Category Archives: General awareness & Knowledge

WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT

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    So much time they have—In other words a universe of a time. One chat message and there are twenty responses, and then the domino effect starts—for I can’t be left behind, says the egocentric mind. I’m talking about the whatsapp group in our RWA. Where, one gets to feel as if the whole society has become a beehive—infested by a swarm of predatory flies. Thriving on some lethal one-upmanship—where the killing field is the chat box itself. As and when, you flag an issue. The views of members start flooding in instantaneously even when they are variegated. Normally, they display cool courtesy. Occasionally they trade nagging heat and at times they even explode. But there are many fire tenders to keep the situation under control.

    The chat moves at the speed of sound if not light. After all, it houses a powerhouse. Where, most are domain experts, some the last word, few are litterateurs and writers. Not to forget the DJs, digital and security experts, and the event managers. And needless to say that everyone is a Mr know all.

    You are constantly on guard. At the beep of those frequent chat notifications. Irrespective of the fact, whether you’re in office or in the cool confines of your home. There is always an issue at hand. Blown out of proportion by excessive interaction. Where, every member has to make that metaphoric superlative comment—meri kameez tumhare kameez se ziada safed hai. Because you need to be in the circuit to remain relevant. So at least send a thumbs up. The quantum of notifications is so much. That if you wish to read them all. You’ll not have time for anything else. 

    Every minute there is a notification. So it is democracy at its best. Issues could be halka or even routine. But viewpoints need to be weighty with a tinge of metaphysics and farsightedness. Considering the legion of scholastic personalities residing in the society.

    But where will all this lead to. Frankly speaking no one knows. As most are shooting from the hip. But I guess it’s about time to lay-off for some time. To, do something more relevant, soothing and satisfying. And let the society be in the safe hands of too many cooks. Hopefully they won’t spoil the broth.

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

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                                                        https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Share if you like it

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases. Should you wish to donate for the cause the bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(CAN BE BOUGHT FROM ON LINE BOOK STORES OR WRITE TO US FOR COPIES)

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BEAUTIFUL LINES & INTERESTING THOUGHTS

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Kamlesh Tripathi

 

 

  • Mind without heart, intelligence without conduct, cleverness without goodness are tools, but only for mischief.
  • Behave the way you can always behave—Annonymous.
  • Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody—Benjamin Franklin
  • I would not wish any companion in the world but you—Shakespeare.
  • The Rig Veda tells us: “Let noble thoughts come to us from everywhere.”
  • “Nobody can tell what I suffer! But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.”
    ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
  • “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
    ― Jalaluddin Rumi
  • “One thing you can’t hide – is when you’re crippled inside.”
    ― John Lennon
  • Justice as Lord Atkin said is “no cloistered virtue”
  • Sometimes words that fail to make their effect at the time are remembered later—Agatha Christie
  • Give your clients the earliest delivery consistent with quality—whatever the inconvenience to us—Arthur Nielson
  • Opportunities present themselves every day. You just have to be alert and ready to act.—MARK OSTROFSKY, US ENTREPRENEUR
  • Sometimes it’s worse to win a fight than to lose—Billie Holiday
  • The best of us must sometimes eat our words—JK Rowling
  • The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation—BERTRAND RUSSELL
  • What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and value of nothing—Oscar Wilde
  • Slow down and steady up—annonymous
  • All work and no play/makes Jack a dull boy. To which the cautionary response goes ‘All play and no work/ Makes Jack a mere toy.’ TOI Editorial
  • Don’t talk about yourself; it will be done when you leave—Wilson Mazner, US playwright
  • Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement- Mario Puzo- Godfather
  • We’ve seen over time that countries that have the best economic growth are those that have good governance- Ramez Naam US writer
  • A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue, That’s why there are so few good conversations- Truman
  • History does not repeat itself exactly but, as Mark Twain put it, it often rhymes.
  • If you have built castles in the air … now put the foundations under them—Henry David Thoureau
  • Margaret Thatcher’s warning that those standing in the middle of the road get run over.
  • The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation—Vladmir Lenin.
  • Carlyle- the history of the world is but biography of great men.’ Some so called great men have their hands deep in blood.
  • Boris Pasternak author of Dr Zhivago called silence the best sound on earth’
  • The greatest obstacle to excellence is you! A caddy once told a champion golfer, “There’s a perfect shot waiting out there. All you have to do is to get yourself out of the way.”
  • In short, I will part with anything for you but you- Mary Wortley Montagu, Writer.
  • There are good times and there are bad times, but one must never forget the hard times—Annonymous.
  • When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry—William Shakespeare.
  • Kritam Lokham Purushoabhijayte- Man himself builds his own world.
  • The boxer Muhammad Ali refused to wear his seat-belt on a plane. “Superman doesn’t need a belt,” he insisted. Tying his belt for him, the stewardess replied, “Superman doesn’t need a plane either.”
  • Exhibitionists: at a wedding they want to be the bride. At a funeral the corpse. Julius Caesar who was an incorrigible egotist, was kidnapped when he was a child. He was held for a ransom of 11,000 gold pieces. Horrified exhorted his captors to raise the sum to 250,000 gold pieces so as to preserve his prestige.
  • You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out—Warren Buffet
  • The whole of western science has developed from Greek philosophy. It stands on the foundations of Greek Philosophy, and one of Greek philosophy’s basic beliefs is that time travels in a straight line.
  • The bread that falls off your plate nearly always lands on the buttered side.
  • Evil manners live in brass, but our virtues we write in water.
  • There is a Mexican saying that we die three deaths: the first time we die is when our bodies die. The second is when our bodies are lowered into the earth, out of sight. The third time we die is when our loved ones forget us.
  • Being different and thinking different makes a person unforgettable. History does not remember the forgettable.- Suzy Kassem, US writer.

 

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HAPPENING WORLD–FACTS & PROJECTIONS

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

 

 

By some accounts the Pakistani army chief bears a personal grudge against India—his uncle was killed in the 1965 war and his brother in the 1971

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India is known for producing CEOs of Google, Microsoft, Pepsico, Mastercard, Deutsche Bank, etc. And Pakistan? For hoisting heads of Al-qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammed, Haqqani group etc.

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Gandhi arrived in South Africa in 1893 at the age of 23. Within a week he collided head on with racism. His immediate response was to flee the country that so degraded people of colour, but then his inner resilience overpowered him with a sense of mission, and he stayed to redeem the dignity of the racially exploited, to pave the way for the liberation of the colonised the world over and to develop a blueprint for a new social order. He left 21 years later, a near Mahatma (great soul).

