Public Provident Fund (PPF) - Better Investment Option

Public Provident Fund (PPF)

March 31 is around the corner, and most of us are in confusion as to whether to make additional investment or not. If so, where we need to invest and amount of investment etc.,

In my personal opinion, March 31 is just another date in the calendar, which marks the end of financial year. Never get troubled by this date with Investment planning. 

The real purpose of investment is to get the better returns at the end of the maturity period. Tax saving is just one added advantage. Now a days, most of the people think of investing only for tax saving purpose.  It should not be.

In the context of Investment, I would prefer and rather refer Public Provident Fund (PPF) as the best investment option provided the investment is for a long term. It also got tax savings attached to it.

What is PPF :

• PPF is basically a investment tool which can also be used as Tax Saving tool and also be used as a tool for retirement benefits for those who don’t have the facility of pension.
• The investment term (Period) would be 15 Years.
• Loan facility is also available for the PPF account holders after the maturity of 3 years from the date of investment.
• The entire amount (Along with the interest) can be withdrawn only at the end of 15 years. However, partial withdrawals also permitted, subject to certain ceiling limits. Partial withdrawal is permitted from the 7^th Year onwards with the following conditions :

-      We should make partial withdrawal only once a year

-      Such Withdrawals should not exceed

o   50% of balance in our PPF account at the end of 4^th Year (or)

o   50% of balance in our PPF account at the end of immediately preceeding year. (Eg. If we are in  April 2013, immediate preceeding year would be 2012-13) whichever is lower.

• After the maturity (ie.15 years), we have the option to withdraw the same along with interest or extend it to few more years for any years in block of 5 years.(ie. We can extend to another 5 years / 10 years / 15 years etc).

Who can open PPF Account :

• Any individual can open PPF account
• A Person can have only one PPF account in his name
• Account can be opened by either of the parents for a minor child.
• A Grandparent cannot open a PPF account on behalf of a minor child. However , in case of death of both the parents, Grandparents can act as a guardian of the minor and open an account.

Suitability :

The investment in Public Provident Fund is suitable for all class of the people. According to me this scheme is best suited for Younger Generation and people who don’t have pension facility. Following are the reasons to justify my view point :

• Younger generation in the age group of 20 to 30 is best suited for this PPF investment.
• Reason being, this is a long term investment for 15 years. If we are in the age group of around 25 and we just started earning, PPF would be the best option.
• If we think on long term, the roads ahead will have loads of financial burdens. According to me, the major expenditure in the next 15 to 20 years of life would be for the education of our children.
• The cost of education is mounting high year after year. We are totally uncertain where would it reach after 20 years, when we have children who is ready to pursue Higher Education.
• Better to be safe than sorry. Instead of searching for loans at that time for the higher studies of your children, it would be better to make a small amount of investment every year in PPF and which would turn out to be a lumpsum after the maturity.

How to open PPF account :

• We can open PPF account with State Bank of India and its subsidiaries.
• We can also open PPF account in few post offices.
• For the list of SBI and its subsidiaries authorized to operate PPF account in Chennai, Click here
• We can download the PPF account opening form by clicking here

How to operate :

• The PPF account can be operated as simply as our savings bank account.
• Once we submit our account opening form, we will be given a pass book, which is exactly like our savings bank pass book.
• The minimum amount to be invested in PPF account for a year is Rs.500.
• The maximum amount that can be invested in PPF account for a year is Rs.1,00,000
• Deposits can be made in a maximum of 12 installments a year.
• Interest is flexible and will change every year. For the year 2013-14 , the interest is charged at 8.7% per annum. For the previous year 2012-13, it has been charged at 8.8% per annum.
• The interest credited to our account annually on 31^st March of every year and interest is compounded annually.
• We can operate this PPF account like a savings bank account. There is no restriction on minimum monthly payments as we do in case of insurance. We can pay whenever we have excess money in our hand. And there is no fixed amount. If you some Rs.2,000 excess in your hand, well we can deposit the  same in our PPF account anytime.
• Please be cautious that, the Account may gets discontinued if we didn’t make any deposit for whole the year.

Tax Benefits :

• Investment in PPF account is eligible for the tax deduction under section 80C. The maximum permissible deduction under section 80C is Rs.1,00,000.
• The amount which we receive after the maturity of 15 years is Tax-Free. This is the one best advantage from tax point of view in PPF investment. All other investments are taxable on the withdrawal after the maturity.

Conclusion :

PPF is the a better investment option with high yield after its maturity.  As said already, Tax Benefits are just an added advantage to this PPF investment. Don’t wait. Let we start investing from now on and safeguard our future.

