Importance of Agriculture in Economy Essay

The direct contribution of the agriculture sector to national economy is reflected by its share in total GDP, its foreign exchange earnings, and its role in supplying savings and labor to other sectors. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and fishing accounted for 18.5 percent of total Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2005-06 (at 1999-2000 constant prices) and employed about 58 percent of the country’s workforce (CSO, 2007). It accounted for 10.95 percent of India’s exports in 2005-06 (GoI, 2007) and about 46 percent of India’s geographical area is used for agricultural activity. There has been a structural transformation in the Indian economy during the past few decades. The composition of Gross Domestic Product at 1993-94 constant prices reveals that the share of agriculture including forestry and fishing has declined as growth in industrial and services sectors far outpaced agricultural sector (Figure 1). The share of mining, manufacturing, electricity and construction sector has increased from 21.6 percent in 1970-71 to 27 percent in 2004-05 and services sector has increased significantly from 32 percent to 52.4 percent during the same period. Despite a steady decline of its share in the GDP, agriculture is still an important sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic development of the country. Therefore, fostering rapid, sustained and broad-based growth in agriculture remains key priority for the government. Consistent with the trends of economic development at national level, role of agricultural sector in the state economies is also changing rapidly. The share of agriculture in Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has declined significantly during the last two decades. In some States, such as Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Orissa, the sector today contributes more than one-quarter of GSDP, while in some states, such as Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, the sector contributes less than 20 percent to GSDP (Figure 2). However, contribution of agriculture to GSDP has declined in almost all States between 1993-94 and 2004-05. The decline was the highest in Karnataka (16%), followed by Haryana (14.2%), and Kerala (13.7%). In Karnataka, decline was mainly due to significant increase in the share of service sector (from 37.9% in 1993-94 to 54.7% in 2004-05) mainly driven by informational technology (IT) industry. Similar is the case with Haryana the decline is due to faster development of services sector in cities around the national capital, Delhi. Despite declining share of agriculture in the economy, majority of workforce continue to depend on agricultural sector for employment and in rural areas dependence on agriculture is more as nearly 75 percent of rural population is employed in agricultural sector. However, there is disguised employment in the sector due to limited opportunities for rural non-farm employment. This disguised employment leads to lower labor and resources productivity in the sector relative to other sectors of the economy. The low labor productivity leads to higher rates of poverty in rural areas (Figure 3). Agriculture in India is constitutionally the responsibility of the states rather than the central government. The central government’s role is in formulating policy and providing financial resources for agriculture to the states. Agriculture finance Meaning: Agricultural finance generally means studying, examining and analyzing the financial aspects pertaining to farm business, which is the core sector of India. The financial aspects include money matters relating to production of agricultural products and their disposal. Definition of Agricultural finance: Murray (1953) defined agricultural. finance as â€Å"an economic study of borrowing funds by farmers, the organization and operation of farm lending agencies and of society’s interest in credit for agriculture .† Tandon and Dhondyal (1962) defined agricultural. finance â€Å"as a branch of agricultural economics, which deals with and financial resources related to individual farm units.† What is Agriculture Finance â€Å"Agricultural finance is the study of financing and liquidity services credit provides to farm borrowers. It is also considered as the study of those financial intermediaries who provide loan funds to agriculture and the financial markets in which these intermediaries obtain their loanable funds.† John B. Penson, Jr. and David A. Lins (1980) Why Agriculture Finance India is mainly an agricultural country. Agriculture accounts for approximately 33 percent of India’s GDP and employs nearly 62 percent of the population. It accounts for 8.56 % of India’s exports. About 43 % of India’s geographical area is used for agricultural activity. Agricultural production in this country depends upon millions of small farmers. It is intensity of their effort and the efficiency of their technique that will help in raising yields per acre. Finance in agriculture is as important as development of technologies. Technical inputs can be purchased and used by farmer only if he has money (funds). But his own money is always inadequate and he needs outside finance or credit. Because of inadequate financial resources and absence of timely credit facilities at reasonable rates, many of the farmers, even though otherwise willing, are unable to go in for improved seeds and manures or to introduce better methods or techniques. The farming community must be kept informed about the various sources of agriculture finance. Agricultural finance possesses its usefulness to the farmers, lenders and extension workers. The knowledge of lending institutions, their legal and regulatory environment helps in selecting the appropriate lender who can adequately provide the credit with terms and related services needed to finance the farm business. Nature and Scope: Agricultural finance can be dealt at both micro level and macro level. Macrofinance deals with different sources of raising funds for agriculture as a whole in the economy. It is also concerned with the lending procedure, rules, regulations, monitoring and controlling of different agricultural credit institutions. Hence macro-finance is related to financing of agriculture at aggregate level. Micro-finance refers to financial management of the individual farm business units. And it is concerned with the study as to how the individual farmer considers various sources of credit, quantum of credit to be borrowed from each source and how he allocates the same among the alternative uses with in the farm. It is also concerned with the future use of funds. Therefore, macro-finance deals with the aspects relating to total credit needs of the agricultural sector, the terms and conditions under which the credit is available and the method of use of total credit for the development of agriculture, while micro-finance refers to the financial management of individual farm business. Significance of Agricultural Finance: 1) Agril finance assumes vital and significant importance in the agro – socio – economic development of the country both at macro and micro level. 2) It is playing a catalytic role in strengthening the farm business and augmenting the productivity of scarce resources. When newly developed potential seeds are combined with purchased inputs like fertilizers & plant protection chemicals in appropriate / requisite proportions will result in higher productivity. 3) Use of new technological inputs purchased through farm finance helps to increase the agricultural productivity. 4) Accretion to in farm assets and farm supporting infrastructure provided by large scale financial investment activities results in increased farm income levels leading to increased standard of living of rural masses. 5) Farm finance can also reduce the regional economic imbalances and is equally good at reducing the inter–farm asset and wealth variations. 6) Farm finance is like a lever with both forward and backward linkages to the economic development at micro and macro level. 7) As Indian agriculture is still traditional and subsistence in nature, agricultural finance is needed to create the supporting infrastructure for adoption of new technology.   8) Massive investment is needed to carry out major and minor irrigation projects, rural electrification, installation of fertilizer and pesticide plants, execution of agricultural promotional programmes and poverty alleviation programmes in the country .LECTURE -2 Credit needs in A Credit needs in Agriculture – meaning and definition of credit-classification of credit based on time, purpose, security, lender and borrower. _____________________________________________________________________ The word â€Å"credit† comes from the Latin word â€Å"Credo† which means â€Å"I believe†. Hence credit is based up on belief, confidence, trust and faith. Credit is other wise called as loan. Definition: Credit / loan is certain amount of money provided for certain purpose on certain conditions with some interest, which can be repaid sooner (or) later. According to Professor Galbraith credit is the â€Å"temporary transfer of asset from one who has to other who has not† Credit needs in Agriculture: Agricultural credit is one of the most crucial inputs in all agricultural development programmes. For a long time, the major source of agricultural credit was private moneylenders. But this source of credit was inadequate, highly expensive and exploitative. To curtail this, a multi-agency approach consisting of cooperatives, commercial banks ands regional rural banks credit has been adopted to provide cheaper, timely and adequate credit to farmers. The financial requirements of the Indian farmers are for, 1. Buying agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, plant protection chemicals, feed and fodder for cattle etc. 2. Supporting their families in those years when the crops have not been good. 3. Buying additional land, to make improvements on the existing land, to clear old debt and purchase costly agricultural machinery. 4. Increasing the farm efficiency as against limiting resources i.e. hiring of irrigation water lifting devices, labor and machinery Credit can be classified on the basis of time, purpose, security, lender and borrower. (i)Time classification:- It classifies credit into three groups, i.e. short, medium and long term. (a) Short-Term (for periods up to 15 months): The â€Å"short-term loans† are generally advanced for meeting annual recurring purchases such as, seed, feed, fertilizers, hired labour expenses, pesticides, weedicides, hired machinery charges, etc., and termed as seasonal loans/crop loans/production loans. These are expected to be repaid after the harvest. It is expected that the loan plus interest would be repaid from the income received through the enterprise in which it was invested. The time limit to repay such loans is a year or at the most 18 months. (b) Medium-Term (from 15 months up to 5 years): â€Å"Medium-term loans† are advanced for comparatively longer lived assets such as machinery, diesel engine, wells, irrigation structure, threshers, shelters, crushers, draught and milch animals, dairy/poultry sheds, etc., where the returns accruing from increase in farm assets in spread over more than one production period. The usual repayment period for such type of loan is from fifteen months to five years. (c) Long-Term (above 5 Years): Loans repayable over a longer period (i.e. above 5 years) are classified as long-term loans. â€Å"Long-term loans† are related to the long lifed assets such as heavy machinery, land and its reclamation, errection of farm buildings, construction of permanent-drainage or irrigation system, etc. which require large sums of money for initial investment. The benefits generated through such assets are spread over the entire life of the asset. The normal repayment period for such loans range s from five to fifteen or even upto 20 years. (ii) Purpose classification:- Credit is also classified based on purpose of loans e.g. crop loan, poultry/dairy/piggery loan, irrigation loan, machinery and equipment loan, forestry loan, fishery loan etc. These loans signify the close relationship between time and use as well as rate of return (or profitability). Some times loans are also classified as production and consumption loans due to the fact that production loans are diverted for consumption purposes by the weaker sections. So, the banks have also started financing for consumption purposes (exclusively for home consumption expenditures) besides financing for the production purposes. The consumption loans are also to be repaid from the sale proceeds of the crop. (iii) Security classification:- Security offered/obtained provides another basis for classifying the loans. The secured loans are advanced as against the security of some tangible personal property such as land, livestock and other capital assets, i.e., medium and long term loans. The borrower’s credit worthiness may act much more than the security offered, which if doubtful may result willful default. Moreover, the secured loans are further classified on the basis of type of security e.g. mortgage loans, where legal mortgage of some property such as land is offered to the lender, i.e., loans for intangible property such as land improvement, irrigation infrastructures, etc. and hypothecated loans, where legal ownership of the asset financed remains with the lender though physical possession with the borrowers i.e. loans for tangible property such as tractor, machinery and equipments. The private money lenders, usually possess items such as gold ornaments / jewellery or land as security, which reminds the borrower about his obligations of loan repayments. On the contrary, unsecured loans are generally advanced without offering any security e.g. short-term crop loans. (iv) Lender classification:- Credit is also classified on the basis of lender such as (a) Institutional Credit e.g. co-operative loans, commercial bank loans and government loans; (b) Non-Institutional Credit e.g. professional and agricultural money lenders, traders and commission agents, relatives and friends etc. (v) Borrower classification:- The credit is also classified on the basis of type of borrowers (i.e., production or business activity as well as size of business) such as crop farmers, dairy farmers, poultry farmers, fisherman, rural artisans etc. or agricultural labourers, marginal/small/medium/large farmers, hill farmers or tribal farmers etc. Such classification has equity considerations. credit is broadly classified based on various criteria: 1. Based on time: This classification is based on the repayment period of the loan. It is sub-divided in to 3 types Short–term loans: These loans are to be repaid within a period of 6 to 18 months. All crop loans are said to be short–term loans, but the length of the repayment period varies according to the duration of crop. The farmers require this type of credit to meet the expenses of the ongoing agricultural operations on the farm like sowing, fertilizer application, plant protection measures, payment of wages to casual labourers etc. The borrower is supposed to repay the loan from the sale proceeds of the crops raised. Medium – term loans: Here the repayment period varies from 18 months to 5 years. These loans are required by the farmers for bringing about some improvements on his farm by way of purchasing implements, electric motors, milch cattle, sheep and goat, etc. The relatively longer period of repayment of these loans is due to their partially-liquidating nature. Long – term loans: These loans fall due for repayment over a long time ranging from 5 years to more than 20 years or even more. These loans together with medium terms loans are called investment loans or term loans. These loans are meant for permanent improvements like levelling and reclamation of land, construction of farm buildings, purchase of tractors, raising of orchards ,etc. Since these activities require large capital, a longer period is required to repay these loans due to their non – liquidating nature. 2. Based on Purpose: Based on purpose, credit is sub-divided in to 4 types.   Production loans: These loans refer to the credit given to the farmers for crop production and are intended to increase the production of crops. They are also called as seasonal agricultural operations (SAO) loans or short – term loans or crop loans. These loans are repayable with in a period ranging from 6 to 18 months in lumpsum .Investment loans: These are loans given for purchase of equipment the productivity of which is distributed over more than one year. Loans given for tractors, pumpsets, tube wells, etc. Marketing loans: These loans are meant to help the farmers in overcoming the distress sales and to market the produce in a better way. Regulated markets and commercial banks, based on the warehouse receipt are lending in the form of marketing loans by advancing 75 per cent of the value of the produce. These loans help the farmers to clear off their debts and dispose the produce at remunerative prices. Consumption loans: Any loan advanced for some purpose other than production is broadly categorized as consumption loan. These loans seem to be unproductive but indirectly assist in more productive use of the crop loans i.e. with out diverting then to other purposes. Consumption loans are not very widely advanced and restricted to the areas which are hit by natural calamities. These loams are extended based on group guarantee basis with a maximum of three members. The loan is to be repaid with in 5 crop seasons or 2.5 years whichever is less. The branch manager is vested with the discretionary power of sanctioning these loans up to Rs. 5000 in each individual case. The rate of interest is around 11 per cent. The scheme may be extended to 1) IRDP beneficiaries 2) Small and marginal farmers 3) Landless Agril. Laborers 4) Rural artisans 5) Other people with very small means of livelihood hood such as carpenters, barbers, washermen, etc. 3. Based on security: The loan transactions between lender and borrower are governed by confidence and this assumption is confined to private lending to some extent, but the institutional financial agencies do have their own procedural formalities on credit transactions. Therefore it is essential to classify the loans under this category into two sub-categories viz., secured and unsecured loans. Secured loans: Loans advanced against some security by the borrower are termed as secured loans. Various forms of securities are offered in obtaining the loans and they are of following types. I. Personal security: Under this, borrower himself stands as the guarantor. Loan is advanced on the farmer’s promissory note. Third party guarantee may or may not be insisted upon (i.e. based on the understanding between the lender and the borrower) II. Collateral Security: Here the property is pledged to secure a loan. The movable properties of the individuals like LIC bonds, fixed deposit bonds, warehouse receipts, machinery, livestock etc, are offered as security. III. Chattel loans: Here credit is obtained from pawn-brokers by pledging movable properties such as jewellery, utensils made of various metals, etc. IV. Mortgage: As against to collateral security, immovable properties are presented for security purpose For example, land, farm buildings, etc. The person who is creating the charge of mortgage is called mortgagor (borrower) and the person in whose favour it is created is known as the mortgagee (banker). Mortgages are of two types a) Simple mortgage: When the mortgaged property is ancestrally inherited property of borrower then simple mortgage holds good. Here, the farmer borrower has to register his property in the name of the banking institution as a security for the loan he obtains. The registration charges are to be borne by the borrower. b) Equitable mortgage: When the mortgaged property is self-acquired property of the borrower, then equitable mortgage is applicable. In this no such registration is required, because the ownership rights are clearly specified in the title deeds in the name of farmer-borrower. V. Hypothecated loans: Borrower has ownership right on his movable and the banker has legal right to take a possession of property to sale on default (or) a right to sue the owner to bring the property to sale and for realization of the amount due. The person who creates the charge of hypothecation is called as hypothecator (borrower) and the person in whose favor it is created is known as hypothecate (bank) and the property, which is denoted as hypothecated property. This happens in the case of tractor loans, machinery loans etc. Under such loans the borrower will not have any right to sell the equipment until the loan is cleared off. The borrower is allowed to use the purchased machinery or equipment so as to enable him pay the loan installment regularly. Hypothecated loans again are of two types viz., key loans and open loans. a) Key loans : The agricultural produce of the farmer – borrower will be kept under the control of lending institutions and the loan is advanced to the farmer . This helps the farmer from not resorting to distress sales. b) Open loans: Here only the physical possession of the purchased machinery rests with the borrower, but the legal ownership remains with the lending institution till the loan is repaid. Unsecured loans: Just based on the confidence between the borrower and lender, the loan transactions take place. No security is kept against the loan amount 4. Lender’s classification: Credit is also classified on the basis of lender such as Institutional credit: Here are loans are advanced by the institutional agencies like co-operatives, commercial banks. Ex: Co-operative loans and commercial bank loans. Non-institutional credit : Here the individual persons will lend the loans Ex: Loans given by professional and agricultural money lenders, traders, commission agents, relatives, friends, etc. 5. Borrower’s classification: The credit is also classified on the basis of type of borrower. This classification has equity considerations. Based on the business activity like farmers, dairy farmers, poultry farmers, pisiculture farmers, rural artisans etc. Based on size of the farm: agricultural labourers, marginal farmers, small farmers , medium farmers , large farmers , Based on location hill farmers (or) tribal farmers. 