Scam Alert

Corruption is not a new phenomenon in India. It is witnessed all over the world in developing as well as developed countries.  It has been prevalent in society since ancient times. Corruption in India has become so common that people now are averse to thinking of public life with it. It has spread its tentacles in every sphere of life, namely business administration, politics, officialdom, and services. In fact, there is hardly any sector which can be characterized for not being infected with the vices of corruption. Corruption is rampant in every segment and every section of society, barring the social status attached to it. Nobody can be considered free from corruption from a high ranking officer to a small clerk. The situation as it stands today is that, corruption is no slur on any individual, it has by now become a way of life, it has been so closely woven into our life patterns that, no one thinks much about it. The position as it stands today is so very pathetic that, it is a wonder who will punish whom for corruption?

Corruption in the Indian society has prevailed from time immemorial in one form or the other. The basic inception of corruption started with our opportunistic leaders who have already done greater damage to our nation. People who work on right principles are unrecognized and considered to be foolish in the modern society. Corruption in India is a result of the connection between bureaucrats, politicians and criminals. Earlier, bribes were paid for getting wrong things done, but now bribe is paid for getting right things done at right time. Further, corruption has become something respectable in India, because respectable people are involved in it. Political corruption is worst in India. It is well established that politicians are extremely corrupt the world over. In fact, people are surprised to find an honest politician. These corrupt politicians go scot-free, unharmed and unpunished. Leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri or Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel are a rare breed now who had very little bank balance at the time of death. The list of scams and scandals in the country is endless. The Bofors payoff scandal of 1986 involved a total amount of `1750 crore in purchase of guns from a Swedish firm for the Army. The Cement scandal of 1982 involved the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Sugar Scandal of 1994 involved a Union Minister of State for food, the Urea Scam and of course no one can forget Hawala Scandal of 1991, the Coffin-gate, fodder scam in Bihar or the Stamp scandal which shocked not only the political arena but the entire society. The major cause of concern is that corruption is weakening the political body and damaging the supreme importance of the law governing the society. Nowadays politics is only for criminals and criminals are meant to be in politics. Elections in many parts of the country have become associated with a host of criminal activities. Threatening voters to vote for a particular candidate or physically prevent voters from going in to the polling booth – especially weaker sections of the society like tribals, dalits and rural woman occurs frequently in several parts of the country. Recently, the Government increased the salary of the M.P.’s from `16, 000 to `50, 000, that is 300% increase to the existing salary. But many of them are unhappy with rise and want the Government to increase the salary to a much more extent. This clearly shows how the politicians are in constant thirst for monetary benefits and not caring about the welfare of the people. Tax evasion is one of the most popular forms of corruption. It is mostly practiced by Government officials and politicians who lead to the accumulation of black money which in turn spoils the moral of the people.

In 2011 India was ranked 95^th out of 178 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Some of the largest sources of corruption in India are entitlement programs and social spending schemes enacted by the Indian government. Examples include “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act” and “National Rural Health Mission”. Other daily sources of corruption include India's trucking industry which is forced to pay billions in bribes annually to numerous regulatory and police stops on its interstate highways. Defense Ministry and Ministry of Communication are regarded as ‘gold mines for making money’. Corruption is also at a high rate in departments like Public Works, Police, Excise and Revenue. Corruption in these departments is rampant at all levels from the highest to the lowest. The registered number of cases of corruption in India under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 varied from 300 to 500 between 1981 and 1987 but after the enforcement of 1988 Act, the number now varies between 1800 to 2000 annually.

As of December 2008, 120 of India's 523 parliament members were facing criminal charges. Many of the biggest scandals since 2010 have involved very high levels of government, including Cabinet Ministers and Chief Ministers, such as in the 2G spectrum scam, the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam and the Adarsh Housing Society scam, Coal Mining Scam, mining scandal in Karnataka and cash for vote scam.

Taxes and bribes are common between state borders; Transparency International estimates that truckers pay annually ` 22,200 crores (US$ 4.5 billion) in bribes, to Government regulators and police.

In real state Officials are alleged to steal state property. In cities and villages throughout India, consisting of municipal and other government officials, elected politicians, judicial officers, real estate developers and law enforcement officials, acquire, develop and sell land in illegal ways.

Corruption caused problems in government funded projects are also not limited in the country, aid programs are beset by corruption, bad administration and under-payments. As an example, the report cites only 40% of grain handed out for the poor reaches its intended target. The World Bank study finds that the public distribution programs and social spending contracts have proven to be a waste due to corruption. As an example, India enacted the so-called Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on August 25, 2005. The Central government outlay for this welfare scheme was ` 40,000 crore (US$7.24 billion) in FY 2010–2011. After 5 years of implementation, in 2011, the programme was widely criticized as no more effective than other poverty reduction programs in India. Despite its best intentions, MGNREGA is beset with controversy about corrupt officials pocketing money on behalf of fake rural employees, poor quality of infrastructure built under this program, and unintended destructive effect on poverty.

