Praveen's page

Useful Links

2009-10-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

Note: The links provided here are only in good faith to share available information. The responsibility
of verifying the correctness of the information, including updates, and copyright, if any, rests
with the user.

Companion Organisations
 Bharat Uday Karmayogi Ashram, Chheri Basayak, Uttar Pradesh
http://www.karmayogi.0fees.net/index.htm
 Bhumi Chennai
http://bhumichennai.org/
 Emmanuel Orphanage and Day Care Centre, Bengalooru / Anekal
 Mahiti Hakku Adhyayana Kendra, Bengalooru
 Satyashodhana Samiti, Hubballi

Government Sites: Union / Central
(Ministries / Deparments / Boards/ Commissions / PSUs / Institutions)
 National Portal of India
http://bharat.gov.in/default.php
http://india.gov.in/

 Directory of Indian Government Websites (Union and States)
http://goidirectory.nic.in/

 Comptroller and Auditor General of India
http://www.cag.gov.in/

 Central Vigilance Commission
http://cvc.nic.in/cvc_back.htm

 Central Bureau of Investigation
http://www.cbi.gov.in/contactus/contact.php

 Central Information Commission
http://cic.gov.in/

 Public Grievances Portal
http://pgportal.gov.in/

 Citizens' Charters of Government Organs
http://goicharters.nic.in/

 Consortium of Indian Military Websites
http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/

 Ministry of Law & Justice
http://lawmin.nic.in/

 Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
http://mpa.nic.in/

 Law Commission of India
http://lawcommissionofindia.nic.in/

 Indian Courts...
http://indiancourts.nic.in/index.html

 Election Commission of India
http://eci.nic.in/

 Reserve Bank of India
http://www.rbi.org.in/home.aspx

 Banking Ombudsman
http://www.rbi.org.in/commonman/English/Scripts/AgainstBankPR.aspx

 Insurance Ombudsman
http://www.irdaindia.org/

 Bureau of Police Research and Development
http://bprd.gov.in/index1.asp?linkid=929

 National Human Rights Commission
http://nhrc.nic.in/

 National Commission for Women
http://ncw.nic.in/about_ncw.htm

 Parliament of India
http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/parl.htm

 Press Information Bureau
http://pib.nic.in/

 Consumer Protection and National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
http://ncdrc.nic.in/

 National Informatics Centre
http://home.nic.in/
http://indiaimage.nic.in/

 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
http://www.trai.gov.in/Default.asp
www.rastr.in +91-9916135836 +91-9886024990 info@rastr.in

 Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
http://www.cercind.gov.in/about.htm

 National Disaster Management
http://www.ndmindia.nic.in/

 !ncredible India (Tourism Portal)
http://incredibleindia.org/

 Union Ministries & Departments and RTI Links (Directory of Websites)
http://164.100.42.72/rti/ministry.asp?alphabet=A

 List of Government Websites (Union & States)
http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/37777-Indian-Government-Websites.aspx

 Districts of India and their websites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_districts_of_India
www.rastr.in +91-9916135836 +91-9886024990 info@rastr.in
Government Sites: Karnataka
(Ministries / Deparments / Local Bodies / Boards/ Commissions / PSUs)

 Officail Website of the Government of Karnataka
http://www.karunadu.gov.in/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.karnataka.gov.in/index.asp

 Deparments of Karnataka Government (Directory of Websites)
http://www.karunadu.gov.in/Pages/A-D.aspx

 Lokayukta
http://lokayukta.kar.nic.in/index.asp

 Karnataka Information Commission
http://kic.gov.in/index.asp

 Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission
http://www.kerc.org/english.html

 Karnataka Legislature
http://kla.kar.nic.in/

 Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation
http://dpal.kar.nic.in/

 Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka
http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/indexw.asp

 State Election Commission
http://karsec.gov.in/

 Revenue Department
http://revdept.kar.nic.in/rev/Circular.nsf/Pages/openframe

 Urban Development Department
http://www.karnataka.gov.in/urbandevelopment/

 Bruhat Bengalooru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)
http://www.bmponline.org/

 Hubbali-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC)
http://hdmc.gov.in/

 Belgaum City Corporation
http://www.belgaumcity.gov.in/

 Bengalooru Police
http://www.bcp.gov.in/english/index.htm
http://www.bangaloretrafficpolice.gov.in/aboutus.htm

Laws / Acts / Rules
Union / Central
 Constitution of India (pdf downloadable)
http://indiacode.nic.in/coiweb/welcome.html

