Civil Service (Prelims) 2012 results declared

Results of the Preliminary Examination of the Civil  Services Examination that was conducted by the UPSC on 20th May 2012 have been announced. On the basis of the result of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2012  conducted by the UPSC on 20th May 2012, the candidates with the following roll numbers have qualified to write the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2012.


The candidature of these candidates is provisional. In accordance with the rules of the examination, all these candidates have to apply again in the Detailed Application Form (DAF), which would be available on the website of the Union Public Service Commission www.upsc.gov.in. All the qualified candidates are advised to fill up the DAF and submit the same ONLINE for admission to the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2012 to be held from 5 October 2012.


The DAF will be available on the website of the Commission from 1 August 2012 till 21 August 2012 (11.59pm). Important instructions regarding filling up of the DAF and submitting the same ONLINE to the Commission would also be available on the website. The candidates who have been declared successful have to first get themselves registered on the relevant page of the website before filling up the ONLINE Detailed Application Form.


The qualified candidates are further advised to refer to the Rules of the Civil Services Examination, 2012 published in the gazette of India (Extraordinary) of Department of Personnel and Training notification dated 4 Feb 2012, which is also available on the website of the Commission.


After submitting the DAF duly filled in ONLINE, the candidates are required to take out a print out of the finally submitted DAF separately and will have to send the printed copy of the DAF duly signed by the candidates alongwith all relevant documents including the prescribed fees, wherever applicable as enclosures addressed to:

The Under Secretary [CS(M)],
Union Public Service Commission,
Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road,
New Delhi-110069,

so as to reach the Commission's Office latest by 27 August 2012. The envelope containing the print out of the DAF submitted ONLINE should be superscribed "Application for Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2012". It can also be delivered at Union Public Service Commission counter by hand till 27 August 2012 (5.00 P.M). It may be noted that mere submission of application form does not, ipso facto, confer on any right for admission to the Main Examination.


The admission certificate alongwith the time table of the Main Examination will be issued to the eligible candidates 2-3 weeks before the commencement of the examination. Changes, if any, in the postal address after submission of the DAF may be communicated to the Commission at once. The Union Public Service Commission have a Facilitation Counter near the Examination Hall Building in its Campus.

Contact:

Candidates may obtain any information/clarification regarding their result of the above mentioned examination on all working days between 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM, in person or on Tel. No. 011-23385271, 011-23098543 or 011-23381125 from this Facilitation Counter. Candidates can also obtain information regarding their result by accessing Union Public Service Commission Website
www.upsc.gov.in.

 The result of Roll Nos.253465 has been withheld.

Click here to see the entire list of roll numbers who have qualified to write the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2012 

Source: Official Website of UPSC

SPV in India - 5 basic Q & A

SPV in India - 5 basic Q & A

1. SPV - What it is ?

The acronym stands for special purpose vehicle.
In the US, the term used is special purpose entity (SPE).
The name SPV is given to an entity which is formed for a specific purpose.
An SPV can ONLY be formed for any lawful purpose.
An SPV is, primarily, a business association of persons or entities eligible to participate in the association.
According to Joy Jain of PricewaterhouseCoopers,
an SPV is mainly formed to raise funds by collateralising future receivables.

2. Difference between a SPV and a company?

Technically, an SPV is a company.
It has to follow the rules of formation of a company laid down in the Companies Act.
Like a company, the SPV is an artificial person.
It has all the attributes of a legal person.
It is independent of members subscribing to the shares of the SPV.
The SPV has an existence of its own in the eyes of law.
It can sue and be sued in its name.
The SPV has to adhere to all the regulations laid down in the Companies Act.
Members of an SPV are mostly the companies and individuals sponsoring the entity.
An SPV can also be a partnership firm.
This, however, is unusual and not popular.

The company, as distinguished from an SPV, may be called a general purpose vehicle.
A company may do many things which are mentioned in the memorandum of association (MoA)
or permitted by the Companies Act.
An SPV may also do the same, but its scope of operation is limited and focused.
If it is not so, the SPV had better be called a company.
The MoA is quite narrow in the case of an SPV.
This is primarily to provide comfort to lenders who are concerned about their investment.

3. How is an SPV established?

Like a company, an SPV must have promoter(s) or sponsor(s).
Usually, a sponsoring corporation hives off assets or activities
from the rest of the company into an SPV.
This isolation of assets is important for providing comfort to investors.
The assets or activities are distanced from the parent company,
hence the performance of the new entity will not be affected
by the ups and downs of the originating entity.
The SPV will be subject to fewer risks
and thus provide greater comfort to the lenders.
What is important here is the distance between the sponsoring company and the SPV.
In the absence of adequate distance between the sponsor and the new entity,
the later will not be an SPV but only a subsidiary company.
A good SPV should be able to stand on its feet,
independent of the sponsoring company.
Unfortunately, this does not happen in practice.
One of the reasons for the collapse of the Enron SPV
was that it became a vehicle for furthering
the ends of the parent company in violation of the prudential norms
of corporate financing and accounting.

4. What are the advantages of setting up an SPV?

The biggest advantage is that it helps in separating the risk and freeing up the capital.
As a result, the SPV and the sponsoring company are protected against risks like insolvency,
which may arise during the course of operation.
The SPV also allows securitisation of assets without disturbing the managerial relationship.
Under the arrangement, any predictable income stream generated by secure assets
can be securitised.
According to some estimates,
the worldwide securitisation market has increased
from $1.2 billion of transactions in 1985, to $544 billion in 2003.
Basically, a company can leverage future earnings to raise funds.

