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A procurement document is a record that outlines the terms and conditions for purchasing goods or services. airSlate SignNow streamlines this process by allowing users to create, send, and eSign procurement documents quickly and securely, signNowly reducing administrative overhead.

Incorporating electronic signatures into your procurement documents with airSlate SignNow is easy. Simply upload your document to the platform, add signature fields where needed, and send it out for signing. This ensures compliance and expedites the procurement process.

AirSlate SignNow offers several pricing plans tailored to different business needs, including a free trial for new users. Paid plans provide additional features, such as unlimited document signing and advanced integrations, making it a cost-effective solution for managing procurement documents.

Yes, airSlate SignNow can integrate seamlessly with various software systems, including CRM and ERP solutions. This integration facilitates the efficient management and tracking of procurement documents, ensuring all stakeholders have access to the information they need.

AirSlate SignNow employs robust security measures, including end-to-end encryption and secure cloud storage, to protect your procurement documents. Compliance with industry standards such as GDPR and eIDAS further ensures the integrity and confidentiality of your documents.

AirSlate SignNow enhances efficiency by providing customizable templates for procurement documents, which can speed up the document creation process. Users can easily edit these templates and replicate them for future use, decreasing the time spent on drafting and approvals.

Using airSlate SignNow for procurement documents offers several benefits, including faster turnaround times, reduced paper usage, and better tracking of document status. These advantages lead to an overall more efficient procurement process, enabling teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

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Just wait and see. Supreme Court will examine every contract document of Rafale contract and then issue the judgment that everything is in order .Bcoz there is no corruption in the deal . It is just a figment of imagination by the brillant advisers of Rahulji .They are Tharoor , Singhvi , Sibal , iyer , Jairam, Chidambaram etc who are the people who have never read Defence procurement procedure DPP and making all kind of allegations taking into full confidence the ruling Coterie of pakistan , ND TV, Sardesai like journalists . There is absolutely nothing to bother .Instead it is Rahul and Sonia , Robert Vadras , Priyanka and Chidambaram they have to be more worried after the elections results are out and Modi govt returns for the second going thru Defence procurement. procedure Supreme Court will learn what is DPP and also understand 3 juniormost dissenting officials of Ministry of defense ate not the gods of India . And Supreme Court will also learn Modi govt got big benefeit of Iver Rs12,000 crores more on increased offset investments in India by Dassault . And Supreme Court will also learn when Indian govt signs direct contract with French govt it is a more secure corruption free contract with guranteed deliveries of fighter jets and hence normal clauses of the integrity pact as per DPP are just not required . Supreme Court will also learn the opposition netas just wanted to create problems for Modi govt with pakistani help .Nothing beyond that .People who are honest, sincere , dedicated have absolutely nothing to worry about anything in life anytime .Modi team doesn't have foreign bank accounts or foreign villas .

The simplest place to start is that Voter ID laws have an impact on the outcome of an election. People who are engaged in society almost all have a legal form of ID, and they skew Republican compared to people who are living off the grid for any of several reasons, who generally skew Democratic. Though there have been exceptions, with 2008 being the best and most recent example, Republicans tend to be more likely to vote than Democrats. Even in states where there is no voter id law, this is an undisputed fact on the ground. It's an old not-joke that Republicans love to see bad weather on Election Day, because it makes a Republican win slightly more likely. Polls of all registered voters usually show Democrats two or even more percentage points ahead of where they appear if the poll is of likely voters.Republicans like democracy. The question is whether it is defined as rule by a majority of all citizens, or by a majority of those who cast a vote. Obviously what a Republican would like to see is that every eligible voter in the country would register, educate themselves, and come out and cast a Republican vote. Even if they could get away with it, which they plainly could not, Republicans do not want to win elections by manipulating the outcome. They have a partisan motive to suppress turnout, and when they've been found guilty of doing that, they often end up literally behind bars. Republicans obviously do not have a partisan motive to increase general turnout.It would seem that both parties could agree on any system that allows every voter an equal opportunity to cast a legal vote. But there is no such system. The Republican will say that we have a system that is easy enough, and makes it possible for anybody who wants to do so to cast a vote. The Democrat will say that low turnout is proof that it wasn't easy enough. When it comes to balancing expense versus achieving universal voting, Republicans have a political motive to remove obvious obstacles and then let the people who want to vote cast their votes. It is equally partisan to suggest an extreme on the other end; we could conduct elections much more like the way we do a census; we could hire millions of people to go to their houses and collect their opinion, whether they had any interest in providing it or not. It would come closer to the ideal of democracy.We spend money running elections. We could install more voting machines in more voting locations, and boost turnout slightly. The cost would be high. At some point surely even someone who is dedicated to the notion that every citizen should vote will perceive a crossover point at which collecting more votes is not worth the cost. But it seems inevitable that a small government party will come into conflict on this issue when debating with a party that will directly benefit from more spending.With no voter id law whatsoever, it's harder to vote if you're poor. It is also harder to eat well and harder to get a good education and harder to get to work. All are rights that we want to work very hard to guarantee to every American. But we can't make it equally easy for poor people to do much of anything - your life isn't equal to prosperous citizens when you don't have any money. As of today, almost all Americans can request an absentee ballot by telephone, fill it out, mail it in, and have their vote counted. I am unaware of laws that require forms of ID that are expensive to obtain. I would like to learn more. It is my understanding that voter id laws include provisions to make the process of obtaining an ID no more difficult than voting itself.And a word about racism follows.A hundred years ago in many areas of this country you could legally discriminate on the basis of color. (Obviously you could do that much more recently, as well: I myself went to a legally all-white school as a first grader. I am that old.) Later, you could charge a poll tax. As a shameful but interesting bit of ephemera from the elections of years past, I have a poll tax receipt signed by my grandfather in 1932. The poll tax was $1.00, and that was a sufficiently high fee to prevent most African Americans from voting. The question now is whether the cost of an ID card is high enough that it prevents many minorities from casting a vote. Because of a legacy of centuries of racial discrimination, anything that impacts the poor impacts a higher percentage of minorities than whites. However, in any given income bracket, whites make up the majority. A policy that adversely affects the poor affects more white people than black people. This math isn't difficult, but it means that disproportionate impacts on African Americans are also primarily visited upon whites. If I had a political strategy that called for reducing black votes and getting white votes, a poll tax (or any poverty-driven mechanism) would be illogical in the extreme. Those who try to make a case that Republicans are in favor of laws that do not maximize the turnout of poor voters have an argument, because more government money could pay for more mechanisms to gather votes. Those who try to make an argument that Republicans are in favor of laws that are aimed at hurting minorities are at best mistaken, completely and utterly. If they have signNowed this conclusion without thinking through the math, they are expressing a valid concern that has to be discussed and addressed. If they are saying that the voter id laws are racially motivated even though they understand the math, and are merely asserting this accusation because it is damaging to the Republican Party, they are engaging in a common form of partisan politicking. In this case, it strikes me as being far out of bounds, both because it ascribes completely unacceptable moral qualities to Republicans with no evidence, and because it serves to shed heat on the discussion instead of light. It is demagoguery, and I condemn it in the strongest terms I know how to express politely.

