Vol V, Issue XX
16-31 January, 2021 Pages 08, Price Rs. 5/Faridabad (NCR)
theasianchronicle.in
Vol-V, Issue-XX, Published for the period 16-31 January, 2021. Printed & Published by Virender for and on behalf of Karamvir Kamal (Owner) from 2569, Street No. 2, Jawahar Colony, N.I.T, Faridabad, Haryana and printed at Joy Printers, 3G-142, N.I.T. Faridabad-121001, Haryana. Editor Karamvir Kamal* (responsible for selection of news under PRB Act 1867), Sub Editor Bhoomika Mohan. RNI No. HARENG/2016/67803. Executive Office: 431, Saraswati Vihar, Gurugram-122004, Haryana. Contact +91 9212 46 0446, 9899 73 1532, Email: asianchronicleindia@gmail.com, WWW.THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM | WWW.THEASIANCHRONICLE.IN
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The Feud of the Feeders
Inside
Tech Giants are looking to Colonise Uncharted Spaces
Hard to win parents’ confidence in reopening Schools
India at UNSC: Don’t Justify Terrorism, Don’t Glorify Terrorists Shubh Mathur
On January 12, India’s foreign minister s. Jaishankar proposed an eight-point action plan at the UNSC to ensure effective action against the problem of terrorism. Without naming either of them, the minister slammed Pakistan and China for their protectionist policies against terrorism. Speaking at the UNSC ministerial meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts: ‘International cooperation in combating terrorism 20 years after the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001)', he said, “First, we must all summon up the political will to unhesitatingly combat terrorism. There must be
no ifs and buts in this fight. Nor should we allow terrorism to be justified and terrorists glorified. All member states must fulfil their obligations enshrined in international counter-terrorism instruments and conventions." The minister took a jibe at Pakistan for shielding terrorists. Indirectly hinting at D-company and its head Dawood Ibrahim, he said, “We, in India, have seen the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given State protection but actually enjoying 5-star hospitality.” Pakistan recognised the presence of Ibrahim on its soil for the first time in August last year after the government placed sweeping sanctions on 88 outlawed terrorist
groups and their leaders, which also included the name of the underworld don which India has been pursuing. In a subtle remark against China’s internal policy, he asserted that the international community must not “countenance double standards” in the battle against terrorism. "Terrorists are terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for them are just as culpable," he said. It is notable that China had earlier blocked a UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar even though he heads an organization already designated by a UNSC sanctions committee.
"Accordingly, we must reform the working methods of the Committees dealing with Sanctions and Counter-Terrorism. Transparency, accountability and effectiveness are the need of the day. The practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reason must end. This only erodes our collective credibility," he said in reference to China’s attempt to block a UN ban on JeM chief Masood Azhar even though he heads an organisation already designated by a UNSC sanctions committee. Jaishankar also talked about strengthening and supporting FATF. He said that the organisation should continue to identify and cure anti-money laundering
and counter-terror financing frameworks. He added that adequate funding to UN counter-terrorism bodies from the UN regular budget called for immediate action. The minister urged the international community to enhance the capacities of the states which lack the legal and operational frameworks and technical expertise required to detect and prosecute terrorist financing cases and, on the other hand, hold accountable whose who aid terrorism and provide safe havens. UNSC resolution 1373 was passed in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks on US soil. India’s comments came after it was given the non-permanent status at UNSC on January 1, 2021.
issue Sajeeda Feroz
The Feud of the Feeders
Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri coined the slogan, Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan (Hail the soldier; Hail the farmer) in 1965 to honour the two biggest pillars of the Indian Democracy: soldiers and farmers. The former PM strongly believed that soldiers and farmers are the backbones of Indian society and their welfare needs to be taken good care of. The farmers’ protests have garnered attention from all around the world and it is a wake-up call for proper redressal of their issues. Farmers of India fear that these bills, although having a few positives, the negatives outweigh the positives. The bills have been filled with a few loopholes and are a great cause of concern for every farmer. The protests started fullfledged on November 26th and there has been no turning back ever since and the protests continue till this day.
Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
knowledge and thus the farmer could be cheated. This will also hugely affect small scale farmers as no corporate company would try to get contracts from a host of farmers and will only look towards signing contracts from one single huge body. The issue redressal will be handled by the respective Sub – Divisional Magistrate and the farmers fear that this wouldn’t be exercised well and that it could go badly for them as companies have special legal teams.
2.The Essential Commodities Act (Amendment)
What is MSP?
Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a price declared by the government at which it will buy produce from the farmers. The MSP has been decided for 23 such items but the govt only buys commodities such as rice, wheat and other few items therefore giving a false guarantee to the farmers. States such as Punjab and Haryana benefit the most from MSP while the others fall way behind. Farmers fear that if trades happen outside the mandis then the MSP would be removed on such commodities. Only 6% farmers benefit
Why are the farmers of India poor?
India is the second largest country in the world earning revenue through agriculture, yet 76% of farmers want to quit farming and poverty always makes its staunch presence in the industry.This is mainly due to the fact that farmers cannot sell their produce at the price they want to and the price at which they buy raw materials and sell their produce is all fixed by the “middle men” or “traders”. They are forced to buy raw materials at a higher price and sell their produce at a much lower price and therefore see no profits. Most farmers in India are small farmers, owning less land and hence producing less crops. Having lost the power of negotiations, they are forced to sell their produce at low prices, sometimes extreme. Traders use advantage of this, levy heavy credits on their headsand farmers are reduced to the position of simply accepting what is put forwardto them.
What are mandis?
In 1960s the advent of the Green Revolution led to the formation of APMC’s (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees).Except APMC’s, no one was allowed to buy produce from the farmers. Farmers would be given a space and a license to trade. The mandis could negotiate with the farmers and create favourable win-win situations for both. The mandi system is far from perfect andhere too the selling price is decided by the traders and not the farmers. Mandis have to pay a commission to the states to undertake business and they also receive a cut as well. There are about 7000 mandis in India and none of them are distributed equally. In states such as Punjab there is a mandi for every 119 km while in states such as Meghalaya, a mandi for every 11200 km. Some poor farmers can’t even afford to transport their produce and are therefore forced to sell to any unauthorised dealer at a low price.
What are farm bills and the concerns regarding them?
The three different bills are as follows:
1.The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of PriceAssurance and Farm Services Bill. Prices could be fixed through contract farming. Therefore, even if the market price increases or decreases, the farmer will receive the same cut and incur profit or losses in reference to the market prices. This results in the middle men getting cut while farmers deal with the corporation directly. But in doing so, corporates may have the advantage over the farmers by drafting one sided contracts,without the farmers
2
ready in time for harvest season. The farmers are taking turns and week - long shifts to get to the end of this ordeal and have their demands heard. Good – Samaritans have contributed as well to ensure the farmers are well cared for despite the freezing temperatures they are battling under. Tents for grooming, food, warm clothes, Etc have been generously put up to aid the farmers in their protests.
