Weather based crop insurance Weather based crop insurance - Sahaj

AssamVLE NameSri Dhiraj GogoiPapari DasTamil NaduVLE NameRamasamy SGobal MSoruj Mohan GogoiSivasagar, AssamMadhavan PKrishnagiri, Tamil NaduBiharVLE NamePriyanka KumariPrayag Kumar PrasadUttar PradeshVLE NameBraj Bhushan ShuklaManish Kumar KushwahaNirbhay Kumar MishraPurnia, BiharSachchidanand TiwariChandauli, Uttar PradeshOdishaVLE NameJamankira LampsNarayan ServiceCooperative Society Ltd.West BengalVLE NameSubrata SarkarMd. Minhajul AlamPhulbani LAMPCSKandhamal, OdishaProsenjit MondalBurdwan, West BengalTop VLEs Other Successful VLEsFrom VLE to a Master VLE: Subrata Sarkar the face of JalpaiguriLocated in the remote village of Sulkapara Gram Panchayat in the Jalpaiguri district of WestBengal, VLE Subrata Sarkar, joined Sahaj in the year 2008. Today, he is a proud Master VLE ofSahaj earning ₨10,000/- to 15,000/-every month from his CSC. His center opens at 8 am andcloses at 9 pm regularly. In between all chores, he still takes out time once a week to meet hisMentee VLEs. He is proud of himself for being able to bring back into mainstream several VLEs(Mentee) who were for quite a while out of the business circle due to numerous problems. Inspite of these, Sarker believes that one thing is for sure, no matter what difficulties his Mentee VLEs face, they have tokeep their CSCs functional. Despite all such problems faced by the Mentee VLEs, their CSC still provide services likeeLearning, Life Insurance and public services, thus, connecting to the common man and also in turn helping himgenerate revenue.Sarkar is efficiently able to run both offline and online services alike povided by non other than Srei Sahaj e-VillageLimited. Sarkar is also a very successful entrepreneur when it comes to good product sales. According to him, in orderto sell any product, it is absolutely important to have a 100 per cent penetration at the ground level along with properdistribution. All the local people in his village are very satisfied with him because of his prompt services. His 16 year oldboy is also becoming an expert in computer education through the e-Learning courses provided by Sahaj.After four years of his journey with Sahaj, he proudly says, “I am a Sahaj VLE of Jalpaiguri”. He is also trying to solve theunemployment problem in his village by giving employment to a few rural youth at his center.VLE Success StorySahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 3

NewsSahaj participates in the mBillionth AwardsSahaj participated in the mBillionth Awards, South Asia-2012 held on 21st July at Hotel Eros, New Delhi.Sahaj join hands with Bank of IndiaTaking another step ahead to givethe best of services to rural India,Sahaj E-Village Limited, recently,signed an agreement with Bank of India to take theThrough its exhibition stall, Sahaj portrayed itsachievements and services which was acknowledged bywell know personalities from the Telecom Industry, RuralMarketing, Mobile Application Developers, foreigndelegates and many others. Mr. Sumanta Pal, Senior VicePresident, Srei Sahaj E-Village Limited, presented a briefdetailing about Sahaj, its reach, process, businesses andhow Sahaj holds the tag of holding India's Largest CSCNetwork in the session titled 'Mobile Innovation inBusiness & Commerce/Banking'.Capacity Building organizes e-Learning AwarenessCampThe Capacity Building Team of Odisha organized an e-Learning Awareness Camp on the 23rd of July 2012 intwo school of Jharsuguda District of Odisha. The basicobjective of this activity was to promote e-Learningeducation at the school level by creating awarenessamong school student and teachers. At least 245 studentsand 15 teachers were briefed about the e-Learningcourses available at the Sahaj CSCs.e-district services launched in MadhubaniAfter Nalanda and Aurangabad districts of Bihar, theSahaj G2C Team of Bihar successfully launched e –district services in Madhubani district of Bihar (despitebeing non operational area for Sahaj).DIT felicitates Sahaj VLEsThe Department of Information Technology (DIT) hasrecognized Mr. Sudip Saha, a Village Level Entrepreneurof Sahaj from the North 24 Parganas of West Bengal andMr. Ramalingam from Tamil Nadu as Category A for hisperformance on online monitoring tool of the CommonServices Centers (CSC) Scheme during 1st December2011 to 30th May 2012. Mr. Saha has been up for equalor more than 150 days during the period mentioned.Business Correspondent Model deep down to theremotest corners of the six states where Sahaj has itsprominent presence. The agreement was signedbetween Bank of India and Sahaj, represented by Mr.P.G. Bhagwatwar, AGM, Bank of India and Mr. SanjayKumar Panigrahi, CEO, Sahaj E-Village Limited. Throughthis open ended agreement, Sahaj is planning to launchthese services through its well knit network of CommonService Centres (CSC). This year, with this arrangement inplace, both Sahaj and Bank of India are targeting to coveratleast 1,000 CSCs under its purview. This will help Bankof India reach atleast 1 Crore un-banked population ofrural India through the Sahaj CSCs.Sahaj launches Website for Affinity MarketingSahaj launched an Affinity Marketing Websitehttp://valuecard.sahaj.co.in that presents exciting dealsand offers for Sahaj Value Card Members. The websitepromises to deliver a superior experience to the ValueCard Member. It is anticipated that in the near future aValue Card member would update herself/himself of theoffers, evaluate the same and participate. Savings wouldaccrue to members and fortify her/his relationship withSahaj. The footfalls at the CSC would increase as themember is most likely to check the offers from the VLE.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 4

Cover StoryWeather basedcrop insuranceA reason to rejoice forthe Indian FarmersIntroductionDespite many setbacks, Indian agricultural scenario hassurely undergone many drastic changes and has achievedmany milestones. The green revolution (1967-1978)transformed India from a food deficient country to a surplusfood market. In a span of 3 decades, India established itselfas a net exporter of food grains. As of now, in terms ofagricultural output, India is ranked second in the world.Interestingly, some developed countries, mainly Canada,which were facing a scarcity in agricultural labour, were soimpressed by the results of India's Green Revolution thatthey showed interest in allowing farmers experienced inthe methods of the Green Revolution to their own country.Many farmers from Punjab and Haryana states were thensent to Canada by the Government of India to settle there.The importance of agriculture in the Indian economy isimmense- it provides livelihood to a vast majority of ruralmass consisting about three fifth of its population spreadingthrough length and breadth of the country. The dreamSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 6

