Pensioners’ body urges govt to exempt pension from income tax; seeks PM intervention

2021年12月14日 SHLF 0 Comments

Pensioners body Bharatiya Pensioners Manch has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exempt pension from income tax to provide relief to the senior citizens in the country. In a letter shot off to the prime minister on August 25 this year, the body argued that if the pensions of the Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies are not taxable, then why does the government levy income tax on the pension of retired employees. Every retired person is paid pension as a superannuation fund for his\/her livelihood on account of serving the nation for so many years. Now, the question is raised why the income tax is levied on pension (of retired employees). This is not an income for any service or work. If MPs and MLAs pension is not taxable, why our pension is taxed? the body stated in the letter. The body in its first all-India conference held at Shirdi (Maharashtra) on July 23, 2018 has resolved that pension should be exempted from income tax. Since then, this issue is continuously being raised by this organisation with the finance minister, but there is no response from the ministry, it stated. In the letter to the PM, the body added, Bharatiya Pensioners Manch urges upon you to kindly intervene into the matter and direct the Ministry of Finance to consider this long pending genuine demand of pensioners. An early and immediate action with a line of reply to this organisation will be highly appreciated. The body also stated that it wrote to the Minister of Finance on the issue on August 23, 2018, on December 14, 2018 and on February 25, 2021. Referring to their earlier letters written to the Minister of Finance, the body said, We are sorry to say that nothing has been done so far in this regard. The body also referred to an apex court order where the Supreme Court had held that pension is valuable right vested in a government servant and that the right to receive pension is a property under Article 31 of the Constitution. If it is denied to an employee, a writ of mandamus could be issued to the state to properly consider the claim of the pensioner for payment of pension according to law, it added referring to the SC ruling.

Mi Notebook Ultra, Mi Notebook Pro laptops with 11th Gen Intel Core processors launched in India; price starts at Rs 56,999

2021年11月30日 SHLF 0 Comments

Xiaomi launched the Mi Notebook 2021 series in India during its Mi Smarter Living 2022 virtual event on Thursday. The series spawns two models Mi Notebook Ultra and Mi Notebook Pro and is a follow-up to the Mi Notebook 14 series from last year. The Mi Notebook 2021 series packs a premium all-metal body, high-resolution display, 11th Gen Intel Core processors, plenty of connectivity ports and a promise of all-day battery life. Price starts at Rs 56,999 and goes all the way up to Rs 76,999. Mi Notebook Ultra, Mi Notebook Pro India price and availability details The Mi Notebook Ultra, which is the flagship offering, starts at Rs 59,999 for a version with Intel Core i5-11300H processor and 8GB RAM. A version with double the RAM will be available for Rs 63,999. The top-end Mi Notebook Ultra with Intel Core i7-11370H processor and 16GB RAM will set you back by Rs 76,999. Also Read | Mi Smart Band 6 unboxing and first look: Design, specs, features, and everything to know The Mi Notebook Pro, on the other hand, starts at Rs 56,999 for a version with Intel Core i5-11300H processor and 8GB RAM. A version with double the RAM will be available for Rs 59,999. The top-end Mi Notebook Pro with Intel Core i7-11370H processor and 16GB RAM will set you back by Rs 72,999. Both laptops will be available across Mi.com, Mi Homes, Amazon and retail stores starting August 31. Xiaomi will offer HDFC card members up to Rs 4,500 additional discount on purchase of Mi Notebook Ultra and Mi Notebook Pro. Mi Notebook Ultra hardware Xiaomi says the body of the Mi Notebook Ultra is milled out of a single block of Series 6 Aluminium. This is a thin and light laptop measuring less than 17.9mm in thickness and weighing just 1.7kg. Like its predecessor, the design of the Mi Notebook Ultra is also very minimalist. It will be available in sliver. This is paired with a large 15.6-inch display with a 3200×2000 pixel or 3.2K resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The IPS panel in the Mi Notebook Ultra covers 100% of the sRGB colour gamut, according to Xiaomi. A tall 16:10 aspect ratio, meanwhile, makes this laptop extremely lucrative for productivity tasks. The company has also thrown in a 720p webcam with a 2D array dual-microphone setup for voice and video calls. The Mi Notebook Ultra has a backlit keyboard with three levels of illumination. Xiaomi says it is also offering a trackpad that is 62% larger than the one in the previous generation of Mi Notebook 14 series. Individual keys have 1.5 mm travel and the trackpad supports Windows Precision Drivers. Under the hood, the Mi Notebook Ultra comes with up to Intel Core i7-11370H processor paired with up to 16GB of 3200MHz DDR4 RAM, 512GB of NVMe SSD storage and Intel Iris Xe graphics. The 70WHr battery inside the laptop is rated to deliver up to 12 hours of battery life. There is support for 65W USB Type-C charging which can charge it from 0 to 50% in just under 45 mins. Connectivity options include Thunderbolt 4 port, USB Type-C port, HDMI 1.4 port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, a 3.5mm audio jack and USB 2.0. The laptop also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. For biometrics, it has a physical fingerprint scanner which supports Windows Hello. Rounding off the package are two 2W speakers. Mi Notebook Pro hardware The Mi Notebook Pro has the same all-metal unibody design as the Mi Notebook Ultra but it has a smaller 14-inch 2.5K screen. The screen, again, supports 100% coverage of the sRGB colour gamut and has the same 16:10 aspect ratio as the Mi Notebook Ultra. Refresh rate caps at 60Hz though. Under the hood, the Mi Notebook Pro has the same core hardware. It also has a fingerprint scanner and backlit keyboard, though individual keys here have 1.3mm travel. Also Read | Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition review: Xiaomi brings its magic to laptops