What have the negotiations yielded so far?
So far eight rounds of meetings and negotiations have taken place between farmer groups and the central government but to no avail. The farmers having their belief broken, demand they will not settle for anything less than the scrapping of all three bills. The centre did accept to give the consideration of MSP in writing, scrap the Electricity Amendment Bill and also make states register traders outside of their state and impose tax similar to mandis. Yet, the farmers are in no way ready to accept these offers. Instead, this has only led them to intensify protests and settle for nothing less while claiming they have been insulted.
How much losses have the protests caused so far?
According to Assocham estimates, the protests are leading to a daily loss of Rs. 3000 – 3500 crores in the regions of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.The Confederation of All India Traders added that in the last 20 days, trade and other activities of about Rs.5000 crore have been affected in Delhi and the neighbouring states.
What could be real time solutions?
Stocking Essential commodities such as rice,dal, sugar, a few vegetables, way beyond the limits set by the government could result in the perpetrator getting arrested. This is to ensure there is no scarcity and prevent hoarding as well.Today we are facing a food surplus crisis as food distribution is being mismanaged.Tonnes of food is lying unused at storage spaces and mandis and people still go hungry. Cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion, potatoes have been removed from the essential commodities list. This will result in the prices of these commodities going even higher and the government will have to again put these items under essential commodities. It’s a waste of time. Most importantly, removing these items will lead to hoarding as traders might stock produce well beyond measure and sell it only when the market prices have increased to make huge profits.
3.Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill. This bill means that farmers have the freedom to sell their produce in any part of the countrythus giving liberty to the farmers and corporates to deal outside the mandis. However, this means the states could lose commission and mandi fee which they receive from in – house farmers. Any PAN card holder is permissible to become a trader whereas mandis have certain rules and regulations set to licence a trader. Its also a rule that mandis should pay farmers within a day whereas trading outside mandis result in a three-day relaxation. The farm laws will not only affect farmers but also allied sectors like transport, agricultural commodity trade, food grains, consumers, food – processing, seed and pesticide sectors and fertilizers.
from MSP and traders don’t usually use MSP to trade. MSP doesn’t exist for some crops and the produce is sold way cheaper than necessary as there is no fixed price to compare and sell the produce.
Why did the bills come into existence?
The government has said these reforms will accelerate growth in the sector through private sector investment in building infrastructure and supply chains for farm produce in the national and global market.They were intended to help small farmers who don’t have means to either bargain for their produce to get a better price or invest in technology to improve the productivity of farms. Farmers will get better prices through competition and cost cutting on transportation.
Who is protesting?
Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and some other parts are protesting against these reforms.The protest has been encouraged by a vast number of citizens of the country and many political parties as well. The bills are claimed to be anti – farmer and the farmers won’t settle for anything less than scrapping the reforms altogether. Women, children and old people have formed ties to enjoin the protest and form a vast majority.The protests have led to the loss of the lives of more than 20 farmers.
How are the farms being managed when the farmers are away protesting?
People from the neighbouring villages have been helping immensely with anything they can, including taking care of the farms of those involved in the protests, supplying them with firewood, water, food, clothing and essential commodities. Even though the farmers are away, efforts are being made to get the crops
The government needs to step up and decide prices for all crops so that farmers can sell their produce based on these prices, thus ensuring the farmers aren’t forced to sell their produce for less. The infrastructure and working methods of the mandis can be efficiently increased and farmers should have a say in deciding the selling prices of their stock. More mandis need to be built so that all farmers have equal chances of selling their produce at a fair price. The real time solutions involve making farmers understand the exact legal terms of the bills and also listening to their actual demands and modify the reforms. They need to be made aware of all the legal and issue redressal procedures. The reforms should be made well suited to cater to the needs of all farmers all over the country so that no one gets left behind. This will make farmers gain confidence in the bills. The use of modern technology and Artificial Intelligence should be implemented over a large scale to protect farmers and their crops. This will help the farmers in planning well ahead and making most of the available climatic conditions. Technology to use less water but produce more efficient crops should be taught to farmers. Farmer trade unions need to be set up so that farmers all over the country have ties with all states. This will foster strong bonds resulting in better prices, better business and less wastage of food across the country. Sound management of food in cold storage and warehouses will be key in fighting starvation and famine. Everything said and done, it all boils down to the fact on how both the farmers groups and the centre decide upon the reforms and call a truce. Its heart – wrenching to see farmers protest under such extreme temperatures especially children and aged people. Hopefully, the matters will draw a conclusion and peace would prevail soon at the behest of the goodness of everyone alike.
3
Hard to win parents’ confidence in reopening Schools
Bhoomika Mohan
Bhoomikamohan88@gmail.com
The decision to reopen the CBSE schools in Delhi for the students of Class 10 and Class 12 has been taken but parents are dubious about sending their wards to school as there are countless challenges that must be surmounted and questions that must be answered before reopening schools in the post COVID era. The schools across nation were closed since march last year due to Covid 19, prompting them to switch to online classes to ensure regular teaching.The nine month’s closure of school has affected several aspects of learning. While online education has helped some students stay in touch with schools but this is hardly a boonfor India since 75% of students in India don’t have resources needed to support online education. As of now, schools are permitted to reopen for senior sections and attendance is expected to rise slowly but it is hard to win parents’ confidence and satisfaction. “Back to school campus” can not be achieved in one day or even in a few weeks for that matter, there is a need to go back to school with due caution to achieve normalcy that will be beneficial to evolve and develop a well rounded child.
Need to define extent of restrictions
The very first challenge that the guardians want clarity about is mode of transportation. They want to know how will the school children come to school? Can the school ensure buses are safe and do not become infection hot spots in no time? Is it better to ask parents to drop their children to school instead?Can we maintain proper hygiene standards, wearing of masks, social distancing and proper ventilation in school buses? At the same time, we have to ensure that we do not limit the interaction amongst the students that creates the real magic in learning process.
Unequal distribution of resources
Checking at time of entry is going to slow things down if we have children who are found to have high temperature or are coughing and sneezing. Workarounds are tedious and time and resource heavy. And what about those kids who have fever or viral cold, will they be sent back to their homes or will the school arrange a special area so that they can continue their education and access resources equally?
Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
social
Undefined protocols
Where do we find the indoor spaces large enough to accommodate the whole class while maintaining social distancing. More importantly what are the protocols to follow to ensure we are not putting the children at risk when they step out of the classroom? Are the corridors broad enough for students to pass each other? Do we have safe restrooms and water coolers? What is the risk in running a cafeteria with sharing of crockery and cutlery? Will we be able to ask students to submit their hand-written work?
