Sunday, March 27, 2011

Cleanest and Crime free villages in India

A village that boasts of being crime-free

No murders or kidnappings, not even petty crimes like chain snatchings and thefts in the past 15 years! This is the proud record of a small village in eastern Uttar Pradesh.Welcome to Takhta village in Gorakhpur district, some 300 km from Lucknow, whose 1,500-odd residents take pride in the unique distinction of their native place.

And if you think it's only the locals who claim that Takhta is "the crime-free world of Uttar Pradesh", you are wrong.

Even the records of the Sahjanwa police station, under whose jurisdiction the village falls, attest the villagers' claim.

Locals say their crime-free status does not mean the absence of disputes, but the presence of effective redressal mechanisms.

Like other villagers, Takhta residents too witness disputes among themselves, but those are solved by the intervention of the elders and the panchayat members of the village.

The village's crime-free status is even more remarkable when compared to the rest of the state.

In 2009, a total of 148,012 criminal incidents took place in Uttar Pradesh, which included 4,004 murders, 2,066 dowry deaths and 1,451 rapes.

The figure for 2010 (till 20 Nov) is 144,675, which includes 3,782 murders, 1,923 dowry deaths and 1,216 rapes, official records show.

Meghalaya village declared cleanest in Asia

Mawlynnong, a small settlement located 75 kilometres from Shillong in Meghalaya, has earned the unique distinction of being declared the cleanest village in entire Asia.
The exclusive recognition has been conferred on the hamlet by a team of experts from the famous travel and tourism journal, "Discovery India".
Residents of this beautifully located village keep their surrounding clean by voluntarily performing all the civic duties such as sweeping the roads and lanes, watering the plants in public area, cleaning drains etc.
"All the people living in this village together take an effort to keep the village clean and tidy. Even small children help us to keep the village clean. These children never litter garbage around. They always make it a point to keep the village clean," said Leaderfiels Khongwit, a villager.
Dustbins crafted from bamboo canes are placed at important points in the village, and to supplement the beauty of their tiny cottages, the locals here foster different flowers in front of their houses and also in the backyards.
The serene beauty of Mawlynnong has now made it a popular tourist spot for holiday-makers.

Japan: what it can teach us

10 things to learn from Japan -

1. THE CALM
Not a single visual of chest-beating or wild grief. Sorrow itself has
been elevated.

2. THE DIGNITY
Disciplined queues for water and groceries. Not a rough word or a crude gesture.

3. THE ABILITY
The incredible architects, for instance. Buildings swayed but didn't fall.

4. THE GRACE
People bought only what they needed for the present, so everybody
could get something.

5. THE ORDER
No looting in shops. No honking and no overtaking on the roads. Just
understanding.

6. THE SACRIFICE
Fifty workers stayed back to pump sea water in the N-reactors. How
will they ever be repaid?

7. THE TENDERNESS
Restaurants cut prices. An unguarded ATM is left alone. The strong
cared for the weak.

8. THE TRAINING
The old and the children, everyone knew exactly what to do. And they
did just that.

9. THE MEDIA
They showed magnificent restraint in the bulletins. No silly
reporters. Only calm reportage.

10. THE CONSCIENCE
When the power went off in a store, people put things back on the
shelves and left quietly


Friday, March 25, 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Indian Forest Service Exam to begin from July 9, 2011

THE Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will hold the Indian Forest Service Examination, 2011 commencing from July 9, 2011.

Candidates are required to apply online only using the link www.upsconline.nic.in. Detailed instructions for filling up online applications are available on the website. All online applications can be filled up to April 18, 2011 till 11.59 pm after which the link will be disabled.
The Candidates residing in certain remote areas specified in Para 6 of the detailed notice published in Employment News/Rozgar Samachar dated March 19, 2011 have the option to apply offline by using the New Common Application Form (Form-E) devised by the Commission for its examination, which can be purchased from the designated Head Post Offices/Post Offices (specified in Appendix-III of the Notice published in Employment News/Rozgar Samachar) throughout the country. All offline applications, if any, received from candidates residing in normal areas/abroad, shall be rejected by the Commission. The option of offline application is available only to candidates residing in specified remote areas.

