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Friday, 31 May 2013
Thursday, 30 May 2013
Free Essays for Competitive Exams-Say no to Tobacco
Say no to Tobacco
(31st May is Anti Tobacco Day)
Nearly six million people across the world
die because of direct or indirect use of tobacco every year and the figure
could go up to eight million by 2030 unless urgent action is taken says
WHO. In India one out of 10 Indian adults dies of tobacco
related diseases and Tobacco is cause for 1.5lakh cancers, 4.2 million heart
diseases, and 3.7 million lung diseases every year. Our country has one of the
highest rates of oral cancer.
According to Tobacco Intervention
Initiative statistics, 4300 lakh tobacco is consumed in the form bidis,
chewing tobacco, gutka and snuff and smoking cigarettes. Fourteen
crore men and 4 crore women are addicted to tobacco in India according to
official figures. Over half of the male population around 57 per
cent in the age group 15-49 years uses tobacco in some form and over one tenth
of women in this age group also use tobacco. More than 5,000 youth in our
country take to tobacco use every day.
The health ministry estimates that by
2020, tobacco will be responsible for 13% of all deaths in India and says that
without any intervention, more than 38.4 million bidi smokers and
13.2 million cigarette smokers are likely to die prematurely. Second-hand smoke
also remains a big problem. The misconception about certain tobacco products
being safe also encourages many to consume tobacco in one or another form.
India launched the National Tobacco
Control Programme in the 11th five year plan. It has ratified the WHO
convention on tobacco control which recommends several strategies to reduce the
demand and supply of tobacco. India was among the first few counties
to set up a chain of tobacco cessation clinics at the district level. Several
legislations are also in place for reducing tobacco usage and manufacture.
These include Regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and
Restrictions on Sales) Regulations of 2011, made under the Food Safety and
Standards Act and Cigarette and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling)
Amendment Rules, 2012.
As per the
Regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on
Sales) Regulations of 2011, made under the Food Safety and Standards Act,gutka, zarda,
pan masala, gul, bajjar and such other toxic and addictive
forms of chewing tobacco are mandated to be banned by various states.
Although 24 states and five union
territories have so far banned gutka and paanmasala containing
tobacco, there is a question mark over the implementation of the ban. Whether
it is the capital Delhi or other town where the ban is in
place, gutka is being either sold openly or clandestinely in
different names and pouches which is the people addicted to are even willing to
pay a higher price.
The
Supreme Court had last month sought compliance reports from all state
governments that have banned the sale and manufacture of gutka and paan masala containing
tobacco.
According to the new Cigarette and
other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2012,
notified on September 27, 2012, all tobacco product packs in the country are to
carry new pictorial warnings which focussed in detail the portion of the human
body affected by tobacco use.
The health ministry had also for the first
time inserted the word 'Warning' in the new pictorial warnings and mandated
that this word be printed in 'red' colour along with the messages - 'Smoking
kills' and 'Tobacco kills'.
The new notification makes it mandatory
for all tobacco makers both smoking forms and smokeless to maintain pictorial
warnings in the states format and also to place the health warning in at least
40 per cent of the principal display area of the tobacco package.
At recent consultations several government
and non-governmental organisations called for a complete ban on advertising,
promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products in the country. The consultation
was by HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) and
Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI) in collaboration with the Health
and Family Welfare ministry and the WHO Country Office for India. It was felt
that despite the regulations, tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is
very rampant and youth-centric. The urgent need to strengthen the existing
provisions of COTPA and a multi-sect oral and inter-governmental synergy was
stressed to effectively implement a complete ban.
Advertising of tobacco products is
restricted under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of
Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and
Distribution) Act, 2003, (COTPA).
It is also established that a majority of
smokers as many as 70 per cent desire to quit, but only 30 per cent
of them actually try each year, and only 3 to 5 percent actually succeed in
quitting, states WHO.
