Happy New Year 2011 !!

Very Happy New year 2011 !!

Mahatma Gandhi has maximum quotes on Internet !!

Mahatma Gandhi is known for many things but he has to his name the maximum number of quotations by any Indian on the Internet.

The Internet has a large number of sites which offer quotations on a variety of topics ranging from friendship, love, destiny, life, death, peace and politics. But the net has one site which gives quotations from people from all walks of life all over the world.

The site address is http://www.quotationsbook.com and it features 106 quotations from the Mahatma.

One quotation attributed to him says "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

Another quotation says "It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The other is mere business."

The Mahatma is also quoted as saying, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

He has also said "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

Apart from Mahatma Gandhi, there are a number of other Indians from whom quotations can be seen on the site. These people include the Nation's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, former president S Radhakrishnan, Swami Vivekanand and Indira Gandhi.

These people do not match the Mahatma as individually they do not have even 20 quotes to their credit.

One Indian whose name comes as a surprise on this site is that of Oscar award winning music composer, A R Rahman.

He has got only one quote which reads simply, "All my life I have had a choice of hate and love. I chose love and I am here."

Among world politicians, those who surpass the Mahatma are former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill with 183 quotes and former US President John F. Kennedy with 146 quotes.

Noted English writer Oscar Wilde have got 432 quotes and he is followed by William Shakespeare with 420 quotes.

Among religious texts the Bible leads with 370 quotes, The Bhagavad Gita has 45 quotes while the Quran nine quotes.
Read More: Mahatma Gandhi has maximum quotes on Internet

Each Unique ID number costs Rs.100: Nilekani !!

It costs the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Rs.100 to generate each 'aadhaar' number, which will help address the challenges of inclusion, the authority's chief Nandan Nilekani, said here Thursday.

Ideally It costs the authority Rs.50 to enrol each individual for the Unique ID (UID) and another Rs.50 on back-end costs, he said.

In his address at the annual Rajinder Mathur Memorial Lecture here, Nilekani said that the aadhaar number will help in making public expenditure more equitable and in building new services for the people.

Nilekani, who took questions after speaking of benefits of the UID, said the country needed well-defined privacy laws to prevent any malicious use of data.

Answering queries about the demand by social activists like Aruna Roy and Jean Dreze against linking the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) to the UID, he said that the number should not be used in a way that it denies benefits to anyone.

'Aadhar should not be a basis of discrimination,' he said.

The social activists had, in a statement, said plans to link MGNREGA to Aadhaar should be revoked as it 'threatens to cause havoc' in the fragile structure of the scheme that provides for 100 days of jobs a year to rural households.

Nilekani said the UID can be sufficient identity to open a bank account or get a mobile phone SIM card. Pointing out that penetration of banks was quite low in rural areas, he said the UID can facilitate extending banking to every village.

The UID number will also be beneficial for people who migrate from one part of the country to the other, he added.

Answering queries about possibility of data being misused, he said that the only service provided by the UIDAI was authentication.

'UID is one part of privacy issue. We need a larger privacy and data protection law,' he said.

Nilekani said he wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue in May and the government has come out with an approach paper to elicit the people's viewse.

Read more Each Unique ID number costs Rs.100: Nilekani

SUV owners should pay full market price of diesel: Ramesh !!

Continuing with his attack on diesel-guzzling cars like sports utility vehicles (SUVs), Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today asked the users of such cars to pay full market price for the fossil fuel which is being sold at subsidised rates for farmers.

"Why should they get subsidised fuel meant for farmers," Ramesh asked while speaking at a conference on 5th Sustainability Summit organised by CII.

"We introduce the (diesel) subsidy for a certain economic purposes but have ended up with a wholly different purpose...," he said while favouring incentives to the firms aiming at sustainable development.

However, he made it clear that his "deliberate" criticism of the vehicles, which had created some-what of a controversy recently, need not be seen as being anti-automobile sector.

"I am not knocking the growth of the automotive industry but those who want to use diesel cars must pay the full market price for the fuel. Why should they get subsidised fuel meant for farmers?" he said.

Ramesh said there was a need for creating an incentive structure from a fiscal point of view particularly which rewards and added that stimulating sustainable development at the producer-end is absolutely important.

The remarks by Ramesh, who had earlier called SUVs as criminals and Socially Useless Vehicles for being bad emitters, has raised a storm in the auto sector with BMW manufacturer Germany taking a serious exception to it.

The Minister also called for an incentive structure which has to be skewed in favour of sustainable development choice as far as consumers are ready to embrace such mechanism.

Read More: SUV owners should pay full market price of diesel

Citing deficit, Obama freezing federal worker pay !!

President Barack Obama announced a two-year pay freeze for federal employees Monday, and warned the American public that the move is the first of many difficult decisions that must be made to reduce the nation's mounting deficits.

"The hard truth is that getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifice, and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government," Obama said.

The freeze would apply to all civilian federal employees, including those working at the Department of Defense, but would not affect military personnel. The freeze is expected to save more than $5 billion in savings over two years, $28 billion over five years and more than $60 billion over 10 years, White House officials said.

Congress is not covered by Obama's executive branch order. But lawmakers voted last April to freeze their pay, with the House and Senate opting to forgo an automatic $1,600 annual cost-of-living increase.

While Obama said the federal employee salary freeze was necessary to put the nation on sound fiscal footing, he also said that he didn't reach the decision lightly.

"This is not just a line item on a federal ledger," he said. "These are people's lives."

Read More: Citing deficit, Obama freezing federal worker pay

Five Dilemmas That Managers Face !!

Being a manager is a heady position. But this role also comes with certain responsibilities and many anxieties.

Young managers may not have all the right skills needed to fulfill their managerial duties. If you’ve been a manager for a while, you may be getting frustrated that your company hasn’t yet promoted you further. At various stages of your managerial tenure, different types of questions and doubts may linger in your mind.

Often, a frank conversation with your superiors, your peers or even your team members — depending on the situation — can help resolve your quandaries. Here are some other ways to tackle five common dilemmas that managers face in their jobs or in their careers.

1. Poor people skills

As a manager, one of your most important jobs is to communicate with and motivate your team members and also to deal with other team heads and higher-ups in your organization.

