The PC Preventive Maintenance Information Technology Essay

The PC Preventive Maintenance Information Technology Essay Preventive maintenance is a routine maintenance actions aimed at the prevention of breakdowns and failures of computer (Weibull, 2007). The main aim of preventive maintenance is to prevent the failure of equipment before it actually occurs. These include tests, measurements, adjustments, and parts replacement, performed particularly to prevent faults from happening. Two types of PC preventive maintenance are planned maintenance and condition based maintenance. Planned maintenance is maintenance that is performed on a regular basis in order to prevent a machine from deteriorating or breaking down. Condition based maintenance is maintenance when need arises. This is when one or more indicators show that equipment performance is deteriorating. Regular maintenance such as cleaning up, backing-up data, removing obsolete programs, Microsoft updates, security updates and defragmentation are precautions one must take while doing preventive maintenance. We require preventive maintenance because it helps to prevent breakdowns, failures, secure data and information of computers. It increases the efficiency and speed of the equipment and it also saves you from spending too much money when the machine breaks down completely and requires a big time repair or a replacement. Preventive maintenance cost lesser than repairs and replacement. Software maintenance and software deployment are software preventive maintenance. Software deployment is all of the activities that make a software system available for use (Wikipedia, 2010). The method consists of several interrelated activities with possible transitions between them and this is done at the producer site or consumer site. Software maintenance is modifying a software product after delivery to remove errors and improve performance. Software upgrade is replacing a software program with a new improved version. Software upgrade can keep the computer more secure, up-to-date, and performing at its best. Computer viruses are small software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a file system that is accessed by another computer. Malware, adware, and spyware programs are computer viruses that can harm the computer. Keeping the computer updated, use of patches, firewall and protected internet access are the safe techniques to keep the PC virus free. Backup is making copies of data on a medium other than your hard disk. Full backup, image backup, selective backup, differential backup and incremental backup are types of computer backup. Full Backup backs up all selected files. Image backup is a backup of an entire hard drive by means of creating its image. An incremental backup backs up only those files created or changed since the last backup. Differential backup contain all files that have changed from the time when the last full backup. Selective backup this when you select specific files and directories to back up. Back up is required in case a file is lost, hard failure or deleting wrong file. By the use of backup you can recover the lost files. Floppy disks, tapes and hard disks drives are types of backup media. Tape is a sequential recording system. Tape drives use magnetic tape to store data and to access data the tape drive must rewind and fast forward to different segments of a tape to retrieve data. Hard disk is a storage device that store programs and data. Hard disks stores data even when the power is off; they do need power to perform read and write functions during usage. Floppy disk is a soft magnetic disk used by computers to store data magnetically. Floppy disks are inexpensive, portable and most computers have the hardware to use them. They have now been outdated by USB flash drives, external hard disk drives, CDs and memory cards. Hardware maintenance is an understanding of how the PC hardware maintenance function should operate and be managed. Hardware plays an important role within a computer and this is why it is very essential for the users to be aware of the need to know some important aspects related to computer hardware maintenance. The users must take necessary actions to avoid the computer from being damaged or protecting the computer components running well as long as possible so that we might not spend too much money too often in order to acquire new computer components. In addition hardware maintenance is taking steps to keep the hardware working properly, for example; cleaning computer hardware, not drinking or eating when using a computer, implementing security hardware and keeping you computer well ventilated. The purpose of preventive maintenance of a PC is to minimize or eliminate expensive repairs. This is done by inspection, testing and reconditioning a system at regular intervals to prevent failures in service or deterioration (Answers.com). When working on a computer always be very careful with Electro- Static Discharge (ESD). ESD occurs when two objects of dissimilar charge come in contact with each other such as your body and a computer component. We require antistatic strap while doing preventive maintenance because it equalizes the electrical potentials between you and the server. The antistatic strap is designed to drain electric charges away and provide safety to the user. Four PC components that require preventive maintenance are keyboard, monitor, mouse and CD-ROM/DVD. Dirty CD-ROM/DVD and floppy drives can cause errors while reading and writing. Floppy disk cleaner and CD lens cleaner should be used. Security and removing dust are PC hardware maintenance tasks. Due to hackers, spyware sources and virus codes spreading on the internet, security on a PC is very important. Antivirus programs, firewall, patches and regular software updates can help to protect the computer from viruses and hackers. Computer hardware gathers dust and debris floating around the air and this dust can cause the computers fan to stop cooling off the computer, resulting in an overheated computer. Regular cleaning of a PC will improve the computers performance. Keyboard may not operate due to various reasons such as wear and tear, heavy usage and accidents such as spilled drinks or exposure to extreme temperatures. Keep drinks away from your keyboard and always handle the computer with extra care. Check the mouse connection on the back of the computer for any signs of wear and tear or any other type of damage. Proper ventilation for the video can help with the moisture problem. In summary, taking good care of the computer is very important. Preventative maintenance allows computers run efficiently and prevents breakdowns or failures. Regular cleaning of different parts of a computer; keyboard, mouse, monitor, case, interior, DVD / CD drives and hard drive can improve system reliability, decrease maintenance costs and can as well save you from buying another computer.

Impact and Challenges of Citizen Reporters

Impact and Challenges of Citizen Reporters Abstract As the global affectation by voyeuristic media challenges the standardized impart of information, it is through the contiguity of citizen reporting that standards of exchange will be challenged and influenced towards a significantly positive outcome. The following dissertation represents an amalgamation of current arguments both for and against citizen reporters and their integration into mass media. The information presented will quickly acclimate the reader to the historical importance of this debate, and through representation of an objective viewpoint, conclusions will be drawn regarding the relative sustainability of this form of media integration. The establishment of a world body of reporter will be shown as necessitated by our expansion as a world of voyeurs, which aligns the inherent need for human contact with the decided assimilation of global information. Research Questions The following questions represent my interest in the topic of Citizen Reporters: Who are the citizen reporters in today’s society and what effect do they have on the current media climate? What does the future look like for citizen reporters and what challenges lay ahead for a free-form integration of their unique viewpoints on important global incidents? Triangulation The obvious utilization of multiple sources, expanded upon either side of the citizen reporter debate will enable my objective view of all arguments and discussion. Additionally, through research and identification of current sources of citizen reporters I will be able to determine the accurate analysis of these entities within outside research, as well as my own integration of their framework into my discussion. Methodology Due to the extremely modern relationship between the substantial integration of citizen reporters and current forms of media exploitation, the most important research of this topic was encountered in magazines and journal entries which represent subjective viewpoints on both sides of the debate. Additionally, discussion with editors of affluent news entities substantiated my research and offered a more immediate impression of the distinct challenges ahead of citizen reporter utilization. Introduction As the high swells battered the coast of New Orleans, a young woman stood on the balcony of her seventh floor apartment watching cars and mailboxes as they were swept away in the current. Her images appeared days later as eyewitness accounts of the terrible Hurricane Katrina disaster and offered the public a firsthand glimpse of terrible devastation. Across the globe, â€Å"the potential value of citizen journalism first became glaring in 2005 when camera-phone images of the London Underground bombings†¦made front pages around the world.†[1] Regardless of incident, the power of the uniquely positioned citizen to provide the world with spectacular images of important global events has set precedence for the future of reporting. The debate rages, however, as to the efficacy of these first hand accounts, and the dilution of media with illegitimacy has further proffered doubt into the validity of citizen reporting. Hypothesis Ultimately, it will be through the efforts of a collaborative world media that barriers and boundaries to the freedom of information may be dismantled and dependent upon the prudent editorial mitigation of erroneous reports, the world will greatly benefit from incorporation of citizen accounts into their media diets. Personal Affectation The research herein details a highly introspective look into my own apprehensions regarding citizen reporting. In the end, through the acceptance of a world necessity for a decrease in censorship and an integration of a wide variety of sources, not just the current information monopoly, I determined that I accept and appreciate the utilization of citizen journalists. The information was readily available, yet distinguishing the more pertinent arguments from those that are simply jaded and encouraged by fear of change was a bit more difficult. In the end, personal discussions with publication editors, as well as a wide variety of material greatly assisted in my appreciation for this form of media. Defining Citizen Reporting In an effort to determine the actuation of citizen reporting, one may only need to turn to current events to spark acumen in the realization of this form of communication. The impact of images of Rodeny King in and the impactive racial slurs of Michael Richards in the US or the devastating destruction of the Underground Bombings in London, have all had an extremely provocative influence on citizen media dedication. In fact the illumination of a world of purported truths has only been affected as the local media conglomerates have begun to accept citizen participation as a necessity in the struggle for accurate and realistic information. The import of reality television and online voyeur websites such as YouTube continue to affirm the power of viewership and the necessitated prioritization of information. In fact, it is through the socialization of news and first-hand integration of rapid iconography of media shakers that the revision of global media has become a perpetual debate. The citizen reporter can potentially evolve from anyone with a camera or even a mobile phone who is lucky enough to encounter a rare and important (and sometimes not so important) circumstance. The ensuing integration of this visual media into local news shows and global media behemoths alike sustains the necessity of in depth interaction with world events. The proliferation of such varied forms of transportable media continues to affirm a desire for interaction within a global community, and through the attraction of citizen reporters, information sharing continues to become far easier. The Supporters—The World Media Conglomerate As world media organizations struggle to identify the veracity within citizen journalists’ contributions, many are accepting their import as a necessitated integration into their future business plans. In fact, through the continued assimilation of the informal journalistic body, the more impactful events will become global focuses unlike ever before seen. â€Å"The journalists role is now to concentrate harder on how, when and where we can add value through our strengths of analysis, context, background and range. But as we do this we must be open to what members of the public bring to our attention. When handled properly, it adds value and improves quality.