Latest figures released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) show that more men are undergoing breast reduction surgery to reduce the size of their man boobs.
According to the stats, the number of such operations rose by nearly 30 percent last year, up from 581 in 2009 to 741. This is the third successive year that the number has risen with Baaps stating that just over 320 operations had taken place in 2008.
Known as Gynaecomastias, the operation lasts for half an hour with anything over a litre of fat is removed from the chest region. While majority of the population attribute such surgeries to vanity.
A lot of these men develop so much breast tissue that they begin to look like women's chests. Men have become more aware of body image and what's considered attractive and acceptable.
Monday, January 31, 2011 |
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Not only e-tickets but also passengers travelling on tatkal tickets must now carry their identity proof in original or face the prospect of being treated as ticket-less travellers and penalised.
Dogged with complaints of alleged irregularities in the 'tatkal scheme', Railways have directed that passengers travelling on such tickets must produce proof of their identity from February 11 onwards.
Any one of the passengers travelling in a group have to produce the ID proof "failing which all passengers travelling on the said ticket will be treated as travelling without tickets and will be charged excess fare and penalty as per rules", a statement issued here said.
The identity proof could be a voter photo identity card, passport, PAN card, driving licence, photo identity card issued by Central or State Government, student identity card issued by recognised school/college, nationalised bank passbook with photograph and credit cards issued by banks with laminated photograph.
No identity proof is, however, required to be produced at the reservation counter while getting the tatkal ticket booked, it said.
The tatkal scheme was introduced in 1997, with the provision that passengers booking tickets would indicate their identity card number at the time of booking and would be required to carry the same card during the journey. This provision was subsequently withdrawn in August 2004.
Railway officials said the latest move was aimed at putting to end complaints of bulk booking and the role of touts in cornering such tickets.
Railways had last year also barred e-ticket agents from accessing online tatkal bookings from 8am to 9am when booking commences for the day.
The move comes at a time when the railway ministry is understood to be considering a proposal to introduce 'tatkal trains' on busy routes, a mention of which is expected in the Railway Budget.
Monday, January 31, 2011 |
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Per capita income of Indians grew by 14.5% to Rs 46,492 in 2009-10 from Rs 40,605 in the year-ago period, as per the revised data released by the government today.
The new per capita income figure estimates on current market prices is over Rs 2,000 more than the previous estimate of Rs 44,345 calculated by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).
Per capita income means earnings of each Indian if the national income is evenly divided among the country's population at 117 crore.
However, the increase in per capita income was only about 6% in 2009-10 if it is calculated on the prices of 2004-05 prices, which is a better way of comparison and broadly factors inflation.
Per capita income (at 2004-05 prices) stood at Rs 33,731 in FY10 against Rs 31,801 in the previous year, the latest data on national income said.
The size of the economy at current prices rose to Rs 61, 33,230 crore in the last fiscal, up 16.1% over Rs 52, 82,086 crore in FY'09.
Based on 2004-05 prices, the Indian economy expanded by 8% during the fiscal ended March 2010. This is higher than 6.8% growth in fiscal 2008-09.
The country's population increased to 117 crore at the end of March 2010, from 115.4 crore in fiscal 2008-09.
Monday, January 31, 2011 |
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Recently in Tokyo, Sony unveiled its latest creation, a Next Generation Portable entertainment system, it’s a big brother of PlayStation Portable(PSP) with all the new tech advancements like capacitive multi-touchscreen, dual analog sticks, dual cameras etc. This is a major breakthrough in the portable entertainment, the hardware specifications of NGP fits nicely into the well crafted design as well, and I’m sure fans will approve it for the PSP2 title. Read on for the full NGP specs, release date and price details.
PSP2 Hardware Specs (Codenamed NGP), Official name yet to be decided.
* 5 inch OLED Display, Resolution 960 x 544
* CPU: ARM Cortex A9 Quad core
* GPU SGX543MP4+
* Multi-touch support, Multi-touch at rear. Type: Capacitive
* Dual Analog Sticks(Finally, Thank you Sony)
* Dual Cameras, Front and Back
* Triple motion sensors, Gyroscope, Accelerometer and Digital Compass
* Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and 3G
* GPS
* Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
* Microphone
* Stereo Speakers
* PSN Access
* PSP and PSN title support
PSP2 Release Date
Q4, 2011, Exact release date unavailable.
PSP2 Price
PSP2 price is unavailable at this time. We predict it to be somewhere around $250.
Do you like the design of NGP?, let us know in comments.
Monday, January 31, 2011 |
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Firefox overtook Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) to become the number one browser in Europe in December 2010 according to StatCounter, the free website analytics company. The firm's research arm StatCounter Global Stats reports that in December, Firefox took 38.11% of European market share, compared to IE's 37.52%.
"This is the first time that IE has been dethroned from the number one spot in a major territory," commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. "This appears to be happening because Google's Chrome is stealing share from Internet Explorer while Firefox is mainly maintaining its existing share."
Google Chrome in third place is gaining market share in Europe and has grown to 14.58% compared to 5.06% in December last year. "We are probably seeing the impact of the agreement between European Commission competition authorities and Microsoft, to offer EU users a choice and menu of browsers from March last," added Aodhan Cullen.
In North America IE still retains a clear lead in the browser market with 48.92% followed by Firefox (26.7%), Chrome (12.82%) and Safari (10.16%).
