4th Anniversary to My Blog

4th Year Anniversary

This Month, www.ngururaj.blogspot.com celebrates its "4th Year Blog Anniversary".

It's been Four Years since I started Blogging.

On this occasion, I would like to THANK each and every reader, subscriber, follower who are supporting me over the past Four Years with Your Valuable Time. Without which this Milestone wouldn't have been Possible. We need your continued support for the Year ahead.

I could post better information's, Stories, puzzles etc. as time goes by.

3rd Year Anniversary

This month, www.ngururaj.blogspot.com celebrates its "3rd Year Blog Anniversary".

 

It's been three years since I started blogging. 

I could post better information's, Stories etc.as time goes by.

I would like to take this opportunity to THANK each and every reader, subscriber, follower who are supporting me over the past Three Years with Your Valuable Time. We need your continued support for the year ahead.

Nominees and Winners for the 83rd annual Academy Awards

Below is the complete list of Winners and Nominees for the 83rd annual Academy Awards.

Best Motion Picture of the Year Nominees:
127 Hours.
Black Swan.
Inception.
The Fighter.
The Kids Are All Right.
The King's Speech.
The Social Network.
Toy Story 3.
True Grit.
Winter's Bone.

Winner: The King's Speech.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Nominees:
Colin Firth for The King's Speech.
James Franco for 127 Hours.
Javier Bardem for Biutiful.
Jeff Bridges for True Grit.
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network.

Winner: Colin Firth for The King's Speech.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Nominees:
Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right.
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone.
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine.
Natalie Portman for Black Swan.
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole.

Winner: Natalie Portman for Black Swan.


Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Nominees:
Christian Bale for The Fighter.
Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech.
Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right.
John Hawkes for Winter's Bone.
Jeremy Renner for The Town.

Winner: Christian Bale for The Fighter.


Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Nominees:
Amy Adams for The Fighter.
Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit.
Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech.
Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom.
Melissa Leo for The Fighter.

Winner: Melissa Leo for The Fighter.


Best Achievement in Directing Nominees:
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan.
David Fincher for The Social Network.
David O. Russell for The Fighter.
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for True Grit.
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech.

Winner: Tom Hooper for The King's Speech.


Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Nominees:
Another Year: Mike Leigh
Inception: Christopher Nolan
The Fighter: Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington
The Kids Are All Right: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
The King's Speech: David Seidler

Winner: The King's Speech: David Seidler.


Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Nominees:
127 Hours: Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3: Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
True Grit: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini

Winner: The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin.


Best Animated Feature Film of the Year Nominees:
How to Train Your Dragon.
The Illusionnist.
Toy Story 3.

Winner: Toy Story 3.


Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Nominees:
Biutiful: Alejandro González Iñárritu(Mexico)
Hævnen: Susanne Bier(Denmark)
Hors-la-loi: Rachid Bouchareb(Algeria)
Incendies: Denis Villeneuve(Canada)
Kynodontas: Giorgos Lanthimos(Greece)

Winner: Hævnen: Susanne Bier(Denmark)


Best Achievement in Cinematography Nominees:
Black Swan: Matthew Libatique
Inception: Wally Pfister
The King's Speech: Danny Cohen
The Social Network: Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit: Roger Deakins

Winner: Inception: Wally Pfister.


Best Achievement in Editing Nominees:
127 Hours: Jon Harris
Black Swan: Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter: Pamela Martin
The King's Speech: Tariq Anwar
The Social Network: Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

Winner: The Social Network: Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall.

Best Achievement in Art Direction Nominees:
Alice in Wonderland: Robert Stromberg, Karen O'Hara
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
Inception: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Douglas A. Mowat
The King's Speech: Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
True Grit: Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

Winner: Alice in Wonderland: Robert Stromberg, Karen O'Hara.


Best Achievement in Costume Design Nominees:
Alice in Wonderland: Colleen Atwood
Io sono l'amore (2009): Antonella Cannarozzi
The King's Speech: Jenny Beavan
The Tempest (2010/II): Sandy Powell
True Grit: Mary Zophres

Winner: Alice in Wonderland: Colleen Atwood.


Best Achievement in Makeup Nominees:
Barney's Version: Adrien Morot
The Way Back: Edouard F. Henriques, Greg Funk, Yolanda Toussieng
The Wolfman: Rick Baker, Dave Elsey

Winner: The Wolfman: Rick Baker, Dave Elsey.


Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Nominees:
127 Hours: A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon: John Powell
Inception: Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech: Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross.

Winner: The Social Network: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross.


Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song Nominees:
127 Hours: A.R. Rahman, Rollo Armstrong, Dido("If I Rise")
Country Strong: Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges("Coming Home")
Tangled: Alan Menken, Glenn Slater("I See the Light")
Toy Story 3: Randy Newman("We Belong Together")

Winner: Toy Story 3: Randy Newman("We Belong Together").

