India is one of the ten most forest-rich countries of the worldalong with the Brazil, Canada, United States of America,

China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Australia, Indonesiaand Sudan. Together, India and these countries account for 67percent of total forest area of the world. Forests contribute a lotto the ecology and economy of the nations and play a majorrole in improvement of quality of life of the people. Due to theimpact of biotic pressure on our forests, many forest areasspread across the country has been depleted and degradedwhich is a cause of serious concern. There is, therefore, anurgent need for improvement of forests in the country and thatcan done by 'Tree Improvement' professionals.

Tree Improvement is the science of development and careof forest. It is all about management of forests by protecting,conserving and upgrading forest resources which also includefarming of trees used as timber. This stream of scienceassesses, characterizes and utilizes the genetic diversity of for-est tree species and carries out tree improvement of majorplantation species through breeding, and appropriate silvicul-ture packages. The main objective of this branch of science isto increase the productivity of our forests and plantations tomeet the requirements of the forest fringe communities and for-est based industries. Besides this, it also helps in restoring theecology of degraded areas to expand the forest and tree coverand improve the environmental quality.

Tree improvement relies basically on understanding varia-tion that naturally occurs in tree populations. It increases thevalue of a tree species by 1) selecting the most desirable treesfrom natural stands or plantations, 2) breeding or mating theseselect trees and 3) testing the resulting progeny. The treesinvolved in this process are referred to as the breeding popula-tion. This three-step process is then continuously repeated tofurther improve the average value of the breeding population.

Postgraduate and Doctoral programmes in TreeImprovement & Genetic Resources are available at the

CAREER IN TREE IMPROVEMENTAND GENETIC RESOURCES

VOL. XL NO. 25 PAGES 32 NEW DELHI 19 - 25 SEPTEMBER 2015 ` 8.00

STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR YOUTH Dr. Jitendra Nagpal

S tress is a non-specific response of the body to ademand. Researchers define stress as physical,

mental or emotional response to events that cause bod-ily or mental tension. Stress arises when individuals per-ceive that they can adequately cope with the demandsbeing made on them or with threats made to their wellbeing. For instance, for a teacher, stress is "the experi-ence by teacher of unpleasant, negative emotions, suchas anger, anxiety, tension, frustration or depression,resulting from some aspect of their work as a teacher". Itis important to understand that while stress is necessaryand positive, it can also be negative and harmful.Whether positive or negative, physical or mental, thebody's reaction to stress can be described by threestages:Alarm Reaction Stage - The body identifies and firstreacts to the stress. In this stage the body first releaseshormones that help in the defence against the stressor. Resistance Stage - The body continues to resist thestressors as they persist. If the stressors continue andthere is a consistent state of resistance, there is poten-tial to move into the third and final stage.Exhaustion Stage - The body and mind are nolonger able to make the necessary adjustments to resistthe stressors and there is physical and/or mentalexhaustion.

The focus of the article is on negative physical andmental stress and specifically reviewing the persistentstressors that push a person into the third stage and ulti-mately to exhaustion.Why Stress in Youth? Sources of Stress

We can experience stress from four basic sourceslike, environment, family-related stressors, WorkplaceStressors, physiological reasons. Our thoughts also playa role in causing stress. The environment can bombardus with intense and competing demands to adjust.

Examples of Environmental Stressors include weath-er, noise, crowding, pollution, traffic, unsafe and sub-standard housing, and crime. Family-related stressorsinclude, family separations (due to work relocations orother reasons), relationship conflict, disagreements,demands for your time and attention, loss of a loved one,Illness or death of a family member, parenting or childcare challenges.

Workplace Stressors are conflict among co-work-ers, unexpected/ unwanted transfer of work location,

lack of mobility/transport for high risk patients at thehealth facility, poor communication with co-workers, lackof support from supervisor, no forum to express workconcerns and issues and lack of resources to supportthe provision of care. Physiological stressors are situations and circum-stances that affect our body. Examples of physiologicalstressors include rapid growth of adolescence,menopause, illness, aging, giving birth, accidents, lackof exercise, poor nutrition, and sleep disturbances.Thoughts: Our brain interprets and perceives situationsas stressful, difficult, painful, or pleasant. Some situa-tions in life are stress provoking, but it is our thoughtsthat determine whether they are a problem for us or not.Causes of Stress

Stress is a psychological and physiological responseto events that upset our personal balance. The potentialcauses of stress are numerous. These may be linked tooutside factors such as the state of the world, environ-ment in which one lives or works or the family. It maycome from one's own irresponsible behaviour, negativeattitude or feeling or unrealistic expectation. The causesof stress are highly individualistic. A range of physical toemotional factors cause stress. These include threat,fear, uncertainty, life causes, frustrations, conflicts, pres-sures, environment, fatigue and overwork.