The theme of this year World No Tobacco
Day is: Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
A comprehensive ban of all tobacco
advertising, promotion and sponsorship is required under the WHO Framework
Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) for all Parties to this treaty within
five years of the entry into force of the Convention. Evidence shows that
comprehensive advertising bans lead to reductions in the numbers of people
starting and continuing smoking. Statistics show that banning tobacco
advertising and sponsorship is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce
tobacco demand and thus control its usage.
The objective of 2013 campaign is also
drive local, national and international efforts to counteract tobacco industry
efforts to undermine tobacco control, specifically industry efforts to stall or
stop comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Of the six million people who die of
tobacco related diseases every year globally more than 600 000 are non-smokers
dying from breathing second-hand smoke.
The ultimate goal is to contribute to
protect present and future generations not only from these devastating health
consequences, but also against the social, environmental and economic
consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
So until all forms of consumption of
tobacco cease through regulations and laws the goal of tobacco free India
cannot be fulfilled. There is therefore a need for all stake holders in public
health to coordinate their effort for everyone to emphatically say No To Tobacco.
Free essays for Competitive Exams-Schemes Providing Subsidised Food grains
Schemes
Providing Subsidised Food grains
TARGETED PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Government of India India
OTHER WELFARE SCHEMES
The Department of Food & PD also makes allocation
of food grains at BPL prices for the following welfare schemes implemented by
various Ministries/Departments of the Government of India as well as State
Governments/UTs:
MID DAY MEAL SCHEME
The Mid Day Meal Scheme is implemented by the Ministry
of Human Resource Development. The Scheme covers students of Primary &
Upper Primary Classes in the Government Schools/Schools aided by Government and
the Schools run by local bodies. Food grains are supplied free of cost @ 100
gram per child per school day where cooked/processed hot meal is being served
or 3 kgs per student per month where foodgrains
are distributed in raw form.
WHEAT BASED NUTRITION PROGRAMME
This Scheme is implemented by the Ministry of Women
& Child Development. The food grains allotted under this Scheme are
utilized by the States/UTs under Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
for providing nutritious/energy food to children in the age group of 0-6 years
and expectant/lactating women.
RAJIV GANDHI SCHEME FOR EMPOWERMENT OF ADOLESCENT
GIRLS ‘SABLA’
The Ministry of Women and Child
Development administers the scheme at the central level and State/UT
Governments implement the scheme. The
SABLA Scheme has been launched on 19.11.2010 by merging two schemes namely
Nutrition Programme and Adolescent Girls (NPAG) and Kishori Shakti Yojana (KSY) in to a single scheme and
proposed to be implemented in 200 selected districts across the country. The Scheme aims at empowering adolescent
girls of 11-18 years by improvement of their nutritional and health status and
upgrading various skills like home skills, life skills and vocational
skills. It also aims at
equipping the girls on family welfare, health hygiene etc. and information and
guidance on existing public services along with aiming to mainstream out of
school girls into formal or non-formal education. The requirement of food
grains under the scheme for nutrition is @ 100 grams of grains per beneficiary
per day for 300 days in a year.
SUPPLY OF FOODGRAINS TO HOSTELS/WELFARE INSTITUTIONS
This Scheme is implemented by the Department of Food
and Public Distribution through the State Governments/UTs. To meet the
requirement of Hostels/Welfare Institutions, viz., N.G.Os/Charitable
Institutions, an additional allocation of foodgrains up to 5% of the BPL
allocation of each State/UT is made to States/UTs at BPL rates under this
Scheme.
SUPPLY OF FOODGRAINS FOR SC/ST/OBC HOSTELS
This Scheme is implemented by the
Department of Food and Public Distribution through the State Governments/UTs.
Under this Scheme, all residents of the hostels having 2/3rd students belonging to SC/ST/OBC are
given 15 kg. foodgrains per resident per month .
This Scheme is implemented by Ministry
of Rural Development. Indigent senior citizens of 65 years of age or above who,
though eligible for old age pension under the National Old Age Pension Scheme
(NOAPS) but are not getting the same, are covered under this Scheme and 10 kgs. of foodgrains per person per month are
supplied free of cost.
