Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Women, Development and Disabilities

Introduction In the recent past, education for women and girls has improved remarkably with attempts of achieving equality and giving women their rights being on the increase. However, women and girls continue to face problems in different parts of the world regarding their rights, gender equality and discrimination on the basis of their gender.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Women, Development and Disabilities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Their ability to make decisions and be heard in society continues to decline because of male dominance in the society. In addition, women face economic constraints resulting from unfair inequality. Women with disabilities face more challenges because they are looked at as people who cannot have a positive contribution towards development. This is a wrong perception since denying women equal opportunities with men makes it difficult for poverty reduction strategies to succe ed and hampers efforts of social and economic development. As a result of this unfortunate situation that women find themselves in, many NGOs and advocacy groups have come to fight for women and ensure that they are not discriminated against and that their positive contribution towards development is not interfered with. One such NGO which has been active in ensuring that women get their rights and especially the ones living with disabilities is Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), which is based in Canada . AWID’s Role in Fighting for Women AWID is an international feminist NGO whose focus is to deal with issues of gender equality, ensure that women with disabilities get their rights and work towards sustainable development. Its members include activists, policy makers, practitioners in development, and business people among others. The mission of the organization is to enhance the voice of women in society and influence other organizations that advocate for women ri ghts. AWID believes that women are indispensable in dealing with the problems that the world faces. Their contribution can only be significant if poverty is eradicated and the challenges they face are addressed effectively.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The ultimate goal of the organization is to ensure that women achieve their human rights and enjoy life like other members of the society. To achieve its goals, the organization focuses on certain issues that have been described as affecting women to a great extent. Abuse against Women The first issue affecting women that AWID deals with is abuse against women. One might think that after women come out of the infant stage they are not exposed to serious problems and that their lives start running smoothly. However, they are still faced with the risk of physical abuse after infancy. In virtually all societies, women are susceptible to p hysical abuse. The consequences are usually severe for women who live in societies that do not value the rights of women .The girls are exposed to greater risks because mothers who are denied their rights do not have the capacity to protect their daughters against abuse perpetrated by the male and other people in authority. Rape cases and abuse against women has been on the increase especially in developing countries. For example, in a country like Ethiopia, research has shown that 45 % of women have gone through physical abuse at some point in their lives. In 1998, cases of women being abused by their intimate partners were on the increase in Palestine (Worldbank, 2011). Physical abuse against women is a retrogressive act that stalls development since it prevents women from contributing positively towards development. In certain societies, rape cases and physical abuse are associated with additional stigma that leaves the victims psychologically and physically traumatized. Some cul tures are characterized by stringent sexual restrictions that define women and are not allowed to make choices regarding who should marry them. In addition, they are supposed to tolerate abusive relationships because walking out of the relationships is considered a shameful act to the society that attracts punitive measures. Extreme cases have been recorded where honor killings are committed as a way of repairing the damaged reputation caused by defiant women.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Women, Development and Disabilities specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More AWID is committed towards ensuring that physical abuse against women is eliminated since this a vice that hinders development. The NGO constantly educates women on their rights and tries to intervene in the societies that think that women have no right to make their choices in life (Worldbank, 2011). Infanticide and Sex-Selective Abortion The second issue r elated to women that AWID tries to address is infanticide and sex-selective abortion. Extreme cases have been recorded where women make the choices of terminating the lives of their baby girls. In some of the most impoverished regions of the world, baby girls are considered to be liabilities. Their mothers decide to end their lives because allowing them to live means exposing them to the suffering they go through themselves. For example, a country like India records a high number of sex-selective abortions as compared to cases of female infanticide. The one-child policy adopted by the government has been associated with the weakening track of the country. Another country that has been experiencing such problems is china where the population control programs of the country have led to killings and neglect of girls. The government has been quoted saying that the declining number of women in the population for the last 20 years can be attributed to sex-selective abortion. This is an is sue that affects development because neglect and elimination of girls from the population implies that people who can contribute positively towards development are eliminated. What such countries should understand is that women can even offer a contribution towards development that cannot be offered by men. AWID has been working hard to ensure that sex-selective abortion does not take place because women have the capacity to influence development positively (ADB, 2011). Forced Labor Another issue that AWID deals with is the problem of forced labor that affects women especially young girls. As women grow up, they have the option of attending school but most of them are driven into forced labor when they are supposed to be in school. According to UNICEF reports, the number of girls who miss out school every year is 10 million times more than that of boys.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While boys continue pursuing their dreams through education, girls are forced to join other women in performing housework. In most developing countries, the housework that women are exposed to comprises of hard physical labor. Some are forced to work from morning till evening without taking breaks. Others are exposed to many risks as they walk for long distances to fetch water and collect firewood. Since most of the societies where women are exposed to forced labor live in poverty, the women do not have appliances to assist them when doing their work. Forcing women into labor instead of allowing them to get education makes it difficult for them to contribute towards development and this is one issue that AWID is committed to fully address and give women a chance to pursue education (ADB, 2011). Women Education Giving women education has been described as one of the ways through which the discrimination against women can be eliminated and give women a chance to contribute positively towards development. When women get educated, they increase the chances of eliminating the bias that is directed towards them by men and other people in authority. Women education starts by eliminating poverty which is a major factor that contributes towards discrimination of women. The basic skills in literacy enable women to get employment opportunities and become self reliant. Research has shown that the possibility of uneducated women living in poverty is twice as much when compared to that of women who are educated. When women stay in school for a longer period of time, they increase their chances of securing good employment and advancing their education. This enables them to avoid the impacts associated with poverty and lack of education. Women who have gone through school usually get married at a later age hence they have the capacity to bring up healthy children and educate them. They also have the knowledge to take care of their children in terms of nutrition and health ser vices. AWID is committed towards ensuring that women get education since educated women have a positive contribution towards development. When they raise healthy families, this implies that resources that would have been directed towards medical expenses are used in developmental projects. AWID emphasizes the fact that educating women is a way of initiating change in the society. Women who go to school and get good jobs raise their statuses in the society. As a result, they can use their status to influence other societal members and initiate development. When women education becomes a cultural norm in many societies, women have the power to defend themselves. Acts like sexual and physical abuse against women can only be fought by women who have the power to speak about their problems fearlessly. Educated women