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Saturday, September 17, 2022

Greening the Salt-impaired Lands by Crop Diversification: A Success Story from Pali, Rajasthan

September 17, 2022

                                          Greening the Salt-impaired Lands by Crop Diversification: A Success Story from Pali, Rajasthan

 A collaborative work between ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal and ICAR-CAZRI KVK, Pali was undertaken to enhance the livelihood resilience of a resource-poor farming community- increasingly grappling with multiple stressors- in Pali district of Rajasthan, India. The aim was to align the proven institutional technologies with the time-tested local practices to sustain the crop production and enhance the farmers’ income in the salt-affected soils. Although open-well irrigation system has been quite effective in sustaining the crop production in the study area, a set of factors- silting, poor upkeep and strong climate variability- have caused appreciable degradation in water availability and quality over the past decade. A total of 86 farmers from five villages (Rampura, Rupawas, Dholeria, Mukanpura and Hemawas) of Pali district, facing soil and water salinity problems, climate change impacts and poor access to institutional knowledge, were mobilized through applying different extension tools including, farm visits and transect walks, personal interactions, Focus Group Discussions and Farmer-Scientists Goshthis.


The overall aim was to enhance their adaptive capacity by correctly diagnosing soil and water salinity levels, to suggest appropriate salinity management technologies and to supply them with improved high yielding seeds of salt tolerant varieties.

Diagnosing the problems: The farmers’ fields in the study were sandy loam to clay loam in texture and moderately saline. The soil pH2 varied from 7.78 to 9.33 (mean = 8.67) and soil EC2 from 0.29 to 7.40 dS/m (mean= 1.46 dS/m). Over 75% of the open-well water samples were mostly highly saline (ECiw 5.0-13.2 dS/m) and unsuitable for irrigation. About 25% of the samples had moderate salinity (ECiw 0.40-5.0 dS/m) and were being used in irrigation. A strong majority of the study farmers (~80.0%) agreed that climate variability- reduced number of rainy days and extreme climate events- has aggravated over the past two-three decades. This, together with low educational status and poor access to institutional knowledge, has considerably enhanced their vulnerability.

Approach: The stakeholder-approach was adopted to assist the farmers in desilting the open-wells, the lifelines of farming in the study area, and to make crop diversification a feasible and remunerative option among the sampled farmers. Specifically, the interventions included distribution of Soil Health Cards, agro-advisories (measures for the de-silting of open-wells and the conjunctive use of irrigation waters), supply of seeds/saplings of salt tolerant (wheat cv. KRL-210, mustard cv. CS-54) and other locally adapted improved crop varieties (mung-bean cv. IPM02-3, sesame cv. RT-351, muskmelon cv. Kajari and budded plants of ber cv. Gola), improved management practices for field and horticultural crops, and off-campus farmers’ training for risk mitigation.

Diversification: Increase in farmers’ income and other benefits

  • For the Rabi season interventions, the percentage increase in net return (INR/ha) ranged from 16.60% (CS-54 mustard-muskmelon) to 28.90% (CS54 mustard- sesame). The percentage increase in net return in diversification components including wheat cv. KRL-210 (wheat-khejri, wheat-sesame) was ≥20.0%.
  • During the Kharif season, intercropping of mung-bean in khejri or ber plantations also resulted in appreciable improvements in net return i.e., 23.50 and 28.50%, respectively.

Impact of crop diversification interventions on farmers’ income under rainfed saline agroecosystems*


Diversification component

Net return (INR/ha)

% Increase

Before

After

A. Rabi season

Net change

KRL-210 wheat(irrigated)-khejri (Prosopis cineraria)**

45,125

53,875

8,750

19.4

KRL-210 wheat-muskmelon

78,350

92,100

13,750

17.5

KRL-210 wheat-sesame

35,625

43,850

8,225

23.1

CS-54 mustard (two irrigations)-khejri

40,340

48,850

8,510

21.1

CS-54 mustard (two irrigations)-muskmelon

73,550

85,760

12,210

16.6

CS-54 mustard (two irrigations)-sesame (residual moisture)

25,640

33,040

7,400

28.9

B. Kharif season

 

 

 

 

Mung-bean (rainfed)-khejri

33,250

41,050

7,800

23.5

Mung-bean (rainfed)-ber cv. Gola

60,300

77,500

17,200

28.5

*interventions were made during 2017-2021; **Khejri trees are commonly planted by the study farmers (6-8 trees/ha);

  • Economically and ecologically, diversification led by mung-bean with ber was promising (net return of INR 77,500/ha) with a minimum input use including benefits of soil health and animal fodder.


