Programmer and programs

The purpose of a computer programmer is to design and develop applications to perform the needs of a consumer. This occupation is essential to modern day life due to all of the computers that are in use today. Computer programming is a fulfilling career goal because of the ability to be on the cutting edge of technology, design software for computers, and have a wide range of benefits. Computer programming consists of many duties. Duties of a computer programmer include but are not limited to: debugging programs, converting project specifications and procedures to a logical visual map, repairing existing programs, writing documentation about current programs, and many more. The career I choose to research is computer programming. Computer programmers write and maintain detailed instructions used to create software. These instructions, also called code, are made up of different languages that a computer can recognize. Because there are many language a programmer always needs to be able to learn new things. Computers have always been a hobby for me and satisfy many needs that I require in a career.‌In order to be a successful programmer, there are many skills you must possess. The most important skill is logic. Because of all the detail and explicit instructions required to program software a person must be able to think logically. ‌As baby-boomers begin to retire and the younger generation of citizens are required to fill up the job market, jobs must adapt to suit the interests of more a youthful workforce. Already, most new jobs now require some degree of computer literacy, as software like word-processing, email, web-browsing and business applications becomes a staple in our lives. It has become a large economical force creating this software in recent years, and the youth, who have embraced this new technology, are fully open to these positions. Computer programmers are so in demand, that there are not enough qualified workers to fill the open positions. They have certainly become a dominant force in industry.‌Programmers often are grouped into two broad types: applications programmers and systems programmers. Applications programmers usually focus on business, engineering, or science. They write software to handle a specific job, such as a program to track inventory, within an organization. They may also revise existing packaged software. Systems programmers, on the other hand, maintain and control computer systems software, such as operating systems, networked systems and database systems.

There are many benefits for choosing programming line:–

Creativity

There are no limits to the things that you can create when you have the ability to write computer software. You can automate manual tasks, make things faster and easier for users or solve almost any problem. It gives you the ability to create something that you can be proud of.

Problem Solving

Programming sharpens your problem-solving skills. You take in the description of a larger problem and break it down into smaller pieces. Then you can begin to chip away at the larger solution one piece at a time until you’ve finished the puzzle. The problem-solving skills you learn by programming will transcend to every aspect of your life.

Work Remotely

Since computers are connected by networks, and now even most things live in the cloud, you don’t have to be tied to a specific location. You can do your job just as effectively in a location of your choosing – not just a generic office setting.

Constantly Evolving Skill Set

Technology changes almost daily and this is especially true for programming. New languages and development environments are always coming out that can make your experience better and more efficient. You have the opportunity to stay on the cutting edge of technology out of necessity.

Opportunities

Experienced programmers are hard to come by and command good salaries because of the level of training and education needed. As a programmer, new opportunities are always being created by the advancement of technology. Use these opportunities to your advantage and push your career to the next level.

Having everything in order just makes life simpler, and there are few occupations more organized than programmers. Basically, this stems from the focus many programmers put on efficiency.After that, it’s pretty simple to translate these skills into your everyday life.

Technology affects the way individuals communicate, learn, and think. It helps society and determines how people interact with each other on a daily basis.It’s made learning more interactive and collaborative, this helps people better engage with the material that they are learning and have trouble with.

An amazing benefit of software is that it can be freely distributed to everyone, thanks to open-source contributors,” Rihet says. “This fact truly empowers people.” When tools to build revenue and solve business problems are available to everyone—it can level the playing field.

Healthcare tends to be a pretty high priority when you consider how to improve people’s lives.

One of the most exciting facets of computer science is its power to improve and accelerate every other field. “Data science and artificial intelligence (AI) as subsets of computer science allow people and organizations to accelerate and ‘prepackage thought.’ In this way, computer science and artificial intelligence can make any other discipline many, many times better.”

Genomics and personalized medicine are an excellent example of how computer science-driven technologies are accelerating healthcare progress.

Whether you’re taking a class online, researching for a paper or sharing work via the cloud, computer science pros have helped make this possible.

E-learning platforms and applications give students new tools to problem-solve and study, which has changed the academic world. The ability to take classes online is also a huge benefit for the world—as it creates access to education for students whose locations, abilities or finances were a barrier.