I negotiate with a major software vendor on a full-time basis. I’m not going to try to invent an “unusual” strategy, because way too few of my customers (who are negotiating deals with the vendor I specialize in) have a grasp of what should be the “usual” strategies.I have to add that our strategy is not based on across-the-table relationships. My client is the customer, and my client hires me to define the best deal for them, not the vendor. I’m not looking for a win-win. I’m looking for a win. By my customer. If it’s a win for the vendor, I’m not offended, but that’s never my goal. If the vendor rep misses the deal and gets fired, that’s not my problem—I measure the result by my customer team’s success. Often the savings we realize save jobs at the customer’s site, so on the jobs front, we are doing just fine.I have, by the way, saved customers about $620 million over the last six years. I work every year with about a half-dozen Fortune 500/Global 2000 customers, plus a couple dozen smaller ones.Define your requirements. We spend 2 or 3 days at a customer’s site talking to relevant decision makers—what are their goals—and to technical implementers—what are they using today, when will they need more, etc. If you define your requirements and estimate what they should cost, you have set a “ceiling” on what you need to pay. This is known in classic negotiation strategy as “best alternative to a negotiated agreement” or BATNA. Because you have defined your needs carefully—and the vendor often has no idea what your real needs are—the vendor’s pitch is now invalid. The vendor team stuffs their proposal with their quota for the customer, their must-sell products, and the stuff they get bonuses for. You look at their offer, and strike out anything that doesn’t meet your requirements. Now you may be at 25% of what they were expecting to sell you.Always have a plan. In the thousands of meetings I have observed and participated in, one thing always sticks out: If only one person in the room has a plan, that’s the plan. By that I mean that you will spend the whole meeting discussing why or why not the vendor’s plan is a good plan, and no time considering alternative plans or approaches. The vendor never comes to a meeting without a presentation focused on what they want to sell. In response, the client must lay down on the table what they want to buy and do everything in their power, including ending the meeting early, to make that the plan. We’ve heard of smart negotiators who, after the vendor distributes handouts to members of the negotiating team and some managers, go around the room, gather up all the documents, and dump them in the recycle bin. Now, let’s start talking about our proposal.You control the schedule. My vendor always engages the customer months ahead of time with a calendar. Here’s when we’ll do the first introductions and overview (their PowerPoint, of course). They they’ll bring in the people who sell product X. Next, the people who sell service Y. They we will finalize the program and estimate costs. They we will get financial approval. Then the agreement will be complete and signed. Throw that out. Only you will decide when meetings are held. Only you will decide who attends meetings. Only you will decide what the agenda is. They’re free to tell you what they would like to talk about, but whether it makes the agenda or not is up to you. Never, ever let the vendor dictate who may or may not be in the room. One time the vendor rep told my customer that one of the customer’s staff would not be invited to future meetings. (He was constantly challenging the vendor with his own knowledge, and if there’s anything the vendor fears, it’s knowledgeable customers). I told the customer that they should make this employee a required attendee for all future meetings—now that the vendor had identified someone they feared, we’re going to put that fear in the room every time.Prepare the agreement that you will sign, independently of anything the vendor is offering. This is important for procurement/purchasing because the vendor will try to go over the negotiator’s head and get to senior management if they can’t crack the negotiator. If you, the negotiator, aren’t bending, the vendor will complain to upper management that the deadline is approaching and they still don’t have a deal. Your manager calls down, says “what’s going on, we need this done!” You say “I have the contract we will sign sitting on my desk. They had it two weeks ago. Anytime they want to sign this contract I will personally courier it to them for signature. It has gone through legal, it has the approval of our team. They may not want to sign it, but it is simply not true that we don’t have a contract ready for signature. It’s the vendor who is stalling, not us.”Manage upward. Make sure that senior people know what you are doing. They don’t want details, but keep them informed about your cost estimates (“we estimate that we should be able to get everything we need for $9.2 million”) and any vendor demands that are blocking signature. You want management to push any issues back to the negotiating team. Management should tell the vendor “you have raised some interesting issues. I trust my negotiating team to take all this into account, so bring that up with them and if they see it your way I’ll approve it.”Make all problems the vendor’s problem. One of my customers at one point said “Our back is against the wall. We need four weeks for contract approval, so we only have two weeks left to finalize the contract.” I told him “your back is never against the wall. We’re going to tell the vendor that we need to see their best and final offer one week from today. If they can’t make that, we’ll execute our contract plan” (which requires only putting in an order with a reseller). That worked perfectly. The vendor, of course, begged for a few more days, but in the end, the customer wrote the deal and met their deadline. So deadlines, budgets, special Ts and Cs , etc. that you need can all be turned into something the vendor needs to do or supply.Negotiate quantity or functionality rather than price. Way too many people wait for a vendor proposal and then try to talk it down 10% or 15%. They may end up with really good pricing for something they don’t need. That’s not a 15% discount. That’s 85% more than they needed to spend. We never negotiate discounts directly. By determining actual requirements we typically come in at 25% to 40% of what the vendor is proposing—and we base that on list prices. I call it “writing your own discount.” In these situations, we have “discounted” the customer’s costs by 60% to 75%. Furthermore, we often still end up with great price discounts. How? The vendor account team really, really needs to squeeze some quota or some must-sells into the deal. So they discount the price of everything else to squeeze their stuff under the price ceiling. We’ve gotten our customers 50% price discounts that way, even though they are buying far less . Less product, bigger discount? That’s a real savings accelerator.Find the mole. The vendor may have some staff in your building to help with support, training, etc. These people are often spies and cultivate friendships with your staff. They sit in the company cafeteria and shoot the bull, but they are also gathering information about new initiatives, quantities, critical requirements, etc. They also try to cultivate staff who might reveal information about the customer’s negotiating team or strategy. We provide customers with a template to send to all employees who are in that position. Never disclose data. Never get excited about anything they show you. At best, “we’ll review that.” If vendor staff ever try to pry out information, inform the negotiating team. In some cases we recall or invalidate badges that let vendor staff enter and roam the building without an escort. Until this deal is over, they’ll be escorted everywhere. Often some of your staff may be compromised. They’ve drunk the Kool-Aid and they really really want the latest Cadillac version of the vendor’s product. They can disrupt negotiations by bringing up constant objections. On one hand, we want the customer’s staff to be able to back our negotiating position, so we listen to such objections and if they’re real we will accommodate them. But we will challenge the employee for a business justification if they say something like “we can’t live without the next version of the product.” Really? It’s not out yet. What’s in it that you need? In many cases they’re feeding you scuttlebutt, not facts.Never forget that you have the money. The vendor wants it. If they don’t put the right deal on the table, they walk away with nothing. You still have your money. Way too many customers feel cowed by the brand, size, and money of a major software vendor. In reality, the contest is only between you and the vendor rep. The rep desperately needs your money to keep his or her job. When the vendor starts dictating to the customer, the wrong dynamic is set up. Push back, strong. They may act like you owe them, but you don’t. They owe you an appropriately sized contract to meet your requirements. “Here is the budget. Here are our requirements. Meet them and you get the money.”NB. Edited 6/16 to change “way too many” in the first paragraph to “way too few”PD

Rampant corruption. Yes soldiers die for their country. But doesn’t mean that all of them are honest and dedicated. In today’s triservices, I did say more than 60% soldiers of all ranks are corrupt. Right from a Sepoy to a General Officer. And don’t even ask about defence civilians. They treat officers in uniform like shit. Mainly because the top brass is hand in glove with them in taking commissions from contractors and feeding them free ki daaru and Mess ka khaana. You see, everyone in today’s fauj is out to sell you. An NCO will try to make a fool out of a young inexperienced officer by quoting absolutely wrong rules regarding numerous boards to be held or documents to be signed. I was once detailed for quarterly check of fuel store in my unit. They thought what will a lady officer and that too a captain sahab know about fuel. They were in for a surprise. My name never appeared in such a sensitive board again. Again name detailed for a condemnation board. I refused to sign till all the items are displayed in front of me. Again name changed from the board. Not to forget the lower ranks never had any items to display barring broken plastic buckets and gardening instruments and few broken tea cups. The carpet and sofa to be condemned or not were nowhere in sight. You can very well imagine where they were. I am giving these examples to tell you that the corruption in defence is everywhere. From the smallest of the stock taking board to the highest echelons. Coming to MES. I had to write an RTI to get two CFLs changed in my house. I was sick of paying for them form my pocket for two years of my tenure. They kept on telling me that they didn’t have CFLs in stock for two years! I had called up and politely requested all the faujis in MES but to no avail. As soon as they received the RTI, there was a call from highest officer in the station who called me for an interview. He was counselling me as if I had committed a crime. Needless to say I gave him a good verbal thrashing and showed him the photographs of my house and threatened to send them to people sitting at the top. And only The was basic work carried out in my house. Basic work. Which should be a routine. The MES was not doing me a favour. I had to fight for it.Had to straighten out the Quartermaster because my share of tea leaves and coffee powder was being sent to his home. When I asked the NCO that I have not received any tea or coffee in 3 months, he told me that supply depot only isn’t procuring. Called up the supply depot in front of him. They obviously said that they have been procuring it regularly. Threatened the NCO. The truth came out. And my ration came smoothly for the rest of the tenure.I have full written proof of all the wrong doings and corruption and the harassment that I have faced. I am a third generation fauji. And I will never allow my children to join forces. Never ever.I feel that life of a civilian is better. You pay the money and get the work done. Rather than fighting for everything what is rightfully yours and loosing peace of mind.I have faced this difficulty probably because I come from that division of fauj that doesn’t get any sahayak or vehicles. Yes. There are services in the army that do not have any manpower support and are over worked.After almost two decades of fighting what is rightfully mine, I have decided to give up.I am too qualified to put up with this non sense. I did rather much earn a bit less but live peacefully and with dignity in a civilian life where I know that everyone is paying for what they are enjoying. ( I mean the corporate world and not the civilian employed by the state or central Govt which again is the same story as defence).