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Valmiki gave up life as a robber and meditated for years in penance before he went up to compose the epic Ramayana. He is now revered as the ‘Adi Kavi,’ or the first poet, as he is said to have invented the ‘Shloka,’ the first verse, which defined the form of Sanskrit poetry.

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The trade unions represent 15% of the workforce in the organised sector. 85% represents the unorganised sector.

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Cities are our engines of growth and contribute around 63% of India’s GDP.

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Chikungunya was discovered in 1952, in Tanganyika. Indian dengue was first recorded in Madras in 1780, but the first proven epidemic was in west Bengal, 1963-64, also proving its first chief minister, BC Roy’s claim: ‘What Calcutta does today, the rest of India does tomorrow.’

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Total incidents of violent crime in UP fell dramatically from 1999 to 2003 at the rate of 16% per annum. This period coincided with the time when BJP was in power in the state. However, since 2003 when either BSP or SP have been in power, violent crimes in UP have increased significantly at the rate of over 7%. In comparison Bihar which is the closest to UP in its record of crimes, registered increase in violent crimes at 3% per annum.

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In 2014, violent crime in UP was 25% more than in Bihar.

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India’s direct tax payers form part of a narrow base which contributes more than 50% of the Centre’s total tax revenue.

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In 2012-13, tax department’s data showed that 28.9 million individuals filed tax returns, of whom only about 1.6 million people claimed income above Rs 1 million. When this number is juxtaposed with the 2.6 million cars sold the same year.

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India’s income tax base is unnaturally narrow. It spends less than a rupee to collect Rs 100 of direct tax.

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Indian railways continues to be the lifeline of the nation with over 800 crore trips annually

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Air travel in India is likely to continue to grow quickly for the next 10-12 years. To support this growth, investment in airports is expected to be upwards of Rs 2.5 lakh crore. Around 700 planes could be added to our current fleet of around 450 planes totalling an investment of Rs 3 lakh crores.

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Currently the aviation sector is estimated to directly employ 2 lakh people and 12 lakh people across various parts of the value chain, a multiple of 5.8x. in the next decade the sector could employ more than 5 lakh people directly and 30 lakh overall.

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From more than 90% of aspirants failing the central Teacher’s eligibility test year after year, to teacher absenteeism touching as high as 40% in the poorest states, to the prevalence of English Teachers who just can’t speak English. All around there are signs that teacher recruitment in India is in a bad shape.

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Environment: while the Montreal Protocal is now ratified by 197 countries, the Paris agreement has been ratified by 63 countries representing 52.11% of global greenhouse emissions

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The world bank/IMF estimates the size of Indian economy in 2016 at 2.28 trillion $ making it the world’s 7th largest. At $270 billion in 2015, Pakistan is the world’s 38th largest. India’s export of merchandise has powered past 300$ billion and is closing on $500 billion, if you count services, despite a slowdown in 2016. Pakistan’s exports are straining to get past #30 billion. India’s foreign exchange reserves stand at $367 billion; Pakistan is at $20 billion.

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Pakistan is one fourth of India’s size. Has a sixth of its population and poses an equal. Yet India cannot rid itself of Pakistani pestilence.

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Pakistan’s ministry of Overseas told the country’s legislature this week that Saudi Arabia and UAE together hosted nearly 90% of the total Pakistani workforce of 9,48,000 sent overseas last year. Jobs provided to Pakistani by some other counties: Germany 44, Turkey 57, Singapore 68, Japan 84, UK 261 and USA 350.

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HIDDEN FACTS

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

hidden-facts2

 

HIDDEN FACTS

 

A survey shows around 70% of Indians are non-vegetarian these days.

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There is a huge amount of debate about GM crops these days. It has tremendous potential to impact on yields if used with appropriate safeguards. Without GM we need another 175-222 million hectares of farmland to feed our population.

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China on demand side, is trying to nudge its population towards a more vegetarian diet.

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One estimate pegs the economic loss because of Bengaluru traffic congestion at Rs 3,700 crore a year; including a whopping 50 crore litres of annual fuel losses. Extrapolate these figures to Delhi, Mumbai and other Indian cities and we have a full-blown economic crisis on hand.

hidden-facts

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Traffic jams: I can easily do 5 or more meetings in a day even if they are spread across Singapore or any European city. In Delhi or Bengaluru, I can never plan more than 2 or maximum 3.”—Rishi Seth—A PR and marketing start-up person.

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Gadkari’s ministry measures its performance in kilometres of new roads built per year. What good are these new roads, or the existing roads for that matter, when they are rank incapable of moving people and goods quickly—Rishi Seth, PR and marketing startup professional.

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India has the worst record of road accident deaths in the world; every four minutes a person dies on our roads.

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India is held at ranson by some of the most corrupt and incompetent civic bodies.

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WHO’s report on Road Safety 2015 gave India a rating of 3 or 4 out of 10 for enforcement of laws on speed limits, drunk driving or wearing helmets on two wheelers.

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Tata sons is into over 100 lines of business.

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In 2016 air passengers in India grew by an impressive 23.17%

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Nearly 4% of New Zealand’s population is of Indian origin and Hindi is the third most widely spoken language in Auckland.

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India is New Zealand’s largest source of skilled migrants and 29,000 Indian students are currently enrolled at our academic institutions making them the 2nd largest overseas student population studying in New Zealand.

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India’s GDP is valued today at $2 trillion. Amitabh Kant, chief executive of Niti Aayog says if all goes well it could touch $10 trillion by 2032. A shorter term assessment would have it reaching $ 5 trillion in the next decade, by 2025-26

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India is now the fastest growing major aviation market—the number of air passengers has been growing more than 20% year-on-year. In the past 12 months, more than 9 crore passengers flew and another 5 crores  or so flew internationally. In the next few years India will become the 3rd largest aviation market in the world after the US and China.

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INTERESTING FACTS

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

 

 

The Chinese economy is five times bigger than India’s.

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The Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) reserved for India just 19.48% of the total waters of the six-river Indus system

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India is selling 25 million smart phones per quarter and the anticipation is 700 million smart phones in hand by 2020. Internet penetration is growing with 332 million internet users in India. Is now second largest international market, ahead of the US.

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Aadhar is the only billion-user platform outside the US and the only government one.

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India is the largest young country in an ageing world and will continue to have a young population for the next 25 years, whereas China has started ageing.

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Thailand has 25 million international visitors per year while India has only 8 million.

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The International monetary fund estimates that Indian per capita income more than tripled from about $550 in 1991 to $ 1800 last year.

