I must emphasize that people with depression do not necessarily choose the wrong path or become psychopaths. Depression is a mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide, and it’s important to approach this topic with sensitivity and understanding.

That being said, depression can sometimes lead to impulsive or reckless decisions, which may be due to various factors. Here are some possible reasons why individuals with depression might make choices that might seem counterintuitive or harmful:

1. Depression can impair cognitive function: Depression can affect brain function, including decision-making, problem-solving, and impulse control. Impaired cognitive function can lead to impulsive decisions, which may not be in the individual’s best interest.
2. Negative thought patterns: Depression often involves distorted thinking patterns, such as negative self-talk, rumination, and catastrophizing. These negative thoughts can lead to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and despair, which may drive individuals to seek escape or instant gratification through impulsive decisions.
3. Self-medication: Some individuals with depression might turn to substance abuse or other maladaptive coping mechanisms to alleviate their symptoms. This can lead to a downward spiral of addiction and poor decision-making.
4. Lack of motivation: Depression can cause a lack of motivation and energy, leading to feelings of apathy and disinterest in activities that were once enjoyable. This can result in choices that are not aligned with the individual’s long-term goals or values.
5. Feelings of shame and guilt: Depression often accompanies feelings of shame and guilt, which can lead individuals to make choices that they perceive as a way to “escape” or “punish” themselves.

It’s essential to remember that depression is a treatable condition, and individuals with depression are

The Plain of Jars is a region in central Laos that is known for its thousands of ancient stone jars, which are scattered across the landscape. The mystery surrounding the Plain of Jars is the purpose and origin of these jars, which have been puzzling archaeologists and historians for decades.

The jars:

The Plain of Jars is home to over 3,000 stone jars, ranging in size from 1 to 4 meters (3 to 13 feet) tall and weighing up to several tons. The jars are made of limestone and sandstone, and some are intricately carved with patterns and designs. The majority of the jars are found in the Phonsavan district of Xiengkhuang Province, but similar sites have also been discovered in neighboring provinces.

Theories about the jars:

Several theories have been proposed to explain the purpose and origin of the Plain of Jars:

1. Funerary ritual: One theory is that the jars were used as burial vessels for human remains. The intricate carvings on the jars could have been used to identify the deceased or convey important information about their status.
2. Agricultural storage: Another theory suggests that the jars were used to store agricultural products, such as rice or other grains. The jars could have been used as a means of preserving food for the community.
3. Drinking vessels: Some archaeologists believe that the jars were used as drinking vessels, possibly for ceremonial purposes. The carvings on the jars could have represented important symbols or messages.
4. Ancient irrigation system: Another theory proposes that the jars were part of an ancient irrigation system, designed to control water flow or store water for agriculture.

Challenges and controversies:

Despite extensive research, many questions remain unanswered about the Plain of Jars:

1. Dating: The dating of the jars is still unclear, with estimates ranging from 500 BCE to 1000 CE.
2. Who built them?: It is unknown who built the jars, as no written records or archaeological evidence has been found.
3. Purposes: The purpose of the jars remains a mystery, with no consensus on whether they were used for funerary, agricultural, or ceremonial purposes.

Disaster management in India has evolved from an activity-based reactive setup to a proactive institutionalized structure and from a relief-based approach to a ‘multi-dimensional pro- active holistic approach for reducing risk’.

The current institutional framework is characterized by following mechanisms:

• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): The National Disaster Management Act, 2005 Act provides for the setting up of NDMA at national level, and, the SDMA at the state level and the DDMAs at the district level.
  • NDMA is the apex body for disaster management, which has the responsibility for laying down the policies, plans, and guidelines for disaster management. The guidelines of NDMA assist the Central Ministries, Departments, and States to formulate their respective Disaster Management (DM) plans.
• National Executive Committee (NEC): It acts as the coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management. The NEC may give directions to the relevant Ministries/Departments of the Centre, the State Governments, and the State Authorities regarding measures to be taken by them in response to any specific threatening disaster situation or disaster as per needs of the State.
• National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR): A multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) was constituted to include stakeholders including people representing different interests in the field of disaster management apart from centre and state governments.
• National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM): It is the nodal agency responsible for human resource development, capacity building, training, research, documentation and policy advocacy in the field of disaster management. .
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): The NDRF is a specialist response force that can be deployed in a threatening disaster situation or disaster.
• The National Disaster Management Plan, 2016: It provides a framework and direction to the government agencies for all phases of the disaster management cycle. It provides for a comprehensive plan for different hazards with role and function clarity of all authorities involved.

Similar structures exist at the State and District level for tackling disaster managements. These include State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), State Executive Committee and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). Need of the hour is to ensure effective functioning of these mechanisms by overcoming their various shortcomings like hierarchical, bureaucratic, command and control, ‘top down’, approach that gives the central, state, and district authorities sweeping powers. Going forward, India can also work on institutionalizing mechanisms for community-based disaster management, disaster resilient infrastructure etc. Further, issues like having no concrete plan or policy for anticipating requirements and mobilisation of funds, lack of trained manpower need to be resolved for the purpose of effective disaster management.

