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Raja and his underwater romance

2009-07-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

Raja and his underwater romance

Multiplex hero Raja is currently busy with the shooting of his film ‘Inkosaari’ and has almost wrapped up his bit for “Jaganmohini”. The movie also stars voluptuous beauty Namitha in an important role.

According to sources, the movie has a scene where Raja and Namitha will be seen romancing in an underwater scene.

According to reports, the two got trained for the same and the training was said to be a special one which will assist the actors in performing the roles underwater. This definitely should be something different for the fans to watch.
Raja and his underwater romance

According to sources, the movie has a scene where Raja and Namitha will be seen romancing in an underwater scene.

I want Salman Khan in Jungle with me: Negar khan

2009-07-27T22:52:00.000-07:00

I want Salman Khan in Jungle with me: Negar khan

Remember Negar Khan (often mistaken with Gauhar Khan’s sister) the girl who dared to bare it all for the famous video “Chadhti jawani meri chaal mastani” and married Sahil Khan, the actor of film Excuse Me and Style.

Negar had one of the most controversial divorce and even more contentious exit when she was deported out of the country; she has now landed in the Malaysian jungle for Sony’s latest show Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao.

Apparently she was to make an entry much earlier but, due to no work permit had to drop out last minute! She has finally made it to the jungle amidst all the chaos and madness! So may be one will see her do an item number to cheer the group!

Here’s what she said “I am sure it is going to be a great learning experience for me, as I have never really been exposed to something as wild as living in the jungle. While it is exciting, it is also a huge challenge to survive. It is going to be a great learning for me and I am sure it will make me stronger.”

Quiz her about her fears and phobias and she says, “I am petrified of wild snakes and can’t bear the thought of being around them.

But from what I understand, we will be given tasks to perform for our daily ration, which will have its share of creepy-crawlies. Time to face my fears!” For company she would you want to have Salman Khan join her in the wilderness! And what about a truce with ex-husband Sahil Khan? Her response was “No comments!”

No actress is alike: Katrina

2009-07-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

No actress is alike: Katrina

Standing tall and beautiful, Katrina Kaif is a woman of substance, having erased her debut failure completely. She has carried off all her filmy characters with complete ease and essayed remarkable performances.

But she is not the one to bear misgivings hands down. She said, “I hate this media refrain that heroines in Bollywood are all the same. Priyanka, Asin and Vidya are my contemporaries. Can you imagine ‘Parineeta’ without Vidya? ‘Jab We Met’ without Kareena? Or for that matter ‘Fashion’ without Priyanka? They are all first grade in these films.” She is of the opinion that all the actresses in Bollywood have their own unqiue style. Kat dismisses her comparisons made to other top divas like Ash and Bebo. She even pooh-poohs to be called as “a modern day Madhubala”. She retorted, “I’m not amused at such comparisons because, honestly, I have no illusions of having reached somewhere with the body of work I have behind me. My journey has only just begun.”

Well, truly; the journey is long and offers will keep coming in. The actress has to keep up with the race. She revealed, “I’m going to be expected to raise the bar with each further release, and the thought is scary.”

Don’t worry Kat! We know you can do it!

Pravarakhyudu in South Africa from Aug 15

2009-07-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

Pravarakhyudu in South Africa from Aug 15

‘Pravarakhyudu’ directed by Madan and produced by Ganesh Indukuri under Tolly2Holly films banner is currently progressing its shooting at Hyderabad. Jagapathi Babu plays the title role and Priyamani is sharing the screen with him as his ladylove.

Producer Ganesh informed that they are going to shoot few songs and scenes in South Africa from August 15. He said that the movie would be released in December.

Sonu Sood as Michael Jackson!

2009-07-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

Sonu Sood as Michael Jackson!

‘Arundhati’ Sonu Sood is going great guns. It is learnt that he portrayed Michael Jackson in a song in Puri Jagannath’s film although he is playing mafia leader in the film. This song is from Jackson’s super hit ‘Thriller’ and was shot for five days in Bangkok and it is going to be a tribute to Late Michael Jackson. Sonu says, “The song reminded me of my childhood days – how I use to admire his music, buy the cassettes and practice his moonwalk moves.”

Rajini’s life as a documentary

2009-07-27T22:43:00.000-07:00

Rajini’s life as a documentary

Superstar Rajinikanth who is no less than a demigod to millions across the world has touched many hearts with his humility and simplicity than his glamour appeal.

Now, his life story is said to be made into a documentary by an engineering student Kevin Karthi and the shooting has already begun.

Apparently, the documentary is said to involve areas such as Rajini’s days as a bus conductor, his foray into movies, his success as a superstar and above all, the various charity activities that he is involved in.

The documentary was launched in Chennai at the Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam and Rajini is said to have suggested few changes to the script prepared by Kevin. This should be interesting.

Pawan to team with Trivikram again

2009-07-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

July 27th, 2009

Pawan to team with Trivikram again

Power star Pawan Kalyan who is currently busy with the wrapping up of his movie ‘Komaram Puli’ is likely to take off with a new venture and yet again, he will be teaming up with the talented and famous Trivikram Srinivas, as per sources.

Apparently, Pawan was due to work on a new project with the crazy director Puri Jagannadh but since Puri is said to be stuck with his other assignments, Pawan is keen on going ahead with Trivikram.

Both of them came up with the movie ‘Jalsa’ which was a moderate hit so they are said to be keen on scoring a blockbuster this time.

Papa’s girl ready to fly: Shruti

2009-07-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Papa’s girl ready to fly: Shruti

Kamal Haasan would now feel that his apple of eye, Shruti, has grown into a big girl. One movie old Shruti is very keen to be independent and create a niche for herself in the big world of Cinema. A singer, music composer and actress, Shruti has send ripples in the Bollywood and also in her Southern hometown.

Bollywood being her launch pad for acting, Shruti is planning to shift her base to Mumbai. Sources revealed, “Shruti has been looking out for an apartment for herself, she is all prepared to make it big on silver screen and it’s very difficult for this pretty lass to travel in and out.” One will wonder whether she is get accustomed to the city ways. But do you know that the young actress as already tasted the Mumbai ki havaa? Yes, Shruti had stayed in the city for a year, few years back and had experienced all the good and bad things about the happening place. “Now she is all prepared for the same and quite excited about it too. After Luck she has few good offers in her kitty and wants to concentrate on Bollywood. Of course, her passion for singing and music will always remain her priority,” the sources further added.

Looks like after Asin, this starlet is the next actress to hop in and out of North and South abodes.

Luck Movie Review, bollywood movie review

2009-07-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

The much awaiting bollywood movie LUCK has hit the screens on 24th July, Friday. Kamal haasan fans are tensely waiting for the this movie. Star cast of the movie are Imran Khan and Shruthi haasan in lead roles, included stars are sanjay dutt. here is the movie review of this much awaiting movie.

LUCK Bollywood Movie review:

Review

Come to think of it, Bollywood hasn't churned out stylised action movies as regularly as it churns out comedies and rom-coms. There's a vacuum for sure. But 'Luck' fills that lacuna. Be rest assured, you haven't watched such thrills since 'Dhoom 2'.

'Luck' is more of a hi-concept film. Three decades ago, Krishna Shah's 'Shalimar' narrated the adventures of a billionaire who assembles/invites criminals/gangsters from across the globe to perform the heist of a precious diamond that he possesses. The concept isn't similar here, but in this case too, a gambler assembles people from across the globe for a concept called human betting.

'Luck' may not be high on story, but the concept and at least four stylised thrilling sequences make a big difference.

'Luck' may have loads of thrills, but director Soham Shah ensures that the grand canvas and stylised thrills appeal to every strata of movie-going audience. Only thing, had screenplay writers Soham Shah and Rensil D'Silva worked doubly hard to come up with a watertight script, it would've only worked wonders.

Prakash Raj's marriage with Sobha Rani!

2009-07-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

A cloud of dust has gathered over mercurial actor Prakash Raj’s marriage with firebrand Shobharani, the Mahila Rajyam chief. Grapevine has it that the two tied the knot in Chennai though PRP sources refuse to confirm the high profile wedding. After much acrimony, Prakash had recently divorced his wife and the timing was just perfect. But you may be wondering how in the world the two ended up in wedlock. Well, insiders aver that by virtue of being a censor board member, Shobharani had known the hot-shot actor and that she had even distributed a couple of his flicks which bombed at the BO. Rumours were also rife that Shobharani herself has generated the smoke by selective leaks to a section of the media. Whatever it may be, the bounce in her steps during Bonalu procession at Lal Darwaza where she did an impromptu jig caught everyone’s imagination.

Siddhartha's Misbehavior With Shamili

2009-07-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

It is without doubt that the southern stud Siddhartha is a good performer on the screen but off it, he has often been labeled as a guy with attitude and a tinge of arrogance as per the industry members. This time, he has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Unit members of his recent release ‘Oy’ revealed that Siddhartha had actually tried to get fresh with the heroine Shamili which caused quite a tension. Since then, Shamili is said to have kept him at a distance and it is also said that she refused to do those one or two intimate scenes in the film. The few intimate scenes those were seen in Oy were shot before Sid’s initiation to go close to Shamili it seems. Once she decided to keep him away, she didn’t agree to act even in a hug scene with him.

Due to this, many say that the romance flavor didn’t work in the film and the result is known. The industry folks say that it is about time Sidz mends his ways if this is true else all his name and success that he has achieved so far would go down the drain. Already he got a dark mark in Bollywood with his alleged affair with Soha Ali Khan.

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2009-07-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-22T10:15:00.001-07:00

Prabhudeva plans to take Nayanthara to Bollywood

2009-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Chennai (IANS): After Asin Thottumkal and Trisha Krishnan, Nayanthara is set to enter Bollywood as Prabhudeva is planning to make a Hindi film with her in the lead.

Prabhudeva, who is currently directing Salman Khan starrer "Wanted: Dead or Alive", a Hindi remake of his Tamil blockbuster "Pokkiri", is said to be dating Nayanthara. And he plans to launch her in Hindi films with his next directorial venture, said sources.

The film will go on floors once the choreographer-turned-actor-turned-director completes the Salman starrer as well as director Thangar Bachan's "Kalavadia Pozhudhugal", in which he is playing the protagonist.

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2009-07-22T04:04:00.000-07:00

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FUN IN THE CHURCH

2009-07-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Swetha basu prasad hottest wallpapers

2009-07-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Jr NTR to play his grandfather’s role?

2009-07-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

July 21st, 2009

Jr NTR to play his grandfather’s role?

Young tiger Junior NTR has been ruling Tollywood with many hits to his credit. However he is currently busy with the shooting of his movie tentatively titled ‘Adurs’ along with V V Vinayak.

Sources reveal that he is in touch with popular director Dasari Narayana Rao. The buzz is that the two have discussed the chances of re-making one of NTR’s super hit movies.

The movie in discussion seems to be “Bobbili Puli”. There has been no confirmation as yet from any of the sources. Meanwhile if such a project works out then many feel it will be an exciting watch and given the energy levels of junior, the movie will gain some momentum.

Exclusive Nudity And Sex TV Channels In India

2009-07-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

The element of nudity and to how much degree this can be allowed has been a debate that has been on since ages in our country. While the Bollywood industry has been slowly inching its way up with bikini shows and lip lock sequences, the southern circuit has been relatively reserved on that.

Now, a new thought has come up and this is about nudity on the small screen. Some thinkers say that as there’s no censor board for the TV circuit, there could be exclusive nudity and sex TV channels that can be launched along with few clauses for its viewing.

However, on the other side, there are those who strongly condemn such thoughts since they feel that this is going to pollute the family environment at home. The current generation is already said to be going off track due to the increasing westernization so one can imagine the situation if these things happen.

Kamal's Blessings for Luck

2009-07-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

Kamal's Blessings for Luck
, 21 July 2009

Shruti Hassan is a real daddy's girl. Before she joined the film industry, she ensured that she took permission from her father, Kamal Hassan. And now that her maiden film has been completed, she arranged for the film to be shown to her father for his approval.

According to reports, director Soham Shah flew down to Chennai last week with his film, Luck, to seek Kamal's blessings. At a special screening which was organized in Chennai, the film was watched by the superstar along with his girlfriend Gowthami and Shruti's younger sister Akshara. Filmmaker Priyadarshan was also present on the occasion as the screening was held at his studio. It seems that Kamal was quite happy at the manner in which his daughter was presented in the movie, as a complete package. The actress has space in the movie to look glamorous, shows off her acting skills and her dexterity at the action sequences. Even Priyadarshan seemed to enjoy the movie, a fact which came as great relief for Soham. Meanwhile, there seems to be no attempt by Shruti to make up with her mother, Sarika. She was not an invitee to the trial show of the film at Film City. Of course, it is hardly surprising as the mother and daughter do not share good vibes and stays by herself in Mumbai. Since it is Kamal who matters most for Shruti, the actress is personally quite elated that her film has her father's blessings.

source :movietalkies

Zee Motion Pictures' FOX Starring Arjun Rampal and Sunny Deol Gears Up for a 4th September Release.

2009-07-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

Zee Motion Pictures' FOX Starring Arjun Rampal and Sunny Deol Gears Up for a 4th September Release. 21 July 2009

Zee Motion Pictures, in association with Rohit Kumar Productions and Tijori Entertainment, is ready to roll out with its first Hindi production 'Fox' which is directed by Deepak Tijori and stars Sunny Deol, Arjun Rampal, Sagarika Ghatge and Udita Goswami. The music is composed by Monty Sharma.

