ISSUES AND CONCERNS ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಕ್ಷಕಿರಣ

Taxman’s discretion may be eliminated NEW DELHI: Tightening the noose further around black economy, the government may abolish discretionary powers of tax officers in deciding liabilities for evasion, said NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya. He also hinted that stamp duty for real estate dealings may be eased with a possible rise in on-the-book property deals in the wake of the ongoing crackdown on unaccounted wealth. “We have to also go back and begin to think much more seriously about a whole set of tax reforms, which would both bring in simplification and precision in the definition so that you reduce, and hopefully even eliminate, discretion of tax officers on this matter,” Panagariya told private TV channel India Today in an interview. Panagariya, a former chief economist of the Asian Development Bank, was responding to questions on possible follow-up measures to the November 8 announcement of ban on 500 and 1,000-rupee banknotes. “A lot of evasion of taxes happen...

Limits to  Artificial Intel Robot flunks University entry exam Tokyo: The dream of a Japanese robot with artificial intelligence to secure a place at the prestigious University of Tokyo is over after the robot failed miserably in a standard entrance exam. The robot called Torobo-kun has now failed in the entry exam for four years in a row and will have to work in a “real job” in industry, according to PTI. “As the robot scored about the same as last year, we were able to gauge the possibilities and limits of artificial intelligence,” said Noriko Arai, a professor at the National Institute of Informatics. “From now on, we will grow its abilities in the fields it’s doing well in and aim to improve them to levels that can be applied in industry,” said Arai, who heads the team behind Torobo-kun. Torobo-kun has made several attempts to pass the National Centre Test, a standardised exam adopted by Japanese universities, since 2013, ‘The Asahi Shimbun’ reported. The robot tackled...

The Bhakti Movement and the Related Historical Figures Dr. M. V. Kamath My dear Gauri, An interesting aspect of the Bhakti Movement in India, Gauri, is that it revolves around only two figures, Rama and Krishna. Again, there is far less stress on Sita, wife of Rama, than on Radha who was not even Krishna’s wife! But if Krishna became popular in Bengal, it was Rama who captured the hearts of the people in the Hindi-speaking areas. This could be -and probably is- because Rama himself came from Ayodhya and the people in the Hindi belt could identify themselves with him. There was only one exception in this case, however. And that was Mirabai, the Rajput princess. But first on our list is Ramananda (1400-1470). In his youth he had probably lived in South India and was, at first, a follower of Ramanuja’s Srivaishnava sect (of Ramanuja, I shall write some time later). But on his return to the north, he settled down in Benaras and established his own sect, the Ramanandis. Raman...

Friends, Looking back over the road travelled, when you cross the 16th milestone, will certainly have its own sense of satisfaction tinged with the haunting memories of the trials and tribulations faced along the way. Luckily for us, completion of the year 16th and the beginning of the year 17 also marked our 200th edition of, if we are permitted to say, our monumental efforts. So, we were blessed with two joys. No doubt, the apprehensions, misgivings and uncertainties that accompanied us all the while has certainly had its positive impacts in making us stronger to face the coming days with fortitude. The completion of 16th year has also seen a new development of the possibility of I&C being owned by a co-operative of paid readers. A modest beginning has been already made. 25 subscribers have already sent their permanent membership of Rs. 10,000/- each. By 31st March 2017, we hope to reach 100 such members. As and when co-operative happens, the effort is to refund in due course...

NEW DELHI: In some of the houses and establishments and even office of political parties there was a completely unex pected earthquake on 10 Richter scale. Some were devastated. Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the unprecedented historic step in demonetizing Rs. 1000 & Rs. 500/- currency notes. It is likely to impact all aspect of black money circulation in the parallel economy prevalent in some of the economic activities of the country. Even political parties barring may be CPM/CPI would have serious problems on hand. Opposition parties, like the earlier Surgical Strike of 29th Sept., is groping for words to react in a coherent language. This is going to hit some sectors of the economy very hard. Modi has once again proved that he is a very decisive prime minister. Surely, this single act alone can propel him and his government to unprecedented popularity, which is making the opposition politicians sleepless. Nobody should die prematurely. More so, no...

Focus (I&C- Nov. 2016) “KASHMIR: A QUESTION WITHOUT ANSWER” Very interesting read. I couldn't but respond. Never before have I got such factual and complete account of the Kashmir issue in such a crisp and brief write-up. You like it or hate it, but you cannot ignore it. That is the reality of Kashmir for Indians like me. An ignoramus like me who, for the most part has seen Kashmir in the milieu provided by truncated and often motivated news, your “focus” has proved to be educative, enlightening and objective. Despite the dismal title, your analysis and the eventual prognosis hold out enough hope if only our political class adopts a unified and lasting vision in the interest of our compatriots in Kashmir and as you boldly assert, it is very much in the realm of the possible. May there be peace and happiness in Kashmir.                                               ...

Universal (Uniform) Civil Code vis-a-vis Human Dignity & Where does the religion come in!? Some months ago there was this brain wave, that was creating eddies inside me and suddenly chanced on a sentence and it crystallized. Spoke to lot of common friends to promote a CENTRE FOR CONVERSATION WITHOUT CONFRONTATION (CCC) with limited participants to have debate on issues concerning just about anybody and everybody. The whole concept was positively welcomed with “it’s a very unique idea”, said a professor of NITK. The qualification for participation was “ONLY AN OPEN MIND”. Obviously it meant no mental baggage to be carried to the debate. Spoke to many and even uploaded on FaceBook. Except some pleasant responses and some skepticism from negative minds, nothing happened. Back to square one. All dressed up, but nowhere to go. Thus, the UCC among many other issues, remained outside the CCC, the proposed forum, to be debated. Human beings all over the world are born free, but as w...