To do this effectively, it’s essential that you have the ability to work and communicate with various types of people, including those junior and senior to you. That could be a challenge, particularly for someone who is an introvert.

One way to get more comfortable around people, especially your team, is to spend more time with them. Consider setting up a weekly lunch or coffee with your team members and use the opportunity to ask about their work and how it can be improved. Remember, you don’t have to become their best friend.

At the same time, check if your organization has any programs to help out people in your situation. For instance, some organizations have programs in which the manager is “assigned a buddy, mentor or can be coached on the skill he needs,” says Neetasha Joshi, senior vice president and head of human resources at Tata AIG Life Insurance Co. Ltd.

2. The challenge of decision-making

A manager’s decisions can have an impact on an entire team, so your decisions are more important than ever before. But not all of us are born with good decision-making skills. How do you acquire them?

One way could be by observing your superiors in situations where they have to make decisions, says Alpana Sagar, vice president of human capital at Feedback Ventures, a infrastructure-service provider.

For tough decisions, ask your boss for specific guidance. It might help to read books on management and leadership skills, or maybe even take a leadership course.

When it comes to important decisions which will affect the entire team, try to canvass opinion from various parties including team members. What do they think would be the solution to a particular problem, you might ask? This can make them feel included in the decision-making process and may throw up some factors for you to consider which you might not have thought of yourself.

3. Career fatigue

After a few years on the job as a manager, there might come a time when you feel like you have stopped learning in your role and are stagnating. To counter this career fatigue, try to take on more responsibility or new initiatives to make your existing role more exciting.

If that’s not a possibility, it might be time to consider another role in the company that you would like to take on. Figure out what skills would be needed for that role and “then create a plan for how you want to build them,” said Praful Bhat, executive vice president of human resources at Godrej Agrovet Ltd, in an email response.

Sign up for company programs that train managers “on new facets of the business or best practices,” says Inasu George, senior manager of business planning and transition at Fidelity National Financial India, a financial services company.

4. The money question

This dilemma haunts professionals at various levels of their career.

You are ambitious and want to fatten your paycheck as soon as possible. You know there might be competitors who would pay you more and give you a better designation than you currently have. When does it make sense to jump ship?

Experts caution against being too hasty in changing jobs because in today’s times it can leave a bad impression that you are money-hungry.

“First, look for a change in the same place and climb the ladder as much as (you) can,” says Ashesh Amin, director of apparel and retail at S. Kumar Nationwide Ltd. “Improve yourself by managing and learning multiple roles.”

That will improve your market value within the organization, helping your chances for a better salary. If that doesn’t happen, with your improved skills, you can get an even better job outside the organization at a later point.

5. Unmet expectations

You have been managing a team for a while and you feel ready to step up to the next level. Perhaps your company or boss had suggested a period of time after which you might be promoted and that has not happened. This may lead to restlessness and doubts.

To resolve this situation, first conduct an honest introspection of what you have achieved. Have you met the targets expected of you and gained the experience necessary?

Organizations often care more about the manager’s depth of knowledge, rather than the number of years he or she has spent in the role, says Ms. Joshi of Tata AIG Life.

Consider having a frank discussion with your boss. What else do you need to do to move to the next level? If he or she is not approachable, ask for feedback from peers, senior managers and even your team about how you are performing.

Read More: Five Dilemmas That Managers Face

Mumbai, Delhi put on high alert ahead of 26/11 anniversary !!

The Centre has put Mumbai and Delhi on high alert following "specific inputs" from a western intelligence agency of a terror attack in the two cities during the 26/11 anniversary.

In advisories to the Maharashtra and Delhi Police, the Union home ministry has asked them to step up vigilance in crowded public places as well as around important public buildings and sensitive installations.

Sources in the ministry said that the western agency informed New Delhi that Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba may launch spectacular strikes in crowded places in Mumbai, similar to the one carried out two years ago. Another intelligence input suggested that Kashmiri terror outfits may strike in three markets, including the popular underground Palika Bazar, in New Delhi, they added.

"The high alert, sounded in Delhi in the wake of specific inputs for Wednesday (November 17), continues," an official said, adding the level of deployment has also been increased in both Delhi and Mumbai in the past two days.

The Centre has also asked the two police forces to install CCTV cameras and other electronic gadgets in crowded places to monitor the movement of people, and metal detectors for a thorough check of people.

Read More:- Mumbai, Delhi put on high alert ahead of 26/11 anniversary

Anil Ambani profited the most from 2G scam !!

Many corporate houses booked windfall profits from the 2G spectrum scandal, it has now come to light.

The opposition continued to stall both houses of Parliament on Thursday, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the scandal, but elsewhere, questions were being asked about businessmen who made money from ousted telecom minister A Raja’s scandalous deals.

The CAG report tabled in Parliament earlier this week said Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group benefited the most from improper allocation of licences. The Hindu reported:

The CAG has found that Mr. Ambani’s companies were given undue advantage over other players in at least three ways: first, the fact that Swan Telecom (now Etisalat DB Telecom), one of the 2G beneficiaries, appeared to have been acting as a front company for ADAG’s Reliance Telecom was ignored by the Department of Telecom; second, it got the spectrum before others in the queue; and third, Reliance Communications was favoured in the spectrum allocation while getting access to a dual technology licence for offering both CDMA and GSM services…

The CAG also pointed out that the e-mail address of the corporate as well as registered office of Swan Telecom Pvt. Ltd was shown as hari.nair@relianceada.com, and the same e-mail ID was also given for the correspondence address and the authorised contact person of the applicant company.

Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to explain why he looked the other way when Raja was signing away the nation’s wealth for a pittance. BJP leader L K Advani said the Supreme Court had, for the first time, pointed fingers at a prime minister, and it was high time Singh made a statement.

On television, Subramaniam Swamy, president of the Janata Party, said Singh was not corrupt but weak. Swamy has filed a case in the Supreme Court against Raja’s deals. He spoke to reporters in front of the Supreme Court on Thursday, and asked why Singh had remained unresponsive to his plea for permission to proceed against Raja. He alleged the government was “embroidering the truth”.

