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old faces in new manmohan's team
10.24.06 (11:08 pm)   [edit]
 
DATE FOR FURNISHING IT RETURN AND FRINGE BENEFITS BY CORPORATE TAXPAYERS EXTENDED UPTO 30TH NOVEMBER
10.24.06 (10:56 pm)   [edit]
The due date for obtaining the tax audit report and furnishing the return of income and fringe benefits in the case of corporate taxpayers (other than those assessed in the State of Gujarat) has been extended to 30th November 2006 from 31st October 2006. The move follows representations from some sections of taxpayers and professionals that they may not be able to complete their work by 31st October. This is primarily because there were many holidays in October as a result of which some of them faced certain difficulties in adapting to the new format and the new procedure for filing e-returns. The due date for tax audit report and furnishing returns of income and fringe benefits in respect of taxpayers in the State of Gujarat has already been extended from 31st October 2006 to 31st December 2006.

The Government took an important initiative this year for furnishing returns of income and fringe benefits electronically. For this purpose, new forms of returns were designed to make them amenable to electronic filing. These forms are not to be accompanied by any attachment/ annexure. Since the corporate sector is best organized in terms of availability of information systems infrastructure, it was decided to make it compulsory for corporate taxpayers to furnish their returns electronically. This was done to take forward process of computerization in the Income Tax Department and to render better service to taxpayers. One of the key elements of the Department’s strategy is to ensure progressive use of electronic information systems to streamline and speed up work to ensure faster refunds, give on-line access to taxpayers and facilitate e-payment. Taxpayers and the Department have to work together to bring about significant change in tax administration.

The response to this measure from corporate taxpayers and professionals in the field has been, by and large, positive, enthusiastic and encouraging. As on 24th October 2006, approximately 19000 companies have already filed the returns. These included companies like Hero Honda Motors Ltd., Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd., Morgan Stanley Investment Management Pvt. Ltd. and Haldiram Marketing Pvt. Ltd. A large number of small companies have also filed their returns electronically.

The Department has received many messages commending the new initiative and encouraging the Department to go forward along the same path. Several suggestions for improving the software have also been received and many of them have been accepted and integrated in the software.

It may be noted that no further extension will be granted beyond 30th November 2006.
 
