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CA Newsletter 08Oct-14Oct
CA Newsletter 08Oct-14Oct
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8th Oct’10 to 14th Oct’10 R
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COVER STORY N
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ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Current Market Rates as on 14th Oct’10 Values Stock Market Indices as on 14th Oct’10 Values
Rupee / US Dollar 44.18 BSE SENSEX 20556.27
Rupee / Euro 62.25 NSE (NIFTY) 6168.25
Rupee / Pound 70.65
Gold (10 Gram) in Rs. 19631.6
Source:http://www.moneyworks4me.com/Indias-Fiscal-Deficit-Its-Implications.html
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COVER STORY: UNIQUE IDENTITY PROJECT
Hello Mr, 5674-PQVK- 8093: We have our passport number, ration card number, pan card number, credit card
number, bank account number and now welcome the mother of all numbers Unique Identity Number. The Unique
Identification Authority of India’s (UIDAI) project AADHAAR will provide a unique number to all Indians.
UIDAI Organization: It was a pleasant surprise when Nandan Nilekani of Infosys was
appointed Chairman of UIDAI. Ram Sewak Sharma, an IAS Officer who received awards for
e-Governance project implemented in Jharkhand has been appointed as the Director
General. UIDAI was established in February 2009, and will own and operate the Unique
Identification Number database. The authority would create the database containing 16
kinds of data entry, photographs, all 10 fingerprints and iris scans. Twelve minutes is the
time estimated for enrolment per person. Computers for the project are designed in such a
way that there are screens even at the rear. A citizen can see the details being entered and
can correct at any stage. Those that opt to stay out of the system will find it very inconvenient, they will not have
access to facilities that require you to cite your ID number.
Panacea for all ills: Unique National IDs will help address the rigged state
elections, tax evasion, widespread embezzlement that affects subsidies and
poverty alleviation programs such as NREGA. Addressing illegal immigration
into India and terrorist threats is another goal of the program. It can reduce
corruption and bureaucratic delay. A personal ID number can hugely save
hassles, time and money in our new digital age. Various identity databases
(voter ID, passports, ration cards, licenses, fishing permits, border area id
cards) that already exist in India are planned to be linked to it. Indians will not
require to prove their identity to various government departments over and
over again. It will streamline benefits so that they reach the right people. The
numbers will eliminate duplication and attempts to obtain fake documents. Aadhaar is different because it actually
provides a foundation for all the other IDs. This 12-digit number will be common to all other cards which can be
authenticated anywhere in the country, online. Aadhaar will bring them into the mainstream, and by giving them an
ID, make them part of an inclusive growth.
Why some fear the UID: The Aadhaar project has grave civil liberty implications. It will enable the government to
profile citizens and track their movements and transactions. The UIDs will be fed into a database
to be shared with Natgrid (National Intelligence Grid), which includes 11 security and intelligence
agencies. Natgrid will provide real-time access into 21 databases including bank account details,
credit card transactions, driving licences, and travel records. An intelligence official says, "Once
you feed in a person's name, you will get all the details about him, across all the databases."
These include the colour of his/her car, the traffic fines to be paid, and the last time he/she paid
by card for a late-night dinner. There is no guarantee that intimately personal details pre-existing
illnesses, romantic relationships, anonymous donations won't be shared with other agencies.
Data Theft: All kinds of supposedly secure databases including those of India's defence ministry
and the Pentagon have been hacked. Data theft and transfer to intelligence agencies or
corporations have potentially horrendous consequences. That is one reason why many countries including the UK, US
and Australia have abandoned national ID cards.
Projected costs: According to reports, UID's per person cost is estimated to have jumped from Rs 31 to between Rs
450 and Rs 500. One estimate of the cost to completely roll-out National IDs to all Indian residents above the age of
18 has been placed at 150,000 crore. This is astronomical for a scheme with dubious benefits.
Biometric issues: Human bodies and the features on them aren't necessarily constant over time.
People with low-quality fingerprints (construction workers) and with cataract/corneal problems can
pose problems for fingerprints and iris scans. Between 10 and 60 million people could be excluded
from UID due to such errors.
How about a single all pupose number: A liberal democracy like the USA gives everyone what is politely called a
social security number but is actually an identity number. Even the US system is an obsolete one designed for a non-
digital age. India should leap-frog to a superior system tailored to the internet era. Why quote your social security
number in order to get another number for your bank account or credit card? In India, we get separate numbers for
our bank account, ration card, passport, driving licence, credit card, inome tax PAN, voting registration and so on.