Kindly refer to the reports published by The Hindu which clearly indicates :interference of PMO by running parallel negotiations with the French which undermined official negotiation team.The discounts given to Dassault have not been monetised which resulted in HIGHER costs.The selection of offsets and commitment towards investments from Dassault have been diluted.The offsets being backloaded into the deal do not fulfill conditions specified under defence procurement rules.This government has not signed offset agreement with many other deals particularly missile system aquisition so why it signed it here but overlooking the credentials of PSU like HAL in favour of a New Company being promoted by Anil Ambani.Today the opaque government which beats its drums loudly in the name of transparency Stood NACKED when Supreme Court agreed to hear arguements on review of its December 2018 judgement which was being flouted by PM as ckear chit by SC and also agreed to consider every document in public domain particukarly published by The Hindu.Inference :There is no clean chit to the Government and by this decision SC has accepted that the judgement given in December 2018 was flawed.By throwing out the reason given by AG, KK Venugopal that the documents being quoted in Hindu were stolen from defence ministry hence Cannot be sonsidered as evidence , the SC has ckearly indicated that it is not convinced with arguement of the government and the arguement is not worth considering.if any body dare reads the report published in The Hindu , the incompitancy, not considering national interest, acting against national interest, undue involvement of PMO , Unwanted discounts , Crony Capitalism all comes out clearly.If the Supreme Court is little more proactive it can also consider looking into treason angle in the deal, as overlooking national interest in favour of a foreign entitity, foreign government, foreign company, Individual interest of industrial houses overlooking national interest all qualify as Treason to the nation.EM Foster may be proud in the PM following his most infamous statement about choice between betraying the country and friend and God to give him strength to not to betray his friend. This statement meant treason to the interest of nation when he made it in 1930's and TODAY also means the same.I have seen many answers raising question mark on the opposition but very reluctant to accept the fact that their Hero has feet of clay and can be guilty in the deal, today's judgement has opened door to signNow this conclusion.i would request the readers to read reports published in The Hindu without prejudice and understand that the Newspaper is Neutral in its reporting , it is this news paper which brought out Bofors Scandal and it has all wherewithal to bring out Murky details in RAFALE.When Reporting by The Hindu on BOFORS was celebrated there is no reason why reporting on RAFALE should not be celebrated.

Hey there,from my 15yrs strategic procurement expertise here’s a very hands on approach, how the procurement cycle works out on a daily basis. Please note: this covers the steps from demand to contract signature (as I see all the invoice and goods receipts bookings as more or less operational / logistic questions):I illustrated it in three phases for you:Demand definition phaseNegotiation phaseAwarding phaseHere are the single steps me and my organization is going through in the best case:Phase I - Demand DefinitionAfter the first contact between the demand owner and the procurement professional, usually the clarification process starts. This includes several questions, such as…… who are your stakeholders (management, customers, other units)?This is quite important. I also utilize this question to make sure, once the RfP (Request for Proposal) is initiated, procurement should be the single point of contact for any discussions with vendors - no side communication as this weakens the overall negotiation position… do you have an idea about potential vendors you would like to include in the demand / tender?… what are the boundaries from a demand owners point of view?… what is the timelline, what is the latest point we need a signed contract?and maybe the most important:… in nutshell: What is your end goal? What do you want to achieve with this tender (e. g. free up resources, move a certain topic to the next level, find alternatives etc etc)Out of these questions - in a joint effort - a demand definition or even better a demand specification (what do we want to contract?) evolves. This is the core of the tender!during this discussion certain clarifications may occur which turn into a feedback cycle. Procurement can really act as a quality gate here not only to get comparable quotes but also helps to get demand clarity and better fulfill the demand owners end goal (see above)Phase II - Negotiationonce the core (see above) is finalized, procurement puts together all the workstreams (such as legal requirements, quality, IP etc) and preps the tender package. From my experience this works best, when combined with a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement).In bigger projects I brief potential suppliers to not only sign a NDA but also a statement to offer us the best proposal possible and a signature that they are committed to us as a customer. I even let them sign this, which has a nice psychological side effect. Additionally this helps them to get their sales team readyOnce we have initiated the tender (RfP - Request for Proposal) we also communicate the timeline. This is quite important because this usually is a non-changeable milestone. It is like “… if you want to play, you stick to our timeline…” Helps to make things crystal clear for all parties involved.During the tender - usually after they had the documents for a week - we do a q&a session to answer any open question the vendor might have. We ask them to submit questions before the session so we can involve potential SMEs (Subject Matter Experts).In big tenders, we usually do a joint q&a which has 2 major advantages:1. effort optimization: we have 1 meeting instead of several with each vendor separately2. competition optimization: if we have 3 or more vendors to participate, usually there’s always one of them who asks intelligent questions and shines, which puts other vendors under a certain psychological pressure to also best performOnce we receive the vendors offers we read through them, eventually split up in certain workstreams, e. g.legal reviews topics like liabilitiesprocurement reviews commercialsIT (if required) reviews technical cornerstones etc etcAt the same time, I check certain topics within the vendors feedback, such as …do they have references? Can we have a reference call?does the feedback match with potential previous offers (from other tenders) to us?Negotiations start based on feedback from evaluations from stakeholders and demand ownerscommercialslegal topicsadditional options offered etc.Once we have everything cleared, we enter …Phase III - Awardingin my organization every strategic tender needs to be approved by our senior management. Hence we brief them.Out of this briefing some addtional requirements and feedback may arise (this simply is reality, so we might have to do some reworkOnce all open topics are clarified, we sign the contract documentsIn strategic tenders, we usually have an awarding meeting, where both parties physically sign the documents (this again fosters a vendors commitment towards a high performance executiion / delivery)Finally we calculate our savings and enter them into our reporting toolsI hope this helps to clarify your question.Let me know if you need more information and I’ll be happy to create a blog post on Blog - The Procurement Blog to answer them in more Detail.

