NSDC, Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages signs MoU for Skill Development

National Skill Development Corporation signed a MoU with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd, to involve corporate India in the National Skills Agenda. - Mr. Dilip Chenoy, MD & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation and Ms. Shukla Wassan, Executive Director, Legal & Company Secretary, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. Signed the MOU for a period of five years.

The project will operate under two models:

COMMUNITY SKILL BUILDING which will impart skill based training for enhancing self-employability and entrepreneurship among youth in the areas of Carpentry, Mobile Repairing, Tailoring, Horticulture, Beauty Services, Cutting/Tailoring, Construction, Electrician, etc based on Skill gaps and youth aspirations in addition to Digital literacy, IT and Personality development courses.

PRAGATI which will enable in economic empowerment of approximately 15000 women and create earning opportunities for them through training in retail programs. PRAGATI will focus on implementing customized programs to help prospective women entrepreneurs across all targeted areas such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Bihar, North East, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh etc.

Vedanta - Act, Minus Motives

ALOK CHOPRA





Despite the many achievements in various fields today , peace and happiness continue to elude mankind. We have started relying more and more on external factors to solve our internal problems. If a person wants to be peaceful and happy , he must uplift himself.Which, in turn, comes with the right value systems she incorporates within herself, enabling her to relate positively with the rest of the world.

To remain active is one of the basic values a person must inculcate within herself. Activity is the insignia of life. Those who give in to inertia, vegetate and, ultimately , lead themselves to destruction. But actions undertaken with selfish motives become monoto nous and cau se fatigue.

True happi ness does not lie in results achieved but in the per formance of actions that ought to be done. “Why have motives?“ asked Swami Rama Tirtha, when action itself is most enriching, rewarding and ennobling.

Action burdened by the craving of fruits loses its effectiveness. A batsman obsessed with achieving a century is likely to make a series of mistakes that prevent him from realising his goal. The right approach is to concentrate on the action and dismiss the thought of the result from the mind.Then actions lead to success and ensure the peace of mind.A values-conscious person maintains an inner cheer. As Oliver Wendell Holmes said of such a person in his poem, `The Old Player', “For him in vain the envious seasons roll who bears eternal summer in his soul.“

the speaking tree - Trying Hard To Attain Psychic Balance

Shri Shri Anandamurti





Abhyasa is the creation of a particular continuous psychic vibration. It is the most essential factor in the spiritual sphere. The continuous endeavour to maintain the state of equilibrium of chitta leads to the attainment of samadhi. When one is attracted by an object one runs after it, and when one feels repulsion for an object, one runs away from it. Unless attraction and repulsion are both transcended, the mind can never attain a state of equilibrium.Mental equilibrium only becomes possible when one makes a constant endeavour to attain psychic balance. If ever spiritual practice is discontinued, endless waves of thoughts occupy the mind. Spiritual practice should be continued uninterruptedly and with sincerity and veneration, otherwise samadhi will forever remain a theoretical subject of philosophy, never entering the periphery of practical realisation.
One must not adopt the psychology, “I'm practising spirituality because my acharya told me to.“ Rather, one should think, “I want to attain spiritual realisation. My acharya is merely guiding me along the path.“ Only when you take full responsibility for your own spiritual life can you attain the peak of spiritual progress and become fully established on the solid ground of spirituality. When you accept something as absolute after due logical deliberation you develop shraddha or respect.One who has no respect for the goal can never attain success.
“Shraddha is the pursuit of Supreme Truth.“ The expansion of chitta is also called shraddha. Have immense, respect for that object which causes the chitta to expand. Samadhi is the state of maximum expansion of chitta, and thus shraddha is the first stage in the attainment of samadhi. Pravrtti, the external and nivrtti, the internal, are both psychic tendencies. The more you practise either of these, the more your mind becomes adjusted with them.
Samadhi is beyond the scope of pravrtti and nivrtti. Sometimes an undesirable thought blocks the smooth, unidirectional flow of the mind along the spiritual path. When this occurs, veerya or spiritual vigour, a special type of psychic power, is required to dispel the nega tive thought. Spiritual vigour arises as a result of shraddha.
“The recreation of an object already perceived is termed smrti or memory .“
Memory is strengthened by spiritual vigour. When one successfully eliminates all impediments to spiritual progress by developing spiritual vigour born of shraddha and moves towards the spiritual goal without interruption, it is called dhruvasmrti or fixed memory .
Waves of extroversial propensities create obstacles in the way of dhruvasmrti and waves of introversial propensities keep the mind oblivious of everything. But when dhruvasmrti is perfect, when the only object of ideation is the Supreme Entity, and none other, one attains samadhi. At this stage the mind becomes fully identified with its goal. It is a positive stage of mind. The mind takes the form of the physical object or psychic idea it encounters.
This assuming of a form in the mind is called psychic pabulum or abhoga. Unless the mind is liberated from its pabulum, permanent peace is not possible. How can one attain liberation from one's pabulum?
Liberation cannot be attained through repulsion. Repulsion for an object is a negative tendency ­ this too is a kind of pabulum. Although the mind detaches itself from its object it is nevertheless attached to the non-existent form of that object. When the mind withdraws from its object, chitta becomes suspended in unmanifested Prakrti due to the attainment of vashikara siddhi or spiritual power.
Follow Shri Shri Anandamurti at speakingtree.in

