MENU 
By Anjan Roy The union cabinet has cleared a long pending change in banking regulation which can have deep impact on how banks are run in the country. The amendment bill raises the voting right of bank shareholders. A bill making the necessary changes in the banking act will...
Badal Clueless On Action Programme By B.K. Chum in Chandigarh Eight weeks are too short a period to judge the performance of a new ministry. But the eight weeks yardstick cannot be applied to the incumbent Badal-led Akali-BJP government which took oath on March 14 as the coalition, for...
India will soon approve a deal withPilatusfor 75 PC-7 Mk.2 basic trainer aircraft to train it’s rookie air force pilots. The deal is expected to be approved shortly, withIndia’s apex Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) scrutinizing the final contract. A Korea Aerospace company, whose KT-1 trainer was runner-up in...
Blackstone Group LP (BX.N), the world’s largest alternative asset manager, is close to securing a major managed account on behalf of CalPERS, one of private equity’s largest investors, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. In an increasingly competitive fundraising environment, diversified private equity firms have been...
CHANDIGARH: With the USD 4 billion Bathinda oil refinery getting commissioned, fund-starved Punjab government will now give incentives, which were promised by it for the setting up of the ambitious 9 million tonne per annum project. An Empowered Committee headed by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is likely...
NEW DELHI: Armed with the attorney-general\’s opinion that the Electricity Act makes it obligatory for power distribution companies (discoms) and bulk consumers to sign agreements for electricity purchase, the Centre has directed all states to institute mandatory open access regimes in distribution. The toughening of stand comes after similar...
NEW DELHI: The parliamentary standing committee on food and consumer affairs has recommended CBI to look into cases of irregularities in the Forward Markets Commission (FMC) exchanges. “Despite regulatory mechanism in the FMC, there are reported cases of trading irregularities and market manipulations…The Committee recommends that FMC should seriously...
MUMBAI: Many private equity funds (PEs) are seeking to invest jointly with rivals in companies as it mitigates risks and insulates them from allegation of failures. “Co-investments are certainly becoming a trend not only from the size perspective but also from the view of jointly evaluating and negotiating transactions,”...
NEW DELHI: The coal ministry has proposed a sovereign fund to facilitate the acquisition of coal properties abroad. The proposal comes following the demands from steel, fertiliser and power companies that have been trying hard to buy mineral assets in countries like Indonesia and Australia. “Though Coal India has...
MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India swung into action today after the rupee depreciated 1.7 per cent in four trading sessions and went close to its all-time low levels in early trade today. In a communication made after market hours, the central bank relaxed norms to encourage foreign currency...
By Harihar Swarup The BJP has lost the first round even as battle lines are being drawn for the Presidential elections; firstly by tactlessly floating the name of APJ Abdul Kalam for yet another term and, secondly, by doubting the credentials of the Vice-President Hamid Ansari to become the...
From Ashis Biswas KOLKATA: For the beleaguered Left parties in West Bengal, the realisation that they cannot politically capitalise on the numerous blunders committed by the ruling Trinamool Congress(TMC) must be acutely frustrating. A year after the State Assembly polls of 2011, the sad truth is that any setback...
From P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The caste syndrome is getting more pronounced in Kerala politics. That is the unmistakable message emanating from the formation of a new political party called the Kerala People’s Front (KPF) by the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, an organization of the Ezhava community. The...
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan are set to hold talks on two key issues later this month as part of the resumed dialogue process. Top officials will discuss the Sir Creek issue on May 14-16 in New Delhi while the Home/Interior secretaries will meet to discuss counter-terrorism in Islamabad...
There are no dissent in the top brass of the Indian Air Force and defence establishment that the MiG-21s have become obsolete. But nonetheless, the IAF is compelled to fly these vintage war machines owing to its low squadron strength. The IAF has openly praised these machines – which...
HYDERABAD: In order to help commandos tackling a hostage like situation, a group of students from the Gates Institute of Technology in Anatapur has now developed a “remote-operated Robotic Command system” which can easily penetrate into a building and can give the inside view of a building in critical situations....
An Indian Navy cadet today set sail onboard a Chinese warship named after a 15th century eunuch admiral on a voyage to mark the anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Cadet David Veeravalli’s voyage typifies a military relationship with China that is marked by baby steps...
A deal with Pilatus for 75 PC-7 Mk.2 basic trainer aircraft is expected to be approved shortly, with India’s apex Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) scrutinizing the final contract. A formal protest by Korea Aerospace, whose KT-1 trainer was runner-up in the final toss-up, was dismissed by the MoD....