Snehal khanna Blog

Launch expected to strengthen company's leadership in sports motorcycles Latest news    :  Bajaj Auto on Friday announced the launch of 160cc Pulsar NS160 in the country, priced at Rs 80,648 (ex-showroom, Mumbai). The new generation Pulsar NS 160 caters to the fast- growing segment of customers who seek premium quality, international style and performance, Bajaj Auto said in a statement. "The new generation Pulsar NS160 offers a combination of raw power, aggressive styling and superior performance that no other bike in its segment can match," Bajaj Auto President, Motorcycles, Eric Vas said. The bike is designed to cater to the young and dynamic motorcycle enthusiast who is "evolved, restless and demands performance and style in his everyday riding routine", he added. "Today, 70 per cent of the sports biking segment is dominated by the 150-160 cc motorcycles. The NS160 will target a fast-growing segment of customers who want to stay ...

According to Debroy, multiple rates emanate from the 'desire to tax items' that are seen as luxuries Latest news    :   NITI Aayog member and wellknown economist Bibek Debroy on Friday said that one of the key problems with the present GST (Goods and Services Tax) regime is its multiple rates structure. According to Debroy, the multiple rates of GST emanate from the "desire to tax items" which are perceived to be luxury through the means of indirect tax and not the direct ones. "Please understand these multiple rates are coming from... this desire to drive other ends through indirect tax policy and other concerns of the states," Debroy said at Aaj Tak GST Conclave. "And therefore, you have plenty of exemptions, plenty of items that are outside the GST net and multiple rates." The present GST tax rates are divided into four slabs of -- 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent -- as decided by the GST Council. Als...

' India currently has one of the worst tax-to-GDP ratios among major economies at 16.6% Latest news : Rakesh Sachdeva sells auto parts in a busy market in central Delhi, just a few miles from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office. Yet despite having a flourishing business he does not pay any tax. Until now, his rundown premises and small scale operation has kept the business below the radar of the country's tax officials. Come July 1, however, "the party will be over", says the 51-year-old, with a resigned shrug. A nationwide Goods and Services Tax (GST), set to come into effect on Saturday, has faced criticism for its complex design. But the country's biggest tax reform since independence is promising to bring millions of firms like Sachdeva's into the tax net, boosting government revenues and the country's sovereign credit profile. The new tax will require firms to upload their invoices every month to a portal that will match ...

Latest news :  Foodgrains will cost less from July 1 when the nation-wide Goods and Service Tax (GST) is rolled out as the GST Council today decided to exempt the daily-use commodities from the levy. Here's a complete list of the rates of all 1,211 items but six were finalised at the first day of the two-day meeting in Srinagar of the GST Council, headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising state representatives. Also, here's a complete list of all the items that the GST Council has broadly approved as the rates of GST Compensation Cess to be levied on certain goods. Also read this: Accenture's $1.8-bn acquisition plan to act as lesson for IT firms in India

The decision came after Sonia Gandhi met former PM Manmohan Singh along with other leaders today LATEST NEWS : The Congress on Thursday decided to keep away from the special midnight June 30 meeting convened by the government on GST implementation . Party's senior spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi said, "the Congress will not attend the special GST meeting on GST implementation." The decision came after Congress President Sonia Gandhi met former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with other leaders today. The party has been in a dilemma over attending the special midnight event in Parliament on June 30 to mark the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and has had wide-ranging discussions with other parties also, which are likely to follow suit. Trinamool Congress has already announced its decision to boycott the event. Sources said Congress leaders weighed its options as a group within the party felt that the GST was the party's br...

The Cabinet on Wednesday gave approval to privatise debt-laden Air India Latest news : IndiGo airlines , owned by InterGlobe Aviation , has expressed an unsolicited interest in buying a stake in state-owned carrier Air India, television channel CNBC-TV18 reported on Thursday quoting the aviation ministry. The Cabinet on Wednesday gave approval to privatise debt-laden Air India, the first step of a process that could see the government offload an airline struggling to turn a profit in the face of growing competition from low-cost rivals. Also read : Mired by ownership battle, McDonald's shuts 80% Delhi outlets as hygiene take toll

It's mandatory to link Aadhaar with PAN. Here's why Latest news : Come July 1, the Modi-government's measures to track tax evasion through multiple PAN cards will come into effect. It is now mandatory for you to link your existing Aadhaar numbers with PAN to be able to file your income-tax (I-T) returns. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, through an amendment to tax proposals in the Finance Bill for 2017-18, had made linking Aadhaar mandatory for filing I-T returns. The revenue department has said "every person who has been allotted PAN as on July 1, 2017, and who in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 139AA is required to intimate his Aadhaar number, shall intimate his Aadhaar number to the principal director-general of income tax (systems), or DGIT (systems)". It's mandatory to link Aadhaar with PAN. Here's why. 1. Individuals with PAN will have to link it to their existing 12-digit biometric Aadhaar number...

