Harappa

Book Review:

The story oscillates from history to mythology, from occult to religion, from exorcism to gunfights, from taantrics to warriors, from love to ambition. It knits 3,700 years, powerful ancient and modern-day characters and a nail-biting conspiracy – all in one literary thriller. Harappa is the first among a series of four books. 

2017, Delhi – Vidyut’s dying ancestor summons him to Banaras. The old Brahmin chieftain of the Dev-Raakshasa Matth, or the God-Demon Clan, bears a chilling secret. Their bloodline carries an ancient curse that will plague mankind – towards its own violent extinction.

1700 BCE, Harappa – Harappa is a magnificent city on the banks of the mighty Saraswati river. The darkness of treachery, taantric exorcism and bloodshed unleashes itself on the last devta, paving the way for his devastating revenge…and the horrifying truth behind the fall of the glorious civilisation.

2017, Paris – The world’s most powerful religious institution is rattled. Europe’s dreaded crime lord meets a mysterious man in Paris. A lethal assassin boards a train, as Rome fears the worst. The prophesied devta has returned.

What connects Banaras, Harappa and Rome? What was the ancient curse and who was the last devta? What is the terrible secret behind the fall of the colossal Indus Valley? Read on as you travel through a saga of violence and deceit, gods and demons, love and ambition.

India Must Take Steps to Protect Chemical Catastrophe in the Country.

In recent times,the Lebanon blast which occured due to Ammonium Nitrate is not a small thing for the countries to avoid it.It is a matter of concern not only for India but for the world who have such storages of different chemicals at different places in their country.Every country who have such storages of chemicals must take first hand precaution by keeping in mind the blast that happened in Beirut,Lebanon.

Chemicals are very complex in natures and they appear a type of bomb threat to the society.It is known to any of the common people where they are going or standing below that there is storage of it.In India chemicals are handled both formally and informally it includes both highly toxic and non-toxic.So for country like India it is necessary for them to have precautions in these area where such kind of dealings are taking place.It is the matter of lives of the people.

In this case to cure any of such blasts in future,the Ministry of Environment first need to identify such chemicals that could harm a major population of the country and then where are they stored.So that,in this case they can check the temperatures of that area and how the place is maintained.They should seek helps from different experts in that field and try to find out different ways to solve the issues.

A handling protocol could also be prepared in this case where in that every detail should be present such as from when the chemical is stored,for how long it has been stored,and also how to store that chemical.We all know it is a chemical and they are very complex so prior alarm of such kind issues should be well placed and protected so that it does not harm the economy in any terms.

As the chemical is being traded in the market,the trader should know certain rules and regulations for trading at different levels for that a fixed protocol should be issued from grass root level to the administrative level.So,in this case whoever is trading toxic chemicals would have some kind of fear in their mind before doing false supply of it.For this the registration system should be flexible as well as strong so that without registration no one can make a deal of such harmful chemicals which could lead to chemical catastrophe.

This were the basics,we need to focus to strengthen it and make strong decision on it.

Russia Registered world’s first Covid-19 vaccine.

Russian authorities have said that medical workers, teachers and other risk groups will be the first to be inoculated.

Russia is the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine. Many scientists in the country and abroad have been sceptical, however, questioning the decision to register the vaccine before Phase 3 trials that normally last for months and involve thousands of people.

Amid the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a coronavirus vaccine, touted as the world’s first such vaccine, too. The registration of the vaccine lays ground for mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.

The announcement came in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 20 million people and killed nearly 750,000 worldwide, thus, crippling world economies.

NON-COOPERATION MOVEMENT

It was the first mass movement that took place in 1920 launched by Gandhi. Its historical background could be seen as the impact of the first world war where the Indian economy suffered badly as the british give them Rowlatt act. Congress became slow so Gandhiji became hostile to the Britishers.

This movement gained its importance after the khilafat and Jalliawala bagh incidents.  Congress meets at Banaras and Calcutta passing this movement.

Programmes followed were boycott and swadeshi. The boycott was a negative concept and swadeshi is a positive one. Boycott of British goods, titles, honourable offices, legal courts, schools and colleges, election to the legislative assembly and provisional council and recruitment of services in Mesopotamia were done.

Swadeshi movement leads to the establishment of national schools and educational institutions, setting up of tribunals for the administration of justice for solving legal cases, encouragement to wear handspun khadi, the establishment of fund in the name of tilak to finance non-cooperation activities and volunteers. At Nagpur Congress meets to discuss the progress of the movement. Nagpur government-supported

Hindu and Muslim unity. A 15 member committee was appointed to look after the day to day work. It set up an all India Congress commission of 350 members. The reorganisation of Congress provisional commission on linguistic basis. The objective was changed to attain swaraj by peaceful and legitimate means.

This movement had great economic significance as it boosts the handloom and khadi industries interms of employment and wages, Village sanitation and reconstruction is achieved, irradiction of untouchability, unity of Hindu and Muslims, increase in participation of women and formation of new social groups.

It spread to Punjab, Gujarat, Bengal, Bombay, where traders and peasants mainly participated. Andhra Pradesh; forest satyagraha was started. In Assam cullies of tea gardens demanded a wage rise, in Awadh no land revenue movement started. A new era of political life emerged and India is known for her culture. Gandhiji motivated people with his speeches.

On November 1921 the government arrested major leaders of khilafat declaring Congress as unlawful, banning public protest and 30,000 nationalists were put behind the bars. On feburary, 1922 CHARA CHAURI incidence took place were people marched and burned police stations killing 22 police officers.

Gandhiji withdraws this movement on 11 February 1922 due to spread on non-violence.

This movement had a great significance in the history of Indian struggle which makes us realize the strength our leaders and people put forward to get independence. This independence day our salutes are to all those who sacrifice their lives for our independence

ACADEMIC RESEARCH : IS IT ENOUGH ?

THE CHANGES THAT ARE BEING MADE IN OUR EDUCATION SECTOR , TO PLACE IT WELL FOR THE STUDENTS SO THAT THE LEARNING CAN BE AT ITS BEST , HAS SPARKED EFFECTIVENESS DUE TO THE EFFICIENT ACADEMIC RESEARCH ACTED BY THE GOVERNMENT . A STATEMENT WHICH IS HOLD TRUE THAT ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS NOT SUFFICIENT , THE PROCESS IS STILL INCOMPLETE. THE GOVERNMENT FOLLOW THE POLICY OF SCIENCE , TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION , IT DIRECTS GOVERNMENT AND MANDATED IT WITH THE FUNDING IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONAL LABORATORIES . IT HELPED GOVERNMENT WITH THE APPROACHES TO MAKE THEM CONQUER THEIR OBJECTIVES . ONE SUCH APPROACH IS TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVELS , PROPOSED BY NASA . IT IS A KIND OF MEASUREMENT SYSTEM USED TO ASSESS THE MATURITY LEVEL OF A PARTICULAR TECHNOLOGY.

