MAKING SENSE OF LIFE'S INNUMERABLE CHOICES

Life offers the opportunity to make choices. No matter how much we already know, or will come to know, there will still be unknowable mysteries. Go with the flow, and keep the cycle of choice, consequence and counter-choice going. This universe comprises of several galaxies of which our galaxy 'Milky Way' is just one of them. 'Milky Way' is just one speck of dust in this universe. In this galaxy there are several solar systems of which our solar system is just one of them. Our solar system is just one speck of dust in this galaxy.

Within this solar system, with the Sun in the centre, and several celestial bodies and planets orbiting the Sun, our planet Earth is just a speck of dust. In this planet Earth, with three-fourth water and billions of life forms, humanity, as a whole, is just a speck of dust. And in this human population of several billion people, you and I are mere specks of dust. Just close your eyes for a moment and visualise yourself in the midst of this macrocosm. How complex does it appear? Ego shattering, isn't it? Yet this microcosm's hunger to comprehend the macrocosm has been insatiable. Every day this human intelligence makes another discovery; every day a new invention is born. Every day another revelation happens.

In everyday living, we find ourselves surrounded by so many fields of sciences and so many branches of knowledge. The deeper we dig, the greater we find are the scopes of exploration. Life appears too mysterious. Knowing falls under three categories: known, unknown and unknowable. 'Known' is what you already know. 'Unknown' is what you can come to know. However, the 'unknowable' will always remain a mystery. Let us take apple for an example: 'Known' is the knowledge that it is an apple. 'Unknown' is that I do not know as to how many seeds are there inside that apple. However, by

cutting the apple and counting the number of seeds the unknown will become known. Now, how many apples would come out of each of those seeds will always remain 'unknowable'! That's the mystery of this Universe.

No matter how much we already know, no matter how much more we will come to know, the unknowable mysteries of life will ever remain life's secrets forever. That's why there is an element of ignorance and innocence even in the most enlightened souls! But, how much should I know about electricity and the functioning of an electric bulb to bring light into the room? How much do I need to know about the mechanism of computer hardware and the logic used in developing the software for me to be using the technology?

Every time you have to execute a choice on any major aspect of life, play in your own mind the four possibilities, the best scenario, the worst scenario and the two in-between. Playing the four possibilities in your own mind will create a mental comfort zone and thus when reality unfolds you will be prepared to face it. Playing the four possibilities in your mind will also help you to come out of your indecisiveness. Most people keep postponing the most important decisions of their lives due to the uncertainty of consequences. Even in the most uncertain circumstances, knowing that there are only four possibilities creates a lot of certainty.

Accept: You have a choice over your choice but you are absolutely choiceless over the consequences. Neither can you choose which of the four you want nor there a fifth possibility. Maturity is to gracefully and choicelessly accept the consequence and then go ahead executing the next counter-choice. While choices are born out of your intelligence, the consequences are a feedback from the Infinite Intelligence. Your microcosmic intelligence operates out of the data that is available at our disposal. The macrocosmic intelligence operates out of universal data. When the whole universe is operating zero-defect because of this Infinite Intelligence, then the consequences you receive are

as they should be in the larger scheme of things. To use your intelligence when it comes to executing choices and to surrender the same intelligence to the Infinite Intelligence in accepting the consequences is intelligent living.

Appreciate: The curse of the present generation is that you no more have the time to run your victory laps. You yearned for your dream car; now the car has come, and the stupid ego is already processing the next goal. You held the hand of the woman you always wanted, and now you don't invest quality time with her. You have finally moved into the house you laboured so much for, and now you don't take time to experience the house. The child you always wanted has finally come to this world, and you are lost for 18 hours at your workplace. Every time you get what you expect or more than what you expect, take time to appreciate the rewards of life. With every milestone of success, take the time to rejoice the moments. Let demonstrative appreciation and happy celebrations become your nature.

Alter: Every time you get less than what you expect or the opposite of what you expect, that's life way of giving you a feedback that you need to alter your choices. With gained maturity, you make adjustments to your approach. With every consequence, even if you don't get what you want, you are certainly given the maturity to make more informed matured choices in the future. So, rather than treating it as a failure, treat it as an experience that you needed, and go ahead with altered choices. So what if you and I are mere specks of dust in this Universe? There are still only four possible consequences to every choice and to that extent this design of life is reasonably simple. Remember, just four possibilities. If you ask for the fifth, you suffer. If you resist any of the four, you suffer. Flow with the flow. The cycle of 'choice – consequence – counter-choice' will enable you to magnetise Holistic Abundance.

With Ugadi Greetings,

Ramesh Kumar Bung

From the

Chairman’s Desk

Supreme peace can be found in the chambers of your heart – Ramesh Kumar Bung. 01

HAMARA PRAYASHAMARA PRAYASTHEMONTHLYTABLOIDOFANDHRAPRADESHMAHESHCO-OPERATIVEURBANBANKLTD.

Volume - XI | Issue : 4 | Price : ` 1/-

Editor : Ranjana Sharma Associate Editor : A. V. Rama Rao

Postal Regn. No. : HD/1145-2020-2022

RNI Regn. No. : APENG/2011/38018, Dated 24-06-2011

Date of Publication : 7th April, 2021

Date of Posting : 9th April, 2021

BANK ATTAINS A BUSINESS

LEVEL OF `4450 CRORE AT THE END OF MARCH 2021

My Dear Colleagues,

I would like to share with you performance of the Bank during the year 2020-21.

As on 31st March, 2021, Business of the Bank stood at around Rs.4449.90 crore, as against Rs.4140.06 crore of previous year.

The past year has witnessed unimaginable misery and agony across the world entailing large destruction of human life and wealth.

In view of the then prevailing conditions, Bank conservatively fixed business target of Rs.4425.00 crore for the year 2020-21 as against which we achieved a Business of Rs.4449.90 crore.

The performance of the Bank is said to be satisfactory in the back drop of pandemic conditions.

I am extremely happy that despite all the hardships, you all have raised to the occasion and extended amicable and uninterrupted service to the customers.

I take proud & express my sincere thanks to you all for the services rendered and efforts put in by you during the year.

You all know that in contrast to rest of the world, the caseload of COVID-19 in India was low as people were following the SOPs/Covid norms. But, now it is matter of concern that the caseload is increasing day-by-day due to fast spreading of 2nd wave of Covid.

We need to stay vigilant and steadfast, and on our toes.

The COVID war continues. The battle of 2020 has been won, albeit with significant costs in terms of lives, livelihood and economic activity. We need to win the battle of 2021 also. Let us resolve to eventually win this war.

Despite the pandemic conditions and being backbone of financial system, Banks started functioning normal much earlier than other activities.

Vaccination is going in a brisk pace and people quickly adapted to the situation. Now, normal life style is restored, all business i.e.,

trade/manufacturing activities, distributing system etc are functioning normal.

Though the activities have become normal, I urge you all to be alert, cautious, compulsorily to wear mask, avoid visiting crowdy places/group gatherings, frequently wash your hands and take all necessary precautions, be safe and healthy.

One point is clear that we have to move on with Covid and balance our professional and personal life.

While taking precautions, we have to concentrate on our business targets also and strive for accomplishment of the same.

On this moment, let us all remember the saying of Our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi, in one of his vibrant speeches i.e.:

“त�मे मन: �शवसंक�प म�त, i.e., my mind should have exquisite ु

resolutions”.

We have to move ahead with this spirit. The Bank’s goals, resolutions and policies are crystal clear. Whatever speed breaker came in the form of the epidemic, we are now going beyond that. Now, we all have to work harder than before with new beliefs. We now have to move forward in the new decade with trust and self-confidence.

I urge you all to start afresh and move your step forward for accomplishment of business target set for the year 2021-22 much before 31.03.2022.

With immense confidence in my team, I wish you all success in the professional and personal career.

Please do take proper safety and care of yourself and your family members.

Happy Ugadi to you and all your family members

Cordially Yours,

Umesh Chand Asawa

MD & CEO SPEAKS

Reserve Bank of India extends timeline for processing of recurring online transactions

Destroy passion, greed and jealousy; you will enjoy deep abiding peace – Ramesh Kumar Bung.02

In August 2019, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued a framework

for processing of e-mandates on recurring online transactions. Initially

applicable to cards and wallets, the framework was extended in January

2020 to cover Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions as well.

The requirement of Additional Factor of Authentication (AFA) has made

digital payments in India safe and secure. In the interest of customer

convenience and safety in use of recurring online payments, the

framework mandated use of AFA during registration and first transaction

(with relaxation for subsequent transactions up to a limit of �2,000, since

enhanced to �5,000), as well as pre-transaction notification, facility to

withdraw the mandate, etc. The primary objective of the framework was

to protect customers from fraudulent transactions and enhance customer

convenience. Based on a request from Indian Banks' Association (IBA) for

an extension of time till March 31, 2021, to enable the banks to complete

the migration, Reserve Bank had advised the stakeholders in December

2020 to migrate to the framework by March 31,

2021. Thus, adequate time was given to the

stakeholders to comply with the framework.

It is, however, noted that the framework has not

been fully implemented even after the extended

timeline. This non-compliance is noted with serious concern and will be

dealt with separately. The delay in implementation by some stakeholders

has given rise to a situation of possible large-scale customer

inconvenience and default. To prevent any inconvenience to the

customers, Reserve Bank has decided to extend the timeline for the

stakeholders to migrate to the framework by six months, i.e., till

September 30, 2021. Any further delay in ensuring complete adherence

to the framework beyond the extended timeline will attract stringent

supervisory action.

Three… and this is where the greatness of science comes in. And when

I say greatness of science, I'm talking spirituality, because I believe

spirituality is science. The responsibility of making it work for you is

yours, nobody else's. This is where spirituality misdirected all of us, this

is where we missed. We feel God will take care of us. Science says,

electricity will not take care of you. Electricity is a system. How to make

it work for you, is up to you. Gravity will not work for you. It's a system.

