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How to Crack Bank Interview

To crack a bank interview is a not as difficult it is perceived. The candidates should master the art of cracking interview as it is the final push to achieve success in their banking career. There are practical suggestions with regard to physical appearance, skills and knowledge for them to follow while preparing for the interview.

Dressing up in immaculate manner does help in portraying yourself in sincere decent image before the interviewers. So, always be neat and clean including being clean-shaven, with hairs well-trimmed and nails well-pared. In choice of dress, it is recommended to wear a well-ironed formal shirt (a coat and tie, if possible), trousers and polished shoes; strong perfume/deodorant should be avoided.

You should possess clarity of thoughts and confidence in your knowledge on current affairs; you should be honest in your communication with the board suggesting that you are good at work ethics and serious about the job you are supposed to take up. It is noteworthy that anything is expected to be asked on current affairs, so, you should be punctual in reading monthly competition magazine with care and attention on regular basis.

As soon as you enter the interview room, never forget to follow small but significant behavioral etiquettes: take permission to sit down and if desired, offer them a copy of your bio-data and your certificates in pleasant and civil manner. Normally, the Bio-data is already available with the interviewers and certificates or the testimonials are verified before your interview starts. Your body language may make or mar your chances of being selected in the interview. Your posturing and gesturing should reveal dignity. While interacting with the members of the interview board always have gentle eye contacts and never forget to occasionally share a mild smile. Besides, a little use of hands-raising or gentle finger-indication in explaining certain important things may send a good impression on the minds of the members, apply it wisely.

Questions like “tell me about yourself”, put up by the interviewers is very important. The more effectively and impressively you respond to this question, the more you strengthen your position in winning the favour of the interview board.  It depends upon the reply to the first question that the interviewers are encouraged to pose to you more questions and their interest in you is gradually and steadily established. However, always make an internal analysis of what most interests the interviewer; so always focus on the areas, in your measured response, which are relevant, and in your wise view, can convince the board about the suitability of yours for the offered position. The interviewer may pose such questions as “how will you perform the job” and “how you will be able to fit in the position, you are offered” and “how will your selection help the organization to grow further” and they expect from you highly convincing and satisfactory response.

The toppers’ interview published in a prestigious monthly magazine should be regularly read with a view to keep abreast of the trends in current competition environment. Successful candidates’ interviews published in competition magazines help the new interviewees a lot in cracking the interview and emerge successful.

Healthy States, Progressive India

“Healthy States, Progressive India”, a comprehensive Health Index report released by NITI Aayog on February 9, 2018; ranks states and Union territories innovatively on their year-on-year incremental change in health outcomes, as well as, their overall performance with respect to each other. It is the first attempt to establish an annual systematic tool to measure and understand the heterogeneity and complexity of nation’s performance in Health. Health Index is expected to nudge States towards further achieving a rapid transformation of their health systems and population health outcomes. Linking this Index to incentives under the National Health Mission by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare underlines the importance of such an exercise.

  • “Healthy States, Progressive India” report was released jointly by the CEO, NITI Aayog; Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; Preeti Sudan and World Bank India Country Director, Junaid Ahmad
  • Health Index is a weighted composite Index, which for the larger States, is based on indicators in three domains, with each domain assigned a weight based on its importance:
    • Health Outcomes (70%);
    • Governance and Information (12%); and
    • Key Inputs and Processes (18%),
  • Among Larger State Kerala, Punjab & Tamil Nadu ranked on top in terms of overall performance, and
  • Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh ranked top three States in terms of annual incremental performance showing maximum gains in improvement of health outcomes from base to reference year in indicators such as:
    • Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR),
    • Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR),
    • Full immunization coverage,
    • Institutional deliveries, and
    • People Living with HIV (PLHIV) on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART).
  • Among Smaller States, Mizoram ranked first followed by Manipur on overall performance, while
  • Manipur followed by Goa were the top ranked States in terms of annual incremental performance. 
  • Manipur registered maximum incremental progress on indicators such as PLHIV on ART, first trimester antenatal care (ANC) registration, grading quality parameters of Community Health Centres (CHCs), average occupancy of key State-level officers and good reporting on the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).
  • Among UTs, Lakshadweep showed both the best overall performance as well as the highest annual incremental performance. 
  • Lakshadweep showed the highest improvement in indicators such as institutional deliveries, tuberculosis (TB) treatment success rate, and transfer of National Health Mission (NHM) funds from State Treasury to implementation agency.

