Bilungnation

Life Beyond Earth

2015-05-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

There is a huge curiosity in the world to know that weather we are alone or is there life in any other planet in the universe beside earth. There are lots of scientists who are doing various kinds of research to find out if any life is out there in the universe. NASA is running various missions to find life in any other planet of the universe.
The creation of universe is beyond the imagination of human being but there will always be a curiosity to know the truth behind it, and this curiosity always motivates human for various inventions and discoveries. Among this one very big curiosity in humans is, can life be possible in any other planet beside earth? Is there any life similar to human beings in any planet? And if possible then how? From all these imagination humans had always been motivated and tried to create these characters in the silver screen from time to time. In both Hollywood and Bollywood these alien characters had been shown in various movies such as Discovery 9, Transformers, Independence Day, Koi Mil Gaya etc . Science had never denied from the possibility of aliens in the outer space.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists, after getting motivated by this curiosity started a mission in 2009 of planet hunting from Kepler Mission-10. Few days before, top secret Area - 51 scientists had made it public the footage of a dead alien body and UFO expert Tom Carey released images of the alien from the footage given by Area 51 scientists and claimed it to be authentic, Tom Carey said the footage (not pictured) was captured on film and has been verified by Kodak to date back to 1947 – the same year of the infamous Roswell incident in New Mexico.

The picture released by the top secret Area - 51 UFO scientist was sent to the official historian of Kodak up in Rochester, New York, and he did his due diligence on it, and he said yes, this filmstrip, the slides are from 1947. According to the historian the film was 100 percent authentic and it was not photoshopped or manipulated like present days. According to the report the alien was described as being four feet tall with an insect-like head. Carey says the head has been severed, and there has been a partial autopsy. The innards have been removed, and the cadaver has been embalmed, at least at the time when this picture was taken.

After this news some scientists had few doubts, according to them if the dead body of an alien was claimed then there has to be a very big incident that would have change the world totally and this type of news is not possible to hide from the public for such a long period of time such as 50 years. In 1947 after the Roswell incident a debate between the Ufologist experts had been started and few had even said this incident to be a political incident.

Many scientists believe that we are not alone in this universe, there are millions of planets in the Milky Way Galaxy and thus there is a possibility of life on those planets. In a public conference organized in Washington few months ago, the scientists from NASA declared about various missions run by NASA at present and, the use of telescope technology in future, in search of life or earth like planet. Once Sara Seager, professor of planetary science and physics department in Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said, in the future people will point out the star and can say the planet next to that star is a earth like planet. According to astronomer there is at least one planet near each and every star in the Galaxy. NASA’s scientists are studying the planetary system of other stars from previous few years and started the Kepler Mission-10 in 2009 and in near future NASA is planning to start various other missions.

Search of life in another planet with the help of telescope

To study stars and various planets NASA had already finished the project of Hubble space telescope, Spitzer space telescope and Kepler space telescope. Lot of information about the stars can be gathered by these advanced telescopes, at the same time studies of the planets revolving once or more than once can be done, with the help of these advanced technologies we can also find out the distance between the star and the planet at particular time or whether there is water in the planet or not? In this respect NASA has lot of plans in future. In 2017 NASA will launch Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and in 2018 James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be launched by NASA. NASA had also created an outline for another century, and hoping to start Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), it is a NASA observatory designed to perform wide-field imaging and slitless spectroscopic surveys of the near infrared (NIR) sky for the community. The current Astrophysics Focused Telescope Assets (AFTA) design of the mission makes use of an existing 2.4m telescope to enhance sensitivity and imaging performance. WFIRST-AFTA will settle essential questions in both exoplanet and dark energy research and will advance topics ranging from Galaxy evolution to the study of objects within the Galaxy and within the Solar System. In near future with the help of Webb telescope and WFIRST-AFTA, atmosphere suitable for life will be observed in various planets, presence of water, carbon dioxide and information of various other minerals will be collected.

NASA is forming an army of robots in search of aliens in outer space these robots will be fully equipped with web cam and GPS system. Unlike other robots of NASA these robots will be comparatively small and each robot will have web cam, antennae and a GPS system to find their way. These robots will work in the same way as ants work in their group. The tests of these robots are in preliminary stage `after the completion of various tests these robots will be able to get information about various useful minerals required for life in a planet.

Information from Kepler Mission-10

In 2009 after the launch of Kepler spacecraft the doubt about exoplanet was cleared. Till now more than 5000 exoplanet have been identified and information has been collected about them among them information about more than 1700 exoplanet has been confirmed. Kepler had gathered information of various earth size planets in habitable zone. The possibility of water in these planets in this zone is very high. According to Charles Mattias Mountain the director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, we were not sure in previous 5 years that there are nearly 10% to 20% stars similar to earth in terms of size. With the help of advanced space telescope information about various earth like planet which are both smaller and bigger than earth can be collected. The day when we will get appropriate information about life in any other planet it will change the perception and thinking of humans, and then it can easily be proved that we are not alone.

NASA has decided to install a huge space telescope in order to find the existence of alien in the outer space. The Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) is a NASA strategic mission concept study for the next generation of UVOIR space observatory. ATLAST will have an angular resolution that is 5 - 10 times better than the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and a sensitivity limit that is up to 2000 times better than the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). ATLAST is envisioned as a flagship mission of the 2025 - 2035 period, designed to address one of the most compelling questions of our time. Is there life elsewhere in our Galaxy? It will accomplish this by detecting "biosignatures" (such as molecular oxygen, ozone, water, and methane) in the spectra of terrestrial exoplanets. ATLAST will be the most powerful telescope in this world which can observe about 30 lac light year far planets and study the atmosphere of the universe.

Possibility of life in more than 1800 planets

Humans had not yet been able to fully understand the creation of universe, weather we are alone in this space or there is lot of other race who are much more superior and technologically advanced or less superior than human race. The myth of alien existence has not yet been solved. To solve this puzzle NASA has been conducting various projects such as Kepler Mission-10. This space craft is equipped with various huge telescopes to search earth like planets where water is present, at the same time we are also trying to find the possibility of life in 400 million stars and planets in our Galaxy. In our Galaxy there are numerous solar systems like ours and in each solar system there is one star just like sun and all the planets revolve around the star just like our solar system. Out of five stars there is a possibility of life in one planet near the star. Till 1995 the scientist didn’t even thought of any alien existence because till then science didn’t have any information or knowledge about any planet having possibility of life. Later the search of various planets started and with the help of spacecraft Kepler we were able to find various earth like planets where there is possibility of life. The data collected of earth like planet has reached more than 1800 and in 2014 itself scientists had declared nearly 700 planets on which the possibility of life can be hoped.

Life after contact with alien

According to eminent astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, in search of alien we are advancing towards a huge problem, the signals send by us will help the more advanced alien race to know the existence of human race and this could be dangerous. He is also a firm believer of the existence of biological life in many parts of the universe, but he warns against contact with extraterrestrial life. Most likely, aliens will represent a great danger to humans. They can conquer and plunder Earth, “If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," says Hawking but there is also the other side of story, the aliens can help the human race to get more advanced by providing their technology.

Hundred years of memory

2014-08-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

The government of Britain has asked their citizens to switch off their lights and light candle between 10 pm - 11 pm on 4^th August, 2014. This incident was all over the social media and many thought that it was a part of saving energy program or any activity of “Earth Hour”, but it was nothing like that, actually the world has marked the 100^th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and in order to give tribute the Cultural Minister of Britain Maria Miller has asked the people of Britain to light candle and give tribute to the incident. To this the foreign secretary Sir Edward Grey added by saying, we don’t want to see such war and the whole Europe should support this incident by turning off their light for one hour.

What was the reason behind World War I

Actually the question is still unanswered who started this war, but according to common history it is believed that assignation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife in Sarjevo was the immediate cause for World War I. On 28^th Aug, 1914 a letter declaring war was send from Vienna to Belgrade was leaked and the news was spread all over before the war started. Before the war nearly one month before Gavrilo Princip, an ethnic Serb and Yugoslav nationalist from the group Young Bosnia, which was supported by the Black Hand, a nationalist organization in Serbia had killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, just after this Austria has declared war against Serbia. Till then Serbian army has entered 230 km inside Austrian territory as the news was leaked that Austria was about to attack.

Despite of constant vigilance the letter was leaked and the Politica Newspaper had published the news declaring it as emergency edition in which it stated that now war cannot be stopped. Austria’s Prime Minister believed that the capital city cannot be saved from war and thus laid their army against Serbia. At the same night Serbian army defeated Austrian navy. After this Austria started sending their army who started bombing in Belgrade. Serbia’s army in order to stop Austrian army decided to break off railway bridge on Sava river, but they did not succeeded to destroy the bridge completely and Austrian army entered their territory, the Austrian navy were also ready to attack.

In this war out of 45 lakhs Belgrade soldier 11 lakhs soldier died. Thousands of people died of cold and hunger, nearly 60,000 people were hanged, the world had experienced the extreme war and it was named World War I. In 1914 Austria declared that Serbia would be finished after the war but the result was totally different and Austria lost the battle and Serbia emerged as a super power, who led the united Yugoslavia.

Nearly 37 million people died

In this deadliest conflict in human history nearly 16 million people died. First World War was about acquiring power by some countries, extending their territory and control and to emerge as best in the race of survival. Firstly Britain and France were the only powerful empires but later Germany, Italy and Japan also came together to form a group and their union was such that it gave rise to world war. This incident is still a big lesson for global world. The First World War had ended the German Empire, Austria-Hungary Empire, Russian Empire and Ottoman Empire. The present condition of west Asia has its root in First World War itself. In Germany the rise of Nazis under the leadership of Hitler is the result of this war, who kept the foundation stone of Second World War.

Towards the end

First World War has completely changed the politics, geography and history of the world. The dawn of Europe and emergence of America as the super power has started from here. The end of colonialism has also started from here, after war the participated countries enter into crisis and found it difficult to run colonialism and they break off.

Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution

In 1914 Russia was not ready for war, because just nine years before Russia was defeated by Japan. At that time Nicholas II ruled Russia. According to a report from BBC, modern European history specialist Dr. Jonathan Smale, Russia’s geographic border extended from central Europe to Pacific Ocean and Arctic to Afghanistan. Nearly 17% of the total land area was under Russia. After the death of Nicholas II, Bolsheviks due to various reasons enter into revolution. Within 2 years of World War I nearly 175 million Russian soldiers died and more than 5 lakhs soldiers were injured and at the same time Russia was dealing from food crisis. The then present ruler Trotsky did not match with the expectation of the Russians. Under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin Bolsheviks promised Russian citizens to give food and peace land, people believed Lenin and supported him in the revolution.

Foundation stone of Second World War

After the end of First World War in 28 June, 1919 Treaty of Versailles was signed between Germany and the allied powers which held Germany responsible for all the loss and damage and for this Germany was banned in many ways beside that Germany was asked to pay compensation for the loss. When Hitler became the leader of Germany he opposed all these terms of the treaty. Beside that many other countries even felt it unfair and thus the seed of Second World War started flourishing.

America was acting neutral at the starting of World War I

The president of America during World War I was Woodrow Wilson. At that time America was busy in strengthening their economy by entering into trade relations with various European countries, for this reason in the starting America had kept some distance from this war. Beside that Woodrow Wilson a modern historian student knew the price of this war and thus when all the countries have entered into this war America on the other hand was neutral.

After banning Germany and his allies by Britain and many other countries America has to suffer much trade losses. In 1914-1916 where America’s trade with England and France was triple on the other hand their trade with Germany had reduced by 90%. And now when America was thinking of entering into the war in March, 1916 German naval ship shot Britain’s ship named Lusitania in English Channel in which 128 American citizens died along with British. At last on 6^th April, 1916 America was forced to go at war against Germany.

