Five Places Which Will Make You Relish The Monsoon Season

The monsoon season in India is like an eagerly awaited festival which brings harbinger of hope and joy to everybody’s life. Beginning right after the peak point of the summer season, monsoon brings along a big relief from the scorching heat people have to suffer during the months of May and June. It is the lover’s season; the official season of love and romance. The beauty that monsoon brings along is so mesmeric that it is impossible for anyone to not like this season. But unfortunately, at some places the scenario is totally different during the monsoons. Instead of adorning the city, rains bring along blocked sewers and turbulent traffic jams.

In a situation like this, it is quite unlikely for anyone to even think about enjoying the rains. So does that mean that people can never make the most of this season? Absolutely no! If you are a big fan of the monsoons and don’t want to miss the fun the rains bring along, plan a trip to a place which will make you fall in love all over again! To much surprise, India has a good number of remotely located monsoon destinations which not only look spectacular during monsoons but are also crowd free for you to enjoy peacefully. So today I am going to tell you about five such places which you can definitely travel to, especially during the monsoons! Here we go:-

1. Valparai, Tamil Nadu

It is a hidden paradise occupied with tropical evergreen forests and vast lands of tea plantations. This place is blessed with lush greenery which is extremely soothing to the eyes. Waterfalls, forests, plantations, ferns and orchids are the big attractions of this place.

2. Sindhudurg, Maharashtra

This place is one of the best replacements for Goa during monsoons. The ancient forts adorning the Konkan coastline add to the historic value of this place. These are the fine exemplars of the bright Marathi history. Sindhudurg is known for its virgin beaches, mango orchards and palaces.

3. Phalodi, Rajasthan

One of the best districts of Rajasthan, Phalodi is filled with lush greenery all year round. This unique district has a number of salt lakes, sand dunes and tribal villages to look out for.

4. Gokarna, Karnataka

It is a small temple town in Karnataka with mesmerizing beaches. To make the most of this place, rent a shack on the beach. You can also enjoy the old village life at this place. There is also a white-sand beach nearby.

5. Chakrata, Uttarkhand

This place in Uttarkhand is all about scenic landscapes, peace and tranquility. Because of being relatively unknown, it is free of tourists and all sorts of crowd. Clouds are the defining beauty of this place. You can also enjoy the wide variety of birds in this region.

Five Visa-Free Hotspots For Indians

Traveling can actually prove to be therapeutic if it just requires you to sit back and relax, without having to worry much about the endless formalities. Everyone wants to see the world and experience the splendid magnificence of nature all around the globe. But as we know, travelling abroad isn’t that easy especially when it comes to completing all the paper-work. Sometimes getting the visa cleared takes so much of time that we end up cancelling the trip all together. Speeding up the process of obtaining a visa may not be in our hands but what we do have in our hands is the freedom of choosing from destinations which are free from visa issues. A number of countries have recently opened up gates for the Indian tourists by expanding the visa-on-arrival policy. Indians can now travel to almost 60 countries of the world without facing the visa issues. With the introduction of the visa-on-arrival policy, it has now become so convenient to plan a trip abroad. Although the list of countries is quite long, you can choose from the following best five and plan a hassle-free vacation abroad!

1. Mauritius

Exotic white-sand beaches await you in this country, where Indian passport holders are allowed visa-free stay for up to 90 days. Majority of the population here is of Indians. This place is an absolute visit when it comes to the beauty it offers.

2. Thailand

It is not only a shopper’s paradise but also an immensely picturesque location. Its capital city Bangkok and Pataya are one of the most visited cities in the world. The country allows visa-free stay for up to 14 days.

3. Nepal

Nepal is like a heaven for the tourists because of an absolutely vivid range of activities that this country offers to the visitors. Buddhist temples, beautiful landscapes, casinos, shopping etc; you just have to name a thing.

4. Macau

The famous Venetian resort, that brings you closer to Venice, is the property of Macau. It has eventually gained popularity as a tourist destination because of its offerings.

5. Jamaica

Not many are aware of this island country which lies in the North American region. Things that are a must try here include the serene beaches, crystal clear water of the sea, Jamaican nightlife and of course, the scrumptious Jamaican food!

Budget Talk – Top 50 Takeaways From Union Budget 2014-15

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s Union Budget 2014-15 may have well been the most awaited event in India for a while now. Here are the top 50 takeaways from the budget.