The digital traces we leave behind create a wealth of data about our lives Latest news : There are now more mobile devices than people on the planet. You only have to glance around on trains, in the street, or in cafes to see how increasingly lost we are in screen time. We don’t just hold our phones, we cradle them. IPHONES  : It is ten years since the iPhone’s release to the general public. And so now seems a perfect time to reconsider our love of technology. I’m fascinated by our relationship with mobile phones, both past and present. Nokia has recently released a new version of the classic Nokia 3310. Originally launched in 2000, it was the company’s most successful phone, selling over 126 million units. This technology nostalgia speaks of simpler times when a phone was a phone, not a computer; when we weren’t tethered to our workplace. A time when we met the gaze of others rather than the ever constant glow of our interactive screens. Our phones track,...

However, the actors are not mentioned as either accused or suspects by the Uttar Pradesh Police Latest news : The CBI has taken over investigation of the Rs 500 crore online ponzi scam allegedly by Ghaziabad-based Webwork Trade Links. Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who endorsed its portal Addsbook.Com, are also named in the complaint. Promoters of Webwork Trade Links, Anurag Jain and Sandesh Verma, duped people using the two actors as brand ambassadors of his shadow firm addsbook.Com, the complaint alleged. According to the complaint, which is now part of the FIR, the company opened a "shadow company", Addsbook Marketing Pvt, which was launched on December 10, 2016 with brand ambassadors "Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Shahrukh Khan". "People have invested heavily as they were influenced by both celebrities," it alleged. However, the actors are not mentioned as either accused or suspects by the Uttar Prades...

Latest news : The goods and services tax (GST) is unlikely to be a very bitter pill for the pharmaceutical industry, which feared a substantial rise in drug prices under the new indirect tax regime. While around 80 per cent drugs were put in the 12 per cent GST bracket (up from the current 9 per cent slab), implying a sharp rise in prices, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has stepped in to keep medicines affordable after the GST roll-out on July 1. The pharma pricing regulator has notified the revised ceiling prices of 761 drugs which are part of the Schedule 1 of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013. According to the revised list issued by the NPPA, prices of most drugs have come down. With this regulatory move, the price increase after the GST roll-out would be marginal as the base price has been lowered. Even as price revision is a continuous process, the latest order may serve to cool the nerves of the pharma industry trying to grapple with the ne...

As many as 2.07 crore taxpayers have already linked their Aadhaar with PAN. Latest news : The government has made it mandatory to link existing Aadhaar numbers with PAN of taxpayers with effect from July 1. Amending income tax rules and notifying the same, the government has made quoting of the 12-digit biometric Aadhaar or the enrolment ID a must at the time of application of permanent account number (PAN). Finance Minister Arun Jaitley through an amendment to tax proposals in the Finance Bill for 2017-18 had made Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns and provided for linking of PAN with Aadhaar to check tax evasion through use of multiple PAN cards. The revenue department said "every person who has been allotted PAN as on July 1, 2017, and who in accordance with the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 139AA is required to intimate his Aadhaar number, shall intimate his Aadhaar number to the principal director general of income tax (systems) or D...

The industry, however, needs clarity on standardised billing procedure for selling gold jewellery Latest news : Jewellers across the country are happy with the three per cent rate fixed on gold jewellery under the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Centre has definitely considered the demand of the gold industry while fixing the rates. Currently, gold jewellers pay one per cent excise and 1.2 per cent value-added tax (VAT) over and above the 10 per cent customs duty on bullion. This effectively works out to 12.43 per cent. With the introduction of GST at three per cent for gold and 18 per cent for making charges, and keeping customs at 10 per cent, the effective rate comes to 15.67 per cent. So, the effective price escalation on gold jewellery comes to 3.24 percentage points. This is still a win-win for gold jewellers; they would not have expected anything better than this, particularly after the chief economic advisor's report of Rs 10,800-crore subsidy on gold.  ...