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In 1991, the world’s most populous country accounted for a scant 3.6% of global gross domestic product. By 2015 this had nearly doubled to 7%.

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WHO estimates that the average Indian lives 10 years longer today (68 years) than a quarter century ago. But he has yet to catch up with the average Indonesian (69 years), and continues to lag behind the average Chinese (76 years).

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Between 1991 and 2015, India slashed infant mortality by more than half- from 86 deaths to 38 deaths per 1000 births.

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The international Telecommunications Union estimates that mobile subscriptions in India reached 79% of population last year, up from 62% just five years earlier. That sounds awfully impressive until you realise that in China the mobile penetration is 93% and in Indonesia it’s a stratospheric 132%.

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Back in 1950s and 1960s, US steelworks and auto workers were by far most productive in the world, and could demand high, rising wages. But today the workers in developing countries have acquired skills that are almost as good.

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Before the industrial revolution, China and India accounted for over half of world GDP, but their share fell to barely 7% in the 20th century.

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In the 20th century Europe was twice devastated by World Wars, letting the US forge ahead. US hegemony followed in the second half of the 20th century. Even US workers without college degrees had skills that were globally scarce, and so attracted high pay.

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The world Bank says the number of poor people globally more than halved from 1.75 billion in 1990 to just 702 million in 2015; the proportion of people in extreme poverty fell from 37% to 9.6%; and the world Gini coefficient (which measures inequality) fell from 75% to 62%.

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The US is indeed a great country, but for completely different reasons. It has been the most welcoming country for immigrants in history. Half the start-ups in Silicon Valley are by people of Chinese or Indian origin. Many Nobel Prizes have been won by first or second generation immigrants.

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What a lie: Out of the 6753 candidates of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections that were scrutinized, only four admitted that they had exceeded the limit of election spending as prescribed by ECI while 30 said they had spent 90%. The rest claimed that they had spent 52-55%.

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The telecom industry saw only 40% of the spectrum on offer being sold in 2016. In particular, the complete absence of any bids in the 700 MHz and 900 MHz bands came as a rude shock.

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Recently, interesting though intriguing data from 70-80 countries show that anxiety levels increase when there is less work (James Tozer in the Economist, citing a study done by the World Bank, in 2015).

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Economic liberalisation in China and India are commonly thought to have started in 1978 and 1991 respectively.

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‘MANVANTARA’—THE METHOD OF TIME CALCULATION

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    Hindu calculation of time is based on ‘manvantara.’ Antara means “space” or “duration between.” Manvantara is therefore a period of time or duration, during which a Manu (the archetypal human being) rules the entire creation. Hindus developed the skill of calculating time based on manvantaras. Western scientists and archaeologists later discovered. That these manvantaras are based on accurate astronomical calculations.

    One manvantara is calculated as follows:

  • 360 human years make one divya varshs (celestial year)
  • 4,800 divya varshas make one Satya Yuga, or Krita Yuga.
  • 3,600 divya varshas make one Treta Yuga.
  • 2,400 divya varshas make one Dvapara Yuga.
  • 1,200 divya varsha make one Kali Yuga.

    All the yugas together total to 12,000 divya varshas. This one cycle of all the yugas makes one Maha-Yuga or Chatur-Yuga. One Manvantara=71 Maha-yugas, or 306,720,000 human years. One Kalpa, or cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction=14 manvantaras. and thus the cycle of time continues.

    At the beginning of each manvantara, a Manu appears and codifies all ethical and social regulations to be followed during the manvantara. The Manu whose code is currently being followed is Vaivasvata Manu, who is the seventh in the line of the cycle of 14 Manus. The six Manus who preceded Vaivasvata Manu were: Svayambhuva, Svarochisha, Uttama, Tamasa, Raivata and Chakshusha. The seven who will follow Vaivasvata Manu are: Savarni, Daksha-savarni, Brahma-savarni, Dharma-savarni, Rudra-savarni, Deva-savarni and Indra-savarni.

Extracted from a Hindu holy granth.

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com

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Share if you like it

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases. Should you wish to donate for the cause the bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

(Archived in 7 prestigious libraries of the US, including, Harvard University and Library of Congress. It can also be accessed in MIT through Worldcat.org. Besides, it is also available for reading in Libraries and archives of Canada and Cancer Aid and Research Foundation Mumbai)  

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

(Archived in Connemara Library, Chennai and Delhi Public Library, GOI, Ministry of Culture)

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

(Launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2014)

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(Co-published by Cankids–Kidscan, a pan India NGO and Shravan Charity Mission, that works for Child cancer in India. The book is endorsed by Ms Preetha Reddy, MD Apollo Hospitals Group. Book was launched in Lucknow International Literary Festival 2016)

(CAN BE BOUGHT FROM ON LINE BOOK STORES OR WRITE TO US FOR COPIES)

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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA AND THE WORLD- DO YOU KNOW SERIES-1

