Lokpal bill 3

Corruption in India: Its History, Roots and Current Developments
By Harmander S. Maan

"Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual; the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country." - Karl Kraus

CORRUPTION IN INDIA

India, once known as the Golden Sparrow, is today's the third world 'poor' and underdeveloped country with widespread poverty. It's not that India lacks resources or skills; the disease which is keeping India on back foot is its political and bureaucratic corruption. Transparency International's study (2005) found that more than 45 percent of Indians had first hand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices. It also reveals that Trucks pay US$5 billion in bribes annually. In 2010, India was ranked 87th out of 178 countries in Transparency International's Corruption perception index. The corruption is so widespread in the system that people gladly give and receive the bribes and it's almost accepted as a custom in the offices. "Babus" in the government offices accept bribes with pride and consider it their right to be paid extra for doing their jobs. The procedures in a public office are so complicated to follow or to understand for a common man (due to the lack of transparency), that it has no other choice to either pay for the information or simply let it go.

India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost US$ 1456 billion in Swiss banks (that would be about USD 1.4 trillion). Swiss Banking Association Report (2006) says that India has more black money than rest of the world combined.

THE ROOTS AND HISTORY OF CORRUPTION IN INDIA

There are many reasons for corruption in India. The roots are deep; deeper than we think. India has a culture of gifts and temptations. From dowry to 'sweets for the children', from Warren Hastings (Governor General of India, 1787) to the early independence policies of protectionism and public ownership, from 'license Raj' to criminalization in Indian politics, one can find it anywhere, corrupting the society.

In July 2008 the Washington Post reported that nearly a forth of the 540 Indian Parliament members faced criminal charges including human trafficking, rape and even murder or homicides. Vohra report submitted by Indian Union Home Secretary, NN Vohra in October 1993 explains the criminalization of politics in India. It reveals that political leaders had become the leaders of gangs and enjoyed the protection of bigger players (leaders) of all political parties. The parts of Vohra report which are unpublished, are believed to contain highly explosive material.

CURRENT DEVEOPMENTS AND THE 'LOKPAL'

Today India, along with China and other Asian countries, is leading the world economy. But the corruption is still there, more than ever before. In 2011 after a couple of big scams involving Union Ministers and big shots of the ruling government, public have had enough. There were widespread public protests and movements all around India led by social welfare worker Anna Hazare and a famous Yoga Guru and social activist Baba Ramdev. The latter is working for the return of illegal wealth stashed by politicians and businessmen in foreign banks over the six decades after independence.

'Lokpal' or Ombudsman is an authority or institution, created to provide protection to the people (from corruption and the corrupt obviously). The Lokpal is at the centre and its representatives called Lokayuktas (Ombudsmen in the states) are to be in each state.

• The institution is made to work swiftly, efficiently and with utmost authority. Lokpal is completely independent of the government (like Supreme Court and Election Commission).

• The investigations in any case have to be completed in one year. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.

• For a common man: if any work of any citizen is not done in the prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on responsible officers.

• The Lokpal members will be chosen by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and NOT by the government. So there is no chance for corrupt and weak Lokpal members. The entire function in Lokpal will be completely transparent.

• Existing anti-corruption agencies like CBI, CVC and DVACB will be merged into Lokpal.

• Lokpal will also provide protection to the 'whistleblowers.'

Today, on 4th August 2011, while I am still busy writing this article, the government's version of Lokpal bill was tabled in the Parliament which does not cover the Prime Minister within the preview of Lokpal during his or her term in the office. But after the PM demits the office, he or she may be investigated for any wrong doing. It also excludes the judiciary and any action of a Member of the parliament.

Anna Hazare and all the followers welcomed the new proposed Lokpal Bill by burning the copies of it. India Against Corruption said that the protest will be continued till 16th August when Anna will go on fast against the exclusion of several recommendations made by civil society members. IAC in a Facebook update on 4th August: "Copies of Lokpal Bill (proposed by the government) will be burned at Jantar Mantar today at 5 pm, inviting all citizens to join the start of Civil Disobedience Movement. Its now or never!!"

Only tomorrow will tell what the destiny has decided. The corruption will not go overnight; the youth has a big role to play along with educationists, parents and scholars.

"If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher." - Dr Abdul Kalam

Harmander S. Maan

Lokpal what ? 2

Anna Hazare's Movement: India Against Corruption
By Saurabh Muklania

When people exhaust their capacity for tolerance, then you should take it that it is a beginning of a revolution - Anna Hazare

Corruption is eating us away from inside out. The phenomenon of corruption has evoked robust emotional responses among the general public. There are large numbers of people up in arms against the cancerous spread of corruption. Corruption exists in both the public and public sectors of our society. However the corruption that involves the public sectors attracts greater attention for obvious reasons. The proper functioning of the state is essential for the welfare of its citizens. Citizens pay to the govt, and feel involved concerning the abuse of their trust and resources. Corruption here refers not only to bribery, but also to other forms of misconduct that go beyond financial fulfilment. A new milestone in the history of independent India, a new path paved by the anti - corruption campaigner Anna Hazare. He has shown the world what Gandhism means in today's world. The power of Gandhiji's non violence will never cease to exist in the ages to come.

Anna Hazare is engaged in a peaceful, composed war against corruption. His urge to free India of the utmost evil, corruption, is appreciated by people from every part of the country and got historic public support. He awakened the nation. From North to South and East to West, educated or uneducated people came out on streets to back Anna against his fast unto death. Anna Hazare and his supporters are not influenced by any political party. It is just the Indian National Flag is waving high in the sky and in our minds.

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur feels that 'Anna Movement' is the most secular movement in the history of independent India.

Corruption in India has now become a major issue. People of India have accepted corruption as part of life. The nation and the people who are engaged in so many things in India and in abroad are now understanding that it is the time to fight against Corruption. At the time when India is growing and reverse brain drain has initiated, citizen now are no more ignorant on these issues. Finally Anna is changing that so we live freely.

The Jan Lokpal Bill have many loopholes like the Right to Information Act, which was passed due to the driving force again laid by Anna Hazare. According to the right to information act, the citizens of India have the right to get information on any matter concerning the country, but recently an incident occurred which clearly reflects the loopholes in it. A citizen of India lodged a complaint about the illegal wealth possessed by the former chief justice of India, K.G Balakrishnan. Even today complete information about the wealth of this most corrupted chief justice of India is not known to the public. Why? Is it beyond the Right to Information Act? Similar loopholes are likely to be there in the Lokpal bill also. It is sure that as time passes some illegal and illogical rule will come whereby the citizens cannot use this bill against the Prime Minister, Chief justice and so on thus restricting its use. The new committee formed to frame the bill must take in the interest of all sections of the population. It should be taken care that the bill will be unbiased and does not favour any person, be it the President or Prime Minister.