A study conducted between 2004 and 2005 found that India’s driver licensing procedure was a hugely distorted bureaucratic process and allows drivers to get licenses despite their low driving ability through promoting the usage of agents. Individuals with high willingness to pay make a significant payment above the official fee and most of these extra payments are made to agents, who act as an intermediary between bureaucrats and applicants. The average license getter paid `1080, approximately 2.5 times the official fee of `450, in order to obtain a license. On average, those who hired agents had a lower driving ability, with agents helping unqualified drivers obtain licenses and bypass the legally required driving examination. Among the surveyed individuals, approximately 60% of the license holders did not take the licensing exam and 54% of those license holders failed an independent driving test. Agents are the channels of inefficient corruption in this bureaucratic driver licensing system, facilitating access to licenses among those who are unqualified to drive. Some of the failures of this licensing system are caused by corrupt bureaucrats who collaborate with agents by creating additional barriers within the system against those who did not hire agents.

In Government Hospitals also, corruption is associated with non availability/duplication of medicines, getting admission, consultations with doctors and availing diagnostic services. “National Rural Health Mission” is another health care-related government program that has been subject to large scale corruption allegations. This social spending and entitlement program hoped to improve health care delivery across rural India. The program has been run since 2005 by the Ministry of Health of the Indian government. The Indian government mandated a spending of ` 27,700 crores in 2004–05, and increased it annually to be about 1% of India's gross domestic product. The National Rural Health Mission program has been clouded by a large-scale corruption scandal in which top government appointed officials were arrested. Corruption, waste and fraud-related losses from this government program have been alleged to be ` 10,000 crores (US$2 billion)

Another most highlighted scam is the black money scam. Black money refers to money that is not fully legitimate property of the owner. A white paper on black money in India by the Government of India suggests two possible sources of black money in India. The first includes activities not permissible under the law, like crime, drug trade, terrorism, and corruption, all of which are illegal in India. The second, more likely source is that the wealth may have been generated through a lawful activity but accumulated by failing to declare income and pay taxes. Some of this black money ends up in illicit financial flows across international borders, such as deposits in tax haven countries. This scam can be said to be the almost immediate cause of the anti-corruption movement being faced by the country. The revelation about the huge sums of money being stashed away in Swiss banks served as an impetus to rally against the government that had been ignoring it. The magnanimity of the situation came into focus when Indian businessman Hasan Ali Khan was arrested on money laundering charges which was to the tune of `39,120 crores.

According to a 2010 The Hindu article, unofficial estimates indicate that Indians had over US$1456 billion in black money stored in Swiss banks (approximately USD 1.4 trillion). While some news reports claimed that data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Report (2006) showed India has more black money than the rest of the world combined, a more recent report quoted the SBA's Head of International Communications as saying that no such official Swiss Banking Association statistics exist. Another report said that Indian-owned Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the country’s national debt. These allegations have been denied by Swiss Bankers Association. James Nason of Swiss Bankers Association in an interview about alleged black money from India suggests "The (black money) figures were rapidly picked up in the Indian media and in Indian opposition circles, and circulated as gospel truth. However, this story was a complete fabrication. The Swiss Bankers Association never published such a report. Anyone claiming to have such figures (for India) should be forced to identify their source and explain the methodology used to produce them."

In a separate study, Dev Kar of Global Financial Integrity concludes, "media reports circulating in India that Indian nationals held around US$1.4 trillion in illicit external assets are widely off the mark compared to the estimates found by his study." Kar claims the amounts are significantly smaller, only about 1.5% of India's GDP on average per annum basis, between 1948–2008. This includes corruption, bribery and kickbacks, criminal activities, trade mispricing and efforts to shelter wealth by Indians from India's tax authorities.

According to a third report, published in May 2012, Swiss National Bank estimates that the total amount of deposits in all Swiss banks, at the end of 2010, by citizens of India were CHF 1.95 billion (` 9,295 crore, US$ 2.1 billion). The Swiss Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed these figures upon request for information by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. This amount is about 700 fold less than the alleged $1.4 trillion in some media reports. The report also provided a comparison of the deposits held by Indians and by citizens of other nations in Swiss banks. Total deposits held by citizens of India constitute only 0.13 per cent of the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries. Further, the share of Indians in the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries in Swiss banks has reduced from 0.29 per cent in 2006 to 0.13 per cent in 2010.