6. Based on liquidity: The credit can be classified into two types based on liquidity and they are Self-liquidating loans: They generate income immediately and are to be paid with in one year or after the completion of one crop season. Ex: crop loans. ï‚ · Partially -liquidating: They will take some time to generate income and can be repaid in 2-5 years or more, based on the economic activity for which the loan was taken. Ex: Dairy loans, tractor loans, orchard loans etc., 7. Based on approach: Individual approach: Loans advanced to individuals for different purposes will fall under this category Area based approach: Loans given to the persons falling under given area for specific purpose will be categorized under this. Ex: Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) loans, etc Differential Interest Rate (DIR) approach: Under this approach loans will be given to the weaker sections @ 4 per cent per annum. 8. Based on contact: Direct Loans: Loans extended to the farmers directly are called direct loans. Ex: Crop loans. Indirect loans: Loans given to the agro-based firms like fertilizer and pesticide industries, which are indirectly beneficial to the farmers aSource of Agricultural Credit are called iidirct loans. The sources of agricultural finance are broadly classified into two categories: (A) Noninstitutional Credit Agencies or informal sources, and (B) Institutional Credit Agencies or Formal Sources. A. Non-institutional Credit Agencies i) Traders and Commission Agents: Traders and commission agents advance loans to agriculturists for productive purposes against their crop without completing legal formalities. It often becomes obligatory for farmers to buy inputs and sell output through them. They charge a very heavy rate of interest on the loan and a commission on all the sales and purchases, making it exploitative in nature. ii) Landlords: Mostly small farmers and tenants depend on landlords for meeting their production and day to day financial requirements. iii) Money lenders: Despite rapid development in rural branches of different institutional credit agencies, village money lenders still dominate the scene. Money lenders are of two types- agriculturist money lenders who combine their money lending job with farming and professional money lenders whose sole job is money lending. A number of reasons have been attributed for the popularity of moneylenders such as: (a) they meet demand for productive as well as unproductive requirement; (b) they are easily approachable at odd hours; and (c) they require very low paper work and advances are given against promissory notes or land. Money lenders charge a very high rate of interest as they take advantage of the urgency of the situation. Over the years a need for regulation of money lending has been felt. But lack of institutional credit access to certain sections and areas had facilitated unhindered operation of money lending. B. Institutional Credit Agencies The evolution of institutional credit to agriculture could be broadly classified into four distinct phases – 1904-1969 (predominance of co-operatives and setting up of RBI), 1969-1975 [nationalisation of commercial banks and setting up of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs)], 1975-1990 (setting up of NABARD) and from 1991 onwards (financial sector reforms). Institutional funding of the farm sector is mainly by commercial banks, regional rural banks and co-operative banks. Share of commercial banks in total institutional credit to agriculture is almost 48 percent followed by cooperative banks with a share of 46 per cent. Regional Rural Banks account for just about 6 per cent of total credit disbursement. i) Government: These are both short term as well as long-term loans. These loans are popularly known as â€Å"Taccavi loans† which are generally advanced in times of natural calamities. The rate of interest is low. But it is not a major source of agricultural finance. ii) Cooperative Credit Societies: The history of cooperative movement in India dates back to 1904 when first Cooperative Credit Societies Act was passed by the Government. The scope of the Act was restricted to establishment of primary credit societies and non-credit societies were left out of its purview. The shortcomings of the Act were rectified through passing another Act called Cooperative Societies Act 1912. The Act gave provision for registration of all types of Cooperative Societies. This made the emergence of rural cooperatives both in the credit and noncredit areas, though with uneven spatial growth. In subsequent years a number of Committees were appointed and recommendations implemented to improve the functioning of the cooperatives. Soon after the independence, the Government of India following the recommendations of All India Rural Credit Survey Committee (1951) felt that cooperatives were the only alternative to promote agricultural credit and development of rural areas. Accordingly, cooperatives received substantial help in the provision of credit from Reserve Bank of India as a part of loan policy and large scale assistance from Central and State Governments for their development and strengthening. Many schemes involving subsidies and concessions for the weaker sections were routed through cooperatives. As a result cooperative institutions registered a remarkable growth in the post-independence India. iii) Commercial Banks: Previously commercial banks (CBs) were confined only to urban areas serving mainly to trade, commerce and industry. Their role in rural credit was meagre i.e., 0.9 per cent in 1951- 52 and 0.7 per cent in 1961-61. The insignificant participation of CBs in rural lending was explained by the risky nature of agriculture due to its heavy dependence on monsoon, unorganized nature and subsistence approach. A major change took place in the form of nationalisation of CBs in 1969 and CBs were made to play an active role in agricultural credit. At present, they are the largest source of institutional credit to agriculture. iv) Regional Rural Banks (RRBs): RRBs were set up in those regions where availability of institutional credit was found to be inadequate but potential for agricultural development was very high. However, the main thrust of the RRBs is to provide loans to small and marginal farmers, landless labourers and village artisans. These loans are advanced for productive purposes. At present 196 RRBs are functioning in the country lending around Rs 9,000 crore to rural people, particularly to weaker sections. v) Microfinancing: Microfinancing through Self Help Groups (SHG) has assumed prominence in recent years. SHG is group of rural poor who volunteer to organise themselves into a group for eradication of poverty of the members. They agree to save regularly and convert their savings into a common fund known as the Group corpus. The members of the group agree to use this common fund and such other funds that they may receive as a group through a common management. Generally, a self-help group consists of 10 to 20 persons. However, in difficult areas like deserts, hills and areas with scattered and sparse population and in case of minor irrigation and disabled persons, this number may range from 5-20. As soon as the SHG is formed and a couple of group meetings are held, an SHG can open a Savings Bank account with the nearest Commercial or Regional Rural Bank or a Cooperative Bank. This is essential to keep the thrift and other earnings of the SHG safely and also to improve the transparency levels of SHG’s transactions. Opening of SB account, in fact, is the beginning of a relationship between the bank and the SHG. The Reserve Bank of India has issued instructions to all banks permitting them to open SB accounts in the name of registered or unregistered SHGs. Genesis and Historical Background The Committee to Review Arrangements for Institutional Credit for Agriculture and Rural Development (CRAFICARD) set up by the RBI under the Chairmanship of Shri B Sivaraman in its report submitted to Governor, Reserve Bank of India on November 28, 1979 recommended the establishment of NABARD. The Parliament through the Act 61 of 81, approved its setting up. The Committee after reviewing the arrangements came to the conclusion that a new arrangement would be necessary at the national level for achieving the desired focus and thrust towards integration of credit activities in the context of the strategy for Integrated Rural Development. Against the backdrop of the massive credit needs of rural development and the need to uplift the weaker sections in the rural areas within a given time horizon the arrangement called for a separate institutional set-up. Similarly. The Reserve Bank had onerous responsibilities to discharge in respect of its many basic functions of central banking in monetary and credit regulations and was not therefore in a position to devote undivided attention to the operational details of the emerging complex credit problems. Thispaved the way for the establishment of NABARD. CRAFICARD also found it prudent to integrate short term, medium term and long-term credit structure for the agriculture sector by establishing a new bank. NABARD is the result of this recommendation. It was set up with an initial capital of Rs 100 crore, which was enhanced to Rs 2,000 crore, fully subscribed Role and Functions †¢ NABARD is an apex institution accredited with all matters concerning policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas. †¢ It is an apex refinancing agency for the institutions providing investment and production credit for promoting the various developmental activities in rural areas †¢ It takes measures towards institution building for improving absorptive capacity of the credit delivery system, including monitoring, formulation of rehabilitation schemes, restructuring of credit institutions, training of personnel, etc. †¢ It co-ordinates the rural financing activities of all the institutions engaged in developmental work at the field level and maintains liaison with Government of India, State Governments, Reserve Bank of India and other national level institutions concerned with policy formulation. †¢ It prepares, on annual basis, rural credit plans for all districts in the country; these plans form the base for annual credit plans of all rural financial institutions †¢ It undertakes monitoring and evaluation of projects refinanced by it. †¢ It promotes research in the fields of rural banking, agriculture and rural developmentby the Government of India and the RBI. Mission Promoting sustainable and equitable agriculture and rural development through effective credit support, related services, institution building and other innovative initiatives. In pursuing this mission, NABARD focuses its activities on: Credit functions, involving preparation of potential-linked credit plans annually for all districts of the country for identification of credit potential, monitoring the flow of ground level rural credit, issuing policy and operational guidelines to rural financing institutions and providing credit facilities to eligible institutions under various programmes Development functions, concerning reinforcement of the credit functions and making credit more productive Supervisory functions, ensuring the proper functioning of cooperative banks and regional rural banks Objectives NABARD was established in terms of the Preamble to the Act, â€Å"for providing credit for the promotion of agriculture, small scale industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other rural crafts and other allied economic activities in rural areas with a view to promoting IRDP and securing prosperity of rural areas and for matters connected therewith in incidental thereto†. The main objectives of the NABARD as stated in the statement of objectives while placing the bill before the Lok Sabha were categorized as under : 1. The National Bank will be an apex organisation in respect of all matters relating to policy, planning operational aspects in the field of credit for promotion of Agriculture, Small Scale Industries, Cottage and Village Industries, Handicrafts and other rural crafts and other allied economic activities in rural areas. 2. The Bank will serve as a refinancing institution for institutional credit such as long-term, short-term for the promotion of activities in the rural areas. 3. The Bank will also provide direct lending to any institution as may approved by the Central Government. 4. The Bank will have organic links with the Reserve Bank and maintain a close link with in. sources of Funds Authorised share capital of NABARD is Rs 500 crores and issues and paid up capital is Rs 100 crores. NABARD accrues additional funds from borrowings from the Government of India and any institution approved by the Government of India, issue and sale of bonds i.e. Rural Infrastructural Development Bond, borrowings from RBI, deposits from State Governments and local authorities and gifts and grants received . NABARD have been providing financial assistance to various financial institutions engaged in Rural Credit Delivery System. These agencies include Co-operative Credit Institutions, Regional Rural Banks and Commercial Banks. The demand for funds for rural development has come up considerably in recent times. To meet the increasing demand of rural credit, NABARD raises funds from the following sources: (i) Capital: It went up from Rs.100 crore in March 1992 to Rs.1500 crore in March 1998 and further Rs. 2000 crore in 1999. The total Capital of NABARD is contributed by Government of India and RBI. The capital remained at Rs. 2000 crore in March 2002. (ii) Deposits: The deposits mainly come from Rural Infrastructural Development Fund (RIDF) introduced in Central Government Budget from the year 1995-96. Another source of deposits comes from banks which fall short of attaining priority sector target. The total outstanding RIDF deposits aggregated Rs. 9725 crore as on 31st March 2002. (iii) Borrowings: NABARD raises funds through market borrowings, Loans from Union Government and borrowings in Foreign Currency from abroad. Apart from these they also borrow funds from RBI. Their borrowings are mainly from three sources. They are by issue of bonds, borrowings from Government of India and borrowing abroad in foreign currency. The total outstanding borrowing amounted to Rs. 15,772 crore in March 2002. (iv) Reserves and: The excess of income over expenditures is generally accumu- Surplus lated as ‘Reserves and surplus’. As on March 2002, these reserves aggregated to Rs. 3626 crore. (v) Nation Rural Credit: These funds were earlier provided by RBI to NABARD in con- Funds (Long-term section with assistance under Agriculture Sector. These were Operation Fund & given out of profits earned by RBI. They stood at Rs.11064 crore Stabilization Fund) as on March ’99. However it has gone up to Rs. 13,975 crore as on March 2002. However, Reserve Bank stopped contributing large sums towards these two Funds from 1994. Presently, the RBI contributes only Rs.1.00 crore each to these funds as a symbolic gesture because the RBI Act provides for such contributions. The balance contribution now comes from NABARD’s own profit. (vi) Rural Infrastructural Development Fund (RIDF): The setting up of RIDF was announced in the Union Budget for 1995-96. The RIDF was set up with a contribution of Rs. 2000 crore mainly to provide assistance to State Governments to take up infrastructure projects pertaining to irrigation, rural roads, bridges and flood control measures. Contributions to this Fund came from Indian Scheduled Commercial Banks (other than RRBs) which failed to achieve the minimum agricultural lending target of 18 per cent of net bank credit. The shortfall of amounts in the target achievement was required to be kept in the RIDF with NABARD. Similarly RIDF II was set up in 1996-97 with contributions made by public sector banks which failed to achieve the minimum priority sector advances of 40 per cent. The shortfall in their target amount has to be kept in RIDF II. RIDF III was set up in 1997-98 with shortfall in priority sector landings of all private and public sector commercial banks. The contributions to these Funds were eligible for interest payment to be decided by Reserve Bank from time to time. The Funds are managed by NABARD. Loans out of these funds are mainly provided to State Governments to complete existing rural infrastructural projects and also for taking up new infrastructural projects in rural areas. Loans out of RIDF I was provided interest at the rate of 13.0 per cent and at 12.0 per cent out of RIDF II and III. The projects generally pertain to irrigation facilities and construction of Roads and Bridges in rural areas. Similarly RIDF IV and V were created in the Union Budget during 1998-99 and 1999- 2000. Further RIDF VI and VII were created in 2001 and 2002 with a corpus of Rs. 4,500 crore and Rs. 5,000 crore respectively. The scope of the fund has been extended to cover Gram Panchayats, Self Help Groups to develop rural infrastructural facilities like soil conservation, rural market yards, drainage improvement, etc. Students may observe the capital of NABARD has gone up by Rs. 1,500 crore to Rs. 2,000 crore during the year 2002. Similarly, the RIDF deposits which were only Rs. 3,608 crore in March 1999 were increased to Rs. 9,725 crore as on March 2002. The borrowing of NABARD has gone up substantially in the recent past from Rs. 9,000 crore in March 1999 to Rs. 15,772 crore in March 2002. The aggregate resources of NABARD were also substantially increased from Rs. 28,986 crore in March 1999 to Rs. 45,098 crore in March 2002. On the uses of funds while the loans and advances increased by about 25% between March 1999 and March 2002 loans out of RIDF funds went up substantially from Rs. 3,667 crore to Rs. 10,435 crore during the same period.

