Union Budget 2013: highlights

Highlights of 2013-2014 budget,presented by  Finance Minister P Chidambaram 

• Branded apparels,Precious Stones and Leather products get cheaper
• Mobile phones, dinning out, cigarettes, SUVs, motorbikes, set-up boxes get expensive 
• Excise duty on cigarettes raised by 18 per cent
• Mobile Phones, SUVs to get more expensive: On mobile phones priced at more than Rs.2000, excise duty hiked to 6%. Excise duty on SUVs raised from 27% to 30% 
  
• Duty free limit for Gold raised to Rs. 50,000 in case of a male passenger and Rs. 1 lakh for female passengers
• The current slabs were introduced last year. Hence there is no case of revising either 
• Some tax credit of Rs. 2000 for every person who has an annual income of upto Rs. 5 lakh 
• Tax Administration Reforms Commission to be set up to review tax laws
• In 2007-08 Tax GDP ratio touched a peak; in short term we must regain that peak
• The current slabs were introduced last year. Hence there is no case of revising them 
• But will give some tax relief of Rs. 2000  for every person who has an annual income of up to Rs.5 lakh
• Rs. 1000-crore Nirbhaya Fund announced for the empowerment of women 
• All Regional Rural Banks and cooperative banks to be e-linked by this year-end
• National Housing Bank (NHB) to set up urban housing bank fund and Rs. 2,000 crore will be allocated in this regard
• Standing Council of Experts in Ministry of Finance to examine transaction cost of doing business in India
• Rs. 14,000 crore capital infusion into public sector banks in 2013-14
• PSU banks to have ATMs at all their branches by March 31, 2014
• Rs. 6,000 crore to be allocated for rural housing fund in 2013-14

Union Budget 2013: highlights

• Defence allocation increased to Rs. 2.03 lakh crore 
• Rs. 6,275 crore to ministry of science and technology, Rs. 5,880 crore to Department of Atomic Energy
• Coal imports during Apr-Dec 2012 crossed 100 million tonnes and expected to go up to 185 million tonnes in 2016-17
• Finance Minster asks state governments to prepare financial restructuring plan for power distribution companies at the earliest. 
• Simpler SEBI rules:Securities and Exchange Board of India to simplify procedures for foreign portfolio investors
• Two new ports to be set up in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh to ad 100 million tonnes handling capacity
• Gas handling terminal at Dabhol in Maharashtra to be fully operational during 2013-14
• State governments urged to sign restructuring plans with electricity discoms
• Tax-free infrastructure bonds of Rs.50,000 crore to be issued
• Textile ministry allocated Rs.50 crore for establishing apparel parks
• Handloom sector allocated Rs.96 crore to benefit 150,000 weavers
• Infrastructure debt funds to be encouraged
• Regulator to be appointed for road projects; 3,000 km of road projects to be awarded in first six months of 2013-14
• Incentive allowance of 15 percent over and above permitted depreciation to those investing over Rs.100 crore in infrastructure projects
• Rajiv Gandhi Equity Scheme to be liberalised
• Seven new cities identified along Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
• Preliminary work begun on Bangalore-Mumbai Industrial corridor
  Foodgrain production during 2013-13 estimated at 250 million tonnes
• Household sector must be incentivised to save in financial instruments rather than gold.Person taking a home loan for his first home during the period 2013-14 will be entitled to an additional deduction of Rs. 1 lakh, announces Mr Chidambaram 
• Re-financing capacity of SIDBI increased to Rs. 10,000 crore from Rs. 5,000 crore for Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises
• Rs. 27,049 crore allocation to the Agriculture Ministry in 2013-14
• Rs. 7 lakh crore target fixed for agriculture credit for 2013-14 compared to Rs. 5.75 lakh crore in the current year.
• Eastern Indian states to get Rs. 1,000 crore allocation for improving agricultural production
• Infrastructure Development Funds will be encouraged
• Funds to raise resources for the development
• Govt committed to food security bill. 10,000 crores set apart for expenditure likely under the act
• Rs. 37,330 crore allocated for Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
• Rs. 110 crore to be allocated to the department of disability affairs
• Rs. 3511 crore allocated to Minority Affairs Ministry which is 60 per cent of the revised estimates
• Additional sum of Rs. 200 crore to Women and Child Welfare
• Ministry to address issues of vulnerable women
• Rs. 37,330 crore allocated for Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
• Faced with huge fiscal deficit, I have no choice but to rationalise expenditure
• Development must be sustainable - economically and ecologically
• Cannot spurn foreign investments, that is an imperative 
• Great worry is the  current account deficit 
• Without growth, there will be neither development nor inclusiveness
• The job of a finance minister is to create the economic space and find resources to achieve it
• Only China and Indonesia growing faster than India

Source:NDTV

List of States and its Capitals in India

India is a country comprising of twenty-eight states and seven union territories.