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing Nominees:
Inception: Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick
The King's Speech: Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen, John Midgley
Salt: Jeffrey J. Haboush, William Sarokin, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell
The Social Network: Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Mark Weingarten
True Grit: Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, Peter F. Kurland

Winner: Inception: Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick.


Best Achievement in Sound Editing Nominees:
Inception: Richard King
Toy Story 3: Tom Myers, Michael Silvers
TRON: Legacy: Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Addison Teague
True Grit: Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey
Unstoppable: Mark P. Stoeckinger

Winner: Inception: Richard King.


Best Accomplishment in Visual Effects Nominees:
Alice in Wonderland: Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas, Sean Phillips
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz, Nicolas Aithadi
Hereafter: Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojansky, Joe Farrell
Inception: Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin
Iron Man 2: Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright, Daniel Sudick

Winner: Inception: Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb, Paul J. Franklin.


Best Documentary, Features Nominees:
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Banksy, Jaimie D'Cruz
GasLand: Josh Fox, Trish Adlesic
Inside Job: Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs
Restrepo: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
Waste Land: Lucy Walker, Angus Aynsley

Winner: Inside Job: Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs.


Best Documentary, Short Subjects Nominees:
Killing in the Name: Nominees TBD
Poster Girl: Nominees TBD
Strangers No More: Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon
Sun Come Up: Jennifer Redfearn, Tim Metzger
The Warriors of Qiugang: Ruby Yang, Thomas Lennon

Winner: Strangers No More: Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon.


Best Short Film, Animated Nominees:
Day & Night: Teddy Newton
Let's Pollute (2009): Geefwee Boedoe
Madagascar, carnet de voyage: Bastien Dubois
The Gruffalo (2009) (TV): Jakob Schuh, Max Lang
The Lost Thing: Shaun Tan, Andrew Ruhemann

Winner: The Lost Thing: Shaun Tan, Andrew Ruhemann.

Best Short Film, Live Action Nominees:
God of Love: Luke Matheny
Na Wewe: Ivan Goldschmidt
The Confession (2010/IV): Tanel Toom
The Crush (2009): Michael Creagh
Wish 143 (2009): Ian Barnes, Samantha Waite

Winner: God of Love: Luke Matheny.

2nd Anniversary to My Blog

This Month, My Blog celebrates its 2nd Year Anniversary.

I was started this Little Blog in the month of January, 2009.

I can’t believe that I’m still blogging for 2 years and really amazed how time flies so fast.

Happy 2nd Anniversary to My Blog. Hope, I could post better information's as time goes by.

THANKS to ALL who are supporting me over the past 2 years with your valuable time.

List of Winners and Nominees from the 82nd Academy Awards

List of Nominees and winners for the 82nd Academy Awards:-

Actor in a Leading Role:
•Winner: Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role:
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
•Winner: Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role:
•Winner: Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role:
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
•Winner: Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film:
“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
•Winner: “Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction:
•Winner: “Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography:
•Winner: “Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design:
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
•Winner: “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing:
“Avatar” James Cameron
•Winner: “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature):
“Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
•Winner: “The Cove” Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
“Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers”
Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
“Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject):
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and
Matthew O’Neill
“The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
“The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
•Winner: “Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
“Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing:
“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” Julian Clarke
•Winner: “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film:
“Ajami” Israel
“The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada)” Peru
“A Prophet (Un Prophète)” France
•Winner: “The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)” Argentina
“The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)” Germany

Makeup:
“Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
•Winner: “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
“The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score):
“Avatar” James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
•Winner: “Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song):
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by RandyNewman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
•Winner: “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart”
Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Picture:
“Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Producers
“District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
•Winner: “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier
and Greg Shapiro, Producers
“Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness
and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Short Film (Animated):
“French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
•Winner: “Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
“A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action):
“The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
“Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
“Kavi” Gregg Helvey
“Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
•Winner: “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing:
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
•Winner: “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
“Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing:
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
•Winner: “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects:
•Winner: “Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R.Jones
“District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
“District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
“An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
•Winner: “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay):
•Winner: “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson,
Tom McCarthy

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

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

List of Winners and Nominees from the 2010 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

From Best Animated Feature through Best Movie, Drama and everything in between,

here is the complete list of winners and nominees from Sunday night’s
67th Golden Globe Awards.

