My talk of about 50 minutes on RTI, Information Commissions, Judiciary and governance of December 2012 – Shailesh Gandhi
Serious Concerns on Vaccination
This Thane man has produced zero garbage in the last 12 years
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Sixty-five-year-old Kaustubh Tamhankar. Pics: Rupali Shinde/iamin -
A poster on his house’s front door states ‘We Do Not Produce Garbage’
Sixty-five-year-old Kaustubh Tamhankar has not made trash in the past 12 years. A poster on his house’s front door, infact, states ‘We Do Not Produce Garbage.’
“For the past 12 years, I haven’t produced any garbage. Not a single piece of waste paper accumulated goes into the dustbin,” says the Thane-based man, who fertilises waste at his home.
Tamhankar is making a big difference in his home by recycling. “My wife Sharyu is fond of cleanliness and that made me think of doing something on similar lines for the environment. I observed that waste goes from one dustbin to other and then finally to dumping ground, which ultimately produces air pollution after burning. So I thought of organising waste in a manner, that it will not harm the environment. For starters, I threw away all the dustbins I had in my house. Then, I began to segregate dry waste and wet waste. In my house, none of the family members throw away a single piece of paper, everything goes to the scrap dealers,” Tamhankar explained.
Tamhankar’s balcony has three bags, one for wet waste, other for dry waste and the last one to collect plastic. “Plastic is non-biodegradable. I own Tansa Pvt Company which deals with pipes. Therefore, for manufacturing and delivering purposes, I use these plastic bags for packing,” he added.
Tamhankar sells Avirat Patra (continuous processing equipment) for Rs 900. “This equipment consists one basket which is attached with triangular shaped filter. At the base level, there’s a small pot which collects fertilised soil. Everyday one has to put waste in the basket, and spray water on it. After 4 weeks, one gets fertilised soil ( compost). I have made this equipment and sell it for Rs 900 to interested buyers,” he said. Tamhankar has also written a book explaining the advantages of recycling. The book can be purchased at any cost. “Readers can pay me the amount they feel like. There is no MRP on the book cover. It is available in Gujarati, Hindi and Marathi languages.”
To get in touch with Tamhankar, call 9819745393
Non-Occupancy Charges in Society
For a detailed write-up on Non-Occupancy Charges in Society, (including the definition, conditions, how much to charge, and much more) by Heman Agarwal – Click Here
Natural Cancer Cures and Why You Don’t Know About Them
We are fed bollocks about cancer by the monied interests. Two out of the three legal treatments for cancer are themselves carcinogenic and kill 2/3 of patients who try them. Treatments that really work and heal people like herbs and natural foods are illegal for practitioners to practice. We MUST as a culture use our innate wisdom and acknowledge the body’s brilliant self-healing design. Watch this video to gain understanding of how we got to the place of illness being a trillion dollar business and how to get back to the basics for self-healing. Self-healing is enjoyable and effective.
Videos on Co-operative Matters
CA Shri Ramesh Prabhu, Chairman MSWA has launched MSWA news channel on You Tube. MSWA has uploaded more than 250 videos related to various issues and subjects of Cooperative Housing Societies. You are requested to watch these videos and give your opinion and suggestions on it.
You may also ask questions on any Housing related matter. Our expert team will answer your each and every query. If you are interested in any particular video related to Housing Society matter, we will upload the same for the benefit of Society at large.
We are providing video link for the same herewith.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJcDvSHSxxnlgQdPQS6X87Q
Please send in your emails to : rsprabhu13@gmail.com
Thanking You
Mr Kishor Kanade
Video Editor
Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association (Regd.)
A-2/302, Laram Centre. Opp. Platfrom No.6,
Andheri (W), Mumbai – 58
Tel : 022-42551414/26248589/65
Email ID : rsprabhu13@gmail.com
How to handle stays on Information Commission’s orders
Very often the orders given by Information Commissions are stayed by the High Courts without any reference to the RTI applicant.
Such cases languish for long periods and are effectively lost because most applicants find it difficult pursue them.
Thus public authorities render the orders of the Commissions on giving information, penalties and others ineffective.
Section 23 of the RTI Act clearly states:”No court shall entertain any suit, application or other proceeding in respect of any order made under this Act and no such order shall be called in question otherwise than by way of an appeal under this Act.” However courts entertain most of these under their writ jurisdiction. My considered view is that most of these cases are appeals wrongly labelled as Writs.
In most cases the applicant is not even informed about the hearing in which the stay is given. Article 226 (3) of the Constitution is a remedy for such conditions.
I have often wanted to challenge these practices and when the Maharashtra Commission issued an order confirming that Mumbai Metro was a public authority, i had prepared my challenge on these grounds ( with generous help from young advocate Sandeep Jalan). As luck would have it, Reliance did not challenge the order and hence i missed the opportunity. When i was talking with Anjali Bhardwaj this morning she suggested that i should share the draft, so that these grounds could be used. I am attaching the 1500 word petition.
A few changes to suit your particular case may be required. I would be glad to assist. An applicant could file such a petition and
Alternately, Sandeep Jalan may be willing to give professional help His contact: Sandeep Jalan ; 9820671212
http://www.scribd.com/doc/273362484/How-to-handle-stays-on-Information-Commission-s-orders
Courtesy : Shailesh Gandhi
5 Common Mistakes People Make When Planning For Retirement
Retirement may be many years ahead, but what you do today will determine how smoothly you handle your post-retirement life.
Dreaming about your retirement is the first step; planning and working towards your retirement goals is what will actually get you there.
Here are some of the common mistakes to avoid and what to do instead.
Mistake #1: Not creating a retirement road map
Mistake #2: Not knowing how much you need at the time retirement
Mistake #3: Not starting early enough
Mistake #4: Not including contingencies such as health care expenses in your retirement plan
Mistake #5: Not making smart investment decisions
When planning for retirement, it’s important to realize where you want to be, in order to know what you need to do to get there.
Click Here for the full explanation and recommendations
MCGM Circular – Policy for granting permissions to erect Pandals on footpaths and roads
Dear friends,
I am attaching the BMC Commissioner’s Circular listing out conditions for granting permissions to erect Pandals etc. for Ganesh Utsav, Dahi Handi etc. celebrations on our roads, footpaths and other open spaces.
If you feel they are unreasonable and would cause noise and inconvenience to residents, pedestrians and motorists, then do send your objections to the Mun. Comm. as soon as possible.
Regards.
G R Vora
What you need to know about the new rules for filing tax returns
New forms, additional information, completely paperless filing…. the Finance Ministry has introduced several changes in the way taxpayers will file their returns this year. As a taxpayer you need to be aware of these changes lest you file an incorrect return that gets rejected or results in a scrutiny notice.
Many taxpayers tend to believe that if they have no tax liability or have already paid all taxes, they need not file their returns. “It does not really matter whether you have paid any taxes or not.
Even if all your taxes are paid through TDS by the employer and bank or you have paid an advance tax, you still need to file returns if your annual income exceeds Rs 2.5 lakh,” says Archit Gupta, Founder and CEO, ClearTax.in. But before we get there, let’s look at the major changes in this year’s tax filing rules.
Who needs to file tax returns?
If the gross taxable income after exemptions, but before deductions, exceeds the basic exemption of Rs 2.5 lakh, you need to file your tax return.
Click Here for the detailed article from Economic Times, on the deadlines, forms, methodology, foreign income and assets and much more
Consumer Resources 