Though it’s not always hands-on, almost every aspect of society—from family-owned businesses needing digital protection to homeless shelters needing a way to streamline their volunteer base—relies on the innovations spurred by computer science professionals.

“Computer science is a noble profession without which today’s world would come to a complete halt,” Nand says. When it comes to finding a career that allows you to positively benefit the world around you, look no further than computer science!

I myself choose to be a programmer and i mam looking forward to give society some useful things with my programs and software. I think this will make some contribution to make our country technologically strong.

Pandita Ramabai (1858-1922)

Pandita Ramabai trained for no profession in particular. Her learning was in an unconventional manner within the premises of her home.  Her background, life choices, her personality and career, her beliefs, captured her into the public gaze, making her the most “controversial” Indian woman of her times.

Ramabai argued that the caste-based difference coupled with gender-based difference deeply affected Indian women. The Arya Mahila Sabha was regarded as an institution set up to do away with the domination of men. Ramabai argued that according to social practices women had to obey men, or be treated like their slaves. It was believed that Ramabai only exhorted women to free themselves from the tyranny of men at these meetings in the Arya Mahila Sabhas, causing horror to the orthodox community, both men and women.

Ramabai understood that the patriarchal ideology of the society placed women in the domestic sphere restricting her to sexual reproductive and home-making roles. Her book, ‘The High caste Hindu Women’, previewed the treatment given to the Hindu women throughout life and is regarded as the first feminist manifesto with an agenda of women’s emancipation and women’s empowerment.

Women were not allowed to receive education and were completely dependent on their male supporters. Widow Remarriage was prohibited in society and women were forced to live a solitary life. While women were forced to commit for lifetime but the males were allowed to practice bigamy or polygamy. Furthermore, Huge age gaps between partners were a common norm and various types of physical and sexual violence was committed against women and were not even recognized by society.

She represents her views over religion which according to her had two distinct nature of law- the masculine and the feminine. Both had their own peculiar duties, privileges and honor. She criticized Manu severely and argued that the manu-smritis account of women’s nature and character depicted was largely responsible for their seclusion and suppression. It was Manu’s law which deprived women of all their freedom. She argued that the chief needs for Hindu women are self-reliance, education, and native women teachers and doctors. She gave the proposal for female inspectors for girls’ schools as she observed that male inspectors would intimidate the women.

Pandita Ramabai supported the concept of professional education to be imparted to women in the country. It was not only their right but also the need of the society. She was particularly focused for women to attain education in medicine. She demanded civic rights for women widows, deserted wives and sexually assaulted wives, after coming in contact with women like Lucy Stene, Elisabeth Standon, Suzanne Anthony and the women of US in general, Ramabai argued it’s important for women to realize their own worth and strength. Ramabai stressed on the need of a homogeneous society for any kind of successful movement. Her stay in America made her realize the importance of having a civil and educated society. For her, American model of liberal democracy was the real model that needed to be followed socially, practically and economically. Ramabai was indeed a champion of women’s rights.

Power and Violence

The relationship between violence and politics has always been very problematic and complex. As it is often said- world history is the history of violence. The number of wars that have been fought, the level of violence that has been perpetrated is unthinkable and often the greatest wars that have ever been fought were for political power. However, it cannot be denied that the relationship between violence and power must be re-evaluated in the post-industrial, post ideological and a highly integrated world.

So, what is it about today’s times that violence and politics have almost become impossible to separate? To begin with ultimate hope of the liberals that democracy will reduce violence hasn’t been realised. The paradox here is very hard to overlook as in an era of unprecedented democratization and economic growth, we have also witnessed an unprecedented increase in violence. But why this paradox? It was expected that democracy will give people a safe outlet to voice their opinions. As more and more people get involved in politics, there will be lesser need for them to express their grievances through unconstitutional means. To answer this question, thinkers like Jack Snyder pointed out that as more people took part in politics, ethnic conflict within the country became even more probable. This argument is in line with the fact that although the number of interstate wars have reduced since the second world war, the number of civil wars and ethnic conflicts have increased manifold. While talking about intrastate conflicts, violence during the time of regime transition needs a special mention. In many countries’ violence becomes an integral part of regime transition. While the formal symbols of democracy remain, most countries are threatened by corruption, political pacts etc.