Another burning scam was allocating valuable coal block to hundreds of private miners without auction.  According to the CAG draft report, the government extended undue benefits totaling a `10.67 lakh crore to commercial entities by giving them 155 coal acreages without auction between 2004 and 2009.

This could be the mother of all mining scams. The mining scam in Odisha, which accounts for over 30 percent of India’s iron ore deposits estimated at ` 3 lakh crore, a scale that dwarfs the Bellary mining scam in Karnataka and the Goa mining scam. This scam was plundering at its best with the Naveen Patnaik led government exploiting the state's minerals to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees. Apparently, the mine owners had been illegally using fake Transit Passes to transport minerals from Odisha to other states. The plundering was a large scale one and involved many high profile people from the government and bureaucracy. Yet, today, the illegal mining continues. According to the State Vigilance charge sheet, the illegal iron ore mining at these three mines (Serajuddin Mines, Rungta Mines and Indrani Patnaik Mines) alone has caused the loss of a staggering ` 2,352 crore to the state exchequer. Each tonne of iron ore fetches the mining company nearly ` 8,000, while the State government gets a measly royalty of ` 78 per tonne.

The 2G scam is one of the latest scams that have hit the country driving it to incur huge losses. And caught at the centre of the embarrassing controversy was the Telecom Minister, A. Raja himself. The scam became bigger with new revelations of the involvement of politicians, bureaucrats, corporate personalities, media persons and lobbyists. The granting of licenses to various companies led to a massive loss to the exchequer. Also, daughter of political tycoon, M. Karunanidhi, M. Kanimozhi was also arrested on charges of being a co-conspirator in the scandal. The much speculated about 2G Spectrum Scam has been one of the most expensive scams in the nation’s record. Former telecom minister Mr. A. Raja was the person who skillfully siphoned ` 1.76-lakh crore by evading the 2G licensing norms. He awarded the 2G accounts at the price rate of 2001 instead of the increased rate in 2008. As a result India lost an unbelievable huge amount of money. In 2011, “Time magazine” listed the scam at number two on their “Top 10 Abuses of Power” list. The present status of this scam is that both A. Raja and M.K. Kanimozhi has been granted bail on 15^th may 2012 and 28 November 2011 and trial is being conducted in Special CBI Court. In this scam A. Raja was in CBI custody for 469 days that is only one year 3 months and M.K. Kanimozhi was in CBI custody for 188 days that is nearly six months.

The Commonwealth Games held in India was even soaked in controversies and corruption to say the least. While the organizing committee drew flak for various allegations like child labour, sex slavery, environmental impact, racism and financial costs, the one that shocked the nation was the humungous amount of funds that had been mishandled by them. The chairman of the organizing committee was, resultantly, arrested on charges of 'criminal conspiracy and cheating. The open scam and loot that took place during the Commonwealth Game is probably one of the most shameful incidents in Indian history. It certainly disgraced the nation in front of other countries and an international audience. According to estimations, ` 70,000 crore was spent on the game of which only half the amount was actually spent for the event. The investigation performed by Central Vigilance Commission revealed that various hefty payments were made in the name of non-existent parties and voluntarily delay was made in the preparation process which collective lead to misuse of the funds. Suresh Kalmadi the face of this scam at present has been bailed out on the surety of ` 5 lakhs by Delhi high court and he still remains a Lok Sabha MP.

The Scorpene submarines scam was another big corruption scandals faced by the country including the navy. In the scandal, secret Navy documents were sold to the makers of the Scorpene submarine. The Indian government had approved the ` 19,000 crore submarine deal with the French company. The purchase of six Scorpene submarines cost the Indian government a lot more than its actual price.

Hawala Scandal is another much talked about incident of politics and corruption in India which came to mass notice in 1996 and it was all about bribery at the national level worth $18 millions. India’s well-known politicians accepted hefty bribes from the hawala brokers. Hawala scam was probably the first scam that gave the public an idea of the loot of national treasure that was being implemented by the top politicians. The scam revolved around the payments that the politicians received from hawala brokers, who basically fund terrorism around the globe. Many prominent politicians like LK Advani, Arjun Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Kalpnath Roy, VC Shukla, Madhavrao Scindia, Sharad Yadav, Buta Singh, Natwar Singh and Madan Lal Khurana were indicted in this case, but no action was taken against them due to lack of hardcore evidence.

Various laws have been framed from time to time to prevent or at least reduce corruption. The Prevention of Corruption Act came into force in September 1988. It was an improvisation of the Act of 1947. The scope of the 1988 Act was enlarged and widened to include the term 'public servants'. Thus if an offence against a public servant is proved in the court there will be imprisonment of not less than 6 months upto 5 years and also the person may be fined. The Central Government has set up four departments to check corruption—Administrative Vigilance Division in the Department of Personnel and Training, Central Bureau of Investigation, Domestic Vigilance units in Ministries / Departments / Public Undertaking or Nationalized Banks and Central Vigilance Commission.