target of 8 per cent growth rate in the medium term largelydepends on the growth of agriculture and allied sectors.The agriculture sector in India continues to be the mostvulnerable sector despite improvement in scientific andtechnological innovations. Given its inherent link to thevagaries of nature, agricultural production is susceptible toproduction variability. Let alone the extremes, theagricultural sector even in the normal course is exposed to alarge number of other risks.Risk Elements Faced by Indian FarmersIn a vast and geographically heterogeneous country likeIndia, agriculture has been susceptible to large scaledamages due to attacks of pests and diseases. Agriculturalrisks are related to natural disasters and are widespread.Those are neither completely independent nor correlatedwith any of the discernible events. It is absolutely necessaryto manage such risks with appropriate mitigationmechanisms. One such risk originates from adverseweather conditions – inadequate and unfavourabledistribution rainfall and temperature conditions. The otherareas of risks are disease and pests attack, unreasonableprice fluctuations, unfavourable changes in domestic andinternational agricultural policies including subsidystructure, trade incentivisation, tariff and credit facilitiesbut they are amenable to human control.Insurance in AgricultureThe Weather Index Based Insurance market in India is theworld's largest in terms of potential volume of coverage. Ithas transitioned from small-scale and scattered pilots to alarge-scale Weather Based Crop Insurance programcovering more than 9 million farmers. Sixty five per cent ofIndian agriculture is heavily dependent on rainfall. Studieshave established that rainfall variations account for morethan 50 per cent of variability in crop yields (AgriculturalInsurance Company of India Limited, 2005).The enormousdependency of crop production on weather highlights thepressing need for an effective mechanism to cope withweather-related production risks faced by the farmers. Aspointed out earlier, though a number of factors affect theIndian agricultural production, the main risk is its excessivedependence on weather, which is beyond human control.Thus the Weather Based Crop Insurance as a risk mitigationtool has been in practice for quite some time in Indianagriculture.Post Independence, agriculture sector received greaterattention of the Government as it was considered to be avery vulnerable yet economically significant sector. WithWhat is a Strike / Trigger?A strike or trigger is the level of a weather parameterbelow or above which it is considered as unnaturaland harmful for the crop.Example:Suppose, strike for Excessive Rainfall Insurance is 600millimeter for a phase of 30th June to 31st July. Thismeans if the total rainfall in this period is more than600 mm (as per the Regional Weather Station record)the farmer will get paid for each mm of excess rainfall.initiatives and support from the Government, Multi PerilCrop Insurance Schemes had been tried out in variousforms in a number of occasions. For instance, with a view toprovide coverage to the farmers in the event of failure ofcrops, the Government took initiatives as early as in 1965by introducing a 'Crop Insurance Bill' and circulated as amodel scheme of crop insurance on compulsory basis toconstituent State Governments for their views. However, itwas only in early seventies some schemes were initiated. Apublicly administered insurance program, viz., Pilot CropInsurance Scheme (PCIS) was introduced in 1979. All-RiskComprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme (CCIS) for majorWhat is Peril?A peril is an extreme weather condition which maycause damage to crops and thus, yield loss.The major perils coverd under Weather Based CropInsurance are as follows –1. Deficit Rainfall – causes malnutrition duringseedling stage2. Excessive Rainfall – causes plant lodging in the fullgrown stage3. Extreme Temperature – causes plant drying duringany stage in the plant life cycle4. Humidity – causes diseases like Blight in Rabicrops like potatoInsurance can be available for separate as well as forcombined perils.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 7

Cover StoryWeather Index BasedC r o p I n s u r a n c e(Weather Insurance) is avery useful product toreach out to the farmingcommunity. Although atSahaj, it is yet to receivethe required level oftraction but it mustsucceed as it is one oft h e m o s t c r i t i c a lenabling products in agriculture. Its bindingconstraints often restrict its scope – for example,availability of weather data for a considerably longperiod of time at micro-regional level or, presence of aweather station to record weather variation for theperiod under surveillance etc.However, Weather Insurance is a very scientificproduct and has quite a few advantages for thefarmers such as claim settlement based on scientificdata, quick and automatic claim settlement etc.This Kharif, we launched weather insurance in 17districts across 4 States (UP - 5, Bihar - 4, Odisha - 2 &West Bengal - 6). Accordingly, training programmeswere conducted in all the places, in which a total of270 VLEs participated across the States. Products werecustomized to suit specific needs of the farmers asdiscovered during the field visits and the previouspilots. Two major crops were covered under thisprogramme – paddy and maize. The productscovered both deficit rainfall at early stage and excessrainfall after maturity stage in addition to temperaturevariation except Bengal, where products were split tocover different perils.The total premium collection was ₨2,06,014/- and asmany as 199 farmers took these policies. PaschimChamparan recorded the highest sale with₨153,400/- premium collection followed by Balangirwith ₨19,307/-. In Paschim Champaran, 114 farmersparticipated and took policies while in Balangir, a totalof 27 farmers availed Weather Insurance.Ram Narayan GhatakVice President, Strategy - Rural ServicesCrops was introduced coinciding with the introduction ofthe Seventh Five Year plan and was implemented for 15years starting from Kharif crop of 1985 to 1999. Thescheme have had a positive impact on agriculturalp r o d u c t i o n i nrespect of cropsinsured and was apopular programparticularly inareas where therisk factors inagriculture wasrelatively higher.This positive ands t a b i l i z i n ginfluence came, ofcourse, at a largecost. Subsequently,w i t h y e a r s o fexperimentationsand trials, theTransparent claim settlement•Pre-decided payout chart•Published weather dataNo hassle of site visit and measurement ofyield lossImmediate claim settlement•Paid within 120 days from enddate of cover periodBuilds confidence of farmers• Higher investments•Better yields and incomesNational Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) 1999-2000was introduced followed by the Farm Income InsuranceScheme (FIIS 2003-04). The Government has always beenstriving hard to strengthen the agriculture sector byprotecting the farmers' interest from the vagaries ofweather.Sahaj's role in changing the lives of millionsAs part of its endeavour to reach out to the farmingcommunity, , Sahaj in partnership with the HDFC ERGOGeneral Insurance Company launched Weather Insurancein 17 districts across four States - i.e. Bihar, Odisha, UttarPradesh and West Bengal. The products were designed toprotect paddy and maize from excess/deficit rainfall andextreme fluctuations in temperature in these States. Theproducts offered a comprehensive Rainfall Index InsurancePolicy to guard against adverse rainfall situation at anaffordable cost. The policy pays when the level of rainfall/temperature goes beyond certain predetermined levels asspecified in the policy. Indices were developed for bothdeficit/excess rainfall and high/low temperature. Theproducts were carefully customized to suit the prevailingcrop-weather conditions at farmers fields and affordabilityof the farmers.In collaboration with Swiss Re Insurance Company andHDFC Egro, Sahaj has made it possible to introduce theservice completely online. Good response was receivedfrom West Champaran district of Bihar and Balangir inOdisha. Sahaj hopes that the service will soon be launchedin other States as well.The West Champaran team cracked it in a big way bySahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 8

