ranjan

The World Bank is an international organisation that helps emerging market countries to reduce poverty. Its first goal is to end extreme poverty. It wants no more than 3% of people to live on $1.90 a day or less by 2030. Its second goal is to promote shared prosperity. It wants to improve the incomes of the bottom 40% of the population of each country. Since 1947, the World Bank has funded more than 12,000 projects. It is not a bank in the conventional sense of the word. Instead, it consists of two development institutions. One is International Bank of Reconstruction and Development which provides Loans, Credits and Grants. The second is International Development Association which provides loans to low or No- interest to low income countries. The Bank works closely with three other organisations in the World Bank Group. These are - 1) International Finance Corporation (IFC) provides Advice, Investment and Asset Management to     companies and Governments. 2) Multilatera...

They are the people whom you see everyday mowing in the lawns, standing in the line behind you at the malls and riding up in the elevator with you at work. They are the people who live modestly and without pretense. The invisible rich are who live well within their means despite big numbers in their Bank accounts. While there are several key secrets of invisible rich and millionaires next door, below are a few of the most common secrets which we can all incorporate in our own lives. 1. They do not spend beyond their means. It means what you spend each month is less than or at     least equal to the amount you bring in every month. For many people, it is a lot easier than done.     Credit cards, Loans, Savings and even Emergency funds allows you to buy more than your income.     Unfortunately, that type of lifestyle is not sustainable and at some of time of time, your reckless     spending will catch up to you. Invisible rich do not stretch ...

Varicose veins and Spider veins are practically a rite of passage. As we age, many of us find jagged Purple lines or swollen Bluish cords across our thighs and calves. These warped blood vessels occur in up to 60% of adults. Spider veins are small, twisted blood vessels visible through the skin. They may be Red, Purple or Blue and mostly appear on legs and face. Their name is taken from their striking Spiderweb pattern.    Varicose veins are larger blood vessels that have become swollen and twisted. They appear Dark Blue and stick out from the skin like raised tunnels. These veins can develop anywhere in the body, usually spread on legs and ankles. Healthy veins carry blood to the Heart through valves and arteries. When these valves are damaged, Blood starts pooling in the legs causing swelling of legs, heaviness, Aching pain, fatigue, skin discoloration, itching varicosities (Prominent vein). Comfortable and sedentary life-style, modern fashion, special postures adopted whi...

Artificial technologies promise to speed up the process of Drug discovery and development and make it cost effective. New drugs are approved through human clinical trials - year long rigorous procedures starting in animal trials and gradually moving to patients. They cost billions and take many years to complete. Also, patients in trials are exposed to side effects that cannot be predicted. And, if the trial is successful, it has to go through a regulatory approval - it may or may not receive nod from the Regulatory agency. While looking at all technologies, Artificial Intelligence is the most advanced and multifaceted. The technology helps companies aggregate and synthesize information needed for clinical trials, shortening the Drug Development Process. It also helps to understand the mechanisms of disease, establish Biomarkers, Design or Redesign drugs, generate data, models or novel drug candidates, run preclinical experiments, run clinical trials and even analyse the real world e...

No country is immune to corruption. Tax payers' money is lost in different ways, siphoned off from Schools, Hospitals, Roads etc. to line the pockets of people up to no good. Equally damaging is the way it corrodes the Govt's ability to help grow the economy in the manner it benefits all citizens. A few countries' reforms generated more revenues. For example, Georgia and Rwanda reforms to fight corruption since mid-1990s bore fruit and tax revenues increased by 6 percentage points of their GDP. These examples demonstrate the Political will to build strong and transparent institutions which can turn the tide against corruption. Corrupt countries collect fewer taxes as people pay bribes to avoid them. It is generally said that where there is Political will, there is a way. Fighting corruption requires political will to create strong fiscal institutions that promote accountability and integrity throughout the public sector. Here are some issues for the countries to help the...