TRL -1 COMMUNICATE THE OBSERVATION OF PRINCIPLES FOR PUBLICATION .

TRL 2 COMMUNICATES THE FORMULATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY AT THE LEVEL OF CONCEPTS .

THEN THE FRAMEWORK FRAMED ADVANCES TO PROOF OF THE CONCEPT , VALIDATION IN A LABORATORY ENVIROMENT AND THEN TO PROTOTYPE DEMONSTRATION AND ENDING WITH ACTUAL DEPLOYMENT .THE TERMINOLOGIES FOR THE APPLICATIONS ARE SPECIFIC LIKE DIFFRENT TERMS ATTACHED TO THE TECHNOLOGIES OF AEROSPACE AND HEALTH SECTOR , THIS IS WHERE THE TERM TRANSLATOR RESEARCH IS USED. AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THEESE TERMINOLOGIES ARE ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND POST ACADEMIC RESEARCH .

THERE ARE LARGE LABORATORIES WHICH ARE SPECIALLY MADE FOR THE RESEARCH WHICH IS FURTHER CONTRIBUTING TO GENERATE NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE FOR NATIONAL DEVOLOPMENT.

IT IS OBSERVED THAT THE INVESTMENT MADE BY INDIA IN THE RESEARCHES ARE NOT SO HUGE COMPARING THE SAME WITH THE ADVANCED COUNTRIES.HERE ARE THE TWO OBSERVATIONS THAT MAKES THIS STATEMENT ‘ A TRUE SET OF WORDS’ , AS WE ALL ARE AWARE ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION EFFICIENCY OF OUR COUNTRY WHICH IS AVERAGE OR VERY POOR IN FEW OF THE SECTORS. THE COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS MADE ARE AS FOLLOWS :

  1. THE COUNTRIES BELONGING TO THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVOLOPMENNT REPORT RESEARCH STATISTICS ACCORDING TO THE FRASCATI MANUAL WHICH WAS FIRST LAUNCHED IN 1963, AND HAS BEEN REVISED FIVE TIMES SINCE THEN .BUT , DATA CANNOT BE COMPARED WITHOUT HAVING THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN INDIA’s DATA AND OTHER’s COUNTRY DATA .
  2. SECONDLY , IT HAS TO BE DECIDED BY INDIA WHERE TO INCREASE THE INVESTMENT EITHER IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH OR IN POST-ACADEMIC RESEARCH BUT THE FACT IS INVESTMENT IN POST ACADEMIC RESEARCH CAN ONLY BE TURNED TO THE NATIONAL DEVOLOPMENT , ONLY IN THE PURSUIT OF POST- ACADEMIC RESEARCH.

IN INDIA , THERE IS A NEED OF ADDING THE VALUE TO RAEW MATERIALS IN INDIA , WHAT SHOULD BE DONE ? , THE ANSWERE LIES IN INCREASING THE INTENSITY OF TECHNOLOGY WHICH WAS IDENTIFIED AS ONE OF THE GOALS OF THE STI POLICY.

THE STI POLICY SHOULD LAY EMPHASIS ON PAR TO ENSURE THAT INVESTMENT IN RESEARCH RESULTS IN ECONOMIC GROWTH. THE REWARD SYSTEM IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND NATIONAL LABORATORIES SHOULD BE REORIENTED TO PROMOTE POST ACADEMIC-RESEARCH. ACADEMICS IN HIGHER EDUCATION SHOULD NOT ONLY PURSUE ACADEMIC RESEARCH BUT ALSO FEW STAGES OF POST ACADEMIC – RESEARCH.

POST – ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS FOCUSING MAINLY ON THE RESEARCH GOALS AND QUESTIONS THAT EMERGE FROM BUSINESS REQUIREMENTS WHEREAS ACADEMIC RESEARCH IS DEFINED AS ‘ SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATION IN THE PROBLEM OR SITUATION WHERE THE INTENTION IS TO IDENTIFY FACTS AND OPINIONS THAT WILL ASSIST IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM OR DEALING WITH THE SITUATION. THIS CLEARY SHOWS HOW MUCH ‘PAR’ IS EFFECTIVE IN COMPARISON TO ‘AR’.

Economics between dragons and wars : Game of Thrones

Westeros is a feudal economy and what this means is that most of the citizens are relegated to work in agriculture under the governance of local Lords who fall under the governance of high Lords who fall under the governance of the Crown. These citizens will work the farms in exchange for a share of the Food and a promise of protection from their respective Lords and their armies. Very little time is spent on what effectively adds up to a vast majority of the population of westeros, but it shouldn’t be forgotten. That this is ultimately the foundation of the Kingdom. Beyond this, small instances of private enterprise do exist, mainly represented in the form of brothels. Smith season ends. This is very reminiscent of medieval England, in which the land of Westeros is loosely based. Manufacturing does not really exist and products of Westeros are primarily limited to regionally produce limitedly complex items that are more or less one offs. A silly example of this is that there is no central factory specializing in making tables for all the individual regions and keeps likely have a Carpenter who could make tables and chairs and beyond this build wooden structures and conduct repairs on their respective Castle. In this example it would be far more efficient for one region of Westeros to agree to just make wooden furniture and share it all over the nation taking advantage of economies of scale. This doesn’t happen though. Great few reasons. Trade and transportation in Westeros is very limited. Sure, we occasionally see merchant ships. On the trade, but we also see that getting from one side of this nation to the other side is a pretty dangerous. The other big consideration is that the nation is pretty much constantly at war in some form. There is no point letting the Lords of the reach set up their furniture factory if I’m just going to be at war with them next year, I will be cut off from my table and chair supply and their factory will be cut off from business because of something half of their customers want to do. This is of course very particular example of how unstable and not advanced economies miss out on economic efficiencies that work to progress. That is something that is highlighted really, really well in the show. Areas of the Kingdom, like the North that have a limited and sparse population and a very non specialized workforce and are shown to have very basic utilitarian furniture. Even in their greatest Castle winterfell.  Conversely, areas with a larger, more concentrated population like Kings landing will allow for people to start specializing in more specific roles like a dedicated furniture maker. Furniture shown here is far more ornate.

