Maybe the name should be changed to that of the NRI Premiere League now; given that more NRI’s will now be watching the match live at the ground rather than Indians. Last year, the Indian Premier League (after initial criticism of the high costs involved), turned into a spectacular crowd fest, with huge audience participation. The T-20 cricket tournament was a huge TV success, to the extent that movie makers were reluctant to release movies in the same time frame. So, when the cricket tournament was planned for the second run this year, there was a wide spread anticipation that the tournament would be even bigger and more spectacular this year.
And then the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan, the neighboring country where attacks by militants are common. The attack was the first manifestation that radical elements were starting to attack the popular game of cricket; the first reaction was to lay out the differences between India and Pakistan in term of security and to emphasize that playing of the game was safe in India. One does not want the perception that the security situation in India is so bad that the Government cannot ensure security for international sportspersons. After all, the Commonwealth Games are planned for 2010, and security is one of the critical points.
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The din surrounding the controversy over the CEC’s recommendation to the President regarding removal of his colleague is growing shriller thereby threatening to obfuscate the real issues involved. Firstly the characters involved, both the present CEC and the EC, whose removal he has recommended will not be around for long. Secondly, while the power of the CEC to recommend removal of an EC is apparent from the wording of the proviso to Article 324(5), it is open to interpretation whether such recommendation can be made suo motu or only upon a query from the appointing authority i.e. the President of India. So these cannot be the issues around which the present debate should centre. The real concern should be the autonomy of the institution itself. Though the Election Commission has done a commendable job in the past years and proved itself to be an impartial body, its autonomy is still a work in progress.
As the time for income tax comes close, investment into the right instruments is critical. As events of the past one year have shown, investment into the stock markets have a factor of risk that needs to be factored in. This is even more important for senior citizens who are more averse to this risk, given that capital protection remains an important goal for them. Towards this end, one major investment instrument for Senior Citizens is the Senior Citizens Saving Scheme 2004. Some of the salient features of this scheme are:
The scheme is available for citizens above 60 years of age; however a provision has been put in place for individuals who have crossed 55 years of age. Such individuals may invest subject to the conditions that,
* The person has retired under a voluntary retirement scheme or a special voluntary retirement scheme on the date of making the investment,
* The investment is made within three months of the date of retirement,