This uncoordinated identification system makes for lots of duplication, paperwork and hassle. Why not have one single
number for all purposes?
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PERSONALITIES OF THE WEEK
Role Model: Before his term as India's president, he worked as an aeronautical engineer
with DRDO and ISRO. He is popularly known as the Missile Man of India for his work on
development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology. In India he is highly respected
as a scientist and as an engineer. Kalam played a pivotal organisational, technical and
political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear test in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test
by India in 1974. He is chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology,
Thiruvanthapuram, a professor at Anna University,Chennai and visiting faculty at many other
academic and research institutions across India.
Scientist par excellence: After graduating in Physics from St. Joseph's College in Tiruchirapalli, Abdul Kalam
graduated with a diploma in the mid-1950s from Madras Institute of Technology specializing in Aeronautical
Engineering. As the Project Director, he was heavily involved in the development of India's first indigenous Satellite
Launch Vehicle (SLV-III). As Chief Executive of Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), he also
played a major part in developing many missiles of India including Agni and Prithvi, although the entire project has
been criticised for being overrun and mismanaged. He was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and
Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999.
India’s Pride: The Government of India has honoured him with the nation's highest civilian honours: the Padma
Bhushan in 1981; Padma Vibhushan in 1990; and the Bharat Ratna in 1997 for his work with ISRO and DRDO and his
role as a scientific advisor to the Indian government.
His passions: Dr. Kalam, a bachelor is a connoisseur of classical Carnatic music. He plays veena in his leisure. He
writes poetry in Tamil, his mother tongue. Seventeen of his poems were translated into English and published in 1994
as a book entitled 'My Journey'. He reads the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita with equal devotion. He is also the Author
of the books 'India 2020 : A vision for the New Millennium', 'Wings of Fire : an Autobiography' and 'Ignited Minds –
unleashing the power within India'.
Serial Entrepreneur: Gopinath's first venture was to infuse some life into his barren land and
within a few years he was a successful sericulturist growing silk-worms. He then started the
Malnad Mobikes (Enfield dealership), then ventured into hotel business in Hasan. In 1996 he
started Deccan Aviation, India's largest Private Helicopter Charter Company. In 2003 Gopinath
entered the Indian Aviation industry and turned the business model on its head. He made sure
that an air travel wasn't only for the elites and gave middle class Indians an opportunity to
afford a flight travel. It was the largest airline in terms of its network, the number of passengers flown and it's fleet
size. It was the only company, which overtook Indian Airlines and gained the 2nd largest market share. Air Deccan's
phenomenal growth spurred the entry of more than half a dozen low-cost air carriers in India.
Selling your dream: The LCC business model was challenging as small increase in fares resulted in less passenger
traffic. Air Deccan suffered huge losses. Gopinath was left without options. Kingfisher acquired a 26 percent stake in
Air Deccan. Gopinath called the sale as like giving away his daughter in wedding.
Never say die: He then contested in 2009 lok sabha elections as an independent candidate but he lost. After
dabbling in politics for some time, Captain Gopinath started Deccan 360 freight and logistics and managed to rope in
Reliance as an investor. Captain Gopinath has now joined hands with the Tata Group for a charter air service.
What makes Captain Gopinath tick? “It’s my love of life and a passion for living intensely. To not lose myself in
despair but lose myself in action all the time. I think persistence is more important than talent, and that’s more
important than capital. You must follow your heart, follow your dreams.”
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BUSINESS NEWS OF THE WEEK
The car project of Google uses artificial intelligence that can sense anything near the
car and mimic the decisions made by a human driver. The device atop the car
produced a detailed map of the environment which was used for safe navigation.
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6. Mahindra Satyam bags contract from Commonwealth of Kentucky-PTI 13 Oct
Leading IT services provider, Mahindra Satyam , today said that it has signed a
contract with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, USA, for design and delivery of a
document management system for the child support system.
The system would enable child support staff to electronically store, view and send
information such as applications, court orders and insurance documentation received
from case participants, courts and other agencies, a press release issued here stated.
The system would also develop a new electronic forms database, which would provide
statewide uniformity and improve access for Child Support Enforcement (CSE) caseworkers and participants, the
release said.
It offers support for high-speed 3G networks around the world, includes the latest generation
in Wi-Fi connectivity and features built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-
tagging. BlackBerry 6 integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser on BlackBerry Torch
that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great
browsing experience. RIM, a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionised the mobile industry with the
introduction of the BlackBerry solution in 1999.
