is the stage for the relentless conflict between India and Pakistan. But focusing on the two countries can obscure what’s really at stake: The voice of Kashmiris who are caught in a vicious cycle of violence. Kashmir is one of the most strategic places in the world, where 3 powerful countries collide: India, Pakistan, and China. China invaded and took this slice of Kashmir from India. And was given this one by Pakistan. India and Pakistan control these parts, but lay claim to more. This region is at the center of a brutal conflict over these disputed borders. So it’s important to start when they were being drawn. In the mid-1800s, India was a patchwork of several hundred provinces and princely states under British rule. A century later, when British India won independence, the British left and hastily decided to split the region into two. These areas would be a new Muslim-majority country, Pakistan. And this would be the mostly Hindu, but secular, India. The partition was bloody. “Communal hatred flares up within the Punjab.” “1 million people become refugees overnight.” “They flee from savagery and butchery that has never been exceeded, even in India’s stormy history.” Amid the chaos, some princely states were given the choice to join either country. In most cases, the ruling monarchs followed the will of their people. But this state, called “Jammu & Kashmir” was different. It was right along this new border and had a Muslim-majority population, but was ruled by a Hindu monarch. When asked to pick a side, the ruler chose to stay neutral Fearing that the monarch would join India, the Kashmiri population rebelled here in 1947 Armed tribesmen from Pakistan soon joined the fight.

India and Pakistan in Kashmir border skirmish - BBC News
The monarch turned to India for military help and in exchange agreed to join them, which sparked the first Indo-Pakistan war in Kashmir. “Continuing thus increased the threat to world peace and brought the dispute to the eye of the United Nations . The UN Security Council brokered a ceasefire in 1949, which established this line with Pakistan controlling this side and India this one. It also asked Pakistani tribesmen to withdraw and Indian troops to follow, so that Kashmir could hold a direct vote to decide its own future. But neither held up their end of the deal. Pakistan argued that Kashmir’s Muslim-majority population rightfully belonged with them. While India insisted that Kashmir was handed over to them by the Hindu monarch. So they doubled down and added Kashmir to their constution. Both countries continued to tighten their grip around it for many years . “Kashmir. Fighting is going on and heavy casualties in men and equipment have been inflicted on the aggressor.”

India-Pakistan: Latest news on Kashmir crisis
In 1965, the second India-Pakistan war broke out in Kashmir. Thousands of people were killed between the huge armies on both sides. A ceasefire ended the war, but didn’t change this line. Kashmir was kept divided and occupied. And another war broke out in 1971. This time the focus wasn’t in Kashmir — it was in East Pakistan. Here, India helped rebels fight for independence and dealt Pakistan a devastating defeat. This region became a new country, Bangladesh, and Pakistan lost its eastern half. This made Kashmir more important than ever: It became one of the most militarized places on Earth, as India and Pakistan deployed planes, tanks, artillery, and soldiers along the Line of Control. On the political front, in ’87, India reportedly rigged an election, declaring a pro-India party as the winner. Now this was a big turning point for many Kashmiris, who felt they were again denied the chance to vote. Thousands took to the streets in Indian-controlled Kashmir to protest the occupation. But India met the movement for independence with harsh resistance. Which quickly escalated to more violence.
“In January security forces opened fire on demonstrating separatists, turning a two-year old struggling movement into a full-blown popular uprising.” “More than 600 people are killed in clashes between troops and separatists.” Kashmiri militias, just like the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, started recruiting Muslim youth to fight for independence. And increasingly attacked the Indian military. Pakistan saw an opportunity in this insurgency. They helped introduce a new kind of militant group: Radical Islamic fighters who fought for a more pro-Pakistan Kashmir. By the mid ’90s, these groups dominated the insurgency. India responded with incredible military force, deploying 500,000 troops to Kashmir. And they cracked down on militants and protestors. Unarmed civilians were killed and many more were forced to flee the violence. And in ’98 the stakes were raised yet again. “Today India conducted three underground nuclear tests.” “Pakistan today successfully conducted five nuclear tests.” Kashmir became a battleground between two nuclear-armed nations and another war broke out in 1999. “More evidence of the attacks being launched on the Indian-controlled area of Kargil.” “The past two days have seen a number of the fiercest fighting thus far .” “Militant Muslim fighters have also crossed over into some parts of Indian-ruled Kashmir.” The 1999 war ended with another ceasefire, but that did not stop either country.

