Category: National

  • Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal assures support to Services Exporters

    New Delhi [India], April 23: The Hon’ble Commerce and Industry Minister, Shri Piyush Goyal held an export performance review meeting yesterday and applauded the Export Promotion Councils for their respective sectors’ export performance.

    Shri Maneck Davar, Chairman, Services Export Promotion Council(SEPC), the only export promotion Council mandated to promote Services exports from India, highlighted the contribution of the services sector and the trade surplus in services despite the challenging times and negative growth (April20-Feb 2021) as per RBI data.

    The services sector reeling under the massive disruptions caused by the COVID pandemic since last 2020 was hoping to show its resilience to bounce back strongly is now finding the clock turning back due to the recent surge of a far more aggressive covid wave. Chairman, SEPC underlined the decline in exports of key services sectors like travel and tourism, medical value tourism, education, and aviation. He mentioned that the travel and tourism sector, a major contributor to exports has seen a decline of about 73% with a loss of employment and immensely grim prospects of any sort of business continuity in the near future.

    Chairman, SEPC made a fervent appeal to Hon’ble CIM to consider the persistent representation of services sector exporters to issue the release of SEIS notification for 2019-20 which would partially alleviate working capital needs of the distressed services sector. Shri Maneck Davar, further added that SEPC had suggested that the Department of Commerce and Industry could consider the release of SEIS amounting to previously disbursed amount to bring some relief to the services sector. Ministry of Commerce could consider capping as well in view of spreading the cover of limited funds to all cross-sections of the services exporters.  SEPC has already submitted a proposal on the alternative to SEIS for inclusion in the proposed FTP. The chairman mentioned that in view of the extension of the existing FTP till September 2021, Government should consider giving SEIS for 2019-20.

    Shri Piyush Goyal in his remarks appreciated the contribution of the services sector in India’s export and mentioned that the Services Sector has demonstrated immense resilience and the decline in services exports is only down by 5% since last year’s figures. He assured all necessary support to the services sector in their efforts to tide over the crisis. He asked EPCs to take up the issues pertaining to other Ministries while assuring all necessary support. He advised SEPC to organize the interaction with the Ministry of Medium and Small Industries, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry to look into the issues and support required by the services sector more specifically travel and tourism, healthcare (medical value tourism), education and aviation. Shri Goyal mentioned that he would be pleased to meet large and small exporters to collectively draw mitigation measures.

    SEPC will be undertaking all necessary efforts to sustain the business continuity, revival, and global networking in its endeavour to serve the services sector and meet the export target set by Shri Goyal for the current year.

  • Samridhhi Mandawat – the Youngest Female Author to have donated all the Royalties for Women Upliftment

    Ahmedabad, Gujarat [India]: It’s said that words and numbers don’t go together. It’s believed that logic and emotions don’t go hand-in-hand. It’s also said that one can never balance the left and right cerebrum. Well, Samridhhi Mandawat proves it all wrong. With a perfect equation of words and numbers, logic and emotions, left and right neurons, she rules her life.

    An economist by profession and a writer by passion, she has inspired thousands of students to find their Ikigai in life. She is a people person and loves interacting with students. As a freelance motivational speaker, she has trained more than 13,000 Chartered Accountants on the emotional quotient through her unique EQ Management Tests.

    Samridhhi Mandawat believes in making this world a better place through her musings. She firmly believes that a pen is mightier than a sword and connects with the audience through her books. As a thoughtful and compassionate soul, she believes in doing good and only good.

    She is a World Record Holder for being the “Youngest Female Author to have donated all the Royalties for Women Upliftment”. She was nominated for the prestigious Padma Shri Awards, the fourth highest civilian award of the Republic of India by the Indian Government for Republic Day 2021.

    She is an individual with strength and a positive outlook who doesn’t mind walking the extra miles to help people. Samridhhi’s book “Parables and Secrets” was ranked No.1 in Amazon’s bestsellers for children category. Her book “Unobliterated Unspoken Emotions” stood on 49th rank in Amazon’s bestsellers under Women Category. This book also bagged her “Best Books to Read this 2019” title by De Mode Magazine (May June 2019 Global Issue) and “Top 100 Debut Author” by Criticspace Literary Journal and “Best 100 Authors” by Author Pages Magazine. She is a Guest Columnist for The Policy Times every month. She was titled “next Kamala Das” at Gujarat Literature Festival for the book “Unobliterated Unspoken Emotions.”

