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India’s acting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented on Monday interim spending plans for the 2009/10 fiscal year from April to July, a stopgap measure to take care of essential spending during and in the immediate aftermath of general elections. Polls are due by May.

Following are highlights from the budget. The entire text can be seen at indiabudget.nic.in. and finmin.nic.in

MAIN POINTS:

1. 2008/09 fiscal deficit seen at 6 percent of GDP, higher than initial plan of 2.5 pct.
2. Fiscal deficit seen at 5.5 pct of GDP in 2009/10.
3. Mukherjee says fiscal deficit situation is worrying.
4. Plan spending for 2009/10 may have to be increased substantially after elections.
5. There may be a need for additional measures in the post-poll budget.
6. There is a clear need for counter-cyclical policies.
7. There is a need to accelerate policy reforms, including in the financial sector.
8. Mukherjee says tax rates must fall in times of stress.
9. GDP growth seen at 7.1 pct in 08/09. Government assumes real GDP growth of 7 percent in 09/10, 8 percent in 2010/11 and 9 percent in 2011/12.

2009/10 FORECAST:

1. Revenue deficit seen at 4 pct of GDP in 2009/10. Government hopes to wipe out revenue deficit by 2010/11.
2. Total plan spending in 2009/10 seen at 9.53 trillion rupees.
3. Additional plan expenditure has to increase by 0.5-1 percent post-poll.
4. 2009/10 gross budgetary support 2.85 trillion rupees.
5. Gross market borrowing seen at 3.62 trillion rupees in 2009/10.
6. Net market borrowing for 09/10 seen at 3.09 trillion rupees.
7. Government expects to raise 11.2 bilion rupees from stake sales in 09/10.
8. 2009/10 profits, dividends from state-run companies seen at 369.85 billion rupees.
9. Major subsidy spending for 09/10 at 955 billion rupees.
10. Need to go back to fiscal targets once economy is revived.

TAX/EXCISE/DUTIES:

1. Substantial relief of about 400 billion rupees due to tax cuts in 2008/09.
2. New technology has enhanced tax compliance.
3. Total tax receipts seen at 6.71 trillion rupees in 09/10.
4. Corporate tax receipts estimated at 2.44 trillion rupees in 09/10.
5. Income tax receipts seen at 1.35 trillion rupees in 09/10.
6. Excise receipts in 09/10 seen at 1.11 trillion rupees.
7. Custom duty receipts estimated at 1.10 trillion rupees in 09/10.
8. Government assumes tax-to-GDP ratio at 11.1 percent in 09/10, while sees the same at 14.4 percent in 2010/11 and 15 percent in 2011/12.
9. Export interest subsidy extended for some sectors.

DEFENCE:

1. Defence spending for 2009/10 at 1.42 trillion rupees.

2008/09 DATA:

1. 2008/09 to end with revenue deficit of 4.4 percent of GDP.
2. 2008/09 revised estimate of spending 9.9 trillion rupees.
3. 2008/09 revised estimate of extra non-plan spending 1.1 trillion rupees.
4. 2008/09 revised estimate of tax collection 6.28 trillion rupees.
5. Apr-Nov FDI registered at $23.3 billion.

FARM:

1. 2008/09 farm outlook is encouraging.
2. Government to provide interest subsidy to farmers in 09/10.
3. Farm loan waiver has so far cost 653 billion rupees.

SOCIAL SECTORS:

1. Social security nets need to be strengthened.
2. Rural job schemes to get 301 billion rupees in 2009/10.
3. Rural health spending 120.7 billion rupees.
4. Midday meals scheme for schools to cost 80 billion rupees.
5. Urban renewal spending in 2009/10 at 118.4 billion rupees.
6. Rural sanitation spending seen at 12 billion rupees for next financial year. ($1=49 rupees) 

Popularity: 2% [?]

The American military will recruit skilled immigrants living in the United States with temporary status, offering them a chance to become US citizens in as little as six months, a newspaper report said on Sunday.

Knowledge of a foreign language such as Arabic, Pashto, Chinese, Hindi, Tamil and Nepalese is among the skills the military is looking for. Doctors and nurses are also needed.

The newspaper said that the immigrants, who are already permanent residents possessing green cards, have been eligible to enlist for a long time. But the new effort, the first one since the Vietnam war, will open the armed forces’ doors to immigrants if they have lived in the United States for a minimum of two years, according to military officials familiar with the plan.

About 8,000 permanent immigrants join the armed forces annually, the Pentagon said. About 29,000 foreign-born people currently serving are not American citizens.

Under the one-year pilot programme, the US Army will begin in New York City the recruitment process for about 550 temporary immigrants who speak one or more of 2,035 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi (Urdu), Igbo (a language spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil. Spanish speakers are not eligible.

