THE ART OF POLITICS.: February 2015

Saturday, 28 February 2015

This Is What It Would Be Like If The Indian Cricket Team Were Part Of A Classroom "Indian cricket Team In Class Room"

"Indian cricket Team In Class Room"

Ever wondered how our current Indian Cricket team line up would have been like if they were in school? Well, since the cricket World Cup fever is on and it keeps getting hotter with each passing day, someone on the internet asked “How would it have been if the current Indian Cricket Team World Cup 2015 squad would have been in the same batch of school students?” And the answers were damn hilarious. Check them out!

Presenting the Class of 2015:

1. MS Dhoni (Roll no. 7)

This Is What It Would Be Like If The Indian Cricket Team Were Part Of A Classroom

2. Virat Kohli (Roll no. 18)

3. Shikhar Dhawan (Roll no. 25)

4. Rohit Sharma (Roll no. 45)

5. Suresh Raina (Roll no. 3)

6. Ajinkya Rahane (Roll no. 27)

7. Ambati Rayudu (Roll no. 9)

8. Stuart Binny (Roll no. 84)

9. Umesh Yadav (Roll no. 73)

10. Mohit Sharma (Roll No.6)

11. Mohammed Shami (Roll No.11)

12. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Roll No.5)

13. Ravichndran Ashwin (Roll No.99)

14. Ravindra Jadeja (Roll No.8)

15. Axar Patel (Roll no. 10)

P.S. – Special mention!

Ishant Sharma (Roll No.1)

10 Reasons The Indian Youth Can Cheer #Budget2015

10 Reasons The Indian Youth Can Cheer Budget 2015.......!

Budget2015 has finally been delivered. One of the most keenly awaited budgets, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley seems to have walked the tightrope between expectations and delivery pretty well. We watched the entire Budget to give you the top 10 takeaways that the Indian youth can cheer about from #Budget2015.

Tax exemption limits raised

Reasons The Indian Youth Can Cheer #Budget2015

To enable the youth of the country to use more of their money, the tax limit has been raised to Rs 4.44 lakh after taking into account all the new deductions.

New IIMs and IITs are coming

The FM has announced new IIMs to be set up in Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh. A few existing educational institutions have also been marked for upgradation. For example, ISM Dhanbad will become an IIT.

Tech startup incubation program

The government has announced the proposal to setup SETU that will act as a techno-financial incubation program for emerging start-ups in the current budget.

Black money law

By ensuring on a new black money law that will give more teeth to agencies to tackle the issue, one can expect that prices of artificial goods will come down in the days to come.

Push for education

The FM has announced upgradation of 80000 secondary states in the country. He also announced a new scheme called Nayi Manzil to enable youth to get employment even without having school leaving certificates. Academically weak students will also be given skill development after class XI.

Ease of doing business

Many policies in Budget 2015 are squarely aimed at avoiding tax confusion and making business easier for companies in the country. This will attract new businesses as well as make current companies more flexible with regards to their schemes for employees.

Make in India to generate new jobs

With Make In India becoming the FM’s preferred way of generating jobs, there are higher chances of finding new jobs within the country for the youth.

Safety for women

The addition of another Rs 1000 crore to the Nirbhaya fund is a definite sign of the government looking after women. This will translate into more women in the workplace it is hoped.

Push for medical insurance

The FM has proposed new AIIMS in Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Apart from this, medical insurance limits for individual tax payers has also been raised so that costly medical procedures become affordable for the common man.

The big picture

Jaitley said he was well aware of the pressure to deliver a good budget this year. He also said that India is poised to be the world’s largest economy and the country needs to take steps to achieve its goals. Finally, a FM who thinks about the big picture!

When Kejriwal wanted to quit as AAP convener

<a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/people/arvind-kejriwal/17736.html">Arvind Kejriwal</a>

AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had tendered his resignation as party's National Convener in the National Executive meeting held on Thursday, party sources said, a move which was vehemently opposed by members.

The sources said Kejriwal was upset after a section of leaders raised the issue of him playing dual role of the Delhi Chief Minister and the party convener. Kejriwal is believed to have demanded more freedom to run the party.

The meet was held on Thursday and an informal meet continued until on Friday.

"In the National Executive meeting, Kejriwal had offered to resign, having become the chief minister. He had also sent a note and also conveyed his decision over the phone. The move was vehemently opposed by everyone, including Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav. On the same night, NE members met Kejriwal and conveyed that they had rejected his proposal of quitting.