'Fox' is a modern sleek thriller shot in the exotic locales of Goa and Mumbai. It is a story about a cat and mouse chase between a young successful criminal lawyer (Arjun Rampal) and a mysterious stranger who is controlling and threatening his life. Now the lawyer must seek the help of a reluctant cop (Sunny Deol) in solving the mystery.
Sanjeev Lamba, Zee Motion Pictures says "Fox is our first film as producers under the Zee Motion Pictures banner and we are all eagerly looking forward to its release. This stylish and suspenseful thriller has Arjun Rampal and Sunny Deol together for the first time, a powerful and new combination on the screen"

source: movie talkies

Riya Sen v/s Raima Sen Face off!

2009-07-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

Riya Sen v/s Raima Sen Face off!
21 July 2009

We've often heard of cat fights between the two leading ladies of a film, but what happens when 2 sisters are working together in the same film? We are talking of the bong sisters Riya and Raima Sen who will be seen sharing screen space together for the first time in Rituparno Ghosh's 'Noukadubi'. Apparently Rituparno had approached Riya and Raima for the film at the same time and both of them even received the script together. They were offered two very diverse roles and both of them had no qualms playing the characters. However, according to our sources, Riya initially thought Raima's character had a lot more prominence and had much more scope and dimension to it as compared to hers. But being a thorough professional and a doting sister, Riya chose to go ahead with the role she was offered, as it was extremely challenging.

Interestingly, both the actresses are playing roles very contrary to their public image. While Riya Sen is considered to be a sexy siren who can give half the population with the Y chromosome sleepless nights, in this movie she will be seen in a complete de glam avatar! And on the other hand, Raima, who is known for her intelligent and matured roles, will be playing a sophisticated woman.

And what did Raima have to say about her experience working with Riya? "It was nice having to watch her doing such a complex character. She was so easy and comfortable on the sets and with the director. Everyone pampered her silly! This is the first time J've played such a mature character in Ritu Da's film. I play the character of a learned and sophisticated woman who holds her own in any situation. It's quite a contrast from Riya's character who plays a naïve village belle."

On asking about the experience shooting in Kolkata, Riya giggles, "Raima pampered me silly on the sets. Right from organizing the best make up vans and acquainting me with the staff in Kolkata, she was always a phone call away and kept everything prepared for me! Sometimes I felt I was treated like a baby, it felt like my first film!"

And while both sisters are aware of the comparisons that will be drawn, they are more thrilled at the prospect of featuring in the same film, under the able hands of acclaimed director Rituparno Ghosh. We sure can't wait to see the sister duo in action!

source:movie talkies

My man must really, really love me: Priyanka

2009-07-21T05:07:00.000-07:00

She is one of the reigning stars in Bollywood, but Priyanka Chopra says she was a very bad actress when she debuted with "Andaaz" six years

ago.

While the former Miss World has set high goals for herself and is experimenting with roles like never before, she is also clear about what she is looking for in her 'Mr. Right'.

"I think I was a terrible actress when I started off as compared to what I'm today. I still have a lot to learn, but I believe that I have grown as an actress and I evolve constantly. I always had the hunger to learn and become better at what I do - just like a sponge, trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible," Priyanka told IANS in an email interview.

The actress, who won the Filmfare Award for best actress for "Fashion", wants to take her career to greater heights. She has no plans of getting married right now but knows what she wants from her man.

"No plans of settling down at the moment. But when I do... Mr. Right has to match a lot of my parameters... He has to be someone who knows how to make me feel special... make me feel like I'm walking on air...," said Priyanka, who turned 27 Saturday.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: Having had two hits in 2008 - "Fashion" and "Dostana" - along with several awards... how do you look back at your past year?

A: I feel like I'm 20 years into my career because I've done so much work in such a short time. When I look back, it's been only five-six years since I've been here. I've never received any formal training in acting or cinema nor do I belong to a film family; so for me, the biggest achievement is that my hard work and my family's support have led me to the place I'm in today. I take great pride in that.

Q: How would you review your performance in Bollywood ever since you made your debut with "Andaaz" in 2003?

A: I think I was a terrible actress when I started off as compared to what I'm today. I still have a lot to learn, but I believe that I've grown as an actress and I evolve constantly. I always had the hunger to learn and become better at what I do - just like a sponge, trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible.

Q: Your forthcoming movies are "Kaminey" and "What's Your Rashee?" and "Pyaar Impossible". Which one are you more excited about and why?

A: I have different feelings for different films I'm very excited about "Kaminey" because it's pathbreaking cinema. On the other hand, I'm equally nervous and excited about "What's Your Rashee?" because it was a huge challenge for me. I play 12 different characters in it, something that hasn't really been done in Indian cinema before and the fact that I'll be a part of history in the making is very scary.

"Pyaar Impossible" is a sweet, cool story where I have a glamorous look and contemporary character. As cliched as it sounds... each one is special...

Q: In "Kaminey" you play a de-glamourised role opposite Shahid Kapoor. Were you sceptical about the look because you were seen in ultra-glam roles in "Fashion" and "Dostana"?

A: Let's put this into context. I chose the role not because she was de-glamourised. I chose it because of the way the character is etched out and not how she looks. That's incidental. With most of my films, especially the most recent ones... I have taken up roles that are interesting and different from what I've done before.

Q: You have always been silent about controversies related to your personal and professional life - why?

A: Because I firmly believe that all aspects of my life are for public consumption. I learnt early in my career that speculation, rumours and gossip come with the job... a professional hazard. But I'd much rather approach it with dignified silence than to engage in ugly mud-slinging.

Q: What about your multiple link-ups and break-ups news - don't they disturb you?

A: They definitely do because eventually I'm a girl and have a family - a father, a mother, a brother. It does bother me, but I don't believe in clarifying the rumours. It just gives it undue importance. As long as my family knows what the truth is, that's all that matters. The rest doesn't!

Q: Any plans of settling down in the near future? What sort of a guy would you want as a companion?

A: No plans of settling down at the moment. But when I do... Mr. Right has to match a lot of my parameters... He has to be someone who knows how to make me feel special... make me feel like I'm walking on air... He has to be somebody who loves me for who I am and takes pride in being with me. He also has to be honest and be able to speak well... make me laugh... all in all, somebody who really really loves me.

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2009-07-21T03:27:00.000-07:00

Magadheera release postponed from 29th July to 5th August?

2009-07-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

July 20th, 2009

Magadheera release postponed from 29th July to 5th August?

According to sources Magadheera was supposed to have released on 29th July but there is doubt that it would hit silver screens as per schedule, reasons are stated to be pending production works includig Digital Integration. Some sources say that the movie may push itself to 5th August looking at the present situation. This sort of ‘last minute delay’ happened with Geetha Arts during Jalsa. And it would eat away the theater rentals of overseas distributors for sure making them end up with losses finally.

Kalavaramaye Madilo Movie Review

2009-07-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Latest Telugu Movie Reviews

Kalavaramaye Madilo Movie Review

by Y. Sunita Chowdary

Cast:

Kamal Kamaraju, Colors Swathi, Vikram Gokhale, Tanikella Bharani, MR Chowdary, Delhi Rajeswari, Sudeepa, Pragathi, Venu, Komali Sisters and others.
Art: Madhu Rebba.
Banner: Mohan Media Creations.
Cinematography: Rajendra Kesani.
Dialogues: Laxmi Bhupal.
Editing: Baswa Paidireddy.
Lyrics: Vanamali.
Music: Sharreth Vasudevan.
Presenter: Vamshi Krishna Vadlapatla.
Co-Producer(s): Anumohan Vadlapatla, Priyakrishna Vadlapatla.
Producer: Mohan Vadlapatla.
Story, Screenplay, & Director: Satish Kasetty.
Release Date: July 17, 2009

Shreya (Swathi) lives with her mother Rajeswari, her parents have been living separately for a long time now. Shreya is made to believe that her father is dead and she grows up as an independent girl. Her only ambition in life is to audition for AR Rehman. Her mother has an aversion for singing, so she takes up a part time job of a singer at a hotel. Vikram Gokhale who happens to listen to her sing, slights her for her work and she is hell bent on learning music from him. She gets into his house as a domestic help and wins his heart but just days before the audition she learns that he has throat cancer and he is also her father. She gives up her dream and participates in a local competition to pool money for his treatment. Now the climax has got to be one of the most predictable ones you'll see and it's bound to make the audiences cringe.

The director wins and fails on one front. He draws wonderful performance from Swathi , but most scenes in the film are laden with visual clichés. The plot itself is kitsch of various telugu films and one can call it a parody of Shankarabharanam, Swathi Kiranam and yes coughing blood..Premabhishekam. One can't expect the audience to cry or atleast be moved by stories and performances that's being unleashed by filmmakers since school days.

Swathi asks her guru, what it means to unlearn and he says one should simply forget what she had learnt before. To like this film, appreciate it, one should forget all the films that one has seen or Satish should forget 'Hope' and begin afresh.

Except for Swathi and Tanikella Bharani, none of the actors connect with the audience and if anyone stands to gain it is the former. It is a one woman show, she covers all the loopholes in the film with her ease and flawless work.

The plot might display grit and grip on paper but the narration falters in showing her character. Her childishness supercedes her mature thinking and the introspective moments don't move you. By the end of the film you forget the story and it's Swathi who's hovering over you. Maybe an overdose, but she does a neat job.

The London returned hero looks silly dancing with his shirt buttons opened throughout one song and the chemistry between them is zilch. There is one scene where Kamal doesn't realize that Swathi is in love with him, it takes a mother to explain it to him. The next reaction is simply ridiculous, the girl has been giving broad hints, taking him to a park and choosing girls for him (sic) but the London returned guy is too discriminating, too fastidious and too focused not to get the cue.

Music is melodious, photography is good, editing could have been tighter. Nothing creative of the comedy either, it's irritating to have kids behave too big for their age. SP Balu's voice doesn't gel with Vikram Gokhale's. Kalavaramaye Madilo is a sweet title but the entire presentation looks like a tele film, it's all sound but no soul. The film could have done with better casting and fresh ideas.

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2009-07-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Tata GSM Service Launched with cheap Call Rates

2009-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Tata GSM Service Launched with cheap Call Rates

Finally Indian telecoms giants TATA entered the mobile phones GSM market as it launched its GSM connections in few South Indian States including Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh with attractive offers. The most satisfying thing for customers is the 1 second pulse criteria.

Most of us use mobile phones and must have encountered the situations when we had a call and after the call ends the duration turns out to be 1:02 or just above the minute pulse, but for that extra few seconds we had to pay for the complete minute and this seems unfair as we are charged for use but we got charged more than we actually used.

But TATA has the solution to this problem as they mind the words “Pay for what you use”, as they have a pulse of 1 second so you just pay for each second you consumed. In case you had a call of 63 seconds then you had to pay for those 63 seconds only and not for the complete second minute. This is really good as it may save some amount of balance and moreover the call rates are very reasonable so now call unlimited.

Tata GSM Offer

The Prepaid SIM is available for just Rs.49 and that too with lifetime validity. As this scheme offers cheap calls rates, this is one which you don’t want to miss as they have a good service which they proved with their CDMA plans. Some GSM plans are also mentioned below.

Tata GSM Prepaid Plans

These is an SMS offer which is almost similar to VIRGIN Mobile that includes that you will be charge for first 3 SMS and then you can send upto 750 Local SMS absolutely free. This is definately a good offer for the youth as they do tend to send SMS in bulk.

The postpaid connections are also available with Start, Premium, Platinum and Elite packs and you can choose the one that suits you the best. So just get some new TATA GSM connections today.

Tata GSM Postpaid Plans

Tata GSM Offer

Tata GSM Prepaid Plans click here

The postpaid connections are also available with Start, Premium, Platinum and Elite packs and you can choose the one that suits you the best. So just get some new TATA GSM connections today.

Tata GSM Postpaid Plansclick here

Priyamani opposite Ravi Teja

2009-07-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

July 18th, 2009

Priyamani opposite Ravi Teja

Recently we learnt that Ravi Teja might act in the remake of Tamil blockbuster ‘Nadodigal’. Now the news is confirmed that he is acting, Bellamkonda Suresh roped in Priyamani opposite him. Allari Naresh is most likely to act in yet another central role. Samuthirakani who directed the original version will also direct the Telugu remake. The film will be launched shortly. More details later.

Josh Audio release function,Nag chaitanya Latest Gallery, Wallpapers, movie posters

2009-07-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Naga chaitanya Latest movie JOSH Audio release celebrations, huge toolywood guests have appeared for the debutant function and made a colorful event on 18th July, 2009

To listen or download mp3 songs click here

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2009-07-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

Economic Peoples Car:Finally Nano on Roads

2009-07-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

TATA NANO-The Peoples car

Tata Motors Ltd, India's largest vehicles maker, said on Thursday it would deliver the Nano, the world's cheapest car, to its first customer on Friday.

Chairman Ratan Tata had showcased the Nano at an auto show in New Delhi in January last year, but consumer bookings began only in April this year after the project was delayed due to land disputes at its planned site in West Bengal.

The plant for producing the Nano was shifted to a new site in Gujarat on the west coast, but the first batch of Nanos would come from its car plant in Pantnagar in northern India.

Tata has assured price protection for the first 100,000 customers, for whom the cars will be available for 100,000 rupees ($2,053), excluding taxes.