Common challenges for most States and UTs include:

  • Need to focus on addressing vacancies in key staff,
  • Establishment of functional district Cardiac Care Units (CCUs),
  • Quality accreditation of public health facilities and
  • Institutionalization of Human Resources Management Information System (HRMIS).
  • Almost all Larger States need to focus on improving the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB).

Health-care delivery is the responsibility of States; the Centre provides financial and policy support. Being able to meet the Sustainable Development Goals over the coming decade depends crucially on the States’ performance.

GOES-S the Most Advanced Weather Satellites Launched

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S)  lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V Rocket at 5:02 p.m. EST (2202 GMT) i.e. 17:02 Eastern Time (22:02 UTC) on Thursday,  March 1, 2018 and deployed an advanced weather satellite for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA).

GOES-S is the newest and most advanced weather satellites ever built. It is the second in a series of four advanced weather satellites that will reside in geostationary orbit – hanging in place over one spot on Earth as they orbit and the world turns. Its companion, GOES-R, now known as GOES-16, was launched on November 19, 2016. GOES-S is the fifth generation of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) program, a series of spacecraft that NOOA uses to provide continuous monitoring of weather conditions in the United States and across the western hemisphere. At any time, the GOES constellation consists of two (a pair) operational satellites in geostationary orbit, plus a number of spares.

GOES-S will be renamed GOES-17 when it reaches geostationary orbit and is expected to replace the eight-year-old GOES-15. Once the satellite is declared operational, late this year, it will occupy NOAA’s GOES-West position and provide faster, more accurate data for tracking wildfires, tropical cyclones, fog and other storm systems and hazards that threaten the western United States, including Hawaii and Alaska, Mexico, Central America and the Pacific Ocean, all the way to New Zealand.

GOES complements NOAA’s polar orbit satellites – such as the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) since renamed NOAA-20 that was launched on November 18, 2017. The Polar orbit satellites make brief passes over much of the Earth’s surface, while from their geostationary orbits high above the equator; GOES spacecraft constantly observe the same disc of the planet. The two operational satellites are stationed at 75 and 137 degrees West – slots designated GOES-East and GOES-West respectively.

The satellite occupying GOES-East is responsible for monitoring the eastern United States, the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will operate GOES-S in partnership with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Lockheed Martin-built satellite will join GOES-East, currently in orbit, to provide a broad, high-definition view of weather on Earth.

GOES-R-class satellites are being built by Lockheed Martin. They are based on the A2100A satellite bus and each has a mass at launch of 5,192 kilograms with dimensions of 6.1 by 5.6 by 3.9 meters. The satellites are designed to operate in orbit for fifteen years: consisting of five years’ on-orbit storage and ten years of weather monitoring.

Two further satellites of the GOES-R class – GOES-T and GOES-U – are expected to be launched in 2020 and 2022.

Before beginning the GOES program, NOAA operated a pair of experimental geostationary weather satellites – named Synchronous Meteorological Satellites (SMS). SMS-1 was launched by a Delta 2914 rocket in May 1974, with SMS-2 following in February 1975. Following their success, three operational GOES spacecraft were built based on the same design. These were launched between October 1975 and June 1978. A second generation of satellites – consisting of five satellites – were launched between 1980 and 1987. The fourth second-generation satellite, GOES-G, was lost in a May 1986 launch failure.

