यहां आरामदायक बेड पर लेटकर देखते हैं फिल्म, 800 रुपए करने होते हैं खर्च

फोटोः गुजरात, वड़ोदरा स्थित आइनॉक्स मल्टीप्लेक्स के अंदर लगे बेड।

नई दिल्ली। भारत में सिंगल स्क्रीन सिनेमा हॉल का दौर चला गया है। लोग अब मल्टीप्लेस में फिल्में देखना पसंद करते हैं। मल्टीप्लेस में भी लोगों को आकर्षित करने के लिए कुछ अलग किया जाता है। दुनिया भर में ऐसे शानदार थिएटर हैं। ये थिएटर्स अपनी अनोखी बनावट और सुविधाओं के कारण मशहूर हैं। इनमें से किसी थिएटर के अंदर लोग बोट और कार पर बैठकर तो किसी थिएटर में बाथ टब और आरामदायक सोफे पर बैठकर फिल्में देखते हैं। मनी भास्कर अपने रीडर्स को गुजरात के एक थिएटर के बारे में बता रहा है, जिसे देखकर आप भी एक बार यहां फिल्म देखना पसंद करेंगे।

Humanity in right direction: Someone's invented a selfie spoon

Selfie spoons are free to order now on SelfieSpoon.com, though customers do have to pay for shipping.

They were so caught up with wondering if they could, they never thought whether they should. Someone at Cinnamon Toast Crunch has invented a selfie spoon to help you click selfies while eating breakfast. Why? We are still trying to figure that part out.
Introduced by the cereal company, the "selfie spoon" is a stick with a spoon at the end that extends up to 30 inches so cereal eaters can take photos of themselves while eating cereal, TIME reported.

http://i.imgur.com/Z1byz7n.jpg

The General Mills brand created this new spin on the selfie stick to solve the first world problem of "choosing between eating and posting" a selfie, according to their ad.
To use the selfie spoon, people would just have to turn on the Bluetooth feature on their smartphones so the white remote will be recognized -- there is one grey button that takes photos on Android phones, and one that takes photos on iOS devices.
Source - hindustan times

How these woman journalists in rural Uttar Pradesh are inspiring change



A rural newspaper that had humble beginnings, has emerged as a force that even mainstream media can learn from.

On Monday, news about a person harassing and stalking a team of women journalists in rural Uttar Pradesh created social media outrage, after a first-person account about the apathy they faced from the UP police went viral. It forced the police to get cracking on the case after months of inaction and the stalker was finally nabbed


The case also brought to light the local language newspaper called Khabar Lahariya run by these resilient women who are not new to standing up to challenges. In fact, it is this very spirit that gave rise to the weekly newspaper.

Khabar Lahariya is a chain of local language newspapers in Uttar Pradesh, produced by a collective of women journalists. The newspaper had humble beginnings with six reporters and around 1000 copies. Today, the team has 40 women recruits and boasts of a readership of 80,000 per week, spread across 800 villages of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, with editions in Bundeli, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Hindustani and Bajjika. Not only does the paper have formidable reach for a newspaper in the rural hinterland, but for almost a year now, it also has an online presence through its news website and social media pages. 

Was Netaji alive till 1964?



The one file that could have contained definitive evidence on Netaji after 1945 has been destroyed.

KOLKATA/LUCKNOW: The secret files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose that will be declassified in Kolkata on Friday may contain enough circumstantial evidence that he was alive till at least 1964, say sources.

An American intelligence report prepared in the early 1960s suggests that Netaji could have returned to India sometime in February 1964 — 19 years after it was claimed that he died in an air crash in Taihoku, Taiwan. Though Russia is not mentioned, Netaji researchers believe American intelligence units had learned about his imminent return from Russia via China. He would have been 67 years old at the time.

How to Transport Oil More Safely

In the early days of the petroleum industry, transporting oil meant horse-drawn wagons carrying leaky wooden barrels over bumpy dirt roads—and lots of accidents.

Things have changed a lot since then. But the accidents haven’t gone away. In some ways, they’ve gotten worse.

The boom in domestic production in recent years has brought an ugly side effect: mishaps when transporting the fuel to refineries. These accidents have led to fatalities—one train crash in Canada in 2013 killed 47 people—as well as vast environmental damage, such as the pipeline burst in California this May that spilled as much as 143,000 gallons of crude into the Pacific Ocean and onto pristine beaches.
The growing sense of potential danger has prompted critics and industry officials to ask: What is the safest way to transport oil? And are there ways to make the current methods safer? Among other things, they’re proposing tougher safety regulations, and using technological fixes like machines that travel along pipelines, looking for weak spots.