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  • Hooch the crudest form of liquor, is prepared in the most unhygienic of conditions and consumed by the underclass—people who can’t afford even country liquor. ET 24.6.15 chat room
  • The number of private ITIs in India did grow from under 2000 in 2007 to 10,000 in 2014.
  • According to World Bank data, barely 16% of Indian companies were providing enterprise based training in 2007. The shortage of skilled personnel has raised input costs for them, so that more of them now provide in-firm training (36% in 2014)
  • Sensex has delivered nearly 9% excess returns over inflation over long periods. Equities are real gold over a period of time.
  • Equities: At 17.1% CAGR, Rs 10,000 has become-290 times in 36 years. Equities are real gold over a period of time.
  • Liquid biopsy being tested in the US may soon become a boon for cancer treatment.
  • India slipped six places in one year in the global happiness index to be ranked 117th out of 158 nations in 2015. Switzerland tops the chart.
  • In Delhi transport contributes to majorly to emissions (PM2.5) 38%.
  • India has again topped the global remittance chart for 2014, pulling in $70.38 billion which is 3.7% of the country’s $2 trillion GDP from its migrant work force. China follows with $64.14 billion.
  • The average age of AAP cabinet is 42 years.
  • China company erects 57 storey skyscraper in just 19 days.
  • Mission Indra-dhanush would be carried out in two phases-1st 201 high focus districts where nearly 50% of all unvaccinated or partially vaccinated children reside. While 201 districts are being covered in the 1st phase, 297 will be targeted in the second phase in 2015-16. This mission aims to cover 89 lakh children.
  • Only 65% of our children are presently covered-under Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) Mission Indra-dhanush’s configuration will cover 90% full immunization coverage by 2020.
  • India’s information technology revolution happened on its own.
  • It has been found that in 63% of cases people are ignorant about the benefits of immunization in India.
  • It takes a contingent of 30,000 strong international media to cover Olympic games function with events spread far and wide.
  • India has one individual gold medal to show for 92 years of Olympic participation.
  • Aadhar has emerged as one of the largest bio-metric identification programmes in the world with unique identification authority of India issuing nearly 82 crore cards covering nearly 67% of the Indian population.
  • A house insurance costs just Rs 6-12/day however only less than 1% people who can afford it have house insurance.
  • MSME sector which produces 45% of manufacturing output and 40% of total exports- receives only cursory treatment without any tangible steps to make it part of global value chains or improving access to needed technologies & markets.
  • Search engine giant Google is facing anti-trust charges in Europe- abusing its dominant position & manipulating on line traffic.
  • In India we know that 1 in 2 girls are married before the age of 18. If a girl has a baby between 15 and 19 she’s twice as likely to die.
  • India is one of the countries with the highest maternal mortality.
  • Delhi has more than 500,000 manual rickshaws on its streets: Of these, less than a fifth are licensed. And 80% of rickshaw pullers continue their back breaking labour by paying ‘hafta’ to the police that amounts to Rs 10 crore per month.
  • India has 58 million private enterprises, the great majority of which are MSME category. These enterprises provide employment for more than 85% of the working population of India.
  • Unorganised sector have to borrow credit at 2-2.5% per month in India.
  • At present a mere 35 million households of a total of 250 million are in the direct tax net in India.
  • Indian goods travel via Singapore to reach Bangladesh in three weeks; now they will go directly to Bangladeshi ports in a week.
  • Europeans began to wear underwear only in the 17th century when they discovered soft and affordable Indian cloth brought by the East India Company.
  • With 5,000-mile coastline, India has historically been a great trading nation and in some periods, commanded as much as 20% share of world trade compared to 2% today. It always had a positive balance of trade with the world until the industrial revolution in 19th-century England when the mills of Lancashire made our handloom textiles technologically obsolete.
  • Sweden ranks as world’s most gender-egalitarian countries based on a firm belief that men and women should share power equally. Sweden also has a feminist party
  • MAM Ramaswamy-Chennai industrailist holds the record for the most wins in Indian Turf history
  • Indian economy is a startling 82% of entire SAARC region.
  • It takes a contingent of 30,000 strong international media to cover Olympic games function with events spread far and wide-
  • Nepal’s rebuilding to cost 10 billion dollars- Finance Minister of Nepal.
  • Barely 4% of all households in India are headed by women. Over 70% of currently married men are household heads compared to 3% of married women.
  • 41% of all girls aged 19 in India have married and in this context in rural India 47.3% of 19 year old girls had been married, in the urban areas the corresponding figure was 29.2%.
  • A study carried out by Comptroller and Auditor General of India last year on land acquired by the centre between 2006 and 2013–the period between which UPA was in power–reveals that a land mass as thrice the size of Noida was acquired under special economic zone but more than half of it had not been put to use.
  • 80 richest people own more wealth than what is owned by one-half of the human race and very soon just 1% people will own wealth which equals what the rest 99% of would have.
  • In 2001, world’s three richest people owned personal wealth greater than the GDP of 34 poorest nations.
  • In 2001, 51 of 100 top revenue-generating institutions were business operations and not nation states.
  • The average protein intake of a person in India through normal diet has dipped 6-10% in the past two decades with almost 86% of rural and 70% of urban population not getting the government designated 2400 kcal/day. While the richest get over 2518 kcal each day the poorest get less than 1679 kcal—a difference of almost 50%.
  • Food amounts for almost half of the consumer price index (CPI) basket of India.
  • 6 crore small entrepreneurs employ 12 crore people in India.
  • 10 million new workers enter the job market every year in India.
  • The daily intake of oil and fat consumption per person has increased from 31 gram to 42 gram in rural areas and from 42 gram to 52.5 gram in urban areas between 1993-94
  • Today 77% women in India get sterilized
  • Ayurveda is a 6000 year old science.
  • 80 Mumbaikars died everyday due to heart attacks between March 2014 and March 2015 up from 67 deaths daily during the same period the previous year.
  • 41% of all girls aged 19 in India have married, and in that context: In rural India 47.3% of 19 year old girls have been married, and in urban areas the correspondence figure is 29.2%
  • India slipped six places in one year in the global happiness index to be ranked 117th out of 158 nations in 2015. Switzerland tops the chart.
  • India has around 3500 engineering colleges and churns out 14 lakh engineers a year.
  • It has been found that in 63% of cases people are ignorant about the benefits of immunization in India.
  • India has one individual gold medal to show for 92 years of Olympic participation.
  • Aadhar has emerged as one of the largest biometric identification programmes in the world with unique identification authority of India issuing nearly 82 crore cards covering nearly 67% of the Indian population.
  • Bottom 50% of households consume only 25% of subsidised LPG; 41% of PDS kerosene is lost as leakage , only 46% of remainder (or 27% of the total) is consumed by poor households.
  • Hindu India has been the sole nation on earth where Jewish community has never been persecuted even though they have been living here for more than two thousand years.
  • India has never invaded any country in the last ten thousand years of its history.
  • Delhi Metro aims at carrying 25 lakh commuters daily.
  • There are in India 5.7 crore own account enterprises.
  • Childhood deaths used to be 12/100 in India in 1990s. That’s down to 5/100. But 56% die in the first month.
  • At least 60% Indians are still stuck in farming, which produces only 13.9% of the nation’s GDP.
  • Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, saw opening of 12.5 crore accounts in 8 months.
  • SUVs have grown to more than 30% of the total luxury vehicles sold in India.
  • Delhi is fast becoming the world’s pollution capital, and around a fifth of Delhi’s population is caused by traffic.
  • 20th century saw the worst of violent wars in human history.
  • Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is India’s biggest private sector employer  with 2.5 lakh employees and top recruiter of women, will dole out a special reward amounting to Rs 2,628 crore ($423 million), probably the biggest-ever bonus payout by an Indian company.
  • Our nuclear reactors which were operating at around 50% of capacity a few years ago are now operating at about 83% capacity, thanks to uranium procured from other countries.
  • Let’s put it this way. If you send a silly person on an important job and he acts true to his nature, who is real silly? The man who acted silly or the one who sent him?
  • Only 3% are vegetarian in America, 9% in the U.K., a noteworthy 10% in Italy and Taiwan and surprisingly 8.5% in Israel. And in this particular area, we Indians are the kings, 40% of our huge population is vegetarian.