Notes:

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is within about 1 second of mean solar time at 0° longitude; it does not observe daylight saving time.

UTC is the time standard commonly used across the world. The world’s timing centres have agreed to keep their time scales closely synchronized – or coordinated – therefore the name Coordinated Universal Tim

Although GMT and UTC share the same current time in practice, there is a basic difference between the two:

  • GMT is a time zone officially used in some European and African countries. The time can be displayed using both the 24-hour format (0 – 24) or the 12-hour format (1 – 12 am/pm).
  • UTC is not a time zone, but a time standard that is the basis for civil time and time zones worldwide. This means that no country or territory officially uses UTC as a local time.

Food Processing Industry: Scope and Challenges

In original form, an agriculture product is not suitable for consumption and hence it is necessary for a particular agriculture product to be processed for final consumption.  Thus, an agriculture product goes through various stages , in fact a chain of value additions, right from the cultivator who produces it to the wholesaler and then to the retailer and finally ending its journey with the consumer. At every stage there is value addition to the product in form of sorting, grading, packaging and branding in order to make the product usable, fascinating and attractive to the consumer. The packaging and branding of a product not only makes the product more valuable among the targeted consumers but also increases its utility and shelf-life.

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Though India produces 17-18%of total vegetables of the world and around 15%of total fruits of the worlds but the value addition of these products is very low. As India could not develop adequate and viable infrastructure for preserving and processing these products much of the agriculture products due to short shelf-life are perished. For example, India is a big producer of mangoes and if mangoes are processed to mango juice it will result in more value addition as well as create more jobs and employment. Similar is the case with other fruits like bananas and apples.

India grievously lack in the facilities and infrastructure for sorting, grading, packaging, storage, transportation and cold chains which are required to preserve agricultural produce so that they can be sold in the international market at better prices which in turn can help in increase of foreign exchange reserves. If India wishes to spread the taste and aroma of its food, the food processing industry should be developed by putting in place strong supply of chain and hence the wastage of thousands of tonnes of cereals and grains due to deficient infrastructure of cold storage or warehouses and other perishable food preserving mechanism will be avoided.

As per the data made available by the ministry of food processing, Government of India, the food processing sector is estimated to be valued at around 135 billion dollar. It is developing at a pace of 8 % annual rate which is double of the annual growth rate of agriculture growing at 4%, thanks to the utmost importance the government of India is attaching to the sector, sensing the huge potential that has been lying untapped in this sector for so many years.

If we go by the gross domestic figures of our economy the share of food processing industry in the whole of agriculture sector stands at 10%, nevertheless, given the vastness of our agriculture sector, it is less than desirable and dampens our zeal of transforming agriculture into an engine of growth.

The food processing industry is the bye-product of agriculture industry. However, it has assumed so much importance in modern technology-driven world that it has come to be treated as separate industry which can survive and flourish on its own by drawing investment and capital into its fold. The recent decision of the government of India in January 2018 of opening the   automatic route for single brand retail trading for 100%t FDI is premised on the vision of strengthening food processing industry also and making it the vehicle of economic growth. If the agro-industry is the backbone of our economy then food processing industry is the backbone of the agro- industry.

Top World Universities That Offer Online Courses For Free

Education does not have to cost a bomb. If you have harboured the dream of studying at a world-famous university, the internet has now made it convenient. Thanks to the online outreach of Massive Online Open Courses, or MOOCs, it is now possible to take up a course of your choice and pursue it from the convenience of wherever you are. The course topics cover a range of subjects and areas of interest.

The most common reasons why people pursue MOOCs are:

  • They can be pursued as a subject of interest that you always wanted to study.
  • To advance your career.
  • To make a career switch.
  • They are open to people of all ages and backgrounds.
  • To earn college credit.
  • These courses are offered by top universities free of cost.

