MUMBAI WARMS UP TO PRE SEASON ALPHONSOS

Greencart.in Introduces Its Range of Branded, Naturally Ripened, 100% Carbide Free Alphonsos

Mumbai: With the city beginning to warm up to the king of fruits following a relative drop in prices, Greencart.in has launched its own range of branded Alphonso mangoes. Available in six different varieties, the mangoes are graded, packaged and come with one hundred percent naturally ripened and carbide free guarantee.

“Mangoes of a particular variety that grow in the coastal belt of Konkan and certain areas of South Gujarat are called Alphonso Mangoes. The soil, the climate, the proximity to the sea, the wind and the temperature that the crop are exposed to are some of the key factors that determine their texture, aroma, color and flavor. Alphonso mangoes from Devgad are said to be the best followed by those from the neighboring Ratnagiri,” says Rajiv Tevtiya, co founder and CEO.

The Greencart mangoes, currently available at www.greencart.in, comprise six varieties of Alphonsos sourced from select orchards of Devgad and Ratnagiri. Greencart’s in-depth expertise in Agribusiness help them source topnotch quality from the select farms.  “Our mangoes differ from those available at local vendors.

They are hand graded for standardization and naturally ripened at Government approved ripening chambers. Natural ripening is a long and intensive process that incurs substantial costs. So most vendors resort to ripening the mangoes artificially by using a banned toxic powder called Calcium Carbide, which are known to cause severe health damages. Our mangoes come with a carbide free guarantee,” he adds.

Alphonso mangoes available at this time of year are pre-season mangoes, which are mild in taste and aroma. They are more flavor some and less sweeter than their full season counterparts that are expected to hit the market by mid-April.

Greencart.in is a Mumbai based online portal specializing in fresh produce and gourmet food. It had recently secured US $ 1.5 million in its first round of funding. It currently offers more than 1500 products in over thirty categories. Its fresh range is one of the most extensive in the city and is currently unmatched by any online or brick and mortar store. The full range of products can be viewed at www.greencart.in.  The products are currently delivered across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & Thane and will soon be available in other parts.

Private Enterprise To Thrive In Mumbai Under AAP Ki Sarkar - Announces Opposition To LBT, APMCs & Other Multi Layered Taxes

“Private Enterprise To Thrive In Mumbai Under AAP Ki Sarkar” – Satish Jain

Announces Opposition To LBT, APMCs & Other Multi Layered Taxes

                                                                

Mumbai: “Contrary to what is projected by certain political parties, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) style of governance will help businesses and private enterprises thrive in Mumbai. We will encourage and help citizens to create wealth and improve their standards of living,” announced the former fund manager and current AAP candidate for Lok Sabha from North Mumbai, Satish Jain.

An alumnus of IIM Bangalore and an integral part of brand India, Satish Jain says AAP has always been in support of the hard working and honest business class. “We are only against crony capitalism. We are against those business houses that exploit the system and extract special favours from the Government. Such practices, anyways, are detrimental to sustainable growth and development,” he explains.

“An administration that is fair and honest will ensure that all business houses get equal opportunities and work under a level playing field. But what has happened till now is that successive Governments have been granting special privileges and licenses to a favoured few. These privileged few either get to extract national resources like gas, coal and iron ore at a fraction of the real value or get permission to operate as a monopoly. In either case, the nation loses revenue and end users pay a higher charge. Only crooked business houses and corrupt politicians benefit from such practices,” he adds.

Part of the core team that developed the manifesto and economic policy of AAP, Satish was also responsible for exposing the multi crore electricity scam in Maharashtra. “We are only against malpractices that business houses indulge in the name of capitalism. Crony capitalism not only makes India poor but also majority of the Indians poorer. Clean businesses, on the other hand, make the nation rich. Vendors who sell vada-pav; corner shops that sell grocery; consultants who advise their clients; artists who design visiting cards; CAs who write accounts; techies who develop websites, are all doing businesses, and contributing to the growth of the nation. We want all of them, big or small, to flourish,” he adds.

“AAP supports General Sales Tax (GST), however it is against Local Body Tax (LBT), APMCs and other multi-layered middlemen. We believe that if corruption is reduced and the ‘parallel economy’ integrated into the mainstream economy, growth would accelerate. Tax collections can go up even if tax rates are cut, reducing the fiscal deficit to less than 2% of GDP. Given India’s favorable demographics, the opportunity to create India into a economic powerhouse is immense if we can provide transparency, integrity and participative policies.”