Laws and rules have to be implemented with strictness and if needed, the outdated ones should be amended in order to check the acts of corruption. Vigilance should be increased so that people think twice before indulging in corrupt practices. Election expenses should be strictly curtailed and finally, without the co-operation of the common man, the evil of corruption cannot be eradicated.

London Olympic 2012

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, celebrated in Athens was the first international Olympic Games held in the Modern era. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894. Coubertin never entertained female athlete in this international sports event. According to him females were not worthy to participate and it will be bad or wrong if female participates in the event. Whatever the thought of Coubertin and people like him were in those days but after 116 years at present in London Olympic 2012 the participation of female in the Olympic history is the highest till now. Among the 204 participating countries in London Olympics 2012, every country has minimum of one female athlete. If it same goes on then in the Olympic history London Olympic 2012 will be known as female Olympic year.

In London Olympic 2012 for the first time female athletes are participating from Brunei, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia at the same time this is the first time in Olympic history where female participation is more or less same to male athlete. From United States America the participation of female athlete is 269 where as male athlete is 261. If we compare past, the participation of female athlete were hardly few, in 1900 Paris Olympic out of total 997 athletes only 22 athlete were female. In the Olympic history this is the first time where, in 26 games event females are participating.

Female participation in Olympic has not increased at once. It is since last year’s Beijing Olympics in 2008 world has witnessed lot of changes. Among these the role of Middle East’s contribution is the highest, the international Olympic Committee has encouraged Middle East countries to allow female participants from their country. Beside that during last year’s Olympic, many new games have been introduced which has increased the participation of female in Olympic. In 2000 females were allowed to participate in taekwondo, weight lifting and shooting where as female boxing is introduced this year in London Olympics 2012. 1n 1900 before 112 years  females were allowed to participate only in cricket, sailing, horse riding, tennis and golf.

In nearly 100 years participation of females in Olympic has increased. In 1908 London Olympic out of total participating athlete only 1.8% were females. Where as in 2008 Beijing Olympics out of total 10947 athletes’ 4639 athletes were female. In 2012 London Olympic 1100 athletes are participating from 204 countries and female participation is more than 40 %. The American association of university women’s public policy and government relation director Lisa Maatz said that countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Brunei, has stated a good example to the world by allowing female athlete to participate in Olympic games. Olympic teaches us to be united by forgetting discrimination and for this London Olympic would be known. It will also encourage more female participation in 2016 Reo De Janeiro Olympic.

Afgani female sprinter Tahmina Kohistani is the only female who is representing Afghanistan in London Olympic 2012. A 22 year old Tahmina is the third female athlete in the history of Afghanistan to participate in Olympic. She's not so interested in winning gold than in inspiring Afghan girls to take up sport. In her interview she said that it is like a dream come true for her to qualify in Olympics. Her appearance in the stadium was unusual as she was not wearing any sports bra or shorts like other female athlete instead of that the afgani sprinter appeared with a head scarf and full sleeves sweater. Although her chances of winning the 100-meter sprint are lower than those of her competitors, she is very glad to be in London. "What's important for me is to take part in the Olympic Games - for me, my people and my homeland."

Tahmina is the only woman allowed to represent her country in London this year. She has been running and dreaming of taking part in the Olympic Games for eight years already. Her intensive training for the summer games started six months ago at Kabul's Ghazi stadium but technical restrictions have made it tough. Karim, her trainer, says that she could "win gold if she had better training conditions." She has also not had an easy time of it because of the poor security situation and social restrictions. She has been insulted several times for choosing sports. People all over the world are happy that she is encouraging females in Afghanistan to choose sports but on the other hand in her homeland and outside there are many people who hate Tahmina because of her decision to be a sportsperson. The people who hate Tahmina not only include male but also females. According to them she is going against the religion but Tahmina want to prove them wrong and says that people need time to get used to more modern conditions. But she is glad that she is very lucky with her family who always supports her and encourages her in her decision. Though Tahmina has fewer chances to win but she is glad that maybe her attempt to inspire Afgan girl to take sport would come up with bright colors. This would be worth much more than a gold medal for her and her country.  After Olympic when she will go back to Kabul she is planning to open a sport academy for women so that Afghanistan can give more female participants in future for sporting events like Olympics.

