Visakhapatnam: The Union Budget 2023 focuses on youth power as one of the seven priorities, referred to as Saptarishi by Finance Minister Sri Nirmala Sitharaman in her presentation speech. Taking this agenda forward, a workshop on the critical analysis of the budget was organised at GITAM (deemed to be University), Visakhapatnam. The workshop aims to sensitise the youth about their role in making Bharat a “Viswa Guru” in the next 25 years.

In her keynote address, former Union Minister, Daggubati Purandeswari said, “The budget document goes beyond the discussion about the government’s revenue and expenditure and seeks to ensure social justice and equality, which reflects the spirit of the Indian Constitution.”

Referring to the next 25 years as the Amrit Kaal, she added, “We achieved our independence 75 years ago. We’ve got another 25 years to reach the hundredth year of independence. It is this period that Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman has addressed as Amrit Kaal. Then is it simply a number? In the words of the honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, “It is in these 25 remaining years that we aim to achieve equality, reach the last mile, and bridge the gap between rural and urban India.”

Citing the IMF report on global economic projections, she said, “Post pandemic, Germany is expected to grow at around 1.4%, France is expected to grow around 1.6%, Japan and the UK are expected to grow around 0.9%, and China is expected to grow around 4.5%. “India, as the IMF had said, is expected to grow around 6.8% this year; even if we reduce it by another 0.4%, it would be 6.4%, which is much more than what the developed countries are going to grow at.”

A couple of other schemes that found a mention in her speech include the Mahila Samman Savings Patra, to empower women, the Jan Dhan Yojana, which has brought the banking system closer to the lives of the poor; and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, to invest in the youth population with a special focus on artificial intelligence, robotics, mechatronics, 3D printing, and drone technology. In her speech, the former minister also touched upon the budget allocation for education and the recruitment of 38,800 teachers for 748 Eklavya schools.

Other speakers included Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council member PNV Madhav, ICWAI – Cost Accountant, who discussed government initiatives to improve scientific rigour in the country, such as AtmanirbharBharat.He also commented that the computerisation of (primary cooperative agriculture societies (PCAS) is another initiative that is expected to bring a lot of economic benefit to farmers through the interlinking of different PCAS.

Sharing his expert views, Lanka Dinakar, Member of the Union Budget Committee, Andhra Pradesh, said, “The motto of this budget for 2023–24 is Antyodaya. I would like to use the example of the Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. During the pandemic, the lockdown created a lot of hardships for people. More than 80 crore are among the poorest of the poor who live across the country.This scheme has been providing food grains to such people for the past 32 months, and it has been extended further for another twelve months in this budget.”

In his closing remarks, Mr. Dinakar expressed gratitude to GITAM (deemed to be University) and its president, Mr. M. Sri Bharat, for providing this opportunity, urged students to retain the information

shared during such workshops and persevere in being a part of this Amrit Kaal, which will lead Bharat to the number one position. The panel was facilitated by Prof. Y. Gouthama Rao, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Campus Life, GITAM

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Shivam Chandak, Avichal Agrawal, and Pragya Malik (Team Innovation Geeks) from IIM Calcutta emerged as the winner for their reimagination of the Automotive Industry, Team Transcendence from IIM Bangalore secured the first runner-up position for their creative presentation on the Retail Industry and Team Invincibles from IIM Bangalore was declared the second runner-up for their innovative ideas on the Cement Industry.

While announcing the national winners, Barnik Chitran Maitra, Managing Partner of Arthur D. Little,
India, and South Asia, said, “The ADL Innovation Challenge aims to stir the inquisitive minds of the future business leaders of India. The innovative ideas presented today will define Corporate India over the coming decades. The brilliant business concepts highlighted in this year’s edition are a testimony to the imminence of India becoming an economic powerhouse and an epicentre of global innovation.”

The ADL Innovation Challenge is India’s largest consulting case competition, first held in 2020. The previous two editions were a grand success with the participation of more than 2500 eclectic minds from the top business schools of India. The national challenge provides a platform for the students of IIMA, IIMB, IIMC, IIML, and ISB to reimagine the contours of Indian business. The competition, this year, involved multiple rounds of problem-solving, analysis, and final presentations to the ADL India leadership. Over a period of 2 months, students interacted with ADL consultants to further hone their ideas. The winners were awarded a prize money of ₹ 5,00,000, the first runners-up won ₹ 3,00,000 and the second runners-up took home a prize money of ₹ 2,00,000 in addition to Pre-Placement interviews offered to all 30 national finalists.

