Wednesday 25 May 2016

Key Features of Budget 2016-2017

INTRODUCTION
 Growth of Economy accelerated to 7.6% in 2015-16.
 India hailed as a ‘bright spot’ amidst a slowing global economy by IMF.
 Robust growth achieved despite very unfavourable global conditions
and two consecutive years shortfall in monsoon by 13%
 Foreign exchange reserves touched highest ever level of about 350
billion US dollars.
 Despite increased devolution to States by 55% as a result of the 14th
Finance Commission award, plan expenditure increased at RE stage in
2015-16 – in contrast to earlier years.
CHALLENGES IN 2016-17
 Risks of further global slowdown and turbulence.
 Additional fiscal burden due to 7th Central Pay Commission
recommendations and OROP.
ROADMAP & PRIORITIES
 'Transform India' to have a significant impact on economy and lives of
people.
 Government to focus on –
 ensuring macro-economic stability and prudent fiscal
management.
 boosting on domestic demand
 continuing with the pace of economic reforms and policy
initiatives to change the lives of our people for the better.
 Focus on enhancing expenditure in priority areas of - farm and rural
sector, social sector, infrastructure sector employment generation and
recapitalisation of the banks.

 Focus on Vulnerable sections through:
 Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
 New health insurance scheme to protect against hospitalisation
expenditure
 facility of cooking gas connection for BPL families
 Continue with the ongoing reform programme and ensure passage of
the Goods and Service Tax bill and Insolvency and Bankruptcy law
 Undertake important reforms by:
 giving a statutory backing to AADHAR platform to ensure benefits
reach the deserving.
 freeing the transport sector from constraints and restrictions
 incentivising gas discovery and exploration by providing
calibrated marketing freedom
 enactment of a comprehensive law to deal with resolution of
financial firms
 provide legal framework for dispute resolution and
re-negotiations in PPP projects and public utility contracts
 undertake important banking sector reforms and public listing of
general insurance companies undertake significant changes in FDI
policy.
AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS’ WELFARE
 Allocation for Agriculture and Farmers’ welfare is ` 35,984 crore
 ‘Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana’ to be implemented in mission
mode. 28.5 lakh hectares will be brought under irrigation.
 Implementation of 89 irrigation projects under AIBP, which are
languishing for a long time, will be fast tracked
 A dedicated Long Term Irrigation Fund will be created in NABARD with
an initial corpus of about ` 20,000 crore
 Programme for sustainable management of ground water resources
with an estimated cost of ` 6,000 crore will be implemented through

multilateral funding
 5 lakh farm ponds and dug wells in rain fed areas and 10 lakh compost
pits for production of organic manure will be taken up under MGNREGA
 Soil Health Card scheme will cover all 14 crore farm holdings by March
2017.
 2,000 model retail outlets of Fertilizer companies will be provided with
soil and seed testing facilities during the next three years
 Promote organic farming through ‘Parmparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana’
and 'Organic Value Chain Development in North East Region'.
 Unified Agricultural Marketing ePlatform to provide a common emarket
platform for wholesale markets
 Allocation under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana increased to `
19,000 crore. Will connect remaining 65,000 eligible habitations by
2019.
 To reduce the burden of loan repayment on farmers, a provision of `
15,000 crore has been made in the BE 2016-17 towards interest
subvention
 Allocation under Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana ` 5,500 crore.
 ` 850 crore for four dairying projects - ‘Pashudhan Sanjivani’, ‘Nakul
Swasthya Patra’, ‘E-Pashudhan Haat’ and National Genomic Centre for
indigenous breeds
RURAL SECTOR
 Allocation for rural sector - ` 87,765 crore.
 ` 2.87 lakh crore will be given as Grant in Aid to Gram Panchayats and
Municipalities as per the recommendations of the 14th Finance
Commission
 Every block under drought and rural distress will be taken up as an
intensive Block under the Deen Dayal Antyodaya Mission
 A sum of ` 38,500 crore allocated for MGNREGS.
 300 Rurban Clusters will be developed under the Shyama Prasad

Mukherjee Rurban Mission
 100% village electrification by 1st May, 2018.
 District Level Committees under Chairmanship of senior most Lok Sabha
MP from the district for monitoring and implementation of designated
Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
 Priority allocation from Centrally Sponsored Schemes to be made to
reward villages that have become free from open defecation.
 A new Digital Literacy Mission Scheme for rural India to cover around 6
crore additional household within the next 3 years.
 National Land Record Modernisation Programme has been revamped.
 New scheme Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan proposed with allocation
of ` 655 crore.
SOCIAL SECTOR INCLUDING HEALTH CARE
 Allocation for social sector including education and health care –
`1,51,581 crore.
 ` 2,000 crore allocated for initial cost of providing LPG connections to
BPL families.
 New health protection scheme will provide health cover up to ` One
lakh per family. For senior citizens an additional top-up package up to `
30,000 will be provided.
 3,000 Stores under Prime Minister’s Jan Aushadhi Yojana will be
opened during 2016-17.
 ‘National Dialysis Services Programme’ to be started under National
Health Mission through PPP mode
 “Stand Up India Scheme” to facilitate at least two projects per bank
branch. This will benefit at least 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs.
 National Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Hub to be set up in
partnership with industry associations
 Allocation of ` 100 crore each for celebrating the Birth Centenary of
Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay and the 350th Birth Anniversary of Guru

Gobind Singh.
EDUCATION, SKILLS AND JOB CREATION
 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas will be opened
 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to increasing focus on quality of education
 Regulatory architecture to be provided to ten public and ten private
institutions to emerge as world-class Teaching and Research Institutions
 Higher Education Financing Agency to be set-up with initial capital base
of ` 1000 Crores
 Digital Depository for School Leaving Certificates, College Degrees,
Academic Awards and Mark sheets to be set-up.
SKILL DEVELOPMENT
 Allocation for skill development – ` 1804. crore.
 1500 Multi Skill Training Institutes to be set-up.
 National Board for Skill Development Certification to be setup in
partnership with the industry and academia
 Entrepreneurship Education and Training through Massive Open Online
Courses
JOB CREATION
 GoI will pay contribution of 8.33% for of all new employees enrolling in
EPFO for the first three years of their employment. Budget provision of
` 1000 crore for this scheme.
 Deduction under Section 80JJAA of the Income Tax Act will be available
to all assesses who are subject to statutory audit under the Act
 100 Model Career Centres to operational by the end of 2016-17 under
National Career Service.
 Model Shops and Establishments Bill to be circulated to States.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND INVESTMENT
 Total investment in the road sector, including PMGSY allocation, would
be ` 97,000 crore during 2016-17.
 India’s highest ever kilometres of new highways were awarded in 2015.
To approve nearly 10,000 kms of National Highways in 2016-17.
 Allocation of ` 55,000 crore in the Budget for Roads. Additional `
15,000 crore to be raised by NHAI through bonds.
 Total outlay for infrastructure - ` 2,21,246 crore.
 Amendments to be made in Motor Vehicles Act to open up the road
transport sector in the passenger segment
 Action plan for revival of unserved and underserved airports to be
drawn up in partnership with State Governments.
 To provide calibrated marketing freedom in order to incentivise gas
production from deep-water, ultra deep-water and high pressure-high
temperature areas
 Comprehensive plan, spanning next 15 to 20 years, to augment the
investment in nuclear power generation to be drawn up.
 Steps to re-vitalise PPPs:
 Public Utility (Resolution of Disputes) Bill will be introduced during
2016-17
 Guidelines for renegotiation of PPP Concession Agreements will be
issued
 New credit rating system for infrastructure projects to be
introduced
 Reforms in FDI policy in the areas of Insurance and Pension, Asset
Reconstruction Companies, Stock Exchanges.
 100% FDI to be allowed through FIPB route in marketing of food
products produced and manufactured in India.
 A new policy for management of Government investment in Public
Sector Enterprises, including disinvestment and strategic sale,

approved.
FINANCIAL SECTOR REFORMS
 A comprehensive Code on Resolution of Financial Firms to be
introduced.
 Statutory basis for a Monetary Policy framework and a Monetary Policy
Committee through the Finance Bill 2016.
 A Financial Data Management Centre to be set up.
 RBI to facilitate retail participation in Government securities.
 New derivative products will be developed by SEBI in the Commodity
Derivatives market.
 Amendments in the SARFAESI Act 2002 to enable the sponsor of an ARC
to hold up to 100% stake in the ARC and permit non institutional
investors to invest in Securitization Receipts.
 Comprehensive Central Legislation to be bought to deal with the
menace of illicit deposit taking schemes.
 Increasing members and benches of the Securities Appellate Tribunal.
 Allocation of ` 25,000 crore towards recapitalisation of Public Sector
Banks.
 Target of amount sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana
increased to ` 1,80,000 crore.
 General Insurance Companies owned by the Government to be listed in
the stock exchanges.
GOVERNANCE AND EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
 A Task Force has been constituted for rationalisation of human
resources in various Ministries.
 Comprehensive review and rationalisation of Autonomous Bodies.
 Bill for Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and
Services by using the Aadhar framework to be introduced.

