Sunday 25 March 2012

The Pinta Island tortoise is the rarest animal in the world.

 

The Pinta Island tortoise is the rarest animal in the world. There is ONLY ONE LEFT on Earth. His name is "Lonesome George"

Lonesome George is the last member of the Pinta Island subspecies of Galapagos tortoises. He was discovered in 1972, and brought to the Charles Darwin research station on the island of Santa Cruz. He is roughly 90 to 100 years old..

Currently, researchers are trying to get George to mate. They haven't found a female Pinta Island tortoise (if you found one, the reward is $10,000). Instead, they're trying to get him to mate with some other Galapagos tortoises from a different subspecies. That way, even though the babies wouldn't be purebred Pinta Island turtles, at least some of George's genes would pass on..

So far, George has failed to produce any offspring. He lives with two females but the eggs they have been laying have been inviable and won't hatch..

Courtesy: My GK woRld

Previous Year Question Paper for PO and RMS Accountants Examination - 2003 Part II


Previous year  Question paper for  PO and RMS accountants  Examination 2003

Part II

5          
(a)       What are the conditiona when government servant shall not be entitiled to  HRA ?  (Marks  5)

(b)   Fill in the blanks in the following in respect of remote locality allowance
Pay Range
                   Areas included  in 

Part A
Part B
Part C
Part D

( Rate of remote  locality allowance  ( Rupee per month)
Below Rs  3000
300
-------------
150
----------
Rs  3000 to  Rs  4499
-------
400
------
80
Rs  4500 to Rs 5999
700
--------
450
120
Rs 6000 to Rs  8999
------
800
----
160
Rs  9000 pm and above
1300
--------
750
-----
                                                                                                        ( Marks 9 )
 ©  Fill  in the blanks  in the  following  table
Date from which  payable
Rate  of dearness allowance per  month
From 01-01.1999

From 01.07.1999

From 01.01.2000

From 01.07 .2000

From  01.01.2001

From 01.07.2001

                                                                                                                    ( Marks 6)
Q6 What is the procedure for payment of children educational allowance , reimbursement of tuition fees and hostel subsidy ?                                                                     (Marks 5 )

( b)     Fill  in the blanks in the following :

(1)     Delivery  and  conveyance allowance to GDS BPMs/GDS SPMs who have been entrusted the additional work of conveyance of mails and delivery               ----------------  PM
    ( Per Month)
(2)     Cycle allowance to GDS mail deliverer , if the distance covered is more than  10 KMS 
                                                                                                 ------------------------ PM    ( 

(3)     Office maintenance allowance to GDS BPMs/ GDS SPMs----------- PM

(4)    Fixed stationery  charges to GDS BPMs/GDS SPMs -----------------PM


(5)    TRCA payable to GDS BPM having workload of  more than 3 hours -----------PM

(6)    TRCA payable to GDS BPM having workload of  more than 3 hours -------- PM
(7)    DA payable on combained duty allowance to GDS MCs ------------------  PM

(8)    TRCA payable to GDS SPMs  ------- PM


(9)    House rent to be paid to the house owner of GDS BO/GDS SO  premises when work is being looked after by line overseer in the same premises on accountant of superannuation / put off duty  of GDS BPM /GDS SPM---------  PM

(10) Maximum period up to which house rent in (IX) above  can be paid--------
                                                                                                     ( Marks 10 )



BY-S.JAYCHANDRAN, MALVIKA DIV

Revision of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Restructuring and Reorganisation of Teacher Education



Revision of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Restructuring and Reorganisation of Teacher Education
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved modifications of the existing scheme for Reorganization and Restructuring of Teacher Education in order to meet the exceptional challenges for the Teacher Education system arising from the massive spatial and numerical expansion of schooling facilities at the elementary and secondary levels, the corresponding increase in the demand for teachers and to fulfill the statutory obligations of the Government with regard to teacher preparation and teacher training under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009. Modification of the scheme is also critical in the context of the need for training requirements of teachers at the secondary level under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan. 


