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Tejas

Tejas Chokshi  | Answer  |Ask -

Tax Expert - Answered on Jul 25, 2023

CA Tejas Chokshi has over 20 years of experience in financial planning, income tax planning, strategic and risk advisory, banking and financial products and accounting and auditing.
He is an information system auditor, a forensic auditor and concurrent bank auditor.
Chokshi, who has a master’s degree in management, audit and accounting from Gujarat University, has completed his CA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.... more
Asked by Anonymous - Jul 25, 2023Hindi
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Hi Sir, Till 31-03-2022 i was paying rent to my father Rs.40000/- PM and claiming HRA for the same, in the year 2022 my father expired, the property is not yet transferred to my mother nor my family. My father senior citizen who filing ITR with house rent. Shall i same thing pay to my father & mother joint account and claim HRA for the same. Who should show the Rental income?

Ans: rent paid to parents may be allowed only if paid via a valid rental agreement. In this case, you may have to create rental agreement in name of your mother, once the property is transferred to her as class 1 dependent as per hindu succession act.
DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information to be as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision.
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Tejas

Tejas Chokshi  | Answer  |Ask -

Tax Expert - Answered on Aug 07, 2023

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Hi sir. Hope alls well with you n ur family. Sir i am a 75 year old lady living in south mumbai. I hav given my PAGRI flat of which I am BENIFICIARY OWNER / SOLE TENANT on rent to my grandson for 49,500 per month. He is claiming HRA on same. For proof he is submitting rent agreement between him and me on notarized stamp paper, Electric bill which is on my name for ownership proof of said flat, My Pan card and bank passbook xerox of both of us showing rent given by him and received by me, To his company. I am also filling my IT return and showing rent as my income. Now i hear that pagri flats cannot be given on rent. Hav no other source of income. Pls advise. Greatfully yours ZARINA.
Ans: "Pagri flats" typically refer to properties where the tenant (in this case, you) pays a lump sum amount to the landlord (previous owner) as a security deposit, and then the tenant continues to live in the flat without any formal lease agreement. The ownership and legal status of Pagri flats can be complex and may vary depending on local laws and regulations.It's important to clarify the legal status of the Pagri flat in terms of its rentability. If Pagri flats are not legally allowed to be given on rent in your area, you might need to address this situation. In many cases, renting out properties in violation of local regulations can have legal consequences. From a tax perspective, if you are indeed receiving rental income from your Pagri flat, you should be reporting it in your income tax return. You can offset this income by claiming deductions on expenses related to the property, such as maintenance, repairs, and property taxes. However, if the property is not legally rentable, there could be complications in terms of both tax and legal compliance.
Your grandson claiming HRA (House Rent Allowance) for the rent he's paying you might raise concerns if the property is not legally rentable. HRA is usually claimed when an individual pays rent to a landlord other than a close relative. Since you are his grandmother, the relationship might fall under the category of a close relative.

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Hardik

Hardik Parikh  | Answer  |Ask -

Tax, Mutual Fund Expert - Answered on Jul 29, 2023

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Hi sir. Hope alls well with you n ur family. Sir i am a 75 year old lady living in south mumbai. I hav given my PAGRI flat of which I am BENIFICIARY OWNER / SOLE TENANT on rent to my grandson for 49,500 per month. He is claiming HRA on same. For proof he is submitting rent agreement between him and me on notarized stamp paper, Electric bill which is on my name for ownership proof of said flat, My Pan card and bank passbook xerox of both of us showing rent given by him and received by me, To his company. I am also filling my IT return and showing rent as my income. Now i hear that pagri flats cannot be given on rent. Hav no other source of income. Pls advise. Greatfully yours ZARINA.
Ans: Dear Zarina Ji,

I hope you are doing well. I understand your concern regarding the rental of your Pagri flat.

The Pagri system is indeed a unique and complex aspect of Mumbai's real estate. As per the information available, there is no specific clause in the Income Tax Act that prohibits the renting of a Pagri flat. However, the legalities surrounding the Pagri system can be quite intricate and may vary based on specific circumstances.

In your case, as you are the beneficiary owner and sole tenant of the flat, and you are declaring the rent as your income in your IT return, it appears that you are following due process. Your grandson is also providing all necessary documents to his company for HRA claim, which seems appropriate.

However, I would strongly recommend consulting with a legal expert or a chartered accountant who is well-versed in the Pagri system and its implications. This will help you ensure that you are in full compliance with all legal and tax requirements.

Stay healthy and safe.