THE COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINEES AND WINNERS FROM THE 2010 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS:


















MOVIES:

Best Motion Picture – Drama
•WINNER: Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
•WINNER: The Hangover
500 Days of Summer
It’s Complicated
Julie and Julia
Nine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
•WINNER: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Tobey Maguire, Brothers

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
•WINNER: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Emily Blunt, Young Victoria
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
• WINNER: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Julia Roberts, Duplicity
Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
•WINNER: Robert Downey Jr, Sherlock Holmes
Matt Damon, Informant!
Daniel Day Lewis, Nine
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 500 Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man

Best Director – Motion Picture
•WINNER: James Cameron, Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
• WINNER: Up in the Air
District 9
Hurt Locker
It’s Complicated
Inglourious Basterds

Best Animated Film
• WINNER: Up
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess & the Frog

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
• WINNER: Mo’Nique, Precious
Penélope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Julianne Moore, A Single Man

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
• WINNER: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones

Best Foreign Language Film
• WINNER: The White Ribbon (Germany)
Baaria (Italy)
Broken Embraces (Spain)
The Maid (Chile)
A Prophet (France)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
• WINNER: Up
The Informant!
Avatar
A Single Man
Where the Wild Things Are

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
• WINNER: “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” — Crazy Heart
“Cinema Italiano” — Nine
“I Want to Come Home” — Everybody’s Fine
“I Will See You” — Avatar
“Winter” — Brothers

TV: Best Television Series – Drama
• WINNER: Mad Men
Big Love
Dexter
House
True Blood

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
•WINNER: Glee
30 Rock
Entourage
Modern Family
The Office

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
• WINNER: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Glenn Close, Damages
January Jones, Mad Men
Anna Paquin, True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
• WINNER: Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Simon Baker, The Mentalist
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Bill Paxton, Big Love

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
• WINNER: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
David Duchovny, Californication
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matthew Morrison, Glee

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
• WINNER: Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Courteney Cox, Cougar Town
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Lea Michelle, Glee

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
•WINNER: Grey Gardens
Georgia O’Keefe
Into the Storm
Little Dorrit
Taking Chance

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
•WINNER: Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
Kenneth Branagh, Wallander: One Step Behind
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Endgame
Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm
Jeremy Irons, Georgia O’Keefe

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture
Made for Television
• WINNER: Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Joan Allen, Georgia O’Keefe
Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens
Anna Paquin, The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler
Sigourney Weaver, Prayers for Bobby

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series,
Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
• WINNER: John Lithgow, Dexter
Michael Emerson, Lost
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
William Hurt, Damages
Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series,
Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
•WINNER: Chloë Sevigny, Big Love
Jane Adams, Hung
Rose Byrne, Damages
Jane Lynch, Glee
Janet McTeer, Into the Storm

Root: okmagazine

First Year Anniversary of My Blog

One Year has passed since the first day I started blogging.

And this is the First Year Anniversary of My

Blog ( http://www.ngururaj.blogspot.com/ ).

THANK YOU to Everyone who Visited My Blog and

keeps on Visiting My Blog and I hope you keep coming back.

Bhima's Son Gadotkach- like Skeleton found

Difference between Cold and Swine Flu Symptoms

Symptom	Cold	Swine Flu
Fever	Fever is rare with a cold.	Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
Coughing	A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.	A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
Aches	Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.	Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
Stuffy Nose	Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.	Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
Chills	Chills are uncommon with a cold.	60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
Tiredness	Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.	Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
Sneezing	Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.	Sneezing is not common with the flu.
Sudden Symptoms	Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.	The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache	A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.	A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
Sore Throat	Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.	Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
Chest Discomfort	Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.	Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

K.C.Venugopal

Congratulation to My Friend:

"K.C.Venugopal", Mysore,

who secured 2nd in 'All India 2009 Medical Exam'.

Best Wishes from Me, My Brothers and My Parents.

Union Budget 2009-10 vis-à-vis the Common Man

Personal taxation

There are several welcome measures on the personal taxation front. Although the increase in basic exemption limit is marginal i.e. by Rs.15,000 in case of senior citizens and Rs.10,000 for others, the abolition of surcharge of 10% would definitely benefit individuals whose income is over Rs.10 lakhs. The increase in deduction under section 80DD in respect of a dependent with severe disability from Rs.75,000 to Rs.1 lakh and expansion of scope of section 80E to cover all fields of study including vocational study are welcome measures.

Fillip to new pension scheme

The Budget has given a fillip to the new pension scheme of the Central Government, by exempting NPS Trust from income-tax, dividend distribution tax and securities transaction tax. However, it puts a heavy burden on the tax payer when the proceeds are taxable at the time of withdrawal. Therefore, in the absence of social security network as prevalent in advanced countries, the pension should be exempt from tax at the time of withdrawal.

ICAI suggestion accepted

The ICAI is happy to note that the Government has accepted the suggestion of the ICAI for the extension of scope of presumptive taxation to all small businesses with a turnover/ gross receipt of less than Rs.40 lakhs. The rate of presumptive tax would be 8% of turnover/gross receipts. Further, they would also be exempted from applicability of advance tax provisions.

TDS and advance tax

The provisions relating to tax deduction at source have been considerably rationalized. There would no surcharge or cess in respect of any TDS provision, with the exception of section 192, for which cess would be applicable. The reduction of rate of TDS under section 194-I from 10% to 2% in respect of rent for plant, machinery or equipment is welcome. The consequence of non-furnishing of PAN by the deductee would result in tax being deducted at a steeply enhanced rate of 20% or more. This would ensure better compliance.