Features

Exterior
Interior
Comfort & Convenience
Safety & Security

Items	Nano	Nano CX	Nano LX
Colors	Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue	Ivory White, Racing Red, Summer Blue, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver	Sunshine Yellow, Champange Gold, Lunar Silver
Body Color Bumpers	-	-	Yes
Body Color Door Handles	-	-	Yes
ORVM (Driver Side)	Black	Black	Body Colored
Front Fog Lamps	-	-	Yes
Rear Fog Lamps	-	-	Yes
Wheel Covers	Style-in-Steel Wheels	Style-in-Steel Wheels	Half Wheel Covers
Clear lens Headlamp & Taillamp	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tinted Glasses	-	Yes	Yes
Aerokit	Airdam	Airdam	Airdam
Front Wiper & Washer	2 speed	2 speed	2 speed + Intermittent
Front Windshield	Plain	Tinted	Tinted with top blue band
Roof Beading	-	-	Yes
Spoiler	-	-	Yes

Specifications

OVERALL DIMENSIONS
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
SUSPENSION
BRAKES
WHEELS & TYRES

Overall Length	3099 mm
Overall Width	1495 mm (& 1620 mm with ORVM)
Overall Height	1652 mm
Wheelbase	2230 mm
Ground clearance	180 mm
Min. Turning Circle Radius	4 m
Seating Capacity	4 persons
Fuel Tank Capacity	15 Liters
Kerb Weight
Nano	600 kg
Nano CX	615 kg
Nano LX	635 kg
Payload	300 kg

for More Info Click Here

Aishwarya Rai Fights With Rajni Kanth

2009-07-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

Don’t get tensed up looking at the header. This is not a true fight. It is for the movie ‘Robo’ that is being made with Rajni Kanth and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles.

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Already Aishwarya Rai has shown her abilities in action sequences with the films Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar. She is now learning karate from Ramesh, the renowned stunt master to participate in a few action sequences with Rajni Kanth. So from sword fight in Jodhaa Akbar she is now showing her karate fight in Robo.

Let us see how this Ex Miss World shows her karate punches on screen.

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2009-07-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-12T05:41:00.000-07:00

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Josh Latest Wallpapers,Josh latest wallpapers, Nag chaitanya josh wallpapers, josh shooting

2009-07-12T02:18:00.000-07:00

Obama- life in White House

2009-07-12T01:46:00.000-07:00

These are the rare images of obama in Whitehouse

Thieves want iPhones, victims are fighting back

2009-07-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Thieves are increasingly going after iPhones and other "smart phones" but victims now can fight back with technology.

One device allows a user to remotely activate a loud siren designed to rattle the thief. Another application, designed for iPhones, can reveal the phone's location.

Police statistics show petty crime is down in New York but anecdotal evidence and recent headlines about street muggings targeting costly and coveted devices like Apple's iPhone and T-Mobile's Sidekick have disturbed smart phone users concerned about protecting access to e-mail, passwords and other data.

"When we have seen spikes in thefts, a significant portion has to do with ... highly desirable products," said police spokesman Paul Browne. "In the last couple of years it's been iPods, Sidekicks, iPhones."

He said most of these muggings involve teenagers robbing other teenagers and take place on subways in the afternoon after schools get out.

New technology helps owners of expensive gadgets to get them back after they are lost or stolen. The Find My iPhone feature from Apple, which declined to comment for this story, enables users to determine the phone's location and erase the data on it, among other things.

A Chicago blogger who tried the feature after his iPhone disappeared tracked the phone's movements from a friend's computer. According to his post at http://happywaffle.livejournal.com/5890.html, he got his phone back -- and a handshake from the surprised culprit.

"You're lucky you didn't get shot in the face," read one comment on the blog.

MAKE A DEAL WITH PHONE THIEF

Indian company Maverick Mobile Solutions' system allows victims of theft to activate a siren and send a text message to the phone -- perhaps to offer a deal to get the phone back.

Fear of a gadget-related crime wave is not new. In 2005, as Apple's signature white earphones were becoming ubiquitous in U.S. cities, the New York Police Department reported an increase in subway crime linked to iPod thefts. Before that, victims were targeted for their expensive sneakers.

But cell phone theft is a particular concern because of the risk of identity theft, said City Councilman Peter Vallone.

"It's bad enough losing your phone and that's all it was a few years ago," Vallone said. "Nowadays, if you lose your phone, you can very quickly lose your identity."

Local media have reported spikes in iPhone-related street muggings. In May, a thief snatched actor Kevin Bacon's Blackberry on a New York City subway platform.

Many iPhone users agree that, given the amount of personal data stored on phones, losing one could be devastating.

"The damage would be extensive," said Joshua Deutch, 32, a freelance IT consultant. He said he would "not think twice" before wiping data -- including bank account numbers and multiple passwords -- if someone stole his iPhone.

But Deutch said pursuing a thief would be going too far.

"Obviously, there's some excitement with that but I have insurance," he said. After data has been wiped clean, the iPhone is "just a brick," he said.

Some thieves get caught due to missteps.

In March, a man stole a woman's iPhone on a Manhattan subway platform and then used it to snap pictures of himself. He e-mailed the pictures to his personal e-mail address, inadvertently using his victim's e-mail account, according to the the New York Post newspaper.

The victim saw the photograph in her own e-mail outbox and alerted police, who checked the picture against mug shots and then identified and arrested the thief.

Still, many smart phone users say they do not worry about someone getting hold of their personal data.

"A lot of people are really uptight about anyone knowing anything about them," said Nick Divers, 23, who has not taken steps to protect the data on his iPhone. "Is that a big deal? Not to me."

Sania's engagement telecast rights for 2 crores

2009-07-10T09:28:00.001-07:00

Indian Tennis ACE Sania Mirza's engagement tomorrow at Hyderabad will be exclusively telecast by a New Delhi-based private national channel. The private channel, a listed company, has brought exclusive rights to telecast the engagement of the Hyderabadi Tennis star with Sohrab Mirza, son of a prominent city baker, at their Banjara hills residence tomorrow. As per sources, Sania who is known to encash her popularity, has worked out a deal with a New Delhi-based National T V channel for a whopping Rs 2 crore plus for giving them the exclusive rights to telecast her engagement.

On-the-sets of Salman Khan starrer Veer

2009-07-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest films which people are awaiting with bated breath is the Salman Khan starrer Veer. The USP of this flick is the fact that Salman has himself written the story of the film. Veer, directed by Anil Sharma, is an epic period film made on a lavish scale with top notch production values. Bollywood Gossip brings you some on-the-sets images of this film that have been doing the rounds of the internet.

By now its common knowledge that Salman plays a warrior in the film. In fact his bronzed and beefed up look in the film indeed makes him look like a true desi Gladiator.

A lot of attention has been given in designing Salman’s look for the film. While he does sport long hair, special care has been taken to make him look like an Indian warrior. For instance, the huge ethnic necklace is an integral part of Salman’s character’s look in the film.

Aamir Katrina paired in Untitled Guru Dutt Biography

2009-07-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

Aamir Katrina paired in Untitled Guru Dutt Biography

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s next will be a movie based on Guru Dutt’s biography by Nasreen Munni Kabeer. The movie will have Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif in the role of Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. Before this, Guru Dutt had himself made the movie ‘Kagaz Ke Phool’ based on his own life. Later filmmaker Johnny Bakshi made ‘Khudaai’ in which Rajesh Khanna was cast to play Guru Dutt.

In keeping with the roles they are to play in this yet untitled film, Aamir and Katrina posed for the latest issue of ‘Cineblitz’ in the look and getup of the original actors Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman.

The intense romance exuded by this photograph is subtle, yet exotic. The couple looks extraordinarily beautiful. Check out the pic for yourself.

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2009-07-10T05:14:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

Gopi Gopika Godhavari Movie Review

2009-07-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Gopi Gopika Godhavari Movie Review

Vamsi directed Gopi Gopika Godavari is all set for release on July 10. Actor Venu and Kamalini Mukherjee are in the lead roles and the movie has been presented by Anandi Arts and produced by Valluripalli Ramesh under the banner of Maharshi Cinema. The Maharshi Cinema unit had organised a platinum disc function to celebrate the success of the audio in Hyderabad recently.

Buzz up!
Speaking on the occasion the producer says, “We have released the audio into the market recently through Aditya Music and there is a very good response to the songs. Especially, most of the film songs are being utilised as ringtones.”

Chakri says, “The speciality of the album is that all the songs in the film were penned by Ramajogaiah Sastry. One more thing here to note that Vamsi is like a Supermarket, where one will all essential things. We could find versatility in Vamsi, who is an expert in different crafts of the film industry including story, screenplay, photography, editing and what not. He had a firm grip on all these crafts. Now the audiences could listen his voice also in a couple of songs in the album.”

Other speakers who attended the function complimented music director Chakri and lyricist Ramajogaiah Sastry. The film is most likely to have all the entertainment elements that are common in Vamsi-mark film. Madhumitra, Vasu and Venu, who rendered the songs in the film, again sang the same at the function.

Movie review:.

Film: Gopi Gopika Godavari
Rating: 2.5/5
Cast: Venu Thottempudi, Kamalini Mukherjee, Jeeva, Krishna Bhagawan, Sana, Kondavalasa etc
Story: Sankaramanchi
Choreography: Swarna Babu
PRO: Tradeguide Venkateswara Rao
Editing: Paidireddy
Dialogues: Padala Siva Subrahmanyam
Music: Chakri
Lyrics: Rama Jogayya Sastry
Producer: Valluripalli Ramesh
Direction: Vamsi
Released on: 10th July 2009

The name Vamsi has energy in Tollywood. And that proved again with the thumping openings for this film almost everywhere across the state. And the element ‘Godavari’ is something close to the hearts of Telugus and that is another add-on factor for this film that came with interesting title ‘Gopi Gopika Godavari’. Let us see how it worked out.

Story:
Gopika (Kamalini Mukherjee) is a doctor who serves patients in villages on the banks of River Godavari on a mobile hospital. Shyam Prasad, another young doctor gets inspiration from her to run the mobile hospital in his place. He also proposes her to marry but she postpones it citing some professional goals. Meanwhile Uma, a friend of Gopika studying in Hyderabad, commits suicide and that incident makes Gopi (Venu), a stage singer, get acquainted to her. They never meet but only keep in touch on phone. As and when they try to meet each other some problem arises and they remain unseen to each other. Finally they meet but in an unexpected situation still unknown to each other!!How that situation would arise? What happens from then? That has to be watched on screen.

Performances:
Hero-Venu:
His role is a bit passive and hence he has got no big scope to show his histrionics. His confidence has fallen down to some extent and while delivering a few dialogues that proved evident.

Heroine-Kamalini:
She looked very mundane in some scenes. Is she the one who acted in Anand and Godavari? Exclaimed a few in the theatre, watching her pale looks and glow less skin. She also proved dull in performance with mismatch in lip sync and dialogue. She looked unconvincing and tasteless while giving some expressions. She has to work out on all the aspects those are required for a heroine. Otherwise she will be pushed to recycle bin by the industry.

Others:
Krishna Bhagawan-Sana comedy appeals for a set of audiences. Kondavalasa is routine and others have done their duty as required.

Technical Departments:
Cinematography is ok to some extent and caliber is shown during ‘night effect’ mode. Dialogues are ok in humor part but proved heavier and life less in melodrama and serious scenes. Art department also deserves a mention as it has worked enough to meet the requirements of director at a very small budget. Other faculties have got no noticeable aspect to underline. Story is outdated, screenplay is passive and direction is not in tune with present day audiences.

Music and Lyrics:
Music enthralls the audiences with pleasant Vamsi-Chakri trademark. Even the item song has got the lyrical stuff. The songs ‘Nuvvakkadundi…’ has received whistles in theatres when it started. That shows the popularity bagged by this song among masses. Similarly ‘Go Go Rai Rai’ also got enough applause. Chakri has proved again with his melodious and long lasting tunes.

Highlights:
Ramajogayya Sastry’s lyrics
Chakri’s music
Krishna Bhagawan’s dark humor

Disappointment:
Storyline
Second half treatment

Analysis:
The best part in the movie that pulled crowds to packed theatres is the music and lyrical value in it. And the equally best part is the name Vamsi as Director. But the expectations haven’t reached the mark. Vamsi relied more on maintaining his trademark etiquettes in direction than on story line. The obsolete line couldn’t gel well with any of the audiences. Every common viewer can easily guess what is going to be shown in second half at interval bang. That has made the graph of enthusiasm touch ‘zero’ at the end.

The only saving grace in the movie is Krishna Bhagawan’s comedy and even that would appeal only for dark humor lovers. First half of the movie takes off on an interesting note but slowly the packet becomes loose and there would be nothing to conceal by the time of intermission.

This is not a film to be made for the audiences those have got habituated to straight screenplay after watching hundreds of movies.

It proves to be a below average outcome even in liberal viewing considering the required standards to entertain or hook the contemporary audiences.Film: Gopi Gopika Godavari

Rating: 2.5/5
Cast: Venu Thottempudi, Kamalini Mukherjee, Jeeva, Krishna Bhagawan, Sana, Kondavalasa etc
Story: Sankaramanchi
Choreography: Swarna Babu
PRO: Tradeguide Venkateswara Rao
Editing: Paidireddy
Dialogues: Padala Siva Subrahmanyam
Music: Chakri
Lyrics: Rama Jogayya Sastry
Producer: Valluripalli Ramesh
Direction: Vamsi
Released on: 10th July 2009

Others:
Krishna Bhagawan-Sana comedy appeals for a set of audiences. Kondavalasa is routine and others have done their duty as required.

Highlights:
Ramajogayya Sastry’s lyrics
Chakri’s music
Krishna Bhagawan’s dark humor

Disappointment:
Storyline
Second half treatment

This is not a film to be made for the audiences those have got habituated to straight screenplay after watching hundreds of movies.