Best regards

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Nayagam P

Nayagam P P  |10854 Answers  |Ask -

Career Counsellor - Answered on Dec 14, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025Hindi
Career
Hello, I am currently in Class 12 and preparing for JEE. I have not yet completed even 50% of the syllabus properly, but I aim to score around '110' marks. Could you suggest an effective strategy to achieve this? I know the target is relatively low, but I have category reservation, so it should be sufficient.
Ans: With category reservation (SC/ST/OBC), a score of 110 marks is absolutely achievable and realistic. Based on 2025 data, SC candidates qualified with approximately 60-65 percentile, and ST candidates with 45-55 percentile. Your target requires scoring just 37-40% marks, which is significantly lower than general category standards. This gives you a genuine advantage. Immediate Action Plan (December 2025 - January 2026): 4-5 Weeks. Week 1-2: High-Weightage Chapter Focus. Stop trying to complete the entire syllabus. Instead, focus exclusively on high-scoring chapters that carry maximum weightage: Physics (Modern Physics, Current Electricity, Work-Power-Energy, Rotation, Magnetism), Chemistry (Chemical Bonding, Thermodynamics, Coordination Compounds, Electrochemistry), and Maths (Integration, Differentiation, Vectors, 3D Geometry, Probability). These chapters alone can yield 80-100+ marks if practiced properly. Ignore topics you haven't studied yet. Week 2-3: Previous Year Questions (PYQs). Solve JEE Main PYQs from the last 10 years (2015-2025) for chapters you're studying. PYQs reveal question patterns and difficulty levels. Focus on understanding why answers are correct, not memorizing solutions. Week 3-4: Mock Tests & Error Analysis. Take 2-3 full-length mock tests weekly under timed conditions. This is crucial because mock tests build exam confidence, reveal time management weaknesses, and error analysis prevents repeated mistakes. Maintain an error notebook documenting every mistake—this becomes your revision guide. Week 4-5: Revision & Formula Consolidation. Create concise formula sheets for each subject. Spend 30 minutes daily reviewing formulas and key concepts. Avoid learning new topics entirely at this stage. Study Schedule (Daily): 7-8 Hours. Morning (5:00-7:30 AM): Physics concepts + 30 PYQs. Break (7:30-8:30 AM): Breakfast & rest. Mid-morning (8:30-11:00): Chemistry concepts + 20 PYQs. Lunch (11:00-1:00 PM): Full break. Afternoon (1:00-3:30 PM): Maths concepts + 30 PYQs. Evening (3:30-5:00 PM): Mock test or error review. Night (7:00-9:00 PM): Formula revision & weak area focus. Strategic Approach for 110 Marks: Attempt only confident questions and avoid negative marking by skipping difficult questions. Do easy questions first—in the exam, attempt all basic-level questions before attempting medium or hard ones. Focus on quality over quantity as 30 well-practiced questions beat 100 random questions. Master NCERT concepts as most JEE questions test NCERT concepts applied smartly. April 2026 Session Advantage. If January doesn't deliver desired results, April gives you a second chance with 3+ months to prepare. Use January as a practice attempt to identify weak areas, then focus intensively on those in February-March. Realistic Timeline: January 2026 target is 95-110 marks (achievable with focused 50% syllabus), while April 2026 target is 120-130 marks (with complete syllabus + experience). Your reservation benefit means you need only approximately 90-105 marks to qualify and secure admission to quality engineering colleges. Stop comparing yourself to general category cutoffs. Most Importantly: Consistency beats perfection. Study 6 focused hours daily rather than 12 distracted hours. Your 110-mark target is realistic—execute this plan with discipline. All the BEST for Your JEE 2026!

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Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1841 Answers  |Ask -

Tech Careers and Skill Development Expert - Answered on Dec 13, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Dec 12, 2025
Career
Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently a 1st year UG student studying engineering in Sairam Engineering College, But there the lack of exposure and strict academics feels so rigid and I don't like it that. It's like they don't gaf about skills but just wants us to memorize things and score a good CGPA, the only skill they want is you to memorize things and pass, there's even special class for students who don't perform well in academics and it is compulsory for them to attend or else the student and his/her parents needs to face authorities who lashes out. My question is when did engineering became something that requires good academics instead of actual learning and skill set. In sairam they provides us a coding platform in which we need to gain the required points for each semester which is ridiculous cuz most of the students here just look at the solution to code instead of actual debugging. I am passionate about engineering so I want to learn and experiment things instead of just memorizing, so I actually consider dropping out and I want to give jee a try and maybe viteee , srmjeee But i heard some people say SRM may provide exposure but not that good in placements. I may not be excellent at studies but my marks are decent. So gimme some insights about SRM and recommend me other colleges/universities which are good at exposure
Ans: First — your frustration is valid

What you are experiencing at Sairam is not engineering, it is rote-based credential production.

“When did engineering become memorizing instead of learning?”

Sadly, this shift happened decades ago in most Tier-3 private colleges in India.

About “coding platforms & points” – your observation is sharp

You are absolutely right:

Mandatory coding points → students copy solutions

Copying ≠ learning

Debugging & thinking are missing

This is pseudo-skill education — it looks modern but produces shallow engineers.

The fact that you noticed this in 1st year already puts you ahead of 80% students.

Should you DROP OUT and prepare for JEE / VITEEE / SRMJEEE?

Although VIT/SRM is better than Sairam Engineering College, but you may face the same problem. You will not face this type of problem only in some top IITs, but getting seat in those IITs will be difficult.
Instead of dropping immediately, consider:

???? Strategy:

Stay enrolled (degree security)

Reduce emotional investment in college rules

Use:

GitHub

Open-source projects

Hackathons

Internships (remote)

Hardware / software self-projects

This way:

College = formality

Learning = self-driven

Risk = minimal

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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