I didn't have time to gather all the facts so forgive me for being so brief but here it goes:“Within his first week, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse. http://1.usa.gov/dUvbu5Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money. http://n.pr/hcgBn1On his first full day, he froze White House salaries for the duration of the Great Recession.http://on.msnbc.com/ewJUIxHe appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending and efficiency. http://www.cio.govHe committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems and signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act, in an attempt to limit waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting systems. http://bit.ly/hOw1t1http://bit.ly/fz8GAdHe created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. http://bit.ly/hwKhKaSigned an Executive Order instructing federal agencies to review all federal regulations and remove any unnecessary and/or burdensome regulations from the books.http://1.usa.gov/Lpo5bdDismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby cutting ties between energy companies and the government. http://nyti.ms/bw1MLuBanned gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch. http://bit.ly/fsBACNBanned anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years and placed strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House. http://nyti.ms/gOrznVHeld the first-ever first online town hall from the White House, and took questions from the public. http://bit.ly/gVNSgXBecame the first president to stream every White House event, live.http://1.usa.gov/kAgOP5Established a central portal for Americans to find service opportunities.http://www.serve.govRestored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records and eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews, giving the public greater access to historic White House documents, and curtails the use of executive privilege to shield them. http://1.usa.gov/gUetLbImproved the Freedom of Information Act and issued new guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent when processing FOIA requests. http://1.usa.gov/gjrnp2Streamline the Department of Education’s procurement policies and made them more transparent. http://bit.ly/1r9oQvhProvided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House Visitors Log in history. http://1.usa.gov/hQ7Signed a law to completely reform NSA Data Collection program and keep phone records in the hands of the phone company. http://bit.ly/1dG34vDStaved Off a Bush Depression, Improved the EconomyPushed through and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as “the stimulus package.” He also launched http://recovery.gov, a website that allows taxpayers to track spending from the Act. http://1.usa.gov/ibiFSshttp://1.usa.gov/e3BJMkBy the end of his first year, the economy created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy by 3.5%. http://reut.rs/i46CEEHe created the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan and forced banks and other entities to pay back virtually all of the bailout money.http://1.usa.gov/eA5jVShttp://bit.ly/eCNrD6He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan. http://1.usa.gov/goy6zlIn 2010, more jobs were created than had been created during Bush’s eight years.http://bit.ly/hrrnjYHe pushed through and implemented an auto industry rescue plan that saved as many as 1 million jobs and possibly the entire auto industry.http://bit.ly/ibhpxrhttp://bit.ly/gj7mt5Through his investment in GM, returned to the company to its place as the premiere car company in the world. http://lat.ms/zIJuQxIn February 2016, GM was in such good financial shape, they gave a share of the profit to each worker, with checks up to $11,000. http://detne.ws/1mk7JryDoubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, to improve manufacturing efficiency. http://bit.ly/eYD4nfIncreased infrastructure spending after years of neglect. http://bit.ly/f77aOwSigned the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which helped millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures and provided $2.2 billion to combat homelessness and stabilize the housing market. http://bit.ly/eEpLFnSigned an Executive Order creating jobs immediately by instructing them to reduce the time needed for review and permitting of infrastructure projects. http://1.usa.gov/GHxaYtThrough the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery. http://bit.ly/dZgXXw http://bit.ly/gORYfLPlayed a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis. http://nyti.ms/gHlgp5Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost. http://1.usa.gov/ez30DWith Congressional Democrats, provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession. http://bit.ly/g0IKWRChina’s largest manufacturer, Foxconn, is building a large plant in Pennsylvaniahttp://cnnmon.ie/1k7LT4SWorked with Apple Computer to get them to build more product here, and thecompany is building two large plants to manufacture products here; one in Texashttp://zd.net/1nkpt2O and one in Arizona http://bit.ly/1mXY5VgCreated an institute to invest in more manufacturing jobs in the technology fields of the future. http://nyti.ms/1egyXrVOrdered all federal contractors to pay a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour, leading the way to a national increase. http://wapo.st/1iaU5kdOrdered the completion of the International Trade Data System, a digital trade record book, by 2016. This move will streamline and simplify the process through which small- and medium-sized businesses set up the export of US goods. http://bit.ly/1nwSRF4Specific Examples of Economic ImprovementAs of January 2016, a record 64 consecutive months of overall job growth.http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQAs of January 2016, Unemployment drops below 5% for the first time in eight years and without a signNow bubble. 4.9% http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQAs of January 2016, there have been 71 consecutive months of private sector job growth. http://on.msnbc.com/1TKFCPQSince February 2010, when job numbers hit their lowest point, 13.7 non-farm jobs have been created. http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/C... (Republican budget cuts reduced public employment by about 700,000)Oversaw a reduction in the federal budget deficit by two-thirds since taking office.http://bit.ly/1xKMmjYReduced the federal budget deficit from 9.8% of GDP in Fiscal Year 2009 under Bush, to 2.9% of GDP in FY 2014. http://www.cbo.gov/publication/4...Scolds Congress and gets passed a $305 billion highways bill, which will have the added benefit of created hundreds of thousands of new jobs and creating incentives for green cars. http://bit.ly/1NsL2ZqAddressed Wrongdoing in the Financial SectorSigned the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system, and create a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown. http://abcn.ws/g18Fe7Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money. http://huff.to/eAi9QqAlong with Congressional Democrats, pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression.http://bit.ly/hWCPg0http://bit.ly/geHpcDCreated and implemented rules to reduce the influence of speculators in the oil market.http://bit.ly/MDnA1tCreated and implemented rules so banks can no longer use depositors’ money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against depositors’ interests. http://bit.ly/fnTayjSupported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on executive compensation.http://bit.ly/fnTayjEndorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes. http://bit.ly/esOdfB http://bit.ly/eG4DPMNegotiated a deal with Swiss banks permitting the US government to gain access to bank records of criminals and tax evaders. http://bit.ly/htfDgwSigned the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, closing many of the loopholes that allowed companies to send jobs overseas, and avoid paying US taxes by moving money offshore. http://1.usa.gov/bd1RTqThanks to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, inflation in the healthcare sector dropped to its lowest point in 50 years. http://on.wsj.com/1E6cYjFImproved Conditions for Consumers and Small BusinessesSigned the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices.http://1.usa.gov/gIaNcSGuided the housing market all the way back from total collapse, which led to a rally for housing starts. http://reut.rs/1NTAOVU http://reut.rs/1NTAOVUBrought airline industry back to their highest profitability since before the recession. http://lat.ms/1O8H1iEBlocked a monopolistic merger of Staples and Office Depot, to preserve at least some competition. http://bit.ly/1kcY2KvStock market has signNowed record highs, restoring most of the economic losses felt during the Bush Recession. http://bit.ly/1z4FAtLCreated and Implemented the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau http://1.usa.gov/j5onG http://bit.ly/fnTayjConsumer confidence continues to inch up to its highest level more than a decade.http://bit.ly/1PZLRcKInitiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses. http://1.usa.gov/eu0u0bCreated BusinessUSA, to allow online collaboration between small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since merged with U.S. Small Business Administration.) http://www.business.govTook steps to improve minority access to capital. http://bit.ly/f9xVE7Used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. http://on.msnbc.com/i1i8eVCrafted and signed an executive order establishing the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans. http://bit.ly/eyqsNEOversaw the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression.http://thedc.com/gxkCtPThrough the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, extended the False Claims Act to combat fraud by companies and individuals using money from TARP and Stimulus programs. http://bit.ly/SLTcSaSet up rules for banks in handling legal marijuana money. http://nyti.ms/1b80o2KAdded greater protections to consumer financial transactions to reduce identity theft.http://1.usa.gov/1pjfUFqTook steps to prevent pirate fishing and protect fish populations, and