Violence persists in well-established and economically advanced democracies as well. Such violence highlights general trends of internal violence as well as particular national histories. We have seen in many third world nations where severity of violence has diverted a transition away from democracy towards a new form of authoritarianism.

There is also violence in other political arenas which may not be directly related to the state. There is an obvious relationship between economics and violence. Violence has become embedded in the class and market relations among social groups and in the societal effects on global economic trends. In many countries economic polices also trigger violence among classes. Not only economics and states, violence has also become an intrinsic characteristic of inter-societal relations. Such violence maybe caused by state power and policy or as a reaction to it but often takes on its own momentum. Social groups often use violence in their interaction with the state.

Even though governments may often act as major perpetrators of violence, living in a state we are all dependent upon the government to make laws and thus, it is also important for the government to find solution to the problem of increasing violence. It must try to achieve the wider aim of disassociating violence from politics as much as possible no matter how Utopian the idea might seem.

TEENAGE DEPRESSION

Teenage depression is increasing briskly and often being treated erroneously. This is a major problem because depression has fatal effects on adolescents. It was stated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, that depression is experience by 20% of people during their teen years. Each year, there are stories of thousands of adolescents committing suicide. There are also various causes of depression which lead to disastrous effects that might impair a teenager’s life. Every human being can infrequently feel down, yet depression is a constant feeling which is considered to be a mental disorder. There are two major diverse forms of depression; major and minor depression. Major depression affects one’s life from functioning normally. For instance, it affects a person’s daily routine as it also affects one’s capability to sleep, eat, and enjoy delightful events. The question ascends why depression is common in one’s teenage years. One of the main causes of teenage depression is extreme trauma.

In other words, teenagers are depressed when they are sexually, mentally, or physically abused. Moreover, trauma might also occur to those who lost a parent, someone they love, or faced medical illness. An example of traumatic event, a teenage girl lost her father in a motorcycle accident which made her suffer and eventually became depressed. Another determinant why teenagers suffer from depression is because of the inherited traits. In other words, teenagers can suffer from depression if they have a family member who suffered or still suffers from depression. Depression is known to be mental disorder; this is why it can be inherited like any other disease. Teens might not face traumatic events to suffer from depression; moreover, teens might suffer from depression only because they inherited it from their parents.The last common cause of teenage depression is caused due to family circumstances. What happens when one’s inspirational and motivational force collapses? Parents have a powerful impact on their teenagers; moreover, they motivate and inspire them. However, when parents argue and start fighting a lot in front of their teenagers, it causes depression. Teenagers feel depressed because they start thinking if their parents will get divorced or not. Moreover, parents’ arguing might change the teenagers’ perspective about marriage and love which can cause temporary depression. When parents separate, most of teenagers’ lives start disintegrating. Separation causes depression because teenagers have lived their whole lives with both of their parents and now they are forced to see them drifting apart. Parental separation and family issues cause stress for teenagers which eventually lead to depression. Adolescents can harm themselves when they feel depressed; they want to feel anything other than being depressed. Moreover, they can be violent and nervy because when teenagers are depressed they feel worthless. Finally, teenagers who suffer from depression are likely to think about committing suicide. Thinking about suicide also leads to self-harm and violence. Teenagers who cannot handle family problems probably will run away from their homes because they want to escape from what is causing their depression. Teenage depression has several consequences. Some of these consequences are severe, harmful and fatal. These effects show that actions have to be taken to prevent such disorder in a teenager’s life. Depression might alter teenagers’ lives; therefore it has to be treated effectively in order to prevent serious effect.

WHY DIY

Today’s generation is consumed by the overwhelming innovation of technology. It’s good to unplug once in a while, and go back to the basics. Ironically, DIY has become more popular because of the videos posted online. Many of us want to try doing things on our own – somehow, it feels refreshing and even reduces stress and anxiety. First things first, most people who work on their gardens or crafts tend to use this time to relax and unwind. By giving in to your hobbies and interests, you feel relaxed and less anxious about things. Your time spent doing something you like, be it gardening, or crafting, gives you a sense of satisfaction and even happiness.