Gopikrishnan, whose hard work as a reporter led to the unearthing of the scandal, believes telecom licences issued illegally will eventually be cancelled. Chandan Mitra, editor of The Pioneer, praised Gopikrishnan and revealed how he had grown into a reporter with a formidable reputation for digging out hidden information.

I don’t know how much pressure he came under and from which quarters. But I faced more pressure over these reports than anything else in my 27 years of journalism, of which nearly 20 have been spent in senior editorial positions. I am proud to have withstood them. But even more proud that I gave a dynamic young man from Kerala a break in the national media, a break he used to do the nation a sterling service. J Gopikrishnan has made history and The Pioneer basks in his achievement.

In an interview Mitra ran with his article, titled The Man Who Felled a King, Gopikrishnan reveals that a whistleblower within the telecom ministry helped him unravel the complexities of the scandal.

Read More: Anil Ambani profited the most from 2G scam

Astronomers find giant extragalactic planet !!

Astronomers have for the first time spotted a planet that originated outside the galaxy.

Till date, about 500 planets have been discovered. This is the first known planet to have been born elsewhere.

The gas planet, at least 25 percent heavier than Jupiter or 400 times heavier than Earth, orbits a star that started life in a dwarf galaxy, according to the journal Science Express.

Known as HIP 13044b, the hydrogen and helium planet sits in a solar system belonging to a group of stars called the Helmi stream, some 2,000 light years away from Earth, the Telegraph reports.

Between six and nine billion years ago, the Helmi merged with the Milky Way in an act of 'galactic cannibalism'. It is now in a southern constellation of the Milky Way called the Fornax or Furnace.

Because of the vast distance, astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in La Silla, Chile, could not detect the planet visibly, using the 2.2 metre-diameter telescope.

Instead, they inferred its existence from tiny telltale wobbles of the star.

These are caused by the gravitational tug of its large orbiting companion, which the astronomers detected with a high-resolution spectrograph attached to the telescope.

Rainer Klemen, of the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, said: 'This discovery is very exciting. For the first time, astronomers have detected a planetary system in a stellar stream of extragalactic origin.'

The planet is orbiting a star which is approaching the end of its life, having exhausted its hydrogen fuel and gone through a stage of massive expansion - called the red giant phase - in which it probably consumed the inner planets in its solar system.

Read More: Astronomers find giant extragalactic planet

TCS plans to recruit 50,000 Employees in 2011 !!

The country's largest IT services provider, Tata Consultancy Services, plans to recruit about 50,000 employees in 2011, the same figure as this year's, a top company official said today.

"This year we will add 50,000 people and next year we will add the same (number)," Tata Consultancy Services Managing Director and CEO N Chandrasekaran told reporters here. He said 30,000 of the 50,000 persons recruited were in the first quarter of this year.

Stating that there are good prospects in the overseas market, he said that TCS would recruit more number of candidates for overseas operations, but did not give exact numbers. "We plan to increase the number everywhere (in the world)," he said. Currently, TCS has a presence in the US, Latin America, China, the Middle East and European countries.

"In the first year of our operations in China we quickly recruited 1,000 candidates but it took us two years to add 200 more," Chandrasekaran said.

He said the company preferred to maintain the attrition rate at the industry lowest rate of 14 per cent. "Last two-three years it was 9-9.5 per cent. I would not like to see any kind of escalation (in 14 per cent..)", he said.

Chandrasekaran was here to announce the first batch of candidates for TCS Research Fellowship Programme launched by them to promote research.

He said TCS planned to fund about 200 doctoral candidates over five years to take up PhD programmes in academic institutions across India. However, he declined to comment on the funds they planned to spend for this programme.

On future plans, Chandrasekaran said they would soon make an official announcement of a new product in Small and Medium Enterprises. A similar launch was also planned in Business Process Outsourcing platform. Plans are also on to launch services in healthcare platform globally.

"We have launched the health care service in three top notch hospitals and they are already gone live. We want to launch it internationally...", he said.

Chandrasekaran termed the exchange rate as a major challenge and market volatility as a "big problem."

On the Rs 1,000 crore Passport Seva Project joint venture with External Affairs Ministry,he said it was doing very well. "It is being rolled out in phases and we will roll out in 77 sites. I hope in another 5-6 months we will cover pan India".

On implementation,TCS would offer end-to-end services, after which the Ministry expects issuing passports to be completed in three working days and passports under Tatkal scheme to be dispatched he same day.

TCS has about 1.77 lakh employees globally.

TCS plans to recruit 50,000 Employees in 2011

'Harry Potter' star gets new film look !!

Daniel Radcliffe will be saying goodbye to the Harry Potter franchise next summer when the second half of the two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" hits theaters. But even though he's now richer than God (or at least Prince William and Prince Harry of the British royal family), he's already moved on to his first post-"Potter" role as the lead in the supernatural thriller "The Woman in Black." And because Hammer Films wants to capitalize on Potter mania since "Deathly Hallows Part 1" opens next Friday, they've released two production stills of Radcliffe from the "Woman in Black" shoot.

Based on Susan Hill's novel, "The Woman in Black" is about a young lawyer (Radcliffe) traveling to his deceased client's spooky old house in the countryside to put the man's affairs in order. From there, bad things start to happen to the lawyer, which may be linked to an unknown woman who dresses in black.

[Emma Watson 'Emotional' Over Being a Millionaire]

We don't see that mysterious woman in these shots, but we do see Radcliffe dressed in Victorian garb with a pensive, concerned look on his face. What's difficult with these sorts of on-the-set stills is that we never know how we're supposed to respond. As with this week's Entertainment Weekly photo of the upcoming Muppet movie, we take a gander at these "Woman in Black" shots and either say, "Well, that looks good" or "Well, that looks dumb." Then, we go back to our lives.

[Rewind: Shia LaBeouf Crowned Hollywood's New 'Bang For The Buck' King]

But with Radcliffe sporting a bit of stubble -- and perhaps more importantly, sans Potter glasses -- the filmmakers want to make sure we know that their star is all grown up and leaving Hogwarts behind. Duly noted. But probably nobody's happier about that development than Radcliffe himself, who will surely be anxious to prove he's not just an iconic boy wizard. After all, who would want to associate himself with Halloween Potter-themed public displays like this?

'Harry Potter' star gets new film look

India-US ties indispensable- Obama !!