    Samridhhi believes in voicing her opinion for causes that demand justice and bring the necessary changes that would uplift humanity. She is a firm believer of the saying, “Actions speak louder than words” and follows the same in her personal and professional life. The word Samridhhi means growth and progress and so is she. She has set an exemplary example in society and has inspired people to find their purpose in life. With an aura of confidence and a positive mindset, she is all set for her journey.

    Visit https://www.samridhhimandawat.com/ to know more about her and her contributions to society.

  • International Day for Street Children; Making #TheInvisiblesVisible: A call to action

    Pune, Maharashtra [India]: The International Day for Street Children is observed every year on 12th April. The day provides a platform for the millions of children on the streets around the world – and their champions – to speak out so that their rights cannot be ignored. Save the Children is implementing a project on making #The InvisiblesVisible (Children in Street Situations). Through this initiative we aim to provide the legal identity document to CiSS that enables them to be visible on the government records and avail schemes they are eligible for, to ensure their overall well-being and self-dependent progressive future. The project is being implemented in Nashik, Mumbai, Pune, and Agra cities. This is a joint collaborative effort of Save the Children and Department of Women and Child Development; Government of Maharashtra, supported by Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd.

    A webinar was organized by Save the Children and attended by representatives from UIDAI, Postal Department, Civil Society representatives from Salaam Baalak Trust, New Vision, and child champions. The call to action that children living in street situations have access to essential services, every child has the right to food, medical care, access to education, safety, and dignity.

    Addressing the webinar; Manisha Birasis, Programme Manager, Women, and Child Development Department said “we have formed a Task Force involving Department of Education, Department of Home, Department of Medical and Health, Urban Development along with Women and Child Development Department to protect and provide proper identification to street children. This task force has developed an action plan and presented it to the Government for approval”. She emphasised that there is a need to make special provisions for children without parental care living on the streets, children on move children, and children of migrant labourers. To bring these children mainstream there is a need for strong inter-departmental coordination. Save the Children’s Deputy Director Sanjay Sharma said that “Street Children deserve equal rights like other children and have access to essential services that ensure their mental and physical well-being.  He focused that we should ensure proper implementation of SOP –standard operating procedure for children in street situations”. Chetan Sonje, Programme Manager, IT cell & UIDAI, said that following the Save the Children’s recommendations “the department has made special provisions to prepare Aadhaar cards for street children. To date, 162 camps have been organized and Aadhaar cards of 5000 children have been issued”.

    Zarin Gupta, Founder of Salaam Baalak Trust said that “For the last 30 years we have been working with Street Children and facing various challenges. It is not easy to identify and track these children in street situations and it becomes more challenging to work for them as they don’t have a living address. Our team has been working hard to mainstream these street children and provide them education and skills.  During the lockdown, these children have no access to roads and streets and it becomes a more life-threatening situation to feed themselves.  Somehow they approached us for help and we supplied food, water and supported them in this difficult time. We are thankful to Save the Children and DWCD for supporting Salam Balak Trust in reaching these children“. Highlighting the role of corporate, Yogesh Kapse, Program Manager, PIAGGIO mentioned corporate funding should not be restricted to funding only but rather make better use of funds and leverage resources and support from NGO networks to ensure these street children will get skills, education, and access to basic services”. The public relations officer of the Postal department-Pune, Dattatreya Kodhalkar who has been supporting this initiative shared that we organised 52 camps and linked 4605 children for Aadhaar card registration. Jointly with Save the Children 1100 girls were supported under Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana.  Shobha Panwar from Child Welfare Committee, Nashik said that we endeavour to make society sensitive and ensure equality and equity of these children in street situations.

    In the webinar, the child champions shared their stories. Jahnavi, a girl from Shivaji Nagar Basti, Nashik recalled her story that she did not have any identity proof and address. Save the Children supported thousands of children like me in getting their identity and address by getting us registered in an Aadhaar Card and opened a bank account on this Aadhaar card. Another youth champion Omkar said, my father had gone through an accident that made my life more challenging without having any financial support. Save the Children supported me and I underwent training. Today I am capable and working in an electrical firm and supporting my family. I wish every child living in street situations should be supported like I was and ensure their life will get easier and more independent. Naresh, a young rapper associated with the Salaam Baalak Trust, presented his Rap Song ‘’Street to Stadium’’, dedicating it to the street-connected kids who are playing street cricket and also are ambitious to play professional cricket in a stadium. He also has the ambition to be a famous rapper in the future.