UPSC's Monitoring Cell
In case of any difficulty in obtaining application forms from the designated HPOs/Pos, the candidates should contact the concerned Post Master or UPSC's "FORMS SUPPLY MONITORING CELL" over Telephone no.011-23389366/Fax No.011-23387310.
In case of any guidance/information/clarification regarding their applications, candidature etc. candidates can contact UPSC's Facilitation Counter near gate 'C' of its campus in person or over telephone no.011-23385271/011-23381125/011-23098543 during working hours.

SSC's north office turns first ever ISO-9001 certified govt recruiting body

THE northern regional office of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has become the first ever ISO-9001:2008 certified recruiting agency in the government sector in the country. The certification was conferred on SSC by the British Certification Inc in New Delhi on Thursday. The SCC which always plays the second fiddle to UPSC in recruitment process of the government, has come out first in regard to getting ISO-9001 certificates.

According to a cabinet secretary-headed meeting that took place on February 19, 2011, it was proposed that 62 government ministries or departments would have to procure ISO-9001 certifications compulsorily during the financial year of 2011-12. The key ministries such as PMO, finance, home, defence and external affairs, which are exempted from participating in target-based RFD (Results Framework Documents) are however exempted from mandatorily procuring ISO-9001 certificates.
With ISO-9001:2008 certificates, the SCC will now help in creating customer satisfaction for candidates and user departments. It will also help in optimal use of material and manpower.
The SSC is a premier organisation for recruitment of Group B Non-Gazetted and Group C Non-technical staff of various Central government ministries or departments all over the country. During 2010-11, the Northern Region has handled 15.60 lakhs job applicants and offered job opportunities to 7670 of them till March 15, 2011.


List of 671 officers who fail to declare assets

The government has made public the names of 671 Central Secretariat Service officers who have failed to provide the immovable property returns (IPR) for the year 2009 as yet. The names include officers at the rank of under secretary, deputy secretary, director and joint secretary etc. Earlier media reports have suggested that none other than the Prime Minister himself was very keen on making the names of the defaulters public.
Complete List of Defaulters can be obtained from below link

http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/CircularPortal/D2/D02csd/ipr16.3.2011.pdf




14th April declared a Holiday


The government has decided to declare April 14 2011 (Thursday) as a closed holiday on account of the birthday of Dr BR Ambedkar for all central government offices, including industrial establishments throughout India. It is being notified in exercise of powers conferred by Section 25 of Negotiable Instruments Act 1881 (26 of 1881).


http://www.babusofindia.com/

Central government employees of performing ministries to get incentives from 2012


ALL Central government employees may get performance-related incentives as the UPA government is set to implement Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) as was recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission. The employees will start getting the incentives from April 2012. According to The Hindu newspaper quoting unnamed government sources, the announcement in this regard would be made in a few days.

BoI (babusofindia.com) in a report dated May 10, 2010 reported how Dr Prajapati Trivedi, secretary of the performance management division under cabinet secretariat, worked out a proposal under which senior administrators like secretary or additional secretary would get a bonus of no less than 20% of their salary provided his ministry meets 100% target and saves money from non-plan expenditure. The joint secretaries and other employees in Central government would also be major beneficiaries of the proposal which has the blessings of cabinet secretary KM Chandrasekhar and understandably of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. But if the performance of a department/ministry is 70% or less, the concerned officials won't get a penny as bonus. (Read: BoI report on incentives to officers, May 10, 2010)

According to media reports now, a Committee of Secretaries (COS) chaired by Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar approved the Performance Related Incentive Scheme (PRIS) on March 8, and details would be worked out soon. According to the proposal, all Central government employees working in performing departments (meeting over 70% targets) stand to benefit. Whereas for junior officials and employees, their own performance would determine the amount of incentives, the performance of the ministries or departments would count more in case of officers at the level of joint secretaries and above.

Currently, the performance of only 62 government departments are being judged by RFD (Results Framework Documents) system. So, it remains to be seen how the government would determine the incentives for officers of non-RFD ministries like PMO, home, defence and external affairs?

