What is it that separates achievers from quitters? Is there a certain skill or trait that most successful people have in common? It turns out, there just might be. According to Dr Carol Dweck, there are two mindsets we can navigate life with —growth and fixed. The term mindset is defined as an established set of attitudes held by individuals that help guide their behaviour.

One’s mindset is rooted in their experiences, education, interactions, and culture from which one form thoughts that establish their beliefs and attitudes. Those thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes lead to certain actions and with those actions, they have experiences, and those experiences shape their mindset. It is an indisputable fact that humans evolve with age. Therefore, one’s mindset can alter. 

According to science, our brain can be reshaped over time, forming new neural pathways. These neural pathways are developed by doing or thinking particular things. The things that we do or say more often become hard-wired into our brains as habits. These habits can be defined ‘routes’ in our brain, which become easier to use. But you can still change them. The first step is to realise that you need to, and then train your brain in the new skill. 

An individual with a fixed mindset leads to a desire to look smart and therefore, a tendency to avoid challenges. Consequently, they are unable to achieve their full potential. In an educational environment, individuals with a fixed mindset think that learning and intelligence have limitations, and they cannot grow as students.  On the other hand, an individual with a growth mindset leads to a desire to learn and a resultant tendency to see efforts as the path to mastery. In an educational environment, individuals with a growth mindset think that learning and intelligence are limitless; with hard work, one can acquire skills and learn, and as a result, change their levels of intelligence. Those with a growth mindset are less concerned about their perception, and more focused upon learning. In other words, they yearn to learn. According to Dr Dweck, what makes a growth mindset so winsome is that it creates a passion for learning rather than a hunger for approval. Persons with this mindset are afraid of but not discouraged by failure.  

Nobody ‘purely’ holds a fixed or growth mindset. More often than not, human beings are born with a desire to self-actualise. In an attempt to do so, we adopt a strategy, form a mindset, learn about our surroundings, etc. Sometimes, we are successful, at other times, not there yet. People with a fixed mindset will join their hands, and resign whereas people with a growth mindset will try again. With their second attempt, they will adopt a different strategy and try to hold onto hope. In other words, a skill is something you can cultivate. You can become more creative, more athletic, and even successful by focusing on the process, and not the outcome. It’s the process that is the prize. 

Over the years, my mindset has developed from fixed to growth. As a child, I believed in my abilities only to an extent. If I performed poorly in school, I would disregard the comments made by the teacher or my parents. If I did not score a goal or make an assist in a football game, I would begin to see my efforts as worthless. Only compliments directed towards me or my achievements could get a smile on my face. 

All this changed when I saw a film called Shawshank Redemption. A quote from the film, “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying” changed my way of thinking. With a fixed mindset, I would not be open to new avenues, instead, be fearful. The film taught me that it is important to go out, find your passion, and be bold. Most importantly, always hold on to hope. 

Over the past year, I set a few short and long term goals: reading a book a month, widening my social circle, and speaking to my teachers to understand where I faltered. We overestimate the importance of a single event and underestimate the importance of making better choices daily. However, it is vital to remember that nobody can develop a mindset overnight. It’s a course of gradual progression. A stimulus must be evoked externally. It is natural to weigh your strengths and weaknesses, doubt your abilities, but what matters the most is your interpretations and the following actions. 

An individual’s true potential is unknown and unmeasurable. Moreover, it’s impossible to forecast what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training. We are a blend of the two mindsets with one more raised than the other. I say this because as we grow older, we experience more things. Both mindsets are two distinct worlds: In one world, the world of fixed traits — success is about proving you’re smart or talented, validating yourself. In the other — the world of changing qualities — it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new, developing yourself. It’s not always about winning or losing, succeeding or failing, loving or hating — nothing is good or bad forever. But, how you emerge out of a crisis or a moment of praise without getting ahead of yourself? It’s the mindset you endorse. 

Today, we are living in a world that is progressing rapidly. Each one of us is grappling with new information, concerns, and so much more. We are constantly receiving approval and rejection. To infiltrate feedbackand act appropriately, being self-aware is vital. Unless, you develop a mindset and believe in it wholeheartedly, your mindset will influence your decisions. Life is a journey filled with highs and lows. Self-motivation is the key and a well-trained mind will help you. A mindset is an interpretative process that teaches us about our surroundings so we must learn to adapt with change and continue to develop our mindset. 

