AGRIBUSINESS: SCOPE & CHALLENGES

Agribusiness is the branch of agriculture that deals with the production and distribution of agricultural goods. It encompasses all aspects of food and fiber production, from farming and marketing to financing, research and development, and more.

One of the biggest trends in agribusiness today is the adoption of precision agriculture. This involves using technology such as drones, sensors, and data analysis to optimize crop yields and reduce waste. By collecting and analyzing data on factors such as soil health, weather patterns, and pest populations, farmers can make more informed decisions about when and what to plant, and how to manage their crops.

Another trend in agribusiness is the growing demand for sustainable and organic products. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their food choices, and many are willing to pay a premium for products that are produced in a more environmentally responsible manner. This has led to a surge in demand for organic and sustainable products, which are often seen as healthier and more humane than their conventional counterparts.

However, agribusiness also faces a number of challenges. Climate change, for example, is causing increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and crop failures, which can have a devastating impact on farmers and their livelihoods. Additionally, the global population is projected to grow by around 2 billion people by 2050, which will put additional pressure on food supplies.

In conclusion, agribusiness is a dynamic and rapidly evolving field that is at the forefront of addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet today. By embracing new technologies, adopting sustainable practices, and working together, the agriculture industry can help ensure a safe and secure food supply for generations to come. Also, it will lead to stable job offerings in the coming future. To build best of your future in agribusiness you can choose among various agriculture courses at the topmost private university in North India, Rayat Bahra School of Agriculture.

CSR: For sustainable & Equitable India

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has been gaining traction in India in recent years. With a booming economy and growing awareness about environmental and social issues, companies are beginning to realize the importance of giving back to society. In this blog, we will take a closer look at the state of CSR in India.

Firstly, it is important to understand what CSR is. CSR refers to a company’s voluntary activities that go beyond its core business operations to create a positive impact on society and the environment. CSR activities can range from philanthropic initiatives like donating to charities to more sustainable initiatives like reducing carbon emissions.

In India, the concept of CSR was first introduced in 2014 through the Companies Act. Under this law, companies with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more, or a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or more, or a net profit of Rs 5 crore or more, are required

to spend 2% of their average net profits in the previous three years on CSR activities.

Since the introduction of this law, CSR spending in India has increased significantly. In the financial year 2019-2020, 1,319 companies spent a total of Rs 16,034 crore on CSR activities. This is a significant increase from the previous year, where 1,193 companies spent a total of Rs 10,030 crore.

CSR activities in India are diverse and cover a range of issues. Some common areas of focus include education, healthcare, environmental sustainability, and community development. Companies are also increasingly focusing on gender equality and empowerment, with many initiatives aimed at promoting women’s entrepreneurship and employment.

However, despite the increase in CSR spending, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. One issue is the lack of transparency and accountability in CSR activities. Many companies do not disclose their CSR activities

and there is no independent verification of the impact of these activities.

Another issue is the uneven distribution of CSR funds. While some companies are doing exemplary work in CSR, others are not meeting their obligations or are not spending their funds effectively. This has led to calls for greater regulation and monitoring of CSR activities in India.

In conclusion, CSR is an important concept that is gaining traction in India. While there have been significant increases in CSR spending, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. Companies need to be more transparent and accountable in their CSR activities, and there needs to be greater regulation and monitoring of these activities. If these issues are addressed, CSR can play an important role in creating a more sustainable and equitable future for India.

UPCOMING JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN INDIA

India, like many other countries, is undergoing a rapid transformation in the nature of work and the skills required to succeed in the job market. With technological advancements and changing business practices, the job market is evolving at an unprecedented pace. In this blog, we will discuss some of the upcoming job requirements in India.

  • Digital Skills

The importance of digital skills cannot be overstated in today’s job market. With the rise of technology, jobs that require digital skills such as coding, data analysis, and digital marketing are in high demand. Moreover, with the increasing adoption of automation and artificial intelligence, digital skills are becoming more critical than ever.

  • Healthcare

The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in India, and the demand for skilled healthcare professionals is on the rise. With an ageing population and an increase in chronic diseases, healthcare is becoming a crucial sector for job creation. In addition to traditional medical roles such as doctors and nurses, healthcare also requires skilled professionals in areas such as medical technology, health management, and health policy.

  • Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is an industry that is gaining momentum in India. With the country’s ambitious goal to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, the demand for skilled professionals in this sector is expected to rise significantly. Jobs in renewable energy include roles such as solar panel installation, wind turbine maintenance, and energy management.

