New Delhi: It was an emotional moment for Sachin Pilot, who made his debut as Minister in the Manmohan Singh team, when portfolios were announced on Thursday night.
He was made Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Technology, a portfolio once held by his father, Rajesh pilot.
Rajesh Pilot held the post with independent charge in the Narasimha Rao government in the early 1990s.
“I am happy to be in the same department which was once held by my father,” said Mr. Sachin Pilot, who was inducted into the Congress on the birth anniversary of his father two years after he died in a car accident near Jaipur on June 11, 2000.
Rajesh Pilot was credited with working to reach the “communication revolution” to rural masses and he ensured that every village had an STD/ISD facility.
Friday, May 29, 2009
BSNL invites bids for hiring telecom towers
Indian operator is looking for towers in 600 small towns and cities to enable it to expand its mobile network.
State-owned Indian telecommunication company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. has invited bids from independent telecom infrastructure providers to hire towers for expanding its wireless network, according to a bid document on its Web site.
The document didn't specify the number of towers the company intends to hire, but said it was looking for towers in some 600 small towns and in cities like Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and the outer areas of Mumbai and Delhi. Bharat Sanchar, India's fourth-largest telecom company by number of users, is planning to add 93 million lines to its network so that it can more effectively compete with aggressive private players in the world's second-largest mobile-phone market by subscribers.
The companies bidding for the contract will have to inform Bharat Sanchar in advance if they want to share the towers with other wireless companies, the document showed.
The non-exclusive contract will initially be for 15 years for new telecom towers and 10 years for existing ones.
The company will accept bids until June 10 and will open the bids the same day, the document showed.
State-owned Indian telecommunication company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. has invited bids from independent telecom infrastructure providers to hire towers for expanding its wireless network, according to a bid document on its Web site.
The document didn't specify the number of towers the company intends to hire, but said it was looking for towers in some 600 small towns and in cities like Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and the outer areas of Mumbai and Delhi. Bharat Sanchar, India's fourth-largest telecom company by number of users, is planning to add 93 million lines to its network so that it can more effectively compete with aggressive private players in the world's second-largest mobile-phone market by subscribers.
The companies bidding for the contract will have to inform Bharat Sanchar in advance if they want to share the towers with other wireless companies, the document showed.
The non-exclusive contract will initially be for 15 years for new telecom towers and 10 years for existing ones.
The company will accept bids until June 10 and will open the bids the same day, the document showed.
BSNL Seeks Bids from Consultants
NEW DELHI -- India's Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., or BSNL, has invited bids from consultants to assist it in its move to expand outside the country.BSNL and other Indian telecom operators are trying to expand overseas to help boost revenue as intense competition and expansion into rural areas have led to lower average revenue per user in India.
"The company, with a view to establish itself as a global player in the telecom sector, and to achieve inorganic growth, aims to expand its area of operations, by going for acquisitions or mergers or strategic partnerships or acquiring telecom licenses outside India," a bid document for consultants on the company's Web site showed Tuesday.
The state-owned telecom operator lags rivals such as Bharti Airtel Ltd., which Monday revived merger talks with South Africa's MTN Group Ltd. that would create one of the five largest telecom companies in the industry.
BSNL, India's fourth-largest mobile phone services provider, had 52.14 million subscribers at the end of March, compared with Bharti Airtel, which had 93.92 million subscribers.
The deadline to submit the bids is June 1 and they will be opened the day after - June 2, the company said, adding that it will first shortlist the consultants on their technical capabilities followed by their financial bids.
The consultants should have handled overseas deals for at least five years and shouldn't be working with any of BSNL's competitors, the document showed.
Bharti Airtel, India's largest mobile phone operator by users, has hired Standard Chartered Bank and its affiliate First Africa SA (Pty) Ltd. as financial advisors for the merger talks with MTN. Its legal advisors are AZB and Partners and Bowman Gillfillan.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
BSNL Disinvestment
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicated that the full Budget for 2009-10 may announce a disinvestment of government stake in public sector companies.
"Fiscal prudence and disinvestment of public sector units -- all these issues will be tackled by the Finance Minister in the Budget," Singh told reporters after the second round of swearing in of Union Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The Prime Minister said economic growth would not come at the cost of fiscal prudence. "We would ensure economic growth momentum but at the same time fiscal prudence will be kept in mind," he said.
