Tricks and Tips

Sunday 5 July 2015

Digital India: 15 salient things to know about PM Narendra Modi's project






Moving ahead on yet another pet project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the 'Digital India' campaign, aimed at creating a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

The programme comprises of various initiatives, each targeted to prepare India for becoming a knowledge economy and for bringing good governance to citizens through synchronized and co-ordinated engagement of the entire government.

PM Modi will launch the Digital India Week on Wednesday evening urging people to gain knowledge and to empower themselves through the Digital India Programme.

The vision of Digital India programme also aims at inclusive growth in areas of electronic services, products, manufacturing and job opportunities etc. The vision of Digital India is centred on three key areas -

(i) Digital Infrastructure as a utility to every citizen

(ii) Governance & services on demand

(iii) Digital Empowerment of citizens


The Digital India programme aims to provide broadband highways, universal access to mobile connectivity, public internet access programme, e-governance: Reforming government through technology, eKranti - Electronic delivery of services, Information for all, Electronics manufacturing: Target net zero imports, IT for jobs and early harvest programmes.

In line with these objectives, the government has launched some inititaives. Others are being readied for launch. We take a look at some of them:

1. Digital Locker System aims to minimize the usage of physical documents and enable sharing of e-documents across agencies. The sharing of the e-documents will be done through registered repositories thereby ensuring the authenticity of the documents online, says the government.

2. MyGov.in has been implemented as a platform for citizen engagement in governance, through a "Discuss", "Do" and "Disseminate" approach. The mobile app for MyGov would bring these features to users on a mobile phone.

3. Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Mobile app would be used by people and Government organizations for achieving the goals of Swachh Bharat Mission.

4. eSign framework would allow citizens to digitally sign a document online using Aadhaar authentication.

5. The Online Registration System (ORS) under the eHospital application has been introduced. This application provides important services such as online registration, payment of fees and appointment, online diagnostic reports, enquiring availability of blood online etc, the government claims.

6. National Scholarships Portal is said to be a one stop solution for end to end scholarship process right from submission of student application, verification, sanction and disbursal to end beneficiary for all the scholarships provided by the Government of India.

7. DeitY has undertaken an initiative namely Digitize India Platform (DIP) for large scale digitization of records in the country that would facilitate efficient delivery of services to the citizens.

8. The Government of India has undertaken an initiative namely Bharat Net, a high speed digital highway to connect all 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats of country. This would be the world's largest rural broadband connectivity project using optical fibre.
9. Policy initiatives have also been undertaken by DeitY in the e-Governance domain like e-Kranti Framework, Policy on Adoption of Open Source Software for Government of India, Framework for Adoption of Open Source Software in e-Governance Systems, Policy on Open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for Government of India, E-mail Policy of Government of India, Policy on Use of IT Resources of Government of India, Policy on Collaborative Application Development by Opening the Source Code of Government Applications, Application Development & Re-Engineering Guidelines for Cloud Ready Applications

10. BSNL has introduced Next Generation Network (NGN), to replace 30 year old exchanges, which is an IP based technology to manage all types of services like voice, data, multimedia/ video and other types of packet switched communication services.

11. BSNL has undertaken large scale deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country. The user can latch on the BSNL Wi-Fi network through their mobile devices.

12. BPO Policy has been approved to create BPO centres in different North Eastern states and also in smaller / mofussil towns of other states.

13. Electronics Development Fund (EDF) Policy aims to promote Innovation, R&D, and Product Development and to create a resource pool of IP within the country to create a self-sustaining eco-system of Venture Funds.

14. National Centre for Flexible Electronics (NCFlexE) is an initiative of Government of India to promote research and innovation in the emerging area of Flexible Electronics.

15. Centre of Excellence on Internet on Things (IoT) is a joint initiative of Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY), ERNET and NASSCOM.

"The estimated impact of Digital India by 2019 would be cross cutting, ranging from broadband connectivity in all Panchayats, Wi-fi in schools and universities and Public Wi-Fihotspots. The programme will generate huge number of IT, Telecom and Electronics jobs, both directly and indirectly. Success of this programme will make India Digitally empowered and the leader in usage of IT in delivery of services related to various domains such as health, education, agriculture, banking, etc," the government claims. 

Friday 18 July 2014

5 Foundations Every Successful Relationship Needs



Having a happy and successful relationship can be a struggle.It seems that all too often, our relationships go downhill over time, and we are left to wonder “why can’t things just be the way they used to be?”.
Foundations are the key to maintaining all the goodness in your relationship. They will determine the quality and success of your relationships years down the track.
“A house must be built on solid foundations if it is to last. The same principle applies to man” - Sai Baba.If you use the following foundations in your relationship, you will have an incredibly long-lasting, happy and successful relationship.

1.   Laugh together

Laughter is a very powerful thing! Did you know that laughter is even used as a form of therapy? This is because it has such a positive effect on us. When you laugh with your partner, it shows that you enjoy each others company, feel positive towards one another and actually “like” each other.
“It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive and you have the power to choose either”. - Wayne Dyer
That’s right, laughter is a choice! And it involves choosing to feel happy towards each other, and not angry or negative. All too often you see couples who are never happy when they are together. They have become frustrated and are used to each other. And sadly, they lose the excitement and the appreciation they once shared for each other.
If you can relate to this, and would like to bring life and joy back into your relationship, then chose laughter.
Choose to make your partner laugh at least once a day. If you want to, you can even think of it as relationship therapy, since laughing is a real form of therapy!