India

STATE	CAPITAL
1.Andra Pradesh	Hyderabad
2.Arunachal Pradesh	Itangar
3.Assam	Dispur
4.Bihar	Patna
5.Chhattisgarh	Raipur
6.Goa	Panaji
7.Gujarat	Gandhinagar
8.Haryana	Chandigarh
9.Himachal Pradesh	Shimla
10.Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar and Jammu
11.Jharkhand	Ranchi
12.Karnataka	Bangalore
13.Kerala	Thiruvananthapuram
14.Madya Pradesh	Bhopal
15.Maharashtra	Mumbai
16.Manipur	Imphal
17.Meghalaya	Shillong
18.Mizoram	Aizawi
19.Nagaland	Kohima
20.Orissa	Bhubaneshwar
21.Punjab	Chandigarh
22.Rajasthan	Jaipur
23.Sikkim	Gangtok
24.Tamil Nadu	Chennai
25.Tripura	Agartala
26.Uttaranchal	Dehradun
27.Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow
28.West Bengal	Kolkata

          Union Territories                             Capital

1.Andaman and Nicobar Islands		Port Blair
2.Chandigarh		Chandigarh
3.Dadar and Nagar Haveli		Silvassa
4.Daman and Diu		Daman
5.Delhi		Delhi
6.Lakshadeep		Kavaratti
7.Pondicherry		Pondicherry

List of Ministers of India 2013

The Cabinet of India consists of the Prime Minister and 35 Cabinet Ministers is the ultimate decision-making body of the Government of India. 

Secretariat Building,New Delhi-Prime Minister Office

                                                         Highlights of Indian Leaders

Pres.	Pranab MUKHERJEE
Vice Pres.	Mohammad Hamid ANSARI
Prime Min.	Manmohan SINGH
National Security Adviser	Shivshankar MENON
Dep. Chmn., Planning Commission	Montek Singh AHLUWALIA
Governor, Reserve Bank of India	Duvvuri SUBBARAO

 List of Cabinet Ministers, Minister of State with independent charges and State Ministers 