Barnik Maitra, Managing Partner, ADL India and South Asia, and Brajesh Singh, President, ADL India with the National Winners

Barnik Maitra, Managing Partner, ADL India and South Asia, and Brajesh Singh, President, ADL India with

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The institution also announced that the family of Dr Rao has committed a donation of Rs 4.5 crores to GITAM

Visakhapatnam, October 31, 2022: Former Vice President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu,
unveiled the renaming of the GITAM School of Humanities and Social Sciences (GSHS) building
as the Koneru Ram Krishna Rao building. Padma Shri Koneru Ram Krishna Rao, the former
Chancellor of GITAM (Deemed to be University), was an iconic Gandhian scholar, renowned
philosopher, psychologist and educationist.

Fondly recalling his association with Koneru Ram Krishna Rao from his student days at Andhra University, the Hon’ble former Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu said, “India is on the move, undoubtedly. Once upon a time, India was known as the Vishwa-guru. Students from across the globe used to come and study at universities here. (After) the advent of colonial rule, we lost our moorings and greatness. Even today, if India wants to be the leader, we want to spread the message of love and peace. ‘Share and care is the core of Indian philosophy. Some people are not able to digest the emergence of India on the international scene. India is being heard, respected, and revered.”

He added, “Mere comforts in life will not make us happy. This is where our philosophy, Gandhian values, culture, and heritage come in. We must preserve, revisit, and propagate our culture — and this is what Ramakrishna Garu believed in. That’s the real tribute we can pay to him.”

The GITAM School of Humanities and Social Science, which began its momentous journey as the Centre for Gandhian Studies in 2010, was the fruition of the long-cherished dream of Mr Rao. The building housing the GSHS was renamed ‘Koneru Ramakrishna Rao Bhavan’ in recognition of his contributions and the generous donation of about Rs 4.5 crores to GITAM.

The committed amount will be used to conduct training programs/workshops for students and teachers; support various research projects in pursuit of new and innovative ideas that benefit the society at large and promote rural literacy; provide scholarships to meritorious and needy students to help them achieve their knowledge fulfilment goals; promote programs for citizen participation in community development, and empowerment of women, and to engage counsellors for providing counselling to the needy for their psychological health and economic well-being.

Speaking on the occasion, Mathukumilli Sri Bharat, President, GITAM (Deemed to be University), said, “Koneru Ramakrishna Rao’s commitment to Gandhian values was one of the strong bonding factors between him and my tata (grandfather) Dr M. V. V. S. Murthi. After my grandfather passed away, the magnanimity and confidence coming from Dr Rao gave me a lot of strength.” Referring to the donation of close to Rs 4.5 crores by Dr Rao’s family to GITAM, he said, “Since we have founded in 1980, this is the largest donation outside of the founders, that has been made to GITAM. This is a significant donation to an existing institution.”

Mr Sarath Chandra Rao Koneru, son of Koneru Ramakrishna Rao, said, “Over the years, my father was approached countless times for service in government or at a variety of academic institutions. He was very selective in what he chose to participate in. He accepted the Chancellor position at GITAM, and he really came to relish and love this institution. In the years and decades to follow, as people walk by this building or walk into this building, it really is my hope that they appreciate the man whose name is on the building not only for his accomplishments as a scholar and a leader but that they also appreciate him for his character.”

The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at GITAM offers a pioneering five-core undergraduate programme aligned to the Civil Services and a Master’s Programme in Economics. Faculty from diverse areas such as Psychology, Gandhian Studies, History, Geography, Sociology, Philosophy, Economics and Political Science and International Relations staff the Department. The Department brings contemporary relevance to Gandhian ideology through its diverse courses and offers value-based education support to the varsity.

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It said India can learn a lot from china which has aggressively expanded in the EV battery
space over the last 10 years, conquering each part of the supply chain to emerge as the
dominant player in e-mobility. China now leads in next-generation EVs through large
investments in R&D, favorable government policies, foreign direct investment inflows, and
aggressive acquisition of raw material resources across geographies. Taking lessons from
India’s neighbor in the north, improved access to raw materials can be provided in multiple
ways, including reduction of import duties on raw materials, improving bilateral ties with
countries rich in natural resources of the raw materials, and encouraging Indian companies
to acquire those resources.

