New Amendment makes it compulsory to show Pan Card for any payment of Rs. five lakh or more for purchase of bullion or jewellery.

New Amendment makes it compulsory to show Pan Card for any
payment of Rs. five lakh or more for purchase of bullion or jewellery.

As per the amendments in the income tax rules, coming into effect from July 1, quoting PAN (Permanent Account Number) will be mandatory for any payment of Rs. five lakh or more for purchase of bullion or jewellery.


Its very good move by government of India as it will stop the use of black money but this will certainly reduce the purchase of jewellery by using black money.

Currently in India Banks only ask the Pan Number when issue Credit Card, but as per new amendments for getting Debit Card also PAN (Permanent Account Number) has become mandatory.

From tomorrow the payment of Rs. 50,000 or more in a year for life insurance premium would also require PAN

Currently following transactions require the Pan Card

1.
sale or purchase of any immovable property valued at Rs. five lakh or more

2.
sale or purchase of motor vehicles other than two- wheelers


3.
bank deposits exceeding Rs. 50,000

4.
telephone connection applications


5.
opening of bank accounts

6.
hotel and restaurant bills of over Rs. 25,000


7.
mutual fund investments of Rs. 50,000 and above

Suggested Reading –
Know 21 Important Facts about Permanent Account Number (PAN) Card –

http://realityviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/know-21-important-facts-about-permanent.html

Reality views by sm-
Thursday, June 30, 2011

Tag – Pan Card Important Fact Amendment Jewellery Debit Card Rs.5 Lakh

Chinese Telecom Company Huawei will check all telecom equipments for spyware in India for the India MOU signed between Huawei and IISC Bangalore

Chinese Telecom Company Huawei will check all telecom equipments
for spyware in India for the India MOU signed between
Huawei and IISC Bangalore

Huawei Technologies is a Chinese company based in Shenzhen
Ren Zhengfei, a former soldier who worked for 10 years in China’s Army Engineering Corps, founded Huawei as a reseller of telecommunications equipment in 1988.
Huawei is the largest networking and telecommunications equipment supplier in China


Huawei has 17 research centers around the world, including in Dallas, Moscow and Bangalore, India, and most recently in Santa Clara.
In May, Huawei opened a stunning $340 million research center in Shanghai

Huawei is now the world’s second-largest telecom equipment supplier behind Ericsson of Sweden, and with Chinese government backing, it has sewn up major deals in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
In Europe, Huawei has outmaneuvered Ericsson to supply equipment to big carriers.

In 2008 Huawei tried to buy 3COM, Motorola and 2wire but both attempts failed.
Media has reported that American government will never allow those deals thus both attempts failed.

Even Many American politicians are afraid of Huawei because of security reasons.
In past Huawei has supplied communications equipment to Iran and Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s regime, possibly in violation of United Nations sanctions.

Now this shows that Huawei is very powerful telecom company and to control them is very difficult.

Media has reported that Huawei receives subsidies from Chinese government.

In 1999 Huawei set up its Research and development centre in Bangalore.

In 2005, India had blocked Huawei from supplying equipment to India's national network, BSNL.

in 2010 the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had insisted on canceling the rest of the Huawei contract with BSNL and questioned the dubious links of several top BSNL officers with Chinese firms.

Furthermore security agencies found that part of Huawei's Bangalore R&D office building was off limits to Indians.

Earlier, the Indian government had banned telecom equipment from Chinese manufacturers like Huawei suspecting spy software embedded in the gadgets.

Currently 80% telecom equipment in India is imported.
the Department of Telecommunications has decided to develop a safety certification regime for all imported equipments because of security reasons as malware and spyware may come with them thus enabling the enemy or people or group or countries who think bad about India to disturb Indian telecom sector or tap the phone etc.

Currently No Indian company in India is capable to do this Job if its capable they should declare it that way.
Still you think India is going to become Super Power?

Now Indian Government has decided that selected Chinese company Huawei
to help India find out spy software hidden in imported telecom equipments.

the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the home ministry have sanctioned a project to develop a safety certification regime for all imported telecommunications equipments and an agreement has been signed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and China’s Huawei Technologies.
On June 15 IISC and Huawei signed MOU.
MOU signed between the two is more like a NON-DISCLOSURE-AGREEMENT so that the information that IISc gets from Huawei is not disclosed to others.
"A Chinese firm being allowed to tie up with the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for testing imported telecom gear shows that India has no foreign policy.

China's Huawei Technologies will work with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to test all imported mobile handsets and equipment for built-in malicious software.
The company will become the entry point for all the imported telecom equipments.
The company will provide "documentation, expertise, methods and standards for studying telecom equipment".
The company will assist Indian agencies in scrutinizing their equipment by providing data starting from manuals and extending to source codes.

To test all the telecom hardware manufactured world over the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore will set up a lab at an estimated cost of Rs. 60 Crore (Rs. 600 million) of which Rs. 50 Crore (Rs. 500 million) would be funded by the government.

Let us hope that Indian government has taken full precautions while signing MOU with Chinese company Huawei will not allow backdoor entry to Chinese government.

Why No Indian company is capable to do this job?

Reality views by sm-
Thursday, June 30, 2011

Keyword Tag – China MOU IISC Bangalore Huawei Telecom Equipment Spyware Malware Testing LAB

RIP 25 Paisa Coin – Today was the last day of chavanni Time Line of 25 Paisa

RIP 25 Paisa Coin – Today was the last day of chavanni
Time Line of 25 Paisa

Few days back Reserve Bank of India announced that "Coins of denomination of 25 paise and below will cease to be legal tender from June 30, 2011. These will not be accepted for exchange at bank branches from July 1, 2011 onwards.


Before 25 Paisa government has phased out 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 and 20 paise coins.

Now 50 Paise coin has become the lowest denomination.

50 Paise is a half a Rupee.

The word paisa is actually a borrowing from the Persian language

In September 1955, the Indian Coinage Act was amended for the country to adopt a metric system for coinage. One Rupee got divided into 100 Paisa and the 2.5 grams nickel 25 paise coin was also introduced.

Click on the Mouse Middle Button to open larger image in a new tab window.



1959 –
Nickel 25 paise coin Weight of the coin was 2.5 grams, diameter was 19mm.

1972 –
25 Paise coin was struck in copper nickel.

Click on the Mouse Middle Button to open larger image in a new tab window.



1980 – Rural Women advancement coin

1988 - 25 paise coin was struck in stainless-steel.

Click on the Mouse Middle Button to open larger image in a new tab window.



Reality views by sm –
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Keyword Tag – RIP 25 Paise Time Line of 25 Paise

CAG Report labeled as Top Secret exposing Rs.450 Crore Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles Scam in NTRO

CAG Report labeled as Top Secret exposing Rs.450 Crore
Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles Scam in NTRO

The comptroller and auditor general has exposed or found Rs 450-crore scam involving the purchase of Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles by the Hyderabad-based National Technical Research Organization, a technical arm of the external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing.


The research body was set up in 2004, primarily for the strategic monitoring of satellite, terrestrial and Internet communications.

The Government has not tabled the report, classified as “top secret” by the CAG in Parliament, even though the auditor submitted it to President Pratibha Patil
This is the first time that a CAG report has been classified as ‘top secret’.

The CAG submitted its report to the government in the second week of February, marking it as "top secret" since its release in the public domain can blow off the secrecy of the NTRO's operations.

The government decided to keep the report under wraps and did not table it the Parliament.

Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had sanctioned Rs 300 Crore in 2007 for the purchase of UAVs from Israel Aerospace Industries. NTRO, however, purchased additional satellite link and electronic intelligence equipment worth Rs 150 Crore from the company without keeping the CCS in the loop.

As per norms. NTRO Chairman can sanction up to Rs 20 Crore only and he has to go to CCS via the PMO for payments above the specified limit.

After getting approval from CCS for Rs 300 Crore, the NTRO finalized the deals with the Israeli Aerospace Industries without inviting any tender.

The CAG report says that the organization also purchased Satellite Links from the same vendor without conducting trials.
The extra payment of Rs 150 Crore was given to Israelis by splitting the purchases dubiously in several project heads to match the Chairman’s sanctioned limit of Rs 20 Crore.
The same dubious ways were adopted in the purchase of Electronic Intelligence equipment also.
The then NTRO chief tweaked the rules that empowered him to spend up to Rs 20 Crore without clearance from the CCS by paying the additional Rs 150 crores in several smaller installments to show he was not overstepping his financial powers.

the auditor finds that the Satellite Link was not tested in Indian terrain and the “NTRO accepted Israeli’s claim that the Link was tested successfully in Australia”.
The CAG has noted that the UAVs are lying grounded as the satellite link purchased was not meant for dedicated transmission and the military personnel in the NTRO objected to launching them, as it would allow any person to download sensitive data.

NTRO chairman KVSS Prasada Rao, a scientist who retired last October, and its current adviser M S Vijayaraghavan, have been indicted in the CAG report. Rao had also served in the space department and the Defence Research and Development Organization earlier.

Reality views by sm-
Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Keyword – NTRO SCAM UAV

Know about CAG - Comptroller and Auditor-General's (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971

Know about CAG - Comptroller and Auditor-General's
(Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971

An Act to determine the conditions of service of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and to prescribe his duties and powers and for that matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

CHAPTER 1

PRELIMINARY

1. Short title
This Act may be called the Comptroller and Auditor-General’s (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Act, 1971.


2. Definitions
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,
(a) "Accounts", in relation to commercial undertakings of a Government, includes trading, manufacturing and profit and loss
Accounts and balance-sheets and other subsidiary accounts;

(b) "Appropriation accounts" means accounts which relate the expenditure brought to account during a financial year, to the several items specified in the law made in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution or of the Government of
Union Territories Act, 1963, (20 of 1963) for the appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India or of a State, or of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be;

(c) "Comptroller and Auditor-General" means the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India appointed under article 148 of the Constitution;

(d) "State" means a State specified in the First Schedule to the Constitution;

(e) "Union" includes a Union territory, whether having a Legislative Assembly or not.

