Essay writing Topics – Importance of Punctuality

Punctuality is the habit of doing things promptly at the proper time. It must be considered a cardinal virtue because of its beneficial fruits, and also because of the harmful effects a lack of it can produce. In most enterprises, punctuality is the key to success. Procrastination, the vice opposite to punctuality, can bring nothing but failure. Often it brings ruin and disaster.

A student, for instance who comes late for an examination may not be able to write that examination at all. Failure and the loss of a year may be the result. A business who is late for an important conference risks the danger of missing an opportunity to expand his business or to secure highly profitable business orders or contracts.

A farmer who fails to sow his field at the right time cannot hope to have a good crop. And if he fails to reap the field in time, he may suffer the loss of even the small crop he has. Being punctual is not a burden. When we begin and finish our work punctually we feel great mental satisfaction. We also get plenty of time relax, or to play, or to enjoy leisurely activities. Punctuality benefits not only the individual concerned, but also other members of society. On the other hand, lack of punctuality on the part of a single individual may cause much harm to many other persons.

If the driver of a bus or a train, or the pilot of a plane, should be unpunctual, he is sure to inconvenience all his passengers. Some of them may even suffer heavy financial or other losses because they don’t arrive at their destinations at the expected time. If the rulers or the military commanders of a country should fail to take precautionary defensive measure in time, that country runs the risk of being attacked and subjugated or humiliated by a more alert enemy country. It is imperative that children should be trained in punctuality so that they may acquire this very important virtue at an early age. This is necessary for them, and for society as a whole.

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Essay writing – Duties and responsibilities

“Duty” means “moral or legal obligation in general”. It can also mean a particular task or action that a person is bound to perform for moral or legal reasons. The notion of duty derives from the notion of the existence of an Almighty God, Creator and Lord of all things. From His absolute sovereignty and authority over all His creatures, and their absolute and essential dependence on Him, arise all the duties of all His creatures. Human beings are the only rational creatures on earth. We alone have been endowed with the capacity to know God and to realize that we have certain towards Him, and also other duties derived from these primary duties.

Our duties towards Gods are: to adore him as our Supreme Lord and Master; to love Him as our most loving Father; to obey all His commandments: to thank Him for creating us and looking after us with loving care; to trust in His love and mercy; to beg His pardon for our sins; and to pray for His grace and blessings. The duties that are derived from these primary duties are towards our fellow men and women, and towards us.

It is our duty to love our fellow human beings as we loved ourselves.  This is because we are all God’s children, and therefore, brothers and sisters the one another. We have specific duties to different people. To our parents and teachers, we owe love, respect and obedience. Parents have the duty to love and bring up their children properly. Teachers have to guide and impart knowledge to their pupils. All of us have the duty to help the poor and the needy. We have also duties as citizens of a country.

Our basic duty to ourselves is to live good and virtuous lives, because that is what God want us to do, and what is necessary to attain everlasting happiness in the next world. It is our duty, too, to strive hard to succeed in our profession or occupation and to take reasonable care of our bodies.

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Essay writing – Dignity of Labour

By “labour” we usually mean “productive physical toil, done for wages”. But this too restricted a definition of the word. For, first, no kind of labour performed by a human being is purely physical toil, and, second, all work is not done for wages. In all kinds of work done by human beings, the mind is involved, though in some kinds of work, physical labour may predominated. There are other kinds of labour in which mental exertion predominates. Office work, for instance, is predominantly mental. When students study, they are engaged in predominantly mental is the work done by teachers.

Physical labour, unfortunately, has always been held to be inferior to mental work. In olden days, manual labour was despised and entrusted to slaves. In fact, many Greece and the Roman republic, depended states were ruled by aristocratic minorities, and professions, and left all manual labour to slaves. In most countries of the world, this kind of slavery does not exist now a day. But in many parts of India, it still survives under the name of “bonded labour”.

The attitude towards manual labour as something inferior and unworthy of educated persons deserves to be condemned as wrong and immoral. For all work is divine worship: “to work is to pray”. Whatever work we do is ennobled by our own dignity as children of God.  It is not the kind of work we do that confers dignity on us; it is we, as children of God, who confer dignity on the work we do. This is a truth that everybody should be recognized.