ordered stricter labeling requirements on labeling of seafood products in stores. http://1.usa.gov/1BYhTUnSigned the RAISE Act, which should encourage more people to open small businesses and help improve the economy. http://bit.ly/1QhTqkFSigned a bill that allows low-volume vehicle manufacturers that will increase entrepreneurship among small car manufacturers, who often build replicas of classics but who often build green vehicles. http://bit.ly/1QhTqkFStrengthened the Middle Class and Fought PovertyWorked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families.http://bit.ly/fNfidSThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, cut taxes for 95% of America’s working families. http://bit.ly/eSEI4FTax rates for average working families are the lowest since 1950. http://bit.ly/f74pD8Extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years.http://bit.ly/eFeSdPExtended discounted health coverage under the COBRA health insurance law for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s also extended unemployment benefits more than a few times. http://aol.it/evtVxDhttp://nyti.ms/emrqKJhttp://bit.ly/hOtIpg http://bit.ly/fTT7kzProvided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps). http://nyti.ms/gfLqyMSigned an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs.http://wapo.st/eWECA8Included the Buffet Rule in his 2014 budget proposal, in order to fulfill a campaign promise to make sure tax rates are fair between the rich and the middle class. http://1.usa.gov/19PkdQoUsed the fiscal cliff negotiations to extend for five additional years the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides tax credits to families for college-related expenses, thus saving those families up to $10,000. http://onforb.es/17zYg3uIncreased protections for the unemployed who are seeking a government job.http://1.usa.gov/1jgXATuUpdated and modernized overtime regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) http://1.usa.gov/1iGDO8eSigned and implemented the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, to improve nutrition in schools and make children healthier. http://1.usa.gov/GAXkSkTo make college more affordable and accountable, will begin rating colleges with regard to affordability and value. http://bit.ly/14Dn7ULInitiated a reform of federal job training programs, to make them more relevant to the current economy and the job market. http://1.usa.gov/1kZLQHGUnder Obama, the bottom 95% of taxpayers pay lower federal income taxes than at any time in the last 50 years, including under Reagan, or either Bush. http://bit.ly/1w1W8NsSigned a presidential memorandum authorizing six weeks paid leave for all federal employees with a new baby and encouraged Congress to do the same for all workers. http://bit.ly/18613XA2014 marked the first time since 1984 that unemployment dropped in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. 1.usa.gov/1E25u0CTook steps to improve workplace safety by creating an Advisory Board to study workers’ exposure to toxic substances. http://1.usa.gov/1M4s8IGChanged overtime rules to make it far more difficult for employers to avoid paying overtime to workers. http://politi.co/1KHfiBeChanged rules for federal contractors, guaranteeing that all workers earn paid leave; this should affect about 300,000 workers. http://1.usa.gov/1LcHZWlNegotiated a law to finally replace “No Child Left Behind” and remove much of the onerous government “oversight” that caused children to stagnate, not improve, academically. http://bit.ly/1Up9pMlAddressed Civil Rights and EqualityFormed a commission to examine and make recommendations for fixing the broken voting system. http://wapo.st/16K0DAt a press conference August 9, 2013, gave up a small measure of executive power, promising to create adversarial process in FISA regarding NSA surveillance.http://1.usa.gov/1dQmnyQProposed rules to enhance Fair Housing Laws, to give HUD and other enforcement agencies more enforcement power. http://bit.ly/1qkz4uQOrdered a review of capital punishment policies after several botched executions.http://nyti.ms/RDJp58Appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy. http://1.usa.gov/fi5IY0Concentrated immigration enforcement on those who commit crimes, and vowed to stop breaking up families. http://1.usa.gov/1uTZ8gVStreamlined the visa process, to make it more responsive and humane for those who want to be here legally. http://1.usa.gov/1tgDRtiTook steps to tighten the reins when it comes to providing local law enforcement agencies with military-style equipment and exercising more control over the equipment they receive. http://1.usa.gov/1ATWV3KChanged fair housing rules to make more affordable housing available to more people. http://cnn.it/1JcR3qBHelped Democrats in Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act.http://bit.ly/th0JC8Established the White House Council of Native American Affairs, to improve government-to-government relations with Native American nations. http://1.usa.gov/1cIEeEvLimited local police acquisitions of military-style equipment, to reduce the likelihood of overkill. http://n.pr/1NGkBjTSigned Blue Alert Law, which provides police officers with more information when they are threatened. http://bit.ly/1NGksgaImproved Workers’ RightsHe issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees’ rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including all websites and intranets.http://1.usa.gov/qu2EhQObama’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission clarified and strengthened rules prohibiting discrimination against pregnant workers. http://alj.am/1mo0kjVRequired companies who bid on federal contracts larger than $500,000 to publicly disclose all previous violations of labor law, including unpaid claims for back wages. http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3Made it illegal for federal contractors with more than $1 million in contracts to force employees into arbitration in workplace discrimination accusations. http://1.usa.gov/V54qY3Vetoed Republican bill that would have blocked new NLRB rules that were designed to speed up the time it takes workers to unionize. http://reut.rs/1agujMO He also added a Memorandum of Disagreement to make his reasons for the veto clear and made a major statement in support of unions. http://1.usa.gov/1NG7RuACracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor. http://nyti.ms/fOGLcjProtected the Rights of Gay PeopleSigned and implemented the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity. http://bit.ly/gsMSJ7Oversaw and implemented the repeal of the reprehensible “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy.http://bit.ly/fdahuHhttp://bit.ly/mZV4PzExtended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. http://1.usa.gov/g2RLCjAppointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history. http://bit.ly/g1lA7DAppointed first openly transgender Cabinet Official in History. http://bit.ly/58zUp7Advocated that United Nations adopt a policy supporting gay rights worldwide.http://lat.ms/pQe1RSAs soon as the Supreme Court invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act, he moved to extend federal benefits to same-sex couples. http://wapo.st/1avDjueIssued an order requiring hospitals to allow visitation by same-sex couples.http://reut.rs/llNJekChanged HUD rules to prohibit gender and sexual orientation-based discrimination in housing bit.ly/9RxEnPChanged his mind and publicly expressed support for same-sex marriage.http://bit.ly/JsiFKpIssued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other. http://1.usa.gov/aUueGTAppointed several prominent gay athletes and others, and plans to show US government’s commitment to gay rights to anti-gay Russia. http://on.cpsj.com/1fckN9hDepartment of Agriculture propagated new rules to better enforce non-discrimination when it comes to USDA investigations and to extend non-discrimination to gender identity. http://bit.ly/1yChJhiBanned all federal contractors from discriminating against gay workers. http://1.usa.gov/1ok1gfHPersevered with his campaign to turn “gay marriage” into “marriage” and won in the Supreme Court. http://cbsloc.al/1M4qLKbImproved Conditions for WomenEstablishing the White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider the effect of their policies and programs on women and families. http://bit.ly/e1puTk http://1.usa.gov/rFfqMMImplemented the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. http://bit.ly/fT3CxgEliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and rescinded the global gag rule. http://bit.ly/eCFAI1 http://bit.ly/f92drFImproved the Paycheck Fairness Act, making it possible for employees to talk about their salaries without retaliation, and ordering salary data collection, so as to make it harder for employers to pay women less. http://huff.to/1nwVOWfSigned an Executive Order pledging support for efforts to end the global problem of violence against women and girls. http://1.usa.gov/MHTRVUShattered another glass ceiling by naming Janet Yellen chair of the Federal Reserve beginning Feb. 1, 2014. http://usat.ly/1gqMBfkExpanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act. http://1.usa.gov/dSbI0xOrdered companies with 100 employees or more to disclose pay data based on race and gender, to address the pay gap. http://theatln.tc/1Q04XPLAddressed Criminal Justice Failings and the Gun CultureMade signNow reductions in drug sentencing guidelines for current prisoners. http://n.pr/1mWBLkMOversaw the first drop in the federal prison population in 32 years. http://bit.ly/1B5h8rWIncreased his use of clemency to release thousands of non-violent drug offenders from prison. http://nyti.ms/1KE8DJGOrdered a ban on solitary confinement for juvenile offenders in federal prisons.http://bit.ly/20ObRzATook executive action to promote smart gun technology, to make them safer.http://1.usa.gov/1RhK1tUAfter a failure by Congress to act, proposed executive orders to create more background checks and to fully staff the background check system. http://cnn.it/1JXmUg6Relaxed HIPAA rules enough to allow for more information to be available to the background check system. http://on.wsj.com/SX9xaZOrdered the tracing of guns as part of criminal