  • With its meagre 7.5 million foreign tourist arrivals per year, India is losing out on a major employment expansion opportunity.
  • India has around 1,000 diplomats which is far fewer than Britain that has  over 6,000 and China that has around 7,500 diplomats.
  • The  current estimate for India’s landless is around 100 million households, which would constitute at least 300 million families of our population. Another 200 million rural families subsist on less than bighas and must supplement their meagre incomes with some form of labour.
  • India’s future prosperity depends on its urban centers which already contribute a little over two-third of the GDP.
  • The contribution of nuclear energy in electricity generation in India is not more than 3.5%.
  • World’s military expenditure is estimated to have been $1.74 trillion in 2013 or 2.4% of global GDP.
  • In the next five years 22% of China’s GDP growth is estimated to come from the digital sector.
  • The world’s last typewriter clattered off the Godrej line in 2011.
  • Finland has the highest borrowing of library books in the world.
  • Indian Railways is the second biggest procurement agency after defence, spending almost Rs 1 lakh crore a year. It is also the largest buyer of diesel in India.
  • More than 45,000 trucks from North Indian states enter Delhi everyday, plying on Euro III diesel which has 350 ppm sulphur and is greatly more polluting than the 50 ppm sulphur Euro-IV fuel
  • India needs to reverse groundwater usage. Already, the figures suggest that well over half the irrigation requirements are now met by mining groundwater and 15% of all aquifers are in a critical condition.
  • Restaurants abroad that pass of as Indian are often run by Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, rather than persons of Indian origin.
  • At present Rs 3,77,616 crore or 4.2% of Indian GDP is spent across sectors in subsidies.
  • National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) aims to link India’s 2.5 lakh gram panchayat through 70,000 km of high speed optic fibre in the next three years- thereby enabling 600 million Indians to harness the benefits of modern communication.
  • Our urban population is 377 million or 31% of the total. By 2031 it is projected to rise to 600 million.
  • The first modern Caesarean section was performed by German Gynecologist Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer in 1881.
  • Of 250 million mobile users in India 180 million access internet on mobile, this will shoot up to 500-600 million in a few years
  • Studies show maximum viewing is of two-minute videos and in terms of text 400 words.
  • Mark Twain, is the pen name for Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
  • India is one of the biggest arms importer of the world.
  • Indian gambling market is estimated around $60 billion annually
  • A woman is raped in India every 20 minutes.
  • India’s luxury car market has grown eight times in the last seven years from 4000 units in 2007 to 33,000 units in 2014. And as per car experts the number is expected to hit 100,000 units by 2020.
  • Prime residential prices in Re/sq ft. Monaco-339723, Hongkong-293944, London-283215, New
  • York-174362, Singapore-151419, Shanghai-121608, Paris-116851, Miami-99210, Beijing-97087, Mumbai-61300, Dubai-40455, Delhi-33400, Bengaluru-18600.
  • All India Brewers Association- Beer sales account for only 50% of liquor sales in India- Much lower than in China, Brazil, US & UK. Wine accounts for only 1% of liquor sales.
  • Mumbai has 30 of India’s 68 billionaires.
  • On top of the billionaire list is New York with 114, followed by Moscow 91, Hongkong 53, London 49, Beijing 37 and Mumbai 30
  • Ricky Ponting holds the world record of 24 straight wins in ODI cricket captaincy.
  • Year 2015 is designated by the UN as the ‘Year of Light and technologies.’
  • 22% of households in cities and 31% in villages are in debt.
  • Sri Lankan cricketer Sangakara is a great collector of books
  • Lakshadeep has in all 36 islands.
  • India is pushing its shipyards to build more ships and other vessels for small Indian Ocean island countries in this region.
  • India was a maritime power before China had even heard of the term.
  • A Chinese naval strategist declared China needed 6 aircraft carriers to ‘secure’ the Indian Ocean.
  • According to the Census 2011, 41% of India’s population is under 18. Yet only 4.5% of the total budget is earmarked for children.
  • Today, the number of child labourers in India varies from 50 lakhs to 5 crores in different estimates.
  • Have you seen or heard of a bigger glutton and despot than Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe who celebrated his 91st birthday with elephant on menu for guests at the lavish 1-million pound bash. According to the mirror, two young elephants were shot and feasted on by the president’s 20,000 guests while the country’s poor struggle to scrape a living. A farmer had donated the elephants to Mugabe along with a lion and a crocodile to be stuffed. Members of the Zimbabwean government offered 40 cows that are due to be held at Victoris falls.
  • Only 43 people since Independence have been conferred the Bharat Ratna.
  • Between census 2001 and 2011, India witnessed a spurt of urban clusters, with the number of towns increasing from 5161 to 7935 in a decade India’s urban population likely to grow to 40% by 2030 from current 31%
  • India posed to be world’s 3rd largest construction market by 2025.
  • India has 7500 km of coastline with opportunities for port and harbour development.
  • India is world’s 2nd largest road network handling more than 60% of freight and 90% of passenger traffic in the country- 64,000 kms of new highways to be developed.
  • India is world’s 3rd largest network of railways spanning 64,600 kms and 25,000 kms of new lines to be added by 2020.
  • Indian airline traffic expected to treble to 450 million by 2023 from 169 million in F-14 and make India world’s 3rd largest aviation market by 2020.
  • Increase in infrastructure investment of 1% of GDP results in additional 34 lakh jobs in India (Compared to 15 lakh in USA and 13 lakh in Brazil)
  • India requires Rs 70 Lakh crore investment required till 2030 for development of urban roads, affordable housing and transportation systems- Rs 39 lakh crore to be invested over the next 20 years to build urban infrastructure for smart cities alone.
  • Contribution of railways to Indian GDP to increase to 3% in 2020 from 1% in 2012.
  • Rs 2 lakh crore to be invested in solar and wind power projects in wastelands and uninhabited regions in India- 50,000 villages to receive electricity through off grid solar by 2030.
  • Indian wedding industry is now valued at 25.5 billion dollars a year
  • Narendra Modi was the first Prime Minister to visit Parliament canteen where he had an ordinary thali costing Rs 29.
  • Indian Census Data: There are about 66 lakh more women who are “currently married” than men.
  • Indian Census Data: More than 18 lakh girls under the age of 15 are married.
  • Indian Census Data: Out of total 120 crore population about 58 crore were married at the time of census 2011.
  • Indian Census Data: among 58 crore married persons 29.3 crore were women while 28.7 crore are men.
  • Indian Census Data: Kerala has the highest skew with 1.13 married women for every married man.
  • Indian Census Data: In the 20-25 age group about 69% of women were married while just over 30% of men were married.
  • Indian Census Data: India’s population in 2011 was 121 crore and, of this , 4.6% or 5.6 crore are widowed, with women out numbering men by a long way; when in 2001 only 18.5 lakh or 0.7% of the then population of 102 was widowed.
  • There are in India 5.7 crore own account enterprises.
  • Delhi Metro aims at 25 lakh commuters daily.
  • India has never invaded any country in the last ten thousand years of its history.
  • Hindu India has been the sole nation on earth where the Jewish community has never been persecuted even though they have been living here for more than two thousand years.
  • Bottom 50% of households consume only 25% of subsidised LPG; 41% of PDS kerosene is lost as leakage, only 46% of the remainder (or 27% of the total) is consumed by poor households in India.
  • The slum population of India has increased from 5.23 crores in 2001 to 6.55 crores in 2011
  • The value of goods that lay unused in urban India was pegged at over Rs 56,000 crore
  • Indian Railways has 66,000 km of rail tracks of which only 13,000 km has been added in the last ten years
  • GOI spent Rs 320 crores on republic day in 2014 an increase from Rs 145 crores in 2001
  • It takes Rs 2.5 lacs per minute to run the Indian Parliament
  • Central Board for film certification certifies 13,500 films every year.
  • Garment factories are India’s second largest employer of the women with 1.2 crore women
  • Last year more than 1000 women were murdered for so called honour crimes in Pakistan
  • 1% owns 48% of global wealth since 2009. 1 in 9 people don’t have enough to eat.
  • More than 1 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day.
  • People younger than 45 years of age account for 40% of all heart  related deaths in India as compared to 10% in the US. So are you exercising enough.
  • Gita is one of the all time best sellers. It is 5153 yeras old says RSS.
  • The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) act prescribes that the central government deficit should not exceed 3% of GDP.
  • It is generally believed in the Indian context, the acceptable level of inflation in 4%, and the comfort zone is +/- 2%. In developed economies, the acceptable level of inflation is only 2%

