New Telecom Policy seeks to abolish roaming charges
Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal interacts with the media in New Delhi. File photo
The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2012, which has been released after a delay of over a year.
Originally intended to be NTP 2011, the draft policy was released for public comments only in October 2011, forcing it to be rechristened NTP 2012. The actual timelines for implementation of individual announcements within the new telecom policy are yet to be made known.
With the new policy in place, consumers who use national roaming can now expect to pay local call charges though it is unclear when ‘free roaming' will be initiated. At present, consumers pay local call charges and a premium when travelling outside their service area.
The policy also allows national number portability, but again, with no visible timelines.
Other forward-looking propositions like resale of services could become critical in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's cancellation of 122 licences, which will cease to exist as of August 1, 2012. A sharp reduction in the competition level from 14 operators currently to 7-8 operators could be made up by allowing mobile companies to set up resellers. Services resale is universally recognised as a way to increase competition without duplicating infrastructure or fragmenting the spectrum. Additionally, it mentions cloud computing, next generation networks, IPV6 and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as thrust areas — all of which are forward-looking and embrace future technologies. It remains to be seen whether average Internet users will be allowed to use VoIP, especially since this move has been opposed vehemently over the last 5 years by cellular mobile operators.
Apart from these, experts say, there is very little in the policy that will help end the impasse faced by the telecom sector. Spectrum pricing, reserve price for the upcoming 2G auctions, historical pricing of spectrum for operators who have received spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz and the more recent contentious issues of refarming, etc, will have to be dealt with through executive decisions, most of which fall outside the purview of the NTP 2012 announcement.
It is also unlikely that the policy by itself will see any major reestablishment of investor confidence, which has been on the decline since late 2010. Both Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and domestic investments faced a sharp decline during 2010-11 vis-à-vis previous years, according to a recent PWC report. The trend has continued downwards even for the fiscal year ending 2012.
This is the season of scams and the biggest ever corruption cases in India have been unearthed more recently. So, we decided to dig deep to see which scams were the biggest and most damaging to the country and its citizens alike.
In our daily life, most of us must have been a witness to or a victim of the corruption thriving in some or the other part of the country. It could be in the form of a taxi-driver manipulating the meter to jack-up the reading or a government officer taking bribery to promptly transfer your file to the next department or even yourself offering bribe to a traffic police on breaking a signal.
An average Indian citizen is hard working and diligent, but it is the people in charge of the system (The Babu’s) or with whom the power lays, that act as a cancer spreading the venom, slowing down progress and what all not. But, somewhere down the line, we ourselves are responsible for allowing and being taken for a ride by these people, aren’t we?
However, it is during a multi-thousand crore scam, that a tax-payer actually realizes the heartburn of being cheated from his valued contribution of funds towards the development and well-being of the nation. But, that’s what a scam, be it big or small, means – the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme or action.
The Top Scams in India
1) 2G Spectrum Scam
We have had a number of scams in India; but none bigger than the scam involving the process of allocating unified access service licenses. At the heart of this Rs.1.76-lakh crore worth of scam is the former Telecom minister A Raja – who according to the CAG, has evaded norms at every level as he carried out the dubious 2G license awards in 2008 at a throw-away price which were pegged at 2001 prices.
2) Commonwealth Games Scam
Another feather in the cap of Indian scandal list is Commonwealth Games loot. Yes, literally a loot! Even before the long awaited sporting bonanza could see the day of light, the grand event was soaked in the allegations of corruption. It is estimated that out of Rs. 70000 crore spent on the Games, only half the said amount was spent on Indian sportspersons.
The Central Vigilance Commission, involved in probing the alleged corruption in various Commonwealth Games-related projects, has found discrepancies in tenders – like payment to non-existent parties, will-ful delays in execution of contracts, over-inflated price and bungling in purchase of equipment through tendering – and misappropriation of funds.
3) Telgi Scam
As they say, every scam must have something unique in it to make money out of it in an unscrupulous manner- and Telgi scam had all the suspense and drama that the scandal needed to thrive and be busted.
