. People may find it inconvenient but good medicine tastes bitter", he said."The new law is quite different from the past one.She noted that whistle blowers will be rewarded with up to 200 million won, which may help curb corruption.South Korea -- the world's 11th biggest economy and the Asia's fourth largest -- has fared relatively poorly in corruption or transparency levels.The law however drew complaints from local businesses and restaurants who feared sales would slump. and to enhance our national integrity"...Bribery scandals involving politicians or high-level officials and rich businessmen have been fixture in South Korean politics for decades.

It covers a much wider range of wrongful activities and contains much more severe punishment against offenders", National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-Kyun told journalists.A mobile app was even launched recently to help people look up whether they are a target of the law as well as the details of the legislation. Seoul: A tough new anti-graft law came into force in South Korea Wednesday with many hailing it as a milestone to help root out widespread low-level corruption.The law targets teachers bribed by parents to give better grades, journalists paid to give favourable publicity and officials bought off by businessmen to speed up bureaucratic processes.Some restaurants recently introduced "Kim Young-Ran menus" priced at 29,900 won or less.The law even prohibits the common practice among doctors and other workers at university hospitals of offering favourable treatment to personal acquaintances, including expedited scheduling of surgery..Lee Eun-Mi, head of the Centre for Administrative Watch at the People's Solidarity giant strawberry squishy for Participatory Democracy, said last week it would make many people "think twice whenever they have the chance to wine and dine or accept gifts". Local media organisations have been under criticism for years for removing or dismissing stories that are damaging to big advertisers.

Offenders often slipped through loopholes of the existing anti-corruption law, as it was hard to prove that money or gifts changed hands in return for a favour instead of as a token of hospitality.Presidential spokesman Jung Youn-Kuk also said the law would be "a turning point to create a fair, clean society .Last year it was ranked 37th in the World Corruption Perceptions Index and 123rd in transparency in public policymaking in the Global Competitiveness Report by the World Economic Forum.NGOs have welcomed the new legislation.Dubbed the Kim Young-Ran law after the former supreme court judge who drafted it, the sweeping legislation covers some four million public servants and employees of education institutions in the country of 50 million.."It will help bring a stop to old habits.The sweeping legislation covers some four million public servants and employees of education institutions in the country of 50 million.They are now banned from accepting gifts worth 50,000 won () or more, or meals of 30,000 won or more, with offenders facing hefty fines or even a prison term.

A farmer in Karnataka says he has found a unique solution to protect his coffee and areca crop from the menace of monkeys.Gowdas daughter Amulya said that seeing the success of her fathers trick, other villagers have also started doing so. They used to destroy our crops."Earlier we used to face a lot of problems due to the monkey menace. In our village everyone is appreciating and replicating my fathers idea," said Amulya. The monkeys now refrain from entering my plantations," he said. But in the long run, the colour of the toy would fade and the monkeys would return and damage the crop," he China jumbo squishies toy Factory said, adding "Then I painted my dog Bulbul using hair dye to make him look like a tiger," Gowda told news agency ANI. I have seen the monkeys run away at the sight of the dog resembling a tiger.Srikanth Gowda, a farmer from Naluru village in Shivamogga districts Thirthahalli Taluk has dyed the fur of his dog to make him look like a tiger."Earlier I used to bring soft toys (of tigers) from Goa and place them in my fields to scare away the monkeys.He said that he decided to paint his dog after his earlier measures - using soft toys of tigers - failed to do get him the desired result. It was my fathers idea to paint our dog like a tiger to scare away the monkeys."I now take Bulbul to the fields twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening.

"There’s a misconception about what eco-friendly means.Though planning an eco-friendly wedding can have obstacles, they aren’t ones that can’t be overcome."Eco-friendly invite (Courtesy: Rubina’s Instagram)Apart from invites, couples are also opting for eco-friendly materials when it comes to decorations. We also handed out glass bottles to remind people that disposable plastic bottles are harmful and create a lot of waste," says Sharanya. Pune-based Chetan and Poonam Gaikwad opted to use steel plates and glasses instead of disposable cutlery.Tips to have an eco-friendly weddingDitch traditional invites for e-invites, video invites, word of mouth or social media updatesInstead of thermocol decorations and flexes, use colourful cloth décor and reusable propsCreate photo booths by repainting old boards, cycles, photo frames and other propsDonate leftover food to orphanages and similar organizationsShift to edible or reusable cutlery optionsFor the entry, replace cold pyros, confetti blasts and smoke bombs with flower petal showers and quirky dance routinesUse seasonal florals from local vendors rather than imported onesOpt for LED bulbs and lights(Tips by Reetu Jain, Director, The Weddingwale)Rebecca and Daniel Pearson reused their wedding decorations. Talking about their 2016 wedding, Daniel says, "Ropes used for hanging wedding decorations were later used at home to hang wedding pictures.