Sahaj representatives at a Gram Sabha for farmers in Biharreaching out to maximum number of farmers in severalGram Sabhas. Most of these Gram Sabhas were arranged atthe Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) locations. In additionto promoting weather insurance the platform was also usedto re-introduce the VLEs to his villagers and once again toremind them of the various new services which are availableat the Common Service Centres. Gram Sabhas are also goodplatform as a discussion forum. This is a place where serviceproviders and customers meet each other to discuss on thepresent products. This is where a ground level gap analysistakes place and therefore, adds value in forming furtherstrategies as well as product modifications. For example:some farmers of West Champaran talked about hailstorm tobe introduced as a peril in weather insurance at a GramSabha, this is where the Sahaj officials made themunderstand the difficulty of measuring hailstorm. A GramSabha is a place where customers come to understand thetrue value of a newly introduced product. It always helps inclearing confusions and assessing expectations from thecustomers. Gram Sabhas during this Kharif 2012 helped a lotin clearing confusion between general yield based CropInsurance and Weather Index Based Crop Insurance.Unique selling propositions• No invigilation required – no partiality – data basedstructure• Auto claim settlement – no need to apply for it• Online purchase – no hazard of paper works• Low premium• Affordable product also for non-loanee farmers• Sahaj's achievement from June 2012 –July 2012• No. of Policies sold: 198• Total Premium Collected (in Rs.): 2,05,063• No. of VLE Participated: 42• No. of districts from where policies were sold: 13There are two types of Insurance in theAgricultural Sector:There are major differences between the yield basedNational Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) andWBCIS. In the later chance of production hamper is moreimportant than actual yield loss. Therefore, allcalculations are done based upon weather parameters(like temperature record, rainfall record, etc.)Some Idea on Crop Insurance (mainly NAIS)National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) is alsoknown as Rashtriya Krishi Bima Yojana in Hindi. The mainobjectives of this insurance scheme are as follows –• To provide coverage to farmers in the event of failureof any notified crop production as a result of naturalcalamities, pest attacks and diseases infestations• For encouraging farmers in adopting progressivefarming practices by using high value inputs andmodern technology• Helping out in stabilizing farm incomes, especially inthe disaster yearsThe insurance can be taken by all farmers includingsharecroppers and tenant farmers. It is compulsory for thefarmers availing loans from financial institutions; whereas,it is optional for the non-loanee farmers.Some Idea on Weather Based Crop InsuranceWeather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) is a typeof agricultural insurance in which crops are insured(measured in land size unit) from disasters caused only byweather perils like deficit or excess rainfall, extremetemperature, snow, hailstorm, etc.Unlike NAIS, claim is settled in an automated process incase of WBCIS and farmers are paid based upon thepredetermined amount as per the policy terms. It is alsomentionable that claim settlement period of WBCIS iscomparatively shorter than that of NAIS.Popularity of WBCIS in India is gradually increasing asfarmers are slowly realizing its value.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 9

Cover StoryWhat a farmer thinks about the product –The premium of Weather Insurance which is below ₨ 500 per acre is easily affordable by a farmer. As the claimsettlement process is very quick, farmers are more interested in taking such a policy. Weather Insurance is a veryscientific product but it needs to be explained properly. And also, farmers need to understand the reason - on whatbasis claim settlement is being done; as to why he is eligible or, not eligible for a claim with clear explanation fromthe weather data.What the VLEs think about the product –No other Crop Insurance is generally available in such a low premium. Moreover, this product is available for thenon-loanee farmers and sharecroppers, which is very helpful to the farmers. While general crop insurance takeslong time for claim settlement, Weather Insurance really helps farmers to utilize the claim amount for their nextcultivation season.This Kharif 2012, season Sahaj collected more than 2 lac premium in which West Champaran district of Bihar hascontributed the lion's share. It is clearly visible that demand of this product from Sahaj Common Service Centres isgradually increasing and has a bright future ahead.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 10

E-Payment Facility For NREGA Beneficiaries In Odisha Unveiled:The Reserve Bank of India recently launched the facility to make payments to the beneficiaries ofMahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) electronically inOdisha. RBI deputy governor Harun Rashid Khan launched the facilty for the Odisha government inBhubhaneswar, RBI said in a statement. He also launched a new model of government receipts to provide safe andefficient mechanism for government business and timely credit of government receipts. The e-FMS (electronicFund Management System) went live for the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati and Mayurbhanj and one block Bolagarhof Khurdha district. The remaining blocks of 27 districts would be taken up in the next phase so that the entire stateis covered by Gandhi Jayanti, i.e., October 2, 2012. The e-FMS scheme involves disbursement of wages ofMGNREGA beneficiaries directly to their bank accounts through the Regional Electronic Clearing Service (RECS)provided by the Reserve Bank, Bhubaneswar. Based on the information provided by various nodal agencies (GramPanchayat/block/district level), authorised officials of the Sponsor Bank (State Bank of India in this case) downloadthe files and send to the Reserve Bank for processing on the same day on RECS. This will be done so that accounts ofbeneficiaries, maintained with different banks, can be credited the next day.Source: The Economic TimesUP To Computerise Public Distribution System:Chief Secretary Javed Usmani said foodgrain would be provided to people only through smart cards to flush out fakeration cards from the system. In the first phase, 18 districts would be covered as pilot project. Thereafter, the projectwill be implemented in the remaining 57 districts, Usmani said. Officials said fingerprints of ration card holderswould be archived in the biometric machine to ensure that in the future, the person remains the user and no fakeusers take benefit of the public distribution system. Dealers will be given a point of sale (POS) machine which willidentify the biometric card holder through fingerprints and then distribute food grains.Source: : igovernment.inRural News BulletinVillage Children Take The Skype Route To Education:Bridging the gap between rural and urban students is an initiative that connects children in interior villages withvolunteers, who can make learning interesting. Bridging the gap between rural and urban students is an initiativethat connects children in interior villages with volunteers, who can make learning interesting. Students fromgovernment schools in Jeeyapuram in Tiruchi, Thenur and Vidyashram in Perambalur and Ambasundaram inTirunelveli experience teaching that is far from the conventional methods they are used to. “Students drop in for anhour after school every day. Teachers use YouTube videos and discussion board to work out sums, screenshots ofweb pages and models to explain concepts better,” says Chinnappan, a school teacher and coordinator of theJeeyapuram centre that has entered its third year. The initiative is undertaken by a non-profit organisation“eVidyaloka“ that partners with local NGOs and community workers to implement the programme. Outside theState, the programme is under way in Juvvalapelam near Guntur, Andhra Pradesh and Tikratoli, Jharkhand.Students between Class VI and VIII are the target group as there are many dropouts in village schools after Class VIII,says Satish Viswanathan, co-founder eVidyaloka.Source: The HinduWorld Bank To Grant $100mn More For 'Jeevika' Project:The World Bank (WB) recently signed a joint agreement with the Government of India and Bihar government togrant additional US$100 million for the ongoing Bihar Rural Livelihoods Project (BRLP) named 'Jeevika'. The stategovernment will also contribute $40 million to this project. The additional funds will help consolidate and expandthe project to cover all the blocks in the six districts covered under the project. This will not only allow the project tocover all the villages in the six districts but also provide a comprehensive model for poverty alleviation programmesin Bihar.Source: The Times of IndiaCompiled by : Deepti Punj, Sahaj - DelhiSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 11