An embattled US President Barack Obama sought to leave his domestic political woes behind and called on India to forge a new partnership with the United States, announcing that Washington would do its bit to help this by easing export controls across a range of high-tech sectors and offering the big win New Delhi was hoping for from his landmark visit.

Full of high praise for the energy of India's economic growth and the innovation of its entrepreneurs, Obama described the relationship between the two countries as a "defining and indispensable" partnership of the 21st century even as companies from the two countries signed business deals worth $10 billion on the sidelines of his visit.

The 20 deals include GE aircraft engines and gas turbines and Boeing 737s bought by SpiceJet. They are expected to support 54,000 jobs back home in the United States, American officials said. And Obama himself lost no opportunity in pointing out that thousands of jobs would be created for every billion dollar the US exported, an issue that cost his Democratic party badly in mid-term elections last week.

Separately, the White House also announced Obama would support India's membership of four global non-proliferation organisations, a move that is expected to reassure New Delhi—left out of these groups after the 1998 nuclear tests—that Washington is recognising its global clout.

At the same time, the President put the onus on India to play its strong part as well, asking New Delhi to boost the country's infrastructure and lift barriers in sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure, retail and telecommunications, as they made it difficult to do business with India.

He also sought to sidestep his pet criticism of outsourcing and the fear Indian companies held for Americans by saying they were "old stereotypes and old concerns" that ignored the modern reality.

"There are many Americans whose only experience of trade and globalisation is a shuttered factory. Or jobs being shipped overseas. And there still exists a caricature of India as a land of call centres and back offices that cost American jobs. That's a real perception," the President said.

"Here in India, there are many who see the arrival of American companies and products as a threat to shopkeepers and to India's ancient and proud culture.

But these old stereotypes, these old concerns, ignore today's reality."

"In 2010 trade between our countries is not just a one way street of American jobs and companies moving to India. It is a dynamic two-way relationship that is creating jobs, growth and higher living standards in both our countries. And that is the truth."

This, he said, had seen Americans having helped build India and Indians also having helped build America. "Today, your country is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. While there are many amazing success stories and rapidly expanding markets in Asia, the sheer size and pace of India's progress in just two decades is one of the most stunning achievements in human history. This is a fact," Obama said.

"You are now a nation of rapid growth, rising incomes and massive investments in infrastructure, energy and education. In the coming decades, you will be the world's most populous nation with the largest workforce and one of the largest economies in the world. Undoubtedly, that means the United States and India will engage in a healthy competition for markets and jobs and industries of the future. But it also offers the prospect of expanded commercial ties that strongly benefit both countries," he said.

"The United States sees Asia, and especially India, as a market of the future. We don't simply welcome your rise as a nation and a people. We ardently support it. We want to invest in it. And I am here because I believe in our interconnected world, increased commerce between the United States and India can be and will be a win-win proposition for both nations," Obama said to cheers from an audience that included captains of Indian and US industry such as GE chairman Jeffrey Immelt, Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani, PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi, HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh and Mahindra & Mahindra managing director Anand Mahindra.

But Obama's 20 minute speech was not just all about hosannas for India. He said India and the US had barely scratched the surface of trade between the two countries. Less than 10% of Indian imports were from the United States and less than 2% of US exports were to India. This, he said, was less than US trade with the Netherlands, "a country with a smaller population than the city of Mumbai", which made India only the 12th largest trading partner of the US. "I have no doubt we can do better than that, much better. There is no reason this nation cannot be one of our top trading partners. And that's why we want to work together, with you, to remove the barriers, to increase trade and investment between our nations," Obama said.

Paying tribute to what he called the human spirit of people in Detroit as much as in Dharavi, Obama said he was confident that this spirit of optimism and determination would drive the future. "And that's why am thrilled to be in India and with you today. And that's why I am confident that we can and will forge new economic partnerships and deliver the jobs and broad-based growth our peoples so richly deserve. And I am absolutely sure that the relationship between India and the United States is going to be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century."

Obama starts India trip with $10 billian biz deals !!

US President Barack Obama today began his 3-day visit to India with a surprise announcement of business deals worth USD 10 billion in aviation, power and other sectors that will create 50,000 jobs in the US, but he made a strong pitch for New Delhi reducing trade barriers.

Seeking to double bilateral trade and create employment in the two nations, he asked why India could not be the US'' top trading partner from the 12th position now.

Making the trip against the backdrop of strong electoral reverses on top of slow economic recovery, evidenced by the high unemployment rate, Obama appeared to strongly bat for American access to Indian market, saying US companies wanted to invest more in India.

In the surprise announcement, Obama said that moments before he arrived several landmark deals were sealed between the US and India, which included Boeing's cargo and commercial aircraft with low-cost airline Spicejet, besides advanced jet engines by General Electric.

He said Boeing was going to sell dozens of planes, while GE would give more than 100 electric engines among more than 20 deals worth USD 10 billion (nearly Rs 44,000 crore) and sealed before his arrival.

He, however, wanted India to cut barriers to both trade and investment in different sectors saying cooperation could not be a one-way street and effort should be made for creation of jobs in both the countries.

"Infrastructure, greater trade barriers and other issues still pose some serious challenges. Today, India is making major investments in its infrastructure and creating greater transparency to support growth and entrepreneurship.

"Going forward that commitment must be matched by a steady reduction in barriers to trade and foreign investments from agriculture to infrastructure, from retail to telecom, because in a global economy new growth and jobs flow to countries that lower barriers to trade and investment," Obama said in his address to the US India Business Council as he began his maiden visit to India.

Committing to enhancing American investment in India, the US President said the two countries had the potential to double bilateral trade in the next five years and such a situation would be a "win-win proposition for both the nations.".

Bugatti in Rs 16 cr it's India's most expensive !!

The benchmark for luxury cars in the country just got higher with Volkswagen Group company Bugatti Automobiles today launching its super premium sports car 'Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport', with price starting at Rs 16 crore, the most expensive car to hit the Indian roads.

"Bugatti has been doing well in America, Europe and the Middle East. Now we see India as an emerging market for us, hence we have decided to bring the car to India," Bugatti Automobiles Sales Market Manager (Middle East, Europe and India) Guy Caquelin told reporters here.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, priced at Rs 16 crore onwards, will be distributed by the company's Indian dealer Exclusive Motors. So far, the most expensive cars in India have been the Rolls Royce Phantom and the Maybach, which are priced around Rs 5 crore.

