Group Discussion Ideas

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme - Pros and Cons

2015-01-09T13:36:00.000+05:30

Main Points :-

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme's aim is to transfer subsides, scholarships and other welfare benefits directly to the bank accounts of beneficiaries.
It was launched on 1st January 2013.
Aadhar cards - a unique identification cards based on biometric identification will be linked to bank accounts of beneficiaries.
'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' was launched on 28th August 2014 with the aim of universal access to banking facilities. Under this scheme beneficiaries can open bank accounts with zero balance, which helps in financial inclusion. And this program is a big success.

Pros :-

Middlemen will be eliminated. Hence leakages will be reduced.
As Aadhar card is based on biometric identification, fake & duplicate beneficiaries will be eliminated.
DBT scheme allows time-bound transfers hence avoids delays in transferring money, which is one of the biggest problems beneficiaries are facing.
This scheme eliminates intermediaries and rents for fair price shops as subsidies and benefits of welfare schemes are transferred directly. This will help Indian economy in the long run as the structural expenditure will be reduced.
Transparency in the distribution of benefits.
As everyone can purchase goods at market price, there will be healthy competition between the sellers in the market. The problem of middlemen diverting subsidized grains to markets will be eliminated.
It encourages people to have bank account.
The problem of food grains storage and spoilage in the process can be eliminated.
Circulation of money will be increased, which can lead to a significant increase in the GDP.

Cons :-

Still there are many rural & tribal areas, which don't have banking facility and road connectivity.
As of now, only 3% Indians pay income tax. So, determining the income of the rest of the citizens is still a challenge hence making it difficult to identify the deserving beneficiaries.
Most of the banks appoints Business Correspondents to enroll beneficiaries in rural areas. They may open more than one account for each beneficiary for incentive. And there are many complaints that they are not giving passbooks to the beneficiaries making them unaware of the scheme. Illiterate beneficiaries are more vulnerable in this case.
Direct cash may not be used for intended purpose and can be used in unhealthy ways. For example, the cash instead of food subsidy may be spent on drinking and smoking as most of beneficiaries' families' heads are men.
Micro ATMs, which were set up to deliver cash benefits at door step are not present in many areas hence many beneficiaries have to travel long to withdraw money.
Most of the beneficiaries' families' heads are men. This will be a disadvantage to women as there is no guarantee that they will get their share of the cash.

Interesting facts :-

China implemented 'Conditional Cash Transfer' to ensure that the money is spent on the intended purpose like on nutrition, education etc.
Brazil implemented 'Bolsia Familia' scheme - Direct Cash Transfer. The Cash is given preferentially to a female head of household.

Conclusion :-

Though there are some loopholes involved in Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, this program is an excellent way to ensure that every paisa reach the deserving beneficiaries, if carefully implemented.

Sources :- The Hindu & Eenadu newspapers.

Should attempt to suicide be decriminalized?

2014-12-21T12:55:00.000+05:30

Main Points :-

Attempt to suicide is punishable by a one-year jail term under Section 309 of Indian Penal Code.
The person, who attempts suicide feels devastated in life already. If he dies, there is no question of suicide. But if he fails, his life may become more miserable because of punishment. So, there are arguments that section 309 in IPC should be repealed.
India has the highest suicide rate in the world after China.
After French revolution (1789), many European countries decriminalized attempt to suicide.
Attempt to suicide is not a crime in Britain, Sri Lanka, Russia and in some states of USA too.
It's a crime in Singapore, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and some other countries.
In 1971, Law commission of India recommended to repeal sec 309. And the amendment bill was passed by Rajya Sabha in 1978. But the bill was lapsed as Lok Sabha was dissolved in 1979.
In P.Rathinam case (1994), Supreme court stated that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution included the “right not to live a forced life”.
In Gian Kaur case (1996), Five judge bench overruled the previous judgement, upholding the validity of Section 309.
After the pronouncement of the judgement in Gian Kaur, in 1997, Law commission of India recommended retention of section 309.
Again in 2008, Law commission of India recommended to repeal the law.
Views of all states and union territories were sought on the recommendations of the Law Commission, because law and order is a state subject. The Law commission's recommendation is supported by 18 states and 4 Union territories.

In Favor :-

It's cruel to punish the person, who is already unable to cope up with his life.
Suicide is a diagnosable mental disorder. World Health Organization has pointed out that criminalizing suicide discourages people from reaching out for medical help and treatment.
If attempt to suicide is a crime, it'll cause a delay in giving treatment to the patients, who fails in suicide attempt as they have to file medico legal case. This will make the victims more traumatized. Sometimes this may lead to loss of valuable lives.
Madya Predesh expressed its concern that if suicide is decriminalized, section 306 may lose it's relevance. (Section 306 - If any person commits suicide, whoever encourages the commission of such suicide, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.) But even if attempt to suicide is not a crime, those who abets suicide will face punishment. In Gian Kaur case (1996), supreme court stated that, “Section 306 enacted a distinct offence which is capable of existence independent of Section 309”.
Bihar expressed its fear that suicide bombers may take advantage of it to eliminate all the evidences of the criminal. And it also said that criminals may take their own lives, when they caught by police. But these are also minor concerns because there are several anti-terrorism laws, which deal with these kind of issues.
There are arguments that suicide is a individual's choice, hence it should be respected. But the fact is suicide causes a lot of distress to the victim's family members. So it can't be termed as their own personal issue.
There are also arguments that decriminalizing suicide will automatically legalizes Euthanasia. But mercy killing is a very different concept and these two should not be merged. In suicide, no third party is involved. But in euthanasia the third party is crucial. Of course mercy killing should be legalized, but suicide and mercy killing are different.

In Against :-

Criminalizing suicide can act as a deterrent. And if it is decriminalized, the no. of suicides may increase.
In P.Rathinam case (1994), Supreme court stated that the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution included the “right not to live a forced life”.
If suicide is decriminalized, chances of taking advantage of it will be very high, particularly by mother-in-laws or even by children in case of elderly parents.
It'll be taken as advantage by the people, who protest by fast-unto-death.
Those, who attempt suicide because of mental disorders and those, who are having difficulties in life are mixed up under one law.

Some interesting facts :-

Globally, a significant historical factor aiding the penal law against suicide was perhaps the condemnation of suicide by institutional Christianity.
Manusmriti, a Hindu Scripture mentions that suicide is circumstantially permissible.
In ancient Athens, a person who had committed suicide (without the approval of the state) was denied the honors of a normal burial. The person would be buried alone, on the outskirts of the city, without a headstone or marker.
A criminal ordinance issued by Louis XIV in 1670 was far more severe in its punishment. The dead person's body was drawn through the streets, face down, and then hung or thrown on a garbage heap. Additionally, all of the person's property was confiscated.

Conclusion :- Attempt to suicide should be decriminalized as it's not at all right punish the person, who want to quit her life. Instead rehabilitation centers should be set up and counseling or treatment for mental ailments should be given. And separate laws must be there in order to avoid the chances of abuse of section 309's deletion.

Sources :- The Hindu & Eenadu newspapers.

Does India need smaller states?

2014-03-13T18:50:00.001+05:30

Basics :-

At the time of independence, India consists of 562 princely states and 11 British provinces.
Integration of Indian states is the result of the then Minister of Home & State Affairs, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's efforts.
Potti Sriramulu's death during his fast unto death for the demand of 'Andhra' state ( NOT Andhra Pradesh) made Govt. to appoint States Reorganization Commission. States Reorganization took place on linguistic basis by States Reorganization Act, 1956.
After further sub-divisions, India now has 29 states and 7 union territories.
Still there are several separate statehood demands.

Reasons for separate statehood demands :-

Unequal development.
Poor governance.
Negligence.
Perceived negligence.
Different Language/ culture/ ethnicity.
Historical reasons.
Located at a long distance from the administrative centre.
Marginalization of people based on their region.
Selfish motives of few politicians.