It proves to be a below average outcome even in liberal viewing considering the required standards to entertain or hook the contemporary audiences.

source:greatandhra

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2009-07-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-09T18:52:00.001-07:00

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2009-07-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

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Shruti Haasan’s bikini scene

2009-07-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

Shruti Haasan’s bikini scene in the recently released Luck is the talk of the tinsel town. However, the lady seemed to have no inhibitions in donning a two piece bikini when the directors instructed her to do so.

Speaking about her bikini experience, Shruti said that when she was told about the scene she thought it was just logical to the film and nothing more. The scene was shot in Cape Town when the temperature was down to two degrees.

Luck’s director Soham Shah said, “Shruti did work out to get a toned body. Moreover she worked more hard to maintain it. We shot the sequence in Cape Town. The temperature was only two degrees. She had to brave the icy weather for the shoot.”

Michael Jackson private funeral held on Tuesday memorial in LA

2009-07-06T03:53:00.000-07:00

He was buried in a $25,000 Promethean, a solid bronze and gold-plated casket. The coffin will feature a blue velvet interior and a hand-polished, mirror finish.

Roger Federer Vs Andy Roddick Highlights Wimbledon 2009 Final

2009-07-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

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Live India Union Budget 2009-10, Budget High lights

2009-07-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Live India Union Budget 2009-10

1
Budget 2009-2010
Speech of Pranab Mukherjee
Minister of Finance
July 6, 2009
Madam Speaker,
I rise to present the Budget for 2009-10.
2. Just 140 days back, I had the privilege to present the Interim Budget for 2009-10.
It is a rare honour that I have been called upon to present the regular budget after the new
Government assumed office.
3. The Congress-led UPA Government has come back to power with a renewed
mandate. As Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said recently “It is a mandate for
continuity, stability and prosperity. It is a mandate for inclusive growth and equitable
development.” It is a mandate that we accept with humility and a firm resolve to do all
that we can for the welfare of this nation.

4. I am deeply conscious of the faith reposed by the people in our government and
the responsibilities that come with it. I am sensitive to the great challenge of rising
expectations of a young India . It reflects a population that is restless, yet engaged and is
ready to seize the opportunities that it is presented with. There are new and powerful
reasons for us to create, facilitate and sustain those opportunities.

5. In the Interim Budget for 2009-10, I had stated that the new Government would
need to anchor its policies for 2009-10, in a medium term perspective that would have to:
(a) sustain a growth rate of at least 9 per cent per annum over an extended period of
time;