"A suggestion also came up to rejig the PAC, but a final decision will be taken by Arvind (Kejriwal)," said a senior party leader.

The party is also likely to rejig its all powerful Political Affairs Committee (PAC), amidst reports of friction between Kejriwal and senior party leader Yogendra Yadav.

A rejig in offing?

The rejig is likely to take place after the budget session of Delhi Legislative Assembly, which is slated to take place next week, but a final decision will be taken by Kejriwal in coming days.

The party sources said that after the rejig, specific responsibility will be given to the leaders and their roles will be defined.

All is not well within the party, the sources said, as differences have cropped up between senior party leaders especially over the candidate selection during the Delhi assembly election. Owing to this, Bhushan and Yadav were not attending the PAC.

The Delhi unit of AAP was unhappy about the opposition over the candidate selection process as it claimed that the party already had a strong filter to weed out candidates who don't meet the party standards.

AAP is not into such petty political games: Yogendra Yadav

Meanwhile, Yadav said no decision was taken to rejig the PAC. "As I said, there was a National Executive meeting, no such decision has taken place and about speculation, obviously I cannot respond. AAP is not into such petty political games that get played in other political parties.

"All the time I remember much bigger, which is millions, crores of people in this country have invested their hopes about changing the nature of politics in this small entity called aam aadmi party. We cannot play small, we have to respond to those hopes and we have to act to the best of our ability," Yadav said.

Following the NE meet, a three-member committee was constituted comprising party's national secretary Pankaj Gupta, Gopal Rai and Anand Kumar to talk to Kejriwal, Yadav and Bhushan and sort the issues.

Concerns were also raised about "leakages" by some leaders to the media, which was not good in taste for the party.

This is the not the first time that differences have cropped up between Yadav and Kejriwal. After the Lok Sabha debacle, Yadav had written a letter criticising Kejriwal of "falling prey to personality cult".

Thursday, 26 February 2015

Rail Budget 2015: No New Trains Announced By Suresh Prabhu

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in his first Rail Budget announced a record investment plan of over R

1 lakh crore in 2015-16 while sparing the passengers of a fare hike. The chartered accountant-turned politician also proposed a number of steps to increase passenger amenities. (Read the full speech)

Highlights of Mr Prabhu's Speech

No increase in passenger fares
No new trains announced
Tickets can be booked 120 days in advance instead of 60 days to tackle tout menace
Outlay for passenger amenities increased by 67%
Plan expenditure to go up to a record R
s.
1.1 lakh crore in 2015-16 from an estimated R
s.
61,500 crore in 2014-15.
Central government to outlay likely to at 41 per cent (R
s.
45,100 crore) in 2015-16
We will introduce train sets saving 20% of journey time, similar to bullet trains in design, and that can run on existing tracks
The speed passenger trains across nine corridors will be increased to 160-200 km from 110 km
SMS alert to be introduced for train timings
To introduce air-conditioned coaches for suburban trains
Wi-fi to be available at 400 railway stations
To revamp station redevelopment policy completely
To have bidding system for redevelopment of stations
To develop 10 satellite railway stations this year
800 km of gauge conversion will be commissioned
E-catering introduced in 108 trains, can order on IRCTC website
To expand water vending machines on more stations
On-board entertainment facility could be extended on Shatabdi trains
Mobile charging stations will be introduced general class coaches
More general class coaches will be added to select trains for benefit of the common man
Railways plans to spend over R
s.
8 lakh crore over five years
Pension funds, multi-lateral banks have evinced interest in Railways
Proposed the best operating ratio in nine years, of 88.5 per cent for 2015-16
Railways to go through transformation in five years; to increase track capacity by 10 per cent to 1.38 lakh km
Feasibility report of high speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad expected by mid-2015
Wagon-making scheme to be reviewed to make it easier for private investment
To improve cleanliness & design of bed linen
All India 24x7 grievances helpline 138 to start soon
7,000 more toilets to be replaced by Bio-Toilets, New toilets at 650 stations, more vaccum toilets
Passenger travelling unreserved can procure a ticket within 5 minutes
Mobile application to address complaints of people is also being developed
Introduction of integrated ticketing will be done
Hand-held devices for ticket checkers for moving towards paperless ticketing
Centrally managed railway display network in over 2000 stations in next 2 years
Railways will play a big role in socio-economic development of the country
Railways carry a big burden of expectations
Investments in railways will have multiplier effect
Railways facilities have not improved significantly over last few years
The cycle of under-investment should end
Railways has to regain in share in freight traffic
Railways aims to deliver a sustainable improvement in customer experience and make rail a safer means of travel
Objective is to make Railways self-sustainable
Rail-cum-road ticket to be extended to many stations
We are committed to provide rail connectivity to North Eastern states
Transport Logistic Corporation of India to be set up to aid expanding freight handling capacity and provide end-to-end logistic solutions
PPP model will help to augment resources and generate more employment
6608 kms of track to be electrified
Projects worth R
s.
96,182 crore to expand capacity of 9,420 km rail lines
CCTVs to be introduced in select trains and suburban trains for women safety
Train Protection Warning System, Train Collision Avoidance System
Projects for rail connectivity to many ports and mines
To monetise assets rather than sell them
To set up full-fledged Railway University in FY16
R
s.
2000 crore for Coastal Connectivity Program; R
s.
2500 crore through BOT/Annuity route
Drawing up comprehensive policy to tap latent advertising potential
Online application for all recruitment process
To impart soft skills to our staff we intend to impart regular training
917 safety work projects to eliminate over 3,000 unmanned crossings in all states
PPP cell to be revamped to make it result oriented
Railways can't function as business as usual mode
To set up infra fund, JV with IRFC for long-term funding