investigations to provide data to researchers. http://on.wsj.com/SX9xaZOrder the Justice Department to look at the categories of mental health problems prohibited from owning guns to make sure people aren’t falling through the cracks, getting guns. http://onforb.es/1nUAGw3Expanded the definitions of gun dealers and expanded the information available and required in background checks for firearm purchases. http://bit.ly/1K5aXeeSet up a task force to figure out what other measures can be taken to limit gun violence in the wake of Congressional inaction. http://1.usa.gov/1QjYMGJImproved Treatment of Soldiers and VeteransProvided active combat troops with better body armor. http://bit.ly/hzSv2hCreated a Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order http://abcn.ws/1ghLrEshttp://abcn.ws/1ghLrEs to improve the quality of their medical care. http://1.usa.gov/f4yaxWPut an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. http://nyti.ms/e2YQ7QSigned and implemented Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, making more money available to enable better medical care for veterans.http://1.usa.gov/fN4ur1With Congressional Democrats, oversaw largest spending increase in 30 years for Department of Veterans Affairs, for improved medical and extended care facilities for veterans. http://1.usa.gov/gY8O3xImplemented the Green Vet Initiative, which provides special funding to provide veterans with training in green jobs. http://bit.ly/epwUQYInitiated and signed a recruitment and employment plan to get more veterans into government jobs. http://bit.ly/b48coiOversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals. http://bit.ly/gjzTxXSigned the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act, which ensures that spouses of military personnel who are forced to move because their spouse is posted for military duty can avoid state taxes in their temporary residence. http://bit.ly/1Gh0NXOrdered improvements to access to mental health care for veterans, military personnel and their families. http://1.usa.gov/TP7PVZGot Syria to dismantle its chemical weapons without military firing a single shot or dropping a single bomb. http://nyti.ms/1lVEkU7Along with Congressional Democrats, not only reauthorized families of fallen soldiers to be able to visit when the body arrives at Dover AFB, but also provided funding for it. Ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers. Pentagon Will Help Families Travel to Dover http://bbc.in/gWSSkAFunded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services. http://1.usa.gov/huhqfoSigned into law a bill that provides support, counseling, and breastfeeding supplies to military moms who are covered under TRICARE, the health insurance provided to veterans. http://bit.ly/1yNxL8OSigned into law a bill that makes it easier for military dogs to retire at home with their handlers. http://bit.ly/1J78Y2UImproved America’s Reputation Around the WorldVisited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office. http://bit.ly/hZycdaAs he promised, he gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in Cairo early in his administration. http://nyti.ms/dKvY4gMade a speech at a US mosque to demonstrate his commitment to religious rights and send a message to Muslims around the world. http://cnn.it/1PGU1uIRestored America’s reputation around the world as a global leader.http://bit.ly/h743y7http://bit.ly/ho4TCrRe-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues. http://1.usa.gov/e7QuDjClosed a number of secret detention facilities. http://nyti.ms/rpUc9lImproved relations with Middle East countries by appointing special envoys.http://1.usa.gov/tiGAGePushed forward the first realistic Middle East peace strategy in more than a decade, without abandoning the two-state solution. http://wapo.st/1avystePushed for military to emphasize greater development of foreign language skills. http://bit.ly/AxUCLVOffered $400 million to the people living in Gaza, while calling on both Israel and the Palestinians to stop inciting violence. http://bit.ly/9axfWhRefused to give Israel the green light to attack Iran over their possible nuclear program.http://bit.ly/xVmSZKOrdered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, although blocked by Congress.http://bit.ly/eW6CVFOrdered a review of our detention and interrogation policy and prohibited the use of “enhanced interrogation.” http://bit.ly/g6MTuCOrdered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed.http://bbc.in/h6N9axReleased the Bush torture memos. http://bit.ly/hWJ5z0On his second day in office, banned torture, reversed all Bush torture policies and put the US in full compliance with the Geneva Convention.http://1.usa.gov/dL6Zvehttp://nyti.ms/hzWWysIn response to the emerging “Arab Spring,” he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them. http://bit.ly/zfmGv9Ended the F-22 program, saving $4 billion. Though the 187 aircraft cost $358 million each to build, it had never flown a combat mission. http://slate.me/PYzmzTPassed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war and encourage the Iranian government to give up their nuclear program. http://1.usa.gov/wLtNjbEnded the Iraq War. http://tgr.ph/ru0tySWorked to keep our withdrawal from Afghanistan on track, despite GOP opposition.http://reut.rs/1cIOsF1 Reiterated that commitment in 2014.http://nyti.ms/1exnmRFConducted a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates. http://bit.ly/y8c9FzThrough United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, helped negotiate a peaceful split of Sudan into two countries, creating an independent South Sudan. http://reut.rs/qzE0TjHelped make donations to Haiti tax deductible in 2009. http://huff.to/6YkAVYEstablished a new U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. http://1.usa.gov/eX28DPIssued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia.http://1.usa.gov/hxdf8UEstablished new, more reasonable policies in our relations with Cuba, such as allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families and send money to support them.http://n.pr/hY3Kwa http://nyti.ms/emQBdeThe new policies in Cuba led to thawed relations and the first US Embassy in Cuba in more than 55 years. http://abcn.ws/1ghLrEsNegotiated a deal with Iran that will prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon anytime soon, without firing a shot or invading the country. http://cnn.it/1M3HpvvAs a result of the Iran agreement, Iran shipped pretty much all of it nuclear material to Russia. http://nyti.ms/1PrzLtyBecame the first US President to visit Jamaica in more than 30 years, worked to restore relations with the country and signed a natural gas distribution agreement with the country. http://bit.ly/1JtpFqiChanged US Approach to “Defense” and National SecurityCreated a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat.http://1.usa.gov/gDX1nEAuthorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010. http://1.usa.gov/gLFZl2Restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush. http://lat.ms/gkcl3signNowed and got ratification of a new SALT Treaty. http://bit.ly/f3JVtwNegotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will stay in force until at least 2021.http://1.usa.gov/cI1bC4Committed the US to no permanent military bases in Iraq. http://bit.ly/hk73OJDeveloped a comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda, the withdrawal of most troops and the rebuilding of Afghanistan. http://wapo.st/ee4XcsRe-focused on Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing troops from the country. http://bit.ly/lNXUnaNegotiated a deal with Afghan government, to withdraw troops and military support, while assisting in rebuilding and modernizing of the country. http://bit.ly/K362anTook steps to severely weaken al Qaeda and limited their ability to terrorize the world.http://yhoo.it/n5lXs6Negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India.http://1.usa.gov/aHp0CnWorked with NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that Libyans could topple the despotic Khadaffy government and determine their own fate.http://aje.me/qAh4SjGot Egyptian President/dictator Mubarak to leave the Egyptian government to the people, to determine their own fate. http://f24.my/efvgNZIn 2011, reoriented American focus from the Middle East to the Asian-Pacific region by simultaneously engaging China and crafting new alliances with Asian countries uncomfortable with Chinese behavior. http://bit.ly/RGlMDiRestored federal agencies such as FEMA to the point that they have been able to manage a huge number of natural disasters successfully. http://bit.ly/h8Xj7zIncreased border security http://bit.ly/1JQDGz9Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden.http://bit.ly/jChpgwEstablished the Homeland Security Partnership Council, to enhance the nation’s ability to “address homeland security priorities, from responding to natural disasters to preventing terrorism, by utilizing diverse perspectives, skills, tools, and resources.”http://1.usa.gov/VJjLXOSigned agreement with Afghanistan to end war, turn security over to Afghans.http://nyti.ms/1xSjgBdBreaking with recent presidential tradition, instead of just attacking Syria in the wake of chemical weapons attacks on Syrians, Obama ordered a full report on the decision-making process. http://cbsn.ws/184RFguInstead of holding hearings and creating a political football, he quietly captured a suspect who actually committed the Benghazi terrorist attack. http://wapo.st/1jFlmzv He is also getting a lot of useful information from the suspect. http://nyti.ms/UfE2KaInstituted rules to order sanctions against individuals and groups that threaten national cybersecurity. http://1.usa.gov/1HWcGMGImproved Education and Educational OpportunitiesThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. http://1.usa.gov/gGRIArCreated the Race to the Top program, which encouraged states to come up with effective school reforms and rewards the best of them. http://bit.ly/NHtZ7LOversaw major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide.http://bit.ly/fNDcj3Oversaw major expansion in school construction. http://bit.ly/fYwNrVThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start. http://1.usa.gov/tzT2RrSigned