A host of companies waiting for the government nod for disinvestment include Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), railway consultancy firm RITES, National Aviation Company, and Ircon.
The government has already cleared the disinvestment of NHPC and Oil India but could not tap the capital market due to the prevalent negative sentiment.
Fund mobilisation by the government by way of initial public offers (IPOs) declined in 2008. There was only one PSU IPO, which was that of Rural Electrification Corporation, worth Rs 1,421 crore.
"Fiscal prudence and disinvestment of public sector units -- all these issues will be tackled by the Finance Minister in the Budget," Singh told reporters after the second round of swearing in of Union Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The Prime Minister said economic growth would not come at the cost of fiscal prudence. "We would ensure economic growth momentum but at the same time fiscal prudence will be kept in mind," he said.
A host of companies waiting for the government nod for disinvestment include Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), railway consultancy firm RITES, National Aviation Company, and Ircon.
The government has already cleared the disinvestment of NHPC and Oil India but could not tap the capital market due to the prevalent negative sentiment.
Fund mobilisation by the government by way of initial public offers (IPOs) declined in 2008. There was only one PSU IPO, which was that of Rural Electrification Corporation, worth Rs 1,421 crore.
Monday, May 18, 2009
2nd Amendments in BSNL CDA Rules, 2006
F. No. 10-2/2007-WS & I/O & M/Vol-II(Pt.) Dated 12 th May, 2009
Approved Amendment in BSNL CDA Rules 2006 (BSNL Board in its 119th meeting)
Approved Amendment in BSNL CDA Rules 2006 (BSNL Board in its 119th meeting)
Rule 21(3) -
Every employee shall report within a month to the competent authority every transaction concerning movable property owned or held by him in his own name or in the name of a member of his family, if the valueo fsuch propertye xceeds:
(i) Rs 100000/-in case of employeesi n the nonexecutive category.
(ii) Rs. 200000/- in case of employees in the executive category
Every employee shall report within a month to the competent authority every transaction concerning movable property owned or held by him in his own name or in the name of a member of his family, if the valueo fsuch propertye xceeds:
(i) Rs 100000/-in case of employeesi n the nonexecutive category.
(ii) Rs. 200000/- in case of employees in the executive category
Thursday, May 14, 2009
SC notice to Reliance Communications on MTNL's plea
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to Reliance Communication, formerly Reliance Infocomm, on a petition by MTNL alleging that the private mobile services provider had tampered the calling line identification.
The state-run telecom major alleged that Reliance Infocomm (now Reliance Communications) had indulged in tampering of the calling line identification (CIL) in a completely unlawful manner in 2004-2005 when the company was controlled by Mukesh Ambani.
MTNL has sought transfer of Reliance's petition pending before the TDSAT and clubbing the same with another Reliance plea pending before the Supreme Court.
A bench headed by Justice S B Sinha sought explanation from Reliance as to why the company's pleas involving similar issues pending before the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) should not be transferred to the apex court.
On May 1, the apex court had also issued notice to Reliance on a similar plea filed by BSNL.
CLI is the telephone number of the subscriber who makes the call and is the only method of deciphering the point of origin of any call.
The state-run telecom major alleged that Reliance Infocomm (now Reliance Communications) had indulged in tampering of the calling line identification (CIL) in a completely unlawful manner in 2004-2005 when the company was controlled by Mukesh Ambani.
MTNL has sought transfer of Reliance's petition pending before the TDSAT and clubbing the same with another Reliance plea pending before the Supreme Court.
A bench headed by Justice S B Sinha sought explanation from Reliance as to why the company's pleas involving similar issues pending before the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) should not be transferred to the apex court.
On May 1, the apex court had also issued notice to Reliance on a similar plea filed by BSNL.
CLI is the telephone number of the subscriber who makes the call and is the only method of deciphering the point of origin of any call.
Don't award BSNL deal to Huawei: IB, MoD
NEW DELHI: The intelligence bureau and defence ministry has said that stateowned BSNL should not award telecom equipment contracts to Chinese equipment majors Huawei and ZTE in the interest of national security. Both IB and the defence ministry’s reactions are in the wake of BSNL’s move to shortlist Huawei, along with Swedish equipment major Ericsson, for its mega 93-million-line GSM expansion project worth around Rs 30,000 crore, in what is the single-largest telecom contract in the world. Ericsson was short-listed as the lowest bidder for north and east zones while Huawei was selected for west, east and south zones.