A perceived threat will lead a person to feel stressed.This can include physical threats, social threats, and finan-cial threats. A threat may lead to stress. Threat can alsolead to fear which again leads to stress. When there is agap between what one does and what one thinks, there iscognitive dissonance and one feel stressed. There aremany causes of stress in life like fear of death, ill healthbeing victim of a crime, self abuse, family change, sexualproblems, argument, physical changes, moving to new

Continued on page 31

Continued on page 32

Afaq Majid Wani And Satyendra Nath

E-version of Collected Works ofMahatma Gandhi Launched

U nion Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs &Information and Broadcasting Mr. Arun Jaitley

launched the e-version of "The Collected Works ofMahatma Gandhi" (CWMG) at Gandhi PeaceFoundation in New Delhi on 8th September 2015.CWMG is a monumental document of Gandhiji'swords as he spoke and wrote, day after day begin-ning 1884 till 30th January 1948. He also uplinkedthe e-version on the Gandhi Heritage Portal, a com-prehensive repository of authentic Gandhiana. Theportal hosts e-CWMG in a searchable PDF format toensure easy and free accessibility of the CWMG forpeople across the world. On the occasion, Mr. Jaitleyalso announced that the Hindi version of the monu-mental work (Sampoorna Gandhi Vangmaya) wouldbe digitized soon. Minister of State for I & B, Col.Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Retd.), SecretaryMinistry of I & B, Mr Sunil Arora and members of theexpert committee were also present at the function.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jaitley said theintrinsic and heritage value of the e-CWMG Projecthad the collaboration and partnership of institutionsthat have been founded and nurtured by Gandhijihimself. Mr. Jaitley said that this digitized version ofthe Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi would beinstrumental in preserving the valuable national her-itage and disseminating it for all humankind.

Mr. Jaitley also mentioned that the Mahatma wasa true visionary, whose thought process had touchedvarious facets of human life. His understanding of awide range of issues had enabled the creation of amoral environment which in the long run forced theBritish to leave India. His writings had been inspira-tional in weaving humanity together. The documen-tation of his work through an e-version was trulyinspirational for followers on the e-platform. At the

same time it was a truly collectors' item available toall followers of Gandhiji's philosophy.

Speaking earlier, Secretary I & B, Mr. Sunil Arorasaid that in order to preserve the invaluable heritageof Gandhiji and make it available to future genera-tions for all times to come, Publications Division hadtaken up the task of preparing the e-version of the100 volumes of CWMG in 2011. Mr. Arora furthersaid that in order to maintain the authenticity of thisimportant work, it was decided to have a facsimile-based version in electronic form for preservation. Itwas also decided to make it into a searchablemaster copy in PDF format so that people could ben-efit from Gandhiji's life and thought in a simple andeasy manner.

In this series, his writings, scattered all overthe world, have been collected and constructed

I & B Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley with the Minister of Statefor I & B, Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Retd.), at therelease function of e-version of Collected Works ofMahatma Gandhi in New Delhi.

Continued on page 32

www.employmentnews.gov.in 31Employment News 19 - 25 September 2015 EDITORIAL

location, financial crisis, environment andincrease in responsibilities. Frustrationcomes from obstacles that prevent frommeeting one's needs or achieving person-al goals. These may be external (discrim-ination) or internal (physical handicap,lack of desired ability or trait). Conflictsinvolving two or more incompatible needsor goals, the choice between two desir-able options, or decision involving dis-agreeable alternations. Pressures:Stress can stem from expectations of oth-ers or demands placed on one. Pressureto get good grades in exams is one ofthose. Survival stress is commonresponse to danger in all people and ani-mals. When one is afraid that someone orsomething may physically hurt him or her,this leads to stress. Environment: It is aresponse to things around us like noise,crowd, pressure of work/family that caus-es stress. Fatigue and Overwork: Thiskind of stress builds up over a long timeand takes a hard toll. It can be caused byworking too much or too hard at jobs athome. It can also be caused by not know-ing how to manage the time well and tak-ing time for rest and relaxation.Symptoms of Stress

Every one reacts to stress differently.But there are some common symptoms ofstress. One may shake uncontrollably,breathe faster, deeper than normal or evenvomit. Stress can even trigger an asthmaattack.

