COMPETITION AFFAIRS

10 Amazing Motivational And Inspirational Quotes About Life And Happiness

2014-10-26T22:51:00.000+05:30

#1.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi

#2.

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” – Epictetus

#3.

“Rules for Happiness: Something to do, Someone to love, Something to hope for.” ― Immanuel Kant

#4.

“The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring.” – Carl Sandburg

#5.

“Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling.” – Margaret Lee Runbeck

#6.

“My happiness grows in direct proportion to my acceptance, and in inverse proportion to my expectations.” - Michael J. Fox

#7.

“Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.” – Linus Pauling

#8.

“Happiness exists on earth, and it is won through prudent exercise of reason, knowledge of the harmony of the universe, and constant practice of generosity.” – Jose Marti

#9.

“True happiness… is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller

#10.

“True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca

10 Amazing Steve Maraboli's Quotes on Relationship and Love

2014-10-25T11:39:00.000+05:30

Steve Maraboli's Quotes Pics / Images on Relationship and Love

Steve Maraboli, 'Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience'; 'Life, the Truth, and Being Free'.

#1.

“If you're not comfortable enough with yourself or with your own truth when entering a relationship, then you're not ready for that relationship.”

#2.

“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.”

#3.

“In a strong relationship, you should love your companion more than you need them.”

#4.

“Love is forgiving, accepting, moving on, embracing, and all encompassing. And if you’re not doing that for yourself, you cannot do that with anyone else.”

#5.

“When in a relationship, a real man doesn't make his woman jealous of others, he makes others jealous of his woman.”

:: Few More Amazing Love and Relationship Quotes ::

#6.

“Love has no limitations. It cannot be measured. It has no boundaries. Although many have tried, love is indefinable.”

#7.

“If you’re not comfortable enough with yourself or with your own truth when entering a relationship, then you're not ready for that relationship.”

#8.

“A beautiful thing happens when we start paying attention to each other. It is by participating more in your relationship that you breathe life into it.”

#9.

“A successful relationship bridges the gap between men and women and that bridge is built with respect.”

#10.

“By reacting from fear instead of responding from love, you inject poison directly into the veins of your relationship.”

More Readings: Top 5 Amazing Inspirational Quotes Best Ever

This Amazing App Solves Maths Problems From Photos

2014-10-24T21:43:00.000+05:30

This amazing app - 'PhotoMath' reads and solves mathematical expressions by using the camera of your mobile device in real time. It makes math easy and simple by educating users how to solve math problems. Its smart camera calculator app.

It supports Arithmetic expressions; Fractions and decimals; Powers and roots; and Simple linear equations.

Its available for following platforms till today - Apple iOS and Microsoft Windows OS. Its soon to be launched by 2015 for Android OS.

Now it'll be easy for students to complete their maths homework with this app. Students have always been able to cheat on homework. They could get their friends to help them, they could get a tutor to give the solutions. If you type an equation into Wolfram Alpha, it will give an excellent solution, but don't cheat with this excellent math app in exams and homework. Don't get habitual to it as it'll limit your brain to expand and grow with high possible IQ.

10 Amazing Psychological Facts

2014-10-24T12:13:00.000+05:30

Fact #1: Man's psychology of pregnancy -

Expectant fathers can sometimes experience a sympathetic pregnancy where they have symptoms like back ache, weight gain, strange food cravings and nausea. This has also been found to happen in some species of monkey.

Fact #2: Psychology of eye contact -

If someone makes eye contact with you for 60% of a conversation they’re bored, 80% and they’re attracted to you and 100% of the time then they are threatening you.

Fact #3: Psychology of attraction -

The pupil of your eye expands up to 45% when you look at someone you love.

Fact #4: Psychology of crying -

When crying from happiness the first tear will come from the right eye but if you are crying from sadness it will come from the left.

Fact #5: Psychology of motivation -

Usually thinking of a successful outcome will reduce our motivation rather than increase it.

Fact #6: Psychology of discipline -

Negative reinforcement works better than punishment as a disciplinary measure.

Fact #7: Psychology of food and intelligence -

Studies have shown that eating food without preservatives can improve I.Q by up to 14%.

Fact #8: Psychology of color productivity -

People are often more productive in blue rooms

Fact #9: Psychology of stress -

A small amount of stress helps you to remember things better but a large amount hinders your memory.

Fact #10: Psychology of creativity -

We are most creative at night and least creative in the afternoons.

Thanks for Reading:-)

Don't Forget to Share with Your Buddies because Sharing is Caring!!

Top 10 Amazing Jokes Ever - Funniest

2014-10-21T09:58:00.000+05:30

A three-year old walks over to a pregnant lady while waiting with his mother in a doctor’s surgery.
“Why is your stomach so big?” – he asks.
“I´m having a baby.” – she replies.
“Is the baby in your stomach?” – he asks, with his big eyes.
“Yes, it is.” – she says.
“Is it a good baby?” – he asks, with a puzzled look.
“Oh, yes. A really good baby.” – the lady replies.
Shocked and surprised, he asks: “Then why did you eat him?”

A woman runs into a doctor’s office and says “DOCTOR! DOCTOR! You have to help me! Everywhere I touch on my body it hurts!”The doctor replied, “Show me.”So the woman poked her ankle and screamed of pain. Then she poked her knee and yelled OW. She poked her forehead and screamed again.She was about to continue when the doctor said, “That’s enough, let me think this over.” He thought for about a minute and said “I think I know what your problem is. You broke your finger.

A man was in his front yard mowing grass when his attractive blonde female neighbor came out of the house and went straight to the mail box.
She opened it, slammed it shut, and stormed back in the house.
A little later she came out of her house and again went to the mail box and again opened it, then slammed it shut again. Angrily, back into the house she went.
As the man was getting ready to edge the lawn, here she came out again, marched to the mail box, opened it and then slammed it closed harder than ever.
Puzzled by her actions the man asked her, “Is something wrong?”
To which she replied, “There certainly is! My stupid computer keeps giving me a message saying, “YOU’VE GOT MAIL!”

A doctor wanted to get off work and go hunting, so he approached his assistant.“Seamus, I am going hunting tomorrow. I don’t want to close the clinic. I want you to take care of the clinic and take care of my patients.”“Yes, sir!” – answers Seamus.The doctor goes hunting and returns the following day and asks: “So, Seamus, how was your day?”Seamus told him that he took care of three patients.“The first one had a headache so I gave him Tylenol.”“Bravo, and the second one?” – asks the doctor.“The second one had stomach burning and I gave him Malox, sir.” – says Seamus.“Bravo, bravo! You’re good at this and what about the third one?” – asks the doctor.“Sir, I was sitting here and suddenly the door opened and a woman entered. Like a flame, she undressed herself, taking off everything including her bra, her panties and lied down on the table. She spread her legs and shouted: “HELP ME! For five years I have not seen any man!”“Thunderin’ Lard Jayzus, Seamus, what did ye do?” – asks the doctor.“I put drops in her eyes.” !!!!!