EMERGNCY FEEDING PROGRAMME
This Scheme is implemented by Department of Food and
Public Distribution through the State Government of Orissa. The Scheme is being
implemented in eight
VILLAGE GRAIN BANKS SCHEME
Village Grain Bank Scheme was earlier implemented by
the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in 11 States. However, since 24.11.2004, the
scheme is being implemented by the Department Food & Public Distribution.
The main objective of the scheme presently being
implemented is to provide safeguard against starvation during the period of
natural calamity or during lean season when the marginalized food insecure
households do not have sufficient resources to purchase rations. Such people in need of food grains
will be able to borrow food grains from the Village Grain Bank. The grain banks
are to be set up in food scarce areas like the drought prone areas, the hot and
cold desert areas, tribal areas and the inaccessible hilly areas which remain
cut off because of natural calamities like floods, etc. These villages are to
be notified by the concerned State Government/Union Territory. The scheme
envisages inclusion of all willing BPL/AAY families in the villages to be
identified by the
State Government in food deficit areas. The quantity to be lent and the period
of repayment is to be decided by the Group
themselves. Village Panchayat/Gram Sabha, Self
Help Group for NGOs etc. identified by the State Governments are eligible for running the Grain Banks.
Free Essays for Competitive Exams-Yuva Saathi - Young Volunteer Guide Training Programme
Yuva
Saathi - Young Volunteer Guide Training Programme
National Museum Institute has started a
new training program- Yuva Saathi- youth volunteer guides. The programme is aimed at
training the Volunteers in taking guided visits of the school groups and family
groups at the National
Museum National Museum
.
The Yuva Saathi training programme aims to train young
people in the field of heritage, museum education, public communication and
creative learning in order design and conduct tours for young visitors to the
museum. It also aims to enhance the sense of belonging towards our collective
heritage and leadership towards preserving and sharing it.
The trainees will be trained to fulfill
the specific needs of Young Visitors to National Museum National Museum
The programme
includes –historical perspectives, introduction to museum, guided gallery talks
and tours for all the galleries of National Museum, communication and
creativity skills, design and facilitation skills, heritage trails and self
development –initiative etc. The medium
of transaction would be bilingual, Hindi English.
National Museum
Institute (NMI) is a Deemed
University
Free essays for Competitive Exams-NSIC Rapid Incubation Model – Turning Job Seekers into Job Creators
NSIC Rapid Incubation
Model – Turning Job Seekers into Job Creators
Unemployment is a colossal problem and in
most developing countries. Self-employment generation, by way of creating new
small enterprises, is perhaps the fastest process by which one gets employed
and gives employment to other unemployed youth.
This model has been found to be appropriate for developing countries.
The model has also been applied for patenting by NSIC. The patent application
has already been published by the Patent Office Journal on 8th July, 2011.
Objective
· Self-employment generation among
aspiring start-up entrepreneurs.
· Accelerate creation of new
enterprises.
· Extend integrated support by way of
providing hands-on training on working projects.
· To boost the development of small
enterprises in manufacturing sector.
Methodology
The selected candidates are put through a
comprehensive training programme of 12 weeks’ duration (part-time) covering the
following:
· Classroom
training on entrepreneurship skill development
· Hands on
practical training on live manufacturing projects
· Guidance for
project report preparation
· Guidance on
preparation of fund proposal to banks
· Support services
to start business
Programme Deliverables
I) Counseling (One Week)
Counseling is a process of
selection of candidates. The success of any enterprise establishment programme largely depends on the selection of
right participants having enough potential to start their enterprise after the
trainingprogramme. For selection of prospective
entrepreneurs, the information can be disseminated to people of identified town/village
by way of any local media i.e. newspapers, pamphlets, awareness meetings and /
or through professional and academic institutions. Therefore, the broad
guidelines for selection of the potential candidates are:-
The candidates
should have adequate space to establish the enterprise, ability to provide
margin money and possess basic entrepreneurial traits.
Minimum
qualification: The candidate should have attended at least 10 years of
schooling.
Preference to be
extended to those with higher qualification particularly having some knowledge
/ technical background in industry/business.
