By: Narvijay Yadav
Translation dominated the literary domain in the previous week. The importance of translation is increasing rapidly in a closely connected world that is turning into a global village in a real sense. It is because of the translation, for the first time, that a Hindi novel has won the International Booker Prize bringing laurels to Bharat. The English translation of author Gitanjali Shree’s novel ‘Ret Samadhi’ (Tomb of Sand) has received the International Booker Prize, which has once again proved the importance of translation. Something similar is happening with South Indian films also. Some of the recent films like SVP, KGF, and RRR have been well received by audiences across India, while Bollywood movies released in the same period – Jersey, Jayesh Bhai Jordaar, Heropanti, and Runway 34 were box office failures. Literature of different regional languages of India should also be translated into Hindi and English. Similarly, Hindi literature needs to be translated into regional languages. This literary exchange will strengthen the unity and integrity of the nation, and the citizens of India will be able to know about the culture, art, and ideas of different regions. Apart from this, Hindi and English translations of international languages should also be promoted.
The trend of shopping from e-commerce websites has increased. In the Corona era, it became a necessity and then a habit. People often decide to buy goods or services on these websites after reading the reviews of others. But it has also been seen that many reviews are fake or are misleading. When such complaints reached the government, the central government called all the stakeholders and held discussions with them. Several e-commerce companies participated in the meeting, including Flipkart, Amazon, Tata Sons, and Reliance Retail. Apart from this, lawyers, FICCI, CII, representatives of universities, and consumer rights activists also participated in this. The government has prepared a strategy based on the inputs received from them so that fake or misleading reviews can be stopped. It was informed in the meeting that fake reviews and misleading information are a violation of the Consumer Protection Act 2019.
As Uttar Pradesh is the largest state in the country in terms of population, then obviously it will be a big challenge to handle the law and order of the state. In order to reduce crimes against women, the state government has made a new rule for women employees. The Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh has issued instructions not to assign duties to women from 7 pm to 6 am. This rule will be applicable to both government and private sector companies. While issuing its order, the Yogi government has also said that if a woman employee has to be engaged in night duty under any circumstances, then it is mandatory to get her permission in advance. If her duty is assigned without prior permission, stern action will be taken. Feminists can level this ruling as a violation of the equal rights of women, but some measures have to be taken to curb crimes.
It is a common experience to get stuck in a road jam on any given day, but now it is also known that such jams have started happening in space too. So many satellites have been sent into space that there has been a situation of traffic jams. Its disadvantage is that if the astronomers try to see the remote celestial bodies at night, they are not visible properly, because the artificial satellites shine so brightly that they reduce the visibility. This makes it difficult for astronomers to collect data.
With the advancement of technology, there is a shortage of employment. India’s problem is slightly different from other countries. A former World Bank official says that 24% of youth in India are sitting idle and this rate is the highest in the world. A major reason for the reduction in employment is also the lack of necessary skills among youth pursuing traditional education or taking general degrees like BA or MA. They don’t have the skills that the industry needs. Due to this reason industries are unable to provide employment to many youths even if they want. About 8 lakh posts are lying vacant under the central government itself, while there is a similar situation in the states too. Most of these posts are of teachers and Asha workers etc. Filling these posts will increase employment. Along with this, initiatives should be taken to provide job-oriented education and training to the youth so that they can directly join industries and serve the nation.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) says that India is fully prepared to deal with Monkeypox. Young children are at greater risk from this. However, not a single such case has come to light in the country so far. Monkeypox infection has spread rapidly in many countries battling the Coronavirus. Monkeypox is a mild viral infection commonly found in African countries. About 200 cases have been reported in 20 countries including USA and Europe, about which the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern. WHO has described Monkeypox as a new threat to the world. Meanwhile, a Chennai-based medical equipment manufacturer claims to have made an RT-PCR-based kit for detecting Monkeypox, which is capable of detecting the disease in an hour.
The latest report from the Ministry of Road & Transport is shocking. Regarding road accidents in the year 2020, it has been said in this report that 65% of road accidents occurred on straight roads, while hardly 1% of accidents occurred on roads with potholes or curves. Similarly, the maximum number of accidents was caused by a maximum of 5-years-old vehicles. In addition, 17% of accidents during 2020 were caused by drivers who had valid driving licenses. Unlicensed and learning license holders had the fewest accidents. Not only this but it was also revealed in the report that in 2019 also, 72% of the accidents were caused by experienced drivers and such drivers had a valid driving license. (The writer is a senior journalist & columnist)