A Carbon tax can discourage the use of fossil fuels and encourage a shift to less- polluting fuels, thereby limiting the Carbon Dioxide emission that are by far the most prevalent Green house gas Deterring the burning of fossil fuels is crucial to reducing the accumulation of heat-trapping green house gases in the earth's atmosphere. Carbon taxes, levied on Coal, Oil products and Natural gas in proportion to their carbon content, can be collected from fuel suppliers. They in turn will pass on the tax in the form of higher prices for electricity, gasoline, heating oil and so on,as well for the products and services that depend on them. This provides incentives to Producers and Customers alike to reduce energy use and shift to lower-Carbon fuels or Renewable energy sources through Investment and Behavior. While addressing climate change by reducing Greenhouse gases, Carbon Taxes can also generate more immediate Health and Environmental benefits, particularly reducing deaths tha...

Good Boss, Incompetent leader. There is a lot that comes to mind when we picture these two. Bosses are guided by Leader. The difference between a Leader and Boss is that Leader leads and the Boss drives. Successful workers attribute their success to Boss who mentored and groomed them. At times, it is observed that people are asked to leave because of the incompetent Leader and not the Institution for which they have given their heart and soul to develop. The first step to becoming a good boss is being self aware of own strength and gaps, being open to receiving feedback and acting on it. The key words are being genuine, authentic and treating others with respect. In fact the delta between incompetent leader and good boss effects the productivity, retention, quality and employee engagement has a direct co-relation with these two types. Dark side behaviors helps leaders emerge, but degrade creditbility with subordinates . Their ratings about how much they trust their managers are a...

Emerging market economies have enjoyed good growth in recent decades but are still far from closing gaps in living standards with advanced economies. Emerging markets also need growth to be shared by everyone, particularly by providing their growing population with good jobs and social protection. The design of labor market policies in emerging markets differs significantly from that in advanced economies. The few main features are : 1. Only half of the emerging markets have unemployment insurance systems in place, while they     nearly exist in all advanced economies.This means that workers in emerging markets have less     to fall back on in the event that they lose their jobs. 2. In contrast, emerging markets out - rank advanced economies - at least in Law- on one part of     such legislation, Severance pay (what companies must pay if they dismiss them). 3. Collective bargaining agreements cover only 20% of workers in emerging economies an...

Rising economic growth has reduced inequality in low-income and emerging market countries over the years. In good economic times, young people working helps reduce inequality in both groups of countries. But when growth slows down and jobs are lost, more young people out of work in low-income countries leads to a rise in inequality. In emerging markets, the story is a bit different. In good times, reduced unemployment explains about 41% of reduction in inequality in low-income and emerging market economies. Young people working more explains about over one-third of this reduction. In bad times,  28% of increase in inequality is due to an increase in unemployment. Thus, the increase in unemployment among young people is the main contributor to the rise in inequality. This difference could be due to even higher levels of self-employment and informality in low-income countries. Two policy implications comes out of the above which are as - 1) The quality of jobs created and polici...

There are number of factors that go into assessing the quality of Passport. As the citizenship by investment industry is increasingly popular among investors, each program is increasingly scrutinized and held up against other programs. While each investor is unique, and one citizenship by investment program may present aspects that are more attractive to one investor than they are to another. There are a number of common investors that are referenced in the assessment of each program's Passport strength. Passports are ranked based on their Mobility score. The higher the score the better the Passport Power Rank. Countries are ranked by the number of Passports they accept visa-free or with visa on arrival.    According to Henley Passport Index, Japan is the powerful passport in the world - Second year in a row, with Singapore and South Korea in second place and France & Germany ranked third. The Japanese passport offers visa-free travel to 190 destinations. With access t...