†[2] The analytical comport of the true journalist will become the equivalent of intensive factions of editors who receive and re-interpret the findings of their citizen journalists in order to proliferate the desires of a well-informed society. Several local citizen based websites and firms have taken this approach to the extreme, standardizing their workforce into the contributions of citizen journalists, many with no prior skill or training. Yet, their effectiveness is debatable, and as financial corporations, supporting their perpetuation does not yet seem to be the most prudent of financial decisions. â€Å"Internet analyst Jay Park at Samsung Securities in Seoul argues that OhmyNews was successful because it was politically motivated, not business-oriented.†[3] The reality for countries such as Korea is that government regulation of media inhibits the ability to receive unbiased broadcasts important to political elections and the legislative power of the people. The fundamental necessity of free media continues to drive global interaction in regards to citizen reporting, oftentimes inspiring the camera toting voyeur to explore scenarios previously impenetrable to the traditional news reporter. The redefinition of media will continue to include citizen reporting into its annuls, challenging journalists to significantly change tactics and seek more affluent and provocative stories in addition to daily occurrences as their focus shifts from subversive to immersive. ‘â€Å"Traditional journalism is the outside looking in,’ Mitch Gelman, executive vice president of CNN.com, said. ‘Citizen journalism is the inside looking out. In order to get the complete story, it helps to have both point of views.’†[4] Obviously, the ability to see all dimensions within a breaking news story becomes an integral part of the global assimilation of citizens into the scheme of media reporting. Additionally, through a necessitated desire to affect change and political activism, the pertinent inclusion of a wide variety of media offers an escape from government regulated politicking. Whereas in the UK, the regulation of political campaigns means minimalizing mass media integration of television advertising, sourcing additional communicative avenues has become a significant priority. The Labour party, inspired by the power of YouTube took to advancing their cause through the well known presence of Tony Blair in an unprecedented inclusion of a major British political figure into a world formerly ruled by lonelygirl15, a once powerful yet innocuous YouTube force. It is integration of multiple media avenues which continues to afford a world media the opportunity to view uncensored information, and while political propaganda is undeniably susceptible to the affectation of the representative party, the viewers are now challenged to explore many avenues to effectively decipher thei r own pertinent information. The Naysayers—The Struggle to Protect Media Yet, the converse of the global citizen integration into mass media also poses significant concern and potential debilitating effects to this veracity based empire. So far, the most significant naysayers continue to be journalistic supporters who feel that the potential integration of citizen reporting poses significant problems for information exchange. Namely, the ability to regulate citizen content or invoke accountability protocol against those who misuse their powers and global affectation, signifies a dilution of world media which could negatively affect the transfer of important facts to the public. As governments refuse to regulate electronic content, namely publically shared information, â€Å"such changes raise policy issues that disturb some colleagues. How can our journalistic reputation be protected when we are not fully in control of our content?†[5] Oftentimes subjected to the infiltration of a derisive surfer, web and media content must constantly be edited and investigated in order to assure the publication of truth in global broadcasting. â€Å"Just as the printing press was disruptive in its time, the ubiquity of the Net and the cheap tools that give voice to anyonewhether talented or nothas kicked off a period of creative ferment.†[6] In fact there are significantly powerful web spiders or congregations of hackers and dissenters seek to flood virtuous areas of media with their own petulant inklings. Mitigation of these groups means constant warfare, and as vacillatory as the world public is, their accidental integration into global media could mean dissonance and refusal of participation in sites whose news publications incorporate citizen reporters. A secondary opinion detailing concern within the integration of citizen reporting lies in the fact that trends and fads fade when public opinion becomes stagnant. â€Å"Other industry watchers also express doubts that citizen journalism will turn out to be a going concern. Had it been an attractive global model, ‘someone would have made lots of money by now.’†[7] And, regardless of whether someone has cornered the market on citizen journalism or not, the willingness of the public to accept its efficacy plays an integral role in its future success. While many companies are copying the model set up in South Korea, the perception is that their eventual disintegration will spell a reaffirmation of journalistic principles and affect a minimalization of citizen journalism. The Future—Dog Walking Star Breaches Headlines Currently, there are few websites completely devoted to the perpetuation of citizen journalism. In South Korea, â€Å"OhmyNews, set up in 2000, now has about 90 full-time staffers 65 of them journalists and some 44,000 citizen contributors. Together, they produce around 150 articles a day. This year, it expects revenues of about $6 million, 60% of which come from online ads and the rest from the sale of the companys news product to Internet portals, and from miscellaneous services.†[8] The challenge of a completely integrated site such as this one is that online advertising, regardless of integration of unpaid citizen reporters into a news site is the influx of capital which assures perpetuation and expansion. Should this particular site not attract the investment capital needed, their failure is immanent. Yet their power and assimilation of attentive citizens represents a significant advance at the forefront of global media. They have even branched out in order to attempt incorporation of global audiences into their media focus. â€Å"OhmyNews English-language news division is produced by nearly 1,500 citizen reporters from more than 100 countries, plus five professional editors based in the U.S. and Korea.†[9] Remarkably, the reliance on conventional media continues to minimize the effectiveness of online agencies such as this one, and in spite of potentially similar broadcasts with integrated content that might represent government censorship in their countries of origin, viewers and readers have not yet attached their interests to the facilities of global reportership. Additional global journalism integrates the use of similar electronic voyeurism such as YouTube into more socially affirmative avenues such as Yahoo News. â€Å"Users can visit the section of Yahoo News, dubbed You Witness News, to upload pictures and video that will then be uploaded to Flickr and related video sites. Yahoo and Reuters editors will then go through the material to determine if any of the content can accompany news articles.†[10] It is through the dedicated editorial departments of such online agencies that the perpetuation of public support for citizen journalism will predominate the views of naysayers. Without thorough source analysis and standardized operating procedures which will guarantee the clarity and veracity of reports, sites such as Yahoo and OhMy will continue to encounter significant resistance from a traditionalist mindset. Where the romanticism of citizen journalism and the freedom of information exchange may capture the majority of the world’s nations with the novelty of more widespread and un-censored media coverage, in France, stringent legislation has now been enacted in order to ban this idea of free reporting and videography. â€Å"The ostensible purpose of the ban is to curb ‘happy slapping,’ the recording of assaults and other crimes by accomplices in order to post videos on the Internet as trophies†¦France is the first country to legislate against it Quite apart from instances of official misconduct, however, the ban attempts to squelch the growing phenomenon of ‘citizen journalism.†[11] This drastic measure has hardly been challenged by the French media organizations, as their government owned framework mitigates the exposure of the world to uncensored French news. Highly evident within this government influence is the limited media coverage of the 2005 u rban riots during which the majority of informatory video came from citizen broadcasts. The resistance from the French regime to accept the global implications of incorporation of its citizens as news correspondents shows an ongoing manipulation of public media sources. The unfortunate fact of this censorship is that dissonance among citizens results in redistribution of French attention towards online media broadcasters regardless of government regulation. The right of humanity to remain informed is an accepted practice throughout the globe, yet political interference continues to hamper the advance of propaganda-free broadcasting. Finally, asides to the mainstream influx of news sources continue to spring up throughout the global information deluge. â€Å"The Center for Citizen Media, which launched a website last month, is setting out to encourage grassroots media, and especially citizen journalism. Its one of the latest new media groups jumping into the movement to further citizen journalism online.