It is so distressing that several activists and eminent citizens are actually disparaging Anna Hazare's movement and feat, and contents of the bill drafted by the civil society, by citing it "unconstitutional" in nature or through frivolous criticism against Anna. Personalities from our movie world, Politicians, Businessmen, CEOs of companies are part of the movement now trying to share the limelight, though many are favouring it.

You can jail a revolutionary, but you cannot jail the revolution said Amitabh Bachchan.

The paradox of situation is that a corrupt person and a person fighting for the anti-corruption were locked in a same place. There are two ways to lead a life, one do nothing and suffer the consequences and another is to take the responsibility to change it.

Let us use the Jan Lokpal bill wisely, sealing its loopholes and see the final result. Let us hope for the best. We should stand united.

If Corruption is Virus... then ANNA is Anti-Virus.

Professional Trader in futures market. Part time blogger. Oh yes I am the one who writes at http://popcornoflife.blogspot.com/ Married for more than 3 years now and loving my wife as my life. I am very down to earth human being and very happy and contended with my life with what I have got but always strive for more happiness of my family! There are still lots of things about myself so if you want to know them, be my friend and contact me through my blog which is an another world for me.

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Lokpal what???!!!

Corruption and Social Protest - A View on Recent Happenings in India
By Arindam Das

Corruption in India - a by-product of economic growth?

The world has been keenly observing the recent public protests in Egypt, Libya and other middle-eastern countries. The majority of the western observers have appreciated the devolution of absolute power wielded by the people in establishment over a long time.

Around the same time India, the largest democratic country in the world is also experiencing a unique form of protests against corruption. One possible reason why these are going unnoticed by the international media is that these movements in India are non-violent and though some of these involve participation from a large number of people, they may not be classified as mass movement, considering the huge population of this country.

Social justice, human rights, freedom of expression, tolerance for divergent viewpoints - these are some features that Indian democracy is proud of when similar practices in its neighboring countries are almost non-existent. Unfortunately, in this thriving democracy corruption has become a part of almost every aspect of life - not just for petty businessmen to make a few extra bucks or for the lower-level officials to accept "speed money" to pass a file.

With the economic liberalization that started in early 1990s we have seen a lot of money, quite unthinkable twenty years ago coming in various forms of investments in the country. The idea, according to the economists and financial pundits was to open up Indian economy and let it grow at about 10% every year and thereby benefit the country and countrymen. However, the sceptics would say that the liberalization and growth story was meant to leverage India's resources (natural and people) and convert Indians to a consumerist society - create a billion of hungry consumers who are ready to work for the MNCs and ready to consume all products from the MNCs - essentially, create wealth for the MNCs.

Now, Indian businessmen were no less shrewd and they spotted opportunities in this liberalization journey - to plunder the nation and create wealth for themselves as well. Over past twenty years, all Indian business houses have grown in wealth while more and more MNCs have used India as resource base as well as consumer base. But, if everyone was benefiting, then who was losing? Well, the environment that was rich with natural resources and the poor people, who only got poorer in the process.

Now, there are other by-products of this mega growth story - the most important of them is rampant corruption. Though India claims to have a rich heritage and scriptures that are several thousand years old, Indians have never claimed to be morally superior to people from other parts of world - well, that is a little bit of honesty from Indians. We have always seen that people in power and people with money take undue advantage but with the huge volume of business transactions and rising economy, corruption took newer heights - where unbelievably large sums changed hands for favors that would result in equally unbelievable, windfall profits or establish monopoly in business.

The common man stood and watched the blatant manipulations - the brazen attitude of industrialists and businessmen and the hand-in-glove politicians and bureaucrats who were party to this grand Indian loot. Land was taken away from the poor in the name of infrastructure development or setting up industries without compensation or rehabilitation. Rules were flouted or bent to allow businesses to run that caused irreparable damage to the environment and human life. Tax breaks and special economic zones were set up to allow more profit for businesses and no benefit to the common people. All the while, the establishment, the media and the upper echelons of society rejoiced that Indian economy was growing.

The rise of Anna Hazare and the Civil Society

The politicians across party lines over the years became brazen about their administrative decisions that benefited their kith and kin. It was happening not only at the central level but also at each of the states. It became obvious that crony capitalism was spreading its tentacles across the country. Almost every large initiative of all the governments in past ten years smacked of corruption, kickback and laundering public money.

Though there were vigilance commissioners, many of them were also found to be tainted; several senior representatives of judiciary had allegations against them. The investigation bureaus were utilized to conduct inquiries to settle political scores. Media on its part was vocal about these but they kept on moving from one story to another and were more interested in raising their viewership than focusing on getting the system corrected.

Anna Hazare, a Gandhian who was engaged in social work for all his life decided to take this battle up. The prop he has used this time to fight against corruption is the Lokpal Bill, a bill that was supposed to have ombudsmen or Lokpal to receive complaints from the people about the functioning of the establishment, investigate the same and recommend remedies. The current Lokpal structure is a weak and skeletal structure and not all the states have adopted it. The proposal to have a stronger Lokpal has been subverted by the vested interests in the establishment for several years. Anna started off with a threat to the government that he would go on a hunger strike in Delhi if the government did not take Lokpal Bill seriously.

Initially, the government ignored the potential of such a threat for hunger strike. These things are accepted as a democratic form of raising an issue against government's policies or actions - serious or trivial. Moreover, in the past they had rarely caused any long-term significant damage to the credibility of the ruling party or the government - either the protestors accepted some verbal promises or they simply gave up.

Two things moved unpredictably in Anna's April 2011 fast at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. First, the way people of India voluntarily joined him. Anna was very particular about keeping his movement apolitical and did not allow anyone from political parties to join him at the dais - this definitely pleased the mass, as Indian public knew pretty well that all political parties were corrupt and probably, equally so. Of course, it was not true that none of these mass followers ever committed to corruption - sure, some of them might have paid bribes to speed up activities in government departments and many will not mind doing so in future to avoid delays or take undue advantage. However, all were interested in seeing some punitive action in mega-corruptions that people in power were involved in.

The second thing that put Anna in limelight was the media. The electronic media was initially ignoring Anna's protest but they soon sensed a story and possible rise in viewership because a large mass of people got too passionate with Anna's movement. Within a few days, the media went berserk putting the government at a loss of face about all the popularity that this 73-year old, 7th grade educated ex-army cook was getting.

