Archive for March, 2008

11
Mar
08

Health Insurance Policy…

What is a health insurance policy?A health insurance policy is a contract between an insurer and an individual or a group, in which the insurer agrees to provide specified health insurance at an agreed-upon price the premium. Depending on the policy, the premium may be payable either in a lump sum or in instalments. Health insurance usually provides either direct payment or reimbursements for expenses associated with illnesses and injuries. The cost and range of protection provided by the health insurance will depend on the insurance provider and the particular policy purchased. These days, most companies give the benefit of health insurance to the employees. However, in case your employer does not offer a health insurance plan, it is advisable to opt for a health insurance scheme.

Why do you need health insurance?

Health insurance has become a necessity in today’s world considering the rise in the cost of medical care and treatment and the huge population of the country. The escalating cost of medical treatment today is beyond the reach of the common man. Even if an individual is healthy and has never had any major problem, it is not possible to predict what may happen in the future. There is a growing public awareness for better health care and desire to have better health care from private medical providers. In case of a medical emergency, cost of hospital room, doctor’s fees, medicines and related health services all add up to a huge sum. In such times, health insurance provides the much needed financial relief.Who can avail this facility?

Health insurance can be availed by people aged between five and seventy five (The upper and lower age limits may vary slightly depending on the policy). The health insurance scheme could either be a personal scheme or a group scheme sponsored by your employer.

What does it cover?

In anticipation of unexpected events that create the need for medical goods and services, the health insurance does not cover certain ailments. It does not cover ailments in the first year after the policy is taken. It covers hospitalization charges for:

  • Heart attacks
  • Strokes
  • Prolonged illnesses
  • Loss of limb, eye, or other parts of the body due to accident
  • Injuries
  • Maternity expenses
  • Medicines

What you need to know?

You should understand the policy, and become familiar with common health insurance provisions, including limitations, exclusions, and riders. It is very important to know what your policy covers and what you have to pay yourself. Health Insurance policies generally cover boarding, nursing and diagnostic expenses, which include room rent charged at the hospital or nursing home, fees of the surgeon, anesthetist, doctor, etc. Some policies even offer fixed cash amount for each day you stay at any hospital for treatment. If you have a persistent health problem and then decide to take insurance, it might not be covered. Expenses on hospitalization, incurred in the first 30 days after taking a policy are also not entitled, except in case of an injury from accident. Treatment of certain diseases is not covered during the first year of your policy. The list of diseases may vary form one health policy to another.

What are the main health policies or schemes offered by Indian insurance companies?

Some of the existing health insurance schemes currently available are individual, family, group insurance schemes, senior citizens insurance schemes, long-term health care and insurance cover for specific diseases. Choose the one that suits you best and insure your health.

The insurance policies offered by GIC are:

  • Mediclaim Policy
  • Personal Accident – Individual
  • Personal Accident – Family
  • Group Accident Insurance
  • Jan Arogya Bima Policy
  • Bhavishya Arogya Policy (Insurance for senior citizens)
  • Traffic Accident Policy
  • Overseas Mediclaim Policy

The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) offers:

The Asha Deep Plan: It provides cover for cancer, paralytic stroke, renal failure and coronary artery disease.
Jeevan Asha: The Jeevan Asha policy is the other healthcare product offered by LIC

Why does Indian insurance need foreign players?

Competition improves quality of service. In India, LIC and GIC are well-established names. Only companies of equal strength and track record can effectively compete with them. Foreign players will provide expertise.

Some foreign companies entering the Indian insurance sector and their Indian partners are as below:

Indian partner Foreign Insurer Specialization Present Status
Aditya Birla Group Sun Life, Canada Life Received License
Kotak Mahindra Finance Old Mutual, South Africa Life Received License
HDFC Standard Life, UK Life Received License
Reliance No Foreign Alliance Non-Life, Health Received License for Non-Life
ICICI Prudential, UK Life, Health Received License
Max India New York Life, USA Life Received License
Tata Group AIG, USA Life and Non-Life Received License

What changes are likely to occur with privatisation?

Currently, insurance for health care is tied up with only emergency situations. With privatisation it is hoped that health care will come within the reach of a large proportion of the population. It is important to remember that health insurance should now change from providing cover for treating sickness to ensuring the wellness of the consumer. An insurance model must be created with the `Total Health’ perspective to not only give access to quality healthcare but also incorporate preventive health care into the main system. Hospitals, different service centres and diagnostic centres needs to be accredited.

In India, approximately 80% of the total health expenditure comes from self-paid category as against government’s contribution of 20-30 %. A majority of private hospitals are expensive for a normal middle class family. The opening up of the insurance sector to private players is expected to give a shot in the arm of the healthcare industry.