We, the people of SahajHR Offsite at RaichakIn order to align itself with the modern HR practices, Sahaj constantly strives to make the workplace more employeefriendly. Keeping this in mind, the entire HR team of SREI came together for a two day HR offsite at Fort Raichak, Raichak.The offsite was aimed at building a bond between the group HRs as well as aligning HR with the business. The first daystarted with a session by top HR leaders of the group addressing the participants on the role of HR as a Business Partner.Subsequently, the participants were introduced to the '5D approach' of doing things. Using the approach all the teamsbrainstormed on different ways to make the HR processes better across the group. HR issues and best practices of thegroup companies were shared across with all and it provided the HRs an insight into the different businesses we operate in.The day ended on a crescendo when everyone assembled for a cocktail dinner in the evening. While some danced away,few others assembled as a melodious coterie in the balmy night.The second day began with a discussion on a HR case study. It brought in diverse viewpoints from thegroup. The afternoon was spent playing management games and learning from movies. TheManagement sessions were taken by famous consultant Mr. Krishendu Banik of EMC. Inthe evening, there was a session by Swami Sarvapriyananda of Ram KrishnaMission. An MBA turned Monk, Swamiji talked about a unique conceptcalled 'Servant Leadership' and on ways to create a happy workplace in theOrganization. He kept the audience spellbound throughout his session andtowards the end of it, everyone yearned for more.Summing up, the two days offsite provided a good time to bond with our fellow HRs and alsoprovided each one with a lot of learning. It was a classic example of having fun at work!Courtesy:Ms Indu Paramita MahapatraAsst. Manager, HR, SahajSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 12

RainPhotographyContest1st prize winner 2nd prize winner 3rd prize winnerWe, the people of SahajWe at HR understand that Sahaj is a storehouse of talent. Recognizing the immense potential of our colleagues, wefloated an all India Rain Photography Contest amongst all our employees. Even though the rains played hide and seekin many of the places, we were enthralled with the response from the participants. We received numerous entries thatcaptured the different moods of the rain.We had Mr. Raj Kumar Jha, the National Creative Director of Ogilvy Actionjudging the event.The first prize went to Mr. S. D Kar of Odisha. Mr Jha had this to say about the picture, “Technically the picture scoresthe best in color, saturation, depth of field and running water.” The second prize went to Mr. Niladri Banerjee ofCentral Office, Kolkata for capturing a very candid emotion. The third prize went to Mr. Amrit Sarangi of Odisha forthe nice photo art.We congratulate all the winners. As promised, we present you with the winning entries in this edition of Setu. Wethank all the participants for their interest and active participation. We'll be back with more from HR!Courtesy:Ms Indu Paramita MahapatraAsst. Manager, HR, SahajSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 13

Ranvijay Singh (VLE, Aurangabad, Bihar):Lighting up the lives of thousandsIndia is facing a severe energy crunch; around 400 million ruralinhabitants still lack electricity, making energy access a developmentimperative. At the same time, economic growth is sending nationalenergy requirements soaring. The energy shortage is most acute amongIndia's rural poor. In Bihar, more than 80 per cent of the population stilllives in the rural areas, the majority of whom rely on conventional andtraditional fuels for their energy needs and the likes are increasinglyfinding a market among such households.The majority of the rural population in India relies on kerosene fordomestic lighting. Currently 44 per cent of households depend onkerosene as a primary fuel for meeting lighting requirements, whichtranslates to around 85 million households. Furthermore, electrifiedhouseholds in rural areas also use kerosene as a back-up fuel because oferratic electricity supply. Approximately 54 per cent of the total countrydemand for kerosene is in four states alone, Uttar Pradesh, with 21 percent, followed by Bihar with 15 per cent followed by West Bengal andOdisha. Official statistics show that kerosene is the only source of lightingfor about 89 per cent of the rural households in Bihar.There are millions of school-going children living in semi-urban and ruralareas, who don't have access to a clean and safe light which can helpthem study after dark. Most of these children have to depend onkerosene or oil based lamps which form soot and emit toxic fumes andsmoke which causes health problems like irritation in the eyes, severe respiratory illness, and are potentially dangerous asthey can cause fire accidents and burn injuries. India has more than 120 million school going children of which 70 percent are dependent on oil for study after sunset.Another stumbling block is that the electricity grids are yet to penetrate some of the remotest corners of the country. Thesituation is alarming where the electricity supply is extremely low and irregular or even absent for 80,000 villages in thecountry.As the Indian Government and energy sector seek to provide more modern and reliable energy services to thesecommunities, a fledgling market in cleaner, more efficient energy products is emerging. This huge and under-servedrural Indian market offers significant opportunities to support the sustainable energy solutions of the future. Successfulbusiness models such as solar-based home electricity systems and lanterns, energy-efficient cookstoves, are proving tobe highly cost effective and convenient.Sahaj which has made its presence felt even in the remotest corners of the mandated six states, has brought this facility forits rural friends by joining hands with d.light. It now gives its rural customers a chance to capitalize on sun's free energy fora clean and green planet. The motto of d.light is solely to “Enable households without reliable electricity to attain thesame quality of life as those with electricity.”A Village Level Entrepreneur from a small hamlet called Malhara under the Aurangabad district of Bihar has decided tobring about a sweeping transformation in his village where electricity itself is a luxury. Ranvijay got associated with Sahajthree years back and has since then always been the good Samaritan for his villagers by bringing to them convenienceright to their household. Hopeful of lighting up the lives of his villagers, Ranvijay has already bought 100 d.light solarlanterns for selling it in his village. The response that Ranvijay got was just overwhelming. More than 50 lanterns havealready been sold. According to Ranvijay, “Since there is no regular supply of electricity in our village, people are buyingthese lanterns for various uses like studying, going to the farm during the night, lighting up the house, etc.” With suchgood going, Ranvijay is sure to bring light to each and every household in his village.VLE Case StudySahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 15