are less likely to suffer from physical abuse and cultural practices like female genital mutilation. In addition, they are able to protect their female children from going th rough the same challenges. Women education is therefore an issue that AWID has been advocating for since education gives women power and the ability to increase their contribution towards development. Evaluating the Work in the Context of Course Readings Most of the issues that AWID deals with can be interpreted in the context of the course readings. To begin with, AWID focuses on eliminating poverty by ensuring that women get education. Lack of education is one of the factors that force women to live in poverty. AWID is also committed towards ensuring that women get their rights since denying them their rights hinders development. These goals of AWID resonate with the goals of the United Nations enable which is focused on ensuring that women get their rights. The United Nations enable pays close attention to women living with disabilities because they are at a high risk of being marginalized. Poverty contributes towards disabilities among women in various ways. For example, women w ho are malnourished and living in dangerous conditions may suffer from various disabilities . According to United Nations enable, women have an important role to play in the achievement of millennium development goals. However, for them to achieve their full potential they must be given the opportunity to acquire education, be free from gender discrimination and access to their rights. This makes them important people when it comes to their participation in development. The issues that are addressed by AWID are all geared towards giving women education, reducing gender discrimination, eliminating violence against women and ensuring that women with disabilities are recognized and given the assistance they need (Chin, 2007). Handling Issues of Race, Gender and Class AWID uses different strategies to handle the issues affecting women. The NGO is aware of the fact women empowerment plays an important role towards women liberation. Some of the ways the NGO uses to empower disabled women include starting organizations that assist women achieve financial stability. These organizations train disabled women in various technical jobs that provide them with self sustenance means. Another way through which the organization empowers women is by educating them on their rights. When women have knowledge of their rights, this gives them the power to fight for what they deserve in society. AWID also ensures that women with disabilities receive education since education is important in development. Apart from working on empowering women, AWID also has the responsibility of handling issues of race, class and gender. Gender discrimination is one of the problems affecting women and development. In most countries, discrimination is based on factors such as class and race. AWID deals with issues of gender discrimination by conducting educational forums that are aimed at eliminating racial and class biases. This is made possible when women are given chances to prove their ability by being elected as representatives of various movements. This proves that they are able hence they cannot be discriminated on the basis of gender, class or race (Chin, 2007). AWID’s Vision for the Future AWID is very optimistic regarding the future plans that it continues to come up with. The NGO intends to work with many other organizations in the world that value women living with disabilities and which are keen to change their lives. The NGO sees itself as an important organization through which women get their rights and gain freedom from the effects of gender discrimination. This enables them to take an active part in development activities. AWID is confident that through the numerous efforts of the organization, there is a bright future for women living with disabilities and other women who have suffered the negative effects of inequality and gender discrimination. The NGO is confident that with the support of governments and other willing advocacies, gender inequality wi ll be a thing of the past. Eventually, an era marked by respect for human rights for all and recognition of the fact that women can make a positive contribution towards development will emerge. Conclusion Women, disability and development are important issues that many countries take with a lot of seriousness. This is because women have been victims of gender inequality, discrimination and violation of their rights. This affects their capacity to contribute positively towards development. The situation becomes even worse for women living with disabilities since they cannot do much on their own. As a result, NGOs and advocacy organizations such as AWID have been on the forefront to fight for the rights of women and ensure that those living with disabilities get assistance. Through such organizations, women are given the chance to contribute positively towards development. References ADB. (2011). Fighting Poverty in Asia and the Pacific. Web. Chin, J. (2007). Women and leadership: tra nsforming visions and diverse voices. London: Wiley-Blackwell. Miusa. (2011). Women with Disabilities and Development. Web. Sweetman, C. (2004). Gender, development, and diversity. London: Oxfam. UN. (2008). Mainstreaming disability in the development agenda. Web. USAID. (2010). Women in Development. Web. Worldbank. (2011). Women with Disabilities in Development. Web. This essay on Women, Development and Disabilities was written and submitted by user Lilian Maxwell to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Meursault in “The Stranger” by Albert Camus Essay Essays

Meursault in â€Å"The Stranger† by Albert Camus Essay Essays Meursault in â€Å"The Stranger† by Albert Camus Essay Paper Meursault in â€Å"The Stranger† by Albert Camus Essay Paper Essay Topic: The Stranger Life is fantastic. but besides hard. We struggle to happen the significance in our lives. but we can non carry through it. There are many sorts of ideas or doctrines of life ; some think that life is already determined by God or destiny when they were born. while others think that they decide what they do by themselves. In â€Å"the stranger† . Albert Camus creates Meursault as a supporter. who does non believe about anything profoundly. Because of that. he can non truly bask his life. However. eventually. he thinks about his life when he faces decease ; he genuinely realized how to confront to the absurd universe. and therefore becomes Camus’ perfect experiential hero. Meursault is apathetic. and he thinks he absolutely enjoys each minute ; nevertheless. the world is he merely wastes clip and does non even know that. Meursault thinks that emotion is pathetic because people are controlled by it. and repent or experiencing sorry is a waste of clip. Therefore. even when he faces his mother’s decease. he does non experience anything. He does non hold involvement in his mother’s decease. so he does non even cognize when his female parent died. â€Å"Maman died today. Or yesterday possibly. I don’t know† ( 3 ) . Normally. one’s mother’s decease important and people think about their lives through her decease. Even though it is non his. and he knows that he can non happen it. he should believe about what his life means from the relationship between decease and life. However. it is possible that he does non care about it excessively much because he can non make anything in her decease. but he does non care about his matrimony. excessively. He has a girlfriend. named Marie. and when she asked him to acquire married with her. he was still apathetic. â€Å"Then she pointed out that matrimony was a serious thing. I said ‘No† ( 42 ) . He dos non cognize what is of import in life. It is non because he has different sense of values but because he does non care about anything earnestly. He has non had a large job in his manner. but his manner to populate is now job. When he takes Arab’s life off. he does non truly recognize what he did. Even when he was in the constabulary station. he does non understand what he did. therefore. † degree Celsius I was even traveling to agitate his manus. but I remembered that I had killed a man† ( 64 ) . He treats everything as a fact. so he does non truly hold an emotion. He thinks it is the manner to bask his life. but it makes his life more meaningless. He does non believe profoundly. Besides. he thinks decease is decease. so there is no hereafter after decease. Then. he shot the Arab four times more. but he does non cognize what it means. â€Å"Then I fired four more times at the motionless organic structure where the slugs lodged without go forthing a hint. And it was like strike harding four speedy times on the door of unhappiness† ( 59 ) . He does non experience good about hiting four more times. but it is non deserving decease at all. Taking human life is same as strike harding the door of sadness for him ; his manner to populate. which is without emotion makes his life atrocious subsequently. but at this clip. he does non understand anything. Life without emotion is easy because an emotion does non do sense. so he can do sense with everything in his life. However. it besides makes his life colorless. Because he is different from others. the society beats him ; the universe does non assist him. so he now has to make significance in his life by himself. When he is on test. he testifies candidly because he ever follows his bosom and does what he wants ; nevertheless. it does non suit the society. so people judge him from their subjective justness. @ @ When he