Author: divyakumari1221

CASHLESS ECONOMY : BOON and BANE?

Because of the technology innovations, the whole world is going digital in almost every sector. Unlike India, other countries are on a way on becoming a fully cashless economy. Now, the government of India is also emphasizing on going cashless. After the demonetization, the government is urging the citizens to lessen the use of cash and to use debit cards, credit cards, e payment apps instead. The use of e payment applications such as Paytm, Phonepe, Amazon pay and Yono has increased rapidly, specially after the demonetization. Cashless Economy has its own advantages- Easier to budget, making losing money more difficult, easier to keep on top of where money has gone, stop the spread of germs and many more,

During the pre-demonetization, the cash to GDP ratio in the country was between 12-13% of the GDP which fell to 7.3% during the demonetization. It was less than that of US where cash GDP is at 7.8%. As India moves towards a cashless economy, following advantages are expected to occur :

*The electronic payment will help the entrepreneur to increase their customer base and breach the geographical limitations. *Increasing share of cashless will improve government revenue as online transaction lead a trail of events which can be traced to find out tax evasion if any. *Since the cashless transactions are more visible, it will help in curbing the clack money. *Being cashless also inculcates budget discipline. *One can trace the funding of terror activities as online transactions leave a trail.

However, being cashless has its share of disadvantages too :

*The biggest fear is the risk of identity theft. One can also become a victim of phishing trap. *In case of loss or theft of card, getting another card is time consuming process. *Since mobile phone had become an important element of cashless economy, loss of phone may become a double whammy as many financial details can be retrieved from it. *If we take into account the proportion of non-tech-savvy population, the practical implementation of cashless economy will take enormous efforts.

Despite its drawbacks, the cashless system is indeed an improvement over the traditional cash based system. However, none of the advanced economy has fully replaced the cash as it is practically not possible but reducing the amount of cash and increasing the cashless transactions will definitely improve the business transparency.

HOW PARLE- G BECAME THE LARGEST SELLING BISCUIT BRAND IN THE WORLD!

I’m sure you all know and Parle-G, a biscuit which we all are eating since our childhood. Parle-G is a brand of biscuits manufactured by parle products in India, and it has been in the market for decades. We all have some great memories with Parle -G. It can also be the ” National biscuit” of India, as your status doesn’t matter to buy this biscuit, no matter you are rich or poor- everyone can afford it. Parle-G came into existence in 1939 and today, it is a household name when it comes to biscuits. It is consumed by all age groups and is not only one of the largest selling brand but alos one of the most trusted brand too. This may come as a suprise to many but India is the world’s leading market for biscuits, leaving behind countries such as- The US, Mexico, China, Italy and Spain. During the lockdown when all the economies in the world were struggling to sustain, Parle-G records best sales in the meantime.

The reason why Parle-G has made its way into so many home is because of its diverse way of consumption. many people view biscuits as snacks or teatime food, but Parle-G has changed its perception. Today, Parley-g is not just seen as an accompaniment for tea but as a substitute of meals. This is especially beneficial for countries like India where malnutrition is rampant. So, when poor people are unable to afford meals, they can consume a few biscuits and they will get the required nutrients for the day-one pack of Parle-G biscuits offers 450 calories. In addition Parle-G can be consumed by the diabetics too. So, Parle-G can be consumed by anyone. Apart from providing the necessary nutrients, it is value of money. Parle-G biscuits are sold in various packs ranging from RS 1 to RS 50, making it affordable for masses.

Today Parle-G is exported to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, The US, Europe, and Africa. Two brands that are strong competitors of Parle-G are Britannia tiger and ITC’S Sunfeast Glucose. Parle -G is a biscuit brand that only satisfies one’s hunger and tantalizes the taste buds but it also looks into the welfare of the community.

SOCIAL MEDIA: A BLESSING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

You may have read thousands of articles about the pitfalls of using Social media. These articles tells us social media kills our creativity, increase the chances of plagiarism, needs to have a strong internet connection 24/7, can affect our eyesight badly and many more. No doubt these points are true and we need to focus to make the use of internet beneficial in all aspects, but Social media can work as a boon for your business.I read a saying which goes like,”The ROI of social media is that your business will still exist in 5 years” , this itself is enough to tell us the significance of social media for your business. Gone are the days when business just meant doing and promoting things offline, now through the help of various social media platforms you can extend the reach of your product. Here is a list about how the social media can help your business miraculously :

LARGE AUDIENCE CONNECTIVITY – Internet is a platform which can help to increase the headcount of your business. It works as a common link between customers and the organization. Its an extraordinary open door for your business to arrive at an enormous pool of individuals that are keen on your items.