Response Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response Paper - Essay Example The author’s mastery of English composition is facilitated only when he is able â€Å"to create an English self, and be that self†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Shen, 95). This involves: exchanging the Chinese Marxist philosophy of collective materialism for English idealism and individuality; discarding the circuitous Chinese pattern of approaching a topic in favor of the direct English ‘topic sentence;’ avoiding Chinese pictorial descriptions instead of English verbal descriptions. This concept of adopting an identity in effective writing also forms the crux of Barbara Mellix’s essay, â€Å"From Outside, In.† Mellix’s essay, â€Å"From Outside, In,† explores her evolution as a writer in terms of an African-American who speaks ‘Black English.’ She effectively relates the complexities that arise from speaking what are essentially two different languages: ‘Black English,’ and ‘Standard English.’ While the former is her own language, which â€Å"bubbled in our throats and rolled across our tongues, a balming† (Mellix, 76), the latter is the â€Å"language of others† (Mellix, 81). Standard English is reserved for special occasions and for formal writing. Learning to speak fluent Standard English is relatively easy for Mellix, but her writing continues to remain mechanical. As she struggles to become proficient in the written language, she is constrained by the difficulty of composing in Standard English: â€Å"I couldn’t think and feel genuinely in that language† (Mellix, 80). Her ultimate mastery of English composition comes about only when she learns to overcome her self-consciousness as a speaker of Black English, and convince herself to confidently assume a rightful place in the culture of Standard English. Fan Shen and Barbara Mellix adopt new, but different, identities for effective English writing. Shen and Mellix both adopt new identities to succeed in Engl ish writing. They agree that proficiency in written English requires the writer to reconcile a dichotomy in identity and â€Å"to assume a culture† (Mellix, 84). Shen must change his ‘Chinese identity’ for an ‘English identity,’ while Mellix must learn to ignore her identity as an African-American who speaks a black vernacular. Both of them must learn to be comfortable in the identities they assume for writing English. Shen’s assumption of his ‘English identity’ requires him to assume individuality, and a direct approach to a topic, while Mellix must learn â€Å"to shut out my black English† (81). Shen and Mellix create new identities and balance them with the old. Both of them accept this new identity as an enriching addition to their personalities. Shen welcomes the change which â€Å"has added a new dimension to me and to my view of the world† (101), while Mellix rejoices in the new ability to discover previously unknown aspects of herself. While Shen and Mellix share the experience of assuming new identities as writers, their concepts of identity differ. Shen’s new identity differs from that of Mellix. Shen keeps his Chinese and English identities distinct and separate, but Mellix blends her old and new selves. For Shen, the

