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Can a Sun Lamp Help With Winter Depression?
Emily Kelleher
We made it through the winter solstice, and the days are finally getting longer — but not by much. The nights are still long and it still gets dark… a few minutes after lunch. If the sun setting at 5 p.m. has you down, you're not alone. Depression and anxiety tend to increase in winter, as do cases of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), referred to clinically as major depressive disorder with seasonal affect. The disorder comes with the same symptoms as regular depression but has a seasonal pattern.
SAD is thought to be caused in part by fewer hours of daylight. "There's a lot of evidence available that would suggest that sunlight is responsible for maintaining… a neurotransmitter, serotonin, in our brain, and a hormone called melatonin in our body," says Dr. Priyanka, psychiatrist and medical director of the Los Angeles-based practice Community Psychiatry. While regular depression can be caused by several different kinds of chemical imbalances, seasonal depression is associated with low levels of serotonin, which is stimulated by melatonin. "These two chemicals interplay with each other to maintain the circadian rhythm. When there is less sunlight available, there's imbalance, and it starts to interfere with the circadian rhythm."
How SAD Lamps Work
Luckily, the first line of treatment for SAD is simple, relatively inexpensive, and can be done at home. Light therapy boxes (essentially extra bright lamps) can mimic sunlight, telling the body to produce serotonin. One study found that sitting in front of a light therapy box, also known as a sun lamp or SAD lamp, with 6,000 lux (a metric that refers to the amount of light falling on a surface) for 1.5 hours a day for three weeks put people in remission from seasonal depression. But Dr. Priyanka recommends choosing a lamp that delivers 10,000 lux of light, which mimics sunlight and could deliver the same results in as little as 30 minutes. Some research indicates that people could respond within a few days of treatment. (Note that spending 30 minutes outside would deliver similar, if not better effects, but when that's not an option, light therapy boxes are a good alternative.)
Since serotonin tends to be lowest in the morning, it's best to use a light therapy box within a few hours of waking up. This can help make up for the daily dip in serotonin and regulate the circadian rhythm. The general recommendation is to sit 1 to 2 feet away, but the bigger the surface area of the light, the more wiggle room you have. (Lamps that are at least 1 foot by 1.5 feet work best, according to research by the National Institute of Mental Health.) It's a good idea to choose a lamp that blocks UV rays, which can damage the skin.
SAD Lamps Are Not Just for SAD
While light therapy is designed to treat people with low serotonin levels, Dr. Priyanka says it's likely that even people with less severe conditions, who feel they don't function as well in the winter, could benefit. There are, however, some people who should consult a doctor first. "Anybody who is susceptible to bipolar disorder should not use [a SAD lamp]. The increase in serotonin can cause a switch to mania and make people's moods unstable. And anybody who's taking serotonin agents, like antidepressants, should definitely discuss it with their physician, because there is a syndrome called serotonin syndrome…and it can be very serious," DeSilva says.
Though light therapy is the first line of defense against SAD, additional support is always a good idea. "Everybody struggles with their mood at some point in their life," DeSilva says. "The more tools and support you have, the easier the struggle can be. I really encourage people to, even if they're going to use that light, also make a phone call to some therapist or psychiatrist or your primary care provider to get some support."
The Best Sun Lamps for SAD
Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp by Carex
This lamp has a broad surface, an adjustable stand that allows you to tilt it, and two light settings. Its powerful bulbs claim to deliver the recommended 10,000 lux of light even at a foot away, and it blocks 99% of UV light.
Buy Now $119.99
Day-Light Classic Bright Light Therapy Lamp by Carex
Very similar to the one above, this lamp is large, bright, and adjustable. But since it's an older model, it's $20 cheaper.
Boxelite Therapy Light Box by Northern Light Technologies
This model has similar dimensions and brightness as the above but in a much sleeker format. It filters out UV light, and delivers 10,000 lux from even further, at 14 inches away.
Foldable Light Therapy Lamp by TaoTronics
This compact lamp folds up like a book, making it much more portable, not to mention inexpensive. It's a little smaller than the recommended size, with a height of only 8.5 inches, but with two 11-inch-wide panels, it's still one of the larger models out there. It also has a 30-minute timer, making it easy to know when you've gotten sufficient light.
BrightBox Light Therapy Lamp by Sunrise Sensations
With a neutral wood frame, this model is the rare light box that's not an eyesore. It's also on the smaller side, but still decently wide. Just be conscious of how close you sit to it.
Aura Light Therapy Lamp by Theralie
This lamp is also smaller than the recommended diameter, but its design is less obtrusive, meaning you may be more likely to use it. It takes up about the same amount of space as a table lamp, and doubles as an alarm clock and wireless charger. Plus, it's surprisingly affordable compared to other models. The important thing to consider with smaller light therapy lamps is that you have to be closer to it to get the same effects.
Every product on Fatherly is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. If you click a link on our site and buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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The post The 6 Best SAD Lamps for Seasonal Depression — And Why They Work appeared first on Fatherly.
32 Self-Care Tips to Keep You Happy and Healthy This Winter
Self-care practices go beyond the occasional at-home spa night, especially during the winter. Shorter days and colder nights can lead to unwanted seasonal depression, and taking care of yourself can keep your mind at peace during the winter months. Indulging in self-care practices can boost serotonin and give you time to reflect on your feelings and your overall well-being. It's important to check in with yourself, address your needs, and figure out what you can do to feel your best, no matter what time of year it is. If you're looking for ways to treat yourself to some serious self-care, this list of ideas will help you put yourself first. From diving into a comforting book to reflecting on your feelings in a daily journal, keep reading to find the best practices that you can start doing today. Make yourself your number-one priority right now. - Additional reporting by Lauren Harano Related: 5 Things I Learned While Watching the Headspace Guide to Meditation on Netflix
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JSculpt founder and CEO Jaz Jackson discusses how her depression inspired her multi-million dollar fitness line.
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12 LED Grow Lights to Help Your Indoor Plants Thrive, Even in the Winter
Grow lights give sun-deprived indoor plants the green light - or rather, the purple light - to produce energy and stay healthy. Not all plant parents have access to enough light for their foliage babies, and colder seasons can mean less sunlight in general. Some houseplants, such as succulents and edible plants, also require more light to truly thrive. If your plant isn't getting the light it needs, you can always supplement natural light with energy-efficient LED grow lamps. Most manufacturers will produce grow lamps that emit a purple color, as blue and red light wavelengths are important in plant development. From clamp-on grow lights to panels, we've rounded up the best LED grow lights to give your indoor plants a little TLC all year long! Related: You Can Score a Mini Fiddle-Leaf Fig Plant For Just 15 Bucks at Some Costco Locations
The 10 Best Vitamins for Anxiety, According to Experts
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Going for gold. From Harper's BAZAAR


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Bcpc Relaunches Online Pesticide Guide With New Features
821b921a-19dc-47b4-b515-bcebda1a176f
BCPC Online UK Pesticide Guide launches new features
BCPC (British Crop Protection Council) has relaunched its Online UK Pesticide Guide platform with new features including a product search and comparison tool.
The online version of the widely-used guide, affectionally referred to as the 'Green Book', is a practical guide to all pesticides, plant growth regulators and adjuvants that can be legally and effectively used in the UK. The resource is used throughout agriculture, and is a reference manual for sprayer operators, growers, advisors, agronomists and industry professionals.
BCPC's Julian Westaway said: "Having access to the latest pesticide information is vital for all those involved in their use and application. The UK Pesticide Guide, in both its online and print version, is the one-stop database for all pesticide products approved in the UK, including the latest active ingredient profiles, new products and formulations. The online version has undergone modifications to its look and feel as well as improved functionality to support your crop protection decisions, giving users access to in-depth product data, clearly presented for easy reference."
The product comparison tool allows users to tailor their search by multiple attributes, which can be filtered and sorted.
"For a farmer it is a particularly useful tool when buying pesticides, allowing comparison between similar products which, for example, may have different aquatic or arthropod buffer requirements or maximum rates/ha. Users are also able to select products with simpler buffer zone requirements to reduce the complexity of recent pesticide regulations and aid compliance. For others it may save time when planning pesticide use, in accessing product information and safety data sheets or just comparing products," said Mr Westaway.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to a second debate on defence matters in your Lordships' House today. The subject that we are discussing now is as important as the topic of our earlier debate. The theme running through both is the duty that we, the nation, owe to those who risk their lives and serious injury for the sake of our security. I congratulate the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Wakefield on providing the House with the opportunity to debate these vital issues.
The importance of the military covenant has attracted increasing focus in recent years, not least as the terrible suffering incurred by those who have served in military conflicts has become increasingly apparent. The first duty of government is to secure the defence of the realm, and undoubtedly the most vital asset in that endeavour is the people who undertake that task. That is the basis for the military covenant, and it is our obligation to ensure that we consider and address their needs. Unhappy service families can result only in unhappy service personnel, and that would represent a failure to meet the terms of the military covenant.
