Swift, Alto, six other Maruti models among top 10 best selling PVs in May

The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki Indiahad eight of its models in SIAM’s ten best-selling passenger vehicles list in May, even as the overall automobile market witnessed a sharp decline.

The company’s popular hatchback Swift was the best-selling model last month clocking 17,039 units, up from fourth spot in the same month last year when it sold 19,208 units, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Coming in second was entry level model Alto with sale of 16,394 units as against 21,890 units in year-ago month, retaining the same spot.

MSI’s compact sedan Dzire sold 16,196 units last month, occupying third position, down from the top spot in the same month last year when it clocked 24,365 units.

Premium hatchback Baleno sold 15,176 units to be at fourth position, down from third in May last year when it registered 19,398 units. The new WagonR sold 14,561 units retaining the fifth position held by the old WagonR last May with 15,974 units.

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Budget 2019: Homebuyers seek Rs 10,000-cr fund to complete stalled projects

The government in the upcoming budget should create a Rs 10,000-crore fund to complete stalled real estate projects across the country and provide relief to over 500,000 people who have booked properties, according to home buyers’ body FPCE. Budget2019

In its budget recommendation to the finance minister, Forum For People’s Collective Efforts (FPCE), earlier knows as Fight for RERA, also demanded that home buyers should be categorised as primary secured creditors.

“You are aware there are over five lakh home buyers whose hard earned life savings are stuck in different real estate projects across the country due to indefinite delay and fund diversion by builders,” FPCE President Abhay Upadhyay said and pitched for the creation of a stress fund to end the mental and financial stress of these home buyers.

The memorandum further noted that “despite RERA (realty law), most of the ongoing projects have not been completed. It is time now to end this problem by creating a stress fund’ to the tune of at least Rs 10,000 crore to complete stuck real estate projects on pan India basis.”

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The obesity rate is dropping among US preschoolers, study suggests

Preschoolers, who are receiving government food aid, are reaching healthier body mass index and contributing to a steady decline in obesityrates, recent findings suggest.

As part of a recent U.S. study, the researchers noted that according to a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates dropped to about 14 per cent in 2016 (down from 16 per cent in 2010).

The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reported. The findings of the study come as a welcome result for the health experts, following an upward trend of obesity in young children during 2000 and 2010.

According to the team of researchers, all racial and ethnic groups recorded a noteworthy decline in obesity. “It gives us more hope that this is a real change,” said Heidi Blanck, head of the obesity prevention division at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

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Govt may raise income-tax threshold in Budget to revive economy

The Centre is considering increasing the personal income taxthreshold in next month’s budget, according to people familiar with the matter, as authorities seek to kickstart consumption in the economy.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman may raise the tax exemption limit for working-age individuals to Rs 300,000 ($4,316) of their annual income, up from the current Rs 250,000, the people said, asking not to be identified as they aren’t authorised to speak publicly about the proposals. The tax measures haven’t been finalised yet. Any tax exemptions will add stimulus to an economy that’s slowed sharply this year, with growth reaching a five-year low of 5.8 per cent in the first three months of the year.

The proposed tax move would put at least Rs 2,500 more in the hands of each of India’s 50 million taxpayers. It could also add to pressure on the budget deficit, which is pegged at 3.4 per cent of gross domestic product for the current fiscal year that began on April 1.

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Like mother, like daughter: Arjun Kapoor’s tribute to his ladies

Move over the saying ‘like father, like son’, as actor Arjun Kapoor has penned a new expression in admiration of his mother and sister.

The ‘Gunday’ actor shared a picture-perfect collage of sister Anshula Kapoor and mother Mona Shourie Kapoor where the two look almost identical in strikingly similar Indian attires.

Modifying the famous saying, ‘like father, like son,’ Arjun captioned the monochrome image, “Forget like father like son, its always like mother like daughter.”

This tribute to his ladies comes amidst his workout-picture-sharing-spree ahead of his upcoming film ‘Panipat.’ The ‘Ishaqzaade’ actor has never shied away from sharing his life on social media. Recently, the actor opened up about his battle with obesity and how he vowed to never give up in a series of tweets.

Ever since ‘Panipat’ was announced and Arjun was roped in to play the lead, he has been prepping hard, displaying unmatched energy.

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International Yoga day: PM Modi says yoga integral part of our culture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday performed Yoga with around 40,000 enthusiasts at the Prabhat Tara ground here and said everybody should practice the ancient Indian discipline lifelong.