One thing is certain: None of the existing methods of transport—rail, boats, trucks and pipelines—is going away. The oil industry believes the best thing to do, in terms of safety, profits and efficiency, is to keep all options on the table and make sure they are as safe as possible. “All four modes have always and will always be with us,” says Kenneth Green, who has spent years researching crude-oil transportation safety for the Canada-based Fraser Institute. “What institutions must ensure is that the most oil moves by the safest way, with the caveat of ensuring we protect the health of humans and the environment.”

Here’s a look at the four methods, and what’s being done to shore them up.
PIPELINES

BARRELS DELIVERED (2014): 3.4 billion

SHARE OF TOTAL: 58%
Workers clean up a pipeline spill in Santa Barbara County, Calif. PHOTO: LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS

Pressure to be ‘cool’ and look good harmful to kids



The pressure to be ‘cool’, look good and own the ‘right stuff’ is detrimental to many children and teenagers, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have warned.

The study by the University of Sussex psychologists shows that while many young people buy into consumer culture believing it will make them feel better about themselves and help them to make friends, often the reverse happens.

The result is a negative downward spiral, said the researchers, whereby those with low well-being turn to consumerist values, which impacts further still upon their state of mind.

गूगल को मिला नया लोगो

गूगल को मिला नया लोगोनई दिल्ली : विश्व के सबसे बड़े सर्च इंजनों में शुमार गूगल ने अपना लोगो बदल लिया है। जल्द ही यह लोगो गूगल की सभी सेवाओं पर नजर आने लगेगा।

गूगल के स्थापना दिवस चार सितंबर से महज दो दिन पहले गूगल ने इस नए लोगो को अपने होमपेज पर एक डूडल के तौर पर लगाया है। गूगल की स्थापना चार सितंबर 1998 को लैरी पेज और सर्गेई ब्रिन ने की थी। बीते 17 सालों में गूगल ने कई सेवाओं को शुरू किया जिनमें जीमेल, यूट्यूब, गूगल मैप्स और एंड्रॉइड सर्वाधिक चर्चित हैं।

गूगल के होमपेज पर डूडल की शक्ल में एक हाथ आता है जो गूगल के पुराने लोगो को मिटाता है और फिर मोम के रंगों से गूगल का नया लोगो बनाता है जो बाद में पूर्ण रूप से नए लोगो के रूप में दिखता है। नए लोगो में मुख्यतौर पर गूगल के दोनों ‘जी’ में सर्वाधिक बदलाव नजर आता है जो बाद में सम्मिलित होकर अंग्रेजी के बड़े ‘जी’ के रूप में बदल जाता है। इस नए लोगो में भी गूगल के मूल चार रंगों को ही रखा गया है।

ज़ी मीडिया ब्‍यूरो 

SOURCE - ZEE NEWS

Know about 5 kind of people .. who misuse their freedom

Know about 5 kind of people .. who misuse their freedom



Know about 5 kind of people .. who misuse their freedom

GOOD NEWS - इन पोर्न साइट्स पर सरकार ने लगाया बैन

मोदी सरकार ने 857 पोर्न साइट्स बैन कर दी हैं. सरकार ने इंटरनेट सर्विस प्रोवाइडर्स को इस बाबत नोटिफिकेशन जारी कर दिया है. सरकार ने मिले आदेश के बाद टेलीकॉम कंपनियों ने इन साइट्स को बैन करना शुरू कर दिया है. आगे जानिए उन पोर्न साइट्स के बारे में, जिसे सरकार ने कर दिया है बैन.




SOURCE - aajtak.intoday

USEFUL INFORMATION CENTER: Web Portal for Missing Children

USEFUL INFORMATION CENTER: Web Portal for Missing Children: The Ministry of Women and Child Development, with the assistance of Department of Electronics and Information Technology, has launched a w...