StatCounter Global Stats is based on aggregate data collected by StatCounter on a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month (4.9 billion from North America) collected from across the StatCounter network of more than 3 million websites.
Source : Statcounter
StatCounter, which provides free website traffic information, publishes browser stats via StatCounter Global Stats, a free online research tool. It also monitors internet market share battles including Search Engines, Social Media and Operating Systems including mobile.
Sunday, January 30, 2011 |
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Lady Gaga, who is known for her eccentric fashion sense, wants her first branded perfume to have "the smell of blood and semen."
The 24-year-old singer has signed a lucrative deal with the perfume company Coty, reports the Daily Star.
And she has ordered the makers to base the scent on bodily fluids.
However, fans will have to wait until next spring to get a whiff of it.
Sunday, January 30, 2011 |
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HTC Desire HD
Super-fast 1GHz processor means surfing the web, tapping out an email, or playing a game all run smoothly on this well-designed device, which boasts a pin sharp 4.3in screen.
HTC Wildfire
A great entry-level handset, and a wonderful introduction to Google’s Android operating system. FriendStream pulls all your social networks together in one place, while it even supports Adobe Flash, so you can browse the whole web.
HTC HD7
The pick of the new range of Windows Phone 7 handsets, the HD7 has a crisp 4.3in display, high-definition video recording, and a fantastic weather forecast animation, which will bring a smile to your face, even if it’s raining.
HTC Nexus One
The Google-branded phone might have been superseded by the Desire, but there’s still plenty to recommend it, and it’s available for free on many networks. We like the glossy display, speedy processor, and fab Google Maps navigation software.
HTC Legend
Apple, eat your heart out. This handset, hewn from a single piece of aluminium, owes many of its design cues to Apple’s unibody Mac range, but its widget library, customisable home screen and tight social integration elevates it above the competition.
Saturday, January 29, 2011 |
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Supreme Court of India is pressurizing Govt. of India for inquiry of black money in foreign banks like Swiss and German.
Atleast SC is worried about the black money than the govt. of India. SC is expressing concern that the black money could lead to ammunition, drug trafficking and other smuggled goods.
Bench headed by B Sudarshan Reddy ordered govt. and RBI for a response on the same by 3rd Feb 2011. It also directed govt of india not to restrict the probe just to tax evasion, but also to other areas of black money.
These are the snippets of SC's demand to govt of India:
- We want to know what steps you have taken against the people who have accumulated so much money in foreign banks. What are the sources of the money?
- What action have you taken against them when you came to know that they have stashed money in foreign banks?
- What are the sources of the money? Where has the money come from? It might be because of arms deals, smuggling, narcotics, drug trafficking or something else. These are more serious issues, when you know the name, what action you have taken?
- That is a serious matter which we are concerned about. You know the names, (you know) where the money is lying, still you are talking about double taxation issue?
In reply to the solicitor General Mr. Gopal Subramanium who submitted that
"Government is taking all actions under Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) against the people who have stashed money in foreign banks",
SC expressed concern that :
- It is a pure and simple theft of the national money. We are talking about mind-boggling crime. We are not on the niceties of various treaties.
If this is the concern from the highest court of India, our govt. has filed an affidavit by restricting information relating to black money deposited in Liechtenstein Bank, Germany.
It's looking as if our India should be ruled by the SC. Well Done SC for waking up at least after 63 years..
Friday, January 28, 2011 |
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| iPad in Indian iStores from 28th Jan 2011 |
You can get another gadget from Apple - "iPad" at your nearest iStore from today 28Jan 2011.
Yes, don't be surprised.This would be in India. After so many speculations on its compatibility in Indian conditions, iPad would be available in India(at iStores) from today, at a starting price of 27,990/-. But iPad(16GB) has been in online stores starting at 33,000/- .
iPad has earned the title of the fastest selling gadget ever. In less than a year of its launch, it has sold nearly 15 million units, earning close to $10 billion in revenue.
There are six versions of the iPad available in capacities of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB in a choice of Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + 3G. The 16GB Wi-Fi only version will be priced at Rs 27,990 while the 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G version will be priced at Rs 44,990.
As launch of iPad in India is round the corner, iPad2 is due for launch in few months from now, with dual cameras. Meanwhile, mobile operators like BSNL have already started designing 3G plans specifically for iPads.
Friday, January 28, 2011 |
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India has topped a list of the most "over-regulated countries in the world" in a survey on Asian business and politics by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd (PERC).
The survey used responses from American executives about regulatory conditions in the United States to provide a benchmark against which to assess the Asian scores.
India was rated worst in terms of over-regulation, scoring 9.16 points out of 10, followed by China with 9.04 points, Japan in third position with 3.28 points and the US at fourth with 1.51 points.
Hong Kong received the best score in the survey of 0.98 point, while Singapore was second with 1.08 points, according to the survey done in the last quarter of 2010, based on responses from 1,370 executives.
In general, regulations were complex and non-transparent, while standards and certifications procedures were onerous in India, according to the PERC survey findings.
Foreign exchange, capital transactions and some credit operations were subject to approvals, restrictions and additional requirements that went far beyond what most other countries require, concluded the survey.
Even procedures for something as simple as getting a tourist visa were more cumbersome in India than was typical elsewhere, it pointed out.
It also cited specific examples from the World Bank's Doing Business Survey of why India's regulatory system deserves to be graded as poorly as it was. It can take a month-and-a-half to register property, almost 200 days to obtain a construction permit, over 1,400 days to enforce a contract and seven years to close a business.