A weak economy is a state of economy in which growth is slow, flat or declining. When there are layoffs and no new jobs being created, consumers tend to save money or spend less. With less consumer and business spending, there's less money in the economy. As a result, a decrease in demand for goods occurs which leads to lower growth rates for companies and the overall economy. Growth in an economy is measured as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP is the aggregate total of all goods and services produce in a country. There are two key factors which drive growth - consumer spending and Business environment. Consumer Spending - If consumer spending is more, it might increase for example - purchases of clothes, Homes, Cars and electronic devices and many more. As a result, Employment and Jobs are created in industries such as Retailing of clothing sectors, Banks that supply the mortgages and credit cards that consumers use as also many businesses which caters to and sells to c...

When your Blood sugar is higher than normal, you are more likely to have Type 2 Diabetes and Heart disease. A simple blood test can tell you if you do. You are at risk if you are overweight, over 45 and you don't exercise. It is generally characterized by Insulin resistance where the body does not fully respond to Insulin.Because of this, Blood glucose levels keep rising, resulting in the body producing less and less Insulin causing even higher blood sugar levels. The Type 2 diabetes management is a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy body weight. Oral medications like Metformin ( allows body to use its own insulin more effectively) and Sulfonylureas (stimulate pancreas to increase insulin production) are prescribed to help control blood glucose levels.     Type 2 Diabetes interferes with the body's ability to metabolize carbohydrates for energy, leading to high levels of blood sugar. It can affect all people, regardless of age. Early symptoms of Type 2 may be missed, so...

Age makes us more susceptible to having a stroke, as does having Mother, Father or other close relative who has had a stroke. You can't reverse the years or change the family history, but there are many other stroke risk factors that can be controlled, provided that you're aware of them. Knowledge is power - so if you know that a particular risk factor is sabotaging your health and predisposing you to a higher risk of stroke, you can take steps to alleviate the effects of that risk. Here are seven ways to start reigning in you risks today to avoid stroke, before a stroke has the chance to strike - 1) LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE - Maintain a Blood pressure of 135/85 but for some, a less      aggressive goal may be more appropriate (140/90). To achieve this, you have to -      a) Reduce Salt intake in the diet to not more than 1500 MG a day ( Half teaspoon)      b) Avoid high cholesterol foods such as Burgers, Cheese and Ice cream.   ...

Prior to the period of economic liberalisation in 1990s, India followed a fixed Exchange rate system. Indian Rupee was linked to U.S dollar and a basket of other currencies. India started having balance of payment problems since 1985 and by the end of 1990 it found itself in a serious economic trouble. The purchasing power of U.S dollar higher due to low inflation. It is subjected to Demand and Supply of resources and for developed countries it is normally low because over a period of many years, a certain stability has been achieved with, estimating the demand and supply constraints. These countries have taken proper measures to regulate the demand of such tight resources and Goods and Services by establishing proper trade channels. In developing countries like India, Brazil etc. which are still growing, estimation processes can vary as much as 20%; due to demographical variations. Also, to meet various demands of consumers, when we import more goods we also import inflation, inc...

It is estimated that the total energy released by nuclear explosions in 20th century amounts to 600 Megatons equivalent of energy. Divided over the 510 million square meters of the earth's surface and over the two decades of peak testing, that represents 8 million of watt per square meter of power. For comparison, the 1.8 watts per square meter of CO2 Radiative forcing as of 2011 generates 29 Billion, Trillion Joules of energy over the earth's surface in a single year, or more than 10,000 times as much energy in a year that the entire combined nuclear weapons program of the world has generated.   Many Nuclear tests kick up a lot of dust which reflects sunlight thereby cooling the earth. Nuclear winter is the severe and prolonged global climatic cooling effect hypothesized to occur after widespread fire storms following a Nuclear war. The hypothesis is based on the fact that such fires can inject soot into the Stratosphere where it can block direct sunlight from reaching the ...