†[12] Through encouragement and incremental journalistic education for citizens, the electronic media centers throughout the world will enforce a tactic of freedom of information, which enlivens a residual essence of historical significance: the right to know. Through dedication to human information involvement as well as integration of first-hand accounts into global events, the continuation of information sharing will stand resilient to selfish naysayers. Issues of Confidentiality One area which must be addressed within the scope of citizen journalism is the mitigation of privacy infringement. The idea that anyone with a camera or a pen could become a global media informant makes the lives of media makers much more susceptible to exposure. An individual’s scheme of recognition might include photographically accosting a famous icon with the expectation that through utilization of their image and a distorted narrative, that they could influence headlines worldwide. Throughout my research, the paparazzi played an important role already in this media manipulation, yet the integration of potentially millions of would-be journalists drastically increases the size of their information army. It will be extremely important for major media organizations to discourage their potential affect on the pervasive exploitation of media icons in order to continue to support privacy and fairness regardless of global integration. Conclusion It is not the quality of the reporting, nor is it the frequency, but it is the inherent freedom of citizen reporters which challenges the global media magnates to incorporate the influential view of its people into daily information sessions. Where news was once the ability of government bodies to communicate their policies, the integration of daily human interest stories reminds the global citizenship that it is the interest of humans which most drives effective media. Through perpetuation of the World Wide Web, the global community has shrunk the distance between continents, oftentimes finding as much brotherly interaction across borders as within. It is the unique ability to voyeuristically involve all world citizens in the occurrences which shape society and the environment with which it interacts that determines the approach taken towards future challenges. It is absolutely a necessity to mitigate the effect of journalistic elitists through citizen challenges of an information i nflux; in this way, the reeducation of a global community will be dependant on all unique perspectives, and not just those relative to the monopolistic media organization. References â€Å"Bloggers, Citizen Journalists See Katrina From the Inside; As News Organizations Cover the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Broad Strokes, Bloggers Citizen Journalists are Reporting on the devastation While Living its Consequences.† Information Week: September 1st, 2005. Fernandez, Sophie. â€Å"Happy Slapping the French Public; Sarko Takes a Stand Against Citizen Journalism.† The Weekly Standard: March 13th, 2007. Ihlwan, Moon. ‘â€Å"OhmyNews’ Oh My Biz Problem; The Korean Site for Citizen Reporting Hasn’t had Much Success So Far With its Moves Into Other Markets—And it’s in the Red at Home (Asia).† Business Week Online: November 2nd, 2006. Johnston, Garth. â€Å"YouNewsTV Turns Viewers Into Stringers.† Broadcasting Cable: 137:10, March 5th, 2007. Levy, Steven. â€Å"Dawn of the Amateurs; A Flap Over Fraud on Wikipedia Raises Questions About the Reliability of Information in the Age of ‘You Media.† Newsweek International: March 26th, 2007. â€Å"Media Analysis: Citizen Journalism Acceptance Impacts PR. (User Generated Content).† PR Week (US): December 11th, 2006. â€Å"More Sites Venture Into Grassroots/Citizen Media; There’s a Growing Number of New media Groups Pushing a Movement To Further Citizen Journalism Online.† InternetWeek: February 1st, 2006. Sambrook, Richard.â€Å"Citizen journalism and the BBC: ‘ when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, news coverage is a partnership’ (citizen journalism).†Nieman Reports: 59.4, Winter 2005. 1 Footnotes [1] Garth Johnston, â€Å"YouNewsTV Turns Viewers Into Stringers.† (March 5th, 2007) [2] Richard Sambrook, â€Å"Citizen journalism and the BBC: ‘ when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, news coverage is a partnership’(citizen journalism),† (Winter 2005) [3] Moon Ihlwan, ‘â€Å"OhmyNews’ Oh My Biz Problem; The Korean Site for Citizen Reporting Hasn’t had Much Success So Far With its Moves Into Other Markets—And it’s in the Red at Home (Asia),† (November 2nd, 2006) [4] â€Å"Bloggers, Citizen Journalists See Katrina From the Inside; As News Organizations Cover the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Broad Strokes, Bloggers and Citizen Journalists are Reporting on the Devastation While Living its Consequences,† (Sept 1, 2005) [5] Richard Sambrook, (Winter, 2005) [6] Steven Levy, â€Å"Dawn of the Amateurs; A Flap Over Fraud on Wikipedia Raises Questions About the Reliability of Information in the Age of ‘You Media,† (March 26th, 2007) [7] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [8] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [9] Moon Ihlwan, (November 2nd, 2006) [10] â€Å"Media Analysis: â€Å"Citizen Journalism Acceptance Impacts PR,† (Dec 11, 2006) [11] Sophie Fernandez , â€Å"Happy Slapping the French Public; Sarko Takes a Stand Against Citizen Journalism,† (March 13th, 2007) [12] Richard Sambrook, (Winter, 2005)

Don Juan As Byron Introspective Essay example -- essays research paper

The works of George Gordon, Lord Byron have long been controversial, nearly as controversial as his lifestyle. Gordon Byron was born with a clubfoot and his sensitivity to it haunted his life and his works. Despite being a very handsome child, a fragile self-esteem made Byron extremely sensitive to criticism, of himself or of his poetry and he tended to make enemies rather quickly. The young Byron was often unhappy and lonely any many of his works seem to be a sort of introspective therapy. Throughout his writings and life history there is much evidence to suggest that his poetry was greatly influenced by his mental instability. In many ways, Byron seems to use his work as an escape from a difficult reality. The lengthy poem Don Juan offers an especially intimate glimpse of Byron’s psyche.In order to understand the depth of Byron’s psychological troubles and their influence on his poetry, it is important to examine Byron’s heritage and his upbringing. Young George Gordon inherited the title of Lord Byron at the age of six. This him a rank in society and a bit of wealth to go along with it. Byron’s heritage is a colorful one. His paternal line includes the â€Å"Wicked Lord†, "Mad Jack and â€Å"Foul Weather Jack (Grosskurth 6).† The family propensity for eccentric behavior was acerbated by young George Gordon’s upbringing.When Byron was just three his financially irresponsible father died, leaving the family with a heavy burden of debt. Byron’s mother then proudly moved from the meager lodging in Aberdeen, Scotland to England. Young Byron fell in love with the ghostly halls and spacious grounds of Newstead Abbey, which had been presented to the Byron’s by Henry VIII, had received little care since. He and his mother lived in the run down estate for a while. While in England he was sent to a â€Å"public† school in Nottingham where he was doctored by a quack named Lavender who subjected the boy to a torturous and ineffective treatment for his clubfoot (Bloom 45). During this time, young Byron was left in the care of his nurse May Grey. He was subjected to her drunken tantrums, beatings, neglect, and sexual liberties (Grosskurth 28). This abuse was not stopped early enough to protect the boy from psychological injury. Byron confesses to his sister that â€Å"My passions were developed very early- so early that few would believe me (Grosskurth 40).† Byron also suffered... .... Even the naivetà © of young Juan is strikingly similar to the shy young George Gordon.In Don Juan, Byron says â€Å"I want a hero† and he adopts a one from the past. He alters the legend of Don Juan to fit his own needs because he cannot find a modern hero that fits the bill. Don Juan’s character a direct personification of the poet who has grown older and wiser that his young subject. The author is reflected instead in the many details of the epic drawn from the author’s own experiences. Although Don Juan’s narrator is not purely Byron’s voice, it does seem to speak for him. The poet expresses himself through his interpretation of the story and by using the voice of the narrator to speak for him. Byron’s narrator is always present in the poem, commenting and showing off, making quite certain that the he is not being ignored. His voice permeates Don Juan and he appears to be reflecting much of his own life in his creation. Perhaps Byron used this enormous poem as a catharsis for his trouble emotions; perhaps this is the reason that Don Juan was never finished. It was extended throughout the remainder of the poet’s life. The poem, like Byron’s psychological healing was never finished.

How effective is Harper Lees title of To Kill a Mockingbird? :: English Literature

How effective is Harper Lee's title of To Kill a Mockingbird? '" Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people/s gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."' (p. 96) From the above quote we learn that a mockingbird gives only pleasure to people. It does not harm anyone, or destroy people's gardens, like other birds might do. The book can be said to contain 'human mockingbirds' who, each in their own way, are persecuted or treated badly through no fault of their own. Probably the two main and most obvious mockingbirds in the novel are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. These two characters very much contrast each other, but the way they are treated by other persons in the book gives them a mutual bond. Both of these characters had to pay for their actions with their lives - Boo Radley being deprived of friendship and the outside world by his own family, and Tom Radley being convicted of a crime he did not commit, which ultimately lead to his death. Boo Radley, otherwise known as Arthur Radley, is described by Jem as a monster-type figure: "Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were blood-stained - if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time." (p.19) We know that this is not what Boo Radley really looks like, and Jem is giving this description to Scout so as to tease her. Being as young as she is, she believes this portrayal of Boo. However, though Jem is only having a laugh, this shows us what sort of image of Boo the children grew up with. The title could be connected with this because the children are mocking Boo's life and making fun of it. I also think that the following words from Jem are important: '" I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in

Features of the Indian Economy