 Introduce DBT on pilot basis for fertilizer.
 Automation facilities will be provided in 3 lakh fair price shops by
March 2017.
 Amendments in Companies Act to improve enabling environment for
start-ups.
 Price Stabilisation Fund with a corpus of ` 900 crore to help maintain
stable prices of Pulses.
 “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” programme will be launched to link
States and Districts in an annual programme that connects people
through exchanges in areas of language, trade, culture, travel and
tourism.
FISCAL DISCIPLINE
 Fiscal deficit in RE 2015-16 and BE 2016-17 retained at 3.9% and 3.5%.
 Revenue Deficit target from 2.8% to 2.5% in RE 2015-16
 Total expenditure projected at ` 19.78 lakh crore
 Plan expenditure pegged at ` 5.50 lakh crore under Plan, increase of
15.3%
 Non-Plan expenditure kept at ` 14.28 lakh crores
 Special emphasis to sectors such as agriculture, irrigation, social sector
including health, women and child development, welfare of Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, infrastructure.
 Mobilisation of additional finances to the extent of ` 31,300 crore by
NHAI, PFC, REC, IREDA, NABARD and Inland Water Authority by raising
Bonds.
 Plan / Non-Plan classification to be done away with from 2017-18.
 Every new scheme sanctioned will have a sunset date and outcome
review.
 Rationalised and restructured more than 1500 Central Plan Schemes
into about 300 Central Sector and 30 Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
 Committee to review the implementation of the FRBM Act.

RELIEF TO SMALL TAX PAYERS
 Raise the ceiling of tax rebate under section 87A from `2000 to `5000
to lessen tax burden on individuals with income upto `5 laks.
 Increase the limit of deduction of rent paid under section 80GG from
`24000 per annum to `60000, to provide relief to those who live in
rented houses.
BOOST EMPLOYMENT AND GROWTH
 Increase the turnover limit under Presumptive taxation scheme under
section 44AD of the Income Tax Act to ` 2 crores to bring big relief to a
large number of assessees in the MSME category.
 Extend the presumptive taxation scheme with profit deemed to be 50%,
to professionals with gross receipts up to `50 lakh.
 Phasing out deduction under Income Tax:
 Accelerated depreciation wherever provided in IT Act will be
limited to maximum 40% from 1.4.2017
 Benefit of deductions for Research would be limited to 150% from
1.4.2017 and 100% from 1.4.2020
 Benefit of section 10AA to new SEZ units will be available to those
units which commence activity before 31.3.2020.
 The weighted deduction under section 35CCD for skill development
will continue up to 1.4.2020
 Corporate Tax rate proposals:
 New manufacturing companies incorporated on or after 1.3.2016
to be given an option to be taxed at 25% + surcharge and cess
provided they do not claim profit linked or investment linked
deductions and do not avail of investment allowance and
accelerated depreciation.

 Lower the corporate tax rate for the next financial year for
relatively small enterprises i.e companies with turnover not
exceeding ` 5 crore (in the financial year ending March 2015), to
29% plus surcharge and cess.
 100% deduction of profits for 3 out of 5 years for startups setup during
April, 2016 to March, 2019. MAT will apply in such cases.
 10% rate of tax on income from worldwide exploitation of patents
developed and registered in India by a resident.
 Complete pass through of income-tax to securitization trusts including
trusts of ARCs. Securitisation trusts required to deduct tax at source.
 Period for getting benefit of long term capital gain regime in case of
unlisted companies is proposed to be reduced from three to two years.
 Non-banking financial companies shall be eligible for deduction to the
extent of 5% of its income in respect of provision for bad and doubtful
debts.
 Determination of residency of foreign company on the basis of Place of
Effective Management (POEM) is proposed to be deferred by one year.
 Commitment to implement General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) from
1.4.2017.
 Exemption of service tax on services provided under Deen Dayal
Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana and services provided by
Assessing Bodies empanelled by Ministry of Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship.
 Exemption of Service tax on general insurance services provided under
‘Niramaya’ Health Insurance Scheme launched by National Trust for the
Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and
Multiple Disability.
 Basic custom and excise duty on refrigerated containers reduced to 5%
and 6%.
MAKE IN INDIA

 Changes in customs and excise duty rates on certain inputs to reduce
costs and improve competitiveness of domestic industry in sectors like
Information technology hardware, capital goods, defence production,
textiles, mineral fuels & mineral oils, chemicals & petrochemicals,
paper, paperboard & newsprint, Maintenance repair and overhauling
[MRO] of aircrafts and ship repair.
MOVING TOWARDS A PENSIONED SOCIETY
 Withdrawal up to 40% of the corpus at the time of retirement to be tax
exempt in the case of National Pension Scheme (NPS). Annuity fund
which goes to legal heir will not be taxable.
 In case of superannuation funds and recognized provident funds,
including EPF, the same norm of 40% of corpus to be tax free will apply
in respect of corpus created out of contributions made on or from
1.4.2016.
 Limit for contribution of employer in recognized Provident and
Superannuation Fund of ` 1.5 lakh per annum for taking tax benefit.
Exemption from service tax for Annuity services provided by NPS and
Services provided by EPFO to employees.
 Reduce service tax on Single premium Annuity (Insurance) Policies from
3.5% to 1.4% of the premium paid in certain cases.
PROMOTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
 100% deduction for profits to an undertaking in housing project for flats
upto 30 sq. metres in four metro cities and 60 sq. metres in other cities,
approved during June 2016 to March 2019 and completed in three
years. MAT to apply.
 Deduction for additional interest of `50,000 per annum for loans up to
`35 lakh sanctioned in 2016-17 for first time home buyers, where
house cost does not exceed ` 50 lakh.

 Distribution made out of income of SPV to the REITs and INVITs having
specified shareholding will not be subjected to Dividend Distribution
Tax, in respect of dividend distributed after the specified date.
 Exemption from service tax on construction of affordable houses up to
60 square metres under any scheme of the Central or State
Government including PPP Schemes.
 Extend excise duty exemption, presently available to Concrete Mix
manufactured at site for use in construction work to Ready Mix
Concrete.
RESOURCE MOBILIZATION FOR AGRICULTURE, RURAL ECONOMY AND
CLEAN ENVIRONMENT
 Additional tax at the rate of 10% of gross amount of dividend will be
payable by the recipients receiving dividend in excess of ` 10 lakh per
annum.
 Surcharge to be raised from 12% to 15% on persons, other than
companies, firms and cooperative societies having income above ` 1
crore.
 Tax to be deducted at source at the rate of 1 % on purchase of luxury
cars exceeding value of ` ten lakh and purchase of goods and services in
cash exceeding ` two lakh.
 Securities Transaction tax in case of ‘Options’ is proposed to be
increased from .017% to .05%.
 Equalization levy of 6% of gross amount for payment made to nonresidents
exceeding ` 1 lakh a year in case of B2B transactions.
 Krishi Kalyan Cess, @ 0.5% on all taxable services, w.e.f. 1 June 2016.
Proceeds would be exclusively used for financing initiatives for
improvement of agriculture and welfare of farmers. Input tax credit of
this cess will be available for payment of this cess.
 Infrastructure cess, of 1% on small petrol, LPG, CNG cars, 2.5% on diesel
cars of certain capacity and 4% on other higher engine capacity vehicles

and SUVs. No credit of this cess will be available nor credit of any other
tax or duty be utilized for paying this cess.
 Excise duty of ‘1% without input tax credit or 12.5% with input tax
credit’ on articles of jewellery [excluding silver jewellery, other than
studded with diamonds and some other precious stones], with a higher
exemption and eligibility limits of ` 6 crores and ` 12 crores
respectively.
 Excise on readymade garments with retail price of ` 1000 or more
raised to 2% without input tax credit or 12.5% with input tax credit.
 ‘Clean Energy Cess’ levied on coal, lignite and peat renamed to ‘Clean
Environment Cess’ and rate increased from `200 per tonne to `400 per
tonne.
 Excise duties on various tobacco products other than beedi raised by
about 10 to 15%.
 Assignment of right to use the spectrum and its transfers has been
deducted as a service leviable to service tax and not sale of intangible
goods.
PROVIDING CERTAINITY IN TAXATION
 Committed to providing a stable and predictable taxation regime and
reduce black money.
 Domestic taxpayers can declare undisclosed income or such income
represented in the form of any asset by paying tax at 30%, and
surcharge at 7.5% and penalty at 7.5%, which is a total of 45% of the
undisclosed income. Declarants will have immunity from prosecution.
 Surcharge levied at 7.5% of undisclosed income will be called Krishi
Kalyan surcharge to be used for agriculture and rural economy.
 New Dispute Resolution Scheme to be introduced. No penalty in
respect of cases with disputed tax up to ` 10 lakh. Cases with disputed
tax exceeding ` 10 lakh to be subjected to 25% of the minimum of the
imposable penalty. Any pending appeal against a penalty order can also

