India's National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, turned 100 today

India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, completes 100 years on Dec 27th. As a proud Indian we all know to sing our famous National anthem in tandem without any mistake but many few knows its history. Glad to bring to your notice that our National anthem is 100 years old and anniversary falls on 27th of this month. 

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's 'Jana Gana Mana' was first performed on December 27, 1911, at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress and then adoptedas the National anthem. Let us join together and pay our respect to this great event.

Jana Gana Mana is the national anthem of India. It is written by first Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Bengali, after written Bengali converted in to Hindi. It was first sung at the Kolkota (Calcutta) Session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911. 

Our national anthem takes fifty-two seconds. It is the symbol of peace and our unity. Thank for all Indian to respect our national anthem.

I am requesting all citizens please respect our national anthem

The full national anthem in Hindi

जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
पंजाब सिन्धु गुजरात मराठा
द्राविड़ उत्कल बंगा
विन्ध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्छल जलधि तरंगा
तव शुभ नामे जागे
तव शुभ आशीष मांगे
गाहे तव जयगाथा

जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे
जय जय जय जय हे!

The full national anthem in English

" Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka Jaya He

Bharat Bhagya Vidhata

Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maratha

Dravida Utkala Banga

Vindhya Himachal Yamuna Ganga

Ucchala Jaladhi Taranga

Tubh Shubha Name Jage

Tubh Shubha Ashisha Mange

Gahe Tubh Jaya Gata

Jan Gan Mangaldayak Jay He

Bharat Bhagya Vidhata

Jaye He ! Jaye He ! Jaye He !

Jaye,Jaye,Jaye,Jaye He "

 ஜன கன மன - தேசிய கீதம் தமிழில் 

ஜன கன மன அதிநாயக, ஜய ஹே

பாரத பாக்ய விதாதா

பஞ்சாப சிந்து குஜராத் மராத்தா

திராவிட உத்கல பங்கா

விந்தியா ஹிமாச்சல யமுனா கங்கா

உச்சல ஜலதிதரங்கா

தவ சுப நாமே ஜாகே

தவ சுப ஆஷிஸ மாகே

காஹே தவ ஜய காதா

ஜன கன மங்கள தாயக ஜய ஹே

பாரத பாக்ய விதாதா

ஜய ஹே, ஜய ஹே, ஜய ஹே,

ஜய ஜய ஜய, ஜய ஹே!

Revised Model Educational Loan Scheme for Pursuing Higher Studies in India and Abroad

Revised Model Educational Loan Scheme for Pursuing Higher Studies in India and Abroad
- Prepared by Indian Bank's Association

Introduction:

Education is central to the Human Resources Development and empowerment in any country. National and State level policies are framed to ensure that this basic need of the population is met through appropriate public and private sector initiatives. While government endeavour to provide primary education to all on a universal basis, higher education is progressively moving into the domain of private sector. With a gradual reduction in government subsidies higher education is getting more and more costly and hence the need for institutional funding in this area.

The scope of education has widened both in India and abroad covering new courses in diversified areas. Development of human capital is a national priority and it should be the endeavour of all that no deserving student is denied opportunity to pursue higher education for want of financial support. Loans for education should be seen as an investment for economic development and prosperity. Knowledge and information would be the driving force for economic growth in the coming years.

The Salient Features of the Scheme are as under:

Objectives of the Scheme :	The Educational Loan Scheme outlined below aims at providing financial support from the banking system to deserving/ meritorious students for pursuing higher education in India and abroad. The main emphasis is that every meritorious student though poor is provided with an opportunity to pursue education with the financial support from the banking system with affordable terms and conditions. No deserving student is denied an opportunity to pursue higher education for want of financial support.
Applicability of the Scheme :	The scheme provides broad guidelines to the banks for operationalising the educational loan scheme and the implementing bank will have the discretion to make changes suiting to the convenience of the students/ parents to make it more customer friendly.
Student eligibility:	Should be an Indian National. Secured admission to professional/ technical courses in India or Abroad through Entrance Test/ Merit Based Selection process.
Courses eligible	a. Studies in India: (Indicative list) ·         Graduation courses : BA, B.Com., B.Sc., etc. ·         Post Graduation courses : Masters & Phd. ·         Professional courses : Engineering, Medical, Agriculture, Veterinary, Law, Dental, Management, Computer etc. ·         Computer certificate courses of reputed institutes accredited to Dept. of Electronics or institutes affiliated to university. ·         Courses like ICWA, CA, CFA etc. ·         Courses conducted by IIM, IIT, IISc, XLRI. NIFT etc. ·         Regular Degree/Diploma courses like Aeronautical, pilot training, shipping etc., approved by Director General of Civil Aviation/Shipping, if the course is pursued in India. In case the course is pursued abroad, the Institute should be recognized by the competent local aviation/shipping authority. ·         Courses offered in India by reputed foreign universities. ·         Evening courses of approved institutes. ·         Other courses leading to diploma/ degree etc. conducted by colleges/ universities approved by UGC/ Govt./ AICTE/ AIBMS/ ICMR etc. ·         Courses offered by National Institutes and other reputed private institutions. Banks may have the system of appraising other institution courses depending on future prospects/ recognition by user institutions. ·         Courses, which are not covered under the criteria mentioned above, individual banks may take a view to consider extending. ·         education loan under the scheme taking into account the future prospects/recognition by user institution. b. Studies abroad :- ·         Graduation : For job oriented professional/ technical. ·         courses offered by reputed universities. ·         Post graduation: MCA, MBA, MS, etc. ·         Courses conducted by CIMA- London, CPA in USA etc.
Expenses considered for loan	·         Fee payable to college/ school/ hostel. ·         Examination/ Library/ Laboratory fee. ·         Purchase of books/ equipments/ instruments/ uniforms. ·         Caution deposit, Building fund/refundable deposit supported by Institution bills/receipts, subject to the condition that the amount does not exceed 10% of the total tuition fees for the entire course. ·         Travel expenses/ passage money for studies abroad. ·         Purchase of computers - essential for completion of the course. ·         Insurance premium for student borrower. ·         Any other expense required to complete the course - like study tours, project work, thesis, etc.
Quantum of Finance	Need based finance subject to repaying capacity of the parents/ students with margin and the following ceilings. Studies in India - Maximum Rs.10.00 lacs. Studies abroad - Maximum Rs.20 lacs
Margin	Studies in India Upto Rs 4 lacs Nil Above Rs. 4 lacs : Studies in India 5% Studies Abroad 15% Scholarship/ assistantship to be included in margin. Margin may be brought-in on year-to-year basis as and when disbursements are made on a pro-rata basis.
Security	Upto Rs 4 lacs Co-obligation of parents. No security Above Rs.4 lacs and upto Rs7.5 lakhs Co-obligation of parents together with collateral security in the form of suitable third party guarantee. The bank may, at its discretion, in exceptional cases, waive third party guarantee if satisfied with the net-worth / means of parent/s who would be executing the document as "joint borrower". Above Rs.7.5 lakhs Co-obligation of parents together with tangible collateral security of suitable value, along with the assignment of future income of the student for payment of installments Note:- ·         The loan documents should be executed by both the student and the parent/ guardian as joint-borrower. ·         The security can be in the form of land/ building/ Govt. securities/ Public Sector Bonds/Units of UTI, NSC, KVP, life policy, gold, shares/mutual fund units/debentures, bank deposit in the name of student/ parent/ guardian or any other third party with suitable margin. ·         Wherever the land/ building is already mortgaged, the unencumbered portion can be taken as security on second charge basis provided it covers the required loan amount. ·         In case the loan is given for purchase of computer, the computer has to be hypothecated to the Bank.