Anna was also selective of his A team and it included people from different occupations with clean images. Nonetheless, the people in power did not desist from a smear campaign on them to bring Anna's movement down. However, that did not sway the common Indian for his faith in Anna or his people.

Very soon, the government realized that it would be best to engage with Anna and in a rare moment announced that a bill would be drafted along with Anna's team. This was a historic moment, as government was not required to directly involve the common person in framing of a bill.

The people of India rejoiced - they saw that someone with only principle and conviction could bring the mighty government to tow to his line. The media hailed Anna as the messiah. Obviously, the comparison with Mahatma Gandhi was there.

Well, that was not the end of the events.

Swami Ramdev, a yoga guru with rags to riches story and a mass following across the country as well as among the Indian communities across the world had been using his TV channel's evening program to talk about corruption and black money - the unaccountable money that some people (primarily politicians and businessmen) keep. He could see the potential of using similar hunger strike as a platform to fight for his focus area - eradication of black money. He decided to go on fast in June 1st week at Ramleela Maidan in Delhi.

The people in power wanted to be extra cautious this time and started engaging with Ramdev beforehand. They went to the extent of meeting him in person at the airport and offered him courtesy that is normally reserved for head of states. However, the game did not go well. Though Ramdev agreed in public that most of his demands were met, he went on with his fast along with his supporters as per original plan - irking the people in power. The endgame was brutal with police attack on the sleeping people and Ramdev was captured while he was trying to escape the police in the disguise of a woman. He was packed out of Delhi. Ramdev continued his fast from his ashram at Haridwar and broke it when his body gave up. Unfortunately, the net effect of Ramdev's fast was limited - with media and people no longer talking about him or his focus area - black money. Of course, he has been demonized by the people in power as the fake guru and there are now unnecessary inquiry on the wealth and functioning of his trust, the nationality of his assistant etc.

On the other side, though the government had agreed to bring Anna and his team to drafting committee, they created all sorts of obstacles to whatever Anna's team proposed about the scope of Lokpal Bill, selection of Lokpal and the process of Lokpal's functioning. After two months of deliberations, we now see a dejected Anna and his team blaming the stubbornness of the government to pass a Lokpal Bill that is weak and has limited scope. And, yes, he is preparing for another fast in August.

Summarizing, past three months have been miraculous for India's social justice system. While past one year has given India several mega corruptions involving politicians, bureaucrats, judiciary and industrialists, the past three months have given Indians some hope - from Anna and his team that people in absolute power also may have to sit up and correct themselves.

Note: The views in this article are author's own and they have nothing to do with any of the organizations the author is affiliated to.

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Indias Low GDP to tax ratio

At 15.5 per cent, India has one of the lowest tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratios, says a recent paper by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability. Even lower middle-income countries had tax-GDP ratios of 17.7 per cent, the paper said.

Among G20 countries, India had the third-lowest tax base, before Mexico and Indonesia, the paper said. The 37.7 per cent share of direct taxes to India’s total taxes was lower and regressive compared to developing countries such as South Africa (57.5 per cent), Indonesia (55.85 per cent) and Russia (41.3 per cent). Developed G20 countries had a greater share of taxes as part of total tax revenues, the paper said, adding in the US, this stood at 75.8 per cent.

The property tax-to-GDP ratio in India is only 0.48 per cent; for France and the UK, it is 4.3 per cent and 4.21 per cent, respectively. For China, it is 1.7 per cent. Wealth tax in India is only 0.007 per cent of GDP, while it is 0.89 per cent in France.

In 2011-12, the tax-GDP ratio stood at 5.5 per cent for direct taxes and 4.4 per cent for indirect taxes. The finance minister P. Chidambaram had said that we can reclaim the peak rate of 11.9% in the FY 2007-08, adding that this is not enough to be on the path of inclusive growth and sustainable development

According to a report by Moody's, India's tax-to-GDP ratio, at just under 15 percent, is lower than countries with similar sovereign ratings. There are three key reasons for that.

One, structural factors such as low per capita income keeps tax collections low. "Low average incomes and a high poverty rate result in a very small portion of the labor force being eligible to pay personal income taxes. As of 2010-11, income taxes accounted for a lower proportion (10 percent) of the general government's revenue than, say, the OECD average (approximately 30 percent)," said Moody's.

Structural factors such as low per capita income keeps tax collections low. Reuters

Two, a large proportion of economic activity that is generated by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Although these enterprises have enjoyed strong profitability growth over the past decade, the government has not captured their earnings in tax revenues due to a variety of exemptions and compliance issues, the ratings agency said.

Three, a lack of policy initiatives has also kept the tax take low." This includes certain tax exemptions on agriculture related activity and until the mid-nineties, on most services as well. The tax net has been progressively expanded to include a greater number of services each year, and service tax revenue has grown the fastest of all revenue sources. Yet, service taxes constitute merely 5 percent of total general government revenues, although they comprise about 60 percent of GDP," said Moody's.

Given these constraints, general government revenues have relied on manufactured goods (consumption and trade) and corporate profit taxes, which at the end of March 2011, accounted for 35 percent and 22 percent of general government revenues, respectively.

Both taxes are highly sensitive to growth trends. In 2008-09, corporate profits were hit by multiple shocks, including slowing domestic demand, heightened input costs domestic interest rates, and risk aversion limiting international capital availability (see chart above). These shocks led to a 5 percent decline in corporate tax revenues in 2008-09, from 39 percent growth in the previous year, said Moody's.

Source: Moody's

Indirect taxes also suffered from the slowdown in demand and manufacturing output, slowing from 20 percent growth in 2006-07 to 9 percent in 2007-08.

What does this mean for the future?

The trends above suggest that in the next two years, any attempt at fiscal consolidation (raising government revenues and cutting expenditure) will depend on how far corporate profits and consumption recover. Moody's expects India's tax-to-GDP ratio to recover from its current level of under 15 percent to 17 percent when GDP growth recovers and sustains at levels higher than 8 percent.

(All charts provided by Moody's)

Indian black money already moved out Swiss Banks

The Swiss National Bank, the country's central banking authority, has estimated the funds currently held by Indians in Swiss banks at a mere $1.98 billion.

Fear of disclosure due to greater scrutiny of this illicit wealth has played the main role in the flight of capital. Rashme Sehgal reports from Geneva for Rediff.com

Narendra Modi had promised that on becoming prime minister he would ensure that Indian black money stashed in Swiss bank vaults would make its way back to India and every Indian would receive a bonanza of Rs 15 lakh (Rs 1.5 million).

Fifteen months have passed into his prime ministership and there are no signs of any undeclared assets having reached Indian shores. Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah has tried to pass off Modi's promise as being little more than an 'election jhumla.'

