ranjan

Plastic wastage is a growing problem for the world with the passage of time. The negative impacts of Plastic on environment and Human health are - - Respiratory issues are increasing because of Air pollution from burning plastics. - Animal lifespans are reduced because of consuming plastic. - Littered plastic is clogging drains and causing floods. - Unmanaged plastic is contaminating our precious oceans and waterways. Something can and must be done since there are many ways to curb plastic waste - By producing less, consuming less and better managing existing waste to prevent contamination or leakage. While solutions may vary, policy solutions, i ncreased awareness and improved design & disposal processes among others, are critical to changing behaviour & better managing plastic waste. Following are the five interesting interventions that address plastic waste from various aspects of society - 1) Better Holistic Waste Management System -  The Maldives is known for i...

Macao is a Special Administrative Region on the Southern coast of China - South of Guang Dong province, on the tip of peninsula formed by Pearl River (Zhuziang) on the east and (Xijiang) West River on the west.  It has its own system of Money, Passports and legal activities like Hong Kong that are completely separate from China. It mostly operates as an independent city apart from Foreign Affairs and has its own flag. Until 1999, Macao was one of the Portugal's last surviving colonies. It was first settled in 1557 and primarily used as a trading post. It was from Macao that Portuguese priests made their first journeys in Asia to convert locals to Christianity. This 500 years history under Portuguese rule has left a heritage of Lisbon- inspired architecture. The city was handed back to China in 1999 under the "one county two systems' policy that saw Hong Kong gifted back to China in 1997. Under the agreement, signed by Portugal and China -Macau is guaranteed own Monetary ...

Cyber security is the practice of protecting Systems, Networks and Programs from Digital attacks. These cyber attacks are usually aimed at accessing, changing or destroying sensitive information, extorting money from users or interrupting normal business processes. Implementing effective cyber security measures is particularly challenging today because there are more devices than people, and attackers are becoming more innovative. One well respected framework can guide to explain how to identify attacks, protect systems, detect and respond to threats and recover from successful attacks. Types of Cyber Security Threats 1) RANSOMWARE - A type of malicious software. Designed to extract money by blocking access to files or the computer system until ransom is paid. Paying ransom does not guarantee that files will be recovered or the system restored. 2) MALWARE - A type of software designed to gain unauthorized access or to cause damage to a computer. 3) SOCIAL ENGINEERING - A tactic ad...

The evolution of Artificial Intelligence is now in full swing and Chat Bots are a faint splash on a huge wave of progress. A Chat Bot is a computer program that simulates human conversation through voice command or text or both. Chat bot, short of Chatter bot is an artificial intelligence feature that can be used and embedded through any major messaging applications. Typically, a Chat bot will communicate with a real person , but applications are being developed in which two Chat bots can communicate with each other. With the spread of messengers virtual Chatter bots that imitate human conversations for solving various tasks are becoming increasingly in demand. Chinese we chat Bots can already set medical appointments, call a taxi, send money to friends, check in for a flight and many many more. Presently, Bots have already delivered impressive results in Customer Service. For instance, Star Bucks uses a system that allows customers to easily and quickly place orders using voice comm...

While drawing a comparison between Artificial Intelligence and Robots, first thing is to clarify that Artificial Intelligence and Robotics are not the same thing at all. These two things are entirely separate. It is surprisingly difficult to get the experts agree exactly what constitutes a "Robot". Some people say that Robot must be able to "think" and make decisions. However, there is no standard definition of "Robot Thinking". Requiring a Robot to think suggests that it has some level of Artificial Intelligence. ROBOTS Robots are programmable machines which are able to carry out a series of actions autonomously or semi-autonomously. There are three important factors which constitute a Robot - 1. Robots interact with the physical world via Sensors and Actuators. 2. Robots are programmable. 3. Robots are usually Autonomous or semi- autonomous. There are six types of Industrial Robots - 1) CARTESIAN - Its controls are Linear (move in straight line ...

The Davos World Economic Forum was first conceived in 1971 when European Management Forum was formed as a non-profit organisation by Prof. Klaus Schwab in Switzerland. This was start of process which drew business leaders primarily from Europe and other places for an annual meeting in Davos each year. In 1987, European Management Forum changed its name to to World Economic Forum. At this time, the vision of the forum was broadened to include a platform for dialogue. The Davos declaration was signed by Greece and Turkey in 1988 was a milestone for the forum.  Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland,  having its offices in New York, Beijing and Tokyo and in 2017, a new office in San Francisco brings together its membership on a year to year basis to discuss major issues concerning the world. These include but are not limited to issues of Politics, Economics, Social and environmental concerns.The forum consists of membership from a cross section of Private and Public sector inclu...

