Fishing for a career

Q . I am interested in taking up fisheries as a career. What does the job entail and which are the institutes offering this course?
Arindam Roy

A.With a vast coastline of 8000 km, extending over 10 states and an extensive network of rivers, India is home to more than 300 varieties of fish. Hi-tech trawling and modern processing techniques have also given a fillip to our seafood exports.

Work opportunities exist in government and private fishery and aquaculture units, state departments of agriculture/fisheries, research units, university training centres, extension centres of agricultural universities, nationalised/rural banks, insurance companies, seafood processing units, export houses and aquariums.

Production, development and quality control professionals also find work in industries that process other marine products and by-products like fish meal, fish protein concentrate, fish oil, etc.

Fishery is the next major employment sector after agriculture. With over seven million people working in this sector, resource management is another vital area to look at. Naturally, most of the work would be based in the coastal areas.

The BFSc course typically covers topics such as: Core fishery biology, fisheries statistics, fishery oceanography, fishery engineering, fishery microbiology, etc.

At the undergraduate level, bachelors in fishery science is a four-year course taught at the following institutes in the eastern region:

• Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur.

• West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Calcutta (www.wbuafs.nic.in).

• Utkal Vani Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

• Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar (www.ouat.ac.in).

Get a job as a tax return preparer

Q: I have completed my law degree but am unable to find a job. I have heard that the government is launching a scheme for tax return preparers. Could you give me the details?
Joydeep Banerjee

A: Filing Income Tax returns can be a nightmare for most people. The government has launched a scheme to train professional tax return preparers (TRP) to help small and medium tax payers prepare their tax returns. Training will be provided in collaboration with NIIT. However, you will not be allowed to charge a fee from individuals whose income is below a specified amount (the exact figure will be determined shortly). From others,TRPs can charge up to Rs 250 per tax return. You need a bachelors degree in commerce/ law/economics/maths/statistics or management and should be 21-35 years of age as on October 1, 2006. Log on to www.trpscheme.com for details.

Learn the cool moves of chess

Q: What is the scope for chess in India? My son is beginning to show a lot of interest in the game. Should I encourage him in this field?
Seemanto Das

A: The scope for chess in India is excellent. With a line-up of 45 international masters and still counting, it’s raining Grandmasters in India . There is a line-up
of promising rated players waiting for the right opportunity. So, if your son is showing an inclination for this field then go all for it.

To boost the talent pool, promising youngsters are being professionally coached and groomed by the All India Chess Federation (AICF). In fact, even Russian Grandmasters, who are well known for their excellent theoretical knowledge of the game, are being regularly invited to hold camps and workshops.

Several national and international tournaments are being organised in India and our young players are being sent abroad to participate in events by the federation to gain exposure. Sponsors like Wipro and other companies are also pitching in with scholarships.

Start off by encouraging your son to participate in all school level events. Your local chess club would be a good source of advice and guidance. This will hone his ability to think beyond the immediate move. The reigning grandmasters can mentally visualise the entire game of moves and countermoves before touching a piece.

Also do visit the official website of AICF www.indianchessfed.org for more details.

Alekhine Chess Club and Goodricke National Chess Academy, both located at 3 Gorky Terrace, Gorky Sadan, Calcutta, provide training.

CBSE has also introduced a national-level inter-school championship to encourage budding talent. Chess Academy, Calicut, also trains sub-junior players and school children.

The Mikhail Tal Chess Club, Russian Cultural Centre, Chennai, also conducts regular training courses. Grand Master Vishwanathan Anand aka “Speed King” honed his chess skills at this club.

The great thing about this game is that it can be played by anybody. Age, sex, physical fitness levels or even a disability is not a disqualifier. Chessaspirants, Vile-Parle, Mumbai (www.chessaspirants.com), also offers facilities like online chess and online chess tournaments.