“Mumbai has a throbbing business culture and a thriving business community. AAP will ensure that the environment is healthy and friendly. With the adoption of strong anti corruption practices that we will put in place, emerging entrepreneurs will not need to make multiple rounds for their ‘Goumusth’ or other registrations. Our policies will benefit all residents of Mumbai, be they rich or poor,” concludes Satish Jain.

Satish Jain’s entry into politics is preceded by an impressive track record in the financial sector. Rated by many surveys as one of the top fund managers in Asia, Satish’s career spanned eighteen years in the financial sector and included stints with Morgan Stanley and HDFC as Executive Director and Portfolio Manager. Allied with Arvind Kejriwal since the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement and inspired by the same, Satish Jain has quit his lucrative career to join full time politics. He is one of the 317 candidates fielded by AAP for the current Lok Sabha elections. Other candidates fielded by the party include, Mayank Gandhi from Mumbai North West, Medha Patkar from Mumbai North East, Meera Sanyal from Mumbai South, Phiroze Palkhiwala from Mumbai North Central and Sunder Balakrishnan from Mumbai South Central.

APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT IN POLITICS

Mumbai: A post graduate from the prestigious B-school, IIM Bangalore, Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) nominee for Lok Sabha from North Mumbai, Satish Jain has announced his plans of applying text book management principles to make the constituency one of the most progressive in the world.

Satish Jain’s entry into politics is preceded by an impressive track record in the financial sector. Rated by many surveys as one of the top fund managers in India, Satish’s career that spanned eighteen years has included stints with Morgan Stanley and HDFC as Executive Director and Portfolio Manager.

“Building structures, systems and procedures are my core strengths. If I get elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) from this constituency, I will adopt a professional approach for identifying issues and solving them. I will develop systems using state of the art technology to enable each and every resident approach me and discuss their concerns, disputes and ideas,” says the 45-year-old AAP candidate.

While Mumbai North has been one of the most prestigious constituencies that was once represented by V K Krishna Menon and from where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar had sought representation, in terms of progress it remains one of the most backward and underdeveloped constituencies of Mumbai.

“It is sheer mis-management and lack of proper representation that is responsible for the chaos that marks this constituency. The pandemonium at railway stations during peak hours, the non-availability of bus or rickshaws from (and to) railway stations to homes, nonexistent traffic maintenance, lack of east-west connectivity and lack of educational infrastructure are some of the problems that ail this constituency. With a little political will and application of the mind these problems can be easily solved,” adds Satish Jain. “If animals were crammed in a Mumbai train, as humans are travelling now, I am sure Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals would have found it objectionable, and justifiably so.”

Allied with Arvind Kejriwal since the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement and inspired by the same, Satish Jain has quit his lucrative career to join full time politics. He has been working extensively on the economic policy and manifesto for AAP and was responsible for exposing the Rs. 22,000/- crore electricity scam in Maharashtra. He is one of the 317 candidates fielded by AAP for the current Lok Sabha elections. Other prominent leaders fielded by the party in Mumbai include, Mayank Gandhi, Mumbai North West, Medha Patkar, Mumbai North East, Meera Sanyal, Mumbai South

SATISH JAIN, AAM AADMI PARTY CANDIDATE FROM NORTH MUMBAI

Enabling Change Through Direct Participation In Politics

“Politics is the science of ideal Governance, and not, as the popular belief goes, the art of winning and maintaining an elected office,” Will Durant 

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Lok Sabha candidate from North Mumbai constituency, Satish Jain is a B-School grad and one of Asia’s top rated fund managers who gave up his lucrative career to take up full time politics. The 45-year old finance professional, has served as the Portfolio Manager for HDFC and Executive Director for Morgan Stanley, among others, in a highflying career that spanned eighteen years.

Satish has grand visions for North Mumbai. He plans to apply text book management principles to make the constituency one of the most progressive in the world. Some of the key issues he has identified include extremely overloaded public transportation system; poor East-West connectivity; insufficient number of schools, colleges and hospitals; and non-availability of play grounds for general public, among others. He believes that with a little bit of political will and integrity of intent, the problems and issues of the constituency could have been solved a long time back.

Coming from a meritorious and corporate background, Satish has strong views about the inefficient and bureaucratic way the Government is run today. He envisages a system where incentives and deterrence stimulate the Government machinery to make quicker and people centric decisions. 