How to make it work for you, is your responsibility. Everything is your

responsibility.The mistake that has happened, by religion and spirituality is, you feel

I don't have to exercise, I have to pray for health, and I'll become

healthy. I don't have to be the best or the most competent in my work. I

have to pray for wealth and wealth will come. Though we will never

allow our children to do that. If our children ever tell us, “Father, I will

not study, but in that time also I'll pray, and I'll go to the exam. God will

write the exam for me.” None of you will agree.And yet, in adult life we want to work the same way, but we want more

prosperity. We want to continue to live a lazy life, but we want health.

We are never there for the family, but we want extraordinary family

life. That on which you invest time only will grow! If all the time, you're

investing time on the peripheral world and not my family, how will

your family life improve? It cannot improve! If you are never there in

the marriage, how will you improve the marriage? If you're never there

in parenting, how will you improve your parenting? Not possible. It's

never going to happen.So, if you continue to find your casual relationship in the social media

is growing, it has grown. You add five hundred people in Instagram,

following you, following no? And now you have thousand eight

hundred people. So, the casual relationship has grown. That's where

I'm investing time and market is responding to it. But relationship that

truly matters to me the most in life is not growing, because I'm not

investing time there. It's not going to grow.It's not going to happen. The most important things science throws

back at you is, to make it work for you and not against you, is up to

you. It does not depend on anything else. Whether electricity is going

to kill me or enliven me, for everything that I require is now up to me.

Whether gravity is going to ensure that I'm never going to have

skeleton pain or non-alignment to gravity is going to keep stressing my

bone system all the time, and as a result, I'm all the time going to have

some sort of pain, it's up to me!Only a stupid person will realize, because I'm using the phone so

much, I'm developing spondylitis and continue to do that. Any person

with one percent intelligence will realize, this is not a hundred KG

weight, it's only a phone, it can be lifted. If you look at it like this, the

phone won't work. Mahatria, I'm used to it like this, but this is not used

to it! This is not supposed to be like this, entire day. This is supposed to

be like this, once in a while, it can go. I will lift the whole thing.

Otherwise, there's no need to send messages at all! If I have to lose

fifty followers and save my neck, might as well lose 50 followers and

save your neck! Or else do it like this!Cause-and-effect, whether it's going to work against you or for you,

does not depend on it, it depends on you. So even to make God work

for you, you have to do certain things. That's not up to God. God is

ready to work for any one of you. God is ready to be the first member

of every team. God is ready to be the first assistant of each one of you.

Each one of you! That energy which is running this entire existence is

ready to run your life. But you won't meditate, you won't sit in non-

doing, you'll have time for every lousy shit activity in life but won't

have eleven minutes to let that energy express through you. I'm telling

you there's no need! God is ready to work for you. At your disposal.

But then I won't do it! The responsibility of making all the laws work for

you and not against you, is yours. Certain practices have to be

practiced, for it to work for you. Raghuram Shetty

General Manager

MAKE LIFE WORK FOR YOU

You make your life by your own thoughts and actions – Ramesh Kumar Bung. 03

GOVT INFUSES RS 14,500 CR CAPITAL INTO FOUR PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS

The government has infused Rs 14,500 crore, mainly into banks that

are under the RBI's prompt corrective action framework to improve

their financial health. Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India

and UCO Bank are currently under this framework that puts several

restrictions on them, including on lending, management

compensation and directors' fees. Of the total infusion, Rs 11,500

crore has gone to these three banks while the remaining Rs 3,000 crore

has been infused into Bank of India.

According to a government notification, Rs 4,800 crore has been

provided to Central Bank of India, Rs 4,100 crore to Indian Overseas

Bank and Kolkata-based UCO Bank has got Rs 2,600 crore. The

capital infusion will help these banks to come out of the Reserve Bank

of India's prompt corrective action framework. The fund infusion has

been done through non-interest bearing recapitalisation bonds with

maturity varying between March 31, 2031 and March 31, 2036.

The investment in the special securities by public sector banks would

not be considered as an eligible investment which is required to made

in government securities in pursuance of any statutory provisions or

directions applicable to the investing bank, it said. Most of the large

state-owned lenders -- including State Bank of India, Punjab National

Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, and

Indian Bank -- have already raised money from various market

sources, including share sale on a private placement basis.

For the current financial year, the government had allocated Rs

20,000 crore for capital infusion into the public sector banks for

meeting regulatory requirements. Punjab & Sind Bank was given Rs

5,500 crore in November last year. Separately, Central Bank of India

and Bank of India informed stock exchanges about the fund infusion

by the government.

Suffering is the great purifier – Ramesh Kumar Bung.04

WOMEN OF WEALTH: 5 REBEL WOMEN WHOSE STRENGTH WOMEN OF WEALTH: 5 REBEL WOMEN WHOSE STRENGTH OF CHARACTER IS INSPIRINGOF CHARACTER IS INSPIRINGWOMEN OF WEALTH: 5 REBEL WOMEN WHOSE STRENGTH OF CHARACTER IS INSPIRING

These are ordinary women, who encountered extraordinary experiences. Flawed, frail, fallible… yet feisty. Those who gave up disguised bondage to bond with themselves. Those who gave up falsehood to unfold their own myth. Those who heeded to the woman in them – even if the indemnities were hefty. Unapologetic about their sexuality, unapologetic about their individuality… Evolving painfully from self-doubt to self-respect, their wealth lies in their authenticity. Revisiting the fiery protagonists of Arth, Parama, Aakhir Kyon?, Kaash and Astitva… who when life threw a curveball, hit it out of the park!

ARTH (1982): Director: Mahesh Bhatt: Handpicking moments from the backyard of his life, director Mahesh Bhatt reportedly based Arth on his extramarital relationship with the late Parveen Babi and the anguish it brought to his first wife Kiran (Lorraine Bright). Delineating the trauma of such a detour, he made the 'woman' the hero. Pooja (Shabana Azmi), deeply in love with filmmaker husband Inder Malhotra (Kulbhushan Malhotra) dreams of possessing a home. Being an orphan, owning a house is an emotional quest. A house she does acquire but at the price of her home. Inder is having an affair with superstar Kavita Sanyal (Smita Patil), who urges him to leave Pooja. Devastated, Pooja tries all ways of wooing back her wayward husband including begging him to do a rethink and pleading with the 'other woman' as well. Unheeded, she's left abandoned on the streets of life. Singer Raj (Raj Kiran) becomes a friend in her journey of survival.

Several dramatic scenes underline the curve of Pooja's character. The party where a drunk Pooja confronts her husband and his starry mistress is a tinderbox of emotions ranging from rage, humiliation and dishonour!

Eventually, the mentally ill Kavita, earns her moment of redemption when she shows Inder the door saying, “Joh shaadi saat saal mein use (Pooja) security nahin de saki who mujhe kya degi!” When a turned down Inder comes to Pooja in hope of a reconciliation, she asks him if he'd have accepted an errant wife. “No!” he replies exposing his hypocrisy and losing Pooja forever. Pooja, bereft of all attachments, takes on the responsibility of nurturing her maid's daughter after she's jailed for killing her abusive husband.

PARAMA (1985 Hindi/Bengali): Director: Aparna Sen: Traditional white Bengali saree with vermillion pallu over her head, flaming sindoor, shanka bangles circling her ivory wrists, wine-eyes limpid with untold dreams… 40-year-old Parama (Raakhee) shot against the idol of the Goddess cut an ethereal picture. She's no goddess though. Just a woman draped in yards of convention, living life through the roles she plays – a devoted wife, mother, daughter-in-law… Like her teen daughter once mocks her diffidence, “Second hand zindagi jeeti rehna… through Baba!” Parama's classic beauty catches the eye of Rahul (Mukul Sharma), a photo-journalist working for a hi-profile international publication. He chooses her as a subject for his photo essay - An Indian Housewife! His photo session in her home begins with the question. “What do you think, Parama?” according her the dignity of possessing a mind. His camera gazes voyeuristically at her elusive sensuality. Her interaction with Rahul brings alive the woman in Parama, lying unheard, uncherished, unsung… The 'Summer of '42' comes with a price for Parama. When her semi-nude photograph, among others, is published in a journal (perhaps Rahul let her down by having them published without her consent), it unfurls havoc at home.

The humiliation she faces at the hands of her husband (Dipankar De as Subhash Chowdhury), children and extended family… makes her attempt suicide. A consequent head injury necessitates a surgery and the shedding of her lustrous tresses. Again, as an allegory, she finally recalls the name of the leaves, the memory of which had haunted her since childhood. The 'nazuk patte, patle magar baarish mein beparvah' is both a symbol of herself – fragile yet fierce in the face of onslaught. Her

recollection of the plant's name – Krishna Pallavi – is her reclaiming her lost self and validating the meaning of her name Paroma – the ultimate woman!

AAKHIR KYON? (1985): Director: J.Om. Prakash: This was Smita Patil's meaningful outing in mainstream cinema, elevated with her brand of gravitas. Nisha (Smita Patil), who's grown up as an orphan, pours all her love on husband, Kabir Suri (Rakesh Roshan). But for the habitual philanderer, she's just 'an educated cook', a 'caretaker' of his mansion and a 'showpiece' for the world. Reality breaks Nisha's illusions when he starts having an affair with her cousin Indu (Tina Munim) right under her nose, even as she's dealing with a difficult pregnancy. He audaciously believes the helpless Nisha will 'adjust' to this trespass. Unable to take the humiliation, a distraught Nisha walks out of her own home, leaving behind her only treasure – her month-old-baby.