WORD POWER-IDIOMS-PHRASES

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

A learned society values a person with a sound vocabulary.

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  • Di-rigueur: Fashionable, up-to-date.
  • Quirky: peculiar or with unexpected traits, eccentric.
  • Avuncular: Kind of friendly towards a younger or a less experienced person.
  • Opprobrium: harsh criticism.
  • Grunt: of animal make a low, short guttural sound.
  • Liverish: slightly ill
  • tawny : of an orange-brown or yellowish-brown colour.
  • Tramp: walk heavily or noisily.
  • Honorofic: a title or word implying or expressing respect.
  • Shikoed: prostrating themselves upon the ground, the hands
  • Waddled: walk with short steps and a clumsy swaying motion.
  • Lithograph: The art or process of producing a picture
  • Sidelongness: a sidelong glance
  • Sallow: (of a person’s face or complexion) of an unhealthy yellow or pale brown colour.
  • Ochreous: a pale brownish yellow colour.
  • Priori: is a philosophical term that is used in several different ways. The term is suppose to mean knowledge that is gained through deduction, and not through empirical evidence. For instance, if I have two apples now, and I plan to add three apples, I will have five apples. This is knowledge gained deductively.
  • Ectoplasm: the more viscous, clear outer layer of the cytoplasm in amoeboid cells; a supernatural viscous substance that supposedly exudes from the body of a medium during a spiritualistic trance and forms the material for the manifestation of spirits.
  • Ensconced : establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe place.
  • Equipoise: balance of forces or interests.
  • Discountenance: Refuse to approve of; disturb the composure of.
  • Wanton: Deliberate and unprovoked, sexually modest or promiscuous.
  • Solstice: either of the two times in the year, the summer solstice and the winter solstice, when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon, marked by the longest and shortest days.
  • Spigot: a small peg or plug, especially for insertion into the vent of a cask; a tap.
  • Confucian: relating to Confucius or Confucianism.
  • Kowtow: act in an excessively subservient manner.
  • Pedagogy: the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.”the relationship between applied linguistics and language pedagogy”
  • Plenipotentiary: a person, especially a diplomat, invested with the full power of independent action on behalf of their government, typically in a foreign country.
  • Boorish: Rough and bad mannered, coarse.
  • Quintessential: Representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
  • Jingoism: Extreme patriotism, especially in the form of aggressive or war like foreign policy.
  • Discomfiture: A feeling of unease or embarrassment; awkwardness.
  • Bete Noire: A person or a thing that someone dislikes very much.
  • Neologisms: 1. A new word or expression 2. The coining of use of new words
  • Intransigence: Uncompromising, stubborn.
  • Atavistic: 1. Resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents or animals 2. Reversion to an earlier type
  • Tall poppy syndrome: A social phenomenon where those with more merit or success are disparaged and pulled down.
  • Purported: Appear to be or do something, especially falsely.
  • Rime: Frost formed on cold objects by the rapid freezing water vapour in cloud or fog
  • Hegemonic: Ruling or dominant in a political or social context.
  • Impinge: To have an effect, especially a negative one.
  • Prosaic: Having or using the style or diction of prose as opposed to poetry; lacking imaginativeness or originality.
  • Fulsome: Complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree.
  • Raconteur: A person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing manner.
  • Hurtle: Move or cause to move at high speed.
  • Callow: Inexperienced and immature.
  • Guffaw: Loud and hearty laugh.
  • Russet: Reddish brown in colour, rustic, lonely.
  • Delirium: Restlessness, illusions, incoherence.
  • Speckled: Covered or marked with a large number of small spots or patches of colour.
  • Ubiquitous: Present, appearing or found everywhere.
  • Balk: Hesitate or be unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking.
  • effrontery: Insolent or impertinent behaviour.
  • Inchoate: Just begun and not so fully formed or developed; rudimentary
  • Mallet: A hammer with a large, usually a wooden handle.
  • Accompaniment: A musical part which supports or partners an instrument.
  • Clammy: Unpleasantly damp and sweaty
  • Forswear: Agree to give up or do without.
  • Insouciance: Indifference; casual lack of concern
  • Mendicant: Given to begging; a beggar
  • Cannabis: A tall plant with a stiff upright stem, divided serrated leaves, and granular hair. It is used to produce hemp fire & as a psychotropic drug.
  • South Paw:Is the normal stance for a left handed boxer.
  • Ambled: to walk at a slow and relaxed speed.
  • Corpulent: Fat
  • Abound: exist in large numbers or amounts.
  • Deckle edge: is a type of rough cut edged paper used in the book trade.
  • Wading: walk with effort through water or another liquid or viscous substance.
  • Wrought: (of metals) beaten out or shaped by hammering; made or fashioned in the specified way.

