Category Archives: General

How Many Persons pay Income Tax? Only 3% ?

08 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

It is reported by NDTV that according to the figures available, it is only about 3% of the total population of more than 100 crores in the country, who pay income tax. In this, about one crore or more are Central/State government and PSU employees whose Income Tax is correctly deducted and paid.

If the report is true, then only another two crores and plus are paying Income Tax? The government is bound to give an explanation to this? Arun Jaitely, Finance Minister will certainly has to answer the question that what the government is doing to collect the Income Tax, from those liable to pay?

20,000 pounds for a bottle of 75 years Whisky!

05 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

It is reported in the press that a bottle of 75 years old whisky has been bought by an Indian for 20,000 pounds ( almost Rs. 10 lakh)! The bottle is half-empty, since during these long years in the oak-casket, it has lost half of the whisky as is usual, the loss being called as the ‘Angel’s Share.’ The whisky is costlier according to its number of years after manufacture. According to the Scots, Whisky is not whisky unless it is at least three years old.

On seeing this news, I remembered my visit to a Whisky company in Scotland. After showing the process of manufacture and supplying small quantity of the same, we were taken to the area where large stockpile of whisky are kept. On the huge oak-casks, the year of its manufacture is noted, some of which goes to 100 years!

Whiskey is one item, which is costlier by the years it passed by.

 

“If Democracy is slaughtered, how can the court remain silent?” SC on dismissal of Arunachal Pradesh Government

05 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The Supreme Court of India, while taking up the submission of some advocates that  the decisions of the governors are not open to judicial review (in connection with the dismissal of the Arunachal Pradesh government), strongly reacted by stating that it can not be a mute spectator when democracy is being slaughtered.

The observation of the apex court is most welcome. Most of the dismissals of  state governments have been based on political consideration of the ruling party at Centre. Such dismissals of electric governments are a threat to the democratic fabric of the Nation.

Budget Session of Parliament starts on 23rd February 2016

05 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The Budget Session of the Parliament will start on 23rd February and will continue up to 16th March 2016. After a recess it will continue again from 25th April to 17th Many. This was announced Parliamentary Affairs Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu. The Railway Budget will be presented on 25th February and General Budget on 29th.

This session is expected to be a stormy one with the various critical issues on the economy, communal tensions, Rohit Venmula issue, Pathankot attack by terrorists, formation of J and K government, dismissal of Arunachal government, National Herald case etc. etc. which may be raised.

Since the elections to the four states Kerala, T.Nadu, W. Bengal and Assam are to take place, the politicial parties will use this session to their benefit.

Rich become Richer, the Poor, Poorer – 62 Rich persons own as much as half of the world population

20 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

Rich become Richer, the Poor, Poorer – 62 Rich persons own as much as half of the world population

What the working class and their leaders have been telling all along, is being proved again and again. According to Oxfam, an anti-poverty charity organization, 62 rich persons have accumulated wealth equal to that of the half poorest population of the world.

Earlier it was 388 rich persons who had equal wealth of half of the population in 2010. Next year it was reduced to 177 persons. After the next four years, in 2015, it has reduced to the present position. There is no limit to the unbelievable growth of the rich persons.

Oxfam suggests the following to change the scenario:

  1. Pay Living Wage to the workers and close the gap with executive rewards
  2. Promote women’s economic equality and women’s rights
  3. Keep the influence of powerful elite in check
  4. Change the global system for R&D and the pricing of medicines so that everyone has access to appropriate and affordable medicines
  5. Share the tax burden fairly to level the playing field.
  6. Use progressive public spending to tackle inequality
  7. World leaders should agree a global approach to end the era of tax heavens

Suggestions are welcome. But the capitalist and imperialist leadership of the world will induct policies which will further sharpen the economic divide. Sustained struggle by the working class unitedly all over the world will only make some change. Socialism is the Future. ( With inputs from EconomicTimes)

8.9% interest for EPF for 2015-16

14 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in General

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

,

The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is expected to declare 8.9% interest for 2015-16 for its contributors. Last year the interest was 8.75%. The Central trade Unions have been demanding for increase the interest rate. There are 8.7 crore employees, who contribute to the EPF.

3,228 Farmer Suicides in Maharashtra in 2015 alone

14 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

‘India lives in villages’ is the saying. But it is in these villages that death is lurking. In Maharashtra alone 3,228 farmers have committed suicide due to poverty, crop failure, unable to pay loans etc. While the farmers are dying, the government is keeping silent. Most of these families of suicided farmers have not got any support from the government. While the corporates and big business concerns are given large subsidies, these poor families are ignored. Shame on the top politicians and the government.

 

Payment of Bonus Act Notified

09 Saturday Jan 2016

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015 was passed by the Parliament in the just concluded Winter Session of the Parliament. The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015 has been published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary on 1st January, 2016 as Act No. 6 of 2016. The provisions of the Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015 shall be deemed to have come into force on the 1st day of April, 2014.

          The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015 envisages enhancement of eligibility limit under section 2(13) from Rs.10,000/- per month to Rs.21,000/- per month and Calculation Ceiling under section 12 from Rs. 3500 to Rs.7000 or the minimum wage for the scheduled employment, as fixed by the appropriate Government, whichever is higher. The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Act, 2015 also mandates previous publication of draft subordinate legislations, framed under the enabling provisions under the said Act, in the Official Gazette for inviting objections and suggestions before their final notification.

 

Government to hand over small airports to private

06 Wednesday Jan 2016

Posted by in Disinvestment, General

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has stated in the meeting of the India Infrastructure Finance Company(IIFCL) that the government is proposing to hand over management of small airports to the private sector for ‘improving efficiency.’ This is nothing but privatisation of airports.

The NDA government is handing over the government properties to the private sector in a big way. And the private companies will increase all the rates in the name of modernisation. The common people are the sufferers.

About Calendar, Diary, Engagement Book, Greeting Cards and so on…

04 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by in General

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, ,

The times have changed!

I usually take a small engagement diary with me to check in now and then about the programmes I have to attend or the work I have to do. One of my comrades asked me why you can’t use the mobile for the purpose. I told him that I tried, but still I felt that the old method is convenient to me.

It is not about the engagement diary alone. The world and system has changed drastically after the mobile with unlimited applications have arrived. I used to get many complimentary diaries at the start of the year. Now barely I get one or two. It seems the calendars are also on the down road. Greeting Cards for Birth Day, Marriage Anniversary, New year, Festivals ….all are on speedy decline.

Times have indeed changed. The Mobile with its unlimited applications have changed everything. The next generation may not know that people used to send telegram, phonogram, Greeting Cards, write in big diaries, kept big family albums of photoes and so on.

It is very much necessary that Museums should keep all these for the future generations to see that how the earlier generations lived and worked.