Allied with Arvind Kejriwal since the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement and inspired by the same, Satish has been working extensively on the economic policy and manifesto of AAP. He was also responsible for exposing the electricity scam in Maharashtra.

Satish is deeply spiritual and practices Raja Yoga meditation. His wife, Meenal Jain, is an artist by profession and an engineer by degree. He has two children, Dhwanit and Kartika.

He is one of the six candidates fielded by AAP in Mumbai. Other candidates of the party include, Mayank Gandhi from Mumbai North West, Medha Patkar from Mumbai North East, Meera Sanyal from Mumbai South, Phiroze Palkhiwala from Mumbai North Central and Sunder Balakrishnan from Mumbai South Central.

North Mumbai Lok Sabha constituency covers the six Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) segments of Borivali, Dahisar, Magathane, Kandivali East, Charkop and Malad West.

Some of the key promises of AAP for Mumbai include reduction of electricity tariffs for lower end domestic households; construction of new schools and hospitals; crusade against donations to educational institutes; smoothening road commute and enabling better east-west connectivity by building more flyover and bringing in Metro; and, putting a stop to slum demolition till newer houses are provided to slum dwellers.

One of the youngest political parties in India, AAP was launched a year back to rid the corruption and rot that set into the system.

AAP CANDIDATE SATISH JAIN TO STAY OVERNIGHT WITH SLUM DWELLERS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR PROBLEMS

Mumbai: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Lok Sabha candidate from North Mumbai constituency, Satish Jain will stay overnight with slum dwellers of Malvani in Malad West, a suburb of Mumbai, tonight, to better understand the problems and issues faced by them. The stay will be preceded by multiple meetings and a dinner with the residents.

“The issues faced by slum dwellers are different from middle and upper class. Through this exercise we are looking at gaining a better perspective and first hand understanding,” says Satish Jain, an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and one of India’s leading fund managers who quit his lucrative job to join full time politics.

“We will collate all the information and create procedures and processes to address and solve their problems. Decades of mismanagement and corruption are responsible for their current plight. With a little bit of political will and integrity of intent, not only the slum dwellers, but all of us can improve our quality of lives,” says the 45-year old AAP candidate.

One of the youngest political parties, AAP was launched a year back to rid the corruption and rot that set into the system. “Traditional political parties have an interest in maintaining the status quo. Their office bearers are career politicians who make money from fixing and brokering with police, municipality and other statutory agencies. How can anything change if the same set of people are re-elected into Government,” questions Satish Jain.

Part of the core team that developed the manifesto and economic policy of AAP, Satish was also responsible for exposing the recent multi - crore electricity scam in Maharashtra. His entry into politics is preceded by an impressive track record in the financial sector. Rated by many surveys as one of the top fund managers in India, Satish’s career spanned eighteen years in the financial sector and included stints with Morgan Stanley and HDFC as Executive Director and Portfolio Manager. Allied with Arvind Kejriwal since the India Against Corruption (IAC) movement and inspired by the same, Satish Jain has quit his lucrative career to join full time politics. He is one of the 317 candidates fielded by AAP for the current Lok Sabha elections. Other candidates fielded by the party include, Mayank Gandhi from Mumbai North West, Medha Patkar from Mumbai North East, Meera Sanyal from Mumbai South, Phiroze Palkhiwala from Mumbai North Central and Sunder Balakrishnan from Mumbai South Central.

HOTEL INDUSTRY FILES WRIT PETITION WITH HC - OPPOSES 50% HIKE IN THE EXCISE LICENSE FEE OF PERMIT ROOMS

Mumbai: In response to Maharashtra Government’s proposal to increase the license fee of permit rooms and wine shops, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI)  in Maharashtra has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High court opposing the proposed hike.

The Maharashtra Government had in the month of February proposed to hike the license fee of permit rooms and wine shops by as much as 50%. This had come in for heavy criticism from the hospitality industry which had termed the proposal as regressive and a certain death knell for the hotel industry.

“Hotels in Maharashtra are one of the most taxed in the world. The industry cannot bear any more burdens. As it is, the hotels pay an aggregate of direct and indirect taxes to the tune of 38% overall, compared to 5-7% taxes in countries like Japan and China. We have now reached the stretch point. If the proposed hike in fees comes into effect many hotels will shut down. Hence, we’ve taken this step to protect the interests of the hotel industry and will hope for justice,” says Mr. D.S. Advani, President, HRAWI.