BrahMos Aerospace proposes modern facility at Lucknow for next generation missile project: UP govt

2021年11月23日 SHLF 0 Comments

BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture (JV) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India and NPO Mashinostroeyenia (NPOM) of Russia, has proposed the setting up of a modern production facility in the Lucknow node of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor for BrahMos Missile Project with an investment of `300 crore as part of its expansion plans. A delegation of BrahMos Aerospace, headed by director-general of BrahMos Sudhir K Mishra met chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday and briefed him about the Brahmos Weapon System and the JV entity Earlier, in a letter to Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (Upeida) CEO and additional chief secretary (home) Awanish Awasthi, Misra has sought 200 acres for the project in the Lucknow node of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Corridor for making the BrahMos missile and has said that it will start civil construction within three months of getting possession of the land. This project is envisaged to generate 5,500 direct and indirect employment opportunities for technical workers as well as more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for skilled, semi-skilled and non-skilled workers. Over 200 small, medium and large Indian public and private sector defence enterprises, institutions and laboratories have been associated with the BRAHMOS missile programme. The establishment of such a facility would not only vastly expand Uttar Pradesh Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the creation of a defence corridor in UP during the Investors Summit in January 2018 and the state government further announced that it would set up nodes at Lucknow, Kanpur, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Agra, and Aligarh. According to Upeida officials, in the last three years, over 65 companies have requested the government for land in the Defence Industrial Corridor to set up their factories, of which around 19 companies have been allotted 55.4 hectares of land by the Upeida recently.

DRDO’s advanced chaff technology provides passive jamming against infra-red, radar threats

2021年11月16日 SHLF 0 Comments

The DRDO on Wednesday said its latest advanced chaff technology to safeguard IAFs fighter jets provides passive jamming against infra-red and radar threats. In collaboration with the Pune-based facility of the DRDO, the Defence Laboratory in Jodhpur has developed the advanced chaff material and chaff cartridge. At a press conference on Wednesday, Director of Defence Lab in Jodhpur Ravindra Kumar said chaff is a critical defence technology used to protect fighter aircraft from hostile radar threats. In todays electronic warfare, survivability of fighter aircraft is of prime concern because of advancement in modern radar threats. To ensure survivability of aircraft, CounterMeasure Dispensing System (CMDS) is used which provides passive jamming against Infra-Red and radar threats, Kumar said. He said the importance of this technology lies in the fact that very less quantity of chaff material deployed in the air acts as a decoy to deflect enemys missiles for ensuring safety of the fighter aircraft. Kumar said the technology has been given to the industry for production in large quantities to meet the annual rolling requirement of the Indian Air Force. Earlier, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had lauded the DRDO, IAF and the industry for indigenous development of this critical technology, terming it as one more step of DRDO towards Atma Nirbhar Bharat in strategic defence technologies. Secretary Department of Defence RD and Chairman DRDO Dr G Satheesh Reddy had also congratulated the teams associated with the successful development of this advanced technology aimed at strengthening the Indian Air Force.