"Documentation requirements for both exports and imports are onerous," the PERC survey pointed out.
"Labor requirements are strict and companies lack flexibility on hiring and firing workers," it concluded.
Regulations in the country were frequently not enforced, which raised the question of why they were on the books at all, noted the survey.
"In a recent scandal involving the telecommunications ministry's mishandling of a landmark allocation of mobile telephone spectrum, as many as 85 of 122 new licences which were bundled with the bandwidth allocation were issued to companies that did not have the required capital to seek bandwidth," the survey pointed out.
These companies "suppressed facts, disclosed incomplete information and submitted fictitious documents", according to the survey.
"Of course they could not have done so without the complicity of bureaucrats at the ministry, who overlooked qualification shortcomings and arbitrarily moved forward the cut-off date for applying by one week to favor some companies that had applied earlier, while leaving others out," it said.
Source : Economic Times
Thursday, January 27, 2011 |
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The manner in which fruits are ripened is unsafe and harmful methods in practice, which is highly detrimental to health.
A recent investigation by health authorities has found that fruits stored in the godown have a coating of calcium carbide and acetylene gas, both of which hasten the ripening process.
Bananas were found to be ripened with the use of acetylene gas. Raw fruits were being ripened overnight using this method so that they could be sold next day in the market.
According to the tests conducted on these fruits, 6 out of 12 fruit samples were found to be contaminated and hence did not pass the test.
The gases and chemicals being used to mature the fruits could cause major diseases like cancer and hepatitis B.
Now its time to Health Department to raid on such godowns and save people from deceases.
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| A Fruit Stall on the Road Side |
However, godown owners and fruit seller added that, it is safe to eat the artificially ripened fruit because they are recommended by the health organizations.
So guys take care while taking fruits..
Thursday, January 27, 2011 |
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The dangerous forest versus coal tussle has claimed its first victim – the endangered Indian elephant. The Chhattisgarh government has scrapped plans for an elephant reserve in order to allow the same forests to be mined for coal.
Last year the environment and forest ministry defined regions rich in forest cover and biodiversity as No-Go areas for mining. The coal ministry wants the government to scrap this classification. A Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted to resolve this will take a decision later in the year.
These No-Go areas are among the last remaining forests in our country. They are home to wildlife such as tigers, leopards and elephants, and crucial to the livelihoods of millions. If mining is allowed here, we can bid good bye to all of these. We need to pick our sides for this epic match. Big ministries backed by private lobbies are siding with coal – and against the forests.
Show your support for the elephants and our forests.
This is the first preparatory step taken by Green Peace to save our forests and the communities who depend on them. The government needs to know that millions of Indians want their forests protected and declared No-Go for mining.
Instead of increasing its dependence on coal the government needs to invest in exploring renewable energy options. Once destroyed, these forests will never get resurrected even with the best reforestation efforts.
Clearing forests will only hasten climate change. Coal mining not only destroys forests and displaces communities but also contaminates nearby rivers and water sources. India's remaining forests and wildlife and communities must be protected from mining.
Show your support for the elephants and their forests now.
Thursday, January 27, 2011 |
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Google Inc is all set to go on a hiring spree this year with the company planning to add more than 6000 people around the globe in one of the "biggest" workforce expansions in company history.
In a blog post on Wednesday, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Research Alan Eustace said Google was "looking for top talent across the board and around the globe."
The company had added more than 4,500 workers in 2010 primarily in engineering and sales departments.
The workforce expansion set for 2011 and said to be the "biggest hiring year in company history", will be more than the 6,100 workers Google had hired in 2007.
Google plans to hire more than 1,000 workers in Europe alone this year.
The company said it will hire "as many smart, creative people as we can to tackle some of the toughest challenges in computer science: like building a web-based operating system from scratch, instantly searching an index of more than 100 million gigabytes and even developing cars that drive themselves."
Eustace said the hiring comes when not just the company's products but also the company "grew" in 2010.
Google's operating system Android now runs on over 100 devices with more than 300,000 activations each day, while Chrome has at least 120 million active users, Eustace added.
California-based Google has been trying to keep its employees who are being lured by rivals companies like Facebook and Apple.
Last year, Google announced a 10 per cent raise for all its employees.
Facebook, which has been giving stiff competition to Google, has about 200 ex-Google workers in its roughly 2,000 workforce.
Google had last week announced major changes in its top management positions with company co-founder Larry Page set to take over as CEO in April from current chief executive Eric Schmidt. As on December 31, 2010 Google had a total workforce of 24,400.
Source : Indiatoday.in
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 |
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Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Amitabh Thakur filed an FIR against social networking website Facebook for hosting a group called 'I hate Gandhi' at Gomti Nagar police station in Lucknow. Amitabh Thakur, who's on leave from IPS service and studying at Indian Institute of Management (Lucknow), alleged in his complaint that "open abuses and dirty words" have been used against Gandhi, with intent of causing riots.
Thakur said he also contacted the social networking site, headquartered at Palo Alto, in California, US.
"I sent a mail to Facebook, which they responded to, but their reply was not satisfactory," Thakur told
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| Anti Gandhi Groups in Facebook |
Thakur claims that he communicated with each member of the group individually to remove the undesired objectionable contents before filing the complaint. His request was turned down by the members of the group. The FIR therefore mentions Facebook and the names of several members of the group as accused.