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Arvind Kejriwal freebies to cost Delhi Rs.1,700 crore more.

Twelve days after assuming power in Delhi, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Wednesday brought out from its bag of promised goodies the first gifts: Free water and half the power bill for poorer households.

The government will provide 20,000 litres of free water per household with meter and the 50 per cent power tariff cut is applicable for consumption up to 400 units a month. But a pertinent worry is how it will manage the extra annual outflow of close to Rs.1,700 crore.

Economic experts feel the populist decisions will hasten the exchequer bleed dry and that it is a simple case of bad economics, especially when the city-state is already coping with a yawning deficit.

DJB tankerThe government has announced 20,000 litres of free water per household with meter.

The fact remains that Delhi's fiscal deficit in 2012-13, according to then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit herself, was Rs.2,921 crore. Though she claimed in that budget speech that the deficit would be narrowed down to Rs.1,268 crore in the next fisc, the budget estimates for 2013-14 showed it to be much higher at Rs.2060 crore.

There's no clarity on the 2014-15 fiscal deficit since the budget was not presented after Kejriwal succeeded Dikshit as the Chief Minister, and then bowed out after 49 days. Delhi's budget for 2014-15 was Rs.36,776 crore, as announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech in July last year.

Going by the trend, the latest decisions imply that the AAP government may find it hard to continue with the subsidies of Rs.1,427 crore on electricity and Rs.250 crore on water.

Consumption of electricityA 50 per cent power tariff cut has also been announced for consumption up to 400 units a month.

"We will make provisions for it (subsidies) in the budget," is all Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia committed. Maintaining that the power situation will improve once CAG audits the discoms, he said: "We will review the subsidy scheme after seeing CAG's report on the discoms' financial health."

The decisions will come into effect on March 1 and benefit over 36.06 lakh families (around 90 per cent population) in the Capital, Sisodia claimed after a cabinet meeting that was chaired by Kejriwal. "The relief in electricity bills will continue even if the power regulator hikes the tariff," he added.

But there's a rider too: If the monthly consumption crosses 400 units, the consumer has to pay full charges from zero base. Similarly, water supply will be charged if the consumption exceeds 20,000 litres a month. There are about 21 lakh water consumers in Delhi, of which nearly 18 lakh have a metered connection.

Many critics have said giving out free water will encourage wastefulness in a country where water is already in short supply.

"We are trying to cover more people by installing water pipelines and meters. The scheme will also cover group housing societies. Sewer charges will also be withdrawn," Sisodia said. "None of the previous administrations made any effort to give cheap, affordable power and water to the people of Delhi. We do not make false promisesâ€¦we are doing it just as promised," he added.

After the decisions were announced, Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi: "We have delivered on our promises. Electricity at half price and free water. We will fulfil other promises, just keep supporting us."

The populist decisions are the first since Kejriwal won power and fulfil the pledges he had made during the election campaign to help millions of the poorer families make ends meet. Cutting power tariff and providing free water were among the major election promises of AAP, which won a whopping 67 of the 70 seats in the House.

