new income tax portal

 https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1724807

The Income Tax Department is launching its new e-filing portal www.incometax.gov.in on 7th June, 2021. The new e-filing portal is aimed at providing taxpayer convenience and a modern, seamless experience to taxpayers. Some of the highlights of the new portal are detailed hereunder:

• New taxpayer friendly portal integrated with immediate processing of Income Tax Returns (ITRs) to issue quick refunds to taxpayers;
• All interactions and uploads or pending actions will be displayed on a single dashboard for follow-up action by taxpayer;
• Free of cost ITR preparation software available with interactive questions to help taxpayers for ITRs 1, 4 (online and offline) and ITR 2 (offline) to begin with; Facility for preparation of ITRs 3, 5, 6, 7 will be made available shortly;
• Taxpayers will be able to proactively update their profile to provide certain details of income including salary, house property, business/profession which will be used in pre-filling their ITR. Detailed enablement of pre-filling with salary income, interest, dividend and capital gains will be available after TDS and SFT statements are uploaded (due date is June 30th, 2021);
• New call center for taxpayer assistance for promt response to taxpayer queries. Detailed FAQs, User Manuals, Videos and chatbot/live agent also provided;
• Functionalities for filing Income Tax Forms, Add tax professionals, Submit responses to Notices in Faceless Scrutiny or Appeals would be available.

It is clarified that the new tax payment system will be launched on June 18th, 2021 after the advance tax instalment date to avoid any taxpayer inconvenience.The mobile app will also be released subsequent to the initial launch of the portal, to enable taxpayers to get familiar with the various features. Familiarization with the new system may take some time, so, the Department requests the patience of all taxpayers/stakeholders for the initial period after the launch of the new portal and while other functionalities get released since this is a major transition. This is another initiative by CBDT towards providing ease of compliance to its taxpayers and other stakeholders.

 

Miracle in Milan

 Vittoria da Sica's phantasmagorical masterpiece "Miracle in Milan" (1951) starring Francesco Golisano, Brunella Bovo among others. 

Toto (Francesco Golisano) is found in a cabbage patch by an old lady who nurses him until her falling health. The boy grows to be an obedient nice good humored person, stayed in a hostel and then set out on his own to live in a shanty town amongst the poor. 

The poor have nothing, absolutely nothing to live by, they live in ramshackle houses with barely anything to eat, hardly any money coming by, eking out a marginal existence. Among those staying in the shanty is Edvidge (Brunella Bovo) who is a maid to a family. 

The shanty town is obviously an occupied property belonging to somebody else so they come to take possession of the same, but the shanty unites against the outsiders. In the meanwhile oil is accidentally discovered in the midst of the square and the owner again comes back to forcibly take possession of the property. 

Toto in despair goes up to climb a totem pole where his mother hands him a good luck dove. What happens next is miraculous. 

Vittoria de Sica has stayed close to his neo realist style of film making. The film is shot in actual location with a ragtag band of actors, which shows the brutal reality of poverty in Milan. The special effects shown later in the movie is quite spectacular for a 1951 production. The film got a Cannes and a Fipresci. 

The main characters Brunella Bovo and Francesco Golisano have acted quite well in the movie. 

The Traitor's Niche

 

Magnificently written satire by Ismail Kadare about what happens in totalitarian regimes. And superbly translated by John Hodgson who brings alive this book originally written in Albanian. 

At the main square in the city of Constantinople, there is a kind of a cove in which traitor's head is kept there for public viewing. The severed heads of all the traitors of the rulers are kept there and there are elaborate rules and regulations governing it including inspection twice a day, a weekly visit by a medical doctor, treatment with honey and ice etc. 

Kadare brilliantly goes on to devour whatever respectability totalitarian regimes have in their midst by tearing into them in such brutally savage fashion unimaginable in any literature before. There is Abdullah the keeper of the traitor's niche he gets married but is unable to consummate his marriage. There is Tundj Hata, the courier whose job is to deliver the decree to the traitors and bring their heads back to the capital city. En route he makes some money of his own by displaying the head to the gullible villagers. 

There is Ali Pasha, an 82 year old who has a 22 year old wife and Hurshid Pasha his rival and then there is Lala Shahini all luminous characters in the book. Shahini's role is interesting - he works in the Department of Archive and he has to erase the languages, cultures, styles, patterns of the people - to brainwash them basically. Then there is a Tower of Psst Psst which captures all the whisperings of people anywhere in the country and they are banished to a swamp. 

Breathtakingly brilliant book. Goodreads 5/5 

Los Olividados

 

Luis Bunuel's stunning masterpiece on poverty in Mexico, Los Olvidados (1951).

Staying close to the non realist style of film making, Luis Bunuel crafts an absolute masterpiece. Its about a group of destitute children eking out a living in Mexico. El Jaibo (Roberto Cobo) has escaped a juvenile jail and is back with his group of friends, one of which is Pedro (Alfonso Mejia). Pedro is one of many children of his mother and he always feels his mother does not love him enough. There's a scene where he pityingly asks his mother to love him and she repels him with brute force. 

Jaibo is out to take revenge on Julien who he feels ratted on him to be sent to the juvenule jail. In the fracas that ensues, Julien is killed and Pedro becomes an accomplice. Pedro is shit scared and immediately sets about doing the right things like taking up a job as an apprentice with a blacksmith. There Jaibo confronts him again and asks him to keep quiet and coolly steals a costly silver knife from the workplace. 

The blacksmith sends police to Pedro's house to arrest him for stealing a knife. His mom confronts him but he says he did not steal anything. They visit a police headquarters which sends Pedro to a reform school called the Farm. Again Jaibo confronts him there and steals 50 pesos from Pedro. 