The Jharkhand capital has been selected as the venue for the main event for the 5th International Day of Yoga.

Events to mark the day are being held across the country and several of them are being led by Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh.

Modi also said the government has been working to make Yoga a pillar of preventive healthcare.

Expressing concern that young people are becoming vulnerable to heart ailments, Modi said, “Yoga can play a huge role in tackling the issue and hence, this year’s theme is ‘Yoga for Heart’.”

He also appealed to the people to take yoga to all sections of society.

“We should make efforts to take yoga from cities to villages, tribal areas. Yoga is above region, above faith, above everything,” Modi told the gathering.

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Why 5G is the next headache for some of India’s richest businessmen

After racking up $59 billion of net debt to survive a brutal war in the world’s second-biggest phone-services market, some of India’s billionaires are bracing for more as their next battle looms: 5G.

India seeks to raise $84 billion this year from a sale of airwaves — most of it for the latest technology tipped to revolutionize connectivity — posing a conundrum for the carriers controlled by tycoons including Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s wealthiest man. Investment would mean more borrowings, but the reward could be revenue streams never seen before.

Operators may soon decide how much more pain they can endure for a high-speed wireless network that can offer better user experience in streaming, gaming and entertainment in a market where Netflix Inc. to Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more Inc. are making inroads. With applications ranging from manufacturing to education and health care, 5G could be the catalyst for India’s digital economy that has the potential to reach $1 trillion by 2025, according to a report by Deloitte.

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Know the Union Budget: What is a Finance Bill and why is it important?

When a piece of legislation is yet to be passed as a law by the Houses of Parliament, it is termed a Bill. A Finance Bill is a Bill that, as the name suggests, concerns the country’s finances — it could be about taxes, government expenditures, government borrowings, revenues, etc. Since the Union Budget deals with these things, it is passed as a Finance Bill.

Rule 219 of the Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha states: ‘Finance Bill’ means the Bill ordinarily introduced in each year to give effect to the financial proposals of the Government of India for the following financial year and includes a Bill to give effect to supplementary financial proposals for any period.

BUDGET 2019

There are different kinds of Finance Bills — the most important of them is the Money Bill. The Money Bill is concretely defined in Article 110. A Money Bill is certified by the Speaker as such — in other words, only those Financial Bills that carry the Speaker’s certification are Money Bills.

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You can soon track your stolen phone, govt set to roll out IMEI database

You will soon be able to track your stolen mobile phone as the government is all set to roll out a database of IMEIs, the 15-digit numbers that uniquely identify each mobile device.

With conmen gaining expertise in tampering with IMEI codes, purportedly through imported applications and IMEI crackers, the Telecom Ministry is all set to implement Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) which will comprise the database of IMEIs.

After the rollout of CEIR, telecom consumers, who have lost their phones, would be able to inform the Department of Telecom (DoT) through a helpline number after filing a police report. Following this, the DoT will blacklist that particular IMEI number of the lost or stolen device by blocking that mobile device from accessing any cellular network in the future. Apart from this, CEIR will focus on facilitating ‘IMEI-based lawful interception’, says a report in the Indian Express.

According to TRAI data, India had 1.16 billion wireless subscribers as of March 2019. DoT had declared its plan to implement this project in July 2017 and a pilot was conducted in Maharashtra, reported the Indian Express.

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12 documents you need to file your income tax return this year

Income tax return (ITR) filing season has begun for FY 2018-19. Don’t wait for the last date to file your ITR i.e 31 July 2019, it is better to keep all the required documents up-to-date and handy. This will ensure a smooth sail when you file your returns.

Documents’ Checklist for ITR filing: Given below is a list of all the documents that may be required while filing ITR for the financial year (FY) 2018-19. Taxpayers can take a look at each of these pointers and keep them ready if they are applicable.

Form 16

Form 16 is a TDS certificate given by an employer. It provides the detailed break-up of the salary and the tax deducted on it. If the employer has deducted tax from the salary, it is mandatory to provide Form 16.The new format of form 16 is in sync with the ITR-1 and ITR-2 forms prescribed for the financial year 2018-19. Form 16 includes 2 parts—Part A and Part B. Part A has the details, such as the tax deducted from the salary by the employer, Permanent Account Number (PAN) of the employee, and PAN and TAN of the employer. Similarly, Part B consists of the information regarding salary break-up, such as exemption allowances and perquisites.

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