The city has seen a series of hike in power rates in the past few years.

The tariff was hiked by 22 per cent in 2011, followed by 5 per cent hike in February 2012. It again rose by up to 2 per cent in May 2012 and again by 26 per cent for domestic consumers in July 2012. It was hiked by up to 3 per cent in February 2013 and by 5 per cent in August last year. It was again enhanced up to 7 per cent in November 2014.

3 Mistakes Of Arvind Kejriwal’s Political Life

The problem of a love-child born of street protests and anti-system demonstrations is excessive noise. Aam Aadmi Party and their leader Arvind Kejriwal, born after system apathy and growing corruption had caught popular imagination, has stayed true to the template by drawing attention to itself through rhetoric, reason and rising noise against the system. The party, though, seems to be in a mood for hara-kiri. Suffice to say that with the drubbing in the national elections, Kejriwal's stint in jail could have been entirely avoided. Here are the three mistakes of Kejriwal's life that should not have happened.

Leaving Delhi And Being Labelled Bhagoda

Mistakes Of Arvind Kejriwals Political Life

When people repose faith in you, you go out and serve them, not dump them. Lesson 101 of politics was lost on the entire party that decided to quit Delhi government on an issue of moral principle. Kejriwal forgot that politics is as much about bargaining for the best as it is about governing with a firm hand. In turn, AAP's credibility went south and the party could not do anything to stop itself from self-destructing in the elections that followed.

Challenging Narendra Modi In Varanasi

Everybody loves a good underdog story but Arvind Kejriwal was no match for the Modi wave sweeping the country. Contesting against him in Varanasi made no sense as the party was hardly known outside Delhi and Punjab, where it had a following. While the media duly covered the battle between the two, people on the ground never really got a sense of Kejriwal as the party was fighting the elections on very thin resources that was organised at double-quick time across the country. Where Modi relied on Amit Shah to prepare Uttar Pradesh and Varanasi to be delivered to him, Kejriwal simply lacked the charm and drawing power of his competitor. His loss means that AAP will need to rework on its strategy and put up a brave face after facing a humiliating defeat.

Not Obeying The Law And Going To Tihar

Lastly, over the last couple of days, Kejriwal has demonstrated that his street movement is still very much the DNA of his party. This is a wrong message to send to potential voters and supporters. A movement can be born on the ground but when people power it to Parliamentand State Assemblies, it does not befit politicians to rake the mud on trivial issues as giving up a bail bond of Rs 10,000, Worse, Kejriwal's actions suggest that he does not believe in the law as this was a court-related matter, not a political scandal. This is absolutely unacceptable and Kejriwal must learn that taking law and order in your hands is not the right way to win votes.

Kejriwal's cause in noble and his intentions correct but there needs to be a method to the madness instead of just madness. We hope somebody at the party hears us out and begins to act maturely from here on.

6 Wacky Hairdos In The World Cup And Funniest Twitter Reactions To It

The World Cup is not only a big stage for players to perform and compete with the best on the field, but also about their fashion appeal off it. And since the advent of IPL and other themed leagues, the style quotient and glamour in the game has increased many folds. Sometimes the hairstyle is about intimidation tactics, sometimes it says a lot about a player’s personality and grooming and sometimes it’s just pure art. So, here’s a look at some of the wackiest hairstyles in this edition of the world cup and some of the funniest reactions to it on twitter.

1. Virat Kohli

Wacky Hairdos In The World Cup And Funniest Reactions To It On Twitter

The comparison with Kim Jong-Un was a little far-fetched...

Virat Kohli and Kim Jong-un are sporting the same haircut. Who wears it better? :ppic.twitter.com/CbDsDI4p4x
— Aditi (@Bacardidevi) February 20, 2015

And his association with Anushka also made a mark...

Got the reason for @imvkohli 's military hairstyle😉😉 his father-in-law was an army officer😉@anushkasharma #CWC15 pic.twitter.com/mlGRMqC7JI
— Murugesh Krishna (@Murugeh) February 21, 2015

2. Shikhar Dhawan

This description of the haircut is pretty darn accurate...

Shikhar Dhawan's haircut is like the Southern India, with Sri Lanka at the bottom.
— IronAman (@HashtagAman) February 15, 2015

3. Andre Russell

People were tough on this one though...