Abdul Karim Telgi had mastered the art of forgery in printing duplicate stamp papers and sold them to banks and other institutions. The tentacles of the fake stamp and stamp paper case had penetrated 12 states and was estimated at a whooping Rs. 20000 crore plus. The Telgi clearly had a lot of support from government departments that were responsible for the production and sale of high security stamps.
4) Satyam Scam
The scam at Satyam Computer Services is something that will shatter the peace and tranquillity of Indian investors and shareholder community beyond repair. Satyam is the biggest fraud in the corporate history to the tune of Rs. 14000 crore.
The company’s disgraced former chairman Ramalinga Raju kept everyone in the dark for a decade by fudging the books of accounts for several years and inflating revenues and profit figures of Satyam. Finally, the company was taken over by the Tech Mahindra which has done wonderfully well to revive the brand Satyam.
5) Bofors Scam
The Bofors scandal is known as the hallmark of Indian corruption. The Bofors scam was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s; when the then PM Rajiv Gandhi and several others including a powerful NRI family named the Hindujas, were accused of receiving kickbacks from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India’s 155 mm field howitzer.
The Swedish State Radio had broadcast a startling report about an undercover operation carried out by Bofors, Sweden’s biggest arms manufacturer, whereby $16 million were allegedly paid to members of PM Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress.
Most of all, the Bofors scam had a strong emotional appeal because it was a scam related to the defense services and India’s security interests.
6) The Fodder Scam
If you haven’t heard of Bihar’s fodder scam of 1996, you might still be able to recognize it by the name of “Chara Ghotala,” as it is popularly known in the vernacular language.
In this corruption scandal worth Rs.900 crore, an unholy nexus was traced involved in fabrication of “vast herds of fictitious livestock” for which fodder, medicine and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured.
7) The Hawala Scandal
The Hawala case to the tune of $18 million bribery scandal, which came in the open in 1996, involved payments allegedly received by country’s leading politicians through hawala brokers. From the list of those accused also included Lal Krishna Advani who was then the Leader of Opposition.
Thus, for the first time in Indian politics, it gave a feeling of open loot all around the public, involving all the major political players being accused of having accepted bribes and also alleged connections about payments being channelled to Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Kashmir.
8) IPL Scam
Well, I am running out of time and space over here. The list of scandals in India is just not ending and becoming grave by every decade. Most of us are aware about the recent scam in IPL and embezzlement with respect to bidding for various franchisees. The scandal already claimed the portfolios of two big-wigs in the form of Shashi Tharoor and former IPL chief Lalit Modi.
There are two options everyone prefer after completing B.Tech degree(i.e. Engineering). If you are economically efficient and don't need a job, it is better you go for your further studies. A specialization will always earn you more salary as well as priority during interviews and of course sound grip over subject. Otherwise if the scenario is opposite, like you hay to pay Education Loan or Family Responsibilty, then you can find some job either On-Campus or Off-Campus.
Further Studies
If you prefer to continue to studies, you can do Post Graduate courses and then obtain a Ph.D. You have lots of options during this P.G course like M.S/ M.Tech, IAS/IPS, Navy/NDA and Finance related courses like MBA. M.S/M.Tech: GATE: Conducted by one of seven Indian Institutes of Technology in rotation, Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) is an annual exam for admission to M.Tech and M.S. programmes in most engineering institutes in India[citation needed]. It is regarded as a benchmark test for engineering graduates in India [citation needed]. This examination is coordinated by a committee, comprising of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and seven Indian Institutes of Technology on behalf of the National Coordinating Board - GATE, Department of Education, and Government of India. The pattern and syllabus are usually based on a candidate's B.Tech. Or BE syllabus. Minimum eligibility for appearing in this exam is usually a B.Tech, BE, B. Arch. or Masc. The exam is usually conducted on second Sunday of February.