CHAPTER II

SALARY AND OTHER CONDITIONS OF SERVICE OF
THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR-GENERAL
Salary

3. There shall be paid to the Comptroller and Auditor-General a salary which is equal to the salary of the Judge of the Supreme Court:

Provided that if a person who, immediately before the date of assuming office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, was in receipt of, or, being eligible so to do, had elected to draw, a pension (other than a disability or wound pension) in respect of any previous service under the Government of the Union or any of its predecessor
Governments, or under the Government of a State or any of its predecessor Governments, his salary in respect of service as Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be reduced:

(a) By the amount of that pension; and

(b) If he had, before assuming office, received, in lieu of a portion of the pension due to him in respect of such previous service, the commuted value thereof, by the amount of that portion of the pension.

Term of Office

4. The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall hold office for a term of six years from the date on which he assumes such office:

Provided that where he attains the age of sixty-five years before the expiry of the said term of six years, he shall vacate such office on the date on which he attains the said age.
Provided further that he may, at any time, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his office.

Explanation: For the purpose of this section, the term of six years in respect of the Comptroller and Auditor-General holding office immediately before the commencement of this Act, shall be computed from the date on which he had assumed office.
Leave

5. (1) A person who, immediately before the date of assuming office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, was in the service of Government may be granted during his tenure of office but not thereafter, leave in accordance with the rules for the time being applicable to the Service to which he belonged before such date and he shall be entitled to carry forward the amount of leave standing at his credit on such date, notwithstanding anything contained in section 6.

(2) Any other person who is appointed as the Comptroller and Auditor-General may be granted leave in accordance with such rules as are for the time being applicable to a member of the Indian Administrative Service.

(3) The power to grant or refuse leave to the Comptroller and Auditor-General and to revoke or curtail leave granted to
him, shall vest in the President.

Pension

6. (1) A person who, immediately before the date of assuming office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, was in the
service of Government shall be deemed to have retired from service on the date on which he enters upon office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General but his service as Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be reckoned as continuing approved service counting for pension in the Service to which he belonged.

(2) Every person who enters upon office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall, on demitting the said office, be eligible to a pension of a sum of fifteen thousand rupees per annum which sum shall include: the aggregate of all pensions payable to him and the commuted portion, if any, of his pension, and the pension equivalent of the retirement gratuity, if any, which may have been admissible to him under the rules for the time being applicable to the Service to which he belonged:

Provided that if such a person is or becomes eligible, at any time, under the rules for the time being governing the Service to which he belonged, to a pension higher than the said sum of fifteen thousand rupees, he shall be eligible to draw, as pension, the said higher amount.

(3) A person who, immediately before the date of assuming office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, was in receipt of, or, had become eligible for receiving, a pension in respect of any previous service under Government, shall, on demitting office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, be eligible to a pension of fifteen thousand rupees per annum which sum shall include the aggregate of all pensions payable to him and the commuted portion, if any, of his pension, and the pension equivalent of the retirement gratuity, if any, which may have been admissible to him under the rules for the time being applicable to the Service to which he belonged:

Provided that if such a person is or becomes eligible, at any time, under the rules for the time being governing the service to which he belonged, to a pension higher than the said sum of fifteen thousand rupees, on he shall be eligible to draw, as pension, the said higher amount.

(4) Any other person who is appointed as the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall, on demitting the said office, be eligible to a pension of fifteen thousand rupees per annum.

(5) The person holding office immediately before the commencement of this Act as the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be eligible to draw, at his option, pension at the rate at which it would be admissible to him if this Act had not come into force or at the rate specified in this section.

(6) A person who demits office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General by resignation shall, on such demission, be eligible to a pension at the rate of two thousand rupees per annum for each completed year of his service as the Comptroller and Auditor General:
Provided that in the case of a person referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (3), the aggregate amount of pension admissible under this sub-section together with the amount of pension including the commuted portion, if any, of his pension, and the pension equivalent of the retirement gratuity if any which may have been admissible to him under the rules for the time being applicable to the Service to which he belonged
immediately before he assumed office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, shall not exceed fifteen thousand rupees per annum or the higher pension referred to in proviso to sub-section (2) or sub-section (3), as the case may be.

(6A) Notwithstanding, anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this section a person referred to in sub-section (1) who demits office (whether in any manner specified in sub-section (8) or by resignation) as the Comptroller and Auditor-General after the commencement of the Comptroller and Auditor-General's (Duties, Powers and conditions of Service)

Amendment Act, 1984, shall, on such demission, be entitled to: -
(a) the pension to which he would have been entitled under the rules of the Service to which he belonged by reckoning his service as the Comptroller and Auditor-General as continuing approved service counting for pension in such Service; and

(b) a special pension of seven hundred rupees per annum in respect of each completed year of service as the Comptroller and Auditor-General;

(6B) Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this section, a person referred to in sub-section (3)who demits office (whether in any manner specified in sub-section (8) or by resignation) as the Comptroller and Auditor-General after the commencement of the Comptroller and Auditor-General's (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 1984, shall, on such demission be entitled to:

(a) the pension payable to him in respect of any previous service under Government; and

(b) a special pension of seven hundred rupees per annum in respect of each completed year of service as the Comptroller and Auditor-General.

(6C) Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this section, a person who demits office (whether in any manner specified in sub-section 8 (or by resignation) as the Comptroller and Auditor-General after the commencement
of the Comptroller and Auditor-General's (Duties, Powers and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 1987 shall, on such-demission, be entitled to-

(a) a pension which is equal to the pension payable to a Judge of the Supreme Court,-

(i) if such person is a person referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (3), in accordance with the provisions of part III of the Schedule to the Supreme Court Judges (Conditions of Services) Act, 1958 (41 of 1958) (hereafter in this Act referred to as the Supreme Court Judges Act), as amended from t time to time.

(ii) If such person is a person referred to in subsection (4), in accordance with the provisions of Part I of the Schedule to the Supreme Court Judges Act, as amended from time to time.

(b) Such pension (including commutation of pension), family pension and gratuity as are admissible to a Judge of Supreme Court under the Supreme Court Judges Act and the rules made thereunder, as amended from time to time.

(6D) Notwithstanding anything contained in the foregoing provisions of this section, a person who demitted office (whether in any manner specified in sub section (8) or by resignation) as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, at any time before the 16th day of December, 1987, shall be entitled to the pension specified in sub section (6C) on and from that date.

(7) If a person who demits office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General is not eligible to any pension under this section but is eligible to a pension under the rules for the time being applicable to the Service to which he belonged immediately before he assumed office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General he shall, notwithstanding anything contained in this section, be eligible to draw such pension as is admissible to him under the said rules.

(8) Except where he demits office by resignation, a person holding office of the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be deemed, for the purposes of this Act, to have demitted such office as such if, and only if-

(a) he has completed the term of office specified in section 4, or

(b) he has attained the age of sixty-five years, or

(c) his demission of office is medically certified to be necessitated by ill-health.

7. Omitted.

Right to Subscribe to General Provident Fund

8. Every person holding office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be entitled to subscribe to the General Provident Fund (Central Services).

Other Conditions of Service

9. Save as otherwise provided in this Act, the conditions of service relating to travelling allowance, provision of rent free residence and exemption from payment of income-tax on the value of such rent-free residence, conveyance facilities, sumptuary allowance, medical facilities and such other conditions of service as are for the time being applicable to a Judge of the Supreme Court under Chapter IV of the Supreme Court Judges Act, and the rules are made thereunder, shall, so far as may be, apply to a serving or retired Comptroller and Auditor-General as the case may be.
Provided that nothing in this section shall have effect so as to give a person, who immediately before the date of assuming office as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, was in the service of Govt. less favorable terms in respect of any of the matters aforesaid than those to which he would be entitled as a member of the Service
to which he belonged, his service as Comptroller and Auditor-General being treated for the purpose of this proviso as continuing service in the Service to which he belonged.

CHAPTER III

DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR-GENERAL
Comptroller and Auditor-General to compile accounts of Union and States

10. (1) The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be responsible-

(a) for compiling the accounts of the Union and of each State from the initial and subsidiary account rendered to the audit and accounts offices under his control by treasuries, offices or departments responsible for the keeping of such accounts;
And

(b) for keeping such accounts in relation to any of the matters specified in clause (a) as may be necessary:

Provided that the President may, after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General, by order relieve him from the responsibility for compiling-

(i) the said accounts of the Union (either at once or gradually by the issue of several orders); or

(ii) the accounts of any particular services or departments of the Union:
Provided further that the Governor of a State may with the previous approval of the President and after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General, by order, relieve him from the responsibility for compiling-

(i) the said accounts of the State (either at once or gradually by the issue of several orders); or

(ii) the accounts of any particular services or departments of the State:
Provided also that the President may, after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General, by order, relieve him from the responsibility for keeping the accounts of any particular class or character.

(2) Where, under any arrangement, a person other than the Comptroller and Auditor-General has, before the commencement of this Act, been responsible-

(i) for compiling the accounts of any particular service or department of the Union or of a State, or

(ii) for keeping the accounts of any particular class or character,

such arrangement shall, notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), continue to be in force unless, after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General, it is revoked in the case referred to in clause (i),by an order of the President or the Governor of the State, as the case may be, and in the case referred to in clause (ii) by an order of the President.
Comptroller and Auditor-General to prepare and submit accounts to the President, Governors of States and Administrators of Union Territories having Legislative Assemblies

11. The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall from the accounts compiled by him or by the Government or any other person responsible in that behalf prepare in each year accounts (including, in the case of accounts compiled by him, appropriation accounts) showing under the respective heads the annual receipts and disbursements for the purpose of the Union, of each State and of each Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, and shall submit those accounts to the President or the Governor of a State or Administrator of the Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be on or before such dates as he may, with the concurrence of the Government concerned, determine:

Provided that the President may, after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General, by order, relieve him from the responsibility for the preparation and submission of the accounts relating to annual receipts and disbursements for the purpose of the Union or of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly;

Provided further that the Governor of a State may, with the previous approval of the President and after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General, by order, relieve him from the responsibility for the preparation and submission of the accounts relating to annual receipts and disbursements for the purpose of the State. Comptroller and Auditor-General to give information and render assistance to the Union and States

12. The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall, in so far as the accounts, for the compilation or keeping of which he is responsible, enable him so to do, give to the Union government, to the State Governments or to the Governments of Union Territories having Legislative Assemblies, as the case may be, such information as they may, from t time to time, require, and render such assistance in the preparation of their annual financial statements as they may reasonably ask for.