G2C NewsUP villages to get 26 services through e-governanceEvery village will now be able to receive 26 servicesthrough e-governance as early as possible. Its mainaim is to make all official services available at low costsquickly and with utmost transparency through aCommon Service Centre.Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar Mittal saidthat government officials and employees will becomemore aware about e-governance through a nationalthematic regional workshop and IT industry will alsogain widespread publicity.He said that as per the plan the pilot project of theboard will be operating in Rae Bareli and Sitapur.Under the National e-governance plan (NEGP), 26services will be provided to the masses.Source: The Times of IndiaOne lakh Common Service Centres coming soon:PilotThe government said that about 98,000 CommonService Centres (CSCs) that provide e-governanceservices to the public have already been set up in thecountry and the target of one lakh centres will be metsoon.It will offer web-enabled e-governance services inrural areas, including application forms, certificates,and utility payments such as electricity, telephone andwater bills.As per data available on the Department of IT website,as of 30 April 2012, a total of 88,995 CSCs areoperational in 33 states and Union territories.The target to roll out one lakh CSCs was set for June2011. However, the target has not been met as manyof the CSCs have become non-operational due totermination of contracts, naxal activity and nonavailabilityof connectivity, he said.Pilot also inaugurated the Centre for e-Governance(CEG) in New Delhi today.The CEG will have 12 touch screen kiosks showcasingvarious projects like e-Mitra in Rajasthan, Akshaya inKerala, Mee Seva in Andhra Pradesh and Passport SevaProject at Ministry of External Affairs.Source: egov.eletsonline.comUP to computerise public distribution systemFood grains would be provided to people onlythrough smart cards to flush out fake ration cardsfrom the systemUttar Pradesh will computerise the publicdistribution system and issue biometric smart cards toits residents.Chief Secretary Javed Usmani said foodgrain wouldbe provided to people only through smart cards toflush out fake ration cards from the system.In the first phase, 18 districts would be covered aspilot project. Thereafter, the project will beimplemented in the remaining 57 districts, Usmanisaid.Officials said fingerprints of ration card holders wouldbe archived in the biometric machine to ensure thatin the future, the person remains the user and no fakeusers take benefit of the public distribution system.He also said that from July 31, fair price shops wouldbe allotted through an online system.Source: igovernment.inUP to launch portal for utility servicesIt will provide services like civil supplies,employment registration and old-age pensionUttar Pradesh government will launch a web portalfrom August 1 to provide services like civil supplies,employment registration, and old age pensionthrough information technology.The portal will be simultaneously launched in all thedistricts of the state, an official told IANS. ChiefSecretary Jawed Usmani on Thursday inaugurated thestate level training workshop in this regard."Shifting of government-to-public interface fromoffices to web-based portal is an extremely importantinitiative as it will mitigate the abuse of administrativepower by incorporating transparent procedures basedon IT," Usmani said.Services and information related to departments ofFood & Civil Supplies, Social Welfare, Panchayati Raj,Urban Development, Revenue and Women Welfare,ration cards, birth certificates could be known throughthe portal.Source: digitallearning.eletsonline.comSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 16

UP to unveil 'Guarantee To Health' scheme for kidsUnder the plan, about 7.3 million poor anddeprived children in the state will be providedcomplete and sustainable healthcareThe project, Guarantee to Health (GTH), will coverchildren aged 2-14 and is likely to be unveiled onIndependence Day, August 15. It will be launchedwith the 'Haq Se Maango' (Demand Your Rights)credo, reports IANS.The age group has been selected, an official said,because it requires healthcare support most.Children under two years are covered under otherhealth schemes and as per the law, boys and girls over14 are considered adolescents.Once the scheme is implemented, children inschools and madrassas of the state would be givenmedicines, vaccinations, ultrasound facilities andpathological tests free of cost.Under GTH, a new and value-added version of anearlier healthcare programme 'Vidyalaya SwasthyaKaryakram,' children would be issued smart healthcards with personal information such as blood group,height, weight and body mass index, among others.Source: igovernment.inDRDO's telemedicine system for civilians soonThe Rural Development Ministry and DRDO areworking out the modalities to commercialise asystem already in place for the Indian Army andNavySoon people living in rural and remote areas inIndia will have access to experts' diagnosis andadvises on their ailments without actually going tohospitals located in urban centers.The Defence Research and DevelopmentOrganisation (DRDO) has decided tocommercialise its telemedicine technology,primarily developed for the armed forces, to makeit available for civilians especially in the remote andrural areas.The Union Ministry of Rural Development andDRDO are in talks on the modalities to implementthe new technology for the use of civilians.DRDO Research Head W Selvamurthy said thesystem had undergone successful trials in the last sixmonths, with both the Army and the Navyexpressing their satisfaction.The technology allows patient and medical staff tocommunicate despite them being in differentlocations and transmit and share medical, imagingand health informatics data from one site toanother.G2C NewsSource: igovernment.inComputer Education Plan to be launched in Odisha schoolsIn order to make the children computer literate, the State Government has decided to start imparting computereducation in 1,442 Upper Primary schools and 6,000 Government-run high schools from the current academicyear. The School and Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena, said under the Computer Aided Learning Scheme, asmany as six computers along with printers would be provided to UP schools to be installed at the specially builtComputer Labs. Similarly, ten computers would be provided to each Government high school under the ICTcomputer education scheme. He said in order to make the programme functional, during the last two years twoto four teachers in each school were given computer training. Training to the students would be given as perspecific syllabus with practical classes, he said.Source: digitallearning.eletsonline.comContributed by:Ms Namrata TyagiManagement Trainee, G2C, SahajSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 17

G2C ServicesE – District services: Now in BiharThe e-district service is a StateMission Mode Project under theNational e - governance Plan. Theproject aims to target high volumeservices currently not covered by anyother MMP under NeGP andundertake backend computerizationto e-enable the delivery of theseservices through Common ServiceCenters.A total 32 services from variousdepartments like Revenue, Food,Basic Education, Social Welfare,Minorities, Forests, Panchayati Raj,Rural Development, Agriculture, Election, Home, Minor Irrigation, Passport, Irrigation, Excise, Finance & Treasuries,Family Welfare, Horticulture, Cooperatives, Transport, Health,Land Records, and Registration etc. have been selected forcomplete automation.After successful roll out in these 3 states of Sahaj’s area ofoperation now, e- district services have been launched in 4thstate – Bihar.• Assam - Online G2C services are available in Sonitpur andGoalpara Districts while offline G2C services are available inBarpeta, Dhubri, Lakhimpur, Darrang and Jorhat Districts• Uttar Pradesh - These services have been rolled out throughCSCs and Sahaj Portal in three Districts viz Sitapur, Rae Barelyand Gorakhpur. Under the e–district services in UP, CertificateService (Death Certificate, Birth Certificate, Cast Certificate,Domicile etc.), Old Age Pension Scheme is going on in fullswing.• Tamil Nadu - Web based services are available which are notspecific to CSCs.This year in the month of April, the government issued work orderfor launch of e – district services in 4 districts of Bihar – Gaya,Nalanda, Aurangabad and Madhubani. The 1st e – district inBihar was launched by Honourable Chief Minister, Mr. NitishKumar, in his home town, Nalanda.Out of the 4 districts, Madhubani doesn't fall under our area ofoperations but due to unavailability of SCA there and on the basisof good performance by Sahaj, the government made anexception and gave the responsibility to Sahaj to roll out e –district services in Madhubani.These service roll out successes gives us a hope regarding thebright future of e- Governance project and SCAs attached withthis. These steps taken by the government will help rural Indiawork as vitalizers to the NeGP project.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 18