2.   Know each others love language

Did you know that we all have different love languages?
Love languages are the different ways that we all communicate and understand love.
Your love language and that of your partner can be as different as Chinese and English!
So it is absolutely essential that you learn your partners love language.
“We must be willing to learn our spouses love language if we are to be effective communicators of love” - Dr Gary Chapman
Here are the 5 different love languages:
  • Words of affirmation
  • Quality time
  • Receiving gifts
  • Acts of service
  • Physical touch
We all have one or two major love languages.
Here is an example of the importance of understanding your partners love language:
  • If your love language is physical touch, a kiss will speak louder than 1000 words – but,
  • If your love language is words of affirmation, one kind or affirming word will speak louder than 1000 kisses
You might be showing love to your partner in every way that you know how and still, they might be telling you that you don’t love them enough. Well, it’s no secret anymore! You need to learn their love language.


3.   Understand love as an action

As you can probably tell from the above point, love is an action. Love is understanding how your partner feels loved, and then doing it. People often think that love is a feeling, and that once the feeling disappears – there is little hope for their relationship. Well it’s absolutely not true!
“Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is a fruit of love, the verb” – Stephen Covey
This quote shows us that “feeling in love” is just as much of a choice as “Loving as an action”.
When you choose to love your partner (even if they didn’t do anything to deserve it), you are showing them real love. Love, that is unconditional and that does not rely on them loving you first.
If you view “love as a feeling”, you will both be waiting and waiting – and you still won’t “feel it”.
So understand love as an action and a choice, and then do it! You will have an incredibly happy and fulfilling relationship because of it.


4.    Don’t cross the line

This is one of the most important things to remember for a happy and successful relationship.
There are certain things that we never want to say or do to our partner. These are things that you would consider “crossing the line”.
Maybe for you “crossing the line” means:
  • Losing your temper
  • Yelling or screaming at your partner
  • Saying I hate you
  • Saying something unkind to your partner
  • Using manipulation to get what you want
  • Going to sleep while being angry at your partner
  • Not saying sorry when you know you should have
  • Getting aggressive towards your partner
  • Bringing your partner down because you were angry
These are all damaging things for a relationship, but if you ask any child “Do your parents do any of these things” most of them would probably say yes to a number of them.
My theory is – that once you “cross the line”, it becomes easier and easier to do it again and again.
You might not like to do those things but in the heat of an argument – if you have already said “I hate you” once before, it becomes a LOT easier to say it again.
If you want a happy and successful relationship, try really hard to not “cross the line”.
Your relationship will be so much better off for it and you will stand a better chance at actually “liking each other” years down the track.


5.   Apologize often

We all make mistakes. We all say and do damaging things to our relationship. We are simply human.
Successful relationships rely on us admitting when we are wrong and then moving past it.
Apologizing makes the process of moving on 1000% times faster and easier. When we don’t apologize when we know we should, we are being proud. Love is not prideful.



“In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes” - John Ruskin
To have a successful relationship, apologize often – so that you don’t make the mistake of being proud. Well, that’s it for the 5 foundations every relationship needs to have. If you use these foundations, the chances of having an incredibly happy, long-lasting and successful relationship will increase astronomically. Good luck!

Saturday 5 July 2014

7 Ways to Increase Your Water Intake



Drinking water is essential to your health because the human body is made up of over 60% water. When your water intake isn’t equal to your output, you can become dehydrated and it can cause numerous health issues. Drinking enough water daily ensures that your body functions properly. The water flushes out toxins and helps energize the muscles of your body. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to drink enough water each day. We often get bored with water and crave sodas. Check out seven ways you need to increase your water intake.



1. Add fresh fruit

Drinking plain water can be a little boring, so why not spice it up? Add your favorite fresh fruit to the water and enjoy your drink. Its taste is very refreshing and exquisite and, of course, fresh fruit infused water has many health benefits. You can add a slice of lime, orange, lemon or cucumber to a glass of water. The good news is that you don’t have to go to spa or restaurants to enjoy the taste and health benefits of fresh fruit infused water. Make it at home and save your money.



2. Make water accessible

The main thing you should do is to get all harmful items out of sight. I mean a pitcher of juice or a bottle of Coke. These drinks are full of Aspartame, artificial dyes and unnatural sweeteners. Make clean water more accessible. You can buy water purifying system or bottled water. Moreover, if you are going to be out and about all day or sitting at a desk, don’t forget to take along a bottle of water. 


3. Don’t gulp water at once

Sip water, don’t gulp! It is better to drink it partially all day long. Also, don’t wait until you get thirsty. Begin sipping early in the morning and sip all day long. It is harmful to gulp water at once, that’s why you should drink slowly and enjoy the taste of water.


4. Use reusable water bottles

I’ve got an idea how to increase the intake of water and I’d like to share it with you! If you don’t like running to the kitchen to fill your cup with water, try to do the following thing. Fill up 4-5 reusable water bottles with water and ice and place them in different rooms. You will have an opportunity to drink water more often than usual.



5. Keep water-to-go ready in your fridge

Unfortunately, my busy days don’t give me an opportunity to keep the level of water in my body in order. I don’t know about you, but I often forget to drink water. That’s why I always have water-to-go ready in the fridge. It takes a minute to grab a bottle and throw it in your bag. Thus, you can sip water almost everywhere.


6. Drink water before each meal

A glass of water 30 minutes before meal has a positive effect on your health. Firstly, it can reduce calorie intake. Secondly, it helps prevent overeating. But you shouldn’t drink more than one glass before each meal, because too much water can lead to serious health problems.




7. Eat water-enriched food

One of the easiest ways to increase your water intake is to consume more water-enriched foods. Fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, cucumbers, strawberries and tomatoes, are high in water, so use them in your salads, smoothies or eat them raw. This way, you will increase your water intake and improve your overall health.
Water is a major constituent part of the body. It helps keep you hydrated as well as healthy. Do you drink enough water every day? What do you do to increase your water intake?