One must always be aware of what one is using, where it’s coming from and where it will go," says Prashin."Awareness through activitiesApart from infusing their wedding with eco-friendly options, couples have also tried to inform guests about nature-friendly habits by organising fun activities during the wedding festivities. If we keep destroying it, there would be no other place for mankind to live’.Big fat Indian weddings are all about song and dance, raucous guests, sartorial opulence and of course, delectable, not-easily-digestible food. So, I’m familiar with the amount of waste weddings create. Using cornstarch or supari plates or bowls made of leaves can actually be detrimental, as resources like water, plant material, and fuel are utilized to make these goods. It’s beyond what a household will create in six months.Chetan and Poonam Gaikwad encouraged guests to drop in a small contribution in their donation box.Greener giftsTo make a statement, we opt for flashy return gifts.Pot-making activity held at Sharanya and Susheel’s wedding. "It’s a ball made of mud and cow dung, inside which, there is a seed." Chetan Gaikwad too stresses the need for eco-friendly weddings as ‘we don’t have custom stress relief toys another planet.  Sharanya says, "We did not like the idea of performing rituals, so we opted for a tree plantation drive instead.Similarly, Sharanya and Susheel too instructed their wedding planners to use plastic decorations they already possessed instead of buying new items.Reuse to reduce wasteThis desire to reduce waste by using reusable items is common among those eager to have an eco-friendly wedding.Sharanya and Susheel, on the other hand, gave out bird feeders to friends and family. Rubina and Abhinav also gave diamonds a wide berth. Thus, reusable plastic plates are more eco-friendly in this case."

The couple also held a pot-making event to encourage guests to use natural items instead of plastic. But, as long as you’re perseverant, patient, willing to ask questions and communicate, you will be able to find and use eco-friendly alternatives," insists Prashin. You fill it with bird feed and leave it outside your house. However, of late, they are also becoming a platform to voice a mesغير مجاز مي باشدe, to make a statement about a way of life that will soon become crucial to our survival – that of inculcating eco-friendly habits in our lifestyle. Prashin Jagger who married his sweetheart, Deepa Kamath, this June, says they avoided the use of disposable plastics by opting for reusable plastic cutlery offered by the caterer. "We wanted to encourage people to eat consciously. Actress Rubina Dilaik, who recently tied the knot with long-time beau, Abhinav Shukla, opted to give eco-friendly invites. To sidestep this problem, actress Rubina and hubby Abhinav decided to give planters as a token of appreciation.There’s a need, there’s a wayWhile eco-friendly weddings are not yet the norm, they are definitely the need of the hour. Prashin vouches for this thought by saying, "I’m a freelance photographer and shoot a lot of weddings. So, we gave our guests succulents, which are low-maintenance plants," says Rubina. Sean Fernandes and Avril-Ann Braganza asked guests to throw flower petals instead of confetti as the latter is made of thermocol, which is non-biodegradable. Seed papers are eco-friendly papers that are filled with seeds. The couple also created placards from old papers and cardboard to explain the eco-friendly ideas they had incorporated into their wedding." In the past, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Anand Ahuja too had opted for e-invites to prevent wastage of paper. However, these gifts often remain locked in our guests’ cupboards, doing nothing for the giver or the receiver of the gift. "We didn’t use tissues either, as guests were encouraged to use washable napkins instead.Mumbai-based Prashin and Deepa decided to distribute seed balls as return gifts. Many environmentally conscious couples are choosing their D-Day to spread awareness about nature-friendly behaviours, and the best part is that they are doing this by planning eco-friendly weddings. Sharanya says, "We got seed paper invites. So, no diamond jewellery was used in our wedding," says Rubina. Some are even looking at biodegradable options to reduce waste. Guests were invited to plant seed bombs in an area we had cleared. Our centerpiece is now used as a flower vase. All the seeds were of indigenous tree species," explains Prashin. And so, to reduce the use of paper, many couples are using e-invites instead.. "My parents are from a farmer’s background and we like planting trees.Bangalore-based couple, Sharanya Sridhar and Susheel Joseph, who took the plunge in February this year, traversed a similar path. The money saved was given to Vasundhara Swachata Abhiyan, an NGO that promotes sustainable living," says Chetan.Prashin and Deepa, on the other hand, stuck posters to create awareness about food wastage. Prashin makes an important point when he says that being organic is not synonymous with being eco-friendly. It has enough nourishment for the plant to grow by itself even if it’s just left in soil. Rubina says, "We decided to not give invites that people would throw away, contributing to garbage. "We also didn’t have lavish celebrations, burst crackers or hire a DJ. But, we couldn’t say that outright, so we wrote these quotes about food to draw attention to the fact that the food we’re eating is precious," explains Prashin. So we gave biodegradable invites made of MDF wood and recycled paper. "Abhinav strongly believes that diamonds are blood diamonds. We had made signs using wooden boards lying around and later, used them to hide patches of peeling paint in our home. The money collected was donated to NGOs working towards preserving the environment. "It’s shaped like a lantern.Another couple that opted to minimise waste by reusing a lot of their wedding decorations is Daniel and Rebecca Pearson. "We want to please our family and this thought prevents us from doing the things we want to. People have told us that they love the gift because it has helped them see different kinds of birds," says Sharanya. The biggest hindrance remains, as Prashin says, the ‘log kya kahenge’ thought. We asked our guests to note down the information and then rip the paper and plant the seeds. Also, instead of using a cake stand, we had used mango crates, which we returned to the seller after the wedding.Eco-friendly alternativesWHILE it takes years for a tree to grow, the sturdiest tree can be chopped down in a few minutes.