General Provisions Relating to Audit

13. It shall be the duty of the Comptroller and Auditor-General-
(a) to audit all expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India and of each State and of each Union territory having a Legislative Assembly and to ascertain whether the moneys shown in the accounts as having been disbursed were legally available for and applicable to the service or purpose to which they have been applied or charged and whether the expenditure conforms to the authority which governs it;

(b) to audit all transactions of the Union and of the States relating to Contingency Funds and Public Accounts;

(c) to audit all trading, manufacturing, profit and loss accounts and balance-sheets and other subsidiary accounts kept in any department of the Union or of a State; and in each case to report on the expenditure, transactions or accounts so audited by him.

Audit of receipts and expenditure of bodies or authorities substantially financed from Union or State Revenues

14.(1) Where any body or authority is substantially financed by grants or loans from the Consolidated Fund of India or of any State or of any Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall, subject to the provisions of any law for the time being in, force applicable to the body or authority, as the case may be, audit all receipts and expenditure of that body or authority and to report on the receipts and expenditure audited by him.

Explanation: Where the grant or loan to a body or authority from the Consolidated Fund of India or of any State or of any Union territory having a Legislative Assembly in a financial year is not less than rupees twenty-five lakhs and the amount of such grant or loan is not less than seventy-five percent of the total expenditure of that body or authority, such body or authority shall be, deemed, for the purposes of this sub-section, to be substantially financed by such grants or loans as the case may be.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1) the Comptroller and Auditor-General may with the previous approval of the President or the Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, audit all receipts and expenditure of any body or authority where the grants or loans to such body or authority from the Consolidated Fund of India or of any State or of any Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be in a financial year is not less than rupees one Crore.

(3) Where the receipts and expenditure of any body or authority are by virtue of the fulfillment of the, conditions specified in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) audited by the Comptroller and Auditor-General in a financial year

Functions of Comptroller and Auditor-General in the Case of Grants or Loans given to other Authorities or Bodies

15. (1) Where any grant or loan is given for any specific purpose from the Consolidated Fund of India or of any State or of any Union territory having a Legislative Assembly to any authority or body, not being a foreign State or international organization, the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall scrutinize the procedures by which the sanctioning authority satisfies itself as to the fulfillment of the conditions subject to which such grants or loans were given and shall for this purpose have right of access, after giving reasonable previous notice, to the books and accounts of that authority or body:

Provided that the President, the Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, may, where he is of opinion that it is necessary so to do in the public interest , by order, relieve the Comptroller and Auditor-General, after consultation with him, from making any such scrutiny in respect of any body or authority receiving such grant or loan.

(2) Except where he is authorized so to do by the President, the Governor of a State or the Administrator of Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall not have, while exercising the powers conferred on him by sub-section (1), right of access to the books and accounts of any corporation to which any such grant or loan as is referred to in subsection (1) is given if the law by or under which such corporation has been established provides for the audit of the accounts of such corporation by an agency other than the Comptroller and Auditor-General:
Provided that no such authorization shall be made except after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor- General and except after giving the concerned corporation a reasonable opportunity of making representations with regard to the proposal to give to the Comptroller and Auditor-General right of access to its books and accounts.

Audit of Receipts of Union or of States

16. It shall be the duty of the Comptroller and Auditor-General to audit all receipts which are payable into the Consolidated Fund of India and of each State and of each Union territory having a Legislative Assembly and to satisfy himself that the rules and procedures in that behalf are designed to secure an effective check on the assessment, collection and proper allocation of revenue and are being duly observed and to make for this purpose such examination of the accounts as he thinks fit and report thereon.
Audit of accounts of stores and stock

17. The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall have authority to audit and report on the accounts of stores and stock kept in any office or department of the Union or of a State.

Powers of Comptroller and Auditor-General in connection with audit of accounts

18. (1) The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall in connection with the performance of his duties under this Act, have authority-

(a) to inspect any office of accounts under the control of the union or of a State, including treasuries, and such offices responsible for the keeping of initial or subsidiary accounts, as submit accounts to him;

(b) to require that any accounts, books, papers and other documents which deal with or form the basis of or an otherwise relevant to the transactions to which his duties in respect of audit extend, shall be sent to such place as he may appoint for his inspection;

(c) to put such quest ions or make such observations as he may consider necessary, to the person in charge of the office and to call for such information as he may require for the preparation of any account or report which it is his duty to prepare.

(2) The person in charge of any office or department, the accounts of which have to be inspected and audited by the Comptroller and Auditor-General, shall afford all facilities for such inspection and comply with requests for information in as complete a form as possible and with all reasonable expedition.

Audit of Government companies and corporations

19. (1) The duties and powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General in relation to the audit of the accounts of Government companies shall be performed and exercised by him in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956).

(2) The duties and powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General in relation to the audit of the accounts of corporations (not being companies) established by or under law made by Parliament shall be performed and exercised by him in accordance with the provisions of the respective legislations.

(3) The Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly may, where he is of opinion that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, request the Comptroller and Auditor-General to audit the accounts of a corporation established by law made by the Legislature of the State or of the Union territory, as the case may be, and where such request has been made, the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall audit the accounts of such corporation and shall have, for the purposes of such audit, right of access to the books and accounts of such corporation:

Provided that no such request shall be made except after consultation with the Comptroller, and Auditor-General and except after giving reasonable opportunity to the corporation to make representations with regard to the proposal for such audit.

Laying of reports in relation to accounts of Government companies and corporation

19A. (1) The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General, in relation to audit of accounts of a Government company or a corporation referred to in section 19, shall be submitted to the Government or Governments concerned.

(2) The Central Government shall cause every report received by it under sub-section (1) to be laid, as soon as may be after it is received, before each House of Parliament

(3) The State Government shall cause every report received by it under sub-section (1) to be laid, as soon as may be after it is received, before the Legislature of the State.

Explanation : For the purposes of this section "Government or "State Government" in relation to a Union Territory having a Legislative Assembly, means the Administrator of the Union territory.

Audit of accounts of certain authorities or bodies

20. (1) Save as otherwise provided in section 19, where the audit of the accounts of any body or authority has not been entrusted to the Comptroller and Auditor-General by or under any law made by Parliament, he shall, if requested so to do by the President, or the Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, undertake the audit of the accounts of such body or authority on such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon between him and the concerned Government and shall have, for the purposes of such audit, right of access to
the books and accounts of that body or authority:

Provided that no such request shall be made except after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General.

(2) The Comptroller and Auditor-General may propose to the President or the Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, that he may authorized to undertake the audit of accounts of any body or authority, the audit of the account of which has not been entrusted to him by law, if he is of opinion that such audit is necessary because a substantial amount has been invested in, or advanced to, such body or authority by the Central or State Government or by the Government of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, and on such request being made, the President or the Governor or, the Administrator, as the case may be, may empower the Comptroller and Auditor-General to undertake the audit of the accounts of such body or authority.

(3) The audit referred to in sub-section (1) or sub-section (2) shall not be entrusted to the Comptroller and Auditor-General except where the President or the Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be, is satisfied that it is expedient so to do in the public-interest and except after giving a
reasonable opportunity to the concerned body or authority to make representations with regard to the proposal for such audit

CHAPTER IV

MISCELLANEOUS

Delegation of Power of Comptroller and Auditor-General

21. Any power exercisable by the Comptroller and Auditor-General under the provisions of this Act, or any other law may be exercised by such officer of his department as may be authorized by him in this behalf by general or special order.

Provided that except during the absence of the Comptroller and Auditor-General on leave or otherwise, no officer shall be authorized to submit on behalf of the Comptroller and Auditor-General any report which the Comptroller and Auditor-General is required by the Constitution or the Government of Union Territories Act,1963 (20 of 1963) to submit to the President or the Governor of a State or the Administrator of a Union territory having a Legislative Assembly, as the case may be.

Power to Make Rules

22. (1) The Central Government may, after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the provisions of this Act in so far as they relate to the maintenance of accounts.

(2) In particular, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-

(a) the manner in which initial and subsidiary accounts shall be kept by the treasuries, offices and departments rendering accounts to audit and accounts offices;

(b) the manner in which the accounts of the Union or of a State or of any particular service or department or of any particular class or character, in respect of which the Comptroller and Auditor-General has been relieved from the responsibility of compiling or keeping the accounts, shall be compiled or kept;

(c) the manner in which the accounts of stores and stock shall be kept in any office or department of the Union or of a State, as the case may be;

(d) any other matter which is required to be. or may be, prescribed by rules

(3) Every rule made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each House of Parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty day's which may be comprised in one Session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both Houses agree that the rules should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such
modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

Power to make regulations

23. The Comptroller and Auditor-General is hereby authorized to make regulations for carrying into effect the provisions of this Act in so far as they related to the scope and extent of audit, including laying down for the guidance of the Government Departments the general principles of Government accounting and the broad principles in regard to audit of receipts and expenditure.
Power to dispense with detailed audit

24. The Comptroller and Auditor-General is hereby authorized to dispense with, when circumstances so warrant, any part of detailed audit of any accounts or class of transactions and to apply such limited check in relation to such accounts or
transactions as he may determine.

Repeal
25. The Comptroller and Auditor-General (Conditions of Service) Act 1953,(21 of 1953) is hereby repealed.