Lady: Is this my train?Station Master: No, it belongs to the Railway Company.Lady: Don’t try to be funny. I mean to ask if I can take this train to New Delhi.Station Master: No Madam, I’m afraid it’s too heavy.

Kid: “Papa, are you growing taller all the time?”Father: “No, my child. Why do you ask?”Kid: “Because the top of your head is poking up through your hair.”

Wife: "How would you describe me?"
Husband: "ABCDEFGHIJK."
Wife: "What does that mean?"
Husband: "Adorable, beautiful, cute, delightful, elegant, fashionable, gorgeous, and hot."
Wife: "Aw, thank you, but what about IJK?"
Husband: "I'm just kidding!"

Teacher: "Kids,what does the chicken give you?"
Student: "Meat!"
Teacher: "Very good! Now what does the pig give you?"
Student: "Bacon!"
Teacher: "Great! And what does the fat buffalo give you?"
Student: "Homework!"

A child asked his father, "How were people born?"
So his father said, "Adam and Eve made babies, then their babies became adults and made babies, and so on."
The child then went to his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, "We were monkeys then we evolved to become like we are now."
The child ran back to his father and said, "You lied to me!" His father replied, "No, your mom was talking about her side of the family."

#10

A husband, who has six children, begins to call his wife “mother of six” rather than by her first name.The wife, amused at first, chuckles. A few years down the road, the wife has grown tired of this. "Mother of six," he would say, "what’s for dinner tonight? Get me a beer!" She gets very frustrated. Finally, while attending a party with her husband, he jokingly yells out, "Mother of six, I think it's time to go!" The wife immediately shouts back, "I'll be right with you, father of four!"

#Funniest-Family-Jokes, #Funniest-Husband-Wife-Jokes, #Funniest-Teacher-Student-Jokes, #Funniest-Father-Son-Jokes

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) - Signs and Symptoms; Diagnosis; Vaccine and Treatment; Prevention and Control

2014-10-21T00:55:00.004+05:30

Click Here to Listen This Article in Audio Format - Its an Audio Article!

PIB Features: Health Articles

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests. The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.

Ebola first appeared in 1976 in two simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name. Although non-human primates have been a source of infection for humans, they are not thought to be the reservoir but rather an accidental host like human beings.

Transmission

Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa, infection has been noticed among those handling infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope found ill or dead or in the rainforest. Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients with suspected or confirmed EVD when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced.

Signs and symptoms

EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms, is 2 to 21 days.

Diagnosis

Before a patient is diagnosed as infected with EVD, one should rule out malaria, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, leptospirosis, plague, rickettsiosis, meningitis, hepatitis and other viral hemorrhagic fevers like dengue, yellow fever and kyasanur forest disease etc.

Vaccine and treatment

There is no specific treatment nor is any licensed vaccine for EVD available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use. Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids.

Prevention and control

No animal vaccine against this is available. Routine cleaning and disinfection of pig or monkey farms (with sodium hypochlorite or other detergents) should be effective in inactivating the virus.

If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be quarantined immediately. Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission. Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease.

As this viral outbreak in pigs and monkeys have preceded human infections, the establishment of an active animal health surveillance system to detect new cases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human public health authorities.

In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and the protective measures individuals can take is the only way to reduce human infection and death.

India and EBOLA

There is a risk the deadly virus could be imported into the country if the large population of Indians working in the four affected West African nations returns. There are nearly 45,000 Indian nationals living and working in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria - where an outbreak of the disease has killed 932 people. While the risk of Ebola virus cases in India is low, preparedness measures are in place to deal with any case of the virus imported to India. Government has advised against all non-essential travel to the four countries, and authorities will screen travelers who originate from or transit through affected nations, and track them after their arrival in India.

The government will also set up facilities at airports and ports to manage travelers showing symptoms of the disease. State authorities have been instructed to designate hospitals with isolation wards for response to possible cases and to stock personal protective equipment.

Author:

Dr. H. R. Keshavamurthy

Director (M&C) in PIB Kolkata

.....*********.....

Article on Health Benefits of Antioxidants and Phytochemicals

2014-10-21T00:16:00.003+05:30

Click Here to Listen This Article in Audio Format - Its an Audio Article!

“Let food be thy medicine; and medicine be thy food” Hippocrates (431 BC)

PIB Features - Nutrition Week: 1st – 7th September 2014

Food intake – both in terms of quantity and quality influence the nutrition/health status as well as overall wellbeing of the individuals. Therefore, for maintaining physical and mental health, adequate amounts of all essential nutrients must be included in our diet right from infancy until old age. The phrase ‘we are what we eat’ aptly signifies that our body composition largely depends on our diet. No single food is able to meet all our nutritional needs. Our diet should be nutritionally well balanced and it should be able to provide adequate amounts of energy, protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and water.

Nutrition plays an important role in our health and well-being. Apart from the already known dietary constituents; in the recent years, there has been an increasing interest in certain compounds having enormous health effects which include antioxidants and phytochemicals.

Antioxidants: An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. Although oxidation reactions are crucial for life, many times these can be damaging too. The free radicals produced during oxidative processes release highly-reactive compounds generated in the body as by-products of normal processes or these may enter the body from the environment. Insufficient levels of antioxidants or inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes cause oxidative stress that may damage or kill the DNA cells. Anti-oxidants are the compounds that inactivate the oxygen species/free radicals and, thus, prevent the oxidative damage to the cells and body tissues. Plant foods confer numerous health benefits as they combat oxidative stress in the body by maintaining a balance between oxidants and antioxidants. Plant/animal foods contain a variety of nutrient/non-nutrient antioxidants, such as glutathione, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin E. Antioxidants are widely being used as dietary supplements and have been investigated for the prevention of diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and even altitude sickness.

Potential health benefits of antioxidants

Antioxidants counteract the damaging effects of oxidation in our body. These include vitamin A, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E, polyphenols and certain minerals (like selenium) that boost our immune function by quenching the free radicals.

The free radicals are highly-reactive compounds that are formed as by-products during normal metabolic processes occurring in the body or these may enter the body from the environment.

By neutralizing these harmful compounds, antioxidants help in preventing various forms of cancer as well as in the management of HIV patients by boosting their immune system.