Chemplast Sanmar shares list at loss, debut at discount to IPO price; open at Rs 525

2021年10月19日 SHLF 0 Comments

Chemplast Sanmar shares made a weak debut on stock exchanges on Tuesday, 24 August 2021, even as BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 were firm. Chemplast Sanmar shares began trading at Rs 525 apiece on BSE today, down nearly 3 per cent from the upper end of the IPO price band of Rs 541 per share. Following this Chemplast Sanmar becomes the third recent listing to trade at discount on listing day, after CarTrade Tech and Nuvoco Vistas. While, it got listed at a premium on NSE, at Rs 550 apiece, up 1.66 per cent over the issue price. Chemplast Sanmar IPO was open during August 10-12. Chemplast Sanmar shares have relisted on the stock market after being delisted from the exchanges nearly a decade ago in 2012. The Rs 3,850-crore IPO was subscribed 2.17 times. At listing, Chemplast Sanmar had a market capitalisation of Rs 8,300.75 crore. Also read: Aptus Value Housing makes weak stock market listing; stock opens at discount to IPO price Upon successful listing, Chemplast Sanmar has joined the likes of PI Industries, SRF, Finolex Industries and Navin Fluorine International. Chemplast Sanmar is a specialty chemicals manufacturer in India with focus on specialty paste PVC resin and custom manufacturing of starting materials and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agro-chemical and fine chemicals sectors. The total production of specialty paste PVC resin in India in the financial year 2020 stood at 78 KTPA against a demand of 143 KTPA. In India, Grasim Industries Ltd. (including Aditya Birla Chemicals), DCM Shriram Limited (DCM Shriram), Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Ltd.(GACL), and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) have a combined capacity of more than 2800 KTPA. Chemplast Sanmar was delisted from BSE, NSE and MSE with effect from June 25, 2012, June 18, 2012, and June 25, 2012, respectively. Post-IPO, the promoter group shareholding in Chemplast Sanmar has dropped to 55 per cent from the 100 per cent while the public shareholding increased to 45 per cent. Analysts say that having a strong market position in specialty chemicals, the company is well-positioned to capture favourable industry dynamics. Also, industry in which the company enjoys leadership position has high barriers to entry.

Enjoy another Indian Railways Vistadome ride! New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar Tourist Special to run from this date; Check timings

2021年10月12日 SHLF 0 Comments

Vista Dome Tourist Special: Enjoy scenic sub-Himalayan views while travelling! Indian Railways is all set to begin operations of Vista Dome Tourist Special between New Jalpaiguri The Vista Dome Tourist Special train service will be operated with revised timings. According to the Northeast Frontier Railway zone, Train Number 05777\/05778 New Jalpaiguri Check the revised timings and halts of the New Jalpaiguri Train Number 05777 New Jalpaiguri Train Number 05778 Alipurduar Junction

NTAGI to soon chalk out roadmap to introduce Zydus Cadila’s vaccine in Covid inoculation drive

2021年10月12日 SHLF 0 Comments

The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) will soon hold a meeting to devise a roadmap for introducing Zydus Cadilas Covid vaccine in the inoculation drive and prioritising beneficiaries focusing on those aged 12-18 years with comorbidities. The indigenously developed worlds first DNA-based needle-free COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D received Emergency Use Authorisation from the drug regulator on August 20 making it the first vaccine to be administered in the age group of 12-18 years in the country. NTAGI Chairman Dr N K Arora said it is estimated that there are around 12 crore adolescents in the age group of 12-18 years in India and less than 1 per cent of them may have comorbidities. The NTAGIs meeting will be held soon to chalk out a roadmap for introducing the three-dose ZyCoV-D vaccine in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive. The meeting will also focus on prioritisation of beneficiaries as this vaccine is approved for both adolescents and adults, he said. The aim is to develop a priority list with the focus being on adolescents aged 12-18 years with comorbidities, Dr Arora said. The NTAGI will provide the protocol and framework for the introduction of this vaccine in the COVID-19 immunisation drive. Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V vaccines are being given to only those above 18 years and unlike ZyCoV-D, which is three-dose, these are administered in two doses. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has said that ZyCoV-D is the worlds first DNA-based vaccine against the coronavirus and when injected produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and elicits an immune response, which plays a vital role in protection from the disease as well as viral clearance. It said that interim results from Phase-III clinical trials in over 28,000 volunteers showed primary efficacy of 66.6 per cent for symptomatic RT-PCR positive cases. This has been the largest vaccine trial so far in India for COVID-19, the DBT said. The vaccine had already exhibited robust immunogenicity and tolerability and safety profile in the adaptive Phase one and two clinical trials. Both Phase one\/two and Phase three clinical trials have been monitored by an independent data safety monitoring board, it added