Removal of doubts

26. For removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that on the commencement of this Act the Government of India (Audit and Accounts) Order, 1936, as adapted by the India (Provisional Constitution) Order, 1947, shall cease to be in force except as respects anything done or any action taken thereunder.

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tag – CAG Power Function Duties

Know Constitutional Provisions relating Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Know Constitutional Provisions relating Comptroller and Auditor
General of India

Know Constitutional Provisions relating Comptroller and Auditor General of India

COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR-GENERAL OF INDIA

148. Comptroller and Auditor-General of India –

(1)
There shall be a Comptroller and Auditor-General of India who shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal and shall only be removed from office in like manner and on like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.


(2)
Every person appointed to be the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India shall, before he enters upon his office, make and subscribe before the President or some person appointed in that behalf by him, an oath or affirmation according to the form set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.

(3)
The salary and other conditions of service of the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be such as may be determined by Parliament by law and, until they are so determined, shall be as specified in the Second Schedule:

Provided that neither the salary of a Comptroller and Auditor-General nor his rights in respect of leave of absence, pension or age of retirement shall be varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.

(4)
The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall not be eligible for further office either under the Government of India or under the Government of any State after he has ceased to hold his office.

(5)
Subject to the provisions of this Constitution and of any law made by parliament, the conditions of service of persons serving in the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and the administrative powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall be such as may be prescribed by rules made by the President after consultation with the Comptroller and Auditor-General.

(6)
The administrative expenses of the office of the Comptroller and Auditor-General including all salaries, allowances and pensions payable to or in respect of persons serving in that office, shall be charged upon the Consolidated Fund of India.

149.
Duties and Powers of the Comptroller and Auditor-General - The Comptroller and Auditor-General shall perform such duties and exercise such powers in relation to the accounts of the Union and of the States and of any other authority or body as may be prescribed by or under any law made by Parliament and, until provision in that behalf is so made, shall perform such duties and exercise such powers in relation to the accounts of the Union and of the States as were conferred on or exercisable by the Auditor-General of India immediately before the commencement of this Constitution in relation to the accounts of the Dominion of India and of the provinces respectively.

150.
Form of accounts of the Union and of the States - The accounts of the Union and of the States shall be kept in such form as the President may, on the advice of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, prescribe.

151.
Audit Reports –

(1)
The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India relating to the accounts of the Union shall be submitted to the president, who shall cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament.

(2)
The reports of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India relating to the accounts of a State shall be submitted to the Governor of the State, who shall cause them to be laid before the Legislature of the State.

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Tag - cag, India

TV Set Top Boxes Consume maximum electricity use 27 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity Know NRDC and Ecos study finding

TV Set Top Boxes Consume maximum electricity use 27 billion
kilowatt-hours of electricity Know NRDC and Ecos study finding

More than 80 percent of U.S. homes got the set top boxes in one or another form, approximately 160 million set-top boxes, nearly all of which are owned and installed by the cable, satellite, phone, or other service provider.


NRDC and Ecos partnered to better understand how much energy these devices use and what energy savings opportunities exist.

Pay-TV service providers control set-top box installation, configuration, software updates, repair, refurbishment, retirement, and resale.

The consumer, who pays the electric bill, has little choice about what box the service provider installs and how much energy it uses.

The average new cable high-definition digital video recorder (HD-DVR) consumes
more than half the energy of an average new refrigerator and more than an average new flat-panel television.

Even more troubling, when not displaying or recording video content, U.S. boxes draw nearly as much power as they do when in use.

Because set-top boxes are not in use most of the time, two-thirds of total energy consumption—or the equivalent annual energy output of six power plants (500 MW)— occurs when the boxes are not in use.

Innovation to reduce power consumption when not in active use—such as
has occurred with mobile phones, which also work on a subscriber basis and require secure connections—is sorely needed in set-top boxes

NRDC’s investigation and modeling of the energy consumption of pay-TV set-top boxes under business-as-usual and more energy-efficient scenarios revealed a startling fact:
unless the industry deploys more energy efficient designs, the electric bill to power these devices will increase by a staggering $3.5 billion per year by 2020.

Fortunately, development and deployment of energy-saving technologies and practices has the potential by 2020 to save as much energy as is generated by seven large (500 MW) power plants.

Findings of NRDC and Ecos Study -

1.
NRDC found that In 2010, set-top boxes in the United States consumed approximately 27 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is equivalent to the annual output of nine average (500 MW) coal-fired power plants.

2.
The electricity required to operate all U.S. boxes is equal to the annual household electricity consumption of the entire state of Maryland, results in 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and costs households more than $3 billion each year.

3.
There are approximately 160 million set-top boxes installed in U.S. homes. Almost all of these boxes are owned and installed by the service provider (e.g. Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications, DISH Network, DirecTV, Verizon and AT&T, etc).

4.
Today’s set-top boxes operate at near full power even when the consumer is neither watching nor recording a show. As a nation, we spend $2 billion each year to power these boxes when they are not being actively used

5.
Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) are growing in popularity and frequently replace set-top boxes without recording capability. DVRs typically use around 40 percent more energy per year than their non-DVR counterparts

6.
Better designed pay-TV set-top boxes could reduce the energy use of the installed base of boxes by 30 percent to 50 percent by 2020. The big opportunities include: a) shifting to whole-home solutions that include a main box connected to the primary TV with either TVs specially-designed to access the video content stored on the main box or low-power thin client boxes that serve the same function, and b) having the boxes automatically power down to much lower power levels when not in use (e.g. in the middle of the night, or while users are at work).

7.
U.S. set-top boxes continue to use almost as much power when not in use as they do when in use. However, leading European service providers have begun to solve this problem in their newest boxes.

8.
Pay-TV set-top box national energy consumption has held steady as efficiency gains at the component level have been offset by the increased energy onsumption of advanced features.

9.
Satellite HD-DVRs in this study drew slightly more power than their cable counterparts, but this may change over time. Internet Protocol TV (IPTV), which is rapidly gaining market share compared to cable and satellite, enables the use of lower-power boxes. The most efficient U.S. HD-DVRs tested were AT&T’s IPTV boxes, drawing approximately 18 watts when operating (On mode) and 12 watts in light sleep state. European IPTV HD-DVRs demonstrated impressively low On mode power levels of less than 10 watts.

10.
Sky Broadcasting in Europe offers one of the best examples of an energy efficient set-top box. Their highly featured HD-DVR draws 23 watts in On mode and 13 watts when the user puts the box into light sleep state by pressing the power button on the remote. In light sleep, the box does not output or record video, but remains connected to the network and able to resume full functionality almost instantly. In addition, Sky set-top boxes default to a less than 1 watt deep sleep state each evening at 11:00 pm. In this state, Sky’s boxes wake for a brief period every half hour to check for new program recording requests entered by subscribers using smart phones. If there is no scheduled activity, the box will automatically return to deep sleep state. Sky’s customers experience a 90-second wake time when they press the power button to wake from deep sleep state, and they may disable this deep sleep feature if they choose.

Recommendations For Reducing electricity consumption –

1.
Meeting Energy Star Requirements Manufacturers are strongly encouraged to design products that meet or surpass ENERGY STAR Version 4.0 requirements as soon as possible.

2.
Employing Automatic Low-Power States Future products should automatically enter a low power state when the user is neither watching nor recording or downloading a show, and should wake up in a sufficiently short period of time to prevent customer dissatisfaction.

3.
Replacing Outdated and Inefficient Set-Top Boxes Service providers should accelerate deployment of new energy-efficient set-top boxes and make any needed changes in their “upstream” equipment to ensure the energy saving features are successfully utilized. Service providers are encouraged to shift to multi-room solutions that require only one main box and employ much lower power boxes (thin clients) to view content on other televisions in the home

4.
Providing Incentives at the Utility Level Electric utilities should consider providing financial incentives to encourage the development and deployment of energy efficient set-top boxes.

5.
Consider Regulatory Policies to Increase Set-Top Box Energy Efficiency Policy makers should consider establishing minimum energy efficiency standards for set-top boxes at the state or national level, or via an industry-led voluntary agreement similar to those established in Europe

6.
Bringing Efficiency to Local Markets As a means to drive demand for more efficient set-top boxes, local cable regulators should consider adding efficiency requirements to their franchise agreements. A simple means to do this is to require deployment of boxes that meet ENERGY STAR Version 4.0 or better.

The research performed to prepare this report was funded by a grant to NRDC from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Research and analysis was conducted by Gregg Hardy and Jeffrey Swofford of Ecos (ecosconsulting.com).

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Monday, June 27, 2011

Tag – Electricity consumption Set top box ndrc study

Source - http://www.nrdc.org

Complete List of 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Winners

Complete List of 2011 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Winners
For the first time, the Los Angeles Film Festival awarded an unrestricted $5,000 cash prize to each short film category.

The 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival gave two juried awards: the Narrative Award and Documentary Award Each carries an unrestricted $15,000 cash prize funded by Film Independent for the winning film’s director to pursue their artistic ambitions.


Below is the complete list of the jury and audience award winners for the 2011 festival, which ran from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 26 in downtown Los Angeles:

Narrative Award – Familiar Ground

Familiar Ground – Best Narrative Feature
Directed By: Stéphane Lafleur
Executive Producer: Francois Reid
Producers: Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
Screenwriter: Stéphane Lafleur
Cinematographer: Sara Mishara
Editor: Sophie Leblond

Featuring: Francis La Haye, Fanny Mallette, Sylvain Marcel, Michel Daigle, Suzanne Lemoine
The gifted Quebecois filmmaker Stephane Lafleur has a rare affinity for unhappy, isolated ordinary people and a rare ability to make their miseries both funny and oddly magical. He’s in total control of his craft in Familiar Ground—every shot has a purpose—as he tells the story of an unhappy wife, Maryse, trapped in a bad marriage, and her slacker brother Benoit, who still lives at home with his cranky, widowed father.