पुराने/मियाद खत्‍म हो चुके रसोई सिलिंडर


पेट्रोलियम एवं प्राकृतिक गैस राज्‍य मंत्री (स्‍वतंत्र प्रभार) श्री धर्मेंद्र प्रधान ने आज लोकसभा में एक प्रश्‍न के लिखित उत्‍तर में जानकारी दी कि सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र की तेल विपणन कंपनियों- (ओएमसीज) इंडियन ऑयल कार्पोरेशन लि. (आईओसी), भारत पेट्रोलियम कार्पोरेशन लि. (बीपीसीएल) और हिन्‍दुस्‍तान पेट्रोलियम कार्पोरेशन लि. (एचपीसीएल) के उपयोग में आ रहे 14.2 किग्रा तरलीकृत पेट्रोलियम गैस (एलपीजी) सिलिंडरों की राज्‍य/केंद्र शासित प्रदेश-वार कुल संख्‍या अनुलग्‍नक-1 में दी गई है।
ओएमसीज ने सूचित किया है कि एलपीजी सिलिंडरों का विनिर्माण मुख्‍य विस्‍फोटक नियंत्रक, नागपुर (सीसीओई) द्वारा अनुमोदित और बीआईएस लाइसेंसधारक विनिर्माताओं के जरिए बीआईएस 3196 के अनुसार किया जाता है। इसके बाद, एलपीजी सिलिंडरों की एलपीजी भरण संयंत्रों में जांच की जाती है और केवल उन्‍हीं सिलिंडरों की भराई होती है जो बीआईएस मानकों को पूरा करते हैं, भरण के बाद गुणवत्‍ता जांच की जाती है और एसके बाद ग्राहकों को वितरण करने के लिए सिलिंडर डिस्‍ट्रीब्‍यूटरों को भेजे जाते हैं। सिलिंडर के विनिर्माण की तारीख की 10 वर्षों के बाद, सभी नए एलपीजी सिलिंडरों की पहली सांविधिक जांच और पेंटिंग (एसटीएंडपी) किया जाना अपेक्षित होता है।

How to Self E-file Your Income Tax Return

If complex tax forms and tax terms bewilder you, let’s break down your return filing process in segments. By taking these small, careful steps, you will be on a roll with your return filing this year.
Step 1: Get hold of your Form 16
Form 16 is a certificate your employer gives you when the TDS deducted on your salary is certified. Form 16 has most of the information you need to fill in your return. PAN and TAN details of your employer, name and address of your employer and similar details for you are mentioned which have to be filled in the return. You will see a number which is your ‘total taxable salary’ and that is the number you will have to pick to submit under the head salary in your return. Several tax filers allow you to upload your Form 16 and with that all this information gets picked up automatically in your return.
Step 2: Find out your income other than salary
Most of us earn a savings bank account interest or have some fixed deposits put away. This interest earned has to be added to your return under income from other sources. Get hold of your bank statement or look up online for credits to your account by the bank towards interest in your savings account. Most online banks also show a fixed deposit statement, where you can see the interest earned during the year. If you have any other bonds you subscribed to, where interest is accumulated, add this interest to your return. As a thumb rule, offer interest income on deposits and bonds when it is accrued each year, rather than when it is paid on maturity.
If you have taken a home loan to own a house and you live in that house, you get a deduction for the interest for the financial year. The interest amount is your loss, which will get adjusted against your salary and other income. If you have rented out your house, the rental income is offered for tax. You can deduct property taxes paid by you and a standard 30 per cent from the net amount (rental income less property taxes) is also allowed. For a rented property the entire interest on home loan is deductible. You’ll also need to provide details of the property, address, date of construction, information about co-owners etc.
Step 3: Make sure you have included all the deductions
Deductions are allowed from your gross income under sections 80C to 80U. With the help of these deductions, you will be able to reduce your gross income and consequently pay lower tax. You will find these in your form 16. However, if you are eligible to claim certain deductions and you have not disclosed them to your employer, you can claim them at the time of filing your return. Say, if you deposited Rs 40,000 in PPF and could not share this with your employer or paid life insurance premium about which you could not intimate your employer; claim them in your return. Medical insurance premium payments are eligible to be claimed under section 80D and 80G; provided you meet the conditions listed in the relevant sections.
Step 4: From the total tax payable adjust your TDS details
Whatever TDS has been deducted from your various incomes by employer, banks or anyone can be reduced from your total tax liability. After all, this is the tax which has already been deducted from your income and deposited against your PAN. Goes without saying, including the income in your return on which TDS is deducted is essential. You can find out details of all the TDS deducted in your Form 26AS. If you have yourself deposited some tax to the government, you’ll be able to find that information in it too.
Step 5: Make sure all your personal details are accurate
Your PAN, email address, bank account details (mention the account where you want to receive refund, whether or not any refund is due), and all the other information must be accurately provided by you in your income tax return. Allocate some time to review it properly.
Step 6: Review and e-file
Once you have done the above, now review your entire income tax return form. Remember if there is tax due, you have to first pay that tax and only then you can e-file successfully. Make the payment of any tax that is due. Review incomes, deductions, TDS and other information. You are now ready to e-file your return.
Step 7: Do remember to send your ITR-V
Sending your ITR-V is a critical and important step to conclude successful e-filing. It has to be printed out, signed and sent to CPC, Bangalore via speed post. The income tax department is working on a process to verify it via ‘Aadhaar’, details are awaited shortly. Don’t miss this very important step.
Disclaimer: All information in this article has been provided by Cleartax.in and www.govemployees.in is not responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the same.

