Annual Conference of the State Minorities Commissions






The Annual Conference of the State Minorities Commissions is scheduled to be held here on 13th and 14th of March 2012 at Vigyan Bhavan. In a departure from earlier such annual meets, this year the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has detailed a one and a half day programme including a seminar on the issue of ‘Police and Minorities’. The topic was chosen as a large portion of the complaints that come to the National Commission for Minorities relate to the handling of cases concerning Minorities by the police. The complaints range from the impression that police do not care for sensitivities of minority communities, and on occasions to bias. Accordingly, the Commission felt that the police needs to be further sensitized in dealing with the Minorities, hence the Annual Conference of the State Minorities Commissions will discuss the issue in detail. State Minorities Commissions would first speak about the conditions prevailing on the ground; some NGOs working for Minority Welfare would also be speaking on the subject, as also Human Rights activists. Senior Police Officers, including those actively engaged in the training of Police Officers, would then respond. Suggestions in regard to improvement in these matters would be taken note of and the NCM would then further move in the matter.



The inaugural address and the valedictory address to be delivered by such experienced dignitaries like Shri M.K. Narayanan and Shri Julio Rebeiro, experienced Police officers in their own right, will prove very useful in understanding the real problem being faced by the Minorities.

Nifty gains twenty two percent in 55 days

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Nifty gains twenty two percent in 55 days

There are many definitions of a bull market. Some of the more commonly used are:

1. A bull market exists when the close is above its 200 day simple moving average.

2. A bull market is confirmed when prices move up 20 percent higher than the lowest low of the bear market.

3. The Dow Theory says that a bull market signal is received when prices go above rhe high of the previous intermediate top.

For the Nifty, all three of the rules have been fulfilled. The Index is trading well above its 200 day moving average. Prices are more than 20% higher than the lowest low recorded at 4530, and, we have seen a pattern of higher intermediate levels when the Nifty crossed above 5400.

Then, we are in a bull market. Our bullish stance however started when the Nifty crossed 4630 and has continued ever since. We did not wait for a thousand point rally to go long. One reason is that our view is based on momentum - since momentum continued to be favorable to the bulls, we remained bullish.

There will come a time when momentum will slacken, then it may actually turn negative. What will be our stance then? We will assume we continue in a bull market, unless proved otherwise. Any counter trend moves will be just that - against the trend.

President honours grassroots innovators

by Smriti Kak Ramachandran
source:HINDU

   

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— Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

President Pratibha Patil interacting with Yengkhom Mangi Singh of Manipur, innovator of Kakching Mat-Making Machine, during inauguration of Exhibition of Innovations at President House Complex in New Delhi on Friday.

15 national awards and one lifetime achievement award presented

A young boy with a desire to help his mother, a septuagenarian farmer whose endeavours led to a crop with a better yield, an individual with a quest to provide all luxurious things to people who can't afford electronic goods; were among the innovators who were awarded by President Pratibha Patil at the 6th National Grassroots Innovations Awards on Friday.

The President also inaugurated the ‘Exhibition of Innovations' at the President's Estate. The award function was organised by the National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF) and the awards presented to grassroots innovators and outstanding traditional knowledge holders.

“The award winning innovators were identified for recognition by NIF during its 6th National Biennial Competition, which ran from January 1, 2007, to January 31, 2009, and saw over 36,000 submissions. The President gave away 15 national awards and one lifetime achievement award. The awards have been given in seven categories; lifetime achievement, national, State, consolation, diffusion, idea, appreciation, and special student awards,” said an official of the President's Secretariat.

On display are innovations such as utensils and appliances made from special clay that offer the services of an electrical appliance without using energy.

Designed by Prajapati Mansukhlal Raghavjibhai of Gujarat and sold under the brand name of “Mitticool” the range of products include a simple water filter to a mini refrigerator, all of which are made out of clay.

Also at the exhibition is a rice grain cleaning machine that has been designed by Sajid Ansari from Jharkhand, the desktop machine automatically cleans rice. Sajid's design was inspired by his wish to help his mother who spent a long time cleaning rice.

