Current Affairs Essays

The Government of India set up an Expert Group to suggest a methodology to measure poverty. The group submitted its report in 1993 and suggested a new poverty line: Rs 49 and Rs 56, for rural and urban areas at 1973-74 prices. This line was higher in real terms by approximately 15 percent. The availability of an absolute poverty line allows comparisons across countries. But what should an international poverty line be? Over the last decade, most comparisons of international poverty have been made by the World Bank, and the definition used is a purchasing power poverty line of $1 per capita per day, at 1985 prices, The most recent publication of the World Bank, however, reports a new international poverty line of $1.08 per capita per day, at 1993 prices. This new line marks a historical first in that it reduces the original poverty line by approximately 15 percent — i.e. the new line of $1.08, at 1993 prices, is equivalent to $ 0.82, at 1985 prices. The reasoning behind this large reduction in the absolute poverty line is not transparent, and debatable. Before getting into the growth and poverty reduction debate, it is necessary to understand that mysterious thing called the poverty line. The most widely used measure of poverty in India was the 'head-count ratio'. This is a measure of income poverty. In the early-'60s, the GOI appointed a special working group of eminent economists to assess the level of poverty in India. The experts came up with a definition of the Poverty Line. This was based on a nationally desirable minimum level of consumption expenditure based on a standard balanced diet prescribed by the Nutrition Advisory Committee. In other words, any family who could not afford to buy a rudimentary food basket, which when consumed yielded a minimum level of calories, was considered poor. They declared that 50 percent of Indians lived below the poverty line. Thus began the war to push this figure down to preserve the country's izzat (honour). However, a poverty line thus defined, is something of a destitution line since it takes into account only the expenditure required for subsistence food, leaving out everything else needed for a minimally decent living, such as basic housing, clothing, education and health services. This has gained weight since Amartya Sen's Nobel Prize. Sen has finally succeeded in bringing into economics and the poverty debate a modicum of moral philosophy, which, until now, had been disregarded as non-scientific because it was stated by lesser luminaries. In India, of our famous one billion people, 350-400 million are below the poverty line. There are not many poor people who earn more than a dollar a day. This figure means nothing because poverty is comparative. In India, poverty is hunger. Real hunger. Never having even three basic meals a day. Poverty is hearing your children cry themselves to sleep because there is no rice and dal or a few chappatis to give them. Poverty is lack of shelter. In more...

The nature of a mentoring relationship varies with the level and activities of both student and mentor. In general, however, each relationship must be based on a common goal: to advance the educational and personal growth of the student. You as mentor can also benefit enormously. There is no single formula for good mentoring, mentoring styles and activities are as varied as human relationships. Different students will require different amounts and kinds of attention, advice, information and encouragement. Some students will feel comfortable approaching their mentors; others will be shy, intimidated or reluctant to seek help. A good mentor is approachable and available. Often students will not know what questions to ask, what information they need or what their options are (especially when applying to graduate programs). A good mentor can lessen such confusion by getting to know students and being familiar with the kinds of suggestions and information that can be useful. In long-term relationships, friendships form naturally; students can gradually become colleague's. At the same time, strive as a mentor to be aware of the distinction between friendship and favoritism. You might need to remind a student—and yourself—that you need a degree of objectivity in giving fair grades and evaluations. If you are unsure whether a relationship is 'too personal', you are probably not alone. Consult with the department chair, your own mentor, or others you trust. You might have to increase the mentor-student distance. Students, for their part, need to understand the professional pressures and time constraints faced by their mentors and not view them as merely a means—or impediment—to their goal. For many faculty, mentoring is not their primary responsibility; in fact, time spent with students can be time taken from their own research. Students are obliged to recognize the multiple demands on a mentor's time. At the same time, effective mentoring need not always require large amounts of time. An experienced, perceptive mentor can provide great help in just a few minutes by making the right suggestion or asking the right question. This section seeks to describe the mentoring relationship by listing several aspects of good mentoring practice. Careful listening: A good mentor is a good listener. Hear exactly what the student is trying to tell you—without first interpreting or judging. Pay attention to the 'subtext' and undertones of the student's words, including tone, attitude, and body language. When you think you have understood a point, it might be helpful to repeat it to the student and ask whether you have understood correctly. Through careful listening, you convey your empathy for the student and your understanding of a student's challenges. When a student feels this empathy, the way is open for clear communication and more-effective mentoring. Keeping in touch: The amount of attention that a mentor gives will vary widely. A student who is doing well might require only 'check-ins' or brief meetings. Another student might have continuing difficulties and require several formal meetings a week; one or two students might occupy most of an more...