UNIT 17 FEATURES OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY Structure 1 7. 0 Objectives 17. 1 Introduction 17. 2 Features of the Indian Economy 17. 3 Growth and Development 1 7. 4 Mixed Economy 1 7. 5 Demographic Transition 1 7. 6 Sectoral Composition of GDP 1 7. 7 Employment Structure 1 7. 8 Inter-Governmental Fiscal Relations 17. 9 Let Us Sum Up 17. 10 Key Words 1 7. 1 1 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises – – 17. 0 OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you will be able to: identify the important features of the Indian economy; distinguish between economic growth and economic development; explain the pattern of demographic transition in India; xplain the sectoral composition of the Indian economy; and explain the pattern of employment in India. 17. 1 INTRODUCTION Let us begin with the word ‘economy'. It denotes the operations and management of the economic system – the activities related to production of goads and services, consumption, investment, exchange of g d an d services within the geogmphical territory, and exports and imports with rest of the world. You may have observed that production of goods and services requires inputs such as labour, capital (machineries, buildings, etc. ) and raw materials. The inputs are available in limited quantity, i. e. , there is a shortage of inputs. When these inputs are used in the production process, they need to be paid some reward. For example, if you want to employ a unit of labour you have to pay some wage to himher. Similarly, building can be hired by paying some rent or money can be borrowed by paying some interest. Ultimately utilization of inputs involves some costs. Thus the objective before the economy is to utilize the scarce resources efficiently so that production of goods and services is maximized and cost is minimized. Economic Development Now let us try to explain the structure of the Indian economy. The word structure, as you know, implies the way in which something is organised or put together. Thus we should look into the way the Indian economy is organised. AmrdinglyY we will find out the major segments or sectors of the Indian economy and the manner in which'these sectors interact with one another. In order to keep our discussion brief we will focus on the developments in the Indian economy dukg the post-independence period, particularly the period since five-year plans started in India. To begin with, we find out the important features of the Indian economy. 17. 2 FEATURES OF THE INDLAN ECONOMY At the time of Independence the Indian economy was stagnant and highly underdeveloped. Agriculture was the backbone of the economy but agricultural activities were undertaken through obsolete technology. Industrial sector c o n t r i i very little to gross domestic product (GDP). In order to give a direction to the economy the government initiated economic panning in the form of Five Year Plans in. 195 1. Over the years the economy has witnessed increase in GDP, the composition qf GDP has changed, standard of living of people has improved, and there has been ypgradation in level of technology. The important features of the Indian economy are as follows : 1) The Indian economy is a developing economy. It has not yet reached the level of economic development seen in America and Europe. – 2) The 1ndid economy is a mixed economy in the sense that both private sector and public sector coexist and participate in the production process. 3) It is c-zed by high population density and population growth. ) About one-third of the population live below poverty line. ‘Vicious cycle of poverty' operates in many sectors of the economy. 5) There is high level of unemployment and underanployment In addition, there is ‘disguised unemployment' in the agricultural sector. 6) The level of technology used in production process is low in many sectors. Modern technology has not been adopted in all sectors ofthe economy. 7) ~ h aise a shortage ofphysical and economic inhstmcture. ~ransporhti&(nm ak, railways, airlines), power (electricity, gas), and communication (telephone, Internet) have not reached all parts of the country. Even some parts of the country ‘ do not have provisions for schools, colleges, hospitals, and safe drinking-water supply- Let us discuss some of the above issues in detail. 17. 3 GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Economic development is a broader term than economic growth Economic growth usually means the growth in production of an economy. On the other hand, economic development includes other fsctors such as litemcyy health, child mortality rate, equality, regional balance, infbtmchrre, etc. Country GDP Per Capita GDP Per Capita (PPP US$) (annual growth rate) 1999 (1 990-99) United States 3 1,872 2. 0 United Kingdom 22,093 2. 1 France 22,897 1. 1 Mexico – 8,297 1. 0 l3mil 7,037 1. 5 China 3,617 9. 5 * India 2,242 4. 1 – — – Bangladesh 1,483 3. 1 Sri Lanka 3,279 4. 0 Nigeria 853 -0. 5 Tanzania 501 -0. 1 * The difference between economic growth and economic development is a subtle Features of the one. Let us take the example of a child. As a child grows her weight and height increases. Simultaneously, her capacity to leam, recognize and distinguish between objects develops. Thus growth is not sufficient; we need development also. Similarly, in the case of the Indian economy economic growth is not enough; we need economic development. We need better health of people, education for all, reduction in inequality among sections of people and regions, reduction in infant mortality rate (IMR), access to drinking water for all, etc. The government has to devise policies and allocate government expenditure so that these facilities are available to all. Thus the additional income generated in the economy reaches the backward regions and the poorer sections of society. To achieve economic development we need economic growth. In a stagnant economy, where there is no economic growth, realization of economic development is dificult. Table 17. 1 India in the World Ecaoomy – – – – Source: . World Development Report Measurement of the level of economic development is dificult, because it does not depend upon a single factor. There are a number of indicators of economic development. These indicators could be quite varied and too many. In Table 17. 1 we have given the per capita GDP along with annual growth rates of some of the economies. In order to make comparison possible we have given these figures in a comparable form (in purchasing power parity US$). You can see that Indian economy is not comparable to developed economies. The per capita GDP in India is much lower than in developed countries. However, it has a higher growth rate compared to others. Note that some of the countries have very low GDP per capita and have experienced decline in it over time (see, Nigeria and Tanzania, Economic Development Apart fiom low per capita income India is far below the developed economies in terms of development indicators. Some of these indicators are consumption of electricity, literacy rate, access to safe drinking water, empowerment of women, etc. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) brings out a ‘human development index' by combining several indicators of development such as life expectancy, education, per capita income, and empowerment of women. According to Human Development Report 2001, India ranks 1 15 out of 162 countries in terms of human development index A positive feature of the Indian economy is that it is not stagnant; it is developing. It is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. There have been improvements in life expectancy, literacy, and availability of infrastructure. 17. 4 MIXED ECONOMY As mentioned earlier the Indian economy is a mixed economy where private sector and public sector coexist and contribute to the production process. Some of the activities such as law and order, justice and defence have to be performed by the government. However, the government enters directly into production of goods and services which the private sector can also produce. The extent to which the government should involve itself in the production activities is a controversial issue. During the decades of 1960s and 1 970s the Indian government produced whatever it could and intervened in the production decisions (what to prodae, where to produce, what technology to use) of the private sector through a rigorous licensing policy. We will discuss about the economic policy changes in India later in this block. Let us look into the reasons for undertaking production activities by the government. A producer in the private sector (usually motivated by higher profits) takes the risk of setting up an industry, purchases inputs, produces output and sells the output in the market for a price. Imagine a situation where a producer produces a commodity or service but cannot sell it for a price because consumers cannot be excluded fiom its consumption. You may have observed that in certain cases the benefit derived by you is in no way going to obstruct others from deriving its benefit. An example of the above could be the provision of streetlight by the local government. Thus, if your neighbour puts a light in h n t of her house, you enjoy the benefit that the front of your house also gets lighted; and you do not have to pay for it. In this case there is a market failure in the sense that your neighbour cannot charge you for the benefit you derive. Thus she does not have any incentive to put a bulb in front of her house. On similar logic you also do not put a bulb in h n t of your house, which requires street lighting by the government. Secondly, inbtructure such as road, ports, dams, etc. , require huge investment but the rate of return is very low in the short run. Thus no private entrepreneur would be interested in providing roads, which prompts the government to come forward. Thirdly, there are natural monopolies such as electricity generation, railways, etc. , where a single producer can serve the entire market. Fourthly, there are certain production activities which have so much social benefits that the govemment should produce these goods and services (e. g. , schools and colleges, hospitals, banks, etc. ). Fifthly, the government may enter into production activities to fblfil some other social objectives instead ifprofit motive. These objectives could be employment generatiorl, regional balrncc, and social i~plifot f the downtrodden. Thus there is a strong case for public sector production and Indian planners Year Share of Public Sector Share of Private Sector 1 960-61 9. 9 90. 1 1970-71 13. 7 86. 3 1980-8 1 19. 5 80. 5 1990-9 1 25. 1 74. 9 1998-99 25. 1 74. 1 recognized it fbm the very beginning. We observe the presence of public sector Features of the in construction, hotels and restaurants, transport and communication, railways, . Indian ~conomy banks and other services. Share of Public and Private Sector in GDP Let us look into the share of public sector in the GDP of M a (s ee Table 17. 2). In the financial year 1960-6 1 about 10 per cent of GDP originated fiom the public sector. In the Five Year Plans @e government expanded the role of the . government through more and [email  protected] investment in various activities. As a result,. the share of public sector in GDB increased to nearly 14 per cent in 1970-7 1, about 20 per cent in 1980-8 1 and 25 per cent in 1990-91. However, many restrictions on private sector have been removed during the decade of the 1990s. As a result, the private sector has increased rapidly and the share of public sector has remained around 25 per cent. Check Your Progress 1 Note: 3 Use the space given below for your answers. ni Check your answers with those given at the end of the Unit. 1) Bring out the important fbtures of the Indian economy. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2) Distinguish between growth and development. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5†¦. .. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Economic Development 3) What are the reasons for the gov ernment to enter into production activities? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 17. 5 DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION India accounts for 2. 4 per cent of the world surface area but it has 16. per cent of the world population. As per the 2001 census the population of India in 2001 was 102 crore. Thus India is the second country in the world to cross 1 billion mark, the first one being China. However, keeping in view the f act that China has a much lower population growth rate (1. 4 per cent per year) compared to India's 1. 