Month: June 2016

Stamp Duty on Gift of Property in Maharashtra

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W.e.f. 24 April 2015, new provisions have been formulated for giving relief of Stamp Duty in case of Gift.

For locations outside Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban, LBT Tax @ 1% of market value will be applicable.

For detailed explanation and examples, please visit

http://e-stampdutyreadyreckoner.com/Gift.html

The pure water solution

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27_06_2016_023_022_004
Piramal Sarvajal gets potable, safe H2O to places it’s really needed for as little as 20 paise per litre
Why would the Piramal Group, largely associated with healthcare, want to do something in the seemingly un connected space of water access and purity?
Because pure water represents the bedrock on which all health care delivery is based.When you think of it, there are so many instances of places where water ­ the pure and drinking kind should be available but isn’t. And that is how Piramal Sarvajal was conceived, around the terribly ambitious programme to provide universal potable water for all in 2008.The programme was timed not a day too soon.The more you think of it, the lack of access to potable water is the genesis of a number of modern day issues. In areas where pure water is not easily accessible, there is a question mark over food quality. In areas where water is not an arm’s length away, the one assigned to fetch it is usually the woman of the family (translating into the other problem of economic inequity and disempowerment). In areas where potable water is infrequently supplied, there is high medical expenditure with lower month-end surpluses available for reinvestment.In areas where water availability is low, the neighbourhood squabbles (over whose bucket should gain precedence) are high.These are some of the things I like about Piramal Sarvajal.

One, the programme does not profess that it knows all the answers; it partners with local entrepreneurs, corporations supporting social projects, the government and philanthropic organisations to provide local solutions (pun!). The result is that partners provide funding, while Piramal Sarvajal deploys decentralised units based on parameters like population density and local water quality.One comes with the cash, the other comes with knowledge, kickstarting implementation.

Two, the programme addresses the dearth of water not where it is most convenient, such as underserved urban pockets; instead it addresses villages, slums, schools, hospitals and public spaces.

Three, the programme has achieved some scale; it commissioned community drinking water solutions in more than 200 villages in partnership with local entrepreneurs, corporate donors and gram panchayat.

Four, the programme addresses purification in pockets where water is available; it commissioned sponsor-funded purification units in more than 70 schools (Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Karnataka).

Five, the programme has progressively extended to deficient urban public places, working with the government in selected resettlement areas around New Delhi where piped drinking water is simply not available and where residents are completely dependent on tankers; the result is a hub-and-spoke driven 24×7 access to safe drinking water.

Six, this is not a free hand-down; users are educated on the payback benefits of safe water access and then charged; the water revenue covers operational costs, making it possible for donor-sponsored locations to sell water for as low as 20 paise per litre (our packaged branded equivalent is available for Rs 20 per litre).

Seven, Piramal Sarvajal pioneered the remote monitoring of water purification machines and the concept of a water ATM. Through the combination of these technologies, Sarvajal not only maintains the machine and water quality but also ensures maximum uptime with the help of solarpowered water ATMs, ensuring 24×7 safe water availability regardless of power availability.

Eight, Piramal Sarvajal has commissioned a service centre to provide maintenance and community level marketing services every 20-30 units, ensuring that high uptime is not compromised by the repair technician turning up after a fortnight.

Nine, the patented technology was developed in-house; besides, the programme has emerged as a livelihood driver for about 1,000 individuals through Piramal Sarvajal water network, who earn more than their average local incomes.

The numbers are remarkable: the programme serves approximately 300,000 consumers each day through 500 plus installations across13 states.

The effect has been even more remarkable.Laxmi Devi of Laxmangarh village in Rajasthan gets 40 litres of water every day for her household of seven. Her verdict: “The present has put the power in our hands in the form of an ATM card.“

Arthritic 50-year-old Khurshid Bano of Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan) has a lot to thank Sarvajal for.The district suffers high fluoride levels in water, causing fluorosis and joint pains, weakened bones and yellowed teeth. Ever since she subscribed to Sarvajal, her pain has subsided and she saves Rs 1,500 of what was earlier being spent in medication costs each month.