In Favor :-

Decentralization and bringing the govt. closer to people enhances efficiency of governance.
Problems like Naxalism can be tackled easily in smaller states because there will be more focus, if the area is small.
In large states the administration may not know the needs of local people.
In larger states, resource rich places may not get benefits of it's resources because the benefits may go to some other places of the same state.
Administration of large states is complex.
Kerala & Goa are small states and have developed very well.
Jharkhand, Uttarakhand done better in reducing poverty & in improving agriculture growth rate after being separated from their parent states - Bihar & Uttar Pradesh respectively.
The smaller states can support the local panchayats better than the larger states can.
Cultures, languages will be preserved.
Initially, when the states were reorganized on linguistic basis, there was a fear that this may lead to the secessionist tendencies. Instead, it made the unity of India stronger because everyone felt safe & secure as their aspirations were met. The same is the case with the separate statehood demands. If people are happy, there will be no threat to unity of India.

In Against :-

More no. of states, the greater instability at the center.
More no. of states can lead to more inter-state water disputes, power sharing and resource sharing problems.
The places, which are in demand for statehood have no economic viability and hence will end up in creating more problems.
Forming of new states involves a lot of expenditure on infrastructure and administration etc.
If the present statehood demands are accepted, more separatist demands will start from the other places.
It'll be very difficult to maintain the unity of the nation, if we keep on dividing the states.
Forming of new states can't guarantee in development of the region. Rather concentrating on effective planning and efficient use of resources can solve the problems.

Conclusion :-

It's not the problem of smaller states or larger states, it's the problem of lack of good governance. Administration must take proper care in ensuring equal development.

Women's Reservation Bill

2014-01-29T20:42:00.000+05:30

Basics :-

'Women's reservation Bill' or Indian constitution's 108th amendment Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha in the year 1996 by H D Deve Gowda's United Front Govt, but was failed to pass.
Later, the bill was introduced in the parliament several times, but could not be passed as there was so much opposition to the bill in the Lok Sabha.
After several unsuccessful attempts at Lok Sabha, the bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2009. On recommendation of parliamentary standing committee on Law and justice, the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha in 2010. Since then, it is pending in the Lok Sabha.
This bill is seeking for reservation of 1/3rd seats for women in the Lok Sabha and in the state Assemblies. And this bill is also seeking for quota within quota in the case of SC & ST reservation in the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies. This bill reserves 1/3rd seats for women among these reserved seats.
This reservation will cease 15 years after the commencement of the Act.
Seats will be allocated in a rotational method. A constituency will be reserved only once in the three consecutive general elections. So, in 15 years every constituency will have a women representative atleast for one term.
Prior to this bill, there were 73rd and 74th amendments in 1993, which allowed reservation of 1/3rd seats for women in Panchayats.

In Favor :-

Empowerment in women.
More political opportunities for women.
There are ample chances of improvement in women's social, economic status.
Women's issues will be given enough importance in the parliament and state assemblies.
Having a women representative for every constituency for at least one term in the 15 years is a big step towards reducing the gender gap.
Though there are chances of misusing reservation, a large number of women, who have genuine interest to develop their constituency will be benefited.
Few people argue that this bill may continue even after 15 years. But lets think practically, when equality exists really, no one will support reservations. We are striving for equality. This affirmative action is for level playing field, but not for domination.
Some politicians have fear that this bill may discriminate men. But it doesn't. Because men have a wide range of opportunities already. They are socially and economically forward with high literacy rates, when compared with women. And the important thing to note here is that this bill will be applicable only for 15 years after the commencement of the Act. This is only for a short term, and is targeted towards fast paced empowerment of women.

In Against :-

At present the reservation for SC & ST categories in Lok Sabha & State assemblies accounts to 22%. If this bill is passed, the total reservation will be 55%. This will decrease the chances for general category contestants.
This bill benefits the women of elite groups more than the women of poor economic & social background.
Because of the rotational method MPs and MLAs may not work with dedication as they don't need to win the local people to vote in favor of them in the next elections.
Few minority communities may not utilize this opportunity, as most of the women in these communities are less empowered compared to others. This may lead to the sense of perceived negligence among them.
Those, who are elected through reservation and with no competition, if lack skills, the development of the constituency will be at stake.
In Panchayats, few women representatives are acting as puppets in the hands of their husbands. This may repeat in the case of women's reservation in the parliament too.
Reservation for lower castes was also started with the promise of abolishing it in 15 years. But it is still continuing. So, there is no guarantee that the women's reservation in parliament will cease after 15 years.

A few more points :-

Some politicians are saying that reservation for women in political parties serves the purpose better than the reservation in parliament.
Samajwadi party demanding the reservation within reservation. That means in this 1/3rd seats, it is demanding the reservation for OBC,SC & ST women.
This reservation must not be used by the kith and kin of the politicians, who are already in the power.
Reservation must not be used by more than one member of the family at a time.

Conclusion :-

Women's reservation bill is the need of the hour. Of course this bill may be misused like any other bill. But, if this is introduced, a large no. of women will be benefited. This will empower women and can act as a level playing field.

Should Capital punishment be banned?

2014-01-26T13:03:00.000+05:30

Basics :-

Capital punishment or death penalty is imposed by state as a punishment for the criminals.
Use of death penalty was dropped in 140 countries. 7 countries retained it for the crimes committed in exceptional circumstances. 21 countries including India, are still using death penalty as a punishment.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution - 'UN moratorium on the death penalty' in 2007. India voted against it.

In Favor of Capital punishment :-

Capital punishment for criminals can act as message for like-minded people and instills fear in them.
If the criminals are allowed in the society again, the security of citizens will be at stake.
Saudi Arabia has a very low rate of crimes because it imposes death penalty and severe punishments.
Values and morals must be protected by imposing maximum punishment for the criminals.
The criminals, who are incapable of being reformed on't deserve to live.

In Against to Capital punishment :-

Basically there are four purposes of punishment - Reformation, Revenge, Protection, Deterrence.

Reformation :- There will be no chance of reformation, if the death penalty is imposed.

Revenge :- Revenge can be taken by other alternatives of punishment not just only by death penalty. In fact death penalty will not let the criminal know the pain. Life imprisonment may fulfill this one.

Protection :- Society must be protected from criminals. Life imprisonment also fulfills this purpose.

Deterrence :- Statistics revealed that capital punishment could not decrease the no. of crimes.

Capital punishment is irreversible. If the person is proved as innocent after the death penalty, there will be nothing left to be done. It happened in a significant no. of cases. Sparing the guilty person is better than taking the life of an innocent person.
Taking immediate action on the criminals and imposing severe punishments can act as deterrent, but not death penalty.
Capital punishment interprets society as violent cultured, blood thirsty and revengeful.
Justice will not be achieved by death penalty. Instead it will be achieved by reforming the person and giving sufficient punishment.
Most of the people are not aware that life imprisonment is for the lifetime and not just for 14 years. Perhaps that is why many people are demanding for death penalty for the criminals.
The criminals with no money and on the wrong side of law are more likely to get the capital punishment. We still don't know how many of them were actually committed crime and how many were trapped in it because of the poverty and the loopholes in the judiciary.
If the person is on death row, a lot of appeals and petitions need to be appealed and in Indian judicial system, it requires a lot of money. Thereby those, who can't afford it have to face the death penalty. - Again inequality and discrimination. And it'll also create a lot of pain for the criminal's family. Obviously they are also the sufferers without their mistake.
Indian Judiciary is not free from corruption, political power, money and muscle power. So, without eliminating these things or at least without reducing the impact of these things, death penalty for the individual crimes can't be an appropriate punishment.
Deciding the severity of punishment lies in the hands of the judges. There are no certain rules for deciding which cases are rarest of rare. This is a threat to democracy too. As far as this phenomenon continues, death penalty for individual crimes may not be the correct option.
The cost expenditure of Govt on the criminals, who are on death row is more than on the criminals, who are in life imprisonment.