93 per cent per year, India is likely to overtake China within a few decades. Change in the size of population takes place through three demographic events: birth, death and migration. In the Indian economy migration has played a negligible role in population growth. Thus population growth is largely due to higher birth rate than death rate. In an economy there is a pattern in which demographic transition takes place. Such transition can be divided into three stages. It has been observed that when the level of development is low in an economy both birth rate and death rate are high. As a result population growth rate is not that high. This is the first stage of demographic transition. When economic development takes place the economy moves on to the second stage – death rate declines due to availability of health facilities and medicines but birth rate continues to remain high. This is the stage when there is a wide gap between birth rate and death rate, and population increases sharply. With M e r economic development, the economy moves on to the third stage -both birth rate and death rate are low. Consequently, population growth rate is again low in the third stage. All the developed economies are in the third stage of demographic transition. Table 173 I Demographic Transition in India Year. Population Birth Rate Death Rate Population Life (in crore) (per 1000) (per 1000) Growth Rate Expectancy (% per annurn) (in years) 1950-51 36. 1 39. 9 27. 4 1. 5 32. 1 1960-61 43. 9 41. 7 22. 8 1 . % 41. 3 1970-71 54. 8 36. 9 14. 9 2. 20 45. 6 1980-81 68. 3 33. 9 12. 5 2. 22 50. 4 1990-91 84. 6 29. 5 9. 8 2. 14 58. 7 2000-01 102. 7 25. 8 8. 5 1. 93 62. 5 – – In the case of India during the pre-independence period both birth rate and death Features of the rate were quite high. As a result, population grew at a lower rate. As you can Indian Economy see fro m Table 17. 3 population growth rate during 1950-5 1 was only 1. 25 per cent per mum. However, population growth rate accelerated afterwards and 4 i reached a peak during 1980-81. A positive sign is that in the recent census the annual population growth rate has come down below 2 per cent. Some of the states such as Kerala, Tamilnadu and Punjab have reached a reasonably lower birth rate. However, in some of the major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh population growth rate is very high. Life expectancy indicates the number of years a newborn child is expected to . . swvive. It has increased from about 32 years in 1950-5 1 to more than 60 years at present. As a result, the percentage of the aged people in India has increased. On the other hand, a decline in birth rate has resulted in a decline in the percentage of children in the country. 4 17. 6 SECTORAL COMPOSITION OF GDP Let us look into the composition of GDP in India and the changes in it over h e . The composition of GDP in India has undergone substantial changes since 1950- 51. The share of agriculture has declined while that of industrial and service sectors has increased. Economic activities can be divided into three categories: primary activities, secondary activities and tertiary activities. Primary activities include i) agriculture, ii) fore and logging, and iii) fishing. Secondary activities include i) mining and quq& ii) d t u r i n g , iii) electricity, gas and water supply, and iv) construction Tertiary activities include i) trade, ii) hotels and restaurant, iii) transport (railways, road, air, waterways), iv) storage, v) communication, vi) banking and imurance, vii) real estate, and viii) public administration and defence. The tertiary activities are also called senrice activities. , Table 17. 4 Sectoral Composition of GDP Source: National Accounts Statistics of India Economic Development On the basis of Table 17. 4 we make the following observations: Agriculture and allied activities (p* sector) contributedmore than half of the GDP in 1950-5 1. The share of agriculture and allied activities has continuously declined over the years and contributed only 24. 2 per cent in the year 2000-01. Of this, agriculture contributed 22. 2 per cent while forestry and logging, and fishing contributed about 1 per cent each. The share of services sector has increased from 28 per cent in 1950-5 1 to 48. 5 per cent in 2000-01. For the year 2005-06 the share of services sector is estimated to be 54 per$ent of GDP. Thus services sector contributes more than half of the GDP at present. The share of secondary sector has increased fiom 14. 3 per cent in 1950-51 to 27. 3 per cent in 2000-01. Subsequently it declined to 26. 1 per cent in 2005-06. The decline in the share of the primary sector in GDP has taken place as the secondary and tertiary sectors have registered higher growth rate than the primary sector. In fact, the government has attempted to promote the secondary and tertiary sectors. If we look into the sectoral composition of GDP of the developed economies, we find that primary sector contributes less than 5 per cent of GDP. Most of the GDP comes fiom the service sector (about 70-80 per cent). So the developments in the Indian economy can be considered to be a positive aspect. A problem area, however, is the composition of employment, as we will see in the next Section. It is worth mentioning that of the 27. 3 per cent share in 2000-01 manufacturing sector contributes 17. 2 per cent to the GDP. The remaining 10. 1 per cent comes tiom mining and quarrying (2. per cent), electricity, gas and water supply (2. 5 per cent) and construction (5. 3 per cent). Remember that manufacturing, and electricity, gas and water supply constitute the industrial sector. In the industrial sector we have both private sector and public sector on the basis of ownership. Very often another distinction is made: organised sector and unorganized sector. In fact, as per the Industrial Act 1 95 1 all the industries employing more than 10 workers if production is through use of power (20 workers if production takes place without use ofpower) are ~lequiredto register with the RegisErar of Indu. These industrial units tidl under the category registered-sector or organized-sector. The remaining industrial units, mostly small scale, are termed unorganized sector. In the year 2000-01 the unorganized sector contributed 6 per cent to GDP compared to 1 1. 2 per cent by the organised sector. In the year 1950-5 1 both organized and unorganized sectors contributed almost equally to GDP at 4. 5 per cent each. Period National Per Capita Income Income First Five Year Plan (1 95 1-56) 3. 6 1. 8 Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) 4. 1 2. 0 Third Five Year Plan (1 96 1-66) 2. 5 0. 2 Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) 3. 1 . O Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-79) 5. 0 2. 7 Sixth Five Year Plan 1980-85) 5. 4 3. 2 , Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-90) 5. 8 3. 6 Eighth Five Year Plan (1 992-97) 6. 7 4. 6 Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002) 5. 4 3. 5 Features of the . Indian Eeonomy Table 175 Annual Growth Rntes (per cent per mum, 1993-94 prices) Source: Economic Survey 2001-02 From Table 17. 5 we observe that f or the period 1950-75 the average annual growth rate of national income was quite low (around 3. 5 per cent). On the other hand, during thi period 1975-2000 the average annual growth rate has been around 5. per cent. A similar trend is observed in the per capita income of India Per capita income is defined as national income divided by total population of the country. It is obtained by subtrachg population growth rate h m growth rate of national income. We should mention that before 1975 growth rate in national income was relatively lower while population growth rate was higher. As a result, per capita income increased at a very low rate (a little over 1 per cent per annum). On the other hand, after 1975 growth rate in national income was higher while population growth started slowing down. Consequently, per capita income increased at a relatively higher rate. During the period 1W-2002 per capita income h2ls i n d at around 4 per cent per mum. 17. 7 EMPLOYMENT STRUCTURE India being the second largest country in tern of population, it has a large labour – force (people who are able to and willing to work). In the year 1999-2000 there were 39. 7 crore employed workers in the country, which is about 40 per cent of the total population. The remaining 60 per cent population in the country are dependents. Thus for every worker there is 1. dependents. These dependents constitute children, aged and the unemployed. Because of high population growth rate the percentage of children in India is higher than in developed'countries. 13 Economic Devebpmnt Table 17. 6 Sectoral s om pod ti on of~rnployment Sector 1983 1993-94 1999-2000 Primary Sector Secondary Sector Service Sector . Total Total Employment (in crore) Agriculture has been the main source of employment in India. Dur ing the period 1950-70 it provided employment opportunity to more than two-third of the labour force. We mentioned earlier that the share of the primary sector (agriculture and allied activities) in GDP has declined over time in Indian economy. For the year 2000-01 primary sector contributed 24. 2 per cent of the GDP. Compare this with the employment share! In the year 1999-2000 nearly 60 per cent of the labour force were engaged in agriculture. We observe that the decline in GDP share of the primary sector is not accompanied by a corresponding decline in employment share. An implication is that workers employed in primary sector have a very low productivity than in secondary and tertiary sector. In the developed economies less than five per cent of the labour force is engaged in agriculture. It has been made possible by using modem technology and mechanization of agriculture. In some parts of India modem technology is employed in agriculture. However, a majority of farmers in India continue to we obsolete technology. A second implication is that there are too many people engaged in agriculture. In fiwt, agriculture has been a way of life for the households engaged in the agri- – activities. Very few children look for employment outside agriculture. And those who do not get employment anywhere else start working in the family owned land. As a result, often we see a feature termed ‘disguised unemployment' in Indian agriculture. It is a situation where a person is engaged llly in agriculture but his contribution is zero. It implies that if we take away the worlcer agricultural output will not decline. Suppose five pemons &working in a field and the output is 10 tomes of wheat. If we reduce the number of workers to four, then also output will remain the same. Thus the fifth worker worked in the field, but he is as good as unemployed, because his contribution is zero. It has been a policy of the government to shift the additional labour hxce in the ‘ agricultural sector to secondary and tertiary sectors. Recall that service sector contributes more than half of the GDP but provides employment to less than onefourth of the labour force. Thus the productivity of labour is higher in the service sector. 17. 