Once there was

1 deadly cyclone...

more than 10s of villages were washed off

more than 100s of reporters approached

more than 1000s of houses slided with the water

more than 10000s of people died

more than 100000s of people missing

more than 1000000s of rupees were estimated as loss

more than 10000000s of rupees asked from the government for relief

Then,

10000000s of rupees allocated

And

less than 1000000s of rupees released

less than 100000s of rupees were shared

less than 10000s of rupees were brought for relief

less than 1000s of rupees were shown to us

less than 100s of rupees were distributed on papers

less than 10s of us were called to collect the aid

at last,

1 of us also couldn't get it

__________________
I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side.

Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.

Uganda, Botswana freer than India

January 04, 2006 15:28 IST


Hong Kong and Singapore, the economic jewels of Asia, are the world's freest economies, according to the 12th annual Index of Economic Freedom, released by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

India, however, is way behind at 121st spot in a list of 157 countries graded in the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom.

Even Botswana (30), Pakistan (110), China (111), Belize (55), Mongolia (61), Uganda (66), Bolivia (67), Cambodia (68), Lebanon (73), Swaziland (79), Lesotho (99), Zambia (112), Mozambique (114), Cameroon (120) are ahead of India in terms of economic freedom.

Meanwhile, in the overall ranking Ireland overtook Luxembourg and Estonia and moved up to No. 3, and Iceland moved up three spaces to No. 5, where it is tied with the United Kingdom.

The Most Free

Hong Kong (1st)

Singapore (2nd)

Ireland (3rd)

Luxembourg (4th)

Iceland (5th)

United Kingdom (5th)

Estonia (7th)

Denmark (8th)

Australia (9th)

New Zealand (9th)

United States (9th)



The United States improved enough to re-enter the top 10 after falling out last year for the first time ever. It's tied for 9th worldwide with Australia and New Zealand.

The world is economically freer today than it was a year ago which means greater prosperity for those countries that embrace open markets.

The Index findings are straightforward, according to editors Marc A Miles, Kim R Holmes and Mary Anastasia O'Grady. 'The countries with the most economic freedom also have higher rates of long-term economic growth and are more prosperous than are those with less economic freedom,' the report says.

The Least Free

Turkmenistan (148th)

Laos (149th)

Cuba (150th)

Belarus (151st)

Libya (152nd)

Venezuela (152nd)

Zimbabwe (154th)

Burma (155th)

Iran (156th)

North Korea (157th)



Of the 157 countries graded in the 2006 Index, 99 improved their overall scores, compared to 51 whose scores worsened and five that remained unchanged. Overall, 20 are classified as 'free,' 52 as 'mostly free,' 73 as 'mostly unfree' and 12 as 'repressed.'

Countries receive a 1-5 rating -- with one being the best -- on 10 broad measures of economic freedom: trade policy, fiscal burden of government, government intervention in the economy, monetary policy, capital flows and foreign investment, banking and finance, wages and prices, property rights, regulation and informal (or black) market activity.

Those scores are averaged to create an overall score. The top finishers are classified as free economies, followed by mostly free, mostly unfree and repressed economies.

The links between countries that embrace economic freedom and prosperity are long established. Those in countries with 'mostly unfree' or 'repressed' economies earn 70 percent less than those in countries with 'mostly free' economies, the Index editors say. And those in 'free' economies enjoy a per capita income more than twice what those in 'mostly free' economies earn.

Here are the economies that have made the greatest changes since the 2005 Index:

Top 10 Improved (Score Change)

Pakistan (0.40)

Romania (0.39)

Kyrgyz Republic (0.35)

Suriname (0.33)

Armenia (0.32)

Turkmenistan (0.32)

Georgia (0.31)

Turkey (0.30)

Tajikistan (0.29)

Kazakhstan (0.26)



Over the last 10 years, more and more countries have embraced policies that promote economic freedom. As a result, this year the average Index score falls into the 'mostly free' (2.98; the cutoff is 3) category for the first time -- although the median score (3.04) remains just over the line in the 'mostly unfree' category.

Sadly, this message doesn't seem to get through where it's needed most. The prosperous countries of the North America/Europe region -- spurred by rapid moves toward economic freedom by the former Soviet republics -- show consistent improvement. But regions such as Latin America, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, which, to its credit, continues to improve on its Index scores -- continue to lag behind in prosperity because of the protectionist economic policies of their governments.

Top 10 Worsened (Score Change)

Iran (0.30)

Italy (0.22)

Guinea (0.22)

Bolivia (0.21)

United Arab Emirates (0.20)

Oman (0.20)

Equatorial Guinea (0.16)

Sri Lanka (0.16)

Egypt (0.16)

El Salvador (0.15)

Nicaragua (0.15)

__________________
I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side.

Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.

wow man where did ya come to know all this from ?

got no idea wt to say

India overtakes South Africa in HIV infections: UNAIDS
====================================

PTI
Tuesday, May 30, 2006 20:50 IST


NEW DELHI: India has overtaken South Africa in the number of people infected with HIV, a United Nations report on HIV released on Tuesday said.

The world's second-most populous nation has overtaken South Africa as the country with the most people living with the HIV virus. India is home to about 5.7 million cases as against about 5.5 million people infected in South Africa, the UN agency said.

The '2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic' was released on Tuesday in Geneva.

While select countries have reached key targets, the Indian subcontinent has been a cause of concern in the global AIDS epidemic control programme. It accounts for two-thirds of HIV cases in the whole of Asia, it said.

About 5.7 million people in the country were infected with the deadly virus by the end of 2005, while the figures in South Africa stand at about 5.5 million, the Geneva-based body said in its biennial study of the global epidemic.

South Africa, however, remains the hardest-hit continent and has highest infection rates per capita, it said adding penetration there is much deeper as 18.8 per cent adults were living with HIV as compared to 0.9 per cent in India.

Important progress has been made since 2001 special session, yet there is extraordinary diversity in the response to HIV between countries and regions.

HIV prevalence has been declining in four states, including Tamil Nadu, where prevention efforts were scaled up in the late 1990s, the report said.

__________________
I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side.

Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.

Is govt harassing the salaried class?

June 06, 2006


If you are a salaried individual or a pensioner, bad news awaits you.

The new 4-page income tax return form '2F,' which replaces the 1-page Saral, will make life very complicated for you. You now have to give details of all investments, all household expenses, cash in hand, cash in your bank, any loans or gifts that you receive, etc. in the income tax return.

This means all of you will have to keep a statement of all the expenses you make: the exercise will be quite like maintaining a company balance sheet. Instead of making life simpler for you, the government is keen on making it more difficult.

All about the new tax return form
What the new I-T return does, besides increasing your paperwork and pain, is that it infringes on your civil rights. For, even though your tax is deducted at source, you need to tell the government where and how you have spent your money. The imposition of such financial policing on the salaried class is tantamount to harassment of honest taxpayers.

And while the government wants to know the entire financial status of all salaried taxpayers, no effort has been made to bring those who can manipulate their income and evade tax under more supervision.

__________________
I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side.

Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.