With a desire to help the differently-abled and the ailing, Archana Konwar from Assam has designed a pair of crutches with shock absorbers, bell and a light. Also to assist those using walkers, Shalin Kumar from Bihar has designed a modified walker with adjustable legs that makes climbing stairs easier.

TT Thomas, a 71-year-old farmer from Kerala, has developed a quality of high yielding pepper, while Jahangir Ahmed from Jammu and Kashmir has designed an electrical painting brush.

Wipro InfoTech conducts recruitment drive at CCCT

Source: Sikkim Now
GANGTOK, 06 Mar: A campus placement drive was held at Centre for Computers and Communication Technology (CCCT), Chisopani by Wipro InfoTech, wherein a total of 44 students from five Institutes participated, informs a press release. Wipro InfoTech is a leading strategic IT partner for companies across India, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific offering integrated IT solutions.
The participating Institutes were: CCCT (Chisopani), ATTC (Bardang), RD TATA (Jamshedpur),Siliguri Govt.Polytechnic, Darjeeling Govt.Polytechnic.
The placement process had three rounds of selection wherein the first round consisted of a written test based on aptitude and reasoning. 17 students were shortlisted after the first round to appear for the technical interview conducted by the experts from Wipro InfoTech, the release informs.
The final selection criterion was the HR interview conducted by Anima Susan Jacob ( Manager Talent Acquisition – BSD) Wipro. A total of 9 students were finally placed at WIPRO wherein 5 of them, Sital Dahal, Akash Pradhan, Geetanjali Pradhan, Keshav Kr. Jha and Sriraj Pradhan and are currently studying in their final year at CCCT, the release mentions.
The selected candidates will undergo on-the-job training within Wipro five days a week. They will simultaneously be provided an opportunity to pursue Master of Science (M.S) in Systems Engineering course of five years duration from the prestigious BITS, Pilani College. Wipro will be funding the entire admission/ semester course fee of the five years of MS education and the students will be eligible for a monthly stipend as well. The selected students will be joining the company as well as the BITS, Pilani College this July, the release adds.
According to the release, the package includes a starting salary of Rs. 1.11 lakh going onto Rs. 3 lakh per annum. Besides this, the students will also be eligible for a Group Medical Insurance of Rs. 12 lakh, Life Insurance benefit of Rs. 14 lakh and Medical Reimbursement of Rs. 15,000 per annum.
“It was a major initiative of the Institute to organize a placement drive on such a large scale,” said Training and Placement Officer, CCCT, Deepak Rasaily. “Though we have had other MNC’s in the past like Apollo Tyres, Samsung India, HCL etc. who’ve been frequently recruiting our students, this placement drive was completely different because our students had to compete at a national level to get through,” added the TPO.
CCCT, though situated in a remote part of a small hilly state of Sikkim, has been a forerunner in placing students in various hallmark institutes around India and yet it is another proud moment for the Institute to have been recognized as one of the premium polytechnics in India by a major corporation of WIPRO, the release further adds.

Akhilesh Yadav – the SP’s modern face

PTI

Akhilesh Yadav, who scripted the Samajwadi Party’s spectacular victory in the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, is seen as its modern face who gave it an image makeover.

Samajwadi Party led by Mulayam Singh Yadav was always seen as a party of the old mindset in a state whose politics is dominated by caste and religious issues.

With his father said to be not in the best of health, Mr. Akhilesh, 38, took on the role of the party’s chief campaigner and gave it a new dynamism talking of development and eschewing personal attacks against rivals.

One of the important accomplishments of his was that he played a leading role in shedding SP’s image of being anti-English and anti-computers and also in denying tickets to candidates with criminal antecedents.

Born on July 1, 1973, Mr. Akhilesh studied at the Military School in Dholpur, Rajasthan, and then acquired a degree in civil environment engineering from the Mysore University.

Mr. Akhilesh finished Masters in environmental engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia, in 1998 and was contemplating taking up water pollution projects when his father and three times Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav drafted him into politics. He cut his teeth early in politics.