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Essay writing – Strikes in India

When the Industrial Revolution began in England, those who were employed in the factories were at the mercy of their employers. Their wages were low, and if they asked for higher wages, they would be simply dismissed, because there were plenty of other poor workers to replace them. This situation was unjust, and, gradually, the workers realized that they could acquire strength by forming unions. Trade Unions came into being thus, and they established the principle and practice of “collective bargaining”

Employer had now to deal with the united bodies of their workers, and the workers could bargain, from the position of strength, with their employers for higher wages, shorter hours, and better conditions of work in the factory. The weapon wielded by the Trade Union was the “strike”- a refusal to continue their work except on certain conditions.

Armed with this powerful weapon, Trade Unions, were able to lift the working classes to higher levels, and secure for them better wages, shorter hours, healthier conditions, and a measure of independence. Trade unionism has spread to every country in the world, and has brought great benefits to the working classes everywhere. But these are evils and danger connected with strikes. Beyond certain limits, they can totally destructive. They may cause harm that industries may collapse, and the workers may find themselves unemployed. Led by immoderate leaders, trade unions sometimes paralyse industries. And when investors find the condition intolerable, they shift their factories to other places where the workers are more ready to co-operate with their employers.

In Kerala, unionized workers, by their irrational and fanatical behaviour, have forced a great many industrialists to shift their factories to other states, like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. It is impossible for any Government in Kerala to attract investors to the State, because Kerala has become notorious for the belligerency and violent behaviour of the workers. No one wants to invest here, because no believes that any industry can flourish here.

Unfortunately, the trade union mentality has spread into public services and educational institutions. Even students of primary schools are made to go on strike by the so- called “student- leaders” at their own will and pleasure. This, tendency, naturally destroys the very fabric of education. Unionized Government employees go on strike frequently asking for higher salaries, and paralyse work in government offices. Worst of all, political parties frequently call for hartals and bandhs, which paralyse the whole state. These anti-social activities must be curbed. But who can do that, when the politicians, who the state, themselves support and encourage or even organize them?

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Essay Writing – Prevention of Road Accidents

Road accidents are mishaps that can occur on the roads involving vehicles or pedestrians owing to various factors. Every day, we come across news about such accidents that claim lives and cause casualties. It causes loss of lives and also social and individual property. It damages roads and often poses a problem for many people who commute through the same route daily.

The various reasons are unawareness about the traffic rules and road regulations. Some people tend to be careless and ignore the road rules intentionally to travel faster. Moreover, old roads and poor quality roads can pose a threat to the traffic running over them. Road congestion and traffic jams can lead to mishaps too. There have been cases of drunken driving and consequent accidents. Such carelessness and immature attitude on roads can cost lives.

Road rules are something every person should learn in his childhood and should implement them during his lifetime. The basic rules of not playing around on the road, walking on the footpath, crossing the road carefully from the zebra crossing or subways are taught to us as children and we should be careful to follow them always. As drivers, we should take care of the road sign boards and the basic rules of driving. There is a speed limit assigned to every area which should not be violated in any situation. Seat-belts should be secured and the vehicles should slow down in residential and institutional areas.

Two-wheelers like scooters and bikes are more vulnerable to accidents as thy can lose balance easily if not ridden carefully. Wearing helmets, maintaining safe speed limit and riding in the special lane allotted to two-wheelers if possible; these are some steps which can be taken care of by individuals. Youngsters should not be allowed to ride or drive vehicles unless they are professionally trained and have a legal driving license for the purpose. Heavy-duty vehicles and commercial vehicles should not ply in residential and institutional areas. Moreover, such vehicles should not be allowed to ply on by passes and highways after a certain moment. They should not be allowed to cross a certain speed limit because it is difficult to control them due to their large size and mass. There should be a different lane for bicycles, cycle-rickshaws, carriages and carts so that they do not interfere with the automobile traffic. Besides these rules, quality of the roads and the infrastructure of the place also matters a lot. Flyovers, bridges and wide roads should be constructed in congested and heavily populated cities to avoid road mishaps. The quality of the materials used for constructing these roads should be tested and only good quality materials should be used. Road-traffic police can also play an important role in avoiding accidents by doing their duty sincerely. They should take care that all rules are followed and should regulate the traffic systematically to avoid any confusion on the roads.