Few substances, especially non- biodegradable ones (which cannot be metabolized by the living organism) have the ability to move through various trophic levels. The movement of these substances involves two main processes:

• Bio-accumulation: It is the process of gradual increase in the concentration of toxic elements within the body of a particular organism. In general, the concentration of such pollutants becomes higher in the body of the organism compared to the external environment. It happens when the accumulating rate is much higher than the removal rate. Therefore, if the lifetime of the substance is higher, the impact of it also gets higher. Bioaccumulation occurs at the base of a food web, usually within primary producers like phytoplankton.
• Bio-magnification: It is the process in which the concentration of the toxic elements increases at the successive trophic levels in a food chain. It occurs when slightly larger organisms, such as zooplankton feed upon the contaminated phytoplankton and in turn absorb POPs into their own tissues at a higher concentration. These pollutants bio-magnify along food chains because successive trophic levels consume relatively large quantities of biomass (food) to ob tain the resources required for metabolic functioning. If that hiomass is contaminated, the contaminant will be taken up in large quantities by the consumer.

Hence, bio-accumulation occurs within a trophic level while bio-magnification occurs between trophic levels.

Their effects include

• Impact on human health: Bio-magnification makes humans more prone to cancers, organ failure, respiratory disorders, birth defects, brain damage, heart diseases etc. For instance, diseases like hepatitis and cancer have been attributed to consuming seafood that has been poisoned by mercury (Minamata disease) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
• Effects on aquatic life: The various toxic chemicals and elements accumulate in the vital organs of the various aquatic creatures affecting their reproduction and development. For instance, seabird eggs are laid with thinner shells than normal, and can result in the birds crushing their eggs instead of incubating them. Increased concentration of Mercury in an organism damages the nervous, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems. Bio-accumulation of DDT can cause sterility etc.
• Disruption of the food chain: Many sea creatures depend on the natural food chain for survival. When chemicals and other toxins are carried into the soils, rivers, lakes or oceans and taken up by various organisms, it disrupts the interconnected relationships within the food chain.
• Destruction of the coral reefs: The coral reefs are destroyed by cyanide which is used in leaching gold and in fishing. The reefs provide for spawning, feeding, and dwelling grounds for numerous sea creatures. When destroyed, the survival of aquatic creatures is highly compromised.
• Effect on ecosystem: The destruction of keystone species due to bio-accumulation of toxic elements can disrupt the entire food chain and ultimately the entire ecosystem.

Effective solutions to these problems include elimination of the use of toxic elements like some harmful heavy metals, following proper safety measures and guidelines while using and disposing the toxic elements, increasing awareness among people about the issue ete.

The food processing sector offers a vital linkage between agriculture and industry.. With India moving from a position of scarcity to surplus in food production the prospects for increasing processing levels are enormous.

Potential of Food Processing Sector in India

• Sunrise industry: Less than 10% of India’s agri-output is processed and most of it is primary processing that offers lower value-addition. India’s significant agricultural production strength, along with low levels of current processing offer huge opportunities for growth.
• Promising growth pattern: The sector grew at an Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) of around 8.5% from 2014-18 and constituted as much as around 9 per cent and 11 per cent of Gross Value Added in the Manufacturing and Agriculture sector respectively. Also, cheaper workforce availability can be effectively utilized to setup large low cost production bases for domestic and export markets.
• Market composition: India’s large and growing market, rising income, changing consumption patterns due to urbanization, changes in the gender composition of workforce, growing household consumption (which is expected to double by 2020) etc. are likely to give boost to growth of this sector.
• Increased Investments: From 2014-19, FDI inflow into Indian food industry has been increasing steadily to the tune of USD 3.28 billion at a CAGR of more than 4%.

Significance of Food Processing Sector

• United Nations estimates that 40% of production is wasted. Similarly, the NITI Aayog estimated annual post-harvest losses of close to Rs. 90,000 crore. Thus, food processing is also significant from the point of reducing food waste.
• With a growth rate of 10.35% in the 2010-17 period, this sector provides huge employment generation potential also.
• Owing to the labour intensive nature of the food processing industry, it has a higher multiplier effect on the overall economy.
• Moving up the value chain in the processed food sector is key to doubling farmer’s income by reducing food wastage; enhancing food exports and contributing to food security.

Challenges facing the Food Processing Sector

• There is a lack of efficient supply chain infrastructure and inadequate expansion of processing and storage capacity commensurate with agriculture production.
• Minimization of losses in the perishable segment requires huge investment with a long payback period in farm gate infrastructure, storage & cold chain infrastructure and expansion of processing capacities.
• Low level of food processing and value addition impacts our competitiveness & export performance.
• Inadequate linkage of processors, exporters and bulk purchasers with farmers results in mismatch between industry requirements and supply of agri-produce by the farmers.
• Inadequate and high cost of credit fails to attract prospective entrepreneurs in the food processing sector for investment.
• Multiple permissions & clearances, inadequate marketing experience, tough labour laws, uniformity of standards applicable to small and large units act as disincentives for smaller establishments.
• There is a lack of adequate emphasis on food safety standards along the food value chain to promote Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

To realize the potential of this sector, the Government of India has accorded it ‘high priority’ status under its Make in India initiative. Furthermore, policy environment is being made conducive through efforts like relaxation of FDI norms, marketing reforms, and facilitation of infrastructure creation through schemes like National Mission on Food Processing, Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana, Mega Food Parks Scheme, Agri export zones etc. This shall go a long way in making India the ‘Food Basket of the world’.