Press Has Right To Publish News Item With Its Necessary Comments & Views

In a fresh, fine and favourable judgment, the Kerala High Court just recently on November 13, 2020 in Philip Mathew vs. State of Kerala [Crl. MC. No. 7758 of 2016] has quashed a defamation complaint registered against the Chief Editor, Managing Editor and Publisher of Malayala Manorama Daily. It is most gratifying, most refreshing and most rejuvenating to learn that Justice P Somarajan of the Kerala High Court has categorically, convincingly and cogently observed that the press has the right to publish a news item with its necessary comments and views. Such right cannot be defeated unless malafides writ large on its face and not concerning with a matter of public interest or public good. This cannot be denied or disputed! 

Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

                                    Truth be told, it also made it clear that the contemptuous nature of news item, if it is connected with imputation of truth, which requires publication for the public good will not attract the  offence of defamation. Very rightly so! The complaint was against a news published in the daily about a Vigilance report against the complainant (R. Chandrasekaran) and three others. 

                                      To start with, the ball is set rolling in this latest, landmark and laudable judgment authored by Justice P Somarajan  by first and foremost observing in para 1 that, “The Managing Editor, the Chief Editor and the Printer and Publisher of a daily newspaper came up to quash the proceedings initiated on the allegation of offence under Section 500 IPC through a private complaint on which cognizance was taken by the Magistrate and process was issued under Section 204 Cr.P.C. Annexure A is the copy of news item published.” 

                                     While elaborating further, it is then pointed out in para 2 that, “Annexure A news item was published based on a report submitted by the Vigilance to set the criminal law in motion against the defacto complainant and three others after conducting a preliminary enquiry and recommended registration of crime against them. Going by Annexure A news item, it is clear that what is reported is the true version of report submitted by the Vigilance against the defacto complainant and three others. It is true that they were referred as accused persons in the news item, even before registration of crime in connection with the allegations.”

                            Truth be told, it is then most significantly disclosed in para 3 that, “What is reported is the true version of an enquiry report submitted by the Vigilance Department against the defacto complainant and three others. It is the duty of the fourth estate to publish all news materials, especially having public importance and it is their further duty to comment on the news material with its pros and cons so as to enlighten the society to remain vigil on the matters of public importance. It would squarely come under the first exception attached to Section 499 IPC, when it is done with bonafides for the public interest. The fourth estate is not expected to shy away from the matters governing public importance, but it is their solemn duty to serve the society with the news item with its pros and cons so as to make the society more functional and vigil. The fourth estate being one of the rostrums to address and comment on each and every matters governing public interest/public importance in a democratic society, the news item published with necessary comments, though sometimes contemptuous, may not itself amount to a defamation as defined under Section 499 IPC, unless the same is lacking in good faith and not concerning with a matter of public interest or public good. The first proviso to Section 499 IPC has got a wide canvass in a democratic system and right to publish a news item with its necessary comments and views though sometimes contemptuous, cannot be defeated unless malafides writ large on its face and not concerning with a matter of public interest or public good. The contemptuous nature of news item, if it is connected with imputation of truth, which requires publication for the public good will not attract the offence and there shall not be any misunderstanding with respect to the requirement to attract Section 499 IPC with the first exception therein. The news item published hence will not attract the offence of defamation as defined under Section 499 IPC. It was submitted that subsequently a crime was registered against the defacto complainant and three others and a refer report was submitted subsequently.”

                                Finally, it is then held in the lat para 4 that, “The private complaint submitted is really intended to defeat the solemn function vested with the fourth estate and it will tell upon what is behind it. It is an abuse of the process of court, liable to be quashed. Hence the private complaint and the further proceedings are hereby quashed. Crl.M.C. is allowed.”

                In essence, the cornerstone of this really cogent, commendable and convincing judgment is contained clearly, credibly and convincingly in para 3 which must be read maximum times. It certainly minces no words to make it amply clear as to what is the duty of the fourth estate. It also makes it further clear that the press has right to publish news item with its necessary comments and views.

                         No wonder, the Kerala High Court takes the right step in quashing the defamation case against Manorama Editors. There can certainly be no denying or disputing it! Freedom of press is most important and indispensable and its importance merits no reiteration. 

                                It goes without saying that for any democracy to function smoothly and effectively, there has to be free press which is just not possible if journalists have to keep fighting defamation case or some other case in the courts all the time! Even Supreme Court has acknowledged this and has always advocated more freedom for press and journalists to function independently just as we saw recently in case of Arnab Goswami who is the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV and who was set free recently after 8 days from Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai after Supreme Court’s intervention by a Bench of Justice Dr DY Chandrachud and Justice Indira Banerjee! So Kerala High Court has certainly acted wisely to ensure press freedom and this definitely must be applauded and admired in no uncertain terms!  

Sanjeev Sirohi, Advocate,

s/o Col BPS Sirohi,

A 82, Defence Enclave,

Sardhana Road, Kankerkhera,

Meerut – 250001, Uttar Pradesh

Spicy puffed rice-Recipe I learnt from my Grandmaa!