Their bleak lives—not helped by the constant snow that falls around them—get an unexpected jolt when a man who proclaims himself from the future (“Not too distant,” he quips, “just September”) warns Maryse of an accident that may befall them. This droll, deadpan comedy quietly builds to its surprising conclusion.

In bestowing Stéphane Lafleur with the Narrative Award, the Jury stated:
“An entire tree sticking out of a fireplace…a beaten-up snowman…an operatically dancing inflatable blue dude…the anything but familiar images of Familiar Ground won’t soon be forgotten.
In a strong narrative competition this year, this was the singular vision that stood out the most.”

Documentary Award – Wish Me Away

Wish Me Away - Best Documentary Feature
Directed By: Beverly Kopf and Bobbie Birleffi
Executive Producers: Rhonda Eiffe, Richard Bever, Fletcher Foster
Producers: Bobbie Birleffi, Beverly Kopf
Cinematographer: Paul Mailman
Editor: Lisa Palattella
Music: Chely Wright

Country singer Chely Wright knew she was a lesbian at a young age, but she instinctively knew that her orientation was in direct conflict with her aspirations to one day perform at the Grand Ole Opry. She prayed for help from God, stayed in the closet and went on to sell more than 1,000,000 albums.

Wish Me Away chronicles the days leading up to Wright’s coming out announcement on national television in 2010, and it provides both an intimate look at the fear and torment behind her high-risk decision and a revealing glimpse into the multi-media P.R. campaign that attended her brave act of self-exposure.

In bestowing Beverly Kopf and Bobbie Birleffi with the Documentary Award, the Jury stated:
“For its honesty, humor and potential to changes minds and even save lives, the jury awards the Documentary Award to Wish Me Away.”

Best Peformance in the Narrative Competition – The Cast of How to Cheat

How to Cheat – Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street and Gabriel Diamond
Directed By: Amber Sealey
Producer: Ben Thoma
Screenwriter: Amber Sealey
Cinematographer: Gabriel Diamond
Editor: Michelle M. Witten
Cast: Amber Sealey, Kent Osborne, Amanda Street, Gabriel Diamond

In this funny and honest depiction of the messiness of modern marriage, writer-director Amber Sealey also stars as Beth, a woman of child-bearing age and inclination who, with her husband Mark, has been struggling to conceive. Sealey’s guileless performance as a woman betrayed by her own body is matched by Kent Osborne’s as the awkward Mark, who, confused and frustrated, turns to online dating, where he shops for the perfect affair to shake up his life. Given his counterproductive tendency to reveal his motives up front, his encounters tend to be short and ugly, until he meets the avid Louise, whose complex attitude sets them all down an unexpected path.

In bestowing the actors with the Best Performance, the Jury stated:
“At a time where actors are often asked to take a larger role in the creation of what is said in a film and how it’s done, the performers of How to Cheat deserve special distinction. Kent Osborne, Amber Sealey, Amanda Street, and Gabriel Diamond dug deeper and messier, heroically past the point of comfort.”

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature – Attack the Block

Audience Award – Attack the Block
Directed By: Joe Cornish
Executive Producers: Jenny Borgars, Will Clarke, Matthew Justice, Tessa Ross, Edgar Wright
Producers: Nira Park, James Wilson
Writer: Joe Cornish
Cinematographer: Thomas Townend
Editor: Jonathan Amos
Cast: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter, Nick Frost

From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block is a fast, funny, frightening adventure that pits a teen gang against a savage alien invasion and turns a London apartment complex into a fortress under siege.

When a strange alien creature falls from the sky and attacks the gang of underage hoodlums in the middle of a mugging, the gang grabs weapons, mounts bikes and sets out to defend their turf. Fighting off the next wave of invaders, who are bigger and meaner than before, this bunch of no-hope kids is about to become London’s only hope and the most unlikely batch of heroes you have seen.

This award is given to the narrative feature audiences liked most as voted by a tabulated rating system. Select narrative feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Narrative Competition, Gala Screenings, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Summer Showcase, Community Screenings, Ford Amphitheatre Screenings, and The Beyond.

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature – Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Audience Award – Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
Directed By: Michael Rapaport
Producers: Edward Parks, Michael Rapaport, Frank Mele, Eric Matthies, Robert Benavides, Debra Koffler, ATCQ
As Beats, Rhymes & Life begins, the rappers who anchored pioneering group A Tribe Called Quest are already going their separate ways. As youths in the mid-’80s, the Queens-born foursome of Tribe—Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White—found success with their exhuberant exploration and combination of hip hop, pop and jazz. But in recent years, Q-Tip, the band’s visionary and reluctant pop star, has tired of the street-bred capriciousness of his lyrical partner Phife, who is equally frustrated with Q-Tip. How these two friends and musical partners got to this state forms the guts of actor-turned-filmmaker Michael Rapaport’s candid and combustible documentary.

This award is given to the documentary feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Select documentary feature-length films screening in the following sections were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Documentary Competition, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Documenting Mexico, Summer Showcase, Community Screenings, and Ford Amphitheatre Screenings.

Audience Award for Best International Feature – Senna

Audience Award – Senna
Directed By: Asif Kapadia
Producers: James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
Screenwriter: Manish Pandey
Editors: Gregers Sall, Chris King

The most exciting driver to ever race Formula One, the handsome, charismatic Ayrton Senna became a Brazilian national hero and an icon to racing fans worldwide. But you don’t need to know the first thing about racing to be thrilled and moved by Asif Kapadia’s high-octane documentary, composed entirely from archival footage. This edge-of you-seat documentary, which literally puts the audience in the driver’s seat, explores the backroom politics, bitter rivalries and the glamour of a sport that leaves no room for error.
This award is given to the international feature audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Select international feature-length films, both narrative and documentary, in the Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, International Showcase, International Spotlight, Documenting Mexico, Summer Showcase, Ford Amphitheatre Screenings, and The Beyond were eligible for the Audience Award for Best International Feature.

Best Narrative Short Film – The Wind Is Blowing on My Street

The Wind Is Blowing on My Street - Best Narrative Short
Directed By: Saba Riazi
Producer: Mohammad Hoseseni
Screenwriter: Saba Riazi
Cinematographer: Touraj Asiani
Editor: Saba Riazi
Cast: Rahman Houshyar, Sajjad Salehivand, Forough Bonakdar, Ashraf Abolfazlian

A young girl in Tehran is accidentally locked out of her home with no scarf on her head.
In bestowing Saba Riazi with Best Narrative Short Film, the Jury stated:

“For offering insight into the specifics of life under theocratic rule in Iran in a way that speaks to us all, with a remarkable lead performance by an actress forced by circumstances to remain anonymous, the jury presents the Narrative Short Film Award to Saba Riazi for The Wind is Blowing on My Street.”

Best Documentary Short Film – I Am A Girl!

I Am a Girl!- Best Documentary Short Film
Directed By: Susan Koenen
Producer: Albert Klein Haneveld
Screenwriter: Susan Koenen
Cinematographer: Reinout Steenhuizen
Editors: Denise Janzée and Susan Koenen
Joppe dreams of love, marriage and children. Being born a boy only complicates things slightly.
In bestowing Susan Koenen with Best Documentary Short Film, the Jury stated:
“For using gorgeous cinematography and energetic editing to capture a young woman’s journey from biological maleness to forthright femininity, and for giving us a glimpse at an open-minded new generation with a better understanding of gender and sexuality issues than their parents ever dreamed, the jury presents the Documentary Short Film Award to Susan Koenen for I Am a Girl!”

Audience Award for Best Short Film – Blind Date

Audience Award – Blind Date
Directed By: Joe Rosen
Producers: Joe Rosen, Abigail Blackmore
Screenwriter: Abigail Blackmore
Cinematographer: Jon Wood
Editors: Joe Rosen, Abigail Blackmore
Cast: Abigail Blackmore, Cavan Clerkin, Zeben Jameson, Matthew Blackmore

Waiting for her date, Rachel has an unexpected encounter.
Awarded to the short film audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system. Short films screening in the Shorts Programs or before Narrative Competition, Documentary Competition, or International Showcase feature-length screenings were eligible for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

Best Animated Short Film – The Eagleman Stag

The Eagleman Stag – Best Animated Short Film
Directed By: Mikey Please
Producer: Royal College of Art
Screenwriter: Mikey Please
Cinematographer: Mikey Please
Editor: Mikey Please
Cast: David Cann, Tony Guilfoyle
This unique stop-motion animated film depicts a man’s haunting obsession with the passage of time and his unorthodox relationship with a beetle.
In bestowing Mike Please with Best Animated Short Film, the Jury stated:
“For mixing innovative three-dimensional paper-cut animation, a stunning white-on-white visual style, and a wryly original sense of storytelling, the jury presents the Animated Short Film Award to Mikey Please for The Eagleman Stag.”

Audience Award for Best Music Video – Can’t Shake This Feeling

Audience Award - Can’t Shake This Feeling by The General Assembly’s Adam Littke, Ryan McNeill, Adam Willis
Directed By: The General Assembly
Producer: Frenchie Alburtis
Cinematographers: Scott Kassenoff
Editor: Joseph Remerowski
Cast: Terry G. Reed, Juliana Milton, Zach Steel, Matt Hinrichs, Steve Taschler, Fotini Patris, Adam Carpenter
Music: Grum
This award is given to the music video audiences liked most as voted on by a tabulated rating system.