1. Fiscal deficit target for FY 15 set at 4.5 percent (with an attempt to meet the 4.1 percent fiscal deficit target set by the UPA government). Fiscal deficit target for FY 16 set at 3.6 percent, and for FY17 target set at 3 percent. 
2. FY15 GDP growth target pegged at 5.4-5.9 percent, FY16 at over 6 percent, 7-8 percent in next 3-4 years. 
3. Expenditure Management Commission to be instituted to scrutinize the expenditure reforms to be undertaken by the government. 
4. Increase of foreign direct investment (FDI) in insurance sector from 26 percent up to 49 percent; similarly, an increase of FDI in defense from 26 percent to 49 percent. 
5. No changes in retrospective tax policy; high-level committee to scrutinize all retrospective tax disputes. 
6. INR 2.40 lakh crore to be infused into banks by FY18; retail sale of bank shares to be initiated while government continues to hold majority stake. 
7. Funds allocated to finance 5 lakh landless farmers through NABARD. 
8. 200 low-cost airports to be built within the next 20 years in tier-II and tier-III cities through the PPP model; 9 airports to be provided technology for issue of e-visas to boost tourism. 
9. INR 7060 crore allocated towards development of 100 smart cities across the country 
10. PSUs expected to invest INR 247941 this fiscal year. 
11. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) to have tax pass though and adequate incentives. 
12. INR 1000 crore set aside to improve irrigation in farmlands under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana; government will target 100 percent sanitation by the year 2019. 
13. Start-up entrepreneurs from Scheduled Castes to be provided credit enhancement facility; budget allocation of INR 200 crore. 
14. INR 150 crores to be spent by Ministry of Home Affairs on women’s safety in urban regions; Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana will get INR 100 crore. 
15. INR 14389 crore allocated to development of roads in rural regions; INR 8000 crore allocated to National Housing Bank (NHB) for support of rural housing. 
16. National Rural Drinking Water Programme will get INR 3600 crore to provide safe drinking water across the country. 
17. INR 500 allocated to set up four new AIIMS like institutions in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Vidarbha (Maharashtra) and Poorvanchal (UP); 12 new government medical colleges will be set up; government will target one AIMS per state, free drugs service, free diagnostic service. 
18. INR 28635 crore allocated for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, INR 4966 crore for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan; 5 new IITs to be set up in the Jammu, Chattisgarh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala, five new IIMs in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, and Maharashtra with funding of INR 500 crore. 
19. Lucknow and Ahmedabad to get INR 100 crore Metro Projects. 
20. INR 100 crore allocated for modernization of Madarsas. 
21. Agriculture Universities to be set up in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan and Horticulture Universities in Telangana and Haryana – for a total worth of INR 200 crore. 
22. Scientific warehousing infrastructure, Long Term Rural Credit Fund, to each get INR 5000 crore, Short Term Cooperative Rural Credit to get INR 50000 crore. 
23. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector allocated a fund of INR 10000 crore; revival of special economic zones (SEZ) will be emphasized. 
24. INR 200 crore funding allocated to set up 6 textile clusters in Bareily, Kutch, Lucknow, Surat, Bhagalpur, Tamil Nadu. 
25. 16 new port projects proposed; INR 11635 crore funds allocated for the development of Tuticorin Outer Harbour Project. 
26. Investment of INR 37880 crore into the National Highways Authority of India and State Roads will include INR 3000 crores for the North East. 
27. INR 100 crore allocated for preparatory work on “Ultra-modern Super-critical Coal-based Thermal Power Technology” 
28. Stringent coal quality control mechanisms to be put in place. 
29. Introduced uniform KYC norms across the financial sector. Introduced one single operating demat account for customers to transact all financial assets. 
30. Banks lending long-term to infrastructure sector exempt from SLR/CRR; 6 new debt recovery tribunals set up. 
31. Public Provident Fund (PPF) investment ceiling raised to INR 1.5 lakh from INR 1 lakh. 
32. Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) to launch unified account scheme for portability of Provident Fund accounts; wage ceiling raised from INR 6500 per month to INR 15000 per month. 
33. INR 2.29 lakh crore allocated towards Defence budget. 
34. Government committed to One Rank One Pension – INR 1000 crore allocated to FY15’s OROP requirements. 
35. INR 5000 crore allocated to modernization of armed forces over Interim Budget allocation; INR 100 crore war memorial to be commissioned. 
36. INR 2250 crore set aside for modernization of border infrastructure. 
37. 5 tourist circuits to be planned and developed for INR 500 crore. 
38. INR 2037 crore allotted to Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called “Namami Gange”. 
39. INR 100 crore sports university to be set up in Manipur; INR 100 crore allocated to training of sportspersons for Asian and Commonwealth Games. 
40. INR 500 crore to be spent towards rehabilitation of displaces Kashmiri migrants. INR 1000 crore allocated in addition to the funds set apart for development of rail connectivity in the North East. 
41. Non-plan expenditure estimates for FY15 are INR` 1219892 crore, plan allocation INR 575000 crore, total expenditure INR 1794892 crore. 
42. Personal income tax exemption limit increased by INR 50000 – from INR 2 lakh to `INR 2.5 lakh for individual taxpayers below the age of 60 years and from INR 2.5 lakh to INR 3 lakh in the case of senior citizens. Education cess to continue at 3 percent. 
43. Investment limit under section 80C of the Income-tax Act increased from INR 1 lakh to INR 1.5 lakh. 
44. Deduction limit on account of interest on self-occupied home loan increased from INR 1.5 lakh to INR 2 lakh. 
45. 10-year extension on tax holiday announced for power producers. 
46. Income from securities trade to foreign portfolio investors will now be treated as capital gains; this will encourage fund managers of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) to move to India. 
47. Transfer pricing regulations introduced – strengthening of Advance Pricing Agreement (APA), introduction of range concept to determine arm’s length price, multiple year data to be used for comparable analysis. 
48. Tax rate on long term capital gains from transfer of Mutual Funds (non-equity oriented funds) increased from 10 percent to 20 percent. 
49. Health focus of the budget – excise on cigarettes to grow from 11% to 72%. 
50. What’s Cheaper – What’s Costlier