(b) strengthen the mechanisms for inclusive growth for creating about 12 million new
work opportunities per year;
(c) reduce the proportion of people living below poverty line to less than half from
current levels by 2014;
(d) ensure that Indian agriculture continues to grow at an annual rate of 4 per cent;
(e) increase the investment in infrastructure to more than 9 per cent of GDP by 2014;
(f) support Indian industry to meet the challenge of global competition and sustain the
growth momentum in exports;
2
(g) strengthen and improve the economic regulatory framework in the country;
(h) expand the range and reach of social safety nets by providing direct assistance to
vulnerable sections;
(i) strengthen the delivery mechanism for primary health care facilities with a view to
improve the preventive and curative health care in the country;
(j) create a competitive, progressive and well regulated education system of global
standards that meets the aspiration of all segments of the society; and
(k) move towards providing energy security by pursuing an Integrated Energy Policy.
6. The Government recognizes the challenges that this task entails, particularly at a
time when the world is still struggling with an unprecedented financial crisis and an
economic slowdown that has also affected India . While we are determined to convert our
words into deeds, Members would appreciate that a single Budget Speech cannot solve
all our problems, nor is the Union Budget the only instrument to do so. Yet, it is an
important means to share the vision of the Government, particularly as we begin a new
term. I propose to do just that for the next hour or so, as I dwell on the challenges and
outline the approach of the government in the short term and medium term perspectives.
7. The first challenge is to lead the economy back to the high GDP growth rate of 9
per cent per annum at the earliest. Growth of income is important in itself, but it is as
important for the resources that it brings in. These resources provide us with the means to
bridge the critical gaps that remain in our development efforts, particularly with regard to
the welfare of the vulnerable segments of our population.
8. The second challenge is to deepen and broaden the agenda for inclusive
development; and to ensure that no individual, community or region is denied the
opportunity to participate in and benefit from the development process.
9. The third challenge is to re-energize government and improve delivery
mechanisms. Our institutions must provide high quality public services, security and the
rule of law to all citizens with transparency and accountability.
Overview of the Economy
10. Madam Speaker, at the time of the presentation of the Interim Budget, I had given
a detailed analysis of the economic situation. Without repeating myself, I would like to
highlight that the development course charted by the UPA Government in the last five
years has been possible due to a step up in the growth rate of the economy and improved
revenue buoyancy. The principal growth driver in this period has been private
investment, which has been predominantly funded by domestic resources. During the
year 2008-09, there has been a dip in the growth rate of GDP from an average of over 9
per cent in the previous three fiscal years to 6.7 per cent. It has affected the pace of job
3
creation in certain sectors of the economy and the investment sentiments of the business
community. It has also resulted in considerably lower revenue growth for the
government. Another feature of the year 2008-09 was a sharp rise in the wholesale price
index to nearly 13% in August 2008 and an equally sharp fall close to 0% in March 2009.
While a detailed analysis of the developments has been presented in the Economic
Survey-2008-09, tabled in both houses of Parliament last Thursday, I draw your attention
to a few aspects.
11. The structure of India ’s economy has changed rapidly in the last ten years.
External trade and external capital flows are an important part of the economy and so is
the contribution of the services sector to the GDP at well over 50 per cent. The share of
merchandise trade (exports plus imports) as a proportion of GDP has more than doubled
over the past decade to 38.9 per cent in 2008-09. Similarly, trade in goods and services
taken together has also doubled to 47 per cent during this period. Gross capital flows rose
to a peak of over 9 per cent of GDP in 2007-08 before falling in the wake of the global
financial crisis. The significant increase in the inflow of foreign capital is important, not
so much for bridging the domestic savings-investment gap, but for facilitating the
intermediation of financial resources to meet the growing needs of the economy.
12. This growing integration of the Indian economy with the rest of the world has
brought new opportunities and also new challenges. It has made the task of sustaining
high growth more complex. Over the past month, we have critically evaluated
Government’s efforts at both short term economic recovery as well as medium term
economic growth. The economic recovery and growth is a cooperative effort of the
Central and State Governments. That is why, for the first time, I held a meeting with
Finance Ministers of States as part of the preparations for this Budget. I intend to make
this an annual feature.
TOWARDS ECONOMIC REVIVAL
Short-term measures
13. To counter the negative fallout of the global slowdown on the Indian economy,
the Government responded by providing three focused fiscal stimulus packages in the
form of tax relief to boost demand and increased expenditure on public projects to create
employment and public assets. The RBI took a number of monetary easing and liquidity
enhancing measures to facilitate flow of funds from the financial system to meet the
needs of productive sectors.
14. This fiscal accommodation led to an increase in fiscal deficit from 2.7 per cent in
2007-08 to 6.2 per cent of GDP in 2008-09. The difference between the actuals of 2007-
08 and 2008-09 constituted the total fiscal stimulus. This fiscal stimulus at 3.5% of GDP
at current market prices for 2008-09 amounts to Rs.1,86,000 crore.
15. These measures were effective in arresting the fall in growth rate of GDP in 2008-
09 and we achieved a growth of 6.7 per cent. There are signs of revival in the domestic
4
industry and the foreign investors have also returned to the Indian market in the last
couple of months. It is possible that the two worst quarters since the global financial
meltdown in September 2008 are behind us. While the global financial conditions have
shown improvement over the recent months, uncertainties relating to the revival of the
global economy remain. We cannot, therefore, afford to drop our guard. We have to
continue our efforts to provide further stimulus to the economy.
16. Madam Speaker, what I unfold now are only the ‘First steps’. It will be my
endeavour to make the process of budget formulation more participatory and a
continuous exercise.
Infrastructure Development
17. To stimulate public investment in infrastructure, we had set up the India
Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) as a special purpose vehicle for
providing long term financial assistance to infrastructure projects. We will ensure that
IIFCL is given greater flexibility to aggressively fulfil its mandate.
18. ‘Takeout financing’ is an accepted international practice of releasing long term
funds for financing infrastructure projects. It can be used to effectively address the asset
liability mismatch of commercial banks arising out of financing infrastructure projects
and also to free up capital for financing new projects. IIFCL would, in consultation with
banks, evolve a ‘takeout financing’ scheme which could facilitate incremental lending to
the infrastructure sector.
19. Government has had some success in attracting private investment in a wide range
of infrastructure sectors such as telecommunications, power generation, airports, ports,
roads and even in railways through public private partnerships ( PPP ). To ensure that
infrastructure projects do not face financing difficulties arising from the current
downturn, as I indicated in my Interim Budget Speech, the Government has decided that
IIFCL will refinance 60 per cent of commercial bank loans for PPP projects in critical
sectors over the next fifteen to eighteen months. The IIFCL and Banks are now in a
position to support projects involving a total investment of Rs.100 thousand crore in
infrastructure. Combined with the steps we are taking to increase public investment in
infrastructure, this will provide a big boost to such investment.
20. The investment in infrastructure for the growth of economy is critical. I have
urged my colleagues in the Central and State Governments to remove policy, regulatory
and institutional bottlenecks for speedy implementation of infrastructure projects. I, on
my part, will ensure that sufficient funds are made available for this sector.
Highway and Railways
21. The allocation during the current year to National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) for the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP) is being stepped
up by 23 per cent over the 2008-09 (BE). I have also increased the allocation for the
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Railways from Rs.10,800 crore made in the Interim Budget for 2009-10 to Rs.15,800
crore.
Urban Infrastructure
22. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has been an
important instrument for refocusing the attention of the State governments on the
importance of urban infrastructure. In recognition of the role of JNNURM, the allocation
for this scheme is being stepped up by 87 per cent to Rs.12,887 crore in the current
budget. To improve the lot of the urban poor, I propose to enhance the allocation for
housing and provision of basic amenities to urban poor to Rs.3,973 crore in the current
year’s budget. This includes the provision for Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), a new scheme
announced in the address of the President of India. This scheme, the parameters of which
are being worked out, is intended to make the country slum free in the five year period.
Brihan Mumbai Storm Water Drainage Project (BRIMSTOWA)
23. To address the problem of flooding in Mumbai, Brihan Mumbai Storm Water
Drainage Project (BRIMSTOWA) was initiated in 2007. The entire estimated cost of the
project at Rs.1,200 crore is being funded through Central assistance. A sum of Rs.500
crore has been released for this project upto
2008-09. I have enhanced the provision for this project from Rs.200 crore in Interim BE
to Rs.500 crore to expedite the completion of the project.
Power
24. The Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (APDRP) is an
important scheme for reducing the gap between power demand and supply. I propose to
increase the allocation for this scheme to Rs.2,080 crore, a steep increase of 160 per cent
above the allocation in the BE of 2008-09.
Gas
25. With the recent find of natural gas in the KG Basin on the Eastern offshore of the
country, the indigenous production of Natural Gas is set to double with natural gas
emerging as an important source of energy. LNG infrastructure in the country is also
being expanded. Government proposes to develop a blueprint for long distance gas
highways leading to a National Gas Grid. This would facilitate transportation of gas
across the length and breadth of the country.
Assam Gas Cracker Project
26. The Assam Gas Cracker Project sanctioned in April 2006 is being executed at a
cost of Rs.5,461 crore. The capital subsidy of Rs.2,138 crore for the project is to be
provided by the Central Government. The outlay for this project is being stepped up
suitably.
6
Agricultural Development
I now turn to Agricultural development.
27. Agriculture has been the mainstay of our economy with 60 per cent of our
population deriving their sustenance from it. In the recent past, the sector has recorded a
growth of about 4 per cent per annum with substantial increase in plan allocations and
capital formation in the sector. Agriculture credit flow was Rs.2,87,000 crore in 2008-09.
The target for agriculture credit flow for the year 2009-10 is being set at Rs.3,25,000
crore. To achieve this, I propose to continue the interest subvention scheme for short term
crop loans to farmers for loans upto Rs.3 lakh per farmer at the interest rate of 7 per cent
per annum. I am also happy to announce that, for this year, the Government shall pay an
additional subvention of 1 per cent as an incentive to those farmers who repay their short
term crop loans on schedule. Thus, the interest rate for these farmers will come down to 6
per cent per annum. For this, I am making an additional Budget provision of Rs.411
crore over Interim BE.
Debt Relief for farmers
28. The one-time bank loan waiver of nearly Rs.71,000 crore to cover an estimated 40
million farmers was one of the major highlights of the last Budget. Under the
Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme (2008), farmers having more than two
hectares of land were given time upto 30th June, 2009 to pay 75% of their overdues. Due
to the late arrival of monsoon, I propose to extend this period by six months upto 31st
December, 2009 .
29. It is learnt that in some regions of Maharashtra , a large number of farmers had
taken loans from private money lenders and the loan waiver scheme did not cover them.
The matter requires special attention. To examine the matter in greater detail and suggest
the future course of action, I propose to set up a Taskforce.
Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme
30. I propose to provide an additional Rs.1,000 crore over Interim BE for the
Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), marking an increase of 75 per cent
over the allocation in 2008-09(BE). The allocation for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna
(RKVY) is also being stepped up by 30 per cent over Budget Estimates of 2008-09.
Restoring Export Growth
31. Our exporters by virtue of their close links to the external sector have borne the
brunt of the global economic crisis. It is, therefore, appropriate that we continue to
provide all possible assistance to our exporters to help them overcome the short term
disadvantages. More specifically:
7
(a) An adjustment assistance scheme to provide enhanced Export Credit and
Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) cover at 95 per cent to badly hit sectors had been
initiated in December 2008 to mitigate the difficulties faced by the exporters. In view of
the continuing contraction in exports, I propose to extend the benefits of this scheme up
to March 2010.
(b) The Market Development Assistance Scheme provides support to exporters in
developing new markets. With many traditional markets still under financial stress,
greater effort is required to identify and develop new markets. I propose to enhance the
allocation for this scheme by 148% over BE 2008-09 to Rs.124 crore.
(c) With a view to insulating the employment - oriented export sectors from the global
meltdown, Government had provided an interest subvention of 2 per cent on preshipment
credit for seven such sectors. These sectors are textiles including handlooms,
handicrafts, carpets, leather, gems and jewellery, marine products and small and medium
exporters. I propose to extend the interest subvention beyond the current deadline of
September 30, 2009 to March 31, 2010 .
(d) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have been affected by the
slowdown in exports and the indirect effect of the global crisis on domestic demand. To
support this sector, I propose to facilitate the flow of credit at reasonable rates, by
providing a special fund out of Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) to Small
Industries Development Bank (SIDBI). This fund of Rs.4,000 crore will incentivise
Banks and State Finance Corporations (SFCs) to lend to Micro and Small Enterprises
(MSEs) by refinancing 50 per cent of incremental lending to MSEs during the current
financial year.
(e) In February, 2009 the Print Media was given a stimulus package comprising
waiver of 15% agency commission on DAVP advertisements and a 10% increase in the
DAVP rates to be paid as a ‘special relief’ subject to documentary proof of loss of
revenue in non-governmental advertisements. Since Print Media is still passing through
difficult times, I have decided to extend the stimulus package for another six months
from 30th June, 2009 to 31st December, 2009 .
Medium-term sustainability
32. The short term fiscal stimulus has to be balanced against long term prudence and
fiscal sustainability objectives. To quote Kautilya, “In the interest of the prosperity of the
country, a King shall be diligent in foreseeing the possibility of calamities, try to avert
them before they arise, overcome those which happen, remove all obstructions to
economic activity and prevent loss of revenue to the state”. I intend to take Kautilya’s
advice and return to the FRBM target for fiscal deficit at the earliest and as soon as the
negative effects of the global crisis on the Indian economy have been overcome. On the
medium term fiscal perspective, I await the recommendations of the 13th Finance
Commission.
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33. To bring the fiscal deficit under control, we have to initiate institutional reform
measures during the current year itself. This is essential for maintaining a stable balance
of payments, moderate interest rates and steady flow of external capital for corporate
investment. These measures have to encompass all aspects of the budget such as
subsidies, taxes, expenditure and disinvestment.
Fertilizer subsidy
34. In the context of the nation’s food security, the declining response of agricultural
productivity to increased fertilizer usage in the country is a matter of concern. To ensure
balanced application of fertilizers, the Government intends to move towards a nutrient
based subsidy regime instead of the current product pricing regime. It will lead to
availability of innovative fertilizer products in the market at reasonable prices. This
unshackling of the fertilizer manufacturing sector is expected to attract fresh investments
in this sector. In due course it is also intended to move to a system of direct transfer of
subsidy to the farmers.
Petroleum and Diesel pricing policy
35. Madam Speaker, Honourable Members are aware that global prices of oil and
petroleum products had shot up to unprecedented levels in 2008-09. Most oil importing
countries, including our neighbours, adjusted their domestic prices to reflect these global
changes. Though prices have declined since then, they are already about double of the
lows reached in the wake of the global financial crisis. It is important to recognise that,
with almost three-quarters of our oil consumption met through imports, domestic prices
of petrol and diesel have to be broadly in sync with global prices of these items.
Government will set up an expert group to advise on a viable and sustainable system of
pricing petroleum products. Details will be announced by my colleague, the Minister of
Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Taxation
36. It is time that we complete the process that was started in 1991 for building a trust
based, simple, neutral, tax system with almost no exemptions and low rates designed to
promote voluntary compliance. The Income Tax Return Forms should be simple and
user-friendly. I have asked the Department to work on SARAL-II forms for early
introduction. We need a tax system which generates revenues on a sustained basis
without use of coercive tax collection methods at the end of each year to meet targets. It
is my intention to make a modest start in this direction in the current year and ensure that
the process is completed in the next four years. At the end of this process, I hope the
Finance Minister can credibly say that our tax collectors are like honey bees collecting
nectar from the flowers without disturbing them, but spreading their pollen so that all
flowers can thrive and bear fruit.
People’s ownership of PSUs
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37. The Public Sector Undertakings are the wealth of the nation, and part of this
wealth should rest in the hands of the people. While retaining at least 51 per cent
Government equity in our enterprises, I propose to encourage people’s participation in
our disinvestment programme. Here, I must state clearly that public sector enterprises
such as banks and insurance companies will remain in the public sector and will be given
all support, including capital infusion, to grow and remain competitive.
Financial sector
38. The financial sector is the life blood of any economy. Our Government’s
approach to the banking and financial sector has been to ensure robust oversight and
regulation while expanding financial access and deepening markets. The merit of this
balanced approach has been borne out in the recent experience, as the turbulence in the
world financial markets has left the Indian banking and financial sector relatively
unaffected. Never before has Indira Gandhi’s bold decision to nationalise our banking
system exactly 40 years ago - on 14th of July, 1969 - appeared as wise and visionary as it
has over the past few months. Her approach continues to be our inspiration even as we
introduce competition and new technology in this sector.
39. The average public float in Indian listed companies is less than 15 per cent. Deep
non-manipulable markets require larger and diversified public shareholdings. This
requirement should be uniformly applied to the private sector as well as listed public
sector companies. I propose to raise, in a phased manner, the threshold for non-promoter
public shareholding for all listed companies.
40. For a country like ours, with significant sections of unbanked population and
regions, financial inclusion is vital for sustaining long term equitable development. As
part of the financial inclusion drive, scheduled commercial banks have been opening ‘no
frills’ accounts either with ‘nil’ or very low minimum balances. So far, these banks have
opened 3.3 crore such accounts. The RBI has announced a further relaxation in its Branch
Authorisation Policy. Scheduled Commercial Banks are now allowed to set up off-site
ATMs without prior approval, subject to reporting.
41. Despite the expansion of banking network in the country, there are still some
areas that remain under-banked or unbanked. A sub-committee of State Level Bankers
Committee ( SLB C) will identify such areas and formulate an action plan for providing
banking facilities to all these areas in the next 3 years. I propose to set aside Rs.100 crore
during the current year as one-time grant-in-aid to ensure provision of at least one
centre/Point of Sales (POS) for banking services in each of the unbanked blocks in the
country.
42. The Government has established Competition Commission of India, an
autonomous regulatory body to promote and sustain competition in markets, protect
interests of consumers and to prevent practices having adverse effect on competition. An
Appellate body headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court has also been constituted.
10
43. The benefits of competition should now come to more sectors and their users and
consumers. Now is the time for us to work on these aspects to eliminate supply
bottlenecks, enhance productivity, reduce costs and improve quality of goods and