Housewife Kavitaji (200 m from Sarvajal’s office in Sawda Ghevra JJ Colony) feels Sarvajal has been a life-changer. Her seven month daughter encountered severe diarrhoea resulting in a Rs 5,000 hospital bill. When the doctor wrote out a prescription, he scribbled `Sarvajal’. Kavitaji started buying 15 litres a day for the family. The family health improved; the housewife turned evangelist and convinced 11 families in the neighbourhood to subscribe as well, renaming her bylane as `Sarvajal gali.’ If only Piramal Sarvajal could take this concept to other corporations to fund drinking water unit in their own neighbourhoods…

Meet the Man Who Hasn’t Paid For Water in the Last 20 Years

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Capture

In a city that survives on water tankers and bottled water, Bengaluru’s AR Shiv Kumar has no water connection at his house and hasn’t had to pay for water in the last twenty years.

Known as the rain catcher of Bengaluru, Shiv Kumar, a rain water harvesting expert at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, has survived on rainwater ever since he built his ‘dream house’ aka ‘green house’ Sourabha.

Click Here for the simple and outstanding story ->

http://www.thequint.com/india/2016/06/08/meet-the-man-who-hasnt-paid-for-water-in-the-last-20-years by Parul Agrawal

The Real Cost of Gold Loans

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Indians love gold and even the poorest Indian tries to acquire the smallest trinket that doubles up as jewellery and long-term savings. Naturally, television advertisements featuring movie superstars who tell you how easy it is to borrow money against that carefully accumulated gold, touch an emotional cord.
Watching an Akshay Kumar slipping gold across the counter and getting a wad of cash back in a minute to finance a child’s education or to buy a tractor is so appealing that people across the economic spectrum look at gold loans as their first borrowing option, when they are in a tight spot. In almost every case, the gold that is pledged is not even a family heirloom of great emotional value and borrowers are clueless about the high interest they are forking out against an asset which fetches no return—one where although price appreciation has worked for Indians, over the decades, it is not guaranteed.
This emotional reaction and poor numeracy also makes lending against gold a very lucrative business. Allow us to explain why borrowing against gold is a mistake for most people, except those who own heirlooms of antique value far beyond the intrinsic value of gold in the jewellery.
Some Basics about Gold Loans 
Borrowing against gold is attractive because few questions are asked. The lender does not ask you to disclose your income, produce a salary-slip or worry about your credit score or credit report. But think about it; why should the lender worry? It has your valuable gold in its possession and the actual loan disbursed is just 75% or less than the market value of gold. The lender is in trouble only if the gold price crashes by 30%+. But past data shows that a sudden crash in gold is a remote possibility, if not impossible, and when the price falls, lenders immediately begin to pressure the borrower to either pay back a part of the loan or bring more gold/jewellery as collateral.
In most cases, only the interest is charged on a monthly basis, and the principal can be repaid at the end of the tenure to release the gold. The borrower can opt to repay both the interest and principal at the end of the tenure as well. However, the latter will prove to be costlier as the interest gets compounded. If a person defaults on interest payments, the penalty can be huge. Like every other loan, lenders may charge a processing fee, valuation charge, late payment penalty and pre-payment penalty, all of which add to the costs. Each lender has a different set of charges. Unlike equated monthly instalments (EMI), both repayment options involve pressure on the borrower to come up with a big chunk of money for repayment, to have the gold released. If you can, indeed, come up with such a sum, wouldn’t it be better to sell the gold and buy when you have the money? We will come to the arithmetic of this later.
Faster Process but Not Transparent
Most non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) claim that they offer a loan of 70%-75% of the market value of gold item. However, when we asked for the exact amount, we were told that only once they see the jewellery, they would be able to give the exact loan to value that can be availed. Even a RBI working group found that the borrower is generally not clear about the gold price used for valuing the ornaments.
The RBI working group found that the format and content of documentation followed by each NBFC appear to be different, although each one of them claims to be giving a pawn ticket and loan agreement copy to the borrower. But when they spoke to complaining borrowers, they found that the pawn tickets do not contain the specific details of the jewels pawned, their weight in grams and the assessed value of the jewels. It does not contain complete details of the annualised rate of interest, maturity period of loan, details of auction procedure in case of default, any other charges, or the maturity period of the loan, etc.
The procedure relating to auctioning of jewels is not transparently explained to the borrower. Even though the borrower is informed by the NBFCs about the auctioning of their jewels, the borrower is not informed where and when the jewels are auctioned.
In one complaint received by RBI, the borrower was neither informed about the auctioning of his jewels nor called for repaying his loan. Above all, though the market value of ornaments in this case was much above the total dues outstanding, the difference on the sale of ornaments was not given to the borrower. But let’s us now come to the simple math of why borrowing against your gold makes little sense.
The Actual Cost of Gold Loans
When you borrow against gold jewellery, you are paying a very high interest as well as documentation, processing and valuation charges on an asset that you already own. Further, since people only borrow against gold in an extreme emergency, the chances of paying back within a year are low, which means that the interest mounts and the risk of default is also higher. Let’s look at a few possible scenarios to check if taking a gold loan is worthwhile.