Such steps if taken care of can help avoid road mishaps and make travelling and commuting from one place to another safer.

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Speech Topics – Child Abuse in India

Child abuse is a social evil that has prevailed since ages and is still continuing in the present modern society. Children of all age groups are exploited in various ways. In rural and urban areas alike, many of them are robbed off their right to study and have a peaceful childhood. They are forced to toil hard and work in filthy dangerous conditions to earn a meager amount for their families. Many children are blinded intentionally or have their limbs chopped off and are made to beg on the streets. We have heard cases of children working in fireworks and glass factories. Many children are made to work as domestic helps in urban homes. Besides child labor, we have often heard of cases where children are kidnapped and hit almost to unconsciousness for not being able to work properly. Juvenile crime is also a result of the exploitation of children. Children working in factories and mines etc. are vulnerable to chronic diseases, toxic wastes and ailments. They survive on dumped and garbage scrap for food. Many children find shelter in pipes or in broken construction sites. Many documentaries, movies and articles have covered incidents of child abuse. National and local dailies are flooded with news of exploitation of children of age groups. Media has played an important role in highlighting this social issue.

The reason child abuse is still practiced in large numbers is primarily poverty. The vices like poverty, illiteracy and unemployment force and drag families and their children into the vicious circle of child exploitation. Many rural families force their children to work because of dearth of money and proper facilities. There are communities where all the children are sent off to towns and cities to earn money by doing odd jobs and send it home. Crime and corruption among the administrative people, authorities and officials create greater difficulties for these people. The funds diverted for their betterment often disappears among these officials itself and they reap no benefits. The laws and rules framed against child exploitation stay only on paper and are not implemented due to the inefficiency of our government officials. Unawareness among the families of these children adds to the causes.

Many NGOs have started taking initiatives to educate such children and their families. UNESCO and UNICEF have educated villages as a whole and created employment opportunities for them. Such initiatives coupled with individual initiatives from the families and people involved can help eliminate such problems.

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Discussion Topics – Brain Drain from India

Brain drain is a global phenomenon that refers to flow of human resource in bulk from one country to another. With the beginning of globalization, ideas, opinions, skill in the form of labor started being exchanged between nations. India has been undergoing large amount of this outflow of its human capital and talent in the past few decades. The human capital in terms of skill, ideas, labor and intelligence is being transferred to countries abroad from India since ages. Today, Indians constitute majority of large organizations like NASA, California Laboratory etc. There are many Indians at high posts in global firms and companies. Indians constitute most of the highest brains in the world. There are many reasons for which we have been seeing this trend. Brain drain is thus a phenomenon which can be a loss to our country if not regulated.

Many factors account for the drain of the human resource. One of the most important factors is the work culture and professional atmosphere abroad. Many social evils like discrimination, workspace assaults, gender based reservation and social bias make the atmosphere unfriendly for work. Moreover, Corruption makes the work spaces unfriendly for many. There have been cases where undeserving people are preferred over more deserving and talented people for incentives, perks and bonuses. Also, the lifestyle and the social life seem to be better to many young professionals. The professional and social life, both seem to be rewarding. Growth opportunities are vast. Talent and capability is often rewarded with huge bonuses. Studies say that Indians are one of the most hard-working, dedicated and sincere. This accounts for one of the reasons there is a huge demand for them in the foreign work culture. Many scientific, technological or business ideas and inventions have had an Indian origin and have been accredited abroad.

Though this brain drain might have benefitted individuals, it has also made communities suffer racial discrimination in some countries. The countries abroad even miss a cultural richness and a sense of belongingness that is attached to ones’ native country. As a result, people working and settled abroad often miss out on social gatherings and festivals celebrated in their home country. They even lack a sentiment that is attached to our native country.