Know About - Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Scheme Details
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.
Account can be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitr) outlet. PMJDY accounts are being opened with Zero balance. However, if the account-holder wishes to get cheque book, he/she will have to fulfill minimum balance criteria.
Documents required to open an account under Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana
  1. If Aadhaar Card/Aadhaar Number is available then no other documents is required. If address has changed, then a self certification of current address is sufficient.
  2. If Aadhaar Card is not available, then any one of the following Officially Valid Documents (OVD) is required: Voter ID Card, Driving License, PAN Card, Passport & NREGA Card. If these documents also contain your address, it can serve both as “Proof of Identity and Address”.
  3. If a person does not have any of the “officially valid documents” mentioned above, but it is categorized as ‘low risk' by the banks, then he/she can open a bank account by submitting any one of the following documents:
    1. Identity Card with applicant's photograph issued by Central/State Government Departments, Statutory/Regulatory Authorities, Public Sector Undertakings, Scheduled Commercial Banks and Public Financial Institutions;
    2. Letter issued by a gazette officer, with a duly attested photograph of the person.
Special Benefits under PMJDY Scheme
  1. Interest on deposit.
  2. Accidental insurance cover of Rs.1.00 lac
  3. No minimum balance required.
  4. Life insurance cover of Rs.30,000/-
  5. Easy Transfer of money across India
  6. Beneficiaries of Government Schemes will get Direct Benefit Transfer in these accounts.
  7. After satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months, an overdraft facility will be permitted
  8. Access to Pension, insurance products.
  9. Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.
  10. Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady of the household.

AC bus service begins from Indore for Rewa, Jabalpur



The Atal Indore City Transport Services Limited (AICTSL) joined hands with the tourism department and started air-conditioned sleeper bus service between Indore and Rewa and Indore and Jabalpur from Saturday.

AICTSL officials said the buses will ply from the AICTSL headquarters on AB Road.

The bus, heading towards Rawa, will start at 5 pm and reach Rawa at around 9 am.

From Rawa, the bus will start at 5 pm and reach Indore at around 9 am. The fare will be `1,470.

The bus, heading towards Jabalpur, will start at 8 pm and reach Jabalpur at around 7 am.

जिनका आधार कार्ड बन चुका है, वह जरूर पढ़े यह खबर


नई दिल्ली: चुनाव आयोग ने मतदान के प्रति एक नई पहल की शुरूआत की है। इस पहल के मुताबिक, अब देश में युवाओं के 18 साल की उम्र लगते ही वोटर लिस्ट में जोड़ लिया जाएगा। इन युवा मतदाताओं को वोटर आईडी कार्ड बनवाने के लिए चुनाव आयोग या बूथ नहीं जाना होगा।
एक हिंदी वेबसाइट के मुताबिक, युवाओं को वोटर लिस्ट में नाम जोडऩे के लिए अलग से फॉर्म नहीं भरना होगा। वोटर लिस्ट में अब नाम आधार कार्ड के जरिए जोड़ लिए जाएंगे। केंद्रीय निर्वाचन आयोग अब आधार कार्ड को वोटर लिस्ट से जोडऩे पर काम कर रहा है। इस नई योजना के 15 अगस्त 2015 तक बनकर तैयार होने की संभावना है।
आधार कार्ड की जानकारी बदलने की स्थिति में ऑनलाइन आवेदन कर सुधार करवाना भी आसान हो सकेगा। इस योजना के तहत पहले उन लोगों के नाम वोटर लिस्ट में जोड़े जाएंगे, जिनका आधार कार्ड बन चुका है। लेकिन 15 अगस्त के बाद आधार कार्ड बनते ही इसका कनेक्शन चुनाव आयोग के सिस्टम से जुड़ जाएगा।
Source - punjab kesari

India Has Many Women Who Are Sharing Their Husband With Another Woman


NEW DELHI: Just released census data shows that there are about 6.6 million more women who are "currently married" than men. While part of this might be accounted for by married men who have migrated abroad for work leaving their wives behind, the data also indicates that there are a very large number of women in polygamous marriages.