Actually in 1916 the citizens of America saw Woodrow as angel of peace and thus he emerged as a winner in the election and on the other hand his opponent Charles Evans Hughes was seen as supporter of war. After winning the election Woodrow focused more in attaining world peace and also kept various proposals before countries participating, in order to avoid war. League of Nations was sponsored and led by Woodrow Wilson in order to attain global democracy. In January 1917 Woodrow has also played an important role in compromise between Britain and Germany to end this war and for all this he was awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize.

World War I in Numbers

Totally 124 countries were participating directly or indirectly in World War I, of which 37 countries were directly supporting this war. Nearly 87% of the total population use to stay in this 124 countries and a group of 32 countries were known as friendly nations who were against Germany and only four countries were supporting Germany. Nearly 4 billion people died in the war from Britain and their allies and nearly 2 billion people died under the leadership of Germany. Nearly 60 lakhs soldier were injured in this war and nearly 80 lakhs people were found missing.

Rise of Hitler

In First World War Hitler was a brave soldier in German army. Hitler had succeeded in surviving the battle many times during the war and he was honored with two bravery awards by Germans. In October, 1918 with war against Belgium his one eye was injured during a gas attack. In this war Germany lost the battle and there empire was towards the end. Germany was declared a republic country and on the basis of written constitution presidential government was introduced along with political and military the post of president was introduced. In 1919 German government signed the treaty of Versailles, according to this treaty Germany was held responsible for all the damage and loss and was asked to pay the compensation. The result of war forced Germany to lose its colonialism and at the same time they were forced to wipe their hands from a large portion of their territory. At this time Hitler joined the military intelligence unit in Munich and from here the rise of Hitler started. Hitler by his speech started telling the people about the loss from First World War and the Treaty of Versailles. At this time due to various reasons there was a continuous rise in the price of the goods and then Hitler under Nazi party on 8^th November, 1923 declared a revolution in Munich and slowly he started raising the issues and problems of farmers and workers in Germany and at the same time also started taking part in various local election. In August, 1934 after the assignation of Hindenburg, Hitler became the ruler of Germany. After this Hitler played an important role in strengthening the economy of the country.

Role of India

When there was war among all the nations of the world at that time India was ruled by Britain. Undivided Indian army has supported this war by providing both military as well as food supplies. Indian army participated in France and Belgium, Arab, former Africa, Israel, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Persia including Salonika and many other parts of the world supporting this war. According to the report of Commonwealth War Grave commission nearly 11 lakhs Indian soldier participated in this war, out of this 1.38 lakhs were send to France, 1.44 lakhs were send to Israel and Palestine where as 6.57 lakhs soldier were send to Mesopotamia (at present known as Iraq). Beside this a large number of Indian army was send to Africa.

In this war India’s contribution was not just military supplies in 1914 royal marine army was also trained and was send to protect the shores of Mesopotamia. The Indian businessman played an important role in supplying food and various other supplies to military. Beside this in Indian army 300 nurses were send to war zone under Queen Alexander Imperial Military later the number increased to more than 10,000. At this time more than 200 nurses died in the war zone. According to the report for all the military across the world nearly 2 lakhs animals for meat and nearly 37 ton of supplies were supplied.

BRICS summit 2014 and its effect on global economy

2014-08-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

The 6^th BRICS summit 2014 was hosted by Brazil on 14-16^th of July in Fortaleza. It was the sixth annual diplomatic meeting of BRICS nation. In this global economic scenario BRICS nation has added a new milestone by declaring to establish a “New Development Bank”. After World Bank and International Monitory Fund (IMF) the New Development Bank would be the third most important global financial organization of its kind. The Headquarter of the bank would be in Shanghai, China and the first President of the bank shall be from India. India’s president ship would be for six years then the President ship would be given to Brazil followed by Russia, their tenure would be for five-five years.

After the financial crisis of 2007-2008 the importance of developing countries has raised globally. In the last decade there has been a change in the global economic scenario, especially in the contribution of global GDP, the share of developing and developed countries has raised a lot. In some developing countries a huge raise in FDI can be seen and at the same time the area of important needs in developed countries has also increased especially in case of growth by keeping in mind infrastructure and environment.

According to recent report of United Nation, to continue the pace of growth in developing countries nearly one trillion US dollar is needed for financial investment annually. The absence of financial investment in developed countries may give rise to electricity and water crisis to a huge population, knowing these challenges to occur in future the steps taken by BRICS is very important.

How will be New Development Bank?

The starting capital of BRICS Development Bank will be of nearly 100 billion dollar. In this development bank the share of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa would be equal that is 20 billion dollar each. The starting share capital would be 50 billion dollar. The bank will work on the principle of equal voting right of each country. The starting share of each member country would be 10 billion dollar. This raised capital would be used for infrastructure development and local growth planning of each of the member country of BRICS. In spite of this one important feature of this bank is that small countries having low economy can also apply for fund for their local development planning. The entire BRICS nation has agreed on 100 billion dollar of contingency reserve arrangement (CRA). From this arrangement the BRICS nation would get enough funds to encounter financial crisis. Beside the equal investment of shared capital of each member country, China’s share in CRA would be 41% and Russia, India, Brazil’s share would be 20% each where as South Africa’s share would be of 5%.

Why New Development Bank?

The 5^th part of global economy is under BRICS nation but in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the voting right of BRICS nation is only 11% which is very less. For the past 70 years the organization running under Briton-Wood principle needs lot of improvement. According to the report of “Washington Post” in 2008 and 2012 a proposal was kept to increase the share of voting right of BRICS nation but the decision is still pending.

In this case the share of developed countries had to reduce but the organization did not agreed to this proposal for various reason and ultimately the small European nations has to suffer as their share in voting rights would have been reduced thus it was criticized by most of the European nations. According to them due to the reduction in the share of voting right they would be ignored by the developed nations and IMF and they would not be getting enough funds for their growth plans beside that their contribution in the economic growth would also be ignored by the organization. In short from the starting the control of IMF and World Bank has been in the hands of Europeans and Americans. In an interview with Nogueira Batista the person who represents Brazil and many other countries in IMF, said that if the global financial organizations would have done their job properly there would not have been any need of new bank.

India’s hope vs China’s Ambition

There are no two approaches in the infrastructural development of BRICS nation’s New Development Bank that would play an important role. In terms of India and China the importance of Bank can be easily seen, both the nation is a fast developing financial power globally. In this case the eyes of developed countries are also on both these emerging financial powers. If we talk about the relation between India and China, it has always been ups and down. India-China border issue is very old and the issue is still on. China’s possession in Arunachal Pradesh, Laddak, Jammu and Kashmir and many other parts of the land is always been a matter of concern for India. For the last few decades both neighboring countries relation has been going through various agreement related to border issues. China proclaims 90,000 sq.km of land in Arunachal Pradesh as their territory beside that they have also illegally captured 38,000 sq.km of land in Jammu and Kashmir. Thus for all these reasons agencies hesitate to invest in infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Now the question arises that to what extend the new agreements between India and China would be helpful for China to become a super power? The former executive director of India in IMF between 2003 to 2006, Booby Mishra in an interview said that China wants to become a financial super power till 2020 and in this case the New Development Bank would help China to achieve their goal, thus in this case India has to stay alert. Though the bank can take more than 10 years to establish their importance and put an impact over the international market. At the same time some believe that developing nation’s first step of establishing a New Development Bank is a good start to economic growth and development.

Hope from New Development Bank

The analysts believe that the contribution of BRICS nation internationally in growth projects would be very important. At the same time the members of the organization believe that BRICS Development Bank / CRA will counter World Bank and IMF. From these funds for various plans, emergency help, loan for various projects and financial help in controversial land would become much easier. The World Bank believes that in developed countries nearly one trillion dollar of investment is required in the field of infrastructure. The total development banks globally are capable of providing only 40% of the needs.

Certainly BRICS Development Bank will give more importance to electricity and power, transport, telecommunication, water and sewage system and various development projects. The demand for infrastructure development in low income countries will also rise. Some analysts believe that in near future the members of BRICS will also raise and it may happen that the loan limit in BRICS Development Bank may even go up than the World Bank. It may also happen that for high quality loan portfolio huge reserve fund would be required. In this case the organization has to deal with various security issues. Now the world’s eye would be on the effect of the step taken by BRICS nation in global economy.

BRICS contribution in global economy

The members of BRICS are the fastest developing nation with lot of potential for growth. Some of the facts of these developing nations include-

Brazil is the largest producer of sugar, orange and coffee, where as Russia has huge amount of gas and oil reserve which is very important for running various huge projects. India is one of the richest sources of mineral resources in the world. China’s economy is the second largest economy of the world just after America. According to economists till 2020 China will leave behind America in terms of growth and development beside that the GDP of China will also surpass America’s GDP in terms of domestic production. South Africa is well known for coal, gold, platinum and diamond throughout the world. In BRICS nation word’s 40% of the total wheat is produced.

26% of the total land area is covered by BRICS nation, beside that they contribute 21.5% in the total domestic production of the world. They also contribute 24.4 % in global gas production. Nearly 42% of the total population of the world is covered by BRICS nation. Globally 42.2% of contribution is on the production of power and nearly 20.7% of share is on the production of oil. The BRICS nation covers 32% of the global agriculture land, more than 50% of the contribution in the growth of the global economy is from BRICS nation. Beside that they contribute 10.2% of the global expenditure in various military activities. The trade between the members of the BRICS nation has reached to nearly 300 billion dollar and till 2015 it will reach till 500 billion dollar according to some economists. BRICS nation has a total of 44 trillion dollar of foreign exchange, thus the contribution of BRICS nation to the global economy is increasing very fast day by day.

Truth behind Malaysian airline MH 17

2014-07-25T00:39:00.000-07:00

On 17^th July 14’ Malaysian airline flight MH 17 (Boeing 777) scheduled from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur but it crashed before its destination near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. According to report the plane is believed to have been shot down with a Buk surface-to-air missile. The Boeing 777-200ER airliner went down near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, about 40 km from the Ukraine–Russia border, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board. According to western politicians and analysts SA-11 missile and Buk missile system is build by Russia, thus rumors were spread all over that for MH 17 crash Russian were responsible, but Russia is a responsible country and question arises that can Russia do such a terrifying attack? Are they responsible for the crash? According to American and most of the European politicians, pro-Russian separatists is responsible for it, but when we talk about SA-11 and Buk missile, which requires a trained group of people to operate, it forces us to think that, can pro-Russian separatists use such a complicated system? Is Russia responsible for this or there is another side of the story? Or else Americans and their western allies are using Ukraine to plot something big and thus they are targeting Russia? There is lot of question arising to this incident without any answer.

Russia responsible for it – Obama

Malaysian plane shot down near Hrabove in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, about 40 km from the Ukraine–Russia border, killing all 298 passengers which include 80 children and 15 crew members. After this inhumanity incident the political statement stated by politicians is really shameful as no result will come out from this argument and a chaos will be created. The harsh statement given by Russian President after the incident has shocked the world and he has to face criticism from all over the world. After this incident Ukraine’s home ministry stated that the plane was flying at 33 thousand feet and it was shot by Buk missile system and now Russia with the help of pro-Russian separatists are wiping the traces of the incident.

On the other side American President Barak Obama has also blamed Russia for this incident. Obama said that missile has been fired from that part in which Moscow supporter separatists have their control and it is Russia who has given Buk missile system to Ukraine separatists, without their support separatists cannot commit such a crime. According to Russia plane was shot in Ukraine and it was not in Russian flying area. It is no doubt that America, Russia and other countries are reacting different and stating statement seeing the political advantages of this incident, so it is possible that they are ignoring the fact. Then how, we will get the truth?

Deepening of cold war

According to the investigation till now it is not possible to come to any conclusion because, the area in which the plane was shot was under dispute between three different separatists group. Among this one is Ukraine army another is Russian army and pro-Russian separatists. In this case no group should be given clean chit without a proper investigation which cannot be seen in this incident. At the same time among the three groups any group can easily have this Buk missile system because this missile was from the term of Soviet Union and after the demolition of Soviet Union it can be with any of these three groups Ukraine, Russia or pro-Russian separatists. Recently The New York times have communicated with some soldiers who include Russian army as well as Ukraine army and both of them have Buk missile system. On this basis America is stating that for shooting of Boeing 777 plane they are responsible. But America cannot be trusted after the incident of Crimea getting separated from Ukraine and merging with Russia, for this Russia has to face criticism of America and almost all the European countries and there is a state of cold war between these countries, thus the investigation is revolving around this.