If you prefer doing P.G in your field of study, you can go for M.S/M.Tech. If you are ready to go outside India and financially sound you can prefer M.S. You need to appear for GRE/TOEFL for doing M.S in Foreign countries. GRE: The Graduate Record Examination or GRE is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in English speaking countries. It is created and administered by the Educational Testing Service and is similar in format and content to the SAT. It is a computer based Online Test. The percentile scored in this exam will decide your future in doing M.S in foreign nations. TOEFL: The Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL�, pronounced "toe-full" or sometimes "toffle") evaluates the potential success of an individual to use and understand Standard American English at a college level. It is required for non-native applicants at many English-speaking colleges and universities. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then is deleted from the official database. It is not worthy for anyone doing P.G in some college other than Foreign/Indian University Colleges, and Premiere Private Engineering Colleges. MBA:
If you prefer doing P.G in some finance related courses you can definitely go for MBA. GMAT: The Graduate Management Admissions Test, better known by the acronym GMAT (pronounced G-mat), is a standardized test for determining aptitude to succeed academically in graduate business studies. The GMAT is used as one of the selection criteria by most respected business schools globally, most commonly for admission into an MBA program. CAT: Common Admission Test is conducted by IIMs in India for entry to various IIMs present in India. Admissions are based on the scores in CAT exam.
Jobs
This is the most preferred route by engineering students in education after B.Tech. Software industry: What ever the branch you are in during your engineering you can get into a software industry with simply communication skills. It is good if you get a job during the campus placements itself because it is really difficult to find a job after you come out of the college. However there are various kinds of jobs in Software industry which you get accordingly as your course of study or your specialization. It is ok if you do job for sometime and start studying again for your P.G courses. Indian Civil Service: Even though corporate jobs may offer the best of salaries and perks, a majority of youngsters and their parents still crave entry to the prestigious Indian Civil Services held by the UPSC. The very fact that a big share of every year's top posts in the civil services exams are bagged by professionals from various streams, shows that the IAS is still the dream job for many
Entrepreneurship (Own Company)
If you are financially sound and have passion to do something out of the box, you can start your own company
Eligible candidates are required to apply ON LINE through Bank's website. www.unionbankofindia.co.in between 30.12.2011 and 14.01.2012 and no other means/ mode of application will be acceptable. The guidelines for filling ONLINE application are as under: -
To apply ON-LINE :-
(a)
Candidates MUST POSSESS HIS / HER OWN VALID PERSONAL E-MAIL ID (as mentioned in the online application form while applying for CWE for recruitment of Probationary Officers/ management Trainees) WHICH SHOULD BE VALID FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THIS RECRUITMENT PROJECT. In case a candidate does not have a valid personal e-mail id, he / she should create his / her new e-mail id. THIRD PARTY E-MAIL IDs ARE NOT PERMITTED.
(b)
The candidate should also keep the particulars of their Application Fee Paid details, Educational Qualifications, Work Experience details, and other Personal details ready before applying as these details are required to be entered in the On-Line Application.
(c)
Go on to the Internet and to the Bank's website www.unionbankofindia.co.in and on the Home Page under the link "Careers", access the Recruitment Notification entitled "UNION BANK RECRUITMENT PROJECT - 2011-PO.
(d)
Print the Recruitment Notification and the Recruitment Application Fee Payment Challan(On Page 22) and make payment of the prescribed Application Fee at any Union Bank of India Branch, as spelt out under "PAYMENT OF NON-REFUNDABLE APPLICATION FEE & POSTAGE CHARGES" in Para 14 of the notification from 30.12.2011 to 14.01.2012
PAYMENT OF NON-REFUNDABLE APPLICATION FEE & POSTAGE CHARGES:
(1)
Applicants are first required to go to the Bank's website www.unionbankofindia.co.in and on the Home Page open the link "Careers".
(2)
Thereafter, open the Recruitment Notification entitled "UNION BANK RECRUITMENT PROJECT - 2011-PO".
(3)
Take a Print of the entire Recruitment Notification, including the 'RECRUITMENT APPLICATION FEE PAYMENT CHALLAN' on Page 22 of the notification.
(4)
Fill in the Recruitment Application Fee Payment Challan in a clear and legible handwriting in BLOCK LETTERS.