the Democratic-sponsored Post-9/11 GI Bill, also known as GI Bill 2.0, to improve veterans’ access to education. http://bit.ly/hPhG7JOversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low and middle income students to go to college. http://bit.ly/hI6tXzSigned and implemented the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds. http://1.usa.gov/dQvtUeTook major new steps to protect students from ineffective for-profit colleges through “gainful employment” measures, whereby schools have to demonstrate that its students actually find work to get federal aid. http://1.usa.gov/jkzQe2Repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process, thus us creating greater accountability.http://bit.ly/gYWd30 http://bit.ly/e9c7Dr http://bit.ly/eEzTNqReformed student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate. http://nyti.ms/dMvHOtCreated a rating system for colleges, so that those applying for student financial aid know better what they’re paying for. http://bit.ly/14Dn7ULRestored the Adult View on Science and TechnologyCreated a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making. http://1.usa.gov/g2SDuwOpened up the process for fast-tracking patent approval for green energy projects.http://bit.ly/j0KV2UThrough the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, committed more federal funding, about $18 billion, to support non-defense science and research labs. http://nyti.ms/fTs9t7Obama EPA reversed research ethics standards which allowed humans to be used as “guinea pigs” in tests of the effects of chemicals, to comply with numerous codes of medical ethics. http://bit.ly/bKgqdSConducted a cyberspace policy review. http://1.usa.gov/gmbdvCProvided financial support for private sector space programs. http://bit.ly/fn8ucrOversaw enhanced earth mapping, to provide valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use. http://bit.ly/dNTRyPThrough American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs. http://bit.ly/ecQSgAIncreased funding for community-based prevention programs. http://bit.ly/frMPG3Expanded space exploration and discovery options to include more players.http://1.usa.gov/13qmZpmThrough the Connect America Fund, pushed through and received FCC approval for a move of $8 billion in subsidies away from telephone landlines to assist lower-income rural families in accessing broadband. http://lat.ms/vhRUEs http://bit.ly/129V3SYIn the wake of the West Fertilizer tragedy, formed the Chemical Safety and Security Working Group, to work on measures to prevent another such events.http://1.usa.gov/18kHSlAEstablished a Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, a recommendation made by the 9/11 Commission, to coordinate efforts to fight cyber-crime and terrorism. http://1.usa.gov/1A0aEoSThe Obama FCC, with his leadership, adopted strong net neutrality rules, to keep the Internet open and equal for everyone. http://fcc.us/1MhTlIAOrdered rules to speed up deployment of a more comprehensive broadband infrastructure.http://1.usa.gov/M7rVpeSet up a National Strategic Computing Initiative, to “maximize benefits of high-performance computing (HPC) research, development, and deployment.” http://1.usa.gov/1IN3FZaOrdered a federal level change in national earthquake standards.http://1.usa.gov/1T5wGoRImproved Our HealthEliminated Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, and provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research. http://bit.ly/h36SSOhttp://ti.me/edezgeSigned Democratic-sponsored Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis.http://bit.ly/fOi2rbExpanded the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families, to cover more first-time mothers. http://bit.ly/jRRRJc\Along with Democrats in Congress, ushered through and signed a bill authorizing FDA to regulate tobacco and order tobacco companies to disclose their ingredients and to ban cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.” http://on.msnbc.com/fiKViBHas overseen a 50% decrease in cost of prescription drugs for seniors.http://bit.ly/e5b1iq http://1.usa.gov/fVNkt9Eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price. http://bit.ly/fOkG5bTwo weeks after taking office, signed Democratic-sponsored Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which increased the number of children covered by health insurance by 4 million. http://bit.ly/fDEzGvUrged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. http://yhoo.it/e8Tj9CPushed through and signed Affordable Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage greatly and ended many detrimental insurance company practices. He also established Get 2016 health coverage. Health Insurance Marketplace . http://www.healthcare.gov/Through ACA, allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VThrough the ACA, provided tax breaks to allow 3.5 million small businesses to provide health insurance to their employees. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VThrough the ACA, millions of people receive help in paying their health insurance company premiums. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VThrough the ACA, expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level. http://nyti.ms/ekMWpo (Note: except for those states whose Republicans refused to take the extra money.)By 2014, the Affordable Care Act dropped the number of uninsured Americans by 22.3%, which amounts to more than 10.3 million people with insurance who didn’t have it before. Only 13.9% of Americans are uninsured, a drop from 18.9% in 2013. http://on.msnbc.com/1r4kjGnThe Affordable Care Act has increased the life expectancy of Medicare greatly.http://on.wsj.com/1yuNco6Through the ACA, health insurance companies now have to disclose how much of your premium actually goes to pay for patient care. http://nyti.ms/fNB26VMedicare costs actually declined slightly, for the first time in decades in 2011, according to the Congressional Budget Office. http://1.usa.gov/oMxpThSince passage of the ACA, health care inflation is at its lowest level since 1960.http://1.usa.gov/1vXR0LdCreated the HIV Care Continuum Initiative, to strengthen the government’s ability to respond to the continuing domestic HIV epidemic, after years of Republicans weakening the government’s ability to deal with the crisis. http://1.usa.gov/1iLED0tSigned bill that will provide health insurance premium support to workers who lose their health insurance due to foreign competition. http://bit.ly/1evvVDFIn response to the confusion triggered by the asinine Hobby Lobby decision, which essentially declared that corporations could have “religious rights” and lord them over employees, created new rules to give all women with insurance the right to free birth control. http://on.wsj.com/1O44a1tImplemented the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for 2015-2020, which is a follow-up to the first such strategy in US history, which he implemented in 2010. http://1.usa.gov/1IXknHmSigned and will implement new child safety standards for e-cigarettes.http://bit.ly/1XaFCISSet up a White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force, in order to implement ways to develop a cure for cancer. http://1.usa.gov/20AeKY4Addressed the Environment While Dealing with Energy NeedsDoubled federal spending on clean energy research. http://bit.ly/iN0sCEPushed through a tax credit to help people buy plug-in hybrid cars. http://bit.ly/j8UP5YCreated a program to develop renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that will produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents.http://1.usa.gov/fgfRWqReengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and proposed one himself. He also addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, officially reversing the Bush era stance that climate change was a “hoax.” http://bit.ly/dX6Vj3 http://bit.ly/fE2PxK http://nyti.ms/hfeqvvFully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide. http://bit.ly/eJ6QOORequired states to provide incentives to utilities to reduce their energy consumption. http://bit.ly/lBhk7PUnder Obama, our dependence on foreign oil has dropped to its lowest rate since 1985, and continues to drop. http://1.usa.gov/1p6kTUyMeanwhile, oil consumption is way down because of reduced driving and higher mileage standards. http://ti.me/1z4HFG8Improved siting, review and permitting stations for power plants, in an attempt to seriously improve the nation’s electric grid. http://1.usa.gov/1l8zNqnReengaged in a number of treaties and agreements designed to protect the Antarctic.http://bit.ly/fzQUFOCreated tax write-offs for purchases of hybrid and electric vehicles. http://bit.ly/glCukVEstablished a quadrennial review of our energy infrastructure, to encourage a modernization of the grid, and to encourage the transition away from fossil fuel use. http://1.usa.gov/1nx2oMoMandated that federal government fleet purchases be for fuel-efficient American vehicles, and encouraged that federal agencies support experimental, fuel-efficient vehicles.http://1.usa.gov/hmUSbk http://1.usa.gov/fLWq5chttp://bit.ly/h5KZqyEncouraged BP to pay $20 billion to establish Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, to reduce the need for taxpayer funds to be used for compensation and clean up.http://wapo.st/ds2BxT (Note: it took 20 years to get $1.3 billion for the Exxon Valdez spill. )Oversaw and pushed through an amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizing advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.http://1.usa.gov/yTRYVoActively tried to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the liability limits for those companies responsible for large oil spills. http://nyti.ms/bxjDi3Became the first President to simply say “Climate Change is a fact,” and set up the first federal government protocols for dealing with the impacts of climate change. http://1.usa.gov/1b7V67BInitiated Criminal and Civil inquiries into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.http://nyti.ms/bVuB7aAsserted federal legal supremacy to bar Texas from authorizing new refinery permits on its own.http://bit.ly/ww8eMdSet up new, stricter standards limiting power plant