Arup Roychoudhury, Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Subhayan Chakraborty

Stories by Arup Roychoudhury, Shine Jacob &Amp;Amp; Subhayan Chakraborty

Govt for UPA-style bailout of NBFCs

Govt for UPA-style bailout of NBFCs

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2019

In 2009, the UPA government, had announced a slew of measures to boost liquidity in NBFCs. These included a scheme for providing liquidity support to NBFCs having assets size of over Rs 100 crore through a SPV.

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Govt to break 150-yr tradition, gives nod to Railway board restructuring

Rediff.com   25 Dec 2019

The new board will have a leaner structure on functional lines headed by the chairman and four members - covering infrastructure, operations and business development, rolling stock, and finance.

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Railways in talks with Reliance Jio on tower use

Rediff.com   23 Dec 2019

Indian Railways is in talks with Reliance Jio Infocomm to allow the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom major's use of its towers. The aim is seamless mobile and internet connectivity for passengers along the 67,368-km of tracks. The Railway Board has entrusted its RailTel Corporation arm to work on the modalities with Jio. The Jio tie-up is expected to bring down its telecom bill by at least 35 per cent from this financial year.

Economists tell Sitharaman to focus on reviving growth

Economists tell Sitharaman to focus on reviving growth

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2019

At a pre-Budget meeting, the FM was asked to ensure that NBFCs come out of the liquidity crisis they are facing with the help of RBI. They also spoke about the futility of trying to achieve a 3 per cent fiscal deficit target over the medium term.

Govt set to miss FY20 fiscal deficit target

Govt set to miss FY20 fiscal deficit target

Rediff.com   18 Dec 2019

Even with the possible expenditure roll-overs and off-budget financing, the fiscal deficit target will not be met. The FRBM Act, after its amendment in 2018, allows a fiscal deficit slippage of not more than 0.5 per cent for any given year, provided there are justifications. These justifications include war, national security, severe collapse in the agriculture sector, a major natural calamity, big structural economic reforms, or the decline in real output growth of a quarter by at least 3 percentage points below its average of the previous four quarters.

Modi, team to start pre-Budget consultations next week

Modi, team to start pre-Budget consultations next week

Rediff.com   14 Dec 2019

In the 2020-21 Budget, the prime minister and the finance minister are keen to stamp their narrative, after various rollbacks following the previous Budget, said top government sources. Besides the scheduled meetings, the sources said, the Prime Minister's Office is expected to hold several meetings with top secretaries and officials on various ongoing schemes, their performance and also how some of them could be tweaked for better results.

State-run banks come to the rescue of MSMEs

State-run banks come to the rescue of MSMEs

Rediff.com   11 Dec 2019

Banks will also consider requests from MSMEs for restructuring their stressed standard assets. So far, only 25 per cent of the around 1 million eligible MSMEs have taken benefit of the RBI's special dispensation.

Growth finally back in services sector; PMI stood at 52.7

Growth finally back in services sector; PMI stood at 52.7

Rediff.com   5 Dec 2019

While manufacturing firms cut jobs for the first time in 20 months to sharply reduce costs, services providers continued their hiring spree.

Only 61% homes used LPG as of Dec 2018

Only 61% homes used LPG as of Dec 2018

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2019

Only 48.3 per cent of the rural households used LPG, while the figures were much higher in urban areas at 86.6 per cent, according to a NSO report.

Budget 2020: What Sitharaman has in store for you

Budget 2020: What Sitharaman has in store for you

Rediff.com   26 Nov 2019

Long-term capital gains tax may be scrapped and the burden of dividend distribution tax could perhaps be shifted from companies to shareholders. Also, the Budget could provide income tax relief for the salaried classes, while proposing tax sops for small, medium and micro enterprises.

Piyush Goyal's agenda in US

Piyush Goyal's agenda in US

Rediff.com   14 Nov 2019

Among the major ones are fewer restrictions on market access for US medical device manufacturers, as well as access for other key products.

Unspent PM-KISAN fund may be diverted to MGNREGA

Unspent PM-KISAN fund may be diverted to MGNREGA

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2019

Sources said the rural development ministry has sought an additional Rs 20,000 crore for MGNREGA for 2019-20 over and above the budgeted Rs 60,000 crore for 2019-20. Though, all of the PM-KISAN savings may not be transferred to fund MNGREGA's extra needs, sources said a part of this could be transferred.

Why stubble burning will continue to choke NCR

Why stubble burning will continue to choke NCR

Rediff.com   13 Nov 2019

To prevent rise in air pollution levels, oil marketing companies and thermal power units were planning to procure stubble from farmers to make bioethanol and promote the central government's 'Agricultural Mechanization' for crop residue management. But both have seen minimal success.

Will Piyush Goyal manage to clinch a trade deal with US

Will Piyush Goyal manage to clinch a trade deal with US

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2019

The high point of the trip will be Goyal's meeting with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on November 13, which is expected to see the USTR push India towards lower import duties in a broad range of areas.

Is GeM a threat to Flipkart and Amazon?

Is GeM a threat to Flipkart and Amazon?

Rediff.com   8 Nov 2019

Initially, private buyers will be able to make bulk purchases on Government e-marketplace, it will subsequently be broadened to small-ticket buying as well.

India holds out at final RCEP talks, all eyes on Modi

India holds out at final RCEP talks, all eyes on Modi

Rediff.com   3 Nov 2019

The agenda prepared by ministers will be discussed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other RCEP leaders in Nonthaburi, a city north of Bangkok, on November 4, the official deadline to close talks.

July-Sep GDP growth may fall below 5%

July-Sep GDP growth may fall below 5%

Rediff.com   2 Nov 2019

'We expect a pick-up in the second half of the current fiscal. But before that, data is likely to show a further slowdown. The second quarter print is likely to be worse than the first quarter,' said a senior official.

RCEP can be particularly beneficial for India, says report

RCEP can be particularly beneficial for India, says report

Rediff.com   31 Oct 2019

The report by the High Level Advisory Group said India stands to benefit even more when the US and China are locked in a global trade war.

'For sustained growth, investment is absolutely critical'

'For sustained growth, investment is absolutely critical'

Rediff.com   31 Oct 2019

The economy could grow at 6-6.5 per cent this fiscal year (2019-20 or FY20), said Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian, revising his earlier estimate of 7 per cent in the Economic Survey. In an interaction with Arup Roychoudhury, he said supply-side measures, including corporation tax cuts, will boost consumption and demand, and non-tax revenue may make up for shortfall in tax revenues.

Bitter reminder for BJP that assembly polls are fought on local issues

Bitter reminder for BJP that assembly polls are fought on local issues

Rediff.com   25 Oct 2019

Dissatisfaction with the state leadership, along with caste and sectarian factors and economic issues -- particularly those relating to jobs and rural distress cost the BJP.