Friday, March 18, 2011

GOI to withdraw the coins of denomination of 25 paise and below

RBI instructs Banks to exchange Coins of 25 paise and Below for Facevalue

Date : 01 Feb 2011

The Reserve Bank of India has instructed the banks maintaining small coin depots (list annexed) to arrange for exchange of coins of denomination of 25 paise and below for their face value at their branches. Members of public can exchange small denomination coins at any branch of these banks. Exchange facility will also be available at all Issue Offices of the Reserve Bank. The coins will be exchanged at the branches of these banks/offices of the Reserve Bank till the close of business on June 30, 2011.

Coins of denomination of 25 paise and below will not be accepted for exchange at the bank branches from July 1, 2011 onwards.

It may be recalled that in exercise of powers conferred by Section15A of the Coinage Act, 1906(3of 1906), the Government of India has decided to withdraw the coins of denomination of 25 paise and below from circulation with effect from June 30, 2011. From this date, these coins shall cease to be legal tender for payment as well as on account.

J.D. Desai

Assistant Manager

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

UPSC’s CSAT prelim application form 2011


No one
 likes to read instruction manuals be it mobile phone or UPSC application. But still ….


IMPORTANT DETAILS

Question
Explanation
Name:
Your name in 10th standard certificate. (i.e. Matriculation, secondary or highschool whatever you call that thing.)
Different names in college and school certificates
1.      In college degree, your name is Abhishek Bacchan , but your 10th marksheet says its Bacchan Abhishek Amitabhbhai, then you write what 10th marksheet says.
Name change after marriage
2.      your 10th marksheet says "Jaya Bhaduri " but after marriage your name is changed to "Jaya Bacchan" then you write what 10th marksheet says.
Name changed after college, with court affidavit
Your name in 10th was Yatin Khanna but later you changed it to Rajesh Khanna in order to become a film-star (or whatever) again you write the name given in 10th.

DONOT write prefix like Mr.,Mrs., Shri, Kumar, SMT.,Dr.,Cpt., Etc
Gender
Male/female
Date of Birth:
Be very careful about this, and again what your 10th std. (matriculation) certificate says is final. If there is difference between DOB in your 10th and college degree, then 10th will be final.
If your 10th std certificate doesn't mention DOB, then whatever your school leaving certificate says is final.
Lower age limit is : you must be AT Least 21 years old on 1st august 2011
Upper age limit: varies with category. More explanation on http://j.mp/fGn8cF
Father's Name:
As it is in School Leaving Certificate
Mother's Name:
Nationality:
Indian just like Sunny Deol.
Marital Status
Married/unmarried/Widow
Physically Challenged
Yes/No.
UPSC guidelines regarding deafness, blindness are very vogue, but I've tried my best to compile them on following pages
Main page : http://j.mp/gSB3OR
Related questions
Still you've doubts, then keep in mind: according to UPSC, eligibility for availing reservation against vacancies reserved for physically disabled person shall be the same as prescribed in ''persons with disability (equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participapation) Act 1995"
That means refer to following act
Still no answer, then file an RTI application to UPSC.
Community
General/SC/ST/OBC
Be VERY CAREFul about this, you must make sure you've the required documents. E.g. some people come in State's backward list, but their caste is not in Central OBC list. Prelim form doesn't require any documents but in mains form, UPSC will ask you to give photocopies of every document and you'll be in trouble, if you don't have them.
If you belong to Minority
Yes/No.
Fee Remission Claimed
General category and OBC have to pay fees. [Rs.100 for paper application and Rs.50 for online]
SC/ST/Physically challenged and Women don't have to pay fees.
Address:
Suppose your address is changed later on, don't worry just call the helpdesk and they'll send you ticket to your new address after asking you some questions like date of birth etc.
Phone/Mobile
Do I need to explain this?
E-Mail:
Compulsory for online application
Age Relaxation Claimed:
Elaborate explanations on following page http://j.mp/fGn8cF
Need codes for offline form then see page number 31 of following pdf 
http://upsc.gov.in/exams/notifications/2011/CS2011/cs2011_eng.pdf