Banking experts in Switzerland point out that the Rs 15 lakh figure for 1.2 billion Indians is untenable since most of the black money Indians had deposited in Swiss banks was cleared out during the last decade.

As per the latest data, the amount held by Indians through fiduciaries in Swiss banks has reached a record low level, while it used to be in the billions of dollars till about seven years ago.

"The figures of Rs 15 lakh would have worked out to several times India's present GDP," a senior Geneva-based tax consultant points out. "Switzerland never saw such massive deposits from any country."

"More than half the undeclared money from India has been moved to Dubai and Singapore where it could have been invested in real estate, gold or re-entered India through the hawala route," says lawyer Nathalie Bersier, a consultant for Swiss investments in India and vice versa.

"I do not know how Modi made such a remark. The Manmohan Singh government also talked about huge amounts of undeclared Indian money," Bersier adds, "but the truth is that most of the money has moved out in the last decade.".

The Swiss National Bank, the country's central banking authority, according to data released last year, has estimated the funds currently held by Indians in Swiss banks at a mere $1.98 billion.

Fear of disclosure due to greater scrutiny of this illicit wealth has played the main role in the flight of capital.

Contesting the large black money amounts being mentioned in Indian newspapers, Bersier says, "In Switzerland, the perception is that the Indian assets vary between $900 million and $4 billion. I believe the amount would be somewhere in between."

While Indian deposits may have shown a steady decline, the money held in Swiss banks by foreign depositors rose during 2014 to $1.6 trillion or Rs 103 lakh crore from about Rs 90 lakh crore at the end of 2013.

"From 2009, the Indian government has been highlighting this issue of black money without realising that the easiest thing to do is to close a bank account and transfer the money out," says Bersier.

"Such a flight of capital has already occurred. Many of these deposits are known to have belonged to politicians which is why no government is forthcoming with the names of the depositors," she adds.

Her belief is buttressed by the release of data from the Zurich-based Swiss National Bank confirming this trend. As per its latest data, the total Indian deposits held in Swiss banks at the end of 2014 included 1,776 million Swiss francs or Rs 12,350 crore (Rs 123.50 billion) held directly by Indian individuals and entities (down from 1,952 million Swiss francs a year ago), and another 38 million Swiss franc (down from 77.3 million Swiss francs at the end of 2013) through 'fiduciaries' or wealth managers.

State secretary for International Financial Matters Jacques de Watteville refused to hazard a guess about just how much money has been moved out of Swiss banks to be invested in Dubai or Singapore. "There are no official on the assets transferred out of Switzerland," says Watteville.

Asked about the Indian names published in the Swiss Federal Gazette, Watteville says, "The publication of names of Indian account holders in the Swiss Federal Gazette is an internal Swiss legal procedure. Names are only published in the Federal Gazette as a last resort when there is no contact address in Switzerland for foreign residents who are affected by an administrative assistance request. The mere fact to have a name published does not prejudge the legal position of the person concerned."

Does India need to establish a scheme to regularise offshore assets? "Our understanding is that the Indian government recently opened a 'compliance window' for taxpayers to regularise their situation," says Watteville, referring to the government scheme whereby tax evaders can pay a penalty of 20 percent and get their black money regularised.

"Banking circles are aware that undeclared assets by Indians has been moved out," says Nicolas Stepczynski, a Geneva-based banker and tax consultant with Berger Van Berchem et Cie. "Rich Indian families are already under great scrutiny by their government and therefore known to be very careful with their finances."

Will the famed secrecy wall of Switzerland's banking system finally show cracks? The Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland's highest executive authority, recently declared that it is holding consultations with the Tax Administrative Assistance Act to ease practises with regard to stolen data.

For the present, Switzerland has refused to acknowledge leaked data as was the case of 600 Indian depositors at HSBC whose names were leaked by whistleblower Herve Falciani in 2006.

Falciani gave the list to the French government -- who provided the information to the Indian government -- rather than to the Swiss government because he felt it would not have investigated the matter further.

Bersier does not see too much emerging from the Federal Council consultations. "They are at a very early stage. Discussions have been held between the Swiss and Indian governments on the need to detect, recover and repatriate illegal deposits, but all the information available with the Indian government is based on stolen documents."

"The key issue is what pressure the Indian government can exert on the Swiss government," says Bersier. "The US threatened to close all Swiss banks operating in the US which led to the Swiss immediately signing a treaty with the US and UK. There are no Swiss banks operating in India."

On the subject of the Automatic Exchange of Information between the Swiss and Indian governments expected to be operationalised by 2018, Bersier is equally cynical.

Erecting the AEOI platform is all very well, she feels, but it is too little too late. "By the time it becomes operational," Bersier says, "all the illegal deposits will have been moved out. There are any number of countries where this money can be moved to."

India has set up a Special Investigation Team headed by Justice B M Shah to look into the issue of black money. Justice Shah has welcomed the Swiss Federal Council's approval of the bill to amend its laws to allow its government to share information with countries on the basis on what is perceived to be stolen data.

Detection and recovery of black money in foreign tax havens is a key concern of the Modi government.

10 Countries Which hold most gold

1. United States
> Tonnes: 8,133.5
> Pct. reserves: 74%
> GDP (rank): $17.40 trillion (2)

The United States was not the top global economy in 2014 by GDP on a purchasing power parity basis. Still, the U.S. government is the largest official holder of gold in the world by far — even if rumors persist that the gold held in Fort Knox isn’t really there any longer. The U.S. holdings of gold, despite the massive dollar appreciation against other key currencies, are not likely to officially change very much ahead. The United States could arguably use more gold after the quantitative easing, but the Federal Reserve now has to figure out how to deal with some $4.5 trillion worth of bonds it holds. Having 74% of its foreign reserves is an impressive number, even if the current $500 billion annual deficit and the $18 trillion in debt are not something to be proud of.

2. Germany
> Tonnes: 3,381.0
> Pct. reserves: 68%
> GDP (rank): $3.62 trillion (5)

Germany has several issues to consider when it comes to gold holdings. First, Germany is the largest economy in Europe, and the euro itself is somewhat of a watered-down Deutsche mark. Germany recently committed to repatriating its foreign gold holdings held in other central banks around the world. Germany also has been a light seller of gold since 2000 under Europe’s Central Bank Gold Agreements, with its holdings down a few tonnes each year.

3. Italy
> Tonnes: 2,451.8
> Pct. reserves: 66%
> GDP (rank): $2.07 trillion (12)

It may seem odd to think of Italy as one of the world’s top gold holders, and its official gold tonnage would be just under that of the IMF. Being in the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain) has not hurt its credit of late, even during the shakeup seen in Greece. Still, some leaders in Europe wanted Italy to sell some of its gold if things got too bad. Italy does not want to unload its gold, and its stock market is up about 75% from mid-2012.