the speaking tree - We're Part Of A Living, Breathing Cosmos

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev





With all the advances made in science and technology today we have tools that are powerful enough to make or break the , planet several times over. That the United Nations declared June 5 as World Environment Day is a reminder to us all to live more mindfully , and wherever required, to take urgent measures to reverse any process that is causing ecological harm, the effects of which could impact all life on the planet. However, human consciousness has become so fragmented that most people have forgotten that what you consider to be your `body' is not just a piece of the planet, but much more.Interdependence is not just a philosophical theory . It is a reality.Your physical existence is possible only because of your body's seamless ability to respond to the entire universe. Without this, you wouldn't be able to exist for a moment.
I lived on a farm for a few years.There was a man in the locality with a hearing impairment, an object of ridicule for the villagers. I employed him to help me on the farm. He was a nice companion because I wasn't particularly interested in talking, and he couldn't talk because he could not hear. So, no problem! In those days before tractors, life on the farm was all about bullocks and ploughs.One day , suddenly , at four o'clock in the morning, I saw him preparing the plough and asked him what he was doing.He said, `It will rain today .I am preparing to plough.' I looked up. It was an absolutely clear sky . I said, `What? Where is the rain?' He said, `No, sir, it will rain.' And it did. I sat up for days and nights after this. Why couldn't I feel what this man could feel? I sat, holding my hand in different positions, trying to feel the moisture, the temperature, trying to read the sky . I read all kinds of books on meteorology , but was up against a wall. But gradually , with careful observation of my own body and environment, I discovered the fundamental mistake that most of us make: the fact that we view the ingredients which constitute our body, like earth, water, air and food, as commodities and not as an organic part of the life process.
If it is to rain today, some change will happen in your body . Most urban-dwellers cannot feel it, but many rural folk all over the world, sense this. This is not astrology or magic, but a surmise based on the minute observation of a completely different level of the human system and its ongoing transaction with the cosmos. Most insects, birds and animals can feel it.A tree for sure knows it. Modern physics has established that the universe is a great dance of energy , and every subatomic particle in your body is in constant dialogue with the entire cosmos. The aim of the spiritual process is to make this scientific fact an experiential reality for you.
Yoga reminds us that the physical body is just an accumulation of food ­ or what is called annamayakosha.The food that you eat is just the produce of the earth, which, in turn, is a fragment of the universe. You are a small outcrop of this planet, claiming to be an autonomous entity! But with some inner work, a dimensional shift occurs. Suddenly , the human body becomes what it was always intended to be ­ an instrument of extraordinary refinement, a barometer, an antenna capable of downloading the entire cosmos. We realise that we inhabit a living cosmos.
Follow Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev at speakingtree.in

ATHENAEUM 2016: 7TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

12-13 February, 2016.

Organizer/Venue: Center for Contemporary Management Research (CECMAR), Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM), Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) INDIA.

Key Themes: As the theme for Athenaeum 2016 is Managing Transformation, contemporary management & leadership issues listed below are identified as key themes for the conference. We especially – but not solely – invite papers ((WIP) paper or Extended Abstract) within the following topics.

1. Managing in the SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud) Age
2. Embracing Disruptive Innovations for Advantage
3. Aligning with Global Standards and Practices
4. Managing and Competing in Emerging Markets
5. Innovating and Creating Smart Products/Solutions
6. Incorporating and Managing Sustainability
7. Building Competence for Future
8. Bridging Generation, Knowledge and Technology Gaps
9. Operating in Multi-cultural and Connected World
10. Transforming Lean and Agile
11. Integrating Internal with External
12. Managing Social Change and Development
13. Securing from Risks and Fuelling Growth
14. Establishing Governance with Values
15. Leadership for Change/Transformation
16. Managing Talent and Workforce
17. Cracking Capital Crunch
18. Decoding Behavioural Finance
19. Global Trade Order
20. New Age Markets and Marketing
21. Business Cycles and Emerging Models/Strategies
22. Towards Smart Governance 
23. Any other Relevant Areas in Finance, HR, Organisation Behaviour, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Strategy, Systems, International Business and Economics

Important Deadlines:
1. Conference Dates: 12, 13 February 2016
2. Submission of Abstract for consideration as  Full Paper/WIP Extended  Abstracts: 25 May 2015
3. Notification of acceptance (Rejected papers  can be resubmitted as WIP Paper/Extended  Abstracts): 1 June 2015
4. Commencement of Registration: 2 June 2015
5. Submission of full papers/WIP Paper or Extended Abstracts: 1 September 2015
6. Notification of acceptance of Full Papers, WIP/Extended Abstracts: 30 September 2015
7. Last Date for Early Bird Registration: 15 Oct 2015
8. Submission of Revised Full papers 25 November 2015
9. Last Date for Regular Registration Fee: 15 December 2015


CONTACT: Center for Contemporary Management Research (CECMAR), Bharathidasan Institute of Management, P.O. Box. No 12, BHEL Complex, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India 620014
Telephone: 0431-2520502/796; Fax: 0431-2520733
Email: athenaeum2016@bim.edu

"PROF AL NAGAR AWARD SCHEME-2015" AND "PROF AL NAGAR VISITING FELLOWSHIP”

With the financial support from the family and friends of Prof AL Nagar, the TIES has instituted the following schemes to commemorate the contributions of Prof. Nagar. 