be settled by paying 25% of the minimum of the imposable penalty and
tax interest on quantum addition.
 High Level Committee chaired by Revenue Secretary to oversee fresh
cases where assessing officer applies the retrospective amendment.
 One-time scheme of Dispute Resolution for ongoing cases under
retrospective amendment.
 Penalty rates to be 50% of tax in case of underreporting of income and
200% of tax where there is misreporting of facts.
 Disallowance will be limited to 1% of the average monthly value of
investments yielding exempt income, but not exceeding the actual
expenditure claimed under rule 8D of Section 14A of Income Tax Act.
 Time limit of one year for disposing petitions of the tax payers seeking
waiver of interest and penalty.
 Mandatory for the assessing officer to grant stay of demand once the
assesse pays 15% of the disputed demand, while the appeal is pending
before Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals).
 Monetary limit for deciding an appeal by a single member Bench of
ITAT enhanced from ` 15 lakhs to ` 50 lakhs.
 11 new benches of Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal
(CESTAT).
SIMPLIFICATION AND RATIONALIZATION OF TAXES
 13 cesses, levied by various Ministries in which revenue collection is
less than ` 50 crore in a year to be abolished.
 For non-residents providing alternative documents to PAN card, higher
TDS not to apply.
 Revision of return extended to Central Excise assesses.
 Additional options to banking companies and financial institutions,
including NBFCs, for reversal of input tax credits with respect to nontaxable
services.
 Customs Act to provide for deferred payment of customs duties for

importers and exporters with proven track record.
 Customs Single Window Project to be implemented at major ports and
airports starting from beginning of next financial year.
 Increase in free baggage allowance for international passengers. Filing
of baggage only for those carrying dutiable goods.
TECHNOLOGY FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
 Expansion in the scope of e-assessments to all assessees in 7 mega
cities in the coming years.
 Interest at the rate of 9% p.a against normal rate of 6% p.a for delay in
giving effect to Appellate order beyond ninety days.
 ‘e-Sahyog’ to be expanded to reduce compliance cost, especially for
small taxpayers.

Teacher's Life

Teacher’s profession is an ideal profession. Yet all teachers are not ideal. There are many
who are angry, beat students, scold them right and left, do not look neat in appearance,
have no affection for students, are interested only in increasing their income, keep no touch
with books, and are too much inclined to politics. With the society going to the dogs, such
teachers are ever on the increase.
Certainly they have no right to be treated as ideal teachers for no students, except the worst,
would like to build their lives of them.
This shows that very few teachers can rightly claim to be accepted as ideal ones. There are
some who possess many qualities that make them to be likely claimants to this honorable
position but a few shortcomings shatter their hopes to pieces. This shows that an ideal
teacher is not someone to be found here, there and everywhere. He is really a rare object,
and very few schools can boast to have such a teacher in their stafflist.
If we are to describe
an ideal teacher in a few words, we must say that he should have the ability to serve as a
model before his students.
An ideal teacher, above all, should be a good teacher. His teaching ability should be such so
as to attract the attention of the students easily. He should teach in a way so that any topic,
however hard it may be, can be easily understood by the students.
In order to teach well, the teacher himself should have vast and deep knowledge.
He must be Able to clear away students’ fear of studies and to turn them into storehouses
of
knowledge without which a refined and higher life cannot be lived.
An ideal teacher should have unbounded love and affection for his students.
He should be one who can be easily approached by them, for he should truly be their friend,
philosopher, and guide,
teacher’s profession is an ideal profession. Yet all teachers are not ideal. There are many
who are angry, beat students, scold them right and left, do not look neat in appearance,
have no affection for students, are interested only in increasing their income, keep no touch
with books, and are too much inclined to politics. With the society going to the dogs, such
teachers are ever on the increase.
Certainly they have no right to be treated as ideal teachers for no students, except the worst,
would like to build their lives of them.
This shows that very few teachers can rightly claim to be accepted as ideal ones. There are
some who possess many qualities that make them to be likely claimants to this honorable
position but a few shortcomings shatter their hopes to pieces. This shows that an ideal
teacher is not someone to be found here, there and everywhere. He is really a rare object,
and very few schools can boast to have such a teacher in their stafflist.
If we are to describe
an ideal teacher in a few words, we must say that he should have the ability to serve as a
model before his students.
role model is a person who inspires and encourages us to strive for greatness, live to our
fullest potential and see the best in ourselves. A role model is someone we admire and
someone we aspire to be like. We learn through them, through their commitment to
excellence and through their ability to make us realize our own personal growth. We look to
them for advice and guidance.
A role model can be anybody: a parent, a sibling, a friend but some of our most influential
and lifechanging
role models are teachers.
“When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Marlene
Canter, My Teacher My Hero
Teachers follow students through each pivotal stage of development. At six to eight hours a
day, five days a week, you as a teacher are poised to become one of the most influential
people in your students’ life. After their parents, children will first learn from you, their
elementary school teacher. Then, as a middle school teacher, you will guide students
through yet another important transition: adolescence. As children become young adults,
learning throughout middle school and into high school, you will answer their questions,
listen to their problems and teach them about this new phase of their lives. You not only
watch your students grow you help them grow.
“We think of teacherheroes
that taught us the academics but we don’t often think of those
teachers that taught us life’s lessons.” Maria
Wale, My Teacher My Hero
Much of what students learn from their greatest teachers is not detailed on a syllabus.
Teachers who help us grow as people are responsible for imparting some of life’s most
important lessons. During their initial school years, students encounter, perhaps for the first
time, other children of the same age and begin to form some of their first friendships. As a
teacher, you will show your students how to become independent and form their own
relationships, you will carefully guide them and intervene when necessary. School is as
much a place of social learning as academic learning, and this is true, not only in our early
years of education, but all the way through college. Though a teacher’s influence on the
social sphere of school lessens as students mature, those early lessons still have an effect
on how they will interact with others in the future.
Teachers are founts of experience. They have already been where their students are going,
undergone what they will go through and are in a position to pass along lessons, not only
regarding subject matter, but lessons on life.
Each profession occupies a specific niche in society — doctors heal, engineers design and
bankers handle our money. Teaching, however, stands out as a subsumptive entity. At a
preliminary stage, teachers instill the transcendent faculties of communication, decision
making and awareness of social responsibilities. Later in life, no matter which field we
choose to pursue, we again turn to teachers for training. A strong information base and well
developed capabilities of comprehension and analysis are critical for progress. These crucial
responsibilities of inculcating knowledge, kindling inspiration and encouraging creative
thought are all vested in the teacher. Keeping in mind the increasing trend of both parents
working long hours, the teacher is also expected to build a strong moral character and
provide emotional support. Thus, the teacher has to build a rapport with the student and be
simultaneously approachable and authoritative. His/her role encompasses that of an
instructor, friend, role model and confidant.
I often wonder about teachers who educated famous people such as Einstien and Abraham
Lincoln. Were these teachers specially qualified to inspire their students to achieve fame and
success? Or were these teachers just plain lucky to have talented students? Do some
teachers have rare qualities of turning them into gold ? The answer may not be easy to find.
A great person once said, "Teaching is a profession that teaches all other professions."
From ancient times, teachers have been playing an important role in our society. Behind
every successful engineer or doctor there is a teacher. A teacher is a person who moulds
them into engineers or doctors. A person who teaches us moral values, a person who
encourages us is a teacher. In Indian culture, we praise teachers more than Gods.
Alexander the Great once said, "I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for
living
The role of teachers in society is both significant and valuable. They are one of the main
pillars of a sound and progressive society. They bear the weight and responsibility of
teaching, and, apart from parents, they are the main source of knowledge and values for
children. It is rightly said that a teacher plays a key role in shaping our future. Nowadays,
being an engineer or a doctor is considered good, but they would not have been able to get
where they are without teachers. Teachers share the information they have. On the contrary,
doctors and engineers do not necessarily share theirs.Right from the age of four, a child
finds himself in the hands of a teacher. Throughout our lives, our teachers inspire us and
teach us about values. They treat us like their own children and make us learn from their
experiences. They make us strong enough to stand on our own feet and face any challenge.
No engineer or doctor can ever replace a teacher's contribution in our lives! "A good teacher
is like a candle — it consumes itself to light the way for others."
A doctor treats patients, an engineer constructs buildings and machines but a teacher builds
the nation. The young students of today are the leaders and the hope for the future of any
country. They are the plants in the garden of the nation and teachers are the gardeners. By
irrigating the "garden of the nation" and giving direction to the young, teachers lay the
foundation for any country. These torchbearers
of the society undoubtedly play an
indispensable and immensely important role towards shaping a strong nation. There is no
other profession that can supersede the teaching profession. Teachers, therefore, rightly
hold a position higher than that held by the almighty in the Indian society.
Schools are one of the first places where the foundation of a good citizen is laid in the form
of kid's behaviour and qualities. Schools are important because kids learn the base of their
educational life here. Teachers almost become like parents for kids because of the time they
spend together. I believe a real teacher comes about through many years of training and
experiences in the field of teaching. Doctors and engineers are also very important for the
society, but their base is prepared by teachers. It's not just doctors and engineers, but every
man or woman who succeeds in life because of their teacher. Teachers have the qualities to
become role models for th student. We can say that they are the real builders of the nation.
We all are surrounded by many helpers, who guide us through our daily life. But there are
some who help us right from childhood. They are called teachers. Teachers give us lessons
in morality and good habits. The world is what it is today, just because of them. When we are
ill, we avail of treatment from doctors. But if somebody has a problem with geography,
physics or political science, he will go only to the teacher — not a postman, a doctor or an
engineer. Teachers clear our doubts and help touch the the pinnacle of success. They
support us during our exams, they are like relatives who understand our innermost feelings.
Every student is equal in the eye of teacher. They teach us how to take inspiration from
everything around us. They handle indiscipline students with a positive feeling, and change
them. They spread knowledge without expecting anything in return. They also play a great
role in shaping human beings. All the celebrities in the world, who have passed through
school life and reached the highest level of success because of hard work, have done so
because of their teachers. Teachers' hands are like the hands of God, always there to help
us. If we want success, we should mark the way of good surrounding by obeying the
teachers. Our Vedas also tell.... aachrya devo bhavah, which means, treat your teachers
Teachers require knowledge of the unique skills that each child brings to the classroom in
order to effectively target instruction towards students’ learning needs. Despite substantial
investments in programs aimed at enhancing teacher knowledge of individual students’ skills
(KISS), we know surprisingly little about how KISS is distributed or how teachers develop
KISS, let alone the role that KISS plays in instruction and learning. In this study, I employ
nationallyrepresentative
data to create KISS measures for kindergarten and first grade
teachers. I use these measures to examine the distribution of KISS across schools, within
schools, and within classrooms, as well as to investigate potential KISS development
mechanisms and instructional uses. To estimate the effect of KISS on student learning, I use
a set of student and subject fixed effects models that control for the nonrandom
sorting of
students into classrooms, average differences in how well teachers know particular children,
and baseline achievement. I find that a standard deviation increase in KISS positively
impacts kindergartners’ and first graders’ achievement by about 0.080.09
standard
deviations. This result is highly robust to a number of different modeling choices and
alternative explanations.
Teachers are an extremely important facet of any society for a number of reasons and their
role in society is both significant and valuable.
Teachers are the people who educate the youth of society who in turn become the leaders of
the next generation of people
Teachers are the people who are teaching children and imparting knowledge upon them in
their most impressionable years
What children learn from their teachers at a young age will most likely stay with them in
some facet for the rest of their lives
Teachers play an extraordinary part in the lives of children for the formative years of their
development and the importance of teachers is something that cannot be understated. They
involve themselves in moulding their students into responsible citizens of their country.
Within a school, if teachers are well educated and if they are intellectually alive and take
keen interest in their job, then only success is ensured.
At READ Foundation, we employ 4,000 highly qualified and educated teachers to ensure
success. Our teachers ensure that children at READ Foundation schools are taught to high
standards and only receive quality education which will lead to a brighter future for these
children
xtraordinary part in the lives of children for the formative years of their development. The
importance of teachers is something that cannot be understated. Their influence can and will
stretch on long after the final bell rings, beyond the walls of the actual school. The role of the
teacher is complex, far beyond what people would assume as just someone who teaches
what is mandated by law from the youth of America.
The Role of Teachers in Society
Life is its own education, with formal schooling playing only a small fraction. However, that
does not undermine the role