We cannot deny the fact that recently pro-Russian separatists had declared that they have their control in one of the base of Ukraine army and now they also have the control over Buk missile system so pro-Russian separatists are also under suspect. But according to weapon specialist it is not possible to use Buk system without a proper knowledge and help of a specialist thus this makes Ukraine also a suspect, but America and west European countries are continuously ignoring this fact.

Reason behind conflict

Why Crimea became the focus of dispute between Russia and America? Ignoring the fact about Crimea is the reason for it, for this reason only the riots going on in Ukraine by Ukraine separatists is kept under dark. The game played behind the curtain is still on and Boeing 777 crash is just a part of it. Before in 1954 Crimea was a part of Soviet Union later in the same year the control of Crimea was taken by Ukraine, as at that time Ukraine was also a part of Soviet Union nothing bothered them and language also didn’t form any problem. In 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union everything changed but Crimea was with Ukraine itself. As Crimea was an independent country thus it was necessary to ask the will of Crimea weather they would like to stay with Russia or Ukraine or as an independent country. On the other hand on the basis of language Ukraine has become a separate country, in which 78% of the population speaks Ukrainian and 17% of the population speak Russian and in Crimea it was totally opposite 59% of the population speak Russian. Till then it was ok but along with the discrimination on the basis of language in Ukraine they also started creating an anti Russian environment which include people from south Ukraine and new Nazis and they were supported by western countries. For the last 15 years south Ukrainian and New Nazis had also succeeded in creating a Svoboda political party along with creating an anti Russian environment. They wanted Ukrainian speaking people in Ukraine and Russian speaking people to go back to Russia they don’t consider them as Ukrainian citizen. The role of western countries can be understood if we observe the political plan and situation of Ukraine and Crimea. Ukraine after becoming an independent country, there has always been a conflict between Russia and Ukraine in terms of control over Black sea. Russia wanted a naval base in Black sea, thus in 1997 a treaty was signed between Russia and Ukraine in which 81% of the Black sea was given for Russian naval base. As Russia got control over Black sea Ukraine on the other hand started getting natural gas and other financial help from Russia as subsidy, but this was a threat for NATO as Black sea touches the shores of Georgia, turkey Bulgaria and Romania.

What is important is that these countries are members of NATO. America knows that after taking control over Black sea Russia would obviously try to make an impact upon these countries. Ukraine is the only country, which after joining European Union will make most of the region of the Black sea under the control of NATO and their allies but after the annexation of Crimea by Russia all their plans were ruined.

Why America and other western country is targeting only Russia and supporting Ukraine, because there is lot of reason to it. The main reason is of re-Sovietize Russia’s periphery. The Russian president Vladimir Putin wanted to restore USSR as it was during Soviet Union time which is scattered at present after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, but America with the help of European Union wants to control the market of previous Soviet Union states. Russian president in order to restore USSR had initiated the formation of Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) comprising Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Russian Federation. In this union Ukraine was supposed to join but at the end moment they joined European Union but at the same time the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and on the other hand signing a treaty with Belarus and Kazakhstan to form Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) made the matter of concern for America and European Union (EU). The biggest challenge for America and European Union (EU) is to free Crimea from Russia’s control and to break Russia into pieces.

After joining of previous Soviet Union states Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine to European Union the territory of European Union started touching Russian border. Russia knows that American missiles on European Union territory and European Union market will be a threat for Russia but after the annexation of Crimea by Russia they can easily control black sea and thus Russia can counter European-American forces.

The attack of Boeing 777 is not the end but it is just a small part of the big game played by America European Union and Russia. Russia is under suspect but nobody thinks about NATO who continuously has been preparing plans and army training in Black sea to attack Russia. We cannot deny the fact that breeze 2014 naval drill was hosted by Bulgaria recently in Black sea participated by Romania, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Britain and America, what can be the reason of this naval drill? to show the united army of NATO and threaten Russia or to plan something big. This is nothing but a situation of cold war in which there is number of small nontraditional conflicts and in the name of death toll these incidents takes place and in this case MH 17 passengers has to pay the price.

Germany’s road to success

2014-07-14T09:56:00.001-07:00

Germany became the winner of World Cup football 2014 after 24 years by defeating Argentina by 1-0. This is Germany’s fourth WC win. Before this, 24 years ago in 1990, Germany had won its last WC final in Italy by defeating Argentina. In 1954 for the first time Germany won his Fifa WC against Hungary. They became the winner in 1974 for the second time after defeating Holland and in 2014 WC final history has repeated itself and Germany has emerged as a winner.

In this Fifa WC many unbelievable changes took place, the last WC winner Spain was defeated by Netherlands and was not able to overcome from this shock and were out in the first round itself. Football fans, this time were not able to see world number one player Cristiano Ronaldo’s play as Portugal was out in group match only. Italy and England also failed to adopt the change and were out from the race of WC final and only Argentina, Netherlands, Brazil and Germany survived to reach till semifinal and at last Germany was Lucky to become winner of 2014 WC.

When Germany defeated Brazil by 7-1 in semifinal, then only we could see that it would be really tough for Argentina to defeat Germany, after defeating Brazil they were in final. On the other hand Netherlands was defeated after a tough match in penalty shootout and Argentina was in final. Before this WC Germany and Argentina were face to face six times and Germany had won four matches, one was draw and in 1986 Argentina won the WC final when Diego Maradona single handedly achieved success for Argentina.

In the starting when Germany played their matches it did not look like they will be the winner of 2014 WC on 13^th of July because lot of aged players were there in the team but there were lot of experience among these players thus they know the value of perfect pass and coordination among the player and thus by giving small passes they emerged as a winner. Germany’s biggest strength was their defense which the opponent team Argentina was not able to break through, till the end. When they started their play on 16^th of June against Portugal they easily won the match by 4-0. In this match the star player of Germany and 2010 golden boot winner Thomas Mueller scored three goals. Starting was very good for Germany but later they had to work really hard to stay in the game. In group match Germany vs Ghana went into draw by 2-2, Germany’s team won the match with great difficulty. The pressure was so high on Germany that they have to bring their star player Miroslav Klose who brought the score equal at the last moment. There was lot of pressure on Germany after the match, they were able to win with very less margin 1-0 against America also. They won the match with Algeria by 2-1, next match was with France it was also a tough match but Germany somehow able to survive by 1-0 and reached semifinal.

In semifinal Brazil was before Germany, the stadium was full of Brazilian fans but as Neymar the star player of Brazil was not playing, the team was in much pressure. Exciting match with tough competition was expected but the whole match was dominated by Germany and the dream to become the 6^th WC winner of Brazil was broken and a black spot was put on Brazil’s football carrier of losing the match so badly by 7-1. Before this in 1954 Germany has defeated Turkey by 7-2 and Austria by 6-1 in the same year. After defeating Brazil, Germany’s confidence was at its peak which helped them at final against Argentina.

In this WC Germany has played a stable game by slowly coming into their form of playing. The result of strong defense was that before final there were only four goals against Germany and Germany’s players scored 17 goals, out of six matches before final five win shows Germany’s strength. In this WC from Germany’s side Muller and Klose showed extra ordinary performance. Klose became the highest goal scorer in the history of WC by defeating Brazil’s 15 goal score of Ronaldo.

In WC Germany’s performance has always been good. In 1930 when the first WC was organized in Uruguay, Germany had withdrawn their name from competition. In 1934 they have to satisfy with 3^rd position but in 1938 WC Germany was out in the race in first round itself. Due to world war, 1942 and 1946 WC was not held, but after world war Germany was banned from playing WC.

Germany was not disappointed by this banned and in the next WC in 1954 organized by Switzerland emerged as a winner for the first time by defeating Hungary by 3-2, for next WC win Germany has to wait for 20 years. In 1974 they defeated Holland and emerged as a winner for the second time. In this 20 years Germany got many chances to win WC but they did not succeeded. In 1966 England had defeated Germany in the final and they had to satisfy with runner up. In 1982 and 1986 also Germany did not succeeded in winning the final and had to satisfy with runner up. In 1982 Italy defeated Germany by 3-1 where as in 1986 Germany’s dream of WC was broken by Argentina. The match took place in Mexico where Argentina defeated Germany by 3-2.

After losing second continuous win in 1986 Germany had made his mind that they will win the coming WC. In 1990 they won the WC after defeating Argentina for the third time and at the same time they took their revenge of losing 1986 WC on Argentina. In 2002 also they reached final but they were defeated by Brazil. In 2006 WC they were defeated by Italy in semifinal by 2-0 where as in 2010 WC they lost their semifinal against Spain. After 24 years Germany is once again crowned as the winner of WC football 2014 after repeating the 1990 history of WC final against Argentina.

Service sector in Indian scenario

2014-07-11T04:21:00.002-07:00

Service sector plays an important role in shaping social as well as economic growth of a country. In global world, service sector has emerged as the largest and fastest growing sector. In global production and employment generation also it has a greater share, its growth in agriculture sector has always been high compared to any other sector. In Indian economy also service sector is the largest employment generating sector and its contribution in the growth of the economy cannot be ignored. For the last 10 years the share of service sector in the GDP has always been more than 50% in India. In economical survey of 2013-2014 also, the service sector has emerged as the fastest growing sector in comparison to any other sector. In terms of growth, from 2001-2012 service sector was the second largest sector. During these days growth was 9% where as in China it was 10.9%. India is giving tough competition to China in this sector.

Global Position

According to GDP growth in 2012, of top 15 countries India was at 12^th position. In global scenario the contribution of service sector in GDP growth rate was 65.9% and in employment it was 44%, means out of 100 employments 44 were in service sector. In terms of this in Indian GDP, the contribution of service sector was 56.9% where as in employment generating it was only 28.1%. In the year 2013 GDP, the contribution of services was 57%. In business, hotel & restaurant, transportation, storage and broadcasting the rate has reduced to 3% where as in finance, insurance, real estate increase in rate to 12.9% was observed.

Lack of FDI in service sector

In financial year 2013-2014, a fall in FDI by 37.6% can be observed to 6.4 billion dollar in spite of rise in FDI by 6.1 % totally. In global service sector in the year 1990 India’s contribution was 0.6% which has increased to 3.3% at present financial year 2013-2014. In service sector in India information technology (IT) has the highest contribution of 46% but in the financial year 2013-2014 it has reduced by 5.4% to 40.6%. Travel & tourism’s contribution was 12% but a fall of 0.4% can be seen at present financial year.

Huge potential of service sector in India

According to the economical survey in India at present, the share of service sector is higher than agriculture and corporate sector and it is more than 50% of the GDP and it is the second fastest growing sector. Service sector is the most stable sector at present compared to any other sector. The rise in the sector is observed because of the increase in social, IT and financial services. In some areas rise in service sector is observed by the increase in use of mobile phone services.

At present the economy of India is dependent on service sector. India has ignored the common growth model and refused to accept the manufacturing sector moving towards services from agriculture sector, where as China has shifted from agriculture to manufacturing sector. In service sector agriculture and corporate industry will also get help by creating employment, as manufacturing industry has not been able to generate enough employment according to its potential. By increasing population day by day in India the number of dependent individual in lower and middle class family is also increasing. In this case investment should be made for economical growth of the country. At present the expenditure is more than income. In domestic life people save money but it is not growing and thus it is not able to provide social as well as individual profit. In education and health sector huge amount of investment is needed especially among women so that awareness on birth control can be spread. The coming two decade would be very challenging for India to provide employment to the youth. In this case service sector has to play a major role in generating employment, for deploying this India is in good position as there is huge English speaking population which can help the global financial and corporate industry. Service sector can influence poverty to a large extend. In agriculture sector the influence of growth on poverty has not showed his color largely thus in order to eradicate poverty it is very important to align agriculture with service sector and create an organized market environment, at the same time encouraging the youth and generating enough employment in the sector is also needed and this can be achieved by mutual understanding and co-operation. By mutual co-operation employment can be generated in hotel and restaurant industry, getting IT industry in rural areas life of rural people can be changed. In many states the awareness of television and mobile technology has helped to eradicate poverty.