India-Pakistan cross-border shelling hits Kashmir | News | Al Jazeera

Over the years, Pakistan’s militant groups got bolder and launched terror attacks in Kashmir and outside of Kashmir. In 2001, members of Lashkar-e-Taiba bombed India’s parliament building in New Delhi killing 14 people. And in 2008, 10 militants from the same group killed 174 people and wounded 300 in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Indian military cracked down in Kashmir, firing bullets and pellets on unarmed protesters. Leaving hundreds wounded and blind. This is the vicious cycle of violence. The Indian Army’s crackdown drives some Kashmiris to join Pakistani-backed militant groups, who carry out violence against the Indian forces. It’s a cycle that Kashmiri civilians are stuck in the middle of. Which brings us back to 2019. The suicide bomber was 19-year old Adil Ahmed Dar from Pulwama, Kashmir. According to his parents, in 2016, Indian police officers stopped him and humiliated him by forcing his face into the ground. The same year he was shot in the leg at a protest. The next year, Dar left home with his brothers, to join Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistani-supported militia that radicalized him and trained him to be a suicide bomber. A year later, he drove explosives into an Indian military convoy. For more than 70 years India and Pakistan have driven a cycle of violence, retaliation, and exploitation in Kashmir. But beneath it all is the Kashmiri’s wish to make a choice. A wish that continues to be suppressed, again and again, by violence.

Benefits of Black Coffee.

You will be really happy to learn about the various benefits that black coffee offers if you consume it regularly. Below are the top 4 points which highlight the importance and benefits of black coffee.

1.Improves Cardiovascular Health

The most important factor or benefit of black coffee is that it improves an individual’s cardiovascular health and reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases which includes stroke as well. On the other hand, black coffee also makes our heart stronger and reduces any type of inflammation in the body.

2.Improves Your Memory

As you get older there are chances that you can develop certain memory-related diseases which include Alzheimer’s Dementia and Parkinson’s Diseases. But consuming black coffee regularly would help you in keeping your brain fit and healthy and also deal with certain types of diseases which could damage your brain function. With the help of black coffee, the nerves are highly activated which results in the enhancement of your brain function.

3.Good for your liver

As we all know the liver is an important part of the human body as it carries out various functions so it is important to keep it healthy and running so there are no complications. Here Black Coffee acts in a certain way and boosts liver health and prevents the occurrence of liver cancer, fatty liver diseases, and hepatitis. Black coffee works in such a way that it lowers the level of enzymes that are found in the blood which results in lowering the chances of developing any kind of liver disease.

4.Good for your stomach

As coffee is known as a diuretic beverage so consuming it would eventually lead to urinating more often and this will result in flushing out of more and more toxins and bacteria from your body. This also results in the cleansing of your stomach and generally keeps you healthy.

As you can see that there various health benefits of consuming coffee regularly. But always have your limits as anything when consumed more than it should result in a negative response from the body.

Why economy of India is slowing down???

India is one among the world’s fasting growing economies. It had been touted as an economic and geopolitical counterweight to China. But recently its growth fell to its slowest pace in six years. Investment has weakened, and unemployment has risen. So what’s causing the slowdown, and how can it be reversed? Since the turn of the century, India’s economy has grown at a rapid rate, helping transform the country. Between 2006 and 2016, rising incomes lifted 271 million people out of poverty, meaning the proportion of Indians still living in poverty has fallen dramatically, from around 55% to twenty-eight . Access to electricity has also improved. In 2007 just 70% of the population had access to power. By 2017, that grew to nearly 93%.

India's economic growth likely to remain subdued in near future ...
More recently, the Indian government constructed around 110 million toilets — a huge step towards better sanitation designed to prevent the practice of open defecation. It’s a signature program of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known as Swachh Bharat, or Clean India. All this development has been supported by a booming economy, but as lately , that expansion has begun to run out of steam. In the third quarter of 2019, India’s economic output grew by 4.5% – making it the primary time the country’s growth dipped below 5% since 2013. For context, 4.5% growth remains much above that of developed economies just like the U.S., But with 12 million Indians entering the workforce per annum , economists say the country needs annual growth rates to remain above nine percent to make sure there are enough jobs. So, what’s causing this recent slowdown? Well, officialdom argue turbulence in international financial markets is guilty.