Latest News About Science And Technology

Science and Technology is the basis of modern civilization. The age in which we
live can rightly be called the age of science and technology.
The progress of science and technology has made many useful achievements in
every field of our life.
In everyday life, we enjoy various gifts of science and technology that have
made our life more easy and comfortable than before.
The morning newspaper which brings to us all important news of the whole world is a
product of science.
For our daily comforts science has given us the electric light, the electric fan, the refrigerator
and the electric oven.
Science and technology has made our means of communication and transport very easy.
Buses, trains, ships and Aeroplanes
uses advanced technologies and carry us to distant
places for more quickly.
Newer technologies help us in taking out all the minerals liker coal, iron, gold, diamond and
mica from the science.
Introduction of latest technology in the works of cultivation by the scientific methods have
greatly increased the production of crops.
Science and technology also provides us with the some means of amusement like radio,
television and video that entertains us.
Many life giving medicines that cure our diseases are also the gift of science.
Now satellites are sent to the sky to bring many information of the outer space.
Man has even been able to set foot on the moon and know many things about other planets.
All the above wonders have been possible only due to development of science and
technology.
The gross use of science and technology for destructive purposes has twined it to a curse.
Deadly scientific weapons like atom and hydrogen bombs, missiles can destroy the whole
world in a moment.
Atomic energy can be used effectively for constructive purposes. It can turn a desert into a
fertile land. It can also be used in curing some incurable diseases, if scientific research is
properly made in this respect.
Thus, science and technology can make the human civilization perfect in all respect.
We live in age of science and technology. Scientific inventions and modern day technologies
have completely changed the human life and paving the way for our future. Science and
Technology has added greatly to our material comforts. It has also quickened the tempo of
life. It has given man an altogether new social and political outlook. Hence in this age the
study of science is a necessity. Without such study a modern man is is like a bullock cart
lumbering behind a motorized vehicle.
It should Begin at school – with the training of Observation
The study of science should begin early in life. The first steps should be to teach boys and
girls the habit of observation. The child is always interested in trees, in flowers, in birds, in
insects, in all the things that he sees around him. His curiosity in this regard should be
fostered and developed. This can be done easily and naturally if teaching be related to those
material objects that he is always seeing. This impact.
After a kindergarten course of this kind, books on science and technology should be
gradually introduced. Here also practice, demonstration, actual experiments should precede
the study of theories. It is only after the mind is well trained with the help of examples and
experiments that the explanations of theories should be attempted. In our country, the
reverse method is largely followed. It means wastage of time. A student passes out by mere
memory work, and as memory becomes faint, his knowledge becomes nebular, leaving him
in his original state of ignorance.
Its influences on the Mind
The study of science and technology has an educative influence on the mind, and is of
farreaching
importance. It makes one a lover of truth. It creates realistic attitude to life. It is
also the enemy of superstition. A scientist depends on his powers of observation, reason for
his knowledge of truth. By applying his reason to observed facts before believing in anything,
he acquires patience and diligence. He thus lays the foundation of true knowledge.
The study of science and technology acts as a perpetual urge to acquire knowledge. It
deepens our sense of the mystery of creation. The more we know of the secrets of nature,
the more we realized how much remains unknown. Today scientists speak of the wonder of
nature with a thrill of emotion. We are learning as much of the secrets of the atoms in space
as of the molecular cells in living organism.
So a modern curriculum of studies must include the study of science and technology,
because the modern man needs a scientific mind in approaching the problems of life.
This is an age of science. We all enjoy the fruits of science. A modern man minus science is
a nonentity.
He uses the gifts of science every moment.
In fact, science makes his daily life smooth, easygoing
and convenient. It also makes him
intellectually sound and strong.
Scientific study helps him to judge everything in the light of reason. False beliefs no longer
rule his life. He becomes free from dogmas.
Science provides him with the things of daily use. The following examples explain the
importance of science in everyday life.
People can’t go without electricity.
People moves from one place to another with the help of vehicles. They read books,
newspapers, etc.
TV. and radio entertains him, computer lessens the manual work.
Internet and fax transmits communication in the swiftest time possible.
Airconditioner
and refrigerator are ready to serve us in hot summer.
Medical science with wonderful inventions lessens the pain in times of ailment.
All this explains why a man of today is fond of the study of science.
We live in an age of science. We feel the influence of science at every moment in almost
every sphere of life. Indeed, modern civilization is based on the gifts of science.
Wherever we cast our eyes, we see the achievement of science is industry, commerce,
medicine, communication, etc.
Science has revolutionized our way of life. However, it has both advantages and
disadvantages. They are each discussed below briefly.
Advantages
Science has minimized our hardship and has increased pleasures and comfort. Now it cures
our maladies, shortens distances, bridges gulfs and brings comforts and lifts up the veil of
nature’s mystery.
Travelling: The quick means of travel has made the world a very small place to live in.
Computers: The computer, the greatest gift of the 20th century, has relieved man from
manual and mental labor to a great extent.
Television: After his day’s work in his workplace when he feels bored, he may watch his TV
which gives relief to his tired nerves.
Telephone: Through telephone he speaks to his distant friends or consults his physician.
Medical Science: He can get the benefit of modern drugs or surgery, which is the products of
science.
Disadvantages
Yet, there are some disadvantages of science.
Science has not only invented a robot, but has turned a man into a robot in some cases.
Satellites are widely used for espionage purposes.
Excessive industrialization has lead to air pollution and other health hazards.
It snatches the soul of a man when he runs a race in mad pursuit of material prosperity.
In the past, there were only eight wonders in the world. But today there are hundreds of
wonders. Every invention of science has changed this world into a land of wonders. These
wonders are not only beautiful but also useful.
How wonderful our aeroplane is! We were not born with wings. But we always wished to fly
like birds. Science has given us what God has not. Today we can fly to any corner of the
world. Rivers and mountains cannot stand in the way. How cheap and how easy it is to travel
now! Today we can travel even to the moon. Our jets and rockets will carry us there. What a
change from bullock cart to aeroplane!
Our radio is even more wonderful. What a useful servant it is! It brings music and news from
far and wide. You hear great men and enjoy music in your own room. This wide world now
lies in your small pocket. How small your transistor is, but how wonderful its service is! Now
you can hold the whole world between your fingers. But our television is more wonderful still.
You not only hear but also see the whole world with your own eyes. You see people talk or
sing or dance. Thus science has conquered both time and space.
Electricity is not less wonderful. Electricity lights our homes and streets. It gives us fire, too.
It moves our trains and trams. It runs our mills and factories. You switch on a button and get
everything. What a wonder! Even a magician cannot do what electricity does.
So, today we cannot live without science. Science gives us a new life. How easy now is the
work of doctors and surgeons! A surgeon does what even a magician cannot. How
wonderful is the work of X’ray!
Is this ray less wonderful than the rays of the sun?
But science has produced some fearful things, too. Atom bombs and hydrogen bombs are
great wonders, no doubt, but they are also great dangers for man.
There is, however, nothing wrong with science itself. Science has given us atomic energy. It
is a very powerful weapon. In fact, this is the greatest wonder of science.
But it is for us to use it well. Atomic energy if rightly used can create new heaven upon this
earth and it will be more wonderful than the old heaven upon this earth and it will be more
wonderful than the old heaven created by God Himself. But if we misuse this energy, the
earth will become much worse than hell itself. It is for us to make a hell or heaven of this
earth.
Victory goes to the nation which is more highly developed in science. This fact explains why
science progresses so rapidly under the stress of war. Formerly, wars were won or lost in
the battlefields, but they are now won or lost in the laboratories.
Application of science: Science fortifies a nation with power against the aggression o the
enemy. The powerful nations has a bias in favor of science. In the struggle for existence,
lack of scientific training is a serious drawback. The study of science, therefore, should
receive more and more attention from the state.
Science has conquered time and space, wrested many a secret from nature, and has made
man immensely powerful.
How science can kill war? It is by science alone that we can kill war. Science gives power to
man and if all nations are equally powerful, the world will be in a state of equilibrium. The
possibility of war will thus be eliminated and peace will descend on earth.
Conclusion: is permissible to hope that science will establish her reign all over the human
world and then will peace come down to the earth.
Needless to say, science should aim at marking men brighter, healthier and nobler. Atomic
power should not be used only for the manufacture of that terrible engine of destruction, the
atom bomb. It is capable of being put to beneficial uses also. It can accelerate, to an
incredible extent, industrial and agricultural production as w