8. IIFCL, Union Bank ink deal for Rs.1,500 crore takeout finance- IANS 12 Oct
India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) on Tuesday signed a Rs.1,500 crore takeout
finance agreement with Union Bank of India for development of seven power and road projects
in the country.
“IIFCL has also signed agreement with Punjab National Bank , Indian Bank , Allahabad Bank
and United Commercial Bank to help fund infrastructure projects in the country.” IIFCL
Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Goel told reporters after signing the agreement here.
IIFCL is engaged with several public sector banks to make takeout financing scheme attractive. The scheme involves
three parties - the project company, taking over institution and lending banks or financial institutions. As per the
scheme, IIFCL will take out the infrastructure loan from the books of the original lender up to 100 percent of the
outstanding amount subject to the condition that the total takeout amount does not exceed 50 percent of the total
residual loan of the infrastructure projects.
9. IKF Tech bags BPO deal from Vodafone; plans to add 2K people-PTI 13 Oct
Kolkata-based IT firm IKF Technologies today said it has bagged a contract from telecom
major Vodafone for running their BPO operation for the Eastern region. The scope of the
contract consists of providing BPO and call centre services to Vodafone in Eastern India
comprising Kolkata and rest of West Bengal circles, IKF said in a statement.
However, no financial details were disclosed. "This development is in sync with our business
plans to emerge as a major player in the Indian BPO industry. We are confident of securing
significant business deals in the sector and plan to add 2,000 work force to expand our capacities and offer world class
services to our clients," IKF Technologies Chief Executive Officer Mukesh Goyal said. IKF had bagged a three-year call
centre contract from Aircel in the first quarter of this financial year.
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11. Tough Going: Fiat dresses up front-end staff to revive sales- ET 11 Oct
Fiat India is exploring fresh ideas to boost sales, concerned over the failure of its partnership
with Tata Motors to push the Italian carmaker’s brands. The thinking among Fiat’s
management is that while the Tatas have benefited by powering some of their cars with Fiat
engines, the joint dealership and engine collaboration has yet to help the Italian carmaker
spruce up its front end, they said. Industry experts blame the Italian carmaker’s poor after
sales record as a key reason for its dismal sales in the country even as the sales of Tata and
Maruti brands using Fiat engines boom in the country. “Customers still lack confidence in the
Fiat brand due to its past unsuccessful entries into the Indian market, poor after-sales record
and lower resale value,” said Abdul Majeed, auto practice leader at PwC.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
22. Cisco sees big smart grid opportunity in China- Reuters 14 Oct
Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc sees immense opportunities in China for
its smart grid products and is continuing to look at acquisitions to expand in the
growing market. Cisco, which is working with a number of utilities including Duke
Energy and NextEra Energy Inc, expects the smart grid to be bigger than the Internet
in reach. The company has identified $15 billion to $20 billion in opportunities globally
in the next five to seven years, Laura Ipsen, senior vice president of Cisco's smart grid
unit, said at the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit on Wednesday.
But that pales in comparison to the market opportunity in China.
Five of the six women who moved the court against the 'discrimination' by the bank yesterday had worked in its public
finance department and were among those laid off in November 2008. The women alleged that Citigroup did not
compensate female employees the way it did the male counterparts and overlooked them for promotions. The lawsuit
seeks unspecified damages, class-action status and a court order to end discrimination. The complainants assert that
Citigroup's 44-member senior leadership committee includes only five women, and that its 19-member executive
committee comprises entirely of men.
The line-up of nine new phones from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, LG Electronics Inc, HTC Corp and
Dell Inc will start to appear in stores later this month in Europe, and in November in the United
States on AT&T Inc's network. The handsets are much closer in look and feel to Apple's iPhone than
earlier Windows phones, with colorful touch-screens and "live tiles" on the starting screen for quick
access to email, the Web, music and exclusively, games on the Xbox system. Microsoft said the launch will be backed
by heavy television advertising in the run-up to the holiday shopping season, as it looks to vault itself back into the
market.
25. Yuan at fresh high ahead of U.S. currency report- Reuters 14 Oct
Spot yuan hit its highest against the dollar since its landmark revaluation in July 2005 on Friday
ahead of the publication of a report by the U.S. Treasury Department on trade partners' currency
practices. The People's Bank of China fixed a record high mid-point as the Obama administration is
due to say on Friday whether it believes China manipulates its currency to create an unfair trade
advantage, a decision that could sour ties between the world's two biggest economies.