Can Literature Tell the Truth better than other arts or Essay

Can Literature Tell the Truth better than other arts or - Essay Example Modern technology is so increasingly dominating the world minds that the taste for art and literature has taken a back seat in our interests. Literary compositions--- poetry, drama, prose, novel, and story are a very old form of art and have always been very close to human heart. The immortal compositions of great masters continue to entertain the human hearts of all generations. The present day masters in the field are in no way inferior but given the other faculties of entertainment that modern technology is offering this art is attracting lesser interest. Now the question---- can literature tell the truth ---- has two aspects of thought, what it tells and how No literary depictions are factual events, but they always reflect some objective observations of the artist. They are the feedbacks of truth if not the actual truth. There are lots of literary works based on true historical events but they do not depict the historical events in the truthful perspective. The artist here by his artistic talents produces a piece of art though related to the historical facts. The purpose of the artist here also is not to depict an historical event but to create a piece of art. A literary artist is not a historian whose duty is to find out the real truths and present them before the reader and preserve them for use by all future generations. The truth of a historian is determined by how he has toiled to find out the truth and how honestly he has put it in his work. The literary artist has no such obligation to fulfill. He writes for the pleasure of the reader by fabricating events through the rich flights of his imagination just like a painter who paints a painting the details of which touch the cords of human heart so deeply that it becomes a joy forever. A present day poet or novelist or a playwright is a professional too. He has to keep pace with the other professionals in maintaining himself financially. He writes according to the tastes of his readers that would fetch him enough money besides name that he wants for himself. He is not much interested in the service of the literature as the old masters in the field used to be. He is not expected to write about true stories or events but at the same time his work cannot be away from the hard realities of life. They should reflect them truly otherwise public cannot appreciate them and he can be thrown out of the public gaze. The modern literature thus really tells the truth by reflecting the facts of life. Literature, in fact, has the capacity to tell truths better than other arts as different forms of literature have a much larger field. Take the case of poetry in almost all the languages of the world, both the widely used and little used, it is the oldest form of literature that continues to entertain people at all levels since time immemorial. Poetry has always been closest to the human heart in all ages for it's reflecting the truest and hardest realities of life. It continues to do so and cannot be equaled or superseded by any other form of art whatsoever. Though no serious poetry depicts in its

Chocolate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Chocolate - Research Paper Example It played an essential role in the Aztec and Maya religious and royal events. Cocoa seeds in native America were used as an offering to deities, as well as serving chocolate drinks in sacred occasions. The American settlers from Europe fattened and sweetened it through the addition of milk and refined sugar, two ingredients that were not known to the Native Americans. In contrast, they did not infuse it into their diet, although, later, it was integrated into their desserts and sweets (Drowne & Patrick 27). It was in the 18th century that John Cadbury came up with the process of emulsification to create solid chocolate, which was the beginning of the modern chocolate bar. While cocoa was, originally from the Americas, West Africa, today, produces more than 65% of the cocoa in the world, half of which is planted in Cote divorce. The chocolate industry in the United States forms part of the largest food and beverage companies. They are in charge of the manufacture of cacao beans, the s ale of raw chocolate, and the manufacture of other chocolate related products (Allen 67). The chocolate industry has undergone numerous changes in both production and market trends over the years, which affect the industry in either a positive and negative manner. Production Based on the cocoa grinding reports released for cocoa traders, which was produced by the NCA in cooperation with the New York Board of trade, the grinding in the first quarter amounted to 119,022 metric tons - a decrease of 4.04 percent (5,006 mt) over 2011. The Unites States market on chocolate or candy stands in a shaky position. In North America, there has been a 2% decrease since quarter 3 in 2011 (124,621 metric tons) (Taylor & Akila 43). There is a rather decreased demand for chocolate in the market currently which means the producers need to correct where the problem lies. Cocoa, which originated in South America, was first planted in the US state of Hawaii by William Hillenbrand, a German physician, in 1850. While cocoa was long considered, as a crop to be grown in the plantations, the biggest challenge in the American market has been making money from it (Taylor & Akila 50). The plant is suited to the climate in Hawaii, although it is tricky to grow, requiring a lot of expertise in chocolate processing. Competition with low-cost producers in South America, Africa, and other countries is not easy because Hawaii has high costs of labor and land. However, Hawaii cocoa has been proven as a gourmet product for which a buyer can pay premium prices. Local cocoa farmers can also gain added value through the creation of farm tours around the popularly romanticized product (Taylor & Akila 50). Currently, dried cocoa seed sales, also referred to as cocoa beans, is estimated at a cost of $200,000 every year based on production per acre estimated for fifty acres, as well as a price of $2.47 dry bean price a pound (Taylor & Akila 52). Much higher sales can be derived by those planters who proc ess their product into chocolate at prices of approximately $40 a pound for retail. Industry growth, in the absence of expansion on a plantation scale, over the last few years, has been from small farms with a few of these farms having processing plants for their cocoa. Advances over the last ten years have increased the economic sense in the processing of chocolate from cocoa on a small scale sans specialized

Describe and evaluate the main macroeconomic policies used by the Essay - 2

Describe and evaluate the main macroeconomic policies used by the Government and Central Bank of China over the last two years - Essay Example Resultantly, China made an agreement with the International Monetary Fund that saw it joining the World Trade Organization and from then, the country has world-record economic advancements from dominating in foreign trade and multiple influxes of extraneous nonstop investments. In the management of any economy, the state and authority have the obligation of approving the contradictory policies (especially for currency) because failure to this results to instability of currency both at home and around the globe, mostly a decrease in value. This is a nightmare for any country or market so the monetary authorities enforce all the conflicting policies to avoid such a situation. Most of the business gurus and specialists argue that it is impossible for a country or economy to have utter investment suppleness, stable exchange rate and sovereign pecuniary policy all at the same time; definitely, at a particular time, one of these three factors changes. For the last two years, they has been a steady rise of influxes of international capital into China with the above issue of having all the three factors emerging everywhere around the country; however, the core facilitator of this is the projected escalation in value of the RMB chattels after its rise (Flassbeck 20 14). As of mid-2013, China’s extraneous exchange investments were over three thousand billion dollars, which was around three quarters of the assets of the core bank in China, PBC; resultantly, the government has contributed greatly to this, especially with its increased persistence on the matter of appreciating RMB. During a period of ten years (2003-2013), China’s funds multiplied by eleven times with a greater increase margin for foreign exchange; obviously, this development over such a period is impressive for any economy. Decisively, the central bank of China (People’s Bank of China) lay out policies and initiatives for stability

Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Music - Essay Example There were actually 18 songs from his setlist and three encore songs to the delight of the frantic audience who seem not to get enough. Starting his concert with the crowd’s favorite, Devil Without a Cause, the audience has long started to dance and prance and literally get crazy. His songs were a mix of rap and rock with a lot of metal and shrill screams in between. Most of the songs have regular pattern on the upbeat. The audience could actually appreciate them more were it not for the consistent barrage of loud noises, not only from the amplifiers and sounds on stage; but more so from the audiences’ screaming, shouting, jumping and dancing. By the time that Kid Rock sung his last encore song, Born Free, the audiences were all high from adrenaline just having been part of the spectacularly live, highly energetic and electrifying concert. Honestly, one is not a solid rock fan; therefore, attending the concert was more of a way to experience something new. One realized that other songs have good melodies and rhythm (Midnight Train to Memphis, Born Free, All Summer Long) with still the backdrop for shrill voice, liberating message, carefree spirit and the embodiment of democratic ideals. The only setback to the concert was the noise, especially of the screaming, shouting fans and audience, who were frantic and hyper most of the time. Seen to be a mix of hardcore rock fanatics, to the young generation, the crowd was virtually ecstatic constantly singing along, dancing with their hands up, as if in apparent awe and magnetized to Kid Rock’s singing. The playing of the instruments was really loud which was preferred by the general audience. As a spectator, one could only marvel at the pace by which the fans patronized this group and actually adored his every song and performance. Attending the concert has been a different but moving experience. Although one was not an avid rock fan, the impact that Kid