Along with this improvement should be made in credit policy structure also, so that current account deficit can be reduced and economical growth can be speed up. In economical survey figures the picture of service sector is very impressive as the share of service sector is increasing continuously but in terms of employment it has not yet shown any positive sign which is a matter of concern. Government has to think about it. The global economic condition has also affected India but we cannot deny the fact that our economical policies are also equally responsible for decline in growth rate. In telecom and other sector government policies has affected the growth of the country, if the condition in these sector would have been better then the service sector would have been much strong and through this more employment could have been generated. According to economical figures, government has to soon start effective economical policies in order to improve the economy of the country. We hope that new government will take effective steps to improve the economy of the country and at the same time take strict action against government expenditure.

The Most Powerful Person

2013-11-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

The American magazine Forbes has declared Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin as the world’s most powerful leader in 2013. Putin’s importance is also because he has earned this position by leaving behind the US President Barack Hussein Obama. After 2009 this is the first time when US President is not selected as the most powerful person.

Putin’s approach towards Syrian nuclear weapon crisis is more effective than Obama which showed that internationally Putin has been able to impress more people by going against America for war with Syria. The regular report on use of chemical weapon by Syria made the US President Barack Obama to declare war against Damascus capital of Syria, but Putin with the help of documents leaked by Edward Snowden associated with America’s National Security Agency (NSA) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) forced Obama to act on it. Due to the leaked documents by Snowden America has to face embarrassment in front of the whole world. He also disclosed such documents that states, America was spying on leaders of 34 different countries.

Vladimir Putin had never thought that providing asylum to Edward Snowden would be so profitable. America has found Snowden guilty of leaking important government documents, and Snowden asked Moscow for asylum and Putin accepted it, till then he had revealed such things that have put America into trouble. During these days America has tried everything to force Putin to deliver Snowden to America but nothing of their attempts was successful. Barack Obama also threatened to abolish trade pacts with Russia but all these threads did not even moved Putin an inch, instead he did something which annoyed the US president Barack Obama the most. Putin not only gave protection and shelter to Snowden but also gave employment with huge pay in a Russian website firm. Obama’s position has also clenched down because of internal issues. Lack of support by opposition party in America to Obama has caused continues shutdown for 16 days, during these days all the government offices were also closed.

Only leader at home

Vladimir Putin can think of becoming the most powerful and influential person in the world because in Russia there is no other person to challenge his leadership, for the last two decade he has been ruling the country. The credit to bring Putin into current politics goes to the acting president Boris Yeltsin, who made him Prime minister and Putin at the same time proved himself as a successful leader.

In year 2000 presidential election Putin won against Boris and he repeated the same in 2004 presidential election. In 2004 also he would have stood for presidential election if there would not have been any constitutional barriers, in Russia there is a rule that a person cannot stand for presidential election for continuously three times. In order to break this Putin became Prime minister and helped his faithful Dmitry Medvedev to become as country’s President. During these days he increased the duration of president from 4 to 6 years.

In 2012 presidential election once again Putin was back, but this time it was a tough challenge. In lower house of Russian parliament State Duma, Putin’s United Russia Party emerged victorious with huge difficulty. In this election also he was blamed that he was victorious by unfair means. In the final election also he was blamed for unfair play and he has to face lot of protest by opposition party who were supported by young youths in the country. It was assumed that this protest would withdraw Putin’s root from politics but it did not happened and he emerged victorious for the third time as President and at the same time Putin helped Dmitry Medvedev to be the Prime Minister.

People’s Faith

Though there were lot of protest before and after election against Putin but still there is a huge mass who believe in Putin as their hero. The oppositions also cannot deny the fact that Putin is the one who has drove the country during the time of difficulties and stabilize the country’s economy. Boris Yeltsin when in 1999 made Vladimir Putin as Prime minister at that time Russia was struggling for its identity. The country was broken from 1991 recession and was struggling from it. In these days when in May 2000, Putin stood for presidential election the whole country was hoping a lot from him and the people helped him to be victorious with huge vote.

After coming into power Putin did historic work. Putin’s decision to Fight against Cheka strictly impressed the people a lot, he promised to make Russia a modern and strong country and also talked about stabilizing the government budget along with controlling rising inflation in the country. After 9/11 incident in America Putin promised to give full support to America at the same time he opposed the idea of military training in Iran and supported Germany and France in the idea to refer to such issues to United Nation.

Not an easy way ahead

There is no denying the fact that Putin it doing the right thing, but at the same time it is giving rise to lot of challenges for Putin. The questions arising during last presidential election shows that the country needs a transparent election procedure. Russia is also suffering from corruption which is a major problem in the country. Putin who had been a lieutenant colonel of Russian intelligence bureau Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti (KGB) also agrees to the fact that the country is suffering from corruption. In corruption Russia has also left behind India. “Transparency international” has kept Russia at 154^th place out of 187 countries in corruption index where as India’s ranking is 87, from the current report issued on black money stored in all the banks throughout the world Russia is in second place.

Putin already has the challenge to stabilize country’s economy, recession has also strike Russian economy. The economic growth rate has gone down below 5 %, unemployment rate is rising has put Putin in hard times. Now, slowly the rise in economy can be seen and the Ruble exchange is stabilizing and foreign exchange deposit is increasing day by day. The effect of 30 Billion Ruble spend during economic crisis can be seen now.

Relation with India

Russia’s relation with India has always been good from the past, but to strengthen this relation Putin plays an important role. It is Putins’s presence that kept the relation unaffected in spite of America’s various attempts to abolish it. It can be seen when India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Russia, Putin didn’t even thought for a while to put aside the protocol to show his affection. In spite of this many huge arms deal is acting as a bottle neck. At the same time investment of many government and private companies of Russia has been stuck in India. On one side for India, MIG fighter plane taken from Russia is a huge problem and on the other hand the payment date for battle port submarine deal by Russia is an issue. Though in Kudankulam Tamil Nadu the nuclear project taken by Russia will soon start generating electricity but it has already been late due to local protest. There was a time when Russia and India’s relation were based on mutual views but now it is based on business and country’s growth. The new environment demands more precaution and alertness, hope that Putin’s age would improve the relation between both the countries.

Relation with Pakistan

During last few years in terms of international politics, no matter how fast India went close to America at the same speed Russia went close to Pakistan. The closeness between both the countries can put India into trouble as about 70% of India’s weapon comes from Russia. If the closeness between Russia and Pakistan is increasing, it is largely because of New Delhi the capital of India who was not able to adapt to the changing environment. In 1971 war Russia has supported India till end. America and Britain in December 1971 has tried their best to protect Pakistan, in this prohibition by American navy in Bay of Bengal and emergence of American and British soldier’s on the shore of Gate way of India is also included but soviet Russia’s submarine fought them out.

Putin in news

At this age Vladimir Putin’s private life is in highlight, he had divorced his wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva, and his affair with State Duma deputy Alina Maratovna Kabaeva is in news. Kabayeva’s statement in a TV show has increased the suspense between their relations just after Putin’s divorce. Kabayeva is a gold medalist in gymnast at the same time she is also Putin’s United Russia Part’s deputy. For the last five years their affair has been in news but both have been denying on this relation.

The Gettysburg address of Abraham Lincoln

2012-08-19T08:58:00.003-07:00

ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE DEDICATION OF THE CEMETERY

AT GETTYSBURG.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this

continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the

proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that

nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to

dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who

here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether

fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate— we can not conse-

crate—we can not hallow— this ground. The brave men, living and

dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor

power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remem-

ber what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It

is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished

work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining

before us— that from these honored dead we take increased devotion

to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—

that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in

vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of free-

dom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the

people, shall not perish from the earth.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

November 19. 1863.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Copied from Facsimile of the Final Revision published in ' 'Auto-

graph Leaves of Our Coimtry's Aitthors,'' 1864- .

Scam Alert

2012-08-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Corruption is not a new phenomenon in India. It is witnessed all over the world in developing as well as developed countries. It has been prevalent in society since ancient times. Corruption in India has become so common that people now are averse to thinking of public life with it. It has spread its tentacles in every sphere of life, namely business administration, politics, officialdom, and services. In fact, there is hardly any sector which can be characterized for not being infected with the vices of corruption. Corruption is rampant in every segment and every section of society, barring the social status attached to it. Nobody can be considered free from corruption from a high ranking officer to a small clerk. The situation as it stands today is that, corruption is no slur on any individual, it has by now become a way of life, it has been so closely woven into our life patterns that, no one thinks much about it. The position as it stands today is so very pathetic that, it is a wonder who will punish whom for corruption?

Corruption in the Indian society has prevailed from time immemorial in one form or the other. The basic inception of corruption started with our opportunistic leaders who have already done greater damage to our nation. People who work on right principles are unrecognized and considered to be foolish in the modern society. Corruption in India is a result of the connection between bureaucrats, politicians and criminals. Earlier, bribes were paid for getting wrong things done, but now bribe is paid for getting right things done at right time. Further, corruption has become something respectable in India, because respectable people are involved in it. Political corruption is worst in India. It is well established that politicians are extremely corrupt the world over. In fact, people are surprised to find an honest politician. These corrupt politicians go scot-free, unharmed and unpunished. Leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri or Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel are a rare breed now who had very little bank balance at the time of death. The list of scams and scandals in the country is endless. The Bofors payoff scandal of 1986 involved a total amount of `1750 crore in purchase of guns from a Swedish firm for the Army. The Cement scandal of 1982 involved the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Sugar Scandal of 1994 involved a Union Minister of State for food, the Urea Scam and of course no one can forget Hawala Scandal of 1991, the Coffin-gate, fodder scam in Bihar or the Stamp scandal which shocked not only the political arena but the entire society. The major cause of concern is that corruption is weakening the political body and damaging the supreme importance of the law governing the society. Nowadays politics is only for criminals and criminals are meant to be in politics. Elections in many parts of the country have become associated with a host of criminal activities. Threatening voters to vote for a particular candidate or physically prevent voters from going in to the polling booth – especially weaker sections of the society like tribals, dalits and rural woman occurs frequently in several parts of the country. Recently, the Government increased the salary of the M.P.’s from `16, 000 to `50, 000, that is 300% increase to the existing salary. But many of them are unhappy with rise and want the Government to increase the salary to a much more extent. This clearly shows how the politicians are in constant thirst for monetary benefits and not caring about the welfare of the people. Tax evasion is one of the most popular forms of corruption. It is mostly practiced by Government officials and politicians who lead to the accumulation of black money which in turn spoils the moral of the people.

In 2011 India was ranked 95^th out of 178 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Some of the largest sources of corruption in India are entitlement programs and social spending schemes enacted by the Indian government. Examples include “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act” and “National Rural Health Mission”. Other daily sources of corruption include India's trucking industry which is forced to pay billions in bribes annually to numerous regulatory and police stops on its interstate highways. Defense Ministry and Ministry of Communication are regarded as ‘gold mines for making money’. Corruption is also at a high rate in departments like Public Works, Police, Excise and Revenue. Corruption in these departments is rampant at all levels from the highest to the lowest. The registered number of cases of corruption in India under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 varied from 300 to 500 between 1981 and 1987 but after the enforcement of 1988 Act, the number now varies between 1800 to 2000 annually.

As of December 2008, 120 of India's 523 parliament members were facing criminal charges.Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved very high levels of government, including Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers, such as in the 2G spectrum scam, the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam and the Adarsh Housing Society scam, Coal Mining Scam, mining scandal in Karnataka and cash for vote scam.

Taxes and bribes are common between state borders; Transparency International estimates that truckers pay annually ` 22,200 crores (US$ 4.5 billion) in bribes, to Government regulators and police.