    Through this project; 122,000 children were provided with government identity cards & 50,000 children with various social security schemes, 107 youth have been provided skill development training and provided dignified employment. Even during the Covid pandemic, more than 5000 families in street situations supported food shelter, and hygiene materials. Support was also provided to children homes with hygiene and sanitisation materials, educational materials, etc.

    The guideline on Individual Care Plan (ICP) for children in institutional care was released by the Department of Women and Child Development. It will assist in assessing the needs of children in institutional care and to identify areas of intervention for support and to ensure the effective development of the children systematically and ensure the protection of the rights of the children. This guideline also helps the caregivers to perform better on their duties in planning as well as proper execution of care plans for each child in institutional care.

    On behalf of Save the Children; Ipsita Das, Sr. Manager, Projects Save the Children, Maharashtra thanked everyone and that we all have to work together for a shared value partnership to ensure their access to entitlements for children in street situations.

  • How Safe Society is Empowering the Marginalised on the Streets

    Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh [India]: “Safe Society” is a non-profit voluntary development organisation. Established in 2005, Safe Society is operational in Uttar Pradesh and focuses primarily on improving the socio-economic standards and needs of the most underprivileged communities i.e., children living on the streets, and all the other vulnerable sections like women. Safe Society has special consultative status with the economic and social council of United Nations and its activities have been selected and recognised by the vice-president of the nation as best practices Under “Antyodaya”.

    Working for this cause for more than 15 years now, the main objective of Safe Society is to create a pool of sustainable avenues in the society to which the poor and marginalised are given access to, irrespective of their background and social conditions, etc. They have recognised the main problem with the children living on streets- that somehow, they have been separated or drifted from their families, and thus Safe Society undertook the task of reuniting these children with their lost families, along with doing extensive and exhaustive research on different related factors. To date, Safe Society has reunited more than 524 children with their respective families. The Society is also involved in preventive, rescue, prosecution, and rehabilitation activities related to these children including providing psycho-social support. It utilises various forms of arts under an art-based process to remove trauma and orient these children to become creative citizens of society. This also includes moving these children towards a creativity-linked livelihood.

    During the spread of the COVID-19, the most affected was the street community. All of a sudden, their only hopes of survival were dampened. Safe Society helped them in any and every way by providing ration, sanitary kits, etc. They also provided financial assistance to 57 families of slum-living children so that they could get a permanent source of livelihood, meet their daily needs, and lead a better life.

    The organisation has also organised two health camps for street families and children during the COVID pandemic, in which health check-up has been done by professional doctors. To converge with various government schemes registration for labour card were also done in the camp.

    Normally, children living on the streets see no sustainable future. Safe Society is taking a step to change that notion. The children living on the street are being trained to become junior radio jockeys, at the community radio station 90 FM, so that they can be prepared as ambassadors for their community to voice their problems and create creativity-linked livelihoods, to improve psychological and economic conditions. Safe Society is also helping the children and their families by linking them to government schemes. Right now the child labour education scheme and labour card are in the process of linking.

    As of late, Safe Society is running a 1-week campaign in association with the Consortium for Street Children to commemorate “International Street Children’s Day”, which aims to garner support from the government on the agenda of Street Children. There are many posts in English, Hindi on social media, in which street children’s selections are highlighted. Issues such as access to clean water, access to health services, education, clothing, food, and other basic needs were taken up. Two workshops were conducted with the street children, in which they learned about the challenges they face in daily life and their potential solutions. In the first workshop held recently, children picturised challenges like health, education, Identity card, and suggested solutions to cope like money and admission by the government in schools, better livelihood for their parents and their check-up by the government doctors, ban on selling intoxicants and support from a local representative for identity cards.

    In the second workshop, street children shared their everyday circumstances through letters to the Prime Minister of India, CM of Uttar Pardesh, and the local government bodies. In the letters, they described in detail their problems, intending to encourage the government to take more actions in their favour. All the children were divided into groups. Every group decided with each other’s consent to talk on particular issues such as identity cards, housing facilities, and health. The children were also made to learn story formation and present their message in a positive and precise way through an activity where children sat in a circle and every child was given an opportunity to say a sentence through a series to make a story.

    After this, the participants were made to contemplate that the message which is conveyed in the form of stories has a high probability of being heard.