(5)
Go to the nearest Union Bank of India Branch with the Application Fee Challan and pay, in Cash, the appropriate Application Fee as indicated below :
Category of Applicant
Amount of Fees
GEN & OBC
Rs. 200.00
Others
Rs. 50.00
(6)
Obtain the Applicant's Counterfoil Copy of the Application Fee Payment Challan duly receipted by the Bank with (a) Branch Name, (b) Branch SOL ID, (c) 3 to 10 Digit TRANS ID, and (4) Date of Deposit filled in by the Branch Official.
(7)
You are now ready to Apply On-Line by re-visiting the Recruitment Notification on the Bank's website and going to the link "ON-LINE APPLICATION FOR OFFICERS 2011)to open up the appropriate On-Line Application Form Format.
(8)
Fill in the details from the Recruitment Application Fee Payment Challan in the On-Line Application Form at the appropriate place.
(9)
A photocopy of the Receipted Application Fee Challan should be attached to the System Generated Printed Application Form, which will have to be submitted only at the time of the Personal Interview.
Payment of application fees by any other mode except by the above stated mode will not be accepted. Instruments like Demand Draft / Bankers cheques / Indian postal orders received towards payment of application fees will not be encashed by the bank and such instruments if received will not be returned to the applicants.
An application once made will not be allowed to be withdrawn and the fees once paid will not be refunded on any account nor can it be held in reserve for any other examination or selection.Therefore, before applying on-line for the post the candidate should ensure that he / she fulfils each of the eligibility criteria and other norms, including submission of documents, as mentioned in the notification.
(e)
After making Payment of the Application Fees re-visit the Bank's Website and the Recruitment Notification
(f)
CLICK ON THE APPROPRIATE ALONGSIDE LINK "ON-LINE APPLICATION FOR OFFICERS-2011-PO. to open up the appropriate On-Line Application Form Format.
(g)
Fill in On-Line the required details in the Correct Application Form and SUBMIT the On-Line Application electronically NOT LATER THAN 14.01.2012
(h)
There is a provision to modify the submitted online application. Candidates are requested to make use of this facility to correct the details in the online application if any. This modification facility will be available after two days of registration and upto 16.01.2012. Modification will be allowed only three times. After the last date i.e., no modification will be permitted.
(i)
Make a note of the allotted System Generated Application Registration Number and Password.
(j)
After applying On-Line, take two (2) Print-Outs of the duly filled in Computerised System Generated Application Form.
(k)
The Candidate is required to download a copy of the Application Form and keep ready with the one set of the prescribed documents to be brought along and submitted only when invited for the Personal Interview. Ensure to also bring along the Original Documents for verification when invited for the Personal Interview. The other Print-out is to be retained by the applicant for future reference.
A Common Written Examination (CWE) conducts by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) as a pre-requisite for selection of personnel for Clerical cadre posts in the Public Sector Banks mentioned below.
Participating Banks:
Allahabad Bank
Indian Overseas Bank
Andhra Bank
Oriental Bank of Commerce
Bank of Baroda
Punjab National Bank
Bank of India
Punjab & Sind Bank
Bank of Maharashtra
Syndicate Bank
Canara Bank
UCO Bank
Central Bank of India
Union Bank of India
Corporation Bank
United Bank of India
Dena Bank
Vijaya Bank
Indian Bank
Any individual who aspires to join any of the above Public Sector Banks as a Clerk or in a post in that cadre, will necessarily be required to take the CWE. Prospective candidates who wish to appear for the CWE will have to apply to IBPS and should carefully read the advertisement regarding eligibility criteria, online registration process, pattern of examination, issuance of call letters and score cards. Candidates who appear for the CWE will be able to check their status after the examination. Scorecards will be issued to candidates who secure minimum qualifying marks and above in each test of the examination.
It should, however, be noted that successful candidates in the CWE who have been issued scorecards and who meet the stipulated eligibility criteria are then required to apply to any of the participating banks they wish to as and when individual banks call for applications, quoting their personal details and their CWE scores. Each bank will then individually shortlist candidates and carry out their own selection processes such as Interviews etc. for final selection.
