Who is Ram Nath Kovind, probably the next President of India!

Ram Nath Kovind (born on 1 October 1945, Village Paraunkh,Tehsil Derapur District Kanpur Dehat) is a current Governor of Bihar. Kovind is a politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party-BJP.He was elected to Rajya Sabha from state of Uttar Pradesh during the two terms of 1994-2000 and 2000-2006.

He is an advocate by profession and practices in Delhi.

He is a former President of the BJP Dalit Morcha (1998-2002) and President of the All-India Koli Samaj.
He also served as national spokesperson of the party. On 8 August 2015 the President of India appointed him the Governor of Bihar.


On June 19, 2017, BJP president Amit Shah declared him as the NDA consensus candidate for the post of Indian President.

Source : Wikipedia

Mumbai Metro Network

Details of Project

The Master Plan for Mumbai Metro along with phased implementation was approved by the Authority of MMRDA, in its 110th meeting, held on 28th May, 2004. The Master Plan includes 9 corridors covering a length of 146.5 k.m., out of which 32.5 k.m. is proposed underground and rest is elevated.

Note :

1. * This project was initially of 15 Kms. Now it is reconfigured to 11.40 Kms. proposed spur to International Airport and Vikhroli Car Shed excluded from scope of PPP for Line-I
2. ** Line 2, 3 and 6 of the master plan has been reconfigured as Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd (32 Kms. Elevated) and Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ (33.85 Kms. underground)
3. *** This corridor is realigned as Wadala-Teen Hath Naka
4. **** This corridor is realigned as Wadala – Carnac Bundar

 

During the preparation of DPRs and deciding implementation policy, few changes were made in the Master plan corridors & also it was proposed to connect Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan with Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System. The revised Metro Master plan approved by the Authority is as below.

 

List of Revised Metro corridors proposed for implementation is as below :

Note :

1. Line 4- Charkop-Dahisar metro corridor have been merged with Line 2 and reconfigured as Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd (40km).
2. Wadala-GhatkopaThane (Teen Haath Naka) is extended upto Kasarwadavli and reconfigured as Line-4 Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane (Teen Haath Naka) - Kasarwadavli (32km).

 

The main objective of the Master Plan is to provide accessibility to rail based system within 0.5 km to 1 km. The metro system provides connectivity to connect important stations like Churchgate, Chatrapati Shivaji terminus, Mumbai Centra and International & Domestic Airports and major business hubs. These corridors are having planned interchanges with Suburban Stations.

 

After implementation of Mumbai Metro Master Plan, more than 70 lakh commuters are expected to get benefit which in turn will substantially reduce the traffic on road and congestion in suburban rails.

Source : https://mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in

BUDGET 2017-18 INCOME TAX CHART

Update : Rebate U/S 87A reduced to Rs 2500/- upto 3.5 Lakh Income

What are you looking for in Union Budget 2017-18?

Is India a good travel destination?

Originally asked by a Quora user, check out this awesome answer by Balaji Viswanathan:

Original Post : https://www.quora.com/Is-India-a-good-travel-destination

Nothing can define India and you have to spend a lifetime to understand this land. I have lived 80% of my life in India and have traveled widely in it. However, even after 100s of trips, I'm still amazed by the things I see everyday. 

While a European could brag about his hike to a 10000ft peak, your Indian friend might casually mention that he visited his mother-in-law at 15000ft, the previous day. While a Westerner would be shocked to see 1 million people gathered for a religious festival, an Indian might wonder where the remaining went. While an American could talk about a 150 year historic place, your Indian friend might not even bother about the 1500 year old temple in the neighborhood.

Does India have the complete package?

Diversity
It has the world's richest, world's poorest and the third biggest middle class in the world. It has a large number of people living in the pre-historic era (in Andamans and various jungles in the mainland) and it has a large number of people living in the cutting edge of various technologies.

You will find people fighting wars at 6000m and the people incredibly peaceful in mind numbing poverty and oppression. Unlike China which went through homogenization in the Mao era, India has managed to retain most of the heterogenity. If you want to observe people, you can't find a better place.

Tribals of Andaman Nicobar Islands

A temple tower in South India
 

A study of contrasts
Our BMWs and Buggatis drive past immense filth and slums, we could get our degrees from MIT but still swear by arranged marriages, we could nod both yes and no, our traffic signals can sometimes show both red & green and we have learnt to live in immense ambiguity & contradiction that is not found anywhere else in the world. You can never understand the weight of the contrasts unless you visit an Indian city like Mumbai. You will be constantly challenged about your understanding of the world and yourself. 

History
It had among the oldest civilizations in the world. Given the importance in the ancient and medieval world, it had seen a series of conquests that had added immense color and history. It is incredibly open (see how India has absorbed ideas from various cultures) and at the same time incredibly closed. Some of the practices we follow are inherited from literature 4000+ years old. In fact, many still chant some of the hymns of Rig Veda (Purusha Suktha) whenever we visit a temple.

Agra fort at dusk

Faith and Religion
It has the largest diversity of religions, languages and races. Apart from being the birth place of 2 of the top 4 religions in the world, it has also given birth to Sikhism, Jainism and were among the handful of places that opened arms to persecuted religions such as Judaism, Zorastranism and Christianity (before 300 AD). Even within Hinduism, you will find 1000s of different variants and can easily get lost in its immense temples and literature. Thousands of years old temples, practices and writings can leave the history buff salivating.