Today, the Government and private firms are aiming towards a better and friendlier atmosphere to create better conditions for their employees. Discrimination and bias at work places are tried to eliminate by making laws and implementing them. Incentives are given to stop youngsters from going abroad in search of work. Today, people from countries like the USA, the UK etc. come to India for higher studies and then work. Thus, we see a reversal in the trend of brain drain gradually. Thus, if a balance is maintained between nations and a healthy interaction is created, we shall definitely reap the benefits of this aspect of globalization.

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Unemployment and Underemployment

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The importance of literacy has been recognized both by the government and the people. People are the wealth of a country but the illiterate people are a burden to the country. Though it is the illiterate who are mostly unemployed, thousands of well educated young men and women roam from pillar to post seeking a good job. Education is the passport to a job but this is proving false nowadays. The unemployment problem grows more and more severe each year. The jobs available are quite disproportionate to the large number of educated youths seeking employment.Speech topics

Underemployment is as serious a problem as unemployment. It is not very sad that a B.E graduate works in an office as a clerk? He should have a job and the post to which he is appointed is an underestimation of his educational qualification. He should get a monthly salary and when no good job is available to him despite his best efforts he has to reconcile himself with what he gets.

When India attained independence fifty percent of the people were below the poverty line. With the increasing unemployment problem there is increasing poverty. More and more educational institutions, especially medical and engineering colleges are spring up. Every year a relatively a large number of students pass out from these institutions. But providing suitable job positions for most of them is very difficult. When failing to secure a good job many start small businesses. How many have achieved success in business enterprise?

In the rural areas the unemployment problem is acute. Agriculturists who form the majority of the population of villages have employment only during a particular season. They have only seasonal employment and they idle away their time during the time when they have no work. They are left without any income and depend largely on their parents for their food and clothes.

In the urban areas even able-bodied youths take up jobs like selling snacks, vegetables or flower. Many of them say that they want to be independent by doing petty business. They seek freedom but they do not want to be in a good job. They are forced to be contented with their low income. The story of these youths is an instance of underemployment. As already mentioned wealth of a nation is its people and each citizen of a nation should earn well to make up for its gross wealth. The employment of a greater number of people will increase the per capita income of the people.

India is a land of villages and the nation’s poor economic status is largely accountable for the poor economic status of the rural areas. There is a great divide between the urban and rural areas and therefore there is a great disparity in the life-style and economic status between the urban and rural areas. The urban areas should create more avenues of employment for the poor village folk. The literacy concept should be well embedded in the minds of the rural people. The time has come when no longer the rural people can live segregated without the benefits of education and without being well employed. It is not possible by everybody in the village to depend on agricultural income alone. While agriculture is the mainstay of the villagers the second and third generation people of a village family can seek jobs in the urban areas to great extent.

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Indian Tourism

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India is a beautiful country. A life time would be too short to view all the beautiful sights that this coutry has to offer.people going out to various places spend a lot of money, buying souvenirs, eating at restaurants or shopping for gifts for friends and relatives. This whole process of buying or selling the things has given birth to an entire industry. The tourism industry can be good source of earning revenue. If a person is selling something that is attractive looking it is very obvious that he can put any price tag on it. Someone or the other will definitely buy it. May be it is too durable but if it has been attractively packaged, it will be sold in minutes.Speech topics

India is a country which is rich in diversity. The majestic Himalayas, the sparkling ocean, the dry desert, the dancing rivers, the enticing lagoons or the magical backwaters, appeal to nature lovers. People come from far of countries to a new beautiful vision glory of nature. Adventure tourism is on the rise for those who prefer a more challenging holiday while water rafting para gliding, bungee jumping, trekking appeal to those who want a full day activity. There are uncountable fortresses and palaces in India which are also worth visiting. But the major bulks of the tourists, Indians as well as foreigner go to various temples situated far and near.

The tourism industry, on the other hand, is very disorganized. The rates of various tour packages differ from agent to agent and at times one reaches the hotel to find that the luxuries mentioned in the brochure are non-existent. Reservations get cancelled without notice, luggage goes missing. The country has to realize that the industry is a good source of earning foreign exchange. Effective regulations can give a new lease of life to this industry. Things are changing however and all is not dark and gloomy. With appropriate measures more and more people could be drawn to India as a favorite tourist spot. With the rise of terrorism in the South East Asian countries, the earthquakes and the Tsunami, many foreigners are turning to India, for it is a safe haven for holiday lovers.

