“That lightsaber belongs to me!”: Star Wars the Gender Swap

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away†¦ the very words that began one of the world's most recognized and well-established franchises. Star Wars, a beloved series that continues to have an ever growing fan base. However, when one considers the fan base of the film series, it is easy to associate its image with that of a male figure. During the original trilogy fans had Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Princess Leia. In the prequels there was Anakin, Mace Windu, Count Dooku, Yoda, and Padame. Noticing a trend here? All of these characters to some degree fulfill the role of the archetypal male hero with a female companion, which is something the audience is accustomed to seeing, though naturally they are not all the same. Why is that? Perhaps that is the question viewers should ask themselves when watching anything from the Star Wars series. It is no surprise that Star Wars is a series loved by many throughout the world, as it offers a sense of science fiction and epic take on fantasy. However, it has been recognized to have a bit of a gender problem or suffer from what is known as the â€Å"Smurfette Effect†. Much like its counterparts in Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, which offers multiple male-led roles, accompanied by one or two other female roles. In the original trilogy – episodes four through six – the three main characters that stuck out were recognized as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamil), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher). However, the role that stood out the most was that of Princess Leia, known as the leader of the rebel alliance, and iconic figure who had the courage and potential to dismantle the operations of those who sought to destroy everything she stood for. She even was presented the opportunity to save such male roles and remained as the only empowered female character throughout all three original films. However, this was all viewed as a secondary thought as the roles played by men were seen as the primary entity to the series, but this still was seen as a major breakthrough for females in film. Around the time the series was released the role and idea for a strong female lead character to exist was revolutionary and had a major impact on the way viewers and directors looked at films and the way female roles were handled. This of course would set the path for future films to be released. We would see this once again when the prequel films were released – episodes one through 3 – as characters such as Padme Amidalla, Keira Knightley, and other female Jedi roles came to light. Once again these characters were portrayed to be women of power and viewed as a great importance to the public. However, once again these features were viewed as a second thought and taken behind the roles of men and their importance to the series. Making it no surprise that the target demographic for the series was predominantly male-oriented. Despite this, Star Wars has an audience of female fans equal to those of their male counterparts and with such a large number of female fans. You would think that the universe would have more populated with roles of woman shining beyond or sharing the roles of men. Sadly, this was not the case and women presented were often shown to fall short of being any type of role model-like figure. It was seen as though if boys were to watch Star Wars films, they can idolize or plays as Obi-Wan or Anakin, characters who were portrayed to be cunning, brave, and would face danger head on. Girls on the other hand, were they supposed to support being submissive, and in need of a hero like that of Leia and Padme? Was this the trend that all of the series films would fall victim to? Women depending on men to shape and care for their futures? These types of questions remained unanswered for the longest time, until recent years when the Star Wars franchise announced it would return to the big screen in 2015 under the name â€Å"Star Wars: The Force Awakens†. However, this would not be a â€Å"per usual† Star Wars film dominated by white male men and their secondary female counterparts. No, this film sought to abolish all of the stale characteristics the series had become known for, and decided to give the series a twist no one could have seen coming. As the film itself was presented with the idea of having the franchise's first female lead role, first female villain role, first African American lead, and include more minor female characters in unexpected areas. The film was also set to have a wide This sent the world into a complete frenzy as it had a mixed reception from fans. Some found they loved and looked forward to the idea of a fresh take on the series and moving along with modern times. Fans could now be open to an entire new world, and see what could come from such a diverse cast of characters. Others however, took this as an insult, and saw the series falling prey to the social justice warrior movements and being nothing more than mere propaganda that would harm the series. Causing multiple Men's Right Activists to call for boycotts of the film, and multiple online protests, as several stated it was an attack on the hold men had throughout the series. In weeks leading to the release of the film, trailers and images taken for the film were tagged with â€Å"#BoycottStarWarsVII† and â€Å"#StarWarsaMensGalaxy†. Despite the protests, and negative