The FIR includes several sections of the Indian Penal Code like, causing public nuisance (section 290), intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace (section 504), section 153 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of communities and other grounds), 153 A (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 153 B (public nuisance), criminal intimidation (section 506) and using information technology for these purposes (section 66A of the IT Act).
What's your take on this? Do let us know in the comments section.
Source :Hindustan Times
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 |
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Snoring is a very common problem these days. It could lead to fatigue because of quality and quantity of your sleep.
Here are the simple throat exercises which could help you in reducing snoring..:
- Repeat each vowel (a,e,i,o,u) out loud for three minutes throughout day.
- Place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth. Slide your tongue backwards for 3 minutes a day.
- Close your mouth and purse your lips. Hold for 30 seconds.
- With mouth open, move jaw to the right and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on left side.
- Change your sleeping position constantly
Apart from exercises, avoid consuming dairy products, alcohol, soymilk, caffeine.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 |
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The Government is planning a health insurance scheme that will cover every Indian. This public-funded scheme is likely to be introduced in the 12th Five Year Plan, starting in 2012-13. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appointed a committee of experts that is headed by the chief of the Public Health Foundation of India, K. Srinath Reddy.
At present over 90% Indians are not covered by any health insurance scheme (public or private). Most private health insurance schemes cover only hospitalization but this scheme is likely to cover hospitalization expenses along with treatment undergone at listed hospitals. It will also provide cover for conditions like heart ailments and pregnancy, which the private schemes generally do not cover.
According to the National Sample Survey Office, an Indian spends about 80 % of his health expenses on buying medicine. Health services become unaffordable to many due to the high cost of treatment. Planning Commission member secretary Sudha Pillai said, "We are looking at a scheme where people will pay premium depending on their income. For instance, the government may pay the entire premium for those below poverty line (BPL). For the better off, the government's contribution will diminish the higher the individual's income." The scheme also intends the Government to pay a higher premium for women.
Source :www.medindia.net
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 |
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Former South African cricketer Lance Klusener on Tuesday (Jan’ 25) said India has 60 percent chances of winning the coveted cricket World Cup 2011. He also lavished praise on Gary Kirsten for his terrific stint with the Indian team as coach.
The former South African star was speaking at an event in Chennai. Klusener is in the city to participate in super six cricket tournament for Corporates in Chennai.
The ICC Cricket World Cup is scheduled to start from February 19.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 |
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In a bid to control spiraling inflation, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday (Jan’ 25) hiked short-term lending and borrowing rates by 25 basis points.
The RBI Governor D Subbarao increased the repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 percent from 6.25 percent and reverse repo rate to 5.5 percent from 5.25 percent. The cash reserve ratio (CRR) and statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) remained unchanged at 6 percent.
The RBI’s action is seen as a measure to tame prices, which has seen annual food inflation shooting up to a 52-week high of 18.32 percent for the week ended Dec 25.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 |
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Rajnath Singh, former president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (Jan’24) said that it would be a moral victory for separatists, if the Union government succumbs to their pressure and stops flag hoisting at Lal Chowk on Republic Day.
Soon after BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were stopped at the Jammu airport, Rajnath Singh sat on hunger strike which will continue till the morning of January 26.
“Just with the fear that the separatists might once again try to disrupt the peace in Kashmir, can our government not accept the challenge of those separatists? Can the Congress government not understand that if the Indian flag is not hoisted at Lal Chowk, it would be the moral victory for the separatists and the biggest defeat of nationalists in India?” Singh asked.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011 |
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Cola Wars are at their best when it comes to endorsements.After it's rivals "PEPSI Co." roped in MS Dhoni as it's ambassador, Coke came-in adding more flavor by signing up Mr.Sachin Tendulkar after Gautham Gambhir.
51 Test Ton record holder inked in another endorsement deal worth 12 Crore, with largest beverage maker Coke. Coke in it's press statement expressed that “Sachin Tendulkar will play his part in the company’s various strategic communication initiatives, including its corporate , CSR and brand campaigns"
Current Week readers may be aware that, SRT(Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar) was endorsing pepsi co.'s products for 10 years with it's tag line "Sachin Aala Re". Now, he will be with their rivlas. Who knows, brand Sachin will result in more flavors for coke like it did with pepsi.
Little Maestro endorses 14 brands like :
Adidas
Audemars Piguet
Canon
ITC
Aviva Life Insurance
Royal Bank of Scotland
Toshiba
etc..
Monday, January 24, 2011 |
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Its shocking that Swiss Bank has more indian deposits than combined deposits of all other countries. Indian deposits are around $ 1,500 billions in Swiss bank. As per the statistics released every year, around 1.25 lakh Indians visit Switzerland, and out of that, 75000 are visiting frequently to Switzerland.
The main Question is can we bring back this black money from Swiss Bank?
Recently, due to international pressure, Swiss Government has agreed to disclose the names of the account holders only if the respective governments formally ask for it. However, Indian Government is not interested in knowing the same.
But, Central government has been taking initiative to know list of Indians who have accounts in Swiss banks. Recently Indian and Swiss governments signed understanding agreement to exchange information on tax evaders. But due to this activity, many Indian Swiss account holders are transferring their money to banks in Dubai,Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.