    Vaibhav Sharma, Director of Safe Society said in a candid moment, “Rehabilitation of these children is necessary and before rehabilitating them we would have to understand these children and their liking. We should not impose ready-made rehabilitation on them.”

    More about Safe Society and its ventures can be learned from www.safesociety.in

    They have various programmes for women empowerment, health, and livelihood as well.

  • Astrology for business: Dr. Vinay Bajrangi

    New Delhi, [India]: Success in business does not come only from the planets; else, probably people experts in reading planets would have been the most successful people, but they are not. However, another fact is that many new businesses close in a very short span of commissioning? The remaining fifty percent of these businesses close in the next few years? Why most expansion plans for any business fail to give the desired results, and sometimes these expansions become an added financial burden on the native? We have seen many such cases in recent times in India, including some big business houses. Also why many keep succeeding in whatever business they do but many tumble even in the first business attempt. Another fact is that many fail in some businesses but excel in many others. Then consider why some established business houses have vanished, but then many new start-ups have gained also immense success over time.

    Why – is that the above phenomena keep repeating themselves year after year and from persons to persons? Because the native over-enthusiastically or under some compulsions chooses a path promising easy money without realizing the traps which he/she will encounter.

    For a promising success in business as a career, you need genuine intent, skills, and efforts in tandem with what your horoscope indicates towards business success. Any factor out of these three missing will create troubles in business success.

    While the skills, efforts, and intentions are in a person’s self-control, to understand the intricacies of horoscope towards business success, you need an expert astrologer. Do you know for success in business, first and foremost, a person should have a potent “business Yoga” in the horoscope? The person should know which business to do, when to start and when to expand the business, what type of investment one should put in, with whom you should associate for doing the business. What will the impact of Govt. and its policies on your business? Another essential factor to consider here is the potential of a particular business in times to come. Each business cannot be good at all times. Let me tell you that your horoscope has adequate answers to all these factors responsible for business success.

    The methodology for ascertaining the presence of a business yoga and success in business is loosely described as below:

    • The strength of the Lagna
    • The strength of the Lagna Lord.
    • The Strength of the 10th house and its Lord.
    • The strength of the 7th house and its Lord.
    • The strength of the Saturn viz to viz the 10th house.
    • The strength of the 10th house from Saturn.
    • The strength of the 6th house viz to viz the 7th house.
    • The strength of all the above in the Dasmansa or D-10 chart.
    • The strength of all the above in Shastiamsa or D-60 chart.
    • The Hora or D-2 chart.
    • The period or the Dashas of the relevant planet.
    • The transiting planets.
    • The AsthakVarga

    Calculating the strength of all the above significations and interpreting the prevalent Yogas is not the job of a novice astrologer. Therefore, one must look for any astrologer who has decades of experience to do some justice to the reading. I have explained all these factors on https://www.vinaybajrangi.com/business-astrology.php on my website www.vinaybajrangi.com. I have seen the horoscopes of many natives who languish due to a piece of faulty advice from novice astrologers. The so-called astrologers fail to establish the proper linkage between the various Yogas present in the horoscope, and they misguide the already anxious native. If a person having an employer Yoga in his horoscope starts a business in a favorable Dasha(period), he nullifies his chances of failure. I don’t say I am the best business astrologer, but I can tell you how to judge a good astrologer by applying a small cheat sheet. So spend a few minutes reading all that you need to know for not only getting success but also how to maintain this success journey. For further information, one can contact my office on +91 9278555588/9278665588.

  • Aamir Pathan – A social Activist who believes that anyone can change society even by empowering people.

    No matter if you are a businessman or social activists, you should never stop recognizing humanity – Aamir Pathan

    New Delhi, [India]: The mystery of change, they say, is to focus all your energy not on battling the old but rather on building the new. Social change begins with an individual and can gradually transform the fabric of society. What’s more, even though we may criticize many ground realities in India, the fact remains that various people are being the change they wish to see in the world. What’s more, slowly, over time, they are effecting a change.

    Born in 1981 in Mumbai, Aamir Pathan is a social activist as well as President Lohiya Vahini Mumbai (Samajwadi Party). Aamir Pathan is a globally eminent social activist and politician who have effectively worked for the enforcement of children’s rights and education. He devoted his life to social welfare. Before being a Social worker, Aamir has a business in Building and Constructions.