We have compiled a list of top world universities that offer online courses for free. Students can opt for a free online course or go for a verified certificate at the end of the course for a small fee:

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offers free online courses called MITx. MIT is dedicated to advancing knowledge and educating students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that best serve the nation and the world. Through MITx, the Institute furthers its commitment to improving education worldwide. MITx courses embody the inventiveness, openness, rigor and quality that are hallmarks of MIT, and many use materials developed for MIT residential courses in the Institute’s five schools and 33 academic disciplines.

2. Harvard University

Harvard has always been a hallmark of excellence in education and research in the United States. Their principles aim to develop leaders across disciplines make a positive global impact. Harvard encourages education and research that pushes the boundaries of human knowledge and capacity. HarvardX are free online courses from Harvard University offering a host of options across science and arts, some of the trending Harvardx courses are Super-Earths & Life, Reading in Global Health, and First Nights: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Program Music in the 19th Century to name a few.

3. University of Oxford

Oxford, an internationally renowned university with a centuries-old reputation for innovation and outstanding academic achievement is the oldest university in the English-speaking world that has been at the forefront of understanding the world and shaping it for centuries. OxfordX are free online courses from University of Oxford that offer, a unique assortment of courses with materials taken from the residential courses taught at Oxford.

4. University of California, Berkeley

UC BerkeleyX are online courses from University of California. The Berkeley Resource Center for Online Education (BRCOE), a resource hub and an operational catalyst for all internal campus-wide and external resources to advise, coordinate, and facilitate the University’s online education initiatives, ranging from credit and non-credit courses, to online degree programs and MOOC projects, including the MOOCLab initiative, was formed in September 2012 to actively support Berkeley’s commitment towards learning and education. BRCOE’s new MOOCLab is a three-year research initiative to fund and develop Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as vehicles for pedagogical research in online education. Their course database has a wide range of credited and non-credited STEM, literature, and arts courses that you can pursue under the umbrella of what is popularly known as the ‘City of Learning’.

5. Imperial College London

ImperialX are free online courses from Imperial College London. A science-based university with an international reputation for excellence in learning and research, Imperial College, a community of problem-solvers dedicated to finding innovative solutions to the world’s biggest challenges furthers its commitment to improving education worldwide through its learning and teaching strategy. Imperial is a multidisciplinary space for education, research, translation and commercialisation, harnessing science and innovation to tackle global challenges.

Apart from these top world universities, you can also opt for courses from the Australian National University, Boston University, the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Caltech, Dartmouth, IIT Bombay, Princeton University, Peking University, and the University of Pennsylvania among many others.

Where Can I Avail These Courses?

As a very noble effort to advance the cause and outreach of education to the masses, all these universities have come together to form an organization called EdX. You can log on to www.edx.org to avail these courses for free, or pay a small fee to obtain a verified certificate upon successful completion of your course.

It is the age of innovative learning, and online education has just opened the door to a million opportunities for you!

Re-capitalisation for Responsive & Responsible PSBs

Re-capitalisation of Public Sector Banks (PSBs) and Comprehensive Reform Plan unveiled by the Government of India on 24 January 2018, includes Rs.80000 crore through Recap Bonds and Rs.8139 crore as budgetary support to address regulatory capital requirement of all PSBs and provide a significant amount towards growth capital for increasing lending to the economy.

PSB Manthan held in November, 2017 involving senior management of PSBs and representatives from Government had recommended EASE – Enhanced Access and Service Excellence, focusing on six themes of customer responsiveness, responsible banking, credit off take, PSBs as Udyami Mitra, deepening financial inclusion & digitalisation and developing personnel for brand PSB. 

“Responsive and Responsible PSBs” is the overarching framework of reforms agenda.