Sponsors of the 2011 LAAPPFF include:

PREMIERE – Directors Guild of America; CGV Theaters; PLATINUM – Coca-Cola; NBC Universal / Comcast; Wells Fargo; GOLD – Toyota; Solair; SILVER – Verizon Wireless; Sony Pictures Entertainment; BRONZE – CBS Diversity; SAG; SAG Indie; STAR – Motion Pictures Editors Guild; Writers Guild of America, west; Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; Boeing; California Bank & Trust; Taipei Economic & Cultural Office; Ketel One; Shiftboard; AWARDS – Entertainment Partners; RECEPTION – Solair; Kyochon Chicken; Jinro; LA18 KSCI-TV; Stella Artois; Ketel One; Madang the Courtyard; Candy Chef

MEDIA SPONSORS –
AngryAsianMan.com; LA 18 KSCI-TV; MNet; Glocal; LAWeekly; GOVERNMENT SUPPORT – National Endowment for the Arts; Los Angeles County Arts Commission; Department of Cultural Affairs/City of Los Angeles

FOUNDATION SUPPORT -
California Community Foundation; James Irvine Foundation; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; C3 SPONSORS – California Arts Council; SAG Producers-Industry Advancement & Cooperative Fund

About the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival:

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival presented by Visual Communications is the Southland’s premier showcase for the best and brightest of Asian Pacific cinema. Since 1983, the Film Festival has presented over 3400 films and videos by Asian international and Asian American artists, and additionally features seminars and panels, in-person guest appearances, and filmmaker awards.

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Monday, June 27, 2011

Keyword Tag - film festival, la film fest, laff2011, los angeles film fest,

Source - http://www.lafilmfest.com

Last 2 Years Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) is demanding 3 new Powers but Congress Government is not ready to give those powers

Last 2 Years Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) is
demanding 3 new Powers but Congress Government is not ready to give those powers

We have seen that Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) of India is working honestly and their reports are always finding new corruption in which Indian tax payers money is wasted by government.

2G scam – Government took the action after CAG report.


Now CAG's leaked draft saying Reliance Industries was shown “undue favors” in its KG basin operations. From year 2006 CAG started to prepare this report.
Now you can think why so many years to prepare the report?
One of the reason companies do not share documents easily.
Government servants do not share information and documents easily.

Last 2 years Comptroller and Auditor-General CAG is writing to the Finance Ministry to change the 1971 Audit Act.
But government is not ready or government has no time, I do not know why government is giving and changing the audit act as demanded by CAG.

In 2010 the CAG sent proposals for amendments to three broad areas but still government of India servants have not responded , have not taken any action.

Following are 3 demands of CAG, CAG wants following 3 new powers which government is not giving to CAG or still thinking and going slow on it.

1. Speed at which government departments reply to audit report questions. There is no time limit that in how much time, within how much period government department should respond and reply to the questions of CAG.Now CAG is demanding fix a deadline or time period in which government department must answer the questions ask by CAG like 30 days of period. Right to information act says that within 30 days information should be given same type of power CAG wants now that fix a time limit in which government department must answer it.

2. Second demand is that once the report is prepared by CAG and given to Government it must be tabled in parliament compulsorily and immediately without wasting time. The CAG wants the law to specify that governments must immediately table reports submitted while the legislature is in session, or within the first week of the next session, if submitted in between. Now what happens is that if CAG report is not good for Government then government delays the tabling of report in parliament. The CAG's audit of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was not tabled in Parliament for a year. Maharashtra government held on to a report for 18 months because it contained adverse comments on Vilasrao Deshmukh, tabling it only when the CAG threatened to have it released through the Governor.

3. Third power demanded by CAG is that to power to audit public-private partnerships and joint ventures, and new types of expenditure that were not included when the law was first framed. Example - routing of money for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, the National Rural Health Mission and the MNREGA through panchayati raj institutions and non-governmental organisations. Media has reported that this way each year more than Rs 80,000 Crore is spent and which is beyond the reach of the CAG's regular audits. Now you can imagine as there is no audit by CAG how much money is wasted and we Indian tax payers never know what exactly is happening with this money, is it utilized properly?

After 2010 regarding this CAG wrote to government weekly but still government is thinking to give CAG these powers or not to give CAG these powers.

Best solution is CAG should directly release the report to Indian citizens and sent the copies to government and Supreme Court of India.

If government officers are not giving information give the power to CAG to visit the officer and get the Xerox of all the documents or file a police complaint against that officer.

Bring all the money matters Under CAG with one simple amendment which will automatically bring new expenses always under CAG.

Suggested Reading –

Know about CAG - Comptroller and Auditor General of India

http://realityviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/know-about-cag-comptroller-and-auditor.html

Reality views by sm-
Monday, June 27, 2011

Keyword Tag – CAG Power CAG Audit

Patsy Cline - I've Loved and Lost Again lyrics and original video song

Patsy Cline - I've Loved and Lost Again lyrics and original video song

Patsy Cline: I've Loved & Lost Again Lyrics
Song writer - Eddie Miller
Year 1956

Below are the lyrics of the song I've Loved & Lost Again by Patsy Cline. Watch the video of the song below the lyrics.


I've loved and lost again
Oh, what a crazy world we're living' in
True love has no chance to win
I've loved and lost again.

I ask you what chance have I
When each love I meet just makes me cry
He loves awhile then says goodbye
I've loved and lost again.

To be true to one alone
Don't seem to matter anymore
They tell you you're out of style
Unless you've had three or four.

I've loved and lost again
Oh, what a crazy world we're living' in
True love has no chance to win
I've loved and lost again.

Instrumental Music

To be true to one alone
Don't seem to matter anymore
They tell you you're out of style
Unless you've had three or four.

I've loved and lost again
Oh, what a crazy world we're living' in
True love has no chance to win
I've loved and lost again

Watch the video of the song I've Loved and Lost Again by Patsy Cline.
Ranch Party (1957) hosted by Tex Ritter



Reality song lyrics by sm –
Monday, June 27, 2011
Keyword Tag – Love SONG CLASSIC SONG 1956 1957 I've loved and Lost Again by Patsy Cline LYRICS VIDEO

No FIR Against BCCI Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after Cheque Given by MS Dhoni bounced

No FIR Against BCCI Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni after Cheque Given by MS Dhoni bounced

BCCI Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is very rich cricketer in India.
He is one of the highest income tax payers of the state; he has paid more than Rs 1 Crore as income tax.


Thus now you got the idea that BCCI cricket team captain Dhoni is a rich person.

Dhoni issued the cheque for Rs 645 in favor of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC).
The cheque, dated March 15, 2011, was paid to the Ranchi Municipal Corporation to pay taxes on an apartment that he owns in Ranchi, his hometown.
Dhoni’s house address - number 141 at Kunwar Singh Colony under Doranda circle of the RMC on Airport Road
The cheque was signed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and was deposited by RMC on March 16. However, the cheque was returned by the State Bank of India [SBI] Doranda branch, on Thursday citing "insufficient funds".

R N Jha, the tax collector of Wad 52 said that "Dhoni had issued a cheque (number 550703) of the State Bank of India, Doranda branch, from his savings account 01190108959 amounting to Rs 645 on March 15,"
The cheque was issued in the name of RMC CEO and handed over to Jha.

Revenue officer S K Ghosh of Doranda circle of the RMC, who confirmed the return of the cheque, said it might have been a mistake and an oversight by Dhoni.

The RMC is not interested to lodge a case against the cricketer describing it as a case of human error and oversight.

Now the question is before this incident in same type of cases what RMC had done did they treat that poor person or middle class person same way like they are treating Dhoni.

According to Section 35 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, an FIR can be lodged against a depositor if his/her cheque bounces.

As Dhoni is rich person they will not take any action against Dhoni or even he will not pay any extra fine for this mistake.

Suppose this same mistake is done by you or me or any common Indian citizen what will happen with him.

This is not the question of small amount or big amount; this is the question equality of law.

If law is equal for everyone then RMC must take action against Dhoni and file a FIR or charge him fine for his mistake.

But this is India where law is equal for everyone in the book of law but in reality law is modified as the richness of person.

If you are rich you will be treated differently and if you are poor you will get treated differently.

Every mistake of rich is forgotten and forgiven and every mistake of poor is carried on forever before his name until and unless he pays bribe or extra money.

Do you think MS Dhoni should say sorry or pay extra fine as per law if there is provision in RMC or RMC should file a police complaint, lodge a FIR again dhoni.

Reality views by sm-
Saturday, June 25, 2011

Keyword Tag – MS Dhoni Indian Captain BCCI Captain Cheque Bounce

List of Top 25 Animated Movies Prepared by Time Magazine

List of Top 25 Animated Movies Prepared by Time Magazine

Using an obscure system of weights and measures, TIME movie critic Richard Corliss has compiled this list.

Below is the list of top 25 animated movies prepared by TIME movie critic Richard Corliss


1.
Pinocchio, 1940

2.
WALL•E, 2008

3.
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, 1979

4.
Dumbo, 1941

5.
Spirited Away, 2001

6.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, 1999

7.
Up, 2009

8.
The Triplets of Belleville, 2003

9.
Finding Nemo, 2003

10.
The Little Mermaid, 1989

11.
Toy Story 3, 2010

12.
Toy Story, 1995

13.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937

14.
The Adventures of Prince Achmed, 1926

15.
Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, 2005

16.
Happy Feet, 2006

17.
Akira, 1988

18.
The Lion King, 1994

19.
Tangled, 2010

20.
Paprika, 2007

21.
Kung Fu Panda, 2008

22.
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! 2008

23.
Yellow Submarine, 1968

24.
Fantastic Mr. Fox, 2009

25.
Lady and the Tramp, 1955

Reality views by sm –
Saturday, June 25, 2011

Keyword Tag – Top 25 Animated Movies list Time Magazine

Source - http://www.time.com

Khiladi Wada Raha Sanam Song Video and Lyrics with English Translation of the song wada Raha Sanam

Khiladi Wada Raha Sanam Song Video and Lyrics with
English Translation of the song wada Raha Sanam from movie Khiladi

Waada Raha Sanam ( Lyrics )
Movie : Khiladi
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Julka, Deepak Tijori, Shakti Kapoor, Sheeba
Music Director :Jatin-Lalit
Singer(s) :Abhijeet, Alka Yagnik
Lyricists :Anwar Sagar
Year – 1992


Lyrics of the song Wada Raha Sanam from Movie Khiladi with English Translation.
English translation of the song Wada Raha Sanam from movie Khiladi is in Red Color.