History Of Rohit Vemula

The conversion of the family of Dalit student Rohith Vemula to Buddhism on the 125th birth
anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar has underscored the way in which the faith has been used
as the moral armament of the Dalit movement in India.
According to data released by the central government last month, Buddhism is the fastest
growing religion among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the country.
University of Hyderabad PhD scholar Rohith committed suicide in January, allegedly after
being targeted by the university, which suspended him from the hostel and stopped his
scholarship as ‘punishment’ for allegedly clashing with leaders of the BJP’s student wing, the
ABVP. His death triggered a firestorm of protests on campus which spread across the
country, and still continue.
In a statement issued in Mumbai after their conversion, Rohith’s brother Raja Vemula said
that Rohith “was extremely keen that our family should follow the path of Buddha”. Rohith
had come to their home in Guntur in November 2015 wearing the white clothes of a follower
of The Buddha, and had spoken “a lot about why Ambedkar had chosen to convert to
Buddhism in 1956”, Raja said in the statement.
Rohith’s mother Radhika and Raja were given deeksha by Buddhist monks at a ceremony at
Mumbai’s Ambedkar Bhawan on April 14
events that followed. This provides some useful perspective. Let me admit that his suicide
note brought tears to my eyes because it was so clearly written by a young man filled with
hopes and dreams, who had become desperate when he saw them die. He should never
have been rusticated for his protest, whether he was Dalit or not. It was an appalling error of
judgment by the officials of Hyderabad Central University and they should have the grace to
resign.
The ministers in the Modi government who interfered in student politics should also have the
grace to resign. Having said this, may I now say that I have been truly disgusted by the
manner in which the usual suspects have tried to make political capital out of so sad a death.
If they had been this concerned about Dalit student rights, why did they not show up in
Hyderabad when the protest began? Rohith Vemula may still have been alive if he knew his
cause was backed by such powerful political leaders.
Having carefully examined what happened after Rohith’s suicide, I find myself unable not to
conclude that what we are seeing is yet another attempt to distract the Prime Minister from
his economic and social agenda. This crusade against Narendra Modi began from almost
the moment that he moved into 7 Race Course Road. He was personally blamed for the
murder of a young computer scientist in Pune. He was blamed immediately after for the
sickening behaviour of Shiv Sena MPs who shoved food into the mouth of a fasting Muslim.
Then began a countrywide campaign to malign his government for targeting Christians.
When the attacks on churches were found to be minor robberies, this quickly ended, but was
instantly followed by an attempt to blame him for the killings of three rationalists. Then after
the ludicrous campaign against beef caused the murder of Mohammad Akhlaq, came
nationwide hysteria and the awardsreturning
movement. And now the Prime Minister is
being personally held responsible for the suicide of Rohith by politicians who know that if
anyone is to blame for Dalits still being an underclass, it is the political party that has ruled
India for most of her years as a modern nation.
students outside RSS head quarters
In two weeks, Rohith will be forgotten and Dalits will still be an underclass because they
have been an underclass for centuries. But in the hysteria whipped up over his death will be
forgotten the very important speech that the Prime Minister gave in Vigyan Bhawan, when
he told young entrepreneurs that his government would help them in every possible way to
start new businesses. In this speech, he admitted that all government needed to do was
facilitate their spirit of enterprise and help finance it. There may be those who believe that
this should not be the job of government but of venture capitalists, but Muhammad Yunus
who started the Grameen Bank, who is here in Davos, praised the ‘Start Up India, Stand Up
India Scheme’.
He said that he believed that the best way to help people lift themselves out of poverty was
to finance their efforts to create small businesses. As someone who has gone on and on in
this column about the need to create jobs, I listened carefully and now concede that perhaps
my emphasis was wrong. Muhammad Yunus said that what very poor people needed most
were banks that were not reluctant to give them loans. Inadvertently this amounted to praise
for the Prime Minister’s emphasis on financial inclusion that has brought more Indians into
the banking system than ever before. These are economic reforms for which he has never
been given credit, because we media types have been so absorbed in saving secularism.
The Prime Minister’s determined efforts to put social programmes like Swachh Bharat and
Beti Bachao at the top of the national agenda are truly commendable. But if noticed at all by
the media, they have evoked mostly sneers and sarcasm. None of our mighty political
pundits has noticed that these programmes touch the core of what is wrong with India’s
model of development. Toilets are more important than temples, improved public hygiene
will end half of India’s diseases and educating little girls will make India a far, far better
place.
So it is my hope that Rohith Vemula’s tragic death does not become another link in the
noose that has been steadily built over the past 18 months to strangle Modi’s efforts to bring
parivartan and vikas. One thing the Prime Minister can and should do is begin to dismantle
the licence raj in education, that gives semiliterate
officials too much power to cause too
much harm in our universities.

Highlights Of The Railway Budget 2016-17

Highlights of the Railway Budget 2016-17
Theme of the Budget
 Overcoming challenges – Reorganize, Restructure Rejuvenate Indian Railways:
‘Chalo, Milkar Kuch Naya Karen’
 Three pillars of the strategy i.e. Nav Arjan – New revenues, Nav Manak – New
norms, Nav Sanrachna – New Structures.
Financial Performance
 2015-16- Savings of Rs. 8,720 crore neutralizing most of the revenue shortfall,
expected OR 90%;
 2016-17- Targeted Operating Ratio (OR) - 92%, restrict growth of Ordinary Working
Expenses by 11.6% after building in immediate impact of 7th PC, reductions planned
in diesel and electricity consumption, Revenue generation targeted at Rs. 1,84,820
crore.
Investments and Resources
 Process bottlenecks overhauled including delegation of powers to functional levels;
average capital expenditure over 2009-14 is Rs. 48,100 crore, average growth of 8%
per annum.
 2015-16 investment would be close to double of the average of previous 5 years.
 2016-17 CAPEX pegged at Rs. 1.21 lakh crore; implementation through joint
ventures with states, developing new frameworks for PPP, etc.
Vision
 By 2020, long-felt desires of the common man to be fulfilled i.e, reserved
accommodation on trains available on demand, time tabled freight trains, high end
technology to improve safety record, elimination of all unmanned level crossings,
improved punctuality, higher average speed of freight trains, semi high speed trains
running along the golden quadrilateral, zero direct discharge of human waste.
2015-16-Achievements
 Action initiated on 139 budget announcements of 2015-16.
Project execution
 2015-16 - assured funding through LIC; commissioning of 2,500 kms Broad Gauge
lines; commissioning of 1,600 kms of electrification, highest ever. In 2016-17 -
targeted commissioning 2,800 kms of track; commissioning Broad Gauge lines @
over 7 kms per day against an average of about 4.3 kms per day in the last 6 years.
Would increase to about 13 kms per day in 2017-18 and 19 kms per day in 2018-19;
will generate employment of about 9 crore man days in 2017-18 and 14 crore man
days in 2018-19. Outlay for railway electrification increased in 2016-17 by almost
50%; target to electrify 2,000 kms.
Dedicated Freight Corridor
 Almost all contracts for civil engineering works to be awarded by March 31st 2016;
Rs. 24,000 crore contracts awarded since November 2014 as against Rs. 13,000 crore
contracts awarded in last 6 years; propose to take up North-South, East-West & East
Coast freight corridors through innovative financing including PPP.