The data also shows that in 2011, the census year, more than 18 lakh girls under the age of 15 were married. Of the total 1.2 billion population about 580 million were married at the time of the census. This number does not include those divorced, widowed or separated. Among these 580 million married persons, 293 million were women while 287 million were men. A state-wise comparison of married women and men shows the migration effect. For instance, Kerala has the highest skew with 1.13 married women for every married man. It is followed by Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where this ratio ranges from 1.04 to 1.07. These are all states with high outflows of migrant workers. On the flip side of this, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi, states known for a high influx of migrant labour, have more married men than women.

Another male-female skew is in the proportions of the two genders married in different age groups. In the 20-24 year group, about 69% of women were married while just over 30% of men of this age were married. The difference between proportion of married men and women to the total population of an age group gradually decreases after 24 years of age.

Of the 18 lakh under-15 married girls, more than 4.5 lakh had also witnessed child birth. About 3 lakh under-15 mothers had two children at the time of the census. Of the total 7.8 lakh children born to girls below 15 years of age, about 56,000 had already died. Thus, there were a large number of girls who before the tender age of 15 had got married, delivered babies and also seen their child die.

Rajasthan had the highest proportion of girls aged 10-14 married. Of 40 lakh girls of this age in the state, a little over 4% were married. Rajasthan was followed by Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat, all having more than 3% of girls aged 10-14 being married at the time of the census.

Source - (Originally published in The Times of India)

PMC Budget 2015: No provision for counselling civic school students

In the 300-odd PMC schools across the city, there are 55 counsellors helping nearly one lakh 60,000 students. But the fate of counselling seems to be uncertain as the PMC has not made any allowance in its proposed budget document for the next fiscal.

The Academy of Personality Development, an NGO that is also into counselling services, says that while successive PMC commissioners, including the present one, agreed on the need for counselling in schools, the budget proposal does not reflect this view.

Budget 2015: An opportunity to play a long-haul game

PTIUnion Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. File photo

On the corporate tax front, rationalisation of the corporate tax rate is of top priority.

The first full year budget of this government is awaited with bated breath. Expectations are higher than normal more so since there are reports that big-bang announcement are in the offing.

Get Budget 2015 SMS notifications on your mobile

New Delhi: As the Modi government unveils its first and highly anticipated annual budget 2015 on Saturday, stay completely updated on your mobile phone for the main highlights and key features. 

Just give a missed call on the number 011-3006 2696 to register yourself right away and on Saturday and we’ll send you the top 6 pointers via Twitter from the Budget as SMSes.

The free SMS service is an ABP News TV-Twitter Budget 2015 Partnership.

Stay connected with your favourite news network ABP News on TV and on social media networks as India will be looking forward to wide-ranging reforms that may be announced to revitalize the economy.
Source - abp live.

Problem & Proposed Solution - While processing accidental death claims troubles caused to the beneficiaries, especially widows.


Problem

1) While processing accidental death claims Insurance Companies request Post Mortem Report and Police FIR in addition to Death Certificate.
2) In addition to nominees, Insurance Companies request the legal heirs certificates
3) Identity of the Beneficiary. Slightly if the name is mis-spelled then Insurance Companies request village officer's certificate that both are one person itself.

Proposed Solution

We propose the following solutions to the above problems.

1) In the Death Certificate itself, the local body (Panchayat / Municipality / Corporation) shall be entering the cause of the death (Accident / Disease / Natural Death or whatever). In such a case, please do not trouble the claim seekers by asking for FIR & Post Mortem Report.
2) In the Death Certificate itself, the name of legal heirs shall be mentioned. In such cases, please do not ask for Legal heir certificate and trouble the widows / beneficiaries.
3) Now a days, every one has bank accounts. While the subscriber is alive itself, let us link the policy with the beneficiary's bank accounts. Then there is no confusion about who the beneficiary is.

Advantages of proposed solution:
1) By doing this we are averting the requirement of Police FIR, Post Mortem Report & Legal Heir certificate and Village officer's certificate if needed.2) If we reduce one document, then that much multiple visit and chances of bribery is reduced3) Insurance claim shall be made a simple easy process with little chance for being subject to extortion corruption. Claim can be processed before Cremation
Let us make India the first country in the world to process the accidental death claim in the fastest pace.