The significance of having a growth mindset is more important now than ever before. When the coronavirus pandemic hit in early 2020, even the best of us were lost on how to combat it. The healthcare industry rose to the challenge, armed with a growth mindset, and developed successful vaccines to inhibit its life-threatening consequences. As children, we did not know what a mindset was, however, we were forming one unconsciously. But, as we grow older and become aware of the term and its significance, we must allow ourselves to live and act consciously by deliberately cultivating a growth mindset.

The writer is a class 12 student from Vasant Valley School. 

“We proved that we are still people capable of doing big things and tackling our biggest challenges,” these were the words of former US President Barack Obama who took the challenges head-on and managed to steer his country through the crisis resulting from economic asphyxiation. “Yes, We Can” call that Obama transformed the recession-hit USA into a nation that regained its past flourishing economic glory.

That is exactly how India needs to overcome the present challenges in economic, health, and other related key sectors, in the wake of the Covid-induced pandemic. “Yes, We Will” should be the guiding slogan for India amid the current crisis. Even though the Covid-driven crisis is assuming complicated proportions, India can and will overcome it. If Obama demonstrated that ‘success comes in cans, not in can’ts’, India can show “where there is a will, there’s a way.” India will use the present crisis as an opportunity to gain new heights on the horizon of development and growth. 

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose “Yes We Will”approach fetched the country many laurels so far, is capable of rising to the occasion. There is no denying that so far his tenure is marked with so many achievements, however, there are challenges galore, with a strong negative perception also. What PM Modi has to do is to first break this negative perception and then use the crisis to consolidate everything that would go into the creation of a “New India” which he dreamt of and spoke a lot about.

Several hurdles to growth objectives have to be removed if PM Modi has to fulfil his vow to make India a $5 trillion economy by 2024. Strong leadership with massive willpower and positivity can lead to meaningful steps towards that goal. The only collective voice of “Yes We Will” from a 1.3 billion-strong nation can crush the crisis. When Obama took reins of America, the gloomy wind of economic recession coupled with negativity was sweeping across the country. Similarly, an atmosphere of despondency was prevailing in India when Narendra Modi formed the government in 2014. His dream and vision of “New India” did cut ice with the people. There have been several innovative and outstanding decisions and subsequent successful implementation on social and economic governance issues over the last seven years. Obama indeed converted the crisis into a much-needed opportunity to transform the US and handled the serious economic challenges, which cost millions of Americans their homes and jobs. The economic stimulus package announced by him helped the US tide over the crisis. One may recall that PM Modi had given the call to convert the Covid-induced crisis into an opportunity during the first wave of the pandemic.

Challenges could be the game-changer if tackled with determination, vision, and a positive attitude. The sectors which merit immediate and much-focused attention are related to what affects the lives of the masses. Strengthening the areas of governance will be a major weapon. With a performer government in place, as suggested by the track record so far, goals could be achievable. Economy, vaccination, health, education, unemployment, and negative perception are areas where the government faces major challenges that need to be taken care of on a priority basis to take the country out of its current situation. The economic slowdown turned into a contraction due to the pandemic. The deadly second wave caught the country off guard. Unfortunately, a pandemic does not come with a playbook, and India, like many other nations, has been learning and framing the rules as it progresses through this pandemic. The ongoing economic reforms in various sectors, including banking and agriculture, have faced a slow-down. There are reports about how the rural economy has suffered. Job losses on a massive scale have also been reported. The lockdown shut several businesses and threw people out of their jobs, pandemic and consequent lockdown have made the unemployment situation worse. As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), in May, the rural unemployment rate in rural areas and cities reached 13.5% 17.4%, respectively. The national unemployment rate climbed to a new high of 14.7%. Certainly, the government will have to address this.