KAASH (1987): Director: Mahesh Bhatt: Kaash was the catalyst that propelled Dimple Kapadia's journey forward as an actor. A catharsis, where she seemingly relived and relieved herself of the tumult of an unpleasant marriage with once-superstar husband Rajesh Khanna. Drawing from the deep wells of a ravaged heart, as Pooja, she emptied all her pain in her performance of a battered wife of a fading superstar Ritesh (Jackie Shroff). Unable to come to terms with his fading glory, Ritesh turns alcoholic and abusive. Pooja take up jobs to keep the fires burning. Romi (Master Makrand), their child, whom they both love immensely, is a silent spectator to their toxic relationship. The turnaround comes when Romi is diagnosed with brain cancer. To fulfil his wish, the devastated Ritesh and Pooja, agree to spend time together and celebrate their child. In his death, Romi breathes life into their dying relationship. Pooja's strength comes from the fact that she follows her heart at every crossroad irrespective of the consequences… Like when she chooses to endure a compulsive Ritesh having once known his love. Like when she refuses to surrender her identity even at the cost of leaving her child. Like she forsakes the rich Alok for his insensitivity towards her grief. Like she pleads Ritesh to give her another Romi…

ASTITVA (2000 Hindi/Marathi): Director: Mahesh Manjrekar: Written by Mahesh Manjrekar and Imtiyaz Hussain, the National Award-winning film was apparently inspired by Guy de Maupassant's novel Pierre And Jean. Aditi Pandit (Tabu) is a devoted wife and homemaker. Her husband Srikant (Sachin Khedekar) becomes suspicious when she unexpectedly receives a fortune willed to her by her former music teacher, Malhar Kamat (Mohnish Bahl). Srikant eventually figures out the reason behind the illogical benevolence. That Aditi had a brief affair with Malhar when he was away and that his 'son' (Sunil Barve) is actually the product of that dalliance.

Ranjana Sharma

Editor/Dy. General Manager

Communication will win you the outer world.Silence will win you the inner world.

Holistic living is in winning both the worlds.

Ramesh Kumar Bung

If you have a right mental attitude, you will have right thoughts – Ramesh Kumar Bung. 05

SRI DILEEP SANGHANI, PRESIDENT, NCUI INAUGURATES SRI DILEEP SANGHANI, PRESIDENT, NCUI INAUGURATES WORKSHOP ON DECISON MAKING AT THE BANKWORKSHOP ON DECISON MAKING AT THE BANK

SRI DILEEP SANGHANI, PRESIDENT, NCUI INAUGURATES WORKSHOP ON DECISON MAKING AT THE BANK

Sri Dileep Sanghani, President, National Cooperative Union of India, New Delhi has inaugurated the workshop at A.P. Mahesh Cooperative Urban Bank Staff Training College on 'Leadership Qualities and Decision Making' arranged for the officers of the Bank on 22nd March, 2021. Sri Ramesh Kumar Bung, Chairman, Sri Purshotamdas Mandhana, Senior Vice Chairman, Sri Laxminarayan Rathi, Vice Chairman, Sri Raghuram Shetty, General Manager were present at the workshop along with the participants. Sri Arunbhai, Vice Chairman, Amreli Jilla Madhyastha Sahakari Bank, Amreli, Gujarat, Smt. Geetaben Sanghani, Chairperson, Gujarat Women Credit Cooperative Society, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Smt. Bhartiben Patel, Chairperson, Bhagyalaxmi Women Credit Cooperative Society, Amreli, Directors of DCB, Senior Co-operators from Gujarat were among the guests. The workshop was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by Sri Dileep Sanghani, Chairman, Sr. Vice Chairman and Vice Chairman. Smt. Ranjana Sharma, DGM has conducted the entire proceedings of the programme. Initially, Sri Laxminarayan Rathi Felicitated Sri Dileep Sanghani. Sri Purshotamdas Mandhana briefed about the profile of Sri Dileep Sanghani, President, NCUI. In his inaugural address, Sri Ramesh Kumar Bung narrated about the progress of UNBs, Mahesh Bank in particular. He reiterated the importance training system in the banking sector. He thanked NCUI for extending support to Mahesh Bank for conduct of continuous training programmes. Sri Bung

mentioned about the various challenges countenanced by the Cooperative Banks. The Chairman then elucidated about the products and services offered by the Bank, its network, construction of a spacious building for its Head Office with all infrastructure facilities. He said that Mahesh Bank always found it relevant in the hearts of the clientele and has been endeavouring to bring a wide range of products. The bank has always continued to thrive on the challenges in the market, Sri Bung said. Sri Dileep Sanghani, Chief Guest stated that cooperatives are essential for growth of the country. The concept of Cooperation is needed for culture and heritage of a nation. More than 35 sectors in the country are under cooperative structure. All the facilities made available for the foreign banks, nationalised banks, private banks should also be extended to cooperative banks. There is a need to strengthen cooperative structure. Sri Sanghani commended the continuous payment of dividends by Mahesh Bank. He opined that there should be a separate Ministry at the centre for cooperative department instead of clubbing it with other sectors. He praised the RuPay Debit card introduced by Mahesh Bank. He finally advised all that we should strive hard for the welfare of our members. Later, Sri Bung honoured the chief guest, directors of DCB and the co-operators in a traditional manner and presented them with mementoes. The workshop was concluded with vote of thanks.

ALPHA CENTAURI: ALPHA CENTAURI: NEAREST STAR SYSTEM TO THE SUNNEAREST STAR SYSTEM TO THE SUNALPHA CENTAURI: NEAREST STAR SYSTEM TO THE SUN

The sun's closest stellar neighbours are three stars in the Alpha Centauri system. The two main stars are Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, which form a binary pair. They are an average of 4.3 light-years from Earth. The third star is Proxima Centauri. It is about 4.22 light-years from Earth and is the closest star other than the sun.

Alpha Centauri A and B orbit a common centre of gravity every 80 years. The average distance between them is about 23 astronomical units (AU) — a little more than the distance between the sun and Uranus. Proxima Centauri is about one-fifth of a light-year or 13,000 AUs from the two other stars, a distance that makes some astronomers question whether it should be considered part of the same system. Proxima Centauri may be passing through the system and will leave the vicinity in several million years, or it may be gravitationally bound to the binary pair. If it's bound, it has an orbital period around the other two of about 500,000 years.

Planet potential: Astronomers announced in August 2016 that they had detected an Earth-size planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. The newfound world, known as Proxima b, is about 1.3 times more massive than Earth, which suggests that the exo-planet is a rocky world, researchers said. The planet is also in the star's habitable zone, that just-right range of distances where liquid water can exist. Proxima b lies just 4.7 million miles (7.5 million kilometres) from its host star and completes one orbit every 11.2 Earth-days. As a result, it's likely that the exo-planet is tidally locked; meaning it always shows the same face to its host star, just as the moon shows only one face (the near side) to Earth.

However, it's unclear just how habitable Proxima b is from today's telescopes. This means that astronomers need to run models and do comparative studies to better understand how habitable the planet might be. As a start, the planet needs a closer look for investigators to look for signs of an atmosphere. From there, the investigators can extrapolate if that atmosphere (if present) allows liquid water to flow on the surface. Even the surface temperature of the planet depends on the atmosphere, which would also play into habitability characteristics.

Because Proxima b is so close to a red dwarf, habitability problems are already coming to scientists' minds. For one thing, the planet is so close that it likely is tidally locked to the star, meaning that one side of the planet is always facing the star. This means one side of the planet would be very warm, while the opposite side would be very cold – unless winds could distribute the heat around the planet. That makes it hard for life to exist.

But the planet's close distance to the red dwarf presents other problems too. Red dwarfs are unstable stars, particularly when they are young – they have a lot of stellar activity and produce charged particles, which can produce intense radiation on nearby planets. Some of this radiation can strip molecules off the top of a planet's atmosphere and thin it over time, according to 2017 studies led by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Studies of red dwarf stars are ongoing to better understand the habitability of Proxima b. In November 2017, another planet in the habitable zone of a red dwarf was discovered that's almost as close to Earth as Proxima b is. Called Ross 128b, this planet orbits a red dwarf star that appears much quieter than that of Proxima b. The research team said that finding out more about its atmosphere will require a next-generation telescope such as the European Extremely Large Telescope, the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope that all are expected to be active in the 2020s.

Binary stars: To the naked eye, the two main stars shine as one, making them the third brightest "star" in our night sky. The two separate stars can be seen through a small telescope; one of the finest binary stars that can be observed. Proxima Centauri is too faint to see unaided, and through a telescope it appears about four diameters of the full moon away from the other two. By itself, Alpha Centauri A, also known as Rigel Kentaurus, is the third brightest star in the night sky; just a bit dimmer, by 0.02 of a magnitude, than Arcturus. It is a yellow star of the same type (G2) as the sun, and it is about 25 percent larger. Alpha Centauri B is an orange K2-type star, slightly smaller than the sun. Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf about seven times smaller than the sun, or one-and-a-half times bigger than Jupiter. All three stars are a bit older — 4.85 billion years old — than the sun, which is about 4.6 billion years old. The system is in the Southern sky and is not visible to observers above the latitude of 29 degrees north — a line that passes near Houston, Texas, and Orlando, Fla. In the Southern Hemisphere, it's easy to find because the cross-piece of the Southern Cross (from Delta to Beta Crucis) points the way. Its right ascension is 14h 39m 41s and its declination is minus 60 degrees 50 minutes 7 seconds.

A. V. Rama Rao

NOT RECEIVING BANK OTP ON SMS? THE PROBLEM IS NOT YOUR NETWORK

If you are also not receiving bank OTP messages in your SMS inbox, you

are certainly not alone. Over the past two days, reports of OTP not coming

on phone have flooded the internet, causing a considerable stir and

highlighting the chaos that digital payment downtime can have in our

everyday life. However, the actual reason behind this turns out to be not

your operators network quality, but the latest anti-spam technology that is

being implemented to restrict spam telemarketers on their tracks.

As reports have revealed, many users began witnessing difficulty in getting

banking OTP messages in their SMS inboxes since the night of Sunday,

March 7. The actual reason behind this is the Distributed Ledger

Technology (DLT), which is India's new blockchain technology

implementation to reduce spams and scams today. DLT has necessitated

banks and other digital payment services to follow a new messaging

template for authorised automated messaging services. This new

template will also be screened by telecom operators for compliance with

the recommended format, and all banking and financial services will need

to gain clearance before they can operate their bulk messaging services.