Rate of Interest	Upto Rs 4 lacs BPLR Above Rs. 4 lacs BPLR + 1% Simple interest to be charged during the Repayment holiday/ Moratorium period. Penal interest to be charged as applicable to individual banks.
Appraisal/ Sanction/ Disbursement	In the normal course, while appraising the loan the future income prospects of the student will be looked into. However, where required, the means of parent / guardian could also be taken into account to evaluate re-payment capability. The loan to be sanctioned as per delegation of powers preferably by the Branch nearest to the place of residence of parents. No application for educational loan received should be rejected without the concurrence of the next higher authority. The loan to be disbursed in stages as per the requirement/ demand directly to the Institutions/ Vendors of books/ equipments/ instruments to the extent possible.
Repayment	Repayment holiday/ Moratorium : Course period + 1 year or 6 months after getting job, whichever is earlier. The loan to be repaid in 5-7 years after commencement of repayment. If the student is not able to complete the course within the scheduled time, extension of time for completion of course may be permitted for a maximum period of 2 years. If the student is not able to complete the course for reasons beyond his control, sanctioning authority may at his discretion consider such extensions as may be deemed necessary to complete the course. The accrued interest during the repayment holiday period to be added to the principal and repayment in Equated Monthly Instalments (EMI) fixed. 1% interest concession may be provided for loanees if the interest is serviced during the study period when repayment holiday is specified for interest/ repayment under the scheme.
Insurance	Banks may arrange for life insurance policy on the students availing Educational Loan. Individual Banks may work out the modalities with insurance companies
Follow up/ Tracking	Banks to contact college/ university authorities to send the progress report to the bank at regular intervals in respect of students who have availed loans. In case of studies abroad, bank may obtain the Unique Identification Number (UIN)/Identity Card and note the same in the bank's records.
Processing Charges	No processing/ upfront charges may be collected on educational loans for studies in India.
Capability Certificate	Banks can also issue the capability certificate for students going abroad for higher studies. For this purpose financial and other supporting documents may be obtained from applicant, if required. Some of the foreign universities require the students to submit a certificate from their bankers about the sponsors' solvency/ financial capability, with a view to ensure that the sponsors of the students going abroad for higher studies are capable of meeting the expenses till completion of studies.)
Other Conditions	a. Meritorious Students Banks which wish to support highly and exceptionally meritorious/ deserving students without security may delegate such powers to a fairly higher level authority. b. Multiple Loans In case of receipt of application for more than one loan for student borrower from a family, the 'family' as a unit has to be taken into account for considering the loan and security taken in relation to the total quantum of finance disbursed, subject to margin and repaying capacity of the parent/student. c. Minimum Age There is no specific restriction with regard to the age of the student to be eligible for education loan. d. Change of Address In cases of student staying with parents and where such parents have transferable jobs or there is change in address, the bank may provide in the system of noting the "address for correspondence" for tracking purpose. e. Top up loans Banks may consider top up loans to students pursuing further studies within the overall eligibility limit, with appropriate re-schedulement, subject to taking required security. f. Co-obligator The co-obligator should be parent(s)/guardian of the student borrower. In case of married person, co-obligator can be either spouse or the parent(s)/parents-in-law. No Due Certificate No due certificate need not be insisted upon as a pre-condition for considering educational loan. However, banks may obtain a declaration/ an affidavit confirming that no loans are availed from other banks. Disposal of Applications Loan applications have to be disposed of within a period of 15 days to 1 month, but not exceeding the time norms stipulated for disposing of loan applications under priority sector lending. Flexibility in terms In order to bring flexibility in terms like eligibility, margin, security norms, banks may consider relaxation in the norms on a case-to-case basis delegating the powers to a fairly higher level authority.
Tax benefits	Deduction is available under section 80E of Income Tax Act for any amount paid in the previous year by an assessee out of his income chargeable to tax, by way of interest on loan taken by him from any financial institution or any approved charitable institution for the purpose of pursuing his higher education or for the purpose of higher education of his relative (spouse and children).
For further clarifications/ details, please Click Here