It's time to take seriously

 The year 2005, Handitola village in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon district:
A Dalit hangs himself. The early stench of a decomposing body is what helps identify the tree. Yet, nobody dares go near him; for some, the man’s an untouchable. The others are just plain scared. A woman in a faded sari with that other rural staple, a very cracked heel arrives on the scene. Sukhantibai with a sickle in her hand, stands upon a stool, cuts the rope and lowers the body. The villagers mostly look on. Few days later, the villagers unanimously select Sukhantibai – a Gond Adivasi woman as their Sarpanch.

7 years hence she has been reelected. Not that anything in her home would give that away today. Her house is still a mud hut with uneven walls, a tiny courtyard; her kitchen consists of a wood stove, a couple of earthen pots and a few small tins containing tea and spices; her family has to fetch drinking water from the tap at the entrance of the village and no personal privilege of separate toilets either. She tells us, ‘The government has a scheme called Nirmal Gaon Yojana to provide a toilet and water supply for all. But the money is coming in small amounts. There are 1260 people here. So far, 170 families have received water and toilets. I am trying to ensure that the rest of the families get them before my term ends.’ What she doesn’t say, is evident from being in the village. Her home is at the far edges of it. And since the supply starts at the beginning of the village Sukhantibai will be among the last to receive the benefits of any scheme. So she has let herself be among the rest who will have to wait for their turn to come.

Could this be a sign of her honesty, good ole fashioned honesty?
The villagers and the Maoists in the area seem to think so. The latter are known for opposing any government development project and she’s had their support. But maybe it’s also because she has been a landless tribal woman herself. Has also worked as a laborer in the house of the 'Patel' - the richest man in her village. And while coming up the hard way has seen her village with no electricity, no roads and no tap water. Infact she tells us that way back in 1995, on learning that leprosy was curable; she organized several health camps with the help of the villagers. In each camp, she cleaned and bandaged the wounds of those afflicted and distributed medicine which she had collected from the block hospital. Real trust is a slow but sure thing. And some people come around. And of course there are some don’t.

For example, the hut she calls home was bought from the Patel, whom she once worked for. But, even after 15 long years, he refuses to transfer the ownership of the land in her family’s name, simply because he doesn’t think as an Adivasi she or her family has a right to own land. Yet Sukhantibai hasn’t approached a court against the Patel “Court cases are lengthy affairs and I have no time to get involved into that right now,” she says, before adding, ‘I at least can eat a square meal and wear a coarse sari. My people here don't even have that. If I, the Sarpanch, start feeling sorry for myself, who will solve the problems of my people?'

And many of the problems have been solved. The primary school has been upgraded to 8th grade; there are separate toilets for boys and girls, a primary health center, an anganwadi, a large playground, a community hall, a community temple, electricity poles and drinking water taps.

But problems never go away, do they?
Consumption of illicit liquor, for example, is a growing menace among the village youth. To stop that, Sukhantibai does what a grandmother would do to her grandchildren: threaten to break their legs, if caught drinking inside the village. If there are desperate measures, there are also inspirational asides that possibly deserve a fuller telling elsewhere.

Suffice to say that to inspire the neighbors to educate their children, Sukhantibai, who didn’t get beyond 5th class as a child  passed 8th grade under the Open school system. She feels quite strongly about women’s opportunities too, ‘10 years ago, none of our girls would step outside their homes. Today, they are running shops and businesses. During a fair, you can see so many of them setting up food stalls. It makes me very happy. Adivasi women are very strong in body and mind. So, I also want them to enter politics. Women must have a say in the affairs of the village. It will only make our village more developed.’

As a state, Chhattisgarh has a real ongoing crisis. Of trust, of violence, of people caught in the crossfire of a vicious battle of life and death. But even in the blinding heat of a war zone, there are barefoot soldiers like her who offer spaces to grow, to support and work with. With a much quieter, yet unrelenting energy.

But just who is listening to those whose heels may have cracked, but not their spirit?
 

I read this story in the net and wanted to share this along with you it is really inspiring, one should learn from her honest work and great thoughts. She has cleared 8^th class at the age of 53, she is not highly qualified like any other person at the highest position in the country but her thoughts her work is far better than any of the politicians in the country.  She does not misuse the power given to her rather; she is trying her best to deliver the benefits provided by the government to common people in her village. She resembles herself as the servant of the people and believes in  delivering the benefits to the villagers first then getting the benefit for herself, she has all the qualities of a leader in spite of any higher qualification where as our politicians who are highly qualified even though seems to be illiterate.

Tribal handicraft in India

Tribal communities in India comprise an important dimension of the Indian society. The precious heritage of the Indian tradition is an amalgam and harmonious blending of a wide variety of cultures. Indian tribes constitute nearly 8.14% of the total population of India. According to article 342 of the Constitution of India, at present, there are 697 tribes as counted by the Central Government. Each tribe has their own culture and living style and they have always been associated with a rich legacy of locally made items of art and craft, a rage among locals as well as foreign tourists coming to India from different parts of the world.