Conclusion :-

There are a lot of ethical dilemmas regarding capital punishment. In most of the cases, death penalty can be avoided. Life imprisonment is the best alternative for the capital punishment. By imposing life imprisonment, we can reform the person. Even if he is not reformed, life imprisonment can act as a severe punishment and also as a deterrent. However the criminals, who do heinous crimes and are incapable of being reformed must be given death penalty, because they don't deserve to live, not even in prison.

Lokpal Bill

2014-01-01T01:26:00.003+05:30

Points to be known :-

In 1966, Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) headed by Morarji Desai recommended the creation of 'Lokpal' in the centre & 'Lokayukthas' in the states to instill public faith in the government.
A few states have already implemented Lokayukthas in their states. Maharastra is the first state to do so.
In 1968, Lokpal bill was introduced in Lok sabha but couldn't be passed.
From 1968, till 2013 Lokpal bill was introduced in Lok sabha several times, but couldn't succeed.
Several social activists drafted their own version of Lokpal bill. Aruna Roy and civil society activists are among them. Jan Lokpal bill was drafted by Civil Society activists which is headed by Anna Hazare.
Govt didn't pass any of these versions but did several modifications to the govt version of Lokpal bill according to the suggestions by social activists.
Anna Hazare started indefinite fast for Jan Lokpal bill in 2011.
In 2011, Lokpal Bill was passed in Lok sabha, but couldn't passed in Rajya Sabha.
Finally, with pressure from public and Anna Hazare, Lokpal Bill was passed in December 2013, there are many differences between govt version of Lokpal bill and Jan Lokpal bill though.

Features :-

Lokpal will have maximum of 8 members, half of them will be judicial members. And remaining half of them will be from SC/ST/OBC, minorities and women.
Lokpal members will be elected by a committee consisting of Prime Minister, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by CJI, eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India on the basis of recommendations of the first four members of the selection committee.
Every public servant including prime minister comes under Lokpal. Prime minster can be prosecuted only if 2/3rd of the lokpal members approve it.
Lokpal to have power of superintendence and direction over any investigation agency including CBI for cases referred to them.
For false complaints, imprisonment can be given for the maximum of 1 year and fine upto 1 lakh rupees.
Inquiry have to be finished in 60 days. And investigation must be completed within 6 months. And the punishment have to be declared within 2 years.
Lokpal can setup special courts.
All entities receiving donations from foreign sources more than 10 lakh per year come under the jurisdiction of lokpal. Religious bodies, charitable trusts are excluded from this.
Transfers of CBI officers, who are dealing with the cases referred by Lokpal, have to be approved by Lokpal.
Lokpal can start the prosecution in special courts even without charge sheet or prior sanction.
Lokpal has the power to confiscate the property of the corrupt, even if the case is pending.

In Favor :-

Lokpal is a great weapon to reduce the corruption.
Lokpal will have no politicians. Only highly educates will be the members of Lokpal. Hence it is free from political interference.
As the timeline for inquiry, investigation was mentioned, no delay will be there in doing justice.
Burden will be reduced for judicial courts.

In Against :-

Lokpal can't take the grievances from the public directly.
Though the lokpal have no political members, the committee which selects lokpal members consist politicians. So, lokpal is not completely free from political interference.
CBI was not made as an independent body as mentioned in Jan Lokpal bill.
Lokpal deals with corrupt politicians and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) deals with corrupt bureaucrats. So, there are chances of clash between these two, as the corruption happens mostly by the involvement of politicians and bureaucrats together.
Lokpal can't register FIR. The prosecutions made by Lokpal will be considered as preliminary inquiries.
Lokpal has no special police force. So, it can't protect whistle blowers too.
Lokpal has no jurisdiction over foreign affairs ministers, security and defense ministers. So, the corruption in these departments will go unnoticed.
Fear of fine and imprisonment for false complaints may stop even the genuine complaints in some cases.

Conclusion :-

Though Lokpal have some drawbacks, now at least we have a law to prosecute corrupt politicians. Lokpal restored the public faith in the Government. And this Lokpal must be amended to make it more stronger weapon against corruption.

Should Homosexuality be legalized?

2013-12-18T15:53:00.000+05:30

Points to be known:-

LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) communities are fighting for their rights, to decriminalize homosexuality and to legalize it.
Homosexuality is not something which happens by choice. They are born that way. Scientists say that reason is the combination of genetic and hormonal influences. And few people argue that it's a choice.
Section 377 of IPC (Indian Penal Code) - Unnatural offences - Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
This section 377 was introduced, while India is undergoing British rule in 1861.
In 113 countries including 10 Muslim countries, homosexuality is legal. In more than 76 countries including India, it is illegal.
In July 2009, Delhi high court decriminalized homosexuality and declared that Section 377 of IPC is unconstitutional, as it violates article 14, 15 and 21 of the constitution.
In December 2013, Supreme court overturned the judgement of Delhi High court and declared that Section 377 does not suffer from vice of unconstitutionality and thereby again homosexuality is criminalized with imprisonment for life or even death.
Homophobia means to have negative attitude towards homosexuals. Homophobia happens because of irrational fear, prejudice and religious beliefs.

In Favor :-

Section 377 of IPC violates article 14 &15, i.e state should not discriminate anyone based on their religion, caste, sex, race or place of birth.
Section 377 of IPC violates article 21, ie. Right to dignity, right to personal liberty and right to privacy.
Some argue that homosexuality is 'unnatural'. But they have no valid explanation why it is unnatural. The cause of their arguments is their homophobia.
Criminalizing homosexuality violates human rights.
There is no point in threatening them to change their sexual orientation, when they are born that way.
Criminalization of homosexuality will deprive HIV/AIDS affected gays from using the medical facilities available to them. They can't even approach doctors to seek help as they fear of imprisonment.

Some Myths :-

Myth 1 - The children of same-sex couples will have psychological problems - It's wrong. Children will be emotionally stronger, when they grown up in happy same-sex couples rather than in abusive heterosexual relationship. What all matters is the behaviour of people in the family, but not gender.
Myth 2 - Homosexuality causes HIV and AIDS - The reason for why the percentage of HIV cases are high in homosexuals is criminalization of homosexuality. As they fear of imprisonment, they are unable to make their relationships public and to have a decent family life. Scientists argue that there is relation between HIV and homosexuality.
Myth 3 - It is against to religious beliefs - Who created the religion? It's we, humans created the religions and rules. There is no point in arguing that homosexuality is against to religious beliefs.
Myth 4 - Homosexuality came from western culture - Homosexuality exists in the east from ancient times, not only in India, but also in China and some other east countries too. It was mentioned in the ancient scriptures also. It's not the homosexuality, which came from the west but Homophobia.
Myth 5 - It encourages others to become homosexuals - How can people change their sexual orientation just to follow fashion? It's impossible.
Myth 6 - Breakups are more in Same-sex couples - Breakups happens in all types of relationships, not just in homosexuals. And there are no. of happy homosexual couples.
Myth 7 - Psychological problems exists in homosexuals - These psychological problems are a result of the stigma they face from the society and criminalization of homosexuality. Many gays are staying in closet as they fear of society. As a result they are forced into unhappy marriages, which further complicates the problem.

Conclusion :-

As far as something doesn't harm anyone including oneself, it is not a crime. The same is the case with homosexuality. What's wrong with it, if they find emotional support in the same-sex? We are living in a democratic country. In democracy, the rights of minority must be protected from the stereotyped views of majority. We all should support LGBT peoples right to have a dignified life. This is the right time for parliament to amend the law in order to uphold human rights.

NOTA - Is it a good step?