Ongoing G2C Services:Service State DistrictE – district Assam Sonitpur, GoalparaE – district Bihar Madhubani, Aurangabad, NalandaE – district Tamil Nadu KrishnagiriE – district Uttar Pradesh Gorakhpur, Sitapur, Rae Bareli1st Level monitoring of Employmentgeneration Mission SchemesAssamLakhimpurMGNREGA Job Card Preparation work Assam BongoigaonMGNREGA Data Entry workRevision of Electoral Roll and EPICgeneration workMCTS data entry workBiharOdishaWest BengalJehanabad, Bhojpur, Kaimur, Rohtasand MungerJharsuguda, Sonepur and BolangirApplication submission for Post metricsscholarship for Minority StudentsWest Bengal30 Educational InstitutesApart from these services, we have successfully conducted election webcast in local body election in 9 districts ofUttar Pradesh. We have also completed the second phase of training elected representatives of Panchayati Raj in theKushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh.Services in the pipe line that are completely ready to launch:1. 26 services under SSDG portal in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh2. Khatauni service in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh3. PRIASoft data entry work in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh4. Tehsil Diwas Service in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh5. Commercial Tax services in 24 districts of Uttar Pradesh and 18 districts of West Bengal6. Anganwadi centers data entry work in 26 district of Bihar7. Jeevika Data entry work in BiharWith inputs fromNamrata Tyagi, Management Trainee, G2C, DelhiSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 19

Sahaj SuswasthyaSay hello to a disease free MonsoonFrequent occurrence ofdiseases such as diarrhea,d y s e n t e r y, m a l a r i a ,intestinal helminthes,cough and fever canadversely affect yourh e a l t h d u r i n g t h emonsoons.D u r i n g t h em o n s o o n s , y o u rimmune system isa t t a c k e d b y anumber of infectionsand infestations thatinclude:• Bacterial – Tuberculosis,infective diarrhea andcough• Viral – Fever, measlesand common cold.• Parasitic – Malaria, intestinal helmencis like hookworm and ascarasis interfere with the absorption of nutrients by thebody.The following food safety guidelines help you remain healthy during monsoon• Always boil water before use and store it in a covered container.• Use long handle mugs to avoid hand contact with water while fetching water.• Drink enough water at safe places like home or office so as to avoid thirst and the need to drink water outside.• In unavoidable circumstances drink coconut water or tetra packed drinks.Selection of foods• Avoid buying/eating cut fruits and cut vegetables from outside vendors.• Avoid eating fruits with strong smells like jackfruit, targola, jamun etc. Smelly fruits attract flies which carry infectioussubstances.• Avoid drinking fruit juices, yogurt, buttermilk, lassie, sugar cane juice and eating sprouts, srikhand or green chutneyfrom vendors.• Whenever you eat in restaurants, avoid eating green leafy vegetables like palak paneer etc because you are not surewhether they are cleaned properly or not. Instead order for beans and other seasonal vegetable sabji.• While traveling if you are hungry, instead of eating samosa, golgappa, vada pav, etc. go for bhunna channa, homemade chikki, ladoo or whole fruits.• Don't purchase vegetables in bulk. Buy only what's required on alternate days to stock fresh vegetables.• Enhance immunity by eating more green leafy vegetables, whole fruits, foods rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A, VitaminSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 20Already over half of the world's tropical forests have been lost.

• Avoid eating half boiled non-veg, eggs etc.• Avoid eating raw vegetable salads, instead consumesauteed vegetable salads or steamed vegetables.• Avoid eating mushrooms and sprouts prepared more thana day ago, which increases chances of food poisoning.Food storage• Food grains like legume, oil seeds stored in humidatmosphere are infected by pathogenic fungus so closelyinspect before use.• Keep all eatables, cooked and uncooked vegetables fullycovered and store separately.• Thoroughly clean your refrigerator to avoid formation offungus which may spread to food items stored in it. If fooditems are shrinking or loosing their freshness, don't usethem.Hygiene and sanitation• When you get back home after work, wash your legs andhands immediately with disinfectant solutions.• Wear slippers/chappals when using bathroom/toilet.• Put 2 tsp of salt in very hot water and clean toilet bowls,wash basins, kitchen sinks every 3 days. This will preventformation of bacteria in these areas.• Wash utensils immediately after eating.• Keep your shoes, socks, raincoats, bed sheets and pillows dry and clean.Healthy cooking methods• Wash all vegetables (especially green leafyvegetables) with potassium permanganate beforecutting.• Don't cut vegetables into small pieces, chop intomedium size pieces to avoid loss of nutrients. Don'tsoak vegetables in water after cutting.• Keep your body light by eating balanced breakfast.Remove body toxins by drinking tulsi water,lukewarm water and barley water.• Cook only the required quantity of food andconsume at the earliest. Cooked foods easily getcontaminated than uncooked raw vegetables.• Avoid frequent and repeated heating of food items.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 21

Sahajites Writing DeskRural Youth: Not just consumers;Influencers, EntrepreneursIn earlier days, wallpaintings and streettheatres were the staplefor brands looking toengage consumers inrural India. But today,t h e s c e n a r i o i scompletely different. Alot of factors havecontributed to thischange. The modes ofengagement in many'rural' markets today arenot very different fromthose employed inu r b a n I n d i a . T h eparadigm of rural ischanging. At the centreof this change is asegment that is changingIndia itself- the youth. This segment, which is the earliest adopter of technology, and which aspires for more, is definingwhat rural marketers must do.Many rural areas cannot be classified as 'hinterlands' anymore, thanks to connectivity and infrastructure development.Youth in the rural India are in sync with most brands and technologies reaching urban markets. In many cases, thechallenge is not in establishing brands in rural markets, but of ensuring products' timely physical reach. More brands areeyeing the rural markets today, and with good reason.As pointed out by several research papers on the subject, purchase decisions in rural India are made collectively. Theprocess involves the influencer, decision maker, buyer and payer, and each one could be a different individual. Marketerswill have to address all constituents. It is acknowledged that "rural youth brings brand knowledge to the household',thereby, becoming the key influencer in of the purchase process.According to the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the Indian rural consumer lives in over6,00,000 villages, accounting for over 70 per cent of the population. Some researchers strongly contest this populationshare. Given that the data is from 2002, one is forced to admit the counter arguments.For several product categories, rural markets account for over 60 per cent of the national demand. While the ruralconsumer is perceived as less affluent than his urban cousin, things have been changing over the last 10 years.Adding to the importance of the youth is the sheer size of the segment, across urban and rural markets - 50 percent of thepopulation is estimated to be between 25 and 40 years of age. This is also considered to be the earning youth, who wantlive life according to their choices, and are aspiration-led.According to a study commissioned by RMAI (Rural Marketing Association of India) in early 2009, the economic slowdownmade no impact on the rural economy. The study, conducted in R1 and R2 markets (top two social classes of ruralhouseholds), targeted the 'middle class' in the rural markets - a segment which sets the trend in these markets. The studyrevealed that rural incomes are on the rise, driven largely by continuous growth in agriculture for four consecutive years,and other factors including infrastructure development.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 22