Let’s discus something different today! I want to share a recipe that my grandmother use to make and some tips related to this recipe.

  1. Ingredients you require:
  • Puffed rice or Murmure (base ingredient)
  • Ghee
  • Salt or Namak
  • Mango or amchur powder
  • Chili powder or Lal mirch powder
  • Procedure:
  • Take some puffed rice in a container you want it can be a big or small bowl.
  • Add some amount of chili powder into that bowl. Maybe 2-3 spoons or as per the spicy you want your dish to be.
  • Then add 3-4 spoons of amchur or mango powder into it.
  • Add salt as per your taste.
  • Lastly, spread some ghee into it and then mix it well.

That’s it! Your tasty snack is ready to be served. It can be served alone or with any other food item.

  • Best part about this snack is:
  • It requires less or no cooking.
  • It can be easily carried anywhere whether we go to picnic or just for a walk in a garden.
  • Just like maggie it can be served in just a couple of minutes. Hence, it’s a time-consuming option.
  • We can adjust the amount of spices and puff rice according to our preference.
  • You can change the order of adding spice into it. Its not compulsory to add every ingredient step wise as I listed above in procedure.
  • We can eat it at any time we want, as lunch, dinner or as breakfast.
  • You can preserve it in any container like any other preservable snack.
  • Some tips that can add to your taste:
  • You can also use Gram or Chana instead of puff rice as your base ingredient.
  • To add more taste, you can add some roasted peanuts or any other ingredient like already roasted namkeen to it.
  • You can also roast your puffed rice to make it crunchier.
  • You can add some pieces of boiled potato.

I use to eat this snack a lot when I am starving and don’t have any other thing to cook. It’s a quick and easy option when you don’t want/have anything to cook.

5 Best Popular Posts Widgets For Blogger

  If you’re using Blogger as the platform for your personal or business blog, you’re probably looking for ways to customize it and make it your own. This way, you’ll make your webpages unique and eye-catching and ensure they’ll stand out from the many other pages on the internet. You’ll also grab the attention of your target market, encourage them to browse through your blog and become your loyal readers and followers.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways to personalize your Blogger blog, and one of these is to customize your Popular Posts widget. Haven’t installed this yet? Don’t worry since putting it in your blog easy.

Adding the Popular Posts Widget for Blogger

Just click on your blog title, access the “Layout” menu, click “Add a Gadget” and choose “Popular Posts”. A window will appear asking you to configure the widget by choosing which posts you’ll feature (e.g. those that were most viewed in the past 7 days or 30 days or from the beginning of your blog). You’ll also be asked to choose how many posts you’ll feature in your Popular Posts section and select if you’ll show the post title only or along with the image thumbnail and/or the snippet. (Remember that each widget style has different requirements, so follow the styles and instructions carefully to find out if you need the snippet and image thumbnail or not).

Configuring Popular Posts Widget for Blogger

Once you’ve followed these instructions, you’ll get to see the basic version of the Popular Posts Widget for Blogger in your blog. You can stick with this if it matches your blog design but, if it sticks out like a sore thumb or doesn’t suit your taste, there’s no need to fret since you can personalize it. You can choose from the following styles – see the demo blog:

Popular Posts Style 1 – Box within a box

This is an interesting widget style since it uses your snippet and image thumbnail in a unique way. Your snippet is written in opaque text and placed in a small transparent box. This, in turn, is placed in a bigger rectangular box, wherein your image thumbnail is used as a background. Choosing this Popular Posts Widget for Blogger can be a great option if you want to brighten up your blog and grab the attention of readers with your colorful photos.

popular posts widget for blogger

CSS code:

.sidebar .PopularPosts ul{margin:0;padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li{list-style:none !important;padding:0 !important;margin-bottom:10px;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail{height:190px;margin:0;overflow:hidden;width:100%;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title{position: relative;}.sidebar .PopularPosts img{height:auto;width:100%;padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title a{color: #FFFFFF;font:20px Oswald;text-transform:uppercase;padding:10px;position:absolute;right:0;left:0px;margin:0px auto;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;top:40px;width:60%;height:26px;overflow:hidden;z-index:2;}
.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-snippet{background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.35);border-top:6px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);border-bottom:6px solid rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);color:#FFFFFF;left:0px;right:0px;margin:0px auto;padding:65px 10px 10px;position:absolute;font:13px ‘Times New Roman’,Times,FreeSerif,serif;text-align:center;top:35px;width:60%;z-index:1;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-content{position:relative;}

Popular Posts Style 2 – Large thumbnails with small post titles underneath

This uses the same code as the basic Blogger Popular Posts Widget with a few tweaks. Popularized by well-known blogs, this style is eye-catching because it focuses on pictures, which don’t only summarize the posts’ content but also add visual drama to the entire page. This is particularly useful for blogs that focus on clothes, makeup, art and other topics that highly depend on visual presentation to better express ideas.