No of Attempts Already Made:
Examples
1.      If you filled up prelim forms in 2009, but did not appear in the exam then that attempt doesn't count. So you write 00
2.      You appeared in 2009,2010, then you write 02 attempts. (whether you passed prelim or failed in the exam that doesn't matter)
Number of attempts allowed, 
General= 4
OBC=7
SC/ST= infinite till they reach upper age limit.
Physically handicapped and Ex-servicemen = complex rules,
for more info see this link http://j.mp/fGn8cF
Educational Qualification:
1.      If regular college degree, make sure its recognized by UGC
2.      If distant education degree, it must be recognized by ( Distant Education council)
3.      American or any foreign degree, you must get certificate from Association of Indian Universities. Their building is next to Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi.
4.      If You're in last year or last semester in your college, you can still appear IF you'll get your final degree (or mark sheet) before August-end 2011.
Are you claiming exemption
from appearing in Indian
Language paper:
MOST IMPORTANT. They ask asking about compulsory regional language paper in mains (its marks are not counted in final merit list, but still you've to pass this paper)
But candidates from North-Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim are exempted from this paper.
Got it? In simple words, if you're not from North-east, you CANNOT claim exemption in this paper, and have to pick one language paper like Gujarati,Marathi,Hindi,Urduwhatever applies. (Again its marks are not counted in merit list)
Language:
Its continuation of above question, if you don't claim exemption, then you pick up one language, like I took Gujarati.
Optional Subject 1:
This is only for statistical purpose; you can change your optionals after prelims are over. So, if you're still undecided about subjects, don't worry just write anything for filling up the form.
Only keep in mind that following combos are not allowed
(a) Political Science & International Relations and Public Administration;
(b) Commerce & Accountancy and Management;
(c) Anthropology and Sociology;
(d) Mathematics and Statistics;
(e) Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science.
(f) Management and Public Administration;
(g) Of the Engineering subjects, viz., Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering–not more than one subject.
(h) Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science and Medical Science.
Optional Subject 2:
Centre for CSM Examination:
Mains exam is held in every city, where prelim exam is held. So pick up any center according to your convenience. Keep in mind Mains are held normally in October-end. So if you're changing job or hostel, think about where will you be at that time.
Medium of written
VERY IMPORNTAT. So pay attention. This is only for mains
Suppose you take English then, following papers
1.      GS I,II, must be written in English
2.      Essay must be written in English
3.      Optional-I and II must be written in English.
4.      Compulsory English paper = obviously in English
5.      Compulsory regional paper (like Hindi,Gujarati,Marathi)= ofcourse not in English but in that particular regional language!
Suppose one of your optional subject is literature of Urdu,Marathi,Gujarati whatever THEN you must write that optional in its script, even if you've English medium.
e.g. Candidate took English language, his 1st optional Public Administration = he'll write in English and his 2nd optional is Literature of Gujrati then he must write it in Gujarati.
You cannot change language for Essay and GS, e.g. if you took English then you write essay in English and CANNOT write it in Hindi or Oriya.
INTERVIEW Language
For interview, if you wrote mains exam in English, you must talk in English in the interview. (as per the rule)
If you wrote mains exam in non-english language (Gujarati,Hindi,etc) then you'll be given two options for interview medium: either talk in that regional language or talk in English.



FEES (GENERAL AND OBC ONLY)

Like I said ago, women,SC,ST and physically challenged people DONOT need to pay fees.

PAPER-APPLICATION (OFFLINE)

-          Goto post office, get a Rs.100 Central  recruitment stamp (NOT Regular or court stamp, mind it)
-          After you paste it on your form, give your form to the clerk and he'll put the post-office's stamp on it. This procedure is called 'getting your stamp cancelled'. You must do this.
-          You also need to get Rs.6 Postal ticket, and paste it on your acknowledgement card.

ONLINE APPLICATION AND INFINITE SBI LINE

-          After completing part-I of registration, they'll give you 2 options, either pay online via credit card or print the SBI challan slip and goto nearest SBI branch. Pay the money, the clerk will write a number on your slip, come back home and write that number in part-II of application.
-          Given the long queues in SBI, its not advised to visit it between 1 PM-3.30 PM (like you're 20th number in line at 1PM, by the time your number comes, its 2 PM and clerk goes on recess and comes at 3PM, in the mean time you too go somewhere and when you come back @3PM you're again 30th number in the line and everyone in front of you has transections of 5 lakh rupees (j/k) so each take 20 minutes, and by the time your number comes, the branch is closed.so you end up wasting your whole day in this vicious cycle.