  • Logistics

With the growth of e-commerce and the need for efficient supply chain management, the logistics sector is rapidly expanding. The sector requires skilled professionals in areas such as inventory management, transportation management, and warehouse management. Moreover, with the increasing adoption of automation in logistics, there is a growing demand for professionals with expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence.

  • Cybersecurity

As more businesses and individuals shift towards digital platforms, the risk of cyber-attacks is increasing. Therefore, cybersecurity is becoming a critical requirement for businesses across all industries. The sector requires professionals with skills in areas such as ethical hacking, cybersecurity management, and cyber forensics.

  • Education and Training

With the increasing demand for skilled professionals, there is a growing need for education and training. The education and training sector requires professionals with expertise in areas such as curriculum development, training and development, and instructional design.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the job market in India is changing rapidly, and professionals need to adapt to stay relevant. The demand for digital skills, healthcare, renewable energy, logistics, cybersecurity, and education and training is expected to rise significantly in the coming years. Therefore, individuals who possess these skills will have a competitive advantage in the job market.

Decoding: Silicon Valley Bank Crisis

Silicon Valley Bank: What is it?

Silicon Valley Bank, which was founded in 1983, ranked as America’s 16th-largest private bank. Nearly half of all US venture-backed technology and life science firms received banking services from it.

It also conducts business in the following countries: Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Sweden, and the UK.

What caused it to fall?

After a hectic 48 hours in which customers frantically withdrew savings from the lender in a traditional run on the bank, SVB abruptly collapsed. However, the cause of its downfall has been brewing for a while. During the period of almost zero interest rates, SVB invested billions in US government bonds, just like many other institutions.

As the Federal Reserve aggressively increased interest rates to control inflation, what initially appeared to be a safe bet soon unraveled.

Bond prices decline as interest rates rise, so the increase in rates reduced the worth of SVB’s bond portfolio. According to Reuters, the portfolio’s average return last week was only 1.79%, considerably lower than the 3.9% yield on the 10-year Treasury.

The Fed’s rate-hiking binge also increased borrowing costs, forcing tech startups to allocate more money to loan repayment. They were having trouble finding new venture capital financing at the same time.

As a result, businesses were compelled to use deposits kept by SVB to pay for operations and expansion.

How about speculators and depositors?

The deposits of all SVB clients will be guaranteed, US regulators announced on Sunday. The move is intended at preventing more bank runs and enabling tech companies to continue paying staff and funding their operations.

Will a banking catastrophe result from this?

There are already some indications of stress at other banks. After the shares of First Republic Bank (FRC) and PacWest Bancorp (PACW) fell 65% and 52%, respectively, trading in those stocks was momentarily suspended. At 11.30 a.m. ET on Monday, shares of Charles Schwab (SCHW) were down 7%.

The benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 Banks index in Europe, which monitors 42 significant EU and UK banks, dropped 5.6% in early trade, marking the largest decline since last March. The troubled Swiss financial behemoth Credit Suisse saw a 9% decline in share price. Government bond and other asset purchases made by SVB and other financial institutions have seen significant value declines.

In Indian context there will be no major impact on banking systems although it may affect  start-ups  in the short term when it comes to funding & making payroll.

IPR In India

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are a set of legal rights that protect the creations of human intellect. The concept of IPR aims to promote innovation, creativity, and invention by providing legal protection to the creators of these intellectual properties. Intellectual Property Rights are crucial for the economic and social development of a country. In India, the legal framework for IPR protection is well established and is constantly evolving. In this blog, we will take a closer look at the various forms of Intellectual Property Rights in India and their legal protection.

Types of Intellectual Property Rights in India:

  • Patents: Patents provide exclusive rights to inventors for their creations, whether it is a product or a process. In India, patents are granted for a period of 20 years. The Indian Patents Act, 1970 governs the patent system in India.
  • Trademarks: Trademarks are symbols, logos, or names that distinguish one company’s goods or services from another. Trademarks are registered for a period of 10 years in India. The Trademarks Act, 1999 governs the trademark system in India.
  • Copyrights: Copyrights are exclusive rights given to authors, artists, and creators for their literary, artistic, musical, and other creative works. In India, copyrights are protected for a period of the lifetime of the author plus 60 years. The Copyright Act, 1957 governs the copyright system in India.
  • Industrial designs: Industrial designs are the aesthetic and ornamental features of a product that give it a unique appearance. In India, industrial designs are protected for a period of 15 years. The Designs Act, 2000 governs the industrial design system in India.
  • Geographical indications: Geographical indications are indications used to identify goods originating from a particular geographic region. In India, geographical indications are protected under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Legal Protection for Intellectual Property Rights in India:

The legal framework for IPR protection in India is governed by various laws and regulations. The primary legislation that governs IPR in India includes:

  • The Patents Act, 1970
  • The Trade Marks Act, 1999
  • The Copyright Act, 1957
  • The Designs Act, 2000
  • The Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999

In addition to the above, there are also various international conventions and agreements that India is a party to, such as the Paris Convention, the Berne Convention, and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

Conclusion:

Intellectual Property Rights are crucial for the economic and social development of a country. In India, the legal framework for IPR protection is well established and is constantly evolving. The protection of IPR is enforced through the judicial system, and the Indian judiciary has been instrumental in protecting IPR and enforcing the relevant laws. The government and the judiciary need to continue to work together to ensure that IPR is protected, and innovators are encouraged to create new and innovative products and processes.

CHAT-GPT: WHAT IS IT?

It is designed to generate human-like text and can be used to perform a variety of language-based tasks, such as language translation, summarization, and question answering. It is trained on a massive dataset of texts from the internet allowing it to generate text that is difficult to distinguish from human-written text.

What Are Social Impacts of Chat-GPT?

  • Can be used to create a chatbot that functions as a “chief compliance officer” for banks and it provides a great assistance.
  • Quizzes that are generated automatically, a virtual teaching assistant, course descriptions, even learning objectives. The work of instructional designers and subject matter specialists often requires a lot of mental effort. If we “steer” the AI in the direction of our content, it can make it widely available.
  • Recruitment, onboarding, training in sales, manufacturing, compliance, leadership development, even mentoring in both personal and professional spheres. The “expertise delivery” problem can be effectively solved by AI if you concentrate it on a reliable source of content (which most businesses have in abundance).
  • Can be used to automate and translate in various languages the ‘Administrative Tasks’, provide healthcare recommendation to a user, or provide mental support in future.
  • Although negative impacts could also be there if not controlled legally & ethically, like spread of harmful content, data theft, loss of face-to-face interaction & overdependence on technology.

Conclusion:

Overall, it’s an amazing technology that is going to take content marketing forward and use of AI to fill in service and virtual assistance gaps. Though we must accept without proper legal and ethical control it has the potential to spread out negative misinformation worldwide.

EDUCATION BASED ON SKILLS

The world is evolving. Nowadays, five-year-old’s play with Xboxes, iPhones, and tablets rather
than mud. Children grow up in a very digitalized environment where every service is at their
fingertips. Food is consumed, a picture of it is quickly shared on Instagram and WhatsApp, and
Then a favorite Netflix show is watched to unwind. Human interactions have suffered as virtual
Reality has become more popular. Every day, the economy and the technology that surrounds it
Rapid change is experienced. How is it acceptable to force today’s expanding kids into outdated
educational procedures in such a setting?
Need for Skill Based Learning:
Instead of forcing the young crowd to take notes, make diagrams, and memorize maps, provide
opportunities for students to comprehend topics by deconstructing them and encouraging an understanding
appropriate atmosphere to develop:
Leadership qualities
 talents in communication
 Ability to adapt
 Time management and analytical abilities
Skill-based learning refers to the acquisition of creative skills as well as a number of other life
skills. These abilities help the student establish a solid foundation early on and succeed in both
personally, and professionally in the future. planning, carrying out, and assessing the abilities that
are learned through knowledge-based Learning in the classroom is one of the main goals of skill-based
learning.
It is time to abandon old habits and adopt a more practical approach:
The Indian educational system places a strong emphasis on academics. A joke that went
When Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal, something similar was trending on social media.
medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics: Everyone wants an Olympic champion in their family,
but nobody wants their child to focus on sports. Such has been India’s century-long obsession with the
conventional textbook approach to education
More than ever, the modern world requires skill-based education. It’s time to liberate kids from
the cramped quarters of the classroom. Rot learning and vomiting the entire school year on
the final exam’s answer sheets don’t help the student advance, and in the present, holding the
Youth in traditional ways is blatantly unfair. They should receive the education that actually
prepares them for life outside of school. Considering that, in contrast to us, their future is likely
to be controlled by AI, the next computing era, and 5G network connections.

TIPS FOR A JOB INTERVIEW

How well you do in a job interview depends on how well you prepared. And that goes beyond simply looking up the most frequently requested questions on Google (unless you want to be just another applicant). You must get ready differently and be more prepared than ever if you want to stand out. We put together the top 5 things you should do to be ready to land your ideal job in order to set you up for success.