It is estimated that an amount of Rs.6308.45 crore would be required, as Central share, as per the Plan allocation during the XII Plan.

The revision of the Scheme can be grouped in three broad categories, i.e.

i) Revision of existing norms:

a) Strengthening and up-gradation of State Councils for Educational Research and Training/State Institutes of Education

b) Strengthening of existing Institutes of Advanced Study in Education (lASEs) and up-gradation of Departments of Education of Universities into lASEs.

c) Strengthening of CTEs and establishment of new CTEs.

d) Strengthening of existing DIETs and extending their mandate for training of teachers at the secondary level.

ii) Inclusion of new components:

a) Establishment of Block institutes of Teacher Education (BITEs) in 196 identified SC/ST/Minority concentration districts for undertaking elementary pre-service teacher education programmes.

b) Professional Development of Teacher Educators

c) Technology in Teacher Education

d) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Teacher Education

e) Monitoring Mechanism

iii) Revision of fund sharing pattern between the Centre and the State - 75:25 ratio between Centre and States (90:10 for NER States including Sikkim) to ensure greater ownership by the States.

The scheme will be implemented through State Governments/UTs, who will submit their annual proposals for consideration and approval of the Teacher Education Approval Board (TEAB) constituted by the Department.

The implementation of the scheme would help to address non¬-availability of teachers; enhance the effectiveness of teachers through better training and ICT support. It will improve the quality of Teacher Education through involvement of Institutes of Higher Education.

Background:

The existing centrally sponsored scheme "Teacher Education" is being implemented through the State Governments and UTs since 1987 pursuant to the formulation of the National Policy on Education, 1986 which emphasized the significance and need for a decentralized system for the professional preparation of teachers. Subsequently, District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) and Institutes of Advanced Study in Education (lASEs) were established.

***
Source : PIB Release date 23/03/2012

Interest rates on small savings schemes may go up by 0.25%



Interest rates on small savings schemes may go up by 0.25%


The government is likely to hike the interest rates on deposit schemes offered by post offices, like savings account, Monthly Income Scheme (MIS), Public Provident Fund (PPF), etc by about 0.25 per cent from April 1.

A circular on revised interest rate on small savings scheme will be issued by March 28, official sources said, adding that there could be a 0.25 basis points hike in the rates.

"We are in the process of calculating the rates. The new rates will be applicable from April 1," they added.


The government had in December, 2011 hiked interest rates on post office savings accounts (POSA) to 4 per cent, from 3.5 per cent. Similarly, the interest rates on the MIS and PPF was fixed at 8.2 per cent and 8.6 per cent respectively.

The decision to hike interest rates in December was in line with the recommendations of the Shyamala Gopinath Committee which had suggested linking of interest rates on small savings with that of the market. The panel had also suggested that the interest rates on small savings schemes should be revised annually.

The revision in the interest rates is aimed at maintaining the attractiveness of the small savings schemes vis-a-vis fixed deposit schemes operated by banks.

The government, as part of economic liberalisation process, had freed the interest rates on banks deposits giving freedom to lenders to fix rates depending upon the asset-liability position, but continued to fix rates for small savings schemes.

Pursuant to the recommendations of the Gopinath Committee, the government had introduced the National Savings Scheme (NSC) with a 10-year maturity to attract long-term funds.

The annual investment ceiling in PPF savings was increased to Rs 1 lakh from Rs 70,000.

Source:- The Economic Times

10 Things To Do Before You Retire......................


10 Things To Do Before You Retire 
 
   Don’t put off today what you can’t afford to do tomorrow. In spite of the world wide pension crisis and a growing acceptance that we must plan and save for our retirement, the harsh reality is we are actually not saving enough. Research reports reveal that only 15% of the individuals are saving sufficiently for their retired life. Here are a few tips on things to do before you retire so that your retired life is more comfortable and enjoyable.


