Economy

Till about a week ago, the answer to this would have been, "Only CTS-2010 Standard cheques will be valid after 31st Dec 2012". The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the date for banks and consumers to meet the standard to 31st March 2013, vide circular dated 14th Dec 2012.  What does this all mean? CTS = Cheque Truncation System The basis of CTS technology lies in the use of images of cheques (instead of the physical cheques) for payment processing. So cheques will not physically travel to the originating bank for clearance, but instead, scanned images will be transmitted. This will also eliminate the concept of…

Till about a week ago, the answer to this would have been, "Only CTS-2010 Standard cheques will be valid after 31st Dec 2012". The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the date for banks and consumers to meet the standard to 31st March 2013, vide circular dated 14th Dec 2012.  What does this all mean? CTS = Cheque Truncation System The basis of CTS technology lies in the use of images of cheques (instead of the physical cheques) for payment processing. So cheques will not physically travel to the originating bank for clearance, but instead, scanned images will be transmitted. This will also eliminate the concept of…

We are talking a lot about banning plastic bags now, and in BTM Layout, I came across this sign (at Disney Bakery):This (apart from the multi-spelling of "environment") set me thinking. There seems to be a lot of greenwash going around. How, if plastic is banned, are we willing to sell it? Is this not just one more way of making money? I think it's time to BAN plastic bags, not just SELL them. ⊕

Disney Bakery in BTM Layout is one of the many immensely popular "Bun" joints...where one can get an inexpensive bun with a variety of stuffings, along with coffee or tea, for a filling and quite wholesome meal-on-the-go.Here's one of the staff, giving me a friendly wave:Here are the two parts of the eatery: the beverages part:and the edibles part:Here's their most popular bun...bun-butter-congress (peanuts are called congress here!), along with a lemon tea and a chai:Masala sandwiches and other items are brought in by vans:Rules about smoking and disposal of waste are clearly posted...Instead of the old, slowly-burning coir rope,…

We are talking a lot about banning plastic bags now, and in BTM Layout, I came across this sign (at Disney Bakery):This (apart from the multi-spelling of "environment") set me thinking. There seems to be a lot of greenwash going around. How, if plastic is banned, are we willing to sell it? Is this not just one more way of making money? I think it's time to BAN plastic bags, not just SELL them. ⊕

Disney Bakery in BTM Layout is one of the many immensely popular "Bun" joints...where one can get an inexpensive bun with a variety of stuffings, along with coffee or tea, for a filling and quite wholesome meal-on-the-go.Here's one of the staff, giving me a friendly wave:Here are the two parts of the eatery: the beverages part:and the edibles part:Here's their most popular bun...bun-butter-congress (peanuts are called congress here!), along with a lemon tea and a chai:Masala sandwiches and other items are brought in by vans:Rules about smoking and disposal of waste are clearly posted...Instead of the old, slowly-burning coir rope,…

"Freedom is another word for nothing left to lose", said someone. But, for many people who often lose the little that they have, freedom is another wor(l)d. And that wor(l)d did not appear on 15th August 1947 or later for the majority who live in India at present. In fact, such a wor(l)d may never exist at all for this majority. So, sometime in mid 2007 some of us in Bangalore and other parts of the country decided that we should support and celebrate ongoing struggles for freedom. From that emerged the idea of a Civil Society Summit (CSS) -…

"Freedom is another word for nothing left to lose", said someone. But, for many people who often lose the little that they have, freedom is another wor(l)d. And that wor(l)d did not appear on 15th August 1947 or later for the majority who live in India at present. In fact, such a wor(l)d may never exist at all for this majority. So, sometime in mid 2007 some of us in Bangalore and other parts of the country decided that we should support and celebrate ongoing struggles for freedom. From that emerged the idea of a Civil Society Summit (CSS) -…

With the presence of the PNLIT Store on eBay Charity, I've become a regular user of India Post and courier service companies - to dispatch purchases that have been made by donor buyers. We've had buyers from all parts of India, from large cities like Delhi and Mumbai to small towns like Chittoor and Soraba. To minimize our costs, I've always been on the look out for the cheapest way of shipping the products. So I've had the opportunity of experiencing the different India Post products and those of courier service companies too.We're all aware that recently there have been price…

With the presence of the PNLIT Store on eBay Charity, I've become a regular user of India Post and courier service companies - to dispatch purchases that have been made by donor buyers. We've had buyers from all parts of India, from large cities like Delhi and Mumbai to small towns like Chittoor and Soraba. To minimize our costs, I've always been on the look out for the cheapest way of shipping the products. So I've had the opportunity of experiencing the different India Post products and those of courier service companies too.We're all aware that recently there have been price…