II) Entrepreneurship
Orientation (Two Weeks)
During this period, the trainees are
imparted knowledge on business process, entrepreneurship quality and
motivation, business law, accounting procedure etc. The course content for the
training covers the following:
Definition of business
and kinds of businesses.
Local
conditions for setting up small enterprises such as availability of raw
material, skills available, demand for various products and services,
availability of infrastructure and logistics including transportation
etc.
Entrepreneurial
quality and motivation
Product
selection and opportunity guidance
Business
laws
General
banking
Basic
book keeping and accounting
Working
capital management
Product
costing and pricing
Role
of banks
Role
of government institutions and other promotional agencies
Procedures
for the setting up of enterprise
Approvals
needed for setting up new enterprises
Guidance for the preparation of
project/profile report
III) Hands on Training on machines in ICSEE (Four Weeks)
After completion of entrepreneurship
orientation programme,
each trainee would select one project of his/her interest which is intended to
be established by the respective trainee. Hands-on training is provided on the
selected machine / project as detailed below:
Hands-on
working on selected project to gain detailed knowledge about operating the
machines.
Acquiring
technical knowledge about the machines installed.
Raw material availability and its
consumption plan.
Understanding the production process.
Understanding the quality control process
of the finished products.
Understanding
packaging of the finished product.
Understanding
basic maintenance needs of the machines.
Understanding
preventive measures to be taken.
IV)
Market Survey (1 Week)
Visit to markets for raw materials and
finish products.
Study the availability and quality of raw
materials.
Hold discussions with bulk buyers and other purchasers.
Understanding competition in the market.
Understanding price and demand of the
product in the market.
Study the established market for finished product.
Make a market survey report.
V)
Project Report Preparation (1 Week)
During
this week, the trainees prepare the project report, which should contain the
following:
Market
survey
Details of the project
Details of the plant, machineries and other fixed assets
Fixed capital
Working capital (Raw material cost,
salary and wages, utility and overheads)
Breakeven point
Cost of the project
Sources of finance
Profit and loss statement
Cash flow statement
Projected balance sheet for the next five years
Re-payment of loan statement
VI) Formal
approvals and registrations (1 Week)
To
establish the project, identification of various approvals needed such as
pollution control, special clearances in case of food products, quality control
or any other approvals etc. wherever applicable.
To discuss with the authorities concerned.
Form-filling and submission of application.
Follow up for approvals.
Submission of application and follow-up with the bank for credit
availability.
VII)
Monitoring and follow-up
The graduated trainees are
monitored continuously. A candidate-wise report is maintained and updated on
monthly basis.
Uniqueness of the Rapid Incubation Model
The Rapid Incubation Programme provides on-the-job
training to prospective entrepreneurs. The programme has been developed to
include classroom and practical hands-on training on working projects installed
in the incubator. NSIC also facilitates in machinery / credit sourcing for
trainees in the post-training phase. As a part of the post-training support,
assistance is also provided to candidates in procurement of equipment and
machinery for selected projects and installation and commissioning of projects.
Online placement assistance is also provided to candidates seeking job
opportunities.
The unique features of the Rapid Incubation Programme
are:
Contribution to local economic development
Reducing unemployment
Low investment per employment generated as
compared to investment in employment generation in large industries.
Assist in import substitution in least
developed countries
Open to all irrespective of age and
gender.
Provides actual business environment for
trainees without incurring any capital expenditure.
Transformation of unemployed person into a
budding entrepreneur in just three months.
Training and support services under one
roof.
Creation of a large number of enterprises
in a short span of time.
Cost effective method for establishment of
new enterprises.
Quotable Quote-Message of the Day
Keep a tight security on your mind, so that only positive thoughts are allowed to enter & only words of wisdom are allowed to exit
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Free Essays for Competitive Exams-Nursing Sick Units Back to Health
Nursing
Sick Units Back to Health
Once blue chip Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) like BSNL, Air India, Hindustan Cables Ltd andFertiliser Corporation
of India today stand testimony as to how not changing with the changing times
and technology could change their fate and turn them into sick units.