feedback from multiple activists and fans, the film generated $529 million its opening week. Stomping out the superstitions that this one film would ruin the image of Star Wars that was established. However, the biggest victory this film had, was with its characters and their roles in the film as director JJ Abrams made it clear that The Force Awakens was something that would change the Star Wars forever. Many speculated that, despite the latest additions to the franchise would still be dominated by men, and have small hints of a woman being in power. However, when the film debuted many found the story's main character, Rey, a mysterious character with a hidden backstory, was not only cunning and well-rounded. She was truly independent, did not rely on another character, find herself in the middle of a love scene, or eagerly waiting for a knight in shining armor to come save the day. The closest she comes to something of that sort, is her companion Finn, who also made a splash being the franchise's first African American lead role. However, it comes across as two friends looking after one another, it could even be recognized as a bond strictly forged by survival. However, this was not the only shocker of the film, as another twist to the plot of the story comes during the climax of the film. When Rey would even defeat, and overpower the films only white antagonist known as Kylo Ren in a lightsaber battle. Some would say that it was one of the most horrific fight scenes on a Star Wars film to date, but not if you take a closer look as the fight itself has a hidden meaning. Analyzing the fight scene, Kylo toys with Rey and does not face as a real opponent. Taunting her, and showing his superior strength to push her to a weakened state but at the one point he offers her a chance to join him as an apprentice and teach her what she lacks as a Jedi. This can be seen as a moment of man beating down the thought of a woman taking on such a role. Demonstrating that a woman such as Rey is not meant to be so strong. That she is not meant to stand as a warrior, or as someone who can stand their ground and can easily fall prey to the words of a man who appears to be stronger and offers a way out a difficult situation. However, as Rey, struggles to hold off her opponent, she takes a moment to reflect on who she is, and why she is fighting. She then becomes focused and forges a stronger bond between herself and the force which allows her to become more powerful than Kylo could have ever become in such a short time. Rey, who has never fought with a lightsaber, never used the force in anyway, or faced an evil as strong as Kylo Ren emerges victorious. Making an impression on the young man, and the audience that this female character is not one to be taken so lightly, that women can take on such a role, and be just as good of a Jedi warrior worthy of wielding a lightsaber in battle. This scene alone can be indicated as one of the most iconic, visually pleasing, and outspoken of all time, with the simple message it carries through its actions and depiction. Just one more thing for the world to fall in love with, and that it did. Following the success of the film came the monstrous demand for the toys, and video game figures that the public would be open to collect and enjoy. The new line of Star Wars figures and video games included almost every single cast member and their costumes, all except one major piece. Rey herself, was not found to be included in any of the merchandise produced by toy distributor Hasbro, except for one. One that was part of a â€Å"Speeder Bundle†, a pre-sale toy bundle before the film was released. However, this one toy absolutely robs Rey of any gender as she is fully masked and clothed. One would not even notice it was a female character in the form of a toy. This of course drove a massive callout from fans and gender activists, both raising the question as to why? Why was this important female character being left out when so many were calling for her to appear? The answer came from an inside report from Hasbro that stated toymakers were specifically directed to exclude Rey from their products because â€Å"Star Wars toys were geared toward boys and boys don't like playing with female action figures. No boy wants to be given a product with a female character on it.† Which brought both Hasbro and Disney to come forward and made a thin excuse saying their intentions were â€Å"mistaken, as they did not wish to reveal or spoil anything for anyone who had not seen the movie.† It was also found that both Disney and Hasbro invested heavily in the white antagonist male character Kylo Ren as many executives expected his role to be the breakout role of the century. Returning old world views of woman not being able to have as strong of a hold in the entertainment industry as men and bringing forth the question of whether or not this trend would continue with the later series of episodes the Star Wars franchise planned to release in years to come. Although the answer may not be fully known, it is clear that creators and directors under with the Star Wars brand are working toward undoing the damage set forth by past films for their portrayal of women. With the latest installments of Star Wars: The Clone Wars Animated, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi – all featuring more independent and empowered female characters, the franchise is on the right path but still has a large road ahead till many see women equal to men.