Dr Pawan Chamling in HOLI mood at Gangtok with old settlers

CM Sikkim Dr Pawan Chamling in a singing mood on Holi at Gangtok

Holi !!!!

Holi Hai

HOLI AT GANGTOK

Happy Holi

Life & Style » Food

Environment, March 4, 2012

Cuisine from the arid earth

by Neena Bhandari

 source: The Hindu 

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WHOLESOME MEAL: Shobha Panwar of Guda Bishnoiyan village serves 'bajre ki roti’ along with a potato and peas to her family. PHOTO: Neena Bhandari/ WFS

Rajasthani delicacies like Sangari, Kair and Kumatiya, now considered gourmet delights, have provided nutrition for generations in the harsh desert clime

Traditional western Rajasthani delicacies are fast becoming a gourmet's delight in India and abroad. In fact, no Marwari feast is complete without the ‘exotic' Sangari, cooked as a dry subzi or with gravy. Of course, Sangari, the fruit of the versatile Khejari (Prosopis cineraria) tree, indigenous to the vast Thar Desert, has provided nutrition and nourishment to the local communities over generations.

As the sun rises on the eastern skyline, Chunni Bishnoi, 65, begins milking her three buffaloes and three cows in the outer courtyard of her ‘pucca' house, shaded by the thorny Khejari trees that grow thick and green in the villages of Guda Bishnoiyan and Khejarli, 22 kilometres and 26 kilometres, southeast of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Guda Bishnoiyan, spread over 36578.4 bighas, has a population of 8,434, while the cattle here number around 6,000.

Interestingly, the Khejari is held sacred by the Bishnois. An extremely drought resistant tree, its long needle-like nutritive fruit, Sangari, is a staple in Chunni's home, as in every other home here. Moreover, she uses its branches as fuel, the leaves are dried and used as fodder for the cattle, the thorny twigs are used to build fences, and the wood is used to make furniture.

The women of Guda Bishnoiyan and Khejarli have mastered the optimum use of indigenous fruits and other vegetation, which have been traditional sources of survival for generations in this hot and dry land, especially during drought. Sangari is the star in kitchens here. It can be dried and stored for an unlimited period and cooked whenever required.

There's also Kair (Capparis decidua), an ideal source of nutrition, rich in minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, as well as protein and carbohydrates. It is cooked as a fresh vegetable or preserved and stored for use around the year. In fact, Kair has also made it to five-star hotel menus and its pickle is exported all over the world. Kumatiya (Acacia senegal) is another small circular, flat, black-brown fruit, which is a rich source of fibre and is commonly prepared with Sangari and Kair.

Once cooked, these vegetables can be eaten over days and don't need refrigeration. Shobha Panwar, 18, knows this well. Compelled to quit school after Class 10, as both her parents work on construction sites, she cooks meals for her family on a wood-fired stove. Unlike the rich folk in her village, their family has only one goat, which yields just enough milk to suffice for tea. They mostly eat ‘bajre ki roti' (millet flatbread) in winters and ‘gehun ki roti' (wheat flatbread) during summers with the indigenous Sangari, ‘Kachra mirchi' (local cucumber cooked with green chillies) or ‘Kande ki sabzi' (onion vegetable).

In fact, ‘bajre ki roti', milk, ghee, yogurt and buttermilk (chhach) is the staple diet in these villages, where agriculture and animal husbandry are the chief sources of livelihood. Dr Neelam Wason, professor of food and nutrition at the Jai Narain Vyas University in Jodhpur, explains, “The preparation of traditional vegetarian Rajasthani food among the rich and poor in these two villages is almost the same. The difference lies in the consumption of other expensive items like fruit, which the rich bring home while returning from the city. Ghee, milk and milk products form an important part of rich people's regular diet, but the poor can only afford buttermilk.”