8 INTER-GOVERNMENTAL FISCAL RELATIONS As you are aware India follows a democratic form of government, which is federal in nature. We have diffmt layem of govemment with specific powq and 14 Features of the Indian Economy esponsibilities defined by the Indian Constitution. Taking into account the amendments made so far the Constitution provides for three layers of government: Central, State and Local. In order to carry out its responsibilities the government at each level has been assigned powers to impose taxes on individuals and organizations based on criteria such as income, expenditure, production and certain economic transactions. The majo r source of revenue for the central government is income tax (on individuals and corporations), central excise, and custom duties (on imports of goods). On the other hand, there is a long list of taxes assigned to the states (including taxes on alcoholic beverages, agricultural income, and land) but the major source of tax revenue for the states is the sales tax. The tax base of the local governments is limited to local services and production. We have to keep certain things in mind while analyzing inter-govemmenth fiscal relations. One, there should be no fiscal overlapping so that the same tax should not be imposed by more than one layer of government. The Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution specifies the manner in which taxes are to be imposed by the central and state level govemments. Two, taxation power is assigned to a particular level of government keeping in view the geographical area oh which the impact of the tax is felt. Thus the tax categories assigned to the Centre are generally broad-based and their impact is felt beyond state boundaries. Three, the residual power with respect to taxation remains with the central government. While exercising such power the Centre introduced ‘service tax' during 1990s on the provision of specific services. Recall fiom Section 17. 7 of this unit that the share of s e ~ c essec tor in GDP is more than half and its share is increasing over the. Service tax is slated to be an important source of revenue in times to come. Four, imposition of taxes and hation of tax rates is a matter of political economy. In order to fbrther political interests governments have many times in the past waived taxes or excluded certain categories from taxation. A widely debated issue in this context is imposition of taxes on agricultural income, which is a state subject and state governments have invariably avoided taxation of rural rich. It has given rise to widespread tax evasion as individuals take advantage of the concession allowed to fanners and report non-agricultural income as agricultural income. Five, there is a mismatch between the tax base and the responsibilities assigned to different layers of govemments. The states have always complained about inadequate revenue compared to their expenditure. Similarly, there is shortage of funds at local government level compared to the expenditure they carry out. Six, tax base is unevenly distributed across states. For example, rich states have a relatively higher share of people who pay taxes. Similarly, relatively higher amount of excise duties is collected fiom industrially better off areas. In order to tackle the problems of inadequate tax revenue at the state level, the Centre transfers h d to the states. Apart from meeting the gap between revenue and expenditure the devolution of funds to subordinate layers of government has the effect of bringing in regional balance in economic development over time. There are three modes of transfer of h d s fiom the Centre to the states. First, the centre collects certain taxes (particularly, personal income tax and excise duties) and allocates a share of the tax proceeds to the states. In order to streamline such allocation the constitution provides for setting up of a Finance Commission every five years, which suggests criteria of such sharing between the ‘ Centre and the states on the one hand, and amongst different states on the other. So flir twelve Finance Commissions have been set up and each Finance commission Economic Development while suggesting such formulae have been poverty, backwardness, tax effort, fiscal discipline and population. The second mode of transfer of fhds h m the Centre to the states is the grants and loans extended to states for implementing development plans. As you know, while preparing the Five Year Plans the Centre sets targets and investments by different sectors of the economy. Against this backdrop the states prepare their annual plans which is approved by the Planning Commission. The states receive grants and loans h m the Centre which supplement the revenue generated at the state level. The Planning Commission allocates fhds to states as per formula devised by the National Development Council. For major states the ratio of grants to loan is 30:70. The third mode of transfer of h d s h m the Centre to the states is the grants given by central ministries to their counterparts in different states for specified projects. Such projects are wholly M e d by the Centre (under ‘central schemes') or the states are asked to contribute a proportion of the cost (in the case of 1 ‘centrally sponsored schemes'). The devolution of'fhds from the Centre to the states has been a matter of political economy. The allocation of funds across states, particularly by the Planning Commission and Central Ministries, is riddled with bargaining power of the state government, presence of pressure groups, and political interests rather than balanced economic growth. The grants extended to local bodies by the states is mostly discretionary and no set rule is formulated so far. The adoption of value added tax (VAT) by states in lieu of sales tax has opened up fhxh debates on tax base of the state governments. Check Your Progress 2 Note: i) Space given below for your answers. i) Check your answers with those given at the end of the unit. 1) Explain the three stages of demographic transition. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2) What are the changes. observed in the sectoral composition of GDP-in India? ‘ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 16 3) Explain the concept of disguised unemployment. Features of the IndinEconomy †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4) What are the modes of transfer of h d s h mth e Centre to the States? 5) State whether the followin g statements are true or false. a) Unorganised sector is also called registered sector. b) In developed economies primary sector contributes a large share in GDP. ) Productivity of labour is higher in the tertiary sector than in the primary sector. 17. 9 LET US SUM UP Indian economy is considered to be a developing economy. At the time of Independence the agricultural sector contributed about 50 per cent of the GDP. Over the years its share has decreased to about 22 per cent of GDP which means that the share of industrial and service sectors is increasing. This is a positive development. But agricultural sector employs about 60 per cent of the labour force and this percentage is not declining which is a matter of concern. India is the second largest in terms of population and it is still growing at a very high rate. About one-third of the population in the country are poor. There is considerable underemployment and unemployment in the economy also. The federal nature of government in India requires interaction among different layers of government according to set rules. It is also desirable to achieve consistency between revenue generation and government expenditure to carry out responsibilities at each layer of government. Keeping in view the shortage of funds at the state level the Centre provides grants and loans to the states. India has made radical changes in her economic policies since 1991. Economic libedzation has resulted in setting up of more industries and the level of technology has improved. The annual growth rate of GDP has increased to about 6 per cent ; during the liberalization period. Its export potential also has improved and India Economic Development has a strong fareign exchange reserve. We will discuss the changes in economic policy, popularly termed ‘economic reforms' in subsequent units. 17. 10 KEY WORDS Constant Prices Disguised Unemployment : Financial Year Gross Domestic Product : (GDP) National Income Per Capita Income Public Sector National income in money terms would increase because of two factors: i) increase in quantity produced, and ii) increase in price of commodities. In order to neutralize the effect of price increase national income is expressed in terms of prices of a particular year, called ‘base year'. When we say that GDP is given in terms of 1993-94 prices, GDP of all the years are adjusted for price changes so that growth in GDP is due to increase in quantity w. A person is considered to be disguisedly nemployed if hisher contribution to total output is zero. Even if we withdraw the worker from work, output will not decline. Let us take an example. For the year 2004, calendar year is from January 1 to December 3 1. On the other hand, financial year 2004-05 is h m April 1,2004 to March 3 1, 2005. It is the total amount of final goods and services produced within the geographical tenitory of the economy. It does no t include intermediate goods and service, i. e. , goods and services that are not consumed directly but used for M e r production. Moreover, it does not include second hand sales ecause it does not reflect production; rather it is a change of ownership of goods produced earlier. It is also called ‘net national product' (NNP). It is the total of final goods and services produced . by Indian nationals (both within the country and residing abroad) minus the amount of dqmiation during the production process. If we add the amount of depreciation to NNP we get GNP. Remember that GNP is different from GDP. In GDP of India we include final goods and sexvices produced within the geographical territory of India (both by Indian and foreign nationals). It is national income divided by total population of the country. , -ha. . It includes the economic activities undertaken by the government. Vicious Circle of Poverty : It reflects a flow of inter-related economic activities that keep an economy under-developed. According to Ragnar Nurkse underdeveloped economies have low rate of saving which gives rise to low rate of investment. Due to low rate of investment, low level technology is employed in production activities. Because of low level of technology, output produced is lower. Consequently, saving is low and the cycle

Iron Crowned Chapter 9

I propped myself up so that I could look Dorian in the face. Even in dim lighting, I could see he was serious. â€Å"Who, Kiyo?† I asked in astonishment. â€Å"No, the other annoying kitsune in your life.† â€Å"Why would you †¦ why would you suggest something like that?† â€Å"Excellent question,† he murmured. His brow furrowed in thought, then relaxed into resignation. â€Å"Because his human blood would protect him and – my personal opinions of him aside – he is a good asset in a fight. Most importantly, he would have no interest in the crown. Nor would it be of any use to him.† Every one of those things was true. But there was one obvious problem. â€Å"Kiyo wouldn't help me. Not anymore. Jasmine would be more willing – if only for a chance to escape.† The argument that Kiyo and I had had in the mountains was still fresh in my head. This brought a smile to Dorian's lips, and he trailed his fingertips down my arm. â€Å"You doubt your own charms. The kitsune will help you, if you ask him nicely. He's not over you as much as you think. And he too would jump at the chance at some foolhardy way to end this war.† â€Å"Foolhardy †¦ You've gone back and forth on the usefulness of the crown yourself. And now you're willing to – † I almost said â€Å"allow† but recalled my earlier words. Dorian didn't dictate my life. † – accept me going off with my ex-boyfriend?† â€Å"This is an acceptable solution. Still dangerous †¦ but I believe you two could manage it. And I trust you,† Dorian said simply. â€Å"As you trust me.† I stared down into his eyes, dark in the flickering torchlight, though the striking shape of his face and fair skin glowed like a masterpiece in marble. â€Å"I do trust you.† He smiled again. â€Å"Good. We'll make plans in the morning. But for now †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The smile gave way to a yawn. â€Å"I need sleep. This has been a long day.