Some of the Highlights of Union Budget:2010-2011

NEW DELHI: Highlights of 2010-11 budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in parliament Friday 26th Feb, 2010:

* Clean energy cess of Rs.50 per tonne on coal produced in India

* Concessional duty of 4 percent for solar power rickshaw developed by Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research

* Concessional customs duty of 5 percent for cable TV operators for importing equipment

* Toys fully exempt from central excise duty

* Service sector tax retained at 10 percent to aid the introduction of GST; more services to be taxed

* Accredited news agencies exempt from service tax

* Net revenue gain Rs.22,500 crore

* Taxes on large cars and SUVs increased 2 percent to 22 percent

* Basic duty of 5 percent on crude oil restored

* Tax on cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco increased

* Rs. 26,000 crore revenue loss due to reduction of direct taxes

* Partial roll back of reduction in central excise duty

* Income up to Rs.1.6 lakh per year exempt from income tax;
up to Rs.5 lakh to be taxed at 10 percent; income of Rs.5-8 lakh to be taxed at 20 percent
and income above Rs.8 lakh to be taxed at 30 percent

* IT returns forms for individual tax payers to be further simplified

* Expenditure in 2010-11 estimated at 11,l8,749 crore

* Fiscal deficit estimated at 5.5 percent in 2010-11; an improvement of 1 percent over 2009-10

* Two more centralised tax processing centres to be set up in addition to the one at Bangalore

* National Social Security Fund created for workers in unorganised sector with allocation of Rs.1,000 crore

* Government to give Rs.1,000 for each National Pension Scheme account opened by
workers in the unorganised sector

* Exclusive skill development programme for the textile sector

* Fifty percent hike in allocation for schemes for women and child development

* Rs.4,500 crore allocated for ministry of social justice and empowerment, a hike of 80 percent

* Rs.2,600 crore allocated for ministry of minorities affairs

* Rs.1,900 crore for Unique Identification Authority of India

* Rs.147,344 crore allocated for defence

* 2,000 youth to be recruited in central paramilitary forces

* Draft Food Security Bill prepared and will be put in the public domain

* Allocation on primary education raised from Rs.26,800 crore to Rs.31,300 crore

* Banking facilities to be provided to all habitations with a population of 2,000 and more

* Rs.66,100 crore allocated for rural development in 2010-11; Rs.40,100 crore for National Rural Employment Scheme; RS.48,000 crore for Bharat Nirman

* Rs.1,270 crore allocated for Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum dwellers, up from Rs.150 crore, an increase of 700 percent with the aim of creating a slum free India.

* Forty-six percent of plan allocations in 2010-11 will be for infrastructure development

* Coal Regulatory Authority to be set up to benchmark standards of performance

* Allocation for new and renewable energy sector increased 61 percent from Rs.620 crore to Rs.1,000 crore in 2010-11

* National Clean Energy Fund to be established

* Rs.200 crore allocated as special package for Goa to prevent erosion and increase green cover

* Government committed to growth of SEZs

* Four-pronged strategy for growth of agricultural sector

* Rs.200 crore to be provided in 2010-11 for climate-resilient agricultural initiative

* Involvement of private sector in grain storage to continue for another two years

* In view of drought and floods, debt repayment period extended to June 2010

* Five more mega food processing projects in addition to 10 existing ones

* FDI flows in April-December 2009 $20.9 billion

* FDI policy to be made more user-friendly with one comprehensive document

* Apex level financial stability council to be set up for banking sector

* Indian Banking Association to give additional licences to private players

* Provision for further capital for regional rural banks

* Roadmap for reducing public debt in six months

* Implementation of direct tax code from April 2011

* Government actively engaged in finalising structure of general sales tax regime; hopes to implement it from April 2011

* New fertiliser policy from April 2010; will lead to improved productively and more income for farmers

* Economy stabilised in first quarter of 2009-10; strong rebound in second quarter; overall growth at 7.2 and could be higher when Q3 and Q4 are taken into account

* Export figures for January encouraging

* Hope to breach 10 percent growth mark in not too distant future

* Government set in motion steps to bring down food inflation

* Need to review stimulus package; need to make growth more broad-based

* India has weathered global economic crisis well; Indian economy in far better position than it was a year ago. In 2009 Indian economy faced grave uncertainty; delay in southwest monsoon had undermined agricultural production

* First challenge now is to quickly revert to 9 percent growth and then aim for double digit growth; need to make recovery more broad based.