popular posts widget for blogger

CSS code:

.sidebar .PopularPosts ul{counter-reset:popularcount;margin:0;padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li{width:100%;list-style:none !important;padding:0 !important;margin-bottom:20px;position:relative;border:0;text-align:center;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail a{clip: auto;display:block;height:auto;height:120px;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail{width:100%;height:120px;overflow:hidden;position:relative;margin-bottom:15px;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail::before{background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);border-bottom:29px solid #fff;border-left:29px solid transparent;border-right:29px solid transparent;bottom:0px;content:"";height:0;width:0px;left:0px;right:0px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;position:absolute;z-index:3;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail:after{color:#000;content:counter(popularcount, decimal);counter-increment:popularcount;font:13px "Times New Roman",Times,FreeSerif,serif;list-style-type:none;position:absolute;bottom:0;margin:0px auto;left:0px;right:0px;z-index:4;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail img{position:relative;width:100%;height:auto;padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title{font:15px 'Oswald', sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;margin:0px auto;padding-bottom:10px;border-bottom:1px solid #000;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title a{color:#000;text-decoration:none;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-snippet{padding:10px 15px;font:13px "Times New Roman",Times,FreeSerif,serif;}

Popular Posts Style 3 – Colorful boxes

If your blog needs a pop of color, this is the right choice for you. This widget style presents your Popular Posts in several boxes that feature a thumbnail image and have bright, eye-catching shades like light green, ocher yellow and vivid orange. Each box has a different color, and you can add up to four boxes.

popular posts widget for blogger

CSS code:

.sidebar .PopularPosts ul{padding:0;margin:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail a{clip:auto;display:block;height:auto;overflow:hidden;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail{width:130px;height:130px;border-right:5px solid #fff;margin:0px 10px 0px 0px !important;position:relative;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail img{position:relative;height:auto;width:100%;padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li{float:left;margin-bottom:5px;max-height:130px;min-width:250px;overflow:hidden;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:first-child{background:#D9EDF7;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:first-child + li{background:#F2DEDE;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:first-child + li + li{background:#DFF0D8;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:first-child + li + li + li{background:#FFEEBC;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:first-child + li + li + li + li{background:#E0E0E0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title{font:13px 'Oswald', sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;padding:10px 5px 10px;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title a{color:#000;text-decoration:none;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-snippet{font:13px "Times New Roman",Times,FreeSerif,serif;padding-right:5px;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .widget-content ul li{padding:0px 5px 0px 0px!important;}

Popular Posts Style 4 – Grid layout

Just like the large-picture widget style, the grid layout is an excellent option if you want to showcase your pictures or if your blog depends on visual information. However, the title of your posts won’t be included in the layout, so readers will have to hover their mouses on the images to read the titles.

popular posts widget for blogger

CSS code:

.sidebar .PopularPosts ul{padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:first-child{width:100%;max-height:100%;opacity:0.9;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:nth-child(even){margin-right:2%;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li{-moz-box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-box-sizing:border-box;box-sizing:border-box;position:relative;padding:0px !important;width:49%;max-height:120px;opacity:0.4;overflow:hidden;float:left;margin-bottom:2%;-webkit-transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;-moz-transition:all 0.5s ease 0s;-ms-transition:all 0.5s ease 0s;-o-transition:all 0.5s ease 0s;transition:all 0.5s ease 0s;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li:hover{opacity:1;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail{margin:0;width:100%;line-height:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li img {-moz-box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-box-sizing:border-box;box-sizing: border-box;width:100%;height:auto;padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-content:hover .item-title a,.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail-only:hover .item-title a{visibility:visible;opacity:1;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title a{color:#fff;background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.93) 100%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85) 100%);text-decoration:none;position:absolute;text-align:center;font:13px 'Oswald', sans-serif;left:0;right:0;bottom:0%;padding:100px 10px 10px;opacity:0;visibility:hidden;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-snippet{display:none;}

Popular Posts Style 5 – Numbered posts

If you love numbered lists, or if you’d like to make your blog more organized, this can be the perfect option. By using the code for this widget style, your Popular Posts will be automatically numbered and will feature clean, minimalistic boxes that include your snippet and image thumbnail.

popular posts widget for blogger

CSS code:

.sidebar .PopularPosts ul{counter-reset:popularcount;margin:0;padding:0;}.sidebar .PopularPosts ul li{float:left;max-height:130px;min-width:250px;position:relative;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail::after{color:rgba(255,255,255, 0.63);content:counter(popularcount, decimal);counter-increment: popularcount;font:70px 'Oswald', sans-serif;list-style-type:none;position:absolute;left:5px;top:-5px;z-index:4;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail::before{background:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3);bottom:0px;content:"";height:100px;width:100px;left:0px;right:0px;margin:0px auto;position:absolute;z-index:3;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail a{clip:auto;display:block;height:auto;overflow:hidden;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail{width:100px;height:100px;margin:0px 10px 0px 0px !important;position:relative;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail:hover:before{display:none;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-thumbnail img{position:relative;padding-right:0px !important;height:auto;width:100%;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title{font:13px 'Oswald', sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;padding:0px 5px 10px;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-title a{color:#000;text-decoration:none;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-snippet{font:13px "Times New Roman",Times,FreeSerif,serif;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .widget-content ul li{padding:0px 5px 0px 0px !important;}.sidebar .PopularPosts .item-content{padding:5px 0px;border-bottom:1px dotted #dedede;overflow:hidden;height:100px;position:relative;}

These are just some of the widget styles you can choose from. When you’ve picked a style you want, make sure to copy its CSS code. Once you do so, go to your blog, click “Theme” on the left side and select “Edit HTML” under the template preview.

These next codes need to be pasted above the “” or “” tags, so check the instruction to know exactly where you need to put the code.

Adding the CSS

When the template editor has opened, click anywhere inside the code area and hit CTRL + F or Command F to search the following tag:

Just ABOVE the  tag, copy-paste the CSS code of one of the styles above.

Important: If the Popular Posts widget is located in the footer of your blog, remove the .sidebar class found in the CSS code in order to make it work.

Please note that most of the styles are using the ‘Oswald’ font which you need to add to your template’s code as well.

So, search for this tag:

… and just BELOW it, add this line:

Adding the JavaScript

These styles also require using a script in order to resize the popular posts image / thumbnail and trim the post snippet and title. To add the JavaScript code, search the  tag and paste the following script just above it:

//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.11.1/jquery.min.js

Note: if you have already the jQuery library in your template, remove the line in red.

After you have added all the codes in the right place, press the “Save theme” button to save the changes.

That’s it!

The five Popular Posts widgets for Blogger featured today are all great solutions for adding a popular post section to your blog. They all have different appearance for determining what makes a post popular, but the end result is the same: visitors are always one click away from your best content. Try some of these styles, find your favorite, and see how it impacts the performance of your blog.

Corporate lobbies and ethical journalism- A Dilemma

Right after liberalisation was announced in 1991, confetti of free market joy was all over the state controlled economic structure which till the USSR collapsed, served India’s Non- aligned purposes. Liberalisation promised opportunities, freedom of choice and other whims of the neo liberal world. However a much vehement claim of assured healthcare was put forward by the state that assured the free market private health enterprises would ensure better healthcare to all. However the claims lie defunct and shallow as if we observe the health services provided by private enterprises remains limited to urban spaces, that makes this cacophony of claims of health and betterment seem like advertisements to some new product. This inaccessibility and selective swarm of private health care justifies the corporate nature and personal interests of health corporations which of course aims at making maximum profits which won’t be sourced from rural areas of the country. The private corporate healthcare sector in India has prospered in the previous three decades at the expense of the diminishing and shambled public health care system. Budgetary allocation for health has reliably missed the mark by falling short every years, concerning that suggested by specialists and professionals. The government has ignored the desperate appeals to reinforce a stronger public healthcare system for the nation, while forcing the citizens to feed off from the compromised state of existing healthcare apparatus. The poor and the marginalized, and even the middle privileged class, confronted a similar deficiency of basic treatment alternatives each and every day. They struggled to find care, they experienced exorbitant and out of reach, expensive services, – as they will continue to find till there is a drastic rebuilding and reformation of our healthcare system. The data asymmetry among public and private health service caters and patients gives monopolistic capacity to few conglomerated private corporate players, which is frequently left unregulated or inadequately checked, in this way brings about misshaped and manipulated costs in clinical treatment and diagnostics. High healthcare costs joined with low insurance protection have regularly brought about greater out of pocket expenditure for diagnostics, medical counsel and treatment for people across the country. Over 86% of rural populace and 82% of urban populace are not secured under any plan of healthcare consumption support. Due to highly expensive healthcare and medical consumption, about 7% of the population is pushed beneath the poverty line each year thus exposing a large part of the society to further diseases and never ending misery. While the corporatization of healthcare services runs an insatiable frenzy on the present condition of healthcare in India by capitalizing on lives without any accountability enforced by the state on these private players justifies the Indian state’s radical shift to an ultra neo liberal and far capitalist approach that pushes aside needs of a large part of the society and caters to only few sections that are rightfully in the eyes of the state more equal than all equals. .The survivors of the completely pitiable condition of general health services and  framework were for the most part the poor and the destitute since decades ,since times immemorial, in the wake of the corona  pandemic which has no predisposition towards poor people or the privileged, the ever oblivious Indian state presently no longer can stick their head into the sand but however, is now compelled to see the harsh product of their regularly going obliviousness of the public health sector needs and can now rubbish its deception of the private health sector area being better. We should now aim at bringing public healthcare and rehabilitation at the focal point of our political discourse, after following quite a while of carelessness from main issues that frequent the Indian setting. Until then, health journalists have to vehemently produce accurate data and numbers while also pointing out fallacies and manipulations of data by private health enterprises. Health journalist should also hold the state accountable on health sector allocations and efforts to public healthcare. Health Journalism today has been forced to stay at put or is being muffed because of PR influences of private health enterprises.  Ethical health reporting should also encompass covering and reporting health data and information from all parts of the nation and not just urban populaces as due to private health sector influence, rural and tribal belts are left unattended and shunned aside while health journalism today has taken the ostrich approach towards it and should refrain from doing so as a reformative action.