Body is a finely tuned machine and to keep it running in top form, proper fuel is needed to stay heart healthy. Following is a list of 25 of the best foods to protect heart and blood vessels, along with Menu suggestions to incorporate these items into daily meals. 1) SALMON - is a chock full of Omega- 3 fatty acids which can decrease the risk of abnormal heart     beats (Arrhythmias), lower Triglyceride levels and slow growth of Plaque in the arteries, and     slightly lower Blood Pressure. It is recommended eating Omega-3 foods including salmon thrice     a week. A versatile food. Grill it with a rub or marinade. Chop some and add to pasta dish with fat     free sauce or add to salads. 2) FLAXSEEDS (GROUND) - Also has Omega 3s, along with both soluble and insoluble fibre and     and Lignans, which have both Plant Estrogen and anti oxidant qualities. Ground flaxseed is easy     to incorporate in diet, can be sprinkled ...

A Heart attack is the death of heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. The loss of blood supply is usually caused by a complete blockage of a Coronary Artery, one of the arteries that supplies blood to heart muscle. Death of the heart muscle, in turn, cause chest pain and electrical instability of the heart muscle tissue. Chest pain or pressure is the most common symptom of a heart attack, however, people who are having a heart attack may experience of a variety of conditions that include Jaw pain, Sweating, Heart burn, Shortness of breath, Toothache, Headache, Nausea and Vomiting. Most of the deaths from heart attacks are caused by ventricular fibrillation of the heart that occurs before the victim of heart attack can reach an emergency room. Heart attacks are diagnosed with procedures such as Coronary Angiogram and PTCA (Coronary Balloon Angioplasty), and clot dissolving drugs are available that can quickly open blocked arteries in order to restore circulation to the heart and...

Cholesterol is a natural substance made by the body. Most of the Cholesterol in our blood stream (75%) is produced by the Liver and (25%) from foods we eat. It is well known that elevated Blood cholesterol levels are not good for health, but the right levels play a vital role in maintaining cell membrane and synthesizing hormones. Usually high Cholesterol does not produce any symptoms and one may not know that Cholesterol is high. Too much Cholesterol can build up in arteries, causing Artherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. This restricts blood flow through the arteries and can lead to serious medical problems such as Heart attack or Stroke. It is recommended that all adults above the age of 20 years should get their Cholesterol levels checked every four to six years. It is done with a Blood test that measures three things. 1. High Density Cholesterol (HDL) - Good cholesterol     HDL is considered good because it works up to keep LDL (Bad cholesterol) from building ...

Thyroid disorders can be treated by medications, or in some cases, Surgery. Treatment will depend on the particular disease of Thyroid. Medications can be given to replace the missing Thyroid hormone in Hypothyroidism. Synthetic thyroid hormone is given in pill form by mouth. When Hypothyroidism is present, medications can be used to decrease production of Thyroid hormone or prevent its release from the Gland. Other medications can be given to help manage the symptoms of Hypothyroidism such as Increased Heart Rate. If Hypothyroidism is not controlled with medications, Radioactive Ablations (procedure done to decrease function of some, or all of Thyroid gland- is usually done with medicine called Radioactive Iodine) can be performed. Ablation involves giving doses of Iodine labelled with Radioactivity that selectively destroys the thyroid tissue. The goal of treatment for any Thyroid disorder is to restore normal blood levels of Thyroid Hormone. There are several nutrients which ar...

 A ductless gland in the neck which secretes hormones regulating growth and development through the rate of metabolism. Its correct functioning depends on having a good supply of Iodine from the Diet. Thyroid disorders are the conditions that affect the Thyroid gland. A butterfly-shaped Gland in front of the neck, it has important roles to regulate numerous metabolic processes through out the body. Different types of thyroid disorders affect either its structure or function. Thyroid gland is located below the Adam's apple wrapped around Trachea (windpipe). A thin area of Tissue in the gland middle, known as Isthmus, joins the two lobes on each side. Thyroid uses Iodine to produce vital hormones. Thyroxine (T4) is the primary hormone produced by the gland. After delivery via the blood stream to the body's tissues, a small portion of T4 released from the gland is converted to T3 (Triiodothyronine) which is the most active hormone. The function of Thyroid gland is regulated by ...