HRAWI has informed all its hotel & restaurant members regarding the development and requested to await the outcome of the case before renewing their excise license. The hearing of the same is likely to come up for Hearing before the 25^th of March 2014.

“As it is customers have been complaining of high costs. Any more increase and they will entirely stop visiting permit rooms. This does not mean that they will stop consuming alcohol; it will merely result in customers opting to drink at their houses or shifting to spurious liquor or country liquor. Consequently a lot of permit rooms will close down and employees will lose jobs, besides of course the gross tax collections witnessing a drop,” says Mr. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, HRAWI.

License fee for permit rooms is proposed to be increased from Rs. 366,000 to Rs. 544,000 and that for beer shops, from Rs. 95,000 to Rs. 150,000. 

HRAWI has been engaging with the Government at various levels to rationalize license fees and taxes. “On one hand the Government is bringing in departments within the Municipality like Ease of Business for promotion of Tourism in the State, facilitating a Single Window Clearance for simplifying procedures and on the other hand create such arbitrary revenue faux pas like the Entertainment Duty and now this steep rise in Excise fees,” says Mr. Kamlesh Barot, the immediate past President of HRAWI.

“The complacency that the Maharashtra State always gets into for such anti-tourism policies, is due its gateway privilege geographical position, that it ranks in the highest among all States of India on tourist arrivals. Very small stimulants to hoteliers will show a major effect due to sheer numbers in revenue maximization, but the mindset on tourism with the Government is missing, albeit at a cost of our hotel industry’s progress, an example being this hike in the excise fee,” concludes Mr. Barot.

HRAWI WELCOMES THE GOA BUDGET - APPEALS TO MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT TO FOLLOW SUIT

Mumbai: Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has welcomed the revisions announced in the Goa vote-on-account budget for the state. The state has granted several sops and reviewed existing schemes for the tourism sector. Citing this as an ideal example of a state promoting hospitality and tourism, the HRAWI in Mumbai has appealed to the Maharashtra government to emulate Goa and adopt some of the key policies that are in force there.

The HRAWI is the apex body of hotels and restaurants of western region of India. The States covered include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa and the union territories of Daman-Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.

“We applaud the administration of Goa for being a pro-tourist state. The success of tourism in Goa is driven not by the beautiful beaches alone, but also by its tourism friendly policies. The Goa Government’s decision to relax tax burden by 60% during off season is a visionary move. This will not only help hotels to sustain during the slump and serve tourists better during the peak season, but will also encourage budget tourists to visit Goa during off season and increase absolute collection of tax,” says Mr. D.S. Advani, President, HRAWI.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, hotels are paying the highest taxes in the country. “We’ve been requesting the administration to re-consider the taxes imposed as Luxury Tax in hotels. Hopefully, our government here will take notice of our neighboring state’s tax structures and give the hotel industry the much needed boost,” added Mr. Advani.

“We are urging the government to pay heed to Goa's policies. We being a neighboring state that’s just 45 minutes away by flight are losing most of our tourism to the state of Goa on the basis of tax disparity. This needs to change and our government needs to realize that tourism is the sleeping giant in Maharashtra. We have the kinds of terrain to make inbound tourists stay that many days longer,” says Mr. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice-President, HRAWI.

The hotel industry has been engaging with the Maharashtra Government at various levels for a revision in the Luxury Tax. Presently, any hotel room with a tariff of above Rs.750/- and up to Rs.1199/- attracts a tax of 4% and those above Rs.1200/- attracts 10%.

“We have been repeatedly requesting for an increase in the threshold limits. Since, a mere Rs.750/- does not justify being called luxury in today’s scenario, we are proposing that the limit be raised to at least Rs.2000/-. Also 10% tax is exorbitant. So we have proposed that the next applicable tax slab be 6% for a room tariff of above Rs. 3000/-,” adds Mr. Kohli.

“Maharashtra has one the most varied and beautiful landscapes in the country. The serene coastline alongside the bountiful forests and majestic mountains make Maharashtra a spectacular destination. Add a dash of culture and heritage, and the State becomes a powerhouse in Tourism. Mumbai is the icing on the cake. With a little bit of incentives, tourists who come here for business can easily be persuaded to extend their stay and add a few days of pleasure. Our request to the state administration is to harness the tremendous potential that our city has to offer and in the process create wealth for the State and job opportunities for its residents,” concludes Mr. Kamlesh Barot, immediate past-President, HRAWI.