By the rates announced so far, it seems consumers can rest assured most items will become cheaper Latest news : The Goods and Services Tax (GST) rehime is set to be rolled out from July 1, more than 11 years after a formal process to introduce it began. The GST Council on Thursday fixed rates for 1,211 items. In the second half of the Council meet, on Friday, rates of services and products like beedi, cigarettes, tobacco, footwear, gold, textile, handloom, handicraft, agricultural equipment and biscuits, will be discussed. It appears from the first set of announced rates that consumers can rest assured most of the items will become cheaper (for now) as the new rates will be lower than the current effective levies. Mobiles phones, however, might get costlier, with the government imposing a 12% GST, taking away the benefit under duty differential that was being offered to local manufacturers. So, under the new GST rate, while imported phones will become cheaper, most l...

The TNEA 2017 counselling registration had began on May 1. Latest news : After Anna University declared the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission (TNEA) on June 22, 2017 Wednesday, students are keeping their finger crossed as the University is set to begin the most awaited counselling rounds for admission.  The TNEA 2017 counselling registration had began on May 1 with the last date for registration and filling of application on May 31. The University accepted the filled-in online application till June 3 (Saturday).The TNEA is the process that helps a number of students get admission to Engineering Colleges in the state through Single Window Counselling aka Anna University Counselling.  According to various sources, around 1.25 lakh candidates applied for admission through the Single Window Counselling for engineering courses this year and experts believe that the number could reach 1.3 lakhs.  Single Window Counselling Soon: After the Rank List is out, now th...

Latest news : Chinese handset maker Vivo has successfully retained the title sponsorship to the cash-rich twenty-20 tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL). The company will pay the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) a total of Rs 2,199 crore over the next five years. The next closest bid was made by Oppo at Rs 1,432 crore for five years. Currently, Oppo holds the Team India sponsorship rights and, interestingly, both Vivo and Oppo are part of the same parent group. The base price for bidding was Rs 600 crore for five years, or Rs 120 crore per year. The new title sponsorship rate is a huge mark-up over what Vivo was paying the BCCI since 2016. The Chinese handset maker came in as the title sponsor in 2016 after global beverage giant Pepsi pulled out of its five-year deal with the BCCI citing the match fixing and betting scam the governing body of cricket and the annual T-20 tournament found themselves embroiled in. While Pepsi was to pay the BCCI Rs 396 crore ...

Device hits a sweet spot between pricing and hardware; version with higher specs for Rs 37,999 Latest news :  After the early access sale last week, the OnePlus 5 is now available for open sale. The sale started at 12 am IST on Tuesday. The device can be purchased on both Amazon India and the online OnePlus Store. The device will also be available in OnePlus Experience Stores for offline purchase.   Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has launched its flagship OnePlus 5 in India at Rs 32,999 for the base model with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, and at Rs 37,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The smartphone was first made available in the country exclusively through e-commerce site Amazon starting 4:30 pm on June 22. The flagship smartphone has been one of the most anticipated devices of the year so far. The OnePlus 5, coming with better camera, technical specifications and operating system than predecessor OnePlus 3T, but is it all enough to make it ...

Members can use the feature to see which firms are interested in them as prospective employees Latest news : Ever wondered how many times your profile on LinkedIn has been viewed by a prospective employer and, specifically, by which one? If so, the professional networking site has you covered. Last week, it launched a Search Appearances feature through which the network's half a billion members can find out how many times and by whom their profile was discovered.  Members can also use the feature to see which companies are interested in them as prospective employees. This can help the user assess the job opportunities in the market. Also, users can pursue the job openings at each company with just a click, along with being able to track down the hiring managers at these firms.  These insights, which have been rolled out on both mobile and desktop, will help users optimise their profile "to get connected to a new job or other professional opportunities"....

The system stopped operation and we found out that the cable had been derailed, he added Latest news : The management of the company that operates the gondola cable car service in Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday blamed "an act of God" for the Sunday tragedy which killed seven people including four members of a Delhi family. Riyaz Ahmad, General Manager of the project, told IANS that there was no violation of the standard operating procedure (SOP) on Sunday as alleged by some. A man, his wife and their two children were killed in the accident that also left three locals dead. Another 150 people who were in other cable cars were saved. "We don't operate the gondola during high velocity winds and there is an inbuilt safety mechanism in the system that automatically stops the operation whenever there are gusty winds," Ahmad said. "What happened yesterday was a great misfortune because of an act of God," he told IANS. A...