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Management - Essay Example This innovative and stylistic format has brought widespread attention from companies such as Apple, as well as consumers who are attuned to quality. The consideration of Apple’s implementation of the bags is significant on a number of grounds. Apple’s approach to technological development places high emphasis on branding as well as quality. Their decision to implement FREITAG bags is then contingent on the quality and branding elements, specifically the artistic and stylistic forms these products are able to achieve. Conversely, there are resources that the firm believes are strategic, but in reality are not. FREITAG is an organization that implements sustainable resources as a means of creating their bags. The case study notes, â€Å"Every FREITAG bag is composed of used materials only: old truck tarpaulins, used seat belts for the straps and bicycle inner tubes to keep the edges from fraying, a specification that places it at the more imposing end of the spectrum of sustainable design† (FREITAG). It is clear that the organization believes that the implementation of these supplies is strategic, as it not only is socially responsible, but also makes positive contributions to its image. While such a notion makes sense, in reality it appears that it is not the sustainability aspect that has given the bags their cache, but instead the quality and inventiveness of production; this is evidenced in Apple’s use of the bags, a company that is notoriously concerned with quality. Again, while Apple places considerable emphasis on quality and stylistic product form, they are willing to sacrifice social responsibility – one considers their involvement in the Chinese sweatshop scandal – to achieve these aims. Such a recognition demonstrates it is not this sustainability that is highlighted in the FREITAG bags, but instead their greatest resource is the stylistic quality they are able to achieve. 2. There are many ways that a firmâ⠂¬â„¢s culture and belief system affects its ability to compete. One of the most prominent examples occurs in terms of Google, Inc. In understanding how a firm’s culture and belief system affects its competitive ability one considers institutional theory. Institutional perspectives on organizational culture argue that the organizational culture that is established within an institution impacts all incoming employees. In these regards, as individuals enter the culture they may initially resist the overarching institutional belief system, but ultimately tend towards the overriding paradigm (Clement 2005). It follows that organizations which implement the most successful organizational culture will in-turn have a workforce that directly contribute to organizational success. One recognizes that the challenge then becomes what is the most successful organizational culture to implement. Adams, Hill, & Roberts (2011) consider that the success of organizational culture is oftentimes contingent on uniting the workforce under the auspices of a goal that goes beyond mere financial concerns, but also involves their sense of meaning. Within Google, Inc. it is clear that the organization has gone beyond mere profit considerations. The organization has implemented the popular slogan ‘Don’t Be Evil’. This demonstrates that Google has shown great concern for product development that does not implement shady means. In addition to uniting the workf

Hospitality and tourism industry economy in Australia Essay

Hospitality and tourism industry economy in Australia - Essay Example Although, this segment comprises of a cluster of small firms or hotels that offers extremely attractive holiday packages to spend leisure or recreational times, religion or health, business and professional purposes at a quite affordable ranges. Due to this, its competitiveness enhanced to a significant rate as compared to others. Thus, from the above graphs, it might be depicted that the outlook of hospitality or tourism industry in Australia changed to a certain extent. The entire credit of such a market scenario of hospitality and tourism industry of Australia is due to the changing demographics. However, in-spite of benefits, it also had to face varied types of challenges as well. This paper mainly focuses about the challenges regarding the type of jobs and talents required for the individual getting engaged in the hospitality and tourism industry in Australia due to changing demographics. Along with this, it also describes the appropriate human resource approaches essential to retain the employees as well as to attract new talented ones towards the industry of tourism. In this today’s era, maximum extent of the employees desire to establish his or her own identity and image in the organization or industry, engaged with. This is mainly due to the changes of the attitudes and behaviours of the generation x and y candidates as compared to baby boomers. So, in order to retain the employees of generation x and y within the organization or industries for a longer period of time, varied types of human resource approaches are maintained. These approaches might lead to the betterment of this industry. So, they are described below one by one. Succession Management- according to Philips (2012), it is a constant process of identifying, assessing and developing varied leaders within the organization so as to improve the level of performance, dedication

Legal Framework in Employment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Legal Framework in Employment - Essay Example As per common law, an employer has the right to dismiss an employee with prior notification. Terminating an employee without prior notice is a ‘wrongful dismissal’ against which an employee can sue the employer. Unfair dismissal is created by statute law, and it may occur even with proper notification. The Employment Rights Act 1996 has given six potentially fair reasons for terminating an employee. The employer has to ensure that the decision of dismissal, he has made justified and is conducted fairly.Employment Relations Act 1996, section 98 (4), provides details to declare a dismissal fair or unfair. The employer is responsible to justify a fair dismissal and likewise give reasons for unfair dismissal. In any case, if an employer is unable to prove that the dismissal is justified as per the Employment Relations Act 1996, it will be declared as unfair.Not only the law provides support to the employees the employers also have equal defenses to claim the fairness of thei r dismissal decision.In the case [British Leyland (UK) Ltd v Swift, (1981)], the employer’s decision was declared as ‘fair’ by the court of law as the employer justified his decision claiming to terminate an employee due to misconduct.In another case [Iceland Frozen Foods Limited v Jones, (1982)], the employer terminated a night-shift foreman at the warehouse. The employer held the employee responsible because he could not secure the warehouse at night which resulted in slow production.