“Comprehensive policies from the government that encompass the complete battery value
chain from acquisition of natural resources to recycling of batteries will go a long way in
providing a necessary push to the industry”, said the report titled E-mobility: Cell
manufacturing in India’. Steps such as tax subsidies and the development of special
economic lithium parks across countries to promote investments in raw material refining and
cell manufacturing capacities and continued PLI schemes and subsidies for cell
manufacturing will be key. EV cells are the most critical part of the e-mobility value chain, the
Indian EV industry suffers from overdependence on imports, limited local manufacturing,
finite access to raw materials, and refining capacities. “To accelerate India,s electric mobility
growth, the government and the industry ecosystem must collaborate, to nurture a
self–reliant, local EV value chain, with the established battery, manufacturers, OEMs, and
startups investing in continuous R&D partnerships and global alliances to create a strong
supply chain.

The increasing demand for electric vehicles and the rising shift towards clean energy
resources will drive the lithium-ion battery market’s growth in the coming year. An analysis
conducted by JMK Research and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
(IEEFA) estimated that the Indian lithium battery market would grow from 2.3 GWh in
FY2021 to 104 GWh in FY2030, with electric vehicles (EVs) accounting for 90 percent of the
total industry. The Indian government has set a 30 percent electric car sales target by 2030.
The Central Electricity Authority predicts that India will need 34 GW/136 GWh of battery

storage to add 450 GW of renewable resources. This will speed up the country’s move to
becoming a significant user of lithium batteries.

According to Mr. Vikrant, COO of EVI Technologies. The technology of lithium batteries
is constantly evolving. Until recently, the two dominant chemistries seen in the Indian market
were LFP (Lithium Ferro Phosphate) and NMC ( Nickel Manganese Cobalt). In Indian
contexts, LFP chemistry is considered safer, but NMC chemistry has a higher energy
density.

Solid-state batteries are intrinsically safer because they are non-flammable and much
research is being done in this field. In this decade, there will be further advances in lithium
battery technology, which can lead to higher adoption.

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1. Where does Bengal stand in Gross Enrolment Ratio comparing the national average?

The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in West Bengal is above the national average now. For example, in Higher Secondary education, the national average is 51.4, and in West Bengal, it is 55.2. I have been working to increase this number for the past 17 years.

This number is achieved not because of government support or schemes like mid-day meals but the personal connection and interaction between families regarding education; for which I became a helping hand.

In 2008, when Prathibha Patil was the President of India, she invited me for a personal discussion regarding the methods to improve the GER in West Bengal and the country as a whole.

2. What are some of the major patents that you have, and how many of them are commercialised?

I have been working with the young minds in the backward communities of West Bengal and became able to churn out many innovators from them. As of now, around 75 patent applications got registered by us.

In 2021, one of our projects was recognised by the late Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat. Our most recent project is a machine that can detect the chances of Brain Cancer by analysing hair follicles. We will be looking to commercialise our projects once we receive the patent confirmation.

3. What motivated you to work for the backward districts?

West Bengal has more tribal people compared to other states in India. The Gross Enrolment ratio among them was considerably low. They were very much underprivileged that they hardly made anything for their livelihood. Even the thought of three square meals per day was a luxury for them.

Sending their children for education was the only means to empower them. When I started in 2005, I visited almost 10,000 houses within a short period to help families send their children to school. I began my work in the districts of Medinipur, Purulia, and Bankuna along the banks of river Subaruarekha.

Later on, I expanded my work to other areas of West Bengal. Fortunately, the work has become fruitful. The literacy rate and the Gross Enrolment Ratio are now growing.

4. How did the villagers respond to your efforts at first, and how is it now?

Initially, positive responses were not there. I was doing my post-graduation during that time, and therefore, my opinions were not valued by the people. I had to visit the local markets to convince the people, including the shopkeepers the benefits of education.

Currently, many families are seeking my suggestions regarding education, and I’m happy about the same. My work has reached every nook and corner of West Bengal.

5. What are your other contributions to the education sector?

What I am doing is nothing new, but my aim has always been helping underprivileged people, especially those from the remotest areas of the state, achieve education. As a result, the GER among the backward communities of West Bengal is rising every year.

6. What is your vision for the future?

Even though I could persuade many people to get educated, there are still many people who are not convinced. I want to spread the stories of people who have got educated and become innovators due to my efforts. This will make the unconvinced people seek the light of education.

I’m planning to help the people who are ready for innovations so that they can benefit society. Also, India is becoming a superpower, but if the youth in India are not educated or skilled, it can halt growth. So, making people realise the importance of education is my primary plan.