candidly testifies about why he killed Arab. people did non listen earnestly. † curie blurted out that it was because of the Sun. Peoples laughed† ( 103 ) . Peoples do non understand him. and so they do non handle him as usual. They beat the alien ; there is cipher to assist him. Furthermore. they think they are right. so people rid from the society and do him look worse. The prosecuting officer does non desire Meursault to populate in the society. which the prosecuting officer lives and to hold the same human bosom. â€Å"He stated that I had no topographic point in a society whose most cardinal regulations I igno red and that I could non appeal to the same human bosom whose simple response I knew nil of† ( 102 ) . He denies Meursault’s human right. He should be in problem. but in the test. there are merely people who think they are normal and right. so they are the same as him. Therefore. they do non detect that the prosecuting officer is incorrect. Their personality is atrocious because there is no exclusion. Meursault thinks about this judgement and the â€Å"machinery of justice† ( 108 ) . It is precisely right. They follow their ain common sense. and treat him as a alien. The effect is a decease punishment. However. ironically. this state of affairs. which makes him confront decease and being cognizant that cipher helps him. makes him believe about his life and notice that he has to happen it by himself. Right before his decease. he realized the significance in life. Peoples do non cognize why they are populating. but they laugh at him because they think he is stupid and better than him ; nevertheless. ironically. he understands his life. When he accepts the absurd universe. he can make significance of his life ; there is no hereafter. so he has to believe about every individual minute carefully and bask it. Ironically. he does non hold clip any more. However. he thinks. â€Å"I had been happy and that I was happy again† ( 123 ) . Actually. he enjoys his life because he did non cognize that he has lived indifferently. His life is difficult for ordinary people to understand. but for him. it wholly makes sense. Furthermore. he understands everything now. so he feels felicity once more. Besides. he feels a sense of high quality because he knows that people who look down on him do non cognize. There are many thought about universe. and he wants to see the absurd universe. and demo them his manner to populate. â€Å"I had merely to wish that at that place be a big crowd of witnesss the twenty-four hours of my executing and that they greet me with calls of hate† ( 123 ) . He notices that cipher earnestly cares about him. but still they come to his executing. Playing the game is pathetic for him. but people can non populate without it. Cipher truly has a score against him. but they follow the others. Bing apart from society is chilling and entirely. so normally people can non make that. He besides feels that. so he wanted to decease in the crowd. Besides. he is proud of his life. so he wanted to demo how he lived. Now. he truly enjoys his life. The life is meaningless ; he realizes it when he faces decease. If people know that. they give up everything ; nevertheless. for Meursault. everything makes sense. There is no hint in the universe. so what he can make is making the significance by himself. Life is difficult because cipher helps him. but he decides everything and what he does has significance. He can bask his life to the full. so his life is fantastic. He has to bask his life while he is populating because there is nil after decease. There is no significance in the universe. so he creates it. Everything is to be happy.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Biography of John W. Young

Biography of John W. Young John Watts Young (September 24, 1930 - January 5, 2018), was one of the best-known of NASAs astronaut corps. In 1972, he served as commander of the Apollo 16  mission to the moon and in 1982, he served as commander of the first-ever flight of the space shuttle Columbia. As the only astronaut to work aboard four different classes of spacecraft, he became known throughout the agency and the world for his technical skill and calm under pressure. Young was married twice, once to Barbara White, with whom he raised two children. After their divorce, Young married Susy Feldman. Personal Life John Watts Young was born in San Francisco to William Hugh Young and Wanda Howland Young. He grew up in Georgia and Florida, where he  explored nature and science as a Boy Scout. As an undergraduate at Georgia Institute of Technology, he studied aeronautical engineering and graduated in 1952 with highest honors. He entered the U.S. Navy straight out of college, eventually ending up in flight training. He became a helicopter pilot, and eventually joined a fighter squadron where he flew missions from the Coral Sea and the USS Forrestal. Young then moved to become a test pilot, as so many astronauts did, at Patuxent River and the Naval Test Pilot School. Not only did he fly a number of experimental aircraft, but he also set several world records while flying the Phantom II jet. Joining NASA In 2013, John Young published an autobiography of his years as a pilot and astronaut, called Forever Young. He told the story of his incredible career simply, humorously, and humbly. His NASA years, in particular, took this man- often referred to as an astronauts astronaut- from the Gemini missions of the early to mid-1960s to the Moon aboard Apollo, and eventually to the ultimate test pilot dream: commanding a shuttle to orbital space. Youngs public demeanor was that of a calm, sometimes wry, but always professional engineer and pilot. During his Apollo 16 flight, he was so laid-back and focused that his heart rate (being tracked from the ground) barely rose above normal. He was well-known for thoroughly examining a spacecraft or instrument and then zeroing in on its mechanical and engineering aspects, often saying, after a blizzard of questions, Im just asking... Gemini and Apollo John Young joined NASA in 1962, as part of Astronaut Group 2. His classmates were Neil Armstrong, Frank Borman, Charles Pete Conrad, James A. Lovell, James A. McDivitt, Elliot M. See, Jr, Thomas P. Stafford, and Edward H. White (who died in the Apollo 1 fire  in 1967). They were referred to as the New Nine and all but one went on to fly several missions over the next decades. The exception was Elliot See, who was killed in a T-38 crash. Youngs first of six flights to space came in March 1965 during the early Gemini era, when he piloted Gemini 3 in the first manned Gemini mission. The next year, in July 1966, he was the command pilot for Gemini 10 where he and teammate Michael Collins did the first double rendezvous of two spacecraft in orbit. When the Apollo missions began, Young was immediately tapped to fly the dress rehearsal mission that led to the first Moon landing. That mission was Apollo 10 and took place in May 1969, not quite two months before Armstrong and Aldrin made their historic trip. Young didnt fly again until 1972 when he commanded Apollo 16 and achieved the fifth human lunar landing in history. He walked on the Moon (becoming the ninth person to do so) and drove a lunar buggy across its surface. The Shuttle Years The first flight of the space shuttle Columbia required a special pair of astronauts: experienced pilots and trained space fliers. The agency chose John Young to command the maiden flight of the orbiter (which had never been flown to space with people aboard) and Robert Crippen as the pilot. They roared off the pad on April 12, 1981. The mission was the first manned one to use solid-fuel rockets, and its objectives were to get to orbit safely, orbit Earth, and then return to a safe landing on Earth, as an airplane does. Young and Crippens first flight was a success and made famous in an IMAX movie called Hail Columbia. True to his heritage as a test pilot, Young descended from the cockpit after landing and did a walk-around of the orbiter, pumping his fist in the air and inspecting the craft. His laconic responses during the post-flight press briefing were true to his nature as an engineering and pilot. One of his most-quoted lines answers was to a question about ejecting from the shuttle if there were problems. He simply said, You just pull the little handle. After the successful first flight of the space shuttle, Young commanded only one other mission- STS-9 again on Columbia. It carried the Spacelab to orbit, and on that mission, Young stepped into history as the first person to fly into space six times. He was supposed to fly again in 1986, which would have given him another space flight record, but the Challenger explosion delayed the NASA flight schedule for more than two years. In the aftermath of that tragedy, Young was very critical of NASA management for its approach to astronaut safety. He was removed from flight duty and assigned a desk job at NASA, serving in executive positions for the rest of his tenure. He never flew again, after logging more than 15,000 hours of training and preparations for nearly a dozen missions for the agency. After NASA John Young worked for NASA for 42 years, retiring in 2004. He had already retired from the Navy with the rank of captain years earlier. Yet, he remained active in NASA affairs, attending meetings and briefings at the Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston. He made occasional public appearances to celebrate important milestones in NASA history and also made appearances at specific space gatherings and a few educators meetings but otherwise remained largely out of the public eye until his death. John Young Clears the Tower for the Final Time Astronaut John W. Young died from complications of pneumonia on January 5, 2018. In his lifetime, he flew more than 15,275 hours in all kinds of aircraft, and nearly 900 hours in space. He earned many awards for his work, including the Navy Distinguished Service Medal with Gold Star, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and NASA Exceptional Service Medal. He is a fixture in several aviation and astronaut halls of fame, has a school and planetarium named for him, and received Aviation Weeks Philip J. Klass award in 1998. John W. Youngs fame extends well beyond his flight time to books and movies. He will always be remembered for his integral role in space exploration history.