Technology penetrationA study by internet research firm JuxtConsult in 2008 revealed that one out of every seven regular internet users was fromrural areas. Part of the growth was attributed to the increase in number of websites in regional languages. The study alsorevealed that rural net users were younger than their urban counterparts. 61 per cent of the total internet users in rural Indiawere under 25 years of age, against around 50 per cent in urban India.Another aspect that has contributed to connectivity of rural India is mobile telephony. Around 10 million mobilesubscribers are being added each month in the country since 2008. According to TRAI, 11 million were added in May2009. With penetration approaching saturation in urban India, rural's share of the new subscribers is bound to grow.'Entrepreneurship' and 'self-empowerment' models by brands have come to stay in rural India. These allow brands toengage the local youth and enable them to experience the brand, while promoting the brands for their own benefits. As aresult, the brand gets a local face and a distribution partner. Brand custodians underline that such 'partners' speak the locallanguage and understand the local mindset better than highly paid marketing or sales executives from urban areas.Any communication aimed at a rural Target Grouup (youth or otherwise) calls for customized campaigns which understandthe mindset and ground realities for the specific product category. And this could vary from region to region, state to state.1. Since how long have you been associated with Sahaj?We (BALIC) have been associated with Sahaj since April 2012 and started business since May 2012.Contributed by:Mr. Kailash Chandra GahirVice President, Sales & MarketingWith inputs from: EVENTFAQS“Sahaj has got one of the best reach inIndian Villages - Bajaj Allianz ”2. How do you value you association with Sahaj?We really feel proud to be associated with Sahaj. We value the relationship very much and would give our best interms of services.3. How are the harbingers of change, the Village Level Entrepreneurs of Sahaj, adding value to your business?The VLEs have opened a new avenue for Insurance penetration that too in a micro level. It will help us to reach thereal needy population.4. Your views on Sahaj's reach.Sahaj has got one of the best reach in Indian villages. The span and network of Sahaj will definitely boost thepenetration for any partner who is associated with Sahaj. More importantly, the robust process which Sahaj hasdevolved over the years will make the work much easier.5. What more new products do you plan to introduce that would make the life of the rural populace more worthwhile?We are planning to introduce need based solutions for the rural population customized as per Sahaj Requirement.The same would be simple and customer friendly products.Contributed by:Mr. Asish MishraRegional Manager - Business ProcurementBajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company LimitedPartner SpeaksSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 23

Capacity Building DiarySales Cycle – a 3-Gear ProcessParomita BhattacharyaVP- Capacity BuildingEveryone buys to solve a pain or fulfill a desire. This is true for individuals andbusinesses alike (businesses are nothing but a group of individual decisionmakers).Buying decisions are always prioritized, whether people are aware thatthey do this or not. Businesses making buying decisions usually have formalprocedures for prioritizing their acquisitions. Individuals also prioritize theirbuying decisions, but this generally is a much more casual and oftenunconscious process.To speed up your sale, you must move the pain that you are offering to solve nearthe top of the prospect's priority list.Here are three ways that you can do this.#1 - Choose Your Prospects RuthlesslyTo put it simply, the fastest sales happen when the prospects know they are inpain. For a given problem, the businesses (or people) who have this in commonwill likely share other characteristics. Look at who has been spending moneyduring this slowdown with either you or your competitors, and ask yourself whatthey have in common. You want to have a profile of what these customers looklike when you are prospecting. This will enable you to quickly decide whetherto engage in a sales effort. Prospects who don't meet your profile should bediscarded.#2 - Get To The Executives FirstNot getting to the decision-makers early in the sell cycle is a common reason for lengthy sales cycles. To get there, you haveto know how to talk to them. Executives want to know how you are going to increase revenues or efficiency, and savemoney or time. Their biggest fear of salespeople is that you will waste their time with techno-babble.You can also have your current executive customer contacts refer you to other executives that they know within your targetprospect accounts. You can use your management as a "power meets power" way of getting access.#3 - Intensify Their PainWhen your sale is low on their priority list, it is because the executives believe they have bigger problems to focus on. Youcan influence their perception and priorities by getting them to experience the consequences of the unaddressed problemin advance of it happening. You want to make this problem feel real in the present moment.There are two very effective techniques for doing this. One is to tell stories. You mentioned that you had a number ofcustomers both large and small. Interview your customers and find out precisely why they bought your product.Determine the specific pains, and the specific results they got from it. Create detailed stories about your customers suchthat your prospect will identify with the pains that your customer's had. The most powerful motivation for a sale is theprospect's own fears and desires. People make decisions to buy, or move your sale up on their priority list when they are inan emotional state. Questions that get them to experience the consequences of problems that they are not dealing withcan bring the pain strongly into the present moment.Focus On What You Can Control• Who you sell for and what you sell.• Which prospects you choose to engage.• The level at which you first engage your prospects:• What you do, say, and ask when you engage people.Homeowners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicalsper acre than farmers.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 24