Other than the agreement with Swiss government, Indian Government has signed Information Exchange Agreement with nine or ten more countries to get the same information. Apart from those countries , Government is also trying to sign Information Exchange Agreement with Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man, Jersey, Cayman Islands, St Kitts & Nevis, Monaco and Argentina.
If black money comes back to India, then our economy will be number 1 in world.
Now its high time for the media and people to pressurize the Government to do so. Dishonest Industrialists, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers have deposited in foreign banks as their illegal personal accounts, which comes to a sum of about $ 1,456 billion.
Top five Countries who deposited money in Swiss Bank
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| Top 5 Countries deposited money in Swiss Bank |
- India - $1,456 billion(Approx Rs: 7,28,00,00,00,00,000. )
- Russia - $ 470 billion
- UK - $390 billion
- Ukraine - $100 billion
- China - $ 96 billion
What India Could Do With Rs 73 Lakh Crore?
Build: 2.4 crore primary healthcare centres. That’s at least 3 for every village, at a cost of Rs 30 lakh each.
Build: 24.1 lakh Kendriya Vidyalayas at a cost of Rs 3.02 crore each, with two sections from Class VI to XII.
Construct: 14.6 crore low-cost houses assuming a cost of Rs 5 lakh a unit.
Set up: 2,703 coal-based power plants of 600 MW each. Each costs Rs 2,700 crore.
Supply: 12 lakh CFL bulbs. That’s enough light for each of India’s 6 lakh villages
Construct: 14.6 lakh km of two-lane highways. That’s a road around India’s perimeter 97 times over.
Clean up: 50 major rivers for the next 121 years, at Rs 1,200 crore a river every year.
Launch: 90 NREGA-style schemes, each worth roughly Rs 81,111 crore.
Announce: 121 more loan waiver schemes. All of them worth Rs 60,000 crore.
Give: Rs 56,000 to every Indian. Even better, give Rs 1.82 lakh to 40 crore Indians living BPL.
Hand out: 60.8 crore Tata Nanos to 60.8 crore people. Or four times as many laptops.
Grow the GDP: The scam money is 27% more than our GDP of Rs 53 lakh crore."
Read More on Scams in India
2010 India - A 2,00,000 Crore Scammer
2001-2010 - Indian scam Decade of worth Rs 73 Lakh
Monday, January 24, 2011 |
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India may have to wait till at least next year for information from Switzerland on possible black money trail to Swiss banks, as a treaty for the same might come into force only by the end of 2011.
The treaty needs to be ratified by various authorities in India as also in Switzerland, including the Parliament of the European nation, and it might come into force by the end of 2011 depending on these approvals, a spokesperson for the Switzerland's Federal Department of Finance said.
If all these ratifications are achieved by 2011-end, the provisions of the treaty, which includes information exchange about suspected tax evaders and other financial offenders, would come into effect in India from the fiscal year beginning on or after first day of April 2012, the official said.
This means that India would be able to seek information on tax evasion and other financial offenses on incomes for the fiscal year 2012-13 beginning April 1, 2012, onwards and not for the past periods, experts said here.
Still, it is unlikely that the names of Indians having money in Swiss banks would be made public, as being demanded by the opposition parties, because such a step would not only be in breach of the bilateral treaty, but could also hinder the process of investigations, they added.
In Switzerland, the provisions would come into effect for fiscal year beginning on or after January 1 of the year following the one when treaty comes into force, the Swiss Finance Department official said.
Indian government is facing intense pressure from the opposition parties, as also the Supreme Court, on issue of black money allegedly stashed away by some Indians in Swiss banks and other tax havens.
The issue of Indians having secret Swiss bank accounts has become a political hot potato, amid reports of Indians having billions of dollars in banks in Switzerland. But, there are no official figures as such and experts believe that it was not necessary that all the funds deposited by Indians in Swiss banks were black money.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Swiss Federal Councillor Micheline Calmy-Rey signed a "protocol" on August 30, 2010 to amend the double taxation agreement (DTA) in the area of taxes on income.
The revised tax treaty was expected to facilitate the Indian government seeking details about illicit wealth allegedly stashed away by Indians in Swiss banks.
However, this Protocol has not entered into force yet and needs to be ratified by the authorities in two countries.
Asked about the status, the Swiss Federal Department of Finance official said that one of the parliament commissions in charge of the DTAs last week decided to approve the DTA with India and the parliamentarial approval process was expected to come to an end by September 2011.
Source : PTI
Monday, January 24, 2011 |
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Indian IT sector seems to have come back to its record-breaking hiring days, with a top industry player Infosys projecting up to 1.8 lakh employees being hired by the five largest companies alone this year.
"Growth is back and most companies are hiring in large numbers again. The top five companies are estimated to hire 1,60,000 to 1,80,000 new employees in the next 12 months," Infosys CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan said here.
Such large-scale hiring activities were last witnessed in 2007 by Indian IT companies, after which they had to cut back on hiring and even prune their existing headcount to cope up with the economic slowdown.
"In 2008, the industry saw growth coming down to single digit. Most IT companies stopped hiring employees and stopped expanding," Gopalakrishnan said at a discussion on ''sustainable Development Strategies'' organised by College of Architecture here last evening.
Gopalakrishnan said that the growth was now back in the sector and the companies were expanding their headcount.
He further said, "the IT industry has grown fast over the last 15 years. For example, the industry had about 1.50 lakh employees in 1993, around five lakh employees in 1999 and today, the industry employs around 2 million employees." The highest-ever hiring in the IT space was seen in 2007, when more than four lakh jobs were created in Indian IT space by all the companies together.