Antioxidants such as vitamin E and ascorbic acid may help in delaying the process of aging; and these may even prevent or reverse the memory loss.

Studies indicate that certain combinations of antioxidant-rich foods exert potential health benefits not accorded by the individual foods. For instance, the combination of antioxidants present in blueberry, strawberry and spinach protect the nervous system by inhibiting the enzyme that may be involved in certain neurological disorders including autism, depression and schizophrenia.

Antioxidants are possibly beneficial in the treatment of certain neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD)/Parkinson's disease (PD).

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a chronic progressive form of dementia characterised by the accumulation of plaques in certain regions of the brain as well as the degeneration of certain types of neurons. It usually begins after the age of 70 years. Initial symptoms include forgetfulness and reduced sensitivity to smell/taste gradually leading to behavioural problems such as wandering, aggression and sleep disorders. These affect the food intake and drain out the nutrient reserves leading to nutritional deficiencies.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is characterised by an inadequate production of dopamine. PD usually begins around 60 years of age or earlier. It is more common in men than in women. Salient symptoms include trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face; stiffness of arms, legs and trunk; slowness of movement; and lack of balance/coordination. Some patients may also experience depression and sleep problems.

Due to beneficial interactions between antioxidants and other food components, it is advisable to obtain antioxidants from food sources as these may confer better health benefits than those taken in the form of supplements.

The current lifestyle related changes (sedentary lifestyle, faulty dietary practices, stress and in some cases smoking/drug abuse/alcohol consumption) may cause over-production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species. A number of natural antioxidants not only reduce oxidative stress, but also provide protection against various degenerative diseases; and thus, antioxidants play a significant role in health care. Plant foods are the primary sources of naturally occurring antioxidants; fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers being the rich sources of polyphenols. Hence, an increased consumption of fruits/vegetables is advocated for lowering the risk of various degenerative diseases. Natural antioxidants, because of safety and potential therapeutic effects, have gained considerable interest of the nutritionists, food manufacturers and consumers.

Based on potent antioxidant activity of the phenolic compounds, the total phenolic content (TPC) of plant foods varies considerably. The TPC of fresh fruits ranges from 26 mg/100g (watermelon) to 374 mg/100g (guava) and that of the dry fruits from 99.0 mg/100g (piyal seeds/chirongi nuts) to 959.7 mg/100g (walnuts). Further, intensely coloured vegetables like beetroot and red cabbage have high antioxidant activity while carrots have the lowest TPC.

It is important to remember that high-doses of antioxidant supplements may, in some cases, cause health risks. For example, high doses of β-carotene may increase the risk of lung cancer among the smokers while that of vitamin E may increase the risk of prostate cancer and stroke.

Food items, termed as functional foods, are designed to facilitate the consumption of enriched foods in their natural state, rather than the dietary supplements in the liquid or capsule form. The functional foods are enriched or fortified to restore the nutrients to levels equal to or more than that present in the food prior to processing. Sometimes complementary nutrients/certain compounds are also added to improve nutritional value or health effects of the food such as addition of vitamin D in milk, plant sterols to milk based drinks.

Phytochemicals: on the other hand, phytochemicals are the compounds that occur naturally in plants (in Greek, phyto means ‘plant’). Technically, though it refers to a wide variety of plant based compounds, the term is mainly used for the compounds that may affect human health.

Phytochemicals are virtually present in all the fruits, vegetables, pulses/legumes and grains which are commonly consumed, so it is quite easy to incorporate them in our daily diet. Although thousands of phytochemicals have been identified, only a small fraction of them have been studied closely. Some of the better-known phytochemicals include β-carotene and other carotenoids, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), folic acid, and vitamin E. Some phytochemicals may possess antioxidant activity or hormone-like actions too.

Phytochemicals and their health effects

Intake of phytochemicals (polyphenols, tocopherols, tocotrienols, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid) has been associated with the maintenance of good health as well as prevention/treatment of many health conditions including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, metabolic syndrome and other degenerative diseases.

Certain phytochemicals are responsible for the colour and other organoleptic properties of the foods, such as the deep purple colour of blueberries and the peculiar odour of garlic. There may be as many as 4,000 different phytochemicals having potential benefits in diseased conditions; lycopene present in tomatoes has been tested for providing protection against cardiovascular diseases and prostate cancer.

Among several major groups of phytochemicals, polyphenols include a large subgroup of compounds known as flavonoids. Flavonoids are present in a wide range of fruits, vegetables and grains; isoflavones (present in soybean/soy products; lignans in flaxseeds - alsi seeds and whole grains) mimic the action of female hormone - estrogen. These seemingly estrogen-like substances from plant sources called phytoestrogens may play an important role in providing protection against some hormone-dependent cancers like certain types of breast/prostate cancer.

Other polyphenols (including certain flavonoids) act as antioxidants. These compounds are commonly found in tea and vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower. Black grapes, red cabbage and red-radish contain anthocyanidins (a type of flavonoid) that act as potent antioxidants. Carotenoids, which impart yellow to orange colour to vegetables and fruits are promoted as anti-cancer agents. Tomatoes, red pepper, and pink grapefruit contain lycopene which again is a powerful antioxidant; lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids present in green leafy vegetables reduce the risk of certain cancers. Another group of phytochemicals, called allyl sulfides (present in garlic and onion) may stimulate enzymes that help the body to get rid of harmful chemicals. These may also help in strengthening the immune system.

"To derive the maximum health benefits, we need to ensure the consumption of sufficient quantities of natural antioxidants and phytochemicals from a variety of plant sources."

Article By:

Dr Santosh Jain Passi
Nutritionist. Former Director, Institute of Home Economics (University of Delhi)
&
Ms Akanksha Jain
Research Associate

...***...

5 Amazing Websites to Make Your Life Great - Probably the Top 5 Websites of 2014

2014-07-31T08:51:00.000+05:30

01. LIFEHACK - www.lifehack.org

Lifehack is your source for tips to help improve all aspects of your life. Widely recognized as one of the premier productivity and lifestyle blogs on the web. This site is dedicated to lifehacks, which is a phrase that describes any advice, resource, tip or trick that will help you get things done more efficiently and effectively.

02. KIND OF NORMAL - www.kindofnormal.com

KindofNormal.com is a comedy site created and run by new creations.

03. FRIEDBEEF - www.friedbeef.com

Solving Everyday Problems With Simple Technology: Useful Tips & How-To's

04. LABNOL - www.labnol.org

Digital Inspiration, launched in 2004, is among the top 100 technology and how-to blogs on the Internet out of an estimated total of 130+ million blogs. The purpose of the site is to help you take maximum advantage of the software tools and web technologies at your disposal so that you spend more time doing things your really love.