This collaboration is an effort to tap college students and first-time PC buyers Latest news : E-commerce marketplace Flipkart on Monday announced that it has collaborated with HP, Intel and Microsoft so that consumers can buy HP Intel Core i3 Windows 10 laptop for Rs 36,000 at Rs 999 per month by availing a 36-month EMI option. This collaboration is an effort to tap college students and first-time PC buyers. Flipkart has also partnered with ICICI Bank and CitiBank to provide hassle-free financing options to consumers. "With Flipkart's wide market reach combined with an industry-first affordable 36-month EMI option, we are certain that this offering is a winning combination and will strike a chord with our customers reinforcing our undisputed position as laptop market-leaders in the country," Amitesh Jha, Vice President - Electronic Devices at Flipkart, said in a statement. The initiative enhances Flipkart's wide selection of laptops curated for its...

We are very, very stressed now. We are working 28 hours a day, says Navin Kumar Latest news : A week ahead of the goods and services tax (GST) roll-out, a visibly stressed chairman of the G ST Network (GSTN), NAVIN KUMAR, says that it (the IT backbone of the GST) will be ready by July 15. Although confident of the software, Kumar tells Dilasha Seth it will stabilise over three-four months from the GST introduction. Edited excerpts: With a week to go for the roll-out, what are the thoughts on this? Are you nervous? We are very, very stressed now. We are working 28 hours a day. Are you being flooded with calls and messages from industry and traders? Industry generally talks to the government, but, yes, we keep getting tweets and messages. There was some problem when enrolment was on and the tax department cancelled a lot of registered service taxpayers that had got provisional IDs as they were apparently not active. These 50-60 people lined up at our office. We then refe...

Latest news    : The world famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath was held in the pilgrim town of Odisha on Sunday with religious fervour and enthusiasm amid tight security. Undeterred by rains, lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad descended on the seaside town to witness the nine-day journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra to the Gundicha Temple and back to their abode. Devotees from all walks of life made a beeline to the seaside town to have a glimpse of the presiding deities of the 12th century shrine of Lord Jagannath as the trinity mingled with the sea of humanity during the annual festival of chariots. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Odisha Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, BJP president Amit Shah, Union Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other dignitaries greeted the people on Lord Jagannath's annual car festival. Read this : Rajdhani, Shatabdi makeover: Passengers will now get on-board entertainment Jagannat...

Latest news : British lender Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is planning to cut 443 jobs dealing with business loans and many of them will move to India, the bank said. The Edinburgh-based bank said the cuts were part of a restructuring aimed at becoming a smaller bank."We realise this will be difficult news for staff and we will do everything we can to support those affected," the bank said in a statement. "All roles which require customer contact will remain in the UK." RBS, which is more than 70 per cent state-owned, is in the midst of a major restructuring aimed at returning the bank to profit after almost a decade of straight years of losses. The bank was rescued with a 46 billion-pound ($58.48 billion) state bailout during the 2007-09 financial crisis. Read this: Gulmarg gondola crash: 4 Delhi tourists, 3 guides killed as cable car snaps

Won't hike power tariff to overcome losses, says state energy minister Latest news : Even as the Yogi Adityanath government has signed the ‘Power for All’ document with the Centre to provide 24x7 electricity supply to all households, state energy minister Shrikant Sharma has clarified that power tariffs would not be hiked this year. State power utility UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) is saddled with accumulated losses of about Rs 21,000 crore. “Although the cumulative losses of UPPCL are to the tune of Rs 21,000 crore, we are against the idea of hiking power tariffs and are instead working towards decreasing the line losses,” he told Business Standard on sidelines of a media briefing following the state cabinet meeting here last evening. Read this: Patna, Srinagar and Bengaluru among 30 new smart cities announced by govt He claimed even if the energy department could snap line losses by 10 per cent, there would be no need to hike power tariffs to brid...