Traditional western Rajasthani cuisine has evolved over centuries to suit the harsh climatic conditions of the region. It is sourced locally, is nutritious and has a long shelf life. Samdhu Bishnoi, 60, who lives in Chhota Guda village and has five cows and five buffaloes, lists their common foods: “Til ke laddoo (Gingelly bound into small balls with ghee and jaggery) and Rabori (Bajra cooked with buttermilk and sun-dried) can last for an entire season. Panchkuta, which includes Sangari, Kair, Kumatiya, red chillies and Goonda (Cordia mixa), can also last for weeks. Since we have plenty of milk and ghee, we make kheer (milk cooked with rice or ‘saboodana'), and ‘aata' and ‘sooji ka halwa' (sweet made with wheat flour or semolina).”

Shedding light on the nutritive value of these local preparations, Dr Wason, who has been working in Jodhpur for the past 30 years, says, “Cereals – wheat, pearl millet (Bajra), sorghum (Jowar), and pulses – whole and split Bengal gram (chana), green gram (moong), moth beans (moth) – are rich sources of protein and energy in their diet. Gingelly seeds and methi dana (fenugreek seeds) provide protein, energy and iron. Jaggery is a good source of iron for rural folk, while the local and seasonal vegetables provide vitamins and fibres. Kachra (Cucumis callosus), radish and green chillies, eaten raw, are a source of Vitamin C.” Therefore, it's important to understand that despite poverty, access to good nutrition is possible if people make the right choices and vice-versa there are low cost but nutritious options available to ensure adequate nutrition. Local cooking and feeding practices also have an important role to play in the same.

To prepare food, most Bishnoi homes use fuelwood (Prosopis juliflora) or dried cattle dung cakes, barring the rich, who have gas stoves. Asha Shravan, 25, of Khejarli village, who has three children studying in a private school, is one of the fortunate ones to own a gas stove. But Baby Kumari, 38, mother of six, walks three hours daily to fetch fuelwood. Her husband works in a grocery store and they can't afford milk sold at Rs 30 a kilo. Even wheat is too expensive for them.

For centuries, the Bishnoi community has warded off starvation by scrupulously preserving the patches of green cover around their settlements. During the mid-15th century, this region had experienced an eight-year-long drought during which many people and cattle perished.

A young man of Pipasar village, Jambaji, then realised that in the past his clan had survived drought because of the abundance of trees in the area. But deforestation had destroyed this support system.

Jambaji distilled his thoughts into 29 principles, which he taught to his people: Cut no living tree and kill no animal; grow indigenous trees like the Khejari. Their faith was famously put to the test when Maharaja Abhay Singh of Jodhpur decided to build a new palace in 1730. The masons needed lime for the construction. There was limestone available but it had to be baked. So they decided to cut down Khejari trees for fuel but the Bishnois strongly objected.

Anxious to protect the trees, a local woman, Amrita Devi, and her three daughters ran out and hugged the trees. The Maharaja's soldiers hacked them down. Other Bishnois came forward and they too were killed. As many as 363 people from 84 villages died resisting the onslaught. The people's revolt forced the Maharaja to give in. The repentant king then conferred on the valiant clan the right to prevent felling of trees and killing of wildlife in their area.

The Bishnois formed a jury to oversee issues related to deforestation and hunting. The penalty was mostly paid in grain for the birds or fodder for the cattle and hunters were not allowed to take away the kill, which was buried with full rites. Of course, this was when hunting was still a sport and a royal pastime. But even today, Bishnois uphold their 500-year-old tradition of conservation in Rajasthan, tending groves of tall trees around their villages and protecting animals. Incidentally, the Guda Lake near these villages attracts hundreds of migratory birds every year.

The environment-friendly Bishnoi community can certainly teach the world a thing or two about sustainable living, conservation, and most importantly, how to extract a nutritious meal from arid environs and sandy soils.