services supplied to consumers.
Investment environment
44. Private sector investment has been affected by the global macro economic
conditions. Our Government is committed to creating a facilitating environment in which
a competitive private sector can thrive and play its rightful role in nation’s economic
development. India ’s high growth of 8.5% per annum from 2004 to 2008 was fuelled in
very large part by private investment. I look forward to working closely with industry and
our vibrant entrepreneurial community to address their outstanding concerns.
TOWARDS INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT
45. Madam Speaker, the UPA government has gone for a paradigm shift for making
the development process more inclusive. It involves creating entitlements backed by legal
guarantee to provide basic amenities and opportunities for livelihood to vulnerable
sections. ‘Aam Admi’ is now the focus of all our programmes and schemes.
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS)
46. (i) It is widely acknowledged that the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act, (NREGA) first implemented in February 2006, has been a magnificent success.
During 2008-09, NREGA provided employment opportunities for more than 4.47 crore
households as against 3.39 crore households covered in 2007-08. We are committed to
providing a real wage of Rs.100 a day as an entitlement under the NREGA. To increase
the productivity of assets and resources under NREGA, convergence with other schemes
relating to agriculture, forests, water resources, land resources and rural roads is being
initiated. In the first stage, a total of 115 pilot districts have been selected for such
convergence. Details of these measures and convergence guidelines will be announced
by my colleague, the Minister of Rural Development. I propose an allocation of
Rs.39,100 crore for the year 2009-10 for NREGA which marks an increase of 144% over
2008-09 Budget Estimates.
National Food Security Act (NFSA)
(ii) I am happy to announce that the work on National Food Security Act has
begun in right earnest. This will ensure that every family living below the poverty line in
rural or urban areas will be entitled by law to 25 kilos of rice or wheat per month at Rs.3
a kilo. The Government proposes to put the draft Food Security Bill on the website of the
Department of Food and Public Distribution for public debate and consultations very
soon.
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Bharat Nirman
(iii) Bharat Nirman with its six schemes is an important initiative for bridging
the gap between the rural and urban areas and improving the quality of life of people,
particularly the poor, in the rural areas. I propose to step up the allocations for Bharat
Nirman by 45 per cent in 2009-10 over the BE of 2008-09. The Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is one of the most successful programmes under Bharat Nirman.
I propose to step up the allocation for this programme by 59% over BE 2008-09 to
Rs.12,000 crore. I also propose to allocate Rs.7,000 crore to Rajiv Gandhi Grameen
Viduytikaran Yojana (RGGVY) which represents a 27 per cent increase over 2008-09
(BE).
(iv) The allocation for the Indira Awaas Yojana ( IAY) is proposed to be
increased by 63 per cent to Rs.8,800 crore in Budget Estimates 2009-10. To broaden the
pace of rural housing, I propose to allocate, from the shortfall in the priority sector
lending of commercial banks, a sum of Rs.2,000 crore for Rural Housing Fund in the
National Housing Bank (NHB). This will boost the resource base of NHB for their
refinance operations in rural housing sector.
Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY)
(v) There are about 44,000 villages in which the population of Scheduled
castes is above 50 per cent. A new scheme called Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana
(PMAGY) is being launched this year on a pilot basis, for the integrated development of
1000 such villages. I propose an allocation of Rs.100 crore for this scheme. Each village
would be able to avail gap funding of Rs.10 lakh over and above the allocations under
Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation Schemes. On successful implementation of
the pilot phase, the Yojana would be extended in coming years.
Empowerment of Weaker Sections
47. The Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna (SGSY) is being restructured as the
National Rural Livelihood Mission to make it universal in application, focused in
approach and time bound for poverty eradication by 2014-15. Stress will be laid on the
formation of women Self Help Groups (SHGs). Apart from providing capital subsidy at
an enhanced rate, it is also proposed to provide interest subsidy to poor households for
loans upto Rs. one lakh from banks.
48. The Women’s Self Help Group movement is bringing about a profound
transformation in rural areas. There are today over 22 lakh such groups linked with
banks. Our objective is to enrol at least 50% of all rural women in India as members of
SHGs over the next five years and link these SHGs to banks.
49. The Rashtriya Mahila Kosh has been working towards the facilitation of credit
support or micro finance to poor women and has developed a number of innovative
schemes for their benefit. In recognition of its role as an instrument of socio-economic
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change and development, the corpus of the Kosh, which at present is Rs.100 crore, would
be raised to Rs.500 crore, over the next few years.
Female literacy
50. The low level of female literacy continues to be a matter of grave concern. It has,
therefore, been decided to launch a National Mission for Female Literacy, with focus on
minorities, SC, ST and other marginalised groups. The aim will be to reduce by half, the
current level of female illiteracy, in three years.
Integrated Child Development Services
51. Government is committed to universalisation of the Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) Scheme in the country. By March 2012, all services under
ICDS would be extended, with quality, to every child under the age of six.
Student Loans to Weaker Sections
52. To enable students from economically weaker sections to access higher education,
it is proposed to introduce a scheme to provide them full interest subsidy during the
period of moratorium. It will cover loans taken by such students from scheduled banks to
pursue any of the approved courses of study, in technical and professional streams, from
recognised institutions in India . It is estimated that over 5 lakh students would avail of
this benefit.
Welfare of Minorities
53. The Plan outlay of Ministry of Minority Affairs has been enhanced from Rs.1,000
crore in BE 2008-09 to Rs.1,740 crore in 2009-10, registering an increase of 74%. This
includes Rs.990 crore for Multi-Sectoral Development Programme for Minorities in
selected minority concentration districts, Grants-in-aid to Maulana Azad Education
Foundation which is almost doubled, and provisions for National Minorities
Development and Finance Corporation and Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarships for
Minorities. Allocations have also been made for the new schemes of National Fellowship
for Students from the Minority Community and Grants-in-aid to Central Wakf Council
for computerization of records of State Wakf Boards.
54. Aligarh Muslim University has decided to establish its campuses at Murshidabad
in West Bengal and Malappuram in Kerala. I propose to make an allocation of Rs.25
crore each for these two campuses.
Welfare of workers in the unorganised sector
55. The unorganised or informal sector of our economy accounts for 92% of the
employment and absorbs bulk of the annual increase in our labour force. The
Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill, 2007 has now been passed by both Houses of
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Parliament. I have already initiated action to ensure that social security schemes for
occupations like weavers, fishermen and women, toddy tappers, leather and handicraft
workers, plantation labour, construction labour, mine workers, bidi workers, and rikshaw
pullers are implemented at the earliest. Necessary financial allocations will be made for
these schemes.
Employment Exchanges
56. I propose to launch a new project for modernisation of the Employment
Exchanges in public private partnership so that a job seeker can register on-line from
anywhere and approach any employment exchange. Under the project, a national web
portal with common software will be developed. This will contain all the data regarding
availability of skilled persons on the one hand and requirements of skilled persons by the
industry on the other. It will help youth get placed and enable industry to procure
required skills on real time basis.
Handlooms
57. In the last Budget two mega handloom clusters at Varanasi and Sibsagar and two
mega powerloom clusters at Erode and Bhiwandi were approved. They are under
successful implementation. I propose to add one handloom mega cluster each in West
Bengal and Tamil Nadu and one powerloom mega cluster in Rajasthan. These will help
preserve the magnificent textile traditions in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu and generate
thousands of jobs in Rajasthan. In addition, I propose to add new mega clusters for
Carpets in Srinagar (J&K) and Mirzapur (UP).
Health
58. The National Rural Health Mission is an essential instrument for achieving our
goal of Health for all. I propose an increase of Rs.2,057 crore over and above Rs.12,070
crore provided in the Interim Budget.
59. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) was operationalised last year. The
initial response has been very good. More than 46 lakh BPL families in eighteen States
and UTs have been issued biometric smart cards. This scheme empowers poor families
by giving them freedom of choice for using health care services from an extensive list of
hospitals including private hospitals. Government proposes to bring all BPL families
under this scheme. An amount of Rs.350 crore, marking 40% increase over the previous
allocation, is being provided in 2009-10 Budget Estimates.
Environment and Climate Change
60. The National Action Plan on Climate Change unveiled last year, outlines our
strategy to adapt to Climate Change and enhance the ecological sustainability of our
development path. Following this, eight national missions representing a multi-pronged,
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long term and integrated approach are being launched. I propose to provide necessary
funds for these missions.
61. Our government has already set up a ‘National Ganga River Basin Authority’
(NGRBA). I propose increasing the budgetary outlay for the National River and Lake
Conservation Plans to Rs.562 crore in 2009-10 from Rs.335 crore in 2008-09.
62. I propose to make a special one-time grant of Rs.100 crore to the Indian Council
of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun in recognition of its excellence in the field
of research, education and extension. I also propose an allocation of Rs.15 crore each for
the Botanical Survey of India and Zoological Survey of India. An additional amount of
Rs.15 crore is being allocated to Geological Survey of India.
TOWARDS BUILDING ACCOUNTABLE INSTITUTIONS
Improving delivery of public services
63. As substantial resources, both public and private, are mobilized to fuel the growth
of the economy and make it more inclusive in character, efficiency of delivery must
become the focus of government programmes. The enactment of the Right to Information
Act at the Centre and in many states has been an important and successful step in this
direction, ushering in greater transparency and accountability in the public decisionmaking
process.
64. The setting up of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a major
step in improving governance with regard to delivery of public services. This project is
very close to my heart. I am happy to note that this project also marks the beginning of an
era where the top private sector talent in India steps forward to take the responsibility for
implementing projects of vital national importance. The UIDAI will set up an online data
base with identity and biometric details of Indian residents and provide enrolment and
verification services across the country. The first set of unique identity numbers will be
rolled out in 12 to 18 months. I have proposed a provision of Rs.120 crore for this
project.
National Security
65. For modernisation of Police force in the States, an additional amount of Rs.430
crore is being proposed, over and above the provisions in the Interim Budget. The
Government has also sanctioned special risk/hardship allowances to the personnel of Para
Military Forces at par with Defence forces. Provisions for payment of these allowances
are also being proposed in the Budget.
66. For strengthening Border Management, an additional amount of Rs.2,284 crore,
over and above the provision in the Interim Budget, is being provided for construction of
fences, roads, flood-lights on the international borders.
15
67. Significant augmentation in the strength of para-military forces is being done.
This calls for more investment in creating the necessary infrastructure, particularly in the
area of housing. The Government, therefore, proposes to launch a massive programme of
housing to create 1 lakh dwelling units for Central Para-Military Forces personnel. This
will not only contribute to the morale of the forces, but will also enable leveraging of
government’s annual budgetary resources and create an innovative financing model.
One Rank One Pension for Ex-Servicemen (OROP)
68. Our country owes a deep debt of gratitude to our valiant ex-Servicemen. The
Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary on OROP has submitted its report and the
recommendations of the Committee have been accepted. On the basis of these
recommendations, the Government has decided to substantially improve the pension of
pre 1.1.2006 defence pensioners below officer rank (PBOR) and bring pre 10.10.1997
pensioners on par with post 10.10.1997 pensioners. Both these decisions will be
implemented from 1st July 2009 resulting in enhanced pension for more than 12 lakh
jawans and JCOs. These measures will cost the exchequer more than Rs.2,100 crore
annually. Certain pension benefits being extended to war wounded and other disabled
pensioners are also being liberalised.
Education
69. The demographic advantage India has in terms of a large percentage of young
population needs to be converted into a dynamic economic advantage by providing them
the right education and skills. The provision for the scheme, ‘ Mission in Education
through ICT,’ has been substantially increased to Rs.900 crore. Similarly, the provision
for setting up and up-gradation of Polytechnics under the Skill Development Mission has
been increased to Rs.495 crore. The government shall take forward its intent of having
one Central University in each uncovered State and for this purpose I am allocating
Rs.827 crore. I am also allocating Rs.2,113 crore for IITs and NITs, which includes a
provision of Rs.450 crore for new IITs and NITs. The overall Plan budget for higher
education is proposed to be increased by Rs.2,000 crore over Interim BE.
70. Union Territory of Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab and Haryana. The facilities
at Punjab University , Chandigarh , need to be improved. I, therefore, propose to make an
allocation of Rs.50 crore for this university. To enable the Union Territory
Administration to provide better infrastructure to the people, I propose to suitably
enhance the Plan allocation for Chandigarh during the current financial year.
Commonwealth Games 2010
71. The Commonwealth Games present the country with an opportunity to showcase
our potential as an emerging Asian Power. I propose to substantially enhance the
allocations for the Commonwealth Games from Rs.2,112 crore in the Interim Budget to
Rs.3,472 crore in the Budget for 2009-10.
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72. Madam Speaker, the Government is committed to ensure that Sri Lankan Tamils
enjoy their rights and legitimate aspirations within the territorial sovereignty and
framework of Sri Lanka ’s Constitution. The Ministry of External Affairs is working
closely with the Sri Lankan Government in this regard. I propose to allocate Rs.500 crore
for the rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons and reconstruction of the
northern and eastern areas of Sri Lanka .
73. As Honourable Members are aware, Cyclone Aila struck the coast of West Bengal
in the last week of May 2009. Extensive damage was caused to roads, houses and
infrastructure. While immediate interim relief has been provided from the Calamity
Relief Fund (CRF), it is proposed to draw up a programme for rebuilding the damaged
infrastructure. For this purpose, I propose to allocate Rs.1,000 crore.
BUDGET ESTIMATES 2009-10
Madam Speaker, now I turn to the Budget Estimates for 2009-10.
74. The Budget Estimates 2009-10 provide for a total expenditure of Rs.10,20,838
crore consisting of Rs.6,95,689 crore towards Non Plan and Rs.3,25,149 crore towards
Plan expenditure. The increase in Non Plan expenditure over BE 2008-09 is 37% whereas
the increase in Plan expenditure is 34%. The total increase in expenditure in 2009-10
over BE 2008-09 is 36%.
75. The increase in Non Plan expenditure is mainly on account of the implementation
of the Sixth Central Pay Commission recommendations, increased food subsidy and
higher interest payment arising out of the larger fiscal deficit in 2008-09. Interest
payments are estimated at Rs.2,25,511 crore constituting about 36% of Non Plan revenue
expenditure in BE 2009-10. The total provision for subsidies are up from Rs.71,431 crore
in BE 2008-09 to Rs.1,11,276 crore in BE 2009-10. The outlay on Defence has gone up
from Rs.1,05,600 crore in BE 2008-09 to Rs.1,41,703 crore in BE 2009-10.
76. Honourable Members may recall that while presenting the Interim Budget 2009-
10, I had stated that the Plan expenditure for 2009-10 may have to be increased further as
a part of counter-cyclical measures to minimise the impact of global recession and
economic slowdown. Against the backdrop of limited fiscal space because of reduction in
CENVAT and Service Tax rates, Government have taken a conscious and bold decision
to enhance the Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for the Annual Plan 2009-10 by
Rs.40,000 crore over Interim Budget 2009-10. Bulk of this enhanced GBS is directed
towards public investment in infrastructure with special emphasis on rural infrastructure,
raising growth potential and leading to income generation. Besides, the State
Governments will be permitted to borrow additional 0.5% of their GSDP by relaxing the
fiscal deficit target under FRBM from 3.5% to 4% of their GSDP. This will enable the
State Governments to raise additional open market loans of about Rs.21,000 crore in the
current year. In other words, the total additionality in Plan expenditure by Centre and the
States put together would be Rs.61,000 crore over Interim Budget. I do believe that this
17
fiscal expansion will go a long way in reversing the impact of economic slowdown and
accelerate our growth revival in the medium term.
77. Madam Speaker, given the possibility of the economic downturn persisting in the
current year, the gross tax receipts are budgeted at Rs.6,41,079 crore in BE 2009-10,
compared to Rs.6,87,715 crore in BE 2008-09. The non tax revenue receipts are,
however, likely to be better and are estimated at Rs.1,40,279 crore in BE 2009-10
compared to Rs.95,785 crore in BE 2008-09. The revenue deficit as a percentage of GDP
is projected at 4.8% compared to 1% in BE 2008-09 and 4.6% as per provisional
accounts of 2008-09. The fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP is projected at 6.8%
compared to 2.5% in BE 2008-09 and 6.2% as per provisional accounts 2008-09. This
level of deficit is a matter of concern and Government will address this issue in right
earnest to come back to the path of fiscal consolidation at the earliest.
78. Madam Speaker, before I turn to my tax proposals, I cannot resist the temptation
of re-visiting Kautilya. He said and I quote, “Just as one plucks fruits from a garden as
they ripen, so shall a King have revenue collected as it becomes due. Just as one does not
collect unripe fruits, he shall avoid taking wealth that is not due because that will make
the people angry and spoil the very sources of revenue.”
PART - B
TAX PROPOSALS
79. Madam Speaker, I shall now present my tax proposals.
80. As the House is aware, the thrust of reforms over the last few years, including the
previous term of this Government, has been to improve the efficiency and equity of our
tax system. This is sought to be achieved by eliminating distortions in the tax structure,
introducing moderate levels of taxation and expanding the base. These policy changes
have been accompanied by requisite re-engineering of key business processes coupled
with automation, both for direct and indirect taxes. On the direct tax side, a recent
initiative for further improving efficiency is the setting up of a Centralized Processing
Centre (CPC) at Bengaluru where all electronically filed returns, and paper returns filed
in entire Karnataka, will be processed.
81. These tax reform initiatives have produced impressive results. The Centre’s Tax-
GDP ratio has increased to 11.5 per cent in 2008-09 from a low of 9.2 per cent in 2003-
04. The healthy growth in tax revenues over the last five years is essentially attributable
to growth in direct taxes. Further, the share of direct taxes in the Centre’s tax revenues
has increased to 56 per cent in 2008-09 from 41 per cent in 2003-04, reflecting a sharp
improvement in the equity of our tax system. The Government is committed to
furthering this process of tax reform.
18
82. In the course of preparation of this budget, I have had the opportunity to interact
with large number of stakeholders and receive valuable inputs. Most suggestions were
for structural changes in the tax system. Tax reform, like all reforms, is a process and not
an event. Therefore, I propose to pursue structural changes in direct taxes by releasing
the new Direct Taxes Code within the next 45 days and in indirect taxes by accelerating
the process for the smooth introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) with effect
from 1st April, 2010 .
83. The Direct Taxes Code, along with a Discussion Paper, will be released to the
public for debate. Based on the inputs received, the Government will finalise the Direct
Taxes Code Bill for introduction in this House sometime during the Winter Session.
84. To further enhance efficiency in tax administration, I intend to merge the two
Authorities for Advance Rulings on Direct and Indirect Taxes by amending the relevant
Acts. This will enable the Authority for Advance Rulings set up under Section 245-O of
the Income Tax Act, 1961 to also function as the Authority for Advance Rulings for
Indirect Taxes.
85. I have been informed that the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers
has made considerable progress in preparing the roadmap and the design of the GST.
Officials from the Central Government have also been associated in this exercise. I am
glad to inform the House that, through their collaborative efforts, they have reached an