Health insurance will make healthcare affordable to a large number of people. Currently, in India only 2 million people (0.2 % of total population of 1 billion), are covered under Mediclaim, whereas in developed nations like USA about 75 % of the total population are covered under some insurance scheme. General Insurance Company, has never aggressively marketed health insurance. Moreover, GIC takes upto 6 months to process a claim and reimburses customers after they have paid for treatment out of their own pockets.

What are the pros and cons of privitisation of health insurance?

Pros Cons
Flexibility in health insurance products and prices Supplier induced demand which would lead to increase in cost of care.
Comprehensive and cost effective packages Risk selection practices where the disabled, poor, elderly would be ignored
Medical plans will be tailored as per the requirement of an individual based on pre-negotiated rates Exclusion of pre-existing conditions and diseases
Fewer age, disease and benefits restrictions Monopoly of profit oriented insurance cartel with poor quality products.
Lower premium Would benefit only a select target audience
Claim settlement would be smoother and faster

Some Health Insurance Companies

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11
Mar
08

Health Tips…

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Increase the quantity of fruits and vegetables and low calorie foods.

Avoid intake of too much salt as it may be a factor for increasing body weight. Milk products like cheese, butter etc. and non-vegetarian foods should be avoided as they are rich in fat

Mint is very beneficial in losing weight. Chutney of green mint with some simple spices can be taken with meals. Mint tea also helps.

Spices like dry ginger, cinnamon, black pepper etc. are good for loosing weight and can be used in a number of ways.

Regular intake of carrot juice. 

Avoid rice and potato, which contain a lot of carbohydrates. Among cereals wheat is good. 

Vegetables like bittergourd and drumstick are useful in loosing weight.

Honey is an excellent home remedy for obesity. It mobilizes the extra deposited fat in the body allowing it to be utilized as energy for normal functions.

Dosage: One should start with small quantity of about 10 grams or a tablespoon, taken with hot water early in the morning. A teaspoonful of fresh lemon juice may also be added.

Fasting on honey and lime- juice is highly beneficial in the treatment of obesity without the loss of energy and appetite. For this, mix one teaspoon of fresh honey with the juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water.

Dosage: Take several times a day at regular intervals.

Raw or cooked cabbage inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence, it is of great value in weight reduction.

Exercise is an important part of any weight reduction plan. It helps to use up calories stored in body as fat.

Walking is the best exercise to begin with and may be followed by running, swimming or rowing.

The gum of Commiphora Mukul called ‘guggulu’ is the drug of choice for the treatment of obesity. 

Blood Purification and Fat Reduction
Take one glass of warm water and mix 1-2 teaspoonful of honey and one teaspoonful of lemon juice. Take this preparation daily before evacuation. It helps to purify the blood. It also helps to reduce fat and to clean the bowels.

06
Mar
08

Fathers Are Primary Parents ! Children love their Daddies!

    Your children love to hear your voice, to see you come in the door, to be next to you at the table, to play with you as long as you can possibly play! One father I know told me that his 15 month old climbed up on his and his wife’s bed at 6 a.m. one morning, crawled over, peered in his face, and gently put her finger up his nostril! Your children want contact with you–all of you!

Dads get a raw deal, however. The pressure to earn a living often has a desperate thread woven through it: there’s a sense that if you don’t provide, dire things will happen to your family! We live in a society in which the lack of any safety net for families translates to a feeling of “life and death” for Dads around work issues. And when work must be pursued in a worrisome way, exhaustion is not far behind. Long hours, worry, heavy expectations, an ever more uncertain working environment, and the threat of poverty all make it harder to enjoy our children. It’s also hard to think independently about ourselves as Dads and as men: what do we want to do with our lives, how do we really want to live, what’s important to us?

Listening to each other, hearing other Dads talk about parenting and about what’s important to them is a first step to climbing out of living under obligation. Just hearing how life is for other Dads can help bring a sense of perspective to our lives: the oppression of parents jams us all in similar ways. Getting a chance to say what your highest hopes are for your relationship with your children and your partner can help lift a trudging spirit. And seeing how good other Dads are, how valiantly we struggle to be our best and to care deeply, lets us go easier on ourselves.

One point that’s important to clarify is that fathers are absolutely primary parents. Children want, need, and love their Daddies. Some children grow up without the benefit of a Dad, and they manage well, but you need to know that, whatever your parenting circumstance, your child wants you close!