The views of IB and the defence ministry were conveyed to BSNL at a meeting on April 9. During the meet, both BSNL and the Department of Telecom (DoT) suggested that Huawei could be awarded the contract in south India since the region did not share sensitive borders with Pakistan, China and Bangladesh. Besides, the Department of Telecom argued that Huawei was already working with BSNL in south India.
Shooting down the request, IB director said: “Considering the present security scenario in the country, even the southern region with its coastline can be considered sensitive,” while adding that “with the reference to the sensitive communication sector, distinction in terms of zones was relevant.” As per the minutes of this meeting, a copy of which is available with ET, IB added that ‘BSNL should not award contracts to Chinese companies, as these companies are known to have links with the Chinese state and security apparatus and, therefore, their presence in this critical sector has national security implications in a variety of ways’.
Defence ministry representatives, who attended the meeting, were of the view that Huawei has been set up with the assistance of the Chinese army and has a tainted past in addition to being black-listed in US,’ according to minutes of the meeting. “Similarly, the other Chinese company ZTE also does not have a good track record and, in case, these two companies should not be allowed to come in any part of the country,” the defence ministry representatives added.
The government has also set up a committee to examine the issue of participation of foreign companies, particularly with regard to security related sensitivities in BSNL tenders. According to sources, the committee members include IB coordinator & joint director R N Behura, Mr P K Mittal from the Department of Telecom, Major General P K Das and Cdr S K Gupta from the Ministry of Defence. Additionally, it will also have Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW)cabinet secretariat joint secretary S K Gupta and a representative from the National Technical Research Organisation. The committee is expected to submit its report within the next couple of days.
The views of IB and the defence ministry were conveyed to BSNL at a meeting on April 9. During the meet, both BSNL and the Department of Telecom (DoT) suggested that Huawei could be awarded the contract in south India since the region did not share sensitive borders with Pakistan, China and Bangladesh. Besides, the Department of Telecom argued that Huawei was already working with BSNL in south India.
Shooting down the request, IB director said: “Considering the present security scenario in the country, even the southern region with its coastline can be considered sensitive,” while adding that “with the reference to the sensitive communication sector, distinction in terms of zones was relevant.” As per the minutes of this meeting, a copy of which is available with ET, IB added that ‘BSNL should not award contracts to Chinese companies, as these companies are known to have links with the Chinese state and security apparatus and, therefore, their presence in this critical sector has national security implications in a variety of ways’.
Defence ministry representatives, who attended the meeting, were of the view that Huawei has been set up with the assistance of the Chinese army and has a tainted past in addition to being black-listed in US,’ according to minutes of the meeting. “Similarly, the other Chinese company ZTE also does not have a good track record and, in case, these two companies should not be allowed to come in any part of the country,” the defence ministry representatives added.
The government has also set up a committee to examine the issue of participation of foreign companies, particularly with regard to security related sensitivities in BSNL tenders. According to sources, the committee members include IB coordinator & joint director R N Behura, Mr P K Mittal from the Department of Telecom, Major General P K Das and Cdr S K Gupta from the Ministry of Defence. Additionally, it will also have Research and Analysis Wing’s (RAW)cabinet secretariat joint secretary S K Gupta and a representative from the National Technical Research Organisation. The committee is expected to submit its report within the next couple of days.
Apex court stays part of TDSAT judgment on BSNL
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a part of telecom tribunal TDSAT's judgment that directed the Department of Telecommunication to withdraw the allocation of additional spectrum given to state-run BSNL.
A Bench headed by Justice Tarun Chatterjee passed the order on a petition filed by BSNL challenging the TDSAT judgment that direct the DoT to withdraw additional spectrum from the telecom firm.
BSNL has challenged the part of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal judgment that asked the DoT to withdraw the additional spectrum held by the PSU.
A Bench headed by Justice Tarun Chatterjee passed the order on a petition filed by BSNL challenging the TDSAT judgment that direct the DoT to withdraw additional spectrum from the telecom firm.
BSNL has challenged the part of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal judgment that asked the DoT to withdraw the additional spectrum held by the PSU.