Indeed, simple things bring so much pleasure. Just think of how good it feels to finish that DIY bookshelf you’ve been putting on hold for a while, or finally putting together DIY decors for your living room, or even creating that homemade scrub you have been dying to try. Most DIY tutorials make use of stuff that you already have at home, which means you don’t necessarily have to splurge or spend too much for that make up organizer that you want to make. You can use what you already have, or what’s even better, you can upcycle your clothes and other stuff to make them look like brand new or just give them a fresh new look. DIY encourages you to recycle and upcycle stuff, which eventually makes you appreciate the practical side of life. It’s a definite win-win if you ask me. It’s important to be practical nowadays, especially that our economy is not what it used to be. Saving extra bucks every now and then seems like a good. Giving yourself time to focus on something through a practical activity is a good exercise for the brain because it allows you to come up with new ideas, and bring out your creative streak. So, DIY activities and projects basically inspire you to become creative. Being able to accept, even embrace, your mistakes is far from easy. In school, we learn that mistakes translate into bad grades. This unfortunate lesson gets burned into our brains, and we go through life shunning challenges that might end in failure. But DIYers not only accept the inevitability of mistakes, they welcome them, because they know that mistakes are a source of inspiration and the most effective way to learn. Another important part of DIY tasks is the availability of the materials to be used. There is an abundant market to choose from whenever you need something for DIY jobs, especially now that this is becoming more popular. You can also rent most of them from tools hire companies. You can never produce the optimum results without the right tools. While buying them can be a great form of investment, hiring tools is a great option especially for one-time jobs. Never worry about storage or depreciating values as you can easily drop it back to the company when you do not need them anymore. From impact drills to saws and grinders to floor sanders for hire, these tools can easily be rented out for the duration of your use.

17 dangerous apps removed from Google Play Store, delete them instantly from phone

Priya Yadav,

During the second week of July and September, Google removed 17 apps from the Play Store. These apps were malware-infected. In July, the tech giant has banned 11 while 6 apps from the Play Store a few days ago. Now, these 17 apps are not available on Google and they cannot be downloaded.

The 17 apps that were removed from the Play Store were all affected by a new variant of malware called Joker. Researchers at Check Point detected these malware apps in July. According to reports, Google has been tracking these apps since 2017.
After these 11 apps were removed from the Play Store, Joker malware came in the form of 6 other apps on the Google Play Store in a new form. Now, these 6 apps are also removed. According to cybersecurity firm Pradeo, these 6 apps have been downloaded nearly 2 million times before they were removed from the Play Store.
The apps which are removed are:-
com.imagecompress.android, com.contact.withme.texts, com.hmvoice.friendsms,
com.relax.relaxation.androidsms, com.cheery.message.sendsms,
com.peason.lovinglovemessage,
com.file.recovefiles,
com.LPlocker.lockapps,
com.remindme.alram,
com.training.memorygame,
Safety AppLock,
Convenient Scanner 2,
Push Message- Texting & SMS,
Emoji Wallpaper,
Separate Doc Scanner,
Fingertip GameBox,
These 17 apps are no longer available on the Play Store. And if any of these apps is present in your smartphone, then delete it immediately.

The Joker malware that infects these apps is a malicious bot that has been categorized as fleeceware. The main function of this malware is to collect clicks and intercept SMS so that users can be subscribed to paid premium services without their knowledge. The Joker uses little code and it leaves no mark, making it difficult to detect.

Serological Testing at CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow for antibodies against Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2)

CSIR-CDRI (Central Drug Research Institute) is carrying out a research study that involves testing of people for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The serological testing is conducted from 9th-11th September. For the past 7 months we are in the midst of a pandemic of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection with more than 45 lakh individuals being infected with the virus which has resulted in more than 76,270 deaths in India.

Dr. Susanta Kar and Dr. Amit Lahiri, the nodal scientists from CSIR-CDRI, said that the diagnostic tests performed in India have been largely limited to people showing symptoms and those who have come in close contact with these individuals. Most importantly, community testing has not been initiated yet. From the reports available from various countries it can be perceived that there are many more asymptomatic cases who have not been tested. Thus, the burden of the disease could be larger.