"The price of the car will be subject to foreign exchange fluctuation and the levels of customisation that a buyer demands," Exclusive Motors Managing Director Satya Bagla said.

He, however, said that with the Indian luxury car market growing at about 25 per cent there is an opportunity for such expensive cars.

"The Bugatti Veyron is four times more expensive than what's being sold in the India. So we are currently testing the customer response," Bagla said, when asked if there has been any order for the car.

He said delivery would take about 6-8 months from the date of order.

Caquelin said Bugatti is aiming between 60 and 80 units of the car to be sold across the globe this year and there have been queries from 3 to 4 Indians globally.

The company claims that the Bugatti Veyron is also the fastest car on production that is allowed to drive on normal roads in the world with a top speed of 407 km/hour with an acceleration of 0-100km/hour in 2.7 seconds.

The car, which uses components made of special materials like titanium, carbon fibre and magnesium is powered by an 8 litre engine with 16 cylinders and is assembled by hand at the company's hand headquarters Molsheim in France.

CWG 4 Days To Go: Now, CWG Village Is ‘World-Class’?

After all the recent controversies over hygiene and cleanliness issues at the CWG Games Village, ANI reports say Secretary General of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Lalit Bhanot has claimed that it is clean now and of world class.

According to IANS, around 1,150 athletes and officials, including 58 from Pakistan, are to arrive at the Commonwealth Games Village today. With 146 members, the Australian contingent will be the largest. It will include participants in table tennis, athletics, swimming, tennis and badminton.

Keeping that in mind, The Indian Express reports that civic workers are clocking more than 12 hours cleaning up basements in the Games Village where water has accumulated because of its proximity to the Yamuna to ensure the threat from dengue is under control.

dedicated lanes for CWG in Delhi will now be extended to Major Dhayan Chand Hockey Stadium and Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from the Games Village. To facilitate Commonwealth Games-related traffic, Delhi Traffic Police has been maintaining dedicated Games Lane from Games Village to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Games Family hotels from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm since September 26.

E-mail virus attacks NASA server !!

An e-mail virus has attacked servers across the world, including those at NASA and Google, and possibly the US internal security department office.

The virus, called 'here you have' or 'VBMania', is a simple Trojan Horse that arrives in your inbox with the odd-but-suggestive subject line 'here you have', the Fox News said Saturday.

The body reads 'This is The Document I told you about, you can find it Here' or 'This is The Free Download Sex Movies, you can find it Here'.

The Internet Storm Center, a free analysis and warning service that tracks malicious internet activity, reported that the initial application that generated the vast cloud of spam clogging servers had been taken down, which should limit the spread of the virus Friday.

However, the centre warned: 'New variants may well follow.'

Leading virus monitors such as McAfee Labs and Symantec are currently investigating the threat, and have already updated their website to push security products that could protect users.

'Stop or remove the virus with Norton Internet Security 2011,' advised Symantec on its site Friday morning. The security companies describe 'here you have' as especially challenging to monitor, since the virus may already have replicated into several new forms.

In addition to a variety of major corporations, the virus appeared to take down internal servers at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Thursday. Sources said that some DHS agencies that run on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement server crashed and were mostly disabled throughout Thursday.

But US officials denied that issues with its servers were related to the virus, saying that 'DHS was not among the agencies that were affected'.

'It's a phishing attack -- when you click on the link in an e-mail it goes into the address book. It was clogging a bunch of e-mail and that's it

CWG has a new theme song !!

AS OSCAR - winning musician A. R. Rahman's official theme song for the Delhi Commonwealth Games draws more brickbats than bouquets, the state government on Thursday unveiled its own song for the event.

Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi has laced the fastpaced song titled Khel Le with Bhangra beats that usually hit the right note in north India.

He unveiled the song on Thursday, performing live in front of chief minister Sheila Dikshit and top bureaucrats at a function where the government launched its revamped tourism website.

"I was asked to prepare the song two-three days back. I have made a lot of effort in this short time and I hope people like this song," Mehndi said.

Several people, including Commonwealth Games executive board member V. K. Malhotra, had criticised Rahman's song, India Bula Liya , for being slow paced.

Rahman was paid over '5 crore for composing the official theme song. But while releasing his song, Mehndi said he made the song "free of cost for India". Before unveiling the song, Dikshit launched a 24-hour telephone help centre for all kinds of information about Delhi and a tourism website providing a range of services.

"Delhi ranks number one in foreign tourist arrivals. This makes it vital for it to have a robust tourist guidance system in place," Dikshit said.

She said the online and phone facility (telephone number '1280') would make Delhirelated information and services more accessible.

Tourists can download thematic city maps, information brochures and informative videos to plan their trip better.

Information on hotels, bed and breakfast establishments, transport services, currency converter and weather updates besides detailed information on the city's heritage, will be available at the click of a mouse.

More than troops, Chinese projects in PoK worry India !!

While India has independently confirmed that the presence of Chinese troops in Gilgit and Baltistan is a bit exaggerated in terms of numbers, the real concern here is on the number of projects and works China has undertaken in those areas and in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). And the footprint is only growing larger.

At last count, South Block had noticed at least 17 confirmed projects in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

These constitute more than half the Chinese projects in areas under Pakistan's control, making it a cause of major concern because of the disputed status of the areas. At present, according to government inputs, 122 Chinese companies are active in Pakistan, and most of them are also involved in projects in PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan areas.

China, sources said, has suddenly increased its involvement in almost every key sector, and has virtually taken upon itself the responsibility of building basic infrastructure in these areas. The list of projects range from providing mobile connectivity services to building power projects, highways and rail links.

Karakoram Highway upgradation: The China Road and Bridge Corporation has taken up this project and will give preferential credit of $327 million through its Exim Bank in what is a $491-million project. Two other MoUs on double-laning of the Karakoram Highway as well as widening of the Jaglot-Skardu road have also been signed.

Pakistan-China rail link: This is a 750 km-long rail link between Havelian and the Khunjerab Pass along the Karakoram Highway. While feasibility studies are on for this project, Pakistan and China have agreed to establish a joint venture between Pakistan Railways and Dongfang Electric Corporation to initially run only freight trains on this route.