Overthinking- a Threat to Health…

Overthinking is a situation where a person thinks about something for a long period of time. It can also be called as the art of creating problem that does not even exists. It’s a physiological problem as all of our thoughts produces in our minds only. According to William James 99% of your thoughts are useless. How to find solution to your problems or to find ways to help someone or to gaining knowledge etc comes under useful thoughts.

There are many causes which provokes us to overthink on something.

  • Trauma: a state of getting a great shock or sadness due to any incident.
  • Thoughts of past: sometimes we can’t forget incidents of past like our performance on stage, answers we wrote in exams etc we start overthinking.
  • Future happenings: will I be able to answer the questions in exam tomorrow, how will I present in front of audience etc. person gets very tensed thinking about these topics and start overthinking.

Overthinking is very hectic and harmful for our body. It causes serious health issues. These issues can be for a short or even for a long duration of time. Effects of overthinking on are body are:

  • Mental illness
  • Stress
  • Headache 
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Hair fall
  • Insomnia (inability to sleep)
  • Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
  • Changes in appetite
  • Reduce creativity
  • Encourages anger

There are many other health issues like it kills your happiness as you always remain tensed, creates disputes and dissension between people, overthinking dwells the problem instead of solving it, it leads to negative thoughts, it takes lots of energy so it may lead to drop in your energy level. It creates trust issues between people. As a result, you start blaming yourself and others too for everything going on in your life whether good or not. it increases insecurities. Many other problems are associated with overthinking.

According to the physiology, when you overthink your body produces a stress hormone known as CORTISOL. When this hormone is constantly released it causes burnout.

There are many ways by which you can control this problem:

  • Awareness: be aware about everything in your surroundings this can help in reducing your overthinking.
  • Don’t think you are stupid or you can’t do anything; believe in yourself.
  • Stop thinking for your past and future just live your present.
  • Learn to identify your fears and try to overcome them.
  • Write down solutions to your problems on a paper, not the problems.
  • Do exercise like yoga, meditation, aerobics etc. for relaxation of your mind and also for improving your mental strength.
  • Try to divert your mind from the problem for sometime by doing activities that you enjoy to do like your hobbies or watching tv or taking a sleep etc. this will help you in relaxing your mind.

There are many other ways to overcome this problem. You should try all these ways if you want to get rid of your problems but if they don’t work you should visit to your physiologist for the solution.

At last I just want to say that, stop spending so much time on your head and give your time and thoughts in something productive and beneficial for you and others around you.

How a journalist covers the budget announcement

With regards to planning, budgeting, distinguishing territories of shortcoming and weaknesses encourages the government to apportion assets in a helpful and supportable way. A nearby glance at national financial plans shows whether government strategies favour the rich or poor people. The reporting sheds insight into who wins, loses and escapes everyone’s notice of the framework. At the best, media investigation and scrutiny help keep governments genuine and animates open discussion. The media assumes plays a significant role in strengthen the budget accountability by informing the public. An essential duty of the media is to furnish people in general with government spending data in broadly available organizations and language. It does this by making an interpretation of specialized spending data into “easy to understand” presentations. The media can likewise draw upon specialists outside of government, remembering for the scholarly community and common society, to survey spending proposition for: exactness, arrangement with necessities and needs, sufficiency. By publicising alternative views on budgets and policies proposals, media can raise awareness, spur debate, and encourage the public to not only pay attention to budget processes and policies.

The Annual Union Budget segregations should encompass:

-Pointers and data representing Allocation, Taxation and expenditure increment or decrement

-Receipts owing to higher or lower estimated revenue 

 -GDP growth numbers, Deficits such as fiscal deficits, revenue deficit

-Ministry allocations for different ministries under the union and the data representing increment or decrement of fiscal allocations to them

-Changes in taxes such as in income taxes, house taxes, corporate taxes, Goods and services tax, Union excise taxes, Service tax etc.

-New tax proposals according to different income groups

-Corporate schemes and taxation policies

-Deductions or increase in social security contributions and schemes

-TDS on e-commerce transactions and the degree to what it will be levied.

-Housing incentives, loans and schemes

-Taxation patterns and changes for start-ups and ESOP’s held by employees

-Changes in excise duties on tobacco products like cigarettes, chewing tobacco and alcohol.