There has been much academic interest in and commentary on the various components of the strategic defence and security review. The themes of these commentaries have been included in the wider debates that we have had in your Lordships' House on defence matters, including our consideration of the strategic defence and security review in November last year.
The strategic defence and security review contains much to be welcomed-not least that this was the first such review for 12 years. Much has changed in the nature of the threats that we face, in the nature of our Armed Forces and in public opinion over that period. To ensure that we continue to align effectively the changes with the requirements of the military covenant, I welcome the Government's commitment to make these reviews a regular occurrence.
However, it is important that we do not forget the context in which the review was conducted. Commitments and overspending on defence projects under the previous Government totalled some £36 billion-three times the annual defence budget. In that context the delivery of an 8 per cent reduction in the Ministry of Defence budget was an extreme challenge. We should not diminish the seriousness of the situation in which the strategic defence and security review was prepared and considered.
Those who serve our country have the right to expect that the Government will look after their well-being and the well-being of their families. Whatever the deficiencies of previous approaches, we must make sure that we live up to that ambition, and I believe that the Government have made a good start. However, they have started from a low base. The outcome of the Armed Force Continuous Attitudes Survey in May 2010 revealed that only 32 per cent of our Armed Forces felt valued. That should cause us all alarm and alert us that action needs to be taken.
An example of the Government's commitment to reverse this negativity can be seen in the decision to double the operational allowance. That, in the climate of wider fiscal tightening, is a sign of the priority that the Government attach to those serving in our Armed Forces in theatre. The Armed Forces Bill, which is currently under consideration in another place, contains provisions that will require the Secretary of State to produce an annual report to Parliament on the health of the military covenant. That is a bold and decisive step and will enable us to keep a much tighter, focused scrutiny on how the military covenant is being advanced. It is right that more rigorous attention should be paid to how the military covenant is being delivered and that the Government are able to explain how we are meeting our side of the bargain.
The decisions that had to be made in constructing the strategic defence and security review were undoubtedly complex. Balancing the nature of the threats that we must overcome with the horrific fiscal pressures that confront us as a nation in order to arrive at a balanced and coherent strategic posture is not simple. Undoubtedly, repairing the damage to the military covenant that has arisen in recent years cannot be done in a vacuum and the Minister has a difficult path to tread. In that context, I should be grateful if he could confirm that the Government's commitment to the military covenant is not conditional.
I know that the Government have been working very hard to identify areas for savings and where better outcomes can be delivered most cost-effectively. In guiding his approach to the military covenant, I hope that the Minister can assure us that his focus will continue to be on the needs of those who serve in our Armed Forces, the needs of their families and the needs of those who are now veterans, and that the important measures contained in the strategic defence and security review will contribute to our efforts in restoring and then maintaining the military covenant. Our troops-present and past-deserve nothing less.
CategoriesDefence House of Lords Speeches
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On Wednesday 6th June 2012, Astronomy and Astrophysics students Ben Ruscoe, Sam Phipps, Adam Nairn, Luca Merono, Grace Lawrence, Bobby Stephens, Chris Dilger and Tristan Burford-Baynes from Tolga SS successfully streamed footage of the entire Transit of Venus event via the internet to all points of the globe from an observatory at Blackheath Thornburgh College in Charters Towers. Their teacher, David Platz, reported that the success of the streaming was primarily due to their outstanding IT problem solving skills.
Just two days prior to the big event, IT technicians at Charters Towers told the students that the likelihood of streaming the transit to the internet would be extremely low due to restrictions on internet bandwidth from their observatory to the school's server. Extremely disappointed, the students later sat down to "brainstorm" possible alternative methods using mobile phones and a computer equipped with 3G wireless network access. By midday the day before the transit, the students had successfully completed their first streaming test.
Further testing and modifications lead to people and astronomers from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, France, Caribbean and Europe sending online messages commenting and praising the students on their professional and remarkable achievement in streaming the transit of Venus. Over 2 000 viewers watched the live streaming from around the world.
The students also set up our portable 8" telescope fitted with a specialised camera outside the observatory to allow for over 300 school students and members of the public to view the rare event on a large screen. Our students took turns at explaining the phenomenon and the equipment used to capture its images to all of these people. Now over, Venus will not grace our sight in this manner for another 105.5 years.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Enzi says court's anti-Pledge ruling is a wake up call
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., believes the ruling by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals today that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because of the words "under God", should be a wake up call for citizens to get involved in the political process.
"Our citizens need to get out and vote for governors, legislators and presidents who will appoint and confirm judges who will make rulings from the bench that will benefit our society," said Enzi. "This extremist view has moved from the fringe to the forefront and strikes at some of the basic pillars that have held our country up since its beginning."
Enzi believes the ruling is out of step with the values held by most Americans, but because many people choose not to participate in our political process it makes the system more vulnerable to manipulation.
Enzi does not want the views of the mainstream forced on those individuals who have a different view, but this is a case where the reverse is true and to him that is equally offensive.
"Parents and children have every right to refuse to say the Pledge or whatever words they find offensive, but I don't think they should be able to tell me and the hundreds of millions of other parents and children that we can't say the Pledge," said Enzi. "Under the Constitution all of us have the right to express our beliefs."
Enzi and his colleagues in the Senate passed this evening a Sense of the Senate Resolution by a vote of 99-0 that stated their strong disagreement with the 9th Circuit ruling and that they will challenge it in court.
The ruling does not take affect for several months and could potentially be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The 9th Circuit includes California, Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state and the ruling does not directly affect schoolchildren in Wyoming. The 10th Circuit, which includes Wyoming, has ruled that public schools may conduct patriotic ceremonies such as the Pledge of Allegiance, but they may not compel participation by children who object.
Permalink: https://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2002/6/enzi-says-courts-anti-pledge-ruling-is-a-wake-up-call


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Kane Brown brings the drama in his fiery, fiddle-filled new single, "One Mississippi"
Sony Music Nashville
After proving his talents for out-of-genre collaborations over the course of this year, Kane Brown delves squarely back into country radio hit territory with "One Mississippi," a song that dials up the heat of an early-stages, liquor-fueled romance.
"One Mississippi, two Mississippi / Three shots of whiskey, are you on your way? / Way tipsy, baby, come kiss me / I can't wait, I can't wait," Kane sings in the chorus over a powerful electric fiddle line.
To round out his new radio release, Kane also dropped a music video that captures all the high drama of an on-again, off-again relationship. The clip follows a young couple through a night at a carnival, interspersed with shots of Kane and his band performing as well as a low-lit dive bar.
On Instagram, the singer shouted out actor Ross Butler as one of the stars in his video. For his part, Ross posted about the music video on Instagram, underscoring how proud he is to be the romantic male lead in a country music video, especially as an Asian American man.
Recently, Kane's explored a number of duet releases with a variety of artists, including blackbear, Nelly and others. Of course, he's keeping his seat warm at country radio, too: His duet with Chris Young, "Famous Friends," hit the top of the country charts in July.


text:
Company Donmar (1996)
Company revolves around Bobby (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends. The 1995 London revival was directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse. The cast included Adrian Lester as the first black actor to play Bobby in a major production of the show. The videotaped recording of the Donmar Warehouse production was broadcast by BBC Two on March 1, 1997.
Listen to the Cast Recording, and then stream the show:
George Furth
Write a review for Company Donmar


This entry was posted in Career & Personal Development, Test Management & Strategy, Test Management Tools by aussietester. Bookmark the permalink.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Very useful as always.
I am wondering if you could give me more insights on how differently you approach to recruit Permanent staff to Contractors to consultants as i believe people apply for each of these roles/employment types have different drivers, ambitions and goals and it is very important to judge their suitability for the employment type. From my experience i have seen people who have excelled as contractors have only showed mediocre performance as permanent staff.
I am interested to know whether you have any tool or technique that you use to determine the suitability of the person to the type of employment.
Thanks for your kind words and thanks for the question.
In my experience and based upon my own preferences, I do not believe in discriminating between permanent, contract or consultant staff. The reason for this is that I expect everyone to contribute in the same way, no matter what their employment status. My thinking behind this is based upon the fact that I have worked in all of these modes and I NEVER function differently based upon my employment status. If you intend to work as either a permanent employee, a contractor or a consultant your work ethic (and your belief system) should be the same, otherwise you end up not being true to yourself and that never works. Therefore, my Belief System checklist is no different no matter what type of team member I am looking to recruit.
As an addendum to my article this morning, I should add that of the 100's of people I have hired over the years, to date I have only made one misreading of a potential candidate and this was after referring the person for a second and third interview because they were borderline and we were " desperate". What actually happened in this case was that we offered this person a permanent job, with the proviso that their references checked out (and with the usual three months probation period). however, they never came on board because we got some negative information during the reference check.


text:
Tollywood » Actress » Kajol
KajolClick Here to View Kajol Paper Clippings
Born �� �Kajol Mukherjee
5 August 1975 (1975-08-05) (age 34)
Occupation �� �Film actress
Years active �� �1992-2001, 2006present
Spouse(s) �� �Ajay Devgan (1999-present)
Kajol left her school St. Josephs convent at Panchgani and started her career at the age of seventeen. Although her debut film, Bekhudi� (1992) was a box office failure, her performance was noticed and she went on to work with big production houses in India.
