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Q & A

Photo: K.K. Mustafah

profitable: Floriculture is in the early phase of growth and has tremendous job potential.

I would like to know about a career in floriculture and the job prospects.

Floriculture or flower farming is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development plant breeding of new varieties is a major occupation of floriculturists.

In India, Floriculture industry comprises flower trade, production of nursery plants and potted plants, seed and bulb production, micro propagation and extraction of essential oils. Though the annual domestic demand for the flowers is growing at a rate of over 25 per cent and international demand at around Rs 90,000 crore, India’s share in international market of flowers is negligible.

India has a blooming future as far as floriculture is concerned. Enormous genetic diversity, varied agro climatic conditions, versatile human resources, etc., offer India a unique scope for judicious employment of existing resources and exploration of avenues yet untouched.

The employment opportunities in this field are as varied as the nature of work itself. One can join the field of floriculture as farm/ estate managers, plantation experts and supervisors, project coordinators, etc. Research and teaching are some other avenues of employment in the field. Marketing of floriculture products for different ventures is emerging as a potential segment of this field. Besides one can work as consultant, and landscape architect with proper training. One can also work as entrepreneur and offer employment to others. In addition, the scope is wide in research also.

With the onslaught of Information Technology, libraries are making a rapid transition from card catalogues and P-slips to the Internet and electronic information on CD-ROMs. With the emergence of new electronic media to prepare and present library material, libraries are increasingly becoming information centres, combining traditional printed material with more sophisticated and enduring features like microfilms, CD-ROMs, online public access, Internet services and the like. As the traditional face of libraries change, the role of the librarian and support staff follow suit, making the profession more challenging than ever before.

The image of a librarian sitting at a desk, issuing and receiving books all day is a stereotypical idea that has stuck. But this is far removed from the true picture. Though librarians do spend a large part of their time disseminating information, this is certainly not their only job.

In addition to providing vital services to the user, librarians perform a number of technical and administrative functions. Primarily, the tasks of the library staff include the following: Library Administration and Management, Bibliography Analysis and Control and, Subject Analysis and Control.

Librarians and support staff are employed in a variety of libraries and archival units in India and abroad. These include:

• Government and national libraries

• Public libraries

• Digital libraries

• Online libraries/archival services

• Academic libraries

• University and college libraries

• School libraries

• Libraries attached to cultural organisations

• Libraries attached to embassies

• Newspapers and news agencies

• Industrial and commercial libraries

• Corporate libraries

• Museums and galleries

• Photo and film libraries

• Archives

• Private collections

• Libraries on special subjects

• Information and documentation services

Areas of specialisation available at the postgraduate level are: Archives management, Library planning, Special library services, Management of information services, Translation Reprography, Technical writing, Information technology, Maintenance and preservation of collections, Networked collection, Circulation studies and Electronic solution to documentation.

Political science may be defined as the study of politics and government, in terms of its principles, aims and methods.

To understand political science in the right perspective, it is essential to study its functional aspects. It plays an important role in the development and inter-linking of various courses. A student studying in any course can opt for political science. It requires serious probing of matters concerning the nation.

A political science employee gets an opportunity to control the financial activities of various agencies of the government. Political science plays a pivotal role in the importance of budgeting, the budget process, its characteristics, objectives and various theories of budgeting, principles of budgeting and enactment of budget. Political science also warrants an employee to assess the changing concept of organisation and human behaviour in an organisation.

The job prospects unfortunately are not abundant in India. But it is a proven fact that only the political science students can find a berth in the United Nations Organisation (UNO). Political science is not only closely related to social science, but it is also associated to law, public administration and public relations. The prospects for students opting this course widen when they enter voluntary organisations. Political Science graduates could also look at joining the media as political journalist/ analyst/ researcher.

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