Reference : Money control, rediff, taxguru, simple tax india, chartered club,maxutils.

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Chennai No Honking Day – 16th March 2013 (Initiative by Chennai City Traffic Police)

Chennai No Honking Day – 16^th March 2013

(Initiative by Chennai City Traffic Police)

Lets not press the horn one day ! It’s a good initiative by Chennai City Traffic Police and I feel its worth sharing it in my blog . I request all the readers of this post not to press horn (Atleast, try not to press on unnecessary situations) on 16^th March 2013 which is being observed as Chennai No Honking Day by Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP).

Sharing the post made by CCTP in their facebook page.

Subject: No Honking day.

Not ok no horn please!!

Quickly list five things Chennai’s famous for. We wager it sounds something like this. Masala Dosa with filter coffee. December music season. Marina beach. Discerning cricket fans. Mylapore mami tales alongside endearing madras bashai. Now imagine not hearing the sizzle of the dosa batter hitting a hot pan, the sound of coffee poured tall into your tumbler, or being unable to appreciate mellifluous music , sound of waves crashing onto shore, cricket commentary or your auto driver’s take on life. Don’t worry, if present condition is any indication, you won’t have to imagine very long.

It is agreed world over that safe sound levels are below 90db. On an average day, the noise level on Chennai roads is 130db. Some high traffic places like Guindy and T Nagar, register highs up to 142 db. That is comparable to being exposed to loud gunshots over and over again and again.

Sustained exposure to noise levels above 125db can cause ear damage leading to partial or total hearing loss. That’s not all. Continuous exposure to high noise levels has several harmful effects which include increased stress, fatigue, irritation, anger, depression and overall a lower quality of life. No wonder road rage is what it is in the city.

It is more harmful than you think. It is more prevalent than you realize. The highest contributor to noise levels is vehicular traffic and honking followed by loud speakers, machinery, people talking especially when on their mobiles, sirens, alarms and office equipment.

It is more harmful than you think. It is more prevalent than you realize .we should think of ways to reduce noise pollution, not only for our well being but also for others. Noise pollution may not result in death, but it definitely can hamper your health and quality of life. Hence, protect yourself from noise pollution to escape from the long-term health problems.

Children who lived in noisy areas were found to have less concentration and decreased reading ability. Also, adults who worked in noisy environments found it difficult to solve problems and had shorter attention spans.

Join us in a pledge to reduce noise in the city and show your support by not honking one day.

Chennai, No Honking Day.

It’s Saturday, March 16, 2013.

Lets Share and Spread the Awareness !

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The Liebster Blog Award

The Liebster Blog Award

I am recognized with The Liebster Blog Award by two of my friends and many thanks to them. I Am proud to share their names with you all .

1. Kaushik Govindaswamy blogs at http://blogofkaushik.blogspot.in
2. Lakshmi Venkataraman blogs at http://latentinquest.blogspot.in

Thanks to you both for this award and both these Kaushik and Lakshmi’s Blog were too good and worth giving a read. Am sure they both have got too many Liebster Blog Awards and congratz to them.

First and foremost, what is this Liebster Blog Award ?

This is no real award. There are no judges, no special rules. No website with an official team to congratulate you and hold your hand. It's mostly what you want it to be. If you receive the award, you can 1) accept it and 2) pass it along. It's that easy.

This Award is given to the bloggers who have a readership of less than 200 people, in order to motivate them and help them cherish their talent as a writer/ blogger.

Ok, Let we start our journey into the Liebster Blog Award :

Lets start with the rules : (My Favourite - Copy Pasted) :

#1 Each person must post 11 things about themselves. (Honesty is the best policy)

#2 Answer the questions that the tagger set for you 

#3 Choose 11 people and link them in your post.

#4 Create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.

#5 Go to their page and tell them.

#6 No tag backs!

Let me straight away jump to the Rule#1 :

Rule#1 : 11 Things about me

.1. Music is my best companion. I am more crazy towards Indian Music.

.2. I always love to be frank and expect others too.

.3. I like to take up challenges without any hesitation. Challenges shows door for opportunity.

.4. A optimistic person, who expects India to win the match even if India needs 10 runs in last ball.

.5. I want to have my own way of leading the life. Don’t want to follow the footsteps of others.

.6. I Want to serve for the society by creating awareness campaigns of lesser known things and to work for its implementation.

.7. I love what I do. I always love my job, even if it is hectic and pressure, I enjoy being busy.

.8. Want to remove the stigma from the minds of the people that Social networking sites are useless. Want to let the people aware of the  best use of social networking sites.