Kajol Devgan,� Mukherjee (Bengali:� Kājal Debg�ƒ´n; born 5 August 1975), popularly known as Kajol, is an Indian film actress appearing in Hindi films.
Kajol made her acting debut in the film Bekhudi (1992) and had her first commercial success with her second film Baazigar (1993) along with Shahrukh Khan, with whom she would deliver some of Bollywoodâ�'��"�s biggest hits, like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). Her performances in all three of these films were praised and earned her three Filmfare Best Actress Awards. After the successful Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham in 2001, she took a sabbatical from full time acting for five years. She made a comeback with Kunal Kohli's Fanaa (2006), for which she received her fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award. Kajol is highly regarded as one of India's most successful and talented actresses. She is married to fellow Indian actor Ajay Devgan
Family and background
��� Main article: Mukherjee-Samarth family
Kajol was born in Mumbai of Bengali-Marathi descent, and belongs to a family tree with a long respectable history in the Indian cinema. Her mother Tanuja is a renowned actress, whilst her late father Shomu Mukherjee was a film producer. Her late maternal aunt, Nutan is the record holder for the most (five times) Filmfare Awards for Best Actress. Late maternal grandmother Shobhna Samarth and great grandmother Rattan Bai had both been influential figures in the early stages of Hindi cinema.
Her paternal uncles are film producers; Joy Mukherjee and Deb Mukherjee. Kajol's paternal grandfather, Sashadhar Mukherjee, was a filmmaker. His wife Satirani Devi, Kajol's paternal grandmother, was the sister of three famous film personalities, Ashok Kumar, Anoop Kumar and Kishore Kumar. Kajol's cousins Rani Mukerji, Sharbani Mukherjee and Mohnish Behl are also Bollywood actors; whereas her cousin Ayan Mukerji is a director. Kajol's younger sister Tanisha Mukherjee is also an actress.
Kajol married Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan on February 24, 1999. On April 20, 2003, she gave birth to a daughter named Nysa.
On April 10, 2008, Kajol's father died after suffering from a cardiac arrest (heart attack). His funeral was held the same day and was attended by other Bollywood personalities
Website : www.lovelykajol.com
In 1993, she shot to fame with her second film, Baazigar. The film was her first major hit, and her pairing with Shahrukh Khan was appreciated. She later went on to make a popular pairing with him in a number of films, all of which were box office successes.
Her first release in 1994, Udhaar Ki Zindagi, was a box-office failure.Despite that, her performance in the film was much appreciated by critics, and she won the BFJA Best Actress Award for her performance. She next starred in her first Yash Raj Film, the romantic drama Yeh Dillagi, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. The film was a box office success and her performance as Sapna, a strong dreamy girl who leaves her paternal home to make her own life in the big city, earned her a first nomination for Best Actress� at the Filmfare Awards.
The year 1995 proved to be very successful for Kajol, as she went on to star in two of the year's biggest hits. Her first release was Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun. The film, which dealt with reincarnation, became the second biggest hit of the year. While her next three releases that year failed at the box office, her last release, Aditya Chopra's directorial debut, the romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, was not only the biggest hit of that year, but one of Hindi cinema's biggest hits. In 2008, the film entered its twelfth year in Mumbai theaters, grossing over 12 billion rupees overall, making it one of the biggest blockbusters in Bollywood. Kajol's performance in the film was praised, and she received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award.
Kajol had only one release in 1996, Bambai Ka Babu, opposite Saif Ali Khan, which was a box office failure.
In 1997, Kajol starred in Gupt: The Hidden Truth. Co-starring actors Bobby Deol and Manisha Koirala, the film was one of the highest grossing films of that year. Apart from that, her performance was a significant development for female actors in Bollywood; she was the first female actor to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award. Her next film release that year was Hamesha. Like Karan Arjun, the film dealt with the topic of reincarnation. However, unlike the latter, it failed at the box office. She next starred in her first Tamil film, Minsaara Kanavu. The film was a major critical success and Kajol won her first Best Actress award at the Filmfare Awards South ceremony. Her final release of that year was the romantic-comedy Ishq, where she was paired with her then future husband, Ajay Devgan. It performed well at the box office.
Kajol had further success in 1998, as she was the main lead starred in three of the year's biggest hits.� She first starred opposite Salman Khan in the comedy Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. The film was the fourth highest grossing film of the year. Her next release, Dushman� alongside Sanjay Dutt, did moderately well at the box office. She had a double role in the film, and won her first Star Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance. She next starred opposite Ajay Devgan in the romance Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, which was the second biggest hit of that year. However, her biggest success that year came with her last release, Karan Johar's directorial debut, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, which went on to become the biggest hit of the year in both India and overseas. She won her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance.
Kajol's first release in 1999 was the drama film Dil Kya Kare. She played the supporting role of Nandita Rai, which was well received. She had a hit with her second release, the family drama Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain. Starring alongside Anil Kapoor, Kajol received another Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare.
She had an unsuccessful year in 2000, as her only release that year, Raju Chacha went unnoticed.
Kajol had only two films released in 2001. She first played a double role in the drama Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi, which was a commercial failure. However, she reinvented her success in her second venture with Karan Johar, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which was one of the biggest hits of the year,and for which she won several Best Actress awards, including her third Filmfare Best Actress Award and her second Star Screen Award for Best Actress. Critic Taran Adarsh, wrote of her performance in the film, "Kajol is first-rate in the role of a typical Chandni Chowk lass. Her Punjabi dialect will win her immense praise. The sequence when she seeks Amitabh's aashirwad, without him knowing about it, is terrific." Following the success of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kajol took a sabbatical from full time acting for five years. She gave birth to her daughter Nysa in 2003.
She made a successful comeback in 2006 with Kunal Kohli's drama Fanaa, one of the highest grossing films of the year. Portraying a blind Kashmiri girl who falls in love with a Kashmiri terrorist (played by Aamir Khan) in the film, she won her fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award, which placed her at par with two famous Bollywood actresses, Meena Kumari and Madhuri Dixit, each of whom holds 4 Best Actress awards from Filmfare. (Kajol's late aunt, Nutan currently holds the record for five such awards.)
U, Me aur Hum, which released on 11 April 2008, marked her husband Ajay Devgan's directorial debut. The film performed moderately at the box office and Kajol was critically praised for her sensitive portrayal as an Alzheimer patient. For her performance in the film, she received her tenth Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. Raja Sen wrote in his review, ""... Kajol ... can span through happy-breezy with her eyes closed, and so the first half doesn't even pose her a challenge, but when Alzheimer's strikes Piya and she begins to forget all that matters in her life, Kajol raises the bar strikingly high.
Kajol was recently seen in Karan Johar's new movie My Name Is Khan, which is based on a true story, against the backdrop of perceptions on Islam post 11 September. Filming commenced in December 2008 in Los Angeles and ended in October 2009. The film was released on 12 February 2010.
Her movie Toonpur Ka Superhero which is a live-action/animated film with her husband is in the post-production phase and will be releasing in Summer 2010.
On October 9, 2009, Kajol started filming for the remake of the Hollywood movie Stepmom (1998); she will be seen alongside Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. The film is directed by Siddharth Malhotra and is produced by Karan Johar
In 2005, she appeared on the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian version of Who wants to be a millionaire?) hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. She was paired with her husband Ajay Devgan. They won 1 crore (10 million) rupees and donated this to a cancer hospital in Chennai. She has also appeared on Indian Idol, seasons one and two, as a guest judge.
She appeared on Karan Johar's talk show Koffee with Karan with Shahrukh Khan on the first episode. She also appeared on the last episode of the Season 1 together with Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. Back again with Season 2 of Koffee with Karan, Karan's first episode started with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai reunion. After almost a decade since his directorial debut Karan invited her along with Shahrukh and Rani Mukerji.
She modeled and walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra's fashion display Fashion Week 2006, titled Freedom, along with actress Preity Zinta
In 2006, 4 miniature dolls under the name Bollywood legends were introduced. Besides Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan, she is one of the dolls
In 2008 she, her husband Ajay Devgan and her mother Tanuja were jury members in the TV show Rock'n'Roll Family.
She appeared with Shahrukh Khan in the special anniversary issue of the Indian Vogue in October 2009.
Apart from being goodwill ambassador and patron of the Britain-based Loomba Trust - a charity devoted to educating widows' children, particularly in India, Kajol also works with an NGO called Shiksha.
She is a recipient of the Karamveer Puraskar award (26 November 2008), which recognises individuals who have been pivotal in leading change beyond their business by being committed to social issues.
Main article: List of Kajol's awards and nominations.