* Second challenge is to make growth more inclusive; have to strengthen food security

* Third challenge is to overcome weakness in government's public delivery mechanism; a long way to go in this

Source: indiatimes.com

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Some of the Highlights of Railway Budget:2010-2011

Highlights of the 2010-11 railway budget presented by Mamata Banerjee in Parliament on
Wednesday 24th Feb 2010:

* No increase in passenger fares

* Rs.100 reduction in freight per wagon for fertilisers and kerosene

* Free travel for cancer patients in 3rd AC classes

* Cost-sharing in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode in some gauge-conversion projects

* Further extension of Kolkata Metro on priority basis;
stations to be named after Bahadur Shah Zafar, Tagore family.

* Karmabhoomi trains to be introduced for migrant labour

* New Janmabhoomi train between Ahmedabad and Udhampur

* Special "Bharat Teertha" train to be run around India to commemorate
Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary

* Railway line to be extended from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in
Jammu and Kashmir

* Andaman and Nicobar Islands to get railway line from Port Blair to Diglipur

* Sikkim capital Gangtok to be connected by rail from Rangpo

* 2011 being 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, special train to be run
from West Bengal to Bangladesh

* Impact of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations placed at Rs.55,000 crore

* Gross earnings in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.88,281 crore

* Working expenditure in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.83,440 crore

* Expenses during 2010-11 estimated at Rs.87,100 crore

* Thrust on expansion in 2010-11 with allocation of Rs.4,411 crore

* Kashmir rail link to be extended to Sopore in the north of the valley

* Net profit of Rs.1,328 crore in 2009-10

* 10 automobile ancillary hubs to be created

* Twenty-two million energy saving CFLs for lighting distributed already

* Policy decision to employ one member of family whose land is requisitioned for
railway projects

* North-south, east-west dedicated freight corridors to be created

* Construction of high-speed passenger rail corridors envisaged

* More multi-functional hospitals to be set up

* Educational facilities to be set up for children of 80,000 women families

* Special facilities to be established for gangmen

* Insurance facilities for licensed porters as part of railway's corporate social responsibility

* Centre for railway research to be established with Indian Institutes of Technology and
Defence Research and Development Organisation

* Will involve unions in policy making

* Integral Coach Factory Chennai to be further modernised

* New wagon repair shop in Mumbai

* Design, development and testing centre for railway wheels at Bangalore

* Within five years, all unmanned level crossings to be manned

* Construction of more underpasses, besides road overbridges

* Greater coordination with state governments to protect railway property

* Security of women passengers to be improved

* Ex-servicemen to be employed in Railway Protection Force

* Five sports academies to be set up; astroturf to be provided for development
of hockey; employment opportunities for sports persons

* Railways to be lead partner for Commonwealth Games

* Special drive to increase passenger amenities

* Upgradation of 94 stations

* Six new drinking water bottling plants in PPP mode

* Modern toilets at railway stations

* More ticketing centres to help the public

* Acquisition of cutting edge safety technology

* 1,000 route km to be created

* Special task force for clearing investment proposals in 100 days

* New business model to be created

* No privatisation; railways will remain with government but with greater
participation of business community

* 117 of 120 new trains for current fiscal to be flagged off

Source: indiatimes.com

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Tax Structure in India Funny but True

Question 1 : What are you doing?

Ans : Business.
Tax : PAY PROFESSIONAL TAX!

Question 2 : What are you doing in Business?
Ans : Selling the Goods.
Tax : PAY SALES TAX!

Question 3 : From where are you getting Goods?
Ans : From other State/Abroad
Tax : PAY CENTRAL SALES TAX, CUSTOM DUTY & OCTROI

Question 4 : What are you getting in Selling Goods?
Ans : Profit.
Tax : PAY INCOME TAX!

Question 5: How do you distribute profit ?
Ans : By way of dividend
Tax : PAY DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION TAX

Question 6 : Where you Manufacturing the Goods?
Ans. : Factory...
Tax : PAY EXCISE DUTY!

Question 7 : Do you have Office / Warehouse / Factory?
Ans : Yes
Tax : PAY MUNICIPAL & FIRE TAX!

Question 8 : Do you have Staff?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY STAFF PROFESSIONAL TAX!