Economy News, Latest economy news India, Indian Economy features ...
Political uncertainty and U.S.-China trade tensions mean confidence levels among investors and consumers everywhere have sunk. The United Nations has even warned that a global recession in 2020 is now a “clear and present danger”. But back to India – many economists say the country’s growth problems are literally self-inflicted. One obvious culprit is the shadow banking sector. During the 2000s, India saw an investment boom. It was fuelled by state banks dispensing a load of loans for giant infrastructure projects. But some of the companies taking advantage of these loans couldn’t keep up with the repayments. That meant the state banks weren’t getting paid back and therefore struggled to give out new loans. To keep business moving, shadow banks stepped in. These financial institutions, which operate like ordinary commercial banks but don’t follow traditional banking rules, eventually made up an estimated third of all new loans nationwide. The loans played a pivotal role for the millions of small businesses and consumers who would otherwise have no access to credit. But in 2018, shadow banking giant Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services, defaulted on its debt repayments. Its collapse sent shockwaves through the economy and shook up more traditional banks that had supported the world.
It became harder for people to shop for expensive items like cars. That hurt India’s automotive industry, which is one among the country’s biggest. It employs about 35 million people and makes up about 7% of India’s GDP. Last summer, the industry suffered its worst sales performance in nearly 19 years, and reports suggest tens of thousands of workers are laid off. The agriculture and construction sectors have also been hurting, with small and medium businesses being hit the hardest. The country’s percentage has been on an overall upward trend since July 2017, rising several percentage points to 7.7%. Higher unemployment means consumers are buying less, resulting in the unfortunate cycle of slower manufacturing, production, investment and job creation.

Indian Economy Will Face Adverse Affects Of Coronavirus Gdp To ...
A survey from the Reserve Bank of India found consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level in five years. But Indians still have a positive outlook for the longer term , with most consumers expecting to feel more optimistic during a year. However, if things don’t improve, debt could become another issue. Expecting better days ahead, many households have continued to spend, by taking out loans and dipping into savings. Household savings as a proportion of GDP has fallen from 23.6% to 17.2%. Meanwhile, household debt has surged to 10.9% during the same period. Critics say the govt in New Delhi has did not spot these risks and hasn’t done enough to urge the economy moving again. The Reserve Bank of India’s former governor Raghuram Rajan recently blamed the lack of significant reforms and a slowdown in investments since the global financial crisis. Even the country’s chief economic advisor recently admitted reforms are needed to form India more friendly to investors.
India has cut its corporate rate , but labor and land laws are still extremely strict. He also says the country must become pro-market, instead of just pro-business, to avoid costly government bailouts of failing sectors. But not all reforms have been good to the economy. In 2016, Prime Minister Modi tried to crack down on corruption, counterfeits and evasion by banning high value bank notes. In one night, the cash ban made 86% of all cash invalid. Three years later, many analysts say the policy disrupted the economy and did not achieve many of its original goals. In 2017, a replacement nuisance tax placed small businesses struggling and a few of them were forced to shut . In mid-2019, India’s government introduced a controversial new tax on foreign investors. Consequently, India’s stock exchange suffered its worst July performance in 17 years. Just one month later, the measure was scrapped.
The government has now refocused its efforts on international trade and investment, and thus the recent changes to the corporate rate could indeed help attract businesses and investors to India. But if the country wants to be a part of the world’s largest supply chains, it’ll need low and consistent tariff levels to encourage outsiders to take a position for the long term.

The country’s shifting export policy has harmed several of its largest industries, particularly clothing. India’s share of the worldwide apparel market has increased only slightly within the past 20 years. And though the Indian workforce is vast, both Bangladesh and Vietnam now export more. On top of that, the country’s import tariffs on the average are much above the world’s biggest economies. They’re also among the highest of the world’s emerging economies. Even U.S. President Donald Trump has called for the country to bring down its duties.

Has India’s growth actually slowed the maximum amount as we think? The government’s former chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian caused a good little bit of controversy in June 2019, when he claimed the country’s official stats probably overstated GDP growth by 2.5% from 2011-2012 to 2016-2017. He says the bottom line is that India never recovered from the global financial crisis. The government denies this. But none of this has hurt Prime Minister Modi at the polls – he won by a landslide in the most recent election. So how will he keep his promise and double the dimensions of the economy by 2025? Many economists insist a well-explained economic vision would help. As would more long-term investment, better skilled workers and enhancements to infrastructure. It may not matter who or what’s responsible for India’s recent economic challenges, but bottom line – India’s economic process must recover , and fast.