FILMS ��� �
As An Actor
My Name Is Khan (February 12, 2010) (Under Production) ...... Mandira Khan
Toonpur Ka Superhero (2010) (Under Production)
Love You Maa (2010) (Under Production)
Vighnaharta Shree Siddhivinayak (May 22, 2009) (Released) ...... Guest Appearance (As Herself)
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (December 12, 2008) (Released) ...... Special Appearance
Haal-E-Dil (June 20, 2008) (Released) ...... Special Appearance
U Me Aur Hum (April 11, 2008) (Released) ...... Piya
Om Shanti Om (November 9, 2007) (Released) ...... Herself (Special Appearance)
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (August 11, 2006) (Released)
Fanaa (May 26, 2006) (Released) ...... Zooni Ali Beg
Kal Ho Naa Ho (October 28, 2003) (Released) ...... Special Appearance In 'Maahi Ve' Song
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (December 14, 2001) (Released) ...... Anjali Sharma Raichand
Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi (January 19, 2001) (Released) ...... Tina/Sweety Khanna
Raju Chacha (December 20, 2000) (Released) ...... Anna
Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya (July 2, 1999) (Released) ...... Pinky
Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (January 22, 1999) (Released) ...... Megha
Dil Kya Kare (1999) (Released) ...... Nandita Rai
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (October 16, 1998) (Released) ...... Anjali Sharma
Pyar To Hona Hi Tha (July 24, 1998) (Released) ...... Sanjana
Dushman (May 29, 1998) (Released) ...... Sonia/Naina Saigal
Duplicate (May 7, 1998) (Released) ...... Girl On Railway Station (Special Appearance)
Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya (March 27, 1998) (Released) ...... Muskaan Thakur
Ishq (November 28, 1997) (Released) ...... Kajal
Hamesha (September 12, 1997) (Released) ...... Rani/Reshma
Gupt (July 4, 1997) (Released) ...... Isha Diwan
Sapnay (1997) (Released)
Bambai Ka Babu (March 22, 1996) (Released) ...... Neha
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (October 20, 1995) (Released) ...... Simran Singh
Gunda Raj (September 8, 1995) (Released) ...... Ritu
Hulchul (August 4, 1995) (Released) ...... Sharmila
Taaqat (June 23, 1995) (Released) ...... Kavita
Karan Arjun (January 13, 1995) (Released) ...... Sonia Saxena
Yeh Dillagi (May 6, 1994) (Released) ...... Sapna
Udhar Ki Zindagi (1994) (Released)
Baazigar (November 12, 1993) (Released) ...... Priya Chopra
Bekhudi (July 31, 1992) (Released) ...... Radhika


text:
CG Pay News
7th CPC Calculators
Introduction of choice of Pension Funds and Investment Pattern in Tier-I of NPS for Central Government subscribers
May 10, 2019 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
Major Changes in National Pension System (NPS): Choice of Pension Funds and Investment Pattern
"The subscribers may exercise one of the above choices of Investment Pattern twice in a financial year"
Introduction of choice of Pension Funds and Investment Pattern in
Tier-I of NPS for Central Government subscribers
PENSION FUND REGULATORY AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
B-14/A, Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhawan,
Qutab Institutional Area,
Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-110016.
Ph: 011-26517501, 26517503, 26133730
Website: www.pfrda.org.in
PFRDA/2019/8/SUP-PF/1
Date: 8th May, 2019
Subject: Introduction of choice of Pension Funds and Investment Pattern in Tier-I of NPS for Central Government subscribers – reg.
Reference is invited to the Gazette Notification F.No.1/3/2016-PR dated 31st January, 2019 issued by Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services, modifying Ministry of Finance's Notification No. 5/7/2003-ECB dated 22nd December, 2003, based on the Government's decision on the recommendations of a Committee set up to suggest measures for streamlining the implementation of National Pension System (NPS).
2. Accordingly, it has been decided to introduce the following options for Central Government subscribers:
(i) Choice of Pension Fund: As in the case of subscribers in the private sector, the Government subscribers shall also be allowed to choose any one of the pension funds including Private sector pension funds They could change their option once in a year. However. the current provision of combination of the Public-Sector Pension Funds will be available as the default Option for both existing as well as new Government subscribers.
(ii) Choice of Investment pattern: The following options for investment choices shall be offered to Government employees:
(a) The existing scheme in which funds are allocated by the PFRDA among the three Public Sector Undertaking fund managers based on their past performance in accordance with the guidelines of PFRDA for Government employees shall continue as default scheme for both existing and new subscribers.
(b) Government employees who prefer a fixed return with minimum amount of risk shall be given an option to invest 100% of the funds in Government securities (Scheme G),
(c) Government employees who prefer higher returns shall be given the options of the following two Life Cycle based schemes:
(A) Conservative Life Cycle Fund with maximum exposure to equity capped
at 25% – LC-25.
(B) Moderate Life Cycle Fund with maximum exposure to equity capped at
50% – LC-50.
The subscribers may exercise one of the above choices of Investment Pattern twice in a financial year.
(iii) Implementation of choices to the legacy corpus: Transfer of a huge legacy corpus of more than Re 1 lakh crore in respect of the Government sector subscribers from the existing Pension Fund Managers is likely to impact the market. It may be practically difficult for the PFRDA to allow Government subscribers to change the Pension Funds or investment pattern in respect of the accumulated corpus, in one go. Therefore, for the present, change in the Pension Funds or investment pattern is allowed in respect of incremental flows only.
(iv) Transfer of legacy corpus in a reasonable time frame: PFRDA shall draw up a scheme in due course for transfer of accumulated corpus as per new choices of Government subscribers in a reasonable time frame of say five years. Once PFRDA draws up this scheme, change in the Pension Funds or investment pattern shall be allowed in respect of the accumulated corpus in accordance with that scheme.
3. For investment option as per para 2 (ii) (a) above, all other terms and conditions as contained in the investment guidelines issued by the Authority dated 03_03.2015 for NPS Schemes (Applicable to Scheme CG, Scheme SC, Corporate CG and NPS Lite Schemes and APY) and subsequent amendments made thereto shall be applicable. Further, for investment options as per para 2 (ii) (b) or 2 (ii) (c) (A) or 2 (ii) (c) (B) above, all other terms and conditions as contained in the investment guidelines issued by the Authority dated 04.05.2017 in respect of NPS schemes {Other than Govt. Sector (CG & SG), Corporate CGI NPS Lite and AP Y} and subsequent amendments made thereto shall apply.
4. This circular is issued in exercise of powers of the Authority under sub-clause (b) of sub-section (2) of Section 14 read wtth Section 23 of the PFRDA Act, 2013 and sub- regulation (1) of Regulation 14 of the PFRDA (Pension Fund) Regulations, 2015.
The above arrangements ere applicable w.e.f. 1st April, 2019.
(A G. Das)
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: National Pension System, Pension Funds
Amendment to the investment Guidelines to all NPS Scheme
March 30, 2019 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
Amendment in Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes – PFRDA
Amendment to the investment Guidelines (Applicable to Scheme CG, Scheme SG, Corporate CG and NPS Lite schemes of NPS and Atal Pension Yojana)
CIRCULAR PFRDA/2019/8/SUP-PF/2
Subject: Amendment to the investment Guidelines (Applicable to Scheme CG, Scheme SG, Corporate CG and NPS Lite schemes of NPS and Atal Pension Yojana)
Reference is invited to the Investment Guidelines for NPS Schemes (Scheme CG, Scheme SG, Corporate CG and NPS Lite schemes of NPS and Atal Pension Yojana) dated 3rd June 2015 issued vide circular no. PERDA/2015/16/PFM/7, the Change in Investment guidelines for NPS schemes W.r.t. Investment in equity Mutual funds vide circular no. PERDA/2018/56/PF/2 dated 20th August 2018 and Revised rating criteria for investments under NPS Schemes vide circular No. PERDA/2018/02/PF/02 dated 08.05.2018. The changes hereunder shall apply only to Scheme CG, Scheme SG, Corporate CG and NPS Lite schemes of NPS and Atal Pension Yojana.
2. In order to provide flexibility to the Pension Funds to improve the scheme performance depending upon the market conditions, it has been decided to increase the cap on Government Securities & related investments and Short term debt instruments & related investments by 5% each.
3. The asset class wise revised caps on the various asset classes are as under:
Caps On Investments For Composite Schemes
Government Securities & Related Investments
Debt Instruments & Related Investments
Equity & Related Investments
Asset Backed, Trust Structured
Upto 5%
Short Term Debt Instruments & Related Investments
4.The other terms and conditions as mentioned in the circular PERDA/2015/16/PFM/7 dated 03.06.2015, circular no. PERDA/2018/56/PF/2 dated 20th August 2018 and circular No. PFRDA/2018/02/PF/02 dated 08.05.2018 shall remain the same.
This circular is issued in exercise of powers of the Authority under sub-clause (b) of the sub-section (2) of section 14 of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 2013 read with regulation 14 and 43 of PFRDA (Pension Fund) Regulation, 2015.
This would be effective from 01.04.2019.