We have based our study on the cost of a gold loan from Mannapuram Finance. We were told that the interest rate will be 2% per month(pm) and the loan-to-value (LTV) will be around 70%. There are tenures of maximum three months; hence, at the end of each quarterly period, if only the interest is paid, the loan can be extended for another three months. This can go on until the entire principal is paid back. However, as the contract is renewed every three months, the borrower may need to pledge additional gold, if the price of gold falls and does not meet the LTV criteria.
Using the above information, let’s say Ramesh pledges 50gm of gold to avail a loan of Rs1 lakh at an interest of 2% per month. The market value of the gold is Rs1.44 lakh at the rate of Rs2,880/gm.
Now let’s analyse what Ramesh will actually pay under different repayment options and when gold prices are rising or falling. We will then compare this to whether selling the gold and buying it back in small lots every month would have been a better option for Ramesh.
Scenario 1: Gold Rates Remain Steady
The interest on a gold loan of Rs1 lakh works out to Rs2,000 per month. We assume Ramesh is capable of repaying Rs3,000 every month which includes interest and principal. At this rate, it will take him almost 56 months, or five years, to pay up the money and get his gold back. If Ramesh chooses to reduce the monthly payment by Rs500 to Rs2,500, it would take him nearly seven years to pay back the loan.
On the other hand, if he had chosen to sell the gold, instead of borrowing against it, he would have needed to sell only 35gm of gold to raise Rs1 lakh. Now, if he starts buying back gold worth Rs3,000 (equal to his repayment of principal plus interest in the above-mentioned scenario), he would have recovered his 35gm of gold in just 33 months or under three years.
Even if he bought back gold worth just Rs2,500 every month, he would have his gold back in 39 months. And he would not have paid heavy interest and processing charges to a gold loan company. But one may argue that gold prices may not remain the same and they could rise sharply, making a loan option more attractive. Or, as has happened recently, gold prices could fall too. Let us look at what would happen to Ramesh’s borrowing under these two scenarios.
Scenario 2: Gold Rate Rises
Suppose Ramesh sold 35gm of gold (as mentioned above), but gold prices began to rise by say, 6%-10% every year. Even in this situation, if he buys gold worth Rs2,500-Rs3,000 every month, he would still be able to buyback the entire amount of gold in four years. If the gold price rises more sharply, at 12%pa, it will take Ramesh about 50 months (a little over four years) to buy back the gold. In effect, even when gold prices rise, it makes better sense to sell the gold you have and buy it back, rather than borrow against it.
Scenario 3: Gold Rates Fall
If Ramesh has pledged gold to raise Rs1 lakh and gold prices fall, then he could be in serious trouble. On the other hand, if he sold gold to raise emergency funds and is buying it back, he is a real winner. Consider what happens if Ramesh had borrowed against his gold. If the price of gold declines significantly, he will need to pledge additional gold to maintain the loan to value ratio or repay a chunk of the money. Our analysis shows that Ramesh will need to pledge additional gold only if gold prices decline by 15%-20% on an annual basis. Also, if the LTV increases, the financier can charge a higher interest.
In the above scenario, a 12% decline in gold prices may not impact the value of gold pledged, if the amount repaid is Rs3,000 every month and includes a portion of the principal. However, Ramesh is capable of repaying only Rs2,500pm, with a very little part of the principal being repaid, he will need to increase the gold pledged amount by one gram at the end of the first year itself. By the end of the tenure, he would need to pledge an additional 3.25gm of gold, or pay a higher interest, in which case, his repayment period increases.
There is a also a good chance that he will not be able to keep up with this high interest cycle and end up losing the gold altogether or end up in a payment-trap, if he wants the same gold back.
On the other hand, if he had sold the gold and raised money and bought back even Rs2,500 worth of gold every month (using the money saved on interest), he would be able to buy more gold every month, as prices fall and get his gold back in less than three years.
The Reality
Clearly, liquidating gold to generate cash and buying it back at regular intervals is a much better option. It is foolish to pay a fat interest on an asset that you already own and take the risk of a penalty or losing the gold if you are unable to repay it in time. What is important is to avoid the emotional trap involved in wanting to retain the very same gold ornaments. Apart from a few gold ornaments, like a wedding or engagement ring, a mangalsutra, or a traditional piece of jewellery that has been handed down a few generations, there should be really no emotional attachment to an inert metal object. Also, most sensible women actually like to save carefully and make newer and better ornaments by melting down old ones. And many women also own jewellery that is gifted or handed down to them that they would be happy to sell and buy something new, contemporary and modern. It is far smarter to trade soppy sentimentality for good financial sense. So, the next time you hear of someone caught in a financial jam, tell them to switch off the gold loan advertisements and do some hard number-crunching.
Your Real Interest Cost and Terms
We contacted two of the biggest lenders to find out what a borrower would actually pay on a gold loan. We were told that the interest rate depends on: who is the customer, type of ornament, size and tenure of loan. This translates to a simple interest of anywhere between 12%-24% per annum. However, an RBI report of a working group published in February 2013 found that the interest charged was ‘not transparent’ and it was not clear whether the “maximum interest rate is limited to 24% or it sometimes could go up to 30% or more.”