Now let’s look at debt collection. The Iron Bank is referenced as one of the most influential powers in the fictional world. The bank draws many parallels with the banking houses of the medieval Europe. This is, of course, a departure from the historical time period that most people associate with the story of Game of Thrones. But part of Martins fantastic storytelling is his ability to pick and choose curiosities from throughout history, and we’ve enjoyed topical fantasy story, the banking houses of the Napoleonic era, most notably the House of Rothschild, were instrumental in funding the war efforts of England and France. Around this time will have become an expensive undertaking. The reliance of armies on new technologies like cannons and muskets, made increasingly a struggle of who could raise the most money. The banking houses were happy to accommodate and knew that they would hold a lot of power. Any nation that tried to Renege on their debt obligations would find it incredibly hard to raise funding to go toward ever again. And then the banks would then just find a more accommodating army who would set things straight and get to work repairing. These banks basically introduced modern finance that exists today. Of course, instead of financing cars and homes to mom’s and dad, they were financing armies to hostile governments, the Iron Bank and historical banks had similar roles.

They actually sought peace and stability, so the Kingdom that they found that could get down to paying back their decks. So these banks loved figures like Tywin Lannister; powerful stabilizing individual. A Lannister always pays their debts, which was like the westerosi equivalent of a strong credit score. I guess these banks were also happy to flip flop on who they supported as soon as the stability of their repayment was compromised. They were more than happy to finance a new leader. The silent hand of the bank has also been speculated to be a huge determinant factor in the final outcomes of the war. There. In the classic adage that goes that. When you owe the bank one million dollars and can’t pay it back, you have a problem. If you owe to bank a billion dollars and can’t pay back, the bank has a problem. It was noted in season five of the Lannisters were deeply in debt for the line back. Many have speculated that this was a cunning plan by Tywin Lannister that the Iron bank would have to continue to support him if they ever want to see a return on their huge loan. When Cersie just wanted the gold of Highgarden certainly potentially made a fatal mistake in doing what ministers do best and repaying their destiny. Iron bank with this no longer had to cover its financial position and was free to do another cost benefit analysis, which heavily favoured the army that had those Dragons. Is it something the comic complexity of the show does allow you to speculate about? It’s certainly something I find used in public economics can be used out of good storytelling.

Cinema: The best medium of cultural communication

India, a country known for its culture all over the world. Every state, every religion has it’s own culture here. From ancient period, people are following different cultures. Countries like America has their own culture (Western Culture).

What is Culture?

Though culture have many literal meanings, let’s confine it to the art of cultivating humanity. Culture is a process of self purification, an action of clearing faults and proceed in the right path.

Cinema is the best medium to promote culture because cinema is all about the visuals and visuals are what captured by our minds very fast. And that’s the benifit of cinema. For instance, if you read or listen something once, there’s high chance you may forget about it. But if you are exposed to something visually, it’s vice versa in this case.

Films can carry not merely information; they can even create a yearning for change
and modernisation. By dexterously employing the mechanical tricks of photography
and camera angles, by exploiting the ingenious use of close-ups, by building up of suspense and illusion, and by weaving human elements and stwy in appropriate
sequences, films can create social awareness and even arouse strong emotions. Films can inform, inspire and express feelings and emotions most dramatically with lasting
impact.

The Indian film industry remains a paradox in many ways. India is going to enter
the 21st century with the largest number of illiterates in the world. Therefore, there
is an urgent need to have proper communication among these illiterate people. The films in many way meet thls need. Because the only meaningful access to audio-visual entertainment for the poor people is the film. Films are extremely popular among the masses. And the Indian film industry continues to be the world’s largest producer of films, releasing on an average 750 films every year in 16 languages.

The Indian films followed the Hollywood model right from the start with heavy
emphasis on entertainment. But individual film-makers, away from the mainstream,
have always made socially purposeful films, even in the thirties.

What Will People Say, The Black Prince etc. are few names of the movies of cultural genre. The Namesake,. Monsoon Weddings are the names of such Indian movies.

Although, Bollywood cinema is the replica of Indian culture purely produced for the sake of entertainment. Indian movies seem promoting intercultural communication as it shows reflection of cultural exchange from language to realm of food, music to architecture, geographical beauty to film canvas.

FEMINISM

Understanding the difference between biological determinism and social constructionism:

Gender differs in culture and personal circumstances, they shape the way men and women behave according to society’s norms and values, stereotypes bound to them.

Freud and parson theorized the biological determination of humans based on certain DNA, proteins, chromosomes, hereditary genes, etc.  The BRUCE REIMER CASE ruled that social factors do not always override biological factors in determining gender.

Social constructionism means how gender roles are created by us in everyday lives. Margaret mead shows a distinction between men and women based on three societies:

  1. Both are cooperative
  2. Women were dominant,  men were obedient
  3. Both were aggressive and ruthless.

Masculine and feminine roles are learnt and shaped in cultural socialization and not inborn; biological specific. Many factors such as education, social norms and values, images identification and traditions influence our thoughts.

Concept of women and men are subject to change over time. The society in which we live is more anatomy rather than destiny, the roles segregated for males and females in past are started to get fade. Society and culture can no doubt shape the beliefs and standards for a certain society however we can not ignore our fundamental biological nature.

Strong social constructionism tends to suggest that the natural world has a small role in the construction of scientific knowledge.

Patriarchy refers to a society dominated by men i.e. society, state and economy are characterised by systematic, institutionalised and pervasive gender oppression. The term means rule by the father,  which means that the patriarchal society is based upon male domination.

Women lack knowledge of their history of struggle and achievement has been one of the major means of keeping them subordinate. The denial to women of their history has reinforced their acceptance of the ideology of patriarchy and has undermined the individual women’s sense of self-worth.

There is a need to adopt political ideas which have proved helpful to strengthen the position of women in society.

How to get ready for this placement season

The placement season for 2021 passing out students has already begun. Every student who is part of this is in dilemma right now what to prepare from where to start and more question like this, in this corona virus situation right now everything is going virtual.The placement are also going virtual, industry is taking interview on different platform such as google meet, micro soft team etc. The main question is what are the skills that are needed to get industry ready. The list is given below take a note and prepare well

A.The very first round most of the companies comprises is aptitude round. This round basically checks your ability of solving questions based on three main areas first is quantitative ability- it consist of questions related to your math skills second one is logical ability- it checks individuals logical ability , how good a person is when it comes to logic the third is verbal ability- it consist of how good a person is in reading comprehension, checking errors, sentence correction.

B. The second round can vary according to the company needs it can be technical or group discussion round. The technical round checks your knowledge on the core subjects related to your field, it can also consist of coding . For group discussion take one topic daily and practice.It will help in building your thinking ability as well as communication ability

C. The third round usually is Hr round this round basically checks your speaking and interacting skills there are a lot of question available on google practice 2 question daily.

-Practice and knowledge of the concepts will help an individual to clear any company. If one is targeting Big MN C’s then data structure and coding are the two main components along with the knowledge of core subjects. Aptitude is required by almost every company, practice every important topic of this part.Be confident while giving interview.

Along with ,technical knowledge make sure u give equal importance to communication skills, it’s the main skills companies look in a individual along with the technical part.

All the best prepare well.