Race, Nation, and Modernity in Chinese Kung Fu movies Essay

Race, Nation, and Modernity in Chinese Kung Fu movies - Essay Example e other hand, critics of Art suggest that Art is the only power of unification that can eradicate all sorts of cultural, racial and sexual discrimination. Delving deep into the whole affair from a much pragmatic perspective unveils several other issues, which clearly signify that humanists and critics of Art do not have many things to optimize over such factors. Basically, the whole collaboration is established over attainment of more monetary profit form the film industry. There has always been a strong undercurrent of ethical identity and cross-culturalism in Hollywood film industry and the element of modernity is also well balanced with the racial differences. The factors of racism or cultural differentiation that humanists and sociologists boost over frequently have not changed much and they exist in the same level. At the initial level of such collaboration between Chinese stars and Hollywood, actors were chosen to play certain roles that actually focus over derogatory social structure of the Chinese society. Now the condition has developed to a great extent in that regard. In this context, the author has commented in the article â€Å"Racial Passing and Face Swapping in the Wild, Wild West† that â€Å"Compared with their predecessors in Hollywood who had to portray the stock array of Chinese domestic servants, laundrymen, mystics, gangsters, and prostitutes, the Hong Kong stars play more positive onscreen roles, appear to have more power in the making of their cinematic changes, and enjoy greater popularity among mainstream U.S. audiences.† (Lo, 147) Last part of the observation is quite significant as it states about the U.S. audience. Action in films and inclusion of subtlety in action are toe aspects that have been greatly cherished and appreciated by U.S. audience. Chinese culture of Marshal Art technique and Kung-Fu has satisfied such demands. At the same time Chinese culture has also received a great exposure through exposition in such films. Asian

Engineering Disasters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering Disasters - Essay Example Undeniably, engineering knowhow so far has immensely contributed to humanity’s wellbeing in diverse and numerous areas. This has enabled people to execute their tasks with heightened efficiency, speed and even producing varied products meant to support humanity’s survival. Some of these products include drugs, processed foodstuffs, vehicles and aircrafts. The Japanese Fukushima reactor meltdown incidence occurred due to manmade errors and carelessness (Girard 342). This is contrary to numerous claims especially from the government citing that the then coincidental earthquake exacerbated the incidence. According to the experts’ report, the government via its experts failed to utilize new and effective reactor designs. These could have ensured effective coolant regulation in the plant whose location was in a flood prone region. Hence, enable the nuclear plant to withstand the then severe earthquake’s pressure. Besides, the required designs would have prevented the subsequent Tsunami’s force, which severed the Fukushima’s power connections leading to the reactors’ overheating (Girard 342). Overheating led to the melting of reactors, which caused them to dispose their radioactive contents into the environment. This posed a hazard to both the inhabitants and other microorganisms in the region (Girard 342) . Boston’s Big Dig Ceiling Collapse incidence presents another example of a structural failure (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). The incidence occurred due to engineers’ negligence, whereas the local authorities failed to execute the necessary construction policies. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation report, Powers Fasteners Inc. knowingly supplied fast set epoxy instead of the standard fastening (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235).... knowingly supplied fast set epoxy instead of the standard fastening (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Fast set epoxy is a ceiling fastener used for short-term structures, which engineers used at the site despite being aware of the product’s â€Å"creep† and â€Å"deformation† nature (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Consequently, this inappropriate and erroneous use of materials prompted the 26 ton suspended ceiling concrete collapse onto a passing car and killing the driver (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Besides, in their report NTSB contend the site’s contractors together with their engineers contributed to the structure’s collapsing. Since, they failed to utilize their experience and knowledge to unveil the fastening product type early in advance. Therefore, in this incidence despite the legal authorities claiming Powers Company played a significant role, site’s engineers exhibited negligence and carelessness though not indicted by the law (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Engineers’ professional misconduct is also evident in the Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse incidence that occurred on 17Th July 1981 (Whitbeck 173). The incidence led to the demise of 114 people besides 200 others sustaining grievous injuries. Before the incidence’s occurrence, people were in a tea party whereas others standing on the two walkways. The two connected walkways collapsed onto the credulous people who were busy enjoying themselves whereas others holding individual conversations (Whitbeck 173). This incidence to date marks the worst structural failure in the US history in terms of human life loss and injuries sustained (Whitbeck 173). The investigators of this incidence cited the

HEALTH CARE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HEALTH CARE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT - Essay Example The article helps us to understand the design and implementation of PPACA in Health sciences and medicine. As such, the article is relevant to our class since it derives more understanding on the topic of discussion. I can derive two key take away points from this article. Apparently, the absence of universal operating rules has been hindering the adoption of more efficient and electronic healthcare payments. Additionally, the enactment of the new operating rules defined in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have enabled healthcare providers to enhance efficiency, reliability, and management of healthcare payments (Krah, 2013). However, many health providers are yet to adopt electronic funds transactions subject to the challenges involved in implementing the new operating rules (Krah, 2013). Notably, everything in this article makes sense since it seeks to derive more understanding on the new operating rules that govern healthcare payments. However, the article lacks a list of sources that supports its argument. Krah, S. (2013). Preparing for the New PPACA Electronic Payments Environment: What Healthcare Providers Need to Know. Retrieved from

Describe the various stages of the typical lifecycle of an individual in the UK today and identify the most relevant financial products that should be considered at each stage Essay Example for Free

Describe the various stages of the typical lifecycle of an individual in the UK today and identify the most relevant financial products that should be considered at each stage Essay Describe the various stages of the typical lifecycle of an individual in the UK today and identify the most relevant financial products that should be considered at each stage To date, the interpretation of the concept of life cycle of the individual has a lot of variations. In this case, the main of them wearing in one degree or another echo of the financial and economic issues, is: The sequence of qualitatively different stages of development of the organism. Model income and consumption over the life. With regard to the first definition, then there also exists a certain gradation, which is the existence of several theories regarding the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the stages of the life cycle. The most famous theory of division of the life cycle of an individual on the steps of the theory are researchers such as Alpheus Hyatt, Sullivan, Thomas S. Dalton, Randy B. Evans, and also such theory as of E. Erikson and Joel Martin. The most expedient and convenient to the financial context of the question is the theory of the division of the life cycle of an individual to a number of stages by Alpheus Hyatt. This theory is the basis for the division of the life cycle of an individual to 3 stages: formation, productive phase and effective step. Phase formation covers the time period from the moment of birth of the individual up to 25 32 years. This period is due to the formation of life basis, so on the first stage of the life cycle is the formation of the moral aspects of the personality, the initial accumulation of experience and the formation of an information foundation that actually affects the formation of a set of financial products most commonly consumed by the population of the United Kingdom in the future. Productive stage is the second stage in the life cycle of an individual, including an individual residing in the United Kingdom. This stage lasts from the end of the formation phase of up to 54 62 years. This cycle is considered to be working during it productively apply the knowledge and experience gained and accumulated during the formation phase. These years were marked by a high capacity for work and the desire to implement ideas and achieve their goals. Finally, the third stage of the life cycle score is final. It extends from the end of the productive phase until the end of life. It was during this cycle; individuals are satisfied with the achievements and receive a reward for all his works and deeds, not only morally, but also in material terms. As for the second definition of the life cycle of the individual, in this case it should be noted that in the context of the problem, the latter is more rational in terms of financial and economic sense, and as the former requires more detailed consideration, but at the same time, the latter is specifies the elements of a continuation and development stages of the first definition, namely, its financial and economic sense. In this regard, it is worth noting that in the present world context of the above issue, it is a rational assumption that, as a rule, children who actually represent the first stage in the life cycle, live at the expense of their parents, if we talk about the first part of the first phase life cycle, namely up to 18 years, speaking about the citizens of the United Kingdom. In addition, the first stage of the life cycle, as well as generally achieved the highest level of consumption, which is due to a period of the early years of adulthood, and forcing a number of items to purchase household goods and parenting. Such financial and economic characteristics of the first period of the life cycle, flows smoothly into the second, but in the first case applies the highest consumption level in the second half stage , what concerns the productive phase of the life cycle, in this case, the highest consumption level in the first half of the spread phase. This model leads to a model of savings, which are usually small in the early years of adulthood, high in the period after the children have grown and become negative during retirement. Thus, the youth begins with low incomes (1th stage of the life cycle), which is gradually increased until it reaches middle age (the 2nd stage of the life cycle), and then the characteristic of income is the sharp decline stage (third stage of life cycle), due to retirement. Usually, the third stage of the life cycle as well due to the receipt of earned income and more (to the end of life), but usually in smaller amounts. Consequently, the assets of households tend to grow until retirement and a reduction thereafter. Start and whether the finish if in fact the assets at zero depends on how society relates to the question of inheritance: the majority of people, particularly those who living in the UK leave positive assets at the time of his death, if only because they do not know when it will happen. Also worth noting, and take into account when considering the life cycle of a typical person in the UK today, the fact that the life-cycle model of savings assumes that the distribution of assets will be uneven between households, even if their incomes and social positions within the same life cycle. Along with all the above, it should be noted that all life cycle stages listed above are typical for any individual residing in the territory of more and less economically developed countries in general, and for individuals residing in the territory particularly the United Kingdom. Considering the financial products as part of normal everyday life of individuals living in the United Kingdom in each of these stages of the life cycle, it should be noted that financial products are integral part of daily life. With regard to the factors described through the use of financial products throughout the life cycle of the individual resided in the UK to date, it should be noted that the most common financial products today are shares, loans, particularly mortgages, deposits, options, futures, swaps, those insurance some aspect of life and objects, as well as commodity contracts and interest rates. All of the above financial products individuals residing in the United Kingdom is used throughout the life cycle. At the same time, depending on the stage of the life cycle of an individual uses certain financial products, inherent to its needs relevant to this stage. At the first stage of the life cycle, so from birth to 25 32 years, United Kingdom for individuals most relevant is the use of such financial products, such as long-term and Short-term loans, particularly mortgages, compulsory insurance, in particular, Medical insurance, pension insurance and liability insurance, in addition, quite common in the above-mentioned period of the life cycle of an individual is the UK property insurance. At the second stage of the life cycle, so from 25 32 years and 54 62 years of the United Kingdom most individual relevance use financial products such as stocks, options, futures and swaps , as well as commodity contracts and interest rates. At the same time, so it should be noted that at this stage of life do not lose relevance and financial products such as compulsory insurance and property insurance, as well urgent to use life and health insurance. Thus, considering all of the above it should be noted that the second phase of the life cycle of an individual residing in the UK, today used the widest range of financial products than during other stages. The reason for this state of affairs is the fact that it was during the second stage of the life cycle, as a rule, most individuals who living in the UK reach a peak of career, have a family, get a certain amount of real estate and other property, as well as characterized by the highest level of wages for all life cycle. In the third stage of the life cycle, the most relevant financial products used by individuals of the United Kingdom are the deposits, most types of insurance, especially with regard to life insurance, as well as the most reliable stocks and other securities. As seen from the above, in the third stage of the life cycle most individuals are trying to best protect their use of financial products, reducing the risks to minimum that is logical, given that the reporting stage of the life cycle lasts from 54 62 years until his death. Analyzing the life cycle of an individual United Kingdom, as well it should be noted that the only financial product that is gaining relevance for UK citizens at the stage of formation, and does not lose so for productive and efficient life-cycle stages is insurance. In this case, depending on the stage of the life cycle are added only certain types of insurance and insurance objects. This situation is related not only to the existence of the United Kingdom of compulsory insurance, which in itself suggests the beginning of the use of insurance to meet individual age and continues until death, but also the factor that the whole life cycle of the individual accompanies a number of risks of varying complexity and specifically, these risks relate to most other financial products used by individuals throughout life. Of course, the actual separation of the above financial products for individuals residing in the United Kingdom is far from ambiguous, since it depends not only on the age group that falls under one or another individual, but also on other factors, for example such as the scope of activities, family status, presence of children, average salary, and others. For example, the likelihood that students will benefit from the mortgage insurance or property is extremely small, but if the stage of formation (in the second half of the stage) the individual is enrolled in higher educational institution (for example in postgraduate) has a wife and / or children, the probability of acquiring such individual mortgage and other long-term loans, as well as property insurance, increases dramatically. Along with this, there is an example of a large homeowner or just an entrepreneur and working diner, which are on the second stage of the life cycle. Range of financial products an individual representing the first and second class will be significantly different. For the first and most urgent is to use various tools to expand their existing business, by finding additional sources of joining the capital, one of which is the acquisition of commodity contracts, options, futures and swaps, as all of these financial products can not only increase the capital of the individual, but and to do this in the shortest possible period of time in comparison with other financial products. For an ordinary worker, all financial products relevant to a wealthy individual would not be as relevant for a given individual will acquire greater relevance compulsory insurance and the use of shares and promissory notes. However, at this graduation, presented earlier are the most widespread and the most relevant classification of financial products such individuals regarding the use of the United Kingdom. Reference List 1. Alpheus, H. (1902) Cycle in the life of the individual (Ontogeny) and in the evolution of its own group (Phylogeny).