Practical and experimentation work
Practical work and projects have suffered a lot, especially in the subjects where there is internal assessment dependent on experimentation. Because of the closure of schools, students have not been able to complete such work and in the last few months they will have to rush through the reduced content as prescribed by their respective boards. In the case of COVID-19, the danger is not for the children but for their parents and grandparents. Thanks to the lockdown and the extraordinary precautions taken, a large number of the elderly in India have, thus far, been protected from the virus. Considering this, rightly so, the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said-No student would be forced to attend school without their parents’ consent. “We are dealing with the health and life of young children and no one wants to put them at risk. Beyond the classroom we have Extra Curricular activities, sports, games, music, theatre, dance etc., all of which involves a lot of movement and interaction amongst students in proximity or even involve physical contact.”, says Mrs. Ira, a government school teacher and a mother of 3 primary school kids. “Schools may be encouraged to make their own SOPs based on the guidelines issued by States/UTs for the following, keeping in view the safety and physical/social distancing norms, and ensuring that notices/posters/messages/communicat ion to parents are prominently displayed /disseminated.”, Ministry of Education on Monday mentioned while they issued detailed guidelinesfor the reopening of schools after October 15 in a graded manner, in accordance with the Union Home Ministry directions. Some seniors who are already back in school after a prolonged period of nine months, are delighted, While quickly adjusting to online classes, they had started missing the
buzz of school life and meeting friends. “Those now in grade 12 regret not being able to plan and execute the much anticipated farewell parties for the seniors. Though schools are strictly adhering to the covid-19 protocols many parents and students are not back on campus. They wish to play safe till they are vaccinated.” Said a 12th grade student who lives in a containment zone currently and is unsure if he will be allowed entry into the school premise anymore. According to The Atlantic, the pandemic has offered educators yet another reminder that the pre-coronavirus status quo didn’t serve every student well, and this tumultuous period might even offer new insights into how to remedy that. However, the effects of remote learning are the worst for young children, whose brains grow rapidly from in-person relationships and active, hands-on exploration. Their boisterous physical play strengthens not only gross and fine motor skills but also interpersonal relationships, problem-solving, visual-spatial thinking, confidence building, and stamina. Babies and toddlers are still learning to read social-emotional cues and need to see and feel unobstructed faces. The known adverse effects of screen time on the developing brain are clearly more damaging to young children, whose emerging language and literacy skills depend on plentiful, meaningful conversations with
teachers whose mouths are unobstructed by masks. With the loss of learning for an entire generation, India risks erosion of its decades-long progress on human capital development. This gains more urgency, when we contrast against Europe, which has largely kept its schools open throughout the pandemic. The maximum concern is shown by the parents of elementary school kids. As schools reopen, they will have to improvise in countless ways. Because maintaining physical distance among elementaryschool students is particularly difficult, not all families will be equally comfortable with the idea of sending their children back to school, and some families will have both the capacity and desire to care for their children at home during the day for at least part of the school week. Schools can help by offering parents of returning students some flexibility in scheduling. At a time when reducing physical density is in everyone’s interest, states should consider modifying truancy laws designed in the pre-pandemic era. In India, where we were already struggling with learning outcomes, the fear is of the problem deteriorating.Besides digital access, schools in India also provide textbooks, mid-day meals, other learning materials and an environment for learning. This would require a shift in thinking about the primacy of school as
a locus of learning; even in ordinary times, so much learning happens outside the classroom. Public schools have historically struggled with hybrid school models such as part-time home schooling, but a willingness to make adjustments for children in the younger grades would benefit everyone during a pandemic. A very important message has been sent out by Forbes in this regards, “Despite the angst and uncertainty, it is encouraging to know that behind the scenes, education community groups have been coming together to consider various schooling scenarios and the nuts and bolts of learning in the era of Covid-19. They are asking important questions and looking for solutions about how schools will function this fall—whether the learning is remote, in-person or delivered in a hybrid model.” The episodic memory of this pandemic time will affect the learning and memory of children.We must be prepared to deal with the many challenges that will come with reopening schools. Our lives, brought to an abrupt halt by this pandemic, must not be abruptly started again. It should be a smooth transition. The socio-economic inequalities in our society could be further exacerbated, as students lacking the appropriate infrastructure at home would be at a significant disadvantage and lose ground on their learning.
Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
lifestyle
WFH: 6 things to you should do
Bhuvaneswaran P Work from home has become the new normal in 2021, thanks to the pandemic. Offices are open for quite some time yet people are reluctant to go to their office. Such is the comfort you get from working from home. You get to spend some time with your family, save commute time, choose your own office setup, wear your comfy clothes and the list goes on. However, there are some important things to keep in mind while working from home. Here’s a list of top 6 six things you must follow when you are working from home.
Lock Your Fridge
Ever since the pandemic grocery sale has seen a rise. It is okay to eat when you are hungry not when you are bored. It has become convenient now since the refrigerator is just an arm’s length away from the workspace. Stop munching junk food all day and stock up fruits and vegetables. Prefer a healthy snack if you are going to have one.
Early Start
One forgets to turn off the alarm in the morning as we won’t have the adrenaline rush to get ready for the office. It's a good thing to get the much-needed sleep which you won’t get when you are going to the office. But don’t stray away from your usual routine, waking up late will not do you any good in the long
Are You Sitting Properly?
run. It disrupts the entire day schedule. So, it’s always too wise to wake up early. Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes up at 3.45am, what are you going to do?
Exercise is the Key
Everything’s going great with work from home but you are slowly starting to realize that you are gaining
Ultimate guide of chakras
Part 2
The old Sanskrit word Chakra means 'wheel'. The term Ultimate guide of chakras 'Chakra' refers to the spinning and roPart One tating energy that has 7 centers in your body. The spinning energy starts from the base of your spine and ends at the top of your head. When your chakras stay open or balanced, then your body functions at its best. But if any one of your 7 chakras is blocked or spins too quickly or moves slowly, you will experience health issues. Information about the 7 Chakras will keep in tune with the natural energy cycles of the body. Chakras empower body, mind, and spirit and balanced chakras will help you to live a healthy and harmonious life. Faridabad (NCR) 01-15 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
In order to balance your sacral chakra, you should control your craving for pleasure, sexuality and creativity.
S. Kumar
d Sanskrit word Chakra means ' The term 'Chakra' refers to the spinn nd rotating energy that has 7 centers in y body. The spinning energy s s from the base of your s ne and ends at the top of y ur head. When your chakras stay open or balanced, then your body functions at its best. But if any one of your 7 chakras is blocked or spins too quickly or moves slowly, you will experience health issues. Information about the 7 Chakras will keep in tune with the natural energy cycles of the body. Chakras empower body, mind, and spirit and balanced chakras will help you to live a healthy and harmonious life.