Venkateswarlu Peri
(Chief General Manager)
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: NPS Schemes, PFRDA
NPS to OPS: New Pension Scheme Demand To Scrap it
December 10, 2018 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
New Pension Scheme Demand To Scrap it
NEW PENSION SCHEME (NPS): The New Pension Scheme is made compulsory for Government employees was brought into effect 2004, this has effected them a lot, lot of agitations are being carried out on scrapping the New Pension Scheme, this agitations has forced many State Governments such as Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi State Governments to reconsider this New Pension Scheme and formed an expert committee to review this New Pension Scheme. This New Pension Scheme was not implemented by West Bengal State Government. In this angle an analysis is made all about New Pension Scheme and ways to scarp or modify the New Pension Scheme to benefit the Government employees at large is suggested.
Need for Pension : The Pension System thus started in India was finalized by the Indian Pension Act of 1871. It appears that the British Government had the conception of providing its pensioners increase in their pensions to neutralize the effect of inflation.
Pension is a reward for past service. It is undoubtedly a condition of service but not an incentive to attract new entrants, the Pension is paid for past satisfactory service rendered, and to avoid destitution in old age as well as a social welfare or socio-economic justice measure, the fact that the cost of living has shot up and correspondingly the possibility of savings has gone down and consequently the drop in wages on retirement.
That pension is neither a bounty nor a matter of grace depending upon the sweet will of the employer and that it creates a vested right subject to 1972 rules which are statutory in character because they are enacted in exercise of powers conferred by the proviso to Art. 309 and clause (5) of Art. 148 of the Constitution; (ii) that the pension is not an ex-gratia payment but it is a payment for the past service rendered; and (iii) it is a social welfare measure rendering socio-economic justice to those who in the hey-day of their life ceaselessly toiled for the employer on an assurance that in their old age they would not be left in lurch.
As on 01-01-2018 there were 51.96 lakh pensioners in the country, including from Central Civil Services, Railways, and Post, Defence and Defence civilians.
EVOLUTION OF NEW PENSION SCHEME (NPS) IN INDIA:
In 1991 Government of India as introduced diverse economic reforms to pull the country out of economic crisis and to accelerate the rate of growth. These reforms are often described as the New economic policy (NEP) or policy of LPG where L for liberalisation; P for privatisation; G for globalisation. The Congress Government under the Prime Ministership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao, the signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to get the IMF loan in which the IMF had imposed various conditions to get the soft loan which includes pension reforms , which the Indian Government Congress Government had accepted it to reform in a 10 years period .
On the basis of the decision taken in the Eleventh Conference of State Finance Secretaries held in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) during January 2003, a Group was constituted by the RBI in February 2003 to study the pension liabilities of the State Governments and make suitable recommendations.
The "Pension Fund" to be created under the proposed revised schemes should be kept completely outside the States' Consolidated Fund and the Public Account
The pension systems, both for Civil Servants and other citizens, as evolved over the years have begun to show signs of financial stress in many countries, including India. Since the pension benefits of Government employees are usually paid from the general revenue of the Governments, the steep rise in such liabilities adversely affect the fiscal soundness of the Government entities. In India too, the increasing pension liabilities of the Central and State Governments have emerged as a major area of concern, especially in the wake of fiscal deterioration in recent years. About 20% of the state Government funds are spent on pension.
During the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee of NDA was in power from 1998 to 2004 which implemented this agreement of IMF on pension reforms . The NDA Government constituted two committees namely B.K.Bhattacharya committee headed by Shri B.K.Bhattacharya, Former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka as chairman and under the Chairmanship of Shri Biju Patnaik, Chief Minister of Orissa , both these committees recommended introduction of New Pension Scheme (NPS) & Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh of Congress (UPA) was in power from 2004 to 2014 continued to accept these pension reforms.
The New Pension Scheme (NPS) was announced on December 22, 2003 by the NDA Government, for all new government employees excepting those in the Armed Forces. This brand new system replaces the defined benefit system of pension and this includes GPF. Contributory pension scheme is for entrants who joined after 1st January 2004.
While the NPS is mandatory for the Central government employees, it has potentially a much wider reach. As of March 2007, 19 states which have decided to introduce similar schemes, mandating newly recruited civil servants to mandatorily join the NPS‐type scheme.
The NPS started with the decision of the Government of India to stop defined benefit pensions for all its employees who joined after 1 January 2004. While the scheme was initially designed for government employees only, it was opened up for all citizens of India in 2009. Over 15 lakhs Government employees are currently registered in NPS scheme.
The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) at the Ministry of Finance, notified a new pensions regulator in August 2003, before the NPS commenced operations in January 2004. The PFRDA bill was presented in 2005, and was finally passed in Parliament in 2013.
Let us analyse why Government is adopting the pension reforms:
SLNO
INDIAN GOVERNMENT VIEW
EMPLOYEES VIEW
The ratio of retirees to workers is on continuous rise and further by
2030 the 25% of the population (200 million pensioners) will be above 60
years of age.
The large number of employees are effected by the New Pension reforms,
hence Government should keep it in mind the interest of the large
chunk of employees
The Pension system shall put enormous financial pressure on the
Government and take away funds meant for social cause spending, this will
cause a drain on the state of economy.
About 80 % of employees are Group "C" workers, the pension amount is
ultimately spent by them for their daily needs and money flows into the
market and economy will not be effected , secondly Government is a model
employer and it has social responsibility towards its employees
After a decade of existence, there is need to examine the existing NPS and compare the performance of this system to the goals with which it was created.
*One of the key bottlenecks has been the lack of a sound regulatory framework, put in place by an empowered and independent regulator. The PFRDA Bill that had been pending since 2002 was finally passed in 2013. This enables the formal institutionalisation of the PFRDA as the regulator of the NPS. The PFRDA can now take on the task of both the relatively short term agenda of closing the gap between the current NPS and the original design.
*Central government employees can invest in these assets only through their Tier II account which get higher returns on longer period.
After the enactment of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Act, 2013, it is not the exclusive liability of the government to pay the pension."
The Ministry of Finance will oversee and supervise the Pension Funds through a new and independent Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority."
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL PENSION SCHEME?
Each Government employee contributes 10 % of his salary (Basic Pay + DA + DP) to the pension account , which is then matched by a Government contribution of an equal amount .
National Pension Scheme or New Pension scheme is a pension plan offered by the government. Investment in this scheme is via debt and equity market. The invested amount is locked until retirement. At retirement age, you can withdraw 60% of the maturity amount while the balance40% must be invested in annuity. The maturity amount is taxable. The NPS is regulated by the PFRDA and fund management is by designated fund managers from the private and public sector. NPS has the lowest charges.
From our salaries and daily allowance, 10 per cent is cut towards pension and an equal amount is given by the government. This amount is invested into the share markets under the new scheme.
An NPS subscriber can withdraw 25% of his contribution to the corpus for emergencies before retirement. Instead of withdrawing the entire amount at retirement, you can withdraw Rs 25,000, or 25% of your contribution, earlier, without any tax incidence. The remaining Rs 1.75 lakh is withdrawn on retirement.
New Pension Scheme extension of benefits of Retirement Gratuity and Death Gratuity to the Central Government employees covered by New Defined Contribution Pension System (National Pension System)-regarding. All these condition would be equally applicable for grant of gratuity to employees covered under New Pension Scheme.
An individual can claim tax deduction of upto 10 percent of the salary contributed towards NPS under Section 80 C. For those contributing through the corporate scheme, an employee can claim tax deduction on contribution made by the employer, not exceeding 10 percent of his basic salary plus dearness allowance (if any) Under Section 80 CCD (2). This is above the overall limit of Rs.1 lakh offered under Section 80C.
How New Pension Scheme (NPS) is affecting the Government employees.
The New Pension Scheme is highly disadvantageous to the Government employees under the present situation the pension amount is invested into the share markets under the new scheme. If the markets are doing well, the employees will get a good pension if the share market fails no pension is available to them. Under the old system, employees would get a fixed amount as pension that was 50 per cent of their last basic salary. When the salary was hiked, the pension amount too would be revised. Under the present NPS system, there is no security as pensions depend on market conditions. Secondly the NPS is highly disadvantageous if the length of the Government service is less if a employee serves for 20 years, he draws a pension of about Rs 3,000/- to Rs 5,000/ only. If he completes 33 years of service he draws about Rs 12,000/- to Rs 15,000/- compared to Rs 15,000/- to Rs 20,000/- in the old pension system, this new pension system needs a deep study and its minimum pension should be at least 50% of the last pay drawn. It is upto the Government how and where the money is invested, but a minimum guarantee of 50% of the last pay drawn should be assured by the Government to the employee.
Under New Pension Scheme is in reality much steeper than what the quantum of pension would indicate the differential treatment for those retiring under Old Pension scheme and New Pension Scheme, would be according differential treatment to pensioners who form a class irrespective of the type of retirement and, therefore, would be violate of Art. 14. It was also contended that classification based on fortuitous circumstance of retirement in old or New Pension Scheme, fixing of which is not shown to be related to any rational principle, would be equally violate of Art. 14.