Source - Facebook - Aravind Gangadharan

My Story : I Wanted To Adopt A Child In India : This Is Everything I Learned..

Read how Rajeshwari Sharma traveled from being completely clueless to finally adopting a baby girl. With the never ending paper work, long wait lists and legal wrnagles, adoption in India is not as easy as it looks. Here is all you need to know about what might be one of the most trying but ultimately fulfilling time of your life.
“Meet the PAPs,” exclaimed our friend while introducing us to other guests at a charity dinner event hosted at a luxury hotel in Bandra. Within seconds, the grey cells were doing multiple somersaults to decode this new term the ears had just registered.
Even before I could grasp what was going on, our right hands went through at least a dozen handshakes and congratulatory messages as my reaction went from startled, cringing to smiling shyly – all in the matter of a few minutes. At the first opportunity, I dragged this friend to a corner and demanded angrily to know what was PAPs? “Prospective adoptive parents, my dear,” she exclaimed with a wide grin and disappeared into the gathering.
indiapotty
Photo: heartofthematterseminars.wordpress.com
I nearly had a panic attack. We were still not sure if we wanted a baby at all – whether through adoption or biological means (the idea of adopting a child had just stemmed in our mind as the ‘cynical us’ did not want to add another soul to this big, bad, overpopulated world. It was one of those thoughts we keep having like wanting to live in the hills or do farming). And here we were, being introduced as PAPs!

My first thought was, what if we do not adopt? What if we decide to be childless? Will we be castigated by the very same people, who are venerating us right now?

10888883_894080010616496_7339618523172809839_nPhoto: CSA Facebook
The next half hour was all about meeting at least five proud adoptive parents (APs, pronounced as apps), including our hosts parents Shibani and Vipul Prashad Jain, who are adoptive parents themselves and founders of a group called Catalysts for Social Action (CSA), a Pune-based NGO that helps find homes for rural orphans; the grand dame behind the cause, Bharati Das Gupta, one of the co-founders of CSA and grandmother to Jain’s adopted children; and well-known choreographer and adoptive parent Sandeep Soparrkar, who also happens to be CSA’s brand ambassador.

How Adoption Works:

Children (below 6 years) whose care-takers are unable to care for them can be relinquished at an Adoption agency after following due process. Likewise, a child found abandoned and whose caretakers cannot be traced, if eligible, can be declared ‘legally free for adoption’ by the Child Welfare Committee. A court-committed child can come into adoption through the Juvenile Welfare Board.
The flurry of introductions, congratulatory messages, stories of joy of parenthood and advice became so unbearable at one point of time that I unmindfully picked a glass of red wine from a passing steward. The husband gave me one of his cross-eyed looks, which I completely ignored. A Ninja fight was going on in my head, and wine would bring truce. If I could, I would have got myself into a medicated coma.
With the promise of taking the stage in next year’s charity dinner (adoptive parents under the tutelage of Soparrkar perform a dance repertoire at the charity event every year), we finally left the love fest, much later than we had initially planned for.

Life as a PAP is not an easy one. And it only gets more confusing if you are not totally sure if you want to be a parent in the first place.

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Photo: facenfacts.com
It is a bitter sweet time – rife with a lot of ifs and buts; introspection and more introspection, debate over preferred gender and the resulting charge of gender discrimination (later, during the course of adopting procedure, I was told by this agency in Nanded that our insistence for a baby girl is in a way discriminatory after we said no to an adoptable baby boy), multiple calls to social workers of adoption agency and friends who are adoptive parents, seeking the services of an adoption counsellor to counsel fuming parents (in my case, parents-in-law), whether to keep it private or share with friends and family as one would do for any life event and above all, dealing with adoption cynics and people in your lives, who equate parenthood with apocalypse.

In India, one can adopt under three key legislations:
The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act of 1956
The Guardians and Wards Act of 1890 and
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act of 2000, amended in 2006
There are warm, gooey moments, too. We were pleasantly surprised by the support coming in from unexpected quarters, complete strangers (adoptive parents) opening their homes and hearts to us.

At times like these, it feels like all humanity is indeed one big family.
indian_orphans1

Photo: indiannewsandtimes.com
All adoptions in India are required to follow the procedure for in-country or inter-country adoption set out by the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), which operates as part of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.