05. LIFEHACKER - www.lifehacker.com

Tips, tricks, and downloads for getting things done.

Thanks!!

Don't forget to share.

5 Amazing Nature Photographs @ 500px

2014-07-15T09:49:00.000+05:30

01. 'Swiss Sunset' by Edgar Romanovskis

Camera: Canon EOS 450D

Focal Length: 18mm

Aperture: f/11

ISO/Film: 100

@ http://500px.com/photo/40568620/swiss-sunset-by-edgar-romanovskis

02. 'Milky Way' by Prasad Perakam

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Focal Length: 24mm

Shutter Speed: 20 s

Aperture: f/4

ISO/Film: 2500

@ http://500px.com/photo/76604259/milky-way-by-prasad-perakam

03. 'Sawah...**' by Wahyu_ono

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Focal Length: 10mm
Shutter Speed: 1/320 s
Aperture: f/10
ISO/Film: 100

@ http://500px.com/photo/76555079/sawah-by-wahyu_ono-

04. 'Grand Canyon Northern Rim' by Jay Patts

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Focal Length: 65mm
Shutter Speed: 1/250 s
Aperture: f/10
ISO/Film: 100

@ http://500px.com/photo/76540803/grand-canyon-northern-rim-by-jay-patts

05. 'More Rocks' by Frank Jensen
Camera: NIKON D800
Focal Length: 14mm
Aperture: f/18
ISO/Film: 100

@ http://500px.com/photo/76564893/more-rocks-by-frank-jensen

*Disclaimer: These photographs are respective property of photographers who worked hard with their intend to bring out the best of nature.

3 Amazing Manual Tricks to Access / Open Blocked Sites at Office, College or School Without Using any Software?

2014-07-14T15:38:00.000+05:30

Have you ever been restricted to open social media sites at office, college or school. If yes then you are at the right place. Many times social networking sites (Facebook, Google+, Twitter) are blocked by the administration. Their are many ways to open blocked websites on PC / Laptop without installing any software or spending money over hardware.

Trick 01: Just Using Command Option

You can unlock any website by using the IP address of website. Its hassle free. Just follow the steps -

Step 1. Go to start button > Run > CMD (type cmd and hit enter)

Step 2. Now type ping <www. website.com>. Ex: 'ping www.facebook.com'

Step 3. Look for IP address (Ex. For Facebook its 31.13.79.65)

Step 4. Type this IP in URL of your browser and hit enter. Now browse the website and have fun.

What if Command 'CMD' is blocked: Make a list of your favorites and keep with you. No one can stop you now ;-)

Trick 02: Using URL Shorten Service

Step 01. First of all open any one website URL shorten service from below list

http://goo.gl

https://bitly.com

Step 02. Put the URL in box and click 'Shorten the Link'

Step 03. Now simply copy the Short URL and paste it in your web browser.

Trick 03: By Changing Proxy Setting

Step 01. Visit proxylist.hidemyass.com

Step 02. Randomly copy any IP Address and Port (Simultaneously)

Step 03. Go to Start > Run > Type 'Configure Proxy Server' and hit enter

Step 04. Go to Connection > Setting

Step 05. Now select manual proxy configuration and paste the IP to the Address and port to Port than click OK button.

Step 06. Open any browser and start surfing the site you like.

Thanks!!

10 Amazing Ocean Facts

2014-07-13T17:22:00.000+05:30

Fact 01. The longest mountain range in the world is under water, called the Mid-Oceanic Ridge. This mountain range runs more than 50,000 kilometers long through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and into the Indian and Pacific oceans. It comprises 23 percent of the Earth’s total surface.

Fact 02. The largest ocean on Earth is the Pacific Ocean, it covers around 30% of the Earth’s surface. The name meaning of Pacific Ocean is ‘peaceful sea’.

Fact 03. The Gulf of Alaska has two oceans that meet but do not mix. Creating a line between the two oceans that shows both color. It is due to a ocean of melting glaciers being composed of fresh water and other ocean has higher percentage of salt causing two oceans to have different densities and therefore making them more difficult to mix and developing foam only at their junction.

Fact 04. The oceans cover 71% (and rising) of the Earth's surface and contain 97% of the Earth's water. Less than 1% is fresh water, and 2-3% is contained in glaciers and ice caps (and is decreasing). This water is enough to fill a cube with edges over 1000 kilometers (621 miles) in length.

Fact 05. 90% of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans. Volcanoes located under water are also known as submarine volcanoes. There are at least 1,500 active volcanoes on the surface of the earth, but it is estimated that there may be more than 10,000 volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean alone.

Fact 06. The Kuroshio Current, off the shores of Japan, is the largest current. It can travel between 40-121 km/day at 1.6-4.8 kph, and extends some 1,006 m deep.

Fact 07. The density of sea water becomes more dense as it becomes colder, right down to its freezing point of -1.9°C unlike fresh water which is most dense at 4°C, well above its freezing point of 0°C. The average temperature of all ocean water is about 3.5°C.

Fact 08. More than 90% of the trade between countries is carried by ships and about half the communications between nations use underwater cables.

Fact 09. Because the architecture and chemistry of coral is so similar to human bone, coral has been used to replace bone grafts in helping human bone to heal quickly and cleanly.

Fact 10. The speed of sound in water is 1,435 m/sec. Nearly five times faster than the speed of sound in air.

3 Amazing Inspirational Youtube Videos from TOI's 'I Lead India' Campaign

2014-07-12T17:26:00.000+05:30

01. TOI LEAD INDIA “TREE” - Tum Chalo To Hindustan Chale - Youtube: It’s from promotional ads for the Lead India initiative by the Times of India group. It’s been termed as the new anthem of India. It’s written by Gulzar, music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and sung by Shankar Mahadevan.

Lyrics:

Falak pakad ke utho, aur hawa pakad ke chalo, (2)\
Tum chalo, to hindustan chale (4)

Lagao haath ke suraj subah nikala karein,

Hatheliyon mein bhare dhoop aur uchhala karein, (2)

Ufaq pe paav rakho, aur chalo akad ke chalo,

Falak pakad ke utho, aur hawa pakad ke chalo, (2)

Tum chalo, to hindustan chale (4)

..........**********..........

02. TOI I Lead India 2013 - I will be the change - YouTube: Baithe rahane ka time khatam - It’s also from promotional ads for the Lead India initiative by the Times of India group.