'Corruption' is not an uncommon word today. Not a single field is spared of its grasp. Starting from junior levels to senior officials, everybody is corrupt these days. Now the question arises- what is corruption? Corruption is to give away your moral values and ethics in order to gain some power particularly in monetary terms. Today if you want to take admission in a school, they will ask for big donations. Authorities are not concerned with the capabilities of a child. All they want is money. People from middle class families find it hard to admit their children in good and reputed school just because of high donations and fee structure. This is a very simple example of corruption. Millions of vehicles are running on the roads. There needs to be an efficient and honest traffic police official on duty. Hut everyday lots of accidents take place. The reason is the carelessness and disobedience of traffic rules of road. But traffic police is negligent towards all the mishaps or maybe they are silent spectators to the happenings, till their monetary interest is gained. Whenever someone crosses red light, traffic police bothers little to fine penalty on him. They just charge some money for themselves and let go the wrong doer. In this way, nobody follows the rules sincerely because everyone knows that they can get rid of any kind of dispute by giving just 50-100 rupees extra to the police. Not just the traffic police but also the police, who is meant to protect the people from criminals is also corrupt now- a-days. The job of police is to curb crime in every possible- way They are supposed to protect the public from thefts, robberies and any other crime. But they are also irresponsible towards their duty. They take the bribe and let go even the hard-core criminals also. Today nobody wants to serve nation. Everyone wants to serve himself only Clutches of corruption is so strong that even a common man is in its grip. The reasons for this rising corruption can be numerous. It is present in the country just as the blood is circulating in the body. The whole system has become corrupt now. But that doesn't mean that everything is ended. Even now honest souls are present in this world. The corrupt people suppress their voices. But it is high time when every citizen should get up and start a war against this evil practice. When all the hands will join each other than they jointly will throw out this person out of their lives. Otherwise it will eat upcountry's reputation the way parasites do.  

It is said that Cinema is the mirror of society. Everyone needs entertainment in his life and cinema is perhaps the best medium of entertainment in the modern society. Many years back, when cinema started, it emerged like a wonderful entertainment medium. The best part was that it was in the reach of a common man. These days' people have so many things to have fun with. They go for pitches to the parties, to clubs and what not. So cinema is not the only option for them. But in the former days, people were having very less alternatives for enjoyment and entertainment. They just used to visit their friends and relatives to enjoy their days. Those days, people used to enjoy theatres also. So when cinema was introduced to the world it became a rage among people. At that time, mostly films were made to spread some message for the World. The filmmakers used to make films which bore some good thoughts to teach people. The stories were also well written. It was just not medium of entertainment but much more than that. The films used to have the essence of love, brotherhood, unity, patriotism etc. Violence was very scarce in the movies. The movies were clean and any kind of vulgarity was nowhere to be found. People could see the movies with their families. They could sit with their children and enjoy with them. All in all, those movies could cater to all the demands of clean entertainment. On the other hand, today's cinema has drastically changed. Earlier though the movies were less but they were the good movies but quality is deteriorating day-by-day. There are very less film makers who make movies with a message. Most of the movies made today are full of violence, vulgarity, ill wills, hatred, deception and other vices. It is understandable that today's society is full of all these vices so these should be shown to the society also. But it is said that excess of anything is bad. This is what is happening with today's movies also. These days, movies have such vulgar scenes that it is not possible for one to see the movie with their family. Grown-ups understand the difference between what is right and what is wrong. But what about the kids? Children are so innocent that every little thing happening in their lives affects them. When they see action in the movies, they also tend to get aggressive, stubborn and violent. Their tender heart gets affected with the scene of murders and exploits. Some start feeling that all that is happening is the real life. The vulgarity shown in the movies these days is leaving negative effects on the society. Crimes against women are increasing. Cases of eve teasing and rapes are commonplace now. It's not that cinema is the only reason for all the crimes. But to a large extent, it is responsible for bringing such a drastic change on the social lives of people. It more...