COMPETITION LAW: BID RIGGING AND COLLUSIVE BIDDING

WHAT IS BID RIGGING AND COLLUSIVE BIDDING?

BID RIGGING

It is an illegal practice in which businesses plot and devise to allow over another to secure contracts at higher prices, thereby undermining free – market competition. Bid rigging infringe antitrust laws and is closely related to horizontal price – fixing, in that both offenses include collusion between supposed competitors in the same market group.

Bid Rigging comes about in situations in which companies are required to competitively bid contracts.

Competitively bid contracts are very well-known in the marketplace, particularly in government and education, where agencies are generally required to the minimal bid of a contract. It is not usual for competitors in same marketplace to plot to allow one or other to win a competitive bid in rotation. Then end result is that each of the companies will make a profit, often at a price well above that which they would have earned in a truly competitive market. The added costs resulting from the rigged bid are passed on to taxpayers, ratepayers and consumers.

COLLUSIVE BIDDING

Collusive bidding refers to agreements by contractors or suppliers in a particular trade or area to cooperate to defeat the competitive bidding process in order to inflate prices to artificially high levels.  It can occur in large and small contracts.  Where collusive bidding is well established prices can rise substantially, in some cases by as much as several hundred percent.

Collusion in international projects often involves corruption, in which government officials and procurement personnel under their direction sponsor or facilitate the collusion in exchange for bribes.  All or part of the corrupt payments often end up in the coffers of local political parties where they are used to offset campaign and other expenses.[1]

INTRODUCTION

The Competition Act, 2002, (as amended), [the Act], follows the philosophy of modern competition laws and aims at nurturing and promoting competition and at protecting Indian markets against anticompetitive practices by enterprises. The Act prohibits anticompetitive agreements, exploitation of dominant position by enterprises, and regulates combinations (mergers, amalgamations and acquisitions) with a view to ensure that there is no adverse effect on competition in India.

The Act forbids any agreement which causes, or is likely to cause, significantcontrary effect on competition in markets in India. Any such agreement is considered void.

An agreement may be parallel i.e. between enterprises, persons, associations, etc. engaged in indistinguishable or similar trade of goods or provision of services, or it may be vertical i.e. amongst enterprises or persons at different stages or levels of the production chain in different markets.

Bid rigging or collusive bidding is one of the horizontal agreements, which shall be presumed to have appreciable adverse effect on competition under Section 3 of the Act.

UNDER THE COMPETITION ACT, 2002

The Competition Act, 2002 (‘Act’), ‘bid rigging’ has been defined in the Explanation to Section 3(3) as:

“An agreement, between enterprises or persons referred to in sub-section 3 engaged in identical or similar production or trading of goods or provision of services, which has the effect of eliminating or reducing competition for bids or adversely affecting or manipulating the process for bidding.”

Section 3(1) of the Act prohibits and Section 3(2) of the Act makes void all agreements by enterprises or persons in respect of production, supply, distribution, storage, acquisition or control of goods or provision of services which cause or are likely to cause appreciable adverse effect on competition within India.

 Further, Section 3(3)(d) of the Act uses both expressions viz., ‘bid-rigging’ and ‘collusive bidding’. Both these terms are normally used interchangeably to describe many forms of illegal anti-competition bidding. However, common thread running through these activities is that they involve some kind of agreement or informal arrangement among bidders, which limits competition.

The act treats agreement between bidders which result into bid rigging on presumptive rule approach, meaning hereby that once the essential ingredients constituting bid rigging are established there is no need to further launch into an elaborate inquiry to find out impact of such conduct on the market and adverse effect on competition is presumed.

 In that situation, the burden shifts on the contravening parties to rebut the presumption by showing that their conduct does not result into “appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.”

DIFFERENT KINDS

Collusive bidding or bid rigging may be of different kinds, for instance-

  1. agreements to submit identical bids;
  2. agreements as to who shall submit the lowest bid;
  3. agreements for the submission of cover bids (voluntary inflated bids);
  4. agreements not to bid against each other, agreements on common norms to calculate prices or terms of bids;
  5. agreements to squeeze out outside bidders;
  6. Agreements designating bid winners in advance on a rotational basis, or on a geographical or customer allocation basis.

It is to be noted that an ‘agreement’ between ‘competing bidders’ is a sine qua non for establishing contravention of Section 3 of the Act.

FORMS OF BID RIGGING

Bid rigging may take many forms, but most bid rigging conspiracies usually fall into one or more of the following categories:

BID SUPRESSION

In bid suppression schemes, one or more competitors who otherwise would be expected to bid, or who have previously bid, agree to refrain from bidding or withdraw a previously submitted bid so that the designated winning competitor’s bid will be accepted.

COMPLEMENTARY BIDDING

Complementary bidding (also known as ‘cover’ or ‘courtesy’ bidding) occurs when some competitors agree to submit bids that are either too high to be accepted or contain special terms that will not be acceptable to the buyer. Such bids are not intended to secure the buyer’s acceptance, but are merely designed to give the appearance of genuine competitive bidding. Complementary bidding schemes are the most frequently occurring forms of bid rigging, and they defraud purchasers by creating the appearance of competition to conceal secretly inflated prices.

BID ROTATION

In bid rotation schemes, all conspirators submit bids but take turns to be the lowest bidder. The terms of the rotation may vary; for example, competitors may take turns on contracts according to the size of the contract, allocating equal amounts to each conspirator or allocating volumes that correspond to the size of each conspirator. A strict bid rotation pattern defies the law of chance and suggests that collusion is taking place.

SUBCONTRACTING

Subcontracting arrangements are often part of a bid rigging scheme. Competitors, who agree not to bid or to submit a losing bid, frequently receive subcontracts or supply contracts in exchange from the successful bidder. In some schemes, a low bidder will agree to withdraw its bid in favor of the next low bidder in exchange for a lucrative subcontract that divides the illegally obtained higher price between them.

Almost all forms of bid rigging schemes have one thing in common: an agreement among some or all of the bidders, which predetermines the winning bidder and limits or eliminates competition among the conspiring vendors.

THE PRIMER ADS

Some of the industry conditions favorable to collision are:

  1. There are few sellers
  2. Higher degree of standardization of products, making it easy for competitive firms to agree on a common price structure
  3. Repetitive purchases enabling the vendors to know of the other bidders

SOME SUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS[2]

Bid rigging can be difficult to detect. However, suspicions may bearoused by unusual bidding or something a bidder says or does. An agreement (in collusion) not to respond to an invitation to tender until after discussions with other persons invited to tender, is also a bid rigging offence. Certain patterns in bids can give rise to suspicion of collusion. Situations of suspicious behavior includethe following (illustrative and not exhaustive):

  1. The bid offers by different bidders contain same or similar errors and irregularities (spelling, grammatical andcalculation). This may indicate that the designated bidwinner has prepared all other bids (of the losers).
  • Bid documents contain the same corrections and alterationsindicating last minute changes.
  • A bidder seeks a bid package for himself/herself and alsofor the competitor.
  • A bidder submits his/her bid and also the competitor’sbid.
  • A party brings multiple bids to a bid opening and submitsits bid after coming to know who else is bidding.
  • A bidder makes a statement indicating advance knowledgeof the offers of the competitors.
  • A bidder makes a statement that a bid is a ‘complementary’,‘token’ or ‘cover’ bid.
  • A bidder makes a statement that the bidders have discussedprices and reached an understanding.