Now the question is what the government can do. What has been noticed in the past was PM Modi’s immense focus on microeconomics and this should be given fresh impetus. The bold push for encouraging market forces should be given, in view of the agrarian economy having been struck significantly by the pandemic. Empowering grassroots institutions could be effective. What is being suggested by many economic experts is the need to promote MSME down to rural areas to create jobs and stimulate economic growth. It is good that the government has made free ration available to the poor and those who lost jobs. The financial-economic package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is the beginning of the long therapy that is needed for economic recovery. But many such financial vaccines are needed to bring India to the high table among world economic powerhouses. Another crucial step would be expediting and increasing loan disbursals under Mudra Yojana to help people set up their work and start-up to address unemployment. Under Mudra Yojana, Rs 29 crore loan sanctions, and Rs 15 lakh crore disbursals happened. This will also be of immense help in addressing the economic challenges.

Doubling the income of farmers will be of great help in improving the rural economy. It is a good move that PM Modi recently released over Rs 20,000 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme. Since agriculture is the mainstay of the Indian economy, the government will have to focus on measures leading to an increase in agricultural production.

Rural infrastructure development is also one of the major components of what forms the very basis of improving the economy of the villages. Hence, there is a need to give a fresh fillip to the mission of electrifying all villages and homes, proper sanitation coverage to every village and tap connection to every single home in the city and village.

Education sector reform can also be a game-changer. Skill development, research, and innovation in science and technology are the three components to create a self-reliant India. It is a positive development that as part of reform in the education sector, the government’s focus is on connecting youth with education, knowledge, and skill to build Atmanirbhar Bharat.

How the health sector left a lot to be desired down to state levels also came to the fore during the second wave of Covid-19. That shifts the spotlight on health infrastructure in rural areas which needs to be further developed. Several hospital projects approved by the government for various districts and blocks should be completed soon. While discussing health sector enhancement, what is worth mentioning is affordable health care to the poor. Ayushman Bharat, also known as Modicare, helped the poor to some extent. But its reach to the people living in remotest areas should be ensured. It reminds one of Obamacare which was launched in 2010 to provide healthcare to those who can’t afford it. The objective of both is the same. Loopholes in the implementation of Modicare down to small rural pockets need to be plugged. The government is also reported to have stressed the need to make its coverage more extensive.   

Covid vaccination is an area where the focus should be greater. The manufacturing of vaccines has grown tremendously but vaccination hesitancy has to be dealt with. A majority of the population needs to be vaccinated at the earliest. The government claims that everyone will be vaccinated by December. But for this to happen, uninterrupted vaccination supply needs to be ensured. In what has come as a significant development underscoring the “Yes We Will” attitude, India has overtaken the US in the total number of Covid-19 vaccines administered so far with over 32.8 crore doses till 28 June 2021, while the US has logged 32.3 crore doses. What is more remarkable is that India began its vaccination drive on 16 January, 2021 more than a month after the US did on 14 December, 2020.

The perception challenge is one of the most baffling issues that the Modi government has to deal with. In the post-Covid scenario, a negative perception is being created about the government led by PM Modi. Questions are being raised over his competence. So PM Modi will have to lead from the front and infuse fresh spells of energy into all the schemes and projects. He has to show the willpower that yes, he can do and he will do. The government must step up efforts to be more proactive to engage with many public and civilian institutions to address the perception challenge resulting also from misinformation campaigns at national and international levels. PM Modi should bring some credible, talented, and professional faces with few seasoned capable people in the Cabinet. This perception is growing that the Cabinet lacks the desired talent and it must be given a fresh look. He knows the significance of perception in politics, the downfall of UPA-Congress is a story to remember. These are all daunting challenges for PM Modi. His track record on meeting difficult situations head-on is well known and that gives the nation confidence that he will face the challenges successfully.

One can go by some major works done by the Modi government. Banking the unbanked through the Jan Dhan Yojana was PM Modi’s innovative scheme under which 42 crore bank accounts were opened. GST was in the pipeline for 17 years before it became a major tax reform in 2017. Free distribution of the LPG cylinders through the Ujjwala Yojana is a milestone achievement. Official data show that Ujjwala Yojana accounts for over 70% growth in total domestic LPG connections in the country. The Swachh Bharat campaign is one of the big socio-political achievements of the Modi government. The toilet-construction programme under the Swachh Bharat campaign to make India an open-defecation free (ODF) country played a significant part. Even Obama lauded PM Modi’s innovative scheme of cleanliness.  