Each participating Public Sector Bank will independently issue a separate recruitment notification, specifying their vacancies and stipulating the eligibility criteria in terms of age, educational qualification, proficiency in Official Language of the State/UT for which vacancies he wishes to apply, experience (if any), minimum required level of IBPS score in each test and on Total Score (if any) etc.
Process For Arriving at Standard Scores in the CWE
The Standard Scores are obtained by adopting the following procedure :
Number of questions answered correctly by a candidate in each objective test is considered for arriving at the Corrected Score after applying penalty for wrong answers.
The Corrected Scores so obtained by a candidate are made equivalent to take care of the minor difference in difficulty level, if any, in each of the objective tests held in different sessions to arrive at the Equated Scores*.
The Equated Scores so obtained are standardized** to arrive at Final Standard Score with a minimum ‘0’ and maximum ‘50’ by following Linear Transformation Method.
Maximum marks and Cutoffs in Each Objective Test and Descriptive Paper
A Common Written Examination (CWE) conducts by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) as a pre-requisite for selection of personnel for Clerical cadre posts in the Public Sector Banks.
Eligibility Criteria:
Prospective Candidates should ensure that they fulfill the minimum eligibility criteria specified by IBPS before applying for the Common Written Examination (CWE): Please note that the eligibility criteria specified herein are the basic criteria for applying to various Public Sector Banks. However merely applying for CWE/ appearing for and qualifying in the examination does not imply that a candidate will necessarily be eligible for employment in all or any of the 19 Public Sector Banks as each Bank will stipulate its own eligibility/ qualifying criteria.
Age Limit: Minimum: 18 Years Maximum: 28 Years
Educational Qualifications:
A pass with 60% marks in the aggregate in Matriculation/SSC (old pattern)/SSLC/10th std. Examination of 10+2+3 pattern or equivalent. For SC/ST/OBC/PWD/EXSM candidates a pass in the aggregate in Matriculation/SSC (old pattern)/SSLC/10th std. Examination of 10+2+3 pattern or equivalent OR
A pass with 50% marks in HSC examination of 10+2 (10+2+3 pattern) /11th Std. of (11+1+3) pattern or Intermediate/Pre-University or any equivalent examination/Diploma in Banking recognized by Central/State Government or U.T. administration. For SC/ST/OBC/PWD/EXSM candidates a pass in HSC examination of 10+2 (10+2+3 pattern) /11th Std. of (11+1+3) pattern or Intermediate/Pre-University or any equivalent examination/Diploma in Banking recognized by Central/State Government or U.T. administration OR
Degree in any discipline from a recognized University or any equivalent qualification recognized as such by the Central Government.
A Common Written Examination (CWE) conducts by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) as a pre-requisite for selection of personnel for Clerical cadre posts in the Public Sector Banks.
Written Examination Structure:
Written Examination Structure:
Sr. No.
Name of Tests (Objective)
No. of Questions
Maximum Marks
Total Time
1
Test of Reasoning
50
50
150 minutes
2
Test of English Language
50
50
3
Test of Numerical Ability
50
50
4
Test of General Awareness with special reference to Banking Industry
50
50
5
Test of Computer Knowledge
50
50
Total
250
250
The above tests except the Test of English Language will be printed bilingually, i.e. English and Hindi. Other detailed information regarding the written examination will be given in an Information Handout, on IBPS website which will be made available for the candidates to download along with the call letters.
A Common Written Examination (CWE) conducts by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) as a pre-requisite for selection of personnel for Clerical cadre posts in the Public Sector Banks.
EXAMINATION CENTERS
(i) The written examination will be conducted in venues across many centres in India. The list of Written Examination centres is available in Annexure I. Candidates have to appear for the examination from a centre in the particular State/ UT for which vacancy he/she intends applying for. (ii) IBPS however reserves the right to cancel any of the Examination Centres and/ or add some other Centres depending upon the response administrative feasibility etc. (iii) As far as possible candidates will be allotted to a centre of his/her choice however IBPS also reserves the right to allot the candidate to any of the Centre other than the one he/she has opted for. (iv) Candidate will appear in the written examination from a Examination Centre at his/her own risks and expenses and IBPS will not be responsible for any injury or losses etc. of any nature. (v) No request for change of centre for Written Examination shall be entertained.