Meditation is the best tool for understanding self potential. Spending a little time to know will go a long way in bringing success in all fields. We understand and explore the world with our sense organs. It is believed that to understand the world is far more important than to understand oneself. Basically, there are three principles to understand self - 1) It is to understand that who we are? Lots of scriptures of famous saints are written on this-like- where we come from, where to go from here and so on. Meditating is the method to give light on larger perspective of life. 2) Second principle of Self Management is to hold a mirror to oneself. We will find that we decide on the basis of beliefs and opinions, we hold. We think that some things are bad and some good and we choose accordingly. We assess this on the basis of our beliefs and opinions. The analysis of - Are they well founded and are these objectives will help us to center on on these issues. 3) Third principle of S...

Further to my earlier post few days back, I share its second part below - 1. A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut at ease. 2. Process of cleaning up arrears and putting a scheme of review of commitments     carried out is need of hour. 3. Economists should be like plumbers- laying down pipes and fixing the leaks -     putting system in order.  4. Spend time focusing on urgent issues rather than taking instant decisions on others. 5. Art of communication is language of leadership. 6. You can fool people for some time, some people for all time but cannot fool all      people all time. 7. In youth, we are taught never to quit. Because we are presumably following people     wiser than ourselves. 8. Economy is the start and end of everything. 9. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. 10. There is no course to teach 'creativity' by any Institution in the world. 11. Moving forward with faith give...

A self driving car is a vehicle that uses a combination of Sensors, Cameras, Radar and Artificial Intelligence to travel between destinations without human operator. A vehicle must be able to navigate without human intervention to a predetermined destination over roads that have not been adapted for its use. The most noticeable is the rotating Roof-top LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) - camera that uses an array of either 32 or 64 lasers to measure the distance between objects, building up a 3D Map at a range of 200 m and allowing the car to "see" hazards. LIDAR is a surveying method that measures the distance to a target by illuminating the target with pulsed laser light and measuring the reflected pulses with a sensor. The car also has another sets of "eyes" - a standard camera that points through the window screen. This looks for nearby hazards like pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists as well as reading road signs and detecting traffic lights. Speaki...

Given below are few ideas for Personal awareness and self grooming : 1. Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. 2. Sincerity is the way to heaven. 3. Nobody gets poorer by giving something. 4. Task of a educator is not cut down jungles but to irrigate Deserts. 5. Stop fretting over what might go wrong and think of only what will go right - if you have the     courage to make changes you planned. 6. You may be disappointed if you fail but you are doomed if you don't try. 7. Some people are truly great manipulators. They can lie, cheat, treat you badly and some how     manage to make it is all your fault. 8. It is not what happens to you but how react to it that matters. 9. Every truth passes through three stages - First- it is ridiculed, Second - it is opposed, Third -it is     evident.      10. It is good to have an end to journey but it is journey that matters at the end. 11. Before deciding on any i...

Stress is a major problem for many, curiously it is also a matter of Pride in many circles. It is the bane of executives who are dogged by competition and ambition. Stress is the inability to cope with a real or imagined threat to mental, physical,emotional and spiritual well being resulting into a series of physiological responses and adaptations. It can be caused by good and bad experiences. As human beings, we live at several levels. Coping refers to our efforts to mange stressful situations. People are often reluctant to reveal that they are stressed and will resist any suggestion that actions needs to be taken. As such, stress gets into the 'shadows' hidden from view. This will continue until it bursts out into the open by which time it might be either too late for remedial action or damage control becomes costly. Everyone responds differently to stress. Some people seem to thrive during stressful situations while others are exhausted. Pressure is inevitable. The solutio...

Reforms in education sector have been one of the top priorities of the Governments in India. Constant efforts have been undertaken to continuously revamp the education system effectively in India to provide equitable access to education. However, reforms can be possible only if it is implemented and governed properly, which is an extremely difficult challenge. The Govt. introduces various schemes and policies to improve the education system in the country particularly quality and content of instruction. However, the system has failed to achieve its objectives and transforms according to global standards. This gives a rise to see the factors to look upon various barriers implementing education reforms. These are - 1) Systemic and Structural reforms - Reforms have been majorly ineffective because of deeply rooted systemic and structural problems within the system. The reforms are focusing on various inputs as the learning performance is assessed by infrastructure and mid-day meals. Mo...

Knowing and willingness is not enough and be carried out to reach, felt & explained by the effected. Success needs to be experienced in all aspects of our lives. Memory is not intelligence. Having more information does not mean more intelligent-alertness and consciousness are what makes a person superior. Artificial intelligence takes the work of remembering and carrying information. In ten years down the lane, humanity will be at its best time because a person with greater consciousness will be valued over a person with knowledge. People who read and accumulate memory are going to be  negligible. There is a need to be in sync with nature and universe to avoid friction. Both mental and physical ailments of the body & mind were the result of body with universe.    It is a sought-after state. Many celebrities, who have name and fame in the world have confessed to something missing from their lives. Thy feel scary about the sentiment. This is because, perhaps, not...