It is this, reports state, that may have broken OTP services widely. The

onus lies on banks as well, who appear to have missed the set deadline for

DLT implementation, and are now struggling to get their bulk messaging

services back online. The technology is expected to iron out scammers

from using bulk SMS services to target unsuspecting users, which has also

led to a well documented rise in the amount of phishing and identity scams

in India. As of now, OTP services of most major banks and digital payment

apps should be back online. However, users have continued to report

intermittent issues across all banks and payment services, and it may take

a while until all services are brought back to normalcy. Until then, users are

advised to use OTP on call services to get one-time passwords, without

which digital payments are barred in India.

G. Santosh

HO: Marketing

Right thoughts will lead to right action – Ramesh Kumar Bung.06

Every moment, every thought, every speech, every action shape your destiny – Ramesh Kumar Bung. 07

DO YOUDO YOUDO YOUDO YOUDO YOUDO YOUDO YOUDO YOUDO YOU KNOWKNOWKNOWKNOWKNOWKNOWKNOWKNOWKNOW ?????????01. There is a place in Australia with the longest name. The name of it is:

Mamungkukumpurangkuntgunya Hill. (26 letters + Hill). 02. Oxford University is the oldest one. It was established in 1096.03. The most silenced room in the world is in the Head Office of Microsoft

in Washington. When we enter into that room, we will have a strange feeling. Our respiration itself will sound big for us.

04. In our world, four children are born per each second. It means the birth rate is 250 infants per minute and 15000 children per hour.

05. Due to immense pollution, the Ozone layer above our earth is getting damaged. For recovering to its normalcy, it may take 50 years.

06. The occurrence of earthquakes is more in the country Japan. 07. The present National Flag of America was designed by a High School

boy. 08. 52 % of the world's population are the people below 30 years age. 09. Movie trailers are released now a days before actual screening of a

film. But, once upon a time, the trailers used to be released after the movie's release. For the first time, a trailer was released in 1912. However, it did not pertain to a cinema, but that of a show.

10. First camera phone was made in 1997. It was made by Philippe Kahn, who belonged to France. With that camera phone, he took a picture of his daughter first.

11. There are more than 1 lakh varieties of wearing a tie to the neck. 12. Chocolate milk was found by a doctor from Ireland. In those days, it

was used as a medicine in Britain. 13. Lighter was invented even before the Match Box. 14. 99% of the gold on our planet is found in the centre of the earth. It is

highly impossible to extract gold from there. 15. The dictator Adolf Hitler wanted to kill all the people in Moscow and

convert the city as a lake. 16. In Holland, every Police Vehicle would have a teddy bear inside

them. It was meant for giving to children whenever they require help from Police.

17. There are 20000 types of honeybees. Among them one species only produces honey.

18. Amount spent for Titanic Ship made for the movie was more than the actual ship.

19. If we touch the leaves of gympie-gympie plants in Australia, the venomous Toxin called Neuro-Toxin enters our blood in the body and motivates us to commit suicide.

20. A fountain was installed in Ortona, Abruzzo, an Italian town south of Rome that's known for its red Montepulciano wine grapes. People have been making wine in the region since the sixth century B.C. The fountain sprinkles wine 24 x7.

21. The highest deaths of children in the world are caused due to diarrhoea. Daily 2195 infants and yearly 760000 children are dying due to diarrhoea.

22. In Los Angeles, on all the walls, some mischievous children paint with graphics and spoil them every year. The authorities clean 3 crore square feet walls yearly and spend a lot of money for it.

23. Samsung not only makes mobiles, chips and other electronic devices but also military weapons for the use of army. 50% of weapons made by Samsung are used by South Korean army .

24. If you can spread all the blood vessels in the human body, they would be of 60000 miles long.

25. When you watch rose colour, your anger would come down and you will become peaceful Hence in some countries, walls in the prisons are painted with pink colour.

26. Weeping is good for health. When we weep, hormones causing pressure come out through tears. The hormone called Endorphin is produced. This causes relief.

27. A post box is located 10 metres below the surface of the water in Susami Bay, Japan. Brainchild of then postmaster Toshihiko Matsymoto, the post box has been running since 1999, when it was established in the hope of promoting the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage and bringing special attention to the Susami Bay.

28. Male orang-utans get attracted when they see ladies with red hair. 29. A species of frog called 'golden poison dart frog' has enough poison in

its skin which can kill 100 people. 30. We can listen to the roaring of a lion even from 5 miles distance.

P. Venugopal Reddy HO: Credit

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PENSION AND GRATUITY?

Retirement planning begins early and the aim is to create a corpus that not

only pays the bills but also maintains your lifestyle years after retirement.

This requires a lot of financial planning and taking risks in investments that

offer higher returns. It is important to have enough money after your

retirement to remain self-sufficient and independent.

One must always try to hold on to their retirement savings as premature

withdrawals result in loss of principal, interest, tax incentives and face

withdrawal fines. An employee needs to be compensated after completing

a long time of service to the company and the economy of the country.

Few programs enable the employee to pay in part to the firm, most are

solely supported upon retirement by the entity. Such two retirement perks

are pension and gratuity.

Gratuity is the amount of money earned by an employee as a means of

appreciation for his service to the company while pension is a certain

amount paid in periodic instalments to a person after retirement. A lump-

sum fee is paid to the employee in this scheme based on the years of

employment and the last pay check is drawn. An employee is entitled to

earn gratuity after completing five or more years of employment with the

same employer. The amount is compensated upon termination due to

superannuation, retirement, resignation or death, disability due to an

injury or sickness.

Pension benefits become effective for employers who have worked for the

same employer for at least 10 years. It is a service provided by the

employer to the ex-employee or his dependent families permanently.

Under this, the company adds a certain amount over the years of

employment. It is a form of retirement scheme that guarantees a monthly

income after the termination of service. According to the laws of taxation,

an uncommuted pension is considered to be a salary under Income Tax

Act, 1961 and is taxable. The maximum amount of gratuity was amended

by the Centre which now excludes up to Rs 20 lakh from tax under Section

10(10) of the Income Tax Act.

V. Jyothi

HO: PAD

In a historic moment, the railways has connected

the two ends of the main arch of the world's highest

bridge on the Chenab river in Jammu and

Kashmir's Reasi district which will provide direct

connectivity to Kashmir Valley. The iconic bridge

will soar 359 metres above the bed of the river and

will be 30 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower

in Paris. Railway officials termed the development

a "historic" one.

In a historic moment, the arch bottom of the

Chenab bridge has been completed today. Next, the arch upper of the

engineering marvel in making will be completed. It is all set to be the

world's highest Railway bridge. Facing grave challenges and life-

threatening hazards posed by rough terrain and geological thrust zones,

engineers and workers are toiling overtime to meet the last extended

deadline set for completion of the world's highest railway bridge

connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.

The Northern Railway will be completing the most difficult 111-kilometre

long section of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail link by December

2022 which would connect Kashmir to the rest of India through the

railway network, officials said. The 272 km railway line is being

undertaken at an estimated cost of �28,000 crore by the Northern

Railway. The first section connecting Udhampur to Katra and the third

section between Banihal and Baramulla have been completed with both

sections operational.

The work to complete the most difficult Katra-Banihal section is going as

per schedule, they said. The Udhampur-Katra (25

km) section, Banihal-Qazigund (18 km) section

and Qazigund-Baramulla (118 km) section have

already been commissioned. The last remaining

section, the 111 km Katra-Banihal section is

currently under execution, officials said, adding

that 126 km out of 174 km of tunnels on this

section has already been completed. They said the

project is, perhaps, the most difficult new railway

line project undertaken in the entire Indian

subcontinent.

The terrain passes through young Himalayas, which are full of geological

surprises and numerous problems. For execution purposes, the project

has been divided into three sub-sections, they said. Katra-Qazigund leg,

the most difficult stretch of the project, and its alignment of this stretch

which is 129 km long, passes through Patni and Pir Panjal ranges, they

said. This alignment requires construction of 62 important and major

bridges and minor bridges, besides construction of 35 tunnels, totalling a

length of 103 km and bringing the percentage of the total length of the

alignment of tunnels to approximately 80 per cent.

The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project is highly essential to

provide an alternative and reliable transportation system to Jammu and

Kashmir to join Kashmir Valley to the Indian Railways network, the

officials said. They said that in view of the importance of this project in

providing seamless and hassle-free connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir,

the project was declared as a national project in 2002.

WORLD'S HIGHEST RAILWAY BRIDGE IN J&K COMPLETES A CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE

Live wisely now; do virtuous actions; develop good character; you will attain perfection – Ramesh Kumar Bung.08

WANT TO TRANSFER PROVIDENT FUND (PF) ONLINE? KNOW HOW TO DO IT

Once an individual starts his career by working in any of the Provident Fund (PF) registered organizations he/she gets registered for PF purpose and then both the employee and employer contribute that fund. However, if you have switched your company and want to transfer your provident fund from your previous company to a new account opened by the current employer, you can do so sitting at home. The online facility to transfer PF is provided by the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO). Since the arrival of the Universal Account Number (UAN), all the accounts of the employee remain in one place, even if the money is held in different accounts. Therefore, it is important that the employee share his/her UAN with the new company first and then can later transfer the money from the old account to the new account. To do this process online, one can follow the below mentioned easy steps:Step 1: The employee needs to login to the Unified portal (member i n t e r f a c e ) o f E P F O h t t p s : / / u n i f i e d p o r t a l -mem.epfindia.gov.in/memberinterface/ using their credentials that is UAN number and password.Step 2: As you login, you will have to click on 'One Member – One EPF Account (Transfer Request)' which will be available under Online Services.Step 3: You will then have to verify personal information and PF account for present employment.Step 4: You will have to click on 'Get details' below to know the details regarding the PF account of previous employment.

