None of the greatest movements in world history has been successful without the participation of masses or its people. The similar dilemma lies with India while we search for the best way to eradicate illiteracy from this country. Why have all these big schemes and abhiyans like Sarv Sikhsa Abhiyan have failed to serve their purpose, although government might be thinking that it served it's purpose, few percent more children have been taught how to write or read. But the ground reality is still far from what we really want to achieve.
We lack the public participation, nobody thinks in broader prospective, we leave it for NGO's to think, and help the underprivileged, who cannot buy them education (in today's reality education is bought).
In the same pursuit Times of India, one of the prominent English dailies has launched "Teach India" campaign. I was reading today's newspaper when I saw the full page advertisement regarding the campaign. May be for TOI, it is a marketing campaign to enlarge their base but the motive is pious. The results will be good for society, TOI will also reap it's benefits but who cares until it helps create a social awareness.
It has always been believed that media plays a vital role in nation building, It is the medium, which reaches to masses, whatever it communicates is going to change the course of destiny. With the large circulation of Times of India, one can certainly believe that it will attract lots of attention and people will join and it will also provide platform to people who want to help the underprivileged but could not find a medium to do that.
India's corporate sector is nervous about spiralling inflation that hit a 14-year high of 11.42 percent in the week ended June 14, but feels there could be moderate recovery in the medium term, said a survey by an industry lobby.
The latest quarterly business confidence survey by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), said 64 percent of the 413 companies questioned felt current economic conditions were the worst in the last six months.
In fact, 32 percent felt economic conditions would deteriorate further in the next six months.
The Expectations Index reflected some hope, with 37 percent of the respondents saying some recovery could take place in the medium term, particularly firm level performance.
At the same time, the survey's Current Conditions Index was at its lowest following moderation in economic growth, rise in inflation and increasing input costs.
"While the situation may improve somewhat in the near future, we will still fall short of the strong performance that was witnessed till about a year ago," the survey report said.
Any immediate hike in interest rates was bound to make the pressure insurmountable, it added.
"If the industry is saddled with further interest rate hikes then the present phase of 'nervous optimism' may not last long," the report warned.
Forty-four percent of companies said they were reeling under the impact of rising interest rates and input costs, forcing them to raise prices.
With the RBI further tightening its monetary policy, interest rates have started hardening, which was bound to impact the country's economic growth, they said. Rising crude oil and commodity prices globally have added to their anxiety.
The survey predicted that the manufacturing sector would continue to suffer through the year.
The North Pole faces the prospect of becoming iceless this summer for the first time in history, scientists warn.
They warn that since global warming has caused the thick, long-term layers of ice to disappear from the North Pole, the seasonal ice it receives during winter months has also been melting fast, with the last summer being a record ice loss year.
They fear the prospect of seasonal ice disappearing altogether this summer, leaving the North Pole iceless for the first time in history.
As the Arctic ice melts, many global experts also fear a scramble among Arctic nations - Canada, Russia, the US, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, Finland, Iceland and Denmark - for control of its resources such as oil and gas, minerals and fresh water.
A report by the Arctic Council, which has all eight Arctic nations as its members, has warned of a `no-holds-barred' scramble for Arctic resources unless they reach some agreement on safety and environmental issues.
The report, prepared by 40 experts from six countries, also feared militarization of the Arctic as different nations fortify their claims to its resources.
All Arctic nations have to submit their claims by 2013 to the UN which will then decide by 2020 which nation controls what parts of the Arctic bed.
But the expert report said the agreement might be far away, warning ``This is a world in which many international players anxiously move to outwit competitors and secure tomorrow's resources today. Political tensions are high and brinksmanship is the name of the game.''
To safeguard its future interests, Canada has decided to station eight naval ships and build a navy and an army base in its Arctic region. The Americans have already held military exercises in Alaska, and the Russians too plan to flex their military muscle very soon.