April saw 9-million new GSM subscribers
The country added a total of nearly 9 million GSM subscribers during the month of April taking the total GSM subscriber base to 297 million, a growth of 3.11% over the additions made the previous month.
Bharti Airtel which registered a growth of 2.99% during the month for the first time saw a dip below 3%. The company at the end of the month continued to dominate the market with a market share of 32.49%. Bharti Airtel recorded a total of over 96 million subscribers at the end of the month adding 2.8 million subscribers. The highest additions for the company came from Rajasthan that added 3.9 lakh subscribers. Vodafone-Essar registered a high 4.09% growth during April. Vodafone added 2.7 million subscribers in April taking its total mobile user base up to 71.5 million during the month.
Bharti Airtel which registered a growth of 2.99% during the month for the first time saw a dip below 3%. The company at the end of the month continued to dominate the market with a market share of 32.49%. Bharti Airtel recorded a total of over 96 million subscribers at the end of the month adding 2.8 million subscribers. The highest additions for the company came from Rajasthan that added 3.9 lakh subscribers. Vodafone-Essar registered a high 4.09% growth during April. Vodafone added 2.7 million subscribers in April taking its total mobile user base up to 71.5 million during the month.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
How You can achieve your financial goals
1. Get rid of ULIPs
It is advisable to stop the premiums you are paying for the ULIP plans as they are an expensive mode of investment. One should never mix investment with insurance as both have separate requirements in life. Instead, you can take term insurance plans which have lower premium charges and provide higher life insurance cover. Invest in mutual fund schemes for your future goal achievement.
2. Build an appropriate portfolio of Mutual Funds
For long-term purpose, one should have maximum exposure to plain vanilla diversified equity funds and a minimal exposure to sector or theme based funds.
3. Make separate portfolios for separate goals
Some of the goals in life ( Child's higher education or marriage) are long-term oriented with different time spans. It is advisable to maintain separate portfolios for each of the goals so that you can track them separately.
4. Invest systematically
It is very important for you to start your investments by adopting a systematic investment approach. This is an appropriate choice for long-term investors as it not only provides the benefit of rupee cost averaging but also ensures a disciplined investment approach.
5. Add debt
It is important to have some exposure to debt so as to curtail the downfall of equities during falling markets.
It is advisable to stop the premiums you are paying for the ULIP plans as they are an expensive mode of investment. One should never mix investment with insurance as both have separate requirements in life. Instead, you can take term insurance plans which have lower premium charges and provide higher life insurance cover. Invest in mutual fund schemes for your future goal achievement.
2. Build an appropriate portfolio of Mutual Funds
For long-term purpose, one should have maximum exposure to plain vanilla diversified equity funds and a minimal exposure to sector or theme based funds.
3. Make separate portfolios for separate goals
Some of the goals in life ( Child's higher education or marriage) are long-term oriented with different time spans. It is advisable to maintain separate portfolios for each of the goals so that you can track them separately.
4. Invest systematically
It is very important for you to start your investments by adopting a systematic investment approach. This is an appropriate choice for long-term investors as it not only provides the benefit of rupee cost averaging but also ensures a disciplined investment approach.
5. Add debt
It is important to have some exposure to debt so as to curtail the downfall of equities during falling markets.
6. Rebalance your portfolio once every year
After choosing appropriate funds, allocating SIP amount to it and paying the money on time, your work doesn't end here. It is very important for you to continuously monitor the portfolio and rebalance it according to the predetermined asset allocation at least once every year.
All you need to do is follow these basic principles and opt for the right investment approach to easily achieve your goals.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Pay Anomaly representation by senior batches
From
S. J…………………………………..,
I.T.S
(ITS – 198X Batch, Staff No. 8XXX)
General Manager Telecom D….,
Karnataka-577XXX.
To
1. The Secretary,DOT, New Delhi – 110001.
2. The Secretary,DOPT, New Delhi.
(Through Proper Channel)
Sir,
Sub: Pay Anomaly in implementation of 6 CPC with regard to S24 & S25Pay Scales with same Grade Pay –reg.