Get Rid of All Your Debts

   If you are taking a housing loan, personal loan, car loan or any other loan make sure that you will be repaying them on or before your retirement. You need to choose the term of the loan in accordance with your retirement age. You can enjoy your retired life when you have 100% financial freedom, not when you have to repay your loans.

Protect Your Emergency fund

   Emergency expenses can happen any time. But the possibility goes up during the old age. So we need to enhance the emergency reserve year on year based on the inflation and change in your expense levels. Emergency fund will give you a sense of security and also you need not touch your other investments during emergency where you need to pay pre-closure penalty. Also don’t forget to refill the emergency fund once you met an expense out of emergency fund.

Establish a Retirement Budget

   You need to visualize your retired life well in advance and need to create a budget for your retirement. That is you will not be going to office. So the expenses on transport and clothes may come down. Also you will have more time to spend. You may need to spend more on leisure travel and health care.

Examine Your Cash Flow

   Take a close look at your cash inflow as well as outflow. Is there going to be any income after retirement? Like rent, royalty…. Would there be any unwanted outflow during retired life? Like paying life insurance, or SIP. At times during your beginning of the career , you could have taken a policy where you need to pay premium up to the age of 60. But now you may plan to retire at 55 itself. So you need to realign your existing policy and other investments in sync with your retirement age.

Grow Your Retirement Corpus

   Find out how much corpus you need to have when you retire so that you will be having complete financial freedom. A professional financial planner will of great assistance to you in this regard.

Develop a withdrawal strategy

   How are you planning to withdraw your cash outflow during retirement from the retirement corpus? Monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annually? Through Sytematic Withdrawal plan in mutual funds or by way of dividend or interest. All these will have a great impact on the corpus you need to accumulate. So you need to decide in advance.

Minimize taxes

   Your retirement corpus and retirement income need to be tax efficient. You need to pay taxes for the interest accrued irrespective of that you withdraw the interest or reinvest under a cumulative option. But you need to pay income tax only when you withdraw from the mutual funds. Careful selection of investment vehicle can reduce your tax during the retired life.

Get Sufficient Mediclaim coverage

  The moment you retire, your employer will stop covering you under the group mediclaim. So you need to plan for your individual medical cover well in advance. At old age the medical expenses are inevitable. If you have not planned it properly the all your retirement plan will become a mess.

Consider Inflation adjusted annuities

   The monthly income you need when you retire is not going to be the same even after 5 years of your retirement. Inflation will increase your retirement expenses year after year. So year after year your retirement income needs to go up.

Oversee estate planning

   How your fixed assets and financial assets need to be distributed to your legal heirs? Create a WILL. You can avoid creating relationship problems to your next generation because of your left out wealth.

   The author is Ramalingam K, an MBA (Finance) and Certified Financial Planner. He is the Founder and Director of Holistic Investment Planners (www.holisticinvestment.in) a firm that offers Financial Planning and Wealth Management. He can be reached at ramalingam@holisticinvestment.in.

Courtesy : www.govtempdiary.com
VIA-SAPOST

Indian Police Service (IPS) officer P.S. Natarajan, suspended from service on charges of sexually exploiting a tribal woman, has been dismissed from service, a senior Jharkhand official said Saturday.



“Natarajan has been dismissed,” state Home Secretary J.B. Tubid told IANS.
IPS officer P S Natarajan, has been dismissed with immediate effect.
Natrajan, then inspector general of police of Ranchi, remained suspended since August 2005 when a television news channel showed him in a compromising position with a tribal woman, Sushma Badaik.
In her complaint, Badaik said she was sexually exploited by Natarajan who assured her justice against another IPS official. After his suspension, Natarajan was sent to jail. He is at present on bail and facing a case in a Ranchi court.
Following the scandal, the Jharkhand government had initiated the process for Natarajan’s dismissal. The state had recommended to the central government and the Union Public Service Commission that Natarajan be sacked and its recommendation was accepted.

