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Nikunj

Nikunj Saraf  | Answer  |Ask -

Mutual Funds Expert - Answered on Feb 16, 2023

Nikunj Saraf has more than five years of experience in financial markets and offers advice about mutual funds. He is vice president at Choice Wealth, a financial institution that offers broking, insurance, loans and government advisory services. Saraf, who is a member of the Institute Of Chartered Accountants of India, has a strong base in financial markets and wealth management.... more
Swapnil Question by Swapnil on Feb 13, 2023Hindi
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I have yearly income of 45L I invest 1.5L in 80C and 50k in NPS. Should i adopt new regime to save tax or continue with old regime?

Ans: Hello Swapnil, please consult your tax advisor for the same.
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 Apr 25, 2023

Asked by Anonymous - Mar 31, 2023Hindi
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Hi Expert, My CTC is 12 Lakhs. I have home loan interest of INR 1,60,000 and principle of approx INR 80,000, ELSS 36,000, Life Insurance 12,000, Tuition Fee 60,000, Medical Insurance 26,000, PPF 50,000 to1,00,000. these are my planned annual investments. I need you help to choose new tax regime or old tax regime. can you help, please.
Ans: Based on the information you have provided, you can calculate your tax liability under both the old tax regime and the new tax regime to see which one is more beneficial for you.

Under the old tax regime, you can claim deductions under Section 80C for your home loan principal repayment, ELSS, life insurance premium, tuition fees, and PPF, which amounts to a total deduction of up to INR 1.5 lakh. In addition, you can claim a deduction of up to INR 25,000 for medical insurance premium under Section 80D. Your total deductions would be INR 1.75 lakh, which reduces your taxable income to INR 10.25 lakh.

Your tax liability under the old tax regime would be as follows:

Up to INR 2.5 lakh: Nil
INR 2.5 lakh to INR 5 lakh: 5% of (taxable income - INR 2.5 lakh)
INR 5 lakh to INR 7.5 lakh: INR 12,500 + 10% of (taxable income - INR 5 lakh)
INR 7.5 lakh to INR 10 lakh: INR 37,500 + 15% of (taxable income - INR 7.5 lakh)
INR 10 lakh to INR 12.5 lakh: INR 75,000 + 20% of (taxable income - INR 10 lakh)
Above INR 12.5 lakh: INR 1,25,000 + 30% of (taxable income - INR 12.5 lakh)
Under the new tax regime, you cannot claim the deductions under Section 80C, Section 80D, and other sections. However, you can claim a standard deduction of INR 50,000. Your taxable income would be INR 11.1 lakh.

Your tax liability under the new tax regime would be as follows:

Up to INR 2.5 lakh: Nil
INR 2.5 lakh to INR 5 lakh: 5% of (taxable income - INR 2.5 lakh)
INR 5 lakh to INR 7.5 lakh: INR 12,500 + 10% of (taxable income - INR 5 lakh)
INR 7.5 lakh to INR 10 lakh: INR 37,500 + 15% of (taxable income - INR 7.5 lakh)
INR 10 lakh to INR 12.5 lakh: INR 75,000 + 20% of (taxable income - INR 10 lakh)
Above INR 12.5 lakh: INR 1,25,000 + 30% of (taxable income - INR 12.5 lakh)
Based on the above calculations, it seems like the old tax regime may be more beneficial for you as your taxable income would be lower due to the deductions under Section 80C and Section 80D. However, you should consult a tax expert or a financial advisor to make an informed decision based on your individual circumstances.

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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!

Follow RediffGURUS to Know More on 'Careers | Money | Health | Relationships'.

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Dr Dipankar

Dr Dipankar Dutta  |1840 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

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