  • Capital infusion by Government is contingent on performance of PSBs on reforms.
  • PSBs’ Whole Time Directors to be assigned theme wise reforms for implementation to be evaluated by the bank Boards.
  • A survey by an independent agency in respect of EASE to be conducted to measure public perception about improvements in access and service quality.  Results of the survey to be made public each year.
  • Recap & Reform agenda:
    • is sharply focused on strengthening PSBs,
    • increasing lending to MSMEs and
    • making it easier for MSMEs and retail customers to transact as well as significantly increasing access to banking services.
    • includes a commitment to banking services within 5 kms of every village,
    • refund within 10 days of any unauthorised debit in electronic transactions,
    • a mobile App  for locating banking outlets and
    • a mobile ATM in every underserved district.

This is part of PSBs Recapitalisation plan announced on 24 October 2017 when Government decided to take a massive step to capitalise PSBs in a front-loaded manner, with a view to support credit growth and job creation:

  • That entailed mobilization of capital, with maximum allocation in the current year, to the tune of about Rs. 211000 crore over the next two years, through budgetary provisions of Rs. 18139 crore, recapitalisation bonds to the tune of Rs. 135000 crore, and the balance through raising of capital by banks from the market while diluting government equity (estimated potential Rs. 58,000 crore).
  • Definite steps to be taken to enable PSBs to play a major role in the financial system. PSBs having 70% market share in the banking space to be geared for greater growth and to contribute through enhanced credit off-take.
  • MUDRA Protsahan’ campaign across the country.
  • Strong push on enabling growth of MSMEsthrough enhanced access to financing and markets, and a drive to finance MSMEs in 50 clusters.

Padma Awards & Symbolic Gesture of India-ASEAN Bonding

Padma Shri awards on one achiever from each ASEAN country were announced on 25 January 2018 by India’s Prime Minsterin an unprecedented and symbolic gesture of India-ASEAN bonding on occasion of Silver Jubilee of India-ASEAN partnership, as ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit started in New Delhi on the eve of India’s 69th Republic Day, where heads of all the 10 ASEAN States were the Chief Guests. The awardees from ASEAN countries are as unde

No. Country Awardee-Category

  1. Myanmar: Dr Thant Myint – Public Affairs, Author and historian
  2. Singapore: Tommy Koh – Public Affairs, Diplomat
  3. Malaysia: Ramli Bin Ibrahim -Art-Dance
  4. Thailand: SomdetPhraAriyaMahaMuniwong-Others-Spiritualism, Supreme Patriach
  5. Vietnam: Sangha Nguyen TienThien-Others-Spiritualism,Secretary General of National Vietnam Buddhist
  6. Indonesia: NyomanNuarta- Art- Sculpture
  7. Laos: BounlapKeokangna Vat Phou – Others-Architecture
  8. Brunei: Malai Haji Abdullah -Social work, is the founder of the Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and . . .   Resources.
  9. Philippines: Jose Ma Joey Concepcion III – Trade & Industry, now a presidential .  . . advisor to President Rodrigo Duterte.
  10. Cambodia: Hun Many – Public Affairs, the youngest Cambodian parliamentarian . .  and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s son.

Besides the ASEAN, one person each; from Russia and United States of America have beengiven the Padam Bhushan; and from Saudi Arabia, Japan, Tajikistan and Nepal were also given the Padma Shri awards:

PadamBhushan

  1. Russia: Alexander Kadakin – Public Affairs
  2. USA: VedPrakash Nanda (OCI) – Literature and Education

Padma Shri

  1. Saudi Arabia: NoufMarwaai- Others- Yoga
  2. Japan: TomioMizokami – Literature andEducation
  3. Tajikistan: HabibulloRajabov – Literature andEducation
  4. Nepal: SandukRuit – Medicine-Ophthalmology

Conferment of 85 Padma Awardsapproved this year by the President of India Ram NathKovind, includes two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one), include 3 Padma Vibhushan, 9 Padma Bhushan and 73 Padma Shri Awards. 14 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 16 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 3 posthumous awardees.

Padma Vibhushan were awarded to music maestro Illaiyaraja from Tamil Nadu and Hindustani classical singer Ghulam Mustafa Khan from Maharashtra in the field of Art-Music, writer ParameswaranParameswaran was conferred the award for his work in the field of Literature and Education.