1. “Prof AL Nagar Fellow”: This is an annual award to be given to an outstanding Indian scholar between the age of 45 to 65 years. Under this award, the selected scholar shall give a minimum of two lectures during the year in any of the reputed Indian institutes/universities chosen by the TIES/TIES Trust and one lecture during the annual TIES conference.
The selected scholar would be honored with a citation and a suitable cash prize during the annual conference.
The TIES Trust has constituted a high level expert Committee, under the Chairmanship of Prof. V.R.Panchamukhi, Chairman, TIES Trust, to identify suitable scholars for this award.
The Committee hereby invites nominations for the Award on the basis of which recommendations will be made to the President, TIES. Kindly note the following:

A. Eligibility requirement:
1.The candidate for the Award should be between 45 and 65 years of age as on January 1, 2015;
2.Research Work should be of high quality, in the area of quantitative economics and should have been largelycarried out in India.

B.Nomination should have full CV of the nominee which should include the following information about the nominee:
a. Name in full;
b. Date of birth;
c. Educational Qualification;
d. Present position and earlier institutional affiliations;
e. A list of major publications, with focus on the significant contributions;
f. Copies of some select Publications;
g. Any other relevant information; Incomplete information will not be entertained.

All the nominations must be received by 31st August 2015 and sent to Dr N R  Bhanumurthy, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Delhi, and Secretary, TIES, (e-mail: nrbmurthy@gmail.com) who will co-ordinate with the selection

 co2. “Prof AL Nagar Visiting Fellowship”: This is an annual fellowship to be given to a maximum of two young research scholars in a year who are pursuing their Ph.d in India. Under this fellowship, the research scholar would spend one to two months with an expert/institution/university within India that can contribute substantially to the thesis work. The TIES/TIES Trust would provide travel and moderate living expenses to the selected scholars and also a token honorarium to the host expert.

The research scholars who are below the age of 30 years as on 1st January 2015 are eligible to apply. The application should consist of a brief CV, date of birth, institutional affiliation, recommendation letter from the research supervisor and a letter of confirmation from the host expert/institute/university. In case if research scholars are unable to identify the expert/institute/university, the TIES could also help in identifying suitable experts/ Institute/university, if the scholar is shortlisted for the fellowship. A selection committee constituted by TIES Trust would shortlist the research scholar for the fellowship. The applications should reach the Secretary, TIES (e-mail:nrbmurthy@gmail.com) by 31^st August, 2015.

Source: Indian Econometric Society Website (03/06/2015).mmittee. 

Against the Grain

At a time when the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 is being examined by a joint committee of Parliament, the promulgation — for a third time — of an Ordinance shows scant regard on the part of the Narendra Modi government for democratic norms. Despite public expressions to the contrary by even Mr. Modi, the BJP-led NDA government appears disinclined to concede any ground to the Opposition on its key demands to restore clauses relating to consent and social impact assessment that were integral to the 2013 Act. Not surprisingly, therefore, Opposition MPs on the joint committee are planning to disassociate themselves from it. Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary and a member of the committee, has described the re-promulgation of the Ordinance as “absolutely untenable constitutionally in a democracy”. Even as the ruling dispensation shows no sign of relenting, murmurs of unhappiness have come from within the BJP itself, especially from MPs who represent rural constituencies. In fact, at the first meeting of the joint committee some BJP members, worried about the political fallout of the proposed changes, expressed their concern. Even the BJP’s NDA allies, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiv Sena, have raised questions about the wisdom of persisting with such an unpopular move.

Evidently, the Modi government misread the signs: for even senior officials who see merit in the proposed changes (as they feel it would simplify land acquisition and put infrastructure projects on the fast track) say the government should have engaged the Opposition in a discussion before bringing the Bill forward. It should have also, they add, conducted a countrywide exercise of opinion-making before attempting to initiate changes. Now, the Opposition, led by the Congress, has had sufficient time to run its campaign against the government-sponsored changes. Reports from the ground suggest that a substantial swathe of the population believes the government draft goes against the interests of the rural poor and is anti-farmer. Unfortunately for the government, all this has coincided with unseasonal rain that has damaged crops, and a hike in fertilizer prices. Yet, the minimum support price for crops has not been increased commensurately. Taken together, the message is that this is indeed a suit boot ki sarkar — in Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s shorthand — that does not care for the agricultural class; it just wants a land law that would favour the corporate rich. The ruling dispensation’s plan to call a joint session after the current Land Bill is defeated in the Rajya Sabha, flies in the face of pragmatic politics, as it would just give the Opposition even more ammunition. The only explanation is that its numbers in the Lok Sabha have blinded the government to the predominant national mood.

Keywords: re-promulgation of land ordinance, Budget Session of Parliament, Land Acquisition Bill