Strike

Points: What it means — Strike in industrial disputes and elsewhere — Strike In India.

              ‘Strike’ means cessation of work by workers or employees. It occurs when negotiations fail between the employer and the employees. When the employers stop production and close down the work, it is called lock-out. In a factory, the workers may demand an increase in pay or allowance. The authorities or owners may not agree to the demand. As a last resort, the workers often declare a strike. They down tools and bring the factory to a stand-still. If there is no work there will be no profit also. Sometimes a strike continues for months till a settlement is reached.
              There are also strikes in banks, offices and even in schools and colleges. All strikes are not for wages or allowances. Some strikes are called to protest publicly against some wrongs. Sometimes general strikes are called when all offices, factories and transports remain practically suspended. Strike is an organized pressure. It should not be used on a flimsy ground.
              In India strike is a very common occurrence. Every year good many workdays are lost owing to strikes. Sometimes the strikers become violent. Nobody supports such violence. We should try to create a condition so that there is neither strike nor Lockout. Let all disputes be settled In a spirit of cooperation for the good of the nation.

Energy Crisis

Points: Sources of energy — Crises due to limited stock — Alternative sources to be explored.

              No work is possible without energy, and for energy man depends on Nature. We get wood from Nature, with which we make fire. By burning fire we cook food, light lamps, and melt iron. After wood came coal. It is an underground storage of energy. We dig up coal and burn it. Oil also is another source of energy. By burning oil we get heat and light. Petroleum or gas came later on. Our motor cars and aero planes are run by them. Electricity is the widely used form of energy in the modern world. From the rivers we get hydro-electricity.
              But the source of energy in Nature — coal or petroleum — is not unlimited, Petroleum may be exhausted within a few decades. Scientists are warning us that mankind may soon face energy crisis. That is why people are seeking alternative sources of energy like nuclear energy and solar energy.
Solar energy has an unlimited supply. In a tropical country like India, solar energy has a great future. Indian agriculture may be revolutionized if solar energy be available to our peasants. The initial cost of installing the apparatus is still heavy. If that could be reduced, our energy crisis would have been solved for good.