Question 9 : Doing business in Millions?
Ans. : Yes -- Tax : PAY TURNOVER TAX!
Ans : No -- Tax : Then pay Minimum Alternate Tax

Question 10 : Are you taking out over 25,000 Cash from Bank?
Ans : Yes, for Salary.
Tax : PAY CASH HANDLING TAX!

Question 11 : Where are you taking your client for Lunch & Dinner?
Ans : Hotel
Tax : PAY FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT TAX

Question 12 : Are you going Out of Station for Business?
Ans : Yes
Tax : PAY FRINGE BENEFIT TAX

Question 13 : Have you taken or given any Services?
Ans : Yes
Tax : PAY SERVICE TAX

Question 14 : How come you got such a Big Amount?
Ans : Gift on birthday.
Tax : PAY GIFT TAX

Question 15.: Do you have any Wealth?
Ans. : Yes
Tax : PAY WEALTH TAX

Question 16 : To reduce Tension, for entertainment, where are you going?
Ans : Cinema or Resort.
Tax : PAY ENTERTAINMENT TAX

Question 17 : Have you purchased House?
Ans : Yes
Tax : PAY STAMP DUTY & REGISTRATION FEE

Question 18 : How you Travel?
Ans : Bus
Tax : PAY SURCHARGE

Question 19.: Any Additional Tax?
Ans : Yes
Tax : PAY EDUCATIONAL, ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL & SURCHARGE ON ALL THE CENTRAL
GOVT.'s TAX

Question 20: Delayed any time Paying Any Tax?
Ans : Yes
Tax : PAY INTEREST & PENALTY

21) INDIAN : Can I die now??
Ans : Wait we are about to launch the funeral tax!

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Exam Question Paper Leaked

Dad: Why You didn't go for the Exams Today ?

Son: Question Paper is very Tough.

Dad: Without going, how do U know?

Son: Last week itself, Question paper was leaked.

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Cheerful Thought For The Day

"Beautiful Life Is Just an Imagination.

But, Life Is More Beautiful than Imagination"!!

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Conclusion

One old man was sitting with his 25 years old son in the train.

Train is about to leave station. All passengers are settling down in their seat.

As train started young man was filled with lot of joy and curiosity.

He was sitting on the window side. He put out one hand and feeling the passing air.
He shouted, "Papa see all trees are going behind".

Old man smile and admired son feelings.

Beside the young man, one couple was sitting and listening all the conversion between father and son.

They were little awkward the attitude of 25 years old man behaving like a small child.

Suddenly young man again shouted, "Papa see the pond and animals.
Clouds are moving with train".

Couple was watching the young man embarrassingly.

Now it started raining and some of water drops touched the young man's hand.

He filled with joy and he closed the eyes.

He shouted again,” Papa it’s raining, water is touching me, see papa".

Couple couldn't help themselves and ask to old man.

Why don't you visit the Doctor and get treated your son.

Old man said," Yes, We were coming from hospital only.
Today only my son got the eyes first time in life".

Moral : "We must not come to any conclusion until we know all facts".

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Frozen Qustions and Answers

Girlfriend: And are you sure you love me and no one else?

Boyfriend: Dead Sure! I checked the whole list again yesterday

*********
Waiter: Would you like your coffee black?

Customer: What other colors do you have?

*********
Manager: Sorry, but I can't give u a job. I don't need much help.

Job Applicant: That's all right. In fact I'm just the right person in this case. You see, I won't be of much help anyway!!

*********
Dad: Son, what do u want for ur birthday?

Son: Not much dad, Just a radio with a sports car around it.

*********
Diner: I can't eat such a rotten chicken. Call the manager!

Waiter: It's no use. He won't eat it either.

*********
Diner: You'll drive me to my grave!

Waiter: Well, you don't expect to walk there, do you?

*********
Husband: U know, wife, our son got his brain from me.

Wife: I think he did, I've still got mine with me!

*********
Man: Officer! There's a bomb in my garden!

Officer: Don't worry. If no one claims it within three days, you can keep it.

*********
Father: Your teacher says she finds it impossible to teach you anything!

Son: That's why I say she's no good!

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Old Man In beach

A summer morning, a young man on his morning jog on a beach; saw a old man throwing little crabs back in to the sea. He laughed at his craziness and walked(jogged) away.