Deutsche Bank Upgrades 2 Top Gold Stocks to Buy

4. France
> Tonnes: 2,435.4
> Pct. reserves: 65%
> GDP (rank): $2.58 trillion (8)

The French economy still keeps the country from buying gold, and France had been a seller of gold before 2010 under the Central Bank Gold Agreements. Still, being the fourth largest nation in gold reserves sounds good when you consider its economy is now ranked eighth in the world. France is likely to have socioeconomic issues for years, and despite socialism trends, it has chosen higher taxes rather than selling gold in the past few years in an effort to pay for its social benefits.

5. China
> Tonnes: 1,658.1
> Pct. reserves: 2%
> GDP (rank): $17.63 trillion (1)

China recently was featured among the five nations still buying gold for their central banks. The Peoples Bank of China was a known gold buyer for years, but only recently has it showed by how much. China increased its gold reserves by over 50% since its last formal announcement back in 2009. At only 2% of foreign reserves, the World Gold Council and others expect that China can and likely will continue to increase its gold holdings. Even with a slowdown and devaluation, China’s holdings of gold quite simply remain too low for where it wants its reserve currency status to be in the years ahead — and China’s status as a reserve currency was recently put off.

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6. Russia
> Tonnes: 1,275.0
> Pct. reserves: 13%
> GDP (rank): $3.57 trillion (6)

Russia also was featured recently among the five nations still buying gold for their central banks. Russia keeps adding gold to its central bank holdings, a trend that was in place long before Ukraine and subsequent embargoes and sanctions were causing a recession. The difference here is that Russia may be adding it from actual domestic gold production rather than buying it on the international markets. Russia’s economic woes also have added pressure on Russia to keep buying gold to keep an underlying value under the ruble. The nation also wants to move away from the dollar and euro being used locally in the economy. Russia faces serious problems due to the collapse of oil prices as well.

7. Switzerland
> Tonnes: 1,040.0
> Pct. reserves: 7%
> GDP (rank): $444.70 billion (40)

Switzerland may have a checkered history around selling gold, when prices were low during Central Bank Gold Agreements selling, and then in 2014 its voters rejected a call to expand its gold reserves from 7% to 20% of reserves. Still, Switzerland’s formal statistics around its gold are more than impressive, even when you consider it is the world’s banking center. The nation created a financial shock when it surprisingly unpegged the Swiss franc against the euro in early 2015. Now it seems that Switzerland will have to hold on to its remaining gold as a result of the devaluation and financial losses. Switzerland may be the seventh largest nation holding gold, but its global economic ranking is only 40th in the world by GDP, and its population of 8.1 million people is ranked only 96th in the world.

8. Japan
> Tonnes: 765.2
> Pct. reserves: 2%
> GDP (rank): $4.81 trillion (4)

Despite all the quantitative easing measures, Japan has had a static gold supply for years now. Japan’s gold is also just 2% of foreign reserves as well. That low reserve ratio could become a real problem in the decades ahead if (or when) its aging population trends run into problems dealing with its debt-to-GDP, which now is about 230%. Japan wants to grow its economy in any way it can, hence the never-ending quantitative easing.

ALSO READ: 7 Countries Near Bankruptcy

9. Netherlands
> Tonnes: 612.5
> Pct. reserves: 57%
> GDP (rank): $798.10 billion (27)

The Netherlands has been a long-time owner of gold as one of the wealthier nations in the world. It seems impressive to still be ranked ninth in the list of nations holding gold when its GDP ranking is 27th and when its small population of almost 17 million ranks only 66th in the world. Not bad for a nation that seems to be the poster-boy for riding bikes to work. The Netherlands was a seller of gold from 2002 to 2008 under Central Bank Gold Agreements. Since then it has held its gold tight.

10. India
> Tonnes: 557.7
> Pct. reserves: 6%
> GDP (rank): $7.28 trillion (3)

India has held up better in its recovery than China, but India has a mixed recent history with gold. It handily ramped up gold holdings in recent years, before gold prices went through the roof, but then it also had strong regulations and import taxes on gold, which recently have been removed. Consumers in India love gold, perhaps more than people in any other major nation. In 2009 India bought 200 tonnes of gold from the IMF to bolster its reserves. While India’s central bank probably needs more gold holdings for its 1 billion population, it sees that if India will not spend enough on infrastructure build-outs, then it will not bother buying more gold either.

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Most Fuel efficient bikes in india

Check out Abu dhabis new supercar

Top 10 Best Mileage Bikes in India

In this current Era, bikes are the most necessity things for human being. But people get confused during the purchasing of bike that how can we know which bike is good for us. We have to know about the performance and mileage of bike. Sometime people go for trendy looks, it is also very necessary part of it. Most of people want bike cheap and best. So here the list of Top 10 Best Mileage Bikes in India. Compare here before buying.

1. Bajaj Discover 100T

Bajaj Discover 100T

 

India’s second largest bike manufacturer Bajaj auto launched its 100 cc motorcycle Discover 100T. It is similar like discover 125, people like its comfort and enjoying the riding on it.

K Srinivas, president, motorcycle business Said, “While 100cc bikes do offer good mileage, their style, features and performance leave a lot to be desired. The steady growth of the more expensive 100cc bikes at the cost of the cheaper models is a clear evidence of this.”

The new bike powered by a patented four-valve DTS-i technology engine which delivers 91.1 km per litre. The engine is also coupled with five speed gear box and auto chock for easy start in all weather conditions. Its offer the power of 125cc motorcycle with the efficiency of 100cc one.
Overview:

• Average – 91.1 kmpl
• Engine Capacity – 94.38cc air-cooled single-cylinder, carburetor
• Power – 7.5 bhp @ 7500 rpm
• Torque – 7.85 Nm @ 5000 rpm
• Transmission – 4/5-speed manual
• Dimensions – 2040x760x1087mm (LxWxH), Weight 115 kgs
• Price – Rs 43,058 (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The overall styling of the bike is basic but the decal that runs across the bike gives it a little modern look. The Discover 100 is the most affordable bike in the Discover range. It is most fuel efficient motorcycle sale in India.

2. Hero Splendor Pro

Hero Splendor Pro

 

Hero Motocorp Ltd., formerly Hero Honda, is an Indian motorcycle and scooter manufacturer based in New Delhi, India. The company is the largest two wheeler manufacturer in the world.