We live in an age in which companies equivalent in wealth to countries call the shots and control much of the earth's resources. Because corporates intervene in so many areas of social life, they must be responsible towards society and the environment. In India, as in the rest of the world, there is a growing realization that capital markets and corporations are, after all, created by society and must therefore serve it, not merely profit from it. And those consumers and citizens' campaigns can make all the difference. In the age of globalization, corporations and business enterprises are no longer confined to the traditional boundaries of the nation-state. One of the key characteristics of globalization is the spread of the market and the change in the mode of production. The centralized mode of production has given way to a highly decentralized mode of production spread across the world. In the last 20 years, multinational corporations have played a key role in defining markets and influencing the behaviour of a large number of consumers. The rules of corporate governance have changed too. And there has been a range of reactions to this change. On the one hand globalization and liberalization have provided a great opportunity for corporations to be globally competitive by expanding their production-base and market share. On the other hand, the same situation poses a great challenge to the sustainability and viability of such mega-businesses, particularly in the context of the emerging discontent against multinational corporations in different parts of the world. Labourers, marginalized consumers, environmental activists and social activists have protested against the unprecedented predominance of multinational corporations. The ongoing revolution in communication technology and the effectiveness of knowledge-based economies has created a new model of business and corporate governance. A growing awareness about the need for ecological sustainability and the New Economy framework, with an unprecedented stress on communication and image merchandising, have paved the way for a new generation of business leaders concerned about the responses of the community and the sustainability of the environment. It is in this context that we need to understand the new trends in corporate social responsibility. One, a business perspective that recognizes the importance of 'reputation capital' for capturing and sustaining markets. Seen thus, corporate social responsibility is basically a new business strategy to reduce investment risks and maximize profits by taking all the key stakeholders into confidence. The proponents of this perspective often include corporate social responsibility in their advertising and social marketing initiatives. The second is an eco-social perspective. The proponents of this perspective are the new generation of corporations and the new-economy entrepreneurs who created a tremendous amount of wealth in a relatively short span of time. They recognize the fact that social and environmental stability and sustainability are two important prerequisites for the sustainability of the market in the long run. They also recognize the fact that increasing poverty can lead to social and political instability Such socio-political instability can, in turn, be detrimental to business, more...

That formidable force that makes one believe that one needs what one usually only desires; that mind-set that is really more of an entity that sits on ones shoulder, and relentlessly  screams 'further, further', that asset that makes those who are not zealous, jealous... That is ambition. Ambition has been the backbone of every army! Through. those great ancient Egyptian wars, through Persia, through Hastings, through Waterloo, through the native American/greedy colonist battles, through the world-wars, through the Balkans, and through every other great conflict that has ever existed, each party was blessed by pure and passionate ambition...ambition to win at whatever cost necessary. Surely only the collective force of ambition found in a battle is liable to cause as much suffering and damage as has been caused by all battles that have ever been lost or won? Even the weakest, most injured warrior who persevered has been lunched not by insanity, but by raw ambition, and even the most perturbed and exasperated warlord is supported not by Ills schemes, but by the ambition to realize them. Ambition is the ultimate wonder of the world! From the conception to the design to the construction to the completion, ambition was the proverbial foreman, as once again in we  see that collective zeal create a phenomenon...thus... Ambition is the source of all that is good and all that is evil It makes the wonders and it makes the wars. Ambition is the winner and loser of every game! Every footballer, every chess player, every marathon runner, every duck-legged Olympic walker smells of fervour, which seeps from the pores of their ambition. When years of dedication pass the baton to ambition, there is a sage to be reckoned with. One only wonders, why in spite of the eternal paradoxical query 'what would happen if an irresistible force met with an irresistible force?, someone always has to lose? Ambition makes you healthy, wealthy and wise! The truth it conveys is that we are the scribes of our own destiny. It is ambition that makes us think we can be successful, and lack of ambition that makes us think we cannot. Ambition and Luck are both archenemies and best of friends. Ambition is a pain in the neck! It is the finger that sets the alarm for 8 am, the fingers that turn the cold key of the cold car on a cold, cold morning. It compels us to do what we'd really rather put off until tomorrow, it slaps the wrist of apathy. Ambition is the sole witness at the sepulchre of the 'unsuccessful at everything'. You see, ambitious tears only fall from a fountain of youth- so they'll kiss the piled soil make it wet, and whisper with complacence, 'I made you successful at being unsuccessful'. Because ambition never likes to give in. Ambition is the final book of every author, the final page of every book, the final word of the final page and the final letter in the final word.