Rs 21K-cr rights issue: Fundraise to lower leverage, says Mittal

2021年10月5日 SHLF 0 Comments

A day after Bharti Airtels board approved raising up to Rs 21,000 crore through a rights issue, chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Monday said the funds will help improve the companys leverage and simultaneously provide the fuel to accelerate investments across the portfolio to drive competitive and profitable growth. Among the services listed by Mittal were 5G services, fibre network and data centre business. The idea, he said, was not to load the company with additional debt, especially as growing opportunities like 5G need their outlays. Saying it was time to raise tariffs, Mittal said Bharti was aiming for an Arpu (average revenue per user) of Rs 200 this fiscal with an eventual target of Rs 300. Bhartis Arpu during the April-June quarter was Rs 146. The Bharti chief also clarified there were no plans to sell more promoter stake as that would be inappropriate. Mittal said the rights issue has been designed such that the money will be called for as and when required and closely monitored for utilisation. The Bharti Airtel board on Sunday approved the rights issue at Rs 535 a share, which includes a premium of Rs 530 per share. The shares will be issued in the ratio of 1 for every 14 held. The promoter and promoter group will not just subscribe to shares they are entitled to but also pick up any unsubscribed shares. Bhartis stock has underperformed Sensex in the last six months and hugely over the past year, gaining just 13.5% to Sensexs 42%. The surprise announcement by Bharti last week had raised concerns because analysts felt there was no immediate need for funds and that the leverage was comfortable. Rights issue at 10% discount rewards existing shareholders and will address issues around dilution. In our view, this could also set Rs 535 as the floor price for the stock, However, they added that cash flows from the standalone operations are weak and with 5G auctions and sharp market share gains very likely over the next three years, the telco may need to raise capital and this move is a step towards that direction. Over FY17-21, Bharti has reported a cumulative Rs 55,000-crore negative FCF, but its timely sale on investments in subsidiaries (Rs 19,300 crore) and capital raising (Rs 46,200 crore) has helped keep leverage in check, Mittal also said the industry has been urging the government to attend to some pressing issues inhibiting continued investments in the sector, given the negative-to-low returns. For every Rs 100 of revenue, Rs 35 goes in various forms of levies. We hope that as we step up and do our part, the government will also favourably look at some of the genuine demands of the industry, enabling a multiplier effect and positive outcome.\u201d

Real regulation: Need to plug the gaps in the RERA regime

2021年9月14日 SHLF 0 Comments

The Supreme Court struck one for homebuyers The disputed construction in real-estate concern Supertech The Supreme Court has ordered the developer to demolish the semi-constructed towers in a safe manner (supervised by the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, or NOIDA) within three months and refund buyers within two months. Importantly, the apex court has also come down heavily on NOIDA officials. Justice DY Chandrachud, hearing the case along with Justice MR Shah, has said that there are repeated instances of collusion between the authorities and the developer; in a hearing earlier this month, the SC had even observed that NOIDA (the authority) was Following the latest order, the UP government has instructed the relevant authorities to investigate NOIDA officials involved and penalise those guilty. Closure in the present matter took nine years To that end, the Centre While a Moneylife Foundation-HDFC (MF-HDFC) report earlier this year termed RERA a game-changing legislation, the fact is that there still a long way to go, especially in terms of dealing with enforcement challenges that could rob it of its bite. As per the Centre However, the progress so far leaves a lot of room for improvement The SC recently ruled that, in case of conflict with the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), the insolvency law will prevail over RERA, meaning RERAs will be merely one of the regulatory authorities in the real-estate space, not the sole or binding one. In Imperia Structured vs Anil Patni, the apex court ruled that RERA can Some experts even believe such rulings have led to a de facto narrowing of the Act Meanwhile, Section 3 (2) that leaves small projects out is something that could allow illegal, unsafe construction to go unregulated. A RERA also can do little when authorities collude with players. The gaps, therefore, need urgent plugging.

India vs England 3rd Test, Day 2: Joe Root smashes yet another hundred as England extend lead by 345 runs

2021年6月22日 SHLF 0 Comments

In-form skipper Joe Root smashed yet another hundred as England ended the second day of the third cricket Test at 423 for 8, taking a first-innings lead of 345 runs against India here on Thursday. Root once again led from the front with his 8th hundred against India, a splendid 121 off 165 balls laced with 14 hits to the fence. He added 139 runs with Dawid Malan (70) before sharing a 52-run stand with Jonny Bairstow (29) to put England in a commanding position with three days to go in the match. Also Read For India, Mohammed Shami (3\/87) was the most successful bowler with three wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja (2\/88), Mohammed Siraj (2\/86) and Jasprit Bumrah (1\/58) were the other wickettakers. On Wednesday, England had dismissed India for a paltry 78 in 40.4 overs. Brief Scores: India 1st innings: 78 allout in 40.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 19, Ajinkya Rahane 18; James Anderson 3\/6, Craig Overton 3\/14). England 1st innings: 423 for 8 in 129 overs (Joe Root 121, Mohammed Shami 3\/87).