Step 5: For attesting the claim form based on the availability of authorized signatory holding DSC, you will get options to choose either your previous employer or current employer. You can select any one of the employers and provide member id/UAN.Step 6: You will next have to click on the 'Get OTP' option to receive OTP to UAN registered mobile number and then enter the OTP and click on the submit button.After completing the above-mentioned process, the employer will digitally approve your EPF transfer request by accessing the employer interface of the unified portal. You will also have to fill up Form 13 and download the transfer claim which will be in pdf format and submit the physical signed copy of the online PF transfer claim form to the selected employer. Things to note before transferring the PF online:1. The employee should have activated his UAN in the UAN portal and the mobile number used for activation should also be active.2. The bank account and bank IFSC code of the employee should be seeded against the UAN.3. The employer should have approved the e-KYC.4. The authorized signatories in EPFO should have been digitally registered by the previous/current employer.5. PF account number of the previous and current employment of an employee should be entered in the EPFO database.

T. GirishHO: IT

WHO ARE THE TWO CHARACTERS THAT ARE COMMON WHO ARE THE TWO CHARACTERS THAT ARE COMMON BETWEEN RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA?BETWEEN RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA?

WHO ARE THE TWO CHARACTERS THAT ARE COMMON BETWEEN RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA?

If you lead a pure life, you will have a pure mind – Ramesh Kumar Bung.

While several characters in the two epics are related, only two of them make an appearance in both the epics. Ever wondered who? The Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata serve as the cornerstone of our storytelling traditions. They feature some of the most recognisable characters in our collective consciousness and the myths continue to endure in no small part thanks to the television shows based on these epics. Even though Ramayana and Mahabharata are two separate epics, there are several characters that overlap the two narratives.

Mayasura was Ravana's father-in-law; his daughter Mandodari was married to the king of Lanka. While he didn't play a major role in either of the epics, the palace he constructed for the Pandavas served as one of the triggers for the 18-day war at the end of Mahabharata. While admiring this palace, Duryodhana is said to have fallen for an illusion, which made Draupadi burst out laughing. This irked Duryodhana who decided to seek revenge on his cousins' wife. After 'winning' her in the infamous game of dice, the Kaurava prince molested Draupadi, which following a long chain of events eventually led to the war.

The sage Agastya also appears in both the epics, albeit in passing. In Ramayana, he gifts Rama weapons to win the war. And does so again with Dronacharya in Mahabharata. Another sage, Durvasa, who is said to have predicted the separation of Sita and Rama was known to have lived in the times of Mahabharata too. He is said to have visited the Pandavas while they were in exile. After they won the war and began to rule the kingdom, Pandavas sought loyalty and obeisance from all kings. Among those who fell in line was Vibishana, the younger brother of Ravana who was now the ruler of Lanka.

But these among other characters are merely on the fringes of the narrative of both the epics or appear after the war. There are but two

Remember how our mothers keep adding that dollop of ghee on rotis,

parathas, laddoos to ensure our good health! Well, ghee or clarified butter

is one of the most incredible natural foods treasured in Ayurveda since

ages. Owing to its extraordinary health benefits, our 'desi' ghee has now

gained international recognition. Considered as 'liquid gold' by some,

ghee is a nutritional powerhouse and a highly recommended staple Indian

food. Benefits of having a spoonful of ghee everyday are immense.

Therefore, to reap its exceptional nutritional value one must incorporate

this wonder ingredient in everyday meal. Here is a look at its benefits:Strengthens immunity: Since ghee is loaded with essential fat-soluble

vitamins D, K, E and A, these nutrients ramp up our body functions,

including immunity. Ghee's ability to aid body absorb fat-soluble minerals

and vitamins from other foods, nourishes our immune system arming it

with the right defence mechanisms. Moreover, the quintessential desi

ghee is known to possess anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antioxidant

properties that wards of viruses, flu, cough, cold.Improves Digestion: Ghee is an excellent source of butyric acid. It is a

short-chain fatty acid that is created when the good bacteria in gut breaks

down the dietary fibre butyrate. The colon cells use butyric acid as their

preferred source of energy. It is great for energizing the intestinal walls.

characters who make a notable appearance in both Ramayana and Mahabharata. And both these characters are important figures in the lives of the protagonists of both the stories.

Hanuman, who remains the epitome of devotion and loyalty, plays a major role in Ramayana. From being an emissary to fighting the war by Rama's side, Hanuman is as much of a central figure in the epic as Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita. In Mahabharata, Hanuman appears disguised as an old monkey fallen in the path of Bhima. After the latter tries to move his tail from the path unsuccessfully, he reveals his true form. He blesses Bhima and promises to be on their side in the war. Living up to his word, Hanuman rides Arjuna's chariot throughout the war. If you look closely at any picture of Arjuna in battle, you'll see a tiny figure on the flag. That is Hanuman.

Arjuna's nemesis and half-brother, Karna seeks wisdom from Parshuram. However he disguises as a brahmin to learn the art of weaponry from Parshuram who had vowed to never teach a Kshatriya. After unwittingly sharing his knowledge of summoning the bramhastra to Karna, Parshuram discovers his disciple's true nature and curses him. It is thus that Karna is unable to summon the bramhastra during his battle with Arjuna and finally falls to the archer's arrows.

The mercurial figure of Parshuram looms large even in Ramayana. It is he who had gifted Janaka the bow of Shiva, which Rama strings and proceeds to break and win Sita's hand in marriage. The breaking of the bow angers Parshuram who threatens to kill Rama and his father Dashratha. In one version of the epic, Rama tricks Parshuram into submission and reveals himself to be an incarnation of Vishnu, which Parshuram himself was. The warrior safe, humbled, returns to his hermitage to dwell upon his actions.

Ramesh Kumar Bung

Have ghee also to treat intestinal disorders, such as Crohn's disease.Boosts Memory: Healthy saturated fats in ghee boosts cognitive

functioning. It prevents cell, tissue damage, promotes longevity. Eating

ghee in the morning on an empty stomach improves the process of cell

rejuvenation which boosts the healing process of our body.Promotes healthy, glowing skin: Ghee's antioxidant-rich, anti-

inflammatory properties soothes the skin, reduces inflammation,

pigmentation, delays ageing, flushes out toxins from the body. It acts as a

natural moisturizer that imparts radiance to your skin and hair.Energy provider, promotes weight loss: The medium and short-

chain fatty acids present in ghee makes it an ultimate Ayurvedic super-

food that is considered a rich energy source. Also, the fact that ghee has

healthy omega fatty acids, body's lean mass gets boosted, and fat mass

reduced, thereby making it ideal for weight loss. Other than the above-

mentioned reasons for including ghee in daily diet, it must be consumed

for good heart, eye-sight, cancer prevention, constipation, and overall

good health.

K. D. SharmaHO: Clearing

FIVE REASONS WHY ONE SHOULD INCLUDE GHEE IN THEIR DAILY DIET

09

the country. On the way, the princess left her husband to rest under a tree

and went into the nearby town to buy oil, salt, rice and other provisions.

After making the necessary purchases, she returned to find the prince fast

asleep.

Suddenly, she saw a snake emerging from the prince's mouth and yet

another from an anthill nearby. Now both the snakes had come out for

fresh air. When they saw each other, they got very annoyed. 'You wicked

creature!' said the anthill snake to the other. 'Why are you torturing the

handsome prince? If he would only drink a gruel, made of cumin seed and

mustard, you would surely be dead'.

The other replied, 'Well, you too could be destroyed if someone poured

hot water or hot oil on the anthill. Then he could get two pots of gold that

you are guarding'. The princess, who was standing behind a tree, heard

their argument and came to know their secrets. She acted accordingly. As

a result, her husband recovered his health. And, at the same time, they

had two pots of gold to themselves.

T. Gangadhar RaoHead Office

THE STORY OF THE SNAKE IN THE ANTHILL

In a certain town, there lived a king, by the name of Devashakti. He had a

son who grew leaner and leaner every day, for he had a snake in his

stomach. In spite of several treatments by well-known physicians, he was

not cured at all. Thoroughly fed up with his life, the prince went to another

town, where he lived in a temple and maintained himself by begging alms.

Now the king of that country had two young daughters. Every day, at

sunrise, they would approach their father and bow at his feet. One would

say, 'My Lord, with your blessings, all joys are bestowed upon us'. The

other would say, 'Your Majesty, one only gets the fruits of one's action'.

One day, the king got very angry with his second daughter and said to his

ministers, 'Give this girl of mine away in marriage to any stranger you

come across, so that she gets the fruits of her actions'.

'It will be done, Your Majesty', replied the ministers. Now in the search for a

stranger, the ministers came across this prince, who was living in the

temple and they married off the princess to him. The princess was very

happy with the marriage and looked upon her husband as God. Shortly

after their marriage, the prince and the princess set out for another part of

PANCHA TANTRA

CAN'T ALLOW EXTENSION OF LOAN MORATORIUM PERIOD, WAIVER OF INTEREST NOT POSSIBLE: SC

Evil is born of ignorance – Ramesh Kumar Bung.10

The Supreme Court held that there will be no interest on interest charged

from any borrower during the loan moratorium period of six months.

However, the apex court also ruled that there cannot be any further

extension of the moratorium and that the banks cannot fully waive interest

as they are liable to account holders and pensioners.The verdict was pronounced by a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R

Subhash Reddy and MR Shah. Justice MR Shah while reading out the

judgement said, “We have considered reliefs independently. Waiver of

complete interest is not possible as banks have to pay interest to account

holders and pensioners”. “There shall be no interest on interest or

compensation interest during moratorium period, irrespective of the loan

amount. If any such amount has been collected it shall be refunded,” he

added.A batch of pleas was moved before the Apex court last year seeking waiver

from interest on interest in respect of EMIs which were not paid by the

borrowers after availing the loan moratorium scheme. The six-month loan

moratorium scheme was extended by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the

wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the RBI on March 27, 2020,

had issued the circular which allowed lending institutions to grant a

moratorium on payment of installments of term loans falling between

March 1, 2020, and May 31,2020, due to the pandemic. Later, the period

of the moratorium was extended till August 31 last year.The petition before the top court sought a direction to declare the portion

of an RBI notification, issued on March 27, “ultra vires to the extent it

charges interest on the loan amount during the moratorium period…”.