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Statistical Quantitive Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Statistical Quantitive Methods - Essay Example marketing manager has indicated that she wants to know how long it takes Internet users to access your company’s internet screen, since there is concern it is taking too long and deterring interest. You have asked colleagues and friends at a variety of other organisations to access your own company’s web site and keep a careful record of how long it took them to get into the company’s home page. i. Explain which measure(s) of average and dispersion you would suggest using for this data and the reasons for your preference. You are required to justify the choice of the Statistical Quantities made and calculate these quantities. Other statistical tools that would best describe this data are standard deviation, Measure of skewness and kurtosis. The standard deviation will tell a manger how tight various samples are clustered around the mean giving him the cohesiveness of the data he has. Measures of skewness and kurtosis give a visual analysis of the data that the manager can use to draw quick conclusions. III a) The Quality Control department of TV tube manufacturer has observed that on an average out of every 10000 tubes produced, 5 are found to be defective. If a sample of 20 bulbs is selected, what is the probability that non are defective. What is the probability that for the same sample size that at least two are defective? We know that probability is a long term relative frequency so that every probability of an occurrence of an event corresponds a function in distribution. Using this concept we can find the average (mean) number of defective bulbs then we can get the number of defective bulbs in 20 bulbs then reconvert to probability. b) A consultancy firm submits three proposals for consideration by three different clients. It considers that the chances of the proposals being accepted are 0.5, 0.3 and 0.25 respectively .what is the probability

Monday, February 3, 2020

Risk management practices at HSBC Dissertation

Risk management practices at HSBC - Dissertation Example The paper tells that managing risks is integral to the overall strategy of banks but banks fail to manage risks. Several recent incidents and events have led banks to recognize that they are exposed to significant risks apart from the traditional credit and market risks. Scholars identify a positive relationship between risk management practices, understanding risk, risk identification, risk assessment and analysis, risk monitoring and credit risk analysis. While many banks failed, HSBC is one of the leading banks that have been able to sustain the financial recession and still maintain profits. It would be of immense value to the financial sector and particularly to the banks in the emerging economies to investigate into the strategies that HSBC adopted to suit the changing business environment. With the aim to investigate how HSBC manages risks in the interest of all its stakeholders, four objectives were set in Chapter I. All the objectives have been achieved. The study finds that HSBC has a robust strategy in place to manage risks. They take a cautious approach, train their business managers, have diversified portfolios with risk-graded products, focus on emerging markets, educate their clients and maintain adequate internal control procedures. Most importantly, their international strategy helps them sustain the external environment. All their measures start much before the event or the crisis which makes it easier for them to manage the risks. They employ the latest technology and software in all their processes. HSBC manages risks both through risk aggregation and risk decomposition. They consider risk as an opportunity and because they are able to manage risks better, they can deliver shareholder value. All of these factors have made them emerge successfully in turbulent times. The study concluded with recommendations for further areas for research. Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Rationale for study 3 1.3 Research Aims an d Objectives 5 1.4 Structure of the study 5 1.5 Limitations to the study 6 1.6 Chapter Summary 7 Chapter II: Literature Review 2.1 Chapter Overview 8 2.2 Definition and the concept of risks 8 2.3 Importance of risk management 9 2.4 Types of risks and the theoretical framework applied by banks 11 2.5 Why banks fail to manage risks 21 2.6 Risk management strategies adopted by banks 21 2.7 Mitigation of risks 23 2.8 Chapter Summary 24 Chapter III: Methodology 3.1 Chapter Overview 26 3.2 Introduction 26 3.3 Data and sources 27 3.4 Justification for secondary data 27 3.5 Sample 28 3.6 Theoretical framework for the study 29 3.7 Hypotheses of the study 30 3.8 Data analysis 30 3.9 Reliability and validity 31 3.10 Ethical concerns 31 3.11 Chapter Summary 31 Chapter IV: Findings 4.1 Chapter Overview 32 4.2 Presentation of Results 32 4.2.1 The UK banking sector 32 4.2.2 HSBC – overview 33 4.2.3 HSBC Strategy for risk management 33 4.2.4 Hypotheses 38 4.3 Analysis of Results 43 4.4 Chapt er Summary 49 Chapter V: Conclusion & Recommendations 5.1 Conclusion 50 5.2 Recommendations for further research 53 5.3 Learning outcome 53 References 55 Appendix 59 Tables and Figures Figure 2.1 Risk Architecture 17 Figure 4.1 Enterprise-wise risk management 35 Figure 4.2 Impaired loans to Gross Adnaces 38 Figure 4.3 Industry-wise credit risk 39 Figure 4.4 Credit Risk Profile 41 Chapter I: Introduction 1.1 Background Commercial banking relates to several activities such as providing products and services to the customer, engaging in financial intermediation and in management of risks (Sensarma & Jayadev, 2009). Banks have lately been reporting of difficulties faced by them but the risks taken by the banks have increased (Dedman & Robert-Tissot, 2001). For instance, the Asian financial crisis affected the performance of the region and led to an economic depression that impacted the financial institutions worldwide (Odit, Dookhan & Marilyn, 2011). Following the 2008 financial crisis, the banks reacted immediately to their capital structure concerning

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Evolution of Storage Media Technology Within the Data Centre

Evolution of Storage Media Technology Within the Data Centre AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EVOLUTION OF STORAGE MEDIA TECHNOLOGY WITHIN THE DATA CENTRE TO SUPPORT THE I/O REQUIREMENTS OF MODERN APPLICATIONS. Chandan Chandapura Ramesh (x14111306) Abstract Technology has always played a tremendous role in evolution of data storage media from the very starting punch cards to the present flash drives and from kilobytes to terabytes. The evolution of storage included from the standardization of storage devices i.e from large trunks of kilobytes storage media to very small microchip having the great storage capacity of gigabytes. However, in this paper we will look into evolution of storage devices from magnetic tape, magnetic drum, DRAM, FLOPPYs , CDs, DAT, DDS, MOD, , Micro drive, Multimedia Card SD card, Cloud backup solutions. Finally, in this article about evolution about storage devices, we will look into an assessment providing solutions for tiered storage solutions and its development with reference oracle, netapp tiered storage solutions and storage based on present storage trends. INRODUCTION As the time passed by, along with the time technology too has evolved in every step of life from basic needs to the advanced mode of humanity. Concurrently, the evolution in technology of computers has played a prominent role for humankind. Therefore, as the storage medium has also played a major role in computer architecture. Zetta. (2015) say as the computers evolved the storage mediums too had evolved, it all started from punch cards to present storage mediums like those that flash drives to SSD, companies have started to be relied on cloud backup solutions supported by data centers. As per the need of todays Business strategies the requirement for data storage has increased tremendously compared to past five years and to mitigate the costs over storage of data, it has been segregated and designed as structured, semi-structured and unstructured data and they have been stored. As the data is considered officially as corporate assets, there has always been attacks that are more vulnerable. Therefore, data hardening has been a big challenge but still many third party companies have been working towards its excellence. Few measures which have been considered under the improvisation level are SAN, Fiber channel over Ethernet (Fcoe), Internet protocol, Converged Network Adapter (CNA) etc. The storage network technology in the datacenters has been developed into many different