PHOTO

Postal paper application
Online application
Must have name and Date of birth printed on it
So you go to photographer, get a new photo and ask him to print name-DOB on it.

Size limit:
3.5 cm. x 4.5 cm
-          Scanned Photo doesn't need name or DOB printed on it.
-          Don't take photo with webcam or cellphone like you do in facebook or orkut. You need to have a proper passport sized photo and then get it scanned. BECAUSE you'll have to paste the same photo in your mains application form.
Size limit :
1.      Height 140px and
2.      width 110 px and
3.      40 kilobytes.
You must meet these three conditions, but it's very easy just use the tutorial given in http://j.mp/ejoYtt

SIGNATURE

Merely writing your name in capital like "MRUNAL PATEL" doesn't make it signature. UPSC will not allow it.
Postal Paper application
Online application
Some people use 3 different signatures, one for official use, one in bank and one for signing couriers. You MUST remember your signature in prelim form, because you'll have to do the same signature in exam-hall. So better get a Xerox of filled up application form.
White paper, black ball pen. Sign and get it scanned.
Size limit for scanned signature
1.      Height 110 px
2.      Width 140 px
3.      40 kilobytes.
Again three conditions same tutorial http://j.mp/ejoYtt

Btw, unhappy with scanned signature quality or want to know what is acceptable signature in UPSC form, then visit http://j.mp/hxeExJ

MUST DO

PAPER APPLICATION

1.      After filling up the form, get it Xeroxed. And only then you send it via post.
2.      The application form number is very very important. You save it in your mobile as a 'contact'
3.      Rs.6/- postal ticket on acknowledge-card (for everyone)
4.      In case of missing application form, Speed post's receipt comes handy to get admitted at later stage.
5.      I'm told by my seniors, that clerks at UPSC don't like to sign anything, so they don't take applications sent via Registered post or courier. So better send it via normal or speed post.

ONLINE APPLICATION

1.      Registration number very important, save it in your mobile as a 'contact'
2.      Print down the final completed application form.
3.      If you don't have print then goto File>Save as>Save as complete webpage> to anywhere in your harddisk. And get it printed later on.
Last but not the least

*CAUTION* MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS BY SAME PERSON

1.      UPSC says they'll accept only one application and reject the duplicate applications by same person
2.      But in reality they send admit-card to everyone. So if you apply twice, you get two hall-tickets. Simple use any one and discard the other one. But you need to check which hall-ticket is allotted to which application-form??
-          Suppose  in first form you mistakenly wrote your Date of birth as 1-1-1985 and sent it but then you realized the mistake, so you filled up a new form with correct date of birth like 1-1-1986.
-          Now if you get two admit cards, you'll be in trouble if you use the hall-ticket allotted to first application (because it has wrong Date of birth).
-          So to fix this, once you get your hall-ticket, goto UPSC website enter your application form number (or registration number) and it'll show you the roll number allotted to it.
-          Since online application has been started for the first time, UPSC is unlikely to reject your application on trivial issues like low quality photo/signature so don't worry.

APPLICATION LOST DURING POSTAL TRANSFER

·        If that happens, you can still get admitted if you've docs to prove that you indeed applied. That's why speed post receipt comes in help.
·        I'm told by my seniors, that clerks at UPSC don't like to sign anything, so they don't take applications sent via Registered post or courier.

DONT BE A LORD CURZON AND GET A PHOTOCOPY OF FINISHED APPLICATION FORM

·        Whether you're applying for single time or multiple times, ALWAYS get a photocopy of finished paper-application form, before sending it.
·        I've seen careless people, who never take photocopy of finished form and after a week or two they start doubting whether they filled up the form right or not, so they send a new form.
·        Sometimes they don't receive hallticket on time and don't even know their stupid application form number so even the UPSC helpdesk can't help them.
So always get a photocopy, before sending a Government job application.
·        same thing for online application, do take a printout or save the whole webpage
source : http://mrunal-exam.blogspot.com/