Aa ha ha ha ha, ah ha ha ha ha
Aa aa aa ha ha ha ha

Vaadaa Rahaa Sanam, honge Judaa Na Ham
My love its my promise we will never separate

Chaahe Na Chaahe Zamaanaa
Even if society do not approve our love and union

Hamaarii chaahaton Kaa
Our love and attraction for each other

Mit Naa Sakegaa Fasaanaa
Story of our love and our love for each other will remain forever

Vaadaa Rahaa Sanam, honge Judaa Na Ham
My love its my promise we will never separate

Chaahe Na Chaahe Zamaanaa
Even if society do not approve our love and union

Hamaarii chaahaton Kaa
Our love and attraction for each other

Mit Naa Sakegaa Fasaanaa
Story of our love and our love for each other will remain forever

Kaisii Udaasii Tere Chehare Pe chhaayi
Why are you looking sad

Kyaa Baat Hai Jo Terii aankh Bhar Aayi
What is the reason your eyes are filled with tears

Kaisii Udaasii Tere Chehare Pe chhaayi
Why are you looking sad

Kyaa Baat Hai Jo Terii aankh Bhar Aayi
What is the reason your eyes are filled with tears

Dekho To Kyaa Nazaare hain
Look at this beautiful nature

Tumhaarii Tarah Pyaare hain
Its as beautiful as you my love

hanso Na Mere Liye Tum
Please smile for me

Tabhi To Tumhaare hain O Jaane jaan
Everything is yours my love

Hamaarii chaahaton Kaa
Our love and attraction for each other

Mit Naa Sakegaa Fasaanaa
Story of our love and our love for each other will remain forever

In vaadiyon men yuun Hii Milate rahenge
In these beautiful valleys we will keep meeting

Dil men Vafaa Ke Diye Jalate rahenge
In our heart we will keep burning the lamps of faithfulness and honesty

In vaadiyon men yuun Hii Milate rahenge
In these beautiful valleys we will keep meeting

Dil men Vafaa Ke Diye Jalate rahenge
In our heart we will keep burning the lamps of faithfulness and honesty

Ye maangaa Hai duaaon men
In my prayers I have asked this

Kamii Na Ho vafaaon men
Our love and honesty with each other should remain same

Rahe Terii nigaahon men
Will stay in your glances , in front of your eyes always

Likho Na In fizaaon men o saajana
Oh my love write this in this beautiful valley

Hamaarii chaahaton Kaa
Our love and attraction for each other

Mit Naa Sakegaa Fasaanaa
Story of our love and our love for each other will remain forever

Hamaarii chaahaton Kaa
Our love and attraction for each other

Mit Naa Sakegaa Fasaanaa
Story of our love and our love for each other will remain forever


Watch the video of the song Wada Raha Sanam from Movie Khiladi


Reality views by sm-
Saturday, June 25, 2011

Keyword Tag – Khiladi Song Hindi Translation English Translation Wada Raha Sanam

PIL Madras High Court issues notices to the Centre and CBI for taking the CBI out of the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

PIL Madras High Court issues notices to the Centre and CBI for
taking the CBI out of the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Government of India, Centre through a notification issued on June 9, had placed the agency in the organizations listed in the second schedule of Section 24 of the RTI Act.
Union Government said that CBI needs protection as information is sensitive and can damage the investigations done by them or national security may get compromised.


A PIL was filed in the high court challenging the Centre's decision. The petitioner argued that it was not necessary to give a "blanket protection" to the CBI from revealing information.

The Madras High Court on Friday issued notices to the Centre and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for taking the investigating agency out of the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The notices have to be responded by both the Centre and the CBI within three weeks.

RTI act has already given the protection to sensitive information.
Thus CBI do not need the protection, it is the right of every citizen of India to know who is criminal and how the CBI is performing its duty.

Suggested Reading –

CBI is not under RTI act Government Supports CBI and both protect each other

http://realityviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/cbi-is-not-under-rti-act-government.html

Reality views by sm-
Friday, June 24, 2011

Keyword Tag – PIL Madras High Court CBI Centre Exemption Notice

IIPM MBA Students File Petition in High Court against IIPM demanding refunds of fees and close or derecognize IIPM and prosecute them

IIPM MBA Students File Petition in High Court against IIPM
demanding refunds of fees and close or derecognize IIPM and prosecute them

A batch of students from Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) filed a petition in Karnataka High court seeking refund of fees paid by them for pursuing an MBA course at the institute.
The students of IIPM also sought a direction to the authorities to take appropriate steps to close or derecognize IIPM and prosecute them under relevant provisions of law.


while hearing the petition Justice S Abdul Nazir verified the institute's prospectus and saw the photos of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan in the Prospectus after looking them
the Honorable Judges ask to the lawyer representing IIPM that "What has Shah Rukh Khan got to do with your institution? Does he have any contract as your brand
ambassador? Or he is an old student? What is the connection? Can celebrities like him promote an educational institution as they promote a product?"

The judge also indicated that in case there is no satisfactory response from IIPM with regard to the queries posed by the court, notice may be ordered to SRK requiring him to appear and reply .

The petitioners who were admitted for a two-y ear full-time MBA degree in planning and
entrepreneurship in 2010-1 1 have complained that inspite of their repeated enquiries, neither the IIPM had not disclosed any information pertaining to its registration, recognition, affiliation nor any provision of law under which the institute has been established or functioning.
They also claimed that the MS University , Tamil Nadu which had certified IIPM as an approved onsite academic partner is a private University and cannot operate outside Tamil Nadu and doesn't possess approval for conducting distance education courses.

Further the Petitioners informed to the Court that When the classes commenced in a godown in electronics city , the devastated students questioned the staff about the genuineness of the course. To this the staff members revealed that IIPM was neither
registered nor affiliated by any statutory authorities as required under law,"

"As per the prospectus, the IIPM is offering three categories of courses depending upon fee structure, highest being Rs 11 lakh and the minimum being Rs 4.7 lakh.

The court has posted the matter to July 4 on the petition filed by Praveen V Mesta and others.
The Karnataka high court has issued notice to Bangalore University and the Visvesvaray a Technological University , Belgaum, with regards to a petition filed by students.

Arindam Choudhary is the founder-director of IIPM.

Suggested Reading –

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) has filed Rs 50 crore defamation suit against Caravan magazine, Delhi Press, author Siddhartha Deb, Penguin Books and Google

http://realityviews.blogspot.com/2011/06/iipm-has-filed-rs-50-crore-defamation.html

Reality views by sm-
Friday, June 24, 2011

Keyword Tag – IIPM Arindam Choudhary Karnataka High Court SRK Notice Tamil Nadu

Source – TNN

Orissa Puri Temple Puts a sign board restricting dalits to enter temple stop at this point. "Harijans can pray from here

Orissa Puri Temple Puts a sign board restricting dalits to enter temple
stop at this point. "Harijans can pray from here

Last year in august three schoolgirls entered the shrine to offer Prasad to the Goddess kali an icon of empowerment and Shakti.
After this incident warning sign was put up it reads as follows.
A board outside a temple for the Goddess Kali orders Dalits to stop at this point. "Harijans can pray from here,"


The caretaker of the temple in Orissa's Puri district said that "Our fathers did not allow harijans to step inside the temple, and we will also bar their entry.
We will die rather than let it happen."
It is against tradition.

Chandana Bhoi is one of the young girls who visited the Goddess, triggering a vengeful response. "There should be no discrimination.
We can do the same work as the upper-castes," she says. "We pray to the same Gods, so why are we treated so badly?

Ranapada is home to 80 Dalit families who earn their living as sharecroppers. But since the temple controversy last year, they have been given no work. Upper caste leaders from surrounding villages decided to teach them a lesson. Landlords in the area took back the land given for cultivation to the Dalits.

But the board outside the temple proves that there is little political will in undoing the wrongs inflicted here - or in challenging archaic and illegal conventions rooted in the
caste system. A young couple in their wedding finery crouches outside the temple, seeking the Goddess' blessings, forbidden from drawing any closer. Nobody blinks.

After NDTV showed this story Central government of India has asked the Orissa government to provide more information on why this was not stopped.

Again this proves that caste system in India is same like Racism.

International community should wake up and declare it as the racism Indian style.

What government of Orissa should do in this case?

If the board is their the government should declare the Dalit person as the caretaker of the temple for next 100 years.

If Orissa government fails to do so then one should understand that government want to follow the age old bad traditions and customs to win and get the votes and divide the communities on the name of religion and caste.

In this case do you think that Any person will go to Jail?
The dalits will get compensation for harassment?
Damages for insulting them

Reality views by sm-
Friday, June 24, 2011

Keyword Tag – Orissa Puri Dalit Harijan Temple No Entry

IIPM has filed Rs 50 crore defamation suit against Caravan magazine, Delhi Press, author Siddhartha Deb, Penguin Books and Google

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) has filed Rs 50 crore defamation suit against Caravan magazine, Delhi Press, author Siddhartha Deb, Penguin Books and Google

February 2011 –
The Carvan magazine published a cover story which focussed on the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) director Arindam Chaudhuri.

The article, titled “Sweet Smell of Success: How Arindam Chaudhuri Made a Fortune off the Aspirations and Insecurities of India’s Middle Classes”, was written by Siddhartha Deb and article is a one of the chapter from an upcoming book by Siddhartha Deb to be published by Penguin.


This article discusses takes a critical look at director Arindam Chaudhuri, his image and the business practices of the IIPM.

The article in question has been removed from The Caravan’s website, following a preliminary ex-parte injunction granted by the civil court in Silchar.
After Court order the article has been pulled from publication.
Siddhartha Deb is a contributing editor at The Caravan and a university professor based in New York.

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) has filed Rs 50 crore defamation suit against The Caravan magazine, its proprietors Delhi Press, author Siddhartha Deb, the publishing house Penguin Books India, and Google India.