S.no	Portfolio	Name
1	14th Prime Minister of India	Dr Manmohan Singh
	Minister of Atomic Energy
	Minister of Space
	Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Planning
2	Minister of Defence	A. K. Antony
3	Minister of Agriculture	Sharad Pawar
	Minister of Food Processing Industries
4	Minister of Finance	P. Chidambaram
5	Minister of External Affairs	Salman Khurshid
6	Minister of Home Affairs	Sushilkumar Shinde
7	Minister of Communications and Information Technology	Kapil Sibal
8	Minister of Human Resource Development	Pallam Raju
9	Minister of Law and Justice	Ashwani Kumar
10	Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers	M. K. Alagiri(Resigned on 21st March 2013)
11	Minister of Civil Aviation	Ajit Singh
12	Minister of Coal	Shriprakash Jaiswal
13	Minister of Commerce and Industry	Anand Sharma
	Minister of Textiles
14	Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas	Veerappa Moily
15	Minister of Culture	Chandresh Kumari
16	Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation	Ajay Maken
17	Minister of Water Resources	Harish Rawat
18	Minister of Rural development	Jairam Ramesh
19	Minister of Urban Development	Kamal Nath
	Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
20	Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs	Vayalar Ravi
21	Minister of Health and Family Welfare	Ghulam Nabi Azad
22	Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises	Praful Patel
23	Minister of Labour and Employment	Mallikarjun Kharge
24	Minister of New and Renewable Energy	Farooq Abdullah
25	Minister of Panchayati Raj	Kishore Chandra Deo
	Minister of Tribal Affairs
26	Minister of Railways	Pawan Kumar Bansal
27	Minister of Science and Technology	Jaipal Reddy
	Minister of Earth Sciences
28	Minister of Road Transport and Highways	C. P. Joshi
29	Minister of Shipping	G. K. Vasan
30	Social Justice and Empowerment	Selja Kumari
31	Minister of Steel	Beni Prasad Verma
32	Minister of Minority Affairs	K. Rahman Khan
Ministers of State with Independent Charge
1	Ministry of Information and Broadcasting	Manish Tewari
2	Ministry of Tourism	Chiranjeevi
3	Ministry of Power	Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia
4	Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation	Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki
5	Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports	Jitendra Singh
6	Ministry of Corporate Affairs	Sachin Pilot
7	Ministry of Ministry of Women and Child Development	Krishna Tirath
8	Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution	K. V. Thomas
9	Ministry of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation	Srikant Kumar Jena
10	Ministry of Environment and Forests	Jayanthi Natarajan
11	Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Parliamentary Affairs	Paban Singh Ghatowar
12	Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises	K. H. Muniyappa
Ministers of State
1	Ministry of External Affairs	E. Ahamed
2	Ministry of Human Resource Development	Shashi Tharoor
3	Ministry of Agriculture	Tariq Anwar
4	Ministry of Home Affairs	Mullappally Ramachandran
5	Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Prime Minister Office	V. Narayanasamy
6	Ministry of Commerce and Industry	Daggubati Purandeswari
7	Ministry of Textiles	Lakshmi Panabaka
8	Ministry of Finance	Namo Narain Meena
9	Ministry of Defence	Lal Chand Kataria
10	Ministry of Finance	S. S. Palanimanickam
11	Ministry of Human Resource Development, Defence	Jitin Prasada
12	Ministry of External Affairs	Preneet Kaur
13	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment	D. Napolean
14	Ministry of Information and Broadcasting	S. Jagathrakshakan
15	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare	S. Gandhiselvan
16	Ministry of Road Transport and Highways	Tushar Amarsinh Chaudhary
17	Ministry of Coal	Pratik Patil
18	Ministry of Home Affairs	Ratanjit Pratap Narain Singh
19	Ministry of Rural Development	Pradeep Jain Aditya
20	Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Power	K.C. Venugopal
21	Ministry of Agriculture and Food Processing Industry	Charan Das Mahant
21	Ministry of Communications and Information Technology	Milind Murli Deora
22	Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Planning	Rajeev Shukla
23	Ministry of Labour and Employment	Kodikunnil Suresh
24	Ministry of Railways	K.J. Surya Prakash Reddy
25	Ministry of Tribal Affairs	Ranee Narah
26	Ministry of Railways	Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
27	Ministry of Communications and Information Technology	Killi Krupa rani
28	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare	Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury
29	Ministry of Road Transport and Highways	Sarve Sathyanarayana
30	Ministry of Minority Affairs	Ninong Ering
31	Ministry of Urban Development	Deepa Dasmunsi
32	Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment	Porika Balram Naik

The Seven Wonders of the World

Why Seven Wonders of the World?

The number seven was chosen because the Greeks believed it to be the representation of perfection and plenty because it was the number of the five planets known anciently plus the sun and moon.

The seven wonders were:

• Great Pyramid of Giza
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
• Colossus of Rhodes
• Lighthouse of Alexandria

Today, the only ancient world wonder that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza.



The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or thePyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.Egyptologists believe that the pyramid was built as a tomb for fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops in Greek) over a 10 to 20-year period concluding around 2560 BCE. Initially at 146.5 metres (481 feet), the Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. Originally, the Great Pyramid was covered by casing stones that formed a smooth outer surface; what is seen today is the underlying core structure. 

The Great Pyramid of Giza 

The New Seven Wonders of the World

Wonder	Date of construction	Location
Great Wall of China	Since 7th century BC	China
Petra	c.100 BCE	Jordan
Christ the Redeemer	Opened October 12, 1931	Brazil
Machu Picchu	c.1450 CE	Peru
Chichen Itza	c.600 CE	Mexico
Colosseum	Completed 80 CE	Italy
Taj Mahal	Completed c.1648 CE	India
Great Pyramid of Giza (Honorary Candidate)	Completed c.2560 BCE	Egypt

1.The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike peoples or forces. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC;these, later joined together and made bigger, stronger, and unified are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall.Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall was reconstructed during the Ming Dynasty.

Great Wall of China

2.Petra in Greek meaning 'stone' is an Arabian historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an, that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system.