emissions. http://1.usa.gov/1mML2M3Strengthened the Endangered Species Act. http://bit.ly/hscjsHStrengthened protection for wildlife, and expanded enforcement of laws against wildlife trafficking. http://1.usa.gov/1fce1AiObama EPA improved boiler safety standards to improve air quality, and save 6500 lives per year. http://bit.ly/jYH7ntThrough the EPA, attemped to take steps to severely limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to increase their efficacy in humans. http://bit.ly/fBuWd2Through new EPA regulations, he created a pretext for closing the dirtiest power plants in the country, by limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic gasses. http://bit.ly/rQCIgAIncreased funding for National Parks and Forests by 10% http://bit.ly/fbJPjYAnnounced greatly improved commercial fuel efficiency standards.http://1.usa.gov/oQiC1KAnnounced a huge increase in average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg in 2010 to 35.5mpg starting in 2016 and 54.5 starting in 2025 http://1.usa.gov/qtghsWFacilitated investment in industrial energy efficiency to create jobs and strengthen US manufacturing while saving businesses $100 billion over a decade.http://1.usa.gov/WsIgbxSet up the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to oversee Gulf Coast restoration efforts after the 2010 BP oil spill. The money to fund the restoration efforts comes from fines against BP. http://1.usa.gov/Rxjb29Engaged in the most comprehensive plan to combat climate change in a generation.http://bit.ly/13lXhETOrdered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021. http://reut.rs/fV155pOversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers. http://bit.ly/mjnq2RGuided a 418% increase in solar power capacity between 2010 and 2014. http://bit.ly/1rHkWJCAs of May 2015, 74% of new electrical capacity was provided by solar and wind power. http://bit.ly/1T5r0LCBypassed Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions.http://bit.ly/froaP5Oversaw a tripling in the use of wind power to generate electricity. The US now leads the world in increased wind power capacity. http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5448Ordered the federal government to incorporate climate resilience and climate science into all international development in which the United States engages. http://1.usa.gov/YV1EpWFast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact fuel efficiency standards that exceeded federal standards. http://nyti.ms/e8e94xFast-tracked increased fuel economy standards for vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. It was the first time such standards had been increased in more than a decade.http://politi.co/hiaPKMOversaw establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, to create more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies. http://bit.ly/lZp73yObama EPA reversed a Bush-era decision to allow the largest mountaintop removal project in US history. http://bit.ly/lP3yELOrdered the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances. http://1.usa.gov/g3MTbuObama EPA ruled that excess CO2 is a pollutant. http://bit.ly/iQTSNNClosed a deal with China to limit carbon emissions to slow down climate change. http://nyti.ms/1xzyS8KBlocked all oil and gas drilling in Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the most pristine environments in North America http://lat.ms/13xUVFDSigned an Executive Order to improve environmental efforts in the Arctic region and to combat climate change by better coordinating the efforts of the 23 federal agencies operating in the area. http://usat.ly/ZEzLzEVetoed a bill to fast track construction of the parallel Keystone XL pipeline.http://nbcnews.to/1DVDFo7Expanded clean water regulations to more stringently protect all of the nation’s waterways, even when states fail in their duty. http://bit.ly/1RdQpTcSigned an Executive Order committing the federal government to lead the way in building a sustainable economy. It’s his fifth doing just that. http://1.usa.gov/1EzO2neBanned the use of antibiotics in food served in US Government-run cafeterias and ordered agencies to only use antibiotic-free meat. http://bit.ly/1G1vUxi http://bit.ly/1KHkl4NDeveloped new rules to address climate change and to create a signNow boost to clean energy. http://bit.ly/1UnQcuRNegotiated and signed a virtually Republican-Proof global agreement on climate change, with 190 countries signing on. http://bit.ly/1RkjVG8Became one of 196 countries that signed onto a UN Framework on Climate Change.http://unfccc.int/2860.phpOrdered a moratorium on new coal leasing on federal land, and they will examine the whole leasing process. http://wapo.st/23Q6en8There’s a Lot More!Nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices.http://huff.to/eOChg6http://bit.ly/i02wgPAppointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president. http://bit.ly/dX6vNBLoosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference. http://huff.to/eQfa7jSigned national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program. http://bit.ly/idgQH5Signed a bill that provided $4.3 billion in additional assistance to 9/11 first responders.http://bit.ly/o7cWYSSigned the Claims Resolution Act, which provided $4.6 billion in funding for a legal settlement with black and Native American farmers who had been cheated out of government loans and natural resource royalties in the past. http://1.usa.gov/dGppUaTo help those communities devastated by Hurricane Sandy, issued an executive order setting up the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force, and asked Congress to approve $60 billion in supplemental assistance to aid in storm recovery. http://1.usa.gov/134L7hlProduced 23 Executive actions designed to make it easier for law enforcement to identify those who shouldn’t have guns, thus helping them enforce the law.http://on.wsj.com/SX9xaZExpanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements in trade pacts like NAFTA. http://bit.ly/etznpYOversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during budget negotiations.http://on.fb.me/fD0EVO http://bit.ly/ff5LuvOversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.http://bit.ly/dFb8qF”And Did You Know?Despite the characterizations of some, Obama’s success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office. Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnson’s success rate in 1965 was only 93%.http://n.pr/i3d7cYAnd of course…Despite the odds, became the first black president, and then was reelected by a wide margin of the population.

The first step in the process of production is acquiring the raw material and building inventories. The government again provides assistance to entrepreneurs at this step as well through its Raw Material Assistance Scheme. This scheme is promoted by the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) of the Government of India. Raw Material Assistance Scheme aims at helping MSMEs by way of financing the purchase of Raw Material (both indigenous & imported). NSIC facilitates MSMEs in raw material procurement in both way i.e. against advance payment and also on credit, as per the requirement of MSMEs. This gives an opportunity to MSMEs to focus better on manufacturing quality products.OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME:1. Providing financial assistance for procurement of Raw Material for up to 90 days.2. Help MSMEs avail economics of purchase in form of bulk purchase, cash discount etc.3. NSIC takes care of all the procedures, documentation & issue of Letter of credit in case of imports.BENEFITS:1. Materials facilitated under Bulk supplies arrangements are provided at bulk supplier’s rate by eliminating the middlemen.2. Discounts received under bulk supplies arrangements are shared with MSMEs, enabling them to reduce cost of purchase of materials.3. Availability of raw material on credit and enabling MSMEs to execute the orders in hand.ELIGIBILTY:The scheme benefits will extend to the following:1. Procurement of raw materials viz., Aluminium, Zinc, Copper, Iron & Steel, Paraffin wax, Coal, Polymer products etc., by signing Memorandum of Understanding with the bulk manufacturers.2. Godown operation of bulk manufacturers.3. Procurement of other Raw Materials from the suppliers / manufacturers (other than as mentioned at a & b above) on the specific request of MSMEs.TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATED TO THE ASSISTANCE:1. The NSIC will directly make payment to the concerned supplier from which the purchase has been made. The purchasing unit, i.e. the buyer has to submit proforma invoice/ original invoice/ material receipt note with specific request to release the payment. The maximum assistance is provided up to 95% of the BG value.2. A credit period of 90 days is allowed to the manufacturer by the government. But it can be further extended on the request of MSME provided the unit serves interest, total outstanding is within Bill Guarantee (BG) limit and BG remains valid till extended period.3. There is ceiling to avail benefits fixed to the tune of Rs. 5 crores for a single unit and Rs. 15 crores for a group of units engaged in manufacturing activities. In case of MSMEs engaged in infrastructure activities, maximum ceiling is Rs 5.00 Crore, either individual unit or group of units. However, MSMEs engaged in manufacturing activities, already availing assistance from NSIC and procuring materials from bulk suppliers can be considered for enhancement of limit up to Rs.8.00 Crore for single unit and Rs.20.00 crores for group companies.4. The rate of interest and processing fee which are subject to change, are as under:Additional interest is charged @ 1% for every cycle of 90 days if repayment is not made within 90 days.APPLICATION PROCESS:1. Duly filled application form is to be submitted along with the Application. Application forms will be available online on the website of NSIC or free physical copies of the forms will also be available at the NSIC field office.2. Preliminary appraisal and Unit inspection is carried out by NSIC.3. Sanction of Limit to the Unit.4. Signing of agreement between NSIC and Unit.5. Disbursement of assistance to the unit.Hope it helps !! Cheers !