 

The RBI also found that a major proportion of the gold loan portfolio of NBFCs covers an average interest rate of 24%-26% and only 2% of their portfolio comprises loan at an interest rate of 12%. It is always said that the poor in India pay much more and the RBI report confirms this. It found that those in the unorganised sector pay 30%pa (per annum) and higher penalties and there was less transparency in the transactions. Even otherwise, the RBI report found that a majority of the gold loans are for borrowing of Rs30,000 to Rs50,000 and the quantity of gold pledged on an average is 40 grams.

 

This really means that gold loan companies are thriving because Indians in the lower income groups are rushing to borrow against gold without understanding how much they are paying out, or exploring more sensible options. In most cases, you will find that they are carried away by advertisements featuring mega film stars and none of the advertisements breathes a word about risk factors such as high penalty clauses or transparency in interest charges. The RBI, as the regulator of gold loan companies, ought to have insisted on this, like the capital market regulator does with mutual funds.

 

As we said earlier, a gold loan requires the borrower to estimate her ability to pay interest, fees and charges and then a lump-sum to release the gold. But when borrowers are unable to work out the ridiculously high cost of borrowing against a valuable asset that they already own, what is the chance that they will accurately estimate their ability to repay the loan? If a borrower is unable to repay the loan, the lender gets possession of it.

 

How Popular Are Gold Loans?
India is a gold-loving nation and accounts for about 10% of the total world gold stock. Of this, rural India accounts for nearly 65% of gold owned, probably because it is seen as the safest asset. Most people have an emotional attachment to gold and will not sell it except in times of extreme financial distress. This is what makes gold loans such an attractive business for lenders. While the unorganised sector accounts for 75% of gold loans, the remaining 25% of the market, with organised sector institutions and banks, is also growing rapidly. According to the World Gold Council, out of the national gold stock of around 22,000 tonnes, about 600 tonnes is monetised through loans because they are easy to obtain and processed within hours, if not minutes, as claimed by the advertisements. It is clearly time to be less emotional and more sensible about gold.
Jason Monteiro  and  Niraj Prajapati
23 June 2016 
http://moneylife.in/article/the-real-cost-of-gold-loans/47273.html

Give me my speed

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We are being cheated by telecom companies every day.
We have all seen TV ads by telecom companies with claims of super fast internet available on the highest mountains and farflung islands. But the truth is that we don’t get good internet even inside our homes in metro cities. They promise 21Mbps or even 100Mbps, but can barely deliver 2Mbps.
Our phone signals are horrible and data speeds are worse. India has really poor implementation of 3G Internet, with only a third of the towers being 3G enabled. But instead of fixing them, the telecom companies are busy hard selling us the 4G dream.
No matter which telecom company we subscribe to or whether our connection is 2G, 3G or 4G, the internet speed is extremely slow and the connection is very erratic.
Why don’t we get good internet speed?