Jhelum Bridge: Pakistan has awarded a Rs 1.2 billion contract to a Chinese state company for constructing a major bridge on River Jhelum at Dhangali in Mirpur District.

Five bailey bridges on Gilgit-Skardu Road: Xinjiang Road and Bridge Construction Company of China is replacing five existing bailey bridges on the 167-km long, strategically important Gilgit-Skardu road.

Mining: A Chinese company called MCC Resources Development Company Ltd has been allowed to start a mineral exploration exercise in these areas. The Gilgit-Baltistan government has given a reconnaissance licence to the company. Pakistan Surpass Mining Company, which is subsidiary of China's Xinjiang Surpass Mining Company Ltd, has submitted a $6 million investment proposal for mining in those areas. It plans to set up a hydropower station and Molybdenum processing plant in Chupurshan Valley.

Sust Dry Port: A joint venture named Pak-China Sust Port Company is managing the Sust dry port, 200 km from Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway. Opened four years ago, the Chinese side is the principal stakeholder in the JV.

Mobile communication links: China Mobile is providing mobile services in PoK and certain areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. The company has major plans to set up more towers and expand coverage.

Diamer-Bhasha Dam: China is said to have agreed to finance this $11.3-billion 4500-MW project. Also, it has agreed to provide the services of the China Three Gorges Project Corporation for the construction of the dam. Sinihydro has show interest in the development of the project.

Magla dam raising project: A joint venture comprising China International Water and Electric Corporation and some Pakistan companies have almost completed this project. Once operational, the average annual water availability for irrigation will increase by near 3 million acre feet.

Neelum-Jhelum hydro-power project: China Gezhouba Water and Power Corporation, which was part of the Three Gorges project, has formed a consortium and taken up this 969 MW project too in Muzaffarabad district. Keen on completing this project before the Kishengaga project on the Indian side, Pakistan has obtained a commitment from the consortium that the work will be finished in eight years. Meanwhile, it has raised objections and gone for arbitration with India on the Kishenganga project under Indus Waters Treaty provisions.

Besides these, China has taken up at least four other hydropower projects in these areas-Bhunji project in Gilgit-Baltistan, Kohala project (1100 MW), Naltar project and then smaller projects in places like Phendar, Harpo and Yurlbo.

Already, China has provided a soft loan of $300 million to Pakistan for reconstruction and rehabilitation works in the areas as follow-up on relief for the earthquake. Following the recent floods, it has taken up the task to get the Karakoram Highway back on track. Many of its military personnel are there for relief work and it has so far given aid of $9 million which is likely to increase.

Countdown 28 Days to CWG

With just 28 days to go for the Commonwealth Games, the cyclists of the Indian team are yet to get their all important equipment. The decks have been cleared for the import of 40 high quality cycles which will be arriving in 10 days – barely few weeks before the Games, a senior functionary of the Cycling Federation of India said.

Meanwhile, World No.3 women’s singles badminton star Saina Nehwal, one of the ambassadors of the Commonwealth Games, raised concerns about the lack of preparedness, including the incomplete stadiums. But shortly she decided to tone down her criticism. Read more


Each venue of Commonwealth Games will have a dedicated system to forecast weather conditions in that particular region, courtesy the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The weather office in the national capital is planning to provide athletes and organisers forecast for a period ranging from one hour to five days. More


Moreover, at least two stadia as well as parts of the main sports venue, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, are yet to get completion certificates from civic authorities. However, eight venues have got occupancy certificates from Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), while the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has given the same to three venues.

Straying into exclusive CWG 2010 Games lanes to attract Rs 2,000 fine

Deliberate straying into lanes exclusively marked for Commonwealth Games vehicles on capital's roads will attract a fine of Rs 2,000.

A notification to invoke the fine or impound vehicles of those entering the Games lane will be issued in a day or two by the Lt Governor''s office and is likely to come into effect on September 20.

"We have requested that this be implemented from September 20. We are awaiting the notification," Ajay Chadda, Special Commissioner (Traffic), told reporters here. Those found "deliberately violating" the rule will be penalised. However, if someone accidentally strays into the lane, he may be spared.

"All road users are expected to maintain the sanctity of the dedicated lane. They should avoid getting into the dedicated lane and if inadvertently they enter the lane, they should immediately come out of it," Chadda said. He said the dedicated lane is part of the contract entered into by the host city and Commonwealth Games Federation.

Chadda said on the first two days, traffic police may not invoke penal provisions so as to educate people about the exclusive lane for the Games, scheduled to be held here from October 3 to 14. "There will be zero tolerance towards violations. Our motto is zero tolerance and maximum prosecution," he said.

"The extreme left lanes of the roads from Games Village to various venues and the airport will be designated as exclusive Games lanes," Chadha said. In case of six-lane roads, other lanes may also be used, he said. Initially, the restrictions on Games lanes will be operational during night time only as international flights carrying athletes are scheduled during those hours.

Though the route from Games Village to competition venues and airport has a dedicated lane, there will be no such facility for practice venues. Chadda said there will be no special lanes for roads leading to practice venues but motorcycle patrols will lead the convoys of athletes.

The lane may be thrown open for public when no Games vehicle is scheduled to use it, he said. Police personnel will be deployed along the routes to check any violation. Regular trials will be held on the lanes from tomorrow, Chadha said.

People have been advised to avoid as far as possible CWG lanes in general and Safdurjung Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Panchsheel Marg, Sardar Patel Marg, Siri Fort Road, Harsukh Marg, Purana Quila Road and Mother Teresa Crescent Road in particular as these roads are having two lanes in one carriage way and one lane of it is already reserved for Games related traffic.

source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/20/20100903/381/tsp-straying-into-exclusive-games-lanes.html

Here's how couples cope with divorce

How you cope with your divorce is revealed by how you talk about it than what you say about it, says a new study.

University of Arizona researchers found that people in the midst of a divorce typically reveal how they are handling things by how they speak.

The team recruited couples, which had recently separated, and a set of students to judge their reactions on questionnaires, audio recordings, stream-of-consciousness thoughts and feelings about the participants' former partners and relationships.