After that, the hiring fell to 2.5 lakh people in 2008 and further to 1.5 lakh in 2009 and then just above one lakh in 2010.
Industry estimates suggest that the overall hiring in India by all the IT companies together during 2011 could exceed or at least match the levels of 2007.
Besides Indian IT firms, global giants like IBM, Accenture and HP have also been hiring aggressively in the country in the past.
Gopalakrishnan said that multinational corporations were also looking to India to expand their markets and to create back office function and many of them are looking at Tier II and III cities to expand.
Emphasising the significance of infrastructure development in growth of these cities, he said an effective mechanism is essential to implement various development strategies.
"Industry bodies, relevant NGOs, civic bodies must all have a role to play. For example, industry bodies will be able to mobilise participation by experts. Industry will be able to provide project and programme management expertise. Civic leaders will be able to mobilise public opinion.
Thus I believe there is a higher chance of the initiatives getting implemented," Gopalakrishnan said.
Monday, January 24, 2011 |
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Legendary vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, who enthralled hralled generations of connoisseurs with his renditions of Hindustani classical music, passed away at a city hospital on Monday after a prolonged illness.
He was 87. A recipient of Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, Joshi had been put on life support system following old age- related ailments leading to kidney and respiratory failure after his admission to hospital on December 31, his family said.
Joshi, the most-celebrated exponent of 'Kirana gharana' of Khansahib Abdul Karim Khan, leaves behind three sons and a daughter.
Born on February 4, 1922 at Gadag in Dharwad district of Karnataka, Joshi got a boost to his career during a concert in Pune in January 1946 on the occasion of the 60th birthday of his guru Sawai Gandharva.
What distinguished him from the ordinary was his powerful voice, amazing breath control, fine musical sensibility and unwavering grasp of the fundamentals that made him the supreme Hindustani vocalist, representing a subtle fusion of intelligence and passion that imparted life and excitement to his music.
Honours
- Padma Shri (1972),
- Sangeet Natak Akademi award for Hindustani vocal music (1975),
- Padma Bhushan (1985)
- Tansen Samman(by Madhya Pradesh government, 1992).
- Bharat Ratna (2008).
Joshi had undergone a surgery for removal of a brain tumor in 1999 followed by a cervical spine operation in 2005.
The maestro's last surprise public performance that regaled the audience was during 2007 'Sawai Gandharva' annual music festival which he himself had started to commemorate the memory of his guru.
Monday, January 24, 2011 |
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Yusuf Pathan’s 70-ball-105, studded with eight hits to the fence and eight into the stands, proved to be insufficient for the visitors as the other batsmen fell like a pack of cards before a disciplined South African bowling attack, falling short of their 268-run target by 33 runs in Centurion on Sunday (Jan 23).
Indian captain MS Dhoni, however, had positives to draw out of the tour.
“I think the whole tour was good for both the sides. They won the ODI series, we won the T20 and the Test matches were draw. Overall, I think good cricket was played. I think our batting department didn’t really do well in the ODIs. That, I think, our main reason of losing the ODI series. Hopefully, with World Cup coming up, all will be set,” Dhoni said.
Monday, January 24, 2011 |
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‘Fabtech India 2011’, a five-day trade fair, on Sunday (Jan 23) showcased the latest technology in tube and pipe products fabrication equipment, coating and painting, stamping, fabrication and welding equipments from all over the world.
The event which is completely dedicated to Sheet Metal Processing Technologies has been organised at CODDISIA Trade fair complex in Coimbatore.
Francisco Adira from Germany said, “Our Company produces press brakes, laser cutting machines and also this is the first time we are participating in the fair. We are very happy that several customers have approached us and we go back home with lot of opportunities.”
Monday, January 24, 2011 |
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Ishwar Chand Sharma, 70, has always enjoyed looking forward to the post. It sometimes contains letters from loved ones, birthday greetings — he doesn’t mind the odd junk mail either. But Sharma had not imagined in his wildest dreams that he would receive his own death certificate in the post one day.
The family of Sharma, a farmer and resident of the Chaura Raghunathpur locality in Noida’s Sector- 22, received the certificate on January 14.
Sharma is very much alive and was present in the house when the registry was delivered.
The certificate issued on August 30 last year ‘ informed’ the family that Sharma had ‘ died’ on August 18 at his house in Chaura Raghunathpur.
Sharma’s son Dev Dutt said: “ We filed a complaint with the Sector- 24 police last Sunday, two days after we got the letter.” The investigation is now being headed by sub- inspector Lokendra Singh of the Uttar Pradesh Police.
“ We don’t know yet who issued the death certificate. The seal at the bottom of the certificate is unreadable and makes nothing clear,” Singh said.
“ We made inquiries at the district hospital but they deny issuing the certificate,” he added.
Singh said the Gram Panchayat officer of the block also denied issuing any such letter.
“ We believe this is someone’s idea of a joke. The culprit did this either to trouble the family or to divert their attention from something that they are doing,” the investigating officer added.
Sharma’s son Dev Dutt agreed that someone maybe playing a prank on their family. “ This could be a conspiracy by someone against us,” he said.
A similar case was reported on June 23 last year, when a mischief by a neighbour cost an elderly man his life in Ghaziabad.