2013-11-19T18:18:00.003+05:30

Points to be known :-

NOTA means "None of the above". This option is being included in Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) from 2014 elections. People can vote for NOTA, if they think that all the candidates, who are contesting don't deserve the vote.
In 2004, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), an NGO filed a petition that voters be given the 'right to negative voting'.
Supreme Court agreed with the PUCL's plea in September 2013 and directed Election Commission (EC) to implement NOTA option in EVMs.
Even before the NOTA option, there exists a rule 49-O in Representation of People's Act (1961) that allows voters to not cast their vote to anyone. If someone want to use 49-O rule, he/she has to inform the decision to the polling officer and fill the regarding from and thus rejecting all the candidates. But it has nothing to do with the result of elections. But it ensures the person that his/her vote is not misused. But there will be no secrecy for the person, who uses this rule.
The concept of negative voting is already exists in 13 countries and of course different names for that are being used. Different countries consider the results of NOTA votes in different ways. In India, if NOTA votes are in majority, the next highest majority candidate will win the elections. Thus election results will not be modified by NOTA option.

In Favor :-

NOTA option will force the political parties to select the honest candidates, i.e with no criminal records as contestants to gain voters support, thus leading to good governance and decriminalization of politics.
NOTA ensures people's 'right to freedom of speech and expression'.
The disadvantage of 49-O will be overcome with the implementation of NOTA because NOTA gives the secrecy of ballot.
This will increase the polling percentage.

In Against :-

Even if majority people vote for NOTA, the next highest majority candidate will be elected. So, it is not giving the chance to reject and disqualifying the candidates.
People may think like why they should stand in a long line to vote for NOTA, when it doesn't effect the results.

Conclusion :-

Though NOTA option will have no effect on the results, it is definitely a good step because at least people are given the right to express their opinion regarding the contestants. It will definitely leads to decriminalization of politics. We should consider NOTA as the first step and we need to work more on this option to make it as Right to Reject (means power to disqualify the candidates and to opt for re-elections).

National Food Security Bill - Pros and Cons

2013-08-29T21:00:00.000+05:30

Points to be known :-

National Food Security Bill (NFSB) was introduced by the Minister of 'Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution' in parliament in December 2011.
The Bill was sent to the Standing Committee on 'Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution' having Chairman, 'Vilas Baburao Muttemwar' in January 2012.
In January 2013, Standing Committee submitted it's report, and the bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 7th, 2013. The Bill was passed in Lok Sabha on 25th August 2013.
The Bill proposes food grain entitlements for up to 75 % of the rural and up to 50 % of the urban population, i.e. 67% of the overall population.
This Bill proposes to give 5kg of grains per month per person at subsidized prices, i.e.3 rs per kg for rice, 2 rs per kg for wheat and 1 rs per kg for coarse grains.
The poorest households would continue to receive 35 kilograms of grains per month under the “Antyodaya Anna Yojana” at subsidized prices.
Every pregnant and lactating mother shall be entitled to get free meal during pregnancy and 6 months after child birth. And they will also get maternity benefit of not less than Rs.6000/-.
It'll cost 1.24 lakh crore to implement this.
If Central Govt. failed to provide food grains, it will give food security allowance to the entitled persons.
States will identify the Beneficiaries.
This bill also introduces reforms to TPDS (Targeted Public Distribution System) such as cash transfer, Food Coupons etc. to ensure transparency.
The eldest woman will be the head of the household. Thus it also helps to empower women.
Children aged from 6 months to 6 years will get free meal from local anganwadi.
Every state govt shall take steps for grievance handling through call centers, help lines etc.

In Favor :-

'Right to food' will become a legal right.
This bill helps to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in the country.
Inflation is on the rise, this is the time poor people need food security.
It helps to empower women, as the eldest woman will be the head of the family.
Nutritious food will be given to pregnant and lactating mothers. This will lead to healthier families.

In Against :-

These food grains will be distributed through the already existing PDS (Public Distribution System). This PDS has many loopholes such as leakages of food grains, corruption etc.
The exact no. of poor is not calculated correctly. Different departments are giving different numbers. And the criteria for measuring poor people percentage is not upto the mark.
The cost of this bill Rs.1.24 lakh crore will be a burden for the government, and may lead to fiscal deficit.
As most of the food grains will be procured by Govt, exports will reduced, which is a big threat to the economy.
Farmers have to sell their food grains for procurement prices rather than market prices. It will be loss for farmers.
It's better if govt provide them employment rather than providing food.
Small farmers may shift to other crops, as they will get the subsidized food grains. This will reduce the production of food grains.

Conclusion :-

Food Security Bill is a boon, because it guarantees food, which is a basic need. But the PDS system must be strengthened to avoid corruption and leakages. And procurement price must be increased. Farmers must be protected. If this bill is implemented effectively, it will definitely helps to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.

Demographic Dividend in India

2013-07-26T16:15:00.001+05:30

Points to be known :-

Demographic dividend occurs when the fertility and mortality rates decreases and thereby economic growth of the country increases. If fertility and mortality rates decreases, there will be fewer mouths to feed & the life expectancy will increase, so, education and skills should be imparted to fewer people, and as a result productive labour force increases. It automatically contributes to country's economy.
First stage of demographic dividend - Labour force increases rapidly than the dependent population. Per capita income grows.
Second stage of demographic dividend - No. of old people will increase as the life expectancy is improved. Less no. of children should support older generation, because of lower fertility rates.
By 2020, Average age of Indian will be 29.
Government has announced new policies as part of the 12^th five-year plan (2012-2017) that aim to create 100 million work opportunities by 2022, many in labor-intensive manufacturing sectors such as textiles, gems and footwear.
The government is working to expand access to education and vocational training for workers in the countryside, including new rural broadband networks that will connect remote areas with educational opportunities like YES project, Himayat project etc.

As an asset :-

No. of dependents decreases, and hence individuals can save more. This leads to the increase in the stock capital in developing countries.
Low economic pressures at home because of less no. of children. It results in better health and education for children.
GDP increases and dependency ratio decreases.
Women will be healthier.
Productive labour force will increase.
If population reduces, Standard of living increases.
According to the United Nations, the working-age population will increase by about 600 million globally in the next decade. While there will be a decline in the developing countries by almost 17 million, the global economy as a whole is expected to experience a skilled manpower shortage of 56 million by 2020. So, with the right skills and training, workers from India will prosper not only at home but also abroad.
By 2020, the average Indian will be only 29 years of age, compared with 37 in China and the U.S., 45 in Western Europe, and 48 in Japan. This is a great opportunity for India to beat the other countries economically.

As a liability :-

Failure to provide opportunities to the growing young population, will result in rising unemployment and anti-social activities.
In the second stage of demographic dividend, the no. of retired & older people increases rapidly, thereby dependent population increases.
Present Education system is not imparting practical knowledge and skills. It is a bigger obstacle to increase skilled workforce.
According the report, titled "The National Employability Report, Engineering Graduates, Annual Report-2012," although India produces more than 500,000 engineers annually, only 2.68% meet the skill requirements of the IT products sector. The report estimated that nearly 92% of engineering graduates in India lack computer programming and algorithms skills and around 56% lack soft skills and cognitive skills. This is leading to unproductive labour.
Increased life expectancy will be challenged by health care facilities & social security for old people.
Burden of parents and grand parents have to shared by less no. of children.

What should be done :-

Govt should invest more in education, skill upgradation and employability by imparting special training to underprivileged and poor in a society.
Education system must be improved to focus on improving technical capabilities to match with the industry requirements. Quality of education should be improved.
Govt should invest more on health, safety and related services, will results in affordable healthcare.
Pension schemes can be reformed by introducing funded element, in which individual’s contribution increases and a capital sum is delivered at retirement.
There is a need for encouraging saving behavior amongst the working age population, by giving various incentives like tax benefits, better returns etc.

Conclusion :-

Demographic dividend must be combined with good policies and skills impart programs. Reforms must be done in Education system, without which the fruits of demographic dividend cannot be enjoyed.

References :- http://www.trikal.org/ictbm11/pdf/Marketing/D1151-done.pdf

Depreciation of Indian Rupee

2012-12-07T19:33:00.000+05:30

Points to be known :-

Depreciation of Currency means decrease in the value of currency compared to the Dollar.
In 1947, 1 Indian Rupee = 1 US Dollar. Present value (on 07-12-2012) is 1 US Dollar = 54.47 Indian Rupees.