PHOTOS: Neena Bhandari/ WFS

A scene of rarity. A sparrow spotted at a house in Hyderabad. Photo: G. Ramakrishna

CERC clears nine transmission corridors worth Rs 58,061 cr

Mumbai: The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has approved the state-run PowerGrid Corporation’s plan to set up nine High Capacity Power Transmission Corridors (HCPTC) costing Rs 58,061 crore. These transmission systems will evacuate power from various projects planned by independent power producers (IPPs). The transmission corridors will evacuate power from IPPs in Orissa (to cost Rs 8,752 crore), Jharkhand (Rs 5,709 crore), Sikkim (Rs 1,304 crore), Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (Rs 1,243 crore), Chhattisgarh (Rs 28,824 crore), Krishnapatnam area in Andhra Pradesh (Rs 2,065 crore), Srikakulam area in Andhra Pradesh (Rs 2,986 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 2,357 crore) and southern region (Rs 4,821 crore). CERC, in its order, observed that development of the corridors was considered necessary for evacuation of power from the projects envisaged during the 11th Plan. The power shortage in the country in 2009-10, according to a Central Electricity Authority report, is 10.1 per cent in energy terms and 12.7 per cent in peak demand terms. “The Commission, based on the report furnished by PowerGrid Corporation, which is a central transmission utility (CTU) on physical progress of Generating Units of IPPs, is satisfied that these High Capacity Transmission corridors are required for evacuation of the power from these IPPs and any delay in implementation of these transmission schemes may result in bottling up of the power,” the power regulator said. The power projects are located either in the coal belt, or in coastal areas (which would use imported coal) or in the hydro power potential areas of the North-East. “Power from these projects has to be brought to the load centres in the northern and western regions, which requires development of transmission systems,” the power regulator added. CERC has directed PowerGrid Corporation to ensure that the proposed transmission projects for which regulatory approval has been granted are executed within the time frames matching the commissioning schedules of the IPPs so that the beneficiaries are not burdened with higher interest during construction

South Asia, China, India and Silk Route

Adapted from Xinhua

Almost seven centuries after the historic southern Silk Route fell into disuse, China and South Asian countries hope to revive the ancient route into a robust economic corridor for trade and investment.

There was a time when the Chinese and South Asian traders crossed the Himalayas to exchange commodities such as silk, tea, ironware, jewelry and horses along the southern Silk Road from southwest China’s Yunnan to Myanmar, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The route used to be an important link for trade and cultural exchanges between China and South Asia. Unfortunately, it faded into history with the colonisation of theses countries by western powers and increasing use of maritime trade 15th century onwards.

Achieving the potential

However with the Asian juggernaut back to take its rightful place and with increasing trade and ties in the region, the ancient trade route is gradually regaining at least some of its former prominence.

There has been a realisation after all the internal and mutual conflicts inside and among these countries about the commonality of their development goals and complementary economies. China has been really successful in cashing on the opportunity. Trade between China and South Asian countries has grown robustly in recent years. Trade volume between both sides jumped to more than 80 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, up from 26 billion U.S. dollars in 2005. And there is still an overwhelming agreement that the it is far behind the region’s potential.

Yunnan Forum

This Sunday, 500 officials and business leaders from China and eight South Asian countries gathered at the 6th China-South Asia Business Forum in the city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, to discuss the promotion of trade and investment in the region. The cooperative memorandum after the forum urged all involved parties to create trade and investment policies that will encourage economic globalization and regional cooperation. It also called for efforts to remove trade and investment barriers.

To help the economic corridor initiative, Yunnan announced the creation of a “bridgehead strategy” in 2009, aiming to build the province into an economic gateway for South Asia and Southeast Asia. China plans to accelerate the construction of infrastructure and logistical networks between the province and Southeast Asia, South Asia and coastal regions along the Indian Ocean.

Increasing Connectivity

New roads, railways and flight paths are already crisscrossing the region facilitating trade and investment. Yunnan has 12 civil airports with 31 international flights to 19 countries. Road networks in the region are rapidly expanding as well. Reconstruction is under way for a 312-km stretch of the Stilwell Road, which connects northeast India with Yunnan through northern Myanmar.

The reopening of the historic road, a former World War II supply route, could cut costs for transportation between India and China by 30 percent and provide a boost to Sino-Indian overland trade.

Progress is being made on the construction of a trans-Asian railway network, which will cover 114,000 km and pass through 28 countries after being completed. Construction for a 530-km section of railway that will connect Yunnan with Laos is currently under way.

Despite these efforts, infrastructure problems are still a major obstacle for the creation of a new economic corridor.