The Indian IT major has invested nearly $3 bn in the US in past 3 years Latest news : Global IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) was among the top two job creators, recruiting more than 12,500 US employees from 2012-2016, a recent study by The Cambridge Group said. TCS ranked number one in terms of US employee growth during that period, the study said, according to a release issued by TCS. The Chicago-based Cambridge Group calls itself a growth strategy expert. "Our industry-leading US recruitment, advanced digital training of employees, and academic and STEM partnership programmes act as a key contributor to the US innovation economy, while also preparing the current and upcoming workforce with foundational skills needed for 21st century careers," said Surya Kant, president of North America, the UK and Europe of TCS. STEM is a US-government supported programme to help absorb science, technology, engin...

Kohli was asked about Kumble's approach while coaching and he stoically maintained his stance Latest news  :  Opening up for the first time, Virat Kohli on Thursday said that he will never reveal dressing-room details, in an apparent reference to the now retired coach Anil Kumble's statement that their partnership had become "untenable". Kumble stepped down a couple of days back due to differences with the India captain. Kohli said "he respects" Kumble's decision to quit and that there is highest regard for him as a player. "Obviously Anil bhai has expressed his views and he has taken a decision to step out and we will respect that decision. It's something that has happened right after the tournament," Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against the West Indies. While he felt that Kumble is entitled to his opinion, in a roundabout manner, the skipper spoke about how dressing room details are sacred to him, whic...

Premji has no objection to a $30-mn special payment for Snapdeal employees, reports Tech in Asia Latest news : The family office of billionaire Azim Premji, one of the early investors in Snapdeal, has written to its board objecting to special payouts for the founders and two larger investors, Kalaari Capital and Nexus Venture Partners, as part of the buy-out deal with Flipkart . This puts a spanner in the works for India’s biggest e-commerce merger, reports Bloomberg citing anonymous sources familiar with the discussions. Snapdeal founders Kunal Bahl and Binny Bansal along with Kalaari and Nexus had negotiated hard on compensation because Snapdeal’s proposed sale at a valuation of $1 billion is a fraction of its peak valuation of $6.5 billion. Kalaari and Nexus are set to receive $60 million in addition to equity in Flipkart, while the founders get a combined handout of $30 million, under the terms of the deal. PremjiInvest is objecting to differential payments, as othe...

Application forms for the NDA exam 2 is available on the official website of UPSC. Latest news : Application forms for the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam 2 is available on the official website of UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). The candidate has to register before filling up the online application form. Once registration is completed, the candidate can start filling the Application Online. The forms have been made available since June 7, 2017 Wednesday. The NDA exams are conducted twice in a year. The NDA exam 1 happened on April 23, 2017 Sunday. The NDA 2 will be conducted on September 10, 2017 Sunday.  Every year thousands of candidates take the NDA exam for selection in Naval Force, Air Force and Army of India.  The UPSC organizes the exam at two levels; Written Test and Interview by Service Selection Board (SSB). The candidates have to fill the Application Form online only. The Form has two sections; the first one requires basic information and...

Globally Oppo ranks fourth behind Samsung, Apple and Huawei Latest news : With its army of salespeople and vast network of outlets, a relatively new smartphone maker has exploded in popularity to overtake global giants Apple and Samsung in China's market - and now it has its eye on the West. Oppo began life selling DVD players in the in the southern manufacturing hub of Dongguan a little more than a decade ago and only broke into the handset market in 2011. But with an aggressive marketing strategy and concentration on bricks-and-mortar stores in small and medium- sized cities -- rather than relying on online customers -- sales have soared. Last year it had a market share of 16.8 per cent making it the China market leader and while a slip in the first three months of 2017 put it just behind local rival Huawei, according to market analyst IDC, it remains well ahead of Apple and Samsung. Globally it ranks fourth behind Samsung, Apple and Huawei. Whil...

The OnePlus flagship smartphone has been one of the most anticipated devices of the year Latest news : Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has launched its flagship OnePlus 5 in India at Rs 32,999 for the base model with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, and at Rs 37,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The smartphone would be made available in the country exclusively through e-commerce site Amazon starting 4:30 pm on June 22. The flagship smartphone has been one of the most anticipated devices of the year so far. The OnePlus 5, coming with better camera, technical specifications and operating system than predecessor OnePlus 3T, but is it all enough to make it the flagship killer? Let’s look at the features and specifications of the smartphone. Read this : Karbonn unveils AI-based smartphone 'Aura Note 2' As confirmed before the official announcement, the OnePlus 5 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which has Snapdragon X16 LTE modem support...