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BOOK QUOTES … INTERESTING LINES

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Name of book and author is not mentioned. Should you want to know please write to us.

ULYSSESHARRY PORTERBENHUR

  • For as his brain developed—you cannot stop your brain developing, and it is one of the tragedies of the half-educated that they develop late, when they are already committed to some wrong way of life.
  •   “It’s all very well,” grumbled Ellis, with his forearms on the table, fidgeting with his glass. The dispute with Mr. Macgregor had made him restless again. “It’s all very well, but I stick to what I said. No natives in this Club! It’s by constantly giving way over small things like that that we’ve ruined the Empire. This country’s only rotten with sedition because we’ve been too soft with them. The only possible policy is to treat ‘em like the dirt they are. This is a critical moment, and we want every bit of prestige we can get. We’ve got to hang together and say, ‘We are the masters, and you beggars—‘ “ Ellis pressed his small thumb down as though flattening a grub—“ ‘you beggars keep your place!’”
  • He followed her into the bedroom. In a week–it was only a week–her appearance had degenerated extraordinarily. Her hair looked greasy. All her lockets were gone, and she was wearing a Manchester longyi of flowered cotton, costing two rupees eight annas. She had coated her face so thick with powder that it was like a clown’s mask, and at the roots of her hair, where the powder ended, there was a ribbon of natural-coloured brown skin. She looked a drab. Flory would not face her, but stood looking sullenly through the open doorway to the veranda.
  • “Thank you, Monsieur.” She spoke in English but her voice was foreign, a rich low voice very seductive in quality. As she was about to pass on, she hesitated and murmured: “Pardon, Monsieur, but I think you were recently at Grasse?”
  • At the same time, the Emperor had a great desire that I should see the magnificence of his palace; but this I was not able to do till three days after, which I spent in cutting down, with my knife, some of the largest trees in the royal park, about a hundred yards distance from the city. Of these trees I made two stools, each about three feet high, and strong enough to bear my weight.
  • Alas,” said Candide, “my dear Pangloss often proved to me that the goods of this world are common to all men, that everyone has an equal right to them. Acting on that principle, the Franciscan should have left us enough to finish our journey. So you have nothing left, fair Cunegonde?”
  • P.V. Narasimha Rao came from humble home. His intellectual centre was India; his roots were deep in its spiritual and religious soil. His knowledge of Sanskrit profound. He was a man of learning, a scholar, a linguist and a thinker of the first order.
  • Gogol has never heard the term ABCD. He eventually gathers that it stands for “American-born confused deshi.” In other words him. he learns that C could also stand for “conflicted.”
  • The Don said meekly, “Wait, I’ll get you your money.” Then he went out into the garden and said to Sonny, “Listen, there’s some men working on the furnace, I don’t understand what they want. Go in and take care of the matter.”
  • “The rudeness spread to one of the assistant directors,” said Moriarty. “Instead of calling Marilyn for a scene, he would stand there and glare at her, tapping his foot for as long as he could. There would eventually be a big blow up, when all the man had to do was say, ‘Excuse me, Miss Monroe, we’re ready for you.’ She was denied all the prerogatives of a star.”
  • Taken aback by this passionate eloquence, Ruru lowered his staff. He feared that the snake might be a sage in disguise. Seeking to appease the great soul, Ruru said, “You do not seem like an ordinary snake. I believe you must be some other being only temporarily occupying this form. Tell me then, how did you come to be a snake?’
  • The sun was now setting. It was about three in the afternoon when Alisande had begun to tell me who the cow-boys were; so she had made pretty good progress with it- for her. She would arrive some time or other, no doubt, but she was not a person who could be hurried- Sandy’s Tale- Mark Twain page 107
  • I honour your circumspection. A fortnight’s acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if we do not venture somebody else will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her daughters must stand their chance; and, therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself.
  • FAY. Your son is a thorn in my flesh. The contents of his dressing-table are in indictment of his way of life. Not only firearms, but family-planning equipment. A Papal dispensation is needed to dust his room.
  • In a country as diverse as ours, there will always be passionate arguments about how we draw the line when it comes to government action. That is how our democracy works. But our democracy might work a bit better if we recognized that all of us possess values that are worthy of respect; if liberals at least acknowledged that the recreational hunter feels the same way about his gun as they feel about their library books, and if conservatives recognized that most women feel as protective of their right to reproductive freedom as evangelicals do of their right to worship.
  • The pigeon that stays at home is always in terror for the fate of the pigeon on the wing.
  • All this modern brag about women’s lib, male bashing appeared as poster signs for the erudite to read and jostle through this not-so-good world, as you still had the Ria’s of the world to be saved from the callous studs and the bitchy hens of the ‘scheming jungle’ called society.’
  • ‘Mar. Death is a penalty which a person can pay only once, and she has made that payment. What you wish to do has been done already for you. the last words she spoke were, “Anthony, most noble Anthony!” and in the midst of her speech, a rending groan came in the middle of “Anthony”; the word was split in two between, her heart and her lips. She gave up her life, and the half of your name was buried within her.’
  • “All is well so far. The lambardar reports regularly. No refugees have come through the village yet.I am sure no one in Mano Majra even knows that the British have left and the country is divided into Pakistan and Hindustan. Some of them know about Gandhi but I doubt if anyone has even heard about Jinnah.”
  • In the Mahabharata, Pandu has two wives but cannot have sex with them because of a curse. Pandu means pale and weak and could be related to the Sanskrit word panda meant for men unable to have sex with women for a variety of reasons.
  • ‘Mr Gilmer’s back stiffened a little, and I felt sorry for him. Perhaps I’d better explain something now. I’ve heard that lawyers’ children, on seeing their parents in court in the heat of argument, get the wrong idea: they think opposing counsel to be the personal enemies of their parents, they suffer agonies, and are surprised to see them often go out arm-in-arm with their tormentors during the first recess.’
  • ‘Well, there was once a tortoise, who was, of course, provided with a shell, and within this shell he used to hide for protection against the attacks of his enemies. One day, someone said to him, “You must find it very hot inside there in the summertime. Besides, when you are hidden, no one can admire your bodily perfections. Now, here is a serpent who will give you a million and a half for your shell.”’ ‘Good!’ said Monsieur Fouquet, laughing.       ‘So the tortoise sold his shell, and had to go about unprotected. He was discovered by a vulture, who, feeling hungry, broke his back with a blow of his beak, and had him for dinner.’
  • A little later, full into view swung a duplication of his dromedary, tall and white, and bearing a houdah, the travelling litter of Hindostan.’
  • Viswamitra, the greatest of the ascetic heroes of the Iliad of the East, had in him a perfect representative. He might have been called a Life drenched with the wisdom of Brahma- Devotion Incarnate.’
  • ‘He spoke bluffly, and only somebody like Sherlock Holmes or Monsieur Poirot could have divined that at the sound of her voice his soul had turned a double somersault, leaving him quivering with an almost Bill Rowcester-like intensity.’
  • Initially the losses ran to crores of rupees, Sir, but since we stopped production it has proved very economical !