Lyrics:

Baithe rahane ka time khatam

Ab main hi woh, ab main hi hum

Narebaji se tang hoon main

Na kisi paksha ke sang hoon main

Ye jimma mera jimma hain

Jimmedari ka ang hoon main

Baithe rahane ka time khatam

Iljaamon ka ab time khatam

Tu tu main main ka time khatam

Ab main hi woh, ab main hi hum

Baithe rahane ka time khatam

Doshi kahane ka time khatam

Tu tu main main ka time khatam

Ab main hi hoon, ab main hi hoon

Meri-2, ye meri jimmedari

Ye woh sab sare main hi hoon

Mujhse hi uttar pana hai

Kayar bhi main, shayar bhi main

Mujhme hi antar lana hai

Baithe rahane ka time khatam

Iljaamon ka ab time khatam

Tu tu main main ka time khatam

Ab main hi woh, ab main hi hum

Baithe rahane ka time khatam

Doshi kahane ka time khatam

Tu tu main main ka time khatam

Ab main hi woh, ab main hi hum

..........**********..........

03. TOI LEAD INDIA - "Do" - SHARUKH KHAN - YouTube: It’s also from promotional ads for the Lead India initiative by the Times of India group.

Video to Text:

Two simple alphabets, place them side by side however and they form a word powerful enough to turn a mass of people into a nation - 'DO'. The Last time we decided 'Do or Die', it changed the map of the world. Today we reach the stage with the eyes of the world are on a second. So what are going to DO? How are we going to turn a land of philosophers into a nation of DOERS? Are we going to keep thinking about what we should be doing or do something, about what we are thinking? Are we going to simply shrug our shoulders and play my infrastructure, a bureaucracy and a political system or are we going to role up the sleeves, get up and actually do something about it. The truth is this thinking can happen from an arm chair but doing must happen on the feet. Thinking may be great way of getting thing started but Doing is the only way to get things DONE. And Let`s face it, you never really caught in traffic jam, You are the traffic jam. Today we are in 68 years of independence, 60 full years more than half a century and we still happy been called an Immersing Economy, a Potential Superpower or a Sleeping Tiger. This must change and it`s only possible if some of us, dare to be the CHANGE. So let stop asking in a glorious past or day dreaming about a great future. Let`s start by DOMINATING today and the DOMINATION starts with DO.

..........**********..........

10 Amazing Human Body Facts

2014-07-09T17:10:00.000+05:30

01. Babies are always born with blue eyes. Baby's true eye color is reveled either by deposition of melanin, the brown pigment molecule or darkened by exposure to ultraviolet light.

02. All babies are color blind at birth, they see only black and white.

03. The brain is more active at night than during the day. Scientists don't know yet why this is.

04. The higher your IQ, the more you dream. (Read 10 Amazing Dream Facts)

05. Our skeleton keeps renewing itself every ten years which means that every ten years you get a new skeleton.

06. The only part of your body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It gets its oxygen directly from air.

07. Humans are the only species that produce emotional tears.

08. We are about 1 cm taller in the mornings than in the evenings.

09. Your eyes remain the same size after birth but your nose and ears never stop growing.

10. The largest cell in the body is the female egg and the smallest is the male sperm.

A few more shocking but amazing facts:

11. There is enough iron in the human body to make a nail.

12. Smelly fart contains the same gas that makes rotten eggs stink – hydrogen sulphide.

13. If yo could spread out your lungs on the ground, unraveling all the tiny little pockets, they would cover a tennis court.

50 Amazing Animal and Bird Photos ~ Lovely Pics

2014-07-09T10:54:00.000+05:30

Here is the collection of lovely images of birds and animals

5 Amazing Inspirational Quote Pictures Best Ever

2014-07-06T09:34:00.000+05:30

# 01. Lao Tzu / Laozi Quotes

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

# 02. Robert Frost Quotes

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

# 03. Napoleon Hill Quotes

"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

# 04. Thomas A. Edison Quotes

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

# 05. Simone De Beauvoir Quotes

"Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay."

Also Read:

1. 10 Amazing Motivational And Inspirational Quotes About Life And Happiness

2. 10 Amazing Steve Maraboli's Quotes on Relationship and Love

10 Amazing Facts About Dreams That You Might Not Even Heard Before

2014-07-06T07:41:00.000+05:30

FACT_01. Even Blinds Can See Dreams Full of Colors

Blind people dream too. People who became blind after the birth can see images, full of colors in their dreams but who born blind can sense only voices without images. Their dreams are just as intense and interesting.

FACT_02. Most of The Inventions and Great Literary Works were Inspired by Dreams

The idea for Google - Larry Page
Alternating current generator - Tesla
DNA’s double helix spiral form - James Watson
The sewing machine - Elias Howe
Periodic table - Dimitri Mendeleev and many more.....

Rather than these invention, the great poetic work 'Kubla Khan' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge was also a productivity of his dream. Though he wrote only 54 lines (he forgot his remaining dream when disturbed).

FACT_03. You Can Never See a Stranger in Dreams Who You Never Met

Your brain can't invent human faces. The faces you see are the people you met once in your life.

FACT_04. Your Dreams Can Make You Kill Someone!

Your Dreams Can Make You Unbelievable Sleepwalker. It is an extreme form of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep disorder. Lee Hadwin is a name famous for his 'sleep-draws', gorgeous portraits he use to paint in her sleepwalks.

Strange sleepwalking cases includes these 'adventures':
1. S E X with a stranger.
2. Murder of cousin after a long drive of 22 miles.

FACTS_05. You Might Soon Be Ready To Upload Your Dreams to Youtube!

Now science can tap into your dreams and reconstruct it to be projected on screen. Scientists at UC Berkeley are near to this milestone with their fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Technology.

FACTS_06. Do You Know? Even Your Pets Dream!

You might be surprised with this fact that your poor little pet dog can woo a bitch in its dreams :-) Ha! Its fact that animals dream too. Watch a dog or a cat sleep and you can see that they are moving their paws and making noises like they were chasing something. Go get ‘em Buddy!

FACTS_07. You Can See A Dream of Your Choice!

It's possible to learn to control your dreams and dream types. The method is called "lucid dreaming," which means that you're aware of the fact that you're dreaming. That way you have the freedom to choose how your dreams go. In most cases people turn nightmares into good dreams or fly.

A device, named The REM Dreamer can get you pretty close! It’s a sleeping mask that allows the person wearing it to become aware that they’re dreaming. The clever device does this through using infra-red sensors to detect when you’ve fallen into REM sleep and then uses light and sound to give you a reality check. This jogs you into becoming lucid in your dream setting!

FACTS_08. When you dream, your body is paralyzed

In the first 90 minutes of sleep, you go through deepening stages ranging from light sleep to deep sleep. Then you enter a phase called REM sleep (REM is short for Rapid Eye Movement) During REM sleep, the rest of your body essentially becomes paralyzed. The release of certain neurotransmitters are shut down and your large muscles do not move.

