Agriculture reform: Government takes first step for a national farm market

Currently, the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Acts in different states permit the first sale of crops — after harvesting by farmers — to take place only in regulated market yards or mandis.

In what could potentially transform marketing of crops in India, the government has approved the creation of a common electronic platform which will allow farmers and traders to sell their produce to buyers anywhere in the country.

Currently, the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Acts in different states permit the first sale of crops — after harvesting by farmers — to take place only in regulated market yards or mandis.

The farmer’s universe of buyers is restricted only to traders or commission agents licensed to operate in the area under a particular APMC. In most cases, multiple licences are required to trade in different mandis within the same state.

What is now being envisaged, based on the proposal cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday, is a National Agriculture Market (NAM) online trading portal where farmers can offer their produce to buyers in any part of the country.

“This virtual marketplace will allow a farmer from, say, Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh to sell his chana to a dal miller in Delhi who may be willing to pay a higher price. The miller, too, benefits by virtue of not having to be physically present in Narsinghpur or being forced to depend on traders in that APMC area,” Pravesh Sharma, Managing Director, Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), told The Indian Express.

SFAC has been designated the lead agency for developing the NAM e-platform. “While buyers can log into the platform from homes or offices anywhere in India, the transactions will, however, be recorded as having been conducted through the mandi where the seller would normally bring his produce. The APMC concerned will, therefore, continue to earn the mandi fee on the transaction even if it does not happen in that particular market yard,” Sharma said.

The APMC-regulated mandis will, in fact, gain through the significant increase in turnover volumes likely from more buyers bidding for produce. “The NAM e-platform basically gives farmers the choice to accept the bids of local traders or price offers by online buyers. In either case, the APMC is not deprived of revenues through mandi fees. The portal will provide an integrated platform for transferring the money to the accounts of farmers and the APMC after ensuring delivery of the produce to the buyer,” Sharma said.

The Centre has earmarked Rs 200 crore for creation of the NAM portal that targets to cover 585 mandis across India: 250 in the current fiscal, 200 in 2016-17 and 135 in 2017-18.

The idea of integrating the existing APMC markets through a common e-platform has come from Congress-ruled Karnataka.

Mega irrigation plan cleared:

 Moving to improve farm productivity and reduce dependence on the monsoon, the government has approved spending of Rs 50,000 crore over the five years to expand irrigation in rural areas. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: “The major objective of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana is to achieve convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level… expand cultivable area under assured irrigation.” - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/agriculture-reform-government-takes-first-step-for-a-national-farm-market/2/#sthash.HKO9UCju.dpuf

Why do different people have different coloured eyes?

The main genes associated with eye colour include OCA2 and HERC2 and both are located in Chromosome 15.

Why do different people have different coloured eyes like blue, black, or brown?, asks Akriti Singh from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

Eye colour eyes is determined by the amount of melanin in the iris, density of proteins, and the frequency of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris. The colour of the iris is determined by the amount of melanin pigments, the way the melanin is distributed in the eye and the ratio of eumelanin to pheomelanin. Eye colours have been divided into nine categories and as many as 16 genes have been associated with eye colour inheritance. The main genes associated with eye colour include OCA2 and HERC2 and both are located in Chromosome 15. The HERPC2 gene generally regulates OCA2 expression and a specific mutation within HERC2 gene is partly responsible for blue eyes. Different single-nucleotide polymorphism within OCA2 are associated with blue and green eyes.

Brown eyed genes are dominant and blue eyed genes tend to be recessive. In humans brown eyes are predominant eye color worldwide whereas blue eyes have become increasingly rare . Blue eyed people share one common ancestor and it is believed that the mutation that caused blue eyes happened between 6,000-10,000 years ago. Grey eyes are darker than blue eyes and have less melanin pigments. Grey eyes is determined by the amount of melanin pigments in the iris and density of proteins. Only 2 per cent of the world has green eyes and have moderate or low amounts of melanin. Hazel eyes have colour midway between the lightest blue and the darkest brown eyes and have large amount of melanin in the anterior border of the iris. According to some scientists eye colour can change dramatically in the first few years of life, as many babies are born with blue eyes , later develop green or brown eyes.

