Total recoveries from COVID-19 in the country today inched closer to touch the two million mark. A total of 17 lakh 51 thousand 555 people have recovered in the country so far. Fifty five thousand 573 recoveries were reported during the last 24 hours. With this, the recovery rate improved to 71.17 per cent in the country. The case fatality rate stands at 1.95 per cent.
 
The Health Ministry said, 64 thousand 553 new cases of COVID-19 have been registered in the country in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 24 lakh 61 thousand 191. Presently, the total number of active cases in the country is six lakh 61 thousand 595. In a single day, one thousand seven deaths were also reported taking the toll to 48 thousand 40.

India registered a record high testing of more than eight lakh COVID-19 samples consecutively for the second day. The Health Ministry said, India recorded its highest COVID testing figure of eight lakh 48 thousand 728 samples during the last 24 hours. It said, the remarkable feat has been achieved by rigorously following the ‘Test, Track and Treat’ strategy and the country is geared up to reach the testing capacity of 10 lakh tests per day.
 
The Health Ministry said that the strong resolve and determination of the Union Government along with the States and Union Territories to follow aggressive testing as the first important step in the early detection and isolation of COVID-19 cases has resulted in rapidly increasing the number of tests done per day. The week-wise average daily tests conducted has witnessed a sharp increase from around 2.3 lakh in the first week of July 2020 to around seven lakh in the current week.
 
The cumulative testing done so far in the country now stands at two crore 76 lakhs 94 thousand 416 tests. The Tests done per million of the population in the country has also seen a sharp increase to reach nearly 20 thousand.
 
Government said that the strong determinant of this milestone has been a sustained expansion of testing labs across the country. From merely one lab in January this year, the country today has one thousand 451 labs. Out of these, 958 are government labs while the remaining 493 are private labs.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address the nation on the eve of the 74th Independence Day today. The address will be broadcast from 7 PM onwards on the entire national network of All India Radio and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan in Hindi followed by the English version.
 
All India Radio will broadcast regional language versions of the President’s Address from 9.30 PM on its respective regional networks. Broadcast of the address in Hindi and English on Doordarshan will be followed by broadcast in regional languages by regional channels of Doordarshan. 

Finally the supreme court decision of exams will be announced tomorrow,the MHRD and national disaster management has given permission for exams,the UGC is planning to conduct exams by sep 30th

states like Delhi and Maharashtra has cancelled final exams but UGC mentioned without exam there is no certificates,and supreme court decision is pending for the conduction for final exams

Competency mapping identifies an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. The aim is to enable the person to better understand himself or herself and to point out where career development efforts need to be directed.

Competencies are derived from specific job families within the organization and are often grouped around categories such as strategy, relationships, innovation, leadership, risk-taking, decision-making, emotional intelligence, etc. So far as the way to go about for competency mapping is concerned, the first step is job analysis, where the company needs to list core competency requirements for the job concerned. The next step should be development of a competency scale for the job on the parameters previously identified.

The actual mapping of employees can be a self-done exercise or done by others like superiors. It can also be done by using the 360-degree method where peers, first reports and customers also rate the employee.

Competency approach to job depends on competency mapping. Competency Mapping  is a process to identify key competencies for an organization and/or a job and incorporating those competencies throughout the various processes (i.e. job evaluation, training, recruitment) of the organization. A competency is defined as a behavior (i.e. communication, leadership) rather than a skill or ability. 

Competency is your ability to do something successfully or efficiently. Therefore, competency mapping is simply a process of matching your competence with the job role and/or organization. Furthermore, it is also about matching people to the job role and hence used even in selection.

Definition: Competency mapping is the process of identifying the specific skills, knowledge, abilities, and behaviors required to operate effectively in a specific job or organization. Competency maps are often also referred to as competency profiles or skills profiles.

Some of the major practical applications of competency mapping include :

Job Evaluation: By analyzing the key skills to required to do a job a simple job evaluation can be prepared. It can help in allocating existing or new resources to the specific job based on the evaluation process

Project Planning: What key tasks can be performed by what resources ject can easily be identified through the mapping process and helps in project planning.