However,
there has been always a silver lining in this regard as the government has been
relentlessly making efforts to revive maximum number of sick public sector
units (PSUs) to take the country's growth engine
forward. This was possible with the help of revival packages provided by the
government to these units.
With this aim, the Government set up
the Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises (BRPSE) in December
2004 to advise the government, inter-alia, on the
measures to restructure/revive, both industrial and non-industrial CPSEs.
Since then cases of around 67 sick CPSEs have been referred to BRPSE up to
October 2012, out of which the Board has made recommendations in respect of 62
cases, while returning five cases to the concerned ministries for further
examination.
No
wonder, there has been significant improvement in the overall condition of
these enterprises since 2004. In comparison to 90 sick CPSEs in March 2005, there were 66 sick PSUs in March 2012. As per the BRPSE
recommendations, of these cases, 45 were accepted for revival by the Government.
Most
of the remaining cases are awaiting nod for revival while in case of 45 cases accepted for revival, 14 have
already turned around including Bharat Pumps
and Compressors, Cement Corporation of India
The
companies for which revival packages have been approved include Hindustan
Shipyard, HMT and Scooters India.
As the CPSEs operate under dynamic market
conditions, it is quite natural to see ups and downs in their performance.
As far as the reasons for losses and
sickness in CPSEs are concerned it varies from
enterprise-to-enterprise. While in some cases, the cause is historical. In case
of textile companies which were taken over from private sector on
socio-economic considerations could not be modernised quickly.
Likewise
other enterprises in the engineering and refractories sector
too failed to modernise.
Still others like some consumer goods companies and the new ones, turned sick
over the years on account of inadequate job orders, high man-power cost, lack
of finance, technological obsolescence, high input costs and competition from
cheap imports.
In
addition, other problems common to most sick and loss-making PSUs have been poor debt-equity structure,
weak marketing strategies and slow decision-making
process.
As one such policy initiative,
the Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provision) Act, 1985 (SICA) brought the CPSEs under its purview in 1991 (made
effective from 1992). Under the provisions of the SICA,CPSEs with at least five years of
registration whose accumulated losses are equal to or have exceeded their net
worth may be referred to the BIFR. During the last twenty years -- between 1992
and 2011, 63 CPSEs have been referred to
BIFR.
The
government has made several attempts to overcome "sickness" in these CPSEs through various policy initiatives.
The
strategies for revival/restructuring of sick CPSEs include
financial restructuring involving investment by the government in the form of equity
participation, loans, waiver of debt etc and business restructuring which
includes change of management, hiving off viable units from CPSEs for formation of separate company and
closure of unviable units, besides formation of joint ventures.
The
other strategies include manpower rationalisation by
shedding excess manpower and introduction of voluntary retirement schemes.
The contribution of each and every
company is significant as CPSEs are
considered as the backbone of the economy and are equal partners in the nation
building.
As
on March 31, 2012, there were 260 CPSEs in the
country. These companies contributed Rs 1.6 lakhcrore to the central exchequer by way of
taxes, duties, interest on loans and dividend, amounting to 21.4 per cent of
government's revenue receipts.
Free Essays for Competitive Exams-Competition Commission of India - 4 Years of Enforcement of Competition Law
Competition Commission
of India
Free and fair competition is one of the
pillars of an efficient market economy. Competition
has become a driving force in the global economy. May 19, 2009 changed the
paradigm of doing business in India
Evolution of Competition
Law in India
Developments Over the
Past 4 Years
Since
the notification of provisions of sections 3 and 4 relating to anti-competitive
agreements and abuse of dominance in May 2009, CCI has received more than 350
matters and passed final orders in more than 260 cases. The forms of
enforcement include a wide range of anti-competitive issues like cartels, bid
rigging, abuse of dominance, after markets etc.
Under
Sections 5 & 6 of the Competition Act, more than 120 notices have been
received and disposal rate has been more than 95%. All
the notices were cleared within the self-imposed limit of 30 days wherein the
Law allows a period of upto 210 days for clearing the notices.