 All Central Acts and Supreme Court & High Court Judgements
http://indiacode.nic.in/

 All Central Acts
http://www.commonlii.org/in/legis/num_act/

Karnataka
 Alphabetical & Department wise Acts (pdf downloadable)
http://www.dpal.kar.nic.in/ActsAlphadeptwise.htm

 Department wise Acts (pdf downloadable)
http://164.100.80.70/acts/ACTS%20E/dept.htm

Organisations / Groups / Individuals
Ecology & Environment
 Centre for Science and Environment
http://www.cseindia.org/

 Environment Support Group
http://www.esgindia.org/index.html

 Plant and Animals Welfare Society
http://pawsasia.org/

Administration / Governance / Politics
 Centre for Good Governance

http://www.cgg.gov.in/ourvision.jsp

 Lok Satta
http://www.loksatta.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&Itemid=58

Peace & Harmony
 Sri Aurobindo Society
http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/index.htm

 Auroville
http://www.auroville.org/

Development
 Association for India's Development (AID)
http://www.aidindia.org/main/

 Deshpande Foundation
http://deshpandefoundation.org/

 Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research
http://www.igidr.ac.in/aims-objectives.php

Urban Affairs
 Janagraha
http://janaagraha.org/node/2048

Education
 Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education
http://www.sriaurobindoashram.org/ashram/saice/index.php
http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/subnav/educentr.htm

 Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya
http://dsrv.malad.bcgschools.org/mission.asp

Health
 Divya Yog Mandir / Baba Ramdev
http://www.divyayoga.com/main.htm

History & Culture
 Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
http://www.bori.ac.in/about.htm

Anti-Corruption
 Manjunath Shanmugham
http://syg.com/web/mstrust/manju/scmadmin/Home.php

 Rinku Singh Rahi
http://sites.google.com/site/rinkusinghrahi/Home

Miscellaneous
 Muktangan Rehabilitation Center (Deaddiction...)
http://www.muktangan.org/faq_part1.html

 Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled
http://www.samarthanam.org/index.html

 India Sudar
http://indiasudar.org/

Rights / Civil Liberties
 People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)
http://www.pucl.org/

 RTI
http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/

Knowledge Database
History
 Revolutionaries of the Indian freedom movement
http://muktadhara.net/antibritish.html
http://cheetos.wordpress.com/2006/02/

 The Great Revolt of 1857
http://www.onestopias.com/tutorials/history/revolt/

 Biographies...
http://www.freeindia.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharana_Pratap
http://www.balagokulam.org/teach/biographies/tanaji.php
http://www.balagokulam.org/teach/biographies/prithvi.php

 European Enlightenment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Enlightenment

 The French Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen

 The Indus Valley Civilisation & British Indian Times
http://www.harappa.com/

 National Geographic-- History
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/
India / General
 http://www.bharatadesam.com/people/ashfaqulla_khan.php
 http://www.gatewayforindia.com /
 http://www.bharatwiki.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
 http://www.indiademocracy.org/home
 http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/MAIN/site.htm l
 http://www.sarkaritel.com /

Law
 A Guide to Public Interest Litigation (PIL) & Writ Petitions and detailed procedure to file PILs / Writ
Petitions
http://commonlaw-sandeep.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-file-writ-petition-or-pil-writ.html
http://www.karmayog.org/roko/roko_21553.htm