configurations, which are DAS (direct attached storage), NAS (Network attached storage), SAT (Storage area networks). In further section we will look this structures with much more details. BACKGROUND: After looking into all the prospective over the storage media briefly will have a detailed discussion over each storage model and it evolution. Magnetic tape: PCMag digital group. (2015) say it was the first few recording mediums used to record music. The data recorded was actually in sequential format. It was manufactured by a ferromagnetic material the disadvantage of these tapes was they would be contaminated if they were not rolled and packed tightly. The tracks on storage device were running parallel to each other, which is called as parallel recording. In computing magnetic tapes are used to store auxiliary type of information. An excellent example for the computer system, which used magnetic tape, was UNIVAC. It had the capacity to handle 128 characters per inch so they were widely used in computers in earlier days. Magnetic drum: Webopedia. (2015) it was direct access storage device, which was metallic cylinder, which was coated by a material called magnetic-iron-oxide. The tracks recorded on the cylindrical device were stored in channels and it was capable of holding 200 tracks were the drum used to rotate at 3000rpm. But still it had a drawback which is that they were not able to store too much of data. DRAM (dynamic random access memory): it is a medium that is been used store the memory temporarily and it is been used widely in todays computer systems. It is made up of small capacitor and transistors. Dram has many cells and each cell is equal to a Bit. The elements on Dram are organized in rows and columns. Todays computers use these cells in megabyte modules. FLOPPYs: Riaz, Rashid et al (2015) say it is portable computer storage disks were data could be handled easily. They are more fragile, low at cost. It was highly dispensable for the people working on their personnel laptops and other processors. It poses a capacity of 250kb to 1.6 mb so it varies on the size of the disk. CDs, DAT, DDS, MOD, Multimedia Card, Micro drive, SD card were the next generation storage medias. CD-ROM was highly used to save and retrieve the data immensely on the systems. DAT was the digital recording table, which was actually released by the Sony in 1987. The main advantage is the data is recorded digitally rather that in analog style. But when compared to CD the performance of DAT is higher and advanced. Micro drives or so called flash drives are portable storage drives used to transfer small amount data very fast and efficiently and so on still the storage media has always been improvising till the present holographic storage formats and still going on giving out the services. Evolution of technologies in Data center storage services: Until now, we had brief discussion of different storage technologies in common IT infrastructures. SIEMON. (2015) say as the time has passed by evolution of DATA center has taken place in parallel. However, it was much more advanced as the data stored in the data center is considered as the corporate assets. so to store data securely different storage models have been introduced they are SAN, Fiber channel over Ethernet (Fcoe) , internet protocol, converged network adapter (CNA) under doff rent configurations like DAS (direct attached storage), NAS (Network attached storage), Further, in this paper will briefly look into every step of these evolution strategies. SAN (storage area network): [6] it is a high-speed network for the storage devices, which would be connected to the servers. The main advantage of SAN is it provides great assistance in backing up the data and disaster recovery. SAN uses fiber optic cable so that the data transfer rate from one location to different location will be high. Fiber channel over Ethernet (Fcoe): [6] it provides a great solution for the organizations possessing parallel network infrastructure issues. Fiber channel gives a high-speed data transfer protocol serially and standards for enterprise grade storage solutions, the transfer rates can be up to 10gbs. Fiber channels operate at great speeds like 4,16, 32 gb/s , but generally in IEEE 802.3ae standards the distance supported for 10GB Ethernet is 10km. so it is highly privileged in datacenters. Internet protocol:[6] it is group or singular drive which are combined together but they are not part of storage network but considered to be more over the internal storage media on personnel laptops. NAS (network-attached storage): [6] offers high-level storage solutions in file sharing services because the architecture is directly connected to LAN. However, because of these characters in NAS it synchronizes hardware storage resources into network, so it can be used to develop multiple networked services and by doing this storage utilization is very efficient. So based on the above technologies the storage solutions have been improvised but still there many technological labs still working on improvement on the performance, reliability and so on. Storage Media Solutions: In this paper will further discuss and present an assessment on tiered storage media solution on any top two companys depended on any context of the data at any particular time. We will be taking Netapp tiered storage solutions and Oracle tiered storage solutions. Tiered storage solutions: TechTarget (2005) the storage solutions are to segregation of data based on the company-defined policies to reduce the cost effectiveness of the data. The segregation may include different categories like performance, usage, security and so on. [6] Tiered storage consists few different tiers like tier 1, 2 and 3 data. Tier 1 includes highly sensitive data so data isolation is main aspect hence they are stored in expensive media solutions. Tier 2 data will consist of type two classified files so the storage media expense is reduced. In Tier 3 it consists of unclassified data the expenses are very less as the data is stored in in less expensive media. Oracle Tired Storage Solution Service: Oracle optimized solutions (2015) the main aim of oracle tiered solution is to provide highly efficient scalability and flexibility for the data. An always-new data storage trend was needed for better storage efficiency. As the data grows there was an opportunity arising for new wave lengths, Based on this aspects oracle offered optimized tiered solution to protect data as well, lower cost for storage and massive scalability. [3] providing Oracles disk and tape storage systems for better performance than many other storage media Introducing Oracle Storage tek modular tape gives a high throughput at lower cost and Oracle e Hierarchical Storage Manager provides configurable file system view and policy based management and data protection. They predicted that reduced deployment provides additional savings. Reduced data risk due to pretesting, ensured access and data integrity. They provide higher quality of the data availability and integrity. Oracle applies all the tiers for the data s torage solutions based on the client requirements. Oracle’s StorageTek T10000D offers outstanding bit error rate. it predicts that it offers 12.6 times better TCO than EMC isilonn soln. Netapp Tired Storage Solution Service: NetApp (2012) has great views towards the optimizing storage efficiency and performance. The main solution they give is, the right data at the right time at the right cost. Netapp provides a very different and unique way of solution for storing the data with an automated way of approach. The virtual tier provides a real time response to most of the demanding applications, ability to consolidate the data others tiers whenever required, conducting data cloning and SSD technologies. Basically provides reduced power -cooling storage. The developed flash technology in the [2] storage tiers of Netapp has helped in increasing the efficiency of the storage solutions. The key advantage of Netapp services provided for storage infrastructure will be the self-managing data-driven service layer. It helps mitigating the costs based on the performance for the classification of the data. The major feature to help the performance of the workloads would be the Netapp Flash Cache PCI-e-based modules. The workloads are like the file service workloads and OLTP workload etc†¦ Conclusion: In this paper, we initially discussed about the evolution of the storage media as the time it was integrated including the storage architecture. We even took a brief review about two companies’ providing storage services which are oracle tier storage solutions and netapp tier storage solutions. we actually had a view how both the companies mitigate the storage structure difficulties and provide a wide range of solutions for the clients which is a good prospective towards the development. The tiered storage solutions of each different vendors are competitive which indirectly supporting the development of the storage technologies. The tiered storage solutions describes the different levels of the storage entities set-up with different clients based on the value of the data. So we conclude telling that the development of storage solutions has to be much more improvised based on the requirement and developments. Bibliography: 1) Memory information. [Online] Available from: http://www.memoryinformation.com/dram.htm [Time accessed 2:38 am, date 4/6/2015] 2) NetApp (2012) â€Å"NetApp Virtual Storage Tier† [Online] 2012 Available from: http://www.netapp.com/us/technology/virtual-storage-tier/ [Time accessed 12:32 am, date 