Ceramic pottery

Tribal groups create awestruck beauty with their raw form of art that tends to appeal all art lovers with a different taste. In fact, their handicrafts are dipped in originality and weaved in creativity. Right from the pre-historic paintings to modern time tribal jewelry, the tribal groups have created magic with every piece of art. They have polished their hands at jewelry, wooden crafts, stones art and carved paintings. Their art form, generally, have the impression of myths, god, legends and natural essence. The tribal people give a great emphasis on the use of bright colors and natural shapes. In fact, their art is the best example of communion with nature. After all, they know the knack of creating beautiful pieces from the nature’s elements. They are also known for making wonderful carving on masks and drums too.

Handicrafts and handlooms are two such industries in India that have their special identity. With a mode of expressing one’s mind, soul, traditions and modern outlook, these two industries have created magic all over the world. The variety and expertise of handicrafts speaks through pottery, metal work, jewelry, wooden art, marble or stone work, paper mache items and toys. On the other hand, the glory of handloom industry can be stated in the form of designer clothes with a variety in fabric, printing styles, designs, patterns and specialized embroideries. In fact, almost every state in India has their own style of handicrafts and handlooms to boast their distinctiveness.

Santhal art

The handicrafts are an expression of thoughts and innovations. It is a field of art that lays the foundation for bonding between cultures and religions. In fact, Indian handicraft and art forms are a reflection of beauty coupled with elegance. As per the tradition in art forms go, each and every state has their own ways to deal with the colors and craft materials. We, generally, get to see the influence of religion, cultural beliefs, lifestyle and traditional practices in the piece of handicrafts made. The prevailing handicraft traditions of India has seen numerous interventions that created a new art out of them. In fact, it has been the influence of passing dynasties that kept on revamping the traditions. And the ability of accepting changes enabled artisans to create masterpieces that became an identity in itself. Some of the states in India have the tradition of weaving gold and silver threads on a piece of silk or cotton, which is known to be Zari or Brocade work. Punjab has the tradition of making very fine embroidery called as Phulkari. What makes a tradition being followed for so many years, I guess it is their hard work and creative input involved in it and after all appreciators of handicraft always go for the exclusive designs that have not been available to them in their native place. Moreover, handicrafts in India have ventured in to the homes, office spaces and various other places as a mode of decoration. They enhance the overall look of a place and add vivacity to it.

Each state has their own tradition and they are the best in their field. From carvings to bronze castings, brassware, metal and stone work, Andhra people have created a special place in the field of art. The most famous thing here is the use of pearls in various designs of jewelry. And it is Hyderabad, which is well-known for this form of art. Some of the other forms of art which can be checked are Bidri craft and Kondapalli toys.

In Bihar it is the women that are dominating over the crafts. Traditional Madhubani paintings, bangle making, designer stone work and Sikki craft are some of the famous tradition which is still followed with more creativity in their art which is a blend of traditional and modern art.

The Rajasthani handicrafts are famous worldwide for its classicism and ethnicity. From stones to marble, pots, bowls, plates, wall clocks, hangings, leather, wood, painting and jewelry, one can see the touch of royalty in everything. Not just royalness in everything; but also the touch of rural lifestyle that makes Rajasthani handicrafts popular worldwide. Rajasthan is known for palaces and kingly status, which is quite visible in its crafts. The unique thing to notice in Rajasthani handicrafts is that the work is based on the life of Maharajas of Rajasthan and their love for craftsmanship in every corner. Another thing to be checked out is the use of vibrant colors, red, yellow and green being prominent. It is because of the liveliness in the culture of Rajasthan that such colors are kept in prominence.

Orissa shows a glimpse of traditions and religious practices in the handicrafts that are designed with much finesse. The tradition of Palm Leaf Writing is still prevalent; though, it is seen in some of the local households. Even, marriage cards, at present, are also written on Palm Leaf to some extent. The wooden carvings, stone art, patta paintings and appliqué art form are some of the most loved possessions of Orissa. A best part of the handicrafts from Orissa is that they make use of tamarind glue, chalk powder and various other things in making their masterpieces of painting bases.

Jharkhand being a tribal state it is quite famous for artistic handicrafts. The specialty of this state is that the artisans are well-trained in making stylish wooden door panels, windows, boxes and kitchenware. These can be used in home and office decoration for enhancing the look of a place and lending it a thematic presence. One can also catch a glimpse of woman and men making bamboo or cane baskets, boxes and other important items of daily usage. Even the Paitkar paintings in Jharkhand are also famous, as they depict life after death. Apart from this, metal work is also quite beautiful and stylish in this state.