FACT_09. Not Everyone Dreams in Colors

12% of people dream in black and white. According to a study published in 2008, people under the age of 25 reported rarely ever dreaming in black and white, while those over the age of 55 claimed to dream in monochrome about a quarter of the time. This is largely attributable to the shift from black and white television to full color back in the 1940s!

FACTS_10. Even Dreams Have Gender Differences

In a dream of a man 70% of the characters are male while in women's dreams the gender ratio is 50:50. Also male dreams contain a lot more aggression. Both women and men dream about sexual themes equally often. So its not the fact that females neither see 'pleasurable' dreams nor have 'orgasms'!

A few more dreaming facts from Eastday:

1. Dreaming while snoring is impossible. Means When you are snoring, you are not dreaming.

2. Toddlers do not dream about themselves until the age of 3. From the same age, children typically see more nightmares than adults do until the age 8.

3. If you are awakened out of REM sleep, you are more likely to remember your dream in a more vivid way.

10 Amazing Stop Smoking Advertisements

2014-07-05T07:55:00.000+05:30

Creating such advertisement in public interest is taking responsibility to make world smoking free for the better health and better future of society. One may have his own reasons for quitting smoking. Maybe he wants to be healthier, save some money, or keep his family safe. As you prepare to quit, think about your own reasons for quitting. Remind yourself of them every day. They can inspire you to stop smoking for good. Whatever your reasons, you will be amazed at all the ways your life will improve when you become smoke-free.

Here are a few creative stop smoking advertisements designed by various creative designers to make you quit you may want to consider:

Types of Governments

2013-05-20T22:06:00.000+05:30

Governments can be classified into several types. Some of the more common types of governments are:

1. Democracy

The word "democracy" literally means "rule by the people." In a democracy, the people govern.

2. Republic

A literal democracy is impossible in a political system containing more than a few people. All "democracies" are really republics. In a republic, the people elect representatives to make and enforce laws.

3. Monarchy

A monarchy consists of rule by a king or queen. Sometimes a king is called an "emperor," especially if there is a large empire, such as China before 1911. There are no large monarchies today. The United Kingdom, which has a queen, is really a republic because the queen has virtually no political power.

4. Aristocracy

An aristocracy is rule by the aristocrats. Aristocrats are typically wealthy, educated people. Many monarchies have really been ruled by aristocrats. Today, typically, the term "aristocracy" is used negatively to accuse a republic of being dominated by rich people, such as saying, "The United States has become an aristocracy."

5. Dictatorship

A dictatorship consists of rule by one person or a group of people. Very few dictators admit they are dictators; they almost always claim to be leaders of democracies. The dictator may be one person, such as Castro in Cuba or Hitler in Germany, or a group of people, such as the Communist Party in China.

6. Democratic Republic

Usually, a "democratic republic" is not democratic and is not a republic. A government that officially calls itself a "democratic republic" is usually a dictatorship. Communist dictatorships have been especially prone to use this term. For example, the official name of North Vietnam was "The Democratic Republic of Vietnam." China uses a variant, "The People's Republic of China."

Source: - http://depts.alverno.edu

News on Direct Cash Transfers

2012-12-11T12:37:00.003+05:30

Aadhaar based Direct Cash Transfers - Roll-out to begin from 1 January 2013 in 51 districts, Half the country to be covered by 1 April 2013

A meeting of the Executive Committee on Direct Cash Transfers was held today by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister along with the Cabinet Secretary. The meeting was attended by the Secretaries and representatives of the Departments of Financial Services, UIDAI (Aadhaar), IT, Planning Commission, Expenditure, Posts, Rural Development, Social Justice & Empowerment, Tribal Affairs, Minority Affairs, Higher Education, School Education, Health & Family Welfare, Women & Child Development, Labour & Employment, Petroleum & Natural Gas, Fertilizers, and Food & Public Distribution.

The Prime Minister had recently constituted a National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers under his chairmanship and an Executive Committee on Direct Cash Transfers to give a thrust to roll out a cash transfer programme across the country, leveraging the Aadhaar platform.

The purpose of the meeting today was to move forward and operationalise Direct Cash Transfers for which many steps need to be taken. The necessary steps include (i) identification of areas where Direct Cash Transfers can be introduced, (ii) establishing mechanisms for preparing rollout plans for these areas, (iii) ensuring rapid rollout of Aadhaar to achieve better coverage (at least 80%), (iv) ensuring universal access to banking and financial inclusion and (v) setting up mechanisms to enable cash transfers to actually take place. To facilitate all this, there is a need to constitute other committees including a Technology Committee, a Financial Inclusion Committee and Implementation Committees within each Ministry so as to ensure coordination and quick implementation.

The agenda for the meeting was to:

01. Explain to all committee members the rationale and purpose of Direct Cash Transfers and the institutional architecture that has been put in place for the rollout.

02. Finalise the constitution and composition of the Implementation Committees.

03. Identify areas for introducing Direct Cash Transfers and make arrangements for finalising roadmaps for rollout in each area, keeping in view the roadmap already prepared for Direct Cash Transfers of LPG Subsidy.

Based on the extensive discussions that took place and the issues raised by the participants, the following decisions were taken in the meeting:

04. All departments engaged in transferring benefits to individual beneficiaries will quickly move to an electronic Direct Cash Transfer system, based on an Aadhaar Payment Bridge/ Platform.

05. They will identify the schemes to move to this system and also prepare a roadmap with timelines so that the rollout is smooth and fast. The roadmap for each scheme will broadly have the following timelines:

·        A. 51 districts - from 1 January 2013

·        B. 18 states     - from 1 April 2013

·        C. 16 states   - from 1 April 2014 or earlier.

06. The list of schemes, roadmaps, and timelines will be sent to the Planning Commission and PMO by 20 November 2012

07. UIDAI will set up a dedicated cell of technical experts in UIDAI to facilitate Aaadhaar enabled Direct Cash Transfers and help individual Ministries.

08. Department of Financial Services will go for universal Financial Inclusion through individual Bank Accounts for all in line with the roadmap.

09. UIDAI will rollout Aadhaar speedily in line with the roadmap.

10. Departments will work towards digitising their databases quickly, particularly at the state level with the help of state governments, DeITy and NIC to ensure convergence.

(Source - PIB Featurs)

Civil Services Preliminary Test, 2012 (CSE 2012) Paper I - General Studies

2012-05-31T09:58:00.001+05:30

Test Yourself with Civil Services Preliminary Test, 2012 (CSE 2012) Paper I - General Studies. Most authentic instant evolution of every question with explanation.