Port connectivity
 Tuna Port commissioned and rail connectivity projects to ports of Jaigarh, Dighi,
Rewas and Paradip under implementation; implementation of rail connectivity for the
ports of Nargol and Hazira under PPP in 2016-17.
North East
 BG Lumding-Silchar section in Assam opened thus connecting Barak Valley with rest
of the country; Agartala brought on to the BG network. States of Mizoram and
Manipur shortly to come on BG map of the country with commissioning of the
Kathakal-Bhairabi and Arunachal-Jiribam Gauge Conversion projects.
Jammu and Kashmir
 Work on Katra-Banihal section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project
progressing satisfactorily- 35 kms of tunnelling out of total of 95 kms completed;
Decongestion work on Jalandhar - Jammu line in full swing and doubling of two
bridges to be commissioned by March 2016, while the other two bridges will be
completed by 2016-17.
Make in India: Finalised bids for two loco factories; proposed to increase the current
procurement of train sets by 30%.
Capacity Building for the future through:
 Transparency – initiated recruitments online in 2015-16, process now being
replicated for all positions, social media being used as a tool to bring in transparency,
all procurement including procurement of works moved to the e-platform, completed
trial of process leading to award of tender electronically and to be rolled out on a Pan-
India basis in 2016-17.
 Governance - delegation led to compression of project sanction time to 6-8 months
from 2 years earlier, key result areas identified to judge performance of GMs and
DRMs, performance related MOUs signed with few Zones, to be replicated for all
zones.
 Internal audit measures - specialised teams mandated to screen railway operations
in specific areas to detect inefficiencies and prevent wastages, every zone preparing 2
reports by March 31, 2016.
 Partnerships – Cabinet approval for JVs with State Governments, 17 consented and
6 MOUs signed with State Governments. 44 new partnership works covering about
5,300 kms and valuing about Rs. 92,714 crore have been indicated in the Budget
documents.
Customer Interface
 Interaction and feedback through social media & dedicated IVRS system.
 Making travel comfortable by generating over 65,000 additional berths, installing
2,500 water vending machines; introducing ‘Mahamana Express’ with modern
refurbished coaches; 17,000 bio-toilets in trains; world’s first Bio-Vacuum toilet
developed.
 Improving punctuality – operations audit for Ghaziabad to Mughalsarai section.

 Ticketing: Introduced 1,780 Automatic Ticket Vending Machines, mobile apps &
GoIndia smartcard for cashless purchase of UTS and PRS tickets, enhanced capacity
of e-ticketing system from 2,000 tickets per minute to 7,200 tickets per minute and to
support 1,20,000 concurrent users as against only 40,000 earlier.
 Social initiatives: One-time registration for availing concessions while booking
tickets online, online booking of wheelchairs & Braille enabled new coaches
introduced for the Divyang, increased quota of lower berths for senior citizens and
women, middle bays reserved in coaches for women.
 Wi-Fi provided in 100 stations, to be provided in 400 more.
 Stations being redeveloped – financial bid received for Habibganj, Bhopal; Cabinet
approval for stations to be taken up under PPP.
 Security through helplines & CCTVs.
 Safety - 350 manned level crossings closed, eliminated 1,000 unmanned level
crossings, 820 ROB/RUB completed in the current year and work going on in 1,350
of them.
Other major achievements
 Energy: annualized savings of Rs. 3,000 crore to be achieved in the next financial
year itself, a year earlier than announced; achieved by procuring power directly at
competitive rates using IR’s status as Deemed Distribution Licensee.
 Rail University – initially identified the National Academy of Indian Railways at
Vadodara.
 Digital India: application of Track Management System (TMS) launched, inventory
management module of TMS has resulted in inventory reduction by 27,000 MT
resulting in saving of Rs.64 crore and scrap identification of 22,000 MT equivalent to
Rs.53 crore.
The Way Ahead
Improving quality of travel
For the unreserved passenger –
 Antyodaya Express unreserved, superfast service.
 Deen Dayalu coaches – unreserved coaches with potable water and higher number of
mobile charging points.
For the reserved passenger –
 Humsafar - fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals
 Tejas - will showcase the future of train travel in India. Will operate at speeds of 130
kmph and above.Will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-
Fi, etc. through one service provider for ensuring accountability and improved
customer satisfaction
 Humsafar and Tejas to ensure cost recovery through tariff and non-tariff measures
 UDAY - overnight double-decker, Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri
Express on the busiest routes, has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost
40%.
Ticketing: Sale of tickets through hand held terminals; e- ticketing facility to foreign
debit/credit cards; bar coded tickets, scanners and access control on a pilot basis. Expansion
of Vikalp – train on demand to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to waitPage

listed passengers. E-booking of tickets facility on the concessional passes available to
journalists; facility of cancellation through the 139 helpline post verification using ‘One
Time Password’ sent on registered phone number, to improve tatkaal services CCTV
cameras on windows and periodic audit of PRS website.
Cleanliness -‘Clean my Coach’ service through SMS, ranking of A1 and A stations based on
periodic third party audit and passenger feedback; waste segregation and recycling centres;
‘Awareness campaigns’; additional 30,000 bio-toilets; providing portable structures with biotoilets
at all platforms of select stations for senior citizens, Divyang and women travellers,
plan to explore innovative means of providing and maintaining toilets such as advertisement
rights, CSR, voluntary support from social organizations.
Catering and stalls at stations -IRCTC to manage catering services in a phased manner;
explore possibility of making catering services optional, adding 10 more IRCTC operated
base kitchens; to build local ownership and empowerment, weightage will be given to district
domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations.
Stoppages: convert all operational halts into commercial halts for the benefit of the common
man.
Rail Mitra Sewa: expanding Sarathi Seva in Konkan Railway to help the old and disabled
passengers, strengthening the existing services for enabling passengers to book battery
operated cars, porter services, etc. on a paid basis in addition to the existing pick up and drop,
and wheel chair services.
Measures for Divyang: all stations under redevelopment accessible by Divyang; to provide
at least one Divyang friendly toilet at each platform in A1 class stations during the next
financial year and also ensure availability of wheelchairs in sufficient numbers at these
stations.
Travel Insurance to passengers - to offer optional travel insurance for rail journeys at the
time of booking.
Hourly booking of retiring rooms - will be handed over to IRCTC.
Janani sewa: children’s menu items on trains, baby foods, hot milk and hot water would be
made available.
SMART (Specially Modified Aesthetic Refreshing Travel) Coaches - design and layout of
our coaches to ensure higher carrying capacity and provision of new amenities including
automatic doors, bar-code readers, bio-vacuum toilets, water-level indicators, accessible
dustbins, ergonomic seating, improved aesthetics, vending machines, entertainment screens,
LED lit boards for advertising, PA system.
Mobile Apps - integrate all facilities into two mobile apps dealing with ticketing issues and
for receipt and redressal of complaints and suggestions.
Improving customer interface- skilling our front-end staff and those we employ through our
service providers, information boards in trains enumerating the on-board services and also
GPS based digital displays inside coaches to provide real time information regarding
upcoming halts. Work underway on installation of a high-tech centralized network of 20,000
screens across 2000 stations for enabling real time flow of information to passengers and also
unlock huge advertising potential. All A1 class stations will be manned with duly empowered
Station Directors supported by cross functional teams; to make one person accountable for all
facilities on trains.

