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.UPA Has To Fight A Hard Battle To Arrest Economic Drift
By S. Sethuraman Just as UPA-II wakes up to economic realities and gropes for some solid actions to restore a sense of confidence, both of investors and the public at large, the Congress-led Government remains challenged by growing political tensions and worsening domestic and global growth outlook. The immediate...
A Fresh Stimulus To Economy Needed
By Anjan Roy When the government becomes weak, everybody starts talking. Now regulatory body chiefs and Reserve Bank deputy governors are all in the fray to make pubic pronouncement of what should be done. While SEBI chairman, U.K. Sinha, has advised government to fast track reforms programmes, if necessary...
Akali Dal Gives Covert Support To SGPC Priests
By B.K. Chum in Chandigarh “Haryana is where Action is”. The slogan was coined by Bansi Lal’s brain trusts in the early seventies to project Haryana’s big strides in development after his taking over as Chief Minister in 1968. The slogan is now applicable to Punjab though in a...
Govt To Relax SEZ Land Norms Soon
NEW DELHI: The ministry of commerce and industry would soon announce relaxed land-related norms for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to arrest the slackening pace of growth in these tax-free zones by making certain changes in the SEZ policy. In a major amendment to the policy, enacted in 2006, for...
Competition Watchdog May Look At All Sectors
NEW DELHI: A corporate affairs ministry note prepared for a group of ministers has sought to bring all sectors of the economy under the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) purview Objections to that by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have been contested....
With Growth On His Mind, PM May Push For RBI Rate Cut
NEW DELHI: With growth being his top priority amid grim economic data, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may unequivocally support the finance ministry’s stance favouring another rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) at the June 18 policy review. This comes in the wake of senior RBI officials...
Big Debt Killed, Biyani Won’t Shed Core Business
NEW DELHI: Retail magnate Kishore Biyani says he is not in talks with anybody to sell stake in Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar chains because his Future Group has sorted out its debt crisis after three back-to-back deals in the past one month. “We are not in discussions with...
Policy Of Allotting Coal Mines Opaque, Says CAG's Final Report
NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General’s final report on the allocation of coal blocks has concluded the government did not follow a transparent policy in selecting beneficiaries and was wrong in ignoring a 2004 recommendation by the secretary in the coal ministry that mines should be awarded through...
Power Ministry May Seek CERC Advice To Bail Out Crisis-Hit Projects
NEW DELHI: Power projects with a combined generating capacity of over 59,000 MW facing the prospect of default on supply contracts due to the developers’ inability to pass on increase in fuel cost to distribution companies might get some relief soon. The Union power ministry is planning to ask...
Africa Gas Find May Fire India’s Energy Security
MUMBAI: Natural gas reserves in Mozambique’s oil-rich Rovuma Basin, where Indian companies hold stakes, are expected to rise dramatically with a giant new discovery, catapulting the African nation to the league of the world’s top gas exporters and boosting India’s energy security. Texas-based Anadarko Petroleum, the operator of the...
The World Is Hungry For A Piece Of India's Defence Pie
Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani, Azim Premji and Adi Godrej made their fortunes in oil refining, software and toilet soaps. These days the moguls see big money in bullets, bombs and ballistics. Indiais the world’s largest weapons importer, relying on foreign suppliers, including Boeing and MiG Russian Aircraft, for about...
SEBI Tightens Reporting Norms For Participatory Notes
NEW DELHI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has tightened the rules governing participatory notes (P-notes) by cutting the time lag in reporting these transactions. According to a circular issued yesterday, Sebi said foreign institutional investors (FIIs) will have to report monthly details of transactions done through...
CBI Shadow On Oil, Coal Ministries
NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a wide-ranging probe into the energy sector, with daily visits to the coal ministry to scrutinise files on coal blocks, and has issued notices to two former oil ministry officials on procedural issues. The CBI is studying the allotment...
Chakrabarty Counters Gokarn On Rate Cut
MUMBAI: Reserve Bank ofIndiaDeputy Governor KC Chakrabarty on Friday said interest rates inIndiawere not too high to impact growth, throwing cold water on hopes of central bank action to revive a sputtering economy. This comes only days after fellow Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn raised expectations of a rate cut...
Vedanta to buy aluminium firm in Odisha for Rs 1,811 crore
MUMBAI/BHUBANESWAR: Anil Agarwal of Vedanta has found an ally in Larsen & Tourbo (L&T) to bail himself out of the raw material crisis ailing his flagship Odisha aluminium project. The London-listed Vedanta, promoted by Agarwal, has entered into a tripartite agreement with L&T and its partner Dubai Aluminium Company...
Rs 1.5 Lakh Crore Loan Recast For Power Distribution Companies
NEW DELHI: In one of the biggest-ever restructuring exercise, the Centre has agreed to a loan relief for ailing power distribution companies (discoms) but is insisting that state governments and the utilities take over the entire burden of Rs 1.5 lakh crore, instead of banks taking over half the...
GAIL May Become Partner In TAPI Gas Pipeline Project
NEW DELHI: GAIL (India) may take equity participation in the consortium mandated to construct the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline project, which will transport gas fromTurkmenistan. Sources privy to the development said the Government-to-Government agreement allowsIndiato become a partner in the consortium, if so desired. The road-show to invite players...
Indian Navy Ships In China Next Week
In a sign of renewed momentum in bilateral ties, four Indian Navy ships will be docking inShanghainext week on a goodwill visit, a key step to building trust in the maritime domain asIndiaandChinaThursday decided to fastrack crucial dialogues on Central Asia, West Asia andAfrica. A day after Indian External...