  • These interventions, in addition to directly improving the farm net return, also improved the food and fodder availabilities; a majority of the beneficiary farmers perceived.
  • Notably, they were now in a better position to cope with fodder shortages by intercropping mung-bean with khejri; particularly during the lean Kharif season.

Greening the Salt-impaired Lands by Crop Diversification: A Success Story from Pali, Rajasthan

  • Another major outcome was that a majority of the study farmers (63.0%) were now aware of the importance of sustainable soil health, and expressed their willingness for balanced fertilizer use as per agro-advisories provided along with Soil Health Cards.
  • We also noticed an appreciable improvement in water availability and quality from the open-wells posts these interventions.
  • Thanks to our efforts, most of the study farmers de-silted their open-wells and started applying saline (ECiw 5.0-13.2 dS/m) and relatively less saline (ECiw 0.40-5.0 dS/m) waters conjunctively for better crop yields and soil resilience.

Lessons learned: Although diversified interventions have definitely alleviated the multiple risks to a great extent, community-based wide-scale interventions remain inevitable to ensuring durable improvements in open-well water quality. It was also realized that refining local practices, such as, open-well led irrigation systems in this case, and bringing more salt-affected area under integrated tree-salt tolerant crop cover can enhance the sustainability of salt-affected soils and waters.

Source: ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (ICAR), Karnal, Haryana and ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Pali, Rajasthan)

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Tuesday, May 3, 2022

7 Best Investment Options for Salaried Employees in 2022

May 03, 2022

7 Best Investment Options for Salaried Employees in 2022





Here are the seven best investment options available for Salaried employees in India. It would be recommended to diversify your investments into multiple investment instruments and not invest in just a single alternative.

1. Direct Equity (Stocks)

With the rise of discount brokers, investing in direct equity through buying stocks has become easy and mainstream in 2022. Now, salaried employees can quickly open their demat and trading accounts within hours with top stockbrokers like ZerodhaAngel Broking, etc, and start investing the same day. 

Though investing in Direct Equity involves high risk, the returns are also higher than any other investment alternative. With smartly planning, the stock investors can expect an average CAGR return of as high as 15% per annum. Moreover, the minimum capital requirement to invest in direct equity is also very small and investors can buy stocks worth even Rs 100 or lower. 

2. SIP in Mutual Funds

“Mutual Funds Sahi Hai” (Mutual Funds are Right), you might have heard this statement already. 

Mutual funds are investment vehicles managed by professionals that seek to pool investments from many people together before investing them into markets within the financial ecosystem such as equity markets or debt markets or a hybrid of both debt and equity.

In general, mutual funds are thought to be the best platforms for investors to get the benefits of capital appreciation from the equity markets even if they are not confident to manage their own money in the markets or if they are not able to dedicate time for their own research.

Through SIP, investors can plan a monthly recurring investment, say Rs 5000 per month, in a mutual fund to rip long-term benefits without affecting their lifestyle. The risk involved in mutual funds is high and the investors can expect a return between 11–14% CAGR if they have invested in the right funds. 


3. ELSS (Tax Saving Funds)


An ELSS (Equity Linked Savings Scheme) Mutual Fund is a variety of Equity Mutual Fund which allows individuals and HUFs to avail of Income Tax deduction from their Total Income for an Assessment Year subject to a maximum limit of Rs.1.5 lakhs u/s 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

They have a lock-in period of 3 years. The said duration is counted from the respective allotment date of the unit(s). Although the returns are little compared to direct equity investment, however, the tax-saving part covers up to this, especially for the salaried employees falling in the top tax bracket. 


4. Employee Provident Fund


If you are a salaried employee in India, the Employee provident fund is the most crucial investment option for you. It is exclusively designed for retirement planning funds where the employee and employer contribute 12 percent of the former’s basic salary amount in the employee’s provident fund account every month.