The contemporary and traditional art and craft is seen at its best in West Bengal. With an expertise in metal work, leather craft, cane art, jute products, brass work, pottery, masks and sandalwood carvings, the craftsmen of West Bengal have created a special place for themselves in the heart of craft lovers. One of the most pieces of art from Bengal is the Terracotta Bankura Horse. The carvings in Bengal and Dhokra art form are one of the most demandable art forms in the world.

The state of Tamil Nadu has an innovative story of handicrafts to recite. Since, it is located on the Bay of Bengal; the majority of handicrafts deal with sea products and stone structures. It is the traditional jewelry that has been attracting the customers. In designing the jewelry, craftsmen give high importance to gems and stones. There is a belief that Nine Jewels (Navratna) is the symbol of warding off evils. Another form of jewelry piece famous in Tamil Nadu is gold waist belt that is worn with saree. In fact, it is form of traditional ornament that is worn by almost every woman.

Mural art

In Jammu and Kashmir along with the existing traditions of handicraft designs, latest trends and changes are also incorporated to create a perfect fusion. The most form of craft used in this state after carpet weaving is wooden work done made from Walnut wood. Boxes, trunks and furniture made from it bear very fine carvings that enhance the look of an art piece. Even, copperware and silver work is also famous in Jammu and Kashmir for their sheer beauty, creativity and magnificence.

Himachal Pradesh is the land of greenery and in such an environment one of the most sought after form of craft is wooden work. Another one to catch up is metal work, which is the proof of fine art form. The silver jewelry in Himachal Pradesh is the soul of the state. Silversmiths of Himachal Pradesh are quite skilled in making engraved silver glasses, tea pots, lamp stands and fruit trays. In fact, Himachal is also famous for woolen handicrafts in the form of shawls, jackets, caps and carpets.

 The state of Maharashtra has a perfect blend of diverse handicraft cultures. From traditional art forms of Ajanta caves to modern style leather wear, everything is designed with giving importance to minute things also. Its famous Sawantwadi painting craft form is liked by all. Another art form famous in Maharashtra is leather work, which can be seen at Kolhapur in the form of chappals and sandals. These chappals are also prepared with thread embroideries on them, so as to give them a fashionable look. Even, the Warli paintings of Maharashtra introduce us to tribal art form.

 The artisans of Uttar Pradesh are skilled in making light weight jewelry which are easy to wear, beside that the colorful bangles of Uttar Pradesh are quite famous for their exclusive designs.One can also find a touch of religious faith in the artifacts of Keralites. In this state, one can find artisans using rosewood. Along with this, another piece of attraction is the carvings on coconut shell.The women of Jalandhar, Kartarpur and Hoshiarpur, generally, make pidhi that are carved out of wood. Afterwards, they are covered with lacquer and beautiful designs are woven with threads. Beside this the designer Punjabi juttis are major attraction throughout the world.

The rich historical story of pottery making dating back to Indus Valley Civilization, Gujarat has been known for changing thoughts into reality. From that time to now, the Gujarati tradition of handicrafts has shown its expertise in the field of textile designing, wooden carvings, metal and brass work. Another thing to check out is the designer art jewelry by Gujarati craftsmen. From the vulnerable designs of jewelry art pieces, the art of using beads, pearls and other gems to the best of their creations is clearly visible. Silver art jewelry is the specialty of this state.

 Sikkim is a place where lot of idols being carved on wood can be seen in monasteries and temples. Well, that’s not all. One can also find various types of masks made from wood and paintings on them, which signifies the tribal culture and Sikkim’s traditionalism. It follows the Thangka paintings of Sikkim that are considered apt to promote Buddhism and its philosophies. Lamp shades, lanterns and designer furniture from their specialties. The Choktse tables (foldable) are quite famous world over.

 The Government has taken various steps to promote the brand image for Indian Handicrafts in the world market. These include; organizing buyer-seller meet/seminars to create awareness about Indian Handicrafts, publicity measures such as release of advertisement in print media in US and Europe through Trade magazines, launching of website for providing authentic information on handmade carpets, participation in Fairs/Exhibition abroad, organizing Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair twice a year, organizing Thematic Exhibition etc. The Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (Trifed) is also branding tribal handicrafts, which it purchases from artisans and sells them through its outlets. It has around 16 regional offices in various parts of the country and buys 5,000 tribal products from about 50,000 artists registered with it. Trifed mainly deals with iron crafts, textiles, organic & herbal products, bamboo & cane products, tribal jewelry (including lac bangles), dokra and the like. This co-operative also plans training camps for tribal artisans in Jharkhand, Orissa and various other states. Planning Commission has also constituted a high-level committee to promote small scale industries and handicrafts in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa.