CABINET APPROVES AMENDMENTS IN MARRIAGE ACT


Bank Of Baroda Recruitment 2012- Clerks



Educational Qualification-(IBPS) CWE exam in 2011 can easily qualified for this post

DETAILS OF VACANCIES:

IMPORTANT DATE
Payment of Application Fees : 24.03.2012 to 10.04.2012

Opening date for Online Registration : 24.03.2012

Last Date for Online Registration    :    10.04.2012
(Including for candidates from far-flung areas )

 
Since clerical cadre recruitment would be on State/ UT-wise basis, it will therefore be necessary that candidates apply for vacancies of a State/UT from which they have appeared for the Common Written Examination and in which they have qualified

Click here to view detailed advertisement

Revision of rates and guidelines for reimbursement of expenses on purchase of Hearing Aids under CS(MA) Rules. 1944 and CGHS

No: S..14025/10/2002/MS
Government of India
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
Department of Health & Family Welfare
Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi 110 108
Dated the 21st March, 2012.
OFFICE MEMORANDAM
Subject:Revision of rates and guidelines for reimbursement of expenses on purchase of Hearing Aids under CS(MA) Rules. 1944 and CGHS- regarding
With reference to the above mentioned subject the undersigned is directed to refer to the Office memoranda of even No. dated 17.11.2006 and 28.10.2002 and OM Nos. S.14025/36/93/MS dated 26.03.94 and 17.08.1999 and to state that on the basis of recommendations of an Expert Committee, it has been decided to revise the rates and guidelines for hearing aids to be reimbursed under CS (MA) Rules, 1944 and CGHS.
2. The revised ceiling rates fixed for various types of Hearing Aids (for one ear) are as under:
Body worn / Pocket type
Rs. 2,500/-
Analogue BTE
Rs. 7,000/-
Digital BTE
Rs. 20.000/-
ITC/CIC
Rs. 25,000/-
The cost of hearing aid shall include all Taxes including VAT and shall carry 3’ year Warranty.
The cost of Analogue BTE /Digital BTE / ITC / CIC type hearing aid shall also include the cost of ear mould.
3. Beneficiaries covered under CS(MA) Rules. 1944 JCGHS shall be eligible to obtain hearing aid after the same has been recommended by a Government E.N.T. Specialist on the basis of audiometric and audiological assessment. ENT Specialist shall specify the type of hearing aid most suited for the beneficiary.
4. The permission to procure hearing aid shall be granted by Chief Medical Officer in- charge of CGHS Wellness Centre in case of CGHS pensioner beneficiaries and by the Head of Department /Office in case of serving employees and CGHS beneficiaries of Autonomous Bodies on the basis of recommendation of a Government Specialist and an undertaking that the beneficiary has not been reimbursed the cost of hearing aid in the preceding Five years.
5. Reimbursement claim shall be submitted to CGHS through CMO i/c of concerned dispensary by CGHS Pensioner beneficiary in the prescribed medical reimbursement claim form along with a photo copy of CGHS card, original bill of the Hearing aid and original copy of the permission letter. In case of other beneficiaries, the medical claim shall be submitted to the concerned Ministry/Department / Office. Reimbursement shall be limited to the ceiling rate or actual cost of the hearing aid, whichever is less.
6. Record of permissions granted for procurement of hearing aids shall be maintained by CGHS in respect of pensioner CGHS beneficiaries and by concerned Ministry / Department/Office in respect of other beneficiaries.
7. Replacement of hearing aid may be permitted after 5 years on the basis of
condemnation certificate issued by a technical expert and on approval of a Government ENT Surgeon. Maintenance and repair wilt be the responsibility of the beneficiary.
8. These orders shall supercede all the earlier orders issued on the subject.
9. The revised rates and guidelines shall come into force from the date of issue and shall be valid for a period of two years or till further revision, whichever is earlier.
10. This issues with the concurrence of Integrated Finance Division vide Dy.No. 5894 dated 19.03.2012 of the office of AS&FA, Min. of Health &Family Welfare.
(V.P. Singh)

Deputy Secretary to the Government of India