5. Will the SPV help in raising funds for the infrastructure sector?

The funds requirement for this sector are huge.
There are different organisations,
like the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC),
Power Finance Corporation (PFC),
Indian Rail Finance Corporation (IRFC) etc.,
which are engaged in raising funds for development of infrastructure sector projects
for the sectors they are involved in.
The proposed SPV, which is likely to be a government company,
will add to the availability of long-term funds for infrastructure sector projects.

http://spvindia.blogspot.in

Central Processing Centre (CPC) of Income Tax Dept.

Ever since the Central Processing Centre (CPC) started functioning to its full capacity in Bangalore from April-2010, the time taken to process refunds has reduced significantly and has helped the department to cope with the rapid growth in the number of tax payers.

This has led to a sharp increase in the number of e-return filers resulting in the increase of refunds by the department as the computer-based system generates refunds automatically. About 60 per cent of the tax collection target of the department is met through the collection of TDS.

To assist taxpayers, a limited call center service with two agents has been established at ITD-CPC, Bangalore. Taxpayer queries on status of ITR-V receipt at CPC, Bangalore will be answered on 080-22546500 aand on toll Free no. 1800-425- 2229 between 9:30 AM to 6 PM. The service will be available in English, Hindi and Kannada.

In FY2012, CPC processed 1.32 crores returns, a 47% increase over FY 2011. Rectification requests received by CPC has dropped from ove r 10% of returns filed in AY08-09, to 6.5% in AY 09-10, to 3.8% in AY 10-11 and further to just about 2.9% in AY 11-12 FY 2012 saw several milestones / records set by CPC. Between October 2011 and December 2011, the Financial Accounting System (FAS) at ITDCPC was revamped completely with three rounds of enhancements which resulted in a quantum jump in daily throughput. This resulted in:

a. Highest ever weekly processing of 7.06 lakhs in the week ended 30th December 2011

b. Highest ever monthly processing of 22.35 lakhs in December 2011

c. Highest ever quarterly processing of 53.6 lakh returns for Q3 2011

d. Week ended 6th January 2012, we generated and issued 1.9 lakh refunds

e. Consequent to the increase in throughput the average time for processing a return from the date of receipt of ITRV has dipped to below 40 days

f. Faster processing has also helped in a significant drop in refund reissue requests from 10% of refunds in AY 2009-10 to about 3% of refunds generated in AY 11-12.

Key Highlights-Financial Year 2012

Among other activities the following were key highlights of FY 2012.

· A countrywide email and post campaign was launched by CPC to inform the assessees of past tax demand lying in their names - over 17 lakhs emails and 8 lakh postal intimations were sent· A new digitization platform was developed, and 1.6 lakh paper returns have been picked up in March for processing.

· Facility for online request of Refund reissue to a new address and intimation request was launched in 

· For the first time ever CPC set up a demand management team to inform high demand assessees about the need to rectify their returns. An intense email, phone and even direct conversation with assessees helped in the filing of rectification requests reducing demand for over Rs3000crores.

· CPC also undertook several assesse / stakeholder interactive sessions in the year. This includes sessions in Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Vijayawada, Guntur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Indore, besides interior locations in Karnataka like Mangalore, Belgaum, Hubli and Udupi. The latter sessions played an important role in reducing paper filing of returns across Karnataka.

· Besides meetings were held in CPC with key stakeholders like the Bombay Chartered Accountants Association, the Karnataka Chartered Accountants Association etc.

· CPC has also recommended several changes in the income tax forms and enhancement of validation checks when returns are being filed - a lot of which has been accepted by the department

· CPC also worked with the press to educate the public on the benefits of E filing of returns.

For more details see : http://www.simpletaxindia.net/2012/01/centralised-processing-of-income-tax.html  http://www.caclubindia.com/news/details-of-central-processing-centre-cpc--11790.asp#.UBDzSmGJTpc

UPSC cut-off marks for Prelims-2010 & 2011

http://mrunal.org/2011/11/official-cut-off-finally-upsc-declared.html

http://mrunal.org/2012/07/rti-upsc-cse2011-mru.html

Income Tax Department Starts More Taxpayer Friendly Initiatives

Income Tax Department Starts  More Taxpayer Friendly Initiatives : 'Register for Home Visit' and 'Online Tax Help & Tax Kiosks'

In order to make the Income Tax Return filing experience even more convenient, the Income Tax Department has started more taxpayer friendly initiatives 'Register for Home Visit' and 'Online Tax Help'. To avail these facilities, a taxpayer must visit the website www.trpscheme.com and take help of trained professionals either online or at their homes. The taxpayer can choose between 'online help' or 'home visit'.

On choosing the option of online tax help, the taxpayer can fill in his tax related query along with his contact details. The online query will be resolved by tax experts through Email or Phone within 24 hours.The taxpayers who choose to register for home visit, will be asked to indicate in short the help required by them and a convenient date and time when the Tax Return Preparer (TRP) can visit them for assistance. The help desk will forward the query of the taxpayer to the nearest available TRP and fix the appointment telephonically. The TRP will then visit the taxpayer and render assistance. The facility is aimed to facilitate taxpayers in filing their return and thereby reducing their cost of compliance. The TRPs are allowed to collect fee from the taxpayers as per the TRP notification subject to a maximum of Rs. 250 per return preparation. The facility for home visit by TRPs has been presently made available in few cities such asBangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Patna. The facility would be extended to more cities during the next phase. The TRP scheme call center 1800-10-23738 may be called for further information regarding these initiatives.

The Tax Return Preparer Scheme is an initiative of the Income Tax Department to help small and marginal tax payers in filing of their Income Tax Returns. This Scheme is  applicable to individual and HUF tax payers who can take assistance of TRPs in preparation and filing of their Income Tax Returns. The TRPs are self employed graduates who are trained by the Income Tax Department for filing of Income Tax Returns as well as quarterly TDS statements. The TRPs are authorized to collect nominal charges of Rs.