.9. I am fond of inspirational stories. Always interested in motivating the people.

.10. I am the one who believes in telling “Make a good day” Instead of “Have a good day”. Since god has given 24 hours, It is up to us to make it good or bad. Start telling “Make a good day”.

.11. Last but not least,I want to make my parents proud to have me as their son.

Rule#2 : Answers for the questions asked by Kaushik & Lakshmi :

Part 1 : Answers to Kaushik’s Questions :

1. Given a chance, what would you transform into?

A good musician and a social activist.

2. Who inspired you to start blogging?

That’s a small story. I have been posting about the inspiring personalities in my FB wall post. One of my friend name “Harun Raaj Guptha” has suggested me to start making blogposts.

3. What was your first post about?

My first post was about the Inspirational Story of Mr.Chandramohan – Founder of Arun Ice Cream (Hatsun Group).

4. Which season do you like and why?

Winter Season and a early morning travel in winter season. I like it just because of its short stay J

5. Which is the naughtiest prank you have ever done?

During my childhood days, It was in my Hindi tuition. Just to take a revenge on the other studious guy there, I just scribbled some things in his test paper and made him getting scolding from the teacher..

6. Have you understood the purpose of life?

The most difficult question and my answer would be Partly yes .

7. At which moment of your life, you could feel yourself flying over the clouds?

Nothing makes me feel like that. Just wanted to be normal. Because if I am expecting for some things like that, the failure in that part might halt me from taking the further steps. If I suppose to tell one moment, it would be the moment when my parents tell “I am proud of you my son”.

8. Can you mention the most stupid tweet you have ever tweeted?

Some years back, made a new year wish a day earlier.

9. WHY? (Give any answer that strikes your mind)

Over enthusiasm.

10. Am I crazy?

I think Yes !

11. What is the significance of the number 11 in this award? :D

I don’t think there is any significance. Just to puzzle us J

Part 2 : Answers to Lakshmi’s Questions :

1. Euthanasia is illegal in India. Do you support it?

No. I never support it. Especially, involuntary Euthanasia by the doctors should not be encouraged at all.

2. East, West, North and South are the directions which have been named so by man for convenience; If given a chance to change what will you change it to?

I want it to be changed, but don’t know what can I replace it with.

3. Will social media interactions replace personal contact in the future?

I think Yes. It opens the door for virtual friendship and people values virtual friendship more than the real friendship.

 4. If you could talk with one author/poet/writer/photographer/cook (any one) who would it be?

Obviously it is Rashmi Bansal.

5. Why do you blog?

To be frank, am blogging just for my pleasure and it gives a peace of mind when I am down with something. Also want to motivate others.

6. Is sarcasm healthy?

It depends on how the other person takes it. For me, it is healthy.

7. Does the dress one wears, music they listen to, people they hangout with etc etc, define what their character is?

Of course yeah.

8. What is the most beautiful place on earth?

All the places with natural surroundings.

9. What will your super-power be, if you were in a position to acquire just one super power?

If there any power which can purifies a person’s thinking and his behavior, I will opt for that super-power.

10. Which is the best place to be in Chennai and at what time, season is it?

Harbour – During Yacht racing. If you are a member of RMYC yacht club, just take part of this racing. It would be a life time experience. Thankfully I got opportunity to take part in it once.

11. What do you think Chennai is best for?

Varied culture.

Hub of people across the globe.

Shopping etc.

Rule # 3 : 11 People whom I am awarding Liebster Blog Award :

1.Bala Iyengar

2.Sushmithal

3.Sahithya Sridhar

4.Sivaranjini Balasubramaniam

5.Vid Dev

6.Vishnuvardhan

7.Clement Williams 

8.Prashanth Ashok

9.Deepa Iyer 

10.Gayathree Ganesan 

11.Gayu Venkat 

Rule #4: My 11 questions for the Winners of my choice :

1) What is the most happiest moment day in your life and why ?

2) Who is the one person who inspires you most and why ?

3) How you want to see yourself in the next 3 years ?

4) If you have given an opportunity to create and implement one social awareness campaign , what would it be ?

5) What is the best blog you have ever read (Can restrict to blogs of CBC members) ?

6) Education or Experience – What would you vote for ? You should select one and tell why ?

7) You are given a option to have a conversation with one person, who is no more. Who will you chose and why ?

8) What did you want to be when you are a child and what you are now and what you want to be in future ?

9) Make a rhythmic prefixes for the 7 days of week . Eg: Super Sunday, Marvellous Monday etc.,

10) What is the Best and Worst in Blogging ?