 A Common Man's Pocket Guide to Police Laws & Procedures in India
http://commonlaw-sandeep.blogspot.com/2009/04/indian-citizens-pocket-guide-to-police.html
 Chargesheet, FIR, ...
http://ipc498a.wordpress.com/2007/03/30/what-is-a-chargesheet/
 About the Constitution of India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_India
 Constitutional Govenrment; Civil Liberty; Citizens' Action; Rights, Powers & Duties, etc -- detailed
material & discussion
http://www.constitution.org/
 About Land Laws & info on many legal matters
http://sbn-propertylaws.blogspot.com/
 Constituent Assembly Debates
http://parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/debates/debates.htm
 Right to Information (RTI)
http://www.rtiindia.org/
http://rti.india.gov.in/index.php
http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/HumJanenge/
http://rtitimes.net/
General Statistics & Data
 Planning Commission
http://planningcommission.nic.in/aboutus/history/about.htm
 Central Statistical Organisation Publications
http://www.mospi.nic.in/mospi_cso_rept_pubn.htm
 National Sample Survey Organisation Reports
http://www.mospi.gov.in/mospi_nsso_rept_pubn.htm
www.rastr.in +91-9916135836 +91-9886024990 info@rastr.in
 Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
http://www.mospi.nic.in/
 Ministry of Finance
http://finmin.nic.in/
 Census of India
http://www.censusindia.gov.in/
 Ministry of Social Justice...
http://www.socialjustice.nic.in/
Ecology & Environment
 India Environment Portal
http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/
 India Water Portal
http://indiawaterportal.org/
Philosophy / Personalities
 Indian Philosophy...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_philosophy#Political_philosophy
 Vedas, Upanishads / Vedanta, etc.
http://www.vedamantram.com/index.htm
http://www.vmission.org.in/
http://www.atmajyoti.org/
http://www.ishayasanskrit.com/veda.htm
http://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_1_index.html
http://www.sanskritweb.net/
 Dharma / Dharmashastras
http://www.avsrinivasan.com/hindu/dharmo_rakshati.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmasastra
 General / On various aspects of thought, ranging from philosophy, religion, spirituality, to character
improvement, science...
http://www.virtuescience.com/site-map.html
www.rastr.in +91-9916135836 +91-9886024990 info@rastr.in
http://www.dlshq.org/
http://www.atmajyoti.org/
http://www.hinduwebsite.com/
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/library.html
http://www.geocities.com/ssksearch/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lifestyle/Symbolism_in_Mahabharata_has_spiritual_insight/articl
eshow/3418050.cms
 Dasbodh / Samarth Ramdas
http://www.ramdas.org/dasbodh.htm
http://www.dasbodh.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasbodh
 Humanism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism_(life_stance)
http://www.americanhumanist.org/Who_We_Are/About_Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_I (check)
 Bhagat Singh & Comrades
http://www.shahidbhagatsingh.org/
 Vivekananda
http://www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htm
 Tagore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore#Works
http://muktadhara.net/page31.html
http://www.visva-bharati.ac.in/Rabindranath/Rabindranath.htm
 Karl Marx
www.istendency.net/pdf/revideas.pdf
 Aurobindo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Aurobindo#The_Mother
 Gandhi & his Thought
http://www.mkgandhi.org/
www.rastr.in +91-9916135836 +91-9886024990 info@rastr.in
Administration / Governance / Politics
 Participatory Democracy / Direct Democracy / Porto Alegre Participatory Budgeting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_democracy
http://www.participatorybudgeting.org/
 World Social Forum
http://www.portoalegre2002.org/homepage.html
 Open Source Governance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_governance
 Open Politics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_politics
 Research & Publications on Governance, Development, Environment...
http://www.iied.org/pubs/
Science & Technology
 NGC
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
 NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/
 ISRO
http://www.isro.org/
 European Space Agency Portal
http://www.esa.int/
 Discovery Science Channel
http://science.discovery.com/
Development
 Friends of River Narmada (info on projects across river Narmada and its impact on people &
environment)
http://www.narmada.org/index.html