250 or less from the tax payers for preparing their Income Tax Returns. The Department also pays incentive to the TRPs for preparing of returns of tax payers which is a percentage of the total tax paid as per the returns prepared by the TRP subject to a maximum of Rs. 1000/

The Income Tax Department, Mumbai is setting-up 'Tax Kiosks', manned by Tax Return Preparers, at various locations in Mumbai to assist the Individual & HUF taxpayers in preparation and filing of their Returns of Income. Prescribed fees of Rs.250/- per return shall be payable by the taxpayer to such TRPs. The 'Tax Kiosks' will be functional in certain residential areas on 22nd of July, 2012 from 09:30 AM till 05:00 PM and in certain offices on 24th & 25 th of July, 2012 from 09:30 AM till 05:00 PM. The exact location and address of these 'Tax Kiosks' may be kindly obtained from the Departmental website, i.e. www.incometaxindia.gov.in or from the office of the Public Relations Officer.

Postage Stamp and Coffee Table Book on Indian Customs

For the First Time A Commemorative Postage Stamp and Coffee Table Book on Customs to be Released Today (26th July 2012) to Mark 50 Years of Achievements under the Customs Act 1962

The Union Minister of Communication & Information Technology Shri Kapil Sibal will release  a commemorative Postage Stamp on Indian Customs to commemorate 50 years of achievements under the Customs Act, 1962. Shri S.S. Palanimanickam, Minister of State for Finance (Revenue and Disinvestment) will be the Guest of Honour and release a Coffee Table Book on Indian Customs on this occasion. This is for the first time in the history of Indian Customs that a Postage Stamp and a Coffee Table book on Indian Customs are going to be released. The function will be held at Vigyan Bhawan on 26th July, 2012. The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) is celebrating 2012 as the Golden Jubilee year to commemorate 50 years of the Customs Act, 1962. The Postage Stamp and the Coffee Table book have to be released as a part of these celebrations and to recognize the all round contribution of the Customs Department to nation building.

The origins of the present day Customs Act, 1962 can be traced back to the Sea Customs Act, 1878, the Inland Bonded Warehouses Act, 1896, the Land Customs Act, 1924 and the Aircraft Act, 1934. Post independence, the need was felt to consolidate the provisions of the Sea Customs Act and the Land Customs Act in a common customs statute. This consolidation took place in 1962 in the form of the present day Customs Act, 1962 which was notified on 23rd January, 1963. It came into force on 1st February, 1963, 50 years ago. Indian Customs is the guardian of the nation`s economic frontiers. It has the challenging task of guarding over 22000 kms of country's land borders and coast line.

Great Leaders Possess Character

In his latest work, John Mattone identifies the six elements of character, the vital source of leadership.

As a coach, if I can isolate a leader's value system, I will have also isolated their character—they are intertwined and cannot be separated. Great leaders—truly great leaders possess character. The word, "character" is from a Latin root that means "engraved". A life, like a block of granite carved upon with care or hacked at with reckless disregard, will at the end, be either a masterpiece or marred rubble. Character, the composite of values and virtues etched in that living stone, will define its true worth. No cosmetic enhancement, no decorative drapery can make useless stone into enduring art. Only character can do that.

In my work I have identified six elements of character:

1. Courage
True courage—noble courage, the authentic, spontaneous act of self-sacrificial concern for the defenseless—is not fanaticism but character. Courage is not the feeling of fearlessness. It is rather the willingness of mind necessary to act out of conviction rather than feeling. I have coached many leaders who feel quite fearless but act in sometimes a cowardly manner. Conversely, I have worked with many executives who are fearful yet behave with incredible courage. Great leaders are courageous. It is beyond valor—in fact, heroism and courage are not synonymous, since there are acts of heroism every day that are acts of impulse rather than true character. The measure of true character is consistency—as we all know business heroes, public heroes, sports heroes who were bold enough to make a heroic mark but could not sustain it over time—as they misstep, fall prey to controversy, financial ruin and criminal activity. These people were never truly courageous—only brave at a point in time. Courage is the greatest character element any leader must possess—as it is the catalytic agent that mobilizes every other virtue in the face of crisis. Knowing right from wrong is one thing; taking the right action based on this knowledge is yet another. Courageous leaders inspire their people and teams to achieve incredible new heights—it is the foundation for creating the "will do" and "must do" in people.

2. Loyalty
Where is the loyalty? Where has all the loyalty gone? Loyalty is the very fabric of community. Relationships cannot be developed, nurtured or prospered when there is no trust to glue mutuality of commitment. When loyalty is lost, the fabric of relationship unravels. Loyalty is the willingness—because of relationship commitments—to deflect praise, admiration and success onto others. Loyalty is a two-way street—it must function both upwardly and downwardly. Upward loyalty is shown to your boss. Are you willing to allow your boss to take credit while sometimes taking the blame? If a mid-level executive shows any disloyalty—either upward or downward—the fabric of community in that organization will begin to erode.

3. Diligence
In my coaching work, I sometimes encounter an executive who is looking for the quickest, shortest way….the easiest way….the way that will produce the greatest returns for them….and on and on. I tell them directly there are none that exist. There are no short-cuts to achieving anything worthwhile and there are countless stories of CEOs, senior executives, and entrepreneurs who are quick to reinforce this undeniable notion that there is no substitute for hard work. When I encounter these executives, I get them connected with leaders who can share their experiences in vivid detail so they begin to vicariously experience both the positive and negatively charged references that give them a dose of reality and perspective. Diligence is a necessary—but not sufficient—condition for achieving leadership excellence but it does provide the leader with a solid foundation that will serve to minimize the depth of their setbacks. The diligent leader is a steady performer, and the steady performer is a finisher. Great leaders want accountability and are serious about their obligations—unfortunately there are many managers who are spiraling to lower maturity because of their unwillingness to finish—to be held accountable and follow-through on their obligations.