Stages of Social Transformation Essay Example for Free

Stages of Social Transformation Essay Communications drives everything and influences everyone. Society, organizations and individual transformation (change) happens as the result of communications. Nothing changes unless the who, what, why, when, where and how is communicated. Wall Street moves based on the communication of information. Organizations move based on what is communicated internally and externally. Religion moves people based on the communications and agreement of religious doctrines. People are influenced by communications and the subsequent actions create transformation of relationships, markets and the entire economy. Stages of Social Transformation Social media influences group dynamics because of the reach and influence of communications. We are all connected to â€Å"the human network group† which has become self aggregated into sub groups of interest and affinity. These â€Å"groups† are learning, sharing, collaborating and aiming at ways to make progress. Each individual and organization goes through â€Å"stages† that are all necessary and inevitable in order for them to grow into all things social, to face up to challenges, to tackle problems, to find solutions, to plan work and life, and to achieve individual and collective objectives. The stages are: 1. Forming: In the first stages of â€Å"social groups†, the forming of the group takes place. The individual’s or organizational behavior is driven by the need to participate in the markets of conversations. When people begin to discover â€Å"social media† the first stage reflects learning, excitement as well as confusion. Trying to decide or discover who, what, where, when, how and why can seem overwhelming. Whether individually or organizationally the task at hand is learning about the different uses of social media and the implications. The forming stage of any group is important because, in this stage,the groups learning curve is influence by those they choose to associate with or follow for the purposes of learning. Those that jump in without learning stumble and fall. 2. Storming: Every group will next enter the storming stage in which different ideas compete for consideration. The group addresses issues such as how social media can create or find solutions to relevant problems. Arguments on what ideas are the best and references to who to follow for the best information or knowledge ensue. In some cases storming can be resolved quickly. In others, the group never leaves this stage. The maturity and knowledge inventory of group members usually determines whether the group will ever move out of this stage. Group leadership and intervention of new knowledge is needed to move a group to the next stage. The storming stage is necessary to the growth of a group. It can be contentious, unpleasant and even painful to members of the group who are averse to conflict. This phase can become destructive to the group and will lower motivation if allowed to get out of control. Some groups will never develop past this stage. 3.  Norming: The groups knowledge grows and they come to a mutual plan for use of social media and how to accomplish the plan. In this stage, all group members knowledge domain grows and the group begins to comprehend ways it which social media can be used to accomplish specific objectives. The group obtains a â€Å"common† perspective on the systemic nature of social media and the group members influence grows outside and inside organizations. 4. Performing: Some groups reach the performing stage. These groups are able to create meaningful and significant change using social technology as the means to create innovation.  Performing groups are motivated and leverage what they are learning to create new knowledge. The competency of these groups grows as the groups knowledge expands. These groups rely on the â€Å"wisdom of crowds† and their own creativity to advance their thinking. The group seeks innovative ideas aimed at solving existing problems and/or creating new markets from the collective intelligence gained from â€Å"wisdom and creativity†. They understand that social media are channels to learn, engage and share with markets, groups and crowds. 5.  Transformation: Even the most high-performing groups will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. Many long-standing groups go through these cycles many times as they react to changing developments. Those that reach the transformation stages are the groups who create meaningful and significant change that positively impacts the entire human network. These groups are philosophically connected and grounded in a common set of principles that guide everything they think and do. Reflect on the history of mankind and you’ll recognize â€Å"groups† that changed our world.

Motives for Americas Invasion of Iraq

Motives for Americas Invasion of Iraq Introduction Many things have been said and written about Americas invasion of Iraq. To date, most of what have been said is essentially reactions leveled against the explanations adopted by the then Americas regime and her allies in justifying invasion of Iraq. Bushs regime told the international community that there was urgent need to invade Iraq in order to oust Saddam Husseins despotic leadership from power and thus pave way for the entrenchment of democracy in Iraq which is a prerequisite to international peace and security especially in this era of terrorism. Even though UN Security Councils intelligence personnel assigned the responsibility of investigating Americas claims of existence of WMDs in Iraq was not in harmony with those claims, America went ahead in engaging in one of the most expensive war since the end of Cold War. This essay seeks to establish whether sociopolitical explanations adopted by America amidst protests from the International community and the UN were underpinned by Americas interest to maintain her global economic dominance or the proclaimed political motive of liberating Iraqis from tyranny. War as a means of implementing foreign policy Generally, war is a very expensive foreign policy implementation tool which no sane nation would want to frequently use not unless its the only alternative for her survival. All states -the powerful and the weak-U.S included tries as much as possible to use peaceful diplomacy in implementing their foreign policies abroad and can only resort to coercive diplomacy (war) when its the only rational alternative for protecting its survival and interests in the International System. Analysts were therefore left unconvinced whether the need to oust bad leadership in Iraq was the main and genuine reason behind Americas invasion of Iraq or her ambition to maintain herself position as the global economic giant was more important. To be sure, there is no economic, political, or social explanation that can on its own fully and convincingly explain Americas invasion of Iraq. The economic perspective of the invasion Pursuit of economic progress and dominance abroad is one of the major goals of any nation-states foreign policies. Paul Cerni Mphil (2006) states that â€Å"†¦ what every nation and empire aspires to is to nurture their own economy where necessary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  America is no exception in the sense that her determination to maintain her global economic position stands out as one of the main determinants of her foreign policies. Indeed, her ambition to position her self as the global economic giant has been pointed out by scholars and international political analysts as the main driving force behind year 2003 invasion of Iraq. Categorically, Marxists owing to the colossal amount of money spent on this war dont cite any other motive behind the invasion of Iraq by America in alliance with Britain among others. For them any other non economic explanations adopted by America in justifying her actions was mere political hypocrisy aimed at misleading the international community from opposing invasion of Iraq. Paula Cerni Mphil (2006) once more argues that â€Å"The US invasion of Iraq, advertised as a forceful attack on global terror and tyranny, was supposed to mark the rise of a stronger and more assertive American imperialism.† Critics dont understand why if Americas proclaimed goal of ousting bad leadership in Iraq was the main agenda she didnt hesitate from invading Iraq even after UN Security Council failed to produce evidence for the existence of WMDs in Iraq. They reject Americas claims of the need to tyranny in Iraq since the UN is supposed to maintaining international security and peace by urging countries to institute legal frameworks that can prevent people with bad ideas like which are a threat to democratic existence from taking over power. Therefore, these critics argue that the need to create an enabling environment in Iraq for purposes of exploiting her rich oil mines was the fundamental interest in this invasion. Oil as a source of energy for her industries is one of the highly demanded raw material by American capitalists and imperialists who could not feel any pain in funding such an expensive foreign policy endeavor. America was thus determined to oust Saddam Hussein from power not for purposes achieving a democratic leadership in Iraq but so that they could put in place a puppet leadership which they could easily manipulate in order to satisfy their selfish economic interests. To these critics therefore, America was essentially on a mission to conquer a prestigious economic territory and wrongly assumed that the weak Iraq would accept her proclaimed goal of eradicating bad leadership from power. A short critique of the economic argument for the invasion Note that Marxists are known for their tendency to over emphasize the economic aspects of a given real life phenomenon like invasion of Iraq by America. However, an impartial analyst should look at all factors in play and try as mush as possible to put behind each factor an emphasis that is not exaggerated. That is, in as much as economic interests were primary in this invasion and are usually in any given foreign policy other interests like her national security, survival, peace, and need to propagate her ideologies can at times be more important than mere pursuit of economic wealth and dominance It is therefore legitimate to argue that in as much as much as America wanted to exploit Iraqs oil other interests such as her national security and survival in the international system played a significant role. Its for instance arguable that in this case American political elites felt that Saddam Husseins regime was a threat to her a national security and survival by virtue of the fact that it could provide an operating base for international terrorists. There was need therefore to invade Iraq in order to bring to an end bad leadership and thus usher in a new democratic leadership that would not only guarantee Iraqis their peace and human rights but also enable America safeguard her national security and survival against the threat of terrorist attacks from Iraq. Comments posted on geocities.com states that for a considerable period of time â€Å"US administration continued to consider removing Husseins regime from power and following the September 11, 2001 terrorist destruction o f the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York, they decided that they had sufficient excuse to do so.† This argument is anchored on the premise that Iraq has been and is still a hub of dangerous terrorist and rebel groups including the dreaded Al Qaeda terror group. To some extent therefore, Americas national security and survival in the international system proclaimed by Bush regime was as important as positioning herself as a global economic giant. It is therefore unfair and even unscholarly to give the Iraq invasion an absolute economic explanation thereby under looking other factors. However, primacy of Americas economic ambitions in this invasion should be given its consideration accordingly especially due to her insatiable â€Å"thirst† for oil which is plenty in Iraq. Conclusion In conclusion, just like it was pointed out earlier there is no one particular factor (economic, social or political) that can explain Americas invasion of Iraq without facing the dangers of lacking impartiality. An impartial analyst should therefore carefully put into consideration all factors in play without over emphasizing some at the expense of others. Time and history therefore remains to prove us wrong or right with regards to our opinions pertaining this invasion. Advocates of international peace and security would for instance like to see how successful America will be in establishing peace and stability and rebuilding the collapsed Iraq nation. And also understand why several years after Saddam Hussein was hanged for his despotic leadership, bad leadership is persistent in most Asian countries and no WMDs have been recovered from Iraq. References Mphil, Paula Cerni. 2006. Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century. Theory and Science.theoryand sciecce.icaap.org (retrieved on August 20, 2009.). Iraq War www.geocities.com/ daverclark/iraq war.html (retrieved on August 20, 2009.).