Causes :-

High interest rates :- High interest rates may attract foreign investors, but practically high interest rates leads to increase in the government debt, thereby GDP growth comes down. Then foreign investors are unsure of their returns, thereby they may take their investments back. It leads to Rupee depreciation.
Demand for Dollar :- When the demand increases the value increases. So, if the demand for dollar increases, it's value increases. And purchasing power parity reduces. Thereby Rupee values decreases.
Inflation :- Inflation means increase in prices of commodities. If the inflation increases, purchasing power parity of consumers decreases. Thereby they buy less. It leads to economic recession. Thereby rupee value decreases.
Unemployment :- Higher unemployment leads to decline in GDP growth. Hence Rupee values decreases.
Changes in International trade :- With the increase in rates of the products which we import, we have to pay more dollars. Then, demand of dollar increases leads to decline in the value of Rupee.
Trade deficit :- If a nation's imports are more than exports, it's called trade deficit or trade gap. If exports are less, demand for rupee decreases. It leads to rupee depreciation.
Budget deficit :- If the expenditure is more than the income, it is called Budget deficit. When budget deficit occurs, the country may not be attracted by foreign investors and hence the currency value decreases.

Effects of Rupee depreciation :-

Because of the Rupee depreciation, Exporters are at benefit as they will get more rupees for same amount of dollars.
Importers are at loss as they have to pay more Rupees for the same amount of dollars.
Foreign investors will lost confidence in the country's economy and they will take back their investments leading to further depreciation of rupee.
The price of the goods which have to be imported increases.
Tourism and studies in foreign will become expensive.
NRIs are at benefit as they will get more rupees for the same amount of dollars.

Conclusion :-

Even though some temporary benefits are there by currency depreciation, it's not good for the country's economy. Our Government must take necessary steps to appreciate the value of Rupee. Again the value of Indian Rupee should become equal to the value of US Dollar.

Guest Post : FDI in retail

2012-09-25T18:58:00.000+05:30

This is a Guest Post by Prasenjit Dutta. The views expressed here are personal opinions.

Having been in the Gulf countries for the last 12 years and having now relocated to Kolkata, I feel that I must share my thoughts on the current furore over the FDI in retail that is shaking the political fabric of the nation. My experience of the global markets I must confess is very limited but not my understanding that has developed through experiences of scores of my friends dottted across the globe. Before the foreign multi-brand retail giants spread their network across the Gulf countries more than 15 years back, the daily needs of the common man out there were served only by small time shops of hardware, electricals, foodstuff (Equivalent to ‘Kirana Shops’ as we know here).

With the advent of the Retail Giants out there, the business of those shops have also taken a beating know doubt. But they have not been beaten down to their knees for a simple reason of logistics. Although the percentage of car ownership is very high in those countries, not all of the sparsely spread population have cars that can whiz them through wide streets within minutes to a hyper market that could typically be 5 to 10 km away. Even if they get there with such ease, they still have to have time enough to find a parking there, choose their needs from the huge array of stuff available, walk through the huge expanse of the retail--the sizes of which defy our imagination by any standards in this country. Then lastly, they also have to queue up at the billing counter behind a minimum of 10 people with large trolleys heaped high, which by Gulf standards is a lot of crowd and make people really impatient.

Hence it is by now clear to the reader that retail marts out there do suffer from a discouraging factor in favour of the small time retailers as mentioned above. They can only serve the weekend bulk shopper best or those who can afford to spend the time for such a visit and for small needs by overcoming the slight deterring factors mentioned. The point to note here is that, those same small deterrents in the Indian scenario are considerably more insurmountable than those out there in the Gulf. It therefore makes perfect sense to buy small quantities of stuff from the local friendly neighbourhood Foodstuff or hardware shop whenever one is not in a position to take a minimum of one hour time off required to make a round trip to the hyper market. In the Indian scenario that time span would be a minimum of two hours even if you go by car and can drive a Batmobile!

Vis-à-vis the above scenario, it is a very true fact that I have personally used the services of such local shops at least thrice a week through my decade out there and so have scores of my friends. Our local shops have therefore lived. Not only lived, but made profits too after paying rent three times of what they would pay in India, after paying 2 to 3 times of salaries to as many workers. Such salaries when compared with salaries here for similar people in this country does work out to the proportions mentioned. Yet they have sold stuff at equal or less price with respect to India if compared on a scale of earning capacities and that too where the population base that is 0.02% of ours. I think it makes perfect sense to say now that our small traders are fleecing us with their profits hiked up to very undeserved levels by offering zero concession on the MRP to most customers and by paying ZERO Income Tax. Not to speak about the volume of their business when compared to the Gulf. Customers here have to remain lined up at their counters sometimes in two rows during peak hours. Needless to question how a half literate small time local shop owner also owns two or three houses in different parts of the town when a highly educated middle level executive scrounges every penny to buy one flat with almost a lifetime load of EMIs. On the other hand, poor producers of the raw material which make up the wares on their shelves go hand to mouth in utter misery and are often pushed to suicide. If this is not social injustice, then what is?

I have seen the best quality of local products and the choicest globally acclaimed products being sold next to each other on the racks of such hyper markets in the Gulf at prices lower than the market. I have seen those giants sourcing their merchandise directly from the farmers located hundreds of kilometers away in remote villages using their resources of refrigerated vans and packaging expertise. Another reality dawns upon me about the spread of the hyper market culture having given such a shot in the arm to local cultivation to the Sultanate of Oman. Now all Indian vegetables are actually grown in Oman while all of it used to be imported at exorbitant prices when I had moved there more than a decade back. Some realities would come to light if our Times of India decides to meet Times of Oman! I hope some news team would do a thorough review of the real scenario and make the public aware that the parties who are opposing FDI in retail are only barking at the lion. You would see them pouncing on the prey once the lion has had his fill.

Women Empowerment in India

2012-07-15T12:56:00.000+05:30

Need for women empowerment :-

"There is no chance of the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on one wing."- Swami Vivekananda.
There are so many women, who are silently baring the harassment of their life partners because of the lack of education, lack of legal awareness and lack of empowerment in women.
When women are empowered, all the society benefits.
Educating women about health care promotes healthier families.
Even though a woman works 24/7 to raise her children and to maintain her family, she is not getting recognition for her work at least in her home.

Points to be known :-

Year '2001' was declared as the "women's empowerment year".

Challenges :-

Female Foeticide.
Dowry.
Restriction on widow remarriage.
Gender Bias.
Neglect during childhood.
Childhood marriages.
Gender specific specialization at work.
Cultural definition of appropriate gender roles.
Belief in the inherent superiority of males.
Notion of the family as the private sphere and under male control.
Limited access to cash and credit.
Limited employment opportunities.
Limited access to education.
Right to property is still exists only for sons.
Female infanticide.
Poverty effects women more.
India's maternal mortality is highest in South Asia.
Domestic violence.
Crimes against women.
Honor killings.
Trafficking of women.
Lack of awareness of Govt. programs.

Constitutional provisions :-

Article 14 - Equality before law - Provides equal legal protection for women.
Article 15(3) - Special provisions for women.
Article 16 - Equal opportunities for all citizens in public employment irrespective of caste, sex, religion.
Article 23 - Prohibits traffic in human beings & forced labour.
Article 39 - The citizen, men & women equally have the right to an adequate means of livelihood.
Article 40 - 1/3 rd of seats in panchayats shall be reserved for women.
Article 42 - State shall make provisions for just and humane working conditions & maternity relief.
Article 44 - Uniform civil code for the citizens throughout the territory of India to safeguard women from laws of religion.
Article 51 A (e) - One of the duties of every citizen is to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of woman.