Petra

3.Cristo Redentor (English: lit. Christ the Redeemer, Portuguese: Cristo Redentor,standard) is a statue of Jesus of Nazareth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres (31 ft) pedestal, and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. It weighs 635 tonnes (625 long,700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. A symbol of Brazilian Christianity, the statue has become an icon for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931.

 Christ the Redeemer

4.Machu Picchu("Old Peak") is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level.Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as the "City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of Inca civilization.

Machu Picchu

5.Chichen Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the second-most visited of Mexico's archaeological sites.It was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya civilization. The archaeological site is located in the municipality of Tinum, in the Mexican state of Yucatán.

Chichen Itza
6.The Colosseum is an elliptical amphitheater in Rome, Italy.It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.

Colosseum

7.The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".

Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Taj Mahal


source:Wikipedia

Emblem of India

The Emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emporer Ashoka, who ruled from 272 BC to 232 BC. It is preserved in the Sarnath Museum, near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.The Lion Capital was erected  by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four quarters of the universe. The national emblem is thus symbolic of contemporary India’s reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill. The four lions(one hidden from view ) – symbolising power, courage and confidence- rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is girded by four smaller animals—Guardians of the four directions: The Lion of the North, The Bull of the West, The Horse of the South and The Elephant of the East.

The motto Satyameva Jayate´ (truth alone triumphs) ± written in Devanagari script below the profile of the Lion Capital is part of the Emblem of India. The motto is taken from an ancient scripture the Mundaka Upanishad, the concluding part of the sacred Hindu Vedas.This National Emblem was adopted on 26 January 1950, the day that India became a republic.The emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India, and appears on all Indian currency and Indian passports.

Justin Bieber Talks About India

International teenage sensation Justin Bieber may not have had the opportunity to come to India yet, but that doesn’t stop the 18-year-old from tasting, and loving Indian food. 

“I love Indian food and have tried it in London a couple of times,” says the Canadian pop and R&B singer, who now seems to have fallen for desi flavour. “I have heard a lot about India too and would love to visit the country,” says the 18-year-old. That’s not all, as the Baby hitmaker, who has already sold over 15 million albums worldwide, is also looking forward to some Indian partnerships.
“I like Indian music … it’s good to the ears. If I get a chance sometime, I would like to collaborate with Indian artists,” he says.
Though he pleads ignorance about Bollywood, he does concede knowing about his fan following in India. “I don’t get much time to sit down and watch a movie etc.
But with Twitter and other social networking sites, I connect with my fans. I know that I have a big fan following in India. They love me immensely and have even asked me to visit and perform in India,” says Bieber, whose fans famously call themselves Beliebers.
 Belieber! I'm Indian and personally very very excited About Justin Bieber coming in India! 
What do you think Comment! 

Republic Day

Republic Day of India

On 26 January 1950,India celebrates its Republic Day.The constitution of India came into force on 26 January and India became a truly sovereign state. Republic Day is celebrated on 26 January to honour the memory of the declaration of independence of 1930. It is a national holiday in India. To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade will takes place in the national capital New Delhi at the Rajpath before the president,the anniversary is also celebrated with varying degrees of formality in state capitals and other centres.


The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.

Australia Day (previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day, and ANA Day) is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, the date commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation at that time of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of New Holland.


In short,Australia Day is a day of celebrations of Australians and their country and culture. It is celebrated on January 26 each year.


Australia Day is a public holiday in all states and territories. All schools and post offices are closed. Some public transport services do not operate and others run a reduced service. Stores are often open, but may have reduced opening hours. There may be some congestion on roads, particularly close to major events.

Children's Day 2012

Universal Children's Day is celebrated on November 20th of every year to promote the international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, promotes and coordinates this special day for children's welfare.Universal Children's Day is a global observance and not a public holiday.

India has pre-poned the date to November 14th , to mark the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India.

Nehru is popularly called as Chacha.He is very passionate and immensely fond of children.So as a tribute to Nehru,his birthday is celebrated as children's day in India on November 14th of every year . Children’s Day, also known as Bal Diwas in Hindi, celebrated in India.

Children's Day is a day for children to engage in fun and frolic.In schools,the day is celebrated by organising cultural programmes.Teachers perform songs and dances to entertain their students. Various competitions like quizzes, fancy dress competitions, elocutions are organised on this day.In Television networks,special programmes are telecasted on this day as a special treat to children.