Dr. Kar and Dr. Lahiri also stated that, a person infected with the disease will generate antibodies which is expected to protect them for further infection. However, since this is a novel virus, the duration of protection from antibodies is not known. It is therefore important to perform a long-term pan-India surveillance using serology-based assays to not only estimate the burden of the infection, but also assess thetitres of the antibodies by collecting samples at fixed intervals. This will also help us to identify people who can also donate their plasma to the terminally ill COVID patients.

Prof. Tapas K Kundu, The Director CSIR-CDRI, said that the establishment of such a cohort with longitudinal biological sampling will also align with the framework of the National Health Mission and will facilitate the development of national reference standards to aid clinical decision making as well as national healthcare policy decisions. It will also help address several unanswered questions on the infection caused by novel Corona virus.

The test is VOLUNTARY and free of cost and is open to all CSIR staff and students. Blood samples will be collected from those who are willing to participate in the CDRI dispensary under the supervision of resident doctors Dr. Shalini Gupta and Dr. Vivek Bhosale. The presence or absence of anti-SARS-CoV2 antibody titers in CSIR staff and students will then be assessed using ELISA based assay at CSIR-IGIB, New Delhi. Other biochemical parameters also will be measured to ascertain correlation between Cardio-metabolic risk factors and the possibility of recurrent infection. This project will align well with the CSIR’s Indigenous program “Phenome India – A long-term longitudinal observational cohort study of health outcomes”

Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production and Use-Based Index

The Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) are released on 12th of every month (or previous working day if 12th is a holiday) with a six weeks lag and compiled with data received from source agencies, who in turn receive the data from the producing factories/ establishments.

Photo by dinesh boaz on Pexels.com

2.        In view of the preventive measures and announcement of nation-wide lockdown by the Government to contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of the industrial sector establishments were not operating from the end of March, 2020 onwards. This has had an impact on the items being produced by the establishments during the period of lockdown. With the lifting of restrictions in the subsequent periods, industrial activity is resuming. The Index for the month of July 2020 stands at 118.1 as compared to 54.0, 89.5 and 108.9 for April 2020, May 2020 and June 2020.

3.        For the month of July 2020, the Quick Estimates of Index of Industrial Production (IIP)with base 2011-12 stands at 118.1. The Indices of Industrial Production for the Mining, Manufacturing and Electricity sectors for the month of July 2020 stand at 87.2, 118.8 and 166.3 respectively (Statement I).The Quick Estimates will undergo revision in subsequent releases as per the revision policy of IIP.

5.        As per Use-based classification, the indices stand at 114.1 for Primary Goods, 70.9 for Capital Goods, 122.9 for Intermediate Goods and 125.2 for Infrastructure/ Construction Goods (Statement III) for the month of July 2020.  Further, the indices for Consumer durables and Consumer non-durables stand at 99.5 and 156.4 respectively for the month of July 2020.

6.        Statements giving Quick Estimates of the Index of Industrial Production for the month of July 2020 at Sectoral, 2-digit level of National Industrial Classification (NIC-2008) and byUse-based classification are given at Statements I, II and III respectively. A Statement IV giving month-wise indices since April 2020, by industry groups (as per 2-digit level of National Industrial Classification-2008) and sectors, is also given for users to appreciate the changes in the industrial sector.

7.        Along with the Quick Estimates of IIP for the month of July 2020, the indices for June 2020 have undergone the first revision and those for April 2020 have undergone the final revision in the light of the updated data received from the source agencies. The Quick Estimates for July 2020 have been compiled at a weighted response rate of 87 percent, the first revision for June 2020 at a weighted response rate of 93 percent and the final revision for April 2020 at a weighted response rate of 94 percent.

Declaration of Results of Ranking of States: 2019, on support to Startup Ecosystems

The Results of the second edition of Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems were released by Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways Shri Piyush Goyal today, through a virtual felicitation ceremonyin the presence ofMinister of State for Commerce & Industry & Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Civil Aviation, Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Shri Som Parkash.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) conducted the second edition of the States’ Startup Ranking Exercise, with the key objective to foster competitiveness and propel States and Union Territories to work proactively towards uplifting the startup ecosystem.  It has been implemented as a capacity development exercise to encourage mutual learning among all states and to provide support in policy formulation and implementation.