Management information system ip2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management information system ip2 - Essay Example A research conducted by Greasley et al shows that the employees are able to relate to the concept of empowerment in a different way than the supervisors. The employees believe that they are provided with the responsibility of completing a certain task and this inflates them to complete the particular task in a remarkable manner. Other than the sense of responsibility, the employees also believe that they get a ‘control of work’ which provides them to manage their tasks accordingly. In other words the employees are able to work in a manner that is beneficial to both the employer and the employee himself (Greasley et al 2008). Employee Empowerment is considered as a source of high productivity by the supervisors. The supervisors can provide the employees with work and can create a unified goal which helps in increasing the productivity at a large scale. The supervisor is able to motivate the employee and hence optimize the performance in accordance to the needs. The supervisor tends to feel safe when handing the employees work because he/she believes that the employee would be able to take the responsibility on his own. In other words the level of trust increases between the supervisor and the employee (Potterfield 1999 p.123-124; Lashley p. 62-64). The theory X of management and decision-making process revolves around an authoritative form of leadership in which the managers hold the sole authority of making decisions whereas the theory Y states that the employees have an equal say in the decision making process. Employee Empowerment is a concept that relates to the theory Y as the managers give equal options to the employees when it comes to make decisions. Theory Y states that the managers should coach the employees in such a way that they are able to make their decisions with confidence and employee empowerment automatically instills confidence in the employees (Griffin 2012 p.39). Employee Empowerment

Learning Strategies and Information Processing Development Essay

Learning Strategies and Information Processing Development - Essay Example Learning disabilities remain manifest more as students advance through elementary years and get ready to master readiness skills. Their memory difficulties could be attributed to weak information processing relating to retrieval and storage of information, and ineffective strategies for retrieval and storage of messages (Smith, 2003). How attention, memory, recognition and knowledge relate to learning strategies. Delays in learning strategies and information processing abilities, in addition to a deficient knowledge base on which new knowledge could be attached, affect the capacity of students in processing and recalling information. The opportunity to learn would be lost whenever the attention of a student remains free or not maintained. This loss creates a deficiency of skills and knowledge, therefore, making learning less meaningful and forgettable. The learning-disabled students often become more impulsive and distractible compared to their peers. They also use less psychological control procedures to focus their learning (Smith, 2003). Preschoolers with learning disabilities remain more active as well as having difficulty in directing their attention. However, their activity declines from age three into adolescence. In this regard, their learning strategies should incorporate attributes that would appeal to their attention such as shape, color, and uniqueness. An overemphasis on deficit remediation in the school curriculum does not expose the learning disabled to a wide variety of ideas, information, and language with the ability to stimulate cognitive development. Thinking skills need to be developed from the initial stage of a child’s career at school. These include, but not limited to, skills for developing, interpreting, differentiating, testing, memorizing, organizing, managing time, and solving problems. Special education teachers also need to direct these students on how to solve problems and focus on essential concepts (Smith, 2003). In orde r to develop and maintain short and long-term memory, information should be made memorable through repetition or association. The entry behavior of students also influences their capacity to have a focused attention, memorize, and retrieve information. Long-term memory results from intensive and varied information processing in the working memory during the initial stages. However, the learning-disabled students possess inefficient memory since they have difficulty stimulating information from the memory and associating it with new knowledge. Hence, more information could be learnt when a student possesses more knowledge Smith, 2003). An efficient, long-term memory of information should integrate verbal rehearsal and visualization as learning strategies for enhancing memory. Moreover, naming and grouping of information may also be used especially for younger students to enable them verbalize and memorize concepts. These strategies would mature during the middle and high school years . Conversely, it would be worth noting that the identification of visual-perceptual delays in preschool children remains a difficult process since the basic perceptual skills of space and form develop at early stages of growth and development in life (Smith, 2003). How visual-perceptual, motor and language relate to information processing developmen

Food security Essay Example for Free