Let's have a closer look at the 7 chakras of your body in this article. The main 7 chakras are:
1 Root Chakra- the base of the spine- red 2 Sacral Chakra-just below the naval-orange 3 olar Plexus Chakra-stomach area- yellow 4 eart chakra-center of the chest-green 5 oat Chakra- the base of the throat- blue 6 d eye Chakra- forehead, above bet e eyes- indigo 7 Chakra- top of the head- violet
R M ' p g c v f t
C
kra (The 1st Chakra): a
a combination of two words ot and 'Dhara' meaning supaims at connecting or gy with the Earth. This you day to day surs, root chakra ofcurity.
the first
Impact Of Underactive Sacral Chakra
Your sacral chakra is underactive when you concentrate much on practical things and spend life without enjoying the good things in life. Your underactive sacral chakra results in: depression, decreased sex, a lack of passion, impotence and a lack of creativity.
How To Energize Your Second Chakra
Just enjoy life to energize your 2nd Chakra. Engaging in creativity, making love with your partner and eating healthy food will help you to open your sacral chakra.
Solar Plexus Chakra (The 3rd Chakra): Manipura
threat, you will feel anxious and fear in your day to day life. You will feel either financial fear or physical safety daily. An overactive root chakra has negative effects on your health: Digestive issues, lower back problems, ovarian issues (women) and prostate problems (men).
How To Balance Your Root Chakra
Root Chakra provides you the energy to take care of your financial and safety needs. The easiest way to balance this chakra is to focus on your connection with your soul and spirit. Through prayers and meditation, you can connect to your soul. Voluntary work and acts of compassion and kindness can balance root chakra by diverting overactive energy to other energy centers in your body.
Impact Of Underactive Root Chakra
If you take care of your financial needs or safety needs, your first chakra will never be overactive throughout your life. But your root c may be inactive in that case. You will f d or will experience daydreami are not major issues, yet y t d to your s
Chakra
When you feel underactive or disconnected from the material existence, you should energize your root chakra through swimming, gardening, or playing in the leaves.
Sacral Chakra (The 2nd Chakra): Svadhishana
Svadhishana means ‘the place of the self’. This chakra is the source of your creative energy, which enriches your life. The creative life force comes from the sacral chakra. Besides creativity, your sacral chakra brings enjoyment in your life including indulging in sex activities and good food. Colour: Orange Location: below the belly button What Balanced Sacral Chakra Feels Like: A balanced sacral chakra offers pleasant things in your life without exaggerating them. Sex, creative activities and good food, that maintain a healthy work-life balance, are inspired by your sacral chakra.
Impact Of Overactive Sacral chakra
weight. It is necessary that you do at least a 30-minute work out every day. You are missing the little walks in your office, a stroll to the cafeteria, and this is how you have been stretching your body in the office. Even a 15-minute exercise or walk in the terrace will do.
Manipura stands for self-confidence, selfconsciousness and personal power. Colour: Yellow Location: extends from the center of the belly button to the breastbone What Balanced Solar Plexus Chakra Feels Like: Balanced Solar Plexus Chakra offers you the feelings of a sense of wisdom, personal power and decisiveness.
Impact Of Overactive Solar Plexus Chakra
Overactive Solar Plexus Chakra leads to quick anger, a lack of compassion, and greediness.
How To Balance Your Solar Plexus Chakra
Not comparing with others, avoid interfering in other’s life and shedding love, compassion and kindness on others around you help to balance your Solar Plexus Chakra.
Impact Of Underactive Solar Plexus Chakra
Your Solar Plexus Chakra is underactive when your personal power is controlled by other person and extenuating circumstances. Y
When sacral chakra is overactive, addiction, restlessness, hormone imbalances and obesity m
Let's have a closer look at the 7 chakras of your body in this article. The main 4 from 7 chakras are:
Heart Chakra(The 4th Chakra): Anahata
Heart Chakra is associated with your hearts with love, kindness and compassion. Colour: Green Location: Just above the heart. What Balanced Heart Chakra Feels Like: A balanced Heart Chakra offers equal feelings of love for yourself and others.
Impact Of Overactive Heart Chakra
Overactive Heart Chakra leads to making of unhealthy choices in the name of love. In this case, you will emphasize on meeting the needs of others than that of yours.
How To Balance Your Heart Chakra
In order to balance 4th Chakra, take a relaxing bath, meditate and treat yourself to a massage. Impact Of Underactive Heart Chakra
Underactive Heart Chakra pushes you to the state of emotional coldness, isolation from your environment and other fellows emotionally.
How To Energize Your Fourth Chakra Connecting your mind and soul without building a wall around your feelings will help to energize your Heart Chakra. Start appreciating yourself and spread love to others.
Throat Chakra(The 5th Chakra): Vishuddha
Throat Chakra is associated with self-exp r e s s i o n , speech-brain and the physical way of expression. The energy to speak comes from this 5 t h Chakra. Colour: Blue Location: in between your collar bone What Balanced Throat Chakra Feels Like: A balanced Throat Chakra enables you to speak with kindness, love and truth.
Bean bag has been the most sought out product in this pandemic. Instead of going for an office setup, people like to work on their bed or bean bag. Sitting in front of a computer all day is difficult even if you are doing it correctly. Incorrect posture leads to back pain and causes discomfort. Just relax your body, try
Impact Of Underactive Throat Chakra
Shy or quiet person is supposed to have underactive throat chakra. The underactive chakra causes digestive issues because energy emitted from the 5th chakra is sent to the 3rd chakra.
How To Energize Your Fifth Chakra Open your throat chakra by speaking the truth, rhetorical training and by natural self-expression.
The Third Eye Chakra(The 6th Chakra): Ajna
The Third Eye Chakra is associated with the information beyond the 5 senses and the material world. Colour: Indigo Location: in between two eyebrows. What Balanced The Third Eye Chakra F e e l s L i k e : When the Third eye is balanced, you will feel harmony with the physical and spiritual world. The indicators of balanced third eye chakra By Siddharth S. Kumar are telepathy, divine consciousness and access to higher intuitions.
Impact Of Overactive Throat Chakra
When you speak loud or try to make your voice heard, your 5th Chakra is overactive. Overactive throat pain leads to frequent infections, throat pain and mouth ulcers. How To Balance Your Throat Chakra The easiest way to balance your Throat Chakra is ‘think before you speak’.
Impact Of Overactive Third Eye Chakra
When the 6th chakra is overactive, you will be engaged in astrology, tarot card readings and paranormal experiences. How To Balance Your The Third Eye Chakra To balance the 6th Chakra, connect your body to the earth. You may go to the beach or garden to feel the sand on your toes. Impact Of Underactive The Third Eye Chakra
4 to sit at 90° and stretch your legs every 15 minutes.
Watch the Clock
Don’t get carried away with your work. Imagine you are in the office and work as usual. Working in flexible hours is an advantage, but it doesn’t mean you have to take your work so late in the night. Try to wrap it up soon and have some time for yourself.
Get Some Sleep
After completing your work, have a healthy meal, plan for the next day’s work and most importantly sleep at the right time. Avoid using social media when you are in bed. Getting a sound sleep will help you increase your productivity the next day.
Conclusion
Yes, working from home seemed like a lot of fun at the start but people are getting tired now with the constant distractions, irregular sleep etc. Actually, it depends on the individual, they know what’s better for them. Just see what works for you.