11) If a movie was made about your life, what would be the title for the movie and who will you chose to play the lead role ?

Thank you all for the time and enjoy reading my friends’ blog as well.

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Inspiring Personalities : Mr.A.D.Padmasingh Isaac – Founder of Aachi Group of Companies (AACHI MASALA)

Inspiring Personalities : Mr.A.D.Padmasingh Isaac – Founder of Aachi Group of Companies (AACHI MASALA)

Am back with my regular blog post and this time am going to share about another inspiring personality and a Humble man - Mr.A.D.Padmasingh Isaac. Many of us could recognize his name and correlate with his brand. His story will be SPICY.

Now you have got a clue and yeah he is founder of Aachi Masala and its group companies. Before I start posting about his history and growth,  I must thank Murali sir (Muraliistening Blogspot) for allowing me to take the content from his interview along with some other articles in newspapers cited at the end.

Birth and Initial Stages :

Mr. A.D.Padmasingh Isaac was born in Nazareth Town in Tirunelveli District. After obtaining his Degree in Business Administration he joined Godrej Soaps Marketing wing. During his decade of association with Godrej, he not only learnt but also understood the aspects of marketing consumer Products fully. Today he has over thirty years of experience in marketing of consumer products.

Birth of Aachi :

The urge and desire in him to do something to reach quality consumer goods to the needy made him to start his own in a small way in the year 1989 to manufacture Liquid Blue in small packs valued at Re.1/-. This humble  beginning paved the way for the Aachi group to diversify to masala, Oil etc., and to reach greater heights and this year the group is expected to cross Rs 200 crores of turnover. Aachi brand was established and registered in the year 1998.  

During the sixteen years of operations the journey has not been comfortable always. However Mr. Isaac strongly believes beside his hard work it is also the Almighty who is constantly encouraging, guiding and instilling confidence in him to continue the good work which keeps him going. He believes in the saying "when the going is tough the tough gets going". He always acknowledges the blessings of the Almighty and is always grateful to him.

Stress on Branding :

In an Interview to the Hindu Mr.Isaac has said that Top priority should be given to branding a product in the market at the initial stage itself.

Addressing a meet conducted by the Tuticorin chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry , he said that only when brand image of any product appealed to the consumers, it could trigger sales, leading to more revenue  and profit margin. Small scale industries would not survive in the market, if foreign direct investments were allowed in that sector. Hence, to withstand in a competitive market, branding was all the more essential. To promote a brand, catchy advertisements must be created, he said and added that about six percent of annual turnover from his company was spent on advertisements in the initial stages. But now, advertisement spending had been reduced to two percent.

In another Interview on Vijay TV, he emphazised on the Importance of Networks.  He told that Branding and Proper reliable Networking ensures the success of an entity at all levels and that makes the Aachi a successful brand across the globe.

Aachi – Holds the permanent space in the Kitchen :

Today "Aachi" has become a household name. Simply because the product range is so wide and backed up by quality products that no household can  afford to miss Aachi products from their kitchen shelf. The upper most reason for the success of the group can be attributed to meeting the demand of consumer in every walk of life by pricing the product competitively and in various size packs which can be afforded by common man. In other words Aachi can be termed as Pioneers in bringing Masala, Pickle, etc. in One Rupee packet which is well within the reach of every household.

Aachi – Beyond Boundary :

Mr. Isaac has not only succeeded in making Aachi a household name within the country but also made the product familiar in Indian household abroad. Aachi is efficiently backed up by M/s Nazareth Foods (P) Ltd.,an ISO 9000 Certified company in the manufacturing activities and Aachi Masala Foods (P) Ltd., in the marketing wings of the company which takes care of distribution of these products.

The Product range comprises of  Masalas, Pickles, Thokku, Ready to Eat and  Ready to Cook Product,  Asafoetida, Appalam, Edible Oil, Ghee, Nutritious Food products, Atta, Rava, Vermicelli.

Family & Business :

Mr. Isaac is ably supported in his work by his wife Mrs.Thelma who heads Nazareth Foods (P) Ltd. as its Managing Director and takes complete care of  manufacturing of masalas which is the flagship product of the company.

Mr. Isaac has two sons. Elder son Ashwin Pandian is in the First Year of his MBA course and the younger son Abishek Abraham is specializing in Food Technology. These two are being trained the hard way to learn the operations and become familiar with the organization.

The marketing activities are looked after by well experienced and qualified personnel under the able Leadership and guidance of Mr.Isaac. Mr.Isaac strongly feels "An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success."