Freedom of Cyber-Speech -- Internet Censorship Essay

Freedom of Cyber-Speech      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Freedom of speech has always been an important issue in American society.   With the advent of the Internet as a high-speed communication device, this issue has become even more prominent in recent years.   This paper will explore the issue of whether the Internet should be censored. Additionally, it will investigate possible methods for undertaking this censorship.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since 1787, the Constitution has been integral part of American society.   The First Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1791, reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. [1]    For two hundred years, this amendment has been tested in many different ways.   Over the years, the government passed many laws that did, in fact, "abridge the freedom of speech" for a variety of reasons.   Now, new technology appears to be giving the government another issue in which it must decide if it should go against the literal interpretation of the Constitution.  Ã‚   This paper will show how content on the Internet can be seen as dangerous, and if it should be censored.   It will then investigate what strategies are being used to censor it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Internet has provided a new and very powerful communication tool for Americans over the past several years.   With the Internet, ideas can be transferred faster than ever before.   Countless benefits have arisen with the development of the Internet, including powerful research resources, on-line shopping, and more.   However, with ... ...ier Foundation. 10/17/99.   http://www.eff.org/EFFdocs/about_eff.html#mission - An introduction to the EFF [6] First Amendment and Free Expression.   Center for Democratic Technology.   10/17/99.   http://www.cdt.org/speech/ An introduction to the CDT [7] The Freedom Forum Online.   The Freedom Forum.   10/19/99. http://www.freedomforum.org - An introduction to the Freedom Forum [8] The Free Expression Network The Free Expression Network.   .http://www.freeexpression.org   - An introduction to the Free Expression Network [9] United States Supreme Court.   Schenck v. United States.   1919. [10]United States Congress.   Title V - Broadcast Obscenity and Violence.   1995. [11] Baase, Sarah.   Gift of Fire. New Jersey:   Prentice-Hall, Inc.   1997. [12] GetNetWise.   GetNetWise.   10/17/99.   www.getnetwise.com - A tool for obtaining web-filtering software.

National Debt :: Argumentative Economy Economics Papers

National Debt I disagree with the resolution presented. I believe that the time has come for thegovernment to start taking some more drastic actions in order to alleviate the problem of theNational Debt. This resolution might have worked back when the dabt wasn't so massive, but at this point, I think that the only thing that will have any great effect is to start making some cuts. One of the biggest problems in dealing with the debt, by way of the budget, comes in theform of entitlements. Entitlements, the biggest of which beign Social Security, make up a majorportion of the national budget, and are completely left alone when it comes to discussing whereto make budget cuts. But it's very difficult to make cuts in Social Security, due to powerful lobbying groups such as the AARP. Many politicians don't want to anger such groups, becausethey make up a major portion of their constituency. Another problem area is charitable donationsmade by the government. There are many charities which recieve federal funding, and all of them feel that they should be exempt from cuts. But the government needs to take a stand andstart cutting from some fo these groups. One possibility could be taking an equal percentage from each group. So I oppose this resolution and favor other plans of attack, such as the Concord Coalition's "Zero Deficit Plan". The Zero Deficit Plan calls for cuts in entitlements, but not cuts in entitlements to those families who have an economic need for them. According to one of the Coalition's web page (http://www.texas.net/users/andyn/deficit/zdpent.html), "About one-fifth of entitlement benefits are provided according to economic need. These benefits should not be the target of deficit reduction.

Irony in All Kings Men Essays -- Literacy Analysis

William Penn Warren’s All the King’s Men is novel that explores the political society and its influences. Like several politicians in modern society, several characters have qualities that seem unsuitable to the impression that have made. These ironies in All the King’s Men reveal how the characters have flaws, which can result in critical consequences. Jack Burden, Adam Stanton, Judge Irwin and Willie Stark are characters that with ironic traits. Jack Burden is known as the â€Å"student of history† ( Warren 372). The very fact that he is a historian is ironic, as he has come from an aristocratic and reputable family and grew up in Burden’s Landing. However, Jack lacks the ambition needed to excel in life and works for Willie, despite the disapproval of this family. He â€Å"not only lacks ambition, but all ‘essential confidence’ in himself† (Bloom 132). If he had ambition, he could have married Anne Stanton earlier, as Anne would always tell him to â€Å"go on back to State and finish up† and then she will marry him â€Å"even before [he] gets [his] law degree† (448). Yet, Jack forced himself to get kicked out of school. Even as a historian, Jack cannot deal with new things he learns about people he is closely associated with. After he learned that Lois was actually a person and not â€Å"merely a luscious machine† he went into one of series of the Great Sleep ( Warren 459). After he learned about Anne Stanton and Willie’s affair, Jack temporarily escaped to the West because â€Å"when [people] don’t like whey [the] are [they] always go West† (Warren 464). Jack was not able to cope with this news that he had to leave to relieve his mind. In addition, as a historian, he does not delve into his own past. Concerning his father, he only knew that the Scholarl... ... its characters. These ironic flaws contribute to their sufferings throughout the novel. The flaws of Willie Stark, Adam Stanton and Judge Irwin led to the ultimate punishment, death, and Jack Burden’s flaws led to temporarily losing his love, Anne Stanton. Works Cited Baker, Joseph E. â€Å"Irony in Fiction: ‘All the King’s Men.’† College English. Vol. 9. JSTOR. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. Bloom, Harold. â€Å"’The Case of the Upright Judge’: The Nature of Truth in All the King's Men.† Robert Penn Warren’s â€Å"All the King’s Men.† Questia School. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. Martin, Glenn. â€Å"Diction in Warren’s ‘All the King’s Men.’† The English Journal. Vol. 58. JSTOR. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. Warren, Robert Penn. All the King’s Men. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 1996. Wright, Andrew H. â€Å"Irony and Fiction.† The Journal of Aestetics and Art Criticism.Vol.12. JSTOR. Web. 06 Dec. 2011.