India’s rich cultural diversity and heritage provides a unique and huge resource for developing craft products. The Indian Handicraft Industry is showing continuous growth rate of 20% every year. The major parts of industry operates in rural and semi urban areas throughout the country and has potential Indian and International market with around 67000 exporters to tap the market. According to the national census of handicrafts, undertaken by the National Council for Applied Economic Research the value of handicrafts produced last year were of Rs.26,213 Crore. This Industry provides huge employment opportunities to artisans that include women and people belonging to backward and weaker society. This is one of the major sources of income there. The Indian Handicraft Industry is a $100 billion industry worldwide. It’s contribution in world market is nearly 1.2%( total exports of crafts items: - Rs. 13412.92 Crore) which is 1.15% of total exports of India but in spite of having diversified products, some part of Indian market are still untapped and market is price sensitive. The major exporting countries include U.S.A, Germany, Italy, U.K, France, Canada, Japan & Saudi Arabia.  In spite of all the measures adopted by the government there is still lack of awareness about new traditions among craftsmen and there is need of technological support and training so that more foreign exchange can be earned for the Indian economy.

7 billion in action

The world population has crossed 7 billion nine months back and it is still increasing. This increasing population can be taken as a challenge as well as an opportunity for growth and development because it increases human capital which is the stepping stone of success for any country, on the same hand increasing population can be looked as a thread which leads to unemployment, shortage of food, space and basic needs. Beside that the government has to spend more on health, education, development and availability of basic needs for the people. To deal with these challenges and to aware the people against various problems arising due to rising population united nation on 11^th July 1989 celebrated first world population day and decided to celebrate every year in order to remind the people of the rising problems and create awareness against increasing population. The theme of world population day 2012 is “Universal access to reproductive health services.” The vision of united nation fund for population activities (UNFPA) is a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child is safe and every young person potential is fulfilled. In whole world reproductive health problems remain the leading cause of ill health and death of women during pregnancy. Nearly 222 billion women who would like to avoid or delay pregnancy lack access to effective family planning. Every day nearly 800 women die giving birth to life.

In 1804 world population was 1 billion which increased to 2 billion in 1927 and within thirty two years it reached to 3 billion in 1959 and in 1974 it was 4 billion where as in 1998 it was 6 billion. We can observe that the rate of population increase is very high and last year 31^st October 2011 it reached to 7 billion. Today at present the population of the world is more than double as compared to 1950. In 2050 it is expected to cross 9 billion. In poor nation population increase is highest nearly four times that of 1961. According to UNFPA we have to face new challenges every time as land is shrinking and there is lack of space, raw material and minerals are limited, gap between rich and poor is increasing day by day due to addition of 7.8 million people every year which is ultimately affecting our living environment.

In whole world China has the highest population of 1.3 billion followed by India 1.2 billion which is 17.5% of world population. There are many countries whose land area does not mark up with the population. At the same time countries like Brazil, Canada etc. has very less population as compared to their land area.

7 billion world population has given rise to many challenges and yet many more to come. In whole world more than 1 billion people sleep without having food at night. The rate of population increase does not match the rate of production of food materials. In future when this population will increase 2-3 billion more, then it would be very difficult to feed all the people. Today challenges related to environment pollution are very important for human race. Since there is an increase in population we are clearing forests to build township which is ultimately affecting our environment, due to this there is a change in climate resulting many species to extinct or are at the edge of existence and if this goes on like this then one day human will also exist from this planet.

According to scientist till 2050 the consumption of energy will be double or even more than that. Today only 20% of total energy consumption comes from petroleum products and which is limited in this earth. In coming future when this will increase to 30% then it will be difficult to satisfy the demand of increasing population because at present only we are 70% dependent on petroleum products. It is like a time bomb for this whole world. It is a fact that one day all these petroleum products will dry up then we will have to face various difficulties in terms of energy, if any supplementary means of energy is not found. It is a very critical situation for south Asia - Africa and Central America, for example; in Ethiopia where people are suffering from scarcity of food at the same time they are also suffering from scarcity of water.  At which rate population is increasing in the same rate we are also polluting water by various human activities. Two third portion of earth is filled with water but it is of no use.

Globally many countries have been inspired by the problem of better established life. According to rough figure nearly 17.5 million people are living a established and better life and this is only 3%of the total population of the world. Among these many are from developed nations, but this number is also increasing gradually in developing nations. The increase in population is also affecting country’s growth. Day by day pressure is increasing on land and there has been a decrease in 30% of animal species as human has been destroying the environment by one or the other means. If humans goes on harming the environment and rate of population does not decreases then in future earth will become small and we will need one more planet to live.