Next day the young man saw the same old man doing the same thing.

On the 3rd day when the young man saw the old man doing the same thing, he couldn't stop himself.

He went to the old man and asked what exactly he is trying to do.

Old man: Few hours from now sun will get hotter and if these little crabs doesn't reach sea they will die. I am helping them reach the sea.

Young man: (Laughs) 10's of Kms along this beach are 10's of thousands of crabs which die everyday in summer due to heat. You saving a 100 doesn't make any difference. There are still 10's of thousands of crab which die everyday. Why are wasting your mornings?

Old man: I know I am can not save all the crabs and by saving a few, i am making no big difference to their number.But, let me tell you, that it makes a difference of LIFE and DEATH to the crab i am saving.

Moral: Sometimes we don't act, just because we think we are not going to
make a difference to the whole picture.

Truth is that every action makes a Life or Death difference to the one who
receives it.
Do some kind act...Everytime you can.

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Renaming the folder

Create a Folder in Windows

Let try to create this folder now.

On Your Desktop(or in drives), Right click and go to New and Select Folder.

then try to rename the folder with “CON” ( without the quote ).

Can you rename this folder?

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Maha Shivarathiri

Sivaratri, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is celebrated on the moonless night of the month of Phalguna, which is the Fourteenth Day in the krishnapaksha or dark half. Owing to a special planetary conjunction, spiritual practices done on this day are considered to be especially auspicious and beneficial. There is a reference to this in one of the Puranas, where Shiva himself tells Parvati Devi [the Divine Mother] that this day is particularly dear to him, and that those who perform the prescribed austerities on this day will be freed from all sins.

There are many stories associated with Shivaratri and its origins.
Samudra Manthan: During the samudra manthan by the Gods and demons, haalaa-hala, a poison came out of the ocean.It was so toxic, that its effect would have wiped out the entire creation. At this juncture, as per the advice of Vishnu, the gods approached Mahadev and prayed to him to protect their lives by consuming this poison. Pleased with their prayers, out of compassion for living beings, Lord Shiva drank this poison and held it in his throat by binding it with a snake. The throat became blue due to the poison (Thus Lord Shiva is also know as Neelakantha) and Shiva remained unharmed. This shows that shiva is also the protector. In another story, it is said that the whole world was once facing destruction and the Goddess Parvati worshiped her husband Shiva to save it. She prayed for the Jivas (living souls) remaining in space like particles of gold dust in a lump of wax during that long period of pralaya (deluge) night, should, upon becaming active again and in the enjoy­ment of their short day and night, have his blessings, but only if they worshiped him just as she did then. Her prayer was accordingly granted. Parvati named the night for the worship of Iswara by mortals Maha-Sivaratri, or the great night of Siva, since pralaya is brought about by him. This period is really his night from the great night or pralaya which was the cause for the origin of this Sivaratri.

Another popular story from the Puranas goes like this: There was once a poor hunter from Varanasi. His name was Suswara. He lived with his wife and child in a small hut. Theirs was a hand-to-mouth existence. Suswara would go to the forest and hunt whatever game came his way, and thus feed his family. One particular day, he caught many small animals and birds, which he put into a sack. Encouraged by the catch, he wandered deeper into the forest in search of more game. Soon darkness set in and he turned to go home. He was a little worried as the forest was infested with dangerous animals. He did not like the idea of spending the night there. Soon it became very dark. Unable to find his way back, Suswara climbed a tree to be safe from the wild animals.

Attracted by his scent, animals came lurking under the tree. Hoping to scare them away, Suswara plucked some twigs from the tree and threw them at the animals, but to no avail. Throughout the night the animals kept prowling beneath the tree.

Suswara was unable to get even a wink of sleep. He kept vigil throughout the night. He plucked leaves from the tree, which happened to be a bilva tree, and dropped them on the ground. Unknown to Suswara, there was a Shivalinga at the foot of the tree; and so, although he was unaware of it, by dropping the sacred bilva leaves, Suswara was making a sacred offering to the Shivalinga. That night happened to be Shivaratri. So the hunter had unknowingly kept a night-long vigil and worshipped Shiva.