Children often look like they favor their Moms, and that when the chips are down, it’s Mom they want to stroke their forehead or kiss their hurt or listen to the tale of their hard day. But this is usually just the result of cultural circumstance: Mom is nearby more often when the chips are down, because in our culture, Dad usually spends more time at work. (In families in which the Dad stays home, the children gravitate to him in hard times, and it’s the Mom who has to work to keep from living on the emotional outskirts of the family.) You don’t have to remain on the emotional outskirts of your children’s lives!

What helps children grow close are simple things any Dad can do, if he has been clued in to the secret!

  • Your children love play, especially physical play. So you can get down on the floor and pillow fight, or wrestle, or be a horsy, or play hide and seek. If you are careful to always lose (maybe not by much–children love a good contest), to let them have the final victory, and if you are careful not to overwhelm them with your strength in play, they will laugh and find all kinds of ways to “get” you. The more they laugh, the closer they’ll feel to you. Joy and love are built in playtimes like these.
  • Your children want you to listen to their feelings, not to correct them. When children have played all-out, they feel safe enough to bring up heavy emotions. This is a golden opportunity. They are falling apart over some seemingly small issue: you said that play is over now, or you said they have to put their seat belt on, or they don’t like what’s being served for dinner. What you need to remember, in order to build closeness with your child, is that she wants you to listen while she cries! If you can love her, touch her gently, say little, and stand by whatever limit you have set (“I’m sorry, but you do have to put on your seatbelt”), she will get the bad feelings out, and will notice that you simply loved her even while she was feeling desperate or mad or sad. It’s this kind of listening that helps children feel like you are on their side forever. This kind of listening puts love in right at the most crucial time–when your child feels undone and vulnerable. All you have to do is to be kind and patient. Your child will show you more closeness and trust when she has finished her cry or her tantrum.
  • Your children want your life to be good. You working too hard and having no one to talk with about what matters to you keeps you remote from your child. Children often say they want the latest expensive toy or clothing, or feel like when the TV breaks, it has to be fixed right away. But saying no to some material things (and hearing your child’s full cry about how life can’t be lived without the latest “thing”) so that you can be in your family’s life more is a huge gift to your child and yourself. Go ahead and set limits that you think make sense, limits that allow your life to be good, too.

You belong in the center of your family, close and warmly loved! And we need to work together to see to it that fathers win more time, more security of mind, and more connection to other parents*, so that we can relax and enjoy the people closest to us.

03
Mar
08

History of Valentine’s Day

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One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. 
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor’s daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It’s no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.  Continue reading ‘History of Valentine’s Day’

02
Mar
08

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1) Qus. : What are you doing?

Ans. : Business.

Tax : PAY PROFESSIONAL TAX!

2) Qus. : What are you doing in Business?

Ans. : Selling the Goods.

Tax : PAY SALES TAX!!

3) Qus. : >From where are you getting Goods?

Ans. : From other State/Abroad

Tax : PAY CENTRAL SALES TAX, CUSTOM DUTY & OCTROI!

4) Qus. : What are you getting in Selling Goods?

Ans. : Profit.

Tax : PAY INCOME TAX!

5) Qus. : How do you distribute profit ?

Ans : By way of dividend

Tax : Pay dividend distribution Tax

6) Qus. : Where you Manufacturing the Goods?

Ans. : Factory.

Tax : PAY EXCISE DUTY!

7) Qus. : Do you have Office / Warehouse/ Factory?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY MUNICIPAL & FIRE TAX!

8) Qus. : Do you have Staff?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY STAFF PROFESSIONAL TAX!

9) Qus. : Doing business in Millions?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY TURNOVER TAX!

Ans : No

Tax : Then pay Minimum Alternate Tax

10) Qus. : Are you taking out over 25,000 Cash from Bank?

Ans. : Yes, for Salary.

Tax : PAY CASH HANDLING TAX!

11) Qus.: Where are you taking your client for Lunch & Dinner?

Ans. : Hotel

Tax : PAY FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT TAX!

12) Qus.: Are you going Out of Station for Business?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY FRINGE BENEFIT TAX!

13) Qus.: Have you taken or given any Service/s?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY SERVICE TAX!

14) Qus.: How come you got such a Big Amount?

Ans. : Gift on birthday.

Tax : PAY GIFT TAX!

15) Qus.: Do you have any Wealth?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY WEALTH TAX!

16) Qus.: To reduce Tension, for entertainment, where are you going?

Ans. : Cinema or Resort.

Tax : PAY ENTERTAINMENT TAX!

17) Qus.: Have you purchased House?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY STAMP DUTY & REGISTRATION FEE !