The lawsuit accuses The Caravan and others of “grave harassment and injury,” while charging Google of “publishing, distributing, giving coverage, circulating, blogging the defamatory, libelous and slanderous articles.”

The suit is filed in the Court of Civil Judge in Silchar, Assam.
The first plaintiff is Kishorendu Gupta, who operates Gupta Electrical Engineers in Silchar and IIPM is second Plaintiff.

Magazine is published in Delhi but law suit is filed in Assam.
IIPM and the magazine’s publisher, Delhi Press, are based 2,200 km away

Caravan has issued a lengthy press release citing IIPM’s history of suing various media publications in order to silence critical coverage.

Carvan Press Release

Kishorendu Gupta is a commissioned agent who works for the IIPM on a contractual basis. Although Gupta is called a counselor, a contract between Gupta and IIPM shows Gupta is a recruitment agent who has commercial interest and is Paid for his service on a commission basis. IIPM’s contract with Gupta states:

“for number of students enrolled between 1 to 24, the compensation would be Rs.75,000 per student …[and] for anyone who crosses the 25 students mark, the compensation would be Rs.90,000 per student…[and] for anyone who crosses the 50 student mark,
The compensation would be Rs.1, 25,000 per student” (From the agreement submitted by the plaintiffs in the court).

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), whose director, Arindam Chaudhuri, was the subject of the cover story of our February 2011 issue, has filed a lawsuit against The Caravan, citing “grave harassment and injury”.

The article, titled “Sweet Smell of Success: How Arindam Chaudhuri Made a Fortune Off the Aspirations—and Insecurities—of India’s Middle Classes”, was written by Siddhartha Deb, a contributing editor at The Caravan and an accomplished writer and university professor based in New York. Deb’s profile of Arindam Chaudhuri, which shows how Chaudhuri built an image for himself and how he runs his educational institution, has been critically praised for both its thorough reporting and its spirit of evenhandedness.

In the weeks that followed its initial publication, in print and on The Caravan’s website, the extensive article was widely referenced, commented on, and shared by readers.

The suit against The Caravan, which seeks huge damages, has been filed not in Delhi, where both the IIPM and the magazine’s publisher, Delhi Press, are based, but 2,200 km away in Silchar, Assam, 300 km from Guwahati, Assam’s capital.

The IIPM filed the case at the Court of Civil Judge in Silchar district, through one Kishorendu Gupta, who operates Gupta Electrical Engineers in a Silchar suburb, and is the first plain-tiff. IIPM is the second plaintiff.

In addition to The Caravan and its proprietors, the suit charges Siddhartha Deb, Penguin (the publisher of the upcoming book by Deb in which the article is a chapter), and Google India (which, the suit alleges, has been “publishing, distributing, giving coverage, circulating, blogging the defamatory, libelous and slanderous articles”).

The civil court in Silchar granted the IIPM a preliminary injunction, enjoining Delhi Press to remove the article in question from their website, ex-parte, without any pre-hearing notice.

Silchar courts, as the IIPM seems to be interested in dragging the matter out now that their purpose has been served by obtaining interim restraints.

The Caravan’s profile of Arindam Chaudhuri was the most thorough article published to date on the subject. The 10,000-word story was the result of several months of work
by Siddhartha Deb, whose exhaustive reporting included interviews with Arindam Chaudhuri himself and several of his close associates who spoke openly about the IIPM and its critics, coverage of Chaudhuri’s public functions, and an account of considerable time spent on the IIPM campus. The piece is distinguished by both its detailed research and its refined literary style.

The Caravan intends to fight this suit because we believe that we must defend the right of journalists to report on controversial subjects or persons without undue fear of legal
intimidation from powerful entities or organizations that seek to insulate themselves from criticism. Delhi Press, the publisher of The Caravan and many popular titles like Sarita,
Woman’s Era, Grihshobha and Mukta, has time and again been at the forefront of defending the right to freedom of speech and freedom of press during its 70 years of publishing history.

On account of the bold anti-authoritarian and anti-religious obscurantist articles published in its leading socio-political magazine in Hindi, Sarita, the group has successfully fought
all attempts of legal intimidation over the years.

If the IIPM can demonstrate that any errors of fact have been made, The Caravan will print a correction in the magazine as well as on its website. But the vast majority of the “falsehoods” cited in the legal suit are not based on matters of fact, and the objections merely reflect the discomfort of the IIPM with the language employed to describe the facts.

The Civil Court at Silchar, in its order granting the injunction against the magazine, has noted:” Defendants had written article making false imputations against IIPM Institute with false and concocted facts only to cause damage to the reputations, Goodwill, education activities of IIPM institute.

The said magazine carries and morphid image of Mr. Arindam Choudhury-Dean of the Centre for Economic Research and Advance studies of IIPM saying him as a magician/soothsayer in an attempt to portray him as a trickster and falsely stated that Mr. Arindam Choudhury has a reputation as a fraud, scamster and ‘Jhony come lately’ in order to malign and defame the dean of IIPM and create a negative public image of Mr. Arindam Choudhury”.

In their petition, the plaintiffs have raised an objection to the article’s statement that placements had always been a pressing problem for the IIPM graduates.

They have also raised an exception to the author’s claim, based on interviews with Arindam Chaudhuri himself, that almost 90 percent of Planman employees, including faculty members, have been former graduates of the IIPM.

The author had raised questions about the revenue and size of the company to Arindam Chaudhuri and his associates, but these went unanswered. The article states this, along with the

It is learnt that the IIPM has filed similar law-suits against certain other publishers, also in Silchar, Assam, rather than in Delhi. In 2005, the IIPM filed a case against Rashmi Bansal, a blogger and editor of Just Another Magazine (JAM), who pub-lished an article in print and online questioning many of the claims made by the IIPM in its brochures and advertisements, which highlighted that the IIPM had not been accredited by any Indian agency such as AICTE, UGC or under other state acts.

The IIPM filed a case against Bansal from Silchar, Assam, even though she runs a small independent outfit based in Mumbai. The IIPM managed to get an ex-parte order from the court, forcing Bansal to remove the article from the website. The IIPM also filed for damages.

In 2009, Careers360 magazine, published by Maheshwar Peri, who is also the publisher of Outlook magazine, carried an article titled “IIPM - Best only in claims?” investigating
The authenticity of many of the claims made by the IIPM in their advertisements.

The magazine’s investigation revealed that the IIPM claimed that its students were eligible for MBA degrees from IMI, Belgium, but that NVAO, the accreditation organization of Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) did not recognize IMI.

Also it reported that following a local agitation against the opening of a new campus in Dehradun, the State government of Uttarakhand had asked the Uttarakhand Technical University to conduct an enquiry on the activities of the IIPM, with which IIPM did not co-operate. The investigations revealed that IIPM could not in any circumstances award valid MBA/BBA degrees or conduct such courses in the state of Uttarakhand.

The IIPM, again, filed a case against the magazine and the publisher in Silchar, and obtained ex-parte restraint against them.

The IIPM also filed a criminal case against Maheshwar Peri from Uttarakhand, which was subsequently quashed by the High Court. The cases against Rashmi Bansal and Careers360 are both still underway at the fact that while the IIPM spent over `300 million on advertising in 2006, it paid no income tax that year or the previous.

The sum and substance of the petition is that The Caravan has published a false, incorrect, defamatory and libelous article and has made false imputations against the IIPM, which, the petition says, the author and editors of The Caravan knew to be false, and that these were made with the intention to defame the IIPM institute as well as its councilors like Kishorendu Gupta.

While we reserve our right to respond to the allegations during the course of legal proceedings, it is interesting to note the following charges in particular:”

The magazine carries a morphed image of Mr. Arindam Chaudhari, Dean Centre for Economic Research and Advance Studies of IIPM, showing him as a magician/soothsayer in a manner which clearly is an attempt to portray him as a rickster.”

“The present campus at Satbari is also not in the city’s outskirts nor the road leading to it is dusty. Moreover, the works “proprietor”, “small”, “run of the mill”, “outskirts of elhi” and “the road is dusty” have been used by the Defendants with the aim to malign and defame the heads of IIPM as well as the IIPM institute.”As stated before, The Caravan as a respectable publication stands by what has been published, which is a true and accurate account of the IIPM as experienced by the author. But the suit that has been filed leads us to believe that the IIPM does not appear to have any desire to correct the record: instead
It aims to prevent any publication of material that paints the IIPM in a light it does not approve of.

The suit, in order to substantiate the charges, offers a long list of students, rent receipts from the Indian Tuberculosis Society, an agreement with Plaintiff No 1 Kishorendu Gupta, which runs into 25 clauses of commercial nature, and various Newspaper cuttings. Freedom of speech and expression is a fundamental right in this country, and various higher courts have consistently upheld this important fundamental right of individuals and publications.

The Caravan will continue to keep its readers updated with the proceedings in the court so that they know the truth about Both the veracity of the statements made in the article and the arguments of the IIPM and Kishorendu Gupta. For the benefit of the public, news of the court proceedings will be Published by Delhi Press in its 30 magazines in nine languages, which together have a readership of over 30 million people.

End of Press Release –



I have found that still the article is available on many blogs.
The article, titled “Sweet Smell of Success: How Arindam Chaudhuri Made a Fortune off the Aspirations and Insecurities of India’s Middle Classes”, was written by Siddhartha Deb.
You can read the article Sweet Smell of Success: How Arindam Chaudhuri Made a Fortune off the Aspirations and Insecurities of India’s Middle Classes”, was written by Siddhartha Deb here.
http://realarindamchaudhuri.blogspot.com/2011/06/sweet-smell-of-success-true-story-of.html

Updated - August 11 2011 the above article has been removed by the blog owner.

Reality views by sm-
Friday, June 24, 2011

Keyword Tag – IIPM defamation Suit 50 Crore Google Carvan Deb Author sweet smell

Source - www.caravanmagazine.in/IIPM_lawsuit.aspx