According to the Shiva Purana, the Mahashivaratri worship should incorporate six items:
offering Bilva(Bael) leaves to the deity after giving it a ceremonial bath, which represents purification of the soul;
applying vermilion paste on the linga after bathing it, which represents virtue;
offering food, which is conducive to longevity and the gratification of desires;
lighting incense, which yields wealth;
lighting an oil lamp, which signifies the attainment of knowledge; and
offering betel leaves, which marks satisfaction with worldly pleasures.
These six items form an indispensable part of the Mahashivaratri worship, be it a simple ceremony at home or grand temple worship.

According to the mythology, each of these dravya used in the abhisheka blesses a unique Quality:
* Milk is for the blessing of purity and piousness.
* Yogurt is for prosperity and progeny.
* Honey is for sweet speech.
* Ghee is for victory.
* Water is for purity.

Significance of the Rituals
The story above is an allegory. Just as the hunter sought to kill wild animals, the spiritual seeker tries to overcome lust, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and hatred. The jungle is the mind where all these negativities roam about. A spiritual aspirant must kill these "animals" to be free.
The name of the hunter was Suswara, which means "one of melodious voice." This indicates the purity of intent and speech, which, in turn, imply a level of mental purity.

The hunter was born in Varanasi. Vara refers to the forehead while nasi is the nose. The point where both meet is Varanasi, in other words, the point midway between the eyebrows. This point is also called the ajna chakra and is regarded as a nexus of the three nadis: ida, pingala and sushumna. A spiritual aspirant who concentrates his or her mind on this point gains concentration and gradual control over his senses. The killing of the animals thus indicates control over one's vasanas [latent tendencies].

The bilva tree corresponds to the spinal column. The tree's leaves are special: each stalk has three leaflets. The three leaflets represent the three nadis mentioned above. The climbing of the tree represents the ascent of the kundalini shakti from the muladhara to the ajna chakra.

Keeping awake is symbolic of the kind of awareness and oneness of purpose that a spiritual aspirant needs to reach the goal. He cannot afford to be slack even for a moment.

Shiva is the Supreme Consciousness that illuminates the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Offering the threefold bilva leaves to the Shivalinga heralds the return to a level of consciousness beyond the three states, which is the fourth state, turiya. The dawning of that state is consonant with the awakening of the individual.

Maha Shivaratri literally means "the great night of Shiva". According to a legend in Shiva Purana, it was on this day that Shiva first manifested himself in the form of a huge column of fire, known as Jyotirlinga. According to another legend, Shiva married Parvati on this day.

The significance of Shivaratri is the celebration of the union of Shiva and Shakti (Parvati) by continuously repeating the panchakshara mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. One, who repeats Om Namah Shivaya during Shivaratri, with perfect devotion and concentration, is freed from all sins. It is said that repeating the mantra on this night even one time earns the merit of a thousand repetitions. By repeating the great mantra, one is able to still the mind. The goal of meditation is to make the mind completely free from worldly thoughts. Only when the mind becomes totally silent is the state of meditation experienced. It is not easy to achieve such a state. It may sound paradoxical, but it is true that such a thoughtless state can be achieved if the mind is filled with mantra (inner sound) for a long time.

It is very important to understand the true meaning of the mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. The mantra refers to your own “I”-awareness. Your “I”-awareness is called Krishna, Shiva, Shakti, Allah, Jesus, Buddha, or the Absolute Reality. In other words, during the mantra repetition, you are calling your own name, which is the essential nature of your Supreme Reality. Truly, one who meditates upon one’s own inner Self is considered to have worshiped all the gods and goddesses. This is the secret of all secrets.

This festival is most fervently observed by the Kashmiri Pandits, the ancient inhabitants of Kashmir and south Indians who are ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. The beginning of Kashmir Shaivism, which treats the individual soul and the universe as identical with Shiva, is traced to the Shiva Sutras, which were composed by Lord Shiva himself. Vasugupta (860–925), a great sage who lived in Kashmir, revealed the famous Shiva Sutras.

Lord Shiva is considered to be the Form of Light, which the Shiva Lingam represents. According to ancient scriptures, Shiv Lingam is a mass of divine light. These are the twelve jyotirlingas (Lingas of Light) at 12 places of pilgrims where people gather on the Shivaratri day: Kedarnath, Viswanath, Baidyanath, omkareswar, Mahakaleswar, Somnath, Nageswar, Triyembakeswar, Bhim Shankara, Ghurmeshwar, Mallikarjun, and Rameswaram.

Source: aboutshiva.com

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