Than Singh, a 75- year- old resident of Delhi Gate Kaila Walan in Ghaziabad, died of a heart attack after he was sent the receipt of his ‘cremation’ costs.
According to the receipt, Than Singh died on June 17 and his cremation was held under Shed No. 5 of the Hindon cremation grounds.
Everyone at Than Singh’s home believed this was someone’s mischief.
But Than Singh was deeply shocked with the news of his ‘ cremation’ and, according to his family, “ could not bear the pain of it, even though he did not react at the time”. He shrugged it off as a joke.
But the next day, soon after he returned from his morning walk, he had a heart attack. He died immediately
Sunday, January 23, 2011 |
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Expressing strong concerns on the overall corruption and governance deficit, Wipro Chairman Azim Premji today said it was an extremely serious issue and urged those in leadership positions to start giving constructive suggestions to the government to rectify the situation.
Premji is one of the signatories of the "Open Letter to Our Leaders", published following a series of high profile corruption cases. The letter talks about "governance deficit" in almost all areas.
"It is important that people in leadership position start giving constructive suggestions to the government in terms of what is required to rectify the situation. We have given some first recommendations there and these are going to be followed out by detailed actions in what we think government should be doing by way of implementing each of these suggestions", Premji said.
He added, "We will be in dialouge with leadership in government, including the Prime Minister, and leadership of the coalition government on the issue. We believe that at least as a start that we have made, will be followed by many many other leaders, hopefully very aggressively by the press and the media in tenacity of following through all breaches of governance".
To the media, Premji said, "have tenacity to follow through issues of governance, don't give up just because the news worthiness of that has gone. In the short run, we find that media gives up and gets on to something else leading to conclusion that just begins to drift".
He added that the media had huge power, which it needs to tap to publish such violations.
"There are many many citizens in country who are beginning to violate against it; enough is enough, it has to end", he said and cited examples like Hong Kong which have seen a turnaround.
The transformation in Bihar is incredible, Premji added.
He, however, avoided comment on charges of corruption faced by the BJP government in Karnataka. "I don''t want to comment"
Source: PTI
Saturday, January 22, 2011 |
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One out of every five cellphones sold in the world are illegal or unlicensed copycats, hurting the position of producers like Nokia in emerging markets, the world top manufacturer by volume said on Friday.
"It is mostly China-originated, but it is global. It is not only in Asia, but also in Latin America and even in some parts of Europe," said Esko Aho, a member of Nokia's executive board.
Surging growth of no-brand manufacturers coupled with growing smartphone sales boosted third-quarter cellphone sales 35 percent, Research firm Gartner said in November. It raised its outlook for growth in 2010, which it forecast would top 30 percent.
Gartner estimated grey market share had increased to even above 20 percent, but many other market followers have doubted the estimate.
Source: Reuters
Saturday, January 22, 2011 |
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With the series level at 2-2, the focus now shifts to the fifth and deciding One-Day International at Centurion on Sunday (Jan 23). Indian skipper MS Dhoni said he wished that the best team wins the decider.
Asked about the importance of the match, MS Dhoni said, “Every game is important. That I always say irrespective of whether it is the fifth game of the series, the decider, or the first four games. The fifth game will be interesting. It’s an ideal set up for the whole series, the whole tour you can say. I say may the best team win.”
Saturday, January 22, 2011 |
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One more person from the film fraternity has been arrested on the charges of prostitution.
After Jyothi and Saira Bhanu, another well-known TV and movie artist "YAMUNA" arrested by Bengaluru Police late last night. Police caught her and one more actor(name unknown) red-handed on charges of prostitution. She along with 3 others were taken into custody at a 5-star hotel in Bengaluru.
She acted in movies like Mamagaru, Mouna Poratam, Erra Mandaram etc. Later she moved into Television serials and acted in hit soaps such as Vidhi, Pavithra Bandham and presently Intinti Ramayanam.She also took part in "WOW" - TV Game Show recently.
Saturday, January 22, 2011 |
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| EVV Satyanarayana |
Famous telugu family drama and comedy movie director
EVV Satya Narayana passed away on Jan 21st 2011 night in Appolo Hospital, Hyderabad. He was 54 years old. He was reportedly suffering from cancer from past few days and was admitted to Appolo hospital on 19th of Jan'11. He is survived by his wife(Saraswathi) and 2 sons(Aryan Rajesh & Allari Naresh). This is a big blow to the already suffering tollywood industry.
Current Week conveys deep condolences to EVV family.
His Brief Biography:
Full Name: Edera Veera Venkata Satyanarayana
Born: June 2nd, 1956
Native: Korumamidi, West Godavari District
First Movie as director: Chevilo Puvvu (1990), but first released movie is "Prema Khaidi"
Last Movie as director: Kathi kantharao (2010)
Awards: Nandi for "AME(1994)" movie
As an actor: Indrudu Chandrudu
Saturday, January 22, 2011 |
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Sourav Ganguly could play in the fourth edition of IPL for Team Kochi..!!!
Overlooked shocker at IPL 2011 auction which was held about 10days back, has changed minds for the franchises. Sources say that, Team Kochi are very keen to sign up former most successful captain of India Sourav Ganguly(Dada). IPL world is aware that, dada was not chosen by any of the franchises at the auction, which lead to regional protests in Bengal.