What’s Cheaper	What’s Costlier
CRT Television	Sugar-based aerated drinks
LED/LCD panels	Cigarettes
Medium range footwear	Chewing tobacco, gutka
Desktops, laptops, tablets	Zarda-based tobacco
LED lights, lamps	Pan Masala
Branded petrol	Semi-cut/broken diamond jewelry
Matchboxes	Imported electronic products
Soaps	Radio taxi
DDT insecticides	Imported steel
RO-based water purifiers
Packaged food

Top 10 World Heritage Sites In India

The cultural heritage of a country is a spectacular memorandum of its glorious past. It is that precious inheritance which should be preserved to be passed on from generations to generations. There might be a number of architectural prodigies in a country but only a few of them hold universal importance. These are the cultural heritages which are so exceptional that the protection of these sites becomes the concern of the entire mankind. Such manifestations of history have been categorized as the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO and their preservation is of utmost importance to these international bodies. At present, 137 nations are a part of this resolution and India is one of them. There are 30 such properties in the country which have been touted as the World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO. Out of them 24 are cultural heritages while 6 are the natural ones. Since talking about all thirty might not be a reasonable thing to do, I decided to write about the best ten! And the count begins here:

List of Top 10 World Heritage Sites in India

1. Taj Mahal

Location: Agra

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal is the most important world heritage site in India.

2. Qutub Minar

Location: New Delhi

Located in the capital city, Qutub Minar is the tall architectural beauty that adorns Delhi with its magnificence.

3. Sun Temple

Location: Konark

Also known as the Black Pagoda, Sun temple is not only a notable architecture but is also one of the most important temples of the South.

4. Monuments of Khajuraho

Location: Madhya Pradesh

These monuments in the state of Madhya Pradesh are fine denotations of the Chandela Dynasty that existed before the invasion of the Mughals.

5. Mahabodhi Temple

Location: Bihar

Spread over an area of 12 acres, the Mahabodhi Temple complex is a pilgrimage site of the Buddhists. Lord Buddha attained enlightenment at this very place.

6. Kaziranga National Park

Location: Assam

Located in the eastern state of Assam, the Kaziranga National Park was deemed as a world heritage site for its exceptional natural environment.

7. Red Fort

Location: New Delhi

The popular Lal Qila in Delhi represents the highpoint of the Mughal architectural creativity and the glory of its empire.

8. Ajanta Caves

Location: Maharashtra

As the unique representations of the Buddhist religion, 31 rock-cut caves have been deemed as the world heritage site in the state of Maharashtra.

9. Mountain Railways of India

Location: West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh

10. Fatehpur Sikri

Location: Agra

The city of victory, Fatehpur Sikri was built during the glorious reign of the Mughals. It was the capital of the Mughal Empire.