Basic Knowledge in Computer Science Must

Students do certification courses but fail to gain overall knowledge about the nature and fundamentals of computer sciences, says an expert.

Over the past few years, the share of ITES companies to our economy has been rising consistently. Though experts boast of the country's software prowess and there is a steady increase in the number of graduates with a computer science degree, not a single proprietary software product has come from any Indian firm. What causes these lacunae in the system?

John W. Walz, International President, IEEE Computer Society 2012, believes that this anomaly is a result of the lack of strong fundamental knowledge in the students.

“Students in India go through rote learning and do not have strong fundamental knowledge in any domain. They do certification courses which give them a good knowledge of specific software but fail to gain overall knowledge about the nature and fundamentals of the computer sciences,” he opined.

Though the Indian government agencies lay down the curriculum for courses in computer sciences, because of the rapid development of new technologies, it needs to be constantly updated or one risks learning obsolete technologies, he adds.

What could be a possible solution for this problem? Mr. Walz says that IEEE Computer Society's ‘Software Engineering Body of Knowledge' (SWEBOK) holds the key. “IEEE Computer Society is an International body comprising the experts and professionals from the computer industry. The society has compiled the available body of knowledge under SWEBOK in 2005 which will be revised in 2012. This body of knowledge ensures that a student gets a thorough knowledge in any field related to computer engineering,” he said.

Nearly 200 American universities are following SWEBOK and IEEE volunteers conduct yearly appraisals to check the level of compliance, he said.

To give the students a better edge and to ensure that they are ready with the requisite knowledge, when they join the industry, the society is also offering exams to give them basic and advanced certification. “The basic certificate ‘Certified Software Development Associate' will equip a fresh graduate with the foundation required to join a job and the advanced certificate ‘Certified Software Development Professional' is for candidates with three to four years of experience,” Mr. Walz explained. The society is currently offering these exams in the U.S. and will offer them in India soon, he said.

With global economies in the doldrums, should students choose computer science as an option? Mr. Walz says that students should definitely take computer science.

“Whatever may be the position of the economy, computer sciences is set to retain its prominence. With the newer technologies rolling out, automation of the processes is going to increase and this provides an opportunity for the software engineers,” he explained.

But Mr. Walz also has a piece of advice for the aspiring computer science student.

“Bigger companies will stop relying on the back office operations when cloud computing becomes more secure and reliable. Students who do not acquire strong fundamental knowledge in computer sciences will be relegated to inferior positions,” he warns.

 Source : Hindu dtd 19/12/2011

How to crack Civil Services Exams (IAS,IPS,IFS) in first attempt...!

How to crack civil services exams(IAS,IPS,IFS) in first attempt...! 

The IAS Exam in 2012 will be special .Not only will it feature the new CSAT syllabus introduced from 2011 onwards but also the pattern will be different from the 2011 IAS exam. This hub explains all the details relating to the 2012 IAS Exam including the procedure, syllabus, possible exam pattern, books to refer, and tips to crack the 2012 IAS exam.

IAS Exam 2012: The Basics

The IAS Exam will consist of three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview (Personality Test). While the Preliminary exam will be objective in nature, the mains will be written while the personality test is verbal.
You have to clear the preceding stage to reach the next stage of IAS 2012 Exam. For instance you will need to first crack the IAS prelims, then appear for the mains, and based on the marks obtained you may be called for the IAS interview, the final frontier.

APPLYING FOR THE 2012 IAS EXAM

To appear for the IAS exam you will first need to apply for it. All the three stages of the IAS exam are conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), a Constitutional body answerable to the Union Parliament.
The notification for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination (or just IAS prelims) will appear in the Employment News and on UPSC's website on 04-02-2012 and you can apply either online or through application forms available at the Head Post Offices throughout cities in India.
Remember: You cannot directly appear for the Mains or Interview. Rather you have to first apply for the Preliminary examination conducted by UPSC before proceeding to the next stage.
The last date of receipt of your application is 05-03-2012. At this stage you don't have to send any documents about your age or educational qualifications. They will be required at the time of filling the IAS Mains form.
The Preliminary exam or the first stage of the IAS Exam 2012 will be held on 20-05-2012.

The 2012 IAS Prelims: What You Need to Know

Here is some basic and important information about the Prelims if you intend to appear for the ias exam in 2012.