Most of the people feel disconnected from the spiritual experiences. Therefore, you may have problem with your sinuses, allergies and headaches. How To Energize Your Sixth Chakra Through practicing solitary meditation, you will be able to focus on signals outside of your physical body. Thus you can open your 6th Chakra.
Crown Chakra(The 7th Chakra): Sahaswara
The crown Chakra stands for the maximum wisdom and knowledge. This is the ultimate state, which connects your body to the universe. Colour: violet-white Location: just above your head What Balanced Crown Chakra Feels Like: A balanced crown chakra offers deep connection of the human with Godlike state. Enlightenment and divine love are two indicators of the balanced Crown Chakra.
Impact Of Overactive Crown Chakra
This is impossible because crown chakra is the seat of infinite universal energy. How To Balance Your Crown Chakra There is no need to balance your crown chakra.
Impact Of Underactive Crown Chakra
Underactive Crown chakra means you are a human being.
How To Energize Your Seventh Chakra
First, concentrate on balancing the other 6 chakras by meditating and connecting with spirit. On the other hand, enjoy your human experience. To achieve Crown Chakra, the absolute spirituality, focus on and open up other chakras.
Conclusions
Meditation, using Mudras and Mantras, and using Chakra Stones are powerful tools to open Chakras. For example, to open up the Root Chakra, use Hematite and Smokey Quartz crystal. The 7 Chakras have a close and profound bond with each other.
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Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
review
Tapestry Of Life Cadences by Prabhupad Mishra: The poetic experience of the simple things in Life
ART | CULTURE | LITERATURE | BOOK REVIEWS | MOVIE REVIEW
Sukaina Majeed
Prabhupad Mishra, author of Anthology Tapestry of Life Cadences, a regular next door guy who has been writing since he was a kid whether they are his own experiences or some he has experienced as a bystander. Originally from Burla, Mishra is currently based out of Bhubaneswar where he works as an assistant vice president in a leading bank. He chose to write an anthology as his first book to share his emotional experiences he has had in his life hence the name “Tapestry of Life Cadences.” The book shows us the little moments where we share love, heartbreak, pain and yearn for love in a poetic fashion. It talks about simple things like in life covering topics like passion, dreams, pandemic lockdown, father-daughter relationship among others. He describes his book as an attempt to
Da 5 Bloods Review A Gritty Movie from Spike Lee
Prabhupad Mishra
ignite the creative streak in readers which differentiates the humans from the animals which is its capability to have an imaginative mind. Prabhupad also gives special credit to his father Dr. Patita Paban Mishra a Professor of History of Sambalpur University who is retired now for instilling in him the passion for writing when he was 7 years old and that’s what kept him going and the fact that he believes that the myriad of emotions he has felt over his course of life he feels someone in some corner of the world will also be able to connect with the same emotions as he believes that human emotions everywhere are the same. The writer’s favourite genres are romance, fiction and self-motivation. He is working on two books at the moment. His next book is a romance fiction novel where he has characters with different personalities and the reader would be able to look romance
Four Vietnam war veterans who call themselves “Bloods” go back to Nam to retrieve their squad leader’s body and relive the horrors of Vietnam war.
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: Delroy Lindo, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Clarke Peters, Chadwick Boseman, Jonathan Mayor, Jean Reno.
Duration: 2hrs 36min Rating: 4.5/5
Review By: Bhuvaneswaran P
Whether it’s BlacKkKlansman or Malcom X, Spike Lee gives his all. Da 5 Bloods could easily be his best movie yet. In this movie he captures the emotions of black people who fought in the Vietnam war and he almost portrays the entire US Black people’s tragic history. Spoilers Ahead Before you read this review, I would like to mention that this was Chadwick Boseman’s last movie before his death. He plays as the fallen war veteran who goes by the name Stormin Norman. The story revolves around his ideals, his love for the black people and not to mention the gold he and his bloods discovered during the war. The movie released on Netflix in June 2020 to overwhelming reviews from critics and fans. Four Bloods played by Paul (Delroy Lindo), Eddie (Norm Lewis), Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr) and Otis (Clarke Peters) return to Vietnam to bring back the remains of Stormin Norman and to secretly take back the gold they buried in the forest during the war. The prelude to the movie has clippings from
from a different perspective and the second project is an anthology of short stories about women and how they impact mundane lives and he hopes the reader would be able to appreciate the women in their lives. Apart from writing, Prabhupad enjoys teaching football tricks and playing cricket with kids. He is an animal lover and takes care of feeding the stray dogs in his colony. He is a firm believer of doing good for a fellow human being and nothing can be better than that in one’s life. Prabhupad aims for spreading happiness by helping and through his writing in people’s lives! Through his book he wants the reader’s imagination to run loose and watch them reach greater heights. He wants them to open doors in their minds, in our minds, doors we thought never existed. He signs off by sharing the Albert Einstein quote he lives by, “Creativity is contagious, Pass it on.”
Muhammad Ali’s speech to black people’s endurance and suffering from the racial discrimination in the US. After they land in Vietnam, they meet Vinh Tran(Johnny Nguyen) in a hotel, a local tour guide who will accompany them till the jungle. Later that evening, Otis visits his friend Tien Luu, who was a sex worker during the war, only to find out that he is the father of Tien’s daughter. In order to get the gold out of the country, they come to a deal with a dubious French businessman(Jean Reno) with the help of Tien. Just when the veterans are about to leave for the gold hunt, Paul’s son David(Jonathan Mayor) finds out about the gold and tags along with them. After Vinh drops them off at the jungle, they encounter a series of events that is gutwrenching to watch. The screenplay and editing takes the centre-stage here, with the timely flashback of the war that makes us feel for the fallen war victims. Spike Lee’s movies have always been distinct with his own way of storytelling and he delivers a message that’s more or like the hard truth. This movie makes us think about humanity, like the time when black people went to the Vietnam war for America when the country didn’t even believe in them. The way he added “Black Lives Matter” scene to the climax back when the incident was still going on is appreciable. It shows how active he is and wants the world to know about black people’s sufferings. Overall, Da 5 Blood is worth watching with some powerful performances from an ensemble cast.
Special Mention to Delroy Lindo
Paul played by Delroy Lindo is the standout performance in the film. Paul is tormented by the flames of war and going back means he has to face the ugly truth which has been haunting him since the war. Delroy’s raw acting is truly an Oscar worthy performance, his 3-minute monologue scene in the end is well written and he brilliantly executed it.