-Custom duties increment or decrement for foreign goods

-Health cess on health equipments such as X-Rays which are imported into India

-Obligations and Taxation rules for charitable organisations

-Changes in commodities transaction taxes

-Action over soverign wealth funds

POLICIES

-On looking legislative changes to regulatory and fiscal acts

-GST Compensations to compensate decrements in previous GDP Numbers

-Disinvestments in Public Sector Units by by selling holdings and shares

-Investment schemes and securities for corporate, private and foreign investors

-Commerce and Industry which focus on produc production capabilities, schemes to fortify commercial requirements

-Infrastructure and Urban Development which involve building of residential complexes, housing schemes , drinking water, sanitation and Healthcare services, ownership models etc

-Transport and Energy which involves development of airports, railway stations, bus depots, interstate travel services and also energy consumption and production methods

-Agriculture and allied activities which involve farmer schemes, agricultural schemes, subsidies and other agro rehabilitation actions and plans.

-Technology which discusses technological investments, plans, planning and executions in the field of science and physics

-Education which involves new educational schemes, development of schools and universities and other scholastic subsidies and innovations

-Health which will involve novel schemes and subsides towards healthcare, ownership methods of healthcare

-Social Justice wherein socioeconomic concerns are looked about and remedied with allocations and directions

-Breakup of Central Government Expenditure and Grants To States

-Expenditure on subsidies on food, agriculture, petroleum, fertilizer, medicines and others

-Expenditure on Major Schemes such as the PM Kisan yojna, MNREG’s, National education mission, Pradhan mantra gram sadak  yojna etc

-Expenditure on Schedule Tribes, Scheduled castes, women and children welfare schemes

Diwali-Ayodhya Wali!

Diwali which is one of the biggest festivals that India celebrates every year. This festival is called as Festival of Lights.It is that time of year where the climate of winter marks its presence & everyone are excited to have their best ethnic collections which makes the festival an enlighten one. There are many reasons why Diwali is celebrated but the main reason is that Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile with wife Sita & Brother Laxman. But this year it is something special because after 490 years Diya was lit where Ramlalla has been placed.

The people of Ayodhya celebrated this day by having a festival of Diya’s known as Deepotsav. It was celebrated in the august presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath & Governor Anandiben Patel. They performed the puja of Lord Ram. Ayodhya celebrated its first Diwali post supreme court decision of constructing the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi Site. Leaving all Indians but for the people of Ayodhya it was a pride moment because all the sacrifices, problems & difficult time that they had faced for so many years has came to an end.

Ayodhya Deepotsav: Grand Deepotsav Celebrations Begin In Ayodhya Ahead Of  Diwali

Deepotsav was celebrated by lightning the Diya’s which is the symbol of positivity, new opportunities. There were around 6,06,569 Diya’s which were light up on the banks of holy Sarayu River on Ram ki paidi ghats. It created Guiness World Record for the largest display of Oil Lamps. The city was looking an wedding bride with taste of colors making a night to remember for the people who visited. It added the flavor of laser show as well as a grand show of Darbar of Ram Lalla & Ramayana. This is nothing but different colors of Incredible India!

Deepotsav 2020

Deepotsav brought people together to enjoy the night with their family, friends who were not able to meet due to this pandemic of Covid-19. Yeh Diwali Dil Wali! Jai Shree Ram.

POLITICAL REPORTING IN A DEMOCRACY

India got its independence in 1947 and has remained to be a functional democracy ever since. The key ingredient in surviving the democracy is the free press which also is considered to be the unofficial fourth pillar of democracy. Contrary to beliefs of the western pundits, India not only strengthen the structure of its democracy but also developed a multi party system. The constitution of India is considered to be amongst the most well-made constitutions which drew its inspirations from various countries like USA, Britain etc. That constitution itself grants the freedom of speech which is considered to be the freedom of press.

India has witnessed post witnessed communication revolution post liberalization era where not only there was an explosion of newspapers and magazines but also the television and new media had their good amount of fair share to it. In fact, India now claims to be the second largest television viewing audience in the world with 600 views. There are two significant changes that can be marked in the media, one being giving voice to the voiceless and the other being, how business powers the political reportage in India.

Often journalists covering politics are termed in variety of names. A person chiefly covering politics would be called a ‘congress’, while someone following Bhartiye Janta Party would be typically called a ‘sanghi’, even a writer whose typical of the government policy will be called a ‘Naxal’ and what we can see post 2014 is any journalist who writes/says against the sitting government is called an ‘anti national’. A reporter has to go through various stages before reporting it to the masses which often includes forming a legit background, cultivating sources and also forming an area of specialization. This process might hinder the objective reporting. Political reporting has primarily two issues, the reporters or the journalists while tracking a political party might get swayed or influenced by the ideology or get too blinded by the ‘greatness’ of the political leader. This will come in the way of the objective reporting and will cause a biased reportage having an inclination towards a certain ideology or a party making readers/viewers deprived of authentic and true story. Many reporters have often said that there are certain areas and spaces in every party that is ready to leak stories to the journalists.