4. Modesty
Modesty means living within limits. It is the opposite of being "bold"—putting oneself forward in the sense of aggressiveness or presumptuous. It is the opposite of arrogance. The greatest leaders are confident but they recognize that they are also not too good, too big, too rich, too powerful to be open to the views and perspective of others all aimed at self-improvement and organizational improvement. Modest leaders see fiscal and operational constraints as safeguards—not hindrances. Modest leaders are able to invoke their own limits as they begin to realize again through positively charged references that greater individual and team results will be realized. Modesty is also a key counter-balancing mechanism that keeps a leader's emotions in balance. I have coached countless executives in how to accept and adopt a more immodest, prudent view of themselves and the operations they run and the absolute key in getting them to transform is helping them see that it is their own need for attention that drives their arrogance and the results they are achieving are less than if they had adopted a more calm self-acceptance approach in handling challenges.

5. Honesty
There is a line between shrewd business and dishonesty. However, it is not nearly as fine as we think. Great leaders work hard to bend over backward for honesty as they realize truth and honesty are the pillars upon which relationships, teamwork, and positive energy are built. Great leaders are comfortable missing out on deals rather than to use deception to win. Great leaders would rather make a minor profit with honesty than a major one without it. Exaggerations, padded expense accounts, deliberately shaved tax forms submitted without hesitation, showing up for work late, leaving early, and theft of company property (which now reaches into the billions annually) are all acts of dishonesty. Mature leaders create an environment in which they themselves live and promote a truthful, above-board, honest existence.

6. Gratitude
Great leaders demonstrate enormous respect and appreciation for the sum of all their references (both positive and negative) as they know in their mind and heart that the very essence of who they are is inextricably tied to the sum of their experiences. They know and respect that they have learned to grow and mature as leaders through the highs and lows and they appreciate their reference reservoirs as nothing more than a ratio of positively charged references divided by all of their experiences. It's a batting average. Just like a batting average, the higher the better but much can be learned by striking out every now and then. In fact, it keeps us in balance and we appreciate the hits all that much more with a healthy dose of setback. This is one of the great challenges I see with younger executives who desire way too much, too fast—as many are just unwilling to see the value in experiencing setbacks—it slows them down but the setback teaches contrast, it teaches gratitude for all experiences and special gratitude when the "hit" actually occurs. Gratitude as an element of character is also at the root of providing praise and recognition to others. Saying "thank you," "I appreciate you hard work," originates from this element—it requires selflessness but showing honest gratitude to your people and your team will propel them to new heights.

This is an exclusive excerpt from John Mattone's new book, Talent Leadership: A Proven Method for Identifying & Developing High-Potential Employees (AMACOM, 2012). John Mattone is one of the thinkers featured on the Thinkers50 Radar.

 

source : http://www.thinkers50.com/blog/great-leaders-possess-character

Winners do things that losers don’t like to do- Shiv Khera

 

Shiv Khera, famed motivational speaker, author, business consultant and social and political activist has built a successful business around motivating people to win. It all started, he says, from an inspiring motivational lecture by Dr Norman Vincent Peale and his experiences selling life insurance. Apart from his greatly in demand motivational workshops, he has also written several books including the international bestseller You Can Win and is actively involved in social and political issues. He was recently in Goa where he hosted a one-day workshop on how to sell successfully.

Excerpts of the interview:

Three most important or 'golden rules' for achieving success

Persistance: Persistence which is basically the bounce back ability. Success is not measured by how high we go in life but by how many times we bounce back when we fail. Be it Thomas Edison or Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, they are all prefect examples of persistence.

Hard work: there is no substitute to hard work in life. These days people talk about working smarter versus harder. But, if you could become a neurosurgeon by taking a weekend course, you would have neurosurgeons cutting off peoples' heads on the street. Take for example Olympic gold medalists and record holder Michael Phelps, he has trained for over 10,000 hours for 15 seconds of performance. Most people want to succeed but very few are willing to pay the price to prepare to succeed.

Clear Focus: Most of us don't have clear focus. However, unless you have a clear destination, how can you find directions? Destination determines direction. Most of us lose focus of our target and hence, end up not succeeding in life. Look at any successful person, they have very clear focus and once they set their targets, they do not deviate.

To succeed, you need to do whatever it takes to achieve the target, put in that extra effort, even when it hurts. The difference between a good and a bad professional is that a good professional is that even on a bad day, a good professional's output remains the same as that on a good day. They won't compromise on the quality of performance.

How do you deal with personal lows and motivate yourself?

There is a difference between failing and failure. However, people confuse failing with failure and get disheartened, pack up and quit. But this is where focus, maturity of thinking and concentration come in. One has to be willing to pay the price to succeed. The need to motivate oneself arises in all of us, including me. Our minds don't need just thoughts, they need positive thoughts, and on a daily basis. Also, there is a difference between inspiration and motivation. Motivation is action. It is the consequence of inspiration. When thinking changes, that becomes our motive for action.

You have worked as a car washer and a life insurance agent among others before you became a world class motivational speaker. What was the turning point?

There were many turning points. I was born in a business family who used to have coal mines in Dhanbad. However, the nationalisation of coal mines by Indian government meant we literally came on the street. I decided to move abroad. I started out washing cars and then moved on to selling insurance. One of my clients was Dr Norman Vincent Peale. I heard him say 'problem is a sign of life. It will be there no matter what. What is important is our attitude to face it. By having a negative attitude we become our own biggest problems'. That was one of my turning point.