In 2011, Hero Honda launched the Splendor Pro with changes in body fairings, self-start features, alloy wheels and other improvements. The Splendor is one of the oldest commuter bikes sold in India. Known as a spiritual successor to the CD 100 launched back in 1994, the Splendor range is sold in massive numbers even today.
The Splendor range includes a host of upgraded versions with added features and better ergonomics.. Though it feels a bit too long in the tooth, the Splendor Pro is decently loaded with standard features including electric start, alloy wheels and a stylish instrument console. The engine allows the Splendor Pro to offer decent performance and drivability. The real highlight, however, is the fuel efficiency of well over 85 kmpl.

On sale Hero Splendor Pro competes against the Bajaj Discover 100 and the TVS Sport in the hotly contested commuter segment.

Overview

• Average – 89.8 kmpl
• Engine – 97.2cc air-cooled single-cylinder, carburated
• Power – 7.4 bhp @ 8000 rpm
• Torque – 7.95 Nm @ 5000 rpm
• Transmission – Four-speed manual
• Dimensions – 1970x720x1040mm (LxWxH), Weight 109kgs
• Price – Rs 43,058 (ex-showroom, Delhi)

This is very nice bike. It has simple design which is the best thing. The mileage of the bike is too good that’s why most of people want to purchase it. Hero motor comp sales over 10 Lakh bikes every year.

3. Honda CB Twister

Honda CB Twister

 

Honda has already proved with it’s Unicorn engine, on how efficient its engine pulls at lower rpms without compromising on mileage. So it’s pretty obvious that you can putter around town at the 30 kph mark in top gear.

Bringing style to the 110cc segment is the Honda CB Twister offering the average Indian commuters stlying inspired from Honda’s premium superbikes like the CB1000R. Fuel efficient and comfortable.

The Honda CB Twister come with a floating side cowl, muscular tank, viscous air filter and the best part of it an option of a front disc break.

Overview:

• Average – 85.7 kmpl
• Category – Entry-level commuter
• Engine – 109cc air-cooled single cylinder, carburator
• Power – 9.1 bhp @ 8000 rpm
• Torque – 9 Nm @ 6000 rpm
• Transmission – 4-speed manual
• Dimensions – 1972x742x1075mm (LxWxH), Weight 108 kg
• Price – Rs 45,156 (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Ok, now coming to how CB Twister behaves on road. This little engine is smooth and even more refined than Honda Shine. The electric start was smooth and noiseless. When I rode the bike, I felt as if I am in a 125 cc or 150 cc bike because of the tank design and the speedometer design. Also, the full black handles including the bolts.

4. Hero Passion Pro

Hero Honda Passion pro

 

The passion pro launched in 2001, it offer slightly more comforts to the customers. It is one of the largest bike selling in World. It was refreshed in 2003 and its design were again make more effective in 2008. It was most popular bikes last decade. Now it comes with black engine and catchy black allow which gives it more trendy look.

• Average – 84 kmpl
• Category – Entry-level commuter
• Engine – 97.2cc air-cooled single-cylinder, carburated
• Power – 7.4 bhp @ 8000 rpm
• Torque – 7.95 Nm @ 5000 rpm
• Transmission – Four-speed manual
• Dimensions – 1980x725x1075mm (LxWxH), Weight 109kgs
• Price – Rs 45,350 (Ex-showroom Delhi)

5. Hero Glamour

Hero Glamour

 

Hero Glamour is the Gurgaon based two wheeler commuter. Glamour is like other 100cc bikes but adds more values in the form of increased feature list. Equipped with all market friendly features and customers choice. The bike performance are very good and it shows excellent road behavior. Hero moto comp given the hero glamour. Changes compare to older model are minimal but it look. Hero Motocorp selling over 50,000 units per month.

• Average – 82.5 kmpl
• Category – Mid-range commuter
• Engine – 124.7cc air-cooled single cylinder, carburetor
• Power – 9 bhp @ 7000 rpm
• Torque – 10.35 @ 4000 rpm
• Transmission – four-speed manual
• Dimensions – 2005x735x1070mm (LxWxH), Weight 125kg
• Price – Rs 52,225 (Ex-showroom Delhi)

6. Hero Super Splendor

Super splendor

 

Hero motocorp. Makes slightly new changes on super splendor. It now get new body graphics and body look that include black, gray, red and blue. It has black allow wheel and side stand warning indicators. Hero motocorp powered it with 125cc engine. The bike tank can hold 13 liters of fuel. Its glamour and comfort make it people’s first choice.

• Average – 82.5 kmpl
• Category – Mid-range commuter
• Engine – 124.7cc air-cooled single cylinder, carburetor
• Power – 9 bhp @ 7000 rpm
• Torque – 10.35 @ 4000 rpm
• Transmission – four-speed manual
• Dimensions – 1995xNAx1095mm (LxWxH), Weight 121kg
• Price – Rs 50,650 (Ex-showroom Delhi)

7. Hero Splendor NXG

Hero Splendor nxg

 

Hero motocorp launched splendor nxg with the slogan of “Yaari Ki Gaadi”. It again made in hero style with new graphics and stickers. Its mostly similar like older Splendor NXG. Splendor launch in order to get attention of our Indian youth. Hero Splendor NXG is powered by 97.2cc single-cylinder engine that’s gives maximum efficiency to it. Its long seat can be seen climbing on its fuel tank which features its complete name on it. At the back one can notice its big tail light with relatively short rear fender and a light reflector.

• Average – 82.2 kmpl
• Category – Mid-range commuter
• Category – Entry level commuter
• Engine – 97.2cc air-cooled single-cylinder, carburated
• Power – 7.6 bhp @ 7500 rpm
• Torque – 7.95 Nm @ 5000 rpm
• Transmission – Four-speed manual
• Dimensions – 1965x720x1095mm, Weight 109 kgs
• Price – Rs 42,950 (Ex-showroom Delhi)

8. Hero HF Dawn

Hero motor corp. HF

 

Hero HF Dawn is one of the best 100cc bikes in the Indian market from the Hero MotoCorp. The entry level bike has the tag line as “Public Ka Apna Transport”, which says that the bike is easy purchased by a common consumer in the country.

This is a base level commuter, which follows the original CD100 from the late 1980s. The motorcycle is available in very low price tag . The motorcycle is available in five colour options includes black with red stripes, black with purple stripes, silver, red and maroon.