(He is a fellow of RSA, FIETE, FNBSP, FISRD, and SMFINSS. He also holds various prestigious positions such as Vice President, Innovation Council, University of Engineering & Management, Kolkata, India, Innovation Ambassador, Ministry of Education, AICTE, India, Visiting Scientist, University of Malaya, Malaysia, Inclusive Policy Lab Expert, UNESCO, USA, and Honorary Vice President- EURASIA Research, USA)

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The ease of technology has powered education to become more accessible and many new
startups are able to provide a holistic system that uplifts all sectors and areas of education.
When it comes to building this empowered education system, an equal focus on both
curriculum and teacher pedagogy is extremely crucial. It is the balance between these that
helps institutions lay a strong foundation to enable young minds to prepare for the future. In
the same context, there are two very different edtech platforms in India that are empowering
teachers and students through their robust platform, technology and courses.

Suraasa is India’s leading E-learning and career growth platform for teachers that is focused
on empowering the teaching community in line with the National Education Policy and
breaking geographical boundaries in the education sector by extending global opportunities
for teachers. Designed and developed by a team of credible researchers, their courses offer
Professional Certificates in Teaching and Learning, Mandatory Professional Development,
Child Development and Learning Styles along with many more. 

Sharing his views on the EdTech sector, Mr. Rishabh Khanna, CEO & Founder of Suraasa
says, “Technology has transformed many aspects of our lives, especially how we teach and
learn. Infact, teaching and learning have never been so widespread, accessible, and
supported as it is now – anytime, anywhere and in multiple formats. Today, teachers are more
intrigued to embrace new opportunities and give students more than just the information they
might already know. They are keen to facilitate learning through innovation, technology and
contemporary teaching techniques and even schools are looking forward to hiring such
teachers for their students. That’s where Suraasa steps in – acting as a medium that
encourages teachers to upskill themselves for modern-day classrooms and with 21st-century
skills. Our advanced technology, international mentors, and up-to-date curriculums enable
better teaching which further helps us create a sustainable impact.

So, if a teacher today wants to transform their teaching completely and wants your mentorship, skill frameworks, and technological support we ensure to go out of our way, and put everything we have in order to provide a 360° change. That’s the biggest goal we have at Suraasa.” – He further adds Independent EdTech startups for students have also been playing a pivotal role in this digital shift. Platforms like STEM Metaverse are dedicated to providing a holistic EdTech end-to-end  platform designed to make new-age learning accessible to all students and bridging the gap between traditional school teaching methods and the rapid global change in technology and innovation. It integrates Metaverse technology and focuses on expanding STEM as ‘STREAMM’ that goes beyond just science and tech to offer a wider approach to Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, Math, and Mental Health.

Sharing about Ed Tech and its impact, CEO & Co-founder of STEM Metaverse, Mrs. Ritika Kumar shares, “When people look at the Ed Tech sector, they often imagine online schools  and teaching apps. However, the ed tech sector isn’t just about classes, it includes STEM games, smart boards, and also Metaverse and Web3.0 solutions. It is time that we start innovating and adopting technology to customise every child’s learning journey by analysing what simple shares and exchange of NFTs within every student’s peer group. This offering them a healthy and strong recommendation engine to curate unique journeys and offer the best courses and products irrespective of where the child is. The idea here is to not replace schools and teachers, but to offer a layer over regular schooling, so that each child gets a curated learning approach and gets access to the best teachers globally, at a reduced cost.”

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Speaking on the announcement, GITAM President Bharat Mathukumilli said, “We are thankful to have such exemplary individuals on our Board guiding the University in the right direction as we aspire to become a Global 100 University by 2040. Each member not only brings domain expertise in Engineering, Management and Social Sciences but all of them have been dedicated institution builders with impeccable integrity.

Dr Viswanathan Raghunathan, an academic, author and CEO, was formerly Director of Schulich School
of Business Hyderabad, started by York University in Toronto; he was heading its Hyderabad campus. He
has been President of ING Vysya bank, Managing Director at GMR Industries and the CEO of GMR
Varalakshmi Foundation for close to two decades. Before this, he was a professor of Finance and
Accounting at IIM Ahmedabad. Dr Raghunathan said, “I am excited about joining GITAM, especially
because I consider GITAM to be one of the earliest successful private initiatives in higher academia in
India, presenting a high benchmark in the Indian academic space.”

Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, is currently the Founder and Honorary Director of WISCOMP (Women in
Security, Conflict Management and Peace), an initiative that seeks to promote the leadership of South
Asian women in the areas of peace, security and regional cooperation. She is also Chair of the Board of
Governors, Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and is Principal Emerita of Lady Shri Ram College, New
Delhi, where she served as Principal for 26 years from 1988-2014. She has been a member of the
University Grants Commission (UGC) in India. Dr Gopinath was the first woman nominated to India’s
National Security Advisory Board (NSAB). She is a member of multi-track peace initiatives and people-to-
people dialogues in South Asia.

In recognition of her contribution to the field of women’s education and empowerment, she has
received several awards, including the Padma Shri Award.

Dr VSRK Prasad has had a long and distinguished career in academia. In his 38 years of teaching, he has
served in different roles in many prestigious Universities. He began teaching at Andhra University in
1979 in the Chemical Engineering department, where he spent most of his early teaching career. He
most recently completed a successful tenure as Advisor and, subsequently, Founding Director at the
Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy in Visakhapatnam, an institution of national importance.

Dr Prasad said, “I am thrilled to join GITAM University as a member of the Board of Management. It so
happened that I was a member of the governing body of GITAM Engineering college under the leadership
of Dr MVVS Murthy Garu. Now, as the new president is trying to lead the University towards global
recognition, it;s much more thrilling to be associated with GITAM after gaining more academic
experience, including experience as the former and founding Director of an institute of national importance. confident that the positive vibrations of all the people at the helm of affairs will shape this institution into a highly reputed institute in national and international arenas.”

“We at GITAM are honoured to have these distinguished personalities on our board of management.
With their insights and direction GITAM will soar to new heights,” GITAM President Bharat Mathukumilli added.

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October 20, 2022: TimesPro and International Management Institute, New Delhi have
strategically collaborated to launch several executive education programmes for working
professionals to elevate their career prospects and build competencies to stay in sync with the
changing industry requirements.

TimesPro and IMI, New Delhi have commenced their association with the announcement of the
11-month Executive Certificate Programme in Business Management to equip working
professionals to scale-up in their career by learning new-age skills and develop capabilities to
address emerging challenges of the VUCA world. TimesPro and IMI, New Delhi will further their
collaboration with the announcement of several more executive education programmes for
professionals who are at various stages of their career. These programmes would be delivered
via TimesPro’s state-of-the-art Learning (IL) platform and delivered in Direct-to-Device (D2D)
mode.

Speaking on the announcement, Anish Srikrishna, CEO, TimesPro, said, “TimesPro is delighted
to collaborate with IMI New Delhi to introduce new-age and future-centric programmes for
working professionals to boost their career prospects. The skills learned through these
programmes will help build competencies and create future leaders for our growing workforce.”

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The Creative, Human -centred job economy

This morning, I happened to read an article in the Harvard Business Review that talked about the increasing value being attributed to strong social skills in the workplace. The article, titled ‘The C-Suite Skills that matter the most’, explained that companies seeking top leadership ‘have increasingly emphasised the importance of social skills and deemphasized operational expertise’. Advances in technology have made character and social skills more
significant today. Why?

Experts say that we have not just moved from an ‘Industrial Economy’ to an ‘Information
Economy’ but to a ‘Creative, Human-Centred’ Job Economy. Computers are mastering
analytical processes quickly but are not as great at ethical or complex social processes that
rely on understanding humans. People still seem like the best candidates for this 'human-
centred’ ethical and socio-emotional heavy lifting.

What are these ‘Human-centred’ ethical and socio-emotional skills that are needed for
this new job economy?
Ethics:
Ethics also referred to as ‘Character’, ‘Values’ are moral principles that guide an individual's
decisions and actions. Individuals with strong character have an awareness of their own rights as individuals but
also an understanding of their responsibilities within families, communities, cities, states,
countries, and the world, as they share resources, support and collaborate with each other.

Socio-Emotional skills:
Individuals with strong socio-emotional skills have self and social awareness. They are in
tune with their own emotions and recognize how they react to things. What they like and
what they don’t. They have the skills to empathise with others and understand the
perspectives of those that might think differently from them.

School Education is the key to developing Ethical and Socio-emotional skills

If these skills are essential for the future of the workplace, and if Schools are responsible for
equipping their students for success in that future, then School education programs should
be developing these skills.

One of the biggest misconceptions about Ethics and Socio-Emotional Learning is that
Children will pick up these skills incidentally. How can we risk leaving the development of
essential skills up to chance or incidental learning? These skills need to be taught
systematically in school.