    As per information from the International Labor Organization (ILO), more than 10 million children in India are indulging in different forms of child labor. Also, over 42 million children don’t go to school. Issues of child labor are often overlooked, and many children keep on being exploited and lose the opportunities to have better lives. Social activist Aamir Pathan has been determined to affect as many lives as he could. That is exactly what Aamir Pathan wants to change with his work.

    Each human is entitled to basic human rights unfortunately, there are a few sections of the society – be it minorities, women and children, or the LGBTQ people community – who face battles every day to live a life of dignity. There is not a single day without reports of grave human rights abuses in countries everywhere in the world, including India. There are, however, a few individuals who are battling against all types of discrimination and defending vulnerable communities to help them in every way possible way.

    In September 2019, he also led a rally with MILLI TAHREEK FOUNDATION– ABU ASIM AZMI FOUNDER MLAand people from Mumbai to protest against the Illegal sales and consumption of Drugs that have covered different area in Mumbai. Such initiatives are much needed at present when innovation has infiltrated our lives.

    In the present time, we might be having lesser information on social issues, what’s going on around us and what new issues have been developed in society now. But the Activist has good information on all the issues, Who can raise different issues against the ruling government under constitutional means.

    A Social Activist has to fights for some issues, for example, Child labor, the Right to education and Child abuse, and so on. A Social activist takes part in the promotion, facing unique social difficulties through established methods. In any case, for effective advocacy or social activism, a lot will rely upon the socio-political environment in which social activists should operate. Aamir was known for raising his voice against social and political issues and a well-known social activist who worked for various issues such as – Drug-Free Campaign, Human Rights.

    Aamir is also a member of the Drug-Free Campaign to create awareness to the people who consume more tobacco and can be identified and taken to devoted medical care centers for treatment even as information on the sale and purchase of tobacco, drugs, and narcotics is observed by the members of the campaign. It is an important social cause. The district-level committee established for the drug-free India campaign will deal with important aspects and areas, for example, identifying depending population, focusing on guiding and treatment facilities in hospitals and rehabilitation centers. People will be aware of this campaign, while information about the harm from tobacco will be imparted during the campaign.

    Activists live with the spirit, love, and having humane attributes for individuals without interfering in belief, religion, caste, creed that makes people globally worthwhile. People must be moderate and rational to explain genuine concerns for issues. Recognizing is the valuable character of the Activist. Social issues are inevitable in society and they will remain to occur.

    He believes that one needs to be a part of the system to clean it up with this realization; he decided to step into social activities to work for the upliftment of society and joined some renowned NGO’s like Hindi Salakar Samithi, Nasha Mukt Sanstha, Human Rights Organization, and Citizen Vigilance Committee.

    Aamir is highly active and much knowledgeable in addressing social issues as per the constitutional norms to higher levels who can make a perception on time for finding out the solutions. There are various issues in society that are developing at an alarming rate; like this, Aamir aims to highlight the issue before any social disaster.

    He also worked during COVID -19 and was one of those who showed vigilance and was beyond their lines of duty to ensure that relief should be there for needy persons and there should be safety concerns of the general public.

    Aamir imagines that society can progress in each perspective that would give birth to such active members who have cultural emotions, consideration, respectability, and hope for positive change. One cannot be a Social Activist until and except if He/She has a humanistic and developmental approach for the society.

    Tags: aamirpathan, abuazmi, lohiyavahini

  • Supreme Court Lawyer and Animal Right activist Shubham Awasthi writes a letter to PM, mentions the need of mitigating human & animal conflict and increase penalties for Animals Cruelty.

    New Delhi, [India]: With the rising cases of cruelty against animals in India day by day Advocate Shubham Awasthi practicing at the Supreme Court of India has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting stronger penalties for people who commit acts of cruelty against animals and seeking his intervention in mitigating Human-Animal Conflicts. Shubham Awasthi has written this letter soon after the rising of heinous acts of cruelty with animals, wherein a disturbing incident, a wild elephant lost its life after two people in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu threw a burning tyre on it. The news reports about a man raping a stray female dog in Thane and another incident in which Ahmed Shah who ekes out his living as a vegetable vendor of Andheri raped around 30 dogs and showed being impervious to the idea of it being a crime at all. Mr. Awasthi also mentioned that while he is writing the letter to Prime Minister, the news is brimming about Taufeeq Ahmed who sexually abused female dog Cheeno in the Santacruz area of Mumbai, and stories of other humans performing such cruelty; which shocks everyone to the core. He added if these stories had been exceptions, it would have been a different tale but our hearts sink when we look at the prevailing extent of animal abuse. Some of the other gruesome incidents include dog raped with a screwdriver in Goa, a langur hung and beaten to death in Telangana, a dog beaten, tied to a scooter, and then thrown off the second floor of a building in Ludhiana. The courage to violate such laws with impunity stems from the fact that the law has a mere penalty of Rs. 50 when it comes to fining the defaulters. This is a sorry departure from the times when we used to live in harmony with the animals. Can an animal’s life be reduced to a lesser thing than a human being merely because they cannot speak their plight?