If you are a salaried individual, you can claim a tax deduction on the contributions you make to your EPF account. The maturity amount and the interest income on EPF have also been exempted from Income Tax provided you have completed a minimum of years of service. EPF is a must to have investment option for a salaried person in the private sector in India.


5. Gold Investment


Gold is the most preferred traditional investment option available in India which requires no paperwork (for direct gold purchase), high liquidity, and above-inflation returns in the long term. 

During equity market downturns, the gold investment provides a good hedge as the prices shoot up. Gold may also be a great investment to pass on to the next generation who might not have such luxuries to find gold in abundance.


6. Real Estate Investment


Buying a house is the dream of every Salaried employee. Though real estate investment might not be feasible for a fresher or an employee with very minimal salary and savings, it can be a good investment option for moderate to high salary earning employees. 

For example, if an employee plans to buy a 3BHK apartment worth Rs 70 lakhs, and he can pay Rs 20 lakhs as a down payment from his savings, the rest of Rs 50 lakh can be borrowed as a home loan with an interest rate of 6.7%. Here, he’ll have to pay a home loan EMI of Rs 32,485 per month. (You can use a home loan calculator for your calculations). However, if his current age is 32, he’ll have a house of his own by 62, when the home loan tenure is complete. 

With a little planning and systematic EMI payments, employees can have their dream house within 30 years of tenure, which can be used as a house to live for themselves or even an investment option as real estate price appreciates significantly with time. 

7. IPO Investment

IPO or Initial Public Offering is the first time when a privately owned company offers its shares for sale to the public and enters the stock market. It is also known as ‘Going Public’. 

Investing in IPOs can be very profitable if you are able to pick the right company at the IPO stage. As a salaried employee, if you have the patience to hold the correct IPO stock for the next 15–20 years, it can make fortunes for you. Many early IPO investors in companies like Infosys, TCS, Eicher Motors, etc have made crores of returns by investing just rupees ten thousand or lower. 

However, please note that IPO investments are high-risk and high-reward investment options.

Conclusion


Today, we looked into the top investment options available for Salaried employees in India. Though investing in direct stocks, Equity Mutual Funds, and IPOs are more rewarding, however, chances of investment getting wrong are higher and high risks are also involved in these investment options. On the other hand, Provident Funds, and Gold investments are safer investment options.

A salaried employee will do well if his/her basket of investment includes multiple of these investment options, along with a few other low-risk investment options that are not included in this article like RDs, NPS, etc.

That’s all for this article, do let me know which one is your favorite investment option as a salaried employee. 

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Sunday, May 2, 2021

What is Algorithm and its use? Definition of Algorithm? Properties of Algorithm? Examples of Algorithm? - 2021

May 02, 2021

 What is Algorithm and its use?

 


 

It is seen as an important topic in Computer Science. Because highly efficient Developers use and Help to Developed Error free programs.so, we Read Today What is Algorithm and its use?

Words, Algorithm means are responsible for those 'Series of Steps', which is a special calculation (Computation) or task (task) to complete or execute (execute). Next we understand the definition and expansions of the Algorithm and What is Algorithm and its use?

 

Basically mathematical problems (Mathematical problems) was developed it to solve. But currently the term is associated strongly with Computer Science. What is Algorithm and its use? Will understand with examples in this Article .. So, Keep Reading a Valuable Article as always.

 

Definition of Algorithm?

Algorithm, defines the guidelines (a set of Instructions), which is a problem (Problem) whole process of resolving (Procedure). Its main goal is to produce the desired results (expected output). There are many consistently comes output after occur, which ends Steps.

It can be understood from the example of making a cup of tea (Tea):

Step 1. water-filled kettle

Step 2. Boil water

Step 3. Add tea leaves to the kettle

Step 4. Crush and add ginger.

Step 5. half teaspoon added sugar

Step 6. Allow the tea to cook

Step 7. filtered tea and put the cup.

 

Just perform a cup turn the Steps outlined Base us to make tea (execute) is required. Just as it is written Algorithm to a process in Programming (Process) or task (Task), so as to achieve the desired result (desired output). I Hope You Understand Well.