Fifty-five years of development' have spurred on unplanned urbanization, extensive industrialization and the building of a series of big dams. In the process, India has landed bang in the middle of an ecological crisis. We have lost half our forests, poisoned our waters, eroded our lands and rendered millions homeless, resource less and more impoverished. Three of our cities are amongst the 15 most- polluted cities in the world. Several of our plant and animal species are extinct. Why and how has this happened? And how can the situation be remedied? What is the difference being made by government legislation and people's movements for the environment? India's entire development process has been distorted by the structure of inequality outlined above. Adapted almost wholesale from the West and characterized by unrestricted, large-scale industrialization, urbanization, consumerism and materialism, today's path towards progress is quite evidently causing severe environmental destruction and resource depletion. It is a process that greatly benefits small sections of Indian society, has some trickle-down effects on a somewhat larger section, but almost leaves out a large section that becomes more and more impoverished. Millions of people today are worse off than they were when our modern development process was started. Tribals have been alienated from their land and forests, nomadic communities have had their pastures taken away by mega- projects, marginal peasants and the landless have become economically more insecure. Between 20 to 30 million people have been displaced by development projects, rendered refugees in desperate search of shelter and jobs, because they had no say in the development planning of the country. For these people, 'development or destruction'? is not a cliche, it is a burning question. The localized and national impact of environmental degradation is now becoming increasingly clear. Loss of topsoil, salinity, pollution, shortage of water and biomass has caused serious declines in agricultural productivity in many areas, making the food security situation bleak. A World Bank study reported that the cost of environmental damage due to pollution is 4.5 percent of the GDP. Polluted air poses serious threats to human life, the short-term effects of which can be seen as health hazards and diseases. India is spending about Rs 4,600 crore every year to make up for health damages due to ambient air quality. The Centre for Science and Environment's Fifth Citizen's Report (1999) states that in the 33 Indian cities for which air quality is available, deaths particularly due to paniculate air pollution went from 40,000 to 52,000, an increase of 30 percent in just three to four years. Noise levels are so high that certain areas record over 90 decibels for the better part of the day. While environmental degradation ultimately affects everyone, the poor feel the immediate and most severe impact. Millions of workers in India are exposed to unhealthy occupational environments, full of dust, heat, noise, dirt, gases and dangerous machinery. Perhaps 70 percent of the diseases in India (in terms of the number of people affected) are caused by polluted more...

In a developing country like India proper planning for the country's overall progress and prosperity, assumes a great importance. Planning in India derives its objectives and social promises. A Resolution of Govt. of the India set up the Planning commission in 1950. It has its credit for seventh five-year plan (1985-1990) under implementation. The seventh plan has contributed significantly to the progress of the country. The objective of seventh five year plan evolved from the common minimum programme of Govt. and the Chief Minister's conference on basic minimum services, an aggregate outlay of Rs 348,148 crore with a public sector outlay of Rs 180,000 crore ended with an average rate of growth of the gross domestic Product (GDP) at 5.3 percent per annum. Which was well above the targeted rate of 5 percent. The final year of seventh five year plan (1989-90) saw the growth of national income largely contributed by secondary (manufacturing) services sector. The annual average growth of the seventh plan has been put at 5.3% almost equalling the growth rate of the sixth plan. However the objective of seventh five-year plan was strengthening a strong emphasis on creation of product employment on farm as well as in rural subsidiary occupation. Stress on increasing the production of food grain, textile and domestic fuel. The plan also had 15 years perspective (1985-2000) for removal of poverty providing basic needs,  achieving education target and total success to health facilities. • There was a sever short fall in the mining sector (5.6% against a target of 13%) • Social sector performance fell for short of targets - especially in housing for the landless, elementary education and general poverty alleviation. The basic central objective of seventh five year planning was to abolish poverty and to achieve highest possible standard of living masses. Which also accelerated the outward looking strategy with export. The temple of domestic and external liberalization hastened. However the success of the plan rest on determination and oneness of purpose on the part of bureaucracy and govt. Independent India opted for economic planning as a vehicle to launch the war on poverty, unemployment and inequalities that it had inherited from the colonial masters.  