Intellectual Symptoms include memoryproblem, difficulty in taking decision, confu-sion, poor judgment and lack of concentra-tion.

Physical Symptoms include digestiveproblem, sleep disturbance, fatigue, highblood pressure, weight gain or loss, skinproblems, asthma or shortness of breath,decreased sex drive and heart palpita-tions.

Emotional Symptoms are becomingmoody and hypersensitive, restlessnessand anxiety, depression, anger andresentment, irritation, lack of confidence,apathy and urge to laugh or cry at inap-propriate times.

Behavioural Symptoms are eatingmore or less, sleeplessness, isolation,neglecting responsibilities, increasedalcohol and drug use, nervous habits,teeth grinding or jaw clenching, overdoingactivities such as exercising or shopping,losing temper and overreacting to unex-pected problems.The Stress Response

Any problem, real or imagined, couldcause the cerebral cortex (the thinkingpart of the brain) to send an alarm to thehypothalamus (the main switch for thestress response, located in the midbrain).The hypothalamus then stimulates thesympathetic nervous system to make aseries of changes in our body. Our heartrate, breathing rate, muscle tension,metabolism, and blood pressure, allincrease. Our hands and feet get cold asblood is directed away from extremitiesand digestive system to the larger mus-cles that can help fight or run.

Our adrenal glands start to secretecorticoids (adrenaline, epinephrine, andnor-epinephrine), which inhibit digestion,reproduction, growth, and tissue repairand the responses of your immune andinflammatory systems. The stressresponse is useful and can be necessaryin times of emergency, but the frequent orunrelenting triggering of the stressresponse in our modern life without a bal-ancing relaxation response can contributeto a number of illnesses and symptoms.

The same mechanism that turned thestress response on, can turn it off. This iscalled the Relaxation Response. As soonas we decide that a situation is no longerdangerous, our brain stops sending emer-gency signals to brain stem, which in turnceases to send panic messages to nerv-ous system. Minutes after the danger sig-nals stop, the flight or fight responseburns out. Our metabolism, heart rate,breathing rate, muscle tension, and bloodpressure all return to their normal levels. The Effects of Stress

Prolonged unhealthy stress has manyphysiological effects. These include hairloss, eating disorders, tense, muscle acheand pain, palpitations and chest discom-fort, fainting, choking, indigestion andnausea, diarrhoea and frequent urination,tremors and twitching, breathlessness

and hyperventilating and tensionheadaches. Prolonged unhealthy stresshas cognitive, emotional & behaviouraleffects also. These are lack of concentra-tion/ability to think rationally, being easilydistracted, reduced memory, increasederrors, organization & planning deteriora-tion, increased tension, change in person-ality, irritable/aggressive, depression/ iso-lation, reduced self-esteem, speechproblems, less enthusiasm, lower energylevels/sleeplessness, absenteeism andburnout.Stress Prone Personalities

The people with personality traits likeactive, energetic, having anger/hostility,impatient to wait in a queue, conscien-tious; having high standards, never hav-ing enough time, often intolerant to oth-ers, feeling guilty when relaxing generallyfind themselves in various high pressurescenarios which tends to increase stress.