ARTICLE: THE HYPE OF #LITERACY AND DILEMMA OF #EMPLOYABILITY

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961

DEFINITION OF LITERACY

    Literacy, as defined in Census operations, is the ability to read and write with understanding in any language. A person who can merely read but cannot write is not classified as literate. Any formal education or minimum educational standard is not necessarily to be considered literate.

    (UNESCO) has drafted a definition of literacy which is, “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.”

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    The National Literacy Mission defines literacy as “acquiring the skills of reading, writing and arithmetic and the ability to apply them to one’s day-to-day life. The achievement of functional literacy implies (i) self-reliance in 3 R’s-reading, writing and arithmetic, (ii) awareness of the causes of deprivation and the ability to move towards amelioration of their condition by participating in the process of development, (iii) acquiring skills to improve economic status and general well being, and (iv) imbibing values such as national integration, conservation of environment, women’s equality, observance of small family norms.”

    According to the latest report released on 31 March 2011 the literacy rate of India has increased to 74%. This means a decadal growth of around 10 %.

BUT CAN MERE LITERACY GUARANTEE EMPLOYMENT?

Is the moot point, as literacy only provides general ability to read, write and a sense of better awareness, but jobs, require deeper and varied skills that need to be created. In the recent Times Ascent edition of 27th November, I read; in the just concluded PAN-IIM World Management Conference held at IIM-KOZHIKODE our HRD Minister Smriti Zubin Irani harping on some appreciative facts about India as a routine lullaby.

    That India is one of the world’s largest democracies and according to some studies 57% of our population is under 30. Our average age is expected to be less than China and the US by 2050. This means more workers, or in other words, a demographic dividend. India has a large pool of workforce that is predominantly English-speaking. 4.4 million Graduates join the Indian job market annually, so there is no shortage of skilled workers in our country. So be it.

    But then do we have appropriate jobs for all as she has not spoken about those unpleasant figures of unemployment. ILO indicates sluggishness in the job market over the last two years where jobless rate could be around 3.8% this year which sounds optimistic. On a more historic note the unemployment rate has been hovering around 6-8 % on an average over the last decade or so. So, can one say, each time when literacy levels have gone up unemployment hasn’t come down?

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    This necessitates, we should take up skill building on fast track. Which horrifyingly comes up in India at a later stage of our educational system. And considering, the alarming school dropout rate of 40% with more girls facing the brunt, this should start at secondary school level.

CAUSE OF SYSTEMIC WORRY

    It is worrying to see, important ministers making isolated parroted statements in coveted milieus like IIMs and IITs, where even otherwise everything is hunky dory. And it goes without saying the stark reality continues to remain as it is and nothing much has changed on the ground. So the big question is how will the additional annual workforce of 4.4 million per annum be adjusted in the job market, and what is the road map for creating such jobs each year. Time has come when at least 74% of the literate Indians would want to know end-to-end on how these jobs would be created, before one brags about the English speaking workforce of 4.4 million and the young India. The central point therefore is the job-creators and the workforce creators of India need to meet on one platform to align, which is still missing.

    In any case most IIT and IIM graduates or post graduates won’t remain unemployed, rather would be gainfully employed. But what is more worrying is the lower end of the pyramid that will bear the brunt of unemployment.

    Considering the present unemployment rate. HRD minister would have done well by initiating a dialogue with those states and departments where huge vacancies are lying unfilled, especially teachers and police constables. The low hanging fruits. Which I guess is also the baby of HRD ministry. Needful to mention teacher appointments in some states have been subjected to scams, and appointments cancelled subsequently.

INDUSTRY INTERFACE

    One of the biggest sources of employment in any country, with India being no exception is through business and industries. Where, according to the World Bank we are still at an agonizing 142 in the ease of doing business out of 189 countries. And time taken for registration of a business is currently at 27 days that needs to be cut down to one day, as in Canada and New Zealand.

    Government intends to go online on approvals, for over 200 state and central permits by April next year which is laudable. Currently 81 state level clearances and another 133 at the central level are being put on line and out of these more than 50 relate to railway ministry, alone. But the big question remains; whether we can set up industries at a pace matching 4.4 million jobs a year, which will only increase by leaps and bounds. The answer as of now is no and that necessitates searching for other alternatives. And so; where is the MEA proposal (Ministry of External Affairs) if we were to export our workforce to various aging countries about which our Prime Minister talks so often? And which new countries have been identified where our young English speaking workforce can go and work safely with proper work permits and visas, in a safe manner. I guess, the two distinguished ladies Sushma Swaraj and Smriti Irani should meet on this agenda and at least identify the countries, and if for some reason it happens to be Germany, Smriti should not think of replacing German by Sanskrit.

THE ROUTE AHEAD

    For brand India, literacy to full employment will be a long and arduous walk, considering its size and scale. Where, premier institutions such as IIT and IIM should also brainstorm to show the way out. And we will have to figure out other avenues also, where I guess PM Narendra Modi’s team needs to come together on one platform.

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

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Shravan Charity Mission is an NGO that works for poor children suffering from life threatening diseases. Should you wish to donate for the cause the bank details are given below:

NAME OF ACCOUNT: SHRAVAN CHARITY MISSION

Account no: 680510110004635 (BANK OF INDIA)

IFSC code: BKID0006805

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Our publications

GLOOM BEHIND THE SMILE

ONE TO TANGO … RIA’S ODYSSEY

AADAB LUCKNOW … FOND MEMORIES

REFRACTIONS … FROM THE PRISM OF GOD

(CAN BE BOUGHT FROM ON LINE BOOK STORES OR WRITE TO US FOR COPIES)

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