† It was true. He'd been part of an epic battle and then made love – or whatever you wanted to classify that kinky shit as – like a pro. My day had been pretty busy too, to say the least. I put my head down, wrapping back against him, and soon slept in spite of the shocking suggestion he'd just made. When we woke, however, the crown became our immediate breakfast topic. We'd opted for private dining at a small table in the sitting room adjacent to his bedroom. After hearing about my traipsing about in his too-long robe, he'd had my own made for these slumber parties: white velvet with gold embroidery. It was a bit more elaborate than I would have preferred but felt nice against my bare skin. The wounds certainly appreciated loose clothing too. â€Å"Invite him to your castle,† said Dorian. Fully rested, he'd shifted completely into cunning mode, barely touching the elaborate spread of pastries and meats his servants had set before us. â€Å"The gods know he won't come here.† â€Å"Or Tucson,† I suggested after swallowing a gentry version of a cinnamon roll. Maybe I could get Tim the recipe. â€Å"He'd probably come to my house there.† Dorian considered. â€Å"No. Get him to this world, to your domain, so that you can leave as soon as possible. Above all, you must not – under any circumstances – allow him to go back to Maiwenn and consult her on this.† I swallowed another bite and smiled. â€Å"You think she'd be jealous?† â€Å"That's the least of our reasons.† He ticked them off on his fingers. â€Å"Remember – she fears you. Us. She wouldn't see this as an end to the war. She'd see it as you scrambling for power. And, who knows? The kitsune might have no use for the crown himself, but she could coax him into bringing it to her.† â€Å"She's not vying for power, last I knew. Besides – it's winning the crown that's the big deal, right? If it was just given to her, no one would respect her for it. If it can even be given †¦ I thought it returns home when it's away from its victor.† Dorian didn't respond right away. â€Å"True. But then that would still keep the crown from you. And we mustn't forget she might simply talk him out of it because of simple concern for his life.† Dorian's tone implied this was a petty concern. â€Å"No, don't give him a chance to talk to her. Invite him to you and ask – beg, if need be – for his help. Stress whatever urgent reason will work. A need to end the war. Make up some ultimatum from the ghost.† I set the roll down and tapped my water glass absentmindedly. This was all starting to make me feel strange. â€Å"There's a lot of conniving here.† â€Å"There always is in politics. In war. In love, even. But this can help us – more than you can imagine. We must put our faith in the old adage that the ends justify the means.† I sighed. â€Å"Okay, then. I'll do it. When?† â€Å"As soon as possible. Katrice is regrouping. We can take advantage of that.† That smooth, calculating air faded. â€Å"Though I hate to lose you.† â€Å"Hey.† I reached across the table and laid my hand over his. â€Å"Don't think of it as ‘losing' me. It's just like I'm going to Tucson for a few days.† He grimaced. â€Å"Except your petty human job doesn't carry such risks. Fetches aside. I do wish you'd let my healers take care of those wounds before you go.† The stitched-up cut itched, though the rest weren't bothering me. I tested the range of motion on my left arm. It was stiff but moved. â€Å"Let your healers keep working here. Maybe I'll have Shaya fix it up.† She didn't possess the skill of a bona fide healer but could do some quick patches. Dorian didn't like that but let the matter go. We finished breakfast, rehashing what little he knew about the path to the Iron Crown. I shed my robe for my normal clothes, after first having one of his servants clean and re-bandage my back. My mother would be proud, seeing me follow doctor's orders. We didn't know where Kiyo was exactly, here or the human world, but Dorian sent a messenger to Maiwenn's court, inviting him to mine. No one from our lands would be welcomed with open arms in her territory, but she'd allow a messenger through and hopefully let us know if he wasn't currently in the Otherworld. I also sent Volusian to Tim and Lara, warning I'd be gone for a while and to cancel all my appointments. Lara wouldn't like that, but I had a feeling it would be the least of her worries when faced with Volusian for the first time. When the time for me to leave came, Dorian couldn't hide his conflicted feelings. The part of him always striving for advantage and control wanted that crown. The part of him that loved me worried about what I was walking into. â€Å"It'll be okay,† I said, wrapping my arms around him. â€Å"I'm Storm King's daughter, remember? This'll be cake. And hey, if that ghost's lying, I'll be back tonight.† â€Å"I don't know if I'd prefer that or not,† he mused. He rested his hand behind my neck and gave me a long, lingering kiss. â€Å"Be careful, Eugenie. Fight hard, but be careful. And take this.† From a hidden pocket in his cloak, he produced something glittering and handed it to me. I held it up. It was a ring, hanging on a fine chain. Both were made of gold. A diamond flanked by sapphires sat prominently on the ring, which was fashioned to look like a circle of leaves. â€Å"Is this magic?† I asked. He shook his head. â€Å"Just something to remember me by. Just something to think about.† I eyed him carefully. Marriage happened among the gentry, though not as often as among humans. Considering our divorce rate, maybe that was smart. They didn't give engagement rings like humans did, but he'd know my world's custom. This ring suddenly made me uneasy. â€Å"It's a thing of beauty,† he said, seeing my reaction. â€Å"For someone beautiful. I knew you wouldn't wear it on your finger, so keep it on the chain.† I nodded. Sometimes a gift was just a gift – particularly when someone was afraid his beloved might get killed soon. I kissed him again. â€Å"Thank you.† I'd come alone via the human world, so he sent an escort back to the Thorn Land with me. No one except Dorian and Masthera knew what I was going to do, but the group could sense something big was about to go down. Tension crackled around us as we traveled. Like so many, these soldiers considered Dorian and me a powerhouse. They could hardly wait to see what would happen next. Kiyo wasn't waiting for me in the Thorn Land, not that I'd expected results that quickly. No refusal had come from Maiwenn either, which I took as a good sign. â€Å"What are you and my lord planning?† asked Rurik when he saw me. â€Å"You've got that look.† â€Å"What look is that?† I asked curiously. He reminded me of Tim. â€Å"The look that says you're planning something.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"Eloquent as ever, Rurik.† â€Å"Should I assemble fighters?† he asked, shrugging off my comment. Shaya joined us then, scrolls in her arms. â€Å"No. I do this alone. Well, not exactly. Kiyo's coming with me. I hope. He should be showing up here today.† I spoke more confidently than I felt. Despite Dorian's certainties, I still wasn't sure whether Kiyo would help or not. Rurik and Shaya exchanged glances. â€Å"Stop that,† I told them. â€Å"It's perfectly platonic. Dorian suggested it.† Rurik looked like he still had a few things to say about it, but Shaya interrupted. â€Å"The Linden King wrote back. He won't join with us – but he also won't fight against us.† â€Å"Not the best news, not the worst. We'll see if he comes crawling when his power's in dispute.† The words came out with more venom than I expected. Rurik seemed to approve. Shaya leafed through more papers. â€Å"Caria, the Laurel Queen, would like to meet with you and discuss the war, however.† I knew nothing about that land. â€Å"Have we even contacted her?† â€Å"No,† said Shaya, giving me a meaningful look. â€Å"But her kingdom borders the Linden Land.† â€Å"Ah.† I smiled. My comment to Ranelle that others would be eyeing her king's land as his power faded was true. In refusing my offer to defend against that, they'd allowed someone else to solicit me for the other side of that future dispute. â€Å"He'll regret his neutrality later. See if Caria'll meet with Dorian while I'm gone.† Dorian would understand the situation perfectly. I figured this was it and started to leave. â€Å"There's one more thing,† added Shaya, twisting a black braid in that nervous habit of hers. â€Å"Girard would like to see you.† Her unease had made me think something bad was coming, but Girard was one of the few people who rarely delivered bad news. If anything, he usually delivered gifts, always coming up with some marvelous new piece of craftsmanship. Some pieces – like Dorian's sword and Jasmine's chains – I'd commissioned specifically. Sometimes, however, inspiration struck the artist, and he'd present some intricately worked necklace or diadem that I felt certain was beyond human skill. He could even touch iron in very small amounts. â€Å"I'm sure he's made something great, but I'm not in the mood today,† I told her. â€Å"I want to see Jasmine.† â€Å"He's not here to display work. He wants to introduce you to his sister.† She looked at me expectantly and seemed surprised by my lack of reaction. â€Å"You've never heard of her? Imanuelle de la Colline?† I shook my head. â€Å"Should I have?† Shaya shrugged. â€Å"Maybe not. But I think you'll find her †¦ interesting. It'll only take a minute.† It was true I was in a hurry, but Shaya's attitude intrigued me. We went to Girard's workshop, rooms I'd given to him on the castle's outer edge in case his work ever set something on fire. He was bent over a table, fingers magically working a bundle of metal and jewels. â€Å"Another crown?† I asked with amusement. They seemed to be his favorite thing to make. Girard looked up, startled, and bowed. â€Å"No, Your Majesty. It's something Lord Rurik has requested. If you'd like another crown – â€Å" I waved him silent. â€Å"No, no. God knows I have plenty. Hardly seems like Rurik's style, though.† Girard didn't comment. Client confidentiality, I supposed. Turning, he pointed off toward the side of his workshop, and I gaped. A woman stood there, and somehow I hadn't noticed her upon entering – which seemed impossible. She and her brother shared the same dark skin and black hair, as well as a taste for bright clothing. The dress she wore was a stunning teal silk, cut shorter than most gentry dresses. Something about it gave me the impression she wore it for utility, not sexiness. â€Å"Your Majesty,† she said, sweeping me a curtsey. Also like Girard, a faintly French-sounding accent laced her words. â€Å"This is my sister, Imanuelle,† he said. Like Shaya, he seemed to expect me to know who his sister was. â€Å"It's nice to meet you,† I told her. When no one said anything, I shifted restlessly, impatient to go. Seeing this, Imanuelle strode forward, her steps graceful and liquid. â€Å"Your Majesty,† she said. â€Å"I've come to offer my services to you, should you like to hire me.† I glanced at the other faces, seeking more information, but received none. â€Å"What do you do?† I asked. â€Å"Do you work metal like Girard?† A mischievous smile crossed Imanuelle's face. She had caught on that I really didn't know who she was and appeared to enjoy that. â€Å"No. My talents are of †¦ a different nature.† I saw a slight gesture of her hand, and then suddenly, the teal silk dress turned yellow. A moment later, it changed form altogether, turning into a flowing velvet gown. Then, she wasn't Imanuelle at all. A clone of Shaya stood before me. After letting that sink in, Imanuelle returned to her original form. She bowed, as though having just performed a stage show. â€Å"I'm an illusionist,† she said. â€Å"I can make people see things that aren't there. Most importantly, I can make myself look like anything I choose.† It was one of the cooler gentry powers, but I didn't entirely see how it'd be useful for me. â€Å"So I can finally be in two places at once?