₪ Sashikanta ₪

Dear Friends,

I am highly pleased to share with you my MY FRIDAY STORY . It will be a good reading with something to imbibe in our lives. I am sure you will appreciate the message contained within. Happy Reading  
 

Catch of a Lifetime

He was eleven years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family’s cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch with worms. Then he tied a small silver lure and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake.When his pole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock.Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M. - two hours before the season opened. He looked atthe fish, then at the boy.“You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.“Dad!” cried the boy.“There will be other fish,” said his father.“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy.He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father.Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father’s voice that the decision was not negotiable. He slowly worked the hook  out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father’s cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.And he was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish - again and again - every time he comes up against a question of ethics.For, as his father taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and  wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult. Do we do right when no one is looking? Do we refuse to cut corners to get the design in on time? Or refuse to trade stocks based on information that we know we aren’t supposed to have?We would if we were taught to put the fish back when we were young. For we would have learned the truth.

The decision to do right lives fresh and fragrant in our memory. It is a story we will proudly tell our friends and children. Not about how we had a chance to beat the system and took it, but about how we did the right thing and were forever strengthened.

Thanks!!!

• For income upto Rs 1,50,000 tax liability will be nil, Rs 1,50,000-Rs 3,00,000 tax liability 10% , from Rs 3-5 lakh 20%; 5 lakh upwards 30%
• Senior citizens threshold tax limit increased from Rs 1,95,000 to Rs 2,25,000
• Threshold tax exemption limit increased from Rs 1,45,000 to Rs 1,80,000 for women
• Threshold tax limit of exemption increased from Rs 1,10,000 to Rs 1,50,000 for men 15% tax for short term capital gains
  • Hospitals in Tier 2, Tier 3 cities get 5 year tax holiday
  • Pharma goods excise duty cut to 8%
  • Excise on packaged software to go up from 8% to 12%
  • No excise duty on refrigerating equipments
  • Anti-Aids drug gets excise duty exemption
  • Custom duty for phosphoric acid custom duty reduced to 5%
  • Custom duty on some bulk drugs cut form 10% to 5%
  • Custom duty on steel scrapped
  • Defence allocation up by 10% from Rs 96,000 cr to Rs 1,56,000 cr
  • Textile parks get Rs 450 crore provision
  • SIDBI gets Rs 2,000 cr for two funds
  • NABARD gets Rs 5,000 cr fund for refinancing
  • Spending on NREGS seen at Rs 160 bn
  • SIDBI gets Rs 2,000 cr for two funds
  • NABARD gets Rs 5,000 cr fund for refinancing
  • Spending on NREGS seen at Rs 160 bn
  • Health spending to rise 15 per cent
  • Education spending to rise 20 per cent
  • National housing bank gets Rs 1,200 cr for refinancing
  • Power sector to get national fund for transmission, distribution reforms
  • NHDP allocation rises to Rs 12,966 cr from Rs 10,866 cr
  • Govt to cost Rs 50,000 cr on farm loan waiving
  • Agri loans restructured in 2004-06 under special packages to be waived
  • Tea Research association gets Rs 20 cr
  • Micro irrigation scheme gets Rs 500 cr
  • Agriculture share in total investment up 16% from 10.2%
  • Allocation for ministry of minorities doubled to Rs 1,000 cr
  • Schemes for woman to get Rs 11,460 cr this fiscal
  • Child related schemes to get Rs 33,434 cr
  • 288 branches of public sector banks to be opened in 2008
    National Minority Development and Finance Corp to get Rs 75 cr

Economic Survey: Highlights

• Economy slows down to 8.7% in 2007-08
• Inflation projected at 4.4 pc in 2007-08
• 3 manufacturing sector to grow at 9.4 pc in current financial year, lower from 12 pc in 2006-07
• Lower agriculture growth at 2.6 pc in 2007-08 from 3.8 pc in 2006-07
  Government sets target of 9 pc GDP growth during 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012)
• Maintaining 9% rate challenging
• Double-digit growth tougher still
• Deceleration this year was expected
• Fundamentals “inspire confidence”
• Investment climate “full of optimism”
• But labour force growing faster than employment growth
• Unemployment rate higher by 1pc in five years to 2005