Related Read: DCCW: A Cradle of Hope for Abandoned, Physically or Mentally Challenged Children


Although adopting looks like a seemingly simple procedure, yet it is wrought with often long waits as you have to complete a mountain of paperwork, cool your heels at numerous government offices for proofs that you are capable of taking care of a child, get a home study report that evaluates the conduciveness of the home environment, and wait in a serpentine queue of parents registered with adoption agencies that will match you with your child.

The last bit may sound confounding as we have millions of orphans in our country. True, but the number of adoptable (legally free to be adopted) children is extremely less.

INDIA_Children
Photo: Asianews.it
It’s been close to two years since we started the adoption procedure. But thanks to CSA, we were able to meet a baby girl and boy at a CARA-recognized children’s home in Nanded in less than two months of registering with CSA.
The process
Submission of documents (prescribed by CARA) validating the parents ability to care for a child.
An assessment of the capability of the prospective parents to look after an adopted child, by way of a home-study by a professional Social worker.
Selecting the child and taking her home under foster care.
Filing of the Court petition and scrutiny of the dossier by the Scrutiny Agency.

We traveled to the children’s home and came face to face with the reality of homeless children. The entire experience at the home was so emotionally overwhelming that we came back dumbfounded and without being able to make any decision.

Things remained in a limbo for a very long time and we went back to living our carefree lives. We even justified in our heads that we are better off without a child.
gypsy-orphans-indiaPhoto: heavenschildren.wordpress.com
However, in a recent turn of events, which is nothing short of a miracle, the parents-in-law took upon themselves the onus of bringing in an adopted grand-daughter. We are about to meet a baby girl again. Hopefully, this time we will graduate from being PAPs to parents (I don’t like the APs term. Parents are parents. Right?) and get introduced as “meet the parents”.
- Rajeshwari Sharma
Source - the better india

9 stories which the media has underplayed

1. Coal windfall: 2G was such a big scam that it made it to No. 2 in the list of Time magazine’s Top 10 Abuses of Power (only the Watergate scandal was ahead). Then the Coalgate scam was touted to be much bigger.

The Indian media rubbished the claim strongly. Now with the way coal auctions are going it is clear that the figure of Rs 2 lakh crore is conservative and the final amount will be much higher.

Three things are clear…

a) The governments of India are in for a windfall.



b) There was a whopping scam.

c) Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is Coal Minister is under a severe cloud.

This translates into banner headlines but for some strange reason the media is quite lukewarm about the whole affair.


2. Decline in Kashmir terrorism: Terrorism began in Kashmir in 1990 when for the first time more than 1000 people died in a year. That number kept going up and peaked in 2001 when the toll crossed 4000.

However then 9/11 happened and the tables were turned. More people started dying in Pakistan and less in Kashmir. In 2008 for the first time since 1990, less than 100 civilians and less than 100 security forces died.

Since 2011, the combined toll for civilians and security forces has been less than 100 every year. Kashmir is becoming more and more peaceful and the high turnout in the recently concluded State Assembly elections was an indication of that.


3. Sunanda Pushkar death case: In January 2014, Union Minister Shashi Tharoor’s wife Sunanda was involved in a Twitter spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar and frantically called journalists invoking both IPL and ISI conspiracies.

When she was found dead suspiciously in a hotel room soon after, the media curiously played down the story. They may have totallyoverplayed it in January 2015, but they underplayed it in January 2014 for reasons known best to them.



4. Mexico’s drug war: Everyone agrees that drugs are a menace and there should be a war against them. However there is one country that has declared war on the drug cartel. Way back in 2006. More than 10,000 cartel members have been killed, more than one lakh detained and the convictions have crossed 8000.

And yet many Indians are totally unaware that such a drug war is taking place.


5. Boko Haram: They have similar goals like the Islamic State and have been killing for ages too and yet they get very little media coverage. The biggest story was when they kidnapped schoolgirls, but otherwise their killings sprees don’t even make news let alone front page headlines.

Listed here are some of their activities: 10 deadly Boko Haram attacks. 



6. Death of nuclear scientists: After the high profile Indo-US nuclear which almost brought down a government and may have got Prime Minister Manmohan Singh re-elected in 2009, the nuclear scene went cold thanks to the liability clause.

But that wasn’t the only thing. Indian nuclear scientists also have been dying mysteriously in the last couple of years. It is a story worthy of investigative journalism, but it is only an RTI activist that brought this fact to light and that was merely reported by some media organizations.

No-one wants to probe this issue further.