Character Education and Socio-emotional Education must be a core part of school Education.
1. A comprehensive, research-informed curriculum

Because these skills have been ‘soft-skills’ or non-essential skills in the past, there is a
tendency to assume that putting a curriculum together to teach these skills requires only
‘common sense’. However, schools must have a comprehensive curriculum built on
research-based content to teach these skills. These curricula outline the key learning goals
and help schools identify what is developmentally appropriate to teach at different ages.

2. Time
Another common misconception is that these skills can be developed through one-time
workshops. These skills are complex and cannot be taught theoretically in one-time
engagements. Schools need to prioritise these skills and have regular time allocated for
learning these skills in the school day.

3. Opportunities for application and feedback
Students need opportunities to practice these and receive feedback from teachers.
Theoretical knowledge is important but is not enough by itself. Students need opportunities
to apply and practice. If I am learning how to deal with anxiety, I must have opportunities to
use those strategies in stressful situations and reflect after. If I am learning to collaborate
and to manage disagreements, I must have opportunities to work in teams in class and
reflect on it afterwards.

4. Professional development for teachers
Finally, teachers are at the centre of this program because they will teach the skills,
reinforce them throughout the day when students use them and help students reflect on
their effort. Ethical and Socio-emotional skills come from a disciplinary area much like
English, math, digital literacy etc. This means that teachers also need time to learn these
principles and skills themselves first and then learn how to teach them effectively.

Character and Socio-Emotional Competences are essential and must be taught in schools.
This is why the National Education Policy 2020 too states as one of its key principles that
Education should address ‘Ethics and human & Constitutional values’ and ‘Collaboration and
teamwork’.

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Significance of financial independence

Self-reliant India is impossible if youth, especially students above 18 years of age remain dependent on parents or banks, which is not a sign of a prosperous society. Besides, it is often observed that financially dependent youth easily fall prey to social insecurity and low self-esteem. Whenever they fail to meet any financial exigency they blame luck or follow an illegitimate path of earning money. On the other hand, students self-sufficient in bearing their expenses have a better confidence level and they successfully achieve their academic as well as personal goals.

During the inaugural address at the India Education Summit (IES) 2021, then Minister of Education, Ramesh PokhriyalNishank, said, “By connecting students with the internships, vocational training as a student reaches class 6, we will imbibe atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in a student. By the time these students will complete school education, they will be warriors who can take on any task.” However, this ambitious statement doesn’t clarify potential avenues of earning for students. Besides, the focus should be more on college and university students, school-going kids are already laden with academic pressure and board exams.

Stock market, a potential source of income

Through investment and trading in stock markets, students can enjoy financial freedom and curtail the burden on parents. Stock market can be a promising source of income for millions of students and unemployed youth in India. When the traditional job market is struggling to create new opportunities, stock markets are creating easy income avenues for a large section of society. Hence, students must understand that stock trading and investment are easy options to make money and share financial responsibilities with parents.

Power of Compounding

Experts often claim that if you want to see the magic of the eighth wonder of the world “The power of compounding” then you should start it as early as possible. They believe that the size of the investment is not the only factor in the creation of your wealth but the consistency and the time you give to your money pay off with surprise returns. That’s why investors create wealth in the longer term, not in a day or week.

The power of compounding can be better understood with the below example.

Jackson started investing at the age of 20 years and contributed just Rs 24000 per annum whereas Tyson started investing at the age of 40 and contributed five times the amount contributed by Jackson which is Rs 120000 per annum at the same rate of interest for their retirement goals at the age of 65 years. Now, who would you think has a better ROI?

Let us analyse:

So, one can clearly see how the magic of compounding works. By investing just Rs 2000 per month with discipline can garner these results, then one should think of a situation where the investor does the same thing consistently in equities or ETFs.But, beware of blindfolding chess. Proper research should always be undertaken before investing in stocks, one should take care of the following things.

1. Invest in Blue-Chip stocks, the reliable companies present in the stock market for a long time.
2. Never invest in one single company or sector, and always diversify your portfolio with conservative as well as innovative sectors.
3. Try to invest more funds in large-cap (50% of funds) and remaining in mid-cap (30%) and small-cap (20%) companies.
4. Always have some buffer money ready with you to accumulate more equities in scenarios of corrections (crashes) of more than 25 %.
5. Start learning Technical and Fundamental Analysis today to be an intelligent investor tomorrow.

The coda

Investment or trading in the stock market doesn’t require 8-10 hours of dedicated job. Investing 30 minutes to one hour daily in stocks, students can earn enough to meet their academic and other day-to-day expenses. This way, they can make themselves a responsible and self-dependent citizen of the self-reliant country.

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