Machine paced work has been linkedto anxiety, anger and depression but usu-ally for workers having these traits, emo-tional and behavioural reaction patternsare not mutually exclusive, and due to thecomplexity of the human body it is likelythat a variety of influences affect the rela-tionship between personality and health.Stress Management Techniques

Stress management strategies thataddress the symptoms of stress are typical-ly relaxation strategies. Remember that the"fight or flight" response stimulates the bodyby increasing heart rate, blood pressure,respiration and more. It is this continuedstate of stimulation that contributes to healthproblems. Relaxation strategies help toreverse the stimulation caused by the stressresponse. Therefore, they can reduce therisk of stress-related health problems. It isimportant to note that relaxation strategiescan be useful for managing stress in theshort term, but because they don't removethe root cause of stress (danger), they arenot useful at managing stress in the longterm.Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises have been scien-tifically shown to induce relaxation. Thereare several ways to perform breathingexercises. There is a method called the"relaxing breath" that originated fromyoga. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Not surprisingly, the goal ofProgressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is toprogressively relax your muscles. As withbreathing exercises, techniques vary butthe essence of the exercise remains thesame: to progressively tense and thenrelax muscle groups. As we learn to distin-guish between tense muscles and relaxedones, we can become more efficient atinducing a state of relaxation in the groupof muscle that we are focusing on.Exercise

During exercise, the body releases ahormone called adrenaline-the samestimulating hormone that is released inthe "fight or flight" response. During exer-cise adrenaline serves a purpose as it isneeded to get the body moving and keepit moving. It gets "used up" and the bodyreturns to normal when the exercise isover. However, in times of stress the hor-mone is secreted but there is generally nophysical action (e.g. running, jumpingetc.) so the body stays in this stimulatedstate. Research reveals that a relaxedstate usually occurs after physical activity.A few types of exercises including Yogaand T'ai Chi have additional benefits asthey promote body awareness and breathcontrol. If we are feeling stressed, weshould go out for a brisk walk, play a sportwith some friends or do any kind of phys-ical activity that we enjoy. The benefits ofphysical activity-especially regular physi-cal activity-extend well beyond stressmanagement.Healthy Living and Stress

Adopting health-enhancing behav-iours can help us be less vulnerable tostress and make us better able to manageit when it arises. Health is our greatestresource and this resource will help us tomanage stress. Beyond having a positiveimpact on stress, these behaviours arealso associated with many other benefitssuch as reduced risk of physical and men-tal illness and an enhanced sense of well-being.Eat a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet should consist of plant-based food items such as fruits, vegeta-bles, grains, beans, nuts and seeds. Itshould be low in overall fat, saturated fat,sodium and sugar.

Trans fats should be avoided whichare found mostly in commercially pre-pared baked goods (e.g. cookies, crack-ers, pies). Hydrogenated fats (e.g. short-ening, some margarines) should also beavoided. Engage in Regular Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is associatedwith many health benefits including a sig-nificant reduction in the risk of heart dis-ease, high blood pressure, diabetes, can-cer, stroke, depression and other illness-es as well as better sleep, better sex, anda healthy weight. Atleast 150 minutes ofmoderate to vigorous physical activityshould be done every week.

Moderate activities include leisure bicy-cling, low-impact aerobics, dancing, shovel-ling snow, and badminton. Vigorous activi-ties include jogging, high-impact aerobics,most competitive sports and swimmingsteady-paced laps. Other forms of physicalactivity include stretching, yoga and weightlifting.Don't Use Tobacco

We should quit smoking and use oftobacco to manage stress. Majority ofpeople continue to use tobacco as theyare addicted to nicotine. Nicotine stimu-lates the pleasure center of the brain.

When the brain of a smoker isdeprived of nicotine he or she experi-ences negative emotions, which makesone feel stressed. Tobacco does notrelieve stress-in fact it causes it. Althoughit is difficult to quit, but with one’s willpower one can. Get Sufficient, Quality Sleep

Lack of quality sleep negatively affectsour health. It reduces level of energy;decreases ability to think clearly and solvingproblems. It also negatively affects mood(e.g. increased irritability) and weakensimmune system.Establish and Maintain HealthyRelationships

The people in our life are extremelyimportant resources for stress manage-

ment. They can provide help as well asemotional support. Although Facebook andother social networking sites are a conven-ient way to communicate with people butthey are not the basis of mutually-beneficial,health-enhancing relationships. Meditation

There are different methods of practis-ing meditation. Typically, it begins byassuming a comfortable posture-such assitting on a cushion or a chair. Then bygently closing eyes one can begin to relaxmuscles. Listening to Music

Most of us listen to music regularly,but we rarely take the time to truly appre-ciate the many facets of music such asthe lyrics, the beat, or even the contribu-tion of each individual instrument. Thiscan also help in releasing stress. Hobby