7/4/2015] 3) Oracle optimized solutions (2015) â€Å"Maximize Storage Efficiencies for Sharing Data Oracle Optimized Solution for Tiered Storage Infrastructure† [online] January 2015 Available from: http://www.oracle.com/us/solutions/oos/tiered-storage-infrastructure/tiered-storage-infra- bus-wp- 1911879.pdf [Time accessed 12:39 am, date 7/4/2015] 4) PCMag digital group. (2015) â€Å"ENCYCLOPEDIA† [online] 2015 Available from: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/46499/magnetic-tape [Time accessed 2.08 am, date 4/6/2015] 5) Riaz, Rashid. Floppy Disk.How Products Are Made. 1994.Encyclopedia.com.10 Apr. 2015 Available from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Floppy_Disk.aspx [Time accessed 2.48pm, date 4/6/2015] 6) SIEMON. (2015) â€Å"Data Center Storage Evolution†. [Online] 2015. Available from: http://www.siemon.com/us/white_papers/14-07-29-data-center-storage-evolution.asp [Time accessed 1:18 am, date 4/6/2015] 7) TechTarget (2005) â€Å"Tiered storage† [online] September 2005 Available from: http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/tiered-storage [Time accessed 8:45pm, date 10/4/2015] 8) Webopedia. (2015) â€Å"magnetic drum† [online] 2015 Available from: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/magnetic_drum.html [Time accessed 2.18 am, date 4/6/2015] 9) Webopedia. (2015) â€Å"SAN-storage area network† [online] 2015 Available from: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SAN.html [Time accessed 8:27 pm, date 6/4/2015] 10) Wikipedia (2015) â€Å"Digital Audio Tape†. [Online] March 2015. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Tape#References [Accessed: 8:10 pm, date10/4/2015] 11) Zetta. (2015) â€Å"The History of Computer Storage†. [Online] February 2015. Available from: http://www.zetta.net/history-of-computer-storage/ [Time accessed 4/5/2015, 11:35 pm] 12) Goda, K.; Kitsuregawa, M., The History of Storage Systems,Proceedings of the IEEE, vol.100, no.Special Centennial Issue, pp.1433,1440, May 13 2012 doi: 10.1109/JPROC.2012.2189787 URL:http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=arnumber=6182574isnumber=6259910 13) Knowles, Mike, Survey of the storage evolution,User Group Conference, 2003. Proceedings, vol., no., pp.362,367, 9-13 June 2003 doi: 10.1109/DODUGC.2003.1253418 URL:http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=arnumber=1253418isnumber=28042 1

Friday, January 17, 2020

Delhi Metro

Delhi Metro (Hindi: Dilli Me? ro) is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad in the National Capital Region of India. It is one of the largest metro networks in the world. The network consists of six lines with a total length of 189. 63 kilometres (117. 83  mi) with 142 stations of which 35 are underground. It has a combination of elevated, at-grade and underground lines and uses both broad gauge and standard gauge rolling stock. Four types of rolling stock are used: Mitsubishi-ROTEM Broad gauge, Bombardier MOVIA, Mitsubishi-ROTEM Standard gauge and CAF Beasain Standard gauge. Delhi Metro is being built and operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC)under Akshay Mittal. As of November 2010, DMRC operates around 2,700 trips daily between 6:00 and 23:00 running with an interval of 2 minutes 30 seconds between trains at peak frequency. 3][8] The trains are mainly of four coaches, but due to increase in passengers numbers, six-coach trains are also added on the Red Line (Dilshad Garden to Rithala), Yellow Line (Jahangirpuri to HUDA city centre), Blue Line (Dwarka sec ? 21 to Vaishali/NOIDA city centre) and Violet Line (Central Secretariat to Badarpur). [6][7][8][9] The power output is supplied by 25-kilovolt, 50 Hertz alternating current through overhead catenary. The metro has an average daily ridership of 1. 6 million commuters,[2] and, as of July 2011, had carried over 1. 25 billion commuters s ince its inception. 10] The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has been certified by the United Nations as the first metro rail and rail-based system in the world to get â€Å"carbon credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions† and helping in reducing pollution levels in the city by 6. 3 lakh tonne every year. [11] Planning for the metro started in 1984, when the Delhi Development Authority and the Urban Arts Commission came up with a proposal for developing a multi-modal transport system for the city. The Government of India and the Government of Delhi jointly set up the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 1995. Construction started in 1998, and the first section, on the Red Line, opened in 2002, followed by the Yellow Line in 2004, the Blue Line in 2005, its branch line in 2009, the Green and Violet Lines in 2010 and the Delhi Airport Metro Express in 2011. | | History [edit] Background The concept of a mass rapid transit for New Delhi first emerged from a traffic and travel characteristics study which was carried out in the city in 1969. [12] Over the next several years, many official committees by a variety of government departments were commissioned to examine issues related to technology, route alignment and governmental jurisdiction. 13] In 1984, the Delhi Development Authority and the Urban Arts Commission came up with a proposal for developing a multi-modal transport system, which would consist of constructing three underground mass rapid transit corridors as well augmenting the city's existing suburban railway and road transport networks. [14] While extensive technical studies and t he raising of finance for the project were in progress, the city expanded significantly resulting in a twofold rise in population and a fivefold rise in the number of vehicles between 1981 and 1998. 14] Consequently, traffic congestion and pollution soared, as an increasing number of commuters took to private vehicles with the existing bus system unable to bear the load. [12] An attempt at privatising the bus transport system in 1992 merely compounded the problem, with inexperienced operators plying poorly maintained, noisy and polluting buses on lengthy routes, resulting in long waiting times, unreliable service, extreme overcrowding, unqualified drivers, speeding and reckless driving. 15] To rectify the situation, the Government of India and the Government of Delhi jointly set up a company called the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on March 5, 1995 with E. Sreedharan as the managing director. [16] [edit] Construction Physical construction work on the Delhi Metro started on Oct ober 1, 1998. [17] After the previous problems experienced by the Kolkata Metro, which was badly delayed and 12 times over budget due to â€Å"political meddling, technical problems and bureaucratic delays†, the DMRC was given full powers to hire people, decide on tenders and control funds. 18] The DMRC then consulted the Hong Kong MTR on rapid transit operation and construction techniques. [19] As a result, construction proceeded smoothly, except for one major disagreement in 2000, where the Ministry of Railways forced the system to use broad gauge despite the DMRC's preference for standard gauge. [20] The first line of the Delhi Metro was inaugurated by Atal Behari Vajpayee, the then Prime Minister of India on December 24, 2002[21] and thus it became the second underground rapid transit system in India, after the Kolkata Metro. The first phase of the project was completed in 2006[22] on budget and almost three years ahead of schedule, an achievement described by Business Week as â€Å"nothing short of a miracle†. [23] [edit] Network Main article: List of Delhi metro stations The Delhi Metro is being built in phases. Phase I completed 65. 11  km (40. 46  mi) of route length, of which 13. 01  km (8. 08  mi) is underground and 52. 10  km (32. 37  mi) surface or elevated. The inauguration of the Indraprastha–Barakhamba Road corridor of the Blue Line marked the completion of Phase I on October 27, 2006. 22] Phase II of the network comprises 128  km (80  mi) of route length and 79 stations, and is fully completed, with the first section opened in June 2008 and the last line opened in August 2011. [24] Phases III (112  km) and IV (108. 5  km) are planned to be completed by 2015 and 2021 respectively, with the network spanning 413  km (257  mi) by then. [25 Red Line Main articl e: Red Line (Delhi Metro) The Red Line was the first line of the Metro to be opened and connects Rithala in the west to Dilshad Garden in the east, covering a distance of 25. 09 kilometres (15. 59  mi). 27] It is partly elevated and partly at grade, and crosses the Yamuna River between Kashmere Gate and Shastri Park stations. [30] The inauguration of the first stretch between Shahdara and Tis Hazari on December 24, 2002, caused the ticketing system to collapse due to the line being crowded to four times its capacity by citizens eager to have a ride. [31][32] Subsequent sections were inaugurated from Tis Hazari – Trinagar (later renamed Inderlok) on October 4, 2003,[33] Inderlok – Rithala on March 31, 2004, and Shahdara – Dilshad Garden on June 4, 2008. [34] [edit] Yellow Line Main article: Yellow Line (Delhi Metro) The Yellow Line was the second line of the Metro and was the first underground line to be opened. [35] It runs for 44. 36 kilometres (27. 56  mi) from north to south and connects Jahangirpuri with HUDA City Centre. The northern and southern parts of the line are elevated, while the central section through some of the most congested parts of Delhi is underground. The first section between Vishwa Vidyalaya and Kashmere Gate opened on December 20, 2004, and the subsequent sections of Kashmere Gate – Central Secretariat opened on July 3, 2005, and Vishwa Vidyalaya – Jahangirpuri on February 4, 2009. 