HELPS TO CREATE AUTHENTIC CONTENT – The capacity to post natural substance for nothing is an inconceivable advantage for based life for business. This opens numerous open door for your organization to associate with important leads at no expense.

BRAND CREATION – One bit of leeway of web based life advertising is the capacity to manufacture your image.At the point where you interface with intrigued drives, you open them to your image. This constructs brand faithfulness. The more individuals get presented to your image, the more they become acquainted with it.

YOU CAN EVALUATE YOUR PERFORMANCE – Internet based life stages make it simple for you to follow your battle to check whether you are driving significant outcomes. You can decide what number of individuals see your posts, remark, similar to offer, and the sky is limit there. At the point when you can assess your online life system’s exhibition, you can streamline it and improve it to drive better outcomes.

YOU CAN UNCOVER VALUABLE INSIGHTS – You can likewise utilize online life to increase significant data about your clients that will assist you with settling on more brilliant business choices. For example, social listening enables you to find how individuals feel about your organization and brand.

BURSTING SOME MYTHS ABOUT CORONA VIRUS

The global Corona Virus pandemic has taken many lives till now. People were not familiar about this deadly virus before the outbreak and are still confused about many things related to it. The increasing concerns of the people are also because of the myths and rumors which are being spread through various social media platforms. There are so many news and information about the prevention, and spreading of this virus , that people can’t decide what to believe. In this article I will be clearing some really popular myths about Corona virus which are currently the talk of the town.

5G MOBILE NETWORK SPREAD COVID-19 – This is a myth. The virus cannot travel on radio waves/mobile networks. Covid-19 is spreading in many countries which don’t have the facility of 5G mobile networks.

ONLY OLD PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY CORONA VIRUS – Although the ratio of old people getting infected by the virus is pretty higher but that doesn’t mean that the children and adults are completely safe. The reason of the higher percentage of old people getting affected is due to their weak immune system. People with pre-existing diabetes, kidney disease and heart condition are also at a higher risk of getting infected.

CORONA VIRUS DECREASES IN SUMMER SEASON – Although the previous corona virus- SARS and MERS , survived better in cold environments, there is no guarantee that the same will be true for Covid-19. From the evidence so far, this virus can be transmitted in all areas, including area with hot and humid weather.

EATING MEAT CAN CAUSE CORONA VIRUS – The virus doesn’t spread through meat- chicken, mutton or fish, and avoiding it doesn’t mean you will be safe.

SPRAYING ALCOHOL OR CHLORINE ALL OVER YOUR BODY CAN PREVENT YOU FROM CORONA VIRUS – Spraying alcohol or chlorine all over your body will not kill virus that have already entered your body. They are useful for disinfected surfaces when used under appropriate recommendations.

EATING GARLIC WILL PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING INFECTED – Because of the antimicrobial properties of garlic, people think it also prevent the corona virus.But the WHO has already cleared that there are no evidence that garlic can help us in preventing from corona virus too.

DOGS CAN CAUSE CORONA VIRUS – This myth started when the news of a dog getting infected from corona virus in Hong Kong was found. But later it was cleared that the dog owner was infected with the virus, and when tested, the virus was found in the dog’s canine.

VITAMIN C HELPS CURE THE INFECTION – Vitamin C was believed to have some healing benefits in the SARS outbreak. Besides, while vitamin C supplements may help boost your immune system, there is yet no evidence that it might help people fight off the new corona virus.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CHAPTERS DELETED BY CBSE

On 7 July, the HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced a major 30% reduction in the CBSE syllabus. A slight reduction in the syllabus was done in April 2020 too, but as the lockdown is extend and the Covid-19 pandemic is getting worse, the studies are getting affected and now a bigger reduction is finalized. CBSE states that “although the syllabus has been reduced, but care has been taken so that the learning outcomes remains the same”. CBSE also stated in its notification ,” though 30% syllabus has been reduced from the new academic year, teachers should ensure that the students understand these topics so that they can use the information in connection with other topics”. There’s no doubt the reduction of syllabus is a welcome move, but the actual thing here is that whether the chapters which have been eliminated by CBSE were really not that important? I personally think some of the chapters which CBSE eliminated were of great worth and shouldn’t have been eliminated.The list of some of those chapters and their importance are listed below:

DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS(9th Std.) – This particular chapter talks about all the Democratic and Fundamental rights of an Indian Citizen. It explains how a democratic government has to be periodically elected by the people in free and fair manner. These Fundamentals and Democratic rights should be know by every citizen so that it can be utilized when required. The students could had learned about the basic rights , such as Right to Freedom, Right to Equality, Right against exploitation and many more along with their significance.

CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN(9th Std.) – India is a democratic country and there are certain rules and regulations which the citizen and the government must follow, all these rules are together called Constitution. This chapter is about this only. This chapter discusses the need to have a constitution, the making of the Indian Constitution and the guiding values of the Indian Constitution. Every Indian should know how our country’s constitution is being made and what all it consists.

DEMOCRACY AND DIVERSITY(10th Std.) – India being a democratic and diversified country itself makes this chapter more powerful.This chapter teaches that the existence of social diversity does not threaten democracy. The political expression of social differences is possible and sometimes quite desirable in a democratic system.

GENDER, RELIGION AND CASTE(10th Std.) – India is a secular country where every citizen has the freedom to choose their religion. No one can be discriminated on the basis of their caste and religion. This chapter talks about the religion differences , caste inequalities, communalisim, women’s political representation etc. I personally think this chapter is very important, as children are the future of our country and we would definitely not want if someone will suffer due to their caste or religion in the future.

MONEY AND BANKING (12th Std.)– This chapter of economics talks about the money operations which are operated by the RBI and the central government. Children learn about the functioning of Cash Reserve Ratio(CRR), Statutory Liquidity Ratio(SLR), Repo and Reverse repo rate and the control of credit through bank rate. According to me this particular chapter is very beneficial to know more about how our cash related operations are handled by the RBI and government.

STORY BEHIND THE EMERGENCE OF NOBEL PRIZE

The Nobel prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards all over the world given to individuals who perform magnificent in the field of Physics, Chemistry, Literature, physiology, peace and Economics. The Nobel prizes, instituted 1901, are bestowed annually by the Scandinavian Committees(Denmark, Norway, Sweden, usually Finland and Island)in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The Peace price is awarded in Oslo, Norway, while the other prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. Each Nobel prize is regarded as the most prestigious award in its respective field and is administrative by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.

The story behind the establishment of Nobel prize is also spellbinding. The man behind the foundation of the Nobel Prize is Alfred Bernard Nobel, a Swedish scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, author and pacifist. The foundations for the prize were laid in 1895 when Nobel wrote his last will, leaving much of his wealth to the establishment of the Nobel Prize. Noble amassed a vast fortune during his lifetime and most of his wealth came from his 355 inventions, of which dynamite is the most famous. In 1988, Nobel’s brother Ludvig died while visiting Cannes and a french newspaper erroneously published Nobel’s obituary. It condemned him for his invention of Dynamite and is said to have brought about his decision to leave a better legacy after his death. The obituary stated (“The merchant of death is dead”)and the headlines read, “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday”.Nobel was left shattered was heartbroken with what he read and thought how he would be remembered after his death. On November 27, 1895, at the Swedish- Norwegian Club in Paris, Nobel signed his last will and testament and set aside the bulk of his estate to establish The Nobel Prizes .On December 10, 1986, Nobel died in his villa in San Remo, Italy from acerebral haemorrhage at the age of 63. Nobel, in his will, stipulated that “no consideration be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be Scandinavian or not”. And so, six years later, in 1901, the first Nobel Prizes were awarded to 3 Germans, 2 Frenchmen and a Swiss. Professor Amartya sen(born 1998) was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics in 1998 for his work on welfare economics. He has made several contributions in to this field such as, such as to axiomatic theory of social choice; the definitions of welfare and poverty indexes ; and the empirical studies of famine. All are linked by his interest in distributional issues and particularly in those impoverished.

CAN INDIA SURPASS CHINA IN GROWTH?