The States’ Startup Ranking Framework 2019 has 7 broad reform area, consisting of 30 action points ranging from Institutional Support, Easing Compliances, Relaxation in Public Procurement norms, Incubation support, Seed Funding Support, Venture Funding Support, and Awareness & Outreach. To establish uniformity and ensure standardization in the ranking process, States and UTs have been divided into two groups.While UTs except Delhi and all States in North East India except Assam are placed in Category ‘Y’. All other States and UT of Delhi are in Category ‘X’.

A total of 22 States and 3 Union Territories participated in the exercise. Evaluation Committees comprising independent experts carried out a detailed assessment of responses across various parameters. Many parameters involved getting feedback from beneficiaries which was gathered through more than 60,000 calls made in 11 different languages to empathetically connect with beneficiaries to ascertain the real situation at the implementation levels.

For the purposes of Ranking, States are classified into 5 Categories: Best Performers, Top Performers, Leaders, Aspiring Leaders and Emerging Startup Ecosystems. Within each category, entities are placed alphabetically. States are also recognised as Leaders in 7 reform areas of support to startups. Results are attached at Annexure.

The felicitation ceremony was accompanied by the release of a National Report which highlights the vision, trajectory, methodology and the future roadmap of the States Ranking Exercise. A State Specific Report for each of the 25 participating entities has also been released, containing a comprehensive analysis of respective ecosystem, which highlights strengths and priority areas for future.

A ‘Compendium of Good Practices’ adopted by various States in supporting startups has also been released. It identifies 166 good practices, which may be directly used by States to identify and implement newer initiatives.

The National Report and Specific Reports for all participating States and Union Territories launched during the session can be downloaded from the Startup India Portal.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal said that Startups have Out-of-the-box thinking, and are solution oriented, who look at new and new ideas. He said that the Prime Minister has been fully appreciative and supportive of promoting entrepreneurs who are important from the point of job creation, expanding economic activity and for the prosperity of people.

The Minister said that centre and states, coming together in the spirit of cooperation, collaboration and competition to promote startups, is really an important development. Describing the startups as the store-house of talent, knowledge and ideas, Shri Goyal said that the ranking will not help the states and UTs, but also the entrepreneurs, and will help in expansion of the startups and launching of new ventures. He also highlighted the fact that women entrepreneurs are actively into the startups, and this breaking of stereo-typing is an encouraging sign.

Shri Goyal expressed happiness on the fact that like the centre’s fund of funds for startups, states are also working on the similar lines. He called upon the High networth individuals, venture capitalists and other funds to also come forward for financing the startup ventures. The Minister recommended that startups should come up with imaginative, relevant and innovative products, undertake reengineering and reform of processes, and orient their ideas to be people-centric. He said that Covid pandemic should not be seen as a problem or challenge but as an opportunity to reimagine and reinvigorate India. During COVID period, our Startups have come up with brilliant ideas & solutions to the many problems that the country & the world face.

Shri H.S.Puri said that societies that have developed across the globe, have developed ecosystems for encouraging entrepreneurships, and collaborative solution development. He said that strong ecosystem for startup is necessary for the country to reach the levels of $5tn economy by 2024. He expressed happiness that the mindset of our people is changing from the job seekers to job providers.

Shri Som Parkash said that the ranking will encourage our young entrepreneurs who have skills and ideas to start their businesses. He said that the country has become 3rd largest ecosystem in the world.

Secretary, DPIIT Dr Guruprasad Mahapatra said that the startup ecosystem in the country has led to creation of over 4 lakh jobs. He said that the ranking is an example of cooperative federalism, which will help in capacity building in the states.

Union Minister Dr.Jitendra Singh calls for Public Awareness campaigns on RTI

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that RTI is fully functional in Jammu and Kashmir and there is a pressing need to create public awareness about the functioning of the RTI Act. After a meeting with senior most Information Commissioner Shri D.P.Sinha, who is officiating as CIC, the Union Minister has urged the Civil Society to come forward in a big way in this noble mission, so that the Central Information Commission is not overloaded with frivolous and non-essential queries.He suggested that the Information Authorities should ponder not to entertain the avoidable RTIs and stressed that almost all information is available in public domain today.