It can happen in many different fields, including computer science and major Math. which is a Step By Step process used to store within the Data Structure is used to retrieve the web page.

Also Encryption Algorithm, a mathematical process (Mathematical procedure) is, which is encoded by a data message using that to read or hard to understand.

 

Who is the founder or Father of the Word algorithm?

It has a long history (History), but the actual word introduces "Algorithm" for the first time in the 9th century. At that time, the Persian mathematician, Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi is considered its founder. They are also known as the father of algebra (The Father of Algebra).

In fact, Al-Khwarizmi's work on Brahmagupta was made. Brahmagupta was a great Indian mathematician and astronomer. These two great men was the prominence given when using Hindi-Arabic numerals used the word 'Algorism' to refer to the Latin translation of his arithmetic rules.

Then 'Algorism word around the 18th century became Modern Word "Algorithm". In addition to its use areas such as Calculation, Data Processing and Programming in its modern form and issues of daily life have also been able to (Solve). The word algorithm, it is designed to solve a problem or task, Step By Step Process.

 

Properties of Algorithm?

Any process that we can not say Algorithm. But it should be useful that the problem should get resolved. For this to happen, there are some properties . That it should meet the Minimum criteria set below:

what is algorithm

 

1) Input: An algorithm must have well-defined input. Input that data or information that we would continue to provide output.

2) Output: This should produce the output. That problem should provide the perfect solution (Solution).

3) Clarity (Unambiguous): Written Instructions (Instruction) or Step should be clear (Clear). Input each Steps / output should be clear.

4) limitations:This means that the written algorithm Steps should expire after a limited number (Finite number) (terminate). Means the end, you're moving in the processing loop it must meet the required output.

5) Effectiveness: It should be practical, in order to be able to execute instructions with the available resources. Obviously, this should be no unnecessary instructions (Unnecessary Instructions) which make it Ineffective.

6) Language Independent: Instructions should be written in simple language. That can be applied in Language any Programming.

 

Examples of Algorithm?

This used various methods for writing. Let the easiest example to understand it.

 

Example 1– Calculating the average for 3 numbers.

There Algorithm Working:

what is algorithm

 

Step 1. Start

Step 2. Read 3 numbers A, B, C

Step 3. Calculate the average by the equation

         Average = (A+B+C)/3

Step 4. Display Average

Step 5. Stop

 

 

Example 2– Find the largest all among the three different numbers entered by the user.

These Algorithm working:

 

Step 1. Start

Step 2. Declare variables a,b and c

Step 3. Read variables a,b and c.

Step 4. If a > b

           If a > c

              Display a is the largest number.

           Else

              Display c is the largest number.

        Else

           If b > c

              Display b is the largest number.

           Else

              Display c is the greatest number.

Step 5. Stop

 

Does it meet the criteria (Criteria) is an algorithm:

· Algorithm input and output has been defined well.

· Each Step is shown in the explicit (clear) and precise meaning.

· A limited number of Steps. That is ends after a while (terminate).

· Algorithm to produce a desired output. We right result in the end (correct result) is obtained.

 

Types of The Algorithm ?

Although it is a lot of variety, but the most basic of them is described below.

 

· Simple Recursive Algorithms.

· Backtracking

· Divide and Conquer

· Dynamic Programming Algorithm

· Greedy algorithms

· Branch and bound Method

· Brute force algorithms.

· Randomized Algorithms

 

In short or Conclusion

A Logical Step-By-Step Method to solve a problem is called Algorithm . In simple language, This is a plan (Plan) to solve a problem. Usually this term is used to solve mathematical and computational problems.

what is algorithm

This includes calculation (Calculations), reasoning (Reasoning) and data processing (Data Processing). There are many ways to write this. Once we have the Algorithm to a problem, then we can execute him. It will be presented in the general English language, Pseudo codes and Flowcharts.

what is algorithm

So hopefully, What is Algorithm and its use? you will become aware of it. Any questions or suggestions related to the topic please tell us definitely to comment below.

Make It shares information was enlightening course not forgotten. OR give us Feedback - Feedback@ashutosh000.blogspot.com

 

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