• Average – 80.30 kmpl
• Category – Entry level commuter
• Engine Capacity – 97.2cc air-cooled single-cylinder, carburetor
• Power – 7.7 bhp @ 7500 rpm
• Torque – 8.04 Nm @ 4500 rpm
• Transmission – 4-speed manual
• Dimensions – 1965x720x1045mm (LxWxH), Weight 109 kgs
• Price – Rs 36,300 (Ex-showroom Delhi)

9. TVS Sport – 80.2 km/pl

TVS Sports

 

TVS Star is the sportier version of TVS. It has lower output in Indian market Competing with the likes of the Bajaj Discover and the Platina, Hero splendor and some of the other leading 100cc bikes in the market. TVS Sport now gets a firm update that will bring it back to the league taking it to some new heights this time. Considered to still make a bigger impact on the Indian market.

• Average – 80. 2 kmpl
• Category – Entry-level commuter
• Engine – 99.7cc air-cooled single cylinder, carburetor
• Power – 7.3 bhp @ 7500 rpm
• Torque – 7.5 @ 5000 rpm
• Transmission – four-speed manual
• Price – Rs 41,870 (Ex-showroom Delhi)

10. Bajaj Platina 100 – 77.1 kmpl

Bajaj Platina

 

Bajaj Platina is 100cc bike by Bajaj auto. Bajaj Platina has good impact in Indian market. It gives good mileage and design is very good. Most of people like its comfort. Its very light weight so customer easily make balancing on it during driving. It has powerful engine.

• Average – 77.1 kmpl
• Category – Entry-level commuter
• Engine Capacity – 99.27cc air-cooled single-cylinder, carburetor
• Power – 8.2 bhp @ 7500 rpm
• Torque – 8.05 Nm @ 4500 rpm
• Transmission – 4-speed manual
• Dimensions – 1990x770x1090mm (LxWxH), Weight 113 kgs
• Price – Rs 32,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi)

The above list shows most of bike selling only because of mileage in India. There are many bikes in Indian industry but these are the Top 10 Best Mileage Bikes in India which people like

Samsung Launches The Galaxy Note 5

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Samsung has always aimed big, and with its Note series, it is big not just in screen size. The new Galaxy Note 5, which was unveiled today at an official press conference, boasts top of the line specs, and unique new features which shows that the brand has really been listening to it’s consumers.

Galaxy Note5 flagship phablet will sell in India at Rs 53,900 for 32GB and Rs 59,900 for 64GB variant. The phone will be available in India starting Spetember 20 in black sapphire, gold platinum and silver titanium colours.

Samsung Galaxy Note Specs:

According to Samsung, the newly-designed Galaxy Note 5 provides a new set of productivity tools such as SideSync, along with a much refined fifth-generation S Pen capabilities for better multitasking.

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Samsung claims the Galaxy Note 5’s new S Pen feels more solid and balanced in the user’s hand, offering improved writing capabilities and a variety of tools. It features a clicking mechanism to offer a better experience and users can now quickly jot down ideas or information even when the screen is off without even unlocking the phone.

The ‘Air Command’ feature has also been given an upgrade; now the icon hovers for instant access to all of S Pen tools from any screen at any time. Users can also annotate on PDF files and capture lengthy web articles or long images at once via ‘Scroll capture.’

Also, with Samsung’s Make For India initiative, Indian users can expect to see more elements designed specifically for them.

All in all, the new iteration in the Note series come packed with many handy new features. Though the price is a bit on the steeper side, phone really is pretty nifty.

For more news and reviews, keep checking back Gaming Central.

Dowry a form of corruption in india

Dowry A Social Evil

 

Dowry, this one word brings jitters to a girl’s parents when it is highlighted in the marriage ceremony of their daughter. We all are aware of this deadly disease which has eaten up many innocent brides. But, are we really doing something to get away with this disease?? I don’t think so.

To protect us from the demons of dowry, the Indian Government enacted The Dowry Prohibition Act on 21st May, 1961 in order to prohibit the giving or taking of dowry.

This act was introduced in the Twelfth Year of the Republic Of India. It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Dowry, according to this act means any property or valuable security given or agreed to be given either directly or indirectly-

a) By one party in the marriage to the other party in the marriage; or
b) By the parents of either party in the marriage

Presents which are given to the bride at the time of marriage by her parents with their own wish are acceptable; provided that such presents are entered in the list maintained in accordance with the rules made under this Act.

Further, the presents which are made by or on behalf of the bride or any person related to the bride, such presents are of a customary nature and the value thereof is not excessive having regard to the financial status of the person by whom, or on whose behalf, such presents are given.

But, if the groom’s family demands of any other item, it is against the laws.

Penalty is slapped for giving or taking dowry. If any person demands directly or indirectly, from the parents or other relatives or guardian of a bride, as the case may be, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years and with a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees, provided that the court may, for adequate and special reasons to be mentioned in the judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term of less than six months.

But, if we look at this Law, don’t you think that the punishment for the dowry seekers is too less. Think from a girl’s point of view, she is the one who suffers a lot between these arguments as if it is, “HER AUCTION”.

The dowry seekers should be imposed a fine of not less than one lakh and an imprisonment of not less than one year. This Act was introduced to provide justice to the Bride’s family. They are the one who suffer a lot.

When we talk about the Indian society, they are still living in the disillusion world. They have achieved global success in terms of technology and science. But, the social problems and thinking still stays somewhere in the Indian mind and the Indian homes. We the female power needs to be strong and fight with this deadly disease with courage. We can’t let our sisters die for an impotent man, who supports his parents and sit like a baby on his mother’s lap. Let’s light the lamp, and spread its bright light and kill this disease.

How india can become a super power

Before we become a super power Can we create 1. A justice system which punishes guilty 2.A justice system which does not get the rich and powerfull to get away 3. A security system which cannot be manipulated at the whims of not just politicians but others 4. Stop votebank politics of all kind 5. stop spitting on the road 6. stop shitting and peeing on the road 7. stop being a nuisance to others at public functions 8. Try to reduce caste,class,regional bias in our interactions 9. Stop crony capitalism and genuinely think about the country 10. Stop malnutiriont deaths,female infantoecide,stop dowry 11.Stop throwing garbage and other things on holy rivers and make all our rivers and lakes into dirty nallahs 12. Stop glamourising and justifying and wasting money on mediocre shitty plotless movies 13. Stop having senseless Utopian debates of how the world and india should be as if we have a panel of gallileo,newton,archimedes,caesar. 14 Stop preaching pacifism in nuclear armed and trigger happy terror world 15 As public ,ensure that our trains dont smell like toilets 16 Stop littering plastic and others at places 17 Treat animals humanely 18 Learn from out lost culture and also learn from other countries 19 Yes our country may be poor,but that does not justify lack of cleaniness This list will be added to :>

Why is it so expensive to own a mercedes in india compared to USA

Check out how much it takes to own a merc in usa It would be easy for an employed person,no need to be an business person,which is a prerequisite for owning a merc in india. Why cant we have policies which make these cars more affordable to indians so thats why i say ,please liberalise one sector atleast

IPL and black money

The Indian Premier League - Underbelly of Sleaze Money
By Madan G Singh

The Indian cricket league has fired the imagination of people all over the world. For once cricket which was poor sport in relation to golf and football has become at par with them. This is no doubt because of the Indian cricket league; cricket has become the power house of the game as far as finance is concerned.