But team Kochi, to sign un-auctioned Ganguly, need to get NOC from all other nine franchises. However, BCCI expressed no objection to Kochi franchise to sign the all-rounder Ganguly.
So, Dada's fans will have all smiles at kochi..
Friday, January 21, 2011 |
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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced the introduction of Mobile Number Portability (MNP). According to Mobile Number Portability (MNP), the subscribers of mobile services in India can now change their service providers while retaining the same mobile number. The fee for changing the operator should not be more than Rs 19, Mobile Number Portability (MNP) also offers the consumers to switch from GSM to CDMA or vice-versa, or within GSM and CDMA opetaors. The number can be retained in any case.
However, to begin with, you will be able to switch operators and retain the number only within the same telecom circle. For example if you are in Delhi you can change operators within Delhi and not when you move from Delhi to Mumbai.
How to change mobile operator under MNP?
Before applying for the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) the subscribers must ensure that the entire amount of bill has been paid. The porting fee is to be paid to the new operator you are switching to. You need not to pay any fee to the operator you are leaving. According to TRAI the porting between mobile operators should be accomplished within 4 days.
Conditions of MNP:
1. There are few conditions though. You are not allowed to switch operator and retain the number if you have been with that operator for less than 3 months.
2. Prepaid consumers should remember that when they switch operator their balance talk time will disappear.
3. As per the TRAI guidelines the maximum downtime between deactivating the existing connection and starting the new connection will be a maximum of 2 hours.
Here is the procedure to change your operator:
Step-1: First, send a message from your sim whose operator you want to change
(
PORT Mobile-Number) to
1900
eg: PORT 9848543210 to 1900
By doing so, you will get a unique UPC code. Note this UPC code
Step-2: Go to the nearer shop of the operator to which you want to covert your mobile Number. Get a form from them and fill all the fields as well as UPC code.
Submit your ID proof with that form and you have done. On 7th working day your Sim will stop working for 2 hours. After that you will be with your new operator.
Note:
1. You should submit the id of same person on whose ID it was before
2. You will not get the balance and validity of old operator.
3. Your mobile Number will be converted into newer operator on 7th day.
*excluding Sunday and other holiday
* charges: 19 rs. for changing operator + new Sim charges
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 |
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India thrash South Africa by two wickets in a nail-biting third ODI at Cape Town on Wednesday (Jan 19). With this win, the visitors go up 2-1 in the five match series.
Yusuf Pathan’s violent assault with the bat and Harbhajan Singh’s lusty hitting swung the game India's way with 10 balls remaining.
Talking about the match, India’s top scorer Yusuf Pathan said, “I played good cricket. Not only me but both the teams played well. Bhajji, Ashish, Zaheer and Suresh had good partnerships with me. We played all.”
Pathan, who won the man of the match, scored 59 off just 50 balls on a slow pitch hitting three sixes in a single Johan Botha over.
“I was little disappointed that I did not carry the innings till the end. But one learns from mistakes. I have learnt this,” Yusuf Pathan added.
Morne Morkel grabbed a stunning one-handed catch in the deep to get rid of Yusuf Pathan. Earlier half-centuries by debutant Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy helped the Proteas post 220.
Reflecting on the match, South African captain Graeme Smith said, “I think we were really hoping for 240. We thought 240 will be a good total out there. I think JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis played really well to give us a decent total. Our power play was poor again. We lost JP and Faf within two overs. I really felt if we get 240 we were in with a real shot of winning the game. We came really close. We missed one or two crucial chances at the back end but I can’t fault the guys’ commitment tonight, their intensity and efforts they gave.”
The South African skipper said that Yusuf Pathan’s innings proved the difference between the two sides.
“I think Yusuf was probably the difference between the two teams tonight. Every batsman has struggled to play freely tonight and he went better than run a ball. He timed the ball sweetly which every other batsman struggled to do. When he came in, they were under real pressure and he counter-attacked really well,” Graeme Smith said.
Earlier, Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat but the home side never really got going as some disciplined bowling by the Indians choked run-making efforts of the home team.
Zaheer Khan was India’s most successful bowler with figures of three for 43 but the stand-out performer was off-spinner Harbhajan who picked up two wickets for 23 off nine overs and scored a rapid 23 with the bat.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 |
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Already India has been smeared with loads of scams by our BELOVED politicians, now it's turn of the common man to get smeared with the galloping fuel prices..
Everything in India is going up these days, starting from rise in the food material prices(onions, potato,dal) to inflation (which is again nearing a double digit with current rate at 8.5%).
It's almost prognostic once in a month, that we see a hike in the petrol prices. From Sep 2010, i.e, in just 4 months, petrol prices saw a hike for 7 times. Unbelievable isn't it..!!!!!
Here is the proof for the price hikes in various Metros from past 9 years:
 |
| Petrol Price Hike from past 9 years |
And now for the year 2011, price has been again raised as a Lohri(Sankranthi) gift w.e.f 16 Jan 2011. New price hike details can be seen below:
| Delhi | 58.37 |
| Kolkata | 62.5 |
| Mumbai | 63.08 |
| Chennai | 63.36 |
In other parts of the country, the prices of the petrol w.e.f 16 Jan 2011, are as below:
 |
| Price in state capitals w.e.f 16 Jan 2011 |
"Some relief - NewZealand saw a highest raise in petrol price since sep'2010. Now it has come to $2. [1 NZ $ = 35.03 INR] "
So, what's your alternative to petrol ??
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 |
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