Performance Management:

A competency mapping exercise results in preparing Competency Framework, which in turn helps in allocating desired proficiency for the job vs current proficiency to do the job. By analyzing any gaps the performance management can be seamlessly conducted

Job analysis: By identifying the key behaviors required to perform each job role, competency mapping is really useful in preparing job analysis. Not to be confused by Job description step in competency mapping process where the job roles analyzed for allocating competencies and behaviors.

Succession Planning : The analysis of competencies required for a leadership role and mapping them with proficiency shown by potential leaders a clear roadmap for succession planning can be created.

Any developmental need can also be ascertained by mapping the critical competencies with the current proficiency level demonstrated by an individual vis-à-vis the required proficiency level for the position.

Recruitment: By identifying key skills required to do the job and also developing a competency-based interviewing process the organizations can benefit by hiring the most suitable resources while it helps in all stages of the recruitment process.

Individual development plan: Any gaps in desired and current proficiency levels help in developing individual development and learning roadmap for individuals and even job roles and categories.

The discovery of the legendary city of Dwaraka which is said to have been founded by Sri Krishna, is an important landmark in the validation of historical relevance of Mahabharata. It has set at rest the doubts expressed by historians about the historicity of Mahabharata and the very existence of Dwaraka city. It has greatly narrowed the gap of Indian history by establishing the continuity of the Indian civilization from the Vedic age to the present day. The discovery has also shed welcome light on second urbanization in the so-called ‘Dark age’, on the reestablishment of dharma, on the resumption of maritime trade, and use of Sanskrit language and modified Indus script.

Dwaraka is a coastal town in Jamnagar district of Gujarat. Traditionally, modern Dwaraka is identified with Dvaraka, mentioned in the Mahabharata as Krishna’s city. Dwaraka was a port, and some scholars have identified it with the island of Barka mentioned in the Periplus of Erythrean Sea. Ancient Dwaraka sank in sea and hence is an important archaeological site. The first clear historical record of the lost city is dated 574 A.D. and occurs in the Palitana Plates of Samanta Simhaditya. This inscription refers to Dwaraka as the capital of the western coast of Saurashtra and still more important, states that Sri Krishna lived here.
There are many mythical tales woven around the city of Dwarka. The most prominent myth is associated with the ‘hero of the Dwapara’; Lord Krishna who is believed to have held his kingdom here. Dwarka in the ancient times was known as Anarta which had been Lord Krishna’s terrestrial empire. Dwarka consisted in islands like Antar dwipa, Dwarka Island and the mainland of Dwarka. The city had been the capital city of the Yadava clan which ruled over the place since many years. In the great epic Mahabharata Dwarka is mentioned as Yadavas’ capital city consisting in many other neighboring states such as Vrishnis, Andhakas, Bhojas within its jurisdiction. The most important chiefs of Yadava clan inhabiting Dwarka included Lord Krishna, who was the king of Dwarka, then Balarama, Kritavarma, Satyaki, Akrura, Kritavarma, Uddhava and Ugrasena.

According to the most popular legendary tale, Lord Krishna migrated to Kusasthali; the name by which Dwarka was known in the ancient times in order to evade the continual harassing raids done on Mahura by Jarasandha; Kansa’s father in law. Jarasandha wanted to avenge the death of Kansa, the wicked cruel uncle of Krishna whom the lord had killed and thus was attacking Mathura time and again.

When he came back to Dwarka along with his clan of Yadavas, he ordered Lord Vishwakarma to build a city for his kingdom. Answering his order, Lord Vishwakarma told that the city can be built only if Lord Samudradevi offered them some land. Lord Krishna then prayed to Samudradeva who responding to the prayer providing them with land up to 12 Yojna and soon after the celestial constructor Vishwakarma built the city of Dwarka in a short span of only 2 days. The city was called ‘Suvarna Dwarka’ because it was all clad in gold, emeralds and jewels which were used to construct the houses in lord Krishna’s ‘Suvarna Dwarka’. It is believed that Lord Krishna’s original residence was at Bet Dwarka from he administered the entire Dwarka kingdom. Legend further adds that after Lord Krishna departed from his mortal body, the city went under the sea with Samudradeva taking back what he had given once upon a time.