Public Sector Undertakings are considered as vital & crucial pillars for strengthening the country's economy. The prime purpose of starting PSUs was to fabricate infrastructure for economic growth and development. Various factors such as Deterioration of financial performance of PSUs, rising fiscal deficit forced Govt. to to adopt a radically new approach towards the working of PSUs. PSUs are the companies established, maintained & controlled by the Central Govt. having 100% stake in it. In 1947, when India became independent, the country was confronting with a variety of Socio - Economic concerns which had to be resolved. India was mainly agriculture dependent economy with poor infrastructure and no knowledge about Investment, pathetic industrial base and low level of saving. There was wide difference in the incomes of different people. The private sector neither had the necessary resources, trained managerial staff nor the ability to undertake risks involved in long te...

As one grows as a leader, a day will come when organisation has enough structure to have other Managers that report to the leader. Instead of just being responsible for a group of individual contributors, one is responsible for other managers & indirectly responsible for every individual. There are some differences in managing individuals and managing other managers. To layout those differences, following framework of four questions be considered to ask - 1) What do you look for when hiring? 2) How to do you assign tasks? 3) What updates do you expect? 4) How do you measure success? The answer to each question explains the difference between managing individuals vs. other managers. These are explained as under - 1) When you hire, you look for technical expertise and ability to learn. 2) When you assign tasks, you define details of what needs to get done. 3) When you get updates, you expect status of their own projects and issues. 4) When you measure success, you are focus...

Economic growth is essential in order to reduce poverty in Developing countries & to improve people living standards. The activities of public and private sector enterprises play an important role in achieving high economic growth rates. Following factors influence the economic development of  a country - 1) Natural Resources 2) Capital Formation 3) Conditions in Foreign Trade 4) Economic System 5) Marketable Surplus of Agriculture 6) Human Resources 7) Political Freedom 8) Education and Technical Know how Despite optimism for India's prospects for economic growth & development, there are number of obstacles which may effect adversely the growth and development. \ 1) Poor Infrastructure - notably in Transport and Power Networks. 2) Low Productivity and Weak Human Capital. 3) High Inflation and Persistent Trade Deficit. Despite Govt. efforts to get positive trade balance, India was facing consistently balance of payments deficit since 1950. Also during 1965 Pa...

NRIs prefers to a place in India to remain rooted with the country and not just for Investment Returns - does not matter whether market remains Bullish or Bearish. Game changing policies like RERA and GST have now boosted the confidence and transparency and streamlined the property buying process for NRIs. This has been fueling new NRI investments into Indian property market. The fact that Rupee value depreciation against Dollar in 2018 was a sound reason for NRIs to view Indian Real Estate more favorably as well as Developers offering substantial freebies & discounts in addition to interesting payment plans. The Govt. also eased norms to facilitate a more streamlined and less cumbersome property buying process for NRIs. keeping in mind the positive sentiments. In order to equip themselves for making best possible property purchase decisions, NRIs need to understand the regulations & processes related to India Real Estate. A quick realty check is: - 1) Understand FEMA (For...

Vote on Account is a Grant in advance to enable Govt. to carry on until the voting of Demands and Grants & passing of the Appropriations Bill and Finance Bill. As a convention, a vote on account is treated as a formal matter and passed by Lok Sabha without discussion. In other words, this enables the Govt. to fund its expenses for a short period of time or until a full Budget is passed. Article 266 of Constitution of India mandates that parliamentary approval is required to draw money from the consolidated fund of India. Besides, Article 114 (3) of  constitution stipulates that no amount can be drawn from the consolidated fund without the enactment of law (Appropriation Bill).y During Election year or when it is anticipated that main Demands & Appropriation Bill will take longer time than two months, the Vote on Account may be for a period exceeding two months. The difference between Budget and Vote on Account is that - 1) Full Budget deals with both Expenditure and R...

India's growth accelerated to 7.7.% in 4th quarter of 2017-18 (F.Y.) which was up from 7% in the previous quarter. In order to sustain the high growth rate, following three steps are suggested for India by IMF ( International Monetary Fund) to follow :- 1) To revive a Bank credit and enhance the credit provision by accelerating clean up of Bank and     Corporate Balance sheets & enhancing the growth of Public Sector Banks. 2) To continue fiscal consolidation and to lower elevated public Debt levels by simplifying &     streamlining the Goods and Service Tax (GST ) structure. 3) To renew impetus to reforms of key markets over the medium term, for example, Labor and     Land as well as improving the business climate to improving competitiveness and maintaining     the level of growth in India.  India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is poised to grow by 7.3.% in 2018-19 and 7.5% in 2019-20  on strengthening of Investment ...

Education is the doorway to the world. It empowers us to better outlook towards life as also a smarter approach towards life and exposition. Rural infrastructure is incomplete without an assessment of the extent to which we have been able to open doors to children of rural India. Without proper education it is difficult to survive in today's modernized world. It is a fact that majority of Indian population still live in villages and so the topic of rural education is of utmost importance. The major topic of concern today is not enrollment figures but the quality of education important in rural India. There is a lot of difference in the level of education and educational facilities when compared to rest of India. It will be not wrong to say that teachers in rural areas are least concerned with the level education. It is not that children of our cities are taught different subjects than in rural areas. The problem is that the level of education in these areas has been neglected rig...