Goods Services Tax India

GST – It is a type of value added tax, which will replace the indirect taxes levied on goods and services.

Value added tax is a multi-stage tax, here tax is levied at each stage of value addition. Eg: - When wood is converted to paper, there is value addition. Similarly when this paper is converted to a greeting card, there is value addition. In VAT, the tax will be levied only to the value added at each stage.

source:www.kinibiz.com

Why GST?

India presently has multitude of indirect taxes. This creates confusion, tax evasion and inefficiency. To reform the present system to create a unified tax collection, GST is being introduced.

GST will :

• ·         Simplify the tax structure (the multitude of the indirect taxes will be abolished after GST)
• ·         Broaden tax base and rationalise tax collection.
• ·         To create a common tax base across states. (States and centre will implement GST)
• ·         Increase growth by increasing export and import

What is objection regarding GST?

States fear loss of revenue and fiscal autonomy.

Solution: Compensation formula after consultation with states.

General Studies : Climate change and Global warming

The terms climate change and global warming are used in narrow meaning and broad meaning. In narrow meaning it refers to the recent change in climate change brought out by mainly by man’s activities (this is what we usually see and read in newspapers). In broader term it refers to the change in climate that has occurred on earth from historic times.

About the climate change (from early times):

The climate change has been a phenomenon that has been occurring since the creation of earth. The causes are many; some of major ones are given below:

Plate tectonics: We know that earth surface (oceans and continents) are made of plates. These plates move over time. The movement changes the amount as well as duration of sunlight at a given place. Eg: a place which is located at poles at an early point in time moves to equator. Here the sunlight received at that given point will be more when situated near equator. The land/water ratio at any given latitude also changes with plate tectonics. The “movement of plates” is an accepted phenomenon, and so is its role in climate change.

Volcanoes: Volcanoes bring loads of dust, carbon dioxide and heat when they explode. The dust reduces the amount of sunlight reaching earth surface. As a result cooling occurs. In earth’s history we know of many instances where earth was cooled as a result of the volcanoes. The co2 on the other hand will increase temperature, the manifestation of this will occur after certain time.

Earth’s orbital variation: Does earth always revolve in same path. Earth too has its freedom. As a result there is change in the path (large orbit or smaller orbit---eccentricity), tilt (earth normally has a tilt; this would increase of decrease sometimes). These changes in the earth’s motion path will lead to change in amount of sunlight it receives(Malkovich cycles). Change in sun’s energy = change in insolation=change in climate

Sun: We read about earth changing it path. Sun too has its freedom; it will glow at low intensity at certain times and glow with more brightness at some other time(sun spot activity). The change in sun’s energy (cause internal to sun) = change in insolation=climate change.

These forces mentioned above where happily changing climate in past. Now that we humans have increased exponentially, we too have decided to be a cause for changing climate. All the ways we change climate are listed as anthropogenic causes. In recent decade, we have become the major factor which influences climate change. The activities like deforestation, burning fossil fuels, release of cfc’s etc are changing the climate at a rapid pace.There is a set of scientists (minority) who believes that man is not a major factor but other factors mentioned above are the reason for present climate change.

About the recent climate change (in the last decades):

The concept of change in climate due to man’s activities has been there in scientific literature for over a century. It was the IPCC assessment that created a wide awareness and consensus about the issue. Now majority of the scientists accept that the “climate change and global warming” has occurred in recent times at an alarming pace and that man has played a major role in creating it. 

Why write civil service exam?

The reason why civil service is something commonly asked in civil service interview. Many a times the aspirants recite the lines they have learned over and over again. We will leave the interview for a while and reframe the question. Why do aspirants really write civil service exam?

I am listing the whole set of answers that come to my mind. When i write each pointer many faces of my fellow aspirants come to my mind.

1.       To serve the country: Yeah, the energy of youth comes out in different forms. Many aspirants feel that they can change the country by being in civil service. To thrash the corrupt politician , to remove the poor of hunger, to bring equality...the list of dreams for an aspirant are  abundant and filmy!. But rarely does all the dreams transform.

2.       To make money: I could see that many aspirants were completely frank in private conversations to declare that the only reason to write civils was to become rich. They had grown up seeing the IAS officers in their states (especially bihar, UP etc) amass huge hordes of wealth after being in civil service and “serving the nation”. So now they see the IAS study as an investment which will return them rich dividends in future. They spend lakhs of rupees in coaching centres in delhi (for accommodation and fees it will need few lakhs) with the dream of earning big.

3.       Confused: Yup, many after graduation are confused about what to do. So civil service coaching becomes a fashionable option. CAT preparation is more or less equally fashionable.

4.       To get something: The UPSC preparation makes the aspirant cover a lot of topics. The civils syllabus (prelims plus mains) prepares a candidate capable of many exams like bank, clerical posts, police, ib exams. Many aspirants see this as a way to secure ‘a job’. This is actually a very good thought. The aspirant can get a job and then jump on to the next best thing. This way of thinking of getting best and becoming better is adopted by many these days.

5.       Status and Power: There are some guys who are filthy rich in our country. All they lack is power and status. So they would sent their kids with loads of money to study for civils. A majority of these aspirants after having glorious life in city returns to ‘dad’s ways’ to secure a good happy living.

6.       Unknown reason: Hehe! There are many aspirants who are yet to have a reason. The reason can be simple as defeating boredom after being fired from a IT company or just the excitement to know a new field. There aspirants join and start coaching but leave it for good very early.

What ever be the reason, in case you have made your mind ready for civils, then jump into it fully. You will need to immerse in the exam process for atleast 5 months.