Ref: F.No.1/1/2008/IC dated 30/08/2008 issued by Ministry of Finance
I belong to Indian Telecom Service (1986 Batch) and as on 1/1/2006 I was inSGJAG (NFSG) grade with basic pay as Rs.16700 in the old scale (S24) of14300-400-18300. As per the practice so far, the IAS cadre will have same scale as that of other Central Services with an exception of 2 extra increments at the beginning of the scale up to SGJAG (NFSG) level.Accordingly, the 5th CPC has placed SGJAG (NFSG) IAS officers in 15100-400-18300 (S25) Scale, while other services were fixed in 14300-400-18300 (S24) Scale. Further, in 6th CPC also, the benefit of two increments for IAS over other services was proposed and accepted by Government.In view of the above, all officers with basic of Rs.15100 as on 1/1/2006belonging to different services, either in S24 or in S25 should be getting same basic as on 1/1/2006 in revised scales. But, on careful examination of all scales with same Grade Pay, it is found that Rs.15100 basic in old pay of S25 was fixed at Rs.39,690/-, where as the same basic in S24 was fixed at Rs.38,530/- as shown below.S-24 S-25
----------------------- ---------------------
Pre-Revised Revised Pre-Revised Revised
14300 37400 14700 37400
15100 38530 15100 39690
15500 38530 15500 39690
15900 39690 *15900 40890(this is higher to S-24)
16300 39690 16300à40890(Anomaly for 87 Batch)
16700 40890 16700à42120(Anomaly for 86 Batch)
17100 40890 17100 42120
17500 42120 17500 43390
17900 42120 17900 43390
18300 43390 18300 44700
Because of this anomaly, as my basic was Rs.16700 as on 1/1/2006 (in S24), my pay was fixed as per Ref-1 mentioned above as Rs.40,890/- as on 1/1/2006 in revised scale, while an officer with same basic in S25 (with same Grade Pay) being fixed at Rs.42,120/-Also, a basic of Rs.15900/- in S25 itself was fixed at Rs.40,890/-(with Grade Pay of Rs.8700/-), higher than that of Rs.16700/- basic in S24 with similar Grade of Rs.8700/- after 6CPC.In fact, in the case of Officers of IAS and other Central Services at STS & JAG level belonging to S19 & S20 and S21 & S22 were taken care of without such anomaly. Further, it is also violation of Para 2.2.21 of 6th CPC which states that "It has also been ensured that a person drawing higher basic pay in any Fifth CPC pay scale is not fitted lower vis-a-vis a person drawing a lower basic pay irrespective of the pay scale". As it is "in contravention of the principle or policy enunciated by the Sixth Central Pay Commission itself without the Commission assigning any reason", it is a clear case of anomaly.Hence, I request you to kindly take early action for the re-fixation of my basic as Rs.42,120/- in the revised scale as on 1/1/2006, and redress the anomaly caused to me at an early date, since this increment is carried forward, it will have bearing on almost my entire career/life.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Yours faithfully,
(S. Jxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Staff No: 8xxx, 1986 BATCH ITS,
General Manager Telecom Dxxxxxxxx-577xxx.
Karnataka.
08192-2xxxxx, Mob. 094xxxxxxxx)
Dated: May 4, 2009, at Dxxxxxxxx, Karnataka.
S. J…………………………………..,
I.T.S
(ITS – 198X Batch, Staff No. 8XXX)
General Manager Telecom D….,
Karnataka-577XXX.
To
1. The Secretary,DOT, New Delhi – 110001.
2. The Secretary,DOPT, New Delhi.
(Through Proper Channel)
Sir,
Sub: Pay Anomaly in implementation of 6 CPC with regard to S24 & S25Pay Scales with same Grade Pay –reg.