A new pill that stops your period
10.24.06 (10:21 pm)   [edit]
If a new brand of birth control gets approved early next year, that time of the month could become the time of, like, the decade. Lybrel, a birth-control pill made by Wyeth, would be the first oral contraceptive to deliver an uninterrupted supply of hormones. Seventy percent of women who took it for six months were period-free, according to a preliminary study by the company. Wyeth isn't the first pharmaceutical company to reimagine the menstrual cycle. In 1992, the FDA approved Depo-Provera, an injection that is repeated every three months. In 2003, Seasonale rescheduled the monthly period to four times a year. And in July, the government gave the go-ahead for Implanon, an implant that delivers a steady hormone stream for up to three years. But the pill is the favorite means of birth control of the nearly quarter of American women of childbearing age who take hormonal contraceptives. That means Lybrel—and the other brands that will surely follow—could change the menstrual cycle as we know it. The appeal is obvious: No more bloating, cramping, food cravings, and PMS jokes, not to mention the savings in unpurchased tampons and such. But in the end, for reasons both medical and cultural, it's not clear that putting the kibosh on the curse is a good idea. Traditional pill packs contain a week of placebos for each monthly cycle, and, as a result, women who take them appear to menstruate. But it turns out that the bleeding serves no reproductive purpose. Since there's no egg to flush out, the bleeding is a symptom of withdrawal from progestin and estrogen, the hormones in the pill—in essence, it's a fake period. The inventors of the pill, which debuted in 1960, supposedly decided to mimic the menstrual cycle because they thought that would make women more psychologically comfortable with the product. Western women today are estimated to average about 400 menstrual cycles over the course of their lifetimes. Pregnancy and nursing halt periods for a time, of course. And for years physicians have informally advised women with painful periods to practice "menstrual suppression" by taking hormonal contraceptives continuously. Birth-control medications tend to lessen menstrual and premenstrual symptoms to begin with, and some studies show that fewer periods may mean even more relief. Now Lybrel is explicitly selling all of this, by prescription, at a drug store near you. Women can shut off their systems for law school, a trip around the world—even their entire 20s. Random spotting is common while using Lybrel, especially at the start. But in a study of another brand called Alesse, 90 percent of participants did not bleed at all after a year of use, according to Leslie Miller, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington. "We can manipulate menstruation," she says. Life without getting your period, though, would be life without one of the touchstones of the female experience: a sisterhood of shared empathy, tampons and chocolate, and laundry lessons passed from grandmother to granddaughter. Liberation from premenstrual emotional peaks and valleys sounds great, but we would also lose the surge of creativity and libido that comes with the urge to strangle your houseplants. Would movies be as poignant, or garlic mashed potatoes ever taste as good? In two different surveys of college women, Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, associate professor of psychology and women's studies at the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, found that women who were asked to name positive aspects of menstruation reported that it was a sign of health and fertility and that it helped connect them to other women and the rhythms of nature.* This may sound like an ode to the inner moon goddess, but it has relevance. Johnston-Robledo found that women who didn't like their periods were also more ashamed of their bodies. At the same time, there may be some medical arguments for suppressing one's period, at least for a limited period of time. Hormonal contraceptives are known to decrease the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers, so some doctors think a continual dose of the pill would further reduce those risks. No blood loss also means less anemia. And then there is the provocative argument of Brazilian gynecologist Elsimar Coutinho. In his 1999 book Is Menstruation Obsolete? (co-authored with Sheldon J. Segal), he writes that modern women experience "incessant ovulation," in contrast to our ancestors, who started menarche later and had many fewer periods because they gave birth and breastfed far more frequently. Women's bodies may not have evolved to handle so many periods and would appreciate a break, Coutinho thinks. But if modern menstruation isn't completely natural, by prehistoric standards, suppressing one's period by taking hormones is even less so. No one knows the health effects for menstruating women of long-term continuous exposure, especially the risks of blood clots and breast cancer and the effect on later fertility. The uncertainties are especially troubling for adolescents whose reproductive systems continue to develop after they start menstruating, explains Jerilynn Prior, director of the Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research in British Columbia. Nearly one in five teens uses a form of hormonal birth control. Given the unknowns, perhaps doctors should consider setting a minimum age requirement for Lybrel, or limiting how long women can stay on it. Nor is the pharmaceutical industry's track record on birth control exactly reassuring in weighing the risks and benefits. In 2002, the implant Norplant was pulled from the market after questions about its effectiveness and lawsuits by women claiming they were not adequately warned of side effects. In 2004, the FDA required that Depo-Provera include a label warning of risk to bone density. And last year, the FDA warned that the high levels of estrogen found in the Ortho-Evra patch increased the risk of blood clots after about a dozen young women died from clotting believed to be related to it. Maybe Lybrel will prove to be a dream drug with none of these problems; at the moment, we don't have the data to know. Periods, on the other hand, are time-tested. They tell you that you're not pregnant, and they're a sign that your body is working as it should. That's worth some fuss.
 
SITUATION REPORT ON DENGUE IN INDIA
10.08.06 (8:20 pm)   [edit]
A total number of 3407 cases and 46 deaths have been reported from India as a whole including Delhi till this morning i.e. October 8, 2006 (up to 10 AM).

 

 

 Situation report on Dengue in Delhi (up to 08.10.2006, 10 AM)

 

 

    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   A total number of 886 cases and 18 deaths have been reported from Delhi, NCR and other States.  Out of these, 538 cases have been reported from Delhi, while 348 cases from the NCR and other States. The 348 cases from outside Delhi includes 88 cases from Haryana, 189 cases from Uttar Pradesh, 12 cases from Rajasthan and 59 from others.

 

 

Situation report on Dengue in other States (up to 08.10.2006, 10 AM)

 

 

    & nbsp;   &n bsp;   Apart from Delhi, up to 08.10.2006, the maximum number of Dengue cases have been reported from Kerala (713), followed by Gujarat (424), Rajasthan (326), West Bengal (314), Tamil Nadu (306) and Maharashtra (226).  Cases have also been reported from Uttar Pradesh (79), Haryana (65), Karnataka(59) and Andhra Pradesh(9).