The Temple of Dwarkadhish is believed to have been set by Vajranabha; grandson of Lord Krishna, in order to pay tribute to the great lord. The religious significance of Dwarka is associated with other myths too. One such myth points out the Dwarka is the spot where Lord Vishnu had demolished the demon Shankhasura.

Archaeological history:

The first archaeological excavations at Dwaraka were done by the Deccan College, Pune and the Department of Archaeology, Government of Gujarat, in 1963 under the direction of H.D. Sankalia. It revealed artefacts many centuries old.

The objective of the excavation was to know the antiquity of the site, based on material evidence. In the offshore excavation, the ASI’s trained underwater archaeologists and the divers of the Navy searched the sunken structural remains. The finds were studied, dated and documented. On land, the excavation was done in the forecourt of the Dwarakadhish temple. Students from Gwalior, Lucknow, Pune, Vadodara,Varanasi and Bikaner joined in to help the ASI archaeologists.

Findings at Dwarka excavation site:

The underwater excavations revealed structures and ridge-like features. Other antiquities were also found. All the objects were photographed and documented with drawings – both underwater. While underwater cameras are used for photography, drawings are done on boards – a transparent polyester film of 75 micron fixed with a graph sheet below. The graph sheet acts as a scale. One or two divers take the dimensions and the third draws the pictures. The Public Works Department routinely conducts dredging in these waters to keep the Gomati channel open. This throws up a lot of sediments, which settle on underwater structures. Brushes are used to clear these sediments to expose the structures.

* Explorations yielded structures such as bastions, walls, pillars and triangular and rectangular stone anchors.
* A semi-spherical single-hole stone which might be the base for flagpost.
* L-shaped edges of stones for proper grip and arresting wave action on bastions.
* Seals, inscriptions, which have been dated to 1500 BC.
* Pottery, which have been dated to 3528 BC.
* Stone sculptures, terracotta beads, bronze, copper and iron objects.
Marine archaeological explorations have thrown light on a number of structures of different shapes, stone anchors and other artefacts. The exploration has found sandstone walls, a grid of streets and remains of a sea port, some 70 feet beneath the sea. The evidence points to the fact of the existence of a city some 9,000 years ago.

Also according to them this was one of the most important and busy ports during historical and medieval periods.

Dwarka was supposed to have been built on six blocks, two on the right bank and four on the left. All the six sectors have protective walls built of dressed stones of sandstones. Whatever has been traced so far conforms to the description of Dwarka in the Mahabharat to a large extent. For example, the enclosures may correspond to the Antahpurs (harems) of the texts.

Similarly, the large number of stone anchors is indicative of overseas trade. The large ships were anchored to the sea, whereas the small ones were near to the warehouses on the Gomati, part of which has been submerged.

The layout of the excavated city, the spread and the location of fort walls and bastions match the descriptions mentioned in Harivamsha, a prologue to Mahabharata. Harivamsha described the city of Dwarka in minute details. According to it, the area of Dwarka was 12 yojanas. It was connected to the mainland by a strip, which is visible even now, in low tide. The city excavated is of the same size.

What really happened to Dwarka?

The rise in the sea-level in Dwarka is a scientific truth. Studies have proved that the sea considerably and suddenly rose to submerge the city. Harivamsha describes the submerging of Dwarka saying Krishna instructed Arjuna, who was then visiting Dwarka, to evacuate the residents of the city as the sea was going to engulf the city. “On the seventh day (of Krishna saying this), as the last of the citizens were leaving the city, the sea entered the streets of Dwarka.”