Ref: F.No.1/1/2008/IC dated 30/08/2008 issued by Ministry of Finance
I belong to Indian Telecom Service (1986 Batch) and as on 1/1/2006 I was inSGJAG (NFSG) grade with basic pay as Rs.16700 in the old scale (S24) of14300-400-18300. As per the practice so far, the IAS cadre will have same scale as that of other Central Services with an exception of 2 extra increments at the beginning of the scale up to SGJAG (NFSG) level.Accordingly, the 5th CPC has placed SGJAG (NFSG) IAS officers in 15100-400-18300 (S25) Scale, while other services were fixed in 14300-400-18300 (S24) Scale. Further, in 6th CPC also, the benefit of two increments for IAS over other services was proposed and accepted by Government.In view of the above, all officers with basic of Rs.15100 as on 1/1/2006belonging to different services, either in S24 or in S25 should be getting same basic as on 1/1/2006 in revised scales. But, on careful examination of all scales with same Grade Pay, it is found that Rs.15100 basic in old pay of S25 was fixed at Rs.39,690/-, where as the same basic in S24 was fixed at Rs.38,530/- as shown below.S-24 S-25
----------------------- ---------------------
Pre-Revised Revised Pre-Revised Revised
14300 37400 14700 37400
15100 38530 15100 39690
15500 38530 15500 39690
15900 39690 *15900 40890(this is higher to S-24)
16300 39690 16300à40890(Anomaly for 87 Batch)
16700 40890 16700à42120(Anomaly for 86 Batch)
17100 40890 17100 42120
17500 42120 17500 43390
17900 42120 17900 43390
18300 43390 18300 44700
Because of this anomaly, as my basic was Rs.16700 as on 1/1/2006 (in S24), my pay was fixed as per Ref-1 mentioned above as Rs.40,890/- as on 1/1/2006 in revised scale, while an officer with same basic in S25 (with same Grade Pay) being fixed at Rs.42,120/-Also, a basic of Rs.15900/- in S25 itself was fixed at Rs.40,890/-(with Grade Pay of Rs.8700/-), higher than that of Rs.16700/- basic in S24 with similar Grade of Rs.8700/- after 6CPC.In fact, in the case of Officers of IAS and other Central Services at STS & JAG level belonging to S19 & S20 and S21 & S22 were taken care of without such anomaly. Further, it is also violation of Para 2.2.21 of 6th CPC which states that "It has also been ensured that a person drawing higher basic pay in any Fifth CPC pay scale is not fitted lower vis-a-vis a person drawing a lower basic pay irrespective of the pay scale". As it is "in contravention of the principle or policy enunciated by the Sixth Central Pay Commission itself without the Commission assigning any reason", it is a clear case of anomaly.Hence, I request you to kindly take early action for the re-fixation of my basic as Rs.42,120/- in the revised scale as on 1/1/2006, and redress the anomaly caused to me at an early date, since this increment is carried forward, it will have bearing on almost my entire career/life.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Yours faithfully,
(S. Jxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Staff No: 8xxx, 1986 BATCH ITS,
General Manager Telecom Dxxxxxxxx-577xxx.
Karnataka.
08192-2xxxxx, Mob. 094xxxxxxxx)
Dated: May 4, 2009, at Dxxxxxxxx, Karnataka.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Bharti Airtel becomes India's biggest music company
May 10 (PTI) Riding on success of its music- related value-added mobile services, Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel has now become the country's biggest music company, overtaking the industry leader Saregama, a top executive said today."Music Bharti has become the largest music company in India, overtaking Saregama India Ltd in terms of revenue," Bharti Airtel's Deputy CEO Sanjay Kapoor said.While Kapoor did not disclose the exact revenue earned by Music Bharti, which provides music services like hello tunes, call-back tunes and music on demand, Saregama had a annual revenue of about Rs 150 crore in the fiscal ended March 31, 2008.Bharti Airtel, flagship company of Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Group, recently entered into an exclusive multi-million dollar deal with Machester United here, under which it would offer its mobile subscribers access to the mobile content related to the British soccer club."We are growing fast in the music segment," Kapoor said, adding there was huge growth potential for the company in other value-added service segments like mobile commerce also. PTI
Tax Advice
Tax relief admissible on leave encashment arrears
Q: I retired from BSNL on March 31, 2007. In the financial year 2008-09, I received leave encashment arrears, commutation arrears and pension income.
In ITR Form I, will the amount of leave encashment arrears and commutationarrears be exempt?
According to my CA, these would not be exempt but since these are part of my earlier benefits, I feel that these will be exempt.
I want to know that in future if I received these arrears, then will it be exempt. Also I have no proof from my employer that it is exempt.
— Desilva, Kurukshetra
A: Your queries are replied hereunder:
(i) Any payment received by an employee as a cash equivalent of the leave salary in respect of the period of earned leave at his credit at the time of his retirement on superannuation, is exempt from tax under the provisions of the Act in case the amount of such encashed leave does not exceed the amount for 10 month leave calculated on the basis of the average salary drawn by the employee for the period of 10 months immediately preceding the retirement. Therefore, in case the amount of leave encashment is within the permissible limit, the same will be exempt from the leviability of tax.
