"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

June 2016

A Big Bonanza for Government Employees

The government accepted the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission and cleared 23.5% pay hike for Central Government staff, benefitting both employees as well as pensioners. The salary hike will be effective from January 1, 2016. Central Government employees have a lot to cheer about as even the starting salary of new appointees has been raised to 18000 INR. Newly recruited Class I officers will receive Rs. 56,100. This is not all, the ceiling of house building advance is now 25 Lakh INR and that of gratuity 20 Lakh INR. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that this pay hike will narrow the gap between the government and private sector salaries. It will attract high-quality talent to the government sector. With this pay hike, the government is expecting to boost spending. It is expected that real estate market too will benefit from the salary increase of close to one crore Central Government employees. In the coming months this pay hike is expected to fuel the Indian economy.

30 Jun 2016
Good News

Restaurants, Malls, Eateries, Theatres - Now Open 24*7

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to go out and enjoy a meal at 1 a.m., but stayed put hungry at home because of lack of options? Or you had time to watch a movie only in the morning, but the theatre near you does not operate during that time? Well, all this is about to change. The government has approved the Model Shop & Establishment Act, under which establishments such as malls, eateries and theatres, with ten or more employees, can now operate 24*7, 365 days a year. The law recommends better working conditions for employees as well as security for women employees so that they can work in night shifts. The passing of this Act will benefit the government, companies and the consumers. Consumers will have access to services any time of the day. The establishments can operate for 24 hours, thus increasing their revenue. The government will benefit from increased taxation income. The Bill can be adopted as it is by the States and Union Territories or they can modify it according to their requirement.

30 Jun 2016
Good News

India to be a manufacturing hub for foreign Smartphone Companies

The 12% import duty imposed on Smartphones is turning out to be a boon for Indian contract manufacturers. Chinese and Korean Smartphone companies are looking at India as a possible manufacturing hub, to save themselves from the high taxation. The growing Smartphone market in India is another reason why these companies want to shift their manufacturing base to India. In fact, Taiwan's Wistron is already in a joint venture with Delhi-based Optiemus Infracom. Together they have the capacity to produce close to 8 million units annually and their JV has bagged manufacturing deals from big Smartphone companies like LG, OnePlus, HTC and Oppo .

28 Jun 2016
Good News

India became 35th Member of Missile Technology Control Regime

After the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) hit, there is some cheer for India. India was finally given membership to the exclusive MTCR club. India’s entry into MTCR would help it to trade in high-end missile and space technology. India Navy will now be able to purchase Predator XP drones from USA. Brahmos Missiles can be exported to other countries, including Vietnam. India will now have access to technologies for Unmanned Strike Air vehicle. India had been making efforts to gain entry into MTCR since prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime. Even China, which blocked India’s entry into NSG, is still not a member of MTCR.

28 Jun 2016
Good News

23 Indian Track and Field Athletes Qualify for Rio Olympics

India has a lot to cheer this year. The Rio Olympics contingent has expanded to 103 this year, with hockey contributing 36 and Track and Field’s 23 athletes making the cut. Odisha’s sprinter Srabani clocked 23.07 seconds at the 200m qualifiers in Kazakhstan. The cut-off for 200m is 23.20 seconds. Atanu Das has been chosen by the Archery Federation of India to represent the country in the men's recurve individual event. Deepika Kumari, L Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Manjhi have already made India proud by qualifying for the individual as well as team recurve events. Sprinter Mohammad Anas qualified for Rio Olympics by clocking 45.40secs for the 400m race, which is also the qualifying mark for Rio Olympics. Long jumper Ankit Singh has booked his berth at the prestigious event too.

27 Jun 2016
Good News

Zubaida Bai gets UN Honour

It is a proud moment for India. Zubaida Bai, a social entrepreneur from Chennai, has been named amongst the ten pioneers, by the United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon, at the UN Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. Zubaida Bai is the founder-CEO of “ayzh” - a for-profit social venture, empowering women worldwide.   Ayzh is based in Chennai and Colorado. It provides low-cost health as well as livelihood solutions to impoverished women. The organization’s greatest success has been the JANMA kit, consisting of an antiseptic soap, sheet, hand sanitizer, apron, cord clip and surgical blade. The delivery kit is designed to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines of maintaining hygiene and cleanliness during childbirth. Zubaida Bai belongs to a family in which no one ever went to college and girls were married off in their adolescence. With her grit, determination and perseverance, Zubaida Bai completed her M.Tech from Dalarna University, Sweden and MBA from Colorado State University. By the age of 33, she had already founded “ayzh”. With this initiative, Zubaida aims to provide “technology” solutions to rural women and empower them.

25 Jun 2016
Good News

Anil Kumble to Coach Indian Cricket Team

  Anil Kumble was chosen as the coach of the Indian cricket team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He beat numerous other renowned personalities to land the most coveted job in the Indian cricket. Although, Kumble has never coached any team before, yet his incomparable record as a player more than makes up for it. That test match in May 2002 against West Indies, in which he played with bandage over his broken jaw, is a proof of his unbeatable spirit and commitment. In his hey days, the formidable leg-spinner had won many important matches for India. Known to be a true blue gentleman, Kumble never hogged the limelight, but always remained a dependable player of the Indian cricket team. He is the only Indian cricket player to bag 10 wickets in a test innings! Kumble’s professionalism has many admirers and he commands respect from everyone connected with cricket, including ex-players, current members of the Indian cricket team as well as the fans. With years of international cricketing experience behind him, Anil Kumble is the right man to coach and inspire the evolving Indian cricket team.

24 Jun 2016
Good News

ISRO @ 20!

It was a first for Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), our premiere space agency. ISRO successfully launched a rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota, which deposited twenty satellites into space, in record twenty six minutes! On 22nd June, 2016, at 9.26 a.m., Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C34 carried the satellites into space. The satellites will overlook and measure the Earth’s atmosphere and one of them is designed to provide service for radio operators. The commercial satellites are meant for International customers like Germany and United States. With this success, India has made a name for itself and would be most sought after in the future in the profitable commercial space market. ISRO is known the world over for its frugal and low-cost operations. In the year 2013, ISRO successfully sent an unmanned rocket to orbit Mars. The cost of the whole operation was only $73 million. In comparison, NASA had spent a whooping $671 million on its Mars mission.

23 Jun 2016
Good News

Government Allows Premature Withdrawal of PPF

There is good news for the subscribers of PPF (Public Provident Fund).  In a latest notification, the finance ministry announced that PPF can be prematurely closed after five financial years only. However, this closure and withdrawal of PPF is conditional. Withdrawal and closure is possible, provided the subscriber needs urgent money for a medical emergency and treatment of self, spouse or dependent children. In this case, the account holder needs to submit relevant documents from a recognized medical authority. Premature closure is allowed in case the account holder is in need of money for sponsoring his higher education in a recognised national or international institution. The account holder would have to submit relevant documents confirming his admission in the said institution. Premature closure after five years is possible for guardians of accounts of minors as well, provided they meet these two conditions. The announcement from the finance ministry is a welcome move and comes as a respite to lakhs of PPF account holders in the country.  

22 Jun 2016
Good News

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