Pension Scheme around the Globe : The USA, Canada, United Kingdom, China , Germany etc. Governments have a scheme of a Defined Benefit (DB) pension is where you receive a specific amount of pay out that is guaranteed by employer, regardless of how their pension investment performs. Your defined benefit amount depends on how much is paid into the plan and your years of service with that employer.
CONCLUSION:The Indian Government should also have a similar Defined Benefit (DB) pension scheme like other major countries in the world have, as many state Governments are re thinking on the New Pension Scheme, hence this New Pension Scheme should be remodelled to suit the Government employees. The Government should take up more social responsibilities of protecting its employees.
We request the government to reintroduce the old pension system. For this a greater movement should take place amongst the New Pension Scheme employees forcing Central Government to rethink the new pension policy adopted after 2004.
P.S.Prasad
Working President
COC Karnataka
Source: http://karnatakacoc.blogspot.com/
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: National Pension Scheme, Pensioners Issue, PFRDA
Alert Notice from PFRDA
October 5, 2018 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
Alert Notice for General Public from PFRDA
PLEASE BEWARE PFRDA NEVER SENDS ANY EMAIL OR MESSAGE PROMISING LARGE SUMS FOR PAYMENT OF FEE
ALERT NOTICE
"This is to inform general public that PFRDA is a Regulatory Body and does not ever call for any sum for release of funds to any individual from their Permanent Retirement Account (PRAN) maintained with the Centre Record Keeping Agency.
It is also informed that PFRDA has appointed entities such as Point of Presence, Aggregators etc. which are banks and non-banking financial companies which are authorized to interact with subscribers for a prescribed fee which is much less than what is being asked for by the fraudsters.
PLEASE BEWARE. PFRDA NEVER SENDS ANY EMAIL/MESSAGE PROMISING LARGE SUMS FOR PAYMENT OF FEE/CHARGE. ANY SUCH COMMUNICATION IS SENT WITH THE INTENTION TO DEFRAUD YOU. INFORM POLICE IMMEDIATELY."
Source: http://www.pfrda.org.in
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: Alert Notice, General Public, PFRDA
Implementation of National Pension System by Central Autonomous Bodies
September 24, 2018 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
Conference on Implementation of National Pension System by Central Autonomous Bodies
A conference on implementation of National Pension System by Central Autonomous Bodies (CABs) was organized by PFRDA on 13th June 2018 at New Delhi. The prime objective was to provide a forum to all Central Autonomous Bodies (CABs), where the progress in the implementation of NPS with respect to compliance of timelines in various NPS related activities could be brought to the fore and a way forward could be provided. Officials from most of the Central Autonomous Bodies (CABs) attended the conference.
Also check: Exemption from National Pension System (NPS) – NFIR
Dr. Badri Singh Bhandari, Whole Time Member (Economics) in his opening remarks mentioned that currently there are 557 CABs which have about 1.73 lacs subscribers and about Rs.11800 crores of Asset Under Management (AUM). He further emphasised the need for discipline in submission of subscriber registration forms and remittance of the subscribers' contributions. He also highlighted the responsibility of nodal officers handling NPS and advised that they should be aware of the NPS and its related process in detail for addressing the queries/grievances of the subscribers.
Chairman, PFRDA, Sh. Hemant Contractor, in his address emphasized the fact that NPS, being a Contributory scheme, was different from the earlier pension system and discussed various determinants of pension such as promptness of the Nodal offices in performing various NPS related activities mainly subscriber registration, upload/remittance of NPS contributions and also period of stay in the scheme, contribution level, returns on investments, annuity schemes chosen, annuity service providers chosen etc. In this regard, he stressed upon the need to work in tandem to ensure that NPS works efficiently and pensions are served effectively. He also highlighted endeavour of PFRDA in educating subscribers in handling their pension accounts, through a dedicated website, Pension Sanchay.
Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Govt. of India Sh. Ajay Narayan Jha, in his key-note address appreciated the initiative of PFRDA for holding this conference exclusively for Central Autonomous Bodies as it provided two-way communications between stakeholders for the ultimate benefit of the subscribers. He stressed to all participants on the need of becoming sensitive and responsible towards employee-subscribers currently covered under NPS in order to protect their interest, while monitoring various NPS related activities. He also stressed upon the role which can be played by the Head of Institutions and PrAOs of the respective CABs in streamlining NPS operations.
A presentation was also made by the NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd, the Central Record keeping Agency for NPS about the operational issues and new functionalities released for the convenience of the nodal officers-PAOs/DDOs and the subscribers. A presentation was also made by Jamia Millia Islamia University about the best practices they have adopted to administer the subscribers' interface effectively. While presenting the Vote of Thanks Shri Ashish Kumar, GM mentioned that PFRDA is periodically holding Review meetings/ Video conferences also with the CABs on important parameters having financial implications and expects significant improvement from the present state of affairs.
Source: https://7thpaycommissionnews.in
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: National Pension System, NFIR, PFRDA
Important Announcements and Approvals in Board Meeting of PFRDA
May 5, 2018 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
"Modification in Partial Withdrawal rules under NPS & Increasing cap on equity investment in active choice to 75% from current 50% for Private Sector Subscribers"
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) is established by the Government of India for regulation and development of Pension Sector in order to protect the old age income security of subscribers. PFRDA takes various initiatives from time to time in order to simplify and improve the operational issues in National Pension System (NPS) like new functionality development under NPS architecture, simplification of account opening, withdrawal, grievance management etc.
In this regard, during the recently held Board Meeting some important decisions were taken to improve the operational and regulation issues in National Pension System (NPS). Some of the decisions taken in the Board Meeting are as follows:
Budget announcement- Rating criteria for investments– Proposal on changing the investment grade rating from 'AA' to 'A' for corporate bonds was approved. The change is subject to a cap on investments in 'A' rated bonds to be not more than 10% of the overall Corporate Bond portfolio of the Pension Funds. This initiative will enlarge the scope of investment for the Fund Managers while ensuring credit quality.
Introduction of a Common Stewardship Code: The proposal on adoption of Common Stewardship Code, as a measure of good Corporate Governance, was approved. Further, it was also approved that the Principles enumerated in such code shall be circulated to all Pension Funds for compliance and implementation. Adoption of these Principles by Pension Funds will improve their engagement with investee companies and benefit subscribers.
Modification in Partial Withdrawal rules under NPS: Partial withdrawals will now be allowed to NPS subscribers who wish to improve their employability or acquire new skills by pursuing higher education/ acquiring professional and technical qualifications. Further, individual NPS subscribers who wish to set up a new business/ acquire new business will also be allowed to make partial withdrawals from his contributions. Other terms applicable to partial withdrawals will remain unchanged.
Increasing cap on equity investment in active choice to 75% from current 50% for Private Sector Subscribers: Presently there is a cap of 50% on equity investment under active choice in NPS. The proposal on increasing cap on equity investment in active choice to 75% from currently 50% has been approved by the Board. However, it comes with a clause of tapering of the equity allocation after the age of 50 years.
Currently, NPS and APY have a cumulative subscriber base of over 2.13 crore with total Asset Under Management (AUM) of more than Rs. 2.38 lakh crore.
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: Budget, National Pension System, PFRDA
Major Changes in NPS including Withdrawl Norms
Three major changes in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) including withdrawal norms
Relaxation of Norms for NPS
The Government of India has recently made three changes in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) including withdrawal norms. The details are as under:
Partial withdrawal during the service: The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA), with an objective to meet the subscriber's sudden financial requirement enrolled under NPS, has liberalized norms for partial withdrawals which also include reduction of requirement of minimum years of being enrolled under NPS from 10 years to 3 years from the date of joining. Suitable amendments were made through "Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) (First Amendment) Regulations, 2017 and the same has been notified on 10.08.2017.
Increase in the joining age under NPS: With an objective to allow individuals (under NPS-All Citizen Model and Corporate Sector Model) who are in the age bracket between 60 years and 65 years to join NPS system. Suitable amendments were made through "Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2017 and the same has been notified on 06.10.2017.
Exit in case of disability and incapacitation of the subscriber: With an objective of facilitating easy exit & withdrawal in case of disability and incapacitation of the subscriber covered under NPS, PFRDA has made suitable amendments through "Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) (Third Amendment) Regulations, 2018 and the same has been notified on 02.02.2018.
This was stated by Shri Ship Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: National Pension Scheme, PFRDA, PIB
NPS subscribers can withdraw after three years
March 9, 2018 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
"The NPS subscribers can withdraw after three years from the date of joining the system and a maximum of three times during the entire tenure of subscription under NPS"
Partial Withdrawal under NPS
The Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) has relaxed the norms for partial withdrawal under the National Pension Scheme (NPS). In accordance with the PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) (First Amendment) Regulations 2017, the subscriber ought to be subscribed to the National Pension System, at least for a period of three years from the date of his or her joining to such system, to be eligible to make partial withdrawals, under specific circumstances as specified in such regulations.