Selling life insurance, I would say, was another major turning point. Selling is a rejection business, you need to go through 20 nos before you get one yes. Most people get so demotivated that they quit. If you survive and thrive selling life insurance, many things in life become a lot easier. That was one of the best things that could have happened to me.

Your trademark quote 'Winners don't do different things, they do things differently' is a roaring success. Tell us a little about it

People often ask me what sets winners apart. Firstly, winners do things that losers don't like to do. Interestingly, these things that losers don't like to do, winner don't like doing them either. However, they do them anyways because they have got into the habit of doing the things they 'don't like to do'. For example, waking up early in the morning or working hard. This habit is what makes the difference.

Secondly, winners always put in that extra effort, even when it hurts. Athletes train for 15 years for 15 seconds of performance. Take the case of Michael Phelps. Two years before his spectacular Beijing Olympics performance he fractured his arm and doctors told him he wouldn't be able to swim. But he did it and excelled at it.

In football, if you ask a high scorer his secret, he will always tell you that he isn't where the ball is, but where the ball is coming. That's the key. Good leaders preempt and prevent. Bad leaders only do post-mortems of problems.

Your book 'You Can Win' is an international bestseller. What made you write this book?

The book was probably in my head since about 40 years before it actually came out. I finished penning it in 1997. The USP of the book is that it addresses day to day issues like how to bounce back? What do you do? What are the challenges you face? People think winners are lucky to be at the right place at the right time. What they don't see, however, is the struggle behind the success. Walt Disney went bankrupt seven times in life but that didn't stop him.

The book has also been credited with initiating the trend of personality development books...

I don't think that is the case. Even back then, when I wrote it, there were hundreds of self help books. What made the difference, I think, is the awareness that was brought in by my programmes after which people saw the book, read it, bought it and started referring to it. The book is not like a trend. The principles it carries are time tested.

Your brush with politics was, however, not as successful. Did it leave a bitter aftertaste or will you throw your hat into the political ring again?

I stepped back from politics because it became a little too stressful for me, both physically and financially. But is it over and out of my system? I don't think so. If something bothers you, it will bother you and keep on bothering you. The things we see happening in politics today are rather disturbing. The worrisome question is the disconnect people feel. The reservation, the caste system, the regionalism and the corruption are all lying concerns. Politics is not just contesting elections. If I can't be a good leader, I can certainly be a good follower.

Your views on Goa.

It's a great place to be. But I think it can be developed into a stunning tourist destination provided we build the infrastructure, bring in the required law and order, the social responsibility, cleanliness and also the affordability. If all this is taken care of, Goa definitely has great potential. Unfortunately, here in India, things have had potential for thousands of years. The question is when do you see it.

Numerous Goan/Indian youngsters leave the state/country, each year for better prospects. What would you say to them to motivate them to stay and give their best to benefit the state?

If they are leaving for better prospects, why should they not? They have their whole life ahead of them. Moves like these make them stronger financially, physically, mentally and emotionally thus making them better. If they are going out to better their prospects in life, I think they deserve it. The Governments are anyways not doing anything much for them.

You have a very dedicated (and growing) following. What is it that draws people to you?

I think it's the practicality of what we do and talk about. Our messages appeal to their logic and emotions thinking and feeling together.

If not an emotional motivator, what would be Shiv Khera's claim to fame

People say that I am a teacher. All I can say, however, is I am a student. Every year I go through programmes, read books myself. I think if anyone has to be a good teacher, they have to first be a good student.

Tell us a little about your NGO, Country First Foundation

Through my NGO, I have filed three Public Interest Litigations (PILs) in theSupreme Court. One is that the right to elect must be accompanied by the right to reject. The second is that there must be witness protection programmes in India and the third is that reservation should not be based on caste or religion but on economic situation. I am in the process of filing a fourth one – on alleged corruption in the justice delivery organ of our democracy. That apart, every month we organize a blood donation camp in Delhi.

Please elaborate on your PIL about reservation.

The PIL is that reservation should not be based on caste or religion, but that economics should be the criteria as caste or religion based reservation is leading to a further division in the country. The mess that has engulfed most of India is the result of the dirty caste politics being played by our politicians. All parties have given an approval for a caste based census. I think that is disgraceful. Sadly enough our Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and the others next to him who are all Oxford, Harvard and Princeton graduates are neither ignorant nor innocent and what they are doing is absolutely disgraceful.

Our political system has done nothing for the tribals and the lower caste in the last 60 years. Look what has happened with tribals. The police have gone into the villages and raped their women, they come to the police station and get raped a second time, and then, when they went to the court for a legal redressal, the legal system raped them yet again. At a time like this, what choice do they have except to either commit suicide or take up the gun? If they commit suicide they are called cowards and if they pick up the gun, criminals. Of course violence is wrong but who is the biggest violator of peace today? It is the government. If we have any mafia in the country today, it is the Government.

There has been news of a PG Diploma course that you plan to initiate.

I was looking at setting it up, but have postponed the plan because of my own poor health. The course will be a one year post graduate diploma in leadership and management and the aim is to create leaders who can mange versus managers who cannot lead

 

source : http://www.businessgoa.net/content/winners-do-things-losers-don%E2%80%99t-do-shiv-khera

Assam innovator "Uddhab Bharali"- NASA Technology Award

Assam innovator "Uddhab Bharali" has been shortlisted for the
prestigious NASA Technology Award:

The US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has
shortlisted Assamese innovator Uddhab Bharali for its prestigious NASA
Technology Award.

Bharali has also been nominated for the World Technology Award 2012
given by World Technology Network.