Padma Bhushan were awarded to Billiards player PankajAdvani and former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the field of Sports; Philipose Mar Chrysostom from Kerala in Others- Spiritualism; RamachandranNagaswamy from Tamil Nadu in Others-Archaeology; LaxmanPai from Goa in Art-Painting; and Arvind Parikh from Maharashtra and Ms.ShardaSinha from Bihar in  Art-Music.

Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

Mahadayi River Water Sharing Dispute: Karnataka Seeks to Divert Water towards Malaprabha River Basin

Mahadayi River water sharing dispute among Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra states is almost four decade-old. Goa, one of the three stakeholders on Monday 16 January 2018 filed its arguments before the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal maintaining that it could not share water with Karnataka due to diversions of river water violating court orders, and potential damage to marine ecology, environment and wildlife. Goa was opposed to the proposed projects by Karnataka and Maharashtra around the Mahadayi River as they would harm the environment and deprive the coastal state of drinking and irrigation water. The tribunal has suggested that the chief ministers of the three states resolve the matter amicably.

  • Mahadayi called Mandovi in Goa is 80-km-long River that originates in Karnataka and flows to Goa and Maharashtra. River rises from the forests of the Western Ghats at Devgaon in northern Karnataka. It enters Goa where it is a lifeline, both for the people and the rich flora and fauna of its forests.
  • Karnataka seeks56 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi to supply to 13 towns in four districts of Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkot and Gadag in north Karnataka, one of the most arid regions in the country. The River flows for around 35km in the Karnataka.
  • Karnataka seeks to divert water from tributaries of the River through the Kalasa-Bhanduri Nala project towards the parched Malaprabha river basin, a tributary of River Krishna, which is being strongly opposed by Goa. This has led to a long-drawn farmers’ agitation in Karnataka, which has been revitalised as the State goes to the polls in 2018.
  • On Wednesday 27 December 2017 normal life was hit in five north Karnataka districts and neighbouring areas due to a bandh called by farmer groups over getting Mahadayi river water from Goa to meet the drinking water needs of drought-prone areas of the region.
  • Goa’s main contention is that Karnataka cannot divert water from an already-deficit Mahadayi basin to the Malaprabha river basin: 115 tmcft was available in the basin, while the requirement for the three States is 145 tmcft. It has said that any attempt to divert water from one river basin to the other will cause irreparable environmental damage. Karnataka claims 199.6 tmcft is available and the river is water-surplus. Of this, Karnataka wants 24.15 tmcft.

Auroville a Hub of Social, Cultural, Educational, Economic & Spiritual Innovation

Auroville, a place where the need of spirit and care for progress overpowers the satisfaction of pleasure and material enjoyments, is celebrating its Golden Jubilee year.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended on February 25, 2018 the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Auroville Foundation in Viluppuram, Tamil Nadu and highlighted how Sri Aurobindo contributed towards good of the nation and humanity. Modi said that Sri Aurobindo’s vision of India’s spiritual leadership continues to inspire us, even today. Indeed, Auroville is a manifestation of that vision. Over the last five decades, it has emerged as a hub of social, cultural, educational, economic and spiritual innovation.

Auroville was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (born Blanche Rachel Mirra Alfassa), known to her followers as The Mother, who was the spiritual partner of Aurobindo, philosopher, yogi, guru and a leader of the independence movement. Auroville’s inauguration ceremony attended by over 5,000 people from across the world was held on Wednesday 28 February 1968. Earth from 114 countries was poured into an urn in the amphitheatre and the charter was read in several languages of the world. The Mother read from The Auroville Charter, hand-written in French by the Divine Mother herself, and the city of the future was born. The charter said:

  • Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville one must be a willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
  • Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, a youth that never ages.
  • Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realisations.
  • Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual Human Unity.