  1. Speed: Only 30% of Indian cellular towers are 3G enabled. The rest provide 2G. Your data speed depends on which tower you’re connected to. It is highly probable that you are getting a 2G connection even when you have activated a 3G pack.
  2. Coverage: Telecoms haven’t invested in erecting enough cellular towers to cover all the consumers. Bad signal leads to low data speeds.
  3. Consistency: Telecoms cap data speeds in some areas because they can’t handle the load.

TRAI has fixed the minimum speed for 3G speed at 1Mbps and has asked telecoms to ensure that they don’t fall below this speed for at least 95% of the time. But the reality is that most 3G customers don’t get a stable 3G connection half of the time. According to a recent report by Ericsson, 48% mobile customers found no difference between 2G and 3G speeds. TRAI has also asked all telecoms to clearly communicate the minimum data speed they provide for 2G, 3G, and 4G in all ads and customer materials. This is also not being implemented.
TRAI has imposed penalties of Rs.1.5 lakh for delivering service below set standards. Do you think that amount will scare the telecom giants? Plus, the biggest irony is that TRAI makes its decisions based on Quality of Service reports compiled by the telecom operators themselves and not by an impartial, independent body.
Sign our petition and join us in asking TRAI and the Telecom Ministry to:

  • Conduct independent Service audits of quality across India.
  • Increase the penalty for non-compliance by telecom operators on minimum speed and service consistency
  • Get telecoms to declare a roadmap on upgrading infrastructure to ensure good 3G and 4G network coverage and speed across the country.
  • Rationalize the spectrum prices so that telecoms have sufficient resources at hand and are left with no excuse to upgrade the infrastructure

The average internet speed in India stood at 2.7Mbps whereas it was 26.8Mbps in the UK, 14Mbps in Spain and 11Mbps in Turkey. Even Indonesia had a higher average speed at 4.4 Mbps. India is one of the slowest mobile connected countries in the Asia Pacific. How can we compete with rest of the world if our internet slows us down?
Sign the petition asking TRAI and the Telecom Ministry for proper regulations to guarantee consistent internet speeds and services on mobile devices that the customers are paying for. It is time telecoms are held accountable for the tall claims they make in their advertisements.

 

This petition will be delivered to:
  • Minister of Telecom
    Ravi Shankar Prasad
  • Chairman, TRAI
    Ram Sewak Sharma

Click Here to sign the petition

Jamila Raqib: The secret to effective nonviolent resistance

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We’re not going to end violence by telling people that it’s morally wrong, says Jamila Raqib, executive director of the Albert Einstein Institution. Instead, we must find alternative ways to conduct conflict that are equally powerful and effective. Raqib promotes nonviolent resistance to people living under tyranny — and there’s a lot more to it than street protests. She shares encouraging examples of creative strategies that have led to change around the world and a message of hope for a future without armed conflict. “The greatest hope for humanity lies not in condemning violence but in making violence obsolete,” Raqib says.

Top 9 vaccines you NEVER need

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Healthcare-Vaccine-Nurse-Syringe-Shot-Needle

Top 9 vaccines you NEVER need and exactly why the CDC has to scare everybody into getting them

(NaturalNews) Sure, we live in a capitalistic country, and more power to the people who run businesses and make a good living selling goods and services. But, all of those who knowingly make money off other people’s demise should be shut down and fined, and maybe even jailed. That rule of thumb should go for companies, organizations and corporations too, not to mention regulatory agencies, but that’s more of a utopian world, that doesn’t exist, and from the looks of things, probably never will.

Since the beginning of time, indigenous peoples have found natural foods, herbs, tinctures, berries, mushrooms and minerals that prevent and cure all types of infectious diseases, but in America, only a small portion of the population know about them, and some of those folks don’t even believe in them anymore. What’s the reason for that? Fear. Immense fear has been instilled in citizens by their government, that takes a few of the worst-case-scenarios for each infectious disease, and promotes propaganda to literally scare people to death (a slow death via toxic medicines).

There are pictures of children who got polio and lost the use of their limbs! There are pictures of babies covered from head to toe with smallpox and measles and chicken pox … OMG! There are nine-year-old girls being injected with a toxic jab for a benign sexually transmitted disease that’s a form of contagious cancer! Just how many nine-year-olds are engaged in sexual activity? One thing is for sure: many of those girls are going into anaphylactic shock and comas shortly after the HPV vaccine, and it’s not because they are promiscuous.