(ii) Any payment in commutation of pension received under any scheme of the employer to the extent it does not exceed (a) in case where the employee receives any gratuity, the commuted value of one third pension which the employee is normally entitled to receive and (b) in any other case, the commuted value of one-half of such pension would be exempt from tax. In case the commuted pension in your case is within the above norms the same would be exempt from tax.
iii) There is no other supporting document required except the salary certificate, which should indicate the aforesaid facts by way of an annexure to such certificate.
Q: I retired from BSNL on March 31, 2007. In the financial year 2008-09, I received leave encashment arrears, commutation arrears and pension income.
In ITR Form I, will the amount of leave encashment arrears and commutationarrears be exempt?
According to my CA, these would not be exempt but since these are part of my earlier benefits, I feel that these will be exempt.
I want to know that in future if I received these arrears, then will it be exempt. Also I have no proof from my employer that it is exempt.
— Desilva, Kurukshetra
A: Your queries are replied hereunder:
(i) Any payment received by an employee as a cash equivalent of the leave salary in respect of the period of earned leave at his credit at the time of his retirement on superannuation, is exempt from tax under the provisions of the Act in case the amount of such encashed leave does not exceed the amount for 10 month leave calculated on the basis of the average salary drawn by the employee for the period of 10 months immediately preceding the retirement. Therefore, in case the amount of leave encashment is within the permissible limit, the same will be exempt from the leviability of tax.
(ii) Any payment in commutation of pension received under any scheme of the employer to the extent it does not exceed (a) in case where the employee receives any gratuity, the commuted value of one third pension which the employee is normally entitled to receive and (b) in any other case, the commuted value of one-half of such pension would be exempt from tax. In case the commuted pension in your case is within the above norms the same would be exempt from tax.
iii) There is no other supporting document required except the salary certificate, which should indicate the aforesaid facts by way of an annexure to such certificate.
DoT notifies mobile number portability
New Delhi, May 10
Come September, mobile phone users in some parts of the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, will have the facility to switch operators even while retaining their existing number.
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has issued a notification in this regard saying: “Mobile number portability (MNP) is to be implemented in Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra and Gujarat service areas of zone-I and Kolkata, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Andhra and Karnataka of zone-II within six months of award of licence by September 20, 2009, and in the rest of the country by March 20, 2010”.
Syniverse Technologies (zone-I) and MNP Interconnection (zone-II) are the two companies who have been licenced by the DoT to carry out the MNP exercise.
The DoT further said TRAI would decide on all kinds of tariffs related to MNP like the transaction fee to be charged from the customer for seeking change of number.
But sources said number portability charges were likely to be below Rs 300 and it would take maximum two days to change the service provider.
TRAI is learnt to be keen to keep the cost at a reasonable level so as not to discourage subscribers willing to change their service provider and at the same time make it a viable business model for the service providers. — PTI
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has issued a notification in this regard saying: “Mobile number portability (MNP) is to be implemented in Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra and Gujarat service areas of zone-I and Kolkata, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Andhra and Karnataka of zone-II within six months of award of licence by September 20, 2009, and in the rest of the country by March 20, 2010”.
Syniverse Technologies (zone-I) and MNP Interconnection (zone-II) are the two companies who have been licenced by the DoT to carry out the MNP exercise.
The DoT further said TRAI would decide on all kinds of tariffs related to MNP like the transaction fee to be charged from the customer for seeking change of number.
But sources said number portability charges were likely to be below Rs 300 and it would take maximum two days to change the service provider.
TRAI is learnt to be keen to keep the cost at a reasonable level so as not to discourage subscribers willing to change their service provider and at the same time make it a viable business model for the service providers. — PTI
Friday, May 8, 2009
New Posting
New Posting for following batchmates
Manmohan Singh DGM ( Regulations & WLL) o/o CGMT Pb. Telecom circle Chandigarh
Piyush Verma DGM WTR Ahmedabad
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
J & K Telecom Circle- Increase of Tenure period from One to Two Years
Vide Corporate office letter no. 412-10/2009-Pers.1 dated May 5th, 2009 the tenure period for J&K Circle as a whole will now be Two Years including Srinagar and Leh stations.
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