The NPS subscribers can withdraw after three years from the date of joining the system and a maximum of three times during the entire tenure of subscription under NPS, but the partial withdrawal is linked with contributions made by the subscriber. The subscriber shall be permitted to withdraw accumulations not exceeding twenty-five per cent of the contributions made by him or her and standing to his or her credit in his or her individual pension account, as on the date of application for withdrawal.
Earlier the subscriber under NPS was permitted to withdraw accumulations not exceeding twenty-five per cent of the contributions made by him or her after 10 years from the date of his or her joining the system, and a maximum of three times during the entire tenure of subscription under NPS.
This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: National Pension System, Pension, PFRDA
Age Limit for NPS
February 12, 2018 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
Vide PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals from National Pension System) Second Amendment Regulations, 2017, dated 6th October, 2017, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has permitted any Indian citizen who is in the age group of 18-65 years to join the National Pension System (NPS) on voluntary basis. As informed by PFRDA, a total of 1056 persons between the ages of 60-65 years have joined up to 31st January, 2018.
NPS is a contributory pension scheme available to the Indian citizens between the ages of 18-65 years on voluntary basis. There will be no financial burden on Government due to increase in the eligibility age of joining NPS from 60 to 65 years because Government doesn't pay any contribution for private employees and also Government employees who join the NPS after the age of retirement at 60 years.
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: Age Limit, NPS, PFRDA
PIB News : PFRDA conducts workshop on National Pension System (NPS) for Corporates in coordination with FICCI at Ahmedabad
June 10, 2017 by Amardeep Leave a Comment
PFRDA conducts workshop on National Pension System (NPS) for Corporates in coordination with FICCI at Ahmedabad;
Overall number of NPS and APY subscribers have crossed 1.60 crores with overall Asset under Management (AUM) of more than 1,87,000 crores.
Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) in its endeavor to promote NPS among the Corporates have embarked upon conducting NPS Workshops at various locations across the country. A Corporate Meet was conducted at Ahmedabad,Gujarat today in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Gujarat State Council.
Addressing the participants, Shri Akhilesh Kumar, Deputy General Manager, PFRDA informed them about the longevity scenario across the world and the need of pension in old age and sounded the importance of pension to be considered by everyone. National Pension System (NPS) promoted by the Central Government provides the platform to every segment of the society for savings for retirement and briefed the contours of NPS for old age income security. He requested the participants to utilize this meet for better understanding of NPS and implementing the same in their respective organizations. He highlighted the key factor of low cost pension product – NPS for a valuable pension in the old age.
Shri Kumar Sharadindu, MD & CEO, SBI Pension Fund Management Company Limited briefed the role of the Pension Funds under NPS architecture and the benefits of long term investment and the optimal return being generated by the Pension Fund following the investment guidelines issued by PFRDA.
Dr Param Shah, Head, FICCI Gujarat State Council in his welcome address lauded the efforts of PFRDA for organizing such meetings across the country and creating awareness about NPS which can be effective platform for corporates to provide pension to their employees.
As on 09th June 2017, more than 6.09 lacs employees of 3,593 Registered Corporates have joined NPS under NPS Corporate Model. More than 4.62 lacs subscribers have joined NPS under NPS-All Citizen Model. The overall number of NPS and APY subscribers have crossed 1.60 crores with overall Asset under Management (AUM) of more than 1,87,000 crores
More than 80 participants from around 50 corporates attended the workshop. Ahmedabad / Gujarat based POPs were also present for the workshop. PFRDA official gave a detailed presentation on NPS and informed the participants about the features, benefits and the process of joining NPS to the employees as well as to the employers. Official of Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP gave a presentation on Tax benefits of NPS as compared to other financial products. Two Ahmedabad based Registered Corporates- namely Adani Power and Arvind Limited, informed the participants about their experience of facilitating NPS to their employees and the need and benefits of implementing NPS in the organization.
PFRDA officials clarified the queries regarding joining of NPS, tax benefits, POPs details, timelines, transfer of superannuation fund to NPS, annuity etc to the participants.
The recent developments under NPS-Private Sector (All citizen and Corporate) are listed below:
Process of Transfer of Superannuation / Recognised Provident Fund to National Pension System.
Allowing option to change the investment choice or asset allocation ratio twice in a financial year
Dispensing of requirement of submission of physical application form in case of subscriber opening account online and e-Signing the document.
Introduction of Alternative Investment Fund-a separate class of Asset "A"
Introduction of two new life cycle funds (LC 75 and LC 25)
Under Tier-I account, minimum contribution requirement in a financial year is reduced from Rs 6,000/- to Rs 1,000/-
PFRDA's endeavor is to significantly scale-up these segments during the ongoing months.
Filed Under: PFRDA Tagged With: New Pension Scheme, Pension, PFRDA
In case of beneficiaries are self-employed, income certificates may be accepted for family pension
Constitution of Regional Council under JCM Scheme in all postal Circles – DoP
Clarification on ACP Benefit from GP 4200 to 4600 from 1.1.2006
CG offices shall not be closed on Local body elections
NISHTHA Website, Training Modules, Primer Booklet and a Mobile App were also launched by the Minister
Children Education Allowance for Central Government Employees – An Overview
Exemption from payment of examination and application fee for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities – Dopt orders Aug 2019
Corporatisation of OFB – Setup High Level Official Committee
Latest Comments from Central Govt Employees – Aug 2019
11th Bipartite Wage Revision Settlement – UFBU demanded 20% Pay Hike
7th Central Pay Commission
7th CPC News
Bank Employees News
Bank Strike
Bonus Ceiling
CCS Rules
CG Employees News
CGDA
Children Education Allowance
Confederation News
CSD Prices
DA Orders
Defence Employees
Defence Pensioners
Department of Posts
ECHS
Ex-Servicemen
Finmin Orders
FNPO
INDWF
JNV Schools
Karnataka Govt Employees News
KV School
LDC UDC
NC JCM Staff Side
NFIR
PBOR Tables
PCAFYS
PCDA
Pension Portal Orders
Pensioners Issue
PIB News
State Govt Employees
TNEA
Travelling Allowance
7th Central Pay Commission 7th CPC 7th CPC Allowances 7th CPC Allowances Committee 7th CPC News 7th Pay Commission 7th Pay Commission News aicpin AIRF Armed Forces Bank Employees News BPMS CCS Rules Central Government Employees CG Employees CGHS CGHS Hospitals Children Education Allowance Concordance Table Confederation Confederation news Dearness Allowance Defence Pensioners Department of Posts DOPT Dopt orders Employment News Ex-Servicemen Expected DA FINMIN ORDERS Fixation of Pay Holidays Income Tax Indian Railways LTC MACP NC JCM Staff Side NFIR NPS Pension Pensioners Issue Pension Portal Orders Railway Board Railway Board Orders Railways


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Still Thinking About What to do for Open Access Week 2010?
Take a look at what International OA Week Members did last year!
For inspiration go to the PHOTOS section.
View the OA Week world map of activities
Look at all the 2009 OA Week Displays for inspiration
See what other institutions and organization did for OA Week last…
Added by Donna Okubo on July 9, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments
ppt presentation
Can someone send me material/literature which can help me in preparing a ppt presentation to make other people aware about open access during open access week.
Added by Dr Sumant Vyas on July 8, 2010 at 4:28am — 1 Comment
Update and call for input -- July 9 deadline
We're looking at next steps for Open Access Week planning and I just took a look at the make up of our participants so far. WOW. If you haven't noticed the breadth and depth of the international group you're participating with here, do take a look. It's pretty amazing. (Do an advanced search at http://www.openaccessweek.org/profiles/members). We have a tremendous show from India and the U.S., plus a lot of… Continue
Added by Jennifer McLennan on July 2, 2010 at 10:00am — 7 Comments
Open Source Repository Software
As the manager of our research platform and repository I'm interested in new informations about open access.
You can find informations about our Alexandria Repository at the University of St.Gallen at http://blog.alexandria.unisg.ch. Our University has an OA mandate since December 2008.
If you're interested in our software or have any questions, feel free to contact me! - Ruedi…
Added by Ruedi Lindegger on June 30, 2010 at 9:30am — No Comments
Study of Open Access (SOAP): online surveys
LIBER (Association of European Research Libraries) is conducting a Study of Open Access. They have recently sent us the following information:…
Added by Cristina Vaquer on June 9, 2010 at 3:31am — No Comments
Take-aways from today's event, Request for ideas
We had our first Open Access Week 2010 Web cast and planning event today -- June 2. We were so pleased to be joined by Andrew Waller from the University of Calgary and Jamaica Jones from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who spoke about their hugely successful events -- and related Open Access progress -- in 2009 (thanks, guys!). The details about the event are here:… Continue
Added by Jennifer McLennan on June 2, 2010 at 1:30pm — 4 Comments
Webcast invitation: Open Access Week 2010 Kick-Off Planning Event
Open Access Week 2010 Kick-Off Planning Event
A SPARC Webcast
Date: Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Time: 12:00 - 1:00PM Eastern
There is no fee to attend. Please register by June 1 at http://www.arl.org/sparc/meetings/event_registration.shtml
Open Access Week (OAW) 2010 has been declared for October 18th to 24th and promises to be the biggest event of its kind so far. Already, participation promises to… Continue
Added by Jennifer McLennan on May 21, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments
The O2 Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Institutional repository allows users to view the open-access digital publications on research, teaching and administration produced by the UOC. It includes art…
The O2 Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Institutional repository allows users to view the open-access digital publications on research, teaching and administration produced by the UOC. It includes articles, papers, teaching materials, final degree projects, doctoral theses, etc. for the purpose of collecting, preserving and organising the UOC's scientific output and its annual report and, in particular, disseminating it, thus making it more visible and increasing its impact.…
Added by Cristina Vaquer on May 10, 2010 at 3:30am — No Comments
Early-Bird Advantage: It helps to announce your event mission early
Open Access Week is more than 5 months away, but publishing your event early on the EVENTS page has already demonstrated its advantages.