Jul 03 2015 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

How To Preserve A Sweet Tradition





In the diabetes capital of the world, should anyone care if a sweet seller shuts shop, other than to cheer good riddance?
When the sweet shop in question is 225 years' old, things are a little different. Ghantewala, in business since 1790, has sold traditional Indian sweets made in pure desi ghee from its place near Delhi's Red Fort to Mughal epigones, lesser aristocracy , visitors to Dilli and to New Delhi, tourists and regulars, connoisseurs and gourmands, the rich and the not-so-rich. It had been an icon, in other words, of the culture of Old Delhi, a fixture on the itinerary of heritage walkers. The shop was living tradition, its closure leaves a cultural void.Modernity takes its toll. Ice cream, chocolate, frozen yoghurt and doughnuts find a place on the modern Indian's sweet palate because sohanhalwa and habshi barfi yield theirs. That retreat from monopoly to competition and coexistence is natural, and welcome.
Respect for tradition cannot mean rejection of the new in a globalising world. But is obliteration of tradition inevitable?
That has to do with a missing policy on protection of living heritage. And when that living heritage is part of a bustling commercial place, only very complex policy , including spatial planning and traffic management to facilitate consumer access, and its careful execution will fetch results.
If the Amazon jungles are the world's lungs, should the rest of the world not compensate Brazil for forgoing the revenue to be had from clearing the forest? If the revenue from alternate uses of the prime property is much higher for Ghantewala's owner than that from running a sweet shop, should there be a policy to compensate him for keeping tradition alive? Or should we step back from history's path, consoling ourselves that nostalgia is sweeter than Ghantewala's offerings?

Vedanta - Truth is Always New

J KRISHNAMURTI





Truth is always new, therefore timeless. What was truth yesterday is not truth today , what is truth today is not truth tomorrow: truth has no continuity . It is the mind which wants to make the experience which it calls truth continuous, and such a mind shall not know truth.Truth is always new: it is to see the same smile and see that smile newly , to see the same person and see that person anew, to see the waving palms anew, to meet life anew.Truth is not to be had through books, through devotion or through self-immolation, but it is known when the mind is free, quiet; and that freedom, that quietness of the mind, comes only when the facts of its relation ships are understood.
Without understanding its relation ships, whatever it does only creates further problems. But, when the mind is free from all its projections, there is a state of quietness in which problems cease; and then only the timeless, the eternal, comes into being.Then truth is not a matter of knowledge, it is not a thing to be remembered, it is not something to be repeated, to be printed and spread abroad.
Truth is that which is; it is nameless. ...Truth is a state of being which arises when the mind ­ which seeks to divide, to be exclusive, which can only think in terms of results, of achievement ­ has come to an end. Only then will there be truth.

the speaking tree - The Art Of Fixing That Which Is Broken

Marguerite Theophil





Japanese aesthetics values marks of wear and tear that come with the prolonged use of an object. Keeping an object around even after it is broken, highlighting the cracks and repairs, is seen as simply an event in the life of an object, rather than considering that its usefulness ends when it becomes damaged or breaks.Kintsugi, a Japanese term meaning `golden joinery', or Kintsukuroi, `golden repair', refers to the art of fixing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold. The piece often ends up looking more beautiful than before.
A story is told to perhaps trace the origin of this process. In the 15th century, the favourite tea-bowl of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa broke, and wanting to drink out of no other cup, he sent it to China for repair. Unfortunately, it came back held together with unsightly metal staples. The Shogun was very disappointed, and challenged his own Japanese craftsmen to come up with a more pleasing means of repair.The potters decided to fill the cracks with lacquered resin and powdered gold. The broken cup became a stunning work of art, valued precisely because of the exquisite way it was repaired.
Often, we try to repair broken things in such a way as to conceal the repair, and make it `as good as new', but the tea masters and potters understood that by repairing a broken bowl with the distinctive beauty of radiant gold, they could instead employ a `better than new' aesthetic.
After mending, the bowl's unique fault lines were transformed into little rivers of gold that made it even more spe special because the bowl was now unlike any other; completely , uniquely beautiful; a radical physical transformation from broken to newly whole, from useless to priceless. In Japan there is a kind of reverence for the art of mending, related to the Japanese philosophy of mushin that embraces the concepts of nonattachment, recognition of change and fate as aspects of human life, of living with equanimity amid changing conditions. The philosophy invites us to recognise the history of the object ­ or person ­ and to visibly incorporate the repair instead of disguising it.
Experiencing knocks and breaks and wounds is an unavoidable part of living. It happens to all of us. Relationships break, friendships break, hopes and dreams remain unfulfilled, health and wealth suffer cracks and many times we feel incapable of repairing ourselves. We handle the breaks in different ways. We may get stuck in the brokenness, indulging in self-pity, or becoming consumed with anger, and never heal. Or else, we pretend the brokenness never happened or we drive it into our `shadow', and as a result deny it and act against it in others without quite knowing why we do this. Sometimes, a bit wiser, we give ourselves the time and attention we need to heal those broken parts, but the resulting scars still feel painful, and remind us of the wounding.And then there are times when we give ourselves the time and attention, but also work to slowly make those places stronger than they were before.
In the throes of an event perceived as negative, it is impossible to see the good in that situation, but looking back we can see that most often, events of brokenness brought in new understanding, or our life took a different course.
It is then that our breaks and scars, as we mend from them, can seem beautiful, in the way they allow us to bring healing, and with it acceptance of the gilded beauty within us.