    It is worth mentioning herein that last year in May when the news came about the death of a pregnant elephant in Kerala due to being fed a fruit laced with firecrackers, Mr. Awasthi had also filed a Petition in the Supreme Court of India about the incident which had suggested a lot of steps which should be taken to stop cruelty against animals and mitigating human-animal conflict. In his petition, he seeks direction to declare the practice of using barbaric means /snares/shaved sticks/explosives to ward off wild animals as illegal, unconstitutional, and violative of Articles 14, and 21 of the Constitution;

    Direct the Central/State Government for necessary amendments in the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals Act, 1960 to enhance Punishments for causing Cruelty against Animals making it more stringent as per modern times; Shubham Awasthi in his letter to Pm mentioned that the fines under the Prevention of Cruelty against Animals Act,1960 and other Statutes allow people to flout such rules with impunity as they have no deterrent effect owing to their low sums and low penalties. The penalties are so low which make no sense in the present ages. Even the Honourable Supreme Court in its infinite wisdom had called for the enhancement of penalties under these statutes in the case of Animal Welfare Board of India vs A Nagaraja. It is quite disheartening to see that the previous governments have not done anything in this regard by revising the statutes in the past six decades.” Furthermore, he added that the Indian Constitution imposes a fundamental duty on every Indian citizen to protect and improve wildlife in the country under Article 51-A(g). Following the subject, the letter captures the other aspect of Cruelty that is increasing namely Human-Animal Conflicts which has largely been left unattended by masses or respective governments. Advocate Awasthi writes, “The issues of hunting/killing/maiming animals. Animal-Human Conflicts also draw our attention towards the declining rate of Animals after the loss of habitat and failure of preservation/protection measures.

    It is submitted that an Animal Census be conducted and the Animals facing threats like Elephants be tracked and monitored to avoid such scenarios. Furthermore, it is also mentioned that areas having high populations of Elephants can come up with Elephant Sanctuaries to ward off future incidents like this. The creation of Protection zones or Buffer zones with adequate Forest Forces manning would help in the mitigation of such incidents in the future. Furthermore, any mechanism is created for the effective tracking of wild animals using GPS, navigation systems or even fecal analysis as in the case of certain animals” He also stated that due to Human-animal conflict and cruelty on elephants the elephant’s population is declining from 1,00,000 to around 40,000 today.

    The major suggestion being put forth in the letter includes the creation of specific habitats and sanctuaries; carrying out the animal census, coming out with simpler means of avoiding Human-Animal conflict by using organizations like ICAR to develop such scientific methods, fill the vacancies of forest guards across states, work for the creation of citizen wardens to minimize human-animal conflicts, strengthening the animal protection laws to reflect the changing times. In his letter, he stated that It is hoped that the letter would evoke a response in anticipation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would look into the matter and make our country proud again as the Father of our Nation Mahatma Gandhi had said, “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” We hope that one day, the rights of the animals will be protected.”

  • The Karn, Founder of Billion Dollar Indian Tech Startup, sKarn Robotics and Wecript Challenges Google

    New Delhi, [India]: The name of the company SKarn RoboticS has been spreading to corners because of their product line, WECRIPT. Wecript is a safe search engine launched by sKarn RoboticS to provide a safe and secure searching experience to internet users. The man in the late twenties who worked hard for this advanced invention is THE KARN. Being the founder of sKarn RoboticS and Wecript, The Karn is a very proficient entrepreneurial mindset person and he is trying to make India as powerful as possible with the help of the latest technology.