The main challenge often comes when various ministries in India put out the guidelines. As in recent times, the government often rolled out several guidelines that were confusing and poorly briefed to the journalists. Say, when ‘unlock 1.0’ was supposed to happen, government had rolled out certain guidelines which were not clear that had journalists also left in confusion. In order to make everything clear, they had to draw two-three more guidelines explaining what the first one meant. This was the challenged faced by journalists.

PERSPECTIVE: THE WAY OF THINKING!

We live in the world of variety of people with different believes, cultures, cast, creed, colour, status and nature. Everyone is also separated by their mentality, appearance, physical and mental health, opinions, skills, behaviour and perspective too. So, everyone has their own way or attitude of understanding and thinking about a particular situation or a topic and this is only known as Perspective. Perspective can also be called as point of view, angle, standpoint, frame of mind etc.  

The quote above says that its necessary to change are perspective to make our life easier. Perspective can be of two types negative or positive. It depends on you that how you will react and think for any situation and make your own point of view according to it whether it will be negative or positive. You should always try to be positive about every aspect of life so that it can enhance your perspective. Your perspective can either create or destroy yours or other’s life so think wisely on every situation.

Creating a point of view about something is a slow and time-consuming topic. Capability of thinking and making perceptions comes from birth and the people we live with as they influence your perception. If we live in positive and happy surroundings then automatically our thinking will also become positive and hence it can enhance our perspective for everything and vice-a-versa.

Let’s quote some examples which shows the importance of perspective:

  • Some people have taken covid-19 pandemic as a threat in their life while some are learning to overcome this problem by adapting the changes and by taking this situation positively as opportunity for self-improvisation. So, what do you think whose point of view is better? Obviously, the answer will be the people who are treating this pandemic in a better way by taking it positively.
  • Over-feminism is one of the best examples related to the perception. Now a days, women started misusing the privilege given to them and take revenge from the innocent ones just for their sake and society believes them easily as there is a perception that women is always right.
  • Most of parents or grandparents always had a perception that arrange marriage is better than love marriage as they think that their choice is better as compared to their son or daughter’s choice.

There are many other examples which are connected from our daily lives.

Your viewpoint can change your life and as result your life will become a little bit easier as you would think better for every situation. This will help you to attain your goals without any obstacle. So, try to change your perspective towards every thing you face in your life.

Many Bollywood movies like OMG (Oh! My God), PK, 3 idiots, Fire, Udta Panjab etc. clearly depicts positive perception and also questioned about our perspective of visualizing the whole world. Even show like Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah chashma depicts the message that it is all about perception to see the whole world. A line in the title song of the show “bas nazariye ki hai baat” clearly coveys that if we see the world with a different and a good perspective then it will be little easier to tackle the problems. Many other shows also came up with the same message.

So, as I have said earlier that Perspective is involved in our day to day life from every small to big things happening in our lives and that is all about our point of view. So, try to change the world with a good perceptive.

Life is simple: We just have to

                                   change our perspective…

Agriculture Minister asserts, govt committed to welfare of farmers and agriculture is it’s top priority

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Prakash interacted with the representatives of Farmers Organizations of Punjab in New Delhi yesterday.

During the meeting, it was emphasized that agriculture is always the top priority of the Central Government to boost the rural economy. Mr. Tomar said, the government is taking several measures for the welfare of farmers with a special focus on ‘Aatmnirbhar Bharat’. He said, the new Farm Acts would not only provide freedom of choice to the farmers to sell their produce at remunerative prices but also safeguard the interest of farmers. The new Farm Act will encourage Mandis to provide better services to the farmers.

The representatives of the farmers’ unions expressed their views on new Farm Acts. The farmer’s representatives were also apprised with other initiatives taken by the Government such as Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and formation of 10 thousand  Farmer Producer Organizations aiming towards income enhancement of farmers and creating employment opportunities for youth in rural areas.

According to the Agriculture Ministry, during the interaction various issues related to farmer’s welfare were discussed at length. It was assured that the Central Government is always committed to protect the interest of farmers and is always open for discussions for the welfare of farmers. The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere and both sides agreed to continue to hold further discussions.

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar to represent India at 15th East Asia Summit today

External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar will represent India at the 15th East Asia Summit (EAS) today which will discuss ways to strengthen the platform and to make it more responsive to emerging challenges on its 15th anniversary.

The virtual summit will be chaired by Vietnamese Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc and will see the participation of all eighteen east Asian countries.

The External Affairs Ministry in a release said, the leaders at the summit will also exchange views on issues of international and regional interest including the COVID-19 pandemic and the cooperation among EAS participating countries to achieve an expeditious and sustainable economic recovery.
Established in 2005, the EAS is a leaders-led forum that provides a platform for discussion on important strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific region.

It is a regional grouping of 18 participating countries i.e. 10 ASEAN countries that includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), besides Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. India is a founding member of EAS.