Auroville, to be necessarily artistic with an emphasis on beauty; was planned as a unified, self-sustaining town, ideas that are now in vogue. It was planned with overlapping, multi-use zones, with solar energy and non-polluting, non-motorised traffic. It balanced high and low density areas to integrate green zones in city spaces.

  • Auroville has several designations to live up to: the City of Universal Culture, City of the Future, City of Dawn, City beneath a Banyan tree, City at the Service of Truth, City the Earth Needs.
  • Auroville is an experimental township in in Viluppuram District spread across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in southern India, approximately 150 km south of Chennai and 10 km north of the town of Puducherry.
  • Auroville was designed by architect Roger Anger.
  • Auroville was intended to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.
  • Auroville’s purpose of was to realize human unity.
  • Matrimandir, the soul of Auroville, a building for the invisible, is its focal point, spherical temple covered in Gold Discs.
  • Bharat Nivas, Pavilion of India, is in Auroville’s International Zone
  • Auroville Botanical Gardens protects the region’s tropical dry evergreen forest.
  • Auroville Beach is a long sandy stretch with gentle surf.
  • Alternative farms with wholly organic systems were established.
  • Environment and sustainability is the focus, which fine-tuned with collective awareness and attitudes.
  • Research and projects initiated in earth, wind, solar and water technologies.
  • Auroville’s Education offers hybrid possibilities between experimental and standard education, community experiments and extracurricular activities.

The Mother had then said, “Earth needs a place where men can live away from all national rivalries, social conventions, and self-contradictory moralities and contending religions; a place where human beings, freed from all slavery to the past, can devote themselves wholly to the discovery and practice of the Divine Consciousness that is seeking to manifest. Auroville wants to be this place.”

1

Water Crisis to Hit 52% of World Population by 2050

An Alarming Revelation

According to recent reports by the U.N., the demand for fresh water is projected to grow more than 40% globally by 2050. In addition to this, at least one-fourth of the earth’s population will be residing in countries suffering from lack of clean water. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed on the dire water crisis that awaits the planet, if corrective measures are not taken immediately. While addressing the Security Council of the United Nations, he warned that if the water resources of the 193 member countries are not managed effectively, the chances of disputes between communities and countries may become intensified.

Since 1947, a total of thirty-seven conflicts have occurred between nations owing to water-related issues. The Secretary-General has suggested a policy of ‘preventive diplomacy’ to prevent the sparking of such conflicts in the future. Guterres informed the Council that the continued pattern of consumption as it is currently will lead to water shortage on a daily basis by 2025.

The Current Situation

The present situation is such, that more than eight hundred million people do not have access to potable drinking water. A shockingly staggering 2.5 billion people still do not have access to elemental sanitation facilities. Shifting focus to the densely populated and politically sensitive Southern Asia, countries like China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have over one billion people who rely solely on merely three water sources – the Ganges, the Indus, and the Brahmaputra Rivers. The demand for water has been an issue of crisis in the area for a long time now but despite all the conflicts of the past, there are very limited collaborations between these countries. While close to $30 million has been provided in the last five years alone to tackle this trans-boundary issue, the world in general and these countries in particular, are far from meeting the U.N. Goals for 2030, namely:

  • Improvement in water security.
  • Access to potable drinking water.
  • Access to proper sanitation facilities.
  • Stronger management of trans-boundary water resources.

A Call for Action

The recent drought in Somalia should be an eye-opener for what is going to happen when the planet’s waters run dry. The threat of famine brought on by acute shortages of food and a desperate shortage of clean water cost the lives of thousands. Guterres suggested that a global approach to this problem is an increase in investment for improvement of water security. Apart from this, the strain on groundwater usage needs to be removed. Industries need to re-engineer their processes to implement water-economical technologies and establish strict water audit standards. It is also time to consider shifting to environmentally sustainable agricultural practices seriously. Realising that water conservation is a shared goal, is the only way forward for the survival of this planet.