    Ever since independence, India has been a developing country. Yet after 76 years it is still a developing country. In the latest conversation with skarn RoboticS and Wecript, Founder The Karn didn’t want India to be a developing country anymore, rather he wanted it to be the most advanced and developed country in the developed country list. Intending to make India a developed and advanced country, The Karn has started his startup sKarn robotics and Wecript in 2019. The main vision of The Karn is to develop various tech products that would transform people’s way of using the internet while protecting their privacy through new and advanced technology products.

    Safety is the priority for every civilian. But with the new policies and search engines, the data of internet users is being leaked, misused, sold, and shared. The safety and security of personal information are no longer guaranteed by most search engines. To provide a highly- secured search engine that follows all the privacy policies and protects data sharing and leakage, The Karn introduced Wecript. Wecript is such an advanced search engine that doesn’t share and sell your data with third parties.

    To make India atma-nirbhar he started his journey quite a long ago, with the vision to make India atma-nirbhar in terms of technology. Later on officially introduced by PM Modi as an initiative called Make in India with the vision of making India a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024-25. The Karn is immensely trying hard for better inventions and to make India a global leader.

    The reason behind calling him “The Karn” is very astonishing. He didn’t want society to consider him as a part of a community. Rather he wanted equality irrespective of caste, color, and religion, and thus the name The Karn suited him. This signifies his nature, ethics, and beliefs.

    As we know The KARN from Mahabharta is known for his selfless contribution to society, founder of SKarn Robotics and Wecript the Karn has the same beliefs and ethics and is trying his best for the betterment of the society through new-generation advanced technology.

    The Karn is a very enthusiastic individual with mind-blowing entrepreneurial skills. His ideas, execution, and management skills of running the startup during covid situations prove that he has management, tech product development, and marketing expertise to build and manage a multi-billion dollar startup.

    Unlike many large industries that cut their employee’s salaries and firing employees during covid situations,  The Karn has decided to support people in terms of salaries, employment offers, and other medical benefits as well. He was one of the few initial persons to start work from the culture in India during covid-19.

    The Karn and his startup deserve to be the top startup company. Young and talented people like The Karn are the foundation for a strong and developed India. They need to be encouraged and supported at any cost. The government should also support such young and talented people who are working hard, to make India a superpower and govt’s vision of ‘Make in India’ program a success. It is time to support tech startups like The sKarn Robotics (https://skarnrobotics.com). Wecript is an excellent move towards a Make in India project.  Check out their latest products and new features by visiting their search engine (https://wecript.org).

  • Meet Musthafa Pamangadan, the Problem-Solver of the people turned Leader

    Musthafa believes and proposes ‘good interpersonal relationship’ as the solution to problems in the society and nation. He makes his ability to mend relationships and create meaningful engagements the basis of his socio-cultural activism.

    Kerala, [India]: Born in the Malappuram District of Kerala, Musthafa Pamandagan has won laurels from civil society and media because of his unique style of solving socio-cultural issues by building personal relationships. He propounds that every social issue at the heart of the heart has personal dimensions and only by building meaningful and mindful human relationships, such issues can be solved.

    Musthafa started his activism in the school itself by organizing students for social and cultural causes. He had faced disciplinary actions for coordinating protests and agitations even in his teenage years during the early ’90s. Regional media took note of him when he led the protests against lack of travel concessions for pre-degree students and young school students stopping the bus and other vehicles on the road caught state-wide attention. The police action on young students then brought bipartisan condemnation and students led by Musthafa could win the minds of civil society. The under 18 years of age activist was noted by social leaders of the time and Musthafa won the attention of the student community.

    Owing to the pressures of livelihood, he went to Saudi Arabia to work. He was moved by the plight of workers there and continued his stint with social activism there too. He could understand firsthand the issues of the people there and worked along with Indian community organisations to bring relief to those people. He was involved with the Indian Fraternity Forum. Their work furthered human rights and welfare among the less privileged sections of the land.

    He was instrumental in arranging assistance for pilgrims to Mecca and orchestrated various groups helping the pilgrims from the various nations for the Hajj. He continued his spiritual journey and service from 2007 – 2016. He then focused his efforts on resolving conflicts among communities and individuals who are expatriates. Musthafa was a part of conflict resolution and had a leadership role in creating consensus among matters relating to the disputes between families, financial issues, laborers among the expatriate population. He was acknowledged by regional administration in the middle east nations for his contributions in building grass-root dispute resolution mechanisms.

