International Tiger Day : Act Now!

 

The lion may be the king of the jungle, but it's the tiger that holds mystique and charisma. International Tiger Day is held annually on July 29 to give worldwide attention to the awareness for tiger conservation. It is both an awareness day and a celebration day. It was founded at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010. This was done because at that moment wild tigers were too close to extinction. The goal of Global Tiger Day is to promote the protection and expansion of the wide tiger habitats and to gain support through awareness for tiger conservation. The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues. The survival of these majestic beasts is in danger. Tigers are the biggest in the cat family.  Today, there are only 3,200 tigers living in the world globally; and very recently it was announced that there are only 100 tigers left in Bangladesh's largest mangrove forest. People and tigers are competing for space. The conflict threatens the world’s remaining wild tigers and poses a major problem for communities living in or near tiger forests. As forests shrink and prey gets scarce, tigers are forced to hunt domestic livestock, which many local communities depend on for their livelihood. The number of tigers is dwindling by the day and if we do not put in effort to save them, the coming generations would only know them through pictures and descriptions.

Biography Dr. APJ ABDUL KALAM by Mallika Sarabhai

Missile Man : Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam

APJ Abdul Kalam

We are deeply saddened at the sudden demise of our former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Kalam suffered a massive cardiac arrest during the lecture at IIM, Shillong on Monday. He was delivering a lecture on ‘Liveable Planet’. Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam rose from humble origin to become the President. Dr Kalam was born in Rameswaram on October 15, 1931, to a humble family. He was a bright student, his interest in flying led to a degree in aeronautical engineering. He came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. Dr Kalam was also part of the INCOSPAR committee working under Vikram Sarabhai, the renowned space scientist. In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he was the project director of India's first Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the Rohini satellite in near-earth orbit in July 1980.  Dr Kalam first started work on an expandable rocket project independently at DRDO in 1965. Kalam served as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of the Defence Research and Development Organization from July 1992 to December 1999. The Pokhran-II nuclear tests were conducted during this period in which he played an intensive political and technological role. Media coverage of Dr Kalam during this period made him the country's best known nuclear scientist. Dr Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator, along with Rajagopala Chidambaram, during the testing phase. Dr Kalam spent four decades as a scientist and science administrator at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).Dr Kalam served as the 11th President of India, succeeding K. R. Narayanan.  During his term as president from 2002 to 2007, he was affectionately known as the People's President. In September 2003 Dr Kalam supported the need of Uniform Civil Code in India, keeping in view the population of the country. Kalam became a visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and the Indian Institute of Management Indore, an honorary fellow of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University and an adjunct at many other academic and research institutions across India. He taught information technology at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad and technology at Banaras Hindu University and Anna University. In May 2012, Kalam launched a programme for the youth of India called the What Can I Give Movement, with a central theme of defeating corruption. He wrote many books. The best seller was Wings of Fire: An Autobiography by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. Dr Kalam was conferred with Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, in 1997 for his immense and valuable contribution to country's scientific research and modernization of defence technology. Kalam was the third President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna. He was also awarded the Padma Bhushan. Dr A.P.J. Kalam remained unmarried throughout his life. Dr Kalam will be long remembered for his passion, science and innovation and his contributions which  have enabled scientists, educationists and writers. With a heavy heart we pay our respectful and deep homage to our great Scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Kargil Vijay Diwas : A Salute to our war heroes

KARGIL DIVAS

Today, on 26th of July, we are celebrating Kargil Divas. On this 15th anniversary let’s pay our homage to all those brave soldiers who fought for our country.  It is also a moment full of pride and pain for all the Indian soldiers as they fought bravely and laid down their lives to safeguard our motherland in 1999. On this day we are here to discuss the war with its causes and consequences.  The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict was an armed conflict between India and Pakistan that took place between May and July 1999 in the Kargil district of Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LOC). In India, the conflict is also referred to as Operation Vijay which was the name of the Indian operation to clear the Kargil sector. Kargil was an international armed conflict more than a war.

The cause of the war was the infiltration of Pakistani soldiers and Kashmiri militants into positions on the Indian side of the LOC, which serves as the de facto border between the two states. During the initial stages of the war, Pakistan blamed the fighting entirely on independent Kashmiri insurgents, but documents left behind by casualties and later statements by Pakistan's Prime Minister and Chief of Army Staff showed involvement of Pakistani paramilitary forces led by General Ashraf Rashid.  The Indian Army, later on supported by the Indian Air Force, recaptured a majority of the positions on the Indian side of the LOC infiltrated by the Pakistani troops and militants. With international diplomatic opposition, the Pakistani forces withdrew from the remaining Indian positions along the LOC. Pakistan was criticized by other countries for instigating the war, as its paramilitary forces and insurgents crossed the Line of Control. The Pakistan army had initially denied the involvement of its troops in the intrusion; two soldiers were awarded the Nishan-E-Haider (Pakistan's highest military award). Kargil War memorial, built by the Indian Army, is located in Dras, in the foothills of the Tololing Hill. The memorial, located about 5 km from the city centre across the Tiger Hill, commemorates the martyrs of the Kargil War. The special thing about the War memorial is that it has been built on the theme of the India Gate.
The names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the War are inscribed on the Memorial Wall and can be read by visitors. On July 4 1999, India recaptured Tiger Hill after an 11-hour long battle. On July 5, the then Prime minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif ordered withdrawal of Pakistani Army from Kargil following the meeting with the former US president Bill Clinton. The then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee declared Operation Vijay (Kargil War) a success. On July 26, Kargil War officially came to an end as the Indian Army announced complete eviction of Pakistani intruders.
 Kargil Vijay Diwas is named after the success of Operation Vijay and is annually observed on 26th July. On July 26, 1999, the brave Indian Army had hoisted the Indian flag at the Tiger Hills and India had successfully taken command of the high outposts which had been lost to Pakistani intruders.  We pay our respects to all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for our betterment. We pay our deep condolences to all the Martyrs of the war. We are proud of our brave soldiers.

