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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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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Asus 6z review: Design, motorised flip camera, easy OS steal the show

The Asus 6z, globally known as the Zenfone 6, is a midrange offering from Taiwanese electronics maker Asus. The phone stands true to its tagline ‘defy ordinary’, at least in terms of design. Like most current-generation midrange smartphones, the phone boasts an obstruction-free front profile. However, it is not the display but its motorised flip-camera module accommodating the phone’s dual-camera set-up that adds novelty to the overall design language and makes it look different from others.

Besides boasting a unique design, the phone also has a segment-first 5,000 mAh battery with 18W fast-charge support. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip (SoC), the phone is a power-packed performer in its segment. Let’s take a look at how the phone fares on key parameters:

Design

The Asus 6z is big, heavy and bulky, yet it does not feel out of proportion. Though it has a regular glass-metal sandwich design with Gorilla Glass on the front and back, its flip-camera module adds to the aesthetics. The phone’s overall design resembles the ROG phone, albeit without the flashy elements like exhaust vents and LED insignia.

The phone’s front looks similar to most current-generation midrange phones with an obstruction-free profile. Its screen covers the entire front, leaving negligible bezels on the top and sides, and a moderate one at the bottom. The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 6 for protection from accidental drops and scratches. The screen does not have a notch or punch-hole; the front-side hardware – earpiece, notifications LED and sensors – are all accommodated below the thin bezel area at the top.

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PM Narendra Modi starts pre-Budget meets to brainstorm on economy

In the run-up to the Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lined up a string of meetings spread across days. He began the exercise on Tuesday with a meeting of top bureaucrats in finance and other key ministries to finalise the government’s priorities. The focus is clearly on reviving the economy and creating jobs, officials in the know said.

Next, the PM will interact with economists, bankers and sectoral experts through the week to brainstorm on pressing issues such as agriculture, reforms and effective implementation of signature schemes and projects.

Tuesday’s meeting at the PM’s residence, attended by all the five secretaries in the finance ministry besides top officials of other economic ministries and NITI Aayog, cleared a five-year vision plan for the government to make India a $5-trillion economy by 2024, it is learnt. Also, the future course of PM’s pet projects like doubling farmers’ income, PM-Kisan, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, piped water for all, and electricity for all came up for discussion.

The focal point of the interaction was drawing a road map for reforms across departments leading up to the ease of doing business and economic growth. GDP growth, which has been a controversial issue recently due to doubts raised over government data, was discussed too. Stepping up government revenues while carrying out reform to push GDP growth, which slipped to a five-year low of 6.8 per cent in 2018-19, also figured in the meeting, sources said.

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50 yrs of Moon landing: Let’s not forget, or forsake, the lessons of past

“How about that package out of your sleeve? Get that?” is certainly not the most famous phrase uttered by a human while on the Moon. And the items nestled in a small packet that astronaut Buzz Aldrin had stowed in the pocket just below the shoulder of his extravehicular mobility unit were certainly not mission critical. They were sentimental objects, intended to be left on the Moon purely for symbolic and commemorative purposes.

Apollo 15 astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin left a commemorative plaque on the Moon in memory of 14 NASA astronauts and USSR cosmonauts. The tiny, man-like object represents the figure of a fallen astronaut/cosmonaut. NASAMore than one hundred sites

You may be surprised to learn that a partial catalog of human-made objects on the Moon fills more than 20 single-spaced pages. There are more than a hundred sites on the Moon with evidence of human activity. The sites contain materials from the European Space Agency, Japan, India, Russia, China and the United States. Not only do these sites contain ongoing experiments, they hold invaluable data. For example, engineers are hoping to examine these materials to determine how they have fared after continuous exposure to the elevated radiation levels on the Moon. Along with scientific equipment, robotic landers and other objects left behind to lighten the load for the return home, there are a number of memorial and tributary items.

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