Indian Culture Essay

INDIA A country in South Asia. India is bounded by the Indian ocean on the south, Arabian sea in the south-west and bay of Bengal in the south-east. It shares borders with Pakistan in the west, china, Nepal and Bhutan in the north-east and with Burma and Bangladesh in the east. India’s Andaman Nicobar islands share a maritime borders with Thailand and Indonesia. Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four world religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism— originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region’s diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Indian economy is the world’s tenth-largest by  nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic  Reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest- rowing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of  Poverty, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate public Healthcare and terrorism. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks eighth in military expenditure among nations. Current Details of India: President : Pranab Mukherjee Vice President : Mohammed Hamid Ansari Prime Minister : Manmohan Singh About India: Since ancient times India is known for diversity and prosperity in its Culture. It has one of the oldest civilization and culture in the world. Despite of such diversity Indian culture has the immense power to unite peoples together. There are fifteen national languages recognized by the Indian constitution and these are spoken in over 1600 dialects. With language changing across different parts of country, culture is also diverse. The Culture of India has played a vital role in its civilization. But, now a days, there is a lot of change in our Indian culture. Some changes are good and some effects badly on society. Let us see some of the changes in our society and what is our responsibility to preserve our pride, because â€Å"Pride of India is its Culture†. Changes In Indian Culture that are Positive for Indian Society A few Centuries ago â€Å"Sati pratha† was abolished and â€Å"widow remarriage† was approved. These Changes were the major achievements of Indian Society. These changes have removed the traditions and methodologies which was a curse to all the women and humanity. These Changes were the major revolution in the Indian Society. From that time, changes have influenced a lot to the Indian Society. Now a days, there are many visible changes in our society. Some of them are: †¢With technology becoming fast and easily portable people of different parts of the world are interacting together. Today they can easily know each other’s culture and tradition. So technology has made this world a smaller place and make the peoples come closer to know each other’s lifestyle and culture. Now a days people of a country are well known about the culture and tradition of other countries and so their knowledge has broaden. Peoples are becoming more independent. They are no more restricted in their own methodologies. New thinking are evolving between society. †¢Today peoples of our country are moving to other parts of the world for higher education and learning better technology. Now a girl of our country is no more restricted to home, and a woman to a housewife. Things are changing. Girls are also getting opportunities for their better education and lifestyle, same as the boys. Old traditions and wooden customs are  changing. These changes are the seeds for the better society where girls and women have the same right as the boys and men have. These changes are empowering our girls and women. †¢In case of marriage the changes are visible. Now a days younger generation chooses their life partner themselves. Traditionally their parents used to find a marriage par tner for them. Today If their parents choose a life partner for them then they allow their young ones to spend time with their life partner to understand each other and then perform the marriage ceremony. By doing this they gave their children a better chance to have a better future. So now a days young generation have freedom of choice in contrast with the old culture of Indian society where parents were solely responsible for choosing life partner for their children. †¢A major change that can be sensed in Indian Culture is the change in Indian Cinema. We all know that cinema is the mirror of our society. It clearly reflects the culture and methodologies of our society. Few decades ago Indian cinema was only meant for entertainment. At that times films were of conservative type. But today film makers are moving to the various social issues and giving the Indian cinema a touch of perfection. Films displaying the critical and major issues like terrorism and bogus CBI has already produced. These films teach a lesson to society regarding these issues and its consequences. Also the films promoting art and music have produced over a few years. Such types of films also encourage new ta lents and provide new opportunities. Negative Aspects Of Changes In Indian Culture As stated earlier that â€Å"every coin has two faces†. So If there are some positives, negatives also lies within. The changes in Indian Culture is also giving some negative consequences. Some of them are discussed below: †¢With growing technology competition in the market is also rising. People are spending their lots of time in office and at workplace. Consequently they have not much time to spend with their family specially with their children. So now a days parents have a less time to care for their children in contrast with the old age, where an immense care was given to a child by his family members. So the present generation of children are very much unaware of our Indian Culture. No one is there to make them understand about this. At present this is not a major issue but in future it will be of great concern. No one of us will ever want that our future generation will remain unaware from our Indian Culture. Problem: Our next Generation will remain unaware about our Indian Culture and slowly they forget it. Solution: Parents should spend a valuable time with their children discussing about our culture and tradition. Classes should be organized by schools for making them aware of our culture and its value. †¢With the growing demands of the world level of education has also changed. Pedagogy has changed. In old ages learning of a few subjects was enough but now a days a child has to learn about the different subjects and different areas of concern including present technology and science. So the level of mental stress has increased. In such conditions behaviour of parents act as catalyst. Now a days parents used to impose their desire and dreams on their children. Consequently mental stress rises exponentially leading to the act of suicide and state of depression. Problem: Mental stress on a child has increased. Solution: Nature of Pedagogy should be in a way, favourable with children. Parents should not impose their desires and dreams on their children. Every child is special, every child has a special talent. Provide them care and love and help in enhancing their mental strength so that their confidence in themselves will increase. They need these things because they are the future of our country. How would be our next society and culture largely depends on them. †¢In this world of growing technology, nearness and full of connections it is almost impossible for anyone to remain unaware about the culture following in different parts of the world, specially to our young generation. They are crazy about being modern and in their journey of modernization they are more attracted towards western culture. Regarding this they have accepted some freaky ideas of western culture. Now a days, physical pleasure are preferred by them over mental pleasure in almost every aspect, whether their life is concerned or whether their love. In search of physical pleasure they often commits crime. They are the building blocks of our society and culture. What  would happen to our future generations if they themselves solely tends towards western culture? Modernization is necessary but it should be in a way so as to preserve our culture and values. Problem: Physical pleasure is preferred by our young generation over mental pleasure. Solution: Parents should take care of their teens. They should restrict their teens up to some extent. Freedom is necessary but it should be in a limit. Parents should also be frank with their teens as like friends. Parents should give lessons to their teens about the consequences of bad habits prevailing in society, and how they can contribute in removing them. They should also make their teens frank with them and their family. Parents should discuss each and every issue of their teen among themselves and should tackle it patiently and smartly. If a proper care is given to them, they can be a responsible Indian in the Future.

Good Fellas Essay

During the years of adolescence, children tend to conjure up ideas of what life will be like as an adult. Some dream of becoming a firefighter, some a teacher, but young Henry Hill is not like most children. He dreams of becoming a mob member and spends his time fantasizing about the cars and women that will come with the title. In the film Good Fellas, Martin Scorsese uses repetitive violence and poor decisions to show Henry Hill that material possessions and status are not of importance when you are reprimanded by the law, and further, how people in society tend to become blind by fortune and do not think about the consequences they could face by their actions. Scorsese creates a strong sense of what life is like for an Italian American, who is involved in the Mafia. Between the mass amount of mob movies and the reality shows available on cable, the stereotypes of Italians are not too keen. Before meeting an Italian American, a person who is over interested in food, tan, loud, hot tempered and obnoxious comes to mind. In some cases even a visual of a mob member. In this movie, Scorsese focuses on the way the mob members dress and eat, which helps create a strong image for the viewer of what is important to these characters. Once Henry started to become involved in the mob’s activities, he started to dress like them, â€Å"You look like a gangster,† his mother was appalled by his appearance. This is the first time the stereotype of how a member of a mob dressed is acknowledged. Henry shows up on the door step of his parent’s house at a young age, wearing a pressed suit and sparkling black dress shoes. He had used his earnings from the restaurant to make what he thought was an everlasting impression and to show his growing status. Shortly after Henry marries Karen, she is invited to a mob wife’s hostess party. She shows up in a designer dress and notices that â€Å"these women appear to be wearing thrown together pants suits and wearing worn makeup,† to her disgust. Later as the movie progresses Karen herself begins to adapt to this look as well. This is scene when appearances become less important and survival according to the demands of the mob is more of a focus. The aspect that never changes is how important a good meal is no matter what is going on around them and focus on the present tense. Even when Henry and Tommy have a man in the trunk, they think nothing of parking the car in a residential driveway to have a hearty meal with Tommy’s mom. Whenever life takes a turn for the worse, all is lost and the men are in prison, they still manage to prepare a five coarse meal. It is the only thing that gives them a sense of home. The members of the mob lived on the code of respect; if this was forgotten then they were forfeiting the safety that comes with being part of the crew. They were to respect the Boss and listen to whatever advice that was given. If a member were to go against him, there were consequences, â€Å"murder was the only way to keep everyone in line, if you got out of line, you got wacked,† there was no room for mistakes. It was seldom that a second chance would be granted. Once a member of the mob worked their way to the top and proved that they were loyal, they were treated extremely well. Not only did people within the mob know their status but onlookers knew as well. Henry enjoyes the amount of respect he received, he was not at the top but still had the power. He â€Å"didn’t have to wait for [his] fresh bread at the bakery, neighbors didn’t park in their driveway anymore, and the kids in the neighborhood would carry [his] mother’s groceries home for her. † This was just the beginning because as Henry grew older, he received this kind of treatment everywhere he went. Life was good. The luxuries Henry had did not come from volunteering within the community or going to college to earn a degree. These men were well known but not for their good doings. Henry explains it as being as an easy job, â€Å"if we wanted something we just took it, if someone complained they got hit so bad they didn’t again,† violence and crime was the only way to go for them. The people within the community feared them and if the police came after them, they would just pay them off or murder them and dispose of the body so it could not be pinned back on any of them. In order to become completely untouchable from the outsiders as well as the members within the mob, although, they needed Pauly. These members would go to Pauly for help, when they could not go to the police. The only problems with this is Pauly is not cheap and they needed to play by his rules. If his help was needed, he was to be paid weekly and no excuse was good enough for not having his cut when it was due. Scorsese uses violence and crime to show there was more to life than the money and fun that came along with it. It takes a bit of dirty work to get high end items if the hard work isn’t done to allow for the high end job. The members of the mob and their wives see life a bit differently than the typical working American. Henry’s wife Karen addresses this by saying â€Å"Our husbands are not Brain Surgeons; they were blue collar guys who go out and cut a few corners. † She did not see anything wrong in what Henry does as long as he comes home and treats her with all the luxuries she has become accustomed to, nothing else mattered. Henry and his accomplices did not think anything was wrong with how they lived. They enjoyed themselves and were aware of the consequences, but did not fret about them, â€Å"no one goes to jail unless they want to,† Pauly offered protection and as long as the rules were followed there was nothing to worry about. In order to get by, Henry would do everything from boot leg cigarettes, steal cargo, deal drugs and would kill anyone who gets in the way. The two that must be followed were, do not kill a Made man, which is a boss, unless you have permission and make sure you pay Pauly. Henry was living a fabulous life until he started making some bad decisions, got careless and broke the rules. Now the consequences that have been threatened have caught up with him and are starting to give him a rude awakening of what life really can be like for the average person, who does not belong to a powerful family, such as his. Henry was living life day by day and getting by doing whatever he pleases. He had the respect, the power and the wealth that he dreamt of as a young boy. But in the end it didn’t add up, he was left with nothing. All due to a few bad decisions, the materialistic rubbish and money caused Henry to be blinded from what truly should be important in life, he had cut off relationships with all of his real family and now had no one to turn to. Pauly had warned him not to get involved in the scandal that his two close accomplices Tommy and Johnny were getting involved in, but after Henry gets put into prison, he runs out of resources and needs money fast. â€Å"When you go away you are on your own,† because Pauly did not help Karen, while Henry was in jail he decides that instead of asking Pauly for help when he gets out he would take care of this misfortune of his own. He doesn’t feel as if he owes Pauly anything because Pauly did not offer help when he needed him the most. Henry locates Tommy and Johnny and creates a multimillion dollar plan. The problem that surfaces is that it will be hard to keep everyone involved quiet and some of the help decided to spend their cut of the money right away which started to draw some unwanted attention. Tommy and Johnny cannot have this become an issue, so â€Å"months after the robbery, they were finding bodies left and right, â€Å"it was obvious that there was something going on and it was starting to catch up with Henry. Pauly eventually caught up with them and had his men kill Tommy. Henry began to notice he was being followed and he thought he had everything under control but he was wrong. The Federal Government caught up with him â€Å"and now it’s all over, I am and average nobody. † In order for Henry to stay out of prison he had to become a victim of the Witness Protection Program and confessed everything, from the beginning, involving everyone and every detail. He no longer had the power or money he once had. None of it mattered anymore and he now regrets the poor decisions he had made that lead him in this direction. If he would have just listened to Pauly, he may still be living the life he once had. The director uses this end result of regret as the main theme of the movie. It holds as a message, a man may be blessed with good fortune but one bad decision can turn it all around. This film was based on a true story. The main character relives the life of the real Henry Hill to show the general public that it is okay to live life day by day and enjoy what comes with it but make sure that the consequences are acknowledged and be prepared for the outcome of the actions taken. All can be lost by a few bad decisions and there is no going back.