Food security Essay All efforts to bridge the gap between government estimates and the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council over the Food Security Act are coming up against a central concern posed by the Congress chief: How can the selection criteria ensure the poor and deserving dont get left out? NAC members who interact with the government point out that Sonia repeatedly underlines her personal experience over the years during visits to deprived areas where she has found that the poor are simply not counted in any state survey and are denied any benefits. The Congress chiefs poser that the inability of the poor, particularly tribals and dalits, to access below poverty line cards needed to tap official welfare schemes will defeat the very objective of a law providing 35 kg food grain a month to the widest set of recipients is proving tough to answer. Here, even automatic inclusion parameters may not mean the severely disadvantaged groups will be assured a minimum level of food security, said sources familiar with the Congress supremos thinking. Sonia is keen the proposed law be effective in addressing needs of those who live on the brink and need state support and her conviction that exclusion criteria are applied in a bureaucratic manner and end up leaving the needy out in the cold tilts the scale towards universal eligibility which the government continues to baulk at. Several permutations have been considered including limiting universal public distribution system to districts with chronic poverty or looking for the right urban-rural ratios. But while some campaigners argue that governments fears of having to maintain large stocks are misplaced as universal PDS will be accessed only by those who need it, the government is not quite convinced. The government feels that legal provisions stating population percentages to be catered for will mean it has to provide for adequate food grain for all intended beneficiaries. A law is mandatory and the optimum values have to be factored in. The tussle over selection of beneficiaries has seen populist politics pushing for dilution of criteria like pucca houses or income levels. But the Congress presidents core concern that expanding the net still does not necessarily mean that obvious beneficiaries are being catered for being tossed up and down the table in both formal and informal consultations. Food security act pledge in Prezs address A national food security act to guarantee 25 kg of rice or wheat a month to BPL families, consolidation of rural employment and Bharat Nirman, a focus on terrorism and Indias neighbourhood, initiatives for urban employment and a promise to battle recessionary trends are likely to be part of Presidents address to Parliament. The first meeting of the Union Cabinet after the conclusion of government-formation, scheduled for Saturday morning, may consider President Pratibha Patils speech to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament. The speech, to be delivered on June 4, has been extensively worked on by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Presidents address is expected to highlight areas outlined by the PM like infrastructure and security. High on the governments agenda are plans for a National Counter Terrorism Centre, modernisation of police forces through training and technology and diversified recruitment. It will also speak of pushing programmes like highways that have languished. Some legislations like the Unorganised workers social security bill and Right to Education Bill, National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, expansion of the Rashtriya Swathya Bima Yojana and the National Child Labour Project, integrated development of minority concentration districts and approval of a National Tribal Policy are initiatives the government would like to speeden up. With economy and job losses very much a concern, the address will look to stress development of social and physical infrastructure along with specific plans like an urban employment safety net. The government will work on a comprehensive overhaul of public healthcare, restructuring Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), strengthening implementation of 11th and 12th plan power projects and attention on employment-generating small sector enterprises. The government is planning major efforts to decrease infant and mother mortality rates, bring about accountability in Primary Health Centres, initiate a household survey of the National Rural Healthcare Mission, besides approving rigorous oversight in ensuring dispensation of medicines before expiry dates. In the education sector, the main focus is likely to be on quality education by restructuring SSA, seen as a success story, and on guaranteeing education for all. The government is expected to  restructure SSA into a Mission for Quality Elementary Education to deal effectively with teacher absenteeism and drop out rates. The government has set up a target of adding 78,577 Mw of power generation capacity in the current 11th five year plan which has been raised to 1 lakh MW during the 12th five year plan. A major thrust on the micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector hit badly by the global economic slowdown to protect workers and artisans can be expected. Government may insist on use of handlooms and handicrafts in decor for government offices as well as for venues for the forthcoming At the start of UPAs first term in office, the Presidents address had reflected the commitments made in the common minimum programme and this time around, Congresss manifesto is expected to be foundation of the speech. A nation-wide skill development programme and scholarship schemes for needy students and those from the minority communities are on the governments check list. The electoral success in attracting minority votes could see the President refer to Congresss poll promise of taking its minority reservation models in states like Andhra Pradesh, to the national level. The government feels that it has been the recipient of a rural feel-good with the agrarian economy benefitting from higher MPS, NREGA and the loan waiver. With an eye to consolidating its image as pro-farmer, the government is expected to work towards providing interest relief to all farmers who repay bank loans on schedule. The loan waiver has reached 3.68 crore families. In the power sector, operationalisation of the National Electricity Fund, infrastructure implementation in the north-east, faster implementation of flagship programmes and monitoring through third parties and capacity building are on the table. Sanghatana says Food Security Act will ruin farmers The Shetkari Sanghatana has come out strongly against the proposed Food Security Act of the UPA government terming it as anti-farmer and a measure that would fuel inflation, derail countrys economy and