Anyone who spends time doing ahobby knows that it can take their mind offstress-producing thoughts and can alsobe relaxing. A hobby that is too demand-ing, time-consuming, or expensive, how-ever, will probably add to stress. Time Management

To be effective we must manage ourtime properly, Here are some suggestionson how to reclaim our time. These includeeliminating time-wasting activities, otherunnecessary distractions, such as Facebook, computer games, television. Oneshould make a daily and weekly plan tolong-term goals and to meet personalneeds. One can also break-up a largeproject into smaller, more manageableparts, set deadlines for completion ofeach part. Recognize that you do nothave to say "yes" to every request thatothers make.(The author is a well known psychiatristand stress counselling expert. He can bereached at jnagpal10@gmail.com)

STRESS MANAGEMENT...Continued from page 1

Union Government has announced One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme forex-servicemen. The OROP scheme will provide ex-servicemen of same rank andsame length of service uniform pension regardless of date of retirement. The ben-efit will be given with effect from 1st of July 2014. Pension will be re-fixed everyfive years. OROP would be fixed on the basis of calendar year 2013. Armed forcespersonnel who retire voluntarily would be not covered under OROP scheme. Allarrears will be paid in four half-yearly instalments and all widows will be paidarrears in one instalment. Estimated cost to implement OROP scheme would bearound Rs 10,000 crore to 12000 crore. Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar would be held in five phases betweenOctober 12 and November 5 this year. The results of the polls will be out onNovember 8. Polling in the first phase will take place on 12th October for 49 out of243 assembly constituencies. Second phase of polling will be on 16th October for32 assembly seats , third phase polling will be on 28th October for 50 seats, fourthphase on 1st November for 55 constituencies and the fifth and final phase on 5thNovember for 57 constituencies.The Union Cabinet has given its approval for introduction of the Sovereign GoldBond Scheme, as announced in the Union Budget 2015-16. The scheme will helpin reducing the demand for physical gold by shifting a part of the estimated 300tons of physical bars and coins purchased every year for Investment into goldbonds. Since most of the demand for gold in India is met through imports, thisscheme will, ultimately help in maintaining the country's Current Account Deficitwithin sustainable limits. Cabinet also approved introduction of Gold MonetizationScheme (GMS). Centre has cleared National Offshore Wind Energy Policy to generate electricityfrom offshore windmills located in areas within Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) ofthe country. Under this policy, Offshore wind power projects and R&D activities willbe carried in waters up to the seaward distance of 200 Nautical Miles from thebase line. Union Ministry of New & Renewable Energy will be nodal Ministry.National Institute of Wind Energy will be nodal agency for allocation of offshoreWind Energy blocks.Union Human Resource Development Ministry has recently launched a nationalweb portal for the promotion of National Apprenticeship Scheme for Graduates,Diploma holders and 10+2 pass-out vocational certificate holders. The appren-ticeship training scheme will be implemented for one year through Board ofApprenticeship Training/Board of Practical Training located at Mumbai, Chennai,Kanpur and Kolkata. The portal enables door step delivery of service, streamlinesprocesses and saves time for students.Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has been conferred with the GandhiPeace Prize for the year 2014. ISRO was given the prize in recognition of its serv-ices in transforming India through the use of space technology and space basedservices.The European Parliament has passed an emergency plan to relocate 40,000refugees after members voted on a proposal made by the European Commission.A total of 498 members voted for the plan, with 158 against and 37 abstentions, ata European Parliament plenary session in the French city of Strasbourg. The pro-posal from the EU's executive arm calls for the distribution of 40,000 migrants andrefugees from Italy and Greece among its member states. However, poorer east-ern European countries such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic havebeen resistant to the settlement quotas.Scientists have discovered a new ancestral species in the human family treedubbed as Homonaledi in South Africa. The newly discovered species has beennamed after the location where it was found i.e. naledi which means star inSesotho, a local South African language. The species has been classified in thegenus Homo to which modern human belongs. The species could have lived inAfrica up to 3 million years ago. Veteran all-rounder cricketer Shane Watson from Australia has announced hisretirement from International Test cricket. His decade long Test career came to anend at the Ashes opener at Cardiff, which England won by 169 runs. In this matchWatson had made 30 runs and failed to take a wicket.

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