† I joked. That brought another smile. â€Å"I suppose †¦ but I've honed other skills to accompany these. Ones many monarchs find useful. I †¦ get rid of problems.† Apparently guessing my confusion, Shaya sighed and dropped her usual formality. â€Å"You're better off not dancing around the subject. My queen prefers directness.† She turned to me. â€Å"Imanuelle is an assassin, Your Majesty.† Imanuelle's smile tightened a little. I think she preferred her more flowery description. â€Å"That's an ugly word for a formidable skill set.† It took me a moment to catch on. â€Å"So, you're here to – Wait. You think I'm going to hire you to, what, assassinate Katrice?† Imanuelle shrugged eloquently, and her brother spoke up for her. â€Å"Some might see that as a quick way to end the war, if I may be so bold.† Girard had picked up that I didn't like this idea at all and was understandably nervous. He valued his position with me. â€Å"It's a dirty, sneaky way to end a war!† I exclaimed. â€Å"It'd make me no better than Katrice and her bastard son.† â€Å"It would eliminate Katrice directly,† said Imanuelle. â€Å"Since she is the source of your problems. I could disguise myself as someone in her castle. Quick, easy. No other innocents need be hurt.† For a heartbeat, her words almost made sense. Then I shook my head emphatically. â€Å"No. I'm not going to stoop to that level.† Some of Imanuelle's pleasant demeanor faded. â€Å"There are monarchs who would give half their kingdoms for my services! I'm very selective. I'm doing you a great honor.† I narrowed my eyes. â€Å"You're doing me an honor?† She hesitated, realizing she was addressing one of the most formidable queens in the Otherworld. Again, Girard jumped in to save her. â€Å"Forgive our presumption, Your Majesty. We only wanted to offer it as an option.† â€Å"It's been offered,† I said bluntly. â€Å"And refused. Thank you for the ‘honor.' You're welcome to visit your brother, of course, but I'd prefer that you stay here no longer than absolutely necessary.† I turned dramatically away from them, just catching the outrage on Imanuelle's face, and strode out. Shaya hurried by my side. â€Å"Spoken like a queen,† she said. â€Å"Do I need to worry about that woman killing me now?† I asked. â€Å"Is she going to change into you and pull a knife on me?† â€Å"I'm sure you'd respond as efficiently as you do to the other attacks on you,† said Shaya dryly. â€Å"Her illusions aren't foolproof to everyone. I'm guessing Volusian could see through them if he were around. But, honestly †¦ although her pride has been hurt – she does have quite the reputation – I suspect she'll simply stalk off and leave you be, if only for her brother's sake.† â€Å"Well, that's nice. One less person trying to kill me.† I raked my hand through my hair. â€Å"Anything else I need to deal with?† That was a loaded question, of course. Shaya had a few more business matters for me to look over before I could finally see Jasmine. I hadn't talked to her after the dinner at Dorian's and felt she'd be a good distraction as I waited to see if Kiyo would come. I found her outside in one of the gardens, sitting in the shade of a mesquite tree as the sun grew higher and the heat increased. Her guards stood stoically nearby, and her fine chains glittered in the light. At my approach, she glanced up from a book. Petulant, power-hungry teen that she might be, she was also an avid reader, using fantasy to escape her mundane existence when she'd still lived among humans. This book was one I'd brought her recently, the first in a trendy series. â€Å"Is it good?† I asked, sitting down opposite her. â€Å"Not bad,† she said, playing cool. A moment later, she gave herself away. â€Å"Are there more out in the series?† â€Å"Three more, I think.† She said nothing but smiled as she set the book beside her. â€Å"Did you have fun at Dorian's?† I asked. â€Å"Yeah. It was nice to be out.† Her eyes gazed off, not really focusing on anything. â€Å"I think the best part was watching Shaya scare off all the guys hitting on me.† She turned back to me. â€Å"Is that what it's like for you all the time?† â€Å"Not since I got together with Dorian. They've slacked off – and Shaya doesn't scare them away. She abandons me.† Jasmine smiled again. â€Å"Dorian's crazy about you. Obsessed.† â€Å"That's kind of an extreme observation.† â€Å"It's true.† She brushed hair out of her eyes. The sunlight was turning it to gold, making me a little envious; I'd gotten true red from our father, rather than strawberry blond. She could wear pink. â€Å"It's good,† she continued. â€Å"His obsession. That bitch Ysabel wants him, you know. And she hates you. So does her mom.† â€Å"Yeah, I kind of figured that out.† She shrugged. â€Å"Well, then, keep Dorian close.† â€Å"I'm not worried.† â€Å"Ysabel's got kids, and you won't give him any.† I was so sick of hearing about me and procreation. â€Å"Lots of gentry women have kids. Are you saying I should worry about all of them, Little Miss Love Guru?† â€Å"Not all of them look like you. I mean, not exactly like you †¦ but I think Dorian gets off on redheads. Maybe he figures he'll have red-haired kids that way. I don't know. But, whatever. I'm just saying she's waiting there for you to slip up with Dorian. And he's already gone for her before. She's got a bigger chest than you, too.† â€Å"Hey,† I said indignantly. â€Å"That's irrelevant. Besides, he went for her – and she annoyed him. And I'm not going to ‘slip up.' He's not going anywhere.† I frowned, surprised by my next words, that I'd actually say them to her. â€Å"It's Kiyo I've got to pull in.† Jasmine's gray eyes widened in shock. â€Å"Him? He's no use to you †¦ unless, oh Jesus. You guys aren't planning some three-way, are you? I mean, I know you and Dorian get into some – â€Å" â€Å"No!† I exclaimed. â€Å"It's nothing like that. I need a favor from Kiyo, that's all. A big one. A dangerous one. I'm not sure what'll convince him.† I smiled weakly, remembering Dorian's expression when I'd showed up in the tight gentry dress. â€Å"I'd know what to do if it was Dorian.† Jasmine scoffed and gave me a scathing look. â€Å"How stupid are you? Even I know what to do if you want to suck in Kiyo. Look human.† â€Å"I am human. Who's stupid now?† Good grief. We'd advanced to snippy quarrelling. We were becoming real sisters more and more each day. â€Å"You're half human. Dorian likes that because he thinks he can knock you up †¦ but the rest? He wants you to be a queen. One of the shining ones. Kiyo doesn't. He hates all of that. He doesn't want you anywhere near it. You hooked up before you were into all the Otherworld stuff. Be like that.† I stared at her, startled because she had an excellent point. â€Å"Do I look human now?† Jasmine studied me critically. I had jeans and a T-shirt on, my hair pulled sloppily into a ponytail. My boots were sturdy, made for hiking. Plain. â€Å"Yeah,† she said, sounding surprised. â€Å"Scruffy and human. He'll be into that. Except for the ring. It's from Dorian, right? Put it under your shirt.† I touched the ring hanging on my chest, having forgotten about it. â€Å"How'd you know it was from him?† â€Å"Because you wouldn't get it for yourself, and no one else would either. It's also got oak leaves.† I peered down at it. Sure enough. I hadn't identified the leaves earlier. I followed her advice, concealing it under the shirt. She watched with approval, then seemed to really notice my shirt. â€Å"Who's Mà ¶tley Cre?† I was saved from lecturing her on classic rock when a servant scurried up to us, telling me Kiyo was here. The ease I'd felt with Jasmine vanished. I stood up, forcing calm, half-wondering if I should take her after all. No. Kiyo was the right choice. â€Å"Good luck,† Jasmine said, picking up her book. â€Å"And remember: be human.† I followed the servant away, embarrassed that I was taking advice from an insane fifteen-year-old. Except †¦ I knew she was right. I made sure my gait was casual, nothing regal. Then, I sent the servant away, deciding it'd be best to come to Kiyo on my own, rather than approaching with an escort, no matter how insignificant. He was waiting inside a parlor, pacing restlessly. I knew how uneasy I made him, and this invitation had no doubt put him on guard. I watched him unnoticed for a moment, admiring that muscled body while knowing it was wrong to do so. Sneaking up on him was impossible, though. He could smell me. My sweat and skin alone would have given me away, let alone the vanilla sunscreen and violet perfume I also wore. â€Å"Eugenie,† he said, turning around. â€Å"Nice to see you.† He seemed impassive, but his eyes made me think he really did like seeing me – physically at least. â€Å"Sorry for the abrupt request,† I said. â€Å"You were probably visiting Luisa, huh?† The mention of his daughter softened his expression a tiny, tiny bit. â€Å"Yeah, she's †¦ she grows every day. It's amazing.† He flipped back to alert mode. â€Å"But that's not why you asked me here.† â€Å"No.† I settled into one of the chairs, crossing my legs and hoping I looked casual and unassuming. â€Å"I need your help.† He continued standing. â€Å"That's unexpected.† â€Å"Well, I got an unexpected offer. Do you still want me to get out of this war?† â€Å"Of course.† He made a face. â€Å"Oh, Eug. Please tell me you don't want me to negotiate or something.† I smiled, both at the suggestion and his use of the nickname. â€Å"No, I need you for something that's more your specialty. I don't suppose you've ever heard of the Iron Crown?† Kiyo hadn't. I provided a brief rundown, explaining how the person who fought through and won it could allegedly inspire fear and awe. â€Å"And that's enough to make Katrice back off?† he asked skeptically. â€Å"So they say.† I shrugged. â€Å"It's weird to me too, but everyone I've talked to claims it'll intimidate Katrice and her armies.† Best not to mention that â€Å"everyone† was Dorian, a ghost, and a crazy seeress. â€Å"It'll prove what a badass I am. And if that forces her into peace talks †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I let him draw his own conclusions. â€Å"It's a gamble,† Kiyo said. He still sounded doubtful, but there was a crack there. He wanted the war over. He wanted me out of it. â€Å"But why ask me? Why not Dorian?† â€Å"Because he couldn't survive the quest. The way's lined with iron. It would take an insanely strong gentry – or people with human blood, like you and me. Plus, I trust you.† I didn't know if the human solidarity had gotten me anywhere, but he was definitely considering this more and more. I also wondered if admitting trust in him did anything. Part of what had driven us apart was my accusation that he didn't care enough about me to punish Leith. â€Å"I'd like to help you,† Kiyo said finally. â€Å"It's crazy – but no crazier than half the stuff around here. I should talk to Maiwenn first, though.† You must not – under any circumstances – allow him to go back to Maiwenn and consult her on this. â€Å"There's no time,† I said, hastily running through Dorian's laundry list of excuses. â€Å"We have to go now. The ghost who's going to help me threatened to back out if I didn't act soon. And we're currently on hold with Katrice. If I could return with the crown before the next battle, it would be †¦ well, it'd be amazing. No more bloodshed.† I could see him wavering, but he wasn't quite convinced. Really, I didn't blame him. If I had an ally who could advise me on some bizarre quest, I'd want to talk to her too before jumping in. â€Å"You can talk to her if you want,† I said. â€Å"But I've got to leave now. I can't stand waiting. I'll just go by myself.† That drove the dagger in. No matter how sketchy the logic, no matter how smart it would be to get Maiwenn's advice †¦ the fear of my running off into unknown dangers was too great. He stared at me for several heavy moments, his expression unreadable. Finally, he sighed. â€Å"Right now?† he asked. â€Å"Right now,† I said. â€Å"Then let's go.†