Messenger of Peace & Non-violence in Naxalites Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
opinion
Lalit Garg Naxalism is a major problem of the country; it is a problem arising due to socio-economic reasons. The tribal’s are forced to live a low level lifestyle due to poverty, unemployment and government negligence. The untimely death in these areas, which is suffering from serious diseases due to lack of healthcare, is not surprising. Instead of developing Naxalite areas, they have not even basic facilities like education, medical service and employment. The problems like economic inequality, corruption, plight of farming still remains. Of course, these problems lead to discontent and rebellion nature in the people and it is because of these dissatisfactions that the Naxalites live periodically by committing incidents of violence, hatred, malice, immorality and crime and such incidents are so gruesome and terrible. The violent mentality in these areas has created such an environment that humanity becomes meaningless. There is an atmosphere of fear, instability, immorality, violence and anarchy in the Naxalite affected areas of the country. Whenever humanity moves towards degradation, moral values begin to lose their
identity, situations of mutual conflict are created in society and nation, then some great man with his divine duty, whose positive aura and character brightness performs the work of public awakening by awakening human consciousness. Acharya Shri Mahashraman, founder of 'Anuvrat Movement’ is traveling on a journey to the Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, doing the same in his non-violence journey. We are looking forward to the solution of this problem. In his non-violence journey, he met the Naxalites from place to place, inspiring them to leave the path of violence and hatred which has got a wide impact. Acharya Mahashraman realizes the need for an honest effort to solve the Naxal problem. He is on a journey from Hyderabad to Raipur. He reached Sukma in Bastar, a heavily Naxal-affected area in Chhattisgarh, through 90 villages and several Naxal-affected areas. People walking on the padyatra with him told that the tribal’s took his blessings all the way. While walking through dense forests, some youth wearing uniforms also paid obeisance to them while some Naxalites shared their pain with them. Acharya Mahasramana believes that no person wants to follow the path of violence.
Some people deliberately take them on the wrong path for their selfishness. He said that during his padayatra, he gives the message of leaving the path of violence and moving towards the path of non-violence and peace. At his call, hundreds of people have given up violence and addiction of drugs till now. Such people are still following the pledge to stay away from addiction. Naxalites also want to leave the path of violence, for which Acharya Mahashraman is giving proper guidance to the Naxalites through his revolutionary thinking. Now, in this complex era, everyone's eyes are on his efforts, which can bring down the fear of violence, immorality, rebellion and hate riding on Naxalite bodies. It seems that Acharya Shri Mahashraman's Ahimsa Yatra is ready to lay the foundation of non-violence, love, honesty, brotherhood, morality and a balanced society as a venture to connect people to humans in this dense darkness. Today, in order to bear Naxalite wounds in the country, to revive the humanity that is languishing in them and to infuse the winds of humanity, there is the expectation of great men / avatars like Acharya Mahasharaman to communicate new life and non-violence in the
meaningless meaning of human life. One of the major reasons people are particularly hopeful towards Acharya Mahashramanji is that he has made special efforts for non-violence, morality, establishment of democratic values, political correctness, character brightness and communal harmony, the essence of his life is non-violence and morality. He is a saintly man, a sensitive superman. By living a life of self-purity and character brightness, we can establish morality in the country and the world as an example of the ' Anuvrat Movement’. Acharya Sri Mahashraman ji travelled six years ago from the Red Fort in the capital Delhi on a non-violence journey and travelled to remote provinces and neighboring countries Nepal, Bhutan, via Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh. These days he is wandering in Naxal affected areas of Chhattisgarh. This year, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, in February -21, he will pay his respects to the grand 'Maryada Mahotsav ceremony'. This nonviolence journey and padyatra has not only nationalized the whole of humanity but has inspired non-violence, not only the country, but the eyes of the world kept looking towards an innovative revolution that took place in this journey, how Acharya Mahasraman has given the values of human values. This was the first time a Jain Acharya touched the violenceridden Naxal areas while taking a padyatra. Acharya Mahashraman paved the way for the upliftment of humanity by motivating the masses with a padyatra of more than 30,000 km with the resolve of self-welfare and reckoning. Ahimsa Yatra is a campaign to change their heart, from untruth to truth, to violence to non-violence. This journey has also proved to be a boon for the rural masses and stressed urban people who are trapped in misdeeds. This journey, beyond the boundaries of caste, community, class and nation, was geared to fill the virtues in the lives of children, youth and old people. Acharya Shri Mahashraman has set three objectives of the journey of non-violence - the world of goodwill, the promotion of morality and the campaign of de-addiction. This
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journey ignited the light of humanity in various provinces and other countries of India and now the country's most burning problem is trying to end Naxalism. Be aware, Acharya Tulsi, the Guru of Acharya Mahasramana, played an active role in solving the Punjab problem of burning in the fire of terrorism and in pacifying the language movement of South India. He was led by Guru Acharya Mahapragya to lead the Jagannath Yatra in Muslim areas in Ahmedabad in Gujarat in an aggressive communal atmosphere, creating an atmosphere of harmony in both communities. Carrying on this legacy, Acharya Mahasharaman, if now ready to solve the Naxal problem, is a pleasant feeling, surely it will lead the way to solve the country's most burning violent problem. Gandhiji saw non-violence as a superpower and on his strength he also gave independence to India. Acharya Shri Mahashraman has also been continuously moving through the Ahimsa Yatra for non-violence, goodwill, health, morality and peace in the country and the world. Certainly this auspicious resolution was made and only great men like Acharya Mahasharaman have the ability to shape such a resolution. In fact, whether the violence is by Naxalites or by the government, it cannot be supported. The victims of their violence are ultimately the same people for whom they want to get something. It is a universal truth that the system achieved by violence does not last long and eventually breaks down. On the other hand, the government should also rise above the problem of law and order and make efforts to overcome their basic problems. Our democratic organs central and state governments, media and non-governmental organizations all need to make collective efforts to connect the poor and laborers affected by the Naxalite ideology to the main stream of the nation and to strengthen the efforts of Acharya Mahashraman.With the efforts of Acharya Maha Sharamana, the tribal land, i.e. the Naxal-affected area, will regain its aura in the form of nonviolence, peace, morality, harmony and humanity, and if such a wonderful event happens, it will be a living example of a spiritual revolution.
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Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
haryana
Saksham Yuva scheme to increase employment opportunities Film City coming up in state
With a view to realize Chief Minister, Manohar Lal’s vision to ensure that no youth remains unemployed in the State, the Haryana Government has prepared a special 6 month exit strategy under the Saksham Yuva scheme as per which special efforts would be made for increasing employability of ‘Saksham Yuvas’ through their skilling, job readiness training and job linkage before they leave the scheme. This was informed in a meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Manohar Lal to review the progress of Saksham Yuva scheme. The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Anoop Dhanak was also present in the meet-
ing. While reviewing the progress of the scheme, Manohar Lal directed that data of all the approved Saksham Yuva candidates be linked with Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP). On this, he was informed that out of over 2.30 lakh currently approved candidates, a total of 1,63,147 Saksham Yuvas have PPP IDs and have been seeded. The remaining candidates would be covered by February 28, 2021. He also directed that the candidates should be encouraged to engage in local jobs and selfemployment avenues in those districts of the State where the number of approved Saksham Yuva candidates is more than 10,000.