Dr.Jitendra Singh said that it goes to the credit of the Commission and its functionaries that inthe midst of the pandemic on 15th May this year, the Central Information Commission started entertaining, hearing and disposing of RTIs from the newly created Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, through virtual means.The Minister also informed that any citizen of India can now file RTI pertaining to matters related to J&K and Ladakh, which was reserved to only Citizens of erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, before the Reorganisation Act of 2019.It is pertinent to mention here that consequent to the passing of J&K Reorganisation Act 2019, the J&K Right to Information Act 2009 and the Rules there under were repealed and Right to Information Act 2005 and the Rules there under were enforced from 31.10.2019. This measure was widely hailed by people of Jammu and Kashmir and the Administration of the UT.

Dr.Jitendra Singh said that ever since Modi Government came into power in 2014, Transparency and Citizen-Centricity became the hallmark of the Governance Model. He said that in the last six years, every conscious decision was taken to strengthen the Independence and Resources of the Information Commissions and all vacancies were filled as fast as possible.

Shri Sinha pointed out that various steps taken to facilitate the CIC hearing during the lockdown and partial lockdown included video conferencing, audio conferencing, facilitation of return submission, uploading of the contact details of Deputy Registrars on the website, issue of notices by e-post wherever required, online registration and scrutiny of fresh cases etc. He also informed the Minister that the Commission had effectively continued its interactive and outreach activities including video conference with civil society representatives and with members of National Federation of Information Commissions in India.

Live Storage Status of 123 Reservoirs in the Country

Central Water Commission is monitoring the live storage status of 123 reservoirs of the country on a weekly basis. Out of these reservoirs, 43 reservoirs have hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW. The total live storage capacity of these 123 reservoirs is 171.091 BCM which is about 66.36% of the live storage capacityof 257.812 BCM which is estimated to have been created in the country. As per reservoir live storage available in these reservoirs is 142.234 BCM, which is 83% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. However, last year the live storage available in these reservoirs for the corresponding period was 139.647 BCM and the average of last 10 years live storage was 120.667 BCM. Thus, the live storage available in 123 reservoirs is102% of the live storage of corresponding period of last year and 118% of storage on average of last ten years.

The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 8 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 19.17 BCM. As per the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 15.04 BCM which is 78% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during the corresponding period of last year was 91% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 83% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and is also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura and Nagaland. There are 18 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 19.43 BCM. As per the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 14.34 BCM which is 74% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 75% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 65% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and is better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 42 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 35.24 BCM. As per the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 31.95 BCM which is 91% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during the corresponding period of last year was 83% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 68% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is better than the storage of last year and is also better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

The Central region includes the States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 19 reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 44.45BCM. As per the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 38.60 BCM which is 87% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during the corresponding period of last year was 82% and average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period was 75% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during the current year is better than the storage of last year and is also better than the average storage of the last ten years during the corresponding period.

The Southern region includes the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, AP&TG (2combined projects in both states), Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 36reservoirs under CWC monitoring having total live storage capacity of 52.81 BCM. As per the total live storage available in these reservoirs is 42.31 BCM which is 80% of total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 79% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 66% of live storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is better than the corresponding period of last year and is also better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

Corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board: Government constitutes Empowered Group of Ministers headed by Raksha Mantri;

Consequent to the decision of the Government to convert Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), a subordinate office of Ministry of Defence (MoD) into one or more than one 100 per cent Government owned corporate entities, the Government has constituted an Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM), under the Chairmanship of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, to oversee and guide the entire process, including transition support and redeployment plan of employees while safeguarding their wages and retirement benefits. Other ministers in the EGoM are Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister for Law & justice Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of State for Labour & Employment Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievance & Pension Dr Jitendra Singh.

The Terms of Reference (ToR) of the EGoM inter alia include:

(1) Decision on conversion of OFB into a single Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) or as multiple DPSUs;

(2) Matters related to various categories of employees including protection of their salary and pension of existing employees;

(3) Financial support that may be provided to the entity/entities to make them economically viable and self-reliant;

(4) Grandfathering of orders already being executed by OFB or for which facilities created in OFB;

(5) Treatment for land assets of OFB.

