Category: Management

The TRIPS agreement seems to further the hypothesis that only the intellectual contributions of the corporate-sponsored scientists need intellectual property protector and compensation. It pays no attention to the fact that there has been an uncompensated free flow of resources and knowledge from the developing countries to the first world especially when knowledge and biological resources are inalienable for most communities living in the third world countries.Convention of Biodiversity recognises this fact and provides protection to these biological resources and knowledge and prevents their exploitation. This difference in approaches and focus of the two agreements gives rise to a host of contradictions. The two legally binding international agreements are inconsistent and even contradict each other as said earlier on three major levels namely: (i) Objectives, (ii) Principles, and (iii) Legal…

The variations in the irrigation system in early India depended on particular environment, acreage of land under cultivation and the sponsoring agent the state, communities or individual. In other words, natural conditions and the control mechanism determined the type of irrigation.It could range from simple channels diverted from river or natural streams, water-bailing machines, pot-fitted wheels attached to the wells to developed technologies like Persian wheels; hillside channels watering terraced fields, canals, large reservoirs, tanks and embankments.The availability of water resources does not follow a uniform pattern. Uneven rainfall, failure of the monsoons, and scarcity and excesses of water have always compelled people to restrain and regulate the natural sources. Kautilya’s Arthasatra classifies the modes of water supply as: (1) Hastaprayartima drawing water with hands and carrying it to the…

There exist massive plates of rock below the earth’s crust, called tectonic plates, which are interlocked.These huge plates float on a layer of semi-solid rock, called the mantle, which causes the tectonic plates to move. If these plates somehow collide, pressure so caused results in cracks on the earth’s surface. The collision or the slipping of the tectonic plates causes vibrations in the earth due to rapid release of energy.These vibrations pass through the earth’s surface in waves and cause the earthquake. While an earthquake occurs only for a few seconds, the aftershocks can go on for days after that. Earthquakes are measured on a logarithmic scale developed by Charles Richter in 1935, called the Richter scale. Earthquakes measuring above 5.0 on the Richter scale can have damaging effects. Image…

The conservation of wild species in their natural habitats can also be done in biosphere reserves. Biosphere reserves are large protected areas with well defined boundaries. They usually spread beyond an area of 5000 sq km, and protect much larger areas of natural habitat than a national park or a wildlife sanctuary.Often the biosphere reserves include one or more national parks in its ambit. They are not meant for any particular species like white tiger or one horned rhinos, etc., but are created to protect and preserve the entire flora and fauna of a given region. Purpose of Biosphere Reserves: In biosphere reserves, protection is extended not only to the diverse flora and fauna of the protected region where the reserve has been set up, but also to the human…

A watershed or a catchment is a piece of land or an area that drains rainwater into a lake, river or stream. Watershed management is thus appropriate use and management of soil, water and vegetation to result in optimum use of water and for preservation of the soil layer. Good watershed management helps to prepare the environment against man-made activities of logging and mining, as well as against natural calamities like floods and landslides.Appropriate vegetation prevents rainwater and soil to run away from the region. If the soil is allowed to flow away with the water into the river and then into the sea, it will raise the sea level due to siltation and the fertility of soil on the land is also decreased.Integrated watershed management is a community approach…

Gover­nance, according to their interpretation has four main components:i. Public Sector Management;ii. Accountability; ADVERTISEMENTS: iii. Legal Framework for Development; andiv. Transparency and Information Accessibility.Governance as per these components basically implies the proper formulation and implementation of policies by government agencies, within well-defined legal framework. It also emphasises on people getting the necessary information, fostering openness in the system and ensuring accountability on the part of politicians and bureaucracy or administrators.The World Bank, in 1992, in its Report titled “Governance and Development” considered good governance as central for creating a proper environment which is necessary for sound economic policies. Image Source : dennymeyer.files.wordpress.com ADVERTISEMENTS: It pointed out the basic problems of governance faced by developing countries, which include delays in implementation of projects, inadequately enforced laws, increasing competition, lack of involvement…

Lord Ripon came to India in 1880, as the viceroy. He selected by Gladstone who came to power in 1880. So he was the representative of Gladstone, an era with a strong belief in the virtues of peace, laisse-fair, and self-government.Lord Ripon was indeed of a different stamp from the typical viceory, and in his whole Political outlook was the very antithesis of his immediate predecessor. Gladstone, the chief devotee of Liberty in Europe, explained his policy towards India thus: “our title to be in India depends on a first condition, that our being there is profitable to the Indian natives; and on a second condition, that we can make them see and understand it to profitable”.So in Calcutta in his first public speech he said “Judge me by my…

We encounter public administration everywhere. It is with us, as has been observed, ‘from cradle to grave’. Public administration, simply put, is all about knowledge and technique of administering. It is a cooperative human effort to achieve predetermined administrative goals and objectives. Public administration is made up of two words, public and administration. Public includes all the activities carried out directly or indirectly by the administrative apparatus of the government.The word ‘administer’ is derived from the Latin words ‘ad’ and ‘ministare’ meaning ‘to minister’, ‘to serve’, or ‘to manage’. Woodrow Wilson spoke of public administration as a “detailed and systematic application of law. Every application of law is an act of administration”.In the words of L.D. White, “the art of administration is the direction, coordination, and control of many persons…

The adverse effects of Deforestation are as follows:Deforestation is also one of the important causes of environmental change. About 30 per cent of the earth’s surface is covered with forests. The human pressure on forests has, however, significantly increased in recent decades, especially after the Second World War. ADVERTISEMENTS: The need for more agricultural land, expanded demand for fuel and commercial wood and more demand for mutton and beef can be satisfied by replacing forests with clear grazing and agricultural lands (shifting cultivation, plantation and large-scale ranching, logging).The rapid deforestation particularly that of tropical regions, is contributing to the enhanced greenhouse effect moreover, removal of the protective vegetation cover and its replacement with a crop or pasture often results in accelerated soil erosion that exacerbates nutrient deficit. Image Source: assets.worldwildlife.orgRapid…

The natural vegetation, generally, grows well where there is enough rainfall. It is conserved where the land is not fit for cultivation. The natural vegetation of India changes from one region to another due to the variations in the climate and soils. On the basis of climate and relief the natural vegetation of India can be divided in the following types:1. The tropical evergreen forests,2. The tropical deciduous forests, ADVERTISEMENTS: 3. The tropical thorn forests,4. The littoral or tidal forests, and5. The mountain forests. Image Source: i.ytimg.com 1. Tropical Evergreen Forests: ADVERTISEMENTS: These forests are found mainly in those areas where the annual rainfall is more than 200 cm, with a short dry season. The average annual temperature should range between 25 °C and 27 °C. The relative humidity should…