Aviation services launched between Chandigarh and Hisar
The CM, Manohar Lal launched aviation services between Chandigarh and Hisar at Chandigarh International Airport. On this occasion, the Chief Minister handed over a boarding pass to the first passenger to board the aircraft and also visited the airstrip where he was apprised about the aircraft. This service has been started by Air Taxi Aviation Company. On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that today a new chapter has started in the direction of aviation services in Haryana. He congratulated everyone on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti on the commencement of air taxi service from Chandigarh to Hisar. He said that the Air Taxi Company has ordered four-seater airplanes. Besides the pilot, three passengers will be able to travel in these air taxies. The distance from Chandigarh to Hisar will be covered by this aircraft in 45 minutes. This
service has been started under the 'Udaan' scheme of the Government of India. The scheme was started by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, whose dream was to make flying affordable. This air service, started under the 'Udaan' scheme, will fulfill the Prime Minister's dream. He said that the company has fixed a very economical fare of Rs 1,755 from Hisar to Chandigarh. Bookings can be made online at http://flyairtaxi.in. The company has also provided the facility of private booking, the fare for which will be different. There will be a daily flight between Hisar and Chandigarh at its scheduled time even if only one passenger has booked a ticket. After starting Chandigarh-Hisar air service from, the company will start air service from Hisar to Dehradun from January 18, 2021 and from Hisar to Dharamshala on January 23, 2021.
Administering of COVID-19 vaccine started in Haryana
Haryana Health Department is all set to start the process of administering COVID-19 vaccine from January 16, 2021 as the Department received 2,41,500 doses of Covishield Vaccine. The vaccine reached here from Pune and Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, MukeKumar Ahuja, Haryana, National Health Mission, Director Administration, Dr. B.K. Rajora and SEPIO, Dr. Virender Ahlawat were present to receive it. Sharing more details in this regard, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Rajeev Arora said that the Health Department received 2,41,500 doses of Covishield Vaccine at Chandigarh International Airport. The vaccine was soon taken to the State Vac-
cine Store in Kurukshetra where it was handed over to Civil Surgeon Kurukshetra, Sukhbir Singh and DIO (District Immunization Officer), Dr Anupama Singh, he added. Divulging more details Arora said that around 113 Immunization Session Sites have been identified across the state and the Health Care Workers (HCWs) will be administered the vaccine first. “Each Session Site will administer vaccine to 100 beneficiaries by the Vaccinators. The information in this regard has already been uploaded on the CoWIN portal. Soon messages will be sent to the beneficiaries regarding the administration of vaccine,” said Arora. Stating that the entire exercise of conducting the dry run
special efforts would be made to provide employment to those about 5900 Saksham Yuva who would leave the scheme during financial year 2020-21 and 2021-22 after completing 35 years of age cut off under the scheme. The 6 month strategy which has been chalked out for this purpose include 1-3 months short term skilling and upskilling of 3-5 days, one month job readiness training like CV preparation, interview preparation and career counseling and two months job linkage with aggregators, local employers and telegram group. It was informed that a target has been fixed to provide career guidance to 30,000 Saksham Yuvas in the year 2021.
Besides, he also directed that auto-notification regarding enrollment on the Saksham Yuva Portal should be sent to all eligible new post-graduates. It was informed that under the Saksham Yuva scheme, monthly allowance of Rs 3000, Rs 1500 and Rs 900 are being given to post graduate, graduate and 10+2 students respectively in addition to monthly honorarium of Rs 6000 for 100 hours work. At present, over 2.30 lakh Saksham Yuva are currently approved in the Saksham Yuva platform and more than 36,000 such Yuva are working in different government departments. It was further informed that as part of the exit strategy,
artist should work on an ideology with regard to the message and teachings that the artist wants to share with the society. Reminiscing on the role played by folk artistes in yesteryears, Manohar Lal said that earlier folk artistes were invited to give performances in order to raise funds to build schools, temples and Dharamshalas etc. Sharing such examples he said that school was built in Nindana village with the money collected from Sangi Shri Dhanpat Singh who belonged to the village. Likewise, Haryanvi folk artistes namely Shri Mange Ram, Shri Baje Bhagat and Pandit Lakhmi Chand are famous personalities in Haryanvi folk art, especially in the “Sang” genre.
Haryana’s giant leap towards digitization
Taking a giant leap towards digitization to further enhance the Antyodaya Saral portal, all the nodal officers of Antyodaya Saral portal have been asked to ensure integration of Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP) by January 26, 2021. The Antyodaya Saral platform has been developed with the vision to deliver all Government to Citizen (G2C) services and schemes on a single integrated platform in a time bound and efficient manner, he said. While addressing the meeting Dr. Gupta lauded the efforts of the team for working continuously so as to ensure seamless integration of all the government schemes and making it a one-stop digital platform for citizen serv-
proved to be beneficial Arora said that after conducting the dry run it came to light that one vaccinator can administer the vaccine to 100 beneficiaries. Thus, at each session site a five-member team of vaccinator officers will be deputed, who will ensure that social distancing norms are adhered to. “The messages of each beneficiary will be checked before giving the vaccine. The beneficiary will wait after the administration of the vaccine and will be guided on the precautions to be taken,” he added. On the care to be taken after the vaccine is administered, Arora said that the beneficiaries will ensure adherence of social distancing norms, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene after the vaccine is administered.”
Haryana CM, Manohar Lal said that the state government is formulating plans to open Film City in the state for which land spanning across an area of 50 to 100 acres has been finalised. Besides this, a State-Level Award will be given to Haryanvi artistes every year to encourage them and all possible help will be rendered for promoting art. OSD of Publicity Cell, Gajender Phogat along with a delegation of Haryanvi folk artistes met the CM. The Chief Minister discussed with them the steps that can be taken to improve the Haryanvi folk genre during the meeting. The Chief Minister said that StateLevel registration of the artistes is to be done. Giving tips to the artistes the Chief Minister said that an
Khelo India Youth Games -2021 to be held in Haryana
In view of the Khelo India Youth Games -2021 to be held in Haryana, a team of officers and employees of the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Sports Authority of India met with Haryana Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sandeep Singh and the Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Yogendra Chaudhary. Khelo India Youth Games 2021 is being considered to be organized in November 2021, in which there will be a total of 25 sports competitions including five indigenous games. In meeting, Sandeep Singh apprised the team about the steps being taken to raise the level of the Games and said that the best arrangements will be made by the Haryana Government for Khelo India Youth Games -2021.
ices across the state. He congratulated the nodal officers of all the Departments on receiving the Platinum Award under the category ‘Excellence in Digital Governance - State/UT’, Digital India Awards 2020, for Antyodaya Saral Portal recently where Haryana had emerged as a pioneer. The award was presented on December 30, 2020. Antodaya Saral (https://saralharyana.gov.in) was envisioned by the Chief Minister, Shri. Manohar Lal in 2017 to build a citizen-centric service delivery system and to bring transparency by enabling citizens to monitor their application status. While congratulating the officers he lauded the conjoint
efforts of all Deputy Commissioners, nodal officers, NIC Haryana and the Chief Minister's Good Governance Associates (CMGGAs) who ensured the on ground timely implementation of the project and have been striving for enhancing its efficiency since then. Elaborating on it further he said that fulfilling the vision of the Chief Minister to ensure efficient and citizen centric governance multiple e-governance projects like “e-Office”, “Parivar Pehchaan Patra” and “Human Resource Management System” are on the verge of completion and the state government is heading towards “paperless office”.