The judges were divided into two groups – one that only read transcripts and the other, which heard the recordings. Both groups had to evaluate the ability of the subjects to control their emotions, cope with their separations, and handle stress and negative aspects of post-separation life and the subjects' thoughts about the relationship.

Ashley Mason found that the judges who listened to the sound clips were more likely to accurately predict how well or not well the subject was coping with the process of separation.

"It's important to know that it is not about what people are saying. It's how they're saying it that is tipping us off to how they're doing, and more importantly, how they're going to do," Mason said.

"Do I need to call more often or provide more social support? Should I recommend psychotherapy? Not everyone has an organized social support system, and these data shed light on how we interpret what others need from us."

source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/man-woman/Heres-how-couples-cope-with-divorce/articleshow/6491313.cms

The World's Highest-Paid Tennis Players

Male and female athletes typically play for vastly different sums of money in their respective sports. Michelle Wie pocketed $337,500 for her second career LPGA victory last weekend, while Matt Kuchar's paycheck was $1.35 million for claiming the Barclays men's golf event on Sunday. The best-paid players in the WNBA make $100,000 per season on the court, while men's salaries can reach $23 million.

Tennis is different though. The men's and women's US Open champion will each earn $1.7 million for the title. The US Open has paid equal prize money the past 38 years, but credit Venus Williams who fought for equal pay at Wimbledon which finally acquiesced in 2007 as did the French Open.

Our look at the highest-paid tennis players typifies this kind of equality in the game. Half of the top 10 are men, and half are women. Leading the pack is Roger Federer who is light years ahead of anyone else thanks to his longtime dominance on the court and 10 lucrative sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Wilson, Gillette and Mercedes-Benz. The world's No. 2 ranked player earned $43 million by our count over the past 12 months.

Several of these athletes showed up on our lists of the highest-paid athletes and female athletes this summer. In all cases for incomes we include: prize money, endorsements, exhibitions and appearance fees over the past 12 months without taxes or agent's fees deducted.

As US Open play kicks off play this week a few headliners will be on the sidelines including Serena Williams (No. 4 on our list with $20 million) and Justine Henin (not on the list) who have won a combined 22 Grand Slam singles titles. The favorite in their absence is Kim Clijsters who captured last year's title after a two year retirement where she gave birth to a daughter.

Maria Sharapova will also be there, seeded 14th. And while she's no longer a favorite to win the Open, when it comes to money, she's already champion, hauling in $24.5 million over the last year thanks to rich sponsors like Nike, Prince, and Tiffany, making her the second-highest paid player in tennis and the best-paid female athlete in the world.

Sharapova inked an eight-year contract extension with Nike this year that could be worth as much as $70 million thanks to royalties from her own tennis line and a line of bags and shoes through Nike subsidiary Cole-Haan.

The men's side is missing last year's champ Juan Martin del Potro. The men's tourney still features the sport's two heavyweights Roger Federer and Roger Nadal who have captured 20 of the past 22 Grand Slams. Nadal overtook Federer this year on the court as the top-ranked player but financially Federer earns twice as much as his rival.

There was a time when Federer was an underappreciated champion who played with a below-market value Nike deal and had little cachet in the U.S. which affected his endorsements. Those days are over. Despite his recent on-court problems, Federer is widely celebrated as one of the greatest players to ever swing a racket. He re-signed with Nike in 2008 for a 10-year that is the most lucrative endorsement deal in tennis worth more than $10 million annually.

Nadal pulled in $21 million over the past year with $5.6 million in prize money and the rest from endorsements and appearance fees. He ranks No. 3 on our list. Nadal's biggest endorsement deal is with Nike, which has tried to make money on Nadal by moving him out of his customary clamdiggers and sleeveless shirts. Nadal has adjusted to his new threads as he's racked up five tourney wins this year and captured the top ranking after struggling with injuries in 2009. Nadal also counts Kia Motor, Babolat and several Spanish companies as sponsors.

One player always trying new things with her apparel line is Venus Williams who earned $15 million over the past year, good for No. 5 on our list. Her history of apparel sponsors has included Puma, Nike, Reebok and her own Eleven brand. Her latest deal is with Polo Ralph Lauren where the two will produce a co-branded dress for sale on-site at the Open. If successful, the relationship could blossom into something more permanent.

The shoe and apparel deal is almost always the largest endorsement for the top players in tennis. The value of these deals can rise dramatically based on bonuses for tournaments won and year-end rankings. As in most sports Nike is the king in tennis when it comes to signing the best (and most expensive) talent. It has deals with our four highest-paid athletes who have combined for 40 Grand Slam singles titles.

Aliens exist but are yet to visit Earth !!

Extra-terrestrial beings do exist but they have not yet come to visit our planet, and the best way to communicate with aliens is to send radio signals, a top Chinese official said Tuesday.

Zhu Jin, curator of the Beijing Planetarium, said aliens are likely to be present on some planets. Since there are about one trillion planets going around fixed stars, the possibility of the earth being the only planet with living creatures was 'too slim to be true', China Daily reported.

But as to reports of sighting of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), Zhu said they cannot be true.

Some UFOs were proved to be planes, kites or other normal objects, and many weird situations can be re-demonstrated and re-created, he said.

Zhu said the distance the Voyager 1 spacecraft has travelled in the past 33 years only accounts for one-thousandth of the solar system's reach. It will take 10,000 years for human beings to visit planets outside the solar system.

So, if aliens living in a faraway planet have a similar level of intelligence as human beings, it was impossible for them to travel to earth.

Source:- http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20100831/860/ttc-aliens-exist-but-are-yet-to-visit-ea_1.html

A.R Rahman to recompose his CWG song?

His romance with the West may be peaking, but AR Rahman's Indian run seems to have run into a bit of rough weather. His theme track for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) has not gone down well with both fans and politicians.

While the song's online popularity is nowhere near that of Shakira's Waka Waka, which he had famously claimed his tune would surpass, politicians and CWG officials now want the Rs 5 crore-track "recomposed".

Swagatham aka Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto is a mid-tempo song sung by Rahman with distortion guitars, bhangra beats, very 70's style sitar riffs and a bit of English rap thrown in.