 

 
 
Dengue danger aggain in India
10.07.06 (10:11 pm)   [edit]
The Government has decided to educate and involve people to control dengue and chikungunya diseases in the country. Addressing a press conference here today, the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Shri P. K. Hota said that public health measures in the country have been intensified to take stock of the situation. He said that the government and the people have to work together and preventive care is most important to eradicate these diseases. Shri Hota urged the media to send the right message across so that every household would take necessary steps to prevent the outbreak of dengue and chikungunya diseases. The Secretary called upon the households to close down all the coolers and dry them. He said that the overhead tanks should also be examined and preventive measures should be taken to arrest the growth of mosquitoes. Shri Hota told the journalists that the Cabinet Secretariat in a meeting today reviewed the whole issue of public health in the country. He said all hospitals in the capital have been equipped to provide adequate care to the patients. The Secretary stated that the blood supply in the capital is adequate to go for blood transfusion wherever it is required. He said that the Indian Red Cross Society has been fully geared up to meet any situation. Shri Hota stated that the householders should take care of their houses inside and also the neighborhood to curtail the menace of mosquitoes that cause the disease. Shri Hota said that the situation in Delhi with regard to dengue is serious but not out of hand. He stated that in the last 7 days the dengue cases have gone up. The Secretary told the media that people are vulnerable as temperatures are still high. He said children are more vulnerable to the disease. Prof. (Dr.) S. P. Aggarwal, Secretary General, Indian Red Cross Society said that there is no shortage of blood. He said that all dengue patients do not require blood transfusion. Prof. Aggarwal said that the Red Cross Society has planned blood donation camps for the next two weeks. He stated that less than 5% dengue patients require blood transfusion. The Additional Director General, Health Services, Dr. Shiv Lal said that till now 3331 dengue cases and 45 deaths have been reported till 7th October, 2006 from 11 States and Union Territories. He said that Delhi has reported 825 cases and 18 deaths followed by Kerala (713 cases and 4 deaths), Gujarat (424 cases and 3 deaths), and Rajasthan (326 cases and 8 deaths). The Health and Family Welfare Secretary, Shri P. K. Hota has said 30 hospitals have been identified by the Centre, Delhi Government, NDMC and MCD where check up, diagnosis and treatment facilities are available at free of cost in the capital. He said that major hospitals have been geared up to provide additional indoor treatment for dengue patients. Shri Hota advised people not to use aspirin or ibufrin as treatment for dengue. On reported deaths because of chikungunya, the Union Health Secretary said that Indian Council of Medical Research has been asked to investigate the matter. He, however, said that chikungunya does not lead to mortality. The Union Health Ministry has convened a meeting of Health Ministers of 11 States on the 11th October, 2006 to take stock of dengue and chikungunya diseases
 
Private Funding for Mission Mars
10.04.06 (3:33 pm)   [edit]
NASA has set up its own venture capital fund to invest in businesses with technology that could help it on its mission to Mars. The agency is putting $75m (£40m) into Red Planet Capital, a new fund to look for innovative solutions to problems such as how to improve the efficiency of solar power for a space flight and how to preserve medicines for use in space. Graham Burnette, one of the Red Planet's three fund managers, said: "A manned mission to Mars presents problems that go far beyond what has been done before, even by going to the moon and back. For example, in the Apollo missions, the imperative with a sick crew member was to stabilize him and get him home, but that is not an option when a Mars mission could take a year or two years.” Two years ago, President George Bush told Nasa to plan a return to the moon by 2020 and to aim for a manned flight to Mars.Nasa's mission directors have so far identified eight problem areas, including communications, advanced materials and energy, and charged Red Planet with finding technologies for a new generation of spacesuits for recycling water, and for artificially intelligent robots.Mr. Burnette said: "It is a different approach to venture capital, looking across what is being developed in the commercial markets for things that could solve specific problems for the space program.” The aim is to find companies whose technologies could also represent significant breakthroughs on Earth, as well as in the heavens. For example, in man-machine systems, Red Capital says "a market exists for the development of lightweight, autonomous, innovative capabilities in all aspects of life, particularly in support of the elderly and handicapped, but also in many industrial and hazardous situations. Potential examples include exoskeletons for strength enhancement, autonomous capability for safety and greater range, multispectral vision enhancement, miniature sensors and retinal sensors.” The three fund managers - Mr. Burnette, Peter Banks and Jacques Vallee - have been working together since 1988. Before founding Red Capital, they had been responsible for the flotation of 17 companies on NASDAQ. NASA said its investment of $75m over five years will be accompanied by "strategic direction and technical input" to the fund, which began canvassing for business plans over the summer. Investee companies can expect funding of $3m-$5m, "with initial startup funding as low as $250,000, and indirect access to some of NASA’s expertise.” Red Capital will operate on a not-for-profit basis, with headquarters in Washington and Mountain View, California. Its managers say several initial investments are already under consideration, and a first deal could be signed in months.