Then there are the fake diseases conjured up by the nefarious multi-billion-dollar vaccine industry, and propagated by the CDC, and hyped to the fullest extent by the mass media, with lies about breakouts and pandemics, so that everyone will rush to the nearest doctor, pharmacy or Walmart and get stuck with a needle full of MSG, mercury, formaldehyde and aluminum, not to mention combinations of genetically engineered organisms, bacteria and live viruses there really may not be a cure for. Who wants some of that?

The fact is, people don’t want to “take a chance,” because they’ve been brainwashed into believing that the only medicine that works for sickness and disease is chemical medicine made in a laboratory and “approved” by the FDA and CDC. Big mistake. Huge mistake. These are the same people who will have compromised immune systems, unpredictable pathogens in their blood, and actually become more susceptible to the very infectious diseases they’re paranoid about catching. How ironic. That’s capitalism for you. So shut up and go get stuck with poisons, or do a little homework and find out that the real conspiracy is Western medicine trying to make a fortune off the ill health they create and then treat with more damaging “medicine.”

The 9 vaccines you NEVER need, that won’t protect you from anything, especially the diseases they’re labeled to prevent

Chicken pox vaccine (Varicella)

Measles vaccine (or MMR: measles, mumps, rubella)

Zika virus vaccine

Influenza vaccine (flu shot)

Swine flu vaccine (H1N1)

Bird Flu vaccine (H5N1–Avian)

Polio vaccine

HPV (human papillomavirus)

Anthrax vaccine

What the medical industrial complex doesn’t want anyone to know

The real reason many children and babies have weaker immune systems than adults is because they receive over 50 toxic vaccines before age 7, as recommended by the CDC and the state department – and enforced at gunpoint in certain states, like California.

Chicken pox is a common childhood disease caused by a virus that lasts two to four days, and then most children are immune to it for life. Measles is like a cold that can include a cough, fever and a blotchy rash that fades after a few days and peels. Mumps is an acute viral infection usually accompanied by a mild fever lasting a couple of days, with a sore throat and swollen glands. What the medical industrial complex doesn’t want anyone to know is that the normal human body that’s not beaten down and infected by vaccine toxins and food toxins beats these infections easily. Same goes for the Zika virus, which does not cause deformations in babies; that’s all a huge lie and scare tactic. The swine flu was a hoax, as was the vaccine, and those vaccine manufacturers have paid out millions in damages due directly to that toxic jab. Then there’s the MMR vaccine that causes autism, as confessed by the head CDC scientist, Dr. William Thompson.

The anthrax vaccine is highly experimental and dangerous, and the polio vaccine, given by injection or through oral or nasal application, actually spreads the disease, with those children themselves becoming carriers, infecting other children and family members. It’s criminal and the vaccine industry knows it, but the profits from selling the vaccine to all the paranoid parents and brainwashed, uneducated folks through fear-mongering far outweigh the damages paid out in settlements for health detriment. It’s a simple formula for evil capitalistic success: sell millions of toxic vaccines and create a slush fund from about 1 percent of those profits to shut parents up who try to sue the industry when their kids and babies become crippled and maimed.

The only thing parents should be scared of is the vaccine industry. Take measures to build immunity with organic food and holistic medicine, and don’t fall for all the propaganda and fear-mongering spread by the CDC in America. End of story.

Sources for this article include:

Blogs.NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

TruthWiki.org

VaxxedTheMovie.com

TruthWiki.org

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/054337_vaccines_injury_medically_unnecessary.html#ixzz4Bhd3EYwY

Cheaper Baggage, More Refunds: 10 Big Announcements For Flyers

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Cheaper Baggage, More Refunds: 10 Big Announcements For Flyers

Union Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Saturday proposed a slew of new concessions for air passengers. The sops will be published on the website of the aviation ministry to invite feedback and suggestion before being implemented.