Tags: "Civil Services Examination 2012","UPSC Civil Services Prelims Answers Key, Solution 2012","UPSC Prelims 2012 Answer Key","IAS Pre 2012","Answer Key","General Studies Question Paper 2012","Quiz IAS Pre 2012".

Indian Geography : Introduction and Location of India

2012-05-20T22:25:00.000+05:30

India's Mangrove Cover

2012-02-10T11:43:00.002+05:30

Coringa Mangrove - It lies in the east Godavari district near Kakinada port along the Bay of Bengal.The habitat is suitable for salt water crocodile. The area is cut up with a number of creeks of river Godavari.
It was declared as a sanctuary in July 1978 to conserve the mangrove vegetation of the estuary.

Mangroves in India account for about three per cent of the world's mangrove vegetation. The report says mangrove cover in India is 4,662 sq. km, which is 0.14 per cent of the country's total geographical area. Sundarbans in West Bengal accounts for almost half of the total area under mangroves in the country.

The very dense mangrove comprises 1,403 sq. km (30.10 per cent of the total mangrove cover), moderately dense mangrove is 1,658.12 sq. km (35.57 per cent) while open mangroves cover an area of 1,600.44 sq. km (33 per cent).

Mangrove forests are regarded as the most productive wetlands in the world on account of the large quantities of organic and inorganic nutrients released in the coastal waters by these ecosystems.

They also act as nurseries for fin fish, shell fish, crustaceans and mollusks.

Related Search Tags : "Mangroves in India", "Mangroves for the Features", "Mangroves Meaning", "Mangroves and Biodiversity", "Importance of mangroves"

Article on Citizens Charter Bill

2012-01-07T11:30:00.000+05:30

“The Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011” is a step forward towards good governance. The salient features of the Bill are:

Right to Citizens

It confers right on every individual citizen to time bound delivery of goods and provision for services and Redressal of grievances.

Publication of Citizens Charter

· It requires every public authority to publish, within six months of the commencement of the proposed legislation, aCitizens Charter specifying therein the category of goods supplied and services rendered by it, the time within which such goods shall be supplied or services be rendered the name and addresses of individuals responsible as designated officers for the delivery of goods or rendering of services.

Information and Facilitation Centre

· It requires every Public Authority to establish information and facilitation centre for efficient and effective delivery of services and redressal of grievances.

Grievance Redress Officer

It requires every public authority to designate Grievance Redress Officers in all public authorities of the Central, State, district and sub-district levels, municipalities, Panchayats etc. to enquire into and redress any complaints from citizens in a timeframe not exceeding thirty days from the date of receipt of the complaint.

Designated Authority

It provides that any individual aggrieved by a decision of the concerned Grievance Redress Officer may, within thirty days, prefer an appeal to the Designated Authority who shall dispose of such appeal within thirty days from the date of receipt of such appeal. The Designated Authority shall be from outside the concerned public authority.

State/Central Public Grievance Redressal Commission

It provides for constitution of the State Public Grievance Redressal Commission and the Central Public Grievance RedressalCommission consisting of Chief Commissioners and other Commissioners.
It also provides that any person aggrieved by the decision of the Designated Authority falling under the jurisdiction of the State Government may prefer an appeal to the State Public Grievance Redressal Commission and any person aggrieved by the decision of the Designated Authority falling under the jurisdiction of the Central Government may prefer an appeal to the Central Public Grievance Redressal Commission.

Penalty and compensation

It confers power upon the Designated Authority, the State Public Grievance Redressal Commission and the Central Public Grievance Redressal Commission to impose a lump-sum penalty, including compensation to the complainant, against designated official responsible for delivery of goods and services or Grievance Redress Officer for their failure to deliver goods or render services to which the applicant is entitled, which may extend upto fifty thousand rupees which shall be recovered from the salary of the official against whom penalty has been imposed.
It also provides that on the imposition of the penalty, the appellate authority may, by order, direct that such portion of the penalty imposed under the proposed legislation shall be awarded to the appellant, as compensation, not exceeding the amount of penalty imposed, as it may deem fit.

Disciplinary action against erring officials

It provides that if any public servant is found guilty of offence, the disciplinary authority shall initiate disciplinaryproceedings against such officer of the public authority, who if proved to be guilty of a mala fide action in respect of any provision of this Act, shall be liable to such punishment including a penalty as the disciplinary authority may decide.

Action against corrupt practices

It provides that where it appears to the Designated Authority or the State Public Grievance Redressal Commission or theCentral Public Grievance Redressal Commission that the grievance complained of is prima facie indicative of a corrupt act or practice in terms of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, on the part of the responsible officer of the public authority complained against then it shall record such evidence as may be found in support of such conclusion and shall refer the same to the appropriate authorities competent to take cognizance of such corrupt practice.

Appeal to Lokpal/Lokayukta

It provides that any person aggrieved by the decision of the Central Public Grievance Redressal Commission or the State Public Grievance Redressal Commission, which contains the findings relating to corruption under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, may prefer an appeal to the Lok Pal or Lokayukta, constituted under the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2011. (PIB)

*Inputs from Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances

Article on External Debt: Definitions and Concepts

2012-01-07T11:28:00.001+05:30

Shamima Siddique, Director (Media & Communication)

External Debt

· Gross external debt, at a point in time, is defined as “the outstanding amount of those actual current, and not contingent, liabilities that require payment(s) of principal and/or interest by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy” (External Debt Statistics -Guide for Compilers and Users, International Monetary Fund (IMF), 2003).

Original and Residual Maturity

· Original maturity is defined as the period encompassing the precise time of creation of the financial liability to its date of final maturity.

· Debt by residual maturity (or remaining maturity) includes short term debt by original maturity of up to one year, combined with medium to long term debt repayment by original maturity falling due within the twelve month period following a reference date. External debt is commonly expressed in terms of original maturity.

Long and Short-term

· One way of classifying external debt is into long and short-term. Long term debt is defined as debt with an original maturity of more than one year, while short term debt is defined as debt repayments on demand or with an original maturity of one year or less.

· The coverage of short-term was redefined from 2005-06 by including supplier’s credit upto 180 days and FII investment in the Government Treasury Bills and other instruments and further in March 2007 by including external debt liabilities of the banking system and the investment in the Government securities by the foreign central banks and the international institutions.

Multilateral and Bilateral Debt

· Multilateral creditors are primarily multilateral institutions such as the International Development Association (IDA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), Asian Development bank (ADB) etc. Bilateral creditors are sovereign countries with whom sovereign and non-sovereign entities enter into one-to-one loan arrangements. Some of India’s bilateral creditors who extend loans to both sovereign and non-sovereign debtors include Japan, Germany, United States, France, Netherlands, Russian Federation etc.