President Ram Nath Kovind says, policy of expansionism followed by few nations demands strategic and matured response globally

President Ram Nath Kovind has said that decision-makers have to be guided by national interests as well as international objectives, both of which should be adaptive and multi-pronged. He said, the state of the world today poses multiple challenges before every nation.

Mr Kovind was addressing the valedictory ceremony of the 60th NDC course  through a video message yesterday.

The President said that the policy of expansionism followed by a few nations demands a strategic and matured response globally. He said, it is in this context that the NDC deals with several such challenges and offers its course participants tools to understand the multi-dimensional geostrategic and geopolitical environment for future.The President said that the NDC has imparted skills and knowledge to senior officers not only from our Armed Forces and Civil Services, but also those from Friendly Foreign Countries, to help them make informed policy decisions related to their respective national objectives and aims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeals to people to light a Diya this Diwali as a salute to Soldiers

In his message, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the festival will further brightness and happiness. He said, may everyone be prosperous and healthy.

Earlier, in a tweet yesterday, the Prime Minister urged the people of the country to light the Diya on this Diwali as a salute to the Soldiers who fearlessly protect our nation. He said, words can not do justice to the sense of gratitude we have for our soldiers for their exemplary courage. Mr Modi said, we are also grateful to the families of those on the borders. The Prime Minister also posted a video on his twitter handle.

Festival of lights, Deepawali being celebrated across country with traditional fervour and gaiety; President, VP and Prime Minister greet people on the occasion

Diwali, the festival of lights is being celebrated with gaiety and traditional fervour today. The festival marks the victory of good over evil.

President Ram Nath Kovind has extended his greetings to his fellow citizens on the eve of Diwali. In a message, the President has said the festival, celebrated by people of various religions and sects strengthens the sense of unity, goodwill and fraternity among the people of our country. He said, the festival inspires us to work for the service of humanity. Mr Ram Nath Kovind expressed the hope that this grand festival of happiness and light will bring delight, peace and prosperity to each and every house of our country.

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has greeted the nation on the eve of Deepawali. In his message, Mr Naidu said, celebrated with traditional fervour and zeal, Deepawali signifies the victory of good over evil and reaffirms our belief in the noble ideals and morals of Lord Rama’s life.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his greetings to the people of the country on the occasion of Diwali. In a tweet, Mr Modi expressed hope that this festival will further brightness and happiness. He said, may everyone be prosperous and healthy.

ARTS AND CRAFT- A PROMISING INDUSTRY

India is a hub of Arts and Craft owing to the rich history, tradition, geography, culture and diversity. The major influence of the empires that ruled India over a period of time can be easily viewed looking at each state’s art and craft, suggesting how diverse this sector is. For instance, Agra is known for chikan work fabrics and Moghul style jewellery, Kashmir is known for its Pashmina shawls, silk and wool carpets while States in coastal areas like Goa are known for their earthenware pottery. Handicrafts, specially, caters to a huge spectrum of things like jewellery, clothes, home decor and other items. The products are made completely handmade without any use if machinery. The handicrafts industry in particular is not only promising but also has a great potential export too. Bags, textiles, jewellery and home décor always attract the international markets. This sector is one of the largest employment sectors for the rural population of India. Not only it provides the livelihood to a good number of people but also comes to advantage for those who self-sustain by growing their raw materials themselves and hence, building the art and craft from it. In fact, according to IBEF 2018 reports, the export growth of 1.6% contributed substantially to the national and state treasury.

Generally, industry entrepreneurs function independently and the small businesses involved in this sell from textiles to culinary products. Craft fairs and trade shows, for instance the one organised in Delhi annually, are primary spots for artisans to sell their products. Selling the products online and marketing their products online has also grabbed a lot of attention from the sellers. This a people-based industry and hence required good connections and base with local buyers to upkeep their sales. The work of the artisans is extremely intricate and challenging as contrary to the mass-produced items, items made handmade are designed uniquely for the customers with handful of skilled employees. But this field is rewarding too. Certain business ideas that are rewarding: Baluchari Saree, Bamboo crafts (eco-friendly), Bandhni, Chickankari, Bone and horn crafts, Dhokra, jewellery, jute handicrafts, handmade bags and embroidery garments.

India has been home to performing arts since ancient times and has a well-equipped status in the traditional and cultural Indian society. Performing arts briefly could be defined as the form of art where the artists use their body, voices and artistic expressions to communicate a message and reach the audience

Today, the world has become more welcoming and rewarding to various arts and artists. Students can now study performing arts at various universities across the globe. Performing arts degrees are generally offered at bachelor’s and master’s level where the course is primarily practical based. It is an amalgamation of practical, where the there is performance from the day one plus lectures/studies which are backed by analysis of the background of the subject. This is generally for the students who want to work as actors, choreographers, musicians, vocalists and dancers. Often students while pursuing a degree acquire freelance or short-term contracts or collaborate with other artists in order to gain experience, which further help them in honing their craft and skill.