The programme will include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. Recruitment will start after Department of Homeland Security updates an immigration rule in the coming days.

The Times said “the Pentagon officials expect that the lure of accelerated citizenship will be powerful. Under a statute invoked in 2002 by the Bush administration, immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months.”

For foreigners who come to work or study in the United States on temporary visas, the path to citizenship is uncertain and at best agonizingly long, often lasting more than a decade.

The military also waives naturalisation fees, which are at least $675. To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test.

Recruiters expect that temporary immigrants will have more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist, helping the military to fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.

“The American Army finds itself in a lot of different countries where cultural awareness is critical,” said Lt-Gen Benjamin C. Freakley, the top recruitment officer for the Army. “There will be some very talented folks in this group.”

The programme will be limited to 1,000 enlistees nationwide in its first year, most for the Army, the Times said. If this succeeds, the programme will be expanded. It could eventually provide as many as 14,000 volunteers a year, or about one in six recruits, the paper said.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Transcend introduced a StoreJetTM 25M in 500GB capacity in red color, which the company says will be a good choice for ‘someone special‘. The StoreJet 25M was released a few days back in capacities of 160GB, 320GB and 500GB. The red color edition is available only in 500GB capacity. Like other StoreJet models, it comes with SToreJet Elite software which features

1. Website Auto Login,
2. Mobile Favorites with No Trace Internet browsing,
3. Secret-Zip 256-bit AES file encryption,
4. Mobile E-mail,
5. Online Update,
6. Intelligent backup scheduling/security/file compression functions and
7. One touch backup function.

To protect against data loss or damage from accidental slips or falls, the StoreJet 25 mobile meets the U.S.military drop-test standards MIL-STD-810F with advanced two-stage anti-shock technology, literally making it one of the safest places to keep your data.

It is priced Rs.11000/- and comes with 2 years company warranty.

Popularity: 3% [?]

A good headset is a must for most computer users and even some console gamers.In may be with or without microphone. Razer is world’s leading brand in high-end computer gaming peripherals, and it has introduced its latest Barracuda HP-1 gaming headphones. Attention to microscopic details like using 99 per cent oxygen-free copper cable in the headphones dispenses amazing gaming audio signals and its 8 discrete audio drivers lend optimal audio without compromising the gamer’s comfort when using the headset.

The Barracuda headset is the typical cupped-style headset, with the headphones being heavily padded cups with an adjustable headstrap in between. The Razer Barracuda HP-1 headphone’s built-in microphone is designed specifically for in-game communications — featuring a short shaft for enhanced comfort and audio pickup — the microphone also features advanced noise cancellation capabilities ideal for furious in-game communication. Although the Razer Barracuda HP-1 may be used with all soundcards, using it with the Razer Barracuda AC-1 gaming soundcard is strongly recommended as it delivers the finest gaming audio experience. Razer’s gaming products can be found at specialised gaming counters and will cost around Rs 7,500.

The Razer Piranha gaming communicator, is yet another headset designed for gamers with true-to-life audio quality and a noise-filtering microphone. But they were not the best headphones we have experienced. The headphones had worked the best while gaming, but the sound was not as rich as we would like when listening to music or watching a movie. Admittedly, bass response was good without becoming overpowering. However, the Piranha is certainly better than the speakers integrated into most laptops. The quality of the voice communication was as good as can be expected from headphones worth Rs 4,000.

Genius HS-04UIf you don’t have a sound card or just don’t want to bother with the hassle of unplugging your speakers then your best option is a USB headset. The Genius HS-04U is a gamer-oriented USB headset with support for Dolby headphone, and though we like a lot of what it does, it’s not without its problems. For starters, it is not a fancy headset.

While the headset will just work without drivers, you won’t get any of the cool features unless you install the drivers. Once installed, users get nifty virtual 3D via Dolby headphone support. The Genius HS-04U also packs in surprises such as a sense of a wider soundscape and even a bit of 3D audio. Adjust the size of the virtual room, apply reverb effects to make it sound like an amphitheatre or bathroom, and tweak the tone with a 10-band graphic equaliser. There’s even a karaoke function. From playing games to using it for VoIP services, Genius HS-04U presents itself as an affordable option at just Rs 2,700.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Experts have warned that a virus that attacks the mobile phones in Russia and ‘steals money’ by sending unauthorised SMS texts to gain control over the bank account, could spread global.

The virus that had only previously been seen in Russia, has now been found on an Indonesian cellphone, a leading antivirus lab has informed.

“The unauthorised operating of mobile phone users’ accounts will gain momentum in future, and spread all across the world,” Denis Maslennikov, a virus analyst for the Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab was quoted as saying by ‘Russia Today’ TV.

The virus gains unauthorised control over the cell account and then sends an SMS to a service number, requesting a money transfer from the victims account.