JAI HIND

Indian Flag's 68th Anniversary

Today we are celebrating 68^th anniversary of our National Flag.The tricolour was adopted as India's national flag on July 22, 1947.  The Indian National Flag symbolises national pride and is one of the most respectable national symbols. It is popularly known as Tiranga which means "three colours". It represents India's long struggle for freedom and is a national treasure. It signifies the status of India as an independent republic. It was designed by PINGALI VENKAYYA. It is horizontal tricolour, in equal proportion of deep saffron at the top, white in the middle and green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is 2:3. At the center of the white band, is a wheel with 24 spokes in navy blue colour that indicates the Dharma Chakra (the wheel of law). It was taken from the Lion capital of Ashoka. The Lion capital of Ashoka is a sculpture of four "Indian lions" standing back to back that was originally placed atop the Aśhoka pillar at Sarnath by Emperor Ashoka.

The three colours signify :

Saffron stands for renunciation, disinterestedness, courage and sacrifice

White symbolizes truth, peace and purity 

Green represents prosperity, vibrance and life.

The Ashok Chakra (wheel) represents the righteousness, progress and perpetuity. The 24 spokes of the wheel represents the 24 hours of a  day .

Certain Code of Conduct are to be followed for the national flag:

· When the National Flag is raised the saffron colour band should be at the top.

· No flag or emblem should be placed either above the National Flag or to its right.

· All other flags to be placed to the left of the National Flag if they are hung in a line.

· When the National Flag is carried out in a procession or parade, it shall be on the marching right or in front of the center of the line, if there is a line of other flags.

· Normally the National Flag should be flown over important government buildings like the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Parliament House, the Supreme Court of India, the High Courts, the Secretariats, the Commissioners' office etc.

· The National Flag or any imitation of it must not be used for purpose of trade, business, or profession.

· The National Flag should always be taken down in the evening at sunset

The late Prime Minister Pandit  Jawaharlal Nehru called it "a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people."

GREEN INDIA

Today as we are progressing towards a better tomorrow. It becomes very essential to have a brief discussion on the topic Clean India Green India. There are many steps taken by the government to make India a Clean And Green Country.The National Mission for Green India (GIM) is one of the eight Missions outlined under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Green India Mission is another complementary National Mission Programmes and schemes for better coordination in developing forests and their fringe areas in a holistic and sustainable manner. NAPCC aims at protecting; restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest by the combination of adaptation and mitigation measures.India ranks sixth in terms of carbon emission in the world. Given that it is still a rapidly developing nation, it's unlikely that it will be able to cut down its emissions very sharply in the medium term.

Green India mission has issued the Convergence Guidelines of GIM with MNREGS to finalize convergence guidelines with other complimentary schemes. Many reforms have to take place in all three segments of the power sector: generation, transmission and distribution. The present form can be changed to urbanisation by Building good public transport systems and encouraging carbon-free modes of movement such as walking and cycling and building offices near people's homes. The government needs to encourage public-private partnerships more aggressively.The government also needs to facilitate more investments for promoting education and skills in clean technology and power generation in India.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In recent years, "entrepreneurship" has been extended from its origin for-profit in the business world. The word “entrepreneur” means ‘to undertake’. This refers to those who “undertake” the risk of new enterprises. An enterprise is created by an entrepreneur. The process of creation is called “entrepreneurship”. Entrepreneurship is a process of actions of an entrepreneur who is a person always in search of something new and exploits such ideas into gainful opportunities by accepting the risk and uncertainty with the enterprise. The entrepreneur develops a business plan, acquires the human and other required resources, and is fully responsible for its success or failure. He is willing to take risk and exercise initiative, taking advantage of market opportunities by planning, organizing, and employing resources, often by innovating new or improving existing products. Entrepreneur is a multi-tasking capitalist. An entrepreneur is a person always in search of something new and exploits such ideas into gainful opportunities by accepting the risk and uncertainty with the enterprise. The essence of entrepreneurship is the ‘willingness to assume risk’ arising out of the creation and implementation of new ideas. An entrepreneur studies a problem, identifies its alternatives, compares the alternatives in terms of cost and benefits implications, and finally chooses the best alternative. This is done by an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur finalizes an idea only after considering a variety of options, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses by applying analytical techniques, testing their applicability, supplementing them with empirical findings, and then choosing the best alternative. Entrepreneurship is Economic, Creative purposeful, innovative activity. The role Entrepreneur is increasing day by day. He has become a heart and soul for the successful running of the business enterprise.