In real state Officials are alleged to steal state property. In cities and villages throughout India, consisting of municipal and other government officials, elected politicians, judicial officers, real estate developers and law enforcement officials, acquire, develop and sell land in illegal ways.

Corruption caused problems in government funded projects are also not limited in the country, aid programs are beset by corruption, bad administration and under-payments. As an example, the report cites only 40% of grain handed out for the poor reaches its intended target. The World Bank study finds that the public distribution programs and social spending contracts have proven to be a waste due to corruption. As an example, India enacted the so-called Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on August 25, 2005. The Central government outlay for this welfare scheme was ` 40,000 crore (US$7.24 billion) in FY 2010–2011. After 5 years of implementation, in 2011, the programme was widely criticized as no more effective than other poverty reduction programs in India. Despite its best intentions, MGNREGA is beset with controversy about corrupt officials pocketing money on behalf of fake rural employees, poor quality of infrastructure built under this program, and unintended destructive effect on poverty.

A study conducted between 2004 and 2005 found that India’s driver licensing procedure was a hugely distorted bureaucratic process and allows drivers to get licenses despite their low driving ability through promoting the usage of agents. Individuals with high willingness to pay make a significant payment above the official fee and most of these extra payments are made to agents, who act as an intermediary between bureaucrats and applicants. The average license getter paid `1080, approximately 2.5 times the official fee of `450, in order to obtain a license. On average, those who hired agents had a lower driving ability, with agents helping unqualified drivers obtain licenses and bypass the legally required driving examination. Among the surveyed individuals, approximately 60% of the license holders did not take the licensing exam and 54% of those license holders failed an independent driving test. Agents are the channels of inefficient corruption in this bureaucratic driver licensing system, facilitating access to licenses among those who are unqualified to drive. Some of the failures of this licensing system are caused by corrupt bureaucrats who collaborate with agents by creating additional barriers within the system against those who did not hire agents.

In Government Hospitals also, corruption is associated with non availability/duplication of medicines, getting admission, consultations with doctors and availing diagnostic services. “National Rural Health Mission” is another health care-related government program that has been subject to large scale corruption allegations. This social spending and entitlement program hoped to improve health care delivery across rural India. The program has been run since 2005 by the Ministry of Health of the Indian government. The Indian government mandated a spending of ` 27,700 crores in 2004–05, and increased it annually to be about 1% of India's gross domestic product. The National Rural Health Mission program has been clouded by a large-scale corruption scandal in which top government appointed officials were arrested. Corruption, waste and fraud-related losses from this government program have been alleged to be ` 10,000 crores (US$2 billion)

Another most highlighted scam is the black money scam. Black money refers to money that is not fully legitimate property of the owner. A white paper on black money in India by the Government of India suggests two possible sources of black money in India. The first includes activities not permissible under the law, like crime, drug trade, terrorism, and corruption, all of which are illegal in India. The second, more likely source is that the wealth may have been generated through a lawful activity but accumulated by failing to declare income and pay taxes. Some of this black money ends up in illicit financial flows across international borders, such as deposits in tax haven countries. This scam can be said to be the almost immediate cause of the anti-corruption movement being faced by the country. The revelation about the huge sums of money being stashed away in Swiss banks served as an impetus to rally against the government that had been ignoring it. The magnanimity of the situation came into focus when Indian businessman Hasan Ali Khan was arrested on money laundering charges which was to the tune of `39,120 crores.

According to a 2010 The Hindu article, unofficial estimates indicate that Indians had over US$1456 billion in black money stored in Swiss banks (approximately USD 1.4 trillion). While some news reports claimed that data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Report (2006) showed India has more black money than the rest of the world combined, a more recent report quoted the SBA's Head of International Communications as saying that no such official Swiss Banking Association statistics exist. Another report said that Indian-owned Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the country’s national debt. These allegations have been denied by Swiss Bankers Association. James Nason of Swiss Bankers Association in an interview about alleged black money from India suggests "The (black money) figures were rapidly picked up in the Indian media and in Indian opposition circles, and circulated as gospel truth. However, this story was a complete fabrication. The Swiss Bankers Association never published such a report. Anyone claiming to have such figures (for India) should be forced to identify their source and explain the methodology used to produce them."

In a separate study, Dev Kar of Global Financial Integrity concludes, "media reports circulating in India that Indian nationals held around US$1.4 trillion in illicit external assets are widely off the mark compared to the estimates found by his study." Kar claims the amounts are significantly smaller, only about 1.5% of India's GDP on average per annum basis, between 1948–2008. This includes corruption, bribery and kickbacks, criminal activities, trade mispricing and efforts to shelter wealth by Indians from India's tax authorities.

According to a third report, published in May 2012, Swiss National Bank estimates that the total amount of deposits in all Swiss banks, at the end of 2010, by citizens of India were CHF 1.95 billion (` 9,295 crore, US$ 2.1 billion). The Swiss Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed these figures upon request for information by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. This amount is about 700 fold less than the alleged $1.4 trillion in some media reports. The report also provided a comparison of the deposits held by Indians and by citizens of other nations in Swiss banks. Total deposits held by citizens of India constitute only 0.13 per cent of the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries. Further, the share of Indians in the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries in Swiss banks has reduced from 0.29 per cent in 2006 to 0.13 per cent in 2010.

Another burning scam was allocating valuable coal block to hundreds of private miners without auction. According to the CAG draft report, the government extended undue benefits totaling a `10.67 lakh crore to commercial entities by giving them 155 coal acreages without auction between 2004 and 2009.

This could be the mother of all mining scams. The mining scam in Odisha, which accounts for over 30 percent of India’s iron ore deposits estimated at ` 3 lakh crore, a scale that dwarfs the Bellary mining scam in Karnataka and the Goa mining scam. This scam was plundering at its best with the Naveen Patnaik led government exploiting the state's minerals to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees. Apparently, the mine owners had been illegally using fake Transit Passes to transport minerals from Odisha to other states. The plundering was a large scale one and involved many high profile people from the government and bureaucracy. Yet, today, the illegal mining continues. According to the State Vigilance charge sheet, the illegal iron ore mining at these three mines (Serajuddin Mines, Rungta Mines and Indrani Patnaik Mines) alone has caused the loss of a staggering ` 2,352 crore to the state exchequer. Each tonne of iron ore fetches the mining company nearly ` 8,000, while the State government gets a measly royalty of ` 78 per tonne.

The 2G scam is one of the latest scams that have hit the country driving it to incur huge losses. And caught at the centre of the embarrassing controversy was the Telecom Minister, A. Raja himself. The scam became bigger with new revelations of the involvement of politicians, bureaucrats, corporate personalities, media persons and lobbyists. The granting of licenses to various companies led to a massive loss to the exchequer. Also, daughter of political tycoon, M. Karunanidhi, M. Kanimozhi was also arrested on charges of being a co-conspirator in the scandal. The much speculated about 2G Spectrum Scam has been one of the most expensive scams in the nation’s record. Former telecom minister Mr. A. Raja was the person who skillfully siphoned ` 1.76-lakh crore by evading the 2G licensing norms. He awarded the 2G accounts at the price rate of 2001 instead of the increased rate in 2008. As a result India lost an unbelievable huge amount of money. In 2011, “Time magazine” listed the scam at number two on their “Top 10 Abuses of Power” list. The present status of this scam is that both A. Raja and M.K. Kanimozhi has been granted bail on 15^th may 2012 and 28 November 2011 and trial is being conducted in Special CBI Court. In this scam A. Raja was in CBI custody for 469 days that is only one year 3 months and M.K. Kanimozhi was in CBI custody for 188 days that is nearly six months.

The Commonwealth Games held in India was even soaked in controversies and corruption to say the least. While the organizing committee drew flak for various allegations like child labour, sex slavery, environmental impact, racism and financial costs, the one that shocked the nation was the humungous amount of funds that had been mishandled by them. The chairman of the organizing committee was, resultantly, arrested on charges of 'criminal conspiracy and cheating. The open scam and loot that took place during the Commonwealth Game is probably one of the most shameful incidents in Indian history. It certainly disgraced the nation in front of other countries and an international audience. According to estimations, ` 70,000 crore was spent on the game of which only half the amount was actually spent for the event. The investigation performed by Central Vigilance Commission revealed that various hefty payments were made in the name of non-existent parties and voluntarily delay was made in the preparation process which collective lead to misuse of the funds. Suresh Kalmadi the face of this scam at present has been bailed out on the surety of ` 5 lakhs by Delhi high court and he still remains a Lok Sabha MP.

The Scorpene submarines scam was another big corruption scandals faced by the country including the navy. In the scandal, secret Navy documents were sold to the makers of the Scorpene submarine. The Indian government had approved the ` 19,000 crore submarine deal with the French company. The purchase of six Scorpene submarines cost the Indian government a lot more than its actual price.

Hawala Scandal is another much talked about incident of politics and corruption in India which came to mass notice in 1996 and it was all about bribery at the national level worth $18 millions. India’s well-known politicians accepted hefty bribes from the hawala brokers. Hawala scam was probably the first scam that gave the public an idea of the loot of national treasure that was being implemented by the top politicians. The scam revolved around the payments that the politicians received from hawala brokers, who basically fund terrorism around the globe. Many prominent politicians like LK Advani, Arjun Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Kalpnath Roy, VC Shukla, Madhavrao Scindia, Sharad Yadav, Buta Singh, Natwar Singh and Madan Lal Khurana were indicted in this case, but no action was taken against them due to lack of hardcore evidence.

Various laws have been framed from time to time to prevent or at least reduce corruption. The Prevention of Corruption Act came into force in September 1988. It was an improvisation of the Act of 1947. The scope of the 1988 Act was enlarged and widened to include the term 'public servants'. Thus if an offence against a public servant is proved in the court there will be imprisonment of not less than 6 months upto 5 years and also the person may be fined. The Central Government has set up four departments to check corruption—Administrative Vigilance Division in the Department of Personnel and Training, Central Bureau of Investigation, Domestic Vigilance units in Ministries / Departments / Public Undertaking or Nationalized Banks and Central Vigilance Commission.

Laws and rules have to be implemented with strictness and if needed, the outdated ones should be amended in order to check the acts of corruption. Vigilance should be increased so that people think twice before indulging in corrupt practices. Election expenses should be strictly curtailed and finally, without the co-operation of the common man, the evil of corruption cannot be eradicated.

London Olympic 2012

2012-07-27T10:14:00.000-07:00

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, celebrated in Athens was the first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894. Coubertin never entertained female athlete in this international sports event. According to him females were not worthy to participate and it will be bad or wrong if female participates in the event. Whatever the thought of Coubertin and people like him were in those days but after 116 years at present in London Olympic 2012 the participation of female in the Olympic history is the highest till now. Among the 204 participating countries in London Olympics 2012, every country has minimum of one female athlete. If it same goes on then in the Olympic history London Olympic 2012 will be known as female Olympic year.

In London Olympic 2012 for the first time female athletes are participating from Brunei, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia at the same time this is the first time in Olympic history where female participation is more or less same to male athlete. From United States America the participation of female athlete is 269 where as male athlete is 261. If we compare past, the participation of female athlete were hardly few, in 1900 Paris Olympic out of total 997 athletes only 22 athlete were female. In the Olympic history this is the first time where, in 26 games event females are participating.

Female participation in Olympic has not increased at once. It is since last year’s Beijing Olympics in 2008 world has witnessed lot of changes. Among these the role of Middle East’s contribution is the highest, the international Olympic Committee has encouraged Middle East countries to allow female participants from their country. Beside that during last year’s Olympic, many new games have been introduced which has increased the participation of female in Olympic. In 2000 females were allowed to participate in taekwondo, weight lifting and shooting where as female boxing is introduced this year in London Olympics 2012. 1n 1900 before 112 years females were allowed to participate only in cricket, sailing, horse riding, tennis and golf.