PRE-EXAMINATION TRAINING: It is proposed to impart Pre-Examination Training to a limited number of candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribes/ Minority Communities/ ExServicemen/ Persons With Disabilities at some centers viz.
Agartala
Agra
Ahmedabad
Amritsar
Allahabad
Aurangabad
Balasore
Bareilly
Bhubaneshwar
Behrampur (Ganjam)
Bhopal
Bengaluru
Chandigarh
Chennai
Coimbatore
Dehradun
Dhanbad
Gulbarga
Gorakhpur
Guwahati
Hyderabad
Hubli
Indore
Jabalpur
Jaipur
Jammu
Jodhpur
Kanpur
Karnal
Kavaratti
Kochi
Kolkata
Lucknow
Ludhiana
Madurai
Mangalore
Mumbai
Muzaffarpur
Mysore
Nagpur
New Delhi
Panaji (Goa)
Patiala
Patna
Port
Blair
Puducherry
Pune
Raipur
Rajkot
Ranchi
Rohtak
Sambalpur
Shimla
Siliguri
Shillong
Thiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Tirupati
Varanasi
Vadodara
Vijaywada and Vishakhapatnam
All eligible candidates who wish to avail of Pre-Examination Training should fill in the relevant column in the ON-LINE APPLICATION. While IBPS will provide the training free of cost all expenses regarding traveling boarding lodging etc. will have to be borne by the candidate for attending the pre-examination training programme at the designated Centers. IBPS also reserves the right to cancel any of the Pre- Examination Training Centres and/ or add some other Centres depending upon the response administrative feasibility etc.
Merely attending Pre-Examination Training does not necessarily imply a candidate’s right to be selected in any of the 19 participating Public Sector Bnaks mentioned.
IIT-JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) to Undergo Changes from 2013
A new education system will be introduced to take admission to India's prestigious engineering colleges IIT, NIT and IIIT wherein, two exams - JEE Main and JEE Advanced will be held instead of one - IIT JEE.
TheIIT-JEE(Joint Entrance Examination) will undergo major changes from 2013 with the aim of reducing stress onengineering collegeaspirants, HRD Union Minister Kapil Sibal announced on 28th June, 2012. The new education system structure for engineering 2013 was decided upon by HRD Union Minister Kapil Sibal and IIT Council.
According to the new education system, IIT-JEE 2013 pattern will take into account Class 12 Board exam results along with a two-tier joint entrance examination — JEE-MAIN and JEEAdvanced. The main exam will be a filtering process in which 50% weightage will be given to the score in the class 12 Board exams.
The new education system will replace the entrance exams for IIT 2013 and AIEEE 2013. Students will sit for a main test and an advance test conducted on the same day.
The main and advanced exams will also determine admission to the various National Institutes of Technology (NIT's) and centrally funded engineering colleges across India, besides IIT's. There will be no separate exam for admission to non-IIT institutes from next year.
For NIT's and other centrally funded institutions, 40% weightage will be given to performance in the class 12 Board exam, 30% to performance in JEE-MAIN and 30% to JEE-Advanced. Students seeking admission to Indian Institute of Technology (IIT's), however, will face a filtering process and will follow the following pattern - 50% weightage to Board Results and JEE Main. Based on the main exam's result, the top 50,000 candidates will be selected for the JEE Advanced exam. Admission to IIT 2013 will be determined by a candidate’s performance in the advanced exam, after taking into account their performance in the board results and the main result.
Education departments of Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra have already expressed their willingness to conduct this exam for admission to technical institutes run by their respective governments, though career experts have stated flaws in this education system. As for the mass, there has been a mixed reaction regarding JEE Main and JEE Advanced 2013 engineering entrance exam. While some think that this will cut out commercially run tuition colleges that are unavailable to the poor and in rural areas, others worry the burden on students will get more difficult to bear. We are yet to see the reaction of the prospective engineering students as a whole.
“We are hopeful that many other state boards will come forward to adopt this. However, they will have flexibility in altering the weightage and other compositions,” Sibal said.