According to experts, there could have been three reasons why the sea entered the land. One, a change in the level of seabed, two, a massive earthquake and three, sudden increase in the level of sea water. Of the three, the last is the most plausible. If it was a change in the level of seabed, some remains of the “tearing off action” on the shore would be visible, which is absent. Earthquake can be ruled out as the structures have not collapsed because of the shake. The third reason is most acceptable as a similar phenomenon had occurred in the shores of Bahrain, around the same time, as some recent findings indicate. It is to be noted here that considerable work has been done on shore and offshore underwater excavations in Bahrain, which has indicated a deep and regular trade and other relations between the western coast and the coasts of the present-day Bahrain region.

Dwarka, as of today is still one of the best-studied underwater sites in India.

It is indeed surprising that the history associations, archaeologists and historians have taken little notice of the findings at Dwarka. In its early days, the project received UNESCO support and several foreign marine archaeologists also offered help. However, the government’s indifference to the project has kept them away. Unlike several other land excavations, the underwater excavations can be done only with total government help. Several levels of permissions are needed. While land excavations are demanding in labor, the underwater explorations need machinery and equipment. Skillful divers, who are trained to look for meaningful objects are required too.
an Indian, Dwarka is not a mere archaeological site, nor is it a proof. Indians have all along believed Mahabharata to be a historical narration. But the excavations are a national heritage, a symbol of pride, an honor that is shared by all who are born in this land of Bharata. It is a call for action on Dwarka.

Delhi government recently announced the Delhi Electric Vehicle Policy to remote usage of electric vehicles in Delhi. For this the government is providing three major incentives

• The government providing subsidy on electric vehicles. For vehicles like e rickshaw two wheelers and freight vehicle the subsidy will be around ₹30,000 and ₹1.5 lakh subsidy on electric cars. And there will be no capping on e-auto rickshaws.

• The government has also made it scrapping of old petrol or diesel cars easier. It has decided that if you scrap sell your petrol or diesel car to buy new electric car then more subsidy will be given.

• For commercial vehicles government has decided to give low interest loans. Additionally the registration and road tax fee will also be waived off.

Along with giving incentives to the e-vehicles, it has also been decided that pollution cess an extra road tax will be put on non electric vehicles. All these decisions have been made to combat air pollution which is a big problem for Delhi. Also, the government sees it as an opportunity to help revive the economy which currently is suffering due to COVID-19. It has also been planned that by 2025 the delivery services will have 50% e-vehicles which will by the year 2050 be using only e-vehicles. By the end of 2020 there will be 1000 state run e-buses in Delhi and in the next three years it will increase to 50% of total. For the successful initiation of e-vehicles it is necessary to set up charging stations. does it has been decided to put up 200 charging stations at every 3 km in Delhi.

Surround yourself with positive people. Find people who challenge you, believe in you to make this world better place to live for everyone.

When you are positive you see good in everything. When you are negative, you find something bad in almost everything. You almost find something to blame someone for, something bad, something to criticise, something to boil over shout at, if you are looking for all that. Though life is both positive and negative, it is seen that negatives come naturally to us. But the change from negative to positive I’d quite easy. To convert negative to positive, we have to fight our natural instincts also, which are mostly negative. For example when situation get hot, we easily give in to negativity, irritation, impatience or blame game: though everyone knows that by cultivating non-confrontation abilities, we can achieve very good positive outcome which can bring us peace, harmony and happiness.

For positive outcome in life we have to cultivate positive attitude and make a habit of it. It is up to you to chose your course, an easy path through an angry egoistic reaction which may lead to the loss of opportunity later or it could be a well considered response which would surely result in being benificial to all – to you and in turn, to your family, friends and society.

Human being are unique, intelligent and with a discerning mind, and the only species on this planet who know the difference between right and wrong. Then, why do we let ourselves be taken over by cross negative forces, by being reactive and lose a sea of opportunities waiting for us when we can adopt a positive attitude that makes us happy, energised, blissful and joyful?

The question is why don’t we do that more often to change the course of our life from negative to positive!? Why do we get lured by negative and easier rays which inhibit our true progress and growth??