The composition of EGoM along with ToRs have been communicated to the OFB and various Federations, Unions and Associations at Board/ Factory/Unit level and they have been requested to place all their suggestions, issues and concerns relating to corporatisation of OFB before the EGoM.

The Department has also selected M/s KPMG Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. (Lead Consortium Member) with M/s Khaitan& Co. Ltd. as another Consortium Member, as the Consultancy Agency for providing strategic and implementation management consulting services to assist the Department of Defence Production in the process of corporatisation of the OFB.

Timelines for Publicity of Criminal Antecedents

In continuation of the detailed instructions dated 10.10.2018 and 6.3.2020  issued by ECI in the matter of publicity of criminal antecedents by the contesting candidates as well as by the political parties nominating such candidates, it was discussed at length in the Commission’s meeting today. Commission decided to further streamline the instructions concerning publicity of criminal antecedents by candidates concerned and by the political parties, who nominate them for elections. Commission has always emphasised on this moral yardstick for overall betterment of electoral democracy.

 Highlights of the modified instructions are as follows:

A.   Revised Timeline for Publicity

As per the revised guideline, the candidates as well as the political parties, regarding candidates nominated by them, will publish the details of criminal antecedents, if any, in newspapers and television in following manner:

  1. First publicity:       Within first 4 days of last date of withdrawal.
  2. Second publicity:   Within 5th to 8th day of last date of withdrawal
  3. Third publicity:       From 9th day till the last day of campaign, i.e. two days prior to date of poll)

This timeline will help the voters in exercising their choices in more informed manner.

B.   Regarding the publicity by uncontested winning candidates as well as the political parties who nominate them, it is clarified that uncontested winner candidates as well as the political parties who nominate them shall also publicise the criminal antecedents, if any, as prescribed for other contesting candidates and political parties.

As decided by Commission, a Compendium of all instructions and formats issued so far, in this matter, is being published for the benefit of stakeholders. This will help in creating more awareness amongst the voters and other stakeholders.  All instructions, in this regard, must be complied by the  contesting candidates with criminal antecedents and the political parties regarding their nominated candidates. These modified instructions shall apply with immediate effect.      

Labour and Employment Minister inaugurates ‘Shram Bureau Bhawan’ in Chandigarh

Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar inaugurated the newly constructed building of Labour Bureau i.e. Shram Bureau Bhawan in Chandigarh today marking the Centenary year of Labour Bureau. 

Union Minister Shri Gangwar lauded the efforts of officials of Labour Bureau, for their steadfastness and exemplary role which have finally culminated in the creation of ‘Shram Bureau Bhawan’. 

While lauding the efforts, Union Minister mentioned that data on all aspects of labour is crucial to serve as inputs in policy making and this justifies the existence of an organization like Labour Bureau dedicated to labour statistics. With the ever increasing importance of data in the times to come coupled with the fact that India is a labour abundant nation, a dedicated organization for labour statistics like the Bureau merits strengthening.

Labour Bureau has been mandated the task of collection of data on recently proposed four labour codes. Both Minister & Secretary (L&E) have assured to lend all possible support to Labour Bureau in future endeavours. A committee was set up in 1940 to recommend a statistical body for measuring change in prices following the Second World War. Accordingly, the Directorate of Cost of Living was established in Shimla 1941 and in 1946 the directorate was rechristened as Labour Bureau.

Shri Gangwar, inaugurates newly constructed building of Labour Bureau

Minister of State (I/C) for Labour and Employment Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, inaugurated the newly constructed building of Labour Bureau, Shram Bureau Bhawan in Chandigarh today. Shri Heeralal Samarya, Secretary,  Labour and Employment and DG Labour Bureau DPS Negi were also present on the occasion.

Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar said on the occasion that data on all aspects of labour is crucial to serve as inputs in policy making and this justifies the existence of an organization like Labour Bureau dedicated to labour statistics. With the ever increasing importance of data in the times to come coupled with the fact that India is a labour abundant nation, a dedicated organization for labour statistics like the Bureau merits strengthening.