Government Acts :-

Section 14 of the Hindu Succession Act 1956 - Property of a female Hindu to be her absolute property.
Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act 2005 - Women get equal share in the ancestral property.
Dowry prohibition Act, 1961.
Contract Labor Act, 1970 & Factories Act, 1948 - Women can't be employed in the night between 9pm to 6am. - Women cannot be required to work for more than 9hrs.
Equal remuneration Act, 1976.
The indecent representation of women (prohibition) Act, 1986.
Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987.
Protection of women from domestic violence Act, 2005.
Maternity Benefits Act, 1961.
Child marriage (prohibition) Act, 1929.
Hindu marriage Act, 1955 - This act was passed to stop polygamy and bigamy.

Government Schemes and Programs :-

STEP (Support to training cum Employment for women) - To increase the self-reliance and autonomy of women by enhancing their productivity & enabling them to take up income generation activity.
SSA (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) - For girl child education. It lead to increase in the Gender Parity Index (GPI).
The National literacy Mission or Saakshar Bharat - Literacy of women. Literacy is the critical instrument of women's empowerment.
National Rural Health Mission - Educating women on health care. It has resulted in the decline in fertility rates, Maternal mortality rates (MMR), Infant mortality rates (IMR).
SHG (Self Help Groups) - For economic development in women by giving micro finances.
GB (Gender budgeting) - Identifying the felt needs of women and re-prioritising and increasing expenditure to meet these needs.
NMEW (National Mission for Empowerment of Women) - To ensure economic & social empowerment of women.
Swayamsidha scheme - To ensures total development of women.
Swadhar scheme - Basic necessities to marginalized women & girls.
Kishori Shakti Yojana - Empowerment of adolscent girls.
Mahila Samridhi Yojana - For women empowerment.
Maternity Benefit Scheme - Payment of Rs.500/- to pregnant women for the first two births only if the woman belongs to BPL (Below Poverty Line) category.
Rastriya Mahila Kosh - To provide micro loans for women.
Scheme for working women hostel - To promote availability of safe & conveniently located accommodation fro working women.
Development of women & children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)- Creation of groups of women for income generating activities on self sustaining basis.
SABLA - Empowerment of adolscent girls.

How can we take part :-

First of all, woman must have the will to be independent & to be the best of herself, then rest of everything follows.
Creating legal awareness among women about their rights.
Educating women. Education makes them independent.
Providing health & economic security.
Skill development programs.
Forming groups. Unity gives strength to everyone.
And many more little things which makes significant difference and leads to the great future.

Conclusion :-

The Government and we, the people have responsibility towards women empowerment. And we can achieve this 'Millennium Development Goal' definitely. One day will come, when gender inequality will only be present in the history books.

Present Education System in India

2012-04-21T10:00:00.000+05:30

Drawbacks :-

Present education system focuses more on scores rather than knowledge.
It's having 90% theoretical subjects. Even remaining 10% practical subjects are of limited experiments and of expected output.
There is no scope for students to do experiments on their own.
Some colleges are not conducting practicals. Instead, they are giving full marks and allotting that time to mug up theoretical subjects.
In the end, students are coming out of schools and colleges only having bookish knowledge in the mind as the method of learning doesn't connect to reality.
There is so much meaningless pressure on students because of the too much competitive spirit in between private institutions.
Children in school are not being guided well about careers. They hardly know about what the options available in career except doctors and engineers. Because of that they are taking courses of their parent's choice (mostly) after coming out of schools. They even don't know what career options available with that course.
Many schools are not concentrating on extra curricular activities. This may lead to the false assumption in children that only education is important in life.
Some teachers are giving marks based on the no. of papers rather than the content. Thereby students will try to fill papers instead of focusing on to write the actual answer.
There are some cases that students are giving up their lives as they are unable to cope up with too much pressure laid on them by private schools and colleges.

Solutions :-

Teachers must say the purpose of education to the children of school level.
Teachers must encourage the children to understand the concept and to write it in their own words in exam.
Every theoretical subject must have practicals if possible.
Communication skills and reasoning must be a subject from school level.
There must be seminars and projects from schooling to make students understand the subjects rather than mugging up.
Personality development classes and extra curricular activities must be compulsory.
Jobs should be provided based on knowledge rather than percentages.
In practical examinations, marks should be given for the process rather than output.
The method of teaching and lessons in subjects must be modified. They must be in a way to understand real world.
Career guidance must be there in schooling.

Conclusions :-

Govt. must concentrate on modifying the education system to give wonderful life for students. There is a role of educational institutions too to improve the method of teaching. A good education system leads to a good society.

Role of NGOs in India

2012-04-17T18:57:00.002+05:30

Points to be known:-

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) or Non-Profit Organization (NPO) is a legally constituted organization which is operated by legal persons who act independently from any government.
NGOs have volunteers and employees working towards ideological, rather than financial ends.
NGOs wok for a wide variety of causes that aims to bring about the change in the life of people for a greater cause.
Different NGOs work for different causes in different ways.
NGOs work for increasing literacy and helping poor people to increase their quality of life, and helping the people who are attacked by environmental hazards, guiding people about their rights and for many other good causes.
The number of internationally operating NGOs is around 40,000.
In India number of national NGOs is around 3.3 million.
After the Independence Mahatma Gandhi made a plea for transforming the 'Indian National Congress' to 'Lok Sevak Sangh' (Public Service Organization). But this plea was not accepted. Later, Gandhi followers started voluntary agencies to work on social issues. Thereby NGOs were started in India.
The no. of NGOs increased in the time of 1960s as people felt that the government projects are inadequate to deal with the development of deprived sections of India.
In 1980 in Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-1985), the government identified new areas in which NGOs as new actors could participate in development. They are,
- Optimal utilization and development of renewable source of energy.
- Family welfare, health and nutrition, education.
- Health for all programs.
- Water management and soil conservation.
- Social welfare programs for weaker sections.
- Implementation of minimum needs program.
- Disaster preparedness and management (i.e. for earthquakes, floods, cyclones, etc).
- Promotion of ecology and tribal development.
- Environmental protection and education.
In the next Five year plans, a greater emphasis has been laid on the role of voluntary organizations in rural development and poverty.
International NGOs started around the year 1839. It has been estimated that there were 1083 NGOs by the year 1914. But the phrase 'Non Government Organizations' only became popular when 'United Nations Organizations' was established in the year 1945.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The Govt and NGOs together making progress to achieve these goals. The goals are
- Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
- Achieving universal primary education,
- Promoting gender equality and empowering women
- Reducing child mortality rates,
- Improving maternal health,
- Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
- Ensuring environmental sustainability, and
- Developing a global partnership for development.

Conclusion :-

The involvement of NGOs in social challenges has a great effect on developing countries. The more financial support and the more no. of volunteers will greatly help in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Is FDI good for India?

2012-03-26T21:40:00.001+05:30

Points to be known :-

Full form of FDI is 'Foreign Direct Investment'.
FDI can be defined as 'one company can invest on physical means such as lands, factories and mines in another company of another country to acquire lasting management interest'.
The host company and the company, which is investing together form a 'multinational corporation' (MNC).
Through FDI, the company, which invests will have control over the host company.

In Favor :-

FDI helps in the economic development of the host country (where the investment is being made).
For origin and host countries, FDI provides access to new technologies, products, skills and organizational and management strategies.
Employment increases in the host country.
Origin country (the country which makes the investment) also develops economically.
Competition increases. So that, with the competitive spirit, every company improves to its best.
Through FDI in production companies, price reduction is possible.
FDI is a boon for the small companies to become more actively involved in international business activities.
Agriculture related people get good price for their goods as middle men will be eliminated.

In Against :-

With the FDI in retail sector, small companies and merchants will suffer a lot.
Inflation (the rise in prices over a period of time) may be increased.
Technological dependence on foreign technology sources.

Conclusion :-

FDI is good for any country to develop economically and also technologically.

Generation Gap

2012-03-11T21:32:00.000+05:30

Points to be known :-

Generation gap is a term referring to differences between younger generation and their elders. Especially it is the difference between parents and children regarding culture, fashion and dressing etc.