Mr. Isaac is confident of becoming one of the players in the global market in the years to come.

Social Welfare :

It will not be out of place to mention that Mr.Isaac is not only an entrepreneur and a business man but also understands his responsibility towards the society.

Mr. A.D. Padmasingh Isaac, conscious of his social responsibilities, has been providing quality education at affordable cost to children as the Trustee of ICI Matriculation School, Anna Nagar and Kolathur. His vi  sion is to start  many such schools providing quality education to all, particularly to the under privileged sections of the society.

He also employs physically challenged, destitute and economically backward people. People here works with high self esteem and pride of ownership for being entrusted with the work. 

Visually challenged people work in packaging and preservation division. Physically challenged people work in counting and related division. Mr.Padmasingh Isaac ensures that the people who are from economically  backwards Section of the society are given job security, uniforms, lunch and transport besides salary on par with others.

Successful entrepreneurs are the ones that are persistent, motivated, independent and hardworking. They have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and set out to form a plan, followed by an action in order to reach their goals. Mr.A.D.Padmasingh Isaac is truly a successful entrepreneur.

Source : Muralilistening.blogspot, The Hindu, The Businessline, Aachi group website .

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Sequential Post on We Men Celebrating Women’s Day – Osteoporosis Disease (For Chennai Bloggers Club)

Sequential Post on We Men Celebrating Women’s Day – Osteoporosis Disease (For Chennai Bloggers Club)

“Osteoporosis” is the next disease which am going to share with you all as a part of We Men Celebrating Women’s Day .

What is Osteoporosis :

Osteoporosis, which means “porous bones,” is a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle, leading to fractures. Osteoporosis usually progresses painlessly until a fracture occurs, usually in the hip, spine or wrist. The condition can cause pain, difficulty breathing, a loss of independence and even death when complications occur from some fractures.

Why Women are more prone to Osteoporosis than Men :

Women tend to have smaller, thinner bones than men.

Estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases sharply when women reach menopause, which can cause bone loss. This is why the chance of developing osteoporosis increases as women reach menopause.

Studies have been revealing that, In the five – seven years following menopause, a woman can lose up to 20% of her bone density.

Occurrence of Osteoporosis in Asian – African Women :

About 20 percent of Asian American women age 50 and older are estimated to have osteoporosis.

More than half of all Asian American women age 50 and older are estimated to have low bone density, which means their bones are getting weaker but they don’t yet have osteoporosis.

About 90 percent of Asian American adults are lactose intolerant, which can make it difficult to get enough calcium.

Precautions :

Osteoporosis is usually preventable. Females need to take steps to protect the health of their bones while they are still children and throughout their teenage and young adult years, since peak bone mass is usually obtained by age 30 or before. Building strong bones at a young age lessens the effect of the natural bone loss that occurs after menopause.

Get Enough Calcium and Vitamin D

Eat Well Balanced Diet

Exercise for atleast 30 Minutes a day

Avoid smoking and drinking

Symptoms :

Osteoporosis is called the "silent disease" because bone is lost with no signs. You may not know that you have osteoporosis until a strain, bump, or fall causes a bone to break.

Some of the symptoms which have been cited are

There are no symptoms in the early stages of osteoporosis. Many times, people will have a fracture before learning that they have the disease.

Pain almost anywhere in the spine can be caused by fractures of the bones of the spine. These are called compression fractures. They often occur without an injury. The pain occurs suddenly or slowly over time.

There can be a loss of height (as much as 6 inches) over time. A stooped posture or kyphosis (also called a dowager's hump) may develop.

Diagnosis :

Diagnosing osteoporosis in young women usually involves several steps. While these steps may differ for each person, they may include:

Your medical history

Physical exam

Bone mineral density (bone density) testing

Lab  tests

X-rays

Please be aware that Osteoporosis can be prevented. Hence if you come across any of the symptoms as mentioned above, be extremely careful and consult the doctor in this regard. Osteoporosis can be prevented if we diagnose the fractures and other symptoms early. Earlier the Better.

With this am completing my post about We Men Celebrating Women’s Day. Thanks to Chennai Bloggers Club for their support and their initiative which made me to search and research on these diseases which should be brought to notice of the women.

Guys, if you come across any such symptoms of Auto-Immune disease (Which I posted yesterday) and Osteoporosis in your mom, sister, spouse, friends etc please make them aware . For all the diseases, the manthra will be “earlier the better” .

Let this post be an Eye – Opener and make a better tomorrow.

Happy Women’s Day, Chant the Slogan “Healthy Tomorrow”.

References : idph site, nof.org, niams site

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