ranjan

The word 'Salary' can be traced to ancient Rome and history of salt. Salt was used as a trading medium just as money is used today. Ancient Roman warriors who served the empire received payment as a handful of salt each day. Their monthly allowance was called "Salarium" (salt being the latin word of salt). the Latin root can be recognized in the French word "Salaire" - and eventually made it into the English language as the word "Salary".  Salt is essential to the survival of humans. As a result, ancient civilizations and communities started to settle down beside rivers and water bodies from where they could get salt, or in locations where could easily trade for salt. When Rome was growing into one of the greatest empires of the world, roads were being made for the easy transportation of salt. All through the middle ages, Roman empire transported salt via these roads to the Germanic tribes. Huge caravans as many as 40,000 camels crossed 400 miles o...

Eradication of poverty remains a major challenge of planned economic development. Poverty is a complex, multifaceted condition, with contributing factors that include lack of education, low wages, family composition, job availability and others. There are two major types of poverty - 1. Absolute poverty - when people have insufficient income to afford the necessities of life such as food, rent and clothing. 2. Relative poverty - when people have significantly less income than the average income for society.  Some policies such as promoting economic growth may be successful in reducing absolute poverty but less successful in relative poverty.  With flat incomes and inequality stuck at historically high levels, one might assume that chronic economic insecurity and an out of equilibrium, not straight level / aligned proper economy, are the new normal and that nothing can be done to fix it. But they are the direct result of policy choices that put wealth and income in the hands of...

New pills to treat patients with Covid 19 are currently in midstage clinical trials, and, if successful, could be ready by the end of the year. An oral drug like the one Pfizer is developing could be taken at home which could be a game changer and might keep people out of the hospital. As per the company, oral drug would work by blocking Protease - a critical enzyme that the virus needs to replicate. Protease is a enzyme that breaks down Protein. Coronavirus vaccine, that could be taken as a pill enter clinical trials in the second quarter of 2021. Pfizer is currently conducting trials in U.S and Belgium, with adult volunteers taking pills designed to provide a cure for Covid-19. It is designed to work by stopping the SARS-CoV -2 virus from replicating in the cell, thanks to the presence of protease inhibitors, which bind to viral enzymes. Protease inhibitors are used to treat other viral pathogens, like HIV and Hepatitis C. Tackling the Covid-19 Pandemic requires both prevention via v...

Macroeconomic policies influence and contribute to the attainment of rapid, sustainable economic growth aimed at poverty reduction in a variety of ways. Macroeconomic stability by itself does not ensure high rates of economic growth. In most cases, sustained high rate of growth also depend key structural measures such as regulatory reform, privatization, civil service reforms, improved Governance, banking sector reform, trade liberalization etc.  Growth associated with progressive distributional changes will have a greater impact on poverty than growth that leaves distribution unchanged. As such, policies that improve the distribution of income and assets in a society such as land tenure reform, pro-poor public expenditure and measures to increase the poor's access to financial markets will form strong element of country's poverty reduction strategy.  Three main types of government macroeconomic policies are - Fiscal policy, Monetary policy and Supply side policy. The objectiv...

In an era of sharp debate over the conditions under which democracy can develop while broadening participation and building community, understanding and building civic capacity is crucial for strengthening governance and changing the state of the world in the process. More than managing a contest among interest groups or deliberations to reframe issues, democracy can be what the public most desires - a recipe for significant progress on important problems. The Governance structure of the democratic state is an important feature of the politics of problem solving. The way and extent to which the party-government has room to manoeuvre are essential to finding agreement regarding the solution of public problems that are contested in the political arena.     Democracy is the political veneer of a commercial trading nation. The stronger the nations market economy, the more likely a democracy of some sort will form. The stronger the market, the wealthier the nation and fewer th...

Pandemics and civilizations have been moving concurrently since recorded history. It had already come across several endemics and pandemics such as measles, cholera, dengue, smallpox, including the ongoing Covid 19. Our country began with a glorious tradition of public health, as seen in the references to the descriptions of Indus valley civilization which mention 'Arogya' as reflecting 'holistic well being'.        The pandemic has exposed the inadequacy of private healthcare and importance of spending and strengthening public healthcare. The Government, in the long term will have to re-evaluate  and drastically improve upon the funding in public healthcare and infrastructure.   Mental health is another serious challenge on the rise that India's public healthcare is unprepared to tackle. Nationwide shutdown disrupted the lives of resulting in mass unemployment and high levels of distress among significant section of people. Adding to seriousness, mode...