Democracy in India is relatively new Way of conducting the business of Govt. It is relatively new to the Autocratic history of this Great Nation. Democracy is the Govt. from the people, for the people and by the people.' It was due to the colonial rule of Britain that conscience of Indian masses well directed by the great leaders like, Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and other expressed it's enthusiastic willingness to adopt the democracy as the way of running govt. Today we have already completed more than fifty years with this very arrangement which entails the fruits of sustenance and raise of socio-political security and development for present and future generations of this country Political set up of a Country depends not only upon interstate affairs of national importance but also International relations of that country. India is rapidly developing country. Today our nation has earned a respectful position and is counted among the best examples of democratic nation. We are the largest democratic nation in the world. Four pillars of democracy are as robust as they were in the initial state of our nation in the making. Considering these national and international cause of fundamental ways of sustenance in today's world, democracy seems the only way of real happiness of masses and countrymen. Another enlightening theory which advocates, strongly, that future of our nation depends upon the democracy is the way Indian masses have reciprocated to the call of elections. Whether its state elections or general elections, the voters have always been the real carriers of democratic principle. They themselves have learned the very core of our previous governments. And it is reflected with the results of every consecutive election that voter is the king and our king have learned enormously from every successive election. The king have become wised and better. And the king has not surrendered to the democratic forces rather. The king have bravely faced them, won them and have enslaved them. It happened because the literacy rats of our nation raised in the post independent India due to this people's understanding of democracy increased. They were able to comprehend the concept and were able to understand the complexity and the way of conduct. On the other hand democracy as a principle itself taught a good lesson to the Indian masses. It was a great lesson of emergency which made people to render more value to the democratic principle. People came very close to directionless surge that they were engaged in and therefore they wisely responded to the situation and placed full confidence and trust into democratic principles. It was a very important lesson because in post emergency era we came to realize the real strength of Indian democracy. Some of the most amazing things happened. These were nationally and internationally appreciated. It was a new form of democracy which our country had never witnessed before. It was the violation of government, not only at centre but also in many states "which successfully rendered public service that more...

The word 'psychology' comes from the Greek 'psyche' (or soul) and 'logos' (or study), which came to be known as the 'study of the soul'. Scientific study is a valid way of coming to an understanding of life, and can be very useful in every area of life. Science develops theories based on what is observed. It examines each theory with rigorous and scrupulous tests to see if it describes reality. The scientific method works well in observing and recording physical data and in reaching conclusions which either confirm or nullify a theory. During the mid-19th century, scholars (although at that time probably termed philosophers) wanted to study human nature with the aim of applying the scientific method to observe, record, and treat human behaviour that was deemed as unnatural. They believed that if people could be studied in a scientific manner, there would be a greater accuracy in understanding present behaviour, in predicting future behaviour, and, most controversially, in altering behaviour through scientific intervention. Social psychology is concerned with the effects of social situations on human behaviour. Comparative psychologists study animal behaviours across the range of species. Physiological psychologists are concerned with the biological basis of behaviour. Developmental psychologists study principles and processes, responsible for change throughout life. Cognitive psychologists investigate memory, thought, problem solving and the psychological aspects of learning. Analysis of behaviour studies the conditions under which a behaviour can be learned and the situations that cause that behaviour to occur. Learning is an area of psychology exploring how new behaviours are learned and maintained. Clinical psychologists study ways to help individuals and groups of individuals change their behaviour. Industrial and organizational psychologists are concerned with the physical and social aspects of people's work environments as they affect work output. Community psychologists use scientific methods to study and solve social problems. The psychodynamic perspective believes that behaviour is result of unconscious processes, personal motivation and early childhood experiences. Its most famous advocate was Sigmund Freud. Its method of data collection relies heavily tin interpreting discussion, dreams and fantasies, actions, case studies and a limited amount of experimentation. The behaviorist perspective believes that behaviour is learned and selected by environmental consequences. Its method of data collection relies heavily on experimentation conducted in the scientific laboratory where the factors studied can be controlled; or it may take place in a real life setting where more natural behaviour is studied and far more variables exist. The cognitive perspective believes that behaviour is a result of information processing, storage in the brain, transformation and the retrieval of information. The methods of data collection used are again experimentation but with much use of computer modeling. The evolutionary perspective believes that psychological processes echo the evolutionary processes of natural selection. Its method of data collection includes the deduction of explanations for behaviour, and comparisons between species and cultures. It also involves a limited amount of experimentation. Of these four perspectives all lend common similarities to the traditional sciences. All have elements of controlled more...