There is some relief on the advance tax front also. Advance tax liability would arise only if the tax payable is more than Rs.10, 000.

Gifts-in-kind to attract income-tax

Charging of gifts-in-kind like property, including immovable property, may create practically difficulties for the common man and it may involve extensive litigations.

Wealth tax

The exemption limit for levy of wealth tax has been increased from Rs.15 lakhs to Rs.30 lakhs.

Service tax

Extension of service tax on legal and medical services, though for limited purpose, is certainly a good measure of rationalization. Regarding refund of services tax to the exporter of goods, honorable finance minister has given a welcome relief to the exporter of goods from the administrative difficulties. Now department has to grant refund of the basis of certificate by chartered accountants.

Root: www.icai.org

Union Budget 2009-10 vis-a-vis the Corporates

FBT and CTT abolished

The two most welcome proposals are the abolition of fringe benefit tax and the commodities transaction tax. These proposals would also considerably reduce the administrative burden of the tax department and increase the plough back of the corporates.

Minimum Alternate Tax

However, for the corporates, the benefit by way of abolition of these taxes has been offset by increase in the rate of MAT from 10% to 15%. This is likely to affect the plough back of profits by companies. The increase in the time-limit for set-off of MAT Credit from 7 to 10 years would only provide a marginal relief to companies.

Scope of deduction for in-house research expanded

However, on the positive front, the weighted deduction for in-house research is proposed to be extended to all manufacturing industries, with the exception of a negative list.

Exemption under section 10A and 10B to continue for one more year

The sunset clause for exemptions under section 10A and section 10B have been extended by one more year.

Investment linked tax incentives

Introduction of investment linked tax incentives to certain businesses like –

* setting-up and operating ‘cold chain’ facilities for specified products;
* setting-up and operating warehousing facilities for storing agricultural produce;
* laying and operating a cross-country natural gas or crude or petroleum oil pipeline network for distribution, including storage facilities being an integral part of such network.
The above is a step in the right direction.

TDS

The provisions relating to tax deduction at source have been considerably rationalized. There would no surcharge or cess in respect of any TDS provision, with the exception of section 192, for which cess would be applicable. The reduction of rate of TDS under section 194-I from 10% to 2% in respect of rent for plant, machinery or equipment is welcome. The consequence of non-furnishing of PAN by the deductee would result in tax being deducted at a steeply enhanced rate of 20% or more. This would ensure better compliance.

Indirect Taxes proposals

Regarding refund of services tax to the exporter of goods, Hon’ble Finance Minister has given a welcome relief to the exporter of goods from the administrative difficulties. Now, the Department has to grant refund on the basis of certificate issued by chartered accountants.

It is a welcome step to include chartered accountants for the purpose of conducting audit under sections 14A and 14AA of the Central Excise Act, 1944.

Root: www.icai.org

Union Budget Highlights 2009-10

Forward looking budget to tackle recession

The Union Budget 2009-10 has been presented in the backdrop of worldwide economic recession. Having got the mandate for stability and continuance of reforms, the Government has made a sincere attempt to put the rail of economic reforms back on track. The Budget contains bold reliefs like discontinuance of fringe benefits tax and surcharge on individuals and firms.

The ICAI is happy to note that the Government has accepted the suggestion of the ICAI for the extension of scope of presumptive taxation to all small businesses with a turnover/ gross receipt of less than Rs.40 lakhs. The rate of presumptive tax would be 8% of turnover/gross receipts. Further, they would also be exempted from applicability of advance tax provisions. Further, another important suggestion accepted by the Government is that the chartered accountants are now eligible to undertake audit under sections 14A and 14AA of the Central Excise Act.

The present budget has given special attention to the economic and social infrastructural sector. Introduction of ‘takeout financing scheme” would facilitate incremental lending to the infrastructure sector, refinancing upto 60% of commercial bank loans for public private partnership projects in infrastructure, removing regulatory and institutional bottlenecks for speedy implementation of infrastructural projects, enhanced allocation to highways by 23% over 2008-09 (B.E.), increased allocation to railways to 15,800 crores from 10,800 crores, enhanced allocation by 87% to the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, a 160 percent increase in the accumulated Power Development & Reforms Programmes will go a long way in strengthening the infrastructure sector.

Special impetus to the agricultural sector is a welcome step. Raising of agricultural credit to Rs 3.25 lakh crore, extending the period of loan repayment by farmers under Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme (2008) by six months, increasing the allocation to the Accelerated Irrigation Scheme and Provision of direct fertilizer subsidy to farmers are welcome steps.

The budget is rightly concerned about the increasing fiscal deficit. Perhaps these are the results of fiscal initiatives taken by the Government to give boost to the economy. However, economic revival in the present scenario is perhaps more important than controlling fiscal deficit.

Last year, the farm loan wavier scheme could not address the issue of small and marginal farmers who had taken loans from private money lenders and hence the decision to set up a task force to address the issue is a step in the right direction.