Miscellaneous
 Info on the Nobel Prize, the Winners, ...
http://nobelprize.org/index.html
http://almaz.com/nobel/nobel.html
 Sanskrit learining, documents, respources,...
http://sanskritdocuments.org/
http://acharya.iitm.ac.in/sanskrit/lessons.php
Terms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comrade
www.rastr.in +91-9916135836 +91-9886024990 info@rastr.in
Audio-Visual
Administration / Governance / Politics / Development
 Participatory Democracy / Direct Democracy / Porto Alegre Participatory Budgeting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2b2mfTxyo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNUxfpJCRMY&feature=related
 P. Sainath on Agrarian Crisis, Globalisation, Media, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QewCqpgBiuw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc3t2elQsuM
 Vandana Shiva on Agrarian Crisis, Seed Patents, Terminator, Globalisation, Carbon Trading, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz5mjkxua3w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4FotV4ZKQ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KfvYjZ5fyw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIJrpSrpJss
 Agrarian Crisis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiVmHbuctWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrS6Yq15OEQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erpEmumEtAo
 Watershed Development / Water Harvesting...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsV_JgLzW4w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRXZfRKxrs4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfxw-r-s7Tw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzH26oXIjbI
 Water / River Pollution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcLW-3XXJWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbWCN_nnHhM
Movies / Video in Context
 The Legend of Bhagat Singh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx0Wh2DcSFk
 Dombivili Fast / Evano Oruvan (Marathi /Tamil)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVmZNXGUBCQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cHJRv_YLoA
 Rashtradharma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL0kolVPjbc
 Damini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6n5wXHkrhw
 LoC Kargil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pae6ARyk5gE
 Ek Macchar Aadmi ko & others by Nana...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-DNavQ5l9w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRKZHOuNttk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bOe9RBHROI
 Swades
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zLPHH036Ww
 Lakshya
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=EB77192E4C875821&search_query=lakshya+movie
 Halla Bol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V17s4lVV-Sw
 Vasudev Balwant Phadke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0DysM0Y3Z4
 Rang De Basanti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhLj9_47vJQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcHXYzVcy_g
http://www.rajshri.com/moviesmidpage.aspx?cntid=9342
Nationalistic / Patriotic Video / Audio
 Nationalistic / Patriotic Video / Audio
http://www.rajshri.com/midpageceleb.aspx?genid=413
Nationalistic Songs (video / mp3)
 Vande Mataram - Lata Mangeshkar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6PHJg9D_Sk
www.rastr.in +91-9916135836 +91-9886024990 info@rastr.in
 Aye Watan aye watan (Shaheed 19**)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFvDSLxcWhk
 Aye mere watan ke logo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmFAg-u6mTg
Culture
 !ncredible India mesmerising videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/india
http://www.rajshri.com/midpage.aspx?cntid=22349
 Mahabharat (watch complete)
http://www.rajshri.com/midpage.aspx?cntid=34765
 Ramayan (watch complete)
http://www.rajshri.com/midpage.aspx?cntid=35271
 All Vedas Audio
http://www.gatewayforindia.com/vedas/rigveda.html
History
 Nehru's speech on India's Independence...”Long Years Ago...”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wUcw8Ufx_Y
Moral...
 Moral Stories / Biographies / Tales / animations, etc. for Children (and elders too)
http://www.rajshri.com/landing.aspx?lgid=274&catid=1276
Health / Yoga
 Patanjali Yogapeeth / Baba Ramdev on Yoga, etc. (over 50 full length videos)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdXuGfyStAc
Others
 Vivekananda @ Chicago....”Sisters and Brothers of America”...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxUzKoIt5aM
 Me Nathuram Ghodse Boltoy (Marathi)
http://www.rajshrimarathi.com/preview.aspx?cntid=118

2009 Election related news/articles/information.

2009-03-25T00:57:00.000-07:00

The post provides few links to various EC websites, news articles,

NGOs working on reforms.

Election Comission Websites:

Election Commission Official Website
http://eci.nic.in/

Karnataka EC websites:
http://karsec.gov.in/

Office of the CEO, Bangalore
http://ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/FAQ/FAQs2.html

Tamilnadu EC website:
http://www.tnsec.tn.nic.in/

Tamilnadu CEO website:
http://www.elections.tn.nic.in/default.htm
This above CEO website contains details of electoral rolls, schedule, list of polling stations, EPIC etc etc.

EC suggests alternatives to voter ID card

http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/16/stories/2009041659190300.htm

Check whether your name appears in the electoral roll
http://stg1.kar.nic.in/searchfinalroll_2009/

News articles
Elect 'the righteous' candidate: Kalam
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200903251111.htm

Campaign for No Criminals in Politics

http://www.nocriminals.org/

Register 'refusal to vote' to prevent bogus voting: EC
http://www.hindu. com/thehindu/ holnus/004200903 131411.htm

Break up of Lok Sabha polling schedule for states

http://news.in.msn.com/national/indiaelections2009/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1942842

Don't sell your vote, says former EC official

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200904080324.htm

Blind can vote without help at the polls
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200903251011.htm

Have a poll-related query? Just dial 4761750
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200903251115.htm

Insist on candidates giving all information: apex court to poll panel

http://www.hinduonnet.com/holnus/000200904021919.htm

ASSOCHAM Submits 12-Point Agenda For `Election Manifestos’ Of Political Party’s
http://www.assocham.org/prels/shownews.php?id=1932

Successful professionals testing political waters

http://news.in.msn.com/national/indiaelections2009/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2464653&page=1

India can, India will: We wont vote for criminals
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/89082/india-can-india-will-we-wont-vote-for-criminals.html

Things you did not know about EVMs - but were afraid to ask http://news.in.msn.com/national/indiaelections2009/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2100645

NGOs working on improving political system and cleaning up election process and related links
Comparative charts of the contesting candidates in a constituency

http://myneta.info

SMS and Helpline Campaign

http://incmforgoodgovernance.blogspot.com/2009/04/national-election-bonanza-this-is.html

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)
http://www.adrindia.org/home/index.asp

Press releases from ADR
http://groups.google.co.in/group/national-ew-news/topics?hl=en&pli=1

Empower India
http://www.empoweringindia.org/new/Coalition.aspx

Campaign for No Criminals in Politics

http://www.nocriminals.org/

A Citizens Campaign

http://www.letsvote.in/

Does CFL really save money for the customers

2008-09-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

There is a myth that CFL saves lots of money to the customers.