• The IAS Prelims will be objective in nature and consist of two papers compulsoryto all
• Most questions carry a negative penalty or negative marking of 0.33 marks for each wrong answer
• Each paper will of 200 marks each and 2 hours in duration. The number of questions in each paper is not fixed and can vary every year
• You have to appear for both papers, held on the same day, for your papers to be checked
• Even if you appear for one paper, your attempt is counted
• If you merely apply for the Prelims but do not appear for the exam then your attempt is not counted

2012 Prelims Syllabus

As already mentioned, the Prelims is objective in nature and each question carries four choices out of which the candidate has to select one right option. The new CSAT or Prelims syllabus was introduced from the 2011 exam and is as follows.

(Paper 1) (200 marks) - Duration : Two hrs

• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian national movement
• Indian and World Geography- physical, social, economic geography of India and the world
• Indian Polity and governance constitution, political system, panchayati raj, public policy, Rights issues, etc.
• Economic and social development sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives etc.
• General issues on environmental ecology, bio-diversity and climate change-that donot require subject specialization
• General science.

(Paper II) (200 marks) Duration : Two hrs

• Comprehension
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision making and problem solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc. (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. Class X level)
• English language comprehension skills (Class X level)
• Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level (last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question paper.
• The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.

How You Cracked the Prelims in First Attempt

Many IAS exam aspirants want to know whether they can clear the IAS exam 2012 prelims in their very first attempt? Yes it's entirely possible! Let me explain briefly how you clear the prelims in first attempt itself without any coaching and very little guidance.

• Read one good newspaper and two magazines for current affairs apart from Manorama Year Book for GK and Current Events.

Instead of referring multiple magazines and newspapers, I suggest you just read one good newspaper and one or two magazines for current affairs. The Hindu is  very reputed English daily and if you can get hold of it, go for it otherwise read The Indian Express/TIMES OF INDIA.

As far as magazines are concerned, Civil Services Chronicle or civil services Times are both good magazines for current affairs and reading one will be enough. But you should surely read Manorama Year Book for not just current affairs but more importantly to build your General Knowledge.

• Read the past 5 years solved question papers before and after reading a topic.

The best way to track your progress is to refer the past five years questions whenever you start a new topic. This way you know what's important and should be stressed upon. After you finish reading that topic refer the questions from that topic again and check if you can answer all of them or not.

This way you know if you have left out some important points in the first reading and can attempt course correction immediately instead of waiting till the fag end of your preparation for IAS Exam in 2012.

• covered the scoring topics early

You shouldn't just study the first topic that you come across. Rather, prioritize and plan. Topics like GK, Polity, Maps can be prepared quickly and fetch easy marks. Tackle them early to pocket 30-40 marks even before you step into the exam hall.

• make micro notes that you could go through quickly before the prelims

Aspirants planning to prepare for the 2012 IAS Exam should make it a habit of writing important current event and GK snippets in a diary, register or flip cards on a daily basis which you can go through 15 or 20 days before the Prelims.

IAS 2012 Mains Examination Details

The Civil Services (Main) Examination 2012 will commence from 5-10-2012 and continue for 21 days. The first paper will be GS or General Studies followed by Essay and English (Compulsory). The third day will be the Indian Language paper and this will be followed by various optional papers on different days.

In all the 2012 IAS Mains exam will consist of 2000 marks ( GS paper of 600 marks, 2 optional papers of 600 marks each, essay paper of 200 marks) and students securing more than 940 marks (general category) can expect an Interview call from the UPSC.

Each paper of the 2012 IAS Mains exam will be of 3 hours duration and there will be 3 hours break between two papers held on the same day. For instance, GS paper 1 will be held in the morning and paper 2 in the afternoon.

Approximately 13 times the total number of seats qualify the prelims and appear for the mains exam. So if the total number of seats announced in the 2012 prelims notification is 900, about 10,700 candidates will clear the prelims and write the mains exam.

Finally, about 2.5 time the total vacancies are called for the IAS interview. So out of 10,700 candidates writing the 2012 IAS Mains exam, about 2250 candidates will qualify for the IAS Interview.

ALL THE BEST IAS ASPIRANTS.

COMPILED BY AN IAS ASPIRANT