agreement on the basic structure in keeping with the principles of fiscal federalism
enshrined in the Constitution. I compliment the Empowered Committee of State Finance
Ministers for their untiring efforts. The broad contour of the GST Model is that it will be
a dual GST comprising of a Central GST and a State GST. The Centre and the States
will each legislate, levy and administer the Central GST and State GST, respectively. I
will reinforce the Central Government’s catalytic role to facilitate the introduction of
GST by 1st April, 2010 after due consultations with all stakeholders.
DIRECT TAXES
86. I shall now deal with direct taxes.
87. Madam Speaker, there have been demands by the corporate sector for reduction in
tax rates. However, tax rates are determined by the size of the tax base; if the tax base is
higher, the tax rates can be lower. The Income Tax Act is riddled with a plethora of tax
exemptions which substantially erode the tax base. The extent of this erosion is
presented to this House in the form of a Revenue Foregone Statement. The growth in the
direct tax revenue foregone is relatively higher than the growth in the direct tax revenues.
Accordingly, I do not propose to make any change in the Corporate Tax rates.
88. With a view to providing interim relief to small and marginal taxpayers and senior
citizens, I propose to increase the personal income tax exemption limit by Rs.15,000 from
Rs.2.25 lakh to Rs.2.40 lakh for senior citizens. Similarly I also propose to raise the
exemption limit by Rs.10,000 from Rs.1.80 lakh to Rs.1.90 lakh for women tax payers
19
and by Rs.10,000 from Rs.1.50 lakh to Rs.1.60 lakh for all other categories of individual
taxpayers. Further, I also propose to increase the deduction under section 80-DD in
respect of maintenance, including medical treatment, of a dependent who is a person with
severe disability to Rs.1 lakh from the present limit of Rs.75,000.
89. In the past, surcharges on direct taxes have generally been levied to meet the
revenue needs arising from natural calamities. The Government has set up the National
Calamity Contingency Fund to build up resources to meet emergency situations. As a
corollary, surcharge on direct taxes should be removed. However, this has to be balanced
with the revenue needs of the Government. Therefore, in the first instance, I propose to
phase out the surcharge on various direct taxes by eliminating the surcharge of 10 per
cent on personal income tax.
90. Deduction in respect of export profits is available under sections 10A and 10B of
the Income-tax Act. The deduction under these sections would not be available beyond
the financial year 2009-2010. In order to tide over the slowdown in exports, I propose to
extend the sun-set clauses for these tax holidays by one more year i.e. for the financial
year 2010-11.
91. The Finance Act, 2005 introduced the Fringe Benefit Tax on the value of certain
fringe benefits provided by employers to their employees. This tax has been perceived as
imposing considerable compliance burden. Empathising with these sentiments, I propose
to abolish the Fringe Benefit Tax.
92. The competitive ability of an economy rests on its progress in the area of
Research and Development (R&D). In order to incentivise the corporate sector to
undertake R&D work, I propose to extend the scope of the current provision of weighted
deduction of 150% on expenditure incurred on in-house R&D to all manufacturing
businesses except for a small negative list.
93. Under the present scheme of the Income Tax Act, tax exemptions are largely
profit-linked. Such incentives are inherently inefficient and liable to misuse. Therefore,
it is proposed to incentivise businesses by providing investment-linked tax exemptions.
To begin with, I propose to extend investment- linked tax incentives to the businesses of
setting up and operating ‘cold chain’, warehousing facilities for storing agricultural
produce and the business of laying and operating cross country natural gas or crude or
petroleum oil pipeline network for distribution on common carrier principle. Under this
method, all capital expenditure, other than expenditure on land, goodwill and financial
instruments will be fully allowable as deduction.
94. Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) was introduced to address inequity in taxation of
corporate taxpayers. In the quest for greater equity, I propose to increase the rate of MAT
to 15 per cent of book profits from the present rate of 10 per cent. However, to grant
relief to corporate taxpayers, I also propose to extend the period allowed to carry forward
the tax credit under MAT from seven years to ten years.
20
95. The New Pension System (NPS) is an important milestone in the development of
a sustainable, efficient, voluntary and defined contribution pension system in India .
While the NPS will continue to be subjected to the Exempt-Exempt-Taxed (EET) method
of tax treatment of savings, it is proposed to provide necessary fiscal support to the NPS
for the establishment of this much needed social security system. Accordingly, I propose
to exempt the income of the NPS Trust from income tax and any dividend paid to this
Trust from Dividend Distribution Tax. Similarly, all purchase and sale of equity shares
and derivatives by the NPS Trust will also be exempt from the Securities Transaction
Tax. I also propose to enable self employed persons to participate in the NPS and avail of
the tax benefits available thereto.
96. In order to further improve the investment climate in the country, we need to
facilitate the resolution of tax disputes faced by foreign companies within a reasonable
time frame. This is particularly relevant for such companies in the Information
Technology (IT) sector. I, therefore, propose to create an alternative dispute resolution
mechanism within the Income Tax Department for the resolution of transfer pricing
disputes. To reduce the impact of judgemental errors in determining transfer price in
international transactions, it is proposed to empower the Central Board of Direct Taxes
(CBDT) to formulate ‘safe harbour’ rules.
97. The Finance Act, 2008 introduced the Commodity Transaction Tax (CTT) to be
levied on taxable commodities transactions entered in a recognized association. The
Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council has recommended abolition of the CTT. I,
therefore, propose to abolish the Commodity Transaction Tax.
98. The House will agree that it is desirable to bring about transparency in the funding
of political parties in the country. With a view to reforming the system of funding of
political parties, I propose to provide that donations to electoral trusts shall be allowed as
a 100 per cent deduction in the computation of the income of the donor. For this purpose,
Electoral Trusts will be such trusts as are set up as pass-through vehicles for routing the
donations to political parties and are approved by CBDT.
99. Section 80E of the Income-tax Act provides for a deduction in respect of interest
on loans taken for pursuing higher education in specified fields of study. I propose to
extend the scope of this provision to cover all fields of study, including vocational
studies, pursued after completion of schooling.
100. Anonymous donations to charitable institutions are presently liable to tax so as to
prevent unaccounted money being routed to such entities in the garb of anonymous
donations. However, some organisations are facing genuine problems in complying with
the procedural requirements. In order to mitigate the practical difficulties being faced by
such charitable organisations, I propose to grant relief to such organisations by not taxing
anonymous donations received to the extent of 5 per cent of their total income or a sum
of Rs.1 lakh, whichever is higher.
21
101. To facilitate the business operations of all small taxpayers and reduce their
compliance burden, I propose to expand the scope of presumptive taxation to all small
businesses with a turnover upto Rs.40 lakh. All such taxpayers will have the option to
declare their income from business at the rate of 8 per cent of their turnover and
simultaneously enjoy exemption from the compliance burden of maintaining books of
accounts. As a procedural simplification, I also propose to allow them to pay their entire
tax liability from business at the time of filing their return by exempting them from
paying advance tax. This new scheme will come into effect from the financial year 2010-
11.
102. Madam Speaker, in the context of the geo-political environment, it is necessary
for us to create our own facilities for energy security. Accordingly, I propose to extend
the tax holiday under section 80-IB(9) of the Income Tax Act, which was hitherto
available in respect of profits arising from the commercial production or refining of
mineral oil, also to natural gas. This tax benefit will be available to undertakings in
respect of profits derived from the commercial production of mineral oil and natural gas
from oil and gas blocks which are awarded under the New Exploration Licensing Policy-
VIII round of bidding. Further, I also propose to retrospectively amend the provisions of
the said section to provide that “undertaking” for the purposes of section 80-IB(9) will
mean all blocks awarded in any single contract.
103. Under the present provisions of section 2 (15) of the Income Tax Act, “charitable
purpose” includes relief of the poor, education, medical relief, and the “advancement of
any other object of general public utility”. However, the “advancement of any other
object of general public utility” cannot involve the carrying on of any activity in the
nature of trade, commerce or business. I propose to provide the same tax treatment to
trusts engaged in preserving and improving our environment (including watersheds,
forests and wildlife) and preserving our monuments or places or objects of artistic or
historic interest, as is available to trusts engaged in providing relief of the poor, education
and medical relief.
INDIRECT TAXES
104. Madam Speaker, I turn to my main proposals on indirect taxes.
105. I will first take up customs duties.
106. Although our domestic industry has weathered the impact of the global financial
crisis and the resultant slowdown with resilience, it is yet to fully find its feet.
Manufacturing growth, which had turned negative in October 2008 on a year-on-year
basis and remained in that zone till March this year, appears to be barely turning the
corner. However, the global scenario remains worrisome and it is my view that the
paramount need is to provide industry with a stable framework. My proposals on indirect
taxes seek to achieve this by maintaining the overall rate structure for customs and central
excise duties as well as service tax. I must hasten to add that I have not hesitated to act
22
where distortions provide a compelling reason or where relief would provide a healing
touch.
107. Full exemption from basic customs duty was provided to Set Top Boxes in 2006
to enable their free import for the smooth introduction of the Conditional Access System
(CAS). Now that production capacity has come up in the country, I propose to impose a
nominal basic customs duty of 5 per cent on such Set Top Boxes to encourage domestic
value addition.
108. The electronic hardware industry has a strong potential for creating employment
especially in the SME sector. I intend to reduce the basic customs duty on LCD panels
from 10 per cent to 5 per cent to support indigenous production of LCD televisions.
109. Full exemption from CVD of 4 per cent was available to accessories, parts and
components imported for the manufacture of mobile phones till the 30th of June, 2009 . I
propose to reintroduce this exemption for another year.
110. For reasons that are apparent, industry sectors having an export-orientation have
been adversely impacted by the demand compression in global markets. Presently,
exporters of leather products, textile garments, footwear as well as sports goods are
permitted to import raw materials, consumables etc. upto 3 per cent of the fob value of
their exports free of duty. I propose to add a few more items to these lists. Full exemption
from basic customs duty is being provided to rough corals for encouraging value-addition
and export.
111. It is imperative that the contribution of new and renewable energy sources of
power is enhanced if we have to successfully combat the phenomena of global warming
and climate change. I am reducing the basic customs duty on permanent magnets - a
critical component for Wind Operated Electricity Generators - from 7.5 per cent to 5 per
cent.
112. On influenza vaccine and nine specified life saving drugs used for the treatment
of breast cancer, hepatitis-B, rheumatic arthritis etc. and on bulk drugs used for the
manufacture of such drugs, I propose to reduce the customs duty from 10 per cent to 5
per cent. They will also be totally exempt from excise duty and countervailing duty.
113. Customs duty will also be reduced from 7.5 per cent to 5 per cent on two
specified life saving devices used in treatment of heart conditions. These devices will be
fully exempt from excise duty and CVD also.
114. Gold bars currently attract customs duty at the specific rate of Rs.100 per ten
grams while other forms of gold (excluding jewellery) are chargeable to a duty of Rs.250
per ten grams. These rates were fixed in 2004 and have not been reviewed even as the
price of gold has increased manifold. I propose to partially restore the incidence by
increasing these rates to Rs.200 per ten grams and Rs.500 per ten grams respectively.
Along the same lines, the customs duty on silver (excluding jewellery) will be increased
23
from Rs.500 per kg to Rs.1,000 per kg. These revised rates would also apply to gold and
silver, including ornaments that are not studded, when imported by a bona fide passenger
as baggage.
115. I will now come to central excise duties.
116. Hon’ble Members are aware that the Government announced a series of fiscal
stimulus packages, one of the key elements of which was the sharp reduction in the ad
valorem rates of Central Excise duty for non-petroleum products by 4 percentage points
across the board on 7th of December 2008 and by another 2 percentage points in the
mean CENVAT rate on the 24th of February, 2009.
117. One of the consequences of these cuts was that pure cotton textiles came to be
fully exempted from excise duty. We have received representations that full exemption
prevents manufacturers from availing of export rebate of the duty paid from CENVAT
credit. I propose to rectify this situation by restoring the erstwhile optional rate of 4 per
cent for cotton textiles beyond the fibre stage.
118. Ever since the revamp of the excise duty structure on textiles by my distinguished
predecessor in the 2004 budget, a differential in rates has been maintained between the
cotton sector and the manmade sector. In keeping with the integrity of the earlier
structure, I propose to restore the rate of 8 per cent Central Excise duty on manmade fibre
and yarn on a mandatory basis and on stages beyond fibre and yarn at that rate on
optional basis. These changes, together with duty changes on intermediates, would imply
that the duty on all types of manmade fibre and yarn and their intermediates would be the
same, easing the problem of credit accumulation.
119. Wool waste and cotton waste are chargeable to basic customs duty of 15 per cent.
These are used in the manufacture of cheaper varieties of textile articles such as blankets
and rugs. As a measure of relief to this sector, I propose to reduce the basic customs duty
on these items to 10 per cent.
120. With the Government’s proclaimed objective of introducing a Goods and Services
Tax (GST) both at the national and State level, some more steps in that direction are
necessary. One measure that would facilitate the process is the further convergence of
central excise duty rates to a mean rate - currently 8 per cent. I have reviewed the list of
items currently attracting the rate of 4 per cent, the only rate below the mean rate. There
is a case for enhancing the rate on many items appearing in this list to 8 per cent, which I
propose to do, with the following major exceptions:
• food items; and
• drugs, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.
Some of the other items on which I propose to retain the rate of 4 per cent are:
24
• paper, paperboard & their articles;
• items of mass consumption such as pressure cookers, cheaper electric bulbs, lowpriced
footwear, water filters/purifiers, CFL etc.;
• power driven pumps for handling water; and
• paraxylene.
The details are available in the relevant notifications.
121. Bio-diesel, obtained from vegetable oils and used for blending with petro-diesel,
is currently exempt from excise duty. I now propose to fully exempt petro-diesel blended
with bio-diesel from excise duty.
122. In order to encourage the use of this environment friendly fuel and augment its
availability in the country, I also propose to reduce basic customs duty on bio-diesel from
7.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent - at par with petro-diesel. With these proposals I hope to see a
smile on the faces of the green brigade!
123. My other proposals on central excise duties seek to address distortions that the
manufacturing industry has been complaining about.
124. The IT industry has pointed out that it is facing difficulties in the assessment of
software which involves transfer of the right to use after the levy of service tax on IT
software service. To resolve the matter, I propose to exempt the value attributable to the
transfer of the right to use packaged software from excise duty and CVD.
125. The construction industry has represented that they are facing difficulties on
account of withdrawal of exemption on goods manufactured at site. I propose to restore
full exemption to such goods, including pre-fabricated concrete slabs or blocks, when
used for further construction at site.
126. A specific component was added to the ad valorem duty of 24 per cent applicable
to large cars and utility vehicles in June last year. In the case of vehicles of engine
capacity below 2000 cc, this component was Rs.15,000/- per unit while for vehicles of
higher engine capacity it was Rs.20,000/- per unit. These rates are now being unified at
the lower level of Rs.15,000/- per unit.
127. Petrol driven trucks provide a useful means of transport within cities and across
short distances. These are chargeable to excise duty of 20 per cent. I propose to reduce
excise duty on these trucks to 8 per cent to equate the duty with similar vehicles run on
diesel.
25
128. Madam Speaker, I fear that my proposals relating to gold and silver on the
customs side would somewhat dent my popularity with women. I propose to salvage this
by fully exempting branded jewellery from excise duty.
129. I now turn to my proposals on service tax.
130. It is an international practice to zero-rate exports. To achieve this objective, a
scheme was announced in 2007, granting refund of service tax paid on certain taxable
services used after the clearance of export goods from the factory. For some time now,
the exporting community has been expressing dissatisfaction over the difficulties faced in
obtaining such refunds. Several procedural simplifications attempted in the past have also
not yielded satisfactory results. The solution seems to lie in placing greater trust on the
claims filed by the exporters. Keeping this in view, I propose to make the following
changes in the scheme:
• Services received by exporters from goods transport agents and commission agents,
where the liability to pay service tax is ab initio on the exporter, would be exempted from
service tax. Thus, there would be no need for the exporter to first pay the tax and later
claim refund.
• For other services received by exporters, the exemption would be operated through
the existing refund mechanism based on self-certification of the documents where such
refund is below 0.25 per cent of fob value, and certification of documents by a Chartered
Accountant for value of refund exceeding the above limit.
131. The Export Promotion Councils and the Federation of Indian Export
Organizations (FIEO) provide a valuable service in augmenting our export effort. I
propose to exempt them from the levy of service tax on the membership and other fees
collected by them till 31st March, 2010 .
132. In the goods transport sector, service tax is currently levied on transport of goods
by road, by air, through pipelines and in containers. However, goods carried by Indian
railways or those carried as coastal cargo or through inland waterways are not charged to
service tax. In order to provide a level playing field in the goods transport sector, I
propose to extend the levy of service tax to these modes of goods transport. The new
levy is not likely to impact the prices of essential commodities or goods for mass
consumption, as suitable exemptions would be provided.
133. As the Hon’ble Members are aware, services provided by chartered accountants,
cost accountants, and company secretaries as well as by engineering and management
consultants are presently charged to service tax. Although there is a school of thought
that legal consultants do not provide any service to their client, I hold my distinguished
predecessor in high esteem and disagree! As such, I propose to extend service tax on
advice, consultancy or technical assistance provided in the field of law. This tax would
not be applicable in case the service provider or the service receiver is an individual.
26
134. Vehicles having ‘Stage Carriage Permits’ and run by State undertakings are
exempted from service tax. However, transportation of passengers undertaken by private
enterprises in vehicles having ‘Contract Carriage Permits’ is, subjected to service tax. In
order to bring parity in tax treatment, I propose to exempt such transportation also from
the levy of service tax.
135. In July, 2008 goods transport agents (GTA) went on strike with several demands.
One of the demands that was accepted by the government was to exempt certain services,
such as packing, cargo handling and warehousing, provided to GTAs en route, from
service tax. For this purpose an exemption notification was issued. It was also demanded
by goods transport agents that the proceedings already initiated against such service
providers should be dropped. The Government has accepted this genuine demand.
Therefore, I propose to make certain legislative changes required to fulfill this promise.
136. Copies of notifications giving effect to the changes in customs, central excise and
service tax will be laid on the Table of the House in due course.
137. My tax proposals on direct taxes are revenue neutral. On indirect taxes, they are
estimated to yield a net gain of Rs.2,000 crore for a full year.
CONCLUSION
138. As we begin this five year journey, the road ahead will not be easy. We will have
to manage uncertainties and there will be as many problems as there would be solutions.
Mahatma Gandhi said and I quote, “Democracy is the art and science of mobilizing the
entire physical, economic and spiritual resources of various sections of the people in the
service of the common good of all.” This is precisely what we will have to do. With
strong hearts, enlightened minds and willing hands, we will have to overcome all odds
and remove all obstacles to create a brave new India of our dreams.
139. Madam Speaker, with these words I commend the budget to the House.