Reasons :-

The main reason is lack of communication and understanding.
Fast growing culture.
Gradual disappearance of joint family system.
People who got addicted to a particular life style find it very difficult to try a new life style.

Problems :-

Misunderstandings and arguments.
Taking sudden decisions such as leaving home, breaking relationships etc.

Solutions :-

Parents and children must spend some time together regularly and they should try to understand each other.
Proper guidance for children from elders.
In-spite of fast growing culture, children must try to understand their elder's words as they already passed their age. And young generation must know that parents always make us go through the correct path.
Parents must try to understand that the present world is not same a sit is 20 years ago. They must give enough freedom to their children.
Joint families is also the solution. Because the relationship between children and their grandparents is very effective in bridging the generation gap.

Conclusion :-

Communicating and being friendly with each other, younger generation and their elders will not suffer from Generation gap.

E-waste management

2012-01-22T09:53:00.000+05:30

Points to be known:-

Discarded electrical or electronic devices are called as ‘e-waste (Electronic waste)’.
E-waste is also called as e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
The electronic industry is the world’s largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry and so does e-waste.
The fraction of iron, aluminium, gold, copper in e-waste is over 60%, plastic is about 30%, hazardous substances is about 2.70%, and remaining is wastage.

Causes:-

The rapid growth of users of computers and other technology devices.
Disposal of technology devices is not an easy task, as they contain hazardous materials.
Average life span of electronic devices is decreasing as people are updating their houses with new electronic devices always.
Transferring e-waste from developed countries to developing countries in the name of donations.
Less life time of electronic goods.
Nobody is interested to reuse and repair the electronic goods as there are new products available in attractive prices.

Problems:-

Resources are wasted as valuable materials in e-waste are being dumped in normal wastage.
Toxic materials in e-waste cause severe health risk.
Environmental damage.
Land filling of e-wastes can lead to the launching of lead into the ground water.
When CRT (cathode ray tube) is burned, it emits toxic fumes into the air.
The cadmium from one mobile battery can pollute 600 m3 of water.
Informal recyclers are attracting the poor people in the name of employment and making them disassemble the components with bare hands and without any precautions, which is highly dangerous for their health.

Solutions:-

Manufacturer must take the responsibility for the product after the completion of it’s life time to disassemble and reuse or recycle the components.
Customers must buy products from the manufacturers who take back their product or who offer discount on new products by taking old products.
Manufacturers must try to design the eco-friendly products as lead-free, halogen-free and recycled plastics.
Life time of products must be increased.
Government must take action on informal recyclers.
Collection centers of expired electronic and electrical goods must be there. So that e-waste will not be mixed and burned along with normal wastage.
Public awareness programs must be conducted because the role consumers is very high in this issue.
Government must collect the total data of e-waste including of legal and illegal imports from developing countries. So-that private sector will come forward to invest in the e-waste projects if they know the approx data and if they are sure of returns.

Conclusion:-

Government, manufacturers of electronic and electrical goods and public together must take responsibility to develop a good and healthy world.

Relevance of Gandhi in modern world.

2011-10-17T23:06:00.000+05:30

Why Gandhi is relevant in modern world?

In modern world violence is increasing rapidly.
Nuclear weapons and terrorism are becoming common in this modern world.
So many people are getting more and more divided into national, religious and ethnic compartments.

We need guidance and the direction to save the world from this desperate situation. In this situation, Gandhi is becoming more and more relevant because of his ideology,non-violence and so many good things, which should be learned by all.

Things we should learn from Gandhiji:-

Non-violence:- Gandhiji practically proved that anyone can win through non-violence.
Speak truth always.
Let your life be your message:- Live your life the best way you can. Improve yourself by learning from your mistakes.
Do the right thing and Fear Nobody.
Lead a simple, stress-free life:- Gandhiji used to ware simple dresses and simple things, which are required to live peacefully. he lead a simple and stress-free life.
Learn from your mistakes.
Eat simple food:- Gandhiji used to take a balanced diet and he is a pure vegetarian.
Keep trying and do not lose confidence in yourself.
Equality:- Gandhiji used to say that everyone must be treated equally regardless of their place, religion, sex and money.
Do not submit to injustice from anyone.
Unity is strength:- Gandhiji is the leader of the masses. He used to talk with people directly and he used to say 'Let's fight together'.
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Stand for an idea:- If you believe in something, just stand for that in whatever situation.
Believe in yourself.
Forgive:- An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.
Do not bear ill will toward anyone.
Reduce, reuse and recycle:- “There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed”.
Be humble, whichever position you have.
Start today:- “The difference between what we do, and what we are capable of doing, would solve most of the world’s problems”.
Accumulate little:- By possessing fewer things our life automatically becomes simpler.

Conclusion:-

To the Indians, Gandhi gave a democratic nation. And to the world he showed that how the politicians should be. He practically proved that we can win without doing violence. He taught so much to the world. We should learn from Gandhiji's principles. Let's learn the good things from Gandhiji and lead a peaceful and successful Life.

Social networking sites - Boon or Bane?

2011-10-07T17:54:00.001+05:30

Points to be known:-

There is no need to say about social networking sites(SNS) to the present generation. Everyone is much aware about Facebook, Orkut etc which are the examples of social networking sites.
Social networking was started on the internet in the form of generalized online communities to group the people having same interests and to share their ideas.
The first recognizable social networking site is SixDegrees.com which was launched in 1997.
Till now, there are more than 200 social networking sites are in the internet.
In 2011, based on research, the global average of who access daily the social networking sites accounts is 46%.
Facebook, launched in 2004, has become the largest social networking site in the world.

In Favor:-

We can keep in touch with friends in today's busy world.
We can improve ourselves by sharing our ideas,information and knowledge and by discussing with the people, who have same interests, even if they are so many miles away from us.
Teachers and professors are making groups to extend classroom discussion to posting assignments, tests and quizzes, to assisting with homework outside of the classroom setting.
Many companies are developing interactive communities that connect individuals to share business needs & experiences.
Students are making a network with professionals for job opportunities and internships.
We can find our friends easily, if we lost contact.
Generally social networking sites have a positive atmosphere. For example, Facebook sends notification, if they are on the top their friend's lists, but it don't send notification, if they were removed as a friend by another person. So there is a least chance for the person to know that.

In Against:-

Many people are getting addicted to the social networking sites that they are preferring online conversation rather than face-to-face. It'll effect communication skills, relationships and even mental health.
Some children are playing games on social networking sites with their friends, and they are not at all concentrating on the physical activities. It'll have a effect on their physical and mental health.
Privacy is an important issue in the drawbacks of SNS. Some people are using other person's personal information for variety of purposes.
There is a high risk for children and teenagers to be mislead by SNS.
Gossips and rumors spread soon.
Spending in front of computer for long hours creates so many health problems.

Conclusion:-

Social networking sites are a boon in today's world. And it completely depends on us how we use them, whether to improve ourselves or to degrade. But children and teenagers must be guided by their parents and well-wishers as they don't know what is good and what is bad. And everyone, who are using SNS should take care about their personal information. Life will be great, if we spend less time on social networking sites and more time in the real world.

Genetically modified products - Boon or bane?

2011-09-20T17:56:00.003+05:30

Points to be known:-

Agricultural Biotechnology is the area of bio-technology involving applications to agriculture.
In Agricultural biotechnology, cross-breeding of plants used to be done to get desired results such as disease resistant plants and to increase crop productivity etc.
In the 1970s scientists were succeeded to manipulate DNA at molecular level through molecular biotechnology. DNA is the chemical building block, which specifies the characteristics of living organisms. And this technology is called as genetic engineering.
The foods developed from this technology are called as ‘genetically modified products’ or ‘GMO foods’ or ‘Biotech foods’.
Through genetic engineering, we can take genes from any organism and can introduce these genes into another organism instead of cross-breeding several times to get the desired results.