Major Sectors Covered under Various
Orders of CCI
The sectors that have been covered are as diverse as
infrastructure, finance, entertainment, IT, telecom, civil aviation, energy,
insurance, travel, automobile manufacturing, real estate and pharmaceuticals
etc.
Cement is a
crucial input in construction industry vital for economic development of the
country. CCI imposed a penalty of approx. Rs.6700 crore on eleven cement
manufacturers and their trade association for behaving like a cartel.
The cement manufacturers and their trade association
have subsequently preferred an appeal before the COMPAT. Even
while the hearing continues in the case, COMPAT has directed the cement
companies to deposit 10% of the penalty imposed by CCI. This
is a significant development in the process of enforcement of Competition law
in the country.
Earlier,
in another case with major ramifications for consumers, the Commission had imposed a penalty of
approx. Rs. 630 crore on DLF, a major real estate player. It was found that it
had abused its dominant position by imposing arbitrary and unreasonable
conditions on the apartment owners. Subsequently, CCI issued an order modifying
the terms and conditions of the agreement signed by the companies with its
investors to ensure that the terms and conditions between the buyer and seller
were fair and transparent. This order may well become the harbinger of change
in the real estate sector for the benefit of consumers.
Suo Moto Actions
The CCI not only
hears and investigates cases based on the information received by it, but it
also takes suo moto action wherever it finds that a prima facie violation of
Competition Act has been committed.
In 2011, the Commission had taken
suo-moto cognizance of the reported manipulation of the bids by manufacturers
of LPG cylinders for supplying cylinders to the Indian Oil Corporation. A
penalty of more than Rs.187crore was imposed on parties to the bid rigging.
Many more such
notices have been sent by CCI in the Petroleum sector, Agricuture sector etc.
taking cognisance suo-moto.
Role of Trade Associations
An area of focus which suggested itself based on matters which
were enforced is the role of trade associations. CCI’s experience in handling
cases of anti-competitive agreements suggest that the trade associations can
also, either due to ignorance or deliberately, get involved in acts of
commission or omission which can fall foul of various economic legislations.
Competition law treats the activities of trade associations
much like any other form of cooperation between competitors. For competition
law purposes, decisions or recommendations of trade associations are treated as
agreements between its members and law may be breached even when they are not
binding on the members.
The very first case investigated by CCI related to actions
of a trade association. CCI imposed a nominal penalty of Rs. 1 lakh each on 27 film
producers on charges of colluding through an association to exploit multiplex
owners.
There have been number of cases involving the associations
in the Pharmaceutical sector/Film production etc where CCI has passed orders
against the associations and asked them to “cease and desist” from activities
that may be anti-competitive in nature.
Public Procurement and Competition Law
Another issue which has been of paramount concern to CCI has
been the dimension of public procurement. Public procurement is a contentious
issue vis-Ã -vis application of competition law due to a number of factors.
Competition Act does not make a distinction between a public and private
enterprise. As such, public enterprises, which are generally the big procurers,
are subject to competition assessment.
In recent months, the Commission has
decided a number of matters, including cartelization in government contracts.
Penalties have been imposed on firms to discourage the anti-competitive
practices and abuse of dominance. Wherever, after inquiry, it has been found
that competition could be enhanced if certain policies of government were
modified, the Commission has suggested changes in such policies.
Orders have been
passed in more than 21 cases wherein SOEs and Government Departments were a
party. Some of these include Oil Companies, Railways etc.
CCI has been
taking up the issue with the public procurement agencies and has had number of
interactions with the nodal officers of more than 50 Ministries/ Departments to
ensure that the practices followed in the public procurement are in compliance
with the letter and spirit of the Competition Act.
Four years is a very small period to judge the effectiveness
of a new legislation. However,
as the developments of the past four years suggest, Competition Commission of
India is set to change the rules of the game and play the role of a watchdog to
check anti-competitive practices in the market. The Competition Act and the
culture of competition are slowly but definitely finding their feet in India
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