The government has done remarkably well on the strategic front. It was a big achievement for India to push China back from Doklam and Pangong Lake but still, the continued standoff at the LAC remains a big challenge for PM Modi and his strong leader image is facing the most critical time. However, under his leadership, India has renewed its effort to push for a permanent UNSC seat, by launching diplomatic efforts to remove the bottlenecks. Moreover, India plays an important role in Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), the grouping of four countries comprising the USA, Japan, Australia, and India, to counter China’s aggressive behaviour. We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change. No matter how onerous and gigantic the task of crushing the challenges might be, India will successfully do it with determination and collective efforts guided by a “Yes, We will do” attitude. It is this strong feeling and commitment that is going to rule everything. 

The writer is a political analyst and former Chairman, Andhra Pradesh Electronics Development Corporation.

SHIMLA: The monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly will begin today, which will continue for 10-days and finally conclude on August 13.

August 5 and August 12 have been reserved as Private Members Day. The speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Vipin Singh Parmar, during his address to the media, informed that the session will be conducted with all COVID-19 protocols in place. A digital record of each and everyone who enters the Assembly will be kept. Amid the pandemic, only 800 people have been allowed to attend the House this time, instead of the routine 1200,” Parmar said.

Further, he informed that during an all-party meeting in the state, all the members of the House have assured to cooperate to conduct the assembly.

“Till date, nearly 853 questions on different topics have been submitted by the members, of which, 618 are starred. Under rule 130, a total of 7 matters have been brought for discussion, while 4 issues have been listed under rule 101 and notice under rule 62 has also been sought by the members,” the speaker said while briefing about the issues which are likely to be addressed during the session.

The monsoon session will begin with mourning for the members of the House who have recently died, including the senior leader of opposition Raja Virbhadra Singh.

Mourning the loss of Singh, Congress leader of opposition in the State Assembly, Mukesh Agnihotri said that that the Congress party and HP Assembly has lost a great leader and very senior member of the assembly, Raja Virbhadra Singh, who died on July 8 this year. “His death has created a void in the state and it will not be fulfilled.”

Further, Agnihotri told ANI that the opposition would be raising questions on issues of COVID-19, and alleged that the government has not shown half of the Covid-related deaths. “Issues of inflation, unemployment, and environmental issues of the state which have resulted in floods and landslides across the state will also be raised during the session,” he said. The opposition has also demanded to appoint a Chief Whip and a Deputy Chief Whip in the State Assembly. 

Rajiv Arora, who holds the portfolio of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), in the Health Department of Haryana, was given the additional charge of Home Secretary ten months ago and since then, he is serving as the ACS of the Home department. It is pertinent to mention that the charge of Home Secretary in Haryana has been given additionally continuously for the last two years. If we look back, it comes out that four senior IAS officers have been in charge of the post for additional periods. Arora, who holds the charge presently is also serving as Nodal officer, Covid-19 task force. Thus, it indicates that bearing several responsibilities at such a large scale would undoubtedly affect the departmental working.

It is pertinent to mention that before Rajiv Arora, senior IAS officer Vijay Vardhan, who holds the portfolio of the Chief Secretary, was serving as home secretary in addition to his other duties. Prior to him, senior IAS Navraj Sandhu was bearing the responsibility for a period of four months. After that, Rajesh Khullarprincipal then secretary to the Chief Minister had been given the charge additionally for one month.In continuation to this, Arora is in the eye of the storm as Home Minister Anil Vij is not satisfied with his work these days, and that has augmented the plights of the Home Secretary. Following the same, Vij opined many times that the charge should be taken back from Arora as he continues to bear other huge responsibilities.

Regarding the same, expert and a lawyer in Punjab and Haryana High court, Hemant Kumar, said that giving the charge of home secretary to any IAS officer additionally affects the working of the government along with many departments.

It is pertinent to mention that the Home Department covers a string of several wings including prison, criminal investigation, and justice administration.