7. West Bengal becoming a failed State: In the 1970s, the Congress cracked down on Naxalites and broke the State. The 34-year-old CPM rule derailed the State. Now Mamata Banerjee in charge is proving to be worse than the two.

Intolerance has increased, the Saradha scam has rocked the leadership and the amount of bombs being discovered is alarmingly high. While individual events are reported here and there, there is no comprehensive coverage on how West Bengal is on course to become the worst State of India.


8. The end of caste/religion politics: In 2013 Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje stormed the hustings based on a lot of development talk. You will hardly find talk of caste and religion in hundreds of election speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand were won on promises of good governance. Even Arvind Kejriwal talked of Wi-Fi, power, water, anti-corruption measures etc to storm Delhi. 2013 could well be a landmark year ending caste/religion politics.

But TV channels are still obsessed with caste and religion as headlines like “non-Jat CM” “Brahmin CM in Maratha bastion”, “minority vote” as the media insists on discussing caste and religion politics in detail even though nobody seems interested.


9. How Sonia destroyed India: From 2004-14, Congress President Sonia Gandhi ruled her party men and ministers with an iron fist. She was the power behind the PM’s throne. The period also saw a record number of scams, foreign policy weaknesses, vote seeking out and out populist schemes and lack of governance. 

Yet there were virtually no stories, investigative pieces and TV panel discussions even mildly criticizing her let alone blasting her.

By Sunil Rajguru

Source : SIFY

5 yoga poses every woman should practice


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From a teenager to becoming a mother, menopause and old age women go through different phases of life with many bodily changes. The physical postures combined with the breathing techniques in yoga can offer women with many potential health benefits. In order to stay fit and flexible all the time, Danielle Collins, a face yoga expert who is also a believer and practitioner of yoga, Pilates and well being, lists out top 5 yoga poses that every woman should incorporate into her daily exercise regimen.



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From a teenager to becoming a mother, menopause and old age women go through different phases of life with many bodily changes. The physical postures combined with the breathing techniques inyoga can offer women with many potentialhealth benefits. In order to stay fit and flexible all the time, Danielle Collins, a face yoga expert who is also a believer and practitioner of yoga, Pilates and well being, lists out top 5 yoga poses that every woman should incorporate into her daily exercise regimen.

I would recommend a balance pose, a twist pose, a forward bend/inversion pose, a back bend and a side bend for women.

Back bend: Camel pose


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The camel pose is excellent for strengthening the spine, opening the chest and toning the thighs. If you spend a lot of time sat down, it is a great pose to move the spine in the opposite direction, therefore giving you better posture in everyday life. Only attempt the pose if you know your back is strong enough. Here are some more yoga asanas for upper body strength.

Side bend: Triangle pose


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If you are keen to tone up your waist, have more flexible hamstrings and reduce tension in your shoulders, then add triangle pose to your daily routine. Hold on each side for five breaths or more and you will soon be enjoying a more streamlined, relaxed body. Also, read yoga asana for instant relief from backaches.

Balance pose: One leg standing balance

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Balance is essential for good health. It takes practice but it is worth the effort. It can prevent falls, improve sporting performance and holding balance poses can improve core and lower body strength. Try focusing on one point in front of you tostablilise you and to allow you to hold the pose longer. To challenge yourself further, try closing one eye or both eyes. For an easier alternative, practise against a wall. Here are 4 yoga poses to beat menstrual pain that really work.

Twist pose: Sitting spinal twist

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Bring yourself gently into the posture as shown in the picture. Then, slowly rotate your spine to look over the shoulder where the arm is behind the back. Think about lengthening the spine as well as twisting it. Hold here for five breaths and then repeat the other side. This pose is excellent for releasing any tension in the muscles in either side of the spine. It is also a great detox pose as it boosts blood circulation and helps the lymphatic system remove toxins. It is perfect to do the morning. Here are 7 yoga tips for a happy pregnancy.

Forward bend/inversion pose: Downward facing dog


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Start on hands and knees, then lift your bottom into the air and tuck your toes under. Adjust your legs until comfortable and look towards your knees. If your legs are tight lift alternate heels up to release the hamstrings. This pose is one of the most common poses in yoga and is excellent for quickly releasing tight hamstrings, calves and back. Try these yoga asanas Yyoga asana for thighs, belly fat and buttocks
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The author is the founder of The Danielle Collins Face Yoga Method. To know more about this method, visit www.faceyogaexpert.com

Source - Originally published on www.thehealthsite.com