Various states are promoting themselves as true holiday destinations. As more and more Indians become interested in spending holiday touring, instead of visiting relatives, the industry is set to grow manifold.

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Oil Crisis in India

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Oil crisis is not a new phenomenon. It began in 1973 when the Arab member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting countries (OPEC) announced that they would not ship petroleum to nations that supported Israel in conflict with Egypt at that time. After the turn of the century the price increase crude petroleum has been on a steady level. As the oil prices are likely to remain strong and even escalate, the global energy crisis is looming large.

The present energy crisis is totally different from that which was experienced in 1973-74 and the early to mid 1980s.   Sufficient worldwide geological capacity is eroding to a considerable extent.speech topics

The world’s petroleum geology is unequally divided among the oil producing nations of the world. The top 4 countries produce about 98 per cent of the total oil. Saudi Arabia leads  the  team with over 16 per cent of the world’s  total oil production. Iraq, Kuwait and America follow in that order. India produces around 0.8 per cent. It is believed that 14 out of the total top 42 oil producing countries have passed their peak. The most notable among them being the USA, the former Soviet Union, Syria, UK, Libya and Romania. This means that these countries shall not be able to maintain high production of oil as their reserves are on the decline. He remaining 8 countries are likely to reach their respective peaks within the next decade or so. Kuwait will be the last country in this group to reach the peak. The production in this group will also be on the decline in the near future.

The oil producing countries may be classified into Middle-East and Non-Middle East countries. The former includes nine Persian Gulf countries, viz. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE and Yemen. These nations have only four per cent of the world’s population but own 46 per cent of the world’s oil reserves. The production within this group is dominated by five countries, i.e. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and UAE which together produce 94 per cent of the total Middle-East oil reserves. The Middle- East has always been facing serious political problems. First it was Iran-Iraq war. Then it was the American invasion of Iraq and finally Iran’s defiance of world community, the UNO and the super power USA in making nuclear weapons. These developments have been putting a lot of pressure on oil supply and spiraling up of prices.

Notwithstanding the use of non-conventional sources of energy and developing new technologies to develop alternative sources of energy, oil still remains the most efficient source of energy and therefore the most valuable. It is necessary to use it most efficiently. Modern rapid transport facilities like metalled roads, over bridges, etc. help make the maximum use of fuel. The mass transport systems like Delhi Metro are the best way to reduce the burden on oil. Another way to limit the rise of oil price is to establish a buyer’s cartel which should regularly interest with the leading procedures.

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Indian Cinema

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Cinema is in today’s world is the most popular means of entertainment. Millions of people watch cinema everyday all over the world not only as a means of entertainment but also as an escape from the monotony, boredom, anxiety and troubles of life. It is a restful, pleasurable and entertaining means of relaxing after a long day’s work. Moreover it is the only means of entertainment which all sections of society can afford.

Indian cinema-apart from world cinema-has a charm, flavor and magic of its own. It appeals not only to the film-crazy Indian public but also has enchanted a large number of audience the world over. People who do not speak or understand Hindi still sing songs from Hindi films. An average Indian film is longer than films from other parts of the world, has a ginger-touch of love, hate revenge, drama, tears, joys and also its own share of songs and dances. A typical Indian film has in it all the spice and variety of life condensed into it, transporting on the audience on a magic carpet to a totally different world where everything and anything is possible.Speech topics

Down the years, cinema in India has reached its own destination, created its own history, and touched its own milestones. The journey from silent movies to talkies from black and white to coloured has been a progressive one. It has catered to the dreams and aspirations of many. There have been two steams of cinema in India- one is the commercial cinema which has the sole aim of entertaining and making money in return. The second stream is the parallel cinema or the Art cinema which aims at sensitizing the people on various social issues and problems of the society, parallel cinema appeals mainly to the intellectual class among the society.