INQUIRY INTO BID RIGGING[3]

In exercise of powers vested under Section 19 of the Act, the Commission may inquire into any alleged contravention under subsection (3) of Section 3 of the Act that proscribes bid rigging.

The Commission, on being satisfied that there exists a prima facie case of bid rigging, shall direct the Director General to cause an investigation and furnish a report. The Commission has the powers vested in a Civil Court under the Code of Civil Procedure in respect of matters like summoning or enforcing attendance of any person and examining him on oath, requiring discovery and production of documents and receiving evidence on affidavit. The Director General, for the purpose of carrying out investigation, is also vested with powers of civil court besides powers to conduct ‘search and seizure’.

INTERIM ORDER[4]

Under section 33 of the Act, , during the pendency of an inquiry into bid rigging, the Commission may temporarily restrain any party from carrying on the offending act until conclusion of the inquiry or until further orders, without giving notice to such party, where it deems necessary.

POWERS OF THE COMMISSION[5]

After the inquiry, the Commission may pass inter- alia any or all of the following orders under section 27 of the Act:

1) Direct the parties to discontinue and not to reenter such agreement;

2) Direct the enterprise concerned to modify the agreement.

3) Direct the enterprises concerned to abide by such other orders as the Commission may pass and comply with the directions, including payment of costs, if any

4) Pass such other orders or issue such directions as it may deem fit.

PENALTY[6]

The Commission may impose such penalty as it deems fit. The penalty can be up to 10% of the average turnover for the last three preceding financial years upon each of such persons or enterprises which are parties to bid-rigging or collusive bidding. In case the bid-rigging or collusive bidding agreement referred to in sub-section (3) of section 3 has been entered into by a cartel.

The Commission may impose upon each producer, seller, distributor, trader or service provider included in that cartel, a penalty of up to 3 times of its profit for each year of the continuance of such agreement or 10% of its turnover for each year of the continuance of such agreement, whichever is higher. The penalty can therefore be severe, and result in heavy financial and other cost on the erring party.

Section 46 of the Act empowers the Commission to impose lesser penalty upon a party in a cartel if it makes true, full and vital disclosure leading to busting of the cartel. However, during the investigation if it is found that the party has not complied with the condition on which lesser penalty was imposed or disclosure is not vital or false evidence has been furnished, the party may not receive the leniency.

APPEALS[7]

The Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) is established under Section 53A to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction issued or decision made or order passed by the Commission under specified sections of the Act.

An appeal has to be filed within 60 days of receipt of the order / direction / decision of the Commission.

[1]https://guide.iacrc.org/potential-scheme-collusive-bidding/

[2] Competition Act, 2020, ‘Advocacy Series 4, Provisions relating to Bid rigging’ pg.6

[3] Ibid, pg.7

[4] Ibid,pg.8

[5] Ibid, pg8

[6] Ibid, pg.8

[7] Ibid, pg.8

TERRITORIAL SEA

INTRODUCTION

Sea is a large body of water that is surrounded by the land. It is an important a part of human trade and commerce, voyage, mineral processing, power generation and is additionally considered as an important source of blue economy nowadays. International law of the ocean may be a law of maritime space that peacefully settles the worldwide disputes on maritime boundary between or among the States and defines various jurisdictions of the maritime zones also because the rights and obligations of the coastal States in these zones, especially with reference to the conservation of marine environment and biodiversity.

Territorial sea is that part of the sea which is adjoining to the coastal State and which is adjacent to the high seas on its outer boundary. The Coastal State exercises its supremacy over this area as it exercises over its domestic waters. The sovereignty expands to the airspace over the territorial sea as well as its bed and sub-soil. This sovereignty accumulates to a State under the customary international law which no State can rebut.

Law of the Sea

The law of the ocean may be a body of customs, treaties, and global agreements; by which governments maintain order, productivity, and amicable relations on the ocean. It involves subjects such as navigational rights, sea mineral claims, and coastal waters jurisdiction.

Body of international law concerned with civic order at sea. Much of this law is codified within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the ocean, signed Dec. 10, 1982. The convention, described as a “constitution for the oceans,” represents an endeavor to systemize international law regarding territorial waters, sea-lanes and ocean resources. It came into authority in 1994 after it had been approved by the required 60 countries; by the early 21st century the convention had been approved by 150+ countries.

UN Convention of the Law of the Sea

Maritime zones are a principal component of present law of the sea. The first effort to publish and codify a comprehensive law of the sea was in the 1950s, shortly after the Truman proclamation on the continental shelf. In 1956, the United Nations held its first Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS I) in Geneva, Switzerland, outcome of which was four treaties concluded in 1958: Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone, entry into force: 10 September 1964 Convention on the ocean floor, entry into force: 10 June 1964 Convention on the High Seas, entry into force: 30 September 1962 Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas, entry into force: 20 March 1966

The Convention on the ocean floor effectively codified Truman’s proclamation as customary law of nations. While UNCLOS I was widely considered a triumph, it left unwrap the concern of the extent of territorial waters. In 1960, the UN held a second Conference on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS II”), but this did not result in any new agreements. The pressing issue of varying claims of territorial waters was elevated at the UN in 1967 by Malta, prompting in 1973 a third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea in New York City. In an effort to scale back the likelihood of groups of nation-states dominating the negotiations, the conference used a consensus process instead of majority vote. With quite 160 nations participating, the conference lasted until 1982, leading to the UN Convention of the Law of the ocean, also referred to as the Law of the Sea Treaty, which defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in their use of the world’s ocean.

Territorial Sea

Maritime Belt or territorial waters is that belt of the sea which is adjacent to the costal state and over which costal state exercises the sovereignty. The territorial sea (also called territorial waters) may be a maritime area beyond and adjacent to the interior waters, and shall not extend beyond twelve nautical miles (‘nm’) from the baselines. In the territorial sea the coastal State exercises sovereignty extending to the air space over the territorial sea also on its bed and subsoil.[1]

However, the sovereignty over this zone has to be exercised subject to the provisions of the conventions and ‘to other rules of international law’ which provides several rights to other States, particularly right of ‘innocent passage’ within the body of water of the State. The territorial sea extends to a limit of 12 nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal State. Within this zone, the coastal State exercises full sovereignty over the air space above the sea and over the seabed and subsoil. A coastal State may enact on matters concerning the security of navigation, the preservation of the environment, and the prevention, reduction, and control of pollution without any compulsion to make these rules compliant with international benchmark. Resource use within the territorial sea is strictly reserved to the coastal State.

Territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the ocean[2] , may be a belt of coastal waters extending at the most 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) from the baseline (usually the mean low-water mark) of a coastal state. The territorial sea is taken into account the sovereign territory of the state, although foreign ships (military and civilian) are allowed innocent passage through it, or transit passage for straits; this sovereignty also extends to the airspace over and seabed below. Adjustment of those boundaries is named, in law of nations, maritime delimitation.

A state’s territorial sea extends up to 12 nautical miles (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) from its baseline. If this is often ready to overlap with another state’s territorial sea, the border is taken because the median point between the states’ baselines, unless the states in question agree otherwise. A state also can prefer to claim a smaller territorial sea.

Problem of Breadth of Territorial Waters

The breadth of the territorial sea has remained a tricky issue, and up to 18th century the opinion was that breadth of territorial sea extends to the range of a ‘cannon-shot’ which at that time was three nautical miles. The three-mile rule which is popularly known as ‘cannon-shot’ rule was promulgated by the Dutch jurist, Bynkershock. He had a hypothesis that a State’s sovereignty broaden to the sea as far as a canon or fire could reach.

In order to fix breadth of the maritime belt, first important attempt was made by the league of the Nations. The Hague Conference of 1930 made an unsuccessful attempt to obtain consensus of the nations on a specific breadth of territorial sea. Since, International Law could not fix definite breadth of maritime belt, different countries claimed different breadths. In order to resolve this problem, Geneva Conference on the Law of the sea was called but the controversy could not be resolved. For the same purpose another conference, known as UN Convention on the Law of the Sea was called in 1960. In this conference, America presented a compromise formula which provided that the breadth of territorial waters should be 6 miles and beyond these 6 miles rights for fishing etc. for another 6 miles. The proposal was defeated by majority of a single vote.

Before the 1982, Sea Convention was concluded; States announced varying breadth of the territorial sea, ranging from 3 to 12 miles, though in certain cases they had state publicly wider areas comparatively, in few cases up to 200 nautical miles. But at the UNCLOS-III, claims broader than 12 miles did not find favour and the 12 miles rule was accepted by the Conference, which may be considered the present customary international law position.

The U.N. Convention of 1982 under Article 3 adopts the twelve-mile limit as a breadth of the territorial sea.  It provides that every State has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles measured from baselines determined in accordance with the Convention. Two methods have been laid down for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea:

  1. The low-water line 2. The straight baseline.

 The normal method used is the low-water line as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by coastal State.

The method of straight baseline was expressed by the Anglo Norwegian Fisheries case, which had a decisive effect on the baseline issue.

Innocent Passage

Under the 1982, the sovereignty of a coastal State over its territorial water has a vital limitation that is the right of innocent passage enjoyed by ships (merchant ships, governmental ships and warships) of all States, whether coastal or landlocked, over the territorial sea of the coastal State.  Passage means navigation through the territorial sea for the purpose of passing through that sea with no entering into internal waters or calling at a roadstead or port facility outside internal waters. Passage must be continuous and efficient; however, it may include stopping and anchoring in so far as they are incidental to ordinary navigation or are rendered necessary by inevitable accident or anguish or for the purpose of rendering assistance to persons, ships or aircraft in danger or trouble.  Passage must take place in conformity with the 1982 Convention and with other rules of International Law.

 Passage must be innocent; it is innocent so long as it is not detrimental to the peace, order or security of the coastal State. The coastal States has the right to make laws to regulate the territorial waters. It can implement laws and regulations governing innocent passage, and to prevent passage which is not innocent. Foreign ships in the innocent passage are required to comply with all such laws and regulations, framed by the coastal State, and other common international regulations for the prevention of collisions at sea.

The 1982 Conventions provides that the coastal State must not hamper the innocent passage of foreign ships through its territorial seas except in accordance with the Convention. The Coastal State, within the application of the Convention or of any laws or regulations adopted in conformity with it, must not impose requirements aiming at denying or impairing the right of innocent passage, or discriminate on form or actually against the ships of any State or against ships carrying cargoes to, from or on behalf of any State. It must give appropriate publicity to any danger to navigation, of which it’s knowledge, within its territorial sea. It must not levy any charges upon foreign ships by reason only of their passage through its territorial sea; charges could also be levied as payment just for specific services rendered to the ship.[3]

The coastal State is under an obligation not to exercise its criminal jurisdiction on foreign ship elapsing through its territorial sea, except in the cases precise by the Convention. It is also under an obligation not to exercise civil jurisdiction in relation to a foreign ship or a person on its board, except in the cases specified by the Convention. Remarkably, the warships and other government ships operated for non-commercial purposes are exempted from any jurisdiction; however the coastal State, during a case of failure of any of those ships from obeying with its laws and regulations, may order it to leave its territorial Sea immediately.

The right of innocent passage is additionally enjoyed by submarines and other underwater vehicles. However, it is required that they pilot on the surface and show their flag.

Rights of the Coastal State over the Territorial Sea[4]                

As the 1982 Convention provides, the sovereignty of the coastal State extends to its territorial sea as well as to the air-space over its territorial sea, its bed and subsoil.  In this regard the coastal State enjoys the following:

(1)     The exclusive right to fish, and to exploit the resources of the seabed and subsoil of its territorial sea.

(2)     The exclusive right in the air-space over its territorial sea to the exclusion of other States. Foreign aircrafts, unlike ships, have no right of innocent fly in the air-space over the territorial sea of a State.

(3)     The right to enact laws and regulations, in conformity with the 1982 Convention and other rules of International Law, particularly in respect of navigation, health, customs, immigration and preservation of the environment.

(4)     The right to take the necessary steps in its territorial Sea to prevent passage which is not innocent.

(5)     The exercise of criminal jurisdiction on board of a foreign ship (arresting any person or conducting any investigation in connection with any crime committed on board of the foreign ship) in the following cases: if the consequences of the crime extend to it; if the crime is of a kind to disturb the peace of the country or the good order of its territorial sea; if the assistance of the local authorities has been requested; if the measures are necessary for the suppression of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs; or after leaving its internal water.

(6)     The exercise of civil jurisdiction in relation to a foreign ship (levy execution against or arrest the ship for the purpose of any civil proceedings) in respect of obligations or liabilities assumed or incurred by the ship itself in the course or for the purpose of its voyage through its waters, or in respect of any civil proceedings against a foreign ship after leaving its internal waters.

[1] Art. 2 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; Arts 1–2, Geneva Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone

[2]UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA, retrieved 27 April 2016.