Lets see if this is always correct or under what conditions/usage CFL really saves money and what needs to be considered before purchasing a CFL.

On an average especially in the city, maximum usage of a light-bulb will be in the hall, where generally use tube light. A tube-light approximately 40 W per hour. (you also get lower-wattage light-bulbs).

If a person intends to replace this light bulb with CFL he might use a CFL bulb in the range 15W to 20W though its not equally bright as a tube-light which has higher lumen.

So lets assume a person uses 20W CFL as a replacement for a 40 W tubelight.

The savings he obtains by using 20W CFL instead of a tubelight is 20 W per hour.

Now lets calculate the extra cost incurred to buy the CFL over a tube-light.

Cost of a branded CFL starts from Rs 130 and goes till Rs. 250. Average cost = Rs 175.

The cost of bulb(incandescent) is around Rs 15.

Cost of tube light is around Rs 40.

Extra cost of a CFL equals 175 – 40 = Rs 135.

A unit of electricity refers to 1 KWh or 1000Wh.

To save one unit of electricity you need to use the CFL for 50 hours.

Lets assume a unit of electricy on an average costs Rs 2.5. This varies from city to city, state to state.

Lets calculate the total number of hours a CFL needs to be used, to recover the extra cost incurred in buying a CFL, assuming above values for the cost of CFL, unit of electricty.

Number of units = 135/2.5 = 270/5 = 54 units

34 units translates to usage of 54* 50 hours of CFL, ie. 2700

This means one needs to use a CFL for atleast 2700 hours to recover the initial high cost incurred in buying a CFL.

Lets calculate approximately how many days this would translate to.

Assuming that on an average the light bulb is used for 5 hours daily,

Total number of days = 2700/5 = 540 days.

This means that a CFL needs to be used every day for 5 hours for atleast (apprx) 1.5 years or 18 months to recover the extra cost incurred on a CFL.

But the problem being faced is that a CFL if used in low-voltage areas or voltage-fluctuation areas, it goes bad. The warranty of CFL is nowadays getting limited to 6 months (Areva/Orpat) is one such case.

The CFL technology is not yet mature in terms of the life of CFL.
We have been using CFL for almost 10 years now and on an average lifetime of CFL over 10 year period has been 6 months for me. But technology has improved a little providing better life time, but still not to desired levels. The life is not as good as a tube-light or an incandescent bulb.

So things you need to consider before making decision to buy CFL:

Do you have voltage fluctuations or low-voltage problems in your house?
How long do you use light bulb you are planning to change with CFL per day?
Cost of unit of electricity at your place.
Cost of CFL you are planning to buy.
The warranty period of CFL you are planning to buy

Incase you have decided to buy CFL, make sure that the date of purchase is written on CFL and also the shop name/initials are mentioned on CFL itself (not bill). This helps in getting a replacement when the CFL goes bad.

I have got replacement couple of times and the date of purchase and shop initials mentioned on CFL proved to be very handy.

What you can do for the country..

2008-08-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

1. Keep your environment clean
a. Dont throw garbage of the house on the road. Instead dispose it properly in bags either in
garbage bins or to the garbage collector.
b. Dont throw garbage on road or public places. Instead find the designated bins and dispose them.
c. Dont spit on the road or in public places.
d. Dont litter in public places. Controlling nature's call is difficult at times. At such times
try to find a public toilet by sulabh or restaurant or shopping mall which will have toilets
and use them .

e. Avoid pollution. Use public transport when possible.
Use mode of transport that occupies lesser fuel.

f. Encourage your friends, neighbours, colleagues to follow the practices and learn incase they
have any more new practices or better suggestions.
g. Avoid honking while driving motor vehicles especially when honking is not going to make any
difference other than adding to noise pollution.