In nearly 100 years participation of females in Olympic has increased. In 1908 London Olympic out of total participating athlete only 1.8% were females. Where as in 2008 Beijing Olympics out of total 10947 athletes’ 4639 athletes were female. In 2012 London Olympic 1100 athletes are participating from 204 countries and female participation is more than 40 %. The American association of university women’s public policy and government relation director Lisa Maatz said that countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Brunei, has stated a good example to the world by allowing female athlete to participate in Olympic games. Olympic teaches us to be united by forgetting discrimination and for this London Olympic would be known. It will also encourage more female participation in 2016 Reo De Janeiro Olympic.

Afgani female sprinter Tahmina Kohistani is the only female who is representing Afghanistan in London Olympic 2012. A 22 year old Tahmina is the third female athlete in the history of Afghanistan to participate in Olympic. She's not so interested in winning gold than in inspiring Afghan girls to take up sport. In her interview she said that it is like a dream come true for her to qualify in Olympics. Her appearance in the stadium was unusual as she was not wearing any sports bra or shorts like other female athlete instead of that the afgani sprinter appeared with a head scarf and full sleeves sweater. Although her chances of winning the 100-meter sprint are lower than those of her competitors, she is very glad to be in London. "What's important for me is to take part in the Olympic Games - for me, my people and my homeland."

Tahmina is the only woman allowed to represent her country in London this year. She has been running and dreaming of taking part in the Olympic Games for eight years already. Her intensive training for the summer games started six months ago at Kabul's Ghazi stadium but technical restrictions have made it tough. Karim, her trainer, says that she could "win gold if she had better training conditions." She has also not had an easy time of it because of the poor security situation and social restrictions. She has been insulted several times for choosing sports. People all over the world are happy that she is encouraging females in Afghanistan to choose sports but on the other hand in her homeland and outside there are many people who hate Tahmina because of her decision to be a sportsperson. The people who hate Tahmina not only include male but also females. According to them she is going against the religion but Tahmina want to prove them wrong and says that people need time to get used to more modern conditions. But she is glad that she is very lucky with her family who always supports her and encourages her in her decision. Though Tahmina has fewer chances to win but she is glad that maybe her attempt to inspire Afgan girl to take sport would come up with bright colors. This would be worth much more than a gold medal for her and her country. After Olympic when she will go back to Kabul she is planning to open a sport academy for women so that Afghanistan can give more female participants in future for sporting events like Olympics.

It's time to take seriously

2012-07-25T09:48:00.006-07:00

The year 2005, Handitola village in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district:
A Dalit hangs himself. The early stench of a decomposing body is what helps identify the tree. Yet, nobody dares go near him; for some, the man’s an untouchable. The others are just plain scared. A woman in a faded sari with that other rural staple, a very cracked heel arrives on the scene. Sukhantibai with a sickle in her hand, stands upon a stool, cuts the rope and lowers the body. The villagers mostly look on. Few days later, the villagers unanimously select Sukhantibai – a Gond Adivasi woman as their Sarpanch.

7 years hence she has been reelected. Not that anything in her home would give that away today. Her house is still a mud hut with uneven walls, a tiny courtyard; her kitchen consists of a wood stove, a couple of earthen pots and a few small tins containing tea and spices; her family has to fetch drinking water from the tap at the entrance of the village and no personal privilege of separate toilets either. She tells us, ‘The government has a scheme called Nirmal Gaon Yojana to provide a toilet and water supply for all. But the money is coming in small amounts. There are 1260 people here. So far, 170 families have received water and toilets. I am trying to ensure that the rest of the families get them before my term ends.’ What she doesn’t say, is evident from being in the village. Her home is at the far edges of it. And since the supply starts at the beginning of the village Sukhantibai will be among the last to receive the benefits of any scheme. So she has let herself be among the rest who will have to wait for their turn to come.

Could this be a sign of her honesty, good ole fashioned honesty?
The villagers and the Maoists in the area seem to think so. The latter are known for opposing any government development project and she’s had their support. But maybe it’s also because she has been a landless tribal woman herself. Has also worked as a laborer in the house of the 'Patel' - the richest man in her village. And while coming up the hard way has seen her village with no electricity, no roads and no tap water. Infact she tells us that way back in 1995, on learning that leprosy was curable; she organized several health camps with the help of the villagers. In each camp, she cleaned and bandaged the wounds of those afflicted and distributed medicine which she had collected from the block hospital. Real trust is a slow but sure thing. And some people come around. And of course there are some don’t.

For example, the hut she calls home was bought from the Patel, whom she once worked for. But, even after 15 long years, he refuses to transfer the ownership of the land in her family’s name, simply because he doesn’t think as an Adivasi she or her family has a right to own land. Yet Sukhantibai hasn’t approached a court against the Patel “Court cases are lengthy affairs and I have no time to get involved into that right now,” she says, before adding, ‘I at least can eat a square meal and wear a coarse sari. My people here don't even have that. If I, the Sarpanch, start feeling sorry for myself, who will solve the problems of my people?'

And many of the problems have been solved. The primary school has been upgraded to 8th grade; there are separate toilets for boys and girls, a primary health center, an anganwadi, a large playground, a community hall, a community temple, electricity poles and drinking water taps.

But problems never go away, do they?
Consumption of illicit liquor, for example, is a growing menace among the village youth. To stop that, Sukhantibai does what a grandmother would do to her grandchildren: threaten to break their legs, if caught drinking inside the village. If there are desperate measures, there are also inspirational asides that possibly deserve a fuller telling elsewhere.

Suffice to say that to inspire the neighbors to educate their children, Sukhantibai, who didn’t get beyond 5th class as a child passed 8th grade under the Open school system. She feels quite strongly about women’s opportunities too, ‘10 years ago, none of our girls would step outside their homes. Today, they are running shops and businesses. During a fair, you can see so many of them setting up food stalls. It makes me very happy. Adivasi women are very strong in body and mind. So, I also want them to enter politics. Women must have a say in the affairs of the village. It will only make our village more developed.’

As a state, Chhattisgarh has a real ongoing crisis. Of trust, of violence, of people caught in the crossfire of a vicious battle of life and death. But even in the blinding heat of a war zone, there are barefoot soldiers like her who offer spaces to grow, to support and work with. With a much quieter, yet unrelenting energy.

But just who is listening to those whose heels may have cracked, but not their spirit?

I read this story in the net and wanted to share this along with you it is really inspiring, one should learn from her honest work and great thoughts. She has cleared 8^th class at the age of 53, she is not highly qualified like any other person at the highest position in the country but her thoughts her work is far better than any of the politicians in the country. She does not misuse the power given to her rather; she is trying her best to deliver the benefits provided by the government to common people in her village. She resembles herself as the servant of the people and believes in delivering the benefits to the villagers first then getting the benefit for herself, she has all the qualities of a leader in spite of any higher qualification where as our politicians who are highly qualified even though seems to be illiterate.

Tribal handicraft in India

2012-07-21T07:14:00.001-07:00

Tribal communities in India comprise an important dimension of the Indian society. The precious heritage of the Indian tradition is an amalgam and harmonious blending of a wide variety of cultures. Indian tribes constitute nearly 8.14% of the total population of India. According to article 342 of the Constitution of India, at present, there are 697 tribes as counted by the Central Government. Each tribe has their own culture and living style and they have always been associated with a rich legacy of locally made items of art and craft, a rage among locals as well as foreign tourists coming to India from different parts of the world.

Ceramic pottery

Tribal groups create awestruck beauty with their raw form of art that tends to appeal all art lovers with a different taste. In fact, their handicrafts are dipped in originality and weaved in creativity. Right from the pre-historic paintings to modern time tribal jewelry, the tribal groups have created magic with every piece of art. They have polished their hands at jewelry, wooden crafts, stones art and carved paintings. Their art form, generally, have the impression of myths, god, legends and natural essence. The tribal people give a great emphasis on the use of bright colors and natural shapes. In fact, their art is the best example of communion with nature. After all, they know the knack of creating beautiful pieces from the nature’s elements. They are also known for making wonderful carving on masks and drums too.

Handicrafts and handlooms are two such industries in India that have their special identity. With a mode of expressing one’s mind, soul, traditions and modern outlook, these two industries have created magic all over the world. The variety and expertise of handicrafts speaks through pottery, metal work, jewelry, wooden art, marble or stone work, paper mache items and toys. On the other hand, the glory of handloom industry can be stated in the form of designer clothes with a variety in fabric, printing styles, designs, patterns and specialized embroideries. In fact, almost every state in India has their own style of handicrafts and handlooms to boast their distinctiveness.

Santhal art

The handicrafts are an expression of thoughts and innovations. It is a field of art that lays the foundation for bonding between cultures and religions. In fact, Indian handicraft and art forms are a reflection of beauty coupled with elegance. As per the tradition in art forms go, each and every state has their own ways to deal with the colors and craft materials. We, generally, get to see the influence of religion, cultural beliefs, lifestyle and traditional practices in the piece of handicrafts made. The prevailing handicraft traditions of India has seen numerous interventions that created a new art out of them. In fact, it has been the influence of passing dynasties that kept on revamping the traditions. And the ability of accepting changes enabled artisans to create masterpieces that became an identity in itself. Some of the states in India have the tradition of weaving gold and silver threads on a piece of silk or cotton, which is known to be Zari or Brocade work. Punjab has the tradition of making very fine embroidery called as Phulkari. What makes a tradition being followed for so many years, I guess it is their hard work and creative input involved in it and after all appreciators of handicraft always go for the exclusive designs that have not been available to them in their native place. Moreover, handicrafts in India have ventured in to the homes, office spaces and various other places as a mode of decoration. They enhance the overall look of a place and add vivacity to it.

Each state has their own tradition and they are the best in their field. From carvings to bronze castings, brassware, metal and stone work, Andhra people have created a special place in the field of art. The most famous thing here is the use of pearls in various designs of jewelry. And it is Hyderabad, which is well-known for this form of art. Some of the other forms of art which can be checked are Bidri craft and Kondapalli toys.

In Bihar it is the women that are dominating over the crafts. Traditional Madhubani paintings, bangle making, designer stone work and Sikki craft are some of the famous tradition which is still followed with more creativity in their art which is a blend of traditional and modern art.

The Rajasthani handicrafts are famous worldwide for its classicism and ethnicity. From stones to marble, pots, bowls, plates, wall clocks, hangings, leather, wood, painting and jewelry, one can see the touch of royalty in everything. Not just royalness in everything; but also the touch of rural lifestyle that makes Rajasthani handicrafts popular worldwide. Rajasthan is known for palaces and kingly status, which is quite visible in its crafts. The unique thing to notice in Rajasthani handicrafts is that the work is based on the life of Maharajas of Rajasthan and their love for craftsmanship in every corner. Another thing to be checked out is the use of vibrant colors, red, yellow and green being prominent. It is because of the liveliness in the culture of Rajasthan that such colors are kept in prominence.

Orissa shows a glimpse of traditions and religious practices in the handicrafts that are designed with much finesse. The tradition of Palm Leaf Writing is still prevalent; though, it is seen in some of the local households. Even, marriage cards, at present, are also written on Palm Leaf to some extent. The wooden carvings, stone art, patta paintings and appliqué art form are some of the most loved possessions of Orissa. A best part of the handicrafts from Orissa is that they make use of tamarind glue, chalk powder and various other things in making their masterpieces of painting bases.

Jharkhand being a tribal state it is quite famous for artistic handicrafts. The specialty of this state is that the artisans are well-trained in making stylish wooden door panels, windows, boxes and kitchenware. These can be used in home and office decoration for enhancing the look of a place and lending it a thematic presence. One can also catch a glimpse of woman and men making bamboo or cane baskets, boxes and other important items of daily usage. Even the Paitkar paintings in Jharkhand are also famous, as they depict life after death. Apart from this, metal work is also quite beautiful and stylish in this state.

The contemporary and traditional art and craft is seen at its best in West Bengal. With an expertise in metal work, leather craft, cane art, jute products, brass work, pottery, masks and sandalwood carvings, the craftsmen of West Bengal have created a special place for themselves in the heart of craft lovers. One of the most pieces of art from Bengal is the Terracotta Bankura Horse. The carvings in Bengal and Dhokra art form are one of the most demandable art forms in the world.