A lack of cross-border roads forces most Chinese exporters to send commodities to India and other south Asian countries via the Strait of Malacca, which adds 5,000 km of distance for Chinese exporters.

Chinese Trade Surplus

South Asian countries including India have expressed concern about China’s massive trade surplus. India is particularly worried about its expanding trade deficit with China.

China has attached great importance to trade imbalance issues and has assured to take all possible measures to improve the situation.

The Rediff Special/Brahma Chellaney Forty years after China humbled India in a two-front Himalayan war masterminded by strongman Mao Zedong, the lessons of that crushing defeat still reverberate in New Delhi. The war was Mao's attempt to demolish India as an alternative democratic model and geopolitical rival to communist China by heaping humiliation on it when it was militarily incapable and least expected to be attacked. That aggression changed the fortunes of the two Asian giants. India, respected then as a model pluralistic state in the developing world, never fully recovered from that invasion and is still searching for a role in international affairs commensurate with its size. India has not yet realised that to be recognised as an important international power, it has to start behaving and acting like one. So far, it has displayed the pretence of being a great power without having the stomach and spine to be one. In contrast, China, a backward state wracked by economic calamities in 1962, has gone on to successfully assert itself as a major global power through a display of indomitable spirit and political single-mindedness. It has found a cost-effective way to take on India through proxy threats mounted via Pakistan and, to a much lesser extent, Myanmar. Quite the opposite of the international view before the 1962 debacle, few recognise India today as a strategic peer to China. While India remains prone to seduction by praise, China practises realistic, goal-oriented statecraft. Even a bigger difference is that while India desires to be loved and seeks external affirmation of its policies, China insists on no less than respect. India has distinguished itself by reposing faith in adversaries and then crying foul when they deceive it. One such betrayal, Mao's India war, finished Jawaharlal Nehru, who had believed that a nation could get peace if it genuinely desired peace. In the style recommended by ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tsu, who authored the treatise The Art of War, Mao chose an exquisite time for taking on India. The attack, spread over two separate rounds, coincided with a major international crisis that brought the United States and the Soviet Union within a whisper of nuclear war over the stealthy deployment of Soviet medium-range ballistic missiles in Cuba. The timing had been made even more favourable by two other developments --- an American promise in July 1962 to hold Taiwan from initiating hostilities across the straits, enabling China to single-mindedly mobilize forces against India, and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's subtle yet discernible tilt towards Beijing on the Sino-Indian border issue in an apparent effort to buy Chinese support in the looming Soviet confrontation with the United States. Besides, extended border negotiations with India had been employed by Mao not only to feign reasonableness but, more importantly, to buy time to improve Chinese military logistics along the mighty Himalayas and to await the right opportunity to strike. The first wave of Chinese military assaults on Indian positions in the western and eastern sectors began on October 20, five days after the CIA formally determined the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba through reconnaissance photographs. A day before the start of the attacks, Radio Moscow was citing US naval manoeuvres in the Caribbean as preparations for an invasion of Cuba. And the day the Chinese forces came pouring across the Himalayas, a US naval quarantine of Cuba was in effect. By the time the Chinese halted their weeklong incursions, the world was on the edge of a nuclear Armageddon due to the Cuban missile crisis. Not content with the easy battlefield victories against the outnumbered and outgunned Indian forces, Mao launched a second wave of military assaults on India three weeks later before the abating Cuban missile crisis had wound up. The threat of a nuclear holocaust had eased after Khrushchev gave in on October 28 and agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba. But Cuban strongman Fidel Castro was still refusing UN on-site inspections and the withdrawal of Soviet Il-28 bombers. On November 21, coinciding with Washington's formal termination of Cuba's quarantine after Castro fell in line, Beijing announced a unilateral ceasefire and its intent to withdraw from India's Northeast while keeping the military gains in Ladakh. The aims of Mao's India war were mainly political. The military objectives had largely been achieved in the earlier years through furtive Chinese encroachments on Indian territories after China's 1950 occupation of Tibet --- a historical buffer --- brought Chinese forces to India's frontiers for the first time in history. By quietly seizing Indian territory on the basis of Tibet's putative historical links, China had built a land corridor to close ally Pakistan. Mao had been determined to cut India to size and undermine what it represented --- a pluralistic, democratic model for the developing world that seemingly threatened China's totalitarian political system. His premier, Zhou Enlai, readily admitted that the war was intended "to teach India a lesson". In one stroke, Mao also wrecked the international stature of Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru, the key architect of the Non-Aligned Movement. Defeat transformed Nehru from a statesman into a beaten, exhausted politician, hastening his death. The swiftness and brute power with which Mao managed to teach India a lesson not only boosted China's image, but also helped him to politically consolidate at home at a time when famines and other economic problems following his disastrous 'Great Leap Forward' had created grassroots turmoil. Success, after all, has a thousand fathers, while defeat leaves an orphan. In Sun Tsu style, Mao painted his actions as defensive and India as the provoker with its 'forward policy'. When the People's Liberation Army marched hundreds of miles south to annex Tibet and nibble at Indian areas, it was supposedly not expansionist or forward policy. But when the Indian Army belatedly sought to set up posts along its unmanned frontier to try and stop further Chinese land grabs, this was christened 'forward policy' and dubbed provocative! Mao needed no Indian provocation. He was provoked by his own logic to defeat the alternative model that India represented and the ideas and principles that Nehru symbolized. Four decades later, India has not forgotten the central lesson it was taught by Mao. India's rise as a military power with independent nuclear and missile capabilities is the consequence of a lesson learned. And more than before, India's stable democratic model poses a challenge to a China traversing the contradictory paths of market capitalism and political autocracy. But the scars of that war still remain. India has yet to recover from its 'battered victim' syndrome, especially in policy towards China. At the root of the feckless China policy is India's failure to build and exploit leverage. Since the re-establishment of full diplomatic relations following Mao's death, New Delhi has been the initiator of all the peace moves with China, even as Beijing continues to contain India without incurring any penal costs. Many Indians continue to look at India's options in crude, one-dimensional terms: Either national policy still propitiates China, or it risks open confrontation with a rising world power. Caution with prudence is understandable. But what Indian policy-makers still display is over-caution bordering on fear. Therein lies the enduring success of Mao's India war. Brahma Chellaney, a strategic affairs expert and professor at the privately funded Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, is a regular contributor to India Abroad/rediff.com