The story of a depressed Teen

I don’t know why am I failing everytime. Is it my overconfidence or lack of confidence. I don’t have a luck or I have a bad luck. Every exam I gave till now is a failure. It’s definitely my lack of work and trying nothing and waiting for the luck. If I can’t do then, it’s better if I hope for the luck, but I can do if I wanna do but still I do nothing and blame it on luck.

I am too depressed to hear it and trying to be happy but my mind is revolving around it. I can’t do anything from moving on. If it’s one failure then it would be easier but failure after failure is hitting me back without time for me to recover. My mother tried to figure out that I am sad even though I tried to cover my face up. That’s what may be true love meant. My heart is aching and I can’t believe the fact that I failed and I am slowly loosing confidence in me and reaching to a fatal state.

I have no one to tell and trying to reduce my pain by writing here. I am hoping to regain my confidence back because that’s only thing that make us sustain in this cruel world. I had thought of many times to work hard and it remained as a thought itself. Lot of failures had surrounded me and the test that I attempted are merely a train of failures. I blame it on luck and again stopped to work hard. I realised that the only thing that I had to do is hard work and there is no short cut.

I have a fear of failure and if I fail then I can easily blame it to some other reason and escape from that blame on me. If I can’t work then I don’t get a work. All these days I believed in luck by working nothing. I will work because I never saw these many failures. If I couldn’t work now then definitely I will loose my confidence and will treat me as a failure. Hope atleast I will work from now. Hope I would have a better future if I work in a featured manner.

India will have an Important role in scaling up vaccine production: PM Modi.

As the whole world is waiting for discovery of corona virus , the next big challenge in front of world is large scale production of vaccine so that it is feasible to common man.India is going to play major role in vaccine production as it has past experience as well as skilled doctors. India is responsible for providing 2/3 of world’s children with vaccine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his inaugural address at the India Global Week 2020, said that India will play an important role in developing and in scaling up production of the vaccine once it is discovered.

“Vaccines made in India are responsible for 2/3rd of the vaccine needs of the world’s children. Today also our companies are active in international efforts for development and production of vaccine. I’m certain that India will have an important role in developing and in scaling up production of the vaccine once it is discovered,” PM Modi said.

Speaking on India’s economy, PM Modi said, “India remains one of the most open economies in the world. We are laying a red carpet for all global companies to come and establish their presence in India. Very few countries will offer the kind of opportunities India does today.”

“The pandemic has once again shown that India’s pharma industry is an asset not just for India but for the entire world. It has played a leading role in reducing the cost of medicines, especially for developing countries,” the Prime Minister said.

He also further said that India will lead world in the path of revival post corona virus pandemic in terms of economic as well social development.India is power house of young talents may it be technological or scientific or doctors field.

World over, you have seen the contribution of India’s talent-force. Who can forget the Indian tech industry & tech professionals. They have been showing the way for decades. India is a power-house of talent that is eager to contribute. In these times, it is natural to talk about revival. It is equally natural to link global revival and India. There is faith that the story of global revival will have India playing a leading role,” PM Modi said.

Hope there will be discovery of vaccine soon and life comes back on track.

E-commerce sites to display country of origin on products to promote made in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

New Delhi: The government had taken yet another big step after ban on 59 Chinese apps to make it compulsory for E-commerce sites to display ‘country of origin’ tag so that users can identify Indian products and help make Atmanirbhar Bharat a success. The online shopping sites have agreed with government to display’country of origin’ and are cooperating with government.

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, which is used by government departments for public procurement, on Tuesday made it mandatory for sellers to enter the “country of origin” while registering all new products.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) asked e-commerce players including Amazon and Flipkart to display mention ”country of origin” on each product sold at their platforms.

While GeM says it has taken this step to promote ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant India), the move also comes days after a deadly border clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers. Sub-standard and cheap Chinese products often make their way into the Indian market, more so through online platforms. The government has ramped up efforts to curb the inflows of such low-grade imports and their consumption here.

The government has taken such steps to reduce dominance of Chinese products in Indian market and make India self-reliant country. We must support the efforts of government and use as much as possible made in India products.