The RBI had, in September 2020, filed an affidavit in the apex court

saying that loan moratorium exceeding six months might result in vitiating

the overall credit discipline , which will have a debilitating impact on the

process of credit creation in the economy.Separately, the Centre has also filed an affidavit saying that going any

further than the fiscal policy decisions already taken, such as waiver of

compound interest charged on loans of up to Rs 2 crore for six months

moratorium period, may be “detrimental” to the overall economic

scenario, the national economy and banks may not take “inevitable

financial constraints”. These affidavits were filed following the top court's

October 5 order asking them to place on record the K V Kamath

committee recommendations on debt restructuring because of the

COVID-19 related stress on various sectors as well as the notifications and

circulars issued so far on loan moratorium.In its affidavit, the RBI said that any waiver of interest on interest would

entail significant economic costs which cannot be absorbed by the banks

without serious dent of their finances, and this, in turn, would have huge

implications for the depositors and the broader financial stability. It has

also said that the apex court's interim order of September 4, restraining

classification of accounts into non-performing accounts in terms of the

directions issued by the RBI, may kindly be vacated with immediate effect.

Earlier, the Finance Ministry had filed an additional affidavit in the apex

court on October 2 saying it had decided to waive compound interest

(interest on interest) charged on loans of up to Rs 2 crore for a six-month

moratorium from individual borrowers as well as medium and small

industries. The Kamath panel had made recommendations for 26 sectors

that could be factored by lending institutions while finalising loan

resolution plans and had said that banks could adopt a graded approach

based on the severity of the coronavirus pandemic on a sector.

Unimplemented knowledge is a burden.

Our problem is not ignorance but inaction.

Action makes all the difference.

Umesh Chand Asawa

SALAM HYDERABADGLORIOUS SHRINE

Being ruled by several Muslim rulers, the city of Hyderabad has

always been a home for various mosques, dargas and many

more. Standing as symbols for the ancient Qutub Shahi and

Asaf Jahi dynasty, there are a number of ancient mosques, but

the Chiran Palace Mosque is one of the most unique

mosques in the city. Located amidst, the nature with greenery all

around and chirps and shrills of birds, the Chiran Palace

Mosque is in KBR park. More than 60-years old structure but

with its magnificent and unique design it appears to be

constructed a few years ago.

The mosque was spruced up for the recent visit of Prince

Mukaram Jahi Bahadur, the grandson of the seventh Nizam,

who built it. It is in the recent days, the mosque has gained

prominence, thanks to the frequent visitors of the park and

many more devotees who come to offer their prayers. The

Nizam who lives in Australia, makes it a point to stay at Chiran

Palace whenever he visits Hyderabad. And during his brief

sojourns he offers prayers at this mosque. It is an architectural

marvel built by the Nizams. The structure when seen from any

angle it does not rest on the sidewalls at all. There is no

intermediate pillar either to take the roof load. The weight of the

entire roof is borne by arches in the front and back. Even this

arch base is very thin at the ground level giving the structure an

elegant look.

There are two tall standing pillars; the mosque once had

fountains that could be overseen from distance. There is an

ambulation tank in front of the main structure, but modern

system of tap has made this obsolete and now serves as part of

beauty. The tank contains different kinds of colourful fishes that

add to the beauty of this place.

The visitors to the mosque here make a keen observation when

they set their eyes on its unique design and architectural feat.

Besides, the sidewalls are carved in a special design on marble

giving the structure an elegant look. Another notable trait is the

exquisite marble jali work on the sidewalls. They contain

intricate flower and geometric designs. At the centre are the

vertical cusped arches reminiscent of Mughal architecture.

Purshotamdas Mandhana

Within you is a vast resource of power and knowledge – Ramesh Kumar Bung. 11

01. Tunku (shouting): What is this? The Rasam made by you does not contain any taste. It has no chillies, no salt, no tamarind, nothing. Wife: I have told you many a time that not to watch mobile while eating. You have mixed water in your rice.

02. Friend: Why are so much irritated? Tunku: While travelling in the bus, somebody played national anthem in his mobile. When I stood up with respect, some person occupied my seat.

03. Minister Tunku: I hereby take an oath that I will not sleep until the opposition is destroyed. P.A.: What should I do for that Sir? Tunku: Go and bring tablets for not getting sleep.

04. On the first day of school, all the classes were over. All the children started going homes. But, Tunku remained in the class only. Teacher watched him and asked: Tunku, why did you not go home? Tunku: While sending me to school, my mummy said that I should continue in this same school till I complete my 10th Class.

05. Tunku: Doctor, it appears that you have collected a heavy amount for treatment of Suri's broken leg. You will have to give me half of the amount squeezed by you. Doctor (irritatingly): Why should I give amount to you? Tunku: I am the person who broke his leg.

06. Wife: What should I do to avoid side effects after consuming tablets? Tunku: It is very simple. Cut the both sides of all the tablets.

07. Agent deducted �8 lakhs as a tax out of �20 lakhs got in the lottery and gave Tunku �12 lakhs. Tunku: Nothing doing. Give me my �20 lakhs decently. Otherwise, take my lottery ticket and give back �20 lakhs.

08. Father: What is this? Why are you standing and eating food? Tunku: In the morning you scolded that I am simply sitting at home and eating, isn't it?

09. Friend: I believe that you drive the bike very well. How did you meet an accident by hitting a car? Tunku (on the bed in the hospital): In the dark, the two head lights of the car looked like single lights of two vehicles. I wanted to go in between them and surprise both the riders.

10. Astrologer: You have got a chance of getting three females in your life. Tunku: I am very happy to hear such news. When would it happen sir? Astrologer: After you get married; you will get three daughters.

11. Teacher: a kangaroo can jump up to the height of Eiffel Tower. Tunku: I know it. Teacher: Can you tell how? Tunku: Because Eiffel Tower cannot jump.

12. Friend: Do you know that there would be water in the rock. Tunku: What is the great in it? Water will be there even in metal. Friend: Is it? Where did you see? Tunku: In my house, water comes from steel pump.

13. Teacher: Why did you come late to the school? Tunku: I have come in another route today. There was a board stating 'School ahead; go slowly'.

14. Tunku: When does express train arrive? Station Master: Evening six O Clock. Tunku: What about local train? Master: Nearly in the evening at 3 P.M. Tunku: What are the timings of goods train? Master: Within another hour. Bye the bye, Where do you want to go? Tunku: Nowhere. I want to take a selfie with the train.

15. Teacher: Your pet-dog is very pretty. What is its name? Tunku: I don't know teacher. I have asked so many times. It did not reveal.

16. Teacher wanted to test IQ of his students and asked: If you find a bomb in front of our school, what do you do? Tunku: I will observe it for 2 or 3 hours. In case nobody claims it, I will bring it and hide in the staff room.

17. Friend: You will go to hell if you drink. Tunku: What about the person who sold liquor to me? Friend: He too enters the hell. Tunku: What about the person who sold snacks to me while drinking? Friend: Shall I tell you separately? He will also go to hell. Tunku: If all these people are there, it is not a hell, it will be heaven for me.

18. Mother to her husband: Today, our son Tunku has stolen pen and pencil of his friend and brought them home. Father: Useless fellow; why should he steal such things? Anyway, I am bringing such things from office now and the.

Sarita JoshiBegum Bazar Branch

CORNERCORNERCORNERCORNERCORNER

They symbolise the long and short of Hindi music exploring every genre from folk to funk. On Anandji’s 88th birthday we share nuggets from Kalyanji-Anandji’s melodious career. They were path-breakers having many firsts to their name. They were the first to organise music shows. First to deploy the clavioline to play the nagin been. First to introduce rap in Hindi songs with Tumko humpe pyaar aaya (Jab Jab Phool Khile). First to include the azaan (Muslim call for prayer) in a Hindi film (Himalaya Se Ooncha). They also got actors to sing in their films. Like Nanda in Jab Jab Phool Khile (Ek tha gul aur ek thi bulbul), Hema Malini in Haath Ki Safai (Peene wale ko peene ka bahana chahiye) and Amitabh Bachchan in Lawaris (Mere angane mein)…Dubbed ‘lucky’ for debutants, Kalyanji-Anandji worked with first-time directors including Manmohan Desai (Chhalia), Prakash Mehra (Hasina Maan Jayegi), Manoj Kumar (Upkar), Sultan Ahmed (Heera,), Feroz Khan (Apradh), Subhash Ghai (Kalicharan) and Chandra Barot (Don)…. giving hit albums. They synergized with new lyricists like Gulshan Bawra (Zanjeer) and MG Hashmat (Kora Kagaz) and created chartbusters. They mentored singers like Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Sadhna Sargam and Sunidhi Chauhan. In fact, they gave the name Kumar Sanu to Kedranath Bhattachraya and Sadhana Sargam to Sadhna Ganekar. In fact, when their father warned them of ego creeping in between them, Anandji’s witty retort was, “Ek suraj banega, ek chand!”Brought up in old world Girgaum, 11-year-old Anandji became part of the chorus in Devika Rani’s Meghdoot (1944). Kalyanji, older by five years, enjoyed playing the violin and the guitar. The two would participate in the Sarvajanik Utsav, Navratri and Ganpati celebrations. The brothers, who hail from a family of Kutchi traders, pioneered the trend of orchestral groups, naming it Kalyanji Virji and Party and held musical shows. Soon, Kalyanji got hold of a new electronic instrument called the clavioline – an electronic keyboard invented in France.With this instrument they played the hypnotic been (the music to entice snakes) for a snake sequence in the film Nag Panchami (1953), the music of which was scored by Chitragupt. People came to the theatres just to listen to this music. he duo played the been once again for Hemant Kumar’s composition Man dole mera tan dole in Nagin (1954). The cult tune continues to be played in mandirs, during navratri and even baaraats!They later composed for Samrat Chandragupta (1958, Chahe paas ho), Post Box 999 (1956 – Naina hai jadoo bhare) and Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960 - Mujhko is raat ki tanhai). The credits, however, had the name Kalyanji Virjee Shah. Producer Subhash Desai, who was introducing his brother Manmohan Desai in Chhalia (1961), suggested that he’d introduce the duo as Kalyanji-Anandji. Though Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965) was set in Kashmir, they couldn’t use the ethnic santoor and the matka. The heroine was a modern girl, so the song Yeh sama, sama hai yeh pyaar ka had a Western rhythm.Kalyanji-Anandji’s synergy with Manoj Kumar created soaked-in-the-soil numbers. In Upkar (1967), the grim Kasme vaade was to appear before the interval. The brothers feared bored audiences would leave the theatre half way, more so because it was to filmed on Pran, a villain. But when they attended the premiere in Delhi, the audience went rapturous and began clapping hard on the song. Manoj Kumar’s Purab Aur Pashcim (1970) was a cross-continent chronicle. Koi jab tumhara was filmed in London but the hero being an Indian, the rabab was used to convey his melancholy.Vijay Anand’s Johny Mera Naam (1970) was a celebration of their versatility with the emotional Babul pyaare, the devotional Govind bolo Hari Gopal bolo, the fun Pal bhar ke liye and the sensuous Husn ke laakh rang.

