Opinion
Appeal
The legacy of IPA, founded by Nikhil Chakravartty, the doyen of journalism in India, to keep the flag of independent media flying high, is facing the threat of extinction due to the effect of the Covid pandemic. Only an emergency funding can avert such an eventuality. We appeal to all those who believe in the freedom of expression to contribute to this noble cause.PMO Proposes Special Agencies To Speed Up Infra Projects
NEW DELHI: The Prime Ministers’ Office (PMO) has asked ministries to examine a proposal to set up special agencies that would acquire all the necessary licences and approvals for a project before bids are invited from investors. The proposed special purpose vehicle (SPV) under each ministry will ensure that...
Moment Of Truth For The Kerala CPI(M)
From P. Sreekumaran THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The shocking murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader T P Chandrashekharan has plunged the Kerala unit of the Communist Party of India(Marxist) into an unprecedented crisis. Though the CPI(M) has denied any involvement in the murder, the fact that CPI(M) leaders are among those...
BJP’s Big Dilemma Over Yeddyurappa
By Kalyani Shankar The story goes that long ago there was a boy called Gopala who often used to frighten people by falsely claiming tiger was coming. But when it actually came and Gopala screamed ‘”tiger, tiger” nobody believed and the tiger attacked them. Former Karnataka chief minister Yediyurappa...
Is Sonia Steering The UPA Ship?
By Nora Chopra Where is the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh? Has anyone heard from him of late? With concern at its highest over the falling image and failing performance of the Manmohan Singh government, Sonia Gandhi has taken charge of steering the government herself. The UPA chairperson has become...
U.S. May Offer Shale Gas In Liquefied Form To India
NEW DELHI: India and the U.S., on Tuesday, held talks on weaning New Delhi away from dependence on Iranian oil and while both sides stated their known positions on the issue, one positive outcome of the talks, which were wide ranging in nature and not focussed just on Iran,...
Coal Ministry Wants More Transparency In Pricing System
NEW DELHI: The Coal Minister, Mr Sriprakash Jaiswal, is in no mood to make any controversial statement. He is clear that whatever be the decision of the high-level ministerial panel dealing with some ticklish issues concerning his Ministry, he will stand by it. In an interview with Business Line,...
India Signed Defence Offsets Worth $4.3 Billion
The defence acquisitions ofIndiaare also proving to fruitful for the Indian defence industry which is likely to gain by defence offsets signed so far. The offset contracts value at a whopping $ 4.279 billion. Any foreign vendors entering a defence contract valuing more than Rs. 300 crores is mandated...
Banks Want A Say In New Telecom Pact
NEW DELHI: The government is consulting state-run banks before it finalises the new licences that will be issued to telecom companies winning spectrum in the auctions to be held later this year, as it is keen to ensure bids are bankrolled without a hitch. The first round of auctions...
High Costs, Low Pricing Power Trim Corporate Profits, Margins In Q4
MUMBAI: With the earnings season already half-way through, it is now clear that India Inc is in a bit of a spot. While a number of companies including Hindustan Unilever, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Idea Cellular have turned in good performances, there has been a string of disappointments...
‘Altered’ DTC Bill Likely In Monsoon Session, Says FM
NEW DELHI : The government will bring the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament and has indicated that most of the recommendations of the standing committee will be accepted, raising hope that the legislation that seeks to overhaul the 50-year old income-tax law may...
Acquiring Land To Get Tougher For Industries
NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel on Tuesday proposed tougher norms for acquiring land for industrial use, as it finalised the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development, in a report due to be tabled in the House on Thursday, proposed a more...
FIBP May Be Allowed To Clear Foreign Buys In Pharma Companies
NEW DELHI: The Department of Pharmaceuticals has mooted a proposal to allow the country’s foreign investment approving body to continue clearing stake purchases by foreign firms in Indian drug companies, as it seeks to end the uncertainty that has stalled the investment plans of MNCs and foreign investors in...
Worried PMO Proposes Big Investment Boost
NEW DELHI: Worried over the declining growth rate, the large supply constraints on many fronts and a negative perception of India among the intelligentsia and industry, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has proposed the setting up of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for accelerating investments in the infrastructure, mineral...
Some Headway In Centre-ULFA Talks
From Ashis Biswas KOLKATA: Stronger employment guarantees for locals, greater control over natural resources and disenfranchisement of Bangladeshi migrants — these are among steps New Delhi may consider implementing in Assam, in a proposed new agreement with the pro-talk Arabindra Rajkhowa faction of the ULFA. The last meeting...
Plastic Bags Use Must Be Phased Out
By Rashmi Saksena If you are a child of the pre ‘50s you would remember the good old days when ‘chai’ was sold in ‘kullahar’, the fragrance of the damp earthen mug mingling with the steam rising from the hot tea? Recall samosas handed out in bags made of...
Sexual Offence Bill Is Ill-Conceived
By Garga Chatterjee My maternal grandmother, who I used to call Dida, and by whose side I was during her death more than a decade ago while I was still a medical student, left me with a lot of memories. The most salient among them was to kiss me...
Govt Downplays NTPC's Opposition To FSA, Even As 29 Stations Left With 7 Days Of Coal
NEW DELHI: Even as the Government tried to downplay National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd’s (NTPC) stout refusal to sign the Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) document prepared by Coal India Ltd (CIL) owing to its controversial clauses, the dry fuel supply situation in the country remains grim as 29 out...
Myanmar Opens For Business, India Inc Treads Cautiously
NEW DELHI: Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country — one that is rich in resources but remains deeply impoverished — has grown over 100 times in the past few years. In 2010-11 alone, it soared to $20 billion from a much smaller $300 million during the previous year,...