There are several welcome measures on the personal taxation front. Although the increase in basic exemption limit is marginal i.e. by Rs.15,000 in case of senior citizens and Rs.10,000 for others, the abolition of surcharge of 10% would definitely benefit individuals whose income is over Rs.10 lakhs. The increase in deduction under section 80DD in respect of a dependent with severe disability from Rs.75,000 to Rs.1 lakh and expansion of scope of section 80E to cover all fields of study including vocational study are welcome measures.

The Budget has given a fillip to the new pension scheme of the Central Government, by exempting NPS Trust from income-tax, dividend distribution tax and securities transaction tax. However, it puts a heavy burden on the tax payer when the proceeds are taxable at the time of withdrawal. Therefore, in the absence of social security network as prevalent in advanced countries, the pension should be exempt from tax at the time of withdrawal.

The two most welcome proposals are the abolition of fringe benefit tax and the commodities transaction tax. These proposals would also considerably reduce the administrative burden of the tax department and increase the plough back of the corporates. However, the discontinuance of the Securities transaction tax would have boosted the capital markets.

For the corporates, the benefit by way of abolition of these taxes has been offset by increase in the rate of MAT from 10% to 15%. This is likely to affect the plough back of profits by companies. The increase in the time-limit for set-off of MAT Credit from 7 to 10 years would only provide a marginal relief to companies. However, on the positive front, the weighted deduction for in-house research is proposed to be extended to all manufacturing industries, with the exception of a negative list. The sunset clause for exemptions under section 10A and section 10B have been extended by one more year. Introduction of investment linked tax incentives to certain businesses like setting-up and operating ‘cold chain’ warehousing facilities for storing agricultural produce etc. is a right step to incentivise business.

Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP) have been included in the fold of partnership firms. However, the wide ranging suggestions of the ICAI in regard to various tax aspects of Limited Liability Partnerships have not found place in the Statute book.

The amendments in relation to allowing of remuneration of partners in the hands of firms are partially in tune with the suggestions of the ICAI. These amendments would benefit the professional firms also since they can pay higher remuneration to their partners.

The provisions relating to tax deduction at source have been considerably rationalized. There would no surcharge or cess in respect of any TDS provision, with the exception of section 192, for which cess would be applicable. The reduction of rate of TDS under section 194-I from 10% to 2% in respect of rent for plant, machinery or equipment is welcome. The consequence of non-furnishing of PAN by the deductee would result in tax being deducted at a steeply enhanced rate of 20% or more. This will result in better compliance.

There is some relief on the advance tax front also. Advance tax liability would arise only if the tax payable is more than Rs.10, 000.

The increase in exemption limit for levy of wealth tax from Rs.15 lakhs to Rs.30 lakhs is a welcome measure.

The initiative for improving efficiency in the direct tax system by setting up a Central Processing Centre at Bengaluru for processing of all electronically filed return is very commendable. However, the assesse should be permitted to file the acknowledgement in ITR-V with the jurisdictional Assessing Officer.

The assurance of the Finance Minister to introduce the new Direct Taxes Code within 45 days is widely welcome as it is hoped that the complexities of the existing Income-tax Act would be removed.

Indirect Taxes

The Hon’ble Finance Minister has said that there will be acceleration in the process for the smooth introduction of Goods and Services Tax with effect from 1st April, 2010. There has been an agreement on the basic structure of dual Goods and Services Tax comprising of a Central GST and State GST.

Service tax is introduced on legal and medical services. And very rightly, in respect of the legal services, service tax is not applicable in case the service provider or the service recipient is an individual. To rationalize this, the exclusion should be extended to chartered accountants, company secretaries, cost and works accountants and medical professionals.

Regarding refund of services tax to the exporter of goods, Hon’ble Finance Minister has given a welcome relief to the exporter of goods from the administrative difficulties. Now, the Department has to grant refund on the basis of certificate issued by chartered accountants.

It is a welcome step to include chartered accountants for the purpose of conducting audit under sections 14A and 14AA of the Central Excise Act, 1944.

On the whole the budget proposals can be expected to have a favorable effect on the economy, with the positive aspects outweighing the proposals perceived to be negative.

Root: www.icai.org

Rail Budget HighLights 2009-10

Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presented the Railway Budget 2009-10 in the
LokSabha.
The following are some of the Highlights:

~ Passenger and freight rates left unchanged across the board.
~ Railways earn net revenue of Rs8,121 crore in 2008-09.
~ Railways to pay higher dividend of Rs5,479 crore to the Centre in FY 2010.
~ Tatkal charges reduced from Rs150 to Rs100.
~ Ladies' specials on suburban train routes during peak hours.
~ New coach factory at Kanchrapara in West Bengal.
~ Cold storage facilities for farmers to store vegetables and fruits.
~ Talks to take over ailing wagon manufacturing units.
~ 18,000 wagons to be acquired during the current year.
~ Railway medical colleges and rail hospitals on public-private partnership basis.
~ Student concession will cover madrassa students.
~ Special coaches for disabled and aged people.
~ 50 stations to be developed along world-class standards.
~ Availability of doctors on-board long-distance trains.
~ On-board infotainment services to be provided.
~ 6,560 staff quarters to be constructed in 2009-10.
~ High-capacity double-decker A/C trains to be introduced.
~ 57 new trains to be introduced.
~ 12 non-stop trains to be introduced.
~ Accredited journalists to get 50% rebate; also once a year with spouse.
~ 1,000 MW power plant proposed in tribal area Adra.
~ Cash surplus of Rs17,400 crore before dividend.
~ Railways have investible surplus of Rs12,681 crore.
~ Annual plan expenditure pegged at Rs36,336 crore.
~ Book stores, PCOs to be set up across stations
~ Infotainment services on Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains
~ 'Izzat' monthly tickets of Rs.25/- (for up to 100 km travel) for people from the
unorganised sector with an income of less than Rs 1,500/- per month.
~ 375 stations to be upgraded as 'Adarsh' stations, with basic facilities such as
drinking water, toilets and ladies' dormitories.

Auditors may get powers to refuse to sign Accounts

Auditors may get powers to refuse signing a Company’s accounts if these are not found to be in order. A special group constituted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the statutory body regulating the profession in India, is veering round to the view that the institute should push for statutory backing to such a move.

Company balance sheets could soon acquire a new look, with the government asking ICAI to suggest ways to strengthen reporting norms following Satyam Computer Services founder Ramalinga Raju’s shock confession to long-term financial fraud on January 7. ICAI sources said the mandate from the government was to ensure that company managements did not use notes to accounts as a cover-up for misdemeanours.

The special group will finalise the recommendations over the next few weeks and submit its report to the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA).

Currently, auditors may only qualify accounts if managements are unwilling to accept the discrepancies they point out. “If the law mandates that the management has to incorporate the effects of the qualifications, the situation will be completely different. This will also help us penalise auditors for lapses,” said an ICAI source privy to the discussions.

An auditor, who was not an ICAI office-bearer, said managements typically pushed auditors to be removed if they made strong qualifications to the accounts. Firms or their directors also often approach the ICAI’s disciplinary committee, seeking action against an auditor who has taken a tough stance on grounds the firm was being targeted or blackmailed, he added.

An MCA official involved with the process said the government would go by ICAI’s recommendations.

The ministry was also pushing for better coordination with regulatory agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India, to improve disclosures and reporting.

“Over the next few months you will see steps such as those initiated by the US after the Enron and Worldcom controversies,” another MCA official said.

Sebi has already announced its decision to opt for peer review and had asked company promoters to disclose details of pledged shares.

In addition, Sebi and its committees were discussing the role of independent directors. It has also talked of the fact that clause 49 of the listing agreement did not specify the role and responsibilities of these board members. The market regulator could step in with stiffer guidelines on these issues.
icai.org

Highlights of Interim Budget 2009-10

The Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the interim Budget for 2009-10 in LokSabha.

Following are the highlights of the Budget:

--- In the first four years of UPA government, the economy has shown a dream run with growth rates booming throughout the tenure.

--- Sustained growth of 9 per cent was witnessed in the last three years, said Mukherjee.

--- The per capita income also registered the fastest growth rate during the last four years.

--- The fiscal deficit dropped to 2.7 per cent, while the revenue deficit grew. The investment rate grew to 39 per cent and gross domestic savings rate showed great improvement from 29.8 per cent in 2003-04 to 37.7 per cent per cent in 2007-08. The tax to GDP ratio rose from 9.2 per cent 2003-04 to 4.5 per cent 2007-08, said Mukherjee.

--- UPA was focussed on delivering 7 per cent plus growth throughout its tenure.

--- This is United Progressive Alliance's sixth Budget.

--- The annual rate of growth in agriculture was 3.7 per cent. Foodgrain production increased by 10 million tonnes each year to all time high of 230 million tonnes in 2007-08.

--- Foreign trade rose from 23.7 per cent of GDP to 35.5 per cent of GDP in 2007-08.

--- Industrial production fell by 2 per cent in 2008 on a year to year basis.

--- World economy, according to forecasts, will fare worse in 2009 than in 2008, says Mukherjee.

--- Inflation rate fell to 4.4 per cent on Janaury 31, 2009

--- India is second fastest growing economy in the world with 7.1 per cent GDP expansion in 2008-09, says Mukherjee.

--- Export growth rate in first nine months of 2008-09 touched 17.1 per cent. Industrial production fell by 2 per cent in December, says Mukherjee.

--- The India Infrastructure Finance Company will raise Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion) from market by end of March 2009.

--- As many as 50 infrastructure projects worth Rs 67,700 crore (Rs 677 billion) were given in- principle or final approval.

--- The India Infrastructure Finance Company will raise Rs 30,000 crore (Rs 300 billion) from market in next fiscal year.