The current relations of India and China are not hidden from anybody. It is very clear that both the countries are having disputes at the border. There was a fight between the soldiers of both the both the country and soldiers from both the nation lost their lives. The Indian government also banned 69 Chinese applications including Tiktok, Cam Scanner, ShareIt and many more, because of safety reasons. The demand of ban on Chinese products and making India self sufficient is rising more, after our lost their lives at the India-China border. But the actual question is , can India actually surpass China in growth? This seems to be a very a strenuous task , as the dominance of China over Indian market is not something which can be ignored.

The main reason behind the growth fatigue in China according to the Boston Consultancy Group (BCG) is that the cost of production in China is now the same as that in US. An increase in wages, shifting exchange rates and higher energy cost in the past 10 years resulted in manufacturing stress in China. On the contrary, labour cost is still much lower in India.However apart from the cost difference there are many more challenges which India need to tackle if it wants to exceed China. The first challenge for India is to create a friendly business environment. A culture of entrepreneurship needs to be developed. Secondly the Labour laws in India are very obsolete in nature, a big reform in the whole concept is required to usher the second generation reforms lead by the reforms in labour sector. The macro-economic stability is another thing which designs the path of the future growth of a country. The Chinese economy is controlled by government with exchange rates, interest rates etc. Although it may provide stability but also apply pressure on the controlling authorities. The Indian government needs to keep the financial rights by keeping a tab on inflation, exchange rate etc. The another factor which our government need to focus upon is the Investment on Human Resource. The number of unskilled labors in our country is quite high, whereas the it is never a problem for China because they have invested enough in their Human Resource.The Indian government should provide skills to its vast labour force. The last but not the least factor which I will be discussing here is sufficient energy. For a firm, continuous supply of power and electricity is must so that they can continue their production without any hindrance.

Thus, there is no doubt that exceeding China in terms of growth is an impossible task for India, but for this the government needs to lay down the platform for the economy to take off and address the aforesaid challenges.

RURAL VS URBAN INDIA

Our country is majorly divided into two, Rural and Urban India. This divide of society is based on the living standard of the people and not on caste, creed, religion or language. No doubt our government is emphasizing on Industrialization, infrastructure development and health care centers but rural areas were neglected most of the times and this led to a vast gap between the living standards of rural and urban India.Acute electricity supply, poor roads, poor transport service, poor infrastructure gives us a clear view about the rural India. Almost all the people of rural India are engaged in agricultural sector and this is the only source of income for the. On the other hand, Urban India has proper electricity supply, good roads , satisfying transport services and excellent infrastructure.Even the job opportunities in Urban areas are vast as compared to Rural areas. The people of rural India can only do wprk in their farms and field, it is not like they don’t want to do anything other than that but the thing is they don’t even have any job options which they can opt for. If their crop gets damaged due to any reason, they suffer huge loss. Rural people don’t even have access to the newly developed tools with the help of technology, they do all their field work without any modern tools.

As far as education is concerned rural India is still behind urban India. The children of rural areas have to walk miles to go the most nearest school, and even that school don’t provide any higher education. The school don’t even have enough staff and the infrastructure is not good too. On the other hand urban India is flooded with private and public schools. Students are provided with the best infrastructure and excellent qualified staff.In urban areas there are mainly three societies- poor, middle class and upper class. Most of the people are no one else but the people who have migrated from rural areas to urban areas in search of jobs. Most of these are unskilled labors and get very low wages even after their hardwork.

There is a vast gap between rural and urban India and it is challenge for the entire nation to fill it. Although various governments of India have been introducing many schemes and projects to develop the rural parts of the country but the condition is still the same. No one has been able to find the actual real solution for the development of rural areas but we can hope for the best .

THE IMPORTANCE AND ROLE OF ADVERTISING FOR A PRODUCT

“Creative without strategy is called art , creative with strategy is called advertising”. The quote mentioned above is enough to understand the value of advertising , i.e, Advertising is just an art if its done without any strategy and the correctly done advertising can do wonders to you and to your products.Advertising is any paid form of communication from an identified sponsor and source that draws attention to ideas, goods, services or to the sponsors itself. It is generally directed towards group rather than individuals and is mainly done through media TV, radio, newspapers and Internet. Advertising and Marketing are generally considered the same concept but they aren’t. Marketing is the process of preparing a product , keeping in mind the trends, expectations and demand of the customers whereas Advertising is the concept of making the product or service known to the audience.Marketing involves consumer behavior and market research and Advertising involves creative endeavors like design and multimedia production. The role of Advertsing is very crucial in the success of the product, it not only creates image of a product but also increase the reach too. The major roles of Advertsing are:

EDUCATING THE CUSTOMERS – Through advertising the company can guide the customers about how to use the product, about the handling operations and the Do’s and don’ts of a product.Sometimes the process of using a product can be quite complex, in those cases advertising proves to be a big help.