The yet unnamed virus is a Trojan and takes control of the victim’s mobile account, and steals money from it.

Those at risk are phones which run the Symbian file system for mobile devises and have SMS money transfer enabled. As wireless phone and PDA networks become more numerous and complex, it has become increasingly difficult to secure them against viruses. Though a major mobile epidemic is still to come, a few viruses are already active.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Advanced Micro Devices added new Phenom II desktop models on Monday, including triple-core processors, as it tries to outdo Intel desktop price-performance.

The Phenom II “Dragon” line of desktop processors uses AMD’s new 45-nanometer technology and comprises both quad-core (X4) and triple-core (X3) parts.

The triple-core Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition processor is priced at $145, which AMD compares to Intel’s Core 2 Duo (dual-core) E8400 processor, priced at $165. The quad-core X4 810 processor (2.6GHz) is priced at $175 versus the Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor (2.33GHz), priced at $170.

The Phenom II processors fit in either AM2+ or AM3 sockets and support DDR2 or next generation DDR3 memory technology.

The new chips are also the first AM3 processors, which will be able to use faster DDR3 memory once compatible motherboards become available in the future.

The processors are available immediately and the Models available are:

1. AMD Phenom II X4 910 – (2.6GHz)
2. AMD Phenom II X4 810 – (2.6GHz)
3. AMD Phenom II X4 805 – (2.5GHz)
4. AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition – (2.8GHz)
5. AMD Phenom II X3 710 – (2.6GHz)

Popularity: 3% [?]

India’s leading hospital Apollo Hospitals is investing Rs 80 Crore to get CyberKnife for cancer treatment. The hospital has installed this facility in its Chennai hospital.

In India it is for the first time that any hospital is investing such a huge sum to get the best possible cancer treatment for its patients.

CyberKnife is a robot radiotherapy machine developed by scientists for treatment of cancer.
It has various advantages over traditional radiotherapy devices. In case of Cyberknife only three sittings of powerful radiations are required as compared to 20 sessions of low-dose radiations required in traditional treatment. The recovery time is also very less in this case.

For treatment of Tumors, Lesions and some other selected medical disorders Stereotactic radiosurgery uses very accurately targeted doses of radiation. CyberKnife is a new approach to stereotactic radiosurgery. This non-invasive, outpatient procedure destroys tumors without the risks and complications of traditional surgery. It can deliver radiation to tumors anywhere in the body. Standard radiosurgery techniques only treat brain tumors.

Cyberknife uses real time image guidance technology and computer-controlled robotics to deliver an extremely precise dose of radiation to targets, avoiding the surrounding healthy tissue and adjusting for patient and tumour movements during treatment.

With its high precision and accuracy, a CyberKnife procedure can provide surgery-like results, without surgery. It’s a painless outpatient procedure without the risk and complications associated with surgery. Inspired by the scalpel-free technique of Dr. Mccoy on Star Trek, CyberKnife combines advanced robotics and missle-guidance technology to pinpoint the position of tumors and deliver highly focused beams of radiation without damaging surrounding tissue. A computer program evaluates the unique shape and location of the tumor to decide the orientation of each of the 1,200 or more beams of radiation that will target the tumor. An x-ray source located on the CyberKnife’s robotic arm delivers concentrated beams of radiation to the tumor from multiple positions and angles. Each individual beam is not strong enough to damage healthy surrounding tissue. The beams are targeted to intersect at the tumor, where their combined strength is intense.

Addressing a press conference after setting up the first CyberKnife facility in Chennai, Dr Prathap C. Reddy, Executive Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group, said the company plans to set up two more robotic radio surgery systems in two cities but the locations are yet to be decided. This system is designed to treat tumours anywhere in the body with sub-millimetre accuracy.

Dr. Reddy said the company plans to set up two more robotic radio surgery systems in two cities but the locations are yet to be decided.

Apollo Hospitals that started as a 150 bed hospital in Chennai in 1983 has developed into a group today that includes over 7,500 beds across 43 hospitals in India and overseas, neighbourhood diagnostic clinics, extensive chain of Apollo Pharmacies, medical BPO and health insurance services, clinical research divisions that are working on the cutting edge of medical science.

Cost factor
When asked about the treatment cost, Dr Reddy said: “It would cost double the amount of the existing cancer treatment available. We should be able to limit at about Rs 5 lakh.” These services will be open for overseas patients as well, he said. Hitherto, cancer patients had to travel to the US for this treatment.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Tata Motors are going to launch its ambitious small car Nano,the cheapest car of world, on March 3, the day of birth anniversary of Tata Group founder, Jamsetji Tata.

Its first recipient may be a celebrity from business world, political class, film industry or social sector.