The state of Tamil Nadu has an innovative story of handicrafts to recite. Since, it is located on the Bay of Bengal; the majority of handicrafts deal with sea products and stone structures. It is the traditional jewelry that has been attracting the customers. In designing the jewelry, craftsmen give high importance to gems and stones. There is a belief that Nine Jewels (Navratna) is the symbol of warding off evils. Another form of jewelry piece famous in Tamil Nadu is gold waist belt that is worn with saree. In fact, it is form of traditional ornament that is worn by almost every woman.

Mural art

In Jammu and Kashmir along with the existing traditions of handicraft designs, latest trends and changes are also incorporated to create a perfect fusion. The most form of craft used in this state after carpet weaving is wooden work done made from Walnut wood. Boxes, trunks and furniture made from it bear very fine carvings that enhance the look of an art piece. Even, copperware and silver work is also famous in Jammu and Kashmir for their sheer beauty, creativity and magnificence.

Himachal Pradesh is the land of greenery and in such an environment one of the most sought after form of craft is wooden work. Another one to catch up is metal work, which is the proof of fine art form. The silver jewelry in Himachal Pradesh is the soul of the state. Silversmiths of Himachal Pradesh are quite skilled in making engraved silver glasses, tea pots, lamp stands and fruit trays. In fact, Himachal is also famous for woolen handicrafts in the form of shawls, jackets, caps and carpets.

The state of Maharashtra has a perfect blend of diverse handicraft cultures. From traditional art forms of Ajanta caves to modern style leather wear, everything is designed with giving importance to minute things also. Its famous Sawantwadi painting craft form is liked by all. Another art form famous in Maharashtra is leather work, which can be seen at Kolhapur in the form of chappals and sandals. These chappals are also prepared with thread embroideries on them, so as to give them a fashionable look. Even, the Warli paintings of Maharashtra introduce us to tribal art form.

The artisans of Uttar Pradesh are skilled in making light weight jewelry which are easy to wear, beside that the colorful bangles of Uttar Pradesh are quite famous for their exclusive designs.One can also find a touch of religious faith in the artifacts of Keralites. In this state, one can find artisans using rosewood. Along with this, another piece of attraction is the carvings on coconut shell.The women of Jalandhar, Kartarpur and Hoshiarpur, generally, make pidhi that are carved out of wood. Afterwards, they are covered with lacquer and beautiful designs are woven with threads. Beside this the designer Punjabi juttis are major attraction throughout the world.

The rich historical story of pottery making dating back to Indus Valley Civilization, Gujarat has been known for changing thoughts into reality. From that time to now, the Gujarati tradition of handicrafts has shown its expertise in the field of textile designing, wooden carvings, metal and brass work. Another thing to check out is the designer art jewelry by Gujarati craftsmen. From the vulnerable designs of jewelry art pieces, the art of using beads, pearls and other gems to the best of their creations is clearly visible. Silver art jewelry is the specialty of this state.

Sikkim is a place where lot of idols being carved on wood can be seen in monasteries and temples. Well, that’s not all. One can also find various types of masks made from wood and paintings on them, which signifies the tribal culture and Sikkim’s traditionalism. It follows the Thangka paintings of Sikkim that are considered apt to promote Buddhism and its philosophies. Lamp shades, lanterns and designer furniture from their specialties. The Choktse tables (foldable) are quite famous world over.

The Government has taken various steps to promote the brand image for Indian Handicrafts in the world market. These include; organizing buyer-seller meet/seminars to create awareness about Indian Handicrafts, publicity measures such as release of advertisement in print media in US and Europe through Trade magazines, launching of website for providing authentic information on handmade carpets, participation in Fairs/Exhibition abroad, organizing Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair twice a year, organizing Thematic Exhibition etc. The Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (Trifed) is also branding tribal handicrafts, which it purchases from artisans and sells them through its outlets. It has around 16 regional offices in various parts of the country and buys 5,000 tribal products from about 50,000 artists registered with it. Trifed mainly deals with iron crafts, textiles, organic & herbal products, bamboo & cane products, tribal jewelry (including lac bangles), dokra and the like. This co-operative also plans training camps for tribal artisans in Jharkhand, Orissa and various other states. Planning Commission has also constituted a high-level committee to promote small scale industries and handicrafts in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.

India’s rich cultural diversity and heritage provides a unique and huge resource for developing craft products. The Indian Handicraft Industry is showing continuous growth rate of 20% every year. The major parts of industry operates in rural and semi urban areas throughout the country and has potential Indian and International market with around 67000 exporters to tap the market. According to the national census of handicrafts, undertaken by the National Council for Applied Economic Research the value of handicrafts produced last year were of Rs.26,213 Crore. This Industry provides huge employment opportunities to artisans that include women and people belonging to backward and weaker society. This is one of the major sources of income there. The Indian Handicraft Industry is a $100 billion industry worldwide. It’s contribution in world market is nearly 1.2%( total exports of crafts items: - Rs. 13412.92 Crore) which is 1.15% of total exports of India but in spite of having diversified products, some part of Indian market are still untapped and market is price sensitive. The major exporting countries include U.S.A, Germany, Italy, U.K, France, Canada, Japan & Saudi Arabia. In spite of all the measures adopted by the government there is still lack of awareness about new traditions among craftsmen and there is need of technological support and training so that more foreign exchange can be earned for the Indian economy.

7 billion in action

2012-07-12T01:44:00.001-07:00

The world population has crossed 7 billion nine months back and it is still increasing. This increasing population can be taken as a challenge as well as an opportunity for growth and development because it increases human capital which is the stepping stone of success for any country, on the same hand increasing population can be looked as a thread which leads to unemployment, shortage of food, space and basic needs. Beside that the government has to spend more on health, education, development and availability of basic needs for the people. To deal with these challenges and to aware the people against various problems arising due to rising population united nation on 11^th July 1989 celebrated first world population day and decided to celebrate every year in order to remind the people of the rising problems and create awareness against increasing population. The theme of world population day 2012 is “Universal access to reproductive health services.” The vision of united nation fund for population activities (UNFPA) is a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child is safe and every young person potential is fulfilled. In whole world reproductive health problems remain the leading cause of ill health and death of women during pregnancy. Nearly 222 billion women who would like to avoid or delay pregnancy lack access to effective family planning. Every day nearly 800 women die giving birth to life.

In 1804 world population was 1 billion which increased to 2 billion in 1927 and within thirty two years it reached to 3 billion in 1959 and in 1974 it was 4 billion where as in 1998 it was 6 billion. We can observe that the rate of population increase is very high and last year 31^st October 2011 it reached to 7 billion. Today at present the population of the world is more than double as compared to 1950. In 2050 it is expected to cross 9 billion. In poor nation population increase is highest nearly four times that of 1961. According to UNFPA we have to face new challenges every time as land is shrinking and there is lack of space, raw material and minerals are limited, gap between rich and poor is increasing day by day due to addition of 7.8 million people every year which is ultimately affecting our living environment.

In whole world China has the highest population of 1.3 billion followed by India 1.2 billion which is 17.5% of world population. There are many countries whose land area does not mark up with the population. At the same time countries like Brazil, Canada etc. has very less population as compared to their land area.

7 billion world population has given rise to many challenges and yet many more to come. In whole world more than 1 billion people sleep without having food at night. The rate of population increase does not match the rate of production of food materials. In future when this population will increase 2-3 billion more, then it would be very difficult to feed all the people. Today challenges related to environment pollution are very important for human race. Since there is an increase in population we are clearing forests to build township which is ultimately affecting our environment, due to this there is a change in climate resulting many species to extinct or are at the edge of existence and if this goes on like this then one day human will also exist from this planet.

According to scientist till 2050 the consumption of energy will be double or even more than that. Today only 20% of total energy consumption comes from petroleum products and which is limited in this earth. In coming future when this will increase to 30% then it will be difficult to satisfy the demand of increasing population because at present only we are 70% dependent on petroleum products. It is like a time bomb for this whole world. It is a fact that one day all these petroleum products will dry up then we will have to face various difficulties in terms of energy, if any supplementary means of energy is not found. It is a very critical situation for south Asia - Africa and Central America, for example; in Ethiopia where people are suffering from scarcity of food at the same time they are also suffering from scarcity of water. At which rate population is increasing in the same rate we are also polluting water by various human activities. Two third portion of earth is filled with water but it is of no use.

Globally many countries have been inspired by the problem of better established life. According to rough figure nearly 17.5 million people are living a established and better life and this is only 3%of the total population of the world. Among these many are from developed nations, but this number is also increasing gradually in developing nations. The increase in population is also affecting country’s growth. Day by day pressure is increasing on land and there has been a decrease in 30% of animal species as human has been destroying the environment by one or the other means. If humans goes on harming the environment and rate of population does not decreases then in future earth will become small and we will need one more planet to live.

Economic crisis and luxury meeting

2012-06-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

Where is Los Cabos? If G-20 Submit would have not taken place here then not even geography scholar nor would common people be interested except rich industrialists and celebrities for whom visiting this “resort town” of Mexico is a status symbol. The resort town is surrounded by Pacific Ocean and bay of California from three sides is a beautiful place which can be afford by wealthy people only and in this resort town ministers of G-20 submit have come together to find solution to fight against world economic crisis.

19 member countries and European Union are grouped together to form G-20. These are divided into five groups each group consisting of four countries and every group gets the opportunity to organize the G-20 Submit. Previously it was hosted twice a year but due to economic crisis they have decided to organize this meeting once every year but that to in a beautiful place, this was decided on November 2011 in France. In 2009 G-20 submit took place twice in London and Pittsburg, same in 2010 in Toronto and Seoul.

In 1999 ministers of 7 developed nations met in Germany and decided to meet every year to discuss on world economic crisis. They also decided to include other developing countries such as India, China, Brazil etc. in this. The result of this was that, the 80% population of the world is represented by this G-20 ministers but this is just a matter of saying. In reality economic forum like G-20 is used by America for their benefit or it given a platform for European Union to discuss solution of their problems.

World Bank chairman Mr. Robert Zoellick before the meeting had warned that if euro crisis is not dealt seriously then it will also affect the world economy. It was clear that first deal with euro crisis and then think of yourself. IMF had got $430 billion fund and it has been decided that huge amount of share would be spending for dealing euro crisis. The reason to say G-20 is centered at America- Europe is that, the first G-20 submit in 2008 was held in America later again two submit was held in America. In 2010 it was held in Canada and South Korea, last year it took place in France and this year Mexico. Next year it will be held in Russia followed by Australia in 2014 and turkey in 2015. It does not need to mention that who among them is a member of American club.

The question is that why not India, china, South Africa can host G-20 submit. Why every time in G-20 submit the burning topic for discussion is related to European union. Is everything fine in Asia or South Africa or else they are not dealing with any such problems. India’s Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh, before the meeting stated that if euro crisis goes like this then it will affect Indian economy. Is it like Mr. Manmoham Singh wants’ to blame euro crisis for inflation in India or rupee depreciation and economic slowdown in India. In G-20 Submit Mr. Manmoham Singh emphasized more on infrastructure development, is it the only solution to deal with poverty, debt, inflation or hunger in the country?

Europe has one currency Euro and the countries which uses this currency comes under European Union. Out of 27 EU countries there are 10 countries where Euro is not accepted as their currency. These are Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Lithonia, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Britain. There are some countries who are not from European union have also accepted Euro as their currency such as Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, Vatican City, Montenegro and Kosovo. It is surprising that beside EU there are other six countries who have accepted Euro as there currency where as there are also countries like Greece, Spain and Italy who thinks Euro as a bell in their neck. Greece after getting bankrupt and full of debt is thinking of leaving Euro as there currency, but winning new democracy party who is supporting bailout may not leave Euro zone. In two days submit Greece was the center of discussion. Pressure was there from American- European ministers that if BRICS countries will give huge amount of share then the burden would be less for other countries. But what is the benefit of BRICS in this? $75 billion of share is given by BRICS countries of which $43 billion is from China followed by $10 billion by India Brazil and Russia where as $2 billion from South Africa. This is an example of its kind where G-20 who provides solution for economic crisis to countries does not have their own secretariat or Headquarter. In 2010 President of France Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy had suggested Seoul or Paris for G-20 Headquarter which was not agreed by Japan and Italy. South Korea in 2010 had suggested hosting online “Cyber secretariat” but no response was seen from the ministers of developed nations. It is good that secretariat expenses burden is also not there for G-20.