Like Sirmaur landslide on National Highway-707 on 30 July 2021, heavy monsoon triggered a massive rockslide in September 2017 near the National Highway (NH-5A) in the Dhalli area of Himachal Pradesh.

“As per the recent study on Mitigation and management of rainfall-induced rockslides along the national highways of the Himalayan region, India, blame it on rains, manmade drastic activities but the reality is that Himachal Pradesh is prone to Landslides,” says Arvinth R, Doctoral Fellow (CSIR – Direct SRF), Geo-informatics and Building Technology Research Centre, Department of Civil Engineering, Chitkara University, HP.

The average rainfall received by the area is about and beyond 999 mm, and landslides were occurring mostly during rainfall season. Like Sirmaur, Slate and Silt constitute the geographical landscapes of the Dhalli and Kinnaur area as well. These rocks range from weak to moderately strong with several joints sets proving to be an essential parameter for the rockslide. It is revealed in the study that the soil particles are poorly sorted and arranged as huge pore paces through which rainfall water percolates causing slope instability.

About 0.42 million sq. km or 12.6% of land area, excluding snow-covered area, is prone to landslide hazard, said Arvinth. Out of this, 0.18 million sq. km falls in North East Himalaya, including Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya; 0.14 million sq. km falls in North West Himalaya (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir); 0.09 million sq. km in the Western Ghats and Konkan hills (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra) and 0.01 million sq. km in Eastern Ghats of Aruku area in Andhra Pradesh, he added.

Senior Scientist, Sindhiya Shekhar, of Geological Survey of India says, “After Rains, it is manmade activities on National Highways that causes landslides, like while building a road, if the mountain is not pursued with appropriate research work, then there would be consistent fear of landslides. People are building houses over mountains drastically which also contributes to landslides”.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had a lengthy discussion with the Punjab MLAs on what else the party could contribute to the prosperity of Punjab and for strengthening the nationwide farmers’ movement. On Sunday, the meeting with the AAP MLAs led by party’s state president and MP Bhagwant Mann, along with Leader of Opposition (LoP) Harpal Singh Cheema, at the Chief Minister’s residence lasted for about three hours.

According to a statement issued by the party, Arvind Kejriwal at the marathon meeting discussed the 2022 elections and also sought detailed suggestions for strengthening the farmers’ movement.

Giving special directions to all the MLAs, Arvind Kejriwal said the party’s flag and agenda should be put aside and the farmers’ movement should be supported at all levels. He said today the ‘annadatas’ of the country were forced to fight for their lands and existence; but the Narendra Modi-led centre government was not giving up its stubborn stance, which was reprehensible. He reiterated that the Union government should immediately repeal the anti-agriculture black laws and should not introduce the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2021, in Parliament.

During the meeting, the support given by the Delhi government to the farmers’ movement despite the pressure from the Union Government and the continuous voice raised by Bhagwant Mann in favor of the farmers inside and outside Parliament was highly appreciated.

In the meeting, Arvind Kejriwal advised the Punjab MLAs and the entire leadership to focus on drawing a positive line to liberate Punjab from the mafia rule forever in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections. They were advised to go door to door to tell the people what development oriented policies; the Aam Aadmi Party can use to get Punjab and the people out of the crisis and how to make Punjab a prosperous state again. Also, Kejriwal gave many examples of Delhi’s development model to the Punjab leadership.

Arvind Kejriwal said that every child of Punjab was well aware of the mafia rule of the Badals-BJP and the Congress. He said the people were eager to oust these parties and therefore, they should be connected and made aware of the constructive programs of the Aam Aadmi Party. During the meeting, Kejriwal sought information from all the MLAs about the booth level of their constituencies. Meanwhile, Bhagwant Mann elaborated on the political, economic and social situation in Punjab.

On the occasion, party’s Punjab affairs incharge Jarnail Singh, co-incharge Raghav Chadha, LoP Harpal Singh Cheema, Deputy Leader of Opposition Saravjit Kaur Manuke, MLAs Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Principal Budh Ram, Aman Arora, Prof Baljinder Kaur, Jai Kishan Singh Rodi, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Rupinder Kaur Ruby, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Master Baldev Singh Jaito, Amarjit Singh Sandoa, were present.