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Source:Hindustan times

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Luck latest Photo Gallery

2009-07-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

Luck movie Review, Luck Photo gallery, Luck wallpapers, luck images, Shruti haasan wallpapers, Imran khan wallpapers, sexy shriti haasan

TANA 2009 latest Photos

2009-07-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

North America Telugu Society (NATS) Launched

2009-07-05T02:53:00.000-07:00

A service-oriented national Telugu organization, North America Telugu Society ( NATS), was established on Saturday, Feb 28th in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Lip to Lip Kisses of Bollywood-Spicy photos

2009-07-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Bollywood Smooches of all times

1.Dayavan : The film which featured one of the longest smooches in B'wood between a very young Madhuri Dixit and a much older Vinod Khanna. Directed by Feroz Khan, the movie tells the story of a gangster and a prostitute (Madhuri) and their attempt to live an honourable life.

2,Raja Hindustani : The film was the 1996 hit, Raja Hindustani directed by Dharmesh Darshan which featured the steamy kiss in the rain by Aamir who played a poor taxi driver in love with rich girl Karisma and the film was the usual story of their struggle to keep love afloat despite their different economical backgrounds.

3.Kyun! Ho Gaya Na : The lovebirds of that year, Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Rai locked lips on-screen for their first venture together Kyun.. Ho Gaya Naa. . Ash kissed ex-flame Vivek Oberoi in ' Kyun! Ho Gaya Na '.

4.Murder : Mallika's kissing act, this time with serial kisser Emraan Hashmi and Ashmit Patel in the runaway hit 'Murder' got her accolades.

5.Aashiq Banaya Aapne : Tanushree Dutta made headlines for her kissing scene in her debut movie Aashiq Banaya Aapne with the 'serial kisser' Emraan Hashmi. The scene was too hot to handle.

6.Dhoom 2 : Aishwarya locked lips again, this time with hottie Hrithik Roshan in the 2006 hit, ' Dhoom 2 '. This kiss created a media splash when a lawyer filed a case against the two actors for lowering the dignity of Indian women and the movie gave an obscene message to India's youth.

7.Jaanbaaz : Dimple Kapadia did Jaanbaaz and shared a passionate smooch with Anil Kapoor in probably one of the most erotic scenes in B'wood, making out in a stable with erotic imagery.

8.Khwahish : The actress shoots from the lip literally! She kissed her way into fame in the 2003 flick Khwahish opposite Himanshu Malik. The film made headlines because of the 17 kisses between the two.

9.Jism : The hunk first kissed and romanced his current girlfriend, Bipasha in the 2003 flick, ' Jism '. John played the other man in an extramarital affair and the film had a lot of steamy scenes.

10.Sagar : Dimple Kapadia made her debut with Rishi Kapoor in Bobby . Back then, they were just kids. Post-marriage and her separation from Rajesh Khanna, Dimple teamed up with Rishi again, and this time they shared a kiss in the 1985 movie Sagar

Courtesy-indiatimes.com

Shruti is not my sister: Imran Khan

2009-07-04T21:01:00.001-07:00

Who would want to make chocolate boy Imran Khan her brother? Even his actresses wouldn’t! Interestingly Imran mentioned in an interview that Shruti Haasan, who stars with him in Luck, is his close friend and like family to him.

When a journalist asked him that isn’t Shruti like his sister since he knows her from childhood? Imran and Shruti’s eyes popped out and the duo started laughing!
Shruti chose to call Imran her close friend and co-star. “Let’s not get into the brother sister relationships. We have been friends for the last so many years that I have lost count. We are romancing each other in the film so just keep to that. One can’t romance a brother, in fact the thought itself is repugnant,” she said.

Reacting on this Imran quipped, “Don’t use the word sister, it sounds horrible. We are more of friends. One can't romance a sister. It’s sounds very repulsive.”

Kambakht Ishq Review, Wallpapers, Download

2009-07-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Movie Review: Kambakkht Ishq; Star cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Amrita Arora, Kirron Kher and in Sp. App Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards, Brandon Routh and Holly Valance; Director: Sabbir Khan; Rating: ** - Falls short of expectations.

From kambaqt ishq

Viraj (Akshay) is a Hollywood stunt man who doesn’t believe in marriage and lives by the belief that women are good for only two things. When he comes to know that his younger brother Lucky (Aftab) is getting married, he rushes to break it off. At the same time the bride, Kamini’s (Amrita) best friend Simrita (Kareena) too rushes in dissuading her from getting married to a ‘second hand’ person aka a stuntman. But it is too late as the couple has already made up their mind. But not before a war of words ensues between the chauvinist Viraj and snooty Simrita. The reason why Simrita (who by the way is a medical student cum part time model) hates men is the examples she has seen in her own family. She therefore believes men are only interested in taking women into their beds and nothing else. But then fate keeps Viraj and Simrita bumping more into each other and their each meeting only doubling up their hate for each other. Meanwhile, Simrita’s stubbornness leads Lucky and Kamini to the brink of divorce. While Viraj tries to stop this divorce from taking place Simrita tries her best to ensure it takes place. Things get more complicated when during Viraj’s operation, Simrita accidentally leaves her watch inside his stomach. What it all leads to forms the rest of the plot.

Kambakkht Ishq is one of the most lavish productions to come out of Bollywood no doubts about it. But despite involving four scriptwriters the film still falls short of the expectations where the promised wholesome entertainment is concerned. The main problem being the wafer thin plot, then again some really bad jokes that fall flat and finally the second half. Also many a times the thin line of acceptance has been crossed in the name of humour which makes it a difficult watch for the family audience. The first half breezes quickly but the second half slows down considerably. The serious turn taken though comes in with the flow of the film, it gets boring as you know it very well where it is all going to lead to. Though it is applause worthy job by debutante director Sabbir Khan to helm a film as huge, you sorely miss a David Dhawan who would have controlled the lunatic moments more effeciently. To give due credit, ‘Hollywood’ has been well incorporated by Sabbir in the film. Though Taurus awards sequence has been superbly picturised, the makers seem to be under the impression that award winners arrive first on stage followed by announcement of arrival of award presenters at prestigious international awards.

The film scores high in the technical department with cinematographer Vikas Sivaraman coming on tops. He has succeeded in imparting the film an international look. However, barring the Mangalam number the music of the film is not worth a mention.

Akshay Kumar is back in terrific form as a performer. He is simply superb in his award acceptance speech. Kareena has never looked so hot before. She manages to put up her own against Akshay but is saddled by poor characterization, especially in the second half. Almost 80% of the time her character has been burdened with a permanent growl on the face. Amrita Arora is cute as her dim wit friend. Aftab is passable. Kirron Kher is getting irritatingly repetitive. Boman Irani in a single scene appearance is hilarious but Javed Jaffrey grates on your nerves and its high time he realises that his ‘punny’ jokes don’t work every time. Vindoo Dara Singh as the dumb assist of Akshay is mirthful. Amongst the Hollywood stars, Sylvester Stallone commands great screen presence but Denise Richards looks too old but she does enact her part well.

Watching the promos and the huge hype the makers have managed to create about their film, your expectation levels are high when you enter but as you come out you do feel that it is nothing more than a dumb entertainer that tries to take you too much for granted. It may take a great start at the box office but the crowds will vanish from Monday once the hype begins to settles down.

Source:www.realbollywood.com

for Movie download click here

'Shiva' Remake With Naga Chaitanya

2009-07-04T02:43:00.000-07:00

Trendsetting movies have been quite few in the Telugu film history and one flick that stands apart is ‘Shiva’ starring Nagarjuna and directed by the genius Ramgopal Varma. Now, a strong buzz is making rounds in the Tollywood circles and if it happens, then it will be interesting.

It is said that as a third venture, planning is going on by actor-director JD Chakavarthy to come up with a remake of ‘Shiva’. He is said to be showing interest in the project and talks are said to be going on with Nagarjuna and RGV with JD taking the lead.

Already JD remade the Bollywood hit ‘Ab Tak Chappan’ in Telugu as Siddham with Jagapathi Babu and proved his directorial capability. On the flip side, many are saying that it is time JD starts looking at something original than just remakes. For now, it looks like ‘Shiva’ might come back with his cycle chain.

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2009-07-03T23:55:00.002-07:00

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2009-07-03T23:55:00.001-07:00

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Kambakht Ishq Review, Wallpapers, Download

2009-07-03T06:01:00.000-07:00

From kambaqt ishq

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2009-07-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

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Charmee Latest Wallpapers, Gallery, Movies

2009-07-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

Charmee Latest Wallpapers, Gallery, Movies
Charmee clips, Charmee images, Charmee stills, Charmee wallpapers, Charmee photos, Charmee pictures, Charmee photo galler

Adurs Working Stills, NTR's Wallpapers, Music review

2009-07-03T02:37:00.000-07:00

Junior NTR, NTR Adurs, Adurs wallpapers, Adurs NTR Stunts, VV Vinayak adurs, Adurs Shooting spot

Imran khan and Shruti haasan latest movie "Luck" movie Gallery and Slide show

2009-07-02T21:17:00.001-07:00

blooywood movie wallpapers, kamal haasan's dotour, Shruti haasan, shruti haasan gallery, shruti haasan wallpapers

Shruti haasan latest wallpapers from Luck

2009-07-02T21:04:00.001-07:00

Shruti haasan, shruti haasan wallpapers, shruti haasan gallery, kamal haasan's dotour, blooywood movie wallpapers. These are the wallapers of the latest movie LUCK with Imran Khan(Amir Khan's Nephew). She is looking so sexy. She has maintained a low profile by keeping secret his father's popularity

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2009-07-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

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