Helpful Suggestions: Interest in PPF

Helpful Suggestions: Interest in PPF: "The increase in interest in Employer's Provident Fund to 9.5% will be widely welcomed by Salaried persons. But Retired Senior Citizens dese..."

Interest in PPF

The increase in interest in Employer's Provident Fund to 9.5% will be widely welcomed by Salaried persons. But Retired Senior Citizens deserve greater attention. A similar increase in Public Provident Fund for Senior citizen's is urgently called for. Retired Senior citizens are living on interest from PPF and Bank FD and Senior citizen's saving Scheme (SCSS) and Post office Monthly income scheme (MIS). As inflation has gone sky high, they are finding it extremely difficult to lead a decent life with this interest income. If a separate PPF Account with higher interest rates is created for their benefit, they will get some relief. Finance minister should therefore raise the interest in PPF, MIS and SCSS

Direct Tax Code and Senior Citizen

Senior citizens have been given peanuts in the revised Direct Tax Code. The exemption limit has been increased by a paltry Rs 10000, while the inflation has gone skyhigh and Bank interest rates have nosedived. Many Senior citizens live on interest income from their retirement benfits . The least that should be done is to increase the interest rates for Senior citizens from Senior Citizen Saving Scheme and Bank deposits. Concession in Railway tickets should be increased to 50% and concession should be given in low cost airlines. Income tax exemption limit should be increased atleast to Rs. 3lakh. Finance minister should give Senior Citizens an opportunity to give vent to their problems before finalising incometax proposal.

Suicide by women

Suicide by women/girls from upper strata of society is often reported nowadays. This is found mostly among cine artistes, air hostess and models. The reason often cited is failed love affair. The story often goes like this with some variations. The girl is love with a boy for over a few years and was eagerly looking forward to marry him and have a happy domestic life. When she broached the boy for marriage, the boy was not prepared to commit himself to it. Maybe he wanted it to be a temperory flirting or he was not still sure that she will be compatible to him. Dejected and depressed girl commits suicide. This should have been prevented had she relaised how lucky she was that she found out the extent of love and commitment the boy had with before marriage. It has also given an insight to her to the boy's character, flicklemindedness and lack of commitment to values in life. If she has to come to relise this after marriage, her life would have become miserable especially if she had a child. The suicide could have been averted if her close relatives and friends have highlighted these points to her.

Cricket records

To enable Muralidaran to reach 800 victims, Srilankan caption is reported to have taken out Malinga from the attack. On an earliar occasion, Indian team caption asked feloow bowlers of Anil Kumble not to take wicket to enable the latter to get 10 wickets in an innings. Dinesh Karthik was once criticised for not giving more strike to Sachin Tendulkar to enable him to score a century in a one day match. These acts should be deplored. The game should be played in a natural way, the only consideration being what benefits team most. Supposing rain has intervened in the recent test, Srilanka might have been deprived of a win. Records or landmarks should be achieved in a natural way and without artificial assistance from caption or fellow players.

Exempt poor girls school fees

Girls of poor/underpriveleged get fee waiver in government aided schools only from 5th standard in Maharashtra. They have to pay monthly fees up to Rs 250 from 1st to 5th standard. With literacy abysmally low among girl students of poor, this sounds highly illogical. Apart from fees, there are other expenses like books, notebooks, uniforms and bus charges which lead to heavy burden and consequently to huge drop outs. If Government is serious about improving literacy, first step would be to make education free for girl students from 1st standard. The expenses can be met by creating a fund and making donations to this fund exempt form incometax

Senior Citizen's Saving Scheme

In Senior Citizen Savings Scheme, TDS will be deducted even if annual interest is low, say below Rs. 500, unless 15H form is submitted. This causes considerable hardship to Senior Citizens, as they have to submit 15 H before end of June every year. Many low middle class Senior Citizens earn low interest from Senior citizens Saving Scheme. Government should therefore fix a limit for interest below which 15H need not be submitted just as inBank FDs where TDS will not be deducted if interest is below 10000