[3]https://sites.google.com/site/walidabdulrahim/home/my-studies-in-english/12-the-law-of-the-sea

[4] The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea, Article 2, 21, 22, 25-28.

Independence Day

Independence Day is annually celebrated on 15 August, as a national holiday in Indiacommemorating the nation’s independencefrom the United Kingdom on 15 August 1947, the day when the provisions of the Indian Independence Act 1947, as passed by the United Kingdom Parliament, which transferred legislative sovereignty to the Indian Constituent Assembly came into effect. India retained King George VI as head of state until its transition to full republican and Constitution of India 1950 replaced the dominion prefix, Dominion of India with the enactment of the sovereign law Constitution of India. India attained independence following the Independence Movement noted for largely non-violent resistance and civil disobedience.

Election Commission of India

The Election Commission of India is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible for administering election processes in India at national, state and district level. The body administers elections to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies, State Legislative Councils, and the offices of the President and Vice President of the country. The Election Commission operates under the authority of Constitution per Article 324, and subsequently enacted Representation of the People Act. The commission has the powers under the Constitution, to act in an appropriate manner when the enacted laws make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of an election. Being a constitutional authority, Election Commission is amongst the few institutions which function with both autonomy and freedom, along with the country’s higher judiciary, the Union Public Service Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

Functions

One of the most important features of the democratic policy in India is elections at regular intervals. Holding periodic, free and fair elections are essentials of a democratic system and a part of the basic structure of the Constitution. The Election Commission is regarded as the guardian of elections in the country. In every election, it issues a Model Code of Conduct for political parties and candidates to conduct elections in a free and fair manner. The commission issued the Code of Conduct for the first time in 1971 for the 5th Lok Sabha elections and has revised it from time to time. It lays down guidelines for the conduct of political parties and candidates during an election period. However, there have been instances of violation of the code by various political parties with complaints being received for misuse of official machinery by the candidates. The code does not have any specific statutory basis but only a persuasive effect. It contains the rules of electoral morality. However, this lack of statutory backing does not prevent the commission from enforcing it.

A law for the registration process for political parties was enacted in 1989 and a number of parties got registered with the commission. The registration helps avoid confusion and ensures that the political parties are brought under the purview of the commission.

The election commission has the right to allow symbols to the political parties. It gives recognition to the national parties, state parties and regional parties. It sets limits on poll expenses. The commission prepare electoral rolls and update the voter’s list from time to time. Notifications of dates and schedules of election for filing nominations are issued by the commission. It is noteworthy that Election commission cannot allot same symbol to two regional political parties even if they are not in the same state.

The commission is empowered with prohibiting dissemination or publication of voting trends that seek to influence voters by opinion polls or exit polls.

To curb the growing influence of money during elections, the Election Commission has made many suggestions and changes in this regard. The commission has appointed IRS officers of the Income Tax Department as Election Observers (Expenditure) of all elections and has fixed the legal limits on the amount of money which a candidate can spend during election campaigns. These limits have been revised over time. The Election Commission, by appointing expenditure observers from the Indian Revenue Service, keeps an eye on the individual account of election expenditure. The commission takes details of the candidate’s assets on affidavit at the time of submitting nomination paper, who are also required to give details of their expenditure within 30 days of the declaration of results. The campaign period has also been reduced by the commission from 21 to 14 days for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections to cut down election expenditure.

In an attempt to descriminalise politics, the Election Commission has approached the Supreme Court to put a lifetime ban on convicted politicians from contesting elections.

The general election in India, the world’s largest democracy, will take place in nine phases between April 7 and May 12. The general election is a celebration of democracy, no doubt, but it is also a huge challenge for the Election Commission, which is responsible for the smooth operation of the general election. Conducting general election in a country with over 800 million eligible voters is a nightmare and proper planning has to be carried out to ensure that there are no security breaches and that people vote in a safe and secure environment.

Security is a huge challenge for the Election Commission, especially in areas that have a significant presence of Maoist rebels. In the previous elections, Maoist rebels have opposed the elections and tried to sabotage them as well, and it will not come as a surprise if they try to do it this time around. Therefore, the Election Commission is making a list of groups that may oppose the elections and it is coming up with elaborate plans to handle them while maintaining peace in the region.   

The Election Commission, apart from overseeing the general election, is tasked with keeping an eye on speeches made in the country that could disturb the peace and weaken the social fabric of the Indian society. In addition, it is required to monitor the expenditure of the various parties in India and maintain religious harmony in every state. This year, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) will also be able to cast their votes in view of the amendment of The Representation of the People Bill in 2010. Close to 12,000 NRIs have registered as voters and they will be exercising their voting rights for the very first time. With the advancement of technology, Indians living miles away from their homeland are able to stay up to date with the current affairs and developments in the Indian political scene.   

With news spreading like wild fire on social networking sites and other new media platforms, people have begun to take an interest in affairs of the nation. As such, they are involved in political and economic issues like never before. This is not just applicable to NRIs but also to people living in India. This is the first time in India’s history that people are showing enthusiasm and interest in the polls. As such, with greater participation from Indians at home and abroad, the Election Commission is expected to be more vigilant of the conduct of the people on the voting day and ensure that people abide by the rules as stated in the Constitution.   

New parties have emerged on the political front in India and they are all fighting for diverse issues. The Congress, which has been in power for the last 10 years, is fighting to defend its political record and to protect the secular fabric of the nation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting for a change in the centre and is trying to convince the people of India that it can do a better job than the Congress. Regional parties are on the rise and a new party that has joined the bandwagon is the Aam Aadmi Party, which claims to represent the common man and is keen to address the problems of the common man.  

With so many parties fighting for attention and votes, it is inevitable that there will be clashes between the parties and the people. So, the Election Commission has to ensure that the parties adhere to the Constitution and the rules it has put forth with regard to rallies. Mr . Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath CEC (Chief Election Commissioner of India) has a huge task at hand and with more parties joining the political scene and more voters in the picture, its job essentially gets harder. Maintaining peace in the region is crucial and it is difficult to predict when chaos will erupt. So, the Election Commission has to take proactive measures to ensure that the general election conforms to the Indian Constitution and proceeds in a smooth manner.   

RATAN TATA : REAL SON OF GOD

Ratan Naval Tata

One of the most well-known and respected industrialists in India, Ratan Naval Tata is the Chairman of Tata Sons and Tata Group. At the age of 73, Tata heads one of the country’s largest conglomerates which comprise nearly 100 firms with revenues totaling about USD 67 billion. He is also the chairman of major Tata companies such as Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Teleservices. Power, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, and The Indian Hotels Company.
Tata was born on December 28, 1937 in Mumbai, in one of the richest families. His great grandfather was Jamsedji Tata, founder of the Tata group. As a young boy, Tata had a disturbed childhood after his parents split. He was raised by his grandmother, Lady Navajbai in the lap of luxury at Tata Palace. America held a special fascination for the Tata scion and he went to Cornell University to study architecture and structural engineering. Later he pursued a management course from Harvard University.

