Public health emergency in Delhi, The case for a 5-hour workday, and more news
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A public health emergency has been announced in Delhi and nearby areas as air quality entered the “severe plus” category following Diwali. The Environment Pollution Authority has declared schools shut and barred construction activity in the capital till November 5, besides banning the bursting of crackers throughout the winter. If the air quality doesn’t improve in the next two days, measures such as the odd-even scheme will follow under the Graded Response Action Plan. Delhi got engulfed in a toxic smog a day after Diwali, prompting city authorities to advise heart and lung patients against stepping out. Join the conversation.
As employees increasingly prioritise workplace flexibility, a German tech consulting firm is giving a 25-hour workweek a shot, The Wall Street Journal reports. Rheingans Digital Enabler, a 16-person startup, lays down some ground rules. The firm has banned social media use, staffers check email twice a day and small talk is not encouraged. The results? Employees are just as productive, and they have more time for life outside of work. Join the conversation.
For the first time in India’s history, total employment fell by 9 million to 465 million between 2011-12 and 2017-18, says a study by Azim Premji University’s Centre of Sustainable Employment. The decline contradicts the findings of a paper commissioned by the Economic Advisory Council, which claimed jobs grew from 433 million to 457 million during the period. The upshot of the CSE report: Agriculture and manufacturing saw steep declines in jobs and construction and services couldn’t offset the fall. Meanwhile, CMIE data shows jobless rate hit a three-year high of 8.5% in October amid weakness in the core sector. Join the conversation.
The Indian Army will offer permanent commission to women officers from April 2020, Adjutant General Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar said. Female recruits will have to select one of the six specialisations – such as language expert or air traffic controller – during their second and third year of service. Earlier this year, the defence ministry approved permanent commission for women in all the 10 branches where they qualify for short service commission. The army is also working on inducting the first batch of 100 women soldiers, who will be assigned non-combat roles such as policing cantonments and handling prisoners of war. Join the conversation.
Eating lunch alone, or at your desk, may not be such a bad thing after all, says The Wall Street Journal. Workers who feel obliged to join a company-sponsored lunch are more drained by the end of the day than those who are able to choose how, and with whom to spend their lunch period, shows research by the Rottman School of Management. Enjoying a true lunch break, versus mandatory socializing or working through lunch, leaves employees feeling more relaxed. Join the conversation.
Idea of the Day: Many of us find ourselves giving vast portions of our time and energy to our work. But musician Thom Yorke reminds us that we should consistently check in and make sure that our efforts are worth the sacrifice.
“You get to a point where if you’re choosing to spend your time away from your family, it has to be worth it, and it’s only worth it if you’re really getting something from it. You have to claim it for yourself and understand why you love it.”
What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Nirajita Banerjee and Mandar M Bakre
Cyber Security Professional | Thought leader | Business Innovator
5 年Again I state we are all missing out the basic which does not require technology or science to do the thing. Let us look at the 3 major seasons Winter, Summer and Monsoon, what happens is all in the Nature, in winter the the air is dry but due to cold weather the air is dense hence heavy in comparison to warm air, in summer this gets warm then expands become lighter, also in Northern part of India we have Heat-wave so the earth gets further dry and loose top soil gets airborne, since warm air not dense it goes higher in the atmosphere, in monsoon the rain washes all these dust particles down. Now comes the best part our drainage system is old and very badly managed so we get waterlogged everywhere, since this collection of water mix with dirt takes time to subside the dirt remains on the ground and come winter again the air gets dry so this very same dirt gets airborne and since due to cold weather air is dense hence heavy and cannot travel higher up into atmosphere we breathe as polluted air. So solution is upgrade or improved drainage system, daily washing of the streets with water. So during monsoon all pollutants get washed out into the drainage system comes winter no dirt get airborne so no pollution.
Cyber Security Professional | Thought leader | Business Innovator
5 年Again many here are also missing out the important contributor of this smog is dust! Look around open exposed earth everywhere, when air becomes dry the lighter elements forms dust and the PM2.5 microns particles become airborne as their is lack of moisture in the air. Solution is to have efficient drainage system to wash down these dirt during monsoon, open earth needs to be covered with grass or Cement or Tar then proper city roads washing needs to be implemented. World over has this implementation of proper city roads washing and cleaning system.
Flutter | React | Python | Django | MERN | JavaScript
5 年We need to bring out electric vehicles real fast.
python developer | software tester l assistant professor | training and placement coordinator
5 年we r safe ... because we dont make noise we dont make any air pollution