 

Meenakshi temple at Madurai

Transportation
India is a massive country and unlike the top 6 largest countries of the world, its population and attractions are relatively spread around the country. That makes India bigger than its area indicates. The transportation options include rickety buses that costs a few cents to insanely luxurious trains like these:

Palace on the Wheels, a luxury train run by Indian railways

Food
We have an immense diversity of food that varies by state. Tamils have dosas & idlies, Telugus and Rajasthanis have hyper-spicy foods, Gujrathis have incredible thalis, Malayalis have coconut flavored dishes, Punjabis have super cool lassis & Bengalis have mouth water sweets. Even within the states, there are enormous diversities. For instance, the Iyer food of Tamil Nadu is quite distinct from the Chettinad or Madurai foods of Tamil Nadu. 

The Indian Thali (with an assortment of foods served in silver utensils)

Nature
It is the home of spectacular Himalayas, massive rivers and as a subcontinent has every type of landform (from the sands of Jaisalmer to the 8000m snow caps of Kashmir to deep tropical jungles to plains that feed 1 billion people). It is the only country to have natural habitats for Tiger and Lion. Along with Indonesia and Brazil, it is among the 3 most biodiverse nations of the world (3 of the world's 32 biodiversity hotspots are in India - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bio...) . Whether you are a hiker or nature enthusiast you can get your money's worth. 

Sand dunes of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan

Dal lake in Kashmir

Culture & Festivals
We celebrate about 300 festivals in a year - the most popular ones being Diwali, Holi and Dussehra. Apart from the national festivals, we have regional festivals such as Baisakhi (Punjab) or Thai Poosam (in Tamil Nadu) that are very colorful. We have 100s of dance forms and musical traditions. 

Festival of Holi that mark the onset of Spring

Evenings in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India (Uttarakhand) lighting the river Ganga with Indian lamps

Business
Last, but not the least, India is very important to most major corporations in the world. There is still huge potential to be tapped. India's middle class is 80% of America's, but its GDP is just over 1/10. Thus, there is massive upward room for the middle class to grow, without even accounting for the chunk of the poor to join the middle class in the coming years.

Summary:

1. Pristine beaches and water activities. Check. (Suggestions: South Goa, India (north Goa is over touristed), Gokarna, Uttar Kannada, Karnataka, India and Andaman and Nicobar Island, India)
2. Skiing and winter activities. Check. (Suggestions: Gulmarg in Kashmir, Auli in Uttaranchal and Manali in Himachal)
3. Spectacular architecture. Check. (Suggestions: Taj Mahal (Mughal architecture), Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, Chola temples of Thanjavur, Khajuraho, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Konark)
4. Understanding 5000 year ancient history. Check. (Suggestions: Lothal in Gujarat, Varanasi, Hampi, Sanchi, Sarnath).
5. Hiking/trekking in 5000-8500m. Check (Suggestions: Sikkim, Himachal, Uttarakhand and Ladakh)
6. Opulent palaces and forts. Check. (Suggestions: Jaipur, Mysore, Gwalior, Agra)
7. Majestic ancient paintings and art work. Check. (Suggestions: Ajantha and Ellora caves in Maharashtra)
8. Understanding religions. Check (suggestions: Hinduism - Rishikesh, Kanchipuram, Somnath in Gujarat, Puri. Sikhism - Amritsar, Buddhism - Bodh Gaya, Dharmashala, Rumtek in Sikkim and Lumbini -- actually in Nepal, few miles from Indian border, Jainism - Mount Abu and Islam - Ajmer, Bahaii - Lotus Temple, Delhi)
9. Desert and massive sand dunes. Check. (Suggestion: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India)
10. Immense variety of Flora and Fauna. Check (Suggestions: Asiatic Lions: Gir forest, Indian Elephants - Mudumalai, Indian Rhinos - Kaziranga & Manas in Assam, Tiger - Corbett and Ranthambore, Birds - Bharatpur in Rajasthan).
11. Ultimate Relaxation. Check. (Suggestions: backwaters of Kerala, Udaipur in Rajasthan and Coorg in Karnataka). 

What does India not have?

Taj Mahal

Footnote:
The people who are complaining about the filth and public restrooms are on the money. Those are the things that India is really bad at and is the main reason that visitors are frightened away. So, when it comes to cleanliness expect for the worst.

The restrooms in the new malls and good restaurants are of good standards and try using them instead of public restrooms. Drink bottled water when you are outside and prepare to turn away from certain things. Always use A/C facilities  (in train bookings, hotel rooms, restaurants, buses) wherever possible. In India, A/C not just means climate controlled but also stands for cleaner and better amenities.

Info Bhai :

How many of you now feel like cancelling you trips abroad and visiting India first?


Stay Informed!

Balochistan wanted to be part of Republic of India!

Yes, this may seem far fetched to you, but Balochistan did want to be part of the Republic of India. 

To understand this better, lets rewind to 1947. Balochistan, then known as 'Khanate of Kalat' did offer to join India, but the then Indian Government refused the offer as the region is landlocked, hardly having any scope for a connection with the Indian mainland. 

PM Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Maulana Azad thought integrating Kalat was a bad idea just as integration of East Pakistan (Bangladesh) with Pakistan.

India immediately after Independence had a surge of refugees in the country during partition. More than 80% of the country was poor. Food was scarce and at that time, we did not have enough resources to feed our own people. Poverty was a huge problem and accessing Kalat would have aggravated this problem. 

Post 1947, Balochistan was a free country until 1948 when Pakistan finally invaded, occupied it and made it part of their country.

Info Bhai ka Gyaan :

India left Balochistan in the hands of Pakistan which has been committing several human rights violations in the region. It is therefore a moral duty of India to save and free Balochistan from Pakistan.