Just by declaring the event`s focus, targeted community and preliminary program, we have already linked up with like-minded people both in France and abroad. More interestingly however, the contacts have gone beyond just common interest, and the discussion has furiously evolved over email.
With 5 months to go,…
Added by Ivo Grigorov on May 7, 2010 at 6:40am — 1 Comment
Lenus the Irish Health Repository
Lenus is an Irish health repository capturing official reports and research output from the national health service in Ireland the "Health Service Executive", government reports from the Department of Health and Children and literatures from other Irish health agencies. In addition Lenus captures theses and journal articles with permission from authors on health topics related to Irish health. Please check out www.lenus.ie
Added by Aoife Lawton on May 7, 2010 at 5:17am — No Comments
EPT is requesting OA-stories that show the benefits to individuals and their research from OA
Open Access Week will hit the research communities worldwide from October 18th – 24th, 2010…
Added by Barbara Kirsop on May 1, 2010 at 8:01am — No Comments
SPREADING OPEN ACCESS NETWORKFew days ago, I was trying to find a link OA week 2009..but the link expired..Instead of OA 2009, I found the new one: Ning Network - created by Jannifer McLennan I subsc…
SPREADING OPEN ACCESS NETWORK…
Added by Ana Ivkovic on April 29, 2010 at 5:00pm — No Comments
Open Access Week 2010 declared for October 18 to 24
Jennifer McLennan
jennifer [at] arl [dot] org
Researchers challenged to demonstrate the impact of Open Access on research and scholarship
(Washington, DC) Open Access Week, the global event to promote free, immediate,… Continue
Added by Jennifer McLennan on April 28, 2010 at 5:30pm — 1 Comment
The Open Access Week Challenge
This year's OAWeek preparations kick off with a challenge to researchers from Dr. Philip E. Bourne, Professor of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California San Diego and Founding Editor-in-Chief of PLoS Computational Biology. In a video posted to the OA Week Web site, Bourne calls upon scholars to think beyond free and ready access to the literature – made possible by Open Access – and consider how technology may be deployed to advance research, to truly mine the… Continue
Added by Jennifer McLennan on April 24, 2010 at 8:00pm — No Comments
Research Funders -- Ideas
More than 200 agencies of all types – institutional, departmental, governmental, private, etc. – have crafted policies requiring that the research they fund be made available to the general public.
During Open Access Week 2009, The UK's Wellcome Trust announced it would commit 2 million pounds to support publication in open-access journals (…
Researchers -- Ideas
To kick off Open Access Week 2010, Dr. Philip Bourne has challenged scholars to think beyond free and ready access to the literature – made possible by Open Access – and consider how technology may be deployed to advance research. Accept the challenge and report on how Open Access has changed your ability to conduct research, access literature, or teach. Post your report in text or video to…
Administrators -- Ideas
Promote an open-access policy. Administrators can have a dramatic and lasting impact on scholarly communication by initiating or encouraging faculty to consider an institutional open-access policy. Open Access helps to ensure the best return on research dollars invested by your institution by opening up research results to the widest possible audience. Dozens of institutions – public and private, small and large, all over the globe – are adopting…
Publishers -- Ideas
Open Access Week is a great opportunity to highlight open-access publications, milestones and achievements, and for publishers to consider how Open Access can help increase the impact of what they publish.
The Public Library of Science has been a very active participant in Open Access Week since its second year, promoting participation around the world and using the event to highlight the birthdays of its two flagship journals – PLoS Medicine and PLoS Biology.
For OAWeek…
Students -- Ideas
In 2009, Open Access Week was the platform for the student Right to Research Coalition to announce that it had expanded to represent over 5 million students worldwide, with the commitments of the Canadian Federation of Students, the U.S. Students' Association, and The International Association for Political Science Students.
JOIN the coalition. Individual students, student governments, and student organizations are invited to sign The…
Librarians -- Ideas
Librarians have played a crucial, leading role in advocating for Open Access worldwide. As a traditional focal point for scholarly communication innovation, libraries continue to exercise their leadership by encouraging faculty members, administrators, and students to engage in Open Access Week activities.
In 2009, librarians were the key drivers behind the remarkable height of participation in Open Access Week. By hosting Webcasts (Athabasca…


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Home News Two Giraffes at the Columbus Zoo Ready to Give Birth! Watch...
Two Giraffes at the Columbus Zoo Ready to Give Birth! Watch the Live Cams
Jeremy Newman
Powell, OH – As part of the World Giraffe Day celebration on June 21, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced that they are expecting two Masai giraffe births in the coming months—the first giraffe births at the Zoo in nearly 20 years. The last calf born at the Zoo was in 1999.
The two expectant mothers are 8-year-old Zuri and 6-year-old Cami. Zuri came to Columbus in 2013 after being at The Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio and the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas, where she was born. Cami came to the Columbus Zoo in 2013 from the Nashville Zoo in Tennessee. Enzi is the 8-year-old breeding male Masai giraffe, and he arrived at the Columbus Zoo in 2013 after first being at The Wilds and the Toledo Zoo, where he was born. The pairing of Enzi with both Zuri and Cami was based on a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP) for giraffes.
LIVE CAM 1:
Zuri's calf is due sometime between late August and mid-September, and Cami's calf is due between late September and mid-October. The sex of the calves is not yet known. Both mothers are being closely monitored by the Zoo's animal care staff, and the calves appear to be healthy and growing steadily according to most recent ultrasounds conducted by the Zoo's animal health team.
Nineteen giraffes have been born at the Columbus Zoo over the course of its history, but the two newest additions will be the first giraffes born in the Heart of Africa region since its opening in 2014. Giraffes typically have a gestation period of around 15 months and will give birth to the calf while standing up. Newborn calves can weigh anywhere from 100-150 pounds and are, on average, around 6 feet tall.
In addition to sharing the exciting pregnancy news and offering special giraffe conservation-themed activities for guests, the World Giraffe Day celebration also featured the Zoo's first public plasma draw demonstration.
The Columbus Zoo and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado are the co-founders of the giraffe plasma bank and, now along with the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina, are the only zoological facilities that are currently able to consistently collect large volumes of plasma from giraffe to send to animals in need of a transfusion. These plasma transfusions have been responsible for assisting in saving the lives of several young giraffe across the country.
Plasma contains vital antibodies and critical proteins that can give a life-saving boost to the immune system of a young calf, which hasn't been able to nurse and obtain the mother's vital colostrum, or to a sick calf that needs additional help to fight off an infection.
Since 2017, the Columbus Zoo has been able to provide plasma to assist in saving the lives of four newborn giraffe at other zoos that were in need of a transfusion to survive. This work is only possible through the hard work and dedication of the animal care and animal health staff who have trained members of the giraffe herd to participate in these large volume blood draws completely awake and voluntarily. The program further exemplifies the level of trust that exists between the animal care team, the animal health team and the giraffes in the Heart of Africa region at the Zoo.
As a result of the Zoo's specialization in this field, members of the animal care and animal health teams serve as experts in plasma draws and frequently share videos, host conferences, teach at workshops and provide facility tours to animal care and animal health staff from across the country to share their understanding of giraffe care.
"All of the elements of our World Giraffe Day celebration in the Heart of Africa region further demonstrate the tremendous advancements in animal health and animal care that our team at the Columbus Zoo has contributed to benefit wildlife," said Columbus Zoo President/ CEO Tom Stalf. "We take great pride in the leadership and the dedication of our staff to provide the very best in animal care and welfare to the giraffes and other wildlife species to help protect their future."
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a long-time supporter of several direct giraffe conservation initiatives and has raised a total of $191,825 for giraffe projects since 2002. The Zoo also provided a one-time $56,679 grant to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation through the Zoo's Wine for Wildlife Fund-A-Need. The World Giraffe Day celebration at the Zoo is just one of the many ways that the Zoo strives to involve the public to raise awareness and additional funds for this important conservation effort.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species,™ giraffe populations are listed as vulnerable in their native range across southern and eastern Africa and are in decline due to various factors including habitat loss, civil unrest/military operations, poaching and ecological changes.
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