However, the composition, which critics say has neither the pace nor the punch of Waka Waka, or the rousing quality of Maa Tujhe Salaam, has disappointed.

Ever since he posted links to the tracks on his social networking pages, Rahman has been flooded with unsavoury comments. "We expected something better," is the general refrain while others have been kind enough to say, "It will grow on you."

Though experts say with more promotional activities the track it is likely to pick up, the CWG committee is unhappy with the result. Soon after the launch of the track on August 28, Vijaykumar Malhotra, board member of CWG organising committee (OC) claimed, "We had expected a better song from a composer of Rahman's status. He has given some very good songs like Maa Tujhe Salaam but this song is not that impressive."

Former sports minister Shahnawaz Hussain said, "I respect Rahman for what he has achieved but the track simply does not excite me.

No one in the OC likes it except perhaps Suresh Kalmadi. It is nowhere close to Waka Waka and has failed to lift the sagging spirits of the CWG."

Hussain said he was provoked to demand a re-composition of the theme track only because Lalit Bhanot, organising secretary of the CWG kept insisting that people would begin liking Swagatham if they keep listening to it. "Either it is good music or bad. There is no middle way to evaluate the appeal of a Rs 5 crore track, he can surely re-compose it," said the Bhagalpur MP.

At the same Delhi's political circuit is buzzing with questions over why Rahman was given the sole responsibility to compose the theme track. "Not all Rahman scores become a hit, do they?" say sources requesting anonymity.

Incidentally, the launch of the theme song was delayed as the OC had asked Rahman to make changes. "I think it won't be good to release the theme song without making the necessary changes," Rahman had earlier said.

Veteran jazz musician Louis Banks who has composed several theme tracks for popular shows and events, says, "Rahman's work has always been controversial. But if you are truly inspired, it takes ten minutes to compose a tune. Given that it took him six months to compose it, I guess something must have gone wrong somewhere !"

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/Rahman-to-recompose-his-CWG-song/articleshow/6472471.cms

1.2 billians Indians to get UID !!

Packed into what look like two medium-sized suitcases are eight essentials — an iris scanner, a fingerprint machine, a camera, a laptop, a computer screen linked to the laptop, an Internet data card, a pen drive and a printer.

Armed with kits like these, Nandan Nilekani and his team at the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will kickstart one of the most ambitious exercises in recent times — distribution of unique identification numbers to India's 1.2 billion people.
And they hope to roll this out as early as the first week of September, in cities, towns and villages of Andhra Pradesh, the state chosen for the launch of this unique exercise.

Unlike in the Census that's already on, there will be no paper-wielding government employees knocking at doors. Instead, enrolment officials, who are almost certainly not going to be government employees, will set up stations in different parts of Andhra Pradesh and turn to their kits.

The laptop contains a bilingual software (English and the local language) that runs the whole ID process. The software links to the iris machine, fingerprint machine and the camera, recording biometric data and a photograph. The second computer screen is purely for the client who, in the interest of complete transparency, can watch exactly what is being recorded.

The software contains a transliteration device so that data entries like names and addresses need be typed in only one language. There is automatic translation to the other language. That translation can be manually overridden if there is a problem, with spelling for example. Eventually, the data will be transmitted to the UIDAI database via the Internet where there will be a de-duplication process after which an unique ID number will be issued. The client will get a printout of the details at the end of the process.

Well aware of possible glitches, technical and human, Nilekani is non-committal on a precise date for the rollout. But the people of Andhra Pradesh may have their first contact early next month.
Given the country's IT expertise, should such a project have been conceived many years ago? "Not really. The availability of this technology at an affordable price is a relatively recent phenomenon. In that sense, the timing is perfect," Nilekani told The Sunday Express.

But just having the right technology is not sufficient to roll out a project on this scale. "What we need to do is create an appropriate ecosystem," said Nilekani. In short, getting the incentives right for all those involved in the project.
According to Nilekani, a four-tier structure will govern the actual handing out of UID numbers. At the Centre, the UIDAI will be responsible for coordinating the whole exercise. It will certify technology used across the country, and will hand out numbers from its centralised database. Operationally, state governments will take charge and, therefore, have ownership of the project on the ground.

The state governments will work with authorised registrars (agencies of the state government or banks or even insurance companies) who actually need the UID data for a particular purpose. At level four will be the enrolment agencies (can be either privately or publicly owned) that will collect the data. Currently, the UIDAI has empanelled 220 enrolment agencies across the country.


source:- http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20100830/804/tnl-with-8-gizmos-in-a-case-nilekani-set_1.html

Gmail Telephony and Reality !!

If you got excited reading that you can now use your Google account to make calls on landline and mobile phones, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Internet telephony is only partially allowed in India, which means you can only make calls from a PC to a PC and not from a PC to a phone. Why such a basic technology is denied to us is an interesting commentary on the telecom ministry's skewed priorities. While the ministry says, incorrectly, that it went by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (Trai) recommendations while awarding licences to eight new operators in January 2008, the same ministry has been sleeping over a Trai recommendation on Internet telephony for over two years�the recommendation suggested that Internet calls be allowed to be made to ordinary mobile and landlines.


Why are Trai's recommendations gathering dust in the department of telecommunications for over two years now? It's difficult to say, but it has to be pointed out that existing service providers who have licences for long distance telephony, both within the country as well as for international calls, are opposed to any such measure because once this happens, Internet Service Providers can start offering Google-like services in the country, thereby bringing further downward pressure on tariffs. The operators argue that while they have paid an entry fee (it used to be Rs 100 crore prior to 2005 and this is now down to Rs 2.5 crore), ISPs have not paid any, so they should not be allowed to offer such services without first paying a similar amount. Given how the entry fees have collapsed, the argument isn't too convincing. In any case, several operators have ISP licences as well, but they have not started offering Internet calls. Another argument made is that with average STD tariff falling to as low as 50 paisa per minute, there is no need for Internet telephony�Internet telephony, it is argued, only made sense at a time when long distance tariffs were very high. That may be correct, but shouldn't the choice of service be left to the consumers rather than the operators? If the quality of voice on Internet calls is really as bad as the phone companies say it is, then customers won't flock to use them, but give consumers that choice. Till such time that the ministry decides to move on Internet telephony, don't subscribe to that Google service.