World of hacking

2012-04-20T19:47:00.003-07:00

Globally there has been lot of changes which had surprised everyone but it has also give rise to lot of challenges and danger for human world. Among these the most important is the challenge against hacking. Today people are connected all through the world by internet, today every work is done globally by computer and internet. From government work to banking work is done with the help of internet it gives a global platform and if every country is working in this platform then every country is affected by hacking. Today it very easy to attack any country through hacking rather than attacking from front, it is truly said that in future the war would be in cyber world. In 2012 globally the most important issue is of cyber crime or internet hacking.

In computer world we have heard of virus attack but in today’s world hacking is even dangers than virus attack, by hacking a hacker can get information illegally and use the information against the government or any other organization. It is much easier to harm any opponent. In reality hacking is an art which deals with computer programs which is used to control different computers in the network.

According to data from American IT companies India was number one in hacking in the year 2010 but at present China is the centre of hackers and according to America China and Russia had started a cyber war against America. But it has been observed that Brazil is the centre for biggest market for hackers. China has made many laws against hacking but even though at present it is the centre for hacking. It is said that recent hacking of nearly 500 governments and non government websites in china were hacked by Chinese revolutionaries. Hacking at present is not only used for personal issues but it is used as much bigger weapon against countries and government. It is also seen that it is used as revolution, hackers has stated that in china they will continue this against internet sensor ship in the country. Unknown hackers had hacked the Chinese websites and stated the public that Chinese government has taken the control of internet and the government wants to take the control of all those things which can go against the government. In china there is lot of restriction in internet this is the reason why Google search engine has stopped its operation in china and for this new Firefox is used in china which monitors everything in internet and stops from publishing information which is harmful for country.

Hacking cannot be seen as negative all the time as hackers also helps the government and agencies to fight against crime. Through hacking hackers hack the accounts and gets the information for the government and secret agencies which helps them to fight crime. According to a report it has been seen that in 2011 issues of hacking is more common among revolutionaries who had hacked government or corporate networks to expose the truth in front of people.

2012-04-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Wireless energy

Human being has reached to such a level at which nothing is impossible. There was a time when everything what man imagined was seemed to be an illusion but the dedication and curiosity of man has let to cross the line between imagination and reality and now everything is possible, there is no word called impossible in human dictionary. Man thought of light and there was bulb, man thought of flying high like bird and there was airplane, the curiosity of man has led to the invention of various means of comfort for human being. One such very important invention of man is electricity, we generate electricity from wind, velocity of water, bio gas etc. the wind energy Is converted to electric energy or the energy from the velocity of water generates electricity which s used for various purpose. It is used daily by each and every person thus whatever energy we generate is always insufficient. Thus we need to think of something different and more useful. We have seen that telephone which was a much later invention has advanced a lot by the invention of mobile phones, wireless network etc. But in case of electricity we still are lagging behind at some point we still have the old method of sourcing energy and transferring to different places with the help of copper wires which increases the cost of transfer rather, beside that we also find wires hanging throughout the city which looks dirty beside that sometimes it also give rise to various accidents. We should think of removing the copper wire and replacing it with wireless network method of transferring electricity, the same methodology used for wireless network of mobile phones. We can use towers at different places from where electricity would be transferred to different locations each tower would be covering a particular region where these towers would be supplying electricity through wireless network. The electricity generated should be transferred to different towers from where it would be supplied to various houses and buildings through wireless method.This strategy would also reduce the cost as no copper wires and electricity poles would be used and beside that it will be easy to manage electricity.

2012-04-02T05:18:00.003-07:00

Addiction and liking:

Addiction and liking is two different things, in simple words addiction is

something on which you are depended and cannot live without it and liking is something which you love or enjoy doing it. Everyone has some liking and addictions some enjoy dancing some are addicted to smoking where as few like lying and few are addicted to movies. This differs from person to person some has some unique liking or addiction. I also have my own liking, I enjoy playing social games in internet. I can go playing games all through the day without getting bored for a second, but it cannot be said as my addiction. I have a great liking for social games and enjoy playing it. It is one of my best time pass. When I am not playing games in my free time then for sure I would be sleeping or watching movies. These things help to relax my mind and get rid of my work pressure or tension.

I started social gaming from Farmville, it is a good game where you would be managing your farms, selling crops and earning profit. In order to expand your farm you need to add allies who will be helping you in your farm. I really enjoyed playing it and have lots of neighbors (allies) or friends who are helping my farm to expand.

The next game which I started was cityville, the concept of this game was same as Farmville but here you have to build your city this was based on modern life. You need to build shops, farms, houses for people from where you can collect rent, it has many options as compared to Farmville so it was fun playing as every time there was something new which was exciting but something was missing in Cityville which was compensated by Empire and Allies. It is complete package of entertainment where you can get everything the best thing in this game is that you can attack you allies and vice versa. It is similar to reality where government building is there, parliament, embassy, mining, hanger, army ships, fighter planes, etc adds an edge to the game. It is my best game which has something new every time, when you think that this is the extreme by the game it will again come with new things which would be beyond your expectation.

Next game which I play is Poker it is one of the best card game according to me. One thing I don’t like in this game is that the winning meter in the game is not free to use the facility you need to invite your friends. Now I have started Army attack which is also a good game slowly it is also getting popular among my friends. There are something’s which makes the game little bit unpopular among the people according to me, as I think the game need to improve on its look it looks bit ugly.

I have created different groups for each game where people can meet and can participate in the discussion whereas can also add new members and allies in the game. I would like to thank Zynga for so many social games which add excitement in the social gaming network.

2012-03-31T04:24:00.001-07:00

Party Drugs:

There are various ways of entertainment in parties for youngsters such as party games, music, dance etc. As the time passes the way of entertainment and the methods used for entertainment also changes from music, games, dance, to party drugs. At present scenario party drugs are very much used in rave parties. Drugs like heroin, cocaine OPM, LSD are common in parties. The charm of dance, music is no longer in parties today without these party drugs, every day a new drug is added in the list. These parties are much known in metros where as it is also started growing in cities. In Discos, rave parties, you can easily get these stuffs. Youngsters are spending a lot of money for these drugs thus the supply of these drugs are increasing day by day in the market and thus giving rise to the world of smuggling and drug trafficking. The drug dealers are making huge amount from this and in spite of knowing that it is a crime, dealers are ready to take the risk as it has lot of money and may be less chances of getting caught or maybe the penalty given for the crime is less as compared to the huge amount which they make.

The supply of these drugs rises during any occasions such as Diwali, holi, New Year, Valentine’s Day etc. It has been found that during occasions the movement gets active and in spite of various securities in the city it is easily supplied in the city without any restriction, but the smugglers are not always lucky. There have been various times that they have been caught but it is common that the big fish had always escaped from the situation and are still running their so called business and filling their pockets while destroying the future of the country.

The Narcotics department has told that beside the regular drugs like heroin, cocaine and LSD the new drugs like K-72 and K-76 is also gaining popularity and smuggling of Cobra and Snake venom is increasing day by day in rave parties and discos in Delhi and NCR regions. Delhi police has seized Cobra venom before Valentine’s Day. The NGO for animals has also carried out raid several times on state transport and private busses plying to Delhi, rescuing various poisonous snakes and Cobra venom each time. Delhi Police said “we have not found any trend existing where youngsters are hooked on to the drugs made out of highly venomous cobra," this was not popular In Delhi until before but at present it is getting its popularity among youths. He added that half-a-litre of venom costs millions of rupees in the international market. To extract that amount, traffickers would have killed as many as 100 cobras. Drugs like K-72 and K-76 is much popular in Mumbai and it is consumed by youngsters along with party pills in drinks. As per NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau) data, since January 2009, a total of 108 Nigerians have been arrested in Delhi on charges of drug trafficking. Surinder Kumar Sharma, counsellor in the Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM), who has battled drug addiction himself, said: "The usage of party drugs among the student community is less known. Usually, upper class adolescents take party drugs. Mostly, girls think taking party drugs is cool, naughty and fashionable." The party drugs come at a price of Rs. 2,000-5,000 per pill, a pinch of K-72 and K-76 costs Rs. 20,000-25,000. Due to their dwindling numbers, cobras, which were on Schedule IV in 2006, are now placed on Schedule I of the act, thus at very high protection, but they are still being widely traded.

These drugs enhance sensation and boost energy so that revellers can dance for longer hours in the mean time it also harms the body. K-76 monocarboxylic acid (K-76 COOH) causes rapid reduction in hemolytic activities of complement and some of its components, especially C5, when injected into guinea pigs or rats. K-76 COOH suppressed Forssman shock in guinea pigs and mice and heterologous passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in guinea pigs. It also reduced the amount of protein excreted in the urine of rats with nephrotoxic nephritis and greatly prolonged the survival of (NZB X NZW) F1 female mice with a spontaneous systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease. The glomeruli of mice treated with K-76 COOH retained almost the normal histological appearance even at 1 year of age. K-76 COOH-treated mice became less sensitive to the infection of Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus, or Streptococcus pneumoniae, probably by enhancement of phagocytosis due to inhibition of factor I. K-76 COOH did not have any significant effect on a delayed-type contact skin reaction in mice, or on experimental allergic encephalitis in guinea pigs. Thus all these symptoms can also be seen in human beings resulting to death.

The other drug which is gaining its popularity among the youngsters is Yaba meaning the madness drug or Nazi Speed in Thai, is produced in Southeast and East Asia. The drug is popular in Asian communities in the United States and increasingly is available at raves and techno parties. Yaba is a combination of methamphetamine (a powerful and addictive stimulant) and caffeine. In India also it has started gaining popularity especially among the middle class and upper class due to its low price as low as Rs.80 for a single tablet. Yaba tablets typically are consumed orally. The tablets sometimes are flavored like candy (grape, orange, or vanilla). Another common method is called chasing the dragon. Users place the yaba tablet on aluminum foil and heat it from below. As the tablet melts, vapors rise and are inhaled. The drug also may be administered by crushing the tablets into powder, which is then snorted or mixed with a solvent and injected.

Yaba has the same effect as other forms of methamphetamine it increases the heart rate, increases blood pressure, damage small blood vessels in the brain that can lead to stroke. Chronic use of the drug can result in inflammation of the heart lining. Overdoses can cause hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), convulsions, and death. Individuals who use Yaba also may have episodes of violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. Although most users administer Yaba orally, those who inject the drug expose themselves to additional risks, including contracting HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), hepatitis B and C, and other blood-borne viruses. The Yaba causes much damage as compared to other party drugs. According to Dr Yusuf Merchant, the head of Drug Abuse Information Rehabilitation and Research Centre (DAIRRC), says that Yaba is much more dangerous than other drugs as the continuous use of cocaine can cause 10% damage in 5 years, Yaba causes 90% damage in the same period.

Slowly but steadily the silent killer is creeping into India from East and Southeast Asia. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam top the list of Yaba producing countries. From there, the madness drug travels to Bangladesh and Myanmar. Forming the so-called Golden Triangle, it enters India from the eastern border Kolkata being one of the hot entry points. Yaba is spreading its tentacles in major cities across India. Even more worrying is the fact that the drug is being targeted at a relatively young age-group including the school kids. Dr Merchant feels that youngsters can be targeted easily as Yaba makes them feel energetic, aphrodisiac and one can even go without sleep, thus helping in studies initially. Moreover, Yaba doesn't need to be smoked or injected but just swallowing a pill.