Throughout human history, our errors have often been treated as dangerous for a variety of reasons since it often feel dangerous.  It is okay to make mistakes. The point is not to humiliate or shame anyone, but to change for the better. Always try not to repeat the same mistake again.The word mistake derives meaning only by comparison to what we desire, what we see as success. Noticing and admitting our mistakes helps us get in touch with our commitments - what we really want to be, do, and have. It sometimes gives a useful experience as how to manage life gracefully.   We have all heard the sayings "To err is human" and "you live and you learn". We make mistakes everyday, large and small, failures and faux pas. I know it is my shortcomings that make me unique and that I should embrace the stumbles and screw ups. But it is a challenge for me and a challenge for many of us. We live and act in ways to prevent mistakes - not taking risks, expanding our comfort zones or...

It is well understood that there cannot be a lasting end to the economic crisis without an end to health crisis.   In the light of continuation of pandemic, Governments and emergency services  are focusing on immediate needs - boosting all around capacity in hospitals, addressing hunger and protecting firms and families from eviction and bankruptcy. The choices that governments make to restart their economic engine, including long term social, economic and environmental benefits they look for to achieve though their stimulus investments will be extraordinarily consequential in insuring that they build back better and stronger.   A major issue for the Govt. is the extent to which it has fiscal firepower to protect jobs and economic activity. To get a possible sense of where this might be heading taking into account the second wave of COVID 19 in the later part of 2020 and regional lockdowns in the first half of 2021, a budget deficit of 20% of GDP is predicted -e...

In a few weeks' time, leaders across the globe will have to start making decisions about lifting lock down policies, with considerable economic, social and political consequences. It has been observed that several Asian countries have been successfully curbing pandemic through a combination of large -scale testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine in parallel with social distancing measures. The timing to open society is of utmost importance when considering an optimal exit strategy. Many societies have been considering opening when they have reached the 'post peak period'. Though there is no definition for the 'post peak period' to date, experts have shown to agree that a plateau of cases for two weeks may show that health care systems can cope with the number of Covid cases.  However, the timing of reopening cannot be assumed to be the same among all countries, with Governments needing to take into account individual healthcare, economic and social consid...

Don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. You may delay but time will not. Time plays a significant role in almost every decision making. And this is the starting point from where the steps to repair Covid-19 damages can be initiated.  The current pandemic has made the trend of empirical analysis redundant. Unlike the past, when we had the benefits of historical data and and experiences, this time the future pathway has become full of uncertainties. Covid-19 has taught us that intuition led need for orientation is more important than technology led demand of business. The post pandemic good news is that we get to know through the conscience and spiritual awareness is that the world has changed for the right purpose and meaning.  Need of the hour is to save life and not lifestyle in view of the concentration of our people. Govt is focusing on strengthening supply chain...

The Covid 19 crisis certainly feels unprecedented, and in most ways it is. Never has the world faced a health crisis that has moved so quickly across continents, over whelming complex health care systems, and putting entire economies on hold. But this isn't the first pandemic the globe has faced, and it likely won't be the last.  Historians of the medicine know that pandemics and epidemics are social phenomena. As a result, their ending happen in two ways. There is the medical conclusion of a pandemic, when disease incidence goes down and death rates plummet. But there is also the social end, when fear of the infection decreases and social restrictions ease. Crucially, you can have one without the other. The only way to prevent the spread of a highly contagious virus is to isolate people from one another, something we must learn from the quick spread of other illnesses.  The rates could stay the same, but people get sick and tired of restrictions. Or rates could go down, but p...

The traditional approach to public policy making involves listing possible states of the world given the set of possible choices, assigning a probability to each state, and calculating an expected outcome by considering costs and benefits. This approach works well in situations where the choices are well-known and where uncertainty can be quantified as risk. Policy success and failure rests with level of endorsement and commitment. Factors that affect policy implementation include how the policy is implemented at the onset.  The main barriers to policy formulation and implementation are - a) Poor enforcement, b) Resources, c) Industry interference and d) Lack of clear roles. These could be set straight with more effort, resources and goodwill. Although it is widely accepted that public policies are difficult to implement, most analyses of policy failures are conceived of as a predominantly rational processes.   Failure to achieve the envisioned results puts high costs on ...

Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain. Stress is body's response to anything that requires attention or action. Everyone experiences stress, however, makes a big difference to over-all well being. Developing a clear understanding of how stress impacts your physical and mental health is important.  Stress can be short-term or long-term and is not easy to recognize but there are some ways to identify some signs that one might be experiencing too much pressure. If one thinks stress might be effecting, there are few things to watch for - 1. Emotional signs - such as being angry, moody, irritated or frustrated. 2. Physical signs - such as high blood pressure, changes in weight, frequent cold or infections and in body structure such as dehydration, substance abuse, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, lack of oxygen supply, pollution, intense physical labor.  3. Psychological signs - such as difficulty in concentrating, worrying,...