One Time Registration Portal launched for government job aspirants in the State
While giving a major relief to the aspirants of government jobs in the State, CM, Manohar Lal launched One Time Registration Portal for group C and D category posts and non-gazetted teaching posts in different government departments. Besides, the Chief Minister also announced a Common Eligibility Test (CET) to be conducted by Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) for filling up different posts of Group C and D. He said that now with the launch of One Time Registration Portal, youth would be required to apply and submit fees on the Portal only once which would be Rs 500 for general category candidates and Rs 250 for candidates belonging to reserved categories. CM, Manohar Lal said that
registration on the portal would commence from today onwards and would continue upto March 31, 2021. He said that the students who are appearing for 10th and 12th examination this year could also provisionally apply on the portal. The Chief Minister said each candidate registering on the portal would be issued a unique ID number on basis of which he or she could apply as per their educational qualification and experience. He said that a separate Common eligibility Test (CET) would be conducted for the Group C and Group D posts and it would be valid for a period of three years. The selection for the Group D posts would be made on the basis of merit of Common Entrance Test (CET).
Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 January, 2021 www.theasianchronicle.com
tech
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Tech Giants are looking to Colonise Uncharted Spaces that the digital environment will be dominated by a handful of tech giants, and that the most effective way of affecting their behaviour is through persuasion and collaboration. Or, they can react regressively to digital developments, banning services, imposing punishments and even prosecuting organisations and employees who run the tech companies’ tools.
What Needs to Be Regulated?
Nishica Choudhary Modern technology platforms, such as Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple, are even more powerful than most people realize, and our future world will be profoundly altered by their adoption and successfulness in societies everywhere’ Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen, The New Digital Age (2013) In the past twenty years the proliferation of internet technologies has radically transformed almost every aspect of life; how we buy products, discuss politics, form relationships and conduct our work. At the heart of this change sit a small number of companies who grasped the early possibilities of a widely available internet and turned them into vast generators of wealth and insight. Tech and social media companies have become powerful global actors and their corporate governance decisions already affect the rights and freedoms of billions of people. In the past week, “Big Tech” - applications like Facebook, Google, Instagram, Twitter, and others have taken unprecedented decisions, like booting US President Trump out of their platforms. 12 technology companies have either banned Donald Trump, or restricted him in the aftermath of the violence which led to five deaths in the US Capitol last week.
Should Big Tech have such superpowers?
Private companies with unchecked power have the possibility of becoming bigger than law itself, and world leaders have woken up to this reality. Angela Merkel’s spokesperson has issued a statement, claiming that Twitter’s ban on Trump is “problematic”. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has slammed the ban too, calling it a
“bad sign”. Nikki Haley, the former US Ambassador to the UN compared the ban to political censorship in China. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called it "an unacceptable act of censorship". “No plans to lift it right now, but indefinite, at least through the transition, we've been very clear. There's obviously so much happening and this is such a big step. We will definitely let people know and be very transparent about any changes to that”, said Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook. Big Tech is relentless, setting the rules of the game, with its decisions deemed final. From the president of a country, to an average user, a handful of tech giants can dictate the terms.
COVID changed social networks
The fact is, social networks are private companies. Just as a private members' club can make house rules for its members, so can the likes of Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter. One of the key rules imposed has been, until now, to consider politicians' content important to public discourse.Platforms including Facebook and Twitter said they would therefore give high-profile users like the US president more leeway when it comes to violating user policies. But since the start of the coronavirus pandemic things have changed significantly and the companies have taken increased action against world leaders.In March, Facebook and Twitter deleted posts from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for Covid-19 misinformation. Technology companies practice
the science of exploiting data to alter human behavior—ideal for a state eager to engineer the loyalty of its people. China’s nascent socialcredit system maintains a running tally of “good” behavior. The ratings are the basis for rewards and punishments. A citizen can lose the right to travel if he is caught jaywalking or playing music too loud. Private firms have assessed creditworthiness based on such metrics. According to Wired, “The aim is for every Chinese citizen to be trailed by a file compiling data from public and private sources” that can be pulled up by a fingerprint or other biometric information.
How Democracies Should Respond?
The digital world is currently out of joint. A small number of tech companies are very large, dominant and growing. They have not just commercial influence, but an impact on our privacy, our freedom of expression, our security, and – as this study has shown – on our civic society. Even if they mean to have a positive and constructive societal impact – as they make clear they do – they are too big and have too great an influence to escape the attention of governments, democratic and non-democratic. Governments have already responded, and more will. Most of these government responses are destined to fail. They are destined to fail for three reasons: they have not yet adequately defined the problem they are trying to solve; they are using tools that are not suited to dealing with these organisations and the services they provide; and they do not have a vision of where they would like digital society to end up. Without devising progressive responses democratic societies will be left with two alternatives, neither of which is attractive. They can take a laissez-faire approach, accepting
The question of regulating big tech firms has been discussed in the United States for years, and experts often argue over what should be subject to regulation.Regulating technology companies has proven a tough task for the U.S. government, in large part because of the freewheeling origins of the internet. One way that governments can put tech companies on a level playing field, both with each other and with competitors in regulated industries, would be to introduce a regulator for the tech industry in their country. Having a regulatory regime with nationwide statutes and clearly defined rules of engagement would also cut the cost of innovation while holding companies accountable for mitigating abuses of their inventions, ranging from criminal acts like recruitment of terrorists and child pornography to socially harmful acts like sharing user data and facilitating the spread of fake news.
For a national tech regulator to be effective, it would need to adopt regulations and new supervision methods capable of staying ahead of the potential threats posed by accelerating technological change.
CONCLUSION
The actions tech giants take today spur not only global growth but also potential threats. Governments should assist in rebuilding public trust in tech companies by establishing national regulators that can prevent abuses while permitting technological advances, because these companies’ technologies influence the very essence of our lives, and practical action could make a real difference to billions of people. The aspiration of these companies to withdraw from the public realm, and to find spaces unfettered by legal restraint suggests a limited commitment to civic duty, or at least to civic duty as currently framed. Yet though these companies may want to free themselves of civic constraints, their services now play increasingly important civic roles. Democratic publics, and their governments, have to consider at what stage this becomes problematic. The size and dominance of the new tech giants raise critical civic questions for democratic societies – questions we cannot yet adequately answer.