 Pilgrimage centres: to take up on priority the provision of passenger amenities and
beautification on stations at pilgrimage centres including Ajmer, Amritsar, Bihar
Sharif, Chengannur, Dwarka, Gaya, Haridwar, Mathura, Nagapattinam, Nanded,
Nasik, Pali, Parasnath, Puri, Tirupati, Vailankanni, Varanasi and Vasco; also intend to
run Aastha circuit trains to connect important pilgrim centres.
 Porters- intend providing them with new uniforms and train them in soft skills,
henceforth, to be called sahayak.
 High Speed Rail: passenger corridor from Ahmedabad to Mumbai being undertaken
with the assistance of the Government of Japan. SPV for implementing high speed
projects will be registered this month. Prime benefit would be providing IR with
technology advancements and new manufacturing capability.
 Entertainment: propose to invite FM Radio stations for providing train borne
entertainment; extend ‘Rail Bandhu’ to all reserved classes of travelers and in all
regional languages.
Passenger traffic - Suburban traffic: in-principle approval for MUTP III received. Early
award of tenders for elevated suburban corridors between Churchgate-Virar and between
CSTM-Panvel; revive Ring Railway system in Delhi; launching a new investment framework
for developing suburban systems in partnership with State Governments, development in
Ahmedabad, Bangaluru, Hyderabad Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram on the anvil.
Winning back the lost modal share
Expanding the freight basket of IR - to start time-tabled freight container, parcel and
special commodity trains on a pilot basis, container sector would be opened to all traffic
barring coal, specified mineral ores and part-loads during the non-peak season. All existing
terminals/sheds would be granted access to container traffic, where considered feasible.
Rationalising the tariff structure – undertake review of tariff policy to evolve a competitive
rate structure vis a vis other modes, permit multi-point loading/unloading and apply
differentiated tariffs to increase utilization of alternate routes, explore possibility of signing
long term tariff contracts with our key freight customers using pre-determined price
escalation principles.
Building terminal capacity - proposed to develop Rail side logistics parks and warehousing
in PPP mode, 10 goods sheds will be developed by TRANSLOC, the Transport Logistics
Company of India, in 2016-17. To soon inaugurate India’s first rail auto hub in Chennai.
Encourage development of cold storage facilities on vacant land near freight terminals. Local
farmers and fisherman would be given preferential usage of the facility. A policy in this
regard would be issued in the next 3 months.
Nurturing customers - will appoint Key Customer Managers to liaison with our major
freight stakeholders; each Zonal Railway will develop customer commitment charter
indicating service level commitments of IR, will explore the feasibility of opening up leasing
of general purpose wagons.
Non fare revenues
 Station redevelopment; monetizing land along tracks; monetizing soft assets – website,
data, etc; advertising – in 2016-17 target 4 times the revenue of 2015-16; overhaul of
parcel business - liberalize the current parcel policies including opening the sector to

container train operators; revenues from manufacturing activity - by 2020, aim at
generating annualised revenues of about Rs 4,000 crore.
Process Improvements
 EPC projects standard document finalized, will implement at least 20 projects through
this mode in 2016-17; by 2017-18, endeavour to award all works valuing above Rs. 300
crore through EPC contracts.
 Performance output parameters based contracts - to review service contracts to
integrate them and make them simpler and outcome focused.
 Leveraging technology for project management- intend to use the latest drone and Geo
Spatial based satellite technology for remotely reviewing the physical progress across
major projects; monitoring of DFC to be operationalised through this mode in 2016-17.
 System-wide Information Technology integration - initiated system wide integration,
both horizontal and vertical, akin to an ERP through innovative partnership models.
Rail Development Authority
 To enable fair pricing of services, promote competition, protect customer interests and
determine efficiency standards; draft bill to be ready after holding extensive stakeholder
consultations.
Undertaking Navarambh – a new beginning
 Navinikaran - Structural Interventions
Organisational Restructuring- proposed to reorganize the Railway Board along
business lines and suitably empower Chairman, Railway Board. As a first step, cross
functional directorates to be set up in Railway Board to focus on areas like non-fare
revenues, speed enhancement, motive power and information technology; explore the
possibility of unifying cadres for fresh recruitment of officers; strengthen PPP cell to
improve ease of doing business with IR.
 Sashaktikaran – Improving our planning practices
To set up a Railway Planning & Investment Organisation for drafting medium (5
years) and long (10 years) term corporate plans; identify projects which fulfill the
corporate goal. Prepare a National Rail Plan to harmonise and integrate the rail
network with other modes of transport and create synergy for achieving seamless
multi-modal transportation network across the country
 Aekikaran – Consolidation: Forming a holding company of companies owned by IR.
 Shodh aur vikas - Investing in the future: to set up a R&D organization, a Special
Railway Establishment for Strategic Technology & Holistic Advancement,
SRESTHA. RDSO will now focus only on day to day issues while SRESTHA would
drive long term research.
 Vishleshan – Analyzing data: a dedicated, cross functional team called Special Unit
for Transportation Research and Analytics (SUTRA) would be set up for carrying out
detailed analytics leading to optimized investment decisions and operations
 Navrachna – Innovation: by setting aside a sum of Rs. 50 crore for providing
innovation grants to employees, startups and small businesses.
Avataran - Seven Missions for the transformation of IR
 Missions will be headed by a Mission Director reporting directly to the Chairman,
Railway Board and heading a cross functional team empowered to take all relevant

decisions for a timely targeted delivery. Annual outcome based performance targets
for the Mission would be announced and the Missions will finalise the
implementation plans for short, medium and long terms and proceed accordingly
 Mission 25 Tonne for 25 tonne axle load, Mission Zero Accident for safety, Mission
PACE (Procurement and Consumption Efficiency), Mission Raftaar for higher
speeds, Mission Hundred for commissioning 100 sidings/ freight terminals, Mission
beyond book-keeping for accounting reforms, Mission Capacity Utilisation to prepare
a blueprint for making use of the capacity created once DFC is commissioned.
Sustainability and Social Initiatives: Human Resources/ Skilling, Social initiatives,
Environment
 To tie up with the Ministry of Health for ensuring an exchange between Railways
hospitals and Government hospitals; to introduce ‘AYUSH’ systems in 5 Railway
hospitals; provide gang men with devices called ‘Rakshak’ for intimating them about
approaching trains, also reduce the weight of the tools carried by them while
patrolling. To provide toilets and air-conditioning in cabs for our loco pilots.
 Set up two chairs – one C T Venugopal chair on Strategic Finance, research and
policy development and another Kalpana Chawla chair on geo-spatial technology.
 For youth - open our organisation to 100 students across Engineering and MBA
schools for 2-6 months’ internships each year.
 Partnering with Ministry of Skill Development - skill development on IR premises.
 Undertaken energy audits for reducing energy consumption in non-traction area by
10% to 15% - all new light provisions will be LED luminaire and all Railway stations
to be covered with LED luminaire in next 2 to 3 years.
 Action plan drawn up for environmental accreditation, water management and waste
to energy conversion. More than 2,000 locations provided with Rain Water
Harvesting facility. In place of steel sleepers on steel bridges environmentally friendly
composite sleepers made of recycled plastic waste will be used over all girder bridges.
 32 stations and 10 coaching depots have been identified for installation of water
recycling plants in the coming years.
Tourism
 Partnering with State Governments for operating tourist circuit trains; recent
upgradation of National Rail Museum, promotion of tourism through Railway
museums and UNESCO world heritage Railways.
 To spread awareness about our National Animal, the Tiger, complete packages
including train journey, safaris and accommodation to cover the wildlife circuit
comprising Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh will be offered.
Annex1 of the Speech details the financial performance of the Indian Railways & the
estimates of Receipts & Expenditure.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE 2015-16:
 Net reduction in Gross Traffic Receipts by Rs 15,744 crore in RE 2015-16 compared to
the BE target of Rs 1,83,578 crore. Passenger earnings scaled down keeping in view the
persistent negative growth trend since 2013-14 both in the suburban and non-suburban
non-PRS segment of travel.
 Freight earnings impacted mainly on account of low demand from the core sector
resulting in resetting the target in R.E. 2015-16 to Rs 1,11,853 crore.
 Stringent economy and austerity measures adopted to contain the Ordinary Working
Expenses (O.W.E.) due to which budgeted Ordinary Working Expenses of Rs 1,19,410
crore decreased in the Revised Estimates 2015-16 to Rs. 1,10,690 crore i.e. by Rs 8,720
crore.
 BE provided for an appropriation of Rs. 34,900 crore to the Pension Fund. However,
based on trend, the pension outgo moderately decreased to Rs. 34,500 crore in RE.
 Internal resource generation diminished and appropriation to DRF moderated to Rs. 5,500
crore in RE from the BE 2015-16 provisioning of Rs. 7,900 crore. Excess of receipts
over expenditure in RE 2015-16 stands at Rs. 11,402.40 crore.
 Plan size for 2015-16 is currently estimated at 1,00,000 crore i.e. the BE level.
Budget Estimates 2016-17:
 The intention to improve revenues and ensure appropriate investments which can
continue the road-map of decongestion and enhance line-capacity enhancement as
detailed in 2015-16. The focus is on enhanced CAPEX with a mix of various sources of
funding in order to ensure that the projects are given assured funding.
 Gross Traffic Receipts kept at Rs 1,84,820 crore . Passenger earnings growth has been
pegged at 12.4 % and earnings target budgeted at Rs. 51,012 crore. The freight traffic is
pegged at incremental traffic of 50 million tonnes, anticipating a healthier growth in the
core sector of economy. Goods earnings is accordingly proposed at Rs. 1, 17,933 crore.
Other coaching and sundries projected at Rs. 6,185 crore and Rs. 9,590.3 crore
respectively.
 OWE provides for the implementation of the 7th CPC.
 Pension outgo budgeted at Rs 45,500 crore in 2016-17.
 Higher staff cost and pension liability impacts the internal resource position of the
Railways. Accordingly, appropriation to DRF from revenue placed at Rs 3,200 crore and
that from Production Units at Rs 200 crore. A withdrawal of Rs 3,160 crore from DRF on
net basis proposed though the gross expenditure to be met from DRF in the Annual Plan
estimated at Rs 7,160 crore. Rs 5,750 crore proposed to be appropriated to the Capital
fund. With a draw-down of Rs 1,250 crore from previous balances in the fund, plan
requirement of Rs 7,000 crore for repayment of principal component of lease charges to
IRFC met.
 Railways are preparing a Plan size of Rs. 1,21,000 crore in 2016-17.
Annex-2 of the speech details the Implementation of Budget announcements
2015-16