At present, there are 15 Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) while there are 27 NIT's and 4 IIIT's in India. They are as under:
The MBA is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. It is a degree designed to give you the ability to develop your career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace. What will you get out of an MBA? Aside from a powerful life experience, the MBA degree should supply three main value propositions: Skills, Networks, and Brand.
Skills
These include the "hard skills" of economics, finance, marketing, operations, management, and accounting, as well as the "soft skills " of leadership, teamwork, ethics, and communication that are so critical for effective management. MBA students acquire these skills inside and outside the classroom. Since MBA programs attract people from very diverse industries and cultures, a program should be able to leverage these differences and translate them into learning opportunities.
Networks
An MBA degree program offers access to a network of MBA students, alumni, faculty, and business and community leaders. This network can be very useful when beginning a job search, developing a career path, building business relationships in your current career, or pursuing expertise outside your current field. For example, entrepreneurs need access to capital, business partners, vendors, and clients. Arts-related businesses need access to funding and strategic management in order to position themselves to be relevant in the marketplace. Global businesses need access to local business cultures as they expand their enterprises to new territories.
Brand
The MBA degree is a recognized brand that signifies management and leadership training. The particular school and type of MBA program you attend also have brand associations that can help open doors based on the school's reputation. The strength of a school's brand is based on the program's history, its ability to provide students with technical skills and opportunities for personal growth, and the reach of its alumni and industry network. A powerful brand can give you the flexibility to make changes throughout your career.
HYDERABAD: CBI has arrested YSR Congress chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in a disproportionate assets case. The probe agency is expected to produce Reddy before a magistrate on Monday.
Protesting against the arrest of their leader, YSR Congress has called for state bandh on Monday. Fearing violence by Jagan Reddy's supporters, prohibitory orders were enforced by police in all major towns and cities of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday night. Security personnel staged flag marches in several towns and state road transport bus services were curtailed. There were reports also of police asking shops to be closed down in Kadapa.
The move comes a day before Jagan Reddy was scheduled to appear before a CBI court. Reddy is the first accused in the case. CBI has accused 18 persons and corporates in three chargesheets filed so far. A CBI court had earlier posted the hearing of his anticipatory bail plea for Monday. Reddy had sought anticipatory bail till bypolls to 18 assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat were over. The by-elections are scheduled for June 12. With his arrest, Jagan Reddy's plea before the CBI court would be for regular bail.
CBI, probing the case following the directives of the Andhra Pradesh high court last August, has accused Reddy of amassing huge assets through illegal means by allegedly using his father, the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy's office, when he was the chief minister. Jagan Reddy had rebelled against Congress and floated his own political outfit YSR Congress, riding on the legacy of his father.
CBI has also accused many prominent business houses and industrialists from Andhra Pradesh to be part of the business web allegedly woven by Jagan Reddy to profit from his late father's influence. CBI has named 58 companies and 13 individuals in its first information report and has arrested four persons. CBI has accused corporates of investing in Jagan Reddy's businesses for alleged favours they received from the YSR governmentin the form of licences, allotment of projects, mining leases, and huge tracts of land and relaxation of norms.
CBI has also accused the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who died in a helicopter accident in September 2009, of misusing public office to benefit his son. "The modus operandi followed by the duo was to dole out public properties, licences, SEZs, mining leases, ports, real estate permissions and other benefits to persons of their choice, violating established norms and procedures of the government," CBI said in its chargesheet.
Reddy, who had appeared before CBI on Friday for the first time in connection with his disproportionate assets case, was quizzed by CBI officials over the last three days for nearly 24 hours. The questioning centred on various favours allegedly doled out to corporates, in general, and Vodarevu and Nizampatnam Port and Industrial Corridor (Vanpic), in particular. Vanpic's Indian promoter Nimmagadda Prasad has invested nearly Rs. 1,000 crore in various businesses of Reddy.