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Tech TodayPayment Gateways and SahajPayment gateway is a special service designed and developed with and intention of helping businesses with the onlinebilling process. It consists of an in-built billing processor which enables the collection of credit card information and itstransmission via the World Wide Web. It is a digital equivalent of a credit card processing terminal. Payment gateway isbasically a software application which enables the functionality of a credit card company, enabling merchants to acceptonline payments.There are basically two types of payment gateways.• A widely used Payment Gateway is a secure order form. It directs the client to a third party website for credit cardpayment processing into an individual merchant account.• Another type of Payment Gateway is a merchant-side Application Program Interface (API). An integration of code isdone on the server that hosts the merchant e-commerce web-site.Payment Gateway simplifies the acceptance of online payments done via credit cards. The below benefits are offered tothe merchants• It decreases the geo-location barrier. Clients located anywhere in the world can make payments in no time. Themerchants are capable of accepting payments from around the globe.• Customers can conveniently go about with making payments with faster speeds and ease.• The customers are immediately notified about acceptance or decline of payments in real time. This helps maintainingtransparency in the payment processes.• The payment gateways guarantee 100% safe and secure transactions. Merchants have the facility to offer a money backguarantee as well.• Since businesses have no restriction for payment acceptance, they can focus more on expanding their businesses acrossother geo-locations.• It helps in reducing the infrastructural and the human resource costs.• The process is remarkably faster than the traditional payment modes.• Business hours aren't constraints with online payment gateways, customers can go about making payments even in thenon-working hours and place an order for the product• The entire process is carried out via. a highly secure (encrypted) network. Hence, customers can stay rest assured abouttheir money.When selecting a payment gateway that is best suitable for your payment services on the ecommerce site, you must checkthe below criterias:• You must check the compatibility of the Payment Gateways. This is one of the most important aspects when thinking ofadding a payment gateway to your ecommerce website. Before making a choice of an eCommerce shopping cart, it isbetter that you check if your payment gateway is compatible with it.• The Address Verification System (AVS ) protection is another important and very useful feature of payment gateways.This helps in detecting fraud payments and transactions. The Address Verification System holds the capability to verifythe address of the card holders billing address. Therefore, before you select a payment gateway, you check that theyoffer an AVS protection facility.Depending on the payment gateways, fixed per transaction charges needs to be borne by the merchant. Hence, it is alsoimportant to checkout the charges before choosing a gateway.Sahaj is all set to introduce this facility for its Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLE) very soon, where the VLEs can instantlyrecharge his SKASH balance through online fund transfer.Note: Sahaj presently carries out its transactions with its VLEs through a process called SKASH. Through this process, theVLEs provide facilities like bill collection, DTH recharge, insurance premium collection, etc to its end users (customers)after recharging his account either through Bank mode or through VOMS available from his nearest Sahaj RCC. ThisSKASH may be simply looked at as an online trading account mechanism that has simplified the real-time financialtransaction in remote villages too.Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 26

National IT Conference organised bySahaj in Kolkata, West BengalUP Development System Corporation Ltd., MD,Mr. Narendra Kr. Singh at Lucknow State H.O, UP, to checkthe readiness of the Sahaj Jan Seva Kendra throughVideo Conferencing.Sahaj ScapeMs. Chandrima Banerjee, VP - HR, inaugurates Sahaj Mela,held for VLEs to showcase their products at Sahaj H.O.Mr. Harsh Patnaik, Sr. VP - BD and Emerging Business atSahaj Mela held at Sahaj H.O.Representative of Mohan Foundation briefing employees ofSahaj H.O. about the virtue of Organ Donation.Master VLEs, who have excelled in the CSC business, at SahajBandhan - an endeavour of Sahaj to bond more closely withthe Village Level Entrepreneurs, held at Sahaj H.O.Old Age Pension payment being made to a beneficiary inDharmapuri, Tamil Nadu.e-Learning Campaign in Master VLE area of Nishchintakoili,Odisha, to spread awareness about world-class education

HoroscopePrediction of the monthAries (March 21-April 20): Any and all sorts ofcelebrations, parties and entertainments appealto you. In fact you need them. In between doconcentrate on specific artistic activities forthis is a powerful period of inventiveness,proficiency, and skill that doesn't occuroften. Several childhood issues may arise.Welcome and tend to them with enduringgrace.Taurus (April 21-May 21): Conversationsand encounters with others will have profoundeffects upon your mind so much so that you willdeepen into yourself and consider and/or changeyour points of view. Your ways of thinking will shift,becoming more inclusive, more intelligent, and deeply spiritual.Allow no holds placed upon you. Finances will be a focus again.Gemini (May 23-June 20): Is your day filled with runningerrands, chatting ceaselessly, wishing you could take short trips forpleasure only, and providing information and social news to allyour networks? The hum of connecting this to that, him to her, itto they. Your information dispersement is rather fierce. Make sureto maintain a cohesive magnetic center. You understand this.Cancer (June 21-July 20): Money matters on your mind feelalmost overwhelming. Perhaps they have to do also with children,their needs responsibilities, and growth. Know that there is alwaysenough, that you will always have financial resources, and that it'sthrough your gifts of leadership (and intuition) adequate moneyswill always arrive. And the kids are OK, too. Be relieved now.Leo (July 21-Aug. 22): Whenever your usual feelings of powerarise, and they will more so now, temper them with empathy andcompassion. This assists you in being a true leader. With intimatesrealize you are more vulnerable, have strong emotions you maynot share, and could end up arguing instead of being objective. Acrisis may occur. It's psychological. It's about your growth.Examine your reactions first. Then concede.Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Important spiritual and psychologicalbreakthroughs may take place but only if the past is released. Thisincludes all feelings of mistakes and misfortunes that you thinkbefell you. In causal reality everything is simply experience so thatwe can learn discernment and discrimination within all levels oflife.Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Careful not to argue with friends andyour various groups. If differences are becoming greater, it may betime to assess the value of these interactions. Perhaps there is nolonger a sharing or like-mindedness. Yes, you desire stability,especially with your social groups. But it may be time for a new,non-conforming direction. What do your dreams say?Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Sweet freedom! The month beginson an expansive note, with the Sun visiting Cancer, your ninthhouse of travel, new horizons and higher learning. This is theperfect time for a vacation, as the worldly ninth house stokes yourdesire to leave city limits. However, you might want to do so, onthe earlier side.Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 20): For some reason youfeel your opinions and beliefs are being challengedand don't know why. This could manifest eitherwithin or from without. Whatever the direction,some things need changing concerning yourphilosophy and goals. You need to travel a bitmore, take measures that expand your vision.Metaphysics and the spiritual life are calling.Capricorn (Dec. 21-Jan. 20): July gets off toan energetic start for you, Cappy. On the 3rd, aCapricorn full moon brings your 2012 goals andambitions full circle. You've been building up tothis moment somehow, and whether it's a push for alife change or toward a personal goal, this full moonprompts you tAquarius (Jan. 21-Feb. 18): Your most valuable asset is yourintuition which you may not be aware of having. But your surelydo. It helps you figure the best ways to respond to issues. It givesyou insight into other's agendas and feelings, needs andexpectations. Be confident at all times that only you know what'sbest for you. Let others stand back a bit.Pisces (Feb. 18-March 20): You're quite busy, more thanexpected. This creates enhanced decision making andorganization. You'll need to continually re-evaluate priorities.Don't ignore appropriate diet and daily exercise. Your mind needsprotein to think so exactly and your body needs exercise tomaintain the rigors of excess work. Create a monastery in yourmind while working.Source: www.ehoroscope2012.netC A S H R E G I S T E RA U X N U OP I N K R H O D E S I AE D C A E K MH E A T H C L I FO N A E I O GR E C O R D S N I V E LN E I P I E AS T R E C R E DS K A N E H RH A R D B A C K H E R AA I L I A GM A S T E R Y O D D STFLESolutionsCrossword SolutionSahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 28

Sahaj Setu • August 2012 • Page 29Chaakri.co.in : List of Job Vacancies

Chaakri.co.in : List of Job Vacancies