Based in North Lakhimpur town in north-eastern Assam, Bharali has 39
universal patents to his name. But the 45-year-old innovator is best
known for his mini pomegranate de-seeder.

"I am among the 26 innovators from across the globe to have qualified
for the NASA award," Bharali said from his hometown.
"I have qualified for developing the mini pomegranate de-seeder, which
has become very popular in the United States."

The machine, exported to the US and Turkey, separates the outer cover
and thin inner membrane of a pomegranate without damaging the seeds.
It has a capacity of de-seeding 50-55 kg of pomegranates per hour.

Bharali said NASA briefed him about the system involved in deciding the winners.

"Out of the 26 who have qualified, 10 would be given the award through
online voting. Getting requisite votes is secondary; qualifying for
the award is recognition as an international innovator," he added.

The nomination for the World Technology Award, on the other hand, is
for the mini CTC tea plant that Bharali had designed.

Small enough to be set up in a 14ft by 20ft space, his tea plant
follows all established procedures of massive tea producing machines
and can produce up to 100kg of tea per day with a power intake of only
2KW.

Bharali began innovating in 1988, and his first device was a polythene
filmmaking unit. He has since innovated 98 engineering devices

Know your customs duty on any Imports

CBEC has developed an "Interactive Customs Tariff" application as part
of the ongoing trade facilitative measures which was also launched by
Chairman, CBEC.

The purpose of the application is to enhance public access to
information on duty payment and other regulatory requirements for
clearance of goods, when imported into India. The application is
designed to show various customs and other applicable duties. It helps
the importers in calculation of actual effective duty applicable by
taking into account the various exemption notifications. It also
provides alerts related to anti-dumping duties and MRP based
abatements and displays Compulsory Compliance Requirements (CCRs).

It is envisaged that the Customs Interactive Tariff would assist the
trade in understanding the statutory and other regulatory requirements
for clearance of goods and usher greater transparency in the
functioning of the Customs department. The department would be making
all efforts to constantly address any issues that may arise in using
this website in order to improve user experience

http://www.icegate.gov.in/Webappl/

RTE: 95% schools don’t comply with RTE guidelines

Right to free education is a dream of every welfare state, India took
initiative in this regard by introducing RTE but it appears that it is
still a dream. Two years have been passed since the Right to Education
came into existence but its goal is still unfulfilled more than 95 per
cent of schools in the country do not comply with its guidelines, a
research by an NGO has found.

Data compiled by RTE forum with inputs from its members from across
the country points out that only one out of 10 schools in 2010-11 had
drinking water facilities, while two out of every five schools lacked
a functional toilet.

The report also shows lack of training facilities for teachers,
adversely affecting the quality of primary education in India.

Nearly 36 per cent of all sanctioned posts of teachers in the country
are lying vacant. Of this, the national capital alone accounts for
21,000 vacancies, while 1,000 posts are vacant in Odisha, RTE forum's
report says.

The guidelines under the RTE act specify that schools "established,
owned, controlled or substantially funded by the government or local
authorities" must ensure that the vacancy of teachers "shall not
exceed 10 per cent of the total sanctioned strength".

The study also found teachers in Haryana being engaged in non-teaching
activities like construction work or working as contractors in the
mid-day meal programme.

"No teacher shall be deployed for any non-educational purpose other
than the decennial population census, disaster relief duties or duties
relating to elections to the local authority or the state legislature
or parliament," according to the guidelines of the RTE act.

The data shows that the national average for pupil to teacher ratio is
worryingly high at 1:80, against the prescribed ratio of 1:30 for
primary and 1:35 for upper primary level under the act.

"There is an urgent need to mobilise people who can demand that the
government do its part in implementing the act. As a civil society
organisation, we will create awareness among people and monitor the
implementation of the act," convener of RTE forum Ambarish Rai said.

http://www.legalindia.in/rte-95-schools-dont-comply-with-rte-guidelines

1500 Scholarships to differently abled students

The Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,
is implementing two Scholarship schemes through the National
Handicapped Finance & Development Corporation (NHFDC)

(1) 1000 Scholarships under Trust Fund &

(2) 500 Scholarships under National Fund. These scholarships are for
students with disabilities (with disability 40% and above) for
pursuing professional courses during the academic year 2012-2013.

1000 scholarships under Trust Fund will be awarded in 2012-13 to
students with disabilities for professional courses at Graduate and
Post Graduate level.

Under this scheme, total non-refundable fee is reimbursed as
applicable to Govt. Institutions. In addition, maintenance and
books/stationery allowance to the tune of Rs. 31,000/- for Graduate
Course and Rs. 40,000/- for Post Graduate Courses are also allowed.

Financial assistance will also be provided for purchase of aids and
appliances for visual & hearing impaired students (once in life-time).
This scholarship scheme is restricted to those students with
disabilities whose total family income is not more than Rs. 3 lakh per
annum.

A novel feature of this scheme is that students can apply anytime
during the academic year 2012-13. Even students pursuing
correspondence courses are eligible under this scheme.

A student is required to send an advance copy on-line to NHFDC
(www.nhfdc.nic.in ) and send printed copy to National Handicapped
Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC), Red Cross Bhawan,
Sector-12, Faridabad-121007 along with the requisite documents

( i). Academic record – attested copies of relevant certificates/mark
sheets for the qualifying examination.

ii) Proof of annual income – Proof of income shall include last salary
slip of parent/guardian, acknowledgement of income tax/income
certificate from revenue official/gazetted officer/public
representative e.g. MP, MLA, MLC, Panchayat officials etc.

iii) Disability certificate.

iv) Course fee receipt if any, duly paid during the academic session,

v) Receipt/Invoice of eligible assistive devices duly countersigned by
the authorized signatory of the institution,

vi) In case of continuation of scholarship in a succeeding year, a
copy of the mark sheet of the preceding year.