BRAND IMAGE – The image of a product plays a very prominent role in its success. Advertising helps the product in creating that image which creates name of that product among the customers.The content of the advertsing message, the nature and packaging of the products are some of the factors which help in creating an image for the product.

PERSUASION – There are hundreds of similar products available in the market, so the focus of the organization should not only be to advertise the product but also to persuade the customers to buy the same.Through the help of persuasive messages, the organizations give reasons to describe the superiority of their product as compared to the other similar products which are available in the market.

BRAND LOYALTY – Loyal customers is all an organization can wish for, as one loyal customer can increase the head count of a product by suggesting and recommending it to their friends.Sales promotion, personal selling are some of the elements which help in building brand loyalty.

EXPANSION OF MARKET – Advertising helps in expanding the business of an organization. The Advertisement of a product should be effective, which will create an impact on the customers. The product can expand from local to regional to national and then to an international level through correct advertising.

THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION: A civilization which was ahead of its time

The Indus Valley Civilization was a bronze age society extending from modern northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan to northwest India.The Indus valley civilization existed through its early years 3300-1300 BCE, and its mature period of 2600-1900 BCE. The civilization developed in three phases:Early Harappan Phase(3600BCE-2600BCE), Mature Harappan phase(2600BCE-1900BCE),and Late Harappan phase(1900BCE-1300BCE).At its peak, the Indus Valley Civilization may had a population of over five Million people.It is considered a Bronze Age Society, and inhabitants of the ancient Indus River Valley developed new techniques in metallurgy, the science of working with copper, bronze, lead and tin.They also performed intricate handicraft, especially using products made of the semi-precious gemstone carnelian, as well as seal carving, the cutting of patterns into the bottom face of the seal used for stamping. The Indus Valley Civilization was much ahead of its time in everything , their some of the technologies were even same which we use today. There are some interesting facts about Indus Valley Civilization which will make you thrilled and surprised at the same time.

1.THEY WERE AHEAD OF THEIR TIMES: The cities of Indus Valley Civilization were build very technically, especially Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. They were concerned about their health and that’s why they developed world’s first Sanitary system.Their sewage and drainage system back in the days were even way ahead of some of the contemporary urban cities in the middle east and way more efficient than the drainage system of most of the South Asia, including India and Pakistan.

2.THEY WERE THE FIRST TO INVENT BUTTONS AND STEP-WELL: They used buttons for ornaments, and they made it out of seashells. Some of the buttons were even carved into different geographical shapes, with a hole pierced in between so that they could attach a thread to it. There are pieces of evidence of step-well too, if we look at some sites in Mohanjo-Daro

3.THEY DEVELOPED PRECISE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE: The archaeologist who were studying the remains of of two men in Mehrgarh , Pakistan found that the people from the early Harappan period might have had the knowledge of Proto-Dentistry. The archaeologists found 11 drilled molar crowns of nine different adults, the remains of which is dated to be between 7500-9000 years old.

4.ONE OF THE MOST FLOURISHED CIVILIZATION: There was a population of around 5 Million people, and they were considered to be peace-loving people. The archaeologists never found any settlement with signs of warfare, murder or use of weaponry among more than 1050 sites they investigated.

5.THE GREAT BATH: Unlike other cultures where the biggest structures were monuments or temples, Indus Valley Civilization had a public bath in Mohanjo-Daro which was the largest structure and was named “The Great Bath”.It was 11m and 7m in an area with a depth of 2.5m. There were two wide staircases that served as an entrance to the pool.

All these facts were quite quite intersting and cool, but the main topic on which the archaeologists are still doing the research is that how did the Indus Valley Civilization collapsed? The cause of decline is still a mystery. Some theories states that their lack of military strategies worked against them and Aryans from Indo-European tribe from Central Asia invaded them. Some suggests that it could have been caused by a large scale drought, and perhaps a decline thereafter with Egypt and Mesopotamia. Another theory states that there could have been a massive earthquake that changed the course of a river and thus changing their course of living and forcing them to migrate else where.