In Favor:-

Increased crop productivity.
Instead of using pesticides, we can induce insecticides in plants, which is cost effective. By this crop protection increases.
We can improve nutritional value of foods by inducing the genes of high protein and vitamin contained foods.
We can improve the flavor of foods.
Through genetic engineering, we can prevent decay, damage, ripening of foods and loss of nutrients up to few days. So transport of foods become easier and consumers can take fresh foods.
As genetic engineering reduces the use of pesticides, it is a boon for environment, ground water and for farm workers also.
In developing countries poor people can’t afford vitamin supplements. By genetic engineering we can induce vitamins in rice as many people take rice-based diets.

In Against:-

Some people are allergic to some proteins especially proteins from peanuts.
It’ll have effect on ‘non target’ species such as butterflies and caterpillars, as insecticides are induced in plants.
Natural seed varieties and some foods will become extinct. It’ll cause loss of biodiversity.
Farmers have to buy seeds every year as seeds from last year’s hybrids will not produce plants identical to the parent plant.
Some researches found that these foods have the risk of getting some cancers.
Cornucopia Institute research found that there is a risk of getting birth defects and also the risk of shorter life spans because of these foods.
It may have impact on long-term food supply.

Conclusion:-

If we take care of these drawbacks, Genetic engineering will be the great benefit to everyone especially for the people of developing countries.

How to deal with international terrorism?

2011-05-25T20:13:00.004+05:30

Points to be known:-

Terrorism refer to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror).
Lakhs of innocent people died because of terrorism. And so many people suffered. Now a days terrorism is a biggest challenge for the entire world.
Terrorists do not see themselves as evil. They believe they are legitimate combatants, fighting for what they believe in, by whatever means possible. In Terrorist view, “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”.
Terrorists main ways are bombings, kidnappings, armed Attacks, hijackings.

Intentions of terrorists:-

To earn money easily.
To produce fear among people.
To catch the attention of media.
To decrease the country's economy by discouraging foreign investments and tourists.
To make their religion is the only religion in the world.

Causes:-

Poverty.
Illiteracy.
Religious extremism.
Extreme nationalism.
Unemployment.
Injustice in some cases.

Solutions:-

Eradicate poverty.
Increase in no. of jobs.
Creating awareness among people, so that they won't get influenced to join in terrorism.
Severe punishment for terrorists, who were caught.
Full security at the boundaries of the country.
Justice must not be denied and it should not be delayed too.
Everyone must know the true meaning of religion and also the truth that killing people is against to God.

Conclusion:-

Terrorism can be completely eradicated, if Govt. concentrate mainly on the causes of it because prevention is better than cure. We all have to join our hands for eradicating poverty, which is the main cause of terrorism to make our world peaceful.

Are Big Dams Necessary?

2011-05-21T15:07:00.004+05:30

Points to be known:-

In the year 1947, there were around 300 large dams in India. And now, there are almost 4,300 large dams.
India holds a strong position in the list of dam building countries after US and China.

In Favor:-

Dams are for supplying water for irrigation, prevention of floods and to generate electricity.
Dams are the main source for water in dry areas.
It's good to use technology for our survival.

In Against:-

To construct a large dam, many people have to leave their homes. Since 1947, 4,300 large dams in India have displaced over 42 million.
Some Dams are occupying forests. Hence causing deforestation.
As there is no flow of water, water becomes stagnated and causes spreading of water-borne diseases and releases green house gases.
Big dams cause earthquakes because of the weight of water in reservoirs.
If a large dam is damaged, it will effect the lives of lakhs of people.
In the world’s worst dam disaster in China in 1975 when two large dams burst as many as 2,30,000 people died.

Alternatives:-

Through 'rainwater harvesting' rain can be caught on rooftops and channelled into tanks.
Use electricity more efficiently without wasting it.

Conclusion:-

“no dam” or “dam above all” are both wrong. We definitely need dams because rainy season is only 3 months a year. Govt. must take responsibility for rehabilitation of the people, who are going to be displaced, dams must be built on a strong rock foundation and total dam must be strong enough to tolerate natural disasters.

Is China a threat to Indian software industry?

2011-05-18T09:30:00.010+05:30

Updated on 15-Mar-2014.

In Favor:-

China's IT spending is increasing rapidly. Chinese govt is supporting a lot to IT sector.
More and more Chinese firms are going private and are able to give tough competition for Indian IT giants.
Chinese firms are concentrating more on providing attractive jobs for graduates in IT sector.
China overcame the problem of talent shortage as the no. of IT graduates in China is increasing at a great rate.
Chinese service providers are focusing more on large scale development and on innovative Research & Development.
China has crossed India in the availability of software developers.
Many Indian software professionals are not working for India. They are working for foreign countries. More than 100,000 Indians migrating to the United States each year for better-paid software jobs. This is a big disadvantage to Indian software industry.

In Against:-

Initially China concentrated mainly on manufacturing sector and now China is the world's largest manufacturer. China's focus on software industry started very lately, and now it is much difficult to compete with the countries like India, which are already among the top most countries in IT sector.
Chinese engineering graduates are focusing more on manufacturing sector than IT sector as the China's software industry is unable to offer attractive, exciting and fast moving career opportunities.
China is lacking in English-speaking talent pool. So, China cannot overtake India anytime soon on outsourcing.
China's outsourcing industry's serving mainly Japanese and Korean companies due to language barriers.
Many Chinese service providers are focusing more on domestic market than international market.
China lacks efficient policies regarding data privacy and intellectual property protection.
India is producing more no. of engineering graduates than China.
Indian graduates are more exposed to processes & systems during their course of studies because of the evolution of IT industry over the last two decades.
At present, India is far ahead than China in IT sector and it is developing too fast to catch it.
Many Indian IT companies opened their branches in China and are recruiting graduates from Chinese universities. It's a plus for India.

Conclusion:-

China is definitely not a threat to Indian software industry as India is far ahead than China in IT sector and the India's software industry is developing faster. Anyway, it's good to have healthy competition. Competition helps both countries to develop themselves.

References :-

https://www.fuqua.duke.edu/news_events/feature_stories/china-outsourcing-arie-lewin/#.UyQAbj-SySo
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prCN24286613
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/ict-china-edges-ahead-of-india-in-hr/article5579185.ece

Is the Patents Bill Good for India?

2011-05-16T22:58:00.003+05:30

Points to be known:-

A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a product or a process that provides a new way of doing something, or offers a new technical solution to a problem. A patent provides protection for the invention to the owner of the patent for a limited period, generally 20 years.
The first legislation in India relating to patents was the Act VI of 1856. The objective of this legislation was to encourage inventions of new and useful manufactures and to induce inventors to disclose secret of their inventions.
In 1952 an amendment was made to provide compulsory license in relation to patents in respect of food and medicines, insecticide, germicide or fungicide and a process for producing substance or any invention relating to surgical or curative devices.
Indian patent act changed 9 times till now and the latest amendment is in 2005.
Indian companies that are now producing generic versions of drugs for which patent applications were submitted between the signing of the WTO (World Trade Organization) agreement in 1995 and January 1, 2005 will be allowed to continue doing so only if they pay a “reasonable” royalty to the patent holder. This is an all but ironclad guarantee that the prices of such drugs will increase and increase sharply.
The latest Amendment (2005) enabled Patent Act to grand Product patent for Pharmaceutical substances and brought deletion of exclusive marketing rights from the act to Meet WTO Treaty. By this, most new medicines (patentable in 1995 or later) will be priced out of reach of the great majority of people in India.

In Favor:-

Through patent law, the inventor will have a recognition and right over his product. So, this inspires them and also many people to invent something useful.

In Against:-

If any other person invents the same thing independently but a few days later, he won't have right over that as the person, who already invented it can file a case against him.
By applying patent law on health related products such as medicines testing equipments, common man suffers as he have to pay extra price.

Conclusion:-

In my view patent bill is good for not only India but for every country as it is doing justice for the inventors. But this patent bill should not become an extra burden to common man.