On Sunday, Jagan Reddy was quizzed in the presence of his family auditor V Vijay Sai Reddy, the first person to be arrested in this case and now on bail, industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad and bureaucrat Brahmananda Reddy. Former minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, who was arrested and who is now in CBI custody, was admitted into a private hospital due to ill health. Prasad and Brahmananda Reddy, whose CBI custody ended on Sunday, were sent to judicial custody at Chanchalguda Central Prison
Obsessed with the growth figures, the planners have tried but failed to hide the ugly underbelly of India’s economic growth
Montek Singh Ahluwalia has been at the helm of India’s planning process for quite some time now. It is during his tenure as the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission that India has been pushed deeper and deeper into the quagmire of poverty. With the largest population of hungry in the world, the Global Hunger Index 2010 has placed India in the pit.
I wasn’t therefore shocked when I read Ahluwalia blame the hungry for the rise in food inflation. From someone who literally lives in the ivory tower of the Yojana Bhawan, anything can be expected. But what, of course, surprised me was the audacity with which he blamed the poor and hungry in the rural countryside for the rising inflation. Although I hate to say but there can be nothing more stupid than blaming the poor in the villages as if they have started eating more and therefore the pressure on food prices.
A few years back, former US President George Bush had made that ignominious remark shifting the blame for the 2007 global food crisis to the hungry Indians. He had said that the food crisis was because the Indians had started eating more. In an interview, I had then replied that if Indians started eating as much as the Americans do, then probably the world would need to grow food crops on the moon.
While one can ignore what George Bush had said, how can one pardon the head of India’s planning process who should know much better. It also reflects on the disconnect India’s Planning Commission has with the existing ground realities. Obsessed with the growth figures that continue to be tossed around with much fanfare, the planners have tried but failed to hide the ugly underbelly of India’s economic growth.
Only a few weeks back, India was ranked 67th among 84 hungry countries of the world. Two years back, in 2008, the Global Hunger Index had placed India at 66th position among 88 countries. In other words, India had slipped still lower down the pit in the past two years. I can’t fathom how the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) had placed India in such a low esteem if the poor in the villages had started eating more.
Take another international report that was submitted by the Save the Children Fund just a few days prior to the UN Summit on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that was held in the last week of September in New York. With over 5,000 children succumbing to malnutrition every day, India had once again topped the global ranking. This shocking disclosure is enough to put every Indian to shame. I wonder how the head of Indian Planning Commission can even walk with his head held high.
Let me also draw your attention to the 2006-07 report of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) which brings out the stark truth. It tells us that the correlation between hunger and economic growth is robustly positive -- more the economic growth, more people go to bed hungry. This challenges the widely held view that economic growth pulls poor out of poverty and hunger.
What makes the alarming situation still worse is that ever since economic liberalisation was launched in 1991, the NSSO tells us that cereal consumption has been on a steady decline, with no corresponding increase in the intake of more nutritious eggs, vegetables, fruits and milk. It means hunger has been on a rise and is now more widespread and well-entrenched. So far the feeling was that with the changing food habits, people have shifted from cereals to nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables and milk. This assumption too does not hold true anymore.
Cereal consumption
The decline in cereal consumption has more or less followed a steady pattern in the rural and urban areas, and of course, much faster in the rural areas. I don’t think Ahluwalia ever read this report. Accordingly, per capita cereal consumption per month in the rural areas across the country has fallen from 13.4 kg in 1993-94 to 11.7 kg in 2006-07.
The decline has been sharper between the period 2004 and 2007 when just in three years, cereals consumption fell from 12.1 kg to 11.7 kg. In the urban centres the decline was from 10.6 kg in 1993-94 to 9.6 kg in 2006-07. In a largely vegetarian society, cereals constitute the single important source of nutrition and therefore its importance in the Indian context is well established.
This is still not the real picture. The NSSO survey does not cover the period 2007-08 when the world was faced with an unprecedented rise on global food prices. In any case, the average household expenditure on food shows an increasing trend, but does not translate into more food consumption. It only means food prices have been on an upswing, and the poor are finding it difficult to fill their bellies. The recent price rise had made it still more difficult for the poor to be well fed. Cereal consumption therefore is expected to fall still further in 2009-10, and the impact it must have had on the poor and hungry can be well imagined.