--- Need for accelerating pace of policy reforms, particularly in financial sector, says Mukherjee.

--- The FDI inflow between April-Nov 2008 was $23.3 billion, a growth of 45 per cent compared with that during the same period in 2007.

--- The government has relaxed the Fiscal Responsibility Budget Management (FRBM) targets to counter global economic slowdown.

--- Plan allocation 300 per cent increased for agriculture.

--- Rural infrastructure development scheme to be expanded through suitable allocations.

--- 60.4 lakh (6.04 million) houses constructed under Indira Awas Yojana during the year, says Mukherjee.

--- Minimum support price for wheat increased from Rs 630 to Rs 1,080 per qunital.

--- The government will continue interest subvention scheme for farmers for loans up to Rs 3 lakh (Rs 300,000).

--- Rs 65,300 crore (Rs 653 billion) in loans waived for farmers during 2008-09. It benefitted 3.6 crore (Rs 36 million) households, says Mukherjee.

--- Agriculture credit has been increased by three fold to Rs 250,000 crore (Rs 2,500 billion). Six new IITs started functioning in 2008-09. Two more IITs in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will start functioning in 2009-10.

--- Six new IITs started functioning in 2008-09. Two more IITs in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will start functioning in 2009-10.

--- Student loans increased from Rs 4,500 crore on March 31, 2004 to Rs 24,260 crore (Rs.242.60 billion) as on September 30, 2008.

--- Turnover of public sector companies has increased from Rs 587,000 crore (Rs 5,870 billion) in 2003-04 to Rs 10,87,000 crore (Rs 10,870 billion) in 2007-08, says Mukherjee.

--- Non-performing assets of public sector banks have fallen from 7.8 per cent in 2007 to 2.3 per cent in March 2008.

--- Rs 632 crore (Rs 6.32 billion) provided for recaptalisation of Regional Rural Banks.

--- Fertiliser subsidy increased by Rs 44,863 crore (Rs 448.63 billion) from about Rs 14,000 crore (Rs 140 billion) during 2008-09.

--- Central plan expenditure increased from Rs 2,43,386 crore (Rs 2,433.86 billion) to Rs.2,82,957 crore (Rs 2,829.57 billion).

--- Revised budget estimates for 2008-09 increased to Rs 909,053 crore (Rs 9,090.53 billion) from Rs 750,884 crore (Rs 7,508.84 billion).

--- Revised fiscal defict esimated at 6 per cent of GDP as against 2.5 per cent in the Budget estimate.

--- Revised revenue deficit placed at 4.4 per cent as against 1 per cent in the Budget estimate for 2008-09.

--- Rs 40,000 crore (Rs 400 billion) relief extended through tax cuts to counter economic slowdown.

--- Fiscal deficit has gone up from Rs 133,287 crore (Rs 1,332.87 billion) in the budget estimates to Rs 326,515 crore (Rs 3,265.15 billion) in the revised estimates for 2008-09, says Mukherjee.

--- Integrated Child Development Scheme gets Rs 6,705 crore (Rs 67.05 billion) in 2009-10.

--- Allocation for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme increased to Rs 13,100 crore (Rs 131 billion).

--- Flagship NREGA scheme gets Rs 30,100 crore (Rs 301 billion) in 2009-10, says Mukherjee.

--- Budgetary support increased for Ministries of Rural Development, Road Transport & Highway, Power, Railways, Industrial Policy & Promotion and IT.

--- Budget estimate for expenditure for 2009-10 put at Rs 953,231 crore (Rs 9,532.31 billion). This includes Rs 285,145 crore (Rs 2,851.45 billion) for plan expenditure while non-plan spend put at Rs 668,883 crore (Rs 6,688.83 billion).

--- Allocation for JNNURM programme raised to Rs 11,842 crore (Rs 118.42 billion).

--- Bharat Nirman programme gets Rs 40,900 crore (Rs 409 billion) in 2009-10.

--- Revenue deficit seen at 4 per cent, fiscal deficit at 5.5 per cent of GDP in 2009-10.

--- Increase in the allocation of defence expenditure to Rs 1,41,703 crore (Rs 1,417.03 billion)in 2009-10.

--- Plan expenditure in 2009-10 may have to be increased substantially at the time of presentation of overall budget if we have to give economy the stimulus it needs, says Mukherjee.

--- Allocation for Unique Identification (UID) programme has been pegged at Rs 100 crore (Rs. 1 billion).

--- No Change in Tax rates (Direct & Indirect)

Highlights of Interim Railway Budget 2009-10

Review of Financial Performance during the year 2008-09

# Freight loading target retained at 850 mt; number of passengers likely to grow by around 7% over previous year.

# Implementation of recommendations of VI Central Pay Commission (CPC) likely to cost the Railways Rs 9,000 cr more on staff costs and Rs 4,500 cr more on pensionary charges as compared with previous year.