The movie stays close to a new realist cinema that you can expect from Luis Bunuel. Its an old black and white print but enough to see the raw poverty of the village in Mexico. Everybody is struggling to make money there, Pedro's mom does washing for a dozen houses, a blind singer makes money by singing, life is tough, life is hard, there is crime, grinding poverty. 

Most of the characters are kids and they have all acted very well.  

tankers carrying oxygen exempt from toll fee

 https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1717066

In order to provide uninterrupted passage for tankers and containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across National Highways, the user fee for such vehicles at Toll Plazas has been exempted. Keeping in view the current unprecedented demand of the Medical Oxygen across the country due to COVID-19 Pandemic, containers carrying Liquid Medical Oxygen will be treated at par with other emergency vehicles such as ambulances for a period of two months or till further orders.

Although the toll plazas have nearly zero waiting time after implementation of FASTag, National Highways Authority of India is already providing priority passage to such vehicles for quick and seamless transportation of medical oxygen. Instructions have also been issued by NHAI to all its officials and other stakeholders to assist the government and private efforts to fight the pandemic in helping them in pro-active manner.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has created huge demand of Liquid Medical Oxygen across the country. During the ongoing crisis, the timely delivery of Liquid Medical Oxygen to hospitals and medical centers is of paramount importance to save lives of patients critically affected by COVID-19. Exemption of payment of user fee at the Toll Plazas will ensure faster movement of Medical Oxygen on the National Highways.

Fund Raising for 9 different causes

 Hi folks, i am an admin with Mumbai Road Runners a running community in India. This year we are raising funds for 9 different NGOs in 9 different sectors coinciding with the Navratri Festival in India next month. As you are aware, the NGOs are all facing severe funds crunch during this covid pandemic with the result that many of their projects are starved for resources. This is an attempt by us to fill in that gap, to augment the resources of these NGOs so that their programs are carried on successfully, thereby benefiting the poor and marginal people to whom the NGOs serve. Therefore requesting one and all to contribute generously to one or more than one of these NGOs. The fund raising link for each NGOs is given below. You can click on any link, which will take you directly to the payment page. All these NGOs are on the United Way platform so they are vetted properly by the United Way team. All contributions to these NGOs are tax exempt under the Income Tax Act, 1961 and the tax receipts for your donations, will be furnished directly by the respective NGO.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15409

St. Jude India Childcare Centres. St Jude India ChildCare Centres provide free, safe, hygienic accommodation and holistic support to needy cancer affected children travelling with their parents from rural and semi-urban areas to big cities to seek the best cancer treatment. We bridge the gap between free medical treatment provided by the hospital, and physical and emotional support needed by families to complete cancer treatment.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15407

Animedh Charitable Trust – The objectives of ANIMEDH CHARITABLE TRUST (ACT) are to provide support and social services to needy women and children. ACT empowers women to transform their lives by providing vocational training and facilitating income generation opportunities. ACT also promotes basic and higher education for the children, especially the girl-child.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-11843

MOHAN (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network) Foundation’s mission is to ensure that every Indian suffering from end stage organ failure be provided with the ‘gift of life’ through life-saving organ. Its main objectives include creating public awareness about organ donation, training healthcare professionals in transplant coordination, counselling bereaved families to donate their loved ones’ organs.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15411

Light of Life Trust – Light of Life Trust is an NGO registered under the Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1950, works towards realising untapped potential of India’s rural communities and empower them through its 2 verticals – Project Anando (Education) and Project Jagruti (Community Development).

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15412

MENTAID a parents driven initiative, ensures early intervention, education, vocational training, respite care. It promotes Self Advocacy and Independence for children and young adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Through intensive training it empowers their families, 50% of whom come from the economically disadvantaged section of society.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15413

Dignity Foundation’s mission is to create an enlightened society in which senior citizens feel secure, confident and valued, and can live with dignity. We help empower senior citizens with an enriching set of opportunities & programmes so as to lead a more dignified, secure, joyful and fulfilling life.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15414

Bhumi is one of India’s largest independent youth volunteer non-profit organisations. Bhumi as a platform will enable over 12,000 volunteers in more than 12 cities across India for causes like education, environment, animals and community welfare. Bhumi is the recipient of the ‘Leader in Volunteer Engagement Award’ conferred by iVolunteer.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15408

Population First is a communications and advocacy initiative for health and population issues from a gender and social development perspective. Our key objectives are to help reduce gender imbalances in the population and work towards gender sensitive and social development oriented health and population programs.

https://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/tmm-fundraiser-15410

Habitat India beneficiaries are economically poor, low income, marginalized groups considered non-bankable, disaster affected families that includes historically disadvantaged communities. Till date, we have served over 62,025 families comprising of 297,720 individuals through our interventions in Housing, Sanitation, Access to Water and Disaster Response. We are head quartered in Mumbai.

Rebecca

 

Brilliant psychological drama movie from Alfred Hitchcock "Rebecca" (1940) starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) accidentally meets the beautiful Joan Fontaine when he is rather contemplating jumping down a cliff in Monte Carlo. One thing leads to another and soon both are romantically involved. She then becomes his second wife after his first wife Rebecca accidently drowns herself off the sea coast. Rebecca is never shown in the movie, but her imprint is throughout the movie. Her faithful housekeeper Mrs. Denvers is rather too faithful to her memories and seems to be of the devilish and plotting kind. She was too close to Rebecca and adored her too much to bear her loss too badly. Hitchcock twists the plot towards the end to first implicate Maxim with her murder and then it goes around to another tale of her sickness, or probably that she was pregnant or maybe she committed suicide or murder, the plot keeps swinging about till the end. Joan Fontaine as the girl who does not have a name in the movie looked beautiful throughout the movie and acted brilliantly as well.  Laurence Olivier is passable, The film won a clutch of awards for Alfred Hitchcock.