In 1962, he joined the Tata Group and his first job involved working with the Tata Steel division in Jamshedpur, where he worked with the blue-collar employees shoveling stone and working with the furnaces. He was appointed the Director-in-Charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company Limited (Nelco) in 1971 and was successful in turning Nelco around.

Tata later paved his way to become the Chairman of Tata Industries and was instrumental in ushering in a wide array of reforms. It was under his stewardship that Tata Consultancy Services went public and Tata Motors was listed in the New York Stock Exchange giving it more international power and recognition. He is credited with leading the Tatas’ successful bid for Corus- an Anglo-Dutch steel and aluminum producer as well as Jaguar and Land Rover brands from the Ford Company.

During his tenure the company witnessed the launch of india’s first truly Indian car, ‘Indica’. The car was the brainchild of Tata. In 2000 Tata’s food division acquired tea firm Tetley for GBP 70 million. In the year 2009-10 the group’s revenues have grown nearly 12-fold, totalling USD 67.4 billion. Tata also serves on the boards of Fiat SpA and Alcoa and is also on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase, Rolls Royce, Temasek Holdings and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

In year 2000, he was honored with Padma Bhushan by the government of India. He was also conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, and an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick. Tata has a personal fortune of GBP 300 million and owns less than 1% of the colossal group. Over two thirds of Tata Group is owned by charitable trusts that finance good causes.

Tata set a perfect example of generosity and leadership during the 26/11 attacks. Unarmed he stood all alone outside the Taj hotel and supervised the activities to help the victims. He showcased his humane gesture by personally visiting the families of all the 80 employees who were killed or injured. He left no stone unturned to provide relief to the victims and even asked the families and dependents as to what they wanted him to do.

His retirement may still be a year away, but Tata has started chalking out plans on his post-retirement. He plans to set up a design centre of international standards and scale. He has led development of many innovative designs and products, the most celebrated being Nano. The idea of Nano was born with his concern for the safety of nuclear families commuting on two-wheelers. He was the one who suggested that the miniature car should be fitted with just one windscreen wiper. This reduced its price and maintenance cost.

Rising prices of essential commodities in India

In India, inflation or price rise is not just an economic concept but they are also a political tool, often used by the opposition parties to launch attack on the ruling government. But in case of price rise of essential commodities, price rise is more political than economic factor. Very often, there is uproar in Parliament as political parties jostle to grab as much mileage as possible from the government’s apparent failure to curb inflation, as they try to sidle up to the aam aadmi who has been worst hit by skyrocketing prices. It is because the people of lower strata are most severely affected by the rising prices, and if the price rise is in essential commodities, damage is more severe.    

Commodities classified as essential under the Essential Commodities Act 1955 includes cattle fodder, oil-cakes and other concentrates, coal, including coke and other derivatives, component parts and accessories of automobiles, cotton and woolen textiles, few drugs, foodstuffs, including edible oil-seeds and oils, iron and steel, including manufactured products of iron and steel; paper, including newsprint, paperboard -and straw board; petroleum and petroleum products; raw cotton, food crops etc.   

In the last five years, the prices of eight essential commodities have gone up by nearly 72 percent and on the contrary the per capita income have gone up by 38 percent of average Indian in metros, according to the latest study undertaken by apex chamber ASSOCHAM.  

While prices of condiments & spices, eggs, fish and meat, milk, pulses witnessed a sharp increase, ranging between 158.07 percent, 78.88 percent, 74.12 percent and 73.69 percent respectively, other essentials like coffee, tea, wheat and fruits and vegetables saw upward moment in the range of 70.75 percent, 66.89 percent, 63.25 percent and 59.31 percent respectively during the corresponding period.   ​​​​​​​  

Demand as well as supply, both factors are responsible for rise in prices of essential commodities. Apart from increasing population which itself is a major cause of rising demand, changing food habits are also giving push to demand pull inflation. Growing demand for pizzas is one big example where large quantities of cheese and butter are used. The price of milk and milk-based products in India is set to surge on the back of a variety of natural and human factors, including a shortage during monsoon months. Prices will be further impacted by the upcoming festival season which sees a spike in consumption of milk-based products, especially sweets.  

On the supply side, unfavorable weather conditions also resulted in the short supply of commodities and consequently pushed their prices up. Lack of warehousing facilities, cold storages also results in the post harvest losses which are estimated to the tune of one-third of the total produce. An abnormally high percentage of fruits and vegetables goes wasted because of lack of cold-storage facilities. Thus post harvest losses also contribute to the short supply of food crops.    

The sharp increase in prices of wheat and rice will have an inflationary impact on essential commodities as open market prices of both commodities were ruling slightly higher than the above the poverty line prices. Many essential commodities like petroleum products, pulses, fertilizers are either imported or are produced with imported intermediate goods. Price of such commodities depends on the international prices and as over all global prices of these commodities is increasing, pressure on domestic prices is bound to happen. Even in the case of export based goods produced in the country, if international prices of such commodities are soaring, there is an upward pressure on domestic prices as well because the producers will tend to sell these products in foreign markets where they are likely to fetch better prices. It may also create an scarcity in domestic market.  

Moreover, market is also dominated by manipulators, fixers, fly by operators, corporate gamblers. Many allege that prime reason behind the rising essential commodities is that we created a commodity exchange like Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) and other like commodity exchanges where market can be manipulate within hours according to one’s own wish. Moreover, it has nothing to do with our production, distribution, monsoon and other factors; still it effects the commodity prices. The argument is true to some extent but, such exchanges have their own benefits too.  

The inflation can be controlled to the large extent if the government gives full freedom for farmers to sell their agricultural produce anywhere in India without any restriction and ensure free movement without taxing the same. All the agricultural produce is controlled by market forces which include arhatiyas, hoarders, black marketers and other rich and traditional traders. The prices of goods are decided by these individuals. They create the artificial shortage and price rise. The farmers cannot sell their agriculture produce directly due to different reasons. The real farmers are getting 1/3rd of the price. Rest of the profit is swallowed by the middleman and traders only.  

Thus, the price rise is caused by several factors like hording, population explosion, low productivity, natural calamities, wars, backwardness of communication, evil motives of dishonest businessmen, smuggling, black marketing etc. Many suggest deregulation of prices of essential commodities as market forces are supposed to efficiently allocate the resources. However, it is also necessary to provide affordable prices to the vulnerable sections of the society. But indeed, comprehensive reforms, development of agriculture infrastructure, elimination of hoarders and black marketers etc is necessary to eliminate the artificial scarcity plaguing the economy.