18) Qus.: How you Travel?

Ans. : Bus

Tax : PAY SURCHARGE!

19) Qus.: Any Additional Tax?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY EDUCATIONAL, ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL & SURCHARGE ON ALL THE CENTRAL GOVT.’s TAX !!!

20) Qus.: Delayed any time Paying Any Tax?

Ans. : Yes

Tax : PAY INTEREST & PENALTY!

21) INDIAN :: can i die now??

Ans :: wait we are about to launch the funeral tax!!!

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02
Mar
08

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1. Prevent virus outbreaks and spam

Viruses are often spread through e-mail. You can greatly reduce the spread of e-mail viruses by using antivirus software, using only e-mail services that offer automatic antivirus protection (such as AOL, Google, Hotmail, and Yahoo), opening e-mail only from trusted sources, opening only attachments you’re expecting, and scanning attached files with antivirus software before opening them.

Spam is loosely defined as unsolicited bulk e-mail and loosely correlates to the junk mail that turns up in your home mailbox. But spam represents more than unwanted clutter. It clogs e-mail accounts-and networks and servers-while trying to sell products, spread jokes, or propagate Internet hoaxes.

Reduce the amount of spam you receive by being cautious where you post your e-mail address. Avoid publishing your e-mail address on Web sites or submitting it to every site or organization that requests it.

Never forward chain messages, which often reveal coworkers’ and colleagues’ e-mail addresses to other parties. Use caution when accepting e-mail offers or agreeing to accept mailings from vendors; subscribe only to Web sites and newsletters you really need and consider creating a generic Hotmail or Yahoo e-mail account for these subscriptions.

on’t open unsolicited e-mail. If you accidentally open spam, don’t click links offering to unsubscribe or remove you from the mailing list unless the sender is a trusted vendor

2. Avoid phishing attacks

Phishing scams are designed to steal consumers’ personal information. They often use doctored and fraudulent e-mail messages to trick recipients into divulging private information, such as credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords, and even social security numbers.

Continue reading ”

02
Mar
08

Self Evaluation – Valuable or not…

A boy went to a public telephone booth and proceeded to punch in seven digits.
The shop-owner observed and listened to the conversation.

The boy asked, “Sir, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn? The woman replied, “I already have someone to cut my lawn.”
“Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now.” replied boy.
The woman responded that she was very satisfied with the person who was presently cutting her lawn.
The little boy found more perseverance and offered, “Lady, I’ll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk,
so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Florida.”
Again the woman answered in the negative.

With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.
The shop-owner, who was listening to all, walked over to the boy and said, “Son… I like your attitude;
I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job.”

The little boy replied, “No thanks, I was just checking my performance with the job I already have.
I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to!”

NB: This is the good way to check you are a valuable employee for your firm. Phone is better than email :)

02
Mar
08

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Thanks for being my love for one and half years, when you receive this letter I believe you might have selected a new boy friend and started enjoying your dating. Every lovers needs to struggle a bit to get a boy friend or girl friend.
Monisha … In order to recover your missing, I got another girl from next street & as you know this is my forth love, from all my past experiences I have learned a lot. When the love blossoms everyone starts writing love letters, you know very well… I have written many love letter to you , and writing a love letter in poetic way is not so easy nowadays MONISHA , and it’s a time consuming work, In order to avoid all this I need all my lover letters back so that I can put corrector and send to my new girl friend , please send it back to me , I don’t have poetic references or any photocopy of these letters. Another thing MONISHA, I have given you one cute photo of mine , can you send it to me please , you know better that this is the only photo I look very cute & handsome and this photo I have taken when I was in my very first love.
And also, during my 1 ½ years of love days I have spend lot of monies for impressing you, I am attaching a list of expenses which I request you to clear it at the earliest.
The expenses are as follows: Lunch / Dinner ; 895, Cool Drinks 2938 Rs, Snacks 5645 Rs. , Juice 3845 Rs. Cinema 1235Rs. Internet Chatting 1499 Rs. , Mobile 2546 Rs. Petrol 4255 Rs. Gift Items 7850 Rs, – Grand Total : 30,708 rs (in Words : Thirty Thousand Seven Hundred and Eight Rupees).
Please try to clear the above amount so that I can spend these monies on my new girl friend, and more over if you have any of my gift lying with you, am ready to take these packs in half prices. Please calculate the value of packs left over and deduct it from the above statement of account.
I am enclosing herewith your love letters (Weigh around 4 Kg) so that you no need to write again to your boy friend and your photo so that you can give to your new Boy Friend.
02
Mar
08