    He came back in 2017 and found his calling in Kerala for social service and adopting the dispute resolution model in God’s Own Country. His experience became useful in inspiring a similar structure in the land. He organised an efficient team of locals and gulf returnees for the 2018 Great Kerala floods and rescued dozens of families. Their team continued the service mission with the Covid crisis and arranged food and medicine for the poor and needy.

    His other work includes environmental protection and interventions in ecological problems. He took the initiative for resolving issues in the Chelambra Kakkanchery Kinfra Park pollution issue and organised an all-party group to work together for this.

    Lack of proper water supply in rural areas was a big challenge across many spaces in Kerala. Organizing resources from grassroots and people, their team could mitigate the issues in some villages. When a rare hurricane hit Peruvalloor panchayat, the team of youngsters in SDPI led by Musthafa led the rescue operations by removing trees from the road and rebuilding commercial shops that were hit.

    He also took efforts in facilitating interstate travel during the lockdown period and bringing back those who were stranded in various places with the help of the district administration. His bipartisanship and friendships across the political spectrum helped him in achieving his. He was head of the action council for resolving gas leak-related issues in the Chelari IOC plant.

    His anti-sectarian positioning and organizing people for harmony and unity won him accolades across the spectrum. He was associated with Queen Charitable Trust that furthers the cause of education, culture, and sports. He took the leadership role in this organisation and undertook innovative methods to advance its vision.

    As a social activist, he travelled across South India, Mumbai, North, Kolkata to understand the pulse and lives of people. His hobby of travelling helped his social causes and in broadening his vision for every segment of society.

  • Solving one problem at a time, the story of Apna Nawada

    Nawada, Bihar [India]: In October 2020, a group of people called a number available publicly on a Facebook page and complained about the bad state of roads in their lane along with persistent waterlogging for months. A member from the team visits the next day and takes up the matter ahead. The people from that page run a campaign which leads to the local candidate for assembly polls promising the road and within six months to it the problem has been solved. What occurs as a standalone story has become a regular thing for a group of youngsters from a citizen-led initiative named Apna Nawada.

    Founded as a Facebook page a few years back by Suman Shekhar, who graduated from Delhi University last year is today a popular name for youth in the district, and a platform for the citizens to raise their voice. The team of Apna Nawada writes letters frequently, gives applications, and also submits memorandums demanding solutions to problems the district administration has turned a blind eye towards.

    In a recent example, young sports enthusiasts reached out to Apna Nawada regarding the bad state of practice grounds in the district. Aditya, an athlete who also prepares for a physical exam for Army recruitment said “The situation on the ground was very bad. No one was listening to us. We talked to a lot of people, but no avail. Then, disappointed but also with a lot of hope, we contacted Apna Nawada. They have been continuously raising the issue and comparatively the situation has also improved.”

    The initiatives of Apna Nawada haven’t just been limited to the infrastructure woes and facilitation of complaints, but in recent months, they have been also helping people adapt to the post covid world. The timely and important distribution of masks and sanitizers has been one of their works in this step. While they also plan to organize skill camps to empower the youth to become skilled in times of widespread unemployment. Sanket Kumar, a law student and a core member of Apna Nawada said, “We are planning several camps related to different skills that can empower the youth. For working towards a better future, it is necessary that youth is trained, skilled, and empowered.”

    Recently, with the increasing covid test numbers across the country, the team of Apna Nawada has started planning again on war footing to help in awareness related to it. Masks and sanitizers are being distributed and thousands of people are being reached daily by the team. Along with this, they have also started the preparation of possibilities of skill training in the district so that unemployed youth can benefit from it.

    All of it seems good, with great reception, until the problem of survival comes. Suman Shekhar, the 21-year-old founder of the Apna Nawada initiative says” Though we are doing good work in the quest to improve the condition of our district, it doesn’t feed us. We have to do multiple other gigs to support ourselves and also to fund the initiative. I am a graduate in Journalism from the University of Delhi, but when my classmates were dreaming of going to Columbia, I was striving hard to come back and work for people here. This work makes me content, after all, we are a total sum of the society we come from.”

    Pratyush Anand, a teacher from Nawada said “We had no idea about how much we have in our district. From this initiative, we get to know more about our district, the history, the heritage and also raise important issues and points about our district.” This is what the initiative has been about, a fresh wind of change but to take marks.

    Nishant Nalin, a Design Student whose Holi colors are yet to go away from his body says that Apna Nawada is emerging as the voice of millions of people in the district, it is working to enhance the culture and tourism as well”.