34] This line also possesses the country's deepest Metro station at Chawri Bazaar, situated 30 metres (98  ft) below ground level. [36][37] On 21 June 2010, an additional stretch from Qutub Minar to HUDA City Centre in Gurgaon was opened, initially operating separately from the main line. However, Chhatarpur station on this line opened on August 26, 2010. Due to delay in acq uiring the land for constructing the station, it was constructed using pre-fabricated structures in a record time of nine months and is the only station in the Delhi metro network to be made completely of steel. 38][39] The connecting link between Central Secretariat and Qutub Minar opened on September 3, 2010. [40] Interchanges are available with the Red Line at Kashmere Gate station, Blue Line at Rajiv Chowk Station, Violet Line at Central Secretariat , and with the Indian Railways network at Delhi and New Delhi railway stations. [41][42] [edit] Blue Line Main article: Blue Line (Delhi Metro) The Blue Line was the third line of the Metro to be opened, and the first to connect areas outside Delhi. 43] Partly overhead and partly underground,[44] it connects Dwarka Sub City in the west with the satellite city of Noida in the east, covering a distance of 47. 4 kilometres (29. 5  mi). [43] The first section of this line between Dwarka and Barakhamba Road was inaugurated on December 3 1, 2005, and subsequent sections opened between Dwarka – Dwarka Sector 9 on April 1, 2006, Barakhamba Road – Indraprastha on November 11, 2006, Indraprastha – Yamuna Bank on May 10, 2009, Yamuna Bank – Noida City Centre on November 12, 2009, and Dwarka Sector 9 – Dwarka Sector 21 on October 30, 2010. 34] This line crosses the Yamuna River between Indraprastha and Yamuna Bank stations,[30] and has India's first extradosed bridge across the Northern Railways mainlines near Pragati Maidan. [45] A branch of the Blue line, inaugurated on January 8, 2010, takes off from Yamuna Bank station and runs for 6. 25 kilometres (3. 88  mi) up to Anand Vihar in east Delhi. [46] It was further extended up to Vaishali which was opened to public on July 14, 2011. [47][48] A small stretch of 2. 76 kilometres (1. 71  mi) from Dwarka Sector 9 to Dwarka Sector 21 was inaugurated on October 30, 2010. 49][50] Interchanges are available with the Yellow Line at Rajiv Cho wk station,[44] and with the Indian Railways network at the Anand Vihar Railway Terminal. [51] [edit] Green Line Main article: Green Line (Delhi Metro) Opened in 2010, the Green Line was the first standard-gauge corridor of the Delhi Metro. [28] The fully elevated line connects Mundka with Inderlok, running for 15. 1 kilometres (9. 4  mi) mostly along Rohtak Road. [52] An interchange with the Red line is available at Inderlok station via an integrated concourse. [53] This line also has the country's first standard-gauge maintenance depot at Mundka. 54] [edit] Violet Line Main article: Violet Line (Delhi Metro) The Violet Line is the most recent line of the Metro to be opened, and the second standard-gauge corridor after the Green Line. The 20. 2  km (12. 6  mi) long line connects Badarpur to Central Secretariat, with 9  km (5. 6  mi) being overhead and the rest underground. [29] The first section between Central Secretariat and Sarita Vihar was inaugurated on October 3, 20 10, just hours before the inaugural ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and connects the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which is the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the event. 55] Completed in just 41 months, it includes a 100  m (330  ft) long bridge over the Indian Railways mainlines and a 167. 5  m (550  ft) long cable-stayed bridge across an operational road flyover, and connects several hospitals, tourist attractions and a major industrial estate along its route. [29] Services are provided at intervals of 5 min. [55] An interchange with the Yellow Line is available at Central Secretariat through an integrated concourse. [29] On January 14, 2011, the remaining portion from Sarita Vihar to Badarpur was opened for commercial service, adding three new stations to the network and marking the completion of the line. Airport Express The Airport Express line runs for 22. 7  km (14. 1  mi) from New Delhi Railway Station to Dwarka Sector 21, linking the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The line is operated, by the Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt. Limited (DAMEL), a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, the concessionaire of the line. [56] Constructed at a cost of [pic]2,885 crore (US$548. 15 million),[57] the line has six stations (Dhaula Kuan and Delhi Aerocity became operational on August 15, 2011), with some featuring check-in facilities, parking and eateries. 58] Rolling stock consists of six-coach trains operating at intervals of ten minutes and having a maximum speed of 135  km/h (84  mph). [58] Originally scheduled to open before the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the line failed to obtain the mandatory safety clearance, and was opened on 24 February 2011, after a delay of around 5 months. [59][60] Finances [edit] Funding The capital cost of Phases I and II has been estimated to be [pic]14,430 crore (US$2. 74 billion) at 2004 prices. [73] However, more recent estimates have placed the cost of construction at [pic]200 crore (US$3 8 million) per kilometre. 74] Thirty percent of the total investment for Phases I and II has been raised through equity capital with the Government of India (GoI) and Government of Delhi contributing equal shares,[73] and approximately another 60 percent has been raised as either long-term or subordinate debt, through soft loans from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. [75] The rest of the investment is proposed to be recovered from internal revenues through operations and property development. [73] The Metro also received [pic]1,914. 3 crore (US$363. 7 million) as grant-in-aid from various agencies for the financial year ending March 2009. 76] As of August 7, 2010, Delhi Metro has paid back an amount of [pic]567. 63 crore (US$107. 85 million), which includes loan amount for Phase I and interest amounts for Phases I and II, to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). [77] [edit] Revenue and profits In 2007, the Delhi Metro claimed to be one of only five metro sys tems in the world that operated at a profit without government subsidies. This was enabled by keeping maintenance costs to a minimum and harnessing additional revenue from advertisements and property development, apart from ticket sales. 78][79] The Metro also generates revenue by leasing out its trains and stations for film shoots. Due to its increasing association with Delhi as an image of the city's everyday life, it has been a popular filming location for production houses, and several films and advertisements have been shot on board. [80][81] Producers have to pay as much as [pic]1 lakh (US$1,900) for every hour of filming, besides a security deposit and insurance. [80] For the financial year ended March 2008, the Metro reported operating revenues of [pic]305. 27 crore (US$58 million) and a profit before tax of [pic]19. 8 crore (US$3. 8 million),[82] which rose to [pic]723. 77 crore (US$137. 5 million) and [pic]90. 43 crore (US$17. 2 million) respectively for the financial year ended March 2009. [76] Operations Trains operate at a frequency of 3 to 4. 5 minutes between 6:00 and 23:00. Trains operating within the network typically travel at speeds below 80  km/h (50  mph), and stop about 20 seconds at each station. Automated station announcements are recorded in Hindi and English. Many stations have services such as ATMs, food outlets, cafes and convenience stores. Eating, drinking, smoking, and chewing of gum are prohibited in the entire system. The Metro also has a sophisticated fire alarm system for advance warning in emergencies, and fire retardant material is used in trains as well as on the premises of stations. [83] Navigation information is available on Google Transit. [84] The first coach of every train is reserved for women. [85][86] [edit] Security Security on the Delhi Metro is handled by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who have been guarding the system ever since they took over from the Delhi Police in 2007. 87] Closed-circuit cameras are used to monitor trains and stations, and feed from these is monitored by both the CISF and Delhi Metro authorities at their respective control rooms. [88] Over 3500 CISF personnel have been deployed to deal with law and order issues in the system, in addition to metal detectors, X-ray baggage inspection systems and dog squads which are used to secure the system. [89] Intercoms are pr ovided in each train car for emergency communication between the passengers and the Train operator. 90] Periodic security drills are carried out at stations and on trains to ensure preparedness of security agencies in emergency situations. [91] [edit] Ticketing For the convenience of customers, Delhi Metro commuters have three choices for ticket purchase. The RFID tokens are valid only for a single journey on the day of purchase and the value depends on the distance travelled, with fares for a single journey ranging from [pic]8 (US$0. 15) to [pic]30 (US$0. 57). Fares are calculated based on the origin and destination stations using a fare chart. 