But all is not rosy and underneath the underbelly black money and flaunting of foreign exchange regulations is perhaps more the rule than the exception. Some time back Mahesh Bhat that intelligent Mumbai producer had produced 'Jannat' a movie with cricket and its nexus with betting and match fixing as its background. The movie brought out the connection between black money and cricket.

'Jannat' was only a story, but the sad part is that it is turning out to be real. The toll has been heavy to start with. Shashi Tharoor the Junior Minister in the Indian cabinet had to resign last month. Whether he had any significant role to play or was only a front man may not be established. But the result of Tharoor's resignation has wide ramifications. Available evidence certainly suggests that all is not well with the financial dealings of the premier League.

The matters that need to be probed are no longer limited to the last auction where the Kochi team were the winners, but needs to cover the entire league which is under a cloud of suspicion. A clean up of the cricket establishment led by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and its child the IPL has become essential. The BCCI has acted and suspended Lalit Modi as the CEO of the ICL. But this may not be enough to find out the route of black money from the Gulf into this game.

Cricket in India is more of a religion and has a tremendous following. Thus when the idea of the IPL was mooted it was thought that it would give a much needed boost to cricket at the grass roots level. More money was expected to flow in and the lgame of cricket was expected to benefit with better pay packets for cricketeers at the grass roots level. But the organizers were perhaps too naive or careless and allowed slush funds and sleaze money to flow in as a natural corollary.

The Income Tax sleuths and the Intelligence Bureau are on the track. But seeing their past record not much can be expected,as the names involved are so big that the entire political equation will go for a somersault.

However the IB has confirmed that money has come in from the gulf. This is a disturbing thought and one is perturbed that a gentleman's game is reduced to such dire straits. It is a pity that an intelligent man like Shashi Tharoor also became part of this syndicate. But there are many more in the wings whose identity is hidden. The game needs to be nurtured carefully, otherwise the gains of the last 2 years may just be a mirage. The fear that gangsters holed up in the Middle East with their betting rackets may capture the league can not be dismissed out of hand.

Cricket is a gentleman's game and the world over is associated with fair play and good conduct. It will be a disaster if this noble game is allowed to degenerate into a haven for sleaze money and betting syndicates. The present lot of people at the helm has some hard decisions to make. Some steps have been taken like the suspension of Lalit Modi, but a lot more needs to be done. Will they have the courage for it? It will not be easy and the concerned persons may just be hoping that the dust settles down. If this happens there is a real chance that everything will go under the carpet. That will be sad indeed.

Dell Latitude E7250

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113,935

74 100

Dell Latitude E7250 Price in India

• 113935/-

Dell latitude e7250 - Review

Digit Rating 74100100

PROS

• Tiny, slim, well built
• Very good keyboard and touchpad combo
• Matte screen

CONS

• Only 128GB storage
• Battery life inadequate

Our Verdict

The Dell Latitude E7250 may not be as glamorous as the ThinkPad X1 Carbon or Toshiba Portege Z30T-A, but it is a solid, dependable machine all the same, with some unique offerings for businesses that may be interested in them.

Dell latitude e7250 - Specification

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Sandwiched between the Vostro, at the lower end, and Precision, at the higher end, is Dell’s  Latitude series of laptops, built for businesses who desire an uncompromising notebook that gets the job done. To that end, the Latitude E7250 is a pretty good high-end business laptop, with quite a few hits and misses.

being a looker, drive them out of the window, because it’s every bit a dull and boring business notebook – very similar to the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon we’ve reviewed this month. It has a carbon fibre screen lid, and a magnesium alloy chassis to make the Latitude E7250 rugged and super slim at the same time. For its 12.5-inch form factor, the notebook weighs only 1.25 kg – only the Toshiba Portege Z30T-A weighs lower at 1.18 kg among business laptops we’ve tested in the recent past. Solid screen hinges do a great job of securing the notebook when its closed, and this makes the Dell Latitude E7250 incredibly easy to carry around – its lightweight ensures it can be tucked away in even the smallest of backpacks.

Apart from its tiny form factor, we like the Latitude E7250’s matte screen surface – a rarity on notebooks these days – which, in our opinion, is ideal for business notebooks that don’t emphasize on multimedia and keep away glares. However, its performance isn’t quite the best, as its brightness reads at 184.3 cd/m2 in our Spyder tests, and its contrast ratio is just disappointingly  low. Its onboard audio is at par with the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s at mid volume, and alright for personal entertainment or video conferencing in a boardroom. The HD webcam is nice for video conferencing on Skype or Google Hangout, and its microphone is a little oversensitive to any sound in its vicinity.

The notebook doesn’t spring any surprises as far as its core performance goes. It sports an Intel Broadwell Core i5 chip which isn’t as high performing as the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s Core i7, but paired with oodles of RAM and a 128GB SSD, it manages to do a good overall job in executing day-to-day tasks. However, due to its low weight, it only packs in a 3-cell battery, which lasted only 2 hours 46 mins in our high performance battery test – lower than the Portege Z30T-A which weighed in similarly. At a conservative battery plan, one can hope to extract just a little over 4 hours of battery backup on a single charge. Of course with a docking port, a battery extension can be slotted in (if required, at extra cost). So yeah, the Latitude E7250’s performance is good, but not great.

The Latitude E7250’s keyboard is different from the ThinkPad X1 Carbon’s in terms of layout and key size, but it performs equally well, which was a big surprise. The small backlit chiclet-sized keys are easy to get used to and great to type on, and its large touchpad with dedicated mouse buttons are a joy to interact with. As a combination, the Latitude E7250’s compact keyboard and touchpad work extremely well, better than quite a few larger form factor machines we’ve reviewed in the recent past in fact.

Of course, another important thing to note about the Dell Latitude E7250 is it comes with the 5th generation of Intel vPro security and management features, including (and not limited to) enhanced wireless connectivity (displays), hardware SSD encryption, active and remote management capabilities, and then some. All of this is music to any self-respecting business establishment’s ears that wants to deploy the Latitude E7250s in its workforce.

The Dell Latitude E7250 may not be as glamorous as the ThinkPad X1 Carbon or Toshiba Portege Z30T-A, but it is a solid, dependable machine all the same, with some unique offerings for businesses that may be interested in them.