Recognize the position and contrast it with your credentials

Read the job description attentively and note the essential qualifications. Following that, sketch out your personal skill set.

Prepare the ideal responses

Are you prepared to gauge the interviewer’s reaction to your responses? To find out what you are doing well, whether there are any warning signs, and how to address them, send it to our specialists.

Prepare your replies in advance of the questions

Think carefully about the main ideas you want the interviewer to remember. Examine the most typical interview questions and responses before practicing your own. By practicing the responses, you’ll gain more self-assurance, have less nervousness, and be sure to convey all of the important points you’ve chosen.

Make your responses distinct

Are you prepared to gauge the interviewer’s reaction to your responses? To find out what you are doing well, whether there are any warning signs, and how to address them, send it to our specialists.

Construct inquiries for the interviewer

There are two reasons why you should ask the interviewer thoughtful questions. First of all, because they anticipate you doing it. Use the questions to your advantage by highlighting your interests and preferred working methods. It might be your last chance to make an impression on the interviewer!

Second, because you should also research the business and the position. Was that really what you were hoping for? Not just the employer is present at the interview.

Make a note of the responses! Ask for permission before taking notes and always have a notebook. It will show that you are organized and interested.

INDIA TOWARDS CASHLESS ECONOMY

The Indian government is working to make the country’s economy cashless, however this goal is shared by all governments worldwide. We will discuss why the Indian government wants to eliminate cash from the economy today. How about defining a cashless economy? both its benefits and drawbacks.

The term “cashless economy” refers to an economy that does not accept cash, or you could say that there is no cash flow in the economy. Plastic money or electronic channels are used for all transactions. In a cashless economy, you can make purchases using your mobile wallet, plastic money, such as a debit card or credit card, or online banking, or payment apps like Gpay, Phonepe & Paytm instead of carrying cash.

ADVANTAGES

In order to reach its goal of creating a fully cashless economy, the Center is actively promoting internet and card-based transactions in the nation following demonetization. These payment methods make it simple for the government to keep track of every transaction. It aids in reducing the circulation of counterfeit money and illicit money. Digital transactions are simple to use, and carrying cash is not necessary. Additionally, it decreases the amount of currency notes and coins produced, which also lowers the cost of production. The data generated by cashless transactions can be used by the government to analyze and enhance its policies. Officials can predict or identify activity patterns using such data, and they can utilize this knowledge to develop the urban areas for things like housing, transportation, and energy management. Cash is challenging to track. Cash can also be used for illegal operations including tax avoidance and the laundering of illicit funds.

DISADVANTAGES

Although a cashless economy is tremendously advantageous to our nation, there are some drawbacks as well. The lack of adequate monitoring of the data and cybersecurity concerns with cashless payments is a growing source of concern for many consumers. On the other hand, consumers worry about their privacy because every transaction leaves a digital trace.

CONCLUSION

Cash continues to be a dependable, secure, and trusted method of payment for products and services, despite the many new convenient methods consumers can do so. Additionally, it has a definite sense of value, which is useful for creating a budget. Cards and mobile payments give customers flexibility, choice, and convenience, but implementing a fully cashless economy in a place like India is challenging.

BEGINNING OF MUSK JOURNEY AS TWITTER CEO

 Elon Musk has officially taken over as the “sole director” of Twitter after completing his $44 billion (£38 billion) acquisition of the firm.

“The bird is freed”, he subsequently tweeted.

According to a Bloomberg report, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX is also rumoured to be removing permanent restrictions on user accounts since he disapproves of lifetime suspensions.

NEW CHANGES TO BE INTRODUCED ON TWITTER

He recently revealed that he will boost the monthly rate for Twitter Blue to $20 and charge $8 for blue ticks to users on the platform.  All of the sweep changes are abrupt and are consistent with his goal of turning Twitter into a successful business.

 In order to promote content creators on the network, he also unveiled a creator programme similar to YouTube.

He is currently planning to bring Twitter’s long-gone Vine programme back to the site. On October 31, Elon Musk polled Twitter users about the possibility of reviving Vine. 69.6% of respondents hit the “yes” button. Only 30.4% of respondents opposed bringing Vine back. More than 238.2k people liked and 27.1k people retweeted the survey.

A TWITTER POLL BY MUSK

CONCLUSION

Elon Musk new adventure as Twitter chief is going to a challenging tide as his decision to bring back vine is going to face heavy competition from Instagram & Snapchat, which made twitter to shut down vine in 2016. Apart from that charging user for blue badge is another latest controversial buzz among celebrities.