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.IAF To Loose Conventional Edge Over PAF
With the defence ministry dragging its feet on crucial defense purchases, for the first time since independence the Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to lose conventional edge overPakistan. It’s fighter squadron strength is set to hit an all time low of 31 in the next two years. Since...
IRDA Bans Products With Highest Nav Guaranteed
MUMBAI: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) has asked life insurers to stop selling highest net asset value (NAV)-guaranteed products. In a recent communication to all life insurers, the regulator has said, “The marketing of products labelled as highest NAV product shall not be allowed”. These products contribute...
Pharma Inc-Gom Meet To Tackle ‘Thorny’ Pricing
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: As key stakeholders in the pharma industry — associations of drug makers, drug retailers and civil society groups — meet the group of ministers (GoM) led by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar on pharma pricing in New Delhi on Monday, two issues will be hotly debated: The span...
Power Companies May Be Pushed To Hike Tariff
NEW DELHI: As many as 18 upcoming power projects with an aggregate capacity of over 25,000 MW might be forced to violate their tariff commitments and seek a much higher price from consumers. This is because the coal ministry has rejected a request from the developers of these projects...
Rahul Khullar To Take Over As Trai Chief
NEW DELHI: Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar is set to take over as the next chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, two people familiar with the development told ET. Khullar, who has one more year to go in the commerce ministry, is likely to resign soon to take...
India Inc Hit By A Double Whammy
Indian firms are being squeezed by rising input costs and cooling demand, resulting in a slowdown in earnings and revenue growth compared to recent quarters. An ETIG analysis of 600 companies that have announced results for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, shows that net profit, excluding firms in...
A Year Of Crisis Management For The Economy
By S. Sethuraman Heading into mid-year, we see more dark clouds on the horizon as against a slow but steady recovery for the global economy led principally by Asian majors like China and India, postulated at the start of 2012. Electoral politics has taken over much of economic space...
Sonia For Unity In Himachal Congress
By B.K. Chum in Chandigarh It is seldom that the two main national parties, one in power and the other out of power, are afflicted with similar inner-party problems and their top leaders suggest similar remedial measures. The parties under reference are Congress and BJP. Both are plagued with...
Talking About India’s Lowliest Toilers – Scavengers
By Narendra Sharma NEW DELHI: The scavengers or sanitary workers belong to the lowliest of the toilers among the country’s 450 million workforce. Their working and living conditions which are worse than any other segment of the working class, have remained unchanged over centuries. With stick-broom and a tinplate...
CAG Pulls Up The Laggards In CSR
By Surojit Mahalanobis NEW DELHI: If business ethics do not catch up with your conscience, then the CAG will. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) a slow or no-starter in their corporate social responsibility. At a report of audit on 114...
Post-Bofors, Nod For Purchase Of First Artillery Guns
NEW DELHI: India has finally cast away the “ghost” of Bofors. It has okayed the first purchase of artillery guns for its Army in 27 years. The Ministry of Defence today cleared the purchase of 145 specialised 155 MM artillery guns, the first artillery gun purchase since the Bofors...
NTPC May Issue Domestic Bonds For Funding Expansion
NEW DELHI: Public sector power producer NTPC may raise Rs 25,000-30,000 crore via domestic bonds to fund its expansion projects. This was disclosed by the company’s Director (Finance), Mr A.K. Singhal, at an investors’ conference call on Friday, a day after its fourth quarter of 2011-12 numbers. The company...
Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum And Hindustan Petroleum On Petrol Pump Expansion Spree
NEW DELHI: State-run oil marketing firms Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum are on an expansion spree-setting up 3,100 petrol pumps outlets in 2011-12-brushing aside financial concerns arising out of their combined revenue loss of Rs 15,000 crore in the first nine months of this fiscal. ‘State-run fuel...
Shapoorji Pallonji, New Vernon to sell stakes in 3 IT Parks for Rs 2000 crore
BANGALORE: Shapoorji Pallonji Real Estate and PE fund New Vernon are selling their investments in three Information Technology (IT) parks in Chennai, Pune and Gurgaon for a cumulative value of 1,500-2,000 crore, a person directly involved in the transaction told ET. “They have been in the market for some...
RBI may sell dollars directly to oil companies to check rupee volatility
NEW DELHI: The government and the central bank are pondering over a plan to move bulk dollar purchases by oil marketing companies out of a turbulent currency market to make the weakening rupee less volatile. With a weekly demand of $2-3 billion, roughly one out of every 10 dollars...
IL&FS, LIC To Float $2-Billion Infrastructure Debt Fund
MUMBAI: IL&FS Financial Services Ltd (IFIN) and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) will set up an infrastructure debt fund with a targeted corpus of $2 billion. LIC will pick up 10 per cent stake in the asset management company floated by IL&FS, the infrastructure development and finance company headquartered here....
Panel To Probe Drug Approval Process
NEW DELHI: Acting swiftly on the stinging criticism by a Parliamentary panel on the way new drugs are approved in the country without clinical trials, health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday set up a three-member expert panel to probe the allegations and to recommend ways...
Growth A Worry As March Factory Output Falls 3.5 Per Cent
NEW DELHI: Industrial production contracted unexpectedly in March, capping a week of grim economic news and spotlighting the Manmohan Singh government’s struggles with boosting growth. Output at factories, utilities and mines shrank 3.5% in March from a growth of 7.3% a year ago, prompting finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to...