92] A common ticketing facility for commuters travelling on Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and the Metro will be introduced in 2011. [93] Travel cards are available for longer durations and are most convenient for frequent commuters. They are valid for one year from the date of purchase or the date of last recharge, and are availabl e in denominations of [pic]100 (US$1. 9) to [pic]800 (US$15. 2). A 10% discount is given on all travel made on it. [94] A deposit of [pic]50 (US$0. 95) needs to be made to buy a new card. [92] Tourist cards can be used for unlimited travel on the Delhi Metro network over short periods of time. There are two kinds of tourist cards valid for one and three days respectively. The cost of a one-day card is [pic]100 (US$1. 9) and that of a three-day card is [pic]250 (US$4. 8), besides a refundable deposit of [pic]50 (US$0. 95) that must be paid at the time of purchasing the card. [92] As the network has expanded, high ridership in new trains have led to increasing instances of overcrowding and delays on the Delhi Metro. [95][96] To alleviate the problem, orders for new 6 coach trains have been placed and an increase in the frequency of trains has been proposed. 95] Infrequent, overcrowded and erratic feeder bus services connecting stations to nearby localities have also been reported as an area of concern. [97][98] In 2010, severe overcrowding on the Yellow Line, which connects the north and south campuses of Delhi University, was reported to be a reason for students missing or reporting late for classes. [99] [edit] Ridership Delhi Metro recorded the highest ever ridership figu re of 2,066,925 on 20 August 2011, which surpassed the earlier record set on 01 August 2011, when 1,830,944 people traveled by the Metro. 100] Currently, DMRC has a pool of 200 train sets with 69 of these being six coach formations. At present; the Delhi Metro is operational on six lines where more than 2500 train trips are made each day traversing over 69000 KMs in a day. With Phase-III of the network expected to cover about 108 kilometers, the Delhi Metro network will become 295 kilometers by 2016 making it one of the fastest expanding Metro networks in the world carrying about 4 million (40 lakh) passengers. [101] [edit] Accidents On October 19, 2008, a girder launcher and a part of the overhead Blue Line extension under construction in Laxmi Nagar, East Delhi collapsed and fell on passing vehicles underneath. Workers were lifting a 400-tonne concrete span of the bridge with the help of a crane when the launcher collapsed along with a 34 metres (112  ft) long span of the bridge on top of a Blueline bus killing the driver and a labourer. [102] On July 12, 2009, a portion of a bridge under construction collapsed when its launching girder lost balance as it was being erected at Zamrudpur, near East of Kailash, on the Central Secretariat – Badarpur corridor. Six people were killed and 15 others injured. [103] The day after, on July 13, 2009, a crane that was removing the debris collapsed, and with a bowling pin effect collapsed two other nearby cranes, injuring six. [104] On July 22, 2009 a steel beam fell on a worker at the under-construction Ashok Park Metro station, killing him. [105] Over a hundred people, including 93 workers, have died since work on the metro began in 1998. [106] [edit] Rolling stock The Metro uses rolling stock of two different gauges. Phase I lines use 1,676  mm (5. 499  ft) broad gauge rolling stock, while three Phase II lines use 1,435  mm standard gauge rolling stock. [108] Trains are maintained at seven depots at Khyber Pass and Sultanpur for the Yellow Line, Mundka for the Green Line, Najafgarh and Yamuna Bank for the Blue Line, Shastri Park for the Red Line and Sarita Vihar for the Violet Line. [29][109][110][111][112] [edit] Broad gauge The broad gauge rolling stock is manufactured by two major suppliers. For the Phase I, the rolling stock was supplied by a consortium of companies comprising Hyundai Rotem, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MELCO. The coaches were initially built in South Korea by ROTEM,[113] then in Bangalore by BEML through a technology transfer arrangement. [114] These trains consist of four 3. 2-metre (10  ft) wide stainless steel lightweight coaches with vestibules permitting movement throughout their length and can carry up to 1500 passengers,[115] with 50 seated and 330 standing passengers per coach. 116] The coaches are fully air conditioned, equipped with automatic doors, microprocessor-controlled brakes and secondary air suspension,[117] and are capable of maintaining an average speed of 32  km/h (20  mph) over a distance of 1. 1  km (0. 68  mi). [116] The system is extensible up to eight coaches, and platforms have been designed accordingly. [115] The rolling stock for Phase II is being supplied by Bombardier Transportation, which has received an order f or 614 cars worth approximately US$ 1100 million. 118] While initial trains were made in Germany and Sweden, the remainder will be built at Bombardier's factory in Savli, near Vadodara. [119] These trains are a mix of four-car and six-car consists, capable of accommodating 1178 and 1792 commuters per train respectively. The coaches possess several improved features like Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras with eight-hour backup for added security, charging points in all coaches for cell phones and laptops, improved air conditioning to provide a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius even in packed conditions and heaters for winter. 120] [edit] Standard gauge The standard gauge rolling stock is manufactured by BEML at its factory in Bangalore. The trains are four-car consists with a capacity of 1506 commuters per train,[121] accommodating 50 seated and 292 standing passengers in each coach. [116] These trains will have CCTV cameras in and outside the coaches, power supply connections inside coaches to charge mobiles and laptops, better humidity control, microprocessor-controlled disc brakes,[122] and will be capable of maintaining an average speed of 34  km/h (21  mph) over a distance of 1.   km (0. 68  mi). [116] [edit] Airport Express Eight 6-car trains supplied by CAF Beasain of Spain were imported. [123] CAF holds 5% equity in the DAME project, Reliance Infrastructure holds the remaining 95%. [57] The trains on this line are entirely different from the existing ones and have in-built noise reduction features for a noise-free ride with padded fabric seats. The coaches are equipped with LCD screens for entertainment of the passengers and also provide flight information for convenience of air travellers. The trains are fitted with an event recorder which can withstand high levels of temperature and impact and the wheels have flange lubrication system for less noise and better riding comfort. [124] [edit] Maglev On 7 December 2011, the government informed the Rajya Sabha that it was planning to introduce magnetic levitation wheel-less trains on the Delhi Metro. Minister of State for Urban Development Saugata Roy said: â€Å"The Delhi Metro proposes to introduce the wheel-less trains. The introduction of Maglev technology of Metro connectivity by DMRC is only at a conceptual stage for the present. â€Å"[125] The Maglev technology uses magnetic levitation to suspend, guide and propel mass rapid systems. [edit] Signalling and telecommunication The Delhi Metro uses cab signalling along with a centralised automatic train control system consisting of automatic train operation, Automatic Train Protection and automatic train signalling modules. 126] A 380  MHz digital trunked TETRA radio communication system from Motorola is used on all 6 lines to carry both voice and data information. [127] For Line 3,4 Siemens Transportation Systems has supplied the electronic interlocking Sicas, the operation control system Vicos OC 500 and the automation control system LZB 700 M. [128] An integrated system comprising optical fibre cable, on-train radio, CCTV, and a centralised clock and public address system is used for telecommunication during train operations as well as emergen cies. 129] For Line-1 and Line-2 ALSTOM has supplied signalling system and for line 5,6 Bombardier has supplied signalling system. [edit] Environment and aesthetics The Delhi Metro has won awards for environmentally friendly practices from organisations including the United Nations,[130] RINA,[131] and the International Organization for Standardization,[131] becoming the second metro in the world, after the New York City Subway, to be ISO 14001 certified for environmentally friendly construction. [132] Most of the Metro tations on the Blue Line conduct rainwater harvesting as an environmental protection measure. [133] It is also the first railway project in the world to earn carbon credits after being registered with the United Nations under the Clean Development Mechanism,[134] and has so far earned 400,000 carbon credits by saving energy through the use of regenerative braking systems on its trains. [135] The Metro has been promoted as an integral part of community infrastructure, and community artwork depicting the local way of life has been put on display at stations. 136] Students of local art colleges have also designed decorative murals at Metro stations,[137] while pillars of the viaduct on some elevated sections have been decorated with mosaic murals created by local schoolchildren. [138] The Metro station at INA Colony has a gallery showcasing artwork and handicrafts from across India,[139] while all stations on the Central Secretariat – Qutub Minar section of the Yellow Line have panels installed on the monumental architectural heritage of Delhi. [