Latest News Of Panama Papers

The Panama Papers are an unprecedented leak of 11.5m files from the database of the
world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca. The records were obtained from
an anonymous source by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which shared them
with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The ICIJ then shared
them with a large network of international partners, including the Guardian and the BBC.
What do they reveal?
The documents show the myriad ways in which the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax
regimes. Twelve national leaders are among 143 politicians, their families and close
associates from around the world known to have been using offshore tax havens.
A $2bn trail leads all the way to Vladimir Putin. The Russian president’s best friend – a cellist
called Sergei Roldugin – is at the centre of a scheme in which money from Russian state
banks is hidden offshore. Some of it ends up in a ski resort where in 2013 Putin’s daughter
Katerina got married.
Among national leaders with offshore wealth are Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister;
Ayad Allawi, exinterim
prime minister and former vicepresident
of Iraq; Petro Poroshenko,
president of Ukraine; Alaa Mubarak, son of Egypt’s former president; and the prime minister
of Iceland, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.
An offshore investment fund run by the father of British prime minister David Cameron
avoided ever having to pay tax in Britain by hiring a small army of Bahamas residents to sign
its paperwork. The fund has been registered with HM Revenue and Customs since its
inception and has filed detailed tax returns every year.
A lengthier overview of the revelations can be found here.
What is Mossack Fonseca?
It is a Panamabased
law firm whose services include incorporating companies in offshore
jurisdictions such as the British Virgin Islands. It administers offshore firms for a yearly fee.
Other services include wealth management.
Where is it based?
The firm is Panamanian but runs a worldwide operation. Its website boasts of a global
network with 600 people working in 42 countries. It has franchises around the world, where
separately owned affiliates sign up new customers and have exclusive rights to use its
brand. Mossack Fonseca operates in tax havens including Switzerland, Cyprus and the
British Virgin Islands, and in the British crown dependencies Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle
of Man.
The transfer of wealth
How big is it?
Mossack Fonseca is the world’s fourth biggest provider of offshore services. It has acted for
more than 300,000 companies. There is a strong UK connection. More than half of the
companies are registered in Britishadministered
tax havens, as well as in the UK itself.
How much data has been leaked?
A lot. The leak is one of the biggest ever – larger than the US diplomatic cables released by
WikiLeaks in 2010, and the secret intelligence documents given to journalists by Edward
Snowden in 2013. There are 11.5m documents and 2.6 terabytes of information drawn from
Mossack Fonseca’s internal database.
Panama Papers: Biggest leak in history
Are all people who use offshore structures crooks?
No. Using offshore structures is entirely legal. There are many legitimate reasons for doing
so. Business people in countries such as Russia and Ukraine typically put their assets
offshore to defend them from “raids” by criminals, and to get around hard currency
restrictions. Others use offshore for reasons of inheritance and estate planning.
Are some people who use offshore structures crooks?
Yes. In a speech last year in Singapore, David Cameron said “the corrupt, criminals and
money launderers” take advantage of anonymous company structures. The government is
trying to do something about this. It wants to set up a central register that will reveal the
beneficial owners of offshore companies. From June, UK companies will have to reveal their
“significant” owners for the first time.
What does Mossack Fonseca say about the leak?
The firm won’t discuss specific cases of alleged wrongdoing, citing client confidentiality. But
it robustly defends its conduct. Mossack Fonseca says it complies with
antimoneylaundering
laws and carries out thorough due diligence on all its clients. It says it
regrets any misuse of its services and tries actively to prevent it. The firm says it cannot be
blamed for failings by intermediaries, who include banks, law firms and accountants.
On Monday, May 9, a trove of information from the Panama Papers will hit the web. Mostly,
it will be a list of names.
And that’s a big deal: There’s a battle going on over whether you should have to link your
real name to the things you own, unravelling the lucrative industry that has sprung up around
creating “shell companies” to hide the true owners of assets.
This longrunning
debate was thrust into the public spotlight after a hacker penetrated the
email
system of a Panamanian law firm called Mossack Fonseca. The stillunknown
hacker
approached the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which brought in reporters
through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to help sift through
11.5 million documents that came from the law firm, which are now known as the Panama
Papers.
Last month, the initial splash of stories from media outlets with access to the documents
made waves. Most notably, the Icelandic prime minister’s previously unknown links to an
offshore company that owned millions of dollars of bonds issued by the country’s troubled
banks led to his resignation. Other officials identified in the papers faced awkward questions
about their offshore holdings.
But now that the initial batch of Panama Papers stories has been published, what should be
done with all the documents? Many media outlets excluded from the consortium, Quartz
included, are eager to see the source material. So too are law and tax enforcement
authorities around the world. But so far the documents haven’t been released from the
database built by the journalists involved in the consortium.
The ICIJ says that next week they will add the information from the Panama Papers to a
public database that includes information from a similar, smaller leak in 2013. In most cases
it will not be the actual documents, but rather the names of shell companies and beneficial
owners that can be gleaned from the files. For example, here’s a visualization from the 2013
database of some offshore companies set up by the heir to the Mellon fortune:
(ICIJ)
Connecting James R. Mellon to companies like Benelm Limited matters to tax authorities
because, before the 2013 leak, all they could see is that Benelm was directed by an attorney
in the British Virgin Islands. But as well as revealing the true ownership of shell companies,
the 2013 leak also included documents that showed Mellon was moving millions of dollars
worth of his inheritance through the companies.
The fear with this new Panamaderived
database is that, without access to full documents,
reporters and law enforcement won’t be able to understand what these shell companies are
doing. But ICIJ must be extremely careful not to reveal too much information about the
people in these documents, since shell companies can be used for entirely benign and legal
purposes. Hence this disclaimer:
Unlike, say, the Wikileaks database of leaked US diplomatic cables, which made for
fascinating reading for the layman, the Panama Papers database will largely matter to
investigators seeking to link companies that have already raised suspicions with their true
owners, or link people already suspected of shenanigans with the companies that may serve
as their conduits for shady dealings.
The secrets of what went on behind closed doors at Mossack Fonseca—including, for
example, emails
revealing that their staff apparently scrambled to destroy evidence of its
connections to Argentine corruption—will not feature in the database. For the full extent of
those secrets, the public must wait for the consortium—or the court room.
They list more than 200,000 shell companies, foundations and trusts set up in tax havens
around the world.
The John Doe statement came shortly before US President Barack Obama delivered an
address on the economy, in which he cited the Panama Papers as highlighting the problem
of corruption and tax evasion.
He said the US would require banks to identify those behind shell corporations. Mr Obama
said his administration's actions would allow it to do a better job of making sure people paid
taxes.
'Immunity'
Although the name John Doe is used, the gender of the source has not been revealed.
In the statement, The Revolution will be Digitized, John Doe starts by saying: "Income
equality is one of the defining issues of our time."
He adds: "Banks, financial regulators and tax authorities have failed. Decisions have been
made that have spared the wealthy while focusing instead on reining in middleand
lowincome
citizens."
BBC graphic comparing size of Panama Papers data leak to other recent leaks
He goes on to say: "Thousands of prosecutions could stem from the Panama Papers, if only
law enforcement could access and evaluate the actual documents.
"ICIJ and its partner publications have rightly stated that they will not provide them to law
enforcement agencies.
"I, however, would be willing to cooperate
with law enforcement to the extent that I am
able."
But he adds: "Legitimate whistleblowers who expose unquestionable wrongdoing, whether
insiders or outsiders, deserve immunity from government retribution."
'Sordid acts'
Responding to speculation about his or her identity, John Doe's statement says: "For the
record, I do not work for any government or intelligence agency, directly or as a contractor,
and I never have.
President Barack Obama, 6 May
AP
The statement came shortly before President Obama called for action on tax evasion
"My viewpoint is entirely my own, as my decision to share the documents with Suddeutsche
Zeitung and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), not for any
specific political purpose, but simply because I understood enough about their contents to
realise the scale of the injustices they described."
John Doe says that global judicial systems have "utterly failed to address the metastasizing
tax havens spotting Earth's surface".
He says: "I decided to expose Mossack Fonseca because I thought its founders, employees
and clients should have to answer for their roles in these crimes, only some of which have
come to light thus far.
"It will take years, possibly decades, for the full extent of the firm's sordid acts to become
known."
Panamabased
Mossack Fonseca says it was hacked by servers based abroad and has filed
a complaint with the Panamanian attorney general's office.
It says it has not acted illegally and that information.