Kalyanji-Anandji could easily adapt to the pace of Feroz Khan’s styl ised fi lms be it Apradh, Dharmatma, Qurbani or Janbaaz (between the ’70s – ’80s). “Ferozji liked both a Western and Arabian touch in his songs. He was keen to try new singers. He never bothered about money; he didn’t mind how much more time was taken to record a song,” Anandji was quoted saying. There was another real-life inspiration behind a beautiful composition. Anandji’s elder daughter Rita, who lives in London, called Anandji and his wife there for her delivery. But Anandji declined the invitation saying he was tied up. It left his daughter hurt.

Soon after they had to record the bidaai song Babul ka yeh ghar behna for Daata (1989). When it was being recorded the atmosphere automatically turned emotional. Alka Yagnik, who was soon to get married, was in tears. Kishore Kumar too turned misty-eyed along with the chorus singers and so did Anandji, who’d hit a raw nerve. “We retained the first take, because we’d have never got that emotion again,” once revealed Anandji.Almost 10 years before Kalyanji passed away (24 August 2000), the duo had quit the music scene. Soon after Tridev (1989), Kalyanjis son Viju Shah had begun making a name for himself. After having done more than 250 films, the brothers retired at their peak. They followed their father's dictum - 'When the shadows grow long its sunset time!'In 2005, the group Black Eyed Peas won the Grammy Best Rap Performance for their song Don’t Phunk With My Heart (Monkey Business). Interestingly, the track put together Kalyanji-Anandji’s Yeh mera dil pyar ka diwana (Don) and Ae naujawaan (Apradh). Anandji was felicitated by BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) in 2006, several years after their retirement.

Pradeep DeshpandeHO: F&A

KALYANJI-ANANDJI'S MELODIES ARE UNFORGETTABLE

12 Selfishness is the root cause for human activities – Ramesh Kumar Bung.

AN AMAZING SENTENCE IN ENGLISHRemarkable indeed! The person who made this sentence must be a GENIUS in English vocabulary."Idonotknowwherefamilydoctorsacquiredillegiblyperplexinghandwriting;nevertheless,extraordinarypharmaceuticalintellectuality,counterbalancingindecipherabilitytranscendentalizesintercommunication'sincomprehensibleness.''In this sentence, there are 20 words. In first word, there is one letter, in second one there are two letters, three in the third one. Like this, there are 20 letters in the 20th word.

Smitha KolleriHO: Audit

5 STEPS WOMEN MUST TAKE FOR FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

13He who is endowed with kindness and good behaviour is respected by all – Ramesh Kumar Bung.

Society doesn't view it as [a woman's] role to earn money, or her right to

make financial decisions'. As women walk shoulder to shoulder with men

in all walks of life, it is becoming increasingly imperative for them to know

how to save, invest and secure their financial future.

A. Working Women: To achieve the above objective, working women

(women who have a paying job other than the work they do at home)

should follow a simple five step process:

1. Set financial goals: The first step is to set financial goals. The goals

have to be specific in terms of timing and amount. Goals could relate to

foreign travel, marriage, children, their education and marriage,

retirement, etc., Goals can be further broken down into short, medium

and long term goals. The current and projected income and expenditure

need to be analysed taking into account the inflation impact to determine

the saving potential. Such an exercise also shows if one is incurring

frivolous expenditure or has set very high goals difficult to achieve in

current income.

2. Save and invest regularly: After the saving potential is determined,

one should start saving regularly for the various milestone goals. The type

of instrument which should be used for saving would depend upon the

type of goal and the timing. Long-term goals can be funded more through

equity while short term more through debt. Tax implications will also need

to be taken into account while making the decision. The various avenues

available for investments are - fixed deposits, corporate bonds, equity

shares, mutual funds, pension schemes, real estate, commodities, etc.

Investing small amounts in equity / debt instruments will help one to take

the benefit of compounding from an early age. Investing regularly is a

prerequisite for wealth creation and attaining financial freedom. It's often

said that when you sleep your money works for you. One should save at

least 30% of income which is India's average savings rate.

3. Take adequate health and life insurance for self and

dependents: Expenditure on health is one of the bigger components as

we grow. The inflation in the health sector is also higher compared to

normal increase in prices. One should take health insurance for the family

including dependents. This will protect against any big unforeseen

expenditure due to illness / disease. One also needs protection against loss

of income due to disability, critical illness and insurance. Dependents need

to be compensated for the loss of income due to death of the bread earner.

One should take a life cover (term insurance preferably) to guard against

such losses. This will ensure that the lifestyle and milestone goals of the

family are met in case of unforeseen death.

4. Create an emergency fund: An emergency fund should be created

to meet COVID-19 like situation which led to pay cuts and job losses. The

fund would help to meet the household expenditure for a few months.

LinkedIn was full of posts by people who were laid off during the

pandemic and had to suffer because they had not planned for such an

emergency. Better be prepared than be sorry, as the adage goes.

5. Plan for retirement: We all need to retire one day, normally at the age

of 60 years. After retirement we may not have a regular income. Hence,

one should invest in a pension scheme which would provide monthly

income to meet household and medical expenditure. Unless one knows

how much corpus is required to live a comfortable life after retirement, one

would not be able to plan properly.

B. Homemakers (housewives): Homemakers or housewives need to

keenly participate in the financial planning of their families. It is they who

make the monthly budgets. They should, along with their partners, set

their financial goals over the short, medium and long term. Goal setting

will make them aware of the sums of money required at different points of

time to achieve their milestone goals. COVID-19 has brought to the

forefront the vulnerability of our lives. To be fully prepared to meet such

exigencies, housewives should ensure that their partners have taken

adequate health and life cover. This would help the family to take care of

big medical costs and also lifestyle / milestone expenditure in the event of

unforeseen death of the income generator of the family. If the family

doesn't have an emergency fund, the top most priority after insurance

cover, should be to build a corpus which would ideally take care of

household expenditure of six to twelve months. Active rather than passive

participation in financial matters is the key to secure financial future. The

housewife should be aware of all their assets and liabilities and should

make sure she is the nominee for all investments, bank accounts,

insurance policies. These are some of the hygiene checks but very

important. If all of this sounds too complicated or difficult to understand,

then one shouldn't hesitate to consult a financial / investment advisor and

seek professional advice.

Sheela Jaiswal Ameerpet Branch

Finance Minister raised the limit for tax exemption on interest earned on

employee provident fund contributions to Rs 5 lakh per year in defined

cases. The new rule will go into effect on April 1st. EPFO (Employees'

Provident Fund Organisation) has more than six crore members. Both the

employee and the employer contribute 12% of the employee's basic

salary and dearness allowance to the EPF. The current interest rate on EPF

deposits is 8.50% per annum.

The government has doubled the limit of provident fund (PF)

contributions on which interest income will remain non-taxable, providing

substantial relief to a large number of middle to high-income earners.

Sitharaman set a limit of Rs 2.5 lakh per year on tax-free interest earned on

provident fund contributions by employees and employers combined in

her Budget for 2021-22, in an attempt to deter high earners from investing

in what is supposed to be the common man's retirement fund.

The minister said the tax-free limit is now being amended to a maximum

of Rs 5 lakh per year, in response to a debate on the Finance Bill 2021 in

Lok Sabha. This exemption, however, is subject to the condition that the

contribution of up to Rs 5 lakh does not include employer contributions in

excess of the statutory limit of up to 12% of basic pay. This would apply to

situations in which employers do not contribute to a retirement fund. The

Rs 2.5 lakh limit applies to 92-93% of subscribers, and they are eligible for

tax-free assured interest under this scheme.

NEW PF LIMIT RAISED TO RS 5 LAKHS FOR TAX-FREE INCOME

Covid-19 has done little to alter the ranking of the world's happiest

countries, with Finland at the top for a fourth year running, an annual

UN-sponsored report said. The researchers behind the World

Happiness Report, now in its ninth year, used Gallup data asking

people in 149 countries to rate their own happiness, also taking into

account measures such as GDP, social support, personal freedom and

levels of corruption to give each nation a happiness score, which is an

average of the past three years.