# Hence, Ordinary Working Expenses (OWE) increased to Rs 55,000 cr in the R.E and the appropriation to Pension Fund to Rs 10,500 cr.

# Appropriation to DRF retained at Rs 7,000 cr.

# Dividend payable to General Revenues kept at Rs 4,711 cr.

# Cash surplus before dividend projected at Rs 19,320 cr and the Operating Ratio at 88.3% despite implementation of the VI CPC.

# Revised plan outlay kept at Rs 36,773 cr.

Performance Review

# The number of consequential accidents came down to 194 in 2007-08.

# Agartala, the capital of the Tripura, connected by railway line. First train service in Kashmir valley commenced between Anantnag and Rajwansher. To be followed by Baramulla and Qazigund.

# Successful trials completed for running electric locomotives with OHE at a height of about 7.5 mts in preparation for running double stack containers on electrified Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.

# Work on Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor commenced near Dehri-onSon on 10th February,2009. Work on Western DFC to commence this month.

Budget Estimates 2009-10

# Freight loading targeted at 910 mt an increment of 60 mt on 2008-09; number of passengers likely to grow by around 7%.

# Gross Traffic Receipts estimated at Rs 93,159 cr i.e. Rs 10,766 cr more than RE 2008-09.

# Ordinary Working Expenses budgeted at Rs 62,900 cr to cover the full year impact of VI CPC and the payment of 60% arrears due in 2009-10.

# Dividend payable to General Revenues kept at Rs 5,304 cr at the current applicable rates.

# Budgeted Operating Ratio 89.9%.

# Plan outlay kept at Rs 37,905 cr.

Passenger Services

# 43 new train services to be started in 2009-10, extension of 14 trains envisaged and frequency of 14 trains to be increased.

Others

# With a view to facilitate improved train operations, it has been decided to set up two new railway divisions at Bhagalpur and Thawe.

# 25 surveys proposed comprising 14 for new lines, 3 for gauge conversion and 28 for doubling projects.

# Pre-feasibility study for running high speed bullet trains being pursued.

# Construction of Rail Wheel Factory, Chapra on in full swing; Work on diesel and electric locomotive factories at Marhoura and Madhepura targeted for early start.

# Bharat Wagon Limited, Mokama & Muzaffarpur transferred to Ministry of Railways; transfer of wagon units of Burn Standard at Burnpur and Howrah also under consideration on the same lines.

Reduction in Tariffs

# Reduction in passenger fares of ordinary passenger trains by one rupee for fares costing up to Rupees fifty per passenger for journey above ten kms.

# Second class and sleeper class fares of all Mail/Express and ordinary passenger trains to be reduced by 2 per cent for tickets costing Rupees fifty and more per passenger.

# Fares of AC First Class, AC II tier, AC III tier and AC Chair Car also to be reduced by two percent.

26/11 terrorists took the sea route: Maria

MUMBAI: Rejecting Pakistani navy chief Admiral Noman Bashir's claim that the 10 terrorists did not use the sea route to reach Mumbai, city crime branch said that the four Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices recovered from the terrorists revealed that they did come by the sea.

"The GPS was switched on in the Pakistani waters and the devices showed locations near Karachi,'' said crime branch chief Rakesh Maria. To add more to it, Maria said, "The GPS was switched on along at least 50 positions in Pakistan. The terrorists were trained to use GPS.''

According to the Mumbai police, the terrorists had sailed in a Pakistani ship, Al-Husseini, before they took over a fishing trawler, M V Kuber to reach the city.

On February 13, Pakistan's interiror minister, Rehman Malik, admitted that the terrorists belonged to Pakistan and had sailed through Pakistani waters. However, Bashir's claim contradicts his own minister's official statement.

Crime branch officers said they had seized logbooks from Kuber, which was maintained by the terrorists to continue their "guard'' duty on the fishing trawler. The logbook, made for a 24-hour journey, registered the names of nine out of 10 terrorists and their duties on a two-hour rotation. While nine terrorists were killed during the carnage, the youngest, 21-year-old Ajmal Kasab, was captured alive.

The terrorists had also killed four crew members of Kuber before they did away with the navigator. The police had recovered a satellite phone and at least 16 Pakistani items from fishing trawler. Maria added that the terrorists, who went to Nariman House, also used another GPS.

According to Maria, Major General Saab, who is among the 35 wanted accused named in the 11,202-page charge sheet on 26/11, was responsible for "motivational and operational'' functions during the gun battle. "It was he who instructed the terrorists how to take position and fire. It was he who instructed to set fire,'' said the officer.

At least 30 witnesses have identified Kasab while 29 other witnesses had identified the dead bodies. "Two bodies could not be identified since they were completely charred,'' said Maria. Four persons have identified the local conspirators, Faheem Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed. He added that four SIM cards, one purchased in Delhi, one in Kolkata and two in Kashmir, were seized from the terrorists.
Times of India