Sovereign (Government) and Non-Sovereign (Non-Government) debt

· Sovereign debt includes (i) external debt outstanding on account of loans received by Government of India under the ‘external assistance’ programme, and civilian component of Rupee Debt; (ii) other Government debt comprising borrowings from IMF, defence debt component of Rupee debt as well as foreign currency defence debt and (iii) FII investment in Government Securities. Non-sovereign includes the remaining components of external debt.

Trade Credits/Export Credits

· Trade credits/Export credits refer to loans and credits extended for imports directly by overseas supplier, bank and financial institution to sovereign and non-sovereign entities. Depending on the source of finance, such credits can be either suppliers’ credit or buyers’ credit.

Ø Suppliers’ Credit: Such credit is extended by the overseas supplier of goods in the form of deferred payments.

Ø Buyers’ Credit: Such credit is provided by a bank or financial institution and is generally governed by OECD consensus terms and carries insurance from export credit agency of the concerned country.

External Commercial Borrowings

· The definition of commercial borrowing includes loans from commercial banks, other commercial financial institutions, money raised through issue of securitized instruments like Bonds (including India Development Bonds (IDBs) and Resurgent India Bonds (RIBs)), Floating Rate Notes (FRN) etc. It also includes borrowings through Buyers’ credit & Supplier credit mechanism of the concerned countries, International Finance Corporation, Washington [IFC (W)], Nordic Investment Bank and private sector borrowings from Asian Development Bank (ADB).

NRI Deposits

· Non-Resident Indian (NRI) deposits are of three types:

Ø Non Resident (External) Rupee Account {NR(E)RA} Deposits were introduced in 1970. Any NRI can open an NRE account with funds remitted to India through a bank abroad. A NRE account maintained in Indian rupee may be opened as current, savings or term deposit. The amount held in these deposits together with the interest accrued can be repatriated.

Ø Foreign Currency Non Resident (Banks) Deposits {FCNR (B)} were introduced with effect from May 15, 1993. These are term deposits maintained only in Pound Sterling, U.S. dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, Canadian dollar and Australian dollar. The minimum maturity period of these deposits was raised from six months to 1 year effective October 1999. From July 26, 2005, banks have been allowed to accept FCNR (B) deposits up to a maximum maturity period of five years against the earlier maximum limit of three years.

Ø Non-Resident Ordinary Rupee (NRO) Accounts – Any person residing outside India may open and maintain NRO account with an Authorised dealer or in authorised bank for the purpose of putting through bonafidetransactions denominated in Indian Rupee. NRO Accounts may be opened/maintained in the form of current, saving, recurring or fixed deposits. NRI/Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) may remit an amount not exceeding USD 1 million per financial year out of the balances held in NRO Accounts.

Concessional Debt

· Generally, a loan is defined as ‘concessional’ when it carries a grant element of 25 per cent or more. In India, loans from multilateral (the International Development Association (IDA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)) and bilateral sources (including rupee debt that is serviced through exports) is categorized as ‘concessional’, based long maturity and less-than-market rates of interest charged on them.

Debt Service Ratio

· Debt service ratio is measured by the proportion of total debt service payments (i.e. principal repayment plus interest payment) to current receipts (minus official transfers) of Balance of Payments (BoP). It indicates the claim that servicing of external debt makes on current receipts and is, therefore, a measure of strain on BoP due to servicing of debt service obligations.

FDI in Multi Brand Retail

2011-12-04T09:40:00.000+05:30

By - Dhiraj Singh, Director (M&C), P.I.B

The Government has decided to allow Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) upto 51% in multi brand retail. This means that global retailers can come to India with a local partner and set up stores in the country. Till now FDI was not allowed in multi brand retail. However, there were big multi brand retail outlets owned by Indian entities.

This decision is an enabling policy that will open up new windows of opportunity to modernize the retail sector particularly for agricultural products and the small-scale sector.

The benefits would be for all:

The farmer will get a better price for their produce as middlemen will be removed and retailers will buy directly from farmers. Farmers’ losses from wastages specially in vegetables and fruits will come down.

The small scale sector will find new buyers and cheap and better quality source for their products.

Consumers will get better prices and greater variety from these stores. The entry of global players will encourage existing traders and retail outlets to upgrade and become more efficient, thereby providing better services to the consumers as also better remuneration to the producers from whom they source their products.

This is also one of the most effective ways to tackle rise in food prices and inflation due to availability of food items on lower prices.

Today India is one of the largest producers of fruits and vegetables in the world. However 30-40% of food and vegetable products go waste due to lack of storage and cold chain facilities. This decision will bring in funds for investment toimprove supply chain infrastructure such as cold storage, transportation and procurement along with bringing in investment for growth of the economy.

This will bring huge employment opportunities in agro-processing, sorting, marketing and the frontend retail business. As per some estimates upto 10 million jobs will be created in coming years.

Government has provided safeguards to protect national interest such as:

· Minimum investment by the global retailer will be $ 100 million and 50% of which will be in backend infrastructure that will control wastage and help local farmers. Backend infrastructure will be in or near villages and will be of immense value for rural economy.

· It has been made mandatory that 30% sourcing will be done from Indian small industry. This will promote local manufacturing, as Indian small industries will feel encouraged to expand capacities in manufacturing thereby creating more employment and also strengthening the manufacturing base of the country.

·These stores can be set up only in cities with the population of more than 10 lakh. This provision along with the requirement of master/zonal plans will make sure that small retailers are not affected. Moreover small retailers can benefit from sourcing their products from deep discount wholesale cash-and-carry big retailers. This will improve quality of their product and reduce their cost.

· In order to ensure supply to ration shops (PDS) government will have the first right to the procurement of agricultural products. This is important from food security point of view also.

Some people fear that big retailers will destroy small traders by keeping low prices initially (predatory pricing). However, Competition Commission of India will not allow this to happen. As the policy will be implemented in only 53 cities (with population over 10 lakh) which will make it difficult for big retailers to crush competition. In many developing countries like China, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, and Singapore, where 100% FDI is allowed, small retailers are successfully co-existing with big retailers.

Indian labour will continue to be protected by Indian labour law. It is an enabling policy framework. States are free to adopt it or leave it. Those states that do not want to have FDI in retail are free not to allow them. This is done to maintain the freedom of states in federal structure. FDI policy does not override the existing laws governing, trade and commerce in the country. The State Government laws and regulations in this regard would apply as much to the foreign players as to the establishment of any domestic businesses in the retail sector. (Source - PIB)