500 Scholarships under National Fund will be awarded in the year
2012-13 to students with disabilities for higher academic/professional
or technical courses Ph.D/M.Phil/PG Level/Graduate or at
Diploma/Certificate level.

Financial assistance can be given for computer with editing software
for blind/deaf graduate and post-graduate students pursuing
professional courses and for support access software for cerebral
palsy students.

This Scholarship scheme is restricted to those handicapped students
whose total family income up to Rs. 1.80 lakh per annum. A student
must apply before last date i.e. 31.08.2012.

A student is required to send an advance copy on-line to NHFDC
(www.nhfdc.nic.in) and send printed copy to National Handicapped
Finance and Development Corporation (NHFDC), Red Cross Bhawan,
Sector-12, Faridabad-121007 along with the requisite documents

i). Academic records (attested copy of certificates and Mark sheets –
Matriculation & above),

ii) Family Income Certificate/ Proof of annual income, e.g. Salary
Slip, last Income tax Assessment order,

iii) Attested copy of Disability Certificate,

iv) Course fee receipt (if any) with break-up of each item duly paid
during the academic session,

v) Hostel Certificate or certificate from the house owner in case of
accommodation hired by at least by a group of 3 students living
together with common mess arrangements.

The applicant has to apply online (www.nhfdc.nic.in) for both the
scholarship schemes and send printed copy of the online filled
application duly countersigned and recommended by the Head of the
Institution, where they are studying along with the requisite
documents.

It is to be noted that without a hard copy of application, a
candidate's application in soft copy will not be entertained.

For further details, you are requested visit website www.nhfdc.nic.in .

Single Window System in UPSC for Direct Recruitment

In order to avoid delay in appointment through Direct Recruitment that
is required by various Ministry and departments, UPSC which is the
authority for such appointments has introduced a new system called
Single window system for sending the proposals by the Ministries and
Departments to UPSC for direct recruitment.

As per the new system, the Ministry which requires direct recruitment
for filling up the posts available with it for effectove functioning
has send an officer not below the level of under secretary to appear
in UPSC's office after seeking prior appointment.

In an attempt to cut down delays for direct recruitment for ministries
through interviews, the UnionPublic Service Commission (UPSC) has
introduced a Single Window System for accepting requisitions.

As per the Office Memorandum dated 04.07.2012 issued by DOPT in this
regard, the officer who is deputed for attending the meeting at UPSC
under Single Window System should be in possession of documents
relating to latest recruitment rules, service rules, and the
notification issued regarding educational qualifications for the post.

Presently, there are lot of complaints from Ministry side that
proposals sent by them are not considered by UPSC in time.

Mainly appointment of technocrats are often required by Ministries the
posts for which they need to appoint technically skilled persons based
on the requirement. Conducting of general exams in this case will not
be helpful.

For example, deputy chairman of Planning Commission Mr. Montek Singh
Ahluwalia is not an IAS officer. However, he has been appointed to
serve a purpose directly by UPSC based on request of concerned
Ministry.

Read the Office memorandum No: 39011/05/2012-Estt (B) dated 04.07.2012
issued by DOPT for more details.

New Timings for Booking Tatkal Tickets from 10th July 2012

Railway Administration Making Local Arrangements to Implement New Tatkal Booking Timings The Ministry of Railways has further streamlined the delivery of tickets under Tatkal Scheme and the new amendment in the scheme will come into effect from tomorrow i.e. 10th July 2012 (Tuesday). Under the new amendment the booking of Tatkal tickets will start at 10.00 hours on the previous day of journey from train originating station instead of 0800 hours at present. For example, if a train is to depart from the originating station on the 2nd of the month, the Tatkal quota booking both through Internet (IRCTC Website) and reservation counters for that particular train shall open at 1000 hours on the 1st of the month. In addition, it has also been decided that no authorised agents, including agents of IRCTC and RTSAs/RTAs will be allowed to book Tatkal tickets from 1000 hours to 1200 hours from counters as well as from Internet. At the Zonal Railway and the Divisional Railway level, the local Railway administration is also making arrangements at the reservation counters for orderly implementation of the amendment in the scheme like segregation of Tatkal buyers through separate queues, separate counters etc. as per the local requirement and feasibility. The travelling public is being informed about the new arrangements through Press Releases, Press Advertisements, Announcements and Notice Boards. Moreover, installation of CCTVs in all major booking centres to monitor any unusual activities, inspection of the reservation centres by the senior officers, display of helpline numbers for complaints, raids by the vigilance squads are some of the measures being taken to prevent misuse of Tatkal facility. The requirement of indicating Mobile number of the passenger in the application form is also being insisted to cross verify the genuineness of the passenger. These new measures are in addition to the previously taken measures to revamp Tatkal system from November 2011. In November 2011, the following measures were introduced to reduce/minimize the possibility of booking of tickets by touts/miscreants and which are still continuing: 1. Advance Reservation Period of Tatkal scheme was reduced from two days excluding the day of journey to one day excluding the day of journey. 2. Refunds are not granted on cancellation of confirmed Tatkal tickets except in case of special circumstances like late running of train by more than three hours, cancellation of trains etc. 3. Duplicate Tatkal tickets are not issued under normal circumstances. In exceptional cases Duplicate Tatkal tickets can be issued on payment of full fare including Tatkal charges. 4. Tatkal tickets are issued only on production of self attested photocopy of one of the 9 prescribed proofs of Identity mentioned in the scheme, at the computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counter. While booking e-ticket, the passenger has to indicate the number of identity card in the system. The passenger is required to carry the same proof of Identity during the journey. 5. A restriction of booking of a maximum of four passengers per PNR on Tatkal ticket has been imposed. The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking of Ministry of Railways which manages Railways e-ticketing website namely www.irctc.co.in has also implemented following additional steps to streamline Tatkal ticket bookings: 1. High capacity Database servers have been installed. 2. Internet Bandwidth has been increased from 344 mbps to 450 mbps 3. Single user registration on one e-mail ID with email verification has been implemented. 4. Mobile validation of users and single user registration on one mobile number has been implemented. 5. Web service agents have been permitted to book only one Tatkal ticket per train per day on internet after 12.00 A.M. 6. Individual users are permitted to book only two tickets between 10.00 A.M. to 12.00 A.M. 7. Only two tickets can be booked per IP address between 10-12 AM. IP address check has helped in preventing multiple bookings from same office complex/internet café etc. This also helps in facilitating bookings by genuine users and prevents bookings for commercial gains. 8. Single session per user ID check has been implemented. With this step, a user on irctc.co.in will be able to open his account for booking of e-tickets only once. Multiple sessions with single user ID cannot be opened thereby enabling maximum users to access website and reduce congestion. 9. Captcha has been put and strengthened for booking in the 'Plan My Travel' to check fraudulent booking through automation software. (CAPTCHAs is a technology used in attempts to prevent automated software from performing actions which degrade the quality of service of a given system) 10. Quick Book Option and Cash Cards option has been stopped between 10.00 A.M. to 12.00 A.M. 11. An IT-Anti Fraud Squad has been created at Internet Ticketing Centre to detect cases of fraud and fraudulent activity and also for constant cyberspace surveillance to detect possible threats to the system. 12. Upon receipt of complaint against the sub-agent, the user –id is deactivated and the sub-agent is black-listed. The details of the black-listed agent are put on the IRCTC website. All the Principal Agents have been instructed not to take on such black-listed agents. 13. For any complaint, against the e-ticket agents, one may contact agentcomplaint@irctc.co.in (011-23745962) or care@irctc.co.in (011-39340000) 14. The Ministry of Railways has also initiated steps to augment e-ticket handling capacity of its website through short term and long term measures. Both IRCTC and CRIS are working jointly in this direction. Due to these steps, the present e-ticket capacity will increase from existing about 3.5 lakh bookings to around 5 lakh bookings per day in about four months period in the short term which will further be increased to about 8 lakh bookings per day in the long term plan. Source:pib