produce an army of lazy people who get food almost for free without need to work. The proposed law is aimed at only garnering votes in 2014 elections by the ruling parties at the Centre. Providing subsidized food to 67% of countrys population or 81 crore people would cost the country Rs1,25,000 crore. It would have far-reaching implications on productivity and economy of the country and destroy dignity of labour, said Ram Neole, spokesman of the Sanghatana. Providing cheap foodgrains to the disabled, needy people can be seen as a noble gesture of a caring government in a welfare state. But the Food Security ordinance brought in a haste without waiting for a parliamentary clearance to cover an overwhelming majority of population is a cheap political gimmick, said Neole. His Shetkari Sanghatana led by Sharad Joshi favoured free market economy with farmers getting adequate rates for their produce. The Food Act would mean that farmers producing paddy, wheat and coarse grains like jowar would never get the right price as the government that controls pricing and procurement would never allow a hike so as to contain the cost of the scheme, explained Neole. Under the new law those demanding the foodgrains would be given rice for Rs3, wheat for Rs2 and jowar for Rs1 a kg. Of course, when faced with huge budgetary deficit that is bound to happen, the government would increase taxes on traders and salaried classes and businessmen and professionals burdening them further, Neole apprehended. All this will lead to loss of income for farmers, more taxes and non-availability of labour force for productive work at farms and factories, he feared. Contradicting this viewpoint, Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti president Kishore Tiwari has jumped in support of the law. In a statement here, he said: Only those ignorant of hunger and deprivation that kills lakhs of people in villages every year would oppose the law. Such political parties and people would be taught a lesson in 2014 elections for opposing a pro-poor policy, said Tiwari. The poor have a right to food and the proposed law is the first step to acknowledge it, he added. Food subsidy bill may touch Rs 75K cr on back of Food Security Act The proposed Food Security Act may not put additional burden on the government in the current fiscal year as the government can find the resources to fund the plan from the spending outlined for 2011-12, finance ministry officials said. However, the food subsidy bill could soar to as much as Rs 75,000 crore from the estimated Rs 60,572.98 crore for the 2011-12 fiscal year. Finance ministry officials said the government will provide the money for funding this exercise. The ministry has already asked various departments to  tighten their belts and not to undertake any new spending commitments as it sticks to its plan of meeting the fiscal deficit target of 4.6% of gross domestic product. The government is keen to stick to its deficit target as it has embarked on a drive to mend public finances. Earlier, the government had said it was ready to provide for any additional fuel subsidy as result of the spike in global crude oil prices and is confident of finding the resources from within the budget for the 2011-12 financial year. The government has an ambitious share sale programme in state run companies and plans to raise Rs 40,000 crore. Despite volatile stock market and global economic conditions, finance ministry officials are confident of achieving the target. It is also banking on other non-tax revenues to help it keep within it spending limits despite pressure points on the subsidy front. Sources said the ministry of food and consumer affairs was staring at a requirement of over 70 million tonnes of foodgrain to support the food security act. Given the trends in procurement and the need to maintain buffer stocks, it could pose a problem for the government and force it to import from the international market. Any plans to impose large quantities of grains could push up prices in the global market and widen the governments subsidy burden. Some analysts say the food subsidy could touch Rs 1 lakh crore in two years. It remains to be seen how the government balances the demand for the food security act against the backdrop of a tight fiscal situation. Analysts say importing costly food to run the Food Security Act could blow a hole in public finances and reverse the trend in fiscal consolidation. Congress hopes to get food bill passed Conscious that the window to secure passage of the food security bill is narrowing as the scheduled end of the monsoon session of parliament nears, the Congress on Sunday expressed the hope that the landmark measure will get approved during the coming week. We hope the food bill will be passed in parliament on Monday or Tuesday, Congress spokesperson PC Chacko told IANS. The ongoing monsoon session of parliament is scheduled to end on August 30. Though the lower house functioned on Saturday, in lieu of a holiday last week, the food bill was not listed as opposition parties wanted it to be  debated on Monday. The food bill will be taken up on Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath had told reporters on Friday. If it gets passed in the lower house on Monday, the bill can be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Politics scuttled Congress managers plans to get it passed for the entire week Aug 19-24 as the opposition did not let the house run over the issues of missing coal-block allocation files, statehood for Telangana and high prices of food items. The managers hope that Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs statement in the Rajya Sabha on Monday would end the controversy over missing coal-block files. The speakers suspension on Friday of 12 anti-Telangana members, who had been disrupting the lower house, has sought to address the issue of endorsement for a new state. The Lok Sabha functioned Saturday for the first time since the session began Aug 5 and passed three bills Governors (Emoluments, Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Bill, 2012, The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2012 and Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2012.