Nice Advertisement …Must see

“Yamaraj on leave”… :) a nice advertisement video that i got from internet….please watch this and comment. i am sure that you will also like this very much…..!!…

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01
Mar
08

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Do you or someone you know have OCD? And by that I mean Obsessive Computer Disorder! Yes, it is certainly not a registered, real medical term, but it does somehow convey the idea.Simply ask yourself this question: Can you imagine yourself going about your life for a day without checking your email, browsing the net to download music and movies, replying to your Facebook messages or even playing that computer game you have become so obsessed with?If you can do it, well … many can’t. Why? Because being glued to the computer screen has become as important as breathing and eating to many.Computer addiction is a reality, even though there is no “psychological” diagnosis for it, according to American University of Sharjah (AUS) student counsellor Dr Mona Mergani. It may not be listed in the giant Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a form of addiction, but like any other type of dependency it affects family and friends.
Continue reading ”
01
Mar
08

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Surge of my waves and their mystical themes
Embracing Bombay and Dar-es in hold
We all belong to the cradle of earth
Same human civilization pervades us all
Generations of life in these lands were like waves
Rising and falling and melting in time baobabs and
Banyans stood witness to these cycles
Bondage of slavery and foreigners yoke
Are gone with the past and power now to people
Gandhiji and Nyerere?s nobility and soul strength
Got thy the freedom, and now you have a mission
Enlightened youths, now you have to sweat
For making thy people prosperous and happy
01
Mar
08

US return INDIAN

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Top 22 things an Indian does after returning to India from “US”. 22. Use Nope for No and Yep for Yes.

21. Tries to use credit card in road side hotel.

20. Drinks and carries mineral water and always speaks of health conscious.

19. Sprays duo such so that he doesn’t need to take bath.

18. Sneezes and says ‘Excuse me’.

17. Says “Hey” instead of “Hi”.
Says “Yogurt” instead says “Curds”.
Says “Cab” instead of “Taxi”.
Says “Candy” instead of “Chocolate”.
Says “Cookie” instead of “Biscuit”.
Says “Free Way” instead of “Highway”.
Says “got to go” instead of “Have to go”.
Says “Oh” instead of “Zero”, (for 704, says Seven Oh Four Instead of Seven Zero Four)

16. Doesn’t forget to crib about air pollution. Keeps cribbing every time he steps out.

15. Says all the distances in Miles (Not in Kilo Meters), and counts in Millions. (Not in Lakhs)

14. Tries to figure all the prices in Dollars as far as possible (but deep down the heart multiplies by 43 times).

13. Tries to see the % of fat on the cover of a milk pocket.

12. When need to say Z (zed), never says Z (Zed), repeats “Zee” several times, if the other person unable to get, then says X, Y Zee(but never says Zed)

11. Writes date as MM/DD/YYYY, on watching traditional DD/MM/YYYY, says “Oh! British Style!!!!”

10. Makes fun of Indian Standard Time and Indian Road Conditions.

9. Even after 2 months, complaints about “Jet Lag”.

8. Avoids eating more chili (hot) stuff.

7. Tries to drink “Diet Coke”, instead of Normal Coke.

6.. Tries to complain about any thing in India as if he is experiencing it for the first time.

5. Pronounces “schedule” as “skejule”, and “module” as “mojule”.

4. Looks speciously towards Hotel/Dhaba food.

Few more important
3. From the luggage bag, does not remove the stickers of Airways by which he traveled back to India, even after 4 months of arrival.

2. Takes the cabin luggage bag to short visits in India, tries to roll the bag on Indian Roads.

Ultimate one:

1. Tries to begin conversation with “In US ….” or “When I was in US…”

01
Mar
08

SNAPS FROM SILICON VALLEY…

CISCO AMD McAfee Borland ebay Apple Yahoo! SUN Intel Adobe hp ORACLE google symantec

I got these images from ma_mail-cl_1.gif

01
Mar
08

Facts about Indian Railways

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Indian Railway is certainlythe ‘Lifeline of the Nation’ with its commendable performance since the last 150 years. Indian Railways is known to bethe largest railway network in Asia and world’s largest railway system under a single management. IR employs about 1.6 million people, making itselfthe second largest commercial or utility employer in the world.
IR boasts of more than 7,500 railway stations in its periphery. It has a fleet of not less than 7800 locomotives, 40,000 coaches 3,26,000 wagons. 9 pairs of Rajdhani and 13 pairs of Shatabdi Express Trains run on the rail tracks of India. In 1977, the National Rail Museum was established at NewDelhi. Given here is a list providing some interesting and amazing facts about Indian Railways.