Cinema has an educative value too. Because it exercises a deep influence upon the minds of the people, cinema can be used as a very effective means of change. Social awareness on issues like dowry, women education, abortion, girl foeticide, youth unrest, corruption, unemployment, poverty, illiteracy etc find the ways in cinema. Cinema can expose the evils prevalent in the society. It is the most effective means of mass communication. Cinema is also e great unifying force in a diversified country like ours. Thousands of people earn their livelihood through cinema.

The silver screen spreads and sells not just dreams but captivates the hearts of young boys and girls. Thus if this medium is not used judiciously and wissely, it can distract the youth from the right direction. Thus, the film-makers should undertake film-making a social responsibility and use their sense of direction.

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Plastic Disposal problems

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Plastics are non-biodegradable substances that pose serious threat to our environment when disposed off thoughtlessly. They are basically used for manufacturing goods like toys, utility appliances like buckets, hangers and much more, for packing materials and also for many other construction and industrial processes. They have an advantage of being durable, light weight and economically viable but still, they harm our environment beyond repair. Their disposal is a huge problem as the demand of plastic is increasing with growing population.

Since they are non-biodegradable, they cannot be disposed off in the open or in water bodies. Also they cannot be dumped in vermi composts since they cannot be disintegrated. Burning plastics release noxious toxic fumes as a result of which they should not be burnt. Moreover since they contain harmful chemicals, they should not be let to leach into water sources or ground. Some plastics are even non-recyclable which makes poses a greater problem.Essay topics

They can leach into the water sources and contaminate them, choke outlets and thus lead to killing of many animals and plants. When disposed off on land, it affects soil fertility thus affecting the plant and crop growth. They even pollute the air.

Thus, steps are being taken to reduce the usage of plastics and rather use alternative materials for the same purposes. Technology and science has given us many synthesized materials which have the same strength and shelf-life of plastics but are recyclable and degradable easily thus making their disposal easy. For example, plastic bags or polythene bags are now being replaced by jute, cloth or paper bags. Moreover the quality of the plastics manufactured in the country is being improved to reduce the toxic chemical content and thus reduce the threat posed by them.

The media industry plays an important role by spreading awareness about plastics and environmental degradation among the masses. Governmental and non-governmental organizations have taken up initiatives to clean up the environment and thus reduce the threat posed to it. Plastic usage and consequent disposal should thus be minimized to create a sustainable and clean place to live in.

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Importance Of Newspapers

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Newspapers are not just a scroll of paper that is dropped into our houses every morning. They have been of great significance ever since they were started. At the time of British rule, newspapers were a medium of spreading news about the happenings in the country or to initiate an agitation or revolt. Newspapers were one revolutionary medium of making important announcements. That purpose is still fulfilled by them.

Today, we have many national dailies and many other local and regional newspapers read all over the country by almost all sections of the society. We have newspapers in almost all main languages like English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and Kannada that are circulated in our country. Today newspapers contain articles of various genres besides the daily news to suit the various tastes of the varied readership. Many newspapers even have weekly magazines to add interest to them.essay topics

Newspapers hold a lot of importance in our lives. They make us aware of latest happenings, developments and information about various global and national issues. This helps us gain knowledge about all cultural, economic, political, entertainment and social issues all over the world. Many organizations and companies use newspapers and print media to make announcements to the public about job vacancies and other important details. Endorsements and commercial advertisements that are printed in the newspaper help us know about the products launched in the market. Newspaper thus provides an industry-consumer interface and helps develop a healthy relationship between the two. Newspapers these days have an editorial section where the readers are allowed to voice their opinions about any issue. This thus provides us with a huge platform to express our views, exchange ideas and build up interactions.

The entertainment section carries news about the film industry, sports events and television industry. It often contains interviews of people from the entertainment and media industry thus providing a medium for the masses to know about some famous people. Newspapers often contain games and quizzes like crosswords, Sudoku etc. which provide us with a healthy means of recreation. Many of the dailies often contain information about upcoming examinations, tips for studying and last minute preparation which helps the students. Newspapers are thus one necessary commodity that is needed by all sections of our society.