2. Stand upto corruption.
2a. When caught by police for violation like "not wearing helmet", "jumping red signal",
try to wear the complete spot fine. Normally it will be around Rs 1oo or so.
With the attitude of saving money dont pay any bribe.
Take the receipt for the penality you paid to the police and ensure that the details
are filled correctly.

Dont be affraid and be brave to ask for any clarifications in the receipt if you have any to
the police officer. Its your right to do so.

2b. When you have any work to be done at Govt offices, for eg, like RTO, ration office,
registering of birth certificate, marriage certificate try to follow the prescribed process,
and get the work done without paying any bribe even if it means you have to spent some
extra time and you have to wait for more days to get the required certificates, licence etc.

2c. If you are living in bangalore and travel by bus, buy tickets. Many a times the conductor
takes small amount of money lesser than ticket price without giving any ticket. The
money basically goes to conductors pocket and you are paying bribe to travel in the bus
to save money. Dont do this.

3. Help the needy.

3a. There are large number of ways you can do this. Be kind to people around you. Be kind
to office boys, cleaners etc at your office premise. Provide moral support to them.

3b. Help elders you might come across in the day to day life like roads by helping them cross the road,
in trains, buses by offering them seats or desired berth.
3c. Helping blind people.

3d. Donate money to charity.

3e. Donate your time and effort to charity.

3f. Participate in philanthrophic wing of your company. Be an active participant,
motivate your colleagues and help in organization of various activities.

4. Save energy & keep your environment clean.

4a. As mentioned already, try to use public transport whenever possible though it involves
sacrificing some extra time & convenience.

4b. Try to use natural light and breeze and avoid switching on electric light & air-conditioning.
In many office campuses, often air-conditioning is maintained at very low-temperatures.
Each 1 degree of ac consumes lots of energy apart from other pollution effects.

People can learn to work at 27.C instead of 23.C. This four degrees make huge difference.
When possible inform this to appropriate authorities in your office to do the same.

The following article is an example:
"UN goes green; cuts on air-conditioning"
http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/jul/31slde1.htm

4c. Switch of devices and appliances at home when not used.
This includes lights, fans, motors, TVs, PCs, fridge etc.

4d. Regularly service your vehicles.
Proper maintenance of vehicles provides better mileage, prevents smoke, gas emissions etc.

5. Dont waste water, food & other resources.

6. Participate in elections by voting.

7. Try to participate in community initiatives in your neighborhood.

8. Feel proud of being an Indian.
8a. Pay respect to true leaders, to your military which protects
everyone of us
8b. Pay respect to Indian Anthem, Indian Flag.
8c. Teach good morals to younger ones.

Conserve fuel by changing your driving habits & avoid waste of energy

2008-06-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

With rising petrol price (inevitable though) is it time for all of us to think & act seriously about conserving energy by not wasting the same in whatever way possible, like changing our driving style (infrequent gear change, avoiding unnecessary acceleration/racing, switching of engine during long stop etc), using public transport or alternative transport that makes efficient use of fuel, switching of devices not being used etc.

I have done some experiementation with my driving style.
I own a Bajaj discover and with normal driving (6 months back) it was giving a mileage of around 45.

Then I started to follow practice of switching of my engine during signals with time > 60 seconds.
Mileage improved to around 50kmph
I did this for close to one month and noticed that everytime its 50kmph basically proving beyond doubt that
I get a 10% more mileage. with just swiching of engine during signals (with > 60s wait time)

Then I wanted to do some more experimentation.
Normally I accelerate my vehicle even though forthcoming signal is RED or there is some forthcoming obstacle. I will be accelerating until last minute and applying brakes & changing gears just before the obstacle/RED signal.

I changed my driving style a little bit.
If I notice that signal is RED at a distance, I try to stop/reduce acceleration of vehicle
(this cuts of/reduces fuel supply). I do the same thing if I notice an obstacle in the road like a lorry or traffic congestion.

This not only saves fuel supply, but also provides smooth and comfortable ride not only to driver, but also to pillion rider/passengers.

I try to drive at highest gear possible for the speed at which I am driving & avoid shifting gears as much as possible. Also I try to drive my vehicle at 40-50 kmph if the road is not really empty & signals/traffic congestion is present. This provides smooth ride and I reach destination quicker or almost at same time as a person racing/braking constantly.
I verified the later (quicker or same time) as well.

After experimentation with this second approach for 2 months,
I noticed that mileage went to 55 kmph.

So with both above experiments, mileage improved by almost 20%

I save Rs 10 for every litre with above practices.

I have tested above very thorougly and hence sharing with you all for your benefit.