Once again, the top spots were dominated by European countries —

with Denmark coming second, followed by Switzerland, Iceland and

the Netherlands. New Zealand, falling one place to ninth, was again

the only non-European nation in the top ten. Other climbers included

Germany, up from 17th to 13th, and France, rising two to 21st. The

UK, meanwhile, fell from 13th to 17th place, while the US fell one spot

to 19th. African nations Lesotho, Botswana, Rwanda and Zimbabwe

came at the bottom of the table, but ahead of Afghanistan which was

classed as the world's unhappiest nation this year.

The authors also compared this year's data to previous years' averages

to gauge the impact of the pandemic, and found “significantly higher

frequency of negative emotions” in just over a third of the countries.

But positive emotions increased in 22 countries, and “surprisingly

there was not, on average, a decline in well-being when measured by

people's own evaluation of their lives,” John Helliwell, one of the

report's compilers, said in a statement. “One possible explanation is

that people see Covid-19 as a common, outside threat affecting

everybody and that this has generated a greater sense of solidarity and

fellow-feeling.”

Author Jeffrey Sachs meanwhile warned that “we need urgently to

learn from Covid-19,” adding that “we must aim for wellbeing rather

than mere wealth.” Finland, which throughout the health crisis has

reported some of Europe's lowest incidences of the coronavirus,

“ranked very high on the measures of mutual trust that have helped to

protect lives and livelihoods during the pandemic,” the authors said.

Finland's top spot in the happiness list has previously been met with

raised eyebrows in the country whose population of 5.5 million is said

to shy away from spontaneous demonstrations of joy, valuing instead

the quiet and solitude of the country's vast forests and thousands of

lakes. The northern country's long dark winters were reputed to be

behind high levels of alcoholism and suicide, but a decade-long public

health drive has helped cut rates by more than half. Finland's residents

enjoy a high quality of life, security and public services, with rates of

inequality and poverty among the lowest of all OECD countries.

G. PadminiHO: IT

Great trials and adversities will make you stronger and stronger – Ramesh Kumar Bung.14

THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN NAMED THE WORLD'S HAPPIEST NATION FOR THE FOURTH TIME DESPITE PANDEMIC

April 1 will mark the beginning of a new financial year and will bring a

slew of income tax changes. Some of the changes were announced by

the Union Finance Minister while presenting the Union Budget 2021

in February. Here is a list of changes which will be introduced from the

coming financial year.

EPF tax rules: Finance Minister in Budget 2021 proposed that the

interest on employee contribution towards provident fund be exempt

up to the maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh, and any interest income from the

contribution above this limit will be taxable in the hands of the

employee. This provision will come into force from or after April 1,

2021.

TDS at a higher rate: Higher tax deducted at source (TDS) or tax

collected at source (TCS) was proposed by FM to make more people

file income tax returns (ITR).

Non-filing of ITR by persons above 75 years of age: The Budget

2021 proposed that an individual who is of the age of 75 years or

above having income from pension and interest from any account

maintained in the same specified bank in which he/she is receiving

pension are exempted from filing income tax returns (ITR). This

proposal was made to reduce the compliance burden of the senior

citizen.

Pre-filled ITR Forms: The information which is auto-populated

from external sources in the ITR is known as pre-filled data. The

information which is currently pre-filled in the ITR form includes

personal information, bank details, details of salary income as per

form 16, details of TDS, TCS, taxes paid as advance tax, etc. In the

Budget 2021 it was announced that some more details including

capital gain arising from the sale of listed securities, dividend income

and interest income received from the bank or post office will be pre-

filled in income tax return.

LTC cash scheme: To provide tax exemption to an employee

receiving a cash allowance in lieu of Leave Travel Concession (LTC)

subject to incurring the specified expenditure has been proposed for

the FY 2020-21.

Advance tax liability: Only after the declaration or payment of the

dividend, the advance tax liability on dividend income will arise.

Last Date to file ITR for FY 2019-20: The last date for filing ITR

for FY 2019-20 is March 31 and those who will not be able to file the

returns till March 31 will have to pay a late fee. While the last date for

ITR revision is also March 31, 2021.

Last date to make a tax-saving investment: The last date for

making certain investments in FY 2020-21 which helps in tax savings

under the ITR is March 31.

INCOME TAX RULES ARE CHANGING FROM APRIL 1, HERE'S A LOOK AT NEW NORMS

WOMEN BEAT MARKET, GET RICHER: A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND - HOW INDIAN WOMEN ARE INVESTING

Be resolute have an iron-will – Ramesh Kumar Bung. 15

'The role of women in India has undergone a sea change compared to

yesteryears, challenging archaic notions of their impact on society at large.

Today's crop of modern women is standing tall and playing an active role

in IT, Business, Finance, Law, Politics and other major fields. Given our

rapidly changing world, financial equality and independence are

imperative, and more so for the ones who aspire to build wealth, chase

their dreams and live life on their own terms. This realisation is becoming

increasingly pervasive as more women in India are becoming cognizant of

the importance of investing. At ETMONEY, our primary objective with the

investment report is to challenge the myth that women are not as savvy as

men in terms of investing, or that they have a risk-averse 'savings' vs an

'investment' mindset. We are grateful to be a part of the financial journey

of these women, and urge everyone to take charge of their finances and

their lives.' said Mukesh P Kalra, Founder & CEO of ETMONEY.

More interesting insights on ETMONEY's Investment Report '21:

https://bit.ly/3bgbc7s About ETMONEY ETMONEY is India's largest app

for financial services that is simplifying the financial journey of new-age

Indians. Consumers use ETMONEY to invest in zero-commission Direct

mutual funds for Free, protect their families with unique Insurance

solutions & use ETMONEY Credit Card to take instant loans at low-cost.

Growing at 350% yearly, combined with multiple innovative solutions, it

has grown to 7Mn users from more than 1400+ Indian cities and is driving

more than $500Mn of non-payment annual transaction volume on its

platform.

Musheera Begum

HO: F&A

liquidity in the system, a similar trend was observed in CD-overnight index

swap negative spread, which is showing green shoots in credit demand.

Net foreign portfolio investments in equity declined in January 2021 while

net investments in debt segment totalled negative �2,518 crore. India

along with other emerging countries like Taiwan and South Korea saw a

large sell-off by foreign portfolio investors during the month. Investments

by mutual funds in non-convertible debentures have improved. On the

other hand, said Ind-Ra, investments by mutual funds in CPs and CDs

have declined in banks and corporates specifically.

On the occasion of International Women's Day 2021, one of India's

favourite investment app, ETMONEY has unveiled an investment report

based on financial insights collated from its female user-base. The report

aims to debunk myths about the financial behaviour of women, and gain a

deeper understanding of the underlying factors that have paved the way

for the success of women investors in India. The report reveals that in each

of the past 4 years, women investors on ETMONEY have earned around

10% more returns every year as compared to their male counterparts,

with their investments offering the best returns in 2020, the year that

challenged every investor. This difference in the average annual returns

earned by men and women is reflective of two key traits - women investors

turning savvier in finance and honing healthier financial habits.

Women investors have also mastered the art of maximizing tax savings -

with an average of around 15% of their portfolio in ELSS funds, as

compared to only 12% of men. This has helped women combine tax-

savings with wealth creation. Additionally, women investors on

ETMONEY also have a near-perfect asset-allocation ratio as per their age.

They have demonstrated an extraordinary understanding of market

movements, upping their investments during market corrections.

Besides women demonstrating the hallmarks of being more sound

investors as compared to men, they also have their eyes set on their

investment goals as they are more regular with their SIP instalments as

compared to men. With 4X growth in the amount invested using the

platform over the past 4 years, and more women across all age groups and

geographies joining in, women are gaining confidence in their ability to

invest. This is clear from the rising trend of women from tier II and tier III

cities taking to investing, changing the conventional dynamics.

India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has upgraded its FY21 credit growth

estimates to 6.9% from 1.8%, given the improved economic environment

in 2H FY21 and the government's focus on higher -- spending especially

on infrastructure. Amid the pandemic, the credit off-take in banking

system remained muted, which led to lesser issuances of certificates of

deposits (CDs). The CD issuances for January 2021 increased for public

sector banks but remained muted for private banks. Concurrently, the CD

yield across maturities was confined to a narrow range amid subdued

issuances.

The issuances of commercial paper (CP) by corporates fell due to a lesser

requirement amid fewer rollovers. The CP yields, however, saw an

upward revision due to the Reserve Bank of India's announcement of the

restoration of liquidity management operations. Besides, demand from

fund houses for corporate bonds and short-term funds increased by

�5,200 crore and �1,000 crore respectively. On the other hand, CP

issuances by non-banking financial companies and housing finance

companies remained encouraging, both in terms of total amount and

volumes.

Ind-Ra said the normalisation of economic activities and a conducive rate

environment remain supportive for this segment. On account of the excess

IND-RA UPGRADES FY21 CREDIT GROWTH ESTIMATES TO 6.9 PC

Everything will be okay in the end. If it is not okay, then it is not the end.

Umesh Chand Asawa

www.apmaheshbank.com16

BIDDING FAREWELLBIDDING FAREWELLBIDDING FAREWELL

Printed & Published by Smt. Ranjana Sharma on behalf of

Andhra Pradesh Mahesh Co-operative Urban Bank Ltd.,

Head Office : 8-2-680/1&2, Road No. 12, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500 034, Telangana State, INDIA

Tel. : 040 2461 5296 / 99, 2343 7100 - 7103 & 7105

Fax : 040 2461 6427, E-mail : info@apmaheshbank.com

Website : www.apmaheshbank.com

For e-HAMARA PRAYAS Please visit our website www.apmaheshbank.com

Sri Ramesh Kumar Bung, Chairman bidding farewell to Sri V.P. Asthana, working as Joint Manager / Branch Manager of our

Serilingampally Branch who retired on his superannuation. Sri Umesh Chand Asawa, MD & CEO and other executives on the occasion.

Never procrastinate.

All the problems you face today

Were the small challenges

You overlooked yesterday.

Deep relationships are not built by

Forcing you to understand me, but

By giving you the confidence that

I have understood you.

Umesh Chand Asawa Ramesh Kumar Bung