 

  1. Flyers will not have to pay more than Rs. 100 per kg for the first 5 kg of excess baggage.
  2. In case of flight cancellations announced within 24 hours of departure, compensation amount should be increased to up to Rs. 10,000.
  3. If an airline overbooks a flight and denies boarding to passenger, it will have to have to arrange an alternate flight within an hour or pay compensation.
  4. If the replacement flight is within 24 hours, the airline will have to pay a compensation of 200 per cent of the base fare or Rs. 10,000 whichever is less. If the alternative flight is beyond 24 hours, then the compensation will be 400 per cent of the base fare or Rs. 20,000 whichever is less.
  5. Ticket cancellation amount cannot exceed basic fare and there shall be no additional charge to process the refund.
  6. Refunds to be applicable on all fares including promotional and special fares.
  7. On cancellation of tickets, passenger will be allowed to choose whether to take cash refund or hold the amount in credit.
  8. All taxes, levies and fees shall be refunded in case of no-show and ticket cancellations.
  9. Even when booked through travel agents or online portals, airlines shall have to ensure refunds within 15 days to domestic passengers and 30 days for international flyers.
  10. Rules will be amended to ensure improved facilities to people with disabilities such as making it easier to book special seats.

Reported by Sandeep Phukan, Edited by Divyanshu Dutta Roy

See the full story and video at

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/cheaper-excess-baggage-more-refunds-10-big-announcements-for-flyers-1417905

Empowering Underprivileged Students through Legal Education – IDIA

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When he was teaching at the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (WB NUJS),  Prof Shamnad Basheer noticed that a majority of students at this premier legal institution came from urban, English-speaking, English-medium-educated backgrounds. This was a pattern that repeated across elite law institutes, with richer, English-speaking youngsters forming a majority of the students. This is not at all representative of the diverse population of the country.
Prof Basheer realised that by placing the tool of legal knowledge in their hands and allowing them to take up their own cause, he would be empowering underprivileged people far more meaningfully and removing their reliance on privileged people. He made up his mind to initiate an effort to increase access to millions of students from underprivileged backgrounds and marginalised communities. Then, with the support of the then vice chancellor of WB NUJS,
Prof MP Singh, he conceptualised IDIA—Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access. A not-for-profit entity called IDIA Charitable Trust was set up with Dr Basheer, Prof Singh as well as Justice Ruma Pal and Shishira Rudrappa.
IDIA works with a community of dynamic student volunteers. Dr Basheer says, “Their passion and motivation on the ground keeps the organisation charged up and constantly engaged.” Interacting with the IDIA scholars is also a learning opportunity for the team which works at converting each adversity into an advantage and build resilience. These volunteers travel to specific schools and begin with sensitising students, teachers and parents about the benefits of a legal education. IDIA then conducts a basic aptitude test to identify promising students. These students are guided and trained to for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) which includes help with written and spoken English. It provides study material which will now be provided online as well. IDIA is also working with national law colleges to get fee waivers for scholars to help pay their way through college or arrange support from lawyers and law school alumni.
Candidates who clear CLAT are also allotted mentors in law schools to guide them and to ensure that they are not rendered as ‘misfits’ or feel ‘socially awkward’ in law schools but hone their talents and abilities to their fullest potential.
While this work began in West Bengal, IDIA now has local chapters operating from New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ranchi, Jodhpur, Gangtok, Bhopal, Cochin, Gandhinagar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, Patna, Cuttack and Hyderabad.
Getting the law institutes to see the value of diversity on campus and to understand that IDIA scholars are not charity cases that would cause the institutes’ standards to plunge, was a challenge. Over time, it became evident that IDIA scholars did well and are actively engaged in campus activities, after overcoming the initial hurdle of dealing with English as a medium of instruction and the relative socio-cultural isolation that occurs in the first year or two. IDIA arranges for financial support for IDIA scholars, once they gain admission into the top law schools. Fund-raising is a huge challenge. “On the one hand, law institutes are constantly rising tuition fees but there is no corresponding increase in scholarships/waivers. On the other hand, there is the constant hunt for institutional support for funding which is, strangely, not forthcoming within the country,” says Shruthi Chandrasekaran, director, IDIA.
IDIA believes that “a good legal education enables the cultivation of personal autonomy, intellectual independence and the development of critical life skills beyond the traditional goals of teaching/training/learning of specific skills.”
Its ultimate goal is bigger.  Ms Chandrasekaran says, “In the long run, we hope that the ecosystem evolves to self-correct from time to time and embrace diversity as its core theme, to the point that the presence of an external third-party organisation addressing the diversity deficit (such as IDIA) is rendered unnecessary.”
All donations to IDIA are exempt from income-tax under Section 80-G.
IDIA Charitable Trust
No. E 1/9, Hanumanthappa Layout,
Ulsoor Road, Bengaluru – 560 042
Telephone 080-42197924