Working for God on earth may not pay much,

But His Retirement plan is

Out of this world!!!

Easy Steps to a Healthy Financial Life

By pfnadmin | PersonalFN – Wed 29 Feb, 2012 10:37 AM IST

• 
  

Did you know that in 5 simple steps you can gain not only full awareness but also complete control over your financial life?

Let's see what these steps are:

1. Know Where You Stand

Unless you know what your current financial situation is, it might be difficult for you to know what you want to work towards achieving. Often people are unaware of what assets they own.

For example, a recent experience with a 33 year old client went something like this:

Client: "I have no assets as such, so my financial plan should be only based on building up assets to achieve my goals. Luckily I also have no liabilities so we can have a clean start on my plan"

Planner: "OK, let's go through this step by step and we'll see what exactly your current net worth is. Do you currently have a PPF account?"

Client: "Yes... I should have about Rs. 15 lakhs in it so far, but this was started for me by my parents when I was a minor."

Planner: "If the account is in your name, it becomes your asset. What you use this money for is then up to you and your family to decide. How long have you been working?"

Client: "Exactly 10 years now."

Planner: "You will have built up a significant EPF corpus as well in that case. Have you been contributing the minimum Rs. 780 per month or have you been contributing 12% of your Basic?"

Client: "I originally contributed 12% of my Basic, but I switched jobs about years ago and went to Rs. 780 per month thereafter..."

Planner: "So you have PPF and EPF. You must have been making tax saving investments into mutual funds as well?"

Client: "Yes every year I invest about Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 in some tax mutual fund scheme..."

...and so the conversation continued. By the end of it, the client was surprised at how much he was actually worth, with just haphazard absent-minded investing. He was also surprised to note that the credit card outstanding balance counted as a liability and had been previously unaware of the very high interest (almost 18% p.a.) charged on the outstanding balance.