The booking for much awaited small car would start from the end of February, with an amount of around Rs 70,000. However, the official spokesperson of Tata Group declined to disclose any details and said, “We have not announced an official date or any marketing plans so far.”

Leading celebrities including President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Opposition Leader LK Advani may witness the roll of small car, a symbol of India’s expertise and efficiency in auto mobile sector.

The car Nano may also be presented to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the chief minister of West Bengal, for his unsuccessful efforts to woo the project for West Bengal in the midst of stiff opposition from opposition parties, especially, Trinamool Congress.

The car would be rolled out from company’s Pantnagar utility, in one standard and two other models at rupee Rs 1 lakh, Rs 1.24 lakh and Rs 1.34 lakh respectively.

Popularity: 2% [?]

MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) a state run company has become first on Thursday for commercially launcing 3G (third generatation) services for its customers. MTNL has named the services as MTNL 3G JADOO SERVICE

Under 3G service, a customer would be able to access

1. high-speed internet,
2. live TV and
3. movie downloads

on mobile phones, at a monthly rental of Rs599 and a call charge of 60 paise a minute.

Launching the service, MTNL’s Chairman and Managing Director R S P Sinha said

1. For accessing the MTNL 3G ‘Jadoo Service’ an user will have to pay a one time activation charge of Rs 500 and, thereafter, a monthly rental of Rs 599, besides usage charges with regards to voice calls and data downloads.
2. Under the normal 3G usage a customer’s bill would not be more than Rs 1,200 per month.
3. The voice call under the 3G service will cost 60 paise a minute within MTNL’s own network, while on other networks it will cost Rs 1 per minute. However, there are no other 3G network at the moment.
4. Video call, in which the subscribers will be able to see each other while talking, will cost Rs 1.80 per minute within MTNL’s own network and Rs 3 per minute for other networks.
5. The 3G data download services (non-voice) will also be available at Rs 149 per month and Rs 5 per MB user charges.

Mr. Sinha said MTNL has invested about Rs 500 crore to install the 3G network which has a capacity to accommodate two lakh subscribers.

The launch has been made possible after the allocation of 3G spectrum to the state owned telecom company by the department of telecommunication last year.

The company had earlier launched IPTV, VOIP and latest technology ADSL 2+ broadband services as first telecom operator.

3G services on a mobile phone will allow customers to access the Internet and data applications at speeds of up to 2 megabytes per second. Mobile users will have access to advanced services such as video calls, broadband wireless data, faster online video streaming and a better gaming experience. Currently all mobile services are provided over the second generation (2G) network. MTNL’s 3G services have been christened MTNL 3G Jadoo.

A government press release said “This service will enable customers to see their caller live on screen and customers can make overseas calls using VOIP technology at as low as Rs.3 per minute from mobile to more than 100 countries, including Europe, the US and Canada”

The service will initially be available in NDMC areas, which will be soon expanded to entire Delhi and NCR.

Mr. Sinha said the company is expecting to launch the 3G offer in Mumbai by the end of February. As far as the customer base is concerned, we have got a capacity of about 3.5 lakh in Delhi and Mumbai each.

The other major government owned company BSNL has also made preparations to launch its 3G services soon.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The launch of an ultra cheap laptop for just $10 in India may set the future of computer technology in a world grappling with depression.

This laptop is developed as part of a broader national plan to attract Indian colleges and schools toward growing IT trends, will bring the wonder of the PC to the children.

It is known as ‘Sakshat’. It is aimed to fill the gap between rich and poor by linking 18,000 colleges and 400 universities across India.

The laptop will have 2GB inbuilt memory and easy to use applications. It would give tough competition to rival PC makers like the One Laptop per Child’s XO machine and the Intel Classmate.

As of now, only few features are known like the Wi-Fi, LAN, expandable memory which we assume is the storage and not RAM and will operate with just 2 watt of power.

The laptop computer, is developed by the joint efforts of Vellore Institute of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras.  To be launched from Triputi in Andhra Pradesh, would be the latest in a series of initiatives to create low cost computing devices for Indians.

University students were engaged to help with the research, and the Indian government also gave several State bodies the brief to turn up with schemes for the low-cost high-use concept.

Many of the private firms were also given the agreement to make the notebooks after the design specifications were finalized.

Many governments throughout the world tried a similar low-priced computer scheme for their State-run education system, but India’s laptop is undoubtedly the most cost-effective so far.

Other countries have contracted the companies likes of Intel and Dell to supply the hardware, but the Indian government’s practical approach has kept prices down and made the programme more approachable to its vast school-going population.

The global recession has also hit badly the costlier roll-outs in other nations, as cut-backs have seen lots of such progressive plans falling victim to funding setbacks.

Some industry professionals are anticipating that the ‘$10 PC’ could be a hit further abroad than Asia in case the laptop plan turns our successful in India.

Popularity: 3% [?]