IIM Amritsar to start classes in July

IIM Amritsar, being mentored by IIM Kozhikode, is likely to have distinct advantages of being in one of the best locations among the 6 new IIMs coming up this year. The new Indian Institute of Management in Punjab is all set to commence its activities from July this year, with site selection committee finalizing land in the city of Amritsar.

IIM Amritsar would launch the most prestigious programme from IIMs – Post Graduate Programme (PGP) in Management for which the institute would be selecting up to 65 best students from those who have appeared in Common Admission Test (CAT) of IIMs and have indicated interest in ‘IIM in Punjab’.

Shortlisted students are now invited to confirm their interest on IIM Amritsar website currently hosted at www.iimk.ac.in/iimamritsar/

The admission process is likely to be completed by July 20, 2015 and the classes would begin from July end.

The fee for two-year Post Graduate Programme at IIM Amritsar has been fixed at Rs.9 lakh which includes hostel accommodation, books and learning material apart from tuition fee. Leading banks would offer financial assistance in the form of educational loans at the terms they generally offer to students admitted in any other IIM.

IIM Amritsar campus is proposed to come up at a site near Manawala on Amritsar-Jalandhar GT Road in 60 acres of flatland. While it may take about 2–3 years before the infrastructure and campus is setup and ready for use, the institute would begin operating from the Punjab Institute of Technology located in the Government Polytechnic College, Amritsar compound till its own campus is ready to use.

IIM Kozhikode would develop the programme and put together systems and process to lay a strong foundation in building of another great institution of professional learning.

STRESS CHARGES
Excessive work pressure and longworking hours can turn fatal in some cases. Experts suggest ways to relax, and keep ailments at bay 
 
Make sure you have enough me time. Take days off from work, and go on a short vacation with family or friends. The news of the sudden demise of TV actor Sanjeet Bedi startled not only his family and friends, but also audiences, in general. He reportedly became susceptible to a brain virus, due to work stress and subsequently, low immunity. In our fast-paced lives, many of us don’t tend to realise how seriously stress can affect our wellness. As a result, we often overlookthe importance of keeping it under check. “Stress is not an overnight phenomenon; it builds over time. If you are observant, you can notice the signsthat lead to a burnout. You should not ignore deep feelings of dissatisfaction,and a creeping sense of hopelessness. It could turn into physical and mental ailments,” says Dr Ajit Menon, interventional cardiologist, Wock hardt Hospital,Mumbai Central. 
 
In order to stay calm and stress-free, there are a few tips that can help: 
 
BE REALISTIC: You should realise that work is only part of your life. The company will survive even without you, but you need to beable to survive in the absence of the company. So, you need to know how to strike a balance between work and home. 
 
DO WHAT YOU LIKE: In many cases, people work over long periods in jobs, which are misaligned with their skills, interests or values.Introspect on what gives you more satisfaction and joy, and pursue that vocation. 
 
WORK IN MODERATION: Working for long hours, six days a week, can make you feel spent. Take a break, travel, do yoga, and perform breathing exercises to change the way you feel. Make sure that you make time every day for an activity you love. 
 
LIMIT STUFF ON YOUR PLATE: Many professionals over-commit, either because they are too ambitious or because they cannot say no to their supervisors. Be realistic about your professional growth, and develop the courage to say no. Learn to negotiate timelines and delegate work. 
 
DEVELOP BETTER THINKING SKILLS: Being driven by perfection and pessimism can push you to the brink. Strive for excellence, no t perfection. Stay optimistic, and be resilient. You will be able to manage your work more efficiently and smoothly if you do that. 
 
BRING EXERCISE TO THE WORKPLACE: Include physical activity in your working schedule. Take the stairs if possible, exercise or go for a walk during your lunch breaks, and encourage others to do so too. 
 
BREATHE: Relaxation does not only mean going on a vacation. The best way to relax is to focus on your breathing. At work, try to close your eyes, and breathe deeply every four to five hours for two minutes.This will help you stay calm. 
 
PHYSICAL EXERCISE: To de-stress your eyes, close them and pinch your eyebrows, starting from the centre of the forehead moving towards the end of the eyebrows. You can also massage your forehead. Long working hoursalso impose stress on your shoulder muscles. Every two-three hours, take a deep breath, shrug your shoulders up to your ear and drop them down. Also, do some neck exercises by looking up and down, and sideways every two hours. 
 
ME TIME: You need to ensure that you have enough me time.Take days off from work, and go on a short vacation with your family or friends. And while you are away, keep interruptions such as phones or laptop sat bay. 
 
LIMIT ALCOHOL AND SMOKING: Do not indulge in excessive drinking or smoking. While they are considered recreational, they can alsoresult in chronic physical and psychological ailments. — With inputs fromDrAjit Menon; Dr Kersi Chavda, consultant in psychiatric medicine, HindujaHealthcare Surgical, Khar (W); Dr Gladys Swamy, physiotherapist and directorand co-founder, Minerva Physiotherapy Clinic, Kurla (W). 
 
Source| Hindustan Times | 30 June 2015