'What can't Andre Russell do'..? Get a decent haircut it would seem. #CWC15 #PAKvWI
— DuckiusNuttius (@MattiusBackius) February 21, 2015

And here too:

@Russell12A is man of the match for his quickfire 42 and 3 wkts & not for that haircut.
— ByTheMin Cricket (@ByTheMinCricket) February 21, 2015

Till someone made some sense of it…albeit, in a fun way!

"😅😅😅@AssVegas: I really hate that André Russell is building a career in cricket with that haircut."
— Yandisa (@Bhebheza_) February 21, 2015

4. Dale Steyn

This is too much effort Dale! Seriously!!

70% of Dale Steyn's pre-match preparation for this match seems to have been about having an aerodynamic haircut.
— TweetingEnthusiast (@BoyInWilderness) February 22, 2015

*Chuckles*

Dale Steyn's haircut resembles a undernourished wolverine #IndvsSA #WorldCup2015
— Kshitij Bhatnagar (@saggiboy) February 22, 2015

Get over it already!

I thought that I had seen @DaleSteyn62's haircut before and then I remembered this. #SAvWI pic.twitter.com/02AV1FjsMu
— justin smyth (@justinsmyth1) January 16, 2015

5. Wayne Parnell

This one hit the right spot it seems! Ouch!

@DJFreshSA Wayne Parnell's bowling figures are as expensive as his hairstyle.
— Sfiso Mkhwanazi (@HonorableMemba) February 23, 2015

Brought to you by…you guessed it right!

wayne parnell's hairstyle is brought to you by dr batra's
— cranko (@ElCrankoPunko) February 22, 2015

6. Chris Gayle

All hail the Rastafarian King!

Chris Gayle's wagon wheel and Lasith Malinga's hairstyle #sameguy pic.twitter.com/VwidSuh6N4
— Ottawa Narayana (@Vijaynarain) February 24, 2015

10 Possible Explanations To #WhereIsRahul That Might Solve The Mystery

The internet will never cease to take Rahul Gandhi's case - not even if he one day manages to become the Prime Minister of India. Well, that might be a distant reality - but for now, his case is once again being taken after he took a leave of absence just ahead of the Budget Session and news channels started questioning his move. It was not soon before internet trolls started raising their heads poking fun at the Congress scion for his disappearing act.

As social networking sites ask #WhereIsRahul, here are 10 possible explanations to the ensuing drama that might be worth pondering over.

1. He must be holed up in his room, watching Chhota Bheem and Doraemon episodes back to back. Everybody needs a break, and we totally understand if you do too, Rahul.

2. Like Twitter user @oye_gujju says, he must be at Pattaya Beach right now, waiting for the next Gandhi wave. Because this party has had enough of the Modi wave for the next 20 years.

©BCCL

3. Given the nationwide concern regarding his intelligence (or the disconcerting lack of it), Rahul baba might just have gone off the grid to take up high-intensity coaching classes to sharpen those grey cells.

4. Rahul might even be busy hanging out with another famous Indian personality with whom he shares a similar IQ - Alia Bhatt. Those two are probably hitting it off quite well, on way to becoming BFFs, talking about the letters of the alphabet or the 6th multiplication table.

5. Another guess about Rahul's whereabouts could take us to the 'grassy' wonderlands of Kasol, where the Congress scion might be checking out some high quality herb and basically pondering on the question of life - and why he had to end up with a sucky one.

6. Aliens might have abducted Rahul to study the human specimen. If that is true, please don't judge us all by him, faraway extraterrestrials!

7. Like Faking News reported, Rahul baba might just have been a little too influenced by 'Into The Wild' - and gone off the grid after watching the travel biopic. Mama Sonia is going to be so pissed.

8. Another possibility of where Rahul could be is that he has finally decided to let go of his responsibilities and power and everything else, and has gone incognito somewhere in the bowels of rural India as an aam aadmi. You will never find him, Congress, if he does not want to be found.

©BCCL

9. Or maybe we are quite over-thinking it, guys. If you want to find Rahul baba, you have to think like him. He is probably playing hide-and-seek with us right now - and enjoying all the attention being paid to him right now, something that he was kind of missing while being around.

©BCCL

10. Wherever he is vacationing, we are sure he is having a nice, long, deserved sleep.God knows the poor chap never got the rest he needed when he was working his ass off at the Parliament.

Note: This article is a piece of satire, meant to be read purely for entertainment - and does not reflect the opinions of either the website or the writer.