The word Democracy has a Greek origin. 'Demo' means people, while 'cracy' means 'power'. Winston Churchill once said ' Democracy is the worst form of Govt. except for all those forms that have been tried from time to time'. Although not perfect, democracy aims to bring the most benefits to the most number of people. These are - 1. Promoting equality.  2. Protecting the interests of citizens. 3. Preventing abuse of power. 4. Creating stability.  Democracies are peaceful, representative and terrible at boosting economy. The strength of a democracy depends upon the economic and political freedom of its citizens.   Democracy has also been criticized for a different number of reasons. Some of the most common are -  1. Not everyone exercise their right to vote. 2. Not everyone has the right to vote.  3. Not everyone who votes is well informed.  4. Delays in the process of changing laws and making decisions.  5. There is still a risk of corruption - Once...

When a virus is widely circulating in a population and causing many infections, the likelihood of the virus mutating increases. The more opportunities a virus has to spread, the more it replicates, and the more opportunities it has to undergo changes.   Immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues and organs. They help together the body to fight infections and other diseases. When germs such as bacteria or viruses invade the body, they attack and multiply. This is called an infection. This infection causes the disease that makes the person sick. The immune system protects one from the disease by fighting off the germs.  The immune system defends the body against substances it sees as harmful or foreign. These substances are called antigens. They may be germs such as bacteria and viruses, chemicals or toxins. They could also be cells that are damaged from things like cancer or sunburn. When immune recognizes an antigen, it attacks it which is called immune response...

The COVID -19 pandemic could be the first spark in a deadly clash between Nature and Humanity. It is like a train wreck in a slow motion. This clash could turn out to be the spark that ignites a whole-of-global-society meltdown like in the world wars of 20th century. Those were conflicts with humanity. Few may have recognized it yet, but the world wars of 21st century have already begun and unlike of those of the past century, new conflicts are between humanity and nature.      The world witnesses two wars today - one is alarmingly offensive war the deadly novel Coronavirus  wages spreading COVID -19 and killing thousands of people every day, and other is defensive war the nations of the world are  waging against the microscopic pathogen, with their nuclear bombs and other lethal weapons ineffective in this exchange.  When it was triggered, like World War I, by a cruel twist of fate, it was a case of fragile systemic waiting dangerously to be exposed. Over-...

The principal advantage of terrace cultivation is that it can protect the terraced's area soil from rapid erosion. Erosion happens when moving water strips away soil from the area over which it is flowing. Terracing by reducing the length of the slope the water has to run over i.e. by creating a level terrace on an otherwise sloped face, slows the flow of water. This protects the soil in the area from being carried away in a deluge.  Level terraces, found in parts of Bali and China, can not only reduce the rate of soil erosion but can also trap and hold rainwater. This allows the cultivation of water - intensive crops such as rice in these areas. Water collected in the terraces can be absorbed into the soil and sustain crops.  Terracing requires huge labor to construct and maintain, and when not properly maintained, the effects can be catastrophic. Unmaintained terraces can lead to mudslides, the creation of deep gulleys and increased soil erosion, particularly in sandy soils ...

Being taken for granted is an unpleasant but sincere form of praise. In fact, the more reliable you are and less you complain, the more likely you are to be taken for granted.    I know this truth is harsh but even with your loving and caring nature, you don't get the love and attention you deserve. Even if you are one among them then it is better to analyze  the situation and know why you are taken for granted by others because it hurts people when you genuinely care and love doesn't care about your feelings.  Some times, it is your mistake that you give them lot of importance and all your feelings and emotions are attached to them. Before finding any solution to this problem, it is important to know why people take us for granted. Following are the reasons which I understand for the same - 1) They rule your life - There are people who have the power to make cry or smile            and you become weak in front of them. You start living ...

Rejections are the most common emotional wound we sustain in our daily life. Rejections shatters our sense of self and leads to self-doubt. It also hurts our fundamental need to belong to a group. It is dependent on how bad we allow ourselves to feel, rather than how bad others make us to feel. Most fears of rejection rest on the desire for approval from other people.  Back to the time, when I was single. It was a period when I faced often rejection a lot of time. Which was actually a step forward for me. Because before that I spent much of time totally avoiding situations where I could be rejected. But still, it hurt. So I needed to learn how to handle and get over rejection.  And today, I like to share habits and reminders that helped me with that and still helps me to this day when I get rejected in other situations. These are - - Take some time to process it instead of forcing a smile on your face.  - Focus on what you still have in your life. - Say no to your inner c...

History suggests that countries which have adopted moderate and progressive outlook have made faster progress than those which have taken an authoritarian and insular turn. Price stability is the best contribution that monetary policy can make to economic growth and job creation. Inflation is caused by the failure of aggregate supply to equal the increase in aggregate demand. Therefore, inflation can be controlled by increasing the supplies of goods and services and reducing money incomes in order to control aggregate demand.  Inflation or persistently rising prices is a major problem in India today. Due to inflation, value of money falls and the people need more money to buy goods and services. In order to exercise control on inflation, following two systems, if implemented, shall not only leave more purchasing power in the hands of public by saving money but control inflation for a long time to come. 1. Stop giving subsidies/grants on essential commodities, rather supply few of s...