The U.S.-China Business Council said on Thursday it had heard from the Obama administration that the latest report
would be released on Friday, even though it is often delayed. Dealers trading on the Chinese market see little chance
for the U.S. administration to label China a currency manipulator. Ministry spokesman Yao Jian said if the yuan
appreciated 3 percent, it will put great pressure on Chinese exporters.
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MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
R-Class sports a 3498cc V6 petrol engine and has a top speed of 230 kmph and combines sedan-like comfort but with
all-wheel-drive SUV performance. The new RClass debuted at the New York auto show on March 31. “India has
emerged as a strong destination for luxury automobiles and is thus one of the first markets where the vehicle is being
introduced,” Mitra said.
Radio Mirchi is a leader in the private FM radio industry and operates FM radio stations in 32 cities
and has a listenership of more than 41 million (as per IRS Q1, 2010) and was voted the No.1 media brand by an
IMRB-Pitch survey recently.
The Indian Coast Guard is the third in the world to have an anti-pollution control
vessel. Samudra Prahari is meant for Mumbai and surrounding areas. Two pollution
control vessels will be added. Samudra Prahari can recover and store 300 tonnes of
spilled oil. The ship will be commanded by DIG Manoj Baadkar.
29. In dramatic coup, BCCI boots out Kings XI, Royals from IPL –TNN 11
Oct
In a swift and unexpected move with far-reaching consequences, Kings XI Punjab
and Rajasthan Royals were scrapped from the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
The BCCI, after its emergent IPL governing council meeting, announced that the
two franchises’ contracts were being terminated with immediate effect for violating
shareholding and ownership patterns.
The shocked team owners of Kings XI and RR promised to take the fight to the courts. Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty,
the faces of their respective teams, said they were too stunned to even react. Inevitably, suspended IPL
commissioner Lalit Modi’s name was invoked: he is believed to have financial interests in both teams. BCCI president
Shashank Manohar, however, denied any such motive, saying, “It is not due to any single person.’’ Kings XI and RR
have been feeling the heat right from the time the Board decided to increase the number of IPL teams to 10.
The total of 49 vulnerabilities exceeds the previous record of 34, which was set in October
2009 and matched in June and August of this year. The constant patching of PCs is a time-
consuming process for corporate users, who need to test the fixes before they deploy them to
make sure they do not cause machines to crash because of compatibility problems with existing software.
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TOP 5 INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
2.The World Trade Organisation: WTO is an international organization which supervise a large number of
agreements defining the "rules of trade" between its member countries. It was created on 1 January 1995 to replace
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was a series trade treaties aimed to abolish international
trade barriers. The WTO has 153 members, representing more than 97% of total world trade.
The WTO operates on a one country, one vote system, but actual votes have never been taken. Decision making is
generally by consensus, and relative market size is the primary source of bargaining power. The WTO has two basic
functions: as a negotiating forum for discussions of new and existing trade rules, and as a trade dispute settlement
body. The organization is currently endeavoring to persist with a trade negotiation called the Doha Development
Agenda, which was launched in 2001 to enhance equitable participation of poorer countries which represent a majority
of the world's population.
3.The World Bank: The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to
developing countries around the world. It was established in 1944, is headquartered in
Washington, DC and has more than 10,000 employees in more than 100 offices worldwide.
Although World Bank and IMF, both are based in Washington, D.C., the World Bank is headed
by an American, while the IMF is led by a European. It is not a bank in the common sense; it
is made up of two unique development institutions owned by 187 member countries: the
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International
Development Association (IDA).
The World Bank has a stated goal of reducing poverty and to help people help themselves and their environment by
providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors.
By law, all of its decisions must be guided by a commitment to promote foreign investment, international trade and
facilitate capital investment. Some critics also claim that the World Bank has consistently pushed a neoliberal agenda,
imposing policies on developing countries which have been damaging, destructive and
anti-developmental.
4.World Health Organisation: WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN)
that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on April 7,
1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO's constitution states that its
objective "is the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health. Its major
task is to combat disease, especially key infectious diseases, and to promote the general
health of the people of the world. In addition to its work in eradicating disease, the WHO
also carries out various health-related campaigns — for example, to boost the
consumption of fruits and vegetables worldwide and to discourage tobacco use. After over two decades of fighting the
disease, WHO declared in 1980 that smallpox had been eradicated – the first disease in history to be eliminated by
human effort.