New initiatives from Govt. servants- helpline on RTA services

Dear All

                      RTA Mahabubnagar has started helpline for providing speedy services to public,  on 4-7-12.  Applicants can directly have information on the delivery status of their driving licence and RC. They can also have information as to how they can apply for Driving Licence, Learning Licence, and other transactions.This kind of facility is provided for the first time in AP.

          Copies of news items are attached for information.

           

         

--

G C Raja Ratnam RTO

Global Innovation Index 2012: Switzerland Retains First-Place

Released jointly by WIPO, INSEAD and its Global Innovation Index 2012 edition Knowledge Partners, Alcatel-Lucent, Booz & Company, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

For the second year running, Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore lead in overall innovation performance according to the Global Innovation Index 2012 (GII): Stronger Innovation Linkages for Global Growth, published by INSEAD, the leading international business school, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.

The report ranks 141 countries/economies on the basis of their innovation capabilities and results. It benefits from the experience of Knowledge Partners Alcatel-Lucent, Booz & Company, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), as well as an Advisory Board of eleven international experts.

 

The study shows that the dynamics of innovation continue to be affected by the emergence of new successful innovators, as seen by the range of countries across continents in the top twenty GII ranking, as well as the good performances of emerging countries such as Latvia, Malaysia, China, Montenegro, Serbia, Republic of Moldova, Jordan, Ukraine, India, Mongolia, Armenia, Georgia, Namibia, Viet Nam, Swaziland, Paraguay, Ghana, Senegal; and low-income countries Kenya and Zimbabwe.

"The GII is a timely reminder that policies to promote innovation are critical to the debate on spurring sustainable economic growth," WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said. "The downward pressure on investment in innovation exerted by the current crisis must be resisted. Otherwise we risk durable damage to countries' productive capacities. This is the time for forward-looking policies to lay the foundations for future prosperity."

 

Top 10 Leaders in the overall Global Innovation Index 2012

The list of overall GII top 10 performers has changed little from last year. Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore are followed in the top ten by Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, and the United States of America. Canada is the only country leaving the top 10 this year, mirroring weakening positions on all main GII innovation input and output pillars. The report shows that the U.S.A. continues to be an innovation leader but also cites relative shortfalls in areas such as education, human resources and innovation outputs as causing a drop in its innovation ranking.

Top 10 Leaders in the Global Innovation Index

1. Switzerland
2. Sweden
3. Singapore
4. Finland
5. United Kingdom
6. Netherlands
7. Denmark
8. Hong Kong (China)
9. Ireland
10. United States of America

Top 10 Leaders in the overall Global Innovation Efficiency Index 2012

Complementing the overall GII ranking, the Global Innovation Efficiency Index shows which countries are best in transforming given innovation inputs into innovation outputs. Countries which are strong in producing innovation outputs despite a weaker innovation environment and innovation inputs are poised to rank high in this "efficiency" index.

In the Global Innovation Efficiency Index, China and India lead the top 10 league of countries. Four of the top 10 countries in the Efficiency Index are lower-middle income countries.

Top 10 in the Global Innovation Efficiency Index

1. China
2. India
3. Republic of Moldova
4. Malta
5. Switzerland
6. Paraguay
7. Serbia
8. Estonia
9. Netherlands
10. Sri Lanka

see  http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/freepublications/en/economics/gii_2012.pdf