Only when a client knows where he stands, can he understand how to proceed.

2. Know Your Cash Flows

This is an interesting exercise.
Take a pen and paper and on one side list all your incomes i.e. salary, business, rental income, etc. A lot of individuals have one primary income stream i.e. salary.
Now on the other side list your expenses, clubbed into broad categories.
Some of these will be guesstimates.
For example various expense categories can include rent, groceries, household maintenance, travel, fuel, utilities i.e. electricity, gas, cable, cellphone, and discretionary expenses such as eating out, shopping, entertainment etc. You can even factor in annual travelling expenses, divided by 12 to take them on a proportionate monthly basis.

From your income and expenses you will arrive at your monthly savings figure each month. Wherever possible, see if you can cut down on your expenses and channelize this extra saved amount towards your contingency fund (at least 6 to 24 months expenses) or your goal based investments.

3. Know Your Bank Balances

Often we have multiple bank accounts. Know what you have in each account, and if possible, assign certain inflows and outflows to specific accounts. This will help be more organized financially. Another way of doing this is to have just one account, and you will automatically manage all your cash flows out of this account.

Some banks offer the option of a flexi deposit. This is basically a fixed deposit (with FD rates of interest) that also offers you the flexibility to withdraw from it anytime you want, even using your debit card. The benefit here is that you earn much more interest than a normal savings account, while enjoying the same flexibility and no lock-in of your money.

4. Know Your Goals

Goals, aspirations, desires - we might have different words for the things we want to achieve, but no matter what we call them, if we don't take concrete steps to achieve them, we might as well call them dreams.

Here is an example list that can help you get a better idea of what your own goals might be:

1. Buy a car worth Rs. 12 lakhs in 5 years
   
   
2. Buy a property as an investment worth Rs. 50 lakhs in 8 years (funded partly by loan)
   
   
3. Take international family holiday to Spain for 1 week in December this year, worth Rs. 4 lakhs.
   
   
4. Send daughter to university at her age 21 for post graduation, worth Rs. 40 lakhs
   
   
5. Fund daughter's wedding for Rs. 15 lakhs, at her age 25
   
   
6. Retire early, by the age of 50, earning Rs. 1 lakh per month from my investments.
   

5. Have a Plan to Achieve Your Goals

Knowing where you stand, taking stock of your cash flows, assets and liabilities, savings and investible surplus is all well and good. But if you don't have a plan to achieve your goals, then you are going to run the risk of haphazard investments and not achieving your goals.

Each goal that you have should have a dedicated investment portfolio, comprising equity and debt investments, depending on the time horizon to your goal.
For example, if a goal is 10 years away, you can have up to 70-75% exposure to equity investments, 10% in debt and 15% in gold by way of an ETF. For a goal that is less than 3 years away, opt for a 100% debt portfolio so that you don't expose your investments to stock market volatility.

Conclusion

Sometimes, the simplest ways to do things have the cleanest and best results. The benefit of conducting these 5 steps include a greater level of awareness, more financial control and a sense of purpose that will greatly increase your chances of achieving your life goals. 

Plea to lift cap on professional tax

The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers has asked the Centre to remove the ceiling on professional tax. The Committee has sought a Constitutional amendment for this.

According to Article 276 of the Constitution, “The total amount payable in respect of any one person to the State or to any one municipality, district board, local board or other local authorities in the State by way of taxes on professionals, trades, calling and employment shall not exceed Rs 2,500 per annum.”

The Committee says that the ceiling on Professional Tax was last fixed in 1998. Even the 13th Finance Commission had clearly mentioned that the maximum limit on professional tax should be raised from the present value. The Committee feels that prescribing a ceiling on Professional Tax in the Constitution is not necessary. 

One tree makes 1 Lakh matchsticks.
But one matchstick can burn 1 Lakh trees.
Similarly one negative thought or doubt can burn thousands of dreams…
Be Positive Always!!!

 

 

“Minds are like parachutes.

They only function when they are open.”

~ Sir James Dewar