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Need For Conservation Of Water

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Water is one of the most essential components of nature that has made life possible on earth. Seventy-five percent of the earths’ surface is covered with water, though all of it cannot be used by all living organisms. Every form of life depends on water directly and indirectly. It is a basic necessity of life. Today the demand of water by humans is seen for almost all purposes, from drinking to domestic, industrial and agricultural activities. Such huge demand and excessive needs have now started taking a toll of the natural water resources.

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The annual consumption of water per individual has increased rapidly over the past few decades. With growing industrialization, urbanization and extensive agriculture being practiced, the water demand has risen to dangerously high levels. Most of the available water is diverted to urban residential and commercial areas which leaves negligible amount for the rural people. Moreover, water pollution is one environmental concern as a result of which there is dearth of potable water. Toxic chemicals, agricultural and domestic wastes and industrial effluents seep into water resources making them unfit for use. The issue of shortage of water is further aggravated because many people are careless about water and cause wastage in large amounts. They waste water by keeping the taps on when not in use or using excess amounts of water for small purposes. Many industrial processes like production of paper, leather processing etc. use a lot of water too. This leaves with no water for some remote parts of our country.

The need of the hour is to prevent and curb pollution of water. If water pollution is reduced, we will get a larger water reserve which can meet more demands. On an individual’s part, we should minimize water consumption to the least possible. Basic careful steps like closing the tap while brushing, using buckets instead of showers and hoses etc. make a lot of difference if taken care by all of us. On the domestic front, we can recycle and reuse water. Waste water from the kitchen can be used to water plants. Industries can also do their part by treating wastes and not dumping toxic chemicals into water resources. Alternatives can be devised and used for industrial activities that require a lot of water. Growing trees i.e. afforestation helps us maintain our ground water table as they bind soil and also help in purifying the ground water. Rain water harvesting techniques can be incorporated in all large buildings which help us store and use rain water. Canals and water diversion channels can be constructed from areas receiving heavy rainfall to dry and water scarce regions. All such steps and many others if implemented efficiently will definitely help us fight the problem of water scarcity.

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POPULATION GROWTH

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One major problem that faces the world today is the rapid growth of population, often referred to as population explosion. Until about 800 AD the world’s population stayed below 200 million. Since then it has risen dramatically. The rise has been greatest in the20th century. The population has recently risen to about six billion: it is three times as large as it was in 1960. It is not so much the actual population as its rate of increases that is alarming. Experts predict that by 2020 there will be about ten billion people, causing serious problems of hunger, overcrowding and environmental pollution. Other effects are seen as poverty and thus consequent illiteracy, unemployment, corruption, crime and other social vices like rise in prices of commodities due to the growing demand of human population. As a result many natural resources like forests, fuel reserves are exploited to meet these demands which cause environmental concerns.Essay Topics

This enormous increase of population is due to better food, better hygiene and, above all, the advances made in medicine. Rapid developments in modern medicine have conquered many diseases and consequently the death rate has decreased. Until the beginning of the 19th century most people died before the age of 50. Today in developed countries the average lifespan has risen to more than 70 years. The population goes on increasing at an alarming rate in spite of the practice of birth control in many parts of the world. Thomas Malthus, a British mathematician and economist, went to the extent of declaring that, if unchecked, human population would grow in geometric progression while food production could only grow in arithmetic progression. He was, of course, very pessimistic.

With a population of over one billion, India is the second most populous country in the world. (China is the first.) India’s population has risen drastically since 1950: the population today is 2/2 times as large as it was in 1950. It is rising by 2.9 per cent per year, and in consequence, every year an extra 26 million people have to be provided for.

Economists and other researchers claim that if the ratio of the earning population exceeds the consuming population beyond a certain extent the demographic dividend is disturbed beyond repair and the economic and social conditions of the country are worsened. We should thus curb the explosive increase in population before the conditions get worse.

The government is taking measures to check the population growth and a large percentage of people practise birth control. Recent advances in farming have made the country productive enough to feed the present population. Failure to arrest further increase of population may have disastrous effects, though there seems to be some truth in the statement made by Julian Simont of the University of Maryland: according to him, although population growth means there will be more mouths to feed, there will be “more hands to work and more brains to think.”

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